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ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- A Briton bested competitors from 51 other countries to win the recent World Barista Championship in Atlanta, Georgia. The World Barista Championship poured into Atlanta, Georgia, this year after serving Denmark last year. Winner Gwilym Davies said the caffeinated competition was more difficult than other events he has participated in. "In sports, I was able to run harder, or tackle harder ... but this, I still have to keep composed, and watch the shots," the pushcart owner told CNN on Sunday. "I found it tougher." Each competitor served four espressos, four cappuccinos and four signature drinks. Despite incurring a penalty for running 17 seconds over the 15-minute limit, Davies' prowess steamed him to the fore of the competition. Watch contestants battle for title » "It brings together a group of people from all around the world and we currently have a structure of 61 nations that are part of the family," said Cindy Chang, executive director of the World Barista Championship. The competition was held during the annual meeting of the Specialty Coffee Association of America, which attracted thousands of participants from around the world. In addition to winning an espresso machine, Davies will travel extensively this year representing the specialty coffee community. In what some view as a strange twist, none of the champions over the past decade has come from a country that grows coffee. "It does seem kind of perplexing, because what we look for in this competition is for the baristas to tell a story, show that they have a broad coffee knowledge," said Chang. "And the baristas from coffee-producing countries seem to have an easy access to this." Davies said he owes his success to his willingness to improvise. "There were 256 different drinks that we could have made," he said. "We tried a few and added the ingredients. But it was still a bit risky ... and we got away with it!" The next world championship is to be held next year in London, England. CNN's Felipe Bernal contributed to this story. | [
"How many espressos did each competitor serve?",
"Where was the World Barista Championship?",
"What is the name of the winner from this week?",
"What did each competitor serve?",
"What is the strange twist?",
"Who won this week's World Barista Championship?",
"What was this week in Atlanta?",
"How many of past decade's winners hail from a coffee-growing country?"
] | [
[
"four"
],
[
"Atlanta, Georgia."
],
[
"Gwilym Davies"
],
[
"four espressos, four cappuccinos and four signature drinks."
],
[
"none of the champions over the past decade has come from a country that grows coffee."
],
[
"Gwilym Davies"
],
[
"The World Barista Championship"
],
[
"none"
]
] | Gwilym Davies wins this week's World Barista Championship in Atlanta .
Each competitor served 4 espressos, 4 cappuccinos and 4 signature drinks .
Strange twist: None of past decade's winners hail from a coffee-growing country . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- A Georgia judge threw the book at Brian Nichols on Saturday, giving him four consecutive sentences of life without parole for a 2005 shooting rampage that started in an Atlanta courthouse. Brian Nichols tells the court Saturday in Atlanta, Georgia, "I will not bring dishonor to the decision to spare my life." "I'm giving you the maximum -- every day I could give you. If I could give you more, I would," Superior Court Judge James Bodiford told Nichols. Nichols, 37, was convicted last month of 54 counts for a deadly shooting rampage that began March 11, 2005, in the same courthouse where he stood trial. Nichols, who was being tried for rape, shot three people to death as he escaped from the downtown courthouse that day and a federal agent the next day in Atlanta's Buckhead district before being captured in neighboring Gwinnett County. "I know that the things that I've done caused a lot of pain, and I am sorry," Nichols, who remained seated, told the court before sentence was pronounced. "And I just wanted to say that I will not bring dishonor to the decision to spare my life." Watch victims' family members react to the sentence » Nichols was spared a death sentence Friday after the jury deliberating his fate announced that it could not agree on a sentence. Bodiford gave Nichols the maximum sentence on all the non-murder charges, and ordered them to be served consecutively. Those terms ranged from five years for escape to life for armed robbery. Other charges included aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, robbery by force, theft by taking, hijacking a motor vehicle and false imprisonment. "It's a large number of years. It's many lifetimes," Bodiford said. Bodiford ordered that Nichols serve his time in the Georgia state penal system, forgoing the possibility of sending him to the federal maximum-security prison in Colorado. Bodiford implored Nichols' family and attorneys never to trust Nichols again. "There's ample evidence that trusting him will get you killed," he said in concluding the sentencing hearing. Jurors told Bodiford on Friday night that they were deadlocked, with nine in favor of death and three in favor of life without parole. Under Georgia law, the jurors must reach a unanimous decision in order to impose a death sentence. In the absence of a unanimous jury verdict, the decision fell in the hands of Bodiford. Defense lawyers said Nichols, who confessed to the killings, suffers from a mental disorder. The jurors unanimously found the necessary aggravating circumstances in the four murders, but they were split over the death penalty. After nine weeks of testimony, the jury found Nichols guilty of 54 counts, which included the four murders plus numerous aggravated assaults, carjackings and kidnappings. The shootings began in the Fulton County Courthouse, where Nichols was set to stand trial for rape. He overpowered a sheriff's deputy and took her gun before proceeding to the courtroom of Judge Rowland Barnes, killing him and court reporter Julie Ann Brandau. Sgt. Hoyt Teasley chased Nichols to outside the courthouse, where Nichols fatally shot him. Nichols killed off-duty U.S. Customs Agent David Wilhelm as he worked on a house in Buckhead the next day. He was captured later that day after a standoff with police in the apartment of a woman he had taken hostage in Gwinnett County. The case drew nationwide attention, in part because of the cost of Nichols' representation: about $2 million at last accounting. Nichols had attempted to plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence, but the Fulton County District Attorney's Office would not take the death penalty off the table. | [
"who was convicted",
"did nichols say something",
"What was the jury's result?",
"what did the judge say",
"When was the shooting rampage?",
"What does Nichols say he knows?"
] | [
[
"Brian Nichols"
],
[
"\"I will not bring dishonor to the decision to spare my life.\""
],
[
"found Nichols guilty of 54 counts,"
],
[
"\"I'm giving you the maximum"
],
[
"2005"
],
[
"that the things that I've done caused a lot of pain, and I am sorry,\""
]
] | Judge: "I'm giving you the maximum -- every day I could give you"
Brian Nichols was convicted of killing four people in 2005 shooting rampage .
Nichols: "I know that the things that I've done caused a lot of pain, and I am sorry"
Jury split 9-3 in favor of death, but decision must be unanimous . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- A Georgia man who spent a year in jail for nonpayment of child support -- despite the fact he has no children -- has been cleared of the debt, his attorney said Tuesday. Frank Hatley was ordered to make back payments even after he learned a teenager wasn't his son. Frank Hatley, 50, spent 13 months in jail for being a deadbeat dad before his release last month. A judge ordered him jailed in June 2008 for failing to support his "son" -- a child who DNA tests proved was not fathered by Hatley. Last week, Cook County Superior Court Judge Dane Perkins signed an order stating, "defendant is no longer responsible for paying any amount of child support." The order permits the state's Office of Child Support Services to close its file on Hatley. "We're satisfied with the result for Mr. Hatley, but still troubled by the state's monumental lapse of judgment in this case," attorney Sarah Geraghty with the Atlanta-based Southern Center for Human Rights told CNN in a written statement. Hatley did not immediately return a call from CNN Tuesday. His story dates back to 1986, when Hatley had a relationship with Essie Lee Morrison, who gave birth to a son. According to court documents, Morrison told Hatley the child was his, but the two ended their relationship shortly after the child was born. The couple never married and never lived together, the documents said. When the child turned 2, Morrison applied for public support for the child. Under Georgia law, the state, can recoup the cost of the assistance from a child's non-custodial parent. For 13 years, Hatley made payments to the state until learning in 2000 that the boy might not be his. A DNA test that year confirmed the child was not fathered by Hatley, court documents said. He returned to court and was relieved of any future child support payments, but was ordered to pay more than $16,000 he owed the state before the ruling. Since 2000, Hatley paid that debt down to about $10,000, Geraghty said. Court documents showed he was jailed for six months in 2006 for falling behind on payments during a period of unemployment, but afterward he resumed making payments, continuing to do so even after he lost another job and became homeless in 2008. But last year he became unable to make the payments and was jailed. The argument for keeping Hatley liable for the back payments, according to the attorney who represented him in 2000, was that he signed a consent agreement with the Office of Child Support Services. The court agreed that Hatley had to comply with the consent agreement for the period he believed the child was his son, said attorney Latesha Bradley. But many, including Cook County Sheriff Johnny Daughtrey, didn't think Hatley's incarceration was fair, given that the child was not his. "I knew the gentleman's plight and didn't know how to help him," Daughtrey told CNN last month. When the Southern Center for Human Rights visited the jail earlier this year, Daughtrey told them about Hatley's case. Hatley was released from jail last month after Perkins ruled he was indigent and should not be jailed for failing to make the payments. The Georgia Department of Human Services, which includes the Office of Child Support Services, plans to propose legislation in the next session of the state Legislature that would prevent similar situations in the future, said agency spokeswoman Dena Smith. Two things still remain to be cleared up for Hatley, Geraghty said -- lifting the child-support holds on his driver's license and his income tax. It remains unclear whether he will be reimbursed for the $6,000 in payments he made since 2000, she said -- so far, he has not been. Cook County, Georgia, is in the south-central part of the state, about 200 miles south of Atlanta. | [
"What did the DNA results prove?",
"When Frank Hatley was jailed",
"Who is Frank Hatley?",
"Frank Hatley was jailed last year because of what?",
"for how many years did Hatley pay?",
"What did the DNA test prove?",
"How long did Hatley pay",
"What caused Frank Hatley to be jailed?"
] | [
[
"was not fathered by Hatley."
],
[
"June 2008"
],
[
"spent a year in jail for nonpayment of child support"
],
[
"nonpayment of child support"
],
[
"13"
],
[
"proved was not fathered by Hatley."
],
[
"13 years,"
],
[
"nonpayment of child support"
]
] | Frank Hatley was jailed last year for falling behind on child support payments .
Hatley had paid for 13 years until he learned boy might not have been his .
DNA test proved child wasn't Hatley's, but court still ordered back payment .
The south Georgia man is cleared from his debt, his attorney announces . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- A Georgia military contractor tricked law enforcement agencies into buying faulty stun grenades, ultimately leaving three FBI agents injured, federal prosecutors announced Monday. "Flash-bang" grenades were relabeled and sold to police after the Navy deemed them faulty, an indictment says. Pyrotechnic Specialties Inc. is accused of relabeling and selling "flash-bang" grenades that the U.S. military rejected after its personnel were injured. The company also mixed defective grenades with others that had been fixed "to camouflage the defective devices from receiving personnel" at the FBI, the indictment says. Last week's indictment alleges that company officials bribed a federal official and paid for a visit to a strip club. The officials are accused of conspiracy, money laundering, mail fraud and defrauding the government. Watch how the grenades work » The company, known as PSI, did not immediately respond to calls for comment. The indictment names three company officials -- CEO David J. Karlson, sales representative F. Brad Swann and production manager Daniel Ramone -- as taking part in the conspiracy. The indictment does not say whether they still hold those titles. PSI had a multimillion-dollar contract with the Defense Department to provide stun or "flash-bang" grenades, referred to as "MK141 diversionary charges" in the indictment. From 1996 to 2007, the Navy awarded three contracts to PSI for the MK141, according to the indictment. The devices are designed to produce a bright flash and loud bang, disorienting their targets. They're considered nonlethal weapons, though they can be dangerous. The indictment alleges, "On or about March 2003, a flaw in the original Navy design of the MK141 diversionary charge became apparent." A plastic piece would sometimes crack, which "could result in a hazardous situation to those in close proximity." "Improper detonation could, and did, cause serious injuries to personnel using the device," according to the indictment. The indictment says that the Department of Defense issued a "stop work order" on the devices, and PSI "developed a procedure to correct the defect" that cost about $3.72 per unit. PSI officials later engaged in a scheme to sell the defective devices by claiming that they had met the department's standards, the indictment alleges. The defendants sold and attempted to sell the devices "to the Department of Defense and to federal law enforcement agencies, as well as to state and local law enforcement agencies," the indictment says. At one point, some of them prematurely detonated, "causing serious injuries" to three FBI agents who were on a SWAT team investigating a kidnapping, the indictment says, adding that the interior of their government vehicle was damaged. "To further implement the scheme and artifice to defraud, the defendants provided gratuities and additional compensation to a Department of Defense employee," the indictment adds. The devices were sold to more than a dozen FBI offices between 2003 and 2004, as well as to the San Rafael Police Department in San Rafael, California, and the Orange County Sheriff/Coroner's Department in Santa Ana, California, the indictment says. The Department of Defense said it could not comment because the case is under investigation. "Our understanding is that the Naval Criminal Investigative Service is supporting the FBI in this investigation," Lt. Geraldine Carey of Marine Corps Systems Command said in a written statement. Carey added that it is "against DOD policy to discuss matters under investigation prior to the requested official or government agency receiving a formal report." According to the company's Web site, PSI supports "the U.S. and many foreign military services with custom compositions, pellets and devices." Automotive airbag products are atop the list of commercial products it manufactures, according to the Web site. The company employs 160 people at its manufacturing facility near Byron, Georgia, the Web site says. E-mail to a friend CNN's Scott Zamost and Abbie Boudreau contributed to this report. | [
"What were the FBI agents injured with?",
"Who was relabeling stun grenades?",
"Who was charged with money laundering?",
"What company is relabeling stun grenades?",
"Who was injured by grenades?"
] | [
[
"faulty stun grenades,"
],
[
"Pyrotechnic Specialties Inc."
],
[
"CEO David J. Karlson, sales representative F. Brad Swann and production manager Daniel Ramone"
],
[
"Pyrotechnic Specialties Inc."
],
[
"three FBI agents"
]
] | Indictment accuses Georgia company of relabeling stun grenades .
Devices sold to at least 12 FBI offices; Defense Department declines comment .
3 company officials charged with money laundering, defrauding the government .
Indictment: FBI agents injured when stun grenades detonated prematurely . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- A federal court has ordered a Kuwait-based contractor to pay nearly $5 million in damages to the family of a U.S. military officer killed in Iraq -- a rare court decision holding a contracting company accountable for its actions in the war. Lt. Col. Dominic Baragona was the highest-ranking soldier to die in Iraq when he was killed May 19, 2003. Army Lt. Col. Dominic "Rocky" Baragona was just an hour away from a U.S. base in Kuwait -- ultimately headed home to the United States -- when a tractor-trailer operated by Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport Company slammed into his Humvee on May 19, 2003, killing him instantly. Baragona, a West Point graduate, was 42 years old and the highest-ranking soldier to have died in the war at the time. His family filed a wrongful death suit against KGL. Earlier this month, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia sided with the family, holding the Kuwait company negligent in Baragona's death for failing to provide safe passage on the three-lane road where the accident occurred. A key issue in the judge's decision was whether a U.S. court had jurisdiction over a foreign contractor and whether there was a legal basis to find it negligent. Ultimately, Judge William Duffey found that there was. "The court enters judgment in the amount of $4,907,048 to be paid by KGL in a single lump payment," the judge wrote in his 12-page decision issued on November 5. Baragona's father, Dominic Baragona, a former U.S. Marine, told CNN he is embarrassed his family was forced into a lawsuit to learn details surrounding his son's death. He also said the court decision is bittersweet: No amount of money will ever bring his son back, but it feels good that a court of law sided with his family. Watch family describe Rocky's hugs, his Mustang and his character » "You feel good for the Rock," he said of his boy. "We're going to make KGL sweat it a little bit. I mean they're going to remember Rocky's name." Baragona's sister, Pam, added, "Even in his death, he's still handing out more messages -- very quietly, in Rocky's way." CNN sought comment from KGL for this story, but got no response. The law firm Crowell & Moring, which has represented KGL in the past, declined comment. KGL has received millions of dollars in U.S.-government contracts. On its Web site, the company says it "performs multiple operations such as providing of vehicles and equipments to customers," including the U.S. Army and coalition forces. It also boasts of having more than $1 billion in market capitalization. CNN legal analyst Jeffery Toobin said the court decision theoretically "does open the door to more lawsuits" against contractors, but that the Baragona family is a long way from ever seeing the money. "It is always very hard to collect judgments against foreign companies and, when you overlay the chaos of Iraq, it makes it extremely difficult -- if not impossible," Toobin said. The court decision comes at a time when Congress has been closely scrutinizing contractors and seeking ways to hold the companies accountable for their actions in war zones. The Baragonas say their suit was never about money. They would like to see changes made in the contracting business, most importantly to have third-party investigations carried out when something goes wrong and to keep everyone abreast during that reporting process. "[Rocky] was about improving and changing systems so that we had a better Army. And that's what he believed in and that's what he dedicated his life to. If in his death, he adds more on to that -- that's what I'm fighting for," said Pam Baragona. If the family ever gets paid, they say they want to set up a foundation to honor their son and brother to help pay for college educations of deserving students. "Rock's the little guy. We have to | [
"Whose name are they going to remember?",
"How much will be paid to the soldier's family?",
"Who died in Iraq accident?",
"When did \"Rocky\" die?",
"What is Lt. Col. Dominic's nickname?",
"When did Lt. Col. Baragona die?"
] | [
[
"Rocky's"
],
[
"nearly $5 million"
],
[
"Lt. Col. Dominic Baragona"
],
[
"May 19, 2003."
],
[
"\"Rocky\""
],
[
"May 19, 2003."
]
] | Federal court orders Kuwaiti contractor to pay $5 million to soldier's family .
Lt. Col. Dominic "Rocky" Baragona died in Iraq accident on May 19, 2003 .
Dad: "They're going to remember Rocky's name"
Ruling comes at a time when Congress is weighing contractor accountability . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- A man has been arrested in connection with the July shooting death of former boxing champion Vernon Forrest, Atlanta police said Tuesday night. Vernon Forrest, seen in September, was killed July 25 near an Atlanta gas station. Demario Ware, 20, turned himself in to police on Tuesday and is being held in the Fulton County jail on charges of murder, armed robbery and aggravated assault, Atlanta police said. Forrest, 38, was shot in a neighborhood southwest of downtown Atlanta on the night of July 25. Police and his longtime manager have said Forrest was robbed, leading to a confrontation in which he was shot several times. Forrest died of multiple gunshot wounds to the torso and thigh, the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office said. Information on what led police to suspect Ware in Forrest's death wasn't immediately available. The case still is under investigation, said Officer J. Polite Jr., Atlanta police spokesman. Forrest's longtime friend and manager, Charles Watson, said last month that Forrest was returning from the gym after a late workout when he and his godson stopped at a Southwest Atlanta gas station on the night Forrest was shot. While Forrest was at the gas station, a man snatched his wallet out of his hand after asking him for money, said Watson, who spoke to police and the godson. Atlanta police told CNN affiliate WSB-TV in July that Forrest chased the suspect and that gunfire was exchanged. Forrest was the International Boxing Council junior welterweight champion in 1995, the World Boxing Council continental welterweight champion in 1997, the North American Boxing Federation welterweight champion from 1998 to 2000, the International Boxing Federation welterweight champion in 2001, the WBC welterweight champion in 2002-2003, and the WBC light welterweight champion in 2007-2008 and 2008-2009, according to the BoxRec Web site. He was named the World Boxing Hall of Fame fighter of the year in 2002, according to BoxRec. CNN's Eliott C. McLaughlin contributed to this report. | [
"where was the killing?",
"What was 20 year old man arrested for?",
"In what month was Forrest killed?",
"what age was the dead man?",
"What is the suspect charged with?",
"What age is the suspect?",
"Who was Forrest?",
"What happened to Forrest?",
"what charges was the man charged with?"
] | [
[
"Atlanta gas station."
],
[
"murder, armed robbery"
],
[
"July"
],
[
"38,"
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],
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"killed July 25"
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[
"of murder, armed robbery and aggravated assault,"
]
] | Police: Man, 20, arrested Tuesday in connection with July killing of Vernon Forrest .
Forrest, 38, was robbed and then shot during confrontation, Atlanta police say .
Police: Suspect held on charges of murder, armed robbery and aggravated assault .
Forrest was former welterweight and light middleweight boxing champion . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that infants born as a result of assisted reproductive technology, or ART -- such as in vitro fertilization and the use of donor eggs -- are two to four times more likely to be born with certain types of birth defects than infants conceived naturally. But, the study's lead author says, the overall risk is still relatively low.
With any pregnancy, there is a 3 percent risk of having a baby with a birth defect.
"The most important findings were that for infants conceived using ART, we see an increased risk for certain birth defects," said Jennita Reefhuis, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at the CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. She says that children conceived using ART were found to have twice the risk of septal heart defects (a "hole" in the heart), more than twice the risk of cleft lip with or without cleft palate, and four times the risk of two gastrointestinal defects.
As part of the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, which gathers information on birth defects from 10 states, Reefhuis and her colleagues compared 281 births using ART with more than 14,000 naturally conceived births. The researchers looked at approximately 18 categories of birth defects, but only those four were found to be "statistically significantly associated with ART."
The study findings pertain only to single births; the researchers did not find a link between ART and birth defects among multiple births. ART increases the chances of having a multiple birth, and infants born as part of a multiple birth are more likely to have birth defects regardless of the method of conception.
"It is important for parents to realize that the individual risk for these birth defects remain low," Reefhuis said. "It sounds like a lot to say 'a two- to fourfold increased risk,' but you have to keep in mind that the starting risk for these individual defects is actually pretty low."
Still, says Reefhuis, in the interest of full disclosure and because the use of ART is on the rise, it is important to make these higher risks known.
"I think it's important for people to be aware that there may be an increased risk for birth defects with ART," she said. "But it is also really important for couples to realize that with any pregnancy, there is a 3 percent risk of a birth defect regardless of any exposures during pregnancy."
Elizabeth Ginsburg, M.D., president of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technologies and the medical director of in vitro fertilization at Brigham and Women's hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, says the study adds to a growing body of evidence. Ginsburg is not connected to the CDC study.
"I think the take-home message is that if you have infertility and you are going to get help to try to conceive, there is some evidence that you might be at increased risk of having a baby with problems," Ginsburg said.
"The big question it raises is, is there something biologically different about people with infertility," Ginsburg said. "It wouldn't be shocking to find out that there may be some biological difference that makes it more difficult for them to conceive as well as putting them at risk of a higher chance of having babies with some sort of adverse outcome."
ART, which has been used in the United States since 1981, is defined as any procedure that involves surgically removing eggs from a woman's ovaries, combining them with sperm in the laboratory, and returning them to the woman's body or donating them to another woman. It does not include intrauterine -- or artificial -- insemination or egg-stimulating drugs such as Clomid.
It is estimated that more than 1 percent of babies born in the United States are conceived using ART, and that number has been steadily rising, with the rate doubling between 1996 and 2004. In 2005, 134,000 ART procedures were performed, resulting in approximately 52,000 births. Almost 12 percent of women ages 15 to 44 report having used some kind of infertility treatment, according | [
"What is two to four times more likely?",
"What are babies born via fertility treatment at risk from?",
"What has doubled between 96 and 04?",
"The absolute risk of birth defects is considered what",
"What are babies born via fertillity treatment more likely to suffer from",
"what is still low?",
"what is doubling between 1996 and 2004?",
"By how much has assisted reproduction increased between 1996 and 2004",
"What babies are at higher risk?"
] | [
[
"be born with certain types of birth defects than infants conceived naturally."
],
[
"birth defects"
],
[
"babies born in the United States are conceived using ART,"
],
[
"relatively low."
],
[
"birth defects"
],
[
"the overall risk"
],
[
"babies born in the United States are conceived using ART,"
],
[
"doubling"
],
[
"birth defect"
]
] | CDC: Babies born via fertility treatments are at higher risk of certain birth defects .
Septal heart defects, cleft palate and two GI defects are two to four times more likely .
Absolute risk of birth defects is still low .
Assisted reproduction rising, with such birth rates doubling between 1996 and 2004 . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- A paper cape sits loosely around your shoulders, covering your naked chest. A radiology technologist directs you toward an imposing-looking machine. As you hold your breath, one bare breast at a time is tightly compressed between two flat panels and X-rayed. You'll undress from the waist up for a mammogram; wearing two pieces, not a dress, makes it easier. It's a scene that's been repeated more than 35 million times in the past year at certified mammogram facilities around the United States. No matter what their age, race or medical history, the female patients probably shared a similar experience during the 20-minute procedure. "Mammograms are known to be uncomfortable," concedes Dr. Sujatha Reddy, an Atlanta, Georgia,-based gynecologist. "The harder they squeeze and squish that breast, the less tissue the X-rays have to go through and the more likely they are to find something." The American Cancer Society reports two to four mammograms out of every 1,000 lead to a diagnosis of cancer. About 10 percent of women who have a mammogram will require more tests. Accuracy often depends on patient cooperation, but Reddy reveals there's another side as well: "A mammogram is only going to be as good as the technician and the doctor who read it, so you want to go to a good place." A recent study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute reports that doctors reading mammograms miss an average of two in every 10 cases of breast cancer. Medical experts remind women that mammograms alone don't guarantee a clean bill of health. "I wish I could say the mammogram could find 100 percent of breast cancers," Reddy said. "I think we have to rely on having a clinical breast exam once a year at a health care provider and doing your self-breast exam on a monthly basis." Reddy recommends having mammogram screenings at a reputable facility that is certified. She also suggests going to the same office every year so that old X-rays can be compared with new films. A convenient location is another factor that makes it more likely that someone will actually show up for an annual mammogram appointment. Health Minute: Watch more on what to expect during a mammogram. » Fear of discomfort is what often keeps some women away. Reddy advises her patients to schedule a screening appointment for the early part of their menstrual cycle. "The best time of your cycle to do a mammogram is going to be when your period is over, maybe the week after your period is done when the breasts are not going to be tender." Caffeinated coffee, tea and soft drinks may also contribute to tender, lumpy breasts. Experts recommend avoiding caffeine for a week before the procedure. Before having any type of imaging test, the Cancer Society warns patients to tell technicians if they think they might be pregnant or are breast feeding. Similarly, reveal any unusual breast symptoms or problems before a mammogram. The screening requires women to undress from the waist up. You'll be given a disposable wrap to put around your shoulders and chest. Wearing a two-piece outfit will make the process easier and more convenient. Technicians tell patients not to wear deodorant, antiperspirants, perfumes or powders. They might leave a residue that can be picked up on the X-rays, interfering with the results. All mammogram facilities are required to issue results within 30 days, but many will contact patients within a week if there is a problem with the mammogram. The Cancer Society recommends women 40 and older get a mammogram every year. Younger women may be advised to be screened earlier if there is a family history of breast cancer. E-mail to a friend Judy Fortin is a correspondent with CNN Medical News. CNN medical producer Linda Saether contributed to this report. | [
"What is the reason that women have mammograms?",
"what does the cycle have to do with it?"
] | [
[
"cancer."
],
[
"\"The best time of your cycle to do a mammogram is going to be when your period is over, maybe the week after your period is done when the breasts are not going to be tender.\""
]
] | More than 35 million mammograms performed annually in the U.S.
Be screened at the same place every year; makes comparing images easier .
Minimize discomfort by going early in your monthly cycle . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- A yellow taxi sits idle at Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, leaving its Somali immigrant driver visibly frustrated. Abdullah Hagi, a cabdriver in Atlanta, Georgia, has had to cut back on expenses as the economy has declined. "I've been here two hours, and you're my first customer," Abdullahi Hagi, formerly of Mogadishu, said as he tightened his grip on the leather-bound steering wheel. "When the economy is bad, people don't ride cabs." Often considered a bellwether for consumer spending, cabdrivers and the tough times they now face could mean worse times for relatives living in places like Somalia, where war and famine have made remittances from emigres like Hagi more important. Amid a financial crunch that has many of Hagi's customers feeling the pinch, fewer fares and mounting bills have not stopped him from sending a big chunk of his paycheck home to his family. Despite a bit more empty space in his hand-stitched wallet, Hagi said he has worked out a solution to keep his family fed back home. He is pooling his paycheck with fellow cabdrivers. Watch how cabbie gets by with less » An informal lending system has emerged in major U.S. cities, akin to an old-world style of community banking that is fending off starvation in places like Somalia. In Atlanta, cabdrivers lend to each other based on need, depending whose family is in more dire straits. "I could never borrow from any bank," Hagi admits. "You take loans, not from institutions but from friends." However, Hagi is still struggling to make ends meet. "Should I pay the student loan or should I pay for my starving relatives?" he asked. "That's the kind of choice you've got to make every day." "Lately, it's been getting harder and harder to accumulate enough to survive and also send back home," he added, shifting his weight in the cab's cracked leather seats. "You try to cut corners in your lifestyle to be able to send money to your people because they're always in much worse condition -- always on the brink of collapse or starvation." Hagi and his family are not alone. Figures from the United Nations put nearly half of Somalia's population in need of humanitarian assistance, according to a report released in September. One in six Somali children under the age of 5 are acutely malnourished, the report found, and food is getting more costly. The price of sorghum, used for grain and found on the dinner plates of most Somali households, soared 600 percent since last year, according to a separate U.N. report. Civil war and drought have made food both scarce and a source of political power. Pitched battles between an Islamic insurgency and Ethiopian-backed transitional government forces have left thousands dead and rendered what many have called a "failed state" now teetering on the brink of its worst humanitarian crisis in over a decade, according to a World Food Program report. The United Nations says "all information indicates that the key factors driving this humanitarian crisis will continue to worsen over the coming months." That crisis, coinciding with a financial one that clobbered Wall Street and sent U.S. automakers begging for bailouts, may leave cabdrivers like Hagi facing the perfect storm. "You cut your groceries. You cut even the clothes you buy the kids. You cut everything," he said. "Whatever you can think of." There may not be much more to cut. For now, cabdrivers like Hagi are turning to each other to keep food on the family table back home. | [
"How much of the population is in need?",
"Who is the woes taking a toll on?",
"What percent need humanitarian aid?",
"According to U.N, hwo many of Somalia's population i need of humanitarian aid?",
"What do many families rely on?",
"Who do the economic woes take a toll on?"
] | [
[
"nearly half"
],
[
"Somali children"
],
[
"nearly half"
],
[
"nearly half of"
],
[
"humanitarian assistance,"
],
[
"relatives living in places like Somalia,"
]
] | U.S. economic woes take toll on Somali cabdrivers .
Many Somali families depend on remittances to make ends meet .
More cabdrivers start to lend to each other based on need .
Nearly half of Somalia's population in need of humanitarian aid, according to U.N. |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- After his weekend arrest on gun charges, rapper T.I. will remain in custody until a bond hearing Friday, a federal magistrate said Monday.
T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, was arrested without incident in midtown Atlanta.
The entertainer, whose real name is Clifford Harris, was arrested Saturday just hours before he was scheduled to perform at the BET Hip Hop Awards.
The small court room of Magistrate Judge Alan Baverman was packed with family, supporters and media, but even more people, including the rapper's mother, were turned away because of the overcrowding.
Harris, 27, was arrested in a federal sting after his bodyguard-turned-informant delivered three machine guns and two silencers to the hip-hop star, according to a Justice Department statement. Watch a search of the rapper's home »
He was held in federal custody over the weekend.
Authorities said that Harris provided the bodyguard $12,000 to buy the weapons, which Harris is not allowed to own because he is a convicted felon.
Court documents said Harris was convicted on felony drug charges in 1998, and a federal affidavit said he has been arrested on gun charges in the past.
However, one of his attorneys, Dwight Thomas, said he was not aware Harris was a convicted felon and that "a number of people" live in Harris' suburban Atlanta home. Thomas added there were "two sides to every story -- sometimes three" and he was confident the legal system would work in Harris' favor.
The entertainer was taken into custody about 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Atlanta, where the BET award show was taped.
Harris, the show's top nominee, was up for nine awards, including CD of the year and lyricist of the year. He also was scheduled to perform, along with fellow rap stars Common, Nelly and Kanye West. Harris won two awards.
The show went on without the self-proclaimed "King of the South," whose car and home in the Atlanta suburb of College Park were searched after his arrest.
Authorities said they found three more firearms in the car in which Harris drove to pick up the machine guns and silencers, "including one loaded gun tucked between the driver's seat where Harris had been sitting and the center console."
At his home, authorities found six other guns, five of them loaded, in his bedroom closet.
"Machine guns pose a serious danger to the community, which is why they are so carefully regulated," said David Nahmias, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.
"The last place machine guns should be is in the hands of a convicted felon, who cannot legally possess any kind of firearm. This convicted felon allegedly was trying to add several machine guns to an already large and entirely illegal arsenal of guns."
The sting came after Harris' bodyguard was arrested purchasing the machine guns and silencers from an undercover Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent Wednesday, according to the Justice Department statement.
The bodyguard then agreed to cooperate with the ATF, the statement said.
The guns were not registered on the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as required by law. The bodyguard -- who has worked for Harris since July -- told authorities he had bought about nine guns for the rap star in the past, the statement said.
On Wednesday, authorities said, Harris arranged for the bodyguard to pick up $12,000 in cash from a bank to buy the guns. After his arrest, the bodyguard made phone calls to Harris, which authorities recorded, the statement said.
Harris was supposed to meet the bodyguard in a shopping center parking lot in midtown Atlanta to pick up the guns. Authorities arrested Harris there without incident, the Justice Department statement said.
Court documents in the case show Harris was convicted on felony drug charges in Cobb County, Georgia, in 1998 and sentenced to seven years' probation.
"Harris has additional arrests and at least one probation violation for unlawfully possessing firearms," according to an affidavit. | [
"when was T.I arrested?",
"Where was T.I. arrested?",
"Who won awards?",
"When will the bond hearing take place?",
"What was the rapper T.I. arrested for on Saturday?",
"What weapons was T.I carrying?",
"what did TI do?",
"When was T.I. arrested",
"What is the rapper charged with?",
"What is T.I. in custody for?",
"What did T.I. got arrested for",
"Who was arrested on weapons charges?",
"Did the rapper win any awards at the BET show?",
"What is happening to T.I?",
"Who remains in custoday until Friday?",
"When is T.I.s bond hearing scheduled for",
"when was arrested the raper?",
"When is the bond hearing?"
] | [
[
"Saturday"
],
[
"midtown Atlanta."
],
[
"Harris"
],
[
"Friday,"
],
[
"gun charges,"
],
[
"three machine guns"
],
[
"Harris provided the bodyguard $12,000 to buy the weapons,"
],
[
"Saturday"
],
[
"gun charges,"
],
[
"gun charges,"
],
[
"gun charges,"
],
[
"Clifford Harris,"
],
[
"Harris won two"
],
[
"will remain in custody"
],
[
"T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris,"
],
[
"Friday,"
],
[
"Saturday"
],
[
"Friday,"
]
] | NEW: T.I. to remain in custody until Friday, when there's a bond hearing .
Rapper was arrested Saturday on weapons charges .
T.I. won two awards at BET awards show Saturday night . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Air traffic delays began to clear up Tuesday evening after computer problems left travelers across the United States waiting in airports, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Flights at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport were delayed Tuesday afternoon. Airports experienced hours of flight delays Tuesday afternoon after a communications breakdown at a Federal Aviation Administration facility, the administration said. The facility south of Atlanta had problems processing data, requiring that all flight-plan information be processed through a facility in Salt Lake City, Utah, overloading that facility. The two facilities process all flight plans for commercial and general aviation flights in the United States, FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said. Delays had begun to clear by 5 p.m. ET. By 6 p.m., the administration said minimal delays remained as the Salt Lake facility began processing requests closer to normal speed. "The situation is pretty much resolved," FAA spokeswoman Diane Spitaliere said. At about 9:30 p.m. ET, most major airports were reporting flights departing on time or with less than 15-minute delays. Newark International was still reporting delays of up to 1 hour and 45 minutes and LaGuardia Airport in New York reported 45-minute delays -- although weather problems were cited as the main problem. John F. Kennedy International in New York and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International were reporting delays of up to 30 minutes, although both of those airports also had experienced thunderstorms and other weather-related difficulties. The administration said there were no radar outages and said it had not lost contact with any planes during the computer glitch. The roughly 5,000 flights that were in the air when the breakdown happened were not affected, just those that were waiting to take off. iReporter stuck in Philadelphia "This is really not a safety issue, this is an aggravation issue," CNN aviation expert Miles O'Brien said. Watch Miles O'Brien track the delays » The problem appeared similar to a June 8, 2007, computer issue that caused severe flight delays and some cancellations along the East Coast. iReport.com: Are you stuck at the airport? iReporter Stephanie McCauley sat on the tarmac for more than an hour at Baltimore/Washington International Airport on Tuesday on a flight bound for Albany, New York. "It happens. It's just weird, because you're sitting, and you don't know if it's going to be 20 minutes or 2 hours," McCauley said. Cheryl Stewart, spokeswoman for Baltimore/Washington International Airport, said that as of about 3:40 p.m., some flights were being allowed to take off, but the FAA was no longer accepting new flight plans. "We're just kind of waiting for further word," Stewart said. On the FAA's Web site, delays were being reported at all 40 airports on the administration's primary flight information map. The worst delays were in the Northeast, Bergen said. Chicago's Midway and O'Hare airports in Illinois were reporting delays of up to 90 minutes. The Web site, which normally lists the length of expected flight delays, was no longer listing that information Tuesday afternoon. The total number of flights affected was unknown, although it was believed to be in the hundreds. Mark Biello, a CNN photographer sitting on a delayed flight at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta on Tuesday afternoon, said flights there were being cleared for takeoff one at a time. Watch Mark Biello at the airport » "They're releasing the planes but on a one-by-one basis, so it's really backed the whole system up, at least in the Atlanta area," Biello said. At Philadelphia International Airport in Pennsylvania, iReporter Randy Hehn and his wife were on their way home to Denver, Colorado, after a trip to Europe. He said he'd left Stockholm, Sweden, 11 hours earlier. "I don't really want to spend the rest of the evening in the airport; I'm hoping they get this fixed," Hehn said in a video posted on iReport.com. "I see planes moving around, but I don't know. "We | [
"Where is the facility?",
"What did FAA say about the situation?",
"where is the problem",
"where is all flight-plan information processed",
"what does faa say",
"Where is flight plan information processed?",
"What is the problem the facility is having?",
"What is there an unknown number of?",
"What problem were FAA having?"
] | [
[
"in Salt Lake City,"
],
[
"\"The"
],
[
"a Federal Aviation Administration facility,"
],
[
"through a facility in Salt Lake City, Utah,"
],
[
"\"The"
],
[
"Salt Lake City, Utah,"
],
[
"processing data,"
],
[
"flights affected"
],
[
"communications breakdown"
]
] | NEW: FAA says situation "pretty much resolved"
FAA facility south of Atlanta, Georgia, having problems processing data .
All flight-plan information must be processed by facility in Salt Lake City, Utah .
Unknown number of flights delayed by glitch . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- All Lyle Petersen wanted to do was get his mail. Lyle Petersen, a CDC expert who was infected with West Nile virus, says, "it will ruin your summer." In the time it took him to walk down his driveway in Fort Collins, Colorado, chat briefly with a neighbor and return to his house, Petersen got infected with a potentially serious mosquito-borne illness called West Nile virus. Within hours of being bitten, he said, he began to feel symptoms he recognized. And how was he sure so quickly? Petersen, as director of the division of vector borne diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is one of the foremost experts in the world on the condition. A blood test confirmed his suspicion. "From my own experience, I can tell you it's not a very mild illness," Petersen cautioned. "It will ruin your summer." Experts are expecting another epidemic of the disease this summer. The incidence of West Nile virus has remained the same for the past four years, and Petersen says he doesn't expect this year to be any different. It should reach its peak between mid-July and mid-September. Health Minute: More on West Nile virus risk » "People tend to discount this as a significant problem," Petersen said, "but more than 1.5 million people have been infected so far in the United States, and about 300,000 have had West Nile fever." West Nile virus emerged in the U.S. nine years ago. The virus is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes contract the illness by feeding on infected birds. The CDC reported that in rare cases, West Nile virus has spread through blood transfusions, organ transplants and breastfeeding. The disease is not spread through casual contact. The symptoms range from mild to severe and typically develop between three and 14 days after a person is bitten. Explainer: West Nile 101 » Debbie Koma, a 50-year old hairdresser from Atlanta, Georgia, developed West Nile virus two years ago. She described it as "unlike anything that I ever had before. I was sick as a dog." She recalled being hospitalized for three days with a high fever, a horrible headache and body aches. After 14 days, she was strong enough to get out of bed, but she says her strength didn't fully return for three months. Petersen had a similar experience when he was stricken five years ago. "I discovered I had West Nile virus because I am a long-distance runner," he said. "About halfway through one of my runs, I felt terrible. Within a couple of hours, I was lying in bed with severe headaches, eye pain, muscle pain and fever, which lasted about a week. I basically couldn't get out of bed for a week." It wasn't just Petersen who became sick, but his daughter and the neighbor were complaining of West Nile virus symptoms hours after being swarmed by mosquitoes at the mailbox. A medical doctor, Petersen actually tested his own blood in the laboratory and diagnosed his own illness. Like Koma, he was sick for a couple of months. His chief symptom: severe fatigue. "I could barely walk up the stairs," he said. "This is not a mild illness, and people should try to avoid it." Petersen mentioned that some patients with West Nile virus can develop a severe neurological disease that can be fatal. There is no effective treatment for the virus. In more serious cases, the CDC recommends that patients be hospitalized so they can receive supportive care with intravenous fluids. Researchers are working to develop a vaccine, but Petersen notes that it will be years before it is available to humans. The best way to stop the spread of West Nile virus is through prevention, he said. "Wear mosquito repellent, especially around dawn and dusk, which are peak mosquito biting times," Petersen suggests. He says bug sprays that | [
"What is the best way to stop the spread?",
"When do symptoms develop?",
"How many in the USA have been infected with the virus",
"What is the best way to top the spread of West Nile virus?",
"How many people have been infected?",
"What is considered the best way yo stop the spread of the virus",
"How many people infected?",
"What are the symptoms?",
"When do the symptoms of the virus typically develop"
] | [
[
"prevention,"
],
[
"Within hours of being bitten,"
],
[
"1.5 million"
],
[
"through prevention,"
],
[
"1.5 million"
],
[
"prevention,"
],
[
"1.5 million"
],
[
"high fever, a horrible headache and body aches."
],
[
"Within hours of being bitten,"
]
] | More than 1.5 million people have been infected in the U.S.
Symptoms typically develop between three and 14 days after being bitten .
High fever, headaches, body aches and severe fatigue are a few symptoms .
Best way to stop the spread of West Nile virus is through prevention . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- An 18-year-old Guatemalan man who doctors say faces almost certain death unless he receives a transplanted heart is surrounded by family as he waits, thanks to the kindness of strangers. Juan Gonzalez was earning $250 a week as a dishwasher when his heart trouble began. Juan Gonzalez, now lying in a hospital in Atlanta, hopes to learn Friday whether he will be added to the list of people eligible to receive transplants. Doctors at St. Joseph's Hospital said Gonzalez appears to be a good candidate. Without a transplant, they said, he could die in six months. The teen traveled alone to Rome, Georgia, to earn enough money to help support his family back home. The undocumented worker took a job as a dishwasher for $250 a week. That's when heart trouble stepped in. Dr. Frank Stegall, a cardiologist at Redmond Regional Medical Center in Rome, told Gonzalez he had a chronically weak heart, or dilated cardiomyopathy. The organ pumps only 20 percent of the blood a healthy heart would, Stegall said. As his heart failed, Gonzalez's plight moved the hospital staff to try to reunite him with his parents. They contacted U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey -- himself a doctor. Gingrey persuaded the State Department to expedite travel visas for Pascual and Maria Gonzalez, and Delta Air Lines provided a free ride. Last month, CNN aired a story on Juan Gonzalez. Afterward, the Larry King Cardiac Foundation -- founded by the CNN talk show host 21 years ago to pay for life-saving cardiac care for patients without insurance who don't qualify for state or federal assistance -- helped get Gonzalez transferred to St. Joseph's Hospital in Atlanta for evaluation. Many of the people who saw the story on CNN were moved to offer help. It was then that the possibility of a heart transplant became real, thanks to a large donation from one of those people. The donor has asked that details of the gift not be revealed, other than his name, Sam Shapiro. Gonzalez and his parents say they are grateful for the overwhelming support. St. Joseph's has provided housing for the parents at a nearby hotel. Although it is not clear where Gonzalez will go once the evaluation at St. Joseph is completed, staff members at Redmond in Rome, about 60 miles northwest of Atlanta, indicated they might provide a place for the parents to say. The parents' visas will run out in about two and a half months. CNN's Anna Armas contributed to this report. | [
"What does Juan Gonzalez hope to learn Friday?",
"what does jaun gonzalez hope to learn on friday?",
"Who is dying without transplant?",
"What happens without a transplant?",
"Who is Juan Gonzalez?"
] | [
[
"whether he will be added"
],
[
"whether he will be added"
],
[
"Juan Gonzalez"
],
[
"almost certain death"
],
[
"An 18-year-old Guatemalan man"
]
] | Juan Gonzalez hopes to learn Friday if he will be added to heart transplant list .
Without a transplant, doctors said, he could die in six months.
Heart transplant a possibility now thanks to donations from strangers .
Teen traveled alone to Georgia to earn money to support his family back home . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- An angry, naked man commandeered a school bus full of teenage students Thursday in Atlanta, police said. The man drove the bus for less than a mile before a student confronted him and the bus crashed into a wall off the road, according to police. The incident started Thursday afternoon when the bus stopped to let students out, said Atlanta police officer James Polite. Arris Pitmon, 23, darted toward the bus and hoisted himself in through an open window, Polite said. Pitmon took control of the bus as the frightened driver ran to the back of it, the officer said. While the bus was moving, the man abandoned the steering wheel and walked toward the back of the bus, Polite added. A student then ran toward the steering wheel, prompting the man to fight the student. The unmanned bus continued until it left the roadway and crashed. Students fled the bus, many using the back door emergency exit, and onlookers subdued the man until police arrived. Some students were taken to area hospitals. Their conditions weren't available Thursday night. Chiquita Rogers told CNN affiliate WXIA that the man had tried to hit some of the students, including her 16-year-old, Donte. "He pushed my son, and that's when my son hit him. I guess everybody started swinging, and everybody just started out the back door, jumping. I'm just grateful that my son is still alive, because it could have been worse." Onlooker Corey Turner told WXIA, "Children were jumping out the emergency door ... jumping off the bus. ... They were saying, 'Help, help, help! ... Somebody hijacked the bus.'" | [
"Where were some students taken?",
"What did Pitmon do?",
"What happened to the bus?",
"What did Arris Pitmon run toward?",
"What did Pitmon take control of?",
"What did the bus do?",
"Who was taken to an area hospital?",
"Who took control of the bus?"
] | [
[
"area hospitals."
],
[
"darted toward the bus"
],
[
"crashed into a wall"
],
[
"the bus"
],
[
"school bus"
],
[
"crashed into a wall"
],
[
"students"
],
[
"Arris Pitmon,"
]
] | Police: Arris Pitmon ran toward the bus and climbed in through an open window .
Pitmon took control of the bus then abandoned it while it was moving, police say .
The bus crashed and some students were taken to area hospitals . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- An enormous Asian elephant stepped out from behind a big red curtain at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Atlanta, Georgia. Eli Hummer, 3, gets to try out an oversized motorbike at the circus. An audience of 20 pre-schoolers clapped and squealed as the elephant was handed a tiny harmonica and started playing. But, instead of sitting far away in the stands, the children, all visually impaired, were just a few feet away from the action. Among them was 3-year-old Eli Hummer. "He doesn't see, so to learn about it, he has to touch it and be close to it," explained his mother, Martha Hummer. She said being able to use the sense of smell, touch and sound helps her son understand the concept of a circus. Every year as it tours the country, Ringling Brothers sponsors a "Blind-Touch Tour" in about a dozen cities. During a stop in Atlanta, Georgia, children from the Center for the Visually Impaired got more than a front row seat. After the show, they were invited into the circus ring to interact with performers and try out some of their props. Watch more on the "Blind-Touch" tour » Eight stations were set up where children could touch and try on circus costumes, play with giant umbrellas and butterfly wings and sit on an oversized motorcycle. Clowns roamed the ring juggling and trying to make the children laugh. One clown dressed in a polka dot shirt and checkered pants took Eli's little hand and asked the boy if he wanted to touch the red clown nose. Watch some of the sights and sounds of the circus » Eli responded by trying to pull off the ball-like prop. His teacher, Joyce Burnett, who is also visually impaired, spent two weeks before the circus visit preparing the kids in the classroom for the unique experience. "We had clown shoes, a nose and a wig and we tried all of those on," Burnett said. She said the students also listened to elephant sounds and drew the outline of the animals with chalk. "Eighty to 90 percent of early learning comes through vision," Burnett said. "Our children are not using vision or (have) very little vision, so all of the other senses will make their world real." Visit CNNhealth.com, your connection for better living Michelle Singleton, mother of 4-year-old Miya, said the experience is something the kids can't get anywhere else. "The fact that she's on the floor now, she is really excited. She wanted to see the elephants so she's happy now," Singleton said. Four-year-old Kristina Masta was fascinated with a trapeze swing that was hanging low to the ground. One of the performers helped the girl climb on while her mother, Michelle Masta, stood nearby. "Because of her visual impairment anything that is highly tactile and brightly colored helps out a lot," Masta said. Her daughter weighed 1 pound, 1 ounce at birth and suffers from retinopathy of prematurity, a disease in which the small blood vessels in the back of the eye grow abnormally. Masta said other people may not realize the limitations and challenges of having a visually impaired child. "Everything is ten times harder," she said. Masta smiled as her daughter handed her a rainbow-colored lollypop to unwrap. "The kids feel special because they get to actually do something that the other kids don't do, and it is a real treat," Masta said. | [
"Who has chance to try out costumes and equipment?",
"What program gives visually impaired kids a circus experience?",
"What do the children get out of the experience?"
] | [
[
"children from the Center for the Visually Impaired"
],
[
"\"Blind-Touch Tour\""
],
[
"feel special"
]
] | Ringling Brothers' "Blind-Touch Tour" gives visually impaired kids circus experience .
Children get close-up performance, chance to try out costumes and equipment .
Parents say it helps the kids understand and enjoy the circus . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Andre Rives no longer mows his own lawn and it's not because he's too busy. The thought of cutting his grass brings back some bad memories.
"Man, did this just happen to me?" Andre Rives asked himself after losing three toes in a mowing accident.
Rives, a 28-year-old cable technician from Ellenwood, Georgia, accidentally cut off three toes on his right foot two years ago while trying out his new riding mower.
"I was going too fast and my shorts got caught on the gear shift," Rives recalled. "I came too close to the curb and I couldn't stop. I ended up sliding off and my foot went under."
Rives is one of 100,000 people in the United States in 2006 who suffered an injury in a lawn mower accident.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, which tracked the statistics, said the problem is more common than people think.
The group reported most injuries occur among adults age 25 to 64, followed by children under the age of 5. More than 22 percent of injuries involved the wrist, hand or finger; nearly 14 percent involved the foot, ankle or toes.
"Most of the time it's a pure accident," said Dr. Marvin Royster with the Peachtree Orthopaedic Clinic in Atlanta, Georgia. "They slipped on the lawn mower, the grass was wet or the lawn mower overturned."
Royster described some injuries, such as burns from touching the muffler, as mild. But other risks are greater; a mower can eject a piece of metal, rock or wood up to 100 mph, he said. Health Minute: More on lawn mower risks »
In Rives' case, the accident resulted in the amputation of three toes.
Royster repaired some of the damage in the operating room but was unable to re-attach the digits. He met with Rives recently for a follow up visit. "Andre is doing very well," the doctor said. "He has a little trouble with running and getting up on the ball of his foot, but other activities, he's able to do quite well."
The Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons noted that most lawn mower injuries are preventable if some basic safety guidelines are followed.
"The main thing is you need to wear protective clothing," Royster cautioned. Wear protective goggles, gloves, boots and long pants. Never mow barefoot or in sandals. "Mowing the grass with flip-flops on or sandals on, you're just asking for trouble," Royster said.
Have your lawn mower serviced before the start of the season to ensure it's working properly. Do not remove any safety devices on the machine. Be sure to add fuel before starting the engine, not when it's running or hot. The liquid could overflow or flame up.
Finally, keep hands and feet away from the lawn mower blade even if the machine is turned off. Once cleared of an obstruction, a blade can swing around and cause injury.
Rives realized immediately after his accident that he made a number of common sense mistakes. "Even in the hospital, I'd say 'Man, did this just happen to me?' "
He said he's learned his lesson. His wife made him sell his riding mower after the accident. He pays professionals to mow his lawn twice a month.
Rives said that in spite of having just two toes remaining on his right foot "I am not having a pity party for myself. I have to keep going on." | [
"What shoudl you wear when mowing?",
"how many people suffered an accident?",
"How many mower accidents happened in 2006?",
"What is the age range of most victims?",
"what percent of the injuries involve wrists?"
] | [
[
"protective clothing,\""
],
[
"100,000"
],
[
"100,000"
],
[
"25 to 64,"
],
[
"22"
]
] | 100,000 people in U.S. suffered lawn mower accident injury in 2006 .
Most victims are 25-64; more than 22 percent of injuries involve wrist, hand, finger .
Wear protective goggles, gloves, boots, long pants; never mow barefoot, in sandals . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Are you looking for an easy way to reduce your monthly budget? Look no further than your cell phone bill. Clark Howard says consider switching to a less known cell provider to save money and avoid signing contracts If you're with one of the four big providers -- AT&T, Sprint, Verizon or T-Mobile -- you're almost certainly overpaying for service. In addition, all four have a business model that's based on cowardice. They've developed lousy, stinking, rotten two-year contracts because they're afraid to compete in the marketplace. Thankfully, there are a variety of smaller players in the market who offer nationwide coverage for less money with no contracts. Before considering any adjustment to your cell phone plan, you'll need to start by assessing how much you talk, text and surf the Web on your phone. Watch Clark discuss the pros and cons of bundling services If you use less than 300 minutes per month, you'd probably do much better with a prepaid plan where you buy minutes as you need them. Net10.com is one service I usually recommend -- no roaming charges, no long distance charges, no monthly fees and a flat 10 cents per minute for calls. If you use more than 300 minutes per month and you travel from time to time, you might want to consider either Metro PCS or Cricket. Both have plans ranging from $25 to $50 and offer unlimited calling. The difference in price points is based on how many other features you want -- texting, Web surfing and so on. But there are never any contracts or overages. For heavy cell phone users, there are Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile. Both are engaged in an all-out price war that can directly benefit you. Virgin Mobile is offering $49.99 per month unlimited calling -- no roaming charges and no contract. If you want texting, you'll pay an additional $10 per month for unlimited service. If you want high-speed Internet, you'll pay another $10 per month on top of that for a 50MB plan. Boost Mobile's $50 per month plan already includes unlimited calling, texting and Web access. And that $50 even includes junk fees! One caveat here: Remember, my definition of "cheap" means that I'm willing to accept lower quality for a lower price. So consider this caveat carefully and do your own research before making any final decisions about your cell provider. Speaking of cheap, a new competitor in the marketplace may have both Boost and Virgin beat. Straight Talk offers a cellular plan for $30 per month. You get 1,000 minutes, 1,000 text messages and 30MB of data for that price. It's important to remember that very few people use more than 1,000 minutes per month. The typical person clocks in at 790 minutes and pays an average monthly contract bill of $67, according to Nielsen Mobile studies of U.S. adults on individual cell phone contract plans. So, what are you waiting for? Consider firing your "Big 4" cell provider and going with one of the smaller guys. The savings are there for the taking. Finally, CellTradeUSA.com can help you get out of your existing contract by trading it away to someone else. This tends to work particularly well if you have a hot phone that everybody wants. | [
"what are smaller players in",
"What advice does Howard give?",
"what does nielsen mobile say",
"What does Howard say to do before making decisions?",
"what should you do before making decisions"
] | [
[
"the market"
],
[
"consider switching to a less known cell provider to save money and avoid signing contracts"
],
[
"The typical person clocks in at 790 minutes and pays an average monthly contract bill of $67,"
],
[
"start by assessing how much you talk, text and surf the Web"
],
[
"your own research"
]
] | Smaller players in cellular market can offer nationwide coverage for less .
Nielsen Mobile says typical customer uses 790 minutes, pays average $67 a month .
Howard says do your research before making decisions about your cell provider . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- At least three horses -- two yearlings and a mare -- were among the victims of the flood that inundated much of Georgia Monday. Floodwaters hit the ranch of Ed and Nancy Wellham on Monday. At least three horses died there. Jerrie Self said she called her parents, Ed and Nancy Wellham, on Sunday night to warn them to prepare their 13 horses housed in two barns and pastures on their 60-acre ranch in Powder Springs, Georgia, half an hour northwest of Atlanta. "I told them, 'You might want to start getting your stuff out of the barns; I think it's going to get bad," the 40-year-old construction finance manager told CNN in a telephone interview. "They had no idea how fast it was gonna come." On Sunday night, Self's parents, Ed, 60, and Nancy, 59, made sure the horses were in the barns or on high ground and then went to sleep, she said. At 3 a.m. Monday, the storm awakened their son-in-law, who lives in an apartment in one of the barns. After he opened the door and 3 feet of water flooded into the apartment, he called the Wellhams and told them the horses needed to be moved. See photos of flooding in Georgia » The family scrambled, putting two horses into a trailer and hauling it to the house, then leading several show horses onto high ground behind the house, Self said. The other horses remained on two acres of unflooded pasture near Sweetwater Creek, and the family went back to the house, she said. "They thought they'd be fine till daylight," she said. But when they looked out again when it was light, the horses were in neck-deep water trying to swim to safety, Self said. A neighbor said the creek had risen at the rate of 1 foot every 20 minutes. "We all got here and we swam out the ones that could swim out," she said. Though they got two horses out that way, "we thought all five babies and three mares were lost," she said. That turned out not to be the case. At noon Monday, they found that two of the mares had swum through the woods and made it to high ground. But they found the dead body of one of the mares and two yearlings floating in the water, and three other yearlings are unaccounted for, she said. The Wellhams, who moved to the area in the early 1980s, use their land to grow and sell hay and breed horses. Ed Wellham also owns a car-repair shop. "My dad has lots of equipment: tractors, hay balers," Self said. "Until the water goes down, we don't know what's salvageable and what isn't." She said her parents had tried to buy flood insurance years ago, but were denied, since their land is on a flood plain. Self said her grandmother's home, which is also on the property, flooded so much that it is a total loss. | [
"how many horsed were found dead?",
"how many horses were missing?",
"How many horses died?",
"when did the barn flood?",
"Where did the events take place?"
] | [
[
"three"
],
[
"three"
],
[
"At least three"
],
[
"Monday."
],
[
"Georgia"
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] | Georgia couple put their 13 horses were in barns or on high ground before flooding .
Couple scrambled to move some horses as barn flooded early Monday .
By daylight, other horses in neck-deep water; family helped two swim away .
Three horses later found dead; three others unaccounted for . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Authorities arrested two high school students in suburban Atlanta on Thursday after they were warned that one of the students planned to "do harm" at the school with a weapon, police said. Several schools in Woodstock, Gerogia, were on lockdown after authorities found a gun in a bathroom ceiling. Sgt. Jay Baker of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office said Woodstock Middle School, Woodstock High School and Etowah High School were put on lockdown -- meaning no one could enter or leave the buildings -- after authorities learned of the threat. Police arrested Forrest Busby, 17, at Woodstock High School and found a revolver he is said to have brought to school and hid in the bathroom ceiling, authorities said. A subsequent search of Busby's home turned up an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and a Mini-14 assault rifle, as well as 200 rounds of ammunition, Baker said in a statement. Six marijuana plants were discovered in the student's closet. A 15-year-old student was also arrested in connection with the incident, the statement said. Baker said another student is being interviewed by authorities but has not been charged in the case. Busby has been charged with possession of a weapon on school grounds, carrying a concealed weapon and manufacturing and distributing a controlled substance, among other counts. He's being held without bail at the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center, the sheriff's statement said. The 15-year-old has been charged as an accomplice on various weapons violations and is being held at the Paulding Youth Detention Center. The lockdown orders for the schools were lifted after the weapons were recovered, Baker said. Woodstock is about 30 miles north of downtown Atlanta. | [
"Where is Atlanta located?",
"What was found at the home?",
"Where was the school?",
"what did teen plan",
"what was found in the home",
"what did police find"
] | [
[
"Georgia"
],
[
"AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and a Mini-14 assault rifle,"
],
[
"Woodstock, Gerogia,"
],
[
"\"do harm\" at the school with a weapon,"
],
[
"an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and a Mini-14 assault rifle, as well as 200 rounds of ammunition,"
],
[
"an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and a Mini-14 assault rifle, as well as 200 rounds of ammunition,"
]
] | Teen planned to "do harm" at school outside Atlanta, Georgia, tipster said .
Police find gun in bathroom ceiling, arrest 17- and 15-year-old .
Other weapons, marijuana found at teen's home . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Barack Obama's inauguration marks a profound manifestation of the Rev. Martin Luther King's dream, civil rights leaders say, but the movement would be foolish to drop its guard now.
Christine King Farris sits next to a photo of her brother as she reads to kids to commemorate his birthday Thursday.
King did not fight tirelessly and ultimately give his life so African-Americans could take office; he fought for the disenfranchised and downtrodden, no matter their color, said Charles Steele, president and CEO of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which King and Steele's father helped found.
"President-elect Barack Obama is just a piece of the puzzle," he said. "This tells us that we are at a station, but it's not our destination. We've got to get back on the train."
Steele said he worries that those who espouse King's dream may grow lackadaisical because an African-American has taken the reins of the free world. But it is imperative, he said, that they "march now more than ever before."
Steele points to 1963, when tens of thousands of protesters converged on Washington to demand equal rights. It was there King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech from the Lincoln Memorial steps.
President Kennedy's administration was considered the most receptive ever to the concerns of the civil rights movement, Steele said. But rather than sit back and hope Kennedy did the right thing, King and thousands stormed Washington to lay out demands that later would yield the Civil Rights Act and National Voting Rights Act.
Those down for the cause today must do the same with Obama, Steele said.
"Back in the '60s we were fighting for President-elect Barack Obama; we just didn't know it was him," Steele said. "It was civil rights, not politics, that got us to this position, and we can't forget that."
Andrew Young remembers pickets outside City Hall the day he took office as Atlanta's second black mayor in 1982. Young, a former King lieutenant, said he was initially confused when he noticed some of the protesters were his supporters.
"I said, 'I haven't changed.' They said, 'Yes, you have. You're in charge,' " recalled Young, who also has been a U.S. congressman and U.N. ambassador. "They were there reminding me I was the man."
Obama, too, needs to be reminded of the concerns of the African-American community, Young said, warning civil rights supporters not to assume Obama owes them something.
"He is one of the fruits of our labors," Young said, "and all he has to do is plant more seeds and grow more trees that bear more fruit."
Young's words rang true with Kee-Shawn Smith, 19, a sophomore at the historically black Clark Atlanta University. She said King and Obama have "set the way" for African-Americans and it's time to concentrate on race, the human one.
"America gives you that one thing -- opportunity," she said. "A lot of African-Americans have to realize we have the same opportunities as any other race, any other culture. ... People should take strides to do better than [Obama]."
Neither Obama's election nor the King holiday represent that "we just want African-Americans to have this. It's more a global perspective," said Jeffrey Harrell, 20, a junior at Morehouse College, another historically black school. "It's about everybody."
Today, there are still immigrants and women fighting for rights, there are people who are hungry and others without homes, Harrell said.
"Until everyone is able to take part in what's called the American dream, the struggle's not done," he said.
Harrell also said he was struck by the timing of the inauguration, which falls the day after the King holiday, and he wasn't alone in his belief that it was more | [
"Which supporters must \"march now more than ever before\"?",
"What did Obama need?",
"Who must march more now?",
"What must supporters do?"
] | [
[
"those who espouse King's dream"
],
[
"to be reminded of the concerns of the African-American community,"
],
[
"African-Americans"
],
[
"\"march now more than ever before.\""
]
] | SCLC president says King supporters must "march now more than ever before"
Andrew Young: "I can't think of a nicer birthday present for Martin Luther King"
Maya Angelou: "We needed President-elect Obama desperately, and he needs us"
Martin Luther King Jr.'s sister spends his birthday teaching lesson to children . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Bishop Earl Paulk, a charismatic preacher brought down by a series of sex scandals, has died. He was 81. Bishop Earl Paulk died this weekend at 81. Paulk died near midnight Saturday at the Atlanta Medical Center, a nursing supervisor confirmed to CNN. The bishop had been at the hospital for several days, she said. Paulk's death came after an "extended and horrible battle with cancer," Paulk's nephew, Bishop Jim Swilley, wrote in a blog post. Paulk founded the Chapel Hill Harvester Church in Decatur, a suburb of Atlanta. It quickly grew to become one of the first megachurches in the country. Paulk also had his own television show. But his success as a preacher was overshadowed time and again by allegations of sexual impropriety. One allegation ended in a civil suit that was settled out of court in 2003. The accuser said Paulk molested her when she was a child. A second woman claimed the bishop forced her into a 14-year affair. She filed, withdrew and refiled a suit. Dennis Brewer, an attorney for Paulk, admitted to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Paulk had a brief adulterous relationship with the woman, but said she was the initiator. During a deposition in the case, the bishop said under oath the woman was the only one he slept with outside of marriage. But a court-ordered paternity test showed that he also fathered a child with his sister-in-law. Other allegations -- some true, some unfounded -- cost the church membership, as worshippers dwindled from 10,000 to about 1,000. "As most of you know, my family has been walking through a very long nightmare season in connection with things concerning him," Swilley wrote in his blog post. "Please pray for some much needed healing and closure for us all." | [
"What was Earl Paulk accused of?",
"What was the possible cause of Earl Paulk's death?",
"Where did Earl Paulk die?",
"what was he accused of"
] | [
[
"sexual impropriety."
],
[
"cancer,\""
],
[
"Atlanta Medical Center,"
],
[
"sexual impropriety."
]
] | Bishop Earl Paulk died near midnight Saturday at the Atlanta Medical Center .
Paulk was accused several times of molesting various church members .
Paulk was battling cancer, according to a blog posting by his nephew . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Boris Kodjoe owns a mansion in Atlanta. But when he goes to answer his door, the black actor knows what it's like to be an outcast. Henry Louis Gates Jr. was arrested last week on a charge of disorderly conduct. "When I'm opening the door of my own house, someone will ask me where the man of the house is, implying that I'm staff," said Kodjoe, best known for starring in Showtime's "Soul Food." It's a feeling some African-Americans say is all too common, even to this day in America: No matter your status or prominence in society, you're still typecast. That's why the recent arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr., one of the nation's most prominent African-American scholars, has stirred outrage and debate. Jelani Cobb, an author and professor at Spelman College in Atlanta, says it's troubling on many levels when "one of the most recognizable African-Americans in the country can be arrested in his own home and have to justify being in his own home." Watch arrest of a Harvard scholar » "It's really kind of unfathomable," Cobb said. "If it can happen to him, yeah, it can happen to any of us." That's a sentiment echoed by Jimi Izrael. "If a mild-mannered, bespectacled Ivy League professor who walks with a cane can be pulled from his own home and arrested on a minor charge, the rest of us don't stand a chance," Izrael wrote Tuesday on The Root, an online magazine with commentary from a variety of black perspectives that's co-founded by Gates. "We all fit a description. We are all suspects." In an interview with The Root, Gates said he was outraged by the incident and hopes to use the experience as a teaching tool, including a possible PBS special on racial profiling. "I can't believe that an individual policeman on the Cambridge police force would treat any African-American male this way, and I am astonished that this happened to me; and more importantly I'm astonished that it could happen to any citizen of the United States, no matter what their race," Gates said. "And I'm deeply resolved to do and say the right things so that this cannot happen again." Voices of black America: What it's like being black in America Gates was arrested last Thursday in broad daylight at his Cambridge, Massachusetts, home for disorderly conduct -- what the arresting officer described as "loud and tumultuous behavior in a public space." The charge was dropped Tuesday on the recommendation of police, and the city of Cambridge issued a statement calling the incident "regrettable and unfortunate." Gates had just returned from a trip to China when a police officer responded to a call about a potential break-in at his home that was phoned in by a white woman. According to the police report, Gates was in the foyer when the officer arrived. The officer asked Gates to "step out onto the porch and speak with me," the report says. "[Gates] replied, 'No, I will not.' He then demanded to know who I was. I told him that I was 'Sgt. Crowley from the Cambridge Police' and that I was 'investigating a report of a break in progress' at the residence. "While I was making this statement, Gates opened the front door and exclaimed, 'Why, because I'm a black man in America?' " Have race relations improved since the election of President Barack Obama? According to the report, Gates initially refused to show the officer his identification, instead asking for the officer's ID. But Gates eventually did show the officer his identification that included his home address. "The police report says I was engaged in loud and tumultuous behavior. That's a joke," Gates told The Root. "It escalated as follows: I kept saying to him, 'What | [
"who was arrested",
"Was a Harvard professor typecast as black?",
"what school is he a professor at",
"what did the scholar said?"
] | [
[
"Henry Louis Gates Jr."
],
[
"you're still"
],
[
"Spelman College in Atlanta,"
],
[
"\"When I'm opening the door of my own house, someone will ask me where the man of the house is, implying that I'm staff,\""
]
] | Boris Kodjoe: Arrest of Harvard prof underscores how blacks are typecast .
Actor Kodjoe says deliverymen often think he's hired staff at his house .
"If it can happen to him, yeah, it can happen to any of us," scholar says .
Cultural commentator says it was shocking "to see one of my heroes in a mugshot" |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Britain's Prince Andrew on Wednesday defended comments he made suggesting the United States might have been better off had its leaders learned from the British experience with colonialism before invading Iraq.
Prince Andrew says he has accepted that his comments could be interpreted as controversial.
"The fact is that we have learned, sometimes at our expense, in the years when we were a colonial power," he told CNN.
"So there may or may not have been things and ideas that were of valid use to what was going on at that particular time."
The 47-year-old prince, in Atlanta on a 10-day U.S. tour to promote British business, said the two countries are closely allied.
"We've been allies, for goodness' sake, for how long?" he said. Watch him discuss his new role »
"We are now working very much more closely together than we have over the centuries, apart from when we were very, very close during the second World War."
The Duke of York cited U.S.-British anti-terrorism efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan as an area where the two countries are working together to promote stability and change.
The New York Times last week quoted the prince as saying there are "occasions when people in the U.K. would wish that those in responsible positions in the U.S. might listen and learn from our experiences."
He added, "If you are looking at colonialism, if you are looking at operations on an international scale, if you are looking at understanding each other's culture, understanding how to operate in a military insurgency campaign -- we have been through them all."
The problems faced by U.S. war planners in Iraq have bred "healthy skepticism" toward what comes out of Washington, he told the newspaper.
In his CNN interview Wednesday, Andrew said he did not consider those comments controversial when he made them, but has since accepted how they could be interpreted that way.
Still, the Falklands War veteran who served 22 years in the Royal Navy added, "You have to take the bashes with the good bits, and I've got a thick skin."
Asked whether he believes the situation in Iraq is improving, Andrew said he could not answer what he described as "almost a university Ph.D. question."
"I don't think I can possibly predict those sorts of ways that governments work to each other," he said. "I'm only a small cog in a very, very large machine."
The main purpose of his visit is to promote business investment in Britain, he said. Of the approximately 1,000 investment projects that were begun last year in Britain, more than half came from the United States, resulting in the addition of more than 32,000 jobs, he said.
"Now I realize that what keeps us all going is international commerce, it's global trade," he said. "In some cases, politics keeps a lot of people thinking, but what actually makes the world go round is the commerce that goes on." E-mail to a friend | [
"What did Prince Andrew say?",
"What did he not consider the comments?",
"Who said \"i've got a thick skin?\"",
"Who said they have thick skin?",
"Who is working closer together?",
"What did he not consider?"
] | [
[
"he has accepted that his comments could be interpreted as controversial."
],
[
"controversial"
],
[
"Prince Andrew"
],
[
"Prince Andrew"
],
[
"Iraq"
],
[
"those comments controversial"
]
] | Prince told newspaper that U.S. leaders "might learn from our experiences"
He says he did not consider those comments controversial when he made them .
Prince Andrew: "I've got a thick skin"
He says Britain and the U.S. are working much closer together than in the past . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- By the end of World War II in April 1945, with about two-thirds of European Jewry wiped out, Jewish survivors stepped out of the darkness in search of a place to call home. Bestselling author Anita Diamant releases her latest historical novel, "Day After Night." About 250,000 were considered displaced persons, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. A growing number of Jews -- before, during and especially after the war -- dreamt of helping to build a Jewish homeland in what was, at the time, British-controlled Palestine. "Getting out of Europe, for a lot of people, felt like getting out of a graveyard," said bestselling author Anita Diamant, whose newest book focuses on this period. "Palestine was like over the rainbow, practically. It was somewhere that they knew they were wanted, at least by the Jewish community in Palestine, and it was a way to start over again in a completely new world." Immigration quotas, however, meant that the more than 100,000 Jews who arrived between 1945 and 1948, when Israel was declared a state, did so illegally. Most of those who were captured were sent to internment camps in places like Cyprus. But some Jewish prisoners ended up at a camp in Palestine called Atlit, located on the Mediterranean coast near the city of Haifa. Living in barracks and peering through barbed wire, these Holocaust survivors lived in limbo between their past and their future. "Nobody else wanted them, so they wanted to go to Palestine," Diamant said. "There was this bottleneck. It was a big problem for the British, and it was also a public relations nightmare for the British." Watch Diamant talk about her new book » One night in October 1945, members of the Palmach -- an underground Jewish fighting force originally created to help the British fight the Nazis -- broke into Atlit and helped more than 200 prisoners escape. Central in this charge was Yitzhak Rabin, who would go on to be Israel's prime minister, and who was assassinated by a Jewish extremist in 1995. Diamant, author of "The Red Tent," among other books, delves into the lives of four women who were part of this experience in her latest historical novel, "Day After Night." Carrying with them different wartime experiences, they are: a Polish partisan fighter, a Parisian woman who was forced into prostitution, a Dutch Jew who was in hiding, and a concentration camp survivor. CNN sat down with Diamant, a daughter of Holocaust survivors, to talk about her latest book, the reason this story is relatively unknown and her attempt to stay out of Middle East politics. CNN: How did you decide to focus on this specific story? Diamant: The story found me, the way I think all of my novels found me. My daughter was in Israel on a semester program when she was 15, in 2000, and my husband and I went on the parents' trip. So we were on and off the buses with the kids as they did their field trips, and one of the field trips was in Atlit. We were given the tour, and we were told the story of this escape and about these so-called illegal immigrants. And I thought there's a novel. CNN: This isn't a piece of Israel's history that many seem to know about. Why is that? Diamant: American Jews, even people who know Haifa well, who know Israel well, it comes as a surprise to them. It's not one of the big bloody chapters. It was early in the conflict in terms of Jewish resistance. After this they started bombing train tracks and doing more overt military resistance to the British occupation, as it was known then. Part of the reason we don't know about it is that I think the Holocaust is still such a huge shadow, and it's still something we focus on. This is a relatively tender interlude. It's not the founding of the state, and it's not | [
"What is the name of the bestselling author?",
"Where some were imprisioned?",
"Who is the bestselling autor?",
"how many survivors immigrated?",
"How many survivors immigrated illegally?",
"How many survivors immigrated ilegally?"
] | [
[
"Anita Diamant"
],
[
"internment camps in places like Cyprus."
],
[
"Anita Diamant"
],
[
"100,000"
],
[
"more than 100,000"
],
[
"100,000"
]
] | After Holocaust, before Israel became a state, 100,000 survivors immigrated illegally .
Some were imprisoned in British-controlled Palestine and later freed in breakout .
Bestselling author Anita Diamant explores this chapter in new book, 'Day After Night'
Characters face question: 'How much do you have to forget in order to live?' |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Caring for a car has you a befuddled. The honeymoon's over, and bureaucratic tasks are beating out bliss. You're meeting with a prospective babysitter or housekeeper, a stranger you'll entrust with much of your life. Rory Tahari, with son Jeremey, hopes to make life's to-do's more manageable with a new book and iPhone app. How do you know what to do? Where should you go and when? What should you ask these people? You need a list! If figuring out the answers to these kinds of questions leaves you loopy, Rory Tahari has a new book that may have your name on it. "Lists for Life: The Essential Guide to Getting Organized and Tackling Tough To-Dos" is just what it says it is: a compilation of lists to help readers navigate everything they might need for weddings and funerals, household maintenance and vacations, divorces and diaper bags. Watch Tahari discuss the book » Along the same lines, she's behind a new iPhone application -- a travel packing list, available through the iTunes store -- that she said has been downloaded in about a dozen countries. "It's just how my brain is wired. It's part of my DNA," said Tahari, vice chairwoman and creative director of Elie Tahari, the fashion design house bearing her husband's name. "I don't know how to operate other than to make a list." CNN sat down with Tahari to discuss when her list-making started, what she's passed on to her children (son Jeremey, 8, weighs in) and how being stuck in a snowstorm inspired her. Here are excerpts from that interview. CNN: You've earned the nickname "The List Mistress," but when did this, dare I say, obsession start? Tahari: From a very young age, I was a compulsive list-maker. I was always organizing something or doing some kind of list. The first list I really remember making was taking an inventory of every piece of clothing in my closet and seeing how many different outfits I could make. I think I came up with 112 combinations. CNN: The book covers such a wide range of topics: weddings, the home, pregnancy, travel, medical, emergencies, divorce and more. How many of these lists are or were based on your own organizational needs? Tahari: Ninety percent of the book came from actual experiences I've lived through myself. The other 10 percent, I basically did the research. [She has a degree in journalism and is a former TV producer.] I fell off a horse two years ago, and I broke my back. I'd never been hospitalized before, so I never knew what it was like to be hospitalized. If you have a friend or family member who's in the hospital, bring them a blanket. They're always going to be cold, and the blankets they give you in the hospital don't cut it. And the nurses? You need them; they don't need you. A little batch of cookies or brownies goes a long way with the nurses. And you know what? You'll have a lot better hospital stay. CNN: Some of these to-do lists seem more fitting and standard than others. How did you decide what would go in the book? Tahari: People say, "Why the emergency chapter? If you're in the middle of an emergency, you're not going to grab the book." Obviously, you're not going to have the book with you in the middle of the emergency. ... But I lived through at least three tornados in Atlanta [Georgia], one terrorist attack in New York and one blackout in New York. And after the blackout, I realized my family doesn't have a plan. I wanted to at least stimulate the idea of having a plan. CNN: Can you give me an example of a topic you had to research? Tahari: Cars. I | [
"What is the name of Rory Tahari's wife?",
"Elie Tahari is what kind of designer?",
"What is part of her DNA?",
"What is the name of designer Elie Tahari's wife?",
"How long has she kept lists?",
"What does the iPhone app and book make easier?",
"Figuring out to --do lists is made easier by what",
"Which person is said to have kept list since childhood",
"For what reason was the need to keep lists explained",
"what is the reason for the lists"
] | [
[
"Elie"
],
[
"fashion"
],
[
"list-making"
],
[
"Rory"
],
[
"From a very young age,"
],
[
"life's to-do's"
],
[
"\"Lists for Life: The Essential Guide to Getting Organized and Tackling Tough To-Dos\""
],
[
"Rory Tahari,"
],
[
"help readers navigate everything they might"
],
[
"help readers navigate everything they might need"
]
] | Figuring out to-do lists of life made easier with new book and iPhone app .
Rory Tahari, wife of fashion designer Elie Tahari, has kept lists since childhood .
"It's just how my brain is wired. It's part of my DNA," she says . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Cheryl Reed's morning routine starts like that of millions of other mothers around the country. She makes breakfast for her 8-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter, piles them into a minivan and drops them off at school. Cheryl Reed has a rare form of breast cancer that mostly affects young African-American women. It's the next stop that sets Reed apart from other women. Three weeks a month, she heads to the infusion center at the Emory Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta, Georgia, for chemotherapy treatments. Reed, 40, has breast cancer; not just any form of the disease, but a rare, aggressive and difficult to treat version called triple negative. Of the estimated 180,000 women who learn they have invasive breast cancer this year in the United States, about 15 percent will have triple negative. Like Reed, the majority of triple negative patients will be young African-American women. "It never occurred to me that I'm going to die from this," Reed said. "I was like, 'I've got breast cancer, let's take care of it.' " Reed did take care of it. For eight months during 2006, she endured chemotherapy and radiation treatments. She thought the cancer was in remission, but it returned last November. This time, it had spread to her liver, lungs and chest wall. "Triple negative cancers do tend to be aggressive in their natural histories, so they have a very high rate of recurrence or relapsing," explained Dr. Ruth O'Regan, Reed's oncologist at the Winship Institute. She's one of several breast cancer experts around the country who are trying to learn more about what causes triple negative and how to treat it more effectively. Dr. Funmi Olopade, a professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, was at the forefront of identifying triple negative and the trend among African-American women. She said what makes it different from other types of breast cancer is that women with the disease lack three hormone receptors known to fuel most breast cancer tumors: estrogen, progesterone and HER2. Health Minute: More on triple negative breast cancer » "When you have triple negative, it means that we cannot use hormone therapy. ... The only way we can treat that type of breast cancer is to use chemotherapy," Olopade said. Tamoxifen and Herceptin, two of the most effective medications for treating breast cancer, don't work for triple negative breast cancer patients. But if a patient responds well to chemotherapy, Olopade said, there's a very good chance of curing the disease. "The challenge we have is when the cancer comes back," she added. "Right now, we don't have any effective way to treat it, and that's why when it comes back, it tends to be deadly." Reed is enrolled in a clinical trial at the Winship center where she's receiving chemotherapy along with a drug called Avastin, which cuts the blood supply to cancer cells. Olopade is hoping better drugs will be available in the next two to five years that will help eradicate triple negative cancer cells. In the meantime, she stressed, early detection is the key to recovery, especially for women at highest risk. "In this country, what we have found was young African-American women have a rate that is higher than young white women, and we don't know if that is because of a gene or other risk factors," Olopade said. "We know that women with a family history of breast cancer who have a BRCA1 mutation are most at risk," she said. BRCA1 is a major breast cancer-causing gene that was identified 14 years ago. Olopade said women born with the defective gene have a higher chance of getting breast cancer and at a younger age. Olopade also wants to explore further whether triple negative rates are higher among women who do not breastfeed their children. "It's that first pregnancy and first breastfeeding that really allows the breast to become | [
"WHAT IS KEY TO RECOVERY",
"what is the key to recovery?",
"what kind of breast cancer is rare, aggressive and difficult to treat?",
"what is Triple negative breast cancer?",
"What are most triple negative patients?",
"WHICH NATIONALITY IS MOST AFFECTED BY TRIPLE NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER"
] | [
[
"early detection"
],
[
"early detection"
],
[
"triple negative."
],
[
"not just any form of the disease, but a rare, aggressive and difficult to treat version called"
],
[
"young African-American women."
],
[
"African-American women."
]
] | Triple negative breast cancer is rare, aggressive and difficult to treat .
Most triple negative patients are young African-American women .
Early detection is the key to recovery, says Dr. Funmi Olopade . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Children with high-risk medical conditions or disabilities should be among the first to be vaccinated against H1N1 influenza, also known as swine flu, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised Thursday. CDC: The H1N1 virus is spreading in the United States, particularly in the Southeast. And high-risk children under 18 years of age should be rushed to a doctor at the first sign of the virus, said Dr. Thomas Frieden, CDC director. In addition, doctors should be aware that some otherwise healthy children with bacterial infections may be more susceptible to the flu, he told reporters during a conference call. Frieden said the vaccine should be available by mid-October, and will be free at public hospitals and other sites. All schoolchildren should be vaccinated, he said. "We also are recommending that all people with underlying conditions get vaccinated -- people who have asthma, diabetes, lung disease, heart disease, neuromuscular conditions, neurological conditions that increase their risk factors and women who are pregnant," Frieden added. As of August 22, there had been 556 deaths in the United States associated with the H1N1 virus, and 42 of those deaths were children under the age of 18. The figures were published August 28 on the CDC Web site. Thursday, the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report focused on the pediatric cases -- 36 that were counted among the 477 flu-related deaths up to August 8. Watch more on what the CDC had to say about H1N1 influenza » Seven of the children who died were younger than 5 years old, the report said, and 24 had underlying disabilities, such as muscular dystrophy or cerebral palsy, or one or more high-risk medical conditions. Frieden said the H1N1 virus -- which he said never really went away, judging by the cases reported this summer -- is spreading in the United States, particularly in the Southeast. "The good news is that so far, everything that we've seen, both in this country and abroad, shows that the virus has not changed to become more deadly. That means that although it may affect lots of people, most people will not be severely ill," he said. He noted, however, that both H1N1 and the seasonal flu are unpredictable. Because of this, health professionals have to be ready to change their protocols based on any new information. On Wednesday, the CDC said there were six suspected cases among its approximately 7,000 employees at the Atlanta, Georgia, headquarters. Frieden referenced findings by federal agencies who were asked to study the impact of H1N1 in the Southern Hemisphere. They examined data from Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand and Uruguay, since they more closely resemble U.S. demographics and economic development. "All countries report that after mid-July, disease activity in most parts of the country decreased. This indicates that the duration of the current influenza season in the Southern Hemisphere, in which the 2009 H1N1 virus is the predominate strain, may be similar in length to an average seasonal influenza season," according to the Flu.gov Web site. Earlier Thursday, the Institute of Medicine released a report recommending a major step up in protection for health workers dealing with patients suspected or confirmed to have H1N1 influenza. The institute, in recommendations requested by the CDC, said loose paper masks are inadequate because workers can still breathe in the virus. Instead, health workers should switch to a specific type of mask -- N95 respirators -- that form an airtight seal around the nose and mouth. CNN's Mariam Falco contributed to this report. | [
"Who should be vaccinated for H1N1?",
"When will a vaccine for H1N1 be available?",
"Who should be among the first to recieve the vaccine?",
"What children sould get the vaccine first?",
"How many deaths since August?",
"Who is the head of the CDC?",
"When will the vaccine become available?"
] | [
[
"Children with high-risk medical conditions or disabilities"
],
[
"by mid-October,"
],
[
"Children with high-risk medical conditions or disabilities"
],
[
"with high-risk medical conditions or disabilities"
],
[
"556"
],
[
"Dr. Thomas Frieden,"
],
[
"by mid-October,"
]
] | CDC: Children with medical issues should be among the first to get H1N1 vaccine .
Head of CDC predicts the vaccine should be available by mid-October .
As of August 22, 42 of the 556 U.S. deaths linked to H1N1 virus were in kids . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Consumer advocate Clark Howard revealed to listeners of his radio show on Wednesday that he has prostate cancer. Radio show host Clark Howard says doctors diagnosed him with prostate cancer in its early stages. Howard is one of the best-known consumer experts in the country. He has a nationally syndicated radio show and a new weekend show on CNN sister network HLN. He also has written several books on consumer issues, including two that made The New York Times best-sellers list. "I just wanted to give it to you right form the horse's mouth, what's going on with me," Howard, 53, told listeners Wednesday during this radio show. The cancer was detected recently in its early stages, he said. His doctors had monitored his health for about 2½ years after a routine test came came back with unusual results. The test was a Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test to measure antigen, substances that stimulate an immune response in the body. If PSA levels are up, the chances of prostate cancer rise, and Howard's levels were such that his doctor gave him PSA tests every 90 days to monitor antigen levels. He also had biopsies to test for cancer. The fourth and most recent biopsy found a "very, very small isolated pocket of cancer," Howard said. "Prostate cancer caught early is not a walk in the park, but is not really that big a deal," Howard said. "I just wanted to clear the air because rumors take on a life of their own." According to the American Cancer Society, one in six men will get prostate cancer in their lifetimes, and one in 35 will die of the disease. Although its numbers are not yet complete for 2008, the organization estimated that during that year, there were about 186,320 new cases of prostate cancer diagnosed in the United States and about 28,660 men died from the disease. Among famous men who have been treated for prostate cancer are former Secretary of State Colin Powell, former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and actor Robert De Niro. There are various options for treating prostate cancer, all with different approaches. The American Cancer Society recommends considering things such as age, other serious health problems, stage of the cancer and side effects of treatment when selecting a method of treatment. Howard said his main point in talking about his diagnosis was to increase awareness among men. "Guys put themselves in danger by not going to the doctor," he said. He spoke to female listeners as well as the men. "Be a nag. Get your guy in to see the doctor, especially if you're 40 and up," he said. | [
"Women should urge men to do what?",
"What does Howard say?",
"what did radio show host urge women to do?",
"Who made an announcement?",
"what did biopsy reveal?",
"what did howard say?",
"Who makes an announcement on a radio show?",
"Who wanted to give it to you right form the horse's mouth?"
] | [
[
"see the doctor, especially if you're 40 and up,\""
],
[
"doctors diagnosed him with prostate cancer in its early stages."
],
[
"\"Be a nag. Get your guy in"
],
[
"Clark Howard"
],
[
"\"very, very small isolated pocket of cancer,\""
],
[
"doctors diagnosed him with prostate cancer in its early stages."
],
[
"Clark Howard"
],
[
"Clark Howard"
]
] | The Atlanta-based consumer advocate makes announcement on radio show .
"I just wanted to give it to you right form the horse's mouth," Howard says .
Biopsy reveals "small, isolated pocket of cancer" in early stages, he says .
The radio show host, best-selling author tells women to urge men to get check-ups . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Crack-addicted Felicia Anderson was pregnant with her third child when an ultrasound changed the direction of her life. After inpatient rehab, Felicia Anderson sought help from Mothers Making a Change to help beat her addiction. "You could hear that baby's heartbeat strong and steady. Really, that's her personality today, a strong, vibrant little girl. And at that time, laying there, tears starting rolling down my face," Anderson, 44, recalled. In that moment, Anderson vowed to stay off drugs, something she'd been unable to do in more than a decade addicted to crack cocaine, even when she was pregnant with her first two children. Anderson didn't think she could do it alone, so, like almost 2 million Americans a year, she entered a treatment program. Anderson spent three weeks in residential treatment -- all she could afford -- but didn't think that was enough, so she enrolled in Mothers Making a Change, a year-long outpatient drug and alcohol program in Atlanta, Georgia. Three times as many Americans choose outpatient treatment as residential treatment, or rehab. It costs less, is more likely to be covered by insurance and does not require participants to leave work or their families for a month or more. The outpatient program Anderson chose, Mothers Making a Change, is designed especially for pregnant women and women with young children. Anderson was both. At the time, her oldest daughter, Sierra, was 5; her middle child, Anicia, was almost 2. In addition to therapy and education, Mothers Making a Change provided transportation and offered free child care while Anderson was there. When she completed the program, Mothers Making a Change helped her find a job. "I can say with everything in me, with every bit of my breath, that program helped me turn my life around," said Anderson, who now runs a program to help the developmentally disabled in DeKalb County, Georgia. Interactive: Addiction and the brain » Like most programs, residential or outpatient, Mothers Making a Change is built on the 12 steps pioneered by Alcoholics Anonymous. Among them: Admit you're powerless over your addiction, and turn your life over to a higher power. "It's important in my opinion to have a connection with your spiritual world, your higher power," Anderson said. "So I thank God, first of all, for giving me a second chance in life." Anderson began drinking and smoking marijuana in high school. She moved on to snorting cocaine and then smoking it. She said her drug use began spiraling out of control when her husband, an Army infantryman, committed suicide after returning from Operation Desert Storm. She said the crack numbed her pain. Watch Felicia Anderson describe her experience » Anderson tried to hide her addiction, but the lies became harder to maintain. She lost weight. She couldn't keep a job. And she began stealing to keep her children clothed and fed and to support her habit. She even stole their Christmas presents. "The gifts would be under the tree, and I needed some crack, and I would take whatever present was there," Anderson recalled. "The crack was my friend. The crack was my job. The crack was my children. You know, it was my life. So no matter how bad I wanted to stop, I couldn't stop," she said. Anderson said she even smoked crack as she went into labor with her second child. "That's to tell you how bad off, how out of control, how much it didn't matter," she said. "But I couldn't stop. I couldn't stop." Caught shoplifting repeatedly, Anderson said, she was facing a five-year prison sentence in Maryland for violating probation when her brother Brian Robinson intervened. He convinced the judge to let Anderson and her two daughters come to Georgia with him and to let his sister check into rehab instead of going to jail. Like many | [
"What made her want to give up drugs?",
"She was addicted to drugs?",
"Who vowed to give up drugs?",
"How long could she afford in residential treatment?",
"What did Anderson vow to give up?"
] | [
[
"hear that baby's heartbeat"
],
[
"In that moment, Anderson vowed to stay off drugs, something she'd been unable to do in more than a decade"
],
[
"Felicia Anderson"
],
[
"three weeks"
],
[
"drugs,"
]
] | When she heard her baby's heartbeat, Felicia Anderson vowed to give up drugs .
She could afford 3 weeks in residential treatment, then moved to outpatient .
Three times as many Americans choose outpatient treatment as residential rehab .
Anderson, now clean 12 years, says program "helped me turn my life around" |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Do you need to borrow to fund a college education for yourself or your child? Be sure you're taking my "Clark Smart" approach to borrowing. Clark Howard: If a four-year college is too cost prohibitive, try a two-year institution at a fraction of the cost Subsidized Stafford loans are the single best source of money you can borrow. The interest is picked up by the federal government -- courtesy of your fellow taxpayers -- while you're in school and for a six-month grace period following graduation. Once the loans go into repayment, subsidized Stafford loans taken out during the 2009-10 school year carry a fixed interest rate of 5.6 percent. The rate will be lower still at 4.5 percent for loans originating during the next school year, and all the way down to 3.4 percent the following year. There are, however, limits to the amount you can borrow. Freshman can get up to $3,500 annually; sophomores can borrow $4,500 each year; and juniors and seniors cap out at $5,500. Once you exhaust your subsidized Stafford stockpile, you want to move on to unsubsidized Stafford loans, which are now offered at 6.8 percent. Remember, though, to borrow as little as possible because the interest on these unsubsidized loans accumulates while you're in school. Watch smart choices when paying back the loans » As a third option, parents can take out PLUS loans, which are issued at a fixed rate of 8.25 percent. Visit FAFSA.ed.gov to determine your eligibility for all these loan options. What's one type of loan you do not want to take out? Private student loans. Back in 2005, the private student loan industry used its political influence to gain the right to use any and all tactics (short of threatening bodily harm or actually causing it) in their efforts to collect money. In fact, private student loans typically can't even be dismissed in bankruptcy. Remember my rule of thumb when it comes to determining what level of borrowing you can comfortably handle: Do not take on a total loan amount that exceeds the likely first-year earnings in your field. If college is still too cost-prohibitive after you've gotten all the financial aid and loans you can, I'd love for you to think about starting your degree at a two-year community college. The cost of a community college can be as little as one-tenth to one-twentieth that of a private college, as I discovered when I researched schools with my eldest daughter. Let's say you decide to do your first two years at a community college. People often worry about the lack of prestige associated with these kinds of schools. But most employers only look at the name of the traditional college that issues your degree after you've put in your time at a community school. In fact, an employer might even prefer someone who worked their way through a community college and had to struggle financially. Doesn't that show more fortitude in a job candidate than the person who cruised through a 4-year college on the silver-spoon plan? And for those of you already dealing with paying off student loan debt, there's a radical change coming that I want you to know about. Effective July 1, an income-based repayment plan (IBR) became available to borrowers with Stafford loans and Grad PLUS loans. Under the new program, your payment will be based on your current income and family size. That means your monthly payment could be an unprecedented zero dollars if you qualify! Contact your lender to see if you qualify and to apply for the IBR. In addition to the IBR, other new provisions that went into effect July 1 include loan forgiveness options for certain workers. Nonprofit workers and some government employees are eligible for loan forgiveness after making on-time monthly payments for 10 years. If you work in the traditional for-profit sector, it will take 25 years of on-time payments before you're eligible for loan forgiveness. Visit LoanConsolidation.ed.gov for more information. | [
"Who picks up the interest on the loans?",
"What did Howard warn against?",
"Who picked up interest on subsidized Stafford loans?",
"Who picks up the interest on loans?",
"What does Howard warn against?"
] | [
[
"federal government"
],
[
"Do not take on a total loan amount that exceeds the likely first-year earnings in your field."
],
[
"the federal government"
],
[
"the federal government"
],
[
"Do not take on a total loan amount that exceeds the likely first-year earnings in your field."
]
] | Interest on subsidized Stafford loans picked up by government while in school .
Next best options are unsubsidized Stafford loans and PLUS loans with fixed rates .
Howard warns against private student loans . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Dry skies greeted Georgia for a second day Wednesday, giving residents a chance to mourn, recover and repair after devastating floods killed nine people earlier this week. Douglas County, Georgia, emergency managers provide water Wednesday to residents without treated water. Water was beginning to recede in many areas, and some roads, including Interstate 285 and Interstate 20, were reopening. Several others remained closed, state authorities said. As of Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of people were still in shelters, with more than 250 people in the Cobb County Civic Center, according to the Red Cross. There are cases where people have lost everything, spokeswoman Lisa Matheson said Tuesday. Before they were evacuated, Cordell Albert and her husband, Christopher, moved their valuables to the second floor of their Powder Springs home, CNN affiliate WGCL reported. "I feel lost," she said, according to the affiliate. "I feel homeless." Watch more about the flooding aftermath and cleanup » Gov. Sonny Perdue has declared a state of emergency in 17 flood-stricken counties, and State Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine estimated that the flooding has caused an estimated $250 million in losses. Watch where the flooding hit hardest » "Many of the homeowners afflicted by this event don't have flood insurance," he said in a written statement. Georgia's flood-related death toll has reached nine, authorities said, with six deaths alone in Douglas County, west of Atlanta. To the north, one person was missing and presumed dead in Chattanooga, Tennessee. See photos of the flooding » Perdue spoke to President Obama on Tuesday night about the flooding, White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said. The president "expressed his condolences for the loss of life and his concern for the citizens of Georgia amidst the ongoing flooding," Shapiro said. Perdue updated Obama on the situation, and the two discussed the response to the crisis, Shapiro added. The president also assured the governor that his request for federal aid would receive prompt attention, the spokesman added. Parts of northwest and south-central Georgia, as well as the metro Atlanta area, were still under flood warnings Wednesday. Also on Wednesday, students from three of metro Atlanta's four largest school districts were returning to classes after flooding caused school closings the day before. Watch what caused such torrential rain » But CNN meteorologists said rain was not likely for much of the state Wednesday, although isolated thunderstorms in north Georgia were possible. Georgia may also see rain this weekend, CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras said. "Of course, we're not expecting another foot of rain," she said, "but we could pick up an inch or two." iReport.com: Horses pulled to safety from flooded creek On Tuesday, Perdue pleaded with residents to stay off flooded roads, noting that nearly all the fatalities in the state were drivers and passengers swept away by floodwaters. CNN's Carolina Sanchez, Shawn Nottingham and Samuel Gardner contributed to this report. | [
"What does the Georgia insurance commisioner estimate?",
"What does Georgia insurance commissioner estimate?",
"What is the death toll from the floods?",
"Which political leader express condolences?",
"What is happening as of Tuesday afternoon?",
"What are the estimated losses?",
"When were people still noticed to be in the shelters?",
"What is the death toll from floods?"
] | [
[
"that the flooding has caused an estimated $250 million in losses."
],
[
"$250 million in losses."
],
[
"nine,"
],
[
"President Obama"
],
[
"hundreds of people were still in shelters,"
],
[
"$250 million"
],
[
"Tuesday afternoon,"
],
[
"nine people"
]
] | NEW: Georgia insurance commissioner estimates $250 million in losses .
President, Georgia governor discuss aid; Obama expresses condolences .
Death toll from floods: at least nine in Georgia; one person missing in Tennessee .
As of Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of people were still in shelters in Georgia . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Eric Hahn thought his financial situation was set after he was approved for a private student loan with an 8 percent interest rate to supplement his federal education loans. Eric Hahn, 21, estimates he will be in debt for the next five to seven years for his undergraduate tuition. Just a few weeks later, Hahn, 21, was forced to cash in his savings and investments so he could make his rent and tuition after finding out that the lender, MyRichUncle.com, had suspended its private student loan program. "Due to continued disruptions in the capital markets, combined with the continued demand we have experienced this year, we are reaching funding capacity limits," a message on his cell phone said, mimicking a statement on the company's Web site. The sudden news left Hahn, a senior-year finance major, scrambling to find additional funding after maxing out his borrowing options from the federal government. Eventually, the country's leading student loan provider, Sallie Mae, approved him for a private loan at 12 percent. After he graduates, Hahn estimates it will take him anywhere from five to seven years to repay about $30,000 he will have borrowed by then. "Money isn't cheap," said Hahn, who transferred to Georgia State University in Atlanta from the University of Connecticut last year because the tuition was less expensive. "The process is time-consuming, and there's also the stress of having to liquidate my investments and wonder where I'm going to find money." About 8 percent of student borrowers rely on private loans, which tend to be costlier and stricter than federal loans, said Robert Shierman, executive director of the Institute for College Access and Success. In doing so, Hahn and others like him are getting a crash course in market volatility and its effects on the consumer's ability to find money. Watch how the current economic troubles affect consumers » MyRichUncle.com is the most recent lender to suspend its private student loan program, joining the ranks of major financial institutions like Wachovia and Bank of America and companies specializing in student loans such as College Loan Corporation and Campus Door, which was backed by Lehman Brothers. MyRichUncle's president and co-founder, Raza Khan, told CNN: "We are currently working with a number of investors so we can resume loan origination as soon as possible. "Meanwhile, students and parents should not lose sight of the value of education. Funds do remain available -- we encourage families to do all the homework and research, and to make prudent decisions on borrowing," he added in a written statement. Since August 2007, 33 lenders have suspended private loans programs, according to the Web site FinAid.org, which tracks activity in the student loan market. Unlike federal lending programs, private loans rely on liquidity from investors. Even though private loans are considered strong by industry standards, they are feeling the effects of a turbulent capital market. "The only reason lenders had to stop making the loans was that they ran out of liquidity," said financial aid expert Mark Kantrowitz, who created FinAid.org. "It's a contagion effect of the sub-prime crisis," said Kantrowitz. "It's an overreaction that has affected the student loan market." With their strong resemblance to consumer loans, where lenders set the terms based on your credit score, financial advisers often recommended private loans as a means of last resort. But with rising tuition and increased enrollment putting a squeeze on the student aid market -- which disbursed about $60 billion in federal funds and $17 billion in private loans last year -- students are turning to private loans after they've exhausted all other avenues, or for expenses that federal aid won't cover. In response, Congress passed legislation this year to increase the maximum amount of federal loans that students can obtain. "With federal student loan limits increasing, you can borrow now more than last year, regardless of income, assets, collateral or income," said Martha Holler, vice president of corporate communications of Sallie Mae. Despite | [
"How old is Eric Hahn?",
"What is the company working toward?",
"What lender suspended its private student loan program?",
"This move left whom scrambling to find alternating funding sources?",
"What did My Rich Uncle do?",
"What lender suspended a student loan program?",
"Who suspended its private student loan program on Friday?",
"What was Hahn scrambling to find?",
"What are financial advisers saying?"
] | [
[
"21,"
],
[
"resume loan origination as soon as possible."
],
[
"MyRichUncle.com,"
],
[
"Eric Hahn,"
],
[
"suspended its private student loan program."
],
[
"MyRichUncle.com,"
],
[
"MyRichUncle.com,"
],
[
"additional funding"
],
[
"recommended private loans as a means of last resort."
]
] | Lender My Rich Uncle suspended its private student loan program on Friday .
The move left Eric Hahn, 21, scrambling to find alternative funding sources .
The company says it is working to resume loaning money as soon as possible .
Financial advisers say investors are pulling out even though loans considered strong . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Federal investigators trying to determine why a Delta Air Lines jet landed on a taxiway instead of the runway in Atlanta on Monday morning say the runway was illuminated, but that approach lights and a ground-based instrument that helps pilots line up with the runway were off. The pilots of the plane that landed at the Atlanta airport have been relieved from flying duties pending probes. The incident happened at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the world's busiest. But it occurred shortly before dawn, when airport operations are slow. Delta Flight 60, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was cleared to land on a main runway around 6:05 a.m., but it landed instead on nearby Taxiway M, which runs parallel to the runway, said FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen. The departure taxiway, which can be filled with aircraft during peak hours, was empty at the time, and the plane landed safely, officials said. No one was injured, and there was no damage to the taxiway. The Boeing 767 aircraft had 182 passengers and a crew of 11. The FAA, the National Transportation Safety Board and Delta Air Lines are investigating. The pilots of the aircraft were placed on nonflight status, Delta said. The NTSB on Wednesday confirmed that a "check pilot" on the flight was sick, and the crew had declared a medical emergency. It was not clear what, if any, role that played in the mishap. Sources familiar with the incident say that Flight 60 originally was scheduled to land on Runway 27L (left), the active runway at that time, but was "sidestepped" to Runway 27R (right). Pilots commonly ask to be "sidestepped" to Runway 27R -- and air traffic controllers commonly offer 27R -- because it is closer to the terminal and pilots can shave minutes from a trip. In this case, it is not clear whether the pilot made the request, or the air traffic controllers made the offer. Nor is it clear why the change was made -- whether to shave time from the flight, or because of the medical emergency on the aircraft or some other reason. But after being given permission to land on Runway 27R, the plane went too far to the right, landing on Taxiway M. The runway was marked with yellow lights, while the taxiway was marked with blue lights, one person familiar with the incident said. The NTSB said the runway lights on 27R were illuminated, but a "localizer" and approach lights for the runway were off. Officials said the weather at the airport was clear, and the NTSB said the wind was calm at 10 mph. The sky was dark, with twilight still more than an hour away. The NTSB said a "check airman" was in the cockpit with the captain and first officer during the flight, but became ill and moved to the cabin for the remainder of the flight. Check airman are company pilots who watch over crew members during significant flights, such as when a first officer becomes a captain, when a pilot is making a maiden international flight, or over mountainous terrain for the first time. The NTSB said it is uncertain why the check airman was on the Delta flight. Delta spokesman Anthony Black said the airline is cooperating with the FAA and the NTSB and conducting its own investigation. The pilots of the flight have been relieved from active flying, he said. The incident came just two weeks after the FAA announced that serious runway incursions were down 50 percent this year. Close calls in 2007 at some of the busiest U.S. airports prompted the FAA to take action to reduce the risk of runway incursions and wrong runway departures. There were 24 serious runway incursions that year, eight of them involving commercial carriers. | [
"where was the plane from",
"Where did Delta flight 60 land instead of the runway in Atlanta Georgia?",
"where did it land",
"Who declared medical emergency?",
"who was sick before landing",
"Were there any planes on the taxiway waiting to take off?",
"Who was sick before landing resulting in crew declaring medical emergency?",
"Where Delta Flight fly?"
] | [
[
"Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,"
],
[
"on a taxiway"
],
[
"on a taxiway"
],
[
"the crew"
],
[
"\"check pilot\""
],
[
"was empty at the time,"
],
[
"a \"check pilot\""
],
[
"from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,"
]
] | Delta Flight 60 from Brazil landed on taxiway instead of runway in Atlanta, Georgia .
No planes were on taxiway waiting to take off; jet landed safely with no injuries .
Investigation looking at approach lights, ground-based instrument .
NTSB:"Check pilot" was sick before landing, crew declared medical emergency . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- For 8-year-old Ryan Mohar, an elevator isn't just an elevator. He spends hours pressing the buttons and riding up and down, preferring this to the slew of alternatives that his teachers offer -- even candy. Ryan Mohar, who has autism, gets treated with ABA approaches at the Marcus Autism Center. Ryan is one of many American children with autism, a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive behaviors or limited interests, and difficulties with communication and social interactions. At the Marcus Autism Center in Atlanta, Georgia, Ryan and other children with communication and behavior difficulties get help through a rigorous empirical method called Applied Behavior Analysis. "Decades of research has shown that that is the treatment of choice, and results in the best gains in terms of skill acquisition and behavior problem reduction for kids with autism and other developmental disabilities," said Alice Shillingsburg, program coordinator of the center's Language and Learning Clinic. The effectiveness and nature of ABA is particularly relevant as many parents fight for insurance companies to cover it and other autism treatments. The organization Autism Speaks has endorsed bills in 25 states that would require private health insurance policies to cover the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders for anyone under the age of 21. The legislation would specifically be targeted at ABA and other structured autism therapies. Only eight states have autism insurance reform, according to Autism Speaks. While ABA encompasses a broad range of practices of studying and changing behavior, the one usually associated with autism is called discrete trial instruction. A trial consists of a cue, the opportunity to respond and a reward. Watch therapists using applied behavior analysis on Ryan » For example, a therapist might try to teach a child who likes sweets to request candy. The trial gets repeated over and over so that the child learns that candy comes only as a result of the request. The clinicians at Marcus Autism Center carefully record how many trials the child successfully completes. Learn more about autism » "If suddenly they can emit some vocal response, and suddenly when they do that, candy appears -- someone delivers candy to them -- that's a very powerful response for that child," said Nathan Call, director of Behavior Treatment Clinics at the Marcus Autism Center. Analysts examine progress based on such data at least once a day -- sometimes five or six times a day -- and will change the treatment plan if necessary. In Ryan's case, a trial begins when his clinical specialist takes him near the elevator and asks him to hand over a card -- his way of requesting access to the elevator. If Ryan gives the card, he gets to go to the elevator, and that is the end of one trial. If he does not, his helpers walk him away, and a new trial begins. Experts working with Ryan hope that teaching him to ask for the things he enjoys -- elevator rides, elevator buttons -- will help him stop running away, which he does even at home. In fact, Ryan wears a GPS-equipped ankle bracelet so that police can track him if he gets far from home. ABA is very effective, but the term "cure" is inaccurate, experts said. Autism describes a broad range of characteristics, not an underlying cause, Call said. ABA techniques can produce significant behavior changes, however. "The goal is not necessarily for the child to have hit all of their developmental milestones, necessarily, but rather it's hopefully to get them to a point where they're able to take advantage of a more typical or less restrictive educational environment," he said. Studies have shown that 60 percent of high-functioning children can lose their diagnosis of autism by age 8 by using ABA, according to the Kennedy Krieger Institute, a leading center in autism research and treatment in Baltimore, Maryland. Not everyone is so enthusiastic about ABA, however. Dr. Max Wiznitzer, associate professor of pediatric neurology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, cautions that the treatment should fit the child, and ABA may not work as well for some children | [
"What methods are employed in ABA?",
"What is applied behavior analysis?",
"How many states has Autism Speaks endorsed bills in?"
] | [
[
"discrete trial instruction."
],
[
"rigorous empirical method"
],
[
"25"
]
] | Applied behavior analysis is a rigorous empirical method to teach behaviors .
Autism Speaks has endorsed bills in 25 states to make insurance cover ABA .
Research: 60 percent of high-functioning kids can lose autism diagnosis with ABA .
Five-year medical costs for children with autism, on average, about $35,000 . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- For more than a year, the criminal justice students jotted details of Chandra Levy's final movements onto a huge timeline taped to a classroom wall, culled the Internet and public records for scraps of information, and pored over the model skeleton laid out on a table in their lab at Bauder College in Atlanta, Georgia.
Antonio Wilson, from left clockwise, Lashaun Bates, Jennifer Gosdin and Charna-Marie Dixon.
They spent hours with the slain intern's mother, Susan Levy, who flew from her home in California to Atlanta just to talk to them. Chandra Levy had studied criminal justice in college, too.
They began with a list of five suspects, then narrowed it down to one. On December 28, they mailed their findings to the police chief in Washington, D.C. They never heard back.
But on Saturday, the text and phone messages began to fly. There's a suspect, they told each other with excitement. An arrest is imminent.
"It completely validates 15 months of work," their teacher, Sheryl McCollum, said that Saturday morning. "We knew this case was solvable. There was no reason for it not to be solved." Meet the members of the campus crime club »
A week ago, the police chief in Washington, D.C., called Levy's parents and told them a suspect in the 2001 slaying soon would be arrested.
"I got a call from the Washington police department, just to give me a heads up that there's a warrant out for the arrest," said Susan Levy, the victim's mother. She added that police did not provide a name, but sources later identified him to CNN as Ingmar Guandique.
Guandique is serving a 10-year prison sentence for two assaults in Washington's Rock Creek Park that occurred around the time of Levy's disappearance. Levy's remains were found in the park.
For the Bauder College students, the break in the case was no cause for self-congratulations. They can't disclose their findings to the public.
It's part of the deal they make at the start of each investigation. Even though they couldn't name their suspect, or even discuss details of what they found, they didn't carry themselves like people who had missed the mark when they met with CNN on Monday.
There were big smiles and, in more reflective moments, small tears.
Antonio Wilson and Jennifer Gosdin, two students who last year shared logs of their progress with CNN, said they hoped Levy's mother, father and brother can now find some comfort and peace. If they were able to help the Levys in some way, they are glad.
Wilson, who hopes to be a probation officer, said he got more out of the experience than he ever expected. "It's not my area, but I loved it," he said.
"Once you get involved in it, it becomes personal," Gosdin agreed.
For Naomi Barkley and La-Shawn Bates, the case got personal when they met Susan Levy. "You could see the hurt in her face," Bates recalled. "You can't help but want to make it right for her.
McCollum was in Florida with her family when the news of a suspect broke. She was on the phone with Susan Levy before the sun came up in California. Yes, Levy said, it's true, adding that she was grateful to the students for keeping people focused on her daughter's case, McCollum recalled.
McCollum worked as a victims' advocate in the criminal justice system in Fulton County, Georgia, for 25 years before taking a teaching job at Bauder College. In 2005, she launched the Cold Case Investigations Research Institute. It's a fancy name for a campus crime club.
The students aren't graded, and they don't receive class credits. But the payoff for the hours they invest includes hands-on experience working real cases and access to experts and criminal justice professionals.
Using real-life cases is the best way to | [
"who was a suspect?",
"Who recalls Levy's mother being grateful that students kept spotlight on case?",
"who was arrested?"
] | [
[
"Ingmar Guandique."
],
[
"Sheryl McCollum,"
],
[
"Ingmar Guandique."
]
] | Group can't divulge whom it named as a suspect in Chandra Levy case .
Arrest warrant "completely validates 15 months of work," professor says .
Professor recalls Levy's mother being grateful that students kept spotlight on case .
About 80 students at Bauder College are members of crime club . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Four active-duty U.S. soldiers -- three of them elite Army Rangers -- have been arrested and charged with planning to rob drug traffickers. A courtroom sketch shows David White, left, Stefan Champagne, center, and Carlos Lopez. Wearing street clothes, Rangers Carlos Lopez, 30, and David Ray White, 28, and Army medic Stefan Andre Champagne, 28, appeared in federal court Friday. They're charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine and with carrying firearms in connection with that conspiracy. U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Baverman ordered them held in custody until a preliminary hearing Wednesday. Another Ranger, Randy Spivey, 32, is scheduled to appear in court Monday. "It is a sad day when members of one of America's most elite corps of soldiers, the Army Rangers, are alleged to have become involved in criminal activity," U.S. Attorney David E. Nahmias said of the case. "These men were trained to defend the people and principles of this country, not to use their skills to steal cocaine from drug dealers at gunpoint." Lopez, White and Champagne were arrested Thursday at a storage facility in Sandy Springs, Georgia, a suburb just north of Atlanta, by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives who had set up a sting operation. Spivey was apprehended at Camp Frank D. Merrill, an Army Ranger training center in Dahlonega, Georgia, on Friday, the ATF said. Dahlonega is about 60 miles north of Atlanta. Lopez, White and Champagne were to commit the robbery while Spivey covered for them back at the camp, where the men are stationed, according to an affidavit filed with U.S. District Court. All four were to get a cut of the spoils of the robbery, the affidavit from ATF Agent Brett Turner says. The investigation began in November, when the ATF "became aware" that some soldiers were interested in robbing drug dealers of their cocaine, Turner says. He posed as a disaffected security guard for the drug traffickers who wanted to "rip them off." The first try to set up the "robbery" failed, but a second attempt earlier this month succeeded, leading to the arrests at the storage facility and, a day later, the Ranger camp. A subsequent search found that Lopez, White and Champagne were carrying semiautomatic pistols and had an AR-15 assault rifle and a field pouch with 15 magazines of ammunition for it in their vehicle. Agents also found a ski mask, binoculars and a Taser among the items the men brought with them. The four soldiers face minimum mandatory sentences of 10 years in prison each for the drug conspiracy and an additional five years, consecutive, for the weapons allegation. The Army Rangers are an elite light infantry fighting force capable of deploying anywhere in the world within 18 hours. They became a permanent presence in the U.S. military in the 1970s. From the Colonial Era until that time, Rangers were activated for specific missions or conflicts and then deactivated when their work was completed. E-mail to a friend | [
"what The Army Rangers are?",
"Arrests made after ATF agents set up a sting operation",
"what did they do",
"when did it start",
"who are are an elite light infantry fighting force?",
"who said ATF \"became aware\" some soldiers wanted to rob dealers of their cocaine?"
] | [
[
"elite"
],
[
"Four active-duty U.S. soldiers"
],
[
"planning to rob drug traffickers."
],
[
"1970s."
],
[
"Army Rangers"
],
[
"Agent Brett Turner"
]
] | Arrests made after ATF agents set up a sting operation .
Affidavit: ATF "became aware" some soldiers wanted to rob dealers of their cocaine .
The investigation began in November .
The Army Rangers are an elite light infantry fighting force . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Gregory Maguire absently cleans his glasses with his tie as he talks about pushing someone down the stairs. "I use children's stories as kind of a snare and temptation and illusion to draw in readers," Gregory Maguire says. "I wonder if you've ever stood at the top of the stairs behind someone who's really annoying and just imagined putting your foot out and planting your boot in somebody's objectionable behind?" he asks. "You know, I think that thought is a fairly common human thought." Maybe for the author of "Wicked," who looks more like a college English professor than someone who spends his days writing about the world of Oz. Maguire often imagines evil, and how those without self-control respond to it. Maguire's "Wicked" series puts a spin on the classic "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" tale, bringing in corruption, political prisoners and war. His first book, "Wicked," has sold more than 2.5 million copies, and the musical based on the book reportedly has been seen by more than 3.75 million people in New York alone. National tours have been huge successes. Maguire's newest book in the series, "A Lion Among Men," tells the story of the Cowardly Lion -- the motherless cub defended by Elphaba in "Wicked." Watch Maguire roar about "Lion" » CNN talked to Maguire about the book's main character, his life before "Wicked" and why he has never written realistic adult fiction. The following is an edited version of that interview: CNN: To someone who's never read your books before, how would you describe your style? Gregory Maguire: I would describe [my books] as being, not quite allegories, but commentaries on contemporary society -- and indeed politics to some extent -- enshrouded in, and disguised by, the guise of children's stories. In other words, I use children's stories as kind of a snare and temptation and illusion to draw in readers who say this is going to be easy ... and it's going to be fun. And indeed I hope it is fun. But once I get people involved in the plot, I hope to also communicate some of the questions I have about the way we live our lives in the 21st century. CNN: Talk to me about Brrr. What's his personality like? What is he going through? Maguire: Well, Brrr is the name that I've given to the cowardly lion who is the main character -- the protagonist -- in this novel called "A Lion Among Men." And I gave him that name for two reasons: One, because it does sound like a shiver, and he is always slightly spooked by the world; and the second reason, because the two letters in it B-r-r-r are both letters from the name of Bert Lahr, who played the Cowardly Lion so famously in the 1939 MGM film. His character arises in the hollow space in our perceptions between that giant roaring lion at the MGM logo ... the ideal lion, and the kind of sad, sacked, out of work, vaudeville performer in lion pajamas that we see when Dorothy actually runs into the lion on the Yellow Brick Road. In other words, there's a huge disconnect between the image we project of ourselves -- the best we might ever hope to possibly be -- and the way we feel about ourselves at our absolute worst -- when we're the most down in the dumps. There's a huge space in between there. So the novel's really in some ways about character and taking control of the destiny of your own character. CNN: Everyone knows of your success with "Wicked" -- it's huge. But what was your life like before you wrote that book? Maguire: I had written children's books for 14 years before I published "Wicked." And none of them were poorly reviewed, and none of them sold enough for me to be able to buy a bed. | [
"What is \"A Lion Among Men,\" about?",
"What did Maguire write for 14 years?",
"How many Maguire books of Wicked has he sold?",
"How long has Maguire been writing childrens's books?",
"What is the name of Gregory's new book?",
"How many years did Maguire write children's books?",
"How many copies has \"Wicked\" sold?",
"How many times did the novel 'Wicked' sell?",
"What is Gregory Maguire's new book about?"
] | [
[
"-- the motherless cub defended by Elphaba in \"Wicked.\""
],
[
"children's books"
],
[
"2.5 million copies,"
],
[
"14 years"
],
[
"\"A Lion Among Men,\""
],
[
"14"
],
[
"2.5 million"
],
[
"\"Wicked,\" has sold more than 2.5 million copies,"
],
[
"tells the story of the Cowardly Lion"
]
] | Gregory Maguire's new book, "A Lion Among Men," is about the Cowardly Lion .
Maguire wrote children's books for 14 years before writing "Wicked"
"Wicked" has sold more than 2.5 million copies .
New novel is about "taking control of the destiny of your own character," Maguire says . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Have you seen those ads being run by the debt-settlement outfits on bad late-night TV? Their promise is always the same -- to reduce your credit card debt to just pennies on the dollar without making you file for bankruptcy! Clark Howard says debt-settlement firms promise to help consumers lower their debts. Are they for real? It turns out that promise is just an illusion. Most debt-settlement outfits require you to pay an upfront fee, plus a monthly retainer. Their strategy is to get you to stop paying on your bills. They typically have you take the money you would have paid toward monthly minimums and stash it in savings. The basic idea is to make the credit card companies so desperate that they'll settle with you. This may end up being the end result, in some cases. However, along the way your credit suffers greatly. In fact, complaints about debt-settlement firms have increased dramatically in North Carolina, Florida and Oregon, according to The New York Times. Watch how Clark helped a caller pay off a massive debt » Many people wonder why these companies even exist. That goes back to 2005, when the bankruptcy laws changed in our nation. At that time, the giant banks that control the credit card portfolios stopped being cooperative with affiliates of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), which helps consumers manage and eliminate their debt. The banks were cynically trying to force people into a position where they had no choice other than to pay up. That environment created an opportunity for the debt-settlement firms to pop up with their false promises that they alone knew how to defeat the banks. The irony here is that the banks have now agreed to work with the NFCC again. There's an initiative known as "Call to Action" that is essentially a 60-month payment plan. Its aim is to help consumers who are struggling with credit card debt avoid bankruptcy. Under the Call to Action initiative, the 10 largest credit issuers have agreed to modify the terms and conditions of their repayment policies. That means they may waive late and over-the-limit fees, in addition to reducing interest rates. In industry terms, this kind of arrangement is known as a hardship debt-management plan. The goal here is to increase the chance that you'll pay off your debt instead of bankrupting out of it. But you've got to know that the lenders have not agreed to a reduction of your outstanding balance. Participating credit card issuers include American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase Card Services, Citi, Discover Financial Services, GE Money, HSBC Card Services, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo Card Services. Keep in mind that not everyone will be eligible to participate in Call to Action. Visit NFCC.org or call 800-388-2227 for more details to see if you qualify. | [
"\"Call to Action\" aims to help consumers with what type of debt?",
"Most debt-settlement firms require you to pay an upfront fee, plus what?",
"What do most debt-settlement firms require?",
"what can help customers",
"what increase in many states",
"Complaints about these companies have done what in many states?",
"What does call to action aim to do?"
] | [
[
"credit card"
],
[
"monthly retainer."
],
[
"you to pay an upfront fee, plus a monthly retainer."
],
[
"National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC),"
],
[
"complaints about debt-settlement firms"
],
[
"debt-settlement firms"
],
[
"help consumers who are struggling with credit card debt avoid bankruptcy."
]
] | Most debt-settlement firms require you to pay an upfront fee, plus a monthly retainer .
Complaints about these companies have increased in many states .
"Call to Action" aims to help consumers with credit card debt avoid bankruptcy . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Health and Human Services' acting secretary has appointed Dr. Richard Besser as the interim director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. William Gimson will return to his position as the CDC's chief operating officer. He replaces William Gimson, who took over as interim CDC director at noon on January 20. Gimson notified CDC employees that HHS acting secretary Charles E. Johnson had announced the appointment. Gimson replaced Dr. Julie Gerberding, who was the head of the CDC from 2002 until two days ago. Gerberding, along with other senior officials, also resigned on January 20, when Barack Obama and his administration took over. Past HHS secretary Michael Leavitt said that the interim directors would take over until the next HHS nominee -- former Sen. Tom Daschle -- is confirmed and makes the permanent appointments. Gimson told employees he's returning to his post as the CDC's chief operating officer. The CDC usually has a physician as its director, which Gimson is not. According to the biography posted on the CDC Web site, Besser's last position at the CDC was as the director of the Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response, where he was responsible for public health emergency preparedness and emergency response activities. According to CDC sources, Besser was seeing patients when he learned of his new position. In addition to heading the CDC bioterrorism preparedness division, he is a practicing pediatrician. | [
"Who appointed the CDC head?",
"He is acting director of what group?",
"Who is acting director of the CDC?",
"Who does Besser replace?",
"Who did Besser replace?",
"Who was designated acting director of CDC?",
"Who was CDC head from 2002 to the end of the Bush administration?",
"Who was the former CDC head?"
] | [
[
"Health and Human Services' acting secretary"
],
[
"the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
],
[
"Dr. Richard Besser"
],
[
"William Gimson,"
],
[
"William Gimson,"
],
[
"Dr. Richard Besser"
],
[
"Dr. Julie Gerberding,"
],
[
"Julie Gerberding,"
]
] | Dr. Richard Besser has been designated acting director of the CDC .
Besser replaces William Gimson as interim director .
Dr. Julie Gerberding was CDC head from 2002 to end of Bush administration .
HHS-nominee Tom Daschle, upon confirmation, will appoint permanent CDC head . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Health officials expect more than 3 million doses of H1N1 flu vaccine to be available in the first week of October. Three flu shot manufacturers were licensed by the FDA last week. "3.4 million doses of vaccines will be available," said Dr. Jay Butler, who heads the 2009 H1N1 Vaccine Task Force at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "All of that vaccine is the inhalable vaccine," he said Friday. That form of vaccine is marketed in the United States as FluMist and is approved only for healthy individuals between the ages of 2 and 49. Pregnant women are not allowed to get this type of vaccine because it contains a live virus. Butler added that he thinks there some flu shots may be available in early October as well, but he had a hard number only for the inhalable vaccine. Flu shots contain an "inactivated," or dead, virus. Take a quiz about the H1N1 flu » The 3.4 million doses of vaccine that will be shipped at the beginning of October are the first of 195 million doses the U.S. government has purchased from five vaccine manufacturers, Butler said. Last week, the Food and Drug Administration licensed the vaccine from four of those companies. Sanofi Pasteur, Novartis and CSL Limited all manufacture flu shots, and MedImmune manufactures the inhalable vaccine. GlaxoSmithkline, which also is producing injectable flu vaccine, still needs to have its vaccine approved by the agency. Health officials report that the new H1N1 flu virus has not changed from what was seen earlier this year, so they are expecting the vaccine to be very effective. In some parts of the country, the vaccine can't some soon enough. The deputy director of the CDC's Influenza Division, Dr. Daniel Jernigan, said 21 states are now reporting widespread flu activity. "It's a very strange thing for us to see that amount of influenza at this time of year" rather than much later in the flu season. Jernigan said there's been only a small an increase in hospitalizations, mainly among young children and adults. But there has been a lot of activity in outpatient settings. Watch a report on the surprising spread of flu » Until the vaccine becomes available, health officials have recommended steps that people can take to cut their chance of getting sick or, for those already sick, prevent the spread of the flu, including frequent handwashing, sneezing into a tissue or sleeve rather than into one's hand, and staying home when sick. Those who are at the highest risk of getting seriously ill -- pregnant women, children, young adults and people with chronic lung or heart disease or diabetes -- should be the first to get vaccinated against the H1N1 flu virus. Health care workers and emergency medical personnel are also encouraged be vaccinated early. "Our goal is to ultimately make the vaccine available to every American who wishes to be vaccinated," Butler said. "The vaccine demand is hard to predict." Learn more about the H1N1 flu from the CDC According to a CNN/Opinion Corp. poll conducted in late August, 66 percent of Americans plan to be vaccinated against H1N1 flu. Health care workers may not necessarily be among them. In the past, only about 40 percent of health care workers have been vaccinated against flu, according to the CDC. | [
"For people between which ages is the inhalable vaccine available?",
"what are the shots for",
"What persons should not get the vaccine?",
"In what month will the flu shots be available?",
"How many states are reporting flu activity?",
"when will the shots be available",
"What is the age range for the vaccine?",
"When will the shot be available?"
] | [
[
"2 and 49."
],
[
"H1N1 flu"
],
[
"Pregnant women"
],
[
"October."
],
[
"21"
],
[
"first week of October."
],
[
"2 and 49."
],
[
"first week of October."
]
] | Inhalable vaccine available only between ages 2 and 49; not for pregnant women .
Some flu shots will be available in early October as well .
New H1N1 has not changed much from earlier virus, officials say .
21 states are now reporting widespread flu activity . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- I was 14 at the time. Lebanon's civil war was in full flood. One afternoon the shells began raining down on our neighborhood in Beirut.
A Lebanese woman and her son run through west Beirut in 1989 during fighting between rival forces.
We ran from school screaming. Forget the book bags, classmates, homework. Just run. Out of breath, my knees giving way, it seemed to take forever to reach our local shelter -- a dark humid room at the back of our apartment block.
The memory of that terrifying afternoon receded -- until recently. After more than a decade of relative peace and reconstruction, the bombings and assassinations have returned to Beirut.
Every time I hear of a new explosion, I think of a frightened child sitting in darkness.
In 1988, I watched the last throes of Lebanon's civil war firsthand -- and like millions of Lebanese, sad, frustrated and often fearful. See a timeline of Lebanon's recent history »
Now I watch from another continent, but I find those same emotions resurfacing. The conspiracies, the car bombs, the threatening rhetoric and political deadlock are eerily familiar.
The actors are like shadows from a long gone past. They are grayer perhaps -- those who have avoided assassination. But the cast in Lebanon's tragedy has changed little in two decades. Then, as now, a presidential election is the setting, and the struggle where religion and clan play the main roles threatens to set Lebanon back 20 years. See bios of Lebanon's major players »
In 1988, the president's term was coming to an end and the warring factions were unable to agree on a new candidate. Militias prevented parliament members from reaching the assembly building. Compromise was nowhere in sight.
The West had abandoned Lebanon to the manipulation of its neighbors. Syria had its choice for president; Israel had its own allies -- a foil for growing Muslim radicalism. The country was awash with weapons.
In his last act as president, Amin Gemayel named fellow Christian and Army Chief Michel Aoun as prime minister. At a stroke, he shattered the convention that a Muslim hold that position.
Muslims refused to serve in the Cabinet and the country ended up with two governments. Aoun famously declared: "I am prime minister and six ministers in one."
Aoun's "War of Liberation" against Syria turned into defeat. Then, he turned on fellow Christians of the Lebanese Forces in the "War of Elimination." When that failed, the Syrians drove Aoun to take refuge at the French Embassy.
In August 1990, I came to CNN as a World Report panelist. I tried to explain Lebanon's chaos, the bewildering array of factions and the horrors of civil war for ordinary civilians.
I had seen people killed in front of me; children orphaned in seconds, parents burying their infants in oversize white coffins. So when I was offered the opportunity to stay at CNN, I gratefully accepted the chance to escape the anarchy.
But almost as I left, the civil war was being laid to rest. The various factions had fought each other to a standstill; Arab governments, supported by the West, helped negotiate a new constitutional framework overseen by Syrian influence. Peace came to Lebanon, but it would be five years before I returned.
In 1995, I went back and was stunned. I kept looking around for checkpoints manned by militants. I couldn't believe that I could go anywhere without being harassed or kidnapped by one faction or another.
No longer did identity -- Christian, Muslim or Druze -- define where Lebanese could go. People mixed freely in chic coffee shops and smoked the hubble-bubble, laughing at the same jokes. It was as if Lebanon's divisions had been wiped away by some magic eraser.
Downtown Beirut, once rocked by explosions and pitted with bullet holes, was rocking to Lebanese pop music. The dusty sandbags had given way to boutiques carrying the latest European fashions and deluxe hotels. Lovers had returned to Beirut's Corniche, overlooking the Mediterranean, | [
"Who says Lebanon hasn't changed?",
"What number of years does the current struggle threaten to set Lebanon back?",
"Who is involved in the current struggle?",
"What is happening in Lebanon?",
"What number of years is Lebanon threatened to be set back?",
"What do CNN and Nasr say about it?",
"When was the last time Lebanon's key power players changed?",
"what is the current struggle?",
"What hasn't changed since the 1980s?",
"What country is experiencing a renaissance?"
] | [
[
"Amin Gemayel"
],
[
"20"
],
[
"Lebanon"
],
[
"civil war"
],
[
"20"
],
[
"I had seen people killed in front of me; children orphaned in seconds,"
],
[
"In 1988,"
],
[
"where religion and clan play the main roles threatens to set Lebanon back 20 years."
],
[
"the cast in Lebanon's tragedy"
],
[
"Lebanon's"
]
] | CNN's Octavia Nasr: Will Lebanon's brief renaissance be snuffed out?
Nasr says Lebanon's key power players haven't changed since 1980s .
Nasr: Current struggle threatens to set Lebanon back 20 years . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- I was 14 at the time. Lebanon's civil war was in full flood. One afternoon the shells began raining down on our neighborhood in Beirut. A Lebanese woman and her son run through west Beirut in 1989 during fighting between rival forces. We ran from school screaming. Forget the book bags, classmates, homework. Just run. Out of breath, my knees giving way, it seemed to take forever to reach our local shelter -- a dark humid room at the back of our apartment block. The memory of that terrifying afternoon receded -- until recently. After more than a decade of relative peace and reconstruction, the bombings and assassinations have returned to Beirut. Every time I hear of a new explosion, I think of a frightened child sitting in darkness. In 1988, I watched the last throes of Lebanon's civil war firsthand -- and like millions of Lebanese, sad, frustrated and often fearful. See a timeline of Lebanon's recent history » Now I watch from another continent, but I find those same emotions resurfacing. The conspiracies, the car bombs, the threatening rhetoric and political deadlock are eerily familiar. The actors are like shadows from a long gone past. They are grayer perhaps -- those who have avoided assassination. But the cast in Lebanon's tragedy has changed little in two decades. Then, as now, a presidential election is the setting, and the struggle where religion and clan play the main roles threatens to set Lebanon back 20 years. See bios of Lebanon's major players » In 1988, the president's term was coming to an end and the warring factions were unable to agree on a new candidate. Militias prevented parliament members from reaching the assembly building. Compromise was nowhere in sight. The West had abandoned Lebanon to the manipulation of its neighbors. Syria had its choice for president; Israel had its own allies -- a foil for growing Muslim radicalism. The country was awash with weapons. In his last act as president, Amin Gemayel named fellow Christian and Army Chief Michel Aoun as prime minister. At a stroke, he shattered the convention that a Muslim hold that position. Muslims refused to serve in the Cabinet and the country ended up with two governments. Aoun famously declared: "I am prime minister and six ministers in one." Aoun's "War of Liberation" against Syria turned into defeat. Then, he turned on fellow Christians of the Lebanese Forces in the "War of Elimination." When that failed, the Syrians drove Aoun to take refuge at the French Embassy. In August 1990, I came to CNN as a World Report panelist. I tried to explain Lebanon's chaos, the bewildering array of factions and the horrors of civil war for ordinary civilians. I had seen people killed in front of me; children orphaned in seconds, parents burying their infants in oversize white coffins. So when I was offered the opportunity to stay at CNN, I gratefully accepted the chance to escape the anarchy. But almost as I left, the civil war was being laid to rest. The various factions had fought each other to a standstill; Arab governments, supported by the West, helped negotiate a new constitutional framework overseen by Syrian influence. Peace came to Lebanon, but it would be five years before I returned. In 1995, I went back and was stunned. I kept looking around for checkpoints manned by militants. I couldn't believe that I could go anywhere without being harassed or kidnapped by one faction or another. No longer did identity -- Christian, Muslim or Druze -- define where Lebanese could go. People mixed freely in chic coffee shops and smoked the hubble-bubble, laughing at the same jokes. It was as if Lebanon's divisions had been wiped away by some magic eraser. Downtown Beirut, once rocked by explosions and pitted with bullet holes, was rocking to Lebanese pop music. The dusty sandbags had given way to boutiques carrying the latest European fashions and deluxe hotels. Lovers had returned to Beirut's Corniche, overlooking the Mediterranean, | [
"What will set back Lebanon?",
"What does the current struggle threaten?",
"What threatens to set back Lebanon 20 Years?"
] | [
[
"religion and clan"
],
[
"set Lebanon back 20 years."
],
[
"the struggle where religion and clan play the main roles"
]
] | CNN's Octavia Nasr: Will Lebanon's brief renaissance be snuffed out?
Nasr says Lebanon's key power players haven't changed since 1980s .
Nasr: Current struggle threatens to set Lebanon back 20 years . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Imagine the Batmobile busting bad guys in Bismarck, North Dakota, or "Knight Rider's" KITT corralling criminals on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Carbon Motors Corp.'s E7 concept vehicle was on display recently near the U.S. Capitol. Carbon Motors Corp.'s new high-tech cop car prototype might not be quite up to superhero specs, but some police say it could be a welcome addition to their arsenal. "I don't see any downside to this car," said Carl Latorre, a Pennsylvania State Police dispatcher who served 35 years as a Philadelphia police officer. "I am so excited about this car. This car rates up there with cops carrying automatic weapons to combat what the criminals carry now. It's about time that something like this came about." OK, so it doesn't have a nanotech cloaking capability or rocket boosters, but every feature on the Carbon E7 concept vehicle draws on suggestions from more than 3,000 law enforcement professionals. The result is a futuristic prowler with a 300-horsepower clean diesel engine, flashing lights visible from all angles, an ergonomic cockpit, an onboard computer with voice command and instant license plate recognition, integrated shotgun mounts, and more. (Weapons of mass destruction detectors are available as an option -- seriously.) See how the E7 stacks up against KITT and the Dark Knight's Tumbler » The E7 was designed by cops for cops, breaking the tradition of recruiting family sedans into the force, company co-founder Stacy Dean Stephens said. "The current vehicles that they (police departments) use were designed for driving around, going to the grocery store, taking kids to school -- things like that," Stephens said. "You don't have an engineer sitting at one of the other automakers who says, 'Y'know, I think what we need to do is we need to take this car, and we need to run into a curb at 50 miles an hour and see how many times it takes before the wheels and the suspension fails on it." The rear passenger compartment alone is enough to make experienced cops get teary-eyed. The rear-hinged "suicide doors" make it easier for handcuffed passengers to get in and out, and the seat is designed so "guests" can ride comfortably with their hands cuffed behind their backs. For officer safety, Latorre likes how the seat belts are anchored in the center of the seat and buckle near the door so the officer doesn't have to lean across the prisoner. "When you put a prisoner in the back seat, you're supposed to strap him in," Latorre said. "Nowadays, you have to make sure your gun isn't going close to his hands, and how are you going to strap somebody in doing that?" Perhaps most popular among cops is the rear compartment, which is sealed off from the front and made entirely of seamless, washable plastic, with drain plugs in the floor. "Numerous times I've had less than pleasant experience" with prisoners vomiting or relieving themselves in the back seat, said Stephens, a former Texas police officer. The seat innovations are up front, too, where the seats have recesses to accommodate officers' bulky gun belts. "The front seat -- I couldn't believe the front seat. They thought of everything," Latorre said. "You don't know how difficult it is to get out of a car. The first thing you've got to do is adjust your gun belt. The gun belt shouldn't be a problem." The E7 can go 0 to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, has a top speed of 155 mph and can withstand a 75-mph rear impact, according to the company's Web site. It has bullet-resistant panels in the doors and dash and has push bumpers incorporated into the aluminum frame. The upper flashing lights are integrated into the roof panel, eliminating the need for a bolted-on light bar that causes aerodynamic drag -- reducing fuel economy -- and can lead to rust. Watch police check out the | [
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] | [
[
"300-horsepower clean diesel engine, flashing lights visible from all angles, an ergonomic cockpit, an onboard computer with voice command and instant license plate recognition, integrated shotgun mounts, and more."
],
[
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[
"Carbon Motors Corp.'s"
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"cops,"
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] | Carbon Motors' E7 prototype is not your father's Crown Victoria .
Vehicle designed bumper to bumper by cops, for cops .
Car features high-performance engine, integrated gadgets, ergonomic cockpit .
Whether governments will buy it is the big unanswered question . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- In a bustling room full of computers, giant wall-mounted monitors and constantly ringing telephones, a newly gathered army is fighting a war.
The swine flu outbreak has kept workers busy at the Emergency Operations Center at the CDC..
The control room is staffed 24/7, and the leader recently had to tell his fighters to make sure to take a day off per week.
This is the Emergency Operations Center at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has ramped up its resources to tackle swine flu, a new disease that experts say may evolve into a global pandemic.
"The last time when we were really at this level was Hurricane Katrina," said Toby Crafton, operations manager.
The CDC has 400 people tasked to work on the virus, also called the 2009 H1N1 flu, Crafton said. The agency had deployed 50 people to various U.S. states and Mexico by Friday.
The Mexican government asked the CDC to help facilitate laboratory testing of the virus during a conference call with Canada and the United States, he said. Watch as Dr. Sanjay Gupta tours the Emergency Operations Center »
"We don't go anywhere unilaterally. We don't go into any state unless asked," Crafton said. "So if the state health department or the state health director or the government feels like their capacity is exceeded or they need us for our scientific expertise, they will ask us to come." Explainer: What you should know about 2009 H1N1 flu »
The U.S. has also committed to giving Mexico 400,000 doses of the antiviral drug Tamiflu, a shipment believed to have arrived Friday morning, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, interim deputy director for science and public health at the CDC.
In front of each computer in the Emergency Operations Center is a placard: Ethics, Immunization, Mental Health, Security, and dozens more. The people -- some in jeans, some in skirts, some in uniforms with military stripes -- are fielding phones calls to their respective departments.
Elsewhere in laboratories, samples of the virus arrive in FedEx and World Courier packages for analysis, triple packaged to avoid leaking. Scientists are working on the genetic sequencing of the virus, as well as growing a strain that functions as a vaccine.
Although the CDC is not in the business of mass-producing vaccines, researchers there are working on developing one. A vaccine strain is being grown and characterized, Schuchat said.
Once a suitable candidate virus is developed -- it takes about three weeks -- the CDC theoretically would send it to a manufacturer, which would need another eight to 10 weeks to determine production possibilities as well as the dosage, said Dr. Nancy Cox, director of the CDC's Influenza Division, at a press conference Friday.
But it would not interfere with the seasonal influenza vaccine.
"If a vaccine for this new virus is prepared, it would be prepared either in parallel with or after the seasonal vaccine is already produced," Cox said.
Still, there has not been a recommendation to mass produce a vaccine for swine flu. The U.S. part of that decision would come from the Department of Health and Human Services. Map: Where the flu is »
Researchers are still struggling to understand the origin of the virus.
"What isn't making sense right now is why there weren't reports of illness in pigs," said Michael Shaw, leader of the laboratory team force for the 2009 H1N1 virus. "Usually, if you find a human who has been infected by a swine influenza virus, you look around, you start seeing sick pigs, and we haven't seen that." Watch Dr. Sanjay Gupta talk with Michael Shaw about what CDC is doing to combat virus »
It is possible that the virus did not originate in pigs. Swine viruses have been found in turkeys, for example, Shaw said.
The 2009 H1N1 virus has a "level 2" containment distinction at the CDC, although extra precautions from "level 3" are being applied, Shaw said. That means swine flu is one containment level below avian | [
"What is open 24/7?",
"what year was H1N1"
] | [
[
"The control room"
],
[
"2009"
]
] | CDC has 400 people tasked to track and fight the 2009 H1N1 flu virus .
Emergency Operations Center in Atlanta, Georgia, operates 24/7 .
Researchers still struggling to understand the origin of the virus . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Investigators found testosterone, painkillers and anti-anxiety drugs in the body of professional wrestler Chris Benoit, who killed his wife and son last month before hanging himself in his Atlanta home, a medical examiner said Tuesday.
Investigators found steroids in the body of pro wrestler Chris Benoit, who killed his family in June.
Dr. Kris Sperry, Georgia's chief medical examiner, said the body of Benoit's wife, Nancy, also contained painkillers and anti-anxiety drugs.
Sperry said it's likely the Benoits' 7-year-old son, Daniel, was sedated at the time he was murdered, because a high level of the anti-anxiety drug Xanax was found in the boy's system.
Xanax is not normally prescribed for children, Sperry said.
Chris Benoit's body contained an "elevated" level of testosterone and therapeutic levels of Xanax and the painkiller hydrocodone, Sperry said.
But, he said, the level of testosterone revealed nothing conclusive about the wrestler's state of mind before his death.
"There's no reliable scientific data that says elevated levels of testosterone lead to psychotic rage," Sperry said.
"The only thing we can ascertain is that this level of testosterone indicates that he had been using testosterone at least in some reasonably short period of time before he died," he said. "It could be an indication he was being treated for testicular insufficiency."
The investigators found no other drugs, including steroids, in Benoit's body.
The investigation into the Benoits' deaths led to speculation that the wrestler may have been injecting steroids and had experienced what is called " 'roid rage," leading him to kill his wife and son.
An official who is part of the investigation told CNN last month that Benoit's name was on receipts that indicated he had purchased shipments of anabolic steroids and human growth hormones from Signature Pharmacy.
The Orlando, Florida, facility is at the center of a nationwide investigation into the sale of illegal steroids.
Phil Astin, Benoit's personal doctor, has been indicted by a grand jury on seven charges of improperly dispensing and distributing painkillers and other drugs. Astin has been released on $125,000 bond and is under house arrest.
Although Benoit's name was not mentioned in Astin's indictment, his arrest stemmed from the investigation into the Benoits' deaths.
"Through prescription records for Mr. Benoit maintained at a pharmacy in Fayetteville, Georgia, Dr. Astin was identified as prescribing, on average, a 10-month supply of anabolic steroids to Mr. Benoit every three to four weeks from May 4, 2006, through May 9, 2007," the U.S. attorney's office said.
Sperry said the body of Nancy Benoit also contained therapeutic levels of hydrocodone and Xanax, along with hydromorphone, which he said is a byproduct of the breakdown of hydrocodone.
Nancy Benoit's blood alcohol level was .184, which is over the legal limit for intoxication, but Sperry said all of the alcohol found in her body "could come from the decomposition process."
Sperry said investigators did not have enough specimen to test for steroids or human growth hormone in Daniel's body. Daniel's body showed signs of needle marks at the time of his death, but Sperry could not speculate why.
District Attorney Scott Ballard would not answer questions about the state of the investigation into the Benoits' deaths, which he said is ongoing.
"We'd rather wait until we have more of the pieces so we can be more accurate and discuss more of a whole what happened," he said. "We're trying to envision as best we can what happened inside that household. This (the toxicology report) adds one element to all the other elements."
Police have said Benoit, 40, strangled his wife, Nancy, and suffocated Daniel, then placed Bibles next to their bodies before hanging himself on a portable weight machine over the weekend of June 23. E-mail to a friend | [
"what drug was found in benoit's body?",
"what drugs were in his wife's body?",
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"June 23."
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[
"killed his wife and son"
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[
"painkillers and anti-anxiety drugs."
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] | Testosterone found in wrestler Chris Benoit's body, officials said .
Xanax and other drugs found in his wife, Georgia ME says .
Benoit is believed to have killed his wife and son in June, then killed himself . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- It is an irony of contemporary art-museum management: Sometimes the museum that creates an exhibition doesn't get to premiere it.
In a treatment of a Bridgeman Art Library photo, the High shows visitors Jules Arnout's "View of the Grand Gallery."
This is the case this week, as Atlanta's High Museum of Art couples its public opening of a second year of Louvre-fueled shows from Paris, France, with an exhibition about influences on the Impressionists.
"Inspiring Impressionism" is organized by the Denver Art Museum. It opened Tuesday at the High, to run there through January 2008.
With the backing of Northern Trust, the show will then travel to Denver February 23 to May 25, 2008, and then on to the Seattle Art Museum from June 19 to September 21, 2008.
Why not start in Denver? That museum this fall is host to pieces seen in the first year of the three-year Louvre Atlanta series of exhibitions. Like priceless dominos falling, these shows roll around the country and the world, globalization dictating galas, super-sensitive custom shipping companies probably among the biggest winners. See a gallery of images from 'Inspiring Impressionism' at the High Museum of Art »
Another unintended effect may be shadowing of one important outing by another.
It should be interesting to learn whether showing "Inspiring Impressionism" at the High on the same time frame as the second year of Louvre Atlanta pays off. Do all the boats in Monet's "Autumn on the Seine, Argenteuil" float?
Smart museum-goers will see it all. "The Louvre and the Ancient World" and the companion show "The Eye of Josephine," after all, look at some of the oldest treasures in the Louvre's vast holdings. See a gallery of some of the highlights of the Louvre Atlanta shows »
The fit is comfortable, in a way, the Impressionist movement of the turn of the last century finding its main proponents in French artists. The emphasis here, however, is on what older works may have moved and motivated such artists as Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Paul Cézanne.
One very distinctive connection from the Louvre Atlanta opener of last year is a section of this new show that looks at the tradition of modern-era artists learning by studying the work of masters at the Louvre, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo's "The Beggar Boy" of around 1650 being one of the most-copied canvases in Western art's modern history.
From the outset, visitors to "Inspiring Impressionism" are reminded of the Louvre treasures all around them at the High: The Impressionism show's entry gallery is flanked by a handsome photographic treatment of Louis Jules Arnout's "View of the Grand Gallery at the Louvre" from between 1850 and 1870. In that original painting and color lithograph that followed, Arnout captured the bustle of artists working and visitors promenading in the Louvre's chief exhibition space that runs along the Seine in Paris.
In fact, even older-era echoes of this same concept are encountered on looking at Louvre Atlanta's "The Tiber" marble from the first century A.D., you're reminded that Michelangelo himself was aware of that piece, influenced by it, presumably inspired by it.
So a surprise symmetry takes shape at the High this fall, as visitors contemplate dialogues between museums (the Louvre, the High, Denver, Seattle), the viewers of art in Europe and the United States, and the artists themselves in France, in the U.S. and elsewhere.
High director Michael Shapiro calls these synchronicities "visual evidence of connections."
His colleagues Timothy Standring of Denver and Ann Dumas of London, England, have held up their end of this conversational eyeful with timely contributions, glimpses of Old World craft from Titian and Velasquez to Fragonard and Rubens -- and the "moderns" who saw beyond them to a new age of aesthetic debate.
Don't miss some of the comments and writings of various artists, used as part of the display of the show at the High. Degas | [
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] | "Inspiring Impressionism" looks at Old Masters, other influences on modern art .
Featured are works of Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, Cassatt, Morisot .
"Inspiring Impressionism" runs through January 31, 2008, at the High Museum .
Denver Art Museum and Seattle Art Museum get the show next . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- It probably would have been just another ho-hum city council budget meeting. Except that the leader of Atlanta's police union, and second-highest ranking member of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers, said he wanted to beat Atlanta's mayor with a bat. "I want to beat her [Mayor Shirley Franklin] in the head with a baseball bat sometimes when I think about it," Sgt. Scott Kreher said into a microphone earlier this month in an apparent off-hand remark during a presentation he was giving to the council. Within days, the 17-year department veteran was suspended. Kreher said the "it" that made him want to club the mayor was that, despite repeated complaints, the police union contends the city is not honoring workers' compensation claims for cops whose careers ended when they were seriously injured on the job. Franklin, one of the nation's high-profile mayors, told CNN on Tuesday that the officers' complaints are a "separate issue" from Kreher's comments. "Some people think I'll just shake it off," she said of the sergeant's threat. "I can't shake off an officer at City Hall -- not in his shower or in his front yard, but in official capacity -- threatening to hit me in the head with a bat. That is a severe act of violence. When you hit someone with a bat, you intend to kill them." The police officers union called a news conference Thursday, in part, to defend Kreher, who's their second-highest ranking member. Three officers in wheelchairs were there, at times crying, their voices raised, as they told their stories of being shot on duty and paralyzed for life. They say they've made repeated calls for months to city officials to get help with their medical claims and have been ignored. They are part of a group of officers alleging that NovaPro, a San Diego-based private insurance company, has refused or made it difficult for them to get the medication they need to alleviate pain and repair or replace medical equipment. "I've been calling the mayor's office for more than a year, and no one has called me back or I've been told to talk to another department. Kreher called me back the same day," said Ryan Phinney, a 43-year-old paraplegic whose squad car was T-boned in 1989. He said he suffered with kidney stones, made more painful due to his paralysis, because NovaPro either ignored or rejected his claims for months. "Kreher was defending us against people who refused to listen, and that is so offensive. It's no wonder he got upset," Phinney said. The city used to provide its own services, but "there were concerns about internal management," Franklin's office explained to CNN, so it began contracting in 2004 with NovaPro. The police union complained for months about the company. Atlanta officials this month renewed the city's agreement with NovaPro for $3.7 million over three years, saying no other company they're aware of was in position to do a better job. Russ Whitmarsh, chief operating officer of NovaPro, referred all questions about the officers' allegations to city officials. Mayor Franklin's spokesperson issued this statement to CNN: "We are aware of the complaints of the five injured former Atlanta police officers. We greatly respect the service of these officers on behalf of Atlanta and the sacrifice they have made. The City of Atlanta has worked and will continue working with the employees' attorneys to address their current complaints. We take that responsibility and obligation seriously and intend to address every complaint within the framework of the Workers' Compensation Act." A few days after the bat comment, Kreher apologized to Franklin in a letter, which was published on the union Web site. He called his remark "inexcusable," explaining that it sprung from "frustration and anger." | [
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[
"repeated calls for months to city officials to get help with their medical claims"
],
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"\"We are aware of the complaints of the five injured former Atlanta police officers. We greatly respect the service of these officers on behalf of Atlanta and the sacrifice they have made. The City of Atlanta has worked and will continue working with the employees' attorneys to address their current complaints. We take that responsibility and obligation seriously and intend to address every complaint within the framework of the Workers' Compensation Act.\""
],
[
"Sgt. Scott Kreher"
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"\"We are aware of the complaints of the five injured former Atlanta police officers. We greatly respect the service of these officers on behalf of Atlanta and the sacrifice they have made. The City of Atlanta has worked and will continue working with the employees' attorneys to address their current complaints. We take that responsibility and obligation seriously and intend to address every complaint within the framework of the Workers' Compensation Act.\""
],
[
"Shirley"
],
[
"Georgia"
],
[
"the city is not honoring workers' compensation claims for cops whose careers ended when they were seriously injured on the job."
]
] | Atlanta police union head says he got frustrated at city meeting .
Other cops quick to defend him, saying mayor is ignoring larger issue .
Police: Company refusing to help cops injured in the line of duty .
Mayor Franklin's spokesperson says mayor will work to address complaints . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- It was one of the greatest humanitarian acts in history. Pondering an imaginary Yiddish-speaking place produced "The Yiddish Policemen's Union," says Michael Chabon. At the beginning of World War II, as the Nazis tightened their grip on Europe, the U.S. government allowed millions of Jews to resettle from their homes in Poland and Russia to southeastern Alaska, along the panhandle. Two million Jews had died at the hands of the Nazi scourge, but millions more were saved as the Federal District of Sitka, Alaska, became the new Jewish homeland -- all the more important when the fledgling State of Israel went down to defeat in 1948. However, 60 years later, Sitka is about to be returned to local jurisdiction, and the island's Jews -- including a noted detective, Meyer Landsman -- are wondering where to go next. The Jewish people, forever rootless, will have to wander some more. Landsman's got other problems, too. He's rootless himself, biding his time in a seedy hotel. There's the body that turned up in a nearby room, a onetime chess prodigy who appears to have major connections with some big shots -- machers, in the local Yiddish lingo. There's his ex-wife, now his boss -- at least until the department is disbanded -- and his partner, a half-Jewish, half-Tlingit named Berko who's far more responsible than Landsman. And there are a host of old enemies with long memories, particularly when Landsman decides to root around the dead chess player's case. Landsman's world is fiction, of course, a product of Michael Chabon's imagination. Chabon's new book, "The Yiddish Policeman's Union" (HarperCollins), combines Landsman's hard-boiled detective's terrain with the landscape of alternate history, one in which world events take a startling turn. The story is rooted in fact, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Chabon ("The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay") observes. Chabon had written an article about the decline of Yiddish, and the reaction to the piece -- some of it very negative -- "got me thinking about ... a possible, but nonexistent, imaginary Yiddish-speaking place in the modern world," he says in an interview at CNN Center. In the article, he noted an actual plan by Franklin Roosevelt's Interior secretary, Harold Ickes, to create a refuge for European Jews in Alaska, still 20 years from statehood. In reality, the plan was squelched thanks to the opposition of Alaska delegate Anthony Dimond, but in the "Yiddish Policemen's" world, Dimond is conveniently killed off and the plan goes forward. Chabon's Federal District of Sitka is a land of tall apartment blocks and grimy streets, as if "Hong Kong had moved to the other side of the Pacific Ocean," he says. The novel is peppered with clever conceits. The book's black hats, as in villains, are actual "black hats," a slang term for ultra-Orthodox Jews. The characters are fond of Filipino doughnuts, a twist on the Jewish taste for Chinese food. The place names of Russian Alaska are an apt companion to the Eastern European surnames of Chabon's Jews, and then there are throwaway bits -- such as in the Sitka of 2001, Orson Welles did release a version of "Heart of Darkness." Doing a genre novel -- or several at once, as "The Yiddish Policeman's Union" is part detective story, part alt-history, part modern Jewish folktale -- isn't considered the natural turf for a so-called literary writer like Chabon, but the author -- who has been vocal in support of genre fiction -- makes no apologies for the work. "I only ever try to write in genres that I love ... I love hard-boiled detective novels, I love fantasy, I love science fiction," he says. "It feels like a natural impulse to want to integrate that passion that I have as a reader into my writing. I didn't see | [
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] | "Yiddish Policemen's Union" posits Alaskan Jewish homeland .
Author Michael Chabon won Pulitzer for earlier novel .
New book inspired by thoughts of Yiddish, love of genres . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- It's Geek Pride Week in Atlanta as thousands of fans take over four downtown hotels for Dragon*Con, an annual celebration of science fiction, fantasy, comics and gaming. Karen Lee and husband Dillan dressed like comic book characters for Dragon*Con in Atlanta, Georgia. Where else -- OK, other than San Francisco or New Orleans -- are city streets shut down for a ragtag parade of zombies, superheroes, robots, Klingons and Middle Earth dwellers? Where else can comic book collectors rub shoulders with movie stars, vampires, alternate-history speculators and Harry Potter look-alikes, all while taking part in a lively game of Godzilla Bingo? The whole thing is a bit of a shock to college football fans in town for the season-opening game between Alabama and Virginia Tech, one of whom called it a "freak show." But those aliens grow on you after a while. "At first I thought it was really strange," Hokies fan Emily Nardone of Ashburn, Virginia, said. "But now I see everybody's having so much fun. And I enjoy looking at the freaks." One Dragon*Con "freak" getting a lot of looks was Karen Lee of Cullman, Alabama. She was dressed a dramatic, cleavage-baring winged costume inspired by "Dawn" comic book artist Joseph Michael Linsner. Lee made the costume by hand at home. "My living room is completely demolished," she said. Her husband, Dillan, made up as the Batman character Two-Face, said he could attest to the condition of the living room. Lee is entered in a Dawn look-alike contest with a top prize of $1,000. "The theory behind the concept of Dawn is just paying homage to women of all shapes and sizes," she said. "She can be blonde, brunette or redhead. So basically, it's just inviting women to get up there and do their interpretation of what they think beauty in women is." iReport.com: Share your pics and videos from Dragon*Con Fashion augmented with gadgetry is what drew Pendleton, South Carolina, librarians Gypsey Teague and Marla Roberson to a Dragon*Con workshop on Steampunk costuming. Steampunk is sci-fi set in a Victorian aesthetic. Think pearl-handled, brass-barreled ray guns. The movies "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" and "Wild Wild West" are examples of the genre. "Anything your imagination can come up with, you can do," Roberson said as she marveled at a vendor's shoes that had little copper boilers and compasses on them. But it seems there's a certain element of snobbery in Steampunk. A crew of Steampunk pirates entered the room, decked out in their tricorn hats and eye patches. Teague was not impressed. "Where's your molecular destabilizer?" she sniffed. Out in the hallway, Steampunk time travelers Candace and Kane Bacon were just arriving. They're new to the game, but Kane had a copper staff with dials on top and a big metal backpack with dials and knobs strapped to his back. A large brass key dangled from the sash around Candace's waist, and she carried a basket of dinosaur eggs they'd found. "Some of it we had just [lying] around the house, antique stuff," Candace said. "Other parts we got from Lowe's. The backpack is made from radio parts; my dad is in the radio business, and he got some old radio parts for us. And yard sale gadgets." She said she was a Steampunker before she knew what Steampunking was. Watch the Dragon*Con parade » "I'd always liked Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, that type of stuff," she said. "I decorated my living room in antiques and like, old compasses, and I didn't realize that that was Steampunk until we actually got here" to last year's Dragon*Con, she said. The Johnson City, Tennessee, couple chose to forego the hotels and stay with a friend just outside Atlanta and ride MARTA, the | [
"Who sneers at pirates' lack of molecular destabilizer?",
"Where was the convention held?",
"who was caught unaware by the Atlanta freak show",
"What were college football fans caught unaware of?",
"What was the convention celebrating?",
"where is the convention celebrating these subjects",
"What did the steanpunk aficionado sneer at?",
"What will the convention celebrate?"
] | [
[
"Gypsey Teague"
],
[
"Atlanta, Georgia."
],
[
"college football fans"
],
[
"for Dragon*Con,"
],
[
"Dragon*Con,"
],
[
"Atlanta"
],
[
"Steampunk pirates"
],
[
"science fiction, fantasy, comics and gaming."
]
] | Convention celebrates science fiction, fantasy, comics and games .
College football fans caught unawares by Atlanta, Georgia, "freak show"
Steampunk aficionado sneers at pirates' lack of molecular destabilizer . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- It's a neighborhood of shotgun houses painted a rainbow of colors, a community of artists, workaday folks and students where everyone knows everyone's name. Destruction in Atlanta's historic Cabbagetown district, which many artists call home. Saturday morning, people were out walking their dogs, sipping coffee and taking a look at who was hit the worst in Atlanta's Cabbagetown district. It appeared Friday night's 130 mph tornado had delivered its wrath randomly -- some houses were perfectly intact while others were flooded and smashed. "It's a sad thing," said 56-year-old Bertha Wise, standing next to a splintered tree that had buried her car and blocked a side-door to her yellow and cobalt-blue house. A sign advertising her hand-crafted art, which she sells from her home, hung slightly askew. "I was cooking dinner and the lights started to flicker," she said. "There was no warning. My door flung open and papers went flying. By that time, there was nowhere to go." Without a basement, she hunkered down and hoped for the best. But Wise fared well compared with her neighbors in this historic neighborhood, which has gone from crime-ridden to cool in recent years. A few blocks down, a woman named Rebecca -- too distraught to speak with a reporter -- carried what belongings she had left out of her rental home, which had been split in half by a giant oak tree. Watch residents describe the storm's quick arrival » She wasn't at home at the time, her landlord Mark Rogers told CNN, which was a good thing for her safety. But in the early morning hours, looters got there before she had and took almost everything. Looting was a problem throughout the neighborhood, many said. See photos of the damage » A few doors down from her, Pastor Richard Davis stared up at the tire-size hole in the roof of his Eastside Christian Community Pentecostal Church. He has been preaching in its single room for 10 years. "Yes...well, that is something isn't it?" he said, then gestured to the church's bathroom -- a brick yellow outhouse. "That's still here though. We'll be OK." He plans to give a sermon on Palm Sunday and ask his parishioners to pray hard that lack of insurance won't force him to close his doors. Steven and Laura Powell, thinking they were in store for a short lightning storm, were startled by the storm's quick escalation. They were frightened when they spotted the storm beginning to circulate in the distance from their tiny home, and rushed to scoop up their sleeping 5-week-old Audrey. Bundled in a soft pink onesie, Audrey was still sleeping Saturday morning as her parents walked the neighborhood, amazed that their home had not been damaged -- and that their daughter had snoozed through the entire ordeal. "I just put myself on top of [Laura] and the baby and we got under the strongest beam in the house," said Steven Powell. "I thought that if a tree came crashing through, I'd take the brunt of it." Cabbagetown's houses were built for the workers at the local Fulton Cotton Mill. The mill closed and the neighborhood slid into decay. The renaissance of Cabbagetown began when the mill buildings were converted to the trendy Fulton Cotton Mill Lofts and the artists and urban pioneers moved in. In addition to hitting the houses, Friday night's tornado seriously damaged the top floor of the lofts. Remarkably, nobody was hurt. Cabbagetown residents remember when the under-construction lofts survived a five-alarm fire in 1999 -- and say they plan to rebuild and survive this disaster as well. E-mail to a friend | [
"Atlanta's Cabbagetown district is home to who?",
"What kind of homes were there?",
"Does the pastor still plan to give a sermon?",
"Is the church damaged?",
"Were all the homes damaged in Cabbagetown?"
] | [
[
"many artists"
],
[
"shotgun houses painted a rainbow of colors,"
],
[
"a"
],
[
"tire-size hole in the roof"
],
[
"some houses"
]
] | Some homes damaged, others unscathed in Atlanta's Cabbagetown district .
The community of shotgun-style homes is home to artists and students .
Neighbors surveyed damage Saturday and offered help to each other .
Church is damaged, says pastor, but he plans to give Palm Sunday sermon . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- It's midnight on the streets of Atlanta, and bar owner Rufus Terrill patrols his neighborhood with a rolling crime fighter of his own creation. Meet "Bum-bot," as Terrill describes it; others in his neighborhood call it simply, "Robocop." This former BBQ smoker is armed with a water gun to chase off bums and drug dealers in downtown Atlanta. It's a barbecue smoker mounted on a three-wheeled scooter, and armed with an infrared camera, spotlight, loudspeaker and aluminum water cannon that shoots a stream of icy water about 20 feet. Operated by remote control, the robot spotlights trespassers on property down the street from his bar, O'Terrill's. Using a walkie-talkie, Terrill belts out through the robot's loudspeaker, "That's private property. You guys need to get out of here." Terrill is chasing out unsavory-looking characters from a street corner that resembles a drug dealer's dream at night. More than 20 suspicious people were seen huddling in the dark in the front driveway and side parking lot on this night. Some were seen openly making drug deals. Watch "Bum-bot" in action » But during the day, it's where young children frolic on a nearby playground at a the Beacon of Light Daycare Center in downtown Atlanta. It has become a nightmare for day care operator Lydia Meredith. "This whole square is enveloped with homeless people and drug dealers, defecating, urinating, prostituting -- the whole nine yards. And the overflow of that behavior, we get to cleanup every morning," she says. Meredith says people often toss used syringes and condoms onto the playground. Terrill, an engineer by trade, is also a board member at the day care center. Tired of cleaning up after the shady characters, he decided to take action. That's when he built his downtown Darth Vader of sorts. "He's a neighborhood vigilante," says Meredith, "and when he came up with this -- you know, I call it Robocop -- I said, 'Praise God.' " The daycare center is a block from a homeless shelter. Meredith has a security guard at the center who leaves in the early evening. "They know when the guard leaves," she says. "They know when the cleaning crew leaves and then here comes the drug dealers to prey on the homeless people." Anita Beatty, the director of the shelter, is suspicious of the barbecue-smoker robot. "I just think the whole 'Robocop' spraying people is a little freaky. We really need some police protection in this neighborhood. I think it's confusing the issue. I think the issue is homeless people. They are being confused with the folks who prey on them and sell them drugs," she says. Atlanta police patrol the area, but say it's difficult to stay on top of the large number of people who roam the streets in the area late at night. Police Major Lane Hagin says the robot is definitely a different crime-fighting idea. "There's no problem with the robot going up and down the street or being visible or any of the other things it does -- with the exception of spraying water on people." Hagin adds, "Then, it becomes an assault no matter where it happens." So far no one has filed charges against Terrill or the robot. But one homeless man who declined to give his name followed Terrill and his robot down the street and laughingly told him, "I know about you. I can sue you for assault." Terrill says he's not hurting anyone and often sprays the water to the side of loiterers as a ploy to get them to move on. He's also not about to back down. "If you're throwing condoms out on the side of the playground, if you're throwing needles, you're throwing crack pipes out there, I'm not going to let those kids be out there like that. I'm going to stop | [
"What is the \"Bum-bot\" armed with?",
"What was considered assault?",
"What is Bum-bot armed with?",
"What was converted into a robot?",
"What is the robot called?",
"What did the bar owner convert his smoker into?"
] | [
[
"an infrared camera, spotlight, loudspeaker and aluminum water cannon"
],
[
"spraying water on people.\""
],
[
"a water gun"
],
[
"barbecue smoker"
],
[
"\"Bum-bot\""
],
[
"\"Bum-bot,\""
]
] | Atlanta bar owner converts BBQ smoker into robot to chase off drug dealers, others .
"Bum-bot" is armed with a water gun and loudspeaker .
Cops frown upon spraying water at bystanders, say it could be assault . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- It's the middle of the night and Steven Ford is wide awake. Insomniac Steven Ford says he needs to find a better way to wind down after a long day on the job. "I toss and turn and watch the clock, sometimes at 3 in the morning, 2 in the morning," lamented Ford, 44, a commercial sign installer in Atlanta, Georgia. Valerie McCloskey, a 42-year-old mother of two from Grand Rapids, Michigan, complained of a similar problem. "My husband is sound asleep next to me and I'm thinking about everything that I'm worried about." McCloskey and Ford are among a huge group of Americans who suffer from some type of insomnia. "Sleep problems are very, very common," explained Dr. David Schulman, director of the Sleep Laboratory at Emory University in Atlanta. "They affect more than a third of Americans in a given year." Health Minute: Watch more on sleep disorders » Sleep problems may be common, but Schulman stressed that insomnia is not normal if it lasts more than a month or two. He said most adults need about eight hours of sleep a night. In reality "the average American sleeps just under seven hours," he said. "That's a problem." A persistent lack of sleep or poor quality sleep can leave you feeling exhausted when you wake up. "These folks are walking zombies," Schulman said. "They are out there with four or five hours of sleep a night." Long-term sleep problems also may exacerbate other chronic medical conditions such as diabetes or hypertension, experts say. Before you can treat the problem, you probably need to figure out what kind of insomnia you're dealing with. The condition is classified as primary or secondary. The latter means that a patient may be having trouble sleeping because of a health condition or medication. Primary insomnia is not related to any side effects. It is considered its own disorder that can be broken down into two groups: sleep-onset insomnia and sleep-maintenance insomnia. Like its name, the sleep-onset version occurs in the beginning of the night when someone tries to fall asleep and can't. "Sleep-maintenance insomnia is much less common," Schulman said. "It occurs when somebody can go to sleep, but wakes up once or several times throughout the night and has difficulty resuming sleep." Stress, anxiety and depression may be some of the causes of chronic insomnia. Before he prescribes medications, Schulman typically suggests that his patients try a number of things to regain control of their sleep cycle. First, he said, don't stay in bed for longer than 20 to 30 minutes if you can't fall asleep or fall back asleep. "If you accustom your body to being in bed for hours at a time unable to fall asleep, that behavior to some degree becomes subconsciously ingrained," he said. Avoid caffeine within 8-10 hours of bedtime. Studies show that "if you take caffeine at noon it's still in your system at 8 or 10 at night," Schulman said. Don't eat or exercise within three hours of bedtime. Schulman said both detract from sleep. He also suggested avoiding alcohol before bedtime because it might trigger a lighter sleep and make it more likely you'll wake up in the middle of the night. Finally, he recommended finding light, relaxing activities that will induce sleep, such as reading or listening to soft music. He cautioned insomniacs to avoid bright light before bedtime. He also warned against watching television and using video games and computers before turning out the lights. Cooling off might help. "One of the ways you can fool your body into thinking it is cooling off is to heat it up just before bedtime," Schulman said. "Take a warm bath or shower 30 to 45 minutes before going to sleep. As your body cools off afterwards, it is very sleep-inducing." Steven | [
"What should you avoid if you have sleep problems",
"What do the studies say about caffeine?",
"What number of Americans are affected by sleep problems?",
"How many Americans are affected by sleep problems",
"What could long-term sleep problems exacerbate?",
"What can exacerbate chronic medical conditions"
] | [
[
"caffeine within 8-10 hours of bedtime."
],
[
"\"if you take"
],
[
"more than a third"
],
[
"more than a third"
],
[
"chronic medical conditions such as diabetes or hypertension,"
],
[
"Long-term sleep problems"
]
] | Sleep problems affect more than a third of Americans in a given year, expert says .
If you drink caffeine at noon, it's still in your system at 8 or 10 p.m., studies say .
Avoid eating and exercising three hours before bed if you have sleep problems .
Long-term sleep problems may exacerbate other chronic medical conditions . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- It's the year 2000, and Eric Olsen is a medieval knight sheathed in armor with sword in hand. Tracey and Mac Carlson were married in January after meeting at the 2006 Dragon*Con. The 27-year-old is waiting in a line at Dragon*Con, an annual science fiction costume and convention extravaganza that appeals to comic book nerds, horror movie buffs and anyone with a liking for the fantasy side of pop culture. He spots a red-headed princess in a blue ball gown, reminiscent of a Walt Disney fairy-tale, about 15 feet behind him. She is stunning. Is she single? Will she talk to me? What do I say? By the time Olsen rationalizes his jittery thoughts, he has already asked the princess, Sandra Frazer, 19, out to breakfast. Forget about the drunken bar scene or painful blind dates. As Dragon*Con concludes this week, some single attendees are finding themselves coupled with someone who understands their passion for science fiction and fantasy. Watch Dragon*Con participants talk romance » When Olsen and Frazer finished their first date, the seeds of love had already been planted. They dated long distance for a year before Olsen proposed the following year at a Dragon*Con costume competition. Frazer, in a leather Catwoman jumpsuit, accepted the ring. "I've never cared about football or any of the normal guy stuff," said Olsen, a home health care director who enjoys obscure sci-fi television shows and elaborate costuming. "I met someone who shared my same geeky interests, and that's hard to find." Pat Henry, chairman for Dragon*Con, said his staff sees romances blossom at the convention each year. Hundreds of proposals have occurred at the event since it began two decades ago. Requests roll in by phone several times a month from couples eager to hold their weddings at Dragon*Con, their meeting place. Share your sci-fi convention love story with CNN.com The likelihood of finding a partner who enjoys alien movies or X-men comics isn't bad: Dragon*Con has evolved from a small gathering of a few thousand participants to a legendary event that reels in about 35,000 people from all over the world. It's one of the largest science fiction, fantasy and cult media conventions in the world. "The chances are in favor of the females," joked Henry, who noted the convention participants are mostly men, though the number of female participants has increased over the years. "The other thing is if you marry a geek, you know you can keep them at home with the latest science fiction books or video games." The convention -- four days of panels, events and parties -- offers bountiful opportunities to let the singles mingle. It's an adult playpen where geekiness is revered. The panels debate the science of Michael Crichton books and dissect the "Star Wars" scripts. Parties include a Buffy Prom for fans of the 1990s Joss Whedon television teen drama "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and the Miss Klingon Empire Beauty pageant themed after "Star Trek". Perhaps the best-known event is the Dragon*Con parade, a Halloween party for grownups, some of whom have spent the entire year preparing their costumes. At this year's spectacle, a gray Saturday morning was lit up by a colorful throng of fairies with pink wings, elves in spandex, pirates in corsets and Jedi soldiers flashing lightsabers. What better way to strike up a conversation than while people are watching together? "You can't settle," said Dragon*Con attendee Dino Andrade, who created Soulgeek.com, a dating Web site for fantasy convention attendees and sci-fi nerds. "You can't be with somebody who's going to hope that someday you're going to grow out of this." Three years ago at Dragon*Con, Tracey Carlson was smoking outside one morning in her Batman pajamas when her future husband approached her. During their first dinner date at the convention, the two slipped into a deep discussion about "Babylon 5," a sci-fi television series by J. Michael Straczynski. "I've | [
"What is the convention called?",
"how many people come for it",
"what is dragon con for",
"How many people go to the convention each year?"
] | [
[
"Dragon*Con,"
],
[
"35,000"
],
[
"an annual science fiction costume and convention extravaganza"
],
[
"35,000"
]
] | Romance blooms each year at Dragon*Con, a convention for sci-fi fantasy geeks .
Officials get dozens of wedding requests from couples who met at event .
The annual event attracts about 35,000 people from all over the world .
Long-distance relationships can be challenge for couples who meet at event . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Jeremy Piven is the kind of guy who can make you laugh just by lifting an eyebrow. Jeremy Piven stars as a used car salesman in "The Goods." He says "Entourage" would make a great film. Of course, the popular actor can do much more than that to captivate audiences. From drama to comedy, Piven has starred in more than 40 films on the big screen and has won critical acclaim for his role as super agent Ari Gold on HBO's "Entourage." (HBO, like CNN, is owned by Time Warner.) Piven stopped by the CNN.com newsroom to talk with CNN's Nicole Lapin about his new film, "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard," in which he plays a used car salesman. The following is an edited version of the interview: CNN: [The movie] was hysterical, and my producer and I were sitting next to each other and we were trying to figure out -- is this like lowbrow, but it's smart, so it's medium-brow? Highbrow comedy? Jeremy Piven: It's a hybrid-brow, or a unibrow. It's from the people who brought you "Talladega Nights" and "Step Brothers" and "Anchorman," so from the kings of guys who make really smart, low-brow comedies, and I'm just insanely honored to be a part of it. It's like a dream because my fear was that by the time Will [Ferrell] hit the screen that, worst-case scenario, the movie wouldn't be funny enough. So that when Will jumps out of the plane, he takes us to a whole other level -- it's like, "Oh my God, Will Ferrell is so brilliant." But the reality is, the movie was so funny up until that moment that it was really, it was kind of organic, and it sustained it and it was really fantastic. Watch why part of Piven's interview had to be bleeped out » James Brolin would go home to his wife, Barbra Streisand, at night, and I would say, "James, is she OK with all this?" Because he has one of the most twisted roles you've ever seen, as you know -- and I don't want to give it away. He was like, "Well, the wife is on the fence about this whole thing," and she came to a screening and I swear to God, Babs laughed the loudest. CNN: I think that's a tease in itself. That would probably get people to see it. Piven: Yes, I think you're right. The movie is OK'd by Barbra Streisand; she vetted the whole thing. If you would have told me, I would be doing a lead in a movie, and Will Ferrell would have a smaller role in it, I never would have believed you, but I'm here to tell you anything is possible. CNN: Anything is possible, even in some 40 some movies in your career, but this is the first lead in a while, I mean did it take you a while to get into the used car salesman character? Piven: There's a great documentary called "Slasher" about car salesmen that I took a look at, and I went to a bunch of lots, and I've also been sold a lot of cars, and I'm what's known as a sucker. As soon as they see me coming in, they know they're going to take my money. So I kind of took that, and I reversed it and I'm no longer a sucker. CNN: Are you going to stick with "Entourage"? Piven: Well, I think "Entourage" ... this season is the sixth season, and it's I think the most interesting of all of them, and I kind of have the best arc this year. The backstage life of Hollywood is such fertile stuff for our show that I think we | [
"What is the HBO series called?",
"What network is \"Entourage\" on?",
"Who plays a used car salesman?",
"Who does Jeremy Piven play?",
"What is the name of the movie?",
"What HBO series will continue as long as it stays fresh?"
] | [
[
"\"Entourage\""
],
[
"HBO's"
],
[
"Jeremy Piven"
],
[
"a used car salesman"
],
[
"\"The Goods.\""
],
[
"\"Entourage\""
]
] | Jeremy Piven plays a used car salesman in movie "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard"
Piven says he went to a lot of used car lots to research his role .
HBO series "Entourage" will continue on for as long as it stays fresh, Piven says .
"I have some great ideas" for an "Entourage" movie, actor says . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Jury selection is set to start Monday in a trial pitting two children of Martin Luther King Jr. against their brother, whom they accuse of mishandling the late civil rights leader's estate. Bernice King and her brother Martin Luther King III say Dexter King took funds from their father's estate. Bernice King and Martin Luther King III sued their brother Dexter King in July 2008, one month after accusing him of converting "substantial funds from the estate's financial account at Bank of America" for his own use, according to the lawsuit. Also named as a defendant is the Martin Luther King Jr. estate, which is incorporated. Dexter King is the corporation's president and chief executive, in addition to being the estate's administrator. The three are the only shareholders in the corporation, and the plaintiffs hold at least 20 percent of its outstanding shares. The lawsuit contends Dexter King illegally and fraudulently converted estate funds and should be forced to repay the money and reimburse the plaintiffs' legal costs. The document, which lists five counts, does not say how much he is accused of taking. Dexter King has denied the accusations. The lawsuit reveals a very public fissure in an iconic family that has always professed unity, particularly as questions have swirled around some of their financial dealings. The three are the only surviving children of Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated in 1968, and Coretta Scott King, who died in 2006. Their oldest child, Yolanda King, died in 2007. Bernice King administers her mother's estate. In a countersuit, Dexter King has asked a judge to force Bernice King to turn over their mother's personal papers, including love letters central to a now-defunct $1.4 million book deal. Martin Luther King III and Bernice King complained that Dexter King refused to hold shareholders meetings, which they said was another example of his lack of transparency in handling their father's estate. There had been no shareholders' meeting of the corporation since 2004, something that Dexter King blamed on the distraction caused by the deaths of his mother and sister. Judge Ural D. Glanville ordered a meeting, which was held last week. In a hearing held in late September, Glanville, who will preside over the trial in Fulton County Superior Court, also expressed serious concern about governance of the King estate. The judge issued an order saying "the court is extremely troubled." He noted that Dexter King, as the majority shareholder, wields significant power in the corporation because he holds 80 percent of its shares. He alone can constitute a quorum for transacting business, the order says. The judge warned all three Kings that any failure to comply with the Georgia Corporation Code could result in the dissolution of the corporation and the appointment of a receiver. | [
"What did the judge's order say?",
"What happened to funds",
"Who is accused of taking estate funds?",
"How many are eliglble for estate funds",
"Where did estate funds come from",
"Who is an administrator of the estate?",
"Did King deny accusations?",
"Who is extremely troubled?"
] | [
[
"\"the court is extremely troubled.\""
],
[
"Dexter King took"
],
[
"Dexter King"
],
[
"three"
],
[
"father's"
],
[
"Dexter King"
],
[
"has denied the"
],
[
"court"
]
] | Bernice King, Martin Luther King III accuse brother of taking estate funds for own use .
Dexter King, administrator of Martin Luther King Jr. estate, denies accusations .
Dexter King files countersuit, wants sister to turn over mother's personal papers .
Judge's order says "the court is extremely troubled" |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Just as police were starting a manhunt in the killing of four people, the suspect drove back to the crime scene in suburban Atlanta, Georgia. Richard Ringold is accused of shooting five people in the home he lived in. "He was in the Dodge Intrepid that we told the media to look out for," said Gwinnett County police Cpl. Illana Spellman. "He pulled up and said he heard we were looking for him. We handcuffed him." The man, Richard Ringold 44, is accused of shooting five people in the home he lived in. Two women and one man died at the residence near the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds, Spellman said. A woman in her 20s died later at a hospital, she said. The fifth victim, a 4-year-old child, underwent surgery late Thursday, and another person escaped unharmed, Spellman said. Police were initially working on a theory that the shootings could have been related to an ongoing domestic violence issue, she said. It was believed that Ringold was dating one of the women who lived in the home, Spellman said. He was arrested on four counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault. Gwinnett County is northeast of Atlanta. -- CNN's Lateef Mungin contributed to this report. | [
"Who is Richard Ringold?",
"How many people were shot dead and injured?"
] | [
[
"accused of shooting five people in the home he lived in."
],
[
"five"
]
] | Four of five people shot are dead; fifth victim underwent surgery late Thursday .
Suspect Richard Ringold heard police sought him and returned to crime scene .
Ringold faces four counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Kandi Burruss, the newest cast member of the reality show "The Real Housewives of Atlanta," was mourning the death Saturday of her fiancé, who died after a fistfight the night before. Kandi Burruss, at right with co-star NeNe Leakes, appeared at the BET Awards in June. The fiancé, 34-year-old Ashley "A.J." Jewell, also appeared on the show. A spokeswoman for Burruss said the actress was "devastated" by the news. "She has no statement to make at this time and asks for privacy," Tresa Sanders said. She said the two planned to marry, even though the relationship had ups and downs. In late August, Burruss told WVEE Radio in Atlanta, "We're on hiatus," and she told Essence.com last month that the two were taking a break from each other. Police said they contacted Burruss after Jewell's death. Jewell and another man fought Friday night in the parking lot of the Atlanta strip club Body Tap, police spokesman Officer James Polite said. Jewell was taken to a hospital, where he died of blunt force trauma to the head, Polite said. Fredrick Richardson was arrested on a charge of voluntary manslaughter after witnesses identified him and he was interviewed by police. He was treated at a hospital. Police tentatively described the men as club managers, although Jewell claimed on Twitter that he owned the establishment. Polite said police don't know why the fight started. Sanders said Burruss was doubly saddened because she is mourning the death of her uncle, Ralph Leslie, whose funeral is Saturday. The reality performer posted messages about Jewell's death on Twitter. "im just in one of those moods where i dont wanna talk, i dont wanna b held & told its gonna b ok. i just wanna cry myself 2 sleep, alone," she says. "i could never n a million years imagine this happening. please pray for AJ's children. that's who im the most concerned 4." "im bout 2 giv my swollen eyes sum rest now. i just wanted to say thanks 2 every1 for their prayers." Burruss is a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and former member of the 1990s R&B group Xscape. | [
"What were the men?",
"Where is the strip club?",
"Who dies after fistfight?",
"What is the strip club called?",
"Who was Kandi Burrus's fiancé?",
"What was he charged with?"
] | [
[
"club managers,"
],
[
"Atlanta"
],
[
"Ashley \"A.J.\" Jewell,"
],
[
"Body Tap,"
],
[
"Ashley \"A.J.\" Jewell,"
],
[
"voluntary manslaughter"
]
] | NEW: Both men said to be managers of strip club where fight occurred .
Ashley "A.J." Jewell dies after fistfight outside Atlanta club, police say .
Jewell was fiancé of Kandi Burruss of TV show "Real Housewives of Atlanta"
Suspect charged with involuntary manslaughter after questioning by police . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Lets face it: All the information around cholesterol makes it something of a confusing topic. Not only do we make our own cholesterol, but we also must have it to produce other important body assets, such as cell membranes and certain types of hormones. "Good" cholesterol vs. "bad" cholesterol and all the associated numbers can be confusing. So it's a bodily must-have. But we also augment that inner cholesterol machine by eating foods high in saturated fats such as whole dairy products and red meats and probably half the offerings at any fast-food spot. Add to that the fact many people simply overproduce or underproduce cholesterol because of their genes -- and that is just the beginning of the conundrum over cholesterol. But while many can't quite wrap their brain around it, the reality is many of us are affected by it, and not in a good way. According to the American Heart Association, almost half the adult female population in the United States suffers from high cholesterol. Add in the good vs. bad cholesterol and all the different numbers for the different levels and it starts making my head spin. Fortunately I was able to speak with two very smart cardiologists for guidance. Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a cardiologist in New York, set me straight. She explains it's all about the balance. "Cholesterol is an important substance and has many benefits for our bodies, but only a set amount keeps your body in a nice situation." Our bodies make the good and the bad kind of cholesterol, and according to Goldberg, who is also a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" campaign, they are pretty efficient machines. "The system is set up so that the HDL high density lipoproteins, or artery-cleaning or 'good' cholesterol, cleans out the LDL low density lipoproteins, or 'bad' cholesterol," she explains. So, basically the good ushers out the bad by dragging it to the liver, and the liver gets rid of it. But when the bad outweighs the good, that's when the trouble begins. Dr. Nanette Wenger, chief cardiologist at Atlanta's Grady hospital, paints a cheery picture for us. "Cholesterol is this fatty gruelly substance that builds up in the arteries, and when those obstructions have high levels of fat they are much more likely to burst." OK, got it: Buildup bad, burst worse! According to the American Heart Association, the bad cholesterol, with a little help from some other substances in your body, join together and form a united front (that is, a hard deposit inside your arteries) that could block the flow of blood to the heart, causing a heart attack. Or it could block the flow to the brain, causing a stroke. So, it seems that bully bad cholesterol really needs to be shut down. Health for Her: Watch to learn more about cholesterol in women » But how do you do that? First you have to be informed. Wenger says, "I've always said that women should know three numbers and there are so many numbers tossed around I think all of us can get confused. But I want my women patients to remember three numbers: 50, 100 and 150. Fifty is the good cholesterol, the HDL -- that should be above 50. One hundred is the LDL, the bad cholesterol. And 150 is the triglycerides, another blood fat, and your triglycerides should be below 150. So be sure that your physician tells you your numbers. If they are fine, do what you do to keep them fine, and if they are abnormal, work with your doctor to change them." The first two steps, says Goldberg, are about changing your lifestyle. "You have to adopt a healthy diet and you have to exercise," she says. "People with mild cholesterol problems can usually bring their numbers down just by doing those two things. Exercise is one of the most effective measures for raising good cholesterol." | [
"Mild cholesterol problems can be controlled by what?",
"What amount of afult females suffer from high cholesterol?"
] | [
[
"\"You have to adopt a healthy diet and you have to exercise,\""
],
[
"almost half"
]
] | Heart association: Almost half U.S. adult females suffer from high cholesterol .
Mild cholesterol problems can usually be controlled through diet and exercise .
People who have genetic predispositions to higher cholesterol may also need meds . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Like many young men, Josh Nahum loved a thrill. That's why he took up skydiving. But on Labor Day weekend in 2006, he had an accident while skydiving in Colorado, fracturing his femur and skull. Josh Nahum, right, died at 27 from a bacterial infection he got while being treated for skydiving injuries. Josh spent six weeks in the intensive care unit. Slowly, his condition improved, and his doctors predicted that with rehabilitation, he could fully recover in a year or two. But instead of recovering, Josh developed a bacterial infection. He died two weeks later at the age of 27. "One nurse, who was trying to be comforting, said, 'These things happen,' " says Victoria Nahum, Josh's stepmother. "That's true, but they happen way more often than they need to happen." According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Josh is one of 99,000 people who die each year because of infections acquired in the hospital. As Betsy McCaughey, the former lieutenant governor of New York, put it, "You don't often come across such a big problem that you can prevent." After being contacted by families like the Nahums, McCaughey started the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths. After Josh died, the Nahums started the Safe Care Campaign. These groups, and others, have advice about what you can do to keep yourself safe in the doctor's office and hospital, from the waiting room to the operating room. 1. Bring your own toys At the pediatrician's office, don't let your child play with the toys or books in the waiting room. "They're covered with bacteria," McCaughey says. Also, don't let your child crawl on the floor; bacteria there could get into cuts on their knees or hands. "This is one place you ought to keep your child sitting still or on your lap," she says. 2. Heat up your car Yes, we know that sounds strange. But studies show staying warm before and during surgery can help you fight infection. So the Institute for Healthcare Improvement suggests that in cold weather, you heat up the car, wear warm clothes on the way to the hospital, ask the hospital staff to give you plenty of blankets while you wait for surgery, and ask how they plan to keep you warm during surgery. 3. Want to touch me? Wash your hands first. Many people feel uncomfortable asking this. Nahum suggests putting it like this: "I didn't see you wash your hands. Do you mind doing it in front of me?" Dr. Vicki Rackner, a patient advocate, also has a few ideas for lightening things up. "In the hospital, you can have the grandkids make a sign that says, 'Please wash your hands and keep Grandma healthy.' " Watch more on preventing hospital infections » Another suggestion: Put a dish of wrapped candy near the sink and say 'Could you please wash your hands, and oh, please take some candy with you when we're done.' " If the doctor or nurse has gloves on, are you safe? "Don't be falsely assured by gloves," McCaughey says. "If they put on gloves without washing their hands first, those gloves are immediately contaminated." 4. Ask where that syringe has been Doctors offices sometimes reuse syringes -- it's unusual, but it happens. In fact, there have been 14 documented outbreaks of hepatitis since 1999 because of reused syringes. The recent outbreak in Nevada, where 50,000 people will be notified that they might have been infected at a colonoscopy clinic, is one example. It's not an easy question to ask, but when someone's heading at you with a syringe, ask if this is the first time it's been used. Dr. Thomas Frieden, commissioner of the New York City Department of Health, suggests phrasing it like this: "I read in the paper that some doctors are reusing | [
"how many people died?",
"Howm many people in the US die anually from hospital acquired infections",
"How many people die annually from hospital-acquired infections?",
"What is the CDC",
"What should all health professional do before touching a patient"
] | [
[
"99,000"
],
[
"99,000"
],
[
"99,000"
],
[
"Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,"
],
[
"Wash your hands first."
]
] | CDC: 99,000 people die annually from hospital-acquired infections .
Don't forget the basics: Make people wash their hands before touching you .
Staying warm before, during surgery can help fight infection; ask for extra blankets .
Before surgery, if shaving is required, request clippers, not a razor, which can nick . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Look at a Bratz doll. What do you see? Ask that of random shoppers and you might hear it's an empowering role model, a degrading caricature or a harmless piece of plastic. Many parents see Bratz dolls, left, as too racy for their children, and Barbie dolls as representing false ideals. Nine-year-old Ashley Gibbs of Cumming, Georgia, is a fan of the edgy dolls, so it came as an unpleasant surprise that they would soon leave store shelves. "Ever, ever, ever?" she asked her mother, Kathryn Adams, after Adams said stores weren't going to sell Bratz after the end of this year. But after a moment of reflection, Ashley seemed relieved. "Good [thing] I have lots." Ashley didn't know it, but Bratz are the target of allegations that their creator came up with the concept when he was working for Mattel, the maker of Bratz rival Barbie. Mattel sued Bratz manufacturer MGA Entertainment Inc., and last week a federal judge ordered MGA to cease making the dolls immediately and to stop selling them after the holiday shopping season ends. MGA said it intends to appeal the judge's order and Mattel said it remains open to "all viable options" as the matter moves through the courts. The judge's ruling came as a relief to some parents who see the popular dolls' clothes and makeup as too racy for their young daughters. It also eliminates heavy competition against Barbie -- a doll often seen as less provocative, but whose slender body also raises parents' eyebrows. "I'm happy to not see [Bratz]," said Kristi Cassell of Sandy Springs, Georgia. Her 5-year-old daughter, Emily, has amassed a collection of Barbies. Watch mothers and daughters weigh in on the Barbie-Bratz debate » "Barbies come across more wholesome," Cassell said. Barbie has some "questionable" clothes, "but it seemed like all the Bratz dolls were on a darker side of Barbie," she said. Six-year-old Sierra Curry-Corcoran of Newport News, Virginia, also has a Barbie collection and no Bratz dolls. But not by choice. "I like Bratz better. They have more fancy clothes, and they look more cool," Sierra said. Her mother, Tasha Curry-Corcoran, strongly disagrees. "Bratz are trashy: They wear too much makeup. Their clothing is too short; their boots are too high. They look like prostitutes. That's why we don't have them in our house." Parents aren't the only ones who have taken aim at Bratz. A 2007 report by the American Psychological Association Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls called Bratz dolls' miniskirts, fishnet stockings and feather boas "sexualized" and argued that the dolls' "objectified sexuality ... is limiting for adolescent girls, and even more so for the very young girls who represent the market for these dolls." Researchers have criticized Barbie, too. The Mattel dolls represent a "distortedly thin body ideal," and girls experienced "heightened body dissatisfaction after exposure to Barbie doll images but not after exposure to ... neutral control images," according to a 2006 study out of the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom. Cassell acknowledged that Barbie bodies "are a little unrealistic." "But they've been around for generations. I grew up playing with Barbies, and I don't have any physical issues because I had Barbies. I think the adults make a bigger deal out of it than the kids," she said. Theresa Hawkesworth of South Africa believes Bratz dolls rather than Barbies are a more positive influence for her 12-year-old daughter, Emma. "Because their faces and their makeup are so extreme it's almost impossible that a young girl could look like that," Hawkesworth said. "Whereas [with] Barbie dolls, the young girls think that they need that beautiful hair and that beautiful body, and when they don't look like | [
"Who did Mattel sue?",
"Which doll do some parents feel is more wholesome than Bratz?",
"Which company sued Bratz?",
"When will Bratz dolls leave the market?",
"What company sued Bratz?",
"What wil leave the market at the end of the year?",
"When will Bratz leave the market?"
] | [
[
"Bratz manufacturer MGA Entertainment Inc.,"
],
[
"Barbie"
],
[
"MGA Entertainment Inc.,"
],
[
"after the end of this year."
],
[
"Mattel"
],
[
"Bratz"
],
[
"after the end of this year."
]
] | Bratz dolls will leave the market at the end of the year, to tweens' dismay .
Mattel sued Bratz, claiming Bratz dolls' creator came up with concept while at Mattel .
Some parents prefer Barbies to Bratz because of Barbies' more wholesome image .
Others feel Barbies present an unhealthy, unrealistic image . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Lynne Lucas is taking herself off the meat market. Monique Brown is sick of having to look cute all the time. And Scott Hayes is searching for his inner child. Imari Havard, co-founder of PlayDate, dances with some participants on the dance floor. It's Saturday night at PlayDate in Atlanta, Georgia, where 400 adults have gathered to play games, drink and socialize. "It's not your usual bar scene where I look good, you look good, I'm scared to talk to you," Hayes says as he scans a giant Jenga tower for the right block to pull. "You'll talk to anyone when you're playing games, because you're trying to beat them." Next to Hayes, Brown watches a rambunctious game of Pictionary while a twosome fights it out with Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots nearby. Across the room, Lucas joins her friends in a game of Trouble. And on the dance floor, Imari Havard is hula-hooping with some ladies. Havard is the co-founder of Timeless Entertainment Concepts, host of PlayDate, with Ryan Hill and Ronald Gaither. Timeless' mission is clear: provide a fun alternative to the typical nightlife scene for an entrance fee of just $10 per person. In other words, if you're looking for love in all the wrong places, try a game of Hungry Hungry Hippos. Tell us how your and your sweetheart first met PlayDate began in Atlanta in 2005 and has slowly expanded from a monthly crowd of 80 to 500 twice a month in nine cities across the nation. The three men hope to start affiliates in another 20 markets this year. "It's a pretty simple word-of-mouth advertising," Havard says of how they've made PlayDate so popular. "The No. 1 question asked on a Monday morning, is 'How was your weekend?' The number two most popular question is 'What did you do?' Well, we've built our entire program around answering those questions." While Gaither takes care of the legal and administrative aspects, Hill and Havard attend events and deal with affiliates. The two opposites complement each other. Tonight, Hill wears a red polo shirt and jeans. Havard wears a stingy fedora and a pin-stripe suit jacket. Hill uses the words "overhead," "clientele" and "venue negotiation" regularly in conversation. Havard is more likely to shout phrases like "Patricia's in the house, y'all!" And while Havard is swiveling his hula-hooping hips, Hill blends into the background. "Someone has to have a respectful corporate face," Hill says as he laughs at Havard's antics. See photos from the event » Meanwhile, Alisha Wheeler has on her game face. A man she just met is teaching her to play Scrabble, and it's not as easy as it looks. Wheeler found out about PlayDate on the Internet and decided to check it out. "To be able to play games again and not be an adult for one night, it's kind of fun," she says. "It's not the typical, uneasy having to go up to someone you don't know, because everyone has on these silly nametags, and [the games] are like an icebreaker." Todd Jones agrees. A PlayDate veteran, Jones has been coming to the events since they started three years ago. He's even attended launches in other cities and says the atmosphere is the same everywhere. "When you go to a club, people will stand around. They're very defensive," Jones says. "But here, you really have to intermingle." Gesturing to the six women he's playing Uno with, Jones says he doesn't come to PlayDate looking to hook up. "I just come here really to have a good time. If something happens after that, then, fine." Havard says that's the basis of his company, Timeless, which also offers Paint | [
"What offers an alternative to the nightlife scene?",
"What does PlayDate offer an alternative to?",
"What company runs PlayDate?",
"What are some activities conducted at PlayDate?",
"What city or cities are PlayDate activities held in?"
] | [
[
"Timeless Entertainment Concepts,"
],
[
"the typical nightlife scene"
],
[
"Timeless Entertainment Concepts,"
],
[
"play games, drink and socialize."
],
[
"Atlanta, Georgia,"
]
] | PlayDate offers fun alternative to nightlife scene with board games, video games .
Timeless Entertainment Concepts runs PlayDate, Paint By Numbers .
PlayDate offers hula-hoops, musical chairs, Scrabble, Jenga, Pictionary .
To "not be an adult for one night" is kind of fun, participant says . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Millard Fuller, who founded Habitat for Humanity International along with his wife, has died, officials said Tuesday. He was 74.
Millard Fuller appears with President Bush at a Habitat for Humanity event in Tampa, Florida, in 2001.
Fuller died early Tuesday "after a brief illness," said a statement on the Web site of the organization he currently headed, Fuller Center for Housing, in Americus, Georgia.
"Family and friends are mourning the tragic loss of a great servant leader and a genuine heart," the statement said.
Fuller had suffered from chest congestion for three to four weeks, said Holly Chapman, spokeswoman for the Fuller Center. He died about 3 a.m. en route to a hospital, she said.
With his wife, Linda, Fuller founded Habitat for Humanity International in 1976.
The Alabama native rose "from humble beginnings" to become a "young, self-made millionaire," according to his biography on Habitat for Humanity's Web site. He and a college friend began a marketing firm while still in school, "but as his business prospered, his health, integrity and marriage suffered," the biography said.
"These crises prompted Fuller to re-evaluate his values and direction. His soul-searching led to reconciliation with his wife and to a renewal of his Christian commitment," it said.
The Fullers sold all their possessions, gave money to the poor and began searching for a new direction. They found Koinonia Farm, a Christian community near Americus in rural southwest Georgia, the biography said.
Along with Koinonia founder Clarence Jordan and a few others, the couple initiated several enterprises, among them a housing ministry that built modest homes on a no-interest, nonprofit basis and made them affordable to low-income families.
Homeowner families were expected to use their own labor to help defray costs on their home as well as homes for other families. Money to build homes was placed into a revolving fund, enabling more to be built, according to the biography.
In 1973, the Fullers moved to Africa to test their housing model, the biography said. Their project was launched in Zaire -- now the Democratic Republic of the Congo -- and was a success. "Fuller became convinced that this model could be expanded and applied all over the world," the biography said.
When Fuller returned to the United States three years later, he met with a group of associates to create Habitat for Humanity International. According to its Web site, Habitat has provided shelter for more than 1.5 million people in more than 3,000 communities.
"I see life as both a gift and a responsibility. My responsibility is to use what God has given me to help his people in need," Fuller once said, according to Habitat's Web site.
Former President Carter, a key Habitat supporter, fellow Georgian and a close friend, issued a statement Tuesday saying Fuller "was one of the most extraordinary people I have ever known."
"He used his remarkable gifts as an entrepreneur for the benefit of millions of needy people around the world by providing them with decent housing," Carter said. "As the founder of Habitat for Humanity and later the Fuller Center, he was an inspiration to me, other members of our family and an untold number of volunteers who worked side-by-side under his leadership." See celebrities working on Habitat projects »
In 1996, President Clinton awarded Fuller the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, calling Habitat "the most successful continuous community service project in the history of the United States."
Fuller left Habitat for Humanity in 2005 amid a dispute with the organization's board. Habitat said in a statement at the time his termination culminated "several months of differences between the Fullers and the board over allegations of inappropriate personal behavior of Millard Fuller toward a now-former female employee," according to an article in the February 2005 edition of Christianity Today magazine.
The organization noted there was insufficient evidence to corroborate the complaint | [
"Who started the organization?",
"What medal did Fuller receive?",
"When did they start the organization?",
"What did they provide for 1.5 million people?",
"Who left in 2005?",
"For how many people did the habitat provide housing?",
"What medal did he receive in 1996?"
] | [
[
"Millard Fuller,"
],
[
"Presidential Medal of Freedom,"
],
[
"1976."
],
[
"provided shelter"
],
[
"Fuller"
],
[
"more than 1.5 million"
],
[
"Presidential"
]
] | Millard Fuller and wife Linda started organization in 1976 .
Habitat says it has provided housing for 1.5 million-plus people .
Fuller received Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996 .
Fuller left Habitat in 2005 amid dispute with governing board . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Murphy bounds up the stairs, down the stairs, over the hurdles, through the tunnel and stops. He cautiously sidesteps the large white ring in front of him and sits down. Betty Yadlosky tries to tease her Himalayan Persian named Tangerine with a feather. "Through the ring! Come on, Murphy, through the ring!" his owner encourages, as she enthusiastically jingles a feathered toy on the other side of the obstacle. Murphy glances over, clearly saying, "There is no way I am jumping through that hoop." And anyone watching -- anyone who has ever owned a cat -- knows he is right. "It can be frustrating," Donna Hinton says from the sidelines of the agility course. "But it's a challenge, a new dimension to showing." Hinton is the owner of Kevi, one of the nation's top agility cats. Dressed to impress, Hinton looks more like a business executive than a cat fanatic -- but the breeder of Maine Coon cats has more than 20 years experience in pedigree showing. "Some people like to go to the golf course on the weekend. I like to go to a cat show," she says with a smile. This time around, it was last weekend's Cat Fanciers' Association's International Cat Show, in Atlanta, Georgia -- touted as the Western Hemisphere's largest cat show, with 729 cats from 41 breeds and 14 countries. Elaborately decorated cages fill both sides and the back of the convention center floor. Vendors sell everything from cat hammocks to gutter guards (even the show manager isn't sure why gutter guards are there), and a man in a wig shows off his tightrope-walking cats. But arguably the most important activity takes place just past the garbage cans marked "Dump litter here, please." Judging Bob Druzisky carries Zoe -- short for Mittsnpaws Zoe of Wyldephyre -- two-handed under her belly, stretching her out to her full length as they walk to one of the 12 judging rings. "[We do this] to show her off to the crowd and to avoid handprints on her fur," he says. Zoe's judge wipes down his table with disinfectant and then picks up Zoe, staring into her eyes as her feet dangle four feet above the ground. He puts her down and proceeds to feel her coat and check her response time. At one point, she tries to escape from the table, but is nabbed by the quick-handed judge. The whole thing is over less than a minute later. Each cat is judged by six judges throughout the weekend, show manager Emily Turner says. The cats are split into three groups: kittens (less than 8 months), champions (adult cats), and premiers (adult neutered/spayed cats). These categories are broken down again by breed, color and sex. On Sunday morning, judges tally up the points and select the top two cats from each category. A panel then picks the best in show. "That's it in a nutshell," Turner says. Of course, it's slightly more complicated. Each judge must train for six years. They must know the standards for each breed -- written descriptions of the "ideal" cat -- and be able to tell which Siamese has the perfect ear width or which red cat has the best color. Time and money The ideal breed standard is impossible to reach, Turner says, but owners spend hundreds of hours, and dollars, trying. That's most evident when an announcement comes over the loudspeaker for a DNA "blue-eyed" breeding seminar, starting in one hour. Druzisky and his wife, Jennifer, attend approximately 30 cat shows each year. The couple arrived in Atlanta with Zoe and Angel on Thursday night after a 12-hour drive from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Between gas, hotel rooms, entrance fees and cat supplies, Druzisky estimates the shows cost him between a couple hundred and $1,000 per month. Of course, showing cats is a lot cheaper | [
"How many cats participated in the show?",
"In which state did Cat Fanciers' Association hold the International Cat Show?",
"Where was the cat show held?",
"How many breeds participated in the show?",
"where is it held",
"how many cats attended"
] | [
[
"729"
],
[
"Atlanta, Georgia"
],
[
"Atlanta, Georgia"
],
[
"41"
],
[
"Atlanta, Georgia"
],
[
"729"
]
] | Cat Fanciers' Association holds International Cat Show in Atlanta, Georgia .
More than 700 cats of 41 breeds participate in show .
Kuorii Santos of Cuzzoe wins "Best in Show"
Cats give owners trouble on the agility course during training time . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- On February 2, 7-year-old Cameron Dunmore crossed a street to get to his elementary school in Lithonia, Georgia. This scenario takes place thousands of times uneventfully each school day in our country. But this time Cameron did not make it to school. A crossing guard was halting traffic at the time, but the busy intersection did not have a traffic light and one vehicle did not see the boy. Cameron was struck by an SUV and died that same day in the hospital. Remind children to walk, not run, when crossing the street, so drivers have a chance to see them. As a parent who walks my young child to school every day, Cameron's story is tragically heartbreaking, but unfortunately not unique. In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 5,000 pedestrians died and 70,000 were nonfatally injured in traffic crashes in 2007. Children are at particular risk because of their size, immature judgment and lack of experience with traffic rules. As we promote walking as a healthy and environmentally sound way to get to school, how can we make sure our children make it there safely? Read NHTSA's tips on walking and biking safety Can seeing red help? Sally Flocks, president and CEO of PEDS, a pedestrian advocacy organization based in Atlanta, believes that traffic lights or flashing red lights in school zones can make a difference. She cited studies showing that having a marked crosswalk without a light may be more dangerous than having no crosswalk at all, and that yellow lights tend to get ignored compared with red. Flocks encourages the public to urge their legislators to invest in traffic safety measures such as red lights, which can ultimately benefit motorists, cyclists and pedestrians alike. Speed kills According to a United Kingdom Department of Transportation study, speed really matters. A pedestrian hit by a car traveling 20 mph has a 5 percent chance of being killed, while one hit at 40 mph has an 85 percent chance. Flocks suggests that radar signs that tell how fast you are driving and photo enforcement of speeders at intersections near schools could help save lives. Even without the threat of getting a speeding ticket, I would hope the risk of injuring or killing someone else or ourselves would be enough to remind most of us to slow down, especially in school zones and other congested areas. Give walking and driving your undivided attention It's well known that the distraction from talking on a cell phone while driving can be as bad as or even worse than driving drunk. New research shows that cell phone use while walking can also be distracting. Psychologist David C. Schwebel Ph.D. and his associates from the University of Alabama at Birmingham reported in the February 2009 issue of Pediatrics that preadolescents (ages 10 and 11 -- when most children are mature enough to cross the street by themselves) talking on cell phones had a greater chance of being hit or nearly hit during a simulated road-crossing exercise. Schwebel explains that crossing a street is much more complex than we may realize, with the need for assessing such variables as the approaching vehicles' direction and speed, along with the distance and time needed to cross the street. Adding a diversion such as a cell phone conversation causes risky behavior and delayed reactions. Use common safety sense Don't check your common sense at the door when you leave for school. Encourage your children to wear brightly colored clothing. Try to walk in groups, and be sure to include adults, who are taller and more visible to drivers. Remind children to walk, and not run, when crossing the streets, so that drivers have a chance to see them. Finally, don't take any traffic risks: If you're not sure whether you can cross safely, wait until you can. It could happen anywhere Cameron's story took place in metropolitan Atlanta, but it could happen anywhere in America, in my neighborhood or yours. Mourners have placed stuffed animals and flowers at the intersection where Cameron was killed. I'm going to put some at my crosswalk too, in hopes of reminding us all to be safer pedestrians and drivers. | [
"How many people were injured?",
"What was the number of unjuries in 2007",
"What are the reasons children are at risk",
"How many pedestrians were killed?",
"What reasons are children at risk?",
"What should drivers do in pedestrian areas",
"Who is at risk?",
"How many pedestrians were non-fatally injured?",
"How many people were killed?"
] | [
[
"70,000"
],
[
"70,000"
],
[
"because of their size, immature judgment and lack of experience with traffic"
],
[
"nearly 5,000"
],
[
"size, immature judgment and lack of experience with traffic"
],
[
"slow down, especially in school zones"
],
[
"Children"
],
[
"70,000"
],
[
"nearly 5,000 pedestrians"
]
] | NHTSA: Nearly 5,000 pedestrians killed, 70,000 injured non-fatally in 2007 .
Children at risk because of size, immature judgment, lack of experience .
Drivers should slow down in pedestrian areas; walkers should hang up cell phone . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- On a plot of soil, nestled against the backdrop of skyscrapers in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, a group of residents are turning a lack of access to fresh produce into a revival of old traditions and self-empowerment. Urban farming is a way for African-Americans to connect with the earth, says Cashawn Myers of HABESHA. HABESHA Gardens is one of many urban gardens sprouting up around the country. Fruits and vegetables are thriving in this community garden located in an economically depressed area of the city known as Mechanicsville. But the garden serves an even greater purpose. The harvest helps feed some of the neediest members of the neighborhood. "It's a reawakening going on. It's almost like it's a renaissance," says Cashawn Myers, director of HABESHA Inc. "There's a Ghanaian proverb that says Sankofa. Sankofa means return to your past so you can move forward. Even if you look at coming over here during our enslavement, we were brought here to cultivate the land because that's something we did on the continent. So really, that's what many of the people are doing now," he said. Myers believes urban farming is a way for many African-Americans to reconnect with their past. iReport.com: Show us your urban farm "They are going through a process of Sankofa and going to what they traditionally did, which is connect to the Earth so they can move forward and grow," he says. But HABESHA Gardens isn't unique. Former pro basketball player Will Allen, who is considered to be one of the nation's leading urban farmers and founder of Growing Power Inc., estimates that there are hundreds of thousands of urban gardens in inner cities across America. Urban farms help feed people, sustain neighorhoods » "It's beyond a movement at this point. Its more like a revolution," says Allen. Both Allen and Myers agree that the boom in urban farming for African-Americans is born out of necessity and not just echoing traditions. "Minority people are affected by poor food, more than any other groups," and many inner cities lack access to quality fruits and vegetables, Allen says. "Our food system is broken." "When you're poor, when you don't have access to resources, you have to create your own," says Myers. "So this is a way for people of African descent to use their creativity to grow their own food." Many poorer communities don't have full-scale grocery stores. Allen charges that companies have red-lined those areas and won't build stores there. So community activists like Myers have taken up the fight. "[Starting] community gardens in local communities, specifically in urban areas, is important, so you create your own food security network," says Myers. "You're not relying on large grocery stores to provide food for everyone because if those grocery stores have problems, your access to food is done." HABESHA Gardens makes the fresh food accessible to people in Mechanicsville by opening up the garden to people in the community every Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. "We invite people from the local community here, the immediate community but also from the greater Atlanta community ... to come out, work in the garden; learn, reconnect with the Earth and also be able to take food home with them after the harvest." In addition to providing food for those that work in garden, HABESHA partners with organizations such as the Atlanta Community Food Bank and the MLK Senior Center to provide food from the garden to the hungry and elders in the community. HABESHA is more than just an urban garden. HABESHA, an acronym for Helping Africa By Establishing Schools at Home and Abroad. The organization mentors young African-Americans by sending them on a yearly trip to Ghana and educates the youth in Mechanicsville through the garden's after-school program called Sustainable Seeds. "Not only are we teaching them about agriculture, [we're] teaching them about solar technology, rainwater | [
"HABESHA gardens is what type of farm?",
"What is it important for urban areas to create?",
"What does Habesha offer?",
"Who says it's important for urban areas to create their own food sources?",
"What did Myers say?"
] | [
[
"urban"
],
[
"your own food security network,\""
],
[
"Gardens makes the fresh food accessible to people in Mechanicsville by opening up the garden to people in the community every Sunday from noon to 4 p.m."
],
[
"Cashawn Myers of HABESHA."
],
[
"Urban farming is a way for African-Americans to connect with the earth,"
]
] | HABESHA Gardens is one of many urban farms sprouting up around the country .
Cashawn Myers says it's important for urban areas to create their own food sources .
HABESHA offers mentoring programs, harvests food to feed the local community .
Allen: Urban farming is a 'multicultural, multigenerational movement, a revolution' |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- One day while driving with her father, Hannah Salwen noticed a Mercedes stopped next to a homeless man sitting on the curb.
The Salwen family of Atlanta, Georgia, has decided to sell this house and give half the proceeds to charity.
"I said to my dad, 'If that guy didn't have such a nice car, then that guy could have a nice meal,' " the 15-year-old from Atlanta, Georgia, recalled.
And so began the tale of what the Salwen family calls "Hannah's Lunchbox." Watch why family wants to give away $800K »
It started as family discussions about what they needed versus what was enough. Hannah's father Kevin, an entrepreneur, is on the board of the Atlanta Habitat for Humanity and is no stranger to community work, but he said this family conversation was life-changing.
"We stopped and paused and thought about what are the things in the world that could really make a difference, a little bit of difference in the world," he said.
They talked about selling their cars or other things, but it was Hannah's mother, Joan, who came up with selling their 6,500-square-foot house, donating half the proceeds and then moving into a house half the size.
For nine years, the family lived in a historic 1912 mansion near downtown Atlanta. It boasts five bedrooms, eight fireplaces, a kitchen that would make any cook jealous and even an elevator. See the new and old houses, side by side »
When Hannah would bring friends over, she said, often their jaws would drop and they'd gasp, "Wow, you live here?"
Like most teens, Hannah loves to shop, and she jammed every space of her massive walk-in closet full of clothes. But she also knows many people are less fortunate; she volunteers at a local community food bank and other relief agencies.
Joan Salwen, a teacher, said the mansion was her dream home.
"It was a challenge," she said of giving up that house. "It was a test, almost, to see: How committed are we? I mean, how serious are these kids about what we should do? And they all nodded and there we were."
So the Salwens put the house up for sale in May 2007 and started figuring out what they would do with half the proceeds, which would amount to more than $800,000.
They spent six months researching charity organizations before deciding on the Hunger Project, an organization dedicated to helping end world hunger through people helping themselves.
Hunger Project Vice President John Coonrod said the family met with organizers in New York and notified them months later that the charity was the winner.
When the Salwen house sells, the money will be channeled through The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta over a six-year period and end up in Ghana, Coonrod said.
"This will underwrite a process in more than 30 villages to enable people to meet all of their basic needs on a sustainable basis," he said. "They will be able to grow enough food, to build clinics and schools, and the villagers will be doing the lion's share of the work."
Coonrod said he'd never heard of a family donating in this way.
"Hannah's awakening to social injustice, and her family's ability to make a difference in that issue will make a profound difference in the lives of tens of thousands of people," he said, estimating the money could affect more than 20,000 people in Ghana.
Hannah's 13-year-old brother, Joseph, was so impressed with his big sister's ideas that he made a three-minute video of the family's project. Watch Joseph's video
The video won the grand prize in the 2008 "My Home: The American Dream" contest, sponsored by Coldwell Banker and Scholastic Publishing.
In the video, Joseph tells viewers, "We're showing you can redefine the American dream." | [
"What was the discussion about?",
"Where will the money go?",
"How much was the mansion worth?",
"Where will the money go after the sale?"
] | [
[
"enough."
],
[
"Hunger Project,"
],
[
"$800,000."
],
[
"Hunger Project,"
]
] | Family tries to sell $1.8 million mansion and give half the proceeds to charity .
Decision comes after discussions about how much wealth is needed .
Family voluntarily downsizes to more ordinary house .
After sale, money will go to villages in Ghana via the Hunger Project . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- One day while driving with her father, Hannah Salwen noticed a Mercedes stopped next to a homeless man sitting on the curb. The Salwen family of Atlanta, Georgia, has decided to sell this house and give half the proceeds to charity. "I said to my dad, 'If that guy didn't have such a nice car, then that guy could have a nice meal,' " the 15-year-old from Atlanta, Georgia, recalled. And so began the tale of what the Salwen family calls "Hannah's Lunchbox." Watch why family wants to give away $800K » It started as family discussions about what they needed versus what was enough. Hannah's father Kevin, an entrepreneur, is on the board of the Atlanta Habitat for Humanity and is no stranger to community work, but he said this family conversation was life-changing. "We stopped and paused and thought about what are the things in the world that could really make a difference, a little bit of difference in the world," he said. They talked about selling their cars or other things, but it was Hannah's mother, Joan, who came up with selling their 6,500-square-foot house, donating half the proceeds and then moving into a house half the size. For nine years, the family lived in a historic 1912 mansion near downtown Atlanta. It boasts five bedrooms, eight fireplaces, a kitchen that would make any cook jealous and even an elevator. See the new and old houses, side by side » When Hannah would bring friends over, she said, often their jaws would drop and they'd gasp, "Wow, you live here?" Like most teens, Hannah loves to shop, and she jammed every space of her massive walk-in closet full of clothes. But she also knows many people are less fortunate; she volunteers at a local community food bank and other relief agencies. Joan Salwen, a teacher, said the mansion was her dream home. "It was a challenge," she said of giving up that house. "It was a test, almost, to see: How committed are we? I mean, how serious are these kids about what we should do? And they all nodded and there we were." So the Salwens put the house up for sale in May 2007 and started figuring out what they would do with half the proceeds, which would amount to more than $800,000. They spent six months researching charity organizations before deciding on the Hunger Project, an organization dedicated to helping end world hunger through people helping themselves. Hunger Project Vice President John Coonrod said the family met with organizers in New York and notified them months later that the charity was the winner. When the Salwen house sells, the money will be channeled through The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta over a six-year period and end up in Ghana, Coonrod said. "This will underwrite a process in more than 30 villages to enable people to meet all of their basic needs on a sustainable basis," he said. "They will be able to grow enough food, to build clinics and schools, and the villagers will be doing the lion's share of the work." Coonrod said he'd never heard of a family donating in this way. "Hannah's awakening to social injustice, and her family's ability to make a difference in that issue will make a profound difference in the lives of tens of thousands of people," he said, estimating the money could affect more than 20,000 people in Ghana. Hannah's 13-year-old brother, Joseph, was so impressed with his big sister's ideas that he made a three-minute video of the family's project. Watch Joseph's video The video won the grand prize in the 2008 "My Home: The American Dream" contest, sponsored by Coldwell Banker and Scholastic Publishing. In the video, Joseph tells viewers, "We're showing you can redefine the American dream." | [
"What was the family trying to sell?",
"What family tries to sell their mansion?",
"Where will half the proceeds go?",
"Where is the mansion?",
"Where will the money go?"
] | [
[
"a historic 1912 mansion near downtown Atlanta."
],
[
"The Salwen"
],
[
"to charity."
],
[
"near downtown Atlanta."
],
[
"give half the proceeds to charity."
]
] | Family tries to sell $1.8 million mansion and give half the proceeds to charity .
Decision comes after discussions about how much wealth is needed .
Family voluntarily downsizes to more ordinary house .
After sale, money will go to villages in Ghana via the Hunger Project . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- One of the best gifts you can give a child this holiday season may not be the latest gadget, toy, or tasty treat, but instead the gift of a healthy lifestyle. Participants get a workout at the FitWit fitness boot camp. An Atlanta-based non-profit organization is doing its part to combat childhood obesity by teaching kids proper nutrition and exercise in a six-week fitness boot camp similar to NBC's "The Biggest Loser." The FitWit Foundation hopes its program will catch on nationwide. "We wanted to work with teens in a meaningful way, and we saw firsthand how fitness and physical activity in general is being neglected in this population. With a lot of help from volunteers and donors, we've started a program this past spring that encourages hard work and is a fun way to get in shape," said FitWit instructor Ben Thoele. FitWit's program is a six-week after-school boot camp competition which rewards participants with prizes for meeting fitness goals. An iPod Nano was the grand prize for Atlanta Public Schools students completing a recent fitness session. Watch for more on FitWit » Students who are motivated to get in shape but not involved in an organized sports team are selected as contestants. Participants' fitness levels are assessed at the beginning and end of the program. Each week, volunteers lead three 60-minute sessions that include fitness instruction and physical health education. In addition, the participants are assigned two home workouts to be performed between sessions. "After six weeks, all participants have an increased total fitness ability. We averaged over 40 percent improvement in total fitness in our first program last spring. It's common to have a participant double their fitness ability," Thoele said. "A lot of these kids don't know how to work out, or that they even have the capacity to work out. They gain an appreciation for pushing their limits, and when that happens, we see a tremendous boost in their self-confidence," he said. The need for increased fitness across the country is striking. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 17.6 percent of U.S. teenagers were obese in 2006 -- more than triple the rate in 1980. Obesity puts the teens at increased risk for heart disease, bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems, the CDC says. "Success for us is when a kid is thinking about fitness outside of the program, because they enjoy how they feel when they're in better shape," Thoele said. "Our first winner, Raquel, told us that she continued to come because she just felt better. She had incredible numbers as well. She was not able to perform even one sit-up at the start of the program and did 21 in our final assessments. She also shed more than 90 seconds off her mile time." "Since I've been here, I've been eating healthy," one FitWit participant said. "I have been watching what I eat and drink. I drink three cups of water every day. And I exercise more often. I don't spend too much time inside my home anymore." | [
"What does the CDC show?",
"What were participants given prizes for?",
"What program is a 6 week course?",
"What company is running the after school program?"
] | [
[
"need for increased fitness across the country is striking."
],
[
"meeting fitness goals."
],
[
"the FitWit fitness boot camp."
],
[
"The FitWit Foundation"
]
] | FitWit's program is a six-week after-school boot camp competition .
CDC data shows childhood obesity is a huge problem in the U.S.
Program rewards participants with prizes for meeting fitness goals . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- One of the things I find frustrating about modern American life is we wait for someone else -- anybody else -- to solve whatever problem it is that's out there. Clark Howard says Best Buy should have lauded employees who ran after a shoplifter, not fired them. We see something and feel like it's not our job. It's the "not in my silo" mentality found in corporate America. But there are times we wait for help to arrive when we're the help we seek. Unfortunately, this mentality has seeped beyond corporate America into normal earthlings. Have you heard the story about Jared Bergstreser and Colin Trapp? These two Best Buy employees tackled a shoplifter they saw busting out of their Denver, Colorado-area store with stolen electronics. They wrestled the suspect to the ground at great personal risk. The perpetrator pulled out a knife and cut a manager before ultimately escaping, according to The Wall Street Journal. Bergstreser had been a three-year employee, while Trapp was on the job for less than a year. What did Best Buy do for these employees who showed such extreme loyalty? They fired them. A spokeswoman for Best Buy said the company won't comment on the terminations. However, she said the company's employees are aware of a policy of not pursuing shoplifters. Best Buy says the policy is in place for the safety of its employees. Watch Clark reveal a Vegas vacation scam » This case is not unusual. I am privy to a story about a separate incident that happened with a discount retailer. Again, a couple of guys I know who were employees tackled a shoplifter. The suspect then pulled out a gun and tried to shoot them. They managed to disarm the shoplifter after he fired and he was taken into custody. Did they get a reward or bonus from their employer? No, they were canned. I got some interesting reactions when I discussed these two stories in a pre-show meeting with my team. Somebody immediately piped up saying, "Of course they have to fire them because of liability." Liability?! One of my producers even called me a vigilante. After all, I'm the guy who chased down my own mugger on a Madrid subway train during a staff trip to Spain. In retrospect, what I did was really stupid because I could have gotten injured or worse. But my natural instinct just took over and I successfully recovered my wallet. The idea that we're supposed to stand by idly and allow people to steal from us or steal from an employer is something that I just cannot support. I think we have a responsibility to get involved. Otherwise, if you let a small number of lawbreakers get away with it whenever, then they get away with it over and over and over again. I could understand if Best Buy were so cowardly and afraid of a lawsuit that they felt these two employees should be sent to "Best Buy re-education camp." Fine. But to fire them for trying to stop a brazen criminal who was armed and dangerous and busting out of the store with electronics? I just don't get it. And remember, when Bergstreser and Trapp went after this person, there was no benefit for them, unlike my experience being mugged in Madrid. They were putting themselves in danger to protect their employer. You should be, if not rewarded for that, then at least not punished! I believe Best Buy is sending a terrible message by firing them. What do you think? | [
"What says Howard?",
"who was fired?",
"what were the consequences of tackling the shoplifter",
"what was not unusual?",
"What did Howard do?",
"what does Howard say"
] | [
[
"Best Buy should have lauded employees who ran after a shoplifter, not fired them."
],
[
"Jared Bergstreser and Colin Trapp?"
],
[
"They fired them."
],
[
"This case"
],
[
"says Best Buy should have lauded employees who ran after a shoplifter, not fired them."
],
[
"Best Buy should have lauded employees who ran after a shoplifter, not fired them."
]
] | Howard says there are times we wait for help to arrive when we're the help we seek .
Best Buy employees tackle shoplifter and get fired as a result .
Howard says incident is not unusual but sends a terrible message . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Punctuality was one of Debbie Hooper's best traits. Authorities sort through the wreckage thought to be Debbie Hooper's car. She went missing September 20. The 44-year-old grandmother from Whitesburg, Georgia, was always on time for her play dates with her baby granddaughter. She was always on time picking up her 15-year-old son from school. So when Hooper, who juggled two jobs to support her family, didn't appear at her dispatch job for a transportation company last Monday morning, her daughter Jessica Bartke, 19, knew something was wrong. Her mother's cell phone went straight to voicemail. Co-workers hadn't seen the bubbly, kindhearted woman with curly brown hair and a magnetic presence. "She's always at work," said Bartke, who lives in Winston, Georgia, about 10 minutes from her mother's home. "She was never lazy. I knew something had to be wrong." Nearly a week after the torrential downpours that left the metro Atlanta area drenched, authorities are still searching for Hooper's body, which was last believed to have been in the Dog River in Douglas County, west of Atlanta. Late Monday afternoon, authorities discovered a female body in the Dog River Reservoir, said Brad Robinson, chief deputy of the Carroll County Sheriff's Office. They are waiting for lab work to identify the body, which is expected to be released Tuesday afternoon. Six flood-related deaths already have been reported in Douglas County. Bartke believes her mother went missing Sunday, September 20, the eve of her 44th birthday. Last Friday, when the water ebbed, a search crew of nearly 25 law enforcement officers from Carroll and Douglas counties uncovered Hooper's vehicle, a Jeep Liberty, stuck in the water in the Dog River. The team also recovered Hooper's purse. "It was like putting an ant in front of the fire hose," said Sheriff Phil Miller of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. "The little Jeep Liberty looked like it had been put in a crusher and beat into pieces." The following Saturday morning, more than two dozen authorities and four cadaver dogs continued to search the Dog River area. Miller said the water flow had been constant, which means the body could have drifted into the Chattahoochee River. Hooper remains the last missing flood victim in the Atlanta area, but in Tennessee, a man who disappeared after swimming in an overflowing ditch on a dare is still missing. This month's storm has been one of the worst in Southeastern U.S. history. The death toll in Georgia and Alabama has risen to 10. Gov. Sonny Perdue has declared a state of emergency in 17 flood-stricken counties, and State Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine estimated that the flooding has caused $250 million in losses. Bartke, Hooper's daughter, has taken her 15-year-old brother into her home. She says they are both distressed about not knowing where their mother may be. "We talked every day," Bartke said. "We spoke to each other even if we were busy, even if it was for two seconds just to say 'Mom, I love you. I'm busy right now, but I will call you back.' " | [
"Where has this month's rainfall caused deadly flooding?",
"Where was the Jeep Liberty found?",
"Where they found the car?",
"What date disappeared Debbie?",
"When did Debbie Hooper go missing?",
"where was her jeep found?",
"who went missing?"
] | [
[
"Douglas County."
],
[
"Dog River."
],
[
"in the water in the Dog River."
],
[
"September 20."
],
[
"September 20."
],
[
"in the water in the Dog River."
],
[
"Debbie Hooper's"
]
] | Debbie Hooper, 44, of Whitesburg, Georgia went missing September 20 .
Authorities found her Jeep Liberty in Dog River in Douglas County, west of Atlanta .
On Monday, authorities found a female body, but body is not yet identified .
This month's rainfall has caused deadly flooding in the Southeast . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Retired Army Spc. Scott Winkler had many scary encounters while serving in Iraq, but they were nothing compared with his recent experience at the world's largest aquarium: swimming alongside a massive whale shark. Ret. Army Spc. Scott Winkler, 35, was paralyzed five years ago during an accident in Iraq. The fact that Winkler, 35, of Augusta, Georgia, is a paraplegic made the once-in-a-lifetime experience even more challenging. "It's like you're in space," Winkler said. "It's like you're an able body again. It makes you feel so free." Winkler was paralyzed five years ago during an accident while unloading ammunition in Tikrit, Iraq. He is one of more than two dozen disabled veterans who have participated in the Fish Wish program at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta during the past two months. A separate swim and dive program is open to the public, but the waiting list is nearly full until the end of the year. The experience isn't cheap. A half-hour dive costs $290. The veterans swam for free. Therapeutic recreational specialist Susan Oglesby helps train safety divers at the aquarium to assist swimmers with disabilities. She explained there are very few limitations in the tank. Watch more on veterans swimming with sharks » "The water is the great equalizer. Once you get in, you're floating, you're weightless, and everybody becomes equal," Oglesby said. Winkler was outfitted in a wet suit and snorkeling gear. He rolled his wheelchair down a long ramp to a dock floating in the 6.3 million-gallon tank of salt water. After sliding out of the chair, he took a deep breath and pushed himself into the water. "It is so amazing, he said. "It's like you don't have a disability, because you're just floating around with everybody else. ... The fish are just swimming by. It's a total other world." In addition to four 23-foot-long whale sharks, Winkler gazed on a manta ray, hammerhead sharks, goliath grouper and sawfish. He used his arms to move his body around the football-field-size tank. Swimming next to him were two safety divers and Orlando Perez, another young veteran from Augusta. "It's beautiful down there!" Perez exclaimed. "It's peaceful, and you just forget that you're in a wheelchair. You're one with the fish." Perez, 33, a retired Army private first class, suffered a spinal cord injury during basic training 13 years ago. Like Winkler, he is confined to a wheelchair. Perez likened the swim experience to floating on air. "I never thought being disabled would bring me to do something so amazing," he said. "I think it's about overcoming the disability and not letting the disability overcome you." Both Perez and Winkler admitted they were nervous when they first entered in the water. They settled down after being brushed by one of the passing whale sharks. Winkler had a big grin on his face as he talked about the benefits of taking part in the program. "Mentally, you're actually taking a stress break from life itself," he said. "Physically, it's great rehabilitation. Emotionally, your spirit is lifted, and you're able to enjoy yourself for once." | [
"what creature does the program allow veterans to swim with?",
"what does the fish wish allow",
"what program allows veterans with disabilities to swim with sharks?",
"What is the Fish Wish program?",
"Does the prorgam cost money?"
] | [
[
"sharks"
],
[
"train safety divers at the aquarium to assist swimmers with disabilities."
],
[
"Fish Wish"
],
[
"helps train safety divers at the aquarium to assist swimmers with disabilities."
],
[
"$290."
]
] | Fish Wish program allows veterans with disabilities to swim with sharks .
Program is open to the public, but waiting list is long and cost is $290 .
Veterans report feeling "equal" in the weightless environment of water . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Sajida Faraj scoops mashed potatoes and peas onto her plate, not quite sure of the history behind her first Thanksgiving meal. But she knows how thankful she is to be at a church in Atlanta this November, lining up for turkey, stuffing and pecan pie.
Sajida Faraj took a break to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal with fellow refugees.
Three years ago she grabbed her son, now 12, and fled Iraq. Her husband, a carpenter who worked for Americans, had left for the market one day in Baghdad and never returned. Faraj says she knows he is dead, even though she has never seen his body. When the rest of her family started to receive death threats, she felt she had no choice but to run.
Faraj and her son, Ahmed, made it across the border to Syria and later entered the United States, two of more than 15,000 Iraqi refugees to be allowed in since the beginning of the war in 2003.
The Thanksgiving meal, served at the Avondale Pattillo United Methodist Church to dozens of refugees from far-flung places like Myanmar and Sudan as well as Iraq, is a welcome break for Faraj, who is struggling to build a new life.
Unable to translate her skills as a Baghdad salon owner into a job as a stylist, Faraj does not have the money to pay $625 due in rent.
"I have an electricity bill to pay, I have no job," she says. "I have no way of knowing what to do."
Government and aid group assistance to refugees does not last long. Faraj plans to ask an aid group, the International Rescue Committee, for more help, but she's not sure what else she can do. Soon she hopes her 21-year-old daughter will arrive from Syria and bring with her better luck.
"My daughter is coming and hopefully I will work," she says, as Nepali dancers in elaborate costumes entertain the diners.
Across the room, more and more refugees line up for the potluck dinner.
"Don't worry, there will be enough food," a man tells his two daughters, asking them to wait patiently.
The man, Munir, and his wife, Fatima, hoped, like so many immigrants before them, that the United States would help them find a better life for them and their children.
But the couple, who asked that their identities be protected for fear of reprisals against their family and friends still in Iraq, are considering ending their American dream after three months of struggle.
College-educated and proficient in English, Fatima and Munir were shocked that the skills that provided them a comfortable living in Baghdad, as a mechanical engineer and lab technician, are of little advantage in an increasingly competitive U.S. job market.
They spend much of their day at the IRC office in Atlanta, searching for employment, but are considering returning to Jordan, where they say they can find work, albeit illegally.
"I am worried that I will be thrown out on the street," Fatima says. "My Pakistani neighbors couldn't find work and they were evicted and thrown out on the street. We are worried the same will happen to us. Many refugees we know have not found work and they have been here for eight months to a year."
Until 2007, very few Iraqi refugees were resettled in the United States. For 2008, the Bush administration set a goal of accepting 13,000 Iraqis.
Most of the estimated 2.2 million people who have fled Iraq since the invasion are in Syria and Jordan, many living illegally. Their presence is straining infrastructure and social services there and driving food and housing prices higher.
Far from the warmth of the Thanksgiving party, another Iraqi refugee has managed to find work at a supermarket seafood counter, helping customers with their requests for jumbo shrimp and crab cakes.
"I am like a manager," says Muataz, with a glimmer of pride in his eye. "I thank God that I have a job and that I am lucky." | [
"How many Iraqi refugees have entered the country since the start of this war?",
"What conflict are these refugees fleeing?",
"Who enjoys dinner?",
"What does Sajida Faraj enjoy?",
"Amount of Iraq refugees have entered the US since war began",
"Who has entered the United States?",
"What is the number of Iraq refugees that have entered the U.S. since the war started?",
"What country is Sajida Faraj from?",
"What holiday was Sajida Faraj enjoying?",
"What is the name of the Iraqi refugee?"
] | [
[
"more than 15,000"
],
[
"fled Iraq since the invasion"
],
[
"Sajida Faraj"
],
[
"a Thanksgiving meal with fellow refugees."
],
[
"more than 15,000 Iraqi"
],
[
"Faraj and her son, Ahmed,"
],
[
"more than 15,000"
],
[
"Iraq."
],
[
"Thanksgiving"
],
[
"Sajida Faraj"
]
] | Iraqi refugee Sajida Faraj enjoys festivity of first American Thanksgiving dinner .
She's still struggling; some Iraqis ready to give up while others are established .
More than 15,000 Iraq refugees have entered United States since war began . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Samuel Welsh's chances of landing a job before this economic downturn were already slim. Samuel Welsh, laid off since 2006, has found solace in his faith. "You got to keep God in your heart," he said. Now, as a disabled worker, the 29-year-old is competing with thousands of nondisabled job seekers going for jobs once allocated for the disabled population. Welsh was laid off from his job as an executive assistant in 2006. "I did mortgages, refinances and purchase deals. I was dismissed from that job and after that I was sent over to the Bobby Dodd Institute to do my vocational rehab counseling," he said. The Bobby Dodd Institute in Atlanta provides job training and rehabilitation for people with disabilities. Meg Godfrey, an employment specialist with BDI, has been handling Welsh's case. "He came to us originally looking for a position in administrative clerical type work. We have lowered his goals to greeting and ticket-taking, but those are the first jobs that go in this type of economy," she said. As part of her job, Godfrey seeks potential employers who will allocate some of their positions for people with disabilities, but as unemployment has soared, competition has gotten fierce. "Usually, we can get three to five jobs a month. Lately it's been one or no jobs each month. There are some employers I have talked to about hiring our clients. It's in a restaurant-type business and they have people coming in and putting applications that have previously worked at Morgan Stanley," she said. For Welsh, the competition and the wait have proven too long. He recently started a home cake-making business using cooking skills he learned from his grandmother when he was growing up in Alabama. He gets orders from local clients and delivers the cakes with the aid of public transit for the disabled. He gets about three orders a week, at an average price of $15 per cake. Welsh said he evaluated his skills and abilities before starting his business. "I know that I can bake cakes. I know that people like cakes; people like to eat a little something sweet, " he said. He added that he has not lost hope about finding a job. Wayne McMillan, CEO of BDI, says job numbers for people with disabilities show little hope. "It's terrible to be without a job in this country. It's tragic to have a disability and be without a job. We are having people come through the programs that we are not being able to place. Last year we placed 171 folks; during the month of December zero; January two. This is a real crisis for us," McMillan said. For the first time, the Department of Labor in February released a report tracking unemployment rates among disabled job seekers. The survey found a 14 percent unemployment rate among disabled workers -- almost double that of the nondisabled population. And only 21 percent of the available working disabled population is employed, compared with the 65 percent of nondisabled workers. "It is not at the top of most people's minds," said Megan Rutter Branch, director of communication for BDI. "They are seeing family members go off and have the dignity of work, and earn a paycheck, and the only expectation that is had of them is to sit at home, watch TV and stay out of trouble." She emphasized that disabled workers have one of the highest retention rates in the industry, 82 percent to 87 percent, according to BDI figures. "Our folks wouldn't want to leave. They had to overcome all these hurdles to get a job." According to the U.S. Census, people with disabilities comprise the largest minority group, approximately 20 percent of the population. Robin L. Shaffert, senior director of corporate social responsibility with the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), says it is critical for this group to be included in economic recovery plans. "It is very important for | [
"Who did the employers stop calling?",
"What percent is unemployment rate for disabled workers?",
"What is the unemployment rate among disabled workers?",
"What is the unemployment rate of disabled workers?",
"Employers are not calling the institute that places what type of employees?"
] | [
[
"disabled"
],
[
"14"
],
[
"14 percent"
],
[
"14 percent"
],
[
"disabled"
]
] | Institute that places disabled employees says employers all but stopped calling .
Labor statistics show 14 percent unemployment rate among disabled workers .
Stimulus package allocates funds to aid disabled, but immediate help needed . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Seventh graders at Ron Clark Academy became an overnight sensation during the presidential election when their YouTube performance of "You Can Vote However You Like" catapulted them to online stardom. "The higher the expectations, the higher the results," says Ron Clark, seen here with his students. Now, their creative and scholastic talents have proved the students to be more than just "one hit wonders." Academy students showcased their poetry and writings for CNN's documentary "Black in America 2," hosted by Soledad O'Brien. Cultivating student creativity is just one of the goals of academy founder Ron Clark, an enigmatic educator known for his unconventional teaching methods. Under his strict tutelage, students at Ron Clark -- who are predominantly African-American -- are expected to excel in all subjects and maintain a high standard of respect for their peers and teachers. "I'm teaching an eighth-grade curriculum to fifth-graders," says Clark. "Some people say my expectations of the kids, academically, is too high, but the higher the expectations, the higher the results." Watch Clark's students perform their original poetry » But with high academic expectations come an equally high quotient for fun. It's become one of Clark's trademarks: singing and dancing to popular rap and R&B songs during class to get the kids engaged. "My first day at Ron Clark Academy, I thought all the teachers were psychopaths," says seventh-grader Jai Springs. "I thought Ron Clark was going crazy. He was up in front of the kids on desks, he was dancing. ... I never saw a teacher get up on a desk and dance. But now I'm used to it, so I get up on the desk and dance too," says Jai. Clark, formerly a schoolteacher from North Carolina, founded the academy with money he earned from his book titled The Essential 55, which detail Clark's 55 golden rules for success -- in and out of the classroom. Clark was invited to be a guest on the Oprah Winfrey show after winning Disney Teacher of the Year Award in 2001. Oprah believed so much in the well-mannered Southern school teacher from South Carolina that she encouraged him to write the book. Later she promoted The Essential 55 on her show, prompting it's ascension to New York Times bestseller list. Together with co-founder Kim Bearden, Clark transformed a decaying factory in a rough part of Atlanta, Georgia, into a state-of-the-art educational model for middle schools across the country. See newsmakers and iReporters on race, challenges, solutions for black America Soon after the school opened its doors in 2008, a Christmas package from Winfrey arrived for Clark in the form of a $365,000 grant, or "a thousand dollars for each day of the year," as Oprah referred to it in the letter. Then came the elections, with a tight presidential race between Sens. Barack Obama of Illinois and John McCain of Arizona. Inspired by rapper T.I.'s hit song "Whatever You Like," Clark's seventh grade class penned their own lyrics and dance moves. The students' performance carried a message: Cast your ballot because you support a candidate's policies rather than just his skin color. When they perform the song, half the seventh grade class touts the virtues of GOP's McCain while the other half root for Democrat Obama: "Obama on the left. McCain on the right. We can talk politics all night. And you can vote however you like." The students "can talk politics with the best of them," says Clark. Video clips of the kids performing have garnered over 15 million hits on YouTube. "We got lots of media attention. But when the media arrived to the school they realized the song is not the story, it's the kids," says Clark. One of Clark's credos is teaching a "global curriculum" with a heavy emphasis on current events. Himself an avid world traveler, | [
"What does Clark teach?",
"What kind of l curriculum was taught?",
"What is the opinion of Clark?",
"What is the Aaademy name?",
"What curriculum are fifth graders taught?",
"How many youtube hits did the '08 YouTube rap performance get?"
] | [
[
"\"I'm teaching an eighth-grade curriculum to fifth-graders,\""
],
[
"eighth-grade"
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[
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],
[
"Ron Clark Academy"
],
[
"eighth-grade"
],
[
"over 15 million"
]
] | Ron Clark Academy students' '08 YouTube rap performance got millions of hits .
Clark teaches "global curriculum" with heavy emphasis on current events .
"I'm teaching an eigthth-grade curriculum to fifth graders," says Clark .
Student: "My knowledge of the world has improved. ... I'm hungry for knowledge" |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Seventh graders at Ron Clark Academy became an overnight sensation during the presidential election when their YouTube performance of "You Can Vote However You Like" catapulted them to online stardom. "The higher the expectations, the higher the results," says Ron Clark, seen here with his students. Now, their creative and scholastic talents have proved the students to be more than just "one hit wonders." Academy students showcased their poetry and writings for CNN's documentary "Black in America 2," hosted by Soledad O'Brien. Cultivating student creativity is just one of the goals of academy founder Ron Clark, an enigmatic educator known for his unconventional teaching methods. Under his strict tutelage, students at Ron Clark -- who are predominantly African-American -- are expected to excel in all subjects and maintain a high standard of respect for their peers and teachers. "I'm teaching an eighth-grade curriculum to fifth-graders," says Clark. "Some people say my expectations of the kids, academically, is too high, but the higher the expectations, the higher the results." But with high academic expectations come an equally high quotient for fun. It's become one of Clark's trademarks: singing and dancing to popular rap and R&B songs during class to get the kids engaged. "My first day at Ron Clark Academy, I thought all the teachers were psychopaths," says seventh-grader Jai Springs. "I thought Ron Clark was going crazy. He was up in front of the kids on desks, he was dancing. ... I never saw a teacher get up on a desk and dance. But now I'm used to it, so I get up on the desk and dance too," says Jai. Clark, formerly a schoolteacher from South Carolina, founded the academy with money he earned from his book titled The Essential 55, which detail Clark's 55 golden rules for success -- in and out of the classroom. Clark was invited to be a guest on the Oprah Winfrey show after winning Disney Teacher of the Year Award in 2001. Oprah believed so much in the well-mannered Southern school teacher from South Carolina that she encouraged him to write the book. Later she promoted The Essential 55 on her show, prompting it's ascension to New York Times bestseller list. Together with co-founder Kim Bearden, Clark transformed a decaying factory in a rough part of Atlanta, Georgia, into a state-of-the-art educational model for middle schools across the country. Soon after the school opened its doors in 2008, a Christmas package from Winfrey arrived for Clark in the form of a $365,000 grant, or "a thousand dollars for each day of the year," as Oprah referred to it in the letter. Then came the elections, with a tight presidential race between Sens. Barack Obama of Illinois and John McCain of Arizona. Inspired by rapper T.I.'s hit song "Whatever You Like," Clark's seventh grade class penned their own lyrics and dance moves. The students' performance carried a message: Cast your ballot because you support a candidate's policies rather than just his skin color. When they perform the song, half the seventh grade class touts the virtues of GOP's McCain while the other half root for Democrat Obama: "Obama on the left. McCain on the right. We can talk politics all night. And you can vote however you like." The students "can talk politics with the best of them," says Clark. Video clips of the kids performing have garnered over 15 million hits on YouTube. "We got lots of media attention. But when the media arrived to the school they realized the song is not the story, it's the kids," says Clark. One of Clark's credos is teaching a "global curriculum" with a heavy emphasis on current events. Himself an avid world traveler, Clark believes it's essential for his students to travel to other countries to develop an understanding and appreciation of the world in | [
"what got millions of hits",
"what does Clark emphasize",
"What did clark say?",
"What kind of curriculum is being taught",
"What does Clark teach?",
"Who's rap performance got millions of hits?"
] | [
[
"Video clips of the kids performing"
],
[
"current events."
],
[
"\"The higher the expectations, the higher the results,\""
],
[
"\"global curriculum\""
],
[
"a \"global curriculum\" with a heavy emphasis on current events."
],
[
"Seventh graders at Ron Clark Academy"
]
] | Ron Clark Academy students' '08 YouTube rap performance got millions of hits .
Clark teaches "global curriculum" with heavy emphasis on current events .
"I'm teaching an eigthth-grade curriculum to fifth graders," says Clark .
Student: "My knowledge of the world has improved. ... I'm hungry for knowledge" |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Several years ago, in honor of the new millennium, Playboy magazine asked musicians for lists of their top 10 songs of the previous 1,000 years. The Beatles placed six albums in Tom Moon's "1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die." Most of them stuck to the era of recorded sound, but guitarist Richard Thompson cheekily took Playboy's request seriously and submitted a list that included such songs as "Sumer Is Icumen In," a hit from the 13th century, and "Blackleg Miner," a folk ballad of the 1800s. Playboy was not amused, and did not print Thompson's list. Such is the fate that awaits many people who compile expansive lists of the greatest or most influential songs, movies, TV shows, romantic getaways or baseball players shorter than 5 feet 9. Everybody's a critic. At best, your list will inspire furious discussion; at worst, it will be ignored by your prospective debaters and sink as forlornly as a pebble in the Atlantic Ocean. Which hasn't stopped a slew of new entries in the list-making business -- and not just simple top 10s, either. A handful of authors and publications have released, or are planning to release, works with up to 1,001 suggestions you should know about right now. Tom Moon, author of "1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die" (Workman), knew what a daunting task he had been assigned. "Could one person be counted on to do all kinds of music?" says Moon, the former music critic for The Philadelphia Inquirer and a regular contributor to NPR, describing himself as apprehensive about the project. But he found himself warming to the idea. As a music journalist, he prides himself on being a generalist, though he admits he's mostly stayed close to the pop realms. A book such as "1,000 Recordings," he says, can help people see past their particular favorite artists or genres and tap into the whole world of recorded music. "It's like having a tour guide with a flashlight shining into unknown places," he says in a recent interview at CNN Center. "It's someone saying, 'This is cool. Check this out.' " Watch Moon defend the inclusion of Britney Spears' "Toxic" » Moon isn't the only one marking time by making lists this season. Movie critic David Thomson put out " 'Have You Seen ...?': A Personal Introduction to 1,000 Films" (Knopf) in October. The January issue of Blender magazine blares "1,001 Greatest Songs to Download Right Now" on its cover. The minds behind the music Web site Pitchfork have "The Pitchfork 500: Our Guide to the Greatest Songs from Punk to the Present" (Simon and Schuster). And then there are the other big lists, past and future, including Dave Marsh's 1989 singles compendium "The Heart of Rock and Soul" (Marsh chose 1,001 influential singles) and Robert Hofler's forthcoming "Variety's 'The Movie That Changed My Life' " (120 notables pick their favorites). So where does one start? Thomson and Moon wanted references that included well-known titles and obscurities, often cheek by jowl. "I wanted a 'bumper' book for your laps," writes Thomson in his introduction. "I wanted old favorites to be neighbors with films you've never heard of. I wanted you to entertain the unlikely possibility that 'everything' is here. Of course, it is not -- everything remains out in our scattered 'there.' " So "Have You Seen ...?", which is organized in alphabetical order by title, includes some interesting juxtapositions. The laconic Humphrey Bogart film "The Big Sleep," directed by the no-nonsense Howard Hawks, precedes Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds." The Frank Capra-directed "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," starring an earnest James Stewart, resides next to David Lynch's loopily creepy "Mulholland Dr." Thomson picks some films for their artistry, others | [
"Who said \"These are starting points\"?",
"Who is Tom Moon?",
"what does moon say",
"who is offering mega-list",
"What does Tom Moon say about his \"1,000 Recordings\"?",
"who is saying this is cool"
] | [
[
"Tom Moon,"
],
[
"author of \"1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die\""
],
[
"\"Could one person be counted on to do all kinds of music?\""
],
[
"Richard Thompson"
],
[
"can help people see past their particular favorite artists or genres and tap into the whole world of recorded music."
],
[
"Moon,"
]
] | Critics offering mega-lists of albums, films, other things to know about .
Critic Tom Moon on his "1,000 Recordings": "It's someone saying, 'This is cool' "
Moon says he's not providing be-all and end-all: "These are starting points" |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Shoes tell a lot about a person. If you stumbled into my closet, you would probably think I was a security guard, a construction worker or a Nurse Ratched wannabe. My taste in shoes tends to be boxy, low-heeled and sturdy. If the equipment isn't cleaned properly, you could be at risk for infection when you get a pedicure. So it probably doesn't surprise you to learn that when it comes to pedicures, I am hardly a nail salon enabler. Unfortunately, in some sort of twisted cosmic comedy, both my teen and my tween daughters are pedicure addicts. To pedicure addicts, there is nothing better than being seated in those massive padded massage chairs, chin deep in fashion magazines, while some woman bathes, chisels, files and paints their toes. And up until now, the only thing I worried about was how much the extra flower motif on her big toe was going to cost me. Now, I have plenty of other stuff to worry about. Dr. Dina Tsentserensky, a podiatrist in New York, made it clear. "I definitely see patients that have had problems as a result of getting a pedicure," she said. "I guess the most common is fungal nails." Fungal nails!!! I really don't want to pay for that. The National Institutes of Health, unfortunately, describes fungal nail in less-than-clear terms: Fungal nail infection is an infection of the nails by a fungus. Prescription treatments are only about 50 percent effective, and most of these infections usually require the loss of the infected nail itself, the NIH Web site says. Cuts, scrapes and some other infections are also common results of seemingly soothing foot romps. Tsentserensky thinks it's nothing new. "I think it's a chronic problem that has been going on for a while," she said. "People just maybe chose to ignore it or don't pay attention as much as they should." Anyone who did pay attention could have known about some of those risks eight years ago. That's when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported finding a nasty infection that hit more than 100 pedicure patients. The culprit: a less-than-sterile footbath screen. The result: an infection called mycobacterium fortuitum. That mouthful of a malady left these customers, most of them women, with prolonged boils on their lower legs and some long-term scars. Although that report prompted nail salons to clean the screens on those foot baths more often, it doesn't mean that in the land of pedicure pampering, you can just relax and enjoy the polishing. Tsentserensky's chief advice is to be on high cleanliness alert. "I tell patients to make sure that the bathtubs are being cleaned properly, that they are using enough time in between so the disinfectant has time to work," she said. And the magic timeframe, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, is about 10 minutes between clients. The EPA also stresses that to ensure the safest conditions, the tubs need to be cleaned with an EPA-registered hospital disinfectant, which means the bottle itself will have a EPA registration number listed somewhere on the label. But it's not just the tubs that need to be clean. So do those instruments. "Make sure that instruments are getting sterilized properly," Tsentserensky cautions, "that they are using a sterilizer or an autoclave to properly sanitize the instruments or using the liquids for the proper periods of time." Timing is also important, but that's a condition that's on your side. Don't get a pedicure right after you've shaved your legs, had laser hair removal or have any cuts or bites on your legs. Any opening in the skin is an invitation that you might not want to be extending. And finally, make sure you can communicate with your nail technician to ensure he or she is taking the proper precautions to make your pedicure a stress-free experience and, more important, to | [
"What type of hospital disinfectant do tubs need to be cleaned with?",
"What can occur with pedicures?",
"Should instruments used for pedicures did sterilized?",
"what chemicals are used",
"What are some preventative measures?"
] | [
[
"EPA-registered"
],
[
"risk for infection"
],
[
"\"Make sure that"
],
[
"EPA-registered hospital disinfectant,"
],
[
"Don't get a pedicure right after you've shaved your legs, had laser hair removal or have any cuts or bites on your legs."
]
] | Some people get fungal nails or infections from pedicures .
Make sure that instruments are getting sterilized properly .
Tubs need to be cleaned with an EPA-registered hospital disinfectant . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Shortly after midnight on January 24, a 16-year old boy from Powder Springs, Georgia, crashed his car into an oncoming vehicle. Garrett Reed, a star football player at Harrison High School, died instantly. Police believe he had been drinking. Kecia Evangela Whitfield, 43, is charged with furnishing alcohol to a minor and reckless conduct. According to police, the investigation revealed that a classmate's mother served alcohol to Reed. Police charged 43-year-old Kecia Evangela Whitfield with furnishing alcohol to a minor and reckless conduct, both misdemeanors. Whitfield was released on a $10,000 bond and awaits a court date in April. Records on file with the Cobb County solicitor general's office indictate she has not yet entered a plea or obtained a lawyer. She did not return CNN's phone calls. If convicted, she could receive up to a year in jail and fines totaling thousands of dollars. Toxicology reports for Reed will be released in six weeks, officials said. His death stunned the small community of Powder Springs and sounded an alarm for parents. "What we have to realize is that our kids do think they are invincible," said Patti Agatston, a mother of another Harrison High School teenager who lives in Reed's neighborhood. "We can't be enablers. We've got to be adults and say 'no.' " At least ten states including Virginia, Minnesota and New Mexico-and Georgia, where Garrett's accident occurred, allow parents to give their own child alcohol, according to the Alcohol Policy Information System, a federal website that tracks alcohol laws. The alcohol can typically be given to the minor in the guardian's home or a private setting and there are no age limits, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. However, nowhere is it legal to give alcohol to other people's children. Officials say teen binge drinking is reaching epidemic proportions, and states and municipalities are scrambling to implement "social hosting" laws that carry stiff fines for parents whose homes are used for drinking parties, whether they know about them or not. At least 24 states have enacted social hosting laws that fine parents several thousand dollars for each offense, said Jim Mosher, an expert tracking alcohol policies at the National Conference of State Legislatures. The fines, he said, are an effective deterrent. A 2005 study conducted by the American Medical Association reported that about one-third of teens said it was "easy to obtain alcohol" from their parents. That figure jumps to 40 percent when it comes to getting alcohol from a friend's parent. One out of four teens said they had attended a party where minors were drinking in front of parents. Some communities are using their zoning powers to create local social hosting laws. These laws usually result in misdemeanor charges and jail time is rare. Prosecutors' offices are often busy with other cases and don't bother to charge unless there is a serious incident or accident, policy experts said. "It's very difficult for us to knock on a random door and say 'are you drinking?' " said Sgt. Dana Pierce of the Cobb County Police Department, the agency responsible for investigating Reed's case. "We usually have to respond to some kind of nuisance call." In Massachusetts in January, a court sentenced a mother to jail for serving alcohol to minors at a party in her home. A teenage boy died in an auto accident after leaving her party. In Charlottesville, Virginia, two adults served jail time in 2007 for providing alcohol at their son's 16th birthday party. Some parents consider giving a teenager a drink a rite of passage -- and that contributes to high teenage drinking rates, said Richard Yoast, director of the Department of Healthy Lifestyles and Primary Prevention at the American Medical Association. "It's a myth that adults and children are buying into, and it creates pressure on the child to drink," Yoast said. "The biggest problem to overcome is the fact that parents feel like they are helping their kids," said Denise Thames, | [
"who died in crash?",
"What star football player died?",
"how many states have enacted?",
"What event did the football player die in ?",
"How many states have enacted social hosting laws?",
"When did the crash happen?",
"what is charged of mother classmate's?",
"What is the classmate's mother charged with?"
] | [
[
"Garrett Reed,"
],
[
"Garrett Reed,"
],
[
"24"
],
[
"crashed his car into an oncoming vehicle."
],
[
"At least ten"
],
[
"Shortly after midnight on January 24,"
],
[
"served alcohol"
],
[
"furnishing alcohol to a minor and reckless conduct."
]
] | Star football player dies in crash that followed night of drinking .
Classmate's mother is charged with furnishing alcohol to a minor .
AMA: A third of teens say it's "easy to obtain alcohol" from parents .
At least 24 states have enacted social hosting laws carrying stiff fines . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Sixty-four cases of measles have been diagnosed in the United States this year, the most in seven years, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Measles is a respiratory disease whose familiar symptom is red blotches on the skin. In all but one of the cases, the people who contracted measles had not been vaccinated. Some were too young to have gotten the shots, which are administered from 12 to 15 months of age. The CDC released the statistics Thursday to "serve as a reminder that measles can and still does occur in the U.S. Ongoing measles virus transmission was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, but the risk of cases and outbreaks from imported disease remains," the organization said in a news release. Interactive: More about measles » In 54 of this year's cases the victims imported the measles from other countries, the CDC said. Dr. Anne Schuchat, the director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said many of the imported cases came from European nations and Israel. Watch more on the measles outbreak » "Many people have forgot about measles in the United States," she said Schuchat at a news conference Thursday. "It is very important for travelers heading off to Europe to make sure their immunizations are up to date." The cases were reported in nine states, it said, and cases are being treated in Wisconsin, Arizona, Michigan and New York. Measles is a viral disease that can be deadly if not treated. The 64 patients ranged in age from 5 months to 71 years. Fourteen patients were hospitalized but no deaths were reported. E-mail to a friend | [
"What does the CDC claim?",
"What was the age range of the 64 patients?",
"Had any of the 64 patients with measles been vaccinated?",
"what cdc says?",
"What does the CDC say about measels",
"Who was the oldest person who had contracted measles?",
"What is the age range of the measles patients?"
] | [
[
"Sixty-four cases of measles have been diagnosed in the United States this"
],
[
"5 months to 71 years."
],
[
"not"
],
[
"Sixty-four cases of measles have been diagnosed in the United States this"
],
[
"Sixty-four cases of measles have been diagnosed in the United States this"
],
[
"71 years."
],
[
"from 5 months to 71 years."
]
] | CDC: 64 confirmed measles cases in nine states since January .
64 patients ranged in age from 5 months to 71 years .
63 of the 64 were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status .
Highest number reported for same time period since 2001 . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- So much for Southern hospitality. The attack took place on April 27 at Southern Tracks Recording in Atlanta, Georgia. When Pearl Jam -- the Seattle, Washington-based grunge rock band -- was in the Atlanta area late last month, bass guitar player Jeff Ament and a band employee were mugged outside a recording studio, a police report shows. According to the DeKalb County Police Department, Ament and Mark Anthony Smith were attacked shortly before noon on April 27 when they arrived at Southern Tracks Recording. Southern Tracks is the home base of producer Brendan O'Brien, with whom the band has worked before. According to Rolling Stone, the band is recording a new album with the producer. Three men reportedly emerged from a nearby wooded area wearing masks and brandishing knives. They smashed windows of the rented Jeep Commander, snatched a BlackBerry phone and other belongings, and demanded money, the police report shows. The suspects allegedly got away with more than $7,300 in goods and cash. Ament jumped from the passenger side of the vehicle and started to run, but he was chased by a suspect and knocked to the ground, said Mekka Parish, a public information officer with the police department. Watch surveillance video of the attack » She said he "suffered some lacerations" on the back of his head and was treated at the scene. His backpack was also snatched, she said, and included inside was Ament's passport. "At this time detectives believe the victims were not specifically targeted," Parish said. "But they believe the suspects were familiar with the studio because of its isolated location." Though surveillance cameras captured the incident, the masks worn by the attackers have made identifying suspects difficult. Witnesses reported seeing the suspects flee through the woods and hop into a waiting black Maxima, Parish added. Anyone with leads on this case is encouraged to call 770-724-7850. | [
"What is the name of Pearl Jam's bassist?",
"What is Jeff Ament famous for?",
"What band does he play for?",
"Where was the bassist robbed?",
"who was mugged",
"What injuries did he suffer?",
"what did ament suffer",
"what did the masked men have"
] | [
[
"Jeff Ament"
],
[
"Pearl Jam"
],
[
"Pearl Jam"
],
[
"Atlanta area"
],
[
"bass guitar player Jeff Ament and a band employee"
],
[
"\"suffered some lacerations\" on the back of his head"
],
[
"some lacerations\" on the back of his head"
],
[
"knives."
]
] | Pearl Jam's bassist was mugged in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 27, police say .
Jeff Ament and one of the band's employees were outside recording studio .
Police say masked men with knives snatched more than $7,300 in cash and goods .
Ament suffered head lacerations, which were treated at the scene . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Terrorism, a slow economy and rising gas prices are issues that can keep American voters awake at night. Undecided voters gathered at Emory University, where Dr. Drew Westen studies how brains react to messages. Political strategists know that the most successful candidates are masters at capitalizing on fears such as these, and that can make a huge difference at the polls. In 1964, Lyndon Johnson was running for president against conservative Barry Goldwater when his campaign unleashed the "daisy ad." It showed a little girl counting as she plucked a daisy, charmingly mixing up her numbers. Then a baritone voice takes over, counting down to an overwhelming nuclear explosion. It's followed with a warning that the stakes are too high not to vote for Johnson. The ad, which ran only once, was so chilling and effective, analysts say, it helped Johnson win the presidency by one of the widest margins in U.S. history. CNN recently gathered eight undecided voters to see how they would respond to attack ads and how the ads might affect their choices. They met at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where psychologist Drew Westen studies how brains react to candidates' messages. Westen, who wrote "The Political Brain," said fear-based attack ads are effective because they tap into a voter's subconscious. "Those kinds of gut-level reactions tell us things like, 'I don't feel like this person is telling us the truth,' " Westen said. "Unless someone is a really good con man, those reactions are extremely helpful. The conscious brain processes only a tiny percent of information." Westen and his business partner, Joel Weinberger, have created software, through their company ThinkScan, that looks into a voter's subconscious. The software does this by measuring people's reaction time to certain words after they watch attack ads. The undecided voters in CNN's group watched the ads and were then asked to identify the color of words such as "weak," "inexperienced" and "terrorist." If they hesitated, even for one-thousandth of a second, before they clicked on the color that corresponded with the word, Weinberger said, it meant the word had an impact. "If the word is on their mind, if the word was activated, it will slow them down," Weinberger said. Westen predicted that the undecided voters would say they didn't like the ads and that the ads had no impact on them. He was right. The group watched Hillary Clinton's "3 a.m." campaign ad, which was intended to make voters question Barack Obama's experience. Viewers said that the ad was fear-mongering and that it did not make them think Clinton was a stronger leader than Obama. But the data, Westen said, showed that their brains reacted differently. Voters had the greatest hesitation with words like "weak" and "lightweight" during the color test. Westen said this meant the ad made them question Obama's readiness. "The purpose, too, is to make him seem scary, dangerous. 'You need to be afraid of this guy as president,' " Westen said. "That message unconsciously got through." The undecided voters also watched an ad attacking John McCain for saying the U.S. could be in Iraq for the next 100 years. After watching the ad, the group gave it a thumbs-down. But researchers said the data showed that it left them feeling McCain has poor judgment and is too close to President Bush. The results were identical when the same test was given to a much larger group of 100 voters. This happens because the ads trigger a response in the part of the brain called the amygdala, which experiences emotions such as fear. When it is aroused, it overrides logic, according to Westen. Despite the ability of attack ads to affect voters' subconscious thinking, Westen cautions that fear-based ads are risky because they can backfire. What advice does Westen have for presidential hopefuls? "They should make voters | [
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"What are fear based ads sometimes used for?",
"what psychologist drew westen says?",
"what cnn gathered?",
"what fear based attack ads are sometimes used for?",
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"what appeals to voters subconscious",
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"what did cnn gather",
"What is sometimes used by candidates to influence voters?"
] | [
[
"CNN"
],
[
"tap into a voter's subconscious."
],
[
"\"Unless someone is a really good con man, those reactions are extremely helpful."
],
[
"eight undecided"
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[
"affect voters' subconscious thinking,"
],
[
"tap into a voter's subconscious."
],
[
"Drew Westen"
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[
"how brains react to messages."
],
[
"fear-based attack ads"
],
[
"capitalizing on fears"
],
[
"eight undecided"
],
[
"capitalizing on fears"
]
] | Fear-based attack ads are sometimes used by candidates to influence voters .
CNN gathered eight undecided voters to measure the impact of attack ads .
Psychologist Drew Westen says fear-based ads appeal to voters' subconscious . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working with public health officials in 42 states to determine the cause of an outbreak of a particular type of salmonella called Typhimurium. Salmonella bacteria are transmitted to humans by eating contaminated foods. According to CDC sources, at least 388 people have been infected with this strain since September 3, but most cases occurred between October 1 and December 31, the disease agency said. About 18 percent of cases were hospitalized as a result of their illness, and patients have ranged from two months to 98 years of age. California is reporting the highest case count with 55, followed by Ohio with 53 cases, Massachusetts with 39, Minnesota with 30 and Michigan with 20. The other 37 states are each reporting anywhere from one to 19 cases. The eight states that have not reported any cases connected to the outbreak are Montana, New Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Florida, Alaska and Hawaii. King Nut peanut butter was identified as the source of an outbreak that may have contributed to one death in Minnesota, state public health officials said Friday in a news release. CNN was unable to reach the company for comment. CDC has not identified what food or foods might be causing this outbreak. CDC officials and state public health workers are conducting case control studies, which means they're tracking down people who have been infected as early as September to determine what they may have consumed, to find a common cause. Learn more about salmonella » The Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are in contact with the CDC, but without a determination of the cause of the outbreak, their involvement is limited. Various strains of salmonella have been linked to previous outbreaks, caused by contaminated eggs, meat, poultry, vegetables, pet food and even peanut butter. Contaminated tomatoes were blamed for a salmonella Typhimurium outbreak in fall 2006, which sickened at least 183 people in 21 states. Most of the victims had diarrhea and fever for about a week. Nobody died in that outbreak. Salmonella infections are caused by bacteria and if necessary can be treated with antibiotics, although some strains have become resistant to these drugs, according to the CDC Web site. Most people infected will develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps within a few days of infection, and their illness can last up to a week. Most recover without any treatment, but some may suffer dehydration and in severe cases require hospitalization. The youngest and oldest patients and chronically ill people with compromised immune systems are at highest risk for severe complications, according to the National Institutes of Health. Until a cause of the outbreak is confirmed, the CDC is recommending the following: Consumers should thoroughly cook meats, poultry and eggs. They should also avoid consuming raw or unpasteurized milk and other dairy products. Produce should be thoroughly washed as well. Avoid cross-contamination of uncooked meats and produce to prevent spreading any potential salmonella. Frequent washing of hands during food preparation can also help reduce cross-contamination. | [
"What was the type of salmonella?",
"What is the type called?",
"How many are infected?",
"What is the type of salmonella called?",
"what number of people were infected with salmonella?",
"Who is urged to check meat?"
] | [
[
"Typhimurium."
],
[
"Typhimurium."
],
[
"388"
],
[
"Typhimurium."
],
[
"388"
],
[
"Consumers"
]
] | At least 388 people infected with strain of salmonella since September 3 .
Type of salmonella called Typhimurium hospitalized approximately 69 people .
CDC has not identified what food or foods might be causing this outbreak .
Consumers urged to thoroughly cook meat, poultry and eggs, wash produce . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating how an international flight into Atlanta's major airport landed on a taxiway instead of a runway early Monday. The pilots of the plane that landed at the Atlanta airport have been relieved from flying duties pending probes. FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said Delta Flight 60, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, was cleared to land about 6:05 a.m. Monday on Runway 27R but landed instead on Taxiway M, which runs parallel to the runway. The flight had 194 passengers and crew aboard, according to CNN affiliate WXIA. No other aircraft were on the taxiway, and there was no damage to either the taxiway or the plane, a Boeing 767, Bergen said. A runway or taxiway collision, particularly with one plane preparing to take off and carrying a full fuel load, would be catastrophic. Bergen said she isn't sure whether or when other aircraft have ever landed on the taxiway at Hartsfield. Both Runway 27R and Taxiway M are 11,890 feet long, Bergen said, but the runway is marked with white lights while the taxiway is marked with blue lights. Delta spokesman Anthony Black said the airline is cooperating with the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board in their investigation, as well as conducting an internal investigation. The pilots of the flight have been relieved from active flying pending the completion of these investigations, Black said. Bergen and Black said a medical emergency was reported on the plane, but neither offered any details. The incursion came just two weeks after the FAA announced that serious runway incursions were down 50 percent from the year that ended September 30, 2008, over the year ending on the same date this year. The FAA said there were 12 serious incursions in 2009 and 25 in 2008. Only two of the serious incursions involved commercial airliners in 2009, compared with nine in 2008. The FAA defines a serious incursion as one in which a collision is narrowly avoided, or there was a significant potential for collision that resulted in the need to take quick corrective action. | [
"What is the difference between runway and taxiway?",
"Where did the plan land on Monday's incident?",
"Where did the plane land?",
"Where is the taxiway located?",
"What is parallel to the runway?",
"Where there any other planes located on the taxiway?",
"Was the aircraft damaged?"
] | [
[
"is marked with blue lights."
],
[
"a taxiway"
],
[
"on a taxiway"
],
[
"Hartsfield."
],
[
"Taxiway M,"
],
[
"No"
],
[
"no damage"
]
] | Plane landed on taxiway instead of runway Monday morning, FAA says .
No other plane was on the taxiway; aircraft wasn't damaged .
The taxiway is parallel to a runway, but they're marked differently . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The Rev. James Orange, a civil rights activist whose 1965 jailing sparked a fatal protest that ultimately led to the famed Selma-to-Montgomery march and the Voting Rights Act, died Saturday at Atlanta's Crawford Long Hospital, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference said in a statement. He was 65. Orange was a native of Birmingham, Alabama, "who resided in southwest Atlanta for four decades while fighting the good fight for equality and social justice for all mankind," said the SCLC, a civil rights organization. Orange was arrested and jailed in Perry County, Alabama, in 1965 on charges of disorderly conduct and contributing to the delinquency of minors for enlisting students to aid in voting rights drives. As rumors spread that Orange would be lynched, civil rights activists organized a march to support him. However, the marchers clashed with Alabama state troopers during the February 18 demonstration, and a young black man, Jimmie Lee Jackson, was shot in the stomach. "I could hear the singing and the commotion," Orange told CNN last year. "Once the tear gas was flying and the shots started, I couldn't tell what was going on." Jackson, 26, died eight days later. Witnesses said Jackson's grandfather, who was active in the voting rights movement, had been beaten by troopers, and Jackson was trying to get him to the hospital. The anger resulting from Jackson's death led civil rights leaders, including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., to organize the Selma-to-Montgomery, Alabama, voting rights march. The first attempt at that march was broken up by club-wielding state troopers and sheriff's deputies, a melee that became known as "Bloody Sunday." "Jimmie's death is the reason that Bloody Sunday took place," Orange said. "Had he not died, there would never have been a Bloody Sunday." On the marchers' third attempt, in March, they made it to Montgomery. President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law in August 1965. In May 2007, a former Alabama state trooper, James B. Fowler, now 74, was indicted in Jackson's shooting, one of several cases involving the deaths of civil rights activists that prosecutors have revived in recent years. Fowler has claimed he shot Jackson in self-defense, but Orange and Elijah Rollins, who was upstairs at a nearby cafe when the shooting took place, last year disputed claims that protesters were throwing rocks and bottles at police. "Not one bottle or brick was thrown back at the troopers," said Orange, adding that film and a Justice Department report back that up. He said he was glad Jackson's case had "never been forgotten." Orange was a project coordinator at the SCLC from 1965 to 1970, then later became a regional coordinator with the AFL-CIO in Atlanta, the SCLC said. Since 1995, he had served as the founder and general coordinator for the M.L. King Jr. March Committee-Africa/African American Renaissance Committee, Inc., which coordinated commemorative events honoring King and also promoted industry and commerce among Atlanta, the United States and South Africa. Orange is survived by his wife, five children and two grandchildren, the SCLC said. Funeral arrangements were incomplete Saturday. E-mail to a friend | [
"Which bill was signed into law?",
"what was Orange jailed for?",
"What triggered the bloody sunday?",
"When was Orange jailed in Alabama?",
"what made voting rights a law?",
"When was Orange jailed?",
"What was the result of the march?",
"Where did the march from Selma end?"
] | [
[
"Voting Rights Act"
],
[
"disorderly conduct and contributing to the delinquency of minors"
],
[
"\"Jimmie's death"
],
[
"1965"
],
[
"President Lyndon Johnson"
],
[
"1965"
],
[
"Voting Rights Act,"
],
[
"Montgomery."
]
] | Orange jailed in Alabama in 1965 for getting students to help voting rights drives .
In march to support him, a man was killed, leading to 'Bloody Sunday,' famed march .
After successful Selma-to-Montgomery march, Voting Rights Act signed into law . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The Rev. Martin Luther King is looking down on the United States, smiling, Otis Sutton said Wednesday. Otis Sutton, 78, recalls how times have changed since he grew up in the segregated South. "That's what he wanted. He'd been preaching that all along," Sutton, 78, said of the nation electing its first African-American president. Sutton, who has worked on and off at the historic Busy Bee Cafe in Atlanta, Georgia, since it opened in 1947, was baptized by the civil rights icon's father, King Sr. He remembers playing pick-up football games in a dirt lot with King Jr. when they were both youngsters in Atlanta. Asked if King Jr. was any good at football, Sutton chuckled. "He liked to read and study," he said with a reverence that prohibited him from disparaging King Jr. in any way, "but he loved the game." Walk around Atlanta and you'll find plenty of African-Americans who hope Sen. Barack Obama will inspire young people to reach for a book rather than a football. "As young, black Americans our society and our communities had told us that the only way we could make it out is if we entertain," said Cortez Tarver, 28, who cuts hair at the University Barbershop, just down the street from the historically black Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University. Hear Tarver talk about Obama's win » "They want us to be funny. They want us to cook their food, entertain them and play their sports -- and we do all that, we're just going to fit in." The media reinforce the erroneous notion that successful black men exist only in the realms of hip hop, football and basketball, Tarver said. The result is that fewer and fewer African-American children aspire to occupations like doctor and lawyer, he said. All that changed after Obama locked up the Electoral College vote on Tuesday night. "Now, they can say they want to be president," Tarver said of young blacks. "This shows us, hey, if we go to college, we study hard, we help out our communities, we can become president, we can become something great -- other than shucking and jiving, other than putting on a show." Sutton likens Obama's rise through the political ranks to Tiger Woods' rise through professional golf. Until about 12 years ago, when Woods turned pro, it was rare to find black youngsters swinging clubs at their local links. Even if they had the natural skills, they did not believe the game belonged to them, he said. "You never seen black children playing golf till [Woods] started playing," said Sutton, explaining that even his 7-year-old grandson, Josh, now enjoys playing golf. What Woods did for golf, Sutton said, Obama has done for politics. Children across the nation were told Tuesday night that they, too, can aspire to the highest office in the land. "If he can do it, they believe they can do it," Sutton said. Back at University Barbershop, Tarver's colleague, Spot Jackson, 28, said the only thing keeping him awake was some Burger King coffee and a few doughnuts after staying up until 6 a.m. watching election news. Like Tarver and Sutton, Jackson said he believes Obama shattered the ceiling for black men and women. He joked that Obama's victory made him want to start a foundation. Its mission would be simple, he said. "We're going to eradicate the word 'can't.' We're going to try to get it out of every dictionary known to man," he said. "There's nothing you can honestly say you can't do anymore; it just changes your perception as far as what you think is possible in this country." Jackson dismissed a question about whether the change was made possible by Obama's skin color, saying it was more about the man's character and | [
"Who is Otis Sutton?",
"Who said \"Obama did for politics what Tiger Woods did for golf\"?",
"whos hometown is this in",
"Who visited Martin Luther King Jr.'s hometown?"
] | [
[
"King Sr."
],
[
"Otis Sutton,"
],
[
"Otis Sutton,"
],
[
"Otis Sutton"
]
] | African-Americans in Martin Luther King Jr.'s hometown say Obama shattered ceiling .
Otis Sutton says Obama did for politics what Tiger Woods did for golf .
Blacks no longer relegated to "shucking and jiving" to get ahead, barber says . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The Script didn't follow the script. The Script includes, from left to right, Glen Power, Danny O'Donoghue and Mark Sheehan. In the standard showbiz treatment, a group -- say, three plucky, working-class music-mad young men from Dublin, Ireland -- travel to the grand shores of the U.S. of A. They form a band, grab the ear of a noted producer and, with a lucky break or two, are soon opening for the stars who inspired them so many years before. If the story needs a rousing climax, they return as conquering heroes to their homeland, pick up the local paper and find that their new single has gone straight to No. 1. Applause, joyful tears, roll credits. Well, it wasn't quite like that. In the case of The Script -- vocalist/keyboardist Danny O'Donoghue, multi-instrumentalist Mark Sheehan and drummer Glen Power -- O'Donoghue and Sheehan traveled to the States and spent several years as struggling writers and producers. Drummer Power, another Dubliner, had bummed around music scenes for years; he'd met O'Donoghue and Sheehan not long before the pair packed it in and returned to Dublin, plying their trade and looking for breaks. Descriptions of the trio as "an overnight success" thus leave them skeptical. If that's the case, said Sheehan before a concert at Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia, "It was the longest night of our lives." Watch an interview with The Script » On the other hand, when success did strike, it struck hard and relatively quickly. When O'Donoghue and Sheehan returned to Dublin, they decided to form a band. They recruited Power, noting their "great strength together" -- in Power's words -- after jamming together. The Script's first single, "We Cry," hit the UK Top 20 in the spring of 2008, and the second, "The Man Who Can't Be Moved," hit No. 1. The group's self-titled debut came out in August 2008 in Britain. In December 2008, they played the Nobel Peace Prize Concert, and, in March of this year, opened for U2. (Their album was finally released in the U.S. that same month.) They've spent this summer as Paul McCartney's opening act, which was what brought them to Piedmont Park. Touring with the former Beatle "feels like a master class for us," said Sheehan. The three, all around 30, finish each other's sentences like the old friends they are and display a savvy about the music business. That's only fitting, as O'Donoghue and Sheehan spent their years in America learning the trade alongside producers such as Teddy Riley and the Neptunes. Sheehan says the group is looking for the sweet spot between the "rock climate" they grew up in and the hip-hop and R&B sounds that dominate American popular music. "[With our experience,] we're hashing it out, and I think we've found it," he said. (Asked about their own influences, they rattle off hip-hop artists such as Missy Elliott, Jay-Z and Kanye West.) The Script appears to have a happy ending, just as an old tale of rising stars would have it. But the three are quick to point out that aspiring musicians should, well, write their own story. "If there's a message to younger musicians, to me, it's 'don't give up,' " says O'Donoghue. "Magic can happen." | [
"When did the debut come out?",
"Who has the band opened for?",
"Who spent several years struggling as writers and producers?",
"Where did the band return to?",
"What are they the opening acts to?",
"What did the band decide to do when they returned to Ireland?",
"What did they do when they returned to Ireland?",
"What did the muscians do in the US?"
] | [
[
"August 2008"
],
[
"U2."
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[
"O'Donoghue"
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[
"Dublin, Ireland"
],
[
"U2."
],
[
"form a"
],
[
"form a band."
],
[
"spent several years as struggling writers and producers."
]
] | Musicians spent several years as struggling writers and producers in the U.S.
They decided to form a band when they returned to Ireland .
The group's self-titled debut came out in August 2008 in Britain .
This year, the band has been the opening act for U2 and Paul McCartney . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The high-end specialty coffee industry isn't immune to the effects of a recession, but many companies are still doing well. Growers, roasters and equipment manufacturers were represented at the coffee expo in Atlanta. Portland Roasting had a slow holiday season, but business is picking up, said owner Mark Stell. "February was a great month for us," he said. Stell traveled from Oregon to Atlanta, Georgia, for the Specialty Coffee Association of America expo, where the show floor was filled with nearly 800 booths featuring everything from exotic coffee beans to the latest Italian espresso machines. Stell's company sells about a million pounds of coffee a year. He said sales to offices and hotels are down but are being replaced by orders from grocers and universities. "People don't leave coffee," he said. "They just get it differently." Tony Riffel owns Octane Coffee in Atlanta and was watching the 10th annual World Barista Championship, held in conjunction with the expo at the Georgia World Congress Center. Pushcart owner Gwilym Davies of London, England, won the 2009 barista crown. Watch baristas battle for the world title » Riffel said business at his coffee shop was flat last summer, but sales are up 10 percent for the first quarter of 2009. "The first part of this year has been our best ever," he said. "People are being careful with what they're spending money on, but they're spending it on quality products." Business is good enough that Riffel plans to open a second location this year. "Now is a really good time to do that," he said. "Developers and landlords are more flexible and negotiable," even though banks are "pickier than normal." Joseph Taguman also knows about picky banks. The general manager of the Zambia Growers Association said the lack of financing is holding back the association's 80 farmers. Taguman said the farmers could grow more than their current rate of about 300 metric tons per year, but trees take time to grow and long-term financing is hard to come by in Zambia. A couple of aisles over from Taguman's booth, Shawn Contreras sees a similar problem. Contreras is the sales director for Diedrich Manufacturing, which has been selling roasting equipment for nearly 30 years. He said wholesale roasters are continuing to grow, but smaller operations are having "an extraordinarily difficult time" getting funding. Consultant Andrew Hetzel acknowledges that credit is a hindering factor for companies, but he is optimistic about the specialty coffee industry. "The U.S. market is continuing at a steady pace," he said. But it's a slower pace than the past few years. "Coffee is something that has been with humanity for 1,500 years," Hetzel said. "It's not going anywhere any time soon." | [
"What coffee industries are not immune to the recession?",
"What gathered in Atlanta for an annual expo?",
"What is looking to expand?",
"Who won the World Barista Championship?",
"Who is looking to expand?",
"What was held in conjunction with the expo?"
] | [
[
"The high-end specialty"
],
[
"Growers, roasters and equipment manufacturers"
],
[
"high-end specialty coffee industry"
],
[
"Gwilym Davies"
],
[
"Portland Roasting"
],
[
"10th annual World Barista Championship,"
]
] | High-end specialty coffee industry not immune to effects of recession .
Many companies still doing well, with some looking to expand .
Hundreds of companies from around the world gathered in Atlanta for annual expo .
British barista wins World Barista Championship held in conjunction with expo . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The news on the housing market continues to be bleak as bleak can be. In just one example, the January numbers from the Case-Shiller index -- a popular collection of data about repeat sales of single-family homes -- show that home values in Phoenix are down almost 50 percent from their peak in July 2006. Clark Howard has bought several foreclosures over the years and has his eye on another. There are similarly dismal numbers in Las Vegas and Miami (both down more than 40 percent) and San Francisco and San Diego (both down 40 percent). But you've got to realize that housing stats are skewed by bubble markets such as these, where people were trying to get rich quick on someone else's money. Yet still, sometimes you can be left feeling like there's no good news in all of this. Well, I have some for you. Half of all home purchases in February were by first-time homebuyers, according to The Financial Times of London. Those buyers were taking advantage of incredible interest rates and low housing prices, not to mention new tax incentives for first-time homebuyers. How about you? If you want to get in the game, you've got to look REO -- and I'm not talking about the classic rock band REO Speedwagon! REO stands for real-estate owned property. It's where you buy directly from the bank after they foreclose on a property. Banks are notoriously bad property managers. It's not uncommon for them to let a property go unloved and neglected for several months. Before long, the property starts looking like a haunted house on Halloween. The grass is unkempt, the shutters are falling off and windows may be broken. That's when you can really swoop in and steal a deal. I've bought a number of foreclosures over the years. My most recent purchase was last year, but I'm thinking about buying another foreclosure I saw while filming with my HLN show crew. Watch Clark finding a bank-owned bargain » I'm particularly a fan of houses that smell! The odors can usually be eliminated very easily. But buyers are quickly turned off by a stinky house, and that means I can really underbid on my offer. If you want to start looking for REOs in a specific part of town, try finding a real estate agent who farms that area. You can also try searching the web by visiting sites such as HUD.gov, HomeSales.gov, EmailForeclosures.com and Trulia.com. When searching for foreclosures or distressed property in the single-family home market, be on the lookout for several things: an established neighborhood that's 10 years or older; a neighborhood that is mostly owner-occupied; and a house that is structurally sound with cosmetic damage only. My rule of thumb has always been that you want to buy 20 percent below fair market value for homes and 30 percent below fair market value for condos. Speaking of condos, the condo market in particular has a lot of hazards. When you buy a condo, you're buying an obligation and a commitment in a condo association. Do not buy in a building that has been recently constructed. You want to look for established condo buildings that have been there six years or longer. With established buildings, you know that most people are paying their condo fees. And finally, remember that foreclosures and REOs are just part of a larger category of "people problem" houses. These are the kinds of houses that sit on the market as wounded ducks because the owners endured job loss, divorce, relocation or any other of a host of troubling scenarios. The real key to finding a deal is to know the local market conditions where you're buying. Go after the properties that are REOs for 45 days or longer. Lenders are usually unrealistic about the pricing of properties on their books for about the first 6 weeks. Remember, out of adversity comes great opportunity. | [
"who is a fan of houses?",
"what is the key?",
"In REO, real-estate owned, how do you buy?",
"What is the key to finding a deal?",
"what is real-estate owned?",
"How many home purchases in February were by first-time homebuyers?",
"Who accounted for half of home purchases in February?"
] | [
[
"Clark Howard"
],
[
"know the local market conditions"
],
[
"directly from the bank after they foreclose on a property."
],
[
"know the local market conditions where you're buying. Go after the properties that are REOs for 45 days or longer. Lenders are usually unrealistic about the pricing of properties on their books for about the first 6 weeks."
],
[
"property."
],
[
"Half"
],
[
"first-time homebuyers,"
]
] | Half of all home purchases in February were by first-time homebuyers .
In REO, real-estate owned, you buy directly from bank after they foreclose on property .
Clark is a fan of houses that smell, since he can really underbid his offer .
The key to finding a deal is to know local market conditions . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The photograph is a jarring image that shows Nazi Party members, shovels in hand, digging up graves of American soldiers held as slaves by Nazi Germany during World War II.
Members of the Nazi Party are forced to dig up mass graves of U.S. soldiers while American GIs look on.
While the men dig up the site, U.S. soldiers investigating war crimes stand over them. Two crosses with helmets placed atop them -- the sign of a fallen soldier -- are visible. Two Germans are knee deep in mud. Another, with a handlebar mustache, has the look of a defeated man. The bodies of 22 American soldiers were found in at least seven graves, according to the photographer.
On the back of the photo is written, "Nazi Party members digging up American bodies at Berga." Berga an der Elster was a slave labor camp where 350 U.S. soldiers were beaten, starved, and forced to work in tunnels for the German government. The soldiers were singled out for "looking like Jews" or "sounding like Jews," or dubbed as undesirables, according to survivors. More than 100 soldiers perished at the camp or on a forced death march.
It was on this day six decades ago, April 23, 1945, when most of the slave labor camp soldiers were liberated by advancing U.S. troops. The emaciated soldiers, many weighing just 80 pounds, had been forced by Nazi commanders to march more than 150 miles before their rescue. Watch survivor break down in tears over liberation »
The new photograph was likely taken in May or June 1945 when U.S. war crimes investigators combed Berga. It was donated earlier this month to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum by Jim Martin and his family, whose father, Elmore "Bud" Martin, is believed to have snapped the picture as part of the war crimes investigation team.
The photo and dozens of others sat for years in Jim Martin's closet. Some of the photos, including graphic images of American corpses, were placed on record at the National Archives years ago. See shocking photos of the slave camp »
But the image of Nazi Party members digging up graves doesn't appear to be part of that collection. Martin said he was proud to hand over the photos.
"People have to see these. This is something that's history and it belongs with something that's historical to tell that story. It doesn't belong in my closet."
"To be honest, I'm kind of sorry I haven't done it sooner. We didn't realize what it was."
Elmore Martin, who won a Silver Star for his valor in capturing images during the war, was 28 when he shot the photographs. Before the war, he worked as a photographer for the St. Paul Dispatch and Pioneer Press. Martin's son said his dad, who died several years ago, struggled to keep a job when he returned home. "I now see where it all started," he said.
What Elmore Martin and the war crimes soldiers seen in the photo couldn't have known that day was how the case would evolve.
The two Berga commanders -- Erwin Metz and his superior, Hauptmann Ludwig Merz -- were tried for war crimes and initially sentenced to die by hanging. But the U.S. government commuted their death sentences in 1948, and both men were eventually released in the 1950s. One other Berga commander, Lt. Willy Hack, was executed, but not by the United States. He died by hanging, justice carried out by the Soviets.
Jim Martin said his father would have been upset at the freeing of the Berga commanders after the atrocities he documented. "He knew it happened and to see that these people were released would be pretty devastating."
Efraim Zuroff, who has spent nearly 30 years hunting Nazis responsible for the Holocaust, said the U.S. government commuted the sentences and freed hundreds of war criminals like those at Berga after the war, as the Cold War began to intensify.
"They were more concerned about keeping out Communists than admitting victims of the Nazis | [
"Where was the photo donated?",
"Where was the slave camp located?",
"What is the new photo showing?",
"Who was held in the camp?"
] | [
[
"U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum"
],
[
"Berga an der Elster"
],
[
"\"Nazi Party members digging up American bodies at Berga.\""
],
[
"American soldiers"
]
] | New photo surfaces of Nazi slave labor camp where U.S. soldiers held during WWII .
Photo donated to U.S. Holocaust museum by family of U.S. war crimes photographer .
"People have to see these. This is something that's history," Jim Martin says .
Today marks the anniversary of the liberation of the soldiers held at the camp . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The photograph is a jarring image that shows Nazi Party members, shovels in hand, digging up graves of American soldiers held as slaves by Nazi Germany during World War II. Members of the Nazi Party are forced to dig up mass graves of U.S. soldiers while American GIs look on. While the men dig up the site, U.S. soldiers investigating war crimes stand over them. Two crosses with helmets placed atop them -- the sign of a fallen soldier -- are visible. Two Germans are knee deep in mud. Another, with a handlebar mustache, has the look of a defeated man. The bodies of 22 American soldiers were found in at least seven graves, according to the photographer. On the back of the photo is written, "Nazi Party members digging up American bodies at Berga." Berga an der Elster was a slave labor camp where 350 U.S. soldiers were beaten, starved, and forced to work in tunnels for the German government. The soldiers were singled out for "looking like Jews" or "sounding like Jews," or dubbed as undesirables, according to survivors. More than 100 soldiers perished at the camp or on a forced death march. It was on this day six decades ago, April 23, 1945, when most of the slave labor camp soldiers were liberated by advancing U.S. troops. The emaciated soldiers, many weighing just 80 pounds, had been forced by Nazi commanders to march more than 150 miles before their rescue. Watch survivor break down in tears over liberation » The new photograph was likely taken in May or June 1945 when U.S. war crimes investigators combed Berga. It was donated earlier this month to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum by Jim Martin and his family, whose father, Elmore "Bud" Martin, is believed to have snapped the picture as part of the war crimes investigation team. The photo and dozens of others sat for years in Jim Martin's closet. Some of the photos, including graphic images of American corpses, were placed on record at the National Archives years ago. See shocking photos of the slave camp » But the image of Nazi Party members digging up graves doesn't appear to be part of that collection. Martin said he was proud to hand over the photos. "People have to see these. This is something that's history and it belongs with something that's historical to tell that story. It doesn't belong in my closet." "To be honest, I'm kind of sorry I haven't done it sooner. We didn't realize what it was." Elmore Martin, who won a Silver Star for his valor in capturing images during the war, was 28 when he shot the photographs. Before the war, he worked as a photographer for the St. Paul Dispatch and Pioneer Press. Martin's son said his dad, who died several years ago, struggled to keep a job when he returned home. "I now see where it all started," he said. What Elmore Martin and the war crimes soldiers seen in the photo couldn't have known that day was how the case would evolve. The two Berga commanders -- Erwin Metz and his superior, Hauptmann Ludwig Merz -- were tried for war crimes and initially sentenced to die by hanging. But the U.S. government commuted their death sentences in 1948, and both men were eventually released in the 1950s. One other Berga commander, Lt. Willy Hack, was executed, but not by the United States. He died by hanging, justice carried out by the Soviets. Jim Martin said his father would have been upset at the freeing of the Berga commanders after the atrocities he documented. "He knew it happened and to see that these people were released would be pretty devastating." Efraim Zuroff, who has spent nearly 30 years hunting Nazis responsible for the Holocaust, said the U.S. government commuted the sentences and freed hundreds of war criminals like those at Berga after the war, as the Cold War began to intensify. "They were more concerned about keeping out Communists than admitting victims of the Nazis | [
"Where is the museum?",
"where was the photo donated to?",
"who had the the slave labor camp?",
"Where is the camp located?"
] | [
[
"U.S."
],
[
"U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum"
],
[
"German government."
],
[
"Berga an der Elster"
]
] | New photo surfaces of Nazi slave labor camp where U.S. soldiers held during WWII .
Photo donated to U.S. Holocaust museum by family of U.S. war crimes photographer .
"People have to see these. This is something that's history," Jim Martin says .
Today marks the anniversary of the liberation of the soldiers held at the camp . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The tabloid-friendly tale of the so-called California "Octomom" continues to stir debate -- this time 2,000 miles away in the Georgia state capitol, where lawmakers say they're trying to prevent a repeat. Proposed legislation regulating in-vitro practices came after Nadya Suleman gave birth to octuplets. A Georgia state senator introduced legislation to limit the number of embryos that can be implanted in a woman's uterus during in-vitro fertilization procedures. Sen. Ralph Hudgens, a Republican from near Athens, Georgia, said his legislation was inspired by Nadya Suleman, the woman who said she gave birth to octuplets after being fertilized with six embryos -- an unusually high number. "She is not married," said Hudgens. "She is unemployed, she is on government assistance and now she is going to put those 14 children on the back of the taxpayers in the state of California." Suleman, 33, had six children before the procedure. Hudgens' plan, which was co-sponsored by several other senators, would limit the number of embryos a doctor could implant to two for women under 40 years old and three for women 40 or older. Those numbers are slightly less than what's considered the norm in medical circles. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine recommends no more than two embryos for women under 35 years old and no more than five for women over 40. The reason for allowing more embryos in women over 40 is that it is more difficult for them to get pregnant. State lawmakers in Missouri are considering a similar bill. And England and Italy have had similar limits on the books for years. At least some fertility doctors say the limits in Hudgens' bill would hurt chances for women to get pregnant. They say that while three embryos are usually enough, there are special cases when they need more. "What this bill will effectively do is shut us down," said Dr. Daniel Shapiro, a fertility doctor in Atlanta. "Patients seeking reproductive care in Georgia will go to Tennessee or South Carolina or Alabama. They will just leave." Breaking the law would carry a fine of up to $1,000 under the legislation. Some critics of the plan also see another problem, calling it a backdoor effort to outlaw abortions in the state. The bill, which Hudgens titled the "Ethical Treatment of Human Embryos Act," contains language that says "a living in vitro human embryo is a biological human being who is not the property of any person or entity." The anti-abortion group Georgia Right to Life issued a news release in support of the bill on the day it was introduced. "Georgia Right to Life supports Sen. Hudgens in this legislation and wants to see strong protections in place to stop the dangerous practice of implanting more embryos than is medically recommended," the group said, saying the plan would help avoid premature births and low birth weight in in-vitro fertilization cases. Realistically, the bill faces long odds of passing -- at least in the near future. Tuesday was Day 25 of the Georgia legislature's 40-day session. Legislators will meet 10 more days, then take a break until June, when lawmakers will consider how money flowing to the state from the federal economic-stimulus plan may help their ongoing budget woes. According the the Georgia legislature's Web site on Tuesday, Hudgens' bill had been read and assigned to a committee, but no other action had taken place. Some Georgians from the lawmaker's part of the state say they hope he has to keep waiting for a long time. "Unless the senator is a physician, ethicist or other informed professional, he should step aside and let the medical professionals determine what is best in individual cases," Dorothy West wrote in a letter to the editor of the Athens Banner-Herald, Hudgens' hometown paper. "There are other issues more important to the citizens of Georgia that should be addressed." CNN's Elizabeth Cohen and Doug Gross contributed to this report. | [
"What would the bill limit?",
"What do critics call the bill?",
"Why are women limited to this.",
"What bill did Octomom inspire?",
"What do critics call it?",
"Who was the bill inspired by?",
"Who is the Georgia state senator?"
] | [
[
"the number of embryos that can be implanted in a woman's uterus during in-vitro fertilization procedures."
],
[
"a backdoor effort to outlaw abortions in the state."
],
[
"embryos a doctor could implant"
],
[
"legislation to limit the number of embryos that can be implanted in a woman's uterus during in-vitro fertilization procedures."
],
[
"backdoor effort to outlaw abortions"
],
[
"Nadya Suleman,"
],
[
"Ralph Hudgens,"
]
] | Georgia state senator says bill was inspired by "Octomom" Nadya Suleman .
Bill would limit women under 40 to two embryos, women 40 or older to three .
Critics call it a backdoor effort to outlaw abortions in the state .
Bill faces long odds of passing because of timing in Georgia legislature . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The three surviving children of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. are moving forward after averting a public trial over the estates of their parents.
Bernice King and her brothers Martin Luther King III and Dexter King will split money they have been fighting over.
The settlement among Bernice King, Martin Luther King III and Dexter King was announced after 11:30 p.m. Monday, Fulton County Superior Court spokesman Don Plummer said.
"We disagreed with each other, but we still always loved one another, and I think that's probably the most important factor," Martin Luther King III said.
Bernice King and Martin Luther King III sued Dexter King in July 2008, one month after accusing him of converting "substantial funds from the estate's financial account at Bank of America" for his own use, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit contended that Dexter King illegally and fraudulently converted estate funds and should be forced to repay the money and reimburse his siblings' legal costs. The document does not say how much he was accused of taking.
The suit also accused Dexter King of failing to provide timely accountings of their father's estate and said he hadn't given his siblings an accounting of finances in years.
Dexter King denied the accusations. He said shareholder meetings had not been held in the past few years because of family deaths that disrupted normal routines.
The Martin Luther King Jr. estate was also named as a defendant. Dexter King is the corporation's president and chief executive, in addition to being the estate's administrator.
The three children are the only shareholders in the corporation. Martin Luther King III and Bernice King hold 20 percent of its outstanding shares.
The two siblings also accused Dexter King of improperly removing money from the estate of their mother, Coretta Scott King, who died in 2006.
However, Superior Court Judge Ural D. Glanville determined that Dexter King was an authorized signatory on the checking account for his mother's estate, which is administered by Bernice King.
"There was no improper conduct with respect to the removal of funds from Mrs. King's estate," the court said in its order for summary judgment.
The judge ordered that money withdrawn be equally divided among the siblings.
"(It was a) very long day but also a very triumphant day in that we, as a family, I think, have amicably resolved our differences," Dexter King said.
"Families love each other. Families have disagreements," Bernice King said. "It doesn't mean as we go forward we will always agree because that would be a misnomer to say that."
The Kings have 14 days after the signing of Monday's settlement to each find three possible temporary custodians to manage the estate for at least one year. After the names are submitted to the court, the judge will make a choice, the settlement says.
According to the settlement, the appointment of a custodian will give the three children time to heal their relationship as siblings, to develop procedures for managing the corporation that oversees the Martin Luther King Jr. estate and to assure third parties "as to the validity and enforceability of any agreements."
One of the most bitter disagreements came over the private papers of Coretta Scott King. Dexter King accused his sister of withholding love letters between their parents that he wanted for a proposed $1.4 million book deal.
The judge ordered that Coretta Scott King's papers be brought to Freedom Hall at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Atlanta, Georgia, for temporary storage.
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968. HIs oldest child, Yolanda, died in 2007. | [
"Who will avoid trial?",
"The children of slain civil rights leader decided to split what equally?",
"What are the names of the brothers",
"Who denied the accusations",
"Who is the administrator of the Martin Luther King Jr. estate?"
] | [
[
"The three surviving children of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr."
],
[
"money they have been fighting over."
],
[
"Martin Luther King III"
],
[
"Dexter King"
],
[
"Dexter"
]
] | Children of slain civil rights leader decide to split contested money equally .
Settlement means siblings will avoid trial .
Bernice King, Martin Luther King III had accused brother of taking estate funds .
Dexter King, administrator of Martin Luther King Jr. estate, denied accusations . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- There's a bit of a trend brewing this summer concert season -- put together a couple of big-name acts for a nationwide tour, then record a song together to promote the event. Members of Styx, REO Speedwagon and Journey in 2003. Styx and REO have teamed up for a song and tour. It started with classic rockers REO Speedwagon and Styx, with their "Can't Stop Rockin' " tour and single of the same name. Now Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire are getting on the bandwagon. The two horn-heavy bands have recorded three songs especially for their joint 30-city summer tour. It's part of a charity campaign to benefit food banks across the country -- "Three Songs for Three Cans or Three Dollars." Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire team up on the new song "You." The bands also take a stab at each other's material, with Chicago recording Earth, Wind & Fire's "I Can't Let You Go" and Earth, Wind & Fire covering Chicago's "Wishing You Were Here." "The fact that the artists and bands, in this case, are touring together builds excitement with the possibility of the live performance that is exclusive to the tour," said Bruce Burch of the University of Georgia's Music Business School. It's "sort of a 'once in a lifetime' type of attraction that helps to sell concert tickets, merchandise and, hopefully, CDs and downloads." Concertgoers who contribute three cans of food or donate at least $3 will get a download card to access the tunes. People who don't make the shows will be able to donate online and download the songs at www.ewfandchicago.com. The Web site is expected to launch in early June. "This is a dream come true," said Earth, Wind & Fire's Philip Bailey, who came up with the three-songs promotion. "We want to invite everyone to help us do our small part to help feed America," added Chicago's trumpeter Lee Loughnane. Artists jamming together on stage is nothing new, and occasionally the songs are released as singles -- U2 and B.B. King's "When Love Comes to Town," from the 1988 album and film "Rattle and Hum," for example. Of course, duets promoting two hot artists or bands are hardly new either. Remember Josh Groban and Charlotte Church on "The Prayer" or "Almost Paradise" by Ann Wilson of Heart and Mike Reno of Loverboy from the "Footloose" soundtrack? "Hip-hop artists have been using duets for some time to reach audiences of both artists," Burch said. In some cases, more than two artists collaborate. "Even before that, country artists used this means to reach a larger audience for both artists," he said, noting the collaborations between George Jones and Tammy Wynette, and Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn. The new songs for the 2009 tours flip conventional wisdom. For decades, groups have recorded albums, then gone on tour to promote them. Specifically recording songs to promote a tour featuring a pairing of acts is a new idea -- and possibly one whose time has come, given the re-emergence of singles in the digital download age. Of course, it all depends on the success of the song. In the case of REO Speedwagon and Styx, they've scored a hit with their new tune. It's been riding near the top of the classic rock charts -- the biggest original hit by either band in years. "The jam ... is just plain, old-school, rock 'n' roll fun," REO Speedwagon's Kevin Cronin said on the band's Web site. Should other bands follow suit and score hits, it might prompt other classic pop artists to join forces not only on tour, but in the studio as well. | [
"who recorded three songs?",
"what is new about the combinations?",
"What did Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire do?",
"What did REO Speedwagon and Styx do?",
"who have combined for a tour?",
"How many songs were recorded for the tour?"
] | [
[
"Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire"
],
[
"recording songs to promote a tour featuring a pairing of acts"
],
[
"team up on the new song"
],
[
"have teamed up"
],
[
"Members of Styx, REO Speedwagon and Journey"
],
[
"three"
]
] | REO Speedwagon and Styx have combined for hit and tour .
Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire recorded three songs for joint tour .
Combining forces not new, but way it's being used may be . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- There's the Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls: blending her voice with singing partner Emily Saliers on songs such as "Closer to Fine" and "Galileo" and writing songs that tap into the duo's shared folk-oriented touchstones. Amy Ray says playing with some musician friends brought out songs that "felt very different from the Indigo Girls." Then there's Amy Ray the solo artist, letting out her inner Joe Strummer and Paul Westerberg. The two aren't mutually exclusive, of course. "Emily and I are frustrated sometimes with any kind of box," Ray says during an interview at her manager's office near downtown Atlanta, "because we want to experiment musically, and we do a lot of electric stuff. ... But the reality is that we are a folk band." However, Ray adds, her influences include artists who have come out of a punk mindset such as the Clash, the Replacements, the Pretenders and Patti Smith. "At some point I was hanging around with the Butchies -- a band I ended up playing with a lot -- and it just brought out this thing in me ... and it felt very different from the Indigo Girls," she says. Which explains the appearance of "Didn't It Feel Kinder" (Daemon), Ray's third solo album. Watch Ray perform the song "She's Got to Be" » (Disclosure: Ray and I were contemporaries at Atlanta's Emory University, but we didn't know one another.) The songs on "Kinder" include "Bus Bus," a scorching rocker about the longings felt while on tour; "Who Sold the Gun," which alludes to a mass shooting, counterpointed by rousing major chords; and "SLC Radio," which praises the support of a Salt Lake City radio station in the midst of "LDS nation." Ray gives a great deal of credit to producer Greg Griffith for the album's raw sound and melodic ideas, and she adds that the musicians on the solo album helped guide the way the songs were presented. "Something like 'Bus Bus,' I wanted this lead thing going on with a kind of raucous band, and the harmonies are very important but they are more of a bed that you're singing over rather than the duo," she says. "I think the musicians I play with solo do a certain thing that the musicians we play with with the Indigo Girls don't do. It's just a different thing. ... And it sort of steers my writing in some ways." A number of the solo songs do share the same activist outlook as Ray's songs with the Indigo Girls. "SLC Radio," for example, is about KRCL-FM, which Ray describes as "a really progressive community station." In the song, Ray, an out lesbian, sings "Radio radio SLC fighting the good fight for me/ Boys and girls lend a hand, bend an ear in God's land." "I was thinking about community radio in general, and I was thinking about Mormonism and the fabric of the country and how much you see when you're traveling ... and the idea that change comes, but it comes slow, and it comes one person at a time," she explains. But, she notes, "The song is not totally taking Mormonism to task. I even say, 'I'm sending love to all the Mormons,' 'Keep the good things throw out the bad.' " Respect flows both ways, she says. Ray's activism extends to the artist-centered Daemon Records, the label she founded in 1990. Though Daemon is the furthest thing from corporate -- Ray and the label's staff still stuff envelopes themselves -- she acknowledges that changes in the record business have forced her to adjust as much as any major label. Watch Ray on keeping the business going » "For indie labels it was a big adjustment because we ended up with a lot of CDs on hand when downloading | [
"What band is Amy Ray in?",
"Who has a solo album out?",
"Which group did Ray belong to?",
"What is the name of the solo album?",
"What is the name of Amy Ray's solo album?",
"What type of songs are on the album?"
] | [
[
"Indigo Girls:"
],
[
"Amy Ray"
],
[
"Indigo Girls:"
],
[
"\"Didn't It Feel Kinder\""
],
[
"\"Didn't It Feel Kinder\" (Daemon),"
],
[
"folk-oriented touchstones."
]
] | Indigo Girl Amy Ray has solo album out, "Didn't It Feel Kinder"
Sound on album harder-edged than Indigos; Ray says songs more apropos .
Ray on touring: Can be draining, but "not like digging a ditch" |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- They prefer the darkness and calm of early morning when their targets are most vulnerable, still sleeping or under the influence. They make sure their prey -- suspected killers and other violent fugitives -- know what they're up against. U.S. Marshal supervisory inspector James Ergas takes aim during a computer-simulated attack. "When they wake up to a submachine gun and flashlight in their face, they tend not to fight," says James Ergas, the supervisory inspector for the U.S. Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force. The U.S. Marshals Service is the nation's oldest law enforcement agency and best known for protecting federal judges, transporting federal prisoners and protecting witnesses. Less known is the cutting-edge work of the agency's six regional task forces in capturing suspects. The task force in Atlanta is located in a nondescript warehouse office park. In 2007, the investigators from the Southeast task force arrested more than 3,000 suspects; only once did the Marshals exchange gunfire, Ergas says. Watch Ergas blast bad guys in simulated attack » "This is the crème de la crème of the Marshal Service," says Eugene O'Donnell, a former prosecutor and New York City police officer who now teaches at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. On any given day, Ergas and his force are tracking 10 to 15 suspected killers roaming the Southeast, while also searching for other violent offenders. Already this year, they have been involved in a number of high-profile searches: Gary Michael Hilton, the suspect charged in the killing of Meredith Emerson who disappeared while hiking in northern Georgia; a fugitive Marine wanted in connection with the killing of Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach in North Carolina; and suspects wanted in connection with the killings of two suburban Atlanta police officers. But most of the time they're chasing suspects outside of the glare of the media spotlight. "Our mandate is to track violent fugitives -- murderers, armed robbers, rapists and fugitives of that caliber," says Keith Booker, the commander of the task force. Watch Booker describe their mission » One suspect currently being hunted is Charles Leon Parker who has been on the run since the 1980s after being accused of molesting his stepdaughters. The Marshals were brought in recently, Booker says, after Parker allegedly called one of his victims and said, "I wanted you to know I saw you and your daughter, and she sure is beautiful." O'Donnell says it takes highly trained, high energy, "really special people" to do such work day in and day out, especially when they're up against "some of the most dangerous individuals in the country." "It's not an exaggeration to say they're the front of the front line," O'Donnell says. "It's not going to get any more challenging than this in law enforcement." To make sure they are well prepared, the Atlanta office is equipped with a locker full of high-powered weaponry; a high-tech operations center, complete with flat screen TVs, where they communicate directly with investigators in the field; a two-story house for training; and a 300-degree computer simulator that puts the Marshals into real life danger scenarios. In one demonstration, Ergas steps into the simulator and responds to reports of shots fired at a workplace. A woman rushes to a victim on the ground, as Ergas barks out commands. Moments later, a man rounds the corner. He too tends to the victim. Suddenly, the gunman runs into the corner and Ergas opens fire with his Glock. The suspect hits the ground. Watch Ergas say there's no better training than the simulator » A split second later, another gunman emerges, and Ergas blasts him too. Think of it as Wii on steroids. "These are things you cannot get on a range," Ergas says. There are 50 different scenarios the simulator can create, with a technician able to change each scenario. A trainee can use a shotgun, rifle, Glock 22 or Glock 23. The guns shoot a laser | [
"what did the commander say about the case?",
"What do most searches go under?",
"what di the commander said about the murderers?",
"What number of suspects were caught last year?",
"What number of suspected killers are tracked a day?",
"what does task force track?",
"Who tracks the killers?",
"what was the amount of suspects capture last year?",
"what is the amount of suspected tracked by the force?"
] | [
[
"\"Our mandate is to track violent fugitives"
],
[
"darkness and calm of early morning"
],
[
"\"Our mandate is to track violent fugitives"
],
[
"more than 3,000"
],
[
"10 to 15"
],
[
"violent fugitives"
],
[
"Ergas and his force"
],
[
"3,000"
],
[
"10 to 15"
]
] | U.S. Marshals Southeast task force tracks 10-15 suspected killers a day .
Some are high-profile cases, but most are searches that go under media radar .
Commander: "Our mandate is to track ... murderers, armed robbers, rapists"
Office captured 3,000 suspects last year; only once were shots fired, chief says . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Three men who kidnapped and tortured a man over a drug debt were sentenced Tuesday in Atlanta, Georgia, to decades in prison, in a case tied to Mexican drug cartels. Federal authorities point to the 2008 case as evidence that Atlanta has become a major distribution hub for powerful Mexican drug groups such as the Sinaloa and Gulf cartels. Victor Abiles Gomez, 20, Omar Mendoza-Villegas, 19, and Gerardo Solorio Reyes, 23, were sentenced to more than 20 years each in the kidnapping and beating of Oscar Reynoso in a suburban Atlanta home, federal authorities said. Gomez and Mendoza-Villegas were sentenced to 24 years in federal prison; Reyes was sentenced to 26 years. The three gagged the victim and left him chained to a mattress in an unfinished basement for six days because of a $300,000 drug debt, authorities said. The three are illegal immigrants from Mexico and had ties to powerful drug cartels there, authorities said. "This case demonstrates the danger inherent in the illegal business of drug-dealing," said Atlanta U.S. Attorney David Nahmias. "Fortunately, this violent episode did not spill over to innocent members of our community." In fiscal 2008, authorities confiscated about $70 million in drug-related cash in Atlanta, more than anywhere else in the United States, the Drug Enforcement Administration has said. Atlanta has become a stopping point for truckloads of Mexican cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine, agents say. The drugs are held in stash houses before being distributed on the East Coast. | [
"What sentences did the 3 convicted kidnappers get?",
"what does the authorities says about atlanta?",
"What happened to the 3 men who were linked to cartels?",
"What happened to the victim?"
] | [
[
"Gomez and Mendoza-Villegas were sentenced to 24 years in federal prison; Reyes was sentenced to 26 years."
],
[
"has become a major distribution hub for powerful Mexican drug groups"
],
[
"decades in prison,"
],
[
"kidnapping"
]
] | 3 men linked to cartels kidnapped and tortured man over drug debt, authorities say .
Victim was found gagged, chained in basement in Atlanta suburb .
The three convicted kidnappers got sentences of 20+ years in federal prison .
Atlanta is stopping point for Mexican drug cartel shipments, authorities say . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Twenty-seven million new cancer cases are expected by 2030, according to a report released Tuesday by the World Health Organization's cancer research agency.
Rates for breast cancer, shown here under a microscope, have tripled in some Asian countries.
That compares to 12 million new cases in 2007, the report found. The group forecast a 1 percent increase globally each year, with emerging economies such as China, Russia and India being hit the hardest.
The major culprit: tobacco.
"About 1.3 billion people smoke globally, making tobacco the major avoidable cause of death and disease worldwide," the report found.
Experts say less developed countries are especially vulnerable, predicting a 38 percent increase in those regions by 2030. Watch more on the report »
Tobacco killed 100 million people in the world last century and will kill a billion in the 21st century, unless changes are made, said John R. Seffrin, chief executive officer at the American Cancer Society, Tuesday.
Besides smoking, other causes for the rise in the disease include high-fat diets including fast food and decreased physical activity, reflective of increasingly western lifestyles, the report found.
In addition, the rate of breast cancer has doubled or tripled in countries like Japan, Singapore and Korea, according to the report. In Africa, 518,000 people have died from cancer since the start of 2008 -- cervical cancer being the leading cancer killer among women, the report found.
But there is good news for some Western nations. Cancer mortality rates are falling in Great Britain and the United States, said Seffrin.
Effective cancer treatment in developing countries, experts say, depends on prevention and more data.
"Awareness of the global cancer burden pandemic and its causes will help establish and enforce policies, resources and programs to control cancer and tobacco, and to de-stigmatize cancer," according to the WHO report.
CNN's Miriam Falco contributed to this report. | [
"What countries have emerging economies?",
"By how much will certain cancer rates increase by 2030?",
"What are some things that cause increased risks of cancer?",
"Which economies will be hit the hardest?",
"Who will be hit hardest?",
"What are the cited causes?",
"What will see a 38% increase by 2030?",
"Which economies will be hit hardest?",
"What percentage increase of cancer will there be by 2030?",
"By what year will there be a 38% increase in cancer?"
] | [
[
"China, Russia and India"
],
[
"38 percent"
],
[
"high-fat diets including fast food and decreased physical activity,"
],
[
"China, Russia and India"
],
[
"emerging economies such as China, Russia and India"
],
[
"for the rise in the disease include high-fat diets including fast food and decreased physical activity,"
],
[
"new cancer cases"
],
[
"China, Russia and India"
],
[
"38 percent"
],
[
"2030."
]
] | Report: 38 percent increase in cancer in developing countries by 2030 .
Emerging economies such as China, Russia and India will be hit hardest .
Smoking, high-fat diets, decreased physical activity are cited causes . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Two of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s children are suing their brother, accusing him of wrongfully taking money from their parents' estates. Dexter King, left, Bernice King and Martin Luther King III attend a 2006 tribute for their late mother. Bernice King and Martin Luther King III allege that Dexter King took "substantial funds" out of Coretta Scott King's estate and "wrongfully appropriated" money from their father's estate. The suit, filed Thursday in Fulton County Superior Court, serves as a very public fissure in an iconic family that has always professed unity, particularly as questions have swirled around some of their financial dealings. In a written statement Friday, Dexter King called the suit "inappropriate and false." "I'm disappointed that our personal family disagreement, as it relates to the family business, has evolved into being handled in a public legal forum," he said. "It is my hope that this inappropriate and false claim by my siblings will be swiftly resolved and we can go about the business of focusing on our parents' tremendous legacy." The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in April 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was to lead garbage workers on a protest march. King's wife, Coretta Scott King, also devoted her life to the civil rights movement, died in 2006. Attorneys for Bernice King and Martin Luther King III would not say Friday how much money they are accusing Dexter King of taking from their mother's estate. Bernice King is the administrator of that estate. Dexter King, the suit says, controls their father's estate, which is registered as a Georgia corporation. All three children are shareholders in that corporation. The lawsuit names Dexter King and the corporation as defendants. It alleges that last month, the defendants "converted substantial funds from the estate's financial account at Bank of America for their own use." Harmon Caldwell, an Atlanta attorney representing the plaintiffs, said Dexter King is a signatory on the account, but "was not authorized to transfer the funds," and gave his sister "no notice that those funds were being transferred." The suit says that as a result of the transfer, "plaintiffs have and will suffer financial loss." The lawsuit lists Bernice King as a plaintiff both individually and as administrator of their mother's estate. Separately, the suit says Dexter King "has wrongfully appropriated assets belonging to the [estate of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.] or its shareholders for his own benefit." Caldwell said Dexter King has refused to say what has happened with some of the corporation's money. "I can't tell you that he's gone out and used corporate assets for his own living expenses," the attorney said. "What I can tell you for certainty is that by not providing Martin and Bernice with information about how the corporation is using its assets, he is essentially using those assets, appropriating those assets for his own benefit." The plaintiffs' attorneys would not estimate the size of either estate. But one, Jock Smith, noted that a collection of King's manuscripts and other items was sold in 2006 for a reported $32 million. "I don't think it was a substantial corporation of any sort before that," Smith said. Over the years, the family of the civil rights leader has zealously protected its financial interests, at times taking legal steps even against the media for showing some of King's most famous speeches. In 2005, some news agencies reported on the King Center, a nonprofit, having put millions of dollars into a for-profit business run by Dexter King. The family rejected allegations of wrongdoing, and has generally pushed to keep financial matters private. Smith said his clients made repeated efforts to reach out to their brother in recent weeks before deciding to take legal action. Smith agreed with the suggestion that it was emotionally tough for the King children to file the suit. "That would be the understatement of the | [
"When was this suit filed?",
"Who did Bernice King and Martin Luther King III name as defendants?",
"What did the defendants do?",
"What does the suit say about the defendants?",
"Who is the owner of the estate in question?",
"Where was the suit filled?"
] | [
[
"Thursday in Fulton County Superior Court,"
],
[
"Dexter"
],
[
"\"converted substantial funds from the estate's financial account at Bank of America for their own use.\""
],
[
"\"converted substantial funds from the estate's financial account at Bank of America for their own use.\""
],
[
"Coretta Scott King's"
],
[
"Fulton County Superior Court,"
]
] | Bernice King, Martin Luther King III name Dexter King, father's estate as defendants .
Suit also says defendants wrongfully took money from Coretta Scott King estate .
Suit alleges defendants "converted substantial funds" for their own use .
The suit was filed in Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta, Georgia . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Wearing a plaid green A-line spring skirt from her new fashion line, paired with a black patent leather belt and black leather gladiator sandal stilettos, "Sex and the City" actress Kristin Davis is the perfect combination of sweet and fierce when we meet up after her fashion show at the Belk department store in Atlanta, Georgia.
Kristin Davis surrounded by models and Belk store official Arlene Goldstein.
It's a look that totally says her character, Charlotte, with a little bit of screen pal Carrie. Davis is so much like her character, adorable and upbeat, I expect Carrie or Samantha to drop in on our conversation and say something to shock her.
As any true fan knows ... OK ... as every woman knows, watching "Sex and the City" was like being front row at a fashion show with a plot. TV show and movie costume designer Patricia Field dressed the characters in haute couture as they skipped down the streets of New York City in $600 stilettos.
But is this reality? Most sane women wouldn't choose to walk even one city block in high heels. And most women certainly can't spend a month's rent on a belt or bag, even if they have a truly fabulous party to wear it to.
So, what about us, the fashionistas on a budget? Are we to be ignored, forced to wear boring clothing and practical shoes? Luckily, no; designers are catching on.
Target features affordable lines from high-end designers like Alexander McQueen and Isaac Mizrahi. All of the pieces in Sarah Jessica Parker's clothing line Bitten cost less than $20 before the clothing store that carried them went under.
Davis is the latest celebrity to jump on the clothing label bandwagon, designing a line for Belk department stores. Will she meet the same fate as Parker?
Davis has the following to be successful. Although her character was by far the most conservatively dressed (Carrie strolling through town in just a bra top, anyone?), she had the most wearable wardrobe, and Davis became a fashion icon along with the rest of the ladies.
Her favorite piece from her line? "I can't decide, impossible to choose!" she says. So I choose for her: definitely the gladiator heels.
"It's important for women to have a strong shoe," she says. "Then you can wear anything on top. With a strong shoe on, you're good to go."
She admits she didn't have a defined style before meeting Field, who bluntly told her that "Sexy Secretary" was going to be her look.
Davis' philosophy is a good one: Stick with what works. She takes the look that Field defined for her "Sex and the City" character. Original it's not, but everything coming down the runway is something the stylish Charlotte York would definitely wear.
Davis is in touch with all of us real women out there, saying, "I don't want to make clothing that only skinny actresses could wear."
Her solution? Dresses, shoes and swimsuits worthy of a "Sex and the City" episode that you don't need Park Avenue pockets to afford. It's versatile enough to look good on every body type.
"Everyone has body issues. I really wanted to create pieces that looked good on different kinds of bodies. I had all of my family members trying on the outfits!" she says with a laugh.
Davis won't spill any secrets from the scripts of the "Sex and the City" movie sequel, which comes out in May 2010, but she admits it's a "happy" movie.
She does hint that our famous foursome might have to cut back a little on their clothing expenses as art imitates life. And she's willing to share some fashion tips: How to look like you stepped out of the wardrobe room on the set of the next "Sex and the City" movie? Green. "It's THE color" she says. And hey, who | [
"Who is Kristin Davis?",
"what did the actress say",
"Who wears green?",
"When does the latest movie released?",
"What show is Kristin Davis in?",
"what will be the hot color"
] | [
[
"\"Sex and the City\" actress"
],
[
"\"I can't decide, impossible to choose!\""
],
[
"Kristin Davis"
],
[
"May 2010,"
],
[
"\"Sex and the City\""
],
[
"Green."
]
] | "Sex and the City" actress Kristin Davis says women need strong shoes .
The actress says her new fashion line fits different types of bodies .
She says "Sex" movie sequel will have characters spending less .
Green will be the hot color in the latest movie, Davis says . |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Wearing a plaid green A-line spring skirt from her new fashion line, paired with a black patent leather belt and black leather gladiator sandal stilettos, "Sex and the City" actress Kristin Davis is the perfect combination of sweet and fierce when we meet up after her fashion show at the Belk department store in Atlanta, Georgia. Kristin Davis surrounded by models and Belk store official Arlene Goldstein. It's a look that totally says her character, Charlotte, with a little bit of screen pal Carrie. Davis is so much like her character, adorable and upbeat, I expect Carrie or Samantha to drop in on our conversation and say something to shock her. As any true fan knows ... OK ... as every woman knows, watching "Sex and the City" was like being front row at a fashion show with a plot. TV show and movie costume designer Patricia Field dressed the characters in haute couture as they skipped down the streets of New York City in $600 stilettos. But is this reality? Most sane women wouldn't choose to walk even one city block in high heels. And most women certainly can't spend a month's rent on a belt or bag, even if they have a truly fabulous party to wear it to. So, what about us, the fashionistas on a budget? Are we to be ignored, forced to wear boring clothing and practical shoes? Luckily, no; designers are catching on. Target features affordable lines from high-end designers like Alexander McQueen and Isaac Mizrahi. All of the pieces in Sarah Jessica Parker's clothing line Bitten cost less than $20 before the clothing store that carried them went under. Davis is the latest celebrity to jump on the clothing label bandwagon, designing a line for Belk department stores. Will she meet the same fate as Parker? Davis has the following to be successful. Although her character was by far the most conservatively dressed (Carrie strolling through town in just a bra top, anyone?), she had the most wearable wardrobe, and Davis became a fashion icon along with the rest of the ladies. Her favorite piece from her line? "I can't decide, impossible to choose!" she says. So I choose for her: definitely the gladiator heels. "It's important for women to have a strong shoe," she says. "Then you can wear anything on top. With a strong shoe on, you're good to go." She admits she didn't have a defined style before meeting Field, who bluntly told her that "Sexy Secretary" was going to be her look. Davis' philosophy is a good one: Stick with what works. She takes the look that Field defined for her "Sex and the City" character. Original it's not, but everything coming down the runway is something the stylish Charlotte York would definitely wear. Davis is in touch with all of us real women out there, saying, "I don't want to make clothing that only skinny actresses could wear." Her solution? Dresses, shoes and swimsuits worthy of a "Sex and the City" episode that you don't need Park Avenue pockets to afford. It's versatile enough to look good on every body type. "Everyone has body issues. I really wanted to create pieces that looked good on different kinds of bodies. I had all of my family members trying on the outfits!" she says with a laugh. Davis won't spill any secrets from the scripts of the "Sex and the City" movie sequel, which comes out in May 2010, but she admits it's a "happy" movie. She does hint that our famous foursome might have to cut back a little on their clothing expenses as art imitates life. And she's willing to share some fashion tips: How to look like you stepped out of the wardrobe room on the set of the next "Sex and the City" movie? Green. "It's THE color" she says. And hey, who | [
"What movie are they making a sequel of?",
"What did Kristin Davis say about her new fashion line?",
"What did Kristin Davis say about shoes?",
"What color will be considered hot?",
"What show does Kristin Davis star in?",
"What is the hot color in the latest SitC movie?",
"what is the name of the actress quoted?",
"What is the name of the movie?",
"What will be the hot new Color in the \"Sex\" movie sequel?"
] | [
[
"\"Sex and the City\""
],
[
"\"It's important for women to have a strong shoe,\""
],
[
"\"It's important for women to have a strong shoe,\""
],
[
"Green."
],
[
"\"Sex and the City\""
],
[
"Green."
],
[
"Kristin Davis"
],
[
"\"Sex and the City\""
],
[
"Green."
]
] | "Sex and the City" actress Kristin Davis says women need strong shoes .
The actress says her new fashion line fits different types of bodies .
She says "Sex" movie sequel will have characters spending less .
Green will be the hot color in the latest movie, Davis says . |
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