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

Question: what did the commander say about the case?

Question: What do most searches go under?

Question: what di the commander said about the murderers?

Question: What number of suspects were caught last year?

Question: What number of suspected killers are tracked a day?

Question: what does task force track?

Question: Who tracks the killers?

Question: what was the amount of suspects capture last year?

Question: what is the amount of suspected tracked by the force?

Answer: "Our mandate is to track violent fugitives

Answer: darkness and calm of early morning

Answer: "Our mandate is to track violent fugitives

Answer: more than 3,000

Answer: 10 to 15

Answer: violent fugitives

Answer: Ergas and his force

Answer: 3,000

Answer: 10 to 15

Summary:
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.

Question: What sentences did the 3 convicted kidnappers get?

Question: what does the authorities says about atlanta?

Question: What happened to the 3 men who were linked to cartels?

Question: What happened to the victim?

Answer: Gomez and Mendoza-Villegas were sentenced to 24 years in federal prison; Reyes was sentenced to 26 years.

Answer: has become a major distribution hub for powerful Mexican drug groups

Answer: decades in prison,

Answer: kidnapping

Summary:
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 Â»

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.

Question: What countries have emerging economies?

Question: By how much will certain cancer rates increase by 2030?

Question: What are some things that cause increased risks of cancer?

Question: Which economies will be hit the hardest?

Question: Who will be hit hardest?

Question: What are the cited causes?

Question: What will see a 38% increase by 2030?

Question: Which economies will be hit hardest?

Question: What percentage increase of cancer will there be by 2030?

Question: By what year will there be a 38% increase in cancer?

Answer: China, Russia and India

Answer: 38 percent

Answer: high-fat diets including fast food and decreased physical activity,

Answer: China, Russia and India

Answer: emerging economies such as China, Russia and India

Answer: for the rise in the disease include high-fat diets including fast food and decreased physical activity,

Answer: new cancer cases

Answer: China, Russia and India

Answer: 38 percent

Answer: 2030.

Summary:
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

Question: When was this suit filed?

Question: Who did Bernice King and Martin Luther King III name as defendants?

Question: What did the defendants do?

Question: What does the suit say about the defendants?

Question: Who is the owner of the estate in question?

Question: Where was the suit filled?

Answer: Thursday in Fulton County Superior Court,

Answer: Dexter

Answer: "converted substantial funds from the estate's financial account at Bank of America for their own use."

Answer: "converted substantial funds from the estate's financial account at Bank of America for their own use."

Answer: Coretta Scott King's

Answer: Fulton County Superior Court,

Summary:
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

Question:
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

Answer: "Sex and the City" actress

Answer: "I can't decide, impossible to choose!"

Answer: Kristin Davis

Answer: May 2010,

Answer: "Sex and the City"

Answer: Green.

Summary:
"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

Question: What movie are they making a sequel of?

Question: What did Kristin Davis say about her new fashion line?

Question: What did Kristin Davis say about shoes?

Question: What color will be considered hot?

Question: What show does Kristin Davis star in?

Question: What is the hot color in the latest SitC movie?

Question: what is the name of the actress quoted?

Question: What is the name of the movie?

Question: What will be the hot new Color in the "Sex" movie sequel?

Answer: "Sex and the City"

Answer: "It's important for women to have a strong shoe,"

Answer: "It's important for women to have a strong shoe,"

Answer: Green.

Answer: "Sex and the City"

Answer: Green.

Answer: Kristin Davis

Answer: "Sex and the City"

Answer: Green.


ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- When Patricia Cornwell began writing thriller novels, she ruled the world of forensic science. "I'm very interested in what motivates people, why they do what they do, how they do it," Patricia Cornwell said. "I could treat readers in each book to some new aspect that they wouldn't be familiar with," Cornwell said. Now the author is bombarded with "CSI"-like information from every side -- from "Bones" to "Forensic Files" to, well, "CSI." "It's like you create this monster and find out it's living in the house with you, and it's banished you to a room because it has more power than you," she said. Cornwell knew she had to adapt to the changing entertainment climate. "One of the questions I really did ask myself was, 'What's the one thing I have no one else does?' " The answer was chief medical examiner Kay Scarpetta, Cornwell's heroine. Scarpetta is independent, feisty and someone Cornwell knows better than she knows herself. To honor that close relationship, Cornwell decided to name her 16th book in the series after its main character, titling it simply "Scarpetta." "I realized, here it is 2008. I finished my first book 20 years ago in 1988. This is a really big anniversary," Cornwell said. In the novel, Scarpetta leaves South Carolina for New York, where the NYPD has asked her to examine an injured psychiatric patient. The patient has a graphic tale to tell -- one of paranoia and murder. The novelist said her books all have two things in common: First, of course, is a plot twist that allows Scarpetta to make a Sherlock Holmes-like deduction. The second is intriguing character interaction. "What's going on with them in this book? What are they doing with or to each other? Who's in love? Who isn't? Who's on the outs with whom? Because I hope, in the end, [my books] are like high-level, crime soap operas." With two decades of character history, Cornwell has a lot to work with in that area. But her books are also full of intellectual fodder. Scarpetta is a disciplined academic -- a scientist with a law degree. Cornwell spent six years working in a medical examiner's office before writing her first book, and she continues to spend time with professionals to keep up on new forensic technology. In recent weeks she has researched an autopsy in Florida and worked with the National Forensic Academy. If she's going to write about trace evidence, she believes, she's going to go to a trace evidence lab. "I was never a scientific person," Cornwell said. "When I got interested in science I had to learn it after the fact... and that was good because I had already learned how to describe things, how to ask questions the audience would want answered. I was much better able to translate things into a language someone else could grasp." Her dedication to understanding her subject translates into other areas as well. Cornwell became a helicopter pilot, a certified scuba diver and qualified for a motorcycle license, all because she was writing about characters who were doing those things. Fans appreciate Cornwell's enthusiasm and writing style, pushing 12 of her novels onto USA Today's best-seller lists. But Cornwell said "Scarpetta" is actually more uplifting than her last couple of books, which took on a more twisted aura. "I'm glad because I think we live in very dark times and no one wants to read a depressing book now." Still, Cornwell has been delving deeper into her characters' minds with each new book, and "Scarpetta" won't alter that trend. "I'm very interested in what motivates people, why they do what they do, how they do it," she said. "It probably has something to do with where I am in life. I

Question: where Scarpetta leaves South Carolina for new case?

Question: what Author still spends time researching forensic science?

Question: Where did Scarpetta leave?

Question: what is the name of her new book

Question: what Patricia Cornwell releases 16th book about Kay Scarpetta called?

Question: What was the name of Patricia's 16th book?

Question: where is the new case set

Answer: York,

Answer: Patricia Cornwell

Answer: South Carolina

Answer: "Scarpetta."

Answer: "Scarpetta."

Answer: "Scarpetta."

Answer: York,

Summary:
Patricia Cornwell releases 16th book about Kay Scarpetta called "Scarpetta"
Scarpetta leaves South Carolina for new case in New York .
Cornwell enjoys exploring her characters' minds and criminal psychology .
Author still spends time researching forensic science .


ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Why would an award-winning singer, songwriter, producer and single mother want to tack reality TV star onto her long list of accomplishments? Kandi Burruss says she is happy to join the "Real Housewives of Atlanta" cast. For Kandi Burruss, the newest member of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, the answer is simple: "I was a fan last year. I love the show." The second season of Bravo's hit show is set to premier on Thursday with Burruss replacing cast member DeShawn Snow. Burruss is well-known in the music industry as a former member of the platinum-selling R&B girl group Xscape and co-writer of such hits as Destiny's Child's "Bills, Bills, Bills" and TLC's "No Scrubs," for which she won a Grammy. The Atlanta native almost ended up on another reality show with former group mate and writing partner Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, who is the fiancée of rapper T.I. and now stars on BET's "Tiny & Toya" alongside Antonia "Toya" Carter, the ex-wife of Lil' Wayne. The deal for that show didn't work out and Burruss said she was more than happy to sign on with Bravo's wildly successful southern edition of the "Housewives" franchise, which chronicles the lives of a group of affluent African-American women in the ATL. Burruss was already friendly with cast mate Lisa Wu Hartwell, whom she met through their mutual friend Cottle. Having watched the show -- which last season enraptured viewers with a mix of constant infighting, lavish lifestyles and a healthy dose of drama -- Burruss said she was more concerned with being thrust into the public eye than she was with getting along with the cast. "The only thing that made me hesitant about wanting to be a part of the show is the fact that people are so critical of the show," she said. "Just dealing with people on the outside judging you. That part is going to be something that I am going to have to get used to." The artist has already had to get acclimated to people smearing her personal life on the Internet.  Watch Burruss discuss her time on the show » Newly engaged to a father of six children, Burruss has watched him get attacked in blogs and is protective of the man who she said even her mother isn't thrilled about her marrying. "[The show] has been very, very stressful on the relationship," she said. "I guess [people] couldn't find anything bad [to say] about me, so they wanted to go in on my fiancé." Her caring nature and laid-back personality make Burruss special in the industry, said rapper Rick Ross. "She's a very humble person, maybe one of the most humble people among the biggest songwriters in the industry," said Ross, who collaborated with Burruss on a track for a new solo album she has in the works. "It's good to be around the greats and she most definitely is one of the greatest in the industry." Her home music studio attests to that. The walls are covered with gold and platinum records for her work with several high-profile artists including Alicia Keys, *NSYNC, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. Being part of a girl group helped prepare her for the drama of dealing with the other housewives' personalities, Burruss said, though she admitted clashing with outspoken cast mate NeNe Leakes during filming. "I was a fan of hers last year," Burruss said. "All that wild and crazy stuff she says to people, when you're watching it, it's funny, it's hilarious... but when it's directed at you, it's not funny anymore." Burruss got along better with aspiring singer Kim Zolciak, who Burruss will assist in achieving her dream of breaking into the industry. Last season, fans of the show -- and some of the other housewives -- slammed Zolciak for her less-than-

Question: Who is the newest member of the show?

Question: Kandi hopes fan will see her in what?

Question: Who is the newest member of RHOA?

Question: What is the name of the show?

Question: Who is the newest member of "Real Housewives of Atlanta"?

Question: Burruss confirms she doesn't get along with which cast mate?

Question: who is the newest member of Bravo's "Real Housewives of Atlanta"?

Question: Which cast member didn't get along with Burruss?

Question: Who is the newest member of Bravo's programme?

Question: Who  is the newest member of Bravo's "Real Housewives of Atlanta"?

Answer: Kandi Burruss,

Answer: the Real Housewives of Atlanta,

Answer: Kandi Burruss,

Answer: "Real Housewives of Atlanta"

Answer: of the Real

Answer: NeNe Leakes

Answer: Kandi Burruss

Answer: NeNe Leakes

Answer: Kandi Burruss

Answer: Kandi Burruss

Summary:
Kandi Burruss is the newest member of Bravo's "Real Housewives of Atlanta"
An accomplished singer/songwriter/producer, she was a fan last season .
Burruss confirms she and cast mate NeNe Leakes didn't get along .
The single mother hopes fans will see her in "a good light"


ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- You are about to meet Mr. Brown. David Mann and Tamela Mann -- a real-life couple -- star in "Meet the Browns" as father and daughter. He's David Mann, star of the TBS sitcom "Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns." To borrow a phrase from the network's marketing -- he's very funny. Mann's character -- "Downtown" Leroy Brown -- is a lovable, sometimes outrageous and always off-the-wall senior citizen who has stolen every scene he's entered in Tyler Perry's plays, movies and TV shows. Mr. Brown no longer has to steal scenes, because TBS -- owned by CNN parent company Time Warner -- has ordered 80 episodes of half-hour comedy, based on the success of 10 pilot episodes. "Just in case I'm dreaming, don't pinch me," said Mann. "I'm living the dream." "Meet the Browns" is a spinoff of Perry's "House of Payne," a sitcom that has yielded strong cable ratings for TBS, and it employs some of the same characters seen in Perry's movies and stage plays -- including a play and film named "Meet the Browns," which is only mildly related to the TV series. The show focuses on Mr. Brown and his daughter Cora, played by Mann's real-life wife, Tamela Mann, as Mr. Brown tries to turn his house into a home for the elderly. Those who have followed Perry's productions know that Cora was the conceived during a brief fling between Brown and Madea, Perry's female alter ego. "If it hadn't been for Cora, Mr. Brown and Madea probably would have killed each other by now," Mann said. "Cora is the glue to this whole thing. Cora keeps everybody grounded." Mann said Mr. Brown's speech and mannerisms are from a combination of people. "Grandfathers, uncles, relatives, you know, different friends you see." he said. "I use to go to a nursing home and just look at people, watch -- 'OK, that's how they're doing this.' " His biggest laughs come from his use -- or abuse -- of the English language which Mann refers to as "Mr. Brownisms." Manipulate becomes "manipudip," while hypnotize transforms to "hepatitis." "You hear them as I spit them out, and it's just like, 'What was I thinking?' " Mann said. Mr. Brown's wardrobe, which is always two sizes too small for his protruding belly, is a bright-colored mix of thrift store specials. "The clothes just kind of happened," he said. "Because, you know, you have that uncle or that relative in your family who just can't let the clothes go?" Since Mr. Brown originated on the stage -- in Perry productions -- Mann had to adjust to the small screen. "I'm very animated and so I just had to make sure I toned that down for the screen because I'm so used to making sure that the person in the front row can see as well as the person in the balcony," he said. "To bring that and condense it down for television was a transition for me." Camera operators are challenged to keep up with Mann as he moves around the set, sometimes re-writing the script. "One word can trigger a whole different thing with us, and that's what I love about working with Tyler Perry," Mann said. "He gives you the freedom to go in there and create. If you see something that can make it funnier, he gives you the liberty to go ahead and do it, create it and make it funny." Perry directs every episode at his new Atlanta studio on a sound stage next to where he also tapes "House of Payne." Mr. Brown never seems too far from Mr. Mann. In mid-interview, he emerges

Question: What role does his wife play on the show?

Question: Who is Mann married to?

Question: Who plays Mr. Brown in Meet The Browns?

Question: What network airs "Meet the Browns"?

Question: What actress is Mann's wife?

Question: Who plays Mr. Brown?

Answer: daughter Cora,

Answer: Tamela

Answer: David Mann

Answer: TBS

Answer: Tamela

Answer: David Mann

Summary:
David Mann plays Mr. Brown in "Meet the Browns"
Character known for his mangled speech, off-the-wall actions .
In real life, Mann is married to actress who plays his daughter on show .


ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- You don't have to tell the Reverend J. Peyton that these are hard times in Indiana. He's been seeing it for years. The Reverend J. Peyton leads the Big Damn Band in playing the blues. Even down south in rural Brown County, which the country-blues guitarist and his Big Damn Band call home, the struggles on "Main Street" are more than just a political catchphrase. They're a reality. The Rev, as he likes to be called, is well aware of the hardships elsewhere in his state, too. In the northern Indiana county of Elkhart, where President Obama held a highly publicized town hall meeting to discuss the economy and his stimulus package, the unemployment rate has more than tripled over the past year to almost 19 percent -- more than double the national average. "The writing's been on the wall for a long time," says The Rev. "To me, this isn't anything new. It's new that people are covering it -- it's new that it's on the news." The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, made up of The Rev, his wife Breezy on washboard and his brother Jayme on drums, has been touring the country almost nonstop for several years, and they've had a chance to see the harsh realities of the American dream up close. They've made their personal struggles, their family's setbacks and stories from people they meet into lyrical fodder -- and despite the grim subject matter, put on an enthusiastically upbeat, memorable performance in each town they play.  Watch the Big Damn Band perform "Worn Out Shoe" » "We don't take it lightly," The Rev says. "I just hope that when people come to the show, we're able to make them feel a lot of different things -- make 'em laugh with us and make 'em hurt with us." It's a tradition as old as the blues. The Rev says on the band's Web site, "I feel like I got to directly be involved in a song. Maybe if I played a different genre of music I'd feel like I could get away with [making stuff up], but this style of music is too honest; you can't lie to people, because they'll see right through it." For The Rev, part of being brutally honest also means keeping it simple, allowing listeners to be engaged with the music without having to search for hidden meaning. Among the songs from the band's latest album, "The Whole Fam Damnily," are "Can't Pay the Bill," "The Creek's Are All Bad" and "Walmart Killed the Country Store." The band gets its ideas from personal experience, says The Rev. "I ain't got cable where I live," he says. "I stay up on current events as well as I can, but I don't really draw from newspapers. I draw from my family and friends." Reviewers have praised the work. "The band bring to their retro-fabricated rootsy Americana an utterly gripping compulsion," wrote the (UK) Independent's Andy Gill, giving "The Whole Fam Damnily" four out of five stars. The Big Damn Band is also the cover story in the April/May issue of Blues Review magazine. What the songs purposefully lack in lyrical flair is made up in sparkling musicianship. The Rev picks his way across old standard-tuned National resonators and acoustic guitars, adding a little slide here and there; Breezy rattles away with metal-tipped baseball batting gloves and washboard, while Jayme keeps rhythm on a rather modest drum set, highlighted by a 5-gallon pickle bucket. It's simple, heartfelt country blues at its best, played by a family that revels in its blood ties. And that's good enough for The Rev. "You get by through things that don't cost much, like music, like laughter, like food. You know, those are the things that I think get you by.

Question: What store name is in the title of a song?

Question: The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band is based where?

Question: What is the name of the band?

Question: Where is Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band from?

Question: Where is the band based?

Question: What store is used in the song title?

Question: What is the name of one of their song titles?

Answer: "Walmart

Answer: Brown County,

Answer: Big Damn

Answer: Brown County,

Answer: rural Brown County,

Answer: "Walmart

Answer: "Worn Out Shoe"

Summary:
The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band is an Indiana-based blues group .
Song titles include "Walmart Killed the Country Store"
The Rev: Band wants to "make 'em laugh with us and make 'em hurt with us"


ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- You wouldn't know it by looking at her, but at any given moment Dana Poole hurts all over. Dana Poole, left, feels aches all over at any given moment from a condition called fibromyalgia. "It's kind of like a burning, but an ache. It's almost like you have the flu," said Poole, 31, a receptionist from Canton, Georgia. Poole is one of almost 6 million Americans who suffer from a chronic condition called fibromyalgia. In addition to widespread pain, patients may complain about fatigue and sleep disturbances, depression, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome and heightened sensitivity. "Dana is typical of a lot of fibromyalgia patients," said Dr. Jefrey Lieberman, an Atlanta, Georgia-based rheumatologist. "She came into my office complaining of a lot of diffuse pain all over her body and fatigue. She really didn't know why she was getting it." That's part of the frustration of having fibromyalgia. Experts aren't sure what causes it, but many believe many factors are involved. Some think the condition, which is not progressive or life-threatening, may be triggered by an emotional or traumatic event. Lieberman believed it is related to a disordered sleep pattern and poor exercise. "It appears to be more of a neuro-chemical process," he said. "In other words, there really is no inflammation in patients with fibromyalgia."  Health Minute: More on identifying fibromyalgia » Getting a proper diagnosis can sometimes be just as frustrating as finding out what's behind the disease. "Fibromyalgia is to some extent a diagnosis of exclusion," Lieberman said. "There are lot of things it can be confused with such as thyroid disorders, metabolic disorders and certain rheumatologic inflammatory conditions." For almost five years, Poole jumped from doctor to doctor trying to figure out what was causing her symptoms. "They were constantly saying I'm a tall, thin female. 'You're getting older -- your body is going to change,' and it was frustrating." Lieberman understood Poole's frustration. "Sometimes fibromyalgia is used as a wastebasket term if a patient has pain and they don't know what it is from," he said. "It is frequently misdiagnosed. In fact, it is overdiagnosed and it is underdiagnosed." Specialists such as Lieberman can make a proper diagnosis based on criteria set by the American College of Rheumatology. "Those criteria are diffuse pain in three or more quadrants of the body and the presence of what are called tender points in the body," Lieberman explained. "There are 18 total tender points, and by definition we like to see 11 of those tender points being present." It's estimated that up to 90 percent of patients are women. Most of them start feeling symptoms in early and middle adulthood. Poole remembered that the pain first started when she was 20. It wasn't until she met Lieberman about five years ago that she got some relief. She took part in a drug study for Cymbalta, one of two medications approved for the management of fibromyalgia. The other drug is called Lyrica. "Both of them are geared toward the patient's well-being as well as improving their pain," Lieberman said. He also encouraged Poole to control her condition through a healthy diet, stress reduction, getting enough sleep and regular low-impact exercise. "We think that aerobic exercise helps to stimulate endorphins and enkephlins from the body which are your own natural pain relievers," Lieberman said. The doctor is quick to point out that even with proper medication and adequate exercise, fibromyalgia has no cure. Although Lieberman said some of his patients report the symptoms tapering off in their mid-50s and -60s, others are faced with years of managing the condition. "For most of my patients, I tell them that I can get you 50 to 75 percent better and many of those patients will jump at that," he said. Poole is one of them,

Question: What is fibromyaligia

Question: what says experts

Question: What do symptoms incude?

Question: How many Americans suffer from chronic illness?

Question: how many people suffering chronic illnes

Question: What aren't experts sure of?

Question: what is the symptoms

Question: Is there a cure for this

Answer: "It's kind of like a burning, but an ache. It's almost like you have the flu,"

Answer: causes it, but many believe

Answer: fatigue and sleep disturbances, depression, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome and heightened sensitivity.

Answer: 6 million

Answer: almost 6 million Americans

Answer: fibromyalgia.

Answer: fatigue and sleep disturbances, depression, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome and heightened sensitivity.

Answer: no

Summary:
Nearly 6 million Americans suffer from a chronic illness called fibromyalgia .
Symptoms include fatigue, sleep disturbances, depression and headaches .
Experts aren't sure what causes it; often misdiagnosed .
It's estimated that up to 90 percent of patients are women .


ATLANTA, Georgia -- Going back to work after my wife had our first child was an emotional roller coaster. The author says that being "Mr. Mom" is appealing, but putting the idea into practice is harder than it looks. I forced myself out of bed, shaved my beard and got dressed on the morning of my return. I performed these work week rituals while cursing the fact that I matched only one number on my last lottery ticket, so I had to show up that day. After being out of the office for a little more than two weeks on paternity leave, I knew the transition back to work would be tough. I coped with this fact, like any rational new parent would, by increasing the number of lottery tickets that I purchased. Saying goodbye took a while. I made several trips up and down the stairs to get one more glimpse of my daughter before succumbing to the inevitable: my commute, fighting traffic and reintegrating to cubicle culture. I arrived at the office still thinking of my family at home without me. I found myself misty-eyed at the water cooler while I waited for Outlook to load several hundred unread e-mails. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to be at home with my daughter. The idea of being a stay-at-home dad, like Michael Keaton in "Mr. Mom," always appealed to me. For the uninitiated, the 1983 comedy is about an out-of-work father faced with domestic challenges while his wife gets a job. A memorable scene has the title character, Jack Butler, trying to sound like he knows what he's talking about to his wife's new boss. He tells him that he plans to wire a new wing of his house in "220, 221, whatever it takes." I identify with the latter part of his character's claim. It's not like me to pretend to know anything about home improvement, but when it comes to caring for my family while balancing my responsibilities at work, I plan on doing whatever it takes. In 2007, 37 percent of working dads admitted that they would leave their jobs if their family could afford it, according to CareerBuilder.com. The "if" in that statistic is a big one. Unlike the characters in "Mr. Mom," my wife and I both need to work. A good sequel to this film may have explored the hijinks that ensued from an overwhelmed parent caring for a newborn while working from home. Nowadays, there's support for all of the Jack Butlers out there. Web sites such as AtHomeDad.org and Rebeldad.com have established online communities dedicated to providing tips and resources for fatherhood. These forums represent a growing fellowship where those with experience can help new dads. Personally, I haven't utilized them much yet because of that old Groucho Marx joke about not wanting to be a member of a club that would have a person like me as a member. Available resources and social acceptance for stay-at-home dads have come a long way since "Mr. Mom's" portrayal of them. In fact, Salary.com calculated that a stay-at-home dad was worth $125,340 a year for the dad portion of his work in 2006. This analysis took into account tasks that range from cooking and cleaning to teaching and serving as a child psychologist. Since I can't convince anyone to pay me my estimated worth as an at-home dad -- and living on one salary isn't an option for my family -- I've considered working from home a couple of hours a week when necessary. Flexible work schedules make sense because they benefit a company by allowing employees to be more productive on their terms. Nevertheless, working from home may not be for everyone. I work for a news Web site, facilitating advertisement opportunities. A lot of my job's communication occurs via e-mail, which is something I can do at home. I'd worked from home before, but not with a newborn in the house. My first test was only for a couple

Question: What is the wage equivalent of a stay-at-home dad?

Question: What is a stay-at-home dad's work worth annually?

Question: What percentage of working dads would quit jobs if their families could afford it?

Question: What percent would prefer to be stay-at-home dads?

Question: What movie is said to inspire the work from home dad?

Question: What would 37 percent of working dads do?

Answer: $125,340 a year

Answer: $125,340 a year

Answer: 37 percent

Answer: 37

Answer: "Mr. Mom"

Answer: leave their jobs if their family could afford it,

Summary:
Poll: 37 percent of working dads would quit jobs if their families could afford it .
Stay-at-home dad's work worth $125,340 a year, according to Salary.com .
Author talks about caring for infant daughter during work conference call .
"Mr Mom" line, "220, 221, whatever it takes" inspires work-from-home dad .


AUGUSTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Walking into the Colur Tyme Tattoo Parlor is a lot like walking into a head shop. One wall is lined with gang monikers and symbols, the other with bongs for smoking marijuana and other drugs -- one even shaped like a skull.

The Colur Tyme Tattoo Parlor was set up by authorities to get at the heart of gang members.

Only this head shop was a setup. It was a police front in a sting operation to bust gangs in this Georgia river city that most people associate with the Masters Tournament -- not violent thugs with high-powered weapons.

Authorities said some guns sold to the shop were used in crimes just hours earlier.

The tattoo parlor was the brainchild of Richmond County Sheriff Ron Strength, who wanted to snuff out gangs carrying out violent crimes in his east Georgia community.

The idea was to create a place where the gang members would feel right at home, said sheriff's Lt. Scott Peebles. And that they did.

"We put the idea in their heads that there's no way these guys are in law enforcement," he said.

On Wednesday, more than 100 sheriff's officers, state investigators and agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives carried out a major bust after an 18-month joint investigation into the gang activity.  Watch cops set up tattoo parlor »

Sixty-eight suspects were arrested on charges ranging from trafficking of illegal weapons to serious drug offenses. Authorities seized more than 300 weapons, including high-powered assault rifles.

Rich Marianos, a special agent with the ATF, said such gang activity is spreading across the nation, with small-town gangs increasing their ties with gangs in major cities.

For instance, New York gangs have begun moving as far south as the Carolinas, where they set up operations to buy and sell guns and drugs, he said.

Chicago gang activity extends more than 60 miles into the Illinois city's suburbs for narcotics and weapons trading. In fact, Marianos said the ATF has begun seeing some Chicago gangs establishing a "pipeline" for illegal arms more than 500 miles away in Mississippi.

"It's not just an urban problem," Marianos said. "We're seeing it all over the country."

The ATF, he said, has seen one of the most dramatic increases in gang activity in the last three years and is cracking down.

"We want to look at a way to go after these offenders and prevent it before it happens," he said. "[We're] making the community safer by disarming the bad guys -- not taking guns away from the American citizen, but going after the people who shouldn't have them in the first place."

That's why setting up a tattoo parlor in Augusta was key. Strength, the Richmond County sheriff, said he remembers when the worst crimes in these parts were lawn mower thefts and vandals pushing over birdbaths. But those days are long gone, with gangs such as the Georgia Deadly Boys and Fairington Gangster Thugs causing mayhem on a regular basis.

"In the past 2 1/2 years, we've noticed some major changes," he said, "with the type of criminal offenses they were involved in."

So he devised the undercover business. The Colur Tyme Tattoo Parlor on Tobacco Road was set up on the outskirts of Augusta. It's a location not heavily patrolled by police, but staffed 100 percent by undercover agents.

Business was slow at first, but then things took off. Gang members soon began dropping in to sell guns, drugs and even stolen cars, authorities said. Every transaction was recorded by surveillance cameras around the store.

Soon the shop had so much business the Richmond County Sheriff's Office had to call in reinforcements from the ATF. Four federal agents helped the sheriff's deputies man the counters; others worked behind the scenes.

Vanessa McLemore, ATF special agent in charge, said the teams had to coordinate their behaviors so it seemed like they fit in the store. "They spent a lot of time

Question: what did atf say

Question: where are the gangs found

Question: did Tattoo parlor run by cops lead to anything

Question: Who ran the tattoo parlor in Georgia?

Question: What did authorities set-up as part of the ring?

Answer: such gang activity is spreading across the nation,

Answer: Colur Tyme Tattoo Parlor

Answer: a major bust

Answer: Richmond County Sheriff Ron Strength,

Answer: Colur Tyme Tattoo Parlor

Summary:
Tattoo parlor run by cops leads to major bust of Georgia gangs .
Authorities even set up a MySpace page as part of the ring .
ATF says big-time gangs are gaining ground outside major cities .
ATF agent: "We're seeing it all over the country"


Question:
what did authorites set up
What set the authorities?
agency to which the agent belongs?
Who run the tattoo parlor?
who runs tattoo parlor
ATF says what?

Answer: The Colur Tyme Tattoo Parlor

Answer: The Colur Tyme Tattoo Parlor

Answer: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Answer: police

Answer: undercover agents.

Answer: such gang activity is spreading across the nation, with small-town gangs increasing their ties with gangs in major cities.


AUGUSTA, Georgia -- Children will be admitted to the Masters for free starting in 2008 and the Par-3 contest will be televised, said Augusta National Golf Club chairman Billy Payne.

Children will have the chance to see Tiger Woods in action at the Masters for nothing next year.

The aim is to boost youth interest in golf and Payne said they were the first initiatives of a multi-year plan to use the Masters to promote the sport worldwide.

"We want to inspire the next generation of golfers now. We're serious about exposing youngsters to golf and the Masters," Payne said.

"These initiatives are important first steps and a great kickoff to our ongoing mission of growing the game."

Children aged eight to 16 will be admitted free to Augusta National for tournament rounds starting next year, but only when they are accompanied by an accredited ticket holder, one whose name appears on the badge application.

A new television deal to show the Wednesday Par-3 event on ESPN will give the world a chance to see someone play themselves out of winning the first major championship of the year, if tradition holds.

No winner of the Par-3 competition has ever captured the Masters in the same year since it began in 1960. It is played over a par-27 layout measuring 1,060 yards on the Augusta National grounds.

"The Par 3 Contest is fun and exciting for the entire family. It's an event everyone enjoys and we think it will demonstrate to kids just how fun golf can be," Payne said. E-mail to a friend

Question: What is the Par for the tournament?

Question: Who can watch the Masters free of charge?

Question: will they be accompanied by an accredited ticket-holder?

Question: Who can watch the Masters for free?

Question: Who will they have to be accompanied by?

Question: can Children 8-16 watch the Masters free of charge from next year?

Question: Is the Masters on television?

Answer: Par-3

Answer: Children

Answer: Children aged eight to 16

Answer: Children

Answer: an accredited ticket holder,

Answer: for

Answer: ESPN

Summary:
Children 8-16 can watch the Masters free of charge from next year .
They will have to be accompanied by an accredited ticket-holder .
The tradition Par-3 tournament will be shown on television .


AURORA, Colorado (CNN) -- In her best year as a mortgage broker, Laura Glick says she made "six figures." This week she was one of more than 1,200 people attending a job fair and applying for one of 150 jobs paying between $7 and $12 an hour at a new Kohl's department store in a Denver, Colorado, suburb.

Laura Glick says she has a good resume but even getting an interview is difficult.

She has been out of work for seven months and never thought it would take her this long to find a job. It's not the kind of job she thought she would be applying for, but she has a case of the jitters just the same.

"Your heart starts to race, and you get nervous even though it is not some big job like you used to have," she said. "I'll take anything at this point."

Glick is not alone. Many other people have lost their jobs in this tough economy.

A record number of jobless claims was set last month, when first-time claims hit a 26-year high of 589,000 claims in one week. Last week's claims also broke the half-million mark, 524,000, according to a new government report cited on CNNMoney.com.

Glick, 29, has been living on about $1400 a month in unemployment benefits, barely enough to cover her rent and health insurance. To get by she has stopped eating out, given up cigarettes and has stopped taking her pets to the vet for regular checkups.

"Its feels very degrading, some of the places I'm applying," Glick said. "It's really difficult, and its hard to stay positive, but that's the only way you're going to get something is staying positive. And I'm hoping everything happens for a reason and the doors that have been closed are going to be the ones that lead to open ones."  Watch could you be an entrepreneur »

Job seekers have been pouring into a hotel ballroom all week for one of the prized jobs. They fill out paperwork and then are taken up to a hotel room in groups of ten or so. The beds have been removed from the room, and they sit in a circle while store managers holding clipboards ask questions. Most are told they will hear back within three weeks.

But some get word right away.

"Hey guess what. I got the job," exclaimed Rebecca Erickson, speaking to her mother on her cell phone. When the other applicants filed out the managers asked her to stay behind and offered her a job. She was so excited she forgot to ask how much the job pays.

"It's only part-time, but I'll take it. There's always room for advancement, and with it being a new store opening you never know, a full-time position may open up," she said.

Erickson, a 31-year old single mother of three, has been unemployed for about two months and has been supporting her family on about $1400 a month in unemployment benefits and food stamps.

"It's awesome; It's great; I love it," she said. "To know that I got a job and they have had over a thousand applications come in for this job, and to know that I am the one to get it is just awesome."

A store opening such as this one is rare. With unemployment at 7.2 percent nationwide and retail sales down for six straight months, there are more going-out-of-business signs than grand-opening signs.

Most of the applicants came alone, but a set of identical twins came here as a team.

"Where ever he goes, I go," said Jeri Hines, here with his brother Jerell. The 23-year-olds seem to always have a smile on their faces and insist on working together. They have spent the past year doing odd jobs such as raking leaves and shoveling snow while working on a comic book.

"Its about a girl running around

Question: how many people applied for a job

Question: how many months have retail sales been down

Question: a mortgage broker used to earn how much

Question: Who is excited after getting a part-time job?

Question: What is rare in Colorado?

Question: What is the ratio of people hoping for a job to positions that are open?

Question: What is the single mother excited about?

Question: What is the expected pay for the jobs in Colorado's new store?

Answer: 1,200

Answer: six straight

Answer: "six figures."

Answer: Rebecca Erickson,

Answer: store opening such as this one is

Answer: 1,200

Answer: got the job,"

Answer: between $7 and $12 an hour

Summary:
1,200 people hoping for a job applied at Colorado store hiring 150 .
Mortgage broker once earned six figures, hopes for $7- to $12-per-hour job .
Store openings are rare with retail sales down for six straight months .
A single mother of three is excited after getting a part-time job .


AURORA, Colorado (CNN) -- The Atlanta lawyer with tuberculosis who caused an international health scare after traveling to Europe and back underwent surgery Tuesday to remove the diseased portion of one of his lungs. TB patient Andrew Speaker set off an international health scare when he traveled to Europe for his wedding in May. Andrew Speaker, 31, had the roughly two-hour operation to remove the upper lobe of his right lung at the University of Colorado Hospital. He's been under treatment at National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver since the end of May. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who observed the surgery for about an hour, explained that the unusual procedure consisted of inserting a video camera in a tube in one small incision in the right side of Speaker's chest, and putting instruments through another incision. When the infected portion of the lung was cut out, it was placed inside a bag while still inside the attorney's chest cavity and the bag was sealed inside a tube before being removed. The main reason for sealing the infected tissue was to prevent it from re-infecting Speaker as it was removed, Gupta said after the operation. Doctors also wanted to make sure they didn't "release any of that tuberculosis bacteria into the operating room, into the rest of the hospital," Gupta said before the surgery on CNN's "American Morning." Watch Andrew Speaker discuss his reasons for having surgery with CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta » Doctors said the operation went well and there was not much bleeding, Gupta said. The portion of the lung that was removed showed the effects of the disease, Gupta said. "A regular lung is very pink with a smooth, glistening surface," he said. "This had a lot of bumps on it, and the areas that were diseased were very dark with white nodules." Speaker will most likely recover at the University of Colorado Hospital for another couple of days, and will return to National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver to finish his antibiotic course. He will still have to continue taking the medications prescribed by his doctors to fight the tuberculosis until cultures taken from him are negative for tuberculosis bacteria for eight weeks. At that point, he will be considered non-infectious, but he will still be monitored by health care professionals. Speaker said it was his decision to have the surgery, which is just one of his treatment options. "With the amount of treatment I'm going to be on, the doctors said if you go ahead and have this surgery, you don't have to worry 10 years from now, or 20 years from now, or 30 years from now if it's ever going to come back, so it's worth the peace of mind to me," the attorney said. Speaker was originally found to have an extremely drug resistant strain (XDR-TB) of the respiratory disease earlier this year, but on July 3 doctors said he had multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), which is treatable with less toxic drugs. Speaker and his fiancee had gone to Europe on May 12 for their wedding in Greece, despite warnings from the Fulton County Health Department in Georgia that he should not fly because he risked infecting fellow passengers. Since then, eight people who shared a flight with Speaker have filed a lawsuit against him, seeking $1.3 million in damages. Rosalind Yee -- an attorney for the plaintiffs who said her clients include a ninth person related to one of the passengers but who was not on the flight -- said all eight passengers have undergone TB tests since they returned home. One of them, a 72-year-old man, tested positive for TB on a skin test, though it was not clear that Speaker was the source. The man's X-rays were normal, she said, and he is awaiting results of further tests. In the past year, there have been about 124 cases of MDR-TB in the United States. About half of those patients have elected to undergo the surgery to remove the diseased portion of

Question: What did speaker do that sparked a health scare?

Question: How much is Speaker being sued for?

Question: For what amount is Speaker being sued for?

Question: What is his reason for surgery?

Question: Who had TB-infected lung tissue removed?

Question: How many people are suing Speaker?

Question: What did doctors remove from Andrew Speaker?

Question: What did doctors remove?

Question: What amount is he being sued for?

Answer: traveling to Europe and back

Answer: $1.3 million

Answer: $1.3 million

Answer: tuberculosis bacteria

Answer: Andrew Speaker

Answer: eight

Answer: diseased portion of one of his lungs.

Answer: the diseased portion of one of his lungs.

Answer: $1.3 million

Summary:
NEW: Doctors remove TB-infected lung tissue from Andrew Speaker .
He said decided to have surgery so he won't have to worry about TB in future .
Speaker sparked health scare after flying with disease .
Eight people on flight with Andrew Speaker sue him for $1.3 million .


AUSTIN, Texas (CNN) -- Garry Mauro will never forget that night in 1972 when he says Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham ignored the post-election party surrounding them, instead preferring to huddle in a corner and talk about changing the future. Hillary and Bill Clinton worked on George McGovern's 1972 campaign in Texas before they wed in 1975. The young then-unmarried couple, attending Yale Law, weren't interested in letting off steam with their Democratic colleagues in Austin, Texas, according to Mauro, who's now a strategist with Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. The three were among a group of Young Turk Democrats working that summer to register voters in Texas. The Clintons had just started dating, said Mauro, who years later became Texas land commissioner. "They obviously had a lot of respect for each other, and they would spend hours talking to each other." More than 35 years on, Hillary Clinton has returned to Texas -- running a hard-fought campaign of her own and telling voters about her days there in the '70s. Mauro recalls the night it was all over in 1972, after Democrat George McGovern lost to Republican Richard Nixon. He says he and the Clintons decided to let loose in lively Austin, paying $1.50 to see a Texas singer by the name of Willie Nelson before rambling back to a colleague's tiny apartment. "It was 2 o'clock in the morning, and everybody else had probably had too much to drink, except for Bill and Hillary -- who were drinking [soda] and having this intense discussion about the issues," said Mauro. "I'm absolutely certain that 99 percent of what they were talking about was changing things in the future." Mauro's story underscores how Sen. Clinton's lifelong political journey has come full circle in Texas. With the March 4 primary just days away, the place where the New York senator got her first job in presidential politics may become her launching pad to the White House -- or perhaps one of her final battlegrounds. Clinton and her Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama have been dueling in the state for weeks, as polls show the candidates locked in a razor-thin race to win the biggest share of 193 Texas delegates, who are crucial to sewing up the party nomination. Another key state, Ohio, also holds its primary March 4 to allocate 141 delegates. Former officials from Clinton's husband's administration have openly discussed the challenges Clinton faces from Obama, who has defeated the New York senator in the past 11 contests. Exit polls after previous primaries show Obama is cutting into Clinton's base by gaining support among blue-collar workers and Latino voters. Former White House press secretary Dee Dee Myers called Texas a "do-or-die test." President Clinton's former strategist James Carville said if the New York senator fails to win Ohio or Texas, "This thing is done." And the former president himself said if voters in Texas don't deliver, "I don't think she can be" the party's nominee. Mauro underscored the historic importance of the '08 election. "We couldn't have conceived of a woman running for president in 1972," said Mauro. "It never would have occurred to people that you'd have a presidential race between a woman and an African-American." Obama leads Clinton in the crucial delegate count -- 1,369 to 1,267, according to CNN calculations. The count includes superdelegates who have publicly declared their support for one of the candidates. Superdelegates consist of elected and party officials who are allowed to vote at the Democratic National Convention. They are free to vote for any candidate and are not bound by primary or caucus results. To win the nomination, 2,025 national convention delegates are needed. Neither candidate is expected to garner enough delegates in the remaining primaries and caucuses to take the nomination outright, and the roughly 800 superdelegates are likely to be the deciding factor. Mauro and the Clintons cut their political teeth in Texas during the 1972 election, knocking on doors and registering people -- many of them minorities -- to vote.

Question:
Who recalls for post-election?
who recalls party
who is the ex-clinton official
What did Dee Dee Myers call Texas
when was the party

Answer: Mauro

Answer: Garry Mauro

Answer: James Carville

Answer: "do-or-die test."

Answer: 1972

Summary:
Longtime Clinton pal recalls boozy post-election party in '72 .
Newly dating Clinton and Rodham display early political intensity .
Will Texas rev up Clinton's White House bid -- or end it all?
Ex-Clinton official Dee Dee Myers calls Texas "do-or- die test"


AUSTIN, Texas (CNN) -- Sen. Hillary Clinton, needing a win in Texas to derail Sen. Barack Obama in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, sought Thursday to contrast her opponent's rhetorical skills with what she called her superior ability to govern. Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton face off in a high-stakes debate. "I do think that words are important and words matter," Clinton said at a debate at the University of Texas. "But actions speak louder than words." Obama responded by laying out issues he's worked on in the Senate and others he'd support as president -- then called it ridiculous to suggest his supporters are "being duped." "The implication is that the people who have been voting for me or involved in my campaign are somehow delusional," he said. Obama said his supporters perceive the reality of what's going on in Washington very clearly, and they want to see it change. "What they see is that if we don't bring the country together, stop the endless bickering, actually focus on solutions and reduce the special interests that have dominated Washington, then we will not get anything done."  Watch Obama talk about his plan to change Washington » Much of the 90-minute debate featured the two candidates staking out similar positions on issues like Iraq, the economy and immigration.  Watch the candidates weigh in on the economy » "It was a very odd debate -- the questioners had to beg them to differ with each other," said CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider.  See what CNN's political team thought of the showdown » The debate was the first the two have participated in since they met in Los Angeles January 31. Five days later, the two effectively split the victories on Super Tuesday. But since then, Obama has rolled to 11 straight wins, a streak that leaves Clinton needing wins in delegate-rich Texas and Ohio on March 4. Vermont and Rhode Island also hold primaries that day. Texas is the biggest prize, with 193 Democratic delegates. Going into those primaries, Obama leads Clinton by 140 pledged delegates. Responding to a question from the panel, Clinton's sharpest attack on Obama came when she went after him for borrowing lines from a speech by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, his campaign co-chairman, in his own campaign speeches. The Clinton campaign has called that plagiarism. "If your campaign is going to be about words, they should be your own words," she said. "Lifting whole passages isn't change you can believe in; it's change you can Xerox."  Watch the spat over plagiarism » Some in the audience booed Clinton for the line. "This is where we start getting into silly season in politics," Obama replied, saying Patrick is a friend who suggested he use the lines. "People start getting tired of it." A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll out Monday suggests the Democratic race in Texas is a statistical dead heat.  Watch uncommitted Texas students discuss debate » In the survey, taken before Obama's Tuesday victories in Wisconsin and Hawaii, 50 percent of likely Democratic primary voters support Clinton as their choice for the party's nominee, with 48 percent backing Obama. The poll's margin of error is 4.5 percentage points. Two other recent polls also show the race statistically even. With so much at stake, analysts said Clinton needed a very strong performance in the debate, the only time the two candidates will share a stage in Texas before the state's primary. "Texas is the endgame. Hillary Clinton has to stop Obama in Texas. This means she has to do something to shake the race up. She has to raise doubts about Obama and get Democrats to rethink whether they really want to rally behind him," Schneider said. In a state where Hispanic voters are expected to make up a large share of the March 4 electorate, the pair fielded questions on immigration reform and dealing with Cuba's government in the wake of President Fidel Castro's

Question: what is the CNN senior political analyst name?

Question: When is the Texas primary?

Question: What were some issues that Clinton and Obama debated on?

Question: Where is the tight race?

Question: What channel does Bill Schneider work for?

Question: When is the primary in Texas?

Question: When is Texas' primary?

Question: Who is CNN senior political analyst?

Question: Who called the debate odd?

Answer: Bill Schneider.

Answer: March 4.

Answer: Iraq, the economy

Answer: in Texas

Answer: CNN

Answer: March 4.

Answer: March 4.

Answer: Bill Schneider.

Answer: Bill Schneider.

Summary:
Clinton, Obama discuss immigration, economy, taxes in mostly civil debate .
"It was a very odd debate," says CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider .
Clinton, Obama in close race in Texas, polls show .
Texas holds its primary March 4 .


Aboard the Tea Party Express (CNN) -- From the stage, Deborah Johns is the angry conscience of the tea party movement. A protester uses a Nazi swastika to make a point at a Tea Party Express stop in Dallas, Texas. "Question everything your government is doing," she tells a crowd of about 100 from the bus's stage in the parking lot of the Winners casino in Winnemucca, Nevada. Under a setting sun on the steps of the state capitol in Little Rock, Arkansas, Johns says: "Our men and women took an oath when they put on the uniform to defend and protect this country from enemies both foreign and domestic. I think we've got some domestic enemies in the White House." On a sunny afternoon in Louisville, Kentucky, Johns works the crowd of about 2,000 into a frenzy. "The men and women in our military didn't fight and die for this country for a communist in the White House," she says, and the crowd erupts in a chant of "U-S-A, U-S-A!"  Watch rally participants converge on Washington » On the bus, Johns slips off her heels and slips on a pair of ankle socks. She curls up under a quilt her grandmother made. She favors skirts and cardigans -- a pit bull in cashmere. She leads the rallies in each city with Mark Williams, a former talk radio host who now writes books and makes the rounds on cable TV chat shows. Both work for Our Country Deserves Better, the conservative political action committee sponsoring the Tea Party Express bus tour. The tour concluded Saturday at the U.S. Capitol in Washington after a 34-stop tour that began August 28 in Sacramento, California. Williams is the showman of the bunch. His signature line when he gets the mic goes like this: "You can have our country when you pry it from our ... cold ... dead ... fingers!" Again the crowd erupts.  Watch scenes from Tea Party Express rallies » Seldom seen on stage are the two gurus of the tea party movement, veteran politico Sal Russo and his protégé, Joe Wierzbicki. They are charged with turning the passion on display at the tea parties into political action. They have three goals: Defeat President Obama's health care reform efforts, win back the House and Senate in 2010 and take the White House in 2012. Russo grew up in a house full of working-class Democrats in Monterey, California, and nearly gave his father a heart attack when he became a Republican. His first paid gig in politics was working for Ronald Reagan's 1966 California gubernatorial campaign, and he has worked in conservative politics ever since. Russo often watches the raucous tea party events from his perch in the bus. Besides Johns and Williams each event features several musical acts and featured speakers. The crowd is its own sideshow. Tea partyers are a creative lot, and many in the crowd express themselves by way of their clothing and signs.  See some of the getups and signs » "Obamacare Condense Cream of Crap soup" reads a sign in Sparks, Nevada. In Dallas, Texas, a darker mood prevails. A homemade sign with "Obama Lies" features a bold, black swastika. As the tour moves on, Nazi imagery becomes more prominent -- and sometimes confused. One sign at the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, has Obama's portrait sandwiched between pictures of Adolf Hitler and communist philosopher Karl Marx. In Canton,Ohio, Obama and Hitler adorn a sign reading "Hitler made great speeches, too." In Elko, Nevada, over a Basque supper of oxtail, lamb and sweetbreads, Russo assesses the tea party movement. "There are some people who are mad at everyone," he says, "but there are others who say, 'How do we move beyond this and turn it into action?'" Rare is the conversation with Russo in which he doesn't bring up the name of his idol and one-time boss, Ronald Reagan. But if there is

Question: What bus tour concludes Saturday?

Question: Which bus tour concludes Saturday at U.S. Capitol?

Question: Who express bus tour?

Question: bus tour concludes where?

Answer: Tea Party Express

Answer: Tea Party Express

Answer: Tea Party

Answer: at the U.S. Capitol in Washington

Summary:
Tea Party Express bus tour concludes Saturday at U.S. Capitol .
Fury at Obama, government in general apparent at rallies along route .
Two operatives organize tour, seek ways to turn passion into action .
Clear leader, moderated message eventually will emerge, organizer says .


Adults who were exposed to large amounts of secondhand smoke during childhood have lungs that look different on CT scans from those of people who grew up in a smoke-free environment, a new study suggests. The harmful short-term effects of secondhand smoke are well known; the long-term consequences aren't as clear. Specifically, their lungs have slightly more, and larger, emphysema-like "holes" than those with less smoke exposure, says Gina Lovasi, M.P.H., Ph.D., of Columbia University, and her colleagues. Although breathing tests showed that the smoke-exposed lungs were functioning just fine, Lovasi said the changes could signal an increased vulnerability to developing emphysema and other lung problems down the road. Health.com: Should smoking around kids be illegal? Emphysema is a progressive lung disease characterized by shortness of breath, coughing, fatigue, and weight loss. About 24 million people in the United States have emphysema and/or chronic bronchitis, which together are known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); however about half of those people don't realize they have COPD. The lung condition is the fourth-leading cause of death in the United States, and smoking is a major cause of COPD. Health.com: I'm a nonsmoker, but I have emphysema due to a rare genetic condition "The interesting part about this is that we don't know a lot about how the lungs change over time and whether they heal completely after being exposed to tobacco," says Lovasi, who is scheduled to present her findings on Tuesday at the American Thoracic Society's 105th International Conference in San Diego. "We can still see a difference even decades later." The harmful short-term effects of breathing other people's cigarette smoke are well known, but the long-term consequences aren't as clear. To investigate, Lovasi and her team looked at CT scans of the lungs of 1,781 nonsmoking 45- to 84-year-olds taking part in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) trial. Health.com: 5 celebrities who had -- or are at risk of -- the lung disease COPD About half of the study participants said that no one with whom they lived  during childhood smoked cigarettes at home, 31 percent lived with one person who smoked at home, and 17 percent lived with two or more smokers. Lovasi and her team checked the lung CT scans for large areas where the density was similar to air (lung tissue is naturally denser than air), and also calculated what percentage of their lungs was made up of these "holes." Health.com: My smoker's cough turned out to be emphysema "The lungs are supposed to have air in them, but it's important that the air is interspersed with blood vessels so that we can get the oxygen out of the air," she says. "Small holes can expand over time and merge to form larger holes." For people who hadn't grown up with smokers, 17 percent of their lung tissue had this air-like density, while "holes" made up 20 percent of the lung area of people who had lived with at least two smokers during childhood. The more heavily smoke-exposed study participants also had more relatively large holes in their lungs. In comparison, "someone with emphysema would typically have between 30 percent and 60 percent of the lungs classified as air-like (or emphysema-like) using the threshold we used for our study," says Lovasi. Health.com: 1 in 3 smokers would kick habit to protect pet Lovasi says she and her colleagues will be following the MESA participants over time to see how their lungs change, and whether people with more early smoke exposure are indeed more vulnerable to lung problems later on. Enter to win a monthly Room Makeover Giveaway from MyHomeIdeas.com

Question: What is the number of people in the US that have emphysema or chronic bronchitis?

Question: HOw many people are infected with emphysema?

Question: What did the lungs of adults who grew up with secondhand smoke have?

Question: What are the holes characteristic of?

Question: How many people in U.S. have emphysema?

Question: Characteristics of emphysema are what?

Answer: 24 million

Answer: About 24 million

Answer: exposure,

Answer: were exposed to large amounts of secondhand smoke during childhood

Answer: About 24 million

Answer: shortness of breath, coughing, fatigue, and weight loss.

Summary:
Lungs of adults who had grown up with secondhand smoke had more "holes"
Many "holes" --less dense areas of lung-- are characteristic of emphysema .
Even though smoke-exposed lungs functioned fine, there's concern for future health .
About 24 million people in the United States have emphysema, chronic bronchitis .


African football federation president Issa Hayatou has exclusively told CNN that Togo were not disqualified from the Africa Cup of Nations but were granted permission to leave.

The Togo squad flew back home from Angola on January 9 after three of their travelling party were killed and two players seriously injured by a machine-gun attack which occurred as their bus crossed the border into the northern, oil-rich state of Cabinda two days earlier.

It had initially been first thought that Togo had been disqualified after they failed to show for their first group game against Ghana on Monday.

But Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Hayatou has since confirmed to CNN that they had not been expelled from the tournament but were granted special dispensation.

"Togo wasn't disqualified - I want to tell you that Togo wasn't disqualified. Togo left the competition following the tragic events that the delegation went through," Hayatou told CNN.

"Because of what happened the Togolese delegation didn't have the morale or the conscience for them to participate in the tournament.

"We tried to convince them to stay and that life continues after all and that we share their sorrow and suffering.

"We completely understand what happened. The players wanted to stay but the government for their reasons didn't want the Togolese to stay so they left.

"CAF did everything possible to make sure that the Togo team stayed here for the Africa Cup of Nations. We acted and they left.

"Contrary to whatever you are saying they didn't get disqualified. They are the ones who decided to leave which we consented to. There is a difference.

"We would have wished them to stay. We would have wished them stay. We have done everything to possible so that Togo stays.

"They couldn't stay. The players wanted to stay but the political authorities didn't want the delegation to stay."

Group B has now been reduced to three teams: Ghana, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.

Angolan authorities have arrested two people involved in the attack, state media reported, while goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilale remains in a stable condition in a South African hospital but needs a ventilator as he recovers from being shot.

Hayatou also defended CAF's handling of the incident and, in particular, criticism about the amount of time they took to respond.

He added: "When we were told that Togo was attacked we immediately stopped our meeting that we were organizing. We are in Luanda and they were attacked far away!

"We organized ourselves to go see them and this was done quickly for us to help our Togolese brothers. But people who say that we acted very late. I think that it is not right for the press to say so.

"On behalf of the federation, we managed that incident, not just the incident but the tragedy, with lots of tact and lots of honesty, and lots of courage.   "The incident happened; everyone should have taken his own responsibility."

Question: Where was the tournament at?

Question: When did Togo fly home?

Question: What did Hayatou tell CNN?

Question: How many of Togo's travelling party were killed?

Question: What happened to their travelling party?

Question: Who is the CAF president?

Answer: Angola

Answer: January 9

Answer: Togo were not disqualified

Answer: three

Answer: machine-gun attack

Answer: Hayatou

Summary:
CAF president Issa Hayatou has exclusively told CNN that Togo were not disqualified from the Africa Cup of Nations.
Hayatou insisted Togo had not been expelled from the tournament in Angola but were granted dispensation.
Togo flew home on January 9 after three of their travelling party were killed and two players seriously injured by a machine-gun attack.


After years of rising cholesterol levels from fatty diets and pudgy waistlines, there's finally good news, experts say. More people who are trying to lower their cholesterol are actually succeeding in getting their low-density lipoprotein, or bad cholesterol, down to healthy levels. Research suggests that decreasing LDL -- via drugs, exercise and/or diet --  can ward off heart attacks and strokes. However, there's still room for improvement, according to research from nine countries, including the United States and Canada. And there's good reason to stay focused on lowering your cholesterol: Research suggests that decreasing LDL can ward off heart attacks, strokes, and other health problems. In the new study, which was funded by Pfizer and published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, an international group of researchers led by David D. Waters, M.D., of the University of California, San Francisco, looked at 9,955 people with an average age of 62 to see whether cholesterol-lowering efforts -- including taking medication or trying diet and exercise alone -- were having the intended effect. For healthy people, the current target for LDL cholesterol is less than 160 mg/dL, and for those with two or more heart disease risk factors, it's less than 130 mg/dL. For people with heart disease, LDL should be less than 100 mg/dL and possibly even less than 70 mg/dL for those at super-high risk. The survey, known as the Lipid Treatment Assessment Project 2, is an update of a similar survey done in the United States in 1996 and 1997. At that time, just 38 percent of Americans in general and 18 percent of people with heart disease who were trying to lower cholesterol actually had their LDL cholesterol under control. Health.com: 4 tips for healthy drinking while dieting Things have definitely gotten better. Waters and his colleagues found that in 2006--2007, 73 percent of people had their LDL cholesterol in an acceptable range. This included 86 percent of people at relatively low risk of heart problems, 74 percent at moderate risk, and 67 percent at high risk. But just one in three people, or 30 percent, who already had heart disease and at least two other risk factors (such as obesity and smoking) had their LDL cholesterol in the healthy range. About 75 percent of the patients in the survey were taking statins, 16 percent were treated with only diet and exercise, and the remainder took a cholesterol-lowering medication that was not a statin. Statins include brand-name drugs like Lipitor, Zocor, and Crestor, among others. The findings "should be a wake-up call" to people who already have or are at risk of heart attack and strokes, says Gregg Fonarow, M.D., the codirector of the UCLA Preventative Cardiology Program, who was not involved with the research. People with cardiovascular disease should not "assume that just because they're under medical care that they've optimized their cardiovascular health," he says. Health.com: Ultimate guide to fresh fruits and veggies However, Dan Hackam, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Western Ontario and the Stroke Prevention and Atherosclerosis Research Centre in London, Ontario, says the survey may not be a fair representation of people with high cholesterol. The survey included only people who had been using the same cholesterol-lowering approach for at least three months. "There's lots of people in the general population who should be on these drugs who aren't on them," Hackam says. "I see a lot of patients who've had heart attacks and strokes who aren't on these medications." Nevertheless, according to Hackam, the findings are "very good news." When the original survey was done, he says, there were just a couple of major clinical trials showing the health benefits of cholesterol reduction with statins. Since then, there have been around 50 such trials, he adds, including some with women, minorities, and seniors. "There's just so much more awareness now among physicians of the clinical evidence," he says. Health.com: 10 celebrity couples: Who

Question: What percent of people had LDL?

Question: Levels are being lowered how?

Question: What is there room for?

Question: What percentage of people had LDL in healthy range?

Question: What were gotten to healthy levels?

Question: What does a better job curbing LDL?

Answer: 73

Answer: via drugs, exercise and/or diet

Answer: improvement,

Answer: 30 percent,

Answer: low-density lipoprotein, or bad cholesterol,

Answer: drugs, exercise and/or diet

Summary:
Study: More heart patients are succeeding in getting cholesterol to healthy levels .
In 2006-07, 73 percent of people had LDL in healthy range vs. 38 percent in 1996-97 .
Likely that the newer cholesterol-lowering drugs do a better job of curbing LDL .
There's still room for improvement, says one expert .


Alexandria, Virginia (CNN) -- Former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson was sentenced Friday to 13 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his conviction on 11 counts of corruption. Jefferson was also ordered to forfeit more than $470,000 after his conviction for using his office to solicit bribes. He will also have to pay $1,100 in special assessments. The case against the former nine-term Louisiana Democrat included allegations of influence-peddling and the discovery of $90,000 in cash in his freezer. Judge T.S. Ellis will determine at a hearing next Wednesday whether Jefferson will remain free pending appeal. Until then, he is free. "The court's sentence today reaffirms the principle that all people -- no matter what their title or position -- are equal before the law," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman in a statement. "In a stunning betrayal of the public's trust, former Congressman Jefferson repeatedly used his public office for private gain. The lengthy prison sentence imposed on Mr. Jefferson today is a stark reminder to all public officials that the consequences of accepting bribes can and will be severe." Jefferson's family was in the courtroom when District Judge T.S. Ellis handed down the sentence. He had faced up to 150 years in prison. "This sentence should be a clear signal that our society will not tolerate bribery," U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride said in a written statement. "It's not just another cost of doing business in government. "Mr. Jefferson's repeated attempts to sell his office caused significant damage to the public's trust in our elected leaders. This sentence will begin to repair that damage and to restore that trust. "Mr. Jefferson is well-known for the $90,000 found in his freezer. It is our hope that he will now be well-known for the tough sentence handed down today, showing that no one -- including our elected officials -- are above the law." Jefferson, of New Orleans, still faces the forfeiture of nearly $500,000 -- money a jury said is linked to criminal activity for which he has been convicted. On August 5, a jury found Jefferson guilty on four bribery counts, three counts of money laundering, three counts of wire fraud and one count of racketeering. He was acquitted on five other counts, including wire fraud and obstruction of justice. He had remained free prior to Friday's sentencing. Jefferson was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 4, 2007, about two years after federal agents said they found the money in his freezer. Authorities said the cash was part of a payment in marked bills from an FBI informant in a transaction captured on video. The trial was delayed while it was resolved whether an FBI search of Jefferson's congressional office was constitutional. Defense attorney Robert Trout had asked the judge for leniency, citing Jefferson's personal history of humble beginnings and long-standing public service. Prosecutors, in turn, filed a response saying Jefferson deserved no preferential treatment since he "still chose to cheat, steal and lie." "Congressman Jefferson has still not accepted responsibility for his own criminal conduct," prosecutors wrote. He "still rationalizes his own unethical, illegal and immoral conduct." CNN's Paul Courson contributed to this report.

Question: Of what was Jefferson found guilty?

Question: How many years was Jefferson's prison sentence?

Question: How long was William Jefferson sentance to prison?

Question: Which state did he represent in Congress?

Question: When was Jefferson found guilty?

Question: What state was WIlliam Jefferson from?

Question: What was Jefferson found guilty of?

Question: Until when does Jefferson remain free?

Question: Who gets 13 years in prison?

Answer: 11 counts of corruption.

Answer: 13

Answer: 13 years

Answer: Louisiana

Answer: August 5,

Answer: Louisiana

Answer: 11 counts of corruption.

Answer: next Wednesday

Answer: Former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson

Summary:
NEW: Jefferson remains free at least until Wednesday hearing .
Ex-Rep. William Jefferson gets 13 years in prison, 3 years' supervised release .
The former Louisiana Democratic congressman faced up to a 150-year sentence .
In August, Jefferson found guilty of bribery, money laundering, wire fraud, racketeering .