(CNN) -- As Apple enthusiasts speculate over why pancreatic cancer survivor Steve Jobs won't appear at Macworld Conference & Expo this year, the CEO asks them to think differently about his health. Apple CEO Steve Jobs delivered keynote addresses in September 2008, left, and in October 2005, right. Addressing the "Apple Community" in a statement, Jobs said his doctors think they have found the reason behind his weight loss: "a hormone imbalance that has been 'robbing' me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy. Sophisticated blood tests have confirmed this diagnosis." But doctors unaffiliated with Jobs' care say this "hormone imbalance" could be a symptom of a slew of underlying conditions, including cancer or diabetes. However, any diagnosis based on this description and Jobs' cancer history is purely speculative, experts say. Based on Jobs' history of gastrointestinal problems, it's possible his gastrointestinal system either isn't absorbing proteins or is losing proteins, said Dr. Kenneth Burman, director of Endocrinology at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, who is not involved in caring for Jobs. "I suspect he's referring to his gastrointestinal system and some of the hormones related to that, rather than more classic endocrine hormones," which are associated with the thyroid, adrenal or pituitary glands, Burman said. While abnormalities related to those hormones may also lead to weight loss, they are not necessarily associated with pancreatic disease, he said. There is not enough information available to say how severe a gastrointestinal hormonal problem would be, he said. Others speculate the hormonal issue could relate to his cancer. Dr. Jeffrey Mechanick, clinical professor at Mount Sinai Medical Center, said a tumor in the pancreas would typically create an overproduction of hormones. Glucagon, a hormone produced in the pancreas, would lead to weight loss if produced in excess. "In a patient whom a few years ago had pancreatic cancer, then progressive weight loss, then develops complications from the weight loss, it would be logical to associate his symptoms now with the previous cancer," he said. But the weight loss is not necessarily cancer-related, and Jobs' statement suggests that it's not, said Dr. Andrew Lowy, chief of the division of surgical oncology at the University of California, San Diego's Moores Cancer Center. Plenty of hormonal conditions, as well as diabetes related to cancer treatment, could be the reason, he said. Jobs, who co-founded Apple Inc., first learned he had pancreatic cancer in October 2003. He had been getting abdominal scans because of a history of intestinal problems, and a tumor appeared on one of them, Fortune reported last year. The growth was an islet cell neuroendocrine tumor, a rare form of pancreatic cancer that is operable, Fortune reported. While Jobs initially wanted to treat the tumor with a special diet and alternative therapies, he finally underwent a Whipple procedure, a painful but relatively safe operation, in July 2004, Fortune reported. If Jobs had a recurrence of this tumor, and it was a functional neuroendocrine tumor, which produces problem-causing hormones, that would be one speculative explanation, Lowy said. But not enough information is available to say whether the tumor was the functional kind, he said. "Is it possible that a cancer recurrence would result in weight loss? Of course. He's saying that's not what he has, and so, I have to take him at his word. None of us know the truth except his doctors," Lowy said. Rumors about Jobs' declining health have been circulating for months, as his weight visibly dropped from one public appearance to the next. While Jobs' keynote address at the Macworld Conference & Expo is usually the highlight of the Apple fan gathering, Apple announced in December Jobs would not appear this year and the company would no longer participate in the event after 2009. CNN's Danielle Dellorto contributed to this report.

Question: What could explain weight loss?

Question: What life-threatening disease does Jobs have?

Question: Where will Jobs not appear at?

Question: What is related to hormonal imbalance?

Question: What does hormone imbalance refer to?

Question: What company is Jobs associated with?

Question: What did doctors say?

Question: Where will Jobs not appear?

Question: What could explain the weight loss?

Question: How did Jobs choose to deal with his illness?

Answer: hormone imbalance

Answer: pancreatic cancer

Answer: Macworld Conference & Expo

Answer: "hormone imbalance" could be a symptom of a slew of underlying conditions, including cancer or diabetes.

Answer: could be a symptom of a slew of underlying conditions, including cancer or diabetes.

Answer: Apple Inc.,

Answer: "hormone imbalance" could be a symptom of a slew of underlying conditions, including cancer or diabetes.

Answer: at Macworld Conference & Expo

Answer: "a hormone imbalance

Answer: a special diet and alternative therapies, he finally underwent a Whipple procedure, a painful but relatively safe operation, in July 2004,

Summary:
Doctors: Jobs' "hormone imbalance" could refer to several health conditions .
Cancer recurrence could explain weight loss .
Hormonal imbalance related to thyroid, pituitary or adrenal glands also possible .
Jobs will not appear at Macworld this year .


(CNN) -- As Democratic and Republican presidential candidates scour the country for votes during the 2008 campaign, they'll inevitably court the Hispanic community, a voting group growing rapidly in number and diversity.

Some Democratic presidential candidates pose before a debate sponsored by Univision. The Republican debate was postponed after only one candidate agreed to attend, a development which troubled some party leaders.

The Hispanic vote is neither homogenous nor loyal to one party. Though the current political moment seems to favor the Democratic Party, experts say that affinity should not be taken for granted.

The Hispanic community is the fastest-growing minority group in the United States, according to the U.S. census.

But its percentage of the electorate is lower than its numbers as a whole because of lower citizenship rates, less voter participation and a youthful demographic. Of the nation's more than 44 million people of Hispanic origin, about a third are too young to vote.

But all that's changing.

Before the midterm elections in 2006, the Pew Hispanic Center, a Washington-based think-tank, estimated more than 17 million Hispanics would be eligible to vote in that election. The number represented a 7 percent increase from 2004.

The Hispanic share of the U.S. electorate increased from 8.2 percent to 8.6 percent during the same period, Pew estimated.

That percentage may grow even more by 2008 as a result of citizenship drives, get-out-the-vote campaigns and the natural growth of the community.

Univision, the Spanish-language broadcast giant, has thrown its considerable weight behind a citizenship drive this year. "We feel that empowering our audience is good for Hispanics and the country," Univision President Ray Rodriguez told the Wall Street Journal in May 2007, adding that it was "a totally nonpartisan effort."

Organizations such as the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, or NALEO, are also mobilizing the vote.

"We have spearheaded a massive naturalization campaign and close to, I think, a million applications will have been submitted this fiscal year," said NALEO's executive director, Arturo Vargas.

The change in the electorate could play a significant role in possible swing states like Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado and Florida during the 2008 election. There's a reason the Democratic Party decided to hold its presidential convention in Denver, experts said.

"I don't think it's really registered with people just how influential the Latino vote can be in some of these state primaries," Vargas said.

The Hispanic vote has historically been aligned with the Democratic Party, an allegiance established during the administrations of Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, said Harry Pachon of the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute.

That political alignment was further cemented when Proposition 187 -- designed to deny health care, education and welfare benefits to illegal immigrants -- was pushed by Republicans and passed in California in 1994.

But the Republican Party, intent on gaining more Hispanic voters, made inroads during the early parts of this decade, culminating in the 2004 presidential campaign by President Bush. Exit polls showed he carried 40 to 44 percent of the Hispanic vote, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.

"There are a lot of issues that Latinos agree with Republican philosophy," Pachon said, pointing to the GOP stances on entrepreneurship, fiscal policies, its appeal to Hispanic evangelicals and its policies toward Cuba.

But the heated immigration debate, when many congressional Republicans disagreed with President Bush over granting a path toward citizenship for many illegal immigrants, may erode those gains.

"The Republicans are really caught between a rock and a hard place," Pachon said.

They must balance the interests of a segment of their constituency that is very anti-immigrant with the interests of a "Latino voter that is affluent and middle class, who can theoretically be reached by Republican Party principles," he said.

It is little wonder then, that among Republican presidential candidates, only Arizona Sen. John McCain agreed to appear at an Univision debate scheduled for mid-September. The debate didn't happen. All but one of the

Question: What did political observers say about Hispanic voters?

Question: What type of voters are diverse as wider community?

Question: What group is as diverse as a wider community?

Question: What year do Hispanic votes play a role?

Question: Where could Hispanics play a significant role?

Question: What type of efforts are underway to increase Hispanic citizenship?

Question: What is under way to increase Hispanic citizenship?

Answer: neither homogenous nor loyal to one party.

Answer: Hispanic

Answer: Hispanic

Answer: 2008

Answer: possible swing states like Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado and Florida

Answer: drives,

Answer: drives,

Summary:
Political observers: Hispanic voters as diverse as wider community .
Grassroots efforts under way to increase Hispanic citizenship .
Hispanic vote could play significant role in 2008 swing states .


(CNN) -- As European consumers shift their drinking habits away from bars and into their homes, industry giants such as Heineken are looking at ways to adapt.

Beer sales in bars and restaurants - traditionally the primary outlets for the Dutch brewer's products - have fallen sharply across the continent in recent years. As a result, Heineken recorded a 4.6% drop in sales in 2010, down to â‚¬7.89 billion ($11.3 billion).

Didier Debrosse, president of Heineken's Western Europe division, is now looking for way to reflect consumer's changing needs as the company looks to arrest the drop.

He has helped to implement a strategy he hopes will align the brewing giant with the demands of modern European consumers.

A key component of the transition so far has seen Heineken move away from its traditional focus on bars and restaurants as primary points of sale.

A series of partnerships and promotions with supermarkets such as France's Carrefour have been established - providing direct access to the home consumer market.

Initial results of the link up are promising. Heineken recorded sales 3% higher at Carrefour stores than at any other outlet in the last year. The key is products which are easier to consume at home, such as a can to drink on the terrace, or a bottle to have with a meal. The aim, Debrosse said, is "to cover all the consumer moments."

Debrosse is careful, however to maintain a long term definition of success. "It is a journey," he says. "It takes time to build a brand."

CNN's Eoghan Macguire contributed to this report

Question: which brewer has a new strategy

Question: how much did heineken drop

Question: Have beer sales in European bars and restaurants increased recently?

Question: What company had a 4.6% drop in sales in 2010?

Answer: Heineken's Western Europe division,

Answer: 4.6%

Answer: fallen sharply

Answer: Heineken

Summary:
Beer sales in European bars and restaurants have fallen sharply in recent years .
Heineken recorded a 4.6% drop in sales in 2010 .
The Dutch brewer has a new strategy it hopes will appeal to European consumers .


(CNN) -- As Gov. Rod Blagojevich's impeachment trial proceedings got under way Monday, the embattled Illinois governor hit the media circuit, answering questions about Oprah, foul language and why he isn't resigning. Gov. Blagojevich appeared on CNN's Larry King Live Monday night. Blagojevich appeared Monday on ABC's "Good Morning America" and "The View," and gave his first live prime-time interview on CNN's "Larry King Live." "I'm not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing," Blagojevich, who is accused of trying to sell President Obama's former Senate seat, told King. "I'm entitled to a presumption of innocence." Blagojevich also further explained comments that he channeled major political figures who overcame adversity as he was being arrested. "I've been criticized for this, but I'm not comparing myself to Dr. King or Nelson Mandela or Mahatma Gandhi, but I tried to reach in to history and imagine some inspiring figures that would have gone through something like I was going through for sustenance and inspiration." Blagojevich also said that he looks forward to the day when he can tell his story in full, rather than people judging him by snippets of conversation released to the media.  Watch Blagojevich tell Larry King he's done nothing wrong » The governor said he is the victim of political enemies who want to raise taxes in Illinois. "Snippets of conversations out of full context is unfair," Blagojevich told CNN. "If the full context, all of the tapes are heard, you hear the story of someone trying to make decisions and maneuver for the best intentions of the people of Illinois." However, Blagojevich said he has not listened to the tapes in their entirety. He addressed the news that his lead attorney, Ed Jenson, is leaving his defense team. "Look, I think lawyers like that want you to simply say nothing, and I'm champing at the bit, dying to show my innocence." Blagojevich said his legal fees will be paid through campaign funds. Blagojevich did say he looked forward to calling witnesses -- including White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel; Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois; and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid -- who had conversations with him about who should replace Barack Obama as the junior senator from Illinois. Blagojevich maintained the goal of the conversations was to get the best senator for the people of Illinois. "There was a lot of exchanging of ideas, asking questions, exploring options -- including Oprah Winfrey -- but never, not ever did I have any intention of violating any criminal law," Blagojevich said. "Never was this about selling any Senate seat for any kind of personal gain." On both of his ABC appearances and on CNN, Blagojevich explained why talk-show host Oprah Winfrey was a contender to fill Barack Obama's former Senate seat. "I was trying to think outside of the box. The idea came to me from a friend who suggested Oprah -- it wasn't my idea," Blagojevich told CNN. "I threw it around in conversation with senior staff and political advisers, who were all involved in this whole adventure we're on. "And among the things we talked about was the, you know, the unlikelihood she would be interested in it, because she has a bully pulpit that's worldwide and more influence that U.S. senators combined -- all 100 of them." Winfrey said that she had no idea she was under consideration. She said she found out from best friend Gayle King, who called to tell her on Monday morning.  Watch Oprah's reaction » Winfrey said she was "amused by the whole thing" but would have turned down the proposal had it been made. Blagojevich also said he was worried about how to present the offer to Winfrey without it looking like a gimmick. The governor said the talks never got to that point "partly because I was interrupted on December 9." Blagojevich and his chief of staff were arrested then on federal corruption charges, including allegations that the governor

Question: What did the governor say?

Question: Who could fill Obama's Senate seat?

Question: Who did the governor say should fill Obama's Senate seat?

Question: Who did Blagojevich say he  channeled?

Question: Who did the governor consider to fill Obama's seat?

Question: Who is the governor?

Question: Who did Blagojevich channel?

Answer: "I'm not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing,"

Answer: Oprah Winfrey

Answer: Oprah Winfrey

Answer: major political figures

Answer: Oprah Winfrey

Answer: Rod Blagojevich's

Answer: major political figures

Summary:
NEW: Governor says taking "snippets of conversations out of full context is unfair"
Blagojevich says he channeled MLK, Gandhi, Mandela during arrest .
Governor says he considered Oprah Winfrey to fill Barack Obama's Senate seat .
Blagojevich says resigning would be "worst thing I could do"


(CNN) -- As Haitians struggle to recover from the devastation of Tuesday's 7.0-magnitude earthquake, mental health experts caution that the most severe psychological effects won't take form until individuals' situations stabilize.

Feelings of confusion, fear, agitation, grief and anger that surround a large-scale traumatic event such as the Haiti earthquake give way to more pronounced psychological disorders once people's basic human needs are taken care of, experts say.

"Once the initial resources are in, when actually most people are going to start feel out of danger, is when the psychological aftereffects are going to hit people," said Dr. Daniella David, professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine. "People need to ask for help when that happens."

In the immediate short-term period after a large-scale traumatic event, people are concerned primarily with self-preservation and taking care of family and friends, said Dr. Sandro Galea, chair of the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. These people experience acute stress and anxiety, which is taken up by trying to fulfill the immediate physical needs.

There is a normal and immediate stress response that comes with an event that causes damage to homes and infrastructure and loss of family members, David said.

Haiti has the potential for higher rates of mental illness and a slower recovery after this episode because the population is already strained from weak social and economic supports, Galea said. In those conditions, they may already be predisposed to developing mental illness irrespective of the earthquake itself, he said.

View or add to CNN's database of missing persons in Haiti

The stress of the disaster situation, combined with the potential predisposition toward stress disorders, could lead to an extreme emotional reaction, but that does not mean these factors predict any kind of violent or other extreme behavior, said Joan Cook, assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale University, in an e-mail.

"I'd say that if the rate of psychological problems turns out similar to previous severe natural disasters in other economically disadvantaged countries, as many as 50 percent or more could suffer in the short-term from clinically significant distress," she said.

When disaster victims have information about their situation, they tend to make rational decisions and tend to the immediate needs of themselves and those close to them, Galea said. There is little evidence of widespread panic in those cases, he said, but there is a danger of misinformation.

"People can accept uncertainty, as long as they are brought into the uncertainty and told what central authorities do know, and also what central authorities don't know," he said. "It's critically important that there is information that comes out centrally from a single source."

To assist at the early stage, the most important thing to do immediately after a disaster -- for example, at this moment in Haiti -- is to try to help with basic needs such as shelter and food, David said. In terms of psychological support, studies of natural disasters show that people should be moved to safety and informed that the immediate danger is over, something that has unfortunately been difficult to do in Haiti, she said.

About a month after a disaster occurs, once the immediate physical needs are addressed, symptoms of mental illness begin to coalesce into specific conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, Galea said. PTSD in particular can last years after the event in a substantial portion of people, he said.

The response varies. Some people may become fearful and develop panic attacks, while others experience sadness that turns into depression, and still others have an acute stress reaction that leads to PTSD or another stress disorder, David said.

The high rates of mental illness in a population that has experienced a traumatic event go down over time, depending on how various problems in the area are resolved, Galea said.

"The extent to which we are able to assist people in rebuilding their lives becomes a tremendously important driver of whether or not the psychopathology that is caused by the trauma

Question: the haitian population is already strained from what?

Question: what arise after inital shock?

Answer: weak social and economic supports,

Answer: post-traumatic stress disorder and depression,

Summary:
After initial shock of tragedy wanes, other mental issues arise, experts say .
World Bank: Life expectancy in Haiti is 61 years; U.S. is 78 .
Expert: The Haitian population is already strained from weak social and economic supports .
There is a danger of rumors spreading, leading people to make bad decisions .


(CNN) -- As Hayden Henshaw was being rushed to the doctor's office after becoming ill, his father heard that his son's classmates had been struck with the deadly swine flu virus like the one sweeping through Mexico. Swine flu commonly affects pigs and occasionally infects people in contact with pigs. Patrick Henshaw called his wife immediately to have Hayden checked for it. Later, they received the bad news. Hayden had become the third confirmed case of swine flu at his Texas high school. It is a virus that has killed 68 people in Mexico and infected at least eight people in the United States. Health officials arrived at the Henshaws' house Friday and drew blood from the whole family, then told them to stay inside and away from the public, Henshaw told CNN. The whole family is quarantined indefinitely, according to CNN-affiliate KABB. Henshaw said his family was shocked when they got the news about their son. "Stunned. My wife was having a panic attack," Henshaw told the affiliate. U.S. health officials have expressed concern about U.S. cases of a swine flu virus that has similar characteristics to the fatal virus in Mexico. More than 1,000 people have fallen ill in Mexico City in a short period of time, U.S. health experts said. "This situation has been developing quickly," Richard Besser, acting director of the Atlanta, Georgia-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said Friday. "This is something we are worried about." Besser said all of the eight U.S. patients have recovered.  Watch for more on the U.S. cases » New York health officials said Friday they were testing about 75 students at a school in New York City for swine flu after the students exhibited flu-like symptoms this week. A team of state health department doctors and staff went to the St. Francis Preparatory School in the borough of Queens on Thursday after the students reported cough, fever, sore throat, aches and pains. Test results are expected as early as Saturday. The new virus has genes from North American swine influenza, avian influenza, human influenza and a form of swine influenza normally found in Asia and Europe, said Nancy Cox, chief of the CDC's Influenza Division. Swine flu is caused by a virus similar to a type of flu virus that infects people every year but is a strain typically found only in pigs -- or in people who have direct contact with pigs. There have, however, been cases of person-to-person transmission of swine flu, the CDC said. CNN's David Alsup contributed to this report.

Question: With what was the Texas teen diagnosed?

Question: What do officials say?

Question: What is the Texas teen diagnosed with?

Question: What was the teen's family ordered to do?

Question: Who was ordered to stay away from public?

Question: What have dozens in Mexico died from?

Question: Who many people have died from the same strain of swine flu?

Answer: deadly swine flu virus

Answer: have expressed concern about U.S. cases of a swine flu virus that has similar characteristics to the fatal virus in Mexico.

Answer: swine flu

Answer: stay inside and away from the public,

Answer: Henshaws'

Answer: swine flu

Answer: 68

Summary:
Texas teen is one of eight in U.S. diagnosed with swine flu .
Teen's family ordered to stay away from public .
Dozens in Mexico have died from same strain of swine flu found in U.S.
Officials say new strain has resisted some antiviral drugs .


(CNN) -- As Iraqi officials speak loftily of ethnic and political reconciliation, Abu Wissam seethes. In April 2006, two Iraqis mourn a relative slain in sectarian violence in the city of Falluja. He wants cold, hard justice for the killers of his son, Raed, a 25-year-old business school graduate, "cut to pieces" by Mehdi Army militia members in their Baghdad neighborhood. The Wissams are among the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis caught in the maelstrom of the militia violence that rippled across Iraq after the 2006 bombing in Samarra of the Askariya Mosque, a Shiite shrine. The kind of trauma and pain endured by the Wissam family is kindling an interest in a social healing process adopted by countries around the world -- truth commissions. They are bodies across the globe that have provided a forum for victims and perpetrators to give cathartic public testimony on human rights abuses and come up with policy recommendations to correct the root cause of the abuses. "Iraq, like many Arab cultures, is an intensely rich narrative culture," said Miranda Sissons, Iraq director of the International Center for Transitional Justice, which helps countries pursuing accountability for past mass atrocities and human rights abuses. "The idea of standing up and witnessing is tremendously appealing, the kind of act and mechanism they can understand."  Watch how the "business of death" continues to thrive » The U.S. Institute of Peace -- one of the independent agencies behind the all-important Iraq Study Group report in 2006 -- is backing an initiative in Iraq to generate understanding and "spark public dialogue on the usefulness of the truth commission process." The institute is teaming up with Iraq's Ministry of Human Rights to screen a USIP film across Iraq about the work of four different commissions. Called "Confronting The Truth: Truth Commissions and Societies in Transition," the film -- produced by York Zimmerman and Peter Ackerman -- explores the workings of such commissions in South Africa, Peru, Morocco and East Timor. The film is getting some good reviews among Iraqis. "The truth commission process is one in which you encourage folks to directly confront that past and how to get behind it," said Sermid Al-Sarraf, the executive director of the International Institute for the Rule of Law, a group that manages USIP's rule of law programs in Iraq. Truth commissions and other conflict-resolution strategies have been on Iraq's radar for years. Oral history projects have emerged, one being the Iraq History Project -- which "gathers and analyzes personal narratives from victims, their families, witnesses, perpetrators and others" about the "torture, massacres, assassinations, rape, chemical weapons attacks, disappearances, and other acts of systematic repression" during the Saddam Hussein regime. That project is managed by the International Human Rights Law Institute of DePaul University College of Law in Chicago and is run by an all-Iraqi in-country staff. Last year, Nobel Peace Prize winner Martti Ahtisaari's Crisis Management Initiative and a conflict-resolution initiative at the University of Massachusetts Boston were behind an effort to forge the so-called Helsinki agreement -- a statement of reconciliation principles among a wide range of Iraqi politicians. That process was notable because former antagonists in Northern Ireland and South Africa worked with the Iraqis. Padraig O'Malley, a UMass conflict-resolution professor involved in the Helsinki process, is planning a three-day forum in April for "divided cities," where officials from ethnically tense Kirkuk in Iraq will discuss common problems with officials from Derry/Londonderry and Belfast in Northern Ireland, Nicosia in Cyprus, and Mitrovica in Kosovo. The International Center for Transitional Justice says Coalition Provisional Authority officials initially proposed a "truth-seeking commission" for Iraq in 2003 but eventually decided to "delay the process" in order for Iraqis to rigorously study other truth-telling efforts, as advocated by the center. In 2005, the center also discussed the establishment of a center for the missing and disappeared. As for truth commissions today, some observers say there hasn't been the political will on the part of the national government to pursue one.

Question: Who is struggling with negative feelings?

Question: What are the relatives of slain Iraqis struggling with?

Question: What do relatives of the slain struggle with?

Question: Who is helped by directly confronting the past?

Question: What does the truth commissions provide?

Question: What do Truth commissions provide?

Question: What does the process allow?

Question: What does the Truth commission provide?

Answer: Abu Wissam

Answer: trauma and pain

Answer: trauma and pain

Answer: victims and perpetrators

Answer: provided a forum for victims and perpetrators to give cathartic public testimony on human

Answer: a forum for victims and perpetrators to give cathartic public testimony on human rights abuses and come up with policy recommendations to correct the root cause of the abuses.

Answer: encourage folks to directly confront that past and how to get behind it,"

Answer: a forum for victims and perpetrators to give cathartic public testimony on human rights abuses and come up with policy recommendations to correct the root cause of the abuses.

Summary:
Relatives of slain Iraqis struggle with feelings of grief, revenge .
Truth commissions provide forums for victims to be heard, perpetrators to testify .
Process lets participants "directly confront" the past .
Truth commissions could lead to other societal improvements, backers say .


(CNN) -- As Michael Jackson fans and the media pour into Los Angeles, California, for what could be the most widely watched memorial of all time, an obvious question remains: Where will he be laid to rest? Bette Davis is among the notables buried at the Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn park. Although the Jackson family hasn't made an official statement, all signs seem to point toward Forest Lawn Memorial Parks and Mortuaries, the not-for-profit organization that has buried a vast number of Hollywood's notables. Forest Lawn officials were working with the Jackson family on their plans, which were part of "a package" of events Tuesday, said Jim McDonnell, assistant chief of staff of the Los Angeles Police Department on Sunday. His comments, however, did not answer questions about where or when Jackson would be buried. There is speculation that the burial will be at Forest Lawn's Glendale location, but the media are swarming around the Hollywood Hills memorial park, located right off the freeway behind Disney Studios. Tito Jackson's ex-wife, Delores "Dee Dee" Jackson, is believed to be buried there. Forest Lawn Memorial is the first stop tourists make in search of the crypts of Hollywood greats. Numerous books and Web sites such as findagrave.com and seeing-stars.com claim to have insider knowledge about celebrity grave locations on the properties, but Forest Lawn is unrelentingly secretive about who, exactly, is entombed in its parks. "We hold the privacy of our client families in very high regard," said Bill Martin, spokesman for the Glendale location, which is considered the "mother lode" for celebrity grave hunters. "There are certain areas and property types that have limited access." The tombs of Sammy Davis Jr., Humphrey Bogart and Jean Harlow are in locked areas not accessible to the general public, according to findagrave.com. With that kind of commitment to privacy, it's understandable why Jackson, known for being reclusive, might be buried there. Avid grave hunter Lisa Burks, who frequents both the Glendale and Hollywood Hills parks, said she wouldn't be surprised if Jackson were to be buried at either location. Burks was first drawn to Forest Lawn Glendale because of its artwork and statuary, but once she found out that celebrities were "buried with the regular people," she said, she began to grave hunt. "We leave flowers and take pictures," Burks said of her time at famous graves. "It's the way of remembering someone who made a difference, who cheered me up when I was a kid or entertained me. With Michael Jackson ... if he ends up at a cemetery, I'll definitely go and take flowers. They feel like a member of the family, so you treat them like a member of the family." Even if you can't find a way to see your favorite celebrity's crypt, Los Angeles residents said that just stepping foot in the park is an experience in itself. "I know for some people cemeteries can be intimidating or just where you go to mourn. But at Forest Lawn, it isn't sad; it's really a beautiful place," said Beth Zeigler, an Echo Park, California, professional who frequents the park's museum. But if you call any of the Forest Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuaries a cemetery, you would be remiss. There are certainly graves behind the Glendale park's majestic wrought-iron gates, but that's where the similarities end. Amid its 300 acres, the park has three churches, replicas of all of Michelangelo's works and a copy of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" in stained glass. Instead of above-ground tombstones, the park uses flat, engraved markers for grave sites, so from afar all you can see are grassy hills. The memorial park draws over a million visitors each year, including 70,000 who come to get married. Built in 1906 as a traditional cemetery, Forest Lawn was revamped by Dr. Hubert Eaton in 1917. Like Jackson, Eaton was "an icon [of his] time,"

Question: What other stars were buried there?

Question: Who might we buried at the Forest Lawn location?

Question: Who else is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery?

Question: Which stars are buried there

Question: What is the name of the location

Answer: Sammy Davis Jr., Humphrey Bogart

Answer: Michael Jackson

Answer: Bette Davis

Answer: Sammy Davis Jr., Humphrey Bogart and Jean Harlow

Answer: Forest Lawn Memorial Parks and Mortuaries,

Summary:
Will Jackson be buried among other stars at a Forest Lawn location?
The not-for-profit group's strict regulations about privacy would match Jackson's life .
Sammy Davis Jr. and Humphrey Bogart buried there, among other stars .


(CNN) -- As Michael Jackson fans and the media pour into Los Angeles, California, for what could be the most widely watched memorial of all time, an obvious question remains: Where will he be laid to rest? Bette Davis is among the notables buried at the Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn park. Although the Jackson family hasn't made an official statement, all signs seem to point toward Forest Lawn Memorial Parks and Mortuaries, the organization that has buried a vast number of Hollywood's notables. On Monday, sources told CNN that Jackson's relatives will hold a private gathering at the Forest Lawn cemetery in Los Angeles Tuesday morning ahead of a massive public service. The gathering is scheduled for 8 a.m. (11 a.m. ET) -- two hours before a memorial service at the Staples Center arena downtown. Cemetery officials have not commented on the matter. Sunday, Jim McDonnell, assistant chief of staff of the Los Angeles Police Department on Sunday, said Forest Lawn officials were working with the Jackson family on their plans, which were part of "a package" of events Tuesday. His comments, however, did not answer questions about where or when Jackson would be buried. There is speculation that the burial will be at Forest Lawn's Glendale location, but the media have been swarming around the Hollywood Hills memorial park, located right off the freeway behind Disney Studios. Tito Jackson's ex-wife, Delores "Dee Dee" Jackson, is believed to be buried there. Forest Lawn Memorial is the first stop tourists make in search of the crypts of Hollywood greats. Numerous books and Web sites such as findagrave.com and seeing-stars.com claim to have insider knowledge about celebrity grave locations on the properties, but Forest Lawn is unrelentingly secretive about who, exactly, is entombed in its parks. "We hold the privacy of our client families in very high regard," said Bill Martin, spokesman for the Glendale location, which is considered the "mother lode" for celebrity grave hunters. "There are certain areas and property types that have limited access." The tombs of Sammy Davis Jr., Humphrey Bogart and Jean Harlow are in locked areas not accessible to the general public, according to findagrave.com. With that kind of commitment to privacy, it's understandable why Jackson, known for being reclusive, might be buried there. Avid grave hunter Lisa Burks, who frequents both the Glendale and Hollywood Hills parks, said she wouldn't be surprised if Jackson were to be buried at either location. Burks was first drawn to Forest Lawn Glendale because of its artwork and statuary, but once she found out that celebrities were "buried with the regular people," she said, she began to grave hunt. "We leave flowers and take pictures," Burks said of her time at famous graves. "It's the way of remembering someone who made a difference, who cheered me up when I was a kid or entertained me. With Michael Jackson ... if he ends up at a cemetery, I'll definitely go and take flowers. They feel like a member of the family, so you treat them like a member of the family." Even if you can't find a way to see your favorite celebrity's crypt, Los Angeles residents said that just stepping foot in the park is an experience in itself. "I know for some people cemeteries can be intimidating or just where you go to mourn. But at Forest Lawn, it isn't sad; it's really a beautiful place," said Beth Zeigler, an Echo Park, California, professional who frequents the park's museum. But if you call any of the Forest Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuaries a cemetery, you would be remiss. There are certainly graves behind the Glendale park's majestic wrought-iron gates, but that's where the similarities end. Amid its 300 acres, the park has three churches, replicas of all of Michelangelo's works and a copy of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" in stained glass. Instead of above-ground tombstones, the park uses flat, engraved markers for grave

Question: Name of the location where Jackson may be buried at?

Question: what is his name

Question: Where is Sammy Davis Jr. buried?

Question: where is he buried

Answer: Forest Lawn's Glendale

Answer: Michael Jackson

Answer: Forest Lawn Glendale

Answer: Forest Lawn Memorial Parks and Mortuaries,


(CNN) -- As Occupy Wall Street demonstrates its staying power, media increasingly portray it favorably. Because of its success, the movement is being asked to put forth a list of its demands. So far, members have said no. And well they should.

The refusal of Occupy Wall Street to tie itself down with an agenda that can be debated piecemeal is one of its great strengths. The decision allows Occupy Wall Street to remain a cri de coeur for all who believe they have lost ground over the last decade.

In choosing this strategy, Occupy Wall Street is doing more than defying expectations. It is linking itself with the best of 1960s America.

Fifty years ago in his 1961 Inaugural Address, President John F. Kennedy declared that the torch had been passed to a new generation of Americans. A year later, in its Port Huron Statement of 1962, the group Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), took Kennedy's generational declaration a step further, insisting that the time had come for America to make a new commitment to social justice.

For SDS, an organization dominated by college and graduate students, participatory democracy was a version of Occupy Wall Street's horizontal democracy, and to look back at SDS's Port Huron Statement is to see why Occupy Wall Street activists should feel confident about the path they have chosen.

The Port Huron Statement was often maddeningly vague. But like Occupy Wall Street's chant, "We are the 99 percent," the Port Huron Statement left no doubt about the all-inclusive equality SDS sought. As Kirkpatrick Sale has written in his definitive history "SDS: The Rise and Development of the Students for a Democratic Society," the organization both captured and shaped the spirit of the new student mood.

"America rests in national stalemate" was the underlying premise of the Port Huron Statement. SDS believed the "decline of utopia and hope" was the defining feature of the American political landscape in the early '60s, and its task was to search for "truly democratic alternatives."

SDS members had, they believed, grown up when America was the wealthiest and strongest country in the world, and they saw themselves struggling with the complacency such power produced.

SDS did not underestimate the difficulty of overcoming the problems it faced. At a time when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was still years away and the fall of the Berlin Wall was impossible to imagine, SDS was concerned not only with the questions of economic equality but the entrenched racism of the South and the nuclear arms race.

The organization conceded that much groundwork had to be laid if serious change was possible. "The first task of any social movement is to convince people that the search for orienting theories and the creation of human values is complex but worthwhile," the Port Huron Statement says.

The group never said exactly how it would succeed at that task. But it was clear about what it wanted. "We would replace power rooted in possession, privilege, or circumstance by power and uniqueness rooted in love, reflectiveness, reason, and creativity."

SDS was not bothered by criticism that such a declaration of principles was too idealistic. It faced its critics head on. "If we appear to seek the unattainable, as it has been said, then let it be known that we do so to avoid the unimaginable," the concluding lines of the Port Huron Statement declare.

The organization's faith in people, particularly those belonging to its college-age generation, was knowingly idealistic. At the core of the Port Huron Statement was SDS's unapologetic insistence: "We regard men as infinitely precious and possessed of unfilled capacities for reason, freedom, and love."

By the end of the 1960s, SDS was a spent force, but the values expressed in the Port Huron Statement had a life of their own. They were echoed in the civil rights movement as well as in the social programs of Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society, and they continued into the 1970s with the antiwar movement.

It is too early to predict what will follow from Occupy Wall Street,

Question: Which other society didn't list demands in 1962?

Question: What did he write?

Question: What did they refuse to do?

Question: Who refused to list demands?

Question: What did they refuse to list?

Question: What values lived on long after SDS?

Answer: Students for a Democratic

Answer: "SDS: The Rise and Development of the Students for a Democratic Society,"

Answer: put forth a list of its demands.

Answer: Occupy Wall Street

Answer: its demands.

Answer: expressed in the Port Huron Statement

Summary:
Nicolaus Mills: Occupy Wall Street makes smart move by refusing to list demands .
Mills: In 1962, Students for a Democratic Society's Port Huron Statement didn't list demands .
Mills says the values outlined in that statement lived on long after SDS ended .
Occupy allows room for all who have lost ground to bring issues to light, he writes .


(CNN) -- As President Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon talk tough about cracking down on the deadly drug war, the United States is changing tactics in the battle against illegal narcotics at home. Legalizing marijuana is off the table, the White House says. The man Obama picked to be the new "drug czar," Gil Kerlikowske, has made it clear that the United States is going to do a better job of treating addicts to try to reduce the demand for narcotics. Kerlikowske, 59, is a military veteran with 36 years of law enforcement experience. The drug czar oversees an agency that sets the country's drug-control strategy. The White House and Congress want to see more drug courts, and increased funding for the program 250 percent in the spending bill signed in March. It's a campaign pledge that the Obama administration thinks will give nonviolent offenders "a chance to serve their sentence, where appropriate, in the type of drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than a prison term in changing bad behavior," according to the White House Web site. Judge Paul Gluchowski, who works with the Prince William County Juvenile Drug Court in Virginia, dismissed the notion that a drug treatment program is the easy way out.  Watch what it's like inside the drug court » If anyone thinks that, he said he'd tell them they should "come and talk to some of the participants. A lot of them probably wish they never agreed to undergo drug court. And a lot of them have given up because it's too hard." Those who slip up in drug court can be forced to wear ankle-monitoring bracelets or put into juvenile detention. "If they don't give up, then when it comes time for graduation and you see the shine on their face, when you know that they have accomplished something, and they know that. That's what it's all about," Gluchowski said. Vice President Joe Biden stressed the importance of drug courts and prisoner re-entry programs when he announced Kerlikowske's position in March, saying they "can serve as the light at the end of the tunnel, of a very long, long dark tunnel, for those who are stuck in the cycle of drug addiction and incarceration." Kerlikowske said he was committed to tackling the nation's drug problem, but noted that it would take a "coordinated and multifaceted effort." "The success of our efforts to reduce the flow of drugs is largely dependent on our ability to reduce demand for them," Kerlikowske said, calling the nation's drug problem one of "human suffering." "It requires prosecutors and law enforcement, courts, treatment providers and prevention programs to exchange information and to work together. And our priority should be a seamless, comprehensive approach," he said. In meeting with Calderon on Thursday, Obama tried to show Mexico's president that he is committed to ending a crisis that hits so close to home. Obama vowed to beef up security along the border and to work to slow the flow of guns and drugs. He said the United States shares responsibility for the drug problem, saying "a demand for these drugs in the United States is what is helping to keep these cartels in business." But he also tried to limit expectations that there could be any sort of quick fix. "Now, are we going to eliminate all drug flows? Are we going to eliminate all guns coming over the border? That's not a realistic objective," he said. "What is a realistic objective is to reduce it so significantly, so drastically that it becomes once again a localized criminal problem, as opposed to a major structural problem that threatens stability in communities along those borders." The White House has listened to those who say legalizing marijuana will pull the rug from under the violent cartels in Mexico and boost the U.S. economy, but that option is not on the table. Asked Thursday if that is something realistic, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano quickly responded, "No, it

Question: What program is more effective than jail time?

Question: Who stressed the improtance of it?

Question: What does the White House say is not an option?

Question: What is more effective than jail?

Question: What will Obama carck down on?

Question: What does Obama say is unrealistic?

Question: What does the drug court supporter say is more effective than jail time?

Answer: drug rehabilitation

Answer: Vice President Joe Biden

Answer: legalizing marijuana

Answer: drug rehabilitation programs

Answer: the deadly drug war,

Answer: eliminate all drug flows?

Answer: rehabilitation programs

Summary:
Drug court supporters say program is more effective than jail time .
Biden stresses the importance of drug courts in announcing new drug czar .
Obama vows crackdown on drug war but says stopping all drug flow is unrealistic .
Legalizing marijuana is not an option, White House says .


(CNN) -- As South Carolina Republicans begin voting in the first primary of the south today, GOP insiders say that all the candidates have had their problems in Palmetto State, one reason why today's outcome has been so hard to predict.

One veteran South Carolina GOP operative summed up the dilemma of many of his colleagues in the state who are still on the fence. "For the first time in my professional life I am not working for a candidate and undecided on whom I will vote for. My heart says one thing, my mind says another."

According to a CNN survey of 46 South Carolina GOP insiders -- including state legislators, state and local party officials, business and conservative interest group leaders, veterans of previous presidential primary campaigns, Palmetto State GOP political consultants, and other party activists -- former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's biggest hurdles in South Carolina are his Massachusetts political roots and his more centrist views. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich calls Romney a "Massachusetts moderate."

What do you think has been the biggest obstacle for Romney in South Carolina?

His record in Massachusetts -- 85%

His Mormon faith -- 13%

His role at Bain Capital -- 2%

Now that Romney wants the GOP presidential nomination again, he has moved to the right from some of his positions and the tone of his previous campaigns in the state. And that has fed the perception that Romney is willing to change his stands for political expediency. Ironically, Romney's continued defense of the Massachusetts health care reform law he helped enact as governor remains a stumbling block with some conservatives who would rather he repent on that issue.

"The two big issues that stick out to me regarding his record are his flip-flopping on abortion which many voters in South Carolina don't understand, and of course his signing of 'Romney-care,' " said one South Carolina insider. "As a result, many don't trust him and wonder if he will simply say anything in order to win the election."

And while Gingrich maintains that he's the logical alternative for conservatives, the former House Speaker's problem has been that, up until Thursday, there were two other options for South Carolina voters who were uneasy with Romney -- former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and Texas Gov Rick Perry, who has since suspended his campaign. However, the insiders don't think Gingrich's personal issues have played as much of a factor, although they were surveyed before reports surfaced on January 19 that Gingrich's second wife said he asked her for an "open marriage."

What do you think has been the biggest obstacle for Gingrich in South Carolina?

Conservative vote is too divided among candidates -- 52%

Attacks against Romney's role at Bain Capital backfired -- 33%

The negative ads run against him -- 13%

Personal baggage (volunteered) -- 2%

"Newt's populism resonates with red-meat voters in South Carolina, but the Romney-alternative field (has been) too crowded for him to lock down a solid win here," said one GOP insider.

The other main contender for the fervent conservative vote in South Carolina has been Santorum and he shares Gingrich's problem of being one of too many choice on the right.

What do you think has been the biggest obstacle for Santorum in South Carolina?

His past record as senator on earmarks and right-to-work -- 41%

Conservative vote is too divided among candidates -- 56%

Doubts about him among Southern voters -- 2%

"The biggest obstacle for all the 'not-Romney' candidates has been in a word, 'ego,' " said one GOP Insider. "All of their egos were too big to drop out (early) and work to truly consolidate conservative voters."

But another operative noted that in a state where the Republican governor had battled with the Obama administration over whether Boeing could move airplane production from assembly lines that were unionized in Washington State to a nonunion facility in South Carolina, Santorum's defense of his opposition to right-to-work laws while he

Question: Who is too centrist?

Question: What has Romney been seen as?

Question: What do GOP insiders in South Carolina say?

Question: What is Romney seen as

Question: What did GOP insiders say about each candidate?

Answer: Mitt Romney's

Answer: "Massachusetts moderate."

Answer: that all the candidates have had their problems in Palmetto State, one reason why today's outcome has been so hard to predict.

Answer: "Massachusetts moderate."

Answer: all the

Summary:
GOP insiders in South Carolina say that each candidate has worrisome issues .
Romney has been seen as too centrist, says poll .
The anti-Romney vote is split between Gingrich and Santorum .
Ron Paul's national security positions keep him out of mainstream, says poll .


(CNN) -- As Tax Day approaches, Tea Party activists are uniting to voice the message they've been honing for more than a year: It's time to reduce the size of government, honor the Constitution and return to fiscal responsibility in Washington.

The Tea Party Express' third cross-country tour brings activists to Boston, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, before culminating with an anti-tax rally at the nation's capital on Thursday.

The "Just Vote Them Out!" tour has weaved through areas represented by vulnerable Democrats, bringing thousands to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's hometown in Nevada on its opening day. The tour's other top target -- Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan -- announced his retirement the same day the tour was in his turf.

Tea Party favorite Sarah Palin was the top draw at the Boston event. Republican Sen. Scott Brown, whose winning Massachusetts campaign was infused by the Tea Party, turned down his invitation to the event, although his office said he wished the rally success.

Are you at a Tea Party rally? Share your images

So far, the movement's success is in the eye of the beholder.

Tea Party activists running for office have yet to make much impact in the Republican primaries, and Stupak rejected the notion that the Tea Party played a role in his decision to step down.

Tea Party changes tone, not outcome of Texas primary

But House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer admitted Tuesday that the protests and rallies by the Tea Party across the country are having an impact on lawmakers' decisions about running for another term.

"Do I think that negative atmosphere that's been created by the Tea Party and by others certainly goes into the thinking of members? I think it does. I think you honestly have to point out that it does," Hoyer said.

Hoyer: Tea Party having an impact

The Tea Party developed last year in protest to what its supporters saw as overspending in Washington -- by Republicans and Democrats -- following the stimulus bill, the bank bailouts and President Obama's budget.

Fueled by anger at the government and fear of where the country was headed, it grew from dozens to hundreds of loosely linked groups.

Until recently, there had been little movement toward coalescing as a formal party.

Last week, a broad coalition of national and regional Tea Party groups announced the formation of the National Tea Party Federation.

Tea Party movement attempts to unite?

Tom De Luca, a professor of political science at Fordham University, said while Tea Party activists have affected the national agenda, the larger impact has been on the Republican Party.

"It's energized the hardcore base of Republicans who tend to share a lot of Tea Party ideas, but on the other hand, it's going to bring to the floor a split that has been in the Republican Party for quite a long time," De Luca said.

That split pits the more conservative elements of the party against moderate Republicans. At the Southern Republican Leadership Conference last weekend, a Tea Party member voiced a concern to former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum that the moderate Republicans -- and not conservatives -- would end up on the ballot in November.

"Go beat them," he told the attendee. "That's what elections are all about. I encourage candidates to run," Santorum said, adding the GOP must focus its energy on electing conservative candidates in the Republican primaries.

Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minnesota, said last week that the Republican Party and the Tea Party are in the process of merging.

Bachmann: GOP and Tea Party movement are 'merging'

If the Tea Party pushes Republicans further to the right, however, it could hurt them in November, De Luca noted. Centrist voters would likely favor a Democrat over a far-right Republican, he said.

Republican Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour pleaded with conservatives at the conference to stick together as the elections near.

"The Democrats' fondest hope is to see Tea Party or other conservatives split off and have a third party to split the conservative vote,"

Question: What is having effect on whether lawmakers will seek re-election?

Question: What says Steny Hoyer?

Question: When does the Tea Party Express wind up the tour?

Question: What is Hoyer's first name?

Answer: protests and rallies by the Tea Party

Answer: "Do I think that negative atmosphere that's been created by the Tea Party and by others certainly goes into the thinking of members? I think it does. I think you honestly have to point out that it does,"

Answer: Thursday.

Answer: Steny

Summary:
Tea Party Express winds up tour Wednesday in Boston, Thursday in D.C.
Steny Hoyer: Tea Party having effect on whether lawmakers will seek re-election .
Tea Party having larger influence over GOP, professor says .
'We're in a war for the soul of this country,' activist Mark Williams says .


(CNN) -- As Toyota recalls millions of cars, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that an average of 25 percent of U.S. consumers who get recall notices don't follow through and fix their vehicles. The CNN Fact Check Desk wondered: Is there a way to ensure compliance with auto recalls? Most vehicle recalls involve free fixes for the consumer. • Clarence Ditlow with the Center for Auto Safety, a consumer watchdog group, says there is not a process to ensure that auto owners comply with recalls. The center says vehicle insurers have an incentive and a method to reach car owners who haven't complied fully with recalls. "Insurers have the VIN [vehicle identification numbers], and they could contact the insured drivers who have failed to comply," Ditlow says. Because states are responsible for issuing a vehicle's registration, Ditlow sees an opportunity for state governments to force compliance. He says that states could refuse to renew registration until the manufacturer's fix has been made. However, he says, no states have taken this step so far. • According to Edmunds.com, some states do require owners to make the requisite repairs before they attempt to sell the affected car. • Jeanne Salvatore, with the Insurance Information Institute, says that auto insurers will pay damage claims caused by the current Toyota defects, then go after Toyota for reimbursements. • CNN Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis says that new car dealers are prevented from selling a defective car. • If recall communications are deemed insufficient, the NHTSA can require further efforts from the manufacturer. But there is not a mechanism at the federal level to ensure that drivers comply. • Bottom line: If the NHTSA's 25 percent noncompliance figure is any indication, there could be many affected Toyota models that do not get the requisite fix under the current recall. Although there have been suggestions for how to better enforce recalls, there is no mechanism in place to force drivers to make the change. CNN's Jen Haley and CNNMoney's Peter Valdes-Dapena contributed to this report.

Question: What could the states refuse?

Question: Do they ensure auto owners comply?

Question: What do most recalls involve?

Question: What kind of process does not exist?

Question: What percentage of consumers don't comply?

Question: What can insurers use VINs for?

Answer: renew registration

Answer: that

Answer: free fixes for the consumer.

Answer: to ensure that auto owners comply with recalls.

Answer: 25

Answer: [vehicle identification numbers], and they could contact the insured drivers who have failed to comply,"

Summary:
Most recalls involve free fixes, but NHTSA says 25 percent of consumers don't comply .
Consumer watchdog group says there's no process to ensure that auto owners comply .
Insurers could use VINs to find drivers, states could refuse registration to force compliance .
At federal level, there's no mechanism to ensure that drivers comply .


(CNN) -- As Walter Thomas knows, it's hard to look for a job when your stomach is rumbling. Samirah, 2, asked her mom to take this photo to show that hungry people "are like everyone else." The 52-year-old from Washington, D.C.,  started skipping meals in early January when his savings account was running dry and his kitchen cabinets were almost empty. Thomas at first didn't want to turn to the United States' food safety net, the food stamp program, for help. But after being laid off in July from what seemed like a steady job in sales at a furniture store, Thomas swallowed his pride and applied for the monthly food aid. "It lets me think, 'OK, well, tomorrow I'll be able to eat. If nothing else, I'll be able to eat,' " he said. With the national economy in meltdown, more Americans than ever are relying on the federal aid program to keep from going hungry. In October, more than one in 10 people -- about 31 million -- were using the food stamp program to get by, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. More recent numbers are not available, but advocates for the poor say the number of those in need of aid probably has increased since then. Stereotypes associated with food stamps abound, and recipients are often seen as prone to taking handouts, sometimes when they may not be needed. But the profile of hunger in America is multifaceted, as diverse as the nation itself, especially in these times of economic hardship. To get a better idea of what it's like to live on a food stamp budget, CNN correspondent Sean Callebs has decided to eat for a month on $176 and blog about the experience on CNN.com.  Watch reporter's struggle to buy food with food stamps » That's a situation many people, Thomas included, can relate to. Thomas, who said he had been working steadily since he was 13 years old, now receives $175 per month for food. That's about $5.83 per day -- less than $2 per meal.  See what people on food stamps can buy » Not that Thomas is complaining. After getting his first payment, which is added to an inconspicuous debit card to reduce the stigma associated with the program, Thomas went straight to the grocery store. He was hungry and grateful. "It's definitely been a blessing to me," he said of the food stamp program, which, since October, has gone by the name Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Advocates for the poor, as well as those on federal assistance, hope President Obama's economic stimulus plan will increase food stamp payments. The average family on food stamps would receive $79 more per month if the stimulus bill passes in the U.S. Senate this week, according to The New York Times. iReport.com: How are you doing in this tough economy? There is some debate about whether giving people money to spend on groceries is a valid form of economic stimulus. Few are more hopeful the measure will pass than Crystal Sears, a 30-year-old mother in Germantown, Pennsylvania, who said she has been on food stamps for more than three years. Sears said she sometimes skips meals so her three children can eat. Even with federal assistance, she said, she sometimes has to make a meal for herself out of crackers or food scraps. She said she has been out of work for several years because all three of her children have medical conditions: Her 8-year-old son has a seizure disorder that requires frequent hospital visits and constant attention; her 2-year-old daughter was born with heart problems; and her 12-year-old daughter has scoliosis, a back condition that recently required two surgeries, she said. Without much money, she's forced to make tough choices. "If the kids needed sneakers and their sneakers are getting too small, or if my water bill is past due, I'd opt not to pay it and risk them sending

Question: How many Americans are part of the federal food assistance program?

Question: How much did Sean Callebs live on?

Question: What percentage of people in the USA are part of the federal food assistance program?

Question: What could the stimulus plan increase?

Question: What are 1 in 10 Americans a part of?

Question: What do some people say?

Question: What will increase food-stamp funding?

Question: What CNN correspondent will live on $176 a month?

Question: What can the economic stimulus do?

Answer: 31 million

Answer: $176

Answer: more than one in 10

Answer: food stamp payments.

Answer: food stamp program

Answer: said she sometimes skips meals so her three children can eat.

Answer: President Obama's economic stimulus plan

Answer: Sean Callebs

Answer: increase food stamp payments.

Summary:
More than 1 in 10 Americans are part of the federal food assistance program .
Some people say it is hard or impossible to make ends meet, even with help .
President Obama's economic stimulus plan could increase food-stamp funding .
CNN's Sean Callebs will live on $176 this month to learn about life on food stamps .


(CNN) -- As a concept, recycling has lived and died many times throughout its 4,000-year old history. But it always re-emerges as an idea when humans need it most, such as during the Great Depression, and later during World War II, when American companies recycled or reused around 25 percent of the waste stream.

A sign in Cheshire, England signalling a recycling drop-off area.

Today, the global recycling industry generates $160 billion a year, processing more than 500 million tons of materials.

The industry is becoming one of the world's biggest employers. While the official amount of people employed by the industry is 1.5 million worldwide, the real figure -- when you factor in illegal recycling operations in the developing world -- is likely to be much, much higher. The United Nations believes, for example, that as many as 10 million people in China alone are now in the recycling business.

What's not to like about recycling?

There are some fairly persuasive arguments for recycling, and for using recycled goods. Energy savings is just one of them. By reusing existing materials you are essentially removing the process involved in sourcing the "virgin materials" in the first place.

Take soda cans, made from aluminum. According to Friends of the Earth, creating a ton of these from scratch takes five times the amount of energy as it would to produce a ton of recycled cans. According to the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR), the companies that manufacture recycled aluminum are using 95 percent less energy than if they were using "virgin materials." (For plastics the energy savings are almost as high -- 80 percent, BIR says, while making paper from recycled paper (as opposed to wood) can save 64 percent of energy.)

Looking at it another way, according to the National Recycling Coalition, the amount of energy saved in one year by Americans recycling their soda cans, plastic containers, newspapers and packaging represented the energy equivalent of:

Not surprisingly, recycling also impacts pollution levels. BIR says producing paper from recycled paper as opposed to wood can slash air pollution by as much as 74 percent and water pollution by 35 percent; while manufacturing recycled steel results in 86 percent less air pollution.

There are different types of pollution savings to be made, reducing the pollution generated by manufacturing the stuff in the first place. And then there is the pollution that results in dumping the waste in landfills, instead of recycling it. A recent report from the European Environment Agency (EEA), for example, has predicted that greenhouse gas emissions from household waste will drop by more than 80 percent by 2020 -- largely because of increases in recycling levels which are diverting waste away from landfills.

And the carbon savings can be huge, even when a relatively small amount of effort has been made. The UK has one of Europe's lowest recycling rates when it comes to municipal waste -- 27 percent. Yet, the impact on its carbon emissions has already become worthwhile, according to Waste & Resources Action Programme, or WRAP. WRAP says that these relatively minor efforts already mean a 10 million- to 15 million-ton reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions a year -- the equivalent of taking 3.5 million cars off the road.

What about the costs? One of the main objections to the recycling movement has been the cost factor. Throwing something away is obviously going to be a lot cheaper than going through the hassle of recycling it. And certain materials are going to be a lot tougher to recycle than others, driving up costs and energy spent. But, as a 2004 study by research group GPI Atlantic found out, there are many different ways to measure cost.

GPI looked at the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, which back in the 1990s had decided that 50 percent of its trash was going to get recycled instead of landing up in incinerators or landfills. The annual cost to the province of doing this was $18 million more than it would have cost to chuck trash away. But, when different factors were considered, the number looked very different These factors included

Question: How many tons of material is recycled every year?

Question: what age is the recycling movement

Question: how many tons are recycled

Question: How many years of age is recycling?

Answer: more than 500 million

Answer: 4,000-year

Answer: 500 million

Answer: 4,000-year

Summary:
Recycling as a movement 4,000 years old .
More than 500 million tons of material recycled every year .
Recycling a boom industry in developing world .
Health risks arising from poor recycling operations in China .


(CNN) -- As a hobby, Suzie Jirachareonkul, a teacher and mother of two, spends many of her nights searching for endangered toads on the country roads near her home outside Cape Town, South Africa. Volunteers in South Africa are collecting data on the Western Leopard Toad, which is endangered. She often finds them flattened on the street. "They're so beautiful and it's just really hard to live with, especially when you're living on the road right here," the 33-year-old said of the toad deaths. "So we started doing something about it. We started saving them off the road in the middle of the rain." When a scientist caught onto her efforts, Jirachareonkul and a friend assembled about 20 volunteers -- a group she calls the "Toad NUTS" -- to collect data on the endangered Western Leopard Toad. The information they collect is being used in scientific research. Each time Jirachareonkul comes upon one of the spotted, faintly iridescent creatures, she springs into action. She marks down GPS coordinates, measures the toad, makes notes on its behavior (Is a mate stuck to its back? Is it headed toward a pond?) and uploads the information so scientists can use it. Oh, and she moves the toad out of traffic's way, too. While her nighttime hobby may sound a bit strange, Jirachareonkul is far from alone in her efforts to collect amateur scientific data. At a time when climate change and urbanization are poised to set off a new wave of extinction, some members of the scientific community are turning toward backyard biologists for the data they need to monitor ecosystems and protect struggling species. This "citizen science" movement is not exactly new, but it has grown fresh legs as the Internet and social-networking sites help people with uber-specified and often bizarre interests gang up for a cause. Amateur-produced Web sites now serve as data hubs for squirrel sightings, bird photos, ant anthologies, snapshots of leaves, flowers and trees, water quality info, beetle hunts and firefly tracking, among others. Find links at CNN's SciTech blog "It's pretty random," said Cyndy Parr of the Encyclopedia of Life. "There's a lot of charismatic things that won't surprise you -- backyard birds, that sort of thing. But there are also thriving communities of people who like to take pictures of butterflies, centipedes, wildflowers, plants." Some of the sites have sweeping goals. The Encyclopedia of Life, which seeks to gather online information on all known species, has started taking public submissions through a public Flickr group. Some individual users have uploaded more than 2,000 photos. Project BudBurst, out of Boulder, Colorado, aims to collect so much amateur data about plant species that scientists will be able to tell how climate change is altering the seasons in North America. The venture, managed by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, gathers "data that would not otherwise be collected," said Sandra Henderson, the project's director. "We have these additional sentinel eyes on the landscape, if you will. There aren't enough ecologists to be making all of these different plant observations." National Science Foundation funding for citizen science dropped off significantly in 2002 but generally has been on the rise since, according to budget numbers compiled for CNN. Since that year, funding in the United States has increased more than 240 percent, to more than $3 million for 2008. Several of the Web projects receive government funding, but others survive on their own merits. In Spain, Josep del Hoyo founded the Internet Bird Collection, an international compilation of bird videos, sounds and photos that's funded solely by his company. He said the intense passion of birders around the world, plus some money from his publishing company, keep the site running. Amateurs have posted video of never-before-seen birds on the site, he said, and some of the work has been the foundation for scientific articles. Technology is amplifying this passion for citizen science, which

Question: What did a teacher start in South Africa?

Question: Who helps scientists collect valuable data?

Question: What are many web sites hubs for?

Question: Who helped scientists collect valuable data?

Question: Who started a network of people collecting info on toads?

Answer: "They're so beautiful and it's just really hard to live with, especially when you're living on the road right here," the 33-year-old said of the toad deaths. "So we started doing something about it. We started saving them off the road in the middle of the rain."

Answer: Volunteers in South Africa

Answer: squirrel sightings, bird photos, ant anthologies, snapshots of leaves, flowers and trees, water quality info, beetle hunts and firefly tracking, among others.

Answer: Volunteers in South Africa

Answer: Suzie Jirachareonkul,

Summary:
Average people help scientists collect valuable data in era of climate change .
Many Web sites are hubs for citizen-collected info used in research .
Researchers developing iPhone app to automatically identify plants, upload data .
In South Africa, a teacher has started a network of people collecting info on toads .


(CNN) -- As a spending bill loaded with pork makes its way through Congress, President Obama is getting pushback from members of his own party who are questioning his vow to end wasteful spending. The Senate could vote on the spending bill as early as Thursday. The president on Wednesday pledged turn tide on an "era of fiscal irresponsibility," reiterating his campaign promise that the days of "pork ... as a strategy" are over. And in a prime-time address before a joint session of Congress, Obama last week praised the $787 billion stimulus package signed into law, telling the nation, "I'm proud that we passed a recovery plan free of earmarks, and I want to pass a budget next year that ensures that each dollar we spend reflects only our most important national priorities." But some in the audience found that hard to swallow. "There was just a roar of laughter -- because there were earmarks," said Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri. Earmarks, sometimes called "pork," are unrelated pet projects that members of Congress insert in spending bills.  Watch more on the earmarks in the bill » The scoffing continues as the president hammers away at reducing wasteful spending and saving taxpayers money while lawmakers on Capitol Hill load up a spending bill with more than 8,000 earmarks totaling nearly $8 billion. The legislation in question is a $410 billion omnibus bill that would keep the federal government running through the rest of the fiscal year, which ends in September 2009. According to Taxpayers for Common Sense, a group that monitors government spending, the bill includes: About 60 percent of the earmarks are from Democrats, and about 40 percent are from Republicans, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense. Ryan Alexander, the president of the Taxpayers for Common Sense, pointed out that not all earmarks are bad. "They're not always good or bad. What's bad is the process. We don't know why certain projects get earmark funds and why other projects don't. Some of them may be good. But that could be just as well by accident as it is by design, because we have no idea why these projects are funded and why other projects aren't," he said. Earlier this week, 14 Democratic senators met to talk about their concerns with the spending. On Wednesday, Democratic Sens. Evan Bayh and Russ Feingold called on Obama to veto the bill.  Watch Feingold talk about a 'teary-eyed' defense of earmarks » "But the bloated omnibus requires sacrifice from no one, least of all the government. It only exacerbates the problem and hastens the day of reckoning," Bayh wrote in a Wall Street Journal editorial published Wednesday. Democrats blocked amendments by Sens. John McCain, R-Arizona, and Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma, that would have narrowed the spending on earmarks. "So much for the promise of change. This may be -- in all the years I have been coming to this floor to complain about the earmark pork barrel corruption that this system has bred, this may be probably the worst, probably the worst," McCain said Tuesday. The spending bill made it through the House last week. A vote in the Senate could come as early as Thursday, but it's unclear if there are the 60 votes necessary to sent it to the floor since some Democrats aren't supporting it. Obama is expected to sign the bill when it reaches his desk. But Democrats speaking out against the pork could just be flexing their muscles, said CNN contributor Roland Martin. "I would love to see these same Democrats have the courage to actually stand up, look their fellow senators in the eye, Democrats and Republicans, and say, OK, let's get rid of your particular project," he said. "What often happens in Congress is, they complain in terms of the general ... What I am saying is, call them out. Put it on the table," he said. Those defending the earmarks say they make

Question: What is the amount of the spending bill?

Question: When could Senate vote on the bill?

Question: Who want Obama to veto bill?

Question: How much is the spending for bill FY 2009?

Question: How many earmarks does the spending bill include?

Question: Percentage of earmarks on bill?

Question: Who want's Obama to veto the bill?

Answer: $410 billion

Answer: as early as Thursday.

Answer: Democratic Sens. Evan Bayh and Russ Feingold

Answer: $410 billion

Answer: 8,000

Answer: 60 percent

Answer: Evan Bayh and Russ Feingold

Summary:
$410 billion spending bill for FY 2009 includes 8,000 earmarks .
Democratic Sens. Evan Bayh and Russ Feingold want Obama to veto bill .
Senate could vote on bill as early as Thursday .
Defenders of bill say earmarks make up less than 1 percent of it .


(CNN) -- As an 11-year-old boy, Hedi Slimane sought refuge in the school darkroom. Shortly after starting photography classes, the former Dior Homme designer had a key to the lab and would go there to develop photos whenever he could.

He may be one of the most influential designers of this century, but it is the camera that continues to fascinate Slimane.

Born to a an Italian mother who worked as a seamstress and a Tunisian father, Slimane is credited with transforming the male silhouette when he introduced skinny jeans with a rock 'n' roll edge at the turn of the century.

In 2002, he was declared International Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, previously won by Karl Lagerfeld and Jean-Paul Gaultier.

In 2007, Slimane turned his back on fashion, leaving Dior, and returning to photography to take melancholic androgynous images heavily influenced by the British music scene.

Today, he shoots for fashion magazines and his subjects have included Lady Gaga, Lindsay Lohan and Robert Pattinson.

Now based in Los Angeles, he is photographing California youth culture and has an exhibition opening in November.

In an exclusive interview with CNN, Slimane talks about falling in love with photography; his book, "Anthology of a Decade," which follows his journey through fashion, music and the art world; and how the attacks of 9/11 are forever imprinted on to his mind.

CNN: What is your first memory of photography?

Hedi Slimane: My parents offered me my first camera, a vintage Nikon F and a 50mm lens for my birthday and I developed an exclusive passion for it over the years. Since I was not the most social kid on the block, the camera helped me to express myself, invent my own language -- something like a secret garden. I decided early on I would not write in a diary but take silent photographs instead. This is, of course, what I still had in mind when, in 2007, I started to develop online this idea of a photographic "diary," which later became a format, or definition for some emerging photography blogs.

CNN: How would you describe your style?

HS: It has not evolved much over the decades. I started as a black-and-white teenage photographer, and I'm still there decades after. In some ways, the genre is almost gone. I am thinking of true, stubborn, lifetime black-and-white photographers, as opposed to black-and-white as a photographic commodity.

I presume my work has also always been about reduction -- the subject alone -- without any distraction or after effects, outside emotions, or intimacy or complicity with the subject ... The grace of it all and the fragility of it all are the main subject.

CNN: Who or what inspires you?

HS: Mostly the subject of the photograph, which can be anyone really, coming down the street -- someone that has no idea. "Heroism" in photography, just like in a novel, is for everyone. Choosing it, or finding it, is the most difficult thing, really. It is mostly a mere coincidence, or some sort of luck. Besides, I like it to stay very organic, and to remember a personal story behind all my subjects.

CNN: What are some of your favorite images from 'Anthology of a Decade?'

HS: I'm so personally attached to all the characters I met and photographed over the years ... the anthology is like a photographic reliquary that could potentially preserve their grace, fierce joy, and restlessness. Some of them, like Amy Winehouse, are so sadly already gone.

CNN: Your photography documents the European music scene, the New York art scene and global street fashion. How are music, art and fashion interconnected in your eyes?

HS: Music, since the 1950s and the birth of the concept of the "youth" as a social group, has always been a laboratory for new ideas and sub-cultures. Music defines decades, and quite clearly shapes

Question: Who photographed Amy winehouse

Question: What does the designer talk about?

Question: What is the name of the solo exhibitions

Question: What is currently working on?

Question: Who has Hedi Slimane photographed?

Answer: Hedi Slimane

Answer: falling in love with photography;

Answer: "Anthology of a Decade,"

Answer: fashion magazines

Answer: Lady Gaga, Lindsay Lohan and Robert Pattinson.

Summary:
Hedi Slimane has photographed Amy Winehouse, Pete Doherty, John Lydon and more .
Former Dior Homme designer-turned-photographer talks about turning his back on fashion .
Recently published collection of his work, "Anthology of a Decade"
Currently working on a solo exhibition, "California Song"


(CNN) -- As everyone but the citizens of Gotham City knows, Batman is Bruce Wayne. But lately, he's been Dick Grayson. And this month, he's also Damian Wayne and Terry McGinnis. Will the real Batman please stand up?

This look at Batman's past, present and future has been brought about by Grant Morrison, the Scottish writer and playwright behind the award-winning "All-Star Superman." Morrison has masterminded a new direction for the character and returns to the 70-year-old "Batman" comic book series with its 700th issue Wednesday.

"I started to do a bunch of research, and I realized that every story had been told," Morrison said. He decided upon a psychological deconstruction of the character that would run over many issues and over two years, beginning with the story arc "Batman & Son" in 2006.

In order to bring Morrison's master plan to fruition, to "set up a whole new status quo" for Batman, as he puts it, Bruce Wayne would have to be driven to the brink of insanity and ultimately killed, as he was in the mega-crossover story "Final Crisis."

For the past year, Bruce's onetime ward Dick has been Batman, and his son Damian has taken over for Robin, in a Batman and Robin series lighter in tone than what we've been used to in the past few decades.

This has all led up to "Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne," currently in the middle of its six-issue run, in which Bruce -- or his consciousness at least -- travels through time on his way back to the present day.

All of these plot threads culminate in the 700th issue, which tells stories of the Batman of the past (Bruce), present (Dick) and future (Damian), interpreted by three different artists.

"I wanted to sum up all of the things we love about Batman over the years and kind of see that moment where the Caped Crusader becomes the Dark Knight," Morrison explained. "[All of the stories] connect in an interesting way. We also have a section looking at all the different future Batmen. It's an attempt to do every version of Batman."

Indeed, Morrison is hard-pressed to choose a favorite interpretation of Batman. He has a great appreciation for all of them, from the campy 1960s TV series to Frank Miller's gritty 1980s graphic novel "The Dark Knight Returns" to the current movies directed by Christopher Nolan.

"Batman has been around 70 years. He's been a comedy figure. He was a sci-fi superhero in the '50s."

If he had to pick one, Morrison would go with the version of Batman as the world's greatest detective, as seen in the 1970s stories written by the legendary Denny O'Neil.

O'Neil is returning for a special one-shot story himself this month.

"We like to revisit the people that made the character great," said Dan DiDio, co-publisher of DC Comics (owned by Time Warner, which is also the parent company of CNN). "We pull him out of retirement every once in a while for Batman. It's not an anniversary party without him."

If that's not enough, DC has two more Bat-related mini-series starting this month.

One is "Batman Beyond," based on the fan favorite animated series with Terry McGinnis as another future version of Batman. This series officially brings the character into DC Universe canon.

"The fans have been looking for this for a while," DiDio said. "This looked like the perfect opportunity to reintroduce him."

Meanwhile, the secret past of another once "deceased" character, Jason Todd, the second Robin, is explored in "Red Hood: Lost Days."

Is Jason more a hero or villain? Morrison said, "He's an antihero, which is really good, and people like that. He's not an evil villain; he's

Question:
who is the writer?
Who is presumed dead?

Answer: Grant Morrison,

Answer: Bruce Wayne

Summary:
Presumed-dead Bruce Wayne is returning to Batman comic books .
700th issue of "Batman" is culmination of a years-long story arc .
Writer Grant Morrison wanted to pay tribute to "every version of Batman"
"Batman Beyond," "Red Hood: Lost Days" among special Bat-related series .


(CNN) -- As families head home after the holidays and children return to school, New York City is on sale for travelers willing to brave the cold temperatures in exchange for lower prices.

New York's first-ever Hotel Week will feature discounts for eight city hotels between January 6 and January 15. More basic hotel rooms, or those slightly off the beaten path, can be found for as little as $100 per night plus taxes, while fancier rooms can go for $200 or $250 per night -- still a deal by city standards.

"Hotel occupancy dips considerably during the first week in January," said hotel publicist Nancy J. Friedman, who launched the Hotel Week concept with six of her hotel clients and two nonclients. "It's a similar model to Restaurant Week, which is so successful at filling up restaurants during quiet times."

Speaking of Restaurant Week, the city's 20th anniversary promotion starts January 16 and runs through February 10 (Mondays through Fridays). For more information, click here.

There isn't a central website or phone number to book Hotel Week rooms. Several hotels have created special websites for the promotions, while others require calling the reservations number. Links are at the end of this article. Always mention Hotel Week when booking and know that these specific discounts are limited.

For visitors who won't be able to take advantage of limited Hotel Week discounts, more than 120 participating New York City hotels are offering discounts between January 2 and February 29, sponsored by NYC & Co., the city's tourism office. Discounts include a free night for stays of three or more nights, complimentary upgrades or complimentary breakfast. To book a room, click here. During the same period, a group of 20 luxury hotels is offering a free third night to visitors who book two consecutive nights at one of 20 participating "Signature Collection" hotels. More information can be found here.

Theater-lovers can score two-for-one tickets during Broadway Week, January 17 to February 4. Off-Broadway theater week offers the same deal between January 30 and February 12. Tickets also go on sale January 4 for both theater weeks. For Broadway shows, click here. For off-Broadway shows, click here.

Hotel Week discount links

To receive hotel week discounts, be sure to mention Hotel Week when booking. Some rates are available only by calling the reservations line or by using the hotel's special Hotel Week website.

Cheapest: $100/night plus taxes and fees

The Hotel @ Times Square: To book for Hotel Week, call (212) 790-2710. For more information about the hotel, click here.

nyma, the new york manhattan hotel: To book for Hotel Week, call (212) 790-2710. For more information about the hotel, click here.

The Pod Hotel: To book for Hotel Week, call (212) 355-0300. For more information about the hotel, click here.

Z NYC Hotel (Queens): To book for Hotel Week, call (212) 319-7000. For more information about the hotel, click here.

A step up: $200/night plus taxes and fees

Andaz Wall Street: To book for Hotel Week, use the hotel's special link here.

Hyatt 48 Lex: To book, use the hotel's link here.

Deluxe: $250/night plus taxes and fees

Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC: To book, use the hotel's discount link here.

Gansevoort Park Avenue NYC: To book during Hotel Week, use the hotel's discount link here.

Question: Where first-ever Hotel Week takes place?

Question: What Theater lovers can get during Broadway Week?

Question: Which month is Broadway week in?

Question: What anniversary Restaurant Week celebrates next year?

Question: When did the first ever Hotel Week take happen?

Answer: New York City

Answer: two-for-one tickets

Answer: January 17 to February 4.

Answer: 20th

Answer: between January 6 and January 15.

Summary:
New York's first-ever Hotel Week means lower room rates .
Restaurant Week celebrates its 20th anniversary next year .
Theater lovers can score two-for-one tickets during Broadway Week .


(CNN) -- As filthy floodwater continued to seep towards central Bangkok, Thailand's Prime Minister laid out a three-point plan to get the country back on its feet after the worst flooding in 50 years.

Immediate aid will be issued to people whose homes and businesses have been destroyed by the deluge which has claimed more than 500 lives since July, Yingluck Shinawatra announced Tuesday.

"This disaster is the biggest that we have ever met. We're trying to cope with situation and help as much as we can," she said. "We can't stop all flooding but we will try to reduce the impact."

Aid packages will be offered to people to help restore homes and businesses as part of a short-term recovery plan over the coming year. Details are expected to be announced next week.

Longer-term plans include the formation of two committees, one to oversee reconstruction and future development and the other to manage water resources.

Yingluck acknowledged criticism of the official response to the disaster by setting herself a deadline of one year to win back public confidence.

The prime minister's promises came as murky waters continued to move towards Bangkok's city center.

"The situation is quite serious. The water is making ground slowly but surely towards the heart of Bangkok," flood relief co-ordinator Rungsun Munkong told CNN.

He said thousands of people were refusing to leave their homes despite orders to evacuate to outer provinces.

"I believe thousands of people are in their homes and are still not evacuating," Rungsun said. "(They) possibly will be stranded with little food and water as time goes by."

Relief workers, distributing aid to evacuation centers in central Bangkok, said they were struggling to reach residents determined to wait out the crisis in tower blocks.

"I think it will be difficult down the road to get help to these people," Rungsun said. "People need clean water, that's the first important thing. Cooked ready-to-eat food is also quite important, baby milk and so on."

Thailand has been inundated with its worst flood in half a century, affecting at least 25 of the country's 77 provinces.

More than 500 people had been killed in the deluge according to figures released Sunday by the country's interior ministry.

A Thailand Disaster and Mitigation Department report, issued Sunday and reported by MCOT, estimated about 3.1 million people have been affected and 4 million acres of farmland have been damaged. Moreover, the department said two people are believed missing and about 75 highways have closed.

In the provinces of Nakhon Sawan and Ayutthaya, cleanup efforts were under way.

On Sunday, the Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra visited Nonthaburi, near Bangkok. There, the government provided 100 boats to help transport people and disperse relief supplies after requests by local officials, according to MCOT.

Despite public criticism of the government's overall response, Yingluck said she would not shake up her Cabinet -- in the short-term, at least. She explained that the focus first is to address the situation, with a full evaluation and possible shuffling to be done after the crisis abates, reported MCOT.

Floods are an annual occurrence in the country but have been particularly acute this year, and some residents and analysts have criticized the government's response.

"Now the government is sending a mixed signal that the situation is fine, but the truth is it the situation far from over," political analyst Supong Limtanakul told CNN. "It is a slow suffocating death of (the) Bangkok business area."

The city's main airport and two large industrial sites are also at risk, Supong said.

Supong said the government did not have enough resources to deal with floodwaters, noting that officials had recently asked the private sector for water pumps to help drain water out of Bangkok.

M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra, Bangkok's governor, told MCOT that it may take up to two weeks to drain water out of Bangkok's main roads, and months to drain water from smaller roads.

CNN's Kocha Olarn

Question: floodwater moving closer to where?

Question: Floodwaters are moving closer to what?

Question: how many people have died?

Question: thai pm lays out what?

Question: What did the Tai PM lay out?

Question: In all together, how many people has been dead by flooding?

Answer: central Bangkok,

Answer: central Bangkok,

Answer: more than 500

Answer: three-point plan

Answer: a three-point plan to get the country back on its feet

Answer: more than 500

Summary:
Thai PM lays out three-point flood recovery plan .
Floodwater moving closer to heart of Thai capital .
Thousands refusing to leave home, risk being trapped without food .
More than 500 people have died, interior ministry says .