(CNN) -- Hurricane Felicia had maximum sustained winds of 140 mph Thursday, but forecasters predicted the storm, which is heading toward Hawaii, would weaken in the Pacific later in the day. Forecasters predict Hurricane Felicia will weaken as it moves over colder water. The Category 4 storm's reduction in intensity was expected to come as it moved over cooler waters, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. Felicia could reach Hawaii on Tuesday morning, according to forecast tracks, but by that time the storm will have weakened to a tropical depression with winds of about 35 mph, the center said. As of 8 a.m. local time, Felicia's center was about 1,510 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California and 1,545 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii.  Hurricanes 101: How hurricanes are classified » The storm was moving northwest near 10 mph, and a gradual turn to the west-northwest was expected over the next 48 hours. "If anything, it will be a rain-making system over the (Hawaiian) islands," said Richard Knabb, deputy director of the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Knabb said there are no real storm preparations under way in Hawaii, but officials are keeping an eye on the storm "just in case."

Question: When did Hurricane Felicia reach category 4?

Question: what is the name of the storm?

Question: What day did this happen

Question: When is the storm expected to weaken?

Question: What category hurricane is it

Question: What is the Hurricane named

Answer: Thursday,

Answer: Felicia

Answer: Thursday,

Answer: later in the day.

Answer: 4

Answer: Felicia

Summary:
Hurricane Felicia reaches Category 4 status on Wednesday .
Storm expected to weaken before it hits Hawaii on Monday .
Hurricane season runs through November 30 .


(CNN) -- Hurricane Ida moved into the southern Gulf of Mexico Sunday, prompting a declaration of emergency in Louisiana and concern along the U.S. Gulf Coast. The storm regained hurricane intensity overnight Saturday, becoming a Category 2 hurricane, but forecasters said it is expected to weaken as it moves north. Ida drenched Nicaragua after making landfall last week as a Category 1 hurricane, then weakened to a tropical storm before resuming strength. In El Salvador, at least 91 people died in flooding and mudslides, according to the government, but a low-pressure system out of the Pacific -- not Hurricane Ida -- triggered the disaster, forecaster Robby Berg of the National Hurricane Center said Sunday. A hurricane warning, meaning hurricane conditions are possible within 24 hours, extends from Pascagoula, Mississippi to Indian Pass, Florida, forecasters said. From Grande Isle, Louisiana, to west of Pascagoula, Mississippi, a tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch are in effect. This area includes New Orleans, which the center earlier excluded from the watch, and Lake Pontchartrain, the hurricane center said. In anticipation of the storm's arrival, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency Sunday afternoon. Hurricane Ida "threatens the safety and security of those citizens" along the state's southeast coastline, he wrote in the declaration. The declaration gives the director of the governor's office of emergency preparedness authority "to undertake any activity authorized by law which he deems necessary and appropriate" to prepare for the possibility of a hurricane. Track Ida's progress, potential path Alabama's Baldwin County commission urged that residents living in mobile homes, coastal communities or low-lying, flood-prone areas voluntarily evacuate. The county is under a local state of emergency and opened a shelter, according to a Sunday night statement from the county commission. As of 10 p.m. ET Sunday, Ida had maximum sustained winds near 105 mph (165 km/hr) with higher gusts. But the storm was expected to weaken on Monday and possibly begin losing tropical characteristics on Tuesday, the hurricane center said. The center of Ida was located about 400 miles (645 km) south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, forecasters said. It was moving north-northwest at nearly 14 mph (22 km/hr) and was expected to increase in speed. The storm was expected to be near coastal areas of the northern Gulf by Monday night or early Tuesday, the hurricane center said. As Ida moves in the Gulf of Mexico, conditions are expected to be unfavorable for any additional development, said CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen. Ida is expected to weaken because of a combination of wind shear, cooler water temperatures and the storm's interaction with a strong frontal system pushing off the Gulf Coast, he said. But Ida is forecast to remain a hurricane as it moves in the northern Gulf toward the U.S. coast, the center said. Florida's Division of Emergency Management asked residents to have disaster plans in place. "Whether Ida maintains a storm or loses tropical characteristics, the Florida Gulf Coast region has the potential to see several inches of rain, strong winds, isolated tornadoes and dangerous surf and coastal flooding beginning Monday evening and continuing into Wednesday," the office said in a statement. The area stretching from Indian Pass, Florida, to Aucilla River, Florida, is also under a tropical storm warning. Tropical storm conditions are possible within 24 hours, the center said. Ida could drop between 1 and 3 inches of rain on portions of western Cuba, with isolated amounts of 8 inches possible in some spots, forecasters said. The central and eastern areas of the Gulf Coast northward to eastern Tennessee Valley and southern Appalachian Mountains could see 3 to 5 inches of rain with some areas getting as much as 8 inches, the center said. Ida is the Atlantic region's ninth named storm. The Atlantic hurricane season ends November 30. CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras and journalist Merlin Delcid in El Salvador contributed to this report.

Question:
what has the governor declared
Who declares Emergency?
How many deaths were in El Salvador?
When did the govenor declare emergency?
What is Ida expected to do?
What expected weaken?
how many deaths have occured so far

Answer: state of emergency Sunday afternoon.

Answer: Louisiana

Answer: at least 91

Answer: Sunday afternoon.

Answer: weaken as it moves north.

Answer: Hurricane

Answer: 91

Summary:
Louisiana governor declares emergency after watch issued for parts of Gulf Coast .
Ida expected to weaken before it reaches U.S., but could bring heavy rain .
Heavy rains expected in parts of the Southeast this week because of Ida .
National Weather Service: 91 deaths in El Salvador due to separate system, not Ida .


(CNN) -- Hurricane Ophelia got even more powerful Friday night as it churned across the Atlantic toward Bermuda, the National Hurricane Center reported.

A tropical storm watch was in effect for that mid-Atlantic island, but Ophelia's increasingly northerly path suggests it won't directly threaten the coastal United States.

The system was disorganized and seemed to be weakening last week. But it has gained steam in recent days and earlier Friday was upgraded to a Category 3 hurricane.

According to the center's 8 p.m. update, Ophelia had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph, which is 5 mph stronger than those recorded three hours earlier. Its center was located 480 miles south-southeast of Bermuda.

Ophelia has also gotten faster, increasing in speed 4 mph as it heads north at around 16 mph. With an expected turn more to the north-northeast, the storm is expected to strike the eastern part of Bermuda late Saturday, reports the hurricane center.

The Miami-based forecasters said that there could be fluctuations in Ophelia's intensity over the next 12 to 24 hours, followed by a gradual weakening.

Hurricane-force winds extended about 30 miles from the storm's eye, center said. Tropical storm-force winds, which are winds between 39 mph and 73 mph, have been recorded 175 miles away.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Philippe has strengthened somewhat as it spins farther east in the Atlantic, with its eye some 1,100 miles east-northeast of the Leeward Islands as of 5 p.m. Friday.

As of that update, its sustained winds were 50 mph, which is slightly stronger than the previous update.

The hurricane center predicted "some weakening" over the next 48 hours, during which it was set to turn more toward the west-northwest.

Question: what is happening with tropical storm philippe

Question: What are the wind speeds?

Question: what is the maximum sustained winds of ophelia

Question: who will the hurricane hit next

Question: What is the name of the tropical storm?

Question: What speed of winds have been sustained

Question: Which Island is to be hit

Question: What is the name of the hurricane?

Answer: has strengthened somewhat as it spins farther east in the Atlantic,

Answer: 120 mph,

Answer: 120 mph,

Answer: eastern part of Bermuda

Answer: Philippe

Answer: 120 mph,

Answer: Bermuda,

Answer: Ophelia

Summary:
NEW: Ophelia now has maximum sustained winds of 120 mph .
NEW: It is set to hit portions of Bermuda late Saturday, hurricane center predicts .
Tropical Storm Philippe, meanwhile, is getting stronger in the eastern Atlantic .


(CNN) -- I asked a knowledgeable environmentalist earlier this week: "How big a story is the CRU scandal in your community?" "The what?" "The e-mails hacked at the Climate Research Unit at [the British] East Anglia University?" "Ah." He smiled. "It says something that I didn't immediately recognize what you were talking about. I suppose on my side we'd take the same view that the Pentagon took of Abu Ghraib: a few bad apples on the night shift." Meanwhile, on the right, the story is the biggest scandal since the leak of the Pentagon Papers. Seemingly unperturbed by the CRU embarrassment, President Obama will shortly jet to Copenhagen to pledge reductions in U.S. carbon emissions. The Democratic majority in Congress continues to work on a cap-and-trade bill. At the same time, Gallup has recorded an amazing 20 point drop since summer 2008 in the number of Republicans who believe that global warming is occurring. Among Republican conservatives, the drop is slightly smaller -- 13 points -- but that's because so few of them believed in the reality of global warming in the first place. It used to be said that we were all entitled to our own opinions, but not entitled to our own facts. No more. In modern America, we choose our facts to fit our opinions. Michael Barone drove this point home in a 2008 column for the magazine of the American Enterprise Institute: Americans' views of the economy are increasingly a function of voting behavior or party loyalty, rather than the other way around. In early 2006, a time of vibrant economic growth, 56 percent of Republicans said the economy was excellent or good, while only 28 percent of independents and 23 percent of Democrats agreed. Maybe Republicans were just doing better than Democrats? No -- the partisan divergence held true among Republicans and Democrats even of the same income level. The same effect showed up in reverse in the 1990s. Under President Clinton, Democrats were more likely to assess the economy positively than were Republicans of the same income level. Media critics often blame cable, talk radio and blogs for isolating the public into self-satisfied information communities. And for sure, Fox News, MSNBC, Rush Limbaugh and the Daily Show have done good business serving niche markets. But it's a real question: What is cause and what is effect? Maybe customers always wanted to have their pre-existing opinions confirmed. Notice how often 19th century newspapers had names like the "Clay County Whig" or the "Jacksonville Democrat." What were these old county papers if not the Fox News and MSNBC of their day? The whole global warming debate has been distorted from the start by intellectual self-ghettoization. Suffused by self-righteousness, the East Anglian scientists felt entitled to twist the evidence and delete the counter-evidence.   iReport: Share your thoughts on climate change But it also helped that they felt sure they would not be caught. They had defined their community in a way that excluded skepticism, that defined skeptics as the enemy, as liars, as Holocaust deniers. Private e-mails and documents allegedly from the servers at the University of East Anglia's Climate Research Unit, a world-renowned center on the study of climate change, are thought to have been leaked by hackers. Everything important about global warming remains disputed: How fast is it happening? How much of it is attributable to human activity? How dangerous is it? How much should we pay to avert or mitigate it? Who should do the paying? How are to begin to reach conclusions if we cannot even agree on the rules of discussion? The most famous public document on global warming calls itself "An Inconvenient Truth" -- and yet that document itself is filled with untruths, on every subject from sea levels to polar bears. (The bears are doing fine, populations at record levels in the Canadian Arctic.) In his first book, "Earth in the Balance," former Vice President Al Gore wrote

Question: what has the global warming debate has been distorted by?

Question: We choose our facts to fit our opinions in which country?

Question: The debate has been distorted by what?

Question: what do we choose our facts to fit?

Question: what is the debate about

Answer: intellectual self-ghettoization.

Answer: America,

Answer: intellectual self-ghettoization.

Answer: opinions.

Answer: global warming

Summary:
David Frum says the global warming debate has been distorted by intellectual self-ghettoization .
How can we reach conclusions if we can't agree on rules of discussion, Frum says .
Frum says that in modern America, we choose our facts to fit our opinions .


(CNN) -- I finally said goodbye to some old buddies. Omar (played by Michael K. Williams), "The Wire's" legendary stickup artist, hunts for a rival with his shotgun. One of them shot a woman at point-blank range after complimenting her on her hair. Another person maimed a rival with his shotgun. A third stole from his sister to finance his drug habit. Their names are as twisted as their deeds: Snot-Boogie, Bubbles, Dukie. And if I ever introduced you to them, you probably wouldn't be able to understand them. Their talk is filled with a bruising street poetry that's hard to decipher unless you've lived in their West Baltimore neighborhood -- as I once did. My "friends" are some of my favorite characters on the HBO series, "The Wire." HBO (which, like CNN, is a Time Warner division) released the complete, five-season box set two weeks ago. The show focuses on a detective unit's quest  to take down a ruthless drug crew, but it grapples with bigger themes: the collapse of public schools, the disintegration of working-class America and political corruption. Critics say "The Wire" offers the most realistic depiction of America's inner-city subculture ever seen. I decided to test that claim because I grew up in the West Baltimore community where "The Wire" is set. After watching all five seasons, my take on the show is ambivalent. Some of "The Wire" is real, but not in the ways you might expect. 'How do I get from here to the rest of the world?' "The Wire's" most unsettling scene for me took place in season four. It involved a murder  -- of a gentle teenager's spirit. The character's name is Dukie, and he brought back memories of some people I knew. Dukie is lost. He has no family, his public school is paralyzed by violence and he's not tough enough to make it on the streets. He has a gift for computers but doesn't know what to do with his ability. Dukie looks one day for help from "Cutty," an ex-con who runs a boxing gym in their neighborhood. Cutty tells Dukie that "the world is bigger" than the violent neighborhood both live in. "How do I get from here to the rest of the world?" Dukie asks Cutty. "I wish I knew," Cutty sighs, and walks away. Why did Cutty give Dukie such a hopeless answer? Maybe it's because some people who never lived in a neighborhood like "The Wire" confuse hopelessness for authenticity. Yeah, I could shock you with stories of violence, but it's so easy to slip from revelation to titillation. I start off telling you a story about how tough my school was, and soon I'm shooting it out with five drug dealers who want to steal my homework. But I never remember West Baltimore being so hopeless. A man like Cutty wouldn't tell a young man that he had no way out -- adults rallied around kids with potential. I even checked with some childhood friends -- one who is now an undercover police officer who literally works a "wire" for the Baltimore Police Department -- and we all agreed that "The Wire's" bleakness was exaggerated. "They made it seem like we grew up in Bosnia," my friend, another "Wire" fan, told me. Perhaps I had the luck of timing, or, to paraphrase one "Wire" character, I left  just before "the game got more fierce." I'm 44. I grew up on a street connecting two notorious Baltimore landmarks -- North Avenue and Frederick Douglass High School. Douglass is a school so bleak that PBS recently aired a documentary on its dismal state. North Avenue is known for its liquor stories and shootings. I left my neighborhood for good in the 1980s before crack cocaine really hit. Still, I shared

Question: What is praised for realism?

Question: Where is "The Wire" set?

Question: What did the CNN.com writer have to say about the show's realism?

Answer: "The Wire"

Answer: West Baltimore community

Answer: Some of "The Wire" is real, but not in the ways you might expect.

Summary:
HBO's "The Wire" is praised for realism, but how real is it?
CNN.com writer who grew up in "The Wire's" Baltimore neighborhood renders verdict .
Writer says show confuses "hopelessness with authenticity"
But dialogue crackles, the characters are rich, writer says .


(CNN) -- I have vivid memories of childhood. The 5-year-old girl with endless questions; she wanted to discover the secrets of the entire world within minutes. She dreamed of being a doctor once, an engineer another time, and a mother of lovely kids. A dreamer, this is how I would describe the little girl Reem. Reem is a 22-year-old student living in Gaza City. Days passed fast. Reem couldn't remember a lot of them, but she had some moments left in her memory -- usually the happy moments of her life -- and those memories were the basis for today's Reem, the 22-year-old girl who is ME. I remember how happy I was when my teacher announced to the school that I was first in my class. I remember my mother's voice singing to me before I fell asleep; I remember my father running behind my kite when I lost it in the air, and I remember me asking my parents for a real monkey as a pet. I can't forget the day I finished high school; I felt so grown up. I remember the day when the school announced the exam results and the tears of happiness my mother shed when I received a grade of excellent, and then I decided to enroll in the college of Business Administration. I can call Gaza City the city of qualifications, where a lot of youth are qualified for good jobs. I am one of those youth who is volunteering in organizations, participating in community service activities, getting trained in various skills and getting more qualified day by day. But many young people like me cannot find jobs.  See perspectives from Palestinian youth » Sometimes, I feel disconnected from Gaza, but whenever I see the photos of Jaffa, I realize that it's where I and a thousand refugees belong. I find myself crying, missing a place I have never been to, but it's where my parents and my grandparents lived. I remember all those bedtime stories my grandmother used to tell me about the land, the fence of roses they had, and her climbing trees and cutting fruits. How I miss that place. But life must go on. My day starts with the smile of optimism and the plan of my day. Waking up early to go to my university; I have to attend all of my lectures even though some are boring. My friends are a big part of my day. We start with our updates and then go to courses where we can develop our skills. When I arrive home, I feel so exhausted, but still I continue working and studying hard. I am always looking for chances for personal development, whether through volunteer work or at school. I was offered a great opportunity to volunteer with the aid organization Mercy Corps as a founding member of the Why Not? youth program, and then I had the pleasure of seeing this program blossom into the Global Citizen Corps, or GCC, a cultural exchange between Palestinian and American students. I believe this program is deeply important because it changes the negative impression of Palestinian youth that is too often spread by media. All my friends and 1,000 others are engaged in this program, which develops our personalities, our skills and serves the community. We use digital media as a tool to express what we feel and what we do. We make changes in ourselves, in our community, and we pave the way for global change. We are thinking globally and acting locally. My ambition is to be a researcher in business studies all over the world. I finished my B.A. and a diploma of business studies, and I hope to obtain a scholarship to do graduate work in media and development. I am also interested in the field of project management and human interaction management. I know it is a good ambition to be Ph.D. holder and a worldwide researcher, but as Palestinian girl, I have fewer opportunities, not because I am not qualified or hard-working enough but because I am Palestinian. Usually Palestinian students have fewer opportunities than others to get scholarships, because it's hard for them to

Question: Even though there aren't any jobs, what does Reem call Gaza City?

Question: What types of things does she do during the day?

Question: what describes reem?

Answer: of qualifications,

Answer: Waking up early to go to my university; I have to attend all of my lectures

Answer: dreamer,

Summary:
Reem calls Gaza City the city of qualifications, but many can't find jobs .
She describes her day filled with school work, friends, studying and volunteering .
She says she realizes Palestinian youth are similiar to youth all over the world .
For more, go to In Depth: Generation Islam .


(CNN) -- I think it's fair to say that most of us have been absolutely horrified by the plight of tens of thousands of Haitians this month. A massive earthquake is always devastating, but for such carnage and misery to be wrought upon a people who already had nothing seems especially cruel. It was 0100 GMT when I went on air, the aftershocks were both frequent and significant, and from the Tweets I read there was a sense of utter panic and fear on the streets. The pictures have been absolutely heartbreaking, and the stories our crews have reported from all over the country have been terribly moving. I wanted to do something to help. For some reason I was especially moved when Anderson Cooper dragged that bleeding boy out of the street - a young boy who was stunned and panicked and terribly vulnerable - and I realized that I had something I could contribute. Click here to place a bid on the Open flag (Item number: 250569560734) Years ago, when I was the Living Golf anchor, I was looking to collect something unusual for a charity auction. As it happens, the auction was cancelled and since then I had largely forgotten that I had something of value and unique at the back of my wardrobe. The British Open, one of golf's most illustrious competitions, is never more special than when held at St Andrews, the so-called "home of golf." Every professional wants to be "Open Champion" and of the last seven tournaments to be played up there, many of the champions have been legends of the sport. Jack Nicklaus won it twice, as did Tiger Woods. Seve Ballesteros and Nick Faldo complete the roll-call of champions who have already made it into the pantheon of greats. It struck me that to get all four to autograph a replica flag from the 2005 Open would be pretty special. Seve (1984 winner) obliged me in Tenerife later that year, with a signature as flamboyant as many of his shots. Tiger (2000 and 2005 winner) added his name when we met in Dubai the next year. Faldo (1990 winner) and I live in the same town but our paths never seemed to cross when they needed to and so I posted the flag to his management company and from somewhere on his global travels he obliged. My colleague Justin Armsden interviewed Nicklaus (1970 and 1978 winner) at The Old Course and, though Jack hadn't bargained on signing any autographs that day, Justin's producer Andrea Mortensen bagged the all important tag. So, just to recap, some of the greatest names in golf have signed this unique memento.  Also up for auction are the Xeroxed scorecards of all four players when they last all played the St Andrews Open in 2000. They are perfectly reproduced. You'll see Tiger's winning round, counter-signed by another Open Champion David Duval and another card is counter-signed by a man who wasn't yet a major winner, Angel Cabrera. You'll note the meticulous nature of Faldo's game, every hole is neatly ticked off and appropriately, there's even a squiggle and a correction on the card of American John Daly, the only Open champion at St Andrews since 1970 that I was unable to persuade to sign the flag. But maybe his autograph absence and messy scorecard are in keeping with the erratic character we have come to know and love! This year just so happens to be the 150th anniversary of The Open at St Andrews and so it's appropriate to auction the flag and the cards in 2010. But Haiti is the true motivation for the sale. It is right because they desperately need help. All proceeds of the sale will go to a charity called Plan International, who have been working in Haiti for over thirty years. The donation will support their emergency relief and recovery work there with children and their communities; helping the most vulnerable and the very people who are the country's future. I hope you will bid on the flag, and if not please help spread the word of the sale so

Question: Who is the flag signed by?

Question: What are they trying to raise money for?

Question: What will the money raised be going towards?

Answer: some of the greatest names in golf

Answer: charity called Plan International,

Answer: a charity called Plan International,

Summary:
CNN's Don Riddell persuaded the greats of golf to sign a replica flag from the St. Andrews British Open of 2005 .
The flag, signed by Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros and Nick Faldo, is to be auctioned on eBay .
Register your bid to help raise money for those in need in earthquake-hit Haiti .


(CNN) -- I wanted to believe the man in front of me wasn't a rapist. I knew he was a former Sudanese soldier, I knew he wanted to talk about rape in Darfur. A humanitarian group working on Darfur issues had introduced him to us. They told us his testimony was important to hear.

A woman left homeless by conflict in Darfur walks along railway tracks.

Last year in Darfur aid workers told me children as young as five were being raped in the huge displacement camps that are home to several million Darfuris. In some camps, they told me, rape had become so common that as many as 20 babies a month born from rape were being abandoned.

As I sat inches from Adam --not his real name -- I feared the revulsion I knew I would feel at my own questions as I asked about rape and his involvement. I have interviewed rape survivors in Darfur. I have two daughters. I am a human being with a conscience. It would be hard to listen to his replies.

He told me he was conscripted by force in to the Sudanese army in the summer of 2002. He thought he was being taken for six months' national service and then would be released.

The conversation was slow going at first. We were both holding off from delving into the sordid details he'd come to discuss. His answers were short, he told me he got no pay from the army, only food and drink.

He said he was rounded up in an army truck from a market in Darfur and trained to kill. He said he was armed with Kalashnikovs and told to "shoot targets."  Watch ex-soldier describe brutal attacks on children to Nic Robertson »

Then, he says, his officers told him "we will be taken to a patrol and then soon after that we were asked to join other people to go and burn and kill people".

That's when he says he realized he wasn't getting national service training, that in fact, he was being forced into war against his will, with his own people. "They are black," he told me, noting the difference between the lighter skinned rulers of Sudan and the darker farmers of Darfur. "I am black," he said, "this shouldn't be happening."

But, he said, worse than being told to kill his own people, was that if he tried to resist, he himself would be killed. "The order is that the soldiers at the front, and there are some people who are watching you from behind, if you try to escape or do anything you will get shot. The order is that we go to the village, burn it and kill the people."

It felt as Adam was beginning to open up a little -- not easy, given the topic, and the lights and cameras all around us. He was beginning to talk a bit more, answer questions with more than one or two words. But it was following a pattern: I'd have to lead the way. We were both waiting for the inevitable. How he came to know of rape in Darfur.

And that's when he said it.  Watch warrant being issued for president »

He brought up the rape by himself. He was talking through a translator but his voice was quiet. I thought I heard anger, heard him slow and his voice drop: "I had no choice," he said "but I will say that I didn't kill anybody but the raping of the small children, it was bad" I knew this was going to be difficult and now it had begun.

What happens with the children, I asked. "They cry out," he answered. "And what happens when they cry out?" "Two persons will capture her while she is crying and another raping her, then they leave her there," came his reply.

Silence. "What do I ask now?" I thought. Be forensic. Get the story. This is important testimony, I reminded myself

Question: What did he say about his victims?

Question: What age were the raped girls?

Question: What did the soldier say?

Question: What name did the attacker assume?

Question: Where did Adam rape children?

Question: Where did Adam say the rape attacks took place?

Question: What were the soldiers armed with?

Answer: "They cry out,"

Answer: as young as five

Answer: He told me he was conscripted by force in to the Sudanese army

Answer: Adam

Answer: in Darfur.

Answer: Darfur.

Answer: Kalashnikovs

Summary:
Former soldier says he was armed with a Kalashnikov and told to kill .
"Adam" describes taking part in rape attacks on children in Darfur .
Victims included girls as young as 12, he says .


(CNN) -- I wanted to believe the man in front of me wasn't a rapist. I knew he was a former Sudanese soldier, I knew he wanted to talk about rape in Darfur. A humanitarian group working on Darfur issues had introduced him to us. They told us his testimony was important to hear. A woman left homeless by conflict in Darfur walks along railway tracks. Last year in Darfur aid workers told me children as young as five were being raped in the huge displacement camps that are home to several million Darfuris. In some camps, they told me, rape had become so common that as many as 20 babies a month born from rape were being abandoned. As I sat inches from Adam --not his real name -- I feared the revulsion I knew I would feel at my own questions as I asked about rape and his involvement. I have interviewed rape survivors in Darfur. I have two daughters. I am a human being with a conscience. It would be hard to listen to his replies. He told me he was conscripted by force in to the Sudanese army in the summer of 2002. He thought he was being taken for six months' national service and then would be released. The conversation was slow going at first. We were both holding off from delving into the sordid details he'd come to discuss. His answers were short, he told me he got no pay from the army, only food and drink. He said he was rounded up in an army truck from a market in Darfur and trained to kill. He said he was armed with Kalashnikovs and told to "shoot targets."  Watch ex-soldier describe brutal attacks on children to Nic Robertson » Then, he says, his officers told him "we will be taken to a patrol and then soon after that we were asked to join other people to go and burn and kill people". That's when he says he realized he wasn't getting national service training, that in fact, he was being forced into war against his will, with his own people. "They are black," he told me, noting the difference between the lighter skinned rulers of Sudan and the darker farmers of Darfur. "I am black," he said, "this shouldn't be happening." But, he said, worse than being told to kill his own people, was that if he tried to resist, he himself would be killed. "The order is that the soldiers at the front, and there are some people who are watching you from behind, if you try to escape or do anything you will get shot. The order is that we go to the village, burn it and kill the people." It felt as Adam was beginning to open up a little -- not easy, given the topic, and the lights and cameras all around us. He was beginning to talk a bit more, answer questions with more than one or two words. But it was following a pattern: I'd have to lead the way. We were both waiting for the inevitable. How he came to know of rape in Darfur. And that's when he said it.  Watch warrant being issued for president » He brought up the rape by himself. He was talking through a translator but his voice was quiet. I thought I heard anger, heard him slow and his voice drop: "I had no choice," he said "but I will say that I didn't kill anybody but the raping of the small children, it was bad" I knew this was going to be difficult and now it had begun. What happens with the children, I asked. "They cry out," he answered. "And what happens when they cry out?" "Two persons will capture her while she is crying and another raping her, then they leave her there," came his reply. Silence. "What do I ask now?" I thought. Be forensic. Get the story. This is important testimony, I reminded myself

Question:
What was Adam told to do?
What was the former soldier told to do?
Who was armed?
Where did the attacks take place?
who was armed with Kalashnikov?

Answer: "shoot targets."

Answer: "shoot targets."

Answer: Adam

Answer: Darfur

Answer: Adam


(CNN) -- I was a high school student in 1983, when the video for "Thriller" was released, getting plenty of air time on MTV. By then, the network's "M" could just as easily have stood for Michael. It was an event. At a time when MTV was criticizing for not featuring black artists, Michael Jackson's success changed all that. I can remember getting together with a group of friends to watch the premiere like it was a new movie release. The video did not disappoint. Once again Michael disregarded all conventions of the genre and not just redefined, but completely re-imagined, what a music video could be. But most people don't know that the album broke new ground in a non-musical way, too. Viewers today of MTV, with its steady stream of reality shows like "Real World 22 - Cancun" and "16 and Pregnant," might forget that, when it started nearly three decades ago, MTV was all music, all day. Actually, it wasn't really all music. It was just what MTV considered rock music. By the late 1970s, radio formats had essentially resegregated the music world. When MTV launched in 1981, it modeled its playlist on the popular album-oriented rock radio format of the day, which meant that music by black artists was effectively excluded from the network. You might see the occasional Jimi Hendrix clip, but there was no room for funk, disco, R&B or that new emerging form -- rap. It wasn't long before the public took note of the glaring absence of African-American artists. MTV was called to task on the air in 1983 for its lack of black artists by none other than David Bowie. At about the same time, MTV famously refused to air Rick James' "Superfreak" video. It defended itself by claiming it wasn't a rock song. Michael Jackson changed all that. Jackson opened the door with the video for "Billie Jean," which was simply too good for its time to be overlooked. He blew that door wide open with "Beat It," which featured a guitar solo by the reigning rock god of the day, Eddie Van Halen. Jackson succeeded in this not just because he was a great singer, but because of his musical daring. "Beat It" was a song that was incapable of being slotted among the genres of the day. Yes, it had all the signatures of a rock song -- overdriven guitars, a driving tempo and a searing solo. But it had more. It had a backbeat. You could dance to it. You wanted to dance to it. And the viewers loved it, regardless of their race or ethnicity. iReport.com: Share stories of Jackson's success, legacy Jackson's effect on MTV was both immediate and permanent. His videos became cultural events and his success laid waste to the notion that white rock audiences wouldn't tune in for "black" music. In the aftermath of Jackson's breakthrough success, MTV helped usher rap into the mainstream with shows like "Yo! MTV Raps," and black artists like Prince and Chaka Khan became mainstays of the network. It wasn't long before young people schooled on a diet that ranged from Public Enemy to AC/DC began to experiment with what those genres would sound like if they were combined -- just as Jackson had done with "Beat It." The outcome was some of the most interesting music of the next decade. Artists like Linkin Park, Rage Against the Machine, P.O.D. and Beck all owe a debt of gratitude to Jackson for creating a welcoming environment. And we as fans all owe him the acknowledgment reserved for those individuals whose achievements transcend their chosen field and reshape the world around us.  Watch fans in Los Angeles react to Jackson's death » I was always mournful about the sad spectacle his life became in recent years. But that should not detract from the meteor-like impact he had on popular culture at his peak. Michael Jackson was the Jackie Robinson of MTV. He disregarded the

Question: who's success forced them to change

Question: What had MTV been criticized for?

Question: What forced MTV to rethink itself?

Question: Who loved the videos?

Question: what did viewers think of jacksons videos

Question: Wha are they criticised for?

Question: what did viewers complain about

Answer: Michael Jackson's

Answer: lack of black artists

Answer: Michael Jackson

Answer: the viewers

Answer: loved it,

Answer: not featuring black artists,

Answer: not featuring black artists,

Summary:
Michael Jackson's breakthrough success forced MTV to rethink itself .
MTV had been criticized for not airing videos by black artists .
Many viewers, regardless of race or ethnicity, loved Jackson's videos .


(CNN) -- I was in Atlanta when I first learned of a controversy over an inscription marking the new Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial in Washington. The quote on one side of the granite "Stone of Hope" reads, "I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness."

In an interview with The Washington Post, poet Maya Angelou argued that these were not King's exact words and that, out of context, they made a humble preacher look like "an arrogant twit."

Angelou expressed no concern with 14 other quotations from King that appear on a 450-foot-long memorial behind his statue.

By coincidence, this news found me as I began research for a book on the power of short writing. I've learned that we often use the shortest texts to express the most important messages, especially to honor and enshrine. Twitter did not invent short writing. From tattoos to gravestones to the base of monuments, we choose words with special care because we want them to last forever. In a short text, every word counts.

But with concision can come the loss of context.

The overwhelming impression of the new memorial derives, not from language, but from sculpture. Even small photos of the new statue make King look monumental. He stands 30 feet tall, strong and determined, arms folded, looking as if he just marched out of the huge block of stone behind him.

Memorial to be dedicated Sunday

In the presence of such powerful imagery, why the argument over a single sentence?

Angelou's concerns were echoed by other African-American scholars and leaders, who argued the 10 words on the monument base have been ripped from their original context and meaning.

In a sermon at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church, just months before his death in 1968, King preached, "Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all the other shallow things will not matter."

In context, the word "if" makes all the difference. Without that opening conditional clause, it does seem that King is embracing the role of drum major rather than acquiescing to it.

I did not understand, until I visited Florida A&M University and other historically black colleges and universities, the importance of the drum major in African-American culture.

The drum major is a white American icon, too, of course, flamboyant even by the strait-laced Midwestern standards of Meredith Wilson's "The Music Man." Translated by famous black college marching bands, as pictured in the 2002 film "Drumline," flamboyance transforms itself into soulful spectacle.

To get a feel for the presence and status of drum majors, check out YouTube videos of auditions for that honored position. In addition to musical and leadership skills, the drum major must be able to strut, dance, spin, prance and perform backbreaking bends and splits -- without missing a beat.

At the Poynter Institute where I work, marble plaques in a central garden offer students inspirational sayings. Famous writing teacher Donald Murray quotes the Roman poet Horace: "Nulla Dies Sine Linea," Latin for "Never a Day Without a Line" of writing.

The engraver, not schooled in Latin, left out the word "Sine" (without), leaving us with dead-language gibberish that could be taken to mean the opposite of the original.

"Oh well," I said when I saw the mistake, "at least it's not carved in stone."

When we use the phrase "carved in stone," we denote something permanent, irreversible, unchangeable. But it ain't necessarily so. Ignoring my suggestion that we copy-edit the marble text with a magic marker, my boss ordered a corrected version of Murray's quote.

Everything I've learned about the language of enshrinement suggests that the inscription on the King monument should be revised. It need not be changed right away or in

Question: What was taken out of context?

Question: when will King memorial be dedicated?

Question: When will the King memorial be dedicated?

Question: Who has reportedly objected to a quote on the King monument?

Question: what city will King memorial be dedicated in?

Question: What quote was taken out of context

Question: What did maya angelou object to

Question: When is the king memorial dedicated

Answer: King's exact words

Answer: Sunday

Answer: Sunday

Answer: Maya Angelou

Answer: Washington.

Answer: a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness."

Answer: inscription marking the new

Answer: Sunday

Summary:
Maya Angelou reportedly has objected to a quote inscribed on King momument .
Roy Peter Clark: The "drum major for justice" quote was taken out of context .
Clark says it's crucial to preserve meaning when words are excerpted .
King memorial will be dedicated Sunday in Washington .


(CNN) -- I'm not an auto mechanic, I'm an Army wife, a mother and -- when time permits -- a journalist. So when my car needs work, I take it to someone with oil on his hands and years of experience looking under hoods. The same is true for plumbing problems, legal issues and medical care.

I don't assume that I know better than the experts. When necessary, I get a second opinion but, ultimately, I always yield to the advice of those who know more than me.

With that in mind, I am thrilled that President Obama has decided to listen to his experts -- the military commanders and strategists -- and is committing more troops to Afghanistan.

But as an Army wife at Fort Bragg whose husband has already done three tours of duty in Afghanistan, I can't help but close my eyes, grit my teeth and brace myself for the hard days ahead. As happy as I am that the president has finally made a move after months of deliberating, I know that this announcement is likely bad news for me.

Deployments are awful -- just awful. There is no bright side and no silver lining. For most of us in the military community the luster of sacrificing for our country wore off a deployment or two ago and we are now coasting on the fumes of commitment and shared sacrifice.

Many of us who are married to the military aren't even sure why we are willing to endure yet another deployment. We just are.

Our spouses see the fight firsthand and are reminded daily of why this battle must be won. They get pep talks at work and enjoy the camaraderie of their fellow soldiers. We at home just hear the gripes of war-weary Americans and see the news reports of waning support.

We don't experience the victories, we only see our children developing emotional problems, our marriages falling apart, our careers sidelined, our dependence on antidepressants climbing, even our houses crumbling from years of neglected repairs.

That's why a troop surge in Afghanistan brings mixed feelings. More troops there means more casualties -- a word I don't take lightly. Casualties are people, people with names and faces that I know. I see their wheelchairs at my kids' schools and I've dropped flowers on their freshly dug graves.

A troop surge may mean that even more of my friends will be widows and more of their children will be fatherless. It certainly means more Little League teams in my community will be missing a coach, more families here will know each other only on Skype and more pets will be abandoned. It may very well mean that I will spend more years being both mother and father, and that I'll have more conversations with my children about why their daddy is always gone when so many daddies never leave. These are not things to celebrate.

But right now, after just hearing our president give an inspiring speech, I'm going to consider that this plan may mean that my friends who are in Afghanistan now will finally have what they need to stay safe. Maybe it will mean that if and when my husband has to go back there, he will be in a better and safer situation.

And, more than anything else, maybe it will mean that our nation will succeed in Afghanistan and that all of these years that my husband and I have lost together, all of these friends we've buried, all of these injuries he and others have nursed -- will have been worth it.

I am not a strategist. I do not know what will take us to victory in Afghanistan. I cannot say if sending 30,000 more troops is the right or the wrong decision. All I know is that the president consulted the experts and then he sought second, third, fourth -- and who knows how many more -- opinions, and this is the solution he has reached.

I commend him for making a definitive plan. I will pray for his wisdom and for the strength and safety of the troops who will be going into harm's way, just as I pray for those who

Question: What is Sanderlin glad that Obama did?

Answer: listen to his experts

Summary:
Sanderlin glad Obama listened to experts, knows days ahead may be hard for other Army wives .
Sanderlin: "There is no bright side and no silver lining" to deployments .
Army wife hopes deployments will mean troops will get what they need to stay safe .


(CNN) -- I've never been one to attend the performances of symphony orchestras, but off and on, for more than 35 years, I gave myself the gift of something even better:

Paul Harvey received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bush in 2005.

I would go and sit with Paul Harvey as he broadcast his radio show.

It was music; it was thrilling. I met him in the early 1970s, when I was a young newspaper reporter in Chicago, and that's when he allowed me, for the first time, to sit silently in his studio as he did his work. Over the years, whenever I felt a need for a Paul Harvey fix, he was always welcoming, and we came to know each other well. I would sit there wordlessly and observe absolute excellence.

He would invariably be wearing a smock when I arrived -- he had been working since well before the sun came up, and the smock would cover his shirt and tie. It was the kind of smock a jeweler might wear, or a watchmaker -- it was crisply pressed, the uniform of an expert craftsman. I never asked him why he wore it, but I suspect that was the reason -- pride in craftsmanship.

He would be at the typewriter, honing his script. He was famed for his voice, but the writing itself was so beautiful -- his respect for words, his understanding of the potency of economy, his instinct for removing the superfluous. The world heard him speak, but the world never saw him write, and I think he honored both aspects of his skill equally.

He would walk down the hallway to his studio just minutes before airtime. The studio itself -- when I first knew him it was on the west side of North Michigan Avenue, and in later years he moved it to the east side of the street -- was far from lavish. It was impossible to equate the spartan surroundings with the idea that his voice was leaving this little room and traveling around the world. Maybe that was the point: He worked for the illusion of unfussy intimacy.

He would make these warm-up noises -- voice exercises, silly-sounding tweets and yodels, strange little un-Paul-Harvey-like sounds -- and he showed no self-consciousness about doing it in front of someone else, because would a National Football League linebacker be self-conscious about someone seeing him stretch before a game, would a National Basketball Association forward be worried about someone seeing him leap up and down before tipoff? This was Paul Harvey's arena, and he would get the voice ready, loosening it, easing it up to the starting line.

And then the signal from the booth, and. . .

"Hello, Americans! This is Paul Harvey! Stand by. . . for news!"

And he would look down at those words that had come out of his typewriter minutes before -- some of them underlined to remind him to punch them hard -- and they became something grander than ink on paper, they became the song, the Paul Harvey symphony. He would allow me to sit right with him in the little room -- he never made me watch from behind the glass -- and there were moments, when his phrases, his word choices, were so perfect -- flawlessly written, flawlessly delivered -- that I just wanted to stand up and cheer.

But of course I never did any such thing -- in Paul Harvey's studio, if you felt a tickle in your throat you would begin to panic, because you knew that if you so much as coughed it would go out over the air into cities and towns all across the continent -- so there were never any cheers. The impulse was always there, though -- when he would drop one of those famous Paul Harvey pauses into the middle of a sentence, letting it linger, proving once again the power of pure silence, the tease of anticipation, you just wanted to applaud for his mastery of his life's work. iReport.com: Share your memories of radio legend Harvey

He probably wouldn't have

Question: What did Bob Greene say about Paul Harvey?

Question: What is Harvey famous for?

Question: Who wrote their own scripts?

Answer: he was always welcoming,

Answer: his voice,

Answer: Paul Harvey

Summary:
Bob Greene: I was privileged to watch Paul Harvey prepare and deliver the news .
He says Harvey wrote his own scripts and was a master of spare language .
Greene: Harvey was a craftsman who words were flawlessly delivered .


(CNN) -- IBM's reported plans to lay off thousands of U.S. workers and outsource many of those jobs to India, even as the company angles for billions in stimulus money, doesn't sit well with employee rights advocates. Business Week reports that IBM's workforce increased from 386,558 in 2007 to 398,000 at the end of 2008. IBM employees are being dealt a double blow, said Lee Conrad, national coordinator for Alliance@IBM, a pro-union group that has been fighting IBM's outsourcing for years. "We're outraged that jobs cuts are happening in the U.S. and the work is being shifted offshore," Conrad said. "This comes at the same time IBM has its hand out for stimulus money. This to us is totally unacceptable." IBM wants a share of the money in President Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for projects updating power grids, creating electronic health care records and furthering the use of broadband. "In the research we've done working with the transition team, we know that $30 billion could create 1 million jobs in the next 12 months," IBM CEO Sam Palmisano said in January.  Watch how IBM hopes to benefit from the stimulus » The problem is where those jobs would be, said Ron Hira, a professor of public policy at the Rochester Institute of Technology. "This is really a question of policy," Hira said. "IBM is doing what's in its best interest, and in this case it's not in the best interest of America. And that's why you need policymakers to step in to ensure that this money gets spent to create American jobs."  Watch the outcry generated by IBM » IBM has not responded to multiple requests for comment from CNN after the Wall Street Journal's report that the IT giant would be shipping 5,000 U.S. jobs overseas. "We have no problem with job creation in other countries," Conrad said. "We have no problem with global expansion. We realize IBM is a global company and has been for many years. But this is different. This is cutting jobs in the U.S. and shifting the work offshore. This isn't job creation. It's job shifting." According to Business Week, IBM has indeed been shifting jobs. The magazine reported that the company's workforce went up from 386,558 at the end of 2007 to 398,000 at the end of 2008. But U.S. employment fell from 121,000 to 115,000 during the same time. Hira, author of the book "Outsourcing America," said it's not just IBM moving jobs out of the United States. "The problem here, though, is that these companies have an inordinate influence over the political process," he said. "They have a huge, disproportionate amount of power, political power, and can influence the process." For that reason, he said, "you really do need the American public to sort of stand up and say, 'Wait a second. This is just not right.' ... I certainly hope that there's a backlash, because there should be. This is bad for America." CNN's Mary Snow, Jennifer Rizzo and Vivienne Foley contributed to this report.

Question: Who said $30 billion could create 1 million jobs in next 12 months?

Question: What was IBM criticised for?

Question: IBM criticized for plans to shift U.S. jobs to which country?

Question: IBM CEO has said how much could create 1 million jobs in next 12 months?

Question: What does public need to do?

Question: How many jobs could be created?

Answer: IBM CEO Sam Palmisano

Answer: reported plans to lay off thousands of U.S. workers

Answer: India,

Answer: $30 billion

Answer: stand up and say, 'Wait a second. This is just not right.'

Answer: 1 million

Summary:
IBM criticized for plans to shift U.S. jobs to India while seeking stimulus money .
IBM CEO has said $30 billion could create 1 million jobs in next 12 months .
Plan shows conflicting interests between IBM and U.S., analyst says .
American public needs to stand up and say, 'This is just not right,' analyst says .


(CNN) -- IHOP has filed a lawsuit against a church group called the International House of Prayer claiming that the group is illegally using the pancake house's famous acronym.

The legal flap started earlier this month when the International House of Pancakes filed the lawsuit in a federal court in California.

The Kansas City, Missouri-based church group "selected and adopted the International House of Prayer name, knowing it would be abbreviated IHOP. IHOP-KC intended to misappropriate the fame and notoriety of the household name IHOP to help promote and make recognizable their religious organization," the lawsuit says.

Lawyers from the pancake restaurant say the odds are stacked against the church group and provided the court with pages and pages of documentation of websites, newsletters and signs on buildings where the prayer group allegedly used the IHOP acronym.

The use of the acronym infringes on the restaurant's trademark, the restaurant contends.

So, IHOP, the pancake house, is asking a judge to get IHOP, the church group, to stop using the letters IHOP.

The restaurant says it has used the acronym for more than 30 years.

As of Thursday, representatives from the International House of Prayer had not filed a response to the lawsuit, according to court documents.

The church group started in 1999 in Missouri and now bills itself as 24/7 place for people to come and pray, according to the group's website.

Question: When was international house of prayer formed?

Question: where is this house

Question: what trademark is being infringed?

Answer: 1999

Answer: Kansas City, Missouri-based

Answer: IHOP

Summary:
Lawsuit is filed this month .
IHOP, the pancake house, says church group is infringing on its trademark .
The International House of Prayer was founded in 1999 .


(CNN) -- Iceland and Sweden plan to take in about 200 Palestinian refugees from Iraq who have been living in refugee camps along the Iraqi-Syrian border, the U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday. More than two dozen refugees stranded at the Al Waleed refugee camp for the last two years will be headed to Iceland in the next few weeks, the agency said. In addition, 155 Palestinians in the Al Tanf refugee camp have been accepted for resettlement in Sweden, it said. Many Palestinians living in Iraq have gotten caught up in the violence that has engulfed the country since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 and have had to flee their homes. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said that out of the estimated 34,000 Palestinians who lived in Iraq since 2003, about 10,000 to 15,000 remain. The UNHCR says about 2,300 Palestinians "are living in desperate conditions along the Iraq-Syria border." They are, the UNHCR says, "unable to return to Iraq or to cross the borders to neighboring countries." It says the Al Waleed camp has 1,400 people and Al Tanf about 900. "UNHCR has repeatedly called for international support for the Palestinians but with few results. Few Palestinians in the border camps have been accepted for resettlement or offered shelter in third countries; 223 Palestinians left to non-traditional resettlement countries such as Brazil and Chile. "Some urgent medical cases were taken by a few European countries, but this is a very small number out of the 2,300 Palestinians stranded in the desert," the UNHCR said in a statement. It noted that Sudan has made an offer to take in some of those Palestinians, and said "UNHCR and Palestinian representatives are finalizing an operations plan that will enable this to take place." Refugees International recently asked the United States government to intervene and resettle the Palestinians in the United States instead of Sudan, which itself is engulfed in sectarian fighting and whose government has been condemned for atrocities. "The Palestinians being resettled in Sudan is obviously not an ideal or preferred solution," State Department spokesman Kurtis Cooper told CNN last month. "But we accept the judgment of the UNHCR that it is preferable to the Palestinians continuing to be stranded in the border area in extremely dire circumstances."

Question: What is under way?

Question: What are 2,300 palestinians?

Question: Who is living in desperate conditions along the Iraq-Syria border?

Question: What number of  Palestinian refugees will go to Iceland?

Answer: 200 Palestinian refugees from Iraq

Answer: The UNHCR says about

Answer: 200 Palestinian refugees

Answer: More than two dozen

Summary:
Some 200 Palestinian refugees from Iraq will go to Iceland, Sweden .
2,300 Palestinians "are living in desperate conditions along the Iraq-Syria border"
Plans under way to send some refugees to war-torn Sudan .


(CNN) -- Iceland is losing its only three McDonald's restaurants as a result of the poor economic situation in the country. Businessman Magnus Ogmundsson, who owns the only McDonald's franchise in Iceland, said it had become too expensive to operate the restaurants after Iceland's currency, the krona, plunged in value. "The krona is quite weak and we are buying everything in euros, and we have very high tariffs on imported agricultural products," he told CNN on Tuesday. In January 2008, it cost more than 95 Icelandic krona to buy one euro, according to the Central Bank of Iceland. Tuesday, that price had shot up to more than 186 krona. That means the currency is worth half as much today as it was in January 2008 -- and things priced in euros now cost twice as much to buy. Ogmundsson said the McDonald's Corporation worked with him to find a solution, but in the end he had no choice but to close. There was "good cooperation" with McDonald's, Ogmundsson told CNN. "No hard feelings." McDonald's said it had become financially prohibitive to continue operating in Iceland because of "the unique operational complexity of doing business in Iceland combined with the very challenging economic climate in the country." It said there are no plans to seek a new franchise partner in that country. The three stores will close at midnight Saturday, but they will reopen as an independent chain called Metro, with more domestic ingredients and fewer imported products. "We believe we can be more successful with our own brand," Ogmundsson said. A McDonald's Big Mac hamburger currently sells for the equivalent of $5.29, making Iceland one of the most expensive places in the world to buy the sandwich. Only Norway and Switzerland charge more, according to the countries listed on the Economist magazine's Big Mac Index, published in February. A Big Mac costs about $3.54 in the United States, $2.19 in Australia, $5.07 in Denmark, $1.66 in South Africa, and $1.52 in Malaysia.

Question: What was the name of the franchise?

Question: What will Iceland do?

Question: What are imports priced in?

Question: How many restaurants will close?

Question: What is Iceland losing?

Question: What happened to the restaurants?

Question: What country's currency plunged in value?

Question: What country is losing restaurants in the article?

Answer: McDonald's

Answer: losing its only three McDonald's restaurants

Answer: euros

Answer: three

Answer: its only three McDonald's restaurants

Answer: is losing its only three McDonald's

Answer: Iceland,

Answer: Iceland

Summary:
Iceland is losing its only three McDonald's restaurants after economic collapse .
Franchise owner said restaurants now too expensive to run after Iceland's currency plunged in value .
Krona worth half as much now as it was in January 2008 -- and imports are priced in euros .


(CNN) -- Icelandic Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir of the center-left Social Democratic Alliance has claimed victory in general elections triggered by the collapse of the Nordic nation's economy.

Sigurdardottir celebrates victory on Saturday night.

Sigurdardottir's party, which has headed an interim government since February 1, was on course to win around 30 percent of the vote or 20 parliamentary seats, according to state broadcaster RUV.

The Left-Green Movement, the Social Democratic Alliance's coalition ally, was expected to win 14 seats, giving the coalition a controlling 34-seat block in the 63-member Icelandic parliament, the Althing.

"I believe this will be our big victory," Sigurdardottir told supporters, according to Reuters.com. "I am touched, proud and humble at this moment when we are experiencing this great, historic victory of the social democratic movement."

Sigurdardottir's electoral success marks a change of direction for Iceland, a nation 300,000 people, which has traditionally leaned to the right on political matters.

Sigurdardottir, the world's first openly gay leader and Iceland's first female premier, has pledged to take the Atlantic island into the European Union and to join the euro common currency as a viable way to rescue Iceland's suffering economy.

But that ambition could bring Sigurdardottir into conflict with the Left-Green Movement which favors a currency union with Norway as an alternative to EU membership.

Iceland has been in political turmoil since October, when its currency, stock market and leading banks crashed amid the global financial crisis.

The country's Nordic neighbors sent billions of dollars to prop up the economy, as did the International Monetary Fund in its first intervention to support a Western European democracy in decades.

But weekly demonstrations -- some verging on riots -- finally forced Prime Minister Geir Haarde and his Independence Party-led center-right coalition to resign en masse on January 26. The Independence Party was projected to win 16 seats in Saturday's vote, according to RUV.

Question: When did the financial crisis occur?

Question: What did the financial crisis trigger?

Question: What crashed last year?

Question: Who is the world's first openly gay premier?

Question: What left Iceland in turmoil?

Question: What was the Icelandic vote triggered by?

Question: Who is Johanna Sigurdardottir?

Answer: October,

Answer: victory in general elections

Answer: leading banks

Answer: Sigurdardottir,

Answer: currency, stock market and leading banks crashed

Answer: collapse of the Nordic nation's economy.

Answer: Icelandic

Summary:
Center-left secures re-election in Icelandic vote triggered by financial crisis .
Johanna Sigurdardottir, world's first openly gay premier, set to continue as PM .
Iceland in turmoil since currency, stock market, leading banks crashed last year .


(CNN) -- If Herman Cain committed sexual harassment and is now lying about it, his goose is cooked and it should be. But if he is telling the truth, there is something terribly disconcerting about the way the Washington "scandal industrial complex" -- full of reporters, former campaign workers and pundits -- has reacted to this sad story.

After the story broke in Politico, Cain the next day denied that he sexually harassed anyone, which after all, is the core issue. Since then, other anonymous sources claim they too were harassed, without anyone really knowing what the alleged harassment entailed. He has been consistent, unwavering and on the record in his denial.

But that's not good enough for the way things work in Washington, where the manner in which he reacted to the news is said to be a sign of whether he would make a good president. He is being assailed because he remembered more information and therefore "his story changed," an unforgivable development for those who cover scandal news.

Journalists trotted out their well-worn formula for keeping a scandal story alive by saying that his "answers led to more unanswered questions," even though he already answered the only question that matters -- did he harass anyone? Experts who know scandals decry his failure to have "gotten ahead of the story." He should have seen this coming, they say, and pre-empted it, the way all clever Washington politicians, skilled in the art of survival, would have done.

My problem with this line of attack is it's exactly what has made politicians, and often the reporters who cover them, so disconnected from the rest of the country. Cain's reaction has been human. It's been just the opposite of what a politician who prizes political survival above all would have done.

Imagine that you were accused of doing something you did not do 12 years ago. You have a staff and your staff figured out a way to make it go away. Good, you might say. I didn't do it and it deserves to go away. You then put the issue out of your mind. Then 12 years later, the allegations re-emerge. It's not unnatural that you start to remember more facts. Some details come back to you. Some don't. That's the way the human mind works. It's not the way political minds work.

In a year in which people of all parties are fed up with how Washington conducts its business, it's ironic that Cain is now being assailed by Washington insiders for his failure to act like a Washington insider.

I know all the tricks of the trade. If Cain spent 21 years in Washington like I did, he would have pre-empted the issue by giving a speech about what it takes to make it in business.

As he cited his successes, he could have addressed how hard it can sometimes be to make it in America today. How innocent statements he once made to his staff led to threatened lawsuits. How despite his knowing he did nothing wrong, he was advised to "settle" the matter so it didn't become a bigger distraction. What's $35,000 to a multimillion dollar industry? Trial lawyers, excess regulations, union demands all make it so hard to create jobs and achieve growth. He could have gotten the news out himself, framed in a way that minimized the "scandal" and maximized his themes about the economy. How very Washington, and clever, that would have been.

If Cain was the same type of skilled politician who has made Washington what it is has largely become -- an assemblage of smooth-talking, gifted experts in creating a massive debt that risks our future, while being seemingly incapable of doing anything about it other than blaming the other guy -- he might have acted differently.

But he's not an insider. He said what came naturally. He remembered more facts -- a very human development -- and said them. Scandal experts will tell you not to remember more information. Stick to your denial and say nothing else, they would advise

Question: Who has repeatedly denied

Question: What individuals scandal industry kicked into full gear?

Question: who is responsible for this

Question: What story is disconcerting

Question: What did cain repeatedly deny?

Answer: Herman Cain

Answer: Herman Cain

Answer: Herman Cain

Answer: about the way the Washington "scandal industrial complex"

Answer: that he sexually harassed anyone,

Summary:
Herman Cain has repeatedly denied sexually harassing women .
Ari Fleischer: If he is lying, he's in big trouble .
But if Cain is telling the truth, the response to story is disconcerting, Fleischer says .
Fleischer: Washington's scandal industry has kicked into full gear .


(CNN) -- If Lagos were a person, he (or she) would be described as "mad, bad and dangerous to know." Locals get about in traffic-heavy Lagos on motorcycles known as okadas. But we all know that these types of people are usually the most exciting kind. They are a lot of fun and you just never know what's going to happen when they're around. By the same token, any visitor to Lagos should prepare for the unexpected -- it can feel like a literal assault on the senses from the moment you step off the plane and feel the intensity of the dense tropical heat. Lagos is big, brash and bold and creaks under the weight of the 17 million people who live there. The former capital of Nigeria, Lagos remains its economic nerve center and teems constantly with the buzz of buying and selling (usually performed at the top of the vendors' voices.) There's only one volume level in Lagos and that's loud. From the constant tooting of horns in the snail-paced traffic, known locally as go slows, to music blaring from homes round-the-clock, the city buzzes constantly with noise. Getting around is not easy and you will be caught in the frequent go slows, where you will be confronted by vendors selling all manner of things, from English football team merchandise to dinner sets to plantain chips to frozen yogurts. Locals often joke they can kit out their entire home in a short car journey. The city is divided into three islands adjacent to each other and the mainland. Most expatriates and employees of multinationals, that proliferate in Lagos, are based on two of the islands; Ikoyi and Victoria Island. The vast majority of wealth in the city is concentrated on these upmarket islands, with their western-style shopping malls and entertainment complexes. The best restaurants, bars, boutiques and galleries can also be found here and it's best to stick to these areas to make the most of your time in Lagos. A stay in Lagos would be incomplete without visiting one of the lively and colorful markets like the Balogun market off Breadfruit St, Lagos Island. It is not for the meek or faint-hearted but you're guaranteed to get a bargain or two if you're prepared for a good haggle. It's great for African prints and carvings but is a maze of a market, so best to hop on the back of popular motorcycles known locally as okadas to help you navigate it. To relax from all that haggling, you can head down to one of the five beaches in the city -- the best of them is Tarkwa Bay -- a small beach at the entrance to the Lagos port. It is easily accessible by boat from Tarzan Jetty at Maroko (around $6 per person) or under Falomo bridge on Victoria Island. At Tarkwa Bay you can browse through some local African arts, cloth or even locally produced honey brought round by the occasional hawker. For a spot of lunch, make like locals and indulge in some "pepper fish" or suya -- very spicy chunks of meat, similar to kebabs, cooked over a charcoal grill), washed down with ice cold beer. For authentic Nigerian cuisine that won't give your stomach too much "wahalla" (trouble), the Yellow Chili restaurant on Oju Olubun Close, Victoria Island is recommended. Those with an adventurous palate can order the special delicacy of Isi-Ewu - goat's head, while others can tuck into jollof rice and chicken or spicy bean cakes (moi-moi) -- a favorite with most Nigerians. For a spot of culture, a short taxi ride away is one of the city's main attractions, the National Museum on King George V Road, Onikan.  It opened in 1957 and houses bronze sculptures and ivory carvings from Benin dating back 300 years. Is Lagos the most exciting city in Africa? Use the Sound Off box below to have your say. If you are in the market for some art, you can pick up some tasteful, but admittedly,

Question: What should shoppers be prepared to do at local markets?

Question: Where is the city of Lagos located?

Question: which is the city that never sleeps

Answer: prepare for the unexpected

Answer: Nigeria,

Answer: The former capital of Nigeria, Lagos

Summary:
Lagos is a vibrant, exuberant city that never sleeps .
You can shop for African fabrics at the local markets, just be prepared to haggle!
Party at The Shrine nightclub, home of legendary Afrobeat musician Fela Kuti .


(CNN) -- If all goes according to plan, cancer survivor Kyle Garlett will compete in October's Ford Ironman World Championship, a grueling triathlon made up of a 2.4-mile ocean swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a 26.2-mile run. Heart transplant recipient and cancer survivor Kyle Garlett will compete in October's Ironman World Championship. And he'll do it with another man's heart pumping in his chest. "I don't think there's anybody who wouldn't consider me a success story and a survivor," Garlett said. His medical issues began in 1989 when he received his first Hodgkin's disease diagnosis as a high school senior. In 1995, during his third battle with the cancer, doctors ceased his chemotherapy treatment when they discovered it had weakened his heart. Two years later, Garlett learned he had secondary leukemia as a result of chemotherapy to treat the Hodgkin's, and three more years of chemotherapy ensued. And after five years on the waiting list, he received a new heart in 2006. Now, the 37-year-old savors his body's capabilities. "It's kind of like the starving person who all of a sudden finds himself in front of a buffet. And now I've got the buffet. I've got my all-you-can-eat plate, and I'm just loading it up," Garlett said. A heart transplant may seem extremely daunting, but Garlett saw it as a more hopeful operation than his years of cancer treatments. "Going in for chemotherapy, as a patient you know what's happening. Your body is being poisoned and you know that when you come out on the other side of it, you're going to have given up something," said Garlett, a sportswriter and motivational speaker living in Marina del Rey, California. "On the heart transplant, though, it was completely the opposite. I knew that from the day of the transplant on, every day I'd be getting stronger. And they were now doing something that was going to fix me, improve my life." Garlett, who says he's "not a klutz" but "definitely not a natural athlete," trains about 15 hours a week for October's Ironman in Kona, Hawaii. Closer to race time, he expects to spend 20 to 25 hours a week in intense training to achieve his goal of finishing within the 17-hour time limit. Garlett was invited to compete in the elite event because organizers believe he "demonstrates the Ironman mantra: Anything is possible," said Blair LaHaye, director of communications for Ironman. LaHaye said a handful of athletes are invited to take part in the event each year, but their inclusion doesn't reduce the number of slots for those who get in by doing well in qualifying events, or by winning a spot through the Ironman lottery.  Garlett will compete in a half-Ironman or other long-distance event before Kona to validate his selection. The training and competition are demanding enough for competitors without health issues. But being a heart transplant patient comes with the extra challenge of getting the organ to beat at an acceptable rate. "When the old heart comes out, all the nerves are severed. And when the donor heart comes in, the nerves are not connected," explained Dr. Jon Kobashigawa, medical director of the UCLA Heart Transplant Program, where Garlett is a patient. In a person whose heart is intact, "the brain will tell the heart, 'Let's go, start exercising, let's start beating faster,' " Kobashigawa said. A donor heart, however, relies on circulating adrenaline in order to get it going. As a result, heart transplant recipients must warm up thoroughly to get their heart pumping properly. The "denervated" heart works about 80 to 90 percent as well as a normal heart, Kobashigawa said, "but through exercise, these patients who do strenuous activities, I believe, do get their exercise capacity almost to the normal range, if not normal." It's also possible, doctors say, for

Question: What will Garlett compete in?

Question: Who will compete in the Kona triathlon?

Question: What poses an extra challenge for transplant patients?

Answer: Ironman World Championship,

Answer: Kyle Garlett

Answer: of getting the organ to beat at an acceptable rate.

Summary:
Cancer survivor and transplant recipient Kyle Garlett will compete in Kona triathlon .
Last year, Dwight Kroening was first person with heart transplant to finish Ironman .
The lack of nerves on a donor heart poses an extra challenge for transplant patients .


(CNN) -- If an e-mail popped up in your inbox promising a house for $100, you'd expect to see it sent from a guy in Nigeria asking you to wire him several thousand dollars first. Zeb Smith lies on his front lawn and spends a quiet afternoon with his neighbors. But this depressed housing market dream is real. And Detroit, Michigan, artist Jon Brumit and his wife, Sarah, are living it. The couple never counted on owning a home. "It's not that we have a little money," Jon Brumit said, laughing. "I'm saying we have no money." But the couple began entertaining the idea of a permanent nest when their friends Mitch Cope and Gina Reichert, also artists, started taking advantage of foreclosures in the city, where the average home price dipped to $11,533 in April, according to the Detroit Association of Realtors. Dragging down the average are homes that are long abandoned or foreclosed on that are selling for pennies on the dollar. Detroit already had the lowest market value houses in Michigan before the latest rounds of job losses at GM and other huge employers, market analysts say. "Those artists are doing a good thing; they are at least helping to stabilize neighborhoods that would be all but lost," said Mike Shedlock, an investment adviser who blogs frequently about Detroit's economy. For less than a few thousand dollars, Cope and Reichert snapped up a dilapidated bungalow in a north Detroit neighborhood called "BanglaTown," for its unexpected mix of Bangladeshis, African-Americans, Polish and Ukrainians and the occasional shady character. Scrappers had cleaned the house to the bone. The copper had been stolen; the electrical wiring was stripped. But no matter. Here was a chance for Cope and Reichert, who run a popular Detroit art store, to rehabilitate the 1920s brick house into a bastion of energy savings, with solar panels, LED lights, recycled wood and high-end insulated windows. They're installing a security system that exemplifies elegant efficiency with hurricane-proof windows and steel doors replacing burglar bars. They are also experimenting with running their air-conditioning on a car battery. The project became known as the Power House. Cope and Reichert wanted to create a central place to power homes nearby and, in turn, revive a neighborhood's sense of community. The trick was getting their friends not only to cheer the concept but invest in it by moving next door. "It was much easier than we thought it might be," Cope said. "We told everyone that Detroit is an interesting city to work in as an artist, and the neighborhood is diverse. But, really, it came down to money." "I kept telling Mitch, 'Wow those are an awesome, ridiculously good deals but if you find anything that's less, let me know," Brumit said. "Like, if something comes along for next to nothing, cool." A few weeks later, Cope e-mailed Brumit a photo of an abandoned home on his block. Its windows were boarded up and plywood was nailed across the front door. The huge hole in the roof was courtesy of the fire department. A neighbor said the house had been set on fire -- twice. Pricetag: $100. Brumit called a real estate agent with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, who confirmed that bids on the foreclosed property started at $95 for the property, $5 for the house. There were no back taxes -- no one seemed to be sure who once owned the house, it had been empty for so long, Brumit said. Cope, also a designer and builder, and an inspector did a walk-through. "Inspection was fine and Mitch told me the foundation was good," Brumit said. "He just said, 'If you didn't mind scraping some peeling paint, doing some surface treatments, putting in new utilities, windows and repairing the roof ... this could be pretty interesting.'" Now,

Question: How much did artists pay for a trashed house?

Question: who bought the house

Question: how much did the house cost

Question: Have other artists ever bought houses in the same neighborhood?

Answer: $100,

Answer: Jon Brumit and his wife, Sarah,

Answer: $100,

Answer: their friends Mitch Cope and Gina Reichert, also

Summary:
Detroit artists buy a trashed, abandoned house for $100, fix it up .
Other artists have bought cheap houses in the same neighborhood .
The Power House was the first home, meant to power the other houses nearby .


(CNN) -- If director Ron Howard hopes religious controversy will help sell tickets to "Angels & Demons" the way it boosted his "Da Vinci Code," the Catholic Church is not playing along with his script.

Tom Hanks reprises his role as professor Robert Langdon in "Angels & Demons."

Howard, who premiered the follow-up in Rome, Italy, this week, said there was "residual antagonism from 'The Da Vinci Code,' " but Vatican officials ignored the movie by not responding to suggestions that the church was offended.

The first movie based on Dan Brown's mega-selling novels earned $750 million worldwide in 2006.

"The Da Vinci Code" was intensely criticized by Catholics, especially those from the Opus Dei organization, a small but influential group within the Catholic Church whose members felt that they were vilified in the story.

An Opus Dei priest who teaches history and literature at Holy Cross University in Rome said that "Angels & Demons" has "simply not been an issue" among those in the Vatican and that any controversy is a product of the movie's marketing machine.  Watch Howard make his statements »

"To be honest, I don't think that anyone at the Vatican is paying much attention to the premier of the 'Angels & Demons,' " Father John Wauck said. "I was just talking with some people yesterday, I know friends of mine working in the Vatican, and they were surprised to learn that the movie was premiering in Rome. They had no idea."

"I think the church's attitude has been, from the beginning, 'hands off,' " Wauck said. "Especially, I think, after what happened with 'The Da Vinci Code.' "

The new movie is not as offensive, Wauck said.

"In 'The Da Vinci Code,' there were serious issues, such as who Jesus Christ was or the nature of church in the course of history, but none of them is taken in 'Angels & Demons.' It's simply, you know, a thriller," he said.

The movie may even help Rome by promoting tourism there, which is "not a bad thing," Wauck said.

But Howard suggested to CNN's Neil Curry that controversy has carried over to the sequel.

"I think there's some residual antagonism from 'The Da Vinci Code,' " Howard said.

Stirring people up with controversy is "something that appeals to me," he said.

"Part of the entertainment value is that people are going to go in there and have something to talk about or think about afterward," he said.

Howard said he tried to reach out to the Catholic Church.

"We've even invited certain groups, members of the church, for example, to see early rough cuts, because I wanted to share it with them and know what they thought, and I felt they'd find it not as offensive as they'd imagine," he said. "Everyone's declined to do that."

Howard himself downplayed reports that Rome and Vatican officials hampered production by refusing permission to film in certain locations.

"Probably a little more has been made of that," he said.

"While I don't want to reveal how we took people on the 'Angels & Demons' tour and on the adventure, someday I might, maybe on the DVD or something, do a little better breakdown of how we got the shots we needed," he said.

Producers did resort to some "low-budget street photography where you just pull up in a car, getting out of a van, clearing a little space and shooting a shot," Howard said.

This controversy, Wauck said, was also cooked up by the film's marketing department.

"As a general rule, no commercial films are filmed in churches in Rome, and no exception was made for 'Angels & Demons,' " Wauck said.

The film, which like "The Da Vinci

Question: What was controversial book made into controversial film?

Question: who wrote the book angel and demons?

Question: Angels& Demons, a new Ron Howard film was based on whose novel?

Question: who is the film director of angel and demons?

Question: What is based on Dan Brown novel?

Question: what is angels and demons based on?

Answer: 'The Da Vinci Code,'

Answer: Dan Brown's

Answer: Dan Brown's

Answer: Ron Howard

Answer: "The Da Vinci Code"

Answer: Dan Brown's mega-selling novels

Summary:
"Angels & Demons," new Ron Howard film, based on Dan Brown novel .
Brown's "Da Vinci Code" was controversial book made into controversial film .
Howard believes Vatican holds grudge; priest says Church barely aware of "Angels"


(CNN) -- If one California lawmaker has his way, his cash-strapped state may have an arresting real estate listing on the market: San Quentin State Prison.

San Quentin prison houses more than 5,300 inmates, including Scott Peterson.

State Sen. Jeff Denham is proposing selling the 432-acre prison, which offers a breathtaking view of San Francisco Bay, to garner money for California.

"Our inmates just don't need an ocean view. Let's level it off," said Denham, a Republican.

"Let's rebuild something for the community there and reap the benefit for the state by having that money come in," he added.

Denham estimates that the property could sell for as much as $2 billion, even amid a down market.

On Tuesday, lawmakers put the proposal to sell the prison in a "holding pattern," said Jann Taber, a spokeswoman for Denham.  Watch CNN's Dan Simon report from San Quentin »

State Sen. Mark Leno, who chairs the state's public safety committee, said the committee was holding the proposal under a policy that allowed lawmakers and residents to give further thought to legislation that could exacerbate overcrowding in California's prisons.

Taber said it could be brought up again this year or next.

The prison houses more than 5,300 inmates, including Scott Peterson, according to the department of corrections.

However, even with the waterfront property, putting the prison on the market may be a hard sell, especially if a new prison had to be built.

"This is a really good facility," Bob Sleppy of the California Department of Corrections said. "It's existing; it's operating; it's well-operated over the years by custody staff. It serves an immediate need."

He said that building another facility to house the inmates might be troublesome.

"Communities seldom welcome a new prison," he said, adding that constructing a prison to replace San Quentin could cost $2 billion, the very price tag Denham suggested.

The idea of selling San Quentin, which opened its doors in 1852, has been raised before, but it never received much support because of California's chronic problem of overcrowded prisons.

California is near 200 percent capacity in its prisons, and selling San Quentin could make the problem worse, said Leno, a Democrat.

He said there were no precise numbers available showing the value of San Quentin's property or what it would cost to build a prison to replace it.

"Again, we have no actual numbers right now," he said, adding, "I would guess, at best, it would come out a wash."

Real estate consultant Stephen Roulac said San Quentin's land could be used for condominiums, parks or community-type buildings.

"We would love to see a performing arts center prospectively here, possibly a museum, possibly a tie-in with a university," he said.

Lawmakers have approved $356 million to build a death row facility to replace the existing one at San Quentin, and some say that is another reason to consider selling the prison.

"Does it make sense anymore in the year 2009 to continue to invest in expanding this prison facility on the most prime piece of real estate in Northern California, or should we finally start to think about some non-correctional uses for this unique property?" asked state Assembly member Jared Huffman, a Democrat.

Denham has tried twice to pass legislation to sell San Quentin. His efforts in 2007 and in 2005 never made it out of committee, his office said.

Question: What is the prison capacity in California?

Question: What do critics claim about building a new facility?

Question: What was Denham quoted as saying about the view?

Question: What does Denham say?

Answer: 5,300

Answer: to house the inmates might be troublesome.

Answer: "Our inmates just don't need an ocean

Answer: "Our inmates just don't need an ocean view. Let's level it off,"

Summary:
432-acre waterfront property could sell for $2 billion, Sen. Jeff Denham says .
"Our inmates just don't need an ocean view," Denham says .
Critics say building new facility for inmates would be costly, time-consuming .
California is near 200 percent capacity in its prisons; more than 5,300 in San Quentin .


(CNN) -- If presidential hopeful Rick Perry should awaken one night in a cold sweat with the Ghost of Republican Past hovering by his bedside, the apparition will likely take the form of Sen. Charles Percy, who passed away on Saturday after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease.

Percy's political career ended when he lost his Illinois Senate seat in 1984, the same year that future Texas Gov. Rick Perry won his first election to the Texas House of Representatives as a Democrat. Charles Percy's fall from GOP wunderkind to party outcast offers a vivid illustration of the Republican Party's mutation from a vibrant and diverse coalition to the dogmatic cult of conservative ideology that it has become today.

In 1968, political gossips buzzed about the possibility that the rich, handsome, "All-American" Charles Percy might run for president. The New York Times called him "the hottest political article in the Republican Party," and Richard Nixon worried that Percy would be his most formidable competitor in the primaries.

Percy was a moderate-to-liberal Republican from the Rockefeller wing of the party who had made his name promoting affordable housing and combating urban poverty. Such positions were seen as positive political attributes in 1968. Four years earlier, Barry Goldwater's libertarian presidential campaign had proved a disaster, and Republicans were not eager to repeat the experience.

But Percy chose not to run and instead endorsed his colleague Nelson Rockefeller, who lost to Richard Nixon. Over the next few years, Percy clashed frequently with Nixon over defense spending and Supreme Court appointments. During the Watergate scandal, he again defied Nixon by demanding an independent investigation.

With his popularity and national name-recognition peaking, Percy might have had another shot at the presidency in 1976, but he deferred to the incumbent, Gerald Ford. There would not be another chance, for the Republican Party was moving away from Charles Percy.

In the mid-1970s, a group of conservative insurgents known as the New Right began plotting to extinguish the party's liberal wing. They despised men such as Percy and embraced a fanatical brand of social conservatism. One of their leaders, Paul Weyrich, founded the Heritage Foundation and recruited Jerry Falwell to lead the Moral Majority.

One by one, the New Right knocked off the liberal Republicans, either by defeating them in primaries or fatally weakening them in general elections -- names now barely remembered such as Clifford Case of New Jersey or Edward Brooke of Massachusetts.

In 1984, New Right leaders backed a primary challenge against Percy. When that failed, they endorsed his Democratic challenger, the liberal, bow-tie wearing Paul Simon. One of the leaders, Richard Viguerie, explained that Percy's defeat was more important to conservatives than retaining Republican control of the Senate. When the voting was over, the Republicans kept the Senate, but they lost Charles Percy.

The drive for ideological purity has continued ever since, with tea party groups and fundraisers such as the Club for Growth targeting moderate conservatives after the liberals went extinct. In recent years, they helped force out Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island and Charlie Crist of Florida.

Perry, the front-runner of the Republican presidential field in polls, is a deep social and fiscal conservative who would never have had a shot at the presidential nomination in 1968. But in 2012, it's the liberal Charles Percy who wouldn't have stood a chance. Even Goldwater's refusal to embrace the religious right would doom his candidacy were he to run today.

Yet perhaps Perry would still be wise to pay attention to the Ghost of Republican Past.

He might get to see the old Democratic Party advertisement showing a disembodied pair of hands ripping apart a Social Security card. That advertisement helped turn the tide against Goldwater, who like Perry had challenged Social Security.

Conservative activists have succeeded in driving American politics far to the right, but there may still be limits.

The opinions in this commentary are solely those of Michael Wolraich.

Question: Who was charles percy in 1968.

Question: Who was a rising GOP star in 1968?

Question: What did Charles Percy fight?

Question: What toppled Percy and other liberal Republicans?

Answer: moderate-to-liberal Republican

Answer: Charles Percy.

Answer: Alzheimer's disease.

Answer: New Right

Summary:
Michael Wolraich: In 1968, Charles Percy was a rising GOP star who fought urban poverty, Nixon .
Emerging New Right toppled Percy and other liberal Republicans, he writes .
Wolraich: Percy's career shows how a diverse GOP became lock-stepped in ideology .