(CNN) -- Erroll Southers In the aftermath of the attempted bombing of Northwest Flight 253, it is likely the Senate will move to confirm the embattled nomination of Southers as head of the Transportation Security Administration when it returns from its winter recess. Objections to Southers' confirmation were first made by Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina over the potential unionization of TSA employees. Southers is the Los Angeles International Airport's assistant chief for homeland security and intelligence. The airport's police department, which Southers has helped manage since early 2007, is the largest such operation in the country, with approximately 1,200 employees. Southers is also associate director at the Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events at the University of Southern California. The former FBI special agent served as a deputy director of homeland security for California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. CNN Political Ticker: DeMint defends blocking appointment Miriam Siefer The attorney who will defend the 23-year-old Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up Northwest Flight 253 is no stranger to terrorism cases, according to The Detroit News. Miriam Siefer, chief federal defender with the Federal Defender Office in Detroit, Michigan, represented James Nichols when he was a suspect in the Oklahoma City bombing. His brother Terry Nichols was convicted for that act of domestic terrorism. Siefer is now the lead attorney for Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, who is accused of hiding explosive materials sewn into his underwear that could have brought down the airplane. "She's one of a handful of people who is universally respected and admired by people in the U.S. Attorney's Office," said Alan Gershel, the former head of criminal prosecutions in Detroit who now is a law professor at Cooley Law School in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Detroit News: Suspect's lawyer old hand at terror cases Micah Fialka-Feldman A U.S. district judge has ruled that Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, violated a federal law by refusing to allow Fialka-Feldman, a disabled student, to live in a campus dorm and now must make a room available for him. The Detroit News and NPR report that Fialka-Feldman has a mild cognitive impairment that hinders his ability to read and write. But the university said because he was in a special program and not a full-time student, he couldn't live on campus. It took him two buses and two hours to get to campus from his parents' home. The judge ruled that Oakland University had discriminated against Fialka-Feldman, who says he will hang a poster in his room with quotes from civil rights leaders. One says: "A community that excludes one member is not a community at all." NPR: Intellectually disabled student wins dorm suit Detroit News: Student wins housing fight William Koch The Palm Beach, Florida, billionaire says that a 1787 Lafite Bordeaux with Thomas Jefferson's initials etched into the bottle is fake. "I thought that I had a piece of history, a piece of America's most important history," Koch told the Los Angeles Times. So Koch sued the seller and has filed four other lawsuits. He says there are more to come. His goal is to clean up an industry where a single bottle can go for more than $100,000. In 1989, Koch purchased the Lafite and three other bottles of Bordeaux, also purported to be Jefferson's, for about $500,000. In the federal lawsuit he filed in New York against the wine supplier, Koch claims Jefferson's "initials" were etched into the bottle with modern-day power tools. Los Angeles Times: Wine collector sues over alleged fakery Michael Landers This 15-year-old 10th-grader from Old Westbury, New York, is the youngest player to win the men's national singles championship in table tennis, or pingpong. In a New York Times profile, Landers says his training can last 30 hours each week. For 14 months, Goran Milanovic, a former Serbian discuss thrower, has been putting him through 90-minute workouts two or three times a week. NY Times: The ping-pong prodigy What makes a person intriguing? There are people who enter the news cycle every day because

Question: With what is the lawyer familiar?

Question: What age is the youngest national table tennis champ?

Question: What is a South Carolina senator holding up?

Question: What did 10th-grader win?

Question: Is lawyer for terror suspect familiar with terrorism cases?

Answer: terrorism cases,

Answer: 15-year-old

Answer: unionization of TSA employees.

Answer: men's national singles championship in table tennis,

Answer: is no stranger to

Summary:
Nominee for TSA chief held up by South Carolina senator .
Lawyer for terror suspect familiar with terrorism cases .
10th-grader is youngest player to win national table tennis championship .


(CNN) -- Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the sister of President John F. Kennedy and a champion of the disabled who founded the Special Olympics, died Tuesday, the Special Olympics said. She was 88. Eunice Kennedy Shriver speaks at a dinner in honor of the Special Olympics in July 2006. Born on July 10, 1921, in Brookline, Massachusetts, Shriver was the fifth of nine children to Joseph P. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. She emerged from the long shadow of siblings John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy as the founder of the Special Olympics, which started as a summer day camp in her backyard in 1962. Today, 3.1 million people with mental disabilities participate in 228 programs in 170 nations, according to the Special Olympics. "She was the light of our lives, a mother, wife, grandmother, sister and aunt who taught us by example and with passion what it means to live a faith-driven life of love and service to others," the Shriver family said Tuesday in a statement. "For each of us, she often seemed to stop time itself -- to run another Special Olympics Games, to visit us in our homes, to attend to her own mother, her sisters and brothers, and to sail, tell stories, and laugh and serve her friends." No final decision has been made on funeral arrangements, a source close to the family said. Shriver's husband, R. Sargent Shriver, and her five children and their spouses and all of her 19 grandchildren were with her when she died, the Special Olympics said in a statement.  Watch a look at Eunice Kennedy Shriver's life » "We are tremendously grateful for the extreme outpouring of support and prayer from the public as we honor our beloved founder," Brady Lum, Special Olympics president and chief operating officer, said in a statement Tuesday. "Today we celebrate the life of a woman who had the vision to create our movement. It is an enormous loss, but I know we can rest assured that her legacy will live on through her family, friends, and the millions of people around the world who she touched and transformed." Even before launching the Special Olympics in 1968, Shriver had established a reputation as an advocate for the disenfranchised and a trailblazer for the rights of the disabled through a variety of roles in the private and public sector. She also persuaded the Kennedy family to go public with one of its most guarded secrets. In September 1962, Shriver wrote an article about her mentally disabled sister, Rosemary, which was published in The Saturday Evening Post. At an event honoring her in 2007, Shriver spoke of her life: "Most people believe I spent my whole life really interested in only one thing and that one thing is working to make the world a better place for people with intellectual disabilities. "As important as it has been, it is not the whole story of my life. My life is about being lucky as a child to be raised by parents who loved me and made me believe in possibilities. It is also about being lucky to have had these extraordinary children. ... It is also about being especially lucky to have a wonderful husband."  Watch Shriver reflect on her life » At the same event, Edward Kennedy paid tribute to his sister, saying she had inherited the best qualities from his parents, including compassion. "She had that sense no one should be left out or left behind. She picked this up, obviously, at a very early age. All of us could see that special relationship that Eunice had with Rosemary." After receiving a degree in sociology from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, Shriver worked for the U.S. State Department in the Special War Problems Division from 1943 to 1945, helping former prisoners of war readjust to civilian life. From 1947 to 1948, she worked for $1 at the Department of Justice as executive secretary for the National Conference on Prevention and Control of Juvenile Delinquency.  See highlights of Shriver's public and private life »

Question: How many grandchildren were with her?

Question: What did the family say in a statement?

Question: Who died at the age of 88?

Question: Did Eunice have any children?

Question: What age did she die at?

Question: Who was Eunice Kennedy Shriver?

Question: What year did Eunice Shriver found the Special Olympics?

Question: At what age did the sister of President Kennedy die?

Answer: 19

Answer: "She was the light of our lives, a mother, wife, grandmother, sister and aunt who taught us by example and with passion

Answer: Kennedy Shriver,

Answer: five

Answer: 88.

Answer: the sister of President John F.

Answer: 1962.

Answer: 88.

Summary:
NEW: "She often seemed to stop time itself," family says in statement .
Sister of President Kennedy, Sen. Edward Kennedy dies at 88 .
Eunice Kennedy Shriver was Special Olympics founder, honorary chairwoman .
Husband R. Sargent Shriver, five children, 19 grandchildren with her at death .


(CNN) -- Europe's financial crisis claimed its second scalp in three days when Italy's Silvio Berlusconi announced he will step down after parliament approves new austerity measures in an effort to stave off economic collapse.

The scandal-plagued prime minister will follow his Greek counterpart George Papandreou into early retirement as fears grow that Italy, the eurozone's third largest economy, may default on its debt.

Italy has failed to implement austerity measures designed to reduce its mammoth â‚¬1.9 trillion debt load -- nearly six times that of Greece -- and the cost to the country of borrowing more money to pay off that debt is spiraling out of control.

While no one knows yet whether Italy will default, analysts say that the country is vastly too big to bail out -- and that the consequences for the world economy of a default would be a disaster.

What happens next?

Much like Greek premier Papandreou, Berlusconi said he will not resign until the government passes harsh austerity measures recommended by eurozone leaders aimed at trimming Italy's debt.

The next step is for the Italian parliament to consider and vote on the measures -- which include tax rises and an increase in the retirement age -- within the next several weeks.

After the parliamentary votes Berlusconi will tender his resignation to President Giorgio Napolitano, who will then begin consultations with lawmakers to decide whether to form a government or call for elections.

Berlusconi and members of the Northern League party want elections as soon as possible, but other lawmakers and European leaders would like to see an interim government composed of non-partisan technocrats that could quickly implement austerity measures in order to reassure global markets and restore confidence in the country.

Business figures tapped to lead a potential technocratic interim government include Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, chairman of Ferrari, and Alessandro Profumo, former CEO of Italy's largest bank UniCredit.

Political options that have been floated include Angelino Alfano, known to be Berlusconi's hand-picked successor, Gianni Letta, Berlusconi's chief of staff, or Mario Monti, a former commissioner with the European Union.

No one is a fan of uncertainty, and no one is going to invest in a debt-ridden country without a plan for recovery -- much less one without a functioning government -- so Italy's short-term plan will be to get these austerity measures passed, see Berlusconi off, and hold new elections so at least international lenders will know who they're dealing with.

Check out CNN's interactive map of European debt at a glance

What's wrong with Italy?

The basic problem is that it's becoming prohibitively expensive for Italy to borrow money to finance its debt -- a problem rooted in investor confidence in the debt-laden country.

With a defunct government and a shrinking economy, Italy is finding it increasingly difficult to find people willing to lend it money in order to reduce its mammoth â‚¬1.9 trillion debt load, which is nearly six times that of Greece.

The less confidence there is in a country, the higher the bond yields, or rate, that country will have to pay in order to secure more money. Right now confidence in Italy is at a euro-era low, which means Italy is paying more than ever to finance its debt.

Business 360 blog on Italy: Too big to fail, too big to bail

What is a bond yield?

A bond yield is basically another term for the rate Italy has to pay to lenders who buy its government bonds. The 10-year government bond is the standard bond used to measure the relative interest rates from country to country.

A government raises money to pay its bills by selling these bonds -- so the higher the yield or rate, the more it costs Italy to borrow money in order to pay its debts.

Italy's 10-year bond yield hit a staggering record high of 7.3% on Wednesday morning; by contrast, the bond yield for Germany -- a relatively healthy economy -- closed at 1.8% on Tuesday night.

Italy will already have to borrow at least â‚¬300 billion -- nearly the total Greece owes to lenders -- next year alone to pay off maturing debts, and the

Question: How much was the pile of debt in Italy?

Question: Where is the prime minister from?

Question: What percentage did the bond yields in Italy pass?

Question: Whats the name of the prime minister?

Question: What is his name?

Question: What is the amount of debt?

Question: How much debt is Italy in?

Question: Who was the prime minister?

Answer: â‚¬1.9 trillion

Answer: Italy,

Answer: 7.3%

Answer: Silvio Berlusconi

Answer: Silvio Berlusconi

Answer: â‚¬1.9 trillion

Answer: â‚¬1.9 trillion

Answer: Silvio Berlusconi

Summary:
Italy's bond yields have passed the dangerous 7% threshold .
Bond yields represent investor confidence in a country's ability to repay its debt .
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi announced he will resign following the passage of austerity measures .
With a debt pile of nearly 2 trillion euros, Italy is seen as too big for Europe to bail out .


(CNN) -- Europe, struggling under a debt crisis which has crippled the eurozone's economy, is facing a "lost decade," according to the head of manufacturing giant Hilti.

Bo Risberg, chief executive of Lichtenstein-based Hilti, told CNN that Europe is in a critical condition and businesses are likely to face the impact for years to come.

"We will have a very difficult decade, a lost decade you can call it," Risberg said. "Fundamentally there is so much austerity needed in order to get back into a reasonable debt situation it will [continue to] impact the economy in Europe. There will be some tough times ahead."

Risberg -- head of a company which employs 20,000 people across 120 countries -- says Europe's debt crisis cannot be allowed to worsen.

"What we are seeing now in Greece is practically a default, with a 50% write down [on its debts], but we can't afford that in Italy, Spain and Portugal," said Risberg. "We are just transferring from the more prudent countries to the countries that have big loans -- so it won't work."

The European Central Bank, which has propped up struggling countries through the debt crisis by buying their debt in the open markets -- thus bringing down the cost of funding -- has come under pressure to do more to save Europe. But Risberg is wary about the ECB becoming more active. "The answer is not to print money from the ECB," he said. Such a move would be "dangerous," he added, saying the potential for hyperinflation would be catastrophic.

Risberg said Europeans need to be accept the introduction of austerity measures, noting southern Europe's economy will be "in very bad shape" for years to come.

"Those who are agile and flexibility will come out stronger in the crisis -- those who are not will not survive," he added.

CNN's Emily Smith contributed to this report.

Question: What does he say that Europe needs to accept?

Question: who is becoming more active in propping up eurozone economies?

Question: Is Europe under debt crisis?

Question: What is Bo Risberg wary of?

Question: Who is struggling under its debt crisis?

Question: what needs to accept by Europe?

Question: who faces a "lost decade"?

Answer: the introduction of austerity measures,

Answer: The European Central Bank,

Answer: struggling

Answer: the ECB becoming more active.

Answer: Europe,

Answer: the introduction of austerity measures,

Answer: Europe,

Summary:
Hilti CEO says Europe faces a "lost decade" as it struggles under its debt crisis .
Bo Risberg is wary of the ECB becoming more active in propping up eurozone economies .
He says Europe needs to accept austerity measures .


(CNN) -- European Union peacekeepers in Bosnia on Tuesday raided homes belonging to family members of Ratko Mladic, the highest-ranking figure still at large from the Balkan conflict in the mid 1990s, Serbian media reported.

Portuguese peacekeepers stand guard outside a home raided on Tuesday.

The force raided houses belonging to Mladic's sister, Milica Avram, and sister-in-law, Radinka Mladic, in East Sarajevo, an area of the city inside the Bosnian Serb-controlled Republika Srpska, a seperate political entity to the Muslim-Croat-controlled Bosnia-Croat Federation.

The raids were a part of a broader operation targeting locations and people who are believed to be helping Mladic evade trial, the reports said.

Serbian authorities recently put up "wanted" posters for Mladic at police stations across Serbia, reminding people of the 1 million euro ($1.3 million) reward for any information leading to Mladic's capture.

Mladic, who commanded the Bosnian Serb military during the 1992-95 war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, has been the Balkans' most wanted since former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic was arrested in Belgrade last July.

The 66-year-old is wanted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) for allegedly overseeing the killings of almost 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in the town of Srebrenica in July 1995.

Mladic is charged with genocide, crimes against humanity, and violations of the laws of war. He has been on the run for 13 years, ever since the ICTY issued the indictments against him.

The ICTY has accused Serbia of knowing Mladic's whereabouts and letting him slip through their hands. Serbia's status as a candidate for European Union membership also remains conditional on Mladic being handed over to the ICTY.

Serbian leaders have denied protecting Mladic.

Question: Who orchestrated the massacre in 1995?

Question: What is Mladic accused of?

Question: Who is the highest ranking accused war criminal still at large?

Question: Which Serb general is accused of war crimes?

Question: Who raid homes?

Question: Who is Ratko Mladic?

Question: Who raided the homes in Bosnia?

Question: Who is accused?

Answer: Ratko Mladic,

Answer: overseeing the killings of almost 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in the town of Srebrenica in July 1995.

Answer: Ratko Mladic,

Answer: Ratko Mladic,

Answer: European

Answer: the highest-ranking figure still at large from the Balkan conflict in the mid 1990s,

Answer: European

Answer: Ratko Mladic,

Summary:
EU troops in Bosnia raid homes belonging to family members of Ratko Mladic .
Former Bosnian Serb general is highest ranking accused war criminal at large .
Mladic accused of orchestrating Srebrenica massacre in 1995 .
Raids part of operation targeting those believed to be helping Mladic evade trial .


(CNN) -- European intelligence agencies are on alert for new al Qaeda terrorist plots following the arrest of two men at an Italian port and investigations into the activities of an alleged al Qaeda network based in Brussels. Bassam Ayachi officiated at the wedding of Malika el Aroud (pictured), who became an al Qaeda "icon." The two are closely tied to a Brussels-based al Qaeda recruiting network, Belgian counter-terrorism officials have told CNN. They are Bassam Ayachi, 62, and Raphael Gendron, 33 -- and they were detained in the port of Bari on November 11 last year after allegedly trying to smuggle three Palestinians and two Syrians into Italy in the false bottom of a camper van they were driving. Now they face much more serious allegations following a counter-terrorism investigation by Italian, French and Belgian police. Italian authorities have officially charged them with being leaders of a logistical support team for al Qaeda. A bug planted by Italian police in the suspects' detention facility picked up snatches of conversation about an alleged scheme to attack Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. A partial transcript of one of their alleged conversations has now been released. "I'll hit de Gaulle," Gendron tells Ayachi. "We'll hit it there," Ayachi replies. "At night when there will be a lot of people." Later in the conversation they appear to discuss buying grenades off contacts in the Middle East. French authorities have said that they were never aware of a concrete plot to attack the airport. Italy suspects well known to Belgian Security Services Ayachi and Gendron were detained after Italian authorities allegedly found Jihadist propaganda in their possession when they arrived on a ferry from Greece. Belgian police say they alerted Italian authorities that the pair were known extremists. Ayachi is a naturalized French cleric of Syrian descent, and in the early 1990s had founded the Centre Islamique Belge (CIB), an organization Belgian authorities say espoused hard-line Salafist and pro al Qaeda views. Gendron, described by Italian police as a computer expert, was the main administrator of the CIB's Web site in Belgium. In 2006 Gendron and Ayachi's son Abdel Rahman Ayachi were convicted in Belgium for posting threatening anti-Semitic messages on the site. Their prison sentences were later reduced to a fine by an Appeals court. A Belgian counter-terrorism source tells CNN that the CIB has clandestinely continued its operations in Belgium. When CNN reporters visited its headquarters on the Rue Memling in Brussels in February, Islamists appeared to still occupy the premises. In previous interviews with Belgian journalists, Avachi said his organization concentrated on pastoral care for Muslims in Brussels and did not promote pro-al Qaeda views. In April 1999 Ayachi officiated at the wedding of two protégés at CIB, Abdessattar Dahmane and Malika el Aroud. The couple would later become "icons" of the al Qaeda movement, according to Belgian counter-terrorism officials. Two days before 9/11, Dahmane assassinated Ahmed Shah Massoud, the head of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, in a suicide bombing operation in Afghanistan. After his death Malika el Aroud, a Belgian citizen of Moroccan descent who had accompanied him to Afghanistan, returned to Europe and founded Minbar.SOS -- a Web site promoting Bin Laden's Jihad. She also remarried. In a CNN interview in 2006 el Aroud demonstrated how she and her new husband Moez Garsallaoui ran the site, which contained postings of attacks on coalition troops in Iraq and translations of the speeches of al Qaeda leaders. Alleged recruitment for training in Pakistan According to Belgian police el Aroud and Garsallaoui moved to Brussels in 2007 and worked in tandem to recruit operatives to train in the tribal areas of Pakistan. El Aroud, it is alleged, inspired young men to volunteer for Jihad through her incendiary Web postings. Garsallaoui, the police say, went out to the streets to recruit people. El Aroud was arrested last December in Brussels and charged along with five others with participation in a terrorist group. She denies the charge. El Aroud and Garsallaoui allegedly recruited six individuals in all, four from Belgium and two from France, according

Question:
What were the pair tied to?
What does the arrest of two men spur?
What spurred a European terror alert?
What is the pair closely tied to?
What did Italy charge them with?

Answer: a Brussels-based al Qaeda recruiting network,

Answer: alert for new al Qaeda terrorist plots

Answer: new al Qaeda terrorist plots

Answer: a Brussels-based al Qaeda recruiting network,

Answer: being leaders of a logistical support team for al Qaeda.

Summary:
Italy arrests of two men spurs European terror alert .
Pair closely tied to a Brussels-based al Qaeda recruiting network, officials say .
Italy charged them with being leaders of a logistical support team for al Qaeda .


(CNN) -- European nations could be penalized by being stripped of some powers if they fail to manage their budgets, according to a memo from European Commission President Herman Van Rompuy leaked Tuesday.

The confidential memo, sent out to leaders ahead of the final European Council meeting of the year at the end of the week, comes only a day after the leaders of Germany and France agreed in Paris on a new fiscal pact they say will help prevent another debt crisis.

But Van Rompuy's proposals, details of which were obtained by CNN, are perhaps even stricter than those of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The five-page memo proposes that the European Commission could perhaps be given the right to strip voting rights within the European Union from some countries who have been bailed out but are still not meeting their deficit targets

For "member states that are under an assistance program and have consistently failed to meet the conditionality, the (European) Commission could receive exceptional power such as ex-ante approval of all major economic reforms," the document says.

As such, the executive arm of the EU could force bailed-out countries, such as Greece, Ireland and Portugal, to comply with deficit regulations, which for the entire EU currently stand at 3% of GDP.

Those rules have been in place for many years but EU leaders are looking for a way to have them more tightly enforced in order to restore confidence in eurozone debt.

Van Rompuy's proposals indicate continuing differences of opinion with other key decision-makers in Europe over how to handle the region's debt crisis.

The proposed change of protocol Van Rompuy has put forward would not need to be fully ratified by all the member states, a person familiar with the plans told CNN.

Merkel and Sarkozy, heads of the two largest economies in the 17-nation eurozone, said Monday that their pact, to be presented in detail Friday, would involve amending or rewriting the treaties that govern the EU to force members to manage their budgets in a more structured and coherent way.

They are expected to write to Van Rompuy on Wednesday to find out whether their initiative would be embraced by all 27 EU countries or just the 17 that share the single currency.

Ahead of that move, Prime Minister David Cameron warned Tuesday he would not sign any reworked EU treaty that does not protect British interests.

"What I'm saying is that if -- and eurozone countries do need to come together, do need to do more things together -- if they choose to use the European treaty to do that, Britain will be insisting on some safeguards, too, and as long as we get those, then that treaty can go ahead. If we can't get those, it won't," he told the BBC.

Resolving the eurozone crisis is a priority, Cameron said, but he would be going to Brussels to "defend and promote" British interests, including the U.K. financial services sector.

As the head of the European Commission, Van Rompuy is expected to steer discussions between the member states as they meet for the final EU summit of the year.

Both Merkel and Sarkozy ruled out Monday the concept of pooling eurozone debt under so-called "eurobonds," saying such discussions were premature.

However, Van Rompuy's memo appears to open the door to such an idea further down the line.

He recommends leaders consider "opening up the possibility in a longer term perspective of moving towards common debt issuance in a staged and criteria-based approach," according to the leaked memo.

Sarkozy said Monday in Paris that the debt crisis, which has shaken markets around the world, must be resolved by March next year.

Meanwhile, Standard and Poor's placed 15 members of the euro currency union on review for a possible downgrade Monday, as the debt crisis in the eurozone continues to worsen.

The warning applies to AAA-rated nations such as Germany, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland and Luxembourg, the U.S.-based credit rating agency said in a press release.

A downgrade of France

Question: What did new british PM warn

Question: What has the british pm warned he may not sign

Question: What sets out tough measurements

Question: Did france and germany agree to a new fiscal pact

Question: What does the PM warn

Question: Which country are european leaders in for the last summit

Question: What did the leaked memo set out

Answer: he would not sign any reworked EU treaty

Answer: EU treaty

Answer: Van Rompuy's proposals,

Answer: agreed in Paris on a

Answer: he would not sign any reworked EU treaty that

Answer: Brussels

Answer: that the European Commission could perhaps be given the right to strip voting rights within the European Union from some countries

Summary:
NEW: British PM warns he may not sign a new EU treaty if British interests are at risk .
Leaked memo sets out tough measures for countries that fail to manage budgets .
It comes a day after the leaders of France and Germany agreed to a new fiscal pact .
European leaders are in Brussels later this week for their last summit of the year .


(CNN) -- Evander Holyfield failed in his bid to become the oldest heavyweight champion when he lost on points to giant Russian Nikolai Valuev in Zurich, Switzerland on Saturday.

Holyfield struggles to escape the reach of seven-foot Russian world champion Valuez in Zurich.

One judge scored the bout a draw while the others had Valuev winning 115-114 and 116-112 thus denying 46-year-old Holyfield the heavyweight title for the fifth time.

American Holyfield will take time to consider whether to return to the ring after his defeat.

"I will go home and think about the future," he said. "But I knew I could still do it.

"I fought very well and won the fight but I did not get the decision. I think I showed tonight that I still can box and that age does not matter."

Valuev said it was an honor to fight a legend like Holyfield. "I am proud to have been in the same ring with him," he said.

"He was very fast and hard to hit. I can only advise people not to get hit by him. I expected a tough fight and that is what it was. Holyfield is a great fighter and he proved it tonight."

With Valuev controlling the centre of the ring in the opening rounds, Holyfield danced around his opponent, hitting with occasional single shots.

He did well to stay away from Valuev´s long left jab and hit him with a big left in the fourth, but the Russian answered with a strong right uppercut.

Much to the delight of the crowd, the fifth was a good round for Holyfield who first landed a right-left combination to the body and later connected with a big left hook to the head.

Both men were on target during a mid-round exchange in the sixth, but Valuev´s left jab looked more effective. In the seventh, the crowd raised the roof when Holyfield fired in a combination to the head.

Valuev´s corner urged him to be more aggressive and he eventually landed a strong right in the eighth when Holyfield seemed to tire a little.

The seven foot Russian remained on the front foot as there was a big exchange during the ninth, and in the 10th Holyfield landed a strong right-left combination. Valuev finished better and pushed his opponent in the corner in the 12th .

After the final bell, both men hugged each other, with either fighter claiming the win. When the scorecards were read, boos rang out as the crowd favorite's narrow defeat was confirmed.

Question: who did he lose to

Question: what will he now consider

Question: what has Holyfield failed to do

Question: Who failed in bid to become oldest heavyweight champion?

Question: What boxer beat him?

Question: What nationality is he?

Answer: giant Russian Nikolai Valuev

Answer: whether to return to the ring

Answer: become the oldest heavyweight champion

Answer: Holyfield

Answer: Nikolai Valuev

Answer: American

Summary:
Evander Holyfield failed in bid to become oldest heavyweight champion .
Lost on points to giant Russian Nikolai Valuev in Zurich, Switzerland .
American Holyfield, 46, will take time to consider whether return to ring .


(CNN) -- Evangelical pastor Ted Haggard says he contemplated suicide after his relationship with a male escort was revealed in 2006, resulting in his being fired from the influential megachurch that he founded two decades ago. Rev. Ted Haggard tells Oprah Winfrey he still struggles with homosexual urges but says he is not gay. Haggard told talk show host Oprah Winfrey on Wednesday that the scandal forced him to work through his "issues" with homosexuality. "I was dying. I had settled in my mind exactly how I was going to commit suicide," Haggard told Winfrey. "I was preparing, and in my life, Jesus came to me and he said, 'Now, now I can save you.' " The interview also addressed the latest scandal involving the embattled pastor. In a statement from Haggard that Winfrey read at the end of the program, Haggard denied having "physical contact" with a second man whose allegations of an inappropriate relationship with Haggard surfaced recently.  Watch Haggard's accuser speak out » Haggard, who appeared in the prerecorded interview segment with his wife and two of his three children, said he continues to struggle with homosexual urges but insisted he is not gay. Haggard continues to have "sexual thoughts about men, but they're not compulsive any more, and I do have temptations, but they're not compulsive," he told Winfrey. He said one therapist described him as a "heterosexual with homosexual attachments," and he admitted to struggling with homosexual urges all his life. "I do believe I don't fit into the normal boxes," Haggard said. "I do think there are complexities associated with some people's sexuality, but it just wasn't as simple as I wanted it to be, because I was so deeply in love with my life." But, he added, "I had this other thing going on inside of me too." Haggard founded the Colorado-based New Life Church in his basement in 1984 and oversaw its growth to a megachurch with some 15,000 members. After the scandal, he was fired from the church in 2006 and also resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals -- a group that says it represents millions of people in 45,000 evangelical church congregations nationwide. His fall followed allegations from male escort Mike Jones about a sex-for-money relationship that involved drugs. "When it first started to happen, I lied about it because I was so ashamed, and it was the first time that that dark area of my life that I had worked so hard to keep secret and fight against was coming to the surface," he told Winfrey. "I thank God, though, that in this process, I am where I am now and that accusation and the scandal had a lot to do with that," he said. The interview aired as Haggard tries to combat the latest allegations. A senior pastor at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, said Monday that the church agreed to pay the second man -- a 20-year-old church volunteer -- in exchange for his pledge not to talk publicly about the relationship with Haggard. After the taped segment, Winfrey read a statement from Haggard about those new allegations. "Even though there was never any physical contact, I have regretted my irresponsible behavior," Haggard said, referring to allegations from a man he identified as Grant. "I apologized to Grant, my family and the church two years ago. I now ask him again for his forgiveness as well as the people of the church," Haggard said. In the past three weeks, the man told New Life Senior Pastor Brady Boyd that he was considering going public with his story because Haggard was portraying himself as a victim in an upcoming HBO documentary called "The Trial of Ted Haggard," which is scheduled to air Thursday.

Question: What did Haggard say about his homosexual temptations?

Question: What did Haggard say about suicide?

Question: What organization did Haggard found?

Question: Why was Haggard fired?

Question: What kind of scandal did Haggard experience?

Question: What was Haggard going to do to himself after the scandal?

Question: Who had to settle their mind in regards to suicide?

Question: What kind of Temptations does Haggard say he still has?

Question: What type of religion is associated with the New Life Church?

Question: What did Haggard deny?

Answer: he is not gay.

Answer: he contemplated

Answer: Colorado-based New Life Church

Answer: relationship with a male

Answer: relationship with a male

Answer: says he contemplated suicide

Answer: Haggard

Answer: homosexual urges

Answer: Evangelical

Answer: "physical contact" with a second man whose allegations of an inappropriate relationship

Summary:
Haggard: "I had settled in my mind exactly how I was going to commit suicide"
Haggard founded New Life Church, was fired after male prostitute scandal .
Haggard says he still has homosexual temptations, but they are not compulsive .
Haggard denies physical contact, apologizes to man involved in new allegations .


(CNN) -- Evangelist Billy Graham is showing signs of improvement as he continues to recover from pneumonia in a North Carolina hospital, a spokeswoman for Asheville's Mission Hospital said Sunday.

The 93-year-old Graham was admitted to the hospital Wednesday in stable condition.

"Doctors are encouraged by Mr. Graham's significant clinical progress, but have not yet set a date for discharge," hospital spokeswoman Merrell Gregory said in a statement.

Gregory also reported progress in Graham's physical therapy, saying he is "walking more in the private corridor outside his room."

Graham was visited over the weekend by his family, according to Gregory. He also watched on television his pastor deliver his regular Sunday sermon, she said.

This is Graham's second bout with pneumonia this year. He was previously hospitalized for the infection in May.

Graham, a resident of nearby Montreat, has provided counsel to generations of U.S. presidents beginning with Harry S. Truman and is the founder of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

The Charlotte native has preached to untold millions over six decades, beginning his missionary work in 1944 when he started speaking at rallies for the Youth for Christ Campus Life ministry. Five years later, Graham was holding crusades in tents in downtown Los Angeles. Originally scheduled for three weeks, the crusades drew so many followers they were extended to seven.

Graham's "last crusade" in June 2005 drew a total of 230,000 people.

He described it as his last American crusade, but hedged his farewells during a poignant appearance in Corona Park in Queens, New York.

"We hope to come back again someday," Graham announced. "I was asked in an interview if this was our last crusade and I said it probably is -- in New York. But I also said, 'I never say never.' "

Question:
What age is the evangelist?
Is he in okay condition now?
When was he admitted?
What is his name?
who is Evangelist?
What is he in hospital for?

Answer: 93-year-old

Answer: stable

Answer: Wednesday

Answer: Billy Graham

Answer: Billy Graham

Answer: pneumonia

Summary:
Evangelist, 93, showing progress in recovery from pneumonia, hospital says .
He is walking more, North Carolina hospital spokeswoman says .
Graham was admitted to the Asheville hospital Wednesday in stable condition .
No discharge date has been set; he also was hospitalized in May .


(CNN) -- Evangelist Tony Alamo is likely to spend the rest of his life in prison after an Arkansas judge sentenced him to 175 years Friday on charges that included taking minors across state lines for sex, according to prosecutors. A jury convicted Alamo in July on 10 federal counts covering offenses that spanned 11 years and dated back to 1994, according to documents from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas. Alamo, the 75-year-old founder and leader of Tony Alamo Christian Ministries, will serve the sentences on each count consecutively, for a total of 175 years in prison, prosecutors said. In addition to his sentence, Alamo was fined $250,000, court documents showed. His lawyer filed an appeal Friday. Christopher Plumlee, assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, welcomed the sentence. "Given the number of victims and the difficult type of testimony they had to provide in order to get to trial, it's gratifying for them to see him get this sentence," he said. "Not only did they entrust their lives to him, he did it in the name of God. And he betrayed their trust." Authorities in September 2008 arrested Alamo, whose real name is Bernie Hoffman, and raided his 15-acre compound near Texarkana, Arkansas. An indictment released in November 2008 accused Alamo of transporting five girls across state lines for sex. The criminal complaint included accounts from three girls, two of whom were 17 when the complaint was released last year, and one who was 14. All three said Alamo sexually abused them. In a phone interview last year with CNN, Alamo called the accusations a hoax. "They're just trying to make our church look evil ... by saying I'm a pornographer. Saying that I rape little children. ... I love children. I don't abuse them. Never have. Never will."

Question: What do the charges include?

Question: who founded this church

Question: Who is Tony Alamo?

Question: Who discovered that Alamo was taking minors across state lines for sex?

Question: What year did charges start?

Question: On what date did officials raid the 15-acre compound near Texarkana, Arkansas?

Answer: taking minors across state lines for sex,

Answer: Tony Alamo

Answer: Evangelist

Answer: Authorities

Answer: 1994,

Answer: September 2008

Summary:
Charges included taking minors across state lines for sex .
Alamo, 75, is founder and leader of Tony Alamo Christian Ministries .
Charges stem from 2008 raided of 15-acre compound near Texarkana, Arkansas .


(CNN) -- Even before her 18th birthday, Maria had already been enslaved by a gang of human traffickers and held in captivity for four months in her homeland of Mexico.

While a prisoner, Maria witnessed a sickening trade in human life and recalls how young girls were drugged, forced into prostitution and then murdered.

What makes Maria's story so special is that she was one of the lucky ones who were able to escape.

Maria, whose real name we aren't using, used to live in the border town of Ciudad Juarez.

The city is home to two drug cartels that fight a bloody turf war for lucrative smuggling routes to America.

In a four-day period, 41 people were murdered, while over the past decade, 450 women were killed and 3,000 went missing.

"Today girls are still going missing but their bodies are never found," Miguel Perea, a local journalist told Britain's Channel 4.

"There's no trace of them and their mothers and families of these girls -- they haven't got a clue what's happened to them."

Maria described how at the age of 16 she was lured off the streets by a young man who promised the world, but delivered nothing but pain.

She was raped, drugged and sold for sex. "They took a gallon of gasoline and started pouring it over a girl," Maria said.

"One of the men told me if you don't do as I say I will do the same to you.

"I wanted to look away, but they didn't let me. Even though the girl was on fire they kept hitting her and they were laughing as if they were enjoying what they were doing."

Maria described a cross-border trade in young children and babies -- with orders coming in regularly from the U.S.

"They stole the children and one of the gang members took a six-year-old kid that I had to look after for three hours.

"He told me he wanted to see his mummy then I started crying and said 'I don't think you're ever going to see your mummy again.'"

The claims that Maria made were so serious that she was asked by the Department of Homeland Security to come to the U.S. to tell her story.

Mexican authorities accompanied Maria on her trip to Houston to work alongside U.S. authorities on the case.

The U.S. State Department estimates that more than 20,000 people are trafficked into the U.S. each year -- mainly destined for the sex trade.

Authorities have launched an immediate investigation into Maria's story.

"I want to tell the story so that in the near future, other girls don't go through the same," Maria said.

"Women are sold, they are abducted, bought and even killed by these men.

"If these men are ever found, jail won't be enough to make them pay for the way they've made us feel."

Question: Maria told her story to who?

Question: Hundreds of young women and children disappear each year where?

Question: what did maria do

Question: what is Ciudad Juarez

Question: where is it dangerous

Question: What is the name of the Mexican border town?

Question: who told her story

Question: how many disappear

Question: where is the border town

Answer: Department of Homeland Security

Answer: Ciudad Juarez.

Answer: witnessed a sickening trade in human life

Answer: border town

Answer: Ciudad Juarez.

Answer: Ciudad Juarez.

Answer: Maria

Answer: 3,000

Answer: Ciudad Juarez.

Summary:
The Mexican border town of Ciudad Juarez is one of the world's most dangerous .
Hundreds of young women and children disappear each year in Mexico .
Maria told her story to U.S. authorities who are now working on her case .


(CNN) -- Events at a West Virginia air show were canceled for a second day Sunday after a crash a day earlier that killed a stunt pilot, show organizers said.

No one on the ground was injured in the crash Saturday.

Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board arrived in Martinsburg on Sunday to begin piecing together what went wrong.

The crash occurred about five minutes into a planned 15-minute flight, said NTSB investigator Tim Monville.

Some victims of Nevada air race crash identified

"During one of the planned aerobatic maneuvers ... two opposing airplanes were to pass each other laterally," then pull up and perform a roll, Monville said. The plane that crashed "did not complete the maneuver."

Monville declined to identify the pilot.

CNN iReporter Jennifer Clark took pictures of the 2:30 p.m. ET crash, showing flames and black plumes of smoke rising from the ground.

"We saw a flash of light ... and heard the explosion sound," she told CNN's Don Lemon on Saturday. "It was scary."

"You just heard the whole crowd gasp simultaneously and everybody just kind of went silent and was just watching what was going on," she said.

Event organizers on Sunday urged those who witnessed the crash "to seek out support if they feel that viewing the accident traumatically affected them."

The West Virginia crash came one day after another deadly air crash.

A pilot lost control of his vintage plane during an air race in Reno, Nevada, on Friday, plummeting toward thousands of spectators before narrowly missing a grandstand and slamming into box seats. Nine people, including the pilot, died in that accident, according to local police.

Question:
who was killed in a Saturday crash
who was killed
Who is investigating
where was the pilot killed
When did the crash happen
Was anyone on the ground injured
when was he killed

Answer: a stunt pilot,

Answer: stunt pilot,

Answer: Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board

Answer: Nevada

Answer: Saturday.

Answer: the

Answer: Sunday

Summary:
A pilot was killed in a crash Saturday .
No one on the ground was injured .
NTSB investigators are on the scene to probe the crash .


(CNN) -- Ever caught a glimpse of the secretive Iberian lynx? Or heard the croaking bark of a Mediterranean monk seal? Arctic foxes are trapped and skinned for the pelts. If not, and you want to do so, you had better hurry because pollution and habitat degradation have pushed both species to the brink of extinction. According to a recent study by the Switzerland-based World Conservation Union (IUCN) human activity is threatening almost one-sixth of Europe's total land mammal population. Among marine mammals the situation is even more grave, with some 22 percent of total numbers being pushed towards annihilation. The IUCN's recently published European Mammal Assessment identified 17 European mammal species that are "vulnerable," seven that are "endangered," and six that are "critically endangered." The Mediterranean monk seal population, for example, has now dwindled to just 350-450 individuals. The outlook for the Iberian lynx is even worse, with only an estimated 150 still surviving, making it the most endangered cat species on earth. Other species on the critically endangered list include the Arctic fox, Bavarian pine vole, European mink and North Atlantic Right whale. "This new assessment proves that many European mammals are declining at an alarming rate," said IUCN Director-General Julia Marton-Lefèvre, a position echoed by the EU's Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas. "The results of the report highlight the challenge we currently face to halt the loss of Europe's biodiversity," said Dimas. "It is clear that the full implementation of the Habitats Directive (adopted by the EU in 1992 to safeguard Europe's endangered wildlife) is of the utmost importance to protect Europe's native mammals." Europe is home to a rich diversity of native mammal species ranging from the small such as shrews and voles, to the large such as wolves and brown bears. to the enormous -- in the case of the 70-ton North Atlantic Right Whale. Human activity, however, especially in the form of agriculture, deforestation, hunting and pollution, has reduced the numbers of these species, leaving many of them in danger of vanishing. The aforementioned Habitats Directive -- a corollary of the 1979 Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats -- introduced a range of measures aimed at protecting endangered species (including plants, birds and fish as well as mammals). That directive has certainly had an effect, with a number of mammals that previously seemed destined to disappear from Europe now enjoying something of a revival. The Alpine Ibex, for example, was almost hunted out in the 19th century, its population reduced to just a small group of survivors in Italy's Gran Paradiso National Park. Thanks to extensive conservation and protection efforts, however, the species is once again flourishing and has been downgraded to the "least concern" category on the IUCN's "Red List." It is the same story for the European bison, which was limited to just a few zoos before re-introduction programs across eastern Europe helped re-build the population to current levels of around 1,800. "The fate of the European bison provides an example of the way in which a species may be brought to the brink of extinction in a very short time, and then saved only through great efforts," said Dr. Zbigniew Krasinski of Poland's Bialowieza National Park. "The saving of the bison has been an undoubted success, although further action will continue to be essential." Dr. Jean-Christophe Vie, Deputy Head of the IUCN's Species Program, agrees that significant progress has been made. "In Europe we now have a network of protected areas, as well as strong conservation laws," he told CNN. "It is possible for species to recover even when their numbers drop to extinction level. "Both the Alpine Ibex and European bison are recovering well because of appropriate conservation measures. "The European beaver is another example. It was persecuted almost to extinction but has now been re-introduced and is colonizing all over the continent." While

Question: How many Iberian lynx are estimated to remain?

Question: How many Iberian lynx remained?

Question: What is endangering many animals?

Question: What is said about human activty?

Question: What activity is endangering many animals ?

Question: How many Iberian lynx remain ?

Answer: 150

Answer: 150

Answer: agriculture, deforestation, hunting and pollution,

Answer: threatening almost one-sixth of Europe's total land mammal population.

Answer: agriculture, deforestation, hunting and pollution,

Answer: 150

Summary:
Only an estimated 150 Iberian lynx remain .
Human activity is endangering many animals .
Experts say situation is redeemable .


(CNN) -- Ever find yourself struggling to craft the perfect sentence for a loved one who's, um, serving a sentence? Now, you have a friend in the greeting card business. Terrye Cheathem has created a line of greeting cards geared toward prison inmates. A Los Angeles, California, lawyer has come up with a series of cards geared toward prison inmates, a rapidly growing segment of the U.S. population. Some express simple good wishes: "We are all praying for you while you do your time." Others celebrate holidays: "You had the choice to be 'naughty or nice.' And you chose ... Now you have to do your time. But, Christmas won't be the same without you here." Others dole out tough love: "When you called last time, I was not very sympathetic. I guess that I have heard your promises to change too many times. Please - stop promising to change. Just do it." Creator Terrye Cheathem said the cards let family members say "Look, things need to be different when you get out." She came up with the idea a few years ago while looking -- without success -- for a birthday card to send her brother-in-law, who was serving an 11-month sentence. "There are so many people who have mixed feelings about communicating with their loved ones in prison," Cheathem said Thursday. "They are unhappy, oftentimes profoundly embarrassed. People don't know what to say." So she created Three Squares Greetings to capture the sentiments for a captive audience -- one that seems to be getting larger each year. More than 2.3 million people were in jails or prisons in the United States at the beginning of 2008, according to a study released last month by the Pew Center on the States. The center is a private organization that advocates for alternative programs to alleviate prison populations. For the first time in the nation's history, the center says, more than one in 100 Americans are behind bars, a higher proportion than any other country. Cheathem is selling her cards online and through stores. She also wants jails and prisons to carry cards designed for inmates to send their relatives. "They're 'Thank You' cards," she said. " 'Thank you for visiting,' 'Thank you for bringing the kids,' 'Thank you for coming to court.' " Like many, bookstore owner James Fugate was at first reluctant to carry the line in his Los Angeles shop, Esowon Books. "I have some issues of being nice to criminals," Fugate said. "And in my 20 years in business, I've seen some relatives who don't seem to realize the gravity of what (their family members) have done." Fugate said he changed his mind when he realized that most of the cards carried messages asking inmates to turn their lives around. Cheathem understands the hesitation of shoppers and sellers. "I can't think of any other product that anyone wants to receive and certainly no one wants to be in the position to buy one," she said. "But there is a need for this." Cheathem points to Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick of Detroit, Michigan. He was charged this week with perjury, obstruction of justice and misconduct of office. He was released on a $75,000 bond. "I have a card that says, 'I'm sorry to hear about your arrest,' " she said. "Right now , there are probably 50 people or more who would send it to him."  E-mail to a friend

Question: The new greeting cards are geared toward what?

Question: Study show that the US prison and jail population is what?

Question: Who is the new greeting cards geared to?

Question: The cards are sold where?

Question: who is selling the cards

Question: what about the new cards

Question: Where are the cards selling?

Answer: prison inmates.

Answer: rapidly growing

Answer: prison inmates.

Answer: online and through stores.

Answer: Terrye Cheathem

Answer: geared toward prison inmates.

Answer: online and through stores.

Summary:
New series of greeting cards is geared toward prison inmates .
Study shows the U.S. prison and jail population is rapidly growing .
Card creator is selling her cards online and through stores .


(CNN) -- Everton scored twice late on and goalkeeper Tim Howard saved an injury-time penalty as they fought back to secure a 2-2 Premier League home draw with Tottenham on Sunday. Jermain Defoe gave the visitors the lead soon after the interval when nipping in front of Tony Hibbert to convert Aaron Lennon's cross at the near post for his 13th goal of the season. And they doubled their advantage soon after when defender Michael Dawson headed home a Niko Kranjcar corner. But Everton got a foothold back in the game when Seamus Coleman's run and cross was converted by fellow-substitute Louis Saha in the 78th minute. And Tim Cahill rescued a point for the home side with four minutes remaining when he stooped low to head home Leighton Baines' bouncing cross. However, there was still further drama to come when Hibbert was penalized for crashing into Wilson Palacios in the area. However, England striker Defoe smashed his penalty too close to Howard and the keeper pulled off a fine save to give out-of-form Everton a morale-boosting point. The result means Tottenham remain in fourth place, behind north London rivals Arsenal, while Everton have now won just one of their last nine league games. In the day's other match, Bobby Zamora scored the only goal of the game as Fulham beat Sunderland 1-0 to move up to eighth place in the table.

Question: who scores the only goal to give Fulham a 1-0 victory at home to Sunderland?

Question: Who missed an injury time penalty?

Question: what Everton recover from 2-0 behind to earn a 2-2 Premier League draw?

Question: who misses an injury time penalty to give the visitors all three points?

Question: Who scores the only goal for Fulham?

Question: Who missed the injury time penalty?

Question: What was Everton's final result with Tottenham?

Question: With whom did Everton earn the draw?

Question: Who recovered from 2-0 behind?

Answer: Bobby Zamora

Answer: Tim Howard

Answer: scored twice late on and goalkeeper Tim Howard saved an injury-time penalty as they

Answer: Defoe

Answer: Bobby Zamora

Answer: Tim Howard

Answer: 2-2

Answer: Tottenham

Answer: Everton

Summary:
Everton recover from 2-0 behind to earn a 2-2 Premier League draw with Tottenham .
Jermain Defoe misses an injury time penalty to give the visitors all three points .
Bobby Zamora scores the only goal to give Fulham a 1-0 victory at home to Sunderland .


(CNN) -- Every day for decades, it was an essential part of the day for millions of listeners. A voice would boom out over the radio airwaves, announcing, "Hello,  Americans, this is Paul Harvey! Stand by for news!" Paul Harvey gave Brent Burns his "big break," giving one of his songs national exposure for the first time. After more than 70 years on the air, Harvey died Saturday at the age of 90. His broadcasts were heard on more than 1,200 radio stations, according to his Web site. iReporters shared their memories of hearing Harvey's program through the generations and told how he affected their lives, and in some cases their careers. When Anna Hiller of Albany, California, heard of Harvey's passing, she was immediately reminded of spending time at her grandparents' home in Baltimore, Maryland, as a child. "His voice was inescapable, ubiquitous and energizing, emerging from the silver radio in the kitchen," she said. She describes Harvey's broadcasts as a "ritual" for her grandparents. "The voice of Paul Harvey would echo throughout the entire first floor, and even though I was too young to follow the stories, I knew my grandmother was listening intently, as was my grandpa from his study." John Hargis Sr. has memories of his mother listening to Harvey every day as well. "I once asked her why we couldn't watch TV when Harvey was on, and she replied that Harvey gave her honest news," he said Hargis has since lost 70 percent of his hearing and says that Harvey's voice was one of the few he could understand. He lost his mother in 2001, and Harvey's death reminds him of her. iReport.com: Hargis pays tribute to Harvey, his mother Bev Cummins of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, was captivated as a child by Harvey's skills as a storyteller, as heard on his second daily broadcast, "The Rest of the Story." "He enriched our young lives with his quiet, warm voice that phrased words so well in my mind," she said. "It had all the comfort of a story being read at bedtime." Cummins says that she modeled the way she told bedtime stories to her daughter after Harvey. "The lucky ones among us still have the love of a good Paul Harvey story." For some iReporters, Harvey was not just an important part of their daily lives. He gave one his "big break." Brent Burns of Gulf Shores, Alabama, was at the beginning of his career in the music business, with a few recordings released but nothing hugely successful. Then, Harvey played his song about the 1970s gas crisis, "Cheaper Crude or No More Food." "It bounced me onto the world stage immediately," he said. Burns says he appeared in magazines and television after this first major exposure. "It just goes to show how well-loved and listened-to Paul Harvey was," he said. "He was just a brilliant guy who really had a command of the language." Burns believes that his song might be the only one Harvey ever played. iReport.com: 'Integrity was Paul Harvey's middle name' After entering giant frogs into the famous Calaveras County frog jumping contest in 1990, Andy Koffman of Seattle, Washington, appeared on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" as well as other television programs. "But," he said, "the one thing I will never forget is Paul Harvey's voice talking about me and my giant frogs on the radio." A retired radio host himself, Gerald Dimmitt of Vancouver, Washington, will never forget hosting a dinner where Harvey was the guest speaker. At first, Dimmitt was unsure if he wanted to take the job because of Harvey's then-support of the war in Vietnam. "Due to the fact that he was an icon in the business, I went ahead and did it," he said. Dimmitt and a small group of attendees

Question: Who believes Harvey gave him his "big break"?

Question: What was Paul Harvey's job?

Question: What did Paul Harvey do to the iReporters?

Question: Who believes Harvey gave him a big break?

Question: Who is the radio host?

Question: Whose voice could Hargis hear despite his hearing loss?

Question: Who lost 70% of his hearing?

Question: What percentage of hearing did John Hargis lose?

Question: Who believes that Harvey gave him his break in music?

Answer: Brent Burns

Answer: radio host

Answer: he affected their lives, and in some cases their careers.

Answer: Brent Burns

Answer: Paul Harvey

Answer: Harvey's

Answer: Hargis

Answer: 70 percent

Answer: Brent Burns

Summary:
iReporters remember how legendary radio host Paul Harvey affected their lives .
John Hargis lost 70% of his hearing, but Harvey's voice was one he recognized .
Brent Burns believes that Harvey gave him his "big break" in music .
Share your memories of Harvey on iReport.com .


(CNN) -- Every time her cell phone rings, Christy Harness thinks of her husband. More consumers download ringtones to their cell phones than  full-length songs. The 34-year-old native of Jackson County, Georgia, set her ringtone to Sugarland's "All I Wanna Do," a song that, she says, perfectly expresses the way she feels about him. "I kind of put myself in [the singer's] place because ... she's in love with this guy. If he's not around, she misses him. Basically, I think the song relates to me and [my husband] and our relationship," Harness said. These days, ringtones do much more than alert mobile phone users of a call. Ringtones seem to have become vital fashion statements, a way for people to showcase their personalities and even their feelings about who is calling. According to a 2008 study by Ipsos MediaCT, a marketing research company, approximately one-third of mobile phone users download ringtones, and about 40 percent of users change their ringtones frequently. Ipsos research shows that ringtones are the most common type of mobile music content downloaded by users, compared to full-length songs and ringback tones, tones that replace the typical ringing signal heard by the caller. "I find regular ringtones kind of dull, so I wanted something exciting," said Gordy King, a 51-year-old from Salt Lake City, Utah. King said he gets a kick out of annoying his mostly Republican co-workers with his Barack Obama ringtones, even playing them over the intercom at the electrical supply warehouse where he works. "It's fake news people saying 'Barack Obama has won the election,' " he said. "I really like Barack Obama. I think [my ringtone] probably says that I'm nonconventional and it says I lean a little more liberal. I don't know anyone else who has that ringtone." Using a ringtone creator application on Facebook, King said he also makes his own ringtones by downloading sound files onto his computer and editing them to be shorter and louder or softer. Donald Kaplan found a perfect fit with his ringtone choice. Kaplan, of New York, changed his ringtones often before finally settling on the theme song from "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly." "I'm thinking of sticking with it. I notice that when people hear my phone ring they get amused ... I think that people really connect with that movie," Kaplan said. But that's not always the case. Kaplan said one of his co-workers wasn't exactly pleased with the ringtone. The co-worker sent a mass e-mail to the office, telling everyone to keep their cell phones on silent. "The ringtone drove him crazy and he tried to be tactful but I knew that [the e-mail] was directed specifically to me," Kaplan said. "I could tell that this particular ringtone just drove him up the wall ... just the repetition of the sound." For some, one ringtone simply isn't enough. Many mobile phone users set specific tones to specific people so that the tones act as audible caller IDs. "I group people," said Natasha Khan, a 26-year-old from McLean, Virginia. "I group all my best girlfriends together, the people I don't want to talk to together, work contacts together, and family together." Khan said when her best friends call she hears "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," by Cyndi Lauper, and when she gets a call from people she doesn't particularly like, her phone rings "Bugaboo" by Destiny's Child. "Bugaboo," about a woman irritated by a male caller, contains such lines as, "It's not hot that you be callin' me." "The 'Bugaboo' ringtone has gotten me in trouble," Khan said with a laugh. "This guy -- I forgot that he was on that list and I told him I needed his number and

Question: What did a Utah man do to annoy Republicans?

Question: Who customized the ringtone?

Question: What can people do with ringtones?

Question: What ringtone did the Utah man use?

Question: What percentage of cellphone users download ringtones?

Question: What is one of the ringtones used?

Question: What do 40% of phone users do?

Answer: Barack Obama ringtones,

Answer: Christy Harness

Answer: download

Answer: Barack Obama

Answer: one-third

Answer: "All I Wanna Do,"

Answer: change their ringtones frequently.

Summary:
Ringtones are one way for people to showcase their personalities and feelings .
One third of cell-phone users download ringtones; 40 percent change ringtones often .
Virginia woman uses Destiny's Child's "Bugaboo" as ringtone for dreaded callers .
Utah man customized a pro-Obama ringtone to annoy Republican co-workers .


(CNN) -- Every week, Jackie Kaminer of Roswell, Georgia, buys fish for dinner at the local market. Although she knows it's full of nutrients -- including good-for-your-heart omega-3 fatty acids -- she's careful of the types of fish she brings home.

Jackie Kaminer contemplates fish choices; she  buys only "safe" fish, like salmon, haddock and tilapia.

Her concern? Mercury and the dangers it poses to her children. So, she sticks to certain varieties: salmon, cod, tilapia and haddock are "safe fish," but she stays away from swordfish, sea bass and tuna.

As a mother of three, Kaminer should be concerned. Released into the atmosphere by industrial pollution, mercury contaminates water systems (and soil) when it rains. As fish feed on one another, the mercury stores up in their bodies.

The toxic metal affects the nervous system. And although studies have shown large amounts of mercury can also affect fertility and blood pressure, and possibly cause memory loss in adults, it's particularly dangerous to young children and fetuses.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, during the first several years of life, a child's brain is still developing and absorbing nutrients. Prenatal and infant mercury exposure can cause poor mental development, cerebral palsy, deafness and blindness. Even in low doses, mercury may affect a child's development, delaying walking and talking, shortening attention span and causing learning disabilities.

Having mercury levels that are too high isn't someone else's problem. In a recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of 17 women of childbearing age in the United States has mercury in her blood above the level that could pose a risk to a developing fetus (5.8 micrograms per liter). So the federal government advises pregnant women and those thinking of becoming pregnant to avoid certain fish, such as shark, swordfish and fresh tuna, usually found in fish markets and sushi. Canned tuna seems to be less of a threat, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture says consumption should be limited.

Why avoid these kinds of fish? According to Andrew Heyes, a scientist with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, Maryland, the older and larger the fish, the more mercury it has stored. "As it grows older, it can't eliminate mercury as fast as it takes it in," he says. "So there's an accumulation in the fish."  Watch more on fish and mercury »

Because mercury is a growing threat to us and our environment, companies have started to take mercury out of thermometers, switches and even batteries to prevent it from entering our soil. Now, many regions, like the Chesapeake Bay states of Maryland, Virginia and Delaware, have instituted new rules to limit mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants, one of the largest sources of mercury pollution in the region.

Researcher Cindy Gilmour, also with the SERC, says that is a positive development because mercury contamination is getting out of hand. "We've opened Pandora's Box and we've let that mercury out from where it was buried underground, into the atmosphere and into our soils and waterways," she says. "All that excess mercury causes problems, not just in people."

In an effort to make sure these new regulations on mercury emissions are effective, scientists like Heyes and Gilmour are measuring levels of the toxic metal in watersheds near the bay.

Gilmour says the research is needed. "All those rules are starting to go into place, and we are starting to put those controls on our power plants. So what we want to find out here is whether those rules work and if the money we are investing in these technologies is really going to help," she says.

As they monitor mercury, scientists are also learning more about how it behaves in nature. Gilmour says mercury contaminates more than just the soil and water. "Mercury has a large impact on all kinds of animals -- loons, amphibians, songbirds, are all affected," she says.

Question: what are the effects of mercury

Question: where are the fish found

Question: what fish contain mercury

Question: what New rules near Chesapeake Bay limit emissions from coal-fired?

Question: who released mercury into air?

Answer: affect fertility and blood pressure,

Answer: local market.

Answer: swordfish, sea bass

Answer: power plants,

Answer: industrial pollution,

Summary:
We're told to eat fish, but some varieties contain high levels of mercury .
The bigger and older the fish, the more mercury can accumulate .
Mercury is released into air by industrial pollution: contaminates water and soil .
New rules near Chesapeake Bay limit emissions from coal-fired power plants .


(CNN) -- Everyone aboard US Airways Flight 1549 survived when the plane crash-landed into the Hudson River, and that may be due as much to diligent rescue training as luck.

Passengers and crew line up outside the plane as boats move in to rescue them.

The Coast Guard rescuers who quickly got to the scene and many of the ferries and boats that first responded train for water rescues.

"We, the Coast Guard, we do train for these type of events and these type of situations, scenarios, and one thing we do try to do is try to coordinate with our other maritime agency partners [so] that incidents like this go off without a hitch or as safely as possible," said Coast Guard Lt. C.K. Moore, who helped coordinate the response.

Within minutes of the plane crash-landing into the water, the aircraft was surrounded by ferry boats that had been making their regularly scheduled trips across the Hudson and other boats coordinated by, and including, the Coast Guard.

The passengers had begun exiting the plane -- getting into rafts or standing on the wings. But as more people began to exit, the plane started to become submerged and passengers' feet started getting cold. See photos of the crash and rescue

The quick response may have helped save the lives of passengers, who if not for the rescuers may have been subjected to the frigid Hudson water. It's one of the things Moore said the Coast Guard focuses on during water rescues, especially in the winter. After only three minutes in cold water, people can lose the use of their arms and legs, according to the Oregon State Marine Board. At the time of the crash it was 21 degrees outside, the water temperature in the Hudson was 32.5 degrees and winds were blowing at 15 mph. Oregon State Marine Board: Surviving cold water immersion

Thankfully for passengers, ferry captains like Brittany Catanzaro came quickly to their rescue.  Watch passengers describe what happened »

She was at the helm of a New York Waterway ferry during a normal commute across the river when she looked to her right and saw a plane in the water.

"I had to do a double-take," she said.

But Catanzaro knew exactly what to do. She said she and her crew train each month for water rescues.

"We have to do man overboard, and we're constantly drilling. Constantly," she said. "And when something comes, you already know how to take effect and how to put everything together, so it just went very smoothly."

Catanzaro immediately told her crew to get life jackets on, take extras to throw in the water, and prepare a cradle to help bring passengers onto the boat. The boat was the second on the scene.

"When I got there, my crew went to work and started pulling out people,"  she said. "Some people were sighing with relief, some people were crying. It was nerve-wracking."

In all, Catanzaro's crew helped bring 24 people aboard.

"I was telling my crew, even if we pulled out one person, that was one more person we saved," she said. "And to pull out 24 people, that's 24 people."

The Coast Guard was able to pluck at least 35 people from the water and wing of the plane.

Catanzaro's crew and the Coast Guard were able to take nearly half the plane's passengers out of the Hudson.

That's a credit to their training, Moore said, which is done exactly for this scenario.

"We do train with each other from time to time to understand what each other can bring to the table when it comes to -- to search and rescue," he said. "This is one of the situations where this has come to fruition, and it's a great -- it's a great thing to see it happen like this."

Question: What does Coast Guard ferry training enable?

Question: When will they drill for man overboard scenarios?

Question: What helps pluck passengers off wings?

Question: What did the ferry captain say?

Question: What do the boats do?

Question: What did the boats do?

Question: What does the ferry captain say?

Question: What did the Coast Guard lieutenant have to say?

Answer: [so] that incidents like this go off without a hitch or as safely as possible,"

Answer: Constantly,"

Answer: a cradle

Answer: even if we pulled out one person, that was one more person we saved,"

Answer: move in to rescue them.

Answer: move in to rescue them.

Answer: "Some people were sighing with relief, some people were crying. It was nerve-wracking."

Answer: coordinate with our other maritime agency partners [so] that incidents like this go off without a hitch or as safely as possible,"

Summary:
Coast Guard, ferry training enable quick response, rescue .
Ferry captain says they drill each month for man overboard scenarios .
Boats help pluck passengers off wings, out of the water .
Coast Guard lieutenant: "It's a great thing to see it happen like this"


(CNN) -- Everything about Jupiter is super-sized, including its colorful, turbulent atmosphere. But there's fresh evidence that one of the planet's most recognizable features, the Great Red Spot, is shrinking. NASA's Cassini spacecraft photographed Jupiter and its Great Red Spot, seen center near the equator, in 2000. The spot, which is actually an ancient monster storm that measures about three Earths across, lost 15 percent of its diameter between 1996 and 2006, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have found. It shrank by about 1 kilometer (about 0.6 miles) a day during that time period, said Xylar Asay-Davis, a postdoctoral researcher who was part of the study. Astronomers have observed for years that the clouds of the Great Red Spot have been waning, but this newest research focused on the motion of the storm -- a much more reliable way to measure its size, Asay-Davis said. He and fellow Berkeley researchers Philip Marcus, Imke de Pater, Michael Wong and Sushil Shetty developed software that tracked the movement of the spot's cloud patterns over long periods of time. "It's not just the motion of the spot as a whole object. Within it, it has a very complicated swirl to it -- sort of a thin ring on the outside and then a sort of quiet area in the center -- and that shape of it has been changing over time," Asay-Davis said. "What we actually look at is where the winds are the strongest in the vortex. It's the ring where they're the strongest, and that ring has been shrinking over time." The findings have been submitted for publication in Icarus, the International Journal of Solar System Studies.  See photos of the other planets and find out what makes them stand out » What makes it red? The researchers do not know why the storm is shrinking. In fact, little is known about the Great Red Spot at all. Even the exact cause of its distinctive color is a mystery. "We don't actually know what causes any of the colors on Jupiter," said Amy Simon-Miller, chief of the Planetary Systems Lab at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. "One of the leading theories is that [the storm] is dredging up stuff from much deeper below in the atmosphere that turns red when it's exposed to sunlight." The spot isn't always bright red; sometimes it's actually quite pale, Simon-Miller noted. Astronomers have been tracking it since the 1870s, said Glenn Orton, a senior research scientist at NASA'S Jet Propulsion Laboratory who investigates planetary atmospheres. It is possible that the spot may one day disappear, he added. "It's just a storm that, like many things, has a natural growth and disintegration rate," Orton said. Astronomers see a dramatic difference in the spot's shape when comparing photos of Jupiter taken more than a century ago to recent images of the planet. Orton joked that the Great Red Spot used to be so long that its acronym should have stood for the "Great Red Sausage." "I just happened to look at an old picture and said to myself, 'That looks like a breakfast sausage.' It's very long. I mean, if you look at one of those pictures back from then and a picture now, you think, 'My God, this thing is going on a diet," Orton said. Now eye-shaped, the spot is expected to become circular by about 2040, he added. Chemical stew The storm is a fascinating feature on a fascinating planet. It has some of the characteristics of a hurricane on Earth, including a circular motion and strong winds. They're Jupiter-strength inside the spot, with some gusting up to 400 miles per hour, Simon-Miller said. Unlike hurricanes on Earth, which are low-pressure systems, the Great Red Spot is a high-pressure system, so it's more stable -- one of the reasons it has

Question: When did the spot first begin being tracked?

Question: Do scientists have any theories on why the spot is red?

Question: Astronomers are contemplating what about the spot?

Question: What did scientists measure between 1996 and 2006?

Answer: since the 1870s,

Answer: the exact cause of its distinctive color is a mystery.

Answer: is shrinking.

Answer: Great Red Spot,

Summary:
Scientists: Great Red Spot lost 15 percent of its diameter between 1996 and 2006 .
It is possible that the spot may one day disappear, astronomers say .
Jupiter's famous feature is a monster storm that's been tracked since the 1870s .
Winds inside gust up to 400 miles per hour; it's not exactly known what makes it red .


(CNN) -- Evidence consistent with human decomposition was found in the trunk of a car belonging to a Florida woman charged with killing her 3-year-old daughter, according to a forensic report released Friday. Caylee Anthony, 3, disappeared in mid-June but wasn't reported missing until a month later. "Both odor analysis and LIBS results appear to be quite consistent with a decompositional event having occurred in the trunk of the vehicle," said the report from Tennessee's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, noting that the results were preliminary. Testing indicates that the decomposition could be human, the report adds. Casey Anthony, who drove the car, was arrested this month and charged with first-degree murder and other charges in the disappearance of her daughter, Caylee. Caylee was last seen in mid-June, but Casey Anthony waited about a month before telling her family the child was gone. LIBS is laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, one of the techniques used in chemical analysis. Testing was conducted on air and carpet samples from the vehicle. The tests indicated "the presence of the five key major compounds associated with human decomposition," the report said. The tests also found "an unusually large concentration of chloroform" in the trunk, according to the Oak Ridge report. Chloroform can be used to render someone unconscious. However, trace amounts of chloroform were also found on a control carpet sample, the report said.  Watch Nancy Grace report on the chloroform discovery » The report also says evidence of possible decomposition was found on a hair located among debris in the trunk. The hair is "microscopically similar" to one recovered from Caylee's hair brush, the report said, but "a more meaningful conclusion cannot be reached as this is not a suitable known hair sample." The report was released by prosecutors as part of the case's public record. Prosecutors said they would not comment further on them. Todd Black, a spokesman for Casey Anthony's attorney, Jose Baez, said the evidence does not link Casey Anthony to any criminal behavior. "There's nothing in those reports that links Casey Anthony to any wrongdoing with her daughter, Caylee," he said. Casey Anthony was arrested October 14 in a traffic stop after a grand jury indicted her on seven counts of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child and four counts of providing false information to police. If convicted of the capital murder charge, she could face the death penalty or a life sentence. Police and prosecutors have said little about the case, but hundreds of pages of documents and investigative reports have been released. They indicate that Casey Anthony went to nightclubs, entered "hot body" contests and text-messaged her friends while her daughter was missing. Copies of cell phone and text records released to the public show that she hardly ever mentioned Caylee during the time just before and after the girl was reported missing. And in May, just before Caylee disappeared, her mother referred to the girl as "the little snot head." Casey's mother, Cindy Anthony, called the sheriff in Orange County, Florida, on July 15, saying her daughter wouldn't tell her where Caylee was. Casey's brother, Lee Anthony, also pleaded with his sister to tell him where Caylee was, according to police documents. She told him she hadn't seen the child in "31 days." When questioned, Casey Anthony gave conflicting statements to police, including some that were later disproved, accounting for the charges of providing false information. She claimed that she dropped Caylee off with a baby-sitter, but when police checked out her story, they learned that the address Casey Anthony supplied belonged to an apartment that had been vacant for weeks. The woman Casey Anthony named as her baby-sitter told police she did not know her. Investigators have said cadaver dogs picked up the scent of death in Casey Anthony's car and her parents' backyard. A neighbor told police Casey Anthony had asked to borrow a shovel.

Question: Who was charged with first-degree murder?

Question: Tests found a large concentration of what substance in the trunk?

Question: What is the name of Anthony's missing daughter?

Question: Preliminary lab tests indicate the decomposed matter may be what?

Question: What is Anthony charged with?

Question: What did the lawyer's spokesman say?

Question: What was Casey Anthony charged with?

Question: WHat other chemical was found in the trunk?

Question: Tests suggest what about decomposition evidence?

Question: What do the lab tests say?

Question: High concentration of what was discovered in a trunk?

Question: What did tests find?

Answer: Casey Anthony,

Answer: human decomposition

Answer: Caylee

Answer: human,

Answer: killing her 3-year-old daughter,

Answer: the evidence does not link Casey Anthony to any criminal behavior.

Answer: first-degree murder and other charges in

Answer: chloroform"

Answer: could be human,

Answer: "the presence of the five key major compounds associated with human decomposition,"

Answer: chloroform"

Answer: indicated "the presence of the five key major compounds associated with human decomposition,"

Summary:
Preliminary lab tests say decomposition evidence could be human, report says .
Tests also find "unusually large concentration of chloroform" in trunk .
Casey Anthony is charged with first-degree murder in daughter's disappearance .
Lawyer's spokesman says evidence doesn't link Casey to any wrongdoing .


(CNN) -- Exotic animals should live in the wild, not be exploited in profit-motivated zoos -- or worse â€” as "pets" or backyard oddities by people who have a deeply misguided sense of dominion or ownership.

What happened in Ohio on Tuesday and Wednesday has drawn dramatic attention to the private possession of exotics, an issue that is a major component of Born Free USA's mission to protect wildlife.

On Wednesday, 56 exotic animals â€” including lions, tigers, bears, giraffes and wolves â€” were freed from their captivity at a rural residence outside Zanesville. Police report the animals' "owner," 62-year-old Terry Thompson, let the animals out of their cages before he killed himself. Forty-nine of the animals -- including 18 tigers and 17 lions -- were shot dead by law enforcement officers.

Thankfully, other than Thompson's death, no human injuries have been reported as a result of this situation.

Ohio has had a recent flurry of incidents in which exotic animals being held by private individuals in or outside people's residences have been involved in violent encounters with humans. In September, an 80-year-old man was attacked by a kangaroo at an exotic-animal farm in Green Camp. In June, an escaped "pet" grivet monkey scratched two girls while he was on the loose in Fremont. In August 2010, a bear fatally mauled its caretaker on the owner's property in Columbus Station.

Born Free USA tracks such cases in our Exotic Animal Incidents Database. We list 86 incidents involving exotic animals in Ohio in recent years, and probably many other such encounters have gone unreported. Nationwide, our database lists nearly 1,600 incidents.

There is no excuse for wild, potentially dangerous, exotic animals to be kept in private hands. Ohio is one of a handful of states with woefully few regulations on the books to govern such questionable close contact with wildlife, and Born Free USA has been pushing for years to get a stronger law enacted in the state.

In 2006, the Ohio Legislature quickly introduced a bill to restrict private possession of exotics after an Ashtabula County woman was mauled by a 500-pound black bear that escaped a pen kept by a nearby neighbor. The bill failed, and just four years later in 2010, an emergency executive order was put in place after a 24-year-old man was mauled to death by a black bear kept in a Columbia Township compound. The order temporarily banned private ownership of big cats, bears, alligators, crocodiles and certain snakes. In April 2011, the order expired upon the promise by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the governor that a new rule-making process would swiftly be established in order to implement regulations regarding possession of exotics. This still has not happened.

What will it take to get swift action in the state -- and in other states around the country that lack complete bans on exotic pet ownership? Will it take a bigger, more diverse animal escape? A monkeypox outbreak? People dying? There is no need to wait, no need to take this kind of dramatic and incomprehensible risk.

The drain on society from keeping exotic animals as pets is not insignificant. Humane societies, sheriff's departments and wildlife sanctuaries end up bearing the brunt of the cost of placing these animals and giving them humane, lifetime care.

In Texas, the Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary provides permanent, safe, naturalistic and free-range accommodations for more than 500 macaques, vervets and baboons, many of whom have been rescued from captive lives of stress, deprivation and danger -- danger to both the monkeys and to their "owners."

Every chance we get, every day we come to work, in as many effective, forceful and creative ways we can, we encourage our members and supporters to spread the word that wild animals belong in the wild.

What happened in Ohio this week is appalling. All those animals, imprisoned for no good reason. Their "owner" was apparently a tortured soul who took his own life and put the lives of nearby residents in peril through his bizarre act. And all

Question: where is exotic animals inexcusable?

Question: exotic animals must not be exploited as what?

Question: how many wild animals were slaughtered in ohio?

Answer: profit-motivated zoos

Answer: "pets" or backyard oddities

Answer: Forty-nine

Summary:
Will Travers: Exotic animals must not be exploited as "pets" or backyard oddities .
Travers: Ohio slaughter of 48 wild animals, including 18 tigers and 17 lions, is appalling .
Ohio has a record of violent encounters between animals and people, he says .
"Owning" exotic animals inexcusable, he says, and also puts human lives at risk .


(CNN) -- Experts said Thursday that the alleged child sexual abuse scandals at Penn State University and another at The Citadel in South Carolina underscore the frailty and inconsistency of the legal system intended to protect children, while some lawmakers called for changes in reporting such crimes.

"As parents, as members of the community, as leaders of organizations, we need to ask ourselves what we can do to prevent the next Penn State," said Stop It Now!, a group that seeks to end child sexual abuse, in a commentary on its website. "Because, unfortunately, it will happen again, unless something fundamental changes."

In the Citadel case, a former cadet-turned-camp counselor faces a series of charges, including three counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor and three counts of lewd act on a minor, according to Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, police. The school's president said this week that the university is "profoundly sorry" for not reporting allegations against the counselor in 2007.

In the Penn State case, Pennsylvania's attorney general has charged a former Penn State football coach, Jerry Sandusky, with 40 counts in what authorities allege was the sexual abuse of eight boys. In addition, two Penn State officials are charged with failing to inform police of the allegations, and questions have been raised about the university's response.

Child-welfare advocates are not alone in their calls for reform. The senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee asked Thursday that the chairman call a hearing to determine whether federal laws intended to protect children and students should be changed.

"Potential weaknesses in specific laws designed to keep children safe have come to light in the wake of the alleged sexual crimes committed on the campuses of the Pennsylvania State University and the Citadel," wrote Rep. George Miller, D-California in his letter to Chairman John Kline, R-Minnesota. "Our inquiry should not seek to parallel, replicate, or interfere with those efforts; rather, we must examine the ongoing operation of the underlying federal laws to identify any vulnerabilities and better ensure against future risks to children."

Miller cited two federal laws: The Clery Act requires higher educational institutions to collect information about and report on crimes that occur on campus. The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act requires states to develop laws mandating that child abuse be reported.

In a statement, Education and the Workforce Committee communications director Alexandra Sollberger said, "The committee is monitoring the situation at Penn State carefully and will assess the need for congressional action after the Department of Education concludes its investigation into the matter."

One state has already moved to tighten reporting requirements. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on Thursday issued an executive order requiring "all public or vocational school, community college, college or university professors, administrators, coaches and other school employees to report child abuse or neglect within 24 hours of observing an incident of child abuse or neglect." The report must be made to child welfare authorities and police.

Changes should include tightening requirements among the states about who must report suspicions that a child is being sexually abused, said Lisa Fontes, a lecturer at University Without Walls at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst and author of "Child Abuse and Culture -- Working with Diverse Families."

For example, Pennsylvania has an unusually narrow category of mandated reporters. The Department of Health and Human Services' website says that, in Pennsylvania, professionals "required to report include, but are not limited to: licensed physicians, osteopaths, medical examiners, coroners, funeral directors, dentists, optometrists, chiropractors, podiatrists, interns, nurses, or hospital personnel, Christian Science practitioners or members of the clergy; school administrators, teachers, school nurses, social services workers, daycare center workers, or any other child care or foster care workers; mental health professionals; peace officers or law enforcement officials."

"It doesn't include many people who have regular contact with children, such as school bus drivers, children's barbers, athletic coaches," said Fontes, who has a doctorate in psychology.

Under "Reporting

Question: What does the group say?

Question: What are the group worried about happening again?

Answer: we can do to prevent the next Penn State,"

Answer: child sexual abuse,

Summary:
"It will happen again, unless something fundamental changes," group says .
A firm says it is working on a civil case against Penn State .
Report: Second Mile records for several years are missing .
Attorneys say more alleged victims may come forward .