Saturday, December 10, 2011

Photographers to give, not take, portraits

(CNN) -- "This is me and my daughter's first picture," a Los Angeles woman wrote on her portrait. "I'll always remember this moment and cherish this beautiful picture forever and ever. I'm so blessed this was captured."

This response from a recipient of a free portrait at the L.A. Skid Row Rescue Mission is what inspires celebrity photographer Jeremy Cowart. His nonprofit, Help-Portrait, gives professional quality portrait photographs to people who could otherwise not afford them.

Cowart, who has taken photographs of celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Tim Tebow and the Kardashian sisters, recruits other photographers, makeup artists and stylists to volunteer their time, equipment and expertise for a day. For the first time, Help-Portrait will share this year's photographs with the world a week after the event, through their website and the CNN Photos blog.

"Part of the beauty of Help-Portrait is that it's a movement that belongs to the people," Cowart said. "All events are independently organized." Each local coordinator determines where their community's event will take place, with Cowart's general guideline of helping people in need.

The third annual event will take place in more than 50 countries around the world on December 10, with a new twist.

"Subjects will be encouraged to draw or illustrate on a copy of their photo and tell others who they are," Cowart said. He hopes that sharing these images with the world will allow others to "join us in celebrating stories of triumph, reconciliation and new beginnings."

This year, many photographers started early, including Karen Lim, whose blog "The Story of Bing" won the 2011 Singapore Blog Awards Best Lifestyle Blog. She recently traveled to Swaziland to capture portraits in an underprivileged local community.

"The kids were very excited that they were going to have their photos taken," Lim wrote on her blog. "Some of them rushed to wash themselves clean to look smart for their shot."

While she was there, Lim photographed a school for disabled children. She said she had to try to hold back tears with each photograph.

"But I burst into tears as soon as I started processing the shots," she wrote.

Lim added that some of the children had disfigured faces and bodies from birth, others from abuse. Some would never see their photo because they were blind.

"Sometimes I feel like it's such a small contribution on my part. I know how to take pictures, and I was just taking some pictures for some people. But to them, it's a huge thing."

Luanne Dietz, a photojournalist and middle school photography teacher in St. Petersburg, Florida, said she has volunteered for Help-Portrait since its beginning. This year she has selected five journalism students to participate and partner with her and other professional photographers.

The event will take place at the Mosley Motel, an establishment that houses 95 people; 57 are children.

"Not only do I have the opportunity to bring along some of my students to help who are from the very neighborhood the Mosley is in," Dietz said, "but I also get to open their eyes to the power they have to change the world through their talent."

Her team has paired with the motel to provide portraits during a block party. Going above and beyond, they have set up a clothing giveaway, free back massage, a bounce house, free barbecue and a movie on the lawn at sunset.

"So often in photojournalism I feel that photographers get wrapped up in the news frenzy of 'report the facts and let the viewer decide how to help,' " Dietz said. This year, she wants the photographers to be responsible for taking action.

Across the world, ' target='_blank'>recipients of these portraits express their gratitude.

"Katrina took everything from me," a New Orleans participant said. "But now you are here to help me get something back, and I thank you for that."

Another in Calgary, Alberta, said, "You made me feel like I was special, like a rock star."

The past two years combined, the group has given more than 101,000 pictures to people in places like nursing homes, homeless shelters and children's cancer wings in hospitals.

"It started with a simple idea," founder Cowart said, "to give back with our skills and talent -- and it's blossomed into a grass roots, worldwide movement fueled by people hungry to give, instead of take, portraits."


Source

Friday, December 9, 2011

Review: 'New Year's Eve' is dunderheaded

(EW.com) -- "New Year's Eve," a schlock ensemble love-o-rama timed for the season of easy good feeling, is a movie I often found myself laughing at in ridicule, and one that also gave me a lump in the throat.

So I guess you could say I had a good time. The movie, like last year's "Valentine's Day," was written by Katherine Fugate and directed by Garry Marshall, and I can just imagine Marshall showing up on the set to basically shout seven words: ''Action!'' ''All right, everybody, overact!'' ''Okay, cut!''

If you had to pick the cheesiest subplot, your head might explode.

Is it Jon Bon Jovi as a rock star trying to win back the fianc e he dumped -- a superchef played by Katherine Heigl, who looks as if she can barely slice a pineapple?

Is it Ashton Kutcher as a smirk-aleck stuck on a grimy elevator with an agonizingly sincere backup singer (Lea Michele)?

Is it Hilary Swank as a Times Square exec who saves the dropping New Year's Eve ball from mechanical failure? (She calls...Kominsky! A repairman with funny Russian accent!)

Or is it Robert De Niro as a dying man with a bucket-list wish so wispy that the entire anecdote seems designed to let De Niro shoot his scenes in less than an hour?

"New Year's Eve" is dunderheaded kitsch, but it's the kind of marzipan movie that can sweetly soak up a holiday evening.

EW.com rating: B-

See the full article at EW.com.


Source

6 arrested in India hospital fire

New Delhi (CNN) -- Investigators have arrested six hospital managers after a fire that killed at least 89 people in a hospital Friday in eastern India.

The six worked at a five-story hospital in the city of Kolkata, said Javed Ahmed Khan, the West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services minister.

They were arrested for negligence, Khan said.

A "majority" of the bed-ridden patients were abandoned by most of the staff on duty, he said.

Video of the scene broadcast by CNN affiliate CNN-IBN showed crowds of people wearing face masks and rushing patients out onto the street in stretchers.

One child, apparently unconscious, was lowered by a rope from a higher floor of the hospital by rescuers.

A mass of people stood outside the hospital talking on cell phones and holding each other. Some who were trapped inside had broken windows to let the smoke out, and the hospital remained hot and smoky, CNN-IBN reported.

A doctor and two attendants were among the dead, he said. The other victims were all patients. Kolkata police said another 60 were injured.

The blaze started in the hospital's basement, said D.P. Biswas, the additional director-general of the fire department in the area.

The victims died of smoke inhalation, Biswas said.

The blaze started at about 4 a.m. Authorities were trying to determine what caused the fire.

A preliminary investigation showed that the hospital had safety violations in the basement, said Khan.

Authorities found that the basement was being used to park cars, house medical supplies and also as an oncology department, Khan said.

"This was a violation (of the safety norms)," he said.

Khan said the hospital's license was revoked.


Source

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Fliers blame 'bully' flight attendant

(CNN) -- Three women kicked off an AirTran plane bound for New York say a "bully" flight attendant is to blame.

The passengers -- who did not know each other before the Monday flight from West Palm Beach, Florida, to White Plains, New York, but were seated in the same section of the plane -- say the incident started during boarding when a male flight attendant began roughly handling bags in the overhead bin.

"I said, 'Hey, I have breakables in that,' " recalled Marilyn Miller, according to CNN affiliate WPTV-TV in West Palm Beach. But she said the comment only seemed to make his behavior worse.

"It was just like a bully and I found myself shaking."

Passenger Carol Gray told the TV station that she flagged the same flight attendant for help with another problem.

"I said, 'Excuse me sir, my seat is broken,' and he looked at me and said, 'I'm not talking to you,' and poked me in the arm," Gray told WPTV.

The passengers said the flight attendant then began to get angry and told them to leave the plane, according to WPTV. That's when a third woman, who had been watching the situation unfold, told the station she decided to intervene.

"I said, 'This is crazy, they didn't do anything. Why are you doing this to them?' And he said, 'Throw her off, too,' " Karyn Schorr told WPTV.

Palm Beach County sheriff's deputies were called to the scene and stood by as the women exited the plane and went to another gate, said Eric Davis, a spokesman for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. The women were not cited or charged with any crimes, WPTV reported.

Southwest Airlines, which owns AirTran, said it booked new travel arrangements for the passengers and compensated them as "a gesture of goodwill for their inconvenience."

"Our goal is always to mitigate any uncomfortable situation prior to departure. Our crew assessed the environment onboard and ultimately decided to accommodate the passengers on an alternative flight," spokeswoman Brandy King said.

"We always prefer that a passenger walk away with a positive experience when flying our airline; we regret that didn't happen in this scenario. As we often do in these situations, we will take this opportunity to review the reports and take away any key learnings that we might uncover."


Source

Chris Mannix: Must-see NBA games of 2011-12

The NBA is back. On Tuesday, the league released its compacted 66-game schedule, filled with enough back-to-back-to-backs (42 overall, compared to 64 in the 50-game 1998-99 season) to make players groan and coach-class-flying beat writers groan even louder. Here's a look at a 10 interesting dates:

COMPLETE 2011-11 NBA SCHEDULE

Fans won't have to wait long for a continuation of the Thunder's epic seven-game Western Conference semifinals win over the Grizzlies. However, both teams will look a little different this time around. The Grizzlies will try to re-incorporate Rudy Gay into a lineup that went 15-10 without him down the stretch last season because of a shoulder injury. The Thunder, meanwhile, will have a slimmed-down Kendrick Perkins anchoring a defense that should improve after finishing 15th in the league in points allowed per 100 possessions (107.2).

Get a good look, Otis Smith. With the Nets expected to be among the leading candidates to land Dwight Howard should the Magic decide to trade him, New Jersey's first trip to Orlando will give the Magic brass an up-close look at Brook Lopez, the likely centerpiece of any Nets offer. A spectacular game from Deron Williams wouldn't hurt the Nets' chances of enticing Howard to stay long-term, either.

It won't mean much in the standings -- neither the Jazz nor the Nets are expected to contend this season -- but Williams' return to the city where he spent the first 5 _ years of his career is sure to be an emotionally charged event. Despite a rocky ending in which some blamed Williams for the exit of long-time coach Jerry Sloan, expect a warm reception for the All-Star guard.

Former Celtics center Kendrick Perkins might get the loudest ovation for a visitor since Robert Parish returned to the Garden wearing his familiar "00" on a teal Hornets uniform in 1994. More importantly for the Thunder, the trip to Boston will be their first test against an Eastern Conference power.

Jimmer-mania returns to Utah. As one of the most popular college basketball players in the state's history, Jimmer Fredette will make his first appearance as a pro, with the Kings. If the chemistry between him and Tyreke Evans comes together in training camp, it could change the face of the struggling franchise. For Jazz rookie Alec Burks, it's a chance to prove Utah was smart not to trade up for the hometown hero.

John Wall vs. Derrick Rose, possibly in front of President Barack Obama. The Wizards' chances of beating one of the conference's expected elite could hinge on the development of rookie Jan Vesely, Washington's lanky 21-year-old forward who could be thrown into the fire right away.

Lakers-Celtics. Celtics-Lakers The mere mention of the matchup evokes and emotional response. The two long-time rivals will meet twice this season, first in Boston, where Rajon Rondo (9.7 points, 9.8 assists per game all-time against the Lakers) will look to exploit L.A.'s aging backcourt.

The second of two meetings between the NBA's glamour teams could look a lot different than the first. Why? Because the Lakers, who are in hot pursuit of Chris Paul and Dwight Howard, may revamp the roster after the late February trade deadline if the two are with their respective teams that long. Miami will try to address its issues before the season when it scours the market for any and all point guards and centers.

LeBron James loves to play at Madison Square Garden. Well, as a visitor anyway. James is always a threat to score 50 at MSG, and the Heat's lone visit to New York could have serious playoff implications. The Knicks' new weapon against James and the Heat is assistant coach Mike Woodson, the new de facto defensive coordinator who was the architect of Detroit's 2004 title-winning D.

The Sixers, possible dark horses in the East, finish a five-game season-ending road trip in Detroit. The Pistons game caps an especially brutal four-games-in-six-nights stretch for the 76ers. In what is expected to be a competitive conference playoff race, a strong finish could push them into a top-six seed.

COMPLETE 2011-12 NBA SCHEDULE


Source

Presidents only look like they age faster

(Health.com) -- Earlier this year, sociologist Jay Olshansky, Ph.D., watched President Barack Obama return to his hometown of Chicago to celebrate his 50th birthday. In the days that followed, Olshansky was struck by the amount of media coverage dedicated to a single question: When did Obama's hair get so gray?

Being president is a demanding job -- especially in times like this -- and it seems plausible that the stress of juggling politics, the economy, and the military could literally take years off a person's life.

Michael Roizen, M.D., a doctor at the Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio, even suggested on Obama's birthday that presidents age twice as fast as normal while in office.

But Olshansky, a professor of public health at the University of Illinois-Chicago, wasn't buying it. Wealth, access to healthcare, and education are all closely linked to longer lifespans, and presidents have all three resources in abundance, he reasoned; if anything, presidents should age slower than the average person.

Health.com: 30 stay-healthy tips for men

To test his hunch, Olshansky collected the birth, death, and inauguration dates of every American president that died of natural causes. (He also included living presidents.) Then, based on their time in office, he estimated their projected lifespans under Dr. Roizen's "accelerated aging" theory.

Two-thirds of presidents lived (or are living) longer than their projected lifespans, Olshansky found. What's more, two-thirds also made it past the average lifespan of men in their age group.

"The first eight presidents lived an average of 79.8 years during a time when life expectancy for men was under 40," says Olshansky, whose findings were published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. "It seems like most presidents live exceptionally long lives."

Health.com: How to live to 100

If that's the case, what explains the rapidly graying hair and premature wrinkles that seem to beset presidents? (Obama isn't the only president whose visible aging has attracted attention: In years past, the media hasn't failed to note that Bill Clinton was white-haired by the time he left office, that Jimmy Carter had baggier eyes, and that George W. Bush developed new lines across his forehead.)

The obvious answer is that U.S. presidents are simply older when they leave the White House as when they enter. They also take office in their mid-50s, on average -- a stage in life when the external signs of aging tend to become more pronounced in men.

In addition, Olshansky suspects, high levels of stress may indeed contribute to superficial aging, even if they don't shorten lifespan.

"There is good, strong literature to suggest that stress can lead to accelerated graying of hair," he says. "There's no question that stress has a powerful effect, but at least with regard to the presidents, it doesn't appear to be making them die sooner."

Health.com: Job killing you? 8 types of work-related stress

Olshanksy plans to study people in other high-stress jobs -- like CEOs of insurance companies -- to test whether stress really does influence how old they look.

Either way, he says, Obama and other stressed-out workers shouldn't fret over their appearance. "No one dies from gray hair and wrinkles," he says.


Source

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

ESPN's Andrews files invasion of privacy suit over hotel incident

(CNN) -- Erin Andrews has filed a lawsuit over her September 2008 stay at a Nashville, Tennessee, hotel where a man altered a peephole so he could shoot video of the ESPN sports reporter while she was nude.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in Davidson County, Tennessee, seeks $6 million from a Marriott hotel and $4 million from Michael David Barrett, who got a prison term for the crime.

Andrews' lawsuit contends she was a victim of negligence, invasion of privacy and infliction of emotional distress.

Andrews, 33, alleges that Barrett made calls to determine if she would be staying at the Marriott near Vanderbilt University. She claims Marriott revealed the room location and Barrett requested a room next door. Marriott failed to discover Barrett altered the peephole of the reporter's room door, the lawsuit contends.

A Marriott International spokesman declined Tuesday to comment on the lawsuit, but said changes were made.

"We have made changes to our guest registration policy to further ensure guest privacy," said Jeff Flaherty, director of communications.

Barrett pleaded guilty in late 2009 to a federal stalking charge. He was later sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.

In court papers, prosecutors stated that Barrett -- an insurance company employee from Westmont, Illinois -- posted as many as 10 videos of Andrews to the Internet.

Authorities believe that most of the videos were made at the Nashville hotel. The peephole into Andrews' room was altered with a hacksaw, and the images appeared to have been taken with a cell phone camera, according to the charges against Barrett.

Barrett came under scrutiny after attempting to sell the videos to the celebrity gossip site TMZ in January 2009. TMZ did not purchase the images, but employees of the website assisted in the investigation by providing information to Andrews' attorneys, authorities said.

TMZ, like CNN, is a subsidiary of Time Warner Inc.


Source

Expense accounts tempt business travelers

(CNN) -- Business travelers beware -- the next time you think about charging little extras to your expense account, consider worst-case scenarios.

One woman was immediately fired for putting a $9.95 hotel room movie rental on a business travel expense report, according to Peter Goldmann, president of fraud-prevention consulting firm FraudAware.

"Most companies wouldn't do that, but her manager's point was, 'if we allow it and it happens a thousand times a year, everyone is allowed to break the law,' " Goldmann said.

But based on the amount of expense account fraud he's seen, it's evident to Goldmann that business travelers know their way around the system.

Despite technological advances in expense reporting, companies are still having a hard time detecting fraud. On average, it takes a company 24 months to discover expense account fraud, according to a 2010 report by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. And this kind of fraud is more than four times as likely to occur within a business as corruption or financial statement fraud.

"The clever people are the ones that are committing the fraud," said Allan Bachman, education manager at the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

"They are the ones who are getting the cab drivers to give them blank receipts, asking for double receipts at hotels and restaurants, masking one transaction as another, using cash to buy something and getting a blank receipt and putting in for more than the transaction it was. There are an endless number of possibilities here."

And whether or not companies are using an automated system or manually compiling expense reports with receipts, without constant oversight and accountability, there simply aren't enough "mousetraps" to catch the gamers, Goldmann said.

Besides benefiting from the inflated reimbursement check that comes in, many business travelers are padding their expense account charges because they feel like they deserve it, Bachman said.

"Employees are thinking, 'They make me travel on a Saturday night, they can afford to buy me a steak for dinner,' " he said.

If they have to travel on their own time for the company, employees are looking at quality over saving money and pampering themselves rather than succumbing to the dirges of business travel.

"People are giving themselves a treat by putting in a little bit more than they should have and getting a little more back than they should," said John Geron, a public accountant who audited expense accounts for 44 years.

Employers should be looking for general vagueness, a disconnect in the length of a trip and the charges associated with it and for odd items that often signal that an expense report has been falsified, Geron said.

Those items can include everything from an "accidental" use of the company credit card on a business trip to purchase a suit coat to listing every single can of soda or pack of chewing gum purchased.

"Someone is going to look at that and ask, 'Why are all these things reimbursable? Do you not chew gum when you're not traveling?' " Geron said.

These unexplained and seemingly nonbusiness related charges are what Pat Fragale, president of Directravel, a company that manages travel on behalf of corporations, calls "visual guilt" on an expense report.

"The trip was booked for 'x' and you're trying to process 'y,' " he said. "Something has to be explained."

Business travelers looking for a fat reimbursement check know that it's all about the receipts when it comes time to turn in an expense report. They either buy fake receipts online in whatever amounts they want or cajole blank ones out of their favorite restaurants, Bachman said.

Bachman heard of one instance where an employee frequented a certain restaurant franchise and asked for receipts so often, they gave him a pad of them. The employee would turn in fake receipts for lunches he never had. He was only caught -- and fired -- when he began turning them in for locations where the franchise didn't exist.

While it is possible for credit card companies to set up "triggers" and alerts on company cards or specific travel cards, automatic tracking still requires a great deal of oversight, Bachman said. Some companies have instated zero tolerance policies for expense account fraud; the possibility of termination helps keep employees honest.

There is still much debate over whether automated processing of expense reports curtails this kind of fraud.

Fragale believes that automated reporting systems are cutting down on expense account fraud, and the breakdown occurs in the manual process where numbers can be changed and receipts multiplied. His company offers a checks and balances system to corporations, ensuring that fraudulent activity doesn't happen.

But most companies don't use automated systems, he says.

Paper reporting often gets shuffled to the bottom of the priority pile.

"The volume of paper is too much for any one manager to thoroughly handle," Goldmann said. "The employees know that and they take advantage of the fact that their manager is not going to be thoroughly reviewing it and signing off on their expenses. It's easy oftentimes to include phony receipts, because business managers just aren't paying attention."

Goldmann also said that automated systems can't distinguish between legitimate and false receipts.

So just what are employees getting away with on their expense accounts? Upgrading hotel rooms, excessive taxi rides, double-billing for plane tickets, seats and baggage fees, luxury rental cars, fake lunches and dinners, layovers for personal visits and heaps of laundry on overnight trips, according to Goldmann, Geron and Bachman.

Whether these false charges amount to a bit of personal pampering or thousands of dollars of additional income, expense account fraud is a crime. It's just a matter of getting caught. Depending on company policy, fraudsters may be subject to immediate termination if the company finds out, Bachman said.

Goldmann knows of a sales manager who lost her job when she abused the gift limit on her expense account. While 75% of the purchases were for actual clients, she also used the card to purchase expensive gifts under family names. Then, she sold those gifts on eBay and reimbursed herself.

It proves that while oversight and tight policy can reign in expense account abuse, employees are also getting creative.

"There are a million different ways to game the system," Goldmann said. But the fallout could ground high-flying business travelers.


Source

Monday, December 5, 2011

Only 10% of tweens, teens have 'sexted'

(CNN) -- "Sexting" -- the practice of taking sexually explicit photos and sending them to peers via cell phones or the Internet -- may be less common among U.S. adolescents than previous research and media reports have suggested, according to a new nationwide study.

In contrast to a widely cited 2008 survey in which 20% of teens reported sending or posting sexual pictures of themselves, the new survey -- in a younger group of Internet users, some as young as 10 -- found that only 10% of teens and tweens had done so. And just 1% reported sending or receiving nude or partly nude images.

"It's still something that we need to talk to kids about, but not all kids are doing it," says Kimberly J. Mitchell, Ph.D., a study coauthor and a research associate professor of psychology at the University of New Hampshire, in Durham. "It's a bit reassuring, because a lot of the other studies about this have come up with much larger numbers."

Health.com: Top 10 myths about safe sex and sexual health

The new findings, which appear in the January issue of the journal Pediatrics, shouldn't be interpreted to mean that sexting isn't a serious problem, says Amanda Lenhart, a senior research scientist at the Pew Internet & American Life Project, in Washington, D.C.

"Even if you look at 1% or 2% of kids in a high school of a thousand kids, that's 10 to 20 kids, and that's plenty of people for whom this is a big issue and for whom this is a troublesome problem in their lives," says Lenhart, who has researched teen sexting but was not involved in the new study.

Mitchell and her team conducted phone interviews with a nationally representative sample of 1,560 Internet users between the ages of 10 and 17. Slightly less than 10% of the participants reported that during the past year they'd created, appeared in, or received "sexually suggestive" images -- a broad category that includes images of kids and teens in underwear, swimsuits, or clothed "sexy poses."

Health.com: 6 things your teen needs to know about sex

But the rate dropped when sexting was defined as sending or receiving images showing sexual activity or naked breasts, genitals, or backsides -- all of which may qualify as child pornography, the study notes. Just 1% of the adolescents took a photo or video of themselves meeting these criteria, and 6% received such an image.

As one might expect, older kids were far more likely than tweens to be involved in sexting of any kind, which may explain in part why previous surveys that were restricted to teens have found higher overall rates, Mitchell says.

Sexting among youth raises many concerns, including the risk that an adolescent who sends or posts explicit photos could be prosecuted under child pornography laws. (The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Justice's juvenile division.) Nude photos can also be circulated without the subject's knowledge, used to bribe or blackmail someone, or end up in adult hands.

Health.com: Quiz: Sex and teens

Mitchell and her colleagues, however, found that it was relatively rare for sexual images to "go viral" through a school or community, or even among a group of friends. Just 10% of images wound up being distributed, while 3% of young people who received a nude or nearly nude image forwarded it to others or posted it online.

In a separate study in the same issue of Pediatrics, the researchers looked at a sample of 675 police cases involving youth sexting and found it was very rare for pictures to escape the cell-phone realm and be posted on the Internet. "Even though they could get out, it doesn't seem that they're being as widely distributed as we're being led to believe," Mitchell says.

Jill Murray, a psychotherapist in private practice in Orange County, Calif., and the author of But I Love Him: Protecting Your Teen Daughter From Controlling, Abusive Dating Relationships, says the findings of Mitchell and her colleagues may not capture the full extent of sexting among young people.

Health.com: 8 reasons to make time for family dinner

Even though the researchers assured the survey participants that the interviews were confidential, the kids may nevertheless have downplayed their sexting behavior, she says. "Teenagers are sort of suspicious that they're talking to an adult, [that] an adult's going to report them, or the person conducting the survey has their phone number," Murray says. "I just don't know that the kids were honest."

And the low number of adolescents in the study who reported circulating images doesn't ring true, adds Murray, who says she frequently sees girls who have sent a nude photo to a boyfriend that wound up being sent to all his friends, and their friends, and so on. "If you're a 15-year-old kid that's getting a naked or nearly naked picture of a girl, there's practically no way you're going to keep that photo to yourself. It's almost a biological imperative."

Although encouraging, the new study is a reminder that parents need to monitor their children's cell-phone and Internet use, and explain to them the potential legal implications of transmitting nude images of minors, Murray and other experts say.

"It's important that parents do understand that when you give your kid a cell phone, you're really giving them a lot of power in terms of access and communication," says Caroline Knorr, the parenting editor at Common Sense Media, a San Francisco-based advocacy organization that seeks to educate kids and families about media and technology. "It's just really important to discuss your rules around what the responsible usage of that device is."


Source

Cupp: Herman Cain is not a victim

(CNN) -- Earlier this summer, before the allegations against Herman Cain had surfaced and life was, by all accounts, more innocent, I met him for an interview in New York City's Bryant Park. Amid sounds of chirping birds and a morning yoga lesson on the lawn, we had a long talk, about his family, his politics, and what was then Cain's most controversial material, his stance on Muslims in the Cabinet. It feels like such a simpler time.

Oh, what a difference a few months on the campaign trail make.

It seems the Cain train has come to an abrupt halt, not, it would seem, because of Cain's many challenges in effectively discussing both domestic and foreign policy, but because of numerous allegations of sexual harassment, at least one of sexual assault, and another of infidelity. In his bizarre announcement to suspend his campaign he said he was at peace with his wife, Gloria, and she was at peace with him, but the continued "distraction" of the allegations was too much to bear.

That morning in the park, when Cain was still just a long shot, he didn't yet speak in the third person, and we didn't know that Mark Block was a smoker, I remember being impressed with him. He seemed genuine and thoughtful. I remember applauding him for admitting that "he knows what he doesn't know." That's when I thought what he didn't know wasn't, well, just about everything.

While Cain's supporters may not have believed the allegations about him (or maybe they did and weren't bothered by them) if true, they would matter. They should matter. But for all the facts we still don't know about Herman Cain's relationships with women over the years, the facts that Cain doesn't know about the world -- from Libya to China's nuclear program, to the president of "Beki, Beki, Beki" -- should matter a lot more.

Herman Cain's appeal was that he was real. He wasn't politically savvy or polished. And when a candidate, as Charles Krauthammer asserted, decides to "wing it," as he did, that means that two things will happen. One, the candidate will appear authentic, unscripted, genuine and approachable. And two, the candidate will make mistakes. Cain made a bunch.

In his announcement, Cain blamed the media for spinning his campaign. And his supporters, as well as some conservative commentators, will likely continue to blame the media, Democrats and the women who spoke out against him for his campaign's demise. They will bemoan the campaign trail as an ugly place that eats its unsuspecting victims alive. But as unprepared as Cain may have been for life in the political spotlight and the invasive cavity search that is performed on presidential hopefuls, the truth is he was far less prepared to actually be our president.

He can't blame the media for his fumbles on foreign policy, or his inability to explain his own position on abortion. Nor can he blame Democrats or his alleged victims for his failure to sell his 9-9-9 plan as the solution to all of our ills.

Herman Cain is not a victim. He's a man who decided he deserved the highest vote of confidence the country could give him. And though he may be a genuine, likable and thoughtful person with some good ideas, he did not deserve that vote.

Herman Cain knew what he didn't know. He should have realized that it was too much to be president.

Follow @CNNOpinion on Twitter


Source

Sunday, December 4, 2011

10 record-breaking bridges

(BudgetTravel.com) -- Too often, man-made structures mar the landscape around them. A factory cuts a harsh silhouette against a once-picturesque riverbank; a gaudy hotel sprawls onto an otherwise pristine beach. But somehow, bridges do the opposite. Instead of detracting from the view, they enhance it.

A valley that you might have overlooked on its own is suddenly breathtaking with a gleaming white bridge spanning it; an uninspiring river becomes grand when traversed by an elegant steel structure. Add to that the engineering prowess that goes into building them, and bridges become destinations in and of themselves.

We've rounded up 10 of the most remarkable examples here, along with insider tips on how best to experience them.

Budget Travel: See the bridges that made the list

Tallest: Millau Viaduct, France

Not long ago, Millau -- a provincial town set between two limestone plateaus in the South of France -- was known for little more than its traffic jams. Every July and August, the village would become jammed with travelers en route to their summer vacations in Spain. But thanks to the Millau Viaduct, the town is now home to one of the country's major tourist attractions.

Seventeen years in the making, from the first sketches in 1987 to the final touches in 2004, the Millau Viaduct is an architectural feat in more ways than one. Sure, it is held up by the highest pylons in the world (803 feet high) and has the highest road-bridge deck in Europe (886 feet). But, most importantly, it reaches 1,125 feet at its highest point, making it the tallest bridge in the world (for reference, New York's Chrysler Building is only 1,046 feet tall).

Impressive stats, to be sure, but it's the bridge's visual effect that has the most impact. Gleaming white and ultra-sleek, it cuts a striking figure against the green valley below and the blue skies above.

Best Vantage Point: Millau Viaduct is closed to pedestrians, but if you're a runner you can sign up for La Course du Viaduc de Millau, a 14-mile race that crosses the bridge. Barring that, hop in a car. The bridge was designed with a slight curve, so you can see it in its entirety just before you cross over. course-viaducdemillau.org.

Widest: Sydney Harbour Bridge, Australia

Measuring 160 feet across, this suspension bridge has room for eight lanes of traffic, two railroad tracks, a pedestrian walkway, and a bicycle path. A bit much? Not when you consider that the bridge connects Sydney's business district with the residential North Shore, making it the primary route for the city's commuters.

A bridge built to accommodate such volume would seem a modern-day creation, but Sydney Harbour Bridge opened back in 1932 -- it will celebrate its 80th birthday in 2012.

Best Vantage Point: On the walkway at the eastern side of the bridge, you'll find the entrance to the Pylon Lookout, a tower with some of the best views of Sydney and the harbor. As you climb the 200 stairs to the top, stop on each of the three levels to check out the exhibits on the history of the bridge. pylonlookout.com.au, $11.

Longest: Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge, China

When it comes to bridges, China doesn't mess around -- the country is home to 11 of the world's 15 longest. Three of the top five bridges are part of the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway, a $33 billion project that will nearly double the capacity of the route to 80 million annual passengers.

Opened to the public in June 2011, the Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge ranks as the world's longest. It stretches an astonishing 102.4 miles -- that's longer than the distance between New York City and Philadelphia!

Best Vantage Point: This is a railroad bridge, so the only way to experience it is by hopping aboard the train. Thankfully, the high-speed rail travels up to 186 mph, cutting what used to be a 10-hour trip to a much more manageable five hours. trains.china.org.cn, from $89 one way.

Budget Travel: 15 places every kid should see before 15

Most Traffic: George Washington Bridge, New York

Last year, 51 million cars, buses, and trucks traveled eastbound across the George Washington Bridge, which connects Manhattan and New Jersey over the Hudson River. Every one of New York City's 8 million residents would have to cross the bridge over six times to hit that number.

Fortunately, the bridge is built to accommodate this kind of record-breaking activity, with a total of 14 lanes of traffic (eight on the upper level, six on the lower level). Of course, this statistic only takes into account motorized vehicle traffic.

If you count absolutely everything that crosses the bridge, the unofficial winner is the Howrah Bridge in Kolkata, India. The eight-laner is traversed by an estimated 80,000 vehicles, as many as 1 million pedestrians -- and countless cows each day.

Best Vantage Point: There are additional lanes on either side of the George Washington Bridge for pedestrians and cyclists, but that puts you too close to the action to get a good view. Instead, take the Circle Line's Full Island Cruise, a three-hour tour that circles the entire island of Manhattan and passes under seven bridges, including the George Washington Bridge.

Boats leave throughout the day, but hold out for an evening departure so you'll be able to see the bridge lit up against the night sky. circleline42.com, $36.

Longest Suspension: Akashi Kaikyo (or Pearl) Bridge, Japan

Imagine an iconic bridge (the Golden Gate, for example), and chances are you've thought of a suspension bridge. These elegant structures are formed by literally "suspending" the road deck from steel cables strung between towers.

This style will never measure as far as other types -- viaducts like the Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge are supported from below by pylons and can thus stretch as long as needed but suspension bridges rank among the lightest, strongest, and most beautiful bridges in the world.

At nearly four times the length of the Brooklyn Bridge, Japan's Akashi Kaikyo Bridge (also known as the Pearl Bridge) is the clear winner in this category. With three connected spans -- two at 3,150 feet and one at 6,532 feet -- the Pearl stretches a total of 12,831 feet across the Akashi Strait from the cosmopolitan port city of Kobe to Awaji Island (which, not coincidentally, is the hub of Japan's pearl industry).

Japan gets hit with extreme weather conditions, and this bridge, completed in 1998, was built to withstand them all, including winds up to 179 mph and earthquakes up to 8.5 on the Richter scale. But that doesn't mean this bridge isn't a beauty: In addition to its connection to the Japanese pearl industry, the bridge gets its nickname from the lights on its cables, which are said to resemble a strand of colorful pearls at night.

Best Vantage Point: From the Kobe side of the bridge, take an elevator to the Maiko Marine Promenade. The 984-foot tubular observation deck offers views of the strait, the bridge's interior, and Osaka Bay.

Most Photographed: Golden Gate Bridge, California

With its trademark "international orange" paint, its picturesque surroundings, and the daily rolling in of the morning fog, it should come as no surprise that the Golden Gate Bridge is said to be the most photographed in the world.

David Crandall, assistant professor of informatics and computing at Indiana University, thinks the numbers back up this claim. In a recent study, he tracked text tags for nearly 35 million images on Flickr to determine which world sights were shot the most.

While other bridges -- namely London's Tower Bridge, Florence's Ponte Vecchio, and New York's Brooklyn Bridge -- were close runners-up, two simple facts gave the San Francisco structure a winning edge: geography and size.

The City of Hills has so many vantage points -- and the bridge is such a looming presence in the skyline -- that the Golden Gate manages to sneak into scores of photos, even when it's not the intended subject. Trying to take a shot of the Presidio? The harbor? The city skyline? There's a good chance the Golden Gate might make an appearance, whether as the main focal point or just a happy accident.

Best Vantage Point: At Kirby Cove, in the Marin headlands north of the city, you get the trifecta: a spectacular view, a healthy dose of nature, and no crowds.

To get there from Highway 101, take the last exit for Sausalito and follow Conzelman Road until you reach the parking area on the left. From there, walk down the steep dirt path lined with eucalyptus and cypress trees until you reach the cove.

Budget Travel: 10 most interesting beaches

Longest Covered: Hartland Covered Bridge, New Brunswick, Canada

When the Canadian government was being wishy-washy about whether or not to build a bridge across the St. John River, a group of private citizens took matters into their own hands. They formed the Hartland Bridge Company and opened the 1,282-foot-long bridge in 1901. Five years later, in what had to be a vindicating we-told-you-so moment, they sold it to the government, who took over all maintenance.

Though covered bridges are now seen as quaint and old-fashioned, the icon's construction was not without its share of controversy. Shelter made sense in terms of weather -- snow and ice are a sure thing throughout the winters here -- but the public worried it would encourage risqu behavior among the town's youth.

In the end, it was covered, and perhaps their fears were warranted: Legend has it, men would train their horses to stop halfway across the bridge so they could sneak in a kiss before crossing over to the other side.

Best Vantage Point: There's something about a covered bridge that demands you take it slow. Rather than speed across in a car, take the walkway that was added in 1945.

Most Bricks Used to Build a Bridge: Goltzsch Valley Bridge, Germany

At 1,860 feet long, or about one third of a mile, the Goltzsch Valley Bridge in the eastern German state of Saxony may seem like a minor player in the bridge world. But the length isn't what sets it apart; it's the material.

At a time when most bridges were built with stone or metal, this one was built with bricks -- 20 million of them. It would be an odd (and costly) choice of material in most places, but in this area of Saxony, where there were several large clay deposits, it was an economical one. In fact, it's thanks to those same clay deposits that the second-largest brick bridge in the world, the Elster Valley Bridge, is also in Saxony; it's a quaint counterpart, made with only 12 million bricks.

Best Vantage Point: Take the autobahn to the town of Mylau, and follow the signs to the bridge from there. You'll find a designated parking lot, but don't stay there. Instead, take the path on the left-hand side just before the lot. It will lead you to a meadow, where you'll get spectacular views of the bridge.

Longest Footbridge: Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park, New York

When this 6,767-foot-long steel cantilever railroad bridge opened in 1889 over the Hudson River, it ranked as the longest bridge in the world. It carried trains across the river for 85 years until a fire damaged the tracks in 1974, forcing it to close.

Thirty-five years later, after several false starts at restoration, a nonprofit group called Walkway Over the Hudson reopened the bridge, this time as a pathway for pedestrians and cyclists, in October 2009. Now a state historic park, the Walkway Over the Hudson is the longest footbridge in the world, serving as a link between trails on both sides of the river for walkers, runners, cyclists, and rollerbladers.

Best Vantage Point: In the fall, the leaves turn the banks of the Hudson into a collage of reds, oranges, and yellows. Picnic on one of the tables at either end of the bridge before strolling across, giving yourself plenty of time to snap photos along the way. walkway.org.

Oldest: Caravan Bridge, Turkey

At first glance, there's nothing remarkable about this bridge. The arched stone slab straddling the River Meles, in Izmir, Turkey, extends only 42 feet and is about as simple as they come.

But it's the age, not the physical aspects, of the Caravan that sets it apart. Built in 850 B.C., the bridge is 2,861 years old and has reportedly been crossed by the likes of Homer and Saint Paul. As impressive as some of the other bridges on this list are, it's hard to imagine they'll last even half that long.

Best Vantage Point: Located in old Izmir, the bridge is best reached by taxi. Simply ask your driver to take you to "Sarnic," which is the Turkish name for the bridge. We recommend going during the afternoon, when the light is best for photography.

Budget Travel: 8 items you never pack... but should


Source

13 injured after Oklahoma State beats Sooners

(CNN) -- A raucous on-field celebration following Oklahoma State's trouncing of football rival Oklahoma left 13 people injured, including two in critical condition, an emergency official said Sunday.

Michael Authement, director of operations for LifeNet EMS Services, said two people were critically injured when they jumped or fell from a high retaining wall around the field. They were transported by helicopters to Oklahoma City hospitals after the game in Stillwater, he said.

Two other people had substantial injuries, while seven were treated for minor injuries and two more refused treatment and transport, Authement said.

SI: Does Oklahoma State deserve spot in BCS championship?

The injuries occurred when fans rushed the field after Oklahoma State won the game 44-10 on Saturday night, setting up a possible berth in the national championship game next month. In a wild scene, the crowd filled the field and tore down a goalpost.

Authement said most of the injuries involved people getting trampled in the rush.


Source

Indonesia releases Australian teen convicted of drug possession

Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) -- Indonesia on Sunday released an Australian teen convicted of marijuana possession on the resort island of Bali after the boy spent two months in detention, a local prosecutor said.

The 14-year-old was sentenced in late November to two months for marijuana use in a case that has drawn international attention. The sentence included time already served, local prosecutors said.

He will leave Indonesia and will be blacklisted from re-entering the nation for six months, prosecutor Gusti Gede Putu Atmaja said.

After he has arrested in October, the teen was moved from a prison to an immigration center because the latter is more favorable for a teenager, the prosecutor said.

Authorities arrested him while he was on holiday with his parents in Bali.

After the arrest, the boy's attorney, Mohammad Rifan, said he had hoped to avoid a prison sentence and have him released to undergo drug rehabilitation.

Indonesia's drug laws are among the strictest in the world. But they have a provision, article 128, under which those arrested with small amounts of drugs can be released to rehabilitation if they can prove they are an addict. In the case of underage offenders, that requires a declaration from the youth's parents, officials have said.

Visitors to the country are warned on arrival that some drug crimes carry a maximum penalty of death.

Still, many have been arrested and convicted for various drug offenses. Two Australians are on death row in a Bali prison while six others are serving life sentences.


Source