Memorial service for former Weezer bassist postponed

(CNN) -- A memorial service originally planned this weekend for the former bassist of the rock band Weezer has been postponed, his family said.

Mikey Welsh, 40, was found dead last Saturday.

"Due to an overwhelming response and scheduling conflicts, the Welsh family is postponing this weekend's public celebration to honor Mikey's life," his family announced on his Facebook page Tuesday. "We look forward to sharing a retrospective of Mikey's art, life, and music with you in the coming weeks."

In a Twitter post September 26, Welsh had eerily foreshadowed his death.

"dreamt i died in chicago next weekend (heart attack in my sleep). need to write my will today," he wrote. Later that day, he posted another tweet that read, "correction - the weekend after next."

Darryl Baety, a Chicago police spokesman, said Sunday that officers responded at 1:45 p.m. Saturday to a call from the Raffaello Hotel regarding a guest who had been scheduled to check out, but had not.

After first knocking on the door, hotel personnel entered and found someone who was "unresponsive and not breathing," according to Baety.

Police are conducting a death investigation related to the case, pending autopsy results, Baety said.

According to Welsh's official website, he was a painter before he made the the shift to music at age 19. A decade later, he had achieved fame as the bassist for the band Weezer, replacing the band's longtime bassist, Matt Sharp.

Welsh was part of the band's 2001 "Green Album" release, which featured "Hash Pipe." The single became one of the band's biggest hits, peaking at No. 2 on Billboard's Alternative songs chart.

Welsh left the alternative rock group shortly after, saying he had suffered a nervous breakdown.

Led by bespectacled singer Rivers Cuomo, the Los Angeles-based Weezer broke onto the music scene in 1994 with the release of their first, self-titled album. The group periodically has juggled its line-up in the years since, during which it has made nine albums and attracted a large worldwide audience.

Some of its best-known hits are "Buddy Holly" and "Beverly Hills," the video for which has a serious-looking Cuomo and bandmates playing guitar, singing and playing at the Playboy Mansion.

On its website, the band remembered Welsh as vital chapter in their history and one to never "shy away from the absurd, dangerous or strange."

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Cain: I won't be 'flavor of the week'

Washington (CNN) -- Herman Cain said Sunday some Americans would pay higher taxes under his "9-9-9" plan, but denied suggestions that the poorest Americans and middle-class would pay more.

"Some people will pay more. But most people will pay less," Cain said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

The former CEO of Godfather's Pizza has surged toward the head of the pack in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, with "9-9-9" a centerpiece of his economic platform.

The plan calls for doing away with almost all of the existing tax code and replacing it with a 9% flat federal individual income tax, a 9% flat federal corporate tax, and a new 9% national sales tax.

Some economists have raised serious questions about the plan, and several fellow Republican presidential hopefuls have attacked it, saying it would give the government a new revenue stream and not protect families from paying more.

On the NBC show, Cain was asked about an article in the Washington Post, which said the plan "would stick many poor and middle-class people with a hefty tax increase while cutting taxes for those at the top, tax analysts say."

Cain insisted the plan would get rid of the "invisible taxes that are built into everything we buy."

"For example, take a loaf of bread. The farmer pays taxes on his profits. The company that makes the flour, the baker, the delivery man. By the time that loaf of bread gets to the grocery store, there are a series of invisible taxes, which are also called embedded taxes. So in reality, those taxes go away, and so the price of goods don't go up," he insisted.

A check of the figures on CNN's "John King, USA" found a significant gap in revenue between Cain's plan, which would bring in $1.77 trillion in revenue, and the current tax structure, which brings in about $2.16 trillion.

Cain, on NBC, insisted that despite opposition in Congress, he believes he could push through such legislation as president. Ultimately, he argued, lawmakers will listen to their constituencies.

While some other candidates have found themselves at or near the front of the GOP pack and then quickly fallen behind, Cain insisted that won't happen to him because people are connecting with "the substance of my ideals."

Citing his positions on the economy and immigration as examples, he said, "That's why I don't think Herman Cain will be a flavor of the week," he said.

Cain recently rejected criticism by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who called him the "flavor of the week" after he won a much-watched Florida straw poll in September. Palin later announced she was not running for president.

A CNN poll of polls indicates that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is on top of the GOP field of candidates at 23%, and Cain is just three points behind. Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who was a front-runner in the national polls from late August through much of September, trails Cain at 14%. The CNN poll of polls is an average of the latest four national surveys in the GOP race. It was compiled and released Thursday.

Polling in critical early voting states indicates that Cain is statistically tied with Romney in Iowa and South Carolina and that Cain has surged to second place behind Romney in New Hampshire.

On immigration, Cain said he supports enforcing borders with troops in some areas, promoting the path to citizenship that currently exists, and empowering "states to do what the federal government can't and won't do."

He said he opposes abortion rights, including in cases of rape or incest. But if the life of the mother could be at stake, "the family is going to have to make that decision."

When asked about his model for a Supreme Court justice, Cain cited Clarence Thomas. "I believe, despite attacks from the left, he basically rules and makes his decision in my opinion based on the constitution and solid legal thinking."

Cain also said race is "absolutely not" a factor in the race. He also explained that he prefers to identify as a "black American" rather than an "African-American."

"The roots of my heritage are in the United States of America," he said.

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G20 finance chiefs back Europe bank rescue

U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and the rest of the G20 finance ministers pledged support for a European bank rescue plan.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Finance ministers from the world's largest economies pledged Saturday to take "all necessary actions" to stabilize global financial markets and ensure that banks are well capitalized.

"We will ensure that banks are adequately capitalized and have sufficient access to funding to deal with the current crisis," the Group of 20 finance ministers said in a statement issued after a two-day meeting in Paris.

The meeting comes as officials in Europe move closer to an agreement on a comprehensive plan to secure the banking system and resolve Europe's long-standing sovereign debt problems.

The plan, outlined by European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso last week, will be discussed in detail at a meeting being held by the European Council in Brussels on Oct. 23.

"We heard encouraging things from our European colleagues in Paris about a new comprehensive plan to deal with the crisis on the continent," said U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner in a statement.

Geithner added that European leaders "clearly have more work to do on the strategy and the details."

But he sounded optimistic about the support the plan has received from Europe's two largest economies. "When France and Germany agree on a plan together and decide to act, big things are possible," he said.

European leaders have been under pressure to decisively resolve the debt crisis in Greece and increase the firepower of a recently overhauled bailout fund to provide a stronger "backstop" for other euro area nations struggling with unsustainable levels of debt, such as Italy and Spain.

The 27-nation European Union has also been grappling with the threat of a banking crisis, amid fears in financial markets that banks do not have enough capital to withstand the shock of a contagious sovereign debt crisis.

The G20 ministers welcomed the recently approved overhaul of the European Financial Stability Facility, which now has power to intervene in the sovereign debt market and loan money to governments that need to recapitalize banks.

The EFSF is still widely seen as needing additional "leverage" to address both the sovereign debt and banking crisis simultaneously.

EU officials are expected to discuss ways to give the €440 billion fund greater "firepower" at a meeting later this month, but increasing the amount of money the fund controls has been ruled out.

"We look forward to further work to maximize the impact of the EFSF in order to avoid contagion, and to the outcome of the European Council on October 23 to decisively address the current challenges through a comprehensive plan," the G20 communiqu read.

The "comprehensive plan" is expected to be formally presented early next month when the G20 heads of state meet in Cannes, France. Meanwhile, the G20 also said it made progress on an "action plan" to address problems in the global economy and help boost growth.

The ministers said developed economies must continue to reduce debts and deficits, while taking steps to spur economic growth.

Emerging economies need to address risks such as inflation and capital imbalances, the G20 said, adding that developing nations with export-driven economies need to stimulate domestic consumption.

The G20 said it is taking "concrete steps" to strengthen the international monetary system, including the management of capital flows and exchange rates.

The ministers also welcomed new surveillance powers by the International Monetary Fund, but the statement seemed to suggest that the G20 expects more from the multinational lending institution.

"We committed that the IMF must have adequate resources to fulfill its systemic responsibilities and look forward to a discussion of this in Cannes," the G20 said.

Geithner said in his statement that the IMF has a "substantial arsenal of financial resources" that can be used to "supplement" Europe's comprehensive plan.

But he added that the IMF resources would be used "alongside a more substantial commitment of European resources." The G20 also pledged to continue working on plans to strengthen the global financial system and contain the risks posed by financial institutions that are deemed too-big-to-fail.

The G20 consists of large, industrialized economies such as the United States, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and Canada. It also includes emerging economic powers China, India, Brazil and Russia.

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House debates abortion-funding bill

Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. House passed a bill Thursday that would amend the health care law to bar federal funding for health plans that provide abortion services.

The vote was 251 in favor and 170 against.

The bill, the Protect Life Act, was sponsored by Pennsylvania Republican Joe Pitts and gathered overwhelming Republican support. Only two Republicans voted against it, along with all but 15 Democrats.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi condemned the bill during earlier debate, arguing that if it passed, "women can die on the floor and health care providers do not have to intervene."

Democrats opposed to the bill charged that the GOP majority was ignoring the nation's top priority and instead spending time on a bitterly divisive issue.

"Instead of focusing on jobs, Republicans are continuing to wage their war on women," California Democrat Barbara Lee said on the House floor.

But GOP leaders emphasized the House spent the bulk of the week on proposals like the three free trade agreements that passed Wednesday aimed at boosting job creation. They explained Thursday's vote was simply following through on a campaign promise that House Republicans made when they outlined their agenda in the run-up to the 2010 elections.

"We've done four or five solid job-creation bills this week and this bill was part of our Pledge to America. We are keeping our word to the American people, and we are going to do it," House Speaker John Boehner said.

Supporters of the measure argued that the health care law contains a loophole that allows those receiving federal subsidies to use the money to enroll in health care plans that allow abortion services.

Abortion rights advocates maintain the bill is unnecessary because existing laws already bar any taxpayer money from underwriting abortion procedures. During the health care debate, President Barack Obama signed an executive order stating no federal funds could be used in the new health care exchanges created in the law.

Pro-abortion-rights groups like Planned Parenthood also maintain the bill adds a new restriction. Currently, hospitals that receive federal funds but don't have facilities to treat women who may need emergency abortion services are directed to transfer those patients to a health care facility that can treat them. The Pitts bill removes that requirement.

A day after the House passed the three trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea with sizable bipartisan votes, debate in the House chamber on the abortion bill Thursday was heated and at times became personal.

Rep. Jackie Speier, D-California, who revealed last year that she suffered a miscarriage and required a procedure to end her pregnancy, accused Republicans of being "absolutely misogynist" for bringing up the bill.

But Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina, responded, "The misogyny comes from those who promote the killing of unborn babies."

Foxx said the bill was not about taking away any existing rights, but restricting the use of federal money. She cited opinion polls showing that more than three-quarters of Americans oppose taxpayer funding of abortions.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Florida, disputed Democrats who repeatedly argued that Obama's 2010 executive order made it clear women would have to use private funds to pay for any abortion services.

"It is flawed because executive orders can disappear as quickly as they are issued. But the Protect Life Act will create a solid framework that will safeguard taxpayer dollars," Ros-Lehtinen said.

The Senate is not expected to take up the bill and the White House issued a veto threat on the Protect Life Act on Wednesday.

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Bullying is not a rite of passage

(CNN) -- Tragic stories of young people committing suicide after being tormented by bullies have been widely publicized. So you'd imagine that most people would know how seriously bullying hurts people. Unfortunately, this is not always true.

Case in point: A middle-school athlete I know was being bullied by her teammates. The verbal abuse began on the volleyball court and then moved to the rest of the school. Soon, the girl's teammates were pulling down her shorts in front of others to embarrass and ridicule her.

But she did the right thing: Knowing that she didn't have to handle the situation alone, she told her parents. And her parents did the right thing: They alerted school personnel in an attempt to keep their daughter safe. Unfortunately, those who could have kept her safe told the parents that their daughter's experiences were just typical middle-school behavior -- the usual "teenage stuff" -- and that nothing could or would be done.

Never mind that this seventh-grader is now nervous about attending school and her self-esteem has plummeted. Never mind that she wants to quit the volleyball team. The acceptance of bullying as a "rite of passage" failed her. She did not get the help she needed, and the parents are considering a new school for their daughter.

In this case, it was the school that refused to act, but sometimes students who are bullied have a difficult time finding anyone at all who will help. It is time for a cultural shift away from silence and acceptance and the excuse that "kids will be kids" and nothing can be done.

We need to understand we can and need to do something about bullying. The "we" in that statement is imperative. There is power in community.

Imagine a community in which students who witness bullying are encouraged to intervene. More than 55% of bullying behaviors stop in less than 10 seconds when a peer steps in. That's why it's important that schools and parents stress to children that by befriending a kid who is bullied, or by asking an adult for help, they can change -- and even save -- lives.

Imagine a community where students know that it is not their fault if they are bullied, they can feel free to talk about it and can expect to be helped.

Imagine a community united against bullying where parents listen to and believe their children. They discuss and practice with their children possible ways to respond. If problems persist, parents can work calmly with the school.

Schools must be united in the cause and abandon the myth that bullying is a rite of passage. They must educate students about bullying prevention and work with families and others to resolve bullying situations.

Community members can join forces and make use of educational resources such as those at PACER.org/bullying, TeensAgainstBullying.org and KidsAgainstBullying.org. It won't come from schools alone, parents alone or students alone, but from the entire community working in unity.

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Rajaratnam may wind up in Madoff's prison

The lawyer for Raj Rajaratnam, right, requested that the white collar convict serve time at the same prison as Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff, left.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Raj Rajaratnam, the former hedge fund manager who received the stiffest sentence ever for insider trading, is trying to get into the same prison as Ponzi mastermind Bernard Madoff.

Galleon Group founder Rajaratnam was sentenced to 11 years on Thursday.

At his sentencing, his lawyer Terence Lynam asked federal Judge Richard Holwell if Rajaratnam could serve his time at the Butner Federal Correction Complex in North Carolina, which features a medical center, according to the court transcript.

Holwell said that he would make that recommendation.

But while a judge can request a specific prison for a convict, he does not have the power to grant it. That decision is made by the federal Bureau of Prisons.

Holwell noted that Rajaratnam's deteriorating health -- in particular, his "advanced diabetes, imminent kidney failure, the need for transplant surgery" -- requires extensive medical care.

"Illness does not provide a get-out-of-jail-free card, but some form of forbearance, however constrained by circumstances, is fundamental to our system of justice and is appropriate here," said the judge.

Coincidentally, part of Lynam's defense was to differentiate Rajaratnam, age 53, from Madoff. He highlighted the fact that Madoff victimized thousands through his pyramid-style scheme, while arguing that Rajaratnam victimized no one by making trades based on inside knowledge.

Madoff was sent to Butner immediately after his sentencing on March 11, 2009. He had pleaded guilty to running the largest, longest-running Ponzi scheme in history. He was sentenced to 150 years and faces a release date of Nov. 14, 2139.

But Madoff, age 73, was not sent to Butner for medical reasons, though he has taken advantage of the prison's medical services. In December 2009, he was transferred to the on-site medical center for 10 days to receive treatment for hypertension and dizziness.

Madoff was most likely sent to Butner for its geographical proximity to New York City.

The Bureau of Prisons tries to send convicts to prisons that are located within 500 miles of their homes so that family members can visit them. Butner is located 490 miles from Madoff's New York base of operations.

Madoff's lawyer, Ira Lee Sorkin, had actually requested that Madoff serve his time at the Federal Correctional Institution Otisville, located a mere 70 miles from New York City.

Rajaratnam is required to report to authorities on Nov. 28 to begin his sentence. Edmond Ross, spokesman for the federal Bureau of Prisons, said it's too soon to know where he'll be transferred.

Rajaratnam's lawyer did not return messages from CNNMoney.

The Butner complex, located north of the research triangle of Durham, Raleigh and Chapel Hill, began life during World War II as an Army training camp and prisoner-of-war facility.

Now its sprawling campus is home to two medium security prisons, a low security prison and nearly 5,000 inmates, in addition to the medical center.

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Witnesses: Security forces fire on Yemen protesters

(CNN) -- Security forces in Yemen opened fired on demonstrators gathering for a planned march in Sanaa on Sunday, causing injuries, witnesses said.

The reported violence comes a day after witnesses said at least 10 people were killed and 38 others wounded in clashes in the capital.

Yemeni security forces unleashed a deadly assault on anti-government protesters Saturday and deadly fighting raged between government forces and tribal fighters, witnesses said.

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