(CNN) -- It may take a lot of frequent-flier miles, a penchant for cold places, a tolerance of taxes and regular doses of chocolate, but happiness could be within reach. However, it's not where most people might expect. Journalist Eric Weiner says he wanted to explore the relationship between place and happiness. Just ask Eric Weiner, who made it his mission to find the most content places around the globe, uncovering lots of surprises along the way. Hungering for a tropical paradise? A warm climate doesn't necessarily make a happy nation, Weiner said. Thinking of moving to a wealthy state? Money can degrade happiness, he found. Weiner, who wrote the book, "The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World," began his quest for very personal reasons. "I'm an unhappy person, so it's kind of what prompts a hungry person to search for food," he said. Weiner spent 10 years as a foreign correspondent for National Public Radio, a job that took him to some of the least happy places in the world. It was enough to send him on a yearlong journey to look for just the opposite. Weiner mapped out his quest with a combination of scientific and personal methods, choosing some countries because they traditionally score high on happiness surveys and selecting others to see how factors like money play a role. A world map of happiness, based on 100 different studies and produced by Britain's University of Leicester in 2006, listed Denmark as the world's happiest nation. But for Weiner, the place where he felt the most bliss was a toss-up between Bhutan and Iceland, countries that ranked eighth and fourth, respectively, on the happiness map. Weiner's list of favorites also included Thailand, India and Switzerland.  See photos of his favorites and listen to him explain why they're happy » His top two picks, though very different countries, have unconventional paths to happiness, he said. "Bhutan is probably the closest thing on Earth to Shangri-La, that fictional paradise," Weiner explained. He pointed out that while other countries focus on their gross domestic product, the Himalayan kingdom proudly touts its policy of "gross national happiness." "The Bhutanese very much believe that happiness should be part and parcel of every government decision," Weiner said. Cold place, warm relationships Thousands of miles away, Weiner found happiness in a very different environment, marveling at the creativity and "coziness" of Iceland. "Everyone in Iceland is a poet," Weiner recalled. He visited the country during winter and said he found a certain beauty in the  cold and the darkness. Such a chilly climate usually encourages warm relationships, Weiner found. "The cold inspires people to cooperate, traditionally. If you go back a few hundred years, people in cold climates have to cooperate or they die together. It's that simple," he said. Weiner found a different flavor of happiness in Switzerland, where he discovered people are content partly because everything runs like clockwork. Simple pleasures like trains arriving on time contributed to national happiness, he said. But there may be a much sweeter reason why Switzerland is a happy place. "The Swiss eat a lot of chocolate, and let's not forget that," Weiner said. He was also impressed with how the Swiss view money. "Their attitude is that if you've got it, hide it. While our attitude is if you've got it, flaunt it," Weiner said, comparing the Swiss to Americans. Weiner called the United States, which came in at No. 23 on the University of Leicester's world map of happiness, a nation that "is not as happy as it is wealthy." The impact of wealth and taxes The relationship between money and happiness took Weiner to the Middle East and Qatar, a country with one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, thanks to oil and

what did Self-described "grump said about chocolate?

who spent a year looking for the world's happiest countries?

who says Bhutan is probably the closest thing on Earth to Shangri-La?

Answer: "The Swiss eat a lot of

Answer: "I'm an unhappy person, so it's kind of

Answer: Journalist Eric Weiner

Answer: explore the relationship between place and happiness.

Answer: Eric Weiner,

Answer: he wanted to explore the relationship between place and happiness.

Summary:
Journalist spent a year looking for the world's happiest countries .
Eric Weiner: Bhutan is probably the closest thing on Earth to Shangri-La .
He marvels at the creativity and "coziness" of Iceland .
Self-described "grump:" chocolate contributes to happiness in Switzerland .


(CNN) -- It says something about the popularity of "Dancing With the Stars" that the show's professional dancers have become almost as famous as the celebrities they're paired with. Mark Ballas and Shawn Johnson celebrate after winning last season's "Dancing With the Stars." Take Mark Ballas, who last season waltzed and tangoed his way to a first-place finish with Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson -- his second mirror ball trophy since he joined the hit series in 2007. At just 23, Ballas is already recognized on the street, he's in a band with fellow "Dancing" pro Derek Hough, and he's thinking about branching out into acting. For the new season of "Dancing With the Stars," which begins Monday, Ballas is paired with Melissa Joan Hart, best known for her roles in the television series "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" and "Clarissa Explains It All." Ballas spoke to CNN about his new celebrity partner, his training routine and whether former "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul could find a new home on the show. The following is an edited version of that interview. CNN: What is Melissa Joan Hart like as a dancer? Mark Ballas: She's doing really well so far. I think she's going to shock a lot of people, and I think they will love her personality. She's really bright and bubbly. CNN: Does she have any dancing experience? Ballas: No, she's never danced before. I mean, she took a couple of ballet classes when she was a child, but everyone's done that. She's never danced like this before, so it's been a bit of a learning curve for her, but hopefully she'll smooth it out. CNN: Did you know who she was before you were matched? Ballas: Oh, yeah. I used to watch her shows all the time when I was younger. I would watch "Clarissa Explains It All" and "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" after school. CNN: Do you get any input in what celebrity you are paired with? Ballas: No, we get no choice whatsoever. It's basically [dependent on] whether they think our personalities will be compatible and also on height. You have to be the right height, because if someone is 6 feet and your partner is 5 feet, it won't work out. CNN: How do you choreograph dances? Do you like to use certain routines over again? Ballas: I start fresh every time. Having a good song is definitely helpful, and when you get a new song, it's really inspiring and makes you want to move, and that's the fun of it. You always want to keep things fresh, and I always keep challenging myself, like how can I outdo what I did last time? CNN: The facial expressions seem so important in ballroom dancing. How do you teach that to your celebrity partners? Ballas: That's something you can't teach. Obviously, you explain what the dance is and how you have to act and what you should be thinking, but you don't choreograph facial expressions. That's got to come from the heart and the soul, and you just have to feel it. CNN: If you have a celebrity partner like Kim Kardashian, who was criticized for being wooden on the dance floor, is there anything you can do? Ballas: The best thing to do is to make them feel comfortable. Kim got very shy when the cameras were on, and she would always dance a lot better off camera. But sometimes, dancing just isn't for certain people. Kim and I had a great time together and still are good friends to this day. But dancing wasn't her thing, she just didn't take to it. CNN: Do you keep in touch with your former partners? Ballas: Yes, I talk to Shawn [Johnson] and Kristi Yamaguchi all the time; I talked to Kim Kardashian about an hour

Who is mark ballas paired up with this season?

Answer: Shawn Johnson

Answer: Ballas:

Answer: Mark Ballas:

Answer: Shawn Johnson

Answer: Mark Ballas,

Summary:
Professional dancer Mark Ballas is paired with Melissa Joan Hart this season .
The two-time champ of "Dancing With the Stars" finds her "bright and bubbly"
Ballas: Paula Abdul would be great as a contestant, but isn't needed as a judge .
Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Karina Smirnoff's breakup won't affect the show, he says .


(CNN) -- It seems no-one in South Africa can fail to be gripped by World Cup football fever. The running, tackling, shooting, offside-appealing proof comes with a clutch of grannies who have been playing in a fiercely competitive league around the Nkowankowa township, 600 kilometers north of Johannesburg. A squad of 35 nans down domestic duties twice a week to take to the field for their team Vakhegula Vakhegula, and compete against seven other teams in the region. Some of them even credit the beautiful game as having turned their lives around. "I like to play soccer because it helps," said Nari Baloyi, who at 47-years-old, clocks in as one of the youngest players. "We were sick, but now our temperatures, our blood pressures... have gone down ...even our doctors are amazed when we go for a check-up." One of the more elderly members, Nora Makhubela, is convinced that football has given her a new lease of life following the setback of suffering six strokes. "My life has really changed...if I were to run with you I would beat you even though I'm much older," she said, throwing down the gauntlet to the likes of Ronaldo, Messi et al. "My life has improved because of the football. I wish God could bless the person who came up with this great idea." The women contribute around $1 a month each for footballs, kit, and travel to the bi-annual regional tournament. Dozens of noisy fans cheer on the players, with the distinctive sound of the vuvuzelas -- a South African trumpet -- creating an atmosphere that would be welcome at any European Champions League tie. Makhubela is hoping her new-found love of the game extends long enough for her to be able to watch some of the matches when the World Cup begins in June. "I pray every day to God to keep me alive until 2010. I would really love to watch the games," she said. The team was formed three years ago to offer older women a chance to exercise and come together as a group, says community worker Beka Ntsanwisi. "Some of them couldn't even walk properly and if they did something in their free time they would be knitting or sewing and sitting all the time...here they run, shout, fight with you...it keeps them young," she said. David Maake said his job coaching the team is the best he's ever had. "With young boys you need more money to achieve many things...here, I may come with my stress...but I will laugh so much until I forget everything," he said. The team have even suggested they play a curtain raiser for the main event itself, a brainwave the footballing authorities have said they will give serious thought to. If the women do manage to take part as an hors d'oeuvre to the World Cup proper one thing is for sure, what they lack in skill they will make up for in enthusiasm.

Who may play a match as a curtain raiser to the tournament?

Answer: football

Answer: older women

Answer: Vakhegula Vakhegula,

Answer: soccer

Answer: the Nkowankowa township, 600 kilometers north of Johannesburg.

Answer: World Cup football

Answer: World Cup football

Summary:
Grannies in a South African township have taken up football .
The women have been inspired by World Cup fever in the country .
Some women have reported improving health as a result of playing the game .
The grannies may play a match as a curtain raiser to the tournament .


(CNN) -- It seems the world of the golf cart is changing if certain industry manufacturers are to be believed. By shedding their normal surroundings, improving their dowdy image and hitting the streets -- "pimped up" carts may increasingly be seen away from the course. Celebrities have been queuing up to jump on the buggy-wagon. The most recent purchase was by pop star Cheryl Cole, who bought husband and Chelsea footballer Ashley Cole a "Mini-Hummer" buggy as a gift, spending $8,000 customizing the cart with gold-plated hub caps, Swarovski crystals and a trunk for his golf clubs. Dominik Jackson, owner of Mini-Hummer says demand for the vehicles has rocketed since 2006: "It started as a glorified golf buggy, but since adapting the look we've had demand from all over Europe and even from royal families in the Middle East." The carts are already on the roads in Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, and the company are planning to launch a new fully enclosed Mini-Hummer in London next year. While Europe is catching up with the trend, there has been a big market for "pimped" golf carts in the United States for some time. "I'd say about 99% of our sales these days are for individual use," says Randy Hopper, owner of Sick 'N' Twisted Designs, one of the largest bespoke golf cart manufacturers in California. "We build customized golf carts to the specific requirements of the customer - we pretty much do everything." And this really means everything. Modern carts are now built with leather seats, wooden dashboard, surround-sound systems, iPod players, lower lighting and air bags, in a variety of themes - street, lifted, off-road and even Limo carts. Sick 'N' Twisted customer Dave Johnson is having his golf cart pimped and modified to match the color of his boat: "It's going to be burgundy with 12-inch wheels, full sound system and air-bags that adjust the height of the cart." Dave insists that in his neighborhood, golf carts are more of an everyday than a luxury item: "They're practical, affordable and it's  nice to cruise around and see your neighbors." So is this a case of keeping up with the Joneses? "There's no official competition on our street, but people take notice of things like that. It's definitely seen as a status symbol." While the golf cart remains a staple on the fairways, the souped-up street version is no longer just par for the course.

What is growing in popularity in Europe?

What are built with leather seats, airbags and iPod players?

How many % are for individual use in the USA?

Where are the carts growing in popularity?

Answer: leather seats, wooden dashboard, surround-sound systems, iPod players, lower lighting

Answer: golf cart

Answer: glorified golf buggy,

Answer: a status symbol."

Answer: Modern carts

Answer: 99%

Answer: leather seats, wooden dashboard, surround-sound systems, iPod players, lower lighting and air bags,

Answer: California.

Answer: Celebrities

Answer: United States

Answer: leather seats, wooden dashboard, surround-sound systems, iPod players, lower lighting and air bags,

Answer: built with leather seats, wooden dashboard, surround-sound systems, iPod players, lower lighting and air bags, in a variety of themes

Answer: leather

Answer: United States

Summary:
Adapted golf carts are growing in popularity across Europe .
99% of sales are for individual use in the USA .
Modern carts built with leather seats, airbags and iPod players .
'Pimped' golf carts are seen as status symbol .


(CNN) -- It started with sinus congestion for Shawna Coronado. Then the splitting migraines came. Coronado soon discovered the furry causes: Harrington and Kalamazoo. Shawna Coronado endures headaches and congestion to  keep her 30-pound pug, Harrington. Her 30-pound pug and orange tabby scattered dead skin flakes around the house, triggering Coronado's allergic reactions. Her two daughters are also allergic, but their reactions are less severe. Like the 10 million American pet owners with allergies, the Coronados faced a dilemma: Can human and dog co-exist in the same house? "We love them," said Coronado about her family's pets. "They're adorable. They're really our babies. They're part of the family. We could never live without them." Allergies can cause itchy eyes, hives, sneezing, congestion or even asthma. To keep animals around, allergic pet owners get shots, pop antihistamines, squeeze eyedrops, squirt nasal spray, use inhalers or just deal with it. Others try to find a dog that won't trigger the symptoms. President-elect Barack Obama's family has said his family is seeking a "hypoallergenic dog," because of his eldest daughter, Malia's, allergies. Unfortunately, there's no such thing. The belief that certain breeds are hypoallergenic is "a complete misconception," said Dr. Robert Wood, chief of pediatric allergy and immunology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "You can't predict by type or breed, or length of hair." Pet allergies are not caused by dog hair, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology noted in a recent statement. "The allergen is produced in saliva, urine, dander-- it's not just hair," said Dr. Wanda Phipatanakul, an allergist at Children's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. "Even with a hairless dog, there are still allergens." For their next pet, the Coronados are considering a poodle. Although poodles, bichon frises and Malteses are often touted as hypoallergenic dogs, these breeds all produce allergens. There hasn't been sufficient research to determine whether certain breeds are more allergy-friendly, said Dr. Clifford Bassett, an assistant clinical professor of medicine at The Long Island College Hospital in New York. "There is not a lot of research in this area," he said. "There are differences between breeds, but we don't have research to definitively say. They all produce allergens." The key factors are the animal's size and the volume of hair. The fur can collect pollens, mold spore and allergens and bring them indoors, triggering reactions. Even so, reactions vary widely, because everyone's body is different, doctors say. Before committing to a pet, make an arrangement to bring the animal to the home for a trial period to see how the person with allergies fares. "It's always going to be trial and error," Wood said. "Someone might be allergic to one breed, but the main dog allergen that people are allergic to is present in all dogs." It is also possible for someone to develop dog allergies months or years after bringing the animal home. If symptoms arise, doctors recommend getting tested to be certain that the allergy is coming from the animal. Allergic reactions could come from other irritants, such as pollen or dust. A person's allergies can also inexplicably change over time. In the same way that some people outgrow food allergies, there is a rare possibility that pet owners could outgrow their allergies to animals, experts said. Pills and medications are available to treat the symptoms, but the best remedy, said Philatanakul, is to not have pets. "There's nothing that can be done except for avoidance," she said. "There's no cure. You're exposing yourself to high levels of allergens in your home. We generally recommend they should not have a pet. It's not recommended." For many families, having a loving, furry companion outweighs the runny noses, wheezing and water eyes.

How many American pet owners have allergies?

Answer: 10 million

Answer: shots, pop antihistamines, squeeze eyedrops, squirt nasal spray, use inhalers

Answer: 10 million

Answer: is to not have pets.

Summary:
10 million American pet owners have allergies .
Allergies caused by protein in animal dander, saliva or urine, not by hair .
Belief that certain breeds are hypoallergenic is "a complete misconception"
Medications available to treat symptoms, but best remedy is not to have pets .


(CNN) -- It takes seven minutes to execute a death row inmate, according to the state of Texas. Mike Graczyk poses outside the Texas death chamber prior to an execution in January. At that rate, Mike Graczyk has spent about 40 hours of his life watching men -- and a few women -- die. Graczyk, a correspondent for The Associated Press, is believed to hold a macabre record. He's almost certainly watched more executions than anyone else in the United States. "I can't possibly imagine there's been someone present at more than Mike," said Michelle Lyons, the spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which uses lethal injection at its execution chamber in Huntsville. Since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, no state has executed more inmates than Texas. And no one has witnessed more of them than Graczyk. He's on the witness list for 315 of the state's 439 executions -- more than any other reporter, prison employee or chaplain --  and no records were kept for another 80.  Interactive map: See how Texas compares with other states » In his early days, he kept count. But he eventually stopped. He didn't want to know. "In one circle, I was perceived as putting notches on my gun belt," the 59-year-old reporter said. "I didn't like that." Prison regulations in Texas require The Associated Press to be given one of the five designated media witness passes for each execution. Graczyk works in the AP's Houston bureau -- it's closest to the state's execution chamber in Huntsville. Since the early 1980s, he's made the hourlong drive north almost every time an inmate has faced the needle. The first was March 13, 1984, for the execution of James "Cowboy" Autry, convicted of shooting a female store clerk between the eyes with a .38-caliber revolver while arguing over a six-pack of beer. She died, along with a former Catholic priest that Autry killed at the crime scene. "The first time definitely leaves an impression on you," Graczyk said. There are others that stand out along the way. Graczyk remembers Bob Black, convicted of killing his wife and trying to collect the insurance money. "I walked into the death house, and he was strapped to the table and he said, 'Hey Mike, how are you doing?' It threw me for a loop." Graczyk said it's normal for him to know the name of the condemned and not uncommon for the reverse to be true. There have been others who greeted Graczyk by name with a needle in their arm. Once, while waiting to be let into the death house, a prisoner phoned him in the media holding area. It was the inmate whose execution Graczyk was about to witness. "He said, 'I just wanted to call and make sure you were OK.' I was flabbergasted." Over the years, the inmate's name has slipped from Graczyk's memory, but not the unexpected phone conversation. "I don't think he had any family to call," he said. There was Ponchai Wilkerson, who once nearly escaped from death row and, years later, coughed up a handcuff key as he lay dying from his injection. There was the "Candy Man," Ronald Clark O'Bryan -- convicted of poisoning his child's Halloween candy with cyanide -- and the gauntlet of college students wearing Halloween masks who showed up to cheer. And Karla Faye Tucker, the first woman executed in Texas since the 1800s. He remembers a network correspondent crying after her death -- and another blow-drying his hair. Of the entire death chamber ritual, Graczyk said, it's the final statements that stick in his mind. Some have been confessions. Others were denials. Poetry. Prayers. Bible verses. Curses. Emotions ranging from defiance to resignation. There was Jonathan Nobles, an electrician who stabbed two people to death. He sang "Silent Night.

How long has the Texas reporter covered executions for?

Answer: Mike Graczyk

Answer: In his early days, he kept count. But he eventually stopped. He didn't

Answer: 40 hours of his life

Answer: Mike Graczyk

Answer: executions

Summary:
Texas reporter has covered executions in Texas since the early 1980s .
Graczyk stopped counting, didn't want "notches on my gun belt"
Inmates waiting to die have greeted him by name, called to check up on him .
He says he doesn't worry about the mental toll and has declined counseling .


(CNN) -- It took about 110 years and some delicate surgery on his most private parts, but Henry -- a lizard-like creature from New Zealand -- is now a dad.

Henry, the oldest tuatara to mate at Southland Museum, enjoys a cold shower in his home in New Zealand.

Henry, a tuatara who, as far as curators at Southland Museum in New Zealand know, had never mated before, hooked up with Mildred, a younger woman of about 80, in March.

In July she laid 11 healthy eggs and, this week, all 11 of them hatched -- the last one on Wednesday.

"Eleven out of eleven," curator Lindsay Hazley said Friday morning. "Bloody brilliant. We had a champagne breakfast to celebrate."

Henry was the oldest tuatara ever to mate at the museum, on New Zealand's South Island, Hazley said.

Tuataras are the only living descendants of an order, related to dinosaurs, that flourished 200 million years ago. They're endangered, only living on a handful of islands in New Zealand, which makes Henry's happy news all the more important to supporters of the species.

But it didn't come easy.

Until about six years ago, Henry was a nasty, irritable fellow who showed no interest in mating and would attack females when they were introduced. Hazley, who has been breeding tuataras for the past 35 years, eventually had to put him in "solitary confinement."

But in 2002, veterinarians discovered that a lump in Henry's nether regions was a cancerous tumor. They removed it and, over the next few years, his mood -- and interest in the ladies -- improved.

Now, Henry lives peacefully with Mildred and two other females. Breeders are hoping he'll show interest in Lucy, who is about the same age as Mildred, later this year. Female tuataras only lay eggs every two or three years, so Mildred likely won't be interested.  Watch a curator take care of the reproducing dinosaur kin »

Henry's newfound libido does have some limits, however. Hazley said Juliet, a youthful 22 year old, appears to be too hot to handle for the centenarian -- who could live to be 200 years old if he stays healthy.

"I think he's a bit shy to mate with such a young woman," Hazley said. "After a bit of experience with Mildred and Lucy, maybe he'll be interested in Juliet next year."

Maxing out at about two-and-a-half feet long, tuataras are much smaller than their ancestors.

The word "tuatara" is derived from a Maori word meaning "spiny back." In Maori legend, they are messengers of Whiro, the god of death and disaster, and they were featured on one side of a New Zealand five-cent coin that was phased out in 2006.

It's been a baby boom at Southland Museum lately. Hazley said another 10 babies were born to another couple recently -- swelling the ranks of the 50 or so tuataras that were already there.

Friday morning, Hazley was working to install a camera so Henry's international fan base can watch him and other tuataras on the Internet. But they shouldn't expect any images of the proud dad playing with his batch of hatchlings.

"If it's small and it moves, it's food," Hazley said. "He'd have them for lunch."

How many eggs did Henry and his near 80 year old mate Mildred produce?

how many eggs did henry and mildred produce

What did Henry do for the first time in forty years?

Answer: cancerous tumor.

Answer: 11

Answer: 11 healthy eggs

Answer: 11

Answer: mated

Answer: Mildred

Answer: cancerous tumor.

Summary:
110-year-old endangered male tuatara dinosaur descendant produces offspring .
Henry and his near 80-year-old mate Mildred produced 11 eggs -- all hatched .
Henry, disinterested in sex for four decades, lashed out at females .
But his reptile dysfunction changed when a cancerous lump was removed .


(CNN) -- It turns out going to the moon is a tough act to follow. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin walks on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. For all their Buck Rogers, "Right Stuff," history-making achievements, the question for many of the 12 astronauts who walked on the lunar surface starting four decades ago ultimately became "one giant leap to where, exactly?" "You have your peak experience at 38 or 39," says space historian Andrew Chaiken, summing up their collective experience, "and [they] have a hard time coming up with something to do for an encore." Apollo 11 lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on July 16, 1969. Four days later, the first two humans walked on the lunar surface; 10 more Americans followed by the end of 1972. In the 40 years since the Apollo program first took humans to the moon, the astronauts' lives have taken diverse paths. Almost all had been military test pilots before joining NASA; in later life, they found themselves ministers, politicians and conspiracy buffs. Some struggled with common issues: Many of their marriages fell apart and alcoholism affected at least one. In possibly the most extreme case of post-Apollo readjustment, Buzz Aldrin -- the second human being to set foot on the moon -- became a car salesman in Texas. "Not very successfully," the 79-year old Aldrin quickly acknowledges. The Apollo 11 lunar module pilot's post-flight battles against depression and alcoholism have been well-documented, most recently in his own memoir, "Magnificent Desolation." As for a brief stint hawking Cadillacs in the late 1970s, Aldrin told CNN Radio, "Most people who have received a degree of public recognition find themselves financially pretty well off. Doesn't happen to be the case with astronauts." Others took more existential, even spiritual, approaches to dealing with their lunar experiences. Apollo 15 Lunar Module Pilot Jim Irwin left NASA and became a Baptist minister. Apollo 14 crewman Edgar Mitchell spent years investigating possible extraterrestrial life; in April, he went public with claims of a government cover-up. Apollo 12 moonwalker Alan Bean, now 77, has spent the intervening decades since his 1969 landing putting his impressions of the lunar experience on canvas. "That's How It Felt To Walk on the Moon" is the title of one his paintings, which now fetch starting-prices of $20,000. "These paintings are the only paintings in history from anywhere else but this Earth," Bean told CNN. Not all the Apollo astronauts' post-flight journeys have been so ethereal. America's first man in space, Alan Shepard, who later walked on the moon in 1971's Apollo 14 mission, became a millionaire businessman. Apollo 17's Harrison Schmitt -- a geologist at the time, and the only scientist to make the lunar journey -- served a term as U.S. senator from New Mexico, but was defeated in a run for re-election in 1982. Apollo 11 command module pilot Michael Collins served as a top official at the Smithsonian Institution and its National Air and Space Museum. And the first man to leave footprints in the lunar dust, Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong -- aside from geologist Schmitt, the only other civilian in the collection of moonwalkers -- later sat on several corporate boards and the presidential commission that investigated the 1986 Challenger space shuttle disaster. Armstrong is also known for a series of disputes over autographs, which he long ago stopped signing because he discovered his signature was being sold for profit. He also sued Hallmark in 1994 for featuring his famous "One small step" quote in a space-themed Christmas ornament. News reports say the suit was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. Armstrong's haircuts also became famous. In 2005, he threatened legal action after learning his longtime barber had sold a lock of his hair for $3,000. All part of the territory, says Chaiken. His book "Voices From the Moon" is based upon interviews

when Buzz Aldrin briefly worked as a car salesman in Texas?

Answer: 12

Answer: became a car salesman in Texas.

Answer: late 1970s,

Answer: Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong

Answer: Buzz Aldrin

Summary:
A dozen men walked on the moon, and each later followed a different path .
Historian says they have a "hard time coming up with something to do for an encore"
Buzz Aldrin briefly worked as a car salesman in Texas .
Neil Armstrong sued Hallmark over its use of his "one small step" quote .


(CNN) -- It used to be called "the love that dare not speak its name" -- particularly in Hollywood, where the revelation of homosexuality was believed to be a career-killer. Clay Aiken recently announced he was gay on the cover of People magazine. Now, out gays and lesbians are as casually visible as the cover of People magazine, which has recently run stories on Ellen DeGeneres' wedding to Portia de Rossi and Clay Aiken's decision to discuss his sexuality. So, in a time when self-declared bisexual Tila Tequila can have a highly rated MTV show on looking for a partner of either sex, Lindsay Lohan talks about her relationship with DJ Samantha Ronson and "Star Trek's" George Takei can have a very public wedding with his longtime partner, is coming out still a big deal? Publicist Howard Bragman, author of the forthcoming "Where's My Fifteen Minutes" (Portfolio), says that it is. "Every person that comes out is another barrier coming down," Bragman, who is openly gay, told CNN.com. Acceptance by the mainstream public, he observes, is easier but by no means automatic, particularly when issues such as gay marriage are at stake. "I look at it as a long-term process. The revolution is over -- now it's an evolution."  Watch "American Morning's" Lola Ogunnaike look at changing attitudes » Bragman was around when a performer revealing his or her homosexuality could still shock. He helped guide Dick Sargent when the "Bewitched" star came out of the closet in 1989, and remembers when it was difficult to get support for movies such as "Philadelphia," the 1993 film that won Tom Hanks an Oscar as a lawyer dying of AIDS. Now, he observes, there are gay actors -- "How I Met My Mother's" Neil Patrick Harris may be the most notable -- playing straight roles, something that would have been almost unthinkable even a few years ago, since studios have often been nervous casting known gay performers in straight roles. " 'We'll buy Hanks as a gay man but not the opposite,' " Bragman describes the industry thinking. Indeed, there are now more gay characters in prime-time television than ever. Shows such as "Ugly Betty," "The Office" and "Grey's Anatomy" feature gay or bisexual characters, and this fall, five more will hit the airwaves, bringing the total to 16, according to a study by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). "It's certainly positive that there is such a dramatic increase," GLAAD's president, Neil Giuliano, told CNN. "Number one, it reflects society, and the fact that we are more visible, and it also makes good television. Portrayals are almost more honest and real." Peter Sprigg, vice president of policy for the conservative Family Research Council, doesn't agree. "I'm convinced that for the most part, these characters are placed on television for propaganda purposes, in order to persuade people to be more accepting of homosexual conduct," he told CNN. "In that sense, the result for society is likely to be negative." But Bryan Batt, the gay actor who plays the closeted Salvatore Romano on the Emmy-winning "Mad Men," says that viewers are more accepting of gay characters today, though concerns linger. "Yes, I did think maybe this going to hurt me career-wise [to come out], but I come from Broadway and a lot of theater background. So, you know, no one really cares ... you don't have to be straight to act straight. You don't have to be gay to play gay," he told CNN.  Watch Batt talk about the challenges of a gay actor » But, he adds, "There is, I think, a little bit of homophobia. I do believe that through education and seeing good, honest, positive gay role models, it will just educate. I think we are

Where are gay characters more prominent than ever?

Answer: Hollywood,

Answer: are placed on television for propaganda purposes, in order to persuade people to be more accepting of homosexual conduct,"

Answer: announced he was gay

Answer: Clay Aiken

Answer: gay characters

Summary:
Stars such as Clay Aiken admitting they're gay not shocking anymore .
Gay characters more prominent on TV than ever .
Still, challenges remain: privacy, industry concerned about earning power .


(CNN) -- It was an odd sight in Ethiopia's capital this week: a standing ovation for Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the man whom Ethiopian forces had removed from power in neighboring Somalia two years ago.

Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, Somalia's new president, answers questions at the African Union summit in Addis Ababa.

He once led the Islamic Courts Union, which ruled much of Somalia in 2006 before it was routed by the Ethiopians. Now, Ahmed is the leader of Somalia's U.N.-backed transitional government -- and two days after his election to the post of president, he was welcomed with open arms at an African Union summit in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa.

Two years after the invasion and the guerrilla war it provoked, Somalia has in some ways come full circle. Islamist militias control the country's capital and other key cities; the transitional government is trying to establish a foothold from outside the country; and Ahmed -- commonly known as "Sheikh Sharif" -- is in a position of power.

But several analysts who have studied the region say the new government is in a much stronger position to establish itself inside Somalia and restore order to a country that has been mired in chaos for the past two decades.

"The ascendancy of Sheikh Sharif provides an opportunity to create an inclusive coalition governing from the center outwards," said John Prendergast, co-chairman of the Enough Project, who studies the Horn of Africa for the Center for American Progress think tank.

The transitional government is currently stranded in Djibouti, unable to return to Somalia after its base in Baidoa was seized last week by Al-Shabaab, a radical Islamist militia with ties to al Qaeda. Ahmed now stands at a crossroads between quelling the militia, which once was aligned with the ICU, and including more moderates in his future government, Prendergast said.

"The fulcrum for change is in the hands of Sheikh Sharif's government," he said. "If he is able to put together an inclusive government -- even if it's only on paper, even if it's only in Djibouti -- I think it will quickly defuse any fervor of support for Shabaab."  See a list of Somalia's key players Â»

Rise of Al-Shabaab

Al-Shabaab fighters took control of Baidoa hours after the remaining Ethiopian forces withdrew under a June 2008 cease-fire deal. Rashid Abdi, a Somalia analyst for the International Crisis Group, said the loss of Baidoa is "a clear indication that the transitional federal government has lost any grip -- whatever grip it had -- in Somalia."

But Prendergast said the radical Islamist militia will most likely lose support among Somalis now that its "rallying cry" of getting the Ethiopian forces out of Somalia is gone.

"What the Islamists did was, they wrapped themselves up in the mantle of Somali nationalism and, for the last two years, they have hitched their star to throwing the Ethiopians out," he said.

Prendergast predicted that Al-Shabaab fighters "will sustain themselves for awhile and temporarily expand, but I don't envision it to be a long-term prospect at all."

Last year, the United States put Al-Shabaab -- which means "The Youth" -- on its list of terrorist groups. Analysts say Al-Shabaab models itself after the Taliban's puritanical Islamic rule.  See a timeline of recent events in Somalia Â»

Stig Jarle Hansen, a Nairobi, Kenya-based expert on Somalia for the Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research, said Al-Shabaab fighters have been trained in Afghanistan, and the group has "clear connections" to al Qaeda.

There has been evidence that the group has extended its reach into the United States, as well.

The FBI is investigating what appears to be a massive recruitment effort by Al-Shabaab in the United States' Somali communities, particularly in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where more than a dozen young men of Somali descent have gone missing in recent months.

One member of Minneapolis' Somali community, Shirwa Ahmed, 27, blew himself up in an apparent suicide bombing in

Who is the new leader of war-torn Somalia?

Radical Islamists lose rallying cry when who departed?

What event de-energized radical Islamists?

Answer: Islamist militias

Answer: support among Somalis

Answer: Sharif Sheikh Ahmed,

Answer: Sharif Sheikh Ahmed,

Answer: the radical Islamist militia

Answer: Sharif Sheikh Ahmed,

Answer: Ethiopian forces

Answer: Ethiopian forces out of Somalia is gone.

Summary:
Moderate Islamist is new leader of war-torn Somalia .
Moderate leader has chance to form inclusive government, analyst says .
Radical Islamist group still controls parts of Somalia .
With departure of Ethiopian troops, radical Islamists lose rallying cry .


(CNN) -- It was the best of times in 2004, when attorney Dave Dineen graduated from Boston University School of Law and landed a job at a top Massachusetts corporate firm, Foley Hoag LLP.

Attorney Dave Dineen at his new job at Greater Boston Legal Services.

By 2007, the National Association for Law Placement was reporting the most promising year in two decades. Nearly 92 percent of graduating attorneys were employed, and the median starting salary at private practices had increased by $13,000 --to a total of $108,500 a year.

But times have changed.

In the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the legal industry is taking an unprecedented beating from the sputtering economy and housing meltdown. Dineen, 37, lost his job as layoffs and salary freezes have spiked at law firms across the country during the past three months.

Rather than just hand out a severance package with the pink slip, Foley Hoag gave Dineen an option. He could work for Greater Boston Legal Services, a legal aid group serving people living in poverty. The firm agreed to pay Dineen about a quarter of his former salary for a year. Dineen, who needed to support his wife and a newborn daughter, accepted.

"This gave me a chance to do something different with my legal career, and help out people who generally don't  have access to public service," said Dineen, who now works on foreclosure cases helping victims of predatory lending.

Foley Hoag is among many megafirms across the country using the economic slump as an ideal time to lend a hand to cash-strapped public interest and legal aid firms. The massive corporate layoffs and program cuts could redirect thousands of young graduates and experienced attorneys from corporate firms into the public sector, legal experts say.

Once insulated, law firms are shedding young and mid-career associates at extraordinary rates. This is especially true at large corporate firms that overestimated their growth and extended too many offers to associates last fall.

White & Case LLP, a leading global firm with headquartes in New York, made a second round of cuts last week. In addition to about 70 associates laid off in November, the firm last week let go of another 400 people, including 200 attorneys. Other well-known firms such Heller Ehrman LLP and Thelen Reid & Priest LLP on the West Coast have gone bankrupt in recent months.

At least 2,149 attorneys have been laid off in 2009, bringing the total to 3,045 since January of last year, according Lawshucks.com, an industry Web site tracking the slump. Hundreds more associates set to start jobs this fall are bracing themselves for rescinded offers and deferred start dates. Some students are finding their summers wide open as law firms like Luce Forward, based in California, have canceled internship programs.

Amid all this dark news, there might be a silver lining. It could transform the legal profession.

"There is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity coming out of a difficult situation," said Esther Lardent, president of the Pro Bono Institute in Washington D.C., who began discussions this month with at least 15 corporate firms nationwide about placing unemployed attorneys in public interest firms. The project will get under way in a few months, she said.

Other firms have already encouraged attorneys to go into the public sector. Just last week,  one of the largest firms in the country -- Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -- announced it will pay deferred associates graduating in 2009 a $5,000 monthly stipend for one year if they secure a job in the public interest field.

International law giants Latham & Watkins LLP and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP offered incoming associates who defer employement until October 2010 a $75,000 compensation package. While working in public service isn't mandatory for Latham & Watkins associates, the firm said there was a "sincere hope" the deferred associates would "use the intervening period to pursue a community service or other public advocacy projects of their choosing."

Such deferral plans can save the companies about $100,000 per associate, and law experts expect the list of firms enacting deferral

According to Lawshucks.com at least how many attorneys have been laid off in 2009?

How many attorneys were laid off in 2009?

One firm will pay deferred associates how much  to work in the public sector?

Where are private firms trying to place unemployed attorneys?

Answer: 2,149

Answer: At least 2,149

Answer: $108,500 a year.

Answer: public sector,

Summary:
At least 2,149 attorneys have been laid off in 2009, according to Lawshucks.com .
Private firms are trying to place unemployed attorneys in public interest firms .
One firm will pay deferred associates $60,000 a year to work in the public sector .
Harvard Law School assistant dean: Tough times can be "tremendous opportunity"


(CNN) -- It was the best of times in 2004, when attorney Dave Dineen graduated from Boston University School of Law and landed a job at a top Massachusetts corporate firm, Foley Hoag LLP.

Attorney Dave Dineen at his new job at Greater Boston Legal Services.

By 2007, the National Association for Law Placement was reporting the most promising year in two decades. Nearly 92 percent of graduating attorneys were employed, and the median starting salary at private practices had increased by $13,000 --to a total of $108,500 a year.

But times have changed.

In the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the legal industry is taking an unprecedented beating from the sputtering economy and housing meltdown. Dineen, 37, lost his job as layoffs and salary freezes have spiked at law firms across the country during the past three months.  See the law firm layoffs for the past year »

Rather than just hand out a severance package with the pink slip, Foley Hoag gave Dineen an option. He could work for Greater Boston Legal Services, a legal aid group serving people living in poverty. The firm agreed to pay Dineen about a quarter of his former salary for a year. Dineen, who needed to support his wife and a newborn daughter, accepted.

"This gave me a chance to do something different with my legal career, and help out people who generally don't  have access to public service," said Dineen, who now works on foreclosure cases helping victims of predatory lending.

Foley Hoag is among many megafirms across the country using the economic slump as an ideal time to lend a hand to cash-strapped public interest and legal aid firms. The massive corporate layoffs and program cuts could redirect thousands of young graduates and experienced attorneys from corporate firms into the public sector, legal experts say.

Once insulated, law firms are shedding young and mid-career associates at extraordinary rates. This is especially true at large corporate firms that overestimated their growth and extended too many offers to associates last fall.

White & Case LLP, a leading global firm with headquartes in New York, made a second round of cuts last week. In addition to about 70 associates laid off in November, the firm last week let go of another 400 people, including 200 attorneys. Other well-known firms such as Heller Ehrman LLP and Thelen Reid & Priest LLP on the West Coast have gone bankrupt in recent months.

At least 2,149 attorneys have been laid off in 2009, bringing the total to 3,045 since January of last year, according to Lawshucks.com, an industry Web site tracking the slump. Hundreds more associates set to start jobs this fall are bracing themselves for rescinded offers and deferred start dates. Some students are finding their summers wide open as law firms like Luce Forward, based in California, have canceled internship programs.

Amid all this dark news, there might be a silver lining. It could transform the legal profession.

"There is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity coming out of a difficult situation," said Esther Lardent, president of the Pro Bono Institute in Washington, who began discussions this month with at least 15 corporate firms nationwide about placing unemployed attorneys in public interest firms. The project will get under way in a few months, she said.

Other firms have already encouraged attorneys to go into the public sector. Just last week,  one of the largest firms in the country -- Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -- announced it will pay deferred associates graduating in 2009 a $5,000 monthly stipend for one year if they secure a job in the public interest field.

International law giants Latham & Watkins LLP and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP offered incoming associates who defer employement until October 2010 a $75,000 compensation package. While working in public service isn't mandatory for Latham & Watkins associates, the firm said there was a "sincere hope" the deferred associates would "use the intervening period to pursue a community service or other public advocacy projects of their choosing."

Such deferral plans can save the companies about $100,000 per

What kind of attorneu's have been laid off?

Answer: associates

Answer: 92 percent

Answer: Dave Dineen

Answer: lend a hand

Summary:
At least 2,149 attorneys have been laid off in 2009, according to Lawshucks.com .
Private firms are trying to place unemployed attorneys in public interest firms .
One firm will pay deferred associates $60,000 a year to work in the public sector .
Harvard Law School assistant dean: Tough times can be "tremendous opportunity"


(CNN) -- It was the kind of phone call military families dread receiving from Iraq and Afghanistan -- not from Texas. Peggy McCarty's daughter called Thursday afternoon to say she had been wounded by a gunshot in her left shoulder. Keara Bono, 21, assured her mother that she was OK, but McCarty's heart skipped. She knew she had much to fear when Bono, an Army specialist, arrived at Fort Hood to prepare for an early December deployment to Iraq. But McCarty never thought she would have to worry about her child getting wounded on American soil. "I thought I was more worried about her going over to Iraq than here, just doing training in Texas. She just got there yesterday," McCarty told CNN affiliate KSHB-TV in Kansas City, Missouri. Bono was one of 30 people hurt when a soldier opened fire on a military processing center at Fort Hood, the place where soldiers report before they head to war. They get medical and dental checkups there. They settle finances and even make out their wills. Thursday, the center turned into a killing field, and 13 lives were abruptly cut short. America watched in horror the news of the shootings, the deadliest ever on a military base. Some of the victims, such as Bono, were preparing to head to Iraq or Afghanistan. They were felled instead in the place they called home. When the shouts of "Shots fired! Shots fired!" started, one soldier pushed and shoved people to get out the back of the readiness center. And run. The soldier, who did not want to be identified, heard more screaming. Soldiers were dragging bodies away from the shooter. They snatched tablecloths off tables, cut up their own sage-green digital combat uniforms, even their tan undershirts, and turned them into tourniquets and pressure bandages. Everyone tried to render CPR and medical aid. Some were medical personnel. Others were simply friends helping friends. They were soldiers, after all, and trained as combat lifesavers, though they could not have imagined having to use their skills at home. But soldiers never abandon wounded comrades on the battlefield. Most of the injured were awake and alert, witnesses recalled. They just weren't talking. About a mile away at Darnall Army Medical Center, Army medic Spc. Eric Blohm waited for mass casualties. If the emergency rooms filled up, Darnall would put victims in rooms where usually babies are brought into the world. It felt too much like Blohm's tour of Iraq. "I'm pretty shocked and bewildered," he told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "Going to war and experiencing combat overseas and then ... to have your sense of security shattered, that's just kind of unreal." Watch Blohm describe the scene The shooting suspect, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, was a psychiatrist who had an office at Darnall. Now, the hospital was taking in the doctor's alleged victims. Sirens, installed after the September 11, 2001, attacks, sound routinely at Fort Hood during emergency drills. Pam Stephenson, the wife of a Judge Advocate General officer, was used to the blaring noise. Early afternoon, she was about to make a quick trip to the grocery with Megan, her 5-year-old who stayed at home sick on Thursday. But then she heard the whirring of choppers overhead and warnings on the loudspeakers: "Take cover. Stay away from windows. Lock your doors." Her husband called and told her not to leave the house. She turned on the television and learned the grim news. The gunman, she discovered, was a soldier. "When you hear it's soldiers gone crazy -- you don't know what kind of ammunition or guns they have," she said. She wanted to fetch Patrick, 2, stuck at day care, but the sprawling post was under lockdown. No one knew then if there were killers on the loose. The streets were deserted. A mass of cars, waiting to get out, piled up at the gates

What organization is covering the shootings?

Answer: Iraq

Answer: Iraq and Afghanistan

Answer: her child getting wounded on American soil.

Answer: their skills

Answer: child getting wounded on American soil.

Answer: (CNN)

Summary:
Parents worry about dangers overseas, not in Texas .
Soldiers use battlefield medical training on home soil .
Mother worries about son in day care as post is locked down .
Watch a CNN investigation on the shootings at Saturday 8 p.m. ET on CNN TV .


(CNN) -- It was two years late and billions of dollars over budget, but this week the Singapore Airline-owned A380 completed its maiden passenger journey between Singapore and Sydney.

Making history: the first double bed on a commercial jet

On board were nearly 500 passengers who had bid thousands of dollars for the historical experience. This was a turning point in aviation history as Airbus' superjumbo became the world's largest aircraft. And the time had finally come for it to receive some admiration.

Singapore Airlines' CEO, Chew Choon Seng named the jetliner the "queen of the skies". Tom Enders, CEO of Airbus said he would like to celebrate his 25th wedding anniversary on one of its double beds. And CNN's Richard Quest, who was on board the maiden flight, said there was "nothing quite like it". The luxury on board, he said, sets a new standard for air travel.

It's the quietest large passenger jet ever built (inside and out), it has a low fuel-burn to reduce fuel use and emissions, it can carry 40 percent more passengers than other large aircraft and in greater comfort. But the feature that has attracted greatest interest on the Singapore Airlines A380 is its ''beyond first class" cabins.

Behind the sliding doors of the Singapore Airlines Suites, the well-heeled can luxuriate in a private cabin designed by leading French yacht designer, Jean-Jacques Coste.

There's a wide leather seat and alongside that, a standalone bed. This is two meters long with Givenchy duvets and cushions. And for couples traveling, the beds on the middle two suites can be converted into double beds.

From bed or chair, travelers can catch a movie on a 23-inch widescreen LCD. Laptops can be plugged into an in-seat power supply and business travelers with just a thumb drive can plug this into a USB ports and access a suite of office tools on Singapore Airlines' in-flight entertainment system.

Celebrity chefs including Britain's Gordon Ramsay and Georges Blanc were behind the first class menu that can be eaten off Givenchy tableware.

Unlike other airlines, that have considered offering casinos, gyms and showers on their future A380s, Singapore Airlines has opted instead for a configuration that, whilst offering luxury, also makes money.

As Chew Choon Seng, CEO of Singapore Airlines reminded reporters last week, the first Boeing 747s soon ditched the lounges and bars on the upper decks in favor of seats that could generate cash.

Behind the 12 luxury suites there are 399 economy seats, ranked 10-abreast on the upper and lower decks, as well as 60 business class seats that are the biggest yet at 87 centimeters wide.

Singapore Airlines has ordered 19 superjumbos for an estimated price tag of $5.7 billion. The second is due to arrive next February with further deliveries later in 2008.

Tickets for the A380's first return commercial flight between Singapore and Sydney were sold at auction on eBay. One passenger paid $100,000 for the experience, with the majority paying between $1,500 and $5,000. The $1.4 million raised has gone to charities in Singapore, Sydney and a global humanitarian organization.

From Sunday 28 October, Singapore Airlines will commence its scheduled service between Singapore and Sydney on one of the three daily flights in each direction. The jetliner to be delivered next spring will be used on one of the three daily flights between Singapore and London's Heathrow Airport.

It's been a long road to this point for Airbus, but the journey is by no means over. The airline has a tough delivery schedule ahead to fulfil its 185 orders to 15 customers (see figures below). Next year it plans to deliver 13, a further 25 in 2009 and 45 in 2010.

Tom Enders, Airbus' CEO doesn't underestimate the scale of challenge ahead. "This is not a piece of cake," he told CNN, "but we have learned our lessons and we are very confident today that we can deliver to our customers."

It hasn't just been Airbus that has been frantically preparing for the A380 launch

What cabin has leather seats and double beds?

Which Singapore Airlines plane completed its historic maiden flight?

what Singapore plane made its maiden flight

What trip did one passenger pay $100,000?

What superjumbo completed it's historic maiden flight?

What is that luxury first class cabins have?

Which flight completed its historic maiden flight?

What amount of money would a passenger pay for a first flight from Singapore to Sydney?

was the A380 superjumbo completes the flifht?

Answer: ''beyond first class"

Answer: A380

Answer: A380

Answer: There's a wide leather seat and alongside that, a standalone bed. This is two meters long with Givenchy duvets and cushions. And for couples traveling, the beds on the middle two suites can be converted into double beds.

Answer: A380's first return commercial flight between Singapore

Answer: A380

Answer: between $1,500 and $5,000.

Answer: 23-inch widescreen LCD. Laptops can be plugged into an in-seat power supply and business travelers with just a thumb drive can plug this into a USB ports and access a suite of office tools on Singapore Airlines' in-flight entertainment system.

Answer: Singapore Airline-owned

Answer: between $1,500 and $5,000.

Answer: on the middle two suites can be converted into

Answer: completed its maiden passenger journey

Summary:
Singapore Airlines A380 superjumbo completes historic maiden flight .
Luxury first class cabins have separate leather seats and double beds .
One passenger paid $100,000 for the first Singapore to Sydney trip .


(CNN) -- It wasn't Tibet's subzero temperatures that nurse practitioner Arlene Samen found so chilling on a 1997 medical trip, but the haunting stories she was told about mothers and newborns on the brink of death after childbirth. Arlene Samen, right, helps provide childbirth education and equipment to those in need through One H.E.A.R.T. "When I came to Tibet I heard of so many tragic stories of women dying -- no access to care in remote areas, no history of trained birth attendants, and no knowledge about pregnancy and childbirth," Samen recalls. It is a problem that stretches well beyond Tibet's borders. According to the World Health Organization, more than 500,000 women worldwide die each year as a result of complications during pregnancy and childbirth, and nearly 7 million babies are either born dead or die within 28 days of their life. Almost all these deaths occur in the developing world. Upon her return from Tibet, and in association with the University of Utah Health Services Center, Samen, 54, created One H.E.A.R.T. (Health Education And Research in Tibet) to combat the high infant and maternal mortality rates in Tibet and around the world. Through One H.E.A.R.T., Samen's mission is to reach remote areas where women have limited access to a safe delivery, distribute the organization's training model, and debunk any fears toward safe, sanitary birthing practices. "It's not uncommon for babies to die from basic things like not cleaning their mouth out to breathe," says Samen. "In surveys we've done, more than 50 percent of babies that died were born alive. This is due to lack of education."  Watch Samen talk about the organization's work » Since 1998, One H.E.A.R.T has worked to set up centers that teach and educate local nurse practitioners, villagers and expectant mothers on how to deliver and care for newborn babies. A huge part of the organization's instruction includes hands-on birthing demonstration and distribution of community-tailored birth kits. "I witnessed deliveries where the infant did not even have a blanket," says Samen. "I put a kit together with very simple items and anyone, anywhere can use this kit to keep infants and mothers alive during and after childbirth."  Watch home video of Samen in Tibet, where she delivered a baby » The birth kit typically includes a sterilized razor blade, a clean sheet, three towels for the baby, three fleece blankets, a string to tie around the umbilical cord, gloves for the person delivering the baby and soap for hand washing. Over the last 10 years, Samen's team has supplied more than 3,400 safe birthing kits to pregnant women and has trained more than 1,000 people in life-saving techniques. For 2008, One H.E.A.R.T.'s education outreach program has targeted Nayarit, Mexico, a mountainous terrain in Mesoamerica and the native land of more than 50,000 indigenous Cora and Huichol Indians. This past February, accompanied by a team of doctors and translators, Samen spent three days embedded within Nayarit's Santa Theresa communities, using an instructional newborn doll for childbirth training sessions and discussing safe birthing techniques and procedures. "The traditional birth attendants told us they don't like to bring the women to the hospital because there's a fear of C-section and complications. [The women] would rather die than to come in and get help," Samen says.  Watch Samen describe the rigors of bringing a child birthing center to a remote area of Mexico » "I found that really astounding and would like to look into that further to see if there's ways that we can cross that barrier and really help them so that they don't have that kind of fear." Samen lives in Salt Lake City, but currently spends several months of the year in Tibet. Future plans for One H.E.A.R.T. include training local partners on the ground in Nepal and Ecuador. E-mail to a friend

Where does the Utah nurse practitioner help fight high childbirth mortality?

What is the name of the nurse practitioner?

Who conducts birthing demonstrations and distributes birth kits?

Answer: (Health Education And Research in Tibet)

Answer: Tibet.

Answer: H.E.A.R.T has worked to set up centers that teach and educate local nurse practitioners, villagers and expectant mothers on how to deliver and care for newborn

Answer: combat the high infant and maternal mortality rates in Tibet and around the world.

Answer: created One H.E.A.R.T. (Health Education And Research in Tibet) to combat the high infant and maternal mortality rates in Tibet and around the world.

Answer: Tibet

Answer: Arlene Samen

Answer: Nayarit,

Answer: One H.E.A.R.T

Answer: community-tailored birth kits.

Answer: Samen lives in Salt Lake City,

Summary:
Utah nurse practitioner helps fight high childbirth mortality rates in Tibet .
One H.E.A.R.T. conducts birthing demonstrations, distributes birth kits .
Group is working in Mexico this year; future plans include Nepal, Ecuador .


(CNN) -- It will take NATO-led military forces "another 25 to 30 days to secure that which needs to be secured" in Afghanistan's Helmand province, and a further three months after that to be sure insurgents are being kept out of the area, British Maj. Gen. Nick Carter said Thursday.

But Operation Moshtarak has reached "the end of the beginning," he said in a briefing from Afghanistan broadcast by the Pentagon Channel. "The insurgent was entirely dislocated within 24 hours" of the insertion of troops by helicopter, he said.

The Nad Ali district is "broadly secure," he said, but there is still Taliban resistance in Marjah.

"It will be some days before we can be completely confident that Marjah is secure," he said.

Ten civilians were killed on the second day of the operation, he said. Reports at the time said 12 were killed.

More coverage on Afghanistan Crossroads blog

How many days do NATO troops need to secure areas in Helmand province?

What do they need three more months for?

How long will it take to be sure insurgents stay out ?

Answer: a further three months

Answer: "the end of the beginning,"

Answer: 30

Answer: "the end of the beginning,"

Answer: to be sure insurgents are being kept out of the area,

Answer: "another 25 to 30 days

Summary:
NATO troops need 25-30 days to secure areas in Helmand province, UK general says .
Three more months needed to be sure insurgents stay out, says Maj. Gen. Nick Carter .
But Afghan offensive has reached "end of the beginning," he says .


(CNN) -- It would be hard to claim surprise at the array of sanctions which were finally imposed on the Syrian regime in the last weeks, following months of seemingly endless warnings from friends and foes alike. Yet, judging by the reaction of various officials in Damascus, the regime does seem stunned by this shock to its system, having been living in denial about the evolving situation it created.

From the apex of its fortunes only a couple of years ago to the most severe isolation modern Syria has ever witnessed, the regime of President Bashar al-Assad regime has single-handedly managed the feat which no other detractor achieved: bringing the entire country, and of course the regime itself, to a dead-end from which it can no longer extricate itself.

While accustomed to U.S. sanctions since 1979, Syria had never been simultaneously cut off from Europe, Turkey and the Arab world, while also facing the most determined popular uprising the Arab world has yet seen. For refusing to stop its mass military campaign of repression throughout the country, which none of the neighbors or friendly nations could continue to ignore while urging for the proverbial promised reforms, the Syrian regime is now faced with a heavy bill it has no way of paying.

Taken separately, the various sets of sanctions could have been manageable, even if the hardships would still be passed on to the population under the usual empty slogans of sovereignty and resistance in the face of a global conspiracy. In response to the first set of EU sanctions, in fact, Foreign Minister Walid Muallem had told a press gathering that Syria would "forget that Europe was on the map" and turn eastward for its business. When the sanctions reached the oil sector, the Syrian regime boasted it would sell its crude to China, India and other "non-aligned" countries. However, with the increasing difficulties of dealing with a Central Bank under sanctions, even countries sympathetic to the Syrian regime have been unwilling to go through so much trouble just to acquire Syrian oil, which, to boot, is mostly a low-grade crude needing special refineries.

With Europe wiped off the map, the 150,000 barrels per day output which used to be exported across the Mediterranean will be difficult to sell, with very significant financial repercussions for the regime - and that was before the Arab League finally decided to tighten the screws.

It is possible that repeated warnings followed by recurring extensions of deadlines convinced the Syrian regime that Arab countries were bluffing, and that the legendary impotence of the Arab League would prevent real pressure from materializing; this could explain al-Assad's bloody intransigence, and his erroneous interpretation that he really still had a carte blanche to kill, literally, the growing popular uprising which was now supplemented by armed resistance from an increasing number of defected soldiers, grouping themselves to form the Free Syrian Army.

When the announcement of sanctions finally fell on November 12, even with additional deadlines allowing the regime to accept a set of conditions (including Arab monitors) which could save it from isolation, al-Assad and his advisers seemed unprepared. Instead of astutely accepting the offer to avoid greater seclusion, they decided to retreat into the usual conspiracy rhetoric while trying to buy time with complaints about protocols: this merely allowed the Arab League to ensure near unanimity in its decision to isolate al-Assad.

All that remained was for Turkey to close the loop, and to carry out its own promise to punish the Syrian regime if it did not desist in what the UN has since described as crimes against humanity. As of this week, the Syrian regime is completely isolated, politically and financially. Even the reluctance of Lebanon and Iraq to apply full sanctions will be unlikely to make a big difference in Syria's fortunes, especially as international pressure continues to mount.

The impact of this isolation cannot be exaggerated. While powerful allies such as Iran and Russia will try, for the time being, to pull their weight as they attempt to save the regime from its own folly, perhaps lending it limited financial support, a solid geographical reality imposes itself, cutting off Syria from most of the

The regime is now isolated politically and economically?

Answer: save it from isolation,

Answer: the Syrian

Summary:
Syrian officials appear shocked by sanctions, despite endless warnings .
The ban on oil sales will have significant financial repercussions .
The regime is now isolated politically and economically .
The sanctions, coupled with state brutality, could lead to unrest .


(CNN) -- It's Sunday night during TNT's coverage of the NBA playoffs, and announcer Kenny Smith, aka "The Jet," is doing push-ups. TNT's Kenny Smith tries to connect personally with NBA fans through his Twitter feed. Not on camera, but on Twitter. "Hawks look hot! CWebb, my boy Fabian and I doing 30- pushups P90X style every commercial.. getting summeer [sic] ready," writes Smith to his followers on Twitter, the microblogging site where you can "tweet" brief messages of up to 140 characters. Five hours later, Smith (@TheJetOnTNT) tweets a follow-up: "Man, i think im gonna be sore." By Monday morning, though, he seems raring to go again: "Im not sore today! the workout didnt kill me... Im back!!" Welcome to today's intersection of sports and social networking, where college athletes, professional players and even broadcasters use tools like Facebook and Twitter to share their thoughts and experiences with fans. "Sports personalities are tweeting now. They are giving fans a reason to tune in to see their comments," says Adam Ostrow, managing editor of Mashable, a blog devoted to online social media. Ostrow believes social networking sites like Twitter allow athletes to connect directly with fans without the filter of the traditional media. And while many athletes and teams have blogs and Facebook profiles, Twitter allows for a more personal connection between fan and sports, he says. NBA All-Star Shaquille O'Neal (@THE_REAL_SHAQ) is both a prolific scorer and a prolific twitterer. His more than 700,000 followers get his tweets about everything from his diet to his recent trip to Graceland. Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong (@lancearmstrong) has more than 650,000 Twitter followers for such updates as "Eating pizza at home w/ the family. Good test today, kids go home tomorrow (sad), and a hellacious week of training coming up." Hockey players also are getting into the act. Washington Capitals ace Alex Ovechkin (@ovi8) was on Twitter during the NHL All-Star game in January, tweeting about the festivities and responding to fan questions and comments. One athlete, Milwaukee Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva (@CV31), even got into hot water after tweeting during halftime of a game last month. Villanueva's entry read: "In da locker room, snuck to post my twitt. We're playing the Celtics, tie ball game at da half. Coach wants more toughness. I gotta step up." He did. Villanueva finished with a team-high 19 points, and the Bucks won. Now sports announcers are using Twitter to talk to fans about everything from game action to what they do when the cameras are off. Fox Sports (@MLBonFox) baseball commentators and reporters are using Twitter to share tidbits from players and behind-the-scenes moments that the normal fan may not even think about. Fox play-by-play announcer Joe Buck, one of the network's wittier twitterers, shared this recent tender moment from the broadcast booth: "Joe Buck: Cold in the booth in STL. Tim [McCarver] and I are bundled up. And snuggling. Hard to type. I think hypothermia is starting to set in!" TNT is using the same approach to connect with basketball fans during the current NBA playoffs. Eleven members of the network's broadcast team have joined Twitter to provide insight into games, offer nuggets from players and solicit fan opinions. "TNT is an interesting experiment if they add analysis they don't give on TV," said Ostrow of Mashable. "More interesting if they give more non-basketball info." And they are. When Kenny Smith started on Twitter, he wasn't really sure what it was or how it would work. So he just answered the default question on his page: What are you doing? "I want to have some fun with it," Smith told CNN. "I love scavenger hunts. I

what Sports announcers use Twitter to share behind-the-scenes?

what do pro athletes use to share their thoughts?

Answer: Kenny Smith

Answer: tools like Facebook and Twitter

Answer: baseball commentators and reporters are using

Answer: Lance Armstrong

Answer: TNT's Kenny Smith

Summary:
More pro athletes are using Twitter to share their thoughts and experiences with fans .
Popular and prolific twitterers include Shaquille O'Neal and Lance Armstrong .
Sports announcers use Twitter to share behind-the-scenes details with fans .
TNT has 11 broadcasters tweeting during the current NBA playoffs .


(CNN) -- It's a Tuesday morning and Dr. Eric DeJonge is headed to work. But unlike most physicians, DeJonge's office is his car and his patients are waiting for him in their homes, not in a large waiting room. As part of the Medical House Call Program,  Dr. Eric DeJonge visits one of his group's 600 patients. DeJonge, a geriatric specialist at Washington Hospital Center, runs the hospital's "Medical House Call Program." Sharing duties with program co-founder Dr. George Taler and two other doctors, DeJonge criss-crosses the nation's capital, checking on patients in their homes. Armed with a black bag and blackberry, DeJonge visits mostly the elderly who either can't get to a hospital or are so ill that moving them would prove life-threatening. He usually sees them once a month to check on their status, to make sure their medications are working, and to let them know he's there for them. DeJonge says the one-on-one care is invaluable. "We know the patients, their families," he says. "We know when they change medically, what has to happen to prevent them from making an ER visit." Terry Carter's father, Aubrey, has been homebound since he suffered a stroke over 20 years ago. For most of those years, Carter ran back and forth to doctors' offices and the ER, making sure his father got the best medical help. It got to be expensive and time consuming and, as the years progressed, it became increasingly difficult to care for his dad. Carter says it was tough because "I really don't have very much help to take him out." Now, with DeJonge making regular visits, Carter's father doesn't have to be moved from his home and his health has improved. "He's only been in the hospital twice in the last three years," says Carter. "Before that he was in the hospital every other month."  Dr. Gupta: Watch more on the return of the house call » House calls, once popular in the 1930s, began to drop off as medical technology improved. According to a recent article in the Clinics of Geriatric Medicine, home visits by doctors dropped from 40 percent of physician encounters in 1930 to 10 percent by 1950; by 1980 home visits represented less than 1 percent of physician encounters. Many patients, the article stated, felt they could get better care at hospitals and clinics, and shied away from having a doctor come to their home. And over the years, billing and paperwork for medical professionals became so overwhelming that many spent hours at their desks with calculators instead of spending time with their patients in their homes. And then, there was the financial disincentive: most insurance companies didn't pay for house calls. It was easier and more lucrative for doctors to see more patients in their office than fewer patients in their homes. Reimbursement was spotty and in order to survive doctors had to put house calls on the back burner. But that has begun to change. Ten years ago, Medicare made it a bit easier for physicians to receive payments for house calls by modifying the way doctors bill for their procedures. And this month, a new "Independence at Home" bill -- designed to coordinate benefits for Medicare's most expensive beneficiaries, like Aubrey Carter -- will be reintroduced, making it easier and less expensive to carry out house calls. "Our current health care system does a poor job caring for seriously ill Americans, who often are 'lost in transition,'" says Massachusetts Congressman Edward Markey, author of the bill. "This bipartisan, bicameral bill holds great promise for improving quality of care, reducing hospitalizations, lowering costs and lifting the spirits of those who, after a lifetime of contributions to our society, deserve the dignity and peace of mind that comes with living independently." From the doctors' perspective, DeJonge says it will make all the difference in how he and his partners practice, and everyone would benefit. "Those savings would be shared with the health

When did Medicare make is easier to get paid for house calls?

When were 40 percent of physician encounters were house calls ?

Is there a bill before congress which would make physician house calls easier to arrange and less expensive?

What percentage of physician visits were house calls in 1980?

Answer: Ten years ago,

Answer: 1930s,

Answer: "Independence at Home"

Answer: Many patients,

Answer: less than 1 percent

Summary:
In 1930s, 40 percent of physician encounters were house calls; 1 percent by 1980 .
Financial disincentives and patient preference for clinics contributed to decline .
10 years ago, Medicare made it easier for physicians to get paid for house calls .
Bill before Congress would make house calls less expensive, easier to arrange .


(CNN) -- It's a blog where people post, and make fun of, pictures of out-of-shape, poorly dressed and otherwise awkward people shopping at Wal-Mart. The "People of Walmart" blog features photos taken by users at the mega-chain. And, in less than a month, with no marketing to speak of, it's become the toast of the Internet. "People of Wal-Mart," a gag started by two 20-something brothers and their buddy to share crazy pictures with their friends, has gone viral. Promoted largely on sites like Digg and Funny or Die -- and linked ad nauseam on Facebook and Twitter -- the site picked up enough traffic to crash its servers on Wednesday. "I'm still baffled -- I really am," said Andrew Kipple, 23, one of the creators of the site, who said his team was frantically working Wednesday to add enough server space to handle the surge in traffic. Photos on the site, sent in by viewers all over the United States, frequently feature overweight people wearing tight clothes, bizarre hairstyles (with versions of the short-in-front, long-in-back "mullet" leading the pack) and fashion crimes ranging from furry leg warmers to miniskirts that leave absolutely nothing to the imagination. There's a guy enjoying a can of beer outside a Wal-Mart, a guy dressed as Captain America and another guy with a goat. Yes, a live goat. Andrew and his brother Adam, 25, said they thought of the site after a visit to a South Carolina Wal-Mart where they saw a woman they believed to be a stripper, wearing an obscene T-shirt and leading a toddler in a harness. Around the next corner was a man with a beard reminiscent of the rock band ZZ Top. "It's kind of like the light bulb went off," Andrew said. "We get the e-mails already from people who are like, 'Why didn't I think of this?' We just happened to be fortunate enough to have the ability to actually follow through on it." Their site was keeping up when it was getting about 500,000 views a day, but got swamped by a new spike in traffic late last week. The brothers, along with partner Luke Wherry, 23, say response has been largely positive -- with only a handful of complaints out of every 100 e-mails they get. A post on the group's Facebook page Thursday morning said they had gotten more than 1.2 million page views on Wednesday, even though the site was down for much of the day. The site was getting two or three photo submissions a day until last week they said -- when all of a sudden hundreds of e-mails, most with pictures, started rolling in. But not everyone appreciates the humor -- saying the site goes out of its way to mock poor and rural patrons of the store, reinforcing stereotypes along the way. "American culture likes to single out people who appear to be different," said Tim Marema, vice president of the Whitesburg, Kentucky-based Center for Rural Strategies. "Whether it's a joke or not, all depends on which side of the camera you're on." Furthering stereotypes can strengthen the rifts between rural, urban and suburban residents and, in the worst-case scenario, can affect the way some people are treated by government and industry, he said. Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer with more than 4,200 U.S. stores and over $400 billion in annual sales, may be more prominent in rural areas, Marema said, but to use that to stereotype its shoppers doesn't make sense. "The reality is that everybody shops at Wal-Mart," he said. "If you want to find the guy in the golf shirt and khakis, he's there too." A spokesman for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. declined to comment for this story. The brothers say they don't mean for their site to

what do critics feel about the site
Which blog went viral last week?
What does the site feature?
What is a common criticism of the site?

Answer: Furthering stereotypes can strengthen the rifts between rural, urban and suburban residents and, in the worst-case scenario, can affect the way some people are treated by government and industry, he said.

Answer: "People of Walmart"

Answer: photos taken by users at the mega-chain.

Answer: goes out of its way to mock poor and rural patrons of the store, reinforcing stereotypes along the way.

Summary:
"People of Wal-Mart" blog went viral last week .
Site features photos of unusual haircuts, fashion at the stores .
Critics say site reinforces stereotypes, misrepresents Wal-Mart shoppers .
Site's creators say they have standards, won't mock everyone .


(CNN) -- It's a familiar scenario: A major crime is committed. Police investigate possible leads while the media asks for information. Soon, authorities say they have a "person of interest." Raymond Clark was named a person of interest, and then charged with murdering Yale grad student Annie Le. But what does this term mean? "The 'person of interest' tells you nothing," says Cynthia Hujar Orr, president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. "They are suspicious of that person, but the police don't have the evidence they need." Investigators named Raymond Clark a "person of interest" after 24-year-old Yale University graduate student Annie Le was found dead in the basement of an off-campus lab. Officer Joe Avery, of the New Haven Police Department, said Clark was a "person of interest" because he worked in the same highly-secured lab where Le was last seen. Authorities detained Clark, 24, on Tuesday, took his DNA and searched his home. They released him, and his lawyer said Clark was fully cooperating with authorities. Then, on Thursday, Clark was arrested and charged with Le's murder.  Watch police announce the arrest » But not everyone who is called a person of interest becomes a suspect. In the last decade, law enforcement authorities have increasingly used the phrase -- but the label didn't necessarily mean the person would be charged. According to one analysis of 40 cases, half of the "persons of interest" were released without charges. The exact origin of the phrase "person of interest" is unknown. But several criminology professors and attorneys who spoke with CNN said they believe the phrase became widely used after the 1996 Olympic Park bombings in Atlanta, Georgia, when media outlets called security guard Richard Jewell a suspect. Jewell was never charged, and was eventually cleared. Several years later, Eric Rudolph was arrested and convicted for the crime. Jewell died in August 2007. Jewell sued the FBI and several media organizations -- including CNN, NBC and the Atlanta Journal Constitution -- for libel and slander. The CNN and NBC suits were settled. The U.S. Attorney's Office gave him an unprecedented government acknowledgment of wrongful accusation. Law enforcement officers and the media began using the term "person of interest" as a shield against civil litigation. But some attorneys, criminologists and media experts say using the loose term "person of interest" can tarnish the person's reputation, mislead the public, and possibly hurt the investigation. Using the phrase is a way for authorities to draw attention to the person without formally accusing them, they say.  Watch a discussion of the phrase 'person of interest' » "It's a really bad term to use, because the public reads 'suspect,' " said Kelly McBride, ethics group leader at the Poynter Institute, a national journalism training institute in St. Petersburg, Florida. Donna Shaw, a journalism professor at The College of New Jersey, said she believes federal law enforcement officials invented the phrase in the mid-1990s to satiate journalists hounding them for information. Soon, local law enforcement officers began to pick up on the phrase. Shaw studied a year's worth of stories with the term "person of interest" in 2006, interviewing representatives from local police departments on why the term was utilized. "Some of the police told me, ' We don't know what it means but it makes reporters happy,' " Shaw said. Her research found that fewer than half of the people identified as "persons of interest" were ever charged with the crimes, yet their stories remained ingrained on the Internet after their exoneration. In the U.S. Attorney's Manual, a guidebook used by federal criminal prosecutors, the phrase "person of interest" doesn't exist. It is not a legal term used by attorneys. Police are trained to use lingo like "suspect," "subject" and "target." James Alan Fox, a criminologist at Northeastern University, said the expression "person of interest" is closest in meaning

What is the term "person of interest" intended to do?

When did police start using "person of interest"?

Answer: using the loose term "person of interest" can tarnish the person's reputation, mislead the public, and possibly hurt the investigation.

Answer: "They are suspicious of that person, but the police don't have the evidence they need."

Answer: believe the phrase became widely used after the 1996 Olympic Park bombings in Atlanta, Georgia,

Summary:
Police began widely using "person of interest" after 1996 Olympic Park bombing .
It does not mean the same thing as "suspect"
Experts say the phrase came into use to reduce media pressure .
It can deceive the subject of an investigation, expert says .


(CNN) -- It's a good thing he didn't go with "@andrew." Drew Olanoff wants to benefit the LiveStrong charity because of the support the foundation has given him. Drew Olanoff, cancer-fighter and blogger, is auctioning off his enviable Twitter username "@drew" to benefit the LiveStrong foundation. Since Tuesday, its value has already been raised to $1 million, thanks to that other Drew -- last name Carey. "I thought we would find a Drew who would bid $10,000 on the last day and that was it," Olanoff said. "I certainly didn't think Drew Carey would get wind of it." Get wind he did. The Cleveland comedian raised the stakes on Saturday, first tweeting an initial bid of $25,000 only to quadruple it, offering up $100,000 if his Twitter followers totaled 100,000 by the auction's closing at midnight on November 9. Olanoff was taken back by Carey's generosity, whom he's never met nor spoken to, but it seems Carey wasn't done yet. In the middle of an interview yesterday with CBS (the corporation writing Carey's checks, as he's the host of the network's "The Price is Right"), he upped the ante from $100,000 to a cool $1 million if he gets the same amount of followers by midnight on December 31. Judging by how quickly the follower count increases every time his @DrewFromTV Twitter page is refreshed -- on Thursday evening, he was rapidly approaching 66,000 followers -- Carey is well on his way to doing so. Of course, if he doesn't reach a million followers, the donation will be prorated: If there are 500,000 followers when the clock strikes midnight, then $500,000 will be given to LiveStrong. It may seem like Carey's gotten himself into some sort of popularity game, but it's not about amassing millions of followers or the Twitter name, Olanoff said. "There are obviously going to be skeptics, but Drew Carey is new to Twitter. Celebrities can get followers; Ashton Kutcher has 3 million," Olanoff told CNN. "What he's saying is, 'Follow me; you're worth a dollar, and it's going to LiveStrong.' " This isn't the first time Olanoff's stirred up the "Twitter-verse." From the minute he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease in late May, he decided his cancer was of the social variety, and turned to Twitter to air his frustrations. "I'm a very public person, I'm a geek, and I've been on Twitter for years," Olanoff said. "I realized this is serious, and I started to blame things on my cancer. I'm not a whiny person and I didn't want to get negative [so the site] it was a nice way for me to focus all of my anger and being upset and worrying. " With the help of a friend who's also suffered from Hodgkin's disease, Olanoff set up BlameDrewsCancer.com, where tweeters can blame his cancer for any and everything that's gone wrong, in 140 characters or less. Lance Armstrong, LiveStrong's founder, blamed a broken collarbone on it, while Alyssa Milano found Drew's cancer to be at fault for her inability to resist chocolate drizzled popcorn; she then tweeted an offer to help out Drew's cancer awareness campaign in whatever way she could. Famous or not, Olanoff found comfort in those tweets. "When I would go through my chemo treatments every two weeks, for me it felt like I had a huge support group, because when you're diagnosed with [cancer] you can feel alone," he said. As a result, Olanoff has decided to keep blaming cancer even though signs are pointing towards improved health; his last chemo treatment is November 2. Until midnight on November 9, his 30th birthday, Olanoff's resolved to round up as many @DrewFromTV followers as he can, and maybe accept Carey's invitation to meet up when Olanoff's back in Los Angeles. For now, Olanoff is resting up

For what purpose was the @BlameDrew'sCancer username created?

What is the Twitter username being placed up for auction by Drew Olanoff?

What charity will benefit by Drew Olanoff placing his Twitter username up for auction?

Who has placed Twitter username up for auction?

Answer: $500,000

Answer: to benefit the LiveStrong foundation.

Answer: "@drew"

Answer: Cleveland

Answer: LiveStrong

Answer: Drew Olanoff

Summary:
Drew Olanoff has placed his Twitter username up for auction to benefit charity .
Drew Carey said he'd donate $1 million if he gets 1 million followers by Dec. 31 .
Olanoff never expected his auction to get attention from other Drews like Carey .
The L.A.-based blogger is also behind the @BlameDrew'sCancer username .


(CNN) -- It's a high-tech, high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse. Ryan Kelly, a Web designer from London, England, says his software was used to attack an Iranian Web site. As the Iranian government seeks to crack down on the online networks being used by protesters who question the nation's election results, a community of Net-savvy users -- both inside and outside the country -- are working to try to stay one step ahead. "To the Iranian government hackers who keep attacking the places they see as a threat, you are wasting your time," wrote one anonymous poster to a message board loaded with eyewitness accounts of violence, plans for protests and notices about people reported missing or dead. "You are completely outnumbered. There are thousands of Iranians who want to be free and people who support them for every one of you there is." That site, with a server in California, was unable to be accessed for a couple of hours Wednesday afternoon. The error could have been caused by too many people trying to access the site at the same time. The same error would be caused by a so-called "denial of service" attack -- using a program to flood a site with thousands of hits in a short time. Access to networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter and photography site Flickr have been blocked in Iran, where the government also has been accused of blocking text-messaging, launching denial of service attacks and spreading misinformation to protest communities online.  Watch CNN's Octavia Nasr explain how voices of dissent are getting out » But Web users have been able to get around those roadblocks by the thousands, thanks to Internet proxies -- Web servers set up in other countries that allow Iranians to hide their computer's Internet Protocol address from censors within the country. "I think the filters and the restrictions have been going on for so long in Iran that the experienced people are already prepared for this," said Jon Pincus, a former Microsoft project manager and digital activist who works on projects promoting online freedom. The networking sites have been crucial in sharing information among protesters. Equally important, they've helped spread word to news organizations now barred from covering massive anti-government demonstrations and the violence that reportedly has led to the deaths of an untold number of demonstrators. Many blogs, message boards and Web pages sharing information from inside Iran are urging users to log on through programs such as Tor, a free Web page designed to allow users to surf the Web and communicate with each other anonymously. The Web page bounces a user's information through relays -- other networks provided by volunteers all over the world -- preventing someone monitoring an Internet connection from seeing what sites are visited on that connection. The measures haven't always been successful. In Twitter posts and on various Web sites, protesters in Iran on Wednesday described having their online access shut down. Pincus compared it to Chinese dissidents trying to crack their country's stringent rules for Internet use.  iReport: Share your photos, video and stories from Iran "Word continues to get through, but basically it's very, very difficult," Pincus said "Many people who try are caught." In Iran, "there's been a noticeable decline already in the amount of photos and video that's coming down," he said. "That says that, thus far, the government is succeeding." Early Thursday morning, a Twitter user with a new account and who was not following anyone else on the site was posting false information -- including a report that opposition candidate Mir Hossein Moussavi had conceded the election and that a demonstration had been canceled because government tanks were in the street. The Twitter user posted the phone number of a "safe house" and urged other demonstrators to call it. Other users quickly began spreading word that they think the user is a government agent. But the fight is ever-changing and moving on, proponents said. On Twitter, users all over the world were changing their personal information and time

What is the Iranian government trying to stop?

Answer: seeks to crack down on the online networks being used by protesters who question the nation's election results,

Answer: a community of Net-savvy users

Answer: Internet proxies

Answer: online networks being used by protesters

Answer: Internet proxies

Summary:
Iranian government trying to stop Internet communication from protesters .
Community of Net-savvy users are working to try to stay online .
Iranians getting help from people around the world with foreign servers .
Twitter users change settings to appear they're in Iran to give Iranians cover .