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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Answer: listen to his experts

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He probably wouldn't have

What did Bob Greene say about Paul Harvey?

Answer: he was always welcoming,

Answer: his voice,

Answer: Paul Harvey

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


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

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

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

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

Answer: IBM CEO Sam Palmisano

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

Answer: India,

Answer: $30 billion

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

Answer: 1 million

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When was international house of prayer formed?

Answer: 1999

Answer: Kansas City, Missouri-based

Answer: IHOP

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


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

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

What number of  Palestinian refugees will go to Iceland?

Answer: 200 Palestinian refugees from Iraq

Answer: The UNHCR says about

Answer: 200 Palestinian refugees

Answer: More than two dozen

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


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

What country's currency plunged in value?

What country is losing restaurants in the article?

Answer: McDonald's

Answer: losing its only three McDonald's restaurants

Answer: euros

Answer: three

Answer: its only three McDonald's restaurants

Answer: is losing its only three McDonald's

Answer: Iceland,

Answer: Iceland

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


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

Sigurdardottir celebrates victory on Saturday night.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Who is the world's first openly gay premier?

What was the Icelandic vote triggered by?

Answer: October,

Answer: victory in general elections

Answer: leading banks

Answer: Sigurdardottir,

Answer: currency, stock market and leading banks crashed

Answer: collapse of the Nordic nation's economy.

Answer: Icelandic

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What individuals scandal industry kicked into full gear?

Answer: Herman Cain

Answer: Herman Cain

Answer: Herman Cain

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

Answer: that he sexually harassed anyone,

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


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

What should shoppers be prepared to do at local markets?

Answer: prepare for the unexpected

Answer: Nigeria,

Answer: The former capital of Nigeria, Lagos

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


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

What poses an extra challenge for transplant patients?

Answer: Ironman World Championship,

Answer: Kyle Garlett

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

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


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

How much did artists pay for a trashed house?

Have other artists ever bought houses in the same neighborhood?

Answer: $100,

Answer: Jon Brumit and his wife, Sarah,

Answer: $100,

Answer: their friends Mitch Cope and Gina Reichert, also

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The new movie is not as offensive, Wauck said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The film, which like "The Da Vinci

What was controversial book made into controversial film?

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

who is the film director of angel and demons?

Answer: 'The Da Vinci Code,'

Answer: Dan Brown's

Answer: Dan Brown's

Answer: Ron Howard

Answer: "The Da Vinci Code"

Answer: Dan Brown's mega-selling novels

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What is the prison capacity in California?

What do critics claim about building a new facility?

What was Denham quoted as saying about the view?

Answer: 5,300

Answer: to house the inmates might be troublesome.

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What toppled Percy and other liberal Republicans?

Answer: moderate-to-liberal Republican

Answer: Charles Percy.

Answer: Alzheimer's disease.

Answer: New Right

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


(CNN) -- If the congressional "super committee" does not reach a deficit reduction deal by Wednesday's legally mandated deadline, I propose we take a page from the NBA owners and lock Congress out.

I'm serious. We, the taxpayers, are the owners of Congress and if Congress won't make a deal that helps our nation, then let's put a big padlock on the doors of the House and Senate -- or at least change the locks and not give them the keys.

Polls show that me and apparently 91% of my fellow Americans have never been more frustrated with the dysfunctional nature of "our" Congress. Congress' approval rating has fallen to an abysmal 9% -- to put this in perspective, herpes is now slightly more popular than Congress. Bed bugs really can't be that far behind.

I'm not sure who the 9% of voters are who think Congress is doing a good job -- I can only assume it's Congress' friends and families as well as some of the well-connected lobbyists who have reaped benefits.

Maybe the 9% are those pleased when Congress made history in August after waiting until the last minute to compromise on a budget deal, which led to the first downgrade of the U.S. credit rating by Standard & Poor's.

Or possibly the 9% were impressed when House Democrats and Republicans joined together in a rare moment of bipartisanship a few weeks ago and voted in favor of a resolution by a whopping 396-9.

Was this vote to create jobs for the more than 25 million Americans who are unemployed or underemployed? Or maybe this vote was to help Americans on the brink of foreclosure?

Nope, this vote was to address an issue that Congress felt demanded immediate attention: Affirming that our national motto is: "In God We Trust."

Wow, that should really put some food on the table of a hungry family whose unemployment benefits are close to expiring. I hope you take the time to "thank" Rep. J. Randy Forbes, a Republican from Virginia, for leading the courageous charge on that issue.

Instead of a congressional lock out, perhaps Donald Trump could host a new TV show entitled: "Congressional Apprentice," where each week members of Congress are given a task to help our nation. Those who fail will be met by Trump gleefully declaring: "Congressman ... You're fired!"

I'm at the point that when I hear about a king in a foreign nation dissolving the legislature in his country, I almost wish our president could do the same.

Despite all its negatives, Congress can take credit for one positive achievement: Inspiring more Americans to become engaged in politics as witnessed by both the rise of the Occupy movement and the tea party movement. Congress' failures have awakened both the left and the right of the American electorate.

I hope that both the Occupy and tea party groups (and everyone else in the middle) can agree on a concrete change to our electoral system, namely: Term limits for Congress. Even though Congress' approval rating had fallen to 21% at the time of the November 2010 congressional mid-term elections, the inherent advantages of incumbency for members of Congress are so powerful that still 87% of incumbents in the House and 90% in the Senate won re-election.

Term limits would mandate a turnover in the composition of Congress so that federal elected officials no longer focus on political concerns and making a career out of serving in Congress but instead on enacting legislation that benefits all Americans in the short time they will serve.

Term limits are the only way to ensure meaningful change of our Congress. But that won't be easy. To impose congressional term limits, the U.S. Constitution must be amended -- just as it was with the 22nd amendment, which set a term limit for our president. The problem is that absent a constitutional convention, the only way to start the process for a Constitutional amendment is that Congress -- the people with a 9% approval rating -- have to pass it by a two-thirds vote in each chamber before it

What do NBA owners do that Congress should do?

Who looks unlikely to reach an agreement by the deadline?

What is the only way to force dramatic change?

What is the way to force dramatic change

Answer: lock

Answer: congressional "super committee"

Answer: Term limits

Answer: Term limits

Summary:
Congress looks unlikely to reach a deficit reduction deal by deadline .
Dean Obeidallah: Follow NBA owners' example and lock out members of Congress .
The only way to force dramatic change is to limit congressional terms, he says .
Obeidallah: Stop political posturing, make a deal and revive nation's economy .


(CNN) -- If there is one thing that Africa can learn from the global financial crisis it's that the West doesn't always get it right, Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Maathai told CNN. Two young boys plow their dry cornfield in Kwale, Kenya which has been blighted by drought. "It sends a message that anyone can make a mistake. Nobody has a blueprint and nobody is a know-it-all," she said of the current turmoil engulfing the global banking system. "I can tell you I never would have thought we could experience what we're experiencing in America now," she added. "Because for one we never would have thought that the Americans could be caught 'asleep,' not monitoring their financial system and therefore waking up one day and finding out that their most respected institutions are collapsing right and left." The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned the global financial crisis will have a "major impact," on low-income countries. In a recent report, "The Implications of the Global Financial Crisis for Low-Income Countries," the Fund singled out sub-Saharan Africa as particularly vulnerable to the crisis, as lower global growth reduces export demand and depresses commodity prices. And last month, anti-poverty campaign group ActionAid forecast Africa's income would drop by $49 billion dollars between 2007 and the end of this year. Most of that, it said, would be due to a fall in export earnings, aid and income from rich countries now in recession. "Although developing countries didn't make this crisis, it has become all too clear that they are in the firing line when it comes to suffering its worst effects," Claire Melamed, Head of Policy at ActionAid said in a statement accompanying the report. "There is a real risk that development will start to go backwards in many countries as the money dries up and that the recession will lead to worsening poverty and terrible consequences for the men, women and children caught in its grip," she added. Wangari Maathai said many Africans had become so accustomed to their daily struggles that they assumed life could not get any worse. "Some of the impact that the western banks or the Western people are experiencing we've been experiencing for decades," Maathai said. "We've been raising and educating children who cannot get any employment. Long ago our hospitals collapsed, our infrastructure collapsed, our education system collapsed. "That's why people are saying it can't get any worse, but you and I know it can get worse," she said. Now 69, Wangari Maathai has long campaigned for human rights and the empowerment of Africa's most impoverished people.  Watch Revealed: Wangari Maathai » More than thirty years ago she founded the Green Belt Movement, a tree-planting campaign to simultaneously mitigate deforestation and to give locals, especially women and girls, new purpose. They have since planted more than 40 million trees. In 2004, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote sustainable development, democracy and peace, and has recently repeated calls for Africans to 'rise up' and demand greater accountability from their governments.  See photos of Maathai receiving the Nobel Peace Prize » "What Africa needs to know is that now that the world has its own crisis in its own hand, if they don't take care of themselves and place themselves in a position where they can be assisted, they will suffer, the people will suffer," Maathai told CNN. Earlier this month, the group of 20 industrialized nations agreed an unprecedented rescue package worth $1.1 trillion to tackle the global economic crisis. It included $750 billion dollars for the International Monetary Fund (IMF), three times the Fund's previous lending capacity, as well "special drawing rights" to an additional $250 billion. Of the commitment, Maathai said: "I'm glad that the G20 identified that they must help the poor people, but the biggest problem for the poor developing countries in Africa

Who needs to take responsibility for the future?

Who said Africans need to take responsibility for the future?

What is the name of the laureate winner?

Answer: Wangari Maathai

Answer: doesn't always get it right,

Answer: Africa

Answer: governments.

Answer: Wangari Maathai

Answer: Wangari Maathai

Answer: Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Maathai

Summary:
Nobel Peace Laureate says Africans need to take responsibility for future .
Wangari Maathai says global economic crisis shows West is fallible .
Maathai of the West: "Nobody has a blueprint and nobody is a know-it-all"


(CNN) -- If there's a blessing in the current swine flu epidemic, it's how benign the illness seems to be outside the central disease cluster in Mexico. But history offers a dark warning to anyone ready to write off the 2009 H1N1 virus. The Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 sickened an estimated third of the world's population. In each of the four major pandemics since 1889, a spring wave of relatively mild illness was followed by a second wave, a few months later, of a much more virulent disease. This was true in 1889, 1957, 1968 and in the catastrophic flu outbreak of 1918, which sickened an estimated third of the world's population and killed, conservatively, 50 million people. Lone Simonsen, an epidemiologist at George Washington University, who has studied the course of prior pandemics in both the United States and her native Denmark, says, "The good news from past pandemics, in several experiences, is that the majority of deaths have happened not in the first wave, but later." Based on this, Simonsen suggests there may be time to develop an effective vaccine before a second, more virulent strain, begins to circulate. As swine flu -- also known as the 2009 version of the H1N1 flu strain -- spreads, Simonsen and other health experts are diving into the history books for clues about how the outbreak might unfold -- and, more importantly, how it might be contained. In fact, the official Pandemic Influenza Operation Plan, or O-Plan, of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is based in large part on a history lesson -- research organized by pediatrician and medical historian Dr. Howard Markel of the University of Michigan. Markel was tapped by the CDC to study what worked and what didn't during the 1918 flu disaster. Markel and colleagues examined 43 cities and found that so-called nonpharmaceutical interventions -- steps such as isolating patients and school closings -- were remarkably successful in tamping down the outbreak. "They don't make the population immune, but they buy you time, either by preventing influenza from getting into the community or slowing down the spread," Markel said.  Explainer: Flu facts » Markel describes a dramatic example in the mining town of Gunnison, Colorado. In 1918, town leaders built a veritable barricade, closing down the railroad station and blocking all roads into town. Four thousand townspeople lived on stockpiled supplies and food from hunting or fishing. For 3½ months, while influenza raged in nearly every city in America, Gunnison saw not a single case of flu -- not until the spring, when roads were reopened and a handful of residents fell sick.  Visit LIFE.com for photographs of the lethal flu pandemic of 1918 Nonpharmaceutical interventions, or NPIs, also proved effective in big cities such as New York, according to Markel. In fact, the sooner cities moved to limit public gatherings or isolate patients, the less severe their experience tended to be -- as much as an eight- or ninefold difference in case and death rates, he says. Based on this guidance, the CDC preparedness plan devotes dozens of pages to potential NPIs, from voluntary isolation to reorganizing company work schedules to reduce the density of people sitting next to each other in the office or while riding trains and buses. If it seems odd to base medical strategy on 90-year-old newspapers, the approach is increasingly popular. "There's a big case for looking at history," says Simonsen. "We call it archaeo-epidemiology. You go to libraries and places like that, dig around, collaborate with people like John Barry and try to quantify what really worked."  Map: where the flu is today » Barry is the author of "The Great Influenza," perhaps the signature history of the devastating 1918 pandemic. He says the historical record shows that isolating patients worked to slow the spread of flu in 1918, but that attempted quarantines -- preventing movement in and out of cities -- was "worthless." While Barry supports the CDC's general containment strategy, in the past he has publicly criticized Markel's work. After Markel's

What season did the last 4 pandemics usually occur?

Answer: spring

Answer: the majority of deaths have happened not in the first wave, but later."

Summary:
CDC's national pandemic strategy rooted in lessons of past epidemics .
In four past pandemics, mild spring outbreak was followed by virulent fall sickness .
Expert: If its true this time, could allow time to develop effective vaccine .


(CNN) -- If you didn't know that Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro and Stephen Perkins were members of Jane's Addiction, you might think they belonged to three different bands -- and Farrell is the first to admit it.

"One guy's just a ball of sunshine. That's Stephen," the singer said. "Then Dave is like a black hole sometimes, like places where he goes. And me? I'm just like a pingpong ball put in the cosmos, man."

And that, ladies and gentlemen, pretty much sums up the genius of Jane's Addiction -- the friction of three disparate parts rubbing together, until finally, it explodes into a glorious musical fireball. It's a chemical reaction that, throughout the band's 26-year-history, has all too often imploded as well.

"I'm not really sure how many times we've parted ways," said Navarro, the group's guitarist. "I wasn't really one of the people who thought we wouldn't be back together, primarily because we've gotten back together so many times over the years. We don't break up anymore. We just go on five-year hiatuses."

The alternative rock pioneers are prepping the October 18 release of "The Great Escape Artist," their first studio album in eight years.

"The sound is definitely updated on this album," Farrell said. "The differences are that we are now working with synthesizers and computer software that goes with guitars, so you'll hear a lot of very modern sounds mixed in with what people call the ageless, or timeless, sound of Jane's Addiction."

With original bassist Eric Avery, Jane's Addiction put a soundtrack to the gritty Southern California underground arts scene of the late 1980s. The group's first studio album, "Nothing's Shocking," was an examination of love, lust, violence and drugs. By 1990, the band was all over rock radio with "Stop!" and "Been Caught Stealing," a pair of hit singles off its sophomore disc, "Ritual de lo Habitual." The new CD is only the group's fourth studio album.

"We pull from the environment," said drummer Perkins. "Jane's Addiction wrote our (first) music in Hollywood in 1986. You hear Los Angeles. You hear that Mexico is only 100 miles away from us. You can hear the struggle, and also the glory, of being a musician in L.A. Our music was never negative, but it had that strong urge. You wanted to go f**k, not to go punch. And I think Jane's still has that."

CNN visited the band during a video shoot for the new single, "Irresistible Force," on a Hollywood soundstage. Farrell, the lyricist, said the song chronicles how the universe was created. "I say the big bang was actually a conscious act of cosmic lovemaking."

Perkins, the pragmatist, has a different interpretation. "To me, the 'Irresistible Force' is what pulls me, Dave and Perry together. Ever since I was 13, I've been playing with Navarro. I met Perry when I was 17. And no matter how much we stopped playing with each other, and tried to get away from each other, it's the magnet -- it pulls us closer."

The band members discussed their reunion and new album and how they've avoid fistfights for nearly two decades:

CNN: How does it feel to have Jane's Addiction back together again?

Perry Farrell: I love performing with Jane's Addiction. I hope I get to do it all my life. It's healthy for bands to take a break every now and then. People are really looking forward to this new record because they're a little starved. I'm pulling the old woman's trick of making them want, and want, and need and desire.

CNN: Who's the peacemaker who calls and says, "Let's try this again?"

Dave Navarro: I don't really know how

What genre is the album "The Great Escape Artist"

What is the new single from "The Great Escape Artist"

Who visits the band during a video shoot?

What is the name of the new release from the band?

CNN visits band during video shoot for new single called what?

Answer: Perry Farrell,

Answer: Jane's

Answer: alternative rock

Answer: "Irresistible Force,"

Answer: "Irresistible Force,"

Answer: CNN

Answer: "The Great Escape Artist,"

Answer: "Irresistible Force,"

Summary:
The alternative rock pioneers are prepping the release of "The Great Escape Artist"
CNN visits band during video shoot for new single, "Irresistible Force"
Lead singer Perry Farrell says the song chronicles how the universe was created .


(CNN) -- If you sell it, they will come. Prices are expected to grow for Michael Jackson autographs like the one he gave this young fan in 2002. That's the hope at least for many offering Michael Jackson related merchandise and memorabilia, including autographed items and domain names, in the wake of his surprising death. Almost 20,000 items were up for sale after his death on the popular auction site eBay, where collectors could snap up everything from the rare to the ridiculous. Among the many T-shirts, record albums, DVDs and posters, there were also magazines about Jackson, dolls and copies of newspapers announcing his death. There were Michael Jackson gloves (sparkly, of course), masks, wigs, sunglasses and fedora hats. Anyone in the mood for some senior soda could try and win an auction for an unopened six-pack of Pepsi from the 1984 Jacksons world tour. For those seeking to establish Web sites, domain names were available including "ILoveYouMichael.com," which was selling for the "buy it now" price of $5,000. Officials at eBay said that compared with the daily average of the week prior, Thursday's gross merchandise volume for Jackson memorabilia increased by 275 percent and sold items increased by 210 percent. New listings were up 61 percent, while the average selling price of items had increased by 31 percent. Online merchant CafePress also offered a variety of items, including mugs, "R.I.P. Michael Jackson" magnets and dozens of T-shirt designs, including one screened with a drawing of tennis legend Billie Jean King and the words "not my lover." Some of the hottest items may turn out to be the ones bearing Jackson's signature. On eBay, bids for what the buyer claimed was a signed Michael Jackson  guitar had reached almost $1,300 by Friday afternoon. Jerry Ohlinger, owner of Jerry Ohlinger's Movie Material Store in New York, predicted that although Jackson was generous in giving autographs, the price for a legitimate autograph probably will at least double from the $150 to $300 range it was prior to his death. "He would sign autographs whenever he appeared in person," Ohlinger said. "For instance, he visited our store at least three times, and he signed autographs for all of the employees." As a comparison, Ohlinger said, an autograph for the late actress Marilyn Monroe, who also was known to sign a great deal during her lifetime, sells for about $5,000 because of great demand. As of Friday, items purported to be autographed photos of Jackson were ranging in price from just over $5 to several thousand dollars. There is no way to predict whether there will be a sudden influx in demand for Michael Jackson memorabilia and merchandise, Ohlinger said. All of the hoopla would probably tickle the pop icon, who Ohlinger said was himself a fan of star items. Whenever Jackson would visit Ohlinger's Manhattan store, he would shop for vintage photos of some of the legendary ladies of cinema, including his very dear friend Elizabeth Taylor, Ohlinger recalled.

Who claims Jackson's autograph will double in price?

What is percentage of sell raise of Jackson items  from last week?

By what percent did sales of Jackson related items increase?

What is on the sale after Jackson death?

What does the expert say about Jacksons autograph?

What online auction site boasted thousands of items?

Answer: eBay,

Answer: many

Answer: Jerry Ohlinger,

Answer: eBay,

Answer: 210 percent.

Answer: 210 percent.

Answer: Michael Jackson

Answer: 275

Answer: eBay,

Answer: 20,000 items

Answer: Prices are expected to grow

Answer: eBay,

Summary:
NEW: Sold Jackson items on eBay increase 210 percent compared to last week .
Plenty of Michael Jackson merchandise goes on sale .
Online auction site ebay boasts thousands of items from T-shirts to soda .
Memorabilia expert predicts Jackson autograph to at least double in price .


(CNN) -- If you thought it was difficult managing your own money in 2007, consider the pressure of the task when you're dealing with $1.8 trillion of client assets.

Sallie Krawcheck has made Fortune's list of the World's Most Powerful Women every year since 2002

That's what Sallie Krawcheck does as Chairman and Chief Executive of Citi Global Wealth Management.

She joined the banking industry as a research analyst, but quickly rose through the ranks, gaining a reputation for honesty and integrity along the way.

Dubbed the "Mrs Clean" of Wall Street, Ms Krawcheck was credited with restoring investors' faith in analyst reports while head of retail brokerage firm Smith Barney.

She joined Citigroup in 2002, and spent some time as Chief Financial Officer before taking up her current role in March 2007.

Sallie Krawcheck has been a regular entrant on Fortune's list of the World's Most Powerful Women in Business -- in 2007, she made number 12.

John Defterios caught up with Ms Krawcheck in Dubai. He asked her for her views on the movement of capital outside the G8 (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States).

Sallie Krawcheck (SK): I think what's happening right now, it's fascinating because in the United States and in developed Europe we're having a liquidity crunch -- someone might argue a liquidity crisis. And in fact, we are awash with liquidity in the Middle East and in Asia as well, so there's really a bifurcation that's occurring in the world.

And if you think about, oil doesn't even have to stay at the 90-plus dollar level it is; even at levels in the 70's, 60's, 50's, 40's, a tremendous amount of liquidity is being generated in these markets which is really being put back into the market. Yes, the investments are going up globally, but the governments here really are investing back in the infrastructure and the economies of this region. And so over time, you're really going to see... I think continue to see... a shift in economic activity on a relative basis from the more developed economies here to the Middle East as well as to Asia.

John Defterios (JD): It's coming almost as a perfect storm; we have a sub prime crisis, a 20 percent fall in the dollar in the last two years. In this window of time, is there a danger that the financial capitals build outside of Wall Street and it undermines its role?

(SK): I think there is no doubt that New York is losing its status as a financial capital of the world. If you think about some years ago, if you think about the internet bubble for example, where it was New York and California wasn't it? And you look at a whole range of reasons for it, and the sub prime crisis perhaps, the decline of the dollar perhaps. But you have overlapping regulators in the United States, you have very high taxes in the United States, you have a very litigious environment in the United States, and you have the emerging markets coming up, so capital is being raised outside of the United States. These things, some of which are negative for the United States, some of which are positive for the other regions, is accelerating a shift that was underway from New York, to London, to Hong Kong, to Singapore, and potentially to Dubai as well.

(JD): Some of the wealth funds are now on the radar of both Wall Street and Capitol Hill in Washington. You can't have your cake and eat it too. You can't say I want some of that liquidity but I only want part of that liquidity. What is the result of that do you think? Can you over-regulate the sovereign funds?

(SK): Oh, I think you can over-regulate the sovereign funds. I think the same question can be asked of the private equity funds and the hedge funds as well; where in a lot of countries

Who wants to speak to Sallie Krawcheck ?

Who is  ranked the 12th Most Powerful Woman ?

Who are the most powerful women in 2007 ?

Who is the boss at Citi Global Wealth Management?

Who is the boss of  Citi Global Wealth Management?

Answer: $1.8 trillion

Answer: $1.8 trillion

Answer: Fortune's

Answer: happening right now, it's fascinating because in the United States and in developed Europe we're having a liquidity crunch -- someone might argue a liquidity crisis. And in fact, we are awash with liquidity in the Middle East and in Asia as well, so there's really a bifurcation that's occurring in the world.

Answer: John Defterios

Answer: 12.

Answer: Sallie Krawcheck

Answer: Sallie Krawcheck

Answer: 2007,

Answer: Sallie Krawcheck

Answer: Sallie Krawcheck

Answer: Sallie Krawcheck

Answer: Sallie Krawcheck

Answer: Chairman and Chief Executive of Citi Global Wealth Management.

Summary:
MME speaks with Sallie Krawcheck, boss of Citi Global Wealth Management .
Ranked by Fortune magazine as World's 12th Most Powerful Woman in 2007 .
Manages client assets worth $1.8 trillion, formerly bank's CFO .
Tells MME: "we're very bullish" on economic potential of the Middle East .


(CNN) -- If you're looking for love and not having much luck, maybe you could increase your success by getting a bit more passionate -- about helping others. Dave Chung and Kim Benty share a love of volunteer work in New Orleans. When singles write to advice columnists complaining about being lonely, they are often urged to volunteer. Duane Bates, the public relations director for Habitat for Humanity, says it's not unusual for their volunteers to meet on a building site and "end up together." Victor Fasolino was living in New Jersey and his future wife, Lora, was living in Seattle, Washington, when the two met in Hungary in 1996 while volunteering on a Jimmy Carter Work Project for Habitat. "I thought she was an attractive young lady," recalls Victor Fasolino, adding that they were working 10-12 hour days so it wasn't until the project was almost complete that they got to spend much time together. Both were committed volunteers and had signed up for a Habitat fundraising bike ride of 500 miles two weeks after they returned to the United States. They got to know each other while pedaling from Kentucky to Atlanta, Georgia. The two got married one year later atop a house they helped build during another project in Pikesville, Kentucky. Other volunteers had cleaned and scraped a ladder so the bride wouldn't get her wedding gown dirty climbing to the roof. The groom wore a tuxedo, a local minister officiated and a fiddler joined them on the roof to provide the music. This year, Victor, 56, and Lora Fasolino, 46, will again work on former President Carter's 2009 Habitat work project, building houses in five countries: Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and China -- along the Mekong River in southeast Asia. In 2007, Dave Chung and Kim Benty found each other while helping Hurricane Katrina victims in New Orleans, Louisiana. Chung had been a pro golfer playing mini-tours in California and living half the year in Toronto, Ontario, when he got the urge to drive down to New Orleans to volunteer. "I really liked the place, and the people," says Chung. "The original plan was to come down here for two months and go to a friend's wedding, but I ended up staying." At first the 30-something golfer worked for Habitat for Humanity, learning plumbing and wiring. Then he went to work with Liz McCartney, 2008 CNN Hero of the Year, at the St. Bernard Project. Meanwhile, Kim Benty, 36, an interpreter for the deaf in the western New York town of Batavia, began a series of trips in July 2007 to work with volunteers in the same area. Benty was smitten after meeting Chung on her first trip, but he merely smiled and went back to work. "He was doing a little of everything, a runner, bringing supplies, our construction manager," Benty remembers. "I thought, you know, I am just another volunteer to him." There were several more trips, a few chance meetings -- but no sparks. But something changed when they met yet again in December 2008 at a friend's Christmas party. "We just hit it off that night," Chung says. Chung says he was attracted to her for a million little reasons: "She's attractive, fun to be around and both of us are kind of easygoing." But then it was time for Benty to go back to New York and for Chung to make the long drive to Canada to see his relatives. Chung's New Year's Eve plans fell though, so he asked Benty about coming down. They hung out for a few days and Chung was set to drive by himself back to New Orleans. "She hopped in the car with me, and came down. It really surprised the people who knew her," Chung says, "because she is the kind of person who likes to plan everything." "Ha, it did surprise people," Benty admits. "I am very

What organization did the couple volunteer for?

What did the organization spokesperson say?

What passion brought Carol and John Coonrod together?

What organization were the couple working for when they met?

Answer: Victor Fasolino

Answer: New Orleans.

Answer: Habitat

Answer: atop a house they helped build

Answer: Pikesville, Kentucky.

Answer: it's not unusual for their volunteers to meet on a building site and "end up together."

Answer: a love of volunteer work

Answer: Jimmy Carter Work Project

Summary:
Couple who met working with Habitat for Humanity gets married atop house .
Organization spokesman says it's not unusual for volunteers to "end up together"
Passion for ending world hunger brings Carol and John Coonrod together .


(CNN) -- If you're on Facebook, Twitter or any other social networking site, you could be the next victim. Experts say cybercrooks are lurking just a mouse click away on popular social networking sites. That's because more cyberthieves are targeting increasingly popular social networking sites that provide a gold mine of personal information, according to the FBI. Since 2006, nearly 3,200 account hijacking cases have been reported to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a partnership between the FBI, the National White Collar Crime Center and the Bureau of Justice Assistance. It starts with a friend updating his or her status or sending you a message with an innocent link or video. Maybe your friend is in distress abroad and needs some help. All you have to do is click. When the message or link is opened, social network users are lured to fake Web sites that trick them into divulging personal details and passwords. The process, known as a phishing attack or malware, can infiltrate users' accounts without their consent. Once the account is compromised, the thieves can infiltrate the list of friends or contacts and repeat the attack on subsequent victims. Social networking sites show there is ample opportunity to find more victims; the average Facebook user has 120 friends on the site. "Security is a constant arms race," said Simon Axten, an associate for privacy and public policy at Facebook. "Malicious actors are constantly attacking the site, and what you see is actually a very small percentage of what's attempted." As some social networking sites experience monstrous growth, they are becoming a new -- and extremely lucrative -- frontier for cybercrime. Facebook says it has 300 million users, nearly the size of the U.S. population, and it continues to attract users outside the college student niche. From February 2008 to February 2009, Twitter, a micro-blogging site where users post 140-character messages known as tweets, grew 1,382 percent to more than 7 million users. "They [cybercriminals] are very adept to using social engineering," said Donald DeBold, director of threat research for CA, an Internet security company. "Your friend is in trouble traveling in another country, 'I lost my wallet. I need help.' They exploit the curiosity aspect out of human nature." A few decades ago, malicious software and viruses were usually the result of a prank, but Internet security experts say today's attacks are profit-driven. A study from the Indiana University in 2005 discovered that phishing attacks on social networks operated with a 70 percent success rate. These users had fallen for the scam, opened the foreign link and released personal information. Cybercriminals are employing phishing and malware attacks for a number of reasons, including trying to redirect users to sites where profit is fueled by the number of visitors. They also try to elicit private information like passwords and bank account numbers to perform scams. Early this year, Twitter experienced several phishing attacks in which a Web page that looked identical to the widely recognized light blue Twitter page was a hoax. The company warned users to double-check the URL to ensure they were visiting the correct site. The Internet Crime Complaint Center received more than 72,000 complaints about Internet fraud in 2008 that were referred to law enforcement agencies for further investigation. These cases involved financial losses amounting to $264.6 million, an increase from 2007. Each person lost an average of $931. "Most of us would want to help a friend in need, but if it's an online friend, and they want you to wire money, you should double-check," FBI spokesman Jason Pack said. Security experts said it makes sense that cybercriminals are turning to social networking sites. Personal information is abundant on sites like Facebook and MySpace. Each time users give out valuable information like birth dates or addresses, they could be providing hints about their password, security experts say. The American Civil Liberties Union has expressed concern about the information visible through Facebook quizzes and applications. "They'll have access to all that information, so they can sell it, they can share

What was the number of accounts hijacked since 2006

How many accounts of account hijacking cases have been reported by the FBI?

Answer: amounting to $264.6 million,

Answer: nearly 3,200

Answer: 3,200

Summary:
The FBI reports nearly 3,200 account hijacking cases since 2006 .
Online scam losses amounting to $264.6 million reported in 2008 .
Facebook has automated systems that detect compromised accounts .
MySpace.com creates blacklists of phony accounts .


(CNN) -- If you've been to the movies recently, you've probably been pummeled with trailers for interchangeable all-star action movies: "The Expendables," "The A-Team" and "The Losers." Mercenaries are in this year, and khaki is the new black.

"The Losers" is first out of the blocks, and it's a cheerfully vulgar shoot-'em-up that doesn't have a serious bone in its pumped-up body.

Based on Andy Diggle's Vertigo comic book (itself loosely inspired by the old DC comic), the movie doesn't really flow; it just spurts out in quick, oily jets. It's actually less like a comic book and more like a 90-minute trailer: all the best bits stuck end to end and the filler condensed into a pithy line or (better yet) a clubby music cue. (The Kills' "U R A Fever" comes up twice -- once for a fight scene and then again for a sex scene -- but there's no doubt the fight is the turn-on, and it lasts much longer, too.)

If you've seen the trailer, you'll feel you're halfway there, and if you caught co-writer Peter Berg in "Smokin' Aces" a couple of years back, you'll know what else is in store.

The Losers are some kind of CIA black ops squad, but only for a nanosecond. There are five of them, each with his own wardrobe fetish and each with a prescribed skill set: Clay is the leader (Jeffrey Dean Morgan from "Watchmen"), and he looks good with one shirt-tail hanging out. Jensen (Chris Evans) is tech support and comic relief in a series of nasty T-shirts. Cougar (Oscar Jaenada) is a sniper and never separated from his cowboy hat. Pooch (Columbus Short) is the driver and family man. Roque (Idris Elba, aka Stringer Bell from "The Wire") is second-in-command, a knife expert with a scar down his cheek.

They're a bit lightweight in star power -- Evans is the biggest draw and the most fun -- and they're not so badass that they're willing to take out a Bolivian crime boss when they realize he's surrounded himself with children.

In rescuing the kids, the Losers seal their own death warrant with their controller, Max, a super-patriot whose precise role in U.S. intelligence is shrouded in secrecy but who has been written as a cross between Dick Cheney and Dr. No (though Jason Patric, who plays him, resembles a psychotically soft-spoken Warren Beatty).

Left for dead in the jungle, the team is rescued, sort of, by a high-kicking beanpole with an open credit line. This is Aisha (Zoe Saldana), and she hires the Losers to bring down Max.

"How do I know I can trust you?" Clay wants to know.

"Because if I was lying, I wouldn't have used the words 'suicide mission,' " she very reasonably points out.

Locked into the faddish slam-cut video game look and filtered (perhaps in deference to a string of Central American locations) in malarial shades of green and yellow, "The Losers" wants to seem cutting edge, though it clings to a quaint Saturday morning serial black-and-white morality. Max isn't just down on kids, he plans to get his paws on "next-generation" weapons, kick-start a war or two, destabilize the developing world and put the U.S. back on top. Laughable!

Directed by Sylvain White ("Stomp the Yard"), the movie musters a modicum of snap, crackle and pop, but the whole shooting match is delivered in such an assiduously shorthand style that when the smoke clears, it's hard not to feel a teensy bit short-changed.

"The Losers" musters a modicum of what?
What does it muster a modicum of?
What is "the Losers"?
Who stars in "The Losers"?
What is "The Losers" based on?
Who stars in the film?

Answer: snap, crackle and pop,

Answer: snap, crackle and pop,

Answer: is first out of the blocks, and it's a cheerfully vulgar shoot-'em-up

Answer: (Oscar Jaenada)

Answer: Andy Diggle's Vertigo comic book

Answer: (Chris Evans)

Summary:
"The Losers" is based on Andy Diggle's Vertigo comic book .
Film stars Chris Evans, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Columbus Short and Zoe Saldana .
It musters a modicum of snap, crackle and pop, but it's hard not to feel short-changed .


(CNN) -- If you've ever had a group of friends who have meant the world to you, take a look at the old black-and-white photo that accompanies today's column.

If you've ever yearned to freeze time, to make the finest moments of your life stand still in their tracks so you can savor them a little longer, while knowing somewhere inside that such a thing is impossible, take a look at the faces of those three men.

Not so many years before that photo was snapped, the three of them were inseparable -- not only on a basketball court, but in the minds of hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of admirers. Their names routinely appeared in the same sentences in newspaper sports sections from coast to coast. They inhabited the same column of agate-type box scores on winter morning after winter morning.

If you were young enough -- and, as the 12-year-old statistics kid who counted up their field goals, rebounds and free throws for the local Columbus, Ohio, television station that did the live broadcasts of their college games, I was young enough -- you allowed yourself to believe that the three friends would always be together.

It wasn't to be. It almost never is, whether you are friends as famous as they were, or as anonymous as most of the rest of us are. Which is why I love that bittersweet photograph so much. It is an inadvertent record of a moment that signifies how all friends, eventually, must take different paths, that nothing beautiful is destined to endure uninterrupted.

On the left in the photograph is Larry Siegfried of the Boston Celtics. In the center is Jerry Lucas of the Cincinnati Royals. On the right is John Havlicek of the Celtics.

In 1960, the three had been teammates on The Ohio State University basketball team that won the national collegiate championship. It was quite a squad; the coach was Fred Taylor, the two other starters were Mel Nowell and Joe Roberts, and there was a sharpshooting forward who came off the bench, a rather intense young man by the name of Bobby Knight.

The team was so smooth that, watching from the stands, you sensed they could read each others' minds. If you had never before quite understood what it looked like and felt like to be a part of a seamless unit, you found out every evening just by seeing them play. But the thing you could never really know -- the secret that belonged only to them, as it does with any group of friends -- was what it was like to be inside of it. They were separate people, but they were one.

Which is why the photograph of them taken barely three years later -- it was shot on October 17, 1963, in the Cincinnati Gardens -- is, in its low-key way, so mesmerizing. The friends, because of circumstance, have parted. The paths have split. This was to be the first game during which, as professionals, they competed against each other. The old team was history. At the opening tipoff, their goals were about to diverge.

The photo was snapped by a then-young man named Ed Keys, who had been taken to the game by his father, sportswriter Tom Keys. Ed Keys sent it to me recently because he thought I would understand.

Fifty winters ago -- the winter that Lucas and Havlicek and Siegfried and their Ohio State teammates won their national championship -- I somehow, as a junior high school student who wasn't even that good at math, talked the local television play-by-play man, Jimmy Crum, into letting me sit with him and help with the statistics. I watched those friends on the court at every home game on their way to the championship; I watched that magical basketball friendship form and grow and become so strong that their team became the finest in the country.

What must it be like to be part of a friendship that is played out so publicly -- part of hardwood recollections woven into the fabric of the lives of strangers who will never meet you?

Answer: John Havlicek

Summary:
Three players on 1960 college championship team went on to the NBA .
Bob Greene says the three seemingly inseparable players were parted .
He says they plan to reunite at 50th anniversary reunion later this month .
The best friendships endure even though friends get parted, Greene says .