(CNN) -- When George Pinon thinks of colors, he associates them with what other people have described. George Pinon leads tour groups through Dialog in the Dark, an exhibit that simulates the blind experience. "They say that red is supposed to be a warm color, a hot color. I heard that apples are red and roses are red. I heard that plants are green, the grass is green," he said. "That's all you can do, you know?" Pinon, who lives in Atlanta, Georgia, has been blind since age 3, when a high fever caused optic nerve damage. He leads small tour groups through Dialog in the Dark, an exhibit traveling around the world that aims to foster understanding between people with and without vision. For about an hour, visitors navigate different environments in complete darkness, relying on all senses except sight, and ask questions of their visually impaired guide, whose face they don't see until leaving. Stumbling in darkness makes the Dialog visitor appreciate how visually oriented the world is -- how would you go grocery shopping? How would you cross the street? -- as well as the reliance on other senses such as sound and touch to navigate the world. Investigating preventions, therapies Researchers continue to search for methods of preventing and treating blindness. A new study in the Journal of Archives of Ophthalmology shows that a single serving of fish per week is associated with a reduced risk of incident early age-related macular degeneration, a disease that is the leading cause of severe vision loss in people older than 60. The macula, a part of the retina that allows central vision, deteriorates in this condition. Stem cells may also hold promise for AMD. The London Project to Cure Blindness, with support from pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, is working on a therapy from human embryonic cells. The project's goal is to begin human clinical trials by 2011. The therapy aims to use embryonic stem cells to replace the cells that have been lost because of the disease. Through surgery, the cells would be implanted to restore vision. Read more about AMD Interpreting the world A variety of devices have been developed to help visually impaired individuals interact with the world around them. Some of these technologies use Braille. There are Braille codes for alphabets, mathematics, science, music and even computer programming, all based on the system of characters called cells, which consist of six dots in two parallel columns. But fewer than 10 percent of the 1.3 million legally blind individuals in the United States read Braille, according to the National Federation of the Blind. Only 10 percent of blind children are learning the system of raised dots that allows blind people to read and write through touch. Reasons for this include a shortage of teachers qualified to teach Braille and misconceptions about the system, such as that it's difficult to learn, the organization said in a recent report. The National Federation of the Blind has worked with technology developers to enhance Braille to adapt to the needs to visually impaired people, said Mark Riccobono, executive director of the organization's Jernigan Institute. The organization's International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind in Baltimore, Maryland, has nearly every tactile and speech output technology available for blind people to learn how to use. A mechanical device called a refreshable Braille display raises and lowers a set of pins to form characters, translating words on a computer screen into Braille. The pins refresh and translate subsequent text as the user scrolls down on a computer screen. Riccobono, who has glaucoma and has been losing vision throughout his life, did not learn Braille as a child and believes that he missed out on literacy opportunities. He discovered Braille in college, which cut his study time down by 50 percent, he said. Braille is the only equivalent to print for visually impaired individuals, he said. "Listening is not the same as actively reading something and seeing how words are spelled," he said. "Sometimes technology is used as an excuse to not provide Braille." Still, Pinon, who reads Braille, uses speech

what percentage of legally blind U.S. citizens read Braille?

What percentage of U.S. blind citizens read braille?

Answer: fewer than 10 percent

Answer: fewer than 10 percent

Answer: fewer than 10

Summary:
Fewer than 10 percent of legally blind individuals in the U.S. read Braille .
BrainPort allows the user to have spatial orientation through vibrations on the tongue .
Stem cells may also hold promise for age-related macular degeneration .
Another avenue of research is the retinal implant .


(CNN) -- When I became one of Bill Clinton's earliest and chief accusers for the sexual harassment charges against him, two things were eminently true about my motives: (a) I did not become an accuser because Bill Clinton was a Democrat and I was a Republican, I didn't care one whit what the partisan fallout would be; and (b) I spoke out because the charges were plentiful enough and serious enough (I repeat, charges, not facts) to degrade not only all of our politics but all of our country, and because there are certain codes of honor, written and unwritten, for all men, Democrat and Republican. Indeed I wrote a book on this, laying it out, even before we knew the full extent of Bill Clinton's lies.

It is hypocritical in the extreme for those members of the media who didn't take the charges and allegations against Bill Clinton seriously to be taking the allegations against Herman Cain that we now have as seriously as they are. Hypocritical is probably too soft a word, frankly.

That said, Herman Cain and his campaign chief of staff, Mark Block, cannot go on as they have. There has been a pattern now that is both unhealthy for our politics and unhealthy for our polity.

Four women are not an insignificant number. One or two anonymous charges, perhaps. Three anonymous charges (where, as I understand the story, Cain knows of at least two of the women) plus one woman who went very public and opened herself up to all manner of investigation are a lot. It is no longer insignificant. Neither is it insignificant that the Cain campaign discounted the charges in the initial stories, saying they were based on anonymous sources, only to make a mockery by blaming other campaigns with less substantiation than the original stories.

If Herman Cain wants to be taken seriously as a public advocate for anything, never mind running for the chief executive and commander in chief of the most powerful and important and blessed country in the world, he needs to give a full press conference dedicated exclusively to this issue and these allegations.

I have watched long enough and held my tongue long enough to give him the benefit of the doubt, but can no longer say this is a witch hunt, "a lynching" to use his word, or any other euphemism. There are allegations out there that matter and they have stacked up. For we who led the charge against Bill Clinton on a number of related issues to continue to blame the media or other campaigns or say it simply doesn't matter makes us the hypocrites as well.

As I say, all of this is bad for our politics and polity. If Herman Cain cannot stand up to these charges, if he refuses to, then he should step out of the race. A man big enough to run for president should be big enough to have a full and candid press conference on all of this -- he wants us to elect him president after all, he's asking us to trust our lives and the country's life to him. This could be one of his finest moments and it could be one of his worst. But either way, he must confront the moment candidly and manfully.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of William J. Bennett.

Who says those who criticized Bill Clinton's behavior can't ignore issue

Answer: the moment candidly and manfully.

Answer: Herman Cain

Answer: Four

Answer: William J. Bennett.

Answer: Herman Cain

Answer: Four

Answer: give a full press conference dedicated exclusively to this issue and these allegations.

Summary:
William Bennett: Herman Cain should confront allegations of sexual harassment .
He says four women making such claims cannot be dismissed as insignificant .
If Cain is to be taken seriously, he needs to respond directly, Bennett says .
Bennett says those who criticized Bill Clinton's behavior can't ignore issue .


(CNN) -- When I was a youth pastor at a small, evangelical church in Kalamazoo, Michigan, I used to accompany my pastor and other members of our congregation into some of the city's neighborhoods where gang activity and gun violence were most prevalent.

We would stand on the corner next to the drug dealers and talk to them about why it was important to turn their lives around.

Some would listen.

Others would walk away.

All gave us respect, even if they didn't agree with what we had to say. And I believe they did so because we respected them. We didn't call them names or discount how they felt. We met them where they were -- literally and figuratively.

In a lot of ways, hearing Rick Santorum talk about social issues, particularly gay rights, reminds me of those days. Like those drug dealers, I'm sure he can't see how he destroys his community. Like those drug dealers, Santorum is probably doing what he thinks he needs to do. And like those drug dealers, what Santorum is pushing is addictive, poisonous and a trigger to violence we see all around us. His anti-gay rhetoric justifies, for some people, the bullying in school, the senseless beatings of people perceived to be gay and the under-reported murders of transgender people. The truth is that the disrespectful tone in which Santorum talks about GLBT people, in the name of religion, gives permission for our lives to be equally disrespected.

Disregarded.

Sometimes, the impulse is to return the fire, matching name-calling with name-calling. I, too, have found myself so ticked off by Santorum's words that I've called him everything but a child of God. That's when I come to my senses and try to remember the one thing he seems to forget. We're all God's children.

We're all brothers and sisters.

And like brothers and sisters, we won't always agree. Sometimes we will fight. But we can't get so caught up in our disagreements that we forget that what bonds us is far more important than what divides us. Being respectful doesn't mean you have to give up your religion.

Opinion: To Rick Santorum: Here's how to support a gay child

Still, as much as it pains me to admit, Rick Santorum is my brother. I don't support the way he sows seeds of discord for political gain, but I can't allow him to drag me down so far that I hate him. Just as I didn't hate the drug dealers and gang bangers who were poisoning the Kalamazoo neighborhoods.

Instead we all must go to the figurative street corner and find a way to respectfully engage. After all, Santorum's views are not just his. More than 30,000 Iowans last week said they wanted to see him in the White House. This week thousands in New Hampshire might say the same. Calling social conservatives names might help blow off steam, but it's not going to change their hearts. And you cannot change a person's mind without first changing his or her heart.

Some will listen.

Some will walk away.

But neither group is going anywhere without at least getting to the place of respect.

Now I'm sure some are surprised to learn that I was heavily involved in the evangelical church. Others are shocked to read I lived in a small town called Kalamazoo. But we are all more than we appear to be.

Santorum is more than his homophobic rhetoric.

I am more than a gay guy who opposes it.

And if we were to sit across from each other with a cup of coffee, I'm sure we would find the labels we assign to constituent groups and such wouldn't do any of us justice.

Sound touchy feely?

It is.

But that doesn't mean it isn't true.

Rick Santorum's significance has nothing to do with the election -- it's that he gives voice and seeming legitimacy to a lot of people who think it's OK to

Who is Santorum?
What justifies acting out against gays?

Answer: Rick

Answer: the bullying in school, the senseless beatings of people

Summary:
LZ Granderson: Rick Santorum's anti-gay rhetoric helps create climate of hate .
He says rhetoric justifies, for some people, acting out against gays .
Granderson gets angry, but knows Santorum is more than just his rhetoric .
Granderson: We have to engage with the views of those we disagree with .


(CNN) -- When J.R. Martinez returned from serving in Iraq, he never thought he'd see his name on the marquee at the local restaurant -- but there it was, a welcome-home banner at the Applebee's in Dalton, Georgia.

More than 40 percent of J.R. Martinez's body was burned in a land mine explosion in Iraq.

He certainly never imagined he'd be starring in a popular daytime soap opera, either.

But Martinez, 25, has never let the severe burns he received while serving in the United States Army stop him.

He spoke with CNN's Nicole Lapin about overcoming odds and being an inspiration for young people.  Watch Nicole Lapin interview J.R. Martinez »

The following is an edited transcript of the interview.

Nicole Lapin: You told your mom you'd come back in one piece. You're obviously back in one piece. You came back burned. What happened?

J.R. Martinez: Well, April 5, 2003, I was driving a Humvee through a city called Karbala in Iraq. My job in the military -- in the Army -- was infantry, and as we were driving, my front left tire hit a land mine and I was trapped inside the vehicle.

The other three guys, the other three soldiers walked away with minor injuries, which I'm thankful for every single day. I was trapped inside the vehicle for about ten minutes, conscious and can literally see my life slipping away from me. You know, my mother is my best friend and I kind of had the visual of my mother, and them handing her a flag and I thought to myself, that's not something I want to put my mother through.

So it's one of those things where we don't know how strong we are until we're faced with things in life and I got through it.

Lapin: You did. [A viewer] has a question for you about what kept you going. She says, "First of all, I want to sincerely say thank you for defending our freedom. My question is, during the time of the explosion, how did you keep yourself going?"

Martinez: Well, when I was a young child, one of my sisters passed away from an illness she was born with. She was born in Central America and I was born here in the United States and I never met her, but I always felt the connection throughout my whole childhood. I felt the connection with my sister and I was confused as to why.

And the day of my injury when I was inside the vehicle and I can literally see my life slipping away, an actual visual of my sister came to me and told me I was going to be OK and told me I'd be fine. And after that sweet whisper went away, they pulled me out of the vehicle and got me immediately into the medical team's hands.

So I guess you could say faith, my sister, my mother -- all the things that kind of kept me grounded as a young child that my mother instilled in me at a young age: to be strong and to hold on to certain things in life because they'll get you through.

Like I said, it's something that's hard to explain, but I know a lot of guys that have been injured in the military or people that have been injured outside the military in the civilian world. And I am just like, "How did you make it?" It's just like, we don't know, we just hang in there.

Lapin: You just do it.

Martinez: Yeah, you just do it. All of us had it inside us. We just don't know it until we're faced with it and that's when the true strength really shows.

Lapin: Well, you went through 32 surgeries over 34 months. Was there ever a time where you said, "Woe is me"?

Martinez: Yeah, I'm definitely human and there are a lot of bad days. Even being in the soap

What country was the soldier injured in?

what percentage of J.R. Martinez's body was burned?

Answer: starring in a popular daytime soap opera,

Answer: April 5, 2003,

Answer: J.R. Martinez

Answer: in Iraq.

Answer: More than 40 percent

Answer: land mine explosion

Answer: J.R. Martinez's

Summary:
J.R. Martinez was injured by land mine in Iraq in 2003 .
He was trapped in Humvee as more than 40 percent of his body was burned .
As Martinez went through difficult recovery, he became motivational speaker .
He landed role on "All My Children" soap opera playing a wounded veteran .


(CNN) -- When John Lennon remarked in 1966 that the Beatles were then "more popular than Jesus" his comments prompted outrage in the United States. But this weekend the Vatican's newspaper paid tribute to the band on the 40th anniversary of the release of the "White Album" in an article interpreted by some as a papal pardon for Lennon. John Lennon appears with wife Yoko Ono in 1968, two years after he made his "more popular than Jesus" comments. CNN's Alessio Vinci spoke to Steve Turner, author "The Gospel According To The Beatles," about the controversy that helped to end the Beatles' touring career. Q: Was Lennon surprised by the storm his comment generated? A: I think John Lennon was surprised because it had been said in a casual way to a journalist who was a personal friend of his and he had no idea it would cause that sort of controversy. When it did happen he was actually quite frightened because they were about to go off on tour and there were these threats to their lives and a clairvoyant made some predictions that their plane would crash. It was really quite frightening and they wanted to cancel the tour but they knew they couldn't. They were under obligation to the tour promoters. And when he made his apology in Chicago, (the band's) press officer told me that John was actually in tears before he went in to make the apology. Q: Was his apology sincere?  Watch as Vatican pardons Lennon » A: His apology was very carefully worded. He never said "I didn't mean that;" he kind of said, "if it was taken that way, that's not what I meant," but he never actually retracted it. The reason it happened that way, in America particularly, is that people thought the Beatles were getting too big, too proud and it was a way of putting them down and I think people grabbed that opportunity. Q: Did they care at all what the Vatican newspaper had to say at the time? A: I don't know that the Beatles had any particular concern about what the Vatican said. I know the Vatican did say something at the time. But by that time, everybody was pitching in with their opinion, and it just kind of gathered pace. Q: If he were alive, what would he say about his "rehabilitation?" A: It's very hard to say what John Lennon would say now if he knew that the pope had forgiven him or the Catholic Church had forgiven him because on the one hand he wrote to an American evangelist called Oral Roberts and said he had been very sorry. But in a book he said he was very glad that it had happened because it effectively ended the Beatles. Because that tour was so bad that it became the last tour the Beatles ever did. So he thought, "Thank you Jesus for causing this to happen -- because you gave me a solo career." Q: How spiritual were the Beatles? A: The Beatles started out as atheists and agnostics and I think as everybody knows they became more interested in spiritual things. They went out to India in 1968 and I think in a way the Beatles became a spiritual force themselves. And I think that John actually saw that. He saw Christianity and rock 'n' roll as competitors. Only three years later, after 1966, you had the Woodstock festival and you get rock music almost performing a religious function. So I think in a way he was aware of what was happening. The Beatles were almost becoming a religion and exerting a spiritual force over people.

What did the author say the Beatles were?

Where was the newspaper that paid tribute to this music artist based out of?

Which comment did Lennon never mean to offend people with?

Who did John Lennon claim to be more popular than?

On what anniversary did the Vatican newspaper pay tribute to The Beatles?

Which newspaper paid tribute to the Beatles anniversary of "White Album"?

Answer: getting too big, too proud

Answer: the Vatican's newspaper

Answer: the Vatican

Answer: remarked in 1966 that the Beatles were then "more popular than Jesus"

Answer: Jesus"

Answer: "White Album"

Answer: 40th

Answer: Vatican's

Answer: Beatles

Summary:
Author: John Lennon never meant "more popular than Jesus" comment to offend .
Lennon never actually retracted the controversial remark .
Vatican newspaper paid tribute to the Beatles on 40th anniversary of "White Album"
Beatles author says band were a "spiritual force" themselves .


(CNN) -- When Katy Milane was asked to be in her college roommate's August 2007 wedding, she expected the bridesmaid dress to be simple and sporty, just like the bride's taste in clothes. Katy Milane, right, said none of the bridesmaids in her friend's 2007 wedding liked this hot pink dress. It wasn't. Milane and five other bridesmaids wore hot-pink floor-length satin dresses. One wedding guest commented that they looked "like a row of Pepto Bismol bottles." "I don't think any of us were happy with the dresses," said Milane. One bridesmaid had to be sewn into her gown when it ripped the day of the wedding. Another left her dress in a Cincinnati, Ohio, hotel room after the festivities had ended. "We all tried to be very positive about it because the bride really loved them," said Milane. "We would have worn anything to make her happy." Such is the case at countless weddings. Bridesmaids are stuck in matching dresses that they will likely never wear again. Some say that brides choose less-than-attractive dresses for her attendants to keep everyone's attention on her. Whatever the case, there are plenty of women with bridesmaid-dress horror stories.  Check out some ugly bridesmaid dresses and pretty alternatives » Kimberlee Norbury of Orland, California, was aghast at the bridesmaid dress her cousin chose for her saloon-themed wedding in July 2006. Norbury and three other bridesmaids were asked to wear "saloon girl" dresses purchased at a nearby costume shop. The dresses, complete with lace garters and corset tops, were so short that some of the bridesmaids added fabric to make them longer. Even with the additional fabric, Norbury walked down the aisle with her bouquet strategically placed in front of her. "Everyone knew what I was doing," she said. "I can laugh now, but I was so horrified." As soon as the wedding ended, Norbury changed out of the dress. "I was running for my clothes as fast as I could." "Afterwards I did explain that I loved her very much," she said. "That's the only reason I wore that." Freedom of choice Chandi Brooks knows how expensive bridesmaid dresses can be. She's been in five weddings -- as a bridesmaid three times and the maid of honor twice -- and has never worn any of the dresses again. According to Conde Nast Bridal Media's American Wedding Study, the average price of a bridesmaid dress in 2005 was $138.20. "It's money down the drain most of the time," Brooks said. That's why she decided to let her bridal party choose their own dresses for her June 2007 wedding. Brooks' attendants picked black dresses that ranged from $20 to $100. The bridesmaids, all different sizes and ages, were pleased and so was the bride. "I didn't have to shop around and didn't have to hear any griping. Everyone was happy," said Brooks. Other brides also are giving their attendants the freedom of choice. Celia Stangerone of Windsor, Connecticut, asked her bridesmaids to pick tea-length lavender dresses. The length and color were the only restrictions she placed -- the shade of lavender, style of dress and type of shoe were up to each individual bridesmaid. Stangarone said she's close to her bridesmaids, which factored into her decision to let them choose their own dresses. "I knew the type of personalities I was dealing with and I also knew that they were all different sizes and shapes," she said. "I had to let them pick whatever style they felt beautiful in." The final result was perfect, Stangarone said. Her bridesmaids chose dresses in varying shades of lavender that complimented each attendant's body type and skin tone. "They all looked beautiful and were all really happy," she said.  iReport.com: See the bridesmaids' lavender dresses Keeping bridesmaids happy Many of those who lived through their own

What did Kimberlee Norbury wear to the wedding?

Where did Norbury wear a saloon girl dress?

What for some brides allow bridesmaids do?

Answer: "saloon girl" dresses purchased at a nearby costume shop.

Answer: saloon-themed wedding

Answer: choose less-than-attractive dresses for her attendants to keep everyone's attention on her.

Answer: "saloon girl" dresses

Answer: See the bridesmaids' lavender dresses

Answer: choose their own dresses

Summary:
iReporters shared horror stories of having to wear ugly bridesmaid dresses .
Kimberlee Norbury wore a "saloon girl" dress for her cousin's theme wedding .
Some brides are letting their attendants choose their own dresses .
iReport.com: See bridesmaids' photos and stories, and share your own .


(CNN) -- When Maggie Sorrells looks at her husband, Andy, she doesn't see the man she married. In fact, most days, she doesn't even recognize herself. Maggie and Andy Sorrells weighed 440 pounds and 505 pounds, respectively, at their heaviest. Before the Franklin, Tennessee, couple met online, both had endured lifelong struggles with weight and emotional overeating. Together, they had a combined weight of nearly 1,000 pounds. Maggie, who had a family history of heart disease and diabetes, had been warned by her doctor at the age of 27 that she wouldn't live to see 30. But her real moment of truth came when she visited her mother in the hospital. "The biggest shock of my entire life was stepping on a hospital scale and realizing I weighed 440 pounds," she recalls. Until that moment, Maggie says she never knew how much she weighed, because she was too heavy to register on a household scale. Andy, like Maggie, tried countless diets but failed to keep the weight off. At his heaviest, he was 505 pounds and had to have most of his size 64 clothing made by his mother to fit his 6-foot-3-inch frame.  See before-and-after photos of CNN.com I-Reporters »  Obesity took an emotional and physical toll on the couple. Andy says people constantly teased him about his weight and he eventually withdrew. He battled depression and took anti-depressants for seven years. Maggie, on the other hand, tried to conceal her misery by making other people laugh. "I was so depressed and so miserable. I was always the funny fat girl, but on the inside I was miserable," recalls Maggie. "It held me back in many ways and I started to accept it as being genetic and felt this was just the way I was going to be." Though she never let her obesity keep her from traveling or socializing, it had affected her quality of life. Maggie had to use a seatbelt extension on airplanes and was once asked to get off a roller-coaster at an amusement park. In August 2002, the couple was married and they soon made a decision that would forever change their lives. Before getting married, a friend introduced Maggie to The Weigh Down Workshop, a faith-based weight loss program, which teaches people to conquer their addiction to food, as well as other substances and vices, by turning to God. Maggie says she was never consistent or committed enough to stick with the program. But shortly after their wedding, the couple started packing on the pounds and while Andy tried another diet, Maggie gave Weigh Down another try. "At the end of 2002 and the beginning of 2003, I called Weigh Down and started taking the classes," says Maggie. "My whole life, I had always wanted somebody to [lose weight] with me. But I knew if I wanted it bad enough, I would have to do it alone." She began to lose weight. "I ate whatever I craved, but only when I was truly hungry and then I ate a lot more slowly, so I could tell when to stop," Maggie says. In February 2003, after seeing his wife's results, Andy stopped counting calories, gave up the low-fat foods and reduced his portion sizes. Fifteen months later, he had lost 257 pounds. "Once I started this program, it changed my outlook on my entire life. I realized that being happy is a choice. I can either be filled with hate and despair or I can be happy," says Andy, who realized he no longer needed the anti-depressants. Maggie's weight loss was more gradual. Shortly after starting the program, Maggie became pregnant with the couple's first child. Sadly, she lost the baby when she was seven months pregnant. "Many of our family members were afraid that we would turn back to food after we lost our first daughter, since we had turned to food to solve our

What type of program helped the Sorrells lose 580 pounds?

What was the combined weight of Maggie and Andy Sorrells?

Before what age was Maggie was expected to die?

How many pounds did Maggie and Andy Sorrells combined, approximately weigh?

What age was Maggie Sorrell not expected to reach?

Answer: The Weigh Down Workshop,

Answer: at the age of 27 that she wouldn't live to see 30.

Answer: nearly 1,000 pounds.

Answer: 30.

Answer: nearly 1,000

Answer: 30.

Summary:
Maggie and Andy Sorrells once had a combined weight of nearly 1,000 pounds .
Doctors warned Maggie that she wouldn't live to the age of 30 .
A faith-based program and portion control helped them shed 580 pounds .


(CNN) -- When Michele Maro became captivated by "The Lord of the Rings" movies, she never imagined she would one day be walking around in the Shire, touring Hobbiton and peeking into hobbit holes. Fans of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy can tour a New Zealand farm that was used as the setting for Hobbiton. Those are all fictional places, but fans can visit the closest thing possible in New Zealand, where the trilogy was filmed and where specially designed tours will take visitors to some of the stunning locations featured in the movies. Maro, who lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, spent two weeks in New Zealand in 2003 being guided around forests, national parks and farms, exploring sites that she didn't think were real when she first saw them on the big screen. "The scenery was so pretty that I thought it had to be computer-generated," Maro said. But the place that moved her most was a serene sheep farm in Matamata, New Zealand, where filmmakers brought to life author J.R.R. Tolkien's vision of Hobbiton, the hobbit village where Frodo Baggins lives, complete with hobbit holes peeking out of hill sides. "I just stood there and cried. It was like, 'I can't believe I'm actually here,' " Maro said. "I loved the movie so much, and to actually be there where they filmed that, it overwhelmed me."  See iReporters' film location photos » Sing along with 'The Sound of Music' Such passion has prompted tour operators all over the world to take fans to sites that have served as settings for blockbusters on the big and small screens. They can be legendary places recognized on their own or seemingly mundane restaurants, houses and street corners that become instantly recognizable when put in the context of a favorite movie or TV show. In London, England, you can visit locations used in movies such as "Bridget Jones's Diary" and "Four Weddings and a Funeral." When in Rome, Italy, world-famous landmarks like the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum will make you feel as if you've stepped right into "Roman Holiday" and "La Dolce Vita." Tours highlighting sites used during the filming of "The Sound of Music" have many visitors singing with joy in Salzburg, Austria. "The buses were packed. It seemed to be very popular," said Kelly Van Baren, a sales manager who lives in suburban Chicago, Illinois. She and her sister watched the musical over and over while growing up, she recalled, and when they visited Munich, Germany, in the fall of 2007, they made a special one-hour train trip to Salzburg just to take one of the tours. It turned out to be an adventure in itself. A convoy of three huge buses with scenes from the film painted on their sides shuttled mostly American tourists to various sites, including the church where the main characters were married and a gazebo featured during some of the musical numbers, Van Baren recalled. Her favorite site was a majestic palace used as the von Trapp family home in some of the exterior shots. The movie was played on the bus during the tour, and the sightseers were encouraged to sing along, prompting Van Baren to wonder what the locals must think of the visitors. "It was just hilarious, these three giant buses full of Americans driving around the countryside. It wasn't a proud moment, but it was fun," Van Baren said. Big Apple lures fans Movie and TV fans who want to stay closer to home to explore famous locations have plenty of movie tours to choose from in the United States. New York, which has served as the backdrop for countless films and television shows, offers a wide variety of sites. Seeing them in person for the first time can be shocking, tour operators say. "Guests are definitely surprised by the appearance of the locations," said Pauline Gacanja, public relations and marketing assistant for On Location Tours. "On TV,

Which fans flock to New Zealand to the site where the movie was filmed?

What are the visitors of "The Sound of Music" doing?

In what countries are the tours located?

What kind of places do you visit on the Tour?

Answer: of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy

Answer: Matamata, New Zealand,

Answer: singing with joy

Answer: sites that have served as settings for blockbusters on the big and small screens.

Answer: New York,

Answer: New Zealand

Answer: some of the stunning locations featured in the movies.

Answer: some of the stunning locations featured in the movies.

Summary:
Tours take fans to sites that have served as settings for movies and TV shows .
"Lord of the Rings" fans flock to New Zealand, where the trilogy was filmed .
"The Sound of Music" tours have visitors singing with joy in Salzburg, Austria .
Popular tours in New York take fans to "Sex and the City," "Sopranos" locations .


(CNN) -- When Navy snipers rescued an American cargo-ship captain last month from Somali pirates, it sounded like something from a movie. This shooting game by Games2Win.com lets players try to rescue a ship captain from Somali pirates. But in today's instant-gratification culture, there's no need to wait for Hollywood to re-enact that dramatic high-seas story. Video game developers are already on the case. Online gaming site Games2Win launched "Saving Captain Phillips," a simple, two-dimensional shooting game, within nine days of the actual rescue. Not to be outdone, Kuma Games followed soon afterwards with "Somali Showdown: Pirates on the High Seas," a PC multiplayer action game that puts players in the middle of a pirate attack on a cargo ship -- and even lets them become one of the pirates. These are just several of many online and cell-phone games based on recent news events. "Hero on the Hudson," a primitive Flash game, lets people pretend they're pilot Chesley Sullenberger and navigate a plummeting airliner to a safe water landing. A successful attempt brings applause, while a botched landing results in a sinking plane, accompanied by ominous gurgling sounds. "Baseball Juiced," launched last month with a social message and already played 1.4 million times online, forces batters to pick between using steroids or working out in a gym. In "Swinefighter," gamers seek to save the world from the spread of swine flu. And "Trillion Dollar Bailout" lets players try to boost the economy by awarding government cash to shady corporate fat-cats or struggling homeowners (well, duh). Such topical, and satirical, games speak to our need for a light-hearted break from serious news, said DigitalTrends.com publisher Scott Steinberg. "So many events in the news are devastating," he said. "These games are a fun escape. They're good for a laugh, and nobody gets hurt -- unlike in the real world." The idea to publish games based on news events was inspired in part by the success of viral videos such as JibJab's "This Land," an animated online parody that became an instant sensation during the 2004 presidential election season, said David Williams, who heads up the Nickelodeon Kids and Family Games Group. "It went around the world like wildfire," said Williams, whose group runs Addicting Games, a teen gaming site that he said had 11.7 million unique users last month. The success of "This Land" signaled that people who got a kick from watching a topical video spoof online might just as easily spend a few minutes playing a similar game. Some early examples included "Cheney's Fury," inspired by the former U.S. vice president's 2006 hunting mishap, and the "Zidane Head Butt Game," which invited players to relive the startling 2006 World Cup moment in which French soccer player Zinedine Zidane went after an Italian player head first. As several global leaders have discovered, almost any embarrassing episode can be turned into a video game. Last December's incident at a Baghdad news conference, at which an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at then-U.S. President George W. Bush, inspired several games. Out of the United Kingdom came one hastily-published version, "Sock and Awe," which encouraged players to throw shoes at Bush. As of this week, sockandawe.com reports that more than 94 million virtual size-10 shoes have walloped the former leader of the free world. And as if viral videos of his dozing off at a Group of Seven news conference in February weren't embarrassing enough, former Japanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa soon had a game to remind him of his slumber blunder. Translated by a spokesman for the Japanese developer LiveWare Inc. as "Doze off while answering question!," the Flash game for mobile phones challenges players to keep the minister awake long enough to answer reporters. Gamers win points by having Nakagawa answer journalists' questions on time, but the game ends if the minister falls asleep while being asked a question. More recently, Cellufun, a

What type of games are developers creating?

Answer: Games2Win

Answer: "Saving Captain Phillips,"

Answer: two-dimensional shooting

Answer: Games2Win.com

Summary:
Developers are creating online and cell phone games inspired by real news events .
Gamers can land a plane on the Hudson or build a Madoff-like investment scheme .
Many are primitive, two-dimensional Flash games that don't hold long-term interest .
One controversial game, "Six Days in Fallujah," was yanked by its publisher .


(CNN) -- When Neil Armstrong took one small step onto the moon in 1969, it seemed only a matter of time before the advent of thriving space colonies and summer vacations on distant planets. But after an initial flurry of moon landings, manned lunar expeditions dwindled: the last time an astronaut left his footprints on the moon was in 1972. Plants such as lettuce, peppers and tomatoes will be on the menu at Moon Base One. Then, in January 2004, President Bush announced NASA's intention to return humans to the moon by 2020, and in 2006, NASA announced plans to set up a manned lunar outpost by 2024, with the European and Russian Space Agencies now planning bases of their own. After years in limbo, the dream of living in space is alive once more. Sustaining long-term space habitation presents space agencies with a whole new set of technological and logistical challenges. Currently, the International Space Station supports three astronauts in a low Earth orbit, with food supplied periodically by space shuttle. But, just as home cooking is cheaper than getting takeout, when it comes to more permanent settlements, this kind of supply voyages would be prohibitively expensive: we will need to grow our own food in space. Raymond Wheeler, a plant physiologist at Kennedy Space Center, explained to CNN, "In the near term it's not needed, for example on the space station and initial short sorties to the moon, but as you go further and stay longer, regenerative systems become much more cost effective." Wheeler sees this development of space farming as a gradual process in which space outposts become increasingly self-sufficient. "It would probably be evolutionary," he said. "The first human missions to Mars might set out with everything stowed, but they might set up the beginnings of an in-situ production system -- maybe a plant chamber -- that you could use to grow perishable foods. You wouldn't be providing everything, but in subsequent missions if you returned there you could expand the infrastructure." Of course, this means growing plants in conditions very different from those on Earth. Yet research has shown that plants are surprisingly adaptable. For example, while plants normally use gravity to direct the growth of their stems and roots, in low gravity conditions they can use light to orient themselves. And research suggests that plants can grow well even at very low atmospheric pressures. That reduces the leakage of oxygen and carbon dioxide from their growth chamber out into space, but crucially, it also reduces the structural requirements of a "space greenhouse," meaning less construction material needs to be shipped into orbit. Nor is the absence of soil a problem. Many supermarket vegetables are already grown hydroponically in nutrient-enriched water, and research indicates this technique could work well in space. Some have even suggested the loose rock regolith on the surface of the moon or Mars as a growing medium, although additional minerals would need to be brought from Earth. So what's on the menu at Moon Base One? Well, initial crops would need to be small in stature and grow well in controlled environments with artificial light. Plants such as peppers and tomatoes are already extensively grown hydroponically, while lettuce, with its short lifecycle, would yield fast returns for pioneering space colonists. But again, Wheeler sees the choice of crops as part of an evolutionary process. He tells CNN, "The first things you might grow would be perishable foods -- maybe vegetables or fruits -- things that don't keep very well if you're on a journey to Mars. Even though you're not providing a lot of calories, these things could have a strong impact in terms of adding color, flavor and texture to the diet." "The other reason for considering freshly consumed foods on early missions is that they don't require any processing," he continued. "If you were to grow grains, like wheat, you'd have to thresh the seed out of the head, then clean it and mill it to make flour. Staple crops like wheat, soy bean, rice and potato -- things that would

What will long-term space habitation require?

When does NASA plan to have a lunar outpost?

What will long-tem space habitation require?

Answer: grow our own food

Answer: by 2024,

Answer: set up a manned lunar outpost

Answer: need to grow our own food in

Summary:
NASA plans lunar outpost by 2024 .
Long-term space habitation will require space farming .
CEAC and SMC working on prototype Mars Inflatable Greenhouse .
Greenhouse could provide food, oxygen and recycle water .


(CNN) -- When Nelson Mandela stepped out of South Africa's Victor Verster prison a free man 20 years ago Thursday, he was his country's most famous freedom fighter.

Black South Africans and other opponents of apartheid lined streets to see him when he was released, cheering wildly and waving flags. He was a hero, imprisoned for 27 years for the crime of opposing a government that sought to enforce severe segregation laws with brutality.

Once free, Mandela worked with South Africa's white president, F.W. de Klerk to end those policies, knocking down the pillars of segregation one at a time. Three years after his release from prison, Mandela and de Klerk shared the Nobel Peace Prize.

The African National Congress -- once again legal after being banned in 1961 -- elected Mandela as its president, and he won South Africa's presidential election in a landslide in 1994, the country's first black president.

"We dedicate this day to all the heroes and heroines in this country and the rest of the world who sacrificed in many ways and surrendered their lives so that we could be free," he said in his inauguration speech. "Their dreams have become reality. Freedom is their reward. We are both humbled and elevated by the honor and privilege that you, the people of South Africa, have bestowed on us, as the first President of a united, democratic, non-racial and non-sexist government."

And he kept his promise to serve but one term.

Already in prison when convicted of treason in 1964 and given a life sentence, Mandela was a living symbol of the struggle against South Africa's racist apartheid system enacted when he was 30 years old.

But the African National Congress leader fought for justice long before the National Party's 1948 election and subsequent introduction of apartheid. And in his last public words before he was whisked off to jail, Mandela spoke of his own dream.

"I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination," he said. "I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony, and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for, and to see realized. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

Rolihlahla Mandela was always meant for great things, but his name -- it means "pulling the branch of a tree" or, colloquially "troublemaker," in the Xhosa language -- foreshadowed how that greatness would manifest.

Born into a Thembu royal family -- but the wrong branch to be considered in line for the throne -- Mandela was the first of his family to attend school, where a teacher gave him the name "Nelson." He even went to college but was tossed out at the end of his first year for protesting school policies. And he ran away to Johannesburg, where he finished college and began law studies, to escape an arranged marriage.

But 1948 focused Mandela's life like nothing before. First organizing non-violent resistance to apartheid policies, Mandela and his ANC cohorts were nevertheless hounded -- arrested, beaten, followed, spied upon -- by the government. When the ANC was formally banned in 1961, the group realized that non-violence wasn't working.

"It was only when all else had failed, when all channels of peaceful protest had been barred to us, that the decision was made to embark on violent forms of political struggle," he said in court. " ... the government had left us no other choice."

Prior to his imprisonment, Mandela was anything but a free man, traveling incognito, organizing the business of the African National Congress without having to bring its members together in one place where they would be vulnerable to government action, spending days and weeks away from his family.

Even before his release, Mandela had moved beyond freedom fighter to statesman, a position he still holds despite retiring from public life in 2004 to spend more time with his family. He spoke out for democracy, human rights

What was Mandela the first in his family to do?

Who did Mandela share his Nobel Peace Prize with?

Who was the frist of his family to attend school?

Answer: opposing a government

Answer: the crime of opposing a government that sought to enforce severe segregation laws with brutality.

Answer: attend school,

Answer: de Klerk

Answer: Mandela

Answer: his country's most famous freedom fighter.

Summary:
Mandela was convicted of treason in 1964, given a life sentence .
Mandela, de Klerk shared Nobel Peace Prize .
Mandela once said violent political struggle became rule after nonviolence failed .
Mandela was the first of his family to attend school .


(CNN) -- When Piers Morgan pointed out that "Vicious" Victor Ortiz will be "facing a guy that has beaten just about everyone that's come in front of him," the boxing champ told the CNN host, "Fear doesn't even exist in my dictionary anymore. It was one of those things where my upbringing alone got rid of all that."

Morgan was referring to Ortiz's upcoming September 17 bout with "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather. Ortiz and his mentor, boxing great Oscar de la Hoya, are guests on Wednesday's "Piers Morgan Tonight."

Abandoned by his mother at the age of 8, Ortiz was left to essentially raise his younger brother when his father walked out of the family's Kansas home four years later.

"It was my brother and I just roaming around like two strays, you know," said Ortiz.

Ortiz took care of his brother, who is two years younger, day in and day out and even put him through college.

"He and I had each other's back usually," said Ortiz. "Like, you know, like two brothers would."

Interestingly enough, once Ortiz became famous, his parents did not seek him out.

"I actually went out of my way to find both of my parents," said Ortiz, who told Morgan that he traveled to Kansas and "asked around everywhere," in order to track down his dad.

When he finally found the elder Ortiz, the World Boxing Council Welterweight Champion of the World said that his father was still "very intimidating," and that he resisted the urge to ask the man why he'd abandoned his family.

"I was just like, 'Hey, Dad, you know what? I did your job and my brother and I grew up."

Morgan asked Ortiz, 24, if he feels that his opponent holds a psychological advantage over him. Mayweather has won 10 world titles and is undefeated as a professional boxer. Mayweather, however, hasn't stepped in the ring in over a year, while Ortiz has fought five fights in that time.

"I'm not really sure how the balance lies," answered Ortiz. "But that's one thing that I'm willing to put aside, because I want the best pound for pound, Floyd Mayweather to arrive, September the 17th, across the ring from me."

Morgan asked 10-time world champion and Olympic medalist Oscar de la Hoya, who was defeated by Mayweather in 2007, what kind of man Mayweather is to fight.

"He is a great fighter," said de la Hoya. "He is the best pound for pound fighter in the world today. He is great for the sport. He has done great things for boxing. And, you know, on September 17th, Victor is going to face the best. And, you know, there's no excuses whatsoever.

"But when I fought him, I mean you can say that I was over the hill. I was an old 35 years old when I faced him. He beat me, yes, hands down. There's no doubt about that. I congratulate him."

De la Hoya alluded to the possibility of Mayweather, who at 34 is 10 years Ortiz's senior, passing the torch on to Ortiz, who de la Hoya believes "will be one of the greats."

Does de la Hoya believe he'd beat Ortiz if the pair got into the ring today?

"Let me put it this way," de la Hoya told Morgan. "If I was at my prime and -- and Victor is at his prime -- it would be one hell of a fight, that's for sure. Maybe a draw."

Watch Piers Morgan Tonight weeknights 9 p.m. ET. For the latest from Piers Morgan click here.

The fight is between Victor Ortiz and who else?

Victor Ortiz and Floyd Mayweather face each other in the ring when?

Answer: Floyd Mayweather.

Answer: September 17

Summary:
Victor Ortiz and Floyd Mayweather face each other in the ring on September 17 .
The bout will air on HBO Pay-Per-View live from the MGM in Las Vegas .
Boxing legend Oscar de la Hoya is Ortiz's mentor .
Mayweather stands undefeated as a professional boxer .


(CNN) -- When President Obama called for a world free of nuclear weapons in Prague, Czech Republic, this spring, many dismissed this part of his speech as idealistic rhetoric.

But the abolition of nuclear weapons is not an unrealistic fantasy. It is a practical necessity if the American people are to have a secure future. President Obama should use his Nobel speech this week to reaffirm his commitment to this essential and obtainable goal.

It is essential because a world armed with nuclear weapons is simply too dangerous for us to countenance. Since the end of the Cold War we have tended to act as though the threat of nuclear war had gone away. It hasn't. It is only our awareness of this danger that has faded. In fact, there are some 25,000 nuclear weapons in the world today; 95 percent of them are in the arsenals of the United States and Russia.

Just this past weekend, the START treaty limiting the number of U.S. and Russian warheads expired. Negotiators in Geneva, Switzerland, have not yet been able to work out the details of a follow-up treaty.

We must hope they will be able to agree to deep reductions. A recent study by Physicians for Social Responsibility showed that if only 300 of the weapons in the Russian arsenal attacked targets in American cities, 90 million people would die in the first half hour. A comparable U.S. attack on Russia would produce similar devastation.

Further, these attacks would destroy the entire economic, communications and transportation infrastructure on which the rest of the population depends for survival. In the ensuing months the vast majority of people who survived the initial attacks in both countries would die of disease, exposure and starvation.

The destruction of the United States and Russia would be only part of the story. An attack of this magnitude would lift millions of tons of soot and dust into the upper levels of the atmosphere, blocking out sunlight and dropping temperatures across the globe.

In fact, if the entire Russian and U.S. strategic arsenals were involved in the fighting, average surface temperature worldwide would fall 10 degrees Centigrade to levels not seen on Earth since the depth of the last ice age 18,000 years ago.

For three years there would not be a single day in the Northern Hemisphere free of frost. Agriculture would stop, ecosystems would collapse and many species, perhaps even our own, would become extinct. This is not just some theoretical scenario; it is a real and present danger.

On January 25, 1995, we came within minutes of nuclear war when Russian military radar mistook a Norwegian-U.S. scientific rocket for a possible attack on Moscow. President Yeltsin, a man reportedly suffering from alcoholism and other major medical problems, was notified and given five minutes to decide how to respond.

Then as now, both the United States and Russia maintained a policy of "launch on warning," authorizing the launch of nuclear missiles when an enemy attack is believed to be under way. We don't know exactly what happened in the Kremlin that morning, but someone decided not to launch Russian missiles and we did not have a nuclear war.

January 25, 1995, was five years after the end of the Cold War. There were no unusual crises anywhere in the world that day. It was a relatively good day in a time much less dangerous than our own. And we almost blew up the world. That was 15 years ago and the United States and Russia still maintain more than 2,000 warheads on high alert ready to be launched in 15 minutes and to destroy each other's cities 30 minutes later.

Nuclear weapons are the only military threat from which U.S. armed forces cannot protect us. It is urgently in our national security interest to eliminate these instruments of mass annihilation from the arsenals of potential adversaries. If we have to get rid of our own nuclear weapons to achieve this, it is a deal well worth making.

Make no mistake, the elimination of nuclear weapons is an attainable goal. These bombs are not some force of nature. They are the work of our hand. We built them and we can take them apart.

Halfand says 95 percent of nuclear weapons in the world are where?

Answer: in the arsenals of the United States and Russia.

Answer: had gone away. It hasn't.

Answer: nuclear weapons

Summary:
Ira Helfand: Abolishing nuclear weapons is not an unrealistic fantasy .
Helfand: Threat of nuclear war still real, still terrifying and did not go away with the Cold War .
Helfand: About 25,000 nuclear weapons in world; 95 percent in U.S. and Russia .
Helfand: Many important issues, but none as urgent as eliminating threat of nuclear war .


(CNN) -- When Saddam Hussein's elite Republican Guard invaded Kuwait in 1990, they brought back some unusual war booty to Baghdad: tapes of the region's "Sesame Street" show. Troops also took a Muppet camel. Haneen and Karim are two of the Muppet stars in "Shara'a Simsim," the Palestinian version of "Sesame Street." The camel, Cookie Monster and the other Sesame friends immediately became permanent POWs in Iraq. "To this day, they've never been recovered," Sesame Workshop President and CEO Gary Knell said. "That's how much the show is loved there." That "kidnapping" is just one example of Sesame Street's devoted global following. And Sesame is trying to use that following to foster a culture of understanding worldwide, beginning with children. In the Palestinian territories, Muppets teach nonviolence on a local version of Sesame Street called "Shara'a Simsim." Sesame Workshop calls this effort "Muppet diplomacy." "This means using our characters -- characters children love and parents trust -- to bridge some of the world's most intractable divides," Knell said. "Muppets give children, and the parents who watch the show with them, a chance to explore other cultures from the safety of their living room, where no one will criticize them for being curious." Daoud Kuttab, executive producer of "Shara'a Simsim," knows that the Muppets are highly effective communicators. "Anything the Muppets do, anything they say, any idea they transmit, the children accept."  Watch a clip from the Palestinian version of "Sesame Street" » An internationally respected Palestinian journalist, Kuttab began working with the show more than a decade ago. After covering the war-torn region for years, he realized that Sesame was a great way to reach Palestinian children who desperately needed an alternative to the harsh lessons they were absorbing. "I would say 3-, 4-, 5-year olds -- if we don't catch them at that early age, we do risk losing them to all kinds of propaganda, whether it's conservative, religious or fundamentalist," Kuttab said. Hamas television runs a weekly program for kids, that sometimes preaches violent resistance. "They have to be willing, prepared for the future. And that's why the Palestinians are showing seriousness," said Ahmed Yousef, a political leader in Hamas, the party in power in Gaza. "To keep our dignity and our independence, we have to sacrifice our life. We are either victorious, or we die for the good cause." With some funding from the U.S. State Department and guidance from the U.S. producers, Kuttab's team developed the Sesame program into something uniquely Palestinian, complete with live-action segments filmed in the West Bank and Gaza, a set that looks like a typical Palestinian street and Muppets named Haneen and Karim.  Watch Palestinian Americans trying to instill peace in society's youngest members » "We are interested in teaching tolerance, respect, pride in their own country and their own nation, and also in understanding that there are people who are different, and that's OK," Kuttab said. Worldwide influence Sesame's influential roots go back decades. The creators of "Sesame Street" launched the show in the 1960s to fill a gap in American education. Studies had presented compelling evidence that solid early education was vital for a child's later learning; still, public pre-kindergartens were scarce, and early education was rarely available to underprivileged children. Although it was designed to address an American need, Sesame Street had immediate global appeal. In the 1970s, German producers put their version of the show on air. Today, children in 120 countries watch some version of "Sesame Street." "When I saw [Sinn Fein leader] Gerry Adams wearing a Cookie Monster watch," Sesame Workshop's Knell said, "I knew we had made it in Northern Ireland." The program has always found fun and funny ways to teach reading and counting. But interspersed with those ABCs and 123s are lessons in cooperation,

on how many countries does the children watch sesame street?

What type of culture is Sesame Street trying to foster?

What are children in 120 countries watching some version of?

Sesame street is trying to use that following for what purpose?

"Shara's Simsim is the Palestinian version from what?

Answer: 120

Answer: 120

Answer: of understanding worldwide,

Answer: "Shara'a Simsim,"

Answer: "Sesame Street."

Answer: "Shara'a Simsim," the Palestinian version of "Sesame Street."

Answer: foster a culture of understanding worldwide, beginning with children.

Answer: "Sesame Street."

Summary:
Children in 120 countries watch some version of "Sesame Street"
Sesame is trying to use that following to foster a culture of understanding .
The Palestinian version is called "Shara'a Simsim"


(CNN) -- When Sen. John McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, announced that her 17-year-old unmarried daughter was pregnant, the news prompted a big response from the iReport.com community. iReporter Darla Jones, who had a child at a young age, said she sympathizes with the Palin family. Palin revealed Monday that her daughter Bristol is pregnant and plans to marry the father. The announcement followed Internet rumors that Sarah Palin's 4-month-old baby was actually Bristol's. iReport.com users posted dozens of stories and hundreds of comments in response to the news. Many iReporters said that the issue is a personal matter, while others believed that the pregnancy deserves public attention. Republican presidential candidate McCain was aware of Bristol's pregnancy before he chose Palin as his running mate, a top adviser to the Arizona senator said. Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama said that families should be off-limits in presidential campaigns after learning of the news. "Let me be as clear as possible," Obama said. "I think people's families are off-limits, and people's children are especially off-limits." iReporter Darla Jones of Roseburg, Oregon, who supports McCain, agrees that the media and public should leave Bristol and the Palin family alone. iReport.com: Were you married at a young age? "I had a daughter very young," Jones wrote on iReport.com, explaining that being a young mother made it difficult to get jobs and complete her education. "This should not affect the presidency in any way." Sabrina Lee also had a child at a young age, but believes that the news of Bristol Palin's pregnancy merits attention. "Personally, I have a right to know anything and everything about the next president and vice president," she wrote on iReport.com. "I want to know the truth," Lee said. "I feel as a voter I have the right to know everything about each nominee. This is just my opinion, but it's also my vote and it's precious." The Laveen, Arizona, resident said that she plans to vote for Obama. Although Lee said she was previously undecided, she decided to vote for Obama after McCain announced his running mate. "Family values are a Republican platform," she said, describing the news of Bristol's pregnancy as "a travesty." Alicia Summers of El Mirage, Arizona, agrees that the vice presidential candidate and her family deserve scrutiny. "Did Palin really think she could come into a race at the 23rd hour and not be subjected to questions?" she asked. iReport.com: See, share your thoughts on Sarah Palin Summers, an Obama supporter, noted, "the press only has two months to find out info about you that they took years to get on everyone else." She suggested that Palin drop out of the race out of respect for the privacy of her family. Graduate student Kristine Phillips also believes that Palin should withdraw. "An unmarried 17-year-old pregnant daughter is not consistent with conservative principles," she wrote on iReport.com. Phillips, who describes herself as politically moderate, said conservatives' support of Palin is "absolutely hypocritical." "While I understand that Palin's role as a mother may or may not be debated here for the political sphere, this situation does call into question some of her policies during her role as governor and her character as a person," Phillips said. iReport.com: Read more from Phillips Mark Swiger of Jonesboro, Georgia, urged iReporters to "be professional and ethical by not bringing Sarah Palin's teenage daughter into politics." Swiger cited Obama and senior McCain adviser Steve Schmidt, who both asked the media and public to leave politicians' children out of the spotlight. Swiger, who is leaning toward McCain, said he usually votes based on moral issues. He believes that Bristol's pregnancy should have no bearing on her mother's political career. "This is a moral line of decency that must not be crossed by Democrats, Republicans or human beings,

where Darla Jones sympathizes with the Palin family?

What is Sarah Palin's  daughter's condition?

Answer: Darla Jones,

Answer: the

Answer: pregnant,

Answer: unmarried daughter was pregnant,

Answer: Bristol

Summary:
iReporters react to news that Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter is pregnant .
Sabrina Lee questions McCain's judgment in picking Palin .
Darla Jones sympathizes with the Palin family .
iReport.com: Share your thoughts on McCain's running mate .


(CNN) -- When Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced he would be pushing for a public option in the final health care bill, it looked as if he had given up on the possibility of a bipartisan agreement.

Most Republicans have been steadfast in their opposition to the Democratic health care proposals. The only serious possibility for GOP backing has come from Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine. While expressing support for much of the Senate Finance Committee bill, she has said she would accept a public option only if private markets and new regulations fail to control costs and lower premiums.

Reid's decision is not a sign of commitment to an ideal but rather an act of political realism. The notion that either party will be able to find substantive bipartisan support for legislation today is dubious. The political forces that generate partisan conflict in Washington are deeply rooted and hard to change.

Partisanship is not always a bad thing for politics. Strong parties can give voters real choices at the ballot box, and party leaders are willing to push for bold objectives that centrists often avoid.

But bipartisanship is also a valuable objective, and good to have as part of our political mix. When both parties are open to sometimes entering into negotiations and reaching agreements, this improves the chances for major policy breakthroughs that will last over time.

When Americans see that their leaders are willing, under the right circumstances, to focus on doing what the country needs even if the other side might receive more credit, citizens are exposed to a side of government that is usually overshadowed by the political machinations that dominate the news.

But the pressures against bipartisanship are enormous. Gerrymandered congressional districts favor representatives who play to the party base. The number of centrists in both parties has steadily diminished. The campaign finance system empowers party leaders and conservative activists who are able to raise and distribute substantial amounts of campaign funds to pay for television ads and get-out-the-vote operations.

Within the GOP, their power was recently on display in New York's 23rd district. Conservatives pressured centrist Republican Dede Scozzafava to step down from the special election to clear the way for Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman, who has received the strong support of national conservative groups.

"Doug's campaign," Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele announced, "will receive the financial backing of the RNC and get-out-the-vote efforts to defeat Bill Owens on Tuesday."

In the Senate, the constant threat of the filibuster offers the minority party an easy way to thwart the agenda. The media favors stories about conflict over consensus.

People tend to be a nostalgic for moments when the two major parties worked together. In fact, this has rarely been the case.

But when there were periods with some bipartisanship in the 20th century, what is striking is how much more substantial they were. They involved significant numbers of legislators from one party joining forces with the other.

One of the most famous examples of bipartisan leadership involved Republican Sen. Arthur Vandenberg, who in 1947 and 1948 chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Vandenberg worked with President Harry Truman to pass some of the key policies of the Cold War, including the National Security Act, the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan.

Many Republicans disagreed with Vandenberg, focusing much more on attacking Truman. But Vandenberg still delivered Republican votes for that short period. During the Senate vote on the Marshall Plan in 1948, which provided economic assistance to help rebuild Western Europe, 31 Republicans joined 38 Democrats to vote for the bill.

The same held true with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. We often remember the important work of Republican Sen. Everett Dirksen, an Illinois conservative who joined forces with Johnson in the summer of 1964 to vote for cloture to end the filibuster by Southern Democrats. Dirksen was one of 27 Republicans who voted to end the filibuster and then to vote for civil rights.

Today, discussions of bipartisanship focus on obtaining one or two votes from the opposition party. This is a phenomenon we have seen intensifying since the 1970s. Republicans also had trouble obtaining Democratic votes under President George W. Bush.

What did bipartisanship once involve?
Who is giving up on bipartisanship?
What did Harry Reid give up on?

Answer: significant numbers of legislators from one party joining forces with the other.

Answer: Harry Reid

Answer: the possibility of a bipartisan agreement.

Summary:
Julian Zelizer says Harry Reid appeared to be giving up on bipartisanship .
He says Democrats are more focused on unity than on attracting GOP votes .
Bipartisanship once involved many legislators crossing party lines .
Today, Zelizer says, many forces make bipartisanship hard to achieve .


(CNN) -- When Tiffany Wilson noticed a small growth on her left hip, she didn't think much of it. Tiffany Wilson, 41, found a bump on her hip that she thought was a pimple. It turned out to be skin cancer. "It was bizarre," recalled the 41-year-old salon owner from Minneapolis, Minnesota. "I just thought it was a pimple." Wilson, who is African-American, can't say exactly what prompted her to point out the bump to her physician, but she said she remembered thinking the diagnosis wouldn't be anything serious. "It never occurred to me that it was skin cancer," she said. But it was. She had basal cell carcinoma, the most common skin cancer. Wilson spent long hours as a child in the summer sun at Lake Nokomis in Minnesota and went to the tanning bed before visiting relatives in the Caribbean, she said. She also said she never wore sunscreen. "Back then, I just don't think people were aware of the effects [of the sun]," she said. Those may seem like obvious red flags to people who are sun-conscious, but they were foreign concepts to Wilson, which is why her diagnosis came as a shock. "I just assumed, 'I'm a person of color, I'll be OK,' " she said. Dermatologists say they are concerned because skin cancer rates are increasing among minority groups in the United States. Like Wilson, many people of color often mistakenly believe skin cancer is not something they should be worried about. Pigmentation is no 'free pass' The reasoning is not completely far-fetched: Darker-skinned people do benefit from the protective effects of skin pigmentation. In fact, some studies suggest that for the darkest skin tones, pigmentation cells provide a natural sun protection factor, or SPF, of about 13. The problem is many dark-skinned people believe that means they are born with a natural immunity to skin cancer. "Pigmentation doesn't give you a free pass," said Dr. Charles E. Crutchfield III, a dermatologist specializing in ethnic skin and the doctor who treated Tiffany Wilson. "It doesn't matter what color your skin is, everyone can get skin cancer." Bob Marley, for example, died of malignant melanoma, the most lethal type of skin cancer, that spread to his lungs and brain. All types of skin cancer are increasing among blacks and Hispanics, and their melanomas are more often fatal because they are usually caught later, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Crutchfield pointed out that pigmentation may have sun-protective qualities but even for the darkest skin it falls short of the AAD's recommendation of a daily SPF of at least 15 for everyone. Crutchfield feels many ethnic groups are missing that key part of the message, if they are getting the message at all. Blog: How to pick the right sunscreen Researchers acknowledge that many of the messages regarding skin cancer prevention have traditionally targeted fair-skinned people, a group 10 times more likely to develop melanoma. Now, dermatologists say, more needs to be done to encourage all groups to take precautions against sun damage. A Consumer Reports survey found only 27 percent of people with self-described darker skin applied sunscreen when they were in the sun for four hours or more, compared with 64 percent of people with self-described light skin. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2009 there will be more than 1 million unreported cases of basal cell and squamous cell skin cancer -- most of them curable -- and that more than 68,000 cases of melanoma will be diagnosed. For melanoma, the key to a cure is early detection. That's why dermatologists caution everyone to be vigilant and learn the risks for their skin type. "Race is very important because not all skin is the same," said Dr. Susan Taylor of The Skin of Color Center, a dermatology group focusing on the needs of patients of color. According to Taylor, people with darker skin often

Who had an increased incidence of skin cancer?

Minorities believe what makes them immune to skin cancer?

Who have increased chances of skin cancer?

How many new cases of skin cancer are reported a year?

Who is at an increased chance of getting skin cancer?

In 2009, how many skin cancer cases were diagnosed?

Answer: minority groups in the United States.

Answer: Darker-skinned

Answer: minority groups in the United States.

Answer: skin

Answer: more than 68,000

Answer: fair-skinned people, a group 10 times more likely to develop melanoma.

Answer: 68,000

Summary:
Dermatologists report increased incidence of skin cancer among people of color .
Minorities often believe pigmentation makes them immune to skin cancer .
More than 1 million new cases of skin cancer are estimated in 2009 .
Every 62 minutes, one American dies of melanoma .


(CNN) -- When Tyra Smith's boyfriend, Chris Lewis, first suggested they be guinea pigs in a H1N1 vaccination study in August, she wasn't so crazy about the idea. But then she warmed to it: While she doesn't like needles, she thought she'd help out because she knew H1N1 was a serious virus. To cut your risk of catching a bug, doctors say wash your hands and avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes. "I heard people might die from it," Smith said. "So I think it's a good idea to help people, by being involved." Lewis and Smith, both from Baltimore, Maryland, were among the first Americans to receive H1N1 flu shots. As part of a trial of 2,400 people, they gave blood samples and kept diaries of their symptoms, all in an effort to get an H1N1 vaccine ready for the fall. Now that the results from this and other trials are in, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that the FDA has approved applications from four manufacturers to make H1N1 flu vaccine, which should be ready for high-risk patients by October 15. She said there will be enough vaccine available for everyone eventually. And that's just in time. With fall in the air and old man winter right around the corner, seasonal flu and the common cold are sure to follow -- and H1N1 is here; in its most recent H1N1 update, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 21 states are reporting widespread flu activity. This cold and flu season could star a cornucopia of viruses. Doctors say they worry the two flu strains (H1N1 and seasonal) could combine, further complicating the situation. Mix in colds, which are prevalent this time of year, and the immune system of Americans could be dealt a one-two punch. So, how can someone tell if those sniffles they're having is something to be concerned about? Infectious disease experts say people need to be aware of the symptoms. Dr. Shmuel Shoham, an infectious-disease specialist at Washington Hospital Center, says the common cold, seasonal flu and H1N1 are all respiratory illnesses, but they're caused by different viruses. Symptoms of the cold are more common, and can make the patient miserable for three to five days. A patient usually has a stuffy nose, congestion, some body aches and a growing cough. According to the CDC seasonal flu and H1N1 symptoms consist of fever, more painful body aches, dry cough, diarrhea and severe fatigue. It's hard, without testing, to tell apart the seasonal strain of flu from the H1N1 variety.  Watch more on cold, flu and H1N1 symptoms » "People need to take notice when they begin to feel bad. If they start to have respiratory problems, or are dehydrated because of a bug, they should go to the doctor. It could be H1N1 or seasonal influenza," says Shoham. "Some people with influenza can get very sick and could end up in the hospital if it's not taken care of." People at greatest risk for catching H1N1 include young people ages 6 months to 25 years, pregnant women, and people with chronic health conditions like asthma, diabetes or heart and lung disease. The CDC recommends that these groups -- as well as health care workers -- get vaccinated first. The seasonal influenza vaccination is especially important for people at high risk of serious flu complications, according to the CDC, including children ages 6 months to 18 years, people with immune system problems, women who plan on being pregnant during the flu season, those 50 years and older and health care workers. But if someone doesn't fall into these categories, it doesn't mean he or she should skip vaccinations altogether. Experts say everyone should get both flu shots. "It's the best way to protect yourself," Shoham says. Other than flu shots, are there other ways to stay healthy and avoid all of these bugs? Doctors say wash your hands and keep your fingers away from your mouth, nose and eyes

What are more severe than cold symptoms and include fever?

What are some symptoms related that you should see your doctor for?

Without what, a person can't tell seasonal flu from H1N1 flu?

Is there a way to tell the differnce between seasonal flu and H1N1?

What should you do if you are dehydrated or having repiratory problems?

What are the symptoms of H1N1 and seasonal flu?

Answer: H1N1

Answer: respiratory problems, or are dehydrated because of a bug,

Answer: testing,

Answer: symptoms consist of fever, more painful body aches, dry cough, diarrhea

Answer: go to the doctor.

Answer: fever, more painful body aches, dry cough, diarrhea

Summary:
Seasonal flu, H1N1 and common cold will all be around this flu season .
Without testing, a person can't tell seasonal flu from H1N1 flu .
The symptoms of both are more severe than cold symptoms and include fever .
Expert: If you are having respiratory problems or are dehydrated, see your doctor .


(CNN) -- When a film cast includes names like Ben Stiller, Robin Williams and Owen Wilson, a bit of improvisation on set is to be expected. Ben Stiller and the gang are back in "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian." "I think the movie is really only 25 percent scripted, maybe even less than that," said Shawn Levy, director of the new film "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," which boasts those comedic actors and several others. "It just so happens that the scenes that get some of the biggest laughs are the improvised scenes, so it feels like more than that, but we had a very good script and it's still very much there." The sequel to 2006's "Night at the Museum" welcomes back the trio and director as well as other original cast members, including British actor Ricky Gervais, while also adding fresh faces such as Hank Azaria (as a villainous pharaoh) and Amy Adams (as Amelia Earhart).  Watch the group laugh about the film » The new romp features Stiller's character, security guard Larry Daley, in action at the Smithsonian, where some of the pieces from the Museum of Natural History -- the setting for the original movie -- are now being housed. Story writer Robert Ben Garant said watching the actors take the script and run with it was painless. "It's always hard to watch bad actors improv on your skit," Garant said. "But when it's Ben Stiller and Jonah Hill and Hank, it's such a pleasure because it always starts with the idea of our script and sometimes they stick to the words, but most of the time they do stuff much, much funnier and weirder. It's really great to watch." Owen Wilson is back as Jedidiah the miniature cowboy, who is now being held hostage at the Smithsonian. Azaria turns up the mean as Kahmunrah, the bitter brother of the pharaoh from the last film. Azaria said he thoroughly enjoyed his turn as the film's resident bad guy. "When the villain is this ridiculous, it's fun," Azaria said. "When he actually has a sense of humor and self-awareness, and goes from frivolous to really mean bully." "In the end I had to be forced to do the mean stuff because I always wanted to do the silly stuff," he added. "But watching it ... I enjoyed the mean stuff the most. " Even with the good times on set, filming at the iconic Smithsonian was a monumental task, given that it wasn't always closed while the actors worked. Stiller said the crowds who watched the movie making magic were respectful and quiet during filming, often breaking into applause after a scene. "We weren't really doing much, it was just the best audience in the world," he said. "So it was sort of like doing a live show at the Smithsonian." Funny man Stiller even got to monkey around on set -- literally. In this film, there were two simians that took on the actor in a scene that found him getting the short end of the branch. "I basically get slapped by both of them, but I am not allowed to slap them back because of animal rights, so I have to slap a dummy or a tennis ball when they're off-screen," Stiller told the British newspaper, The Mirror. "It's a weird experience." Robin Williams, who is recovering from heart surgery, said he was excited to return as Theodore Roosevelt -- this time with a twist. "I got to play two versions of Teddy Roosevelt," Williams said. "One, the Teddy that was in the first movie and the other was kind of a brassy, bitchy Teddy and the one that's a bust of Teddy Roosevelt." With so many comics on board, it can't help but be a zany ride. Wilson said he believes those good times will translate to the audience

What new movie reunites cast and director?

When did the original night at the museum come out?

Who got intoa  slap fest with a pair of monkeys?

Which actor got into a slap fest with monkeys?

Answer: Ben Stiller

Answer: "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian."

Answer: "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian."

Answer: Ben Stiller, Robin Williams and Owen Wilson,

Answer: 2006's

Answer: Funny man Stiller

Answer: Stiller

Answer: 2006's

Summary:
"Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" reunites cast and director .
Director says cast improvised much of the film .
Movie is sequel to a 2006 film .
Ben Stiller got into a slap fest with a pair of monkeys .


(CNN) -- When an earthquake threatens to turn part of an ocean into fast-moving walls of water, tsunami warning scientists can do nothing for the first five minutes except wait for information. But within the next five minutes, they have to decide whether to issue a warning of danger. Brian Shiro has been a geophysicist at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center for four years. And you thought your job was high pressure. "If we see a set of circumstances and it fits into our criteria for [the] event, we just follow that criteria because we don't have much time to think. There isn't a lot of time for decision-making," said Paul Whitmore, director of the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center. "Weighing back there [in your mind] also is the effect of your decision. If the effect of your decision is going to evacuate the entire West Coast waterfront, you don't want to take that lightly," he said. With Tuesday's tragic tsunami that engulfed villages in Samoa and American Samoa, the pace of events was so frenetic that the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa Beach, Hawaii --which tracks earthquakes and tsunamis for countries throughout the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean and Caribbean Sea -- had already been alerted to the looming disaster by the time the seismometer evidence came in. "The National Weather Service director in American Samoa called the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center a few seconds before the alarms went off here, so we had an advanced warning and we were already sitting at the computer, looking at the data in real time," said Brian Shiro, a Pacific warning center geophysicist. It can take 30 seconds to five minutes for information from earthquake sensors placed strategically around the globe to roll into the two U.S. tsunami warning centers. When there's a clear tsunami threat, the center's operation room -- built to accommodate the two workers on duty -- becomes flooded with people all jostling to offer assistance. The phone lines consistently ring and "people are yelling at each other so everyone will be on the same page, and you don't miss something important that someone else caught," said Bill Knight, a West Coast and Alaska warning center scientist. Scientists must "locate the earthquake and then determine based on the science data whether there should be just a normal bulletin or whether there should be a warning," said Laura Kong, director of the International Tsunami Information Center. She added that it took the Pacific warning center 15 minutes to issue a warning for Tuesday's tsunami. This wasn't because the center's scientists were moving slowly, Shiro said, but a result of the sparse number of seismic stations in the Southwest Pacific region. The fewer stations there are, the longer it takes for scientists to receive adequate information. "There was no delay yesterday," he said. "You're only restricted by the earth itself and how fast the seismic waves can travel." As a result, workers at the two U.S. warning centers said they often have to make decisions based on incomplete information, erring on the side of caution by issuing a tsunami warning and canceling it later if more monitoring reveals a less dangerous situation. "It can be a lot of pressure at first, and you have to get used to that," Shiro said. "You do have a lot of responsibility on your shoulders: You have to act quickly and sometimes you have to issue your very first initial message based on incomplete information, because one of the important factors is time and you want to get it out." Since the catastrophic Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, the question of time has become more critical to tsunami warning scientists. The staff has doubled at the Pacific warning center, and when they're "on shift," they sleep in on-site housing, said spokeswoman Delores Clark. The warning centers have turned into 24/7 operations. Scientist Knight and director Whitmore at the West Coast and Alaska center said constantly being on call does not interrupt their personal lives; neither of them have kids at home.

Where are stations located
What area is affected

Answer: the Southwest Pacific region.

Answer: villages in Samoa and American Samoa,

Summary:
Time is always crucial when you work as a tsunami warning scientist .
A warning can be issued anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes after a threat is identified .
At the Pacific warning center, workers live on site for two days to monitor data .
After the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, warning centers operate around the clock .


(CNN) -- When an overwhelmed Shreve Stockton tweeted: "I need an assistant!" she considered it more of a joke than a serious request, because she couldn't pay a salary.

"I can't even offer room & board, only a camp trailer named the Psychedelic Jellybean & an unlimited supply of milk!" she tweeted last month.

Shreve is not a celebrity or executive requiring a personal assistant, but a published writer and photographer who lives in a log cabin on 40 acres in the rolling hills near Ten Sleep, Wyoming.

Her homestead includes a dog, tomcat, dairy cow, baby calf, young bull she's training to work like an ox, two horses and, of course, Charlie the coyote.

She feels overwhelmed with the daily care of all the animals. But she'd also like to share her home with visiting assistants because "it's becoming so rare in America to have the time and space and the openness of the rural landscape that is shrinking."

The only "luxury" she will be able to provide a starving artist is the time "to work on whatever they want art-wise" in their off time, without having the stress of coming up with money for rent or utilities.

Her ad was only posted for a day or two but drew around  100 responses -- with one person offering to pay her for the opportunity to be her assistant. She directed them to an application.

She shared a few of the forms with her boyfriend, Mike, a trapper with the Bureau of Land Management, who found all the applicants interesting and told her if he had to choose, he'd have to move into a tent so they could all move into his house.

The application also came with an unusual warning to all would-be helpers that there would be no petting, no face-to-face time and no "hanging out" with Charlie.

The wild-born Charlie earns his keep by allowing Shreve to take photos of his everyday activities and write about him in her book as well as on her blog -- both titled the Daily Coyote. She's raised him since he was 10 days old, after his parents were shot for attacking sheep.

Although he walks on a leash, co-exists with Eli the cat, plays with Chloe the dog and often visits inside Shreve's house, Charlie does not like strangers. So for everyone's safety, her new helper will not be visiting inside the electric fence that surrounds his territory.

But that's OK with self-taught artist Sarah Frary of Kentucky, who plans to move into the trailer and spend part of her days helping Shreve with household tasks such as cleaning milk pails and maintaining her Web site, and the rest of her time on her art.

Frary, 23,  expects the experience will have a "monumental" effect on her drawing, painting and screen printing. She describes her current drawings as "very primordial and ancient feeling," while her new boss calls them fantastic. Frary has already started blogging about her new life and plans to set off later this month.

She sought out the position because Shreve's "energy and everything about her just completely resonates and it's something I connect with." Shreve was a little concerned about sharing her space with a stranger, but said she felt "a kindredness" with the young woman, who has been working as an apprentice tattoo artist in Louisville, Kentucky.

Frary also performs "live art," which she describes as taking place in a theater during a concert or play with her perched near the edge of the stage, painting on a large scale that has her "throwing paint and finger painting -- getting crazy with it."

The work-exchange program will give Shreve more time to "concentrate on her next artistic endeavor." She has a few ideas percolating and hopes to decide on one "the day after my new help arrives."

Frary, a tattooed former military brat, feels her arrival won't go unnoticed, with her PT Cruiser covered in

who is the creator of DailyCoyote.net website?

Who created the DailyCoyote.net Web site?

Answer: Shreve Stockton

Answer: Sarah Frary

Answer: Shreve Stockton

Answer: Sarah Frary

Answer: into the trailer

Summary:
Author and photographer tweets in frustration and gets an artist as assistant .
Shreve Stockton is the creator of DailyCoyote.net Web site .
Kentucky artist Sarah Frary is headed to Wyoming to be her helper .


(CNN) -- When animal rights activist Jasmin Singer found herself face to face with a scientist who conducts animal testing, a cupcake was exchanged instead of harsh words.

"A good vegan cupcake has the power to transform everything for the better," Singer said. "It's almost like a political statement with icing."

Singer was co-hosting a vegan bake sale in New York last week as part of the second annual Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale. More than 120 groups across six continents are holding vegan bake sales from April 24 through May 2.

Bake sale participants see the sweet treats as a way to introduce those unfamiliar with a vegan diet to some of the flavorful foods they can eat.

While vegetarians stay away from meat but may consume dairy and eggs, vegans give up all animal products.

Some people become vegan for animal welfare reasons. Others view it as a way to reduce their carbon footprint. Still others choose the plant-based diet as part of a healthier lifestyle.

Ruxandra Costescu, of Bucharest, Romania, said most attendees at the bake sales she helped organize weren't vegan.

One person who showed up couldn't decide what he wanted, so he took one of everything, she said, adding that he came back later to buy more of his favorites for his family.

"It's really nice to have people who eat anything really appreciate the vegan treats," Costescu said. "Usually people are amazed that they're so tasty."

In Sydney, Australia, Amanda Salles was inspired to start regularly holding vegan bake sales after joining the first worldwide bake sale last year.

She has never gone to an animal rights rally, but she tries to make a difference by baking vegan desserts like gingerbread cookies.

"I know a lot of people probably think it's not enough or that you should be going to protests or demonstrations," she said. "But it's a good way to participate. It's not very aggressive."

Some approaches to vegan outreach are less subtle. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has had half-naked activists campaign against meat consumption by covering themselves in fake blood and lying in human-sized meat packages.

PETA's theatrics may seem a far cry from a bake sale, but the organization sees the sales and protests as means of reaching the same goal.

"Even if [people] don't like the medium that we're using to get things across, we really just try to make sure they understand why we're doing it," said PETA senior campaigner Ashley Byrne.

Gary Loewenthal, director of the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale, said he believes bake sales can be a nice change of pace for people used to more confrontational forms of activism.

"I liked it because it combined this time-honored, well-liked tradition with vegan outreach," he said.

He started planning last year's event from his home in Falls Church, Virginia, after brainstorming fundraising opportunities with Compassion for Animals, the animal advocacy group he helps run.

Loewenthal sent invitations to cities all over the world and soon generated a buzz online. In 2009, the event had close to 100 participants and raised more than $25,000.

Each group decides where to direct the proceeds of its own bake sale. While the money is not required to go to any specific type of organization, many opt to donate to nonprofit groups.

Two events in Seattle, Washington, last week raised $1,770 for Pigs Peace Sanctuary, where Edgar, a potbellied pig, is being treated for a broken leg.

Funds from a vegan bake sale in California on Sunday will benefit breast cancer research and education through the Avon Foundation. A group in Louisiana will send its proceeds to Food For Life, a vegan hunger-relief organization.

When Loewenthal started researching vegan bake sales in 2008, a Google search yielded few results. Now, he says, one can find at least a handful of them taking place in any given month.

In late January, more than 25 U.S. cities held vegan bake

What the activist animal rights says?
When does the sale run?
How many groups there are about?
What do the tasty treats not contain?
What are 120 groups selling?
On what date runs Vegan Bake Sale
What did animal rights activist say?
When does the bake sale run?

Answer: "A good vegan cupcake has the power to transform everything for the better,"

Answer: April 24 through May 2.

Answer: More than 120

Answer: animal products.

Answer: vegan bake sales

Answer: April 24 through May 2.

Answer: "A good vegan cupcake has the power to transform everything for the better,"

Answer: April 24 through May 2.

Summary:
Second annual Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale runs from April 24 to May 2 .
More than 120 groups worldwide selling tasty treats that contain no animal products .
Animal rights activist: "It's almost like a political statement with icing"