BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN)  -- Colombian police foiled a plot by Marxist guerrillas to assassinate the nation's defense minister, according to President Alvaro Uribe. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe says authorities foiled an assassination plot against the country's defense chief. Ten guerrillas dressed as police planned to infiltrate the family farm of Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos over Easter week and kill the official and his family, Uribe said Thursday on national television. The guerrillas, who belong to the FARC, the Spanish acronym for Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, were captured, Uribe said. Uribe thanked and congratulated federal authorities, saying, "This investigation had been proceeding for several months, and fortunately the National Police has dealt this well-placed blow." Police Director Oscar Naranjo said eight of the guerrillas were captured at a property near Santos' farm in the municipality of Anapoima, 54 miles (87 kilometers) from Bogota, the capital. Officials did not reveal where the other two guerillas were captured. The FARC, the largest and oldest guerrilla group in Colombia, has been waging war against the government since the 1960s. Security analysts have said the FARC has about 9,000 to 12,000 armed guerillas and several thousand supporters, mostly in rural areas. The guerrilla group operates mostly in Colombia but has carried out extortion, kidnappings and other activities in Venezuela, Panama and Ecuador, analysts said. The guerrilla group is known to pull off audacious operations, sometimes dressed as police, soldiers or other government officials. On April 11, 2002, a 20-member commando group dressed in police and military uniforms faked a bomb alert at the parliament building in Cali, Colombia's third-largest city. They tricked 12 congressmen into getting on a bus by telling them the military provided it for their safety. They then drove off, taking the congressmen into captivity. Eleven of those congressmen died in June 2007 during a shootout between military and the FARC. The sole surviving congressman, who was released in February, said the FARC shot the hostages when the soldiers approached.

how many guerrillas planned to kill santos family

Answer: Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos

Answer: Colombia

Answer: Ten

Answer: defense minister,

Answer: Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos

Answer: Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia,

Answer: Ten guerrillas

Answer: Defense Minister

Summary:
Plot was against Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos, president says .
Ten guerrillas planned to kill Santos' family, President Alvaro Uribe says .
Members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia were captured, Uribe says .


BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN)  -- Daniel Rendon Herrera, Colombia's most-wanted drug kingpin suspect, was arrested early Wednesday, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe announced at a news conference.

Police escort suspected drug kingpin Daniel Rendon Herrera, left, on Wednesday in Bogota, Colombia.

The government had offered $2.1 million, or 5 billion pesos, for information that would lead to the arrest of Rendon, also known as Don Mario. Officials said Wednesday that they will determine how that reward will be paid.

Rendon, who was captured in the Uraba region of northwestern Colombia, was transferred to the capital, Bogota, on Wednesday afternoon.

A live TV broadcast of his arrival at the Military Airport of Catam, on the outskirts of Bogota, showed a somber-looking Rendon being led off an airplane to a police van.

Rendon was wearing a two-toned, gray and blue shirt and gray pants, and his hands were bound in front of him with white plastic cuffs. The arrival was broadcast on CNN affiliate Caracol TV.

Uribe, whose news conference also was televised, said he learned of the arrest while meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The Colombian president called Rendon "one of the most feared narcotraffickers and criminals in the world."

The president's Web site also carried news of the arrest.

The United States had issued an extradition order for Rendon, whom 300 members of an elite police unit captured.

Thirty members of Rendon's gang were arrested with him, El Tiempo newspaper said on its Web site.

Authorities had been concentrating on Rendon's capture for the past nine months and moved undercover operatives into the area where he was hiding on April 6, Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said.

Authorities nearly captured Rendon twice in the past few months, but he escaped, Santos said at the military airport.

The suspect was found in the jungle, where he had been hiding for two days.

"He was virtually like a dog," Santos said.

Telephone intercepts, human intelligence and cooperation from the United States were crucial in Rendon's capture, El Tiempo newspaper said.

Santos also issued a message Wednesday to a cartel suspect he identified only as "El Cuchillo," the Knife.

"My message is that he give up, because he is next," Santos said. "We are getting close."

Rendon is the brother of the imprisoned Freddy Rendon Herrera, known as "El Aleman" (the German) for the efficiency with which he ran his drug operation.

How long has the suspect been hiding in the jungle?

how long has the suspect been hiding for

how many gang members have been arrested

Who is Colombia's most-wanted drug kingpin?

How many members of the gang were arrested?

What claim to fame does Daniel Rendon Herrera have?

Answer: two days.

Answer: in the jungle,

Answer: two days.

Answer: Thirty

Answer: Daniel Rendon Herrera,

Answer: Thirty members of Rendon's gang

Answer: Thirty

Answer: Colombia's most-wanted drug kingpin

Summary:
NEW: Suspect had been hiding in jungle for two days, defense chief says .
Daniel Rendon Herrera is Colombia's most-wanted drug kingpin suspect .
Rendon "one of the most feared narcotraffickers" in world, Colombian leader says .
Thirty members of gang also arrested, report says .


BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN)  -- Former hostage Sigifredo Lopez landed in the Colombian city of Palmira to a hero's welcome Thursday afternoon, free after nearly seven years of captivity by Marxist rebels in the jungle.

A Brazilian helicopter takes off Thursday from an airport in Palmira, Colombia, to pick up Sigifredo Lopez.

Lopez was met at the helicopter that ferried him to freedom by his wife and two sons, who cried openly and deeply as they hugged him. One son held his father's head in his hands and spoke to him fervently as he kissed his forehead.

Lopez's mother also hugged him before the freed hostage was swallowed by a mob of family members of other hostages who had died in captivity.

After hugging well-wishers for more than 20 minutes, Lopez climbed into a white Red Cross sport utility vehicle and drove off in a four-vehicle convoy.

The former regional legislator was abducted April 11, 2002, by rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, better known as FARC.

Lopez's release was the sixth unilateral one by the rebels in a week, but few of the kidnappings were as dramatic as the one in which Lopez and 11 other lawmakers were taken.

He is the only one of that group who remains alive.

A video taken by the FARC that day in April 2002 and released in late 2006 shows the first minutes of the bold kidnapping that led to his captivity.

The rebels had been training for months. At a FARC camp, they practiced in Colombian army and police uniforms and made mock-ups of the regional parliament in Cali with plastic tarps and sticks.

A rebel camera was rolling as the 20-strong commando group drove a bus to Cali, Colombia's third-largest city. Salsa music was blaring.  Watch the FARC footage of the dramatic abduction of Lopez and other lawmakers »

They were posing as government soldiers. Motorcycle outriders cleared the way.

Once they reached the parliament building, they faked a bomb alert.

The bus pulled out in front of the building, and the video shows people running from the perceived threat.

On the video, an unseen rebel is heard to say, "For the deputies, we have a special vehicle."

Twelve congressmen took their seats, believing the military was shepherding them to safety. Minutes passed, and one politician asked where they are headed.

A few minutes later, the muffled reply can be heard: "Ladies and gentlemen. We are the FARC."

Back in the mountains, the hostages were herded aboard a truck. Guerrillas waved and hugged as they celebrated their audacious mission.

In 2003, Lopez and some of the other hostages appeared in a proof-of-life video. One of his colleagues simply wrote, "Until when?" on his hand and held it up to camera.

Another, Jairo Hoyos, sent a prophetic plea to the president: "Mister President. Those who are about to die salute you."

Eleven of the congressmen were killed in captivity in June 2007. The FARC said they died in cross-fire during a military rescue mission. The Colombian army rejects that assertion.

When the bodies were recovered three months later, autopsies showed most had been shot multiple times in the back.

Lopez was the sole survivor. On Thursday night, he may be able to tell the rest of the world what happened that day.

FARC has released five other hostages in the past week. On Tuesday, Alan Jara, the former governor of Colombia's Meta state, arrived at the airport in Villavicencio, southeast of Bogota.

Four hostages -- three police officers and a soldier -- were released over the weekend.

Colombian Sen. Piedad Cordoba has brokered the releases with the help of the the International Committee of the Red Cross and a group called Colombians for Peace. Brazil also has helped, providing the aircraft used in the releases.

The FARC, the largest and oldest guerrilla group in Colombia, announced the releases December 21 and designated Cordoba as the coordinator. Some analysts see these releases as a first

Who is the only survivor of 12 lawmakers abducted in April?

Who is the sixth hostage to be freed by FARC this week?

Answer: Lopez

Answer: Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia,

Answer: Sigifredo Lopez

Answer: Eleven of the congressmen

Answer: Sigifredo Lopez

Answer: kidnapping

Summary:
NEW: Family greets Sigifredo Lopez, the sixth hostage to be freed by FARC this week .
Lopez is only survivor of 12 lawmakers who were abducted in April 2002 .
FARC filmed video of audacious mission to kidnap congressmen .
Eleven of congressmen were killed in captivity in June 2007 .


BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- "Easy money, fast and effective." Investors protest outside the headquarters of DMG, one of many companies accused of defrauding the public. That was the name of one of the businesses in which millions of Colombians deposited their life savings after being promised short-term returns of as much as 150 percent. But government officials say the businesses were pyramid schemes that raked in at least $200 million from 3 million people. The government has said it knows who most of those responsible are, but they have escaped. The government is tracking them down. Sergio Munoz is among those who lost their savings. "That was for my children," he said. "Now, it comes to light that they have robbed us. It was with complicity of the authorities who permit this -- knowing that it is illegal for it to be permitted." The government says the businesses defrauded the public by offering false promises of a sure investment. Wilson Rodriguez handed over the equivalent of $80,000 to a money man who offered him what he thought were assets in hotels and property in exchange. Now, he doesn't know whom to approach. "I don't even have enough to care for my family," he said. "I lent money and what I make from my salary goes to pay off debts. I have nothing. I lost everything." Infuriated investors have demonstrated outside the headquarters of several companies in question across the nation. Worried that the situation has already led to physical altercations and riots, President Alvaro Uribe asked that authorities act immediately to bring those responsible to justice. "We are asking the public prosecutor to speed up the resolution of the cases," he said. "The national police has handed to the prosecution the power to intervene in pyramids." Treasury Minister Oscar Ivan Zuluaga said the government is not to blame. "The government had advertised all this time about the illegality of this operation, warning Colombians not to let themselves be defrauded, not to take their money to these illegal activities," he said. Meanwhile, some observers complain that, though the investors may shoulder some blame, the government could have mitigated their losses by moving more quickly. And, they note, some of the alleged pyramid schemes continue to stay in business.

What robbed Colombians of at least $200 million?

What was the returning percent promised by businesses?

Who promised returns as high as 150 percent?

Answer: the government is not to blame.

Answer: raked in at least $200 million from 3 million people.

Answer: Treasury Minister

Answer: pyramid schemes

Answer: 150

Answer: Oscar Ivan Zuluaga

Answer: short-term returns of as much as 150 percent.

Answer: DMG,

Summary:
Pyramid schemes robbed 3 million Colombians of at least $200 million, officials say .
Many businesses promised returns as high as 150 percent .
Treasury Minister Oscar Ivan Zuluaga says government warned against schemes .
Authorities tracking down people behind businesses, many of whom have escaped .


BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- A former Colombian congressman who was held hostage in the jungle for more than eight years has escaped -- with the help of a former captor. Oscar Tulio Lizcano was kidnapped on August 4, 2000 near the Colombian town of Riosucio. Oscar Tulio Lizcano, his hair disheveled, appeared too weak to stand for long when he met the news media Sunday, hours after stumbling onto a military patrol -- and freedom. Lizcano suffered from hunger and disease in captivity and endured isolation in the company of leftist rebels who often would not let him talk, he and Colombian authorities said. "Maybe my incoherence is for a lack of speaking," Lizcano told reporters. "I was unable to talk with the guerillas who guarded me." Lizcano said he had little to read in the jungle except "The Odyssey" by Homer. He suffered from malaria and other illnesses and once ate nothing but hearts of palm for six or seven days, said Juan Manuel Santos, the Colombian defense minister. "This is big news for the whole family," said Lizcano's sister, Amparo Lizcano. "We were waiting for the guerrillas to give our brother back alive before he died." The former congressman fled about three days ago with the assistance of one of his captors, a member of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, a leftist rebel force that has been fighting the government for more than 40 years in a war that also has involved right-wing paramilitaries and drug traffickers.  Watch release of FARC hostage » President Alvaro Uribe appeared on television Sunday with the ex-FARC rebel -- known by the alias "Isaza" -- and said the man will receive compensation and permission to resettle in France with his family. He said that's in keeping with a Colombian government policy that rewards rebels who desert and help hostages gain their freedom. Police officers and soldiers pinpointed the location of the FARC unit holding Lizcano several months ago, Santos said. They monitored the location for about five months and took steps to seal off possible escape routes, he said, as they planned a rescue operation using information gleaned help from a rebel who deserted October 2. Troops started that rescue operation Saturday -- only to discover that "Isaza" and Lizcano had decided on their own to escape. The two men wandered through the jungle for three days and nights before encountering a Colombian army patrol Sunday, said Santos, the defense minister. Lizcano was kidnapped on August 4, 2000 near the Colombian town of Riosucio. He and his former captor stumbled Sunday onto a patrol near the border of the states of Risaralda and Choco, in central Colombia, authorities said. The FARC holds an estimated 750 hostages in Colombia. Its members have justified hostage taking as a legitimate military tactic. The rebels have been battered this year by government raids that killed several top commanders, the death by apparent heart attack of their founder and a wave of desertions. Government commandoes tricked the FARC in July and freed their most prized hostage, the former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, in an elaborate ruse that also liberated three U.S. defense contractors and 11 other hostages. On Sunday, Lizcano offered words of encouragement to those hundreds who remain trapped in the jungle, captives of the FARC. "Hold on. Hold on," he said. "One day you will enjoy your freedom, too." -- CNN's Karl Penhaul contributed to this report

In what country are the estimated 750 hostages being held?

Answer: 750

Answer: Oscar Tulio Lizcano

Answer: Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia,

Answer: leftist rebels

Answer: Colombia.

Answer: August 4, 2000

Answer: 750

Answer: about three days

Answer: Oscar Tulio Lizcano

Summary:
Oscar Tulio Lizcano was kidnapped August 4, 2000 by Colombian leftist rebels .
The ex-congressman fled about three days ago with help from one of his captors .
The FARC holds an estimated 750 hostages in Colombia .


BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- A key rebel commander and fugitive from a U.S. drug trafficking indictment was killed over the weekend in an air attack on a guerrilla encampment, the Colombian military said Monday.

Alleged cocaine trafficker and FARC rebel Tomas Medina Caracas in an Interpol photo.

Tomas Medina Caracas, known popularly as "El Negro Acacio," was a member of the high command of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia and, according to Colombian and U.S. officials, helped manage the group's extensive cocaine trafficking network.

He had been in the cross-hairs of the U.S. Justice Department since 2002. He was charged with conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States and manufacturing and distributing cocaine within Colombia to fund the FARC's 42-year insurgency against the government.

U.S. officials alleged Medina Caracas managed the rebel group's sales of cocaine to international drug traffickers, who in turn smuggled it into the United States.

He was also indicted in the United States along with two other FARC commanders in November 2002 on charges of conspiring to kidnap two U.S. oil workers from neighboring Venezuela in 1997 and holding one of them for nine months until a $1 million ransom was paid.

Officials said the army's Rapid Response Force, backed by elements of the Colombian Air Force, tracked Medina Caracas down at a FARC camp in the jungle in the south of the country.

"After a bombardment, the troops occupied the camp, and they've found 14 dead rebels so far, along with rifles, pistols, communications equipment and ... four GPS systems," Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said at a news conference. "The death of 'El Negro Acacio' was confirmed by various sources, including members of FARC itself."

Medina Caracas commanded FARC's 16th Front in the southern departments of Vichada and Guainia.

Established in 1964 as the military wing of the Colombian Communist Party, FARC is Colombia's oldest, largest, most capable and best-equipped Marxist rebel group, according to the U.S. Department of State. E-mail to a friend

Journalist Fernando Ramos contributed to this report.

Did "El Negro Acacio" help manage a cocaine network?

What did the Colombian military announce?

What was Tomas Medina Caracas indicted for?

Who allegedly helped manage the extensive cocaine network?

What was Tomas Medina Caracas' nickname?

What was Thomas Medina Caracas fleeing from?

Answer: Tomas Medina Caracas

Answer: Tomas Medina Caracas,

Answer: trafficking

Answer: over the weekend

Answer: Colombian military

Answer: Alleged cocaine trafficker and FARC rebel

Answer: A key rebel commander and fugitive from a U.S. drug trafficking indictment

Answer: charged with conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States and manufacturing and distributing cocaine within Colombia to fund the FARC's 42-year insurgency against the government.

Answer: Alleged cocaine trafficker and FARC rebel

Answer: November 2002

Answer: Tomas Medina Caracas,

Answer: Caracas managed the rebel group's sales of cocaine

Answer: Tomas Medina Caracas,

Answer: "El Negro Acacio,"

Answer: drug trafficking indictment

Answer: November 2002

Summary:
Tomas Medina Caracas was a fugitive from a U.S. drug trafficking indictment .
"El Negro Acacio" allegedly helped manage extensive cocaine network .
U.S. Justice Department indicted him in 2002 .
Colombian military: He was killed in an attack on a guerrilla encampment .


BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- All that glitters may not be gold, but for Colombia's narco-molls the most important thing is that it glitters. Yovanna Guzman was 19 when she met drug  boss Wilber Varela, and she says he showered her with luxuries. Beauty queens, fashion models, actresses or regular girls made good are lovers of drug capos and above all lovers of the finest luxuries that cocaine money can buy. Few are prepared to speak publicly and even less to appear on camera. Those who date mob bosses don't want to blow their cover. It could expose their boyfriends to arrest and themselves to retaliation. In addition, it could bring anti-drug police sniffing, ready to seize ill-gotten gains. One exception is Yovanna Guzman, a former beauty queen and model, with a mane of blond hair and a pneumatic figure -- a sure passport into the narco underworld where cup size is more important than IQ. For eight years, she was the lover of one of Colombia's most ruthless cocaine traffickers, Wilber Varela. He was head of the North Valle Cartel. "He had two faces. I saw him so tender with the ones he loved, then you see the cartel killings. He always said he was the best of friends and the worst of enemies," Guzman said during an interview in Bogota.  Watch Guzman describe Varela and how she met him » The Colombian government accused Varela of running tons of cocaine to the United States via Central America in go-fast speedboats and to Europe in small jets. Should drugs be legalized? Sound off below Authorities put a $5 million bounty on his head. He gained a reputation for brutality during a yearslong dispute with a splinter faction of the same cartel, led by Diego Montoya, who until his capture in 2007 was listed alongside Osama bin Laden on the FBI's list of the 10 most-wanted fugitives. Guzman was 19 when she met Varela. He told her he was a cattle rancher. She didn't ask questions and said she only found out the truth when she saw a Wanted poster with her boyfriend's mug shot. He wooed her with expensive gifts and sponsored her through Chica Med, a second-rate beauty pageant organizers concede was viewed as a cattle market by gangsters looking for new girls. Some mob bosses bought the beauty title as a gift for their molls, though it's not clear whether Varela paid for Guzman's title. "There were the vacations, the cars and the luxury SUVs and, of course, jewelry. There was always jewelry. But there were small details too like flowers," she said. "Of course, the luxuries don't make you fall in love, but they do dazzle you. When you get dazzled, you get carried away, but then you ask yourself where is the love and my principles?" Guzman said Varela's first gift to her was a Rolex watch, followed by a Cartier watch, diamonds, jewelry, top-of-the-range sport utility vehicles and luxury apartments. She said she now realizes she was being bought and admits she sold herself. "I feel all of us have a price up to a point. Sometimes you feel luxuries like the designer clothes, shoes and handbags are important. But afterward you realize you're empty inside," she said. Very quickly her drug lord boyfriend locked Guzman in a golden cage. He forbade her to do photo shoots or party with male friends, even though he had a stable of other top model girlfriends. "He was very jealous, and what's his is his and belongs to nobody else and nobody can touch it, look at it or mess with it," she said. As Colombia's law enforcers stepped up the hunt for Varela, Guzman's time with him became less frequent. But she said he always seemed to know where she was or to whom she had talked. At one point, she said, a jealous Varela sent one of his lieutenants to shoot her in the leg

Who is the former girlfriend of Colombian drug lord?

Who has admitted being bought by luxuries?

Answer: expensive gifts

Answer: Wilber Varela,

Answer: boss

Answer: Yovanna Guzman

Answer: Yovanna Guzman

Answer: head of the North Valle Cartel.

Answer: North Valle

Summary:
Former girlfriend of Colombian drug lord admits being bought by luxuries .
Yovanna Guzman dated cartel head Wilber Varela for eight years .
Guzman says he bought her cars, vacations, jewels but also ordered her shot in leg .
She says she felt her "golden cage" had opened when he was killed last year .


BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- Colombia will freeze prices for gasoline and other petrofuels through March, the government has announced. Hernan Martinez Torres, in a photo from September, says gas prices will be frozen in Colombia through March. The freeze takes effect Thursday and sets prices at December levels, the minister of mines and energy said Monday. The measure will be funded through a $170 million Fund for the Stabilization of Prices for Combustibles, which goes into effect January 1, a release on the Colombian president's Web site says. "All this is being done to give consumers a clear signal of stability," Minister of Mines and Energy Hernan Martinez Torres is quoted as saying in El Pais newspaper. Gas prices also will not decrease, although there has been a significant drop in crude oil prices in the past few months, Martinez said. The price freeze pertains to gasoline, biogasoline (oxygenated gasoline), a product called ACPM (combustible oil for motors), and the mix of ACPM and biodiesel. For the time being, El Pais said, only propane will see a decrease in price, with the price going down 25 percent. It's the second price drop for propane, which decreased 10 percent in November.

What can't gas prices do under a freeze?

Who says gas prices can't rise or fall under the freeze?

How much is propane's price set to drop?

What doesn't get affected by the price freeze?

What did the energy minister say the freeze gives consumers?

Answer: will not decrease,

Answer: Thursday

Answer: Hernan Martinez Torres,

Answer: 25 percent.

Answer: propane

Answer: to give consumers a clear signal of stability,"

Answer: propane

Answer: a clear signal of stability,"

Answer: gasoline and other petrofuels

Answer: Minister of Mines and Energy

Summary:
Price freeze on gas, other fuels takes effect Thursday, runs through March .
Freeze is to give consumers "a signal of stability," energy minister tells newspaper .
Gas prices can't rise or fall under the freeze, Hernan Martinez Torres says .
Price freeze doesn't affect propane; its price is set to drop 25 percent, paper reports .


BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- Colombian President Alvaro Uribe admitted Wednesday that the symbol of the neutral Red Cross organization was used in a hostage rescue mission that freed 15 people from leftist rebels two weeks ago. What seems to be part of a red cross is seen on a bib worn by a man involved in the rescue in this official image. Uribe made the admission after CNN reported on unpublished photographs and videos that clearly showed a man wearing a Red Cross bib. Wrongly using the Red Cross logo is prohibited by the Geneva Conventions. The man was a member of the Colombian military intelligence team involved in the daring rescue, Uribe said in an address carried on national TV and radio. The president said that as the constitutional head of the armed forces, he takes full political responsibility for what he described as a slip-up. "This officer, upon confessing his mistake to his superiors, said when the [rescue] helicopter was about to land ... he saw so many guerrillas that he went into a state of angst," Uribe said. "He feared for his life and put on the Red Cross bib over his jacket." However, the confidential military source who showed CNN the photographs that included the man wearing the bib said they were taken moments before the mission took off. Uribe said he was sorry for the mistake and has apologized to ICRC officials. There will be no official sanction against the man wearing the bib, he indicated. Such a use of the Red Cross emblem could constitute a "war crime" under the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law and could endanger humanitarian workers in the future, according to international legal expert Mark Ellis, executive director of the International Bar Association. The ICRC mission in Bogota said in a written statement that it "noted" Uribe's announcement. The ICRC mission in Bogota said in a written statement: "As guardian of international humanitarian law, the ICRC reminds that the use of the Red Cross emblem is specifically regulated by the Geneva Conventions and its additional protocols. "The Red Cross emblem has to be respected in all circumstances and cannot be used in an abusive manner. "The ICRC as neutral and impartial must have the confidence of all the sides in the conflict in order to carry out its humanitarian work." Colombian military intelligence used the Red Cross emblem in a rescue operation in which leftist guerrillas were duped into handing over 15 hostages, including former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt. Photographs of the Colombian military intelligence-led team that spearheaded the rescue, shown to CNN by a confidential military source, show one man wearing a bib with the Red Cross symbol. The military source said the three photos were taken moments before the mission took off to persuade the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels to release the hostages to a supposed international aid group for transport to another rebel area. Ellis said the conventions were "very strict" regarding use of the symbol because of what it represented: impartiality, neutrality. Watch possible misuse of emblem » "If you use the emblem in a deceitful way, generally the conventions say it would be a breach. [Based on the information as explained to me,] the way that the images show the Red Cross emblem being used could be distinguished as a war crime, " Ellis added. The unpublished video and photos of the mission, hailed internationally as a daring success, were shown to CNN by a military source looking to sell the material. CNN declined to buy the material at the price being asked; it was therefore unable to verify the authenticity of the images. Uribe and his top generals had categorically denied that international humanitarian symbols were used in the July 2 rescue mission that freed the prized hostages. The hostages had endured years of harsh captivity and deprivation in jungle camps since being captured or kidnapped. Some were held for as long as 10 years. The rescue ruse also included bogus communications, sent electronically and by human couriers, to convince FARC rebels that superiors were ordering them to hand over hostages to the group posing as aid workers

What country is Uribe president of?
What was the military source?
What symbol was used in hostage resuce?
Who used the Red Cross symbol?
Photos came from what source?

Answer: Colombia

Answer: confidential

Answer: Red Cross

Answer: Colombian military intelligence

Answer: confidential military

Summary:
NEW: .
President Alvaro Uribe says one Red Cross symbol was used in hostage rescue .
Photos from military source show man wearing bib with Red Cross logo .
Such misuse of symbol could be violation of Geneva Conventions .


BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- Colombian officials are blaming the FARC guerrilla group for an explosion in an upscale Bogota neighborhood Tuesday night that killed two people and wounded 20. Police inspect one of two dead bodies after an explosion Tuesday night in Bogota, Colombia. President Alvaro Uribe, who is in France, issued a statement expressing sorrow for "the new terrorist attempt against Bogota" and accusing FARC of hypocrisy for talking about human rights while setting off lethal bombs. FARC, the Spanish acronym for Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, is the largest and oldest revolutionary group in Colombia. "Let us always remember that Bogota cries but will never give up," Uribe's statement said. The blast occurred around 9 p.m. at a Blockbuster video rental store in an exclusive neighborhood in northern Bogota, causing major damage to the building, most notably the parking lot. Debris was scattered for more than a block, and nearby buildings and cars also were damaged. Senior presidential aide Fabio Valencia Cossio said 11 pounds of explosives were used, El Espactador newspaper reported. A female passer-by and the store's parking lot attendant were killed in the blast, Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos told the newspaper. Another newspaper, El Tiempo, said the woman was about 25 years old and was carrying notebooks and books, so authorities believe she was a university student. Police said they were looking into a tip that the bombing might have been part of a FARC extortion attempt, said Radio Caracol, citing presidential aide Valencia. Blockbuster has been complaining to authorities for months that criminals who said they were associated with FARC had been demanding money, news reports said. In his statement from France, Uribe referred to FARC "combining extortion with terror." There was an explosion at another Blockbuster store in the Colombian capital a year ago. Authorities are offering the equivalent of $50,000 for information that would lead to an arrest. The explosion occurred in an neighborhood known for posh restaurants and nightclubs. Ricardo Serrano described to El Tiempo how he felt a loud explosion and the immediate confusion that ensued. "People were running from one place to another," he told the newspaper. "There were a lot of sirens and police." Angel Alberto Arias, a doorman at a nearby building, told El Tiempo, "I felt like the whole building was going to come down on top of me." FARC has about 9,000 to 12,000 armed guerillas and several thousand supporters, mostly in rural areas, according to security analysts. The guerrilla group was established in 1964 as the military wing of the Colombian Communist Party. The guerrillas operate mostly in Colombia but have carried out extortion, kidnappings and other activities in Venezuela, Panama and Ecuador, according to the Federation of American Scientists Intelligence Resource Program. Fernando Ramos and Toby Muse contributed to this report for CNN.

How many people died in the explosion in Bogota?

Answer: Alvaro Uribe,

Answer: 20.

Answer: two

Answer: 11 pounds

Summary:
Explosion in upscale Bogota neighborhood kills two people and wounds 20 .
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe condemns FARC rebel group for blast .
Eleven pounds of explosives reportedly used in front of Blockbuster video store .


BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- Colombian police have killed a drug trafficker who the government says is one of the most sought-after fugitive outside the country's rebel leaders. Victor Manuel Mejia Munera was a drug lord with ties to paramilitary groups, the Colombian government says. Victor Manuel Mejia Munera and two bodyguards were killed Tuesday when police tracked them down on a farm in the northwestern province of Antioquia, according to a statement on the Colombian presidency Web site. Three people also were arrested, according to the statement. Mejia Munera was wearing an American-style, desert-camouflage uniform when he was killed, said Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos. Mejia Munera also had short- and long-range weapons with ammunition, the presidential statement said. "This is a great strike of the Public Force against the criminal structures of the country," Santos said, warning that drug traffickers who do not turn themselves over to the government will "end up in the jail or in a tomb." In terms of the country's most-wanted list, Mejia Munera was one of Colombia's most sought-after criminals and ranked just below the leaders of Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the statement said. The leftist guerilla group, which goes by its Spanish acronym FARC, holds about 750 hostages in the jungles of Colombia and has justified hostage-taking as a legitimate military tactic in a long-running civil war involving government forces, drug traffickers and right-wing paramilitaries. Mejia Munera is not alleged to have ties to FARC, but he had been involved with a right-wing paramilitary group known as United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, according to the U.S. State Department. Mejia Munera and his brother, Miguel Angel Mejia Munera, known as "Los Mellizos," or "the Twins," have been accused of running major drug rings in Colombia. The brothers also have faced narcotics-trafficking charges in the United States. Santos initially told reporters that police had killed Miguel Angel Mejia Munera. The Colombian presidency later said the slain drug lord was actually Victor Manuel Mejia Munera. Fingerprints confirmed that the dead man was Victor Mejia Munera, Colombian-based Caracol Radio reported. The brothers sometimes exchanged identities, the radio station said, and identity documents belonging to Miguel Mejia Munera were found near Victor Mejia Munera. In 2004, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia indicted the twins on narcotics-trafficking charges. The U.S. Justice Department at one point offered a $5 million reward for "true and effective information" on the whereabouts of a dozen suspects it wanted extradited to the United States. One of the 12 men wanted was Miguel Mejia Munera. The State Department said Wednesday there was no reward for Victor Mejia Munera. The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control reported that the brothers have been involved in narcotics trafficking since the early 1990s, when they were guarding ships carrying cocaine from western Colombia to Mexico. "Over time," OFAC said in a news release last year, the brothers "rose through the ranks to lead their own narcotics trafficking organization." "Recent reports indicate that Los Mellizos may be funding their own illegal armed groups to facilitate their narcotics trafficking activities," the release said. The Colombian prosecutor general's office had indicted Victor Mejia Munera for his role in a 2004 paramilitary massacre of 11 farmers in Tame in the eastern Colombian province of Arauca, according to the State Department. E-mail to a friend

Who did the defense minister issue a warning to ?

Where was Manuel Munera on the wanted list ?

Answer: Manuel Mejia Munera was a drug lord with ties to paramilitary groups,

Answer: drug traffickers

Answer: short- and long-range weapons

Answer: Colombia's

Answer: identity documents

Summary:
NEW: Weapons, ammunition found with dead drug lord, Colombian government says .
NEW: Defense minister warns drug dealers will "end up in the jail or in a tomb"
Victor Manuel Mejia Munera linked to paramilitaries, also wanted in the U.S.
The slain man was originally thought to be brother Miguel Angel Mejia .


BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- Guerrillas in Colombia tortured and killed 17 Indians who they believed were helping the government, a governor and two human rights organizations said Wednesday. Marxist rebels with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC, swept into a village in southwest Colombia last week and abducted an undetermined number of Awa Indians, Human Rights Watch said. The guerrillas tortured and killed 17 Awas, including at least two minors, the human rights group said. Another human rights group, the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia, or ONIC, also reported the allegations. Navarro Wolff, the governor of Narino province, where the Awas live, decried the reported killings. "The guerrillas took several families, recriminating them for their supposed collaboration with the army," Wolff told El Pais newspaper. "A young man was able to escape and told how he had been tied. Later, they tortured him, they beat him and they killed eight with with a knife." Nine other villagers also were executed, unconfirmed reports said. The allegations are based partly on the information provided by the young man who said he escaped. Human Rights Watch also said it received reports from "reliable sources," whom the organization did not name. "These cruel killings violate the most basic principles of human decency and dignity," said Jose Miguel Vivanco, the Americas director at Human Rights Watch. "There is no possible excuse or justification for these horrific actions." The remote village is a 12-hour trip away from the nearest large town, and no independent verification has been obtained. Besides the unforgiving terrain, the presence of land mines and the existence of numerous armed groups virtually prevent outsiders from visiting the area. Monsignor Ruben Salazar Gomez, the president of the Episcopal Conference of Colombia, joined the chorus of criticism, alleging a "crime the whole country should condemn." Another religious leader said the Awa need protection. "We are very worried about the Awa community," said Monsignor Gustavo Giron Higuita, the bishop of the city of Tumaco. "It is a community that is pretty unprotected and that in the past five years has received a type of persecution by armed groups." The prelate said that although there were indications that the FARC was behind the killings, "we are not certain of that," El Pais said. The Awas, he said, "are pacifist, want respect of their organization and want to regain their traditions. We have been accompanying them in this process, and that's why this hurts so much." New York-based Human Rights Watch said group members have made numerous visits to Narino, which is one of Colombia's 32 departments, or states. Narino is in southwest Colombia, on the Pacific Ocean and the border with Ecuador. The area has a heavy presence of various armed groups and Colombian military forces, and has among the worst human rights conditions in Colombia, the human rights group said. The Awa territories have been particularly affected. The Colombian government has issued a "risk report," warning authorities that civilians in the region are at risk. The FARC is said to have "confined" some villages, cutting them off from the outside world and not allowing anyone to enter or leave. In another report Wednesday, ONIC, the indigenous human rights group in Colombia, said the FARC has abducted 120 Awas since February 4. ONIC said the FARC kidnapped 20 Awa men, women and children February 4 from the Barbacoas area in Narino. The rebels returned the next day and grabbed children who had remained behind, ONIC said, according to Caracol Radio. ONIC also reported that a number of Awa had been knifed to death. The FARC, the largest and oldest guerrilla group in Colombia, has been waging war against the government since the 1960s. Security analysts say the FARC has 9,000 to 12,000 armed guerillas and several thousand supporters, mostly in rural areas. The guerrilla group operates mostly in Colombia but has carried out extortion, kidnappings, bombings and other activities in Venezuela, Panama and

How many Awas have been abducted since February?

What are the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia accused of?

Answer: Marxist rebels with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC,

Answer: an undetermined number

Answer: 120

Answer: Guerrillas in Colombia

Answer: The guerrillas tortured and killed 17 Awas, including at least two minors,

Answer: Marxist rebels with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia,

Summary:
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia accused of torture, slayings .
FARC guerillas killed the Indians for helping the Army, governor reportedly said .
Allegations are based in part on information from man who said he escaped .
Human rights group in Colombia says FARC has abducted 120 Awas since February .


BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- Marxist guerrillas admit they recently killed eight Indians whom the rebels accused of collaborating with the Colombian government, media outlets reported Tuesday.

In Bogota, Colombia, last week, Luis Evelis Andrade denounces the killings of Indians by FARC rebels.

Human rights organizations and a state governor last week had accused the the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, better known as FARC, of killing at least 27 Awa Indians in southwest Colombia in the past two weeks.

The FARC issued a statement dated February 11 saying the guerrillas detained and "executed" eight people on February 6 in the town of Rio Bravo because the Indians were gathering information about the rebels to give to the Colombian military. The FARC statement was posted Tuesday by the New Colombia News Agency and Caracol Radio's Web site.

The statement said the guerrillas were not targeting indigenous populations but took the action "against people who independent of their race, religion, ethnicity, social condition etc. accepted money and put themselves at the service of the army in an area that is the object of military operations."

The FARC communication also urged the Indians not to be manipulated by government officials who say the guerrillas are out to harm indigenous populations.

"They know of our respect for the civil community," the statement said, adding that a government that "never has looked out for these indigenous communities and has plunged them into war can't be their defenders. They are their executioners!"

Last week, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe called the FARC "executioners" for killing Indians.

"Let the world know: The Democratic Security [forces] protect the indigenous because it is for all Colombians," Uribe said. "And the FARC deceive the country, they assassinate the indigenous."

The governor of Narino state, Navarro Wolff, said last week the FARC had killed 10 Awa in one incident a few days earlier and 17 others the previous week.

Luis Evelis Andrade of the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia, known by its Spanish acronym ONIC, said the FARC had targeted the Awa because the Indians don't want to get involved in the armed struggle and refuse to reveal information on government troop actions.

Speaking on Caracol TV, ONIC said the FARC has abducted 120 Awa since February 4 and 44 Awa have been killed this year.

Others also shared their concern.

"We are very worried about the Awa community," said Monsignor Gustavo Giron Higuita, the bishop of the city of Tumaco. "It is a community that is pretty unprotected and that in the past five years has received a type of persecution by armed groups."

The Awa, he said, "are pacifist, want respect of their organization and want to regain their traditions. We have been accompanying them in this process, and that's why this hurts so much."

Colombian Attorney General Alejandro Ordonez Maldonado ordered the nation's human rights commissioner to launch an investigation and take steps to help the Awa.

The Human Rights Watch organization said Wednesday that the guerrillas tortured some of the Awa before killing them with knives.

"These cruel killings violate the most basic principles of human decency and dignity," said Jose Miguel Vivanco, the Americas director at Human Rights Watch. "There is no possible excuse or justification for these horrific actions."

Monsignor Ruben Salazar Gomez, the president of the Episcopal Conference of Colombia, joined last week's chorus of criticism, calling the killings a "very grave ... crime the whole country should condemn."

New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a release that group members have made numerous visits to Narino, which is one of Colombia's 32 departments, or states. Narino is in southwest Colombia, on the Pacific Ocean and the border with Ecuador.

The area has a heavy presence of various armed groups and Colombian military forces and has among the worst human rights conditions in Colombia, the human rights group said. The Awa territories have been particularly affected.

The Colombian government has issued a "risk report" warning that civilians in the region are in danger.

The FARC

What was the reason for FARC to target the specific group that they did?

Who said that rebels tortured some Indians before killing them?

Who took responsibility for the slayings?

What did FARC cite as the cause for executions?

Answer: collaborating with the Colombian government,

Answer: The Human Rights Watch organization

Answer: Marxist guerrillas

Answer: Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia,

Answer: at least 27

Answer: at least 27

Answer: collaborating with the Colombian government,

Answer: some of the Awa

Answer: because the Indians were gathering information about the rebels to give to the Colombian military.

Summary:
Statement from rebel group FARC takes responsibility for slayings of 8 Indians .
FARC says the victims were "executed" for helping Colombian government .
Indians say FARC targets them because they want to stay out of armed struggle .
Human Rights Watch says rebels tortured some Indians before killing them .


BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- Preliminary DNA tests indicate a 3-year-old foster child is the son of a woman being held captive by leftist rebels, Colombian officials announced Friday.

Clara Rojas appears in a video released by the kidnappers in July 2002.

"There is a very high probability that Juan David belongs to the family of Clara Gonzalez de Rojas," Mario Iguaran Arana, the country's chief federal prosecutor, said at a news conference.

The boy, known as "Emmanuel," has been at the center of a hostage drama that raised hopes the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia would liberate some of their hostages. The rebel group, known as FARC for its Spanish acronym, had agreed to release three hostages as part of a deal brokered by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

FARC said it would release Emmanuel along with his mother, Clara Rojas, and another woman, Consuelo Gonzalez, but the mission to free the captives fell apart December 31, when the rebel group said it could not release the hostages because of Colombian military operations in the area, according to a FARC statement Chavez read on Venezuelan television.

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe denied the group's assertion, saying there were no combat operations in the area near the rebels, and he said the rebels could not release the three hostages because they did not have Emmanuel in custody.

He raised the possibility that Emmanuel, who was born in captivity to Rojas, was living in a foster home in the Colombian capital of Bogota.

Authorities in Colombia suspect the FARC duped child-welfare authorities by presenting the boy as a child in need of foster care in 2005, he said.

On Friday, Iguaran Arana said initial DNA results will be checked against tests being done in European labs to verify the child's identity.

There was no immediate response from Venezuela after the announcement concerning Emmanuel's DNA.

However, a statement on the Venezuelan government's Web site from earlier Friday said the Colombian government had not allowed Venezuela to participate in the DNA testing.

Established in 1964 as the military wing of the Colombian Communist Party, FARC is Colombia's oldest, largest, most capable and best-equipped Marxist rebel group, according to the U.S. Department of State. The United States, the European Union and Colombia classify it as a terrorist group.

FARC has justified hostage-taking as a legitimate military tactic in a long-running and complex civil war that also has involved right-wing paramilitary units, government forces and drug traffickers. Fighting has waned, but not stopped, in recent years.

Among the group's hostages are three American contractors who were captured when their plane went down in 2003 during a drug-eradication flight, and Ingrid Betancourt, a French-Colombian independent presidential candidate who was kidnapped in 2002. Rojas was kidnapped in 2002 while she managed Betancourt's campaign.

Betancourt is perhaps the best-known captive in Colombia, a country plagued by kidnapping.  E-mail to a friend

Who had promised to released the boy, his mother, and another woman?

Where was the three year old likely born?

What is the age of the toddler who was in the foster home?

Who was at the center o hostage release drama?

What incident was the child at the center of?

Answer: Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia

Answer: Colombia

Answer: 3-year-old

Answer: Bogota.

Answer: 3-year-old

Answer: FARC

Answer: boy, known as "Emmanuel,"

Answer: Emmanuel,

Answer: The boy, known as "Emmanuel,"

Answer: hostage drama

Summary:
Colombian government: 3-year-old in foster home was likely born in captivity .
Child was at center of hostage release drama .
Rebel group had promised to release the boy, his mother, and another woman .


BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- The commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia's Force 47 told reporters in Bogota Monday -- a day after surrendering -- that "the solution is not through war. There must be dialogue." Nelly Avila Moreno, center, alias Karina, is escorted by soldiers after surrendering. Nelly Avila Moreno, 45, whose nom de guerre was Karina, said she and her longtime male companion made the decision jointly to abandon the FARC group, based in the jungle, at 5 a.m. Sunday. She said pressure from Colombian soldiers had been key to their decision, and she called on her fellow rebels to follow her example. "I invite them to change the sensibility that is among the guerrillas," she said, seated by her companion, who said nothing during the news conference. She also had a message for the Colombian people: "It is important to do something for peace in Colombia, and that need to do something is precisely one of my motivations." After 24 years with the FARC, Karina said she wants to reintegrate with society. "At this moment, what I am thinking about is reuniting with my family and with all of society," she said. Karina said she had had no contact with the group's leaders for the past two years. During that time, she said, "I was trying to stay alive." She said she knows nothing about the group's leaders, because "everything in the FARC is very compartmentalized." Still, she did hear through the news media about the killing by another member of FARC of Ivan Rios, a member of the group's central high command. "We suffered a very strong blow," she said. She acknowledged that news led her to worry about the possibility that one of her fellow guerrillas might consider doing the same thing to her. "A person has a lot of combatants alongside, but you don't know what each one is thinking," she said. Asked about news reports of guerrilla operations she may have participated in, Karina admitted to nothing. "They accuse me of a lot of things I wasn't part of," she said. But Miguel Antonio Paez told CNN en Espanol that he remembers well the woman who, with a band of guerrillas, stopped the bus he was on in 2004 in northwest Colombia, ordered him and the other passengers off and the bus be burned. "The commander of that guerrilla group -- a dark-haired woman, tall, with one eye missing -- called herself Karina," he said. "She ordered me tied up. Here, I have the marks from the wires, and there, while I was tied up, she lopped off my penis and testicles and I remained castrated for all my life." Asked specifically about the killing of the father of President Alvaro Uribe in 1983, she said she did not know who carried out the act, and added, "I don't have my hands stained in that deed." She said that with her surrender have come new fears about possible retribution from FARC loyalists, who consider her a traitor. Wearing a red sweatshirt and what appeared to be a diamond earring in her left ear, she said she once believed the FARC would rule Colombia. "I once dreamed of that," she said. Gen. Mario Montoya, chief of the army, said two Colombian air force helicopters were sent Sunday to pick up Karina and her companion, who had given authorities their general location. "With this, we have given a confounding strike to the FARC structure," particularly to Front 47, which at this point is practically dismantled," he said. Since the killing of Rios, 45 members of the group have laid down their arms and accepted a government plan for reinstallation into society, he said. "We want to send a message to all members of FARC who persist in the mountains," he said. "To tell them, what Karina has done is the road all the members

What rebel and her male companion surrender?

From whom does Karina fear possible retribution?

What kind of retribution does Karina fear?

Answer: Nelly Avila Moreno,

Answer: possible retribution from FARC loyalists,

Answer: Nelly Avila Moreno,

Answer: Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia's Force 47

Answer: FARC loyalists,

Answer: Nelly Avila Moreno,

Answer: Nelly Avila Moreno,

Answer: from FARC loyalists,

Summary:
Rebel "Karina" and her male companion surrender .
Karina  was a commander of Colombian rebels .
She says, "The solution is not through war. There must be dialogue"
She says she fears possible retribution from FARC loyalists .


BOISE, Idaho (CNN)  -- Firefighter Jonathan Frohreich had never heard of The Wildland Firefighter Foundation, much less its founder, until recovering from severe work-related injuries last month. Vicki Minor's Wildland Firefighter Foundation has granted more than $1.5 million in aid to more than 500 families. As he lay in his hospital bed in Sacramento, California, Vicki Minor put her hand on his shoulder. "She introduced herself and told me that she was there to help," recalls Frohreich, who had been in a helicopter crash that killed nine of his colleagues. "She just said, 'Anything.' She was there to do anything for me." Since 1999, Minor has dedicated herself to providing emergency assistance and ongoing support to injured and fallen wildfire fighters and their families nationwide through her Wildland Firefighter Foundation. Wildland firefighters are called into action when the United States' vast natural resources are threatened by fire. For Frohreich, Minor's foundation supplied lodging and food for family and friends who visited his bedside. It also provided emergency funds for medical and other expenses, arranged for Frohreich to meet with firefighters who carried him to safety, and brought his fallen comrades' family members to a bereavement ceremony. "She means everything," Frohreich said. "She's one of the best things to ever happen." Minor first became involved with the wildland firefighter community 21 years ago after witnessing a wildfire for the first time. "I had never seen anything like it," Minor recalls of the blaze in the mountains of Idaho. "All those firefighter units mobilized in camps that cropped up. It was like an invasion, and I was mesmerized." Minor started a fire camp commissary, providing dry goods, clothing and necessities to the firefighters. But it wasn't until tragedy struck in 1994 at Storm King Mountain, Colorado, where 14 firefighters perished in a single day, that Minor was overcome with a need to assist the families. The Storm King fire was a turning point. "Fighting fire is much like fighting a war. There's no time to tend to the injured, or tend to the dead. The fire doesn't stop raging," Minor said. "I looked up at the heavens and I said to those kids, 'Help me help your families.' " Grieving wildland families, like those of fallen soldiers, tend to be young and scattered throughout the country, often enduring their sudden loss in isolation from their firefighting community. Taking cues from a visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., Minor spearheaded fundraising efforts for the erection of the Wildland Firefighters Monument in Boise, Idaho, which contains markers "for almost every wildland firefighter that has fallen," Minor said. "I had seen and felt the healing of those combat veterans that would touch a name of their friend," Minor said. "Our wildland firefighters had nothing like that to process their grief. I wanted to create a place where our families could congregate, reach out in solidarity and comfort to honor their fallen and injured."  Watch Minor describe the sculptures in the firefighter monument » Since 1999, the foundation has continued to grow, assisting more than 500 wildland firefighters and their families with more than $1.5 million in emergency funds and services, including communication support; travel and lodging for the injured and fallen; and emotional and benefit counseling and advocacy.  Watch Minor describe how her foundation takes action to aid wildfire fighters » "There is a need for these families to be taken care of, and a long-term need," Minor said. "But most of it is to maintain that home until benefits come in." When survivors suddenly lose their income and don't know how to apply for the compensation they're entitled to, Minor's foundation steps in to guide them, often fighting for them when benefits are delayed or denied.  Watch Minor explain why her foundation fights for firefighters and their families » Minor says she hopes the wildland firefighters know "we have their back." "I hope that

Who has the Wildland Firefighter Foundation assisted?

Answer: Minor

Answer: Boise, Idaho,

Answer: more than 500 families.

Answer: injured and fallen wildfire fighters and their families

Summary:
Vicki Minor's foundation helps injured and fallen wildfire fighters and their families .
The Wildland Firefighter Foundation has assisted more than 500 families since 1999 .
Minor led fundraising efforts to build a monument for fallen wildfire firefighters .


BOLINGBROOK, Illinois (CNN) -- The disappearance of a suburban Chicago police sergeant's wife is now being treated as a potential homicide, and her husband is a suspect, authorities said Friday.

Stacy Peterson, 23, has been missing from her suburban Chicago home since October 28.

In another development, a judge signed an order to exhume the body of Drew Peterson's third wife, who was found drowned in a bathtub in 2004, said Will County State Attorney James Glasgow.

Peterson, 53, said he last spoke to 23-year-old Stacy Peterson -- his fourth wife -- the night of October 28.

Drew Peterson initially told the media he believed his wife ran off with another man, but he hasn't repeated that accusation. CNN has been unable to contact Drew Peterson for comment.

The couple have been married four years and have two children, who have been interviewed for the investigation, Glasgow said. Drew Peterson also has older children from a previous marriage.

Investigators have twice searched the couple's home and vehicles, and removed several items, including computers, said Illinois State Police Capt. Carl Dobrich.

Drew Peterson allowed a limited search on the night his wife was reported missing, but investigators were not allowed to look throughout the entire house and were given access to only one of the vehicles at that time, Dobrich said.

"Early on, we looked at this as a missing persons case, but also believed strongly ... it was strongly starting to look at Drew Peterson as being a person of interest," Dobrich said.

"I would say that right now, Drew Peterson has gone from being a person of interest to being a suspect."

New information turned up during the investigation also raised questions about the death of Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio, which was ruled an accident by a coroner's jury, Glasgow said.

"There are strong indications that it was a homicide," he said. "That's why we are doing the exhumation, because there are tests that need to be done that weren't done during the first autopsy."  Watch why authorities want to exhume the body »

Glasgow cited abrasions on Savio's body and a gash on her head that could not be readily explained.

"Our main thrust is to determine whether or not it was a homicide, and as we do that, we will see if there is any evidence that implicates anyone," he said.

Glasgow, who was not state attorney at the time of Savio's death, said he reviewed the case file before deciding to reopen the case.

"With 29 years of experience, there was no doubt in my mind it wasn't an accident," he said. "That was clear."

In 2002, Savio was charged once with battery and once with domestic battery against her husband, but was found not guilty at trial, Glasgow said.

Another time, she tried to bring domestic battery charges against Peterson, but no charges were ever filed.

Savio's sister, Sue Doman, said Savio expressed fear of Drew Peterson.

"She told me all the time, 'He's gonna kill me. It's gonna look like an accident,' " Doman said.

Doman said she didn't believe her sister could have died in the way the investigation concluded.

"I don't understand accidental drowning. You just don't drown in the bathtub, especially a small whirlpool. You just don't do that," she said.

Meanwhile, friends and family of Stacy Peterson said she expressed concerns about her husband.

A friend, Steve Cesare, has told CNN he received e-mail from her describing her relationship as abusive.

The woman's aunt, Candace Aikin, of El Monte, California, said Stacy Peterson confided in her that there were problems during a visit to the Peterson home in suburban Chicago last month.

"She said that she was afraid because he was following her around 24/7, even inside the house," Aikin said.

"He was very obsessed

What wife did judge sign order to exume that was married to Drew Peterson?

What does Peterson think happened to his fourth wife?

What wife left Peterson for another man?

Who expressed concerns about her husband?

Answer: third

Answer: ran off with another man,

Answer: accidental drowning.

Answer: a judge

Answer: his wife ran off with another man,

Answer: Stacy

Answer: Drew Peterson's

Answer: "She told me all the time, 'He's gonna kill me. It's gonna look like an accident,'

Answer: Stacy Peterson

Answer: Kathleen Savio,

Summary:
NEW: Judge signs order to exhume the body of Drew Peterson's third wife .
Peterson has said he believed his fourth wife left him for another man .
Police: Case shifts from a missing persons search to a potential homicide .
Friends and family: Stacy Peterson expressed concerns about her husband .


BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN)  -- Timothy Connick was in agony for six years. In bed at night, it felt as if a pair of scissors was sticking out of his foot. "I turn over, and it's just like they're getting jammed in more." Timothy Connick got relief from chronic pain through a peripheral nerve stimulator implanted above his hip. Connick, 52 from Lynn, Massachusetts, injured his foot falling from a loading dock at work 11 years ago. "I fell about seven feet onto the concrete and smashed my heel. It started hurting that moment and kept hurting for six years after that." Connick is among millions. As many as one in three American adults suffer from chronic pain, according to the American Chronic Pain Association. The organization defines chronic pain as "pain that continues a month or more beyond the usual recovery period for an injury or illness or that goes on for months or years because of a chronic condition."  It's usually not constant, the group says, but can disrupt the sufferer's life. Over the years, Connick consulted multiple doctors and tried two dozen medications for pain management, but nothing eased the pain and the resulting depression. "It was pretty much a no-win situation as long as that pain was going to be there," he recalls. He was eventually referred to neurologist Anne Louise Oaklander, director of the nerve injury unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. "Pain is the No. 1 reason why patients seek medical care, but until recently it hasn't been part of the medical school curriculum," she says. "Many physicians and nurses feel uncomfortable and unqualified to treat these patients." Oaklander sees many patients whom she describes as "bouncing around the health care system" for years with no firm diagnosis. She divides chronic pain sufferers into two groups. "One is the group that has an ongoing cause of their pain," she says. "The classic example of that is patients with arthritis. They have pain in their joints every day." Much more difficult, she says, is the second group: "Patients who have chronic pain without an obvious cause of tissue injury." Connick falls in the second category, Oaklander says, noting that X-rays show broken bones, but not nerve damage. "It was only many years later when he was examined by a neurologist that his underlying nerve injury was identified and able to be treated," she said.  Health Minute: The struggle of managing chronic pain » Oaklander says pain medications can help most patients, but there are other options. For instance, she says, if the pain is related to an orthopedic problem, physical therapy may be the best choice. In Connick's case, relief came through surgery to implant a peripheral nerve stimulator above his hip. Based on pacemaker technology, the stimulator is placed under the skin and works by giving off benign pulses that override pain signals to the brain, Oaklander explains. She cautions that minor surgery is involved, and the device works in only about half the patients who get it. For Connick, it made all the difference. "The day they put it in and I turned it on, I was up seven flights of stairs before they stopped me. Everything that I hadn't been able to do and everything that made me happy was back available to me again and I knew it right away." These days, Connick is back at work loading trucks. He's on his feet all day and doesn't complain about any pain. Oaklander concludes: "If you have chronic pain, don't take no for an answer....I think it's important for chronic pain patients to keep a sense of purpose, optimism and hope despite the indignities that many are subjected to." E-mail to a friend Judy Fortin is a correspondent with CNN Medical News. Linda Ciampa of Accent Health contributed to this report.

What is the top reason patients seek medical care?

What continues a month or more beyond usual recovery period?

How many American adults suffer from chronic pain?

Answer: "Pain

Answer: "pain that continues a month or more beyond the usual recovery period for an injury or illness or that goes on for months or years because of a

Answer: chronic pain

Answer: chronic

Answer: one in three

Summary:
As many as one in three American adults suffer from chronic pain .
Chronic pain continues a month or more beyond usual recovery period .
Expert: Pain is the top reason patients seek medical care .


BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- A 22-year-old medical student suspected of killing a woman he may have met through a Craigslist online ad was arraigned Tuesday and will be held without bail. Medical student Philip Markoff, 22, appears in court Tuesday in Boston, Massachusetts. Philip Markoff, a second-year student at Boston University's School of Medicine, listened intently but did not speak during the hearing in Boston Municipal Court. Dressed in a blue-striped shirt and slacks, Markoff was handcuffed and wearing leg irons. His attorney, John Salsberg, told reporters after the hearing that Markoff is "not guilty of the charges. He has his family's support. I have not received any document or report or piece of evidence other than what I heard in the courtroom. All I have at the moment are words -- no proof of anything." A woman identifying herself as Markoff's fiancee also maintained his innocence in an e-mail sent to ABC News. Megan McAllister said Markoff "is the wrong man" and "was set up." "Unfortunately, you were given wrong information as was the public," McAllister wrote. "All I have to say to you is Philip is a beautiful person inside and out and could not hurt a fly!" She accused Boston police of "trying to make big bucks by selling this false story to the TV stations. What else is new??" Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley told reporters, "This was a brutal, vicious crime -- savage. And it shows that Philip Markoff is a man who's willing to take advantage of women -- to hurt them, to beat them, to rob them." A procedural not-guilty plea was entered on Markoff's behalf, Conley said. A Boston University spokeswoman said the school suspended Markoff, who has no criminal record, when it learned of the charges on Monday. Markoff is charged with killing 26-year-old Julissa Brisman of New York on April 14 at Boston's Copley Marriott Hotel. Evidence from the scene suggests that Brisman "put up a fight," prosecutor Jennifer Hickman said during the hearing Tuesday. Police said Brisman, a model, advertised as a masseuse on Craigslist, a popular online classifieds service. She sustained blunt head trauma, Hickman said, and was shot three times at close range. One of those bullets passed through her heart, killing her, she said. Markoff is also charged in connection with the robbery four days earlier of a woman at a Westin Hotel. In that case, the woman made arrangements to meet a man through Craigslist for a massage at the hotel, but was held at gunpoint and bound, Hickman said. She was robbed of $800 and personal items, and left tied to a door handle with duct tape over her mouth, Hickman said in court Tuesday. Police said earlier the Westin victim was 29. She was not identified. Authorities believe the motive in Brisman's death was robbery, Conley told reporters, and she was killed during a struggle. In executing a search warrant at Markoff's home, police found a firearm, along with restraints and duct tape, he said.  Watch police say assailant has perused Craigslist ads » Surveillance videos from the hotel where Brisman was murdered showed a tall, clean-cut young blond man in a black windbreaker leaving the property, according to Boston police, who sought public assistance identifying the man. Police traced the Internet communications with Brisman to an e-mail account opened the day before her death, Conley said. Using Internet provider information, they found the computer was at Markoff's residence in Quincy, Massachusetts, he said. Authorities put the home under surveillance, Conley said, and "the case just begins to build from there." "This poor woman, Julissa Brisman, no matter what choices she made or decisions she made in life, she is a human being who's entitled to dignity and respect," Conley said. There may be more victims that authorities are unaware of, he said, adding that the prosecutor's

Who sent an email saying  police have wrong man?

Answer: restraints

Answer: A procedural not-guilty plea

Answer: Markoff's fiancee

Answer: "not guilty

Summary:
Not-guilty plea entered in Philip Markoff's behalf in woman's slaying in Boston .
Prosecutors say semiautomatic firearm found in search of student's home .
CEO says Craigslist looking for ways to make site safer in wake of killing .
E-mail from suspect's fiancee says police have "wrong man"


BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- A 23-year-old medical student pleaded not guilty Monday to an indictment alleging first-degree murder charge in a killing tied to Craigslist. Philip Markoff is charged with killing a woman and robbing another in Boston hotels in April. Philip Markoff is accused in the the fatal shooting of one woman and the robbery another in Boston hotels earlier this year. A Massachusetts grand jury late last week indicted him on seven counts, including first-degree murder. Markoff is charged with the April 14 fatal shooting and attempted robbery of Julissa Brisman, 25, and the armed robbery of a 29-year-old Las Vegas woman on April 10. Investigators have linked both crimes to ads on the popular Web site Craigslist. He is also charged with "the armed and forcible confinement" of the two women, as well as two counts of unlawful firearm possession, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said.  Watch Markoff in court » The grand jury returned the indictment late Thursday, and it moves the case from Boston Municipal Court to Suffolk Superior Court, where Markoff entered his not guilty plea on Monday. He previously had pleaded not guilty in the city court and is being held without bail. Markoff's attorney, John Salzberg, had no comment on the new indictment. Prosecutors said Brisman, a model from New York who advertised as a masseuse on Craigslist, was shot three times at close range and suffered blunt head trauma at the Marriott Copley Place hotel. The Las Vegas woman was robbed of $800 in cash and $250 in American Express gift cards at the Westin Copley Place hotel, police reports said. Markoff, a second-year medical student at Boston University's School of Medicine, also has been charged in a nonfatal hotel assault in Rhode Island. He has been charged with assault with the intent to rob, assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of a handgun and use of a firearm while committing a crime of violence, stemming from an April 16 robbery attempt at a Holiday Inn Express in Warwick, Rhode Island.

What were both April incidents linked to?

Answer: first-degree murder

Answer: Philip Markoff

Answer: killing a woman and robbing another

Answer: Julissa Brisman,

Answer: first-degree murder

Answer: Monday

Answer: ads on the popular Web site Craigslist.

Summary:
NEW: Suspect pleads not guilty to slaying of woman, robbery of another .
Philip Markoff charged in seven-count indictment .
Police: Both April incidents linked to ads on Craigslist.com .
Slain woman was masseuse who advertised on Craigslist, prosecutors say .


BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- A Boston police officer is suing the city after he was suspended for referring to a black Harvard professor as a "banana-eating jungle monkey" in an e-mail. Boston police Officer Justin Barrett apologized for his e-mail about Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. "If I'm charged with a crime I want a chance to answer. I want the chance for a fair hearing," Officer Justin Barrett told CNN on Tuesday. Barrett has apologized and denied he is a racist. His lawsuit claims his civil rights have been violated; Barrett's lawyer said the words referring to Henry Louis Gates, Jr. were misinterpreted. "The choice of words were poor; but they weren't meant to characterize professor Gates as a banana-eating jungle monkey," attorney Peter Marano said. "They were meant in a response to behavior and characterizing the behavior. Not the person as a whole." Marano said the city had effectively fired Barrett, though he is officially suspended with pay. He said it was fair to hold Barrett to a higher standard than the general public because he is a police officer, but that he was still entitled to express his opinions. "Being held to a higher standard shouldn't eradicate his right under the First Amendment for free speech. That is part and parcel of the lawsuit," the lawyer said. Gates was arrested at his house last month when a neighbor called police after she thought she saw a man trying to break into Gates' home. The man turned out to be Gates himself, who was attempting to free a jammed door. The incident sparked a national debate about race and policing, drawing in President Obama himself. Obama, who is a friend of Gates, said the officer who arrested the professor "acted stupidly," but then withdrew the comment, saying he did not know all the facts when he spoke. He hosted Gates and Sgt. James Crowley for a beer at the White House to calm the tensions. Barrett later sent a mass e-mail about the encounter to other officers and to the Boston Globe newspaper. Barrett was suspended from his military duties as captain in the Army National Guard and placed on administrative leave from the Boston Police Department pending the outcome of a termination hearing. Barrett said he was moved to write the note because he believed a Boston Globe column about Gates' arrest "seemed like it was biased." "It did not show the roles and duties of a police officer and how dangerous it already is without having a debate about people getting in a police officer's face, which should never happen at all." Asked what led him to choose to use such language, he said, "I don't know. I couldn't tell you. I have no idea." He added, in response to a question, that he had never used such language before. Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis denounced the e-mail. Barrett used the "jungle monkey" phrase four times, three times referring to Gates and once to the Boston Globe column. He also declared that he was "not a racist but I am prejudice [sic] toward people who are stupid and pretend to stand up and preach for something they say is freedom but it is merely attention because you do not get enough of it in your little fear-dwelling circle of on-the-bandwagon followers." According to a statement from Boston police, Davis took action immediately on learning of Barrett's remarks, stripping the officer of his gun and his badge. Barrett's arrests and investigations will be reviewed for indications of racial bias, Davis said. The department will also look closely at the officers who received or viewed the e-mail.

what did the officer say about the black prof

who did justin barrett write the email about

Answer: was arrested

Answer: "banana-eating jungle monkey"

Answer: Boston

Answer: suing the city

Answer: referring to a black Harvard professor as a "banana-eating jungle monkey" in an e-mail.

Answer: Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Answer: at his house

Summary:
Officer suspended for referring to black prof as a "banana-eating jungle monkey"
Justin Barrett wrote e-mail talking about Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates .
Barrett is suing city of Boston, saying suspension violates his civil rights .
Gates was arrested at his house after police thought he was breaking in .


BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- A huge mural greets visitors to the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Boston. It's a memorial to the building's namesake, who died unexpectedly in 1993.

Hundreds of tiles are used to create the "magic" mural at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Boston.

A young Reggie Lewis, wearing his  No. 35 Boston Celtics jersey, dominates the middle of the 11-foot-by-14-foot artwork. At the bottom left is a picture of him and his wife. To his right, the face of legendary Celtic Larry Bird.

But as young men in sweats and sneakers make their way into the gym, something strange happens. The mural comes alive. The photo of a beaming Lewis in formal attire transforms into Lewis the basketball player, streaking down the court.

Larry Bird's picture morphs into that of another famous player, Robert Parrish.

With each step, the mural transforms, representing the many scenes in one man's life.

Artist Rufus B. Seder calls these "movies for a wall" Lifetiles. The Massachusetts artist invented the Lifetiles medium and is the only artist in the world using it. He has more than 30 Lifetiles installations around the globe.  Watch a magic mural in action »

At the Taiwan Aquarium, dolphins swim on the wall alongside awestruck children. Bucking broncos line the halls of the the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, Texas. Dancers spin and twirl along with passengers on luxury cruise ships in the south of France. And Seder calls the the South San Francisco, California, BART station his "own personal gallery," with more than 16 installations.

Lifetiles don't use electricity, moving parts or tricky lighting -- just an elaborate and painstaking process done out of Seder's Eye Think Inc. studio near Boston.

"What I'm after is trying to create an experience which totally takes you by surprise," he said.

Scanimation on the shelf

If the technology you see in Lifetiles looks familiar, you might have caught something similar at a local bookstore. The popular children's books "Gallop!" and "Swing!" were also written and illustrated by Seder. With a technique he calls scanimation, pictures in the books come alive as you flip the page.

It's a kids' favorite that quite a few parents enjoy, too, based on sales numbers. "Swing!" and "Gallop!" are currently on The New York Times bestseller list.

Seder originally used scanimation in greeting cards he sold at trade shows around the country. Then Workman Publishing came calling, asking Seder to develop a book based on the eye-catching technique.

That's when Seder caught lightning in a bottle. After several decades as a somewhat unknown artist, he found himself flying to China to teach the scanimation technique to book makers. Just a few years later, there are over 2 million copies of "Gallop!" in print in more than 13 languages.

Still awed by their popularity, Seder said, "I would've been satisfied if a limited edition sold well. It totally blew my mind what happened."

Although his books' success have gained Seder some newfound publicity, the Lifetiles are truly his life's work.

The relatively unknown and seemingly modern form of art isn't new at all. Seder's been working on Lifetiles for more than 20 years, inspired by toys from the 1850s called zoetropes and an active imagination as a youngster.

"I started making movies when I was 12 years old," he said, "so I was always into motion pictures and especially into optical tricks and techniques that trick the eye."

How does it work?

As a viewer, you don't have to learn how to see a Lifetile. It's intuitive, and one immediately understands the concept. As you walk past the mural, it begins to move along with you.

But the question that immediately comes to mind -- and the one Seder gets the most -- is, "How does it work?"

"The

What are lifetiles?
Who  is the inventor of Lifetiles?
Who is Rufus Seder?
who its Rufus Seder?

Answer: "movies

Answer: Rufus B. Seder

Answer: Massachusetts artist invented the Lifetiles medium and is the only artist in the world using it.

Answer: Artist

Summary:
Lifetiles are murals, created without electricity or moving parts, that appear to move .
Rufus Seder is the inventor of Lifetiles and the only artist in the world using them .
His eye-catching Lifetiles installations can take over a year to make .
Seder also is the author of two bestselling books using similar technology .


BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Before Amy Harned goes outside to work in her garden, she coats her face and neck with sunscreen, then puts on a hat, jacket and work gloves.

Amy Harned, 48, takes a lot of vitamins and maintains a healthy diet to manage her lupus.

The 48-year-old is doing more than protecting herself from dangerous ultraviolet rays. She's trying to keep the sunlight from triggering a flareup of her lupus.

Harned, who lives in Webster, Massachusetts, is among the 1.5 million Americans who suffer from the autoimmune disorder. Lupus causes the body's immune system to attack its own tissues, causing inflammation and damage. When Harned's lupus was first diagnosed, she said she "was really terrified, but gradually I got more information." She realized with proper treatment she could lead a somewhat normal life.

No two cases are alike, experts say. In fact, there are four types of the illness, ranging from mild to severe. Before effective therapies were developed, the disease was fatal more often, usually from overwhelming infection and kidney failure.  Health Minute: Watch more on living with lupus »

The Lupus Foundation of America estimated that more than 16,000 new cases develop every year.

More than 90 percent of people with lupus are women, the group says. Experts aren't sure why.

"It clearly has to do with estrogen and estrogen receptors," said Lisa Fitzgerald, a Boston, Massachusetts-based rheumatologist.

Genetics can play a role as well. Not only does lupus run in families, but, Fitzgerald said, a person may be more susceptible if a relative has other autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

Environmental factors also may increase risk of the disease. Researchers believe that taking certain prescription medications, and even exposure to sunlight, can trigger the illness.

Age is another risk factor. The Lupus Foundation says the condition is most often diagnosed when women are in their childbearing years between 15 and 45.

Harned's symptoms developed 15 years ago, when she was 33.

"My first symptoms with lupus were [that] my hands were swollen," Harned recalled. "They were very stiff, to the point that brushing my teeth was hard just holding the toothbrush."

The stiffness and achy joint pain are caused by inflammation brought on by lupus, Fitzgerald said.

In addition to swollen joints, she said the other symptoms include fatigue, facial rash, fever, chest pain, swollen glands and sores in the mouth and nose.

With such varied symptoms, diagnosis can be tricky. The American College of Rheumatology recommends doctors confirm four of 11 criteria for a proper diagnosis.

A blood test and urinalysis are two of the ways doctors determine whether a patient has lupus.

Researchers have come a long way in the last 50 years when it comes to understanding the condition, Fitzgerald said.

"The prognosis for lupus today is very good," she said. "The survival rate is really over 90 percent in five to 10 years of having the disease. In the 1950s it was probably 50 percent."

Part of the reason for the improved success has to do with better treatment in managing the condition. Over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin, naproxen and ibuprofen offer relief to some patients.

Other lupus sufferers might be prescribed an antimalarial drug called hydroxychloroquine.

"It's a quinine derivative. It's quite safe," Fitzgerald said. "It can make a big difference for patients who have mild disease."

Fitzgerald added she also prescribes corticosteroids "to squelch flareups." While they work well, she cautioned they do have side effects.

After 15 years of living with the condition, Harned has her own tricks for coping with lupus.

In addition to taking daily prescription drugs, Harned controls the symptoms by eating a healthy diet and exercising, getting enough rest and taking what she called "a ton of vitamins."

Some experts have touted fish oil and flaxseed as promising complements that may help ease inflammation.

What sex are most people with lupus?
For what reason is diagnosis tricky?
How many types of lupus are there?
What will ease inflammation?
what can be tricky
What makes diagnosis tricky?
what does some expert say
how many types of lupus there are

Answer: women,

Answer: varied symptoms,

Answer: four

Answer: fish oil and flaxseed

Answer: diagnosis

Answer: varied symptoms,

Answer: No two cases are alike,

Answer: four

Summary:
There are four types of lupus, ranging from mild to severe .
Diagnosis can be tricky because symptoms are varied .
Some experts say fish oil and flaxseed ease inflammation .
Most people with lupus are women, said the Lupus Foundation of America .


BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Everyone knows Boston is a city steeped in history, but on a steamy hot summer day, one of the best places to experience the city is from the ocean or the harbor. Codzilla boats zip passengers around Boston's inner harbor. A new high-speed thrill ride called Codzilla -- a 70-foot turbocharged boat that makes 180-degree turns at close to 40 knots (43 mph) -- takes passengers out of the inner harbor into the Atlantic. White-knuckled riders are tied down with seat belts but still hold on to the railings with one hand and cling to their belongings with the other so they don't fly overboard. Teenage boys like Ben Whatley from Michigan think Codzilla is "pretty cool." Younger brother Jeremy agrees while huddling with his grandmother. If you want both history and a boat ride, take one of Boston's famous Duck Tours. Operated on amphibious vehicles from World War II, the tours take you through downtown historic Boston. Then the bus becomes a sea-going vessel, settling into the harbor for a short cruise. It's a great way to see both sides of the city. When you get back on land, the New England Aquarium awaits with a "Sharks and Rays" exhibit that wraps up September 1. It includes a large touch tank where visitors can pet stingrays and small sharks. Megan Moore, a visitor program specialist at the aquarium, is excited to teach people that most sharks are not scary. Out of the 900 different species of sharks and rays, Moore says, only 10 to 15 have ever been known to attack a human, mostly because they confuse people with food. Sea dragons, jellyfish and harbor seals are among the other sea creatures on display at the aquarium. If you'd rather see animals in their own habitat, you can board a whale watch tour at the harbor just outside the aquarium. Tours take about three hours on a high-speed catamaran to the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. It's been a protected area since 1992 and is a rich feeding ground for all kinds of marine life. Tour operators guarantee whale sightings on every excursion. Visitors this year are seeing large numbers of humpback, fin and even endangered right whales. There are also lots of dolphins, seals and sea birds. Finally, to experience Boston in a historic way, head to the Public Garden and take a peaceful 20-minute glide in a Swan Boat. The boats have been an important part of the garden every spring and summer since 1877. Operator and owner Lyn Paget's great-grandfather got the idea for the first boat from the opera Lohengrin, in which a prince rescues his princess in a boat drawn by a swan. Paget calls the experience "magical" because the world speeds ahead but the Swan Boats never change. "We have generations of people that have passed through here. When you come down with a friend, or child or a grandchild, their experience is going to be the same that it was for you, and there aren't too many places where you can do that anymore," Paget said. Fran Fifis is a senior producer who has worked in CNN's Boston bureau since it opened in 1998.

Where do the Codzilla turbo boat rides take passengers?

What have been operating in Boston Public Garden since 1877?

Since what year have Swan Boats been operating there?

Boston's harbor and ocean attractions bring in tourists in which season in particular?

Answer: out of the inner harbor into the Atlantic.

Answer: around Boston's inner harbor.

Answer: Swan Boat.

Answer: 1877.

Answer: summer

Summary:
Boston's harbor and ocean attractions are great choices for summer visitors .
Codzilla turbo boat rides take passengers out of the inner harbor into the Atlantic .
Swan Boats have been operating in Boston Public Garden since 1877 .


BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Friends and acquaintances of Philip Markoff, a medical student accused of killing a woman he may have met through a Craigslist online ad, described the 23-year-old as a model student. Medical student Philip Markoff, 23, appears in court Tuesday in Boston, Massachusetts. "My girlfriend actually rode the elevator with him a lot alone; it's kind of freaking her out now," said Patrick Sullivan, who lived in the same apartment building as Markoff in Quincy, Massachusetts, a Boston suburb. "She thought he was kind of the all-American, good-looking guy," Sullivan said. "When she saw him on TV yesterday, she even remarked, 'I can't believe it's him. I always thought he had such a great smile, and he was so nice to me.'" James Kehoe, a friend of Markoff's from the State University of New York at Albany, where both attended college, said Markoff was "one of the best students I've probably ever encountered." "He would never put anything in front of his work," he said. "He had great aspirations to be a doctor." Markoff, a second-year student at Boston University's School of Medicine, is charged with killing 26-year-old Julissa Brisman of New York on April 14 at Boston's Copley Marriott Hotel.  Watch acquaintances describe a smart, good-looking guy » Markoff was arraigned Tuesday and is being held without bail. His attorney, John Salsberg, told reporters after the hearing that Markoff is "not guilty of the charges. He has his family's support. I have not received any document or report or piece of evidence other than what I heard in the courtroom. All I have at the moment are words -- no proof of anything." A Boston University spokeswoman said the school suspended Markoff, who has no criminal record, when it learned of the charges on Monday. "This was a brutal, vicious crime. Savage," Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley told reporters. "And it shows that Philip Markoff is a man who's willing to take advantage of women -- to hurt them, to beat them, to rob them." A procedural not-guilty plea was entered on Markoff's behalf, Conley said. Evidence from the scene suggests that Brisman "put up a fight," prosecutor Jennifer Hickman said during the hearing Tuesday. Police have said that Brisman, a model, advertised as a masseuse on Craigslist, a popular online classifieds service. She suffered blunt head trauma, Hickman said, and was shot three times at close range. One of the bullets passed through her heart, killing her, she said. Markoff is also charged in connection with the April 10 robbery of a woman at a Westin Hotel in Boston. In that case, the woman made arrangements to meet a man through Craigslist for a massage at the hotel, but was held at gunpoint and bound, Hickman said. She was robbed of $800 and personal items and left tied to a door handle with duct tape over her mouth, the prosecutor said in court Tuesday. The victim was not identified. Megan McAllister, who identified herself as Markoff's fiancee, maintained his innocence in an e-mail sent to ABC News. McAllister said Markoff "is the wrong man" and "was set up." "Unfortunately, you were given wrong information as was the public," she wrote. "All I have to say to you is Philip is a beautiful person inside and out and could not hurt a fly!" She accused Boston police of "trying to make big bucks by selling this false story to the TV stations. What else is new??" Authorities believe the motive in Brisman's death was robbery, Conley told reporters. In executing a search warrant at Markoff's home, police found a firearm, along with restraints and duct tape, he said. Surveillance videos from the hotel where Brisman was killed showed a tall,

Who has been suspended?
What does evidence suggest?
when did the robbery take place?
what is the name of the suspect?
What plea was entered?

Answer: Philip Markoff,

Answer: Brisman "put up a fight,"

Answer: April 10

Answer: Markoff,

Answer: A procedural not-guilty

Summary:
Procedural not-guilty plea entered in Craigslist slaying case .
Suspect Philip Markoff has been suspended from Boston University med school .
Evidence suggests that victim Julissa Brisman "put up a fight," prosecutor says .
Markoff also charged in connection with an April 10 robbery .