EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, California (CNN) -- Space shuttle Atlantis landed Sunday at Edwards Air Force Base after rainy weather in Florida precluded a landing at Kennedy Space Center. The space shuttle Atlantis touches down at Edwards AFB on Sunday. The shuttle touched down at 8:39 a.m. PT at Edwards, about 100 miles north of Los Angeles, California. Within seven to 10 days, the shuttle will be transported from California to Florida on the back of a modified 747 jumbo jet, NASA said in a statement. Atlantis' next flight is scheduled for November. Rainy weather postponed the shuttle landing both Friday and Saturday. NASA had said that Atlantis conceivably could have remained in space until Monday, but wanted to land the shuttle Sunday.  Watch Atlantis land at Edwards Air Force Base » Weather conditions in Florida were better Sunday than Saturday, NASA officials said, but atmospheric conditions were still too unstable for a landing at Kennedy. It was the 53rd time the shuttle has landed at Edwards, NASA officials said. In the early days of the space shuttle program, Edwards was its primary landing site. Shuttles have landed 70 times at Kennedy Space Center, NASA said, and once at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. Atlantis launched May 11 for NASA's final repair visit to the Hubble Space Telescope. Shuttle astronauts conducted five spacewalks during the mission to perform routine repairs and replace key instruments, in what has been called one of the most ambitious space repair efforts ever attempted. Hubble was released back into orbit Tuesday morning. The telescope was rejuvenated with instruments designed to improve its capabilities by as much as 70 times, while extending its lifetime through at least 2014, according to the NASA statement. "This is not the end of the story but the beginning of another chapter of discovery by Hubble," Ed Weiler, associate administrator for science at NASA headquarters, said in the statement. "Hubble will be more powerful than ever, continue to surprise, enlighten and inspire us all, and pave the way for the next generation of observatories." Hubble, which has been in space for nearly two decades, can capture clear images that telescopes on Earth cannot, partly because it does not have to gaze through murky atmospheres. CNN's John Couwels and Alan Duke contributed to this report.

What was the reason the shuttle did  not land in Florida as planned?

What stopped the scheduled landing in Florida?

What was the name of the shuttle to be used in the final Hubble repair mission?

Answer: Edwards Air Force

Answer: Rainy weather

Answer: Rainy weather

Answer: 8:39 a.m.

Answer: Atlantis

Answer: to perform routine repairs and replace key instruments,

Summary:
NEW: Repair mission means "another chapter of discovery by Hubble," official says .
Shuttle lands smoothly at 8:39 a.m. PT at Edwards AFB in California .
Bad weather scuttled scheduled landing attempts in Florida on Friday and Saturday .
Atlantis launched May 11 for NASA's final repair visit to the Hubble Space Telescope .


EDWARDSVILLE, Illinois (CNN) -- A man suspected of bludgeoning eight people to death is a methamphetamine addict with a history of fighting with police, an investigator said as the suspected spree killer made his first court appearance. Suspected spree killer Nicholas Troy Sheley, 28, did not enter a plea during his first court appearance. Nicholas T. Sheley, 28, is being held on $1 million bail in one slaying as police and prosecutors prepare additional charges in connection with a week-long killing spree in two states. Sheley, 28,  appeared in an Illinois courtroom on Wednesday via closed-circuit television, but did not enter a plea. He was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Ronald Randall, 65, whose body was found behind a grocery story in Galesburg. Other charges include aggravated battery, vehicle hijacking and vehicle theft.  Watch Sheley's perp walk » Sheley, who wore a green-and-white striped jail jumpsuit, said little except to answer "yes, sir," to a series of questions from Judge Edward Ferguson. Authorities say Sheley's alleged burst of violence spanned 300 miles until he gave up without a fight when police confronted him as he smoked outside a bar in Granite City, Illinois, on Tuesday night.  Map: See where the bodies were found » Additional charges are being filed in a second Illinois county which encompasses two other towns where police believe Sheley killed five people, authorities said. Authorities also suspect Sheley in connection with the slayings of an Arkansas couple in Festus, Missouri. All eight victims, which include a child, died from blunt-force trauma to the head, officials said. Sheley's capture ended an intensive manhunt, which included a $25,000 reward offer. Sheley had stopped at Bindy's bar, a popular cop bar in a Granite City shopping center. Two patrons who recognized him from news reports called police. Bar owner Bill Watson told CNN Sheley came in, drank a glass of water and went to the restroom. When he returned from the restroom, Sheley  asked for a lighter but was told he had to go outside to smoke. He was outside smoking when authorities arrived and arrested him. As bar patrons celebrated Sheley's arrest, a family member of one of the victims called and thanked them for their assistance, Watson said. "It really hit home and made us realize really what this guy was all about," Watson said. New of Sheley's capture calmed nerves in small towns from the Chicago to St. Louis areas. Police conducting a welfare check Sunday at an apartment in Rock Falls, Illinois, found four people dead, including the child. Sheley was a "known associate" to at least one of the Rock Falls victims, state police said. Rock Falls is across the Rock River from Sterling; both are in Whiteside County. The following day, Monday, authorities found Randall's  body in Galesburg, about 80 miles south of Rock Falls, and obtained an arrest warrant naming Sheley. The couple found dead in Festus, Missouri, a St. Louis suburb, was in town for a graduation, authorities said, and were last seen at a Comfort Inn there. Sheley is not believed to have had a prior relationship with the couple, police said. During the hunt for Sheley, the St. Louis County Police Department issued a bulletin describing him as an "extremely dangerous" methamphetamine addict. "He has stated to his ex-wife that he has more killing to do," the bulletin said. According to a Tuesday affidavit by FBI Special Agent Susan Hanson, Sheley invaded a home in Sterling, Illinois -- just a mile from Rock Falls -- on June 14. A woman inside the home told police the man was Sheley, it says. Sheley then took off to Iowa where he made a phone call in Sterling on Saturday  and then went to Missouri, according to the affidavit. A gas station attendant in Galesburg, less than 60 miles from where the call was placed near Davenport, Iowa, told police

Of what did the eight victims die?
When did the killings take place?
Did Nicholas T. Sheley enter a plea?
Where did the killings take place?

Answer: bludgeoning

Answer: June 14.

Answer: not

Answer: EDWARDSVILLE, Illinois

Summary:
NEW: Suspected spree killer described as meth addict .
Nicholas T. Sheley, 28, did not enter a plea at first court appearance .
Police say ex-con tied to eight killings over past week in Illinois, Missouri .
All eight victims died of blunt-force trauma to head, authorities say .


EL DORADO HILLS, California (CNN) -- The attorney for Nancy Garrido, charged in the Jaycee Lee Dugard abduction case, expressed concern Wednesday that intense media coverage may prejudice his client's ability to get a fair trial.

Phillip Garrido and his wife in 1988, shortly after his release from jail for rape.

"There have been some misstatements made in the media, and possibly very innocent misstatements like, you know, 'She's charged with 29 counts, she was there, therefore she must be culpable,' " Gilbert Maines told CNN's "American Morning" on Wednesday.

"That's good speculation, but any good prosecutor will tell you that they can't prosecute and convict on speculation.

"The media can do that, but the prosecutor can't."  Watch Maines talk about Nancy Garrido's case »

Nancy and Phillip Garrido have been charged in connection with the kidnapping and rape of Dugard, 29, who police say was abducted by the Garridos in 1991 at age 11.  Dugard grew up in a backyard compound of tents and outbuildings, and gave birth to two daughters, now 11 and 15, fathered by Garrido during her captivity, police said.

The Garridos were arrested last week and have pleaded not guilty. Philip Garrido is a registered sex offender.

Maines said his client has been charged with "about half" of the 29 counts against the couple. He said he has discussed "what she says happened." He would not elaborate, citing attorney-client privilege. But, he added, he is still "trying to establish a line of communication" with his client.

"We are in the process of formulating any defense that we have, or that we may have," he said. "We are still in the process of investigating this entire thing."

Maines said he was not aware of the case before he was appointed by the court to represent Nancy Garrido.

"I'm sure you understand that this is a horrendous thing for her," Maines said. "I mean I realize it's horrendous for Jaycee and her parents and the children, but my concern right now is that my client get a fair trial."

He said that he is still working on getting his client to "confide in me and talk to me so I can formulate any defense that is available."

Who says media coverage has included "misstatements ... speculation"?

Answer: Gilbert Maines

Answer: Jaycee Lee Dugard

Answer: Maines

Answer: intense media coverage may prejudice his client's ability to get a fair trial.

Answer: Nancy Garrido,

Answer: Jaycee and her parents and the children,

Summary:
Nancy Garrido faces charges with her husband in abduction of Jaycee Lee Dugard .
Her attorney says media coverage has included "misstatements ...  speculation"
Attorney Gilbert Maines says he's working on getting Nancy Garrido to confide in him .
Maines says the case is "horrendous" for Nancy Garrido as well as the victims .


EL PASO, Texas (CNN) -- CNN Hero Maria Ruiz has been changing the lives of children and their families in Juarez, Mexico, for more than 12 years. But lately, it's been Ruiz's own life that's been changing. Crews prepare to demolish Maria Ruiz's home as part of ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." In November, "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute" honored Ruiz for crossing the Texas border to Juarez several times a week to deliver food, clothing and toys to impoverished children and their families. Months later, Ruiz and her family received another surprise, courtesy of ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." Ruiz, her husband and their two children were sent on a five-day vacation to the Bahamas while thousands of volunteers built the family a custom-designed home. "When Ty Pennington came to our home and said, 'Ruiz family, come on out,' we all just ran out and couldn't believe that we were chosen," Ruiz said. "It's a blessing to us, but we weren't expecting all of this at all, and it has been overwhelming." Pennington is the host of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," which selected Ruiz and her family from thousands of applicants throughout Texas. Pennington said the idea was to give Ruiz what she needed most: the tools to do more.  Watch Ruiz and her family react to their new home » In addition to bringing supplies to the people of Juarez, Ruiz and her family are completing construction of a complex there, which includes a community kitchen, an orphanage and a trade school. Read more about Ruiz's work In order to devote their time to the Juarez community, the family put construction of their own home on hold in 1996, Ruiz said, leaving many parts unfinished. They were also using much of their living space as a warehouse for all of the donations for the Juarez families, she said. "A home is somewhere you can go after a long day's work and relax and where the family can get together and be able to sit down and talk about our day," Ruiz said. "When we had the things in the living room, we couldn't do that there." Upon returning from the Bahamas, Ruiz and her family were surrounded by thousands of volunteers and community members who blocked them from seeing the changes by the show's large bus. After chanting the show's coined phrase -- "Move that bus!" -- Ruiz and her family were introduced to their new home. "For us, it is a new beginning, and it's going to change our lives," Ruiz said. With her new home, Ruiz will be able to continue -- and even expand -- her family's work for those in need. According to Executive Producer Anthony Dominici, both an additional kitchen and storage space were built in the new home for Ruiz. And "through the generosity of the community," enough donations of food, clothes and toys were collected to fill a 20-foot shipping container and a 16-foot cube truck -- including more than 75,000 cans of food, Dominici said. "That's the whole point here," Pennington said. "To give her what she needs to make her life easier to literally spread dreams and hope to people who have absolutely none of either one of those." For Ruiz, it's about teaching young minds so they can in turn give back to their community. "If you teach them and train them as a child and they go out and do the same, we would live in a much better world." "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute" introduced Ruiz to the world when it premiered on Thanksgiving on the global networks of CNN. Actress Selena Gomez introduced and presented Ruiz with her CNN Hero award. Each of the top 10 CNN Heroes also received $25,000.  Watch Ruiz accept her CNN Hero Award » Nominations for 2009 CNN Heroes opened January 1 and can be submitted at www

What had taken a back seat to her charitable work?

Answer: thousands

Answer: "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute"

Answer: built the family a custom-designed home.

Answer: "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute"

Answer: Maria Ruiz's home

Answer: Maria Ruiz

Summary:
Thousands of volunteers rebuilt CNN Hero Maria Ruiz's home for ABC show .
CNN had honored Ruiz for bringing food and supplies to poor children in Mexico .
Finishing construction on her home had taken a back seat to her charitable work .
New home will be revealed March 15 on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"


EL PASO, Texas (CNN) -- Marina Diaz knows each day could be her last when she leaves for school each morning. Marina Diaz and Alejandro Caballero cross a U.S.-Mexico border checkpoint on the way to school each day. But that doesn't stop her from making the trip from her home on the dusty outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, a key battleground in Mexico's drug wars, to El Paso, Texas, where she attends high school. From the moment she catches a bus to downtown Juarez, she is mindful of her surroundings. This is a city that saw 1,600 homicides last year. She warily watches the federal soldiers patrolling the streets. Diaz, 18, finally relaxes after she clears customs at a border checkpoint and passes the "Welcome to Texas!" sign greeting pedestrians at the intersection of El Paso Street and 6th Avenue in downtown El Paso. From there, it's another five minutes to the Lydia Patterson Institute. She is not the only student making the trip across the border each day. In fact, most of the students in the school do it: About 70 percent of the institute's 459 students live in Juarez. Some are American citizens with Mexican parents; others are Mexican citizens who carry a student visa to any one of three U.S.-Mexico border checkpoints in El Paso that serve tens of thousands of students, white-collar workers and day laborers each day.  Students describe their lives and daily challenges » When she gets to the school each morning, Diaz changes out of her jogging pants and into her uniform skirt. "Because of the people over there, I don't feel comfortable with the men and stuff, so I wear pants," she explains. "You definitely see a difference here. The streets, they are more clean here than they are in Juarez, and I think the people respect you a little more. You don't have to worry about people giving you trouble." El Paso, population 734,000, has long enjoyed the benefits of strong community ties with its industrial sister city of approximately 1.5 million. But the violence and insecurity created by the war between the Mexican government and the drug cartels has strained that relationship. For students at Lydia Patterson, who live in Juarez and cross the bridge each weekday, the small, United Methodist preparatory school has become a safe haven in the months since drug-related violence in Juarez has intensified. "My school is a home for me because I have teachers and they treat me like parents," says Hazel Barrera, 18. "Here, they take care of us and they make us feel comfortable and safe." Lydia Patterson's faculty and administrators -- many of whom are graduates of the school, and also reside in Juarez -- say the school's mission is very much the same as it was when it was founded nearly 100 years ago as a sanctuary for Mexican families fleeing the violence of the Mexican Revolution. "Our students are exceptional, and I always tell them I respect them and I admire their courage because they're living through this horrible time," says the school's president, Socorro Brito de Anda.  Watch de Anda talk about how cartel violence affects her school » "There are some students who've had some very horrifying experiences, and we have to be there for them," she says. "Make them feel safe is mainly what we want to do here, make them feel that there's a place where they can go to school and concentrate on school without having to worry about their safety." Despite the Spartan aesthetic of the school grounds, which occupies a city block in downtown El Paso, most students might agree that Lydia Patterson lives up to de Anda's standards. Hazel Barrera and other Lydia Patterson students help clean the school to pay for their scholarships. By 7:30 a.m., the cafeteria is buzzing with chatter in English and Spanish of students who come in early for free breakfast. In the open-air courtyard that divides a pair of red-brick, two-story buildings of classrooms, students sit alone and

What event were families fleeing from that the school provided sanctuary for?

What percentage of Lydia Patterson Institute's students commute from Mexico?

What percentage of the institute's students commute from Mexico?

How many new students have been admitted?h

It was founded as a sanctuary for families fleeing what?

Answer: Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, a key battleground in Mexico's drug wars,

Answer: 70 percent

Answer: 70 percent

Answer: 459

Answer: About 70 percent

Answer: the violence of the Mexican Revolution.

Summary:
70 percent of Lydia Patterson Institute's students commute from Mexico .
Students, parents say school provides sense of security in contrast to Juarez, Mexico .
Lydia Patterson Institute has admitted 25 new students from Mexico this year .
School founded as sanctuary for families fleeing Mexican Revolution .


EL PASO, Texas (CNN) -- Sitting in high school, math and history lessons never captured Danny Santos' imagination. The drug-fueled streets of the Texas-Mexico border provided his education, and he was an excellent student. Danny Santos, 21, works two part-time jobs and still doesn't make as much as he did as a drug mule. Santos says he became one of the thousands of American and Mexican teenagers recruited into the dangerous world of drug smuggling. "I didn't care. I had no conscience," Santos said at a boxing gym in El Paso, Texas. "You're young, and you're naïve, and you think it's easy." Santos' journey into the underworld of teenage drug smuggling offers a glimpse into how drug cartels lure teenagers into doing their dirty work. US. Customs and Border Protection officials in El Paso and San Diego report that in recent months, they've seen a rise in the number of juvenile drug smugglers getting busted at border checkpoints. They're often called mules. These teenagers are usually hired only to smuggle drug loads across the border. It's a short drive or walk that offers quick cash but can carry serious consequences.  Watch how teens get drugs across the border » Drug cartels "just need someone who can legitimately cross the border," said Bill Molaski, the El Paso Port Director for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. As an American, Santos could freely cross the El Paso-Juarez border and not raise suspicion. At age 15, Santos says, he met "a guy" at a party who introduced him to drug kingpins in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. "You start off as a driver," Santos said. "People feel like they can trust you, then you move up to something bigger." Two weeks later, he got a $4,000 job offer to drive his first load of marijuana across a bridge into El Paso. It was the beginning of a four-year smuggling career. "I can't say I wasn't nervous," Santos said. "You kind of project yourself into another time of happiness or joy. ... You just have to forget you have something illegal in the car." In all, Santos says, he earned $50,000 making about 20 mule runs, driving right through heavily guarded border checkpoints. Santos, who is now 21, says he was arrested once but spent only a few days in jail. He said charges were dropped. Because he was younger than 18 when he was arrested, and juvenile cases are sealed, CNN could not confirm his story through court records. Young smugglers don't fit a stereotype. Several sources said that both American and Mexican teens are lured into the work. Teenage boys and girls alike are involved. Many smugglers come from middle-class families. "There's a lot of money in the trade, a lot of inducement for a lot of young people to get involved," El Paso County Attorney Jose Rodriguez said. His office is responsible for prosecuting juvenile smugglers. Federal and state authorities say drug cartels recruit young smugglers from schools. Depending on the size of the drug load that's being smuggled, a kid can be paid a couple hundred dollars up to $5,000. Mexican officials say cartels have placed classified advertisements in Mexican newspapers with cryptic messages offering young people a job with good salary and benefits. A phone number is included in the ad. The officials say a cartel member sets up a meeting to determine whether the kid is up to the job. But Rodriguez offers a chilling reason why teenagers should avoid the lure of easy money. "We had a kid here who lost a load and had some of his toes chopped off," Rodriguez said. Santos says he got out of the smuggling business two years ago. Now he spends every day training at a boxing gym in El Paso. Boxing and smuggling can both be vicious worlds, but at least boxing is legal. However, it's a slow climb to

What did he make?
How much did Danny Santos make>
Where did he smuggle drugs?
What does he do now?

Answer: $50,000

Answer: $50,000

Answer: into El Paso.

Answer: spends every day training at a boxing gym

Summary:
Danny Santos, 21, says he made $50,000 in four years as a drug mule .
Santos smuggled drugs across U.S. border from Juarez, Mexico .
He was arrested once, as a juvenile, but said charges were dropped .
Santos now works two part-time jobs as trains as a boxer .


EL PASO, Texas (CNN) -- The cell phone rang as Jorge Aguirre walked to a friend's funeral in Juarez, Mexico, last November -- a funeral for a fellow journalist who, Aguirre says, was assassinated for the critical stories he wrote. Mexican federal police recently began patrolling Ciudad Juarez, just across the border from El Paso, Texas. When he answered the phone, Aguirre heard a profanity-laced threat. "They told me I was next," Aguirre told CNN. "I thought they were going to kill me right there." Aguirre immediately gathered up his family and darted across the border into El Paso, Texas. He hasn't returned to Juarez since that day. Aguirre is seeking asylum in the United States, and he's part of a growing trend among Mexican citizens looking to escape the violence and corruption of their homeland.  Watch journalists met with death threats » According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, an agency that falls under the Department of Homeland Security, the number of Mexican nationals requesting asylum in the United States based on "credible fear" has gone up every year since 2003, even as the overall number of "credible fear" asylum cases remains steady. In 2003, the USCIS reported 54 asylum cases from Mexican citizens. In 2008, that number reached 312. But asylum requests based on fear of violence aren't easy cases to make. Last year, the United States approved less than half of those cases. "Whether they're fleeing extortionists or potential kidnappers or they're leaving because of the drug cartels, it tells you there are definitely problems in Mexico right now," said El Paso Mayor John Cook. Those seeking asylum come from every walk of life. There are journalists, entrepreneurs and even law enforcement officials, including three police chiefs. For Raymond Cobos, the sheriff in Luna County, New Mexico, this is the most disturbing revelation. Just across the Mexican border is a dusty, far-flung outpost called Palomas, a speck of a town that's a popular path for drug trafficking and human smuggling. It's also been the site of wild gunbattles between cops and the cartels. The cartels outgunned the police force, and the police chief disappeared and sought asylum in the United States. It's not clear where his case stands or where the police chief is today. "I don't know what I would do. It's pretty hard to fight that type of situation by yourself -- if you're in an environment that you don't know from one day to the next if someone's going to knock on your door and blast your family away," Cobos said. Emilio Gutierrez is another journalist hiding in El Paso. He wrote stories critical of the Mexican government for a small newspaper in the northern Mexico state of Chihuahua, which shares a border with Texas and New Mexico.  Watch cops say U.S. teens were cartel hit men » Last May, Gutierrez says men dressed in Mexican military fatigues raided his home in the middle of the night. He was told they were looking for drugs and weapons. A month later, a friend called, frantically urging him to hide. Gutierrez grabbed his family, drove to El Paso and requested asylum. He spent seven months in a U.S. jail as his case moved through the immigration system. He's recently been allowed to leave the jail while his request is pending. He's now in hiding in El Paso. "The fear never ends," Gutierrez told CNN. "We're scared for our families that are still on the other side, and we're scared for ourselves." Gutierrez and Aguirre offer a chilling perspective on everyday life in areas of Mexico that are consumed with violence and corruption. They describe a situation that has left ordinary citizens unable to trust anyone in positions of authority. "Thousands of families are in danger of being killed," Aguirre said. "They're vulnerable because they can't go to the police for help because that might get them killed."

What journalist is in danger because of his stories?

Who has disappeared near Palomas, Mexico?

What is the name of the police chief who is missing?

Answer: Jorge Aguirre

Answer: in the United States,

Answer: the police chief

Answer: next,"

Answer: disappeared and sought asylum in the United States.

Answer: Jorge Aguirre

Answer: Jorge Aguirre

Summary:
Number of Mexicans seeking asylum in U.S. on the rise .
Journalist says his stories have put him in harm's way: "They told me I was next"
Police chief from nearby Palomas, Mexico, has disappeared amid violence .


ELDORADO, Texas (CNN) -- Ambulances rolled into a Texas ranch that's home to members of a polygamist sect, as authorities continued their search Saturday night for possible victims of physical and sexual abuse. Authorities are seeking Dale Barlow, 50, seen in a mugshot from a 2005 arrest on child sex charges. The emergency vehicles were called for as investigators prepared to search the group's temple, law enforcement officials said. The sect is a rogue branch of the Mormon church, which forbids nonbelievers from entering its temples. Authorities wanted medical backup "in case they're involved in sensitive areas that could escalate into a negative reaction," a law enforcement source said. A police helicopter also had begun circling the ranch Saturday night. Earlier, dozens more children and young women were removed from the compound. A total of 183 people, including 137 children, have been taken away since law enforcement officers raided the compound Thursday night, said Marleigh Meisner, a spokeswoman for the Texas Child Protective Services Division. The children -- most of them girls -- were being interviewed by special investigators, she said. "We're trying to find out if they're safe," she explained. "We need to know if they have been abused or neglected." Eighteen of the girls have been taken into state custody. Authorities believe that they "had been abused or were at immediate risk of future abuse," said Child Protective Services spokesman Darrell Azar. The others were taken to a nearby civic center. Meisner described them as doing "remarkably well."  Watch a report on the latest developments » Authorities continue to search the 1,900-acre YFZ ranch, occupied by followers of imprisoned polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs, and at least one man is being sought by police. According to the search warrant, authorities are looking for Dale Barlow, 50, whom they suspect of having married and fathered a child with a 16-year-old girl.  Watch an Eldorado neighbor talk about the raid » Law enforcement agencies raided the ranch Thursday night after receiving a report Monday that a 16-year-old girl had been "sexually and physically abused," Azar said.  Watch buses take girls from compound » The warrant cited an "immediate need" for authorities to have access to the 16-year-old and an 8-month-old child with either the last name of Barlow or the girl's last name. It instructs law enforcement officers to look for any records showing that Barlow and the girl were married and any evidence of them having a child. Barlow is in Arizona and does not know his accuser, his probation officer told The Salt Lake Tribune. "He said the authorities had called him [in Colorado City, Arizona], and some girl had accused him of assaulting her, and he didn't even know who she was," Bill Loader said. Barlow pleaded no contest last year to conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor, The Associated Press reported. He was ordered to register as a sex offender for three years, according to the AP. His lawyer in that case told the AP he had not spoken to Barlow in a year. Jeffs, the 52-year-old leader and "prophet" of the 10,000-member church, was convicted in Utah last year and sentenced to 10 years on two counts of being an accomplice to rape, charges related to a marriage he performed in 2001. He faces trial in Arizona on eight charges of sexual conduct with a minor, incest and conspiracy. Jeffs' Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints bought the land near Eldorado four years ago and built the ranch, which they call the YFZ Ranch. The letters are said to refer to the words Yearning for Zion. It is home to as many as 400 members who relocated from their Arizona and Utah compounds. State and local law enforcement agencies set up roadblocks around the ranch Thursday evening, preventing journalists from seeing what was happening on the property, according to Randy Mankin, editor of the Eldorado Success weekly newspaper. "This came totally out of

What is search of the temple expected to turn up?

What is the number of children removed from ranch?

In which state is Jeffs jailed while awaiting trial?

What is the number of people removed from ranch?

How many children were removed from the ranch?

How many years was Jeffs sentenced to prison last year?

What state jail is Jeffs waiting trial in?

Answer: possible victims of physical and sexual abuse.

Answer: Texas

Answer: 137

Answer: Arizona

Answer: 137

Answer: 183

Answer: 137

Answer: 183

Answer: 10

Answer: Utah

Summary:
NEW: Ambulances called in as investigators prepare to search temple .
Number of people removed from ranch grows to 183, including 137 children .
Authorities served search, arrest warrants to members of polygamist sect .
Jeffs in Arizona jail awaiting trial; sentenced to 10 years in prison last year .


ESTERO, Florida (CNN)   -- Alana and Joe Consolo should have had the excitement of a young couple enjoying their first house, but the South Florida pair was walking through it recently with a healthy dose of fear.

Alana and Joe Consolo tour their Florida house after it was gutted because of concerns about the drywall.

They've been caught in a maelstrom of headline news events that would make your head spin. Both were laid off as the economy soured. The nation's housing crisis cut their Florida house's value in half.

And now their home's interior is being rebuilt because it contained Chinese-made drywall that they say has made them sick.

The Consolos are among homeowners in several states who allege Chinese drywall has emitted corrosive gases they believe have given them headaches and upper respiratory problems and caused household systems such as air-conditioning units to fail.

"I'm holding back tears," Alana Consolo said as she walked through the house, which is in the middle of the reconstruction project. "I have chills and I'm angry -- really, really angry -- and really sad, too."

The Consolos moved into the home in Estero, near Fort Myers, less than three years ago. But they moved out six weeks ago, and even though it's being rebuilt, they doubt they'll return there to live because they've yet to be convinced they'd be healthy.

"The last time that we saw the house in this condition," Alana said, looking at the gutted interior, "we came in excited, holding our hands, planning on where we were going to put our [baby] room for our new family."  Watch the Consolos tour the gutted home »

Concerns about Chinese-made drywall emerged in Florida last year but by now have spread to other states. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said it's investigating complaints in Florida, Virginia, Alabama, Louisiana, Washington and North Carolina. And class-action lawsuits are lining up against Chinese manufacturers as well as suppliers and builders.

The Florida Department of Health said complaints it received -- more than 180 as of Thursday -- generally involve homes built between 2004 and 2007, around the time that a building boom and post-hurricane reconstruction caused a U.S. drywall shortage and spurred imports from China.

A study done for the Florida department by private laboratory Unified Engineering Inc. found that samples of certain Chinese drywall gave off a sulfurous odor from "volatile sulfur compounds" when exposed to extreme heat and moisture. It also found that vapors "in the residential atmosphere created a corrosive environment in the presence of moisture," according to Unified's report.

But state and federal officials said they're still testing to determine whether the drywall poses health risks.

The Consolos, who now have a 4-month-old daughter, said they first noticed a problem in December when their smoke detectors kept going off inexplicably. An inspection revealed that copper wiring inside the house had turned black.

And the couple said they suffered from headaches and upper respiratory problems while living in the house. So they moved out.

Now the house, which had Chinese-made drywall, has been stripped. The builder, Lennar Homes, is footing the bill for the reconstruction and a nearby rental house for the Consolos.

Moving out came at a trying time for the family.

Both were laid off about a year ago by Countrywide Bank, where they were mortgage loan originators. Joe Consolo is now a restaurant manager.

Also, the nation's housing crisis hit their home. Purchased for $528,000, it has recently been appraised for $280,000. Trying to get out from under a bad investment, they went to their bank to do a short sale.

"The value had decreased so much, we were throwing money out the window," Alana Consolo said.

Two offers for $250,000 and $255,000 were rejected. So, they made a business decision: They stopped paying their mortgage and declared bankruptcy.

The Consolos are now three months behind in their payments. They're not sure yet if

who was living in a different home at builder's expense

Answer: Florida

Answer: Estero, near Fort Myers,

Answer: Alana and Joe Consolo

Answer: Chinese-made drywall

Answer: Alana Consolo

Answer: nearby rental house

Answer: Alana and Joe Consolo

Answer: healthy dose of fear.

Answer: drywall

Summary:
Florida couple's house being revamped; they say Chinese drywall made them sick .
Drywall concerns came after layoffs, home devaluation .
Family living in different home at builder's expense while theirs is fixed .
Homeowner says she's "really, really angry"


East Rutherford, New Jersey (CNN) -- From nuclear weapons to human rights, the image of Iran is quite negative in America. But with little fanfare, one Iranian man has won hearts and cheers battling Americans on the court in basketball arenas around the country.

Hamed Haddadi is the NBA's first Iranian basketball player. At 7-foot-2, Haddadi began playing for Tennessee's Memphis Grizzlies in August 2008. His final game of this season was set for Wednesday night in Oklahoma City.

Despite U.S.-Iran tensions in the political arena, any strains appear absent with teammates and fans alike.

"It seems like he's the most popular Grizzly. When we go on the road ... he has a lot of support from a lot of people, a lot of people come out to watch him and watch us play," said teammate Mike Conley, who accompanied Haddadi to a "kebab fest."

The kebab fest was held in Las Vegas in 2009. Haddadi was accompanied by Conley and fellow Grizzly Hakim Warrick to a Persian restaurant. The event served to introduce the teammates to Persian food. Grizzlies' forward Rudy Gay turned the tables when he took Haddadi for a taste of American ribs at a Memphis restaurant.

It wasn't as easy getting permission to play in the United States. Current U.S. sanctions on Iran prohibit "a person or organization in the United States from engaging in business dealings with Iranian nationals," stated the NBA legal counsel.

The NBA had to apply to the U.S. government for a license that granted Haddadi permission to play for the NBA.

The reception has been positive courtside. But problems arose from game announcers once.

Ralph Lawler and Mike Smith, L.A. Clippers announcers on local Fox Sports, were suspended for a game for insensitive comments about Haddadi. When the Grizzlies faced the Clippers, the two joked about the Iranian center.

"You're sure it's not Borat's older brother?" said Smith. "If they ever make a movie about Haddadi, I'm going to get Sacha Baron Cohen to play the part."

Mayar Zokaei, Haddadi's Iranian-American manager, said the Iranian basketball player has brought lots of media attention to the middle-of-the-standings Grizzlies.

"He's gotten more press then any of his teammates this year and the past couple of years just for the sole reason that he's Iranian-American," said Zokaei. "Iranian playing basketball in America ... that's rare. [There aren't many]) Iranians doing anything in bona fide sports arenas in the U.S."

Haddadi faces big challenges. One is speaking and learning English.

Furthermore, his family is almost 7,000 miles away in Iran. The political turmoil back home is something he can't control. He worries about his family.

"It affects him because he misses them, he's not able to keep up to date with them because he's so busy ... he's always concerned about their well-being and such," said Zokaei.

Off the court, Haddadi has been working to bridge the gap between Iranian-Americans and basketball. Haddadi was at the forefront of creating the Hamed Haddadi Javanan Foundation. The charity organization aims to award college scholarships to student athletes.

The foundation has not been his only initiative.

In 2009, with Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest and manager Zokaei, Haddadi hosted a weekend basketball camp for 100 children.

The camp was held on the campus of California State University at Northridge and was aimed mainly at the Iranian-American community.

Haddadi's team did not make the NBA playoffs, which start within the week. His next test on the court -- playing for Iran against the United States in the world championships in September in Turkey. Haddadi and teammate Rudy Gay agree the United States will win.

"Tell you the truth ... we can't beat the United States you know," said Haddadi. "We're [The U.S.] gonna win, of course," boasted Gay.

But his two years in America have been a personal victory for Haddadi, who just

Who began playing for Tennessee's Memphis Grizzlies in 2008?

Who did they have to apply for license from?

Answer: a license that granted Haddadi permission to play

Answer: August 2008.

Answer: NBA

Answer: Tennessee's Memphis Grizzlies

Answer: Hamed Haddadi

Answer: between Iranian-Americans and basketball.

Answer: U.S. government

Answer: basketball

Answer: Iranian

Summary:
Hamed Haddadi began playing for Tennessee's Memphis Grizzlies in August 2008 .
Despite U.S.-Iran tensions, strains appear absent with teammates, fans alike .
NBA had to apply to the U.S. government for a license to let Haddadi play .
He's been trying to bridge gap between Iranian-Americans and basketball .


Editor's Note: Al Vivian is president & CEO of BASIC Diversity, Inc., a 35-year-old consultancy that specializes in diminishing cross-cultural biases that has worked with clients such as Coca-Cola, Ford, Kroger, McDonald's, the National Security Agency and CNN. He is also an adviser to the United States Army for diversity and cultural affairs. Al Vivian says Eric Holder was right to urge Americans to confront diversity issues now. FAYETTEVILLE, Georgia (CNN) -- Privilege can be a dangerous thing. It releases you from the task of thinking about things that others must. I am an African-American male and I am privileged. Not on race; but on gender, education, religion, income and many other areas. As a man, my authority and intellect are not second-guessed. As a Christian, my moral code is not questioned, nor am I subject to post-September 11 profiling. I have privilege in these areas, and I realize that this privilege creates blind spots. An advantage to any group creates a corresponding disadvantage to all others Recently Attorney General Eric Holder made some statements concerning America's need to confront its racial history, and the need for Americans to engage in cross-racial dialogue. Holder's comments offended some and motivated others, not uncommon when dealing with the touchy issue of race. On confronting our history he said: "To get to the heart of this country, one must examine its racial soul. ... in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards. " Concerning cross-racial dialogue he opined: "If we are to make progress in this area, we must ... have frank conversations about the racial matters that continue to divide us." In a recent interview, President Obama responded by saying, America has made "enormous progress, and we shouldn't lose sight of that ... I think it's fair to say that if I had been advising my attorney general, we would have used different language." The president went on to say, "I think what solves racial tensions is fixing the economy, putting people to work, making sure people have health care, ensuring that every kid is learning out here." They were both right; but they were addressing two different things. Obama was talking about fixing the economy to ease racial tensions. Holder was talking about overcoming our fears to dialogue and confronting racial privilege so that we can eliminate inequities that cause the racial tensions. Additionally, Holder was not saying that progress had not been made. He was saying that there is much yet to be done in order to fully engage and leverage the abilities of all of the nation's human capital. Elaborating on history, we must acknowledge that whites have been the benefactors of centuries of history that included half-truths that socially affirmed them to the detriment of all others. Addressing this privilege will take extreme courage, for there will be many loud dissenting voices. For example, there has never been a discussion in America about whether we should or should not celebrate a White History Month. That would be an irrelevant waste of time, because white history has been the basis of practically all that we have been taught. Being able to sit in a classroom and open history books that positively portray a plethora of people that resemble you has been, and continues to be, the exclusive historical privilege of whites. This privilege psychologically and economically benefits every member at every level of the advantaged category so profoundly that its members never have to question their place in society. And that place is on top: the expected and accepted norm. If you are white, consider how different life might be for you now if you had grown up from meager beginnings, while simultaneously being denigrated by a society that had denied equal access to you, your parents and every member of your race during every prior generation. This is the history of black America that Holder is saying we must understand to truly know the heart of America. History is history, and

what race have had a longstanding racial privilege in the U.S. according to Al Vivian?

Who said"Privilege creates blind spots that conceal the harm they do"?

Answer: is president & CEO of BASIC Diversity, Inc.,

Answer: of whites.

Answer: whites

Answer: Attorney General Eric Holder

Answer: Attorney General Eric Holder

Answer: this privilege

Summary:
Al Vivian: Privilege creates blind spots that conceal the harm they do .
He says whites have had a longstanding racial privilege in the U.S.
Vivian: History has largely been written from perspective of white Americans .
Holder was right to make his "nation of cowards" speech and urge dialogue .


Editor's Note: Alfred Liggins is chief executive officer of Radio One Inc. and chairman of TV One LLC. The companies are aimed at an audience of African-American and urban consumers, and they own 53 radio stations in 16 cities, a cable network and a variety of Web sites. Liggins personally has contributed to Barack Obama's campaign. Alfred Liggins says the black population in America has grown increasingly diverse. (CNN) -- If you think African-Americans will come out in greater numbers than ever before to vote for Barack Obama, you're probably right. If you think you know how they'll vote in the almost 500 House, Senate and gubernatorial races, you could be in for a surprise. Although politicians and their advertising gurus often speak to Black America as a collective, homogeneous group, the black population is anything but a monolith. In the past decade, the more than 40 million strong black population in America has become increasingly diverse: economically, socially, technologically and even philosophically. In the final push toward Election Day, as politicians and political hopefuls seek to penetrate this community, they may no longer understand to whom they are speaking. Are they addressing blacks or African-Americans? Is racial prejudice as important an issue today as affording a college education for their kids or taking care of an aging parent? iReport.com: Black college cancels class to vote Radio One, the country's largest broadcasting company primarily targeting African-Americans, recently commissioned a study to uncover Black America today. How do they identify themselves? What do they care about? How are they influenced? What is most important to them? Interestingly, the study found that 42 percent of those polled actually prefer to be called black (these are more likely to be more affluent) compared with 44 percent who choose to be described as African-American. And yes, it would be misguided to assume that dropping a Martin Luther King Jr. quote into a speech and focusing on America's history of racial inequality is the sure way to sway black voters when one-third of blacks, particularly younger people, believe that there is actually too much focus on past oppression. And as insulting as it is to assume that all women vote for female candidates, it is equally inaccurate and offensive to say that blacks simply cast their ballots for people of color. Like all Americans, black folks vote on the issues they care about, and today those issues are less likely to be linked to race than they are to the economy, health care, education and a whole spectrum of social issues. As Georgetown University sociology professor Michael Eric Dyson recently said, "black people don't vote for candidates just because they are black. If Clarence Thomas ran for president, he would get five black votes." Given Black America's extreme diversity today (the study identified 11 specific groups) it is easy to misunderstand who they are and how they can be reached. Yes, discrimination and racial issues are still incredibly important, particularly to middle-age and older blacks. But the younger populations are more concerned about starting their own businesses, paying for their education, taking care of their children and creating a better work/life balance. So how do politicians penetrate the multiple segments of Black America? In 1992, when Bill Clinton wooed African-Americans in church, he understood how to effectively reach that population. But that was before social networking sites attracted millions of teenage and young black adults. Now that the digital divide has faded, with roughly the same percentage of blacks online as the general population, ignoring black Web sites and social networking sites would be a big mistake. Although the history of black oppression in America is not the radioactive issue it once was, trust in the community -- whom blacks trust -- is still paramount. Of all institutions, they are least likely to trust credit card companies but also remain seriously wary of the mainstream media and tend to trust black media more than traditional media outlets. It has been almost a century and a half since blacks in America won the right to vote. It

What demographic has become more diverse?

What population has become more diverse?

How large is the American black community?

What did Alfred Liggins say has become of the black population?

What did Liggins say about America's black population?

Answer: black population in America

Answer: black

Answer: in America

Answer: more than 40 million

Answer: grown increasingly diverse.

Answer: has grown increasingly diverse.

Summary:
Alfred Liggins: America's black population has become more diverse .
40 million population represents many different social, economic viewpoints, he says .
Liggins: Discrimination still key issue, but other concerns have emerged .
Liggins says politicians need to know that past appeals to race are outdated .


Editor's Note: Award-winning journalist and best-selling author Carl Bernstein, best known for his reporting work with Bob Woodward about the Watergate scandal, serves as a political analyst for CNN. Most recently, Bernstein wrote "A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton," a detailed portrait of the junior senator from New York and former Democratic presidential candidate. Carl Bernstein says Republicans returned to old themes, including patriotism, to attack Democrats. (CNN) -- Democrats take note: the Republican convention was resolutely on-message Tuesday night, sounding old themes and buzzwords that have worked for the GOP in the past. It's those same themes that John McCain, who once rejected the approach, has now embraced as the only way to the White House. "The Angry Left," "Liberals," "The Media," -- the familiar litany of right-wing Republican demons -- rocked the house in St. Paul, Minnesota. The message: McCain, Sarah Palin and the Republicans are the true party of patriotism, as if the Democrats aren't. In the repetitious theme of the evening, the Republicans would "Put Country First," as if the Democrats wouldn't. The Democrats' first response to the evening, in a statement from the Obama campaign about the GOP's failure to address economic problems in the country, said nothing -- perhaps at its peril -- about the real Republican message. The theme was first sounded by actor Robert Duvall in the short film he narrated; followed by speaker after speaker and later interspersed in filmed tributes to Ronald Reagan and to a Navy Seal hero who died in Iraq. That is the theme invoked as the motif of John McCain's life. Perhaps the most extreme example of the implication that the Republicans have a lock on patriotism and "Putting Country First" came in video footage of a first-responder going underwater to rescue occupants of a car that plummeted in the Minneapolis bridge collapse. (No word at the convention about problems of infrastructure in the country -- just people (apparently only Republicans) who would "Put Country First." Meanwhile, consistent with the demonizing subtext of this theme, President Bush attacked (rather incongruously, but with plenty of antecedents in Republican history) "The Angry Left" -- perhaps an attempt to stigmatize those who would question Sarah Palin's credentials. A quick video tribute to Ronald Reagan referred to "the media [who] despised him." Former Sen. Fred Thompson pounded Barack Obama as "the most liberal" presidential candidate in history, and brought the convention to its feet. He also warned of losing the Supreme Court to the Democrats and "liberalism" (to delirious applause). Thompson said McCain's pick of Palin had thrown the Democrats' "friends in the media into a state of panic" (pandemonium in the hall). John McCain, in a different time in his life (i.e. running against George W. Bush for the Republican nomination in 2000), specifically rejected this approach. He courted and charmed the dreaded "media" monolith and enunciated a post-partisan vision (yet definitely consistent with conservative orthodoxy on many big questions). McCain also railed against the culture wars that his party and campaign are now intent on stoking as the way to victory. (Remember, only months ago, when the promise of this election was that there were two nominees who understood the enduring damage of the culture wars to the country and its political system?) Will the Republican message on display last night work? It was essential to George W. Bush's defeat of John Kerry and pulled Bush to parity with Al Gore in 2000. George H.W. Bush relied on the approach in 1988. Bill Clinton recognized the strategy, addressed it substantively and forthrightly and buried it. The McCain campaign and the Republican Party of 2008 are betting that Barack Obama won't be nimble enough to repeat Clinton's feat, and that they have found the formula (including putting Palin on the ticket at a moment when the election seemed to be eluding them) to victory. The opinions expressed in

The angry left was attacked by who at the convention

Who now embraces the GOP theme whilst previously rejecting them

Who attacked The Angry Left at the convention?

What does Bernstein claim McCain rejected?

What is the theme at Tuesday's  GOP convention?

Answer: "The Angry Left"

Answer: President Bush

Answer: John McCain,

Answer: President Bush

Answer: Tuesday night,

Answer: the approach,

Answer: "Put Country First,"

Summary:
Tuesday's themes at GOP convention dealt with patriotism, "Putting Country First"
President Bush attacked "The Angry Left" at convention .
Bernstein: McCain once rejected old GOP themes, now embraces them .


Editor's Note: Barry Eichengreen is George C. Pardee and Helen N. Pardee Professor of Economics and Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of "Golden Fetters: the Gold Standard and the Great Depression, 1919-1939."

Barry Eichengreen says strong action should be taken to stop the financial crisis from getting worse.

BERKELEY, California (CNN) -- Every time the economy and stock market turn down, financial historians get predictable calls from reporters.

Could this be the start of another Great Depression? Could "it" possibly happen again? My stock answer has always been no.

The Great Depression resulted from a series of economic and financial shocks -- the end of a housing bubble in 1926 and the end of a high-tech bubble in 1929 -- but also from truly breathtaking neglect and incompetence on the part of policymakers.

It couldn't happen again precisely because policymakers know this history. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is a student of the Great Depression. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson remembers the mistakes of Andrew Mellon, Herbert Hoover's treasury secretary.

We can be confident, I always answered, that there will not be another Great Depression because policymakers have read financial histories like mine. At least that was my line until recently. Now I have stopped taking reporters' calls.

The first thing that made the Great Depression great, of course, was the Fed's failure to act. It basically stood by as the banking system and the economy collapsed around it. This time, in contrast, the Fed can hardly be criticized for inaction. Not only has it cut rates, but it has rolled out one new unprecedented initiative after another.

Unfortunately, it has reacted more than acted. First, it provided funds to the commercial banks. Then, it targeted broker-dealers. Now, it is desperately propping up the commercial paper market. All the while however, the problem has been infecting new parts of the financial system.

One thing that restrained the Fed in the 1930s was the fear that rate cuts might cause capital to flee to other countries and the dollar to crash. The danger was that the same liquidity that the Fed poured in through the top of the bucket might just leak back out through these holes in the bottom.

There was a solution: coordinated rate cuts here and in Europe. Unfortunately, central bankers couldn't agree on what was needed. The result was further instability.

That central banks have learned this lesson of history and now see the need for coordinated action is at least one ground for hope. The problem is that they have already used their bullets. iReport.com: What lessons have your family passed down from the Great Depression?

U.S. Treasury bill rates have essentially fallen to zero, and the Fed's policy interest rates are only slightly above that level. Central banks are out of ammunition. This is no longer a problem they can solve by themselves.

What is needed now is Treasury action to address what has morphed into a global banking crisis. Between 1930 and 1933, not just the U.S. but also Europe and Latin America experienced rolling banking crises.

When Austria took desperate measures to prop up its banking system, its banking crisis only shifted to Germany. When Germany did the same, the crisis spread to the United States.

This was beggar-thy-neighbor policy at its worst. We have seen some disturbing evidence of the same in recent weeks, as when Ireland unilaterally guaranteed all bank deposits and thereby sucked funds out of the British banking system.

G7 leaders, when they meet in Washington at the end of this week, need to explain exactly how they will address this aspect of the problem. They need to commit money to recapitalizing their banking systems -- now, and not next week.

The U.K., which has just announced a $50 billion plan for bank recapitalization, has shown how this can be done in a matter of days. But a coordinated initiative will require the U.S. to put up a considerably larger sum.

My recommendation would be to abandon the idea of reverse auctions for toxic assets and

What historical event does this person say we should learn from?

Events are overtaking the resources of what banks?

Who knows the lessions of the Depression?

Answer: Andrew Mellon,

Answer: The Great Depression

Answer: Great Depression.

Answer: Central

Answer: central banks

Summary:
Eichengreen: Serious mistakes were made by policy makers in Depression .
Today's leaders know the lessons of the Depression, he says .
Still, events are rapidly overtaking the resources of the central banks, he says .
Eichengreen: The problem can't wait until Inauguration Day to be solved .


Editor's Note: CNN.com has a business partnership with CareerBuilder.com, which serves as the exclusive provider of job listings and services to CNN.com. This article first appeared in September 2005.

(CareerBuilder.com) -- Are skyrocketing gasoline prices cursing your commute? Wondering why you're driving to work only to spend your hard-earned dollars to get you there and back? Perhaps telecommuting is the answer.

Telecommuting is changing the way we work. An estimated 10 percent of today's workforce works from home and remains on the company payroll. And a recent study commissioned by Bell Atlantic estimates that 2 million American businesses support some kind of telecommuting program.

Employees who telecommute largely report that they are happier with their jobs and more satisfied with their personal lives. A survey by the Information Technology Association of America even found that 36 percent of respondents would choose telecommuting over a pay raise.

Increased quality of life sits at the top of the list of employee benefits along with reduced stress levels, greater flexibility and increased productivity. And contrary to the popular "out of sight, out of mind" misconception that telecommuting will take you off the fast track, a study of 17,000 telecommuters by the U.S. Small Business Administration (Myths and Realities of Working at Home) found that teleworkers receive a higher proportion of promotions than their stay-at-work counterparts.

Employers in turn benefit from reduced real estate costs and absenteeism, increased productivity, morale and employer turnover costs. In addition, many find that telecommuting seems to encourage certain entrepreneurial qualities in their employees, including drive, self-discipline, self-reliance and improved judgment.

There are benefits to the community as well: reduced fossil fuel consumption and traffic congestion which lead to cleaner air and safer neighborhoods. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, if an additional 10 percent of the nation's workforce would telecommute just one day a week, Americans would avoid the frustration of driving 24.4 million miles, breathe air with 13,000 tons less air pollution and conserve more than 1.2 million gallons of fuel each week.

Are you a candidate for telecommuting? Certain jobs such as writers, salespersons, accountants, programmers, graphic artists, researchers, engineers, architects and public relations professionals lend themselves to telecommuting better than others.

You also need to have the right personal qualities. For example, do you have the self-discipline to work from home under minimal supervision? Does your boss perceive you as a self-starter who can work independently? Are you a proven performer? Well-organized? A good time-manager?

If the answers are yes, you may want to propose a telecommuting arrangement with your employer. To do so successfully, follow the same principles you would in a job interview. Focus on the benefits of telecommuting to the company, not the benefits to you. State only that telecommuting will make you more productive and efficient, be a better use of the time you currently spend on the road, make your boss's life easier -- whatever benefits you come up with that focus on the employer's needs, not yours.

Outline in writing your job description and assure your boss that you'll meet your responsibilities. Emphasize that you know what needs to be done and that telecommuting won't significantly change that. You may even want to include a table that shows which of your job functions will be accomplished off-site, which will be performed in the traditional workplace and which can be done at either location. Describe how you will handle key relationships with other team members.

Think about yourself the same way you would if you were looking for a new job. What is your unique selling proposition? How are you an asset to your employer, and what do you do better then anyone else in your company? By effectively communicating your value to your employer, you'll be better able to sell your boss on the idea of letting you telework. E-mail to a friend

Copyright CareerBuilder.com 2009. All rights reserved. The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority

Kate Lorenz is the article and advice editor for CareerBuilder.com

How many of today's workforce telecommutes from home?

What does 2 million American businesses support?

What is the percent of today's workforce?

How many people would choose telecommuting over a pay raise?

Answer: 10 percent

Answer: some kind of telecommuting program.

Answer: 10

Answer: 36 percent

Answer: 2

Summary:
An estimated 10 percent of today's workforce telecommutes from home .
2 million American businesses support some kind of telecommuting program .
Survey: 36 percent would choose telecommuting over a pay raise .


Editor's Note: CNNU is following two student teams from the University of Southern California as they work to improve the quality of life in India. The student teams will be writing about their experiences for CNNU throughout the summer. Check back regularly for updates on their work. CNNU first introduced the Oral Cancer Awareness Team. It now introduces the Water and Health Team. The views expressed in this article are not necessarily those of CNN or its affiliates. Students visited slums to obtain data on the history of health and access to water in each household. (CNN)  -- The World Health Organization reports that 88 percent of the 1.8 million deaths resulting from diarrhea can be attributed to unsafe water or inadequate hygiene or sanitation. Unfortunately, a significant population in the city of Hubli, India, fall victim to these causes, and they are not even aware of the cause. The University of Southern California Hubli Water and Health Team is spending this summer implementing a project model that will improve these statistics in the community. The team of six students, visiting from the University of Southern California, will guide a pilot project in the under-served community of S.M. Krishna Nagar. Over the course of the next year, the Team will employ local college students to maintain the program and monitor the efficiency of the water purification technology. And by subsidizing the cost for those living within S.M Krishna Nagar, the Team will be providing state-of-the-art purification systems at affordable prices, creating an important sense of ownership and empowerment for the people. The team also plans to build awareness within the local community about the need to drink purified water. While the source of water currently received by the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation is filtered, sewage leakage and the poor management of waste often contaminates drinking water on its way into the homes. This means that while the water from these pipes or the bore wells may look clean, it can be hazardous to drink. To compound the issue, even water contained in holding tanks on vehicles that visit the community is by no means guaranteed to be of sufficient, purified quality. The tanks carrying the water are rarely cleaned and the taps through which the water is dispersed may easily be contaminated. Families must be aware that the water they are provided is harmful to their health and provides a catalyst for breeding mosquitoes carrying malaria and other transferable diseases. Local reports have proven this, and communities in the past have fallen victim to water-related illnesses as a result of their consumption of unclean water. The USC Hubli Water and Health Team team hopes to shed light on this threatening issue, as confronting the challenge of dirty drinking water is a "gateway" step towards achieving measured, sustainable improvements in a wide array of serious health related issues. Through education at key points of community influence and the measured introduction of new technologies that encourage responsibility over simply charity, the Team will use its time in Hubli to affect change that is both scalable and sustainable.

What is one of the top 3 cancers in India?

Who did students employ to maintain their program and monitor its efficiency?

From which University did students come from to go to India?

Answer: India.

Answer: Oral

Answer: local college students

Answer: local college

Answer: of Southern California

Summary:
Students from University of Southern California go to India to improve quality of life .
Team provides innovative water treatment measures to stop disease .
Other team teaches how to prevent oral cancer, one of top 3 cancers in India .
Students employ locals to maintain program and monitor efficiency over next year .


Editor's Note: Daniel J. Mitchell is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, a libertarian public policy research foundation. He formerly worked at The Heritage Foundation and as an economist for Republican Sen. Bob Packwood and the Senate Finance Committee. He also served on the 1988 Bush-Quayle transition team. Daniel Mitchell says an auto bailout would subsidize bad management and reward inflexible unions. (CNN) -- General Motors, Ford, Chrysler and the United Auto Workers union are pouring millions of dollars into a lobbying campaign for a taxpayer bailout. The money devoted to influence peddling in Washington would be better spent on improving quality and finding ways to reduce a bloated cost structure, but both management and UAW have decided that fleecing taxpayers is a better option. A taxpayer bailout would be a terrible mistake. It would subsidize the shoddy management practices of the corporate bureaucrats at General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, and it would reward the intransigent union bosses who have made the synonymous with inflexible and anti-competitive work rules. Perhaps most important, though, is that a bailout would be bad for the long-term health of the American auto industry. It would discriminate against the 113,000 Americans who have highly-coveted jobs building cars for Nissan, BMW and other auto companies that happen to be headquartered in other nations. These companies demonstrate that it is possible to build cars in America and make money. Putting them at a competitive disadvantage with handouts for the U.S.-headquartered companies would be highly unjust. A bailout also would be bad for General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. The so-called Big Three desperately need to fundamentally restructure their practices. More specifically, the car companies need to endure some short-term pain in order to restore long-term viability. But that won't happen if politicians raid the treasury. Getting access to taxpayer money would be akin to giving an alcoholic the key to a liquor cabinet. It also would be bad for American taxpayers and the American economy. For instance: • A bailout will hurt the overall economy by misallocating resources. When politicians grant special favors to a certain industry or a particular union, such decisions necessarily mean that market forces are being replaced by special-interest deal-making. This type of interference with free markets is why nations such as France, Germany and Japan tend to grow more slowly and enjoy less prosperity. But if America goes down this same path of government intervention, it is inevitable that we will suffer the same fate of stagnation and higher unemployment. • A bailout will encourage other industries to seek taxpayer handouts. The Wall Street bailout was a disaster in many ways, most notably as measured by the weak stock market and economic volatility. But another negative aspect of the bailout is that other industries have now decided that it is OK to stick their snouts in the public trough, as well. First Wall Street's high fliers get a bailout. Now the inefficient management and union at the Big Three want a handout. Who will be next in line to pillage taxpayers? Giving handouts in exchange for political support is akin to getting high. Once politicians decide they like the buzz of campaign contributions, they'll turn into junkies with ordinary Americans footing the bill. • A bailout is a perverse transfer from poor taxpayers to rich taxpayers. America's Founding Fathers surely never envisaged that the federal government would take money from one group of Americans and give it to another group. Yet much of the federal budget is devoted to redistribution programs. Bailouts are a particularly bizarre form of redistribution, however, because the corporate bureaucrats at the Big Three are among the very richest Americans. The UAW bosses make extravagant salaries, as well, and even regular union workers make an average total compensation including benefits of approximately $70 per hour, far higher than the average American. The government should not be in the business of giving unearned wealth to any group of citizens, but surely liberals and conservatives both can agree that politicians should not be taking money from middle class taxpayers and giving it to upper-middle class and rich taxpayers. Advocates oftentimes admit that bailouts are not

what did daniel bailing say about bailout?

Who does Mitchell say would receive unfair treatment in the deal?

what did mitchell say about auto execs, workers and unions?

Who is making statements about the auto industry bailout?

Answer: would subsidize bad management and reward inflexible unions.

Answer: 113,000 Americans

Answer: demonstrate that it is possible to build cars in America and make money.

Answer: bailout would subsidize bad management

Answer: Daniel Mitchell

Summary:
Daniel Mitchell: Bailing out the Big Three would reward shoddy management .
A bailout would be unfair to other auto companies making cars in the U.S., he says .
Mitchell says auto execs, workers and unions are overpaid .
Bankruptcy would let the companies streamline their operations, Mitchell says .


Editor's Note: David Hawkins is Director of Public Policy and Research for the National Association for College Admission Counseling, a nonprofit organization that represents more than 11,000 high school counselors and college admission officers from across the country. He was the author of a report last month by the organization's commission on the use of standardized tests. David Hawkins says test scores shouldn't be used to rank college quality ARLINGTON, Virginia (CNN) -- A recent controversy at Baylor University has brought new attention to the widespread misuse of standardized college admission tests to rank the quality of America's colleges and universities. The SAT and ACT have achieved nearly iconic status in America and throughout the world. As the late author and scholar Stephen Jay Gould noted, the tests are viewed by many as "abstruse and mysterious," with powerful effects on public policy, social mobility, and even individual identity. Misuse of test scores as college ranking criteria creates undue pressure on admission offices to pursue increasingly high test scores and fuels the tests' disproportionate influence. Last June, Baylor University encouraged its already admitted first-year students to retake the SAT. The reward for students who retook the test was $300 in bookstore credits. Students who increased their score by more than 50 points got a $1,000 merit aid scholarship. If enough students retook the SAT and increased their scores, the gains might be enough to move Baylor up the rankings list. The scarce financial resources allocated for this plan are too badly needed elsewhere, particularly among low-income students in rural and urban areas around the country, to spend on an effort to raise a college's SAT profile. A Baylor spokesman told The Associated Press Thursday that the university "goofed" and would likely end the incentives. It's critical to understand that high SAT and ACT scores alone do not equate to merit. Last month, our organization's Commission on the Use of Standardized Tests in Undergraduate Admission issued a report calling for change in the way everyone involved in college admissions uses the tests. Test misuses feed the public perception that the scores are the most influential factor in college admission. For the past 15 years, National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) research has shown that students' grades in high school, particularly grades in college preparatory courses, are by far the most important consideration in college admission decisions. One of the most pressing problems regarding the SAT and ACT scores is their misuse in the U.S. News and World Report college rankings formula. The SAT and ACT were designed to provide information about a student to colleges and universities and were never meant to be measures of college quality. Accordingly, the commission encouraged U.S. News and World Report to eliminate test scores as a measure of institutional quality. The U.S. News ranking formula includes a "student selectivity" score that constitutes 15 percent of a college's overall rank. SAT or ACT scores of enrollees make up 50 percent of the student selectivity score. In response to the NACAC report, U.S. News and World Report said, "As long as standardized tests play an integral role in the college admissions process, U.S. News will use them as part of our ranking methodology." The situation at Baylor is a reminder of the inflated value assigned to the SAT and ACT in higher education. The fervor surrounding the rankings, as well as the lengths to which colleges go to increase them, are unfortunate distractions in higher education and admissions. The impression students and families get from the rankings is that higher test scores mean higher quality colleges. To borrow a phrase familiar to admission deans, many colleges recruit great students and then graduate great students. Is that because of the institution, or the students? Some credit undoubtedly should go to both. But is a college of lower quality because its students' SAT scores are lower than those of students at another college? Generally speaking, the ability of admission tests to predict success in higher education is much more limited than most people think. Colleges most often determine the utility of admission test scores by assessing how well they predict first-year grades. Colleges are wrong to

what about the importance of grades
what did hawkins say

Answer: in college preparatory courses, are by far the most important consideration in college admission decisions.

Answer: test scores shouldn't be used to rank college quality

Summary:
David Hawkins: Admission tests are wrongly used to rank college quality .
Hawkins says Baylor University's incentives for test scores are a mistake .
Grades are much more important than test scores in admissions decisions, he says .
Hawkins: U.S. News should drop SAT and ACT scores in rankings .


Editor's Note: Donna Brazile, a Democratic strategist, is chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee's Voting Rights Institute and founder of Brazile & Associates, a political consulting firm. She was the campaign manager for the Al Gore-Joe Lieberman ticket in 2000 and wrote "Cooking with Grease." Donna Brazile says Barack Obama's inauguration is a huge milestone in the fight for equal rights WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Today Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States of America. This is the day for which so many prayed, so many marched and so many more sacrificed. This is a day of jubilation and celebration. This is the day to rejoice and recommit ourselves to restoring the American dream for us all. Barack Obama's election offers our country the opportunity to open a new chapter that will allow us to turn the corner on past prejudices and racial politics. When Sen. Obama announced his candidacy for president in 2007, most people, black and white, thought it would be, at best, an interesting sideshow. After Obama's victories in the early primaries, there came the controversial videos of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, broadcasting a racial divisiveness that cast even greater doubt on an Obama candidacy. But the senator moved quickly to reassure people that Wright's jaundiced view of America did not reflect his own. Americans wanted to move beyond racial categorization and the politics of division. Obama understood that. And so did the voters. But African-Americans didn't believe it. Seventy-one percent of black voters had never thought a black candidate for president would get elected in their lifetime, according to a national poll released in November by CNN/Opinion Research Corp. Yet 59 percent of white respondents said they had thought it was possible. Obama did not just win the caucuses in Iowa  -- a state with a white population of more than 94 percent -- he resoundingly captured it. Other primary victories, once thought improbable, soon followed. These included Georgia, and Virginia, the former seat of the Confederacy. On Election Day, Obama won a higher percentage of the white vote than John Kerry did in 2004, though he did not get a majority of whites. Unlike other black presidential candidates before him, Obama did not run as "the black candidate." He ran as a Democratic candidate, a U.S. senator from Illinois, and a progressive. And America, by larger margins than in previous recent elections, voted for the progressive Democratic U.S. senator from Illinois who happened to be biracial. For too long, race has been the stain on the American fabric. As Secretary Condoleezza Rice reminded us, race has been our "nation's birth defect." At times during the long primary and general election, race became a subtle distraction -- but the American people rejected it and it was never the primary issue. Nor was it the primary issue for Americans who voted for Barack Obama. The vast majority of those who voted for and against Obama did so based on the content of his political prescriptions and platform -- not the color of his skin. A lot of lessons were taught November 4. Obama's election revealed the possibility of three new truths for African-Americans: White America may not be as racist as African-Americans thought they were; a solution to our country's lingering racial problem may eventually be found; and the Rev. Martin Luther King's dream that one day all people will be judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin is alive and within reach. Obama's election has inspired 6 in 10 blacks to forecast better race relations in the United States. "A majority of blacks now believe that a solution to the country's racial problems will eventually be found," said CNN polling director Keating Holland. "In every previous poll on this topic dating back to 1993, black respondents had always said that racial problems were a permanent part of the American landscape. Even in the most recent polls taken last week, a majority of African-Americans said that a solution to the country

What did Brazile say hardly anyone did two years ago?

What didn't Obama run as in the election?

What did Donna Brazile say about Obama's inauguration?

Answer: Barack Obama's inauguration is a huge milestone in the fight for equal rights

Answer: a Democratic candidate,

Answer: Barack Obama's inauguration is a huge milestone in the fight for equal rights

Answer: as a Democratic candidate, a U.S. senator from Illinois, and a progressive.

Answer: "the black candidate."

Answer: is a huge milestone in the fight for equal rights

Summary:
Donna Brazile: Obama's inauguration is a time for rejoicing and rededication .
Brazile: Hardly anyone took Obama seriously as a candidate two years ago .
Brazile: He didn't run as an African-American candidate but as a Democrat .
Brazile: We are perhaps ready to achieve what Lincoln and the Rev. King fought for .


Editor's Note: Drew Westen, Ph.D., is professor of psychology and psychiatry at Emory University, founder of Westen Strategies, and author of "The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation." He has been a consultant or adviser to several candidates and organizations, including the AFL-CIO, and has informally advised the Obama campaign.

Drew Westen says Democrats realized you need more than position papers to sway the voters.

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- A single factor never produces a complex event like the historic election of Barack Obama. But when the final post-mortem on the election of 2008 is someday written, it will no doubt include at least three.

First, John McCain started with three strikes against him. Those strikes happen to be the three strongest predictors that enter into the equations used by political scientists to predict who will win an election: an unpopular incumbent president (in this case, the most unpopular in the history of polling), an economic downturn (in this case an understatement), and an unpopular war.

In some ways, McCain lost the presidency twice to George W. Bush. In the 2000 South Carolina primary, McCain was defeated by what have been generously referred to as "dirty tricks;" and in the two-year run-up to the 2008 election, he allied himself with Bush and his policies to win his party's nomination (even referring to Bush as "one of our greatest presidents"), which was his undoing with independent voters in the general election.

Second, whether McCain rues the day he chose Sarah Palin (who moved from the asset to the liability column around the same time Lehman Brothers did), Palin no doubt rues the day she chose to become a small-town mayor instead of a community organizer.

It was precisely the extraordinary capacity to organize people that allowed Obama and his chief advisers to bring such unprecedented numbers of people to the polls.

Not only was this the first election in recent memory in which Democrats outgunned Republicans with their get-out-the-vote efforts, but it was the first time since Eisenhower recognized the potential value of television as a medium for advertising over 50 years ago that Democrats have led Republicans in technology.

From the moment I met Obama's media wizard, Scott Goodstein, 18 months ago, I realized Obama would have a tremendous advantage on that front, but I didn't realize by how much.

But then there's that other major factor: For the first time since Bill Clinton, the Democrats chose a candidate with both the general intelligence to govern and the emotional and political intelligence to win.

And they finally abandoned the approach to campaigning that has been their downfall for generations: peppering voters with facts, figures, and policy positions and assuming they will see what a rational choice the candidate is.

We don't choose any of the important people in our lives that way, whether spouses or presidents. Obama beat McCain the same way he beat Hillary Clinton: by out-inspiring them, boxing them into the role of the candidate against hope, and defining himself as the candidate who represents change.

And in the last few weeks of the campaign, Obama finally began to control the four stories that matter in an election:

1. the story you tell about your yourself (that he was the candidate of change, fleshing out what he meant by change);

2. the story you tell about your opponent (that McCain was four more years of Bush);

3. the story the other candidate is telling about himself (McCain the maverick, which Obama countered by citing McCain's proud proclamation that he had voted with Bush over 90 percent of the time and parrying, "That's not a maverick, that's a sidekick"); and

4. the story McCain was telling about Obama (that he lacked the experience and judgment to lead, which Obama countered with his steadiness in the face of the Wall Street meltdown and his strong, steady performances in the debates).

Elections are won by

Which former or current president was described as unpopular?

What organization, etc., is Drew Westen with?

Which party was associated with position papers and statistics?

Answer: Barack Obama.

Answer: realized you need more than position papers to sway the voters.

Answer: George W. Bush.

Answer: Emory University,

Answer: started with three strikes against him.

Answer: Democrats

Summary:
Drew Westen: McCain was burdened by bad economy, Bush unpopularity .
Democrats had technological edge for first time in decades, Westen says .
Westen says Democrats learned you can't win with position papers, statistics .
They dealt with people's fears, mostly about the economy, Westen says .


Editor's Note: For more than two decades, world-renowned photojournalist Peter Turnley has covered nearly every significant news event and world conflict in Bosnia, Rwanda, Chechnya, Haiti, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Iraq. His photographs have graced the covers of Newsweek, National Geographic, Le Monde, Le Figaro and The London Sunday Times.

Peter Turnley took this photo of an Obama supporter on Inauguration Day.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- On Sunday morning, I boarded a bus in Brooklyn with a group of approximately 40 citizens from New York, all African-American, each of whom would not have missed for almost anything the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

I have been a photojournalist for the past 25 years and have had the incredible opportunity to witness many of modern history's defining moments: the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of communism in Eastern Europe in 1989, the end of apartheid in South Africa and Nelson Mandela walking out of prison in 1991, and most of the world's conflicts of the past three decades.  This moment means 'everything is possible' »

When our bus pulled into Maryland on the eve of the inauguration, I knew after hearing the words of my fellow passengers, in some sense fellow pilgrims, that I was in the midst of a moment of history like maybe no other I had ever witnessed -- certainly in terms of its historic magnitude, and certainly not in America.

It is the words of these passengers, and those of many others that I have met in the past two days, that are representative to some degree of what this moment means. Read more on the AC360 blog.

who is turneley?
What was the event they visited?
What is the name of the photographer?
What was their means of transportation?
Who covered the inauguration?
where did they go?
what was the purpose of the trip?
Who did he travel with?

Answer: world-renowned photojournalist

Answer: the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

Answer: Peter Turnley

Answer: bus

Answer: Peter Turnley

Answer: Maryland

Answer: inauguration

Answer: a group of approximately 40 citizens from New York,

Summary:
Photographer Peter Turnley covered President Barack Obama's inauguration .
He traveled by bus with 40 African-Americans from Brooklyn, New York .
Moment was like no other "in terms of its historic magnitude," Turnley says .


Editor's Note: Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is founder of The Carter Center, a not-for-profit organization that seeks to "prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health." Read more on human rights defenders: http://www.cartercenter.org/homepage.html

Jimmy Carter says closing Guantanamo Bay and ending torture would send a strong message.

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- It has been heartening to witness the outpouring of worldwide enthusiasm over the election of Barack Obama as the next president of the United States, a transformational moment for our country.

Our incoming president has huge challenges ahead of him, and he will undoubtedly reach out to other world leaders to help address the most difficult problems. A high priority will be the restoration of human rights, which have been badly eroded in recent years.

President-elect Obama has reiterated his decision to close GuantÃ¡namo Bay detention center and end U.S.-sponsored torture. Also under discussion is the establishment by the U.S. government of an independent commission to examine the actions that led to these shameful policies and practices.

Together, these steps would signal a renewed commitment to the cause of universal human rights long championed by the United States. As this year marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the reassertion of these fundamental rights is necessary.

While the U.S. government has much work to do in this regard, there will have to be a concerted international effort to achieve meaningful protection of human rights, even as the issue of security continues to demand our attention.

The American people and our courts have rejected the proposition that some people's rights can be suspended arbitrarily; to do so violates the very core of our democracy. Hopefully, those working to establish democratic practices and institutions worldwide will seize upon this development and convince their own fellow citizens that democracy and human rights are worth the struggle.

The international community, including a newly energized United States, should move swiftly and decisively to support the local heroes who risk much to advance this cause.

Human rights defenders from throughout the world are participating in our annual conference at The Carter Center this week to share the challenges they face, and to decide how the international community can best support their efforts.

For years, these activists have told us that when the United States engaged in torture and indefinite detention, their decades of struggle for rights began to erode. Dictators who had felt pressure from the United States to improve rights were suddenly off the hook. With new leadership in Washington, a clear and principled message on the centrality of human rights can help set a new tone.

Too often, the international community has failed to respond to emerging crises, partly because voices of the oppressed are missing in policy discussions. Had the international community heeded the warning of human rights defenders in the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Darfur, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, more robust and coordinated diplomacy and even limited intervention may have averted these crises.

Catastrophic conditions exist in Congo, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Myanmar, Afghanistan and elsewhere and will require unprecedented cooperation to resolve. It is time to embrace the idea that when human beings are systematically abused, international peace and security are inherently threatened.

In such situations, the global community should spare no effort to help societies in distress. Crises like these can be assuaged before they escalate if there is determined global leadership and cooperation.

Human rights defenders are on the frontlines of this battle, and we must protect them when they face danger because of their work. We must do a better job of listening to their diagnoses of issues and be receptive to their proposed solutions.

And we must strengthen their voices and help to protect them in a collective, undeniable commitment to create the world of peace and freedom that many of us enjoy and we all desire.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jimmy Carter.

What would signal renewed U.S support for human rights?

What would the message to dictators be about?

What did Carter say closing Guantanamo would do?

What promise did Obama make about Guantanamo Base?

What does Obama plan to do about torture?

Answer: Guantanamo Bay

Answer: closing Guantanamo Bay

Answer: Jimmy Carter

Answer: closing Guantanamo Bay

Answer: closing Guantanamo Bay and ending torture would send a strong message.

Answer: President-elect Obama

Answer: centrality of human rights

Answer: send a strong message.

Answer: close GuantÃ¡namo Bay

Answer: end U.S.-sponsored

Summary:
Jimmy Carter: It's heartening to see world enthusiasm over Obama's election .
New president has pledged to close Guantánamo and end torture, he says .
Carter: These steps would signal renewed U.S. support for human rights .
He says U.S. is vital in sending message to dictators about human rights .