Toyota adds 1 million vehicles to recall

Toyota announced Wednesday night that it is adding another 1.1 million vehicles to an an earlier 4.2 million vehicle recall originally announced in November.
The vehicles are being recalled to fix a problem in which the gas pedal can become caught on the edge of the removable floormat, causing the vehicle to accelerate uncontrollably.

The vehicles now being added to that recall are the 2008-2010 Highlander, 2009-2010 Corolla, 2009-2010 Venza 2009-2010 Matrix, 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe.
General Motors' Pontiac car is included in the recall because the Vibe and Toyota's Matrix are similar vehicles that were produced under a partnership between the two companies.
The vehicles originally included in this recall were the 2007-2010 Toyota Camry, 2005-2010 Avalon, 2004-2009 Prius, 2010 Tacoma, 2007-2010 Tundra and the 2007-2010 Lexus ES350, 2006-2010 and the 2006-2010 IS250 and IS350.
This recall is separate from one announced last week regarding accelerator pedals that could stick on their own. That recall involved 2.3 million vehicles.
Most, but not all, of the vehicles involved in the more recent recall are also involved in the older recall. They are the 2009-2010 Toyota RAV4, Corolla and Matrix and the Pontiac Vibe; the 2005-2010 Avalon; 2010 Highlander; 2007-2010 Tundra and the 2008-2010 Sequoia; and some 2007-2010 Camrys.
In the more recent recall, Toyota has not yet announced a proposed remedy for the problem. Owners who experience sticking or slowness in the movement of their car's gas pedal should stop driving the car and call a Toyota dealer immediately.

Apple unveils the 'magical' iPad

Apple CEO Steve Jobs on Wednesday unveiled the iPad, the widely and wildly anticipated tablet-style computer that he called "a truly magical and revolutionary product."
"What this device does is extraordinary," Jobs said. "It is the best browsing experience you've ever had. ... It's unbelievably great ... way better than a laptop. Way better than a smartphone."
The computer will act as a sort of missing link between the two. The model Jobs demonstrated at an invitation-only event in San Francisco operated without a hardware keyboard, with Jobs typing on what he described as a nearly full-size touchscreen keyboard.
"It's a dream to type on," he said.
It has a nearly 10-inch screen, runs existing apps from the Apple apps store and is available in 16-gigabyte, 32-gigabyte and 64-gigabyte versions, according to Jobs.
It will be about a half-inch thick and weigh about 1½ pounds.
Jobs said the iPad will be lightning fast: "It screams," he told a crowd that included former Vice President Al Gore.
See CNN iReporters' reaction to the iPad
The device will have a 1 GHz processor, an announcement that coaxed "oohs" and "ahs" from the audience.
Pricing will start at $499 for the 16-gigabyte version, $599 for the 32-gig version and $699 for the 64, Jobs said.
Having 3G mobile access will cost an extra $130 on each, he said.
Two mobile plans will be available through AT&T, and there will be no contracts, allowing customers to opt out at any time, according to Jobs.
They are scheduled to begin shipping in 60 days.

Jobs and executives from other companies announced several new apps designed for the iPad, including the New York Times and Major League Baseball. The slate also will be able to run all iPhone applications unmodified.
Some members of the struggling print media have expressed hope in recent weeks that a popular Apple tablet could renew interest in their content while bringing new revenue through subscription plans or iTunes purchases.
Also creating buzz at the event was the unveiling of the iBook interface, an aspect of the iPad that's expected to take a big bite out of the e-reader market currently dominated by Amazon's Kindle.
The iBook display looks like a real wooden bookshelf and will let users touch a book on that shelf to read it. It lets readers change fonts, tap the screen to turn pages or drag pages with their finger, according to Jobs' demonstration.
Jobs demonstrated several functions on the iPad, including Google Street View and used the reader function to pull up the New York Times and Time magazine.
Apple disciples -- and, yes, some await each new product announcement from the company with near cult-like devotion -- have been anticipating a tablet computer for several years.
The company has been considering designs for such a device since as early as 1983, and some smaller consumer-electronics companies already have rolled tablet computers onto the market.
Attendees at the Apple event cheered on several occasions, hollering particularly loudly when a skinny Jobs took the stage, when the iPad's price was announced, when Jobs debuted the iBookstore and when it was announced that the iPad will be sold unlocked, without a mobile carrier contract.
Some tech writers in the audience said they came into the event unsure of the concept but left as near-converts to the idea.
"I went into it prepared to be very skeptical, but I was impressed," said Jacqui Cheng, a senior writer at the tech site Ars Technica. "As a person who uses an iPhone, a laptop and a Kindle, it's kind of a natural way to combine all three things."
Stephen Hutcheon, an editor at the Sydney Morning Herald, said the iPad has sex appeal.
"It certainly has that Apple panache to it, so I'm sure it will be a top seller," he said.
Dylan Tweney, an editor at Wired.com, said the product did little to impress him.
Some tech writers said they were shocked that the iPad's price is so low, when they had predicted it to cost about $1,000. And Cheng said she found it amazing that the iPad doesn't lock consumers into a mobile contract.
But the iPad doesn't have a camera, as some had hoped. There was some groaning across the Internet at the news that AT&T -- which some users have accused of spotty coverage on the iPhone -- would be carrying the iPad's 3G signal too.
And the machine's apparent inability to run multiple applications at the same time was getting some negative comments.
And then there's the name. Lots of folks watching the announcement -- some of them, no doubt, dedicated Apple haters -- were quick to make the lowbrow connection between the name and a personal hygiene product.
While the Apple event was still going on, the term "iTampon" became a trending topic on Twitter.
Financial analysts debate how big the tablet market will be.
Bob O'Donnell, vice president of the firm IDG, said he expects the new tablet or slate computer category to result in 3 million to 4 million device sales this year, an amount he said was on par with e-reader sales for 2009. So, the category is notable but not enormous, he said.

Endeavour set to blast off in February

NASA will launch Space Shuttle Endeavour on February 7, which will be the first of five launches this year before the shuttle fleet is retired.
Endeavour will blast off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a 13-day mission to the international space station.
The mission will include three spacewalks, NASA said. The shuttle will also deliver the final U.S. portion of the space station. This portion will provide more room for crew members.
NASA plans to retire its space shuttles Discovery, Endeavour and Atlantis later this year.
The space agency has been looking for places, such as museums, to house the shuttles after they are retired.
Space Shuttle Discovery will be transferred to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington.
The privilege of showing off a shuttle won't be cheap -- about $29 million, NASA said.

Book: Pope John Paul II self-flagellated to get closer to Jesus

Pope John Paul II used to beat himself with a belt and sleep naked on the floor to bring himself closer to Christ, a book published Wednesday says.
The late pope had a particular belt for self-flagellation and brought it with him to his summer residence, according to the book, "Why he is a Saint: The True story of John Paul II."
"As some members of his own entourage were able to hear with their own ears, both in Poland and in the Vatican, Karol Wojtyla flagellated himself," the book says, using the name the pope was given at birth.
"In the closet, among the cloaks, a particular pant-belt hung from a hook, which he utilized as a whip and one which he always had brought to Castel Gandolfo," the book says.
The book was written by a Vatican insider, Slawomir Oder, with Italian journalist Saverio Gaeta of the Catholic weekly Christian Family. Oder is head of the Vatican committee investigating whether John Paul II should be declared a saint. John Paul died in 2005.
The evil albino monk in Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" may be the best-known example of self-flagellation these days, but the practice is not unusual in Catholicism -- or nearly as extreme as it is shown in the movie.
"When members or former members [of Opus Dei] see the monk go at it in the movie, they just burst out laughing, it's so nutty," said the Rev. Michael Barrett, a priest of the Catholic Opus Dei sect.
In actual Catholic self-flagellation, "there is no blood, no injury, nothing to harm a person's health, nothing traumatic. If it caused any harm, the Church would not allow it," he wrote on Opus Dei's Web site when the movie came out in 2006.
"This voluntarily accepted discomfort is a way of joining oneself to Jesus Christ and the sufferings he voluntarily accepted in order to redeem us from sin. 'The Da Vinci Code's' masochist monk, who loves pain for its own sake, has nothing to do with real Christian mortification," Barrett said.
Mother Teresa is among famous Catholics who self-flagellated in some way, Barrett said.
Catholics are not alone in choosing to inflict pain on themselves for religion reasons. Some Shiite Muslims lash themselves until they bleed when marking the mourning period of Ashura, while fasting is practiced by people in several religions, including Jews on Yom Kippur, the day of atonement.
David Gibson, a journalist who worked for Vatican Radio when John Paul II was pope, pointed out that the pontiff wrote an apostolic letter -- essentially a papal position paper -- on suffering in 1984.
"Christ did not conceal from his listeners the need for suffering. He said very clearly: 'If any man would come after me ... let him take up his cross daily,' " the pope wrote, quoting the Gospel of Luke.
Jesus, the pope wrote, "suffered in place of man and for man. Every man has his own share in the Redemption. Each one is also called to share in that suffering through which the Redemption was accomplished.
"In bringing about the Redemption through suffering, Christ has also raised human suffering to the level of the Redemption. Thus each man, in his suffering, can also become a sharer in the redemptive suffering of Christ," says the letter, Salvifici Doloris, On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering.
"John Paul was a product of a very Old World Polish Catholicism," said Gibson, who now writes on religion for Politics Daily.
"He was a very disciplined man and a very rigorous man in his personal spirituality," he said.
The authors of the new book clearly approve of any whipping the pope did of himself, he added.
"Even though it's going to weird people out, it's obviously seen by his postulators as a sign of his holiness," he said, using the technical term for the person who investigates a person's qualifications for sainthood.
He said the idea is not as bizarre as it might sound to contemporary ears.
"The idea of fasting, renouncing something, giving up your Starbucks latte so you can send money to Haiti -- you can't simply look down your nose at it without rejecting a lot of other ideas about self-sacrifice," he said.
The authors of the book based it on interviews with 114 "witnesses" and access to unedited documents in the Vatican's archives, according to the publisher, Rizzoli.
The book is available only in Italian, but the publisher is having it translated into Polish and other languages.

Cowell replacement could be big music biz name

There's lots of speculation as to who will be replacing Simon Cowell on "American Idol" and who will serve as judges on Cowell's new show "The X Factor."
One name being bandied about is that of Tommy Mottola, former head of Sony Music Entertainment, who is said to be in the process of being courted by both shows as a possible judge.
A source with knowledge of the negotiations said there is "some truth" to reports that Mottola has been pegged to possibly replace the mercurial "Idol" judge. That source said Cowell also is interested in bringing Mottola on board for his new talent show.
"There's a lot of business that Mr. Mottola does with Simon Cowell and lots of businesses that probably will be announced soon," the source said. "Nothing is official yet, and nothing is set."
Mottola is the ex-husband of singer Mariah Carey and well-known in the industry for having an eye and ear for major talent.
It's been widely reported he helped guide the careers of several successful acts including Jennifer Lopez and Destiny's Child. He is currently married to Mexican pop star Thalia.
The news of a possible deal with Mottola comes as buzz continues to build that former "Idol" judge Paula Abdul has met with Cowell to discuss her participation in the show. Abdul and Cowell were known for their playful battles on "Idol," and fans were vocal about their displeasure that Abdul would not be returning for the ninth season.
This season, several celebrities have served as guest judges on "Idol" during the audition round, including singer Katy Perry, who told MTV that she enjoyed the gig that saw her dishing out some harsh criticism and crossing swords with permanent judge Kara DioGuardi.
"If I was offered that job as a permanent host, I would ditch my career and take on that career," Perry said.

iPad name draws feminine hygiene jokes

Punch lines about hygiene products flooded the blogosphere on Wednesday only moments after Apple Inc. announced it would call its new touch-screen computer the "iPad."
"The mocking goes along the lines of: Yes, the iPad is small, lightweight and slim. But can you swim with it?" wrote the Los Angeles Times' tech blog.
The term iTampon -- a riff on the fact that the iPad can be taken to sound more like a maxipad than a slick new computer -- was the third most-talked about trend on Twitter on Wednesday evening.
Some female bloggers wrote that Apple seemed not to have any women on its marketing team.
"With "iTampon" quickly emerging as a trending Twitter topic, it's probably safe to say that many women found themselves cringing as they asked, 'Do any women work at Apple?' " wrote Annie Colbert on the blog "Holy Kaw!"
The tech community has discussed the name for Apple's new keyboard-less computer for months if not years. Rumor had it that the device might be called the iSlate, but one reporter at Apple's San Francisco event joked that the term "slate" might sound too ancient or heavy for a lightweight lap computer.

"Slate is a little bit 'Flintstones,' " said Stephen Hutcheon, an editor at The Sydney Morning Herald, a newspaper in Australia.
It's also unclear what people should call the category of computers that now includes the iPad. Some refer to computers without keyboards and with touch-screens as "slate computers."
Others call them tablets, a term that also can refer to '90s devices with keyboards and pens attached.
After Apple unveiled the iPad at an invitation-only event, some tech journalists said they thought the jokes about feminine hygiene would dissipate soon.
The name "iPod" sounded strange at first, for example, and now is a part of the standard vocabulary, said Hutcheon.
"If you think of iPods in 2001, we probably got the same smirks," he said. "I think the jokes will disappear."
He added that one could take "pad" to mean "home," which is where Apple CEO Steve Jobs hopes many people will use the iPad to read books, watch movies and the like.
Andy Ihnatko, a tech columnist at the Chicago Sun-Times, said Apple could call its new gadget a "mangled baby duck" and people would still buy it, both because Apple has sex appeal and because the iPad is a good product.
"With the right device, marketing doesn't really matter," he said.
The name iPad sticks with Apple's "i" line of branding and is therefore a smart move, said Jacqui Cheng, a senior writer at the tech site Ars Technica.
"I don't hate it," she said of the name. "I don't know if I love it, but it's OK."
Still, the torrent of online jokes about the iPad could stick in consumers' minds. It seems particularly damaging that MADtv was making fun of the iPad name long before Apple ever introduced its new product.
A years-old comedy skit from the show circulated the Internet on Wednesday. It shows two women discussing an Apple period-maintenance device called the iPad.
As Twitter user @DontStealMyPen notes snarkily, the botched iPad name has the potential to alter shopping habits:
"Will women send their husbands to the Apple store to buy iPads?" the user wrote.

Obama calls for 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal

President Obama said Wednesday night he will work with Congress and the military to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that bars gays and lesbians from openly serving in the armed forces.
Obama made the remark in his first State of the Union speech during a short litany of civil rights issues, which included his successful hate crimes bill, a move to "crack down on equal-pay laws" and improvement of the immigration system.
"We find unity in our incredible diversity, drawing on the promise enshrined in our Constitution: the notion that we are all created equal, that no matter who you are or what you look like, if you abide by the law you should be protected by it," he said.
"We must continually renew this promise. My administration has a Civil Rights Division that is once again prosecuting civil rights violations and employment discrimination. We finally strengthened our laws to protect against crimes driven by hate," he said.

"This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are."
Weigh in on the president's address
Former Navy pilot Sen. John McCain said "it would be a mistake" to repeal the 1993 law that bars gay men and lesbians from revealing their sexual orientation, and prevents the military from asking about it.
"This successful policy has been in effect for over 15 years, and it is well understood and predominantly supported by our military at all levels," McCain said. "We have the best-trained, best-equipped, and most professional force in the history of our country, and the men and women in uniform are performing heroically in two wars. At a time when our Armed Forces are fighting and sacrificing on the battlefield, now is not the time to abandon the policy."
But in a message to Pentagon leadership, Gen. John Shalikashvili, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it's time to repeal the law.
"As a nation built on the principal of equality, we should recognize and welcome change that will build a stronger more cohesive military," said Shalikashvili. His letter was sent to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, who supports repealing the policy.
The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, an organization that works with those affected by the "don't ask, don't tell" law, praised Obama's call for repeal.
"We very much need a sense of urgency to get this done in 2010," the group said. "We call on the president to repeal the archaic 1993 law in his defense budget currently being drafted, that is probably the only and best moving bill where DADT can be killed this year. ... The American public, including conservatives, is overwhelmingly with the commander in chief on this one."
House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, flatly disagreed with the idea of ending it.
"When it comes to 'don't ask don't tell,' frankly, I think it's worked very well. And we just ought to leave it alone," he said to reporters Wednesday morning.
The policy prohibits openly gay men and women from serving in the U.S. armed forces.
The policy bans military recruiters or authorities from asking about an individual's sexual orientation but also prohibits a service member from revealing that he or she is gay.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Michigan, supports ending the practice but wants to go about it carefully.
Levin said he did not have any details about what the president would say.
"If we do this in a way which isn't sensitive ... we could have exactly the opposite effect of what I hope will be the case -- which is to change the policy," he said Monday.
Levin said the committee plans to hold hearings on the issue in early February, although the hearing may be with outside experts -- delaying a hearing with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen, that had originally been promised, CNN was told by a congressional source.
Obama campaigned on the promise that he would repeal the law in his first year of office.
Speaking to the gay rights group Human Rights Campaign, in October, Obama admitted that "our progress may be taking longer than we like," but he insisted his administration was still on track to overturn the policy.
"Do not doubt the direction we are heading and the destination we will reach," he said.
Pentagon Spokesman Geoff Morrell deflected repeated questions about the policy at Wednesday's Pentagon briefing, directing reporters to take their questions to the White House.
"We continue to work on this problem," said Morrell. "But I'm not going to get into it with more specificity than that."

'People's History' author Howard Zinn dead at 89

Noted author and social activist Howard Zinn died of a heart attack Wednesday while traveling, his daughter, Myla Kabat-Zinn, said.
Zinn, author of "A People's History of the United States," was 89. Kabat-Zinn said her father, who lived in Auburndale, Massachusetts," died while traveling in Santa Monica, California.
"A People's History of the United States," first published in 1980, tells a history not often in seen in other books -- from the perspective of those not in a seat of power.
The book was the inspiration for a 2009 documentary, narrated by Zinn, called "The People Speak." The film highlighted people who spoke up for social change, according to the Web site of the History Channel, which aired the program.
Zinn was a shipyard worker and Air Force bombardier before he went to college under the GI Bill and received a Ph.D. from Columbia University, according to his Web site. He taught at numerous universities, including Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, and Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts.
Kabat-Zinn said of her father that he lived a "very full and exciting life" and that there were many social issues that were very important to him. Above all, she said, her father believed that there is no "just war."
Zinn's death on the day of President Obama's first State of the Union address was underscored by his contribution to a recently released special from The Nation magazine called "Obama at One."
"I've been searching hard for a highlight," he wrote. "The only thing that comes close is some of Obama's rhetoric; I don't see any kind of a highlight in his actions and policies."
Zinn said he was not "terribly disappointed because I didn't expect that much," noting that he has been "a traditional Democratic president" on foreign policy -- "hardly any different from a Republican" -- and has been cautious in domestic policy.
"On health care, for example, he starts out with a compromise, and when you start out with a compromise, you end with a compromise of a compromise, which is where we are now," Zinn said.
Zinn also cautioned "that Obama is going to be a mediocre president -- which means, in our time, a dangerous president -- unless there is some national movement to push him in a better direction."

John Edwards, wife separate, source says

Former 2004 Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards, who admitted last week that he fathered a child with a videographer who worked on his campaign, has legally separated from his wife, Elizabeth, a source close to her said Wednesday.
The source would not say when the separation occurred, only that it happened a while ago. The source said he or she spoke to Elizabeth Edwards in recent days, and would not speak on the record because of the sensitivity of the situation.
John Edwards issued a statement Wednesday, calling it "an extraordinarily sad moment, but I love my children more than anything and still care deeply about Elizabeth."
Elizabeth Edwards' publisher, Random House, released a statement saying, "Elizabeth is moving on with her life and wants to put this difficult chapter behind her. It was an excruciatingly painful period for her and she [has] no interest in rehashing the past."
News of the separation comes a week before a tell-all book by Andrew Young, a one-time close confidante of John Edwards, is set to hit bookstores.

"Based on the limited portions of the book that have been made available, it is clear it contains many falsehoods and exaggerations," the statement from Random House said. "[Elizabeth Edwards] will not engage in a dialogue on each of the false charges, but would like to set the record straight on two key points.
"First, the allegation that she sought to politicize her cancer is unconscionable, hurtful and patently false. Second, she believed Andrew Young to be the father of this child until her husband confessed his paternity to her this past summer. She will have nothing further to say."
Edwards, 56, had denied he was the father of his mistress Rielle Hunter's infant for more than a year, saying his self-admitted affair with her was over before she became pregnant.
People magazine, a CNN sister organization, first reported the story.
Elizabeth Edwards' sister, Nancy Anania, told People magazine in an article dated Wednesday that Elizabeth Edwards told her, "I've had it. I can't do this. I want my life back."
The sister told the magazine, "She's got cancer and has young children and totally believes in marriage ... but she can only do so much."
Read the People story
John Edwards, a former U.S. senator from North Carolina, sought his party's presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.
On November 3, 2004, the day her husband and Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, conceded the presidential race, Elizabeth Edwards revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She discovered a lump in her right breast the last week of the campaign, but said she withheld the diagnosis from her husband to spare him the distraction during the campaign.
She announced in 2007 that the cancer had recurred. Last year, she told CNN's Larry King that the medicine she was taking seemed to be working. However, she said the situation was "up and down."
Elizabeth Edwards, 60, and her husband have been married for 32 years. They had four children together. The oldest , Wade, died in a car accident in 1996.
Spokesmen for both of the Edwardses did not return CNN calls seeking comment.

Traffickers targeting Haiti's children, human organs, PM says

Trafficking of children and human organs is occurring in the aftermath of the earthquake that devastated parts of Haiti, killed more than 150,000 people, and left many children orphans, Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive said Wednesday.
"There is organ trafficking for children and other persons also, because they need all types of organs," Bellerive said in an exclusive interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour.
He did not give specifics, but asked by Amanpour if there is trafficking of children, Bellerive said, "The reports I received say yes."
Haiti is trying to locate displaced children and register them so they can either be reunited with other family members or put up for adoption, Bellerive said.
But, he said, illegal child trafficking is "one of the biggest problems that we have."
Many groups appear to be legitimate, "but a lot of organizations -- they come and they say there were children on the streets. They're going to bring them to the [United] States," he said.
Bellerive said he's trying to work with embassies in Port-au-Prince to protect Haiti's children from traffickers.

"Any child that is leaving the country has to be validated by the embassy under a list that they give me, with all the reports," he said.
Speaking at his temporary headquarters in a police station near the Port-au-Prince Airport, Bellerive said the first thing Haitian officials seek to confirm is whether the children have adoption papers before they leave the country.
In Washington, the State Department said Wednesday it is moving cautiously on the issue of adoptions from Haiti.
"We want to be sure that when a child has been identified, that due diligence has been done to make sure that this is truly an orphan child and not a child that actually has family," said State Department Spokesman P.J. Crowley. "Sometimes if you push too hard, too fast there can be unintended consequences. So we are being very, very careful."
"We respect the sovereignty of Haiti and their right to control the departure of Haitian children. So we think the system that has been established is working effectively. I know there is a perception out there of 'cut through the red tape.' But there are very good reasons we want to make sure this process works well," Crowley said.
On the broader issue of Haitian children, Bellerive told Amanpour the government will reopen schools Monday in most of the country.
He said there were particular problems in Port-au-Prince.
"We cannot open one school and not the other. But some of the schools want to operate right now. They say if there are tents -- if there are facilities and we can help them -- they are willing to open very rapidly."
Bellerive also highlighted the critical importance of getting enough tents and shelters to Haiti before the rainy season begins in May. He said he didn't know where all the tents promised by aid agencies and governments are.
"We have reports that they've already sent 20,000 tents maybe, and 20,000 more are on the way. But yesterday, when we didn't see the tents and we didn't see any action to organize the shelters, the president himself asked to see the storage place and we only counted 3,500 tents."
Bellerive said President Rene Preval asked for 200,000 tents to house between 400,000 and 500,000 people. "We are very preoccupied about the consequences of all those people on the street, if it starts to rain."
The prime minister also rejected criticism from within Haiti and overseas that his government needs to be more visible to the Haitian people.
"We are in charge. Frankly I don't understand what that position is that we are not visible," he said. "I almost feel that I spend more time talking to radio, television, than I am working."
"I know it's part of my job and I have to communicate. But I really feel that I have spent too much time doing that."
Bellerive also said he does not believe it's necessary to relocate the capital to another part of Haiti.
"I have to wait for technical and scientific evaluation, but from what I've heard until now, Port-au-Prince will stay there."
"Tokyo is still there, Los Angeles is still there. We just have to prepare a better constructed Port-au-Prince, a safer Port-au-Prince," he said.
He also acknowledged the need for more transparency and new procedures to prevent corruption in Haiti. But he said 70 to 80 percent of the aid coming to the country right now does not go through the Haitian government.
Bellerive said about 90 percent of American aid, for example, goes through non-governmental organizations. "They are accountable to the American government, but not to the Haitian government," he said.
The prime minister told Amanpour that he does not believe people overseas are helping Haiti out of a moral obligation.
"I believe it's a more pragmatic responsibility," he said. "I believe Haiti could be an interesting market in the midterm. We are 10 million [people] here and it's a market."

Stocks manage gains after Fed

Stocks climbed Wednesday, ending a choppy session higher after the Federal Reserve held interest rates steady and hinted it would continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, Apple introduced its new iPad tablet computer.
The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) gained 42 points, or 0.4%. The S&P 500 index (SPX) gained 5 points, or 0.5%. The Nasdaq composite (COMP) rose 18 points, or 0.8%.

Stocks churned before and after the Fed statement, with gains in technology, telecom and financial stocks tempered by weakness in industrials and commodities. The bank sector surged, with the KBW Bank (BKX) index rising 2.9%.
Apple's new iPad, a crop of major earnings and a House hearing on the government bailout of AIG were also in focus.
Stocks may have staged the late-session advance in anticipation of President Obama's pending State of the Union address, said Michael Sheldon, chief market strategist at RDM Financial Group.
"Some investors may be looking ahead to a less combative and more constructive speech tonight," Sheldon said. "In addition, the market has also had a pretty sharp downdrift over the last few days."
Following that selloff, investors were perhaps willing to scoop up some of the shares that got pummeled.
Ford Motor (F, Fortune 500) and 3M (MMM, Fortune 500) are both expected to report results before the start of trading. Reports are also due on durable goods orders and weekly jobless claims.
Fed: Recovery gaining strength
State of the Union: In his address to the nation later Wednesday, President Obama is expected to talk about how the government plans to temper the growing deficit over the next decade, even as it continues to promote economic growth in the aftermath of the recent recession.
Obama rattled Wall Street last week when he called for greater restrictions on the biggest financial firms, including limiting the ability of commercial banks to make high-risk trades and stopping them from owning or investing in hedge funds.
He is not expected to directly address that particular proposal, but his rhetoric on the banking system and the economy will be closely watched by Wall Street.
Federal Reserve: The central bank opted to hold the fed funds rate, a key short-term bank lending rate, at a historic low near zero percent, as had been widely expected.
In the closely watched statement, the bankers offered little new guidance, saying the economy has continued to strengthen since December's meeting and that the pace of the slowdown in the labor market is slowing. However, the statement did not provide any insight as to when the Fed plans to loosen its accommodative policy -- something investors are very focused on.
One notable surprise was that Kansas City Fed president Thomas M. Hoenig disagreed with the group's decision to state that conditions "are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels of the federal funds rate for an extended period."
Hoenig, a known inflation hawk, thought that activity was picking up at a pace sufficient to change the language to suggest that rates could rise a little sooner.
The phrase "extended period of time" suggests rates will be held steady for at least six months if not more, said James Barnes, vice president and fixed income co-manager at National Penn Investors Trust. Hoenig's dissent indicates he might like to see rates start to move higher in the first half of the year.
However, rates are unlikely to move anytime soon, Barnes said. The combination of low interest rates and the injection of trillions of dollars of stimulus into the system helped fuel the stock market rally last year and take the edge off the worst recession since the Great Depression. The Fed is unlikely to step back just yet, especially when the recovery is still tentative.
"The economic news has in some ways been more positive than anticipated, outside of what we've seen in housing," Barnes said. "But we're still a long ways away from when the Fed is going to be comfortable raising rates or pulling money off the table."
With his term set to expire Sunday, questions remain about whether Fed Chief Ben Bernanke has enough votes in the Senate to force a confirmation vote. Worries that his term might not be renewed contributed to last week's massive stock selloff, in which the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq all lost 5% in three sessions.
Apple: Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) revealed the new iPad - a 1.5-lb, half-inch wide tablet computer that falls between a smartphone and a laptop.
Apple shares initially dipped as the announcement was underway, but reversed course to end about 1% higher after the lower-than-expected starting price of $499 was announced. Rumors had pegged the price as being closer to $1,000.
Apple shares are down about 1% year-to-date as of Wednesday's close, after spiking 147% in 2009.
Housing: New home sales plunged to a 9-month low, according to a Census Bureau report released Wednesday. Sales fell 7.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 342,000 in December from a revised rate of 370,000 in November.
Quarterly results: Shares of Caterpillar (CAT, Fortune 500) slid 4% after the heavy-machinery maker issued a 2010 earnings forecast of $2.50 per share, short of the $2.71 per share analysts were expecting, on average. The Dow component said that a global economic recovery only favors some of its business units rather than all.
Caterpillar also reported weaker quarterly earnings that nonetheless topped estimates and weaker revenue that missed expectations.
Fellow Dow component Boeing (BA, Fortune 500) reported a quarterly profit versus a year-ago loss on higher quarterly revenue. Results topped forecasts. However, looking forward, the company forecast 2010 earnings of $3.70 to $4 a share versus forecasts for a profit of $4.26 per share. Nonetheless, Boeing stock rallied 7%.
After the close Tuesday, Yahoo (YHOO, Fortune 500) reported a quarterly profit that reversed a year-ago loss, as the online advertising market showed some signs of life. Results were better than expected. The Internet behemoth also reported weaker quarterly revenue that topped estimates. Shares were little changed Wednesday.
World markets: In overseas trading, Asian and European markets tumbled again on concerns about China's bank lending curbs. Global stocks got hammered Tuesday after Standard & Poor's warned it could cut its debt rating on Japan.
Meanwhile, China implemented some of the bank curbs that had been hinted at last week. China is one of the main drivers of the global economy and any slowdown would have a broad impact.
Commodities and the dollar: The dollar reversed course after the Fed statement, falling versus the euro and gaining against the yen.
COMEX gold for February delivery fell $13.80 to settle at $1,084.50 an ounce. Gold closed at an all-time high of $1,218.30 an ounce last month.
U.S. light crude oil for February delivery fell $1.04 to settle at $73.67 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Bonds: Treasury prices rose, lowering the yield on the 10-year note to 3.60% from 3.62% late Tuesday. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.

Neighbor: Stacy Peterson said 'He's going to kill me'

A neighbor of former Bolingbrook police officer Drew Peterson says Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy, was afraid her husband would kill her.
In the most dramatic testimony yet at a pretrial hearing on the use of hearsay evidence, Sharon Bychowski said Monday she came upon Stacy Peterson outside her house crying one day. She told Bychowski that she wanted a divorce.
Bychowski says Stacy Peterson told her: "'If I disappear, Sharon. It's not an accident. He killed me."'
Bychowski testified that she told Stacy Peterson to start writing down what she was saying. A sobbing Bychowski recalled that Stacy Peterson responded: "'It doesn't matter. I'm already dead. He's going to kill me."'

Stacy Peterson disappeared in 2007, and Drew Peterson is now facing trial in the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. He's pleaded not guilty. Peterson has not been charged in the October 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy.
Whether it was organizing a search, holding a vigil or appearing on national TV, Bychowski has become a familiar face in the disappearance case of Stacy Peterson. As her next door neighbor, Bychowski had become very close friends with Drew Peterson's fourth wife.
Drew Peterson's attorney, however, doesn't buy Bychowski's testimony.
"The statement makes no sense, clearly, she was trying to mull together the Kathleen Savio case and Stacy Peterson case because disappearance can never be an accident," said attorney Joel Brodsky.
During the testimony, Bychowski broke down in tears to the point the judge had to take a break. She's been accused of staging her outburst.
"That was absolutely rehearsed. It was almost as if she cried on cue. I was looking for the cue card that Mr. Glasgow was going to hold up. That was staged, without question," said Brodsky.
Bychowski is one of over 30 witnesses at the hearsay hearing to determine what evidence can be presented in the trial of his third wife, Kathleen Savio.
Also on stand was Jacqueline Torrez who testified that on the day Stacy Peterson disappeared, she saw a man on her street wearing a hooded sweatshirt. Torrez testified that he looked as though he was confused and had no purpose. She also said he had a look in his eyes as if he just killed someone. Torrez later learned that person was Drew Peterson.

Toyota suspends sales after recall of 2.3 million vehicles

Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. said Tuesday it is asking dealers to temporarily suspend sales of eight models.
The company's sales suspension is part of a recall announced last week to correct a problem that could cause the accelerator pedal to stick.

"Helping ensure the safety of our customers and restoring confidence in Toyota are very important to our company," said Toyota USA group vice president Bob Carter. "This action is necessary until a remedy is finalized."
About 2.3 million vehicles will be affected by the recall, Toyota (TM) said Tuesday in a statement. That's more autos than Toyota sold in all of 2009, when it sold 1.8 million vehicles.
The automaker also said that it will halt the production of vehicles in certain production facilities in Canada, Indiana, Kentucky and Texas during the week of Feb. 1 to "assess and coordinate activities." The vehilcles currently being built will not be sold until they are fixed, a Toyota spokesman said.
"Suspending sales and production is certainly good to reassure the public that they are serious about doing something, but too many jobs and lost sales are involved for this to be a PR stunt," Edmunds.com Director of Vehicle Testing Dan Edmunds said in statement. "They must really be concerned about this being something other than a rare condition. Hopefully this means the fix is very close to being ready, because suspension of production and sales is not tolerable for very long."
The recall affects Toyota's 2009-2010 RAV4, Corolla, Matrix, 2005-2010 Avalon, certain 2007-2010 Camry, 2010 Highlander, 2007-2010 Tundra and the 2008-2010 Sequoia.
General Motors' Pontiac Vibe, which is essentially the same car as the Toyota Matrix, was also included in the recall. GM is not participating in the order to stop selling the cars because it has already stopped production of Pontiac vehicles as part of its wind-down of the Pontiac brand, a GM spokesman said.
This new recall is to correct a situation in which the gas pedal could stick without the presence of a floor mat.
The situation is rare, according to Toyota, but can occur when accelerator pedal mechanisms become worn. The problem will usually develop gradually, Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said. The pedal may become harder to press and may become slower to return when released. In the worst cases, it may become stuck in a partially depressed position.
A Toyota spokesman said there are no confirmed deaths traceable to the defect.
The new recall, involving sticking accelerator pedals, is separate from an ongoing recall of 4.2 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles due to the risk of pedal entrapment because of a loose floormat.
About 1.7 million Toyota Division vehicles have been affected by both recalls.
Toyota owners with questions should call Toyota's customer service line at 800-331-4331.

Freed Belgians cite fears for U.S. hikers in Iran

Two Belgians recently detained in Iran said they had some contact with three U.S. hikers imprisoned there and are concerned about the Americans' well-being.
In a statement Tuesday, Idesbald van den Bosch and Vincent Boon Falleur said they were visiting Iran as tourists when they were arrested and imprisoned September 5 on suspicion of espionage.
The two said they spent three months in Evin Prison, where the U.S. hikers were in solitary confinement when the Belgians were freed in December.
"Iran, please, free the hikers," they said in a statement distributed to French-speaking media in Europe.
Their words prompted the hikers' families to say they "greatly appreciate" the Belgians' support and "share their families' joy that they are home safe."
The three Americans -- Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal -- accidentally strayed across an unmarked border from Iraq into Iran while on a hiking trip, according to their families. They are being held on espionage charges after being detained on July 31 and were to be put on trial.
"We are writing this statement because we had some contact in Evin Prison with the Americans who were hiking in Iraqi Kurdistan, Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal. We are deeply concerned about their well-being," van den Bosch and Falleur said.
"We were detained for half as long Shane, Sarah and Josh will have spent in prison on January 31, 2010. We appeal to the Iranian authorities to act in a humanitarian fashion and not politicize their case. Our hearts go out to them and their families."
In a statement, the hikers' families said they "remain deeply concerned about Shane, Sarah and Josh and their well-being."
"On Sunday, they will have been held for six months, with no contact with their families -- not even one phone call -- and have not had access to their lawyer," the families said. "We appeal yet again to the Iranian authorities to release our loved ones and end our sorrow."
The United States strongly criticized Iran on Tuesday for holding the three American hikers, especially after the Belgians' comments.
"What that tells us is that our three American citizens are potentially in deplorable conditions," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters.
"It is outrageous that Iran refuses to abide by international standards, international agreements in terms of treatment of those that were in their care. And we continue, we will continue to press the Iranian government so that we can see for ourselves what the conditions of our citizens are."
Van den Bosch and Falleur said they had been "interested in exploring the country's beautiful landscapes by bicycle" when their holiday "took an unexpected turn." Of the three months in prison, one was in solitary confinement, they said.
"We were freed without a trial and hope that the hikers will be freed as soon as possible. We do not know the current conditions of their detention since we left Evin Prison on December 8, 2009. At that point, they were still in solitary confinement," the two said.
In their statement, the Belgians underscored the ordeal of prison, saying, "The psychological stresses of detention were very great, especially during interrogation and solitary confinement," and adding that they "can only imagine that the pressure they [the Americans] are under to confess to crimes they are innocent of is extremely intense."
"The pressure during interrogation was psychological. In solitary confinement, we were in cells with no outside contact and a ceiling light on day and night. We could not make eye contact with some guards and other prisoners; no communication was possible with other prisoners or with our families. Everything was designed to make us feel very lonely."
The United States, which has not had diplomatic relations with Iran since 1979, has relied on Switzerland to appeal directly for the hikers' release. A Swiss diplomat has met with the Americans in their Iranian prison.
The Belgians said they identify with the hikers because "we, like they, were tourists celebrating the freedom to explore beautiful landscapes, rich cultural traditions and marvelous hospitality."
"Now more than ever, we appreciate that freedom and it should not be unnecessarily and arbitrarily denied to anyone."

clintion slams critics on haiti

The State Department said Tuesday afternoon it had been critical of some news organizations, including al Jazeera and CNN, for their coverage of the U.S. relief efforts in Haiti.
Earlier in the day Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she deeply resented some of the news reports on U.S. assistance to Haiti.
"I have absolutely no argument with anyone lodging a legitimate criticism against our country. I think we can learn from that. And we are foolish if we keep our head in the sand and pretend that we can't," Clinton told a town-hall meeting at the State Department, marking her one-year anniversary on the job.
"On the other hand, I deeply resent those who attack our country, the generosity of our people, and the leadership of our president in trying to respond to historically disastrous conditions after the earthquake. So what we're asking for is that people view us fairly," Clinton said.

Verizon to cut 13,000 jobs

After posting a fourth-quarter loss, Verizon Communications, Inc. said Tuesday it plans to cut about 13,000 jobs this year.
Verizon recorded a net loss of $653 million, or 23 cents per share, compared with a profit of $1.24 billion, or 43 cents a share, a year earlier.

The loss came after the company took a charge of $3 billion for cutting a total of 17,000 jobs last year in both its landline and wireless divisions. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had forecast earnings of 54 cents per share.
Total sales rose to $27.1 billion, up from $24.6 billion in the same quarter last year, but below analyst estimates of $27.3 billion. The company's fixed-line revenue plunged 3.9% to $11.5 billion from $11.9 billion last year.
Verizon (VZ, Fortune 500) CEO Ivan Seidenberg said on the company's quarterly earnings call Tuesday that it will slash about 13,000 positions in 2010. The telecom giant previously cut 13,000 jobs from its landline business in 2008 and another 13,000 again in 2009.
Verizon's total headcount at the end of 2010 was nearly 223,000, with 117,000 employees in the fixed-line business.
The layoffs will not be specific to any geographic area, said Bob Varettoni, a Verizon spokesman.
"We have reduced headcount in many ways: by reducing the number of contractors we use, by offering enhanced incentive separation packages, attrition, and other means," said Varettoni. "Any layoffs were kept to a minimum because of these measures."
Separately, Home Depot (HD, Fortune 500) also announced Tuesday that it plans to cut jobs. CEO Frank Blake said in a memo to Home Depot employees the company will eliminate 1,000 jobs nationwide.
"We are a strong company, and we are taking the necessary actions to make us even stronger as our business builds momentum," said Blake.

Can David Plouffe rescue Democrats' agenda?

The Obama administration's decision to utilize David Plouffe as an outside adviser is a sign that after last week's election in Massachusetts, the White House is aiming to turn the tide against an angry electorate, a top Democratic strategist said.
The hiring of Plouffe, who designed Obama's presidential campaign, comes at an important time, said James Carville, a CNN political contributor and former aide to President Clinton.
"You got to look at this thing in Massachusetts, and think that's a real signal here," he said on ABC's "Good Morning America." "If you don't deal with it, it's going to get worse."
By the looks of it, Plouffe is trying to rally the troops who got Obama elected.
Democrats must "regroup, refocus, and re-engage on the vital work ahead," Plouffe wrote in an e-mail Monday to members of Organizing for America, the group that evolved from Obama for America after the election.
Plouffe said that Massachusetts was a tough blow to Democrats.
"We've hit some serious bumps in the road recently in our march toward change," he wrote in the e-mail. "We always knew it would be difficult, but this past week has definitely been a hard one, for all of us."

Democrats now risk losing their majority in the House in November if they don't figure something out, Carville said.
In the special election in Massachusetts, Republican Scott Brown defeated Democrat Martha Coakley in the solid blue state, which overwhelmingly voted for Obama in 2008. The win shocked Democrats across the country and gave Republicans, who have minorities in the House and Senate, a renewed energy.
Nathan Gonzales, political editor at the Rothenberg Political Report, said bringing in Plouffe is a sign that the White House is "awake and wants to be more involved."
Gonzales said it's unclear how Plouffe's re-engagement is going to play with Democratic strategists helping House and Senate members campaign.
Plouffe's involvement could be just as symbolic as it is strategic.
"Maybe the White House is trying to bring comfort to the Democratic caucus that they are engaged in and ready for the fight. Some of the message coming out of the White House isn't exactly comforting," Gonzales said.
Plouffe is credited with helping the Obama campaign reach out to voters in states that had gone in the past for Republicans.
White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod told ABC on Sunday that Plouffe brings "value added to our operation as we look forward, in terms of strategy and tactics. He'll be consulting with us on that, and we'll be stronger for it."
In a Washington Post op-ed over the weekend, Plouffe looked toward November.
"We still have much to do before November, and time is running short," he wrote. "Every race has unique characteristics, but there are a few general things that Democrats can do to strengthen our hand."
Plouffe listed his headline actions for Democrats: "Pass a meaningful health insurance reform package without delay, We need to show that we not just are focused on jobs but also create them, Make sure voters understand what the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act did for the economy, Don't accept any lectures on spending, No bed-wetting, 'Change" is not just about policies, Run great campaigns."
He said that instead of fearing the 2010 outcome, Democrats should prove that they have "more than just the brains to govern -- that we have the guts to govern. Let's fight like hell."
"Let's remember why we won in 2008 and deliver on what we promised. If Democrats will show the country we can lead when it's hard, we may not have perfect election results, but November will be nothing like the nightmare that talking heads have forecast."
The Washington Post's Jonathan Capehart said in a recent blog post that the "no bed-wetting" advice "should buck up the confidence of some wavering Democrats."
But Plouffe's message, Gonzales said, could be a sign the White House is asking some Democrats to become proverbial sacrificial lambs on health care reform.
"When Plouffe said in that op-ed that he knows the short-term politics of health care are bad, that means that they are essentially asking Democrats to sacrifice their seats in the short term in order for the president to have a longer-term political gain," he said. "I don't know that it's going to be a very popular stance with many Democratic members."
News of Plouffe's new role was met with praise from the man in charge of protecting and increasing the Democrats' majority in the Senate.
Asked whether the White House's decision to bring in Plouffe suggested that he had not done enough, Sen. Robert Menendez, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said he welcomed Plouffe.
"We welcome the White House beefing up their political operation in a volatile political atmosphere," Menendez told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King on "State of the Union" on Sunday.
Plouffe, a married father of two, is a senior adviser at AKPD Message and Media, a Democratic consulting firm. He joined in 2000.
Recently, the American Association of Political Consultants awarded Plouffe the 2009 "Pollie Award" for campaign manager of the year.
His career has spanned two decades, beginning in 1990 when he worked on Sen. Tom Harkin's re-election campaign in Iowa. He later worked for the Iowa senator's unsuccessful 1992 presidential campaign.
He also has worked for successful candidates in Senate, House and state elections across the country.
Plouffe was former House Speaker Dick Gephardt's chief of staff. He later directed operations at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. In 2000, he worked on Gephardt's failed presidential bid.
He found success eight years later, steering Obama to become the Democratic presidential candidate after a long and tough Democratic primary campaign against Hillary Clinton.
Plouffe did not join other Obama campaign staffers in the White House. Instead, he took time to write his 2009 book "The Audacity to Win," about the campaign. He credits technology with fundamentally changing the political climate.
"Big moments, political or otherwise, will no longer be remembered by people as times when everyone gathered around TVs to watch a speech, press conference or other event. Increasingly, most of us will recall firing up the computer, searching for a video and watching it at home or at the office -- or even on our cell phones," he wrote.

It's just survival for life

A couple of days ago, a man was stoned to death about a block from where we are staying in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. I have been down here nearly two weeks covering the earthquake devastation, having arrived quickly the morning after it occurred. I didn’t see the stoning myself, but several of my colleagues described a man who had been trying to steal money and was met with swift and deadly citizen justice. A lot was made of this particular tragedy, and if you caught only that headline, you might be left believing the incident was in some way emblematic of what was happening all over the place. Truth is, even though I braced myself to see rampant lawlessness and mob hostility, I wanted to blog about what I have actually seen.
As I drove through the streets of Port-au-Prince, just 16 hours after the earthquake, I was met with stunned stares and unfathomable grief, as parents tried to dig their babies out of the rubble and older kids did the same for their parents. It was heartbreaking. And though we raced out with our first aid bags to help those we could, it seemed like we would never be able to make a dent in the suffering. There were people who died in this earthquake and those who lived – but there were also a large number of people somehow caught in between. They were alive, but terribly injured and dying. That is where we focused our attention. Terrible crush injuries of arms and legs. Degloving injuries, where the skin of the arms or legs was ripped away. And, people so malnourished and dehydrated that they could barely walk.
I expected to see those stunned stares turn to desperation, and that desperation turn to brutality. It didn’t. In fact, I remember driving by a water station that had finally opened on January 18th, five days after the earthquake struck. It stayed in my mind for two reasons. First of all, five days is a long time to go with little to no water, especially in Haiti heat. Second of all, there was no pushing, shoving or aggressive behavior. There were no armed guards and there was a tight line, with people waiting patiently. Some were even singing songs, while blistering away in the heat. I almost cried. A piece of my faith in humanity, which had been trashed by too many terrible images, was slowly restored.
A couple of days later, I was seeing patients at one of the hospitals in downtown. It was actually more of a tent city situated outside the hospital, where care was sparse and misery was thick. Helping care for wounds, evaluate injuries and even perform surgery – every single patient said thank you, in Creole, French and English. Thank you. When recounting this to a neurosurgery colleague of mine, he reminded me that we could often go months working at a county hospital in the states without ever hearing those two words.
Over the last two weeks, I have not seen the violence Haiti has been known for in years past. During this time, when lawlessness had been put to the test, it seems the people of Port-au-Prince stood tall, dignified and with respect for one another. Yes, there has been “looting” from stores of supplies. But, is “looting” even the correct term for people taking basic necessities for themselves and their families? Instead, it is just survival, and faced with the same situation, I would’ve likely been right there with them, wanting to preserve the lives of my wife and children.
Consider this a blog that went beyond a headline, and presented a reporter’s on-the-ground view of this very important issue. I won’t pretend that this is more than a slice of life in the aftermath of a terrible natural disaster, but it is my slice, and I wanted to share it with you. Thank you – for reading it.
Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

Officials find arsenal of weapons in New Jersey hotel room

A man arraigned Tuesday on multiple firearms charges had an arsenal of high-powered weapons and a map of U.S. military base in his New Jersey hotel room, authorities said.
Lloyd R. Woodson, 43, has been charged with two counts of unlawful possession of weapons, possessing prohibited weapons, possessing large capacity ammunition magazines, two counts of defaced firearms, obstruction of justice and resisting arrest. Authorities say he has no apparent ties to terrorist activities.
Woodson also is being charged as a convicted felon in possession of firearms, Gregory Reinert, a spokesman for the the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey, said.
Somerset County Judge John Pursel set bail at $75,000, and Woodson is expected to appear in court again by the end of the week.
Woodson appeared angry and withdrawn in court, according to CNN's Deb Feyerick, who attended the arraignment. His hands and feet were shackled and he was escorted by two guards. Woodson kept his head down and barely acknowledged the judge, except for responding "yes" when asked if he understood English.
Woodson, of Virginia, was arrested Monday after police responded to a call about a suspicious man in the Quick Chek convenience store in Branchburg, New Jersey, said local prosecutor Wayne J. Forrest.

The suspect was in possession of an automatic .223 rifle converted to a .50 caliber rifle with a laser sight; five customized magazines, each fully loaded with hollow-point .50-caliber rounds and a military bulletproof vest when he was taken into custody, the New Jersey Regional Operations Intelligence Center (ROIC) said.
At his hotel room, investigators found a Bushmaster .308-caliber semiautomatic rifle with a defaced serial number, a rifle-mounted night vision scope, a 37 mm Cobray grenade launcher, a ballistic vest, a police scanner, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, military pouches and garrison equipment, and a detailed map of Fort Drum, an Army post in upstate New York.
Earlier, Forrest said authorities had also found a Middle Eastern-style headdress, but no such item was mentioned in ROIC's statement or in an FBI agent's affidavit.
Woodson waived his rights, according to the affidavit, and told investigators that all the weaponry was his, that he'd bought the guns on the streets of New York and that he had "obliterated" the serial numbers.
He has a prior conviction for criminal possession of a weapon from Kings County (New York) Superior Court in 1997.
The ROIC statement also said Woodson "expressed anti-law enforcement sentiments" stemming from run-in with police regarding domestic disputes. He has no ties to organized groups, the statement said, echoing what federal agents said earlier in the day.
Michael Murphy, the senior vice president of Quick Chek, said the employee who called 911 "prevented a bad situation and possible tragedy down the road."
The company is protecting her identity for safety reasons, he said.
Murphy said Woodson did not buy anything in the store and may have drawn suspicion because he looked like he wanted to shoplift.
When officers arrived, Woodson ran into the woods but was subdued after wrestling with officers, Forrest's statement said.
Preliminary findings indicate that Woodson has no ties to known terrorist groups or a specific terrorism plot, said FBI Special Agent Bryan L. Travers in a statement Tuesday.
Federal investigators from the FBI and ATF are assisting local law enforcement.
Woodson spent a brief time in the Navy, according to U.S. Navy spokesman Lt. Justin Cole. In February 1988, he served on board the USS Orion, a submarine tender, Cole told CNN. He deserted the ship eight months later, Cole said.
Woodson was taken into Navy custody in 1996 and discharged a month afterward, Cole added.

Nancy Kerrigan 'really struggling' after father's death

Reeling from the death of her father, Nancy Kerrigan still mustered the strength to show the class and courtesy for which she is known in the skating world.
Paul Wylie, an Olympic silver medalist who also competed in the 1992 Albertville Olympics with Kerrigan, spoke with her by phone early Monday when he heard the news that Daniel Kerrigan, 70, died after an alleged assault by his troubled son, Mark.
"She was really struggling," Wylie told PEOPLE. "But she called to thank me for calling."
Kristi Yamaguchi, who also competed with Kerrigan in Albertville, offered her condolences by text mail, and Kerrigan responded, "Thank you...I appreciate all the support I've been getting."
Authorities charged Mark Kerrigan with assaulting his father who died during an altercation at the family's Massachusetts home January 24.
A cause of death has not been determined, but Daniel Kerrigan's wife Brenda told the Boston Herald he may have suffered a heart attack. At a Monday arraignment in the Boston, Massachusetts suburb of Woburn, Mark Kerrigan pleaded not guilty to the charges and was held on $10,000 bail.
"I am so saddened for Nancy," Yamaguchi, the Olympic champion and winner of the sixth season of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," told PEOPLE. "My heart goes out to Nancy and her family. "
Yamaguchi, who performed in a cancer benefit with Kerrigan in November, said the tragedy has hit the skating community hard.
"Nancy is part of our family and the loss of a parent is devastating," Yamaguchi said. "I always smile when I think of Dan because he was a lot of fun and he had such pride for his daughter and her accomplishments. That meant a lot to Nancy. He and Brenda were always there for her."
Daniel Kerrigan, Wylie adds, was a father figure to all the skaters. "He and Brenda touched many skaters lives," he said. "One day he visited me at my apartment and said, 'That window needs fixing and if you do it this way, it'll save you $20 on your heating bill.' He was fatherly like that. Dan was a great guy and a family man."

Police 'fairly certain' remains are student missing from Metallica concert

Police tentatively identified remains found on a remote farm as the Virginia Tech student who disappeared in October during a Metallica concert.
Morgan Harrington, a 20-year-old education major, went to the concert at the University of Virginia's John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia, on October 17. She was separated from her friends and was the subject of repeated searches.
Police said skeletal remains were found after 9:30 a.m. Tuesday by a farmer driving a tractor through a hay field on his 700-acre farm. The area has no public access point, police said.
The farm is about 10 miles from where the concert was being held.
The farm's owner, David Dass, told CNN affiliate WTVR that he was out looking for damage after wind and rain knocked down several trees in his yard over the past week. He told WTVR that the area is at least a mile and a half from a main roadway.

"I looked down and saw what looked like a human skull, and my first thought was that it was Morgan Harrington," Dass told WTVR, adding that he immediately called 911.
WTVR: State police 'confident' remains are Harrington
There was significant evidence leading police to believe that the remains are Harrington's, Virginia State Police Col. W. Steven Flaherty said, though he declined to specify what the evidence was.
Police said the area where the remains were found had not been searched during the early stages of the investigation into her disappearance.
The girl's parents, Dan and Gil Harrington, were in town to identify the remains, WTVR reported.
Dan Harrington, in tears, told WTVR that "this is a horrible day" for his family.
Gil Harrington expressed concerns Saturday that there was beginning to be complacency in the search, she wrote in a blog on the Web site set up to help find their daughter.
On Sunday, more than three months after Morgan went missing, Gil Harrington still clung to hope.
"Despite the length of time Morgan has been gone I remain hopeful," she wrote. "Part of me is waiting to be surprised. Waiting for God to pull the rabbit out of the hat and bring Morgan home.
"I remember that the light always returns, it cannot help but return. Will the light of my life return soon? I cannot imagine that all the water of Morgan's potential is to run down the drain and be wasted. Can it really play out like that?"
Now, it appears, the Harringtons finally have their answer. Police say they have now switched their focus to finding out how Morgan Harrington ended up in the remote farm and who put her there.
During the concert, Harrington left her friends to use the restroom, police said. When she did not return, they called her cell phone at 8:48 p.m. She told them she was outside the arena and could not get back in because of its policy, police said, but told them not to worry about her and that she would find a ride home.
There are restrooms inside the arena, police said, and police do not know how or why Harrington got outside. Witnesses who saw her outside the arena said she did not appear to be with anyone, police said.
About 9:30 p.m. that night, witnesses reported seeing a person matching Harrington's description walking on a nearby bridge, police said. No further sightings were reported.
Harrington's purse, with her identification and cell phone inside, was found the following day in an overflow parking lot near the arena, police said. A friend had driven Harrington's car to the concert, she said, and was still in possession of the car keys when they got separated.
Harrington was reported missing the day after the concert, when she did not show up at her parents' home to study for a math exam with her father.
Working with police and the Texas-based Laura Recovery Center, the Harringtons organized community searches, saying they would not give up hope that their daughter would be found.
A $150,000 reward has been offered for information leading to Harrington's whereabouts, police said. Of that, Metallica contributed $50,000.
The couple was joined at a news conference after her disappearance by Ed Smart, whose daughter Elizabeth was abducted in 2002. She returned home nine months later, after police say they found her in the custody of Brian David Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee.
Harrington said he reached out to Smart last week to seek advice on how to go through the disappearance of a child.
Harrington was wearing a black Pantera T-shirt, a black miniskirt, black tights and black boots when last seen.

Napolitano sees chance to set global standards in airline security

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Tuesday there is a "renewed sense of urgency in the international community" about terrorism after the Christmas Day bombing attempt aboard a U.S.-bound plane, and the U.S. should now push for global security standards for international airports and aircraft.
"The attempted attack on the 25th of December was a powerful illustration that a terrorist would stop at nothing to kill Americans," Napolitano said. "I believe we have an important opportunity right now, right in front of us, to strengthen the system."
Napolitano last week traveled to Spain and Switzerland to meet with her counterparts, as well as foreign ministers and airline executives. Talks focused on four broad areas -- sharing information between countries, passenger vetting, security technology and creating international aviation security standards, she said.
"I was very gratified to see there exists a broad consensus for working on these four areas among my European counterparts and a clear sense of urgency to take immediate action to strengthen security measures," she said.
The trip culminated in a declaration confirming European and U.S. commitment to advancing security initiatives and to hold further talks about security.
The thwarted attack, in which suspect Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab allegedly tried to ignite a bomb hidden in his underwear, has rattled air carriers and passengers, largely because it exposed gaps in a vast and expensive security net designed to keep terrorists off planes.
The attack has changed international attitudes because other nations realized terrorists will go "anywhere in the international system" to find security gaps and because citizens of 17 nations were on the targeted plane, Napolitano said.
Napolitano suggested that International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) -- an agency of the United Nations -- set standards that would apply to all international airports, strengthening weak links in the security chain.
Previous efforts by the U.S. to gain access to passenger information has been stymied by European privacy laws, but Napolitano said she believes the governments can find a way to share information "in a way that deals with their privacy issues."
Napolitano said the sense of urgency after the September. 11, 2001, attacks has "perhaps dissipated over time," but has now has been renewed and "added to."