(CNN) -- To many, the name Kevin Mitnick is synonymous with hacking, the cinematic sort where a snot-nosed kid thumbs his nose at authority. But, Mitnick says, the characterization is a bit overdone and the legend untrue, if not libelous. It is true, he says, that he broke into corporate computer systems and stole source code to satisfy his curiosity, but he denies the stories that he hacked into NORAD -- North American Aerospace Defense Command -- or that he wiretapped the FBI. After a well-publicized pursuit that made him notorious, the FBI arrested Mitnick in 1995. He served five years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of wire and computer fraud. He was released in 2000 and today runs a computer security firm. In a telephone interview with CNN's Manav Tanneeru, Mitnick talks about his past, the state of online security today, and how he handles what his name has come to mean. CNN: There is a certain myth of Kevin Mitnick, but you seem to disavow a lot of it. Why exactly did you become so famous and what specifically was reported that was inaccurate? MITNICK: [The claims] that I wiretapped the FBI or something like that were something out of a movie like "War Games" or "Enemy of the State" or something. There were fictional events that were tied to real events, like when I took code from Motorola and Nokia when I was a hacker to look at the source code. I took a copy, which is essentially stealing, to look at the information. That was true, that was the truth ... in the story, but there were a lot of libelous statements. ...I'm the one that got myself into trouble, but because the reporting in the [New York] Times portrayed me as this very dangerous character, the government stepped up the prosecution of the case.At the end of the day, I would have been prosecuted, but I wouldn't have been held in solitary confinement for a year for the fear that I could launch nuclear missiles by whistling through a pay phone. I was powerless because I was represented by a publicly appointed attorney who had a very limited budget. But a lot of accusations I wasn't charged with. If I hacked into NORAD or wiretapped the FBI, I certainly would have been charged with it. I got into trouble largely because of my actions. However, because of the media reporting, I was treated as "Osama bin Mitnick." CNN: You were once the most famous and sought after hacker in the country. After your release from prison you were asked to testify before the Senate, and you now run a Web security firm, which is a fascinating evolution. MITNICK: It's kind of interesting, because hacking is a skill that could be used for criminal purposes or legitimate purposes, and so even though in the past I was hacking for the curiosity, and the thrill, to get a bite of the forbidden fruit of knowledge, I'm now working in the security field as a public speaker. Twenty-five percent of my revenue is actually doing security assessments, so people actually hire [me] to break into their systems to find their security failures and patch them before the bad guys find them. So, it's kind of interesting, because what other criminal activity can you ethically practice? You can't be an ethical robber. You can't be an ethical murderer. So it's kind of ironic. But it is really rewarding to know that I can take my background and skills and knowledge and really help the community. CNN: The fact that you are back in the online world, especially the cyber security sector, may give many reason for a certain insecurity and paranoia. How has your firm been received? MITNICK: There are several in the security field that don't trust me. They're my competitors, and right there, there is an agenda. But I'm sure that our company does not receive phone calls because they're concerned about my past, and then again, there are a lot of people that do make those calls, and they keep the business going pretty good. I never got a phone call saying, "Hey, we're not hiring your firm because of x, y and z." I don't know what the percentage is, but I'm sure there are people that don't want to use our firm because they really don't know much about the case. They just know me as a hacker that went to jail. CNN: Compared to the time you were an illegal hacker, and the contemporary landscape, how easy is it to hack a computer? Has security improved much? Would you still be able to do what you did years ago?MITNICK: I get hired to hack into computers now and sometimes it's actually easier than it was years ago. It really depends on who the client is -- or if you're doing ethical hacking, who the target is. It could be a difficult target or an easy target. The security landscape, the only thing that's changed in regards to vulnerability are technical issues, but with social engineering, it's all remained the same. So, it depends how vigilant the owners and the operators of the computer systems and the network are, and it really doesn't go to the question of are we living in a more secure world? CNN: Then, how vulnerable is the common user? Sure, it depends on how many safeguards they've installed, but if they have the most effective of security, how easy is it? MITNICK: I did a study USA Today was involved with and another marketing firm in San Francisco was involved with within the last year, and we set up a honeypot network, which was six different networks running various different operating systems. We plugged them into a DSL line in San Francisco, and we just watched them to see how quickly these systems could get broken into without having any protection. And one of the computers was broken into four minutes after plugging it into the Internet, which is quite astounding. CNN: You previously mentioned social engineering. What exactly does that term mean to you? MITNICK: Social engineering is using manipulation, influence and deception to get a person, a trusted insider within an organization, to comply with a request, and the request is usually to release information or to perform some sort of action item that benefits that attacker. It could be something as simple as talking over the telephone to something as complex as getting a target to visit a Web site, which exploits a technical flaw and allows the hacker to take over the computer. CNN: And how do contemporary hackers use social engineering in what they do? MITNICK: Well, how about Paris Hilton? She was attacked on her cell phone, and she was attacked two ways. One was because of a T-Mobile's Web site, and the other guy was able to compromise it by getting her phone number by going on T-Mobile's Web site, doing a password reset, which SMS-ed her new password because, presumably, only the owner would have the handset. And then what they did was, they did a technique called caller ID spoofing, which allows a person to change the number they're calling from on their calling phone number display. So, they were posing as T-Mobile customer service, and they called her phone, and on the caller ID it showed as T-Mobile customer service, and then they told her, "There are some network difficulties. Have you been getting any SMS [messages] about a password reset, and what were the contents of the message?" and she freely gave it out, and that's how these guys were able to get to her T-Mobile Sidekick, and her e-mail, and whatnot. In another example, the IRS just did a security audit under the office of the inspector general and called 100 managers posing as IT people at the IRS, and 35 of those mangers freely gave out their password and user name over the telephone. So, it's a significant threat. A company can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on firewalls, intrusion detection systems and encryption and other security technologies, but if an attacker can call one trusted person within the company, and that person complies, and if the attacker gets in, then all that money spent on technology is essentially wasted. It's essentially meaningless.CNN: How much do you trust online banking and the usage of credit cards online? MITNICK: I trust online banking. You know why? Because if somebody hacks into my account and defrauds my credit card company, or my online bank account, guess who takes the loss? The bank, not me. CNN: Then what about other transactions? Do you pay bills online or shop online? I'm just curious if Kevin Mitnick is worried about ID theft? MITNICK: Somebody already stole my identity once and used it to apply for a cell phone account. And it's too bad. I wish they stole my identity 10 years ago when I was a fugitive -- that would have been cool. It was a $400 bill, and they used my mom's address in Las Vegas when I was living in California under my name. That's really easy, because all you need to steal someone's identity is the Social Security number. It's not really rocket science. But, I don't have a problem at all using my credit card online. There are attacks that can be done, but it's unlikely that I'll be targeted as an individual. It's more likely the attackers will target the bank. So that way they can get many user names and passwords, and get access to many accounts, rather than just targeting me. I think it's safer to use a credit card over the Internet than it is to go to a Macy's and use it where an employee can simply skim off the card, or go into a bar, or a restaurant where they have your credit card number. CNN: You've become something of a star, a cult one, at least, even appearing on an episode of "Alias" as a hacker. What do you make of your celebrity? MITNICK: It's kind of interesting, because I went through a horrific, horrendous experience and became the hacker poster boy, and it had a negative effect on my trip through the criminal justice system. But now that I've turned over a new leaf and people are interested in my skill-set, now the notoriety of my name helps me in my business. Not because of what I did in the past, but because I'm a known entity with my skill-set. CNN: Do you miss being on the run? MITNICK: No, no, I don't miss it all. I like my life now. I made some really stupid mistakes in the past as a younger man that I regret. I'm lucky that I've been given a second chance and that I could use these skills to help the community.

PRINCETON, New Jersey (AP) -- The students who started one of Princeton University's newest clubs remember the awkward moment when they realized they were in the minority: while watching a play called "Sex on a Saturday Night."The play is put on for incoming freshmen to inform them about sexual health and safety. But to some students, there was just too much talk about sex."I remember sitting there and feeling really uncomfortable because every single character had either engaged in premarital sex or was talking about having engaged in premarital sex," said Christian Sahner, 20, a junior from Maplewood, New Jersey.So about a year ago, the students formed a group promoting chastity. While similar groups exist at other universities, it is a first for the Ivy League. The groups first sprung up in the South, but the idea is catching on nationwide, said Jimmy Hester from "True Love Waits," a Nashville, Tennessee-based group that promotes abstinence."In the early days I would have said it was a Southern, Southeast movement, that's where it caught on the quickest," Hester said. "Now we hear from folks in Washington, Oregon, all over the place."The Princeton group is named after Elizabeth Anscombe, an English philosopher and staunch Roman Catholic who defended the church's teachings on sex, and died in 2001.People who want to take part in the society's activities don't have to sign a pledge or take an oath. Some members may have had sex in the past, and leaders say the group is open to everyone, even those who may just be interested in exploring the idea of chastity intellectually.One of the main reasons the group was created was to let students who don't want to have premarital sex know they're not alone, organizers said. They knew beforehand that sex would be part of college life, but many were surprised at how prevalent it was."My freshman year ... it was really distressing to me to see my peers going out, getting drunk, and having random sex," said Clare Sully, 20, a senior originally from Princeton. "I hadn't yet come to the conclusion that sex was only for marriage ... (but) I was quite certain that sex was way too important to treat so casually."At the University of Colorado at Boulder, Jonathan Butler, 19, and five of his friends are starting the "College Coalition for Relationship Education," a secular group designed to promote abstinence. They reached a similar conclusion."You don't just have sex to have sex. You have to be emotionally ready," said Butler.The Princeton group brings in speakers who talk about issues related to sex and chastity. A recent talk titled "Real Sex: The Truth About Chastity" drew about 120 people. Another speaker from the University of Virginia focused on the effects of the sexual revolution on family and children.The group is not affiliated with a particular religion or political ideology. Most of the group's organizers are Catholic and almost all vote Republican because many in the party oppose abortion. But others affiliated with the group are longtime Democrats, and a few are Jewish and from other religious denominations.Organizers are adamant that Anscombe is open to everyone, although questions have been raised about whether the group is anti-homosexual. An article in the university newspaper last February described the group as opposing homosexual relationships. Organizers say while many members may find homosexuality to be wrong, it's neither a universal belief nor the group's main focus.Members emphasize that they're not anti-sex. They fully intend to have sex, but only with the right person and after they are married. And for the record, they date, and some even have boyfriends and girlfriends."When you do have sex, you form a bond," said Caroline Chopko, 20, a junior from Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. "I'd rather save that for the person that I'm totally in love with and I'm going to marry."Organizers say students respond with a mixture of respect and curiosity. Others acknowledge their choice is a rare one. Chopko said some have a "warped perception" of what it means to practice chastity."It's not like we don't dance or have fun," she said.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Planes provide the quickest way to get from one part of the world to another -- for deadly contagious diseases as well as for people.In the spring of 2003, the respiratory virus SARS journeyed to five countries in 24 hours after emerging in rural China. Airline and tourism industries lost billions of dollars worldwide because people were afraid to travel and governments ordered flights canceled.With concerns about bird flu rising, U.S. health and aviation officials are taking steps to guard against a repeat.More quarantine stations have been set up at airports. A better system is in place for tracking travelers who might have been exposed. Flight crews have instructions to report sick passengers.Katherine Andrus, spokeswoman for the Air Transport Association, which represents major airlines, said the industry is concerned but doesn't want to overreact."We are taking all the appropriate measures to make sure that if it's a pandemic, we're prepared to respond," she said.Bird flu generally spreads to people through contact with bird excretions. The fear, though, is that it will mutate into a disease that spreads from human to human.The disease is most prevalent in Southeast Asia, to which only two U.S. airlines fly their own planes -- United and Northwest. But officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, airlines and U.S. aviation officials are keeping a close eye as the disease spreads elsewhere."The best thing we always do in these situations is stay in close touch with CDC and as soon as we hear something, we kick it out," said Steve van Beek, executive vice president of the Airports Council International, a trade group. By that he means letting airports know they should be prepared to make space available and tell staff and police that planes will need to be isolated and passengers quarantined.Since the September 11 terror attacks, most airports have contingency plans and crisis centers, van Beek said.Planes provide a good environment for spreading disease. Passengers are in close quarters and confined for hours, and multiple people may sit in the same seat between cleanings as the jet makes different stops.One way to limit the spread of disease is to force recirculated air through high-efficiency particulate filters, which trap fungi and germs. HEPA filters are used on about three-fourths of all commercial airplanes, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Alison Duquette said."It's a standard industry practice for new aircraft," Duquette said.Airlines also follow CDC guidelines calling for flight crew to separate a passenger with a contagious disease, if possible, and provide a surgical mask. Pilots, by law, must notify the nearest quarantine station and quarantine workers will arrange for medical assistance, notify health departments and work with the airline to make sure the disease germs are killed, according to the CDC."Flu is pretty easy to kill with disinfectant," Andrus said.An Orlando, Florida, company called AeroClave has developed equipment that modifies temperature and humidity inside airplanes so the air kills smallpox, SARS and bird flu. A giant white box and hose pump heated air through an airplane's ventilation system for two hours, disinfecting parts of the plane that cleaning crews can't reach.Company founder Dr. Ronald Brown said the FAA is in the process of certifying the system."When we started this two and a half years ago, people looked at us cross-eyed," Brown said. "SARS was just our two-minute warning. It showed how things can spread rapidly."Brown said he's unaware of any standard for plane cleanliness. Airline cleaners wipe off stains and spills, and maintenance workers deep clean them during heavy maintenance checks, but Brown said he doesn't know of any airlines that disinfect seat belts, tray tables and overhead bins on a weekly basis.Since the SARS outbreak in 2003, the CDC has added nine more quarantine stations to international airports for a total of 17. CDC workers can meet airplanes from countries affected by a disease and isolate anyone who shows symptoms. They can also tell anyone possibly exposed what to watch for and how to seek help.Flight crews were reminded that they must notify health officials if a passenger shows suspicious symptoms. United Airlines spokeswoman Robin Urbanski said the airline has annual training for flight attendants on controlling infectious diseases and an airline doctor available around the clock.Passengers sometimes don't show disease symptoms while traveling but are diagnosed later. In those cases, the CDC tracks people who were exposed to the infected passenger.That turned out to be a challenge during the SARS epidemic, Andrus said, because so many people had to be contacted.The airlines and the CDC came up with a passenger locator card that can be read by a machine. The CDC would direct airlines to distribute the card, most likely on flights coming from the part of the world where the disease is endemic, Andrus said.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

CATSKILL, New York (AP) -- The artists in the Hudson River School didn't have to dream up the landscapes they painted. Surrounded by the Catskills, they found inspiration in placid creeks and cascading waterfalls framed by trees turning vivid gold and red.Many of the places they embraced in the mid-1800s are relatively unchanged today. A new guide brochure, the Hudson River School Art Trail, maps seven sites in a 15-mile radius so people can hike the same paths the painters did to discover what inspired America's first major art movement.The journey begins at the home of founder Thomas Cole in Catskill, a town 130 miles north of New York City. The porch of Cedar Grove, a national historic site open to the public since 2001, looks west toward a panoramic view of numerous Catskill peaks. It's what Cole saw from the west parlor, where he was married, and the master bedroom, where he died in 1848."He would just go on foot from here and spend the night," said Elizabeth Jacks, Cedar Grove's director. "He wanted to get just to the right place at dawn in order to wake up and see the sun come over the mountains."The home's second floor has gallery space for a few Cole paintings, although his well-known series such as "The Course of Empire" and "The Voyage of Life" are in museums. His studio -- with his easel, books and art supplies -- is in a separate building that opened this year.Cole, who emigrated from England in 1818, first visited the Hudson Valley in 1825. His paintings of the untouched American wilderness attracted others including Frederic Edwin Church, Asher Durand, Sanford Gifford and Jasper Cropsey.The trail's next stop is the home of Church, one of Cole's last students. He designed an ornate Persian-style villa on 250 acres overlooking the Hudson in the 1870s. Olana, a treasure trove of Church's paintings and souvenirs from his extensive travels to Latin America and the Holy Land, was built to showcase the natural surroundings."He thinks of these views as pictures," associate curator Valerie Balint said. "He's made them to be pictures in a very calculating sort of way."Close by is a view of Catskill Creek, which Cole and Church captured, that is accessible from the gazebo of an Italian restaurant, Tatiana's. The trail guide describes 11 paintings comparable to current views, including Cole's and Church's scenes of the creek; Cropsey's painting of Catskill Mountain, and Cole's painting of Kaaterskill Falls, with photos of how the sites look today and information on how to find them.Drive through Palenville, a gathering spot for the Hudson River School artists, and up into the mountains about three miles to find a scene captured by Cole in "The Clove," where peaks overlap into the distance. Just down the road is the path to Kaaterskill Falls. A short hike ends at the base of the two narrow waterfalls, one of which flows into a pool that feeds the second waterfall. Together, they are 260 feet high."You have to experience the walk," said Robert Gildersleeve, executive director of the local Mountain Top Historical Society. "You have to go through the landscape and arrive at the location to truly enjoy the romantic feeling they had."A huge draw in the 1820s was a resort called the Catskill Mountain House. Though the building no longer exists, the area surrounding it, now part of North-South Lake state campground, is the final location on the trail.Gildersleeve, who recently wrote the book "Catskill Mountain House Trail Guide: In the Footsteps of the Hudson River School," said his favorite spot is Bear's Den. The art trail recommends two hours -- one hour hiking each way -- to get there and see the picturesque spot where the resort once stood."I like the composition of it. You see down into the Hudson Valley, you see the nearby lake," Gildersleeve said. A visitor looks over the edge of Kaaterskill Falls outside Catskill, New York. His book features detailed maps of longtime trails, accompanied by descriptions from the period writers like James Fenimore Cooper and William Cullen Bryant who walked them.A clear fall weekend would be ideal for exploring the art trail, and you don't need to visit the historic sites to appreciate the views.For those unfamiliar with the Hudson River School, Jacks recommends visiting collections at the New-York Historical Society in Manhattan, the Albany Institute of History and Art or the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Connecticut."Nature has spread for us a rich and delightful banquet. Shall we turn from it?" Cole once wrote. "We are still in Eden."Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Dozens of massive stars, destined for a short but brilliant life, were born less than a light-year away from the Milky Way's central black hole, one of the most hostile environments in our galaxy, astronomers reported on Thursday.On Earth, this might be a bit like setting up a maternity ward on the side of an active volcano. But researchers using the Chandra X-ray Observatory and other instruments believe there is a safe zone around black holes, a big dust ring where stars can form.Black holes, including the one at the center of our galaxy, are monstrous matter-sucking drains in space, with gravitational pull so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape once it comes within the hole's grasp.These young stars, however, are just far enough away to be held in orbit around the hole much as planets are kept in orbit around the sun, according to Sergei Nayakshin of the University of Leicester, United Kingdom.At less than a light-year's distance, the 50 or 100 massive young stars are quite close to the black hole, but not close enough to be drawn in, Nayakshin said in a telephone interview.A light-year is about 6 trillion miles, the distance light travels in a year. By comparison, Earth is about 26,000 light-years from the galactic center where the black hole lies.Live fast, die youngThe dusty zone in which these big stars thrive makes them impossible to see with optical telescopes, but the orbiting Chandra detected them by the X-rays they emit. Some smaller stars were also detected.The massive stars buried in the cosmic murk are each between 30 and 50 times the mass of the sun, Nayakshin said.The more massive the star, the brighter it shines, so that a star with 50 solar masses would be five orders of magnitude brighter than the sun; it would shine with the brilliance of 100,000 suns, Nayakshin said.Over the course of perhaps 5 million years or so -- a mere blink of an eye in astronomical time -- these high mass stars would likely lose 80 percent of their mass and explode as supernovae, transforming into smaller black holes around the supermassive black hole in the center of our galaxy.Unlike the sun, which burns its fuel slowly, these massive stars live fast and die young."These stars live a short life because they're so luminous, they just use up all of their energy too quickly," Nayakshin said. He is co-author of a study to be published in an upcoming issue of the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.These findings also contradict theorists who believe massive stars form elsewhere in the galaxy and migrate toward the black hole, he said. And this research may shed some light on how such big, rare stars are created.Copyright 2005 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

BEIJING, China (AP) -- A Chinese astronaut celebrated his birthday in orbit on Thursday as the flight of the Shenzhou 6 capsule entered its second day, setting a new record for the length of a Chinese space mission.Astronauts Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng blasted off Wednesday on China's second manned space mission, a costly prestige project meant to affirm Beijing's status as a rising world power.On Thursday, they were to carry out tasks such as opening and closing the door and removing their space suits that are meant to test the capsule's stability, the official Xinhua News Agency said."Although everything is smooth so far, all scientific and technological staff need to be cautious," Xinhua said, citing aerospace experts.Nie, a military officer and former fighter pilot, was celebrating his 41st birthday in orbit.State television showed his 11-year-old daughter, Nie Tianxiang, singing "Happy Birthday" to him by radio from the Jiuquan rocket base in China's northwest as technicians clapped. Xinhua said Nie clapped and told his daughter: "It's marvelous around here. The earth looks beautiful."Xinhua didn't say whether Nie would celebrate with a birthday cake, but listed the favorite foods the astronauts had on board, including beef with preserved orange peel and dried strawberries and peaches.Early Thursday, the mission exceeded the 21 1/2 hours that astronaut Yang Liwei spent in orbit on China's first space flight in 2003.That mission made China only the third nation that has sent a human into space on its own, after Russia and the United States.By noon Thursday, the Shenzhou 6 had circled Earth 18 times, Xinhua said, giving it a rate of one orbit about every 90 minutes. It said the capsule was traveling at 7.8 kilometers (4.9 miles) per second, or about 28,080 kph (17,528 mph).The government has not said how long Fei and Nie would stay aloft, but news reports said it could be three to five days. Xinhua reported that they had food and water for a week.A Shanghai newspaper said the capsule was to land Saturday in China's northern grasslands. The report by the Morning Post didn't cite any source, but Shanghai is a center for the government's space program, and reports by media there have often proven accurate.Another report said Shenzhou 7 would be launched in 2007 carrying at least two astronauts, and would include China's first space walk. Shenzhou 8 would follow, docking to an unmanned orbiter in preparation for building China's first space station, the Shanghai Daily reported, citing Han Hongyin, a designer of the propulsion system used on the Shenzhou spacecraft.Chinese space officials say they hope to land an unmanned probe on the Moon by 2010.The flight was front-page news in China's major newspapers, which carried photos of Fei and Nie in orbit and waving to technicians at the Jiuquan site before their liftoff.The manned space program is a key prestige project for the communist government. Chinese leaders hope that patriotic pride at its triumphs will shore up their standing amid wrenching economic change and public anger over corruption and a growing gap between rich and poor.State television showed live scenes of the astronauts -- known in Chinese as yuhangyuan, or "travelers of the universe" -- taking off their bulky, 10-kilogram (22-pound) space suits and moving around their cabin.Both Fei, also 41, and Nie are military officers, former fighter pilots and Communist Party members.Xinhua said both men talked to their families on Wednesday."May you carry out the task entrusted to you by the motherland and return smoothly," Fei's wife, Wang Jie, was quoted as saying. The report said Nie's wife wished him luck, and "at these words, Nie Haisheng was in tears."The Shenzhou -- or Divine Vessel -- capsule is based on Russia's workhorse Soyuz, though with extensive modifications. China also bought technology for space suits, life-support systems and other equipment from Moscow, though officials say all of the items launched into space are made in China.China has had a rocketry program since the 1950s and sent its first satellite into orbit in 1970. It regularly launches satellites for foreign clients aboard its giant Long March boosters.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

BROTHERS, Oregon (AP) -- Back in 1986, with red meat becoming a dirty word in a more health-conscious United States, a group of cattle ranchers gathered in Doc and Connie Hatfield's barn to talk about finding a new market for their beef.After hearing from a trainer at a health club, they chose what has come to be known as natural beef -- produced without growth hormones or antibiotics, and fed exclusively vegetable feeds -- and market it directly to natural food stores, where they could get a premium price."We were going broke. We were whining about how tough things were," said Connie Hatfield, one of the founders of the co-op Country Natural Beef, widely sold as Oregon Country Beef. Then "we found out about the market for antibiotic- and hormone-free beef."Thanks to concerns about mad cow disease, the success of natural foods stores and Americans' growing desire to know where their food comes from, natural meat is one of the beef industry's fastest-growing sectors. Over the past 10 years, Oregon Country Beef has gone from processing 3,400 head a year to 40,000. Since the mad cow scare in 2003, production has more than doubled, with a 73 percent increase over the past year.Estimated at $500 million to $550 million a year, the market for natural and organic beef accounts for less than 1 percent of overall U.S. beef production, but is growing at about 20 percent annually, while overall beef production of 24.6 billion pounds this year is down from 25.1 billion in 1995, according to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.Under the U.S. Department of Agriculture definition, almost anyone can slap a "natural" label on minimally processed beef. But through the efforts of ranchers and natural beef marketers, natural beef has come to be defined as raised without antibiotics or growth hormones, and never fed the meat byproducts that can carry mad cow disease. Organic beef must meet strict regulations, including the requirement that cattle eat only organic feed.One of the pioneers and industry leaders is Coleman Purely Natural in Golden, Colorado. Chairman Mel Coleman Jr., the company will be pressing the USDA to make the "natural" label for beef more definitive."The trend has changed," Coleman said. "Consumers today have become much more aware."The growing demand has moved natural beef into mainstream stores. For example, Laura's Lean meats are sold in Albertson's and Fred Meyer stores in Oregon, and shoppers on Fresh Direct, a New York-based Internet grocer, can choose from USDA choice top sirloin steak for $4.99 a pound and Creekstone Farms antibiotic-free choice top sirloin for $5.99.At the Newport Avenue Market in Bend, Oregon, where all the beef sold is Oregon Country Beef, most customers are looking for taste and tenderness, meat manager Randy Yochum said.But many are also like swim instructor Ulani Levy, whose father is a toxicologist, and who's concerned about antibiotics in her food and hormones given to cattle to make them grow faster."I'll be eating this the rest of my life," she said, packages of natural T-bone steaks in her hand.Still, Coleman said he can count on the fingers of both hands the outfits doing more than $1 million a year in sales.Michael Boland, professor of agricultural economics at Kansas State University, figures the higher prices paid for natural beef -- around 20 percent -- are eaten up by the higher costs of raising them. A sick animal that has to be treated with antibiotics drops out of the program and no growth hormone means cattle gain weight slower.And while it's easy to get as much as a 70 percent premium for steaks, it is tough to get any more for the end meats -- briskets, chuck and rounds, Boland said.Oregon Country Beef made a key move last year when it made a deal with Burgerville, a Vancouver, Wash., chain dedicated to locally produced and sustainable foods, to produce all their hamburger.Jack Graves, chief cultural officer for Burgerville, said the chain was looking for a safe source of beef after the mad cow scare in 2003, and held back sales to give Oregon Country Beef time to meet Burgerville's demand of 35,000 pounds a week.Oregon Country Beef's growth has also been tied to getting into dozens of Whole Foods Markets, a chain with 176 stores in the United States, Britain and Canada, and 65 more in development.The main thing keeping natural beef from going mainstream is distribution, said Fedele Bauccio, CEO of Bon Appetit Management Co., in Palo Alto, California, which serves only natural beef at cafes on college and corporate campuses in 26 states."These guys are up against the Monsantos of the world -- genetically modified products, big agriculture," said Bauccio. "I think Whole Foods is growing faster than Wal-Mart. I don't know if they will ever catch them. But there is a huge population that cares about what they put in their bodies."Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

(CNN) -- The European Commission has called an emergency meeting of its food and animal health committee for Friday after it confirmed that the lethal H5N1 strain of bird flu has been found in Turkish poultry and suspected of being present in Romania.If confirmed in Romania, it would be the first instance of the deadly strain known to have reached Europe, and would bolster the theory that it may be spread by migrating birds.Friday's emergency meeting, attended by health experts, will look at the risk that migratory birds might pose for the EU.H5N1 in its current form does not easily infect humans, but officials fear it may mutate into a more easily transmissible strain, resulting in a global pandemic.In a written statement, the EU said the presence of the H5 virus in Romania was confirmed Wednesday night, but it was not clear whether it was the deadly N1 strain, which has infected 117 people in Asia, proving fatal in 60.An EU laboratory determined Thursday morning that the avian influenza virus found in Turkey "is H5N1 closely related to a virus detected in a wild bird in central Asia a few months ago."An EU health official in Brussels said laboratory work on the Romanian case would be completed Friday."If it's the Asian strain, that would seem to confirm that it's being spread along the migration paths by migratory birds from Siberia into southeastern Europe," said the official, who said he could not be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the news media.The Turkish government said Thursday it has contained the outbreak of the H5N1 virus, which was detected after 1,800 turkeys died on a farm in Kiziksa, 120 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of Istanbul, The Associated Press reported.Authorities have destroyed some 8,600 turkeys and chickens in the area and placed the village under quarantine, but hundreds of birds apparently escaped the destruction."Normally it would be over, but a few people are hiding their chickens," one veterinary official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AP. Also Thursday, the EU announced it would ban imports of live birds, poultry meat and other poultry products from Romania. Imports of live birds and feathers from Turkey have been banned since Monday.The commission's Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health was to hold an emergency meeting in Brussels on Thursday to discuss preventive and bio-security measures at poultry farms across the EU.Health officials worry that, if the avian influenza virus were to combine with a normal human strain of influenza virus inside a person infected with both, a hybrid could emerge that would have lethality of more than 50 percent and the ability to spread easily from person to person.To limit the possibility of "reassortment," public health officials have recommended that people in regions known to harbor avian influenza get vaccinated against human forms of influenza."What this virus can't do now is move easily from person to person," said Dick Thompson, a spokesman for the World Health Organization, in Geneva. "We worry that it could develop this characteristic of human-to-human transmission."Humans appear to become infected with the virus not by eating infected poultry, but by contacting sick or diseased birds or preparing them for consumption."Rapid defeathering causes dust and viral particles to fly up," Thompson said. "We believe those particles are inhaled and that's how people become infected."He added, "It's very difficult to stop the movement of this virus now, but it's possible to eliminate it from close proximity to humans, and that's what the animal-control measures will be directed at."Sales of antiviral drugs, which might also confer protection, have outpaced manufacturers' ability to make them.EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou announced in Brussels that the EU planned to set aside $1.2 billion to help make and distribute anti-virals and vaccines "in case of a pandemic." In South America, Venezuela said on Thursday it temporarily banned imports of poultry and poultry products from neighboring Colombia after a mild strain of bird flu was found in Colombia earlier this week. Venezuelan Deputy Agriculture Minister Patricia Febres told Reuters the measure would be in place until Colombia could guarantee its poultry was free of the flu virus. The H9 strain found in Colombia is not related to the H5N1 sickness that has killed dozens of people in Asia. Copyright 2005 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

SEATTLE, Washington (AP) -- An Army veteran who fled to Canada to avoid prosecution for growing marijuana to treat his chronic pain was taken from a hospital, driven to the border with a catheter still attached, and turned over to U.S. officials, his lawyer said. Steven W. Tuck then went five days with no medical treatment and only ibuprofen for the pain, the attorney said. Tuck, 38, was still fitted with the urinary catheter when he shuffled into federal court Wednesday for a detention hearing Wednesday. "This is totally inhumane. He's been tortured for days for no reason," Hiatt said. U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Donohue ordered Tuck temporarily released so he could be taken to a hospital for treatment. But by the time Donohoe issued his order, King County Jail officials had received a detainment request from Humboldt County, California, so Tuck was not released Wednesday, Hiatt said. "I can't believe we've run into another snag here," the lawyer said. Tuck suffered debilitating injuries in the 1980s when his parachute failed to open during a jump. Those injuries were exacerbated by a car crash in 1990, Hiatt said, and Tuck was using marijuana for chronic pain. In 2001, while Tuck was living in McKinleyville, California, his marijuana operation was raided for the second time. He fled to British Columbia to avoid prosecution but asylum was denied. Tuck checked last Friday into a Vancouver hospital for prostate problems and was arrested there by Canadian authorities. Richard Cowan, a friend, said he was with Tuck at the hospital when authorities arrested him. "I would not believe it unless I had seen it," Cowan said. "They sent people in to arrest him while he was on a gurney. They took him out of the hospital in handcuffs, put him in an SUV, and drove him to the border." Tuck was turned over to Whatcom County Jail officials, who called federal marshals. The marshals took him to the King County Jail in Seattle. Although Tuck has taken morphine -- as prescribed by doctors -- for about 16 years to help with his pain, he was given no painkiller or treatment at the jail other than ibuprofen, Hiatt said. Tuck appeared emaciated in court, and Hiatt said he had been sick from morphine withdrawal. King County Jail officials did not return a call seeking comment, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had no comment. Tuck is charged federally with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Donohue agreed to release him on the condition that he face the charge in the Northern District of California upon his release from the hospital. The Supreme Court ruled in June that people who smoke marijuana because their doctors recommend it to ease pain can be prosecuted for violating federal drug laws, even in states like California that have laws permitting medical marijuana use. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

SANTA CRUZ, California (AP) -- The final resting place of a soldier killed in Iraq is now in the hands of a judge who said he would have preferred the bitterly divided family could have resolved the matter without him. "I wish I had the power to reconcile this family, but I don't," Judge Robert Yonts said. "However, I have the power to decide this case, and I will." Yonts made an unusual -- and futile -- plea midway through the five-day trial for the family to try to reach a compromise. He heard closing arguments Wednesday in Santa Cruz County Superior Court by attorneys representing the divorced parents of Army Staff Sgt. Jason Hendrix. Hendrix, 28, was killed by a roadside bomb near the Iraqi city of Ramadi on February 16 and buried last month -- against his mother's wishes -- in a plot next to his paternal grandfather in Oklahoma. His father Russell Hendrix argued that his son's body should stay where it is. "To disturb his repose would be an unjust desecration of his remains and of his service to this country," said attorney Omar James. But Hendrix's mother, Renee Amick of Watsonville, California, says her son asked to be buried there during a telephone conversation before he was deployed to Iraq. Standing behind a stoic Amick, her lawyer rested his hands on her shoulders and faced the judge. "She has fought for her son, to keep a promise to him," said attorney Michael Barsi. If Renee Amick wins the case, her attorney said she wants to disinter his remains, ship them to California and bury him there. If this happens, it will be his body's third journey across the country. The Army initially sent Hendrix's body to Watsonville. But the body was later shipped to Oklahoma after Russell Hendrix appealed to an Oklahoma probate court. The case has highlighted little-known Defense Department rules, which have come under criticism from several federal lawmakers. If a slain soldier is unmarried and has no children -- which was the case with Hendrix -- the military grants custody to next of kin based on seniority. Russell Hendrix is 48 and Amick is 45. Jason Hendrix grew up in Watsonville with his mother but finished high school living with his father in Oklahoma. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Acting on a recommendation from the commission that investigated intelligence failures before the Iraq war, the government announced Thursday the creation of the National Clandestine Service headed by an undercover CIA official.The new entity will oversee human intelligence operations conducted by the 15 U.S. agencies involved in spying, including the FBI and the Defense Intelligence Agency, a branch of the Pentagon."This is another positive step in building an intelligence community that is more unified, coordinated and effective, and is better positioned to meet the increasingly complex intelligence challenges of the future," said John D. Negroponte, director of national intelligence."The NCS will serve as the national authority for the integration, coordination, de-confliction and evaluation of human intelligence operations across the entire intelligence community," Negroponte said in a news release.President Bush approved the plan, according to the CIA's Web site.The head of the NCS -- his name is secret -- will set the government-wide standards for spy tradecraft and training, including how to check out the reliability of a potential foreign agent.He will report to CIA Director Porter Goss, who will manage U.S. intelligence gathering operations, Negroponte said.The creation of the NCS was one of 74 recommendations by the Silberman-Robb commission. The panel, appointed by President Bush in February 2004, issued a scathing 618-page report on intelligence failures and shortcomings 13 months later.The report called for a complete transformation of the intelligence community, which it described as "fragmented, loosely managed and poorly coordinated."In all, Bush endorsed 70 of the 74 recommendations made by the panel, formally known as the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction.Thursday's moves will likely help restore the CIA's profile, battered after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Goss and the CIA lost some power and prestige when Negroponte -- who had been U.S. ambassador to Iraq and before that ambassador to the United Nations -- took office in May as national intelligence director, overseeing the budgets of the 15 spy agencies.The post was created by the intelligence overhaul bill Bush signed into law in December that sought to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 commission on the September 11 attacks. (Intelligence czar named)The Defense Department and FBI also have been moving aggressively into the spying field in recent years, causing friction with the CIA."We won't tell the FBI how to do their business," a senior intelligence official said, "but the goal is to have common standards."Senior intelligence officials who briefed reporters Thursday also said they hope the new structure will improve communication among spy agencies.The officials said the president would be the final voice should major disagreements arise between agencies.The officials said there was never any question of giving overall responsibility for human intelligence gathering to any other agency since, as one put it, "the gold standard for clandestine operations is the CIA." A senior intelligence official said the goal is to "standardize tactics, techniques, training and procedures" throughout the intelligence community at a time when the latest Bush administration budget calls for a 50 percent increase in human intelligence staffing at the CIA and some other agencies. In recent weeks information from a source in Iraq collected by the Defense Intelligence Agency caused New York City to go on alert against terrorism in its subway system.At the time, other intelligence officials expressed skepticism about the quality of the intelligence, and it has subsequently been described by U.S. officials as a "hoax."Senior officials avoided comment on whether the changes will make such an outcome less likely, but said common standards about how to judge the credibility of an intelligence source should help overall.In June, Bush created the National Security Service within the FBI that specializes in intelligence and other national security matters and combines assets of the Justice Department's counterterrorism, intelligence and espionage units.The Silberman-Robb commission also recommended forming the service.CNN's David Ensor contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Texas prosecutor subpoenaed telephone records for the home phone of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and his political campaign Thursday.Also subpoenaed were phone records for two numbers for his daughter, Dani DeLay Ferro.DeLay was indicted last week on charges of money laundering and conspiracy in a Texas campaign finance case. (Full Story)The subpoenas list telephone numbers, but not whom they belong to. They ask for information about the calls, voice mail service at the numbers and long distance calls made from or charged to the numbers."The thing is no big deal," said Bill White, Austin attorney for DeLay.Earle is seeking the records and information from September 1, 2001, to December 31, 2002, the time period when a political committee founded by DeLay, Texans for a Republican Majority, was raising money for the 2002 election cycle.DeLay denies any wrongdoing. However, he was obligated to temporarily step aside as majority leader when charged.The charges allege that corporate money was funneled to Texas legislative candidates in violation of state law.White said Earle appeared to be trying to find out what kind of contact DeLay had with two associates, Jim Ellis and John Colyandro, who also are indicted in the case."It seems to me he should have been doing it the last three years. Now is a little late to start checking on his evidence," White said.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

NEW YORK (AP) -- "The Simple Life" is over -- at least on Fox.The network said Wednesday it has canceled the Paris Hilton-Nicole Richie reality series after the show's two stars no longer proved compatible.The feuding ex-friends will not return for a fourth season, even though the network had picked up the options on their contracts.Fox said its midseason schedule didn't have a time slot for the show."We did not see a place for 'The Simple Life' on our schedule this season," the network said in a statement.However, 20th Century Fox Television, the studio that produces the show, hopes "The Simple Life" will move to another network -- with Hilton and Richie."We're disappointed that 'The Simple Life' will not continue on Fox where it has performed so well, but we believe this series ... is still a dynamic and valuable franchise," the studio said in a statement. "We hope to be able to announce a new network partner in the coming days."Bunim-Murray Productions, which produces the show with 20th Century Fox, also released a hopeful statement: "We're very excited about the creative plans for the next group of episodes, and are confident this situation will be remedied quickly."Us Weekly first reported the show's cancellation. When reached for comment, Hilton didn't sound as though she expected the show to return."I'm really excited about my movie projects, my new album and all my various other business ventures," she told the magazine.The fish-out-of-bottled-water show started in 2003 with Hilton and Richie -- both accustomed to plush lifestyles -- spending the spring in the town of Altus, Arkansas, doing farm chores and working at the local dairy and gas station.The series continued for two more seasons, including an "intern" edition in the business world.But in April, Hilton issued a terse statement saying it was "no big secret that Nicole and I are no longer friends. Nicole knows what she did, and that's all I'm ever going to say about it."The hotel heiress has given no reason for the split. She lobbied for Richie to be replaced by Rod Stewart's 26-year-old daughter, Kimberly, but Fox dismissed that option.Richie, the 24-year-old daughter of Lionel Richie, became engaged to club DJ Adam Goldstein in February. Hilton, 24, earlier this month called off her engagement to Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Mehcad Brooks likes being Wisteria Lane's latest hunk. Just don't ask him what's in the basement."It changes you as much as you let it," he says of his newfound fame as Matthew Applewhite on ABC's "Desperate Housewives." "You kind of need to keep the same people around you."But that means his "bills are higher," he jokes, because he's picking up the restaurant tab for his pals more often.Matthew and mother Betty (Alfre Woodard) are objects of curiosity and suspicion in the neighborhood because of what they seem to be hiding in their home.And such interest isn't limited to the script. In recent weeks Brooks has been approached by strangers demanding to know more about the mysterious cellar dweller, who on the last episode managed to escape captivity and had to be subdued by Matthew and mom with a pistol butt to the back of the head.But Brooks will only say many surprises are in store for the popular soap opera."It's like those little Russian dolls. Open them up and there's more inside. The stories are very layered," he says.Before moving to Wisteria Lane, Brooks was a relatively unknown actor, usually cast in athletic roles -- most recently as a basketball player in the upcoming movie "Glory Road," about the 1966 team with the first all black starting lineup that won the NCAA national championship."My favorite thing about 'Housewives' is that I don't have to dribble a basketball," says the 6-foot-3-inch actor, who turned down basketball scholarships to attend the University of Southern California's school of cinema-television.Now to address the TV season's other watercooler question: Yes, Brooks is single."I'm really a kind of casualty of romance," he says, self-mockingly comparing his situation to the romantically challenged "Housewives." "I either ruin the relationship myself or I get hurt a lot."Brooks, who turns 25 on October 25, was born in Austin, Texas, the son of a professional football player and a journalist. He recalls his passion for acting began at age 4 on a trip to Universal Studios with his grandmother."I said, 'Grandma, this is what I want to do with my life,' because I looked around and figured out that people made a living there.""Desperate Housewives" shoots at Universal.Brooks has worked as a model, but to help pay his tuition he also took less glamorous jobs, including window washer and theater usher."Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry says 100 to 150 young men were considered before sending about 25, including Brooks and brother Billy, to meet the producers.Cherry had not originally written the Applewhites to be black. But after two other actresses turned down the role of Betty, Woodard was suggested. As a "huge fan," Cherry immediately felt she was ideal."I'm not one of those guys who says, 'Oh, we have to have diversity,"' he explains. "I just want great actors -- that's all I care about. Then when it came time to look for a son for her we just wanted someone who was sexy, but wholesome. Mehcad (pronounced Muh-CAD) had just a fine upstanding look about him, but he has a slightly dangerous sexy quality too, and we thought it was an intriguing combination."Brooks agrees with Cherry's colorblind casting."The way I look at it, dysfunction has no color. It's equal opportunity, it invades every family no matter what economic level, no matter what race," he says. "It just so happens the Applewhites have a darker pigment of the skin."Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Samsung, the world's largest maker of memory chips for computers and other electronic gadgets, has agreed to plea guilty to price fixing and pay a $300 million fine, U.S. officials said Thursday.The penalty is the second-largest criminal antitrust fine ever and caps a three-year investigation into the largest makers of dynamic random access memory computer chips, a $7.7 billion market in the United States.The guilty plea to the single felony charge by South Korea-based Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and its U.S. subsidiary, Samsung Semiconductor Inc., was to be entered Thursday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.The government's acting antitrust chief, Thomas O. Barnett, said seven Samsung employees were not protected by the guilty plea, an indication they may individually face criminal antitrust charges."That's a decision for us to make moving forward," Barnett said. He added that prosecuting individuals -- not just companies in price-fixing cases is an important deterrent against similar abuses.The Justice Department already has secured similar guilty pleas from two other companies and collected more than $345 million in fines."Price-fixing threatens our free market system, stifles innovation and robs American consumers of the benefit of competitive prices," Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said.Samsung said in a statement the company "strongly supports fair competition and ethical practices and forbids anti-competitive behavior." A spokeswoman, Chris Goodhart, declined to identify the seven employees or say whether they still worked for Samsung.Samsung received grand jury subpoenas in connection with the investigation during 2002, and put aside $100 million late last year to pay potential criminal penalties.Samsung's top competitor, Seoul-based Hynix, agreed earlier this year to plead guilty to price fixing and pay a $185 million fine. Last September, rival Infineon Technologies AG of Germany agreed to a $160 million fine. Another competitor, Micron Technology Inc. of Boise, Idaho, has been cooperating with prosecutors and was not expected to face charges.The government accused the companies of conspiring in e-mails, telephone calls and face-to-face meetings to fix prices of memory chips between April 1999 and June 2002. The chips are used in digital recorders, personal computers, printers, video recorders, mobile phones and many other electronics.The government said the victims of the alleged price-fixing were Dell Inc., Compaq Computer Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co., Apple Computer Inc., International Business Machines Corp. and Gateway Inc. Barrett said Apple and Dell raised computer prices to compensate, and other companies responded by reducing the amount of memory installed in computers they sold but kept consumer prices the same.The investigation started in 2002, a year after memory chip prices began to climb even though the high-tech industry was in a tailspin. At the time, the hikes were attributed to tight supplies, although then-Dell Computer CEO Michael Dell blamed them on cartel-like behavior by chip makers.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Global sales of digital music players are expected to jump to nearly l billion units a year in 2009, driven by consumers' desire for the pocket-sized devices and falling costs for flash memory components, research firm IDC said on Thursday.IDC predicted that annual sales of compressed audio players will reach 945.5 million units worth $145.4 billion in 2009, up from 224.9 units worth $46.7 billion in 2004. IDC defines these devices as everything from portable MP3 players to DVD devices and phones that can play music compressed by software.The portable flash player category, which includes products such as Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod Nano and Dell Inc.'s DJ Ditty, is expected to grow to some 124 million units in 2009 from 26.4 million in 2004."The portable MP3 player category has seen the most growth in popularity and Apple has been a very important driver of that," said IDC analyst Susan Kevorkian.Stronger demand for players that use flash memory chips is expected to be fueled by cheaper flash prices, the expansion of services that sell songs and other media and growing consumer awareness of portable MP3 players.IDC anticipates that the maximum capacity of flash players will grow to 16 gigabytes in 2007 from 1 gigabyte in 2004. By current compression standards, that's about 4,000 songs packed onto a player in 2007, up from about 250 songs last year.What's more, music video playback on these devices is expected to drive demand for portable flash players and hard drive-based portable jukeboxes, IDC said, a feature that will be complemented by music video downloads from paid online media services.In fact, Apple on Wednesday introduced a version of its market-leading iPod that also plays videos. It also unveiled a deal with Walt Disney Co. to sell television shows like "Desperate Housewives"."We see Apple positioning the iPod with video as primarily being a music device, and video enhances that by offering the possibility of downloading music videos and other video," Kevorkian said. "It is quite possible that a next generation video-enabled iPod may have not only a larger display, but Apple may also have more content available by that point."Copyright 2005 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Britain's foreign spy service MI6 has turned to the Internet in an attempt to recruit real-life James Bonds and dispel myths about the secretive agency.The launch of the Web site on Thursday marked the first time the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) -- as MI6 is also known -- has publicly appealed for staff since its creation in 1909.The move follows intelligence failures that gave no warnings of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States or this year's July 7 transport bombings in London.MI6 also said it hoped the Web site would help to quash "ridiculous" conspiracy theories such as the idea that British agents murdered Princess Diana, a spokesman said.The intelligence agency has frequently been the subject of fiction over the years, most famously in the adventures of Ian Fleming's spy James Bond."Although the SIS archive remains closed, a great deal has been written about the service. Much of it is inaccurate or misleading," the Web site warned.The site also has a careers page outlining the qualities SIS, which is based at Vauxhall Cross in south London, requires in an agent.Applicants are promised foreign travel and must be resourceful and flexible, thrive on a challenge and be able to cope with stress."Whether you feel that your strengths could lead you towards operations, intelligence analysis, management, data handling or security, whether you have the skills to design high-tech gadgets or to deploy them in a hostile environment, SIS may have the career for you."Candidates must be over 21 and British, have lived in Britain for five of the last 10 years and pass an "extensive security clearance process."The Web site -- at www.sis.gov.uk and also www.mi6.gov.uk -- details the role and history of the overseas intelligence gathering organization.Nev Johnson, a spokesman for MI6, said: "It's important for the public to know more about the service and to explain why MI6 has to be secret in its operations and personnel."Also some of the allegations, myths and rumors that have grown up around the service, such as conspiracy theories that Princess Diana was murdered, are so ridiculous that they need to be corrected," he said."And the best way of enhancing the public's knowledge of SIS's roles and responsibilities is a Web site because that is accessible to everyone."

GANTA, Liberia (Reuters) -- A rebel leader who drank beer while his men hacked up the president and an infamous warlord called "Gen. Peanut Butter" are hoping to bury their pasts and be elected senators in Liberia's first post-war polls.Tuesday's presidential and parliamentary elections were intended to draw a line under a 14-year civil war which ended two years ago after killing a quarter of a million people and uprooting almost a third of the population.Some of the war's most notorious killers now want to reinvent themselves as elected politicians through the polls, whose votes were still being counted on Thursday.Former rebel leader Prince Yormi Johnson watched while his men cut off the ears of President Samuel Doe in 1990 and then tortured him as television cameras rolled.Now he hopes to become a senator for Liberia's northern Nimba County, where former President Charles Taylor launched the rebellion that triggered the civil war."That's history," Johnson said."Our concern now is one of reconciliation," he told Reuters in a bar in Ganta, near the Guinea border, as supporters swigged beer behind him.Running against Johnson in Nimba County is Adolphus Dolo, or "Gen. Peanut Butter", one of Taylor's henchmen, accused by rights groups of recruiting child soldiers."There is no way that I would tell you that I was not a part of the war," Dolo said, standing at a cocktail bar in the corner of the living room of his Monrovia home as guards patrolled outside."But people owe their allegiance to individuals, not to institutions ... and all of our institutions are broken down," he said softly, shuffling leaflets carrying his campaign slogan "Let him butter your bread."According to initial voting returns, the frontrunners in the presidential race are George Weah, a 39-year-old international soccer star untainted by links with warlords and former Finance Minister Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who once supported Taylor but broke off ties.Liberia's civil war rumbled on for 14 years, ripping the country's infrastructure to pieces and only ending when Taylor went into exile in August 2003 as rebels bombarded the capital with mortars.Self-appointed generals with names like "Bad Boy" and "Butt Naked" paid child soldiers with marijuana and amphetamines to fight. Monrovia is still without piped water or electricity.Links to TaylorThe balance of power in parliament will be key to the new president's ability to govern smoothly. These are people who have shown total disregard for the rule of law and now they are supposed to be upholding it. -- Corinne Dufka, Human Rights Watch But human rights groups and diplomats warn that putting into office men and women accused or suspected of war crimes could undermine Liberia's return to stability.Human Rights Watch said in a report last month that three former faction leaders, five individuals under U.N. sanctions and several military commanders accused of rights abuses stood for office in Tuesday's polls.Four of them stayed in contact ahead of the elections with Taylor, who lives in exile in Nigeria and is wanted for war crimes by a U.N.-backed tribunal in Sierra Leone."These are people who have shown total disregard for the rule of law and now they are supposed to be upholding it," Corinne Dufka, head of HRW's West Africa division, told Reuters."Those who have committed serious abuses should be held accountable," she said.But in Ganta's muddy backstreets, Johnson and "Gen. Peanut Butter" seem to have won over at least some voters."Prince is a fearless man, a no-nonsense man," said Jesco Teah, a 39-year-old tailor."We want him to be part of the reconstruction process. Let him rebuild what he has damaged."Copyright 2005 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- After Gay and Fred Eisenhauer learned their son had been killed while serving in Iraq in May, the couple traveled to the cargo area at Lambert Airport in St. Louis to get his body.Army Pfc. Wyatt Eisenhauer's flag-draped coffin was delivered to his parents in a crate-filled area of the airport where workers on break sat nearby smoking cigarettes.For Gay Eisenhauer, it was an impersonal place to meet her 26-year-old son on his final trip home."When we bring them home and we call them heroes, let's treat them like heroes all the way and not pull them into a cargo section and bring them home to the family that way," said Eisenhauer, of Pinckneyville, on Wednesday.Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn have taken up the cause, meeting Wednesday with U.S. Army Secretary Francis Harvey and urging him to improve how the military works with families of those killed in the line of duty."To have that reunifying moment in a place like that I think is symbolic of the need to change some of the policy so there's more sensitivity," Blagojevich said.Some of the suggestions Blagojevich and Quinn made to Harvey included better training for officers who interact with distraught families and prompt delivery of service members' medals and awards to surviving family.Army spokesman Paul Boyce said the Army has been assessing how to improve the process of notifying families of the deaths of their loved ones. The review is expected to be done in January, he said."Our largest concern is to make sure information is conveyed expeditiously and accurately to family members. We're looking at new ways to improve it throughout the Army," he said.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

TRENTON, New Jersey (AP) -- A seventh straight day of rain across much of the soggy Northeast trapped motorists, delayed airline flights and sent streams surging over their banks Thursday.Flood warnings covered parts of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, and residents in some New Jersey communities were urged to evacuate their homes.Northern New Jersey received as much as 41/2 inches of rain in 48 hours, and forecasters said some areas of the state could get two more inches by Friday. A deluge over the weekend dumped about 5 inches across the state and as much as 10 in a few spots.The rain was expected to continue through Saturday.Across the Northeast, at least 10 people have died since last weekend because of the downpours, and four others were missing in New Hampshire.The National Guard handed out thousands of sandbags in New Jersey's Essex and Passaic counties. Inmates from the Passaic County jail were pressed into duty at a public works garage filling the bags with road sand normally used during snowstorms.Debbie Baglione was moving most of her possessions from the first floor of her home upstairs."The river is a foot away from my patio," said Baglione, of Fairfield. "I have a crawl space that's full of water."Water also lapped at the foundations of some Bergen County homes, and officials there expected rivers to swell even more."We're just bracing for the next storm," said county Executive Dennis McNerney. "But we're not building an ark just yet."In New York City's Central Park, close to an inch of rain had fallen by midmorning Thursday, on top of 4.26 inches on Wednesday.Water covered dozens of highways and roads around the region, including part of the Garden State Parkway, and police rescued people from a vehicle that had stalled in floodwaters in Jersey City.Incoming flights at two of the region's three major airports were delayed by more than an hour and a half.In Connecticut, thousands of homes and businesses lost power, including the University of Bridgeport, which canceled classes Thursday. The downpours came after a dry spell across much of the region."We literally had a drought meeting the day before. I highly suspect when we get together next week, the drought for the time being is over," said Douglas Glowacki, an environmental analyst with the state of Connecticut.New Jersey activated its emergency management office, getting high-water rescue vehicles and swift-boat rescue teams ready.The rain-swollen Raritan River was being closely watched in Bound Brook and Manville, where flooding from Tropical Storm Floyd in 1999 proved devastating.Alstead, N.H., a town of 2,000, suffered the most damage from last weekend's flooding. At least 12 homes were washed away and dozens more were damaged heavily. Other parts of southwestern New Hampshire also suffered serious damage.State lawmakers were organizing a fundraising effort -- originally planned to help Katrina victims and now aimed at helping New Hampshire's own.State Emergency Management Director Bruce Cheney told lawmakers Thursday that the area should escape further flood damage as long as less than 3 inches of new rain falls. That could be a close call: The National Weather Service forecast 2 to 3 inches.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

(CNN) -- The tragedy of Katrina has left New Orleans with a unique opportunity to remake a city many wonder: What will the new New Orleans be like?CNN.com asked readers whether New Orleans will ever be the same and what would need to be saved or rebuilt to maintain the spirit of the city. Here is a sampling of those responses, some of which have been edited:America may not know it, but New Orleans is this country's soul. And the soul of New Orleans is its music. Rebuild the city by starting with the music. Get the venues going, and, if needed, pay musicians a salary until the work is there, they can get back on their feet financially. The city was filled with a lot of unknown musicians of all types, who went from gig to gig, just making ends meet- the ones who cared enough about their music to stick with it through all kinds of adversity. But those unknowns are the ones who collectively form the brew from which new musical ideas are drawn from, and they are the back bone of music in New Orleans. Remember, this is the city that gave birth to jazz, and jazz was created by these unknown musicians, playing for the pure enjoyment of it, and sharing their creation with their listeners. People come from all over the world to enjoy New Orleans music. Revive the music, bring back the musicians, and city will shine again. Rick Ledbetter, Williamsburg, VirginiaThe spirit of a city, a country, an individual, includes how we respond to the more vulnerable. Our pets, our companion animals, improve our mental health and add so much to our spirit. If someone can be compassionate towards a suffering dog, they will understand empathy for others. What the city has done (or not done) for the dogs of New Orleans is inexcusable, and it won't be forgotten by all of us who care. The city can revive their spirit, by acting on their compassion for these "family members" who were left behind, and make sure it doesn't happen again. Elizabeth, Richmond, VirginiaI believe New Orleans will never be the same. We need to incorporate a dam system similar to Holland. If it was up to me I would make the coast land a national park so all can enjoy it. Every time we have a hurricane and it destroys these million dollar homes, they rebuild and we pay the bill again. Cole, Lakeside, MontanaFor those who want us to rebuild our city somewhere else please remember that New Orleans has been here since the 1700s and has survived dozens of hurricanes, including Katrina. It was not Katrina that destroyed the city but the failure of levees that could have and should have been built better. These levees breached; they did not overflow from rising water. And where would you have us rebuild our city? Where there are earthquakes, tornados, wildfires, blizzards, and other such weather events? And how will you feel when your home is destroyed unexpectedly and some person living hundreds of miles away advises you not to rebuild? Derby Gisclair, New Orleans, LouisianaI was just reading that Ray Nagin wants to make New Orleans into another Las Vegas. It must have taken him at least a minute or two to come up with the idea. Let's hope the people of New Orleans wake up and vote this unintelligent, uncreative, incompetent and corrupt person out of office. Then, maybe he will move to Las Vegas! C. Hurst, Angels Camp, CaliforniaAs we've seen, whole neighborhoods may just have to be demolished and rebuilt due to damage by water and molds. But prior to that, a system of flood control needs to be laid down (like the aqua-ducts in Los Angeles). And the naturally lowest parts of the city need to be set aside as collection areas for this drainage. These collection areas can also serve as a series of parks for recreation and green zones. People living in these lowest of the low areas need to be relocated; New houses near the low areas need to be built on 5-to-6-foot stilts. The new levees are also a key issue, but a new system of aqua-ducts need to run right along side the levees as a second line of defense to levee overflow or failure in the future. Henry, Beaverton, OregonFuture generations will always maintain the savoir-faire of the City of New Orleans. The present is just another page in our history. We will each carry the sights and scenes and music of the city as we knew it, during our life times, with us to our graves. Just as we grew up seeing those before us living in the old pictures and paintings of the New Orleans they knew hanging on our walls, our children will see us in the New Orleans of our lives and times. Daniel Burkholder, New Orleans, LouisianaMy honest opinion is no; the people have suffered enough. The loss of life, homes and business is horrendous. If it were above sea level I would say, "Go for it!" But, it's not. My heart aches for these dear souls; however, I think it is time they move on. If it weren't below sea level it would be different. Because of the bad history of hurricanes, three, one after the other, who's to say it won't happen again. That disaster could be worse than the last. The disease that is now brewing there with raw sewage and every thing else, it is too risky. Pat Barrett, Milton, Ontario, CanadaEveryone should read "The Three Little Pigs" first before anything is done. Paul, Calgary, Alberta, CanadaMy family originated in New Orleans and I lived there for many years. I wouldn't live there again for reasons that have nothing to do with Katrina. I simply didn't feel comfortable with the New Orleans humidity and mosquitoes. As for whether New Orleans can ever be the same, I feel this is a question best answered by the people of New Orleans, not by outsiders. It's their city. I would hope that they choose to rebuild in a manner that would restore much of the character of such a beautiful city. But I also hope that they would seek to incorporate some serious thought into how they will deal with the widespread poverty in Orleans Parish. I'll be watching to see how this unfolds and it should be interesting. To build a better New Orleans, I feel the powers-that-be need to examine and address the question of why so many people are living below the poverty line in New Orleans. I also feel the citizens of New Orleans should put more thought into who they elect as mayor. Ray Nagin in my opinion is not up to the task. He has some serious issues in the areas of integrity and accountability. New Orleans needs to elect a leader with management experience, not a typical politician. D. Rodriguez, Atlanta, GeorgiaTo save New Orleans, and the spirit of the city, great care must be taken to preserve the French Quarter and all of its architecture -- it began as the heart of the city and will always be. Don't, don't, don't bulldoze! We cannot simply "start over" as has been suggested. To do so would be to bury our heritage and the evidence of our culture. I for one would not feel at home in a totally different New Orleans. Rescue the present buildings, and the former residents will return. Lianna Patch, New Orleans, LouisianaI was 7 years old when, on Christmas Eve 1974, my home town in Australia was wiped off the map by a cyclone. I remember vividly my parents discussing the futility of living somewhere so vulnerable to cyclones and that the character of the town was gone. We stayed anyway! Well, post-cyclone Darwin is different to pre-cyclone Darwin, but it was rebuilt completely. Most buildings in town are "new" but the people, the atmosphere and the location are what gives it its character now and probably what always did. If the people of New Orleans come home then, although it will be different to pre-Katrina New Orleans, the people, the place and the atmosphere will always be special to New Orleans and it will be worth rebuilding. Elanor Withnall, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaThis may be an unpopular opinion but the middle class fled New Orleans long ago, leaving rich, very rich, and very poor. A lot of substandard housing is now history -- and I doubt new low cost or public housing is going to replace it. Face it, new upscale housing close to downtown is going to be a hot ticket! New Orleans will survive, but the neighborhoods are going to change, no doubt about it. Just wonder where the poor people are going to go? Wayne Roberts, Baton Rouge, LouisianaNew Orleans will never be the same. It does not need to be exactly the same for the benefit of the people. I'm a 28-year-old single woman with no kids, a high school diploma and a college degree. It was very hard for me growing up in the City of New Orleans because of the economy. I've been through a lifetime of unemployment. People would never understand unless they are from the city. With all the hard times the people have experienced, we still manage to have a good sprit of hope about our city we call home. Hope and faith is the only thing that kept our spirit all these centuries. New Orleans deserves another chance and the people that made New Orleans what it is and kept the faith of the city all these years deserve another chance to completely enjoy their home town. New Orleans is not like and will never be like any other city. We have so many traditions and culture with in the community that people can't get from a swamp tour, zoo tour, or a tour down the French Quarter. ! Chaz Martin, Jacksonville, Florida

Thursday, Oct. 13; Posted 11:50 a.m. ET From Andreas Preuss, CNN Gulf Coast BureauFrom the CNN back lot wafts the smell of soft shell crabs -- a New Orleans delicacy. Behind the fryer and whisking a tartar sauce, is Chef Scot Craig. He's the owner of Katie's Restaurant, a Mid-City eatery located on Iberville. That street, along with most of the neighborhood, was flooded by Katrina.Scot, who evacuated on the Saturday before Katrina's landfall, says his place was hit twice. "Katie's was vandalized and burglarized before the flood, the back door broken in. Then 5 to 6 feet of water came into the 108-year-old building. Then the mold came up," he says.Scot hopes to get back into business in the next six months. He says some changes are in store for the restaurant, including a new "twist." That may very well be his new partner, Nicky DiGiorgio. They shared a catering business and are now hopeful about the future.Scot says Katie's will reopen in the same location. He plans to add new walls and a patio. As for New Orleans, he says the city "will be back, better and cleaner if leadership stays on track."Just down St. Charles Avenue, Vincent's Restaurant is buzzing on a Saturday night. It's a modest place that serves old school Italian. Its Uptown location left it high and dry, with some minor roof damage.Owners Vincent Catalanotto and Tony Imbraguglio did some repairs, cleaned out the freezer, turned on the lights and flung open the doors. And returning residents poured in for some intimate dining after a day of yard cleaning and debris removal.Tony says he's been "overwhelmed and overjoyed by the camaraderie." He considers his ability to serve the hungry as a contribution to the neighborhood as things start returning to normal.But now it's a low-tech affair, with paper plates, plastic cutlery and wines sipped from plastic cups. His post-Katrina menu features 17 items, about 50 percent less than his regular menu. Tony says his employees are friends, family and neighbors.Tony also thinks the city will recover. "New Orleans will come back bigger, better, stronger. It's now important for people to reconnect with each other," he says. Tony has been doing his part by working 18-hour days, six days a week. I can tell you the Veal Roberto never tasted better.Chef Scot has been serving up some of the best home-style cooking I've ever tasted. On the menu: Braithwaite salad, City Park stewed okra, Shrimp Pontchartrain, Katie's bronzed catfish ... and yes, Grand Couteau soft shell crab. Sure beats eating Spam and Ramen Noodles.

DURHAM, New Hampshire (AP) -- The college fair at a University of New Hampshire gymnasium is a regular stop on Rae-Anne Mena's annual circuit through the Northeast. Her job is talking up Loyola University of New Orleans -- its Jesuit service mission, its strong core curriculum, its academic programs and sports teams. But this year, as students and parents snake along the rows of tables toward Loyola's, they look surprised to see her."Are you under water?" several ask. "When will you reopen?"Some offer friendly encouragement, others crack jokes within earshot. "I hear their best major now is scuba diving," one man says to his son as they walk past.Mena smiles patiently and stays on message: Loyola was not badly damaged; television exaggerated the violence; the school will be running when they arrive next fall. Maybe by then Mena will get to answer some of the questions that used to seem normal, like "What SAT score do I need?" and "Could I study abroad?"The New Orleans colleges that were closed at least temporarily by Hurricane Katrina face monumental short-term obstacles simply to reopen their campuses, and next year's freshman class won't arrive for nearly a year. (Ambitious plans to reopen) Nonetheless, recruiting is an urgent priority. New students are the lifeblood of any college, and for schools such as Loyola, Dillard and Xavier -- and even for wealthier Tulane -- the future depends on filling classroom seats and collecting tuition.For the admissions officers working out of scattered hotels and offices, this may be their most challenging and important recruiting season ever."We need to be out there and show the flag," Mena says, setting up her Loyola table a few minutes before the fair begins. "People walk by, and you see them say, 'You're here. Are you OK?' And you can start that dialogue."Running up a mountainThe challenge is enormous.Admissions officers first had to get their own lives in order after the storm, while at work, important records and plans were destroyed.Against that backdrop, recruiters' salesmanship on the road must be better than ever. There may be just a few moments to persuade a potential applicant that -- the chaotic television images notwithstanding -- New Orleans will rise again as a great college town.The colleges acknowledge that enthusiasm from new prospects has been muted so far. But they also insist students who had already expressed interest haven't crossed the New Orleans schools off their lists.They are counting on current students and alumni to help. Late last month a half-dozen Tulane students showed up at a recruiting event in Providence, Rhode Island, some coming from Boston, 45 minutes away."Tulane is the greatest place in the world," sophomore Bridget Cheney, taking classes temporarily at Providence College, told the audience. "Every single person I know is going back."Tulane admissions officer Liz Seely, a 2004 graduate, emphasized that the school, which plans to reopen next semester, was not badly damaged. She even talked about unique service opportunities. New Orleans, she said, "is going to be an amazing place to be involved next year.""I really believe it's going to be the same wonderful place it was a month ago again," she said.Then she put the topic to rest, turning to Tulane's facilities, its plans to hire more faculty, its alumni network. Even during the question-and-answer session the audience ignored the storm, asking instead about academic programs, housing and sorority life. The students, at least, seemed unperturbed by the state of New Orleans. Their parents appeared more concerned that it's 1,500 miles from home."I think it might even be an interesting opportunity to be there and be part of the rebuilding process," said Kaileigh Ahlquist, a high school junior from Providence. Said her mother, Kathy: "I don't think it's going to be any worse than sending her off anywhere else."Seely said she always expects tough questions about the recovery, but they haven't come."I've only had a few presentations with the persistent mom saying, 'I just don't know how you can know it's going to start back up."' Still, she acknowledged attendance is down a bit compared to when she came through New England last year.With the storm, "you definitely weed out everyone who's semi-interested," she said.Dillard's flag still flies tooTulane and Loyola have some things going for them: endowments of hundreds of millions of dollars to act as a cushion, and relatively little damage to their campuses. But Dillard, a historically black college with just $48 million, was flooded so badly it will have to share space with Tulane next semester. At Dillard, meeting the recruiting challenge is truly imperative.Within a week of the storm, the school's seven admissions officers were on the road. Their own plans lost, they sometimes tagged along with other historically black colleges at recruiting events. Dillard asked a network of more than 1,000 alumni and parents to help staff tables at college fairs the admissions office couldn't reach.Colleagues at other schools saw Dillard's flag flying at college fairs, and it "brought tears to their eyes," said Darrin Q. Rankin, vice president of enrollment management. At a Chicago event, one person was so impressed Dillard showed up that he offered a donation.But Rankin said he's also heard cruel comments as students walk by, and he acknowledged Dillard is struggling to get everywhere it wants to be. Alumni can help with college fairs at night, but high school visits during the day are harder. Dillard has hit only about 70 percent of the college fairs it attended last year and shown up at only about 30 percent of the high schools."We're moving the class forward," Rankin said. "We may not have 700 freshmen like we normally do. But we will have a class."Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, a Wookiee named Chewbacca growled and howled his way through "Star Wars" movies. On Monday, the actor who played him will take the oath to become an American citizen.British-born Peter Mayhew will be among 441 people from 77 countries who will become naturalized Americans in a ceremony in Arlington, Texas.Mayhew, 60, played the fur-covered warrior Chewbacca in the original "Star Wars" trilogy of the 1970s and 1980s, and the latest movie, "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.""I got married to a Texan lady. That more or less decided it," said Mayhew, who has been married to his wife, Angelique, for six years.In most cases, an immigrant must be a legal permanent resident for five years before becoming a citizen. The wait is three years if the person marries a U.S. citizen. He also must pass history, English and civics exams."I've always been interested in the cowboys and the history of the West and the history of America, so it wasn't so bad," Mayhew said in a telephone interview Wednesday. He was being driven by his wife to buy a suit for the occasion. It will be the conventional type -- not the brown, furry sort."I am feeling very happy about it," Mayhew said. "Whatever people say about America, it is still one of the most wonderful countries in the world, despite the politics, religion and everything else that goes on.""I know that I have the best of both worlds with the dual nationality," he said.When he takes his oath to become an American, Mayhew said he'll recite what he can remember and "it will be a Chewie growl for the other parts."Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- Vivian Malone Jones, one of two black students whose effort to enroll at the University of Alabama led to George Wallace's infamous "stand in the schoolhouse door" in 1963, died Thursday. She was 63.Jones, who went on to become the first black to graduate from the school, died at Atlanta Medical Center, where she had been admitted Tuesday after suffering a stroke, said her sister, Sharon Malone."She was absolutely fine Monday," Sharon Malone said.Jones, a retired federal worker who lived in Atlanta, grew up in Mobile, Alabama. She had enrolled at historically black Alabama A&M University in Huntsville when she transferred to the University of Alabama in 1963. The move led to then-Gov. Wallace's infamous stand in defiance of orders to admit black students. Jones and James Hood, accompanied by then-Deputy U.S. Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach, enrolled after Wallace finished his statement and left.At an appearance last year in Mobile, she recalled meeting with Wallace in 1996, when the former governor was in frail health. He died in 1998."I asked him why did he do it," she said. "He said he did what he felt needed to be done at that point in time, but he would not do that today. At that point, we spoke -- I spoke -- of forgiveness."She recalled that she and Hood waited in a car until Wallace read his proclamation. Finally, when he stepped aside, she said, that allowed them to enter the university."I was never afraid. I did have some apprehensions in my mind, though, especially having gone to segregated, 'separate, but equal' schools," she said.Jones said her religious beliefs gave her confidence to persist, and she graduated in 1965."God was with me," she said.Hood left after a few months but returned to receive his doctorate in 1997.University of Alabama President Robert E. Witt paid tribute to Jones on Thursday, saying she "opened the doors of opportunity for thousands of students. She will be remembered for her courage and grace that inspired young people throughout the world. We pray for strength for her family during this difficult time."While Jones was the first black Alabama graduate, she and Hood were not the first to enroll at the school. Autherine Lucy enrolled at Alabama in 1956, but rioting broke out and her stay there was brief.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

HARARE, Zimbabwe (Reuters) -- President Robert Mugabe's guards briefly detained the U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe after he entered a restricted security zone near the African leader's residence, state television reported Thursday.The station said U.S. envoy Christopher Dell was held Monday by the Presidential Guard after he entered the restricted zone at the National Botanic Gardens near Mugabe's official Harare residence, ignoring "no entry" signs.A U.S. State Department official said the department was looking into reports of an incident involving the ambassador and was trying to ascertain exact details before commenting further.Zimbabwe's government and U.S. embassy officials in Harare could not be reached for comment late Thursday.State television said Zimbabwe's Foreign Affairs Ministry had written to the United States over what it called "a calculated disregard of the rules governing relations between states ... clearly intended to provoke an unwarranted diplomatic incident."It quoted a defense forces spokesman as saying individuals who entered restricted zones risked being shot and "the American diplomat had the men on duty to thank for their tolerance and restraint in executing their duty."Relations between the United States and Zimbabwe have soured in recent years, with Washington accusing Mugabe's government of rigging parliamentary and presidential elections since 2000 and human rights abuses.Last month a senior U.S. official said President Bush's administration planned tough sanctions barring Mugabe, members of his government and their extended families from traveling to the United States.Mugabe, in power since independence from Britain in 1980, says the United States, like several other Western countries, is bitter over his forcible redistribution of white-owned farms among blacks and has helped sabotage Zimbabwe's economy in retaliation.Copyright 2005 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.