NEW YORK (AP) -- Teachers in the nation's largest public school system have ratified a new contract with the city that gives them 15 percent raises over four years, union leaders announced Thursday.About 63 percent of the teachers voting favored the new contract, capping a lengthy, often contentious battle between the city and the United Federation of Teachers. More than 86,600 votes were cast."It is my hope that with this agreement, we can put the bitterness of the last few years behind us and work together to provide the highest quality education for our students," UFT President Randi Weingarten said in a statement.Teachers had been without a contract since May 2003. At one point during the negotiations, the union threatened a strike, which would have been illegal.A tentative deal was struck in early October, and union delegates moved to get it approved.Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement that the contract was "good for teachers, the city, and most importantly, our school children."The pay of starting teachers would increase to $42,000 from $39,000, with a new maximum base pay of about $92,000, up from $81,000.The contract also extends the school year by two days and requires teachers to work 50 minutes more each week, giving students extra help.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

LAWRENCE, Kansas (Reuters) -- At the new "Explore Evolution" museum exhibit in Kansas, visitors pass a banner showing the face of a girl next to the face of a chimpanzee for a lesson on how the two are "cousins in life's family tree."They can also study DNA under a 4-foot-tall double helix model, peruse fossil record research, and examine how advancements in treating modern-day diseases require an understanding of the evolution of cell structures.Curators of the exhibit, which opened Tuesday at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, hope their work provides a counterweight to the anti-evolution sentiment sweeping their state and the country. Sister exhibits, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, are opening in Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Minnesota and Michigan."People just don't understand how science works. We need to better inform them about what science is," said Teresa MacDonald, director of education for the university's Natural History Museum, which opened the exhibit on Tuesday.But on November 8, state education officials in Kansas are poised to do what many scientists see as just the opposite.Led by a conservative Christian chairman who says evolutionary theory is incompatible with the biblical account of God's creation of life on earth, the Kansas Board of Education plans to insert questions about the veracity of evolution theory into statewide teaching standards.The action has outraged scientists across the nation and both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Science Teachers Association have refused Kansas' request to use their copyrighted material.The Kansas board made a similar, but more aggressive effort to weaken evolution instruction in 1999. But a public backlash ultimately led to the reversal of those actions.Evolution under attackNow, the new Kansas standards, which outline what teachers should teach and test on, leave evolutionary principles in the curriculum but insert phrasing that encourages students to question their validity. The standards also delete certain text about how science is defined."The stakes are high," said Eugenie Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education. "If Kansas gets away with it ... I anticipate that in every state where science standards are up for revision, we are going to be fighting another battle."Efforts to undermine evolution instruction have also been seen in Michigan, Kentucky, Georgia and elsewhere.And one key case was being tested in court this week in Pennsylvania, where a group of parents sued the Dover Area School Board because teachers had been ordered to tell biology students that the theory of evolution is not established fact.The Pennsylvania school officials introduced students to an alternative theory known as "intelligent design," which holds that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, such as God, rather than an undirected process such as natural selection.Intelligent design, or ID, proponents have also been active in pressing for the changes in Kansas, but school board members there stopped short of including intelligent design ideas in the state standards."ID is making enormous progress," said John Calvert, a Kansas City lawyer and ID proponent. "Is it going to happen overnight? No. Is it going to happen? Yes."Calvert said museum exhibits such as the one in Lawrence are flawed because they ask visitors to believe humans evolved randomly, with no specific purpose or design by a higher power -- a theory polls show a majority of Americans do not believe.But evolution supporters say religion has no valid role in a science class."This is all based on establishing a theocracy within our system," said Sue Gamble, a member of the Kansas School Board who opposes changing the science standards. "We said we didn't want to do that when we established our country. This should not be happening."Copyright 2005 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

(CNN) -- Getting a sense of a destination's true character takes a little time, especially if you're relying solely on the listings in your trusty guidebook.Dig a little deeper, and you're likely to see how the locals live.Reading materialCheck out the local newspaper or independent weekly when you arrive or look for them online before you go."You can find a lot of entertainment stuff in there, a lot of restaurant reviews that might not necessarily be part of the restaurants that are recommended by hostels or tourist agencies," said Laura Martin, editor in chief of the 2007 "Let's Go" guides.Many papers and independent weeklies publish an annual roundup of the city's most popular offerings -- including information on restaurants, bars, shops, galleries and parks.Looking at bulletin boards in coffee shops or local stores often yields good insider information, said Jane Pirone, publisher of "Not for Tourists," a series of guides designed to make you feel like a local, or at least like a good friend is showing you around."One big strategy for me is finding an independent bookstore because you really can find so much cool information about what's going on in the neighborhood and the town from that," Pirone said.By cross-referencing the local entertainment listings with a guidebook, you can find a performance that sounds intriguing in a club or bar that suits your tastes.Take cues from the localsDon't be afraid to ask for recommendations.Sometimes you don't even have to ask. A restaurant packed with locals is promising, said Julian Smith, author of "Moon Handbooks" guides on Ecuador, Virginia and the Four Corners (where Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico intersect). "It might be a really nice-looking restaurant, but if it's sitting empty on a Saturday night, that's probably not a good sign," Smith said.If you're not confident in the advice you receive, ask someone else. Sometimes asking around in an environment where you feel comfortable will produce the sort of recommendations you're seeking."If you're at a cool local record store or coffee shop or bookstore, then the person you ask will most likely give you a more authentic neighborhood restaurant as opposed to a chain that's void of any character about the city," Pirone said.Getting aroundMaking your way from point A to point B with residents gives you more opportunities to gather information. Even if you're not the type to chat with someone on a bus, it's an interesting way to observe day-to-day life."I like to try and take local transportation when I can, instead of a tour or a rental car," Smith said."A lot of times you meet interesting people, and you might stick out, but people usually are interested in where you're from and where you're going."Martin agreed that public transportation can be a fun experience and a good way to get to areas that aren't heavily visited by tourists, but she advises travelers to make sure the system is reliable before hopping aboard.Smith said he likes to hire a taxi and a driver when he's traveling abroad in a place where costs are low."You get kind of a personal tour guide for the day because taxi drivers know everything, just about. They're one of the best sources of information," he said.Rest for the wearyIf you really want a window into local life, consider forgoing a hotel room or hostel for a rental house, apartment or a visit in someone's home.Web sites such as Vacation Rentals by Owner and Great Rentals offer a variety of rental properties across the globe.Smith recommends renting a room in someone's home for a more culturally rich experience.For the truly adventurous, budget-minded traveler, there are a number of hospitality sites -- CouchSurfing.com, Globalfreeloaders.com or Hospitalityclub.org -- that link travelers up with local hosts and accommodations at little or no cost.Smith said he has had good experiences with Servas International, a nonprofit group that links travelers with hosts in an effort to build cross-cultural understanding.Getting off the traditional lodging circuit is a good way to find local flavor, Martin agreed."You're not necessarily with other travelers all the time," she said. "You're getting a better idea of what it actually is like to live in that culture as opposed to just staying there for a few days."

(Southern Living) -- While the land area of the ACE Basin is small enough for a weekend trip, the natural beauty of this great, green place in the South Carolina Lowcountry will make you want to linger longer. Walking trails, canoe trips, nature tours and more await.First stop: WalterboroIf you're driving along I-95, your first glimpse of the ACE Basin comes in the middle of this small city that lies on the area's northern edge. Walking trails of the Great Swamp Sanctuary meander alongside Ireland Creek. It's a great place for birding. Call (843) 549-9595 or visit www.walterboro.org.Oceanside at Edisto IslandFrom U.S. 17, turn south on State 174, cruise slowly through the small town of Adams Run and then follow the road about 25 miles to ocean's edge. Edisto Beach State Park features four miles of nature trails and programs. Loggerhead turtles nest on the island's sandy beaches. Edisto Beach Golf Club is open to the public at Fairfield Ocean Ridge Resort. You can shop, dine and sunbathe. For general information, call the Edisto Chamber of Commerce at (888) 333-2781 or visit www.edistochamber.com.Lowcountry gemsYou'll find the best views of Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge and Donnelley and Bear Island Wildlife Management Areas deep in the hearts of these areas. At all three, walking trails take you deep into forests, fields and tidal marsh.At the refuge's visitors center (off State 346), you can tour its headquarters, Grove House, built about 1828. It's one of three antebellum houses remaining in the area and was once the seat of a rice plantation. Cooler days in late fall, winter and spring are the best times to walk the trails of the refuge and wildlife management areas. Bring binoculars (and insect repellent) for great birding in those seasons. For information, call the refuge at (843) 889-3084 or see www.fws.gov/acebasin/.You can put your feet up and see much of the ACE Basin with several vendors who provide guided excursions into the area. Beaufort-based Ace Basin Tours is one. Tours aboard the 38-foot Dixie Lady pontoon boat wind through marshes and around sea islands for about three hours. Call (843) 521-3099 or visit www.acebasintours.com. Paddling the acronymThe Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto Rivers, along with scores of other tidal creeks, slip through the silence of forests and marsh. Many choose to explore the Edisto, which is the longest free-flowing blackwater stream in North America. The Edisto River Canoe & Kayak Trail Commission has marked a 60-mile trail, with several put-in spots, including one each at Colleton State Park and Givhans Ferry State Park. The commission offers guided educational river trips. Call (843) 549-5591 or visit www.walterboro.org.You'll also find several commercial liveries in the area. One is ACE Basin Outpost, right on U.S. 17 at Joe's Landing on the Ashepoo River. It offers rentals, sales, lessons and tours. Call (800) 785-2925.Driving great roadsThe way paddlers love canoeing the ACE Basin, others love driving its two-lane roads. They glide beside the white fences and green pastures of old plantations, penetrate deep forests and ride along above thick swamps. Glance at the forests along roadsides, and you'll often see the dikes of relic rice fields now overgrown.Take it slow; wildlife may be crossing just ahead in a bend of the road. I once slowed down for a wild turkey to strut across State 26, one of the best roads to drive. From deep forest it rises over relic dunes and ends at Bennett's Point on Mosquito Creek. There you'll find science lessons and fresh shrimp. Biologists of the National Estuarine Research Reserve study shoreline life.Other beautiful two-lane drives are those I like to call "Sabbath roads" that pass alongside historic country churches. They include State 21 (turn off U.S. 17/21), which pauses at Old Sheldon Church Ruins, lovingly preserved by St. Helena Episcopal Church in nearby Beaufort. State 174 turns south off U.S. 17 and passes by Trinity Episcopal, housed in an 1880 edifice. Presbyterian Church on Edisto Island occupies an 1830 structure, while the 1818 Old First Baptist Church houses an African-American congregation.Another African-American congregation worships at St. James the Greater, an 1826 church on what locally is called Catholic Hill. Follow State 303 south of Walterboro and turn right on State 41. Give a (loggerhead turtle) mom a helping handBotany Island Beach ranks as one of the premier nesting sites in South Carolina for loggerhead sea turtles. This year, females lumbered ashore and dug at least 200 nests. The nonprofit Botany Community Conservation Sea Turtle Project always needs volunteers, especially during hatching time in late summer. Call the project coordinator, Meg Hoyle, at (843) 869-2998. The organization also accepts tax-free donations at 2231 Devine St., Suite 100, Columbia, South Carolina 29205.Where to stayYou'll find several chain motels, such as Hampton Inn, along I-95 in Walterboro. Edisto Beach State Park features cabins and campgrounds. Elsewhere on Edisto Island, Fairfield Ocean Ridge Resort offers vacation villas, with off-season rates at 20 percent less than the published online, on-season rates. Rates range from $180 to $760. Call toll-free (877) 296-6335 or visit www.fairfieldvacations.com. Several realty companies offer rentals. For complete listings, call the Edisto Chamber of Commerce at (888) 333-2781 or visit www.edistochamber.com.Many visitors choose to headquarter in Charleston or Beaufort and then drive into the ACE Basin for the day. Beaufort is much closer -- about 30 miles south of the area. Several chain motels are available, along with small inns housed in historic structures such as the Beaufort Inn ($165-$285). Call (843) 379-4667 or visit www.beaufortinn.com. Rates at the Rhett House Inn range $135-$245. Call (843) 524-9030 or visit www.rhetthouseinn.com.Note: Visitors fill Beaufort-area lodging for graduation ceremonies at nearby Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot, which are held most weekends of the year. You often can find accommodations at the last minute, but it's good to call well in advance.Where to dineIn Beaufort, fill up on stone-ground grits and other breakfast foods at Blackstone Deli & Cafe, (843) 524-4330, or choose pastries and gourmet coffees at Firehouse Books & Espresso Bar, (843) 522-2665. Several restaurants line Bay Street, among them the elegant Saltus River Grill (843) 379-3474.On Edisto Island, our choice is the Old Post Office, (843) 869-2339, at 1442 State 174. You'll want to write home about the shrimp and grits.In Walterboro, have a soda at the fountain at Hiott's Pharmacy, (843) 549-7222, on Washington Street downtown, and don't miss the boiled peanuts at Woods Brothers Store, (843) 844-2208, on U.S. 17 near Green Pond.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- NASA's top priorities are a replacement for the space shuttle and completing the international space station, and some other programs are being cut or deferred to concentrate the agency's resources, NASA Administrator Michael D. Griffin said Thursday."NASA cannot afford to do everything on its plate today," he told the House Science Committee. Funding priorities required the agency to cancel several programs that "we either did not need or did not need right now," Griffin said.For example, it seemed like putting the cart before the horse to continue life science studies about how people respond to being in space before the agency was sure it could put people back in space, he said.In addition to life sciences, another affected program is nuclear systems technology, Griffin said.That program is designed to provide power to an outpost planned for the surface of the moon. But that won't be needed until after 2018, so the work is currently being deferred, he said.The agency has adopted a "go-as-you-can-pay" approach, Griffin said.That focus on two primary areas should serve as a warning of potential cuts for the rest of NASA, Rep. Bart Gordon commented.Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert expressed support for Griffin but added that "NASA cannot use aeronautics and science as a piggy bank to fund human space flight."Griffin said the next flight of the space shuttle is still planned for spring, adding that while the agency was surprised by problems with the foam insulation on the last flight, a lot has been learned from that.NASA has been developing the new crew exploration vehicle, which is intended to fly to the moon but also can replace the space shuttle when it goes out of service.Delaying that work could result in the United States being out of the manned spaceflight business for a few years after the shuttle is retired, at the same time other nations are increasing their space programs, Griffin said.In addition, he said, NASA is encouraging private industry to submit proposals to carry cargo and crew to the space station.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

BEIJING, China (Reuters) -- China, which launched its first manned space mission just two years ago, plans to put a man on the moon around 2017 and investigate what may be the perfect source of fuel, a newspaper reported on Friday.Two Chinese astronauts orbited Earth for five days last month in the Shenzhou VI and China was now developing new craft up to the Shenzhou X, eyeing a permanent space station and an eventual moon mission, state media said this week."China will make a manned moon landing at a proper time, around 2017," leading scientist Ouyang Ziyuan was quoted by the Southern Metropolis News as saying.The project also includes setting up a moon-based astronomical telescope, measuring the thickness of the moon's soil and the amount of helium-3 on the moon -- an element some researchers say is a perfect, non-polluting fuel source.Some scientists believe there is enough helium-3 on the moon to power the world for thousands of years."We will provide the most reliable report on helium-3 to mankind," Ouyang said.The United States unveiled a $104 billion plan in September to return Americans to the moon by 2018. Its Apollo program carried the first humans to the moon in 1969.China's first lunar orbiter could blast off as early as 2007, coinciding with its third manned space trip in which possibly three men would orbit Earth in Shenzhou VII and conduct a space walk. (Full story)China was designing a rocket that could carry a payload of 25 tons, up from a present limit of eight tons, the Beijing News reported this week, though it would unlikely be ready for another six-and-a-half years.Copyright 2005 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The nation's response to a flu pandemic could not succeed without a strong effort by state and local governments because the battle might have to be fought on "5,000 fronts," Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt says.Democrats in the House and Senate, however, question whether the states have the financial resources to engage in such a fight.In particular, lawmakers take issue with the Bush administration's plans for the purchase of certain medicines. The plan says states would pay about $510 million for enough anti-flu drugs such as Tamiflu and Relenza, which can reduce the severity of the illness, to treat 31 million people. (Watch if the flu plan is adequate1:38)The federal government would give states an incentive to make those purchases by providing a 25 percent match, or $170 million.Rep. Nita Lowey, D-New York, said the proposal amounted to an unfunded mandate on the states and might mean that some states would not be able to buy enough drugs."This is a national emergency. I believe very strongly it should not depend upon where you live as to what sort of protection you get," Lowey told Leavitt at a House hearing Wednesday.Leavitt unveiled the administration's pandemic preparedness plan during two separate hearings before congressional appropriators. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, broached the issue of state funding, too."States are extremely nervous about what's going to be required of them," she said.Leavitt said that when it came to anti-flu drug purchases the federal government would be spending most of the money. The Bush plan calls for adding enough antivirals to the federal stockpile to treat 24 million people. All of that money would come from the federal government.The program involving state funding would supplement the stockpile with an additional 31 million courses of treatment.Leavitt also downplayed the role of anti-flu drugs during a pandemic, saying people should not equate the stockpiling of the drugs to pandemic preparedness. Rather, the foundation of the Bush plan relies on the development of vaccines that could prevent somebody from getting the disease altogether.Leavitt said funding and liability protections were critical to ramping up the production of a pandemic flu vaccine.Lawmakers said they agreed that drug manufacturers would need some protection from civil lawsuits, but Republicans and Democrats alike expressed concern that some of the legislation proposed so far gives consumers basically no recourse if harmed by a pandemic flu vaccine.Overall, President Bush proposes to spend $7.1 billion to prepare for a flu pandemic, three of which have occurred during the past century. The plan itself was released Wednesday, and it stressed major steps that state and local authorities must begin taking now:Update quarantine laws.Work with utilities to keep the phones working and grocers to keep supplying food amid the certain panic.Determine when to close schools and limit public gatherings such as movies or religious services."Every community is different and requires a different approach," Leavitt said.Also Wednesday, the government for the first time told Americans not to hoard Tamiflu, because doing so will hurt federal efforts to stockpile enough to treat the sick who really need it. Tamiflu's maker recently suspended shipments of the drug to U.S. pharmacies because of concern about hoarding.Lawmakers also grilled Leavitt on why it took the administration more than a year to issue its plan."Could we have acted sooner to avoid the situation we are in now, in effect running for cover?" said Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pennsylvania.But other lawmakers described the Bush plan as sound. Rep. Ralph Regula, R-Ohio, congratulated Leavitt for his "proven leadership" on the issue.Pandemics strike when the easy-to-mutate influenza virus shifts to a strain that people have never experienced before. It's impossible to predict when the next pandemic will strike, or its toll. But concern is rising that the Asian bird flu, called the H5N1 strain, might trigger one if it eventually starts spreading easily from person-to-person.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (AP) -- For David Kozlow, turning 40 was a major pain in the neck. And in the ankles, back, groin, shoulder and hamstrings.A lifelong athlete who played high school lacrosse and college football, ran a 5:20 mile and bench-pressed 300 pounds, the attorney found himself approaching his 40th birthday with a laundry list of exercise-related injuries.One of those ailments, a herniated disk in his neck, took two years of acupuncture and heat therapy to alleviate the pain."I still had the mind-set that I was in my 20s," he said. "It took a few years for me to come to the conclusion that I couldn't really do what I used to do, and I had to readjust my sights."Getting older hurts -- and when it comes to exercise injuries, doctors say that's more the case than ever before. Many are seeing increasing numbers of baby boomers with blown knees, sore backs, stiff shoulders and other complaints."The volume of people in their 40s, and even in their 30s, coming in with (knee) osteoarthritis is much higher than a decade ago," said Dr. Jess Lonner, director of knee-replacement surgery at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia. "It's a highly motivated generation that plays harder than a generation ago."Sports injuries among baby boomers increased by 33 percent from 1991 to 1998, according to figures cited in a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission report. Baby boomers in 1998 suffered more that 1 million sports injuries, to the tune of nearly $19 billion in medical costs, said the report from 2000, the most recent data available.The highest numbers of sports-related injuries came from bicycling, basketball, baseball and running, according to the consumer report. The most common injuries come from overuse and affect knees, ankles, lower back and shoulders.Aging can't be avoided, but injuries can be. And doctors say that doesn't mean all avid joggers must hang up their running shoes, or lifelong basketball players must necessarily forgo the neighborhood court -- it's all about exercising smarter."The old adage 'no pain, no gain' should be less relevant as we age than when we're younger," Lonner said. "It's a matter of being educated in how to exercise appropriately and what signs to look out for when exercising, like muscle soreness and joint pain."For Kozlow, the solution was to switch from strenuous weightlifting to a workout that was gentler on muscles and joints. Now he does yoga and tai chi every day, strength training with light free weights and push-ups every other day, along with isometrics and elastic resistance bands. He also walks to and from work -- about a 35-block round-trip."The goal was to be pain-free and to be fit without hurting myself," said Kozlow, who didn't rely on drugs or surgery to heal his injuries. "You have to readjust your mind-set and be more attuned to your body and its limitations, which can be hard to admit."As we age, experts say, it's easier to get injured and it takes longer to heal sprains and strains. The physical changes and ailments that can come with age include loss of muscle mass, decreased bone density, diminished muscle and tendon flexibility, and joints less able to handle impact.If the idea of exercise is to keep in top physical condition, hot-dogging it on mountain bike trails or trying to relive those varsity-letter glory days in "weekend warrior" style can be counterproductive, said Dr. Vonda Wright, clinical instructor in the department of orthopedic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine."Many of us may still feel like we're 20, but we're not 20," she said. "Men come into my office with ruptured Achilles' tendons or muscle tears because they insist on doing the same things they did when they were much younger."Doctors recommend a physical exam, including a cardiovascular work-up, for baby boomers looking to get active or stay fit. The results can be used to tailor an individual fitness program with the lowest injury risk."It all depends on the person. If you repeatedly get banged up by being on the basketball court, you should think about getting on a bike," Wright said. "There's a time to reconsider doing extreme sports, but there's never a time to stop being active."Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- Even now, years later, the mug shots are jarring.The murder suspect wears a red-and-purple T-shirt with a playful animal design. His height and weight: 4-foot-7 and 70 pounds. This suspect has almost no history. He has never held a job. He has no need for a Social Security number. He isn't even halfway through elementary school.He's just 8.The child, identified in court documents as E.H., was charged, along with his 7-year-old playmate, with the slaying of an 11-year-old girl, Ryan Harris. The 1998 case captured national headlines as the two became among the youngest children in the nation ever formally accused of murder.While the charges quickly unraveled, the two boys eventually turned the tables on their accusers. City pays $11 millionAfter seven years, a final agreement has been reached in civil cases that charged the city and the police with wrongful arrest.Last month, the city approved a multimillion-dollar settlement of one suit, having ordered its lawyers to negotiate an agreement even as a jury trial was nearing its end. An earlier case was resolved out of court.Nearly $11 million in taxpayer money, including legal fees, has been paid to close what an alderman called the "one of the most shameful episodes in our city's history."And yet, in settling, the city admitted no wrongdoing. No police were sanctioned.Case shows what can go wrongThis was not the first time children have been wrongly accused or confessed to something they didn't do.But the case offers a rare glimpse into how it can happen -- what detectives may say and do behind closed doors, and how a harrowing journey from a police station to the courts and a psychiatric hospital can change the lives of two little boys.E.H., a high school freshman, turns 16 this month. When he took the witness stand for the civil case in August, he didn't look at the jury. Nor did he glance at two men sitting at the defense table: James Cassidy and Allen Nathaniel, the detectives -- the former retired, the latter still on the force -- accused of framing him.Nearly half his life had passed since news helicopters had buzzed over his house and he was called "little killer."He recalled the day when he rode bikes with friends, including Ryan Harris, and watched her enter a red car with two men. Then he ended up at the police station, where he assumed he'd look at photos to try to identify them.Instead, police surrounded him and showed him a photo of a badly beaten body in a weed-filled lot; Ryan Harris' panties were jammed down her throat, leaves stuffed in her nostrils."They were hollering at me, asking me if I killed her," the boy told his lawyer, Andre Grant, in a near whisper."Did you tell them you killed Ryan Harris?' Grant asked."I said I didn't do anything," he answered."Were you afraid?""Yes."'Confession' challengedThe charges against E.H. depended largely on the purported confession of his friend, identified as R.G., who was questioned separately. According to police, the 7-year-old said he threw a rock at Ryan, and she fell off her bike and hit her head. Then, he allegedly said, he and E.H. dragged her into a wooded area, where R.G. stuffed the girl's underwear in her mouth.Attorneys for the boys have long ridiculed that claim, noting R.G. had a serious speech impediment and could barely string two or three words together -- much less a 16-sentence confession."To say that he could tell a story from start and to finish was patently absurd," argues Jan Susler, a lawyer for R.G. "These two little kids were scared out of their brains."It's not difficult for police officers to shape a kid's message, says Stephen Ceci, a professor of developmental psychology at Cornell University and an expert on child confessions. "They're putty in the hands of a powerful adult authority figure," he said.In this case, the boys were questioned without lawyers or family in the room. Their statements were not recorded. And from the moment they walked out, both denied they'd ever confessed.'Good boys don't lie'"I didn't do it, Grandma," R.G. repeatedly said after the interrogation, during which police held his hand and bought him a Happy Meal and a toy car.At the time, the detectives, Cassidy and Nathaniel, were praised by police for having "performed magnificently" in cracking what had become a "heater" case, with heavy public and political pressure for an arrest.Seven years later, the detectives defended their actions, saying both boys had implicated themselves. But the detectives also made some troubling admissions.Cassidy testified he hadn't reviewed the files, yet still managed to get a confession on his first day on the case -- though dozens of investigators had been working on it for weeks.He acknowledged that E.H., a second-grader, probably didn't understand his version of Miranda warnings. Cassidy called them "kiddie rights" and they included the admonition: "Good boys don't lie."Officer's troubling historyThis wasn't Cassidy's first controversy involving a child suspect. In 1994, he said an 11-year-old boy blurted out that he had killed an elderly neighbor. The boy tried to recant, but was convicted. In 2002, a federal judge tossed out the murder conviction, saying the arrest was illegal and the confession coerced. The young man sued; the case was settled out of court. In the Harris case, it took police about a month to rule out the boys and drop charges. DNA led authorities to a convicted sex offender, Floyd Durr, who awaits trial in Ryan's murder.By then, the boys had spent about a week in a psychiatric hospital. Their parents said they were told if they didn't consent, they'd risk losing them to state custody.Both families have moved away. But years later, they'd argue, scars remain.Lost innocenceOne of E.H.'s lawyers, R. Eugene Pincham, says, "This will be with him the rest of his life."A photo of E.H. as a beaming 8-year-old clutching his cat was flashed on a courtroom wall for the jurors.Then came the witnesses: the boy's mother, teachers and a psychiatrist claiming he went from being a chatty, sociable kid at the top of his class to a recluse with poor grades who rarely strays from his porch."Do you go out a lot?" Grant, his lawyer, asked the teen."It's safer in the house," E.H. replied."Do you have bad dreams?""Sometimes.""About what?""The police station and the psychiatric hospital."City attorneys argued the boy's troubles stem from a chaotic family life that has included occasional contact with the police as well as a fire that killed five relatives. They also presented a psychologist, who said his arrest had not caused permanent psychological damage.Experts, such as Ceci, say children can be resilient and rebound from the most traumatic events.But R.G. hasn't, according to his lawyer, Susler. She says the boy, now 14, wet his bed for years, chewed his fingernails until they were bloody and infected, banged his head on the floor and refused to sleep in his own bed, curling up in the hallway outside his parents' room.R.G.'s family was affected, too, she says, citing stress from the boy's arrest as contributing to his parents' divorce.R.G. is a freshman in a therapeutic high school who takes antidepressants and receives psychological counseling, Susler says. Because his mother didn't want to expose him to a trial, his family settled out of court for $2 million this year -- a sum one alderman said should have been increased fivefold.Lawyer: 'Systemic' police misconductFlint Taylor, R.G.'s lawyer, says even though just two detectives were named, this case showed "systemic misconduct" from the top to the bottom of the police department.When two tiny grade-school-age boys were brought in for questioning, he says, "No one said, 'Show me how these kids could have done that."'"No one was ever disciplined for it," Taylor adds. Everyone walked away."Police declined comment.E.H.'s family settled for $6.2 million. His grandmother, Rosetta Crawford, told reporters the trial, before being curtailed, had shown her grandson wasn't responsible for Ryan's murder."It wasn't about the money," she said, but instead about sending a message, in hopes of preventing police from handling child suspects this way again.Case inspired changesThe case did inspire changes in the law: Today, kids under age 13 charged with murder or sex crimes must be represented by a lawyer during a custodial interrogation. In addition, Chicago police now require a parent or guardian's presence when kids under age 13 are held for questioning on felony charges.Illinois also mandates taping of interrogations in homicide casesThese are positive steps that make this a watershed case, says Steve Drizin, director of the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University and expert on juvenile justice. "Whether the legacy is strong enough to prevent this from happening again, only time will tell," Drizin says. He pauses, then adds: "I think it could happen again in a heartbeat."Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush -- who had wanted an up-or-down vote on his Supreme Court nominee, Samuel Alito, by the end of the year -- said Friday he was disappointed that hearings on his nominee will not begin until January."Sam Alito Jr. is a incredibly intelligent, well-qualified person who should be on the court," Bush said while attending the Summit of the Americas in Mar del Plata, Argentina. "I told the leadership I thought it would be best to have the hearings before Christmas. They didn't feel like they could get the job done.""Fortunately there is a firm date and we look forward to working on that date," Bush said.Thursday leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee said the confirmation hearings for Alito, who would replace the retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, would begin January 9.Committee Chairman Arlen Specter said that "simply couldn't be done" because of the volume of writings Alito has produced in 15 years as a judge.The Pennsylvania Republican said senators need time to comb through about 300 opinions the New Jersey-based nominee has issued on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals."We have to do it right. We can't do it fast," Specter said.He said the committee's staff was stretched "very, very thin" by the confirmation process for Chief Justice John Roberts, who was confirmed in September, and by the failed nomination of White House Counsel Harriet Miers, who dropped out of the process last week.Specter said a vote by the full Senate tentatively scheduled for January 20. (Watch: Why one liberal backs Alito -- 2:26)O'Connor announced her retirement in July after nearly a quarter-century on the Supreme Court. She agreed to remain until her successor could be confirmed.That process was delayed when Roberts, her designated replacement, was instead tapped to replace Chief Justice William Rehnquist after Rehnquist's death in September. Then Miers withdrew last week amid sharp criticism from Bush's conservative allies, who questioned her credentials.By contrast, Alito, 55, is considered a darling of the movement, though top Justice Department officials advocating his confirmation Thursday sought to portray him as a "mainstream" federal judge."You can't pigeonhole him. He's not pro-plaintiff. He's not pro-defendant," said a senior Justice Department lawyer, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity. "It's unfair to pull out one or two cases and say he has inclination one way or another."Specter and Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, the committee's ranking Democrat, urged interest groups on both sides of the political spectrum to hold their fire on Alito."Virtually anybody who either voted for John Roberts or against John Roberts said the hearings were fair, and they learned enough to make up their mind," Leahy said.Alito "made a very good initial impression" in meetings with senators this week, but "we're only Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday into the process," Specter said.McCain predicts confirmationEarlier Thursday, the influential group of Senate moderates known as the "Gang of 14" emerged from their first meeting on the nomination with the message that "everyone is reserving judgment on everything," in the words of Sen. Mark Pryor, an Arkansas Democrat.The group -- which earlier this year reached a compromise to head off a showdown over several Bush nominations for the federal courts -- could have tremendous sway over Alito's fate, particularly if Senate Democrats attempt to filibuster the conservative judge."It's way too early to talk about some of the more divisive things that have been talked about in the past," Sen. Ben Nelson, a Nebraska Democrat, said after the meeting, which lasted about 30 minutes."We're going to let the process unfold, make up our minds as we go along. But nobody's talking about those issues that would break up the gang or cause a rule change or a filibuster," Nelson said."Some of us are more favorably disposed than others," said Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican who held the meeting.McCain said he is "very favorably disposed" toward Alito, but "it's my obligation to go along with the Gang of 14 and have periodic meetings and discussions."The former presidential candidate later told CNN that he expected Alito to be confirmed.Republican Sens. Mike DeWine of Ohio, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Olympia Snowe of Maine have said they don't see Alito triggering the "extraordinary circumstances" standard the group had set that could initiate a filibuster."Judge Alito's nomination has been here a week," McCain said. "To make a conclusion before even one hearing is held is not the way the 14 are going to function, as far as I know."Alito continued making the rounds on Capitol Hill on Thursday, meeting with more of the senators who will help decide whether he is to sit on the nation's highest court. He met with at least four members of the Gang of 14, including McCain, Pryor, West Virginia Democrat Robert Byrd and Rhode Island Republican Lincoln Chafee.CNN's Ted Barrett and Terry Frieden contributed to this report

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate insisted Thursday on opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling after being blocked by environmentalists for decades, then voted overwhelmingly to prohibit exporting any of the oil pumped from the region.With a 51-48 vote, the Senate approved requiring the Interior Department to begin selling oil leases for the coastal plain of the Alaska refuge within two years.Repeated attempts to approve such drilling have failed in the Senate because drilling supporters were unable to muster the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster by opponents. This year, drilling supporters attached language ending the ban on drilling in the refuge to a budget measure that is immune from filibuster.Opening the refuge, which was set aside for protection 44 years ago, has been one of President Bush's top energy priorities.Bush, in Argentina for a two-day summit, hailed the vote."Increasing our domestic energy supply will help lower gasoline prices and utility bills," he said in a statement. "We can and should produce more crude oil here at home in environmentally responsible ways. The most promising site for oil in America is a 2,000-acre site in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and thanks to technology, we can reach this energy with little impact on the land or wildlife."Bush and other drilling advocates argue that the country needs the estimated 10.5 billion barrels of oil that are believed to lie beneath the refuges coastal tundra in northeastern Alaska and slow the growing dependence on oil imports. The United States now uses about 7.3 billion barrels of oil a year."America needs this American oil," said Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska. He called opposition to pumping the refuge's oil "ostrich-like" and said the refuge's reserves are "crucial to the nation's attempt to achieve energy independence."Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, who led the effort to continue the ban, called drilling in the refuge a gimmick that will have little impact on oil or gasoline prices, or U.S. energy security."Using backdoor tactics to destroy America's last great wild frontier will not solve our nation's energy problems and will do nothing to lower skyrocketing gas prices," Cantwell argued.The House is considering a measure that also includes a provision to open ANWR to oil companies. It cleared the Budget Committee on Thursday but has garnered so much opposition for various reasons that House leaders are thinking about jettisoning the contentious refuge drilling section.The Senate's decision to keep the provision in its bill "gives us a little more flexibility," said Acting Majority Leader Roy Blunt, R-Missouri. A decision on ANWR would then be made when the House and Senate try to mesh their two budgets.Meanwhile, the Senate, in an 86-13 vote, required that none of the oil from ANWR be exported. Otherwise "there is no assurance that even one drop of Alaskan oil will get to hurting Americans," said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, a drilling opponent who nevertheless sponsored the no-export provision. He co-sponsored the amendment with Sen. Jim Talent, R-Missouri, who strongly supports drilling there.Drilling supporters argued that ANWR will give the country more domestic oil production, so fewer barrels will have to be imported. Today about 60 percent of the oil used in the United States is imported.But no oil is likely to flow from ANWR for 10 years and peak production of about 1 million barrels a day isn't expected until about 2025, according to the Energy Department. Currently, the United States used about 20 million barrels of oil a day.Environmentalists have cited a report by DOE's Energy Information Administration that concluded that ANWR oil would only slightly affect gasoline prices and marginally lower the growth of imports by 2025, when imported oil would account for 64 percent of U.S. demand instead of 68 percent without ANWR's oil.Environmentalists said drilling platforms and a spider web of roads and pipelines will threaten the ecology of the refuge's coastal plain which is used by caribou, polar bears, musk oxen and millions of migratory birds that land there during warmer parts of the year.They have referred to the area as North America's Serengeti, a reference to the African wildlife paradise. Proposing to drill for oil in ANWR has raised the passions of conservationists of all political stripes, according to William Meadows, president of the Wilderness Society. "It would translate into a real outpouring of anger directed toward members of Congress," he said.Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has countered that modern drilling techniques and stringent environmental regulations will safeguard the coastal plain and its wildlife. "We can develop ANWR oil without harm to the environment and to the wildlife that live there," she said, adding that development would create tens of thousands of jobs both in Alaska and elsewhere.The provision in the budget bill assumed $2.5 billion in federal revenue from oil lease sales over the next five years. Alaska would get a like amount as well as half of future oil royalties from the refuge. That's one reason Alaska's senators have fought for years to approve oil exploration in the refuge, which was set aside in 1961 for special protection.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

(CNN) -- "Jarhead," a blow-by-blow first-person account of the Persian Gulf War, is far less compelling than Anthony Swofford's 2003 memoir of the same name on which the movie is based.By carefully avoiding any references or comparisons to the current situation in Iraq, it's not an anti-war movie. Frankly, it's barely a war movie at all -- at least, not in the classic troops-clashing-in-battle sense.That lack of drive makes for an admirable character study, but keeps the audience at a distance."Jarhead" begins with Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal, making a smooth transition into mainstream Hollywood filmmaking) and keeps its focus on him as he goes through his personal Desert Storm.The film traces his grueling, painful journey from boot camp grunt to high-strung, emotionally drained sniper. He becomes a one-man killing machine, with emphasis on "machine."WaitingWe're taken into the inner workings of boot camp, as a group of men who wouldn't have given each other the time of day in civilian life learn to work together and finally come to the point where they would give their lives for one another. It's a grim process made all the more intolerable by Staff Sgt. Sykes, played by Jamie Foxx. With Sykes -- declaiming, defiant, determined -- Foxx once again proves he's got enough talent to play just about any role.Swofford is teamed with another grunt, Troy (the terrific Peter Sarsgaard), to be trained as snipers. Snipers work in teams and they're put together at random.Long days of training finally pay off when they're finally sent to Kuwait, only to find themselves sitting on their humps for six mind-numbing months in the scalding desert, waiting and waiting some more, doing their best to hang on to their sanity and keep their raging testosterone in check.Finally the men see four days and four hours of actual action against the enemy. But it becomes painfully clear that this isn't to be their war, one fought on the ground, but rather an air war using Scud missiles and fighter jets with burning oil wells lighting up the ink-black desert skies. All their sacrifices have been for nothing.Quite frankly, so has the movie.Screenwriter William Broyles Jr. -- a Vietnam veteran -- has written a war movie with no war.The acting is superb and all involved try damned hard to give this film a purpose. There are some extremely interesting scenes -- one, in particular, features Swofford with an enemy soldier in his sights, but he's forbidden to shoot him by his superiors -- and some remarkable insights into the hearts and minds of men who face the idea of death every day while fighting a growing sense of futility about their mission. The few battle scenes are also well done and infused with a great sense of dread.But somehow director Sam Mendes ("American Beauty," "Road to Perdition") can't pull it all together. In the end, "Jarhead" feels remote, uncertain of whether it wants to make a big statement, or if it wants to make one at all.As a study of one man's war experience, "Jarhead" has its moments. But if you want a great movie about the Gulf War, rent David O. Russell's "Three Kings."

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- The powers behind "The West Wing" are making this campaign promise: Sunday's live debate between presidential candidates Arnold Vinick and Matt Santos will be far from politics -- or television -- as usual.Laurence O'Donnell, who balances work as a political analyst and a "West Wing" executive producer, said the hourlong episode (8 p.m. EDT on NBC) represents "my wish-fulfillment debate.""We are using the accepted liturgy of presidential debates. It will look the same, it will be moderated by Forrest Sawyer, a real news person, it will have all that real feel to it," O'Donnell said."But I think it will be more satisfying in that the candidates end up really going into the issues in a way that they normally would not," he said. "They end up each forcing the other to get more honest as the debate wears on."In other words, Republican Vinick, played by Alan Alda, and Democrat Santos, portrayed by Jimmy Smits, will listen and respond to each other -- as opposed to real-world debates that tend to excise substance or spontaneity.The fictional encounter starts with the usual rules, the kind that "are set up by the candidates and are there to protect the candidates and not promote an informed debate," said executive producer Alex Graves, who is directing O'Donnell's script.But one of the politicians -- Graves won't say who -- quickly proposes tossing the book aside."And that's the starting point and everybody, including the moderator, underestimates what that's going to mean," Graves said. "It ends up ... with the candidates doing and saying things you would never expect to see in a debate, never."The actors may also do something rarely seen. Although they have a script, Alda and Smits also received a crash course in debate strategy and issues that will allow them to veer off the page."It's loose enough that it will be exciting to the audience," Smits told The Associated Press.Asked if that approach puts unusual pressure on the actors, he replied: "Pressure? I'm totally sweating this."Battling backThe episode, with separate live versions for Eastern and Western time zones and with just two commercial breaks, could be the highlight of a resurgent year for "The West Wing," which is drawing lavish critical praise after being dinged in recent seasons for a creative slump.Ratings for the series need a jolt. In the first few weeks of the season, and with a move from Wednesday to Sunday, it lost more than 30 percent of its audience (while ABC's new Oval Office drama "Commander in Chief" jumped into the top 10).Whether "The West Wing" can regroup and return for an eighth year, it's making this season count. There's the immediacy of a story line with echoes of the CIA leak case, with the TV version involving communications director Toby Ziegler and space program secrets.That's intercut with the lively presidential campaign that could end up with the White House remaining in the hands of the Democratic Party or with a moderate Republican senator from California gaining control early next year.The producers are claiming they have yet to decide whether Vinick or Santos prevails; maybe Sunday's show will offer clues."The West Wing" featured a debate before, between President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) and Republican opponent Robert Ritchie (James Brolin). But that fourth-season show switched between behind-the-scene machinations and the debate itself.This time, the producers decided to really stretch TV's boundaries. Scenes typically last scant moments; the debate episode will offer two 25-minute blocks of uninterrupted drama, most of it focused on the candidates."We're letting two great actors really go at each other and try to defeat each other for basically an hour, nonstop," O'Donnell said, with the chance to go "deeper and deeper and slug each other harder and harder."Issues include taxes, health care and U.S. border security. (The topic of abortion was explored in the previous week's episode.)'More exciting than daunting'The challenges are "more exciting than daunting," said Alda, who, like Smits, has worked on the stage. The "M*A*S*H" star also can claim live on-air experience: In the early days of TV and his career, Alda appeared on shows including "The U.S. Steel Hour."He likes his character -- Vinick "seems unusual in that the positions he takes have some connection to the values he holds," Alda notes dryly -- and is rooting for him."It makes it fun. When an actor plays a character, you want what that character wants. Otherwise it doesn't look authentic. So I really want to defeat Jimmy -- I mean Jimmy as the character," Alda said."No, he wants to win," is the retort from Smits when told of Alda's remark.The actors and producers agree there's significant room for error on a live episode, especially given how infrequently it's done (an "ER" episode and the recent "Will & Grace" episode among the few examples).Ever the strategist, O'Donnell suggests that missteps could prove as rewarding for viewers as a flawless hour."We could get it completely wrong. You might be able to only hear Alan Alda and not hear Jimmy because the mikes don't work (or) the camera goes out; some crazy thing happens with the equipment. Certainly, the actors can lose their way.""There's just nothing more fun to watch than that kind of train wreck. If I wasn't involved with the show I'd be turning it on just to see: OK, how do they screw up," he said.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- A 20-year-old man accused of using thousands of hijacked computers, or "bot nets," to damage systems and send massive amounts of spam across the Internet was arrested on Thursday in what authorities called the first such prosecution of its kind.Jeanson James Ancheta, who prosecutors say was a well-known member of the "Botmaster Underground" -- or the secret network of computer hackers skilled at bot attacks -- was taken into custody after being lured to FBI offices in Los Angeles, said U.S. Attorney's spokesman Thom Mrozek.A bot is a program that surreptitiously installs itself on a computer and allows the hacker to control the computer. A bot net is a network of such robot computers, which can harness their collective power to do considerable damage or send out huge quantities of spam.Mrozek said the prosecution was unique because, unlike in previous cases, Ancheta was accused of profiting from his attacks -- by selling access to his "bot nets" to other hackers and planting adware -- software that causes ads to pop up -- into infected computers."Normally what we see in these cases, where people set up these bot systems to do, say, denial of service attacks, they are not doing it for profit, they are doing it for bragging rights," he said. "This is the first case in the nation that we're aware of where the guy was using various bot nets in order to make money for himself."Ancheta has been indicted on a 17-count federal indictment that charges him with conspiracy, attempted transmission of code to a protected computer, transmission of code to a government computer, accessing a protected computer to commit fraud and money laundering.Ancheta, who was expected to make an initial court appearance late on Thursday or Friday, faces a maximum term of 50 years in prison if convicted on all counts, though federal sentencing guidelines typically call for lesser penalties.Prosecutors did not name the companies that they said paid Ancheta and said the firms did not know any laws were broken.Mrozek said Ancheta, who lives in the Los Angeles suburb of Downey, was thought to have made nearly $60,000 from the planted adware, using the money to pay for servers to carry out additional attacks, computer equipment and a BMW.He said Ancheta was taken into custody after FBI agents called him into their offices to pick up computer equipment that had been seized in an earlier raid.Among the computers he attacked, Mrozek said, were some at the Weapons Division of the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center in China Lake, California and at the U.S. Department of Defense.Copyright 2005 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (AP) -- In another time and place, college students wondering whether the campus cafe has any free seats, or their favorite corner of the library is occupied, would have to risk hoofing it over there.But for today's student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, that kind of information is all just a click away.MIT's newly upgraded wireless network -- extended this month to cover the entire school -- doesn't merely get you online in study halls, stairwells or any other spot on the 9.4 million square foot campus.It also provides information on exactly how many people are logged on at any given location at any given time. It even reveals a user's identity if the individual has opted to make that data public.MIT researchers did this by developing electronic maps that track across campus, day and night, the devices people use to connect to the network, whether they're laptops, wireless PDAs or even Wi-Fi equipped cell phones.The maps were unveiled this week at the MIT Museum, where they are projected onto large Plexiglas rectangles that hang from the ceiling. They are also available online to network users, the data time-stamped and saved for up to 12 hours.Red splotches on one map show the highest concentration of wireless users on campus. On another map, yellow dots with names written above them identify individual users, who pop up in different places depending where they're logged in."With these maps, you can see down to the room on campus how many people are logged on," said Carlo Ratti, director of the school's SENSEable City Laboratory, which created the maps. "You can even watch someone go from room to room if they have a handheld device that's connected."Researchers use log files from the university's Internet service provider to construct the maps. The files indicate the number of users connected to each of MIT's more than 2,800 access points. The map that can pinpoint locations in rooms is 3-D, so researchers can even distinguish connectivity in multistoried buildings."Laptops and Wi-Fi are creating a revolutionary change in the way people work," Ratti said. The maps aim to "visualize these changes by monitoring the traffic on the wireless network and showing how people move around campus."Some of the results so far aren't terribly surprising for students at the vanguard of tech innovation.The maps show, for example, that the bulk of wireless users late at night and very early in the morning are logged on from their dorms. During the day, the higher concentration of users shifts to classrooms.But researchers also found that study labs that once bustled with students are now nearly empty as people, no longer tethered to a phone line or network cable, move to cafes and nearby lounges, where food and comfy chairs are more inviting.Researchers say this data can be used to better understand how wireless technology is changing campus life, and what that means for planning spaces and administering services.The question has become, Ratti said, "If I can work anywhere, where do I want to work?" Graduate student Sonya Huang, stands in front of a map of the MIT campus that shows the flow of wireless Internet users at the school."Many cities, including Philadelphia, are planning to go wireless. Something like our study will help them understand usage patterns and where best to invest," said researcher Andres Sevtsuk.Sevtsuk likened the mapping project to a real-time census."Instead of waiting every year or every 10 years for data, you have new information every 15 minutes or so about the population of the campus," he said.While every device connected to the campus network via Wi-Fi is visible on the constantly refreshed electronic maps, the identity of the users is confidential unless they volunteer to make it public.Those students, faculty and staff who opt in are essentially agreeing to let others track them."This raises some serious privacy issues," Ratti said. "But where better than to work these concerns out but on a research campus?"Rich Pell, a 21-year-old electrical engineering senior from Spartanburg, South Carolina, was less than enthusiastic about the new system's potential for people monitoring. He predicted not many fellow students would opt into that."I wouldn't want all my friends and professors tracking me all the time. I like my privacy," he said. "I can't think of anyone who would think that's a good idea. Everyone wants to be out of contact now and then."Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba (CNN) -- Twenty-three detainees on hunger strikes at the prison camp here are being force fed to prevent their deaths, a doctor who works with the prisoners told CNN. "They are malnourished because they have hunger struck for a significant amount of time," said the doctor, who asked that his name not be used because he fears reprisals from the prisoners. Since August 8, the number of detainees refusing to eat has risen from several dozen to about 128, about a quarter of the prison population, according to the Pentagon. Though Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said earlier this week that the prisoners were on hunger strikes to get media attention, the doctor said they were protesting their detention. The doctor denied that the prisoners were protesting their treatment at the prison facility.The doctor's statement also is at odds with Rumsfeld's report on Tuesday that 27 detainees were participating in hunger strikes, 24 of which were being force fed. (Read about Rumsfeld's news conference on Tuesday)Many of the facility's roughly 500 prisoners have been held for more than three years without being charged or having access to a lawyer. Most were captured in Afghanistan and are suspected of having ties to al Qaeda or the Taliban regime that formerly ruled Afghanistan. A lawyer who represents several Guantanamo detainees said one of the prisoners attempted suicide last month because of conditions at the facility."He has been in solitary confinement for almost two years. He has almost no contact with other human beings. He has one hour of exercise a week solitary in a cage," attorney Mark Sullivan said. The doctor dismissed those allegations, saying no Guantanamo detainees are placed in solitary confinement and none appears to be clinically depressed. "They see a physician on a daily basis. There's a nurse in the facility 24 hours per day, and we have not seen that," he said.U.N. investigators recently were invited to visit the facility but were not granted the same access to the detainees as the International Committee of the Red Cross. (Read about Red Cross efforts to access detainees)Red Cross reports on detainees are confidential, while the United Nations makes its findings public. Rumsfeld denied that was why the U.N. investigators weren't given access."We're not inclined to add to the number of people that would be given that extensive access," Rumsfeld said.The last hunger strike at the prison, known as Camp Delta, was in July. Sixty-eight detainees refused food, but started eating again on their own before the August 8 hunger strike, Pentagon officials said.

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) -- International observers, invisible ink and transparent ballot boxes were all deployed for Sunday's parliamentary vote in Azerbaijan, part of an international effort to ensure that a country that has never yet had a democratic election could finally hold a clean ballot.But opposition parties said that the uneven campaign, in which their rallies were banned and their activists beaten and detained, had already proven that the vote would be neither free nor fair.The parliamentary ballot, coming three years before the next presidential election, is a key event both for the former Soviet republic and for its Western allies, including the United States. Washington has a strong interest in seeing stability in the oil-rich Caspian Sea nation, which sits on a strategically critical axis between Russia and Iran, but it has also voiced its commitment to advancing democracy the world over.The election pits the governing New Azerbaijan Party of President Ilham Aliev against the Azadliq (Freedom) coalition, the New Policy bloc of technocrats, an array of smaller parties and independent candidates. Some 1,541 candidates are vying for places in the 125-seat parliament, or Milli Majlis, which will sit for five years.Tensions have been high in advance of the vote. In addition to the usual advantages of incumbency -- the ability to asphalt potholed roads in the run-up to the vote, for instance -- New Azerbaijan has benefited from overwhelmingly negative coverage of the opposition on state-run television, the main source of information in Azerbaijan.The Azadliq coalition, many of whose leaders have been in the opposition for more than a decade, has tried to don the colors of Ukraine's peaceful Orange Revolution.That revolution, as well as those that unseated long-standing leaders in the former Soviet republics of Georgia and Kyrgyzstan, have clearly rattled Aliev's government, which has vowed not to allow unrest or to let any foreign nation interfere. Opponents of the "color revolutions" have accused the United States of helping finance them."There is neither a revolutionary mood nor any international order for a revolution," Central Election Commission chairman Mazahir Panakhov told a news conference late Saturday."We must show the whole world that Azerbaijan has no alternative to free and democratic elections."With less than three weeks to go before the vote, Aliev's government announced the discovery of an alleged coup conspiracy led by Rasul Guliyev, an Azadliq leader in exile. Several government ministers and other high-ranking officials have been jailed in the alleged plot, sending tremors of fear through the opposition.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana -- Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, flew into New Orleans on Friday for a brief glimpse of the ravaged city and a chance to meet a few of the hundreds of thousands of residents whose lives were turned upside-down by Hurricane Katrina.After an airport ceremony to greet their flight from Washington, the couple went to the impoverished lower Ninth Ward, which was all but obliterated when water breached one of the levees that protected the city.Standing atop a patched 20-foot levee, they shook their heads in disbelief at the destruction: splintered homes, chunks of concrete, overturned cars. The couple also met residents and rescue workers.Tommy and Gloria Jones, who lost their house in the disaster, presented Charles and Camilla with a gift of a Mardi Gras doll and a picture frame.Later, at a stop in the French Quarter, a woman presented Charles with a baseball hat emblazoned with "Bring New Orleans back." Another gave him a string of Mardi Gras beads which he wore over his blue suit.Despite the inconvenience the visit caused to the recovering city, some residents said it was worthwhile.Mary Prinz, 66, said she had thanked Charles "for coming and giving us some publicity. We need people to come down here and see how bad it is. Maybe the senators and congressmen from up north will come down now that he's led the way."Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, also were to meet children and parents at the Cathedral Academy in the city's French Quarter -- the first school in the area to reopen after the storm -- before flying on to San Francisco later Friday.The tightly choreographed visit was scheduled to last barely two hours. But vice principal Peggy LeBlanc, whose flood-destroyed school was merged with Cathedral after the storm, said it was still significant."For people who have lost everything, something like this means a lot," she said."My impression is it's very important for the prince that this be centered on the children, and that this is a humanitarian act," she added.More than 1,300 people died across five Gulf states when Katrina hit in late August, the vast majority of them in Louisiana. Eighty percent of New Orleans was inundated by floodwaters.Engineering experts say that despite extensive repairs, dozens of breaches remain in the city's levee system more than two months later. Sen. Susan Collins, chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security Committee, warned this week that the repairs might be insufficient to protect residents if another storm should strike this season.On Thursday, Charles said he and Camilla were "utterly horrified to see the terrible scenes of destruction wrought by the hurricane across New Orleans and the surrounding area."Charles, whose Foundation for the Built Environment charity is helping fund reconstruction projects, said he planned "to meet some of the brave and resilient people trying to rebuild their lives and to pay tribute to the astounding efforts of emergency workers."Earlier Friday, the prince and duchess wrapped up a 21/2-day trip to Washington with a solemn tribute to American war dead and a meeting with young students of Shakespeare.A military guard of honor greeted the couple as they laid a wreath of red and white flowers at the National World War II Memorial.Charles wore a dark suit and Camilla a black wool crepe suit and matching hat. They walked slowly around the inside of the vast monument -- a circle of 50 granite pillars flanked by arches around a pool and fountains -- before chatting with veterans.Later, at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Charles and Camilla watched fifth-to eighth-grade students perform scenes from "Much Ado About Nothing" and were then led on stage to meet the cast.The royal tour has met a muted response in a Washington preoccupied with scandals involving top White House and congressional figures, battles over a Supreme Court vacancy and the rising death toll in Iraq.The weeklong visit, designed to bolster trans-Atlantic ties and promote Charles' environmentalist causes, also represents a coming-out for Camilla, 58, who married the prince in April after a relationship that stretched back three decades and was interrupted by their marriages to others.For many fans of the late Princess Diana, Camilla remains the woman who broke up the fairy-tale royal romance, although both Charles and Diana acknowledged having affairs before divorcing in 1996. Diana died in a car crash in Paris the following year.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Carolyn and Keith Maupin walked into the Pentagon Friday hoping for any new bits of information about their son, who was captured by insurgents near Baghdad more than 18 months ago.They left after more than two hours, saying defense officials assured them the military is continuing to search for Army Reserve Sgt. Keith "Matt" Maupin. But they got no definitive answer to the question that haunts them most: Is he still alive?"Even though you see a smile, your heart still aches," Carolyn Maupin told a reporter after the meeting, as she and her husband visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, both wearing pins bearing a photo of their son.Surrounded by journalists and escorted by two Army officials, Keith Maupin -- wearing a POW-MIA hat -- said he believes "they'll find something soon. They'll find him." He said he and his wife went to the somber Vietnam Wall because, "There are 50,000 names on that wall, and I just wanted to say thanks."The Maupins met with Lt. Gen. James L. Campbell, the Director of the Army Staff, as well as officials from the Casualty Assistance Office and the Joint Personnel Recovery Office. They also had a video conference call with senior officers in Iraq, including officials from U.S. Central Command.Asked whether they learned anything new, they said nothing."We will not discuss the specifics of the update because it is an ongoing operation and saying anything could be detrimental to Matt's safe return and the safety of those involved in the search," they said in a written statement.The statement continued, "It has been more than 18 months since he was captured, and we pray every day for him and the soldiers who continue to search for him. We ask the American people to do the same."Army officials said Friday that Sgt. Maupin's status remains unchanged, and he is still considered captured. He is the only soldier who is missing or currently considered captured in the Iraq War.The officials who met with the Maupins were expected to provide the family with more details of the ongoing search for their son, including reports that a Fort Drum, N.Y.-based Army unit spent seven hours Saturday searching for his body in the Abu Ghraib area west of Baghdad.The Batavia, Ohio, soldier has been missing since April 9, 2004, when his fuel truck convoy was ambushed by insurgents west of Baghdad after leaving camp. He was 20 at the time.A week later, Arab television network Al-Jazeera released a videotape showing Maupin sitting on the floor surrounded by five masked men holding automatic rifles.That June, Al-Jazeera released another tape purporting to show a U.S. soldier being shot. But the dark and grainy tape showed only the back of the victim's head and did not show the actual shooting. The Army ruled it was inconclusive.The Maupins said Friday's meeting -- which also included a private lunch in the Pentagon -- was helpful, and showed the Army is following leads on their son's whereabouts.And it seems other Ohio residents are also following the progress. As the Maupins walked near the Vietnam Memorial, they were greeted by Jeffrey and Courtney Neal, who were visiting Washington, D.C., from Harrison, Ohio."We're praying for you guys, hang in there," Jeffrey Neal told the Maupins, as the couples embraced.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

GULFPORT, Mississippi (AP) -- A pattern is emerging as the cleanup of Mississippi's Gulf Coast morphs into its multibillion-dollar reconstruction: Come payday, untold numbers of Hispanic immigrant laborers are being stiffed.Sometimes, the boss simply vanishes. Other workers wait on promises that soon, someone in a complex hierarchy of contractors will provide the funds to pay them.Nonpayment of wages is a violation of federal labor law, but these workers -- thousands of them, channeled into teams that corral debris, swaddle punctured roofs in blue tarps and gut rain-ravaged homes -- are especially vulnerable because many are here illegally.After Katrina hit, Armando Ojeda paid $1,200 to be smuggled across the desert border from Mexico, a walk that took several nights. Talk of $10 an hour -- more in a day than he made each week at a computer factory back home -- led him to pay another $1,200 to be crammed in van with a dozen other immigrants and driven 1,600 miles, from a safe house in Arizona to Mississippi.The passengers were not fed -- Ojeda recalls his mouth watering when he smelled tacos the driver ate -- and were discharged near the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport, where Ojeda sleepwalked though his first day clearing hurricane-strewn junk.The job was supposed to pay $7 an hour. But six weeks later, Ojeda still hasn't been paid the $600-plus he said he is owed for eight days of dawn-to-dusk labor.Karen Tovar, the subcontractor on the job, acknowledged she hasn't been able to pay dozens of workers a total of about $130,000. She insisted she was not at fault, blaming the way payments can be stalled along a long chain of subcontractors often led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.At one point, Tovar had 83 workers cleaning the Navy base under a broader, $12 million contract held by KBR, a firm owned by Vice President Dick Cheney's former company, Halliburton.After several weeks without pay, many workers grew frustrated and left."I've told them, 'When I get paid, you will receive your funds.' And they say, 'When?"' she said. "I'm very sure it's going to be shortly."An Army Corps spokesman said he wasn't aware of any problems with payments. A KBR spokeswoman wouldn't provide details about the base cleanup, referring inquiries to the Navy, which referred questions about subcontractors back to KBR.Tovar said she knew of other subcontractors who disappeared with their payrolls, and wondered whether her former workers expect she will abscond to her home in North Carolina."I don't know if they're thinking that I've left and took the money or that I'm trying to hide the funds, because I wouldn't do that," said Tovar, 47. "In my type of work, you're working on trust."Armando Ojeda is not trusting. He doesn't think he'll be paid, though he remains among the platoons of workers bivouacked along the coast. His goal: to wire his parents in the poor southern state of Chiapas enough money to offset the cost of his trip, which he has come to see as a folly he had to indulge before age or commitments bound him home."I am stupid for coming," he said, with a smile and shake of the head. "It was a foolish thing, nothing more."Nonpayment of immigrant workers is not a new phenomenon -- and it doesn't appear to be as much of an issue in New Orleans. With so much work to do and not enough laborers to do it, the market there appears to favor workers, said immigration lawyer David Ware.What's remarkable in Mississippi is the apparent scope of the problem, though it is impossible to quantify.In this beleaguered state, which doesn't have a labor department, the issue isn't even on the radar.Nonpayment is not specified as a crime under Mississippi law and the state Department of Employment Security defers wage claims to the federal Department of Labor. Workers who claim back wages have two formal options: Filing a civil suit in state court or a federal complaint. Mississippi prosecutors haven't received any complaints, according to special assistant attorney general Peter Cleveland.A spokeswoman for the federal Labor Department said she could not determine whether there have been any post-Katrina claims in the Gulf region. But there are some in the pipeline: On Friday, a representative of the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance said the advocacy group had prepared complaints on behalf of more than 150 workers who are owed more than $100,000 by five contractors, including Tovar's KTS Services.Out in the cleanup-zone, dozens of Hispanic immigrant workers interviewed by the AP shared a common refrain: "I worked without being paid."In Gulfport, several dozen men living in makeshift bunks in a hangar-like building said they were owed tens of thousands of dollars.Like other workers, Alfredo Roblero saw opportunity in the wreckage, and was recruited from Ft. Pierce, Florida, with promises of steady work for good wages, expenses paid."They bring you to nothing," said Roblero, 26, who figured he was due about $500 for five days spent demolishing what was left of the coastal Casino Magic Biloxi. "They owe you, and you wait for them."Many of the workers wore the shirts of Dallas-based Restoration Group. In a subsequent telephone interview, company president James Rea said the workers were the responsibility of a subcontractor. He insisted all have been paid and blamed insurance companies for any delay."We're all standing in line and we take our piece of each dollar off as we hand it down," he said, "and eventually it gets down to the end of the line."In a slovenly trailer park, men named Francisco and Oscar said they were owed thousands of dollars for weeks of work. Not long before, according to local immigrant advocates, more than a dozen workers were bunking in their trailer, each paying $10 per night for lodging to a subcontractor who they said then shorted them thousands of dollars.Before that, the men had worked for -- and had quit -- Karen Tovar's crew.Tovar said that the men didn't understand American pay schedules, specifically the practice of working two weeks before getting paid for the first."I've been to Mexico and, basically, these people live from week to week and when they come over here they have a misconception when the week is held back," said Tovar.Tovar said that she has worked other hurricane cleanups, but never had trouble being paid by other subcontractors. While she is now receiving a steady flow of payments, she said it's not enough to pay off the $130,000 she owes 83 workers for helping clear the Navy base.Elizabeth Martinez is another subcontractor who has been embroiled in wage disputes. She has been living among workers in a small tent city in Ocean Springs.On Oct. 12, eight men who had been patching roofs asked a Texas-based immigrant worker advocate who was visiting the camp to help negotiate their pay.As is often the case, the situation remains in dispute.Advocate Anita Grabowski said the men, who came to Mississippi from Arkansas and have since scattered, worked two weeks and were due their money.Bosses at the Alabama-based subcontractor that hired Martinez, Hughes Construction Services LLC, said the workers didn't understand that they weren't yet scheduled to be paid.Martinez herself said she didn't hire the workers to lay roof tarps and that they were trying to extort money they hadn't earned _ an increasingly common scam, she said.Martinez said she didn't want to pay until she checked her records. But the owners of family-run Hughes decided to front Martinez more than $15,000 to pay the men -- $10 an hour, $15 for overtime."We just wanted it to be over with," said Jody Hughes, one of three Hughes sons working the cleanup. The men were paid and agreed to find work elsewhere."Hughes was being intimidated," Martinez said. "To me, it's like paying off damn terrorists."On a chill late-October evening, Martinez stood near her tent, engrossed in discussions with three more men who had driven two hours from New Orleans to complain that she hadn't paid them.Martinez told their chief negotiator, Antonio Hernandez, that she had paid the fourth member of their roof-tarp crew, a man named Ruben who now was in Texas.Soon summoned by cell phone, Ruben denied receiving any money. But one of Hernandez's companions acknowledged that he had seen Martinez pay Ruben something, and Martinez produced handwritten records that persuaded the men she had advanced Ruben $700 cash, which the men hadn't seen.The men piled back into their beat-up brown van for the return ride to New Orleans with boxes of food and $150 in cash Martinez gave them "not because I owe you ... as a gift."Just as they pulled out, Martinez flagged down four Guatemalan workers who walked into the encampment. She said a true scam artist had ripped off these unfortunates.One by one, they explained that they had cleaned a school for 144 hours at a promised $8 an hour. Then one of their bosses dropped them on the side of the road, without food. Eventually, a church bus picked them up.Any idea, they asked, of how to get paid?Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

(CNN) -- Bring home the troops. Shake up the White House staff. Focus on issues at home. Listen to voices on the right; listen to voices on the left.When asked how they would advise the president, CNN.com readers posed these and many other ideas to lift the administration's lagging approval ratings.A year after President Bush was elected to a second term, he and his administration face an array of troubles, including rising energy prices, the indictment of a former top White House official and waning public support for the war in Iraq.How can Bush turn his presidency around? CNN.com readers offered suggestions on a variety of themes:1. Take responsibility. Many advised the president to admit mistakes and move on. Drew Hunt of Normal, Illinois, cited Harry Truman's famous advice, "The buck stops here," and wrote, "If this administration would take responsibility for its wrongdoings, rather than placing the blame elsewhere or, worse still, forging ahead regardless of the wisdom of the decision, it would go a long way toward restoring the integrity of our government."(Read more recommendations on this theme. )2. Clean house. Others suggested the best way to shake off problems would be to shake up staffing at the White House. Judith A. Shaffer of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, advised Bush to fire his chief political strategist, Karl Rove, who has been entangled in an investigation into the leak of a CIA agent's name. Brett Finnell of Greenville, North Carolina, recommended finding a new defense secretary.(Read more recommendations on this theme.)3. Bring home the troops. An anonymous U.S. soldier serving in Pyongtek, South Korea, said the president should show "humility to the U.S. soldiers in both Iraq and Korea and let them come home ... and be with their families."Martha Prater of Rusk, Texas, agreed but expressed concern that it may be too late now to pull troops out: "We have gotten ourselves so deep already that pulling out now would only put our country at greater risk of terrorist attacks or worse."(Read more recommendations on this theme.)4. Focus on issues at home. Some of those who wrote in suggested the president turn his attention toward problems at home, putting priority on gas prices, disaster relief and support for the poor."Remember that you are the president of the United States, not the world," advised Mary from Temecula, California.Andy Park of Key Largo, Florida, posed this idea for combating high energy prices: "Push legislation to regulate oil companies as public utilities -- just like electric, natural gas and telephone companies. This would require that companies obtain regulatory approval before raising gas prices." Hurricanes Katrina and Rita knocked out oil platforms and pipelines as they cut back-to-back paths through the U.S. Gulf Coast, causing a spike in energy prices.Andrew M. Herold of Beltsville, Maryland, said the president could give jobs and wages a boost by closing the country's borders to illegal immigrants.(Read more recommendations on this theme.)5. Lean to the right (or to the left). Many of those who wrote in advised the president to follow the lead of a particular group. Respondents did not, however, agree on which group that would be.Cheri Windsor of Colorado recommended the president get "off the evangelical tract." But Pedro Delgado of Miami, Florida, gave opposite advice: "Give full true backing (no lip service) to the people that voted twice to put a man in office to gain back our country. No euthanasia, no abortion, no persecution of Christians, no judicial tyranny, no homosexual privileges, no attacks on the institution of marriage, no attacks on the family."(Read more recommendations on this theme.)

SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, examined produce at a farmers' market and mingled with locals at an organic farm near San Francisco on Saturday as their U.S. tour moved to California.It was a shift from the power centers of New York and Washington to more rural areas, and issues close to the prince's heart -- organic agriculture and sustainable food production."As a society, we have become completely disconnected from where our food comes from," said Helge Hellberg, executive director of the farming association Marin Organic. "Prince Charles acknowledges and understands and embraces sustainable agriculture."Marin County, a hub of organic farming, had been buzzing with talk of cabbages and kings for the days leading up to the visit.All vegetables grown in the county are certified organic, with sales amounting to about $5 million annually, Hellberg said.Statewide, there are about 2,000 registered organic farms, and membership is growing, said Jake Lewin, marketing director of California Certified Organic Farmers.Following a stop at the farmers' market in the Marin County town of Point Reyes, the royal couple visited Bolinas, a small coastal community about 30 miles north of San Francisco, where they ate lunch at Star Route Farms, run by organic pioneer Warren Weber.They also planned to visit a Berkeley school organic garden sponsored by chef Alice Waters.The prince is a firm supporter of environmental causes and runs an organic farm on his Highgrove estate in England. He also has a multimillion-dollar line of organic foods, Duchy Originals, whose profits go to charity. Lewin's group certifies Duchy Originals products imported to the United States as organic.In a recent interview, the prince urged support for small-scale farmers, saying he feared agribusiness would end up "completely industrializing the landscape."Charles and Camilla flew to San Francisco late Friday after a brief stop in New Orleans, where they saw a neighborhood obliterated by Hurricane Katrina.Standing atop a patched 20-foot levee in the impoverished Lower Ninth Ward, they shook their heads in disbelief at the destruction: splintered homes, chunks of concrete, overturned cars. The couple also met residents and rescue workers.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- With his chief political aide under investigation as part of a probe into the public unmasking of a CIA operative, President Bush is sending his staff back to school -- ethics school.Bush is requiring his executive office staff to attend refresher courses on ethics and handling classified materials, according to a White House memo. "The President has made clear his expectation that each member of his Executive Office of the President (EOP) staff adhere to the spirit as well as the letter of all rules governing ethical conduct for EOP staff," states the memo sent to Bush's staff. Staff members with security clearances will attend mandatory sessions next week, and those without security clearances will attend mandatory sessions the following week. The memo went to all EOP staff, which numbers about 3,000, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. The refresher course comes as Bush's top aide, Karl Rove, is under investigation and as Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, faces indictments in connection with the outing of a CIA operative.Libby, who resigned October 28, pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of perjury, obstruction of justice and making false statements.Libby is accused of lying to a grand jury and FBI agents about where he first learned Valerie Plame's identity and what he later told reporters about her.Plame is the wife of former diplomat Joseph Wilson, who had openly criticized the Bush administration.Libby is not charged with deliberately disclosing the name of a covert agent, which is a federal offense. Bush has declined to talk publicly about the investigation. On Friday, he deflected questions about Libby and Rove at the Summit of the Americas in Argentina.

HOUSTON, Texas (CNN) -- An attorney for Charles Victor Thompson described the escaped death-row inmate on Saturday as "charming, articulate and well-spoken," and said it's doubtful that the convicted murderer would kill again.A nationwide manhunt continued for Thompson, 35, who brazenly walked out of Harris County Jail unhindered on Thursday after meeting with an attorney, escaping from handcuffs, changing into street clothes and flashing a fake ID badge.The U.S. Marshals Service has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to his capture.Authorities have acknowledged that a series of mistakes led to Thompson's escape. They're investigating the lapses and whether someone inside the jail helped him. "Mr. Thompson is a charming, articulate, well-spoken young man, and he's very intelligent," his attorney Terry Gaiser said Saturday. "I'm sure he's very capable of doing all of this on his own, without any help from anyone.""He's the kind of guy that makes friends wherever he goes. All his life he's been described as being a charming fellow, so it wouldn't surprise me if he didn't make friends with the deputies."Thompson escaped while temporarily housed at the jail for an October 28 resentencing hearing, during which he was sentenced to death for a second time. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ordered the resentencing, contending Thompson's right to counsel was violated during his trial.Authorities believe Thompson smuggled the clothes he wore at his hearing back to his cell, and used them in his escape. He was last seen wearing a dark blue shirt, khaki pants and white tennis shoes.Thompson was convicted of capital murder in April 1999 in the shooting deaths of his former girlfriend, Dennise Hayslip, 39, and her friend, Darren Cain, 30.Gaiser said he wasn't the attorney who met with Thompson before his escape. Authorities have not identified who the visitor was. Gaiser said he hadn't seen his client since the hearing.Gaiser said Thompson didn't necessarily need inside help to escape, because he has been incarcerated there twice: once for his trial in 1998-99, and this time since May."I'm sure he knew all the procedures, having been in there for the length of time that he was," Gaiser said.Gaiser downplayed reports that Thompson had made up a "hit list" in jail that included the relatives of his ex-girlfriend and jurors.Hayslip's mother, Wynona Donaghy of Tomball, Texas, and other relatives of the victims have gone into hiding.Gaiser said Thompson was found with a list seven years ago, but has behaved well in prison, with no disciplinary reports filed against him since then."I don't believe that Charles is going to kill anybody again," Gaiser said. "He's dangerous, obviously, if placed in a desperate situation."However, on Thursday, Donaghy told reporters, "He can make people believe he is the most innocent man in the world.""He is a threat, not only to himself, but to anybody around him," she said. "I believe he'd come after anybody."CNN's Keith Oppenheim contributed to this report.Copyright 2005 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.