ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Sam Cooke knew exactly what he wanted.He wanted to sing, and he did it beautifully. He wanted to be famous, and he shrewdly took opportunities, rising from local gospel star to nationally known crooner to pioneering soul man. He started his own label, SAR Records, ran his own publishing and kept pushing forward.He wanted to be in control of his destiny, and he was -- until he let part of himself get out of control on a grim night in December 1964, shot to death at a two-bit Los Angeles hotel.His drive was the stuff of legend. Observers sometimes wondered -- with the singing, the business, the women (lots of women), the sheer motion -- when he slept.Because even as a child, Cooke had his eye on big things."You know, sometimes I think he thought he was the smartest person in the world," his brother, L.C. Cook (Sam added the "e" many years later), tells author Peter Guralnick in Guralnick's exhaustive new Cooke biography, "Dream Boogie" (Little, Brown)."He believed he could do everything until the day he died," says Guralnick, relaxing on a couch in an Atlanta hotel.And yet, Guralnick acknowledges, for someone so accomplished Cooke was a hard man to know.Despite talking with family members, business partners, peers and prot�g�s -- Guralnick's hundreds of interviews included Specialty Records founder Art Rupe, manager Allen Klein, friend and partner J.W. Alexander, Cooke's siblings and the singer's wife, Barbara -- there was something about Cooke he couldn't quite get at."For someone so gregarious and charming, he was at heart an introspective, private person," the author says. "After I spoke to a couple hundred people, I realized that there was not a single person whose life he hadn't touched, not simply as an example but as a mentor. And yet, as true as those stories were -- and there were an infinite number -- they were all from the outside."'Full dimensions'What comes from the inside, he adds, is in the music. That's what attracted Guralnick, author of the acclaimed Elvis Presley biographies "Last Train to Memphis" and "Careless Love," to his subject in the first place."The gospel music put me over," he says. "Specifically hearing 'Live at the Shrine' ['The Great 1955 Shrine Concert'] in which he sings 'Nearer to Thee.' That just destroyed me. It made me see the full dimensions of Sam Cooke."Cooke was born in 1931, in Clarksdale, Mississippi (the same Clarksdale famous for its bluesmen and crossroads soul-selling), but raised in Chicago, Illinois, the son of a preacher man. He was a studious child and read voraciously, but he also had a voice -- a powerful, angelic instrument that caused men to sit up and women to swoon.But Cooke, as his records make clear, was no belter. He carried his audiences with a whisper, not a scream; with easy, sensual moves, not James Brown splits.His songs were conversational, casual and -- particularly in the early solo years -- gossamer, sometimes to the point of novelty ("Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha").Cooke had a knack for the effortless hook, the simple story. Guralnick describes the singer writing "Touch the Hem of His Garment," a hit for Cooke's mid-'50s gospel group, the Soul Stirrers. The Stirrers were riding in a car with producer Bumps Blackwell on the way to a recording session and had little material."So Sam said, 'Well, hand me the Bible,' " Blackwell recalls in "Dream Boogie." "And they handed Sam the Bible, and he was thumbing through it, skipping over it and skimming through it, and he said, 'I got one. Here it is right here.' " At which point, Guralnick continues, Cooke wrote the song on the spot.'Something's going to happen' Peter Guralnick worked on his Sam Cooke biography for almost 15 years -- and had it in his mind for many more.His songs, performed hopefully -- even downbeat tunes such as "Sad Mood" and "Chain Gang" -- often belie the conditions of Cooke's working life. As a black man, he was segregated from hotels, restaurants and concert venues -- particularly in a Jim Crow South just awakening to the civil rights movement, which forms a parallel story in Guralnick's book.Cooke also wanted to appeal to the widest possible audience, and it wasn't until well into his solo career that he made a conscious effort to add gospel flavorings to his pop releases, particularly the call-and-response of "Bring It On Home to Me.""When he went pop, he consciously bleached out the sound with 'You Send Me' [and others]. It was not accidental," Guralnick says.But Cooke was always growing, perhaps most notably in one of his most stunning songs (and greatest performances), "A Change Is Gonna Come." The song "just came to me," Cooke once recalled, and it electrified others with its bold lyrics and passionate melody.It also scared him; the song seemed to have rushed to life from his most vulnerable places."That really bothered him -- where it came from -- and also, he was afraid he had gone beyond his audience," Guralnick says. (Cooke held off on recording the song for months; it wasn't released until after his death.) "He knew it was a song he had to record, but he said he was never going to sing it [live]." (He did, but not much.)His friend Bobby Womack felt something else, an ominousness. "It feels eerie, like something's going to happen," he told Cooke.Guralnick shrugs off Womack's darker premonitions, but there's no question the song, at once elegiac and defiant, seems to represent a turning point. "It's highly suggestive in various ways," Guralnick says. Besides being one of Cooke's most personal songs, it became a theme of the civil rights movement.By the time he wrote "Change," Cooke was starting to feel some strain. He had big ideas for his future -- he was starting to develop inner-city talent in Los Angeles -- yet he was struggling with emotional scars: His only son had died in a drowning accident in June 1963, and his often-rocky marriage to Barbara was falling apart. Cooke was drinking more and becoming increasingly rootless.It culminated in that night in December 1964, when Cooke went to the Hacienda Hotel with a strange woman and ended up dead, shot by the hotel manager. Guralnick presents the story as plainly as possible, though mysteries remain: Cooke's behavior, what happened to a large bankroll he was assumed to carry around, inconsistencies with testimony. The answers, nearly 41 years later, are likely unknowable.Much like Sam Cooke himself, a man apart.Guralnick says that even his closest colleagues still talk about him with a sense of respect. "They looked up to him. Even Barbara -- she's still trying to understand Sam. And J.W. -- Sam was the person he'd liked to have been."Because, while he was alive, Cooke lived every moment to the fullest."I don't even know why I do what I do," he told Bobby Womack. "When I do it, it just comes."

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Thirty-two college students from across the United States have been selected as Rhodes Scholars for 2006, the scholarship trust announced Sunday.The scholars, selected from 903 applicants who were endorsed by 333 colleges and universities, will enter Oxford University in England next October. The scholarships are the oldest of the international study awards available to American students and provide two or three years of study at Oxford.Among the winners was Elizabeth W. Mayne, 23, a senior at Stanford University majoring in biology with a focus in biochemistry and biophysics.Besides studying cell cycle regulation, Mayne has spent time setting up workshops on Shakespeare for underprivileged students in the San Francisco Bay area."I was really stunned," the Denver, Colorado, native said after learning she had been chosen. "It was such a tremendously qualified and amazing group of people, so I was really just honored to meet them."Mayne said she plans to study physiology at Oxford. She said she then plans to pursue a doctorate and medical degree and "hopefully contribute to the cure of diseases."Nicholas A. Juravich of Amherst, Massachusetts, a senior at the University of Chicago where he majors in history, also won one of the coveted scholarships.Juravich is the captain of the cross country and track teams and has tutored public school students, won a teaching award, written on international affairs for a student journal and took part in many community service activities.At Oxford, he plans to study economic and social history.Rhodes Scholarships were created in 1902 by the will of British philanthropist Cecil Rhodes. Winners are selected on the basis of high academic achievement, personal integrity, leadership potential and physical vigor, among other attributes.The American students will join an international group of scholars selected from 13 other nations around the world. Approximately 85 scholars are selected each year.With the elections announced Sunday, 3,078 Americans have won Rhodes Scholarships, representing 307 colleges and universities.The value of the Rhodes Scholarship varies depending on the field of study. The total value averages about $40,000 per year.The 32 American students chosen as Rhodes Scholars for 2006, listed by geographic region: District I: Alison Crocker, Poughkeepsie, New York, Dartmouth College; Nathan Herring, New Haven, Connecticut, Yale University and University of Miami.District II: Jessica E. Leight, Northampton, Massachusetts, Yale University; Sasha-Mae Eccleston, Lawrenceville, New Jersey, Brown University.District III: Daniel Altschuler, New York, Amherst College; Ensign William R. Kelly, New York, U.S. Naval Academy and Harvard University.District IV: Luke P. Norris, Brigantine, New Jersey, Gettysburg College; Brett A. Shaheen, St. Louis, Missouri, University of Pennsylvania.District V: William L. Hwang, Potomac, Maryland, Duke University; Nicholas M. Schmitz, Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. Naval Academy.District VI: Adam D. Chandler, Burlington, North Carolina, Duke University; Rahul Satija, Potomac, Maryland, Duke University.District VII: Garrett W. Johnson, Tampa, Florida, Florida State University; Katharine K. Wilkinson, Atlanta, Georgia, University of the South.District VIII: Lakshmi Krishnan, Sugar Land, Texas, Wake Forest University; Jeffrey A. Miller, Plano, Texas, Princeton University.District IX: Paul J. Angelo, Columbia Station, Ohio, U.S. Naval Academy; Maria S. Cecire, Newport News, Virginia, University of Chicago.District X: Nicholas A. Juravich, Amherst, Massachusetts, University of Chicago; Jeremy N. Robinson, Chicago, Wabash College and Dominican University.District XI: Justin M. Chalker, Meade, Kansas, University of Pittsburgh; Scott R. Erwin, Weatherby Lake, Missouri, University of Richmond.District XII: Noorain F. Kahn, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Rice University; .Samsher S. Gill, Edina, Minnesota, University of Chicago.District XIII: Elizabeth W. Mayne, Denver, Colorado, Stanford University; .Jeffrey N. Stout, Fort Collins, Colorado, University of Denver.District XIV: Xuan Trang Thi Ho, Lincoln, Nebraska, Nebraska Wesleyan University; Jacquelyn R. Hanna, Lisbon, North Dakota, U.S. Naval Academy. District XV: Alexander K. Dewar, Portland, Oregon., Wheaton College (Massachusetts); Eliana Hechter, Phoenix, University of Washington.District XVI: Tanya Ali Haj-Hassan, Amman, Jordan, Stanford University; Chelsea E. Purvis, Saratoga, California, Yale University.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

(Coastal Living) -- The travels of Coastal Living staffers lead to accommodations that run the gamut in style and service. Read on for a dozen of their latest finds.The Cliff's EdgeHaiku, HawaiiStaying here feels like standing at the edge of the world -- only less risky and certainly more relaxing. Hidden along a dirt road on Maui's North Shore, the tropical estate overlooks ethereal views of plunging lava cliffs. Choose between two bed-and-breakfast suites with appealing Hawaiian decor and private lanais, or bask on a private deck at one of two detached guesthouses. The Bali Cottage features teak trim, marble floors and baths, and granite counters. Stay here en route to Hana or to sample Maui's many other attractions. End your days in the hot tub or hammock staring at the starry night sky and listening to the pounding surf. Rates: $165-$325; (866) 262-6284 or http://www.cliffsedge.com/.Camano Island InnCamano Island, WashingtonThis island's raw shores and rolling green pastures belie its one-hour-drive distance from Seattle. Here, the natural splendors of Puget Sound take center stage. The scenic performance unfolds from private decks off the inn's six simple but comfortable rooms (some with outdoor hot tubs). Sweeping silence and a goose-feather bed catalyze restful sleep. Heated bathroom floors ease chilly toes into the morning, which begins with a glorious cheese souffl� (or other mouthwatering egg dish) and strong coffee -- delivered to your room in a basket. If that's not enough decompression, the hot-stone massage will leave you swooning. Rates: $120-$225; (888) 718-0783 or http://www.camanoislandinn.com/.Ocean HavenYachats, OregonThis rustic, two-story, five-unit charmer keeps getting better, and the ocean roar and spectacle from its high, isolated promontory is unsurpassed. Owners Bill James and Christie DeMoll help guests maximize their autumn hikes, winter storm-gazing, spring whale-watching or summer tide-pooling. Christie recently refurbished the already-pristine units, "and we elevated most of the beds, so you don't even have to sit up to keep an eye on the ocean," she says. Ocean Haven's new Eatin' Inn minigrocery sells organic meal choices guests can easily prepare in the units' kitchens. Ten percent of inn proceeds goes to ocean-conservation groups. Rates: $85-$150 ($20 more per person in units with three or four guests); (541) 547-3583 or http://www.oceanhaven.com/.The Cliffs ResortShell Beach, CaliforniaOn this beachy-keen Central Coast of flip-flops and surfboards, you're OK strolling across the lobby's marble floor with sand on your feet. In fact, pets may track through as well: They can be guests on the ground floor. Locals head to the Cliffs for its popular happy hour. Many linger for the chef's pistachio-crusted halibut at the resort's Sea Cliffs restaurant. Despite 165 rooms, the hotel exudes an aura of intimacy and natural attachment to its land- and seascape. To enjoy this terrain, follow the undulating Shell Beach Bluffs Walking Path nearby. Rates: $119-$399; (805) 773-3555 or http://www.cliffsresort.com/.The Red InnProvincetown, MassachusettsSmack on Provincetown Harbor, the small inn keeps serene distance (a pleasant 10-minute walk) from the town's tourist throng. The quintessential cottage style spells "New England" -- in soft cherry rather than customary white or yellow. Welcoming weary travelers since its 1805 construction, the property showed wear when new owners bought it in 2001. Their stunning makeover brought upscale flair to the eight guest quarters but left the architectural bones intact. All rooms have handsome private baths, expansive harbor views and waterfront decks. Noise from the cozy harborside bar and dining room can waft to guests in the Cape Light guest room, but the restaurant's lobster-corn chowder, panko-crusted shrimp and pan-roasted local cod make amends. Rates: $135-$350 (the cottage and residence are available weekly, $1,395-$3,118); (866) 473-3466 or http://www.theredinn.com/.The Inn at Perry CabinSt. Michaels, MarylandGiant linden trees line a brick drive that transports you from busy Route 33 to a world of Colonial, maritime elegance. Gleaming white architecture and lush landscaping gracefully occupy the hotel's 25 acres on a Chesapeake Bay tributary. Inside, it takes a day just to peruse the absorbing collections amassed here. Exquisite oyster plates ornament the main dining room. Dozens of shell etchings mark one passage. Along another, black-and-white nautical photographs take you on a visual sail around Maryland's Eastern Shore. For dining, Executive Chef Mark Salter's imaginative creations show off regional fare. Rates: $195-$625; (800) 722-2949 or http://www.perrycabin.com/.The Inn at Cocoa BeachCocoa Beach, FloridaAmong the many things to like about this iconoclast -- a touch of boutique Mediterranean style amid redundant hotel chains -- perhaps what's most fun is breakfast. In the Spanish-tiled dining room, open to hibiscus-filled grounds and beachfront, nearly all guests stop by the Egg Bar. Practical and whimsical, it's set with an electric pot of boiling water, a chilled bowl of uncooked eggs (their shells numbered in pencil for ID in the pot) and directions for using classic, low-tech timers. Elsewhere, all 50 guest rooms face the beach and have balcony views to NASA's rocket launch pad. A suite of public sitting rooms displays wine and decorative items for sale. And everyone talks to the mascots: Tucker, Murphy, Tango and Tangee -- two dogs and two macaws, respectively. Rates: $125-$325 (includes breakfast); (800) 343-5307 or http://www.theinnatcocoabeach.com/.The AerieVancouver Island, British ColumbiaA half-hour beyond Victoria, check into the Aerie for a perch over Finlayson Arm that only a seaplane could match. The Olympic Mountains and Pacific fjord views from this Relais & Chateaux hotel fall nothing short of spectacular. Interiors dazzle as well, with fine upholstery and tasteful amenities. Though posh to its core, the 35-room resort mirrors the warmth and friendliness of Maria Schuster, who created her dream-come-true hotel here in 1991. For fine dining, don't miss the talents of Executive Chef Christophe Letard. But also allow time for a day trip to the Cowichan Valley below. There, in what's called "Canada's Provence," you can visit wineries, artisan cheesemakers, herb farms, salmon smokers and numerous other foodie havens. Rates: $195-$995 Canadian; (250) 743-7115 or http://www.aerie.bc.ca/.Presidente IntercontinentalPuerto Vallarta, MexicoOutside the Presidente Intercontinental, Pacific waves crashing on the white-sand beach sound like a summer afternoon thunderstorm. But soon, the low roar of the ocean becomes background music for an afternoon swim and nap in the sun. An attentive, Spanish- and English-speaking staff greets each arriving guest. From the thatched-roof, open-air lobby to the 10 floors of large guest rooms, the hotel, remodeled in 2004, offers stylish, relaxing accommodations. One of three restaurants serves an impressive breakfast surfside. The pool with a swim-up bar gives beachgoers a freshwater option just steps from the sand. Travel the five miles to downtown for shopping, sightseeing and more dining. Rates: $126-$1,500; (888) 303-1758 or http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/.Tropical HotelSt. Barths, West IndiesTucked above the village of St. Jean and a mere 40 yards from sand and surf, the Tropical's simple, chic accommodations sit alongside terraces and give stunning views of the ocean or the hotel's lush garden. In keeping with the island's romance, mosquito netting drapes from beamed ceilings over comfortable beds, and well-appointed baths have room for two. In each of the one-story hotel's 21 rooms you'll find an air conditioner (which you'll need) and a TV (which you won't). Pair the Continental breakfast, served near the pool or in your room, with a bowl of the island's amazing fruit. Sit back and let this French Caribbean island cast its spell. Rates: $144-$420;http://www.tropicalhotel.net/.Casa Madrona Hotel and SpaSausalito, CaliforniaStaggered up the Sausalito hillside, rooms at Casa Madrona present enchanting vistas of Richardson's Bay, Tiburon, Angel Island and Belvedere. Clear days yield views of Alcatraz and San Francisco proper. In addition to the inn's high-end amenities, the Historic Bay View rooms feature individually themed decor. For simple, modern ambience, ask for one of the recently renovated Contemporary Harbor View rooms. Dine at Poggio and savor scrumptious Italian fare with California flair. Rates: $109-$440; (800) 288-0502 or http://www.casamadrona.com/.Seagrove VillasSeagrove Beach, FloridaWith six circa-1949 cottages and two low-rise buildings, this classic Florida inn makes for a comfortable, affordable option on the pricey Panhandle. Near the much-lauded town of Seaside, the humble compound accesses the same emerald-striped water and baby-powder beaches from its bluff-top perch. The place lends instant gratification to those who relish a beachside Florida vacation that feels like the 1950s. "We're one of the last properties in the area that hails from that era," says manager Nikki Floyd. The pool stays heated November through March, as off-season rates drop dramatically. Year-round, the property's bikes allow guests to wheel down the road to Seaside's architectural wonders, shops and eateries. But everyone's happy to return to the lodgings, each with all-you-need amenities -- cable TV, stereo, refrigerator, and, of course, patios or decks with that view of the jewel-tone Gulf. Rates: $82-$290; (800) 336-4853 or http://www.seagrovevillas.com/.Jeff Book, Jennifer Chappell, Jacquelyne Froeber, Lacey N. Howard, Susan C. Kim, Steve Millburg, Diana Morley and Julia Dowling Rutland contributed to this report.

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The Georgia Aquarium points to the Atlanta skyline like the prow of a giant ship -- an ark filled with more than 100,000 exotic creatures.It's the largest aquarium in the world, with five "galleries" that are home to fish that can be seen off the coast of Georgia, as well as some that have never been displayed on this continent.City tourism officials hope visitors will come for the aquarium and stay to see other nearby attractions, such as Zoo Atlanta, the King Center and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site.Sam A. Williams, president of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, says the aquarium could alert the nation that "Atlanta has a legitimate tourism magnet, and that, I think, is going to bump up all of the other venues we have."Aquarium officials expect about 2 million people to visit the aquarium each year to see Ralph and Norton, the huge and surprisingly graceful whale sharks, beluga whales, sea lions and otters, and delicate, weedy sea dragons -- Australian sea horses that look more like crocheted doilies than their fearsome namesakes.Atlanta, 250 miles inland, might seem like an odd location for a world-class marine exhibit. But it's also a city with a population of about 429,000 and more than 4.7 million people living in the metropolitan area."The people who live along the oceans may know a lot about oceans. The people who live inside the country tend to know the least," said aquarium Executive Director Jeff Swanagan. "So it's exactly the reason why an aquarium needs to be the middle of the country, to educate the citizenry."A study conducted for backers of the project predicted that the aquarium would pump an estimated $172 million into the Atlanta economy in an average year. When the new World of Coca Cola -- scheduled to open next door in 2007 -- is factored in, that number jumps to almost $200 million.That's a lot of money, but makes up only a modest percentage of the city's economy, said study author Bruce Seaman.Seaman, an economics professor at Georgia State University, said the biggest impact would come from conventioneers who bring their families on business trips or extend those trips -- even by just a half day."There's going to be some people who are going to come to the city primarily to go to the aquarium, but nobody's kidding themselves," Seaman said. "Most people that are going to visit, who are not local, are going to be here for something else."Atlanta is a popular convention city, said Lauren Jarrell, a spokeswoman for the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. The city is served by a convenient airport and has 12,000 hotel rooms within walking distance of the city's main conference center.But a lot of the city's attractions are off the beaten path."No one's ever come to Atlanta for tourism," said Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus, who donated $200 million to build the aquarium. "I mean they come for business, they come to change planes at the airport, but they don't come into the city. It's not known as a tourist attraction the way Chicago is, the way San Diego is, the way Las Vegas is."I think that this is going to help change that perception in people's minds and that we're going to get tourists from all over the United States to come," Marcus said.The feasibility study focused on a typical year, because aquarium attendance tends to drop after the first year or two, Seaman said.Steve File, general manager of Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies drew about 2 million people when it opened in 2001."It's typical in the aquarium business that your first year is your honeymoon year and then it drops 20 or 30 percent after that, and that's what we're seeing," File said. "[Annual attendance] is about 1.6 million now."The Ripley aquarium is in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, a tiny tourist town in the Smoky Mountains."Gatlinburg is a city that's really unique in that it's only a community of 3,500 people but it gets about 10 million visitors (a year)," File said.The area is better known for outdoor activities -- there's a ski resort nearby, and many people come to hike, shop and watch the leaves change in the fall. It's also only a few miles from Pigeon Forge, which is packed with outlet malls, museums, dinner theaters and Dollywood, an amusement park built by country singer Dolly Parton."If people spend three or four days there, then at some point they will come to the aquarium, particularly if it rains," File said.Seaman said that having lots of attractions in one area tends to draw visitors, rather than increase competition.He compared it to the restaurant business, saying that people often decide to go to an area where there are several places to eat, then decide which restaurant they want to go to.Danica Kombol, marketing director for the Imagine It! Children's Museum of Atlanta, says that having the aquarium so close will attract many potential children's museum visitors to the area."What we have found is that people who attend one cultural attraction are more likely to visit other cultural attractions, so it really has more of a domino effect," Kombol said.She said that her hope is that families will go to the aquarium, have a great time and think, "Hey, we should do this more often.""So the aquarium is not my competition, my competition is television and apathy," Kombol said.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Its scent has drawn comparisons to garbage and spoiled meat, but that isn't stopping crowds from flocking to see -- and smell -- an unusual plant in bloom at the U.S. Botanic Garden.The titan arum plant, nicknamed "corpse plant" for its rank smell, is attracting thousands of visitors during the day or two it remains in bloom."It's quite spectacular: the color and the form and the strong odor," said John Kress, chairman of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History's botany department, which owns the plant. "I think that's what most people come to see. Or smell."The long, conical bloom of the titan arum is believed to be the largest flower that doesn't grow on a tree. It has been known to grow 12 feet high in its native habitat on the island of Sumatra.The specimen at the botanic garden, which began blooming early Sunday, is about 5 feet high.Now that it's in bloom, the plant has also started emitting a smell that's drawn comparisons to garbage, spoiled meat, and rotting fish. But the plant's stench is actually the key to its survival: carrion beetles and other pollinators in its native Sumatra are attracted to the smell, Kress said."These beetles usually lay their eggs in rotting animals, so this plant pretends to be a dead animal," he said.The smell also seems to be attracting visitors to the botanic garden. About 2,000 people had come to the garden to see the plant by Sunday afternoon, and at least 10,000 were expected by day's end.Visitors are also interested in the plant because they are few chances to see one, Kress said. There are only about a dozen of the plants in the United States, he said.A typical titan arum plant only blooms about once every five years. The one at the U.S. Botanic Garden is blooming for the first time at age 14.Garden visitor Charles Miehm said he came to see the plant because it seemed like a rare opportunity."It's not as rancid as roadkill, but it's got a pretty potent smell," he said.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

LONDON, England (AP) -- The global HIV epidemic continues to expand, with more than 40 million people now estimated to have the AIDS virus, but in some countries prevention efforts are finally starting to pay off, the United Nations says.AIDS has killed more than 25 million people since it was first recognized in 1981, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in history. An estimated 3.1 million people died from the virus last year and another 4.9 million people became infected, according to a U.N. update published Monday.The deaths and new infection estimates were in line with those from last year, when the total number of people living with the virus was estimated at 39.4 million.However, for the first time there is solid evidence that increased efforts to combat the disease over the last five years have led to fewer new infections in some places, said UNAIDS chief Peter Piot.Previously improvements had been seen in places such as Senegal, Uganda and Thailand, but those were rare exceptions."Now we have Kenya, several of the Caribbean countries and Zimbabwe with a decline," Piot said, adding that Zimbabwe is the first place in Southern Africa, the hardest-hit area, to show improvement.These are all countries that have invested heavily in safe-sex campaigns and other prevention programs, with the result that prevalence of HIV among the young has declined."People are starting later with their first sexual intercourse, they are having fewer partners, there's more condom use," Piot said.The epidemic also appears to be tapering off in other countries. "We see similar trends in countries in East Africa, but the evidence was not good enough to put in the report," he said.The most dramatic drops in prevalence have been among pregnant women in urban Kenya, where in some areas the proportion of pregnant women infected plummeted from approximately 28 percent in 1999 to 9 percent in 2003.In the Caribbean, declines are evident in Barbados, the Bahamas and Bermuda, Piot said.In Zimbabwe HIV prevalence among pregnant women in the capital Harare has decreased from 35 percent in 1999 to 21 percent in 2004."I absolutely believe we are on a roll," added Dr. Jim Kim, HIV chief at the World Health Organization. "Everyone is sort of jumping on the bandwagon. I think there's been a fundamental change, even in the past one year, in all the efforts in HIV."There's a new energy, Kim said, and much of that comes from the recent availability of HIV treatment in the developing world.About 1 million HIV patients in the developing world now are on treatment. While that is just a small fraction of the people needing treatment, the availability of drugs has meant that people see a point to getting tested for the virus, which is crucial for prevention efforts. About 300,000 deaths were avoided last year because of treatment, the report said."As much as possible, we've got to get that energy into prevention as well," Kim said.So far this year the world has spent slightly more than $8 billion on tackling HIV in the developing world. That was a big increase from the $6 billion spent last year but was still far short of the need.UNAIDS estimates that $9 billion will be spent next year but say $15 billion will be needed.The epidemics continue to intensify in southern Africa. Growing epidemics are under way in Eastern Europe and in Central and East Asia. Five years ago, one in 10 new infections were in Asia. Today the number is one in four or five.China, Papua New Guinea and Vietnam are facing significant increases. There are also alarming signs that Pakistan and Indonesia could be on the verge of serious epidemics, the report said.Intravenous drug use and commercial sex are fueling the epidemic in Asia, where few countries are doing enough to inform people about the danger of such behavior, the report warned.Worldwide, less than one in five people at risk of becoming infected with HIV has access to basic prevention services. Of people living with HIV only one in 10 has been tested and knows that he or she is infected.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

(CNN) -- While health officials have serious concerns about the H5N1 bird flu virus becoming a pandemic, they say it won't be a worldwide threat until the virus is able to spread easily between people.That has not happened yet, and scientists stress that it might not happen with this strain.Three things have to happen for a pandemic to start, according to the World Health Organization.First, there has to be a new substrain of the flu virus. Second, it has to spread to humans and cause serious illness. Finally, it has to spread easily between people.The flu virus currently circulating in Asia and parts of Europe has made the first two steps. But so far only 130 people have been infected with the H5N1 flu virus in Asia over the past two years -- 67 have died, according to the WHO.There is no bird flu pandemic anywhere in the world. Health officials say that's because, at this point, the virus does not spread easily between people.Almost all of the human cases have involved people who had direct contact with infected birds.The fear is that the H5N1 virus will change and develop into a new strain that is highly contagious among humans.Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt has told CNN that there was no way to know if this bird flu would lead to a pandemic, but said it was only a matter of time before some strain of flu virus did.He said that such an outbreak would be a natural disaster of unique proportions."It can happen in 5,000 different communities around the world at the same time. No central place can manage all of those difficulties and so local communities need to be ready, and part of the president's plan is to assure that they are," Leavitt said.Three influenza pandemics swept the globe in the 20th century. The worst, in 1918-19, killed 20 million to 50 million people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and triggered an international panic.The CDC has set up quarantine stations at 18 U.S. airports to monitor and respond to potential outbreaks.President Bush outlined a $7.1 billion plan to prepare for a potential pandemic in a November 1 speech.Much of the money would be spent on a stockpile of vaccine and antiviral drugs, but about $583 million is being spent on domestic preparedness and $251 million would go to help other countries detect and contain a potential outbreak."The most effective way to protect the American population is to contain an outbreak beyond the borders of the United States. While we work to prevent a pandemic from reaching our shores, we recognize that slowing or limiting the spread of the outbreak is a more realistic outcome and can save many lives," according to the Department of Homeland Security's national strategy plan.The federal plan calls for coordination with international organizations such as the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization to isolate outbreaks.Health officials stress that there is no risk of catching the bird flu by handling or eating birds in the United States.The H5N1 virus has not shown up in the United States.If a bird were to be infected with the virus, cooking it to a temperature above 158 degrees Fahrenheit will kill the virus, according to the WHO."To date, no evidence indicates that any person has become infected with the H5N1 virus following the consumption of properly cooked poultry or poultry products, even in cases where the food item contained the virus prior to cooking," according to the World Health Organization.

Washington (AP) -- One in 20 students was a victim of violence or theft at school in 2003, the government said in a report that shows school crime rates about were half what they were 10 years earlier.Yet the school crime rate essentially has leveled off, showing no change since 2000, according to a report Sunday from the departments of Education and Justice.There were about 28 crimes of rape, sexual assault, robbery and physical assault for every 1,000 students in 2003, compared with 59 per 1,000 a decade earlier. The study looked at crimes against the 26.4 million students who were 12 years old to 18 years old in 2003.In 2002, the violent crime rate per 1,000 students was 24, but government researchers said there was no statistically significant change between 2002 and 2003 because the numbers are estimates from relatively small surveys."The level of precision isn't good enough to say whether there has been a change," said Thomas Snyder, a report author at the Education Department.Snyder said, however, there has been no change in the crime rate in several years. The report does not attempt to explain rises and falls.The drop from the early 1990s is long-standing and large enough to overcome any doubts about comparing one year to the next, according to the report. Indeed, it mirrors the general trend in the United States, in which crime is at a 30-year low.In 2003, there were about 738,700 violent crimes involving students at school and about 846,400 away from school property. For the most serious nonfatal violent crimes -- rape, assault and robbery -- the crime rates were at least 50 percent lower in school than away from school every year from 1992 to 2003.Students were twice as likely to be victims of serious violent crimes away from school than at school, but more likely to have things stolen from them at school than elsewhere.Pupils from poorer families were more likely to be victims of a violent crime at school than were wealthier students, while the opposite was true for theft, with richer students more likely to be victims.Some school safety experts have attributed the fall in the crime rate in the last decade to installing metal detectors, hiring more security personnel and implementing programs aimed at curbing bullying, which can lead to more serious crimes.A separate measure showed 17 homicides and five suicides in the 2001-02 school year, compared to 12 and five, respectively, a year earlier. By contrast, in the late 1990s there were two to three dozen killings year, the result of a string of fatal shootings. The most notable was the killings of 13 people at Columbine High School in Colorado by two heavily armed students in 1999.Teachers are also targets of school crime. The report found that from 1999 through 2003 teachers were victims of an annual average of 183,000 crimes at school, 65,000 of them violent. That translates to an annual rate of 39 crimes per 1,000 teachers.High school teachers were more than twice as likely as elementary school teachers to be violent crime victims. This month, an assistant principal at a high school in Jacksboro, Tenn., was shot to death by a student and two other administrators were wounded.Yet some school violence experts said the annual report routinely understates crime in schools because it is based on limited surveys and self-reporting. The data also already is outdated, saidKenneth Trump, president of National School Safety and Security Services, a consulting firm in Cleveland, Ohio."Even if the government had actual real-time data, it's two to three years old," Trump said. "School administrators need to know what is happening today and what to anticipate tomorrow, not outdated numbers from yesteryear."Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (CNN) -- U.S. President George W. Bush thanked Mongolia Monday for standing with the United States in Iraq in an historic visit to the struggling Asian democracy sandwiched between China and Russia."Both our nations know that our responsibilities in freedom's cause do not end at our borders -- and that survival of liberty in our own lands increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands," Bush said in a speech to the Mongolian parliament.After decades of being ruled by a communist regime, Mongolia has been governed by a democratic coalition party since parliamentary elections in 2004.Bush's visit to Mongolia was the first by a sitting U.S. president to the country, a sparsely populated Buddhist nation of 2.7 million people.Mongolia has 131 troops in Iraq and about 50 to Afghanistan in support of the U.S. war against terrorism, clinching its status as an ally."The Mongolian Armed Forces are serving the cause of freedom -- and the United States armed forces are proud to serve beside such fearless warriors," Bush said on the last stop of his tour, following two days of talks with Chinese leader Hu Jintao. The descendants of Genghis Khan, whose empire once spanned from Southeast Asia to Hungary, fear being overshadowed by China's massive economy, and are keenly eyeing the prospect of more American money through a new U.S. aid program known as the Millennium Challenge Account. (Full story)Bush said on Monday that Mongolia's help in the war on terror was being rewarded with $11 million, which he said were "critical funds to help you improve your military forces, so we can continue working together for the cause of peace and freedom." China's influence over the economy has become overwhelming, eclipsing Russia in most areas except oil, which Mongolia imports from Siberia.Iraq dogs BushWhile the United States has an ally in Mongolia, the debate over America's commitment in Iraq has dogged Bush during his eight-day tour of Asia, with growing doubts back home distracting him from promoting U.S. economic and political interests in Asia.The president spent part of his visit to Beijing responding to heated political rhetoric back home.He called an influential Democrat who wants U.S. troops home from Iraq a good man, but wrong. (Full story)"I know the decision to call for an immediate withdrawal of our troops by Congressman Murtha was done in a careful and thoughtful way. I disagree with his position," he said.This was a noticeably toned down response compared to a White House statement just days earlier, linking hawkish Congressman John Murtha to liberal filmmaker Michael Moore.Murtha on Thursday said the United States should pull out from Iraq over a six-month period. The retired Marine colonel said he had concluded that the presence of U.S. troops was counterproductive because they had become a magnet for insurgent violence.During his second stop in South Korea, Bush was dogged by anti-war protests, and a surprise proposal from his host to pull a third of its troops out of Iraq. But Bush has remained resolute, saying that leaving Iraq prematurely is "not going to happen, so long as I'm the president."Pressure on ChinaThe president spent Sunday morning church in Beijing, one of five sanctioned and censored by the communist government.Later Bush took the call to broaden rights for China's 1.3 billion people to its leader Hu.Bush said the United States has given Beijing a list of dissidents it believes are "improperly imprisoned," and he seemed encouraged that the Chinese leader even mentioned human rights. "Those who watch China closely would say that maybe a decade ago a leader wouldn't have uttered those comments," Bush said. "He talked about democracy." But with reports of a pre-Bush visit crackdown on dissidents, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had earlier expressed dismay, not progress."We've certainly not seen the progress that we would expect and we'll have to keep working on it," Rice said.The president spent much of his talks pouring over economic differences with the Chinese powerhouse that puts the U.S. at a huge disadvantage.On Sunday Bush pressed his Chinese counterpart to expand the country's religious, political and social freedoms. The U.S. trade deficit with China was also high on the agenda. (Full story)Hu promised to take action on the issue, but provided no concrete plan.Bush did win concessions for action on China's undervalued currency, or expected $200 billion trade deficit, and Bush aides reported some promises from China's premier about another major issue: piracy.Counterfeit products sold freely at markets in China and exported around the world cost Americans an estimated 750,000 jobs a year, and American business $250 billion. Experts say China makes the bulk of pirated copyright material.Later, the president took an hour-long bike ride with Chinese Olympic hopefuls, jokingly asking them how to say "let's keep up with this old man" in Chinese. CNN's Dana Bash contributed to this reportCopyright 2005 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- Days after a Democratic congressman's call to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq set off angry debate in Washington, President Bush said Sunday that leaving now would only embolden insurgents.Bush told reporters in China that Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a senior Democrat regarded as a defense hawk, was "a good man who served our country with honor and distinction as a Marine in Vietnam and as a United States congressman."But, Bush said, "I disagree with his position."The retired Marine colonel delivered an emotional statement Thursday, saying he had concluded that the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq was counterproductive because they had become a magnet for insurgent violence and that troops should be redeployed over six months. He also took a swipe at Vice President Dick Cheney and Bush, who have accused Democratic critics of playing politics during a war. "I like guys who've never been there who criticize us who've been there," Murtha said. (Watch Murtha's take on 'flawed policy wrapped in illusion' -- 8:11)Appearing Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," Murtha said, "I'm very hopeful that my proposal [of a four-step plan to get U.S. forces out of Iraq] is something they'll take seriously, that [Bush will] get a few of us to the White House and talk to us about this very difficult problem which the whole nation wants to solve with a bipartisan manner." Murtha said conditions in Iraq had changed since he wrote last year that an "untimely exit" could lead to civil war."It's different because there's no progress at all," Murtha said Sunday. The 17-term congressman said the U.S. needs to rethink its military strategy due to a persistent insurgency."... Since they're attacking our troops, and we have destabilized the area, I've changed my mind and I've come to the conclusion that now is the time to start to redeploy our troops to the periphery and let the Iraqis take over," Murtha said. A decidedly different toneIn his remarks Sunday, the president used a decidedly different tone than was heard from the administration on the day of Murtha's comments, when White House spokesman Scott McClellan compared the congressman to anti-war filmmaker Michael Moore.McClellan said it is "baffling that [Murtha] is endorsing the policy positions of Michael Moore and the extreme liberal wing of the Democratic party."McClellan called Murtha, who earned a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts for his service in Vietnam, "a respected veteran and politician who has a record of supporting America." (Watch Democrats defend Murtha's character -- 3:13)But, McClellan added, "The eve of an historic democratic election in Iraq is not the time to surrender to the terrorists." Bush, in China as part of an eight-day tour of Asia, said Murtha was a strong supporter of the military who had come to his decision "in a careful and thoughtful way."But Bush reiterated his policy that U.S. troops will stay in Iraq until that country's security forces can stand on their own. "An immediate withdrawal of our troops from Iraq will only strengthen the terrorists' hand in Iraq and in the broader war on terror," Bush said. The president said the Sunni-dominated insurgency's goal was to "break our will" so that an early withdrawal would lead to "a safe haven for terror."Leaving Iraq prematurely, he said, is "not going to happen, so long as I'm the president."After Murtha's statement, House GOP leaders tried Friday to force Democrats to take a stand on a quick exit from Iraq by bringing up a resolution calling for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops. The resolution was soundly defeated, with only three yes votes. (Full story)Democrats called the resolution a political stunt.Nearly 2,100 American troops have died in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion that toppled Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein -- a war that top U.S. officials said was needed to strip Iraq of illicit stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons and efforts to produce a nuclear bomb. No such stockpiles have been found since Hussein's government collapsed in April 2003. CNN's Dana Bash contributed to this report.

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Mike Newell loved the magic of the "Harry Potter" stories. He was not quite sold on the magic that went into making the "Harry Potter" movies, though.Newell, the director behind such character-driven tales as "Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Enchanted April" and "Donnie Brasco," went into "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" worried he might get gobbled up by a visual-effects beast that could choke the human drama.The first British director to oversee a "Harry Potter" film, Newell said he fought hard to keep the extravagant computer-generated imagery in its place, namely, in service of the story and not just a collection of pretty pictures for their own sake."I was daunted, and I was also ill-tempered," Newell, 63, told The Associated Press. "Because I felt very strongly that the tail wagged the dog, and that the special effects had on earlier films been the event. ..."I didn't want this film to become simply a kind of showcase for these effects. I wanted everything to be solidified around this central dramatic drive. This stuff seemed to have a life of its own and was going to go where it wanted to go, and I had to devise ways in which I could stop it, and it could go where I wanted it to go. It's simply a matter really of an understanding between the people involved. So often, those people do glorious work. It's just that it isn't connected to the main film. It somehow stands aside from it. I hope we avoided that on this."Newell succeeded in balancing story and visuals. The film has all the dazzling fireworks of its three predecessors, while putting the most human face yet on the bedeviling challenges of growing up the world's most famous boy wizard."Goblet of Fire" is adapted from the fourth book in the fantasy series by J.K. Rowling, the first of the books to hit epic proportions, topping 750 pages.No longer the full wide-eyed innocents of their early days at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and chums Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) cope with more adult threats from the magical world and the jealousies and rivalries that come with puberty.The school as a characterMuch as he admires the first two "Harry Potter" flicks crafted by U.S. filmmaker Chris Columbus and the one made by Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron, Newell felt he brought the one thing his predecessors lacked: Intimate knowledge about the quirks of a British education."It wasn't possible for them to get that right. They'd never been to such a school," Newell said. "English schools are very, very eccentric. They're not like any other. I know they've changed now, but when I was in school in the '50s, I was beaten with a cane, a rattan cane, as thick as my little finger."And that was a very common occurrence, and so they were kind of dangerous and violent places, but they also were very funny and anarchic places. I wanted to get the sense of the school as a character, having a character, so that the kind of crazinesses that she, Jo (Rowling) is so good at, I wanted to find an organization into which that kind of stuff could fit and bring the two things together. Bring the individuals and the institution together. So I think that's something I could bring in a major way to the table."To that end, Newell rewrote a scene to add a glint of schoolboy mischievousness and the corporal punishment it provokes, in which dour Professor Snape (Alan Rickman) bonks Harry and Ron in the head with a book for goofing off during a study period.Radcliffe notes it was the first time the filmmakers had slipped something into one of the movies that was not in the book.Before filming began, Radcliffe watched a number of Newell films, including "Dance With a Stranger" and "Pushing Tin." Radcliffe also familiarized himself with Alfred Hitchcock's "North by Northwest" after Newell mentioned the similarities he saw between the innocent hero of that movie (Cary Grant) and his puppetmaster nemesis (James Mason) and Harry and his mortal enemy, Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes).The central spine"Goblet of Fire" pits Harry against older student sorcerers in a wizardry competition that turns out to have a darker purpose.It was that core story -- Newell calls it the "scaffolding" -- on which he kept his focus in condensing the huge book to a 21/2-hour movie, retaining only frills and baubles that would connect to the main plot."He talked about it having a central spine with these little offshoots, I guess you'd call them nerve-endings, coming off it," Radcliffe said. "These little other strands that he kept reiterating, in which every scene had to push that central spine."Co-star Brendan Gleeson -- who plays Hogwarts' new defense-against-the-black-arts teacher, Mad-Eye Moody -- said Newell has great rapport with child actors, treating them as insistently as he does adults when trying to shape their performances."He never patronizes them. He can be quite idiosyncratic," said Gleeson, who previously worked with Newell on another film with children in the leads, the 1992 Irish fable "Into the West." "Kids don't get spared things either, whether they're going fantastically well or there's a glitch. There's a great humanity in the way he deals with kids, and they respond to it."Newell grew up a film fan but was more preoccupied with live theater, working as a stagehand, prop maker and bit player in an amateur theater his parents ran. Those early experiences led Newell to study theater in college.He expected to take the theater up for a living but moved into television instead as the medium was blossoming in the early 1960s and hungry for new talent.By 21, Newell was directing documentary segments on such odd little subjects as "the biggest rhubarb stick in Yorkshire," he said. "Wonderful, hard-hitting stuff."Newell moved into television drama, then scored his first film success in the late 1970s with "The Man in the Iron Mask," made for British TV but released theatrically overseas.Though he doubts he ever would take on a big visual-effects film again, Newell said he is no longer a skeptic on computer-generated imagery and would gladly use the technology on upcoming projects, which include a Western and an adaptation of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's novel "Love in the Time of Cholera.""What I feel now is that I've learned a lesson for the future, and if I want to make a city in Venezuela for 'Love in the Time of Cholera' and can only find half a city, then CGI will fill in for me," Newell said. "If I want to do a story about the building of the Victorian railways, then CGI will be my greatest friend."It's a technique which I have now really learned and had an enormously steep learning curve and fantastic on-the-job training. I'm kind of a convert. I don't want to do it all like that, but I think simply it's a technique like any other. It's like having lights to shoot at night."Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Don't expect much ceremony when Ted Koppel signs off.The closing thought with which he ends each "Nightline" will take the form of a farewell Tuesday. Then, one last time, he will likely say, "For all of us here at ABC News, good night." And it will be over: almost 26 years as "Nightline" anchor and a 42-year hitch with ABC. ("Nightline" airs at 11:35 p.m. EST.)"There is nothing precipitous about this," notes Koppel, who announced his plans in March. "It's time to give a new bunch a crack at this."Now 65, he's not retiring. ("I'm not telling you goodbye; it's au revoir," he offers gamely.) After a few months, he aims to be back at work in a venture with longtime executive producer Tom Bettag, who's leaving "Nightline" too.While Koppel declines to discuss what might lie ahead, Bettag is a bit more forthcoming, confirming they have talked with HBO about a series of documentaries (no deal is yet in place).But wherever Koppel settles next, Tuesday marks the end of an era. And not just for "Nightline," but across network news as he joins three other giants who, in the past 12 months, have left the evening newscasts they anchored for decades: NBC's Tom Brokaw, CBS' Dan Rather and the late Peter Jennings on ABC.Even so, with Koppel and "Nightline," there's a difference: He was there at the creation.And though Koppel's on-air presence has diminished -- in recent years he was anchoring just three nights per week -- he has always set the tone for "Nightline," which since March 1980 has stood its ground against the twaddle of so much TV news.Natalee Holloway? When mentioned to Koppel as a poster child for News Lite, her name didn't register until he was prompted with: "the teen who went missing in Aruba."That's reassuring. But when Koppel leaves "Nightline," will its fluff filter be leaving with him?On November 28, a triumvirate of Martin Bashir, Cynthia McFadden and Terry Moran will take over. And most nights, the program will cover several stories, not just one in-depth, as before.Multiple anchors! Multiple reports! It seems like a whole-hog reimagining of "Nightline.""The challenge over the years, and the challenge now, is to keep changing the program without altering it," says Koppel.'Intercontinental salons' "Nightline" evolved from the ABC News special broadcasts, "The Iran Crisis: America Held Hostage," which began November 8, 1979.He points to its evolution since its birth, when then ABC News President Roone Arledge transformed coverage of U.S. diplomats taken hostage in Iran into a broad-based late-night fixture.Predating CNN by several weeks (with MSNBC and Fox News Channel still unimagined) "Nightline" was a fresh alternative to late-night talk and old movies.As anchor, Koppel, who had been at ABC News since 1963 and its chief diplomatic correspondent for a decade, proved right away to be the ideal choice. A star was born at 40.And completing the "Nightline" equation was the recent breakthrough in satellite transmission that made possible "intercontinental salons" -- an interviewing form Koppel largely invented."What was thrilling during that first year to us and to the audience was the technology," he recalls. "Being able to orchestrate a conversation among three people -- in Moscow, Tehran and in Washington -- was unprecedented. Just being able to do that was enough to excite people in 1980 and '81."But the chosen subject matter brought substance to the form. AIDS, the prison system, racism were among the thorny topics repeatedly addressed."Why? Because those are desperately important issues, and you need to keep reminding the public," Koppel says.The mission of "Nightline" was lofty, even defiant. And the public responded. As recently as the mid-1990s, "Nightline" was edging out CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" for first place in its time slot, averaging more than 6.9 million viewers."Our legacy," says Koppel, "is that a serious news broadcast can be successful on all counts, without catering to anyone's baser instincts. 'Nightline' has made a lot of money. It has been successful in terms of viewership, awards and accolades. But most important to me, it's been successful in not ever having to lower its standards."As they outlined their eventual departure, Koppel and Bettag put forth a five-year transition plan in 2000.But this succession strategy, which would have phased "Nightline" correspondent Chris Bury into the anchor seat, was derailed in early 2002 when ABC was caught wooing Letterman. Although "Nightline" still outdrew Letterman's "Late Show," ABC executives worried that their program wasn't a favorite of the younger viewers many advertisers prefer. But then Letterman stayed at CBS.The whole episode riled Koppel, who said ABC's scheme to evict "Nightline" had caused "collateral damage" to the program.Now he insists he is "delighted that at least the network is willing to give the news division a chance to keep 'Nightline' going."But to save "Nightline," will the network be destroying it?Even in the face of what seems like drastic changes, Bettag voices cautious optimism. In particular, he says, the three-anchor format may now be the best option: Koppel would be a hard act for one person to follow."As long as the quality is there," Bettag says, "a different kind of broadcast is not necessarily a bad idea."And as the days count down to his no-frills exit, Koppel agrees."I think at its best, 'Nightline' has been able to inform and entertain simultaneously," he says. "I see no reason why it can't go on doing that."Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

NEW YORK (AP) -- The number of people who use Internet search engines to find information has jumped over the last year, claiming a solid No. 2 spot behind e-mail among online tasks, a new study finds.Of the 94 million American adults who went online on a given autumn day this year, 63 percent used a search engine, compared with 56 percent in June 2004, the Pew Internet and American Life Project said Sunday.Until recently, search and news have been running neck-and-neck for the No. 2 spot among Internet tasks, said Lee Rainie, the project's director. But search had a dramatic jump over the past year to widen the gap over news, used by 46 percent of the Internet's daily population.Use of search engines was higher among users who are richer and better educated, as well as those with high-speed broadband connections that are continuously on."If you're cooking dinner and wondering what ingredients to put in your meal, if you had a dial-up connection you would probably go to your cookbook," Rainie said. "If ... you have a broadband connection, you'd likely go to your bookmarks" for your favorite search engine.E-mail remains the most popular application, used by 77 percent of the daily sampled population.Separate tracking by comScore Media Metrix finds that users averaged 24 minutes a day on e-mail, compared with less than 4 minutes for search. Pew researchers note that the gap signals that e-mail remains a powerful application.Nonetheless, although the number of daily e-mail users has grown because of increases in the overall online population, the percentage of the daily population accessing e-mail has dropped. It was 85 percent in the 2004 survey.Rainie suggests users might have grown fearful of viruses and other threats spread via e-mail, or they might have turned to instant messaging instead. He also speculates that they might simply suffer from information overload and conscientiously limit their e-mail use.The random telephone-based survey of 1,577 Internet users was conducted September 13 to Oct. 14. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

SEATTLE, Washington (AP) -- It's late November and gamers, it's cold outside.But a little winter chill won't stop video game lovers from lining up at stores throughout the nation in hopes of being among the first to score Microsoft Corp.'s brand new Xbox 360 when it is released Tuesday.The question is: will the wait pay off, or do the Xbox faithful risk going home empty-handed?Here's the good news: Retailers including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Best Buy Co., Circuit City Stores Inc. and Target Corp. say they plan to have consoles available at all locations on Tuesday. What's more, retailers say they expect to get more consoles weekly leading up to Christmas, so people who don't get consoles immediately need not despair.Here's the bad news: Most retailers won't say how many they'll have on launch day -- for competitive reasons -- and some locations could sell out quickly."There's a lot of excitement for this product," said Best Buy spokesman Jay Musolf. "Come early."Microsoft has said it plans to sell 3 million of the new $399.99 Xbox 360 consoles worldwide within 90 days of its launch. The company said it is producing Xboxes as fast as it can. But it has conceded that an ambitious plan to launch the console worldwide within a few weeks -- rather than staggering releases over months and months, as is typical -- will mean fewer consoles initially in North America. A slimmed-down version without a detachable hard drive and wireless controller will sell for $299.99.Apart from its high-definition graphics and gaming aptitude, the device offers users other capabilities: the ability to listen to music, view photos, watch DVDs and play electronic puzzle and card games."The supply problems are there in as much as the demand is unbelievable," said Peter Moore, a corporate vice president in charge of marketing for the Xbox.But he denied production problems and dismissed "conspiracy theories," including that the company is purposefully bottlenecking supply to intensify interest."None of those are true whatsoever," he said.Best Buy plans to open some stores at midnight for elaborate launch events, and all of the company's stores -- including those that sold consoles at midnight -- will open at 9 a.m. with consoles available.Wal-Mart also is planning to sell consoles beginning at midnight, but only at stores that are already open 24 hours. Circuit City, Costco and Target say they will begin selling the consoles when their stores open for business at the regular time Tuesday.Circuit City spokeswoman Amanda Tate said the retailer plans to hand out vouchers on a first-come, first-serve basis and will put a "sold out" sign up so people don't waste their time waiting. She said not to expect too many consoles at each store on launch day."I would like to say hundreds, but in actuality it's dozens," she said.Costco Wholesale Corp. will have consoles available at some stores, but doesn't expect elaborate launch events like those planned at some Best Buy locations. Rick DeLie, Costco's vice president for toys, said he's hoping that consumers just stumble happily upon them."We're a treasure hunt," DeLie said. "Do we want people lining up outside our doors? No."Amazon.com Inc. is sold out of Xbox 360s, but company spokeswoman Tracy Ogden said the online retailer expects to be able to get consoles to those who pre-ordered them relatively quickly. Ogden would not say when the company planned to again begin taking orders.GameStop and EB Games, both units of GameStop Corp., plan to open hundreds of stores at midnight to welcome the console -- but don't show up expecting to get one. The company is only handing out actual consoles to customers who pre-ordered months ago, and spokesman Chris Olivera said even some people who pre-ordered more recently may not see a console until early January. The company hopes to sell games and other add-ons at the midnight event.For everyone else, Olivera is recommending that perhaps they consider another system, like the first Xbox or rival Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 2, will do.Microsoft's Moore said most people who want a Xbox 360 immediately probably already have other consoles, so he's not worried about losing business to older machines.As for those who might be left empty-handed on launch day, he said: "The only thing I can tell those folks is that supply will continue to come in, and ultimately demand, I'm sure, will start to slow down a little."Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

NAIROBI, Kenya (Reuters) -- From misty highlands to sweltering plains, millions of Kenyans voted Monday in a referendum on a new constitution that has stirred tribal divisions and shaped into a dress rehearsal for a 2007 election.Despite fears of more violence after eight deaths during the campaign, turnout looked steady, and police said there were no "ugly" incidents. Polling booths closed at 5 p.m. local time.Citing unofficial partial results, Private Nation Television said that with 104,049 votes counted the "No" lobby was ahead with 55 percent to 45 percent for the "Yes" camp led by President Mwai Kibaki. The Institute for Education in Democracy independent observer group reported a similar margin.Critics say the proposed constitution fails to curb the president's immense powers, a key issue in a country fractured by decades of so-called "Big Man" rule involving graft and tribalism.Supporters say the president would be more answerable to parliament. The charter also allows men and women to have an equal right to inherit property, bans abortion unless permitted by an act of parliament and prohibits same-sex marriages.Government spokesman Alfred Mutua said the poll had been free and fair.Kibaki, 74, who has staked his political prestige on the vote, said tensions seen during weeks of campaigning marked by rancor and name calling had eased."People had become too involved in dirty politics, but now they have calmed down," Kibaki said."Everything will be all right. People can go back now to their farms and their jobs," he added after voting.There were scattered reports of irregularities, including vote-buying and flawed voter lists. And in far-flung areas with nomadic populations, some polling stations stayed open late.Power struggle between president, foesOfficial results were due Tuesday.Although there were only several small opinion polls in the run-up to the referendum, they showed the "No" camp ahead.The vote on the complicated charter -- which would replace an existing text drawn up on the eve of independence from Britain in 1963 -- has boiled down to a power struggle between Kibaki and foes who say he has perpetuated corruption.The tussle between Kibaki's "Yes" camp and his opponents' "No" campaign has widened a Cabinet split and seen a realignment of forces as politicians eye the 2007 vote. The main opposition and a party from the ruling coalition backed the "No" vote.The vote also has caused a worrying deepening of communal tensions in the nation of 32 million, seen by Western allies as a linchpin of stability in turbulent East Africa.As mist swirled round Kibaki's highland hometown of Othaya, "Yes" voters there said he was right to change the charter."We need to change this old colonial constitution, which has been used to oppress us," said engineer Peter Mathenge, 32.In opposition leader Uhuru Kenyatta's hometown of Gatundu, also in highlands north of Nairobi, most were voting "No.""Uhuru has told us to vote 'No.' We will follow him even if he tells us to go to the wilderness," said Sam Kungu, a jobless 32-year-old.There were several reports of vote inducement -- a common practice in Kenya and across Africa at elections.One TV reporter said from Busia, west Kenya, that people in "Yes" T-shirts approached about 20 people with offers of 50 shillings ($0.67) to sway their choice.Copyright 2005 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

LONDON, England (AP) -- Alfred Anderson, the last surviving soldier to have heard the guns fall silent along the Western Front during the spontaneous "Christmas Truce" of World War I, died Monday at age 109.More than 80 years after the war, Anderson recalled the "eerie sound of silence" as shooting stopped and soldiers clambered from trenches to greet one another December 25, 1914.His parish priest, the Rev. Neil Gardner, said Anderson died in his sleep early Monday at a nursing home in Newtyle, Scotland. His death leaves fewer than 10 veterans of World War I alive in Britain.Born June 25, 1896, Anderson was an 18-year-old soldier in the Black Watch regiment when British and German troops cautiously emerged from the trenches that Christmas Day in 1914. The enemies swapped cigarettes and tunic buttons, sang carols and even played soccer amid the mud, barbed wire and shell-holes of no man's land.The informal truce spread along much of the 500-mile Western Front, in some cases lasting for days -- alarming army commanders who feared fraternization would sap the troops' will to fight. The next year brought the start of vast battles of attrition that claimed 10 million lives, and the Christmas truce was never repeated."I remember the silence, the eerie sound of silence," Anderson told The Observer newspaper last year."All I'd heard for two months in the trenches was the hissing, cracking and whining of bullets in flight, machine-gun fire and distant German voices," said Anderson, who was billeted in a French farmhouse behind the front lines."But there was a dead silence that morning, right across the land as far as you could see. We shouted 'Merry Christmas,' even though nobody felt merry. The silence ended early in the afternoon and the killing started again. It was a short peace in a terrible war."During the war, Anderson served briefly as batman -- or valet -- to Capt. Fergus Bowes-Lyon, brother of the Queen Mother Elizabeth. Bowes-Lyon was killed at the Battle of Loos in 1915.Prince Charles said he was "deeply saddened" by Anderson's death and recalled meeting him several times. "We should not forget him, and the others of his generation who have given so much for their country," the heir to the British throne said.Anderson fought in France until 1916, when he was wounded by shrapnel. In 1998, he was awarded France's Legion of Honor for his war service.Anderson was Scotland's oldest man. The country's First Minister, Jack McConnell, said he "represented the generation of young Scots who fought in the First World War, and endured unimaginable horrors.""Many of them made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and we must never forget what they have given to us."Lt. Col. Roddy Riddell, regimental secretary of the Black Watch, said Anderson's death marked "the end of the epoch.""The entire regiment is in mourning and we are all the sadder for his passing," he said.Gardner said Anderson "was quite philosophical about his wartime experiences." Anderson himself said he tried to put them out of his mind."I think about all my friends who never made it home," he said once. "But it's too sad to think too much about it. Far too sad."In later years, Anderson spoke often of the guilt he felt over the loss of friends and comrades."I felt so guilty meeting the families of friends who were lost," he told The Times newspaper this month. "They looked at me as if I should have been left in the mud of France instead of their loved one. I couldn't blame them, they were grieving, and I still share their grief and bear that feeling of guilt."Anderson is survived by four children, 10 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

PUERTO ORDAZ, Venezuela (AP) -- President Hugo Chavez sought to clear the way for Venezuela to join the South American trade bloc Mercosur as he met Argentine leader Nestor Kirchner Monday in talks that also focused on plans to build a natural gas pipeline between the two countries.Venezuela has proposed a network of pipelines to carry its natural gas to South American markets and eventually tap into supplies in Bolivia, the continent's second-largest source after Venezuela. The cost for a pipeline running south through Brazil to Argentina has been estimated at $10 billion (euro8.5 billion).The two leaders visited a hydroelectric dam that supplies power to millions of Venezuelans, smiling as they greeted workers but making no comments to reporters.Some $223 million (euro189 million) in Argentine investment for upgrades to the dam and increased Venezuelan fuel sales to Argentina were among accords the leaders were expected to sign Monday at the close of their talks.Argentina is backing Venezuela's bid to become a full member of Mercosur, which also includes Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.Chavez says the trade bloc represents an alternative to the U.S. proposal for a hemisphere-wide free trade zone, which has been criticized by Kirchner and other Mercosur leaders.Chavez has argued the U.S.-backed free trade zone would help big U.S. companies at the expense of Latin America's poor.Chavez, a critic of the U.S. government and close ally of Cuba's Fidel Castro, has sought to build strong ties with left-leaning leaders across Latin America, including Kirchner.This year, Venezuela bought $950 million (euro791 million) in Argentine bonds, and Chavez said he would talk with Kirchner about buying more.The Argentine president arrived Sunday night in the eastern city of Puerto Ordaz, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) southeast of Caracas.Venezuela's bid to join Mercosur has backing within the group, and Kirchner's visit was expected to help the leaders sketch out details of an accord ahead of a December 9 meeting in Uruguay where Chavez hopes to make his country a full member.Venezuela is an associate member, along with other nations from Chile to Colombia. Mexico also has expressed interest in joining as a full member.Backers say that Mercosur, created in 1994, has helped boost trade. Critics say it has made few concrete achievements.Venezuelan opposition leader and presidential candidate Julio Borges warned the country would lose jobs by joining the trade bloc. Chavez has called it a path to improving all members' economies through greater cooperation, rather than unrestrained U.S.-style capitalism.Other agreements expected during the talks included a deal for Argentina to help install an elevator-manufacturing business in Venezuela.The leaders were expected to touch on a bitter dispute between Chavez and Mexico's Vicente Fox that last week led both leaders to withdraw their ambassadors. The two began to feud at a recent summit in Argentina, where Fox supported the U.S. proposal for a Free Trade Area of the Americas and Chavez called the idea dead.Chavez later labeled Fox a "puppy" of the United States, but during the weekend said he hoped the flap soon would be resolved.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

HOMESTEAD, Florida (AP) -- Two helicopters collided Sunday at the Homestead-Miami Speedway after the NASCAR championship, killing one pilot, authorities said.One helicopter was taking off from the speedway's helipad shortly before 9 p.m. while another was attempting to land, said Miami-Dade Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Richard Martin."They had either a midair collision or a near-midair collision. One of them did a hard landing right on the helipad. No one on that craft was injured," Martin said.The other pilot died after being airlifted to a Miami hospital, a spokeswoman for the Miami-Dade Police Department said. The pilot's identification was being withheld pending family notification.Todd Shook, 46, of Sarasota said he saw the blades of one helicopter clip the body of the second helicopter, as he was walking to his RV parked outside the speedway.One helicopter landed lopsided on the speedway's helipad, and the other crashed into an RV parked nearby, he said."It just hit real hard, and then I saw the windshield all broken out," Shook said.It was not immediately clear if the RV was occupied at the time of the crash.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (AP) -- A city health official has apologized to the relatives of a woman whose body sat unidentified in the medical examiner's office for more than two years."It's something certainly the family is due," Health Commissioner Joanne Godley told The Philadelphia Inquirer.Godley said what happened to the remains of Unisha "Niecey" Jefferson, 38, was an "aberration" and that the city would conduct an extensive review to prevent similar mishaps in the future, the newspaper reported Saturday.Jefferson's sister, Katrina Johnson, 35, questioned the sincerity of the apology, which she said should have come from Mayor John Street."I don't feel like the apology is genuine," Johnson said. "Why did it take until (the story of what happened) was printed in the paper for an apology to be offered?"Jefferson vanished April 14, 2003. Police found the body that turned out to be hers in an abandoned factory five months later.The medical examiner's office was unable to identify the decomposed remains and failed to match the body with missing-person reports filed two weeks after Jefferson's disappearance.The body was identified Tuesday after news reports about a missing-persons conference highlighted the case.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

CAMDEN, New Jersey (AP) -- For the second year in a row this destitute city of Camden, New Jersey, has been named the nation's most dangerous, according to a company's annual ranking based on crime statistics.Last year, the distinction seemed to hurt city boosters' feelings more than it harmed revitalization efforts. This time, city leaders are offended by the ranking, calling it unfair."We're doing so many nice things now. It's unfortunate that somebody always wants to bad-mouth Camden," Mayor Gwendolyn Faison said.The city took the top spot last year from Detroit, which remained No. 2 in the most dangerous city rankings, to be released Monday by Morgan Quitno Press. The Lawrence, Kansas-based company publishes "City Crime Rankings," an annual reference book.Listed as the most dangerous cities are: Camden, New Jersey; Detroit, Michigan; St. Louis, Missouri; Flint, Michigan; Richmond, Virginia; Baltimore, Maryland; Atlanta, Georgia; New Orleans, Louisiana; Gary, Indiana; Birmingham, Alabama.At the other end of the scale, the safest are named as: Newton, Massachusetts; Clarkstown, New York; Amherst, New York; Mission Viejo, California; Brick Township, New Jersey; Troy, Michigan; Thousand Oaks, California; Round Rock, Texas; Lake Forest, California; Cary, North Carolina.Development projectsCamden, a former industrial city across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, is known for a history of corrupt politicians, drug-dealing and murders. It has been among the Top 10 in the most dangerous city rankings in each of the eight years Morgan Quitno released them. By most measures it is also among the nation's poorest.The state has poured $175 million into the city to spur development projects and take over parts of its government, the city's aquarium doubled in size and a new library and technology center were built. Tourism continues to increase along the river, home to the aquarium, an amphitheater, a minor-league baseball park and a retired battleship.But about 100 fewer prospective students than expected attended Rutgers University's downtown campus last year, something Provost Roger Dennis attributes to the crime ranking and a serial rapist who assaulted women near and on campus last fall.Police are now using computers to try to track crime trends, and more officers are patrolling the city's neighborhoods.Authorities say that has helped drive down the most serious crimes by 18 percent in the first 10 months of 2005 compared with the same period a year earlier.Some residents say their neighborhoods feel a bit safer."I haven't heard that many gunshots," said Gracy Muniz, 22, a mother of three who lives in North Camden.Critics note that Morgan Quitno's ranking is based on data from last year, when the city of 80,000 averaged a murder a week. Murders from January through October were down by 45 percent compared with the same period in 2004.Scott Morgan, president of Morgan Quitno, said Friday that while the numbers may not be perfect, they are one of the only ways to compare crime in different cities.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (AP) -- The scene was straight out of a Genghis Khan movie.There were Mongol warriors clad in armor and helmets, armed with swords and mounted on the short, stout horses unique to Mongolia. The warriors hoisted colorful battle flags on spears.Dancers in colorful costumes and elaborate masks that resembled the heads of animals performed traditional routines. Others banged on gongs or played horns. (Gallery of Bush's unusual visit)Cows, camels and grunting yaks roamed nearby.President Bush, his wife, Laura, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice waded into the scene Monday, a settlement of tentlike "gers' set up for the occasion in chilly weather just outside the capital city.Bush entered the first of the wood-and-felt homes, made warm by one of the wood-burning stoves that are a staple of Mongolian living.He drank fermented mare's milk -- sometimes likened to a mix of warm beer and buttermilk -- sipped tea and nibbled cheese curd, a White House official said. Reporters were kept outside and could not watch.Inside a second ger, Bush listened as three women in exquisite red and blue-gray gowns performed the traditional Central Asian art of throat singing, a technique that allows the singer to create more than one pitch at the same time.Walking back to the motorcade for the ride to Air Force One, Bush checked out the camels but stopped short as he approached, saying he did not want to be spit on.Mongolian President Nambaryn Enkhbayar beckoned Bush to see the yaks and their handlers, which he obligingly did.A horse named MontanaBush joked that there was another important reason for his visit.It had to do with a coffee-brown gelding named Montana."I'm here on an important international mission," Bush told the Mongolian Parliament in his speech at the Government House. "Secretary Rumsfeld asked me to check on his horse."During his own lay-the-groundwork visit in October, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was presented with a Mongolian horse as a symbol of friendship between the two countries.He said he would name it Montana because the arid, mountainous landscape around the Mongolian capital reminded him of the state where his wife, Joyce, was born.But because the horse was the kind of gift Rumsfeld couldn't take back to the Pentagon, Montana remains in Mongolia, cared for by a herdsman who goes by the single name of Bilegerdene. The horse is never to be ridden by anyone for the rest of its life.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

NEW YORK (AP) -- "Sopranos" actor Vincent Pastore pleaded guilty Monday to attempting to assault a former girlfriend last spring.As part of the plea deal, Pastore will perform 70 hours of community service, attend six months of weekly anger management therapy and pay a $190 fine. If convicted at trial, he could have been sentenced to as much as a year in jail.Pastore, 59, was accused of attacking Lisa Regina, 44, during an argument in the Little Italy neighborhood. Prosecutors said he punched her in the back of the head, grabbed her hair and forced her head down on a car's gear shift.When the judge asked Monday whether he attempted to strike Regina, Pastore replied, "Yes, I did."The actor, a Navy veteran, said he wanted to serve his community service at a Veterans Administration hospital in the Bronx neighborhood where he was born.Pastore's attorney Dominic Barbara said his client has been receiving anger management therapy for 10 months.Pastore is most noted for his role as gangster Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero, who was killed early in the series as payback for snitching on the mob. He has appeared in three subsequent episodes in flashbacks and dreams.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) -- A Nike corporate jet carrying its CEO and six other people developed landing gear problems shortly after takeoff Monday but then made a safe emergency landing after the gear was unstuck.The Gulfstream jet touched down at 12:11 p.m. PT at the airport in Hillsboro, Oregon, the same facility where the plane left, bound for Toronto, around five hours earlier.Nike President and CEO William D. Perez was on the Gulfstream V. He joined the company last year when co-founder Phil Knight stepped down from daily management at the big athletic shoe and apparel company."The pilots -- unbelievable, unbelievable, what they did for us," Perez said afterward. "They were very calm, collected and professional, told us every maneuver they were going to try."The others on board were two other senior executives, a fourth Nike employee and three crew members, the company said.TV footage showed the right main wheel only about one-quarter extended, apparently blocked by the wheel door. The gear was back to normal when the plane finally landed.Allen Kenitzer, an FAA spokesman, said the plane crew took steps to burn off fuel and talked with the Gulfstream company to get advice on freeing the landing gear."The pilot is the ultimate authority in determining what to do with that airplane," Kenitzer said.The airplane made low passes over the Hillsboro runway, briefly touching the runway with the extended left landing gear and then lifting off again, apparently to jostle the other wheel down, said Connie King, spokeswoman for the Hillsboro Fire Department.John O'Meara, a chief test pilot at Gulfstream who helped out from the ground, told MSNBC there was initially some difficulty keeping phone contact with the crew.After that was solved, he said, "in following all the procedures that are already in the flight manual, we were able to talk them through that and ... they were able to get the gear down." The crew, he said, "did a magnificent job."Perez, 58, was named last November 18 to succeed Knight as CEO. He had spent 34 years with S.C. Johnson & Son Inc., the privately held manufacturer of household products.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Behind a massive acrylic window, golden trevally move in sync, a sawfish pokes through the sand and a whale shark glides slowly and steadily overhead -- an aquatic ballet set to music."We want to be the world's most engaging aquarium," says Jeff Swanagan, executive director of the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, which will open on November 23, billing itself as the world's largest indoor aquarium.To achieve that, the aquarium built enormous tanks that sprawl and curve -- giving visitors the chance to virtually dive into the fishes' world and swim side-by-side with them. (Take your own personal tour)Interactive stations and touch tanks let visitors feel the bumpy ridges of a starfish or caress a stingray as it glides through the water."We tried to use music and drama -- theater as well as science -- to achieve that connection," Swanagan said.More than half of the animals come from aquaculture or fish farming. Most of the fish were flown from overseas farms via UPS or trucked from coastal Georgia and Florida to a warehouse where they underwent a 30-day quarantine before transfer to their permanent exhibits.Some of the animals, such as the sea otters, beluga whales and penguins, came from other zoos or aquariums.The Georgia Aquarium holds more than 8 million gallons of water to house well over 100,000 fish. It's a leap in size and capacity over the next largest aquarium -- Chicago's Shedd, which holds 5 million gallons of water to support 20,000 aquatic animals.The $200 million building, designed to look like a ship breaking through a wave, was a gift from Home Depot founder Bernie Marcus."We've been working on this for almost two years. We have 125,000 fish here to give us an opportunity to do something that nobody in this industry has ever done before," Marcus told a press conference.The facility hosts five viewing galleries along with a 4-D movie theater that explores the sea creatures that inhabit both fresh- and saltwater around the globe.The aquarium expects 2.4 million visitors in the first year and to bring $1 billion into the city over the next five years. (Full story)So where did a landlocked city get all that saltwater? It's city water chemically treated with a product that's available at most pet stores."Most aquariums located on a coast don't use the water. It's usually too polluted," Swanagan explained. "Most have to use [the product] 'Instant Ocean,' you have to make the water."Computers monitor the life support system and regulate the water filtration. The water is recycled to minimize waste."We respect the water, and use the water. We don't just let it go down the drain. We treat this water like gold. The only water loss is evaporation," said Swanagan.Niko and GasperNiko and Gasper, two male Beluga whales, left poor living conditions -- an exhibit under a rollercoaster at a Mexico City amusement park -- for Atlanta."The conditions there were not as good as we would want them to be but the people from Mexico were doing the best they could," said Dr. Tonya Clauss, the aquarium's assistant manager of veterinary services.The two are being treated for some minor skin problems that probably resulted from the less-than-ideal water conditions in Mexico, but their overall health is very good, Clauss said."They started eating the first day and have been doing great," she said.Their new tank will provide them with more room and additional tankmates -- three female belugas from New York, affectionately called by the vet staff "the New York ladies."Clauss says all five are getting along well.And if the Mexican boys and the New York ladies get a little too friendly?"We wouldn't be upset at all if that happened," Clauss said with a smile."We have an ultrasound machine, similar to what you would find in human medicine. It would help us out in detecting a little baby beluga."Three full-time veterinarians along with a staff of students from the University of Georgia will tend to the needs of the aquarium's residents as well as conduct research from a $5 million onsite hospital. (Tour the facility)"What we are trying to do here is make sure nutrition is optimized, make sure the space and the water quality is optimized so we reduce stress -- that's the name of the game," said Dr. Howard Krum, the aquarium's manager of veterinary services.He added "We haven't had any serious medical emergencies yet." But should an animal like a beluga whale get sick, it could be lifted from its tank, transported down to the vet clinic and wheeled right into surgery.Once there, medical equipment to rival any human hospital's is available.Krum said that with a digital radiography machine, "We don't develop [X-ray] films anymore. You just slide the plate under the animal, take a shot and you've got an instant image" on a computer monitor.For the largest patients like the two male whale sharks, treatment would be given in their exhibit at a sectioned-off medical pool.Big fishWhale sharks are the biggest fish in the world, averaging between 18 and 32 feet long. Ralph and Norton, named after the Jackie Gleason and Art Carney characters from the 1950s TV show "The Honeymooners," were purchased from Taiwan, where normally they would have ended up as "tofu shark.""The first day that our whale sharks arrived I was underwater photographing them. I watched them take their first lap [in the tank], it was incredible," said Swanagan.The new aquarium is the first in North America to attempt to keep whale sharks in captivity. Okinawa Expo Aquarium in Japan has kept 16 whale sharks over the past 10 years. Many died young. The longest surviving whale shark at the Okinawa aquarium arrived in March 1995. The new aquarium is the first in North America to attempt to keep whale sharks in captivity.Some environmental organizations have raised objections to keeping the large animals."I'm not convinced that taking these animals that were from the wild and putting them into captivity for the rest of their lives is in their best interest," said Robert Adams, vice president of Born Free U.S.A., an organization that opposes the captivity of all wildlife for public display."When you take elephants in zoos or sharks or whales in aquaria and put them in confined places that are completely unnatural and have kids come view them you are not educating them about the species because you are giving them a completely inaccurate picture," he said.The aquarium's whale sharks are juveniles and could grow to up to 40 feet in length.Aquarium officials are confident their exhibit, which is about the size of a football field and holds 6 million gallons of water, will provide Ralph and Norton and the nearly 100,000 other fish also in the tank with plenty of room.But MarineBio.org, an online volunteer organization of marine students and biologists remains skeptical."Although the whale sharks are relatively small now, when they reach their full size... their health will certainly be in jeopardy," said a statement given to CNN.com by MarineBio.org's Associate Director/Editor Joni Lawrence.The statement said the organization prefers to see the animals in their natural habitats but offered support for the aquarium opening as "a benefit to marine conservation."For the aquarium's director, the economic and educational benefits are too good to pass up."The people who live inside the country tend to know the least [about aquatic sea life]. They may never have seen dolphins or sunsets over the ocean. So it's exactly the reason why an aquarium needs to be the middle of the country, to educate the citizenry," Swanagan said.