A One-Way Ticket to Space?

October 25, 2010 5:48 PM

Suddenly, the idea of sending humans on one-way flights to colonize other planets is getting a public airing.

Just last weekend, NASA Ames Director Simon "Pete" Worden was quoted as saying that NASA has "just started a project with DARPA" called the Hundred Year Starship with the long-range goal of settling other planets. (DARPA is an acronym for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.)

The general idea would be to send humans to destinations where they would live out the remainder of their lives.

Mars: Home, Sweet Home?

(Credit: NASA)

And now, a couple of researchers make the argument why the use of one-way tickets to the cosmos would be the preferred - not to mention the most affordable - way to establish human colonies on other worlds..

In a paper published in the Journal of Cosmology, Dirk Schulze-Makuch, an associate professor at Washington State University's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Paul Davies, a physicist and cosmologist from Arizona State University, say the costs of safely returning a crew would eat up the lion's share of the mission's budget.

"We envision that Mars exploration would begin and proceed for a long time on the basis of outbound journeys only," they write, adding that a Mars mission to Mars could exploit hardware technologies developed for the Moon program. "One approach could be to send four astronauts initially, two on each of two space craft, each with a lander and sufficient supplies, to stake a single outpost on Mars. A one-way human mission to Mars would be the first step in establishing a permanent human presence on the planet."

The rationale for a mission to Mars? Species preservation.

"We are a vulnerable species living in a part of the galaxy where cosmic events such as major asteroid and comet impacts and supernova explosions pose a significant threat to life on Earth, especially to human life. There are also more immediate threats to our culture, if not our survival as a species. These include global pandemics, nuclear or biological warfare, runaway global warming, sudden ecological collapse and supervolcanoes Thus, the colonization of other worlds is a must if the human species is to survive for the long term."

Their proposed scenario for the arrival of humans on Mars would first feature the insertion of robotic probes to set up an adequate energy source - they suggest a small nuclear reactor augmented by solar panels - as well as stockpiles of food tp provide the team with a couple of years. Also to be packed in with the first drop: "the basics for creating home-grown agriculture, one or more rover vehicles and a tool-kit for carrying out essential engineering and maintenance work."

How much NASA buys into the idea of one-way missions to Mars (and beyond) is less clear.

Although NASA was unable to verify the accuracy of Worden's comments, the report seemed to suggest that the idea of one-way manned missions is receiving serious attention within the nation's space agency. (NASA and several other space agencies have been studying plans to launch a Mars mission that would return soil samples to Earth.)

Reports of Worden's talk was first reported last week by Kurzweil Blog. He was speaking at an event in San Francisco.

You heard it here," Worden is quoted as saying. "We also hope to inveigle some billionaires to form a Hundred Year Starship fund."

"The human space program is now really aimed at settling other worlds. Twenty years ago you had to whisper that in dark bars and get fired."

According to the blog post, he went onto add that he expects humans to reach the moons of Mars by around the year 2030. At this point, though, he didn't have many details to fill in the bigger picture.

"How do you live in another world? I don't have the slightest idea," he said. "If you're a conservative, you worry about it killing us; if you're a liberal, you worry about us killing it. I think things like synthetic biology have lot of potential for that. I think rather than make an environment on Mars like Earth, why don't we modify life ... including the human genome ... so it's better suited to [Mars]?"

(Google co-founder) Larry [Page] asked me a couple weeks ago how much it would cost to send people one way to Mars and I told him $10 billion, and his response was, 'Can you get it down to 1 or 2 billion?' So now we're starting to get a little argument over the price."

DARPA subsequently issued a statement to CBSNews.com confirmed that it was working on a joint study with NASA Ames to explore the potential of developing "breakthrough technologies" that would be needed for long-duration space missions.

"A key element of the study is exploring models by which sustained co-investment by the private sector in these areas can be incentivized. The study is currently in the early formulation stage, but will be entirely open and unclassified, with more details forthcoming in early 2011."

Tags:nasa ,darpa ,worden ,space exploration ,ames Topics:In The News ,Tech Talk

View the original article here

Dem Candidate Tells Obama to "Shove It"

October 25, 2010 1:26 PM (Credit: CBS/ AP)

Updated at 4:20 p.m. ET

Rhode Island's Democratic candidate for governor Frank Caprio on Monday dissed President Obama for refusing to endorse him, telling a talk radio host that Mr. Obama "can take his endorsement and really shove it as far as I'm concerned."

Mr. Obama travels to the Ocean State today for a set of Democratic fundraisers, as well as a visit to a factory. The White House told reporters yesterday, however, that Mr. Obama will not endorse Caprio or any other candidate in the race. Caprio is in a heated contest against Republican John Robitaille and Republican-turned-Independent Lincoln Chafee -- an early Obama ally when he ran for president.

In an interview with WPRO-AM this morning, Caprio criticized the president for fundraising in Rhode Island today, after ignoring the state during the spring's record flooding.

"Now he's coming into Rhode Island treating us like an ATM machine," he said.

A spokesperson for Caprio told the Providence Journal that the campaign doesn't expect the president's non-endorsement to impact the race. However, he said it did benefit Caprio to be invited to join Mr. Obama today at the Woonsocket factory, as well as the Democratic fundraisers.

Chafee spokesman Mike Trainor, meanwhile, told the Providence Journal that the president's decision "is a victory for Linc Chafee."

A Rasmussen poll released Friday showed Chafee with a 7-point lead, though other recent polls give Caprio a slight lead.

A spokesperson for the Rhode Island Republican Party told the Associated Press that Caprio's response to the president's decision was disrespectful and a sign that the Democrat's campaign is in "meltdown mode."

Update: White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton told reporters today that Mr. Obama decided to stay out of the Rhode Island gubernatorial race ""Out of respect for his friend Lincoln Chafee," CBS News Senior Political Producer Rob Hendin reports.

In response to Caprio's comment that Mr. Obama could "shove it," Burton acknowledged that "emotions are running high" in the race.

Stephanie Condon is a political reporter for CBSNews.com. You can read more of her posts here. Follow Hotsheet on Facebook and Twitter. Tags:John Robitaille ,Rhode Island Governor ,Lincoln Chafee ,Barack Obama ,endorsement ,Frank Caprio Topics:Campaign 2010

View the original article here

Brett Favre Has Fractured Ankle, Streak in Peril

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., Oct. 25, 2010 (CBS/AP)  Updated at 7:27 p.m. ET

Brett Favre has a stress fracture in his left ankle that could end the Minnesota quarterback's NFL-record durability streak at 291 consecutive games started.

Vikings coach Brad Childress said Monday an MRI on Favre's foot revealed the fracture and an "avulsion" fracture in the calcaneus, which is the heel bone. An avulsion fracture occurs when a fragment of bone is torn away by a tendon or ligament.

More Favre Coverage

Favre's Wife Handling Scandal Through Faith
Favre Admits Sending Jenn Sterger Voicemails
Packers Poach Favre's Passes, Beat the Vikings
NFL Says "Workplace Conduct" is Favre Focus
Brett Favre's Wife Speaks Out About Allegations
Favre Quiet, Deadspin Not, on NFL Sexting Probe

Favre had arthroscopic surgery on the ankle in May, and he received a series of lubricating injections in the joint at the beginning of the season. The ankle has bothered him at times this fall, but he hurt it in Sunday's 28-24 loss at Green Bay as he was being tackled from behind while throwing his first of three interceptions against the Packers.

The 41-year-old Favre was limping around during the game and walking gingerly afterward, and Childress said he was wearing a walking boot around the practice facility on Monday to make him more comfortable. He refused to rule Favre out of Sunday's game at New England, but he also insisted that the streak won't influence the decision on whether to play him against the Patriots (5-1).

"He's got to be able to do all the things that his position does," Childress said. "You can't put a guy that's a sitting duck out there. His competitive nature I'm sure will come into it. But a lot of times you've got to protect people from themselves."

The Vikings (2-4) are struggling to find the groove they enjoyed in Favre's first season, which started 6-0 and ended in the NFC championship game. With Favre's turnover count now at 14 - including 10 interceptions, already three more than last year - he has been hurting them as much as he's helped them so far.

Favre didn't enter the locker room at Winter Park when it was open to reporters on Monday, but after the game he said he wouldn't put his record ahead of common sense.

"If I can play but not be effective, then it's not worth playing," Favre said. "I hope I use good judgment, so we'll see. I'm no spring chicken anymore. I don't heal as quickly. I know the heart's in the right place, though. I know I left it on the field. It's just disappointing that it didn't work our way."

Favre is also the subject of an NFL investigation into allegations that he sent lewd photographs and suggestive messages to a female New York Jets employee in 2008. Favre met with an NFL security official last week but has not publicly addressed the allegations, which were posted on the Deadspin website.

League spokesman Greg Aeillo said Monday there was nothing to report about the investigation.

? MMX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

View the original article here

Postmaster General to Retire in December

(AP)  Postmaster General John E. Potter says he will retire in December.

Patrick R. Donahoe, currently deputy postmaster general, will succeed Potter.

Potter has served in the Postal Service for 32 years and took over the top job at the agency on June 1, 2001.

He has served during a time that has seen the postal service struggle to deal with rising costs and a declining mail volume as people switch over to the Internet. The post office continues to face losses despite cuts in its spending and staff.

? MMX, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

View the original article here

A Double Standard for House Ethics?

October 25, 2010 12:00 AM From Left to Right: Reps. Pete Stark (D-Calif.), John Carter (R-Texas), Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.)

The ethics cases against Reps. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) highlight an odd paradox: that many other members of Congress do similar things but are not facing charges.

On March 4, 2009, Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) introduced a witness at a hearing promoting renewable energy interests: Brooks Hurst. Congressman Graves failed to mention that Hurst was an old friend. The congressman also left out that his own wife and Hurst invested money in the same Missouri fuel plants.

Congresswoman Waters argues that is the same thing she's accused of: helping a good friend and his company, where her spouse owned stock. Yet Waters is the only one facing an ethics trial.

Then there's Congressman John Carter (R-Texas). On Oct. 7, 2009, he criticized Rangel for, among other things, failing to disclose income. "These are all violations of the rules of the House," Carter said in an interview about Rangel.

But just a few weeks later, Carter himself was making a mea culpa. "I made an error on my House financial disclosure forms," he said in a speech on Oct. 21, 2009 on the House floor. It turns out he got caught -- just like Rangel -- failing to report income: nearly $300-thousand dollars in profits from selling Exxon stock. But Carter isn't facing an ethics trial.

When it comes to ethics, Congress largely polices itself. It has set up two separate ethics bodies and what's interesting is: they almost always disagree.

(At left, watch Sharyl Attkisson's congressional ethics report on Washington Unplugged)

"The fact is the House Ethics Committee is renowned for not doing its job," says watchdog Melanie Sloan of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). "It is the most toothless committee in Congress. It never goes after anybody. It really exists just to give members a pass. Congress can say it cares about ethics by having an ethics committee, but the ethics committee never finds anybody did anything wrong."

To fix the problem, in 2007, Congress created an independent Office of Congressional Ethics. An even split of Democrats, led by former Congressman David Skaggs of Colorado, and Republicans, led by former CIA Director Porter Goss. The independent Office investigates cases and refers them to the House Ethics Committee... which decides whether to bring charges.

But just look at how it's turned out: in eleven out of twelve cases referred by the independent Office, the House Ethics Committee decided not to charge any members. Sloan says the insiders are thumbing their noses at the independent Office.

"The inside Ethics Committee has made it abundantly clear that it hates the Office of Congressional Ethics, suggesting that the office is out-of-touch and overly-aggressive and finding problems where none exist," she said.

The independent Office found evidence that Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Calif.) got preferential treatment on her foreclosed home (read the report). They pursued Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) who claimed a Maryland home as his principle residence, though he was registered to vote and drive in California (read the report).

From left to Right: Democratic Reps. Charlie Rangel (N.Y.), Carolyn Kilpatrick (Mich.), Donald Payne (N.J.), Bennie Thompson (Miss.) and Delegate Donna Christensen (U.S. Virgin Islands)

They went after five members who took a Caribbean jaunt to St. Martin in November of 2009 paid for by big corporations, which isn't allowed. The members included Rangel (report), Delegate Donna Christensen (report) and Reps. Carolyn Kilpatrick (report), Donald Payne (report) and Bennie Thompson (report) -- all Democrats. The corporations involved included Citigroup, IBM, Pfizer, Macy's, Verizon Foundation and AT&T.

They found evidence suggesting two congressmen, Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) (report) and Pete Visclosky (D-Ind.) (report) gave millions of your tax dollars to companies -- to get campaign contributions. And they referred that conflict-of-interest case against Congressman Graves (report).

Each of the members of Congress denied wrongdoing. And each time, the House Ethics Committee -- the Congressional insiders -- sided with them.

Former Rep. Nathan Deal (R-Ga.)

(Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Finally, there's Nathan Deal (R-Ga.). The outside Office found evidence he failed to disclose income and misused public resources, which he denied (report). Minutes before the House Ethics Committee was to release its findings, Deal resigned to run for governor of Georgia and the House Ethics Committee simply let the case drop.

The independent Office of Congressional Ethics is looking at up to 42 unnamed members of Congress. If recent history is an indicator, the members have little to fear. If anyone should worry, it might be the independent Office itself, which serves at the pleasure of Congress: those they investigate. Both Democrats and Republicans have said they want to dilute or eliminate the independent ethics office. None of them would talk with us.

Sloan says the idea of eliminating the Office of Congressional Ethics is "horrifying" to watchdogs "because the one good thing that's happened to congressional ethics in the last few years has been the creation of the Office of Congressional Ethics. Members are finally being held accountable for their misconduct."

So will the office be all but gone by this time next year?

"I think this time next year this office is all but gone. If it exists, it's just a shadow of its former self," says Sloan.

Read the Reports on Reps. from the Office of Congressional Ethics

Sharyl Attkisson is a CBS News Investigative Correspondent based in Washington. You can read more of her posts in Hotsheet here. Tags:Office of Congressional Ethics ,Nathan Deal ,Ethics ,John Carter ,House Ethics Committee ,House ,Charles Rangel ,Maxine Waters ,Laura Richardson ,Pete Stark ,Sam Graves Topics:Congress

View the original article here

NPR Sorry for Handling of Juan Williams Firing

October 25, 2010 11:53 AM News analyst Juan Williams was fired by NPR after making comments about Muslims on Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor" last week.

(Credit: Richard Drew)

NPR CEO Vivian Schiller apologized on Sunday for how the radio network dealt with the termination of Juan Williams, an NPR political analyst who was fired last week after making controversial statements about Muslims on Fox News.

In a statement, Schiller apologized to her program colleagues for "not doing a better job of handling" Williams' dismissal. She added, however, that the network stands "firmly behind" the decision to do so.

"I regret that we did not take the time to prepare our program partners and provide you with the tools to cope with the fallout from this episode," Schiller wrote in an email obtained by Politico. "I know you all felt the reverberations and are on the front lines every day responding to your listeners and talking to the public."

Williams was relieved of his duties as an NPR news analyst last week, after making comments on Fox News - where he is a paid contributor - that he got "nervous" when he saw Muslims on airplane flights.

The decision was roundly criticized, and conservatives including Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee called for NPR to no longer receive federal money on grounds of censorship.

NPR has said that Williams' recent statements on Fox News were not the only cause for his dismissal.

"This was a decision of principle, made to protect NPR's integrity and values as a news organization," Schiller said in the statement. "Juan Williams' comments on Fox News last Monday were the latest in a series of deeply troubling incidents over several years."

Juan Williams Fired by NPR Over Muslim Comments
Juan Williams Firing Prompts Jim DeMint Bill to Defund NPR
Juan Williams and NPR: Does National Public Radio Take Taxpayer Dollars?
Juan Williams Firing Leads Palin, Huckabee to Call for Defunding NPR

"There have been several instances over the last couple of years where we have felt Juan has stepped over the line. He famously said last year something about Michelle Obama and Stokely Carmichael. This isn't a case of one strike and you're out," Schiller said in an interview last week.

Schiller added that "the process that followed the decision was unfortunate" and wrote that management should have met with Williams in person. At the same time, she continued, Williams had been "explicitly and repeatedly asked to respect NPR's standards and to avoid expressing strong personal opinions on controversial subjects in public settings, as that is inconsistent with his role as an NPR news analyst."

Despite its reputation as a publicly funded network, the majority of NPR's funding comes from program fees and station dues. In fact, the station does not receive any direct federal funding for operations, though a small percentage of its budget comes indirectly from the federal government.

Lucy Madison is a political reporter for CBSNews.com. You can read more of her posts here. Follow Hotsheet on Facebook and Twitter. Tags:NPR ,Fox News ,Bill O'Reilly ,Juan Williams ,Vivian Schiller Topics:Domestic Issues

View the original article here

BP CEO Fires Back at Media and Politicians

LONDON, Oct. 25, 2010 (AP)  BP Chief Executive Bob Dudley accused some politicians and the media on Monday of being too hasty to pin all the blame on his company for the devastating Gulf of Mexico spill - and emphasized the need for deep-water drilling.

In his first major public speech since taking the top job, Dudley also said BP would not pull out of the United States - and that the U.S. needs a company with BP's resources to meet its vast energy needs.

Dudley delivered a speech whose mood hovered between firm and penitent, seeking to make clear that BP was learning every lesson possible from the disaster. He stressed that he also has met with experts from other hazardous industries, including the nuclear and chemical industries, as part of the company's focus on improving safety.

Special Section: Disaster in the Gulf
Gulf Struggles to Regain Footing 6 Months Later

"We were certainly not perfect in our response, but we have tried to do the right thing," Dudley added. Before becoming the first American to lead the British oil company on Oct. 1, Dudley was in charge of BP's spill response efforts in the Gulf.

U.S. lawmakers have widely blamed BP for the disaster.

On Monday, Dudley said many parties, including the media and rival oil companies, were guilty of "a great rush to judgment" before all the facts were known.

"I watched graphic projections of oil swirling around the Gulf, around Florida, across and around Bermuda to England - these appeared authoritative and inevitable. The public fear was everywhere," he said.

The company's own investigation shared the blame between BP, rig owner Transocean Ltd. and contractor Halliburton Co.

But former EPA Administrator William K. Reilly, co-chair of an independent oil spill commission investigating the rig explosion, suggested Monday that BP fed the fear and mistrust by initially minimizing the impact of the spill.

In an interview with The Associated Press in New Orleans, Reilly said the company shouldn't downplay the significance of "what occurred and what happened on their watch and what was their responsibility to prevent."

The U.S. government could fine BP up to $21 billion for the spill, on top of a $20 billion disaster fund that the company has committed itself to. A bill that passed in the U.S. House of Representatives would prevent companies like BP that have a poor safety record from getting new offshore permits. A Senate bill that was eventually tabled didn't contain a similar provision.

Speaking at an annual conference of Britain's leading business lobby group, Dudley stressed BP's commitment to the United States despite the ongoing political and public fallout and talked up the company's ability to withstand the expected financial hit from the spill.

Earlier Monday, BP announced it has sold its stake in four mature oil and gas fields in the Gulf of Mexico to Marubeni Oil and Gas for $650 million. The fields were part of a recent acquisition of Gulf assets from Devon Energy and were considered nonessential. BP is hoping to raise $30 billion from selling assets and already has raked in almost $9 billion from the sale of properties in Egypt, Canada, the U.S. and Colombia.

Dudley argued that deepwater drilling is necessary despite the dangers. He cited predictions that the world could be consuming 40 percent more energy than today by 2030. Deepwater drilling is projected to grow to account for 9 percent of total oil supplies in 2020, from 7 percent currently.

He said BP is "one of only a handful of companies with the financial and technological strengths to undertake development projects in these difficult geographies and it can be done safely."

BP continues to make plans for further drilling projects in the Gulf of Mexico. Rig owner Pride International Inc. said BP has leased two of its deepwater rigs. One of those rigs is already in the Gulf and another is on its way. Pride spokeswoman Kate Perez said it's unclear what projects are in store for those rigs - they still could be moved out of the Gulf.

BP relies on the Gulf for about 10 percent of its total oil and gas production.

President Barack Obama recently lifted a moratorium on new deepwater drilling in the Gulf, imposed after the April 20 explosion that kicked off the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Obama is due to announce further recommendations under a presidential commission in the coming months.

Dudley, who took over from gaffe-prone former CEO Tony Hayward early this month, also sought again to reassure business leaders that the company has the financial strength to shoulder the anticipated heavy costs of the Gulf spill.

Dudley said he has spent much of his time since becoming CEO traveling the world to visit BP's partners.

"Our underlying operational and financial performance is sound," he said, stressing the company's wide geographical reach.

Analysts responded with optimism.

"That's what the company needs, it needs a determined champion not an apologist," said Nick McGregor, an analyst at Redmayne-Bentley Stockbrokers. "He's going to want to go forward and leave the apologies ... His job is to acknowledge the past, not continuously apologize for it."

Dudley dismissed suggestions that the United States might turn its back on the company, or that BP could voluntarily leave the United States.

"I am confident that neither of these propositions is true," he said. "Contrary to what is sometimes said, BP is not widely seen over there as 'British Petroleum': we're part of the American community."

? MMX, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

View the original article here

High-Alcohol Caffeine Drink Caused Student ODs

ELLENSBURG, Wash., Oct. 25, 2010 (AP)  An investigation has determined that a high-alcohol caffeinated drink, not date-rape drugs, sickened Central Washington University students at an off-campus party earlier this month.

Students at the party had blood-alcohol levels that ranged from 0.12 percent to 0.35 percent after consuming cans of the drink called Four Loko, CWU President James L. Gaudino said at a news conference Monday. Other students mixed the drink with additional alcohol, he said.

Nine students were hospitalized after the Oct. 8 party at a house in Roslyn, where about 50 people had been drinking.

Four Loko is made by Phusion Projects Inc., of Chicago. It comes in several varieties, including fruit punch and blue raspberry. A message left with the company was not immediately returned.

Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna said his office would lead an effort to ban such caffeinated malt liquors this year after a recent proposal died in the state Legislature.

McKenna also said he wants to lead a national push to restrict the sale of the beverages.

Four Loko: Is New Party Brew "Liquid Cocaine?"

The drink has been in the news recently. Last month, 23 intoxicated students were hospitalized over the span of a few weeks at northern New Jersey's Ramapo College after drinking Four Loko.

A 23.5-ounce can has an alcohol content of 12 percent and is comparable to drinking five to six beers. The caffeine in the drink can also suspend the effects of alcohol consumption, allowing a person to consume more than usual, officials said.

A can of Four Loko sells for about $2.50.

Last year, a bill that would have banned caffeinated malt liquors died in Olympia. The measure, requested by the state's liquor board, didn't make it out of the Senate rules committee.

? MMX, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

View the original article here

Election 2010: Where Things Stand

October 25, 2010 7:29 PM The CBS News Critical Contests analysis continues to point to GOP gains - but just how many? Enough for House control? Here's what to watch in the final week:

(At left, Anthony Salvanto discusses the House outlook and national vote model on "Washington Unplugged")

House: Republicans need 39 net pickups to get control and they can get there with a combination of the seats in which they are favored, plus just a few of the remaining tossups races.

We show a net 33 seats they're now favored to gain, PLUS 25 more tossup races in Democratic seats remaining up for grabs. So if Republicans win in 6 of 25 tossups, and they also net the 33 where we see them favored today, that would give the GOP the House.

More broadly, the battle in final week hinges on many of the districts the Democrats took in '06 and '08 and on the gains they made with suburban and some rural independents in the last two cycles. If, come Election day, the GOP can roll back most of those gains, they would be in good position to win at least a narrow majority. If the Republicans see even more pickups than that, that scenario would probably be marked by a national two-party House vote of greater than 52%.

Watch early on for wins in the Northeast and New England (where Republicans are trying to make inroads into a Democratic-dominated area); an electorate a couple of points heavier than last midterm with older (65+) age voters; and if there's lower-than-expected turnout for Democrats in the urban portions of competitive districts.

Meanwhile, Democrats' hopes for stemming Republican gains and hanging on to their House majority probably rest on more than just driving up base turnout, but also on doing very well in their current tossup races and on better-than-expected showings among suburban voters - who comprise so many of the voters in these critical districts - and on whether they can keep the overall national House vote closer to even.

CBS News' 2010 National House Model: What Does the National House Vote Mean?

Senate: Republicans appear to head into the final week in good position to make gains. They need 10 net pickups to win control, but they'll still need a very good night to get that 10.

They are favored to pick up 5 - Indiana, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Arkansas and Wisconsin - and have another 4 Democratic seats engaged in tossup races (West Virginia, Illinois, Illinois, Nevada and Colorado).

Some of those like Colorado and Nevada still look tight right now, and there's some signs Pennsylvania may be tightening in the final push as well. If Republicans do take all four of those tossups and the five where they appear to have an edge, they'd need 1 of 3 other at-risk Democratic seats where Democrats are clinging to a current advantage (California, Connecticut and Washington) to make the ten needed.

Meanwhile, Republicans are currently favored - but not assured, of course - to hold their own at-risk seats of Florida, Missouri, New Hamshire, Kentucky and Ohio.

We should point out among those that the Kentucky race, which looks like it'll come down to the wire, on Election Night will be one of the early, key states to watch to see if the GOP can hold it and stay on track for their goal of Senate control.

CBSNews.com Special Report: Election 2010

Anthony Salvanto is CBS News Elections Director. You can read more of his posts in Hotsheet here. Tags:House ,Senate Topics:Campaign 2010

View the original article here

Indonesia Warns Volcano Could Erupt at Any Time

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Oct. 22, 2010 (AP)  Indonesia warned Monday that its most volatile volcano could erupt at any time and started evacuating some of the thousands of villagers living on the mountain's slope.

Mount Merapi has seen increased volcanic activity over the past week and officials have raised the alert level for the 9,737-foot-high mountain to the most urgent level, said government volcanologist Surono, who uses only one name.

The mountain last erupted in 2006, when it sent an avalanche of blistering gases and rock fragments racing down the mountain that killed two people. A similar eruption in 1994 killed 60 people, while 1,300 people died in an eruption in 1930.

"Officials have predicted that if it erupts, magma would flow to the southern side," said Sri Purnomo, the head of Sleman district on Java island, where Mount Merapi is located.

He said officials were warning some 11,400 villagers living on the mountain's southern slope to prepare for "urgent evacuation." About 40,000 people live close to the mountain.

Purnomo said camps to take in the evacuees were being set up at government buildings and sports fields more than six miles (10 kilometers) away.

Hundreds of the elderly and children have been moved from villages near the slopes of Mount Merapi to Umbulharjo village, where they are being placed in government buildings and tents prepared by local officials.

Ponco Sumarto and her two grandchildren were among about 100 villagers who arrived Monday at a refugee camp in Umbulhardjo.

"I just have to follow orders to take shelter here for safety even though I'd rather like to stay at home," 65-year-old Sumarto said. She said her children stayed at home to take care of their livestock and crops.

Bejo Mulyo, chief of Umbulharjo, said some 300 villagers in all have been evacuated to several refugees sites late Monday.

There are more than 129 active volcanoes to watch in Indonesia, which is spread across 17,500 islands and is prone to eruptions and earthquakes because of its location within the so-called "Ring of Fire" - a series of fault lines stretching from the Western Hemisphere through Japan and Southeast Asia.

The most recent was Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra province. It had been dormant for four centuries before springing to life in August but has since quieted and refugees from its slopes have returned home.

Meanwhile, a strong earthquake hit late Monday off the western coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island, but no damage or casualties were immediately reported.

The 7.5-magnitude temblor struck at a depth of 9 miles on a small island off Sumatra, the U.S. Geological Survey said. A massive earthquake and tsunami struck off the same island in 2004.

? MMX The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

View the original article here

WikiLeaks Snapshot: A Week in War

(CBS)  By Laura Strickler and Catherine Cannon

While Americans were wrapping up their Thanksgiving weekend and turning towards holiday shopping in 2005, the war raged on in Iraq.

Through official reports, the Pentagon announced the deaths of 22 soldiers serving in Iraq during the week of Sunday, November 27, 2005 through Saturday December 3, 2005.

On Sunday the Pentagon announced the death of Sgt. Gregory Hull, a twenty-year-old from Pocahontas, Iowa, who died from an improvised explosive device (IED) in Al-Anbar Province. On Wednesday, the Pentagon said 20-year-old Corporal Joshua Snyder from Hampstead, Md., died from small-arms fire in Fallujah.

And on Thursday, ten Marines died all at once. The men were at an abandoned flour factory they were using as a patrol base outside of Fallujah when an IED exploded. The Pentagon reported the men ranged from age 19 to 29.

There were no other official Pentagon press releases of violent events in Iraq that week.

But a look at the 1,202 secret documents released by WikiLeaks from the same week paints a picture of the grisly environment faced by U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians where death was routine.

Leaked Docs: War "Even Uglier Than We Thought"
WikiLeaks: We Want to Fix "Attack on the Truth"WikiLeaks Documents Detail Rape, Abuse, Murder
NYT: WikiLeaks Founder on the Run, Chased by Turmoil

From the secret reports emerge tragic details regarding the explosion in the flour factory that killed ten Marines. The report indicates: "The patrol had just completed sweeping the courtyard of a flour factory with metal detectors, finding nothing, when an improvised explosive device detonated in the courtyard."

On Tuesday of that week, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld did a radio interview with syndicated talk show host Neal Boortz.

Rumsfeld expressed frustration with the negative media coverage of the war: "All I know is that there are just an enormous number of very good things happening over there, and yet what we tend to see are the other side of the coin, namely that there are a few things going on over there that are not positive and that are worrisome."

A sampling of the secret files that week shows 372 explosive hazards; 702 attacks on the enemy; 272 enemy actions; 143 reports of IEDs found or cleared; seven reported kidnappings; and four tribal feuds.

During a press briefing on Tuesday, Rumsfeld was asked about reports of Iraqi death squads ?assassinating and torturing hundreds of Sunnis."

Rumsfeld responded, "What you're talking about is unverified - to my knowledge, at least - unverified comments. I just don't have any data from the field that I could comment on in a specific way."

While Rumsfeld answered questions in Washington, Pentagon reports show civilian deaths in Iraq (although there's no indication they are the result of "death squads"). For example, one report two days before the press briefing describes the discovery of a grave in the desert with 13 dead civilians.

Pentagon reports also show there were 20 Iraqi police and military officers assassinated that week.

The assassination reports are graphic. One cites a drive-by shooting on Tuesday. On Friday, two civilian bodies were found in an abandoned storage depot with their hands tied behind their backs and blindfolded. The men were found face down, the report says, with multiple fresh gunshot wounds in their backs.

Five civilians were kidnapped during the week as well. One man was kidnapped while hanging posters along a road for his brother who was running for office.

There were 176 IED explosions that week, with 53 reports of explosions on just one day, Sunday.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace told a press briefing two days later that the enemy uses IEDs as a weapon of last resort, because they "have not once won an engagement with U.S. and coalition forces."

But Pace went on to say that while casualties from IEDs had gone down "a little bit" due to new protections for troops, the overall number of "IED explosions has gone up," he said.

? MMX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

View the original article here

The Edward Scissorhands of Pumpkin Carving

Oct. 25, 2010 (CBS)  When watching the Villafane family of Michigan dig into their Halloween pumpkins, the first question that comes to mind is: What did a pumpkin ever do to them? Norman Bates carved more kindly.

CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman reports Ray Villafane has a skin-'em-alive approach to pumpkin carving that he teaches kids. And not just his own kids. He goes around to schools and tries to get other children to adopt the same method.

CBSNews.com Halloween Fright Site

"If you want to make a good pumpkin you have to push the limits," says Villafane.

There's a madness to his method, but Villafane's not completely out of his gourd. In fact, he may be a genius.

For the last 15 years, Ray has spent every October in his basement studio, reinventing the art of pumpkin carving. Using sculpting tools instead of knives, Ray can now take a pumpkin, and, over the course of about eight hours, transform it into a museum-quality fruit.

"To me you carve a pumpkin to transform it into something that's alive," he says. "I'm so obsessive, when I get into something, forget it, I don't go to sleep. I stay up all night. I keep doing it."

Ray's wife Tammy says pumpkins were just the beginning. They merely opened his eyes to an infinitely carve-able world.

The former grade school teacher now sculpts full time. He makes models for toy companies and he's starting to get into sand sculpting too. Ray clearly has a gift. Such a gift, it's almost a curse.

Like many people who are the best at what they do, Ray is rarely satisfied with anything he does. And although it drives his wife nuts, Ray says it's a healthy neurosis.

In fact, that's the message he likes to leave with kids: No matter what you do, to be great you can't ever think you are. And, of course, 15 years of practice doesn't hurt either.

If Ray's accomplishments weren't impressive enough already, consider this: He's allergic to pumpkin.

?MMX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

View the original article here

"Hiccup Girl" Charged with Murder in Florida

October 25, 2010 10:16 AM Jennifer Mee (CBS/WFOR/Pinellas County Jail)

ST. PETERSBURG (CBS/WFOR/AP) Three years ago Jennifer Mee made headlines as the Tampa, Fla. teen with uncontrollable hiccups. Now the 19-year old is making headlines for murder.

PICTURES: Jennifer Mee

Over the weekend Mee, of St. Petersburg, and two other people were charged with first-degree murder in the death 22-year old Shannon Griffin.

According to the St. Petersburg Police Department, Mee lured Griffin to a home where the two others robbed him and then shot him several times.

Mee and the others reportedly admitted to the crimes during questioning, CBS affiliate WFOR reports.

According to The Associated Press, she is being held without bond.

In 2007, Mee gained national attention as the girl who could not stop hiccupping; she would hiccup up to 50 times a minute for months. She tried home remedies and consulted medical specialists, a hypnotist and an acupuncturist, until the hiccups finally just stopped on their own.

Mee is no longer suffering from the hiccups, police spokesman Mike Puetz said.

Tags:jennifer mee ,shannon griffin ,crimesider ,wfor ,hiccup girl ,florida ,murder Topics:Daily Blotter

View the original article here

Grand Theft Cargo: See A Truck Get Stolen in :30

(CBS)  As the economy inches toward recovery, a lot of businesses are still struggling to keep up. But an illegal industry is doing better than ever: cargo theft. Losses from these robberies add up to as much as $37 billion a year in the U.S. -- forcing all of us to pay more for everything from computers to medicine to sneakers. Chief Investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian has an exclusive look inside the criminal world of cargo hijacking.
At a Dallas warehouse, a band of thieves arrived in eight stolen tractor trailers - taking $850,000 in flat-screen TVs. Seventy-six million dollars worth of prescription drugs disappeared from another warehouse, in Connecticut.

Now, CBS News has learned that both of these crimes and many others committed in the last two years are tied to cargo theft rings run by Cuban-Americans in South Florida. Two men who've worked for these rings spoke with CBS News. We'll call them "The Trucker," and "The Broker."

In 2009 there were 864 reported thefts of goods from trucks or warehouses across the country - more than two per day. And 2010 is on track to be even worse.

Scroll down to watch the video.

"Right now, thieves are winning," said David Wallace, retired detective Dallas Police Department. "When the cargo is stolen, it costs each one of us - insurance rates go up and trucking companies have to pay for the loss."

"The Trucker" earns a legitimate living hauling freight. He says the real money comes from doing what he calls the "dirty work."

"I steal the truck or I steal the cargo and the container," he said.

The most popular items to be ripped off?

"Computer hardware, hard drives," he said. "Viagra, penicillin, antibiotics, insulin," he added. "They all want that."

Last year $184 million in prescription drugs were stolen from trucks and warehouses nationwide -- a 350 percent increase from 2007. That prompted the FDA to send a letter last April to pharmaceutical companies and distributors warning: "...these crimes threaten the public health."

"Some of those drugs have to be refrigerated because they can kill people if the are not," Keteyian said. "Does that ever cross your mind or worry you?"

"No, no," the "Trucker" replied. "I mean you are in it for the money. They are in it for the money."

At some truck stops, 18-wheelers sit unattended as their drivers hit the rest room or grab a quick cup of coffee, only to be stunned when they come out and see their rig is gone. The easiest way to steal the cargo? Just take the entire truck.

How easy is that? "The Trucker" showed us on his own truck. Using nothing more than the small key to a padlock, and a pair of pliers -- from start to finish, he was gone in less than 30 seconds.

That leads us to "The Broker," whose job it is to sell the stolen goods. They're not just ripping off cargo. One ring was so brazen it stole an entire warehouse in Miami, breaking in and using it as a showroom to sell its goods.

The buyer comes out and gives a bag of money to "The Broker." At one time, he said he could have a "million and a half" dollars in his hands.

The bags of money keep coming, given the fact penalties for cargo theft are surprisingly weak. Most times, it's a minor felony that never leads to jail time.

Wallace said a stolen 18-wheeler with a load of property on it "is the same thing as stealing your 1963 Volkswagen."

"The Trucker" said he's "not really" worried about being arrested. He's headed off to other jobs - fueling a real-life game of grand theft cargo that shows no signs of slowing down.

?MMX, CBS Interactive Inc.. All Rights Reserved.

View the original article here

Will Bristol Palin Survive Another Week on "DWTS"?

October 25, 2010 5:36 PM Dancer Bristol Palin on Sept 20, 2010 in Los Angeles. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

NEW YORK (CBS) Can Bristol Palin make it past this week's round of "Dancing with the Stars?" It'll probably depend on the loyalty of her fans.

PICTURES: Bristol Palin
PICTURES: "Dancing with the Stars" Season 11

With some support of "Mama Grizzly" fans from mom Sarah Palin, the 19-year-old has managed to escape elimination the past three weeks, despite being at the bottom of the judges' leader board.

"I'm just so thankful that they kept me another week and they see potential in me obviously," Palin told Us magazine. "Hopefully, I can prove that I can be a performer."

After her lackluster jive performance with partner Mark Ballas last Monday, which earned the lowest score of the night, Palin said she was "definitely surprised and shocked" when she was declared safe over Florence Henderson, who ended up being  the fifth contestant eliminated this season.

Tonight, Palin and the six other remaining couples will dance two routines -- including a rock-and-roll dance marathon.

Do you think she'll perform well enough and garner enough votes to make it past this week?

Tags:florence henderson ,tv ,bristol palin ,dancing with the stars ,mark ballas ,sarah palin Topics:Television ,News

View the original article here

Middle Earth and Miniskirts: Protests Run Gamut

(CBS/AP)  Hobbits, nuclear waste and miniskirts. No, it's not an alternative rock band. It's actually just a few of the reasons that thousands of people hit the streets in protest worldwide on Monday.

Sure, there were the usual instigators of unrest (war, injustice, minimum wage) but there were also other less weighty issues weighing on people's minds. In Italy alone, protesters came out to voice their outrage over garbage dumps and soccer kickoff times.

A sampling of just some of the protests in the past 24 hours:

Italy: A handful of local female politicians protested after the mayor of an Italian seaside town got his way when the city council approved a ban on football games in public parks and squares, blasphemy out loud, and "very skimpy clothes," the ANSA news agency reported. Conservative Mayor Luigi Bobbio said that miniskirts and other provocative outfits will still be allowed as long as they are not too revealing. "It's a matter of common sense, of common decency," he told The Associated Press.

Israel: Hundreds participated in a demonstration of disabled people opposite the Finance Ministry and Social Affairs Ministry offices in Jerusalem, demanding that their disability benefits be increased to the level of the minimum wage, according to Haaretz. Protesters clashed with police officers and security guards.

New York: Business owners and residents rallied Sunday against the MTA?s Second Avenue Subway construction, saying the project has negatively affected them. The protesters, facing a drop in revenues and reduced foot traffic due to potential patrons avoiding the construction, said it wasn?t enough for the MTA to promise what they called superficial improvements.

(GETTY IMAGES)New Zealand: Thousands of people hit the streets over possible plans to move filming of "The Hobbit" from New Zealand. Organizers of the rallies said they were timed to coincide with the visit of Warner Brothers movie executives to discuss moving the two-film adaptation of the J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy offshore. Sir Richard Taylor said the rallies aimed to send a message that New Zealand was the "greatest place in the world" to make movies including "The Hobbit." Taylor read out a letter from director Peter Jackson in which he described the New Zealand film industry as "a large, noisy, growing family" who he owed a "debt of gratitude" to.

Afghanistan: A losing parliamentary candidate and his supporters blocked a major transit route in eastern Afghanistan for a third straight day Monday, threatening to keep the road closed until election officials reinstate ballots for him that were thrown out for fraud. The move by Pacha Khan Zadran of Paktia province is the latest indication that a decision by Afghan election officials to discard 1.3 million, or nearly a quarter, of all ballots from a Sept. 18 poll as illegitimate may cause as much upset in the country as if the ballots had been included. Zadran first shut down the road Saturday and officials said his supporters were still blocking it Monday.

(AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)Germany: Demonstrators (left) have marched through Berlin to protest planned nuclear waste storage in northern Germany and the government's continued support of nuclear energy. Around 100 protesters walked to the German chancellor's office in the capital, surrounding a truck carrying a mock nuclear waste storage barrel. Chancellor Angela Merkel approved a law in September extending use of Germany's nuclear power plants by an average of 12 years, a decision the majority of Germans opposed. The demonstrators are also protesting the planned transportation in November of 11 nuclear waste containers to the tiny town of Gorleben.

China: China's authoritarian leaders are scrambling to contain anti-Japan protests that flared in at least a half-dozen cities over the weekend, with more planned for Tuesday despite attempts to kill discussion of the rallies online. The protests were sparked by a collision last month between a Chinese fishing boat and Japanese government patrol vessels near a chain of disputed islands - which set off a diplomatic tussle between the two Asian powers that has now subsided. But street demonstrations have continued, and have begun to attract domestic causes as well, ranging from freedom of speech to high housing prices, and even in one case, a call for multiparty democracy a direct challenge to Communist Party rule.

France: (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)France's massive strikes are costing the national economy up to euro400 million ($557 million) each day, the French finance minister said Monday as workers continued to block trash incinerators to protest a plan to raise the retirement age to 62. Rotting piles of garbage (left) - now at nearly 9,000 tons - are becoming a health hazard in the Mediterranean city of Marseille, which has been hit hard on land and at sea. Striking dockers at France's largest port are intermittently blocking ships trying to unload fuel there.

? MMX, CBS Interactive Inc.. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

View the original article here

Largest-Ever Solar Project OK'd in California

(AP)  The Obama administration is set to announce approval of a thousand-megawatt solar project on federal land in southern California, the largest in a series of solar projects given the go-ahead in recent weeks.

The Interior Department has approved a permit for what will be the world's biggest solar power plant, on federal land in the desert near Blythe, California, 225 miles east of Los Angeles, according to Obama administration officials speaking on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not yet been made.

The $6 billion project is being developed by Solar Millennium, a German solar developer. At peak output, the solar farm could generate enough clean electricity to power more than 300,000 homes, according to project developers.

? MMX, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

View the original article here