text:
New York (CNN) -- To the delight of fans back home in Tokyo, Hideki Matsui drove in six of the New York Yankees' seven runs in their World Series-winning victory Wednesday and became the first Japanese-born player to win a series Most Valuable Player award. For much of his career, Matsui was a star player for the Tokyo Giants.

Matsui's key role in the series highlights the close ties between American and Japanese baseball. Playing in the Yankees' new stadium, the successor to the "House that Ruth Built," Matsui's performance brought to mind the key role that Babe Ruth played in the development of professional baseball in Japan, according to Robert Fitts, author of several books on Japanese baseball.

Fitts became a student of Japanese baseball in 1993, when his wife, an attorney, was transferred to Japan. Fitts, then working on his Ph.D. in archaeology from Brown University, was looking for something to get him immersed in Japanese culture. He wrote to 30 of the greatest Japanese ballplayers and was surprised to hear back from nearly all of them, with some sending gifts.

He's the author of "Remembering Japanese Baseball: An Oral History of the Game" and of "Wally Yonamine," a biography of the first Japanese-American to play professional football and the first American to play professional baseball in Japan. "He was called the Jackie Robinson of Japan," Fitts said. Yonamine led the Japanese league in batting twice and won the MVP award as a center fielder for the Tokyo Giants.

CNN spoke with Fitts, who is based in New York, on Thursday.

CNN: What are your thoughts on Matsui's key role in the Yankees' victory?

Fitts: It's wonderful for Japanese baseball, of course. I would say that five years ago, maybe seven years ago, it would have been incredible, because people in America and in Japan weren't sure about the status of Japanese professional baseball. Many Americans and some in Japan thought that Japanese baseball wasn't as good as American baseball. ... Since then, Ichiro [Suzuki] came over, and he set numerous Major League Baseball records. ... And then Japan won both of the World Baseball Classics.

So Japan's baseball has already proven itself to be of high caliber. Most Americans, even if they don't know the history of Japanese baseball, recognize now that they play a very good game.

CNN: In Japan, how significant is baseball?

Fitts: It's the Japanese national sport. It's been so since the 1890s. Japan had no native team sports. In the 1870s. American and British teachers introduced team sports to Japan. Cricket was introduced, along with rugby and baseball. Baseball is the one that became the most popular.

In the 1890s, a Japanese high school team beat a team of American adults from the Yokohama Country Club. They beat them in three straight games. It took on national importance.

Japan, of course, was opened up to Westerners in the 1850s by Commodore Perry. The Western nations were far more advanced in technology, and Japan did a rapid modernization. By 1890, Japan felt it was ready to join modern nations as an equal, but the Western powers weren't ready to accept Japan.

CNN: How did the game develop after that?

Fitts: The biggest change came with two tours. The first was in 1931, an American all-star team whose big star was Lou Gehrig, and the bigger tour came in 1934. Both of these tours were sponsored by the Yomiuri newspaper.

In 1934, they brought over what at the time was considered the greatest baseball team ever. It included Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Charlie Gehringer, Earl Averill, Lefty Gomez, Connie Mack was the manager, and we can't forget Mo Berg, the future spy [for the United States in World War II].

The '34 tour was significant for two reasons: The first is that relations between Japan and the U.S. were really rocky at that point. There was a very significant treaty, the naval treaty, which limited the size of the major powers' navies. For every five warships the U.S. and Britain could have, Japan was only allowed three. Japan found this quite insulting, even though they had agreed to it in the 1920s.

When the all-star team went over there, the Japanese people went crazy. Half a million people turned out on November 2 for a welcoming parade in Tokyo for the American baseball team. The tour really did create a great deal of goodwill.

However, that ended quickly. Within a month of the tour ending, Japan announced that it would not renew the naval treaty. Several months later, in February 1935, an ultranationalist group tried to assassinate the president of the Yomiuri newspaper because he brought over the American team. He was wounded very seriously but survived.

CNN: What was the importance of the tour for Japanese baseball?

Fitts: The Yomiuri newspaper used the enthusiasm generated by the tour to start their own professional league. The first team they created -- to play the American visitors -- was a Japanese all-star team called All-Nippon. After the tour, the All-Nippon team transformed into the Yomiuri [Tokyo] Giants.

CNN: What was Babe Ruth's role?

Fitts: Babe Ruth was credited as the man who helped start Japanese [professional] baseball. He was just Babe Ruth. He sold out every game. He had just been released by the Yankees prior to the tour. He hit over .300; he led the Americans and Japanese for most home runs.

CNN: How did Hideki Matsui become a baseball star in Japan?

Fitts: He was signed right after high school. He was the hero of the annual high school tournament. His rookie year was 1993 with the Yomiuri Giants. He spent much of '93 in the minors. By 1994, he became a true star, and he was the face of the team from '94 till he came over to the Yankees in 2003.

CNN: How did people feel about Matsui coming to the Yankees?

Fitts: The vast majority of people were very happy for him. There was no sense of betrayal except for the true Giants fans. This was very exciting news. I was there when it happened. This was a chance for Japan's most popular player to prove himself in the major leagues.

The Yankees are a special team in Japan just like they are in the U.S. They're probably the most popular American team in Japan.

When [Hideo] Nomo first came over in 1995, I found my Japanese friends only cared about how the Japanese players did. They were a fan of the Dodgers one day when Nomo pitched; they were a fan of the Angels when [Shigetoshi] Hasegawa pitched, but over time the Japanese fans became fans of different major league teams as they watched more major league baseball on TV.

CNN: What have been the differences between the American and Japanese games?

Fitts: There were real substantial differences from the 1940s even through the early 1990s. ... The Japanese would sacrifice bunt far more than the Americans (they still do but less than they used to). Players didn't go first to third on singles often. They would play line drives on hops rather than trying to make a shoestring catch and risk giving up more bases. It was a very conservative brand of baseball. Since the ties have become closer, Japan's baseball has become more aggressive, more exciting, in my opinion.

There are still differences. The Japanese really focus on practice and perfection of the technique. That's something American players can learn from, and I think it helps explain the success of Hideki Matsui and Ichiro. They're both dedicated players who practice many, many hours.

If you watch Matsui at the plate, he's a very disciplined hitter. His swing is very compact, very practiced, almost perfect. He rarely makes mental mistakes when he's playing the field or running the bases.

CNN: How do you think people view the fact that he's going to be a free agent and might not stay with the Yankees?

Fitts: I think the Japanese people would be very disappointed if he doesn't remain a Yankee ... and I think most New Yorkers would be very disappointed, too. He's an extremely classy player and a classy individual.

CNN: Were you rooting for the Yankees?

Fitts: I'm a Phillies fan. I grew up in Philadelphia. I'm in mourning this morning, but at least it was Matsui who did the damage.

text: New

text: York

text: CNN

text: To

text: the

text: delight

text: of

text: fans

text: back

text: home

text: in

text: Tokyo

text: Hideki

text: Matsui

text: drove

text: in

text: six

text: of

text: the

text: New

text: York

text: Yankees

text: seven

text: runs

text: in

text: their

text: World

text: Series

text: winning

text: victory

text: Wednesday

text: and

text: became

text: the

text: first

text: Japanese

text: born

text: player

text: to

text: win

text: a

text: series

text: Most

text: Valuable

text: Player

text: award

text: For

text: much

text: of

text: his

text: career

text: Matsui

text: was

text: a

text: star

text: player

text: for

text: the

text: Tokyo

text: Giants

text: Matsui

text: 's

text: key

text: role

text: in

text: the

text: series

text: highlights

text: the

text: close

text: ties

text: between

text: American

text: and

text: Japanese

text: baseball

text: Playing

text: in

text: the

text: Yankees

text: new

text: stadium

text: the

text: successor

text: to

text: the

text: House

text: that

text: Ruth

text: Built

text: Matsui

text: 's

text: performance

text: brought

text: to

text: mind

text: the

text: key

text: role

text: that

text: Babe

text: Ruth

text: played

text: in

text: the

text: development

text: of

text: professional

text: baseball

text: in

text: Japan

text: according

text: to

text: Robert

text: Fitts

text: author

text: of

text: several

text: books

text: on

text: Japanese

text: baseball

text: Fitts

text: became

text: a

text: student

text: of

text: Japanese

text: baseball

text: in

text: when

text: his

text: wife

text: an

text: attorney

text: was

text: transferred

text: to

text: Japan

text: Fitts

text: then

text: working

text: on

text: his

text: Ph.D.

text: in

text: archaeology

text: from

text: Brown

text: University

text: was

text: looking

text: for

text: something

text: to

text: get

text: him

text: immersed

text: in

text: Japanese

text: culture

text: He

text: wrote

text: to

text: of

text: the

text: greatest

text: Japanese

text: ballplayers

text: and

text: was

text: surprised

text: to

text: hear

text: back

text: from

text: nearly

text: all

text: of

text: them

text: with

text: some

text: sending

text: gifts

text: He

text: 's

text: the

text: author

text: of

text: Remembering

text: Japanese

text: Baseball

text: An

text: Oral

text: History

text: of

text: the

text: Game

text: and

text: of

text: Wally

text: Yonamine

text: a

text: biography

text: of

text: the

text: first

text: Japanese

text: American

text: to

text: play

text: professional

text: football

text: and

text: the

text: first

text: American

text: to

text: play

text: professional

text: baseball

text: in

text: Japan

text: He

text: was

text: called

text: the

text: Jackie

text: Robinson

text: of

text: Japan

text: Fitts

text: said

text: Yonamine

text: led

text: the

text: Japanese

text: league

text: in

text: batting

text: twice

text: and

text: won

text: the

text: MVP

text: award

text: as

text: a

text: center

text: fielder

text: for

text: the

text: Tokyo

text: Giants

text: CNN

text: spoke

text: with

text: Fitts

text: who

text: is

text: based

text: in

text: New

text: York

text: on

text: Thursday

text: CNN

text: What

text: are

text: your

text: thoughts

text: on

text: Matsui

text: 's

text: key

text: role

text: in

text: the

text: Yankees

text: victory

text: Fitts

text: It

text: 's

text: wonderful

text: for

text: Japanese

text: baseball

text: of

text: course

text: I

text: would

text: say

text: that

text: five

text: years

text: ago

text: maybe

text: seven

text: years

text: ago

text: it

text: would

text: have

text: been

text: incredible

text: because

text: people

text: in

text: America

text: and

text: in

text: Japan

text: were

text: n't

text: sure

text: about

text: the

text: status

text: of

text: Japanese

text: professional

text: baseball

text: Many

text: Americans

text: and

text: some

text: in

text: Japan

text: thought

text: that

text: Japanese

text: baseball

text: was

text: n't

text: as

text: good

text: as

text: American

text: baseball

text: Since

text: then

text: Ichiro

text: Suzuki

text: came

text: over

text: and

text: he

text: set

text: numerous

text: Major

text: League

text: Baseball

text: records

text: And

text: then

text: Japan

text: won

text: both

text: of

text: the

text: World

text: Baseball

text: Classics

text: So

text: Japan

text: 's

text: baseball

text: has

text: already

text: proven

text: itself

text: to

text: be

text: of

text: high

text: caliber

text: Most

text: Americans

text: even

text: if

text: they

text: do

text: n't

text: know

text: the

text: history

text: of

text: Japanese

text: baseball

text: recognize

text: now

text: that

text: they

text: play

text: a

text: very

text: good

text: game

text: CNN

text: In

text: Japan

text: how

text: significant

text: is

text: baseball

text: Fitts

text: It

text: 's

text: the

text: Japanese

text: national

text: sport

text: It

text: 's

text: been

text: so

text: since

text: the

text: Japan

text: had

text: no

text: native

text: team

text: sports

text: In

text: the

text: American

text: and

text: British

text: teachers

text: introduced

text: team

text: sports

text: to

text: Japan

text: Cricket

text: was

text: introduced

text: along

text: with

text: rugby

text: and

text: baseball

text: Baseball

text: is

text: the

text: one

text: that

text: became

text: the

text: most

text: popular

text: In

text: the

text: a

text: Japanese

text: high

text: school

text: team

text: beat

text: a

text: team

text: of

text: American

text: adults

text: from

text: the

text: Yokohama

text: Country

text: Club

text: They

text: beat

text: them

text: in

text: three

text: straight

text: games

text: It

text: took

text: on

text: national

text: importance

text: Japan

text: of

text: course

text: was

text: opened

text: up

text: to

text: Westerners

text: in

text: the

text: by

text: Commodore

text: Perry

text: The

text: Western

text: nations

text: were

text: far

text: more

text: advanced

text: in

text: technology

text: and

text: Japan

text: did

text: a

text: rapid

text: modernization

text: By

text: Japan

text: felt

text: it

text: was

text: ready

text: to

text: join

text: modern

text: nations

text: as

text: an

text: equal

text: but

text: the

text: Western

text: powers

text: were

text: n't

text: ready

text: to

text: accept

text: Japan

text: CNN

text: How

text: did

text: the

text: game

text: develop

text: after

text: that

text: Fitts

text: The

text: biggest

text: change

text: came

text: with

text: two

text: tours

text: The

text: first

text: was

text: in

text: an

text: American

text: all

text: star

text: team

text: whose

text: big

text: star

text: was

text: Lou

text: Gehrig

text: and

text: the

text: bigger

text: tour

text: came

text: in

text: Both

text: of

text: these

text: tours

text: were

text: sponsored

text: by

text: the

text: Yomiuri

text: newspaper

text: In

text: they

text: brought

text: over

text: what

text: at

text: the

text: time

text: was

text: considered

text: the

text: greatest

text: baseball

text: team

text: ever

text: It

text: included

text: Babe

text: Ruth

text: Lou

text: Gehrig

text: Jimmie

text: Foxx

text: Charlie

text: Gehringer

text: Earl

text: Averill

text: Lefty

text: Gomez

text: Connie

text: Mack

text: was

text: the

text: manager

text: and

text: we

text: ca

text: n't

text: forget

text: Mo

text: Berg

text: the

text: future

text: spy

text: for

text: the

text: United

text: States

text: in

text: World

text: War

text: II

text: The

text: tour

text: was

text: significant

text: for

text: two

text: reasons

text: The

text: first

text: is

text: that

text: relations

text: between

text: Japan

text: and

text: the

text: U.S.

text: were

text: really

text: rocky

text: at

text: that

text: point

text: There

text: was

text: a

text: very

text: significant

text: treaty

text: the

text: naval

text: treaty

text: which

text: limited

text: the

text: size

text: of

text: the

text: major

text: powers

text: navies

text: For

text: every

text: five

text: warships

text: the

text: U.S.

text: and

text: Britain

text: could

text: have

text: Japan

text: was

text: only

text: allowed

text: three

text: Japan

text: found

text: this

text: quite

text: insulting

text: even

text: though

text: they

text: had

text: agreed

text: to

text: it

text: in

text: the

text: When

text: the

text: all

text: star

text: team

text: went

text: over

text: there

text: the

text: Japanese

text: people

text: went

text: crazy

text: Half

text: a

text: million

text: people

text: turned

text: out

text: on

text: November

text: for

text: a

text: welcoming

text: parade

text: in

text: Tokyo

text: for

text: the

text: American

text: baseball

text: team

text: The

text: tour

text: really

text: did

text: create

text: a

text: great

text: deal

text: of

text: goodwill

text: However

text: that

text: ended

text: quickly

text: Within

text: a

text: month

text: of

text: the

text: tour

text: ending

text: Japan

text: announced

text: that

text: it

text: would

text: not

text: renew

text: the

text: naval

text: treaty

text: Several

text: months

text: later

text: in

text: February

text: an

text: ultranationalist

text: group

text: tried

text: to

text: assassinate

text: the

text: president

text: of

text: the

text: Yomiuri

text: newspaper

text: because

text: he

text: brought

text: over

text: the

text: American

text: team

text: He

text: was

text: wounded

text: very

text: seriously

text: but

text: survived

text: CNN

text: What

text: was

text: the

text: importance

text: of

text: the

text: tour

text: for

text: Japanese

text: baseball

text: Fitts

text: The

text: Yomiuri

text: newspaper

text: used

text: the

text: enthusiasm

text: generated

text: by

text: the

text: tour

text: to

text: start

text: their

text: own

text: professional

text: league

text: The

text: first

text: team

text: they

text: created

text: to

text: play

text: the

text: American

text: visitors

text: was

text: a

text: Japanese

text: all

text: star

text: team

text: called

text: All

text: Nippon

text: After

text: the

text: tour

text: the

text: All

text: Nippon

text: team

text: transformed

text: into

text: the

text: Yomiuri

text: Tokyo

text: Giants

text: CNN

text: What

text: was

text: Babe

text: Ruth

text: 's

text: role

text: Fitts

text: Babe

text: Ruth

text: was

text: credited

text: as

text: the

text: man

text: who

text: helped

text: start

text: Japanese

text: professional

text: baseball

text: He

text: was

text: just

text: Babe

text: Ruth

text: He

text: sold

text: out

text: every

text: game

text: He

text: had

text: just

text: been

text: released

text: by

text: the

text: Yankees

text: prior

text: to

text: the

text: tour

text: He

text: hit

text: over

text: he

text: led

text: the

text: Americans

text: and

text: Japanese

text: for

text: most

text: home

text: runs

text: CNN

text: How

text: did

text: Hideki

text: Matsui

text: become

text: a

text: baseball

text: star

text: in

text: Japan

text: Fitts

text: He

text: was

text: signed

text: right

text: after

text: high

text: school

text: He

text: was

text: the

text: hero

text: of

text: the

text: annual

text: high

text: school

text: tournament

text: His

text: rookie

text: year

text: was

text: with

text: the

text: Yomiuri

text: Giants

text: He

text: spent

text: much

text: of

text: in

text: the

text: minors

text: By

text: he

text: became

text: a

text: true

text: star

text: and

text: he

text: was

text: the

text: face

text: of

text: the

text: team

text: from

text: till

text: he

text: came

text: over

text: to

text: the

text: Yankees

text: in

text: CNN

text: How

text: did

text: people

text: feel

text: about

text: Matsui

text: coming

text: to

text: the

text: Yankees

text: Fitts

text: The

text: vast

text: majority

text: of

text: people

text: were

text: very

text: happy

text: for

text: him

text: There

text: was

text: no

text: sense

text: of

text: betrayal

text: except

text: for

text: the

text: true

text: Giants

text: fans

text: This

text: was

text: very

text: exciting

text: news

text: I

text: was

text: there

text: when

text: it

text: happened

text: This

text: was

text: a

text: chance

text: for

text: Japan

text: 's

text: most

text: popular

text: player

text: to

text: prove

text: himself

text: in

text: the

text: major

text: leagues

text: The

text: Yankees

text: are

text: a

text: special

text: team

text: in

text: Japan

text: just

text: like

text: they

text: are

text: in

text: the

text: U.S.

text: They

text: 're

text: probably

text: the

text: most

text: popular

text: American

text: team

text: in

text: Japan

text: When

text: Hideo

text: Nomo

text: first

text: came

text: over

text: in

text: I

text: found

text: my

text: Japanese

text: friends

text: only

text: cared

text: about

text: how

text: the

text: Japanese

text: players

text: did

text: They

text: were

text: a

text: fan

text: of

text: the

text: Dodgers

text: one

text: day

text: when

text: Nomo

text: pitched

text: they

text: were

text: a

text: fan

text: of

text: the

text: Angels

text: when

text: Shigetoshi

text: Hasegawa

text: pitched

text: but

text: over

text: time

text: the

text: Japanese

text: fans

text: became

text: fans

text: of

text: different

text: major

text: league

text: teams

text: as

text: they

text: watched

text: more

text: major

text: league

text: baseball

text: on

text: TV

text: CNN

text: What

text: have

text: been

text: the

text: differences

text: between

text: the

text: American

text: and

text: Japanese

text: games

text: Fitts

text: There

text: were

text: real

text: substantial

text: differences

text: from

text: the

text: even

text: through

text: the

text: early

text: The

text: Japanese

text: would

text: sacrifice

text: bunt

text: far

text: more

text: than

text: the

text: Americans

text: they

text: still

text: do

text: but

text: less

text: than

text: they

text: used

text: to

text: Players

text: did

text: n't

text: go

text: first

text: to

text: third

text: on

text: singles

text: often

text: They

text: would

text: play

text: line

text: drives

text: on

text: hops

text: rather

text: than

text: trying

text: to

text: make

text: a

text: shoestring

text: catch

text: and

text: risk

text: giving

text: up

text: more

text: bases

text: It

text: was

text: a

text: very

text: conservative

text: brand

text: of

text: baseball

text: Since

text: the

text: ties

text: have

text: become

text: closer

text: Japan

text: 's

text: baseball

text: has

text: become

text: more

text: aggressive

text: more

text: exciting

text: in

text: my

text: opinion

text: There

text: are

text: still

text: differences

text: The

text: Japanese

text: really

text: focus

text: on

text: practice

text: and

text: perfection

text: of

text: the

text: technique

text: That

text: 's

text: something

text: American

text: players

text: can

text: learn

text: from

text: and

text: I

text: think

text: it

text: helps

text: explain

text: the

text: success

text: of

text: Hideki

text: Matsui

text: and

text: Ichiro

text: They

text: 're

text: both

text: dedicated

text: players

text: who

text: practice

text: many

text: many

text: hours

text: If

text: you

text: watch

text: Matsui

text: at

text: the

text: plate

text: he

text: 's

text: a

text: very

text: disciplined

text: hitter

text: His

text: swing

text: is

text: very

text: compact

text: very

text: practiced

text: almost

text: perfect

text: He

text: rarely

text: makes

text: mental

text: mistakes

text: when

text: he

text: 's

text: playing

text: the

text: field

text: or

text: running

text: the

text: bases

text: CNN

text: How

text: do

text: you

text: think

text: people

text: view

text: the

text: fact

text: that

text: he

text: 's

text: going

text: to

text: be

text: a

text: free

text: agent

text: and

text: might

text: not

text: stay

text: with

text: the

text: Yankees

text: Fitts

text: I

text: think

text: the

text: Japanese

text: people

text: would

text: be

text: very

text: disappointed

text: if

text: he

text: does

text: n't

text: remain

text: a

text: Yankee

text: and

text: I

text: think

text: most

text: New

text: Yorkers

text: would

text: be

text: very

text: disappointed

text: too

text: He

text: 's

text: an

text: extremely

text: classy

text: player

text: and

text: a

text: classy

text: individual

text: CNN

text: Were

text: you

text: rooting

text: for

text: the

text: Yankees

text: Fitts

text: I

text: 'm

text: a

text: Phillies

text: fan

text: I

text: grew

text: up

text: in

text: Philadelphia

text: I

text: 'm

text: in

text: mourning

text: this

text: morning

text: but

text: at

text: least

text: it

text: was

text: Matsui

text: who

text: did

text: the

text: damage

question: who sparked baseball

answer: Babe Ruth

text: Babe Ruth

question: who is robert fitts

answer: author of several books on Japanese baseball.

text: author of several books on Japanese baseball.

question: What is the national sport

answer: baseball?

text: baseball?

question: who is an example for ball players

answer: Hideki Matsui and Ichiro.

text: Hideki Matsui and Ichiro.


text:
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A new space race is officially under way, and this one should have the sci-fi geeks salivating.

Lift to space: This is a NASA interpretation of what a space elevator may look like.

The project is a "space elevator," and some experts now believe that the concept is well within the bounds of possibility -- maybe even within our lifetimes.

A conference discussing developments in space elevator concepts is being held in Japan in November, and hundreds of engineers and scientists from Asia, Europe and the Americas are working to design the only lift that will take you directly to the one hundred-thousandth floor.

Despite these developments, you could be excused for thinking it all sounds a little far-fetched.

Indeed, if successfully built, the space elevator would be an unprecedented feat of human engineering.

A cable anchored to the Earth's surface, reaching tens of thousands of kilometers into space, balanced with a counterweight attached at the other end is the basic design for the elevator.

It is thought that inertia -- the physics theory stating that matter retains its velocity along a straight line so long as it is not acted upon by an external force -- will cause the cable to stay stretched taut, allowing the elevator to sit in geostationary orbit.

The cable would extend into the sky, eventually reaching a satellite docking station orbiting in space.

Engineers hope the elevator will transport people and objects into space, and there have even been suggestions that it could be used to dispose of nuclear waste. Another proposed idea is to use the elevator to place solar panels in space to provide power for homes on Earth.

If it sounds like the stuff of fiction, maybe that's because it once was.

In 1979, Arthur C. Clarke's novel "The Fountains of Paradise" brought the idea of a space elevator to a mass audience. Charles Sheffield's "The Web Between the Worlds" also featured the building of a space elevator.

But, jump out of the storybooks and fast-forward nearly three decades, and Japanese scientists at the Japan Space Elevator Association are working seriously on the space-elevator project.

Association spokesman Akira Tsuchida said his organization was working with U.S.-based Spaceward Foundation and a European organization based in Luxembourg to develop an elevator design.

The Liftport Group in the U.S. is also working on developing a design, and in  total it's believed that more than 300 scientists and engineers are engaged in such work around the globe.

NASA is holding a $4 million Space Elevator Challenge to encourage designs for a successful space elevator.

Tsuchida said the technology driving the race to build the first space elevator is the quickly developing material carbon nanotube. It is lightweight and has a tensile strength 180 times stronger than that of a steel cable. Currently, it is the only material with the potential to be strong enough to use to manufacture elevator cable, according to Tsuchida.

"At present we have a tether which is made of carbon nanotube, and has one-third or one-quarter of the strength required to make a space elevator. We expect that we will have strong enough cable in the 2020s or 2030s," Tsuchida said.

He said the most likely method of powering the elevator would be through the carbon nanotube cable.

So, what are the major logistical issues keeping the space elevator from being anything more than a dream at present?

Massachusetts Institute of Technology aeronautics and astronautics Professor Jeff Hoffman said that designing the carbon nanotube appeared to be the biggest obstacle.

"We are now on the verge of having material that has the strength to span the 30,000 km ... but we don't have the ability to make long cable out of the carbon nanotubes at the moment." he said. "Although I'm confident that within a reasonable amount of time we will be able to do this."

Tsuchida said that one of the biggest challenges will be acquiring funding to move the projects forward. At present, there is no financial backing for the space elevator project, and all of the Japanese group's 100-plus members maintain other jobs to earn a living.

"Because we don't have a material which has enough strength to construct space elevator yet, it is difficult to change people's mind so they believe that it can be real," he said.

Hoffman feels that international dialogue needs to be encouaraged on the issue. He said a number of legal considerations also would have to be taken into account.

"This is not something one nation or one company can do. There needs to be a worldwide approach," he said.

Other difficulties for space-elevator projects include how to build the base for the elevator, how to design it and where to set up the operation.

Tsuchida said some possible locations for an elevator include the South China Sea, western Australia and the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean. He said all of those locations usually avoided typhoons, which could pose a threat to the safety of an elevator.

"As the base of space elevator will be located on geosynchronous orbit, [the] space elevator ground station should be located near the equator," he said.

Although the Japanese association has set a time frame of the 2030s to get a space elevator under construction -- and developments are moving quickly -- Hoffman acknowledges that it could be a little further away than that.

"I don't know if it's going to be in our lifetime or if it's 100 or 200 years away, but it's near enough that we can contemplate how it will work."

Building a space elevator is a matter of when, not if, said Hoffman, who believes that it will herald a major new period in human history.

"It will be revolutionary for human technology, and not just for space travel. That's why so many people are pursuing it," he said. "This is what it will take to turn humans into a space-bearing species."

text: LONDON

text: England

text: CNN

text: A

text: new

text: space

text: race

text: is

text: officially

text: under

text: way

text: and

text: this

text: one

text: should

text: have

text: the

text: sci

text: fi

text: geeks

text: salivating

text: Lift

text: to

text: space

text: This

text: is

text: a

text: NASA

text: interpretation

text: of

text: what

text: a

text: space

text: elevator

text: may

text: look

text: like

text: The

text: project

text: is

text: a

text: space

text: elevator

text: and

text: some

text: experts

text: now

text: believe

text: that

text: the

text: concept

text: is

text: well

text: within

text: the

text: bounds

text: of

text: possibility

text: maybe

text: even

text: within

text: our

text: lifetimes

text: A

text: conference

text: discussing

text: developments

text: in

text: space

text: elevator

text: concepts

text: is

text: being

text: held

text: in

text: Japan

text: in

text: November

text: and

text: hundreds

text: of

text: engineers

text: and

text: scientists

text: from

text: Asia

text: Europe

text: and

text: the

text: Americas

text: are

text: working

text: to

text: design

text: the

text: only

text: lift

text: that

text: will

text: take

text: you

text: directly

text: to

text: the

text: one

text: hundred

text: thousandth

text: floor

text: Despite

text: these

text: developments

text: you

text: could

text: be

text: excused

text: for

text: thinking

text: it

text: all

text: sounds

text: a

text: little

text: far

text: fetched

text: Indeed

text: if

text: successfully

text: built

text: the

text: space

text: elevator

text: would

text: be

text: an

text: unprecedented

text: feat

text: of

text: human

text: engineering

text: A

text: cable

text: anchored

text: to

text: the

text: Earth

text: 's

text: surface

text: reaching

text: tens

text: of

text: thousands

text: of

text: kilometers

text: into

text: space

text: balanced

text: with

text: a

text: counterweight

text: attached

text: at

text: the

text: other

text: end

text: is

text: the

text: basic

text: design

text: for

text: the

text: elevator

text: It

text: is

text: thought

text: that

text: inertia

text: the

text: physics

text: theory

text: stating

text: that

text: matter

text: retains

text: its

text: velocity

text: along

text: a

text: straight

text: line

text: so

text: long

text: as

text: it

text: is

text: not

text: acted

text: upon

text: by

text: an

text: external

text: force

text: will

text: cause

text: the

text: cable

text: to

text: stay

text: stretched

text: taut

text: allowing

text: the

text: elevator

text: to

text: sit

text: in

text: geostationary

text: orbit

text: The

text: cable

text: would

text: extend

text: into

text: the

text: sky

text: eventually

text: reaching

text: a

text: satellite

text: docking

text: station

text: orbiting

text: in

text: space

text: Engineers

text: hope

text: the

text: elevator

text: will

text: transport

text: people

text: and

text: objects

text: into

text: space

text: and

text: there

text: have

text: even

text: been

text: suggestions

text: that

text: it

text: could

text: be

text: used

text: to

text: dispose

text: of

text: nuclear

text: waste

text: Another

text: proposed

text: idea

text: is

text: to

text: use

text: the

text: elevator

text: to

text: place

text: solar

text: panels

text: in

text: space

text: to

text: provide

text: power

text: for

text: homes

text: on

text: Earth

text: If

text: it

text: sounds

text: like

text: the

text: stuff

text: of

text: fiction

text: maybe

text: that

text: 's

text: because

text: it

text: once

text: was

text: In

text: Arthur

text: C.

text: Clarke

text: 's

text: novel

text: The

text: Fountains

text: of

text: Paradise

text: brought

text: the

text: idea

text: of

text: a

text: space

text: elevator

text: to

text: a

text: mass

text: audience

text: Charles

text: Sheffield

text: 's

text: The

text: Web

text: Between

text: the

text: Worlds

text: also

text: featured

text: the

text: building

text: of

text: a

text: space

text: elevator

text: But

text: jump

text: out

text: of

text: the

text: storybooks

text: and

text: fast

text: forward

text: nearly

text: three

text: decades

text: and

text: Japanese

text: scientists

text: at

text: the

text: Japan

text: Space

text: Elevator

text: Association

text: are

text: working

text: seriously

text: on

text: the

text: space

text: elevator

text: project

text: Association

text: spokesman

text: Akira

text: Tsuchida

text: said

text: his

text: organization

text: was

text: working

text: with

text: U.S

text: based

text: Spaceward

text: Foundation

text: and

text: a

text: European

text: organization

text: based

text: in

text: Luxembourg

text: to

text: develop

text: an

text: elevator

text: design

text: The

text: Liftport

text: Group

text: in

text: the

text: U.S.

text: is

text: also

text: working

text: on

text: developing

text: a

text: design

text: and

text: in

text: total

text: it

text: 's

text: believed

text: that

text: more

text: than

text: scientists

text: and

text: engineers

text: are

text: engaged

text: in

text: such

text: work

text: around

text: the

text: globe

text: NASA

text: is

text: holding

text: a

text: million

text: Space

text: Elevator

text: Challenge

text: to

text: encourage

text: designs

text: for

text: a

text: successful

text: space

text: elevator

text: Tsuchida

text: said

text: the

text: technology

text: driving

text: the

text: race

text: to

text: build

text: the

text: first

text: space

text: elevator

text: is

text: the

text: quickly

text: developing

text: material

text: carbon

text: nanotube

text: It

text: is

text: lightweight

text: and

text: has

text: a

text: tensile

text: strength

text: times

text: stronger

text: than

text: that

text: of

text: a

text: steel

text: cable

text: Currently

text: it

text: is

text: the

text: only

text: material

text: with

text: the

text: potential

text: to

text: be

text: strong

text: enough

text: to

text: use

text: to

text: manufacture

text: elevator

text: cable

text: according

text: to

text: Tsuchida

text: At

text: present

text: we

text: have

text: a

text: tether

text: which

text: is

text: made

text: of

text: carbon

text: nanotube

text: and

text: has

text: one

text: third

text: or

text: one

text: quarter

text: of

text: the

text: strength

text: required

text: to

text: make

text: a

text: space

text: elevator

text: We

text: expect

text: that

text: we

text: will

text: have

text: strong

text: enough

text: cable

text: in

text: the

text: or

text: Tsuchida

text: said

text: He

text: said

text: the

text: most

text: likely

text: method

text: of

text: powering

text: the

text: elevator

text: would

text: be

text: through

text: the

text: carbon

text: nanotube

text: cable

text: So

text: what

text: are

text: the

text: major

text: logistical

text: issues

text: keeping

text: the

text: space

text: elevator

text: from

text: being

text: anything

text: more

text: than

text: a

text: dream

text: at

text: present

text: Massachusetts

text: Institute

text: of

text: Technology

text: aeronautics

text: and

text: astronautics

text: Professor

text: Jeff

text: Hoffman

text: said

text: that

text: designing

text: the

text: carbon

text: nanotube

text: appeared

text: to

text: be

text: the

text: biggest

text: obstacle

text: We

text: are

text: now

text: on

text: the

text: verge

text: of

text: having

text: material

text: that

text: has

text: the

text: strength

text: to

text: span

text: the

text: km

text: but

text: we

text: do

text: n't

text: have

text: the

text: ability

text: to

text: make

text: long

text: cable

text: out

text: of

text: the

text: carbon

text: nanotubes

text: at

text: the

text: moment

text: he

text: said

text: Although

text: I

text: 'm

text: confident

text: that

text: within

text: a

text: reasonable

text: amount

text: of

text: time

text: we

text: will

text: be

text: able

text: to

text: do

text: this

text: Tsuchida

text: said

text: that

text: one

text: of

text: the

text: biggest

text: challenges

text: will

text: be

text: acquiring

text: funding

text: to

text: move

text: the

text: projects

text: forward

text: At

text: present

text: there

text: is

text: no

text: financial

text: backing

text: for

text: the

text: space

text: elevator

text: project

text: and

text: all

text: of

text: the

text: Japanese

text: group

text: 's

text: members

text: maintain

text: other

text: jobs

text: to

text: earn

text: a

text: living

text: Because

text: we

text: do

text: n't

text: have

text: a

text: material

text: which

text: has

text: enough

text: strength

text: to

text: construct

text: space

text: elevator

text: yet

text: it

text: is

text: difficult

text: to

text: change

text: people

text: 's

text: mind

text: so

text: they

text: believe

text: that

text: it

text: can

text: be

text: real

text: he

text: said

text: Hoffman

text: feels

text: that

text: international

text: dialogue

text: needs

text: to

text: be

text: encouaraged

text: on

text: the

text: issue

text: He

text: said

text: a

text: number

text: of

text: legal

text: considerations

text: also

text: would

text: have

text: to

text: be

text: taken

text: into

text: account

text: This

text: is

text: not

text: something

text: one

text: nation

text: or

text: one

text: company

text: can

text: do

text: There

text: needs

text: to

text: be

text: a

text: worldwide

text: approach

text: he

text: said

text: Other

text: difficulties

text: for

text: space

text: elevator

text: projects

text: include

text: how

text: to

text: build

text: the

text: base

text: for

text: the

text: elevator

text: how

text: to

text: design

text: it

text: and

text: where

text: to

text: set

text: up

text: the

text: operation

text: Tsuchida

text: said

text: some

text: possible

text: locations

text: for

text: an

text: elevator

text: include

text: the

text: South

text: China

text: Sea

text: western

text: Australia

text: and

text: the

text: Galapagos

text: Islands

text: in

text: the

text: Pacific

text: Ocean

text: He

text: said

text: all

text: of

text: those

text: locations

text: usually

text: avoided

text: typhoons

text: which

text: could

text: pose

text: a

text: threat

text: to

text: the

text: safety

text: of

text: an

text: elevator

text: As

text: the

text: base

text: of

text: space

text: elevator

text: will

text: be

text: located

text: on

text: geosynchronous

text: orbit

text: the

text: space

text: elevator

text: ground

text: station

text: should

text: be

text: located

text: near

text: the

text: equator

text: he

text: said

text: Although

text: the

text: Japanese

text: association

text: has

text: set

text: a

text: time

text: frame

text: of

text: the

text: to

text: get

text: a

text: space

text: elevator

text: under

text: construction

text: and

text: developments

text: are

text: moving

text: quickly

text: Hoffman

text: acknowledges

text: that

text: it

text: could

text: be

text: a

text: little

text: further

text: away

text: than

text: that

text: I

text: do

text: n't

text: know

text: if

text: it

text: 's

text: going

text: to

text: be

text: in

text: our

text: lifetime

text: or

text: if

text: it

text: 's

text: or

text: years

text: away

text: but

text: it

text: 's

text: near

text: enough

text: that

text: we

text: can

text: contemplate

text: how

text: it

text: will

text: work

text: Building

text: a

text: space

text: elevator

text: is

text: a

text: matter

text: of

text: when

text: not

text: if

text: said

text: Hoffman

text: who

text: believes

text: that

text: it

text: will

text: herald

text: a

text: major

text: new

text: period

text: in

text: human

text: history

text: It

text: will

text: be

text: revolutionary

text: for

text: human

text: technology

text: and

text: not

text: just

text: for

text: space

text: travel

text: That

text: 's

text: why

text: so

text: many

text: people

text: are

text: pursuing

text: it

text: he

text: said

text: This

text: is

text: what

text: it

text: will

text: take

text: to

text: turn

text: humans

text: into

text: a

text: space

text: bearing

text: species

question: What is the goal date for launching construction?

answer: 2030s

question: What are the potential locations for a base station?

answer: South China Sea, western Australia

text: South China Sea, western Australia

question: Where would the base be located?

answer: near the equator,"

text: near the equator,"

question: When will they begin construction?

answer: 2030s

question: What did the group do?

answer: developing a design,

text: developing a design,

question: What could be situated in the Galapagos Islands?

answer: elevator

text: elevator

question: Who has more thab 100 engineers?

answer: the Japan Space Elevator Association

text: the Japan Space Elevator Association

question: How many engineers are designing a space elevator?

answer: hundreds

text: hundreds


text:
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Comic book fans have been waiting for years for a film to be made of "Watchmen," the famed graphic novel about a group of misfit crimefighters battling a plot to eliminate their members while the world awaits nuclear war.

Malin Akerman, who plays the second Silk Spectre, says "Watchmen" will make fans proud.

Now that the film is complete and set for release Friday, the cast of the adaptation is confident the movie will meet fans' high expectations.

"We've heard a few comments from diehard fans where they're just saying, 'Wow, we're really impressed,' " said Malin Akerman, who plays Laurie Jupiter/Silk Spectre II in the movie.

Praising director Zack Snyder, whose resume includes the highly successful "300" and "Dawn of the Dead," Akerman said the film will make fans proud.

"This is just sort of a huge feat for Zack to take on. But him being a true fan, he came in with the mind of these fanboys and really kept that in mind and I think that he did a great job," she said.

"Watchmen" had a long road to the screen. The original comic book series by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons came out in 1986 and 1987 and was compiled into a book.

Since then it has been considered both brilliant -- it made Time magazine's list of the 20th century's greatest novels -- and unfilmable.  Watch "Watchmen" stars talk about the film at its premiere Â»

Rights passed from studio to studio, with any number of directors attached (including Terry Gilliam and Paul Greengrass), before ending up with Warner Bros. (like CNN, a division of Time Warner) and Snyder. A longtime fan himself, Snyder said he was determined to remain true to the book.

"Zack respected the source material so much that he knew the only way to adapt it was to hew as close to the source material as possible," said Snyder's wife and producing partner, Deborah Snyder. EW: A "Watchmen" primer

Jackie Earle Haley, who stars in the film as Rorschach, said Snyder's passion for the film will lead to its success among dedicated fans.

"I think the film does to the comic book film genre what ['Watchmen'] the comic book does to the comic book genre," Haley said. "I think Zack captured it ... and it's just an in-your-face, kick-butt comic book film, but it's got that extra depth, it's a little smarter."

Fans of the comic book have been scrutinizing the film "every step of the way," said Jeffrey Dean Morgan. But, he added, "It's going to blow people away even with these high frigging expectations that everybody has."

Indeed, there have been any number of challenges. The comic book is set in an alternative 1985 in which the United States and Soviet Union are on the verge of nuclear war, so there were period details to attend to. There are some superhero accessories, such as a flying machine nicknamed Archie, as well as the character Dr. Manhattan, a blue, extremely powerful and often naked Superman type.

Carla Gugino lost herself in the part of Sally Jupiter, an early female crimefighter who is the mother of Akerman's character. That immersion -- which included age makeup for scenes in which Sally is in her 60s -- made the film easier to watch, she said.

"I look at it and don't feel like I'm watching myself, which then liberates you, because I am my own worst, harshest critic," she said. "There was something about watching Sally older and I was like, 'Oh, that seems like a different woman ...' and I can sort of see her for what she is." iReport.com: Are you excited for "Watchmen"?

Billy Crudup, who plays Dr. Manhattan, said seeing himself transformed with the effects of computer-generated imaging was astonishing.

"I was totally flabbergasted by the level of detail and sophistication that went into making Dr. Manhattan real," he said.

In some cases, the actors were as excited as they expect fans to be. Morgan enjoyed delving deep into the character of Edward Blake, or The Comedian, and said the role allowed him to live his childhood dream.

"We got to play superheroes. We got to do something that I used to do when I was 12 years old," he said. "This is always the guy that I wanted to be when I was 12 and I get to do it at 40 years old."

CNN.com's Elham Khatami contributed to this article.

text: LOS

text: ANGELES

text: California

text: CNN

text: Comic

text: book

text: fans

text: have

text: been

text: waiting

text: for

text: years

text: for

text: a

text: film

text: to

text: be

text: made

text: of

text: Watchmen

text: the

text: famed

text: graphic

text: novel

text: about

text: a

text: group

text: of

text: misfit

text: crimefighters

text: battling

text: a

text: plot

text: to

text: eliminate

text: their

text: members

text: while

text: the

text: world

text: awaits

text: nuclear

text: war

text: Malin

text: Akerman

text: who

text: plays

text: the

text: second

text: Silk

text: Spectre

text: says

text: Watchmen

text: will

text: make

text: fans

text: proud

text: Now

text: that

text: the

text: film

text: is

text: complete

text: and

text: set

text: for

text: release

text: Friday

text: the

text: cast

text: of

text: the

text: adaptation

text: is

text: confident

text: the

text: movie

text: will

text: meet

text: fans

text: high

text: expectations

text: We

text: 've

text: heard

text: a

text: few

text: comments

text: from

text: diehard

text: fans

text: where

text: they

text: 're

text: just

text: saying

text: Wow

text: we

text: 're

text: really

text: impressed

text: said

text: Malin

text: Akerman

text: who

text: plays

text: Laurie

text: Jupiter

text: Silk

text: Spectre

text: II

text: in

text: the

text: movie

text: Praising

text: director

text: Zack

text: Snyder

text: whose

text: resume

text: includes

text: the

text: highly

text: successful

text: and

text: Dawn

text: of

text: the

text: Dead

text: Akerman

text: said

text: the

text: film

text: will

text: make

text: fans

text: proud

text: This

text: is

text: just

text: sort

text: of

text: a

text: huge

text: feat

text: for

text: Zack

text: to

text: take

text: on

text: But

text: him

text: being

text: a

text: true

text: fan

text: he

text: came

text: in

text: with

text: the

text: mind

text: of

text: these

text: fanboys

text: and

text: really

text: kept

text: that

text: in

text: mind

text: and

text: I

text: think

text: that

text: he

text: did

text: a

text: great

text: job

text: she

text: said

text: Watchmen

text: had

text: a

text: long

text: road

text: to

text: the

text: screen

text: The

text: original

text: comic

text: book

text: series

text: by

text: Alan

text: Moore

text: and

text: Dave

text: Gibbons

text: came

text: out

text: in

text: and

text: and

text: was

text: compiled

text: into

text: a

text: book

text: Since

text: then

text: it

text: has

text: been

text: considered

text: both

text: brilliant

text: it

text: made

text: Time

text: magazine

text: 's

text: list

text: of

text: the

text: century

text: 's

text: greatest

text: novels

text: and

text: unfilmable

text: Watch

text: Watchmen

text: stars

text: talk

text: about

text: the

text: film

text: at

text: its

text: premiere

text: Â

text: Rights

text: passed

text: from

text: studio

text: to

text: studio

text: with

text: any

text: number

text: of

text: directors

text: attached

text: including

text: Terry

text: Gilliam

text: and

text: Paul

text: Greengrass

text: before

text: ending

text: up

text: with

text: Warner

text: Bros.

text: like

text: CNN

text: a

text: division

text: of

text: Time

text: Warner

text: and

text: Snyder

text: A

text: longtime

text: fan

text: himself

text: Snyder

text: said

text: he

text: was

text: determined

text: to

text: remain

text: true

text: to

text: the

text: book

text: Zack

text: respected

text: the

text: source

text: material

text: so

text: much

text: that

text: he

text: knew

text: the

text: only

text: way

text: to

text: adapt

text: it

text: was

text: to

text: hew

text: as

text: close

text: to

text: the

text: source

text: material

text: as

text: possible

text: said

text: Snyder

text: 's

text: wife

text: and

text: producing

text: partner

text: Deborah

text: Snyder

text: EW

text: A

text: Watchmen

text: primer

text: Jackie

text: Earle

text: Haley

text: who

text: stars

text: in

text: the

text: film

text: as

text: Rorschach

text: said

text: Snyder

text: 's

text: passion

text: for

text: the

text: film

text: will

text: lead

text: to

text: its

text: success

text: among

text: dedicated

text: fans

text: I

text: think

text: the

text: film

text: does

text: to

text: the

text: comic

text: book

text: film

text: genre

text: what

text: Watchmen

text: the

text: comic

text: book

text: does

text: to

text: the

text: comic

text: book

text: genre

text: Haley

text: said

text: I

text: think

text: Zack

text: captured

text: it

text: and

text: it

text: 's

text: just

text: an

text: in

text: your

text: face

text: kick

text: butt

text: comic

text: book

text: film

text: but

text: it

text: 's

text: got

text: that

text: extra

text: depth

text: it

text: 's

text: a

text: little

text: smarter

text: Fans

text: of

text: the

text: comic

text: book

text: have

text: been

text: scrutinizing

text: the

text: film

text: every

text: step

text: of

text: the

text: way

text: said

text: Jeffrey

text: Dean

text: Morgan

text: But

text: he

text: added

text: It

text: 's

text: going

text: to

text: blow

text: people

text: away

text: even

text: with

text: these

text: high

text: frigging

text: expectations

text: that

text: everybody

text: has

text: Indeed

text: there

text: have

text: been

text: any

text: number

text: of

text: challenges

text: The

text: comic

text: book

text: is

text: set

text: in

text: an

text: alternative

text: in

text: which

text: the

text: United

text: States

text: and

text: Soviet

text: Union

text: are

text: on

text: the

text: verge

text: of

text: nuclear

text: war

text: so

text: there

text: were

text: period

text: details

text: to

text: attend

text: to

text: There

text: are

text: some

text: superhero

text: accessories

text: such

text: as

text: a

text: flying

text: machine

text: nicknamed

text: Archie

text: as

text: well

text: as

text: the

text: character

text: Dr.

text: Manhattan

text: a

text: blue

text: extremely

text: powerful

text: and

text: often

text: naked

text: Superman

text: type

text: Carla

text: Gugino

text: lost

text: herself

text: in

text: the

text: part

text: of

text: Sally

text: Jupiter

text: an

text: early

text: female

text: crimefighter

text: who

text: is

text: the

text: mother

text: of

text: Akerman

text: 's

text: character

text: That

text: immersion

text: which

text: included

text: age

text: makeup

text: for

text: scenes

text: in

text: which

text: Sally

text: is

text: in

text: her

text: made

text: the

text: film

text: easier

text: to

text: watch

text: she

text: said

text: I

text: look

text: at

text: it

text: and

text: do

text: n't

text: feel

text: like

text: I

text: 'm

text: watching

text: myself

text: which

text: then

text: liberates

text: you

text: because

text: I

text: am

text: my

text: own

text: worst

text: harshest

text: critic

text: she

text: said

text: There

text: was

text: something

text: about

text: watching

text: Sally

text: older

text: and

text: I

text: was

text: like

text: Oh

text: that

text: seems

text: like

text: a

text: different

text: woman

text: and

text: I

text: can

text: sort

text: of

text: see

text: her

text: for

text: what

text: she

text: is

text: iReport.com

text: Are

text: you

text: excited

text: for

text: Watchmen

text: Billy

text: Crudup

text: who

text: plays

text: Dr.

text: Manhattan

text: said

text: seeing

text: himself

text: transformed

text: with

text: the

text: effects

text: of

text: computer

text: generated

text: imaging

text: was

text: astonishing

text: I

text: was

text: totally

text: flabbergasted

text: by

text: the

text: level

text: of

text: detail

text: and

text: sophistication

text: that

text: went

text: into

text: making

text: Dr.

text: Manhattan

text: real

text: he

text: said

text: In

text: some

text: cases

text: the

text: actors

text: were

text: as

text: excited

text: as

text: they

text: expect

text: fans

text: to

text: be

text: Morgan

text: enjoyed

text: delving

text: deep

text: into

text: the

text: character

text: of

text: Edward

text: Blake

text: or

text: The

text: Comedian

text: and

text: said

text: the

text: role

text: allowed

text: him

text: to

text: live

text: his

text: childhood

text: dream

text: We

text: got

text: to

text: play

text: superheroes

text: We

text: got

text: to

text: do

text: something

text: that

text: I

text: used

text: to

text: do

text: when

text: I

text: was

text: years

text: old

text: he

text: said

text: This

text: is

text: always

text: the

text: guy

text: that

text: I

text: wanted

text: to

text: be

text: when

text: I

text: was

text: and

text: I

text: get

text: to

text: do

text: it

text: at

text: years

text: old

text: CNN.com

text: 's

text: Elham

text: Khatami

text: contributed

text: to

text: this

text: article

question: Who said 'we got to play superheroes'?

answer: Morgan

text: Morgan

question: Who is the actor in watchmen?

answer: Malin Akerman,

text: Malin Akerman,

question: Which film is anticipated since the comics of mid 80s?

answer: "Watchmen"

text: "Watchmen"

question: When will film be released?

answer: Friday,

text: Friday,

question: When did watchmen comcis come out?

answer: 1986 and 1987

text: 1986 and 1987

question: When will the watchmen film come out?

answer: is complete and set for release Friday,

text: is complete and set for release Friday,

question: Who said "We got to play superheroes"?

answer: Morgan

text: Morgan

question: Since when has the Watchmen film been anticipated?

answer: for years

text: for years


text:
(CNN)  -- Authorities have seized $1 billion worth of marijuana plants and have arrested 82 Mexican nationals with ties to drug cartels in the first week and half of an effort to eradicate marijuana fields from California's Fresno County, the county sheriff's office said Wednesday.

The 82 suspects arrested so far have links to Mexican drug cartels.

Operation Save Our Sierra began July 13 and involves local, state and federal agencies working together to remove marijuana growing operations, investigate and arrest drug traffickers, and remove infrastructure on public lands in Fresno County, a news release said.

"This is a high-intensity drug trafficking area," U.S. Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske said in a phone interview. "I think what should be highlighted here is the local authorities' work to reclaim the land from the drug traffickers."

The 82 suspects arrested so far have links to Mexican drug cartels, local authorities said, though they did not release further details.

Eastern Fresno County, where the seizures have been made, is mountainous and sparsely populated. Growers exploit the area's streams, rivers and lakes to create elaborate drip lines for their plants. A mature plant can be worth $4,000, said Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims.

"Fresno County is roughly the size of Connecticut, and the drug traffickers target these areas because they know there is not that significant of a law-enforcement presence," Mims said. "The chances of getting caught are slim."

"The bottom line is our public lands are being destroyed by foreign drug trafficking and heavily armed Mexican cartels," George Anderson of the U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday at a news conference highlighting the seizures.

The operation is the largest in Fresno County history and one of the largest in California, Mims said.

"What makes this operation unique is the approach: prevention, enforcement, eradication and reclamation," she said.

Intelligence gathered for the operation began in February, with community presentations about prevention. The effort is now focused on shutting down the at least 70 marijuana farms identified by local authorities.

The operation is expected to continue into November, when colder weather makes marijuana growing more difficult.

At least 330,000 marijuana plants have been seized, Mims said.

"This shows what can be accomplished at the local level when agencies work together," Kerlikowske said.

Kerlikowske, who flew to Fresno County on Wednesday and toured a marijuana farm, said his office is one of the primary sponsors of the operation.

text: CNN

text: Authorities

text: have

text: seized

text: billion

text: worth

text: of

text: marijuana

text: plants

text: and

text: have

text: arrested

text: Mexican

text: nationals

text: with

text: ties

text: to

text: drug

text: cartels

text: in

text: the

text: first

text: week

text: and

text: half

text: of

text: an

text: effort

text: to

text: eradicate

text: marijuana

text: fields

text: from

text: California

text: 's

text: Fresno

text: County

text: the

text: county

text: sheriff

text: 's

text: office

text: said

text: Wednesday

text: The

text: suspects

text: arrested

text: so

text: far

text: have

text: links

text: to

text: Mexican

text: drug

text: cartels

text: Operation

text: Save

text: Our

text: Sierra

text: began

text: July

text: and

text: involves

text: local

text: state

text: and

text: federal

text: agencies

text: working

text: together

text: to

text: remove

text: marijuana

text: growing

text: operations

text: investigate

text: and

text: arrest

text: drug

text: traffickers

text: and

text: remove

text: infrastructure

text: on

text: public

text: lands

text: in

text: Fresno

text: County

text: a

text: news

text: release

text: said

text: This

text: is

text: a

text: high

text: intensity

text: drug

text: trafficking

text: area

text: U.S.

text: Drug

text: Czar

text: Gil

text: Kerlikowske

text: said

text: in

text: a

text: phone

text: interview

text: I

text: think

text: what

text: should

text: be

text: highlighted

text: here

text: is

text: the

text: local

text: authorities

text: work

text: to

text: reclaim

text: the

text: land

text: from

text: the

text: drug

text: traffickers

text: The

text: suspects

text: arrested

text: so

text: far

text: have

text: links

text: to

text: Mexican

text: drug

text: cartels

text: local

text: authorities

text: said

text: though

text: they

text: did

text: not

text: release

text: further

text: details

text: Eastern

text: Fresno

text: County

text: where

text: the

text: seizures

text: have

text: been

text: made

text: is

text: mountainous

text: and

text: sparsely

text: populated

text: Growers

text: exploit

text: the

text: area

text: 's

text: streams

text: rivers

text: and

text: lakes

text: to

text: create

text: elaborate

text: drip

text: lines

text: for

text: their

text: plants

text: A

text: mature

text: plant

text: can

text: be

text: worth

text: said

text: Fresno

text: County

text: Sheriff

text: Margaret

text: Mims

text: Fresno

text: County

text: is

text: roughly

text: the

text: size

text: of

text: Connecticut

text: and

text: the

text: drug

text: traffickers

text: target

text: these

text: areas

text: because

text: they

text: know

text: there

text: is

text: not

text: that

text: significant

text: of

text: a

text: law

text: enforcement

text: presence

text: Mims

text: said

text: The

text: chances

text: of

text: getting

text: caught

text: are

text: slim

text: The

text: bottom

text: line

text: is

text: our

text: public

text: lands

text: are

text: being

text: destroyed

text: by

text: foreign

text: drug

text: trafficking

text: and

text: heavily

text: armed

text: Mexican

text: cartels

text: George

text: Anderson

text: of

text: the

text: U.S.

text: Department

text: of

text: Justice

text: said

text: Wednesday

text: at

text: a

text: news

text: conference

text: highlighting

text: the

text: seizures

text: The

text: operation

text: is

text: the

text: largest

text: in

text: Fresno

text: County

text: history

text: and

text: one

text: of

text: the

text: largest

text: in

text: California

text: Mims

text: said

text: What

text: makes

text: this

text: operation

text: unique

text: is

text: the

text: approach

text: prevention

text: enforcement

text: eradication

text: and

text: reclamation

text: she

text: said

text: Intelligence

text: gathered

text: for

text: the

text: operation

text: began

text: in

text: February

text: with

text: community

text: presentations

text: about

text: prevention

text: The

text: effort

text: is

text: now

text: focused

text: on

text: shutting

text: down

text: the

text: at

text: least

text: marijuana

text: farms

text: identified

text: by

text: local

text: authorities

text: The

text: operation

text: is

text: expected

text: to

text: continue

text: into

text: November

text: when

text: colder

text: weather

text: makes

text: marijuana

text: growing

text: more

text: difficult

text: At

text: least

text: marijuana

text: plants

text: have

text: been

text: seized

text: Mims

text: said

text: This

text: shows

text: what

text: can

text: be

text: accomplished

text: at

text: the

text: local

text: level

text: when

text: agencies

text: work

text: together

text: Kerlikowske

text: said

text: Kerlikowske

text: who

text: flew

text: to

text: Fresno

text: County

text: on

text: Wednesday

text: and

text: toured

text: a

text: marijuana

text: farm

text: said

text: his

text: office

text: is

text: one

text: of

text: the

text: primary

text: sponsors

text: of

text: the

text: operation

question: Who are suspects linked to?

answer: Mexican drug cartels.

text: Mexican drug cartels.

question: How long will the operation continue?

answer: into November,

text: into November,

question: How many marijuana plants were seized?

answer: At least 330,000

text: At least 330,000

question: How many plants have been found?

answer: 330,000

question: Who said the area has high-intensity drug trafficking?

answer: Czar Gil Kerlikowske

text: Czar Gil Kerlikowske

question: What do suspects have links to?

answer: Mexican drug cartels.

text: Mexican drug cartels.

question: What kind of plants were seized?

answer: marijuana

text: marijuana

question: Who said it was a drug area?

answer: Czar Gil Kerlikowske

text: Czar Gil Kerlikowske


text:
(CNN) -- After almost 10 months, the FBI has zeroed in on a suspect in the case of missing Florida pilot Robert Wiles, who may have been kidnapped for ransom.

Missing Florida pilot Robert Wiles is thought to have been kidnapped for ransom.

"We're close to solving the case," said FBI special agent David Couvertier. He would not elaborate.

Agents also would not identify the suspect, and they said the person is not in custody. Investigators would only reveal that the "key suspect" is in Florida, either in Orlando, Lakeland or Melbourne.

"They're holding that back in hopes of getting additional information," said Couvertier.

The FBI says it's also looking at several persons of interest in those same three Florida cities.

Wiles, 27, was last seen in the family's aircraft maintenance business, National Flight Services, at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport on April 1, 2008.

The day Wiles disappeared, he left behind his bags, his computer, and even his car. His father says the next day, Wiles was supposed to be on a flight out of Orlando. He never showed up.

Two days after he vanished, Wiles' father, Thomas, received a ransom note. It demanded money and threatened to harm Robert Wiles if the terms weren't met.

Wiles' parents said they tried to comply but heard nothing back.

Nearly a year later, the FBI says their investigation shows that those involved "were very familiar with Robert's work, Robert's personal information and had knowledge of his parent's personal affairs."

Agents say they've tracked down leads in nine U.S. cities and as far away as Thailand where National Flight Services also does business. The Ohio-based company services aircraft in 50 countries and has been in business since 1972.

Investigators are reaching out to the public in hopes of sparking any additional information about Wiles to "close the loop," Couvertier said.

Investigators want to talk with "people who knew about his work routine, who might know someone who was obsessed with him, who was upset or jealous of him, or complained about him, anything that might be helpful," said Couvertier.

Wiles' parents told CNN they hope their son Robert is still alive.

"That is our hope until proven otherwise, ' said his mother, Pamela. "We don't know what happened to him. We don't know where he is. We just hope somebody will call and tell us what their needs are," she added.

"Sometimes, I stay up late and get up early and try to come up with any scenarios to make sense of this," said Wiles' father.

"I have my very low moments when I think I'll never see him again, " he added.

Occasionally, Wiles' mother says she plays back a voicemail message her son left her shortly before he disappeared. It said "Hey, mom. It's Robert. I just wanted to call and thank you for sending that stuff down to me. And I hope you have a good weekend, ... and I'll talk to you later."

"I still listen to it, and it breaks my heart," said Pamela Wiles.

The Wiles are still offering a $250,000 reward for information about their son and arrest of those responsible for his disappearance.

"But Tom and I don't think you can put a dollar on his head," said Pamela Wiles. "We want to provide them with security and a new life, if that's what they need," she added.

His father doesn't think whoever is responsible is working alone. He says his son is too strong to have left willingly or without knowing who his alleged captors are.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI.

Wiles' parents have a message for the FBI's unidentified suspect.

"I would say to him 'come forward and tell the truth and we hold no personal animosity,'" said Pamela Wiles.

"Someone made a bad mistake. It's up to God to forgive him."

text: CNN

text: After

text: almost

text: months

text: the

text: FBI

text: has

text: zeroed

text: in

text: on

text: a

text: suspect

text: in

text: the

text: case

text: of

text: missing

text: Florida

text: pilot

text: Robert

text: Wiles

text: who

text: may

text: have

text: been

text: kidnapped

text: for

text: ransom

text: Missing

text: Florida

text: pilot

text: Robert

text: Wiles

text: is

text: thought

text: to

text: have

text: been

text: kidnapped

text: for

text: ransom

text: We

text: 're

text: close

text: to

text: solving

text: the

text: case

text: said

text: FBI

text: special

text: agent

text: David

text: Couvertier

text: He

text: would

text: not

text: elaborate

text: Agents

text: also

text: would

text: not

text: identify

text: the

text: suspect

text: and

text: they

text: said

text: the

text: person

text: is

text: not

text: in

text: custody

text: Investigators

text: would

text: only

text: reveal

text: that

text: the

text: key

text: suspect

text: is

text: in

text: Florida

text: either

text: in

text: Orlando

text: Lakeland

text: or

text: Melbourne

text: They

text: 're

text: holding

text: that

text: back

text: in

text: hopes

text: of

text: getting

text: additional

text: information

text: said

text: Couvertier

text: The

text: FBI

text: says

text: it

text: 's

text: also

text: looking

text: at

text: several

text: persons

text: of

text: interest

text: in

text: those

text: same

text: three

text: Florida

text: cities

text: Wiles

text: was

text: last

text: seen

text: in

text: the

text: family

text: 's

text: aircraft

text: maintenance

text: business

text: National

text: Flight

text: Services

text: at

text: Lakeland

text: Linder

text: Regional

text: Airport

text: on

text: April

text: The

text: day

text: Wiles

text: disappeared

text: he

text: left

text: behind

text: his

text: bags

text: his

text: computer

text: and

text: even

text: his

text: car

text: His

text: father

text: says

text: the

text: next

text: day

text: Wiles

text: was

text: supposed

text: to

text: be

text: on

text: a

text: flight

text: out

text: of

text: Orlando

text: He

text: never

text: showed

text: up

text: Two

text: days

text: after

text: he

text: vanished

text: Wiles

text: father

text: Thomas

text: received

text: a

text: ransom

text: note

text: It

text: demanded

text: money

text: and

text: threatened

text: to

text: harm

text: Robert

text: Wiles

text: if

text: the

text: terms

text: were

text: n't

text: met

text: Wiles

text: parents

text: said

text: they

text: tried

text: to

text: comply

text: but

text: heard

text: nothing

text: back

text: Nearly

text: a

text: year

text: later

text: the

text: FBI

text: says

text: their

text: investigation

text: shows

text: that

text: those

text: involved

text: were

text: very

text: familiar

text: with

text: Robert

text: 's

text: work

text: Robert

text: 's

text: personal

text: information

text: and

text: had

text: knowledge

text: of

text: his

text: parent

text: 's

text: personal

text: affairs

text: Agents

text: say

text: they

text: 've

text: tracked

text: down

text: leads

text: in

text: nine

text: U.S.

text: cities

text: and

text: as

text: far

text: away

text: as

text: Thailand

text: where

text: National

text: Flight

text: Services

text: also

text: does

text: business

text: The

text: Ohio

text: based

text: company

text: services

text: aircraft

text: in

text: countries

text: and

text: has

text: been

text: in

text: business

text: since

text: Investigators

text: are

text: reaching

text: out

text: to

text: the

text: public

text: in

text: hopes

text: of

text: sparking

text: any

text: additional

text: information

text: about

text: Wiles

text: to

text: close

text: the

text: loop

text: Couvertier

text: said

text: Investigators

text: want

text: to

text: talk

text: with

text: people

text: who

text: knew

text: about

text: his

text: work

text: routine

text: who

text: might

text: know

text: someone

text: who

text: was

text: obsessed

text: with

text: him

text: who

text: was

text: upset

text: or

text: jealous

text: of

text: him

text: or

text: complained

text: about

text: him

text: anything

text: that

text: might

text: be

text: helpful

text: said

text: Couvertier

text: Wiles

text: parents

text: told

text: CNN

text: they

text: hope

text: their

text: son

text: Robert

text: is

text: still

text: alive

text: That

text: is

text: our

text: hope

text: until

text: proven

text: otherwise

text: said

text: his

text: mother

text: Pamela

text: We

text: do

text: n't

text: know

text: what

text: happened

text: to

text: him

text: We

text: do

text: n't

text: know

text: where

text: he

text: is

text: We

text: just

text: hope

text: somebody

text: will

text: call

text: and

text: tell

text: us

text: what

text: their

text: needs

text: are

text: she

text: added

text: Sometimes

text: I

text: stay

text: up

text: late

text: and

text: get

text: up

text: early

text: and

text: try

text: to

text: come

text: up

text: with

text: any

text: scenarios

text: to

text: make

text: sense

text: of

text: this

text: said

text: Wiles

text: father

text: I

text: have

text: my

text: very

text: low

text: moments

text: when

text: I

text: think

text: I

text: 'll

text: never

text: see

text: him

text: again

text: he

text: added

text: Occasionally

text: Wiles

text: mother

text: says

text: she

text: plays

text: back

text: a

text: voicemail

text: message

text: her

text: son

text: left

text: her

text: shortly

text: before

text: he

text: disappeared

text: It

text: said

text: Hey

text: mom

text: It

text: 's

text: Robert

text: I

text: just

text: wanted

text: to

text: call

text: and

text: thank

text: you

text: for

text: sending

text: that

text: stuff

text: down

text: to

text: me

text: And

text: I

text: hope

text: you

text: have

text: a

text: good

text: weekend

text: and

text: I

text: 'll

text: talk

text: to

text: you

text: later

text: I

text: still

text: listen

text: to

text: it

text: and

text: it

text: breaks

text: my

text: heart

text: said

text: Pamela

text: Wiles

text: The

text: Wiles

text: are

text: still

text: offering

text: a

text: reward

text: for

text: information

text: about

text: their

text: son

text: and

text: arrest

text: of

text: those

text: responsible

text: for

text: his

text: disappearance

text: But

text: Tom

text: and

text: I

text: do

text: n't

text: think

text: you

text: can

text: put

text: a

text: dollar

text: on

text: his

text: head

text: said

text: Pamela

text: Wiles

text: We

text: want

text: to

text: provide

text: them

text: with

text: security

text: and

text: a

text: new

text: life

text: if

text: that

text: 's

text: what

text: they

text: need

text: she

text: added

text: His

text: father

text: does

text: n't

text: think

text: whoever

text: is

text: responsible

text: is

text: working

text: alone

text: He

text: says

text: his

text: son

text: is

text: too

text: strong

text: to

text: have

text: left

text: willingly

text: or

text: without

text: knowing

text: who

text: his

text: alleged

text: captors

text: are

text: Anyone

text: with

text: information

text: is

text: asked

text: to

text: contact

text: the

text: FBI

text: Wiles

text: parents

text: have

text: a

text: message

text: for

text: the

text: FBI

text: 's

text: unidentified

text: suspect

text: I

text: would

text: say

text: to

text: him

text: come

text: forward

text: and

text: tell

text: the

text: truth

text: and

text: we

text: hold

text: no

text: personal

text: animosity

text: said

text: Pamela

text: Wiles

text: Someone

text: made

text: a

text: bad

text: mistake

text: It

text: 's

text: up

text: to

text: God

text: to

text: forgive

text: him

question: Name of the missing pilot?

answer: Robert Wiles

text: Robert Wiles

question: Who says they are close to solving the case?

answer: FBI special agent David Couvertier.

text: FBI special agent David Couvertier.

question: How long has Robert Wiles been missing for?

answer: 10 months,

text: 10 months,

question: Who told the suspects to "come forward and tell the truth?"

answer: Pamela Wiles.

text: Pamela Wiles.

question: Who was kidnapped for Ransom?

answer: Robert Wiles,

text: Robert Wiles,

question: What are some locations in Florida where the suspect might be?

answer: Orlando, Lakeland or Melbourne.

text: Orlando, Lakeland or Melbourne.

question: Where is the key suspect located at?

answer: in Florida, either in Orlando, Lakeland or Melbourne.

text: in Florida, either in Orlando, Lakeland or Melbourne.

question: What would the mother tell the suspect to do?

answer: 'come forward and

text: 'come forward and

question: Who may have been kidbapped?

answer: Robert Wiles,

text: Robert Wiles,

question: What state is the Key suspect in?

answer: is in Florida, either in Orlando, Lakeland or Melbourne.

text: is in Florida, either in Orlando, Lakeland or Melbourne.


text:
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Barack Obama reached out to Iran on Friday -- the start of the Iranian New Year -- in a video message offering "the promise of a new beginning" that is "grounded in mutual respect."

Obama's message to Iran echoes his inaugural speech, where he said "we seek a new way forward."

The message is a dramatic shift in tone from that of the Bush administration, which included Iran, along with North Korea and Iraq, in an "axis of evil." It also echoes Obama's inaugural speech, in which he said to the Muslim world, "we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect."

In Friday's video, Obama said: "The United States wants the Islamic Republic of Iran to take its rightful place in the community of nations. You have that right, but it comes with real responsibilities. And that place cannot be reached through terror or arms, but rather through peaceful actions that demonstrate the true greatness of the Iranian people and civilization."

There was no immediate response from Tehran to Obama's message, but Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said last month that his country would welcome talks with the United States "in a fair atmosphere with mutual respect."

The United States, several European nations and Israel suspect that Tehran has been trying to acquire the capacity to build nuclear weapons, but Iran says its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.

Last month, the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security released a report saying that Iran has reached "nuclear weapons breakout capability" -- it has enough uranium to make a nuclear bomb.

The report was based on an analysis of data from the International Atomic Energy Agency. However, an IAEA official who asked not to be named cautioned against drawing such dramatic conclusions from the data, saying Iran's stock of low-enriched uranium would have to be turned into highly enriched uranium to be weapons-grade material. That hasn't been done, the official said.

The United States has had tortuous relations with Tehran since the Islamic revolution in 1979, but the Obama message speaks of "new beginnings" with the promise of a new year.

"We have serious differences that have grown over time. My administration is now committed to diplomacy that addresses the full range of issues before us, and to pursuing constructive ties among the United States, Iran and the international community," the president said. "This process will not be advanced by threats. We seek, instead, engagement that is honest and grounded in mutual respect."

text: WASHINGTON

text: CNN

text: President

text: Barack

text: Obama

text: reached

text: out

text: to

text: Iran

text: on

text: Friday

text: the

text: start

text: of

text: the

text: Iranian

text: New

text: Year

text: in

text: a

text: video

text: message

text: offering

text: the

text: promise

text: of

text: a

text: new

text: beginning

text: that

text: is

text: grounded

text: in

text: mutual

text: respect

text: Obama

text: 's

text: message

text: to

text: Iran

text: echoes

text: his

text: inaugural

text: speech

text: where

text: he

text: said

text: we

text: seek

text: a

text: new

text: way

text: forward

text: The

text: message

text: is

text: a

text: dramatic

text: shift

text: in

text: tone

text: from

text: that

text: of

text: the

text: Bush

text: administration

text: which

text: included

text: Iran

text: along

text: with

text: North

text: Korea

text: and

text: Iraq

text: in

text: an

text: axis

text: of

text: evil

text: It

text: also

text: echoes

text: Obama

text: 's

text: inaugural

text: speech

text: in

text: which

text: he

text: said

text: to

text: the

text: Muslim

text: world

text: we

text: seek

text: a

text: new

text: way

text: forward

text: based

text: on

text: mutual

text: interest

text: and

text: mutual

text: respect

text: In

text: Friday

text: 's

text: video

text: Obama

text: said

text: The

text: United

text: States

text: wants

text: the

text: Islamic

text: Republic

text: of

text: Iran

text: to

text: take

text: its

text: rightful

text: place

text: in

text: the

text: community

text: of

text: nations

text: You

text: have

text: that

text: right

text: but

text: it

text: comes

text: with

text: real

text: responsibilities

text: And

text: that

text: place

text: can

text: not

text: be

text: reached

text: through

text: terror

text: or

text: arms

text: but

text: rather

text: through

text: peaceful

text: actions

text: that

text: demonstrate

text: the

text: true

text: greatness

text: of

text: the

text: Iranian

text: people

text: and

text: civilization

text: There

text: was

text: no

text: immediate

text: response

text: from

text: Tehran

text: to

text: Obama

text: 's

text: message

text: but

text: Iranian

text: President

text: Mahmoud

text: Ahmadinejad

text: said

text: last

text: month

text: that

text: his

text: country

text: would

text: welcome

text: talks

text: with

text: the

text: United

text: States

text: in

text: a

text: fair

text: atmosphere

text: with

text: mutual

text: respect

text: The

text: United

text: States

text: several

text: European

text: nations

text: and

text: Israel

text: suspect

text: that

text: Tehran

text: has

text: been

text: trying

text: to

text: acquire

text: the

text: capacity

text: to

text: build

text: nuclear

text: weapons

text: but

text: Iran

text: says

text: its

text: nuclear

text: program

text: is

text: solely

text: for

text: peaceful

text: purposes

text: Last

text: month

text: the

text: Washington

text: based

text: Institute

text: for

text: Science

text: and

text: International

text: Security

text: released

text: a

text: report

text: saying

text: that

text: Iran

text: has

text: reached

text: nuclear

text: weapons

text: breakout

text: capability

text: it

text: has

text: enough

text: uranium

text: to

text: make

text: a

text: nuclear

text: bomb

text: The

text: report

text: was

text: based

text: on

text: an

text: analysis

text: of

text: data

text: from

text: the

text: International

text: Atomic

text: Energy

text: Agency

text: However

text: an

text: IAEA

text: official

text: who

text: asked

text: not

text: to

text: be

text: named

text: cautioned

text: against

text: drawing

text: such

text: dramatic

text: conclusions

text: from

text: the

text: data

text: saying

text: Iran

text: 's

text: stock

text: of

text: low

text: enriched

text: uranium

text: would

text: have

text: to

text: be

text: turned

text: into

text: highly

text: enriched

text: uranium

text: to

text: be

text: weapons

text: grade

text: material

text: That

text: has

text: n't

text: been

text: done

text: the

text: official

text: said

text: The

text: United

text: States

text: has

text: had

text: tortuous

text: relations

text: with

text: Tehran

text: since

text: the

text: Islamic

text: revolution

text: in

text: but

text: the

text: Obama

text: message

text: speaks

text: of

text: new

text: beginnings

text: with

text: the

text: promise

text: of

text: a

text: new

text: year

text: We

text: have

text: serious

text: differences

text: that

text: have

text: grown

text: over

text: time

text: My

text: administration

text: is

text: now

text: committed

text: to

text: diplomacy

text: that

text: addresses

text: the

text: full

text: range

text: of

text: issues

text: before

text: us

text: and

text: to

text: pursuing

text: constructive

text: ties

text: among

text: the

text: United

text: States

text: Iran

text: and

text: the

text: international

text: community

text: the

text: president

text: said

text: This

text: process

text: will

text: not

text: be

text: advanced

text: by

text: threats

text: We

text: seek

text: instead

text: engagement

text: that

text: is

text: honest

text: and

text: grounded

text: in

text: mutual

text: respect

question: Who has tortuous relations?

answer: United States

text: United States

question: Since what year has the US had bad relations with Tehran?

answer: 1979,

question: Did Tehran give an immediate response?

answer: no

text: no

question: What Iranian holiday coincides with the timing of the video message?

answer: New Year

text: New Year

question: Who did not respond immediately?

answer: Tehran

text: Tehran

question: What city had no immediate message for the US?

answer: Tehran

text: Tehran

question: When did the tortuous relations start?

answer: 1979,


text:
(Entertainment Weekly) -- If anybody had a reason to doubt whether Tyler Perry has become one of the most bankable brands in all of movies, be skeptical no longer.

The domestic dramedy maestro's latest release, Tyler Perry's "Madea Goes to Jail," ran away with a big victory on the typically slow Academy Awards weekend, grossing a hefty $41.1 million, according to early estimates from Media by Numbers.

That opening sum is the biggest of all time for a Tyler Perry film, besting the $30 million debut of 2006's "Madea's Family Reunion." Too, it's the top bow in the history of indie studio Lionsgate, improving upon all the Tyler Perry and "Saw" flicks that came before it. The movie's per-theater average of $20,236 ranks in the top 40 for all wide openers ever.

And, no surprise, "Madea Goes to Jail" achieved all this success with a solid A CinemaScore grade from a crowd that included mostly older women.  Watch Tyler Perry talk about his success Â»

Second place went to "Taken," which added another $11.4 million to its four-week tally, bringing said total to $95.2 million. Fellow strong holdover "Coraline" (No. 3) was next with $11 million.

"He's Just Not That Into You" (No. 4) declined a sharp 56 percent to bank $8.5 million on its third weekend. And Best Picture favorite "Slumdog Millionaire" rounded out the top five with $8.1 million -- a sum that brings its domestic total to $98 million.

Reigning champ "Friday the 13th" suffered one of the biggest drops ever, a stunning 81 percent, to finish in sixth place with $7.8 million. And this weekend's other major new release, the cheerleader comedy "Fired Up!" (No. 9), grossed a weak-but-expected $6 million. The film garnered an okay CinemaScore grade of B from a crowd comprised of mostly younger ladies.

Overall, the weekend was up nearly 30 percent over the same frame a year ago, when "Vantage Point" led the way. Eight of the past nine weekends have improved upon the previous year's grosses.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't take a quick peek at the main Oscar contenders, for whom the box office report is mixed headed into the ceremony.

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" leads the way with $124.2 million. The aforementioned "Slumdog Millionaire" should clear the $100 million mark in the next several days, whether it wins the top prize or not. Then it's a big jump down to "Milk" ($28.2 million), "The Reader" ($23.2 million), and "Frost/Nixon" ($17.4 million).

And let's not forget multiple nominee "The Dark Knight," which may not be up for Best Picture, but did finally become the fourth movie ever to cross the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office.

CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly

text: Entertainment

text: Weekly

text: If

text: anybody

text: had

text: a

text: reason

text: to

text: doubt

text: whether

text: Tyler

text: Perry

text: has

text: become

text: one

text: of

text: the

text: most

text: bankable

text: brands

text: in

text: all

text: of

text: movies

text: be

text: skeptical

text: no

text: longer

text: The

text: domestic

text: dramedy

text: maestro

text: 's

text: latest

text: release

text: Tyler

text: Perry

text: 's

text: Madea

text: Goes

text: to

text: Jail

text: ran

text: away

text: with

text: a

text: big

text: victory

text: on

text: the

text: typically

text: slow

text: Academy

text: Awards

text: weekend

text: grossing

text: a

text: hefty

text: million

text: according

text: to

text: early

text: estimates

text: from

text: Media

text: by

text: Numbers

text: That

text: opening

text: sum

text: is

text: the

text: biggest

text: of

text: all

text: time

text: for

text: a

text: Tyler

text: Perry

text: film

text: besting

text: the

text: million

text: debut

text: of

text: 's

text: Madea

text: 's

text: Family

text: Reunion

text: Too

text: it

text: 's

text: the

text: top

text: bow

text: in

text: the

text: history

text: of

text: indie

text: studio

text: Lionsgate

text: improving

text: upon

text: all

text: the

text: Tyler

text: Perry

text: and

text: Saw

text: flicks

text: that

text: came

text: before

text: it

text: The

text: movie

text: 's

text: per

text: theater

text: average

text: of

text: ranks

text: in

text: the

text: top

text: for

text: all

text: wide

text: openers

text: ever

text: And

text: no

text: surprise

text: Madea

text: Goes

text: to

text: Jail

text: achieved

text: all

text: this

text: success

text: with

text: a

text: solid

text: A

text: CinemaScore

text: grade

text: from

text: a

text: crowd

text: that

text: included

text: mostly

text: older

text: women

text: Watch

text: Tyler

text: Perry

text: talk

text: about

text: his

text: success

text: Â

text: Second

text: place

text: went

text: to

text: Taken

text: which

text: added

text: another

text: million

text: to

text: its

text: four

text: week

text: tally

text: bringing

text: said

text: total

text: to

text: million

text: Fellow

text: strong

text: holdover

text: Coraline

text: No

text: was

text: next

text: with

text: million

text: He

text: 's

text: Just

text: Not

text: That

text: Into

text: You

text: No

text: declined

text: a

text: sharp

text: percent

text: to

text: bank

text: million

text: on

text: its

text: third

text: weekend

text: And

text: Best

text: Picture

text: favorite

text: Slumdog

text: Millionaire

text: rounded

text: out

text: the

text: top

text: five

text: with

text: million

text: a

text: sum

text: that

text: brings

text: its

text: domestic

text: total

text: to

text: million

text: Reigning

text: champ

text: Friday

text: the

text: suffered

text: one

text: of

text: the

text: biggest

text: drops

text: ever

text: a

text: stunning

text: percent

text: to

text: finish

text: in

text: sixth

text: place

text: with

text: million

text: And

text: this

text: weekend

text: 's

text: other

text: major

text: new

text: release

text: the

text: cheerleader

text: comedy

text: Fired

text: Up

text: No

text: grossed

text: a

text: weak

text: but

text: expected

text: million

text: The

text: film

text: garnered

text: an

text: okay

text: CinemaScore

text: grade

text: of

text: B

text: from

text: a

text: crowd

text: comprised

text: of

text: mostly

text: younger

text: ladies

text: Overall

text: the

text: weekend

text: was

text: up

text: nearly

text: percent

text: over

text: the

text: same

text: frame

text: a

text: year

text: ago

text: when

text: Vantage

text: Point

text: led

text: the

text: way

text: Eight

text: of

text: the

text: past

text: nine

text: weekends

text: have

text: improved

text: upon

text: the

text: previous

text: year

text: 's

text: grosses

text: And

text: I

text: 'd

text: be

text: remiss

text: if

text: I

text: did

text: n't

text: take

text: a

text: quick

text: peek

text: at

text: the

text: main

text: Oscar

text: contenders

text: for

text: whom

text: the

text: box

text: office

text: report

text: is

text: mixed

text: headed

text: into

text: the

text: ceremony

text: The

text: Curious

text: Case

text: of

text: Benjamin

text: Button

text: leads

text: the

text: way

text: with

text: million

text: The

text: aforementioned

text: Slumdog

text: Millionaire

text: should

text: clear

text: the

text: million

text: mark

text: in

text: the

text: next

text: several

text: days

text: whether

text: it

text: wins

text: the

text: top

text: prize

text: or

text: not

text: Then

text: it

text: 's

text: a

text: big

text: jump

text: down

text: to

text: Milk

text: million

text: The

text: Reader

text: million

text: and

text: Frost

text: Nixon

text: million

text: And

text: let

text: 's

text: not

text: forget

text: multiple

text: nominee

text: The

text: Dark

text: Knight

text: which

text: may

text: not

text: be

text: up

text: for

text: Best

text: Picture

text: but

text: did

text: finally

text: become

text: the

text: fourth

text: movie

text: ever

text: to

text: cross

text: the

text: billion

text: mark

text: at

text: the

text: worldwide

text: box

text: office

text: CLICK

text: HERE

text: to

text: Try

text: RISK

text: FREE

text: issues

text: of

text: Entertainment

text: Weekly

question: what was the per-theater average

answer: $20,236

question: what won big this weekend

answer: "Madea Goes to Jail,"

text: "Madea Goes to Jail,"

question: who won second place

answer: "Taken,"

text: "Taken,"

question: what is in the top 40?

answer: The movie's per-theater average

text: The movie's per-theater average