text:
(CNN) -- Her school has become a symbol of the kind of crumbling infrastructure that President Obama hopes his stimulus bill will improve.

South Carolina student Ty'Sheoma Bethea was invited to the speech after she wrote a letter to lawmakers.

But on Tuesday, Ty'Sheoma Bethea became the face of the issue, when she joined first lady Michelle Obama as her guest for the president's first speech to a joint session of Congress.

The White House invited Bethea, a student at the J.V. Martin Junior High School in Dillon, South Carolina, after a letter she sent lawmakers appealing for help rebuilding her school made its way to the president.

The eighth-grader flew with her mother, Dina Leach, from South Carolina to Washington to attend Tuesday night's speech.

On Wednesday, back home in South Carolina, Bethea explained what she wanted the president to do.

"I just want for him to help my school out and to get us a bigger and better school and build us a new one, and I would thank him for that." she told CNN.

The eighth-grader was inspired to write the letter by Obama, who mentioned her school in his first presidential news conference on February 9. After visiting the school, he referenced J.V. Martin as evidence of educational institutions that would benefit from school construction funding in his $787 billion stimulus package. iReport.com: 'A very emotional moment'

In her letter, Bethea described the dilapidated condition of her school, which was built in 1896, and said the funds would improve the building and the quality of education.

"We are just students trying to become lawyers, doctors, congressmen like yourself, and one day president, so we can make a change to not just the state of South Carolina, but also the world. We are not quitters."  Watch Obama quote Bethea in speech Â»

Obama repeated Bethea's statement about not quitting during his address.

"It was great to hear the president say my quote," Bethea said Wednesday. "We are not quitters because anything is possible, and I don't think we should give up so easily. We should work harder for it."

Poorly maintained and ill-equipped schools in South Carolina's "corridor of shame" were an issue during the Democratic primary as evidence that education reform had to be an imperative for the next president.

The schools became an issue again last week when South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, a Republican, said he might turn down some of the money in the stimulus. And South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, the highest-ranking African-American in Congress, said turning down money was an "insult" to blacks.

"We have legislation here now with the money to do something about the schools, do something about water and sewage along that corridor in these 12 counties. And now the governor says, 'I don't want to accept the money.' That's why I called this an insult, that's why I said this is a slap in the face, because a majority of those counties are, in fact, inhabited by African-Americans," Clyburn said on CNN's Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.

In his speech Tuesday, Obama vowed that education is among the priorities of his administration. He urged Americans to take advantage of the promise of an education.  Watch Obama discuss education Â»

"In a global economy, where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity. It is a prerequisite," he said.

"It is our responsibility as lawmakers and as educators to make this system work, but it is the responsibility of every citizen to participate in it." Obama said. iReport.com: What would you fix first?

"So tonight, I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training. This can be a community college or a four-year school, vocational training or an apprenticeship. But whatever the training may be, every American will need to get more than a high school diploma."

text: CNN

text: Her

text: school

text: has

text: become

text: a

text: symbol

text: of

text: the

text: kind

text: of

text: crumbling

text: infrastructure

text: that

text: President

text: Obama

text: hopes

text: his

text: stimulus

text: bill

text: will

text: improve

text: South

text: Carolina

text: student

text: Ty'Sheoma

text: Bethea

text: was

text: invited

text: to

text: the

text: speech

text: after

text: she

text: wrote

text: a

text: letter

text: to

text: lawmakers

text: But

text: on

text: Tuesday

text: Ty'Sheoma

text: Bethea

text: became

text: the

text: face

text: of

text: the

text: issue

text: when

text: she

text: joined

text: first

text: lady

text: Michelle

text: Obama

text: as

text: her

text: guest

text: for

text: the

text: president

text: 's

text: first

text: speech

text: to

text: a

text: joint

text: session

text: of

text: Congress

text: The

text: White

text: House

text: invited

text: Bethea

text: a

text: student

text: at

text: the

text: J.V.

text: Martin

text: Junior

text: High

text: School

text: in

text: Dillon

text: South

text: Carolina

text: after

text: a

text: letter

text: she

text: sent

text: lawmakers

text: appealing

text: for

text: help

text: rebuilding

text: her

text: school

text: made

text: its

text: way

text: to

text: the

text: president

text: The

text: eighth

text: grader

text: flew

text: with

text: her

text: mother

text: Dina

text: Leach

text: from

text: South

text: Carolina

text: to

text: Washington

text: to

text: attend

text: Tuesday

text: night

text: 's

text: speech

text: On

text: Wednesday

text: back

text: home

text: in

text: South

text: Carolina

text: Bethea

text: explained

text: what

text: she

text: wanted

text: the

text: president

text: to

text: do

text: I

text: just

text: want

text: for

text: him

text: to

text: help

text: my

text: school

text: out

text: and

text: to

text: get

text: us

text: a

text: bigger

text: and

text: better

text: school

text: and

text: build

text: us

text: a

text: new

text: one

text: and

text: I

text: would

text: thank

text: him

text: for

text: that

text: she

text: told

text: CNN

text: The

text: eighth

text: grader

text: was

text: inspired

text: to

text: write

text: the

text: letter

text: by

text: Obama

text: who

text: mentioned

text: her

text: school

text: in

text: his

text: first

text: presidential

text: news

text: conference

text: on

text: February

text: After

text: visiting

text: the

text: school

text: he

text: referenced

text: J.V.

text: Martin

text: as

text: evidence

text: of

text: educational

text: institutions

text: that

text: would

text: benefit

text: from

text: school

text: construction

text: funding

text: in

text: his

text: billion

text: stimulus

text: package

text: iReport.com

text: A

text: very

text: emotional

text: moment

text: In

text: her

text: letter

text: Bethea

text: described

text: the

text: dilapidated

text: condition

text: of

text: her

text: school

text: which

text: was

text: built

text: in

text: and

text: said

text: the

text: funds

text: would

text: improve

text: the

text: building

text: and

text: the

text: quality

text: of

text: education

text: We

text: are

text: just

text: students

text: trying

text: to

text: become

text: lawyers

text: doctors

text: congressmen

text: like

text: yourself

text: and

text: one

text: day

text: president

text: so

text: we

text: can

text: make

text: a

text: change

text: to

text: not

text: just

text: the

text: state

text: of

text: South

text: Carolina

text: but

text: also

text: the

text: world

text: We

text: are

text: not

text: quitters

text: Watch

text: Obama

text: quote

text: Bethea

text: in

text: speech

text: Â

text: Obama

text: repeated

text: Bethea

text: 's

text: statement

text: about

text: not

text: quitting

text: during

text: his

text: address

text: It

text: was

text: great

text: to

text: hear

text: the

text: president

text: say

text: my

text: quote

text: Bethea

text: said

text: Wednesday

text: We

text: are

text: not

text: quitters

text: because

text: anything

text: is

text: possible

text: and

text: I

text: do

text: n't

text: think

text: we

text: should

text: give

text: up

text: so

text: easily

text: We

text: should

text: work

text: harder

text: for

text: it

text: Poorly

text: maintained

text: and

text: ill

text: equipped

text: schools

text: in

text: South

text: Carolina

text: 's

text: corridor

text: of

text: shame

text: were

text: an

text: issue

text: during

text: the

text: Democratic

text: primary

text: as

text: evidence

text: that

text: education

text: reform

text: had

text: to

text: be

text: an

text: imperative

text: for

text: the

text: next

text: president

text: The

text: schools

text: became

text: an

text: issue

text: again

text: last

text: week

text: when

text: South

text: Carolina

text: Gov.

text: Mark

text: Sanford

text: a

text: Republican

text: said

text: he

text: might

text: turn

text: down

text: some

text: of

text: the

text: money

text: in

text: the

text: stimulus

text: And

text: South

text: Carolina

text: Rep.

text: James

text: Clyburn

text: the

text: highest

text: ranking

text: African

text: American

text: in

text: Congress

text: said

text: turning

text: down

text: money

text: was

text: an

text: insult

text: to

text: blacks

text: We

text: have

text: legislation

text: here

text: now

text: with

text: the

text: money

text: to

text: do

text: something

text: about

text: the

text: schools

text: do

text: something

text: about

text: water

text: and

text: sewage

text: along

text: that

text: corridor

text: in

text: these

text: counties

text: And

text: now

text: the

text: governor

text: says

text: I

text: do

text: n't

text: want

text: to

text: accept

text: the

text: money

text: That

text: 's

text: why

text: I

text: called

text: this

text: an

text: insult

text: that

text: 's

text: why

text: I

text: said

text: this

text: is

text: a

text: slap

text: in

text: the

text: face

text: because

text: a

text: majority

text: of

text: those

text: counties

text: are

text: in

text: fact

text: inhabited

text: by

text: African

text: Americans

text: Clyburn

text: said

text: on

text: CNN

text: 's

text: Situation

text: Room

text: with

text: Wolf

text: Blitzer

text: In

text: his

text: speech

text: Tuesday

text: Obama

text: vowed

text: that

text: education

text: is

text: among

text: the

text: priorities

text: of

text: his

text: administration

text: He

text: urged

text: Americans

text: to

text: take

text: advantage

text: of

text: the

text: promise

text: of

text: an

text: education

text: Watch

text: Obama

text: discuss

text: education

text: Â

text: In

text: a

text: global

text: economy

text: where

text: the

text: most

text: valuable

text: skill

text: you

text: can

text: sell

text: is

text: your

text: knowledge

text: a

text: good

text: education

text: is

text: no

text: longer

text: just

text: a

text: pathway

text: to

text: opportunity

text: It

text: is

text: a

text: prerequisite

text: he

text: said

text: It

text: is

text: our

text: responsibility

text: as

text: lawmakers

text: and

text: as

text: educators

text: to

text: make

text: this

text: system

text: work

text: but

text: it

text: is

text: the

text: responsibility

text: of

text: every

text: citizen

text: to

text: participate

text: in

text: it

text: Obama

text: said

text: iReport.com

text: What

text: would

text: you

text: fix

text: first

text: So

text: tonight

text: I

text: ask

text: every

text: American

text: to

text: commit

text: to

text: at

text: least

text: one

text: year

text: or

text: more

text: of

text: higher

text: education

text: or

text: career

text: training

text: This

text: can

text: be

text: a

text: community

text: college

text: or

text: a

text: four

text: year

text: school

text: vocational

text: training

text: or

text: an

text: apprenticeship

text: But

text: whatever

text: the

text: training

text: may

text: be

text: every

text: American

text: will

text: need

text: to

text: get

text: more

text: than

text: a

text: high

text: school

text: diploma

question: Who did Bethea wite a letter to?

answer: lawmakers.

text: lawmakers.

question: Who joins Michelle Obama for the president's speech?

answer: Ty'Sheoma Bethea

text: Ty'Sheoma Bethea

question: Who joined Michelle Obama for the speech?

answer: Ty'Sheoma Bethea

text: Ty'Sheoma Bethea

question: What was the subject of Bethea's letter?

answer: help rebuilding her school

text: help rebuilding her school

question: What did she write a letter about?

answer: appealing for help rebuilding her school

text: appealing for help rebuilding her school


text:
(CNN) -- Basketball legend Michael Jordan has caused a furor at the President's Cup golf tournament after the former Chicago Bulls player was snapped smoking a cigar at the Harding Park course in San Francisco.

Michael Jordan smoking a cigar at the Hardin Park golf course.

Jordan -- who is acting as the honorary assistant captain for the U.S. team at the event -- puffed while playing a practice round despite the city's ban on smoking at public golf courses.

Pictures were published in the San Francisco Chronicle of the 46-year-old flouting the rules, a move which prompted city officials to request the PGA Tour to remind Jordan of the law.

"It was sort of a gentle nudge reminding them that smoking is illegal and that we would appreciate their support," Recreation and Park General Manager Phil Ginsburg told the Chronicle.

The breaking of the smoking ban carries a $100 fine, however, Matt Dorsey, the spokesman for City Attorney Dennis Herrera, told the newspaper: "Just don't expect me to ask him for it."

Fred Couples invited Jordan to be an honorary assistant captain at the Presidents Cup, and the Hall of Famer spoke to reporters on Monday about his smoking.

"I heard this is a public place, so they limit what you can smoke, but this was a practice round and no one said anything," he told the gathered media.

British Open champion Stewart Cink backed Jordan despite the outcry suggesting the cigar was unlit: "The tobacco usage did become a little bit of a story out there, because I saw Michael with a cigar in his mouth that was unlit.

"He's trying to set a good example for the rest of the people who see on TV what we are doing out there, just try to set a good example and try to chew his tobacco instead of smoke it."

text: CNN

text: Basketball

text: legend

text: Michael

text: Jordan

text: has

text: caused

text: a

text: furor

text: at

text: the

text: President

text: 's

text: Cup

text: golf

text: tournament

text: after

text: the

text: former

text: Chicago

text: Bulls

text: player

text: was

text: snapped

text: smoking

text: a

text: cigar

text: at

text: the

text: Harding

text: Park

text: course

text: in

text: San

text: Francisco

text: Michael

text: Jordan

text: smoking

text: a

text: cigar

text: at

text: the

text: Hardin

text: Park

text: golf

text: course

text: Jordan

text: who

text: is

text: acting

text: as

text: the

text: honorary

text: assistant

text: captain

text: for

text: the

text: U.S.

text: team

text: at

text: the

text: event

text: puffed

text: while

text: playing

text: a

text: practice

text: round

text: despite

text: the

text: city

text: 's

text: ban

text: on

text: smoking

text: at

text: public

text: golf

text: courses

text: Pictures

text: were

text: published

text: in

text: the

text: San

text: Francisco

text: Chronicle

text: of

text: the

text: old

text: flouting

text: the

text: rules

text: a

text: move

text: which

text: prompted

text: city

text: officials

text: to

text: request

text: the

text: PGA

text: Tour

text: to

text: remind

text: Jordan

text: of

text: the

text: law

text: It

text: was

text: sort

text: of

text: a

text: gentle

text: nudge

text: reminding

text: them

text: that

text: smoking

text: is

text: illegal

text: and

text: that

text: we

text: would

text: appreciate

text: their

text: support

text: Recreation

text: and

text: Park

text: General

text: Manager

text: Phil

text: Ginsburg

text: told

text: the

text: Chronicle

text: The

text: breaking

text: of

text: the

text: smoking

text: ban

text: carries

text: a

text: fine

text: however

text: Matt

text: Dorsey

text: the

text: spokesman

text: for

text: City

text: Attorney

text: Dennis

text: Herrera

text: told

text: the

text: newspaper

text: Just

text: do

text: n't

text: expect

text: me

text: to

text: ask

text: him

text: for

text: it

text: Fred

text: Couples

text: invited

text: Jordan

text: to

text: be

text: an

text: honorary

text: assistant

text: captain

text: at

text: the

text: Presidents

text: Cup

text: and

text: the

text: Hall

text: of

text: Famer

text: spoke

text: to

text: reporters

text: on

text: Monday

text: about

text: his

text: smoking

text: I

text: heard

text: this

text: is

text: a

text: public

text: place

text: so

text: they

text: limit

text: what

text: you

text: can

text: smoke

text: but

text: this

text: was

text: a

text: practice

text: round

text: and

text: no

text: one

text: said

text: anything

text: he

text: told

text: the

text: gathered

text: media

text: British

text: Open

text: champion

text: Stewart

text: Cink

text: backed

text: Jordan

text: despite

text: the

text: outcry

text: suggesting

text: the

text: cigar

text: was

text: unlit

text: The

text: tobacco

text: usage

text: did

text: become

text: a

text: little

text: bit

text: of

text: a

text: story

text: out

text: there

text: because

text: I

text: saw

text: Michael

text: with

text: a

text: cigar

text: in

text: his

text: mouth

text: that

text: was

text: unlit

text: He

text: 's

text: trying

text: to

text: set

text: a

text: good

text: example

text: for

text: the

text: rest

text: of

text: the

text: people

text: who

text: see

text: on

text: TV

text: what

text: we

text: are

text: doing

text: out

text: there

text: just

text: try

text: to

text: set

text: a

text: good

text: example

text: and

text: try

text: to

text: chew

text: his

text: tobacco

text: instead

text: of

text: smoke

text: it

question: Who was photographed?

answer: Michael Jordan

text: Michael Jordan

question: What is illegal to smoke?

answer: cigar

text: cigar

question: Who was pictured smoking?

answer: Michael Jordan

text: Michael Jordan

question: what its Illegal under San Francisco?

answer: smoking

text: smoking


text:
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Two U.S. Air Force F-15s escorted two Russian Bear long-range bombers out of an air exclusion zone off the coast of Alaska, U.S. military officials said Wednesday.

Two U.S. Air Force F-15s were dispatched to meet the Russian bombers.

U.S. radar picked up the Russian turbo-prop Tupolev-95 planes about 500 miles off the Alaska coast.

The U.S. fighters from Elmendorf Air Force Base were dispatched to meet the bombers and escorted them out of the area without incident, the officials said.

The United States maintains the air exclusion zone off the coast of Alaska, barring unidentified aircraft or aircraft that don't file flight plans inside that area.

The last case of Russian aircraft approaching the U.S. coastline or ships in the Pacific was in February.

Then, four Bear bombers flew near the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, with one of them flying about 2,000 feet from the Nimitz's deck.

Russia's Defense Ministry said at the time there was no violation of flight regulations during the incident. A ministry official described the flights as standard operating procedure for air force training.

Meanwhile, U.S. military officials say the incidents are not a concern. They say it's the Russian military flexing its ability and presence. E-mail to a friend

text: WASHINGTON

text: CNN

text: Two

text: U.S.

text: Air

text: Force

text: escorted

text: two

text: Russian

text: Bear

text: long

text: range

text: bombers

text: out

text: of

text: an

text: air

text: exclusion

text: zone

text: off

text: the

text: coast

text: of

text: Alaska

text: U.S.

text: military

text: officials

text: said

text: Wednesday

text: Two

text: U.S.

text: Air

text: Force

text: were

text: dispatched

text: to

text: meet

text: the

text: Russian

text: bombers

text: U.S.

text: radar

text: picked

text: up

text: the

text: Russian

text: turbo

text: prop

text: planes

text: about

text: miles

text: off

text: the

text: Alaska

text: coast

text: The

text: U.S.

text: fighters

text: from

text: Elmendorf

text: Air

text: Force

text: Base

text: were

text: dispatched

text: to

text: meet

text: the

text: bombers

text: and

text: escorted

text: them

text: out

text: of

text: the

text: area

text: without

text: incident

text: the

text: officials

text: said

text: The

text: United

text: States

text: maintains

text: the

text: air

text: exclusion

text: zone

text: off

text: the

text: coast

text: of

text: Alaska

text: barring

text: unidentified

text: aircraft

text: or

text: aircraft

text: that

text: do

text: n't

text: file

text: flight

text: plans

text: inside

text: that

text: area

text: The

text: last

text: case

text: of

text: Russian

text: aircraft

text: approaching

text: the

text: U.S.

text: coastline

text: or

text: ships

text: in

text: the

text: Pacific

text: was

text: in

text: February

text: Then

text: four

text: Bear

text: bombers

text: flew

text: near

text: the

text: aircraft

text: carrier

text: USS

text: Nimitz

text: with

text: one

text: of

text: them

text: flying

text: about

text: feet

text: from

text: the

text: Nimitz

text: 's

text: deck

text: Russia

text: 's

text: Defense

text: Ministry

text: said

text: at

text: the

text: time

text: there

text: was

text: no

text: violation

text: of

text: flight

text: regulations

text: during

text: the

text: incident

text: A

text: ministry

text: official

text: described

text: the

text: flights

text: as

text: standard

text: operating

text: procedure

text: for

text: air

text: force

text: training

text: Meanwhile

text: U.S.

text: military

text: officials

text: say

text: the

text: incidents

text: are

text: not

text: a

text: concern

text: They

text: say

text: it

text: 's

text: the

text: Russian

text: military

text: flexing

text: its

text: ability

text: and

text: presence

text: E

text: mail

text: to

text: a

text: friend

question: Where did the Russians enter?

answer: air exclusion zone off the coast of Alaska,

text: air exclusion zone off the coast of Alaska,

question: Where were the Russian planes detected?

answer: air exclusion zone off the coast of Alaska,

text: air exclusion zone off the coast of Alaska,

question: What did U.S. Radar pick up?

answer: Russian turbo-prop Tupolev-95 planes

text: Russian turbo-prop Tupolev-95 planes

question: When did Russian planes last come near the U.S. coastline?

answer: February.

text: February.

question: Where did the Russian planes come near?

answer: Alaska

text: Alaska

question: What did US radar pick up?

answer: Russian turbo-prop Tupolev-95 planes

text: Russian turbo-prop Tupolev-95 planes

question: What did the Russians enter?

answer: air exclusion zone off the coast of Alaska,

text: air exclusion zone off the coast of Alaska,

question: Who entered an air exclusion zone?

answer: two Russian Bear long-range bombers

text: two Russian Bear long-range bombers

question: When did Russian planes last come near the US?

answer: February.

text: February.

question: What happened to the Russian planes?

answer: meet the bombers and escorted them out of the area without incident,

text: meet the bombers and escorted them out of the area without incident,


text:
(CNN)  -- A Tennessee detective's keen eye may have nabbed a serial killer.

Tennessee police say trucker Bruce Mendenhall implicated himself as a serial killer.

A long-distance truck driver gave statements implicating himself in six slayings in four states after Detective Sgt. Pat Postiglione discovered what appeared to be blood inside the cab of his rig, police said.

Bruce Mendenhall, 56, an independent truck driver from Albion, Illinois, is facing  homicide charges in the shooting death of Sara Nicole Hulbert, 25. Her body was found June 26 in the parking lot of a Nashville, Tennessee, truck stop, authorities said.

Mendenhall made his first court appearance Thursday via closed-circuit television. A judge declined to set bond.

Heading to the crime scene Thursday, Postiglione saw a tractor-trailer rig on the road that matched the description of a truck sought in the investigation. The rig pulled into the truck stop and stopped.  Watch police search Mendehall's truck Â»

Postiglione knocked on its door.

While talking with Mendenhall, Postiglione noticed what appeared to be blood on the inside of the driver's door. Mendenhall gave the detective permission to look inside the truck.

Postiglione found "some more evidence that I considered incriminating," he said.

Mendenhall was detained, police said, because he gave statements implicating himself in Hulbert's slaying. Knowing that the slaying was similar to other recent homicides in the South, Postiglione questioned Mendenhall about those as well, police said.

Mendenhall implicated himself in the death of Symantha Winters, 48, of Nashville, who was found shot to death June 6 in a trash container at a Lebanon, Tennessee, truck stop, police said.

He also implicated himself in a homicide in Alabama, one in Georgia and two in Indiana, the statement said. Those victims were not named.

Nashville police said they are in contact with agencies in those states regarding statements from Mendenhall, who is being held without bail. The truck was impounded and was being processed by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. E-mail to a friend

text: CNN

text: A

text: Tennessee

text: detective

text: 's

text: keen

text: eye

text: may

text: have

text: nabbed

text: a

text: serial

text: killer

text: Tennessee

text: police

text: say

text: trucker

text: Bruce

text: Mendenhall

text: implicated

text: himself

text: as

text: a

text: serial

text: killer

text: A

text: long

text: distance

text: truck

text: driver

text: gave

text: statements

text: implicating

text: himself

text: in

text: six

text: slayings

text: in

text: four

text: states

text: after

text: Detective

text: Sgt

text: Pat

text: Postiglione

text: discovered

text: what

text: appeared

text: to

text: be

text: blood

text: inside

text: the

text: cab

text: of

text: his

text: rig

text: police

text: said

text: Bruce

text: Mendenhall

text: an

text: independent

text: truck

text: driver

text: from

text: Albion

text: Illinois

text: is

text: facing

text: homicide

text: charges

text: in

text: the

text: shooting

text: death

text: of

text: Sara

text: Nicole

text: Hulbert

text: Her

text: body

text: was

text: found

text: June

text: in

text: the

text: parking

text: lot

text: of

text: a

text: Nashville

text: Tennessee

text: truck

text: stop

text: authorities

text: said

text: Mendenhall

text: made

text: his

text: first

text: court

text: appearance

text: Thursday

text: via

text: closed

text: circuit

text: television

text: A

text: judge

text: declined

text: to

text: set

text: bond

text: Heading

text: to

text: the

text: crime

text: scene

text: Thursday

text: Postiglione

text: saw

text: a

text: tractor

text: trailer

text: rig

text: on

text: the

text: road

text: that

text: matched

text: the

text: description

text: of

text: a

text: truck

text: sought

text: in

text: the

text: investigation

text: The

text: rig

text: pulled

text: into

text: the

text: truck

text: stop

text: and

text: stopped

text: Watch

text: police

text: search

text: Mendehall

text: 's

text: truck

text: Â

text: Postiglione

text: knocked

text: on

text: its

text: door

text: While

text: talking

text: with

text: Mendenhall

text: Postiglione

text: noticed

text: what

text: appeared

text: to

text: be

text: blood

text: on

text: the

text: inside

text: of

text: the

text: driver

text: 's

text: door

text: Mendenhall

text: gave

text: the

text: detective

text: permission

text: to

text: look

text: inside

text: the

text: truck

text: Postiglione

text: found

text: some

text: more

text: evidence

text: that

text: I

text: considered

text: incriminating

text: he

text: said

text: Mendenhall

text: was

text: detained

text: police

text: said

text: because

text: he

text: gave

text: statements

text: implicating

text: himself

text: in

text: Hulbert

text: 's

text: slaying

text: Knowing

text: that

text: the

text: slaying

text: was

text: similar

text: to

text: other

text: recent

text: homicides

text: in

text: the

text: South

text: Postiglione

text: questioned

text: Mendenhall

text: about

text: those

text: as

text: well

text: police

text: said

text: Mendenhall

text: implicated

text: himself

text: in

text: the

text: death

text: of

text: Symantha

text: Winters

text: of

text: Nashville

text: who

text: was

text: found

text: shot

text: to

text: death

text: June

text: in

text: a

text: trash

text: container

text: at

text: a

text: Lebanon

text: Tennessee

text: truck

text: stop

text: police

text: said

text: He

text: also

text: implicated

text: himself

text: in

text: a

text: homicide

text: in

text: Alabama

text: one

text: in

text: Georgia

text: and

text: two

text: in

text: Indiana

text: the

text: statement

text: said

text: Those

text: victims

text: were

text: not

text: named

text: Nashville

text: police

text: said

text: they

text: are

text: in

text: contact

text: with

text: agencies

text: in

text: those

text: states

text: regarding

text: statements

text: from

text: Mendenhall

text: who

text: is

text: being

text: held

text: without

text: bail

text: The

text: truck

text: was

text: impounded

text: and

text: was

text: being

text: processed

text: by

text: the

text: Tennessee

text: Bureau

text: of

text: Investigation

text: E

text: mail

text: to

text: a

text: friend

question: What did the police say?

answer: trucker Bruce Mendenhall implicated himself as a serial killer.

text: trucker Bruce Mendenhall implicated himself as a serial killer.

question: How many murders is the driver implicated in total?

answer: six

text: six

question: What was in the truck?

answer: blood

text: blood

question: How many murders took place?

answer: six

text: six

question: What evidence was in the truck that matched the description of the wanted vehicle?

answer: appeared to be blood inside the cab of his rig,

text: appeared to be blood inside the cab of his rig,

question: What was found in the truck?

answer: blood

text: blood


text:
(CNN)  -- Hundreds of U.S. and Afghan soldiers have embarked on a major operation against militants in the eastern Afghan region of Tora Bora, near the border with Pakistan, officials have told CNN.

File photo of the remote mountain Tora Bora region on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Air and ground strikes under way in the remote mountain region are aimed at large numbers of militant fighters.

The troops are targeting "hundreds of hardened al Qaeda and Taliban in dug-in positions," said officials familiar with the intelligence.

The operation started two days ago in the region, where al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was once thought to be hiding.

The Bush administration has been criticized for not sending enough ground forces to Tora Bora in December 2001 to capture the militant after the invasion that toppled the Taliban.

"U.S. and Afghan forces engaged al Qaeda and other violent extremist fighters in eastern Afghanistan during a combined arms assault using precision munitions. There have been no substantiated reports of civilian casualties in this engagement," said Capt. Vanessa R. Bowman, a U.S. Army spokeswoman.

"The targets were carefully chosen to pinpoint enemy positions and eliminate the likelihood of harming innocent civilians," she said.

"This region has provided an ideal environment to conceal enemy support bases and training sites, as well as plan and launch attacks aimed at terrorizing innocent civilians, both inside and outside the region."

Also Wednesday, a manager at a private British security firm in Afghanistan was shot and killed in the capital Kabul, a spokesman for the company said.

"We did lose a manager today in Kabul to unknown assailants," Christopher Beese, spokesman for ArmorGroup International, said Wednesday.

He said next of kin have been notified and an inquiry into the incident has begun. The name of the man, a British national, was not released.

"It's bad news. He was a very well-respected man," Beese said, noting that the victim had experience in Afghanistan going back to the early 1980s.

Beese -- who said the man's role was to run the administration of the 1,200-person-strong security presence in the country -- described the man as a "logistics manager" and "all things to all people."

The firm, which has been operating in Afghanistan since 2002, mostly provides diplomatic protection and has contracts with the British and American governments.

The man recruited and trained Afghan guards and was the most senior administrator at the company's Kabul base, Camp Anjuman, the company said. E-mail to a friend

CNN's Joe Sterling contributed to this report.

text: CNN

text: Hundreds

text: of

text: U.S.

text: and

text: Afghan

text: soldiers

text: have

text: embarked

text: on

text: a

text: major

text: operation

text: against

text: militants

text: in

text: the

text: eastern

text: Afghan

text: region

text: of

text: Tora

text: Bora

text: near

text: the

text: border

text: with

text: Pakistan

text: officials

text: have

text: told

text: CNN

text: File

text: photo

text: of

text: the

text: remote

text: mountain

text: Tora

text: Bora

text: region

text: on

text: the

text: border

text: of

text: Afghanistan

text: and

text: Pakistan

text: Air

text: and

text: ground

text: strikes

text: under

text: way

text: in

text: the

text: remote

text: mountain

text: region

text: are

text: aimed

text: at

text: large

text: numbers

text: of

text: militant

text: fighters

text: The

text: troops

text: are

text: targeting

text: hundreds

text: of

text: hardened

text: al

text: Qaeda

text: and

text: Taliban

text: in

text: dug

text: in

text: positions

text: said

text: officials

text: familiar

text: with

text: the

text: intelligence

text: The

text: operation

text: started

text: two

text: days

text: ago

text: in

text: the

text: region

text: where

text: al

text: Qaeda

text: leader

text: Osama

text: bin

text: Laden

text: was

text: once

text: thought

text: to

text: be

text: hiding

text: The

text: Bush

text: administration

text: has

text: been

text: criticized

text: for

text: not

text: sending

text: enough

text: ground

text: forces

text: to

text: Tora

text: Bora

text: in

text: December

text: to

text: capture

text: the

text: militant

text: after

text: the

text: invasion

text: that

text: toppled

text: the

text: Taliban

text: U.S.

text: and

text: Afghan

text: forces

text: engaged

text: al

text: Qaeda

text: and

text: other

text: violent

text: extremist

text: fighters

text: in

text: eastern

text: Afghanistan

text: during

text: a

text: combined

text: arms

text: assault

text: using

text: precision

text: munitions

text: There

text: have

text: been

text: no

text: substantiated

text: reports

text: of

text: civilian

text: casualties

text: in

text: this

text: engagement

text: said

text: Capt

text: Vanessa

text: R.

text: Bowman

text: a

text: U.S.

text: Army

text: spokeswoman

text: The

text: targets

text: were

text: carefully

text: chosen

text: to

text: pinpoint

text: enemy

text: positions

text: and

text: eliminate

text: the

text: likelihood

text: of

text: harming

text: innocent

text: civilians

text: she

text: said

text: This

text: region

text: has

text: provided

text: an

text: ideal

text: environment

text: to

text: conceal

text: enemy

text: support

text: bases

text: and

text: training

text: sites

text: as

text: well

text: as

text: plan

text: and

text: launch

text: attacks

text: aimed

text: at

text: terrorizing

text: innocent

text: civilians

text: both

text: inside

text: and

text: outside

text: the

text: region

text: Also

text: Wednesday

text: a

text: manager

text: at

text: a

text: private

text: British

text: security

text: firm

text: in

text: Afghanistan

text: was

text: shot

text: and

text: killed

text: in

text: the

text: capital

text: Kabul

text: a

text: spokesman

text: for

text: the

text: company

text: said

text: We

text: did

text: lose

text: a

text: manager

text: today

text: in

text: Kabul

text: to

text: unknown

text: assailants

text: Christopher

text: Beese

text: spokesman

text: for

text: ArmorGroup

text: International

text: said

text: Wednesday

text: He

text: said

text: next

text: of

text: kin

text: have

text: been

text: notified

text: and

text: an

text: inquiry

text: into

text: the

text: incident

text: has

text: begun

text: The

text: name

text: of

text: the

text: man

text: a

text: British

text: national

text: was

text: not

text: released

text: It

text: 's

text: bad

text: news

text: He

text: was

text: a

text: very

text: well

text: respected

text: man

text: Beese

text: said

text: noting

text: that

text: the

text: victim

text: had

text: experience

text: in

text: Afghanistan

text: going

text: back

text: to

text: the

text: early

text: Beese

text: who

text: said

text: the

text: man

text: 's

text: role

text: was

text: to

text: run

text: the

text: administration

text: of

text: the

text: strong

text: security

text: presence

text: in

text: the

text: country

text: described

text: the

text: man

text: as

text: a

text: logistics

text: manager

text: and

text: all

text: things

text: to

text: all

text: people

text: The

text: firm

text: which

text: has

text: been

text: operating

text: in

text: Afghanistan

text: since

text: mostly

text: provides

text: diplomatic

text: protection

text: and

text: has

text: contracts

text: with

text: the

text: British

text: and

text: American

text: governments

text: The

text: man

text: recruited

text: and

text: trained

text: Afghan

text: guards

text: and

text: was

text: the

text: most

text: senior

text: administrator

text: at

text: the

text: company

text: 's

text: Kabul

text: base

text: Camp

text: Anjuman

text: the

text: company

text: said

text: E

text: mail

text: to

text: a

text: friend

text: CNN

text: 's

text: Joe

text: Sterling

text: contributed

text: to

text: this

text: report

question: What group is being targeted?

answer: "hundreds of hardened al Qaeda and Taliban in dug-in positions,"

text: "hundreds of hardened al Qaeda and Taliban in dug-in positions,"

question: Where was the major operation?

answer: eastern Afghan region of Tora Bora,

text: eastern Afghan region of Tora Bora,

question: What they use to fight Qaeda, Taliban?

answer: Air and ground strikes

text: Air and ground strikes

question: Where are they using air strikes?

answer: remote mountain Tora Bora region on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

text: remote mountain Tora Bora region on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

question: Who embarked on a major operation in Tora Bora

answer: Hundreds of U.S. and Afghan soldiers

text: Hundreds of U.S. and Afghan soldiers

question: Where was Osama bin Laden thought to be hiding?

answer: Tora Bora

text: Tora Bora


text:
Editor's Note: This story details how two members of the CNN Special Investigations Unit reported a story about controversial plans to spend $31 million to enhance two remote crossings on the border between the United States and Canada.

The road to the border was so quiet it was safe for Drew Griffin to sit in the middle of it.

SCOBEY, Montana (CNN) -- We were driving through some of the most remote country in the United States, chasing a story that seemed hard to believe.

The Department of Homeland Security had announced it was spending $31 million to enhance and upgrade two remote border crossings -- just 12 miles apart -- on the border between Montana and the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The spending was lauded by Montana's two senators, even though only an average of 22 cars a day traveled through these border posts.

We hopped a plane from Atlanta, Georgia, to Billings, Montana, and then headed to Scobey and Whitetail. The six-hour drive took us through some of this nation's most beautiful country into the high plains of the Missouri River Region. It was a drive punctuated with glimpses of cows and antelopes, but few people.

In fact, Burl Bowler, editor of the Daniels County Leader newspaper, which serves the border towns, advised us where to stop for gas en route, so we wouldn't run out and then really be in trouble.

Besides seeing a part of the country where Lt. Col. George Custer took his last stand, there was the added benefit (sorry CNN management) of having no phone or Blackberry access. In that respect, it was a peaceful drive.

When we got to Scobey, the few people we encountered couldn't have been nicer. Everyone we passed stopped, said hello, or waved. But encountering people was the problem -- and in fact, the story: We just didn't encounter that many. Certainly not at the border, where we stood and even sat in the middle of the road to show viewers how few people travel to and from Canada here.  Watch just how quiet the border crossing was Â»

The Scobey border crossing itself seemed perfectly adequate. But the Department of Homeland Security had warned its agents not to allow us inside, so we don't know what the interior is like. If we came in, we would be too disruptive, one government spokesman had informed us. In Scobey, that claim seemed a little far-fetched, since there wasn't anything going on here -- disruptive or otherwise.

On the Canadian side, farmer Marc Chabot, a U.S. citizen whose family has farmed the area on both sides of the border for generations, said he was grateful for the money his senators -- Democrats Max Baucus and Jon Tester -- steered to northeast Montana. But, he said, like others in the community, he gasped when he learned of the plan to spend $31 million expanding two border crossings that are rarely used.

"It would be wiser spent on something more useful to the public generally," he told us, adding that come winter, the average of 20 cars crossing a day in Scobey drops to almost none.

Editor Burl Bowler told us the area could certainly use stimulus money for jobs, but not at the border. We asked both Bowler and Chabot about the possibility of terrorists creeping across the frontier.

Both said that after the attacks of September 11, 2001, everyone needed to be more mindful of the porous border. But Chabot said the government had the area fairly well covered. "Trust me, they know we are here right now," he said.

And a massive new building costing more than $15 million in Scobey, Montana, wasn't exactly a deterrence to someone set on harming the United States, he added. Chabot joked that any stranger in the area certainly would not be a stranger long, since everyone knew everyone -- a point echoed by Bowler, who pointed out that while he hadn't told many people that CNN was coming to town, everyone seemed to know it anyway.

In Whitetail, it was even quieter. The town has grain elevators and a post office. Bureau of Transportation statistics show only about two people a day cross the border there, and the agents' building seemed in good shape, save for maybe needing a paint job.

The DHS planned to spend $15 million on the outpost. That would buy a lot more paint than the building seemed to need. So why did these two areas get so much money? Locals and critics suspect politics might have played a role.

Baucus is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee; Tester is on the Senate's Homeland Security Committee. Both took credit for convincing the DHS to give these towns millions for border crossings, bragging in a joint press release that they pressured the agency.

"This is good news for all of Montana and especially communities across the northern tier," Baucus said in the statement. Tester said the spending would "pay off for generations to come by creating new jobs and opportunity that will benefit all of Montana." As late as Wednesday, his spokesman reiterated Tester's support of the spending, saying that it would seal security gaps on the border.

So, the nagging question: Did politics, rather than security, guide the DHS? Especially when a border town like Laredo, Texas, which sees 66,000 crossings a day, was getting not one dime of the $400 million in DHS border stimulus funds. Montana, in total, was to receive $77 million.

In an interview Wednesday with CNN, Trent Frazier, the director of port modernization for the Department of Homeland Security, denied that politics played any role.

"We feel that these ports, like all ports of entry, are a vital part of the network of security that we have established across the border apparatus that we employ across the borders, and the investments we are going to do along these borders are a critical step in ensuring we can perform our mission," Frazier said.

But if Frazier did not believe politics factored in the decisions, it appeared to play a big role by Wednesday afternoon. Fellow Democrat Sen. Byron Dorgan, from the neighboring state of North Dakota, sent out a news release urging DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano to suspend the stimulus program. He said that spending the money on such remote ports -- including the nine in his state -- was "just nuts." Dorgan said the plan "just defied common sense."

Within hours, Napolitano announced she was ordering a 30-day review to see if the money was being spent appropriately. In her letter to Dorgan, Napolitano said 39 of the 43 Custom and Border Protection posts were located in the northern United States. She said most of the Southern ports were owned by the General Services Administration, and the money directed by Congress was earmarked for the Custom and Border Protection properties and required to be spent within 24 months.

"Nonetheless," she wrote, "in order to ensure even further transparency in this process, I am ordering a 30 day review" of all port construction decisions by officials who did not make the initial allocation decisions.

So, for now, if you want to travel to Canada through Scobey or Whitetail, the agents who inspect your vehicles will be using the buildings now in place -- and according to the locals, you will be adequately served.

text: Editor

text: 's

text: Note

text: This

text: story

text: details

text: how

text: two

text: members

text: of

text: the

text: CNN

text: Special

text: Investigations

text: Unit

text: reported

text: a

text: story

text: about

text: controversial

text: plans

text: to

text: spend

text: million

text: to

text: enhance

text: two

text: remote

text: crossings

text: on

text: the

text: border

text: between

text: the

text: United

text: States

text: and

text: Canada

text: The

text: road

text: to

text: the

text: border

text: was

text: so

text: quiet

text: it

text: was

text: safe

text: for

text: Drew

text: Griffin

text: to

text: sit

text: in

text: the

text: middle

text: of

text: it

text: SCOBEY

text: Montana

text: CNN

text: We

text: were

text: driving

text: through

text: some

text: of

text: the

text: most

text: remote

text: country

text: in

text: the

text: United

text: States

text: chasing

text: a

text: story

text: that

text: seemed

text: hard

text: to

text: believe

text: The

text: Department

text: of

text: Homeland

text: Security

text: had

text: announced

text: it

text: was

text: spending

text: million

text: to

text: enhance

text: and

text: upgrade

text: two

text: remote

text: border

text: crossings

text: just

text: miles

text: apart

text: on

text: the

text: border

text: between

text: Montana

text: and

text: the

text: Canadian

text: province

text: of

text: Saskatchewan

text: The

text: spending

text: was

text: lauded

text: by

text: Montana

text: 's

text: two

text: senators

text: even

text: though

text: only

text: an

text: average

text: of

text: cars

text: a

text: day

text: traveled

text: through

text: these

text: border

text: posts

text: We

text: hopped

text: a

text: plane

text: from

text: Atlanta

text: Georgia

text: to

text: Billings

text: Montana

text: and

text: then

text: headed

text: to

text: Scobey

text: and

text: Whitetail

text: The

text: six

text: hour

text: drive

text: took

text: us

text: through

text: some

text: of

text: this

text: nation

text: 's

text: most

text: beautiful

text: country

text: into

text: the

text: high

text: plains

text: of

text: the

text: Missouri

text: River

text: Region

text: It

text: was

text: a

text: drive

text: punctuated

text: with

text: glimpses

text: of

text: cows

text: and

text: antelopes

text: but

text: few

text: people

text: In

text: fact

text: Burl

text: Bowler

text: editor

text: of

text: the

text: Daniels

text: County

text: Leader

text: newspaper

text: which

text: serves

text: the

text: border

text: towns

text: advised

text: us

text: where

text: to

text: stop

text: for

text: gas

text: en

text: route

text: so

text: we

text: would

text: n't

text: run

text: out

text: and

text: then

text: really

text: be

text: in

text: trouble

text: Besides

text: seeing

text: a

text: part

text: of

text: the

text: country

text: where

text: Lt

text: Col

text: George

text: Custer

text: took

text: his

text: last

text: stand

text: there

text: was

text: the

text: added

text: benefit

text: sorry

text: CNN

text: management

text: of

text: having

text: no

text: phone

text: or

text: Blackberry

text: access

text: In

text: that

text: respect

text: it

text: was

text: a

text: peaceful

text: drive

text: When

text: we

text: got

text: to

text: Scobey

text: the

text: few

text: people

text: we

text: encountered

text: could

text: n't

text: have

text: been

text: nicer

text: Everyone

text: we

text: passed

text: stopped

text: said

text: hello

text: or

text: waved

text: But

text: encountering

text: people

text: was

text: the

text: problem

text: and

text: in

text: fact

text: the

text: story

text: We

text: just

text: did

text: n't

text: encounter

text: that

text: many

text: Certainly

text: not

text: at

text: the

text: border

text: where

text: we

text: stood

text: and

text: even

text: sat

text: in

text: the

text: middle

text: of

text: the

text: road

text: to

text: show

text: viewers

text: how

text: few

text: people

text: travel

text: to

text: and

text: from

text: Canada

text: here

text: Watch

text: just

text: how

text: quiet

text: the

text: border

text: crossing

text: was

text: Â

text: The

text: Scobey

text: border

text: crossing

text: itself

text: seemed

text: perfectly

text: adequate

text: But

text: the

text: Department

text: of

text: Homeland

text: Security

text: had

text: warned

text: its

text: agents

text: not

text: to

text: allow

text: us

text: inside

text: so

text: we

text: do

text: n't

text: know

text: what

text: the

text: interior

text: is

text: like

text: If

text: we

text: came

text: in

text: we

text: would

text: be

text: too

text: disruptive

text: one

text: government

text: spokesman

text: had

text: informed

text: us

text: In

text: Scobey

text: that

text: claim

text: seemed

text: a

text: little

text: far

text: fetched

text: since

text: there

text: was

text: n't

text: anything

text: going

text: on

text: here

text: disruptive

text: or

text: otherwise

text: On

text: the

text: Canadian

text: side

text: farmer

text: Marc

text: Chabot

text: a

text: U.S.

text: citizen

text: whose

text: family

text: has

text: farmed

text: the

text: area

text: on

text: both

text: sides

text: of

text: the

text: border

text: for

text: generations

text: said

text: he

text: was

text: grateful

text: for

text: the

text: money

text: his

text: senators

text: Democrats

text: Max

text: Baucus

text: and

text: Jon

text: Tester

text: steered

text: to

text: northeast

text: Montana

text: But

text: he

text: said

text: like

text: others

text: in

text: the

text: community

text: he

text: gasped

text: when

text: he

text: learned

text: of

text: the

text: plan

text: to

text: spend

text: million

text: expanding

text: two

text: border

text: crossings

text: that

text: are

text: rarely

text: used

text: It

text: would

text: be

text: wiser

text: spent

text: on

text: something

text: more

text: useful

text: to

text: the

text: public

text: generally

text: he

text: told

text: us

text: adding

text: that

text: come

text: winter

text: the

text: average

text: of

text: cars

text: crossing

text: a

text: day

text: in

text: Scobey

text: drops

text: to

text: almost

text: Editor

text: Burl

text: Bowler

text: told

text: us

text: the

text: area

text: could

text: certainly

text: use

text: stimulus

text: money

text: for

text: jobs

text: but

text: not

text: at

text: the

text: border

text: We

text: asked

text: both

text: Bowler

text: and

text: Chabot

text: about

text: the

text: possibility

text: of

text: terrorists

text: creeping

text: across

text: the

text: frontier

text: Both

text: said

text: that

text: after

text: the

text: attacks

text: of

text: September

text: everyone

text: needed

text: to

text: be

text: more

text: mindful

text: of

text: the

text: porous

text: border

text: But

text: Chabot

text: said

text: the

text: government

text: had

text: the

text: area

text: fairly

text: well

text: covered

text: Trust

text: me

text: they

text: know

text: we

text: are

text: here

text: right

text: now

text: he

text: said

text: And

text: a

text: massive

text: new

text: building

text: costing

text: more

text: than

text: million

text: in

text: Scobey

text: Montana

text: was

text: n't

text: exactly

text: a

text: deterrence

text: to

text: someone

text: set

text: on

text: harming

text: the

text: United

text: States

text: he

text: added

text: Chabot

text: joked

text: that

text: any

text: stranger

text: in

text: the

text: area

text: certainly

text: would

text: not

text: be

text: a

text: stranger

text: long

text: since

text: everyone

text: knew

text: everyone

text: a

text: point

text: echoed

text: by

text: Bowler

text: who

text: pointed

text: out

text: that

text: while

text: he

text: had

text: n't

text: told

text: many

text: people

text: that

text: CNN

text: was

text: coming

text: to

text: town

text: everyone

text: seemed

text: to

text: know

text: it

text: anyway

text: In

text: Whitetail

text: it

text: was

text: even

text: quieter

text: The

text: town

text: has

text: grain

text: elevators

text: and

text: a

text: post

text: office

text: Bureau

text: of

text: Transportation

text: statistics

text: show

text: only

text: about

text: two

text: people

text: a

text: day

text: cross

text: the

text: border

text: there

text: and

text: the

text: agents

text: building

text: seemed

text: in

text: good

text: shape

text: save

text: for

text: maybe

text: needing

text: a

text: paint

text: job

text: The

text: DHS

text: planned

text: to

text: spend

text: million

text: on

text: the

text: outpost

text: That

text: would

text: buy

text: a

text: lot

text: more

text: paint

text: than

text: the

text: building

text: seemed

text: to

text: need

text: So

text: why

text: did

text: these

text: two

text: areas

text: get

text: so

text: much

text: money

text: Locals

text: and

text: critics

text: suspect

text: politics

text: might

text: have

text: played

text: a

text: role

text: Baucus

text: is

text: chairman

text: of

text: the

text: Senate

text: Finance

text: Committee

text: Tester

text: is

text: on

text: the

text: Senate

text: 's

text: Homeland

text: Security

text: Committee

text: Both

text: took

text: credit

text: for

text: convincing

text: the

text: DHS

text: to

text: give

text: these

text: towns

text: millions

text: for

text: border

text: crossings

text: bragging

text: in

text: a

text: joint

text: press

text: release

text: that

text: they

text: pressured

text: the

text: agency

text: This

text: is

text: good

text: news

text: for

text: all

text: of

text: Montana

text: and

text: especially

text: communities

text: across

text: the

text: northern

text: tier

text: Baucus

text: said

text: in

text: the

text: statement

text: Tester

text: said

text: the

text: spending

text: would

text: pay

text: off

text: for

text: generations

text: to

text: come

text: by

text: creating

text: new

text: jobs

text: and

text: opportunity

text: that

text: will

text: benefit

text: all

text: of

text: Montana

text: As

text: late

text: as

text: Wednesday

text: his

text: spokesman

text: reiterated

text: Tester

text: 's

text: support

text: of

text: the

text: spending

text: saying

text: that

text: it

text: would

text: seal

text: security

text: gaps

text: on

text: the

text: border

text: So

text: the

text: nagging

text: question

text: Did

text: politics

text: rather

text: than

text: security

text: guide

text: the

text: DHS

text: Especially

text: when

text: a

text: border

text: town

text: like

text: Laredo

text: Texas

text: which

text: sees

text: crossings

text: a

text: day

text: was

text: getting

text: not

text: one

text: dime

text: of

text: the

text: million

text: in

text: DHS

text: border

text: stimulus

text: funds

text: Montana

text: in

text: total

text: was

text: to

text: receive

text: million

text: In

text: an

text: interview

text: Wednesday

text: with

text: CNN

text: Trent

text: Frazier

text: the

text: director

text: of

text: port

text: modernization

text: for

text: the

text: Department

text: of

text: Homeland

text: Security

text: denied

text: that

text: politics

text: played

text: any

text: role

text: We

text: feel

text: that

text: these

text: ports

text: like

text: all

text: ports

text: of

text: entry

text: are

text: a

text: vital

text: part

text: of

text: the

text: network

text: of

text: security

text: that

text: we

text: have

text: established

text: across

text: the

text: border

text: apparatus

text: that

text: we

text: employ

text: across

text: the

text: borders

text: and

text: the

text: investments

text: we

text: are

text: going

text: to

text: do

text: along

text: these

text: borders

text: are

text: a

text: critical

text: step

text: in

text: ensuring

text: we

text: can

text: perform

text: our

text: mission

text: Frazier

text: said

text: But

text: if

text: Frazier

text: did

text: not

text: believe

text: politics

text: factored

text: in

text: the

text: decisions

text: it

text: appeared

text: to

text: play

text: a

text: big

text: role

text: by

text: Wednesday

text: afternoon

text: Fellow

text: Democrat

text: Sen.

text: Byron

text: Dorgan

text: from

text: the

text: neighboring

text: state

text: of

text: North

text: Dakota

text: sent

text: out

text: a

text: news

text: release

text: urging

text: DHS

text: Secretary

text: Janet

text: Napolitano

text: to

text: suspend

text: the

text: stimulus

text: program

text: He

text: said

text: that

text: spending

text: the

text: money

text: on

text: such

text: remote

text: ports

text: including

text: the

text: nine

text: in

text: his

text: state

text: was

text: just

text: nuts

text: Dorgan

text: said

text: the

text: plan

text: just

text: defied

text: common

text: sense

text: Within

text: hours

text: Napolitano

text: announced

text: she

text: was

text: ordering

text: a

text: review

text: to

text: see

text: if

text: the

text: money

text: was

text: being

text: spent

text: appropriately

text: In

text: her

text: letter

text: to

text: Dorgan

text: Napolitano

text: said

text: of

text: the

text: Custom

text: and

text: Border

text: Protection

text: posts

text: were

text: located

text: in

text: the

text: northern

text: United

text: States

text: She

text: said

text: most

text: of

text: the

text: Southern

text: ports

text: were

text: owned

text: by

text: the

text: General

text: Services

text: Administration

text: and

text: the

text: money

text: directed

text: by

text: Congress

text: was

text: earmarked

text: for

text: the

text: Custom

text: and

text: Border

text: Protection

text: properties

text: and

text: required

text: to

text: be

text: spent

text: within

text: months

text: Nonetheless

text: she

text: wrote

text: in

text: order

text: to

text: ensure

text: even

text: further

text: transparency

text: in

text: this

text: process

text: I

text: am

text: ordering

text: a

text: day

text: review

text: of

text: all

text: port

text: construction

text: decisions

text: by

text: officials

text: who

text: did

text: not

text: make

text: the

text: initial

text: allocation

text: decisions

text: So

text: for

text: now

text: if

text: you

text: want

text: to

text: travel

text: to

text: Canada

text: through

text: Scobey

text: or

text: Whitetail

text: the

text: agents

text: who

text: inspect

text: your

text: vehicles

text: will

text: be

text: using

text: the

text: buildings

text: now

text: in

text: place

text: and

text: according

text: to

text: the

text: locals

text: you

text: will

text: be

text: adequately

text: served

question: How many miles apart are they?

answer: 12

question: How much distance is between crossings?

answer: 12 miles

text: 12 miles

question: How much crossings does Laredo get a day?

answer: 22 cars a

text: 22 cars a

question: what will the money go to

answer: expanding two border crossings that are rarely used.

text: expanding two border crossings that are rarely used.

question: Who planned to spend $31 million?

answer: The Department of Homeland Security

text: The Department of Homeland Security

question: how much will dhs plan to spend

answer: $15 million

text: $15 million

question: How much does DHS plan to spend?

answer: $31 million

text: $31 million

question: How many crossings a day do they get?

answer: 22 cars a

text: 22 cars a

question: which state gets 66,000 crossings a day

answer: Texas,

text: Texas,


text:
Editor's Note: The staff at CNN.com has recently been intrigued by the journalism of VICE, an independent media company and Web site based in Brooklyn, New York. VBS.TV is Vice's broadband television network. The reports, which are produced solely by VICE, reflect a very transparent approach to journalism, where viewers are taken along on every step of the reporting process. We believe this unique reporting approach is worthy of sharing with our CNN.com readers.

Brooklyn, New York (VBS.TV) -- Several events converged recently that conspired to take me back to the summer of 2006, the summer I snuck into Iraq. The first event was the Iraqi elections. The second was the Oscars. The third was a concert at a little bar tucked into a hip corner of the hippest neighborhood in the world -- Williamsburg, Brooklyn. These events all brought me a little closer to that time, a little closer to recalling the way things were back then. And I realized how much I had forgotten.

The summer/ fall of 2006 had a name -- at least it did in Iraq. It was called the Battle for Baghdad.

It was one of the most bloody periods of the war. The moment just before the Surge where hundreds of people -- hundreds of Iraqis -- were dying every day. I say we snuck into the country because we did.

We had been trying to obtain permission to get into the country legally, but it was proving very difficult. We heard through a friend that you could fly into Erbil through Germany. So we did. Without any papers we bought one-way tickets in cash from Erbil to Baghdad.

To me it was a really bad sign: who was in charge of the (expletive) show down there? There was a real feeling of desperation in the air when my friend Suroosh and I landed at the Baghdad International Airport. Someone in Iraq even told us that there was a rumor floating around that the U.S. forces were seriously considering building a moat around the city.

Once inside, we aligned to our mission: to find and interview the only heavy metal band in the country, Acrassicauda.

It wasn't easy, but we found the guys -- Faisal and Firas -- and spent a week interviewing them in locations that would keep them safe from accusations of collaboration with the enemy.

We met two of the nicest, warmest, funniest dudes, and through them our perspective on this war, and all war, was fundamentally changed. For the first time, I saw the war through the eyes of the oppressed, and saw it for what it was: (expletive) stupid. It was a stupid, stupid war. And the old men that conducted it, on both sides, were essentially the same ugly evil idiots; the same ideologues that championed their own particular visions of a new world order under the banner of their chosen gods -- money, freedom, oil, Allah -- take your pick.

See the rest of Heavy Metal in Baghdad at VBS.TV

The recent elections saw a flare in the random violence that characterized the hottest periods of the war and reminded me that the desire to kill is still very much alive in Iraq. That the cost of life is still very low.

The recent Oscars proved to me how myopic we still are about that war, about our role in it.

(Kathryn) Bigelow's champions film of champions ("The Hurt Locker") shows the Americans as the heroes, addicted to comradeship and the thrill of battle, and the Iraqis as the faceless aggressors resorting to cheap tactics and foul play. A rather disgusting narrative point of view, especially unnerving when you consider how determined Bigelow et screaming actors al were to create an apolitical discursive cocoon around their film. It's as though they were being willfully, culturally stupid, which is strange from a director that is considered, buy most accounts, to be an intelligent filmmaker.

Last night, I made my way to a little event at a little bar in Brooklyn. Almost four years since my trip to Iraq, and those awesome dudes -- Faisal, Firas, Marwan and Tony -- now live in New York.

They made it out of Iraq, out of exile in Syria, out of the limbo of their refugee existences in Turkey, and they made it to the stage. Last night Acrassicauda rocked out. They are alive and well, and growing their hair long in peace.

As they played I couldn't help thinking that behind these four guys stands an entire generation of young Iraqis who had their lives torn apart for a truly stupid war that was built on lies and sustained by our inability to empathize. The first decade of the century was a shame. I just hope we learn something from it.

text: Editor

text: 's

text: Note

text: The

text: staff

text: at

text: CNN.com

text: has

text: recently

text: been

text: intrigued

text: by

text: the

text: journalism

text: of

text: VICE

text: an

text: independent

text: media

text: company

text: and

text: Web

text: site

text: based

text: in

text: Brooklyn

text: New

text: York

text: VBS.TV

text: is

text: Vice

text: 's

text: broadband

text: television

text: network

text: The

text: reports

text: which

text: are

text: produced

text: solely

text: by

text: VICE

text: reflect

text: a

text: very

text: transparent

text: approach

text: to

text: journalism

text: where

text: viewers

text: are

text: taken

text: along

text: on

text: every

text: step

text: of

text: the

text: reporting

text: process

text: We

text: believe

text: this

text: unique

text: reporting

text: approach

text: is

text: worthy

text: of

text: sharing

text: with

text: our

text: CNN.com

text: readers

text: Brooklyn

text: New

text: York

text: VBS.TV

text: Several

text: events

text: converged

text: recently

text: that

text: conspired

text: to

text: take

text: me

text: back

text: to

text: the

text: summer

text: of

text: the

text: summer

text: I

text: snuck

text: into

text: Iraq

text: The

text: first

text: event

text: was

text: the

text: Iraqi

text: elections

text: The

text: second

text: was

text: the

text: Oscars

text: The

text: third

text: was

text: a

text: concert

text: at

text: a

text: little

text: bar

text: tucked

text: into

text: a

text: hip

text: corner

text: of

text: the

text: hippest

text: neighborhood

text: in

text: the

text: world

text: Williamsburg

text: Brooklyn

text: These

text: events

text: all

text: brought

text: me

text: a

text: little

text: closer

text: to

text: that

text: time

text: a

text: little

text: closer

text: to

text: recalling

text: the

text: way

text: things

text: were

text: back

text: then

text: And

text: I

text: realized

text: how

text: much

text: I

text: had

text: forgotten

text: The

text: summer/

text: fall

text: of

text: had

text: a

text: name

text: at

text: least

text: it

text: did

text: in

text: Iraq

text: It

text: was

text: called

text: the

text: Battle

text: for

text: Baghdad

text: It

text: was

text: one

text: of

text: the

text: most

text: bloody

text: periods

text: of

text: the

text: war

text: The

text: moment

text: just

text: before

text: the

text: Surge

text: where

text: hundreds

text: of

text: people

text: hundreds

text: of

text: Iraqis

text: were

text: dying

text: every

text: day

text: I

text: say

text: we

text: snuck

text: into

text: the

text: country

text: because

text: we

text: did

text: We

text: had

text: been

text: trying

text: to

text: obtain

text: permission

text: to

text: get

text: into

text: the

text: country

text: legally

text: but

text: it

text: was

text: proving

text: very

text: difficult

text: We

text: heard

text: through

text: a

text: friend

text: that

text: you

text: could

text: fly

text: into

text: Erbil

text: through

text: Germany

text: So

text: we

text: did

text: Without

text: any

text: papers

text: we

text: bought

text: one

text: way

text: tickets

text: in

text: cash

text: from

text: Erbil

text: to

text: Baghdad

text: To

text: me

text: it

text: was

text: a

text: really

text: bad

text: sign

text: who

text: was

text: in

text: charge

text: of

text: the

text: expletive

text: show

text: down

text: there

text: There

text: was

text: a

text: real

text: feeling

text: of

text: desperation

text: in

text: the

text: air

text: when

text: my

text: friend

text: Suroosh

text: and

text: I

text: landed

text: at

text: the

text: Baghdad

text: International

text: Airport

text: Someone

text: in

text: Iraq

text: even

text: told

text: us

text: that

text: there

text: was

text: a

text: rumor

text: floating

text: around

text: that

text: the

text: U.S.

text: forces

text: were

text: seriously

text: considering

text: building

text: a

text: moat

text: around

text: the

text: city

text: Once

text: inside

text: we

text: aligned

text: to

text: our

text: mission

text: to

text: find

text: and

text: interview

text: the

text: only

text: heavy

text: metal

text: band

text: in

text: the

text: country

text: Acrassicauda

text: It

text: was

text: n't

text: easy

text: but

text: we

text: found

text: the

text: guys

text: Faisal

text: and

text: Firas

text: and

text: spent

text: a

text: week

text: interviewing

text: them

text: in

text: locations

text: that

text: would

text: keep

text: them

text: safe

text: from

text: accusations

text: of

text: collaboration

text: with

text: the

text: enemy

text: We

text: met

text: two

text: of

text: the

text: nicest

text: warmest

text: funniest

text: dudes

text: and

text: through

text: them

text: our

text: perspective

text: on

text: this

text: war

text: and

text: all

text: war

text: was

text: fundamentally

text: changed

text: For

text: the

text: first

text: time

text: I

text: saw

text: the

text: war

text: through

text: the

text: eyes

text: of

text: the

text: oppressed

text: and

text: saw

text: it

text: for

text: what

text: it

text: was

text: expletive

text: stupid

text: It

text: was

text: a

text: stupid

text: stupid

text: war

text: And

text: the

text: old

text: men

text: that

text: conducted

text: it

text: on

text: both

text: sides

text: were

text: essentially

text: the

text: same

text: ugly

text: evil

text: idiots

text: the

text: same

text: ideologues

text: that

text: championed

text: their

text: own

text: particular

text: visions

text: of

text: a

text: new

text: world

text: order

text: under

text: the

text: banner

text: of

text: their

text: chosen

text: gods

text: money

text: freedom

text: oil

text: Allah

text: take

text: your

text: pick

text: See

text: the

text: rest

text: of

text: Heavy

text: Metal

text: in

text: Baghdad

text: at

text: VBS.TV

text: The

text: recent

text: elections

text: saw

text: a

text: flare

text: in

text: the

text: random

text: violence

text: that

text: characterized

text: the

text: hottest

text: periods

text: of

text: the

text: war

text: and

text: reminded

text: me

text: that

text: the

text: desire

text: to

text: kill

text: is

text: still

text: very

text: much

text: alive

text: in

text: Iraq

text: That

text: the

text: cost

text: of

text: life

text: is

text: still

text: very

text: low

text: The

text: recent

text: Oscars

text: proved

text: to

text: me

text: how

text: myopic

text: we

text: still

text: are

text: about

text: that

text: war

text: about

text: our

text: role

text: in

text: it

text: Kathryn

text: Bigelow

text: 's

text: champions

text: film

text: of

text: champions

text: The

text: Hurt

text: Locker

text: shows

text: the

text: Americans

text: as

text: the

text: heroes

text: addicted

text: to

text: comradeship

text: and

text: the

text: thrill

text: of

text: battle

text: and

text: the

text: Iraqis

text: as

text: the

text: faceless

text: aggressors

text: resorting

text: to

text: cheap

text: tactics

text: and

text: foul

text: play

text: A

text: rather

text: disgusting

text: narrative

text: point

text: of

text: view

text: especially

text: unnerving

text: when

text: you

text: consider

text: how

text: determined

text: Bigelow

text: et

text: screaming

text: actors

text: al

text: were

text: to

text: create

text: an

text: apolitical

text: discursive

text: cocoon

text: around

text: their

text: film

text: It

text: 's

text: as

text: though

text: they

text: were

text: being

text: willfully

text: culturally

text: stupid

text: which

text: is

text: strange

text: from

text: a

text: director

text: that

text: is

text: considered

text: buy

text: most

text: accounts

text: to

text: be

text: an

text: intelligent

text: filmmaker

text: Last

text: night

text: I

text: made

text: my

text: way

text: to

text: a

text: little

text: event

text: at

text: a

text: little

text: bar

text: in

text: Brooklyn

text: Almost

text: four

text: years

text: since

text: my

text: trip

text: to

text: Iraq

text: and

text: those

text: awesome

text: dudes

text: Faisal

text: Firas

text: Marwan

text: and

text: Tony

text: now

text: live

text: in

text: New

text: York

text: They

text: made

text: it

text: out

text: of

text: Iraq

text: out

text: of

text: exile

text: in

text: Syria

text: out

text: of

text: the

text: limbo

text: of

text: their

text: refugee

text: existences

text: in

text: Turkey

text: and

text: they

text: made

text: it

text: to

text: the

text: stage

text: Last

text: night

text: Acrassicauda

text: rocked

text: out

text: They

text: are

text: alive

text: and

text: well

text: and

text: growing

text: their

text: hair

text: long

text: in

text: peace

text: As

text: they

text: played

text: I

text: could

text: n't

text: help

text: thinking

text: that

text: behind

text: these

text: four

text: guys

text: stands

text: an

text: entire

text: generation

text: of

text: young

text: Iraqis

text: who

text: had

text: their

text: lives

text: torn

text: apart

text: for

text: a

text: truly

text: stupid

text: war

text: that

text: was

text: built

text: on

text: lies

text: and

text: sustained

text: by

text: our

text: inability

text: to

text: empathize

text: The

text: first

text: decade

text: of

text: the

text: century

text: was

text: a

text: shame

text: I

text: just

text: hope

text: we

text: learn

text: something

text: from

text: it

question: what is the band doing today

answer: They are alive and well, and growing their hair long in peace.

text: They are alive and well, and growing their hair long in peace.

question: Where did VBS.TV travel to?

answer: Iraq.

text: Iraq.

question: what kind of band is it?

answer: heavy metal

text: heavy metal

question: where is the interview?

answer: locations that would keep them safe from accusations of collaboration with the enemy.

text: locations that would keep them safe from accusations of collaboration with the enemy.


text:
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A British businessman jailed in Dubai after being convicted with a female companion for having sex on a beach said he had acted naively as he spoke publicly Monday for the first time since returning to the UK.

Vince Acors said he had been "extremely naive" about Muslim law.

Vince Acors, 34, and Michelle Palmer, 36, were arrested on a Dubai beach in July and convicted to three-month jail terms in October on charges of public indecency and for having sex outside marriage. Their jail sentences were suspended on appeal and both returned to the UK last week.

Acors, a telecommunications executive, admitted being drunk at the time of the incident after an afternoon of drinking but denied that sex between the couple had occurred and said that worldwide media interest in the case had given authorities no choice but to convict them.

"Sex in this country (the UK) is not the same as sex in Dubai," Acors told a news conference, adding that there was "physical contact but intercourse did not take place."  Watch as Acors gives his side of the story Â»

But Acors admitted he had been "extremely naive" about Muslim law in the Middle Eastern country.

He described how drinking was commonplace in the Emirate's Western hotels, and how his "champagne glass was never empty" during a Friday afternoon "all-you-can-drink" reception where he met Palmer.

Acors said the Dubai authorities had confiscated his passport during deportation proceedings that took three months. He returned to Britain on Christmas Eve and is now looking to sell his story.

He said he and Palmer had since spoken only to discuss the case and don't have a relationship. She was not at the news conference.

text: LONDON

text: England

text: CNN

text: A

text: British

text: businessman

text: jailed

text: in

text: Dubai

text: after

text: being

text: convicted

text: with

text: a

text: female

text: companion

text: for

text: having

text: sex

text: on

text: a

text: beach

text: said

text: he

text: had

text: acted

text: naively

text: as

text: he

text: spoke

text: publicly

text: Monday

text: for

text: the

text: first

text: time

text: since

text: returning

text: to

text: the

text: UK

text: Vince

text: Acors

text: said

text: he

text: had

text: been

text: extremely

text: naive

text: about

text: Muslim

text: law

text: Vince

text: Acors

text: and

text: Michelle

text: Palmer

text: were

text: arrested

text: on

text: a

text: Dubai

text: beach

text: in

text: July

text: and

text: convicted

text: to

text: three

text: month

text: jail

text: terms

text: in

text: October

text: on

text: charges

text: of

text: public

text: indecency

text: and

text: for

text: having

text: sex

text: outside

text: marriage

text: Their

text: jail

text: sentences

text: were

text: suspended

text: on

text: appeal

text: and

text: both

text: returned

text: to

text: the

text: UK

text: last

text: week

text: Acors

text: a

text: telecommunications

text: executive

text: admitted

text: being

text: drunk

text: at

text: the

text: time

text: of

text: the

text: incident

text: after

text: an

text: afternoon

text: of

text: drinking

text: but

text: denied

text: that

text: sex

text: between

text: the

text: couple

text: had

text: occurred

text: and

text: said

text: that

text: worldwide

text: media

text: interest

text: in

text: the

text: case

text: had

text: given

text: authorities

text: no

text: choice

text: but

text: to

text: convict

text: them

text: Sex

text: in

text: this

text: country

text: the

text: UK

text: is

text: not

text: the

text: same

text: as

text: sex

text: in

text: Dubai

text: Acors

text: told

text: a

text: news

text: conference

text: adding

text: that

text: there

text: was

text: physical

text: contact

text: but

text: intercourse

text: did

text: not

text: take

text: place

text: Watch

text: as

text: Acors

text: gives

text: his

text: side

text: of

text: the

text: story

text: Â

text: But

text: Acors

text: admitted

text: he

text: had

text: been

text: extremely

text: naive

text: about

text: Muslim

text: law

text: in

text: the

text: Middle

text: Eastern

text: country

text: He

text: described

text: how

text: drinking

text: was

text: commonplace

text: in

text: the

text: Emirate

text: 's

text: Western

text: hotels

text: and

text: how

text: his

text: champagne

text: glass

text: was

text: never

text: empty

text: during

text: a

text: Friday

text: afternoon

text: all

text: you

text: can

text: drink

text: reception

text: where

text: he

text: met

text: Palmer

text: Acors

text: said

text: the

text: Dubai

text: authorities

text: had

text: confiscated

text: his

text: passport

text: during

text: deportation

text: proceedings

text: that

text: took

text: three

text: months

text: He

text: returned

text: to

text: Britain

text: on

text: Christmas

text: Eve

text: and

text: is

text: now

text: looking

text: to

text: sell

text: his

text: story

text: He

text: said

text: he

text: and

text: Palmer

text: had

text: since

text: spoken

text: only

text: to

text: discuss

text: the

text: case

text: and

text: do

text: n't

text: have

text: a

text: relationship

text: She

text: was

text: not

text: at

text: the

text: news

text: conference

question: When and where did this take place?

answer: on a Dubai beach in July

text: on a Dubai beach in July

question: where did the man have sex?

answer: on a beach

text: on a beach

question: what was the british man convicted of?

answer: having sex on a beach

text: having sex on a beach

question: What was the length of the jail term?

answer: three-month

text: three-month


text:
(CNN) -- The Mojave boneyard in the California desert is where old airplanes go to die -- a wasteland of decrepit planes, titanic heaps of titanium and aluminum waiting to be scrapped for metal in India or China.

Plane boneyards are a rich source of spare parts for MotoArt to create their functional furniture.

But for Dave Hall and Donovan Fell, the boneyard is only the beginning.

They own MotoArt, a company based in California that turns old aircraft parts into high-end furniture and functional art.

From beds and desks to light fixtures and wall partitions, Hall and Fell say they are doing more than reinventing cast-offs from retired planes, they're creating pieces of aviation history.

"Once they are gone we can never get them back again," said Hall of the abandoned planes at Mojave.

"So what we like to do is actually take these aircraft parts and preserve them and give them a second life in some really fun, functional art."

MotoArt began in 2000 when Hall and Fell, former co-workers at an architectural sign company in Los Angeles, collaborated on an art exhibition that showcased Fell's polished B-17 bomber propeller sculptures.  See before and after photos of recycled plane parts Â»

"We sold out the entire show, and the gearheads all loved it," said Fell. It was then that the duo realized their unique art project could have a much wider audience.

Encouraged by the success of the exhibit, the duo began exploring the nearby Mojave boneyard for more than just propellers -- B-25 rudders for desks, 747 jet engine cowlings for beds, F-4 ejection seats for, well, ejection seats.

"Who's never wanted an ejection chair?" laughs Fell, sitting in the company's studio in Los Angeles, where the MotoArt team bring back the treasures they find in the Mojave Desert.  Watch Dave Hall at work at the Mojave boneyard Â»

The duo's most popular pieces of 'functional art' are their desks, ranging from the sleek 8-foot DC-9 tail stabilizer desk, which retail at around $15,000, to the imposing 14-foot DC-4 conference table, which costs a whopping $60,000.

According to Hall, hundreds of hours are sometimes spent cutting, sanding, polishing and surfacing a single piece. It took the MotoArt team 220 hours to turn a single 747 cowling, the large shiny aluminum strip covering a jumbo jet engine, into a spectacular 8.5-foot diameter chrome receptionist's desk.

Hall said it takes hundreds of hours to produce a fuselage partition, from using a chainsaw to slice 10-foot sheets out of the main section of a plane, to polishing and readying it for the showroom floor of the Dutch carmaker Spyker, which has commissioned MotoArt to create exhibitions for the company around the world.

Hall and Fell began the company out of their garage, and now have 15 employees and a 12,000 square-foot studio with a showroom that could double as an aviation museum.

"It's like a larger version of my room when I was 10 years old," says Fell of the MotoArt headquarters.

But MotoArt is anything but child's play -- in just nine years the company has carved out a niche in the high-end furniture market, creating a multi-million dollar business thanks to a wide range of corporate clients.

The company counts Boeing, Microsoft, Red Bull and the United States government as happy MotoArt customers, as well as a number of airplane enthusiasts and celebrities.

But for Hall and Fell, it is the preservation of the planes that gives them the greatest satisfaction.

"It's heartbreaking to see these planes that have serviced our country for decades being crunched up and destroyed, and it gives us a little piece of heart that we are able to recycle this and give it a second life," he said.

text: CNN

text: The

text: Mojave

text: boneyard

text: in

text: the

text: California

text: desert

text: is

text: where

text: old

text: airplanes

text: go

text: to

text: die

text: a

text: wasteland

text: of

text: decrepit

text: planes

text: titanic

text: heaps

text: of

text: titanium

text: and

text: aluminum

text: waiting

text: to

text: be

text: scrapped

text: for

text: metal

text: in

text: India

text: or

text: China

text: Plane

text: boneyards

text: are

text: a

text: rich

text: source

text: of

text: spare

text: parts

text: for

text: MotoArt

text: to

text: create

text: their

text: functional

text: furniture

text: But

text: for

text: Dave

text: Hall

text: and

text: Donovan

text: Fell

text: the

text: boneyard

text: is

text: only

text: the

text: beginning

text: They

text: own

text: MotoArt

text: a

text: company

text: based

text: in

text: California

text: that

text: turns

text: old

text: aircraft

text: parts

text: into

text: high

text: end

text: furniture

text: and

text: functional

text: art

text: From

text: beds

text: and

text: desks

text: to

text: light

text: fixtures

text: and

text: wall

text: partitions

text: Hall

text: and

text: Fell

text: say

text: they

text: are

text: doing

text: more

text: than

text: reinventing

text: cast

text: offs

text: from

text: retired

text: planes

text: they

text: 're

text: creating

text: pieces

text: of

text: aviation

text: history

text: Once

text: they

text: are

text: gone

text: we

text: can

text: never

text: get

text: them

text: back

text: again

text: said

text: Hall

text: of

text: the

text: abandoned

text: planes

text: at

text: Mojave

text: So

text: what

text: we

text: like

text: to

text: do

text: is

text: actually

text: take

text: these

text: aircraft

text: parts

text: and

text: preserve

text: them

text: and

text: give

text: them

text: a

text: second

text: life

text: in

text: some

text: really

text: fun

text: functional

text: art

text: MotoArt

text: began

text: in

text: when

text: Hall

text: and

text: Fell

text: former

text: co

text: workers

text: at

text: an

text: architectural

text: sign

text: company

text: in

text: Los

text: Angeles

text: collaborated

text: on

text: an

text: art

text: exhibition

text: that

text: showcased

text: Fell

text: 's

text: polished

text: bomber

text: propeller

text: sculptures

text: See

text: before

text: and

text: after

text: photos

text: of

text: recycled

text: plane

text: parts

text: Â

text: We

text: sold

text: out

text: the

text: entire

text: show

text: and

text: the

text: gearheads

text: all

text: loved

text: it

text: said

text: Fell

text: It

text: was

text: then

text: that

text: the

text: duo

text: realized

text: their

text: unique

text: art

text: project

text: could

text: have

text: a

text: much

text: wider

text: audience

text: Encouraged

text: by

text: the

text: success

text: of

text: the

text: exhibit

text: the

text: duo

text: began

text: exploring

text: the

text: nearby

text: Mojave

text: boneyard

text: for

text: more

text: than

text: just

text: propellers

text: rudders

text: for

text: desks

text: jet

text: engine

text: cowlings

text: for

text: beds

text: ejection

text: seats

text: for

text: well

text: ejection

text: seats

text: Who

text: 's

text: never

text: wanted

text: an

text: ejection

text: chair

text: laughs

text: Fell

text: sitting

text: in

text: the

text: company

text: 's

text: studio

text: in

text: Los

text: Angeles

text: where

text: the

text: MotoArt

text: team

text: bring

text: back

text: the

text: treasures

text: they

text: find

text: in

text: the

text: Mojave

text: Desert

text: Watch

text: Dave

text: Hall

text: at

text: work

text: at

text: the

text: Mojave

text: boneyard

text: Â

text: The

text: duo

text: 's

text: most

text: popular

text: pieces

text: of

text: functional

text: art

text: are

text: their

text: desks

text: ranging

text: from

text: the

text: sleek

text: tail

text: stabilizer

text: desk

text: which

text: retail

text: at

text: around

text: to

text: the

text: imposing

text: conference

text: table

text: which

text: costs

text: a

text: whopping

text: According

text: to

text: Hall

text: hundreds

text: of

text: hours

text: are

text: sometimes

text: spent

text: cutting

text: sanding

text: polishing

text: and

text: surfacing

text: a

text: single

text: piece

text: It

text: took

text: the

text: MotoArt

text: team

text: hours

text: to

text: turn

text: a

text: single

text: cowling

text: the

text: large

text: shiny

text: aluminum

text: strip

text: covering

text: a

text: jumbo

text: jet

text: engine

text: into

text: a

text: spectacular

text: diameter

text: chrome

text: receptionist

text: 's

text: desk

text: Hall

text: said

text: it

text: takes

text: hundreds

text: of

text: hours

text: to

text: produce

text: a

text: fuselage

text: partition

text: from

text: using

text: a

text: chainsaw

text: to

text: slice

text: sheets

text: out

text: of

text: the

text: main

text: section

text: of

text: a

text: plane

text: to

text: polishing

text: and

text: readying

text: it

text: for

text: the

text: showroom

text: floor

text: of

text: the

text: Dutch

text: carmaker

text: Spyker

text: which

text: has

text: commissioned

text: MotoArt

text: to

text: create

text: exhibitions

text: for

text: the

text: company

text: around

text: the

text: world

text: Hall

text: and

text: Fell

text: began

text: the

text: company

text: out

text: of

text: their

text: garage

text: and

text: now

text: have

text: employees

text: and

text: a

text: square

text: foot

text: studio

text: with

text: a

text: showroom

text: that

text: could

text: double

text: as

text: an

text: aviation

text: museum

text: It

text: 's

text: like

text: a

text: larger

text: version

text: of

text: my

text: room

text: when

text: I

text: was

text: years

text: old

text: says

text: Fell

text: of

text: the

text: MotoArt

text: headquarters

text: But

text: MotoArt

text: is

text: anything

text: but

text: child

text: 's

text: play

text: in

text: just

text: nine

text: years

text: the

text: company

text: has

text: carved

text: out

text: a

text: niche

text: in

text: the

text: high

text: end

text: furniture

text: market

text: creating

text: a

text: multi

text: million

text: dollar

text: business

text: thanks

text: to

text: a

text: wide

text: range

text: of

text: corporate

text: clients

text: The

text: company

text: counts

text: Boeing

text: Microsoft

text: Red

text: Bull

text: and

text: the

text: United

text: States

text: government

text: as

text: happy

text: MotoArt

text: customers

text: as

text: well

text: as

text: a

text: number

text: of

text: airplane

text: enthusiasts

text: and

text: celebrities

text: But

text: for

text: Hall

text: and

text: Fell

text: it

text: is

text: the

text: preservation

text: of

text: the

text: planes

text: that

text: gives

text: them

text: the

text: greatest

text: satisfaction

text: It

text: 's

text: heartbreaking

text: to

text: see

text: these

text: planes

text: that

text: have

text: serviced

text: our

text: country

text: for

text: decades

text: being

text: crunched

text: up

text: and

text: destroyed

text: and

text: it

text: gives

text: us

text: a

text: little

text: piece

text: of

text: heart

text: that

text: we

text: are

text: able

text: to

text: recycle

text: this

text: and

text: give

text: it

text: a

text: second

text: life

text: he

text: said

question: Where do men at MotoArt search for old plane parts?

answer: Mojave boneyard

text: Mojave boneyard

question: What kind of history does MotoArt try to preserve?

answer: aviation

text: aviation

question: What do the men use for beds?

answer: 747 jet engine cowlings

text: 747 jet engine cowlings

question: What they used?

answer: recycled plane parts

text: recycled plane parts

question: What's going on at old airplane boneyards?

answer: spare parts for MotoArt to create their functional furniture.

text: spare parts for MotoArt to create their functional furniture.

question: What type of planes are used for recycled furniture?

answer: retired

text: retired