text:
(CNN) -- Israel was founded on democratic principles with the Jewish state's declaration of independence in 1948 including a commitment to the "complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex." It has remained a continuous democracy ever since.

The 120-seat Knesset is the Israeli seat of government.

The seat of Israeli government is the Knesset, the country's national parliament, located in Jerusalem, which Israel claims as its capital. The Knesset's 120 lawmakers are elected by universal suffrage with all Israeli citizens over the age of 18 entitled to vote.

Knesset seats are divided according to each party's proportion of the overall vote. But parties must poll at least two percent nationally to gain a seat.

Participation in elections, including among Arab Israelis who constitute around 20 percent of the population, has traditionally been high at around 80 percent turnout, according to Israeli government figures. Israel currently has around 5.3 million eligible voters.

Israel usually holds national elections every four years. But this year's poll on February 10 was called early -- less than three years since the last vote -- by Israeli President Shimon Peres following the resignation of prime minister Ehud Olmert amid allegations of corruption and his Kadima Party successor Tzipi Livni's failure to form a coalition. Olmert has continued to serve as caretaker prime minister in the interim.

Coalitions of two or more parties are common in Israel; in fact no party has ever won enough votes to form a government by itself. Those remaining outside the ruling coalition make up the opposition.

Thirty-four parties will participate in the 2009 elections, including major parties such as Kadima, Likud and Labor and also three Arab parties.

The task of forming and leading a government is charged by Israel's president to the Knesset member and party leader considered to have the best chance of forming a viable coalition.

The prime minister-designate then has 28 days, extendable by 14 days, to build a coalition commanding the support of at least 61 Knesset members.

Officials results are due to be published on February 18 with the new Knesset convening on March 2.

text: CNN

text: Israel

text: was

text: founded

text: on

text: democratic

text: principles

text: with

text: the

text: Jewish

text: state

text: 's

text: declaration

text: of

text: independence

text: in

text: including

text: a

text: commitment

text: to

text: the

text: complete

text: equality

text: of

text: social

text: and

text: political

text: rights

text: to

text: all

text: its

text: inhabitants

text: irrespective

text: of

text: religion

text: race

text: or

text: sex

text: It

text: has

text: remained

text: a

text: continuous

text: democracy

text: ever

text: since

text: The

text: Knesset

text: is

text: the

text: Israeli

text: seat

text: of

text: government

text: The

text: seat

text: of

text: Israeli

text: government

text: is

text: the

text: Knesset

text: the

text: country

text: 's

text: national

text: parliament

text: located

text: in

text: Jerusalem

text: which

text: Israel

text: claims

text: as

text: its

text: capital

text: The

text: Knesset

text: 's

text: lawmakers

text: are

text: elected

text: by

text: universal

text: suffrage

text: with

text: all

text: Israeli

text: citizens

text: over

text: the

text: age

text: of

text: entitled

text: to

text: vote

text: Knesset

text: seats

text: are

text: divided

text: according

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text: party

text: 's

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text: overall

text: vote

text: But

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text: must

text: poll

text: at

text: least

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text: percent

text: nationally

text: to

text: gain

text: a

text: seat

text: Participation

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text: elections

text: including

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text: Arab

text: Israelis

text: who

text: constitute

text: around

text: percent

text: of

text: the

text: population

text: has

text: traditionally

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text: at

text: around

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text: turnout

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text: Israeli

text: government

text: figures

text: Israel

text: currently

text: has

text: around

text: million

text: eligible

text: voters

text: Israel

text: usually

text: holds

text: national

text: elections

text: every

text: four

text: years

text: But

text: this

text: year

text: 's

text: poll

text: on

text: February

text: was

text: called

text: early

text: less

text: than

text: three

text: years

text: since

text: the

text: last

text: vote

text: by

text: Israeli

text: President

text: Shimon

text: Peres

text: following

text: the

text: resignation

text: of

text: prime

text: minister

text: Ehud

text: Olmert

text: amid

text: allegations

text: of

text: corruption

text: and

text: his

text: Kadima

text: Party

text: successor

text: Tzipi

text: Livni

text: 's

text: failure

text: to

text: form

text: a

text: coalition

text: Olmert

text: has

text: continued

text: to

text: serve

text: as

text: caretaker

text: prime

text: minister

text: in

text: the

text: interim

text: Coalitions

text: of

text: two

text: or

text: more

text: parties

text: are

text: common

text: in

text: Israel

text: in

text: fact

text: no

text: party

text: has

text: ever

text: won

text: enough

text: votes

text: to

text: form

text: a

text: government

text: by

text: itself

text: Those

text: remaining

text: outside

text: the

text: ruling

text: coalition

text: make

text: up

text: the

text: opposition

text: Thirty

text: four

text: parties

text: will

text: participate

text: in

text: the

text: elections

text: including

text: major

text: parties

text: such

text: as

text: Kadima

text: Likud

text: and

text: Labor

text: and

text: also

text: three

text: Arab

text: parties

text: The

text: task

text: of

text: forming

text: and

text: leading

text: a

text: government

text: is

text: charged

text: by

text: Israel

text: 's

text: president

text: to

text: the

text: Knesset

text: member

text: and

text: party

text: leader

text: considered

text: to

text: have

text: the

text: best

text: chance

text: of

text: forming

text: a

text: viable

text: coalition

text: The

text: prime

text: minister

text: designate

text: then

text: has

text: days

text: extendable

text: by

text: days

text: to

text: build

text: a

text: coalition

text: commanding

text: the

text: support

text: of

text: at

text: least

text: Knesset

text: members

text: Officials

text: results

text: are

text: due

text: to

text: be

text: published

text: on

text: February

text: with

text: the

text: new

text: Knesset

text: convening

text: on

text: March

question: How many eligible voters are there in Israel?

answer: 5.3 million

text: 5.3 million

question: Number of eligible voters in Israel?

answer: 5.3 million

text: 5.3 million

question: How many eligible voters does Israel have?

answer: 5.3 million

text: 5.3 million

question: How many parties are bidding?

answer: Thirty-four

text: Thirty-four

question: When does Israel go to the polls?

answer: February 10

text: February 10

question: How many eligible voters are there?

answer: 5.3 million

text: 5.3 million

question: When does Isrel go to the nation polls for the election?

answer: February 10

text: February 10

question: How many parties are there?

answer: Thirty-four

text: Thirty-four

question: How many seats are there in the Knesset?

answer: 120-seat

question: What is Israel going to the polls for in February?

answer: national elections

text: national elections

question: What position did Ehud Olmert formerly have?

answer: prime minister

text: prime minister


text:
HOUSTON, Texas (CNN) -- Even with Hurricane Ike more than 100 miles away, authorities began rescue efforts Friday, picking up more than 120 people stranded by rising seas along the southeast Texas coast.

The U.S. Coast Guard rescues a person trapped in a car on Friday as Hurricane Ike hits Texas.

Most of the rescues occurred in Galveston County, where rising water and other effects of the storm began hours before expected landfall early Saturday.

Stranded residents have been airlifted from Crystal Beach, Bolivar Peninsula and other communities in the Galveston area. Many of those rescued were motorists stranded on flooded roads.

In Surfside Beach, police waded through chest-high rushing water to rescue five people trapped in their homes. One man refused to leave, said Surfside Beach police Chief Randy Smith.  Watch rescuers save a motorist from floods Â»

"Some of them took convincing, some of them didn't," he said.

Police also rescued another five people who waded out to meet the officers.

About half of those rescues were done by helicopters out of several bases along the coast, said Coast Guard Petty Officer David Schulein.

Three HH-65C helicopters from Coast Guard Air Station Houston rescued more than 20 people and were continuing to fly round-the-clock rescue missions until weather grounds them, said Petty Officer Renee Aiello, a station spokeswoman.

The Coast Guard helicopters from Air Station Houston could make their last flights Friday afternoon as rain starts to move in, Aiello said.  Watch Ike begin to spill water into Texas Â»

"We'll be out as long as the weather permits us," she said. "We're still working."

Some 37,000 people may need to be rescued after Hurricane Ike strikes, a U.S. military official said Friday.

Texas already has asked for help, and the active-duty military has 42 search-and-rescue helicopters on standby, the official said. iReport.com: Commander briefs Coast Guard crews

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard and Air Force were unable to rescue 22 people aboard a freighter adrift in the Gulf of Mexico because of weather, the two military branches said Friday.

"Weather on scene deteriorated to a point that made the rescue impossible," the Coast Guard said in a statement issued Friday. First Lt. Lauren Johnson, an Air Force spokeswoman, confirmed the report. Aircraft were used in the effort, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Coast Guard said.

Coast Guard officials had said earlier they thought the best way to help the 584-foot freighter might be to let the storm push it to shallow water where it can drop anchor.  Watch the captain of the freighter talk with CNN Â»

The freighter had been headed south from Port Arthur, Texas, and is loaded with petroleum coke -- a petroleum byproduct.

The Coast Guard said in a news release it received a distress call around 4 a.m. from the Antalina, a Cypriot-flagged freighter. It said the vessel had "lost main propulsion 90 miles southeast of Galveston" and was unable to steer.

Coast Guard Capt. Bill Diehl said the freighter had been "in the direct line of the path of the storm and lost its engines."

He said the Coast Guard is keeping radio communications with the freighter, and its news release said the Coast Guard is in hourly contact with the crew.

There had been warnings for residents to evacuate beforehand, and Chief Petty Officer Michael O'Berry, interviewed by CNN, was asked why they didn't get out in time.  Watch last-minute evacuees explain their change of heart Â»

He said he thinks the residents "didn't understand, I guess, the strength of the storm. As it came about, they realized it's a lot stronger than they may have anticipated."

CNN's Mike Ahlers, Jeanne Meserve and Barbara Starr contributed to this report.

text: HOUSTON

text: Texas

text: CNN

text: Even

text: with

text: Hurricane

text: Ike

text: more

text: than

text: miles

text: away

text: authorities

text: began

text: rescue

text: efforts

text: Friday

text: picking

text: up

text: more

text: than

text: people

text: stranded

text: by

text: rising

text: seas

text: along

text: the

text: southeast

text: Texas

text: coast

text: The

text: U.S.

text: Coast

text: Guard

text: rescues

text: a

text: person

text: trapped

text: in

text: a

text: car

text: on

text: Friday

text: as

text: Hurricane

text: Ike

text: hits

text: Texas

text: Most

text: of

text: the

text: rescues

text: occurred

text: in

text: Galveston

text: County

text: where

text: rising

text: water

text: and

text: other

text: effects

text: of

text: the

text: storm

text: began

text: hours

text: before

text: expected

text: landfall

text: early

text: Saturday

text: Stranded

text: residents

text: have

text: been

text: airlifted

text: from

text: Crystal

text: Beach

text: Bolivar

text: Peninsula

text: and

text: other

text: communities

text: in

text: the

text: Galveston

text: area

text: Many

text: of

text: those

text: rescued

text: were

text: motorists

text: stranded

text: on

text: flooded

text: roads

text: In

text: Surfside

text: Beach

text: police

text: waded

text: through

text: chest

text: high

text: rushing

text: water

text: to

text: rescue

text: five

text: people

text: trapped

text: in

text: their

text: homes

text: One

text: man

text: refused

text: to

text: leave

text: said

text: Surfside

text: Beach

text: police

text: Chief

text: Randy

text: Smith

text: Watch

text: rescuers

text: save

text: a

text: motorist

text: from

text: floods

text: Â

text: Some

text: of

text: them

text: took

text: convincing

text: some

text: of

text: them

text: did

text: n't

text: he

text: said

text: Police

text: also

text: rescued

text: another

text: five

text: people

text: who

text: waded

text: out

text: to

text: meet

text: the

text: officers

text: About

text: half

text: of

text: those

text: rescues

text: were

text: done

text: by

text: helicopters

text: out

text: of

text: several

text: bases

text: along

text: the

text: coast

text: said

text: Coast

text: Guard

text: Petty

text: Officer

text: David

text: Schulein

text: Three

text: helicopters

text: from

text: Coast

text: Guard

text: Air

text: Station

text: Houston

text: rescued

text: more

text: than

text: people

text: and

text: were

text: continuing

text: to

text: fly

text: round

text: the

text: clock

text: rescue

text: missions

text: until

text: weather

text: grounds

text: them

text: said

text: Petty

text: Officer

text: Renee

text: Aiello

text: a

text: station

text: spokeswoman

text: The

text: Coast

text: Guard

text: helicopters

text: from

text: Air

text: Station

text: Houston

text: could

text: make

text: their

text: last

text: flights

text: Friday

text: afternoon

text: as

text: rain

text: starts

text: to

text: move

text: in

text: Aiello

text: said

text: Watch

text: Ike

text: begin

text: to

text: spill

text: water

text: into

text: Texas

text: Â

text: We

text: 'll

text: be

text: out

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text: long

text: as

text: the

text: weather

text: permits

text: us

text: she

text: said

text: We

text: 're

text: still

text: working

text: Some

text: people

text: may

text: need

text: to

text: be

text: rescued

text: after

text: Hurricane

text: Ike

text: strikes

text: a

text: U.S.

text: military

text: official

text: said

text: Friday

text: Texas

text: already

text: has

text: asked

text: for

text: help

text: and

text: the

text: active

text: duty

text: military

text: has

text: search

text: and

text: rescue

text: helicopters

text: on

text: standby

text: the

text: official

text: said

text: iReport.com

text: Commander

text: briefs

text: Coast

text: Guard

text: crews

text: Meanwhile

text: the

text: Coast

text: Guard

text: and

text: Air

text: Force

text: were

text: unable

text: to

text: rescue

text: people

text: aboard

text: a

text: freighter

text: adrift

text: in

text: the

text: Gulf

text: of

text: Mexico

text: because

text: of

text: weather

text: the

text: two

text: military

text: branches

text: said

text: Friday

text: Weather

text: on

text: scene

text: deteriorated

text: to

text: a

text: point

text: that

text: made

text: the

text: rescue

text: impossible

text: the

text: Coast

text: Guard

text: said

text: in

text: a

text: statement

text: issued

text: Friday

text: First

text: Lt

text: Lauren

text: Johnson

text: an

text: Air

text: Force

text: spokeswoman

text: confirmed

text: the

text: report

text: Aircraft

text: were

text: used

text: in

text: the

text: effort

text: a

text: spokeswoman

text: for

text: the

text: U.S.

text: Coast

text: Guard

text: said

text: Coast

text: Guard

text: officials

text: had

text: said

text: earlier

text: they

text: thought

text: the

text: best

text: way

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text: freighter

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text: let

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text: storm

text: push

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text: shallow

text: water

text: where

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text: can

text: drop

text: anchor

text: Watch

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text: captain

text: of

text: the

text: freighter

text: talk

text: with

text: CNN

text: Â

text: The

text: freighter

text: had

text: been

text: headed

text: south

text: from

text: Port

text: Arthur

text: Texas

text: and

text: is

text: loaded

text: with

text: petroleum

text: coke

text: a

text: petroleum

text: byproduct

text: The

text: Coast

text: Guard

text: said

text: in

text: a

text: news

text: release

text: it

text: received

text: a

text: distress

text: call

text: around

text: a.m.

text: from

text: the

text: Antalina

text: a

text: Cypriot

text: flagged

text: freighter

text: It

text: said

text: the

text: vessel

text: had

text: lost

text: main

text: propulsion

text: miles

text: southeast

text: of

text: Galveston

text: and

text: was

text: unable

text: to

text: steer

text: Coast

text: Guard

text: Capt

text: Bill

text: Diehl

text: said

text: the

text: freighter

text: had

text: been

text: in

text: the

text: direct

text: line

text: of

text: the

text: path

text: of

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text: storm

text: and

text: lost

text: its

text: engines

text: He

text: said

text: the

text: Coast

text: Guard

text: is

text: keeping

text: radio

text: communications

text: with

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text: freighter

text: and

text: its

text: news

text: release

text: said

text: the

text: Coast

text: Guard

text: is

text: in

text: hourly

text: contact

text: with

text: the

text: crew

text: There

text: had

text: been

text: warnings

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text: residents

text: to

text: evacuate

text: beforehand

text: and

text: Chief

text: Petty

text: Officer

text: Michael

text: O'Berry

text: interviewed

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text: CNN

text: was

text: asked

text: why

text: they

text: did

text: n't

text: get

text: out

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text: Watch

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text: evacuees

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text: Â

text: He

text: said

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text: thinks

text: the

text: residents

text: did

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text: strength

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text: As

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text: came

text: about

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text: may

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text: CNN

text: 's

text: Mike

text: Ahlers

text: Jeanne

text: Meserve

text: and

text: Barbara

text: Starr

text: contributed

text: to

text: this

text: report

question: What area has been flooded?

answer: Crystal Beach, Bolivar Peninsula

text: Crystal Beach, Bolivar Peninsula

question: Who were stranded?

answer: 120 people

text: 120 people

question: Is the military involved?

answer: y has 42 search-and-rescue helicopters on standby

text: y has 42 search-and-rescue helicopters on standby

question: What was stranded?

answer: more than 120 people

text: more than 120 people

question: Who has search and rescue on stand by?

answer: e active-duty militar

text: e active-duty militar


text:
(CNN) -- Yes, it's a limited sample. Yes, it's more likely for people who are disgruntled to comment than people who are pleased.

Bruce Springsteen expressed strong reservations about a possible Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger.

But still: CNN.com users who responded to our iReport and blog queries about the possible Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger were really, really unhappy.

"Put 'going to a rock concert' on your list of 'Things you used to do, but can't anymore,' along with watching free television, seeing a double-feature with a cartoon, and riding a train cross country," wrote Carlos Sandoval.

"Ahh, the beginning of yet another monopoly. I hope the feds nix this one," added RJ.

"Ticketmaster is already nearly a monopoly in the ticket game. Live Nation is built on greed. Might be a marriage made in heaven for them, but it's a marriage made in hell for the concert-going public," wrote Allison.

Many who commented were compelled to share their horror stories, of which there were many.

"I was recently at a concert where I sat at the top of the stadium -- read: the WORST seats," wrote Kim Levering. "And I was surrounded by people who had bought their tickets through a Ticketmaster pre-sale. So lemme get this straight ... Ticketmaster rewards its customers and loyal fans by providing them with the worst seats in the house (even when selecting 'best available') during a pre-sale?"

"I hoped Live Nation would provide competition for Ticketmaster and the outlandish surcharges and service fees," wrote avettbrosfan. "Unfortunately, when I went to buy a '30 dollar' lawn ticket to see the Avett Brothers and Dave Matthews Band, the Live Nation surcharges bumped the ticket up to 52 dollars! So much for that hope." Read more comments on the Marquee blog

Other people wrote of being forced to pay $100 surcharges, of being sent to other ticket sites (including Ticketmaster's own premium site, TicketsNow) and of all the other costs to go to a concert, such as parking, refreshments and merchandise. iReport: Your reaction to the possible merger

"Here in L.A., the [Bruce Springsteen] TicketsNow tickets were available immediately when the tickets when on sale. Those seats were never available to the public to begin with. 'Reputable brokers' means 'really just us using a different name,' " wrote Mauricio Heilbron Jr., M.D.

Still, Ticketmaster had its defenders. The company's Web site is clean and simple, and it beats the old days of camping out at stores, wrote Steve.

"I remember all too well those days of standing in line for hours at Dillards to get to their Ticketmaster outlet, and still getting lousy tickets," he said. "I'll be glad for the day when all tickets are available from one single outlet online."

Lost in all this is the impact on musicians, who seldom have a choice regarding ticket sellers at large venues. Pearl Jam had its protest in the '90s; Bruce Springsteen sounded off on the sales snafu for his 2009 tour. But in general, if you want to see -- or play -- a concert, there aren't many options.

"I could have gone on for hours about this. The fact is, I would love to change my purchasing plans, but how can I? If I want to see a show, what option do I have?" said musician, and music fan, Brian Riback on iReport. iReport.com: Read more of Riback's comments

"Sure, I can purchase off of Stubhub or Craigslist ... but I don't want to pay even more than I'm already being ripped off. The other end is even if I'm purchasing second hand...the original purchaser still supported [Ticketmaster/Live Nation] ... so I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't," Riback said.

text: CNN

text: Yes

text: it

text: 's

text: a

text: limited

text: sample

text: Yes

text: it

text: 's

text: more

text: likely

text: for

text: people

text: who

text: are

text: disgruntled

text: to

text: comment

text: than

text: people

text: who

text: are

text: pleased

text: Bruce

text: Springsteen

text: expressed

text: strong

text: reservations

text: about

text: a

text: possible

text: Ticketmaster

text: Live

text: Nation

text: merger

text: But

text: still

text: CNN.com

text: users

text: who

text: responded

text: to

text: our

text: iReport

text: and

text: blog

text: queries

text: about

text: the

text: possible

text: Ticketmaster

text: Live

text: Nation

text: merger

text: were

text: really

text: really

text: unhappy

text: Put

text: going

text: to

text: a

text: rock

text: concert

text: on

text: your

text: list

text: of

text: Things

text: you

text: used

text: to

text: do

text: but

text: ca

text: n't

text: anymore

text: along

text: with

text: watching

text: free

text: television

text: seeing

text: a

text: double

text: feature

text: with

text: a

text: cartoon

text: and

text: riding

text: a

text: train

text: cross

text: country

text: wrote

text: Carlos

text: Sandoval

text: Ahh

text: the

text: beginning

text: of

text: yet

text: another

text: monopoly

text: I

text: hope

text: the

text: feds

text: nix

text: this

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text: added

text: RJ

text: Ticketmaster

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text: greed

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text: but

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text: 's

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text: Allison

text: Many

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text: horror

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text: of

text: which

text: there

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text: many

text: I

text: was

text: recently

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text: WORST

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text: wrote

text: Kim

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text: selecting

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text: competition

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text: Ticketmaster

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text: wrote

text: avettbrosfan

text: Unfortunately

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text: lawn

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text: Avett

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text: So

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text: Read

text: more

text: comments

text: on

text: the

text: Marquee

text: blog

text: Other

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text: of

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text: TicketsNow

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text: such

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text: parking

text: refreshments

text: and

text: merchandise

text: iReport

text: Your

text: reaction

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text: the

text: possible

text: merger

text: Here

text: in

text: L.A.

text: the

text: Bruce

text: Springsteen

text: TicketsNow

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text: Those

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text: public

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text: begin

text: with

text: Reputable

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text: means

text: really

text: just

text: us

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text: Mauricio

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text: Still

text: Ticketmaster

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text: beats

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text: old

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text: wrote

text: Steve

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text: Lost

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text: Pearl

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text: the

text: Bruce

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text: sales

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text: But

text: in

text: general

text: if

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text: want

text: to

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text: or

text: play

text: a

text: concert

text: there

text: are

text: n't

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text: options

text: I

text: could

text: have

text: gone

text: on

text: for

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text: about

text: this

text: The

text: fact

text: is

text: I

text: would

text: love

text: to

text: change

text: my

text: purchasing

text: plans

text: but

text: how

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text: I

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text: I

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text: a

text: show

text: what

text: option

text: do

text: I

text: have

text: said

text: musician

text: and

text: music

text: fan

text: Brian

text: Riback

text: on

text: iReport

text: iReport.com

text: Read

text: more

text: of

text: Riback

text: 's

text: comments

text: Sure

text: I

text: can

text: purchase

text: off

text: of

text: Stubhub

text: or

text: Craigslist

text: but

text: I

text: do

text: n't

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text: pay

text: even

text: more

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text: I

text: 'm

text: already

text: being

text: ripped

text: off

text: The

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text: end

text: is

text: even

text: if

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text: 'm

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text: second

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text: still

text: supported

text: Ticketmaster

text: Live

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text: so

text: I

text: 'm

text: damned

text: if

text: I

text: do

text: and

text: I

text: 'm

text: damned

text: if

text: I

text: do

text: n't

text: Riback

text: said

question: What do CNN.com users think?

answer: about the possible Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger were really, really unhappy.

text: about the possible Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger were really, really unhappy.

question: what is in merger talks

answer: Ticketmaster-Live Nation

text: Ticketmaster-Live Nation

question: Who are reportedly in merger talks?

answer: Ticketmaster-Live Nation

text: Ticketmaster-Live Nation


text:
(Coastal Living) -- New Orleans without music? That's like Venice without canals -- and just as hard to imagine. Music weaves New Orleans' past with its present, and the infinite jazz variations -- from the ethereal warble of classic Dixieland to the tuba-powered street funk of brass bands -- serve as a soundtrack to this storied city.

The best way to keep New Orleans music alive? Visit.

New Orleans music sounds sweeter today, and here's why: In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, few were certain the streets would resound as they once did.

It's not that clubs flooded and venues were wiped out -- many were on high ground and survived just fine -- but the rising waters took out much of the city's affordable housing and its tourism industry. That uncertain future made it unclear whether pass-the-hat musicians and hardworking club regulars would be able to regain their footing in the city.

But several groups took the lead to ensure that musicians would still have a home in New Orleans. Locally revered nightclub Tipitina's earmarks its proceeds to help musicians return to town and to put musical instruments back into the flooded schools.

Harry Connick Jr. and Branford Marsalis, two New Orleans natives, partnered with Habitat for Humanity to build the Musicians' Village in the Upper Ninth Ward. Today, this cluster of colorful shotgun-style cottages, located an easy bike ride from the French Quarter, is gradually being filled by musicians (and others) as volunteers continue to travel here to build the houses. CoastalLiving.com: Beyond Bourbon Street

While some still debate whether the music scene has fully regained its pre-storm luster, there's no denying that anyone who shows up hungry for the famous New Orleans sound will leave sated. You can still stroll the French Quarter or nearby Frenchmen Street and pass dozens of clubs where languid notes wander out into the muffled, humid air, pause for a moment, and disappear into the night.

The best way to keep New Orleans music alive? Visit. And bring your friends. Go to clubs. Here are four not to miss.

Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro has the feel of a speakeasy -- you enter through a low-ceilinged bar into an open performance space that's at once intimate and grand. With live music nightly, this is a good spot for classic, straight-ahead jazz. Expect talents such as Ellis Marsalis (father of Branford and Wynton), Charmaine Neville (a member of New Orleans' first family of music), and powerhouse trumpet player Irvin Mayfield with his New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. CoastalLiving.com: Gulf Coast Eateries

Three decades ago, a handful of local musicians was dismayed that piano legend Professor Longhair had no place to showcase his talents. They acquired a bar Uptown (it's about a 10-minute cab ride from the French Quarter), and renamed the venue after the Professor's signature song.

Today Tipitina's, a spacious, two-level club in a boxy yellow building marked by a Dixie beer sign, attracts local and touring musicians ranging from inimitable songwriter-composer Allen Toussaint to rising stars such as Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews. Seating is nonexistent -- assume you'll be standing the whole show --but the open space works to your advantage on Sunday evenings, when Tip's hosts a Cajun dance party, with the emphasis on dance.

For the gold standard of New Orleans performance venues, visit Preservation Hall. Carved out of a 1750 Creole residence in the heart of the French Quarter, it's had the self-appointed mission of preserving local music since 1961. The audience lines up on the sidewalk, crowds in (it's one of the few places in town to enjoy music without smoke), then taps their feet along with bands schooled in the old ways of New Orleans. Great local musicians perform regularly, all linked by their devotion to traditional music. Thursdays are typically brass-band nights, where the "big" gets put in "big New Orleans sound.

When people imagine a laid-back New Orleans jazz club, they're thinking of a place like Donna's Bar and Grill. Smoky and utterly un-self-conscious, the corner bar sits on a fringe of the French Quarter where few tourists happen by. Inside, it's too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. Black-and-white photos of venerable New Orleans bands hang unevenly on the walls.

But the music! It showcases a revolving cast of local greats, with Monday gigs by George French and vocalist Germaine Bazzle, and rollicking appearances by barrelhouse piano player Tom McDermott. Arrive before the show to get one of the handful of seats at the bar or in front of the low stage, grab a cold beer, then let the music take you away.

It's not too early to plan a trip to New Orleans for the French Quarter Festival, featuring more than 150 musical performances on 18 stages. The event runs April 17-19, 2009. For more info, visit fqfi.org.

Enter to win a monthly Room Makeover Giveaway from MyHomeIdeas.com

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text: Black

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text: Germaine

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text: by

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text: The

text: event

text: runs

text: April

text: For

text: more

text: info

text: visit

text: fqfi.org

text: Enter

text: to

text: win

text: a

text: monthly

text: Room

text: Makeover

text: Giveaway

text: from

text: MyHomeIdeas.com

question: Which club is two-level?

answer: Tipitina's,

text: Tipitina's,

question: Where is a good spot for classic straight ahead jazz?

answer: Snug Harbor

text: Snug Harbor

question: What place is a spacious, two-level club?

answer: Tipitina's,

text: Tipitina's,

question: What place showcases a revolving cast of local greats?

answer: Donna's Bar and Grill.

text: Donna's Bar and Grill.

question: What does Donna's Bar showcase?

answer: a revolving cast of local greats,

text: a revolving cast of local greats,

question: How many levels does Tipitina's have?

answer: two-level

text: two-level

question: What is a good place to visit for jazz?

answer: New Orleans

text: New Orleans

question: What place is a good place for jazz?

answer: New Orleans

text: New Orleans


text:
Editor's note: Ralph J. Begleiter teaches communication, journalism and political science at the University of Delaware. During two decades as CNN's "world affairs correspondent," Begleiter was the network's most widely traveled reporter.

Ralph J. Begleiter says the Pentagon's new policy on media access to coffins of war dead is a milestone.

NEWARK, Delaware (CNN) -- The reversal of two decades of policy on images of returning war casualties is an important and welcome milestone for the American people.

The Pentagon's decision announced Thursday allowing media coverage of coffins of war victims returning to Dover Air Force Base -- if families agree -- restores to its rightful, honorable place the immense value of the sacrifice American troops make on behalf of their nation. It allows the American people to honor the dignified and respectful return of war casualties to home soil for the last time.

Although no one should have a veto over the nation's ability to pay respects to its fallen troops, I believe most families will decide that their sons and daughters deserve to be recognized publicly for their sacrifice.

These men and women enlisted in the military for their nation. They fought for their nation. They died for their nation. Their return should be respectfully and publicly acknowledged by their nation.

The ban on images of returning casualties started accidentally, and without any reference to the "privacy" of the families of those who gave their lives in service to the nation.

The accident of media history occurred in December 1989 when poor White House scheduling placed President George H.W. Bush before live television cameras just as the first American casualties were arriving at Dover Air Force Base from the U.S. invasion of Panama.

CNN and two other major TV networks fired up their split-screen technology, showing on one side the president joking with White House reporters just before the Christmas holiday -- and on the other the sober images of flag-draped military caskets being carried ceremoniously by honor guards across the tarmac at Dover.

After the holidays, the president appealed publicly to reporters to "help me" overcome a public impression that he had been insensitive on TV about the returning casualties.

News media had been covering the return of war casualties since World War II. Some military personnel believe the showing of those images -- and others from the jungles of Vietnam -- contributed to a gradual growth of anti-war sentiment during the 1960s.

Just days before the Gulf War began in January 1991, the new media policy was formalized in a cable sent by the Defense Department to its posts: There would be no media coverage of returning casualties at Dover or other stops along the way home.

The directive made no mention of anyone's privacy but portrayed the ban on coverage of returning casualties as an effort to ease pressure on stressed families, who might feel obliged to travel to Dover to witness the return of their loved one with news media watching.

Over the next decade, several exceptions were made to the ban on media coverage at Dover, including for the return of Navy personnel killed in the bombing of the USS Cole off Yemen's coast, just weeks before the election that brought the second President Bush into office.

Ironically, throughout the ban on media coverage of returning casualties, the Pentagon continued documenting this important part of any war by assigning military and government contract photographers to take pictures of the flag-draped caskets.

Those images, among the most poignant, respectful and dignified tributes to troops who died in service of their nation, were carefully maintained by the Defense Department. They were used for training of honor guards and for commemorating the significance of war casualties.

Although taken by the government, those images were withheld from public view.

From the aftermath of September 11, 2001, through the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, the Pentagon kept taking those pictures even as it expanded its ban on media coverage of returning casualties -- now arguing that such war images would somehow invade the privacy of families of the deceased troops.

It was those images that a series of Freedom of Information Act requests pried loose in 2005 after months of legal skirmishing.

(Those requests were initiated by Russ Kick, editor of a Web site called "The Memory Hole."

When the Pentagon refused to respond substantively to my own series of Freedom of Information Act requests, the National Security Archive at George Washington University and I took the government to court with a lawsuit over the images.)

Just weeks before a federal judge was expected to rule in the case, the Pentagon pre-empted a precedent-setting order by releasing voluntarily more than 700 images of returning casualties. They remain to this day available to the public on the National Security Archive Web site.

At the time Kick and I were seeking to make the Pentagon's pictures public, major U.S. news organizations were busy suiting up to cover the invasion of Iraq; they did not engage their lawyers to ask for access to Dover to witness the return of those who sacrificed their lives in the war and they have declined to do so since then.

The Pentagon policy, which had come into being over the embarrassment of a president, evolved after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, into a complete ban preventing the American people from seeing the most important single measure of the cost of war.

So desperate, apparently, was the White House desire to block public view of such images that military photographers at Dover were ordered to stop documenting the returns. To my knowledge, since 2005, no further photos have been taken showing those emotional moments when a casualty touches home soil for the last time.

The Obama administration's reversal of two decades of policy on the visibility of returning casualties should have two immediate effects:

Public opinion -- consistently supportive of making the war casualty images public -- has reached a new high. Most recently, a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Thursday reported that 67 percent of those questioned said they think the government should allow the public to see photos of caskets of U.S. troops at an Air Force base.

I have had the privilege of speaking with a number of family members who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan or Iraq. Most think the pictures should be public, but only after families authorize it.

This dramatic change in government policy should once again allow all Americans to see the full human cost of war, while paying respect to those who served their nation as well as to their families.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ralph J. Begleiter.

text: Editor

text: 's

text: note

text: Ralph

text: J.

text: Begleiter

text: teaches

text: communication

text: journalism

text: and

text: political

text: science

text: at

text: the

text: University

text: of

text: Delaware

text: During

text: two

text: decades

text: as

text: CNN

text: 's

text: world

text: affairs

text: correspondent

text: Begleiter

text: was

text: the

text: network

text: 's

text: most

text: widely

text: traveled

text: reporter

text: Ralph

text: J.

text: Begleiter

text: says

text: the

text: Pentagon

text: 's

text: new

text: policy

text: on

text: media

text: access

text: to

text: coffins

text: of

text: war

text: dead

text: is

text: a

text: milestone

text: NEWARK

text: Delaware

text: CNN

text: The

text: reversal

text: of

text: two

text: decades

text: of

text: policy

text: on

text: images

text: of

text: returning

text: war

text: casualties

text: is

text: an

text: important

text: and

text: welcome

text: milestone

text: for

text: the

text: American

text: people

text: The

text: Pentagon

text: 's

text: decision

text: announced

text: Thursday

text: allowing

text: media

text: coverage

text: of

text: coffins

text: of

text: war

text: victims

text: returning

text: to

text: Dover

text: Air

text: Force

text: Base

text: if

text: families

text: agree

text: restores

text: to

text: its

text: rightful

text: honorable

text: place

text: the

text: immense

text: value

text: of

text: the

text: sacrifice

text: American

text: troops

text: make

text: on

text: behalf

text: of

text: their

text: nation

text: It

text: allows

text: the

text: American

text: people

text: to

text: honor

text: the

text: dignified

text: and

text: respectful

text: return

text: of

text: war

text: casualties

text: to

text: home

text: soil

text: for

text: the

text: last

text: time

text: Although

text: no

text: one

text: should

text: have

text: a

text: veto

text: over

text: the

text: nation

text: 's

text: ability

text: to

text: pay

text: respects

text: to

text: its

text: fallen

text: troops

text: I

text: believe

text: most

text: families

text: will

text: decide

text: that

text: their

text: sons

text: and

text: daughters

text: deserve

text: to

text: be

text: recognized

text: publicly

text: for

text: their

text: sacrifice

text: These

text: men

text: and

text: women

text: enlisted

text: in

text: the

text: military

text: for

text: their

text: nation

text: They

text: fought

text: for

text: their

text: nation

text: They

text: died

text: for

text: their

text: nation

text: Their

text: return

text: should

text: be

text: respectfully

text: and

text: publicly

text: acknowledged

text: by

text: their

text: nation

text: The

text: ban

text: on

text: images

text: of

text: returning

text: casualties

text: started

text: accidentally

text: and

text: without

text: any

text: reference

text: to

text: the

text: privacy

text: of

text: the

text: families

text: of

text: those

text: who

text: gave

text: their

text: lives

text: in

text: service

text: to

text: the

text: nation

text: The

text: accident

text: of

text: media

text: history

text: occurred

text: in

text: December

text: when

text: poor

text: White

text: House

text: scheduling

text: placed

text: President

text: George

text: H.W.

text: Bush

text: before

text: live

text: television

text: cameras

text: just

text: as

text: the

text: first

text: American

text: casualties

text: were

text: arriving

text: at

text: Dover

text: Air

text: Force

text: Base

text: from

text: the

text: U.S.

text: invasion

text: of

text: Panama

text: CNN

text: and

text: two

text: other

text: major

text: TV

text: networks

text: fired

text: up

text: their

text: split

text: screen

text: technology

text: showing

text: on

text: one

text: side

text: the

text: president

text: joking

text: with

text: White

text: House

text: reporters

text: just

text: before

text: the

text: Christmas

text: holiday

text: and

text: on

text: the

text: other

text: the

text: sober

text: images

text: of

text: flag

text: draped

text: military

text: caskets

text: being

text: carried

text: ceremoniously

text: by

text: honor

text: guards

text: across

text: the

text: tarmac

text: at

text: Dover

text: After

text: the

text: holidays

text: the

text: president

text: appealed

text: publicly

text: to

text: reporters

text: to

text: help

text: me

text: overcome

text: a

text: public

text: impression

text: that

text: he

text: had

text: been

text: insensitive

text: on

text: TV

text: about

text: the

text: returning

text: casualties

text: News

text: media

text: had

text: been

text: covering

text: the

text: return

text: of

text: war

text: casualties

text: since

text: World

text: War

text: II

text: Some

text: military

text: personnel

text: believe

text: the

text: showing

text: of

text: those

text: images

text: and

text: others

text: from

text: the

text: jungles

text: of

text: Vietnam

text: contributed

text: to

text: a

text: gradual

text: growth

text: of

text: anti

text: war

text: sentiment

text: during

text: the

text: Just

text: days

text: before

text: the

text: Gulf

text: War

text: began

text: in

text: January

text: the

text: new

text: media

text: policy

text: was

text: formalized

text: in

text: a

text: cable

text: sent

text: by

text: the

text: Defense

text: Department

text: to

text: its

text: posts

text: There

text: would

text: be

text: no

text: media

text: coverage

text: of

text: returning

text: casualties

text: at

text: Dover

text: or

text: other

text: stops

text: along

text: the

text: way

text: home

text: The

text: directive

text: made

text: no

text: mention

text: of

text: anyone

text: 's

text: privacy

text: but

text: portrayed

text: the

text: ban

text: on

text: coverage

text: of

text: returning

text: casualties

text: as

text: an

text: effort

text: to

text: ease

text: pressure

text: on

text: stressed

text: families

text: who

text: might

text: feel

text: obliged

text: to

text: travel

text: to

text: Dover

text: to

text: witness

text: the

text: return

text: of

text: their

text: loved

text: one

text: with

text: news

text: media

text: watching

text: Over

text: the

text: next

text: decade

text: several

text: exceptions

text: were

text: made

text: to

text: the

text: ban

text: on

text: media

text: coverage

text: at

text: Dover

text: including

text: for

text: the

text: return

text: of

text: Navy

text: personnel

text: killed

text: in

text: the

text: bombing

text: of

text: the

text: USS

text: Cole

text: off

text: Yemen

text: 's

text: coast

text: just

text: weeks

text: before

text: the

text: election

text: that

text: brought

text: the

text: second

text: President

text: Bush

text: into

text: office

text: Ironically

text: throughout

text: the

text: ban

text: on

text: media

text: coverage

text: of

text: returning

text: casualties

text: the

text: Pentagon

text: continued

text: documenting

text: this

text: important

text: part

text: of

text: any

text: war

text: by

text: assigning

text: military

text: and

text: government

text: contract

text: photographers

text: to

text: take

text: pictures

text: of

text: the

text: flag

text: draped

text: caskets

text: Those

text: images

text: among

text: the

text: most

text: poignant

text: respectful

text: and

text: dignified

text: tributes

text: to

text: troops

text: who

text: died

text: in

text: service

text: of

text: their

text: nation

text: were

text: carefully

text: maintained

text: by

text: the

text: Defense

text: Department

text: They

text: were

text: used

text: for

text: training

text: of

text: honor

text: guards

text: and

text: for

text: commemorating

text: the

text: significance

text: of

text: war

text: casualties

text: Although

text: taken

text: by

text: the

text: government

text: those

text: images

text: were

text: withheld

text: from

text: public

text: view

text: From

text: the

text: aftermath

text: of

text: September

text: through

text: the

text: invasion

text: of

text: Iraq

text: in

text: March

text: the

text: Pentagon

text: kept

text: taking

text: those

text: pictures

text: even

text: as

text: it

text: expanded

text: its

text: ban

text: on

text: media

text: coverage

text: of

text: returning

text: casualties

text: now

text: arguing

text: that

text: such

text: war

text: images

text: would

text: somehow

text: invade

text: the

text: privacy

text: of

text: families

text: of

text: the

text: deceased

text: troops

text: It

text: was

text: those

text: images

text: that

text: a

text: series

text: of

text: Freedom

text: of

text: Information

text: Act

text: requests

text: pried

text: loose

text: in

text: after

text: months

text: of

text: legal

text: skirmishing

text: Those

text: requests

text: were

text: initiated

text: by

text: Russ

text: Kick

text: editor

text: of

text: a

text: Web

text: site

text: called

text: The

text: Memory

text: Hole

text: When

text: the

text: Pentagon

text: refused

text: to

text: respond

text: substantively

text: to

text: my

text: own

text: series

text: of

text: Freedom

text: of

text: Information

text: Act

text: requests

text: the

text: National

text: Security

text: Archive

text: at

text: George

text: Washington

text: University

text: and

text: I

text: took

text: the

text: government

text: to

text: court

text: with

text: a

text: lawsuit

text: over

text: the

text: images

text: Just

text: weeks

text: before

text: a

text: federal

text: judge

text: was

text: expected

text: to

text: rule

text: in

text: the

text: case

text: the

text: Pentagon

text: pre

text: empted

text: a

text: precedent

text: setting

text: order

text: by

text: releasing

text: voluntarily

text: more

text: than

text: images

text: of

text: returning

text: casualties

text: They

text: remain

text: to

text: this

text: day

text: available

text: to

text: the

text: public

text: on

text: the

text: National

text: Security

text: Archive

text: Web

text: site

text: At

text: the

text: time

text: Kick

text: and

text: I

text: were

text: seeking

text: to

text: make

text: the

text: Pentagon

text: 's

text: pictures

text: public

text: major

text: U.S.

text: news

text: organizations

text: were

text: busy

text: suiting

text: up

text: to

text: cover

text: the

text: invasion

text: of

text: Iraq

text: they

text: did

text: not

text: engage

text: their

text: lawyers

text: to

text: ask

text: for

text: access

text: to

text: Dover

text: to

text: witness

text: the

text: return

text: of

text: those

text: who

text: sacrificed

text: their

text: lives

text: in

text: the

text: war

text: and

text: they

text: have

text: declined

text: to

text: do

text: so

text: since

text: then

text: The

text: Pentagon

text: policy

text: which

text: had

text: come

text: into

text: being

text: over

text: the

text: embarrassment

text: of

text: a

text: president

text: evolved

text: after

text: the

text: U.S.

text: invasion

text: of

text: Iraq

text: into

text: a

text: complete

text: ban

text: preventing

text: the

text: American

text: people

text: from

text: seeing

text: the

text: most

text: important

text: single

text: measure

text: of

text: the

text: cost

text: of

text: war

text: So

text: desperate

text: apparently

text: was

text: the

text: White

text: House

text: desire

text: to

text: block

text: public

text: view

text: of

text: such

text: images

text: that

text: military

text: photographers

text: at

text: Dover

text: were

text: ordered

text: to

text: stop

text: documenting

text: the

text: returns

text: To

text: my

text: knowledge

text: since

text: no

text: further

text: photos

text: have

text: been

text: taken

text: showing

text: those

text: emotional

text: moments

text: when

text: a

text: casualty

text: touches

text: home

text: soil

text: for

text: the

text: last

text: time

text: The

text: Obama

text: administration

text: 's

text: reversal

text: of

text: two

text: decades

text: of

text: policy

text: on

text: the

text: visibility

text: of

text: returning

text: casualties

text: should

text: have

text: two

text: immediate

text: effects

text: Public

text: opinion

text: consistently

text: supportive

text: of

text: making

text: the

text: war

text: casualty

text: images

text: public

text: has

text: reached

text: a

text: new

text: high

text: Most

text: recently

text: a

text: CNN

text: Opinion

text: Research

text: Corp.

text: survey

text: released

text: Thursday

text: reported

text: that

text: percent

text: of

text: those

text: questioned

text: said

text: they

text: think

text: the

text: government

text: should

text: allow

text: the

text: public

text: to

text: see

text: photos

text: of

text: caskets

text: of

text: U.S.

text: troops

text: at

text: an

text: Air

text: Force

text: base

text: I

text: have

text: had

text: the

text: privilege

text: of

text: speaking

text: with

text: a

text: number

text: of

text: family

text: members

text: who

text: have

text: lost

text: loved

text: ones

text: in

text: Afghanistan

text: or

text: Iraq

text: Most

text: think

text: the

text: pictures

text: should

text: be

text: public

text: but

text: only

text: after

text: families

text: authorize

text: it

text: This

text: dramatic

text: change

text: in

text: government

text: policy

text: should

text: once

text: again

text: allow

text: all

text: Americans

text: to

text: see

text: the

text: full

text: human

text: cost

text: of

text: war

text: while

text: paying

text: respect

text: to

text: those

text: who

text: served

text: their

text: nation

text: as

text: well

text: as

text: to

text: their

text: families

text: The

text: opinions

text: expressed

text: in

text: this

text: commentary

text: are

text: solely

text: those

text: of

text: Ralph

text: J.

text: Begleiter

question: Who said that U.S. policy on photographing war dead was result of coincidence?

answer: Ralph J. Begleiter

text: Ralph J. Begleiter

question: What was the new policy allows?

answer: American people to honor the dignified and respectful return of war casualties to home soil for the last time.

text: American people to honor the dignified and respectful return of war casualties to home soil for the last time.

question: Begleiter urged the government to resume using its photographers to document what?

answer: take pictures of the flag-draped caskets.

text: take pictures of the flag-draped caskets.


text:
(CNN) -- It's bad enough to be sick and miserable. But adding insult to injury for many a patient is having to hack through a veritable jungle of often-confusing paperwork to make health insurance claims.

Dr. Val Jones is part of a practice in Virginia that has lowered its fees and quit taking insurance.

Consumers' frustrations with health insurance paperwork are well-known. But it's also a frustrating tangle for doctors and their staffs.

AC360Â° correspondent Tom Foreman has a report about one innovative practice that has decided to take on the insurance paperwork monster -- by completely avoiding it.

Dr. Val Jones joined a small practice, DocTalker Family Medicine in Vienna, Virginia, where the doctors do not even take insurance.

They charge a simple, relatively low fee for each service. That's it. The doctors at DocTalker grew tired of seeing patients struggle with baffling insurance paperwork while both their health and wealth were on the line.

"They don't know why they're getting these questions asked,"  Jones said. "They don't know what the forms mean. And ... their compensation is dependent on it."

This innovation has been good news for Carol "Yogi" Yogan of McClain, Virginia.

She said she broke her wrist ice skating, and her insurance company initially told her that her injury would not be covered.

After persistent effort, she eventually convinced them otherwise. The company paid. But Yogan is certain without her dogged efforts, her claim would have been forever lost in the "paperwork jungle" of the insurance trade.  Watch Yogan's struggle with bureaucratic red tape Â»

Yogi Yogan has pretty much lost all faith in insurance companies. She has enough insurance to cover a catastrophic illness, but for routine care, she's now going to that nearby fee-for-service medical office where Jones works.

"It's seamless," Yogan said. She knows precisely what she is getting and what it costs.

Jones does not believe the insurance industry set out to cultivate the paperwork jungle. She thinks it just grew over time. But now that it is there, she suspects they are making so much money off of it, that there is no real incentive to clear it up.

Former insurance industry executive Wendell Potter agrees. He said one way insurers make money is by allowing confusion to reign.

"And people often just give up," Potter said, "and don't pursue payment when a claim has been denied or been paid inappropriately or not adequately. And the same is true with doctors and hospitals." He believes billions of dollars are at stake.

The insurance industry, while acknowledging the existence of the paperwork jungle, denies it is a trap for extra profits.

Robert Zirkilbach is with a national trade association for insurers called America's Health Insurance Plans.

"The health insurance industry is one of the most regulated industries in America, and particularly at the state level there are all kinds of requirements of information that needs to be provided to patients in paper and through the mail," Zirkilbach said.

But he adds, insurers are just as worried as customers about the confusion that causes.

"We agree that reform is needed. In fact, that's why we've been working very hard to develop reforms to make the system more efficient," Zirkilbach said.

AC360Â° correspondent Tom Foreman contributed to this report.

text: CNN

text: It

text: 's

text: bad

text: enough

text: to

text: be

text: sick

text: and

text: miserable

text: But

text: adding

text: insult

text: to

text: injury

text: for

text: many

text: a

text: patient

text: is

text: having

text: to

text: hack

text: through

text: a

text: veritable

text: jungle

text: of

text: often

text: confusing

text: paperwork

text: to

text: make

text: health

text: insurance

text: claims

text: Dr.

text: Val

text: Jones

text: is

text: part

text: of

text: a

text: practice

text: in

text: Virginia

text: that

text: has

text: lowered

text: its

text: fees

text: and

text: quit

text: taking

text: insurance

text: Consumers

text: frustrations

text: with

text: health

text: insurance

text: paperwork

text: are

text: well

text: known

text: But

text: it

text: 's

text: also

text: a

text: frustrating

text: tangle

text: for

text: doctors

text: and

text: their

text: staffs

text: correspondent

text: Tom

text: Foreman

text: has

text: a

text: report

text: about

text: one

text: innovative

text: practice

text: that

text: has

text: decided

text: to

text: take

text: on

text: the

text: insurance

text: paperwork

text: monster

text: by

text: completely

text: avoiding

text: it

text: Dr.

text: Val

text: Jones

text: joined

text: a

text: small

text: practice

text: DocTalker

text: Family

text: Medicine

text: in

text: Vienna

text: Virginia

text: where

text: the

text: doctors

text: do

text: not

text: even

text: take

text: insurance

text: They

text: charge

text: a

text: simple

text: relatively

text: low

text: fee

text: for

text: each

text: service

text: That

text: 's

text: it

text: The

text: doctors

text: at

text: DocTalker

text: grew

text: tired

text: of

text: seeing

text: patients

text: struggle

text: with

text: baffling

text: insurance

text: paperwork

text: while

text: both

text: their

text: health

text: and

text: wealth

text: were

text: on

text: the

text: line

text: They

text: do

text: n't

text: know

text: why

text: they

text: 're

text: getting

text: these

text: questions

text: asked

text: Jones

text: said

text: They

text: do

text: n't

text: know

text: what

text: the

text: forms

text: mean

text: And

text: their

text: compensation

text: is

text: dependent

text: on

text: it

text: This

text: innovation

text: has

text: been

text: good

text: news

text: for

text: Carol

text: Yogi

text: Yogan

text: of

text: McClain

text: Virginia

text: She

text: said

text: she

text: broke

text: her

text: wrist

text: ice

text: skating

text: and

text: her

text: insurance

text: company

text: initially

text: told

text: her

text: that

text: her

text: injury

text: would

text: not

text: be

text: covered

text: After

text: persistent

text: effort

text: she

text: eventually

text: convinced

text: them

text: otherwise

text: The

text: company

text: paid

text: But

text: Yogan

text: is

text: certain

text: without

text: her

text: dogged

text: efforts

text: her

text: claim

text: would

text: have

text: been

text: forever

text: lost

text: in

text: the

text: paperwork

text: jungle

text: of

text: the

text: insurance

text: trade

text: Watch

text: Yogan

text: 's

text: struggle

text: with

text: bureaucratic

text: red

text: tape

text: Â

text: Yogi

text: Yogan

text: has

text: pretty

text: much

text: lost

text: all

text: faith

text: in

text: insurance

text: companies

text: She

text: has

text: enough

text: insurance

text: to

text: cover

text: a

text: catastrophic

text: illness

text: but

text: for

text: routine

text: care

text: she

text: 's

text: now

text: going

text: to

text: that

text: nearby

text: fee

text: for

text: service

text: medical

text: office

text: where

text: Jones

text: works

text: It

text: 's

text: seamless

text: Yogan

text: said

text: She

text: knows

text: precisely

text: what

text: she

text: is

text: getting

text: and

text: what

text: it

text: costs

text: Jones

text: does

text: not

text: believe

text: the

text: insurance

text: industry

text: set

text: out

text: to

text: cultivate

text: the

text: paperwork

text: jungle

text: She

text: thinks

text: it

text: just

text: grew

text: over

text: time

text: But

text: now

text: that

text: it

text: is

text: there

text: she

text: suspects

text: they

text: are

text: making

text: so

text: much

text: money

text: off

text: of

text: it

text: that

text: there

text: is

text: no

text: real

text: incentive

text: to

text: clear

text: it

text: up

text: Former

text: insurance

text: industry

text: executive

text: Wendell

text: Potter

text: agrees

text: He

text: said

text: one

text: way

text: insurers

text: make

text: money

text: is

text: by

text: allowing

text: confusion

text: to

text: reign

text: And

text: people

text: often

text: just

text: give

text: up

text: Potter

text: said

text: and

text: do

text: n't

text: pursue

text: payment

text: when

text: a

text: claim

text: has

text: been

text: denied

text: or

text: been

text: paid

text: inappropriately

text: or

text: not

text: adequately

text: And

text: the

text: same

text: is

text: true

text: with

text: doctors

text: and

text: hospitals

text: He

text: believes

text: billions

text: of

text: dollars

text: are

text: at

text: stake

text: The

text: insurance

text: industry

text: while

text: acknowledging

text: the

text: existence

text: of

text: the

text: paperwork

text: jungle

text: denies

text: it

text: is

text: a

text: trap

text: for

text: extra

text: profits

text: Robert

text: Zirkilbach

text: is

text: with

text: a

text: national

text: trade

text: association

text: for

text: insurers

text: called

text: America

text: 's

text: Health

text: Insurance

text: Plans

text: The

text: health

text: insurance

text: industry

text: is

text: one

text: of

text: the

text: most

text: regulated

text: industries

text: in

text: America

text: and

text: particularly

text: at

text: the

text: state

text: level

text: there

text: are

text: all

text: kinds

text: of

text: requirements

text: of

text: information

text: that

text: needs

text: to

text: be

text: provided

text: to

text: patients

text: in

text: paper

text: and

text: through

text: the

text: mail

text: Zirkilbach

text: said

text: But

text: he

text: adds

text: insurers

text: are

text: just

text: as

text: worried

text: as

text: customers

text: about

text: the

text: confusion

text: that

text: causes

text: We

text: agree

text: that

text: reform

text: is

text: needed

text: In

text: fact

text: that

text: 's

text: why

text: we

text: 've

text: been

text: working

text: very

text: hard

text: to

text: develop

text: reforms

text: to

text: make

text: the

text: system

text: more

text: efficient

text: Zirkilbach

text: said

text: correspondent

text: Tom

text: Foreman

text: contributed

text: to

text: this

text: report

question: What are they trying to do with the system?

answer: m more efficient,

text: m more efficient,

question: what is lower for the practice in virginia?

answer: its fees

text: its fees

question: who is trying to make system more efficient?

answer: " Zirkilbac

text: " Zirkilbac

question: What is the name of the practice in Virginia that has lowered and simplified its fees and quit taking insurance?

answer: DocTalker Family Medicine

text: DocTalker Family Medicine

question: What in Virginia has lowered and simplified fees?

answer: DocTalker Family Medicine in Vienna,

text: DocTalker Family Medicine in Vienna,

question: What generates profit?

answer: e paperwork jungle

text: e paperwork jungle


text:
New York (CNN) -- There are dozens of get-well cards on his wall. On his bed, there's another pile from family, friends, high school pals. The patient must be 19 or 20 -- a kid -- and his smile is magnetic.

His mother hugs every visitor, strangers like us included. "I'm a hugger," she explains. His girlfriend is by his bedside too, wearing a sweatshirt from her college in upstate New York, her studies interrupted.

"My leg will never be a hundred percent," he says, "which means I just have to get a new hundred percent."

It helps that we were visiting this wounded soldier at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, a few weeks ago, with the actor Woody Harrelson, instantly recognizable from TV and movies. Woody is profoundly good-natured and can make anyone smile, even the maimed young men and women, just back from a combat zone they carried home with them. But this particular soldier/kid is happy anyway. Happy to be alive, mature enough to be grateful.

A few weeks earlier, an Afghan soldier he had known for eight months -- a man who fought by his side -- turned his rifle on his American "allies" and killed two of this soldier's buddies, wounding three, including him. This kid knows he's among the lucky ones.

"I have no idea why he did it," he says.

"It's the Middle East," I reply.

"I guess so," he says with a sigh.

In room after room, our delegation encounters stories of war that are just not a part of the national conversation. I keep thinking: Whatever happened to the telling of these stories in America? Do we need a Washington lobbyist to push the soldier's-story agenda?

Individual tales make up the reality of war; anecdote by anecdote, they become the truth of combat. But in the U.S. mainstream media, they have too little presence. How did we get to a place where sharing a soldier's narrative or reading soldiers' names on television or meeting their coffins when they are brought back to their country becomes a political or disloyal act? Why can't we share the truth about war?

When I was growing up in Israel, we saw scenes from military funerals on the news: screaming, crying mothers and all. Wounded soldiers would be interviewed, sometimes with burned bodies or missing limbs. It was not political; it was just the subjective, human reality of the soldier. There was a need to know. It gave our warriors a public stage from which to reconnect.

I remember coming back from Lebanon when I was a soldier in the '80s, feeling like I've just been to another planet. Filmmaking, storytelling, was my therapy.

We made an earlier trip to Walter Reed, along with our lead Ben Foster, to immerse ourselves in the lives of returning soldiers in preparation for making a movie about casualty notification officers, the soldiers who knock on the door to bring the grim news of a loved one's death while on military duty. We think of it as an uplifting movie about getting back to life.

When we tell these troops about our movie, most smile bitterly; they know their families were spared that awful encounter -- they got a phone call -- but they imagine their friends' families having their hearts ripped out by two soldiers in Class A uniforms at the door. "The secretary of the Army regrets to inform you ..."

Visiting a military hospital is always an inspiring, shocking, beautiful, complicated experience. I highly recommend it. It's a gift to the soldier, and it's a blessing for the visitor. Those who are in good enough shape to talk take us to the front lines of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in vivid, visceral detail. We feel privileged to hear their voices crack, to see their eyes fill with tears.

Firefights. IEDs. Accidents. Friendly fire. Boredom. Porn. Burn pits. Torn up buddies. Locals. Shifting alliances. Lives lost in translation. The stuff of war. Nothing pretty about it. And that's OK. If these guys can live through it, we can listen. It doesn't take much before you're reminded that wars are about human beings -- on both sides.

With more than 5,000 dead; more than 35,000 soldiers coming back with injuries, many that will last a lifetime; with one in six returning soldiers afflicted with post-traumatic stress disorder; and with families torn apart by multiple deployments, domestic violence, substance abuse, divorces, suicides, homelessness, etc., we are slowly transitioning into the longest part of the war: the aftermath.

There are many dedicated professionals and volunteers who are dealing with these issues. They're the ones who will be learning the soldier-stories that we all must know, the individual accounts that should allow us to address, head-on, our collective responsibility as a society toward those who fight in our name.

But we won't hear these stories unless we insist. Instead, we'll get more statistics, political punditry, screamers trying to pull us left or right.

We say goodbye to this kid in his military hospital bed. He waves and says, "No need to worry about me." Which is the only thing I think he got wrong.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Oren Moverman.

text: New

text: York

text: CNN

text: There

text: are

text: dozens

text: of

text: get

text: well

text: cards

text: on

text: his

text: wall

text: On

text: his

text: bed

text: there

text: 's

text: another

text: pile

text: from

text: family

text: friends

text: high

text: school

text: pals

text: The

text: patient

text: must

text: be

text: or

text: a

text: kid

text: and

text: his

text: smile

text: is

text: magnetic

text: His

text: mother

text: hugs

text: every

text: visitor

text: strangers

text: like

text: us

text: included

text: I

text: 'm

text: a

text: hugger

text: she

text: explains

text: His

text: girlfriend

text: is

text: by

text: his

text: bedside

text: too

text: wearing

text: a

text: sweatshirt

text: from

text: her

text: college

text: in

text: upstate

text: New

text: York

text: her

text: studies

text: interrupted

text: My

text: leg

text: will

text: never

text: be

text: a

text: hundred

text: percent

text: he

text: says

text: which

text: means

text: I

text: just

text: have

text: to

text: get

text: a

text: new

text: hundred

text: percent

text: It

text: helps

text: that

text: we

text: were

text: visiting

text: this

text: wounded

text: soldier

text: at

text: Walter

text: Reed

text: Army

text: Medical

text: Center

text: a

text: few

text: weeks

text: ago

text: with

text: the

text: actor

text: Woody

text: Harrelson

text: instantly

text: recognizable

text: from

text: TV

text: and

text: movies

text: Woody

text: is

text: profoundly

text: good

text: natured

text: and

text: can

text: make

text: anyone

text: smile

text: even

text: the

text: maimed

text: young

text: men

text: and

text: women

text: just

text: back

text: from

text: a

text: combat

text: zone

text: they

text: carried

text: home

text: with

text: them

text: But

text: this

text: particular

text: soldier

text: kid

text: is

text: happy

text: anyway

text: Happy

text: to

text: be

text: alive

text: mature

text: enough

text: to

text: be

text: grateful

text: A

text: few

text: weeks

text: earlier

text: an

text: Afghan

text: soldier

text: he

text: had

text: known

text: for

text: eight

text: months

text: a

text: man

text: who

text: fought

text: by

text: his

text: side

text: turned

text: his

text: rifle

text: on

text: his

text: American

text: allies

text: and

text: killed

text: two

text: of

text: this

text: soldier

text: 's

text: buddies

text: wounding

text: three

text: including

text: him

text: This

text: kid

text: knows

text: he

text: 's

text: among

text: the

text: lucky

text: ones

text: I

text: have

text: no

text: idea

text: why

text: he

text: did

text: it

text: he

text: says

text: It

text: 's

text: the

text: Middle

text: East

text: I

text: reply

text: I

text: guess

text: so

text: he

text: says

text: with

text: a

text: sigh

text: In

text: room

text: after

text: room

text: our

text: delegation

text: encounters

text: stories

text: of

text: war

text: that

text: are

text: just

text: not

text: a

text: part

text: of

text: the

text: national

text: conversation

text: I

text: keep

text: thinking

text: Whatever

text: happened

text: to

text: the

text: telling

text: of

text: these

text: stories

text: in

text: America

text: Do

text: we

text: need

text: a

text: Washington

text: lobbyist

text: to

text: push

text: the

text: soldier's

text: story

text: agenda

text: Individual

text: tales

text: make

text: up

text: the

text: reality

text: of

text: war

text: anecdote

text: by

text: anecdote

text: they

text: become

text: the

text: truth

text: of

text: combat

text: But

text: in

text: the

text: U.S.

text: mainstream

text: media

text: they

text: have

text: too

text: little

text: presence

text: How

text: did

text: we

text: get

text: to

text: a

text: place

text: where

text: sharing

text: a

text: soldier

text: 's

text: narrative

text: or

text: reading

text: soldiers

text: names

text: on

text: television

text: or

text: meeting

text: their

text: coffins

text: when

text: they

text: are

text: brought

text: back

text: to

text: their

text: country

text: becomes

text: a

text: political

text: or

text: disloyal

text: act

text: Why

text: ca

text: n't

text: we

text: share

text: the

text: truth

text: about

text: war

text: When

text: I

text: was

text: growing

text: up

text: in

text: Israel

text: we

text: saw

text: scenes

text: from

text: military

text: funerals

text: on

text: the

text: news

text: screaming

text: crying

text: mothers

text: and

text: all

text: Wounded

text: soldiers

text: would

text: be

text: interviewed

text: sometimes

text: with

text: burned

text: bodies

text: or

text: missing

text: limbs

text: It

text: was

text: not

text: political

text: it

text: was

text: just

text: the

text: subjective

text: human

text: reality

text: of

text: the

text: soldier

text: There

text: was

text: a

text: need

text: to

text: know

text: It

text: gave

text: our

text: warriors

text: a

text: public

text: stage

text: from

text: which

text: to

text: reconnect

text: I

text: remember

text: coming

text: back

text: from

text: Lebanon

text: when

text: I

text: was

text: a

text: soldier

text: in

text: the

text: feeling

text: like

text: I

text: 've

text: just

text: been

text: to

text: another

text: planet

text: Filmmaking

text: storytelling

text: was

text: my

text: therapy

text: We

text: made

text: an

text: earlier

text: trip

text: to

text: Walter

text: Reed

text: along

text: with

text: our

text: lead

text: Ben

text: Foster

text: to

text: immerse

text: ourselves

text: in

text: the

text: lives

text: of

text: returning

text: soldiers

text: in

text: preparation

text: for

text: making

text: a

text: movie

text: about

text: casualty

text: notification

text: officers

text: the

text: soldiers

text: who

text: knock

text: on

text: the

text: door

text: to

text: bring

text: the

text: grim

text: news

text: of

text: a

text: loved

text: one

text: 's

text: death

text: while

text: on

text: military

text: duty

text: We

text: think

text: of

text: it

text: as

text: an

text: uplifting

text: movie

text: about

text: getting

text: back

text: to

text: life

text: When

text: we

text: tell

text: these

text: troops

text: about

text: our

text: movie

text: most

text: smile

text: bitterly

text: they

text: know

text: their

text: families

text: were

text: spared

text: that

text: awful

text: encounter

text: they

text: got

text: a

text: phone

text: call

text: but

text: they

text: imagine

text: their

text: friends

text: families

text: having

text: their

text: hearts

text: ripped

text: out

text: by

text: two

text: soldiers

text: in

text: Class

text: A

text: uniforms

text: at

text: the

text: door

text: The

text: secretary

text: of

text: the

text: Army

text: regrets

text: to

text: inform

text: you

text: Visiting

text: a

text: military

text: hospital

text: is

text: always

text: an

text: inspiring

text: shocking

text: beautiful

text: complicated

text: experience

text: I

text: highly

text: recommend

text: it

text: It

text: 's

text: a

text: gift

text: to

text: the

text: soldier

text: and

text: it

text: 's

text: a

text: blessing

text: for

text: the

text: visitor

text: Those

text: who

text: are

text: in

text: good

text: enough

text: shape

text: to

text: talk

text: take

text: us

text: to

text: the

text: front

text: lines

text: of

text: Operation

text: Iraqi

text: Freedom

text: and

text: Operation

text: Enduring

text: Freedom

text: in

text: vivid

text: visceral

text: detail

text: We

text: feel

text: privileged

text: to

text: hear

text: their

text: voices

text: crack

text: to

text: see

text: their

text: eyes

text: fill

text: with

text: tears

text: Firefights

text: IEDs

text: Accidents

text: Friendly

text: fire

text: Boredom

text: Porn

text: Burn

text: pits

text: Torn

text: up

text: buddies

text: Locals

text: Shifting

text: alliances

text: Lives

text: lost

text: in

text: translation

text: The

text: stuff

text: of

text: war

text: Nothing

text: pretty

text: about

text: it

text: And

text: that

text: 's

text: OK

text: If

text: these

text: guys

text: can

text: live

text: through

text: it

text: we

text: can

text: listen

text: It

text: does

text: n't

text: take

text: much

text: before

text: you

text: 're

text: reminded

text: that

text: wars

text: are

text: about

text: human

text: beings

text: on

text: both

text: sides

text: With

text: more

text: than

text: dead

text: more

text: than

text: soldiers

text: coming

text: back

text: with

text: injuries

text: many

text: that

text: will

text: last

text: a

text: lifetime

text: with

text: one

text: in

text: six

text: returning

text: soldiers

text: afflicted

text: with

text: post

text: traumatic

text: stress

text: disorder

text: and

text: with

text: families

text: torn

text: apart

text: by

text: multiple

text: deployments

text: domestic

text: violence

text: substance

text: abuse

text: divorces

text: suicides

text: homelessness

text: etc

text: we

text: are

text: slowly

text: transitioning

text: into

text: the

text: longest

text: part

text: of

text: the

text: war

text: the

text: aftermath

text: There

text: are

text: many

text: dedicated

text: professionals

text: and

text: volunteers

text: who

text: are

text: dealing

text: with

text: these

text: issues

text: They

text: 're

text: the

text: ones

text: who

text: will

text: be

text: learning

text: the

text: soldier

text: stories

text: that

text: we

text: all

text: must

text: know

text: the

text: individual

text: accounts

text: that

text: should

text: allow

text: us

text: to

text: address

text: head

text: on

text: our

text: collective

text: responsibility

text: as

text: a

text: society

text: toward

text: those

text: who

text: fight

text: in

text: our

text: name

text: But

text: we

text: wo

text: n't

text: hear

text: these

text: stories

text: unless

text: we

text: insist

text: Instead

text: we

text: 'll

text: get

text: more

text: statistics

text: political

text: punditry

text: screamers

text: trying

text: to

text: pull

text: us

text: left

text: or

text: right

text: We

text: say

text: goodbye

text: to

text: this

text: kid

text: in

text: his

text: military

text: hospital

text: bed

text: He

text: waves

text: and

text: says

text: No

text: need

text: to

text: worry

text: about

text: me

text: Which

text: is

text: the

text: only

text: thing

text: I

text: think

text: he

text: got

text: wrong

text: The

text: opinions

text: expressed

text: in

text: this

text: commentary

text: are

text: solely

text: those

text: of

text: Oren

text: Moverman

question: What does the media often avoid?

answer: Individual tales

text: Individual tales

question: What is important and inspiring, but not pretty?

answer: Visiting a military hospital

text: Visiting a military hospital

question: What does he say visiting soldiers in hospital is?

answer: always an inspiring, shocking, beautiful, complicated experience.

text: always an inspiring, shocking, beautiful, complicated experience.