text:
San Diego, California (CNN)  -- There was a lot to appreciate in yesterday's bipartisan White House health care summit between President Obama and members of Congress.

No really. This is the kind of thing that our leaders ought to do three or four times a year on a variety of issues -- from Social Security to education to immigration to job creation. Why not? Put aside the sound bites and partisan barbs. Get beyond the dueling appearances on the Sunday morning talk shows. And bring your best ideas and most constructive suggestions to the table.

Obama deserves credit for convening the meeting. His opening remarks were good, especially when he talked about the rising costs of health insurance premiums, the "exploding costs of Medicare and Medicaid," and how he wanted to "make sure that this discussion is actually a discussion and not just us trading talking points."

I also appreciated  his candid discussion of health scares years ago involving his own daughters and how he wondered "What would have happened if I didn't have reliable health care?" And his acknowledgement that "Everybody here understands the desperation that people feel when they're sick."

That is, assuming everything that happened yesterday at Blair House was real -- and not merely a theatrical setup for a Democratic-led effort next week to push through, using reconciliation, what Democrats on the Hill call "the big bill."

That's Obama's comprehensive $950 billion plan to radically reform the nation's health care system -- the one opposed by every Republican in Congress and, according to polls, a majority of Americans.

Reconciliation is a procedural maneuver that allows the Senate to pass the health care bill with 51 votes rather than the 60 votes required to end a filibuster. Yet, according to a recent Gallup poll, more than half of Americans -- 52 percent -- oppose Democrats resorting to reconciliation to pass a bill.

And while Republicans are still holding out hope that Obama and congressional Democrats will go back to the drawing board and start with a blank piece of paper, that appears unlikely since Democrats seem to be "all in" on their piece of legislation.

So what was the point of the summit? It might well have been to create a foil. According to what an unnamed Democratic official told Politico.com, the purpose of the event was to give a face to gridlock.

Democrats intend over the next few weeks to spin this narrative suggesting that they tried, really tried, to work with Republicans but the "party of no" was just too obstinate and too uncompromising. So Democrats had no choice but to rely on the perfectly legitimate process known as reconciliation.

So the summit was a fraud? A charade? I hope not. Even in Washington, there has to be a limit to cynicism. And I'd hope this would be it. I'd hope that Obama and Democratic lawmakers wouldn't toy with the American people on an issue as important as this one.

Talk about broken government. The public wants solutions to our health care problems -- however they're defined -- and not partisan gimmicks that give "a face to gridlock." Even many of those Americans who oppose the Democratic plan turn around to tell pollsters, in the next breath, that the current system has too much cost and not enough common sense. No one approves of the status quo. That's at least something to agree on.

And while Obama got a lot of things right in his remarks, he also made a big mistake when -- at the very outset of the discussion -- he defined as the baseline "the House and the Senate legislation that's already passed." That told Republicans that they were not getting their blank sheet of paper, and that the best they could hope for was to tweak but not substantially change the Democratic plans.

It also did something else. It reminded the American people of who calls the shots in Washington. It's the party in power. Democrats control all the levers of government, at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue.

Remember that fact. Write it down. For President Obama and the Democratic congressional leadership, the real obstacles to reform aren't Republicans -- who don't have any power -- but fellow Democrats who are up for re-election and who are terrified of "the big bill." They represent districts that either Obama lost to John McCain in 2008 or in which Obama barely squeaked out a victory. So they're not going anywhere near this unpopular piece of legislation. Who can blame them?

Whatever happens on health care, Democrats alone deserve, depending on your view, either the credit or the blame. You see, the real face of gridlock is theirs.

The opinions in this commentary are solely those of Ruben Navarette, Jr.

text: San

text: Diego

text: California

text: CNN

text: There

text: was

text: a

text: lot

text: to

text: appreciate

text: in

text: yesterday

text: 's

text: bipartisan

text: White

text: House

text: health

text: care

text: summit

text: between

text: President

text: Obama

text: and

text: members

text: of

text: Congress

text: No

text: really

text: This

text: is

text: the

text: kind

text: of

text: thing

text: that

text: our

text: leaders

text: ought

text: to

text: do

text: three

text: or

text: four

text: times

text: a

text: year

text: on

text: a

text: variety

text: of

text: issues

text: from

text: Social

text: Security

text: to

text: education

text: to

text: immigration

text: to

text: job

text: creation

text: Why

text: not

text: Put

text: aside

text: the

text: sound

text: bites

text: and

text: partisan

text: barbs

text: Get

text: beyond

text: the

text: dueling

text: appearances

text: on

text: the

text: Sunday

text: morning

text: talk

text: shows

text: And

text: bring

text: your

text: best

text: ideas

text: and

text: most

text: constructive

text: suggestions

text: to

text: the

text: table

text: Obama

text: deserves

text: credit

text: for

text: convening

text: the

text: meeting

text: His

text: opening

text: remarks

text: were

text: good

text: especially

text: when

text: he

text: talked

text: about

text: the

text: rising

text: costs

text: of

text: health

text: insurance

text: premiums

text: the

text: exploding

text: costs

text: of

text: Medicare

text: and

text: Medicaid

text: and

text: how

text: he

text: wanted

text: to

text: make

text: sure

text: that

text: this

text: discussion

text: is

text: actually

text: a

text: discussion

text: and

text: not

text: just

text: us

text: trading

text: talking

text: points

text: I

text: also

text: appreciated

text: his

text: candid

text: discussion

text: of

text: health

text: scares

text: years

text: ago

text: involving

text: his

text: own

text: daughters

text: and

text: how

text: he

text: wondered

text: What

text: would

text: have

text: happened

text: if

text: I

text: did

text: n't

text: have

text: reliable

text: health

text: care

text: And

text: his

text: acknowledgement

text: that

text: Everybody

text: here

text: understands

text: the

text: desperation

text: that

text: people

text: feel

text: when

text: they

text: 're

text: sick

text: That

text: is

text: assuming

text: everything

text: that

text: happened

text: yesterday

text: at

text: Blair

text: House

text: was

text: real

text: and

text: not

text: merely

text: a

text: theatrical

text: setup

text: for

text: a

text: Democratic

text: led

text: effort

text: next

text: week

text: to

text: push

text: through

text: using

text: reconciliation

text: what

text: Democrats

text: on

text: the

text: Hill

text: call

text: the

text: big

text: bill

text: That

text: 's

text: Obama

text: 's

text: comprehensive

text: billion

text: plan

text: to

text: radically

text: reform

text: the

text: nation

text: 's

text: health

text: care

text: system

text: the

text: one

text: opposed

text: by

text: every

text: Republican

text: in

text: Congress

text: and

text: according

text: to

text: polls

text: a

text: majority

text: of

text: Americans

text: Reconciliation

text: is

text: a

text: procedural

text: maneuver

text: that

text: allows

text: the

text: Senate

text: to

text: pass

text: the

text: health

text: care

text: bill

text: with

text: votes

text: rather

text: than

text: the

text: votes

text: required

text: to

text: end

text: a

text: filibuster

text: Yet

text: according

text: to

text: a

text: recent

text: Gallup

text: poll

text: more

text: than

text: half

text: of

text: Americans

text: percent

text: oppose

text: Democrats

text: resorting

text: to

text: reconciliation

text: to

text: pass

text: a

text: bill

text: And

text: while

text: Republicans

text: are

text: still

text: holding

text: out

text: hope

text: that

text: Obama

text: and

text: congressional

text: Democrats

text: will

text: go

text: back

text: to

text: the

text: drawing

text: board

text: and

text: start

text: with

text: a

text: blank

text: piece

text: of

text: paper

text: that

text: appears

text: unlikely

text: since

text: Democrats

text: seem

text: to

text: be

text: all

text: in

text: on

text: their

text: piece

text: of

text: legislation

text: So

text: what

text: was

text: the

text: point

text: of

text: the

text: summit

text: It

text: might

text: well

text: have

text: been

text: to

text: create

text: a

text: foil

text: According

text: to

text: what

text: an

text: unnamed

text: Democratic

text: official

text: told

text: Politico.com

text: the

text: purpose

text: of

text: the

text: event

text: was

text: to

text: give

text: a

text: face

text: to

text: gridlock

text: Democrats

text: intend

text: over

text: the

text: next

text: few

text: weeks

text: to

text: spin

text: this

text: narrative

text: suggesting

text: that

text: they

text: tried

text: really

text: tried

text: to

text: work

text: with

text: Republicans

text: but

text: the

text: party

text: of

text: no

text: was

text: just

text: too

text: obstinate

text: and

text: too

text: uncompromising

text: So

text: Democrats

text: had

text: no

text: choice

text: but

text: to

text: rely

text: on

text: the

text: perfectly

text: legitimate

text: process

text: known

text: as

text: reconciliation

text: So

text: the

text: summit

text: was

text: a

text: fraud

text: A

text: charade

text: I

text: hope

text: not

text: Even

text: in

text: Washington

text: there

text: has

text: to

text: be

text: a

text: limit

text: to

text: cynicism

text: And

text: I

text: 'd

text: hope

text: this

text: would

text: be

text: it

text: I

text: 'd

text: hope

text: that

text: Obama

text: and

text: Democratic

text: lawmakers

text: would

text: n't

text: toy

text: with

text: the

text: American

text: people

text: on

text: an

text: issue

text: as

text: important

text: as

text: this

text: one

text: Talk

text: about

text: broken

text: government

text: The

text: public

text: wants

text: solutions

text: to

text: our

text: health

text: care

text: problems

text: however

text: they

text: 're

text: defined

text: and

text: not

text: partisan

text: gimmicks

text: that

text: give

text: a

text: face

text: to

text: gridlock

text: Even

text: many

text: of

text: those

text: Americans

text: who

text: oppose

text: the

text: Democratic

text: plan

text: turn

text: around

text: to

text: tell

text: pollsters

text: in

text: the

text: next

text: breath

text: that

text: the

text: current

text: system

text: has

text: too

text: much

text: cost

text: and

text: not

text: enough

text: common

text: sense

text: No

text: one

text: approves

text: of

text: the

text: status

text: quo

text: That

text: 's

text: at

text: least

text: something

text: to

text: agree

text: on

text: And

text: while

text: Obama

text: got

text: a

text: lot

text: of

text: things

text: right

text: in

text: his

text: remarks

text: he

text: also

text: made

text: a

text: big

text: mistake

text: when

text: at

text: the

text: very

text: outset

text: of

text: the

text: discussion

text: he

text: defined

text: as

text: the

text: baseline

text: the

text: House

text: and

text: the

text: Senate

text: legislation

text: that

text: 's

text: already

text: passed

text: That

text: told

text: Republicans

text: that

text: they

text: were

text: not

text: getting

text: their

text: blank

text: sheet

text: of

text: paper

text: and

text: that

text: the

text: best

text: they

text: could

text: hope

text: for

text: was

text: to

text: tweak

text: but

text: not

text: substantially

text: change

text: the

text: Democratic

text: plans

text: It

text: also

text: did

text: something

text: else

text: It

text: reminded

text: the

text: American

text: people

text: of

text: who

text: calls

text: the

text: shots

text: in

text: Washington

text: It

text: 's

text: the

text: party

text: in

text: power

text: Democrats

text: control

text: all

text: the

text: levers

text: of

text: government

text: at

text: both

text: ends

text: of

text: Pennsylvania

text: Avenue

text: Remember

text: that

text: fact

text: Write

text: it

text: down

text: For

text: President

text: Obama

text: and

text: the

text: Democratic

text: congressional

text: leadership

text: the

text: real

text: obstacles

text: to

text: reform

text: are

text: n't

text: Republicans

text: who

text: do

text: n't

text: have

text: any

text: power

text: but

text: fellow

text: Democrats

text: who

text: are

text: up

text: for

text: re

text: election

text: and

text: who

text: are

text: terrified

text: of

text: the

text: big

text: bill

text: They

text: represent

text: districts

text: that

text: either

text: Obama

text: lost

text: to

text: John

text: McCain

text: in

text: or

text: in

text: which

text: Obama

text: barely

text: squeaked

text: out

text: a

text: victory

text: So

text: they

text: 're

text: not

text: going

text: anywhere

text: near

text: this

text: unpopular

text: piece

text: of

text: legislation

text: Who

text: can

text: blame

text: them

text: Whatever

text: happens

text: on

text: health

text: care

text: Democrats

text: alone

text: deserve

text: depending

text: on

text: your

text: view

text: either

text: the

text: credit

text: or

text: the

text: blame

text: You

text: see

text: the

text: real

text: face

text: of

text: gridlock

text: is

text: theirs

text: The

text: opinions

text: in

text: this

text: commentary

text: are

text: solely

text: those

text: of

text: Ruben

text: Navarette

text: Jr.

question: Which party does Ruben Navarrette Jr. believe controls levers of government in Washington regarding the health bill?

answer: Democrats

text: Democrats

question: Who lauded the health care summit and believes more such events should occur?

answer: President Obama

text: President Obama

question: What are democrats up for re-election are terrified of?

answer: "the big bill."

text: "the big bill."

question: Which democrats does Ruben Navarrette Jr. believe are terrified of passing "the big bill"?

answer: who are up for re-election

text: who are up for re-election


text:
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CNN)  -- Inspired by images of Iranians taking to the streets to support the opposition presidential candidate, Michelle May decided to head to Tehran.

Michelle May, an American and Irish national, was detained and forced to leave Iran.

"I just felt a real need to be there with my friends, and I just wanted to be a part of what could possibly be history," May told CNN's "American Morning" on Wednesday. "So I made arrangements at the last minute."

May, who is an American and Irish national, used her Irish passport to travel to Tehran just days before the street demonstrations turned violent as Iranian authorities cracked down on those protesting the results of the June 12 election.

"I had been there two times before, and I feel very connected to the country and the people there," she said. "I have a lot of friends."

Her third visit took a terrifying turn Saturday shortly after she checked for the latest news at an Internet cafe in Tehran.

"This young man befriended me. I was trying to download CNN to find out -- this was the day after the ayatollah gave his prayer on Friday," May said.

Afterward, the man helped her hail a taxi outside the cafe to meet one of her friends for lunch, she said.

"About half an hour into that ride, the next thing I know, there are two motorbikes on either side of my taxi," she said. "He's on the back of one of them, and three big Basij guys are on the other, and they pull me over. I knew what was happening."

The Basij, Iran's feared volunteer paramilitary group, has cracked down on the thousands of protesters in the bloody aftermath of the Islamic republic's disputed presidential election.

"I was terrified, and I immediately started screaming, saying no, no, no," May said.

The young man climbed into the taxi and told her to go with him and the three other men.

"So I stood up to get out of the taxi, but then I thought I'll make a scene on the street, maybe they'll leave me alone," she said. "However, that didn't work. I think because everyone's just terrified of the Basij right now."

She was forced into a car and held for more than an hour. Her captors accused her of spying, and after much back-and-forth they drove by a police station where about 50 Iranian police were hanging out.

"I actually trust the police there so I banged on the window, and the guy next to me, the one who spoke English, said, 'OK, we'll stop.'

"They brought me into the police station where I was questioned there. And I had a pretty good idea at that time that everything was going to be OK because they really had nothing on me," May said. "I'm not a terrorist; I'm not a spy. So they really had nothing to go on."

She was told to leave the country, and she headed for Dubai where she spoke to CNN.

May said she admires the bravery of the Iranians protesting in Tehran.

"I don't even know how they're doing it, because honestly everyone I know there is just scared," she said. "They know that they're risking their lives, but they are so fed up that they're willing to do that."

text: DUBAI

text: United

text: Arab

text: Emirates

text: CNN

text: Inspired

text: by

text: images

text: of

text: Iranians

text: taking

text: to

text: the

text: streets

text: to

text: support

text: the

text: opposition

text: presidential

text: candidate

text: Michelle

text: May

text: decided

text: to

text: head

text: to

text: Tehran

text: Michelle

text: May

text: an

text: American

text: and

text: Irish

text: national

text: was

text: detained

text: and

text: forced

text: to

text: leave

text: Iran

text: I

text: just

text: felt

text: a

text: real

text: need

text: to

text: be

text: there

text: with

text: my

text: friends

text: and

text: I

text: just

text: wanted

text: to

text: be

text: a

text: part

text: of

text: what

text: could

text: possibly

text: be

text: history

text: May

text: told

text: CNN

text: 's

text: American

text: Morning

text: on

text: Wednesday

text: So

text: I

text: made

text: arrangements

text: at

text: the

text: last

text: minute

text: May

text: who

text: is

text: an

text: American

text: and

text: Irish

text: national

text: used

text: her

text: Irish

text: passport

text: to

text: travel

text: to

text: Tehran

text: just

text: days

text: before

text: the

text: street

text: demonstrations

text: turned

text: violent

text: as

text: Iranian

text: authorities

text: cracked

text: down

text: on

text: those

text: protesting

text: the

text: results

text: of

text: the

text: June

text: election

text: I

text: had

text: been

text: there

text: two

text: times

text: before

text: and

text: I

text: feel

text: very

text: connected

text: to

text: the

text: country

text: and

text: the

text: people

text: there

text: she

text: said

text: I

text: have

text: a

text: lot

text: of

text: friends

text: Her

text: third

text: visit

text: took

text: a

text: terrifying

text: turn

text: Saturday

text: shortly

text: after

text: she

text: checked

text: for

text: the

text: latest

text: news

text: at

text: an

text: Internet

text: cafe

text: in

text: Tehran

text: This

text: young

text: man

text: befriended

text: me

text: I

text: was

text: trying

text: to

text: download

text: CNN

text: to

text: find

text: out

text: this

text: was

text: the

text: day

text: after

text: the

text: ayatollah

text: gave

text: his

text: prayer

text: on

text: Friday

text: May

text: said

text: Afterward

text: the

text: man

text: helped

text: her

text: hail

text: a

text: taxi

text: outside

text: the

text: cafe

text: to

text: meet

text: one

text: of

text: her

text: friends

text: for

text: lunch

text: she

text: said

text: About

text: half

text: an

text: hour

text: into

text: that

text: ride

text: the

text: next

text: thing

text: I

text: know

text: there

text: are

text: two

text: motorbikes

text: on

text: either

text: side

text: of

text: my

text: taxi

text: she

text: said

text: He

text: 's

text: on

text: the

text: back

text: of

text: one

text: of

text: them

text: and

text: three

text: big

text: Basij

text: guys

text: are

text: on

text: the

text: other

text: and

text: they

text: pull

text: me

text: over

text: I

text: knew

text: what

text: was

text: happening

text: The

text: Basij

text: Iran

text: 's

text: feared

text: volunteer

text: paramilitary

text: group

text: has

text: cracked

text: down

text: on

text: the

text: thousands

text: of

text: protesters

text: in

text: the

text: bloody

text: aftermath

text: of

text: the

text: Islamic

text: republic

text: 's

text: disputed

text: presidential

text: election

text: I

text: was

text: terrified

text: and

text: I

text: immediately

text: started

text: screaming

text: saying

text: no

text: no

text: no

text: May

text: said

text: The

text: young

text: man

text: climbed

text: into

text: the

text: taxi

text: and

text: told

text: her

text: to

text: go

text: with

text: him

text: and

text: the

text: three

text: other

text: men

text: So

text: I

text: stood

text: up

text: to

text: get

text: out

text: of

text: the

text: taxi

text: but

text: then

text: I

text: thought

text: I

text: 'll

text: make

text: a

text: scene

text: on

text: the

text: street

text: maybe

text: they

text: 'll

text: leave

text: me

text: alone

text: she

text: said

text: However

text: that

text: did

text: n't

text: work

text: I

text: think

text: because

text: everyone

text: 's

text: just

text: terrified

text: of

text: the

text: Basij

text: right

text: now

text: She

text: was

text: forced

text: into

text: a

text: car

text: and

text: held

text: for

text: more

text: than

text: an

text: hour

text: Her

text: captors

text: accused

text: her

text: of

text: spying

text: and

text: after

text: much

text: back

text: and

text: forth

text: they

text: drove

text: by

text: a

text: police

text: station

text: where

text: about

text: Iranian

text: police

text: were

text: hanging

text: out

text: I

text: actually

text: trust

text: the

text: police

text: there

text: so

text: I

text: banged

text: on

text: the

text: window

text: and

text: the

text: guy

text: next

text: to

text: me

text: the

text: one

text: who

text: spoke

text: English

text: said

text: OK

text: we

text: 'll

text: stop

text: They

text: brought

text: me

text: into

text: the

text: police

text: station

text: where

text: I

text: was

text: questioned

text: there

text: And

text: I

text: had

text: a

text: pretty

text: good

text: idea

text: at

text: that

text: time

text: that

text: everything

text: was

text: going

text: to

text: be

text: OK

text: because

text: they

text: really

text: had

text: nothing

text: on

text: me

text: May

text: said

text: I

text: 'm

text: not

text: a

text: terrorist

text: I

text: 'm

text: not

text: a

text: spy

text: So

text: they

text: really

text: had

text: nothing

text: to

text: go

text: on

text: She

text: was

text: told

text: to

text: leave

text: the

text: country

text: and

text: she

text: headed

text: for

text: Dubai

text: where

text: she

text: spoke

text: to

text: CNN

text: May

text: said

text: she

text: admires

text: the

text: bravery

text: of

text: the

text: Iranians

text: protesting

text: in

text: Tehran

text: I

text: do

text: n't

text: even

text: know

text: how

text: they

text: 're

text: doing

text: it

text: because

text: honestly

text: everyone

text: I

text: know

text: there

text: is

text: just

text: scared

text: she

text: said

text: They

text: know

text: that

text: they

text: 're

text: risking

text: their

text: lives

text: but

text: they

text: are

text: so

text: fed

text: up

text: that

text: they

text: 're

text: willing

text: to

text: do

text: that

question: what its the name American?

answer: Michelle May,

text: Michelle May,

question: Who had been to Iran before?

answer: Michelle May,

text: Michelle May,

question: Who is an American and Irish national?

answer: Michelle May,

text: Michelle May,

question: Who picked up May?

answer: The Basij,

text: The Basij,

question: What did May say?

answer: "I just felt a real need to be there with my friends, and I just wanted to be a part of

text: "I just felt a real need to be there with my friends, and I just wanted to be a part of

question: Where did Basij pick up May?

answer: Tehran.

text: Tehran.


text:
(CNN) -- Sure David Copperfield can make the Statue of Liberty vanish in front of a live audience, but what can he do with an iPad?

In a YouTube video posted by "salarymagician," Shinya -- who identifies himself as a magician at the beginning of the video -- incorporates the iPad in his sidewalk magic act, which just happens to take place in front of an Apple store.

I'm not sure what's more impressive: How well he knows his way around an iPad, or how entertaining his magic tricks are. Different versions of the YouTube video have already been viewed more than 700,000 times.

It doesn't really matter that many of Shinya's tricks probably wouldn't be possible without long sleeves and quick hands -- at one point he takes too long to pull a piece of cheese out of his sleeve.

He redeems himself twice over when he makes a live dove appear in his hand moments after showing a video of it on the iPad screen.

Another highpoint of Shinya's act is when he pretends to pour a glass of milk onto his iPad. Despite the fact that the contents of the glass are clearly staying put, it appears as though the milk has filled the virtual glass on the screen. Is this really magic? Probably not, but it looks pretty darn cool.

Another cool, yet subtle, part of the video is when Shinya covers his face with the iPad. His moving face appears on the screen, but he's wearing glasses. When he removes the iPad, the same glasses are on his face.

We should have seen this coming. Apple CEO Steve Jobs deemed the iPad "a truly magical and revolutionary product" when he unveiled the tablet-style computer in January.

What can you do with your iPad?

text: CNN

text: Sure

text: David

text: Copperfield

text: can

text: make

text: the

text: Statue

text: of

text: Liberty

text: vanish

text: in

text: front

text: of

text: a

text: live

text: audience

text: but

text: what

text: can

text: he

text: do

text: with

text: an

text: iPad

text: In

text: a

text: YouTube

text: video

text: posted

text: by

text: salarymagician

text: Shinya

text: who

text: identifies

text: himself

text: as

text: a

text: magician

text: at

text: the

text: beginning

text: of

text: the

text: video

text: incorporates

text: the

text: iPad

text: in

text: his

text: sidewalk

text: magic

text: act

text: which

text: just

text: happens

text: to

text: take

text: place

text: in

text: front

text: of

text: an

text: Apple

text: store

text: I

text: 'm

text: not

text: sure

text: what

text: 's

text: more

text: impressive

text: How

text: well

text: he

text: knows

text: his

text: way

text: around

text: an

text: iPad

text: or

text: how

text: entertaining

text: his

text: magic

text: tricks

text: are

text: Different

text: versions

text: of

text: the

text: YouTube

text: video

text: have

text: already

text: been

text: viewed

text: more

text: than

text: times

text: It

text: does

text: n't

text: really

text: matter

text: that

text: many

text: of

text: Shinya

text: 's

text: tricks

text: probably

text: would

text: n't

text: be

text: possible

text: without

text: long

text: sleeves

text: and

text: quick

text: hands

text: at

text: one

text: point

text: he

text: takes

text: too

text: long

text: to

text: pull

text: a

text: piece

text: of

text: cheese

text: out

text: of

text: his

text: sleeve

text: He

text: redeems

text: himself

text: twice

text: over

text: when

text: he

text: makes

text: a

text: live

text: dove

text: appear

text: in

text: his

text: hand

text: moments

text: after

text: showing

text: a

text: video

text: of

text: it

text: on

text: the

text: iPad

text: screen

text: Another

text: highpoint

text: of

text: Shinya

text: 's

text: act

text: is

text: when

text: he

text: pretends

text: to

text: pour

text: a

text: glass

text: of

text: milk

text: onto

text: his

text: iPad

text: Despite

text: the

text: fact

text: that

text: the

text: contents

text: of

text: the

text: glass

text: are

text: clearly

text: staying

text: put

text: it

text: appears

text: as

text: though

text: the

text: milk

text: has

text: filled

text: the

text: virtual

text: glass

text: on

text: the

text: screen

text: Is

text: this

text: really

text: magic

text: Probably

text: not

text: but

text: it

text: looks

text: pretty

text: darn

text: cool

text: Another

text: cool

text: yet

text: subtle

text: part

text: of

text: the

text: video

text: is

text: when

text: Shinya

text: covers

text: his

text: face

text: with

text: the

text: iPad

text: His

text: moving

text: face

text: appears

text: on

text: the

text: screen

text: but

text: he

text: 's

text: wearing

text: glasses

text: When

text: he

text: removes

text: the

text: iPad

text: the

text: same

text: glasses

text: are

text: on

text: his

text: face

text: We

text: should

text: have

text: seen

text: this

text: coming

text: Apple

text: CEO

text: Steve

text: Jobs

text: deemed

text: the

text: iPad

text: a

text: truly

text: magical

text: and

text: revolutionary

text: product

text: when

text: he

text: unveiled

text: the

text: tablet

text: style

text: computer

text: in

text: January

text: What

text: can

text: you

text: do

text: with

text: your

text: iPad

question: What did the magician use for tricks?

answer: iPad

text: iPad

question: What is a revolutionary product?

answer: the iPad

text: the iPad

question: Who called the iPad magical?

answer: Steve Jobs

text: Steve Jobs

question: What kind of animal does he make appear?

answer: a live dove

text: a live dove

question: What did he make appear?

answer: a live dove

text: a live dove

question: Who uses an iPad to do tricks?

answer: Shinya

text: Shinya

question: what does the magician use

answer: iPad

text: iPad


text:
(CNN) -- Around 1,000 people accused of being witches in Gambia have been locked up in secret detention centers and forced to drink a dangerous hallucinogenic potion, according to human rights organization Amnesty International.

Amnesty claims Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, pictured in 2006, invited "witch doctors" to the West African nation.

At least two people have died after drinking the liquid while many more have suffered serious kidney problems. Others suffered injuries as a result of being severely beaten, Amnesty said Wednesday as it called on authorities to "put an immediate stop to the witch-hunting campaign."

Amnesty claimed Gambian President Yahya Jammeh had invited "witch doctors" -- believed to be from neighboring Guinea -- to the West African nation  following the death of his aunt.

Jammeh, a former soldier who has ruled Gambia since leading a military coup in 1994, is reported to believe that witchcraft was involved in her death, according to Amnesty.

CNN contacted State House, the presidential residence in the Gambian capital, Banjul, but no-one was available to comment. "I have no information," a woman told CNN.

Victims and their relatives tell Amnesty that "witch doctors" accompanied by police, soldiers and security forces have been visiting villages and seizing people accused of being witches by force and at gunpoint.

Members of Jammeh's personal guard, known as "green boys," are also alleged to have taken part in the campaign.

In the most recent incident on March 9, 300 people from the village of Sintet were forced to go to a farm owned by Jammehk, Amnesty said.

One of those seized said he had been held for five days and forced to drink "dirty water" containing poisonous herbs which caused instant diarrhoea and vomiting.

"I experienced and witnessed such abuse and humiliation. I cannot believe that this type of treatment is taking place in Gambia. It is from the dark ages," the victim told Amnesty.

Hundreds of Gambians have also fled to neighboring Senegal following attacks on their villages, according to Amnesty.

It also said it was concerned that a prominent opposition lawmaker, Halifa Sallah, who was arrested earlier this month after investigating the witchcraft claims for a newspaper, could be at risk of being tortured while in custody.

Halifa, a former presidential candidate, heads the People's Democratic Organization of Independence and Socialism and is minority leader in Gambia's national assembly.

text: CNN

text: Around

text: people

text: accused

text: of

text: being

text: witches

text: in

text: Gambia

text: have

text: been

text: locked

text: up

text: in

text: secret

text: detention

text: centers

text: and

text: forced

text: to

text: drink

text: a

text: dangerous

text: hallucinogenic

text: potion

text: according

text: to

text: human

text: rights

text: organization

text: Amnesty

text: International

text: Amnesty

text: claims

text: Gambian

text: President

text: Yahya

text: Jammeh

text: pictured

text: in

text: invited

text: witch

text: doctors

text: to

text: the

text: West

text: African

text: nation

text: At

text: least

text: two

text: people

text: have

text: died

text: after

text: drinking

text: the

text: liquid

text: while

text: many

text: more

text: have

text: suffered

text: serious

text: kidney

text: problems

text: Others

text: suffered

text: injuries

text: as

text: a

text: result

text: of

text: being

text: severely

text: beaten

text: Amnesty

text: said

text: Wednesday

text: as

text: it

text: called

text: on

text: authorities

text: to

text: put

text: an

text: immediate

text: stop

text: to

text: the

text: witch

text: hunting

text: campaign

text: Amnesty

text: claimed

text: Gambian

text: President

text: Yahya

text: Jammeh

text: had

text: invited

text: witch

text: doctors

text: believed

text: to

text: be

text: from

text: neighboring

text: Guinea

text: to

text: the

text: West

text: African

text: nation

text: following

text: the

text: death

text: of

text: his

text: aunt

text: Jammeh

text: a

text: former

text: soldier

text: who

text: has

text: ruled

text: Gambia

text: since

text: leading

text: a

text: military

text: coup

text: in

text: is

text: reported

text: to

text: believe

text: that

text: witchcraft

text: was

text: involved

text: in

text: her

text: death

text: according

text: to

text: Amnesty

text: CNN

text: contacted

text: State

text: House

text: the

text: presidential

text: residence

text: in

text: the

text: Gambian

text: capital

text: Banjul

text: but

text: no

text: one

text: was

text: available

text: to

text: comment

text: I

text: have

text: no

text: information

text: a

text: woman

text: told

text: CNN

text: Victims

text: and

text: their

text: relatives

text: tell

text: Amnesty

text: that

text: witch

text: doctors

text: accompanied

text: by

text: police

text: soldiers

text: and

text: security

text: forces

text: have

text: been

text: visiting

text: villages

text: and

text: seizing

text: people

text: accused

text: of

text: being

text: witches

text: by

text: force

text: and

text: at

text: gunpoint

text: Members

text: of

text: Jammeh

text: 's

text: personal

text: guard

text: known

text: as

text: green

text: boys

text: are

text: also

text: alleged

text: to

text: have

text: taken

text: part

text: in

text: the

text: campaign

text: In

text: the

text: most

text: recent

text: incident

text: on

text: March

text: people

text: from

text: the

text: village

text: of

text: Sintet

text: were

text: forced

text: to

text: go

text: to

text: a

text: farm

text: owned

text: by

text: Jammehk

text: Amnesty

text: said

text: One

text: of

text: those

text: seized

text: said

text: he

text: had

text: been

text: held

text: for

text: five

text: days

text: and

text: forced

text: to

text: drink

text: dirty

text: water

text: containing

text: poisonous

text: herbs

text: which

text: caused

text: instant

text: diarrhoea

text: and

text: vomiting

text: I

text: experienced

text: and

text: witnessed

text: such

text: abuse

text: and

text: humiliation

text: I

text: can

text: not

text: believe

text: that

text: this

text: type

text: of

text: treatment

text: is

text: taking

text: place

text: in

text: Gambia

text: It

text: is

text: from

text: the

text: dark

text: ages

text: the

text: victim

text: told

text: Amnesty

text: Hundreds

text: of

text: Gambians

text: have

text: also

text: fled

text: to

text: neighboring

text: Senegal

text: following

text: attacks

text: on

text: their

text: villages

text: according

text: to

text: Amnesty

text: It

text: also

text: said

text: it

text: was

text: concerned

text: that

text: a

text: prominent

text: opposition

text: lawmaker

text: Halifa

text: Sallah

text: who

text: was

text: arrested

text: earlier

text: this

text: month

text: after

text: investigating

text: the

text: witchcraft

text: claims

text: for

text: a

text: newspaper

text: could

text: be

text: at

text: risk

text: of

text: being

text: tortured

text: while

text: in

text: custody

text: Halifa

text: a

text: former

text: presidential

text: candidate

text: heads

text: the

text: People

text: 's

text: Democratic

text: Organization

text: of

text: Independence

text: and

text: Socialism

text: and

text: is

text: minority

text: leader

text: in

text: Gambia

text: 's

text: national

text: assembly

question: What were victims forced to do?

answer: drink a dangerous hallucinogenic potion,

text: drink a dangerous hallucinogenic potion,

question: The victims in the campaign where forced to drink what

answer: a dangerous hallucinogenic potion,

text: a dangerous hallucinogenic potion,

question: how many total victims were there

answer: 1,000

question: what is the campaign

answer: "put an immediate stop to the witch-hunting campaign."

text: "put an immediate stop to the witch-hunting campaign."

question: Who is behind the campaign?

answer: Gambian President Yahya Jammeh

text: Gambian President Yahya Jammeh

question: How many were seized in Gambia?

answer: 1,000

question: How many where seized in Gambia according to Amnesty

answer: 1,000 people

text: 1,000 people

question: Amnesty say who is alleged to be behind the campaign

answer: Members of Jammeh's personal guard, known as "green boys,"

text: Members of Jammeh's personal guard, known as "green boys,"

question: what was seized

answer: people accused of being witches

text: people accused of being witches


text:
(CNN) -- It has been 20 years since best-selling crime writer Patricia Cornwell began work on her first novel in the series chronicling the cases of forensic analyst Dr. Kay Scarpetta.

Now, both have found celebrity. Cornwell's latest novel, "The Scarpetta Factor," places her enduring heroine in a role the author knows all too well, a pop culture celebrity sought-after for her expertise. In an interview with CNN.com, Cornwell discussed the challenges of staying fresh, the need for happy endings and the merits of the History Channel and the movie "White Chicks."

CNN: The title of your new book, "The Scarpetta Factor," has many meanings. Can you tell me about some of them?

Cornwell: On the one hand, it's a very direct reference to the fact she's the chief forensic analyst for CNN in this book. But while she's doing the on-air spots, they decide they want her to have her own show and that's what they call it, "The Scarpetta Factor," which is a reference to a clichÃ© that's beginning to float around, that there's one element that she can add that will solve the case like she's Sherlock Holmes.

This becomes very upsetting to her, first of all, because it's a clichÃ© and the scientist in her doesn't think she has a special factor, she's a scientist. It begins to pose problems for her because even some colleagues and friends start to wonder if she's begun to believe her own legend and make mistakes.

With her years of experience and high level of visibility and exceptional grasp of the criminal world, she would be asked to be on major shows. When someone like Michael Jackson dies or Caylee Anthony disappears, that's the obvious thing that would happen. People would say, I wonder what Scarpetta has to say. I'm trying to put her in the world we live in.

CNN: Why did you choose CNN?

Cornwell: It would make perfect sense that she would sit on the set with Anderson Cooper or Wolf Blizter and be asked relevant questions from a hard news angle. It's one [network] she would go on and there's lots she wouldn't go on.

CNN: How have things changed since you published your first novel?

Cornwell: When I was shopping my first book around, it was rejected by the major publishing houses and that was because a lot of people didn't think morgues and labs were interesting, and that's a huge statement about how things have changed. I remember one time, I called my literary agent at that time, and I said I was in a toxicology lab, and she said, I hate talking to you because you're always in these awful places. Forensic science was not viewed as cool, as it is today.

CNN: Are there any on-air personalities we might recognize in "The Scarpetta Factor?"

Cornwell: When she is up at CNN for a scene when she's on a fictitious show, she walks past posters of Nancy Grace and Lou Dobbs and Wolf Blitzer because she's up on that floor, so I do make real references to people, but the characters, the producers, none are real and they're not based on anybody I met or know.

CNN: How much of yourself do you see in Kay Scarpetta? Over the years, have you grown into her or has she grown into you?

Cornwell: Only insofar as we have the same values and sensibilities and perhaps the same approach to solving cases. I'm imposing the way my mind works in terms of connecting the dots, but beyond that, there are huge differences between us.

She's a standalone character. I would feel very self-conscious and bored if she was a projection of me. I have certain things in common with all my characters. Like Marino, I can be a slob and sometimes say stupid things and rush to judgment.

CNN: You're known for doing a lot of research on the ground to give your stories depth and realism. Where did your research for "The Scarpetta Factor" take you?

Cornwell: I've certainly been in the CNN studios so that's helpful. When I was there over in the last year, I made a mental note of everything I saw while walking around so I could create the studio in the novel. I also spent lot of time with the NYPD, their bomb squad, their emergency unit, the Real Time Crime Center, so I could describe the amazing way computers are used to transmit data to police responding to a call.

I spent time at the NYPD crime lab, the New York Medical Examiner's office, so I can show Scarpetta actually working there.

The scene in the elevator in the beginning and the way people ID loved ones is based on what happens. Even the technology of the electronic nose, the mechanical sniffer that takes the place of cadaver dogs, is based on things I've seen. My research also included looking into the methods and means criminals are using, like TracFones, spoofcards and the different ways to disguise IP addresses.

CNN: How has the CSI factor affected your research for your books?

Cornwell: I think people are so inundated with this sort of detail that I don't want to make the story just about forensics. The people and their relationships are the heart of my books, the forensics are something they wear like an old pair of shoes. I'll always show you the latest and greatest forensic science and technology, but I can't show it all, so it's very important that I make things interesting in different ways.

In the early to mid-'90s, up to the late '90s when I was coming out with new books, I was the only show in town and all of the sudden now they're everywhere, and I don't have any problem with that because I don't own forensics or forensic pathology.

CNN: In your opinion, what has been the greatest change in forensic science since Scarpetta started out?

Cornwell: DNA has changed our lives forever, just like the Internet has changed our lives, there's no going back to pre-DNA or pre-Internet. I would say both of those. The Internet has dramatically changed everything because it's creating a whole new wave of crimes that our laws and the courts don't know how to deal with.

DNA analysis and the ultra-sensitivity of it: When you're dealing with some types of DNA, you only need three or four human cells to get a DNA profile, which is something that can't even see with the naked eye, so that helps investigators but it also creates a whole other set of problems.

They're saying there will be a point when you can get DNA just from someone walking in the room, and you can see the problems if you have 20 people walk into a room and only one did something bad. Defense lawyers are going to have a field day with that.

CNN: What do you want people to take away from this novel?

I'd like them to take away an idea of how someone like Scarpetta deals with being in the same world you and I wake up to. Now she has a BlackBerry and she has to deal with it, which poses as many problems as it offers benefits.

I want people to feel happy ending the book. We need to feel good right now, there's a lot to feel bad about and that's something I decided with the last book, I didn't want people to be depressed when they finished it. I used to write very dark books but we lived in happier times. Now, the goal is to scare you, lead you into suspense but when you finish, I want you to feel happy.

CNN: What current cases in the news fascinate you? How much attention do you pay to crime and justice news?

Cornwell: I'm fascinated by the Michael Jackson situation and the people who disappear and get abducted, all of it fascinates me in terms of the psychology involved and what science might tell us. I'm always frustrated because I love to know what's behind the scenes.

I've been following Michael Jackson because it seems so unnecessary, an example of people who should've said no and not taken it upon themselves to solve a problem.

I've also been interested in the case in Italy with the American on trial for murder. That is intriguing from a forensic standpoint because I think all of us would like to know more about the evidence and what's there to piece together that could tell us what happened. I'm afraid that because of how much time has passed and how the case was handled that a lot of the answers are gone and the kind of evidence that was collected could have been handled differently,

CNN: What do you like to watch?

Cornwell: I don't watch crime dramas. I don't want to subconsciously get ideas from their shows. I try to keep my mind blank, and keep the influence of my own research, so I don't tend to watch crime dramas or crime movies. I rarely read crime novels because my work is so steeped in nonfiction, so I try to keep my mind free of those ideas.

What I watch is the nonfiction, documentary type things, shows that depict real crimes that happened. I like the History Channel and I will watch reruns of "The Sopranos" until I'm 90 years old. I like comedy, stuff that's mindless. I don't watch stuff that scares me or makes me sad. There's enough of that in real life.

CNN: What's the last movie you saw?

Cornwell: The last movie I saw was a rerun of "White Chicks." How's that to people who think I have this very esoteric repertoire? I think it's a hilarious movie. ... Will Ferrell, I love his stuff, Ben Stiller, I really enjoy comedy, especially stuff that's kind of warmhearted in its own way.

I don't like stuff that's really scary. I've seen so much stuff that's real. Blood is always real to me. If they ever make a real movie of Scarpetta, I may not be able to watch it.

text: CNN

text: It

text: has

text: been

text: years

text: since

text: best

text: selling

text: crime

text: writer

text: Patricia

text: Cornwell

text: began

text: work

text: on

text: her

text: first

text: novel

text: in

text: the

text: series

text: chronicling

text: the

text: cases

text: of

text: forensic

text: analyst

text: Dr.

text: Kay

text: Scarpetta

text: Now

text: both

text: have

text: found

text: celebrity

text: Cornwell

text: 's

text: latest

text: novel

text: The

text: Scarpetta

text: Factor

text: places

text: her

text: enduring

text: heroine

text: in

text: a

text: role

text: the

text: author

text: knows

text: all

text: too

text: well

text: a

text: pop

text: culture

text: celebrity

text: sought

text: after

text: for

text: her

text: expertise

text: In

text: an

text: interview

text: with

text: CNN.com

text: Cornwell

text: discussed

text: the

text: challenges

text: of

text: staying

text: fresh

text: the

text: need

text: for

text: happy

text: endings

text: and

text: the

text: merits

text: of

text: the

text: History

text: Channel

text: and

text: the

text: movie

text: White

text: Chicks

text: CNN

text: The

text: title

text: of

text: your

text: new

text: book

text: The

text: Scarpetta

text: Factor

text: has

text: many

text: meanings

text: Can

text: you

text: tell

text: me

text: about

text: some

text: of

text: them

text: Cornwell

text: On

text: the

text: one

text: hand

text: it

text: 's

text: a

text: very

text: direct

text: reference

text: to

text: the

text: fact

text: she

text: 's

text: the

text: chief

text: forensic

text: analyst

text: for

text: CNN

text: in

text: this

text: book

text: But

text: while

text: she

text: 's

text: doing

text: the

text: on

text: air

text: spots

text: they

text: decide

text: they

text: want

text: her

text: to

text: have

text: her

text: own

text: show

text: and

text: that

text: 's

text: what

text: they

text: call

text: it

text: The

text: Scarpetta

text: Factor

text: which

text: is

text: a

text: reference

text: to

text: a

text: clichÃ

text: that

text: 's

text: beginning

text: to

text: float

text: around

text: that

text: there

text: 's

text: one

text: element

text: that

text: she

text: can

text: add

text: that

text: will

text: solve

text: the

text: case

text: like

text: she

text: 's

text: Sherlock

text: Holmes

text: This

text: becomes

text: very

text: upsetting

text: to

text: her

text: first

text: of

text: all

text: because

text: it

text: 's

text: a

text: clichÃ

text: and

text: the

text: scientist

text: in

text: her

text: does

text: n't

text: think

text: she

text: has

text: a

text: special

text: factor

text: she

text: 's

text: a

text: scientist

text: It

text: begins

text: to

text: pose

text: problems

text: for

text: her

text: because

text: even

text: some

text: colleagues

text: and

text: friends

text: start

text: to

text: wonder

text: if

text: she

text: 's

text: begun

text: to

text: believe

text: her

text: own

text: legend

text: and

text: make

text: mistakes

text: With

text: her

text: years

text: of

text: experience

text: and

text: high

text: level

text: of

text: visibility

text: and

text: exceptional

text: grasp

text: of

text: the

text: criminal

text: world

text: she

text: would

text: be

text: asked

text: to

text: be

text: on

text: major

text: shows

text: When

text: someone

text: like

text: Michael

text: Jackson

text: dies

text: or

text: Caylee

text: Anthony

text: disappears

text: that

text: 's

text: the

text: obvious

text: thing

text: that

text: would

text: happen

text: People

text: would

text: say

text: I

text: wonder

text: what

text: Scarpetta

text: has

text: to

text: say

text: I

text: 'm

text: trying

text: to

text: put

text: her

text: in

text: the

text: world

text: we

text: live

text: in

text: CNN

text: Why

text: did

text: you

text: choose

text: CNN

text: Cornwell

text: It

text: would

text: make

text: perfect

text: sense

text: that

text: she

text: would

text: sit

text: on

text: the

text: set

text: with

text: Anderson

text: Cooper

text: or

text: Wolf

text: Blizter

text: and

text: be

text: asked

text: relevant

text: questions

text: from

text: a

text: hard

text: news

text: angle

text: It

text: 's

text: one

text: network

text: she

text: would

text: go

text: on

text: and

text: there

text: 's

text: lots

text: she

text: would

text: n't

text: go

text: on

text: CNN

text: How

text: have

text: things

text: changed

text: since

text: you

text: published

text: your

text: first

text: novel

text: Cornwell

text: When

text: I

text: was

text: shopping

text: my

text: first

text: book

text: around

text: it

text: was

text: rejected

text: by

text: the

text: major

text: publishing

text: houses

text: and

text: that

text: was

text: because

text: a

text: lot

text: of

text: people

text: did

text: n't

text: think

text: morgues

text: and

text: labs

text: were

text: interesting

text: and

text: that

text: 's

text: a

text: huge

text: statement

text: about

text: how

text: things

text: have

text: changed

text: I

text: remember

text: one

text: time

text: I

text: called

text: my

text: literary

text: agent

text: at

text: that

text: time

text: and

text: I

text: said

text: I

text: was

text: in

text: a

text: toxicology

text: lab

text: and

text: she

text: said

text: I

text: hate

text: talking

text: to

text: you

text: because

text: you

text: 're

text: always

text: in

text: these

text: awful

text: places

text: Forensic

text: science

text: was

text: not

text: viewed

text: as

text: cool

text: as

text: it

text: is

text: today

text: CNN

text: Are

text: there

text: any

text: on

text: air

text: personalities

text: we

text: might

text: recognize

text: in

text: The

text: Scarpetta

text: Factor

text: Cornwell

text: When

text: she

text: is

text: up

text: at

text: CNN

text: for

text: a

text: scene

text: when

text: she

text: 's

text: on

text: a

text: fictitious

text: show

text: she

text: walks

text: past

text: posters

text: of

text: Nancy

text: Grace

text: and

text: Lou

text: Dobbs

text: and

text: Wolf

text: Blitzer

text: because

text: she

text: 's

text: up

text: on

text: that

text: floor

text: so

text: I

text: do

text: make

text: real

text: references

text: to

text: people

text: but

text: the

text: characters

text: the

text: producers

text: are

text: real

text: and

text: they

text: 're

text: not

text: based

text: on

text: anybody

text: I

text: met

text: or

text: know

text: CNN

text: How

text: much

text: of

text: yourself

text: do

text: you

text: see

text: in

text: Kay

text: Scarpetta

text: Over

text: the

text: years

text: have

text: you

text: grown

text: into

text: her

text: or

text: has

text: she

text: grown

text: into

text: you

text: Cornwell

text: Only

text: insofar

text: as

text: we

text: have

text: the

text: same

text: values

text: and

text: sensibilities

text: and

text: perhaps

text: the

text: same

text: approach

text: to

text: solving

text: cases

text: I

text: 'm

text: imposing

text: the

text: way

text: my

text: mind

text: works

text: in

text: terms

text: of

text: connecting

text: the

text: dots

text: but

text: beyond

text: that

text: there

text: are

text: huge

text: differences

text: between

text: us

text: She

text: 's

text: a

text: standalone

text: character

text: I

text: would

text: feel

text: very

text: self

text: conscious

text: and

text: bored

text: if

text: she

text: was

text: a

text: projection

text: of

text: me

text: I

text: have

text: certain

text: things

text: in

text: common

text: with

text: all

text: my

text: characters

text: Like

text: Marino

text: I

text: can

text: be

text: a

text: slob

text: and

text: sometimes

text: say

text: stupid

text: things

text: and

text: rush

text: to

text: judgment

text: CNN

text: You

text: 're

text: known

text: for

text: doing

text: a

text: lot

text: of

text: research

text: on

text: the

text: ground

text: to

text: give

text: your

text: stories

text: depth

text: and

text: realism

text: Where

text: did

text: your

text: research

text: for

text: The

text: Scarpetta

text: Factor

text: take

text: you

text: Cornwell

text: I

text: 've

text: certainly

text: been

text: in

text: the

text: CNN

text: studios

text: so

text: that

text: 's

text: helpful

text: When

text: I

text: was

text: there

text: over

text: in

text: the

text: last

text: year

text: I

text: made

text: a

text: mental

text: note

text: of

text: everything

text: I

text: saw

text: while

text: walking

text: around

text: so

text: I

text: could

text: create

text: the

text: studio

text: in

text: the

text: novel

text: I

text: also

text: spent

text: lot

text: of

text: time

text: with

text: the

text: NYPD

text: their

text: bomb

text: squad

text: their

text: emergency

text: unit

text: the

text: Real

text: Time

text: Crime

text: Center

text: so

text: I

text: could

text: describe

text: the

text: amazing

text: way

text: computers

text: are

text: used

text: to

text: transmit

text: data

text: to

text: police

text: responding

text: to

text: a

text: call

text: I

text: spent

text: time

text: at

text: the

text: NYPD

text: crime

text: lab

text: the

text: New

text: York

text: Medical

text: Examiner

text: 's

text: office

text: so

text: I

text: can

text: show

text: Scarpetta

text: actually

text: working

text: there

text: The

text: scene

text: in

text: the

text: elevator

text: in

text: the

text: beginning

text: and

text: the

text: way

text: people

text: ID

text: loved

text: ones

text: is

text: based

text: on

text: what

text: happens

text: Even

text: the

text: technology

text: of

text: the

text: electronic

text: nose

text: the

text: mechanical

text: sniffer

text: that

text: takes

text: the

text: place

text: of

text: cadaver

text: dogs

text: is

text: based

text: on

text: things

text: I

text: 've

text: seen

text: My

text: research

text: also

text: included

text: looking

text: into

text: the

text: methods

text: and

text: means

text: criminals

text: are

text: using

text: like

text: TracFones

text: spoofcards

text: and

text: the

text: different

text: ways

text: to

text: disguise

text: IP

text: addresses

text: CNN

text: How

text: has

text: the

text: CSI

text: factor

text: affected

text: your

text: research

text: for

text: your

text: books

text: Cornwell

text: I

text: think

text: people

text: are

text: so

text: inundated

text: with

text: this

text: sort

text: of

text: detail

text: that

text: I

text: do

text: n't

text: want

text: to

text: make

text: the

text: story

text: just

text: about

text: forensics

text: The

text: people

text: and

text: their

text: relationships

text: are

text: the

text: heart

text: of

text: my

text: books

text: the

text: forensics

text: are

text: something

text: they

text: wear

text: like

text: an

text: old

text: pair

text: of

text: shoes

text: I

text: 'll

text: always

text: show

text: you

text: the

text: latest

text: and

text: greatest

text: forensic

text: science

text: and

text: technology

text: but

text: I

text: ca

text: n't

text: show

text: it

text: all

text: so

text: it

text: 's

text: very

text: important

text: that

text: I

text: make

text: things

text: interesting

text: in

text: different

text: ways

text: In

text: the

text: early

text: to

text: up

text: to

text: the

text: late

text: when

text: I

text: was

text: coming

text: out

text: with

text: new

text: books

text: I

text: was

text: the

text: only

text: show

text: in

text: town

text: and

text: all

text: of

text: the

text: sudden

text: now

text: they

text: 're

text: everywhere

text: and

text: I

text: do

text: n't

text: have

text: any

text: problem

text: with

text: that

text: because

text: I

text: do

text: n't

text: own

text: forensics

text: or

text: forensic

text: pathology

text: CNN

text: In

text: your

text: opinion

text: what

text: has

text: been

text: the

text: greatest

text: change

text: in

text: forensic

text: science

text: since

text: Scarpetta

text: started

text: out

text: Cornwell

text: DNA

text: has

text: changed

text: our

text: lives

text: forever

text: just

text: like

text: the

text: Internet

text: has

text: changed

text: our

text: lives

text: there

text: 's

text: no

text: going

text: back

text: to

text: pre

text: DNA

text: or

text: pre

text: Internet

text: I

text: would

text: say

text: both

text: of

text: those

text: The

text: Internet

text: has

text: dramatically

text: changed

text: everything

text: because

text: it

text: 's

text: creating

text: a

text: whole

text: new

text: wave

text: of

text: crimes

text: that

text: our

text: laws

text: and

text: the

text: courts

text: do

text: n't

text: know

text: how

text: to

text: deal

text: with

text: DNA

text: analysis

text: and

text: the

text: ultra

text: sensitivity

text: of

text: it

text: When

text: you

text: 're

text: dealing

text: with

text: some

text: types

text: of

text: DNA

text: you

text: only

text: need

text: three

text: or

text: four

text: human

text: cells

text: to

text: get

text: a

text: DNA

text: profile

text: which

text: is

text: something

text: that

text: ca

text: n't

text: even

text: see

text: with

text: the

text: naked

text: eye

text: so

text: that

text: helps

text: investigators

text: but

text: it

text: also

text: creates

text: a

text: whole

text: other

text: set

text: of

text: problems

text: They

text: 're

text: saying

text: there

text: will

text: be

text: a

text: point

text: when

text: you

text: can

text: get

text: DNA

text: just

text: from

text: someone

text: walking

text: in

text: the

text: room

text: and

text: you

text: can

text: see

text: the

text: problems

text: if

text: you

text: have

text: people

text: walk

text: into

text: a

text: room

text: and

text: only

text: one

text: did

text: something

text: bad

text: Defense

text: lawyers

text: are

text: going

text: to

text: have

text: a

text: field

text: day

text: with

text: that

text: CNN

text: What

text: do

text: you

text: want

text: people

text: to

text: take

text: away

text: from

text: this

text: novel

text: I

text: 'd

text: like

text: them

text: to

text: take

text: away

text: an

text: idea

text: of

text: how

text: someone

text: like

text: Scarpetta

text: deals

text: with

text: being

text: in

text: the

text: same

text: world

text: you

text: and

text: I

text: wake

text: up

text: to

text: Now

text: she

text: has

text: a

text: BlackBerry

text: and

text: she

text: has

text: to

text: deal

text: with

text: it

text: which

text: poses

text: as

text: many

text: problems

text: as

text: it

text: offers

text: benefits

text: I

text: want

text: people

text: to

text: feel

text: happy

text: ending

text: the

text: book

text: We

text: need

text: to

text: feel

text: good

text: right

text: now

text: there

text: 's

text: a

text: lot

text: to

text: feel

text: bad

text: about

text: and

text: that

text: 's

text: something

text: I

text: decided

text: with

text: the

text: last

text: book

text: I

text: did

text: n't

text: want

text: people

text: to

text: be

text: depressed

text: when

text: they

text: finished

text: it

text: I

text: used

text: to

text: write

text: very

text: dark

text: books

text: but

text: we

text: lived

text: in

text: happier

text: times

text: Now

text: the

text: goal

text: is

text: to

text: scare

text: you

text: lead

text: you

text: into

text: suspense

text: but

text: when

text: you

text: finish

text: I

text: want

text: you

text: to

text: feel

text: happy

text: CNN

text: What

text: current

text: cases

text: in

text: the

text: news

text: fascinate

text: you

text: How

text: much

text: attention

text: do

text: you

text: pay

text: to

text: crime

text: and

text: justice

text: news

text: Cornwell

text: I

text: 'm

text: fascinated

text: by

text: the

text: Michael

text: Jackson

text: situation

text: and

text: the

text: people

text: who

text: disappear

text: and

text: get

text: abducted

text: all

text: of

text: it

text: fascinates

text: me

text: in

text: terms

text: of

text: the

text: psychology

text: involved

text: and

text: what

text: science

text: might

text: tell

text: us

text: I

text: 'm

text: always

text: frustrated

text: because

text: I

text: love

text: to

text: know

text: what

text: 's

text: behind

text: the

text: scenes

text: I

text: 've

text: been

text: following

text: Michael

text: Jackson

text: because

text: it

text: seems

text: so

text: unnecessary

text: an

text: example

text: of

text: people

text: who

text: should

text: 've

text: said

text: no

text: and

text: not

text: taken

text: it

text: upon

text: themselves

text: to

text: solve

text: a

text: problem

text: I

text: 've

text: also

text: been

text: interested

text: in

text: the

text: case

text: in

text: Italy

text: with

text: the

text: American

text: on

text: trial

text: for

text: murder

text: That

text: is

text: intriguing

text: from

text: a

text: forensic

text: standpoint

text: because

text: I

text: think

text: all

text: of

text: us

text: would

text: like

text: to

text: know

text: more

text: about

text: the

text: evidence

text: and

text: what

text: 's

text: there

text: to

text: piece

text: together

text: that

text: could

text: tell

text: us

text: what

text: happened

text: I

text: 'm

text: afraid

text: that

text: because

text: of

text: how

text: much

text: time

text: has

text: passed

text: and

text: how

text: the

text: case

text: was

text: handled

text: that

text: a

text: lot

text: of

text: the

text: answers

text: are

text: gone

text: and

text: the

text: kind

text: of

text: evidence

text: that

text: was

text: collected

text: could

text: have

text: been

text: handled

text: differently

text: CNN

text: What

text: do

text: you

text: like

text: to

text: watch

text: Cornwell

text: I

text: do

text: n't

text: watch

text: crime

text: dramas

text: I

text: do

text: n't

text: want

text: to

text: subconsciously

text: get

text: ideas

text: from

text: their

text: shows

text: I

text: try

text: to

text: keep

text: my

text: mind

text: blank

text: and

text: keep

text: the

text: influence

text: of

text: my

text: own

text: research

text: so

text: I

text: do

text: n't

text: tend

text: to

text: watch

text: crime

text: dramas

text: or

text: crime

text: movies

text: I

text: rarely

text: read

text: crime

text: novels

text: because

text: my

text: work

text: is

text: so

text: steeped

text: in

text: nonfiction

text: so

text: I

text: try

text: to

text: keep

text: my

text: mind

text: free

text: of

text: those

text: ideas

text: What

text: I

text: watch

text: is

text: the

text: nonfiction

text: documentary

text: type

text: things

text: shows

text: that

text: depict

text: real

text: crimes

text: that

text: happened

text: I

text: like

text: the

text: History

text: Channel

text: and

text: I

text: will

text: watch

text: reruns

text: of

text: The

text: Sopranos

text: until

text: I

text: 'm

text: years

text: old

text: I

text: like

text: comedy

text: stuff

text: that

text: 's

text: mindless

text: I

text: do

text: n't

text: watch

text: stuff

text: that

text: scares

text: me

text: or

text: makes

text: me

text: sad

text: There

text: 's

text: enough

text: of

text: that

text: in

text: real

text: life

text: CNN

text: What

text: 's

text: the

text: last

text: movie

text: you

text: saw

text: Cornwell

text: The

text: last

text: movie

text: I

text: saw

text: was

text: a

text: rerun

text: of

text: White

text: Chicks

text: How

text: 's

text: that

text: to

text: people

text: who

text: think

text: I

text: have

text: this

text: very

text: esoteric

text: repertoire

text: I

text: think

text: it

text: 's

text: a

text: hilarious

text: movie

text: Will

text: Ferrell

text: I

text: love

text: his

text: stuff

text: Ben

text: Stiller

text: I

text: really

text: enjoy

text: comedy

text: especially

text: stuff

text: that

text: 's

text: kind

text: of

text: warmhearted

text: in

text: its

text: own

text: way

text: I

text: do

text: n't

text: like

text: stuff

text: that

text: 's

text: really

text: scary

text: I

text: 've

text: seen

text: so

text: much

text: stuff

text: that

text: 's

text: real

text: Blood

text: is

text: always

text: real

text: to

text: me

text: If

text: they

text: ever

text: make

text: a

text: real

text: movie

text: of

text: Scarpetta

text: I

text: may

text: not

text: be

text: able

text: to

text: watch

text: it

question: What doesn't Patricia Cornwall watch?

answer: h crime dramas

text: h crime dramas

question: What is Patricia Cornwell's job?

answer: best-selling crime writer

text: best-selling crime writer

question: What is Patricia Cornwell's book character called?

answer: Dr. Kay Scarpetta.

text: Dr. Kay Scarpetta.

question: What is the name of the main character?

answer: n Kay Scarpetta

text: n Kay Scarpetta

question: What is Kay Scarpetta's job?

answer: forensic analyst

text: forensic analyst

question: What is the name of the author?

answer: Patricia Cornwell

text: Patricia Cornwell


text:
Ann Arbor, Michigan (CNN) -- Even among the hundreds of applications, this one stood out. Most applicants to creative writing programs submit stories about the angst of their suburban childhoods. This writer's stories concerned the daily ordeals of a boy living with his family on the streets of Nairobi, Kenya, and the horrific plight of a Rwandan girl whose mother is Tutsi and father Hutu.

Not only did the applicant have what writers call "material," he was blessed with an uncanny ear for human speech and the poetry to describe his characters' very unpoetic lives.

I can still remember the young Kenyan boy watching his mother decant the glue she intends to sniff. The glue, the boy tells us, "glowed warm and yellow in the dull light," and when his mother had poured enough, "she cut the flow of the glue by tilting the tin up. The last stream of gum entering the bottle weakened and braided itself before tapering in midair like an icicle."

Still, this applicant gave us pause. The writer had so much to say, he seemed to be trying to channel a raging waterfall through the tiny funnels of two short stories. His use of punctuation was idiosyncratic, to say the least. And the applicant was a priest!

Would the other students be willing to share their stories, rife as these tend to be with profanity, drugs and sex, if a clergyman was in the room? And would this particular clergyman understand what all great religious writers know -- that true literature doesn't spring from one's certainties about the universe, but rather from one's questions?

That said, how could our students be inhibited by a classmate who didn't hesitate to describe a 12-year-old Kenyan prostitute being paid by rich white tourists to perform sexual acts with their monkey? As to the shapelessness of the applicant's prose and the eccentricity of his punctuation, anyone with this writer's gifts could be taught to structure his material and punctuate his characters' speech correctly.

If I still felt apprehensive about having a priest in my workshop, that anxiety vanished when Uwem Akpan walked in the room. Rather than wear his clerical garb and collar, Uwem showed up in a blue and maize University of Michigan sweatshirt. With his wide, gap-toothed smile, wall-shaking laugh, disarming candor and gleeful giggle, he exuded magnetic charm.

Nor was Uwem out of place for being the only Nigerian in his cohort. Despite what the judges of the Nobel Prize might say about American writers being too insular to compete with their European counterparts, this country's MFA programs provide one of the only spaces on the planet where writers of many races, religions, nationalities and sexual orientations can come together.

Writers find common ground not through the homelands they once inhabited but the thematic questions with which they grapple.

Early that first semester, I assigned a story by Philip Roth called "Defender of the Faith," in which a Jewish sergeant who has witnessed the horrors of the concentration camps must decide whether to grant special favors to the Jewish recruits in his command or enforce strict impartiality.

I didn't know whether Uwem would connect to Roth's quintessentially Jewish outlook. But the moment the discussion started, Uwem's hand shot up. "This is the story of my continent!" he declared. If Africans continued to put tribal allegiances above universal fairness, Uwem said, progress would remain unattainable.

This abhorrence of tribalism is what makes Uwem so open-minded. Like most people who are comfortable in their own skins, he is wonderfully able to inhabit the skins of others.

One semester, he audited a seminar on Holocaust literature. The professor had no idea who Uwem was, so she couldn't help but be surprised when he asked, "Can you tell me, please, how is it that people can do such terrible things to one another?"

If anyone else had asked that question, the professor might have thought he was simpleminded. But she could tell that this mysterious stranger was asking his question in the most profound way, from the depths of his own experience.

A few months later, Uwem accompanied me to my temple for the Jewish New Year. After sitting -- and standing -- for hours through the service, he commented that he had studied in the Bible how Jesus opened the scroll to read, but he had never quite understood how that worked, so it was beautiful for him to see how the Jews really did that. And he was happy to note what Catholicism had copied from Judaism.

Just as Uwem opened his mind and heart to us, I opened my mind and heart to Uwem. An atheist with a degree in physics, I don't believe in prayer. And yet, when Uwem stopped by the evening before a frightening operation on my spine, I granted his request that he pray for my well-being. Startled by the warmth I felt flowing along my spine as Uwem held his hands above my head, I burst out crying.

Of course, my colleagues and I never forgot why Uwem was in Ann Arbor, Michigan. During his two years in our program, all of us worked hard to help him develop his many gifts. But mine was the first workshop Uwem took, and I saw his stories at their rawest. As I waded through the reams of rough drafts he had given me, it occurred to me that I had been called upon to help the children of Africa the only way I could -- by helping Uwem to write their stories.

We talked about the need to focus each story around a single character's conflict and a single thematic question rather than attempting to convey everything Uwem knew about all his characters. I also urged him to allow his young protagonists at least a chance for freedom or redemption.

Yes, the children whose lives he wanted to depict were the victims of adults who abused, exploited and betrayed them. But even in a society in which a child can be prostituted to provide her family's food and pay her brother's school fees, the prostitute's brother might choose to decline that money, to leave the family, to walk away.

Uwem listened attentively, but I wasn't sure that he believed what I was saying. I didn't see another version of his story about the street family in Nairobi for several months. When I did, the hairs at the back of my neck stood up.

That second version of "An Ex-Mas Feast" was so powerful and finely polished that I asked Uwem if he would send it to the deputy fiction editor of The New Yorker, whom I had met a few weeks earlier when the magazine brought its college tour to Ann Arbor. Uwem hesitated -- I didn't know this, but he already had submitted an earlier version of the story, twice, to "The Editor" at The New Yorker -- but I kept nagging him until he sent the new version.

The rest, as they say, is history. The magazine accepted Uwem's story for its fiction issue. Then, a year later, it published a revised version of the story about the half-Tutsi, half-Hutu Rwandan girl.

In many ways, Uwem's success makes sense. Even when he was studying to be a priest, he gave up precious hours of sleep to stay up writing. He applied to an MFA program and got accepted. His teachers recognized his extraordinary potential and helped Uwem to achieve it.

And yet, much of Uwem's success is inexplicable. In a world in which so little attention is paid to children's suffering, a world in which fewer and fewer publishing houses remain interested in acquiring literary fiction and independent bookstores, even in college towns such as Ann Arbor, are closing their doors, the editors at every major publishing house in New York competed for the privilege of publishing a book that might not sell many copies but had shaken them to the core.

And Oprah ... how could Oprah, who had never selected a collection of stories for her book club, choose a collection like Uwem Akpan's, with its multilingual patois, complete absence of pathos or sentimentality and nearly unbearable-to-read violence toward children?

Yet all of this came to pass. Oprah respected her audience enough to assume that if she was so deeply moved by Uwem's stories, they would be moved as well. In choosing "Say You Are One of Them," Oprah brought to Uwem's cause the intelligence and heart of her many readers.

That any of this happened at all, let alone in five short years, is a literary miracle.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Eileen Pollack.

text: Ann

text: Arbor

text: Michigan

text: CNN

text: Even

text: among

text: the

text: hundreds

text: of

text: applications

text: this

text: one

text: stood

text: out

text: Most

text: applicants

text: to

text: creative

text: writing

text: programs

text: submit

text: stories

text: about

text: the

text: angst

text: of

text: their

text: suburban

text: childhoods

text: This

text: writer

text: 's

text: stories

text: concerned

text: the

text: daily

text: ordeals

text: of

text: a

text: boy

text: living

text: with

text: his

text: family

text: on

text: the

text: streets

text: of

text: Nairobi

text: Kenya

text: and

text: the

text: horrific

text: plight

text: of

text: a

text: Rwandan

text: girl

text: whose

text: mother

text: is

text: Tutsi

text: and

text: father

text: Hutu

text: Not

text: only

text: did

text: the

text: applicant

text: have

text: what

text: writers

text: call

text: material

text: he

text: was

text: blessed

text: with

text: an

text: uncanny

text: ear

text: for

text: human

text: speech

text: and

text: the

text: poetry

text: to

text: describe

text: his

text: characters

text: very

text: unpoetic

text: lives

text: I

text: can

text: still

text: remember

text: the

text: young

text: Kenyan

text: boy

text: watching

text: his

text: mother

text: decant

text: the

text: glue

text: she

text: intends

text: to

text: sniff

text: The

text: glue

text: the

text: boy

text: tells

text: us

text: glowed

text: warm

text: and

text: yellow

text: in

text: the

text: dull

text: light

text: and

text: when

text: his

text: mother

text: had

text: poured

text: enough

text: she

text: cut

text: the

text: flow

text: of

text: the

text: glue

text: by

text: tilting

text: the

text: tin

text: up

text: The

text: last

text: stream

text: of

text: gum

text: entering

text: the

text: bottle

text: weakened

text: and

text: braided

text: itself

text: before

text: tapering

text: in

text: midair

text: like

text: an

text: icicle

text: Still

text: this

text: applicant

text: gave

text: us

text: pause

text: The

text: writer

text: had

text: so

text: much

text: to

text: say

text: he

text: seemed

text: to

text: be

text: trying

text: to

text: channel

text: a

text: raging

text: waterfall

text: through

text: the

text: tiny

text: funnels

text: of

text: two

text: short

text: stories

text: His

text: use

text: of

text: punctuation

text: was

text: idiosyncratic

text: to

text: say

text: the

text: least

text: And

text: the

text: applicant

text: was

text: a

text: priest

text: Would

text: the

text: other

text: students

text: be

text: willing

text: to

text: share

text: their

text: stories

text: rife

text: as

text: these

text: tend

text: to

text: be

text: with

text: profanity

text: drugs

text: and

text: sex

text: if

text: a

text: clergyman

text: was

text: in

text: the

text: room

text: And

text: would

text: this

text: particular

text: clergyman

text: understand

text: what

text: all

text: great

text: religious

text: writers

text: know

text: that

text: true

text: literature

text: does

text: n't

text: spring

text: from

text: one

text: 's

text: certainties

text: about

text: the

text: universe

text: but

text: rather

text: from

text: one

text: 's

text: questions

text: That

text: said

text: how

text: could

text: our

text: students

text: be

text: inhibited

text: by

text: a

text: classmate

text: who

text: did

text: n't

text: hesitate

text: to

text: describe

text: a

text: old

text: Kenyan

text: prostitute

text: being

text: paid

text: by

text: rich

text: white

text: tourists

text: to

text: perform

text: sexual

text: acts

text: with

text: their

text: monkey

text: As

text: to

text: the

text: shapelessness

text: of

text: the

text: applicant

text: 's

text: prose

text: and

text: the

text: eccentricity

text: of

text: his

text: punctuation

text: anyone

text: with

text: this

text: writer

text: 's

text: gifts

text: could

text: be

text: taught

text: to

text: structure

text: his

text: material

text: and

text: punctuate

text: his

text: characters

text: speech

text: correctly

text: If

text: I

text: still

text: felt

text: apprehensive

text: about

text: having

text: a

text: priest

text: in

text: my

text: workshop

text: that

text: anxiety

text: vanished

text: when

text: Uwem

text: Akpan

text: walked

text: in

text: the

text: room

text: Rather

text: than

text: wear

text: his

text: clerical

text: garb

text: and

text: collar

text: Uwem

text: showed

text: up

text: in

text: a

text: blue

text: and

text: maize

text: University

text: of

text: Michigan

text: sweatshirt

text: With

text: his

text: wide

text: gap

text: toothed

text: smile

text: wall

text: shaking

text: laugh

text: disarming

text: candor

text: and

text: gleeful

text: giggle

text: he

text: exuded

text: magnetic

text: charm

text: Nor

text: was

text: Uwem

text: out

text: of

text: place

text: for

text: being

text: the

text: only

text: Nigerian

text: in

text: his

text: cohort

text: Despite

text: what

text: the

text: judges

text: of

text: the

text: Nobel

text: Prize

text: might

text: say

text: about

text: American

text: writers

text: being

text: too

text: insular

text: to

text: compete

text: with

text: their

text: European

text: counterparts

text: this

text: country

text: 's

text: MFA

text: programs

text: provide

text: one

text: of

text: the

text: only

text: spaces

text: on

text: the

text: planet

text: where

text: writers

text: of

text: many

text: races

text: religions

text: nationalities

text: and

text: sexual

text: orientations

text: can

text: come

text: together

text: Writers

text: find

text: common

text: ground

text: not

text: through

text: the

text: homelands

text: they

text: once

text: inhabited

text: but

text: the

text: thematic

text: questions

text: with

text: which

text: they

text: grapple

text: Early

text: that

text: first

text: semester

text: I

text: assigned

text: a

text: story

text: by

text: Philip

text: Roth

text: called

text: Defender

text: of

text: the

text: Faith

text: in

text: which

text: a

text: Jewish

text: sergeant

text: who

text: has

text: witnessed

text: the

text: horrors

text: of

text: the

text: concentration

text: camps

text: must

text: decide

text: whether

text: to

text: grant

text: special

text: favors

text: to

text: the

text: Jewish

text: recruits

text: in

text: his

text: command

text: or

text: enforce

text: strict

text: impartiality

text: I

text: did

text: n't

text: know

text: whether

text: Uwem

text: would

text: connect

text: to

text: Roth

text: 's

text: quintessentially

text: Jewish

text: outlook

text: But

text: the

text: moment

text: the

text: discussion

text: started

text: Uwem

text: 's

text: hand

text: shot

text: up

text: This

text: is

text: the

text: story

text: of

text: my

text: continent

text: he

text: declared

text: If

text: Africans

text: continued

text: to

text: put

text: tribal

text: allegiances

text: above

text: universal

text: fairness

text: Uwem

text: said

text: progress

text: would

text: remain

text: unattainable

text: This

text: abhorrence

text: of

text: tribalism

text: is

text: what

text: makes

text: Uwem

text: so

text: open

text: minded

text: Like

text: most

text: people

text: who

text: are

text: comfortable

text: in

text: their

text: own

text: skins

text: he

text: is

text: wonderfully

text: able

text: to

text: inhabit

text: the

text: skins

text: of

text: others

text: One

text: semester

text: he

text: audited

text: a

text: seminar

text: on

text: Holocaust

text: literature

text: The

text: professor

text: had

text: no

text: idea

text: who

text: Uwem

text: was

text: so

text: she

text: could

text: n't

text: help

text: but

text: be

text: surprised

text: when

text: he

text: asked

text: Can

text: you

text: tell

text: me

text: please

text: how

text: is

text: it

text: that

text: people

text: can

text: do

text: such

text: terrible

text: things

text: to

text: one

text: another

text: If

text: anyone

text: else

text: had

text: asked

text: that

text: question

text: the

text: professor

text: might

text: have

text: thought

text: he

text: was

text: simpleminded

text: But

text: she

text: could

text: tell

text: that

text: this

text: mysterious

text: stranger

text: was

text: asking

text: his

text: question

text: in

text: the

text: most

text: profound

text: way

text: from

text: the

text: depths

text: of

text: his

text: own

text: experience

text: A

text: few

text: months

text: later

text: Uwem

text: accompanied

text: me

text: to

text: my

text: temple

text: for

text: the

text: Jewish

text: New

text: Year

text: After

text: sitting

text: and

text: standing

text: for

text: hours

text: through

text: the

text: service

text: he

text: commented

text: that

text: he

text: had

text: studied

text: in

text: the

text: Bible

text: how

text: Jesus

text: opened

text: the

text: scroll

text: to

text: read

text: but

text: he

text: had

text: never

text: quite

text: understood

text: how

text: that

text: worked

text: so

text: it

text: was

text: beautiful

text: for

text: him

text: to

text: see

text: how

text: the

text: Jews

text: really

text: did

text: that

text: And

text: he

text: was

text: happy

text: to

text: note

text: what

text: Catholicism

text: had

text: copied

text: from

text: Judaism

text: Just

text: as

text: Uwem

text: opened

text: his

text: mind

text: and

text: heart

text: to

text: us

text: I

text: opened

text: my

text: mind

text: and

text: heart

text: to

text: Uwem

text: An

text: atheist

text: with

text: a

text: degree

text: in

text: physics

text: I

text: do

text: n't

text: believe

text: in

text: prayer

text: And

text: yet

text: when

text: Uwem

text: stopped

text: by

text: the

text: evening

text: before

text: a

text: frightening

text: operation

text: on

text: my

text: spine

text: I

text: granted

text: his

text: request

text: that

text: he

text: pray

text: for

text: my

text: well

text: being

text: Startled

text: by

text: the

text: warmth

text: I

text: felt

text: flowing

text: along

text: my

text: spine

text: as

text: Uwem

text: held

text: his

text: hands

text: above

text: my

text: head

text: I

text: burst

text: out

text: crying

text: Of

text: course

text: my

text: colleagues

text: and

text: I

text: never

text: forgot

text: why

text: Uwem

text: was

text: in

text: Ann

text: Arbor

text: Michigan

text: During

text: his

text: two

text: years

text: in

text: our

text: program

text: all

text: of

text: us

text: worked

text: hard

text: to

text: help

text: him

text: develop

text: his

text: many

text: gifts

text: But

text: mine

text: was

text: the

text: first

text: workshop

text: Uwem

text: took

text: and

text: I

text: saw

text: his

text: stories

text: at

text: their

text: rawest

text: As

text: I

text: waded

text: through

text: the

text: reams

text: of

text: rough

text: drafts

text: he

text: had

text: given

text: me

text: it

text: occurred

text: to

text: me

text: that

text: I

text: had

text: been

text: called

text: upon

text: to

text: help

text: the

text: children

text: of

text: Africa

text: the

text: only

text: way

text: I

text: could

text: by

text: helping

text: Uwem

text: to

text: write

text: their

text: stories

text: We

text: talked

text: about

text: the

text: need

text: to

text: focus

text: each

text: story

text: around

text: a

text: single

text: character

text: 's

text: conflict

text: and

text: a

text: single

text: thematic

text: question

text: rather

text: than

text: attempting

text: to

text: convey

text: everything

text: Uwem

text: knew

text: about

text: all

text: his

text: characters

text: I

text: also

text: urged

text: him

text: to

text: allow

text: his

text: young

text: protagonists

text: at

text: least

text: a

text: chance

text: for

text: freedom

text: or

text: redemption

text: Yes

text: the

text: children

text: whose

text: lives

text: he

text: wanted

text: to

text: depict

text: were

text: the

text: victims

text: of

text: adults

text: who

text: abused

text: exploited

text: and

text: betrayed

text: them

text: But

text: even

text: in

text: a

text: society

text: in

text: which

text: a

text: child

text: can

text: be

text: prostituted

text: to

text: provide

text: her

text: family

text: 's

text: food

text: and

text: pay

text: her

text: brother

text: 's

text: school

text: fees

text: the

text: prostitute

text: 's

text: brother

text: might

text: choose

text: to

text: decline

text: that

text: money

text: to

text: leave

text: the

text: family

text: to

text: walk

text: away

text: Uwem

text: listened

text: attentively

text: but

text: I

text: was

text: n't

text: sure

text: that

text: he

text: believed

text: what

text: I

text: was

text: saying

text: I

text: did

text: n't

text: see

text: another

text: version

text: of

text: his

text: story

text: about

text: the

text: street

text: family

text: in

text: Nairobi

text: for

text: several

text: months

text: When

text: I

text: did

text: the

text: hairs

text: at

text: the

text: back

text: of

text: my

text: neck

text: stood

text: up

text: That

text: second

text: version

text: of

text: An

text: Ex

text: Mas

text: Feast

text: was

text: so

text: powerful

text: and

text: finely

text: polished

text: that

text: I

text: asked

text: Uwem

text: if

text: he

text: would

text: send

text: it

text: to

text: the

text: deputy

text: fiction

text: editor

text: of

text: The

text: New

text: Yorker

text: whom

text: I

text: had

text: met

text: a

text: few

text: weeks

text: earlier

text: when

text: the

text: magazine

text: brought

text: its

text: college

text: tour

text: to

text: Ann

text: Arbor

text: Uwem

text: hesitated

text: I

text: did

text: n't

text: know

text: this

text: but

text: he

text: already

text: had

text: submitted

text: an

text: earlier

text: version

text: of

text: the

text: story

text: twice

text: to

text: The

text: Editor

text: at

text: The

text: New

text: Yorker

text: but

text: I

text: kept

text: nagging

text: him

text: until

text: he

text: sent

text: the

text: new

text: version

text: The

text: rest

text: as

text: they

text: say

text: is

text: history

text: The

text: magazine

text: accepted

text: Uwem

text: 's

text: story

text: for

text: its

text: fiction

text: issue

text: Then

text: a

text: year

text: later

text: it

text: published

text: a

text: revised

text: version

text: of

text: the

text: story

text: about

text: the

text: half

text: Tutsi

text: half

text: Hutu

text: Rwandan

text: girl

text: In

text: many

text: ways

text: Uwem

text: 's

text: success

text: makes

text: sense

text: Even

text: when

text: he

text: was

text: studying

text: to

text: be

text: a

text: priest

text: he

text: gave

text: up

text: precious

text: hours

text: of

text: sleep

text: to

text: stay

text: up

text: writing

text: He

text: applied

text: to

text: an

text: MFA

text: program

text: and

text: got

text: accepted

text: His

text: teachers

text: recognized

text: his

text: extraordinary

text: potential

text: and

text: helped

text: Uwem

text: to

text: achieve

text: it

text: And

text: yet

text: much

text: of

text: Uwem

text: 's

text: success

text: is

text: inexplicable

text: In

text: a

text: world

text: in

text: which

text: so

text: little

text: attention

text: is

text: paid

text: to

text: children

text: 's

text: suffering

text: a

text: world

text: in

text: which

text: fewer

text: and

text: fewer

text: publishing

text: houses

text: remain

text: interested

text: in

text: acquiring

text: literary

text: fiction

text: and

text: independent

text: bookstores

text: even

text: in

text: college

text: towns

text: such

text: as

text: Ann

text: Arbor

text: are

text: closing

text: their

text: doors

text: the

text: editors

text: at

text: every

text: major

text: publishing

text: house

text: in

text: New

text: York

text: competed

text: for

text: the

text: privilege

text: of

text: publishing

text: a

text: book

text: that

text: might

text: not

text: sell

text: many

text: copies

text: but

text: had

text: shaken

text: them

text: to

text: the

text: core

text: And

text: Oprah

text: how

text: could

text: Oprah

text: who

text: had

text: never

text: selected

text: a

text: collection

text: of

text: stories

text: for

text: her

text: book

text: club

text: choose

text: a

text: collection

text: like

text: Uwem

text: Akpan

text: 's

text: with

text: its

text: multilingual

text: patois

text: complete

text: absence

text: of

text: pathos

text: or

text: sentimentality

text: and

text: nearly

text: unbearable

text: to

text: read

text: violence

text: toward

text: children

text: Yet

text: all

text: of

text: this

text: came

text: to

text: pass

text: Oprah

text: respected

text: her

text: audience

text: enough

text: to

text: assume

text: that

text: if

text: she

text: was

text: so

text: deeply

text: moved

text: by

text: Uwem

text: 's

text: stories

text: they

text: would

text: be

text: moved

text: as

text: well

text: In

text: choosing

text: Say

text: You

text: Are

text: One

text: of

text: Them

text: Oprah

text: brought

text: to

text: Uwem

text: 's

text: cause

text: the

text: intelligence

text: and

text: heart

text: of

text: her

text: many

text: readers

text: That

text: any

text: of

text: this

text: happened

text: at

text: all

text: let

text: alone

text: in

text: five

text: short

text: years

text: is

text: a

text: literary

text: miracle

text: The

text: opinions

text: expressed

text: in

text: this

text: commentary

text: are

text: solely

text: those

text: of

text: Eileen

text: Pollack

question: What is Akpan blessed with?

answer: an uncanny ear for human speech and the poetry to describe his characters' very unpoetic lives.

text: an uncanny ear for human speech and the poetry to describe his characters' very unpoetic lives.

question: What has Uwem Akpan applied to?

answer: an MFA program

text: an MFA program

question: Who selected his book for her book club?

answer: Oprah

text: Oprah

question: What was there concern about?

answer: having a priest in my workshop,

text: having a priest in my workshop,

question: Who has a poetic writing ability?

answer: Uwem Akpan

text: Uwem Akpan