Return to Transcripts main page

Next@CNN

Mass Graves Unearthed in Iraq; Some Species of Fish May Soon Become Extinct; E-3 Video Game Convention Ends in L.A.

Aired May 17, 2003 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


HEIDI COLLINS, HOST: Hello, I'm Heidi Collins.
Among today's stories on NEXT@CNN, mass graves are unearthed in Iraq. Is the digging destroying crucial evidence of crimes committed by Saddam Hussein? A disturbing new report on that.

As well as another disturbing report on the world's fish populations. Experts say over-fishing may have put many of the most popular species on the brink. Today, the fishing industry responds.

And on the lighter side, we'll look at what at least one expert calls best in show from the E-3 video game convention which just ended in Los Angeles.

But first, the search for answers in the Laci Peterson case. In recent years, side-scan sonar has become a standard tech tool for researchers and law enforcement looking for clues in anything from plane crashes to the sinking of the Titanic. Today, investigators are using the sonar as they hunt for more evidence in the killing of Laci Peterson.

CNN's Rusty Dornin is on the shores of the San Francisco Bay with the latest on this. Hello once again, Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, well, the bay was smooth as glass this morning. The wind has come up this afternoon and you can see the dive boat out there, you can see the whitecaps.

The divers are in the water. You can see the lines coming off the back of the boat. Those are the airlines for the FBI dive team from New York. They don't like to use tanks; they like to use air from the surface so they don't have to keep coming up.

But the side scanning sonar is not affected by the wind and the turbulence in the water. The device is placed over the side of the boat and towed behind the boat. It's called a tow fish. And it scans from the side, sending sound waves to the bottom of the bay and those are -- those signals come back and are interpreted by the computer on the boat into an image.

Now, as I said, mud or things in the water do not disturb it, but what does are electrical noises, other sonar devices, things like that that can disturb a picture. But sonar experts say they can even pick up something the size of a two-pound coffee can on the bottom, depending on the smoothness of the bottom of the bay. The bay here is smooth. There are not a lot of rocks so they do get a good signal.

But I also want to talk to you about why they are searching in this particular area. Now, USGS scientists consulted with the police and talked about the fact that winds were from the southwest before Laci Peterson's body washed ashore at this beach here in Richmond. So he believes that the direction was from the southwest and that is where the remains should be.

But there's a little bit of a discrepancy between the sonar experts about whether that is accurate or not, because another expert, who had seen an object on the bottom of the bay in March, that they believed was the body, believes that it was out in the shipping channels, very deep shipping channels north of Brooks Island, which is where Scott Peterson claimed to have gone fishing.

Following a storm, they went back and looked, but the object was gone. They believe it may have been torn loose from the concrete weights or blocks that perhaps weighted the body down. That team, we understand, this afternoon is going back in the water. We've seen the boat out in the water. So that sonar expert will be looking in that area.

But very different areas that they are looking in the bay for anything on the bottom. And of course, it may be very small pieces, very small concrete blocks and there's a lot of silt in the bay. The problem is with the sonar, it's accurate at picking up objects. However, if it's covered with silt, it just looks like a bump on the bottom of the bay and that's where the divers come in. They can help, because they can actually feel on the bottom and see what those bumps are -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Rusty Dornin, thanks so much for the update, live from San Francisco Bay today.

Now another story of grisly findings, this time in Iraq.

Over the past few days, several mass graves have been unearthed, containing thousands of bodies believed to be victims of crimes by Saddam Hussein. In the frenzy to return remains to waiting loved ones, many experts believe that critical forensic material is being lost.

One person calling to secure the grave sites is Bill Haglund, a forensic anthropologist who has investigated mass graves in Bosnia and Afghanistan. He is here with the group Physicians for Human Rights.

Thanks so much for being here, Mr. Haglund.

I'd like to start with asking you, either from a forensic or a humanitarian perspective, how difficult is it going to be now if some of this evidence is lost, in trying to prove war crimes?

WILLIAM HAGLUND, PHYSICIANS FOR HUMAN RIGHT: Well, there's always tension between the humanitarian and the forensic aspect of these cases, but a mass grave that's going to be used for investigation is a crime scene. Evidence, as we see, is being destroyed.

That said, not all these graves will be separated out for forensic investigation. There are just too many. It doesn't happen, unlike in the domestic scene, where we can do every crime.

COLLINS: So what are some of the steps then, that should be taken to make sure that this is done right?

HAGLUND: Well, if -- the graves that are anticipated to have forensic significance should be singled out and secured so the chain of evidence can be testified for in court.

The scene then is processed like any homicide scene. You look at the detailed inspection of the surface evidence and the documentation throughout the process, photography, mapping, et cetera, determination of the site of the grave, removal of the fill over the bodies. Once the bodies are reached, delineation of the remains so that when remains are removed, complete remains are removed, not intermingled with other remains and then subsequent to the exhumation, then you look the -- you're looking at if there's any in the floor of the grave, evidence of machinery.

And then the examination follows, which is external examination, internal examination, bones, you look at the individual bones. And then the idea is to come out with an opinion and evidence that would tell you something about the circumstances of death, cause of death for individuals, their sex, their ancestry, their stature, and information that would lead to the identification of those individuals subsequent to the forensic work.

COLLINS: What was different, or at least what was the main difference in all of the other work you've done with these mass graves, particularly Bosnia, Croatia, the Iran-Iraq war, Afghanistan? How are things different here with what's going on?

HAGLUND: Well, initially, what's different is there's no proposed judicial or set judicial forum in which these investigations will take place. That may be just starting.

There is no security for the sites, which was present in some places in Bosnia and Croatia.

There is no world will, at least to do something about this. There's no established court, and there's no access and security provided for workers at this point.

COLLINS: All right. So clearly, a lot more work to be done and on a very sensitive issue. Bill Haglund, we so appreciate your time this afternoon and your insights on this issue. Thanks so much.

HAGLUND: Thank you, Heidi.

Biologists call it a now or never wake-up call. Unless steps are taken soon, they warn that the world's big fish like sharks, tuna and swordfish, could end up in museums instead of on menus.

The cover story in this week's "Nature" magazine details a sharp decline in those predatory fish, the so-called lions and tigers of the oceans.

Look at the patterns researchers found going back now about 50 years. The red and orange areas indicate six to ten fish were caught per 100 hooks. But over the last half of the 20th Century, most areas turned to aqua and dark blue, which means the average was zero to two fish per 100 hooks. The data came from fishing fleets and governments.

The study's author is Ransom Myers from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE

RANSOM MYERS, FISHERIES BIOLOGIST: The clearest case worldwide are the large sharks. The large sharks, no matter where you look, whether it's Adriatic or whether off Argentina, or the white in the north Atlantic, the large sharks are declining. Present fishing practices worldwide is driving these species to extinction.

This is hinging the world's ecosystem in ways that we can't predict and we know that in some cases, the whole system changes where we can't recover. We can drive things to economic and ecological disasters by over-fishing. On the other hand, if we stop fishing, most cases, the stock should recover.

It's a national and international problem. So fishery management, when it's done in a serious manner, does work. And there's every reason to believe that if we're serious about preserving the biodiversity of the world's oceans, we can succeed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Ransom Myers from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.

So how is the U.S. fisheries industry reacting to this report? Joining us now from Washington is John Connelly, who's the president of the National Fisheries Institute. It's a trade association for the fish and seafood industry.

I want to ask you right off the bat, what is your reaction to this study?

JOHN CONNELLY, NATIONAL FISHERIES INSTITUTE: We are disappointed in the study, Heidi, because we think it extrapolates on a global basis information that is based on only one nation's fishing practices and actually only one harvesting type, from the nation of Japan. And from there, the researchers are trying to extrapolate a situation that goes on the global fishery status.

And we think that's disappointing.

COLLINS: You think that this study is not a representative sample of what's going on?

CONNELLY: That's right. And most of the scientists in the fishery management area, for instance, the folks from the United Nations food and agriculture organization, would agree with the results of the survey.

The FAO, which is the United Nations group looking at fishery management, indicates that about 75 percent of fisheries around the globe are operated in a sustainable manner, which is counter to the study's results.

COLLINS: So do you think there are any species whatsoever that are in danger now?

CONNELLY: Sure. There are areas of the world and there are species that are over-fished. And in those cases, government and industry work together to try to find the solution, the common sense solution that allows fishermen to continue to develop their product and provide that kind of healthy food choice to the American and global consumer, but we have to work with government to do that.

An example is in the 1990s, in the mid-Atlantic, there was a situation where swordfish was found to be reaching a point of concern. Industry and government worked together through an inter-governmental effort, and we're now at about 95 percent of the optimum level of fishing of swordfish in the mid-Atlantic. That kind of cooperative effort between government and industry seems to be working.

COLLINS: Quick question. Last question for you, sir. Are there things the industry could have done, perhaps years ago, that would avoid being in the situation that we are in at this point?

CONNELLY: Well, Heidi, I'd go back to the premise, I don't think we're in the situation that the study indicates. Other fishery management experts don't believe we're in the situation in which the study indicates we are. The U.N., other inter-governmental bodies, even the National Marine Fishery Service scientists disagree with this report.

There are efforts that industry and government are taking together now to improve our fishing practices, but we're not in the state in which the report suggests.

COLLINS: All right. We certainly appreciate you being with us today, sir.

CONNELLY: Thank you, Heidi.

COLLINS: We hope that we will find out more about this as the days go on. Thank you once again, sir. Appreciate your time today.

CONNELLY: Thank you.

COLLINS: Coming up on NEXT@CNN, NASA tests designs to help determine the cause of the Shuttle Columbia disaster. And a new government campaign designed to get you to buckle up. Keep it here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Taking a look at some headlines on the NEXT news beat, investigators looking for the cause of the Shuttle Columbia tragedy completed another round of tests.

The working theory is that a piece of foam insulation from a fuel tank damaged the shuttle's left wing just after takeoff. Researchers are using nitrogen propelled gun to shoot chunks of foam at thermal protection tiles of the main landing gear door. High speed cameras captured thousands of frames as different sizes of foam were shot at different speeds and angles.

Over the next few weeks, more tests will shoot foam at carbon wing panels where damage to Columbia likely occurred.

Meanwhile at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers are reconstructing the shuttle after spending the past three months sorting the debris that was scattered over several states. Thirty- eight percent of Columbia has now been recovered.

In Washington yesterday, Attorney General John Ashcroft touted federal efforts to stop cyber-crime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Operation E-con sends a clear message to those trolling the Internet for victims. Illegal activities in the virtual world have real world consequences.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Ashcroft says since January, 90 separate federal investigations of Internet scams, offering everything from fake prescriptions to Russian brides, have put a dent in Web fraud. The Justice Department says the 48,000 Internet fraud complaints it received last year were triple the total from 2001.

Well, you can't believe every offer that comes along in your e- mail these days, but this week some alleged Internet spammers and scammers learned that the only thing getting longer is the arm of the law.

On Wednesday, Howard Carmack, Earthlink's so-called "Buffalo Spammer," was arraigned in New York, the first to be charged under the state's identity theft law.

The state alleges Carmack forged e-mail addresses and stole accounts while sending out 825 million e-mails.

And games got smaller at the big video game show in L.A. this week. Nokia introduced the N-Gage, a combination cell phone, FM radio, digital music player and video game device. It's due out this fall for a retail price of 300 bucks. And Sony wants to give anyone Nintendo Gameboy a run for its money with a hand-held PlayStation. The Japanese electronics giant is being secretive about the details and design but says the device will be out late next year.

And click it or ticket is the new message from the Transportation Department, buckling down on people who won't buckle up.

The national public service campaign starts on Monday and that prompted us to take a look at the technology of seat belts. CNN's Kathleen Koch has more on that from Washington.

Hi, Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, hi.

Seat belts have changed quite a bit since they became standard features in U.S. cars way back in 1962, starting out as lap belts, adding shoulder straps. And even in recent years, though most drivers may not know it, their seat belt has been evolving.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH (voice-over): They save lives but experts say safety belts can be safer. Seat belts with pre-tensioners developed in the late 80s have finally made it into 63 percent of new vehicles. Federal officials say they reduce the chance of head and chest injuries.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pre-crash, it provides tension to put you where you need to be to be the safest in a crash, away from the air bag and in good position.

KOCH: Gradually replacing center back seat lap belts are three point belts. Congress paced a law in November requiring them in all cars by 2008.

And there's technology to boost buckling, longer warnings that ring for a full five minutes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very important advance found increased belt use by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. About five percent in -- at new car dealerships. So an important advance.

KOCH: Still in development, more elastic seat belt fabric. And seat belt air bags to lessen pressure on the body during an accident.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's wonderful because it spreads the forces. Anything that spreads the forces of the crash, a knife cuts you, a pillow doesn't. And so this is more of the pillow type, like an air bag.

KOCH: But don't expect protection like seat belts race car drivers use anytime soon. That's because even though some auto makers are experimenting with four point belts, safety officials worry they could backfire.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The last thing we want to do is have a belt in a vehicle that's more difficult to use and, therefore, used less.

KOCH: Or a seat belt improvement that worsens safety like the automatic belts developed in the late '80s that ended up injuring drivers who didn't fasten the lap portion.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're very dangerous. You have to use the lap belt with that, because otherwise, when the car door opens, as often happens in a crash, you're going to go out.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH: So the drive to improve seat belt safety is a very cautious one. Because regulators are careful to steer clear of any changes that could hurt more than they help -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. Kathleen Koch, coming to us from Washington today. Thanks so much Kathleen.

Coming up next, a new number to take the burden off overworked emergency call systems. We'll have the 411 on 311.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: A broken street light, a stray dog, an abandoned car. A lot of people might call 911 to get the situation fixed. But several cities have launched a new number, 311.

Joining us is Ted O'Keefe, director of 311 city services in Chicago.

Mr. O'Keefe, welcome.

TED O'KEEFE, DIRECTOR, CHICAGO 311: Thank you.

COLLINS: So has 311 lived up to your expectations so far?

O'KEEFE: Absolutely. The city started 311 in January of 1999, and not only the phone number but backed by an enterprise-wide software application that allows us to track requests for city services and the work that we're doing.

In each year, the call volume has increased to 311 and the number of services that our 40 departments that use the system to track their work, the number of service requests has increased, as well.

COLLINS: So, let's talk about that for a moment. We were told that people in Chicago really are using 311 a lot. What are the type of calls that you're getting?

O'KEEFE: Well, they really are using it a lot. We have just about three million residents in the city of Chicago and last year alone, 3.6 million calls were offered to 311. So...

COLLINS: Wow.

O'KEEFE: ... people can call for -- they can call for information about city events and programs, such as special events.

They can call to request a city service. You mentioned vacant cars, stray animals, street lights that aren't working. Any one of the more than 550 different types of service requests that the city offers can be accessed easily by calling 311, or you may call back and check on the status of a previously requested service.

And in addition, of course, you can file a non-emergency police report at 311, as well. So we have civilians working right alongside of sworn Chicago police officers at our 311 center.

COLLINS: So obviously, I'm thinking that the inception of this 311 was possibly due to, you know, people calling 911 for the wrong reasons and bogging down the system.

Do you feel confident that with the use of 311 and all of the calls that have been coming in that Chicago is more efficient?

O'KEEFE: Absolutely. You know, we've gotten the word out on when to call 911, obviously, for a police, fire or medical emergency. And then for all of those other myriad requests that people would place, they can call 311. And that does divert, obviously, the non- emergency calls from tying up the emergency system.

COLLINS: And we know 311 is also being used in other cities like L.A., I believe, and New York, as well. Any cities that this wouldn't work out for?

O'KEEFE: I really can't imagine why it wouldn't. We've had probably upwards of 50 cities that have come through Chicago in the past couple of years, as large as, like you said, New York and Los Angeles and as small as Rockford, Illinois, and Springfield, Ohio. And so we believe that this is a tool that cities can use to create an efficient service delivery system and enhance the quality of life for their people.

COLLINS: All right. Ted O'Keefe, director of 311 services in Chicago. Thanks so much, Ted.

O'KEEFE: Thank you.

COLLINS: Lots more to come in the next half hour of NEXT@CNN, including a debate over proposed government guidelines for cleaning up smog. Will the rules do any good?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Clearly, we all got the memo on the blue jacket, the CNN uniform of the day.

Well, as the weather warms up around the nation, it's not just sunscreen you need to worry about.

It could also be smog. This week, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a set of guidelines to help states meet tough new smog standards. The EPA wants to give heavy smog zones some time and flexibility to meet those standards. But environmental groups say flexibility seldom brings results.

Joining us from Washington is Frank O'Donnell from the Clean Air Trust and Marlo Lewis from the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

Welcome, gentlemen. Appreciate you being here with us today. I want to give you both a track at sort of a basic question, I would imagine, before we begin. And that would be, how bad is the smog? Marlo, why don't you start?

MARLO LEWIS, COMPETITIVE ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: Well, the smog has been declining dramatically over the last two decades. Nationwide, on average, it's about 24 percent below where it was in 1980.

And regulations that have already been adopted, such as the Tier Two rule for gasoline, which will apply to all cars by 2004, the heavy truck rule and now an off-road diesel rule, which will remove about 90 percent of all smog-forming emissions by the year 2020.

So I think what we're in store for is clean air and the irreversible march of progress toward cleaner air.

COLLINS: Frank, is smog decreasing?

FRANK O'DONNELL, CLEAN AIR TRUST: Smog has been decreasing if you look at it on the long-term. The Clean Air Act is working very well despite industrial growth, a huge increase in population, and lots more driving, air pollution is down, if you look at it compared to 1970, at least in most of the country.

However, in the last couple of years, we've seen kind of a flattening out of the trend. And in many parts of the country, where the population growth has been really surging, like in the southeast and parts of the west, pollution has actually increased in recent years.

And even though we are hoping we will get some further progress, as Mr. Lewis talked about, from some of the other requirements, we are very concerned because more than 130 million people, according to the American Lung Association, still live in areas with dirty air.

We think we need to keep enforcing the Clean Air Act in order to continue the progress. We don't think that progress itself is inevitable. And we're very concerned that the Bush administration...

COLLINS: All right.

O'DONNELL: ... has proposed a series of plans that will actually halt that progress, take the environmental cop off the beat and actually give industry so much flexibility that they we will have dirty air.

COLLINS: OK. I've got to make sure I keep the time equal here, sir. So thank you so much.

Let me move on to the next question now. Talking about the state and federal guidelines, as far as those issues are concerned, why are some states required to do more to clean up their air than other states? Marlo?

LEWIS: Well, if you're talking about the guidelines here, what the EPA has proposed is that not states, but counties or air quality districts that are already in compliance with the older, so-called one-hour ozone standard should have some degree of flexibility in attaining the eight-hour standard.

Now, I just want to correct something, at least, that I think that my colleague here was saying. The progress toward clean air is irreversible. It's going to happen. There are other rules that I didn't even mention, like the so-called nox sick call (ph), which will reduce nox emissions, which are part of the precursors of smog, 60 percent along the eastern seaboard states in the next few years.

And the American Lung Association report that he referred to, I think, does a disservice to the American public. It's scare- mongering. It's not accurate at all. Let me just give you one example in a state.

The American Lung Association report gave San Diego County an "F" for air quality. Why? Because one monitoring station in San Diego, in Alpine City, had more than two exceedances (ph) of the new eight- hour ozone standard, but less than 0.5 percent of the population of San Diego live in Alpine City.

About 97.5 percent of the total population of San Diego County breathes air that is in compliance with both the one-hour standard and the eight-hour standard. In my book that's an "A-plus," not an "F".

COLLINS: OK. Gentlemen, I want to make sure we stay on point here. I did want to give you both a crack at how bad this situation is before we begin, but I think that we should be talking about the EPA guidelines.

Along those lines, we know that there are -- this proposal that we're talking about from the EPA to meet smog standards, is there a problem letting individual states then determine how much they are going to try to reduce these smog levels? Frank?

O'DONNELL: Sure. Heidi, there's a very big problem. What the EPA is proposing is to give certain states more flexibility than other states. And when we hear flexibility, history has shown us that lots of flexibility means dirty air for breathers.

And in this case, EPA is really going against the wishes of Congress.

In 1990, Congress wrote very specific requirements into the Clean Air Act for states, because up until that point, states were drawing up all these little cleanup plans that were just terrific on paper. But when it came to reality, they didn't clean up the air. So Congress said you states will have to do very specific things.

What EPA is proposing to do for some areas, not for others, but for areas with about 50 million people, are saying you can go back to having that kind of flexibility like we had before 1990. We know that method is tried and failed.

And I should point out that many of the areas that are getting this added flexibility, if you will, actually have dirtier air than New York City. EPA's own statistics show that areas like Detroit, much of Ohio, South Carolina, West Virginia, all have higher chronic levels of smog than does Queens, New York. Yet all of these areas will get looser requirements under the Bush proposal.

COLLINS: OK. Marlo, I'm going to let you respond to that. And unfortunately, we will be out of time after your response.

LEWIS: Yes, well, these areas that Frank is talking about will have to come into compliance with the eight-hour standard. The question here is whether they will have flexibility in how they do it, rather than whether EPA will prescribe the manner for them.

And I think Frank is really reviving old thinking here. I think most people who deal with these matters believe that the centrally planned prescriptive method were adequate to deal with the air pollution problems of the '70s. But now, as we reach for the higher and higher fruit on the tree, we have to be more flexible and take into account factors of cost, because the more you clean the air, the more expensive it becomes to clean that last little component of pollution out of the air.

COLLINS: And the question will always be, who will pay for it.

All right. I appreciate your time to both of you today, sorry that we ran out of time. Frank O'Donnell from the Clean Air Trust and Marlo Lewis from the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Thank you again, gentlemen, very much.

O'DONNELL: Thank you, Heidi. Appreciate it.

LEWIS: Thank you.

COLLINS: Next up on NEXT@CNN, what to do and what not to do if you want to take your search for a new job online.

And a new species is discovered. You can see why it's taken so long to find it.

We'll be back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They've been waiting years for this thing to bloom at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Orchids are nature's delicacies. But related to asparagus? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're kidding.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Asparagus? Weird.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Its DNA reveals orchids are closer kin to asparagus than lilies. Beneath that beautiful facade lurks the DNA of a 90 million-year-old plant that experts say evolved new shapes and sizes to survive. Some even took to living in trees.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Orchids have exploited just about every niche on the planet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They became lookers to compete with other flashy bloomers in luring pollinating insects.

One person skeptical about this orchid-asparagus relationship is orchid curator Becky Brinkman.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: DNA sequencing is a good tool in establishing relationships among plants but there are lots of things to take into account. I won't be sauteeing them anytime soon, I don't think.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some chefs are serving them up. They are edible.

Chuck Johannis (ph) of Nicolai's Route West (ph) in Atlanta relished the news and quickly whipped up a dish you might call all in the family.

Foie gras, white asparagus with orchid vinaigrette.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can cook orchids, but we mainly use it for the garnish.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Relationships aside, for the ultimate pleasure, most recommend you eat the asparagus and feast your eyes on the orchids.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Beautiful.

Well, in environment news this week, the Spanish government is suing the American Shipping Bureau over last November's oil spill, which dumped 85,000 tons of crude oil off the French and Spanish coasts.

The AFB is the organization responsible for certifying the ships are safe and seaworthy. The five billion dollar lawsuit filed in U.S. court says the bureau should have known the oil tanker Prestige was in no shape to travel.

Spain says damage costs already exceed $1 billion.

These are the first images now of the world's smallest known species of seahorse. Tiny orange and smaller than most finger nails, it is almost impossible to spot.

Marine biologist, Sarah Lourie, who identified the new species, named it Hippocampus Denise after an underwater photographer, Denise Tackett.

The species lives in the coral reefs of the western Pacific, where seahorses are often poached for Asian medicine.

May is college graduation season and that, of course, means thousands of first-time job seekers are hitting the streets and job hunting web sites.

It's a cyber-jungle out there, and here to give us guidance is author and researcher Pam Dixon. Her latest book, "Job Searching Online for Dummies," is in its second edition.

Welcome to you and thanks so much for being here. We appreciate it.

PAM DIXON, "JOB SEARCHING ONLINE FOR DUMMIES" AUTHOR: Thank you.

COLLINS: Tell us, with so many graduates looking for jobs this summer, there have got to be some options out there, even though there is such a tight job market. What would they be?

DIXON: Well, there's all sorts of options. The first one, of course, and a lot of college grads wouldn't even begin to think about this because it's not hip, but check out our college career counselor. Believe it or not, they are some of the most connected people on the planet in terms of really boosting your chances of getting a good job.

Also, your college career counselor, even if you've already graduated, they can take a look at your resume and they can proof it for you and that is invaluable, absolutely priceless information there.

Also, for someone who has a very highly specialized major, maybe they're graduating with a masters or even a Ph.D., a head headhunter is not a horrible option for them. They really -- They would need to be specialized for that.

Other than that you're going to be out there and you're going to need to do all of the things we've always heard that we need to do. We need to pound the pavement, get our resume out there, and we also need to pound the Internet these days.

COLLINS: And speaking of, because we were just seeing a whole lot of computers on our screen there, should we be posting resumes online?

DIXON: Well, there are a couple things I have to say about that. I'll tell you, posting a resume online can be a very good thing, but there are now known risks associated with doing that that a lot of people are unfortunately not aware of.

If you're going to send your resume, by all means, if you want to work for a company, let's say an IBM, a Ford, or a nonprofit, wherever, do go ahead and e-mail or post your resume directly to that company web site. There's no harm or no foul involved in doing that. You're going to be perfectly safe.

But if you decide to go ahead and take your chances and post your resume like on a HotJobs or Careerbuilder or whatever, one of the larger job sites or even a smaller job site, be careful. Because there are some risks.

Always post your resume privately and be careful that you are only giving out certain information, for example, your name and your address, but not your social security number.

COLLINS: Right. And Pam, you shouldn't leave your resume online for very long, right?

DIXON: Well, here's the deal. If you go to some sites, especially sites that, for example, do not have a privacy policy, believe it or not, it's just shocking, but it's unfortunately true, sites can go ahead and keep your resume for as long as they want and they can also sell it. And believe it or not some do.

And for example, your resumes can be often sold for about 33 cents apiece. And they're not being sold to employers, by the way. They're being sold to people who send your spam about, you know, HGH or debt-free.

So it's really important that you go ahead and you post your resume privately. Make sure you can delete your resume when you're done with your job search and then have a disposable e-mail address so that when you're done with your job search, you just turn that e-mail address off.

COLLINS: All right. Pam Dixon, thanks so much. Kind of depressing to think my whole resume, my whole career is just 33 cents and they sell it. All right, Pam Dixon, once again, we appreciate your time today.

DIXON: Thank you.

COLLINS: Hey, fun and games. Up next, lots of offerings unveiled at the annual video game trade show that just ended in Los Angeles. Our Daniel Sieberg checks out some of the very best.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID KIRKPATRICK, "FORTUNE" EDITOR: Once you start moving around with a computer, what you want is the same set of functionality regardless of the size of the device. Something on which you can go on the Internet, you can send e-mail.

I think, over time, more and more people are just going to travel with a souped-up PDA that is also a cell phone.

Certainly, all devices are going toward a smaller, more portable form factor, which increasingly can do all the same things as a laptop.

One thing that hasn't happened yet that has to happen soon is Y5 (ph) wireless technology has to begin working with PDAs. This Y5 (ph) technology that's going into every coffee shop, hotel, airport, it's sort of being initially oriented towards portable PCs. But it makes more sense for it to work with PDAs, and I think you'll see that happening more and more.

Everything is becoming a communicator. Everything wants to go in your pocket, and everything is going to be driven by voice and e-mail.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Our Daniel Sieberg has been doing some big game hunting in L.A. this week. The video game trade show known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo or X-3 (sic) wrapped up yesterday.

Here's Daniel now with a look at some of the highlights.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Well, here the E- 3, picking some of the best games is no small task. There are thousands of them here on the show floor.

To make that a little easier, I'm joined by Dan Tsu. He's the editor-in-chief of "Electronic Gaming Monthly."

Dan, is it just me or are there a lot of sequel titles here at the show.

DAN TSU, "ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY:" You know, that's what's going to sell is -- it's always going to be licensed products or movies -- or games based on the big movies out there and sequels. You know, everyone -- it's hard to get excited about a new, original product until you've actually played it. So what everyone's looking forward to are the new "Halos," new "Metal Gear Solids," (ph) new "Half Lifes," all of that stuff.

SIEBERG: Let's start with "Half Life 2," then, for the PC. What do you think of that title?

TSU: You know what? So far, that's my game of the show. It's incredible technology. All the other developers are using it to build their own games. It just looks amazing and has a great feel for it.

The first game set high standards for the first person shooter genre, so this one's going to be even better.

SIEBERG: "Halo 2," is that living up to expectations?

TSU: Yes. You know, you should see the people watching the trailer from the audience. It's incredible. Everyone's cheering over the littlest things. Because it's just an incredible game. It looks like a science fiction movie packed full of action, shooting, explosions, aliens everywhere. So that's going to be fun.

SIEBERG: That's a trailer because the game will be coming out probably next...

TSU: Yes, 2004.

SIEBERG: Now for the PS2, what's the big title out there right now?

TSU: You know, the one that's making a lot of noise, "Metal Gear Solid 3" is making a lot of buzz.

"Gran Turismo 4," I think, is the one a lot of people are excited about, because you can actually play it here at E-3. And that's going to be a lot of new cars, better graphics, online play. So "Gran Turismo 4" is an exciting one for PS2.

SIEBERG: And how about Game Cube? Is there a recognizable title for that one, as well?

TSU: Yes. We have a couple of big ones: "Mario Card Double Dash." That's going to be huge. We haven't seen a Mario card in quite awhile, since the Nintendo 64 days. This one is an updated one for the Game Cube.

And also, you have "Rogue Squadron 3: Rebel Strength," which is a follow-up to "Rogue Leader," which was a big "Star Wars" game for the Game Cube when it first came out. Just more "Star Wars" action from the original trilogy, so not the crappy episodes 1 and 2.

SIEBERG: All right. Well, Dan Tsu, editor-in-chief of "Electronic Gaming Monthly," thanks so much for joining us here. And we'll probably be coming back with a sequel of our own as we keep an eye on all of the thousands of games here on the show floor at E-3.

Daniel Sieberg, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Thanks, Daniel. And that is all we have time for today.

But among our stories tomorrow, "The Matrix: Reloaded" is a hot ticket this weekend. We'll find out how the filmmakers created all those cool special effects. We hope you'll be watching.

And ahead on CNN, "CNN LIVE SATURDAY" coming up at the top of the hour. That followed by "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" with a look at Madonna and Shania Twain at 5 p.m. eastern time. And "CNN LIVE SATURDAY" at 6 p.m. eastern.

But before all of that, a look at the latest headlines, after a quick break.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





Soon Become Extinct; E-3 Video Game Convention Ends in L.A.>


Aired May 17, 2003 - 15:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, HOST: Hello, I'm Heidi Collins.
Among today's stories on NEXT@CNN, mass graves are unearthed in Iraq. Is the digging destroying crucial evidence of crimes committed by Saddam Hussein? A disturbing new report on that.

As well as another disturbing report on the world's fish populations. Experts say over-fishing may have put many of the most popular species on the brink. Today, the fishing industry responds.

And on the lighter side, we'll look at what at least one expert calls best in show from the E-3 video game convention which just ended in Los Angeles.

But first, the search for answers in the Laci Peterson case. In recent years, side-scan sonar has become a standard tech tool for researchers and law enforcement looking for clues in anything from plane crashes to the sinking of the Titanic. Today, investigators are using the sonar as they hunt for more evidence in the killing of Laci Peterson.

CNN's Rusty Dornin is on the shores of the San Francisco Bay with the latest on this. Hello once again, Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, well, the bay was smooth as glass this morning. The wind has come up this afternoon and you can see the dive boat out there, you can see the whitecaps.

The divers are in the water. You can see the lines coming off the back of the boat. Those are the airlines for the FBI dive team from New York. They don't like to use tanks; they like to use air from the surface so they don't have to keep coming up.

But the side scanning sonar is not affected by the wind and the turbulence in the water. The device is placed over the side of the boat and towed behind the boat. It's called a tow fish. And it scans from the side, sending sound waves to the bottom of the bay and those are -- those signals come back and are interpreted by the computer on the boat into an image.

Now, as I said, mud or things in the water do not disturb it, but what does are electrical noises, other sonar devices, things like that that can disturb a picture. But sonar experts say they can even pick up something the size of a two-pound coffee can on the bottom, depending on the smoothness of the bottom of the bay. The bay here is smooth. There are not a lot of rocks so they do get a good signal.

But I also want to talk to you about why they are searching in this particular area. Now, USGS scientists consulted with the police and talked about the fact that winds were from the southwest before Laci Peterson's body washed ashore at this beach here in Richmond. So he believes that the direction was from the southwest and that is where the remains should be.

But there's a little bit of a discrepancy between the sonar experts about whether that is accurate or not, because another expert, who had seen an object on the bottom of the bay in March, that they believed was the body, believes that it was out in the shipping channels, very deep shipping channels north of Brooks Island, which is where Scott Peterson claimed to have gone fishing.

Following a storm, they went back and looked, but the object was gone. They believe it may have been torn loose from the concrete weights or blocks that perhaps weighted the body down. That team, we understand, this afternoon is going back in the water. We've seen the boat out in the water. So that sonar expert will be looking in that area.

But very different areas that they are looking in the bay for anything on the bottom. And of course, it may be very small pieces, very small concrete blocks and there's a lot of silt in the bay. The problem is with the sonar, it's accurate at picking up objects. However, if it's covered with silt, it just looks like a bump on the bottom of the bay and that's where the divers come in. They can help, because they can actually feel on the bottom and see what those bumps are -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Rusty Dornin, thanks so much for the update, live from San Francisco Bay today.

Now another story of grisly findings, this time in Iraq.

Over the past few days, several mass graves have been unearthed, containing thousands of bodies believed to be victims of crimes by Saddam Hussein. In the frenzy to return remains to waiting loved ones, many experts believe that critical forensic material is being lost.

One person calling to secure the grave sites is Bill Haglund, a forensic anthropologist who has investigated mass graves in Bosnia and Afghanistan. He is here with the group Physicians for Human Rights.

Thanks so much for being here, Mr. Haglund.

I'd like to start with asking you, either from a forensic or a humanitarian perspective, how difficult is it going to be now if some of this evidence is lost, in trying to prove war crimes?

WILLIAM HAGLUND, PHYSICIANS FOR HUMAN RIGHT: Well, there's always tension between the humanitarian and the forensic aspect of these cases, but a mass grave that's going to be used for investigation is a crime scene. Evidence, as we see, is being destroyed.

That said, not all these graves will be separated out for forensic investigation. There are just too many. It doesn't happen, unlike in the domestic scene, where we can do every crime.

COLLINS: So what are some of the steps then, that should be taken to make sure that this is done right?

HAGLUND: Well, if -- the graves that are anticipated to have forensic significance should be singled out and secured so the chain of evidence can be testified for in court.

The scene then is processed like any homicide scene. You look at the detailed inspection of the surface evidence and the documentation throughout the process, photography, mapping, et cetera, determination of the site of the grave, removal of the fill over the bodies. Once the bodies are reached, delineation of the remains so that when remains are removed, complete remains are removed, not intermingled with other remains and then subsequent to the exhumation, then you look the -- you're looking at if there's any in the floor of the grave, evidence of machinery.

And then the examination follows, which is external examination, internal examination, bones, you look at the individual bones. And then the idea is to come out with an opinion and evidence that would tell you something about the circumstances of death, cause of death for individuals, their sex, their ancestry, their stature, and information that would lead to the identification of those individuals subsequent to the forensic work.

COLLINS: What was different, or at least what was the main difference in all of the other work you've done with these mass graves, particularly Bosnia, Croatia, the Iran-Iraq war, Afghanistan? How are things different here with what's going on?

HAGLUND: Well, initially, what's different is there's no proposed judicial or set judicial forum in which these investigations will take place. That may be just starting.

There is no security for the sites, which was present in some places in Bosnia and Croatia.

There is no world will, at least to do something about this. There's no established court, and there's no access and security provided for workers at this point.

COLLINS: All right. So clearly, a lot more work to be done and on a very sensitive issue. Bill Haglund, we so appreciate your time this afternoon and your insights on this issue. Thanks so much.

HAGLUND: Thank you, Heidi.

Biologists call it a now or never wake-up call. Unless steps are taken soon, they warn that the world's big fish like sharks, tuna and swordfish, could end up in museums instead of on menus.

The cover story in this week's "Nature" magazine details a sharp decline in those predatory fish, the so-called lions and tigers of the oceans.

Look at the patterns researchers found going back now about 50 years. The red and orange areas indicate six to ten fish were caught per 100 hooks. But over the last half of the 20th Century, most areas turned to aqua and dark blue, which means the average was zero to two fish per 100 hooks. The data came from fishing fleets and governments.

The study's author is Ransom Myers from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE

RANSOM MYERS, FISHERIES BIOLOGIST: The clearest case worldwide are the large sharks. The large sharks, no matter where you look, whether it's Adriatic or whether off Argentina, or the white in the north Atlantic, the large sharks are declining. Present fishing practices worldwide is driving these species to extinction.

This is hinging the world's ecosystem in ways that we can't predict and we know that in some cases, the whole system changes where we can't recover. We can drive things to economic and ecological disasters by over-fishing. On the other hand, if we stop fishing, most cases, the stock should recover.

It's a national and international problem. So fishery management, when it's done in a serious manner, does work. And there's every reason to believe that if we're serious about preserving the biodiversity of the world's oceans, we can succeed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Ransom Myers from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.

So how is the U.S. fisheries industry reacting to this report? Joining us now from Washington is John Connelly, who's the president of the National Fisheries Institute. It's a trade association for the fish and seafood industry.

I want to ask you right off the bat, what is your reaction to this study?

JOHN CONNELLY, NATIONAL FISHERIES INSTITUTE: We are disappointed in the study, Heidi, because we think it extrapolates on a global basis information that is based on only one nation's fishing practices and actually only one harvesting type, from the nation of Japan. And from there, the researchers are trying to extrapolate a situation that goes on the global fishery status.

And we think that's disappointing.

COLLINS: You think that this study is not a representative sample of what's going on?

CONNELLY: That's right. And most of the scientists in the fishery management area, for instance, the folks from the United Nations food and agriculture organization, would agree with the results of the survey.

The FAO, which is the United Nations group looking at fishery management, indicates that about 75 percent of fisheries around the globe are operated in a sustainable manner, which is counter to the study's results.

COLLINS: So do you think there are any species whatsoever that are in danger now?

CONNELLY: Sure. There are areas of the world and there are species that are over-fished. And in those cases, government and industry work together to try to find the solution, the common sense solution that allows fishermen to continue to develop their product and provide that kind of healthy food choice to the American and global consumer, but we have to work with government to do that.

An example is in the 1990s, in the mid-Atlantic, there was a situation where swordfish was found to be reaching a point of concern. Industry and government worked together through an inter-governmental effort, and we're now at about 95 percent of the optimum level of fishing of swordfish in the mid-Atlantic. That kind of cooperative effort between government and industry seems to be working.

COLLINS: Quick question. Last question for you, sir. Are there things the industry could have done, perhaps years ago, that would avoid being in the situation that we are in at this point?

CONNELLY: Well, Heidi, I'd go back to the premise, I don't think we're in the situation that the study indicates. Other fishery management experts don't believe we're in the situation in which the study indicates we are. The U.N., other inter-governmental bodies, even the National Marine Fishery Service scientists disagree with this report.

There are efforts that industry and government are taking together now to improve our fishing practices, but we're not in the state in which the report suggests.

COLLINS: All right. We certainly appreciate you being with us today, sir.

CONNELLY: Thank you, Heidi.

COLLINS: We hope that we will find out more about this as the days go on. Thank you once again, sir. Appreciate your time today.

CONNELLY: Thank you.

COLLINS: Coming up on NEXT@CNN, NASA tests designs to help determine the cause of the Shuttle Columbia disaster. And a new government campaign designed to get you to buckle up. Keep it here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Taking a look at some headlines on the NEXT news beat, investigators looking for the cause of the Shuttle Columbia tragedy completed another round of tests.

The working theory is that a piece of foam insulation from a fuel tank damaged the shuttle's left wing just after takeoff. Researchers are using nitrogen propelled gun to shoot chunks of foam at thermal protection tiles of the main landing gear door. High speed cameras captured thousands of frames as different sizes of foam were shot at different speeds and angles.

Over the next few weeks, more tests will shoot foam at carbon wing panels where damage to Columbia likely occurred.

Meanwhile at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers are reconstructing the shuttle after spending the past three months sorting the debris that was scattered over several states. Thirty- eight percent of Columbia has now been recovered.

In Washington yesterday, Attorney General John Ashcroft touted federal efforts to stop cyber-crime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Operation E-con sends a clear message to those trolling the Internet for victims. Illegal activities in the virtual world have real world consequences.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Ashcroft says since January, 90 separate federal investigations of Internet scams, offering everything from fake prescriptions to Russian brides, have put a dent in Web fraud. The Justice Department says the 48,000 Internet fraud complaints it received last year were triple the total from 2001.

Well, you can't believe every offer that comes along in your e- mail these days, but this week some alleged Internet spammers and scammers learned that the only thing getting longer is the arm of the law.

On Wednesday, Howard Carmack, Earthlink's so-called "Buffalo Spammer," was arraigned in New York, the first to be charged under the state's identity theft law.

The state alleges Carmack forged e-mail addresses and stole accounts while sending out 825 million e-mails.

And games got smaller at the big video game show in L.A. this week. Nokia introduced the N-Gage, a combination cell phone, FM radio, digital music player and video game device. It's due out this fall for a retail price of 300 bucks. And Sony wants to give anyone Nintendo Gameboy a run for its money with a hand-held PlayStation. The Japanese electronics giant is being secretive about the details and design but says the device will be out late next year.

And click it or ticket is the new message from the Transportation Department, buckling down on people who won't buckle up.

The national public service campaign starts on Monday and that prompted us to take a look at the technology of seat belts. CNN's Kathleen Koch has more on that from Washington.

Hi, Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, hi.

Seat belts have changed quite a bit since they became standard features in U.S. cars way back in 1962, starting out as lap belts, adding shoulder straps. And even in recent years, though most drivers may not know it, their seat belt has been evolving.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH (voice-over): They save lives but experts say safety belts can be safer. Seat belts with pre-tensioners developed in the late 80s have finally made it into 63 percent of new vehicles. Federal officials say they reduce the chance of head and chest injuries.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pre-crash, it provides tension to put you where you need to be to be the safest in a crash, away from the air bag and in good position.

KOCH: Gradually replacing center back seat lap belts are three point belts. Congress paced a law in November requiring them in all cars by 2008.

And there's technology to boost buckling, longer warnings that ring for a full five minutes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very important advance found increased belt use by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. About five percent in -- at new car dealerships. So an important advance.

KOCH: Still in development, more elastic seat belt fabric. And seat belt air bags to lessen pressure on the body during an accident.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's wonderful because it spreads the forces. Anything that spreads the forces of the crash, a knife cuts you, a pillow doesn't. And so this is more of the pillow type, like an air bag.

KOCH: But don't expect protection like seat belts race car drivers use anytime soon. That's because even though some auto makers are experimenting with four point belts, safety officials worry they could backfire.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The last thing we want to do is have a belt in a vehicle that's more difficult to use and, therefore, used less.

KOCH: Or a seat belt improvement that worsens safety like the automatic belts developed in the late '80s that ended up injuring drivers who didn't fasten the lap portion.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're very dangerous. You have to use the lap belt with that, because otherwise, when the car door opens, as often happens in a crash, you're going to go out.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH: So the drive to improve seat belt safety is a very cautious one. Because regulators are careful to steer clear of any changes that could hurt more than they help -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. Kathleen Koch, coming to us from Washington today. Thanks so much Kathleen.

Coming up next, a new number to take the burden off overworked emergency call systems. We'll have the 411 on 311.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: A broken street light, a stray dog, an abandoned car. A lot of people might call 911 to get the situation fixed. But several cities have launched a new number, 311.

Joining us is Ted O'Keefe, director of 311 city services in Chicago.

Mr. O'Keefe, welcome.

TED O'KEEFE, DIRECTOR, CHICAGO 311: Thank you.

COLLINS: So has 311 lived up to your expectations so far?

O'KEEFE: Absolutely. The city started 311 in January of 1999, and not only the phone number but backed by an enterprise-wide software application that allows us to track requests for city services and the work that we're doing.

In each year, the call volume has increased to 311 and the number of services that our 40 departments that use the system to track their work, the number of service requests has increased, as well.

COLLINS: So, let's talk about that for a moment. We were told that people in Chicago really are using 311 a lot. What are the type of calls that you're getting?

O'KEEFE: Well, they really are using it a lot. We have just about three million residents in the city of Chicago and last year alone, 3.6 million calls were offered to 311. So...

COLLINS: Wow.

O'KEEFE: ... people can call for -- they can call for information about city events and programs, such as special events.

They can call to request a city service. You mentioned vacant cars, stray animals, street lights that aren't working. Any one of the more than 550 different types of service requests that the city offers can be accessed easily by calling 311, or you may call back and check on the status of a previously requested service.

And in addition, of course, you can file a non-emergency police report at 311, as well. So we have civilians working right alongside of sworn Chicago police officers at our 311 center.

COLLINS: So obviously, I'm thinking that the inception of this 311 was possibly due to, you know, people calling 911 for the wrong reasons and bogging down the system.

Do you feel confident that with the use of 311 and all of the calls that have been coming in that Chicago is more efficient?

O'KEEFE: Absolutely. You know, we've gotten the word out on when to call 911, obviously, for a police, fire or medical emergency. And then for all of those other myriad requests that people would place, they can call 311. And that does divert, obviously, the non- emergency calls from tying up the emergency system.

COLLINS: And we know 311 is also being used in other cities like L.A., I believe, and New York, as well. Any cities that this wouldn't work out for?

O'KEEFE: I really can't imagine why it wouldn't. We've had probably upwards of 50 cities that have come through Chicago in the past couple of years, as large as, like you said, New York and Los Angeles and as small as Rockford, Illinois, and Springfield, Ohio. And so we believe that this is a tool that cities can use to create an efficient service delivery system and enhance the quality of life for their people.

COLLINS: All right. Ted O'Keefe, director of 311 services in Chicago. Thanks so much, Ted.

O'KEEFE: Thank you.

COLLINS: Lots more to come in the next half hour of NEXT@CNN, including a debate over proposed government guidelines for cleaning up smog. Will the rules do any good?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Clearly, we all got the memo on the blue jacket, the CNN uniform of the day.

Well, as the weather warms up around the nation, it's not just sunscreen you need to worry about.

It could also be smog. This week, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a set of guidelines to help states meet tough new smog standards. The EPA wants to give heavy smog zones some time and flexibility to meet those standards. But environmental groups say flexibility seldom brings results.

Joining us from Washington is Frank O'Donnell from the Clean Air Trust and Marlo Lewis from the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

Welcome, gentlemen. Appreciate you being here with us today. I want to give you both a track at sort of a basic question, I would imagine, before we begin. And that would be, how bad is the smog? Marlo, why don't you start?

MARLO LEWIS, COMPETITIVE ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: Well, the smog has been declining dramatically over the last two decades. Nationwide, on average, it's about 24 percent below where it was in 1980.

And regulations that have already been adopted, such as the Tier Two rule for gasoline, which will apply to all cars by 2004, the heavy truck rule and now an off-road diesel rule, which will remove about 90 percent of all smog-forming emissions by the year 2020.

So I think what we're in store for is clean air and the irreversible march of progress toward cleaner air.

COLLINS: Frank, is smog decreasing?

FRANK O'DONNELL, CLEAN AIR TRUST: Smog has been decreasing if you look at it on the long-term. The Clean Air Act is working very well despite industrial growth, a huge increase in population, and lots more driving, air pollution is down, if you look at it compared to 1970, at least in most of the country.

However, in the last couple of years, we've seen kind of a flattening out of the trend. And in many parts of the country, where the population growth has been really surging, like in the southeast and parts of the west, pollution has actually increased in recent years.

And even though we are hoping we will get some further progress, as Mr. Lewis talked about, from some of the other requirements, we are very concerned because more than 130 million people, according to the American Lung Association, still live in areas with dirty air.

We think we need to keep enforcing the Clean Air Act in order to continue the progress. We don't think that progress itself is inevitable. And we're very concerned that the Bush administration...

COLLINS: All right.

O'DONNELL: ... has proposed a series of plans that will actually halt that progress, take the environmental cop off the beat and actually give industry so much flexibility that they we will have dirty air.

COLLINS: OK. I've got to make sure I keep the time equal here, sir. So thank you so much.

Let me move on to the next question now. Talking about the state and federal guidelines, as far as those issues are concerned, why are some states required to do more to clean up their air than other states? Marlo?

LEWIS: Well, if you're talking about the guidelines here, what the EPA has proposed is that not states, but counties or air quality districts that are already in compliance with the older, so-called one-hour ozone standard should have some degree of flexibility in attaining the eight-hour standard.

Now, I just want to correct something, at least, that I think that my colleague here was saying. The progress toward clean air is irreversible. It's going to happen. There are other rules that I didn't even mention, like the so-called nox sick call (ph), which will reduce nox emissions, which are part of the precursors of smog, 60 percent along the eastern seaboard states in the next few years.

And the American Lung Association report that he referred to, I think, does a disservice to the American public. It's scare- mongering. It's not accurate at all. Let me just give you one example in a state.

The American Lung Association report gave San Diego County an "F" for air quality. Why? Because one monitoring station in San Diego, in Alpine City, had more than two exceedances (ph) of the new eight- hour ozone standard, but less than 0.5 percent of the population of San Diego live in Alpine City.

About 97.5 percent of the total population of San Diego County breathes air that is in compliance with both the one-hour standard and the eight-hour standard. In my book that's an "A-plus," not an "F".

COLLINS: OK. Gentlemen, I want to make sure we stay on point here. I did want to give you both a crack at how bad this situation is before we begin, but I think that we should be talking about the EPA guidelines.

Along those lines, we know that there are -- this proposal that we're talking about from the EPA to meet smog standards, is there a problem letting individual states then determine how much they are going to try to reduce these smog levels? Frank?

O'DONNELL: Sure. Heidi, there's a very big problem. What the EPA is proposing is to give certain states more flexibility than other states. And when we hear flexibility, history has shown us that lots of flexibility means dirty air for breathers.

And in this case, EPA is really going against the wishes of Congress.

In 1990, Congress wrote very specific requirements into the Clean Air Act for states, because up until that point, states were drawing up all these little cleanup plans that were just terrific on paper. But when it came to reality, they didn't clean up the air. So Congress said you states will have to do very specific things.

What EPA is proposing to do for some areas, not for others, but for areas with about 50 million people, are saying you can go back to having that kind of flexibility like we had before 1990. We know that method is tried and failed.

And I should point out that many of the areas that are getting this added flexibility, if you will, actually have dirtier air than New York City. EPA's own statistics show that areas like Detroit, much of Ohio, South Carolina, West Virginia, all have higher chronic levels of smog than does Queens, New York. Yet all of these areas will get looser requirements under the Bush proposal.

COLLINS: OK. Marlo, I'm going to let you respond to that. And unfortunately, we will be out of time after your response.

LEWIS: Yes, well, these areas that Frank is talking about will have to come into compliance with the eight-hour standard. The question here is whether they will have flexibility in how they do it, rather than whether EPA will prescribe the manner for them.

And I think Frank is really reviving old thinking here. I think most people who deal with these matters believe that the centrally planned prescriptive method were adequate to deal with the air pollution problems of the '70s. But now, as we reach for the higher and higher fruit on the tree, we have to be more flexible and take into account factors of cost, because the more you clean the air, the more expensive it becomes to clean that last little component of pollution out of the air.

COLLINS: And the question will always be, who will pay for it.

All right. I appreciate your time to both of you today, sorry that we ran out of time. Frank O'Donnell from the Clean Air Trust and Marlo Lewis from the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Thank you again, gentlemen, very much.

O'DONNELL: Thank you, Heidi. Appreciate it.

LEWIS: Thank you.

COLLINS: Next up on NEXT@CNN, what to do and what not to do if you want to take your search for a new job online.

And a new species is discovered. You can see why it's taken so long to find it.

We'll be back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They've been waiting years for this thing to bloom at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Orchids are nature's delicacies. But related to asparagus? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're kidding.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Asparagus? Weird.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Its DNA reveals orchids are closer kin to asparagus than lilies. Beneath that beautiful facade lurks the DNA of a 90 million-year-old plant that experts say evolved new shapes and sizes to survive. Some even took to living in trees.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Orchids have exploited just about every niche on the planet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They became lookers to compete with other flashy bloomers in luring pollinating insects.

One person skeptical about this orchid-asparagus relationship is orchid curator Becky Brinkman.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: DNA sequencing is a good tool in establishing relationships among plants but there are lots of things to take into account. I won't be sauteeing them anytime soon, I don't think.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some chefs are serving them up. They are edible.

Chuck Johannis (ph) of Nicolai's Route West (ph) in Atlanta relished the news and quickly whipped up a dish you might call all in the family.

Foie gras, white asparagus with orchid vinaigrette.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can cook orchids, but we mainly use it for the garnish.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Relationships aside, for the ultimate pleasure, most recommend you eat the asparagus and feast your eyes on the orchids.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Beautiful.

Well, in environment news this week, the Spanish government is suing the American Shipping Bureau over last November's oil spill, which dumped 85,000 tons of crude oil off the French and Spanish coasts.

The AFB is the organization responsible for certifying the ships are safe and seaworthy. The five billion dollar lawsuit filed in U.S. court says the bureau should have known the oil tanker Prestige was in no shape to travel.

Spain says damage costs already exceed $1 billion.

These are the first images now of the world's smallest known species of seahorse. Tiny orange and smaller than most finger nails, it is almost impossible to spot.

Marine biologist, Sarah Lourie, who identified the new species, named it Hippocampus Denise after an underwater photographer, Denise Tackett.

The species lives in the coral reefs of the western Pacific, where seahorses are often poached for Asian medicine.

May is college graduation season and that, of course, means thousands of first-time job seekers are hitting the streets and job hunting web sites.

It's a cyber-jungle out there, and here to give us guidance is author and researcher Pam Dixon. Her latest book, "Job Searching Online for Dummies," is in its second edition.

Welcome to you and thanks so much for being here. We appreciate it.

PAM DIXON, "JOB SEARCHING ONLINE FOR DUMMIES" AUTHOR: Thank you.

COLLINS: Tell us, with so many graduates looking for jobs this summer, there have got to be some options out there, even though there is such a tight job market. What would they be?

DIXON: Well, there's all sorts of options. The first one, of course, and a lot of college grads wouldn't even begin to think about this because it's not hip, but check out our college career counselor. Believe it or not, they are some of the most connected people on the planet in terms of really boosting your chances of getting a good job.

Also, your college career counselor, even if you've already graduated, they can take a look at your resume and they can proof it for you and that is invaluable, absolutely priceless information there.

Also, for someone who has a very highly specialized major, maybe they're graduating with a masters or even a Ph.D., a head headhunter is not a horrible option for them. They really -- They would need to be specialized for that.

Other than that you're going to be out there and you're going to need to do all of the things we've always heard that we need to do. We need to pound the pavement, get our resume out there, and we also need to pound the Internet these days.

COLLINS: And speaking of, because we were just seeing a whole lot of computers on our screen there, should we be posting resumes online?

DIXON: Well, there are a couple things I have to say about that. I'll tell you, posting a resume online can be a very good thing, but there are now known risks associated with doing that that a lot of people are unfortunately not aware of.

If you're going to send your resume, by all means, if you want to work for a company, let's say an IBM, a Ford, or a nonprofit, wherever, do go ahead and e-mail or post your resume directly to that company web site. There's no harm or no foul involved in doing that. You're going to be perfectly safe.

But if you decide to go ahead and take your chances and post your resume like on a HotJobs or Careerbuilder or whatever, one of the larger job sites or even a smaller job site, be careful. Because there are some risks.

Always post your resume privately and be careful that you are only giving out certain information, for example, your name and your address, but not your social security number.

COLLINS: Right. And Pam, you shouldn't leave your resume online for very long, right?

DIXON: Well, here's the deal. If you go to some sites, especially sites that, for example, do not have a privacy policy, believe it or not, it's just shocking, but it's unfortunately true, sites can go ahead and keep your resume for as long as they want and they can also sell it. And believe it or not some do.

And for example, your resumes can be often sold for about 33 cents apiece. And they're not being sold to employers, by the way. They're being sold to people who send your spam about, you know, HGH or debt-free.

So it's really important that you go ahead and you post your resume privately. Make sure you can delete your resume when you're done with your job search and then have a disposable e-mail address so that when you're done with your job search, you just turn that e-mail address off.

COLLINS: All right. Pam Dixon, thanks so much. Kind of depressing to think my whole resume, my whole career is just 33 cents and they sell it. All right, Pam Dixon, once again, we appreciate your time today.

DIXON: Thank you.

COLLINS: Hey, fun and games. Up next, lots of offerings unveiled at the annual video game trade show that just ended in Los Angeles. Our Daniel Sieberg checks out some of the very best.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID KIRKPATRICK, "FORTUNE" EDITOR: Once you start moving around with a computer, what you want is the same set of functionality regardless of the size of the device. Something on which you can go on the Internet, you can send e-mail.

I think, over time, more and more people are just going to travel with a souped-up PDA that is also a cell phone.

Certainly, all devices are going toward a smaller, more portable form factor, which increasingly can do all the same things as a laptop.

One thing that hasn't happened yet that has to happen soon is Y5 (ph) wireless technology has to begin working with PDAs. This Y5 (ph) technology that's going into every coffee shop, hotel, airport, it's sort of being initially oriented towards portable PCs. But it makes more sense for it to work with PDAs, and I think you'll see that happening more and more.

Everything is becoming a communicator. Everything wants to go in your pocket, and everything is going to be driven by voice and e-mail.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Our Daniel Sieberg has been doing some big game hunting in L.A. this week. The video game trade show known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo or X-3 (sic) wrapped up yesterday.

Here's Daniel now with a look at some of the highlights.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Well, here the E- 3, picking some of the best games is no small task. There are thousands of them here on the show floor.

To make that a little easier, I'm joined by Dan Tsu. He's the editor-in-chief of "Electronic Gaming Monthly."

Dan, is it just me or are there a lot of sequel titles here at the show.

DAN TSU, "ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY:" You know, that's what's going to sell is -- it's always going to be licensed products or movies -- or games based on the big movies out there and sequels. You know, everyone -- it's hard to get excited about a new, original product until you've actually played it. So what everyone's looking forward to are the new "Halos," new "Metal Gear Solids," (ph) new "Half Lifes," all of that stuff.

SIEBERG: Let's start with "Half Life 2," then, for the PC. What do you think of that title?

TSU: You know what? So far, that's my game of the show. It's incredible technology. All the other developers are using it to build their own games. It just looks amazing and has a great feel for it.

The first game set high standards for the first person shooter genre, so this one's going to be even better.

SIEBERG: "Halo 2," is that living up to expectations?

TSU: Yes. You know, you should see the people watching the trailer from the audience. It's incredible. Everyone's cheering over the littlest things. Because it's just an incredible game. It looks like a science fiction movie packed full of action, shooting, explosions, aliens everywhere. So that's going to be fun.

SIEBERG: That's a trailer because the game will be coming out probably next...

TSU: Yes, 2004.

SIEBERG: Now for the PS2, what's the big title out there right now?

TSU: You know, the one that's making a lot of noise, "Metal Gear Solid 3" is making a lot of buzz.

"Gran Turismo 4," I think, is the one a lot of people are excited about, because you can actually play it here at E-3. And that's going to be a lot of new cars, better graphics, online play. So "Gran Turismo 4" is an exciting one for PS2.

SIEBERG: And how about Game Cube? Is there a recognizable title for that one, as well?

TSU: Yes. We have a couple of big ones: "Mario Card Double Dash." That's going to be huge. We haven't seen a Mario card in quite awhile, since the Nintendo 64 days. This one is an updated one for the Game Cube.

And also, you have "Rogue Squadron 3: Rebel Strength," which is a follow-up to "Rogue Leader," which was a big "Star Wars" game for the Game Cube when it first came out. Just more "Star Wars" action from the original trilogy, so not the crappy episodes 1 and 2.

SIEBERG: All right. Well, Dan Tsu, editor-in-chief of "Electronic Gaming Monthly," thanks so much for joining us here. And we'll probably be coming back with a sequel of our own as we keep an eye on all of the thousands of games here on the show floor at E-3.

Daniel Sieberg, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Thanks, Daniel. And that is all we have time for today.

But among our stories tomorrow, "The Matrix: Reloaded" is a hot ticket this weekend. We'll find out how the filmmakers created all those cool special effects. We hope you'll be watching.

And ahead on CNN, "CNN LIVE SATURDAY" coming up at the top of the hour. That followed by "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" with a look at Madonna and Shania Twain at 5 p.m. eastern time. And "CNN LIVE SATURDAY" at 6 p.m. eastern.

But before all of that, a look at the latest headlines, after a quick break.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





Soon Become Extinct; E-3 Video Game Convention Ends in L.A.>