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Troops Home for Thanksgiving; Holiday Violence in Iraq; Aruba Arrests
Aired November 22, 2007 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning again everyone. You're with CNN, you're informed. I'm Tony Harris.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi everybody and happy thanksgiving. I'm Heidi Collins. Developments keep coming into the CNN NEWSROOM on November 22nd. Here is what's on the rundown. Smoke over Baghdad. Insurgents target American troops and diplomats with new violence this Thanksgiving Day. A developing story.
HARRIS: Home from war. American troops back in their family's arms. A holiday to remember.
COLLINS: More and more young women dying from heart disease, six times more than breast cancer. Our guest tells us why this hour in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: At the top of this hour we want to try to get you the latest information that we have on the mortars landing inside the -- Heidi, you were just asking the question, we were both asking a question just moments ago if there was any new information. Just trying to round up as much as we can on the reporting out of Baghdad. Several mortars landing in Baghdad's heavily fortified green zone. That's where, as you know, the U.S. military is there in large numbers, and on this day obviously celebrating thanksgiving. No initial reports of casualties right now, but there it is, kind of a mock-up of what that green zone looks like. It really is a sprawling area. Not uncommon for insurgents to lob these mortars and rockets into the green zone, but the reporting over months now is that usually they result in no casualties. So, as you can see, a lot of smoke here. The latest pictures into the CNN NEWSROOM. We are going to keeping an eye on this situation. We know that Michael Ware is trying to round up as much new information as he can on this situation. When he's ready, we'll bring him up and get the latest reporting from Michael.
COLLINS: New developments in a 2 1/2-year-old mystery. Three suspects rearrested in the disappearance of Alabama teen Natalee Holloway in Aruba. One of the suspects expected in court in the Netherlands anytime now. Our Phil Black reports from outside the courthouse.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Joran van der Sloot was first named as a suspect and arrested in connection with the disappearance of Natalee Holloway two years ago. He was then released because of lack of evidence, but he has now been arrested again here in the Netherlands because of new evidence that prosecutors in Aruba say is incriminating, and they want him to return to Aruba to face new charges. Van der Sloot is due to appear in the courtroom behind me this afternoon in what officials here describe is a formality to arrange his return to Aruba. Aruba is a former Dutch colony, so therefore, there is no need for a formal extradition request. It is believed the process will be quite straightforward and quite quick. We are told that within days Van der Sloot could have returned to Aruba to face these new charges. Phil Black, CNN, the Netherlands.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Without a trace. The FBI joins the search for a Mississippi college student who vanished more than one week ago. Latasha Norman was last seen November 13th after a class at Jackson State University. Authorities say Norman filed police reports recently after someone slashed the tires on her car. And an ex- boyfriend is accused of hitting her. Police say they've gotten dozens of calls on the case, but so far nothing has panned out, and they have no suspects.
HARRIS: A thanksgiving in the war zone. Let's check in on our troops far from home and far from loved ones on this holiday. CNN's Morgan Neill, he is with members of the third infantry division in Arab Jabour, Iraq and Morgan good morning to you.
MORGAN NEILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony. That's right. Well, the army has made a special effort to make sure that these soldiers based out of Ft. Stewart, Georgia, could get their thanksgiving dinner, but even as some here were eating their turkey and pecan pie, others were out on picket duty or on guard duty keeping up a presence that's made a big difference here.
HARRIS: And Morgan, if you would, talk us through what this day -- you talked about some of the soldiers out on patrol, but -- and we can see in the pictures here that the soldiers are having their way with the traditional thanksgiving meal. What are they saying to you? What are their thoughts on this Thanksgiving Day?
NEILL: Well, for a lot of these guys one of the things that we heard halfway in jest this morning was that the word around here is that in the army every day is a Monday, but today was a break from that. Today they did get this special meal, a meal that they had to bring in -- they had to send out a route clearance team ahead of time in order to get that here. The army has taken that special effort. The guys here do appreciate it. Something to break up the day-to-day work that they've done here, very dangerous work in an area that just five months ago was filled with Al Qaeda and with insurgents. Tony?
HARRIS: Yeah. All right, Morgan Neill, and something to add to this. Just received a note just moments ago that President Bush has had an opportunity to talk to troops from Camp David on this Thanksgiving Day. The president phoned members of the armed forces who are stationed overseas to wish them a happy thanksgiving as you would expect and to thank them for their service to our nation. Maybe we will see a picture of that a little later, but the president extending his thanks and a happy thanksgiving to the troops overseas fighting for America. All right. Thank you. Morgan, thanks.
COLLINS: A huge celebration under way in New York right now. The Thanksgiving Day parade. CNN's Jason Carroll has been all over it. He is live on the streets of New York right now. And Jason, you know what, you're really lucky because we were going to show some of the video of you last year. Actually I don't even know if you can hear me right now because you're -- are you there? Can you hear me? Go ahead, Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ok, so now you can hear me. I can't hear you, but as long as you can hear me, that's good enough. The parade has actually passed by us, you guys. Passed by a short while ago, but what a parade it was. You could not have asked for better weather. Big change from last year when it was freezing. This year, warm, balmy weather. Again, let's show you some of the highlights from the parade. We saw what, some 1900 cheerleaders that came by the parade. The audience clapped every single time these girls came by. But, of course, the big, big draw for this parade are those giant helium balloons, 11 of them. Shrek, one of the key favorites out here. Also some of the old time favorites, Scooby-Doo, Snoopy and other favorites. Don't trust me. Talk to the people who are out here watching the parade. Some of them have graciously stayed by to tell us what they saw. What were your thoughts on the parade?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love the parade, the atmosphere, (INAUDIBLE).
CARROLL: Another new balloon. Some of your thoughts?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like (INAUDIBLE) -- hi, everybody. I'm here.
CARROLL: You told me you were from Brooklyn that's right. I know I mentioned Scooby-Doo. This is not Scooby-Doo, but close enough. What are some of your thoughts on the parade, I see you brought your partner out here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My partner is Solomon and he comes out every year to the parade. He loves the balloons. But I just wanted to see his major reaction actually it was to the clowns on the stilts and the horses.
CARROLL: Solomon, that's my mike, man, that's mine.
And of course I don't want to forget you Jackie. Jackie is an aspiring journalism student herself from North Carolina. So, Jackie take the mike, give me your quick assessment of what you think of the parade?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I see it every year. I have lived here all my life (INAUDIBLE). It's really fun to see it and it's really just a great sight, and I can't believe how lucky we were with this weather. I don't even know where it came from. It's awesome.
CARROLL: Jackie, I think she has a career in broadcast journalism. Thanks very much. Really appreciate it. So once again, the parade has made its way this way, some 30 blocks down. Santa Claus has passed us by. The parade is still going on. It's got 30 more blocks or so to go. So, for some of those who are out here, they're still going to be enjoying this beautiful weather and I'm sure they're thankful for the weather and the parade. Back to you.
COLLINS: Yeah Jason, it's pretty amazing, no jacket for you, no jackets for some of the kids behind you. Santa must have been sweating up there. Oh there's piccaciu, there's a live shot now. Piccaciu, only because I am the mother of a fan of Pokemon and all of those crazy little characters.
HARRIS: Pokemon ---
COLLINS: So you know way, way more than I do. We just got a book and I guess there are like 17 new creatures in some strange land. I don't get it. But he's cute.
HARRIS: Where is the bulbasaur(ph) float. I probably do know a little bit too much about this.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Unnecessary or justifiable force? You decide. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Turn around. Put your hands behind your back now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is wrong with you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Turn around. Turn around!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What the heck is wrong with you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, oh!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lay on the ground!
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And he drops like a rock. So an investigation into this taser incident, gaining steam in Utah. The video was posted on You tube. It shows as you just saw there a second ago, a Utah highway patrolman using a taser on a man he pulled over for speeding. Now, the suspected speeder had refused to sign his ticket. The dash cam video made its way to You tube thanks to the tasered driver. He got it by filing a public records request. Here we go again. Man.
COLLINS: An early morning explosion caught on tape by a CNN i- Reporter. Wow. The explosion not enough to disable that horn either. This i-Report video captured just a couple of hours ago at an apartment complex outside Ft. Lauderdale. The parking lot is so close to the fire department. We're told it took about five minutes for firefighters to get there. HARRIS: And still to come in the NEWSROOM this morning, it is killing more and more young women, and you need to know why. Heidi has a conversation just a couple moments with an expert on heart disease. That's ahead in the NEWSROOM. But first, thanksgiving greetings from our troops.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi I'm Sgt. 1st Class Kemilah Diane Cox. I'd like to give a holiday greeting out to my son, my baby, Malik Cox. Hi, mom and dad. Happy holidays and I will see you son. Love you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is Specialist Ernesto Hanson, I'm currently stationed in Baghdad in Operation Iraqi Freedom and I want to say a happy thanksgiving to my uncle, in North Miami Beach.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. My name is Charlene Tate and I'm from Marietta, Georgia. On behalf of the men and women proudly serving in Afghanistan we want to wish you all a safe and happy thanksgiving. I also want to give a special shout out to my favorite team, the Atlanta Falcons. Wishing you guys a great season and a great game against the Indianapolis Colts. Thank you all for your support. God bless, and go falcons!
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM everyone, happy thanksgiving. I'm Tony Harris. He rang a bell for charity and asked for donations. What did he do with the money? The arrest just ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: It's taking a deadly toll on young women, heart disease. A new study shows a troubling turn for women under the age of 45. Sounding the alarm, Dr. Nieca Goldberg, she is the author of "Women's Healthy Heart Program." Her upcoming book, Dr. Nieca Goldberg's "Complete Guide to Women's Health." She is also medical director of the New York University school of medicine's women's heart program. Dr. Goldberg is in New York with us this morning. Well you are certainly the person to talk to about this study. In fact, if you wouldn't mind, doctor, could you sort of break it down for us a little bit about the main findings here?
DR. NIECA GOLDBERG, NYU WOMEN'S HEART PROGRAM: The main findings of the recent study shows that the death rates due to heart disease have decreased in both men and women, but there was an alarming statistic that more women under the age of 45 are having heart attacks. That is because there is a big gap in women's awareness on heart disease risk.
COLLINS: So you think that's the main reason then? People just don't seem to understand that it's not breast cancer, it's not ovarian cancer possibly. I'm just thinking of a lot of things that women are concerned with. It's heart disease.
GOLDBERG: Well a survey done by the American Heart Association last year showed that women under the age of 45 were more likely to think of breast cancer as their greatest health threat. Unfortunately, its heart disease, and we really need to raise women's awareness. What was even more disturbing about the recent study is the fact that more young women have obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Also, other important risk factors for young women are smoking, family history, and lack of exercise.
COLLINS: Wow. That's an awful lot of factors to be looking at. It also seems like women have some different symptoms than men. What's so different between the sexes?
GOLDBERG: Well, when I went to medical school, I was told that a heart attack was going to be 165 pound businessman clutching his chest.
COLLINS: Yeah.
GOLDBERG: But in particular, especially in young women, they may not have chest discomfort at all. They may have shortness of breath, and unusual fatigue. Some women get the pressure lower down in their chest. Often times they go to the doctor and they're told that they're having a panic attack, but, in fact, they may well have heart disease.
COLLINS: Wow. Why is it then that we just don't hear very much about women and heart disease?
GOLDBERG: For a long time the medical community thought that heart disease was a disease of men and older women, and it wasn't until the past 10 or 15 years that we found that more women were dying of heart disease, and research efforts are being focused. But I still think that we need more research on why these young women are dying of heart attacks and also that doctors need to be very aggressive in counseling young women about their risk factors. For instance, most women don't realize that you should have your first cholesterol test when you're in your 20s so you could know where you stand on the spectrum of heart disease risk. Although thanksgiving is a rather challenging holiday to eat a healthy diet, I mean some important tips are actually when you eat the turkey, to take the skin off so you can reduce the fat in your diet and cranberries are very rich in heart healthy anti-oxidants. If you want to have a little stuffing, then you pass up the rolls because it's very important for everyone to reduce their intake of sugars and starches and really to eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains and decrease their saturated fat.
COLLINS: And it's so hard to do on thanksgiving, but really some good advice there. Quickly, before we let you go. You say 10 to 15 years that we have known that women are really at risk for heart disease. What needs to be done, what is the number one thing that needs to be done by way of raising awareness here?
GOLDBERG: Well the number one thing that has to be done is when women go to the doctor, every single woman, no matter what her age, has to be screened for heart disease risk factors when she goes to the doctor. If your doctor doesn't tell you what your heart disease risk factors are, you ask. So at the very least, you should be getting your blood pressure, your cholesterol and your sugar checked to make sure you're not diabetic.
COLLINS: All right, excellent, we appreciate your being with us today and drawing some more attention to this. Doctor Nieca Goldberg, again, thank you, and happy thanksgiving to you.
GOLDBERG: Happy thanksgiving.
COLLINS: Catching up with Youssif. Remember him? A burned Iraqi boy that many of you helped, takes a break in his treatment for a day of fun. We'll show you the story coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Pronounced dead. He lay there more than six hours. Zach Dunlap classified as a motor vehicle fatality in Oklahoma, but just as tubes were being removed and his organs were about to be harvested, the 21-year-old reached out and touched a nurse's arm.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TROOPER BETSY RANDOLPH, OKLAHOMA STATE POLICE: The nurse obviously in a panic, you know, very frightened, runs from the room, tells the doctor, the attending doctor there, that this young man is still alive. The doctor tries to calm her down. He tells her look, this is something that happens. The body, the reflexes. He goes into this big, you know, long, this happens, its reflexes. You know trying to get her to calm down. And she says I don't think you understand, this young man is still alive. So she gets the doctor, they go back into the room, and sure enough Zachary is alive.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Can you imagine that nurse? Freaked out!
COLLINS: Yeah, very.
HARRIS: Ok, so hospital officials say Dunlap is on life support with serious head and internal injuries. His family obviously calling this a miracle.
COLLINS: Absolutely. We're going to follow that story, too.
Also, truly a day of thanksgiving for one Iraqi boy. Your donations helped bring Youssif to the U.S. for treatment of severe burns. He has many more surgeries to come, but CNN's Arwa Damon found him far from the hospital, and she joins us now. Arwa, we love this story. We love hearing about Youssif and how he is doing.
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, it really has been such an incredible journey for this family, a journey of firsts. They are going to be experiencing their first thanksgiving, and it's also been a physical but also emotional transformation for little Youssif. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAMON (voice-over): its eight weeks since we last saw Youssif but the changes are obvious. For now the surgery on his burn scars make his face look worse before it gets better, but mentally he's a happier child. More outgoing. It makes me happier than he is to see him like this, his father, who doesn't want to be identified, says. The family is about to experience an American thanksgiving, an almost unimaginable contrast to the day in Baghdad in January when attackers doused Youssif in gasoline and set him on fire. But first a day to build Youssif's self-confidence. We're at Canyon Creek Camp near Los Angeles. Keely Quinn with the Children's Burn Foundation is leading a day for kids who are burn survivors.
KEELY QUINN, CHILDREN'S BURN FOUNDATION: It is a day of fun, but we're also going to do some activities that are a little more challenging and confidence-building.
DAMON: There are three kids here with their families. Youssif, 7-year-old Walter burned in a car accident, and 4-year-old Dami who was burned in an accidental explosion. I'm not scared, Youssif declares watching the others scale the wall. That is until he actually got up there. But here everyone is a hero, something that's reinforced by Bonnie, burned when she was 18 months.
BONNIE WEATHERBEE, BURN SURVIVOR: We're not freaks, and we're not contagious.
DAMON: All these families have dealt with hostility or ignorance. But not here. The families draw themselves and build homes, safe places. This is mommy, Youssif says. There's glitter, too. Youssif has never seen it before. I lead the glitter war. Despite the laughter, the past months haven't been easy. It's hard being a foreigner, his father says. God willing, things will go well. The doctor said the next surgery is going to be harder, and that we need to be ready for that. His mother breaks down just thinking about home. But the mood lightens when we talk about thanksgiving. We're all going to Keely's house.
QUINN: They're making fun of my cooking.
DAMON: They don't know much about the holiday, but Youssif's family knows how lucky they are to be here.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
DAMON: But, Heidi, as thankful as Youssif's parents are to be in the United States, his mother says that she does actually often think about all of the other Iraqi children that are also in desperate need of help and prays that one day perhaps they, too, will have the same opportunity to heal like her little boy.
COLLINS: We love these updates on him. Quickly Arwa, before we let you go, just to remind everybody, I think from the story that you had done in the past, the reason why Youssif's skin is protruding in certain parts is because they're trying to stretch that skin, right, so that it could go back in a little more normal fashion, correct?
DAMON: Exactly. What they did two months ago is they put in tissue expanders underneath his chin and into his right cheek. Over the last two months the doctors have been inflating those with a saline solution. When he goes into his next surgery that newly grown skin is going to replace the scar tissue. They will be removing that thick scarring and stretching that skin over it. So there are still many surgeries facing this little boy, but he does put on such a brave face.
COLLINS: He really does. I love the go cart riding, too. Arwa, thanks so much for the update. We will continue to check in with you and with Youssif as well.
And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM on this Thanksgiving Day. Hi everybody, I'm Heidi Collins.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Developments unfolding this morning in the Natalee Holloway investigation. Three suspects in the Alabama teen's disappearance in Aruba back in custody. Authorities say they have new evidence but they aren't saying exactly what it is. Holloway's father just wants answers.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
VOICE OF DAVE HOLLOWAY, NATALEE HOLLOWAY'S FATHER: You know, all along we've known that they have been the three primary suspects or the three persons who were last seen with our daughter, Natalee. The Dutch and the prosecutor in Aruba I think they're on the right track, and I think they're committed as well as we are to finding answers for Natalee and getting justice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: A suspect Joran van der Sloot is due in court in the Netherlands today. The other two suspects, the Kalpoe brothers, Satish and Deepak, go before a judge in Aruba tomorrow. Natalee Holloway has missing since May of 2005.
COLLINS: Many of you know CNN's Rick Sanchez. Now meet his family. Three generations grateful to be living in the U.S.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: OK. So a couple more great shots. Look at that thing. Huge. This is a new balloon for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Of course, it is Shrek, got those funky ears of an ogre, ears of an ogre. Wow. Did very well this year, too. Last year things didn't go to hot. Terrible, terrible weather shut the whole thing down.
And there is Kermie. We love Kermie, don't we? Also green. Maybe the theme was green. A lot of green floats out there, green people on the ground.
I think we also have perhaps the most important appearance of all, Santa and his reindeer. There he is coming on in the sleigh. All the screaming and yelling from the kids watching on the sidelines of the parade. Excellent, excellent day. And, you know, I think we all have Reynolds Wolf to thank for that. Reynolds, this is just --
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Want to show you this story now, and it is a good one, too. From the war front to the home front, returning troops giving loved ones lots to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Check out reunions at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's just no way to describe how happy and thankful I am to have this guy at home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nice to be home and see my kids again.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The kids. It makes it better for them to be able to have their dad home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm glad to have my son home for Thanksgiving. We got a big celebration for him back in Florida. We are going to have a big party and we're going fishing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm very thankful, and I have been waiting for this day for it seems like --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Almost a year, 12 months.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who are you waiting to see?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Daddy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obviously words cannot express how excited I am. It's an honor to go to Iraq and do what we can to protect our country. It's for people like this we do that for. That's why it's so precious to be home right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: It is great stuff, isn't it? This was actually the video was shot this morning right here at the airport, such a terrific thing to see.
We, of course, want to wish a heartfelt thanks to all of the troops and their families on this Thanksgiving Day. You can see it again.
You know, it's fantastic at Atlanta airport, you know, when you go sort of underneath to get ready to go through security there's the rotunda there. Whenever anybody is coming home, they walk through with the American flag. They announce what troop it is, and everyone stands up and claps and applauds, and it's one of the most emotional, wonderful things that I have ever seen. And you stand there all alone and you can't help but cry. So we certainly do appreciate their service. We're going to have more from the troops coming up in just a moment right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is Major Fred West stationed with the first brigade in Iraq. I'd like to wish a happy Thanksgiving to my brother Jim and his wife, Jenny in Georgia. I love and I miss you and I'll be home soon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Edward Johnson in Kabul, Afghanistan. I'm originally from South Carolina. I'd like to wish all my friends and family a happy holidays. Go get them, Tigers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Greetings. My name is specialist Kristen Simmons (ph). I'm currently stationed in Baghdad, Iraq. I would like to say happy Thanksgiving to the Simmons, the Singleton family from Charleston, South Carolina, Somerville area. Thank you, happy holidays.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, my name is Lieutenant Cash (ph) stationed in Baghdad, Iraq. I'd like to wish a happy Thanksgiving to my brother and his wife in Raleigh, North Carolina. I love you guys, and take care. See you next year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: You know, a nip here a tuck there, but here is the thing. Having plastic surgery is serious business and it's important to choose the right surgeon. Medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen here with some advice to make you an empowered patient and to avoid a plastic surgery nightmare very much in the news recently.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yes. With Donda West's death this is very much in the news. So we have been saying choose your plastic surgeon carefully.
But what we haven't really said is exactly how you can do that because this is not an easy thing. It's not like choosing a good cantaloupe at the market.
This is something you need to know what you're doing. So we have written a column on CNN.com/health that tells you how to be an empowered patient and sends you to exactly the right Web sites so you can do all the right things and ask all the right questions.
So there are five hints. I'm going it tell you three of them right now about how to choose a good plastic surgeon. So first of all, what you want to do is you want to make sure that your surgeon is board certified. All right, this is a no-brainer. One expert basically said to me you have to be an idiot to choose a surgeon to do plastic surgery who isn't board certified to do it because that means they've taken certain kinds of tests, they've taken certain kinds of oral exams, the whole thing. So they're certified, they have continuing education. And then the other two is you need to ask, does this guy have any malpractice judgments against him? That's pretty crucial. And we send you to all the Web sites where you can find that out.
The third one is does he or she have hospital privileges? And the reason that's important is that a lot of plastic surgery procedures are done at some outpatient clinic and just like a strip mall somewhere.
So if your surgeon doesn't have privileges at a hospital to do the procedure you're getting, that means the hospital didn't want him. That's bad. If a hospital won't let them do the procedure at their hospital, you don't want them doing the procedure on you.
HARRIS: Getting a plastic surgery in a strip mall and complications and then it's a whole nightmare for you. There are so many of these shows on the air about plastic surgery. Is it having an impact on the way people go about choosing a surgeon?
COHEN: Plastic surgeons tell us it really is. They say patients come in and they think it's going to be exactly like it is in the reality shows. In fact, I talked to one patient who saw a surgeon on television and she sought him out. She said he must be good. He's on TV.
Well got to tell you, television networks don't necessarily choose the absolutely best doctors to put on television. Maybe they choose them because they're good looking. You want to be careful of that. Just because they're on television doesn't mean they're the best surgeon for you.
HARRIS: And folks need to be reminded, you think about plastic surgery and maybe folks think it's minor surgery. These are serious procedures that we're talking about, a lot of cases.
COHEN: People think it's like getting your nails done, and it's not. There are serious procedures. Someone is about to stick a knife in you.
So you want to make sure this person is terrific. So when you sit down for the presurgical meetings, you don't want to be swayed by how terrific they seem to be. You want to be asking the right questions. If you go to CNN.com/health, empowered patient, we actually have a link to a list of questions that you ought to be asking your potential plastic surgeon.
HARRIS: You are doing such good work with this column.
COHEN: Thank you.
HARRIS: Good stuff. Great advice, great tips. Happy Thanksgiving.
COHEN: Happy Thanksgiving to you.
HARRIS: Appreciate it, good to see you. COHEN: Good to see you.
HARRIS: He rang a bell for charity. He asked for donations. Here is the question -- what did he do with the money? The arrest and the story, straight ahead for you in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: It's a time to give, but for some it is also a time to take. A Salvation Army bell ringer is in jail this morning accused of stealing a kettle worth $127. Here is what Terry Gordon told a local TV station.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TERRY GORDON, ADMITS TAKING SALVATION ARMY KETTLE: I took the Salvation Army bucket and took off with it and that's how I got a place to sleep at night. I didn't get it because I was taking from the homeless or whatever, you know. I am homeless. I'm trying to do it for me and my girl.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Gordon says they spent the money on dinner and a room for the night at a nearby motel. Gordon is expected to make a court appearances the day after Christmas.
HARRIS: His parents fled Cuba in the '60s for a new life in the United States. Their family now spans three generations, all grateful on this Thanksgiving Day. CNN's Rick Sanchez introduces us to his family.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Savannah, hey, nice catch. What could be more than American than tossing around a football? Shooting pool or preparing a Thanksgiving meal? Three generations here in the U.S., and my family is now as American as arroz. Well, OK, it's not apple pie.
How do you say beans?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Arroz. Fritas.
SANCHEZ: Frijoles.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Frijoles.
SANCHEZ: My parents left Cuba during the revolution, fleeing poverty and the fear of communism. They came to the U.S. and settled in Miami.
You have to work in the hotels in Miami Beach. You would work one, two, three jobs all in one day. Not a lot of time to learn how to speak English. As a child of immigrants, I'm in the middle. To my parents, I speak Spanish. For my wife, I speak English. Tell me what we got for dinner.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have the prime rib, turkey.
SANCHEZ: Now, that's not very Cuban, is it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's not even American for Thanksgiving.
SANCHEZ: Then there's my kids. For them it's really confusing. Spanish doesn't come too easy.
In our household, dinner begins with grace sometimes in two languages.
Do you remember your first Thanksgiving in the United States? The immigrant experience is passed down by stories. Dad's car broke down on the highway on his way home from work. There were seven of us in a two-bedroom apartment on 29th Street with one bathroom.
For my kids, it's tough to get. They are proud of their Cuban heritage and of the sacrifices their grandparents made.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know my grandparents fought to come here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really just pity those that have to go through all those hardships like they did.
SANCHEZ: Was there a sacrifice? I bet it was hard for you to get that. Is it? Do you get it, what did they go through?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cuba, Fidel Castro.
SANCHEZ: Fidel Castro, you got it. They had to leave everything behind, right? Start over. And they had to work harder so that me and my brothers could go to school so we could -- they put their children before themselves.
A toast to three generations of our family in the United States. To when my mom and dad came to this country and look at us now, huh? Cheers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Salute.
SANCHEZ: Rick Sanchez, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Things not to eat this Thanksgiving. We'll give you a full serving of reasons why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So you feel like you're feeding an army this thanksgiving? Maybe you need the big old 72-pounder. Check out this baby right here. Man. Well, it was 85 pounds alive. Richard Portnoy, there he is there.
COLLINS: Why is it only 72 now?
HARRIS: Good question. Inquiring minds want to know. So here's what Richard did. He picked up the turkey -- now everybody is chiming in.
Hope he had some help in picking this big baby up. He sent us the i-Report as you can see right here. He dubbed the bird, funny guy, Barry Bonds.
So for more than 20 years Richard had, you know, a friendly competition with family members over who had and would grow the largest turkey, and after this big baby, well, he's retired. There you go.
COLLINS: Yeah. I just want to say they are making me do this next story. This is not a story that I wanted to do. So here you go. Be careful what you eat any day of the year.
The "New England Journal of Medicine" brings us this story. An 18-year-old woman was sick, weight loss, pain and swelling in her abdomen. Doctors found something, all right, and now this is where it gets really nasty. If you want to turn away, turn away. I strongly suggest it. It was a 10-pound hairball.
HARRIS: Look at this! Man! Way to ruin our chicken dinner.
COLLINS: Fifteen inches by seven inches. Doctors removed it and she got well. The young woman had a medical condition. She said she had been eating her own hair for years.
HARRIS: So she's OK now?
COLLINS: I can't believe we'll end the show like this.
HARRIS: Yes.
COLLINS: "YOUR WORLD TODAY" is next with news happening across the globe and right here at home.
HARRIS: And we leave you with another look at those wonderful reunions between soldiers and their families this morning at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. I'm Tony Harris.
COLLINS: And I'm Heidi Collins. Have an excellent and very happy Thanksgiving everybody.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nice to be home and see my kids again.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The kids. It makes it better for them to be able to have their dad home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm glad to have my son home for Thanksgiving. We got a big celebration for him back in Florida. We are going to have a big party and we're going fishing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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