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No Truce Yet Between Israel, Hamas; Avalanche Survivor Shares Story; Analyzing Obama's Golf Game
Aired December 31, 2008 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD (voice-over): Five straight days now of conflict in the Middle East. Days a militant group that supports Hamas has spent months preparing for. The rockets being fired into Israel now were born in this place during a truce.
2008. The year that maybe sucked your stocks or savings dry. The year's almost outta here. Thank goodness there are some things you can do in these last hours to end the year on a positive note.
Champagne won't be the only thing chilled tonight. Much of the country will be, too. 2009 is coming in on the cold.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM. Happy new year. Let's get right to it.
A possible truce in the Middle East is still just talk. Israel and Hamas are letting their weapons do the talking for a fifth straight day. Israeli leaders say the job isn't done yet. So the air strikes continue on Gaza, and more ground forces were headed for the border.
The military even warned people who live near a senior Hamas leader to leave, because they might bomb the neighborhood.
Hamas has fired more than 50 rockets and mortar shells today, landing them deeper into Israel.
While there is no ceasefire, Israel says it will let 2000 tons of food and supplies into Gaza today. The U.N. plans to take in supplies tomorrow. A U.N. worker says there's no fuel or electricity in the territory right now.
Israel says the fact that Hamas is still firing rockets is proof that there's unfinished business in Gaza and no point to a truce.
Let's go to CNN -- our senior CNN international correspondent Nic Robertson. He is in Jerusalem now -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, Israel's prime minister has said that, until Hamas stops firing its rockets, there will be no ceasefire. There was a rumor or the possibility of a two-day ceasefire. The defense minister here was considering a French proposal put forward by the French foreign minister. That now really seems to have been set to one side. The weather, perhaps, holding up hostilities to some degree, perhaps the Israeli air force and military forces running out of some Hamas targets.
So the missiles haven't been falling as heavily on Gaza as they were over the weekend, but still some of the targets that are being sought out -- tunnels linking the Gaza strip to Egypt, that the Israeli government says Hamas uses to bring in missile parts into Gaza, bring in rocket parts; also an Israeli -- a Hamas leader's office, Ismail Haniyeh, the prime minister in Gaza, his offices destroyed in a missile attack today.
Another Hamas leader, Israeli defense forces telling residents around his house that they should move, because his house was going to be targeted. Not clear if he was in it.
And while all that's been going on, Hamas still continuing to fire some of its rockets out from Gaza into Israel, and firing rockets now that we've seen in the past 24 hours going further than their rockets have gone before, about 30 miles.
WHITFIELD: All right. Nic Robertson there in Jerusalem. Thanks so much for that update.
All right. Well, some Arab leaders say Palestinians could have avoided all of this if they weren't so divided. The Arab League is holding an emergency meeting in Cairo today. Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said the terrible massacre would not have happened if Palestinians were united behind one leadership. He went on to say his country can't really help if Palestinians don't help each other.
His comments reflect some Arab governments' anger at Hamas.
Well, it's not clear yet how or even if this figures into the Middle East conflict overall, but someone shot two Israeli citizens at a mall in Denmark today. They're both going to be OK. One was shot in the hand, the other in the leg.
So far police do not have a suspect in custody.
The Israeli air assault against Hamas militants in Gaza has triggered demonstrations here in the U.S. and, frankly, all around the world. CNN's Josh Levs joins us with a look at the protests and what our iReporters are already starting to say -- Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we're hearing from all over the world, as you were just saying. It's really interesting.
Plus, we're getting all of these protest videos from places all over the country. A lot of them getting really large turnouts.
We're going to show you video now from just a couple of them. Let's start off with this. Dearborn, Michigan, as you know, one of the biggest Arab populations in America. Hundreds turned out for this one. They protested the Israeli military actions on Gaza.
We also have this one from Washington, D.C. And the latest reports I saw say several thousand people had ended up taking part in protests in that area, in Washington, D.C., protesting Israeli actions in Gaza.
But Fred, we are also getting some videos from counter-protests. I want to show you one of these here. That one comes to us from Miami. These are some Israel supporters who turned out. They saw that there were a lot of protests on the other side, and they said they wanted to have their voices heard, as well. So they turned out there. You can see what the signs are saying.
Now, along with all this, we're getting iReports from all over the world. Let me just show you some of the ones that we've been receiving on this board right here. For example, we've got, from Reykjavik, Iceland, one of the many places where there have been protests all over the world. And we can show you some of the photos that have been sent to us from there.
We get a continuous supply, especially over the last 24 hours, of protest videos and photos via iReport. And I'll tell you, we have not seen any from counterdemonstrations, but we look for that balance. And if we do get any I'm going to share some of them with you right here.
Now, what we are getting a lot of is iReports giving us their views on whether and how peace could ever be possible in that region.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHUCK BURKHARD, IREPORTER: So for anyone to sit by and say, "Oh, we need peace. We need peace." We all want peace. We're not going to get it until those two parties decide for themselves that they will accept peace. And give diplomacy a chance.
YAMIR BATT, IREPORTER: My appeal to Palestine is, God is mother of nonviolence, peace, communication, dialogue, and appeal of decency, appeal of greater morality is what's going to give Palestinians their ultimate goal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: You can see it's really turned into an interesting conversation with all those different views on different sides.
We encourage you to send your photos, your videos, your stories, just your point of view to iReport.com. Obviously, we want to hear from all sides. And Fred, you know, we're getting a lot each day, each hour at this point. And we expect to get more. We'll keep bringing them to you right here.
WHITFIELD: Yes, and it's so fascinating to hear from so many people, because they're bringing some really great points and, at the same time, sometimes some good questions, too.
LEVS: You know, people want to see peace. They have ideas. Let's hear what they have to say.
WHITFIELD: Yes, like that. All right. Thanks so much, Josh. Appreciate it.
LEVS: Thanks, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, back to what's taken place in the Middle East. The rockets landing in Israel are new and improved. CNN's Paula Hancocks takes us inside the secret factory where these weapons were made and talks to the people who actually made them, later on in this hour.
Democratic congressional leaders say no way. They won't seat Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's choice for U.S. senator. The embattled governor says he's appointed former Illinois attorney general Roland Burris to President-elect Obama's old Senate seat.
Senate Democratic leaders say it's nothing personal against Burris, but they won't seat any senator appointed by Blagojevich, who is accused of trying to sell that seat. The governor's critics say he should resign so his successor can actually appoint the new senator.
Despite heavy opposition from his would-be Senate colleagues, Roland Burris is making the media rounds, trying to rally public support for his appointment.
CNN's Christine Romans interviewed him on "AMERICAN MORNING" today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In normal circumstances, this would be a dream appointment for you. You're someone who has served your state. You are a history-making government official in the state of Illinois. You were the first African-American elected to office in that state.
Yet today, there is this firestorm of criticism about this particular appointment. Now this dream appointment must put you in a very uncomfortable position?
ROLAND BURRIS, NOMINATED TO FILL U.S. SENATE SEAT: Well, it doesn't, because I don't look upon the governor's problems as my problems. I look at the governor's problems as his problems. He'll have to deal with that.
And the governor is still the governor of Illinois. And as a former attorney general of the state, I would, you know, state that you are innocent in our judicial system until you're proven guilty. And I don't see anywhere the governor has been found guilty of anything. And that will take its course in the court of law, and he has to deal with that.
But the fact of him appointing me is an altogether separate situation. And no one will answer the question of whether or not the appointment is legal. (END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Roland Burris says Illinois will be short-changed if he's not seated, with only one vote in the Senate.
It's the kind of list investors and investigators want to examine very closely. Bernard Madoff is expected to disclose his personal assets to the Securities and Exchange Commission today.
Victims of Madoff's alleged $50 billion Ponzi scheme might get a feel for just how much money is available for restitution, perhaps. Among the folks who'd like to take a look at that list, right there, that couple, actors Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick. The celebrity couple are the latest of Madoff's victims to come forward. They haven't disclosed exactly how much money, however, they have lost.
Has 2008 taken a toll on your savings, perhaps? We'll tell you what you can do before midnight tonight to help yourself out.
And blasting into the new year. Around the world from the South Pacific to Southeast Asia, and here, right there, that is, in Hong Kong. Fireworks and festivities ring in 2009.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Weapons that strike fear into Israelis. We'll take you to a secret location in Gaza where Hamas militants assemble rockets.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: One survivor of last weekend's southern British Columbia avalanches is now talking. Jef Adams, you're about to hear during a press conference taking place earlier today. He talks about those harrowing moments with consecutive avalanches taking place.
There were 11 folks all -- in all that were on this mountain. Eight of whom, their bodies were later to be pulled. There were only three survivors. This is one of them, Jef Adams.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEF ADAMS, SURVIVED AVALANCHE: At approximately 1:40 in the afternoon Mike Stier was stuck. Mike Stier was stuck at the base of the mountain getting his sled out when the first slide hit us.
Everybody was down at the bottom, all scattering, running. I stayed there and watched Mike so I wouldn't lose sight of him, because I knew he was going to be buried, and little did I know that I ended up being buried myself. After about being under the snow for a minute or two, Danny dug me out. I got up, asked who we were missing? He said Mike. I took off all my gear, got my shovel out, my probe, put my peeps (ph) over to search, and we went looking for Mike.
We located Mike. We started digging, and that's when the second group of four guys showed up. Came right up to the -- to where we were digging. They all jumped off their sleds, started digging, too.
At approximately 2, Kurt Kabel pushed 911 on his spot transmitter, and Jeremy Rusnak was getting geared up to go out for help.
At approximately 2:05 we heard a crack, and that's when the second slide hit us, burying all 11 of us. I managed to float to almost to the surface. When I opened my eyes I could see daylight. I was digging. I managed to get my mouth free. I was already choking. Took a few breaths.
After about five minutes of struggling, I got myself out. Looked around, realized there wasn't anybody else. Couldn't see any sleds. No gear. Nothing. I yelled, and I heard somebody yell back, and that's when I went and found Jeremy.
I had no gloves, no tube. I started digging Jeremy out. Took about 15 minutes to get him out. We got him out. Or I got him out, and then Jeremy stood up, yelled again. We heard one more person. That's when we found James.
We were digging James out, and we heard crack again and said, "Sorry, James, we've got to run."
As we running, James, he was saying, "Don't leave me here. Don't leave me here."
We kept saying, "We're sorry." Went and sat off to the side, and the slide never hit us, in the area we were in. We just saw a small cloud. Went back in, finally got James out. Pulled James off to the side.
I flipped my peeps (ph) back over and the only signal I could get was Mike's gear. And I knew was too deep with no equipment to help him.
I took a quick look around. I couldn't see anybody. Couldn't see no hands, feet sticking up. We contemplated whether trying to get the one snowmobile that wasn't hit by the slide out. That's when we made the decision that it was unsafe to go in there. And that's when we had to make the gut-wrenching decision to leave our eight friends and start walking off the mountain.
After we walked for about ten minutes or so, contemplating whether to go back, tried to look one more time. And as I turned and looked at the mountain, the whole center of the mountain come down, burying everything again. So we just decided that our best bet was to keep walking.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: You were listening to James [SIC] Adams. He was one of 11 snowmobilers who were caught in consecutive avalanches there in southern British Columbia.
You can listen to the rest of that press conference. It is still going on. Jef Adams, one of three survivors. He talked about the anguish, as you just heard, about what it felt like to have to leave eight of his friends behind. Their bodies were later found.
The consecutive avalanches were just so incredible and so fierce that it was just simply too much for these three men to try and save their other buddies.
CNN.com/live is the place where this press conference is still taking place right now. Let's take a listen.
ADAMS: ... around lots of friends. Just me and all my friends, family. Just sticking together. Day by day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anything else?
ADAMS: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very much for coming today. That will conclude the press conference. Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right, again, Jef Adams, one of three snowmobilers who survived those consecutive avalanches taking place in British Columbia. Eight of their buddies died. Their bodies later found. You saw now the conclusion of that press conference taking place out of Sparwood, British Columbia.
All right. Here on the mainland in this country now, suing over sludge. Some land owners are seeking $165 million for damages caused by a billion gallons of coal waste.
The huge spill happened December 22 at a power plant owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority. A retention wall failed, releasing the sludge. The flow destroyed at least three homes and fouled a river that supplies drinking water to local towns. An environmental group plans at least two federal lawsuits against TVA.
CNN reporters blindfolded and then taken to a Hamas rocket factory in Gaza. We'll show you what that they saw and learned about the making of these weapons.
And closing the curtain on 2008. A chance to remember those we lost this year. Entertainers, politicians and friends.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: G'day, 2009. Oh, yes, the Aussies sure know how to do New Year's. A record crowd came out to admire those fireworks over the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Quite beautiful there.
Well, Hong Kong may count it down to midnight, as well. That's pretty extraordinary. Victoria Harbor exploded in color and light there. The fireworks were rigged to shoot from the skyscrapers, as you can see, pretty remarkable stuff.
And closing out 2008 at the Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI celebrating mass today. Tomorrow's World Day of Peace mass will be streamed online around the globe.
And this was the scene in New York yesterday. Notice the calendar isn't quite off. They're just trying to make sure that everything is all set for the really big show tonight.
So the party gets started right here on CNN tonight, 11 p.m. Eastern. It's becoming a tradition of sorts: Kathy Griffin joining Anderson Cooper as we bring in 2009. Don't miss all the action live from Times Square.
But guess what? The big chill will be on in the Big Apple, and almost everywhere else tonight.
Let's get our New Year's Eve forecast from Chad Myers. So bring out the, oh, mittens and mufflers and all that good stuff.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We're still seeing snow in the Northwest, and record snowfall, at that. Spokane, the old record was 42. This month, it has 60 inches of snow.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. That's extraordinary.
MYERS: In one month. Look at that.
WHITFIELD: Whew. That's a lot. That's a lot of snow blowing! That's pretty miserable. All right. Thanks a lot, Chad. Appreciate it.
MYERS: Sure.
WHITFIELD: All right. Closing the books on 2008. It's time to say good-bye, yes, to those we loved and those we lost this year. Let's take a few minutes to remember some of the famous people that touched all of our lives.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC)
GRAPHIC: In memoriam, 2008.
A look back at those we lost in 2008 and what they will most be remembered for.
Suzanne Pleshette, 1937-2008.
Sydney Pollack, 1934-2008.
Cyd Charise, 1921-2008.
Roy Scheider, 1932-2008.
Bernie Mac, 1957-2008.
Heath Ledger, 1979-2008.
HEATH LEDGER, ACTOR: This town, it deserves a better class of criminal.
GRAPHIC: Yves Saint Laurent, 1936-2008.
William F. Buckley, 1925-2008.
Arthur C. Clarke, 1917-2008.
Michael Crichton, 1942-2008.
Dick Martin, 1922-2008.
George Carlin, 1937-2008.
GEORGE CARLIN, COMEDIAN: Did I export chairs? Dork.
GRAPHIC: Estelle Getty, 1923-2008.
ESTELLE GETTY, ACTRESS: Picture it, Sicily, 1922.
GRAPHIC: Harvey Korman, 1927-2008.
Jim McKay, 1921-2008.
Tim Russert, 1950-2008.
TIM RUSSERT, FORMER HOST, NBC'S "MEET THE PRESS": And it's not an easy job, but you know what, Larry? It's the best one you've ever had. It's a vocation, being a journalist.
GRAPHIC: Hamilton Jordan, 1944-2008.
Jesse Helms, 1921-2008.
Tony Snow, 1955-2008.
Isaac Hayes, 1942-2008.
Eartha Kitt, 1927-2008.
Bo Diddley, 1928-2008.
Paul Newman, 1925-2008.
PAUL NEWMAN, ACTOR: I think, above all things, I acknowledge luck.
GRAPHIC: Charlton Heston, 1923-2008.
CHARLTON HESTON, ACTOR: Behold his mighty hand.
I'm going to miss you.
(END VIDEOTAPE) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: 32 minutes after the hour. Here are some of the stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Israel's prime minister vows the air strikes in Gaza will continue until Hamas militants and rocket attacks against the Jewish nation. Israel has rejected a -- a French call for a ceasefire.
Powerful winds have toppled trees and knocked out power in some parts of Washington. Homes and other businesses have also suffered damage.
In some parts of the world have already welcomed in the new year. Among those already celebrating, China, South Korea and Japan.
Well, despite five days of Israeli air strikes in Gaza, Hamas militants continue to fire barrages of rockets into the Jewish homeland. Many of the rockets are homemade.
Well, CNN's Paula Hancocks got at rare firsthand look at a Hamas rocket factory.
We first aired her report in August.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The call to prayer in Gaza -- in tandem with the training of a militia.
The armed wing of the Palestinian militants's group, the Popular Resistance Committees, shows us its new recruits.
Masks hide their identity. Considered freedom fighters by many here, terrorists by much of the West. The training is tough. There's little room for error or fear.
Each night the men do marching drills, target practice and learn to overcome any obstacles. And the tactic feared by Israel, hostage taking. The PRC was one of the groups involved in the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
HANCOCKS (on-camera): This kind of training can only take place at night so the Israeli forces can't see it. And they burn tires all around the training area so there's thick smoke making them invisible from the air.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): The next morning a 20-minute meeting and a meeting point. We are blindfolded and driven in the back of van to the group's rocket factory. Our phones and the phones of the other camera crews are taken.
The factory is in fact a small room. The tools are basic. Only a gas leak from the canister convinces the rocket makers to move to a more ventilated area. Materials used in the rockets are kept secret. The rocket heads being prepared beforehand, we're not told where. HANCOCKS (on-camera): These men want this to be filmed, they want the world to see it. They specifically want Israel to see them still building rockets but don't want to give away their location.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): PRC spokesman, Mohammed Abdul Aal, looks on as a new rocket Nasr-4 is unveiled.
He says Nasr-4 has double the range of NASR-3 from 12 kilometers to almost 25 kilometers.
Without doubt, this is a demonstration choreographed for the camera, but also a rare glimpse into what happens behind the scenes of a truce.
Paula Hancocks, CNN, Gaza.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. Money in this country now. 2008 has been a year of historic plunges, record layoffs and a huge batch of company bankruptcies and government take overs. Investors are certainly hoping for a better 2009, but can we actually expect that?
Stephanie Elam at the New York Stock Exchange with look into the crystal ball.
Can you do that?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I can tell you what other people see when they look at the crystal ball, Fred.
I'm afraid to look at it. I don't want blaming me at the end of '09, if things it turn out the way they wanted them to.
WHITFIELD: You want the credit if it's all good.
ELAM: Well, you know. I spent a whole year being a bearer of bad news, it wouldn't be so bad to be the bearer of good news. You know? Yes.
Well, when you look at the markets and business news, there's some good news, but as far as this year goes, there's a lot of bad.
So, let's start there. Many economic forecasters say the overall economy may not recover until 2010. And that the recession will at the very least continue until the latter half of '09. That means we'll likely are due for many more months of job losses and rough corporate earnings.
The good news, the stock market typically rebounds before the economy does, as it anticipates a turnaround. So while Wall Street analysts do expect some wild market swings, eventually there's likely to be a recovery, especially if construction, housing and retail sales begin to show some improvement there.
You know, eventually the markets will come back. Now, when that is, that's the part that's hard to figure out.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, you talk about some improvement, maybe that means that there were some stocks that did pretty good? They were able to make gains. What are they? Who are they? And how should we watch them?
ELAM: Yes. You're right. There's definitely some good things in there.
Let's take a look at the S&P 500, which gives us the broadest picture of the market. Of the 500 stocks in the index only 22 ended the year higher. The biggest winner was Family Dollar stores. Its shares are up more than 30 percent for the year. And to show that many of our vices are indeed recession-proof, USD, makes tobacco products and wine, saw its shares climb by more than 26 percent.
Walmart also fared well as more people shopped at discounts stores. And McDonald's eked out a gain as well.
On this final trading day of '08, stocks are in the plus column. Let's take a look. The Dow up 82 points, 8750. Nasdaq better by 22 at 1573.
So Fred, there's a chance here we could have, like a two-day rally, two-day plus column kind of ending to '08 which would be a nice way to kind sign out from a pretty rough year.
WHITFIELD: Yes. It would be nice, and as for those stocks and as for McDonald's, it's got to be the fries, right?
ELAM: The fries are kind of addictive. If you start having them, you want more of them. I don't know what's it's about.
WHITFIELD: Always. It's like you're driving and all of a sudden you see those arches, got to have some some french fries! Got to pull over.
ELAM: Yes.
WHITFIELD: All right. Stephanie, thanks so much.
Happy New Year.
ELAM: Happy New Year, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right.
Let's talk a little more about money. Yours in particular. Face it the recession has turned many of you, all of us, into penny pinchers.
Stacey Tisdale is the author of "The True Cost of Happiness: The real story behind managing your money."
She's joining us from New York with some great advice on this last day of the year, because there are things that you're imploring everyone to do if they can before that ball drops at midnight tonight.
How are you doing? Happy New Year!
STACEY TISDALE, FINANCIAL EXPERT: Absolutely. How are you, Fredricka?
Good to see you.
WHITFIELD: I'm doing pretty good.
Let's begin with those stocks. I mean, Stephanie just kind of laid out there some good stocks out there, or those that did really well, including McDonald's and Family Dollar, USD, Walmart, but perhaps your advice is, if you lost a lot of money in certain stocks it's time to let it go?
TISDALE: Absolutely. That's exactly right. You've got about two hours and 20 minutes left to dump those stock market losers. You can deduct losses up to $3,000 as long as they're not offset by gains. We're talking about taxable accounts, you can't deduct losses from 401(k)s or I.R.A.S, but you can still get in there and deduct losses.
Fredricka, if you lost more than $3,000, you can carry that forward.
WHITFIELD: Oh, OK. And you mentioned 401(k)s, everyone always advises you want to max your contributions to 401(k)s. But say you didn't. You didn't meet that $15,500 mark, you still can do so today?
TISDALE: You really have time, until the stock market closes.
WHITFIELD: Why is that?
TISDALE: What you have to be careful. Call your broker. Call the company. Where you have to be careful, is say, is this still going to be honored today.
Some institutions will, some institutions might not.
But as you mentioned, a dollar saved is a dollar you can deduct. It's $15,500 for a 401(k). If you're over 50, that's $20,500. And the I.R.A.S, you can -- you actually have until April 15th.
WHITFIELD: Oh, OK. Yes, so that's gives you a little bit more time with the I.R.A.S. All right.
Let's talk about your mortgage. Say, like a lot of people, your mortgage is due come January 1st. But maybe to take advantage, I guess, of the tax, or the interest, you can pay it off today, or pay that January 1st due date today?
TISDALE: If you pay that January 1st payment today on your mortgage, student loans, medical expenses, real estate taxes, you get that deduction for 2008. This was rough year. A lot of us could use that. The key pay online, use a credit card. Again, anything with credit cards, do not pay more -- do not put more on than you can pay back in a month.
Otherwise you're paying a higher interest rate for that money.
WHITFIELD: All right. And then it's really important for everyone to kind of, I guess take stock in everything. Maybe use this day to say, let's have a family meeting about, let's really understand where our money is and how we can plan for the year.
What's your best advice on how to approach this?
TISDALE: I'm telling people to call 2009 the year of the contingency plan. A lot of people out there are going to experience a loss or cut in income. Families must create a bare bones budget. How much can we save if we didn't buy new clothes? How could we save if we ate and watched movies in instead of going out?
The thing is, also talk about your children. Say that you know, where would you cut back if I reduced your allowance? The idea here is prepare. Don't scare. Tell your kids this might never happen, but preparation can save money it can save headache. It can save heart ache.
Fredricka, I was reading this story about a man who told his son the boy would have to pay his own car insurance if the father lost his job. The boy decided to start saving money now so there's not a major disruption.
WHITFIELD: Excellent. Lots of lessons learned in 2008 for a lot of folks. If they weren't prepared because there were a lot of things that happened that we just couldn't prepare for, but now going into 2009, as you say, I think a lot of people are going to be taking your advice.
TISDALE: The year of the contingency plan.
WHITFIELD: I like it. All right. Stacey Tisdale. Thanks so much. "The True Cost of Happiness: The real story behind managing your money."
It's her latest book. Thanks so much. Happy New Year to you.
TISDALE: Thank you. Happy Hew Year. Have a great day.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Stacey.
All right, well, a bad drive last night for an NBA hall-of-famer. Basketball great Charles Barkley, arrested on suspicion of DUI. He was pulled over after running a stop sign in Scottsdale, Arizona. Barkley declined a breathalyzer at the scene but allowed blood to be drawn for the testing. Police described him as cooperative and respectful throughout.
Well, that was evident from that picture. Everybody looks happy. Well, Barkley works as a NBA commentator on TNT, like CNN, a TimeWarner Company.
All right, so, you want to live a longer, healthier, happier life, right? Well, it may be as simple as picking up those feet.
But first, we all wish we could be in two places at once sometimes. The reality of that could be closer than you actually think.
Kyung Lah is seeing double in our Edge of Discovery.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You are not seeing double. Well -- sort of. This is the geminoid, an android version of this inventor, Hiroshi Ishiguro, a professor of robotices at Osaka University.
Looks like you.
DR. HIROSHI ISHIGURO, ATR INTELLIGENT ROBOTICS: And the hair is also mine.
This is similar between --
LAH: But not quite. An operator using multiple cameras and infrared detectors for lip movement runs a geminoid from another room. He steps behind the curtain and we continue our talk from here.
ISHIGURO: I can help another person. I can be controlled at this level from anywhere.
LAH: The ability to be in two places at once, say roboting into the office while you work from home. After a few minutes I even forget that the geminoid is separate from doctor.
Does that feel like I was touching you.
ISHIGURO: I can feel something.
Reporter: Professor, are you studying humans or androids?
ISHIGURO: Both. By developing android I'm studying human.
LAH: Dr. Ishiguru has been developing robots like this for years but they didn't look human. He believes this machine that looks so much like a man can be used to study human behavior.
ISHIGURO: If we depress the function with the technology, then we can simulate the human.
LAH: Trying to understand the human soul by building from the outside in.
For CNN, Kyung Lao, Kyoto, Japan.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Well, some say it's the end of pharmaceutical swag. But will it influence how your doctor treated you.
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WHITFIELD: All right, more fallout today from China's tainted milk scandal. One of the top executives of the dairy company at the heart of the deception has pleaded guilty. The former chairwoman and general manager of San Lu (ph) is one of four executives on trial in the case. Tyong Wenhua (ph) said she received complaints about the contaminated product in May, four months before the scandal actually broke. Nearly 300,000 infants were sickened by the melinine-laced baby formula. Wenhua and the other executives could face the death penalty now.
Well, you can say good-bye to Viagra pens, Zoloft soap dispensers and Lipitor mugs. Tomorrow is the deadline drugmakers set to end distribution of their brand of goodies to doctors and medical personnel.
Pharmaceutical companies say the items were meant to foster goodwill with the medical community but critics say it interested doctors to prescribe certain medication. And they add while the voluntary ban is on branded item, a step in the right direction, more restrictions are need.
Many of you may be getting ready to begin those new year's resolutions. A new study from Stanford University about runners just might help.
Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at the study results and has some tips to get you started.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): Well, this is been a study that's been fascinating to follow over the last several years. A study out of Standford that's actually been taking place over two decades.
I think people generally know running is good for you. You can get benefits from doing any sort of exercise. This study looked at how good it was and there was some non-intuitive things about what people expected when they started studying runners versus non-runners.
For example, the Stanford researchers expected to have a high degree of knee replacement, ankle injury, hip problems. What they found after two decades. Look here. Comparing runners to non-runners group. A: They live longer. They a slower onset of many of the disabilities we think of, heart disease, diabetes, big killers.
Also, there was no increase overall in injuries. This is a big one. Finally, the thing that struck me the most, there was a delay in the onset of disabilities. About 12 to 16 year delay. So, this was pretty remarkable. Again, the runners, having a much greater benefit as compared to the non-runners. Some of this may seem nonintuitive as you're out there pounding the pavement load after load on your spine and on your knees and on your hips, but again, what they found after two decades was there was no increase in injuries in that runners group.
And obviously, you get the benefits of exercise, such as warding off heart disease, warding off diabetes, as well.
A couple of tips I think are worth sharing for you. First of all, anybody can be a runner. You've obviously got to do it right, like you do anything else. You have the proper shoes, the proper technique. You don't want to overdo it. You want to listen to your body.
Also, as far as stretching muscles, this is something comes up over and over again. While you should do a little bit of stretching at the beginning of any exercise routine, the best time to stretch maybe be about 15 to 20 minutes into your exercise routine when your muscles have had a chance to warm up. Again, you can decrease your chance of injury.
Look, you can take the running shoes anywhere, you can exercise anywhere, you can fit it into your routine. Even the President-elect gets about 90 minutes of exercise a day, various forms of exercise. Make sure you do it. Make it a resolution for yourself.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. Good advice. I like that.
Well, another thing to blame on the recession now. Next hour, we'll look at one thing that is going up during the economic downturn.
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WHITFIELD: All right. You think you have your 2009 all planned out? Well, Minnesotans are going into 2009, without knowing who they elected senator in 2008. Well, so far in the recount, Democrat Al Franken is hanging on to a 49-vote lead over incumbent Republican Norm Coleman. But county officials are still sorting absentee ballots to determine which should be counted. A state board overseeing the election is expected to declare a winner next week. But the loser likely to file a court challenge.
All right. The President-elect at play. Is Barack Obama's swing better than bowling? Well, Jeanne Moos grades his golf game.
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WHITFIELD: Golf is a force that can humble anyone, even the next leader of the free world. Last week, President-elect Barack Obama put his skills on display for all to see. And let's just say it's not always a pretty sight.
CNN's Jeanne Moos takes a look and some swings.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hawaii, a golfer's paradise except when the press is watching your every drive, your every toss, your every bite, your every swing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He suck.
MOOS (on camera): Do you think you could do something for Obama?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I definitely could.
MOOS: Could you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would love to have him here.
MOOS (voice-over): But unfortunately for this golf pro at New York's Chelsea Golf Academy, Obama's out there, probably bent out of shape at the press scrutiny of his golfing. Something every president president has had to endure, golf is a game that doesn't take orders from even the commander in chief.
PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON (D), 42ND PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Go. Get in the hole.
MOOS: The little white ball ignored the president, as did the cat that parked itself in front of President-elect's Obama's golf cart and had to be shooed away. At least the public showed him more respect. Obama shussed (ph) the crowd so as not to disturb his golfing buddies. About that swing of his, we showed it to our pro.
(on camera): If you had to grade Barack Obama?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: C to C-plus.
MOOS: C plus?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's average.
MOOS (voice-over): Apparently issues with the posture and swing path.
(on camera): He's going out here --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And creating a big loop.
MOOS: -- And then going like that.
Well, that is pretty good there.
(voice-over): Beginners luck that soon went bad.
Like a certain someone in Hawaii, the President-elect did have some nice shots. When a lady in the crowd yelled better than your bowling, President-elect Obama agreed saying, much better. And just as he used body language to urge the bowling ball to stay on course, he used the body language in vain on the golf ball. So what if Barack Obama is no Tiger Woods. At least we never saw the ball end up in the woods.
As for all those divots, wait a minute, that's not a divot, that's the President-elect's BlackBerry. An addiction even stronger than golf.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
