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Aung San Suu Kyi Released from House Arrest; Face to Face with Russell Simmons; Cholera Outbreak in Haiti; One Man's Mission for Fallen Soldiers

Aired November 14, 2010 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: This hour the battle that created America's newest hero. Soldiers wounded in a Taliban firefight walk us through the attack and explain why one of their own acted above and beyond the call of duty.

And later this hour a family does what most dream about. They cash in their investment, rent out their house, then pack the kids off to see the world.

And at 5:00 a comic's take on the week's news from the man called the new Mr. Las Vegas.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

First up, Congress returns to Capitol Hill tomorrow for a hectic lame duck session. They're jam-packed to-do list includes a possible vote on repealing the "don't ask don't tell" policy on gays in the military.

CNN's Kate Bolduan joins us now from Washington. So Kate, this is turning out to be a heated battle, largely along party lines. How likely will it be that there is a vote held this year?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, the lame duck session is really only a few weeks long, and because of that, Democrats are not likely to take up many of the more controversial measures that are still out there, that they still haven't dealt with, and that includes the repeal of military's "don't ask don't tell policy" banning gays from serving openly in the military.

First, you'll listen to a little bit from the "State of the Union" today. Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn and Virginia Democrat Senator Mike Warner, both talking about the chances "don't ask don't tell" will come up in the lame duck session.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It sounds like a no on "don't ask, don't tell."

SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R), TEXAS: I don't there's a lot of time and a lot of appetite to try to jam stuff through. The president said he wants to pass a new start treaty in a lame duck session. I just don't see that happening.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator Warner.

SEN. MIKE WARNER (D), VIRGINIA: Who knows what's going to happen in a lame duck? I am glad to see that the Pentagon finished its study, and it looks like they're going to come out and say that we can change this policy, which I support changing the policy and changing the policy will not affect military readiness. I think that Pentagon study and report is very important.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: You see there. They don't seem very confident it will come up in the lame duck session, but that report that Senator Warner was talking about is due out after December 1st. It's part of the Pentagon established comprehensive review working groups, that's the name of the group mission to objectively determine the impact of the potential repeal of the policy on military readiness and effectiveness, recruiting and retention. So it's a big report everyone is waiting to see.

At the same time, the legal challenge to the military policy, that's continuing to work its way through the courts. Bottom line, Fredricka, not surprising at this point, it doesn't sound likely that we're going to see much if any movement on this issue of "don't ask don't tell" by the end of the year when the new Congress comes in.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kate Bolduan, thanks so much, in Washington.

So that brings us to this. Is the McCain couple at odds on this very issue? Senator John McCain is responding to comments made by his wife, Cindy, on a gay rights ad. McCain is opposed to holding a "don't ask, don't tell vote" until a Pentagon review is complete. But in that newly released ad Cindy McCain said "our political and religious leaders tell lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth they can't serve our country openly.".

Senator McCain says he respects the first amendment right of all his family members, Mrs. McCain later clarified her position saying while she supports the ad campaign, she stands by her husband's stance on DADT.

President Barack Obama is back in Washington after wrapping up a four- nation tour of Asia. On the trip home he told reporters that he plans to redouble his efforts to get back to the core principles the American people want, like maintaining a bipartisan tone and targeting earmarks. At the closing session of the APEC Summit while in Japan, the president and 20 other world leaders pledged to work towards a free trade area in the Asia-Pacific region.

History will be made at the White House this week. For the first time since the Vietnam War, a living serviceman is set to receive the Medal of Honor. Army Staff Sergeant Saul Junta will be honored for bravery in Afghanistan.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has a special report coming up at 7:00 Eastern and she joins us right now in Washington with a preview of Junta and why he's so deserving of this award. BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, this is a remarkable story. Just a few years ago Saul Junta was a young man mopping the floor one night at a Subway sandwich shop where he worked. He heard a commercial on the radio go to the recruiting station and get a free t-shirt. He went, he said, "I wasn't doing anything and I thought I'd get a free t-shirt." He joined the Army.

And on Tuesday, Saul Junta will step into history, standing next to the president of the United States to receive the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award, for valor above and beyond the call of duty. Saul Junta and his entire unit was ambushed in Afghanistan in October 2007. I want you to listen to just a little bit of what Saul Junta had had to tell us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STAFF SGT. SAUL JUNTA, U.S. ARMY: It's very bittersweet. I mean, it's such a huge honor. It's a great thing, but it is a great thing that has come at a personal loss to myself and so many other families.

STARR (on camera): And that is what you want people to know?

JUNTA: Absolutely.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: And tonight at 7:00, Saul Junta will describe the loss. He will describe an ambush that they all suffered in Afghanistan one very dark cold night in October 2007. Saul Junta will tell you he is a mediocre soldier. I will tell you that the president of the United States, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and General David Petraeus beg to differ. They say that this is a remarkable young man. He will receive the nation's highest award on Tuesday. Watch tonight at 7:00. Fred.

WHITFIELD: And so Barbara, so often this award is given posthumously. Has the criteria changed? What is it about the circumstances here that makes it so history-making that a living service member will get this Medal of Honor.

STARR: It is really remarkable. There has not been a living service member since the Vietnam war receiving the Medal of Honor in an ongoing conflict like this. There have been a handful who received it posthumously for their actions falling on the battlefield of both Iraq and Afghanistan.

You know, a lot of people will tell you well, it's the nature of warfare that's changed. Today's war is not the sort of hand-to-hand combat that you might have seen in the past. I will tell you that these men in this unit on that night in Afghanistan were engaged in very close combat. They all suffered very greatly. They continue to suffer. They lost two of their own that night. Those two men are very deeply remembered by this unit.

And this is something that Defense Secretary Robert Gates has really pressed for in the last few years. He wanted to know why were there no living recipients, and there are going to be more to come by all indications in the weeks and months ahead. Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, congrats to Mr. Junta for sure. All right. Thanks so much, Barbara Starr. We look forward to that special tonight as well, 7:00 Eastern time.

Meantime, former President George W. Bush is defending his decision to bail out Wall Street. He talked about the financial collapse of 2008, and the bailout that followed during an interview today with CNN's Candy Crowley.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I wonder if you knew two years ago when you're talking about I think the wealth will come back, it hasn't. Still struggling.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FMR. U.S. PRESIDENT: Yes.

CROWLEY: Was it as bad - was it as bad as you thought it was or worse than you thought it was at that time?

BUSH: Well, when I talk to you, I had just finished making a very difficult decision, and that is use taxpayers a money to prevent the economy from collapsing or preventing a depression. And I believe that those decisions made in the fall of '08 did prevent the economy from heading into a depression.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: You can see Candy Crowley's full interview with former president George W. Bush tonight, special edition of the "State of the Union" airs at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 5:00 p.m. Pacific.

Russell Simmons, a business mogul with everything money can buy, right? Well, he says the path to true happiness shouldn't be measured in dollars. Hear his philosophy on being happy, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Russell Simmons may be best known for co-founding DefJam Recording. It's a label that helped bring huge popularity to hip hop music but he's also had multi-million dollar success through fashion and philanthropy and his latest venture, a newly launched reality show, "Running Russell Simmons," plus a new book called "Super Rich" due out in January.

Well, in a candid face-to-face interview, Simmons told me that being rich has nothing with do with finances.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: It's not about money, rich because people see the word rich and they say OK, I want to be a billionaire like Russell Simmons, and you say that's not what this all is about?

RUSSELL SIMMONS, CO-FOUNDER, DEF JAM RECORDINGS: It's just a guide to having it all. Well, the first chapter is redefining rich. This is kind of a tricky chapter because I don't want people to throw the book out, right? But you know, it talks about rich being -

WHITFIELD: You want to rope them in, lure them in?

SIMMONS: I want to tell the truth. I want to get people to be more productive and to be greater givers. Good givers are great getters. So it's OK. But the idea of needing nothing, the state of needing nothing, that's what Christians refer to as Christ consciousness. Buddhist calls it nirvana. Yogis call it samadi (ph). You know, I couldn't write a book about (INAUDIBLE) or nirvana or heaven on earth or Christ conscious.

I wrote a book called "Super Rich," because that's a state of needing nothing. And the book is about that kind of consciousness and operating from abundance. Deepak Chopra (INAUDIBLE) but my audience might not be the same as his. Different people are giving messages. They all have the same aspirations, the same hopes, desires, right? And they all have different ways of going about it and different voices. This is just another voice.

WHITFIELD: And I know you're very accessible and approachable, but people do see Russell Simmons and they say he's a mega guy. He's huge. How can he tell me I can operate with nothing?

SIMMONS: If you read the book, it will stick. It's written in such a way that people can digest this idea that operating from abundance is the greatest and that work itself is the prayer and that there's no payment. This sounds like a lot, but I have so many rich friends who are suffering rich in terms of worldly things, and so many people who don't have a lot who are happy. We are only here to be happy.

WHITFIELD: What should be at the root of someone's happiness?

SIMMONS: A peaceful state. You know, there's a lot of discussion about meditation in there. When the mind is still, everything surrenders.

WHITFIELD: How did you get there?

SIMMONS: It's a practice. To have faith in the practice. Went to a yoga class and I came out for a minute was at ease. I thought if I kept doing it, I would lose all my money. It was funny because after that I sold my company and started to really make money and create new companies.

WHITFIELD: Why did you think that?

SIMMONS: I thought the anxiety drove me, but it's the opposite that I take my half an hour in the morning, and I take my hour and a half in the afternoon for morning meditation, yoga practice in the afternoon and another 30 minutes at night. I take all that time out of my day, and I'm so much more productive and healthy because of it.

WHITFIELD: You're talking about peace?

SIMMONS: Well, you know, I'm struggling with that.

WHITFIELD: Really?

SIMMONS: More than I have been.

WHITFIELD: Why are you struggling with that?

SIMMONS: Well, I mean, what do you mean by peace? I mean, do you mean enlightened?

WHITFIELD: Meaning you're feel you have a center because you're using that what collectively about two hours to just concentrate on you and meditation.

SIMMONS: It certainly has changed my life dramatically in the physical practice of yoga we're told to smile and breathe in every pose no matter how difficult.

WHITFIELD: The person who is one of the millions who is unemployed, down on their luck and can't pay their bills, and they're looking for some inspiration. They're looking for how do I reclaim some of my happiness, because it seems like everything else is crumbling around me?

SIMMONS: If you make work your prayer and if you're present, as a giver, then the results not only are more fruitful but they become less valuable but they just keep coming. And the cycle of giving speeds up which is what people want to do. The cycle of giving speeding up that cause them the result, the cycle of getting speeds up. So you want people to be present and awake and focused, and that's what the book is about. The book is about the basic practices that promote happiness. Money doesn't make you happy, but happy makes you money.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Quite inspiring. Simmons built his multi-million dollar empire without ever making a business plan, he says. He reveals the secret to success in the third part of my face to face interview. That's coming up at 5:00 Eastern. You don't want to miss that.

All right. America's most attractive people, they don't live in New York or L.A., according to this survey. You might be surprised by this year's top choice. That's straight ahead in the "Chat room."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. It's common knowledge that some actors earn millions of dollars making a single move but there might be some actors that you think are overpaid. Well, check your opinions with our list coming up. That's in the "chat room."

First a look at the top stories.

An explosion at a popular tourist resort in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico that has killed at least seven people at a hotel. 20 others including two Americans were injured. It happened at the Grand Prince Riviera Hotel. The police commander said a gas line or stove exploded in the kitchen.

And finally free. A British couple is in Kenya today after being released by Somali pirates. Paul and Rachel Chandler were captured over a year ago on their yacht. Somali elders say the Chandlers were freed after the pirates were paid $750,000.

And honoring those who fought and died for the British crown. Prince William took part in a remembrance day service at the main British military base in Afghanistan today. He is second in line to the throne.

All right. Time now to enter the "Chat Room." Jacqui Jeras is here. We got some interesting stuff. A little something for everyone out there.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Beginning with those who need a little help being a little responsible when it comes down to imbibing a little too much and then deciding to get really, you know, text happy or e-mail happy.

JERAS: This like a little buoy or a lifeline that is being set in your way.

WHITFIELD: New technology.

JERAS: Right.

WHITFIELD: New technology to save you from yourself.

JERAS: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

JERAS: Go back in the day by doing messages or Facebooking and/or things like that. And so you have to have Gmail to do this first one. So you know, that's Google's account and basically what you can do is they have an undo feature now. They had it all along actually but it's only five seconds.

WHITFIELD: You need a little more time. If you're being creative, five seconds is not going to help you.

JERAS: It's better, but it's only 30 seconds. So it's not like you can wake up and go, what did I do? Basically what you do is that you click on the little green icon, which is in the top right of your Inbox which takes you into a Google Labs, and then you find the enable undo send. And then you have to choose the 30-second option. So you got 30 seconds to say I really didn't want to send that message. Better than nothing.

WHITFIELD: I guess that is better than nothing. Oh, boy.

JERAS: I know. There's also new web security company - WHITFIELD: Maybe give yourself an extra 30 seconds before you hit send. That would probably be a better idea. This is a nice little safety net.

JERAS: They probably weren't thinking the first time.

WHITFIELD: Right. Exactly.

JERAS: Exactly.

WHITFIELD: But this other one, this company web route is basically a Firefox plug-in. So you can do that with anything. And it won't allow you to get into places like Twitter, Facebook or MySpace during a certain number of hours. So you can say, OK, anytime between like midnight and 6:00 a.m., you have to answer a series of questions and get them correct -

WHITFIELD: This is called the sobriety test.

JERAS: It is. Yes, I mean, you know, you're not blowing into the little thing like you would on your car, but if you can't do simple math, maybe you shouldn't be Facebooking at that time.

WHITFIELD: OK.

JERAS: A couple of tips for you.

WHITFIELD: I think that's some clever stuff. Maybe somebody will be very happy that's a nice safety net available.

JERAS: We hope it helps.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk about, you know what, folks kind of think that they know where all the best-looking people are across the country. They think of some of the more popular big cities. Miami was kind of on the list. "Travel and Leisure" magazine has a list every year about you know, the places where the most attractive people are. Miami, no surprise there. It's not number one this year.

(CROSSTALK)

JERAS: (INAUDIBLE) not this year.

WHITFIELD: But not this year, it's fallen from grace.

JERAS: Charleston, South Carolina.

WHITFIELD: I'm telling you I am not surprised. I've lived there and seeing the people -

JERAS: Oh, Fred.

WHITFIELD: No, no, no. Oh, come on. Wait. Let me finish my statement. I'm telling you while living there people look so refreshed and relaxed because it really is a resort town. And it struck me when I lived there that why does everybody always looks so good. So I am not surprised that it's on the list. It is still one of my all-time favorite places just because it's a beautiful city. But people really all right - I mean, you got great seafood there. The lifestyle is wonderful, and that is in large part what defines a city that has people who are considered attractive. They get a chance to take care of their bods and stuff too.

JERAS: The magazine says it scores high for friendliness, a classic sense of style, which you have my, dear.

WHITFIELD: Oh, no. I'm not a Charlestonian. I'm just saying I lived there and observed the people that were there. Yes, it's beautiful.

JERAS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: I was a witness, is what I'm saying.

JERAS: All right. She participated as well. San Diego is number two. Savannah is another coastal city not far from Charleston.

WHITFIELD: A common denominator. These are places where, you know, it's conducive to being fit outside, walks, and that's part of the criteria.

JERAS: They had a list, by the way, should I mention? I don't know if you saw it but they also have a list of cities of least attractive people.

WHITFIELD: People are not going to like this.

JERAS: Do you want to know?

WHITFIELD: OK.

JERAS: Number five was Orlando, number four Anchorage, Alaska, number three Philadelphia and number two, Baltimore and number one, Memphis, Tennessee.

WHITFIELD: Same criteria?

JERAS: Memphis has, you know, number one for barbecue.

WHITFIELD: Come on, I love Philly and love Baltimore. Yes. I haven't been to Anchorage yet, but I'm sure I'd like it, too.

JERAS: This is "Forbes" and not us, people. That's all I'm saying.

WHITFIELD: OK. Very good.

All right. Can we talk about the actors?

JERAS: Or sorry. "Travel and Leisure."

WHITFIELD: Yes.

JERAS: "Forbes" is the actors. WHITFIELD: Yes, can we talk about that list now. You know that actors make millions - some actors make millions. You know, among them Jim Carrey, Drew Barrymore, could we go on, Denzel Washington. Well, now apparently there's a list that says they may be paid a little too much given the take, what the movie makes.

JERAS: What the anchor - here's a list, gets paid versus the profit that's made.

WHITFIELD: But your bifocals on. Because you're going to need it. It's a long list but -

(CROSSTALK)

JERAS: Look at that.

WHITFIELD: They're talking about what the movie house makes to the dollar, right? Or what they pay out to the dollar.

JERAS: Right.

WHITFIELD: Made.

JERAS: Profit, right.

WHITFIELD: Jim Carrey with 8.60 there. So now all of these are huge names.

JERAS: Tom Cruise is on this list at number five.

WHITFIELD: They're big names and they're big draws and that's why movie houses pay them so much but Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler, Vince Vaughn, Matt Damon, Drew Barrymore.

JERAS: Denzel Washington.

WHITFIELD: I know.

JERAS: Wow. And Will Ferrell.

WHITFIELD: Number one.

JERAS: Seth Rogen. Do you like the Will Ferrell movies?

WHITFIELD: Of course. I love everybody on the list.

JERAS: I look at Will Ferrell and giggle.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I know. He's funny. You just know funny is about to happen. Let me just preemptively giggle right now.

JERAS: Well, all these people get movie after movie for whatever it's worth.

WHITFIELD: I know. It's good stuff.

JERAS: You know, we all like to giggle.

WHITFIELD: We're going to giggle more next hour, too. Because we'll have a comedian in the house.

JERAS: We are?

WHITFIELD: Yes. George Wallace. He is going to be a regular here.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: His take on the news, you know. A lot of the news material in some circumstances may seem like good material for stand- up. We're going to see it happen live today, because George has examined a few news items of the week, and he's going to make us all laugh.

You remember he was here last month. And we were like, you know, bent over laughing. It was side-splitting kind of humor, and we know he'll make us laugh again today.

JERAS: All right.

WHITFIELD: So every Sunday 5:00 Eastern hour, you'll be able to catch George Wallace, right here in the NEWSROOM with "George's Take.: That's what we call it. "George's Take" on the news. Lots of fun.

All right. Jacqui, thanks so much. We'll have much more right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A vow to keep fighting for democracy, that's what we heard this morning from the activist Aung San Suu Kyi. Myanmar ruling military released the Nobel Peace laureate from house arrest just yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AUNG SAN SUU KYI, DEMOCRACY ACTIVIST: They have not treated me well on a personal base and have not acted in accordance with the rule of law and I will always fight against. Because I don't think that any country can survive as a prosperous and dignified nation unless there is rule of law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: She also told supporters that she's committed to starting a dialogue for reform but can't do it alone.

Doctors and nurses are working around the clock in Haiti to try to keep a cholera outbreak in check, but the illness is still spreading. At last count the death toll has topped more than 800 and more than 1200 others are sick. The outbreak started last month just before Haiti got slammed by hurricane Tomas.

And then in Africa there's a cholera outbreak that's quite significant as well. The illness has killed hundreds of people in Nigeria and the death toll is still climbing. The latest now from CNN's Christian Purefoy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIAN PUREFOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Infected with cholera, over 1,500 children, men, and women have died from one of the worst cholera outbreaks here in years in northern Nigeria. Aloti Esho (ph) was so ill he had to be brought to his local clinic in a wheelbarrow. Of the 27 people in my village with cholera Esho (ph) explains, only six survived.

Helping to set up a makeshift clinic, NSF and the local governments are trying to cope with over 100 people admitted in the last week alone at the village. Thousands have been admitted every week in similar clinics across the region. One of the most common ways for cholera to infect a community like this is through the local village well. The well water gets infected with cholera by fecal matter that washes in there particularly during the rainy season.

The village's young children will come and collect the water, fill up their buckets and take it back to their homes and families to wash and drink with. The most devastating part of this is that cholera is easily preventable. Aid agencies will tell you that the key is education and proper sanitation. In the short term doctors here hope to treat patients, but in the long term they hope they can raise awareness.

DR. SIMON NASH, MEDECIN SANS FRONTIERES: If we can leave some education behind and teach people how to keep their hygiene level higher, keep their sanitation level better, we're not just stopping cholera; we're stops dysentery and half the diseases here.

PUREFOY: But for now Esho (ph) is stoical. I will recover, he explains. I am getting better. There have been three deaths in the village this week. Doctors hope this means the outbreak is also getting better.

Christian Purefoy, CNN, Zamfaria Village, Nigeria.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And on to Thailand where more than 200 people have died in flooding. Nearly 7 million people in about 25,000 villages are affected. The disaster has been going on more than a month now with rivers overflowing after heavy rains across the country.

An American family leaves everyday life behind for an unforgettable world adventure. They take us on their amazing journey, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A family taking the adventure of a lifetime. They'll share their story in a moment. But first a look at the top stories. President Barack Obama has arrived back in Washington after wrapping up a four-nation trip of Asia. The president's last stop was in Japan for the APEC Summit. It was aimed at opening up new markets for American businesses.

Arizona voters have narrowly approved a measure legalizing medical marijuana. The vote was so close that it took until now to finalize the results from the November 2nd ballot. Arizona joins 14 our states and D.C. to allow medical marijuana.

The federal government collected more than $2 million by auctioning off some of the Bernie Madoff's personal items this weekend. Madoff is in prison for swindling billions from investors. The proceeds from the auction will go into the victim's compensation fund.

So a lot of us daydream about doing something like this, but one family actually did it. They cashed in their investments, rented out their home, and then took their kids on a one-year trip around the world. Now David Boesch has written a book about his family's adventures. It's called "Pins on a Map." David and his wife Jill joining us right now from Phoenix, Arizona. Good to see you all.

JILL BOESCH, TRAVELED WITH FAMILY FOR A YEAR: Thank you for having us.

WHITFIELD: I wonder how boring home is now that you've been to 17 countries in one year with kids in toe. What's that adjustment been like, Jill?

J. BOESCH: It's been difficult. It's very challenging to find meaning in the mundane activities of everyday life definitely.

WHITFIELD: OK, so what was the real impetus for this in the first place, David? Why did you all decide you know and this is a good idea, and we're taking our three kids, at the time 13, 9 and 7 around the world, which is a very expensive venture?

DAVID BOESCH, AUTHOR, "PINS ON A MAP:" Well, Jill and I took an unforgettable trip to Nepal in 1993. After that trip we wanted to travel around the world and figured we would do it when we retired. Travel for us as a family was life under a microscope. It was the disappointments were bigger and the joys were bigger and it was something that we loved so much and we thought that bringing the kids along, we could add education to it and change the trip from a selfish endeavor to an unselfish one.

We realized they wouldn't want to be around us forever, so that gave us a gift of a deadline. We planned the trip when they would be those ages where they'd be old enough to remember but not old enough that they didn't want to be around mom and dad.

WHITFIELD: So you ended up embarking on this trip. Among the places you went of course you did a lot of highlight kind of places in the United States, whether it is, you know, Yosemite, California, whether you were rafting in Medford, Oregon. You went to the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, and you went abroad to Tanzania, you did Dubai and Paris. All of these extraordinary places. How do the kids appreciate all these places? Did you kind of rough it so they got a lesson somewhere out of this, or how did you plan it? D. BOESCH: Well, we roughed a lot of it. We roughed our safari. Our safari in Tanzania was intense in unfenced camp grounds, and we stayed at a lot of very low budget places. We gave up our comfortable life. We traded it in the comfortable life that we had and traded it for a year of adventure.

WHITFIELD: What do you think ultimately Jill these kids got out of it? As a couple you talked about Nepal, you know for a long time, talking about how beautiful that journey was and what it meant for you as a couple. So your kids right now are they constantly talking about favorite places or certain lessons or certain things they were exposed to? Are you hearing their experiences out loud all the time?

J. BOESCH: Yes, it's amazing. We see the kids' excitement when they come home from school and there's a topic from school that they have come upon that is a place that we've been. They look at doing a paper on something like the Iyo Sophia in Turkey as exciting. They're very much into all the stuff. It's exciting for them to say that's somewhere we've been and we've seen.

In the book you kind of notice through the beginning to the end of the book you really notice the changes in the kids. Our oldest took a real leadership role, and our middle child, he really grew a lot, too. He kept us laughing all the time. Our daughter who is only 7, she was very brave. She had broken a leg, and I thought for sure she would want to come home. But she was worried that it was going to be a trip- ender, you know.

You really see the changes in the kids. It's just been invaluable, and we talk about the trip every single day. It's something that we share. We share as a family. It's something so special, and it really brought us closer together. It's been a wonderful, wonderful gift.

WHITFIELD: So as a couple you made a decision because you think go around the world and the whole family. This is a hugely expensive trip. You sold all your investments and put your home up for rent so you had something when you got back. Along the way on the journey, weren't you worried, David, along the way, that oh, my gosh are we going to run out of money or will something happen back home at our house? Give me an idea of all the worries that you may of had? Did you say I'm not going to worry and we'll just live in the moment?

D. BOESCH: Fredricka I will never approximate forget standing on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade on the night of September 11th, 2007. It was our last night in the country, because we flew out on the 12th. They had the beams of light coming up from where ground zero was. It was such a reminder to us that the rest of the world doesn't always like Americans. I remember looking at Jill and saying, I don't know that this is the right decision. That was --

WHITFIELD: So you almost turned back sort of mentally, but what made you say no, we're going to go forward?

D. BOESCH: She talked me out of it.

J. BOESCH: We just -- whenever we started getting nervous, we would just pretty much have the motto, ignore the problem. It will go away, and just keep pushing forward because you cannot really let the fears of everything, losing parents back home or something happening at the house or the children getting kidnapped. You have to let those fears go and plan to be the safest you can and experience life and what it has to offer.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Fantastic, David and Jill Boesch. Your kids now are 16, 12, and 10, Joseph, Thomas and Camilla?

D. BOESCH: Yes, they are. The oldest is 16. He's a sophomore in high school, and they're doing very well. You know, when we left I didn't plan to write a book. Neither of us really did, but the journey was so rich we felt like we had to tell it. It was just about not just about how our daughter broke her leg, but the courage that she showed and also, you know, Jill throwing a monkey out of the car when we were in Tanzania, those kinds of things. And I tried to -- like I said, it just was such a rich story, and I tried to tell it in a way that was funny and people would learn something and also hopefully be inspired to travel.

WHITFIELD: Something tells me a lot of people will be very inspired to do exactly what you did. This is now going to be like the family road map on a family vacation in a big way. David and Jill Boesch, thanks so much from Arizona for joining us, and "Pins on a Map: a family's yearlong journey around the world." Very fun stuff. Congrats on a great journey.

J. BOESCH: Thanks for having you.

D. BOESCH: Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. The big bang. Scientists say that's how our universe was created. Now they have managed to re-create it. Our Josh Levs will show us what it could mean.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: You've heard the big bang. We'll get ready for the squeal. Scientists say they've re-created it. Our Josh Levs is here with a closer look.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's being dubbed the min mini-big bang. The big question they have is what happened at that moment, the moment of the big bang at the beginning of the universe? It's a question millions of Americans are reminded of every week on this TV sitcom theme song.

The song to the big bang theory. Love it. This is the big idea here what happened at the -- it all started with the big bang. There you go. So what happened at that moment and was it made out of? And ultimately what is everything made out of? Scientists have been using this, this massive -- it's called the large colluder. This massive machine that spans the border between Switzerland and France. Its underground and it's designed to discover and study the tiniest building blocks of matter. Scientists say it will revolutionize our understanding of the universe. So here is what they've been doing, they've been working to smash together atomic particles at a faster and faster rate to create this incredibly tiny microscopic particles that can only be seen for a fraction of a second. Well in recent days they managed to get faster than ever creating temperatures, listen to this a hundred thousand times hotter than the center of the sun.

That was their mini-big bang, and the scientific lingo here is that they smashed together ions for the first time. Before now it were protons colliding. The big idea as one professor explained to us is they're reproducing the conditions that existed, listen to this, a few millionths of a second after the big bang. The thinking is that an understanding of these tiny particles that they can see will give all of us a new whole new understanding of what everything is made out of, including us.

A lot more information on this. Here are cool pictures for you on my Facebook and twitter pages @Josh Levs CNN. Take a look and let us know what you think and learn all about the mini-big bang.

Back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much, Josh, appreciate that that.

A brutal snowstorm more than a month before winter. We'll check in with Jacqui Jeras for the latest on dangerous weather in the upper Midwest.

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WHITFIELD: Oh, it's very cold outside. In fact, it's snowy, blustery, Midwest. Jacqui.

JERAS: I know.

WHITFIELD: Some people have been saying, come on, right, it's November. You should expect to see snow.

JERAS: You should in this -- you should to this degree?

WHITFIELD: Not this much snow. That's what I was trying to say. It's not coming out of my mouth.

JERAS: This is the heaviest snowfall that the twin cities have seen in about 20 year's pre-Thanksgiving. They had a couple of big Halloween ones, but this was a big one, you know. A lot of snow falling, and you can see that snow moving eastward now across parts of Wisconsin, a little wintery mix across Green Bay and this is heading up towards the U.P of Michigan and the snow is going to head up northward with all the rain on the south. The snowfall accumulations have just been incredible, I mean we are talking a foot in Maple Grove, that is a suburb of the Twin Cities, 10 inches in Duluth, Minnesota, 10 in Mankato, and a record for you in Minneapolis at the airport at 7.9 inches. Our I-reporters have been having fun taking some great video and some still pictures as well. This is from Erica in Woodbury and what a beautiful picture, isn't it? This came over the weekend and didn't cause too many hassles. There were some flight cancellations and delays playing catch up with that today and it's looking a lot better for the twin cities and down towards Chicago as you head into tomorrow.

But we're concerned about the southeast. It's been gorgeous in the southeast. In fact, how many things have I seen on my Facebook page today that said oh it's sunny and 80 in Atlanta compared to the snow up north. Well guess what the sun is going away. There you can see that cold front is pushing on through, a really weak front. But what's going to happen is that an area of low pressure is developing right over here across parts of Louisiana, and this low is going to kind of take over and be the main system. This is going to head up to the north and to the east. It will ride on up towards the coast, but I think it will stay interior so we're not talking about a big nor'easter event, so that's good news out of that. But it's going to be a big soaker for the southeast. We really need it, because we've been looking at some pretty significant drought conditions across much of the southeast, even into parts of Tennessee Valley. So this is actually a good thing unless you're trying to travel, right?

I want to take a quick mention about what's going on with the tropics there, and there you can see the western Caribbean. That is showing an area of showers and thunderstorms, which could develop into our next main system there. Our list has just been incredible. We've had 19 named storms so far this year, and there you be see all of them this season. Tomas was our last one, Virgine would be the next one, but we don't think it would impact the U.S. So that is a little bit of good news out of all of this. But it's heading towards Nicaragua and Honduras who has had a tremendous amount of rainfall this season.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much Jacqui. Check back with you later.

An American with a mission hits the road to promote a new national symbol. It's a flag that honors those who died in military service. Julia Peterson reports.

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GEORGE LUTZ, FATHER OF SOLDIER KILLED IN IRAQ: It's a different kind of a death, you know, when you send your young, educated, healthy loved one out into a war situation.

JULIA PETERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A father's odyssey, all 50 states in just five minutes. George Lutz is an army of one delivering the honor and remembered flag he designed to military families, families who like his own lost a loved one fighting for our country. Lutz lost his son in Iraq in 2005.

LUTZ: These flags are not shipped to families. They are presented. They're friends and they are family and they are peers can see and appreciate what that sacrifice has meant to that family. As I've traveled around the country, I've been able to present many, many flags to all generations of families from World War II to Iraq. What we needed to give this country was a tangible way to say thank you. A way to say, you know what? That sacrifice is important to me. I will show you how important it is to me. I am willing to display a symbol.

PETERSON: Lutz has met with state legislators, community organizations and religious groups.

LUTZ: About 16 governors.

PETERSON: He wants states to adopt the honor and remember flag and fly it on national holidays.

LUTZ: Minnesota, New Hampshire, Colorado.

PETERSON: He wants Washington to adopt the flag as a federal symbol, too. And his Virginia Congressman is sponsoring legislation. And Lutz wants families of the fallen -- Gold Star families -- to fly the Honor and Remember flag in front of their homes.

LUTZ: At the end of the day, there's nothing we can do. There's no gifts we can give, ceremonies we can provide. There's just nothing we can do to give a family what they really want. And that is their loved one to come home. If we can't give them that, the one most important thing is gratitude.

PETERSON: One surprise he'll never forget came in the heart of the Midwest.

LUTZ: In Nebraska, on a ceremony with the governor, many Gold Star families. There was one man there, First Sargent, who was with my son when he was shot. He just told me what happened that day. It was just a powerful moment, you know, for me to get to hear one more story about that day and what happened. And it meant a lot to me.

PETERSON: Separate from his personal healing, George Lutz calls his flag campaign a mission.

LUTZ: I don't cancel because if I've got a presentation to make, I'm going to make that presentation one way or the other.

PETERSON: An incredible trip that will be completed on Veteran's Day at Arlington National Cemetery when he plants thousands of Honor and Remember flags graveside.

LUTZ: The emotional strain of this, you know, to meet family after family who have lost a son or a daughter or a husband or wife, is just very draining.

PETERSON: Julie Peterson, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)