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Hurricane Survivors Pen Children's Book; Turkey Fryers Dangerous if Used Improperly; Line Blurs Between American, Foreign Cars

Aired November 24, 2005 - 15:30   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Joining us now from St. Louis, the authors, Shawn Gerowin and Karoline Schleh-Gerowin. And of course their little 1 1/2-year-old, Hani.
Is she doing OK? She's hanging in there?

KAROLINE SCHLEH-GEROWIN, CO-AUTHOR, "CATTE AU LAIT": She's hanging in there.

PHILLIPS: OK. If she gets a little restless we'll let her run to the floor director there. It will be OK. No problem.

We wanted to have the whole family because it's the daughter -- your daughter that inspired this book, right, Karoline?

SCHLEH-GEROWIN: Yes, she did. She was the reason. She kept us sane, I think, during the whole evacuation process. Inspired the book.

PHILLIPS: Did she realize what was go on or was it the type of thing whereas you guys were experiencing what was happening and looking at her and looking at her eyes, that the idea was sort of inspired?

SCHLEH-GEROWIN: I think it was looking in her eyes. I think she didn't really know so much what was going on, because we'd traveled a lot with her. But for us, I think we did it more for ourselves to keep ourselves sane as well as have something for her to remember in the future what happened.

PHILLIPS: And, Shawn, you brought a lot of pictures. And you guys, it's all right. Keep -- you can do whatever you need to do to play with Hani. It's live television. She might want to go over to Daddy. That's OK. She's precious. Yes, do whatever you guys -- it's OK. We'll talk about the book. We'll look at pictures.

We're looking, actually, at pictures right now of your home. Shawn, tell me what happened. We're looking at actually the street shots that you took and your house itself.

SHAWN GEROWIN, CO-AUTHOR, "CATTE AU LAIT": Two weeks after the storm, I helped some friends from Chicago, Tulane alumni, deliver clothes to Baton Rouge. And we decided to try to see if we could see our house. See all of the images on the satellites, our house was really under water. And so we got into the city and we wore waders. And there was still water in our streets. And we got to the house. And it's kind of what I imagined it was going to be like but actually a little bit better because the water didn't go up to the roof like it did in other friends' houses. It was about two feet deep at the high point in our house.

PHILLIPS: Wow. And it's funny; I'm watching your daughter. It's a combination of either peek-a-boo or she's remembering what happened to the house and she's thinking, "Hands up, Mom and Dad, it drove me crazy." That's OK.

What does she have hooked on her? Is that your microphone? We better get Shawn's microphone back on the jacket there.

GEROWIN: She grabbed the microphone.

PHILLIPS: That's OK.

GEROWIN: A precocious Hani here.

SCHLEH-GEROWIN: Take her.

PHILLIPS: You got her? Good. All right. Let's talk about the book. "Catte Au Lait: The Big Hurricane" is the title. Tell me how, I know Karoline, you're an artist and you did all the illustrations, right?

SCHLEH-GEROWIN: Yes, I did.

PHILLIPS: OK. So tell me how you picked the characters and how the characters intertwined with culture, the culture of New Orleans, and also Katrina.

SCHLEH-GEROWIN: Well, the character of Catte Au Lait was a character that my sister and I had come up with years ago, my sister Theresa and I. And he was sort of the epitome of the New Orleans community, everything that made us happy about the city. And we never actually had a story to put together around the character. But the hurricane inspired that. We thought it was a good time to do something a little different. So...

PHILLIPS: I love this illustration of the storm. The big cloud blowing upon the city. I mean, it's frightening, yet it's soft, too. It a comfortable picture to look at.

SCHLEH-GEROWIN: Well I think it was very therapeutic for us. And for a long time my husband and I had wanted to make a children's book. It's very different from the kind of art I guess I usually do. And it was just -- it was a good exercise. And I really enjoyed learning -- doing children's illustrations.

PHILLIPS: So along with the illustrations, Shawn, talk to me about just the stories that are told in the book. I mean, it's the relationship among the characters talking. I mean they all cry when they have to leave each other, but then they come together and they talk about rebuilding the city.

GEROWIN: Yes, because we -- when we evacuated we went all the way to St. Louis and we -- after we saw it wasn't going to be a quick return after the levees broke, we started contacting all of our friends and we started hearing it from their children, wondering whether or not the hurricane was going to get them where they are whether or not they're in the Midwest or not.

And we were worried that people, you started hearing that, our friends were losing their spirit. So we kind of wanted to write something that was uplifting for our friends, but also for us and children. Where the friends were -- Catte Au Lait, he loves New Orleans. It's a special place, a unique place. And all of his friends are worried about losing it. And they're -- and it's kind of, in the end they all decide, no matter what hardships they have to endure, they're going to come back and rebuild their beautiful city.

PHILLIPS: And it says, Catte met with his friends to discuss their plans for the future. Despite the challenges all wanted to return to rebuild.

But then you have an interesting character there, Ned, the nutria, felt it was too much trouble. Besides he never liked living in a historic city where he was not allowed to burrow holes wherever he liked. What's the purpose of this character?

GEROWIN: Ned, again, that was kind of like -- kind of like a poke at some of our friends that were kind of talking about how difficult it was going to be and we're kind of -- did it as kind of a poke: "Come on, it's going to be difficult, it's going to be challenges. But we can do it."

And the point was to stay positive, because if we don't stay positive, it's going to be a much harder job to do.

PHILLIPS: Karoline, did you find other moms talking about the same things, mom and dads talking about the same thing? And have you shared your book with your neighbors and people that you know from New Orleans? What's their reaction?

SCHLEH-GEROWIN: Well, it was -- I had, actually, a very positive response from all of my friends that are mothers. And it was particularly good, I think, speaking with friends of mine that had to enroll their kids in other schools and moms and families that are going to be a way to a little bit longer. And they like the positive message of it. And they bought it for their kids and to read to their children.

And they gave us, you know, they enjoyed it and told their friends about it. And they said it was -- made it happy to look forward to coming home.

PHILLIPS: And of course you can go on your web site, Schleh.com, not only see your beautiful artwork but you can click on and buy -- and buy this book, "Catte au Lait: The Big Hurricane." Catte au Lait inspired by Karoline and her sister, Theresa, growing up. It's precious, and so is your family.

And we thank you for just sharing the story with us.

Hani took off. She left you guys. You better catch her.

SCHLEH-GEROWIN: She did. She says happy Thanksgiving.

GEROWIN: She's running around the studio. But happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

PHILLIPS: Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks, you guys.

GEROWIN: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Well, another step forward for New Orleans. The city devastated by Hurricane Katrina has announced the party will go on in February as scheduled. That's right. We're talking about Mardi Gras. The parades will likely be scaled back, though. The city hopes corporate sponsors will underwrite the cost. Great to see that up and going.

Well, fryer fires, a holiday hazard burning out of control right now. We're going to show you what happens. Pretty amazing video.

The news keeps coming. We're going to keep bringing it to you. More LIVE FROM straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: And here's something you don't want to see happen this holiday, your house on fire. This Nashville home owner tried to get a jump on Thanksgiving dinner by frying the turkey yesterday. Well, he left it unattended on his back deck for just a second. You see the result.

And this is what's left of a house that had just been built in Eugene, Oregon, after some folks tried to fry their turkey in the garage.

Our consumer correspondent, Greg Hunter, says it's an all-too common occurrence since turkey fryers caught on a couple years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GREG HUNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At an apartment complex in Tucson, Arizona, Christmas Eve, 2002, ended with this fire investigators say was caused by a turkey fryer.

K.D. PREBLE, HOMEOWNER: My dad and two sisters ran out the door, and I had to jump out my bedroom window.

HUNTER: Incidents of fires or burns have happened at least 112 times in the last seven years, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, attributed to people around the country improperly using turkey fryers. One industry group estimates there are 10 million propane fryers in use today. People who cook with them say they work fast and the turkey's delicious, most of the time.

Thanksgiving Day, 2003, at the Moon home in Aloha, Oregon, described by a couple of terrified neighbors.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a house on fire.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know. Sarala, up 170th.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's -- the flames are 20 feet high. There's black smoke in the air. It's a whole back side. It started on the deck.

HUNTER: Doctor Stephen Moon says he had been cooking the family feast with a turkey fryer.

STEPHEN MOON, FIRE VICTIM: I thought, well, if something happens I've got a fire extinguisher. That will take care of it. And it was like spitting into the wind. It was nothing compared to this fire that was going on.

HUNTER: The fire raged on. And eventually the fire department had to come put it out, but not before it caused more than $100,000 in damages.

Underwriters Laboratories in North Brook, Illinois, a world recognized product testing organization says frying a turkey can be hazardous. Spokesman John Drengenberg says that's why U.L. will not put its seal of approval on any turkey fryer.

JOHN DRENGENBERG, UNDERWRITERS LABORATORIES: There have been safety improvements on turkey fryers, but it's still not at that point where U.L. will authorize the use of its mark.

HUNTER (on camera): It's not safe?

DRENGENBERG: Because we don't believe it is safe enough for people to use.

HUNTER (voice-over): U.L. has been testing turkey fryers for the past three years. In this company video they show how easily fires can get out of control when typical consumer mistakes are made, like dropping a partially frozen bird into a pot of overheated oil.

The industry says over the last few years they've corrected many problems. In 2002, the Canadian Standards Association, a U.L. consumer testing competitor, began certifying some turkey fryers as safe. The stands are sturdier and the tanks are better marked so consumers won't overfill.

Manufacturers have also decreased the intensity of the flame, so the oil won't overheat as quickly. And fryers come with pages of explicit cautions. One booklet contains at least 15 specific warnings on the dangers of frying a turkey.

Industry group The Hearth Patio and Barbecue Association suggested we talk to a Don and John McLemore, who own Masterbuilt, one of the biggest makers of turkey fryers.

JOHN MCLEMORE, CO-OWNER, MASTERBUILT: If you don't drive your car attentive and like you should, automobiles can be dangerous. So turkey frying is the same way. If you use it, follow the instructions and do what we say in our instructions, it's a perfectly safe product to use.

HUNTER: Simple instructions like making sure the fryer is outside, away from all buildings, on level ground, and is watched at all times.

(on camera) The industry has warnings on their products. Isn't it consumer's fault that they don't listen to the warnings?

DRENGENBERG: Well, the industry has added a lot of warnings to these turkey fryers. But the fact is the construction has to be improved to the level of safety that U.L. would demand for such a product.

HUNTER (voice-over): U.L. says it wants a device that will automatically limit the temperature of the oil in a gas turkey fryer, because it's not practical to expect consumers to watch a turkey fryer every minute, especially around the holidays.

The McLemore brothers point out they already make an electric fryer with a control to keep the oil at the correct temperature, but it will take time to develop one for their gas fryer that's safe.

DON MCLEMORE, CO-OWNER, MASTERBUILT: It's got to be done right. Can't be done overnight and thrown in the marketplace. That could be a worse mistake than not having one at all.

HUNTER: Until a thermostat is developed, overheating oil is Underwriters Laboratories' main concern. U.L. set up a demonstration for CNN.

(on camera) One thing you need to be careful of when using a turkey fryer is something called the oil flashpoint. That's where if you leave this unattended too long and the oil gets too hot, it can ignite without even touching a flame. Watch.

(voice-over) As you can see, even putting the lid on doesn't stop the fire. And within seconds, flames are leaping four feet over the fryer. Within 2 1/2 minutes, the demonstration wall catches fire. This shows how quickly one of these fires can get out of control.

And when U.L.'s firefighters take the lid off to extinguish the fire, watch what happens. They spray foam on the fire, but even in this controlled situation, it's not easy to put out.

To see how to works in the real world we went to this house, waiting demolition, near Chicago. With the help of Frankfurt, Illinois, firefighters we set up a turkey fryer with the kind of mistakes assistant chief Larry Rouck (ph) he sees all the time.

(on camera) This looks like a dangerous setup. By the back door, you got the leaves around there. It might be a little bit above the "full" line. Is that how some people would treat this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Yes.

HUNTER: Not surprising?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not surprising at all.

HUNTER: Homeowners make mistake when using a turkey fryer. For example, this one is way too close to the house. It's too full of oil and too hot. On top of that, we're going to put a semi frozen bird right into the fryer to show you what can happen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Target!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Target!

HUNTER (voice-over): We had firefighters standing by to make sure this didn't get out of control, because as Dr. Stephen Moon will tell you, turkey fryer fires can get out of control in a hurry.

(on camera) Would you fry one here at your house again?

MOON: Not at my house, no.

HUNTER: For those who will, follow the instructions carefully, or risk a holiday dinner tragedy.

Greg Hunter, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Domestic or import: what do you drive? Well, it's hard to define these days. A closer look when LIVE FROM returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: That was my LIVE FROM team, by the way.

So is your car domestic or imported? Seems like a straightforward question, but the answer might be bit more complex. Our favorite, Ali Velshi, has the bottom line.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They used to be called imports but the label doesn't really work anymore; 7.1 million so-called foreign brand cars were sold in the U.S. in 2004. More than half of those were made in America. So what exactly is an American car?

World renowned names like Sweden's Volvo, Japan's Mazda, Britain's Jaguar and Land Rover are all owned or controlled by Ford. Does that make them American cars?

How about Sweden's Saab? It's owned by General Motors. Walter Chrysler started the Chrysler company in the '20s, but now the company is owned by Germany's Daimler. So what is it? Import or domestic?

OK, I'll stop with the trick questions. We all know what American really is. Picture a big pickup truck, like this Toyota Tundra. Starting next year it will be made at a sparkly new plant in San Antonio, Texas.

Or a Honda minivan, built by American workers in Lincoln, Alabama. Honda's first American car, an Accord, rolled off a plant in Ohio in 1982.

Like their home factories, experts say the Japanese-owned plants in the U.S. tend to be newer and more efficient than American-owned plants. For instance, they can build more models using the same equipment, and they are typically not unionized.

BERNARD SWIECKI, CENTER FOR AUTOMOTIVE RESEARCH: The UAW has tried on numerous occasions to organize those plants, and just the sheer threat of the UAW hovering around the corner, trying to organize, has forced the Asian manufacturers to bring their pay and their benefits up to a level that is very, very close to what the UAW would pay.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Once again, that report from our Ali Velshi. He'll be live in "THE SITUATION ROOM" at the top of the hour. You won't want to miss it.

Germany's new chancellor making the rounds through Europe on her third day in office. Angela Merkel traveled to London's 10 Downing Street for talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. She made stops in Paris and Brussels on Wednesday. The two leaders predicted a strong working relationship. But Merkel declined to take sides in Blair's ongoing budget dispute with the European Union.

His doctors says he's unlikely to live another 24 hours, and family members have gathered at London's Cromwell Hospital now. Legendary British soccer great George Best, who helped Manchester United win the 1968 European Cup, is reportedly unconscious and on a ventilator.

The 59-year-old Best needed a liver transplant just three years ago, after a long history of alcohol abuse. He's been in an intensive care unit for a week. Overnight, Best's condition worsened with internal bleeding affecting his lungs and other organs.

The Fourth of July, you get hot dogs, right? Well, today you know you get the turkey. But what would a holiday be without a friendly eating competition? We bring it to you every year. We had to keep going. We had to show you the gross mouth-stuffing pictures.

All right. What's up with the mask? (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: That's not where the turkey sound came from, I promise. That's my wonderful floor crew there, looking very busy.

And if you're concerned about manners at the kids' table today, brace yourself for what you're about to see. It's a turkey eating contest at a New York deli.

One of the smallest competitors -- you'll see her in a second -- was the big winner. One hundred-pound woman named Sonia "The Black Widow" Thomas. We're getting to her. We're getting closer.

She ate more than four pounds -- there she is -- of the roasted bird in a 12-minute period.

Now I've got to tell you we interviewed her one time on CNN's LIVE FROM. She runs like eight hours a day, some crazy form of exercise. And I asked her what it's like to go on a date. She said usually her dates get very intimidated at dinner. Classic.

Of course, it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a parade, right? People in Philadelphia claim one of the oldest in the nation. It was the 86th year for Philly's Thanksgiving march through that city. Crowds gathered to watch the annual parade of floats, flags, bands and balloons.

New Yorkers, of course, continued their own annual tradition, and CNN was there. Here's some of the highlights from this year's New York Macy's parade.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Guys, you ready?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We love New York! We love New York! We love New York! We love New York! We love New York!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We love New York! We love New York! We love New York! We love New York! We love New York!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We love New York! We love New York! We love New York! We love New York! We love New York!

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Did you say good old parade? This is a big parade. Check this out. I mean, look, big balloons. Look at Ronald McDonald. Look at that, big balloons. Big crowds. Show them the crowd over here, Fred. Big crowds. This is a big parade! We've got lots clowns here. You know, clowns kind of freak me out, but on a day like today I'm going to get over my fear.

Short sleeves. What is he thinking? What are you thinking, my man? It's the warmth of the holiday spirit!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Come on, doggies.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's too excited. She still wants to see Dora. She's just waiting.

CARROLL: The good news, of course, is that Dora was able to explore her way down the parade route.

So, Andy, who are you looking forward to seeing?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chicken Little.

(MUSIC)

CARROLL: You see any favorites that you like?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pikachu.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Happy Thanksgiving.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, that does it for this Thanksgiving Day edition of LIVE FROM. I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN Center in Atlanta. Have you -- hope you have a great rest of the holiday, and on behalf of our entire team, we wish you and your loved ones a very, very happy holiday.

Now Ali Velshi is in for Wolf Blitzer, live in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

VELSHI: I'm Ali Velshi, and you're in "THE SITUATION ROOM" where new pictures and information from around the world are arriving all the time.

Happening now, stark contrasts in Iraq, deadly new attacks but still, U.S. troops find reason to give thanks. We're live with the frontline forces.

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