Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Dire Situation In Sudan; On The Campaign Trail; Soy Really A Superfood?; Home Swapping; Final Olympic Preparations In Athens

Aired August 09, 2004 - 11:30   ET

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

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


DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: The worse humanitarian crisis in the world -- that is how the United Nations describes the current situation in Sudan. CNN's chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, is in the Darfur region.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're here at the Riyadh camp outside Al Junayah, the capital of Western Darfur. And what can you see is people living in basic structures. You can't even call these huts, because they're just a bunch of twigs and straw matting that people have had to put up.

They don't even have plastic shelter, and that's going to be a big, big problem, because the rainy season has just started. Sometimes it comes down in sheets -- like as one person described, sheets of glass. And this is what's going to inundate them, so they're desperate for some kind of permanent structures.

Now, it smells a bit of sewage because there is no proper drainage, and it's a little rancid, as well. Here we are, this -- if you can just get rid of the children for a second out of the camera frame -- is what a lot of the people have got to eat. Those who can afford it get to eat some of this meat that's actually been out here for hours and hours in the blazing heat.

For some reason, they all think it's very funny that we're here taking this picture, but this is, in fact, the pitiful fact of what these people have to go through. There simply isn't enough food out here yet.

Even though Secretary of State Colin Powell, the Secretary General of the U.N. Kofi Annan made high-profile visits to Darfur about a month or so ago, the aid pipeline is only just opening up. And because the aid agencies hadn't pre-planned, hadn't got big stockpiles in place in Darfur, it is quite slow -- in fact, too slow -- getting food to them.

And that's not the only problem. If you pan around this camp, you'll see that it's just -- really just little structures. And what happens is, the most vulnerable, the little kids, they're the first ones to go. The USAID is estimating that unless massive amounts of aid get to these kinds of camps quickly, then, at best, there could be 300,000 people dead in Darfur by the end of this year. That's at best. If aid does not get here quickly, there could be, according to USAID, a million lives lost in Darfur. Now, the acting part of the ethnic cleansing is basically over; the active military campaign by the Sudanese government against what started as a rebellion is basically over. And now, the humanitarian phase, the disease phase, is really setting in. When there's malnutrition amongst any of these people who you see here, people who don't have enough to eat -- and particularly the vulnerable, the women and children, when they don't have enough to eat, that's when they become the most susceptible to disease.

There's already diarrhea. There are respiratory diseases. There's septicemia. There are all sorts of things, including the possibility of a malaria outbreak at the end of the rainy season at the end of September that could cause mass death.

In all, about two million people are at risk. They need help, and they need it quickly. I'm Christiane Amanpour in the Riyadh camp, Al Junaynah, in Darfur.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: More and more people are making soy a staple in their diet. The question, though, how healthy is it? Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to take a look, next.

And later, the final countdown is on and the attention of the world focusing on Athens and start of the games. A preview of the games is ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: On the campaign trail, President Bush isn't venturing too far from the White House today, while Senator John Kerry is logging more miles out west.

CNN's senior political correspondent Candy Crowley is in Washington live with us. Hi, Candy.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Republican presidential candidates have carried the state of Virginia for 36 years. But in this election, President Bush isn't taking the state for granted.

He appeared at an "Ask President Bush" event in northern Virginia this morning. Amid new fighting in Iraq and heightened terror alerts at home, the president defended his handling of those conflicts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In this world of threats to our homeland and in this world where there are folks who cannot stand our country and our way of life, we must deal with threats. It used to be we didn't have to. Now you just can't hope they go away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CROWLEY: First Lady Laura Bush has a busy campaign day with events in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan.

The Grand Canyon is the next stop on John Kerry's coast-to-coast trip through the nation's battleground states. He arrived in Arizona last night, where he pledged to improve health insurance for Native Americans.

Kerry broke from the usual campaign routine late Saturday in New Mexico when he danced a few step steps with wife Teresa to the sounds of a Mariachi band.

A new nationwide Associated Press poll shows Senator Kerry with a three-point lead over President Bush: Kerry got 48%, Bush 45%, Ralph Nader, 3%. Last month, the AP poll had Bush was on top at 49% and Kerry at 45.

Alan Keyes is not promising his supporters a victory, but he is promising them a fight. During a rally yesterday, the two-time Republican presidential hopeful accepted his party's offer to be its nominee in the Senate race in Illinois. His Democratic opponent? Barack Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAN KEYES (R), ILLINOIS SENATE CANDIDATE: ... that somebody with his record should kind of waltz into the United States Senate unopposed. Now -- and I -- I was disposed to say, OK, on that basis, I will look at the record.

And they sent me information -- because I'll confess, like most Americans, I didn't know much about Barack Obama more than I saw at the Democratic convention. And though he looked to me like a pretty standard liberal, with whom I do not agree on most everything...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CROWLEY: The Illinois Senate race is the first time two African- American candidates are representing the major parties in the U.S. Senate election.

Today marks the third anniversary of President Bush's decision to restrict federal funding for stem cell research. This afternoon, I'll talk with Bush and Kerry campaign advisors about how the issue will affect the race for the White House.

Plus, on the 30th anniversary of President Nixon's resignation, our Bruce Morton will look at some newly released Nixon tapes. Please join me when I go "INSIDE POLITICS" at 3:30 p.m. Eastern.

Well, right now, we want to go back to Drew in Atlanta at about 11:39.

GRIFFIN: Candy, look forward to that report later today.

President and Mrs. Bush will join CNN's Larry King for an hour of political talk on Thursday night. You can tune in at 9:00 Eastern for LARRY KING LIVE. And as Candy mentioned, it is a political anniversary worth noting: 30 years ago today -- August 9th, 1974 -- President Nixon left the White House and headed into political exile. He had announced his resignation the night before, the first and only president to do so, forced from office by Watergate. Tonight, Woodward and Bernstein, the guys who broke the Watergate story, will be on with Larry King, as well.

Well, why buy or rent when you can just walk? Up next in our "Getaway" segment, we're going to show you the latest trend in vacations. We're coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Why buy or rent when you can just swap. Up next in our "Getaways" segment, we're going to show the latest trend in vacations. We're coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Time for our "Daily Dose." Doctors say formerly conjoined twins from the Philippines are doing very well this morning. The boys were born joined at the head, then separated in a 17-hour operation last week in New York. Doctors say there have been no problems, but one of the boys, Carl, could face a higher risk of complications than his brother, Clarence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ROBERT MARION, MONTEFIORE MEDICAL CENTER: What happened with Carl was that when -- at the time of surgery, it was found that Clarence really owned the covering of the brain, called the dura. At the time of surgery, Dr. Goodrich had to rebuild a dura for Carl.

And as a result of that, we're worried about the drainage of cerebral spinal fluid, the normal fluid that bathes and protects the brain in Carl. So we're worried that he may build up some fluid in his brain, a condition called hydrocephaluss. If that becomes the case, we may have to do a shunt on him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: The doctors held a news conference this morning, talking about the boys, and they still face more operations, including surgery, to reconstruct their skulls.

More of our "Daily Dose" now, the truth about soy. Health claims suggest it might prevent everything from cancer to heart disease to baldness. So, is soy really the superfood many people think it is?

Senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tofu and edamame, soy milk. Once considered a food only for health nuts, now 25 percent of Americans use at least one soy product a week. That's according to the industry and by next year annual sales of soy are expected to hit almost $5 billion.

So what's the real story on soy?

DR. ALAN RICHMOND: It's not a cure-all, it's not an end-all, it's not a magic potion, but it is a good dietary supplement.

GUPTA: Soy is good for the heart. It's high in protein, low in saturated fat, and has no cholesterol.

The FDA has gone on record saying a daily intake of soy can actually help lower your cholesterol by 5 to 10 percent.

What about soy and menopause?

RICHMOND: It doesn't change the cognitive effects of menopause. It doesn't change the sleep disturbances of menopause. But yes, it will take away hot flashes.

GUPTA: The reason: soy contains isoflavones, which can mimic estrogen. Some researchers had been concerned that the ingredients could cause cancer in post-menopausal women, but recent studies show that's not the case.

Studies suggest soy might reduce the risk of breast cancer for some women, but if you're at risk for breast cancer, the American Cancer Society says taking soy may not be a good idea.

What about reversing hair loss or prostate cancer in men?

RICHMOND: In some studies it has suggested that it may slow down the balding process in men and it also will decrease the growth of prostate cancer. Is it a cure for prostate cancer? No.

GUPTA: Knowing how much soy to eat isn't easy. The FDA recommends 25 grams of soy protein per day for heart health. Read the labels, because soy products aren't regulated by the FDA. Levels of protein and isoflavones vary.

Some examples: a little over three glasses of soy milk, half a cup of soy nuts or three Boca burgers will get you your daily allowance.

More research is needed, but many doctors believe soy is good for most people.

So, pass the soy nuts.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: And To get your daily dose of health news online, log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library and information on diet and fitness. The address, cnn.com/health.

Buy one, rent one, or you could just swap. Home swapping a big trend in vacation travel. This month's "Conde Nast Traveler" features a how-to guide.

Dana Dickey is senior editor there, joins us from Time Warner Center in New York this morning for our "Getaways" segment.

What's this all about?

DANA DICKEY, "CONDE NAST TRAVELER": Well, a big trend in travel today is the home swap. And basically this sounds a little daunting at first, but what it is, is you swap your home with someone else at the same or different times, and there's no charge.

GRIFFIN: Don't you have to have a cool home to do this?

DICKEY: No, no, not at all. This has long been popular with teachers and other professionals as ways to utilize their resources and time off, and now it's spreading to more people. So it could just be a small apartment, say, but in a wonderful geographic location.

GRIFFIN: How do you do it?

DICKEY: Well, the Web has made this easy. Basically what you do is figure out when you want to go somewhere, and then log on to one of these Web sites and look for something that fulfills your requirements, and then you contact the person and go from there.

GRIFFIN: And can you find homes that are suitable for families. Are there any restrictions on these?

DICKEY: There's a really wide range of homes available. And, for example, on some of these Web sites, like swapnow.com, there's over 11,000 listings in 23 countries.

So, can you find a few things that will please you there certainly. And they come with lots after amenities that you may not get, say, if you were staying at a hotel. You could use an automobile, you could use club membership in the area, or in the case of my good friend Susan in New York City, you could even use a fruit tree in the front yard.

GRIFFIN: Very interesting. How do you do it then if you're maybe not in a real luxury location or a vacation spot? Do you think there are people out there who want to come to middle America and spend a week while you're using their house in Paris?

DICKEY: Well, certainly. Say you'd like to go to Paris for a New Year's Eve. The Parisian may be a little fed up with fast-paced city life, and the idea of sort of suburban quietness and peace might really appeal to them.

GRIFFIN: All right, "Conde Nast," reporting on this interesting trend in house swapping this morning.

Thanks for joining us.

(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: The world's big celebration, almost 11,000 athletes from over 200 nations, untold numbers of visitors from those nations making their way to Athens, Greece, for the Olympics four days before they begin.

Our Michael Holmes has this update.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Perhaps the mark by which these games will be judged will be just how many people turn out to watch it. And we're told that after a very quiet week or so,most of the planes are full coming into Athens this week. So there's a great hope that the tourists are coming and they're going to come in numbers.

We are told that ticket sales are fairly brisk, thousands, tens of thousands being sold every day. The opening, closing ceremony is already sold out, as are the finals of most events. so it's just a matter of filling out all of those qualifying events. There's a lot of hope that the Plaka, the other tourist areas, and of course those venues will fill up once the Games get under way.

We're told the opening ceremony is going to be what the director calls a dream show full surprises. It was a closely guarded secret exactly what happens in the opening ceremony. He does promise it's going to be spectacular.

When it comes to security, of course, that big issue here, post- 9/11, everything seems to be in place here. There are police pretty much on every major intersection, something that tourists find comforting rather than disturbing. Patriot missiles are ringing the city, and NATO warships are off the coast, and aircraft in the air.

As the deputy defense minister said yesterday, Athens is probably the safest city in the world today.

Michael Holmes, CNN, Athens.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(WEATHER REPORT)

GRIFFIN: The news on CNN continues now, Wolf Blitzer reporting from Washington -- Wolf.

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


Aired August 9, 2004 - 11:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: The worse humanitarian crisis in the world -- that is how the United Nations describes the current situation in Sudan. CNN's chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, is in the Darfur region.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're here at the Riyadh camp outside Al Junayah, the capital of Western Darfur. And what can you see is people living in basic structures. You can't even call these huts, because they're just a bunch of twigs and straw matting that people have had to put up.

They don't even have plastic shelter, and that's going to be a big, big problem, because the rainy season has just started. Sometimes it comes down in sheets -- like as one person described, sheets of glass. And this is what's going to inundate them, so they're desperate for some kind of permanent structures.

Now, it smells a bit of sewage because there is no proper drainage, and it's a little rancid, as well. Here we are, this -- if you can just get rid of the children for a second out of the camera frame -- is what a lot of the people have got to eat. Those who can afford it get to eat some of this meat that's actually been out here for hours and hours in the blazing heat.

For some reason, they all think it's very funny that we're here taking this picture, but this is, in fact, the pitiful fact of what these people have to go through. There simply isn't enough food out here yet.

Even though Secretary of State Colin Powell, the Secretary General of the U.N. Kofi Annan made high-profile visits to Darfur about a month or so ago, the aid pipeline is only just opening up. And because the aid agencies hadn't pre-planned, hadn't got big stockpiles in place in Darfur, it is quite slow -- in fact, too slow -- getting food to them.

And that's not the only problem. If you pan around this camp, you'll see that it's just -- really just little structures. And what happens is, the most vulnerable, the little kids, they're the first ones to go. The USAID is estimating that unless massive amounts of aid get to these kinds of camps quickly, then, at best, there could be 300,000 people dead in Darfur by the end of this year. That's at best. If aid does not get here quickly, there could be, according to USAID, a million lives lost in Darfur. Now, the acting part of the ethnic cleansing is basically over; the active military campaign by the Sudanese government against what started as a rebellion is basically over. And now, the humanitarian phase, the disease phase, is really setting in. When there's malnutrition amongst any of these people who you see here, people who don't have enough to eat -- and particularly the vulnerable, the women and children, when they don't have enough to eat, that's when they become the most susceptible to disease.

There's already diarrhea. There are respiratory diseases. There's septicemia. There are all sorts of things, including the possibility of a malaria outbreak at the end of the rainy season at the end of September that could cause mass death.

In all, about two million people are at risk. They need help, and they need it quickly. I'm Christiane Amanpour in the Riyadh camp, Al Junaynah, in Darfur.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: More and more people are making soy a staple in their diet. The question, though, how healthy is it? Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to take a look, next.

And later, the final countdown is on and the attention of the world focusing on Athens and start of the games. A preview of the games is ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: On the campaign trail, President Bush isn't venturing too far from the White House today, while Senator John Kerry is logging more miles out west.

CNN's senior political correspondent Candy Crowley is in Washington live with us. Hi, Candy.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Republican presidential candidates have carried the state of Virginia for 36 years. But in this election, President Bush isn't taking the state for granted.

He appeared at an "Ask President Bush" event in northern Virginia this morning. Amid new fighting in Iraq and heightened terror alerts at home, the president defended his handling of those conflicts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In this world of threats to our homeland and in this world where there are folks who cannot stand our country and our way of life, we must deal with threats. It used to be we didn't have to. Now you just can't hope they go away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CROWLEY: First Lady Laura Bush has a busy campaign day with events in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan.

The Grand Canyon is the next stop on John Kerry's coast-to-coast trip through the nation's battleground states. He arrived in Arizona last night, where he pledged to improve health insurance for Native Americans.

Kerry broke from the usual campaign routine late Saturday in New Mexico when he danced a few step steps with wife Teresa to the sounds of a Mariachi band.

A new nationwide Associated Press poll shows Senator Kerry with a three-point lead over President Bush: Kerry got 48%, Bush 45%, Ralph Nader, 3%. Last month, the AP poll had Bush was on top at 49% and Kerry at 45.

Alan Keyes is not promising his supporters a victory, but he is promising them a fight. During a rally yesterday, the two-time Republican presidential hopeful accepted his party's offer to be its nominee in the Senate race in Illinois. His Democratic opponent? Barack Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAN KEYES (R), ILLINOIS SENATE CANDIDATE: ... that somebody with his record should kind of waltz into the United States Senate unopposed. Now -- and I -- I was disposed to say, OK, on that basis, I will look at the record.

And they sent me information -- because I'll confess, like most Americans, I didn't know much about Barack Obama more than I saw at the Democratic convention. And though he looked to me like a pretty standard liberal, with whom I do not agree on most everything...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CROWLEY: The Illinois Senate race is the first time two African- American candidates are representing the major parties in the U.S. Senate election.

Today marks the third anniversary of President Bush's decision to restrict federal funding for stem cell research. This afternoon, I'll talk with Bush and Kerry campaign advisors about how the issue will affect the race for the White House.

Plus, on the 30th anniversary of President Nixon's resignation, our Bruce Morton will look at some newly released Nixon tapes. Please join me when I go "INSIDE POLITICS" at 3:30 p.m. Eastern.

Well, right now, we want to go back to Drew in Atlanta at about 11:39.

GRIFFIN: Candy, look forward to that report later today.

President and Mrs. Bush will join CNN's Larry King for an hour of political talk on Thursday night. You can tune in at 9:00 Eastern for LARRY KING LIVE. And as Candy mentioned, it is a political anniversary worth noting: 30 years ago today -- August 9th, 1974 -- President Nixon left the White House and headed into political exile. He had announced his resignation the night before, the first and only president to do so, forced from office by Watergate. Tonight, Woodward and Bernstein, the guys who broke the Watergate story, will be on with Larry King, as well.

Well, why buy or rent when you can just walk? Up next in our "Getaway" segment, we're going to show you the latest trend in vacations. We're coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Why buy or rent when you can just swap. Up next in our "Getaways" segment, we're going to show the latest trend in vacations. We're coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Time for our "Daily Dose." Doctors say formerly conjoined twins from the Philippines are doing very well this morning. The boys were born joined at the head, then separated in a 17-hour operation last week in New York. Doctors say there have been no problems, but one of the boys, Carl, could face a higher risk of complications than his brother, Clarence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ROBERT MARION, MONTEFIORE MEDICAL CENTER: What happened with Carl was that when -- at the time of surgery, it was found that Clarence really owned the covering of the brain, called the dura. At the time of surgery, Dr. Goodrich had to rebuild a dura for Carl.

And as a result of that, we're worried about the drainage of cerebral spinal fluid, the normal fluid that bathes and protects the brain in Carl. So we're worried that he may build up some fluid in his brain, a condition called hydrocephaluss. If that becomes the case, we may have to do a shunt on him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: The doctors held a news conference this morning, talking about the boys, and they still face more operations, including surgery, to reconstruct their skulls.

More of our "Daily Dose" now, the truth about soy. Health claims suggest it might prevent everything from cancer to heart disease to baldness. So, is soy really the superfood many people think it is?

Senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tofu and edamame, soy milk. Once considered a food only for health nuts, now 25 percent of Americans use at least one soy product a week. That's according to the industry and by next year annual sales of soy are expected to hit almost $5 billion.

So what's the real story on soy?

DR. ALAN RICHMOND: It's not a cure-all, it's not an end-all, it's not a magic potion, but it is a good dietary supplement.

GUPTA: Soy is good for the heart. It's high in protein, low in saturated fat, and has no cholesterol.

The FDA has gone on record saying a daily intake of soy can actually help lower your cholesterol by 5 to 10 percent.

What about soy and menopause?

RICHMOND: It doesn't change the cognitive effects of menopause. It doesn't change the sleep disturbances of menopause. But yes, it will take away hot flashes.

GUPTA: The reason: soy contains isoflavones, which can mimic estrogen. Some researchers had been concerned that the ingredients could cause cancer in post-menopausal women, but recent studies show that's not the case.

Studies suggest soy might reduce the risk of breast cancer for some women, but if you're at risk for breast cancer, the American Cancer Society says taking soy may not be a good idea.

What about reversing hair loss or prostate cancer in men?

RICHMOND: In some studies it has suggested that it may slow down the balding process in men and it also will decrease the growth of prostate cancer. Is it a cure for prostate cancer? No.

GUPTA: Knowing how much soy to eat isn't easy. The FDA recommends 25 grams of soy protein per day for heart health. Read the labels, because soy products aren't regulated by the FDA. Levels of protein and isoflavones vary.

Some examples: a little over three glasses of soy milk, half a cup of soy nuts or three Boca burgers will get you your daily allowance.

More research is needed, but many doctors believe soy is good for most people.

So, pass the soy nuts.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: And To get your daily dose of health news online, log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library and information on diet and fitness. The address, cnn.com/health.

Buy one, rent one, or you could just swap. Home swapping a big trend in vacation travel. This month's "Conde Nast Traveler" features a how-to guide.

Dana Dickey is senior editor there, joins us from Time Warner Center in New York this morning for our "Getaways" segment.

What's this all about?

DANA DICKEY, "CONDE NAST TRAVELER": Well, a big trend in travel today is the home swap. And basically this sounds a little daunting at first, but what it is, is you swap your home with someone else at the same or different times, and there's no charge.

GRIFFIN: Don't you have to have a cool home to do this?

DICKEY: No, no, not at all. This has long been popular with teachers and other professionals as ways to utilize their resources and time off, and now it's spreading to more people. So it could just be a small apartment, say, but in a wonderful geographic location.

GRIFFIN: How do you do it?

DICKEY: Well, the Web has made this easy. Basically what you do is figure out when you want to go somewhere, and then log on to one of these Web sites and look for something that fulfills your requirements, and then you contact the person and go from there.

GRIFFIN: And can you find homes that are suitable for families. Are there any restrictions on these?

DICKEY: There's a really wide range of homes available. And, for example, on some of these Web sites, like swapnow.com, there's over 11,000 listings in 23 countries.

So, can you find a few things that will please you there certainly. And they come with lots after amenities that you may not get, say, if you were staying at a hotel. You could use an automobile, you could use club membership in the area, or in the case of my good friend Susan in New York City, you could even use a fruit tree in the front yard.

GRIFFIN: Very interesting. How do you do it then if you're maybe not in a real luxury location or a vacation spot? Do you think there are people out there who want to come to middle America and spend a week while you're using their house in Paris?

DICKEY: Well, certainly. Say you'd like to go to Paris for a New Year's Eve. The Parisian may be a little fed up with fast-paced city life, and the idea of sort of suburban quietness and peace might really appeal to them.

GRIFFIN: All right, "Conde Nast," reporting on this interesting trend in house swapping this morning.

Thanks for joining us.

(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: The world's big celebration, almost 11,000 athletes from over 200 nations, untold numbers of visitors from those nations making their way to Athens, Greece, for the Olympics four days before they begin.

Our Michael Holmes has this update.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Perhaps the mark by which these games will be judged will be just how many people turn out to watch it. And we're told that after a very quiet week or so,most of the planes are full coming into Athens this week. So there's a great hope that the tourists are coming and they're going to come in numbers.

We are told that ticket sales are fairly brisk, thousands, tens of thousands being sold every day. The opening, closing ceremony is already sold out, as are the finals of most events. so it's just a matter of filling out all of those qualifying events. There's a lot of hope that the Plaka, the other tourist areas, and of course those venues will fill up once the Games get under way.

We're told the opening ceremony is going to be what the director calls a dream show full surprises. It was a closely guarded secret exactly what happens in the opening ceremony. He does promise it's going to be spectacular.

When it comes to security, of course, that big issue here, post- 9/11, everything seems to be in place here. There are police pretty much on every major intersection, something that tourists find comforting rather than disturbing. Patriot missiles are ringing the city, and NATO warships are off the coast, and aircraft in the air.

As the deputy defense minister said yesterday, Athens is probably the safest city in the world today.

Michael Holmes, CNN, Athens.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(WEATHER REPORT)

GRIFFIN: The news on CNN continues now, Wolf Blitzer reporting from Washington -- Wolf.

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