Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Today
'Baby 81' Back Home; 'Daily Dose'
Aired February 16, 2005 - 11:33 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.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: We're a little bit past the midpoint at this hour, and we welcome you back. I'm Rick Sanchez.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Daryn Kagan.
Here's what's happening now in the news. The new chief of the CIA is on Capitol Hill this morning. Porter Goss tells senators that groups affiliated with al Qaeda remain the top security concern of the federal government. He warned it may only be a matter of time before they attempt to use a weapon of mass destruction within America's borders.
Tens of thousands of Americans are at risk of having their identity stolen. The Atlanta-based firm Choicepoint, which maintains personal data on nearly all the people in the U.S., reveals that hackers registered about 50 fake firms with the company. The purpose, to gain access to personal information. Some 35,000 California residents were notified last week of being especially at risk. They're urged to monitor their accounts for suspicious activity.
Supercyclist Lance Armstrong will be back for the summer's Tour De France. A seventh straight win would be unprecedented. As a prelude, Armstrong says he'll compete in three races in March and April.
And in upstate New York, a court appearance this morning for the man accused of firing about 60 round from an assault rifle inside of a crowded mall. Robert Benelli (ph) attorney entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf. Benelli also waived his right to a preliminary hearing so the case will go directly to a grand jury. Two people were injured in Sunday's shooting spree.
SANCHEZ: A baby swept from his mother's arms during the tsunami in South Asia is back with his parents this morning. It's a story of Baby 81. That's right, a number. It attracted worldwide attention from his amazing survival to the agonizing custody battle that then followed.
CNN's Satinder Bindra has more on this emotional reunion.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SATINDER BINDRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The moment an entire nation has been waiting for, a court official hands over Baby 81 to his parents, ending a seven-week long saga of separation and suffering.
"I went without food and sleep for days," says Mahdajune Jaharaja (ph). "Now I'm very happy."
Earlier in the day, the Jaharaja's four-month-old son was brought into a packed courtroom, escorted by police. Baby 81 slept through the lengthy court proceedings. But the world has been watching his parents go through weeks of emotional turmoil, to be reunited with him.
(on camera): On December 26th last year, Baby 81 was swept away from his mother's arms by the tsunami. He was found almost a mile away in that direction, wrapped in a pile of garbage. The man who found him said he floated to safety on an old tire.
(voice-over): The baby became the 81st patient to be admitted to a local hospital that day, giving him his nickname Baby 81.
As word got around of his miraculous escape, nine couples began fighting for him, claiming they were the parents. Only the Jaharajas, though, agreed to a DNA test, which proved they were his parents.
To show their appreciation and as an offering to the Gods, the entire Jaharaja family smashes 101 coconuts at this temple.
Later, the Jaharajas take their son, Abalaj (ph), to his old home, which was completely destroyed by the tsunami.
Here, he's changed out of his hospital clothes. Many family members, including his grandmother, breakdown.
Over the next few days, the family says they won't be doing much.
"We'll not be celebrating, because," he says, "35,000 people have lost their lives."
All that matters to the Jaharajas is that Abalaj is home. And all they want to do, they say, is raise him as a normal child.
Satinder Bindra, CNN, Clalmani (ph), eastern Sri Lanka.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Happy reunion.
Let's take a look at other stories making news in our world wrap this morning. Elaborate birthday celebrations across North Korea for leader Kim Jong-Il. He turned 63 today. The official state proclamations play out the country's recent nuclear claims as proof of Kim Jong-Il's, quote, "incomparable courage in standing up to the United States" -- that's how they put it.
Future inquiries into the death of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed will be aided by 3-D computer animation. British and French officials began mapping the Paris tunnel last night with sophisticated new lasers.
Diana, Fayed, and their driver were all killed in a vehicle car crash there in 1987. The computer animation aims to resolve, or at least help resolve, whether the crash was simply an accident, or something more sinister.
And in the South Pacific, a hurricane with winds up to 190 miles an hour is expected to brush past American Samoa today. Official warn that Olaf is extremely dangerous. The governor has asked President Bush to issue a disaster declaration for the U.S. territory. Olaf comes about one year after another hurricane caused damage to the area.
SANCHEZ: Here's a story about attempted damage control for planet Earth. It's a plan to fight global warming, and it goes into effect just today. One-hundred and forty countries have signed up for this slashing of gas emissions. The U.S. is not one of them, even though the United States is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases.
Dot-com desk takes you through the Kyoto Protocol.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINA PARK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Is it the end of the world as we know it? And is the car you're driving partly to blame for global warning?
(voice-over): CNN.com/science helps you demystify global warming as the Kyoto Protocol enters into force today. Now that's an important treaty aimed at curbing emissions of gases from cars and industry, both widely blamed for trapping too much of Earth's heat.
To start, take an interactive journey into space as we explain the greenhouse effect from the ground up. What the heck is the greenhouse effect? Well, you can think of it as Earth's blanket, except made out of heat-trapping gases like methane and carbon dioxide. Human activities, like burning coal and oil, add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, which are blamed for raise earth's temperature.
You're probably asking when scientists first even started thinking about climate change. Well, we've got that, too, in our interactive time line. Did you know the first example of global climate change was actually observed on Mars in 1971? That's right, the Red Planet was enveloped by a massive dust storm that warned the surface by tens of degrees Celsius.
(voice-over): Fast forward to today when the Kyoto Protocol takes effect. As to what you can do to help Mother Earth, log on to CNN.com/science for your environmentally friendly guide.
Reporting from the dot-com desk, I'm Christina Park.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Swish, boom, boom.
KAGAN: A teenager is convicted of killing his grandparents. What drove him to do it? We're going to hear from the defendant's father.
SANCHEZ: And there is good news for all you coffee drinkers out there. So take a sip, and don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: We begin our "Daily Dose" of health news with questions about the safety of some popular pain medications. This morning, the FDA Open Advisory Committee hearings on the drugs known as Cox-2 inhibitors. That's one of the -- Vioxx, of course, was pulled off the market after studies showed an increase risk of heart attacks and stroke. Similar questions have been raised about other medications as well and the FDA is considering whether they should continue to sell them.
KAGAN: A jury rejects a claim that the anti-depressant Zoloft drove a boy to murder his grandparents. The jury in Charleston, South Carolina, found Christopher Pittman guilty of two counts of murder. A judge sentenced the 15-year-old to 30 years in prison. Christopher's father says he supports him, even though the victims were his own parents. He spoke with Larry King.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE PITTMAN, DEFENDANT'S FATHER: It was just a total -- an utterly disbelief. And when I finally did accept the fact that that's what really happened, it didn't make any sense to me. I started looking into things. And I started finding some stuff out about these anti-depressants.
KING: Did you and your son have a good relationship?
PITTMAN: Well, not really. We did the best that we could. I was a single father with my children and I tried to do the best I could. I was not a perfect father. But I love my children and I was there for them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: The maker of Zoloft has issued a statement saying the drug did not cause Christopher Pittman's problems or drive him to commit murder.
SANCHEZ: There is a new push this morning for stem cell research. A bipartisan group of lawmakers is holding a news conference on Capitol Hill. What they're announcing is a bill to expand a federal funding of stem cell research. Scientists are hoping the cells can be used to repair organs and cure diseases. But the research is controversial because it involves destroying embryos. President Bush has limited federal research to existing stem cell lines.
KAGAN: Oh, you coffee lovers, you're going to like this one. That morning cup of coffee may do more than just help you wake up. Japanese researchers say it might also help protect against liver cancer. They looked at a public health study involving more than 90,000 people. Those who drank coffee daily or almost every day had half the risk of liver cancer then those who never drank coffee. Your "Daily Dose" of health news is always just a click away. Log on to cnn.com/health to find the latest medical news, a health library and information on diet and fitness.
SANCHEZ: Remember that show we used to watch when we were kids, "Green Acres"?
KAGAN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Is the place to be. Right. Why don't I sing it right away. Well, there's a trend like that taking place now in the United States. People who live in the big city, they decide want to get away, they're fed up with it. We'll tell you where they're going to be going.
KAGAN: Fresh air.
SANCHEZ: Exactly. Times Square.
KAGAN: But if you're ready for the simple life, we have a list of the best rural areas in the country and we'll tell you about them right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN CLIP FROM "THE SIMPLE LIFE")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before hitting the road, the girls needed a few driving lessons.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is George and we're going to go over some basics on driving a truck with a trailer on the back.
PARIS HILTON, "SIMPLE LIFE" STAR: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every time you see this trailer...
(END CLIP)
SANCHEZ: You probably remember when Paris and Nicole turned the quest for a simple life into a hit comedy. But you know, for countless Americans, it's not a show. And they're not simple-minded. Escaping from -- that was a shock, by the way. Escaping from the cities and suburbs is certainly no laughing matter. Sprawl, traffic, crime, pollution, taxes. Just a few of the reasons that a lot of people are literally packing up and moving out to the country. They're doing this all over the place.
"Progressive Farmer" Magazine has now taken the concept of the best U.S. cities where you can live and applied it to the wide open spaces. You can also find the list at progressivefarmers.com. That's progressivefarmers.com, if you're thinking about doing something like this, and this is the man who's making it happen. This is Jamie Cole. He's the editor the magazine. He's here to give us highlights of some of the best places to go.
Let's go through your list. Ready? Fauquier, Virginia, that's No. 1, huh?
JAMIE COLE, EDITOR, "PROGRESSIVE FARMER": That's No. 1. That's a county. It's about an hour outside of Washington, D.C. And it's sort of a microcosm of this new rural lifestyle. They've got equestrian events around every corner, which is big for people who want to have land. Usually the first thing they want to do is buy a horse. So that's huge...
SANCHEZ: So it's about having more land, it's about not paying -- do you see what it costs to buy a house anywhere near Washington D.C.? It's crazy, like a million dollars.
COLE: And it's still quite expensive in Fauquier County, but people who want to go out there and buy land, they also have a very traditional agricultural economy. That's still there, and there are new things that are popping up, like wineries, so they're diversifying that economy.
SANCHEZ: Well, I have to ask you, we're going to get to the second one, how do you get a job in a place like that? Or do you just commute for five hours? Or do you get a helicopter?
COLE: A lot of people do commute. Some give up on the city life altogether and live off the land. I mean, you know, it's a choice you make.
SANCHEZ: Wow, some choice. Mcpherson, that's in the Midwest, Kansas, I believe.
COLE: Right, this one's a little more isolated. If you're looking to be a couple of hours from anywhere, Mcpherson County's for you, but they have some great small towns as well.
You can find out if there's job opportunities there, depending on what your skills are, right?
COLE: That's right.
SANCHEZ: How do you find that out?
COLE: You can look online. We have on our Web site, in fact, prosgressivefarmer.com, to look into these counties and see what's out there.
SANCHEZ: Grafton, that's in the northeast, New Hampshire, right?
COLE: Right.
SANCHEZ: I thought everything there was rural.
COLE: It's a beautiful place. This county is dominated by the white mountain national forest. So development's not really an issue. It's a little touristy, but a great place to live.
SANCHEZ: Another place where people are taking off and living in the hills, kind of like the Beverly Hillbillies is in a place called Gillespie, Texas.
COLE: Gillespie County is another one of those that is very isolated. There are still a lot of traditional agriculture there, but a lot of land available.
SANCHEZ: And finally, Eagle, that's in Colorado.
COLE: Right, probably a little bit controversial on our list, very touristry. That's where Vail is, of course. But there are also surrounding counties. The No. 2 on our list of western counties is right next door. Still a lot of cattle ranches. We talked to a cattle rancher in Eagle County, though, that said if you have to ask what land prices are in Eagle County, you probably can't afford it.
SANCHEZ: But the idea is a lot of people are just wanting to get out. Even here in Atlanta we're seeing people -- you know, I'm in the situation with my own family, thinking, I don't want to be a city guy; I'm more of a suburban guy. This is not just being a suburban guy. This is even taking it a step further and going beyond the suburbs. I think they call them "ex-urbs," right?
COLE: That' right. And there are counties that are close to Atlanta. Okoney (ph) County, Georgia is the No. 2 county on our list, and you have families there that are taking large tracts of land and putting them in perpetual trust so they can never be developed. And when you look down decades and generations, that's giving up a lot of money for land development, just to preserve that rural lifestyle.
SANCHEZ: Giving something real special to your kids, too.
COLE: Right, absolutely.
SANCHEZ: That's great, Jamie. Thanks so much for being with us.
COLE: Thanks.
SANCHEZ: Certainly appreciate it.
More on President Bush when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: President Bush making an appearance in New Hampshire today. He is there talking Social Security, trying to garner support for the changes that he is proposing before Congress.
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 February 16, 2005 - 11:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: We're a little bit past the midpoint at this hour, and we welcome you back. I'm Rick Sanchez.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Daryn Kagan.
Here's what's happening now in the news. The new chief of the CIA is on Capitol Hill this morning. Porter Goss tells senators that groups affiliated with al Qaeda remain the top security concern of the federal government. He warned it may only be a matter of time before they attempt to use a weapon of mass destruction within America's borders.
Tens of thousands of Americans are at risk of having their identity stolen. The Atlanta-based firm Choicepoint, which maintains personal data on nearly all the people in the U.S., reveals that hackers registered about 50 fake firms with the company. The purpose, to gain access to personal information. Some 35,000 California residents were notified last week of being especially at risk. They're urged to monitor their accounts for suspicious activity.
Supercyclist Lance Armstrong will be back for the summer's Tour De France. A seventh straight win would be unprecedented. As a prelude, Armstrong says he'll compete in three races in March and April.
And in upstate New York, a court appearance this morning for the man accused of firing about 60 round from an assault rifle inside of a crowded mall. Robert Benelli (ph) attorney entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf. Benelli also waived his right to a preliminary hearing so the case will go directly to a grand jury. Two people were injured in Sunday's shooting spree.
SANCHEZ: A baby swept from his mother's arms during the tsunami in South Asia is back with his parents this morning. It's a story of Baby 81. That's right, a number. It attracted worldwide attention from his amazing survival to the agonizing custody battle that then followed.
CNN's Satinder Bindra has more on this emotional reunion.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SATINDER BINDRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The moment an entire nation has been waiting for, a court official hands over Baby 81 to his parents, ending a seven-week long saga of separation and suffering.
"I went without food and sleep for days," says Mahdajune Jaharaja (ph). "Now I'm very happy."
Earlier in the day, the Jaharaja's four-month-old son was brought into a packed courtroom, escorted by police. Baby 81 slept through the lengthy court proceedings. But the world has been watching his parents go through weeks of emotional turmoil, to be reunited with him.
(on camera): On December 26th last year, Baby 81 was swept away from his mother's arms by the tsunami. He was found almost a mile away in that direction, wrapped in a pile of garbage. The man who found him said he floated to safety on an old tire.
(voice-over): The baby became the 81st patient to be admitted to a local hospital that day, giving him his nickname Baby 81.
As word got around of his miraculous escape, nine couples began fighting for him, claiming they were the parents. Only the Jaharajas, though, agreed to a DNA test, which proved they were his parents.
To show their appreciation and as an offering to the Gods, the entire Jaharaja family smashes 101 coconuts at this temple.
Later, the Jaharajas take their son, Abalaj (ph), to his old home, which was completely destroyed by the tsunami.
Here, he's changed out of his hospital clothes. Many family members, including his grandmother, breakdown.
Over the next few days, the family says they won't be doing much.
"We'll not be celebrating, because," he says, "35,000 people have lost their lives."
All that matters to the Jaharajas is that Abalaj is home. And all they want to do, they say, is raise him as a normal child.
Satinder Bindra, CNN, Clalmani (ph), eastern Sri Lanka.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Happy reunion.
Let's take a look at other stories making news in our world wrap this morning. Elaborate birthday celebrations across North Korea for leader Kim Jong-Il. He turned 63 today. The official state proclamations play out the country's recent nuclear claims as proof of Kim Jong-Il's, quote, "incomparable courage in standing up to the United States" -- that's how they put it.
Future inquiries into the death of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed will be aided by 3-D computer animation. British and French officials began mapping the Paris tunnel last night with sophisticated new lasers.
Diana, Fayed, and their driver were all killed in a vehicle car crash there in 1987. The computer animation aims to resolve, or at least help resolve, whether the crash was simply an accident, or something more sinister.
And in the South Pacific, a hurricane with winds up to 190 miles an hour is expected to brush past American Samoa today. Official warn that Olaf is extremely dangerous. The governor has asked President Bush to issue a disaster declaration for the U.S. territory. Olaf comes about one year after another hurricane caused damage to the area.
SANCHEZ: Here's a story about attempted damage control for planet Earth. It's a plan to fight global warming, and it goes into effect just today. One-hundred and forty countries have signed up for this slashing of gas emissions. The U.S. is not one of them, even though the United States is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases.
Dot-com desk takes you through the Kyoto Protocol.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINA PARK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Is it the end of the world as we know it? And is the car you're driving partly to blame for global warning?
(voice-over): CNN.com/science helps you demystify global warming as the Kyoto Protocol enters into force today. Now that's an important treaty aimed at curbing emissions of gases from cars and industry, both widely blamed for trapping too much of Earth's heat.
To start, take an interactive journey into space as we explain the greenhouse effect from the ground up. What the heck is the greenhouse effect? Well, you can think of it as Earth's blanket, except made out of heat-trapping gases like methane and carbon dioxide. Human activities, like burning coal and oil, add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, which are blamed for raise earth's temperature.
You're probably asking when scientists first even started thinking about climate change. Well, we've got that, too, in our interactive time line. Did you know the first example of global climate change was actually observed on Mars in 1971? That's right, the Red Planet was enveloped by a massive dust storm that warned the surface by tens of degrees Celsius.
(voice-over): Fast forward to today when the Kyoto Protocol takes effect. As to what you can do to help Mother Earth, log on to CNN.com/science for your environmentally friendly guide.
Reporting from the dot-com desk, I'm Christina Park.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Swish, boom, boom.
KAGAN: A teenager is convicted of killing his grandparents. What drove him to do it? We're going to hear from the defendant's father.
SANCHEZ: And there is good news for all you coffee drinkers out there. So take a sip, and don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: We begin our "Daily Dose" of health news with questions about the safety of some popular pain medications. This morning, the FDA Open Advisory Committee hearings on the drugs known as Cox-2 inhibitors. That's one of the -- Vioxx, of course, was pulled off the market after studies showed an increase risk of heart attacks and stroke. Similar questions have been raised about other medications as well and the FDA is considering whether they should continue to sell them.
KAGAN: A jury rejects a claim that the anti-depressant Zoloft drove a boy to murder his grandparents. The jury in Charleston, South Carolina, found Christopher Pittman guilty of two counts of murder. A judge sentenced the 15-year-old to 30 years in prison. Christopher's father says he supports him, even though the victims were his own parents. He spoke with Larry King.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE PITTMAN, DEFENDANT'S FATHER: It was just a total -- an utterly disbelief. And when I finally did accept the fact that that's what really happened, it didn't make any sense to me. I started looking into things. And I started finding some stuff out about these anti-depressants.
KING: Did you and your son have a good relationship?
PITTMAN: Well, not really. We did the best that we could. I was a single father with my children and I tried to do the best I could. I was not a perfect father. But I love my children and I was there for them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: The maker of Zoloft has issued a statement saying the drug did not cause Christopher Pittman's problems or drive him to commit murder.
SANCHEZ: There is a new push this morning for stem cell research. A bipartisan group of lawmakers is holding a news conference on Capitol Hill. What they're announcing is a bill to expand a federal funding of stem cell research. Scientists are hoping the cells can be used to repair organs and cure diseases. But the research is controversial because it involves destroying embryos. President Bush has limited federal research to existing stem cell lines.
KAGAN: Oh, you coffee lovers, you're going to like this one. That morning cup of coffee may do more than just help you wake up. Japanese researchers say it might also help protect against liver cancer. They looked at a public health study involving more than 90,000 people. Those who drank coffee daily or almost every day had half the risk of liver cancer then those who never drank coffee. Your "Daily Dose" of health news is always just a click away. Log on to cnn.com/health to find the latest medical news, a health library and information on diet and fitness.
SANCHEZ: Remember that show we used to watch when we were kids, "Green Acres"?
KAGAN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Is the place to be. Right. Why don't I sing it right away. Well, there's a trend like that taking place now in the United States. People who live in the big city, they decide want to get away, they're fed up with it. We'll tell you where they're going to be going.
KAGAN: Fresh air.
SANCHEZ: Exactly. Times Square.
KAGAN: But if you're ready for the simple life, we have a list of the best rural areas in the country and we'll tell you about them right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN CLIP FROM "THE SIMPLE LIFE")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before hitting the road, the girls needed a few driving lessons.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is George and we're going to go over some basics on driving a truck with a trailer on the back.
PARIS HILTON, "SIMPLE LIFE" STAR: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every time you see this trailer...
(END CLIP)
SANCHEZ: You probably remember when Paris and Nicole turned the quest for a simple life into a hit comedy. But you know, for countless Americans, it's not a show. And they're not simple-minded. Escaping from -- that was a shock, by the way. Escaping from the cities and suburbs is certainly no laughing matter. Sprawl, traffic, crime, pollution, taxes. Just a few of the reasons that a lot of people are literally packing up and moving out to the country. They're doing this all over the place.
"Progressive Farmer" Magazine has now taken the concept of the best U.S. cities where you can live and applied it to the wide open spaces. You can also find the list at progressivefarmers.com. That's progressivefarmers.com, if you're thinking about doing something like this, and this is the man who's making it happen. This is Jamie Cole. He's the editor the magazine. He's here to give us highlights of some of the best places to go.
Let's go through your list. Ready? Fauquier, Virginia, that's No. 1, huh?
JAMIE COLE, EDITOR, "PROGRESSIVE FARMER": That's No. 1. That's a county. It's about an hour outside of Washington, D.C. And it's sort of a microcosm of this new rural lifestyle. They've got equestrian events around every corner, which is big for people who want to have land. Usually the first thing they want to do is buy a horse. So that's huge...
SANCHEZ: So it's about having more land, it's about not paying -- do you see what it costs to buy a house anywhere near Washington D.C.? It's crazy, like a million dollars.
COLE: And it's still quite expensive in Fauquier County, but people who want to go out there and buy land, they also have a very traditional agricultural economy. That's still there, and there are new things that are popping up, like wineries, so they're diversifying that economy.
SANCHEZ: Well, I have to ask you, we're going to get to the second one, how do you get a job in a place like that? Or do you just commute for five hours? Or do you get a helicopter?
COLE: A lot of people do commute. Some give up on the city life altogether and live off the land. I mean, you know, it's a choice you make.
SANCHEZ: Wow, some choice. Mcpherson, that's in the Midwest, Kansas, I believe.
COLE: Right, this one's a little more isolated. If you're looking to be a couple of hours from anywhere, Mcpherson County's for you, but they have some great small towns as well.
You can find out if there's job opportunities there, depending on what your skills are, right?
COLE: That's right.
SANCHEZ: How do you find that out?
COLE: You can look online. We have on our Web site, in fact, prosgressivefarmer.com, to look into these counties and see what's out there.
SANCHEZ: Grafton, that's in the northeast, New Hampshire, right?
COLE: Right.
SANCHEZ: I thought everything there was rural.
COLE: It's a beautiful place. This county is dominated by the white mountain national forest. So development's not really an issue. It's a little touristy, but a great place to live.
SANCHEZ: Another place where people are taking off and living in the hills, kind of like the Beverly Hillbillies is in a place called Gillespie, Texas.
COLE: Gillespie County is another one of those that is very isolated. There are still a lot of traditional agriculture there, but a lot of land available.
SANCHEZ: And finally, Eagle, that's in Colorado.
COLE: Right, probably a little bit controversial on our list, very touristry. That's where Vail is, of course. But there are also surrounding counties. The No. 2 on our list of western counties is right next door. Still a lot of cattle ranches. We talked to a cattle rancher in Eagle County, though, that said if you have to ask what land prices are in Eagle County, you probably can't afford it.
SANCHEZ: But the idea is a lot of people are just wanting to get out. Even here in Atlanta we're seeing people -- you know, I'm in the situation with my own family, thinking, I don't want to be a city guy; I'm more of a suburban guy. This is not just being a suburban guy. This is even taking it a step further and going beyond the suburbs. I think they call them "ex-urbs," right?
COLE: That' right. And there are counties that are close to Atlanta. Okoney (ph) County, Georgia is the No. 2 county on our list, and you have families there that are taking large tracts of land and putting them in perpetual trust so they can never be developed. And when you look down decades and generations, that's giving up a lot of money for land development, just to preserve that rural lifestyle.
SANCHEZ: Giving something real special to your kids, too.
COLE: Right, absolutely.
SANCHEZ: That's great, Jamie. Thanks so much for being with us.
COLE: Thanks.
SANCHEZ: Certainly appreciate it.
More on President Bush when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: President Bush making an appearance in New Hampshire today. He is there talking Social Security, trying to garner support for the changes that he is proposing before Congress.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
