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How Do You Move 6,000 Fish?; Space Program Memento at Center of Custody Battle; Computer Game Gets Kicks From Beautiful Graphics
Aired November 30, 2002 - 13:00 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.
ANNOUNCER: Today on NEXT@CNN -- how do you move 6,000 fish? In some cases the answer is "very carefully."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT JENKINS, STEINHART AQUARIUM: Basically they'll knock you on your keister if you're not careful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: We'll have all of the messy details.
Also, a treasured memento of the space program is at the center of a custody battle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK HENSLER, VISITOR COMPLEX SPOKESMAN, KENNEDY SPACE CENTER: This is something that is so important that it really belongs to the people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: And a computer game that gets its kicks from beautiful graphics and a fascinating story line. All of that and more on NEXT.
JAMES HATTORI, HOST: Hi, everybody, and welcome to NEXT@CNN. I'm James Hattori -- this week along San Francisco's downtown water front The Embarcadero.
Even in the midst of holiday hubbub the drum beat of war preparations goes on. If the U.S. attacks Iraq one of the first goals will be to cut off communications between Saddam Hussein and his troops but current U.S. weapons may not be up to the job.
CNN's Barbara Starr reports on the next generation of a bomb nicknamed "the bunker buster."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the first hours of a war the U.S. military believes Saddam Hussein will run to a bunker deep beneath one of his presidential palaces. The Iraqis have built hardened bunkers designed specifically to withstand attacks by current U.S. weapons. Innovative construction techniques shield key areas from blast waves.
CNN has been told by U.S. defense sources that one of those bunkers, dozens of feet under central Baghdad, has vital communications gear for Saddam to talk to his men while under attack.
The U.S., they say, cannot quickly destroy it without risking killing nearby civilians. Inspectors may never even find it.
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: They have tunneled underground dramatically. It's going to be very hard for the inspectors to find anything.
STARR: CNN has learned two new massive bombs, which could be carried on the B-2 and B-52 bombers, are now being urgently designed in hopes they can be ready early next year.
One proposed weapon, Big Blu, is a 30,000 pound bomb packed with 3,500 pounds of explosives aimed at penetrating 150 feet of earth -- far deeper than the current 5,000 pound bomb, which penetrates about two dozen feet.
The other proposed weapon -- a 20,000 pound bomb packed with 18,000 pounds of explosives. This would replace the Vietnam era 15,000 pound "Daisy Cutter" also used in Afghanistan.
The bomb detonates in the air over the target creating a massive air blast. The U.S. will use it to destroy hardened revetments protecting Iraqi scud missiles and weapons.
The work on both of these weapons is vital, say defense officials. But even if they are not ready in time for Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld wants them in the inventory.
Today there are more than 1,500 deeply-buried military targets around the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HATTORI: A different kind of threat grabbed Americans' attention this week -- one that shows the dangers of living in a computerized world.
Prosecutors say they busted the largest identity theft scam in U.S. history. Thirty thousand people victimized because computer passwords got into the wrong hands.
Our Rusty Dornin talks with an expert about how we can keep our identities safe.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Protecting your identity begins at home. Tracey Thomas locks her mailbox because if someone lifts the lid they could get ...
TRACEY THOMAS, IDENTITY THEFT RESOURCE CENTER: The statement could have your social security number on it. Bills. Student loan stuff -- this will definitely have a social security number on it.
DORNIN: Social security -- the nine digit identifier -- a key that unlocks your financial life.
Thomas, an identity theft expert, says your social security number is the big score for impostors.
Thomas had her identity stolen three years ago. She no longer throws anything with her social security or any other personal information in the trash. She shreds it.
But what about the Internet? I just checked my stocks today online and I had to put my social security number in.
THOMAS: And what was your log in? Your log in was your social security number. So ...
DORNIN: Do I have to be afraid of that from my own company?
THOMAS: Yes. Absolutely you should be afraid of that. A company doesn't need to use your social security number as the log in.
DORNIN: My medical insurance card has my social security number.
THOMAS: Yes, it does in most cases.
DORNIN: And what's the danger of that?
THOMAS: The danger is every single time you go to the doctor's office you expose your social security number to every employee that you come in contact with -- the admitting nurse, the doctor, the filing clerk.
DORNIN: So many have access to our personal information including our social security numbers. How many times has someone asked you that over the phone? And we have to count on every one of them to be honest.
Is there anything people can do to protect their identity at this point?
THOMAS: Very little. Most of the change is going to have to come from industry. Most of the change is going to have to come from more sound industry practices.
DORNIN: Like what?
THOMAS: Well, health insurance companies have no business using your social security number for an identifier.
DORNIN: Thomas says until there is more consumer protection legislation, all we can do is take precautions and keep our fingers crossed.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HATTORI: Another concern about too much information -- should companies know the whereabouts of their employees for every minute of the workday? Technology allows that kind of information to be gathered now but the question is -- how should it be used?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HATTORI (voice-over): When a patient calls for help at Seton Medical Center ...
JIM BROWN, NURSE: Hi, Mr. Rogers. Can I help you?
HATTORI: ... it's never a problem finding a nurse ...
BROWN: Do you want him to come in? OK -- thanks.
HATTORI: ... because they all wear locator badges -- part of a wireless system which tracks their movements on the floor.
You can even tell when they're walking down the hallway?
BROWN: Yes, you can -- yeah, you can. Nancy Martinez?
HATTORI: This system made by Hill-Rom uses infrared signals to detect when nurses enter a room to answer a call.
Staff can talk and listen through a wall unit to nurses or even to patients in other rooms.
BROWN: The time that we're spending hunting stuff down, trying to find them, locating them -- we can put that to much better use.
HATTORI: Hill-Rom says it has systems installed in more than 850 U.S. hospitals.
Some nurses worry that the devices will be used to listen in on conversations and scrutinize their movements.
ANNETTE BEARDEN, NURSE: I'm not wearing mine. I will still meet my patients' needs but I will not wear this badge.
HATTORI: Annette Bearden is among dozens of nurses at Eden Medical Center who staged an active protest two months ago saying the system smacks of Big Brotherism. They hid their badges until they were later recovered.
BEARDEN: It makes me not feel like a professional. It makes me like someone has to watch me to make sure that I'm doing my job.
CASSANDRA PHELPS, EDEN HOSPITAL: The biggest reason we installed this technology is because our old call system was about 25 years old.
HATTORI: For hospitals this is a case of technology allowing -- perhaps forcing -- people to better utilize their time.
Officials at Eden don't deny they monitor how long it takes nurses to respond to calls but say their main concern is patient care.
PHELPS: I think it's one tool that we can use in measuring performance -- overall performance. But by itself it is not a valid disciplinary tool.
HATTORI: Eden is expanding its system with hopes the nurses will eventually accept the new technology. But back at Seton, where it's been in place for about two years, there are no qualms.
BROWN: Once the staff actually found out how advantageous it could be for them and the patients it actually became very functional.
HATTORI: Here big brother may be watching but they say he's also helping out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HATTORI: Getting a traffic ticket is bad enough. But then in most places if you want to tell your side of the story you have to spend time in court except in Yakima, Washington. There you can tell it to the judge by e-mail. Lilian Kim has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DIRK MARLER, JUDGE, U.S. DISTRICT COURT: Is this your first ticket?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I've never been pulled over before.
LILIAN KIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a typical day at traffic court -- violators giving their excuses.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just had a really bad day.
KIM: Most had to schedule time off but in Yakima, Washington, traffic violators can now get their day not in court but online.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, if I had known that I wouldn't have missed work.
KIM: So far the technology is only available for people who plead guilty seeking a reduced fine.
The process requires a typed in excuse followed by an electronic oath.
MARLER: They're required to check the box that says that they swear that that information is true.
KIM: Although the violator doesn't go to court, his excuse does.
MARLER: The defendant has responded by e-mail and says, "I wasn't wearing my seatbelt."
KIM: Only 200,000 people live here in Yakima County, an area known more for its agriculture than its technology. The vast region makes the online program ideal for residents who can live hours away from the county courthouse.
MARLER: There's something that just seems fundamentally unfair about making people walk down to argue over saving $20 on a traffic ticket when you've got this kind of technology that's available.
KIM: As for the judge's decision -- it gets e-mailed to the defendant after being read aloud in court.
MARLER: The court is willing to assess penalty of $65 rather than 86.
KIM: For defendants, an easy way to get their case heard without setting foot inside a courtroom.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Coming up -- how wild turkeys made it back from a close brush with extinction. And, later in the show, how to choose the best online shopping sites.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HATTORI: A disease that's turning up in deer and elk in the western and central U.S. has officials in Wisconsin particularly worried. The illness could threaten herds across the region, not to mention the economy.
As Keith Oppenheim reports, some hunters have been stirred to action while others are crying, "Foul."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The sound of gunfire is part of tradition in Wisconsin. But in one region just west of Madison that tradition has been extended from nine days to several months all because of an illness called Chronic Wasting Disease.
ROBERT MANWELL, WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES: If we do act quickly and aggressively we think we have a chance at eradicating it.
OPPENHEIM: CWD is a brain illness related to Mad Cow Disease. It is contagious to deer and elk but scientists say there are no known dangers to eating an infected animal.
Since February testing turned up 40 cases from one area.
ALDEN BOSBEN, HUNTER: It shows that there is a core to this and maybe we can stop the expansion of it.
OPPENHEIM: The expansion of CWD could threaten the state's entire herd as well as the state's economy. Hunting in Wisconsin brings in $1.3 billion a year.
Still, some landowners don't like the mass killing. These landowners don't think it's possible to come even close to eradicating all of the deer in this region and they question the very idea of trying to do that when state officials don't fully understand how this disease is spread or where it exists.
MARK PECK, LANDOWNER/HUNTER: They want to be able to say they did the harshest thing possible when they found this. So I think they're actually just covering their butt on this thing.
OPPENHEIM: The state is testing brain tissue on all infected deer to help find out how CWD is transmitted. For now state officials say they're playing it safe culling a portion of the herd to save the rest.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HATTORI: As Wisconsin's deer face an uneasy future, the wild turkey population across the U.S. has staged a remarkable comeback despite Thanksgiving. It was hunting that almost wiped the birds out and in a roundabout way it's hunting that has brought them back. Here's Sean Callebs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Males are called gobblers, females -- hens, young ones -- chicks. And the preservation of the wild turkey is called one of the great success stories of the 20th century.
JAMES EARL KENNAMER, NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION: We almost lost the turkey because they just literally were found only where we couldn't get to them and kill them out.
CALLEBS: The National Wild Turkey Federation says a combination of hunting and destruction of habitat reduced the number of wild turkeys in the U.S. from as many as 10 million at its height to just 30,000 by the 1930's.
KENNAMER: This was taken on the Cherokee Strip in the early 1880's when the railroad was going west. Look at all of the turkeys that they've killed to feed the crews on the trains.
CALLEBS: Turkeys are again in abundance -- nearly six million in the U.S.
Subsistent hunting year around has stopped. Hunting is chiefly limited to the spring. And for hunters, turkey calling is elevated to an art.
ROB KECK, NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION: Turkeys are just like people -- they've got their own unique voices and no two sound the same.
CALLEBS: Rob Keck is a former champion turkey caller.
Ironically, hunters contributed to the restoration. Since the '30s taxes on weapons and ammunition have been used to trap and transfer birds -- assisting in preservation and helping insure they will continue to grace the landscape.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HATTORI: The landscape at the Steinhart Aquarium here in San Francisco is about to change. The aquarium is looking for a new home for 6,000 fish. And as Don Knapp of our affiliate KRON tells us, the hard part is figuring out how to move them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DON KNAPP, KRON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Upstairs rare and demanding fish do well in the tanks of the Steinhart Aquarium. Downstairs it's a struggle.
ROBERT JENKINS, STEINHART AQUARIUM: Essentially the building is so old and so saturated with seawater it's just -- it's sagging and it's just beginning to come down.
KNAPP: In less than a year the aquarium has to find and fix up a new temporary home and move in 6,000 fish.
JENKINS: Some of the restless ones could be the gars here. They like to jump -- they like to roll. The arapaima (ph) behind me is a rocket basically when he takes off.
KNAPP: Some critters will move easier than others.
JENKINS: Some will be transported in very little water, some will have a lot of water. Some will have to be anesthetized a little bit. We use a chemical called MS222. It makes them a little happy -- dopey -- floating around, so to speak.
KNAPP: The move will likely be hard on the movers -- the aquarium staff.
JENKINS: We have the stingrays. Essentially we have to be careful of those because people can actually accidentally get stung with them.
KNAPP: Does that electric eel really give a shock?
JENKINS: Yeah, he does. And if you have a heart condition he could kill you. Basically he'll knock you on your keister if you're not careful.
But when push comes to shove most of them will end up going into a big plastic bag -- each one by themselves -- about this much -- about half that distance of water. And it's going to be like riding a mini Cooper for awhile.
KNAPP: But moving alligators can be tricky.
JENKINS: Only in so far as going in to get them the first time. As soon as you can get your hands around their mouth they have very little strength opening -- all of their strength is in closing.
KNAPP: Snakes from heavy pythons to slender vine snakes travel easily in burlap bags.
Feeding is a bit more work.
JENKINS: He forms this coil, coiling back on himself and actually it's like a spring. And then when a fish goes underneath all of a sudden -- bong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HATTORI: Don tells us the aquarium will be in temporary quarters for about four years while the old facility in Golden Gate Park is renovated.
ANNOUNCER: Coming up -- when is a rocket not a rocket? We'll show you the answer to that riddle in an Oregon front yard.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HATTORI: It's a big week for construction on the International Space Station. Astronauts took three space walks to hook up a new girder on the orbiting structure. Robotic arms on the station and the shuttle did the heavy lifting getting the 14-ton girder in place.
The girder is part of the backbone of the station, which will be more than 100 yards long when it is finished.
Things aren't looking so rosy for a European satellite launched on Tuesday aboard a Russian rocket. The Astra-1K satellite went into the wrong orbit, making it useless.
It was the largest communications satellite ever built and was supposed to replace three satellites now in orbit.
An important souvenir from the early days of space exploration is now at the center of a tug of war between NASA and the family of late astronaut Gus Grissom.
John Zarrella reports on the dispute over who owns this piece of history.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In 1961 Mercury astronaut Gus Grissom became the second American in space. Forty-one years later the shimmering silver space suit he wore on the Liberty Bell flight is at the center of an ownership battle between NASA and the late astronaut's family.
SCOTT GRISSOM, GUS GRISSOM'S SON: It's always been valuable to us and now over time it is now value to them again.
ZARRELLA: Since 1991 some of Gus Grissom's personal items have been on loan to the Astronaut Hall of Fame in Titusville. But the family decided after a management change there they wanted the items back.
SCOTT GRISSOM: This is the Distinguished Flying Cross.
ZARRELLA: NASA officials have returned many of the historical pieces -- the American flag that draped Gus' coffin, a Stetson hat given to Grissom by President Johnson. But NASA did not return that shimmering silver space suit.
RICK HENSLER, VISITOR COMPLEX SPOKESMAN, KENNEDY SPACE CENTER: This is something that is so important that it really belongs to the people.
BETTY GRISSOM, GUS GRISSOM'S WIDOW: Gus did give his life for this space program and I think he deserves at least that or the family deserves the honor of deciding or at least putting in our consensus word in on to where it displayed.
ZARRELLA: NASA officials won't talk on camera but say the suit has always been government property and they always knew where it was. But did they?
Since 1962, when Gus Grissom got it from a NASA storage facility, it has been in the family's possession.
BETTY GRISSOM: Gus brought it home and told us that he was going to -- well, put it in the closet.
ZARRELLA: NASA never came looking for it. The Grissom's and NASA have always had a strained relationship even while Gus was alive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After four anxious minutes Grissom struggled into the horse collar and was lifted clear of the water.
ZARRELLA: After Grissom's Mercury capsule slashed down in the Atlantic in 1961 it sank. Grissom didn't get a hero's parade or an invite to Washington to meet the president.
Six years later astronauts Grissom, White and Chaffee died in the Apollo I launch pad fire.
If the Grissoms' can work out a compromise regarding the suit they say it would be the first thawing of the ice between the family and NASA since Gus Grissom died 35 years ago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HATTORI: An Oregon man has created his own little space program even though his space craft is going nowhere. If nothing else, it proves you don't have to be a rocket scientist to build a rocket. Ray Summers from our affiliate KOIN has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAY SUMMERS, KOIN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lance McNamara does not throw things away.
LANCE MCNAMARA, INVENTOR: It's just some washing machine gear and pipe -- that's all.
SUMMERS: Junk inspires him.
MCNAMARA: I looked at it and I said, "I could build me a rocket." And so I did.
SUMMERS: A rocket and a launcher.
MCNAMARA: That's a real machine, a bar stool, a scissor jack, a shock absorber, a bicycle crank and basically a bunch of pipe and stuff.
SUMMERS: Things close at hand.
MCNAMARA: Yeah -- there were some people looking for some pots and pans -- I can tell you that.
SUMMERS: The rocket by itself did not look complete.
MCNAMARA: So I had to make it look like it was really going to do something. And so that's what I put these here for.
SUMMERS: At night passing cars trip a sensor, turn on lights and a compressor.
MCNAMARA: It did have a siren up on top but that was a little too much.
SUMMERS: No doubt. But he is going to add flames from the back end -- has all of the parts.
MCNAMARA: And the distributor goes down to the sparkplug.
SUMMERS: A person would think a man with a rocket in his front yard would rest from his labors -- not Lance McNamara.
MCNAMARA: You ought to see what I'm going to build next.
SUMMERS: What are you going to build next?
MCNAMARA: A big robot in my yard with saw blades -- Rrrr! Just a really ...
SUMMERS: Can't wait.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Coming up in our next half hour -- find out how much money a water treatment plant can save by going solar. And check out an adventure game that doesn't need automatic weapons and splattering blood to create excitement. First, a break and then a quick check of the latest news from the CNN newsroom. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK) HATTORI: NASA says the arctic ice cap is melting faster than scientists thought. Satellite data shows that the so-called permanent ice is melting at a rate of 9 percent per decade. This animation shows the actual observations from 1979 through last year and the predicted melting through the year 2075.
At this rate, scientists say, late summer sea ice cover could disappear completely by the end of the century. That could effect global climates since the ice reflects sunlight back out into space, cooling the earth's surface and warming the atmosphere.
Researchers say it won't change sea level but would have a dramatic effect on ocean ecology and circulation patterns like the Gulf Stream.
Five polar bears rescued from a circus in Puerto Rico are adjusting to a cooler and happier life in U.S. mainland zoos. Two of the bears wound up in Washington State. The others went to Michigan and North Carolina.
Animal rights activists say this video they recorded at the circus shows the bears were kept in filthy conditions, fed poorly and living in sweltering heat. The bears were seized under a federal court order.
Now they have to learn to do more bearish things like swimming and eating fish instead of the bread and vegetables they got at the circus. Circus officials could not be reached for comment.
In central Africa the last populations of rare mountain gorillas are threatened by a new outbreak of poaching. Wildlife officials say the killing seems to be masterminded by an unknown sponsor with lots of money. Gary Strieker has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY STRIEKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The new outbreak of poaching began in May and since then at least six mountain gorillas have been shot and killed by poachers alarming wildlife authorities and conservationists.
AMY VEDDER, WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY: We have not seen anything like this in the last 20 years.
STRIEKER: Gorilla researcher Amy Vedder has spent her life studying these rare apes and has played a major roll in the campaign to save them -- a conservation success story that could still be twisted to tragedy by poachers.
VEDDER: The world's total of all mountain gorillas is approximately 660 animals. It can't afford this kind of loss.
STRIEKER: Mountain gorillas are found only in the high altitude forests of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In this region people do not eat gorillas but poachers seem to have another reason for hunting them. VEDDER: It appears that people are trying to capture a baby gorilla for sale somewhere. It would not be to any reputable zoo. There are no mountain gorillas in captivity anywhere in the world legally. And so we assume this is for some kind of private menagerie -- a private collection of exotic animals somewhere hidden away in the world.
STRIEKER: Investigators believe someone is offering a great deal of money for baby gorillas -- babies that cannot be captured as long as adults in their family groups are alive to protect them.
Park rangers in Uganda are reported to have captured some poachers and they are being questioned to find out who hired them.
Meanwhile, authorities in Uganda and Rwanda are re-doubling anti- poaching patrols in the national parks.
Some gorilla family groups are under 24-hour surveillance.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Do you want to shop online but are worried about which sites to trust? We've got something that will help coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HATTORI: Whether you're in the market for a new car or a new carpet, millions of shoppers look for a rating from Consumer Reports before they make a purchase. This holiday season buyers can check out the best online shopping sites with some help from the non-profit organization on its Web site.
Ann Kellan takes us shopping.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANN KELLAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Your magazine has really analyzed some of these sites. What kind of advice would you give us for shopping online?
KIM KLEMAN, CONSUMER REPORTS: The first thing you need to do is stick with reputable sites -- sites you've had luck with in the past. Consumer Reports has rated dozens of these and that information is available free on our Web site -- consumerreports.org.
KELLAN: So stick with the sites you know?
KLEMAN: Correct.
KELLAN: And you want to check the privacy statements -- the security statements ...
KLEMAN: Right.
KELLAN: ... at the site? KLEMAN: Absolutely. Privacy, security and also customer service policies -- if they have good policies or not. That is some of the stuff that we look at when we rate sites.
Also, I would say before you buy you have to check return policies. You need to make sure that the site will return merchandise regardless of the reason -- that they'll do it within about 45 days of the purchase or longer.
Some of the better sites give you a lot of time and often they'll pay for the return shipping.
Also consider gift certificates. If you don't know what a person wants -- a gift certificate -- you can buy it online for use online or in stores sometimes. And the better sites offer gift certificates that are good for six months or more.
KELLAN: So you want to check how long they're good for?
KLEMAN: Absolutely. I would also say that -- make sure to check for free gift wrapping or gift cards because that is something that they -- a lot of them throw in now and let them do it rather than you.
KELLAN: So did you find some sites didn't do as well as others?
KLEMAN: Well, one of the things we look for is how usable is the site? How easily can the consumer browse and make a purchase?
And some sites like Buy Buy Baby was a good example. It was less usable than others. It was harder to navigate.
Also we take a look at just the amount of information. How many things are out there to buy and how much a consumer knows about each item.
And some of them were better than others at that as well.
KELLAN: So what were better sites compared to Buy Buy Baby, for example?
KLEMAN: Well, if you're looking for baby gear we found kidsrus.com was pretty good, gap.com for children's apparel. Toys R Us and KB Toys (ph) were also pretty good.
KELLAN: Now music and clothing -- that's going to be a big -- those are big items for holiday giving. What did you find there?
KLEMAN: There are a ton of sites that offer those kinds of products.
Let's take apparel, for instance. L.L. Bean, Land's End, gap.com -- names, again, that you've probably heard of and maybe have shopped there yourself. But they came out on top.
For music and CDs -- that kind of thing -- we found j&r.com, amazon.com, barnes&noble.com. KELLAN: They were the top?
KLEMAN: They're winners -- yeah.
KELLAN: But overall you didn't find a lot of bad sites in those areas, right?
KLEMAN: Right. They're getting better.
KELLAN: OK. So for more information -- consumerreports.org.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HATTORI: You can find a link to that Consumer Reports Web site plus information on other stories from our program on our Web site -- cnn.com/next.
ANNOUNCER: Coming up -- a showcase for inventions that could make the world a little greener.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HATTORI: The first solar-powered waste water treatment plant in the U.S. began operations recently in the California foothills. And while it may be environmentally friendly, officials are hoping its biggest impact will be on the pocketbook. Here's Tom Duhain from our affiliate KCRA.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM DUHAIN, KCRA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This three acre array of new solar panels went online November 1. It produces 520 kilowatts and plant managers say that's enough to power about 200 homes.
Oroville's wastewater treatment plant uses power 24 hours a day and managers here thought about solar after a big rate hike.
BILL LAMPKIN, SEWAGE COMMISSION OROVILLE REGION: We had a big rate increase just a year ago -- a 41 percent rate increase in our PG&E bill. So the store manager wanted to do something to stabilize rates for our customers.
DUHAIN: The cost -- 4.7 million. But half of that was paid by the PUC to encourage alternative energy. The expected impact on the plant's power bill is pretty impressive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our yearly power bill is estimated to be reduced from about $330,000 to less than or about $50,000. So we're looking at about an 80 percent reduction in our annual energy bill.
DUHAIN: Even with the winter sun obscured by clouds at midday most of the plant's energy was coming from the panels. We actually saw the PG&E meter running backwards a few times.
This summer it will produce loads of excess power, which is sold back to PG&E to reduce the power bill.
State energy officials like this innovation.
TIM TUTT, STATE ENERGY COMMISSION: I think it's very exciting. It's part of a trend of larger solar systems going in in California supported by state incentives that are really interesting to the industry.
DUHAIN: It is the first time that we know of that solar power has been used directly to produce clean water. And now other water agencies from around the country are calling to see how it works.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HATTORI: It seems just about everybody has an idea for an invention. And if you're lucky and good it could make you rich. If not, it may never get beyond notes scribbled on a cocktail napkin.
Over the next few weeks we'll be looking at some intriguing inventions. This week Kristie Lu Stout reports on some Chinese inventors who are seeing green.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the big day when China's inventors leave the lab to show their creations to the world.
K.I. TSANG, HONG KONG PRODUCTIVITY COUNCIL: Today is our first step to market the concepts and process.
STOUT: Like a new way to recycle used oils, bricks made of construction waste or a system to generate electricity from ocean waves. Just a few of the latest offerings from the geeks who think green.
All it takes is a single light bulb moment to create a green invention like this -- a process to recycle old tires and to turn it into a new material to replace natural rubber.
So, Frankie, tell me about your invention and what makes it innovative?
FRANKIE CHAN, EPO MATERIALS: Well, basically we just take the rubber from the used tire and then put it into the mixer to proceed complexes and processes. And the process would take approximately eight minutes to complete and then it would be ready for packing.
By using this rubber we can replace most applications of natural rubber.
STOUT: This fair has entries from both Hong Kong and mainland China -- a showcase of environmentally friendly products that may or may not change the world but have the best intentions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The use of electronic (UNINTELLIGIBLE) will replace the chemicals, et cetera, right? Although these issues may turn out to be rather minor here but then (UNINTELLIGIBLE) we hope that we will evolve to bigger issues and leading to a better -- a wider application elsewhere.
STOUT: Some inventions may never fly.
CHEUNG KING-FUNG, HONG KONG INVENTORS ASSOCIATION: One of our inventors now he invented (UNINTELLIGIBLE) how to control (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
STOUT: Gluing down the earth with desert-preventing powder could disturb a few environmentalists. But as some inventions raise eyebrows, others are raising expectations of runaway sales.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The electricity generation by the tidal current -- I think it can be effective.
STOUT: A powerful concept illustrated by a set of toy plastic parts proves that innovation can be found where it is least expected.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: A plot like a novel and graphics-like paintings -- could this computer game be the next myth?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HATTORI: An attorney on a mission, exotic places, bizarre plot twists and a long lost heir to a fortune. Sounds like a great movie, right? But you'll find all of this in "Syberia," a recently released PC inventor game.
Daniel Sieberg talked to consumer tech guru Marc Saltzman recently for the latest on this challenging yet non-violent game.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, Marc, some of us old school gamers are familiar with the adventure games from years ago.
MARC SALTZMAN, CONSUMER TECH GURU: Yeah.
SIEBERG: They seem to have dropped off a bit in popularity. But "Syberia" picks up where they left off. Tell us about that.
SALTZMAN: That's true -- especially in the U.S. In North America adventure games really aren't that hot anymore. They've almost take a back seat to more twitchy action games over the past couple of years.
But for those who are seasoned gamers like us, "Syberia" is great. It does harken back to the old days of mist and maybe even a little Leisure Suit Larry, where you do roam around in an interactive world, you solve puzzles, you meet other characters and there is no combat in the game. SIEBERG: So Kay Walker is the main character in "Syberia." What is she asked to do or what does she need to do to accomplish her goals?
SALTZMAN: OK -- well, she's a lawyer from New York and she's sent to a small town in France to complete the takeover of an automaton factory -- little mechanical doodads and robots and things like that.
When she gets there, though, she finds out that the owner of this company has passed away leaving the company to an heir. She actually has a younger brother named Hans who disappeared decades earlier.
So, of course, she sets out on this epic adventure to find Hans in order to complete the takeover of this company and herein lies the big tale. She uncovers this rich family history and things aren't exactly as they seem.
SIEBERG: Sounds very mysterious.
SALTZMAN: It is. The game is great for that. It's not really black and white. There's a surreal aspect to this game.
It is a character from our century -- in our time. She's got a cell phone and she is in France and she has to deal with her personal life like her fiance not happy that she's extending her trip to Europe. But it actually has a really interesting feel to it.
SIEBERG: So if it doesn't have any of the action or the fast- paced stuff that you might expect in some games, what keeps people entertained with a game like "Syberia"?
SALTZMAN: I think the visuals really keep you attached to this game. Absolutely stunning imagery. The game play footage itself rivals even the non-interactive sequences, which typically look much better.
The music is incredible. It's an orchestrated score. There's classical music. There's even some opera.
So I think for the mature gamer that prefers brains over brawn, if you will, this is the kind of game for you.
SIEBERG: So the first thing some people might wonder is the title of the game -- "Syberia." Does it have anything to do with the plot or the story at all?
SALTZMAN: Well, I don't want to give anything away but I can tell you that you actually don't physically go to Siberia. The name of the game is "Syberia" with a "Y", by the way, not with an "I," which hints that it may not be the real place.
SIEBERG: There are puzzles scattered throughout the game. Tell me about those and whether gamers might find them fairly difficult.
SALTZMAN: At the beginning of the game they'll be fairly early like you need to, for example, find a key in order to get into a locked door. Those are pretty basic.
But as the game continues -- when you first leave Valedulem, France (ph) -- the first town you get to -- you have to figure out how to get this mechanical train to work.
So not only is it a matter of pushing levers like in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) games but you also have to accomplish a few other goals, which are -- they usually fall in three categories.
One will be dialog-based. So you'll meet other characters and you have to collect clues that way.
Secondly, it will be literature. You'll find some books or pieces of paper or faxes that will provide -- it will shed some light on the story and perhaps tell you how to solve the puzzle like pulling levers in a certain combination or punching in the right numerical code somewhere.
And, thirdly, there are objects that you'll pick up you'll find scattered around and you keep them in your inventory. And you've got to use them at the appropriate time.
SIEBERG: So if people want more information they can always go to the Web site that's associated with the game itself, right?
SALTZMAN: That's right. The official "Syberia" Web site is www.syberia.info -- and remember the "Syberia" is with a "Y."
SIEBERG: And it retails for about how much then?
SALTZMAN: It's about $30, which is reasonably priced considering the amount of hours you'll be spending in this game.
SIEBERG: Right. I guess if you don't have a mystery novel to curl up with you can always curl up with a mysterious game instead.
SALTZMAN: Absolutely.
SIEBERG: All right -- thanks, man.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HATTORI: No mystery here about what's coming up from us next week. Here's a peak.
eBay -- the online auction house -- has been called the world's garage sale.
It's a great place for holiday shopping if you know how to use it. If you don't, we've got some tips.
Plus, red wolves have made an amazing comeback. Find out how wildlife officials did it. And, as an added bonus, you get to see Sharon Collins howl at the moon.
That and a lot more coming up on NEXT. Until then let us know how we're doing. Shoot us an e-mail. Our address is next@cnn.com.
Thanks so much for joining us this week. For all of us on the sci-tech piece I'm James Hattori. We'll see you next time.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Center of Custody Battle; Computer Game Gets Kicks From Beautiful Graphics>
Aired November 30, 2002 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: Today on NEXT@CNN -- how do you move 6,000 fish? In some cases the answer is "very carefully."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT JENKINS, STEINHART AQUARIUM: Basically they'll knock you on your keister if you're not careful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: We'll have all of the messy details.
Also, a treasured memento of the space program is at the center of a custody battle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK HENSLER, VISITOR COMPLEX SPOKESMAN, KENNEDY SPACE CENTER: This is something that is so important that it really belongs to the people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: And a computer game that gets its kicks from beautiful graphics and a fascinating story line. All of that and more on NEXT.
JAMES HATTORI, HOST: Hi, everybody, and welcome to NEXT@CNN. I'm James Hattori -- this week along San Francisco's downtown water front The Embarcadero.
Even in the midst of holiday hubbub the drum beat of war preparations goes on. If the U.S. attacks Iraq one of the first goals will be to cut off communications between Saddam Hussein and his troops but current U.S. weapons may not be up to the job.
CNN's Barbara Starr reports on the next generation of a bomb nicknamed "the bunker buster."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the first hours of a war the U.S. military believes Saddam Hussein will run to a bunker deep beneath one of his presidential palaces. The Iraqis have built hardened bunkers designed specifically to withstand attacks by current U.S. weapons. Innovative construction techniques shield key areas from blast waves.
CNN has been told by U.S. defense sources that one of those bunkers, dozens of feet under central Baghdad, has vital communications gear for Saddam to talk to his men while under attack.
The U.S., they say, cannot quickly destroy it without risking killing nearby civilians. Inspectors may never even find it.
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: They have tunneled underground dramatically. It's going to be very hard for the inspectors to find anything.
STARR: CNN has learned two new massive bombs, which could be carried on the B-2 and B-52 bombers, are now being urgently designed in hopes they can be ready early next year.
One proposed weapon, Big Blu, is a 30,000 pound bomb packed with 3,500 pounds of explosives aimed at penetrating 150 feet of earth -- far deeper than the current 5,000 pound bomb, which penetrates about two dozen feet.
The other proposed weapon -- a 20,000 pound bomb packed with 18,000 pounds of explosives. This would replace the Vietnam era 15,000 pound "Daisy Cutter" also used in Afghanistan.
The bomb detonates in the air over the target creating a massive air blast. The U.S. will use it to destroy hardened revetments protecting Iraqi scud missiles and weapons.
The work on both of these weapons is vital, say defense officials. But even if they are not ready in time for Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld wants them in the inventory.
Today there are more than 1,500 deeply-buried military targets around the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HATTORI: A different kind of threat grabbed Americans' attention this week -- one that shows the dangers of living in a computerized world.
Prosecutors say they busted the largest identity theft scam in U.S. history. Thirty thousand people victimized because computer passwords got into the wrong hands.
Our Rusty Dornin talks with an expert about how we can keep our identities safe.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Protecting your identity begins at home. Tracey Thomas locks her mailbox because if someone lifts the lid they could get ...
TRACEY THOMAS, IDENTITY THEFT RESOURCE CENTER: The statement could have your social security number on it. Bills. Student loan stuff -- this will definitely have a social security number on it.
DORNIN: Social security -- the nine digit identifier -- a key that unlocks your financial life.
Thomas, an identity theft expert, says your social security number is the big score for impostors.
Thomas had her identity stolen three years ago. She no longer throws anything with her social security or any other personal information in the trash. She shreds it.
But what about the Internet? I just checked my stocks today online and I had to put my social security number in.
THOMAS: And what was your log in? Your log in was your social security number. So ...
DORNIN: Do I have to be afraid of that from my own company?
THOMAS: Yes. Absolutely you should be afraid of that. A company doesn't need to use your social security number as the log in.
DORNIN: My medical insurance card has my social security number.
THOMAS: Yes, it does in most cases.
DORNIN: And what's the danger of that?
THOMAS: The danger is every single time you go to the doctor's office you expose your social security number to every employee that you come in contact with -- the admitting nurse, the doctor, the filing clerk.
DORNIN: So many have access to our personal information including our social security numbers. How many times has someone asked you that over the phone? And we have to count on every one of them to be honest.
Is there anything people can do to protect their identity at this point?
THOMAS: Very little. Most of the change is going to have to come from industry. Most of the change is going to have to come from more sound industry practices.
DORNIN: Like what?
THOMAS: Well, health insurance companies have no business using your social security number for an identifier.
DORNIN: Thomas says until there is more consumer protection legislation, all we can do is take precautions and keep our fingers crossed.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HATTORI: Another concern about too much information -- should companies know the whereabouts of their employees for every minute of the workday? Technology allows that kind of information to be gathered now but the question is -- how should it be used?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HATTORI (voice-over): When a patient calls for help at Seton Medical Center ...
JIM BROWN, NURSE: Hi, Mr. Rogers. Can I help you?
HATTORI: ... it's never a problem finding a nurse ...
BROWN: Do you want him to come in? OK -- thanks.
HATTORI: ... because they all wear locator badges -- part of a wireless system which tracks their movements on the floor.
You can even tell when they're walking down the hallway?
BROWN: Yes, you can -- yeah, you can. Nancy Martinez?
HATTORI: This system made by Hill-Rom uses infrared signals to detect when nurses enter a room to answer a call.
Staff can talk and listen through a wall unit to nurses or even to patients in other rooms.
BROWN: The time that we're spending hunting stuff down, trying to find them, locating them -- we can put that to much better use.
HATTORI: Hill-Rom says it has systems installed in more than 850 U.S. hospitals.
Some nurses worry that the devices will be used to listen in on conversations and scrutinize their movements.
ANNETTE BEARDEN, NURSE: I'm not wearing mine. I will still meet my patients' needs but I will not wear this badge.
HATTORI: Annette Bearden is among dozens of nurses at Eden Medical Center who staged an active protest two months ago saying the system smacks of Big Brotherism. They hid their badges until they were later recovered.
BEARDEN: It makes me not feel like a professional. It makes me like someone has to watch me to make sure that I'm doing my job.
CASSANDRA PHELPS, EDEN HOSPITAL: The biggest reason we installed this technology is because our old call system was about 25 years old.
HATTORI: For hospitals this is a case of technology allowing -- perhaps forcing -- people to better utilize their time.
Officials at Eden don't deny they monitor how long it takes nurses to respond to calls but say their main concern is patient care.
PHELPS: I think it's one tool that we can use in measuring performance -- overall performance. But by itself it is not a valid disciplinary tool.
HATTORI: Eden is expanding its system with hopes the nurses will eventually accept the new technology. But back at Seton, where it's been in place for about two years, there are no qualms.
BROWN: Once the staff actually found out how advantageous it could be for them and the patients it actually became very functional.
HATTORI: Here big brother may be watching but they say he's also helping out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HATTORI: Getting a traffic ticket is bad enough. But then in most places if you want to tell your side of the story you have to spend time in court except in Yakima, Washington. There you can tell it to the judge by e-mail. Lilian Kim has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DIRK MARLER, JUDGE, U.S. DISTRICT COURT: Is this your first ticket?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I've never been pulled over before.
LILIAN KIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a typical day at traffic court -- violators giving their excuses.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just had a really bad day.
KIM: Most had to schedule time off but in Yakima, Washington, traffic violators can now get their day not in court but online.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, if I had known that I wouldn't have missed work.
KIM: So far the technology is only available for people who plead guilty seeking a reduced fine.
The process requires a typed in excuse followed by an electronic oath.
MARLER: They're required to check the box that says that they swear that that information is true.
KIM: Although the violator doesn't go to court, his excuse does.
MARLER: The defendant has responded by e-mail and says, "I wasn't wearing my seatbelt."
KIM: Only 200,000 people live here in Yakima County, an area known more for its agriculture than its technology. The vast region makes the online program ideal for residents who can live hours away from the county courthouse.
MARLER: There's something that just seems fundamentally unfair about making people walk down to argue over saving $20 on a traffic ticket when you've got this kind of technology that's available.
KIM: As for the judge's decision -- it gets e-mailed to the defendant after being read aloud in court.
MARLER: The court is willing to assess penalty of $65 rather than 86.
KIM: For defendants, an easy way to get their case heard without setting foot inside a courtroom.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Coming up -- how wild turkeys made it back from a close brush with extinction. And, later in the show, how to choose the best online shopping sites.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HATTORI: A disease that's turning up in deer and elk in the western and central U.S. has officials in Wisconsin particularly worried. The illness could threaten herds across the region, not to mention the economy.
As Keith Oppenheim reports, some hunters have been stirred to action while others are crying, "Foul."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The sound of gunfire is part of tradition in Wisconsin. But in one region just west of Madison that tradition has been extended from nine days to several months all because of an illness called Chronic Wasting Disease.
ROBERT MANWELL, WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES: If we do act quickly and aggressively we think we have a chance at eradicating it.
OPPENHEIM: CWD is a brain illness related to Mad Cow Disease. It is contagious to deer and elk but scientists say there are no known dangers to eating an infected animal.
Since February testing turned up 40 cases from one area.
ALDEN BOSBEN, HUNTER: It shows that there is a core to this and maybe we can stop the expansion of it.
OPPENHEIM: The expansion of CWD could threaten the state's entire herd as well as the state's economy. Hunting in Wisconsin brings in $1.3 billion a year.
Still, some landowners don't like the mass killing. These landowners don't think it's possible to come even close to eradicating all of the deer in this region and they question the very idea of trying to do that when state officials don't fully understand how this disease is spread or where it exists.
MARK PECK, LANDOWNER/HUNTER: They want to be able to say they did the harshest thing possible when they found this. So I think they're actually just covering their butt on this thing.
OPPENHEIM: The state is testing brain tissue on all infected deer to help find out how CWD is transmitted. For now state officials say they're playing it safe culling a portion of the herd to save the rest.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HATTORI: As Wisconsin's deer face an uneasy future, the wild turkey population across the U.S. has staged a remarkable comeback despite Thanksgiving. It was hunting that almost wiped the birds out and in a roundabout way it's hunting that has brought them back. Here's Sean Callebs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Males are called gobblers, females -- hens, young ones -- chicks. And the preservation of the wild turkey is called one of the great success stories of the 20th century.
JAMES EARL KENNAMER, NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION: We almost lost the turkey because they just literally were found only where we couldn't get to them and kill them out.
CALLEBS: The National Wild Turkey Federation says a combination of hunting and destruction of habitat reduced the number of wild turkeys in the U.S. from as many as 10 million at its height to just 30,000 by the 1930's.
KENNAMER: This was taken on the Cherokee Strip in the early 1880's when the railroad was going west. Look at all of the turkeys that they've killed to feed the crews on the trains.
CALLEBS: Turkeys are again in abundance -- nearly six million in the U.S.
Subsistent hunting year around has stopped. Hunting is chiefly limited to the spring. And for hunters, turkey calling is elevated to an art.
ROB KECK, NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION: Turkeys are just like people -- they've got their own unique voices and no two sound the same.
CALLEBS: Rob Keck is a former champion turkey caller.
Ironically, hunters contributed to the restoration. Since the '30s taxes on weapons and ammunition have been used to trap and transfer birds -- assisting in preservation and helping insure they will continue to grace the landscape.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HATTORI: The landscape at the Steinhart Aquarium here in San Francisco is about to change. The aquarium is looking for a new home for 6,000 fish. And as Don Knapp of our affiliate KRON tells us, the hard part is figuring out how to move them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DON KNAPP, KRON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Upstairs rare and demanding fish do well in the tanks of the Steinhart Aquarium. Downstairs it's a struggle.
ROBERT JENKINS, STEINHART AQUARIUM: Essentially the building is so old and so saturated with seawater it's just -- it's sagging and it's just beginning to come down.
KNAPP: In less than a year the aquarium has to find and fix up a new temporary home and move in 6,000 fish.
JENKINS: Some of the restless ones could be the gars here. They like to jump -- they like to roll. The arapaima (ph) behind me is a rocket basically when he takes off.
KNAPP: Some critters will move easier than others.
JENKINS: Some will be transported in very little water, some will have a lot of water. Some will have to be anesthetized a little bit. We use a chemical called MS222. It makes them a little happy -- dopey -- floating around, so to speak.
KNAPP: The move will likely be hard on the movers -- the aquarium staff.
JENKINS: We have the stingrays. Essentially we have to be careful of those because people can actually accidentally get stung with them.
KNAPP: Does that electric eel really give a shock?
JENKINS: Yeah, he does. And if you have a heart condition he could kill you. Basically he'll knock you on your keister if you're not careful.
But when push comes to shove most of them will end up going into a big plastic bag -- each one by themselves -- about this much -- about half that distance of water. And it's going to be like riding a mini Cooper for awhile.
KNAPP: But moving alligators can be tricky.
JENKINS: Only in so far as going in to get them the first time. As soon as you can get your hands around their mouth they have very little strength opening -- all of their strength is in closing.
KNAPP: Snakes from heavy pythons to slender vine snakes travel easily in burlap bags.
Feeding is a bit more work.
JENKINS: He forms this coil, coiling back on himself and actually it's like a spring. And then when a fish goes underneath all of a sudden -- bong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HATTORI: Don tells us the aquarium will be in temporary quarters for about four years while the old facility in Golden Gate Park is renovated.
ANNOUNCER: Coming up -- when is a rocket not a rocket? We'll show you the answer to that riddle in an Oregon front yard.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HATTORI: It's a big week for construction on the International Space Station. Astronauts took three space walks to hook up a new girder on the orbiting structure. Robotic arms on the station and the shuttle did the heavy lifting getting the 14-ton girder in place.
The girder is part of the backbone of the station, which will be more than 100 yards long when it is finished.
Things aren't looking so rosy for a European satellite launched on Tuesday aboard a Russian rocket. The Astra-1K satellite went into the wrong orbit, making it useless.
It was the largest communications satellite ever built and was supposed to replace three satellites now in orbit.
An important souvenir from the early days of space exploration is now at the center of a tug of war between NASA and the family of late astronaut Gus Grissom.
John Zarrella reports on the dispute over who owns this piece of history.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In 1961 Mercury astronaut Gus Grissom became the second American in space. Forty-one years later the shimmering silver space suit he wore on the Liberty Bell flight is at the center of an ownership battle between NASA and the late astronaut's family.
SCOTT GRISSOM, GUS GRISSOM'S SON: It's always been valuable to us and now over time it is now value to them again.
ZARRELLA: Since 1991 some of Gus Grissom's personal items have been on loan to the Astronaut Hall of Fame in Titusville. But the family decided after a management change there they wanted the items back.
SCOTT GRISSOM: This is the Distinguished Flying Cross.
ZARRELLA: NASA officials have returned many of the historical pieces -- the American flag that draped Gus' coffin, a Stetson hat given to Grissom by President Johnson. But NASA did not return that shimmering silver space suit.
RICK HENSLER, VISITOR COMPLEX SPOKESMAN, KENNEDY SPACE CENTER: This is something that is so important that it really belongs to the people.
BETTY GRISSOM, GUS GRISSOM'S WIDOW: Gus did give his life for this space program and I think he deserves at least that or the family deserves the honor of deciding or at least putting in our consensus word in on to where it displayed.
ZARRELLA: NASA officials won't talk on camera but say the suit has always been government property and they always knew where it was. But did they?
Since 1962, when Gus Grissom got it from a NASA storage facility, it has been in the family's possession.
BETTY GRISSOM: Gus brought it home and told us that he was going to -- well, put it in the closet.
ZARRELLA: NASA never came looking for it. The Grissom's and NASA have always had a strained relationship even while Gus was alive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After four anxious minutes Grissom struggled into the horse collar and was lifted clear of the water.
ZARRELLA: After Grissom's Mercury capsule slashed down in the Atlantic in 1961 it sank. Grissom didn't get a hero's parade or an invite to Washington to meet the president.
Six years later astronauts Grissom, White and Chaffee died in the Apollo I launch pad fire.
If the Grissoms' can work out a compromise regarding the suit they say it would be the first thawing of the ice between the family and NASA since Gus Grissom died 35 years ago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HATTORI: An Oregon man has created his own little space program even though his space craft is going nowhere. If nothing else, it proves you don't have to be a rocket scientist to build a rocket. Ray Summers from our affiliate KOIN has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAY SUMMERS, KOIN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lance McNamara does not throw things away.
LANCE MCNAMARA, INVENTOR: It's just some washing machine gear and pipe -- that's all.
SUMMERS: Junk inspires him.
MCNAMARA: I looked at it and I said, "I could build me a rocket." And so I did.
SUMMERS: A rocket and a launcher.
MCNAMARA: That's a real machine, a bar stool, a scissor jack, a shock absorber, a bicycle crank and basically a bunch of pipe and stuff.
SUMMERS: Things close at hand.
MCNAMARA: Yeah -- there were some people looking for some pots and pans -- I can tell you that.
SUMMERS: The rocket by itself did not look complete.
MCNAMARA: So I had to make it look like it was really going to do something. And so that's what I put these here for.
SUMMERS: At night passing cars trip a sensor, turn on lights and a compressor.
MCNAMARA: It did have a siren up on top but that was a little too much.
SUMMERS: No doubt. But he is going to add flames from the back end -- has all of the parts.
MCNAMARA: And the distributor goes down to the sparkplug.
SUMMERS: A person would think a man with a rocket in his front yard would rest from his labors -- not Lance McNamara.
MCNAMARA: You ought to see what I'm going to build next.
SUMMERS: What are you going to build next?
MCNAMARA: A big robot in my yard with saw blades -- Rrrr! Just a really ...
SUMMERS: Can't wait.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Coming up in our next half hour -- find out how much money a water treatment plant can save by going solar. And check out an adventure game that doesn't need automatic weapons and splattering blood to create excitement. First, a break and then a quick check of the latest news from the CNN newsroom. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK) HATTORI: NASA says the arctic ice cap is melting faster than scientists thought. Satellite data shows that the so-called permanent ice is melting at a rate of 9 percent per decade. This animation shows the actual observations from 1979 through last year and the predicted melting through the year 2075.
At this rate, scientists say, late summer sea ice cover could disappear completely by the end of the century. That could effect global climates since the ice reflects sunlight back out into space, cooling the earth's surface and warming the atmosphere.
Researchers say it won't change sea level but would have a dramatic effect on ocean ecology and circulation patterns like the Gulf Stream.
Five polar bears rescued from a circus in Puerto Rico are adjusting to a cooler and happier life in U.S. mainland zoos. Two of the bears wound up in Washington State. The others went to Michigan and North Carolina.
Animal rights activists say this video they recorded at the circus shows the bears were kept in filthy conditions, fed poorly and living in sweltering heat. The bears were seized under a federal court order.
Now they have to learn to do more bearish things like swimming and eating fish instead of the bread and vegetables they got at the circus. Circus officials could not be reached for comment.
In central Africa the last populations of rare mountain gorillas are threatened by a new outbreak of poaching. Wildlife officials say the killing seems to be masterminded by an unknown sponsor with lots of money. Gary Strieker has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY STRIEKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The new outbreak of poaching began in May and since then at least six mountain gorillas have been shot and killed by poachers alarming wildlife authorities and conservationists.
AMY VEDDER, WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY: We have not seen anything like this in the last 20 years.
STRIEKER: Gorilla researcher Amy Vedder has spent her life studying these rare apes and has played a major roll in the campaign to save them -- a conservation success story that could still be twisted to tragedy by poachers.
VEDDER: The world's total of all mountain gorillas is approximately 660 animals. It can't afford this kind of loss.
STRIEKER: Mountain gorillas are found only in the high altitude forests of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In this region people do not eat gorillas but poachers seem to have another reason for hunting them. VEDDER: It appears that people are trying to capture a baby gorilla for sale somewhere. It would not be to any reputable zoo. There are no mountain gorillas in captivity anywhere in the world legally. And so we assume this is for some kind of private menagerie -- a private collection of exotic animals somewhere hidden away in the world.
STRIEKER: Investigators believe someone is offering a great deal of money for baby gorillas -- babies that cannot be captured as long as adults in their family groups are alive to protect them.
Park rangers in Uganda are reported to have captured some poachers and they are being questioned to find out who hired them.
Meanwhile, authorities in Uganda and Rwanda are re-doubling anti- poaching patrols in the national parks.
Some gorilla family groups are under 24-hour surveillance.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Do you want to shop online but are worried about which sites to trust? We've got something that will help coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HATTORI: Whether you're in the market for a new car or a new carpet, millions of shoppers look for a rating from Consumer Reports before they make a purchase. This holiday season buyers can check out the best online shopping sites with some help from the non-profit organization on its Web site.
Ann Kellan takes us shopping.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANN KELLAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Your magazine has really analyzed some of these sites. What kind of advice would you give us for shopping online?
KIM KLEMAN, CONSUMER REPORTS: The first thing you need to do is stick with reputable sites -- sites you've had luck with in the past. Consumer Reports has rated dozens of these and that information is available free on our Web site -- consumerreports.org.
KELLAN: So stick with the sites you know?
KLEMAN: Correct.
KELLAN: And you want to check the privacy statements -- the security statements ...
KLEMAN: Right.
KELLAN: ... at the site? KLEMAN: Absolutely. Privacy, security and also customer service policies -- if they have good policies or not. That is some of the stuff that we look at when we rate sites.
Also, I would say before you buy you have to check return policies. You need to make sure that the site will return merchandise regardless of the reason -- that they'll do it within about 45 days of the purchase or longer.
Some of the better sites give you a lot of time and often they'll pay for the return shipping.
Also consider gift certificates. If you don't know what a person wants -- a gift certificate -- you can buy it online for use online or in stores sometimes. And the better sites offer gift certificates that are good for six months or more.
KELLAN: So you want to check how long they're good for?
KLEMAN: Absolutely. I would also say that -- make sure to check for free gift wrapping or gift cards because that is something that they -- a lot of them throw in now and let them do it rather than you.
KELLAN: So did you find some sites didn't do as well as others?
KLEMAN: Well, one of the things we look for is how usable is the site? How easily can the consumer browse and make a purchase?
And some sites like Buy Buy Baby was a good example. It was less usable than others. It was harder to navigate.
Also we take a look at just the amount of information. How many things are out there to buy and how much a consumer knows about each item.
And some of them were better than others at that as well.
KELLAN: So what were better sites compared to Buy Buy Baby, for example?
KLEMAN: Well, if you're looking for baby gear we found kidsrus.com was pretty good, gap.com for children's apparel. Toys R Us and KB Toys (ph) were also pretty good.
KELLAN: Now music and clothing -- that's going to be a big -- those are big items for holiday giving. What did you find there?
KLEMAN: There are a ton of sites that offer those kinds of products.
Let's take apparel, for instance. L.L. Bean, Land's End, gap.com -- names, again, that you've probably heard of and maybe have shopped there yourself. But they came out on top.
For music and CDs -- that kind of thing -- we found j&r.com, amazon.com, barnes&noble.com. KELLAN: They were the top?
KLEMAN: They're winners -- yeah.
KELLAN: But overall you didn't find a lot of bad sites in those areas, right?
KLEMAN: Right. They're getting better.
KELLAN: OK. So for more information -- consumerreports.org.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HATTORI: You can find a link to that Consumer Reports Web site plus information on other stories from our program on our Web site -- cnn.com/next.
ANNOUNCER: Coming up -- a showcase for inventions that could make the world a little greener.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HATTORI: The first solar-powered waste water treatment plant in the U.S. began operations recently in the California foothills. And while it may be environmentally friendly, officials are hoping its biggest impact will be on the pocketbook. Here's Tom Duhain from our affiliate KCRA.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM DUHAIN, KCRA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This three acre array of new solar panels went online November 1. It produces 520 kilowatts and plant managers say that's enough to power about 200 homes.
Oroville's wastewater treatment plant uses power 24 hours a day and managers here thought about solar after a big rate hike.
BILL LAMPKIN, SEWAGE COMMISSION OROVILLE REGION: We had a big rate increase just a year ago -- a 41 percent rate increase in our PG&E bill. So the store manager wanted to do something to stabilize rates for our customers.
DUHAIN: The cost -- 4.7 million. But half of that was paid by the PUC to encourage alternative energy. The expected impact on the plant's power bill is pretty impressive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our yearly power bill is estimated to be reduced from about $330,000 to less than or about $50,000. So we're looking at about an 80 percent reduction in our annual energy bill.
DUHAIN: Even with the winter sun obscured by clouds at midday most of the plant's energy was coming from the panels. We actually saw the PG&E meter running backwards a few times.
This summer it will produce loads of excess power, which is sold back to PG&E to reduce the power bill.
State energy officials like this innovation.
TIM TUTT, STATE ENERGY COMMISSION: I think it's very exciting. It's part of a trend of larger solar systems going in in California supported by state incentives that are really interesting to the industry.
DUHAIN: It is the first time that we know of that solar power has been used directly to produce clean water. And now other water agencies from around the country are calling to see how it works.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HATTORI: It seems just about everybody has an idea for an invention. And if you're lucky and good it could make you rich. If not, it may never get beyond notes scribbled on a cocktail napkin.
Over the next few weeks we'll be looking at some intriguing inventions. This week Kristie Lu Stout reports on some Chinese inventors who are seeing green.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the big day when China's inventors leave the lab to show their creations to the world.
K.I. TSANG, HONG KONG PRODUCTIVITY COUNCIL: Today is our first step to market the concepts and process.
STOUT: Like a new way to recycle used oils, bricks made of construction waste or a system to generate electricity from ocean waves. Just a few of the latest offerings from the geeks who think green.
All it takes is a single light bulb moment to create a green invention like this -- a process to recycle old tires and to turn it into a new material to replace natural rubber.
So, Frankie, tell me about your invention and what makes it innovative?
FRANKIE CHAN, EPO MATERIALS: Well, basically we just take the rubber from the used tire and then put it into the mixer to proceed complexes and processes. And the process would take approximately eight minutes to complete and then it would be ready for packing.
By using this rubber we can replace most applications of natural rubber.
STOUT: This fair has entries from both Hong Kong and mainland China -- a showcase of environmentally friendly products that may or may not change the world but have the best intentions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The use of electronic (UNINTELLIGIBLE) will replace the chemicals, et cetera, right? Although these issues may turn out to be rather minor here but then (UNINTELLIGIBLE) we hope that we will evolve to bigger issues and leading to a better -- a wider application elsewhere.
STOUT: Some inventions may never fly.
CHEUNG KING-FUNG, HONG KONG INVENTORS ASSOCIATION: One of our inventors now he invented (UNINTELLIGIBLE) how to control (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
STOUT: Gluing down the earth with desert-preventing powder could disturb a few environmentalists. But as some inventions raise eyebrows, others are raising expectations of runaway sales.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The electricity generation by the tidal current -- I think it can be effective.
STOUT: A powerful concept illustrated by a set of toy plastic parts proves that innovation can be found where it is least expected.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: A plot like a novel and graphics-like paintings -- could this computer game be the next myth?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HATTORI: An attorney on a mission, exotic places, bizarre plot twists and a long lost heir to a fortune. Sounds like a great movie, right? But you'll find all of this in "Syberia," a recently released PC inventor game.
Daniel Sieberg talked to consumer tech guru Marc Saltzman recently for the latest on this challenging yet non-violent game.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, Marc, some of us old school gamers are familiar with the adventure games from years ago.
MARC SALTZMAN, CONSUMER TECH GURU: Yeah.
SIEBERG: They seem to have dropped off a bit in popularity. But "Syberia" picks up where they left off. Tell us about that.
SALTZMAN: That's true -- especially in the U.S. In North America adventure games really aren't that hot anymore. They've almost take a back seat to more twitchy action games over the past couple of years.
But for those who are seasoned gamers like us, "Syberia" is great. It does harken back to the old days of mist and maybe even a little Leisure Suit Larry, where you do roam around in an interactive world, you solve puzzles, you meet other characters and there is no combat in the game. SIEBERG: So Kay Walker is the main character in "Syberia." What is she asked to do or what does she need to do to accomplish her goals?
SALTZMAN: OK -- well, she's a lawyer from New York and she's sent to a small town in France to complete the takeover of an automaton factory -- little mechanical doodads and robots and things like that.
When she gets there, though, she finds out that the owner of this company has passed away leaving the company to an heir. She actually has a younger brother named Hans who disappeared decades earlier.
So, of course, she sets out on this epic adventure to find Hans in order to complete the takeover of this company and herein lies the big tale. She uncovers this rich family history and things aren't exactly as they seem.
SIEBERG: Sounds very mysterious.
SALTZMAN: It is. The game is great for that. It's not really black and white. There's a surreal aspect to this game.
It is a character from our century -- in our time. She's got a cell phone and she is in France and she has to deal with her personal life like her fiance not happy that she's extending her trip to Europe. But it actually has a really interesting feel to it.
SIEBERG: So if it doesn't have any of the action or the fast- paced stuff that you might expect in some games, what keeps people entertained with a game like "Syberia"?
SALTZMAN: I think the visuals really keep you attached to this game. Absolutely stunning imagery. The game play footage itself rivals even the non-interactive sequences, which typically look much better.
The music is incredible. It's an orchestrated score. There's classical music. There's even some opera.
So I think for the mature gamer that prefers brains over brawn, if you will, this is the kind of game for you.
SIEBERG: So the first thing some people might wonder is the title of the game -- "Syberia." Does it have anything to do with the plot or the story at all?
SALTZMAN: Well, I don't want to give anything away but I can tell you that you actually don't physically go to Siberia. The name of the game is "Syberia" with a "Y", by the way, not with an "I," which hints that it may not be the real place.
SIEBERG: There are puzzles scattered throughout the game. Tell me about those and whether gamers might find them fairly difficult.
SALTZMAN: At the beginning of the game they'll be fairly early like you need to, for example, find a key in order to get into a locked door. Those are pretty basic.
But as the game continues -- when you first leave Valedulem, France (ph) -- the first town you get to -- you have to figure out how to get this mechanical train to work.
So not only is it a matter of pushing levers like in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) games but you also have to accomplish a few other goals, which are -- they usually fall in three categories.
One will be dialog-based. So you'll meet other characters and you have to collect clues that way.
Secondly, it will be literature. You'll find some books or pieces of paper or faxes that will provide -- it will shed some light on the story and perhaps tell you how to solve the puzzle like pulling levers in a certain combination or punching in the right numerical code somewhere.
And, thirdly, there are objects that you'll pick up you'll find scattered around and you keep them in your inventory. And you've got to use them at the appropriate time.
SIEBERG: So if people want more information they can always go to the Web site that's associated with the game itself, right?
SALTZMAN: That's right. The official "Syberia" Web site is www.syberia.info -- and remember the "Syberia" is with a "Y."
SIEBERG: And it retails for about how much then?
SALTZMAN: It's about $30, which is reasonably priced considering the amount of hours you'll be spending in this game.
SIEBERG: Right. I guess if you don't have a mystery novel to curl up with you can always curl up with a mysterious game instead.
SALTZMAN: Absolutely.
SIEBERG: All right -- thanks, man.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HATTORI: No mystery here about what's coming up from us next week. Here's a peak.
eBay -- the online auction house -- has been called the world's garage sale.
It's a great place for holiday shopping if you know how to use it. If you don't, we've got some tips.
Plus, red wolves have made an amazing comeback. Find out how wildlife officials did it. And, as an added bonus, you get to see Sharon Collins howl at the moon.
That and a lot more coming up on NEXT. Until then let us know how we're doing. Shoot us an e-mail. Our address is next@cnn.com.
Thanks so much for joining us this week. For all of us on the sci-tech piece I'm James Hattori. We'll see you next time.
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Center of Custody Battle; Computer Game Gets Kicks From Beautiful Graphics>
