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Will Leavitt's Appointment to EPA be Confirmed?; Komodo Dragon Runs Amok in Beirut; Lizards Help Us Understand Evolution; Hong Kong Considering CCTV to Monitor Garbage; New Trend in Video Gaming

Aired August 17, 2003 - 17:00   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.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN: ...checking out some 200 tips.
More news headlines at the bottom of the hour.

NEXT @ CNN begins right now.

Welcome to NEXT @ CNN for this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield and coming up this hour, now that the lights are back on, how do we keep them from going out again?

We'll look at the possible causes of the biggest blackout in the North American history.

We'll also look at what could be a 5,000-year-old murder mystery. Just how did the iceman die?

And something, possibly a creature like this, is terrorizing an affluent neighborhood in Beirut. We'll have the very latest.

But first, now that the blackout is over and the power is back on, the question of what happened is taking center stage. It's still too early to say exactly what went wrong and where, but investigators have focused their attention on transmission lines in Ohio that are part of what's called the Eerie Loop.

John Zarrella joins us now from East Lake, Ohio with the very latest - John.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN: Fredricka, that's exactly right. In fact, transmission lines are running over our head and right behind us here and could very well be transmission lines that were involved in the problem, but it is way too early to say. But with the power back on now the investigation is beginning to take center stage.

U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said that the administration has already begun putting together investigative teams that will begin fanning out across the country. And one place, Ohio, is very likely to be a focal point.

These power transmission lines outside Cleveland, Ohio, may hold clues and perhaps answers to why the power went out.

Last Thursday afternoon, three lines owned by Ohio's FirstEnergy Corporation and a fourth co-owned line tripped out of service. The problem occurred before the blackout. The North American Electric Reliability Council says the blackout began when the Ohio lines failed, but on CNN's LATE EDITION with Wolf Blitzer, the nation's energy secretary said it is way too early in the investigation to draw conclusions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SPENCER ABRAHAM, ENERGY SECRETARY: I mean, there's hundreds of thousands of miles of transmission grid, there's countless substations where the electricity gets re-routed. It's impossible at this point to definitively say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZARRELLA: But the focus is squarely on Ohio and the transmission lines and facilities that are part of what's called the Eerie Loop.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D) NEW MEXICO: I think the cause of this blackout, the Ohio companies, was because of overload.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZARRELLA: In a statement, FirstEnergy, a holding company for electric utilities in Cleveland, Toledo, and Akron, reported that early Thursday afternoon, a generating unit at this East Lake power plant tripped off.

The plant is 20 miles outside Cleveland. In its release, the company said, quote, "FirstEnergy determined that its computerized system for monitoring and controlling its transmissions and generation system was operating, but the alarm screen function was not."

FirstEnergy added, quote, "...customers experienced no service interruptions resulting from these conditions. Therefore, no isolation of FirstEnergy's system was called for," end quote.

No matter where the cascading loss of electricity began, there is a larger question.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHEHL GENT, NERC: Well, we know the sequence of events, so what we've started focusing on is why didn't the area in trouble separate from the rest of the system and keep the entire grid whole?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZARRELLA: That may prove more difficult to answer than where the blackout began.

Now, the chairman of Ohio's public utilities commission said that to him, at least, it appears that the train left the tracks here in Ohio, but it's unclear at this point who is responsible -- Fredricka. WHITFIELD: And, John, it may take some time to really get to the root of this. Why is it that it will take maybe months, maybe even years?

ZARRELLA: It may be a monumental task. For instance, FirstEnergy itself operates and owns 14,700 miles of transmission line. That's just alone here in the Ohio area, and on top of that, the investigative teams that are going to be pouring through the information say that they have some 10,000 pages of data that they're going to have to look at so it may well be some time before they can isolate what went wrong.

And of course that's key to preventing it from happening again - Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Monumental task indeed. Thanks very much, John Zarella.

Well, the blackout may have caught many of us off guard, but energy experts were not so surprised by Thursday's outage, the worst in the nation's history.

Joining us now is Kyle Datta of the Rocky Mountain Institute, an energy think tank. He's on the phone with us.

And, Kyle, you saw this coming about 20 years ago, so fill in the blank for me. This wouldn't have happened had they not done what?

KYLE DATTA, ROCKY MOUNTAIN INSTITUTE: Well, in 1982, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for the Pentagon called brittle power, understanding why the U.S. electrical grid is so vulnerable. What we found was that the root cause of blackouts is the centralized design of the grid itself.

I predicted these events would happen in the future. In fact, this is the fourth such major outage to occur since we wrote brittle power. There were two effecting the western U.S. in '96, and one effecting the U.S. and Canada in '98. Each time, the cause has been a transmission line failure.

So in our view the current grid is not surprise (UNINTELLIGIBLE) what's unfortunate is that we're not learning the right lessons from these failures and not designing these electrical systems to become more resilient.

WHITFIELD: So, it's the design in the system that is at issue. What is it that makes it so particularly vulnerable to going off line?

DATTA: Well, our electrical system is a highly centralized power grid reliant on a small number of frail transmission lines to keep giant machines rotating in exact synchrony across half the continent. The power plants themselves are located far from the loads they serve.

The system's safeguards usually work well when they do not either due to mishap or due to malice, the grid will fail catastrophically. WHITFIELD: So what are - I'm sorry - so what are the real alternatives because this is already starting to sound like a very costly venture?

DATTA: Well, our - we envision that it's distributed well in the centralized electrical system and let me offer you an analogy. The current way the system is designed is exactly how IBM designed mainframe-computing systems in the 1960s. Large, centralized mainframe computers networked together.

A distributed system would look more like (UNINTELLIGIBLE) - small, dispersed computers, richly interconnected across the Web that's virtually impossible to shut down.

In our recent books (UNINTELLIGIBLE) we describe how such a distributed system would work and why it would be more cost effective. A distributed power system would take smaller, modular and diverse distributed generation resources across the grid, close to loads they serve.

These distributed generation resources would then be networked together in a series of micro grids that can isolate themselves from primary grids when it failed.

WHITFIELD: And, so, these micro grids would also include the use of wind, fuel cells, even some small-scale hydropower to a degree? Explain that.

DATTA: Well, to have a resilient system, we need a technology and fuel diversity. Our current system runs on gas and coal, some nuclear. We don't want to trade a transmission crisis for a gas crisis, which is exactly what will happen if we continue our reliance on gas or power generation. We need to consider a variety of alternative technologies - pro generation, micro (UNINTELLIGIBLE), fuel cells and solar are all viable generation technologies that can be cited in urban areas.

Wind farms and hydropower are already competitive with gas prices. In the future, we may have fuel cell vehicles and when we do, these, too, can be used for generation powering the buildings where they are parked. However, because renewables are intermittent, we recognize the need to be firm with energy storage because hydropower and batteries (UNINTELLIGIBLE) gas (UNINTELLIGIBLE) are today.

WHITFIELD: All right, lots of options to explore. Kyle Datta of the Rocky Mountain Institute, thanks very much for joining us on the telephone.

DATTA: All right, thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well, if you do run out electricity, there is a way to make your own, apparently.

CNN's Art Harris went shopping on a home improvement story - or rather to a home improvement store. Check out what many New Yorkers no doubt wish they had. ART HARRIS, CNN: What do I do?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, you're going to start out by putting some gas in here. You want to make sure that your oil reservoir is filled.

HARRIS: So gas...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gas and oil, and then you come back here and you crank it up like you would a lawn mower, and then from there this is already attached. You have your extension cord over here and you take this and you plug it into whatever appliance that you need to use.

We might be able to run a refrigerator on it, and that's it. You can put that in your garage, but I would not recommend taking it inside the house, because it's a fire hazard. It is run on electricity. You would not run a lawn mower inside the house.

HARRIS: Gas fumes?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gas fumes.

HARRIS: Now, if I want to keep the first floor running, say - small house. What do I need?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You would really need to go to something larger.

HARRIS: And what will that keep running?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can do a refrigerator, well pump, a few lights, and possibly a freezer. This is something that I would highly recommend in a situation like that.

HARRIS: Can I afford it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can afford it. This right here is $2695.

HARRIS: Installed?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's - no - installed it's about an additional $1500 installed.

HARRIS: Why would someone need a generator this big?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your air-conditioning is still going to be working and your basement is not flooded because the sump pump came on automatically when this came on.

HARRIS: The lights go out, you're not home, this automatically senses...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Exactly.

HARRIS: Electricity is gone, it starts.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It will.

WHITFIELD: Art Harris doing a little shopping for us out there.

Well, in addition to the millions of people effected by the nation's largest ever blackout, 22 nuclear power plants and 80 fossil fuel plants in the U.S. and Canada were also knocked off line last week, shutting down as they should in the event of a grid failure.

A power company spokesperson said, however, that New York City was restored to full power just 29 hours after the entire ordeal began.

Well, coming up in the wake of the deadly heat wave in France, the government comes under attack. We'll have a live report from there.

Also ahead, a wheelchair that does more than just roll. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well taking a look at some NEXT NEWS headlines, the computer worm known as "blaster" appears to have misfired. It may have infected a half million computers worldwide but the second wave of the attack, slated for this weekend, was targeting Microsoft support websites.

Well, the software giant simply changed the website address and dodged the bullet altogether. No major problems have been reported from what could have been a crippling denial of service attack.

A high tech wheelchair that can climb stairs got approval this week from the Food and Drug Administration. The IBOT wheelchair uses sensors and gyroscopes to go up and down stairs smoothly. It can also lift a rider up to standing height. See, just like that.

Well, the wheelchair is so complicated to operate that it requires a doctor's prescription and special training. The IBOT was invented by Dean Kamen, who also invented the Segway scooter.

A new satellite launched this week will monitor the earth's ozone layer. The Canadian space agency satellite went into orbit on a Pegasus rocket dropped from a plane that will orbit the earth fifteen times a day carrying two instruments that studied the chemical changes associated with ozone loss.

Tropical Storm Erika has come and gone leaving nothing more than a few broken windows and beat up palm trees in its wake. The storm reached land yesterday on the Texas-Mexico border. It never reached hurricane status. Erika is expected to break up completely today over Mexico.

The worst heat wave in European history is over but the grim aftermath remains in France where over 3,000 people perished. CNN's Chris Burns has been following the story from Paris where the political fallout continues - Chris.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN: Absolutely, Fredricka. The government here getting a real thrashing in the media again today. The main Sunday paper today the headline reads "The Heat Wave Death Toll Worsens" - they say, they quote unnamed officials as saying the death toll could go as high as 5,000 dead, mainly elderly people.

The government up to now has said as many as 3,000 dead. Take a look at this other headline. An indictment of the health care system saying that there were breakdowns of the healthcare system, socialized medicine here - the government is not funding it enough, it's turning people loose on vacation.

The government also can't deny the pictures that we've been seeing in the last few days. Take a look at some of these funeral homes. There are some refrigerated tents at least one outside of Paris that are holding some of the bodies.

They have so much overflow they can't bury them fast enough. There's also a refrigerated warehouse in the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) neighborhood section south of Paris, that's also something the government can't deny and there's criticism by the Socialist Party saying that the government should be investigated for the fact that they did not declare an emergency until a week into that 100+ degrees heat wave.

The Greens Party is demanding that the Health Minister resign, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, who is the Prime Minister, is coming to the defense of his Health Minister saying, look, we've done everything we can, there are no regrets.

Also keep in mind he's saying that the people on vacation also the Socialist Party past the 35-hour work week when it was in power and that has reduced the number of health care workers available during this August month when a lot of people are on vacation.

Also the government saying, look, a lot of people are neglecting the elderly. They're not taking care of them; they're going on vacation. They're not paying attention to Grandma and Grandpa. So, there are a lot of accusations and counter-accusations flying here and at the same time, of course, they're trying to bury the people who are still filling funeral homes across the country. Back to you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And, Chris, I understand as the heat persists there even if it may be dropping a couple of degrees over the next few days are there still some great concern about the stress being put on some of the power plants?

BURNS: Well absolutely there have been concerns that the nuclear power plants which provide some 80 percent of the electricity in this country were overcharged and overheating so the government had to allow the power plants to generate more hot water. The cooling water could be hotter going out into the rivers and that of course has fired up environmentalists who say that's damaging the environment.

WHITFIELD: All right Chris Burns, thanks very much for that update on the heat wave in Europe.

Up next solving the 5,000-year-old mystery of the iceman. What killed the man found frozen in an Italian glacier?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In 1991, the body of a man was discovered on the Italian and Austrian border after sitting in the ice for over 5,000 years. He is known as the iceman.

Well, scientists thought at first that he froze to death but new DNA evidence suggests that the iceman was in a fierce two-day battle for his life and that turns what was an archeological investigation into a murder mystery five millennia old.

Italian filmmaker Brando Quillci is the producer of the documentary "Iceman" which will air on the Discovery Channel on Sunday, August 24th and Brando joins us on the telephone from Lima, Peru.

All right Brando, this story gets more and more fascinating by the minute. It doesn't appear that he died of natural causes. Maybe not even an accident. So what it is that leads you toward murder.

BRANDO QUILLICI, MAKER OF DOCUMENTARY, "ICEMAN": Hello Fredricka. Well, you know, now we know that the iceman had been shot in the back and from an arrow and we actually even know that the arrow - the shape of the arrow - tell us that the killer came from the south, from the same area from where the iceman came.

What is interesting is how the archeologists only two years ago they found this arrow because for ten years before they had the manually - they physically look at all the body of the mummy they never discovered this tiny little arrow which is just five inches away from the heart.

WHITFIELD: Wow, and even more fascinating than that; we're looking at this great animation and parts of the documentary that will be on the air next Sunday - even more fascinating it seems as though you've come across some interesting DNA evidence that leads you to believe he was in a two-day old fight. What makes you think so?

QUILLICI: This was very exciting because what happened is that we went on the glacier with the creator of the body of the iceman, Professor Gander (ph) and (UNINTELLIGIBLE), which is one of the men that found the iceman. And then two that never met before and from this meeting came out that the iceman was holding a knife in his hand, which was totally new for the investigation.

And so Agoto (ph) went back to the body of the iceman looking for the hand and try to understand it was possible he was holding this knife. We found this deep wound, so deep it goes straight into the bone and so this of course with the whole investigation into another dimension.

And this point you know we decided to look at the weapons of the iceman, maybe had some evidence of this fight. And that was the next step.

WHITFIELD: Wow, it's pretty remarkable to go back to that site where the body was found, find this knife and then find that it really is a perfect fit in the hand of the iceman.

QUILLICI: Exactly, and so you know just looking for that feet, he was able to find this wound that he never saw before. And this of course opened a total new scenario. Not just a single shot in the back, but a violent confrontation, probably the proof of a predatory fight, right into the flesh of the mummy.

WHITFIELD: Wow, and so now isn't it correct that the search is on that perhaps some of these people that he was fighting their remains may be in that same location, so there might be a resumption of that search there, correct?

QUILLICI: Yes, well, you know there is one of the interesting iceman is that when he died he laid out all of his equipment, including a very vicious (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and this ax was never touched, so scientists are wondering what happened because if they are argument they would have taken away this ax.

So they think maybe it was a hand-to-hand combat up there in the mountains or maybe the iceman was never reached from (UNINTELLIGIBLE). And this year, I heard from the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) before he was even - there are extremely hot weather conditions in France and Italy on the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and normally on the site where the iceman was found there is three meters of ice and snow, but right now there is only one meter.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.

QUILLICI: So what they want to do is to go back there and see with such a little snow cover, may be possible to find another evidence of this site.

WHITFIELD: Well it's fascinating indeed. Brando Quillici thanks so much for joining us on the telephone from Lima, and of course we'll be looking for this documentary on the discovery channel next Sunday, August 24th and perhaps in the future then we're looking for part two once more remains possibly are found for the other end of this very interesting and intriguing murder mystery. Thanks, Brando.

QUILLICI: Thanks Fredericka.

WHITFIELD: Well, lots more coming up in our next half hour including a look at the man President Bush has picked to take care of this country's environment.

Also ahead, could a creature like this be terrorizing residents in Beirut, Lebanon? The hunt is on.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWS BREAK) FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Utah's Mike Leavitt was nominated this week to run the Environmental Protection Agency. He is the long-time governor of a state where people feel passionate on all sides of environmental issues and where the federal government is not always viewed as an ally.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE LEAVITT, GOVERNOR, UTAH: There are times when the power of government has to be used in order to move people forward, but that it is rarely superior in its effect when you can get people to do things voluntarily.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And in Utah, the popular three-term governor enjoys strong support from the business community, but not from everyone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIP WARD, ENVIRONMENTALIST: Governor Leavitt and the Department of Environmental Quality here have not been noted for their strict interpretation or vigorous enforcement of environmental law policy. When it comes to the Legacy Highway, the incineration of chemical weapons, air pollution, wilderness, Mr. Leavitt has a weak record environmentally.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well, joining us now from Salt Lake City is John Daly, who has reported on Utah's environment for KSL-TV. And, John, there seems to be a real mix of view as to whether or not the governor is an advocate of environmental issues.

JOHN DALY, CORRESPONDENT, KSL-TV: That's right, Fredricka, I think your intro there sets this up very well. Mike Leavitt is a very popular three-term governor. He's been elected by wide margins. Each time his approval ratings stand somewhere in the 70 percent level. He's very popular and well-liked. He's well liked by the business community.

He's well liked by Republicans, but on environmental issues in particular, he has been a very polarizing figure. Environmentalists and those passionate about the environment have been extremely critical regarding his policies, specifically some of the ones gentleman Chip Ward mentioned in the intro, Legacy Highway, toxic pollutants, and Utah becoming the American dumping ground for many of those pollutants, smog, a number of those issues he has been very polarizing, and those have become very controversial issues during his tenure as governor.

WHITFIELD: At the same time, a lot of people living in Utah don't necessarily cozy up to the idea of federal government thinking that the federal government is always on their side. So now, the governor may be going to the other side. Is there a feeling that he just might be in their corner or that he is kind of taking sides now? DALY: Well, I think if Mike Leavitt were to have joined the Clinton administration, then I think people here -- a lot of people might have been pretty upset with that, although I think him joining the Bush administration is entirely keeping with his philosophy and with the philosophy of many people who live in the state, and I think a lot of Utahans support this move and support this pick by the President.

WHITFIELD: Since he's taking the job -- or if he's approved, of course, if he wins approval -- that he's taking a job that another governor, Christine Todd Whitman used to lead, is there this feeling that perhaps this job means less environmental enforcement?

DALY: Well, I think it depends on who you talk to. I think there would be a sharp difference of opinion on that. Mike Leavitt is from the school of thought that environmental regulation can be done voluntarily through business and also passed on from the federal governments to the states. There are those who would disagree with that. And certainly, moderates and a lot of Democrats think that's not the way to go, that that actually weakens environmental laws and weakens environmental enforcements. So, I think it really depends on where you come down on that debate, but clearly, Mike Leavitt -- his thinking regarding the environment is much more in line with President George Bush. If you liked President George Bush's policies regarding the environment, they'll probably feel very comfortable with Mike Leavitt as head of the EPA.

WHITFIELD: Governor Leavitt has been credited with coining the process of Enlibra? What is that?

DALY: Enlibra is a term that he uses that describes a process, a move towards balance, as he describes it. Under that process, he wants to bring all the sides together to discuss the environmental issues and try to find some middle ground, some moderation and try to work out environmental issues in that way, but in reality, Enlibra has had very little effect on environmental issues here in Utah. It's hard to point to a good example where Enlibra has been used successfully. In fact, a lot of environmental activists have been left on the sidelines, they feel, and they have taken their complaints to court, and they have actually very well in court. Generally, when they lock horns with the Leavitt administration, they win when it gets to the appeals court in Denver. So, Enlibra at this point is more of a concept than reality.

WHITFIELD: Ok, and quickly, John, you mentioned he's a popular president -- popular governor rather. Does this mean fairly easy confirmation a word?

DALY: Well, I think that the Democrats will try to make issue with Governor Leavitt as an example of some of the problems that they have with President Bush's environmental record, but the Republicans control the committee. They control the Senate. So one would think that he would be confirmed.

WHITFIELD: All right, John Daly, thanks very much for joining us. Appreciate it.

DALY: You're welcome. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well, speaking of the environment, straight ahead after this break, you will meet one of the newest and cutest members of an endangered breed of leopards.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWS BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, there's danger lurking in the hills outside Beirut, and it has nothing to do with Middle East politics. Residents report seeing a creature that definitely doesn't belong in the woods of Lebanon. Brent Sadler has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRENT SADLER (voice over): In the hills overlooking Beirut, they are hunting what may be a dragon, a rare komodo dragon that's said to be terrifying residents of this affluent neighborhood. The wanted reptile apparently fits the description of the world's largest living lizard, illustrated in this book. At least two meters long, it's said, with a hunger for meat.

Hussein Sayeed (ph) claims to have seen the giant reptile first when it leaped from the undergrowth and pounced on a cat. "It began to swallow the cat," says Hussein. "So I stood up and threw a stone like this, and then I ran away."

Lebanese civil defense teams aren't sure they're chasing a dragon, but they take the sightings of some kind of killer reptile seriously.

MABILA FARES, MAYOR, RABIYA: As soon as people heard of it, they are really scared.

SADLER: The aim of the authorities is to tranquilize and capture, not kill the predator whatever it is.

MUNIR EBI, ANIMAL EXPERT: We know there's a big lizard that has been living here in the forest. It has escaped or someone just released it and left, and it's still here

SADLER: Lying low and sounding like this.

SADLER (on camera): The creature has already become an urban legend here, a cat-killing, meat-eating monster that is terrifying some people, but fascinating others.

SADLER (voice over): Local children say they're learning about natural history in their own back yards while the search goes on.

EBI: The best way is just to calm down. There's nothing to be afraid of.

SADLER: Unless, of course, it's a dragon that can kill. Brent Sadler, CNN, Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, still ahead, Kristie Lu Stout tells us about new toys to get you to keep playing those old video games.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID KIRKPATRICK, SENIOR EDITOR "FORTUNE": Historically, most software has been developed by a company to sell. Open source software is a whole new kind of software that has emerged in the last couple of decades that is essentially free software put out generally on the internet to a community of volunteers to modify and improve.

The most important open source software out there now is the Linux operating system, which is rapidly become adopted as a major part of the infrastructure of business today. Even though open source software still has its limitations, it has turned out that Linux is extremely effective in enterprise infrastructures for things like web site hosting, and because it's free and because the company that uses it can modify it at will to fine tune it for its particular needs, that has made it very popular.

It's also simply a matter of maturity. Most open source products are still relatively new. So they're still kind of getting their sea legs, but open source is creeping up the food chain, and it really is an unknown how far it's going to go.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANN KELLAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lizards sport all kinds of looks and date back to the dinosaurs. Scientists are taking advantage of these traits to better understand how all of us evolved. They discovered a pattern in the lizards' family tree that could apply to birds, plants, even humans.

Washington University researchers found the closer lizards live together and share the same turf, the faster they evolved into different shapes and sizes, and appetite. Dragon lizards, for example live in the Australian outback. One member of the group, the thorny devil, only eats ants, while another member of the group, the bearded dragon, eats some bugs but mostly vegetables. Researchers reporting in the journal "Science," call them fast evolvers.

Slow evolvers, on the other hand, like leolamus (ph) lizards from South America live more diverse lifestyles, some in the mountain, others in the desert. They're more spread out, yet they look more alike. Their colors vary, but body shapes and diets are similar.

Other lizards they studied fall somewhere in between. Researchers Lou Carmen (ph) and Jim Schulte say knowing these patterns will help us better understand how evolution works, not only in lizards but in other animals.

Song birds, for example, Schulte theorizes are fast evolvers compared to humans and chimps. We're somewhere in the middle. Whether that bodes well for our survival needs more study. We can't tell whether it's better to be fast or slow evolvers. That's why scientists say, keep an eye on those lizards.

Ann Kellan, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Those lizards look like pieces of art, don't they?

Well, the SARS scare in Asia has the Hong Kong government talking trash these days, trash cleanup to be exact. They're trying everything to improve public hygiene, and now some propose using closed circuit TV to spy on spitters and others throwing garbage on the streets. CNN's Andrew Brown has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREW BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In Cantonese it's called "lap sap," and in Hong Kong, a lot of lap sap or trash is being dumped on the streets. A small army of lap sap collectors toils night and day to keep the city clean. The government fines hundreds of people a week for littering and has given to some of the back allies, where people may leave lap sap, a makeover.

But officials like Monica Chen believe these efforts should be backed up with a network of closed circuit television cameras to record what goes on in Hong Kong's environmental black spots 24 hours a day.

MONICA CHEN, HOME AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT: Some people would tend to dump their garbages into the alley ways. People might just come up in the middle of the night and dump their garbages or dump their furniture. And what we are proposing is to install CCTV at both sides and to capture the image and to station officers to catch them.

BROWN: So far, the Hong Kong government uses cameras mainly to monitor traffic, but some governments use the technology to spot criminal activity or to monitor drinkers pouring out of bars and night clubs.

BROWN (on camera): Not everyone thinks it's a good idea to use cameras to crack down on crime or even to change social behavior. After a public outcry, police in Hong Kong have now ditched a plan to install cameras for crowd control purposes in this downtown bar district, and residents may still object it litter surveillance.

TONY IAM, ACTING PRIVACY COMMISSIONER: Anything that's done behind people's back without the nature of the people concerned is always creates a problem.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (though translator): It's not going to work. People still spit, see? There's a lot of garbage around. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (though translator): The idea is good, but it may breach privacy.

BROWN: Not surprisingly, the manufacturers of closed circuit TV systems are happy the government's thinking of buying this technology. And citing an old Chinese custom, one CCTV maker told us Hong Kong people will also benefit from improvements in public hygiene.

PAUL KAN, CHAMPION TECHNOLOGY: There's an old saying, if you sweep your garbage outside of your door, you're letting all of your wealth go away. You have to sweep it inside and keep your wealth indoors. But most people forget about it.

BROWN: So next time you offload lap sap on the street, just think you're throwing away money.

Andrew Brown, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And, oh, how time flies. It's been three years since the launch of the Playstation 2 videogame console. Sales of the PS2 and other consoles are starting to lose steam, but a slew of game toys are breathing new life into the old machines. Kristie Lu Stout reports on the next big trend in video gaming.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIE LU STOUT (voice over): Slip off your shoes, step on the mat, and stomp. This dance mat is jacked into a Playstation 2. Just follow the arrows and hop your way to a top score. Just one of many best selling game toys in the warehouse of retailer lik-sang.com (ph).

STOUT (on camera): Let's kick it off with a look at some of your game peripherals that you have at the Lik Sang warehouse, and one in particular is this, the wireless controller.

PASCAL CLARYSSE, GENERAL MANAGER: Yes, exactly. It's the new radio frequency technology. It's opposite to the infrared technology. Before you can play wireless but also through yourself if you're turning, through the wall, and nothing can disturb the signal.

STOUT: No wires. You have one for the XBox?

CLARYSSE: For the Playstation 2.

STOUT: Playstation 2, one for the Gamecube as well.

CLARYSSE: For the Gamecube, this one is the official Nintendo for the Gamecube, and there's also a gun now, which is still wireless in infrared when you're shooting so you cannot shoot through the walls, but there is no connection to the console anymore, and this is radio frequency.

STOUT: In addition to these wireless devices, you also have -- it looks like microcamera on top of the TV over here. What's that? CLARYSSE: Exactly. That's the new Sony iToy that Sony presented at the E3 at the press conference. It's a camera which basically sees which moves you're doing, sees it is in connection with the game, and the interactivity with the screen, and something is happening on the screen.

STOUT: Can I give it a stab and see how it is? I step onto the mat here or step right here in front of the camera.

CLARYSSE: Yes.

STOUT: And I go like this for select.

CLARYSSE: Yes, exactly. Everything on the screen -- you can touch it, like in "Minority Report" or some of Hollywood's futuristic movies.

STOUT: Got it.

CLARYSSE: You can watch the window and everything, and many other type of games are coming. There's a fighting game coming based on this kind of move, a dancing game, which is an important trend that we just saw with the metallic platform already.

STOUT: So from the iToy, we have another peripheral, which are these musical instruments. Tell me about that.

CLARYSSE: Exactly. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) controllers for Dreamcast. It was released actually three or four years ago already for a specific game, which you play maracas with, but it has been very popular (UNINTELLIGIBLE) because Dreamcast has not produced it for two years, but people still use it.

STOUT: It's an old machine, but this extends the life of the machine.

CLARYSSE: Exactly because it's pretty unique. You can see it on any auto console, and it's something special, something funny, something you want to show to your friends. Basically, you're following the rhythm of what the screen is telling you to do, and you have some 3-D sounds, sight-sound machine, so you see exactly. And if you were go to hop to the right, to the left, you have to do it in a special rhythm and follow the screens, a little like the dancing game we saw.

STOUT: That's right. I think I am going to give it a go right now. Let's turn this on. Yes! I made it to the end! Cleared!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: I hear that game helps in muscle tone as well. Well, console makers are hoping that game peripherals will help boost hardware sales. To date, Sony has sold over 60 million Playstations, and Microsoft has moved over 8 million units of its XBox.

Well, that's all we have time for now. But before we go, here's a quick peek as what's coming up next week. The red planet is closer to earth than it's been in thousands of years. We'll tell you how to get the best view ever of Mars. That story and much more coming up next week. Hope you'll join you us.

Well, coming up next, "CNN LIVE SUNDAY" with the latest on the West Virginia shootings. Could they be copycats of last year's suburban Washington sniper killings?

That's followed by "BAGHDAD DIARY" at 6:30 p.m. Eastern. And at 7:00 p.m., "People In The News."

CNN continues right after a quick break.

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






Dragon Runs Amok in Beirut; Lizards Help Us Understand Evolution; Hong Kong Considering CCTV to Monitor Garbage; New Trend in Video Gaming>


Aired August 17, 2003 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN: ...checking out some 200 tips.
More news headlines at the bottom of the hour.

NEXT @ CNN begins right now.

Welcome to NEXT @ CNN for this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield and coming up this hour, now that the lights are back on, how do we keep them from going out again?

We'll look at the possible causes of the biggest blackout in the North American history.

We'll also look at what could be a 5,000-year-old murder mystery. Just how did the iceman die?

And something, possibly a creature like this, is terrorizing an affluent neighborhood in Beirut. We'll have the very latest.

But first, now that the blackout is over and the power is back on, the question of what happened is taking center stage. It's still too early to say exactly what went wrong and where, but investigators have focused their attention on transmission lines in Ohio that are part of what's called the Eerie Loop.

John Zarrella joins us now from East Lake, Ohio with the very latest - John.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN: Fredricka, that's exactly right. In fact, transmission lines are running over our head and right behind us here and could very well be transmission lines that were involved in the problem, but it is way too early to say. But with the power back on now the investigation is beginning to take center stage.

U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said that the administration has already begun putting together investigative teams that will begin fanning out across the country. And one place, Ohio, is very likely to be a focal point.

These power transmission lines outside Cleveland, Ohio, may hold clues and perhaps answers to why the power went out.

Last Thursday afternoon, three lines owned by Ohio's FirstEnergy Corporation and a fourth co-owned line tripped out of service. The problem occurred before the blackout. The North American Electric Reliability Council says the blackout began when the Ohio lines failed, but on CNN's LATE EDITION with Wolf Blitzer, the nation's energy secretary said it is way too early in the investigation to draw conclusions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SPENCER ABRAHAM, ENERGY SECRETARY: I mean, there's hundreds of thousands of miles of transmission grid, there's countless substations where the electricity gets re-routed. It's impossible at this point to definitively say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZARRELLA: But the focus is squarely on Ohio and the transmission lines and facilities that are part of what's called the Eerie Loop.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D) NEW MEXICO: I think the cause of this blackout, the Ohio companies, was because of overload.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZARRELLA: In a statement, FirstEnergy, a holding company for electric utilities in Cleveland, Toledo, and Akron, reported that early Thursday afternoon, a generating unit at this East Lake power plant tripped off.

The plant is 20 miles outside Cleveland. In its release, the company said, quote, "FirstEnergy determined that its computerized system for monitoring and controlling its transmissions and generation system was operating, but the alarm screen function was not."

FirstEnergy added, quote, "...customers experienced no service interruptions resulting from these conditions. Therefore, no isolation of FirstEnergy's system was called for," end quote.

No matter where the cascading loss of electricity began, there is a larger question.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHEHL GENT, NERC: Well, we know the sequence of events, so what we've started focusing on is why didn't the area in trouble separate from the rest of the system and keep the entire grid whole?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZARRELLA: That may prove more difficult to answer than where the blackout began.

Now, the chairman of Ohio's public utilities commission said that to him, at least, it appears that the train left the tracks here in Ohio, but it's unclear at this point who is responsible -- Fredricka. WHITFIELD: And, John, it may take some time to really get to the root of this. Why is it that it will take maybe months, maybe even years?

ZARRELLA: It may be a monumental task. For instance, FirstEnergy itself operates and owns 14,700 miles of transmission line. That's just alone here in the Ohio area, and on top of that, the investigative teams that are going to be pouring through the information say that they have some 10,000 pages of data that they're going to have to look at so it may well be some time before they can isolate what went wrong.

And of course that's key to preventing it from happening again - Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Monumental task indeed. Thanks very much, John Zarella.

Well, the blackout may have caught many of us off guard, but energy experts were not so surprised by Thursday's outage, the worst in the nation's history.

Joining us now is Kyle Datta of the Rocky Mountain Institute, an energy think tank. He's on the phone with us.

And, Kyle, you saw this coming about 20 years ago, so fill in the blank for me. This wouldn't have happened had they not done what?

KYLE DATTA, ROCKY MOUNTAIN INSTITUTE: Well, in 1982, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for the Pentagon called brittle power, understanding why the U.S. electrical grid is so vulnerable. What we found was that the root cause of blackouts is the centralized design of the grid itself.

I predicted these events would happen in the future. In fact, this is the fourth such major outage to occur since we wrote brittle power. There were two effecting the western U.S. in '96, and one effecting the U.S. and Canada in '98. Each time, the cause has been a transmission line failure.

So in our view the current grid is not surprise (UNINTELLIGIBLE) what's unfortunate is that we're not learning the right lessons from these failures and not designing these electrical systems to become more resilient.

WHITFIELD: So, it's the design in the system that is at issue. What is it that makes it so particularly vulnerable to going off line?

DATTA: Well, our electrical system is a highly centralized power grid reliant on a small number of frail transmission lines to keep giant machines rotating in exact synchrony across half the continent. The power plants themselves are located far from the loads they serve.

The system's safeguards usually work well when they do not either due to mishap or due to malice, the grid will fail catastrophically. WHITFIELD: So what are - I'm sorry - so what are the real alternatives because this is already starting to sound like a very costly venture?

DATTA: Well, our - we envision that it's distributed well in the centralized electrical system and let me offer you an analogy. The current way the system is designed is exactly how IBM designed mainframe-computing systems in the 1960s. Large, centralized mainframe computers networked together.

A distributed system would look more like (UNINTELLIGIBLE) - small, dispersed computers, richly interconnected across the Web that's virtually impossible to shut down.

In our recent books (UNINTELLIGIBLE) we describe how such a distributed system would work and why it would be more cost effective. A distributed power system would take smaller, modular and diverse distributed generation resources across the grid, close to loads they serve.

These distributed generation resources would then be networked together in a series of micro grids that can isolate themselves from primary grids when it failed.

WHITFIELD: And, so, these micro grids would also include the use of wind, fuel cells, even some small-scale hydropower to a degree? Explain that.

DATTA: Well, to have a resilient system, we need a technology and fuel diversity. Our current system runs on gas and coal, some nuclear. We don't want to trade a transmission crisis for a gas crisis, which is exactly what will happen if we continue our reliance on gas or power generation. We need to consider a variety of alternative technologies - pro generation, micro (UNINTELLIGIBLE), fuel cells and solar are all viable generation technologies that can be cited in urban areas.

Wind farms and hydropower are already competitive with gas prices. In the future, we may have fuel cell vehicles and when we do, these, too, can be used for generation powering the buildings where they are parked. However, because renewables are intermittent, we recognize the need to be firm with energy storage because hydropower and batteries (UNINTELLIGIBLE) gas (UNINTELLIGIBLE) are today.

WHITFIELD: All right, lots of options to explore. Kyle Datta of the Rocky Mountain Institute, thanks very much for joining us on the telephone.

DATTA: All right, thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well, if you do run out electricity, there is a way to make your own, apparently.

CNN's Art Harris went shopping on a home improvement story - or rather to a home improvement store. Check out what many New Yorkers no doubt wish they had. ART HARRIS, CNN: What do I do?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, you're going to start out by putting some gas in here. You want to make sure that your oil reservoir is filled.

HARRIS: So gas...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gas and oil, and then you come back here and you crank it up like you would a lawn mower, and then from there this is already attached. You have your extension cord over here and you take this and you plug it into whatever appliance that you need to use.

We might be able to run a refrigerator on it, and that's it. You can put that in your garage, but I would not recommend taking it inside the house, because it's a fire hazard. It is run on electricity. You would not run a lawn mower inside the house.

HARRIS: Gas fumes?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gas fumes.

HARRIS: Now, if I want to keep the first floor running, say - small house. What do I need?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You would really need to go to something larger.

HARRIS: And what will that keep running?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can do a refrigerator, well pump, a few lights, and possibly a freezer. This is something that I would highly recommend in a situation like that.

HARRIS: Can I afford it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can afford it. This right here is $2695.

HARRIS: Installed?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's - no - installed it's about an additional $1500 installed.

HARRIS: Why would someone need a generator this big?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your air-conditioning is still going to be working and your basement is not flooded because the sump pump came on automatically when this came on.

HARRIS: The lights go out, you're not home, this automatically senses...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Exactly.

HARRIS: Electricity is gone, it starts.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It will.

WHITFIELD: Art Harris doing a little shopping for us out there.

Well, in addition to the millions of people effected by the nation's largest ever blackout, 22 nuclear power plants and 80 fossil fuel plants in the U.S. and Canada were also knocked off line last week, shutting down as they should in the event of a grid failure.

A power company spokesperson said, however, that New York City was restored to full power just 29 hours after the entire ordeal began.

Well, coming up in the wake of the deadly heat wave in France, the government comes under attack. We'll have a live report from there.

Also ahead, a wheelchair that does more than just roll. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well taking a look at some NEXT NEWS headlines, the computer worm known as "blaster" appears to have misfired. It may have infected a half million computers worldwide but the second wave of the attack, slated for this weekend, was targeting Microsoft support websites.

Well, the software giant simply changed the website address and dodged the bullet altogether. No major problems have been reported from what could have been a crippling denial of service attack.

A high tech wheelchair that can climb stairs got approval this week from the Food and Drug Administration. The IBOT wheelchair uses sensors and gyroscopes to go up and down stairs smoothly. It can also lift a rider up to standing height. See, just like that.

Well, the wheelchair is so complicated to operate that it requires a doctor's prescription and special training. The IBOT was invented by Dean Kamen, who also invented the Segway scooter.

A new satellite launched this week will monitor the earth's ozone layer. The Canadian space agency satellite went into orbit on a Pegasus rocket dropped from a plane that will orbit the earth fifteen times a day carrying two instruments that studied the chemical changes associated with ozone loss.

Tropical Storm Erika has come and gone leaving nothing more than a few broken windows and beat up palm trees in its wake. The storm reached land yesterday on the Texas-Mexico border. It never reached hurricane status. Erika is expected to break up completely today over Mexico.

The worst heat wave in European history is over but the grim aftermath remains in France where over 3,000 people perished. CNN's Chris Burns has been following the story from Paris where the political fallout continues - Chris.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN: Absolutely, Fredricka. The government here getting a real thrashing in the media again today. The main Sunday paper today the headline reads "The Heat Wave Death Toll Worsens" - they say, they quote unnamed officials as saying the death toll could go as high as 5,000 dead, mainly elderly people.

The government up to now has said as many as 3,000 dead. Take a look at this other headline. An indictment of the health care system saying that there were breakdowns of the healthcare system, socialized medicine here - the government is not funding it enough, it's turning people loose on vacation.

The government also can't deny the pictures that we've been seeing in the last few days. Take a look at some of these funeral homes. There are some refrigerated tents at least one outside of Paris that are holding some of the bodies.

They have so much overflow they can't bury them fast enough. There's also a refrigerated warehouse in the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) neighborhood section south of Paris, that's also something the government can't deny and there's criticism by the Socialist Party saying that the government should be investigated for the fact that they did not declare an emergency until a week into that 100+ degrees heat wave.

The Greens Party is demanding that the Health Minister resign, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, who is the Prime Minister, is coming to the defense of his Health Minister saying, look, we've done everything we can, there are no regrets.

Also keep in mind he's saying that the people on vacation also the Socialist Party past the 35-hour work week when it was in power and that has reduced the number of health care workers available during this August month when a lot of people are on vacation.

Also the government saying, look, a lot of people are neglecting the elderly. They're not taking care of them; they're going on vacation. They're not paying attention to Grandma and Grandpa. So, there are a lot of accusations and counter-accusations flying here and at the same time, of course, they're trying to bury the people who are still filling funeral homes across the country. Back to you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And, Chris, I understand as the heat persists there even if it may be dropping a couple of degrees over the next few days are there still some great concern about the stress being put on some of the power plants?

BURNS: Well absolutely there have been concerns that the nuclear power plants which provide some 80 percent of the electricity in this country were overcharged and overheating so the government had to allow the power plants to generate more hot water. The cooling water could be hotter going out into the rivers and that of course has fired up environmentalists who say that's damaging the environment.

WHITFIELD: All right Chris Burns, thanks very much for that update on the heat wave in Europe.

Up next solving the 5,000-year-old mystery of the iceman. What killed the man found frozen in an Italian glacier?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In 1991, the body of a man was discovered on the Italian and Austrian border after sitting in the ice for over 5,000 years. He is known as the iceman.

Well, scientists thought at first that he froze to death but new DNA evidence suggests that the iceman was in a fierce two-day battle for his life and that turns what was an archeological investigation into a murder mystery five millennia old.

Italian filmmaker Brando Quillci is the producer of the documentary "Iceman" which will air on the Discovery Channel on Sunday, August 24th and Brando joins us on the telephone from Lima, Peru.

All right Brando, this story gets more and more fascinating by the minute. It doesn't appear that he died of natural causes. Maybe not even an accident. So what it is that leads you toward murder.

BRANDO QUILLICI, MAKER OF DOCUMENTARY, "ICEMAN": Hello Fredricka. Well, you know, now we know that the iceman had been shot in the back and from an arrow and we actually even know that the arrow - the shape of the arrow - tell us that the killer came from the south, from the same area from where the iceman came.

What is interesting is how the archeologists only two years ago they found this arrow because for ten years before they had the manually - they physically look at all the body of the mummy they never discovered this tiny little arrow which is just five inches away from the heart.

WHITFIELD: Wow, and even more fascinating than that; we're looking at this great animation and parts of the documentary that will be on the air next Sunday - even more fascinating it seems as though you've come across some interesting DNA evidence that leads you to believe he was in a two-day old fight. What makes you think so?

QUILLICI: This was very exciting because what happened is that we went on the glacier with the creator of the body of the iceman, Professor Gander (ph) and (UNINTELLIGIBLE), which is one of the men that found the iceman. And then two that never met before and from this meeting came out that the iceman was holding a knife in his hand, which was totally new for the investigation.

And so Agoto (ph) went back to the body of the iceman looking for the hand and try to understand it was possible he was holding this knife. We found this deep wound, so deep it goes straight into the bone and so this of course with the whole investigation into another dimension.

And this point you know we decided to look at the weapons of the iceman, maybe had some evidence of this fight. And that was the next step.

WHITFIELD: Wow, it's pretty remarkable to go back to that site where the body was found, find this knife and then find that it really is a perfect fit in the hand of the iceman.

QUILLICI: Exactly, and so you know just looking for that feet, he was able to find this wound that he never saw before. And this of course opened a total new scenario. Not just a single shot in the back, but a violent confrontation, probably the proof of a predatory fight, right into the flesh of the mummy.

WHITFIELD: Wow, and so now isn't it correct that the search is on that perhaps some of these people that he was fighting their remains may be in that same location, so there might be a resumption of that search there, correct?

QUILLICI: Yes, well, you know there is one of the interesting iceman is that when he died he laid out all of his equipment, including a very vicious (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and this ax was never touched, so scientists are wondering what happened because if they are argument they would have taken away this ax.

So they think maybe it was a hand-to-hand combat up there in the mountains or maybe the iceman was never reached from (UNINTELLIGIBLE). And this year, I heard from the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) before he was even - there are extremely hot weather conditions in France and Italy on the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and normally on the site where the iceman was found there is three meters of ice and snow, but right now there is only one meter.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.

QUILLICI: So what they want to do is to go back there and see with such a little snow cover, may be possible to find another evidence of this site.

WHITFIELD: Well it's fascinating indeed. Brando Quillici thanks so much for joining us on the telephone from Lima, and of course we'll be looking for this documentary on the discovery channel next Sunday, August 24th and perhaps in the future then we're looking for part two once more remains possibly are found for the other end of this very interesting and intriguing murder mystery. Thanks, Brando.

QUILLICI: Thanks Fredericka.

WHITFIELD: Well, lots more coming up in our next half hour including a look at the man President Bush has picked to take care of this country's environment.

Also ahead, could a creature like this be terrorizing residents in Beirut, Lebanon? The hunt is on.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWS BREAK) FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Utah's Mike Leavitt was nominated this week to run the Environmental Protection Agency. He is the long-time governor of a state where people feel passionate on all sides of environmental issues and where the federal government is not always viewed as an ally.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE LEAVITT, GOVERNOR, UTAH: There are times when the power of government has to be used in order to move people forward, but that it is rarely superior in its effect when you can get people to do things voluntarily.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And in Utah, the popular three-term governor enjoys strong support from the business community, but not from everyone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIP WARD, ENVIRONMENTALIST: Governor Leavitt and the Department of Environmental Quality here have not been noted for their strict interpretation or vigorous enforcement of environmental law policy. When it comes to the Legacy Highway, the incineration of chemical weapons, air pollution, wilderness, Mr. Leavitt has a weak record environmentally.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well, joining us now from Salt Lake City is John Daly, who has reported on Utah's environment for KSL-TV. And, John, there seems to be a real mix of view as to whether or not the governor is an advocate of environmental issues.

JOHN DALY, CORRESPONDENT, KSL-TV: That's right, Fredricka, I think your intro there sets this up very well. Mike Leavitt is a very popular three-term governor. He's been elected by wide margins. Each time his approval ratings stand somewhere in the 70 percent level. He's very popular and well-liked. He's well liked by the business community.

He's well liked by Republicans, but on environmental issues in particular, he has been a very polarizing figure. Environmentalists and those passionate about the environment have been extremely critical regarding his policies, specifically some of the ones gentleman Chip Ward mentioned in the intro, Legacy Highway, toxic pollutants, and Utah becoming the American dumping ground for many of those pollutants, smog, a number of those issues he has been very polarizing, and those have become very controversial issues during his tenure as governor.

WHITFIELD: At the same time, a lot of people living in Utah don't necessarily cozy up to the idea of federal government thinking that the federal government is always on their side. So now, the governor may be going to the other side. Is there a feeling that he just might be in their corner or that he is kind of taking sides now? DALY: Well, I think if Mike Leavitt were to have joined the Clinton administration, then I think people here -- a lot of people might have been pretty upset with that, although I think him joining the Bush administration is entirely keeping with his philosophy and with the philosophy of many people who live in the state, and I think a lot of Utahans support this move and support this pick by the President.

WHITFIELD: Since he's taking the job -- or if he's approved, of course, if he wins approval -- that he's taking a job that another governor, Christine Todd Whitman used to lead, is there this feeling that perhaps this job means less environmental enforcement?

DALY: Well, I think it depends on who you talk to. I think there would be a sharp difference of opinion on that. Mike Leavitt is from the school of thought that environmental regulation can be done voluntarily through business and also passed on from the federal governments to the states. There are those who would disagree with that. And certainly, moderates and a lot of Democrats think that's not the way to go, that that actually weakens environmental laws and weakens environmental enforcements. So, I think it really depends on where you come down on that debate, but clearly, Mike Leavitt -- his thinking regarding the environment is much more in line with President George Bush. If you liked President George Bush's policies regarding the environment, they'll probably feel very comfortable with Mike Leavitt as head of the EPA.

WHITFIELD: Governor Leavitt has been credited with coining the process of Enlibra? What is that?

DALY: Enlibra is a term that he uses that describes a process, a move towards balance, as he describes it. Under that process, he wants to bring all the sides together to discuss the environmental issues and try to find some middle ground, some moderation and try to work out environmental issues in that way, but in reality, Enlibra has had very little effect on environmental issues here in Utah. It's hard to point to a good example where Enlibra has been used successfully. In fact, a lot of environmental activists have been left on the sidelines, they feel, and they have taken their complaints to court, and they have actually very well in court. Generally, when they lock horns with the Leavitt administration, they win when it gets to the appeals court in Denver. So, Enlibra at this point is more of a concept than reality.

WHITFIELD: Ok, and quickly, John, you mentioned he's a popular president -- popular governor rather. Does this mean fairly easy confirmation a word?

DALY: Well, I think that the Democrats will try to make issue with Governor Leavitt as an example of some of the problems that they have with President Bush's environmental record, but the Republicans control the committee. They control the Senate. So one would think that he would be confirmed.

WHITFIELD: All right, John Daly, thanks very much for joining us. Appreciate it.

DALY: You're welcome. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well, speaking of the environment, straight ahead after this break, you will meet one of the newest and cutest members of an endangered breed of leopards.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWS BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, there's danger lurking in the hills outside Beirut, and it has nothing to do with Middle East politics. Residents report seeing a creature that definitely doesn't belong in the woods of Lebanon. Brent Sadler has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRENT SADLER (voice over): In the hills overlooking Beirut, they are hunting what may be a dragon, a rare komodo dragon that's said to be terrifying residents of this affluent neighborhood. The wanted reptile apparently fits the description of the world's largest living lizard, illustrated in this book. At least two meters long, it's said, with a hunger for meat.

Hussein Sayeed (ph) claims to have seen the giant reptile first when it leaped from the undergrowth and pounced on a cat. "It began to swallow the cat," says Hussein. "So I stood up and threw a stone like this, and then I ran away."

Lebanese civil defense teams aren't sure they're chasing a dragon, but they take the sightings of some kind of killer reptile seriously.

MABILA FARES, MAYOR, RABIYA: As soon as people heard of it, they are really scared.

SADLER: The aim of the authorities is to tranquilize and capture, not kill the predator whatever it is.

MUNIR EBI, ANIMAL EXPERT: We know there's a big lizard that has been living here in the forest. It has escaped or someone just released it and left, and it's still here

SADLER: Lying low and sounding like this.

SADLER (on camera): The creature has already become an urban legend here, a cat-killing, meat-eating monster that is terrifying some people, but fascinating others.

SADLER (voice over): Local children say they're learning about natural history in their own back yards while the search goes on.

EBI: The best way is just to calm down. There's nothing to be afraid of.

SADLER: Unless, of course, it's a dragon that can kill. Brent Sadler, CNN, Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, still ahead, Kristie Lu Stout tells us about new toys to get you to keep playing those old video games.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID KIRKPATRICK, SENIOR EDITOR "FORTUNE": Historically, most software has been developed by a company to sell. Open source software is a whole new kind of software that has emerged in the last couple of decades that is essentially free software put out generally on the internet to a community of volunteers to modify and improve.

The most important open source software out there now is the Linux operating system, which is rapidly become adopted as a major part of the infrastructure of business today. Even though open source software still has its limitations, it has turned out that Linux is extremely effective in enterprise infrastructures for things like web site hosting, and because it's free and because the company that uses it can modify it at will to fine tune it for its particular needs, that has made it very popular.

It's also simply a matter of maturity. Most open source products are still relatively new. So they're still kind of getting their sea legs, but open source is creeping up the food chain, and it really is an unknown how far it's going to go.

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ANN KELLAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lizards sport all kinds of looks and date back to the dinosaurs. Scientists are taking advantage of these traits to better understand how all of us evolved. They discovered a pattern in the lizards' family tree that could apply to birds, plants, even humans.

Washington University researchers found the closer lizards live together and share the same turf, the faster they evolved into different shapes and sizes, and appetite. Dragon lizards, for example live in the Australian outback. One member of the group, the thorny devil, only eats ants, while another member of the group, the bearded dragon, eats some bugs but mostly vegetables. Researchers reporting in the journal "Science," call them fast evolvers.

Slow evolvers, on the other hand, like leolamus (ph) lizards from South America live more diverse lifestyles, some in the mountain, others in the desert. They're more spread out, yet they look more alike. Their colors vary, but body shapes and diets are similar.

Other lizards they studied fall somewhere in between. Researchers Lou Carmen (ph) and Jim Schulte say knowing these patterns will help us better understand how evolution works, not only in lizards but in other animals.

Song birds, for example, Schulte theorizes are fast evolvers compared to humans and chimps. We're somewhere in the middle. Whether that bodes well for our survival needs more study. We can't tell whether it's better to be fast or slow evolvers. That's why scientists say, keep an eye on those lizards.

Ann Kellan, CNN.

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WHITFIELD: Those lizards look like pieces of art, don't they?

Well, the SARS scare in Asia has the Hong Kong government talking trash these days, trash cleanup to be exact. They're trying everything to improve public hygiene, and now some propose using closed circuit TV to spy on spitters and others throwing garbage on the streets. CNN's Andrew Brown has the story.

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ANDREW BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In Cantonese it's called "lap sap," and in Hong Kong, a lot of lap sap or trash is being dumped on the streets. A small army of lap sap collectors toils night and day to keep the city clean. The government fines hundreds of people a week for littering and has given to some of the back allies, where people may leave lap sap, a makeover.

But officials like Monica Chen believe these efforts should be backed up with a network of closed circuit television cameras to record what goes on in Hong Kong's environmental black spots 24 hours a day.

MONICA CHEN, HOME AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT: Some people would tend to dump their garbages into the alley ways. People might just come up in the middle of the night and dump their garbages or dump their furniture. And what we are proposing is to install CCTV at both sides and to capture the image and to station officers to catch them.

BROWN: So far, the Hong Kong government uses cameras mainly to monitor traffic, but some governments use the technology to spot criminal activity or to monitor drinkers pouring out of bars and night clubs.

BROWN (on camera): Not everyone thinks it's a good idea to use cameras to crack down on crime or even to change social behavior. After a public outcry, police in Hong Kong have now ditched a plan to install cameras for crowd control purposes in this downtown bar district, and residents may still object it litter surveillance.

TONY IAM, ACTING PRIVACY COMMISSIONER: Anything that's done behind people's back without the nature of the people concerned is always creates a problem.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (though translator): It's not going to work. People still spit, see? There's a lot of garbage around. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (though translator): The idea is good, but it may breach privacy.

BROWN: Not surprisingly, the manufacturers of closed circuit TV systems are happy the government's thinking of buying this technology. And citing an old Chinese custom, one CCTV maker told us Hong Kong people will also benefit from improvements in public hygiene.

PAUL KAN, CHAMPION TECHNOLOGY: There's an old saying, if you sweep your garbage outside of your door, you're letting all of your wealth go away. You have to sweep it inside and keep your wealth indoors. But most people forget about it.

BROWN: So next time you offload lap sap on the street, just think you're throwing away money.

Andrew Brown, CNN, Hong Kong.

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WHITFIELD: And, oh, how time flies. It's been three years since the launch of the Playstation 2 videogame console. Sales of the PS2 and other consoles are starting to lose steam, but a slew of game toys are breathing new life into the old machines. Kristie Lu Stout reports on the next big trend in video gaming.

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KRISTIE LU STOUT (voice over): Slip off your shoes, step on the mat, and stomp. This dance mat is jacked into a Playstation 2. Just follow the arrows and hop your way to a top score. Just one of many best selling game toys in the warehouse of retailer lik-sang.com (ph).

STOUT (on camera): Let's kick it off with a look at some of your game peripherals that you have at the Lik Sang warehouse, and one in particular is this, the wireless controller.

PASCAL CLARYSSE, GENERAL MANAGER: Yes, exactly. It's the new radio frequency technology. It's opposite to the infrared technology. Before you can play wireless but also through yourself if you're turning, through the wall, and nothing can disturb the signal.

STOUT: No wires. You have one for the XBox?

CLARYSSE: For the Playstation 2.

STOUT: Playstation 2, one for the Gamecube as well.

CLARYSSE: For the Gamecube, this one is the official Nintendo for the Gamecube, and there's also a gun now, which is still wireless in infrared when you're shooting so you cannot shoot through the walls, but there is no connection to the console anymore, and this is radio frequency.

STOUT: In addition to these wireless devices, you also have -- it looks like microcamera on top of the TV over here. What's that? CLARYSSE: Exactly. That's the new Sony iToy that Sony presented at the E3 at the press conference. It's a camera which basically sees which moves you're doing, sees it is in connection with the game, and the interactivity with the screen, and something is happening on the screen.

STOUT: Can I give it a stab and see how it is? I step onto the mat here or step right here in front of the camera.

CLARYSSE: Yes.

STOUT: And I go like this for select.

CLARYSSE: Yes, exactly. Everything on the screen -- you can touch it, like in "Minority Report" or some of Hollywood's futuristic movies.

STOUT: Got it.

CLARYSSE: You can watch the window and everything, and many other type of games are coming. There's a fighting game coming based on this kind of move, a dancing game, which is an important trend that we just saw with the metallic platform already.

STOUT: So from the iToy, we have another peripheral, which are these musical instruments. Tell me about that.

CLARYSSE: Exactly. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) controllers for Dreamcast. It was released actually three or four years ago already for a specific game, which you play maracas with, but it has been very popular (UNINTELLIGIBLE) because Dreamcast has not produced it for two years, but people still use it.

STOUT: It's an old machine, but this extends the life of the machine.

CLARYSSE: Exactly because it's pretty unique. You can see it on any auto console, and it's something special, something funny, something you want to show to your friends. Basically, you're following the rhythm of what the screen is telling you to do, and you have some 3-D sounds, sight-sound machine, so you see exactly. And if you were go to hop to the right, to the left, you have to do it in a special rhythm and follow the screens, a little like the dancing game we saw.

STOUT: That's right. I think I am going to give it a go right now. Let's turn this on. Yes! I made it to the end! Cleared!

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WHITFIELD: I hear that game helps in muscle tone as well. Well, console makers are hoping that game peripherals will help boost hardware sales. To date, Sony has sold over 60 million Playstations, and Microsoft has moved over 8 million units of its XBox.

Well, that's all we have time for now. But before we go, here's a quick peek as what's coming up next week. The red planet is closer to earth than it's been in thousands of years. We'll tell you how to get the best view ever of Mars. That story and much more coming up next week. Hope you'll join you us.

Well, coming up next, "CNN LIVE SUNDAY" with the latest on the West Virginia shootings. Could they be copycats of last year's suburban Washington sniper killings?

That's followed by "BAGHDAD DIARY" at 6:30 p.m. Eastern. And at 7:00 p.m., "People In The News."

CNN continues right after a quick break.

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Dragon Runs Amok in Beirut; Lizards Help Us Understand Evolution; Hong Kong Considering CCTV to Monitor Garbage; New Trend in Video Gaming>