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500 Maoist Rebels Killed in Battle With Nepalese Government Forces; Urban Plunge

Aired March 21, 2004 - 09:30   ET

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

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


ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: In Nepal, a fierce battle between government forces and Maoist rebels. About 500 rebels are reported killed, as well as some troops and police. Various reports say rebels stormed the western town, where they opened up the jail, looted the bank, and bombed an airport used by tourists. Nepalese reinforcements are being deployed to the region.
Armed clashes in Nepal may have killed hundreds of people, most of them Maoist rebels. Akhilesh Upadhvay joins us now by phone with the details, a reporter in Kathmandu. What can you tell us?

AKHILESH UPADHVAY, REPORTER: Erica, as many as 500 Maoist rebels have been killed, and 200 others injured, according to the army. And 18 security personnel, seven police and 11 army have also died in that encounter, that started at 10:30 a.m. last night -- p.m. last night and went until 7:30 this morning -- Erica.

HILL: These battles coming on the heels of -- there was actually a cease-fire in place, although that fell through some seven months ago, is that correct?

UPADHVAY: That's right, yes.

HILL: And we're also -- I'm sorry, please continue.

UPADHVAY: The Maoists were sticking to their core demand for the constitutional (ph) assembly, but the government refused to give in to their core demand, and the cease-fire broken down last August.

HILL: What is it like there? You are in the capital of Kathmandu. We're hearing that hundreds of rebels actually swarmed into this town that was about 175 miles west of the capital, what is being said on the streets of Kathmandu?

UPADHVAY: OK, you know, the mood in Kathmandu now and all of Nepal for the past several months since the cease-fire collapsed is one of (UNINTELLIGIBLE). There's (UNINTELLIGIBLE) mentality, you know. Nobody -- the prime concern for the common people in the state of Kathmandu is the security.

HILL: Security. Well, we wish you the best with that security, and we do appreciate you taking the time to join us by phone. Akhilesh Upadhvay, thanks for being with us.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, you mention the words "college spring break," and you might think of a beach and a beer keg. Well, what you probably don't think of is a group of students who instead decide to spend the week experiencing what it is like to be homeless. It's a college project called Urban Plunge, and KTBC photojournalist Sonny Carrillo followed the St. Edwards University students last week in Austin, Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA ALDABE, CAMPUS MINISTRY: We are trying to experience homelessness from the perspective of the homeless. And we are out on the streets. We have no spending money, we're eating in soup kitchens. And basically what we are trying to do is get to know the homeless as people, rather than the usual social service approach that has you kind of behind a counter.

ROBBY HADDAD, STUDENT, ST. EDWARDS: Mostly I did it because, you know, I wanted to talk to some homeless people -- usually when you see them on the street, you kind of ignore them. You think, oh, they're probably drug addicts or something. I just wanted to talk to them, you know, get an understanding of why they are out here, what they do all day. You know, just get a glimpse of their life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So (UNINTELLIGIBLE) treating you all?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been treating me very well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I brought some socks, an extra t-shirt.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Orange, deodorant.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some guy gave me a little radio.

SHYDA HOGUE, STUDENT, ST. EDWARDS: You know, I am from the suburbs of Dallas, and I have never really experienced this community face-to-face.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are going to Angel House, a soup kitchen for the homeless.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They can see what they want their life to be, you know, compared to everybody else (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: So why pass up a party to be homeless for a week? We'll put that question to two of the Urban Plunge participants. Joining us now from Austin, Texas, St. Edwards students Paul Hagey and Kacey McCoig, you guys thanks for being with us this morning.

PAUL HAGEY, STUDENT AT ST. EDWARDS UNIVERSITY: You're welcome.

PHILLIPS: Paul, let's start with you, Paul, and just tell me why you decided to take place in this? HAGEY: Well, one, (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I knew she was setting it up, and I did it last year. And I wanted to come back and have another chance to get a perspective on the concept of other. And you look at homeless people, and they look so different, and just to really get to know them, and really reinforce the idea that these people are just people, just like me. And to really get to know them, and become more compassionate to people in general.

PHILLIPS: Kacey, how about you? Why did you do it?

KACEY MCCOIG, STUDENT, ST. EDWARDS UNIVERSITY: If you would have asking me that before I went, I wouldn't have been able to give you a direct answer. I don't know, something was just calling me to do it. The idea stuck in my head, as I was thinking about upcoming spring break.

PHILLIPS: As a female, were you treated differently on the streets, Kacey?

MCCOIG: Perhaps. But there seemed to be a sense of equality among all of us, really.

PHILLIPS: Did you ever feel like you...

MCCOIG: They treated us all...

PHILLIPS: Did you ever feel like you were in danger?

MCCOIG: No. I can honestly say that. There wasn't a single instance where I felt a threat. I felt very safe.

PHILLIPS: Paul, share with me some of the experiences, any specific conversation, any specific individual that sticks out in your mind that made an impact on you?

HAGEY: Yes, there is a couple of individuals. One, I met at breakfast. Her name -- she gave her name as Mother Love, and she was an amazing person. A wise woman. One of the people on the streets that represent that -- there is not really anything to solve for this person. She was comfortable where she was at, and she was very wise and insightful about life in general. And she talked about how, you know, just the general idea that there is enough to go around, and why is it so hard to share in our society. And also that calling them homeless people is kind of degrading in that assuming that these people don't have a home. And she says it's more accurate to refer to it as houses. And she was just a real, real -- had a great smile and a generous spirit.

And then I met another guy named Andrew, who, at first it happens many times, when I am talking to somebody that I'll say, OK, this person is just kind of rambling, and you hear them and they're talking kind of disconnected, but then when you really focus on what he is saying, when I focused on what he was saying, it was just as insightful as I would say Mother Love was. And he was just talking about his faith and his life and different things that changed him. And it was very inspiring for me to hear. In that he was, for instance, he had a business card, he did translations in seven languages, he was just an amazing person. And it was just inspiring to meet those types of people on the streets.

PHILLIPS: It is interesting as you tell those stories, because, Kacey, people have such a stereotype of homeless people as mentally ill, as out on their luck, no place else to go, basically mentally unstable. I listen to these stories from Paul, it seems quite the opposite. What do you think? I mean, why are these people homeless? Did you find a common reason among most of them?

MCCOIG: There is, of course, not a single reason why they are out there. All of them have been through something or the other. The reasons -- there is a lot of reasons why they are out there. There is a lot of reasons why they stay there. But unfortunate situations, in a lot of instances, things just seem to snowball on them, and they were left without -- without anything, and they were left -- also resources which would help them come out of their situation.

PHILLIPS: I can imagine, this experience made us all feel pretty lucky for what we have. Kacey McCoig, Paul Hagey, thanks for your time.

HAGEY: Thank you.

HILL: If you are overweight and looking to slim down, you might want to check the label before you start counting those carbs.

Plus, the new breed of car might be the only remedy to the skyrocketing prices at the pump, but are you game for the ride? We'll get your take on that in today's e-mail segment just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A ton and a half of high explosives ends an era in Philadelphia. Home to the Phillys and the Eagles for nearly 33 years, it's goodbye to the Vet. Veterans Stadium falls, along with its name. The Phillys open the season in Citizens Bank Park; the Eagles play at Lincoln Financial Field. It just doesn't have the same ring to it, though.

HILL: Not quite, not quite.

All right, low carb diets, we are tackling this one for you folks because we are a little confused here at CNN. They're all the rage. Which products, though, are truly low carb? The FDA is going to end some of that confusion, so it's going to decide when food can be called low carb, reduced carb, or carb-free. Also being looked at, the terms "net carbs," you may have been seeing that lately. What does it mean? Well, the FDA said it would move quickly on the matter, but in the meantime, what is a confused consumer to do? Well, just tune into CNN. For that, we turn to Dr. Steven Manoukian from Emory University Healthcare. Good to have you with us this morning. We need help on this one.

DR. STEVEN MANOUKIAN, EMORY UNIVERSITY HEALTHCARE: Well, we sure do. There really has been a carbohydrate confusion. People look at carbohydrates and they say, well, unprocessed and whole grains, that's good. Fruits and vegetables are good, but the processed ones are bad. How is everyone to decide?

HILL: Well, how are we to decide, too? Because we see on all these different boxes, and I've noticed more of it at the supermarket these days, you see low carb, you see reduced carb, and then you see this thing called net carbs. What is net carb?

MANOUKIAN: Net carbs are really the absorbed carbohydrates. We know that a lot of carbohydrates pass through as fiber, insoluble fiber, so the net carbs are the carbs that really get their way into the bloodstream. And it really perhaps might be somewhere in between, that the truth really rises.

HILL: So what do we need to look for, then? Do we need to look at the total carbs on a product, do we need to look at the net carbs, or should we just ignore carbs altogether?

MANOUKIAN: Well, we really can't. You know, obesity in this country is a huge problem. If you look at obesity, there are 60 percent of the population that is overweight, 30 percent of the population that's obese, and it goes all the way down to children. Perhaps 10 to 20 percent of the juvenile population is overweight. And carbohydrates, they really form the major source of calories for everyone. So when you look at the traditional food pyramid, we have been told over and over again to take in perhaps 50 or 60 percent of our calories from carbohydrates, perhaps a little bit less of that, maybe about 30 percent, from protein or so, and then about maybe another 30 percent or so from fats and cholesterol. And for that reason, carbohydrates are very important.

It is probably better to divide carbohydrates into good carbs and bad carbs.

HILL: You read my mind with that.

MANOUKIAN: And it really is to say, well, there are simple and complex carbohydrates. And simple and complex, refined and whole grains. And start looking at the type of carbohydrates you're taking in to get the best answer.

HILL: And then when you mention things like refined and processed, the less refined and the less processed the food is, probably the better it is for you. What are some companies doing to reduce carb counts, and is it in the end beneficial to your body?

MANOUKIAN: Well, a lot of the carbohydrates that are in foods -- I mean, manufacturers, they are smart. They know that people are not going to buy it unless it tastes good. So carbohydrates are a major source of bulk, they're a major source of calories, they're a major source of the sugar that's in items that we see. So it's hard for people to, say, look at a candy bar and say, well, I guess that's bad, and then look at a fruit or vegetable and say, well, there's carbohydrates in that, that must be good. And it almost makes sense to come up with a carbohydrate pyramid, to almost look at the types of carbohydrates we should take more in, and then those that are less. HILL: A lot of work.

MANOUKIAN: Yeah, it is a lot of work. At the base of that pyramid, it might be things whole grains or unprocessed grains. Further up and a little bit less might be fruits and vegetables, and then when we talk about simple sugars, really that is just for taste and the smaller amount that we take in of simple carbohydrates, the better.

HILL: Well, you helped simplify sort of this for us, and we do appreciate it. Doctor, thanks for having us here this morning.

MANOUKIAN: Sure. It's great to be here. Thank you.

HILL: Or for being here, rather.

PHILLIPS: All right, Erica, explain to me now what we're supposed to do.

HILL: OK. I think we are just supposed to eat healthy, like our parents taught us.

PHILLIPS: There we go.

HILL: And not think about it too much, because it gets too confusing.

PHILLIPS: I am so confused. All right.

Well, high prices at the pump, that's definitely not confusing. Just how high you think they're going to go before you have to do something about it? Well, we get your take in today's e-mail segment, coming up.

And good morning L.A. There is our old stomping grounds. I am glad we are here in Atlanta. That's for sure. We're going to have a complete weather forecast in about five minutes. CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right, the e-mail question of the day: How high would the cost of a gallon of gas have to go before you'd buy a hybrid? Here are some of your responses.

This comes from Erica's home town of Connecticut. Is this your cousin, Susan, writing in? Don't give it away.

"Hybrid? I'd love one. Show me a hybrid that fits me, my husband and our four kids, and I'd gladly trade in my 18 mph van. When the manufacturers start building energy-efficient vehicles that fit the American lifestyle, I'd be among the first to jump on the bandwagon. Until then, I'm stuck."

HILL: Susan, you're stuck with a high gas bill too. Randall in Texas writes in that he doesn't own a car. And is trying to make a difference and help my fellow humans. That's one way to cut down on your gas bill definitely.

PHILLIPS: I would like to see him bike all the way to, you know, cross country.

HILL: That would be a long trip. He would be in great shape.

PHILLIPS: Yeah, there you go.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HILL: We are going to update you on the top stories right now. Fierce fighting in the Pakistan mountains near Afghanistan tapering off today to give negotiations a chance, among other things. Regional tribal leaders will try to convince local villagers to release a dozen Pakistani soldiers taken prisoner several days ago.

And in Iraq, rocket attacks caused casualties. Two U.S. soldiers were killed overnight in Fallujah by a rocket. At least one Iraqi was killed today by a rocket in Baghdad.

PHILLIPS: Well, every soldier in Iraq has a story to tell. Who they are, where they are from, and what they did. Coming up, the story of a soldier who came to America for a new life and fought for it until his death.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: Plenty more ahead for you on CNN this Sunday. In just a few minutes it's "INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY" with Candy Crowley. Candy will talk with Congressmen David Dreier and Harold Ford, about the race for the White House and the negative campaign being waged so far. Then at 11:00, it is "CNN LIVE SUNDAY" with more on the day's latest headlines. At 11:30, "RELIABLE SOURCES."

PHILLIPS: Five hundred seventy-seven forces have died in the year-long Iraq war, but not all of them were citizens. One of the first Marines killed received his American citizenship posthumously. CNN's Frank Buckley checked in with the Marine's family just one year later.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A year ago, when the military officers came to the front door of this home in southern California, Nora Mosquera just knew.

NORA MOSQUERA, GUTIERREZ'S FOSTER MOTHER: They didn't have to tell me what it was. I knew that one of the two casualties of that day were -- one of them was my son. And it was very sad.

BUCKLEY: Lance Corporal Jose Gutierrez was killed in action in one of the first engagements of the war.

LILLIAN CARDENAS, FOSTER SISTER: Why was it him? And why at the beginning?

BUCKLEY: Marine Corps officials later confirmed that Gutierrez was killed by friendly fire. His family members accept that as an accident of war. And they proud of how Gutierrez came to fight as a U.S. Marine because he wasn't even from the United States.

INGRACIA PAZ, GUTIERREZ'S SISTER: (through translator) Because he came to give his life for a country that was not his.

BUCKLEY: Ingracia Paz was Jose's sister in their native Guatemala. This is the foster family that took him in, in America. Jose Gutierrez died on a battlefield far away from either home.

(on camera): His long journey to Iraq began here, in Central America. This is where he was born in Guatemala City, where by all accounts, he had a very difficult life. His parents died when he was a boy. He was poor. At one point, he literally lived on the streets of this city.

(voice-over): The story of the boy who made it to America only to die in Iraq was front page news in Guatemala. Luisa Rodriguez of "Prensa Libre" says one reasons readers were so interested, their loved ones are also in America.

LUISA RODRIGUEZ, PRENSA LIBRE NEWSPAPER: For every 10 Guatemalans, yes, four of them has a family in the United States.

BUCKLEY: In Jose's case, he hitchhiked and hopped trains across 2,000 miles to get to the U.S. As a teenager in the care of Casa Alienza, the Central American branch of Covenant House, someone told him that America was the land of opportunity.

MOSQUERA: He came to the United States and he found out that everything that this social worker -- American social worker in Guatemala had told him was really true. And ever more, he was so grateful.

BUCKLEY: Joining the Marine Corps was a job, but family members say it was also about serving his new country.

CARDENAS: He never forgot where he came from. But at the same time, he gave back to the place that gave him so much.

BUCKLEY: He also knew that combat would be dangerous. And before he shipped out, Jose made arrangements.

MOSQUERA: He told me that in the event anything bad happened, he wanted to be buried with his parents in his homeland.

BUCKLEY: And that's why at this dignified cemetery in Guatemala, there is one U.S. Marine who is finally home.

Frank Buckley, CNN, Guatemala City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Boy, that's a powerful story.

HILL: That it was.

PHILLIPS: Thanks so much for joining us this morning.

HILL: "INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY" is next.

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





Government Forces; Urban Plunge>


Aired March 21, 2004 - 09:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: In Nepal, a fierce battle between government forces and Maoist rebels. About 500 rebels are reported killed, as well as some troops and police. Various reports say rebels stormed the western town, where they opened up the jail, looted the bank, and bombed an airport used by tourists. Nepalese reinforcements are being deployed to the region.
Armed clashes in Nepal may have killed hundreds of people, most of them Maoist rebels. Akhilesh Upadhvay joins us now by phone with the details, a reporter in Kathmandu. What can you tell us?

AKHILESH UPADHVAY, REPORTER: Erica, as many as 500 Maoist rebels have been killed, and 200 others injured, according to the army. And 18 security personnel, seven police and 11 army have also died in that encounter, that started at 10:30 a.m. last night -- p.m. last night and went until 7:30 this morning -- Erica.

HILL: These battles coming on the heels of -- there was actually a cease-fire in place, although that fell through some seven months ago, is that correct?

UPADHVAY: That's right, yes.

HILL: And we're also -- I'm sorry, please continue.

UPADHVAY: The Maoists were sticking to their core demand for the constitutional (ph) assembly, but the government refused to give in to their core demand, and the cease-fire broken down last August.

HILL: What is it like there? You are in the capital of Kathmandu. We're hearing that hundreds of rebels actually swarmed into this town that was about 175 miles west of the capital, what is being said on the streets of Kathmandu?

UPADHVAY: OK, you know, the mood in Kathmandu now and all of Nepal for the past several months since the cease-fire collapsed is one of (UNINTELLIGIBLE). There's (UNINTELLIGIBLE) mentality, you know. Nobody -- the prime concern for the common people in the state of Kathmandu is the security.

HILL: Security. Well, we wish you the best with that security, and we do appreciate you taking the time to join us by phone. Akhilesh Upadhvay, thanks for being with us.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, you mention the words "college spring break," and you might think of a beach and a beer keg. Well, what you probably don't think of is a group of students who instead decide to spend the week experiencing what it is like to be homeless. It's a college project called Urban Plunge, and KTBC photojournalist Sonny Carrillo followed the St. Edwards University students last week in Austin, Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA ALDABE, CAMPUS MINISTRY: We are trying to experience homelessness from the perspective of the homeless. And we are out on the streets. We have no spending money, we're eating in soup kitchens. And basically what we are trying to do is get to know the homeless as people, rather than the usual social service approach that has you kind of behind a counter.

ROBBY HADDAD, STUDENT, ST. EDWARDS: Mostly I did it because, you know, I wanted to talk to some homeless people -- usually when you see them on the street, you kind of ignore them. You think, oh, they're probably drug addicts or something. I just wanted to talk to them, you know, get an understanding of why they are out here, what they do all day. You know, just get a glimpse of their life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So (UNINTELLIGIBLE) treating you all?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been treating me very well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I brought some socks, an extra t-shirt.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Orange, deodorant.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some guy gave me a little radio.

SHYDA HOGUE, STUDENT, ST. EDWARDS: You know, I am from the suburbs of Dallas, and I have never really experienced this community face-to-face.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are going to Angel House, a soup kitchen for the homeless.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They can see what they want their life to be, you know, compared to everybody else (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: So why pass up a party to be homeless for a week? We'll put that question to two of the Urban Plunge participants. Joining us now from Austin, Texas, St. Edwards students Paul Hagey and Kacey McCoig, you guys thanks for being with us this morning.

PAUL HAGEY, STUDENT AT ST. EDWARDS UNIVERSITY: You're welcome.

PHILLIPS: Paul, let's start with you, Paul, and just tell me why you decided to take place in this? HAGEY: Well, one, (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I knew she was setting it up, and I did it last year. And I wanted to come back and have another chance to get a perspective on the concept of other. And you look at homeless people, and they look so different, and just to really get to know them, and really reinforce the idea that these people are just people, just like me. And to really get to know them, and become more compassionate to people in general.

PHILLIPS: Kacey, how about you? Why did you do it?

KACEY MCCOIG, STUDENT, ST. EDWARDS UNIVERSITY: If you would have asking me that before I went, I wouldn't have been able to give you a direct answer. I don't know, something was just calling me to do it. The idea stuck in my head, as I was thinking about upcoming spring break.

PHILLIPS: As a female, were you treated differently on the streets, Kacey?

MCCOIG: Perhaps. But there seemed to be a sense of equality among all of us, really.

PHILLIPS: Did you ever feel like you...

MCCOIG: They treated us all...

PHILLIPS: Did you ever feel like you were in danger?

MCCOIG: No. I can honestly say that. There wasn't a single instance where I felt a threat. I felt very safe.

PHILLIPS: Paul, share with me some of the experiences, any specific conversation, any specific individual that sticks out in your mind that made an impact on you?

HAGEY: Yes, there is a couple of individuals. One, I met at breakfast. Her name -- she gave her name as Mother Love, and she was an amazing person. A wise woman. One of the people on the streets that represent that -- there is not really anything to solve for this person. She was comfortable where she was at, and she was very wise and insightful about life in general. And she talked about how, you know, just the general idea that there is enough to go around, and why is it so hard to share in our society. And also that calling them homeless people is kind of degrading in that assuming that these people don't have a home. And she says it's more accurate to refer to it as houses. And she was just a real, real -- had a great smile and a generous spirit.

And then I met another guy named Andrew, who, at first it happens many times, when I am talking to somebody that I'll say, OK, this person is just kind of rambling, and you hear them and they're talking kind of disconnected, but then when you really focus on what he is saying, when I focused on what he was saying, it was just as insightful as I would say Mother Love was. And he was just talking about his faith and his life and different things that changed him. And it was very inspiring for me to hear. In that he was, for instance, he had a business card, he did translations in seven languages, he was just an amazing person. And it was just inspiring to meet those types of people on the streets.

PHILLIPS: It is interesting as you tell those stories, because, Kacey, people have such a stereotype of homeless people as mentally ill, as out on their luck, no place else to go, basically mentally unstable. I listen to these stories from Paul, it seems quite the opposite. What do you think? I mean, why are these people homeless? Did you find a common reason among most of them?

MCCOIG: There is, of course, not a single reason why they are out there. All of them have been through something or the other. The reasons -- there is a lot of reasons why they are out there. There is a lot of reasons why they stay there. But unfortunate situations, in a lot of instances, things just seem to snowball on them, and they were left without -- without anything, and they were left -- also resources which would help them come out of their situation.

PHILLIPS: I can imagine, this experience made us all feel pretty lucky for what we have. Kacey McCoig, Paul Hagey, thanks for your time.

HAGEY: Thank you.

HILL: If you are overweight and looking to slim down, you might want to check the label before you start counting those carbs.

Plus, the new breed of car might be the only remedy to the skyrocketing prices at the pump, but are you game for the ride? We'll get your take on that in today's e-mail segment just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A ton and a half of high explosives ends an era in Philadelphia. Home to the Phillys and the Eagles for nearly 33 years, it's goodbye to the Vet. Veterans Stadium falls, along with its name. The Phillys open the season in Citizens Bank Park; the Eagles play at Lincoln Financial Field. It just doesn't have the same ring to it, though.

HILL: Not quite, not quite.

All right, low carb diets, we are tackling this one for you folks because we are a little confused here at CNN. They're all the rage. Which products, though, are truly low carb? The FDA is going to end some of that confusion, so it's going to decide when food can be called low carb, reduced carb, or carb-free. Also being looked at, the terms "net carbs," you may have been seeing that lately. What does it mean? Well, the FDA said it would move quickly on the matter, but in the meantime, what is a confused consumer to do? Well, just tune into CNN. For that, we turn to Dr. Steven Manoukian from Emory University Healthcare. Good to have you with us this morning. We need help on this one.

DR. STEVEN MANOUKIAN, EMORY UNIVERSITY HEALTHCARE: Well, we sure do. There really has been a carbohydrate confusion. People look at carbohydrates and they say, well, unprocessed and whole grains, that's good. Fruits and vegetables are good, but the processed ones are bad. How is everyone to decide?

HILL: Well, how are we to decide, too? Because we see on all these different boxes, and I've noticed more of it at the supermarket these days, you see low carb, you see reduced carb, and then you see this thing called net carbs. What is net carb?

MANOUKIAN: Net carbs are really the absorbed carbohydrates. We know that a lot of carbohydrates pass through as fiber, insoluble fiber, so the net carbs are the carbs that really get their way into the bloodstream. And it really perhaps might be somewhere in between, that the truth really rises.

HILL: So what do we need to look for, then? Do we need to look at the total carbs on a product, do we need to look at the net carbs, or should we just ignore carbs altogether?

MANOUKIAN: Well, we really can't. You know, obesity in this country is a huge problem. If you look at obesity, there are 60 percent of the population that is overweight, 30 percent of the population that's obese, and it goes all the way down to children. Perhaps 10 to 20 percent of the juvenile population is overweight. And carbohydrates, they really form the major source of calories for everyone. So when you look at the traditional food pyramid, we have been told over and over again to take in perhaps 50 or 60 percent of our calories from carbohydrates, perhaps a little bit less of that, maybe about 30 percent, from protein or so, and then about maybe another 30 percent or so from fats and cholesterol. And for that reason, carbohydrates are very important.

It is probably better to divide carbohydrates into good carbs and bad carbs.

HILL: You read my mind with that.

MANOUKIAN: And it really is to say, well, there are simple and complex carbohydrates. And simple and complex, refined and whole grains. And start looking at the type of carbohydrates you're taking in to get the best answer.

HILL: And then when you mention things like refined and processed, the less refined and the less processed the food is, probably the better it is for you. What are some companies doing to reduce carb counts, and is it in the end beneficial to your body?

MANOUKIAN: Well, a lot of the carbohydrates that are in foods -- I mean, manufacturers, they are smart. They know that people are not going to buy it unless it tastes good. So carbohydrates are a major source of bulk, they're a major source of calories, they're a major source of the sugar that's in items that we see. So it's hard for people to, say, look at a candy bar and say, well, I guess that's bad, and then look at a fruit or vegetable and say, well, there's carbohydrates in that, that must be good. And it almost makes sense to come up with a carbohydrate pyramid, to almost look at the types of carbohydrates we should take more in, and then those that are less. HILL: A lot of work.

MANOUKIAN: Yeah, it is a lot of work. At the base of that pyramid, it might be things whole grains or unprocessed grains. Further up and a little bit less might be fruits and vegetables, and then when we talk about simple sugars, really that is just for taste and the smaller amount that we take in of simple carbohydrates, the better.

HILL: Well, you helped simplify sort of this for us, and we do appreciate it. Doctor, thanks for having us here this morning.

MANOUKIAN: Sure. It's great to be here. Thank you.

HILL: Or for being here, rather.

PHILLIPS: All right, Erica, explain to me now what we're supposed to do.

HILL: OK. I think we are just supposed to eat healthy, like our parents taught us.

PHILLIPS: There we go.

HILL: And not think about it too much, because it gets too confusing.

PHILLIPS: I am so confused. All right.

Well, high prices at the pump, that's definitely not confusing. Just how high you think they're going to go before you have to do something about it? Well, we get your take in today's e-mail segment, coming up.

And good morning L.A. There is our old stomping grounds. I am glad we are here in Atlanta. That's for sure. We're going to have a complete weather forecast in about five minutes. CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right, the e-mail question of the day: How high would the cost of a gallon of gas have to go before you'd buy a hybrid? Here are some of your responses.

This comes from Erica's home town of Connecticut. Is this your cousin, Susan, writing in? Don't give it away.

"Hybrid? I'd love one. Show me a hybrid that fits me, my husband and our four kids, and I'd gladly trade in my 18 mph van. When the manufacturers start building energy-efficient vehicles that fit the American lifestyle, I'd be among the first to jump on the bandwagon. Until then, I'm stuck."

HILL: Susan, you're stuck with a high gas bill too. Randall in Texas writes in that he doesn't own a car. And is trying to make a difference and help my fellow humans. That's one way to cut down on your gas bill definitely.

PHILLIPS: I would like to see him bike all the way to, you know, cross country.

HILL: That would be a long trip. He would be in great shape.

PHILLIPS: Yeah, there you go.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HILL: We are going to update you on the top stories right now. Fierce fighting in the Pakistan mountains near Afghanistan tapering off today to give negotiations a chance, among other things. Regional tribal leaders will try to convince local villagers to release a dozen Pakistani soldiers taken prisoner several days ago.

And in Iraq, rocket attacks caused casualties. Two U.S. soldiers were killed overnight in Fallujah by a rocket. At least one Iraqi was killed today by a rocket in Baghdad.

PHILLIPS: Well, every soldier in Iraq has a story to tell. Who they are, where they are from, and what they did. Coming up, the story of a soldier who came to America for a new life and fought for it until his death.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: Plenty more ahead for you on CNN this Sunday. In just a few minutes it's "INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY" with Candy Crowley. Candy will talk with Congressmen David Dreier and Harold Ford, about the race for the White House and the negative campaign being waged so far. Then at 11:00, it is "CNN LIVE SUNDAY" with more on the day's latest headlines. At 11:30, "RELIABLE SOURCES."

PHILLIPS: Five hundred seventy-seven forces have died in the year-long Iraq war, but not all of them were citizens. One of the first Marines killed received his American citizenship posthumously. CNN's Frank Buckley checked in with the Marine's family just one year later.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A year ago, when the military officers came to the front door of this home in southern California, Nora Mosquera just knew.

NORA MOSQUERA, GUTIERREZ'S FOSTER MOTHER: They didn't have to tell me what it was. I knew that one of the two casualties of that day were -- one of them was my son. And it was very sad.

BUCKLEY: Lance Corporal Jose Gutierrez was killed in action in one of the first engagements of the war.

LILLIAN CARDENAS, FOSTER SISTER: Why was it him? And why at the beginning?

BUCKLEY: Marine Corps officials later confirmed that Gutierrez was killed by friendly fire. His family members accept that as an accident of war. And they proud of how Gutierrez came to fight as a U.S. Marine because he wasn't even from the United States.

INGRACIA PAZ, GUTIERREZ'S SISTER: (through translator) Because he came to give his life for a country that was not his.

BUCKLEY: Ingracia Paz was Jose's sister in their native Guatemala. This is the foster family that took him in, in America. Jose Gutierrez died on a battlefield far away from either home.

(on camera): His long journey to Iraq began here, in Central America. This is where he was born in Guatemala City, where by all accounts, he had a very difficult life. His parents died when he was a boy. He was poor. At one point, he literally lived on the streets of this city.

(voice-over): The story of the boy who made it to America only to die in Iraq was front page news in Guatemala. Luisa Rodriguez of "Prensa Libre" says one reasons readers were so interested, their loved ones are also in America.

LUISA RODRIGUEZ, PRENSA LIBRE NEWSPAPER: For every 10 Guatemalans, yes, four of them has a family in the United States.

BUCKLEY: In Jose's case, he hitchhiked and hopped trains across 2,000 miles to get to the U.S. As a teenager in the care of Casa Alienza, the Central American branch of Covenant House, someone told him that America was the land of opportunity.

MOSQUERA: He came to the United States and he found out that everything that this social worker -- American social worker in Guatemala had told him was really true. And ever more, he was so grateful.

BUCKLEY: Joining the Marine Corps was a job, but family members say it was also about serving his new country.

CARDENAS: He never forgot where he came from. But at the same time, he gave back to the place that gave him so much.

BUCKLEY: He also knew that combat would be dangerous. And before he shipped out, Jose made arrangements.

MOSQUERA: He told me that in the event anything bad happened, he wanted to be buried with his parents in his homeland.

BUCKLEY: And that's why at this dignified cemetery in Guatemala, there is one U.S. Marine who is finally home.

Frank Buckley, CNN, Guatemala City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Boy, that's a powerful story.

HILL: That it was.

PHILLIPS: Thanks so much for joining us this morning.

HILL: "INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY" is next.

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