Today on CNN Newsroom
"Will Fly For Food" Pilots do the :30 Pitch
They had enough spunk to stand on one of Seattle's busiest street corners with signs reading "Will Fly For Food." Meet Chris Campbell and Steffen Schmidt, laid off pilots who are today's 30 Second Pitch
@KyraCNN Tweet of the Day
waitrewindthat @kyracnn – today we remember those we lost and those we still have who served us in the dark times of the world when we are at war.
Phoenix, Arizona: U.S. Kidnapping Capital
Arizona is known for its desert landscape, its mild winters and the Grand Canyon, one of the seven wonders of the world. It's also routinely selected as one of the best places to retire.
Arizona has a new distinction - it's home to the kidnapping capital of America.
Join Betty Nguyen, TJ Holmes and Josh Levs weekend mornings in the CNN Newsroom, 6am ET, 3am PT.
Wild Bill, a coyote named Jeep and a pilot in trouble
This slice of life from World War II came to us via Kyra's pop and his golfing buddy. Any time you can find a story that combines someone named Wild Bill, a coyote named Jeep and a real-life rescue, you have to pay attention. I hope you enjoy it as we remember the sacrifices America's service men and women have made this Memorial Day.
During World War II more than 16-million American service members would be part of the fight. This is a story about two of those men. On December 29th, 1944. Lt. Huie Lamb, Jr. was flying missions in his P-51 escorting bombers over Germany. The 20 year old Texan was in the U.S. Army Air Corps operating out of Duxford Air Force Base in England.
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/05/25/huie.and.p51.png caption="Photo Courtesy Huie Lamb. The p-51 is named after his little sister."]
One day Lamb's wing man lost use of his radio. Lamb was escorting the wing man back to Duxford when something went wrong over the North Sea. Lamb's plane lost coolant and caught fire. What should he do? He was too far from land to glide in. His next choice was to head into the wind and ditch the plane into the sea. By the time Lamb got his canopy open, it was too late to bail out. He slammed into the sea with his P-51. Fortunately for Lamb, Lt. John "Wild Bill" Crump was flying nearby.
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/05/25/wild.bill.crump.png caption="Photo Courtesy wildbillcrump.com Jeep flew 5 missions in WWII with Lt. Crump."]
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Before I go on with Lt. Lamb's story, here's the shaggy dog, or to be more precise, the shaggy coyote story about Wild Bill Crump and his companion Jeep. Jeep was a coyote pup Crump found and adopted as a pet during flight training in Nebraska. When Crump was sent to England in 1944 to join the fight, he smuggled Jeep aboard the Queen Elizabeth in an empty gas mask case. Jeep even flew missions with Crump during the war. You can read more about Lt. Crump and see more pictures of Jeep here.
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/05/25/huie.and.p47.png caption="Photo Courtesy Huie Lamb"]
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Lt. "Wild Bill" Crump, who was flying his P-51 nearby, saw Lt. Lamb's plane crash in the North Sea and called a "may day" for help. An amphibious plane was dispatched and Lamb was plucked from his disabled plane. Lt. Crump helped move him from the plane to a waiting ambulance.
Lamb told me that he was surprised his only injuries were hypothermia and a split lip. He got stiches and after a few days recuperating he was back flying missions. When I spoke with Huie Lamb Sunday evening he told me he never got to meet Crump face to face before he died last year but he talked with the fellow WWII vet on the phone several times. Lamb put it this way, "Bill Crump was an amazing man, not just because of what he did to save me." I agree. And I would add that 85 year old Huie Lamb and what he did during World War II are pretty amazing too.
Honoring the Fallen
[cnn-photo-caption image=
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/05/25/map.the.fallen.jpg caption="mapthefallen.org"]
While doing research for our Memorial Day coverage, we came across a website called mapthefallen.org.
It's amazing - and must've been incredibly time-consuming for its creator, Sean.
Here's his introduction to the site:
This Memorial Day I would like to share with you a personal project of mine that uses Google Earth to honor the more than 5,700 American and Coalition servicemen and women that have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. I have created a map for Google Earth that will connect you with each of their stories—you can see photos, learn about how they died, visit memorial websites with comments from friends and families, and explore the places they called home and where they died.
If you've got some time today, check it out.
Sunscreen Season Begins
From CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and CNN Producer Sabriya Rice
Memorial Day is the official start of summer, and so the official start of sunscreen season. A trip to the sunscreen aisle of your drug store can be bamboozling – there are so many products out there it can be difficult to choose. So here are the basics of buying a sunscreen to protect your skin this summer.
What SPF should I buy?: SPF 30 works just fine, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. SPF 30 sunscreens let in 3% of harmful rays. A sunscreen with an 85 SPF lets in 1% of harmful rays. The difference doesn’t matter, according to dermatologists. “There are diminishing returns at the higher numbers,” says Dr. Amy Derick, a spokeswoman for the AAD.
What else should I look for on the label? Make sure your sunscreen blocks both UVA and UVB rays. Some products don’t block UVA rays, which can cause wrinkles and age spots.
How much should I put on? Don’t be skimpy on the sunscreen. Use an ounce to cover your body – that’s enough to fill a shot glass. Re-apply every hour, or more frequently if you’ve been swimming.
What brand should I buy? According to the Environmental Working Group, some brands are better than others. See their report at http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/splash.php?URI=%2Fspecial%2Fsunscreens2008%2Fsummary.php
Memorial Day 2009
We'd like to hear from you.
What are your thoughts on this Memorial Day?
Are you remembering anyone special?
Share your comments here.
A Psychologist's take on "how to kill" cartoon
Parents and teachers near seattle are baffled, and horrified, by a cartoon circulated on youtube.
It's from a group of 6th grade girls. It shows them killing a classmate, in a half dozen ways.
Elisa Hahn of our seattle affiliate KING has the story.
It's kind of hard to watch that video and dismiss it as some typical school prank. Clinical Psychologist Judy Kuriansky gave us her take on this cartoon and cyber-bullying.
Same-Sex Marriage ruling due. California court to announce decision
California is bracing for a major court decision.
The state's supreme court is scheduled to rule Tuesday, on whether a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage is legal.
It's the same court that legalized same-sex marriages in California last year, by a four-to-three vote.
In November, California voters passed Proposition Eight, a constitutional amendment that overturned the ruling.
Gay rights advocates say the results of that vote should be thrown out on procedural grounds. They say "Prop 8" needed legislative approval before it went to voters.
Our "Legal Guy" Avery Friedman weighs in.
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