Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
Cap in Place Over Gushing Well; Interview With Macy Gray
Aired July 16, 2010 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We won't be done until we actually know that we've killed the well and that we have a permanent solution in place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: A cautious approach -- the oil may be capped, but the celebrations are on hold.
And with a legacy like this, BP faces an uphill battle to restore its credibility. Cap or no cap, it's a P.R. mess for the oil giant.
But can it put the shine back on its public image worldwide?
On CNN, this is the hour we connect the world.
Nearly 90 days on and finally a cap is in place. But this story is far from over.
I'm Becky Anderson in London with a big picture look at the ripple effect that this oil disaster is still having. Tonight, we get to the heart of the issue from multiple angles. I'm joined by leading environmentalist, a former oil exclusive and a P.R. guru, all giving their take on what must happen next.
Also coming up this hour, a gambling -- massive gambling bust across Asia. Five thousand arrests.
So is it time to rethink the laws on betting?
Plus...
(MUSIC)
ANDERSON: Macy Gray is back on the scene and taking your questions this evening. And I have to tell you, she's every bit as cool and as laid back as you would expect. Pretty remarkable considering what she's got going on.
And remember, you can connect to the program online via Twitter. My personal address is atbeckycnn. Do log in and join in the conversation.
Well, a capped field, pressure rising, outlet good. Well, now it's 24 hours in since BP's new containment cap finally stemmed the flow of leaking oil into the Gulf of Mexico. But BP officials caution it is too soon to celebrate.
I want to bring in White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux, who is traveling with President Obama. They're in the U.S. state of Maine -- Suzanne, what is the president saying at this point?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly it's too -- it's too soon to celebrate, Becky. That's one of the things that the president is trying to emphasize. But it certainly is a relief to President Obama and the administration. This is something that happened aboard Air Force One yesterday. He -- he got a call from his chief of staff, who put on the phone Carol Browner. She's one of the environmental advisers to the president, giving him that good news, saying essentially that the oil had stopped leaking.
On top of that, the chief of staff said that they had gotten past Wall Street -- a financial reform package through Congress. And the president, in his typical understated way, said, you know, mark this as a good day. This is the kind of news that the president has needed, that this administration has needed.
But, Becky, I have to tell you, they are not opening the champagne just yet. We heard from the president before he headed here to Maine at the White House. And he tried to explain that, look, there are long-term implications here. There are still a lot of unanswered questions that are going to be playing out in the weeks and the months ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Even if it turns out that we can't maintain this cap and completely shut off the flow of oil, what the new cap allows us to do is to essentially attach many more containment mechanisms so that we're able to take more oil up to the surface, put it on ships. It won't be spilling into the Gulf.
The final solution to this whole problem is going to be the relief wells and getting that completed. But there's no doubt that we have made progress as a consequence of this new cap fitting on and that even if it turns out that we can't keep the containment cap on to completely stop the oil, it's going to allow us to capture much more oil and we'll stee -- see less oil flowing into the Gulf.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And, Becky, you can understand the reason why the president is being so cautious. They have been burned time and time before, so they don't want to overstate the success of all this. Clearly, it is some good news, a respite, if you will. But there are a lot of things that the president and the administration still have left to do. There are numerous investigations, essentially, whether or not this is going to work, the ultimate test of those relief wells when this is all said and done, whether or not it is still safe for some of those other deepwater drilling rigs to go ahead, whether or not they will go ahead and lift that moratorium or continue to fight that battle.
And we understand, Becky, that the president is going to be visiting the Gulf Coast region in the next couple of weeks, obviously, to be back on the ground, to talk to officials there, but also to convey a sense to the people who have been most hurt, most impacted by this, that, yes, they're still on top of it, that they care, that they're trying to figure out ways to help the folks move forward, because there's still a lot of questions in terms of how they're going to move forward with their livelihood.
And those are all things that they look to the president -- not just BP, the president -- and hold him accountable -- Becky.
ANDERSON: All right, Suzanne.
Thank you for that.
Suzanne Malveaux with the latest line from the White House.
But we may be -- may be nearing the end of the leak. But the effects of this disaster will be felt for years to come.
I want to discuss the future and what the world can learn from this with our CONNECT THE WORLD roundtable this evening.
David Rensink is in Houston. He's president of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.
Kert Davies is research director for Greenpeace. He is in Washington for you this evening.
And Allyson Stewart Allen is with me here in London. She's director of International Marketing Partners.
Let me start with you, David.
You're our man from the industry this evening.
Is there -- is President Obama right to be cautious at this point?
DAVID RENSINK, AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PETROLEUM GEOLOGISTS: Yes, I think it's certainly prudent to be cautious. It certainly is a good step forward, but it's not the end of the problem.
ANDERSON: Why?
RENSINK: Why is it not the end?
ANDERSON: Yes.
RENSINK: Because it's not stopped the flow underground. The well is still potentially -- is still a potential problem. The ultimate fix will be the relief wells.
ANDERSON: Your response to what you're seeing live from BP on these feeds, Kert, and your sense of just what sort of impact this disaster has had.
KERT DAVIES, RESEARCH DIRECTOR, GREENPEACE: Well, first of all, we are pleased that...
RENSINK: Well, clearly, it's been a...
ANDERSON: Go on, Kert.
RENSINK: Sorry.
DAVIES: Sorry.
First of all, we are very pleased that it -- and the flow has stopped. It is no cause for celebration, obviously, because the damage done, as you've said, it will take decades, if not generations, to overcome.
You know, what we -- what's unfolding, though, in the midst of this pause is news that BP is sweeping up scientists for their defense in the coming, you know, trials and in the -- their deliberation on this and that the scientific information being collected by the government is not flowing freely to the scientist community.
So Greenpeace and the scientific community remain very, very stubbornly interested in what is -- what is known about the damage, what is happening below the surface of the water. There's a lot of focus on the surface. Where is the oil going, the environmental fate of it, and the fate of the creatures that are being impacted.
ANDERSON: All right, let me come to Allyson in one moment.
David, I want to talk briefly about how you see this disaster changing, if at all, the relationship between big oil and government.
RENSINK: Well, it's going to make government certainly scrutinize drilling permits, exploration plans and the various documents that the industry has been submitting to the government for years, probably in much greater detail than they have in the past.
But as far as the overall change, most of the requirements that they - - that I have heard, that the government will now be expecting is what has been provided. I think there's just going to be a lot more scrutiny to that.
ANDERSON: This is an easy one, Allyson, surely for Obama. There's no way he wants to be associated with big oil now, is there?
ALLYSON STEWART ALLEN, DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL MARKETING PARTNERS: Well, so far it hasn't really helped him hugely. I mean he's been get -- you know, getting extremely bad reviews for not demonstrating empathy, not taking action quickly enough. And, in a way, I mean I'm a bit sympathetic about his position, because he has gone there. He's trying to demonstrate empathy. He's trying to do what he can. But he is the president of the United States. He's not a scientist.
He's -- you know, what can the guy do?
It's very difficult.
ANDERSON: Kert, as an environmentalist, the changing influence of the oil industry over the U.S. government is surely the only way that you can push any sort of regulation and take this disaster and use it to improve the environment's lot going forward.
But do -- do you get a sense that anything -- anything is going to change?
RENSINK: Well, that's the big question, is whether we can use this moment -- moment as a catalyst to have a new dialogue about our dependence on oil, to have a new dialogue about the subsidies that the public gives to big oil around the world. In this country, there's an estimate of $10 billion a year in subsidies, tax credits, tax breaks, etc.; worldwide, hundreds of billions that go to subsidized the oil industry. So if that was shifted to clean energy and efficiency and the right things, we would have a fundamental shift in our dependence on oil, which would change geopolitics and also change our environmental security.
ANDERSON: But, David, that's a big if...
RENSINK: Whether that's going to happen as a result of this spill...
ANDERSON: -- isn't it? That's...
RENSINK: -- is an open question.
ANDERSON: Exactly.
RENSINK: Yes.
ANDERSON: David, that's a big if. And what you're suggesting, it seems to me tonight, is -- is none of that's going to happen, ain't nothing going to change.
RENSINK: Well, I wouldn't say that nothing is going to change. There are -- we have experienced, certainly, a catastrophic event, but it's a rare catastrophic event and it's -- we're going to see some changes in testing of blowout preventers. We're going to see additional scrutiny of - - of well designs.
But in terms of -- we've been doing that for years without incident. This is -- has been, clearly, a -- a tragedy.
ANDERSON: We've seen a 50 percent drop in the price of BP's shares. But we do, at the moment, see an 8 percent rise in the price of BP's shares. At the end of the day, if you were crisis managing for this company and -- and helping them decide where they go next worldwide and looking at their public image at this point, Allyson...
ALLEN: Yes.
ANDERSON: -- what would your advice be?
ALLEN: Right. Firstly, always put forward a local voice. If you're ever in a crisis again, god forbid, always put forward someone who understands the local landscape and has that local cultural understanding, number one.
Number two, be transparent. You know, why wasn't the public invited to look at some of the designs for some of these fixes and get the best brains in the United States and around the world who could look at them and say, actually, that one is good, that wouldn't work. And get input. What -- you don't have to do everything by yourself. And they became very inward looking, very defensive, when, actually, they didn't have to be. They would have engaged everyone and changed the conversation if we all were invited to contribute something.
ANDERSON: BP's reputation, David, pretty solid in the States.
Does it recover?
RENSINK: I think it will. They -- they've been a prudent operator in the past. I would suspect that it will recover.
ANDERSON: Kert, a final thought?
DAVIES: They're spending -- they're spending about -- hundreds of billions of dollars -- hundreds of millions on advertising to recovery their image. But I think the -- the greater lesson here is that the public now distrusts both the government and the oil industry more and more. And with that scrutiny -- of course, the industry line is we'll have technical fixes. And the government's line is we'll regulate better. But none of that is going to prevent this from happening again and again and again until we get off of oil.
ANDERSON: And with that, we're going to have to leave it there.
We thank you very much, all of you, for joining us this evening.
ALLEN: Great.
ANDERSON: A look at this story from multiple angles.
Busted -- Interpol agents arrest thousands of people across Asia for illegal gambling on the World Cup.
But are raids and gambling bans only making betting addiction worse?
We'll explore that on CONNECT THE WORLD, up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: A warm welcome back.
This is CONNECT THE WORLD.
I'm Becky Anderson for you now.
One of the world's new sporting events is an irresistible lure to gamblers. And now, thousands are paying the price. Police in China, Malaysia, Singapore and in Thailand have arrested more than 5,000 people for illegal betting on the World Cup. Authorities raided scores of gambling dens, seizing millions of dollars.
We'll start this part of the show with Dan Rivers in Bangkok.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The scope and sweep of this operation is pretty breathtaking. Five thousand people arrested with raids across a whole handful of Asian countries involving $10 million being seized. This is the third such operation that Interpol has presided over, connected to betting, illegal gambling, specifically, this time, illegal gambling on the soccer World Cup.
Let me give you a breakdown of some interesting figures that Interpol have given me.
In China alone, they carried out 322 raids. They said the amount of bets involved totaled more than $53 million. In Malaysia, the total amount of bets involved was $100 million. There were 28 raids in Singapore. And in Thailand, 186 raids, with a total number of arrests at 2,894.
So that gives you an idea of just the sheer scale of this.
In previous years, in 2008, for example, during the European championships, Interpol conducted a similar operation. There were 1,300 arrests. And in 2007, a similar operation with 400 arrests.
In total, taking all those three operations together, Interpol says they have now arrested 7,000 people, seized $26 million and that $2 billion worth of bets were handled by these illegal betting syndicates.
Betting is illegal in much of Asia, but it is culturally ingrained in many countries. And the World Cup there is always a spike in illegal betting and it's been massive this year.
People here in Asia bet on pretty much everything. If it's a game of cards in a back alley to the results of the biggest football tournament in the world.
But certainly Interpol thinks that it's had a major success with this operation, cracking down on these gangs, which they say are linked to organized crime, which are involved in people trafficking, prostitution and money laundering.
So they're saying this has been a massive success.
Dan Rivers, CNN. Bangkok.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
ANDERSON: All right, let's take a closer look, shall we, at the rules on gambling in Asia?
They really do vary.
Let's get a snapshot for you here. Macau has some of the most relaxed laws in the world, the largest gaming city in the world, boasting 34 casinos.
Well, in Japan, most gambling is banned, although lotteries and some public sports betting is permitted.
In Malaysia, gambling is banned for Muslims. For non-Muslims it is allowed on horse racing, the lottery and one casino.
Well, as with drugs today and alcohol decades ago in the United States, there is a huge body of thought that says that prohibition largely failed.
So why make it illegal?
Well, to help us out with that question, we're joined now by David Schwartz.
He's the director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada in that Mecca of gambling, Las Vegas.
How surprised, David, were you by the extent of the illegal betting in Asia in Dan's report?
DAVID SCHWARTZ, UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, LAS VEGAS: It's not very surprising, because gambling in Asia is very popular. Certainly, if you look at the legal casinos in Asia, in Macau, the ones from Singapore that just opened, you can see that, really, there is a tremendous demand for gambling in Asia.
ANDERSON: Yes, I mean Dan is suggesting that it's illegal, but culturally ingrained.
I guess the question there then is why is it illegal?
I mean it -- you know, culturally, unacceptable, I understand.
But can you see it becoming legal at some point in Asia?
SCHWARTZ: I think so. You know, I think a lot of to it depends on bigger economic factors. In the United States, we have seen a lot of gambling legal -- legalization happen as the economy has slowed down. You know, this is going back to the '30s and the Great Depression. That was when you had a lot of horse race betting being legalized. Further on, in the '60s and '70s, you had a lot of -- a lot of lotteries. And in the '90s and today, you have a lot of casinos being legalized.
So I think we could see the same thing in -- in many different Asian countries.
ANDERSON: There are, though, costs, aren't there?
What are those costs?
SCHWARTZ: Well, there's a certain percentage of people that's probably around 2 percent or so of the adult population develops problems gambling. And these are very severe problems, certainly nothing to be minimized. So that is one of the consequences of gambling, whether it's legal or -- or illegal.
ANDERSON: And as Dan suggested in his report, a lot of industries, it seems, associated with illegal betting these days, not least trafficking and money laundering for example. That is going to stand in the way of any lack of enthusiasm, as it were, or any enthusiasm for betting to become legal, one would think.
SCHWARTZ: It is, yes. Certainly there's problems with -- with legal betting. But the problems of illegal bet an -- betting are usually even greater. So then you do have the potential for money laundering. You have the potential for a lot more corruption when the games are illegal than when they're legal.
So I think you'll see them no matter what.
ANDERSON: All right, it isn't going to stop, so who around the world is getting the rules and regulations right at this point?
SCHWARTZ: Well, you know, Europe is becoming more and more progressive about legalizing lots of forms of gambling. They certainly have very vigorous sports betting, you know, a football betting regime. I think the United States is looking at legalizing more forms of online gambling in the future and Canada has done the same. And Asia may -- many of the countries there really are moving forward with casinos. I think sports betting is going to take a little while to catch up.
ANDERSON: How does that Internet fit in, David?
SCHWARTZ: I think it fits in in a big way. You know, basically, the Internet makes the world a lot smaller. Whether that means that you're going to ban political dissent in your country or ban betting on football teams in your country, it makes it a lot harder. So I think that the Internet lets people do things that they normally wouldn't be able to do at home.
ANDERSON: And it lets people gambling across borders, of course.
So what is the point of any legislation going forward on a -- on a nationwide or a nation state basis when you've got the online gambling environment out there?
SCHWARTZ: We really are seeing kind of the end of the nation state as far as gambling goes. It's really hard to enforce these prohibitions when they're just the click of the mouse away. The place where nations can really take the lead is by becoming entrepreneurs and licensing and regulating casinos and trying to attract them. That way, at least, they get some of the tax dollars and some of the employment from it.
ANDERSON: My friend (ph) says that Americans spend as much as $380 billion -- 3-8-0 billion dollars on illegal betting. That's an awful lot of money.
Have you got any sense of how big the industry is around the world?
SCHWARTZ: It's -- it's huge. It's going to be really big. It's hard by nature -- for nature to get estimates of this because the gambling that is illegal is illegal. It's not really monitored the way legal gaming is. So it's hard, but it's -- it's pretty big. You know, when you consider that about $1 trillion is gambled legally around the world in a year...
ANDERSON: Right.
SCHWARTZ: -- I think that gives you some of the perspective. So whatever it is, it's a big number.
ANDERSON: Wow!
David Schwartz, we thank you very much, indeed for joining us here in London.
It is 22 minutes past 9:00 in the evening, in Vegas, not quite as late.
You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD here on CNN.
Citizen power against the bulldozer -- how one green pioneer helped save a national beauty from a national disaster.
That right up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, if you've been with us all this week, you'll know that we've been bringing you stories of environmental pioneers -- inspirational people such as Rizwana Hasan who has tied -- tirelessly fought against the toxic danger of the ship breaking industry in Bangladesh.
We've also heard about Wu Lihong's crusade against big business in China. He's risking prison to save the country's third largest freshwater lake.
And we cross over to the U.S. to meet
Yvonne Chinard (ph). He's founded one of the world's first green companies. His vision of what's good for the planet is also good for business.
Well, today we travel to Poland, home of one of Europe's few unspoiled areas of natural beauty. Until recently, this site was threatened by a controversial motorway project.
Well, here is the story of a woman who spearheaded a landmark victory for the environment.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's considered one of Europe's last great wilderness areas -- the Rospuda Valley in Eastern Poland, with its majestic wetlands -- untouched except for this abandoned bridge that leads to nowhere.
Poland's government was going to build a superhighway right through the protected area. But Malgorzata Gorska led an effort to stop it.
(on camera): The only thing they built was that bridge right here.
MALGORZATA GORSKA, ENVIRONMENTALIST: Yes. This section is the section of the route which was planned just to enter the protected area.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And a highway was supposed to straight through here?
GORSKA: Yes. Along this red line. So it was planned to cut the protected area for a few kilometers here and then again here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (voice-over): Poland's government had already given the go ahead for the highway.
(on camera): What are these about?
GORSKA: Yes. Well, this red dot means that this tree was to be cut because this place where we are at the moment was planned to be a highway.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was exactly where the road was going through?
GORSKA: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (voice-over): It took Malgorzata Gorska and other environmentalists more than six years to stop the project. They gathered scientific evidence showing the devastating impact on wildlife. They protested and they petitioned the European Union. Finally, polish courts ruled the construction was in breach of European environmental laws.
GORSKA: Because they support a lot of deer (ph) and extinct in other places species and habitats. The Polish Society for the Protection of Birds found more than 20 free species of the birds protected under the European Bird Directive breeding here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The highway will now take an alternate route, bypassing the protected areas -- one of the first major victories for conservationists in post-communist Poland.
Malgorzata Gorska won a prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for her efforts.
But success comes at a price. Because there's no highway, heavy trucks are congesting the road in towns like Augustow, near the protected area. Many residents worry about the health and safety of those living here.
"We've had enough," this woman says. "there are so many accidents here. My friend was killed on the corner over there. We just don't know what to do anymore."
GORSKA: I absolutely agree that Augustow City and the people living here need the tie-in bypass as soon as possible. But they were told that the only way to have the bypass is to get into the wetlands and to -- to damage the protected area. And this is not right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For now, the Rospuda Valley will remain untouched. Stopping the highway is seen as a landmark for conservation efforts in Poland.
Frederik Pleitgen, CNN, in the Rospuda Valley, Poland.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
ANDERSON: rounding out your look at environmental pioneers here on CONNECT THE WORLD.
Well, terrorism is nothing new in Pakistan's northwest tribal regions, but as we've seen in recent weeks, it is spreading to the country's industrial heartland. Up next, we're going to take a look at the growing alarm over attacks in the Punjab Province and see who may be behind them.
This is CONNECT THE WORLD.
I'm Becky Anderson.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: A very warm welcome back.
You're watching CNN and CONNECT THE WORLD.
I'm Becky Anderson in London.
Coming up, we're going to have a report on growing skepticism in Pakistan -- frustration over how the government plans to clamp down on the so-called Punjabi Taliban.
Then, a remarkable story of the crane driver who made Open golf history, becoming probably the world's most enthusiastic botanic (ph) player.
And she's trying once again. Perhaps the most unusual voice to make it to the mainstream success. Macy Gray is your Connector of the Day.
All those stories ahead in the next half hour. First, let's get you an update of the headlines.
Optimism tempered with caution as BP continues tests on a containment cap. So far, it's stopped the flow of oil that had been leaking into the Gulf of Mexico. Pressure inside the cap is rising, meaning there may be no other leaks. Officials stress this is not, though, a permanent solution. They expect to resume siphoning oil to the surface after the test is completed.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs submits the firm's new iPhone 4 drops more calls than its predecessor. But, he says, the issue has been blown out of proportion. Apple's solution to what's called "antenna-gate" -- free cases for the phones. The cases are called bumpers, and everybody's going to get one, apparently.
Streets more like rivers in south China. Torrential rains have caused heavy flooding. At least 146 people have been killed and 40 others are missing. The government says it's pledging nearly $55 million for disaster relief.
A Sunni militant group is claiming responsibility for two suicide bombings that killed at least 25 people in Iran. In a statement on its website, the group Jundallah says that Thursday's attacks at the Grand Mosque in Zahedan were retaliation for the execution of its leader earlier this year.
To a story that we've been following closely here on CONNECT THE WORLD. The growing threat of terrorism in Pakistan. Authorities say banned militant groups are now joining forces in the country's most economically important province. Equally troubling, some also have alleged ties to powerful politicians. Nic Robertson with your report from Lahore.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Terrorism in Pakistan's most populous province, Punjab, is on the rise. An attack on the country's holiest Sufi shrine the most recent. Dozens of other deadly assaults in the past year.
Officials here blame a new, loose alliance of militant groups being dubbed "the Punjabi Taliban."
REHMAN MALIK, INTERIOR MINISTER OF PAKISTAN: But factually speaking, the proscribe organizations are, of course, from Punjab, most of them.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): And that's a worry. Punjab's stability is vital for Pakistan and its US allies. It's the country's bread basket. Its industrial heartland. Home to more than half the country's population and most of its military and political establishment.
Even so, Punjabi officials offer mixed signals on their Taliban problem.
ASLAM TAREEM, LAHORE POLICE CHIEF: This is a very lying notion, impression, that there's a Punjabi Taliban. Which means that there some camps, some training camps in south of Punjab. But I don't think so.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Yet, in the same interview, the police chief admits the threat from the Punjabi Taliban is huge. They receive training from the ethnically different Taliban in the lawless tribal border regions.
TAREEM: We have recovered 6,000 kilograms of explosive.
ROBERTSON (on camera): Six thousand kilograms?
TAREEM: Six thousand kilograms, yes.
ROBERTSON (on camera): This is a bomb factory.
TAREEM: Yes.
ROBERTSON (on camera): The fear is the government could repeat the mistakes here in Punjab that it made in the mountainous valleys north of the capital Islamabad last year. When it finally heeded warnings that the Taliban were getting stronger and sent in the army on an offensive, hundreds of thousands of people were displaced. And experts warn that such an operation here, in the densely populated plains of the Punjab, would be a disaster.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): This respected moderate cleric's father was killed last summer for speaking out against the Taliban. A year and many more killings later, he is furious there's been no crackdown.
MULANA RAGHIB NAEEMI, NAEEMI MADRASSA: Government should ban terrorist groups completely. Not only on the name, but also on their working, their leader, and on their literature.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): And therein lies a problem. The government has banned 17 groups in Punjab, but takes little action against their members.
This man is a leader of one of the banned groups blamed for terror. An accusation Khadim Hassain Dhellon denies.
"I have hundreds of thousands of followers," he says. "If I'm arrested, they'll join the Taliban in the tribal region."
But his arrest is unlikely. He claims to have helped some of the country's most powerful politicians get elected by campaigning with them and telling his supporters to vote for them.
"It's my right to support them," he declares. "But I expect support from them as well." He says, "Now is the time for the government to talk to us."
MALIK: First, you get all your terrorists into one playground, have them surrounded. I'll make you an arrest, publicly, and then we'll see what concession can we give.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Since the attack on the shrine, the Punjab and federal governments have tried to look strong. For this moderate cleric, that's a step too far.
NAEEMI: They are the killers. They are the terrorists. They are the rebellion. And by rebellion, by terrorist, by the killer, there is no negotiation.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Few here think the attacks are over. And with indecision and inaction, the Punjabi Taliban grow stronger. Nic Robertson, CNN, Lahore, Pakistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Right. Coming up next, the Open Championship is underway in St. Andrews in Scotland. We'll bring you the latest golfing standings. Plus, a look back at one of the most infamous golfers ever to tee off there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: The South African golfer nick-named "Shrek" braved monstrous winds to take a five-stroke lead after the second round of the Open Championship. Rounding up the day's action from St. Andrews for you, here is Mr. Justin Armsden.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JUSTIN ARMSDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): On a day when the weather featured a little bit of everything, the scoring was all over the place as well. Louis Oosthuizen and Mark Calcavecchia managed to find their way through the changing conditions early on, each shooting five under, leaving them atop the leader board.
Meanwhile, everybody else tried not fall out of contention while contending with the wind, sun, rain, and everything else Mother Nature could muster.
LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN, LEADER AT 12 UNDER PAR: I think we got a bit lucky. When we got to 14, the rain died. The wind died a bit, as well, and the last five holes played pretty easy, I think, than it would have then.
MARK CALCAVECCHIA, 7 UNDER PAR: We saw a little bit of everything. It started raining, it got pretty windy. Then it stopped and got really cold, threw the mittens on for a while, then it started raining again. And then the wind switched around, which actually helped for the last five holes, really. All-in-all, it's a great score on a difficult day. Not what I call impossible, but difficult for sure.
PAUL CASEY, 6 UNDER PAR: I think it's much tougher this afternoon than it was this morning. I'd much rather have the rain and fairly calm conditions. As long as you don't get too much water on the golf ball.
OOSTHUIZEN: There's a lot of golf left. It's a tough -- it's still tough out there, and you've got a great field of players behind you. But I think to anyone, winning an Open Championship is unbelievable, and winning it at St. Andrews is just something special.
ARMSDEN (on camera): Oosthuizen had never made the cut in a major in five attempts until this weekend. While the wind and the old course conspired to test the resolve of the entire field, the South African will now face an even stiffer test. Leading the field in a major championship with the finish line in sight. Justin Armsden, CNN, St. Andrews, Scotland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And at this time on a Friday, we would normally know who had made the cut and who was staying into the next round. Because of those conditions, there, there are still some 30 players left to play their Friday golf. So won't be until tomorrow that we find out who, indeed, will make the cut in St. Andrews.
Well, golf legend Jack Nicklaus says, "If a golfer is to be remembered, he must win at St. Andrews." But my next guest is proof that fame comes in many guises, and winning at the legendary home of golf isn't a requirement.
Simon Farnaby has written a new book about the infamous golfer, Maurice Flitcroft. Now, he entered the British Open in 1976 by calling himself a professional, despite picking up the sport just earlier that year.
To this day, his score is the worst ever recorded in the British Open, 49 over par. Amazingly, that was not the last time that Flitcroft played professional golf. Simon Farnaby tells us more now about the life and career of an unlikely golfing legend.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SIMON FARNABY, CO-AUTHOR, "PHANTOM OF THE OPEN": Well, Maurice was a 46-year-old crane driver from Barrow-in-Furness. He'd worked in the shipyard all of his life. And he got a color TV in 1974, switched it on, and there was golf in all its glorious technicolor. For the first time, he saw golf, and he went, "That looks like the sport for me."
Went down to a local library, because he was too poor to join a club. Hired some clubs and went to the beach with his dog, Beau. Hit a couple of good shots, and went, "I think I'm ready for the British Open."
(LAUGHTER)
FARNABY: And so he entered. And he ticked "professional" by mistake. He got a tee-off time, an open-qualifier, and then shot the worst round ever recorded.
ANDERSON: Which was?
FARNABY: Which was 121.
ANDERSON: Which is about -- it's par 72, isn't it?
FARNABY: It's 49 over par.
ANDERSON: It's probably what I would shoot, actually.
The Open wasn't the only tournament that he entered in the end, was it?
FARNABY: Oh, he did enter European Open as well. And he --
ANDERSON: How? How did he get into these things?
FARNABY: He kind of had a way with -- he used to write letters, and he used to brag a bit. He once wrote to Bob Hope to get into the Bob Hope Classic, saying, "Well, I've watched all your movies, so the least you can do is let me into your --" He didn't get in that one, actually.
But he actually -- he went in disguise a lot, because the R&A banned him from using his own name. They didn't want him. So he used to go under pseudonyms and in disguise. So he would have a false mustache and a hat and a wig. And he went as a Swiss golfer called Gerald Hoppy, an American golfer called Gene Paceki, Arnold Palmtree.
ANDERSON: Arnold Palmtree?
FARNABY: Yes, he tried to get in as Arnold Palmtree, but he didn't -- that was a bit of a joke name. But he played under these pseudonyms. I think his dream was that one day he would eventually win the Open, and then he would take his hat off and go, "It's me, Maurice Flitcroft."
But he never got further than -- Well, he had the 121 and, subsequently, when tried another four times, he got nine holes, and then they discovered who he was. Recognized his swing and threw him off the course. And then he survived six holes, they threw him off. And the last time, in 1990, when he was 60 years old, he lasted two holes.
ANDERSON: Amazing.
FARNABY: So --
ANDERSON: He was in his mid-70s, sadly, when he passed away.
FARNABY: Yes.
ANDERSON: Was he any good at golf by then?
FARNABY: Apparently -- Well, when he played in the -- when he shot the worst round ever, one of his playing partners said that he gripped the club like he was about to murder someone. And wielded it like an ax murderer.
And we -- in the book, we use his unpublished autobiography that we found in the bottom of a drawer at one of his friends' houses. And in it, he says about two years before he died, he realized that it wasn't all about brute strength, it was about timing. And then he said he was playing the best golf of his life. But it was too late by then.
ANDERSON: Amazing stories.
FARNABY: Who knows? He could have still -- he was still determined to get into the Open even to his dying day. I think he knew he was past his best. But who knows? He might have discovered the secret?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Maurice Flitcroft wasn't the only amateur athlete to turn in a less than stellar performance on the world stage. CNN's Terry Baddoo is at CNN Center with more. Terry?
TERRY BADDOO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Becky. Where there's a will, there's a way, as they say.
For example, Ghanaian skier Kwame-Nkrumah Acheampong, alias "The Snow Leopard," tried to manage expectations just before the Winter Olympics earlier this year. Now, he'd only learned to ski six years previously on a dry slope. Ghana has mountains, but no snow. And his dreams were modest ahead of the Vancouver Games. Kwame telling CNN that he just wanted to ski well and not come last. And he didn't, finishing 47th out of 102.
Eric "The Eel" Moussambani was just plain lucky at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. The swimmer from Equatorial Guinea was invited to the Games as part of a program for increased participation from developing countries. Technically, though, he was out of his depth, as he'd never raced more than 50 meters before. And was luck on his side when his only two competitors in the 100 freestyle both had false starts. So, though he struggled to finish, Eric was the official winner of his heat.
The most famous optimist was Eddie "The Eagle," who won the hearts of people all over the world when he became the first ever British Olympic ski jumper in 1988. And aren't we proud. OK, he came in dead last. But he certainly left his mark on the Olympics for good.
That said, the notion of a have-a-go hero may be gone from the Games forever, as the International Olympic Committee has since tightened qualifications standards to prevent a repeat performance.
Away from the Games, though, inferior athletes made a splash on the big stage. Take Rosie Ruiz, for example. She entered the New York City Marathon. She just run much of it. Instead, she took a shortcut. On the subway. And she wasn't done, as her time qualified her in the Boston Marathon, which she won. But only after joining it one mile from the finish, having jumped out of the crowd. Fittingly, she was stripped of the title a few days later.
Becky, there's hope for us yet.
ANDERSON: Absolutely. So, good Friday to you. Thanks very much, indeed, for joining us. Terry Baddoo there at the CNN Center.
Well, she is one of the most distinctive voices in the music world today. She's got a very unique personality to match. Macy Gray, up next, is your Connector of the Day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: You recognize that. Five albums in the bag, but has Macy Gray finally made the album that she's always wanted? I caught up with her earlier this week, and this how we started the conversation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MACY GRAY, SINGER-SONGWRITER: It's just definitely its own little evolution of just how I've grown as an artist and a singer, and things that I know now, you know? And things I want to talk about. Mostly it's very pure, it's very honest, and it's a record that has themes and stories that everybody can relate to. It's beautiful. I really like it.
ANDERSON: James is one of our viewers, and he asks, "Why did you decide to call it 'Sellout'?" He said, "You're not referring to yourself in any way, are you?"
GRAY: Well, of course, it's a prediction on the success of my album. Really in the world today, with the recession and the war and all the disasters that we have every other week, it seems like, everybody has been put in this position of, "well, we're going to have to adjust to things being different." And lots of compromises, and doing things that we normally wouldn't do, or wouldn't want to do.
ANDERSON: Did you enjoy doing it, more than any other album? How did it differ?
GRAY: Well, this album I did on my own. I wasn't attached to a label when I made it. I made it on my own, and then I went out and got it attached. So it was -- I didn't have all the opinion, and I didn't have to answer to anyone. And I did it on my own time, with all the people that I wanted to work with, and I said what I wanted to say. And I made the record that I wanted to make.
ANDERSON: So many people work with what are the sort of hot producers around these days. You chose not to do that. Why?
GRAY: Because there's nothing like hunger, or desire. And a lot of times when people are new, when they haven't gotten to where they want to get to yet, there's just like this heartbeat that you get in the studio. Because they want it so bad, and it comes out in the songs. So, I really like that.
ANDERSON: Tania has written to us, and asks, "Is there someone that you'd like to work with that you haven't worked with yet?"
GRAY: Most of the people I want to collaborate with are all dead. But I'm a fan of a few others that I'd like to work with. But mostly, I would've loved to do a record with Bob Marley or something like that. Or John Lennon duet.
ANDERSON: Fantastic. As a mother of three, how do you balance your life and your work?
GRAY: It's very difficult, because your career and motherhood are both 24/7. It's really -- you just get -- it's just a natural, when you get up, and you've got to do this, and you've got to take your kid there, but you've got to go show up to that interview, and you just go do it. It's not really -- if you think about it, you'll probably shoot yourself. You just have to go do it.
ANDERSON: Are the kids going to get into the industry, do you think? Are you encouraging them in?
GRAY: Yes, they all play an instrument. But I don't know if it's what they want to do forever. My son, actually, wrote on the album. He wrote on a song called "That Man." He's really interested in music. But my daughters both play piano and my oldest plays the drums, but I don't think that they're that in.
ANDERSON: You're not necessarily going to encourage them.
GRAY: Well, no, I would never discourage them. I think they're going to do what they want to do, you know?
ANDERSON: Terry asks, "How do you feel about successful musicians being forced to act like role models? And do you see yourself as a role model?"
GRAY: It depends. I don't think you have to be role model all the time, but if you do something great and there are kids out there, or people who are inspired by what you do, and then they go do something great, then that's awesome. But I don't think it's something you have to carry with you every hour of every day. Because you're still human.
ANDERSON: Not your responsibility. Christ Thomas has written. He says, "You've always seemed so real, so different, and so unique. How," he says, "do you manage to keep these qualities when you're also so famous, of course?"
GRAY: I don't know. That's another thing I don't think about. I just -- you just are who you are. I don't know.
ANDERSON: Get on with it, is what you'd say.
GRAY: Terrible answer.
ANDERSON: That's all right. Jen's written in. She says, "What do you most like and dislike in people? And what would you do as" what she calls "your 'bucket list' that you haven't done yet?"
GRAY: My bucket list -- I just want to keep making records. I want to do a jazz record. I want to do a cover album. I want to do a dance record. I want to -- I just want to make a lot more music. And I'm writing a movie, and I wrote a cartoon. I write a lot. I write all the time.
ANDERSON: I figured you'd say, "I want to make a lot of money." But I guess I do too.
GRAY: Well, that all comes with all the other stuff that I mentioned.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Macy Gray, a legend. And one of the most legendary rock bands in music history still lighting their fire nearly 50 years on. Spearheaded by their late but iconic lead singer, Jim Morrison, The Doors broke out from the 60s West Coast scene and influenced generations of young people worldwide. Still performing and making music, a keyboardist -- I don't know how you say it, he plays the keyboards, however. Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger, and they are your Connectors of the Day on Monday.
And we want you to help choose who should be your Connector of the Day. Who do you want to see on this show? Do leave your suggestions at cnn.com/connect. Or do tweet me @beckycnn. Remember to tell us where you're writing in from. That's for you, it's your part of the show.
Coming up next, we'll be back a few more minutes. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Something in the air is our theme for World in Pictures tonight as we go through the lens. Still up in the air, somewhere above Arizona is this British solar-powered plane. The Zephyr has just smashed the endurance record for an unmanned flight of seven days.
Next up, flying high, but with his feet firmly fixed to the ground, a boy plays joyfully with his kite in a neighborhood in Islamabad. Isn't that a beautiful picture?
And when the air conditioning fails, a man pushing a drinks caddy is what you need, isn't it? This worker came to the rescue of thousands of passengers trapped in a Berlin train in sauna-like conditions.
And, finally, finding the air from a bunker is golfer Steve Stricker. This shot on the 17th at St. Andrews saw the American go one over par for the hole. He still managed to make the cut to play in the final round of the Open Championship this weekend. Still, though, some players to play out their second round. The weather has been absolutely atrocious there.
So, something in the air in our World in Pictures this evening. Now, you the viewers are weighing in on the latest developments in the Gulf. More than 800 responses on our blog. Let's get you to some of them. Somebody who goes by the name of PenWinslow says, "I pray the test results will be the very best and the oil will never leak again."
Grafixer is cautious. "Used to be no news is good news. But with this incident, every time there is a silence, it turns out to be some major thing that is happening and the public doesn't know about it until afterwards."
Polyrhythms believes "it's not a victory until every ounce of manpower and funds are used to clean up everything."
Get your voice heard here on CNN. Do join those who have already written in. Head to the website, cnn.com/connect. And do not forget to tell us where you're writing in from.
We've also been getting a lot of comments on another of the stories that we've been following for you. The problems with the iPhone. Apple supremo Steve Jobs has today offered free cases to all owners of the new iPhone 4. Now it is all about fixing reception problems widely reported by unhappy customers. Well, you've been telling us your own experiences with the iPhone 4.
JimS says, "How have I fixed it? I haven't. I haven't experienced any problem, so there's been nothing to fix."
Bill writes, "I've yet to drop a call. This is all overblown by the press, just so they can get more clicks on their sites."
Ben reports, "I've recently gotten a case for my phone and now the problem is impossible to reproduce."
But Iam Famous is livid. "I paid all this money to get the latest toy and I have to hold it in a certain way? Jobs," he says, "you've failed us."
I'm Becky Anderson in London. That is your world connected here on a Friday evening. BackStory is next, right after this very quick check of the headlines, so do stay with us.
A Sunni militant group is claiming responsibility for two suicide bombings that killed at least 25 people in Iran. In a statement on its website, the group Jundallah said that Thursday's attacks at the Grand Mosque in Zahedan were retaliations for the execution of its leader earlier this year.
END
