Astronauts check off to-do list on spacewalk

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) -- Endeavour's astronauts embarked on the fifth and final spacewalk of their mission Saturday, this time attaching a 50-foot inspection pole to the international space station for use by the next shuttle visitors.

Michael Foreman and Robert Behnken floated out the hatch late in the afternoon as the linked shuttle and station soared more than 200 miles above the Pacific. They planned to spacewalk the night away.

"Spacewalk No. 5 out of five. It's going to be a great one," said their commander, Dominic Gorie.

The shuttle astronauts used the laser-tipped inspection boom at the beginning of their 16-day mission and again Friday night to check for any damage to their ship. It's become a routine safety procedure ever since the 2003 Columbia incident. Watch the astronauts at home on the space station »

Discovery won't have room for a boom when it flies in May; the huge Japanese Kibo lab will take up the entire payload bay. So Endeavour's astronauts left theirs behind.

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Foreman and Behnken hooked an extra-long power cord to the inspection pole, to keep its lasers and cameras warm for the next two months, and then secured the boom to the outside of the space station.

With the boom work quickly completed, the spacewalkers turned to less pressing chores. They were to inspect a jammed rotating joint that has restricted the use of a set of solar wings for months and take another crack at hanging some scientific experiments to the European lab, Columbus.

Behnken was unable to hook the experiments to Columbus' hull during spacewalk No. 3 earlier in the week because of some sort of interference. He took out smaller pins and cable ties this time; if the pins didn't work, he planned to lash down the briefcase-size box of experiments.

As for the jammed rotating solar joint, it's filled with metal shavings because of grinding parts.

NASA has been trying since last fall to figure out what is broken and how best to fix the joint. Spacewalking astronauts inspected the joint several times and even collected samples of the steel grit for analysis back on Earth. But five covers had yet to be removed, and that's where Foreman was going to focus his efforts.

Saturday night's spacewalk was the last major space station job for Endeavour's crew. The shuttle arrived at the orbiting complex March 12, delivering the first section of the Kibo lab and a Canadian robot with 11-foot arms that is designed to assist future spacewalkers.

Endeavour is scheduled to undock from the space station Monday night and land at Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday night. The shuttle will have spent 12 days at the station, the longest shuttle visit ever. E-mail to a friend

Viral videos win big at second YouTube Awards

NEW YORK (AP) -- And the winner for best music video: "Chocolate Rain."

Amber Lee Ettinger, known for her video "I got a crush on Obama" was up for an award in the Politics category.

Tay Zonday morphed from an unknown musician to an Internet superstar who got booked on national TV shows after his song "Chocolate Rain" -- an amateur clip of his baritone crooning -- went viral last year.

Now he's among the 12 winners of the second annual YouTube Video Awards, recognizing the top user-created videos of 2007.

YouTube users voted on six nominees for each category: music, sports, comedy, instructional, short film, inspirational, commentary, creative, politics, series, eyewitness and "adorable."

"It's the new Emmys," Zonday, 25, said of the video-sharing site's awards in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "It's the next Oscars. The next People's Choice Awards. It'll be interesting to see what happens five years, 10 years (from now)."

His competition included comely singer-songwriter Mia Rose and "the vegetable orchestra," featuring a jam session with a carrot flute and squash drum.

Neil Cicierega's video featuring "Harry Potter" hand puppets (and Professor Dumbledore without any clothes on) won for best comedy video. Guillaume Reymond's "Human Tetris" won most creative video.

Chris Crocker, who shot to stardom in his video freak-out over Britney Spears' public meltdown, was beat in the commentary category by a clip from Michael Buckley of the popular online show "What the Buck?" slamming fellow YouTube celebrity Lonelygirl15.

The Obama Girl, aka Amber Lee Ettinger, whose "I Got A Crush On Obama" clip has been seen more than 7 million times, didn't wind up winning in the politics category. That honor went to the serious-minded "Stop the Clash of Civilizations" video by the global organization avaaz.org.

"The (political) video that actually won in an election year wasn't one that had anything to do with the election itself," said YouTube spokesman Aaron Ferstman. "(It's a) video that deals with ... serious issues like discrimination, and that video's done in kind of a neat way that speaks to young people."

Best eyewitness video was the epic "Battle at Kruger," which has drawn more than 26 million views to its astonishing footage of a baby water buffalo surviving an attack by lions -- and a crocodile! -- in the African prairie. It was up against the news-making clip of a University of Florida student pleading "Don't tase me, bro!" as police removed him from a John Kerry forum.

Ben Shelton's "My Name is Lisa" -- a drama about a young girl and her mother who has Alzheimer's -- triumphed in the newly added short film category. The winning Web series was "The Guild," a comedy about a group of obsessed online gamers.

The Texas Country Reporter's video about a blind painter won most inspirational video. The "Balloon Bowl" clip of a guy skateboarding in, well, a balloon-filled bowl snagged best sports video. And the incredibly cute, compulsively watchable "Laughing Baby" clip was voted most adorable.

Dan Brown's video "How to Solve a Rubik's Cube (Part One)" scored in the instructional category.

Ferstman said the prizes consist of "notoriety" and a trophy he described as "very heavy with a metal base" supporting a "big glass `play' button."

Ferstman said: "These are the (videos) that really will stand out and over time, you know, you'll say, `Hey, do you remember the Laughing Baby'?"

Zonday, who streams music from his YouTube channel, MySpace page and personal Web site, said he hopes to earn "a living making art and producing music," and is pursuing a voice-over career. He's flattered by the numerous online parodies of "Chocolate Rain," which has garnered nearly 16 million views.

"A lot of people see political commentary in (the song)," he said. "A lot of people find humor in it. A lot of people, they say their 2-year-olds can't stop repeating it at bedtime, so lots of people get different things out of the song. And I think the greatest consequence and the greatest mileage it can have is to get people asking questions."

What's the key to YouTube success?

"Just be very authentic and put yourself out there," he said in his mellifluous voice. "You'll never know what will happen." E-mail to a friend

Tips and tricks for your mobile device

(CNN) -- You don't always need a fancy cell phone or pricey add-ons to take advantage of today's most useful wireless technology.

Voice recognition software now allows you to dictate a message into your phone to be sent in text form.

CNN.com asked experts in the mobile field how users can make the most of what the devices have to offer.

Boost your browsing

If your mobile Web browsing experience leaves something to be desired, you're not alone. Unless you own an Apple iPhone, which many experts say offers more user-friendly Internet capability, small screens coupled with tiny keyboards can make Web surfing frustrating.

But if you have a laptop and a phone, you may be able to use them together to the best advantage, says Chris Silva, analyst for Forrester Research, a technology and market research firm.

Tethering -- or plugging in -- your laptop to your mobile device will allow your computer to use the phone's connection for the Internet.

It's a tool that often gets overlooked, Silva says, but it can connect you at speeds comparable to a DSL or cable modem line.

In the absence of a laptop you can enhance the Web experience on the phone itself by disabling style sheets or java script. The operations are processor intensive, Silva says, making them difficult for a cell phone to handle.

Give your thumbs a break

Need to send an e-mail or text message but your hands are tied? Voice recognition technology has made advancements that can take the burden off your text-weary thumbs.

Jott, a free service and a favorite of Rick Broida, author of "How to Do Everything With Your Palm Handheld," transcribes your voice to text and delivers that message via e-mail to anyone in your Jott address book.

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For example, Broida says, you can e-mail a co-worker or your entire sales team, all while your hands are on the wheel of your car.

Services such as SimulScribe and the U.K.-based SpinVox will save you the trouble of listening to your voice mail by transcribing the voice messages and sending them to you in text form.

Similarly, voice recognition software on your smart phone lets you speak into the phone and have that message show up on a computer it's synced with, says Sean Ryan, analyst for market research firm IDC.

Put your camera to use

Whether you're tired of taking notes or your pen runs dry during a business meeting, your phone could come to your rescue.

In addition to using its camera for personal photos, you can take snapshots of notes, whiteboards and documents.

Broida recommends services including Qipit or Scanr, which allow you to convert those pictures to a clearer PDF form. You can save the images online or deliver them as e-mails or faxes.

Save cash overseas

Wondering if you need to get a new phone for an overseas trip? It's not necessary if you're an AT&T or T-Mobile subscriber, says Ryan. Those services use the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) standard, while carriers such as Verizon Wireless and Sprint use the CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) standard.

GSM phones -- but not CDMA phones -- use SIM cards, which carry your user information. Rather than renting an entirely new phone abroad, you can rent a SIM card and stick that into your existing phone, Ryan says. But he warns that you will need a new card for every country you visit because roaming agreements vary. And with each new card, you'll get a different phone number.

Without GSM, you would need a world phone to keep your existing phone and number while you're abroad. The world phone can roam on both the GSM and CDMA networks, allowing CDMA carriers to work around the technology's limitations, Ryan says.

To curb your roaming costs, try to turn off your smart phone's data connection whenever you can, Ryan says.

You're charged by the kilobit when you're roaming, so receiving a slew of e-mails or a stream of information from the Internet can rack up a hefty charge, he says.

Lose your phone? Don't despair

Losing your phone on the road doesn't necessarily mean all the information in it is gone -- or even insecure.

For those with a smart phone that's synced to a corporate e-mail account, an information technology administrator has the ability to remotely wipe the lost phone clean of data and lock it, Ryan says.

He also suggests protecting your smart phone with a password. While you will be able to answer voice calls, your device will be otherwise unusable without a code if it's been idle for a certain amount of time.

To make it easier to retrieve your phone, Broida suggests using a lost-and-found service.

With services such as Stuffbak and TrackItBack, you tag your phone with the company's sticker and then register it. If someone finds it, the sticker will direct that person to the Web site and phone number. The service will do its best to reunite you with your lost phone. E-mail to a friend

Come play on Captiva

(Southern Living) -- Under the glow of a southwest Florida sun, sleek sailboats dance on turquoise seas. With every gentle lapping of the warm blue water on Captiva, a whispered tinkling sound settles around your bare feet. It's the murmur of the Gulf of Mexico tumbling pink, orange, red, gray and blue shells on the ivory sand.

Colorful spinnakers dance in the wind as students run their last afternoon with an instructor at Steve and Doris Colgate's Offshore Sailing School.

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My family comes to this island paradise to play far from the crowds. Any place named for a pirate getaway has to be thrilling. This little spit of land includes a tiny village and a gleaming newly rebuilt resort. You'll discover a laid-back atmosphere that lacks the try-too-hard trappings of other destinations. Amid the lush palmettos, sea grapes and sea oats, you'll find no buildings taller than a palm tree, no traffic lights and no fast-food drive-throughs. Even when neighboring Sanibel spills over with visitors, Captiva feels uncrowded, tranquil and private, yet it offers everything we desire in a vacation.

At home at South Seas

Perched at the end of the road on Captiva, the 330-acre South Seas Island Resort lures guests with natural beauty. A nature preserve covers more than half the property that's tucked between 2.5 miles of beach and the fish-rich bay of Pine Island Sound.

Arriving here on a Saturday, our car packed with groceries for the week, we knew we'd rely on other transportation -- walking, sailing, motorboating or riding the resort's blue trolleys into the village. We opted to stay in the Marina Villas. These two-bedroom units, with full kitchens, face the harbor and sailing school where we watched the yachts come and go. Other lodging choices include beachfront condos or villas, cottages or even large guest rooms near the pool complex.

If you go ...

South Seas Island Resort: http://www.southseas.com or (888) 222-7848. Rates: High-season accommodations start at $419 for a one-bedroom, $699 for two bedrooms and $1,259 for luxury homes. Summer rates drop more than 50 percent.

Steve and Doris Colgate's Offshore Sailing School: http://www.offshoresailing.com or (800) 221-4326. Rates: Five-day Learn to Sail packages (including hotel room and taxes) start at $1,855 per person, double occupancy. Call for more information, pricing and availability.

Capt. Mike Fuery Shelling Charters: (239) 466-3649. Rates: $225 for a three-hour shelling trip for two people or $250 for four folks.

Although we planned plenty of downtime at the beach and the pools, we filled our days with activity. Options included golfing on the resort's new emerald-hued executive course, parasailing above the Gulf, kayaking, tennis and Steve and Doris Colgate's Offshore Sailing School.

Setting sail

The resort offers plenty to fill a week, but we couldn't resist the sailing school. You see, just a few years ago, I married a man with a sailboat. While I grew up on the water, I generally use a paddle or a motor to get around. This is the best place I've found to learn how to harness the wind. The Offshore Sailing School maintains its headquarters nearby in Fort Myers and runs its largest selection of classes out of Yacht Harbor at South Seas.

I signed up for Learn to Sail and spent five days tackling an entirely new language where port and starboard replace good old left and right. The magic started the first afternoon, when my instructor turned off the motor. I took the tiller and listened as the wind and the waves pushed our swift Colgate 26. The boat responded to my hand like a well-trained horse.

Each day I gained confidence. One day, my instructor made sure I could handle a solo man-overboard drill. Another time, I took the helm and sailed "close to the wind" (tight sails with no luffing) while the craft heeled onto its edge. As the boom splashed deep into the water and the spray hit my face, I found a thrill better than any theme park ride.

My husband's days were much calmer. Enrolled in the Bareboat Cruising Preparation course, he wanted a certification to charter a big sailboat for a future Caribbean vacation. His group set off in a lovely 44-foot Hunter, with a gorgeous mahogany cabin, a kitchen and four staterooms. By the end of the week, he felt he could handle a boat that could actually cross the ocean. If we sail around the world (a big if), I can be a capable first mate now.

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Island-hopping

If sailing is not your idea of a vacation, take some off-island side trips. One morning we met Capt. Mike Fuery for a journey aboard his boat. We motored past North Captiva Island beyond the resort, where we could see a new pass cut to the bay by Hurricane Charley. Our destination was a slip of privately owned paradise called Cabbage Key.

There, two generations of the Wells family run the compound featuring the Cabbage Key Inn. The inn's restaurant serves up some of the most famous food on the West Florida Coast. Locals say the burgers here inspired Jimmy Buffett's "Cheeseburger in Paradise." Come for breakfast, lunch or dinner, as well as to drink in the Dollar Bill Bar, wallpapered with autographed dollars. Be sure to add your John Hancock to the likes of John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Jimmy Carter. Click for a Captiva dining guide

We left after lunch to head to the mecca for shellers: the southern tip of Cayo Costa State Park. The shells are so deep on this undeveloped island's beach, you'll want to wear shoes for comfort. Captain Mike backed his boat into knee-deep water where he helped us spy shells. We learned to look on the sand at the high tide line, as well as in the water where a shallow ledge just offshore catches washed-up shells.

I searched for the junonia -- the coveted spotted specimen found on these islands -- to no avail. But in an hour I pocketed 16 lettered olives, a half-dozen angel wings, shark eyes, cockles and true tulips.

An hour passed before I knew it. I was mesmerized by the sound of waves softly rolling shells together -- what I think of as surf chimes. On this wind-tossed beach I found a treasure better than any pirates ever discovered. I found the perfect vacation. E-mail to a friend

Cheney pledges U.S. commitment to Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Vice President Dick Cheney met with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday to discuss ways the country's fragile government can counter rising threats from al-Qaida and Taliban militants.

Vice president Dick Cheney arrived in Afghanistan on Thursday to discuss the nation's push for prosperity.

Cheney flew to the Afghan capital from Oman and took a helicopter straight to the presidential palace where he greeted Karzai with a hearty handshake. The two strolled down a red carpet together, reviewing troops before heading inside for their talks.

Reporters were not allowed to disclose Cheney's visit until he had arrived safely.

More than 8,000 people died in Afghanistan last year, making it the most violent year since 2001 when the U.S. invaded Afghanistan to oust the hardline Taliban regime after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Osama bin Laden is believed to be hiding in rugged, mountainous areas along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

"The president asked the vice president to meet with President Karzai in advance of the NATO summit to discuss progress in a democratic Afghanistan as well as the work that lies ahead, especially in the south," said Cheney spokeswoman Lea Ann McBride.

She said Cheney would talk with Karzai about ways the U.S. would continue to help Afghanistan become a more prosperous, stable nation. The vice president also is expected to meet with troops stationed in Afghanistan.

It is Cheney's fourth vice presidential trip to Afghanistan. Cheney, who is on a 10-day trip to the Middle East, visited Iraq earlier this week.

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Problems in Afghanistan will be a key topic at the NATO summit early next month in Romania. NATO's force is about 43,000-strong, but commanders have asked for more combat troops for areas in southern Afghanistan where the insurgency is the most active.

Troops from Canada, Britain, the Netherlands and the United States have done the majority of the fighting against Taliban militants. France, Spain, Germany and Italy are stationed in more peaceful parts of the country.

Canada, which has 2,500 troops in Kandahar province, recently threatened to end its combat role unless other NATO countries provide an additional 1,000 troops to help the anti-Taliban effort there. Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay said he expected a pledge for troops before or during the summit April 2-4 in Bucharest, Romania.

The U.S. contributes one-third of the NATO force, and also has about 12,000 other U.S. troops operating independently from NATO. The Pentagon says that by late summer, there will be about 32,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan -- up from about 28,000 now.

The bulk of the increase is the 3,200 Marines President Bush has agreed to send. About 2,300 troops of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, have begun arriving at their new base in Kandahar, the Taliban's former power base.

Cheney's first vice presidential trip to Afghanistan was in December 2004. In December 2005 and February 2007, Cheney visited Afghanistan as well as neighboring Pakistan.

An official who briefed reporters during the trip from Oman to Afghanistan said Cheney wanted to compare notes with Karzai to make the upcoming NATO summit a success. The U.S. wants NATO members to issue a strong statement at the summit pledging a long-term commitment to help Afghanistan become a stable nation and vowing to support the Afghans on the military front as well as in efforts to rebuild the nation.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity as a condition of discussing the private meeting agenda, said Cheney and Karzai would discuss the overall situation in Afghanistan, but particularly the violence plaguing the southern part of the country. The official said the vice president would urge Karzai to continue to work with Pakistan in the wake of the recent elections there and to and stay focused on problems of extremists and terrorists moving back and forth across the mountainous border separating the two countries.

The vice president also planned to discuss steps the U.S. thinks the Afghan government needs to take to extend its governance beyond Kabul and to conduct successful elections next year, the official said, as well as addressing ways the Afghan government can curb corruption and deal with rising production of the poppy crop used to make narcotic drugs that help fund insurgent operations E-mail to a friend

Iraqi forces battle rogue Shiite militants

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraqi security forces and Shiite fighters battled on Friday in Baghdad and a southeastern provincial capital, an Interior Ministry official said.
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Relatives on Friday visit a Mehdi Army cemetery in Najaf, a Shiite holy city in Iraq.

Two fighters were killed and 15 people were injured in the fighting, which apparently involved militants linked to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army militia, the official said.

Al-Sadr suspended Mehdi Army operations in August, a move that the U.S. military believes contributed to a drop in violence. But some militia members have ignored the cease-fire.

The fighting between Iraqi security forces and Shiite militants erupted in Kut, the capital of Wasit province. At least two militia members were killed; eight militia members and two police officers were wounded.

Iraqi security forces are launching large-scale military operations in some Kut neighborhoods, searching for rogue Mehdi Army members who have developed a stronghold in the predominantly Shiite city.

Rival militia groups have faced off in Shiite heartland cities for months. Many times, the Badr Brigade has participated with security forces to fight Mehdi Army militia members.
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The fighting Friday between Mehdi Army members and police in two southwestern Baghdad neighborhoods left three police and two civilians wounded. Iraqi soldiers, backed by U.S. troops, brought the flare-up under control.

Meanwhile, the U.S. death toll in Iraq grew Friday.

A U.S. soldier died from wounds received from indirect fire south of Baghdad, the Multi-National Corps-Iraq said. Four other soldiers were wounded.

The death brings the number of U.S. service members who have died since the Iraq war began five years ago to 3,985. Eight Defense Department contractors have also been killed. E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend

Juventus beat Inter as Roma close gap

ROME, Italy -- Juventus blew the Serie A title race wide open with a shock 2-1 victory at leaders Inter Milan on Saturday night.

Trezeguet (left) celebrates with team-mates after scoring the second goal in Juve's shock 2-1 victory at Inter Milan.

The third-placed team produced a remarkable performance at the San Siro to allow Roma, who beat Empoli 2-1 at home earlier in the day, to close to within just four points of the champions.

Midfielder Mauro Camoranesi opened the scoring four minutes after the break from a suspiciously offside-looking position.

And just past the hour mark French forward David Trezeguet doubled the visitors' advantage to give Juve a lead they never looked like relinquishing.

Portugal midfielder Maniche gave Inter late hope with a consolation goal seven minutes from time and he also hit the post in the dying moments but it was not enough.

The defeat was only Inter's second in the league this season and their first at the San Siro since April last year.

Roma overcame the loss of Simone Perrotta to a red card early in the second half to keep their title chase alive. They were locked at 1-1 when Perrotta was dismissed but a goal from veteran defender Cristian Panucci sealed the three points.

Roma coach Luciano Spalletti praised his side for their resilience when down to 10 men. "It was a great reaction on a heavy pitch with a numerical disadvantage," he said.

On loan Juventus teenager Sebastian Giovinco was a constant thorn in Roma's side. He should have put the visitors ahead on 13 minutes when he burst through into the area but he smashed his shot straight at Brazilian goalkeeper Doni, who deflected the ball over the bar.

On 33 minutes, he came even closer to giving Empoli the lead with a long range strike that had Doni rooted to the spot but which cannoned back off the post.

Two minutes later Empoli paid the price for their missed chances as Roma took the lead. Captain Francesco Totti set Max Tonetto running into the box with a clever back-heel and the left-back kept his cool to finish at the near post.

But five minutes after the break Giovinco finally got the goal his performance deserved as he latched onto a cross from Ignazio Abate to slot home.

Things got worse for Roma as Perrotta was shown a straight red card for tripping Felice Piccolo. However, on 63 minutes the 10 men took the lead as Panucci headed home a free-kick from David Pizarro.

AC Milan kept up their chase for fourth place and Champions League football next season as they won 1-0 at Torino with a goal from Brazilian teenager Pato.

The 66th minute strike owed much to the work of Italy international Alberto Gilardino, who moments earlier had seen a shot from seven meters blocked by Torino goalkeeper Alberto Fontana.

But Gilardino got through again and despite falling over, he was up quickly to turn Fontana and beat him with a trickling cross shot that Pato poked over the line from centimeters out.

Torino had a great chance to equalise in the last quarter of an hour but Milan's Australian goalkeeper Zeljko Kalac made a point blank save from Roberto Stellone.

Milan are still fifth, four points behind fourth-placed Fiorentina, who beat Lazio 1-0 in Florence.

Fiorentina came close to scoring when Giampaolo Pazzini headed a pass from Romania forward Adrian Mutu onto the bar midway through the second half.

But on 77 minutes Pazzini finally broke the deadlock as he turned onto a pass from Fabio Liverani and shot low past veteran goalkeeper Marco Ballotta at the near post. E-mail to a friend