Field Notes

Not supposed to worry about troops at home

Petra Cahill — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:05:00 GMT

By Janet Shamlian, NBC News Correspondent FORT HOOD, Texas – The city of Killeen and Fort Hood, the military base, are almost interchangeable. Everyone who lives in the community of Killeen has something to do with the military. So shooting rampage that left at 13 dead and 30 wounded has impacted not just the military installation, but an entire Texas community. Flags are flying at half staff here today. There is a very somber mood in town. And people are on heightened alert. Even at the hotel...(read more)

Hoodwinked by ‘balloon boy’

Petra Cahill — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:43:00 GMT

By Lee Cowan, NBC News correspondent FORT COLLINS, Colo. – I believed. Even though it was a head-scratcher, I somehow thought a 6-year-old boy really had stowed himself away on a flying saucer. I was as fascinated by it all, as I was embarrassed that I couldn’t turn away. And then, there was that landing, straight out of a sci-fi movie. It was "War of the Worlds" meets "Close Encounters." A muffled cheer even went up in our newsroom. It looked like it was all going to be OK. But...(read more)

New Orleanians: Obama’s visit too zippy

Petra Cahill — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:55:00 GMT

By Charles Hadlock, NBC News Producer NEW ORLEANS – President Barack Obama will be in New Orleans for less than 3 hours and 45 minutes. In this town known for its spicy gourmet food, some dinners last longer than that. Many New Orleans residents – still weary from the effects of Katrina four years on – are grateful that the presidential spotlight will shine in the city, however briefly. During his short time here, Obama will visit the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School. It’s the...(read more)

Not all Chicagoans 'back the bid' for 2016

Petra Cahill — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:05:00 GMT

By Leo Juarez, NBC News Producer

CHICAGO – You might think with all the star power surrounding Chicago's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics – with President Barack Obama expected to join first lady Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey in Copenhagen – that there would be a groundswell of support for the effort here in the Windy City.

There just might be, but that depends on which poll you believe.

This week, the Chicago 2016 bid committee trumpeted a Zogby poll showing that 72 percent of Chicagoans "back the bid" (to use the committee's slogan).

But that is a far cry from a Chicago Tribune poll released earlier this month that had locals split down the middle, with just 47 percent for the bid versus 45 percent against it.

VIDEO: Obamas, Winfrey make Olympic pitch

I did my own highly unscientific poll this week and heard arguments on both sides. Everyone agreed the president's in-person pitch could not hurt Chicago's chances, and that the games could show the world the best the city has to offer. But that publicity is not free, and concern lingers about a projected budget that already exceeds $2 billion and cost overruns that have been a staple of recent Olympic history.

...(read more)

U2: coming for the music or the message?

Petra Cahill — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:26:00 GMT

By John Baiata, NBC News’ Senior Editor

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Political activism from rock stars has a long lineage. You can trace it all the way back to George Harrison's "Concert for Bangladesh" in 1972, the "No Nukes" concert in New York in 1979, "LIVE AID" and "We Are the World" in the 1980's, and many more. Today such activism is ubiquitous. Concert-goers are urged to support a wide range of causes, and artists' web sites act as grass-roots organizations for a multitude of high-minded projects.

But no band – and no band leader – embodies this ideal more today than U2 and Bono. The band supports the efforts of Amnesty International, Greenpeace, and the Chernobyl Children’s Project. Bono has used his fame to put considerable pressure on countries to reduce the burden of debt on developing countries and to draw attention to the fight against AIDS in Africa with his RED project.

Evan Agostini / AP

Lead singer Bono of the rock band U2 performs with the band during their 360 world tour stop at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on Thursday.

U2 was the first big band to play in Sarajevo after the Bosnian war, launched an effort to put thousands of musical instruments back in the hands of New Orleans artists after Katrina, and have been very vocal in their support of Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Many of their songs over the years have drawn on socio-political events for inspiration – from the fighting in Northern Ireland to the civil war in El Salvador.

The band’s latest world tour, in support of their most recent album, "No Line on the Horizon," has drawn praise from critics. The tour’s latest stop, at Giants Stadium in New Jersey, sold out for its two nights. With 84,000 attendees per night, that’s more over 160,000 to rally to the cause(s) in just two nights. (According to U2's Web site, they broke every record for attendence in the stadium - breaking the record previously set by Pope John Paul II in 1995.) Do the math for the rest of the tour, and you begin to understand the extent of the band’s reach, and that of others with similar followings.

But what’s the real draw, the music or the message?

...(read more)

Hula-hoops for peace?

Petra Cahill — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:37:00 GMT

By John Yang, NBC News Correspondent

PITTSBURGH – There are many groups protesting many things outside the G-20 summit: Iraq War veterans against the war, Tibetans against China's policies on Tibet, anarchists against just about everything. But students promoting hula-hoops?

A small band of young people marched through the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Oakland, home of the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie-Mellon University, gyrating their hips and carrying signs with anti-war messages: "Out of Uniform and into Hoops," "Put Down Your Arms and Pick Up Your Hoops."

A message with a grin.

SLIDESHOW: G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh

With riot police turning back hundreds of protesters trying to march on the first day of the international summit, we’ll see how the rest of the day develops. Stay tuned.

Related link: What is the G-20?

...(read more)

‘Be Veg’ competes with Tibet outside U.N.

Petra Cahill — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:08:00 GMT

By Sandra Lilley, NBC News Producer

NEW YORK – Ingrid Hong, a petite insurance agent with two grown children, rose early Wednesday morning and left her Queens, New York residence with a placard – and a mission: "We encourage people to get peace by meditation and no killing – but mainly, we urge people to keep a vegetarian diet."

Hong was among hundreds who braved the crowds and the police barricades to come to Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, across from the United Nations, on Wednesday to try to compete for attention with the headline-generating protests associated with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

She is part of a group called "The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association," which advocates what they consider a simple solution to combat global warming. "According to a U.N. report," Hong explained, "livestock farming contributes more greenhouse gases than the energy sectors…We want the government to encourage organic farming."

Michael Nagle / EPA

Demonstrators protest against Iran in Dag Hammarskjold Plaza across from the United Nations headquarters on Wednesday.

Hong and others in her group occupied a prominent position next to a police barricade at the entrance to the plaza. Amid somber and occasionally graphic posters of wounded and dead Iranian protesters, the vegan group’s placards, "Be Veg, Go Green, Save the Planet," seemed to inspire many walkers to stop and chat. "You go!" shouted a well-dressed middle-aged woman. "I’m a vegan myself! Way to go!"
...(read more)

Outside the U.N., many welcome Gadhafi

Petra Cahill — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:25:00 GMT

By Sandra Lilley, NBC News Producer

NEW YORK – Yussif Ali did not mind waking up at 2 a.m. this morning to come from his native Boston to Dag Hammarskold Plaza, next to the United Nations, to support a world leader he respects.

"I set aside two doctor appointments today to come see [Moammar] Gadhafi’s first time visiting the United States. To me, he’s a hero," the union carpenter said.

While many Americans associate Gadhafi with the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988, (Libya formally admitted responsibility for the attack in 2003), Ali and hundreds of others who gathered across the street from the U.N. on Wednesday have a very different view of the Libyan leader.

Bebeto Matthews / AP

Supporters of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi watch a broadcast of his address to the United Nations General Assembly at Dag Hammarskold Plaza in New York on Wednesday.

"I’m a black American and taking lives of innocent people is wrong and unforgiveable and I see no excuses," said Ali, who has been a member of The Nation of Islam for more than 25 years. "But I don’t believe Col. Gadhafi gave anyone a direct order. You have a lot of radical people you can’t control."

An imposing phalanx of hundreds of Nation of Islam supporters dressed in dark suits flanked the walkway that led to a podium at the end of the plaza. A large JumboTron television had been set up to allow those assembled to watch Gadhafi’s speech to the U.N. General Assembly.

...(read more)

Town asks ‘What is that terrorist doing here anyway?’

Petra Cahill — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:02:00 GMT

By Jeff Rossen, NBC News Correspondent

BEDFORD, N.Y. – "What is that terrorist doing here anyway," one Bedford resident said to us, referring to Moammar Gadhafi, the Libyan leader who erected a tent in this ritzy town.

We're about an hour north of New York City where Gadhafi pitched a tent on Donald Trump's property. Yes, Trump lives here – so does Martha Stewart (told ya it's ritzy).

Turns out, Gadhafi prefers tents to hotels. Apparently he hates riding in elevators, ruling out many of the city's high-rise hotels. So, he sets up tents wherever he goes. He did so in Paris and Rome, and tried to pitch one in Central Park. But the city denied his request. So he tried to pitch one in Englewood, N.J. The neighbors and even the governor pitched a fit. No go there either.

VIDEO: Gadhafi's tent causes a stir

So, the Libyan government apparently made a deal with the Trump Organization to allow Gadhafi to set up his famous tent on the Trump estate in Bedford. The Trump Organization denied that they knowingly rented the property to the man President Ronald Reagan famously called "the mad dog of the Middle East." Rather, it said part of the estate, "was leased on a short-term basis to Middle Eastern partners, who may or may not have a relationship to Mr. Gadhafi."

Either way, there is no "Welcome" mat here. One Bedford neighbor just told me, "He's a criminal. He’s a terrorist. He needs to go back where he belongs. We don't want him here."
...(read more)

A day to share the grief

Petra Cahill — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:02:00 GMT

By Ron Allen, NBC News Correspondent

NEW YORK – It’s been a very difficult day covering the 9/11 anniversary events.

We have been positioned on the tenth floor balcony of an office building across the street from ground zero. It’s a very good vantage point to see the World Trade Center site, but today it has been a very hard place to broadcast from. Mother Nature bestowed a wet, rainy day on New York City for this somber day.

The winds have been gusting all morning. Rain has been falling and blowing sideways. Tents are useless – a couple of them blew dangerously over the balcony to the street below. But it’s the best place to see ground zero in its entirety.

SLIDESHOW: Remembering 9/11

I've been up on this balcony every few years since the Sept. 11 attacks. I was living in London when the attacks happened and suddenly found myself on my way to Pakistan and Afghanistan for several months. After several years of reporting from overseas, I returned to New York.

I can see the progress at ground zero. And I can also see the overwhelming amount of work left to rebuild.

...(read more)