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Johannesburg (CNN) — “This shouldn’t be happening” — these were the words of a visibly nervous and frustrated sheriff of the court as he rang the outside bell and knocked at the gate belonging to a woman still considered by many in South Africa as the “mother of the nation.”

Joe Maluleke and two other officials arrived at Winnie Mandela’s house in Soweto on Tuesday to execute a court order granting a Johannesburg school permission to auction her belongings and pay an old debt. Among the goods meant to go under the hammer were 50 paintings, a round table, chairs and a silver tea set.

The problems started when the ex-wife of Nelson Mandela, the country’s first black president and an international icon, registered her great niece, Nobantu Vutela, as a boarding student at Abbotts College in Northcliff, Johannesburg, according to court papers filed in 2008.

The accommodation fees for the year were 40,000 South African rand — the equivalent of about $4,000 today. Winnie Mandela, 76, who earns an annual salary of around $90,000, as a member of parliament, was given six months to pay the full amount. It’s unclear why she and not the girl’s own parents enrolled her into the private school.

Despite the documents stipulating that R10,000 ($1000) be paid up front, lawyers representing the school say Mrs Mandela never paid a cent. They started instituting proceedings against her in October 2008. The case dragged on for five years. A lawyer acting on behalf of the school told CNN Mrs Mandela made her first payment last year but that she still owes nearly $5,000 with interest included. Mrs Mandela’s lawyer is disputing the interest amount.

With dozens of journalists surrounding him, not a single bidder in sight, and Mrs Mandela’s bodyguards stationed on the other side of the wall, Sheriff Maluleke knocked in vain. People could be seen moving around inside and outside the house, but nobody came out to let the sheriff in. At one point a car sped out of the premises using a side entrance. It is unclear who was in the car.

Maluleke was instructed by lawyers to get a locksmith and force his way into Mandela’s house, but he was understandably reluctant. At one point a spectator shouted, “Why don’t you climb over the wall?” The sheriff’s irritated retort: “And get shot at?”

The tense standoff lasted for about two hours. Maluleke left Winnie Mandela’s property empty-handed and dejected. He later admitted that the task he was expected to carry out was a difficult one. “Is it because she is the mother of the nation?” he was asked. “Exactly,” he responded.

Read this: How South Africa avoided ‘bloody racial war’

Outrage at pictures of ailing Mandela

2012: Nelson Mandela’s early years

Nelson Mandela’s family wine venture

Celebrating Mandela at 94

On Monday night Winnie Mandela’s lawyer Yandisa Dudula had been frantically trying to stop the auction from going ahead.

“Mrs. Mandela has given me a check for R16,000 ($1,696), and another R4,000 ($212) has been given to the sheriff,” he told CNN. “The auction is not necessary.”

The school’s lawyers insisted on getting the money in cash, failing which, they said the sale of her goods would go ahead as planned.

Confused neighbors looked on as the spectacle at Mandela’s property unfolded.

“We thought she had money, it is very surprising that her goods are now having to be auctioned in order to recoup funds for a debt,” one of them told CNN.

When asked what it is like to live next door “the mother of the nation,” the neighbor said, “We never see her. When the old man (Nelson Mandela) lived in Soweto he would walk around, shake people’s hands, greet and talk to them, he even invited us into his home.”

“Winnie keeps to herself, but we still call her ‘mother of the nation’ and no-one wants to see her humiliated,” the neighbor said.

Commentators say Winnie Mandela has become increasingly isolated, not only by her political family, the ruling African National Congress, but seemingly by her biological family as well.

“Internal tensions within the family could have played a role in no one coming to Mrs Mandela’s aid,” political analyst Somadoda Fikeni told CNN. “The family is fragmented and recent squabbles over money have further emphasized these divisions.”

Two of Nelson Mandela’s daughters — Makaziwe Mandela and Zenani Dlamini — are currently embroiled in a legal battle over the former political prisoner’s money. They have filed court papers in an attempt to remove Mandela’s longtime lawyer and friend, 84-year-old George Bizos, and others as directors of companies owned by the Mandela Trust.

The children’s legal battle over their iconic father’s monies has come under heavy criticism in South Africa. Bizos told local media the lawsuit is “a ploy to resuscitate the sale of Mandela’s artworks” whose proceeds go to the companies at the center of the dispute.

Andrew Mlangeni, who was incarcerated on Robben Island with Mr Mandela, told CNN: “This is a matter that should have been resolved internally within the family.”

Makaziwe recently rebutted accusations that her intentions are motivated by greed, telling the New York Times: “This issue that we are greedy, that we are wanting this money before my dad passes away is all nonsense.”

The feud over Nelson Mandela’s millions and now the threat of an auction at his former wife’s residence underscore the contradictions and complexities in what many consider South Africa’s political “royal family.”

Read this: Big brands target South Africa’s middle class

This is by no means Winnie Mandela’s first brush with the law, although for years many saw her as untouchable.

The former freedom fighter was implicated in the 1980s murder of 14-year-old anti-apartheid activist Stompie Seipei. Her then-husband, Nelson Mandela, stood by her, despite a mountain of damning evidence. In 1991 she was convicted of kidnapping Seipei and for being an accessory to assault, but her six-year jail term was reduced on appeal to a fine and a suspended sentence.

In 2003 Mrs Mandela was convicted for theft and fraud in connection with an elaborate bank loan scheme where the ANC party letterhead was used to obtain loans for bogus employees including her youngest daughter Zinzi. The conviction carried a jail term, but that sentence too was suspended.

A few months ago police confirmed that they have reopened the murder case of two more former freedom fighters, allegedly last seen at her house more than 20 years ago. Their bodies were exhumed in March.

Musical tribute to Nelson Mandela

Securing the release of Nelson Mandela

Securing the release of Nelson Mandela

From prison number to fashion line

In recent years, “the mother of the nation’s” influence in the country and within the ruling party has waned, and the protection she once enjoyed along with it. Last year she was voted second-last in the party’s national executive committee. She had been top of the list at the previous ANC conference in 2007.

Still, respected columnist and journalist Justice Malala says he is astonished Winnie Mandela couldn’t get help from a single one of her former comrades.

Malala told CNN: “It’s great that she was paying for her great niece’s school fees but I’m surprised that firstly she didn’t feel she could raise the money from her own salary and secondly that no-one in the ANC was willing to help her. She could have also approached the Mandela Trust. Mandela has given money to president Jacob Zuma before when he was in trouble.”

Perhaps the most astonishing part of the tale is why her children and grandchildren appear to have stood by and watched as threats of an auction became more serious.

Two of her grandchildren, Zaziwe and Swati Dlamini have recently launched a reality show in the U.S. called “Being Mandela.” They also have a clothing line named “Long Walk to Freedom” after their grandfather’s autobiography. Their mother Zenani Dlamini, Winnie’s eldest daughter, is South Africa’s ambassador to Argentina.

Despite the family’s many ventures and connections, Winnie’s lawyer says money isn’t always readily available.

Winnie Mandela has often courted controversy, but she is still adored by many in South Africa.

She endured years of torture, torment, banishment and imprisonment by the apartheid regime while fighting resolutely for racial equality in the country.

And despite her legal and financial troubles over the years, very few South Africans are celebrating her downfall. Many of them took to Twitter to express their solidarity. “We cannot forget Winnie Mandela who stood tall for three decades” wrote one person.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/24/world/africa/winnie-mandela-sheriff-auction/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/S9oCMChXowE/winnie-and-the-debt-collectors

Johannesburg (CNN) — “This shouldn’t be happening” — these were the words of a visibly nervous and frustrated sheriff of the court as he rang the outside bell and knocked at the gate belonging to a woman still considered by many in South Africa as the “mother of the nation.”

Joe Maluleke and two other officials arrived at Winnie Mandela’s house in Soweto on Tuesday to execute a court order granting a Johannesburg school permission to auction her belongings and pay an old debt. Among the goods meant to go under the hammer were 50 paintings, a round table, chairs and a silver tea set.

The problems started when the ex-wife of Nelson Mandela, the country’s first black president and an international icon, registered her great niece, Nobantu Vutela, as a boarding student at Abbotts College in Northcliff, Johannesburg, according to court papers filed in 2008.

The accommodation fees for the year were 40,000 South African rand — the equivalent of about $4,000 today. Winnie Mandela, 76, who earns an annual salary of around $90,000, as a member of parliament, was given six months to pay the full amount. It’s unclear why she and not the girl’s own parents enrolled her into the private school.

Despite the documents stipulating that R10,000 ($1000) be paid up front, lawyers representing the school say Mrs Mandela never paid a cent. They started instituting proceedings against her in October 2008. The case dragged on for five years. A lawyer acting on behalf of the school told CNN Mrs Mandela made her first payment last year but that she still owes nearly $5,000 with interest included. Mrs Mandela’s lawyer is disputing the interest amount.

With dozens of journalists surrounding him, not a single bidder in sight, and Mrs Mandela’s bodyguards stationed on the other side of the wall, Sheriff Maluleke knocked in vain. People could be seen moving around inside and outside the house, but nobody came out to let the sheriff in. At one point a car sped out of the premises using a side entrance. It is unclear who was in the car.

Maluleke was instructed by lawyers to get a locksmith and force his way into Mandela’s house, but he was understandably reluctant. At one point a spectator shouted, “Why don’t you climb over the wall?” The sheriff’s irritated retort: “And get shot at?”

The tense standoff lasted for about two hours. Maluleke left Winnie Mandela’s property empty-handed and dejected. He later admitted that the task he was expected to carry out was a difficult one. “Is it because she is the mother of the nation?” he was asked. “Exactly,” he responded.

Read this: How South Africa avoided ‘bloody racial war’

Outrage at pictures of ailing Mandela

2012: Nelson Mandela’s early years

Nelson Mandela’s family wine venture

Celebrating Mandela at 94

On Monday night Winnie Mandela’s lawyer Yandisa Dudula had been frantically trying to stop the auction from going ahead.

“Mrs. Mandela has given me a check for R16,000 ($1,696), and another R4,000 ($212) has been given to the sheriff,” he told CNN. “The auction is not necessary.”

The school’s lawyers insisted on getting the money in cash, failing which, they said the sale of her goods would go ahead as planned.

Confused neighbors looked on as the spectacle at Mandela’s property unfolded.

“We thought she had money, it is very surprising that her goods are now having to be auctioned in order to recoup funds for a debt,” one of them told CNN.

When asked what it is like to live next door “the mother of the nation,” the neighbor said, “We never see her. When the old man (Nelson Mandela) lived in Soweto he would walk around, shake people’s hands, greet and talk to them, he even invited us into his home.”

“Winnie keeps to herself, but we still call her ‘mother of the nation’ and no-one wants to see her humiliated,” the neighbor said.

Commentators say Winnie Mandela has become increasingly isolated, not only by her political family, the ruling African National Congress, but seemingly by her biological family as well.

“Internal tensions within the family could have played a role in no one coming to Mrs Mandela’s aid,” political analyst Somadoda Fikeni told CNN. “The family is fragmented and recent squabbles over money have further emphasized these divisions.”

Two of Nelson Mandela’s daughters — Makaziwe Mandela and Zenani Dlamini — are currently embroiled in a legal battle over the former political prisoner’s money. They have filed court papers in an attempt to remove Mandela’s longtime lawyer and friend, 84-year-old George Bizos, and others as directors of companies owned by the Mandela Trust.

The children’s legal battle over their iconic father’s monies has come under heavy criticism in South Africa. Bizos told local media the lawsuit is “a ploy to resuscitate the sale of Mandela’s artworks” whose proceeds go to the companies at the center of the dispute.

Andrew Mlangeni, who was incarcerated on Robben Island with Mr Mandela, told CNN: “This is a matter that should have been resolved internally within the family.”

Makaziwe recently rebutted accusations that her intentions are motivated by greed, telling the New York Times: “This issue that we are greedy, that we are wanting this money before my dad passes away is all nonsense.”

The feud over Nelson Mandela’s millions and now the threat of an auction at his former wife’s residence underscore the contradictions and complexities in what many consider South Africa’s political “royal family.”

Read this: Big brands target South Africa’s middle class

This is by no means Winnie Mandela’s first brush with the law, although for years many saw her as untouchable.

The former freedom fighter was implicated in the 1980s murder of 14-year-old anti-apartheid activist Stompie Seipei. Her then-husband, Nelson Mandela, stood by her, despite a mountain of damning evidence. In 1991 she was convicted of kidnapping Seipei and for being an accessory to assault, but her six-year jail term was reduced on appeal to a fine and a suspended sentence.

In 2003 Mrs Mandela was convicted for theft and fraud in connection with an elaborate bank loan scheme where the ANC party letterhead was used to obtain loans for bogus employees including her youngest daughter Zinzi. The conviction carried a jail term, but that sentence too was suspended.

A few months ago police confirmed that they have reopened the murder case of two more former freedom fighters, allegedly last seen at her house more than 20 years ago. Their bodies were exhumed in March.

Musical tribute to Nelson Mandela

Securing the release of Nelson Mandela

Securing the release of Nelson Mandela

From prison number to fashion line

In recent years, “the mother of the nation’s” influence in the country and within the ruling party has waned, and the protection she once enjoyed along with it. Last year she was voted second-last in the party’s national executive committee. She had been top of the list at the previous ANC conference in 2007.

Still, respected columnist and journalist Justice Malala says he is astonished Winnie Mandela couldn’t get help from a single one of her former comrades.

Malala told CNN: “It’s great that she was paying for her great niece’s school fees but I’m surprised that firstly she didn’t feel she could raise the money from her own salary and secondly that no-one in the ANC was willing to help her. She could have also approached the Mandela Trust. Mandela has given money to president Jacob Zuma before when he was in trouble.”

Perhaps the most astonishing part of the tale is why her children and grandchildren appear to have stood by and watched as threats of an auction became more serious.

Two of her grandchildren, Zaziwe and Swati Dlamini have recently launched a reality show in the U.S. called “Being Mandela.” They also have a clothing line named “Long Walk to Freedom” after their grandfather’s autobiography. Their mother Zenani Dlamini, Winnie’s eldest daughter, is South Africa’s ambassador to Argentina.

Despite the family’s many ventures and connections, Winnie’s lawyer says money isn’t always readily available.

Winnie Mandela has often courted controversy, but she is still adored by many in South Africa.

She endured years of torture, torment, banishment and imprisonment by the apartheid regime while fighting resolutely for racial equality in the country.

And despite her legal and financial troubles over the years, very few South Africans are celebrating her downfall. Many of them took to Twitter to express their solidarity. “We cannot forget Winnie Mandela who stood tall for three decades” wrote one person.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/24/world/africa/winnie-mandela-sheriff-auction/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/p6I-JDAotGg/winnie-mandela-and-the-debt-collectors

Johannesburg (CNN) — “This shouldn’t be happening” — these were the words of a visibly nervous and frustrated sheriff of the court as he rang the outside bell and knocked at the gate belonging to a woman still considered by many in South Africa as the “mother of the nation.”

Joe Maluleke and two other officials arrived at Winnie Mandela’s house in Soweto on Tuesday to execute a court order granting a Johannesburg school permission to auction her belongings and pay an old debt. Among the goods meant to go under the hammer were 50 paintings, a round table, chairs and a silver tea set.

The problems started when the ex-wife of Nelson Mandela, the country’s first black president and an international icon, registered her great niece, Nobantu Vutela, as a boarding student at Abbotts College in Northcliff, Johannesburg, according to court papers filed in 2008.

The accommodation fees for the year were 40,000 South African rand — the equivalent of about $4,000 today. Winnie Mandela, 76, who earns an annual salary of around $90,000, as a member of parliament, was given six months to pay the full amount. It’s unclear why she and not the girl’s own parents enrolled her into the private school.

Despite the documents stipulating that R10,000 ($1000) be paid up front, lawyers representing the school say Mrs Mandela never paid a cent. They started instituting proceedings against her in October 2008. The case dragged on for five years. A lawyer acting on behalf of the school told CNN Mrs Mandela made her first payment last year but that she still owes nearly $5,000 with interest included. Mrs Mandela’s lawyer is disputing the interest amount.

With dozens of journalists surrounding him, not a single bidder in sight, and Mrs Mandela’s bodyguards stationed on the other side of the wall, Sheriff Maluleke knocked in vain. People could be seen moving around inside and outside the house, but nobody came out to let the sheriff in. At one point a car sped out of the premises using a side entrance. It is unclear who was in the car.

Maluleke was instructed by lawyers to get a locksmith and force his way into Mandela’s house, but he was understandably reluctant. At one point a spectator shouted, “Why don’t you climb over the wall?” The sheriff’s irritated retort: “And get shot at?”

The tense standoff lasted for about two hours. Maluleke left Winnie Mandela’s property empty-handed and dejected. He later admitted that the task he was expected to carry out was a difficult one. “Is it because she is the mother of the nation?” he was asked. “Exactly,” he responded.

Read this: How South Africa avoided ‘bloody racial war’

Outrage at pictures of ailing Mandela

2012: Nelson Mandela’s early years

Nelson Mandela’s family wine venture

Celebrating Mandela at 94

On Monday night Winnie Mandela’s lawyer Yandisa Dudula had been frantically trying to stop the auction from going ahead.

“Mrs. Mandela has given me a check for R16,000 ($1,696), and another R4,000 ($212) has been given to the sheriff,” he told CNN. “The auction is not necessary.”

The school’s lawyers insisted on getting the money in cash, failing which, they said the sale of her goods would go ahead as planned.

Confused neighbors looked on as the spectacle at Mandela’s property unfolded.

“We thought she had money, it is very surprising that her goods are now having to be auctioned in order to recoup funds for a debt,” one of them told CNN.

When asked what it is like to live next door “the mother of the nation,” the neighbor said, “We never see her. When the old man (Nelson Mandela) lived in Soweto he would walk around, shake people’s hands, greet and talk to them, he even invited us into his home.”

“Winnie keeps to herself, but we still call her ‘mother of the nation’ and no-one wants to see her humiliated,” the neighbor said.

Commentators say Winnie Mandela has become increasingly isolated, not only by her political family, the ruling African National Congress, but seemingly by her biological family as well.

“Internal tensions within the family could have played a role in no one coming to Mrs Mandela’s aid,” political analyst Somadoda Fikeni told CNN. “The family is fragmented and recent squabbles over money have further emphasized these divisions.”

Two of Nelson Mandela’s daughters — Makaziwe Mandela and Zenani Dlamini — are currently embroiled in a legal battle over the former political prisoner’s money. They have filed court papers in an attempt to remove Mandela’s longtime lawyer and friend, 84-year-old George Bizos, and others as directors of companies owned by the Mandela Trust.

The children’s legal battle over their iconic father’s monies has come under heavy criticism in South Africa. Bizos told local media the lawsuit is “a ploy to resuscitate the sale of Mandela’s artworks” whose proceeds go to the companies at the center of the dispute.

Andrew Mlangeni, who was incarcerated on Robben Island with Mr Mandela, told CNN: “This is a matter that should have been resolved internally within the family.”

Makaziwe recently rebutted accusations that her intentions are motivated by greed, telling the New York Times: “This issue that we are greedy, that we are wanting this money before my dad passes away is all nonsense.”

The feud over Nelson Mandela’s millions and now the threat of an auction at his former wife’s residence underscore the contradictions and complexities in what many consider South Africa’s political “royal family.”

Read this: Big brands target South Africa’s middle class

This is by no means Winnie Mandela’s first brush with the law, although for years many saw her as untouchable.

The former freedom fighter was implicated in the 1980s murder of 14-year-old anti-apartheid activist Stompie Seipei. Her then-husband, Nelson Mandela, stood by her, despite a mountain of damning evidence. In 1991 she was convicted of kidnapping Seipei and for being an accessory to assault, but her six-year jail term was reduced on appeal to a fine and a suspended sentence.

In 2003 Mrs Mandela was convicted for theft and fraud in connection with an elaborate bank loan scheme where the ANC party letterhead was used to obtain loans for bogus employees including her youngest daughter Zinzi. The conviction carried a jail term, but that sentence too was suspended.

A few months ago police confirmed that they have reopened the murder case of two more former freedom fighters, allegedly last seen at her house more than 20 years ago. Their bodies were exhumed in March.

Musical tribute to Nelson Mandela

Securing the release of Nelson Mandela

Securing the release of Nelson Mandela

From prison number to fashion line

In recent years, “the mother of the nation’s” influence in the country and within the ruling party has waned, and the protection she once enjoyed along with it. Last year she was voted second-last in the party’s national executive committee. She had been top of the list at the previous ANC conference in 2007.

Still, respected columnist and journalist Justice Malala says he is astonished Winnie Mandela couldn’t get help from a single one of her former comrades.

Malala told CNN: “It’s great that she was paying for her great niece’s school fees but I’m surprised that firstly she didn’t feel she could raise the money from her own salary and secondly that no-one in the ANC was willing to help her. She could have also approached the Mandela Trust. Mandela has given money to president Jacob Zuma before when he was in trouble.”

Perhaps the most astonishing part of the tale is why her children and grandchildren appear to have stood by and watched as threats of an auction became more serious.

Two of her grandchildren, Zaziwe and Swati Dlamini have recently launched a reality show in the U.S. called “Being Mandela.” They also have a clothing line named “Long Walk to Freedom” after their grandfather’s autobiography. Their mother Zenani Dlamini, Winnie’s eldest daughter, is South Africa’s ambassador to Argentina.

Despite the family’s many ventures and connections, Winnie’s lawyer says money isn’t always readily available.

Winnie Mandela has often courted controversy, but she is still adored by many in South Africa.

She endured years of torture, torment, banishment and imprisonment by the apartheid regime while fighting resolutely for racial equality in the country.

And despite her legal and financial troubles over the years, very few South Africans are celebrating her downfall. Many of them took to Twitter to express their solidarity. “We cannot forget Winnie Mandela who stood tall for three decades” wrote one person.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/24/world/africa/winnie-mandela-sheriff-auction/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/OTT-azsixHE/has-winnie-mandela-fallen-on-hard-times

Editor’s note: LZ Granderson, who writes a weekly column for CNN.com, was named journalist of the year by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association and was a 2011 Online Journalism Award finalist for commentary. He is a senior writer and columnist for ESPN the Magazine and ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter @locs_n_laughs.

(CNN) — Each day more than 55 million students attend the country’s 130,000 schools.

Each day, parents and guardians entrust some 7 million teachers with the education of our children.

And on a normal day, that is all we expect teachers to do — teach.

But on those not-so normal days we are reminded that for six hours a day and more, five days a week, teaching is not the only thing teachers are charged with doing. On those not-so-normal days, we are reminded that teachers are also asked to be surrogate parents, protectors, heroes.

Monday was one of those not-so-normal days.

The nation watched in horror as a 2-mile-wide tornado with winds up to 200 mph tore through Moore, Oklahoma. As sirens blared and the ground shook, the full force of the twister hit Plaza Towers Elementary School around 3 p.m. It was full of students, young scared children who had nowhere to hide as the tornado ripped off the roof, sending debris everywhere.

Heroes or just doing their jobs? Teacher save lives during tornado

“We had to pull a car out of the front hall off a teacher and I don’t know what her name is, but she had three little kids underneath her,” a rescuer said. “Good job teach.”

And that teacher was not the only one whose body shielded children from harm.

Tornado hits elementary schools

Teacher impaled while protecting class

Teacher used music game to calm class

Dad to hero teacher: ‘We love you’

A couple of years ago, as state and local officials were looking for ways to cut spending, a study from the American Enterprise Institute emerged in 2011, asking a provocative question: Are teachers overpaid?

Using abbreviated metrics — such as comparing private sector employees’ SAT and GRE scores with those of teachers — the study’s co-author Jason Richwine said the findings suggested that “years of education could be an overestimate of cognitive skills.”

A counterintuitive and insulting proposition. But in retrospect that shouldn’t be too surprising considering Richwine’s doctoral dissertation advocated keeping out immigrants with low IQs, which he maintained are lower than those of the “native white population.” He also co-authored an attack on immigration reform for the Heritage Foundation. And he resigned as the group’s senior policy analyst shortly afterward.

Nevertheless, as educators in Chicago voted to strike and benefits such as tenure came under scrutiny, the question that study proposed sparked a national conversation and helped turn 2012 into a year in which teacher-bashing became a popular past time.

But when I think of the importance of teaching in this country, when I think about the heroism demonstrated in Oklahoma, I find it impossible to overpay teachers.

We can certainly talk about the realities of the economy, debate the best method to evaluate effectiveness and discuss the drawbacks of unions. But anyone who characterizes teachers as overpaid is forgetting what we entrust them with each and every day.

Our children.

Inside a tornado-ravaged school

On a normal day, you don’t think about that too much.

But on a not-so-normal day, that is all you can think about.

Anne Marie Murphy, a mother of four, died trying to protect 6-year-old Dylan Hockley as Adam Lanza terrorized the halls of Sandy Hook Elementary School in December. When police found the two victims, Murphy was still holding Hockley in her arms.

And five other educators did not run away from the threat but gave their lives trying to protect students, trying to protect children.

How do you overpay for that?

Obviously no parent or guardian drops their children off at school thinking tragedy is going to happen. But perhaps we should be grateful that if something terrible does happen, that there are these angels in the building who will do right by our kids. Who will give anything — sometimes even their lives — to protect them in our absence.

One of the Plaza Towers teachers reportedly was lying on top of six students in a school bathroom to shelter them from the horrific storm.

I’m sure that is not in the job description.

Snapshot of teacher heroics

So yes, it is fiscally responsible for a community to talk about loss of tax revenue and budget deficits. But we ought to be careful not to vilify this profession while doing so. Teachers are not glorified babysitters with summers off. Their profession fuels all others, and on a normal day that is amazing enough in and of itself.

But on a day that’s not so normal, we hope and pray that they are willing to do much more. And time and time again, in the face of terrible tragedies, we have learned that many of them do.

Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion.

Join us on Facebook/CNNOpinion.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of LZ Granderson.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/21/opinion/granderson-oklahoma-teachers/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/o2hZukLVHvc/twister-turns-teachers-into-heroes

Editor’s note: LZ Granderson, who writes a weekly column for CNN.com, was named journalist of the year by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association and was a 2011 Online Journalism Award finalist for commentary. He is a senior writer and columnist for ESPN the Magazine and ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter @locs_n_laughs.

(CNN) — Each day more than 55 million students attend the country’s 130,000 schools.

Each day, parents and guardians entrust some 7 million teachers with the education of our children.

And on a normal day, that is all we expect teachers to do — teach.

But on those not-so normal days we are reminded that for six hours a day and more, five days a week, teaching is not the only thing teachers are charged with doing. On those not-so-normal days, we are reminded that teachers are also asked to be surrogate parents, protectors, heroes.

Monday was one of those not-so-normal days.

The nation watched in horror as a 2-mile-wide tornado with winds up to 200 mph tore through Moore, Oklahoma. As sirens blared and the ground shook, the full force of the twister hit Plaza Towers Elementary School around 3 p.m. It was full of students, young scared children who had nowhere to hide as the tornado ripped off the roof, sending debris everywhere.

“We had to pull a car out of the front hall off a teacher and I don’t know what her name is, but she had three little kids underneath her,” a rescuer said. “Good job teach.”

And that teacher was not the only one whose body shielded children from harm.

Tornado hits elementary schools

A couple of years ago, as state and local officials were looking for ways to cut spending, a study from the American Enterprise Institute emerged in 2011, asking a provocative question: Are teachers overpaid?

Using abbreviated metrics — such as comparing private sector employees’ SAT and GRE scores with those of teachers — the study’s co-author Jason Richwine said the findings suggested that “years of education could be an overestimate of cognitive skills.”

A counterintuitive and insulting proposition. But in retrospect that shouldn’t be too surprising considering Richwine’s doctoral dissertation advocated keeping out immigrants with low IQs, which he maintained are lower than those of the “native white population.” He also co-authored an attack on immigration reform for the Heritage Foundation. And he resigned as the group’s senior policy analyst shortly afterward.

Nevertheless, as educators in Chicago voted to strike and benefits such as tenure came under scrutiny, the question that study proposed sparked a national conversation and helped turn 2012 into a year in which teacher-bashing became a popular past time.

But when I think of the importance of teaching in this country, when I think about the heroism demonstrated in Oklahoma, I find it impossible to overpay teachers.

We can certainly talk about the realities of the economy, debate the best method to evaluate effectiveness and discuss the drawbacks of unions. But anyone who characterizes teachers as overpaid is forgetting what we entrust them with each and every day.

Our children.

On a normal day, you don’t think about that too much.

But on a not-so-normal day, that is all you can think about.

Anne Marie Murphy, a mother of four, died trying to protect 6-year-old Dylan Hockley as Adam Lanza terrorized the halls of Sandy Hook Elementary School in December. When police found the two victims, Murphy was still holding Hockley in her arms.

And five other educators did not run away from the threat but gave their lives trying to protect students, trying to protect children.

How do you overpay for that?

Obviously no parent or guardian drops their children off at school thinking tragedy is going to happen. But perhaps we should be grateful that if something terrible does happen, that there are these angels in the building who will do right by our kids. Who will give anything — sometimes even their lives — to protect them in our absence.

One of the Plaza Towers teachers reportedly was lying on top of six students in a school bathroom to shelter them from the horrific storm.

I’m sure that is not in the job description.

So yes, it is fiscally responsible for a community to talk about loss of tax revenue and budget deficits. But we ought to be careful not to vilify this profession while doing so. Teachers are not glorified babysitters with summers off. Their profession fuels all others, and on a normal day that is amazing enough in and of itself.

But on a day that’s not so normal, we hope and pray that they are willing to do much more. And time and time again, in the face of terrible tragedies, we have learned that many of them do.

Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion.

Join us on Facebook/CNNOpinion.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of LZ Granderson.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/21/opinion/granderson-oklahoma-teachers/index.html?eref=edition

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The Wii U is selling for just $239.99 at Target.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET)

Will gamers bite at a Wii U console that costs $239 instead of $299?

Target is now selling Nintendo’s diminutive console at a 20 percent discount off the full retail amount. The $239.99 price is for the 8GB white version of the console; the 32GB black version will still run Target customers the full $349.99.

Target’s price may mark a new low for the basic edition of the
Wii U. Most retailers charge the full $299.99. Amazon offers a small discount, selling it for $279.

Target’s discount may be in order as sales of the
Wii U have been lackluster.

Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter estimated that Nintendo sold just 55,000 Wii U consoles in April, down 19 percent from March. For the fiscal year ending March 31, Nintendo watched its sales dip by 1.9 percent, due in large part to disappointing Wii U sales.

Nintendo has blamed the weak demand for the Wii U on a lack of software titles, a problem it aims to correct this year, the company said last month:

For the “Wii U” system, launched in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013, there were some delays in software development that resulted in intervals between new software title releases at the early stage of this year. Taking this into consideration, for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014, we plan to concentrate on proactively releasing key Nintendo titles from the second half of this year through next year in order to regain momentum for the platform.

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No longer grounded for safety concerns, United Flight 1 flew from Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on Monday.

A passenger on United Airlines Flight 1 looks out one of the Dreamliner’s oversized windows. The use of composite materials to build the airplane made larger window cutouts possible.

A United Airlines 787 Dreamliner sits on the runway in Houston on Monday as crews prepare for its first commercial flight since the fleet was grounded earlier this year. The Boeing 787 was the first entire airline model to be grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration in more than 30 years.

Michael Reynolds of St. Louis, Missouri, reclines during the flight to Chicago.

The Dreamliner has larger overhead bins than similar airliners.

The aircraft’s lightweight design allows it to fly long distances more efficiently.

Alex Gilbert and Rebecca Davila watch a film during a flight on a Boeing 787
Dreamliner.

Lithium-ion batteries that overheated on two Dreamliners in January prompted authorities to ground all 50 of the 787s worldwide, but a redesigned battery system has cleared the way for the plane’s return.

A United Airlines maintenance worker examines a hydraulic line.

The plane is designed to be lightweight so that it can fly farther with the same amount of fuel as heavier airliners. It can carry 200-plus passengers a third of the way around the globe.

Composite materials have replaced aluminum as the predominant material in the 787. The 777 is made up of 50% aluminum and 12% composites, compared with the Dreamliner’s nearly 50% makeup of composites and just 20% aluminum.

United Airlines Capts. Neils Olufsen and Bill Blocker piloted the Dreamliner’s domestic return to flight on Monday.

United Airlines maintenance workers prepare the plane for flight.

Boeing’s Dreamliner design reflects the airlines’ demand for efficiency. That desire has triggered a trend toward fuel-sipping, lightweight, long-range airliners.

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(CNN) — This was no ordinary plane ride.

No longer grounded for battery problems, United’s Dreamliner 787 Flight 1 gained takeoff speed down a Houston runway Monday, en route to Chicago O’Hare.

After months of concern about the 787′s future, the excitement and tension was palpable aboard the first domestic commercial flight since January 16.

In Seats 32 J, K, and L, Charles Marine, his wife Amira and 6-year-old son Dominic were going home after visiting the Lone Star State. Dominic, wearing a red T-shirt and headphones, chewed gum with a serious look on his face as the plane raced toward the end of the runway. Amira had a pillow on her lap, her hands folded as she faced forward. At one point, her husband placed his hand on hers.

The plane, carrying 219 passengers including many reporters and executives from Boeing and United, began to lift into the air. Outside the Dreamliner’s oversized windows, it was clear the plane’s wings were bending upward.

Dreamliner interactive: The Boeing 787 layout

Watching the wings of an airliner bend during takeoff might be a little bit disturbing for most passengers.

But the wings of this plane are made mostly of carbon reinforced plastic. They’re supposed to bend.

Then, Dreamliner’s wheels magically left the Earth. That triggered passenger applause that rang throughout the aircraft.

Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner got off to a rough start. Just over a year after its first commercial flight, the aircraft was grounded after batteries overheated on two flights. This Dreamliner, built for Air India, was the first produced at Boeing’s new production facilities in North Charleston, South Carolina.

Aviation safety regulators have approved Boeing’s battery fixes, and Dreamliners have started to fly again. Earlier this year, this All Nippon Airways 787 made an emergency landing because of battery troubles. ANA plans to resume commercial Dreamliner flights in June.

The redesigned battery system, right, adds a containment and venting system to prevent possible overheating from affecting the plane. At left is a battery case damaged during a flight on a Japan Airlines Boeing 787. It was one of two incidents that prompted the Dreamliner’s grounding.

A LOT Polish Airlines 787, with a redesigned lithium-ion battery system, performs a test flight in March at Paine Field in Everett, Washington. The Dreamliner’s distinctive wings sweep back at 32 degrees.

United Airlines is the lone U.S. carrier flying the Dreamliner. These are Business First Class seats on one of United’s six 787s.

The use of composite materials on the Dreamliner makes larger window cutouts possible. Composites have replaced aluminum as the predominant material in the 787. The 777 is made up of 50% aluminum and 12% composites, compared with the Dreamliner’s nearly 50% makeup of composites and just 20% aluminum.

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Dreamliner’s turbulent debut

Boeing’s Dreamliner takes flight again

The Dreamliner can do THAT?

The 787 was back in domestic service after being grounded because of fears of onboard lithium-ion battery fires. Two incidents on Japanese 787s in January prompted the FAA to ground all six U.S. Dreamliners, which are all operated by United. Engineers designed a fix of the system which involved insulating the batteries and putting them in a ventilated armor-plated box to protect the rest of the plane.

Dreamliner returns: Five things to know

‘It’s a relaunch!’

Dreamliner “was a fairly expensive piece of sculpture to have on the ground,” joked United CEO Jeff Smisek during a pre-flight ceremony. The average list price for a 787 is currently about $207 million.

His counterpart at manufacturer Boeing apologized. “We’re very sorry about the delay caused by the technology workaround,” said Boeing CEO Jim McNerney. “Safety means everything to us.” Both men were passengers on Flight 1.

In Seat 21J, Michael Reynolds, 64, was headed home after his oldest granddaughter’s high school graduation ceremony. He had no idea he was booked on arguably the most-watched airliner in America, touted by Boeing as the “airplane of the future.”

“It was a surprise to see the media circus,” he said.

Charles Marine also was in the dark about the flight until he arrived at the gate. Was he concerned about the battery problems? “I guess there’s a little bit of something in the back of my mind,” he said. But to have all these CEOs on the plane,” he said he felt safe.

Aviation enthusiasts call it Dreamliner 2.0.

Others call it Reboot: 787.

“It’s a relaunch!” said a United flight attendant wearing the name tag, Alejandro. “That’s what they told us to call it!”

Whatever it’s labeled, the fastest airliner in the world is back. Up in the cockpit, Capt. Niels Olufsen clocked it at about 647 mph. The plane beat about 10 minutes off other airliners by the time it hit Chicago traffic.

The slick new cockpit display allows pilots to more easily see maps, speed and altitude data. “It’s easier to fly because we have better displays,” said Capt. Bill Blocker, another pilot on Flight 1. “It lands nice, it flies nice, it’s real responsive, it’s actually one of the easier planes I’ve ever flown.”

It also soars higher than other airliners. Flight 1 maxed out at 41,000 feet — which actually is 2,000 feet below its limit. A typical airliner altitude is around 30,000 feet up.

But Dreamliner’s most important trick is to save on fuel expense. Surprisingly, it takes less fuel to fly high. “That’s just how jet engines work,” said Capt. Michael Barksdale, another United pilot who attended the pre-flight ceremony.

All airlines love to save fuel. That’s good for business — and the environment. And it’s why Dreamliner is seen as the “airliner of the future.”

Thrill of flight

For this aviation enthusiast, the thrill of flying this airplane for the first time involved the bendy, plastic wings as they lifted the plane into the air on take off. At first, it doesn’t compute — it looks so strange — but then you realize this ain’t your daddy’s aluminum aircraft.

Its cutting edge carbon fiber technology is taking aviation to a new level, where special materials can make magic happen.

Dreamliner’s cabin pressure is touted as a big relief for passengers who suffer from air sickness. The cabin pressure makes it feel like the equivalent of being at 6,000 feet above sea level, compared with typical airliners which are pressured at 8,000 feet.

I didn’t notice any difference at all, but I don’t suffer from air sickness. Most of us passengers weren’t discerning enough to notice the rarefied air, but the airliner’s larger windows, complete with “shades” made of gel that dims in response to electricity, were easier to spot and appreciate.

Now about the seats: They’re a comfy 17.3 inches across, which fit me fine, especially after enduring a torturous chair on a commuter plane the previous day. The plane’s seats are arranged in three rows of three chairs across, with two aisles. In first class, passengers stretch out on 22-inch wide lay-flat seats in the 2-by-2-by-2 configuration.

And what about Dreamliner’s other goodies?

– Specially designed cabin lighting to match the time of day

– Cathedral-like cabin ceilings so high they would be impossible for most people to touch

– Computers that sense imminent turbulence and command parts of the wing to make appropriate adjustments, smoothing out the ride

A bit of unstable air rocked the plane early in the flight, but it was difficult to know how the plane’s anti-turbulence system affected the ride.

Airliner of the future?

The battery problems have been addressed, but the real proof of a successful fix will be in incident-free flights across the globe. With that kind of smooth flying, is the door still open for Dreamliner to realize its promise as the game-changing airliner of the future? Can global aviation titans Boeing and United put the 787′s troubled battery system behind them?

Two battery overheating incidents on 787s sparked fears of possible inflight fires, prompting an announcement three months ago yanking all 50 Dreamliners out of service worldwide. Some experts dismissed the battery problems as hiccups, glitches or teething pains that all new airliners experience.

Glitch or not — it was the first FAA grounding of an entire airliner model in more than 30 years. Supporters hailed the move as an abundance of caution.

Two weeks into the grounding, Japanese carrier ANA said it had lost $15 million. In April, Boeing wouldn’t reveal how much the grounding was costing them, but it was “minimal.”

For many of the thousands of employees at Boeing and United who saw their futures tied to this plane, the grounding order was more than a little unnerving. Of course, passengers were nervous too.

Grounding an airliner opens the door to damaging its reputation for safety, say experts.

The previous FAA grounding in 1979 followed the terrible crash of the now-defunct DC-10 wide-body airliner. American Airlines Flight 191 crashed on takeoff from O’Hare and killed 273 people. Authorities grounded the DC-10 for about a month until it could be determined that maintenance issues were to blame for the crash.

The DC-10 suffered an image problem after that, said Capt. Kevin Hiatt, president of the Flight Safety Foundation, an independent aviation safety think tank, but that perception faded and the DC-10 went on to be relatively successful.

The FAA’s abundance of caution shouldn’t be allowed to damage the Dreamliner’s image, say experts, who point out that no one has been hurt in any of the Dreamliner incidents. “It’s a safe airliner to get back on and fly,” said Hiatt. Travelers, he said, should be very confident.

Under strict oversight, the FAA delegates certain certification activities to qualified experts, Boeing says on its website. The battery fix included a team of Boeing battery engineers and experts from outside the company.

FlyersRights.org President Paul Hudson wants an independent analysis of Boeing’s battery fix. He said federal authorities are “simply taking Boeing’s word for it” that the problem has been resolved and by delegating certification authority. “We think they made a mistake.”

“There’s never been any proof that self-certification ever resulted in a problem in an aircraft,” said John Goglia, a former member of the National Transportation Safety Board, the nation’s top aviation investigation agency.

Hiatt is also comfortable with the process as it pertains to Dreamliner. But his group supports the idea that the FAA self-certification system should be reviewed, to bolster its safety.

Dreamliner’s days of being the next big thing may be numbered. Snapping at Boeing’s heels is its arch rival Airbus, which is expected to start test flying its A350 XWB later this year. In the wake of Boeing’s lithium-ion battery challenges, Airbus decided not to go with the same technology in the new plane — opting instead for traditional — and heavier — nickel-cadmium batteries.

Airbus rolls out sleek, new A350 XWB

Shortly after it was grounded, United said flyers would “flock back” to the game changing aircraft after the battery problems were fixed.

For United and domestic travelers, the game started all over again on Monday. We’ll see how much things change. And we’ll keep you posted.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/20/travel/dreamliner-main/index.html?eref=edition

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It was only a few months ago there was news David Beckham had signed on with a new team — and now he is retiring. Click through for a look back at Beckham through the years.

Beckham poses with Paris Saint-Germain President Nasser Al-Khelaifi, left, and PSG sports director Leonardo during a press conference announcing his new gig in January 2013.

Beckham makes his England debut at a World Cup Europe Qualifying Round Group 2 match against Moldova in 1996.

Beckham celebrates his goal in the 1998 World Cup Finals versus Colombia in 1998.

Becks as a member of Manchester United cools down during the FA Charity Shield match against Arsenal at Wembley Stadium in London in 1998.

At the 1998 World Cup in France, in a second-round match against Argentina, Beckham was sent off for kicking out at Diego Simeone. England lost the match on penalties and was eliminated, with Beckham becoming a hate figure for some fans.

Beckham poses after a press conference in Awaji-shima Island, Japan, in 2002.

Beckham poses with Beyonce, left, and Jennifer Lopez during a presentation of the new Pepsi “Samourai” in Madrid in 2004.

Becks waves after a la Liga match between Real Madrid and Deportivo La Coruna in Madrid in 2007.

The midfielder celebrates with his sons in 2007 after Real Madrid won the Spanish League title by beating Mallorca.

Beckham makes an appearance to promote his fragrance “David Beckham Intimately Night” in Sydney in 2007.

Beckham reveals his new No. 32 Adidas jersey as part of an announcement of the start of his loan move to AC Milan from the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2008.

Beckham controls the ball during the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier of European Group 6.

Beckham unveils the new Emporio Armani underwear ad campaign for the fall/winter of 2009-2010.

Beckham, No. 23 of the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team, walks toward the line judge to have a chat during Game 1 of the MLS Western Conference Semifinals against Chivas USA in 2009.

Becks arrives at Sydney International Airport in 2010.

David and Victoria Beckham arrive at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey in 2011.

The Beckhams attend the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in West Hollywood, California, in 2012.

Beckham celebrated his second MLS Cup success with the Los Angeles Galaxy in December 2012, when he decided to leave with a year left on his contract as he sought one final career challenge in Europe.

Beckham passes under Tower Bridge in a speedboat which carries the Olympic Torch and its torchbearer in 2012.

Beckham acts as England’s captain during the 2004 European Nations Championship football match against Croatia in Lisbon, Portugal.

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(CNN) — David Beckham was always adept at curling the ball around a wall — but when it came to the barrier of homosexuality in football, he broke straight through it.

Former England captain Beckham, who announced his retirement from football Thursday, was the first superstar footballer to embrace his “gay icon” status, freely giving interviews to gay magazines and openly talking about his gay fan base.

That attitude was the catalyst for a change, according to author and journalist, Chas Newkey-Burden.

Beckham: I want to go out on top

Beckham brand will outlast soccer career

David Beckham calls it a career

Read: Beckham to retire

“What David Beckham did was break the long silence about homosexuality in football,” Newkey-Burden told CNN.

“Before Beckham came along, it was basically a taboo but he changed all that.

“He openly courted his gay fan base, saying he loved being a gay icon and was happy for his wife to broadcast that around.

“He was the first to give interviews to gay magazines — before that, no footballer would have done that.

“He also changed the way footballers were looked at. He was inherently good looking, but it was that he paid so much attention to his appearance that was unprecedented.”

Read: Can you bend it like Beckham?

In an interview with the BBC given in 2007, Beckham spoke of his pride at being tagged as a “gay icon”.

“Maybe it’s things like (the fact) I like to look after myself, I like to look smart and presentable most of the time,” he said at the time.

“I always liked to look good, even when I was a little kid. I was given the option when I was a page boy once of either wearing a suit or wearing knickerbockers and long socks and ballet shoes — and I chose the ballet shoes and knickerbockers.”

2011: Beckham: I always want to win

David Beckham’s life in Paris

Beckham: Tom Cruise is hotter than I am

Once Newkey-Burden spent five months trying to organize an interview with the midfielder, only for the player himself to sanction the piece after reading one of the journalist’s articles on football and homosexuality in Four Four Two magazine.

Read: Rogers’ retirement reasons could bring change

“David read the piece I did about how far football had come in dealing with homophobia,” Newkey-Burden recalled.

“I know he was very moved by the fact I wrote how he had opened the door to change and that is what swung getting me the interview with him.

“Look, there are 92 league clubs in England with each squad having around 20 players, so statistically, there must be some gay players, ” added the journalist.

“One day it will be common place for footballers to come out and David Beckham will have played a part in that.

“He opened the door and it is the person who opens the door who makes the difference.

“Beckham said to the world: ‘I’m straight, I’m the England captain and I think it’s cool people are gay.’”

Despite Beckham embracing his “gay icon” status, football continues to struggle with homophobia.

Last February, U.S. football star Robbie Rogers announced he was retiring from football after “coming out” — leaving Swedish player Anton Hysen as the only openly gay player in Europe.

Rogers might yet make a return given he has been training with Los Angeles Galaxy.

Read: In search of a gay soccer hero

Beckham was also key in footballers becoming fashionistas and attracting interest from the mainstream media, according to Newkey Burden.

“Gay football fans don’t want 11 neatly coiffured and manicured players to admire,” said the journalist and celebrity biographer who has written books about Adele, Brangelina, Michael Jackson and Paris Hilton.

“They’re more attracted to the old-fashioned kind of player like Vinny Jones or Alan Shearer if I’m honest.

David Beckham made an immediate impact at Paris Saint-Germain, with victories in his first two appearances against French rivals Marseille.

He was unveiled at the Parc des Princes on the final day of the January 2013 transfer window, and announced that he will donate the pay he receives during his five-month contract to a children’s charity in Paris.

Beckham celebrated his second MLS Cup success with Los Angeles Galaxy in December 2012, when he decided to leave with a year left on his contract as he sought one final career challenge in Europe.

David Beckham made his debut for English Premier League team Manchester United in 1993. By 1996, the midfielder was becoming renowned for his ability to score and create goals with his now legendary right foot. In a match against Wimbledon, Beckham stunned football fans by scoring from the halfway line.

Beckham swiftly progressed into the England team and was part of Glenn Hoddle’s squad for the 1998 World Cup in France. In a second-round match against Argentina, Beckham was sent off for kicking out at Diego Simeone. England lost the match on penalties and were eliminated, with Beckham becoming a hate figure for some fans.

Beckham rebuilt his reputation and in 1999 was a key part of the Manchester United team which became the first English club to win the Premier League, FA Cup and European Champions League in the same season. The Old Trafford side, led by Alex Ferguson, secured the treble thanks to a stunning late comeback against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.

Beckham’s redemption was complete in 2000, when caretaker England manager Peter Taylor made him captain of the national team. He retained the role under Sven-Goran Eriksson, leading England at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and the 2004 European Championships.

In 2003, after a turbulent final few months at United which involved Ferguson accidentally kicking a boot at Beckham, he joined Real Madrid’s “Galacticos”.

But Beckham’s spell in Madrid didn’t produce the trophy rush he had hoped for. His sole title came in 2007, under future England manager Fabio Capello, thanks to a win against Real Mallorca on the final day of the season.

Beckham made the switch to Los Angeles Galaxy in the U.S.’s Major League Soccer in 2007. His stated aim was to raise the profile of soccer in the country.

Four years after heading to the States, Beckham finally won the MLS Cup with Galaxy last season. Galaxy beat Houston Dynamo 1-0 in the final thanks to a goal from Landon Donovan.

Off the pitch, Beckham is famous for being one half of one of the world’s most high-profile couples. He started dating Victoria Adams of British pop group Spice Girls in 1997. The pair married in 1999 and have four children, son Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz and daughter Harper Seven.

Football fans wear masks depicting Beckham at the London 2012 Olympics. He was not picked for the GB team, but played a big role in his hometown being awarded the Games.

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The career of David Beckham

Hundreds of fans and journalists flocked to the Paris Saint-Germain training ground Wednesday to get a glimpse of David Beckham in action on the practice field. The interest in Beckham’s move to the French club has caused huge excitement with the anticipation building ahead of the midfielder’s possible debut on Sunday.

David Beckham took part in his first training session with his new Paris Saint-Germain teammates less than 24 hours after watching them claim a 2-1 win at Valencia in the last-16 round of the Champions League. on Tuesday.

Beckham, 37, was put through is paces at the club’s open training day where more than 100 journalists turned up to witness the event. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star is hoping to make his debut against Sochaux on Sunday, but it’s not known if his pop star wife Victoria will be in attendance. Beckham’s family has remained in London where his children Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz attend school following their move from Los Angeles.

Beckham, who won 115 caps for England, has signed a five-month deal with the Qatari-backed club, but has revealed that his salary will be donated to a Paris children’s charity. He will now hope to force his way into the side and link up with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lucas Moura and Ezequiel Lavezzi with the team six points clear at the top of Ligue 1.

Beckham waves to the waiting press pack as he makes his way out at the club’s Camp des Loges training center in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris. The session, which was led by PSG’s Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, was shown live on French television.

Beckham shows off his new pink boots, a pair of which even Posh Spice might approve of. While Beckham is busy preparing for his debut, fashion designer Victoria was having her latest designs shown off by models in London.

After working up a sweat, Beckham throws off his top and gets back to work with the players who didn’t feature in Tuesday’s win at Valencia. If Beckham doesn’t play against Sochaux on Sunday, he could line-up the following week against fierce rival Marseille and fellow Englishman Joey Barton.

Beckham takes to the sand as he steps up his training regime. Running on sand has several long-term benefits which includes strengthening the lower body muscles, burning more calories and is supposed to be easier on the joints as opposed to grass.

Beckham watched PSG’s win at Valencia alongside the club’s sporting director Leonardo. The pair looked on as their side edged out Valencia 2-1 in the first leg thanks to goals from Ezequiel Lavezzi and Javier Pastore, before Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sent off late on. The Swede will miss the second leg in the French capital on March 6.

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‘Box Office’ Beckham thrills French audience

“But Beckham was someone who was proud to be a gay icon and made it cool too.

“Just look at the number of metrosexuals who have emerged since Beckham.

“It’s now OK for players to have silly, floppy hair and dress in the way they do. He did that.”

Read: The gay footballer who chose freedom

Players now try to trend it like Beckham more often than they try to bend it like Beckham.

From wearing his wife’s underwear to parading around in a sarong, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain man has never been one to shy away from experimentation.

While former Spice Girl Victoria has gone on to establish herself as a leading fashion designer, it is Beckham who brought men into the 21st century with his eye for the latest trends.

From his outrageous hair styles to his love of grooming and moisturizing, Beckham relaunched the notion of the metroxsexual along with his very own brand of cologne.

Whether it was by provocatively modelng in his Armani underwear or being paraded in front of the press in another exquisitely tailored suit, Beckham set the bar high when it came to looking sharp.

Read: Rise of the metrosexual

“Beckham was the antithesis to the godawful lad culture of the late Nineties,” GQ.co.uk fashion editor Nick Carvell told CNN.

“Being a footballer who was clearly motivated by fashion trends and absolutely loved clothes, he turned the idea of what it meant to be a stylish sportsman at the time on its head.

“Sure he made some mistakes along the way (cornrows), but that’s what made him a trendsetter — he always led and never followed.

Read: David Beckham: The devoted dad

“He was certainly one of the first celebrities to de-stigmatize grooming pursuits that were previously seen as girls-only (his early penchant for highlights comes to mind).

“Lots of people would say that it helps he has an athlete’s body, but there are plenty of sportsman who dress appallingly.

“I think it’s his willingness to try new things combined with a clear appreciation for a good tailor.

“He might have worn the occasional eye-raising get-up when he was younger, but it always fitted perfectly.”

That infamous sarong, which he was pictured wearing in 1998, was certainly one “eye-raising item” but as Newkey-Burden explains, Beckham had no regrets.

“When I interviewed him in 2006, I asked Beckham if he regretted wearing that ‘dress’. He said: ‘No, that’s one of the things I’d do again!’”

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Manny Pacquiao is known the world over for his boxing abilities, but in the Philippines he’s also a national hero beyond the ring. Click through to see moments of Pacquiao’s life.

Pacquiao, center, and his wife Jinkee, right, display their certificates of candidacy at the election office in Alabel, Sarangani province, in the southern island of Mindanao, on October 2, 2012. Pacquiao registered to run for reelection as a congressman for the southern province of Sarangani, with Jinkee filing to stand for vice-governor.

Pacquiao attends a plenary session discussing a proposed reproductive health bill at the House of Representatives at Congress in Quezon City, east of Manila, Philippines, August 6, 2012.

Pacquiao gestures during a prayer rally at the Araneta Coliseum in Manila on July 28, 2012. The prayer rally was a way for Pacquiao to thank his fans and supporters for the blessings he received.

Pacquiao gives a sack of rice and relief goods to a woman after floods struck in Glan, Sarangani province, southern Philippines, June 17, 2012.

Pacquiao speaks to flood-affected residents at an evacuation center in Cagayan de Oro City, a southern island off Mindanao on December 23, 2011.

Pacquiao is conferred the rank of lieutenant colonel by Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Bautista, left, and Brig. Gen. Alex Albano, right, in Manila, on December 5, 2011.

Pacquiao sits with fellow lawmakers during the 15th Congress at the House of Representatives in Quezon City on July 25, 2011.

Pacquiao shakes hands with a Special Forces Operation Course student during the 49th Special Forces Regiment anniversary at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, north of Manila, on June 27, 2011. During the event, Pacquiao received the Honorary Special Forces Warrior Badge, and wore the exclusive Special Forces uniform popularly known as the “Tiger suit.”

Pacquiao looks toward Congressman Edcel Lagman, right, at the House of Representatives on May 18, 2011.

Pacquiao speaks at a news conference during the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines in May 2011.

Pacquiao and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid exchange flags in Washington on February 15, 2011.

Pacquiao waves as he joins hundreds of other runners in Manila on October 10, 2010, to raise funds and environmental awareness to help revive the Pasig River, a heavily polluted major waterway that cuts through the city of 12 million.

Pacquiao joins Harry Reid, a Nevada senator, on the campaign trail at the Orr Middle School in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 29, 2010, ahead of the midterm U.S. elections.

Pacquiao tries out whitewater rafting to promote tourism in his district in New La Union in Maitum, Sarangani province, on August 14, 2010.

Pacquiao attends a session of the Lower House as congressman representing his home district of Sarangani during the State of The Nation address of President Benigno “NoyNoy” Aquino on July 26, 2010.

Pacquiao listens during the turnover ceremony for the new commanding general of the Philippine army at Fort Bonifacio on July 23, 2010.

Pacquiao takes his oath of office as congressman at the provincial capitol in Alabel, Sarangani province, on June 28, 2010.

Pacquiao holds his daughter Queen Elizabeth as he talks to members of the media during his victory party for winning a seat in parliament — held jointly with her birthday celebration — at a convention center on the southern island of Mindanao on May 15, 2010.

Pacquiao celebrates with local officials during his proclamation as congressman of Sarangani province in May 2010.

Pacquiao plays billiards at his recreational center in General Santos, Mindanao, in May 2010.

Pacquiao places his ballot into a vote-counting machine in Kiamba, Sarangani province, on May 10, 2010.

Pacquiao greets supporters during a campaign rally in Kiamba in April 2010.

Pacquiao, center, greets supporters with presidential candidate Manny Villar, right, and vice-presidential candidate Loren Legarda, left, as he starts his campaign for Congress in March 2010.

Pacquiao poses with his certificate of candidacy next to his wife, Jinkee, after filing in the town of Alabel, Saragani province, on December 1, 2009.

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Editor’s note: This article is part of The Fighters, a series of reports from a full-length film that premieres on CNN International TV on May 17 and 18 at 1900 HKT; 2200 CET; 2200 ET. The documentary is a result of two years of undercover work and filming in the Philippines.

Manila, Philippines (CNN) — Manny Pacquiao is not a god, but that doesn’t stop millions of Filipinos worshipping him.

Since his first professional fight at 16, Pacquiao has amassed a formidable professional record of 54-5-2.

He is arguably the most famous person in the country’s history, a world title holder 10 times over and the first person to earn belts in eight separate weight divisions, and in 2012 was one of the highest paid athletes on earth, earning upwards of $62 million, more than Tiger Woods, Lebron James, Roger Federer and Cristiano Ronaldo.

In addition, he is an actor, TV host and singer. Oh, and in 2010, voters also elected Pacquiao to the Philippines’ House of Representatives, where he serves the district of Sarangani.

Pacquiao’s story reads something closer to fable than fact.

The man who earned the title “Fighter of the Decade” in the 2000s by the World Boxing Council (WBC), comes from the humblest of roots.

In these rarely seen photos, taken by Manny Pacquiao’s personal photographer James Dayap, we take a glimpse at the boxer’s training regimen for the Timothy Bradley fight in June 2012, which would become one of the most controversial bouts of his career.

Pacquiao was awarded the title “Fighter of the Decade” for the 2000s by the World Boxing Organization (WBO), World Boxing Council (WBC) and the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA).

At the age of 14, Pacquiao moved to Manila, the Philippines, and started boxing. For a time, he lived on the streets.

Pacquiao trained in Los Angeles for the welterweight title match against Bradley.

The WBO welterweight title fight was held on June 9, 2012, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The fight ended with Bradley winning a split decision that sparked controversy throughout the boxing world.

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Pacquiao in training

Pacquiao: I want to be a public servant

Child advocate wants Pacquiao’s help

Ride-along on a human trafficking raid

Born in 1978 in a small village called Kibawe, Pacquiao lived with his mother and five brothers and sisters: “When I was young my parents were jobless. We had no home. Sometimes we can’t even afford to have a single meal a day,” says Pacquiao.

“When you see my slippers, one is green, one is red. And they had holes. I would walk the streets to sell, that’s how I made my living as a kid. I felt sorry for my mother. I wanted so badly to study. I stopped though and pursued boxing.”

At 14, Manny moved to Manila where he says he lived for a time under a cardboard box in a city park.

He found work as a servant for a rich man. Luckily, he was treated well, he says. When he began boxing as a teenager, he admits having to put rocks in his pockets to make the minimum weight of 105 pounds (47kg).

When he was 16, Pacquiao decided to pursue a professional boxing career. At 4’11” and weighing 98 pounds, it’s unlikely he struck much fear in those early opponents. But his fast fists and unrelenting toughness quickly earned him respect.

He gained global recognition in 2001, when as a late replacement, he beat IBF Super Bantamweight title holder Lehlohonolo Ledwaba. Pacquiao won the fight by technical knockout to win the title, his second major boxing world title.

Ten years later, I’m standing in the middle of the MGM Grand’s casino.

“Do you want to meet him?” The question came across the table from a documentary film producer, who was profiling Pacquiao.

It was May 6, 2011, the night before the champion would defend his WBO Welterweight title against Shane Mosley. The Las Vegas strip buzzed with energy, gamblers and partiers just getting started as it neared midnight. Of course, I said yes.

As we got off the elevator and walked down the hallway to his penthouse suite, I had the same feeling you might get when entering a special, reverential space. Two bodyguards flanked the door. They recognized my friend and let us pass.

I had expected a reverential, ascetic scene. A peaceful room dotted with his family and close friends speaking in hush tones, careful not to disturb their leader as he prepared to do battle in less than 24 hours.

Government: 100,000 sex workers are kids

Cecilia Flores-Oebanda is presented with The World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child by Sweden’s Queen Silvia on April 28, 2011.

Manny Pacquaio, with Oebanda, meets girls rescued from human traffickers. The girls shared their stories with Pacquaio, who also spoke at congress in support of an anti-trafficking law.

Oebanda with President Jimmy Carter at the 2008 Skoll World Forum where she recieved the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship

Oebanda meets with Desmond Tutu in 2008 while both were speaking at the Global Philanthropy Forum.

Oebanda receives the 2005 Anti-Slavery Award at Chatham House in London on November 29, 2005. The award was presented by Lord Bill Brett, director of the International Labour Organization.

Oebanda speaks before the Philippine Senate during deliberations about the Magna Carta on Domestic Workers in 2002. The legislation was designed to improve conditions for domestic workers in the country.

Oebanda attends the first Southeast Asian Consultation, meeting to draft legislation on domestic workers in 2005. The meeting was organized by the Visayan Forum.

Oebanda is seen in the late 1990′s working in poor communities of Manila with the Child Watch Network.

Oebanda’s first day outside prison, with her children on February 26, 1986. She was captured while fighting for rebel forces against the dictatorship of President Ferdinand Marcos.

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Anti-trafficker attracts power brokers

What I found instead was a mob. At least 100 people had packed into his hotel room. Most were Filipino well-wishers. As we tried to make our way in, someone told us Pacquiao and his wife, Jinkee, had retreated to the bedroom. We left, but I wasn’t disappointed. I figured I would soon get to know him well in Manila.

That night I had drinks with his security guard. I wanted to get to know the man I would be covering. I wanted to hear what he was like from a person who was often closest to him, his bodyguard, in an unguarded moment.

He offered little dirt. “Manny is a very nice guy. Very good to the people around him. He believes he is here for a purpose. That his rise means he has a responsibility to take his position and do something good with it.”

Pacquiao won the fight easily. I watched it from the media room. Afterwards, Pacquiao felt good enough to perform a concert at the Mandalay Bay Hotel across from the MGM Grand Casino.

He said: “I consider my experience in life as an advantage in all that I do. I was down there and I have made my way up here now. I have experienced it all. I was trained through all the hardships of life, so I feel the pain of the poor.”

In 2010, shortly after being elected as a congressman from Sarangani district, he had given a speech in which he argued the country must do more to organize and fund the efforts of anti-trafficking agencies. Immediately, he began working with the Visayan Forum, at the time, the largest anti-trafficking charity in the country.

“I think Manny is a very important milestone in our fight against human trafficking here in the Philippines because young people actually believe and listen to Manny,” says Cecilia Flores-Oebanda, executive director of the Visayan Forum Foundation, a charity founded in 1991 to help victims of domestic servitude and forced prostitution.

“He’s a hard-working guy, he came from a very poor family. He inspires a lot of people. Of course, everybody wants Manny in their own campaign, but I’m happy Manny is joining our fight.”

Click here to get full infographic on human trafficking in the Philippines

Pacquiao arrived at the Visayan Forum headquarters to hear first-hand from girls who had been victimized.

He spoke to three rescued girls, all under the age of 12. They had been forced to perform sexual acts in a video chat room for a number of foreign men. Some of the men demanded they perform sexual acts with men pulled off the street, drink their own urine and other even more awful acts. A man off-camera would force the girl’s compliance.

Pacquiao left shaken.

“Now that I’m here as a congressman, I know what to do. I know what I can do to help people.

“These traffickers have now been warned. We just need to be vigilant in order to sustain this. We also need funding from Congress. In addition, we need close coordination between government agencies. Likewise, we need coordination within various local governments,” said Pacqiuao.

Read how Oebanda was inspired to fight the traffickers

In February 2012, Pacquiao delivered a speech to congress in which he outlined the necessity to stop human trafficking.

“During my visit to the Visayan Forum I talked to children as young as 9-years-old who are trafficked for prostitution,” Pacquiao told Congress. “As politicians, we need to be true to our words and actions. We need to send a clear message; that Filipinos are not for sale.”

Now more than a year later, the Philippines is in the midst of an election. Congressman Pacquiao is again on the campaign trail — this time hoping to parlay his popularity into a victory for his wife, Jinkee, who is running to become vice governor of Sarangani district.

Campaigning with his wife is one step toward life after boxing. And rumors of the boxing champ’s own political ambitions push beyond the House of Representatives.

Now, fresh off his stunning loss to Juan Manuel Marquez, in which he was knocked unconscious and lay face-down for several seconds before being helped to his corner, Pacquiao is looking toward his future.

Thirty-four is old for a boxer. With more than 60 professional fights under his belt, the fear among those in his circle is that he will stay too long in the game, and do permanent damage to his standing.

Speaking to a CNN producer in Tagalog, Pacquiao says: “In boxing, I don’t think people will forget me after I retire. But I really want people to remember me as a public servant, who is good, who is a champion for the people.”

Less than two months after his loss to Marquez, Pacquiao scored an equally stunning victory.

On February 13, 2013, Philippines’s President Benigno Aquino III, signed the Anti-Trafficking bill Pacquiao had been championing, into law.

For thousands of vulnerable Filipinos whose lives may be changed or even saved, this Pacquiao fight is one whose legacy will last far beyond the ring.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/06/world/asia/freedom-fighters-manny-pacquiao/index.html?eref=edition

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Mogadishu, Somalia (CNN) — In a classroom tucked away from the world in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, students practice spelling.

Ranging in age from 6 to 11, these girls all have one thing in common: They have either been raped or suffered through the rape of a loved one.

Even the 6-year-old is a rape survivor. The baby of the class, she can’t quite keep up with the spelling lesson but is happy to clap along.

Next door, in the clinic adjoining the class, a 7-year-old boy and his mother are in for a checkup.

The mother was raped and then watched, helpless, as her son was molested.

Tackling sexual violence in Somalia

Sexual crimes a crisis in Somalia

Too afraid to seek help, she did what she thought would help: washed her son’s wounds with hot water and salt for four excruciating days until they were found and brought here.

The classroom and clinic are both part of the Elman Peace and Human Rights Center. Founded in 2011, it is the first rape crisis center in Somalia.

Today, the center has bases both in and outside Mogadishu, providing a haven for the spiraling number of Somali victims of sexual violence.

The figures are horrifying, with at least 1,700 women raped in camps for internally displaced people last year in Mogadishu, according to United Nations figures.

The Elman Peace and Human Rights Center was founded by the parents of Ilwad Elman in the 1990s to help child soldiers, but it closed down after her father was assassinated by warlords, forcing the rest of the family to seek refuge in Canada.

Eventually, she and her mother returned, and in 2011, the center reopened with a new focus: helping the victims of sexual violence.

For the safety of the Elman center’s staff and the victims it helps, CNN agreed not to reveal the location of the centers it visited.

Rape isn’t just happening in the camps for those forced from their homes by fighting, Ilwad Elman told CNN, but in the wider community, “which is also affected by rampant abuse of sexual and gender-based violence.”

Elman says she believes a multitude of factors are to blame, but the chief one is conflict — something that has affected every Somali during more than two decades of war.

“Rape is a well-known weapon of war, so that is one thing that is undeniable,” said Elman. “There’s also harmful traditional practices. There’s also the destroyed social protection structures that were in place” but were destroyed by conflict, she adds.

Put all these factors together, she said, and “that is why rape is so indiscriminate” in Somalia.

Social stigma

For the first time in decades, there is reason for optimism in Somalia, thanks in part to the country’s newly appointed and popular president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and increased security in much of the country.

But the plight of Somalia’s women has seen little improvement.

While the center’s staff has gained some idea of the number of cases of sexual violence in Mogadishu and its surrounding area, little is known about the scale of the problem further afield.

Rape in Somalia carries huge social stigma, and after the long years of conflict, there is no way of knowing how many women are suffering in silence.

When the new president was appointed last year, his public commitment to punishing those guilty of sexual offenses had an immediate impact, said Elman.

But those advances have been undone, she said, by events since.

In February, Lul Ali Osman Barake made headlines when she reported her rape at the hands of men she says were government soldiers.

They took turns raping her, she told CNN, only stopping when they thought she was dead. But when she reported the crime, it was Barake who was arrested and convicted of defaming a government institution.

Eventually, she was freed after a huge international outcry, but she says her attackers have yet to face justice.

And, like many of the women CNN spoke to, she has no faith they ever will.

The United Nations says 70% of the rapes perpetrated in Somalia are carried out by men in military uniforms.

Somali Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon admits there’s a problem but insists that it is being addressed.

“There’s been no effective government in Somalia for such a long time, and people are disorganized … but now we are organizing, and I think we’ll disconnect … from the past,” he told CNN. “We are doing everything possible, we are taking every step to ensure that women and girls are safe.

“We have nominated a new commissioner, judiciary reforms, and … we are constituting a new policy for making our women and children safer than ever.”

‘Underground network’ of women

But women’s rights activists say the damage might already have been done.

“I think it’s become a lot harder for women to report rape,” said Elman. “One clear message was sent to them: that if you do report a rape, there’s as much of a chance of you ending up in jail as a perpetrator. It has not only become harder for women who are a survivor of rape to report it, but also people working with these people to work towards ending or responding to sexual violence.

“There was a very dramatic decline in the figures for the last three months. I think it was nearly 60%.”

With public information limited and the stigma against speaking out so strong, the center has created “almost an underground network of women” to spread the word about its work, said Elman.

Some women who have been supported by the center go on to help others, letting them know through word of mouth that these services exist. Other women find their own way there or meet center staff out in the community, she said.

What makes the situation worse is that often, the same woman is raped repeatedly, by different perpetrators, said Elman.

The center can help the woman each time, but “without the government’s support and putting in place mechanisms to protect these people, there will be no end to this impunity,” she said.

Hawa, who agreed to talk to CNN as long as a pseudonym was used to conceal her identity, told how after being raped she fled her home for what she thought was a new beginning in another part of town.

In her new home — and in spite of being pregnant with the first rapist’s baby, she says — she was attacked again.

She, like Barake, has no hope that justice will ever be done.

Make the perpetrators ‘bear that burden’

The United Nations is due to send in a British-funded team of experts on sexual violence to help the Somali government establish protection mechanisms.

Delegates at an international donor conference, held this month in London by the UK and Somali governments, pledged to work together to tackle sexual violence. The issue will also be on the agenda at the G8 leaders’ summit to be hosted by the United Kingdom in June.

But it will take time and money to bring about change in a country that has so many pressing needs.

Matt Baugh, UK ambassador to Somalia, told CNN that there were “no guarantees,” but the involvement of international partners should improve the chances of Somalia living up to its commitments on sexual violence.

“What needs to happen practically (is) to redress the balance, to turn this from a stigma of shame where the survivors, the victims of these horrible attacks, bear that burden, to one where it’s the perpetrators who feel ashamed about it,” he said.

There is now a realization, he said, of the “huge, huge problem facing the country as a whole, as well as women and girls,” but it will take time to make the necessary changes to tackle sexual violence.

These include better documentation of such crimes; reforming the security sector, so that the army and police come under greater government control and win people’s confidence; and reforming the judiciary so that ordinary Somali families believe in the justice system, he said.

“We’ve got the opportunity for the first time in 20 years, based on Somali leadership and their compelling vision, to chart a way forward,” he added.

“I think that this newfound stability and these new steps that have been made by Somalia, that the entire world is celebrating, because it is, indeed, worth celebrating, … has to be something that everybody has access to,” said Elman, in Mogadishu.

“We need to make sure that women are in this human space where we are moving forward.”

For the moment, though, Somalia’s women are relying on themselves — and each other — to rebuild their lives as best they can.

READ MORE: Somali court clears woman alleging rape

CNN’s Laura Smith-Spark contributed to this report.

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