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Katie Couric's Notebook: Surviving disaster
It was just one in a flood of news reports pouring out of Japan:
An elderly man sitting on the ground, surrounded by rubble, on the spot where he saw his wife swept away by the tsunami. "I am thinking that I might have closure if I keep sitting here," he said.
Complete Coverage: Disaster in Japan
Continue »Katie Couric's Notebook: Crisis Mapping
The word "ushahidi" means "witness" in Swahili.
The website Ushahidi.org is a multimedia platform for up-to-date maps and social networking messages from all over the world.
That kind of technology has emerged as a high-tech tool in disasters like the Japan earthquake.
Complete Coverage: Disaster in Japan
Continue »Heading to Japan's Ground Zero - slowly
This report was filed by CBS News correspondent Megan Towey
As we walked in we noticed that row upon row of products were missing, already scooped up by anxious Tokyo residents preparing for the worst. Staples like milk, eggs, rice, bread and bottled water were simply not available. We loaded up on whatever we could and hit the road.
On the road to Sendai, Japan
Flames engulf buildings in an industrial complex in Sendai, northern Japan, Saturday, March 12, 2011. Japan launched a massive military rescue operation Saturday after a giant, quake-fed tsunami killed hundreds of people and turned the northeastern coast into a swampy wasteland, while authorities braced for a possible meltdown at a nuclear reactor. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)
(Credit: Itsuo Inouye)This report was filed by CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker en route to Sendai, the hardest hit area in Japan by Friday's earthquake
We are driving from Tokyo about 200 miles north to Sendai and environs, the area hardest hit by the massive earthquake. We have been on the road 15 hours for a trip that normally takes 4 to 5 hours ... And we're still 50 miles away.
For most of the journey the worst thing has been horrible traffic. Most highways to the quake zone are closed due to quake damage. We traveled most of the way on two lane roads thick, crawling with traffic -- trucks full of relief and aid and anguished families headed north.
Continue »Two very different visits to Tokyo
Passengers rest on the floor of the Narita International Airport, near Tokyo, after flights were disrupted following Friday's magnitude 8.9 earthquake, on Saturday, March 12, 2011.
(Credit: AP Photo/Mark Baker)Ben Tracy is a CBS News correspondent based in Los Angeles.
This past Thursday I flew from Los Angeles to Tokyo on my way to a four day vacation in Hong Kong.
I was at the Tokyo/Narita airport for two hours and remember thinking "it would be nice to see this city, I have never been to Japan." I continued on with my trip and had a fantastic 24 hours in Hong Kong.
Special report: Disaster in Japan
Continue »All-American family defends their faith
14-year-old Salim Sbenaty pledges allegiance in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
(Credit: CBS News)Soon after posting a "status update" on my Facebook page earlier today, I was reminded of how Islam in the United States can become such a divisive issue.
I wrote that I was here in Tennessee seeking reaction from one American Muslim family regarding the hearings being held today by Rep. King. The Evening News linked to my Facebook post and comments immediately started popping up on both sides of the issue.
Continue »Muslim leader in King's district issues warning
Dr. Faroque Khan, a member of the board of trustees of the Islamic Center of Long Island, March 10, 2011.
(Credit: CBS/John Bentley)WESTBURY, NY - With hearings underway in Washington, DC, into the "The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and That Community's Response," a leader
of the Islamic Center of Long Island says Rep. Peter King's inquiry into homegrown terror plots could have serious consequences for Americans overseas.
"This will be another kind of incident which will be read as an attack on the Muslims," said Dr. Faroque Khan, a member of the board of trustees of the Islamic Center of Long Island. "That can have repercussions for our troops who are stationed overseas, for our American citizens who are going overseas, and I hope the Congressman keeps that in mind."
Continue »Tucson victims face shooting suspect in court
TUCSON, Ariz. - Until Jared Loughner entered a Tucson courtroom Wednesday, my only image of him was from that first unsettling booking photo showing a strange smile under a shaved head. The young man who shuffled into court with his hands and feet in chains looked different with a full head of short, dark hair and long sideburns, but the smile remained unmistakable.
Complete Coverage: Tragedy in Tucson
The courtroom is small, just 75 seats. Family members of some of the six who were killed sat with a victims' advocate. Two of those who were wounded, Susan Hileman and retired Army Col. Bill Badger, sat in the front row. For the first time since the shooting, they were here to look Loughner in the face. Badger, whose skull was grazed by a bullet and who is one of those who tackled the gunman, stared at Loughner sternly.
Continue »Keeping a family together, after tragedy strikes
When her sister died, Chanda Taylor took in her 8 nieces and nephews.
(Credit: CBS)We always saw this story, and still do, as a heartwarming feature.
Chanda Taylor, a low-wage mail room clerk, loses her sister in an accident and takes in all eight of her sister's children.
Admirable? Yes. Easy? Not at all.
Continue »Katie Couric's Notebook: Pink Gang
I don't generally support gang-related activity, but in this case I'll have to make an exception.
The Gulabi Gang, or Pink Gang in Hindi, is a group of women from Uttar Pradesh, one of the poorest parts of India. Led by the feisty Sampat Pal, they travel to different villages, clad in pink saris, to defend abused women and confront corrupt officials.
Continue »
