Vick's Second Chance
(AP )
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August 14, 2009 5:24 PM Will the city of brotherly love also come to be known as the city of second chances? Shortly after Michael Vick was named an Eagle, fans were already enraged that their favorite team could stand by a man who had exhibited such cruelty to animals in the past. Some are ticked off at the NFL for allowing a person to hold a job after a felony conviction when most other employers would not allow them back on the premises. You don't have to follow football to realize why this story becomes the "water cooler" story of the weekend and perhaps the biggest story of the NFL heading into this season. Do you believe in second chances and that prison sentences wipe the record clean for past crimes or do you think that Michael Vick's actions were so egregious that there is no repentance possible? Do you believe in redemption?
August 3, 2009 5:04 PM 
If Days of Thunder and Talladega Nights are what you think of when you hear the word NASCAR, it might be time to take another look. After covering stories throughout the south over the past couple of years, I learned how pervasive NASCAR was but not until I experienced the ear-splitting and almost ground shaking vibrations of a revving race car, spoke to a few of the drivers and fans did I get why it is as big as it is. Take a dash of competition, a smidge of unparalleled brand loyalty, pour in lots of testosterone and stir with a generous amount of corporate sponsorship and you have one of the largest spectator sports in America.
Walk into the infield of a race track and from motor home, to camper to fifth wheel trailer you'll see families making an entire weekend getaway out of what is usually a three or four hour race. Depending on the race track, they pay a couple of hundred dollars to park there, sometimes another 50 or so dollars to walk in closer to the cars and drivers and sometimes hundreds more to have a full run of the place. The fans buy boldly emblazoned merchandising featuring their favorite driver or car, but the most important thing they buy are the brands.
NASCAR Fueled by Passion, Testosterone, Brands
(AP Photo/Glenn Smith)
If Days of Thunder and Talladega Nights are what you think of when you hear the word NASCAR, it might be time to take another look. After covering stories throughout the south over the past couple of years, I learned how pervasive NASCAR was but not until I experienced the ear-splitting and almost ground shaking vibrations of a revving race car, spoke to a few of the drivers and fans did I get why it is as big as it is. Take a dash of competition, a smidge of unparalleled brand loyalty, pour in lots of testosterone and stir with a generous amount of corporate sponsorship and you have one of the largest spectator sports in America.
Walk into the infield of a race track and from motor home, to camper to fifth wheel trailer you'll see families making an entire weekend getaway out of what is usually a three or four hour race. Depending on the race track, they pay a couple of hundred dollars to park there, sometimes another 50 or so dollars to walk in closer to the cars and drivers and sometimes hundreds more to have a full run of the place. The fans buy boldly emblazoned merchandising featuring their favorite driver or car, but the most important thing they buy are the brands.
July 6, 2009 3:58 PM 
Hari Sreenivasan is a CBS News Correspondent based in New York.
As the creation and consumption of content regarding Michael Jackson continues, sadly I wonder about the circumstances surrounding the future of my business (aka mainstream media) perhaps as much as I do about the particular circumstances involved in the end of an entertainer's life.
Thoughts on Jackson and the Media
(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
As the creation and consumption of content regarding Michael Jackson continues, sadly I wonder about the circumstances surrounding the future of my business (aka mainstream media) perhaps as much as I do about the particular circumstances involved in the end of an entertainer's life.
April 28, 2009 11:58 PM 
This story was nothing to sneeze at...
I'm happy to say that I’ve survived a few days in Mexico City and have none of the symptoms of swine flu. One thing however does feel different; how unconsciously alert I am to my own body and all sorts of warning signs/hazardous behaviors around me. Perhaps it is just a case of biological adaptation to increase your chances of survival in more dangerous environments (if anyone has research on that - please do send my way) or it is a layer of your subconscious that just heightens your peripheral awareness under changing circumstances, but it is oddly cool.
When our producer on the ground welcomed my outstretched hand at the airport with a warning that hand shakes should be avoided, that is when the story started to sink in. Saturday evening when I sneezed at a restaurant and people three tables over turned to look, it sunk in a little deeper.
By the time I woke up on Sunday, my body had gone into this state of being. I noticed a man coughing as he walked into the elevator and instinctively pressed the button with a knuckle instead of a fingertip. I didn’t touch the handrails on the way down to the lobby. I took notice of the doorman who sneezed and oddly I searched for him the next couple of days to make sure he still seemed healthy. I washed my hands far more often, became conscious of otherwise unconscious actions like how many times my fingers touched my eyes to relieve an itch(eight times since landing) or how many times I had coughed (three) or sneezed (seven) over the past few days.
An Assignment That's Nothing To Sneeze At
(AP/CDC)
I'm happy to say that I’ve survived a few days in Mexico City and have none of the symptoms of swine flu. One thing however does feel different; how unconsciously alert I am to my own body and all sorts of warning signs/hazardous behaviors around me. Perhaps it is just a case of biological adaptation to increase your chances of survival in more dangerous environments (if anyone has research on that - please do send my way) or it is a layer of your subconscious that just heightens your peripheral awareness under changing circumstances, but it is oddly cool.
When our producer on the ground welcomed my outstretched hand at the airport with a warning that hand shakes should be avoided, that is when the story started to sink in. Saturday evening when I sneezed at a restaurant and people three tables over turned to look, it sunk in a little deeper.
By the time I woke up on Sunday, my body had gone into this state of being. I noticed a man coughing as he walked into the elevator and instinctively pressed the button with a knuckle instead of a fingertip. I didn’t touch the handrails on the way down to the lobby. I took notice of the doorman who sneezed and oddly I searched for him the next couple of days to make sure he still seemed healthy. I washed my hands far more often, became conscious of otherwise unconscious actions like how many times my fingers touched my eyes to relieve an itch(eight times since landing) or how many times I had coughed (three) or sneezed (seven) over the past few days.
February 2, 2009 6:54 PM
Deep Freeze: Reporting From The Ice Storm
Hari Sreenivasan is a CBS News correspondent based in Dallas.
Seventy-year-old Bill Wilson and his wife watched the Super Bowl on a battery powered five-inch TV, with a rabbit ear wrapped in aluminum foil. While sitting in their living room, they had their jackets on, thick socks, full boots and were huddled around the natural gas fireplace because it was their sixth day without power outside Crayne, Ky. Never heard of Crayne, well let's say that it is suburb of Marion, which, if you tried to find it on a map would be at the center of a triangle between St. Louis, Louisville, Ky., and Nashville, Tenn. Let's just say it’s pretty far out there.
Here we are a week after an ice storm and there are still more than 255,000 people in the state of Kentucky without power. Add up the other states and we're talkin' about almost a half million homes and businesses still in the dark.
(AP)
Here we are a week after an ice storm and there are still more than 255,000 people in the state of Kentucky without power. Add up the other states and we're talkin' about almost a half million homes and businesses still in the dark.
November 27, 2008 5:01 PM 
This post was written by CBS News' Hari Sreenivasan, who reported from Texas on Hurricane Ike and now looks at how recovery efforts have progressed.
This week, almost three months after Hurricane Ike battered Texas, it was clear that the rebuilding and repair is happening far slower than the rest of the country imagines it to be. David Stall, the Shoreacres city manager we spoke with had a poignant observation in our piece when he mentioned that it seems like when the lights came back on in Houston, people just began to think that everything was all better. The facts are that for his community, and several others along the Texas coast, life is far from normal.
The human costs are chronicled in both our pieces on the Evening News as well as The Early Show through the eyes of the Brown family. Michelle Brown didn't want to speak with us about things when we met her on her driveway. After a few minutes of conversation it became apparent why. I'm certainly not a psychologist but it doesn't take one to realize that she and her family are still in states of shock, grief and trauma over what has happened - not just to their house, but their home.
The Forgotten Storm
(CBS)
This week, almost three months after Hurricane Ike battered Texas, it was clear that the rebuilding and repair is happening far slower than the rest of the country imagines it to be. David Stall, the Shoreacres city manager we spoke with had a poignant observation in our piece when he mentioned that it seems like when the lights came back on in Houston, people just began to think that everything was all better. The facts are that for his community, and several others along the Texas coast, life is far from normal.
The human costs are chronicled in both our pieces on the Evening News as well as The Early Show through the eyes of the Brown family. Michelle Brown didn't want to speak with us about things when we met her on her driveway. After a few minutes of conversation it became apparent why. I'm certainly not a psychologist but it doesn't take one to realize that she and her family are still in states of shock, grief and trauma over what has happened - not just to their house, but their home.
September 18, 2008 1:42 PM 
Hari Sreenivasan is a CBS News correspondent based in Dallas.
I became a U.S. Citizen today. There were 507 others with me this morning at a convention center in Dallas, Texas. They came from 66 different countries; each with their own stories, here's a slice of mine.
I immigrated here in 1981 – and have had the right to become a citizen for more than 20 years, but I've struggled with the concepts of citizenship and identity; cultural and political, so taking today's oath was a long time coming.
Even through the application process I was unsure whether or not shifting allegiances from my country of birth was right for me. I downloaded the forms this January, stared at them all of February, filled them out in March, and after a long 20 minutes outside a mailbox in April, I finally dropped them in.
India has given me ...
Going All In: The Story Of Becoming A U.S. Citizen
(CBS/John Filo)
I became a U.S. Citizen today. There were 507 others with me this morning at a convention center in Dallas, Texas. They came from 66 different countries; each with their own stories, here's a slice of mine.
I immigrated here in 1981 – and have had the right to become a citizen for more than 20 years, but I've struggled with the concepts of citizenship and identity; cultural and political, so taking today's oath was a long time coming.
Even through the application process I was unsure whether or not shifting allegiances from my country of birth was right for me. I downloaded the forms this January, stared at them all of February, filled them out in March, and after a long 20 minutes outside a mailbox in April, I finally dropped them in.
India has given me ...
August 15, 2008 5:41 PM
Curfews And Blues Hit Arkansas Town
Hari Sreenivasan is a CBS News correspondent based in Dallas.
When you are walking down the street and an officer approaches you, asks for your identification and purpose for being at that place at that time … how do you respond? Do you automatically comply because you have nothing to hide? Do you feel like your personal freedoms are being infringed upon?
In the small town of Helena-West Helena, Ark., last week the mayor imposed of a curfew on a 10-block area that had been recently filled with gunfire. Apparently fists flew after a fight over $6 from a dice game, and soon fists were replaced by bullets for the next three weeks.
Large plastic barrels with curfew signs adorn all the roadways leading into that section of town. Thanks to unanimous City Council support, the police action in one section is spreading citywide. On random nights now, authorities including criminal investigators, county sheriffs and police work 12- to 16-hour shifts making everyone very aware that there is a curfew and they should not be out without reason.
To be clear, this is not a curfew in which the streets are empty of people and cars. Adults are given far more leeway, and minors must be accompanied by an adult after 9 or 10 p.m. On the night we rode along ...
When you are walking down the street and an officer approaches you, asks for your identification and purpose for being at that place at that time … how do you respond? Do you automatically comply because you have nothing to hide? Do you feel like your personal freedoms are being infringed upon?
In the small town of Helena-West Helena, Ark., last week the mayor imposed of a curfew on a 10-block area that had been recently filled with gunfire. Apparently fists flew after a fight over $6 from a dice game, and soon fists were replaced by bullets for the next three weeks.
Large plastic barrels with curfew signs adorn all the roadways leading into that section of town. Thanks to unanimous City Council support, the police action in one section is spreading citywide. On random nights now, authorities including criminal investigators, county sheriffs and police work 12- to 16-hour shifts making everyone very aware that there is a curfew and they should not be out without reason.
To be clear, this is not a curfew in which the streets are empty of people and cars. Adults are given far more leeway, and minors must be accompanied by an adult after 9 or 10 p.m. On the night we rode along ...
July 2, 2008 5:01 PM
Pecking Away Farms' Profits
Hari Sreenivasan is a CBS News correspondent based in Dallas.
Who is winning with high corn prices? Perhaps a few smart corn speculators on La Salle Street in Chicago are laughing in their new Bentleys, and maybe there are some newly wealthy corn farmers who might enjoy the high prices a bushel fetches these days, but when you look at how crucial corn is in the supply stream of food we consume, your wallet is going to feel anything but happy.
The connection between corn and meat is simple; most of the meat you eat is fed corn. (I say "you" because I was born a vegetarian and have stayed that way. No judgments, though!) The scene of bucolic beef cattle grazing grass their entire lives is a rarity. There are still small organic farm operations that do that, but the majority of beef cattle end up in a feed lot for the last leg of their lives, where they are fed a diet high in corn. Lack of mobility and constant feeding helps the cows "beef up" and reach your dinner table sooner.
Farmers like Steve Foglesong at the Black Gold Ranch can try to keep his cattle on grass feed longer, he can try to "take more cows to market" and consequently have less mouths to feed but at some point his input costs will have to get passed onto consumers. No cattle farmer likes to have to get rid of their herd until it’s time because it takes two-to-three years to develop a single animal.
You'll actually feel the pinch faster if you are shopping for chicken or pork because the life cycles of these animals is shorter. When we caught up with David Hale, who helps run his tiny family farm in Campbell, Texas, he told us that the cycle of a chicken is somewhere around nine weeks and every time he has gone to buy feed for the past year, it has been higher. He even showed us his feed bills that were 50 percent higher than the year before – and they now included a fuel surcharge which wasn't there before.
(AP Photo /Musadeq Sadeq)
The connection between corn and meat is simple; most of the meat you eat is fed corn. (I say "you" because I was born a vegetarian and have stayed that way. No judgments, though!) The scene of bucolic beef cattle grazing grass their entire lives is a rarity. There are still small organic farm operations that do that, but the majority of beef cattle end up in a feed lot for the last leg of their lives, where they are fed a diet high in corn. Lack of mobility and constant feeding helps the cows "beef up" and reach your dinner table sooner.
Farmers like Steve Foglesong at the Black Gold Ranch can try to keep his cattle on grass feed longer, he can try to "take more cows to market" and consequently have less mouths to feed but at some point his input costs will have to get passed onto consumers. No cattle farmer likes to have to get rid of their herd until it’s time because it takes two-to-three years to develop a single animal.
You'll actually feel the pinch faster if you are shopping for chicken or pork because the life cycles of these animals is shorter. When we caught up with David Hale, who helps run his tiny family farm in Campbell, Texas, he told us that the cycle of a chicken is somewhere around nine weeks and every time he has gone to buy feed for the past year, it has been higher. He even showed us his feed bills that were 50 percent higher than the year before – and they now included a fuel surcharge which wasn't there before.
April 23, 2008 6:29 PM 
Hari Sreenivasan is a CBS News correspondent based in Dallas.
Oftentimes, by the hour the CBS Evening News rolls around, a story gets nipped here, tucked there and you're not able to get across everything you wanted to. So, thank goodness for a blog.
Take the phrase that didn't make my story about carbon offsets: "there is no one government or private standard for what carbon neutral means."
That could be a story unto itself.
The simple idea with carbon offsets is that you are trying to clean up the earth a bit for the damage you feel you might be doing – whether it be from the carbon emissions of driving your car, flying in a plane, leaving your plasma TV running all night or the mother of all barbeque pits smoking all day. Travel Web sites such as Orbitz, Travelocity, and Expedia – as well as several major airlines – offer the chance to pay an additional fee right when you book a ticket with them. Companies like Drivetime offer opportunities to cleanse your travels on the road.
How To: Re-Centering Your Carbon Karma
(CBS/John Filo)
Oftentimes, by the hour the CBS Evening News rolls around, a story gets nipped here, tucked there and you're not able to get across everything you wanted to. So, thank goodness for a blog.
Take the phrase that didn't make my story about carbon offsets: "there is no one government or private standard for what carbon neutral means."
That could be a story unto itself.
The simple idea with carbon offsets is that you are trying to clean up the earth a bit for the damage you feel you might be doing – whether it be from the carbon emissions of driving your car, flying in a plane, leaving your plasma TV running all night or the mother of all barbeque pits smoking all day. Travel Web sites such as Orbitz, Travelocity, and Expedia – as well as several major airlines – offer the chance to pay an additional fee right when you book a ticket with them. Companies like Drivetime offer opportunities to cleanse your travels on the road.
