Things your body can do after you die

Death is no obstacle when it comes to love in China. That's because ghost marriage -- the practice of setting up deceased relatives with suitable spouses, dead or alive -- is still an option.
Ghost marriage first appeared in Chinese legends 2,000 years ago, and it's been a staple of the culture ever since. At times, it was a way for spinsters to gain social acceptance after death. At other times, the ceremony honored dead sons by giving them living brides. In both cases, the marriages served a religious function by making the deceased happier in the afterlife.
While the practice of matchmaking for the dead waned during China's Cultural Revolution in the late 1960s, officials report that ghost marriages are back on the rise. Today, the goal is often to give a deceased bachelor a wife -- preferably one who has recently been laid to rest. But in a nation where men outnumber women in death as well as in life, the shortage of corpse brides has led to murder.
In 2007, there were two widely reported cases of rural men killing prostitutes, housekeepers, and mentally ill women in order to sell their bodies as ghost wives. Worse, these crimes pay. According to The Washington Post and The London Times, one undertaker buys women's bodies for more than $2,000 and sells them to prospective "in-laws" for nearly $5,000.

Obama 'outraged' by Wright's remarks

Sen. Barack Obama said he is "outraged" by comments his former minister, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, made Monday at the National Press Club and "saddened by the spectacle."
"I have been a member of Trinity Church since 1992. I have known Rev. Wright for almost 20 years," he said at a news conference in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. "The person I saw yesterday is not the person I met 20 years ago."
Obama said he is outraged by Wright's remarks that seemed to suggest the U.S. government might be responsible for the spread of AIDS in the black community, and his equation of some American wartime efforts with terrorism.
"What particularly angered me was his suggestion somehow that my previous denunciation of his remarks were somehow political posturing," said Obama, who added that Wright had shown "little regard for me" and seemed more concerned with "taking center stage."
Obama said Wright's comments were not only "divisive and destructive," but they also "end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate."

Obama's ex-pastor delivers spirited speech to NAACP

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama's former pastor told an audience of thousands at an NAACP dinner Sunday that he was "descriptive" but "not divisive" when he talks about race relations in America.

I describe the conditions in this country," the Rev. Jeremiah Wright said during his lively keynote address at the 53rd NAACP's Freedom Fund dinner in Detroit, Michigan.
"Conditions divide, not my descriptions," he said.
"I am sorry your local political analysts and your neighboring county executives think my being here is polarizing and my sermons are divisive, but I'm not here to address an analyst's opinion," he said. "I am here to address your 2008 theme (of) change is going to come."
Wright is a retired pastor from the the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Illinois, where Obama worships.
Earlier this year, some of Wright's outspoken sermons, circulated and widely discussed on the Internet and on television, became an issue in the Democratic presidential race because of the former pastor's ties to Obama.

Police not guilty in groom's death

A judge acquitted three New York Police Department detectives of all charges Friday morning in the shooting death of an unarmed man in a 50-bullet barrage, hours before he was to be married.
Detectives Michael Oliver and Gescard Isnora were found not guilty of charges of manslaughter, assault and reckless endangerment in the death of Sean Bell, 23, and the wounding of two of his friends.
Detective Marc Cooper was acquitted of reckless endangerment.
Justice Arthur Cooperman said he found problems with the prosecution's case. He said some prosecution witnesses contradicted themselves, and he cited prior convictions and incarcerations of witnesses.
He also cited the demeanor of some witnesses on the stand.
As the judge read his decision, Nicole Paultre Bell -- Sean Bell's fiancee before his death -- ran from the courtroom, saying, "I've got to get out of here."
The announcement immediately sparked anger among some in the crowd outside the courthouse, but the protests were generally orderly.
One woman shouted at a black police officer, "How can you be proud to wear that uniform? Stand down! Stop working for the masters!" Sean Bell was black.
Patrick Lynch, president of the New York Police Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, said "there's no winners, there's no losers" in the case.
"We still have a death that occurred. We still have police officers that have to live with the fact that there was a death involved in their case," Lynch said.
But, he added, the verdict assured police officers that they will be treated fairly in New York's courts.
"This case was not about justice," said Leroy Gadsden, chair of the police/community relations committee of the Jamaica Branch NAACP. "This case was about the police having a right to be above the law. If the law was in effect here, if the judge had followed the law truly, these officers would have been found guilty. ...
"This court, unfortunately, is bankrupt when it comes to justice for people of color."
The Rev. Al Sharpton, who has been advising Bell's fiancee and family, left the courthouse about an hour after the verdict without making a public statement. He had called for calm Wednesday.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg issued a statement saying, "An innocent man lost his life, a bride lost her groom, two daughters lost their father, and a mother and a father lost their son. No verdict could ever end the grief that those who knew and loved Sean Bell suffer."
However, he said, the legal system must be respected.
"America is a nation of laws, and though not everyone will agree with the verdicts and opinions issued by the courts, we accept their authority."
Bloomberg also said he had spoken briefly with Paultre Bell on Wednesday and agreed with her on the need to ensure similar incidents would not occur in the future.
Bell, 23, was killed just before dawn on his wedding day, November 25, 2006. He and several friends were winding up an all-night bachelor party at the Kalua Club in Queens, a strip club that was under investigation by a NYPD undercover unit looking into complaints of guns, drugs and prostitution.
Undercover detectives were inside the club, and plainclothes officers were stationed outside.
Witnesses said that about 4 a.m., closing time, as Bell and his friends left the club, an argument broke out. Believing that one of Bell's friends, Joseph Guzman, was going to get a gun from Bell's car, one of the undercover detectives followed the men and called for backup.
What happened next was at the heart of the trial, prosecuted by the assistant district attorney in Queens.

Snipes to be sentenced on tax evasion charges

Actor Wesley Snipes faces up to three years in prison and a fine of $5 million when he is sentenced Thursday on federal tax evasion charges. Federal prosecutors last week urged U.S. District Judge William Hodges in Ocala, Florida, to sentence Snipes to the maximum penalty to demonstrate to taxpayers that refusal to pay income taxes carries severe penalties.
Snipes was convicted on three misdemeanor counts of failure to file federal income tax returns.
"This case presents the court with a singular opportunity to deter tax fraud nationwide," the government said in its sentencing recommendation.
Snipes, who has starred in movies such as "Blade," "Major League" and "Murder at 1600," had been charged with felony conspiracy counts for participating in a scheme that rejects the legal foundation of the tax system. However, a jury accepted his argument that he was innocently duped by errant tax advisers and acquitted him on the most serious charges.
"The fact that Snipes was acquitted on two felony charges and convicted 'only' on three misdemeanor counts has been portrayed in the mainstream media as a 'victory' for Snipes," the government document says.
"The troubling implication of such coverage for the millions of average citizens who are aware of this case is that the rich and famous Wesley Snipes has 'gotten away with it.' In the end the criminal conduct of Snipes must not be seen in such a light."

Clinton wins Pennsylvania

Sen. Hillary Clinton claimed victory in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, beating out Sen. Barack Obama after a bruising six-week campaign.
"It's a long road to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and it runs right through the heart of Pennsylvania," she told supporters in Philadelphia.
"I'm in this race to fight for you ... You know you can count on me to stand up strong for you every single day in the White House."
Clinton commended Obama and his campaign, saying the two are in many ways "on this journey together."
Clinton's big-state victory follows her wins in Ohio, New York, Texas and California.
Her campaign said that should raise questions about whether Obama, who leads Clinton in the overall Democratic race, can beat presumptive Republican nominee John McCain in November.
"The tide is turning," Clinton told cheering supporters. Chelsea Clinton's eyes welled with tears as she watched her mother speak.
With about 99 percent of precincts reporting, Clinton was leading Obama by 10 points.

Charities forced to do more with less

Ordinary Americans aren't the only ones being punished by tough economic times. Charities say they need help, too.
Charitable groups that help the poor food banks, thrift stores, shelters say the slumping economy is eroding their ability to help the nation's needy. They report declining donations and a surge in people seeking help.
Bill Bolling, the founder of the Atlanta Community Food Bank, says he's experienced several recessions but never seen so many working people visit food banks. Bolling's charity donates food to 800 nonprofit groups in Georgia.
"This is new for us," Bolling said. "People are giving up buying groceries so that they can pay rent and put gas in the car."
National charities like Goodwill Industries International Inc. and The Salvation Army give the same grim assessment donations are down, needs are up.
At least 1.3 million more people have enrolled in the federal Food Stamp Program compared to last year, says Ross Fraser, a spokesman for America's Second Harvest, one of the nation's largest hunger-relief groups. It donates food to at least 200 food banks.
"People who have been in food banking for years say it's the worst they've ever seen," Fraser said.
People often assume food bank customers are homeless. But several food bank officials across the country say that many of their customers are working-class people and their numbers are increasing.
They are people like Lynette Copeland, who works full-time as a clerk at a rehabilitation center in Atlanta, Georgia. She's buying a Habitat for Humanity house and drives a car. But she says she doesn't make enough money to pay her bills.
Copeland says she depends on the Atlanta food bank to feed the four grandchildren she raises alone. She says the high costs of food, fuel and daycare force her to eat meat sparingly and shop at Goodwill.
"Although everything is going up, your pay rate doesn't go up," she said.
Lately, Copeland says she has noticed a change in the makeup of the customers visiting her food bank. Instead of the homeless and destitute, people come from all walks of life: the elderly, men in security guard uniforms and mothers with children.
Many are first-timers. Some are too ashamed to ask for food in front of others; so they walk to the side of the food bank where fewer people are gathered to receive food, she says.

20 migrants drown off Bahamas

The U.S. Coast Guard says the bodies of 20 migrants have been recovered from the sea near the Bahamas. The bodies include 19 Haitians and one Honduran.
A search-and-rescue mission began Sunday after fishermen heard people screaming in the water.
Coast Guard spokesman Barry Bena said in Miami Monday that three survivors have been found. He said 20 bodies have been recovered.
Authorities are interviewing the survivors to determine what happened and are continuing the search.

Pope arrives in New York for United Nations speech

After a dramatic three days in which he put America's clergy sexual abuse scandal front and center, Pope Benedict XVI turned his attention Friday to the original purpose of his first U.S. visit as leader of the Roman Catholic Church a speech at the United Nations.
Traveling in from Washington on an early morning flight, the pope was greeted by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and was to address the General Assembly a few minutes later.
Hundreds of people had gathered at a plaza outside the U.N., some brought banners saying "Wilkomen Pope Benedict XVI." One added the words "You Rock!"
The U.N. setting contrasted dramatically with the intimacy of a meeting Thursday, at which Benedict prayed with weeping victims of childhood sexual abuse by priests.
When Benedict speaks to diplomats from around the world, he'll likely touch on several broad themes, said Jo Renee Formicola, a Seton Hall University political science professor who has studied the papacy and international affairs.
Among them: a call for bedrock ethical and moral principles as a guiding force even in pluralistic societies, a human rights agenda that encompasses religious freedom and the sacredness of human life and the responsibility of first-world nations to aid developing ones.
The pope will encourage the notion that individuals and states can rise above their own self interests and pursue the common good, Formicola said.

N. Korea faces food crisis

North Korea faces a looming food crisis due to floods last year, the U.N. food agency said.
Food prices at North Korean markets have doubled while state rations are dwindling, the World Food Program said Wednesday.
Key donors such as China and South Korea are not expected to send as much direct assistance to the North as they have in the past.
"The food security situation in the (North) is clearly bad and getting worse," Tony Banbury, WFP Asia regional director, said in a statement. "It is increasingly likely that external assistance will be urgently required to avert a serious tragedy."
Jean-Pierre de Margerie, WFP's country director in North Korea, said by telephone from Pyongyang that North Korean officials were admitting for the first time that the state ration system -- already erratic in providing food to the country's 23 million people -- was breaking down.
"It's a bit of a perfect storm shaping up," he said.
Prices of staple foods have doubled in the past year in the capital. A kilogram (2.2 pounds) of rice now costs about a third of a typical worker's monthly salary of 6,000 won (about US$2), WFP said.
In another blow to the food situation, direct aid from North Korea's two top donors -- China and South Korea -- is also expected to decline this year.
Due to rising food prices, China has restricted its exports and is not expected to send as much to its communist ally as in the past, de Margerie said.
South Korea has a new conservative president who has said he expects North Korea to reciprocate for aid, a change from the previous decade of liberal South Korean governments. The new policy has angered Pyongyang, which has claimed it does not need Seoul's help.
The WFP cut back its operations in 2006 at North Korea's request, going from feeding more than 6 million people to 1.1 million. The move was believed motivated by the reclusive North bristling at the monitoring requirements that required foreign aid workers to travel the country and observe food handouts.
WFP said an estimated 6.5 million people were short of food, and the number could rise if shortages were not addressed.
The agency is in talks with the North Korean government and donors as it deliberates whether to launch a new emergency feeding program, de Margerie said.
Since the 1990s North Korea has suffered regular food shortages caused by natural disasters, mismanagement and the loss of the country's Soviet benefactor. As many as 2 million people are believed to have died from famine.

An 'average' American will never be president

Can we all just stop the silly nonsense over who is an elitist and whether an "average American" will occupy the White House?
Listening to the punditry today, you would think folks who revel in the comedy of Larry the Cable Guy or Katt Williams really would have a shot at the White House.
It's totally absurd.
So, Sen. Barack Obama is all of a sudden an elitist because he went to Columbia and Harvard? And Sen. Hillary Clinton is an elitist because she went to Yale? Do you actually think Sen. John McCain isn't an elitist? He went to an exclusive college the Naval Academy, and that is one of the hardest places to get into.
Karl Rove, who tries to portray himself as the common man but is just another rich Republican, has called both Democratic candidates elitists. Well, his former boss, President George W. Bush, went to Yale. So did Bush's dad, former president George H.W. Bush, and his granddaddy, former Sen. Prescott Bush. All three Bushes also were members of the super elite organization Skull and Bones. The younger Bush later went to Harvard.
He walked into the governor's mansion and the presidency on the strength of his name and his dad's money and connections. Sounds like an elitist to me!
But no, we're supposed to be fooled by the cowboy boots, folksy charm and him removing brush at his Crawford, Texas, ranch.

Air crash in Africa kills more than 80

A plane crashed Tuesday shortly after taking off from the Goma airport in the Democratic Republic of Congo, killing 83 passengers and crew on board, a foreign ministry spokesman said.
The Hewa Bora Airways DC-9 was heading from the city of Goma in the eastern mountains to the central city of Kisangani when it plummeted into a neighborhood near the runway, spokesman Antoine Ghonda said.
The plane went down shortly after 3 p.m. (9 a.m. ET) and was still on fire an hour later, U.N. spokesman Kemal Saiki said in Goma.
The United Nations and Red Cross are helping with the rescue effort, which is hampered by the "basic, if nonexistent" equipment in the impoverished country, Saiki said.
Hewa Bora Airways is a private Congolese airline that aviation authorities in Belgium recently suspended for safety violations, said foreign ministry spokesman Antoine Ghonda. The airline is based in the capital, Kinshasa.
Before its suspension, Hewa Bora had operated a weekly flight to Belgium, Ghonda said.
Congolese authorities had not suspended the airline. "I'm quite sure they're going" to after this week's crash, Ghonda added.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire, has a dismal aviation record. There have been 10 plane crashes there since February 2007, resulting in 76 deaths, according to the Aviation Safety Network.
Ghonda said the cause of Tuesday's crash is under investigation but initial indications point to an overloaded cabin. He said weather was not a factor.
Saiki said air travel is one of the few ways to get around the Congo.
"This is the third-largest country in Africa, as big as Western Europe, and yet you don't even have 2,000 miles of roads," Saiki said. "So basically most of the transportation in such a big country is done by air."

Iraqi soldiers free CBS journalist from captors

Richard Butler, the CBS journalist rescued by Iraqi soldiers in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on Monday, described a quick escape and "brilliant" military work that ended his two long months of captivity.
"The Iraqi army stormed the house and overcame the guards and burst through the door and I had my hood on, which I had to have on the whole time. And they shouted something at me and I pulled my hood off," Butler told TV cameras. "And they ran me down the road."
Butler, who is British, was freed Monday by chance during Iraqi military operations that have been ongoing for weeks in the city, and later was handed over to the British military. News footage showed him hugging and shaking hands with people after he fled a house in the Basra neighborhood of Jabaliya.
"Thank you and I'm looking forward to seeing my family and friends at CBS. And thank you again," he said.
When asked whether the Iraqi army was "good," Butler called the army "brilliant."

Fire destroys Clinton's local campaign office

Terre Haute fire officials are investigating an early Friday morning fire that happened in downtown Terre Haute, destroying Senator Hillary Clinton's Terre Haute Campaign Headquarters.
The fire broke out just after 12:30 a.m. Friday at the Westaff office building on 3rd Street.
"When they arrived on the scene, flames were shooting out the tops of it, and the vehicle in front was also involved in the fire," Terre Haute Fire Department Public Information Officer John Gardner said.
Gardner said two women were inside Clinton's headquarters when the fire started. They got out safely, but one of their cars caught fire.
"It was really burning. The front part hadn't caved in yet. When it caved in, it fell on her car. Her car was on fire inside and out," said witness George Leach.
Despite former President Bill Cinton's visit to the Wabash Valley, investigators said they aren't jumping to any conclusions just yet as to what may have caused the fire at the Clinton Headquarters.
"At this point all we know is that there was a structure fire. We put it out, and we are going to do our investigation," Gardner said.
No word yet on where the fire started or the cause.
We have been told that the secret service has been on the scene investigating.
News 10 will have more on Hillary's Headquarters and information on this story as it develops.

Storms cause damage in Texas, Oklahoma and Michigan

Powerful storms brought hail, heavy rain and possible tornadoes to Texas and Oklahoma, causing power outages for thousands of customers Thursday morning and at least one death.
At least 180,000 homes and businesses lost electricity in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and more than 11,000 customers were without power in Oklahoma Thursday morning.
Flooding in Oklahoma forced about a dozen state highways to close, and some schools called off classes for the day.
In Oklahoma, where parts of the state had more than 4 inches of rain, a woman died when her car skidded off the road during a downpour.
Three people were treated for minor injuries in Texas.
The severe weather began Wednesday and kept going into early Thursday. An apparent tornado moved through west Texas, tearing shingles from roofs, shattering glass and flipping vehicles.
Red Cross spokeswoman Anita Foster said no injuries were reported from the high winds and heavy rain in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Two shelters were set up for residents who may need them, she said.

San Francisco braces for Olympic torch protests

San Francisco authorities are getting ready for protests Wednesday when runners carry the Olympic torch through the city, hoping to avoid the chaos that disrupted the relay in London and Paris.
Police officers' vacations have been canceled. Mayor Gavin Newsom has said that the route along the waterfront already cut from eight to six miles could be changed up to and even during the run itself.
"Things are still subject to change based on the information that we receive," San Francisco police Sgt. Neville Gittens said. "The goal is to have a safe event for everyone spectators and participants."
A spokesman for the group Students for a Free Tibet said he has heard of many people planning to protest in San Francisco.
"We want it to be peaceful. But it will be large," said spokesman Tenzin Dasang. "I heard from Tibetans that now live all over the U.S. and even abroad who are coming here."

Obama chipping away at Clinton's Pennsylvania lead

Barack Obama continues to chip away at Hillary Clinton's lead in the crucial state of Pennsylvania, a new Quinnipiac poll out Tuesday shows.
The New York senator's lead over Obama now stands at 6 points in the new poll, 50-44 percent. That compares to the 9 point lead Clinton held in a similar survey released 5 days ago, and an 11 point lead in a Quinnipiac survey late last month.
Specifically, Clinton has lost ground among white voters and men: She now holds an 18 point lead among whites, down from a 25 point gap in last week’s poll, and trails Obama by 4 points among males. Last week, the two drew equal support from men.
But Clinton continues to remain strong with her core voting bloc of older voters and white women, and likely Pennsylvania Democratic voters rate her more favorably than Obama — 71 percent for Clinton and 67 percent for Obama.
With the latest Quinnipiac poll, CNN's poll of several recent surveys show Clinton's lead over Obama in Pennsylvania now averages 6 percentage points. That gap is 1 point less than Monday’s poll of polls and 5 points less than a CNN poll of polls on Friday.
What's behind the shift?
"Obama has outspent Hillary Clinton three to one just on television advertising in Pennsylvania. He spent more than $3 million trying to get his name out and his message out to Hillary Clinton's $1 million," said Mark Preston, a CNN political editor.
The Illinois senator has also heavily benefited from the Service Employees International Union, which according to recently filed FEC reports has spent well over $700,000 on get-out-the-vote-efforts there.

Olympic torch extinguished during Paris leg

The Olympic torch relay was disrupted Monday by protesters in Paris demonstrating against the Chinese government, causing authorities to extinguish the flame three times and put the torch on a bus, according to The Associated Press.
The torch was being carried by a wheelchair athlete when it was halted and extinguished for a second time due to demonstrators shouting, according to AP.
The procession was interrupted for a third time when police spotted a crowd of demonstrators waiting for the torch on a bridge as they approached.
Backup flames, also lit from the birthplace of the ancient games in Olympia, Greece, are with the relay at all times to relight the torch.
Earlier protesters close to the River Seine forced authorities to put the torch out and take to a bus so they could continue the relay.
Agencies report that the relay has now resumed but that there have confrontations between the authorities and demonstrators. Police have taken numerous protesters away, AP said, also using tear gas to remove demonstrators who lay in the road and tried to block the relay route.
The incidents came one day after human-rights activist demonstrators made the torch's journey through London more like running the gauntlet than a journey of celebration, as UK police made more than two dozen arrests

Tornado leaves Little Rock like 'war zone'

At least one tornado ripped through central Arkansas Thursday evening, savaging a mobile home park and sending National Weather Service forecasters into a bunker as the storm roared overhead.
"There's pretty extensive damage in the Little Rock area," said John Lewis, a senior forecaster with the weather service at the North Little Rock Airport.
At least four people were hurt, authorities said, but there were no reports of fatalities.
"We went into our shelter," Lewis said. "We could hear it ... go by."
The storm destroyed hangars at the North Little Rock Airport and tossed numerous small planes. The forecasters spent about three minutes in their shelter.
"The scariest moment of my life," said Mike Aubrey, who was at the airport securing his plane ahead of the storm. "Debris was flying across the ramp. Planes were beginning to stack up."
Aubrey said he saw a Douglas DC-3, an early passenger plane, spin around. The aircraft was nowhere to be found after the tornado passed, he said.
The damage extended from southwest of Little Rock to the northeast. "There's some structural damage in the city of Little Rock and several areas north of North Little Rock," said John Rehrauer, spokesman for the Pulaski County Sheriff's Department. "A lot of trees and power lines are down."
The same storm also caused damage in southwestern Little Rock and the town of Benton, Lewis said. It also pummeled the Hurricane Lake Mobile Home Park in Saline County, about 12 miles southwest of Little Rock.

FAA inspectors: Southwest tried to hide safety problems

Southwest Airlines tried to keep serious problems with its maintenance program hidden and pressured the Federal Aviation Administration to keep out an inspector who noticed the problems, according to two FAA inspectors who blew the whistle on the airline.
Bobby Boutris and Douglas Peters told CNN Wednesday they brought information about Southwest's lack of compliance with mandatory inspection protocols to their supervisors, but the FAA did nothing.
Boutris said the airline tried to have him removed from the inspections.
"My supervisor called me into his office ... and told me he had had a meeting with the director of quality assurance and the AD [airworthiness directive] compliance leader from Southwest Airlines, and he had requested my removal from the inspection," Boutris said.
Linda Rutherford, Southwest's public relations vice president, wouldn't comment on the inspectors' allegations, noting that company Chairman Herb Kelleher and CEO Gary Kelly would be testifying Thursday before a House panel convened to look into the issue.
"Out of respect for the congressional hearing process, we will present testimony there, both oral and in writing, that addresses many of the questions being asked," she said. "Out of respect for the committee hearing process, we need to let those questions wait for the committee."

Clinton lead narrows in Pennsylvania

Hillary Clinton holds a 9 point lead over Barack Obama in the crucial state of Pennsylvania, a margin that is slightly narrower than that found in a similar poll released earlier this month.
In the just released Quinnipiac University Poll, Clinton draws 50 percent of support from likely Democratic voters in the state while Obama gets 41 percent. In a similar poll taken two weeks ago, Clinton was at 53 percent and Obama was at 41 percent.
The poll was conducted March 24-31 and carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. It comes days after popular Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey endorsed Obama though most of the poll was conducted before that announcement.
The poll also shows a large split among white and black voters in the state Clinton is winning the votes of nearly 6 in 10 white Democrats while Obama is drawing three quarters of the black vote. The two also remain strong with constituencies that have favored them in past states: Clinton is doing well with women and older voters while Obama is strong with young voters. The two are approximately even among males.
A convincing win in Pennsylvania is seen as crucial for Clinton as she seeks to end the primary season with enough momentum to swing the majority of undecided superdelegates her way.
With an electorate that seems to favor Clinton, the Obama campaign has consistently lowered its expectations there, though it is heavily outspending her on television advertising.

King's final crusade: The radical push for a new America

The Rev. Bernard LaFayette Jr. was resting at his Chicago, Illinois, home one autumn weekend in 1967 when the phone rang. The caller didn't identify himself, but LaFayette immediately recognized the baritone voice.
"Bernard, I need you," the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said. "This may be my last campaign. We're going for broke."
Most Americans think of King as the "I Have a Dream" preacher at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. But the man who made his final trip to Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968 had become radical, scholars and activists say. King was gambling his legacy on a final crusade that was so revolutionary, it alarmed many of his closest advisers. Some became concerned about his emotional stability.
King called his crusade the Poor People's Campaign. He planned to march on Washington with a multiracial army of poor people who would build shantytowns at the Lincoln Memorial -- and paralyze the nation's capital if they had to.
The campaign's goal: force the federal government to withdraw funding for the Vietnam War and commit instead to abolishing poverty.
What King was saying by this time was even more provocative than what he planned. In his final presidential address to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, he said the movement should address "the question of restructuring the whole of American society."
He called for a guaranteed annual wage for all able-bodied people, he urged the nationalization of some industries, and he told people to "question the capitalistic economy."