Wednesday 10 December 2014

Suicide bombing kills 5 Afghan soldiers


Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A suicide bomber targeted a vehicle carrying Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers in Kabul on Thursday morning.


The ensuing blast killed five and wounded 12 others, the defense ministry said.


The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.



Pelicans impaled on fishhooks





  • So many fishhook impalings are a record of sorts for wildlife activist in Texas

  • Each bird usually has multiple hooks piercing its body

  • Veterinary personnel are working around the clock, taking hooks from eyes, abdomens

  • Winter drives the birds ashore and to fishing boats, but this is unusual, activist says




(CNN) -- Fishermen and pelicans on the Texas Gulf Coast have been angling at the same spot lately, and somebody is getting hurt awfully ugly: the pelicans.


So many have impaled themselves on fishhooks, that for wildlife activist Sharon Schmalz it's a record. "I've been here 30 years and [have] never seen this many in such a short time."


The birds have been punctured by multiple hooks. "Every one had two to four to five hooks in them," she said.


Wildlife veterinarians in Houston have extracted the barbs out of eyes, bills, midsections and untangled fishing line from 38 birds in the last three days. And five more are on their way to treatment at the Wildlife Center of Texas.


"There are going to be some we have to do surgery on. It's pretty intense; it's a lot like a MASH unit," Schmalz said.


And there are many more birds flailing near Galveston's Pier 14, Schmalz said.


Wildlife officials and police are investigating to find out why so many of them are impaling themselves on so many hooks.


For one, their numbers on land are on a seasonal rise. When winter sets in, hunger drives young birds ashore. "It's colder and hard to find food," Schmalz says.


They also gravitate toward fishing boats in search of an easy meal: caught fish and fishing bait.


But the gouging spate is not the norm. Winters are usually slow for the center's medical unit, where seven veterinarians work, but the fishhooks have them busy around the clock, the center said on its Facebook page.


Wildlife educators are working to inform fishermen about the problem.


Many of the pelicans are already weakened before getting stabbed by the hooks; they are emaciated and have parasites. Many are unable to eat for extended periods and are dehydrated.



Man adrift at sea found after 12 days





  • NEW: Ron Ingraham says he survived at sea by catching and eating fish

  • The Hawaii man made a distress call, 12 days after his first, saying his boat may sink

  • Authorities tracked him down, finding him "weak, hungry and dehydrated"

  • His son predicts his father will resume fishing as soon as he can




(CNN) -- The Coast Guard didn't think Ron Ingraham could survive, stuck in a 25-foot sailboat for days as waves swelled 15 to 20 feet high. His son did.


"I don't feel like he's dead," Zakary Ingraham told a Coast Guard official nine days ago, after learning their search was ending. "I don't feel it."





Missing fisherman rescued at sea

He was right.


Ron Ingraham was picked up Tuesday morning about 64 miles (103 kilometers) south of Honolulu, "weak, hungry and dehydrated" and -- most importantly -- alive.


His rescue came 12 days after he made his first distress call, a difficult stretch even for a veteran fisherman.


But he wasn't beaten up enough to lose his priorities. According to his son, the 67-year-old Ron Ingraham told his rescuers, "We ain't leaving without my boat."


So the sailor and his boat headed back to shore Wednesday.


What will his dad do now that he's back on land? Will he relax, take some time off, maybe look for a less dangerous profession?


"I'm sure he's going to go fishing as soon as he's able," Zakary Ingraham said by phone from Missouri. "Like tomorrow."


Son: Ron Ingraham is tough, strong, resourceful


Some people in their late 60s might be enjoying retirement or, at least, reining it in a few notches as life slows down.


Not Ron Ingraham, whose son describes him as resourceful, physically strong and tough.


"You know who Rambo is?" Zakary Ingraham joked. "Rambo has a picture of my dad on his wall."


Fishing is his life and livelihood. Ron Ingraham lives on his boat and "that's pretty much all he's got," his son said -- explaining his insistence his battered vessel, which he named Malia, be towed back to shore.


He set off solo around Thanksgiving from Molokai on what should have been a normal trip, like many others he'd made over the years.


It didn't turn out that way. He made distress calls on the holiday, indicating his boat was taking on water.


Those calls spurred a search that would end up covering 12,000 square miles. It included an MH-65 helicopter, an HC-130 airplane and the 110-foot Coast Guard Cutter Kiska.


But none of them could find Ron Ingraham or his boat.


'Mayday; small boat, in danger of sinking'


On December 1, the Coast Guard called off its search.


Zakary Ingraham said he was told that airplanes, but not satellites, picked up his father's emergency beacon -- suggesting it either had a weak battery or his boat was submerged. With rocky seas, the weather wasn't cooperating either.


"With the conditions the way they are, we couldn't find your dad's boat," Zakary Ingraham recalled a Coast Guard official telling him. "We think it's sunk."


In fact, Ron Ingraham's boat was still afloat.


And on Tuesday, he decided to give the distress call one more try. His life depended on it.


"This is a mayday, mayday, mayday," said Ingraham. "... Small boat, in danger of sinking."


The U.S. Coast Guard heard the call and immediately dispatched the closest available boat -- the USS Paul Hamilton, a U.S. Navy destroyer, then about 14 miles away.


They found Ingraham's masts broken and him using an auxiliary sail trying to get closer to land, his friend and fellow fisherman Dedrick Manaba told CNN affiliate Hawaii News Now.


And, of course, there was Ingraham himself -- weary and battered, but still going, much to the relief of his friends and family.


'I was going backwards all night long'


It all started, Ron Ingraham said, when a simple plan to get food and water before dark one night went awry after the weather took a turn for the worse.


"I tried all through the night. ... I couldn't make it. I was going backwards all night long," he told CNN affiliate KHNL/KGMB after his rescue.


At one point, a massive wave crashed into his sailboat. The boat mast hit the water, Ingraham said, and so did he.


"But I had a rope on me (and) towed myself back in," Ingraham said.


From there, he had no choice but to go where the current took him.


Searchers had struggled to find him because weather pulled him hundreds of miles away from the area where they'd been looking, he said.


"I was way out there, and I was out of water, but I hydrated on fish," he said. "I'm a fisherman, so I caught fish."


"It wasn't as a good as a sushi bar," he said.


But it was how he survived.


"He's alive after 12 days at sea," his son Zakary Ingraham said. "I couldn't be happier."


CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet, Ed Payne and Travis Sattiewhite contributed to this report.



Classic car found under magazines pile





  • 60 luxury cars sat on the grounds of a French mogul's estate for decades

  • Roger Baillon wanted to build a museum for the cars, but his business declined

  • A 1961 Ferrari is expected to fetch up to $14.9 million at auction in February

  • The auctioneer says it once belonged to actor Alain Delon and that Jane Fonda rode in it




(CNN) -- Early next year, bidders are expected to shell out millions for cars that stood around in Roger Baillon's yard for decades.


The French truck manufacturing mogul had big dreams for them. He wanted to found a museum and build a miniature railroad loop for visitors to ride around and view them, a Paris auction house said.


But the plans evaporated when his business went bust in the 1970s. He sold off nearly half of his collection, but 60 of his classic European luxury and sports cars -- many built in the first half of the 20th century -- remained and collected rust, dust and weeds for about 50 years.


Until car experts from auction house Artcurial recently came upon them in a small town in western France, not far from La Rochelle.




A 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider was restored after being found under a pile of magazines.

A 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider was restored after being found under a pile of magazines.



$14.9 million


Now, buyers will probably write checks for hundreds of thousands for just one of the sagging exquisite carriages. Artcurial will put them under the hammer in February and expects the crown jewel in the collection, a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder, to fetch 9.5 million to 12 million euros ($11 million to $14.9 million).


The convertible was one of only 37 of its kind made, and it is in comparatively great condition, as it slumbered behind the doors of a snug garage, Artcurial said.


It was piled high with copies of a vintage magazine, La Vie de l'Auto -- Car Life -- when Artcurial's car expert Pierre Novikoff found it.


The Ferrari's roommate in the garage was a 1956 Maserati A6G Gran Sport Frua that auctioneers think will go for 800,000 to 1.2 million euros (about $990,000 to nearly $1.5 million).




The Ferrari\'s roommate in the garage was a 1956 Maserati A6G Gran Sport Frua.

The Ferrari's roommate in the garage was a 1956 Maserati A6G Gran Sport Frua.



Scrapyard


Most of the rest of the other sleeping beauties lay comatose under roofs of corrugated steel held up by posts; with no walls to protect them, they were exposed to the elements.


Novikoff heard about the car yard over the phone and went to check it out.


At first glance, the cars looked like the rest of the junk in the yard -- old washing machines, metal scrap, barrels. But gems gradually sparkled through.


"Nature had taken a hold over the years. Ivy had invaded a car and entirely covered its (steering) wheel, while weeds had taken root in a passenger compartment as easily as in a greenhouse," Novikoff said. "In places, the sheets of corrugated iron were resting directly on the cars."


Baillon died about 10 years ago, said Artcurial spokeswoman Rebecca Ruff. Baillon's son inherited the estate, but when he recently died, his heirs contacted the auction house to sell the unique collection, she added.




A pre-WW II Talbot-Lago found on the estate was driven by former Egyptian King Farouk, an auction house says.

A pre-WW II Talbot-Lago found on the estate was driven by former Egyptian King Farouk, an auction house says.



Legends


Most of the cars will require a deep kiss of restoration to reawaken the former glory of their exclusive brands, some of which are no longer manufactured.


Bugattis, Maseratis, Ferraris, Delahayes, Delages, Hispano-Suizas, Talbot-Lagos and Panhard-Levassors stood motionless in the estate that Baillon bought to store them.


The largest contingency of the collected cars hit the streets between 1955 and 1965, Artcurial said in a statement.


Some have stories to go along with them.


The 1961 Ferrari was once owned by French silver screen demigod Alain Delon, Artcurial said, and he was photographed sitting in it next to Jane Fonda in 1964, and with Shirley MacLaine.


Legend also slumbers in the peach-colored rust covering a pre-World War II Talbot-Lago, a French classic brand that died out some 50 years ago.


Artcurial says this one was driven by former Egyptian King Farouk.


.



Dinosaur movies that should be extinct


Chris Pratt stars as Owen in


Chris Pratt stars as Owen in "Jurassic World."






  • Hollywood was on a veritable dinosaur movie binge in the '90s

  • Here are five '90s flicks you likely won't see remakes of




Editor's note: Go inside one of the most amazing dinosaur discoveries and learn why the federal government seized it. CNN Films' premieres at 9 p.m. ET Thursday, December 11, on CNN.


(CNN) -- The excitement over the newest "Jurassic Park" movie exploded a few weeks ago with a sneak peek at "Jurassic World."


This popular dinosaur park-gone-wrong series originated in the 1990s -- 1993 to be exact -- when Hollywood was on a veritable dinosaur movie binge.


But let's be honest: How many other '90s dinosaur movies would you want to see a 21st-century version of?


Here's some to consider:


'Adventures in Dinosaur City' (1991)


Nearly everyone has that one movie that they watched endlessly as a kid -- only to grow up and realize that the film was actually pretty cheesy.


For many millennials, that film was "Adventures in Dinosaur City," a 1991 movie about dinosaur-obsessed kids who fiddle with their scientist-parents' TV experiment and get sucked into their favorite show about dinosaurs and cave men. It's kind of like a cross between "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" and "Gremlins."


'Carnosaur' (1993)


Released a month before the first "Jurassic Park" movie, "Carnosaur" couldn't compete with the multimillion-dollar "Jurassic" movie franchise that would eclipse it at the box office.


Like "Jurassic Park," "Carnosaur" had a plot based on a novel about scientifically re-creating dinosaurs. And, like "Jurassic Park," there was also a "Carnosaur 2" and "Carnosaur 3."


But few people remember this trilogy -- so maybe it's time for "Carnosaur 4."


'Prehysteria!' (1993)


Here's another '90s dinosaur fantasy movie that millennials may have a special fondness for, but it doesn't quite live up to its hype. "Prehysteria!" is about some children who get a hold of dinosaur eggs that hatch miniature dinosaurs.


And like a lot of bad '90s movies, there were two sequels.


'Tammy and the T-Rex' (1994)


This movie -- described by one reviewer as "horribly hilarious" -- stars a young Denise Richards as Tammy and Paul Walker as her boyfriend whose brain is implanted in a robotic Tyrannosaurus rex.


Yes, you read that right. And it just gets worse from there.


Needless to say there's never been another movie plot like "Tammy and the T-Rex," and let's all hope there never is.


'Theodore Rex' (1995)


It's hard to believe that Whoopi Goldberg -- nominated for an Academy Award for her unforgettable role in "The Color Purple" (1985) and awarded an Oscar for best supporting actress in "Ghost" Hollywood was on a veritable dinosaur movie binge(1990) -- agreed to star in "Theodore Rex," a comedy about a cop with a dinosaur for a partner.


The story behind how Goldberg tried to get out of making the movie is much more interesting than the film.


What's your favorite D-list dinosaur movie? Tell us in the comments below or @CNNFilms on Twitter .



Time unveils 'Person of the Year'





  • Time names those on front lines of Ebola outbreak as the "Person of the Year"

  • Other possibilities were Ferguson protesters, Vladimir Putin and Roger Goodell

  • Taylor Swift, Jack Ma, Tim Cook and Masoud Barzani were also in the running




(CNN) -- Foday Gallah saw the sick child was distressed and felt he had to do something. So he picked the kid up to comfort him.


And with that act of kindness, the 37-year-old ambulance supervisor in Monrovia, Liberia, contracted Ebola himself.


"Of course, he got vomit all over him and that's how he got Ebola," said photographer Jackie Nickerson, who shot Gallah's image for Time's "Person of the Year" magazine cover, which honors those on the front line of the Ebola epidemic.


They're "the ones who answered the call," the magazine said on its website Wednesday morning.


Nickerson expanded on why Gallah was chosen for one of the magazine's five covers: "He's the shining example of what the right thing to do is. He's a shining example that we should all try to follow. He really did touch me with his story. I don't usually like to use the word hero, but I have to use it here."


According to the latest World Health Organization figures, about 6,300 people have died from the disease, mainly in West Africa. Health workers are still battling more than 11,000 confirmed cases in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, and more than 6,000 suspected and probable cases loom, according to WHO.


Though those countries mark the epicenter of the outbreak, isolated cases have spread wider, penetrating other African countries, Europe and even the United States.





Time editor: Ebola epidemic far from over




Avoiding Ebola: Bleach is 'best friend'




This is the messy truth about Ebola

Time magazine's editors decided to honor the "unprecedented numbers" of doctors and nurses who responded when Ebola overtook an already-weak public health infrastructure, and Time Editor Nancy Gibbs outlined how governments were ill-equipped to respond, WHO "was in denial and snarled in red tape" and first responders were accused of crying wolf as the disease spread.


Yet many doctors and nurses, especially those from Doctors Without Borders and Samaritan's Purse, responded and worked alongside local physicians, nurses, ambulance drivers and burial teams, Gibbs wrote. Some were driven by God, while others did it for country and some simply had "the instinct to run into the fire, not away," she wrote.


"Ebola is a war, and a warning. The global health system is nowhere close to strong enough to keep us safe from infectious disease, and 'us' means everyone, not just those in faraway places where this is one threat among many that claim lives every day," wrote Gibbs.


She continued, "The rest of the world can sleep at night because a group of men and women are willing to stand and fight. For tireless acts of courage and mercy, for buying the world time to boost its defenses, for risking, for persisting, for sacrificing and saving, the Ebola fighters are Time's 2014 Person of the Year."


In addition to Gallah, the ambulance driver, Time highlighted on its cover four other Ebola fighters who worked on the ground in West Africa:


-- Dr. Jerry Brown is a Liberian surgeon who converted his hospital's chapel into one of the country's first treatment centers. The center's reception area, where Brown gets dressed, is a bare room, lit by a single bulb, Nickerson, the photographer, said.


-- Salome Karwah is an Ebola survivor who lost both parents to the disease and undertook the task of counseling patients in Liberia. Nickerson recalled how the Doctors Without Borders caregiver appeared to be a typical young woman, dressed nicely and a little nervous about being photographed. "But then, she put on her scrubs. ... She became very calm, a little bit introverted," the photographer said.


-- Ella Watson-Stryker is a Doctors Without Borders health promoter who has been in West Africa since March. The American was uneasy during the 10 minutes it took to shoot her photo, Nickerson said. "She was distracted, she wanted to do other things."


-- Dr. Kent Brantly became the first American infected while running a treatment center in Monrovia. Because he is a religious man, Time shot him at his church in Fort Worth, Texas. "Kent was working in West Africa doing a lot of hard, selfless work to help people out," photographer Bryan Schutmaat said.









Among the contenders for this year's Time person of the year are the Ferguson protesters who took to the streets in Missouri after an unarmed black teenager was shot dead by a white police officer in August. Among the contenders for this year's Time person of the year are the Ferguson protesters who took to the streets in Missouri after an unarmed black teenager was shot dead by a white police officer in August.



The other collective in the group of finalists is the Ebola caregivers for "fighting the biggest Ebola outbreak in history."The other collective in the group of finalists is the Ebola caregivers for "fighting the biggest Ebola outbreak in history."



Iraqi Kurdistan leader Masoud Barzani is probably the least recognizable name among the finalists. Read his interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour here.Iraqi Kurdistan leader Masoud Barzani is probably the least recognizable name among the finalists. Read his interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour here.



A previous Time person of the year (2007), Russian President Vladimir Putin was rarely out of the headlines in 2014.A previous Time person of the year (2007), Russian President Vladimir Putin was rarely out of the headlines in 2014.



China's richest man, Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba. The company pulled off the biggest IPO in history in September.China's richest man, Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba. The company pulled off the biggest IPO in history in September.



From one tech giant to another. Apple boss Tim Cook is on the list of finalists because of a series of new Apple product launches and his decision to come out publicly.From one tech giant to another. Apple boss Tim Cook is on the list of finalists because of a series of new Apple product launches and his decision to come out publicly.



Taylor Swift rattled the music industry by pulling her songs from streaming service Spotify.Taylor Swift rattled the music industry by pulling her songs from streaming service Spotify.



NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is selected after a year in which the NFL dealt with one storm of controversy after another.NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is selected after a year in which the NFL dealt with one storm of controversy after another.




The finalists for Time Person of the Year 2014The finalists for Time Person of the Year 2014



Among the others considered for "Person of the Year" honors were Russian President Vladimir Putin, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the protesters in Ferguson, Missouri. Other finalists included singer Taylor Swift, Chinese Internet tycoon Jack Ma, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani.


Pope Francis received the title in 2013.


The magazine's readers voted for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to receive the title, but the Time editors' decision is based on their view of "the person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or ill, and embodied what was important about the year."


CNN's Jethro Mullen and Josh Levs contributed to this report.



NFL toughens assault policy


NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell calls the league's new policy


NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell calls the league's new policy "significantly more robust, thorough, and formal."






  • NFL teams endorsed the enhanced policy unanimously

  • New measures include a more extensive list of prohibited conduct

  • The policy establishes a baseline suspension of 6 games without pay for certain offenses

  • The players' union says it has not seen the policy




(CNN) -- NFL teams have unanimously endorsed a new personal conduct policy for all NFL employees after discussions that included experts on domestic violence and sexual assault, the league announced Wednesday.


The new measures include a more extensive list of prohibited conduct, independent investigative procedures, and specific criteria on paid leave for an individual charged with a violent crime.


It also includes a six-game suspension for crimes involving violent conduct, including domestic violence and sexual assault, which Commissioner Roger Goodell had written about in an August memo to owners. The suspension could be longer if there are "possible mitigating or aggravating circumstances."





Rice PR campaign 'not good' for Goodell




Langbein: 'Very few abusive people lose their jobs'

Goodell called the enhanced policy "significantly more robust, thorough, and formal." It applies to all NFL personnel, not just players.


George Atallah, a spokesman for the NFL Players Association, said the union has not seen the new policy.


"There will be a lot of analysis about the differences in our formal proposal and what the NFL will present today on personal conduct policy," he tweeted before the league's announcement.


"Sadly, those discussions will be through the media, not through formal negotiations, which the NFL has said they're not interested in."


In a statement on its website, the players' union said it was never offered the professional courtesy of seeing the new policy before it was announced publicly.


A new conduct committee will include Cardinals owner Michael Bidwell, Falcons owner Arthur Blank, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, Bears owner George McCaskey and Texans owner Robert McNair. Other members are Dee Haslam, the wife of Browns owner Jimmy Haslam; Cowboys Executive Vice President Charlotte Jones Anderson and two former players who hold ownership stakes -- Warrick Dunn and John Stallworth.


Their job will be to review the policy at least once a year.



Taking autistic kids out to a ball game






Dr. Wendy Ross is opening new worlds to autistic children and their families. Her nonprofit, Autism Inclusion Resources, has helped hundreds of families navigate challenging social situations such as sporting events, museum visits and airport travel.Dr. Wendy Ross is opening new worlds to autistic children and their families. Her nonprofit, Autism Inclusion Resources, has helped hundreds of families navigate challenging social situations such as sporting events, museum visits and airport travel.

Ross, far right, partnered with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2012 to develop a program through which game-day employees learn about autism and how to interact with individuals on the spectrum so that families feel supported during baseball game outings.Ross, far right, partnered with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2012 to develop a program through which game-day employees learn about autism and how to interact with individuals on the spectrum so that families feel supported during baseball game outings.

Ross, a developmental pediatrician, was heartbroken to hear that many parents of children on the autism spectrum were skipping social situations out of fear.Ross, a developmental pediatrician, was heartbroken to hear that many parents of children on the autism spectrum were skipping social situations out of fear.

Building on her success with the Phillies, Ross is now working with Philadelphia's football and hockey teams. Soon she wants to partner with the city's public transportation agency ."The hope for Philadelphia is to make it the most autism-friendly city in the country," she said.Building on her success with the Phillies, Ross is now working with Philadelphia's football and hockey teams. Soon she wants to partner with the city's public transportation agency ."The hope for Philadelphia is to make it the most autism-friendly city in the country," she said.

Ross helps prepare families for Phillies games by providing booklets illustrating each step of the game. She also escorts families to their first game, and each family is paired with a clinician should additional support be required.Ross helps prepare families for Phillies games by providing booklets illustrating each step of the game. She also escorts families to their first game, and each family is paired with a clinician should additional support be required.

Game tickets are donated to the families by the Phillies.Game tickets are donated to the families by the Phillies.

"It's not enough to work with a child with autism, because we need the community to accept them," Ross said. "You would never show someone how to use a wheelchair and then not have a ramp.""It's not enough to work with a child with autism, because we need the community to accept them," Ross said. "You would never show someone how to use a wheelchair and then not have a ramp."

Ross hopes that families will become inspired to attend games on their own and explore other public settings as well. "If kids are not in the community, building their skills from very young ages, then there's no reason to expect them to be independent one day," she said.Ross hopes that families will become inspired to attend games on their own and explore other public settings as well. "If kids are not in the community, building their skills from very young ages, then there's no reason to expect them to be independent one day," she said.

Since 2010, more than 200 families have benefited from Ross' initiatives.Since 2010, more than 200 families have benefited from Ross' initiatives.

"If you start taking steps outside of your door, your world gets bigger and bigger," Ross said. "We just want people to have opportunities.""If you start taking steps outside of your door, your world gets bigger and bigger," Ross said. "We just want people to have opportunities."









  • Parents of children on the autism spectrum often skip social situations out of fear

  • But Dr. Wendy Ross wants her young patients with autism to have those experiences

  • Her nonprofit helps families navigate events like ball games, air travel and museum trips




Editor's note: Dr. Wendy Ross and the rest of this year's top 10 CNN Heroes will be honored Sunday, December 7, during "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute." The annual show airs at 8 p.m. ET on CNN's global networks.


Philadelphia (CNN) -- For many families, a night at the ballpark is a treat. But it can be a nightmare for those with autistic children.


Autism causes a greater sensitivity to environmental stimulation. So the lights, music and roar of the crowd can trigger a severe meltdown that is difficult to anticipate and control.


"They're frustrated and they're scared and they're just overwhelmed," said Debra Forman, whose 8-year-old son, Adam, has autism. "You have to ask yourself if it's worth it."


The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that 1 in 68 children in the United States are on the autism spectrum. For many of these families, fear of how their child will react to new situations -- and how others will react to them -- keeps them from gaining everyday experiences others get to have.




Dr. Wendy Ross, a developmental pediatrician, founded the nonprofit Autism Inclusion Resources.

Dr. Wendy Ross, a developmental pediatrician, founded the nonprofit Autism Inclusion Resources.




"It is tough to go out into public," said Shannan Maxwell, mother of Steven, 6. "When he's having a meltdown on the floor and the whole entire store's looking at you like you're a bad mom, you just want to go and crawl under a rock."


Dr. Wendy Ross was heartbroken to hear stories like this from families. The developmental pediatrician also knew that isolation didn't serve her patients well in the long run.


"If kids are not in the community, building their skills from very young ages, then there's no reason to expect them to be independent one day," Ross said. "It's a social disability. It needs to be addressed in a social setting."


So in 2007, Ross set out to do just that. Today, her nonprofit, Autism Inclusion Resources, helps families affected by autism navigate challenging social situations, such as airport travel, sporting events and museum visits.


"If you start taking steps outside of your door, your world gets bigger and bigger," said Ross, 43. "We just want people to have opportunities."


Take me out to the ball game


Many Major League Baseball teams hold annual "autism awareness nights," when they take temporary measures such as lowering the volume on the public address system. But Ross wanted to do more.





Top 10 Hero: Dr. Wendy Ross




CNN Heroes: A day at the ballpark

"You can't turn down the volume of the world," Ross said. "It's nice to do it for one night, but our goal is for families to be able to go to a game on any night."


To that end, Ross partnered with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2012 to develop an innovative program.


She armed all the Phillies game-day employees -- approximately 3,000 people -- with knowledge about autism and how to interact with individuals who have the disorder. Now, everyone from the ticket takers to the hot dog vendors at Citizens Bank Ballpark help create an atmosphere where families feel supported.


"I don't expect the staff to be experts, just to be aware of it and (be) understanding," Ross said. "If families need a break, the staff know where to take (them) for a little sensory rest."


Ross also helps prepare the families for the event. They are given a booklet with pictures illustrating each step of the game, from arrival and getting a hot dog to the seventh inning stretch. Then she escorts families to their first game, with tickets donated by the Phillies.


Each family is also provided a clinician at the game who gives additional support if problems arise. For Forman, having the professional assistance was a huge relief.


"When Adam was anxious or ready to leave, I had somebody to turn to, and she had some ideas," Forman said. "Without her there, it would've been a very tough game for me."





"If you start taking steps outside of your door, your world gets bigger and bigger. We just want people to have opportunities."

Dr. Wendy Ross




Ross hopes that this supported experience will give families the confidence to return on their own. She also believes that this dual approach -- working with the Phillies and the families -- just makes sense.


"It's not enough to work with a child with autism, because we need the community to accept them," she said. "You would never show someone how to use a wheelchair and then not have a ramp."


Beyond the ballpark


Ross has also found her airport travel program to be successful for families. Using the same principles, she trains airline and security staff at major airports and then guides families through a simulated travel experience, including checking in, going through security and boarding a plane.


Since 2010, more than 200 families have benefited from Ross' initiatives.


Building on her success with the Phillies, she is now working with Philadelphia's football and hockey teams. Soon she wants to partner with the city's public transportation agency.


"The hope for Philadelphia is to make it the most autism-friendly city in the country," she said. "It will serve as a model of independence for other cities everywhere."


Ross also hopes that the tools she gives families can help them explore other settings on their own.


"We really see it as a stepping stone to a brighter future," she said. "I feel like it changes the trajectory of lives."


After their successful outing at the ballpark, Forman took Adam to a football game. She believes this is just the beginning of their family's adventures.


"Hopefully, there will be zoos in our future, and aquariums," Forman said. "The world is our oyster."


Want to get involved? Check out the Autism Inclusion Resources website at www.autismir.com and see