Twins Born On Different Days, Years

1 Twin Born On News Years Eve, Other On New Years Day

A Detroit mother gave birth to twin boys on different days and in different months of different years.

Tangernika Woods and her husband welcomed their first twin, Tarrance, at 11:51 p.m., Wednesday, New Years Eve 2008. Their second twin, Tariq, made his entrance 26 minutes later at 12:17 a.m. Thursday, the first day of January 2009.

The babies were born at Crittenton Hospital in Rochester.

"It was a shock!" Woods said.

Woods said she wanted to give birth to both boys on New Year's Day, but the fraternal twins decided to come out proving that they're different.

"They bring in their own years the best way they can," Woods said.

Woods' husband, Tarrance Sr., is a twin himself and said he understands the importance of having your own identity. He said he's happy to have his twin sons born on different days in different years.

"All I can say is they have their separate birthdays now, you know?" he said.

Woods said she'll now have to say the date and time of birth to help explain how her twins were born in 2008 and 2009, but that's a small clarification she's happy to live with.

"I was just happy that they were here and were healthy," she said.

Family and health staff said both boys are healthy, weighing in at 5 pounds 7 ounces and 5 pounds 15 ounces.

The family is expected to go to home Saturday.

The couple also has a 7-year-old daughter and an 11-month-old son.

Boy stops pit bull attack with jujitsu choke hold

A 9-year-old Bakersfield California boy is hailed as a hero after he saved a girl and her dog from a pit bull attack.

Drew Heredia said he and a friend were walking a small dog on Dec. 30 2008 when a pit bull jumped on the dog. The unidentified 12-year-old girl reportedly tried to save her dog, prompting the pit bull to turn on her.

Heredia said he jumped on the pit bull and applied a choke hold that he learned while taking classes at a Brazilian jujitsu studio in southwest Bakersfield.

"It was kind of a heart-pounding moment," Heredia said. "It was very scary."

He said he held the dog for 20 minutes until an animal control officer arrived.

“At first, I wanted to kick it, but then I thought it’s not a good idea, because it could get my leg,” Heredia said.

The girl was taken to Mercy Southwest Hospital where she was treated for puncture wounds.

The pit bull was quarantined at the animal control office, where it will be euthanized after 10 days. No one has claimed the dog.

The girl's dog was injured, but it's expected to survive. The dog ran away during the attack but returned home Friday afternoon.

China targets Web sites with porn content

China has released a blacklist of 19 major online portals and Web sites, including Google and Baidu, that it claims provide and spread pornographic or obscene content, state media reported.

The move comes as several Chinese government agencies, including the Ministry of Public Security, launch a month-long campaign to clean up the Web, according to Xinhua news agency.

"The government will continue to expose, punish or even shut down those infamous Web sites that refuse to correct their wrongdoing," Cai Mingzhao, deputy director of the State Council Information Office, said Monday at a teleconference.

"Immediate action is needed to purify the Internet environment," Cai added, according to Xinhua.

Authorities accused the portals, including Sina, Sohu and Netease, and the Web sites of either providing links to pornographic sites or failing to take down pornographic pictures after being notified by the China Internet Illegal Information Reporting Center.

The center said Google in Chinese had provided "a large number of links to porn Web sites" in search results for web pages and images. The center said it notified Google, but the company did not take any effective steps, according to Xinhua.

Cui Jin, a spokeswoman for Google China, told Xinhua that Google did not spread such items intentionally.

"Google is neither the owner of those Web sites and porn nor does it spread (that) information intentionally," she said.

By the end of June 2008, China had more than 253 million Internet users, Xinhua reported.

China has come under criticism for restricting Web access to ordinary citizens as well as on local and foreign media covering last year's summer Olympics in Beijing.

The U.S. State Department noted in a 2008 report that China had increased its efforts to "control and censor the Internet, and the government had tightened restrictions on freedom of speech and the domestic press" and bloggers.

In an interview seen on CNN in September 2008, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said, "the freedom of Internet in China is recognized by many, even from the West."

"Nonetheless, to uphold state security, China, like many countries in the world, has also imposed some proper restrictions. That is for the safety, that is for the overall safety of the country and for the freedom of the majority of the people."

CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta approached for surgeon general position

The Obama transition team has approached Dr. Sanjay Gupta, of CNN fame, about becoming U.S. surgeon general, according to sources inside the transition as well as at CNN.

Dr. Gupta was in Chicago, Illinois, in November to meet with President-elect Barack Obama on the matter, sources have said.

Dr. Gupta had declined to comment when asked.

The transition team is impressed with the combination of Gupta's past government experience, as a White House fellow in 1997 and a special adviser to then-first lady Hillary Clinton, along with his medical career as a neurosurgeon and his communication skills, the transition source said.

Gupta is a member of the staff and faculty of the Department of Neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. He regularly performs surgery at Emory University Hospital and at Grady Memorial Hospital, where he serves as associate chief of neurosurgery.

CNN released a statement saying, "Since first learning that Dr. Gupta was under consideration for the surgeon general position, CNN has made sure that his on-air reporting has been on health and wellness matters and not on health-care policy or any matters involving the new administration."

Dr. Gupta joined CNN in 2001. As chief medical correspondent for the health and medical unit, he is a lead reporter on breaking medical news, provides regular health and medical updates for "American Morning," anchors the half-hour weekend medical affairs program "House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta" and reports for CNN documentaries, according to his CNN biography.

Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Gupta also contributes health stories to CNN.com, co-hosts "Accent Health" for Turner Private Networks, provides medical segments for the syndicated version of "ER" on TNT and writes a column for Time magazine. He also anchors the global health program "Vital Signs" for CNN International and is featured in a weekly podcast on health issues called "Paging Dr. Gupta."

Just after joining CNN, Dr. Gupta became part of the team covering the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. Later that year, he led breaking news reporting on a series of anthrax attacks.

In 2003, Dr. Gupta reported from Iraq and Kuwait as an embedded correspondent with the U.S. Navy's medical unit -- and worked alongside them, performing brain surgery five times.

In addition, Dr. Gupta reported from Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the tsunami that swept the region in December 2004. He also helped cover the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina from New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2005.

He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and his medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical Center.

Images of new presidential limo leaked

As a candidate, Barack Obama promoted hybrid cars.

Now, As president, he'll be handed the keys to one. Well, Sort of.

Shortly after taking the oath of office, Obama will climb into the Mother of All Hybrids -- part car, part truck and, from the looks of it, part tank.

In keeping with recent tradition, the Secret Service will place a brand-new presidential limousine into service January 20th to drive the new president on the 2-mile jaunt down Pennsylvania Avenue during the inaugural parade.

Already, spy photos of the limo -- with patches of gray primer -- have been leaked out. And already, the reviews have started to come in:

"Ugly as sin," says one car enthusiast on an auto Web site. "Can't we make a hotter ride for our pres?"

"Sheesh," says another, "why don't they just transport the president around in an Abrams tank."

One news agency, noting its 8-inch-thick doors, says the limo can withstand a "direct hit from an asteroid." But GM spokeswoman Joanne K. Krell laughed off the comments.

"And it will fix you a latte if you ask," she jokes.

In truth, the new presidential limo is a Cadillac, Krell said, although it is "not a direct extension of any single model."

"The presidential vehicle is built to precise and special specifications, undergoes extreme testing and development, and also incorporates many of the top aspects of Cadillac's 'regular' cars -- such as signature design, hand-cut-and-sewn interiors, etc.," Krell says.

"Cadillac is honored to serve and renew this great tradition," she said. "And it is entirely appropriate that an American president has at his service a great American vehicle."

For much of the country's history, the Secret Service didn't even drive the president, evidently oblivious to the dangers of asteroids.

In the post-Lincoln horse-and-buggy era, it was customary for a security detail to closely trail the president, according to a Secret Service history.

With the advent of automobiles, the Secret Service acquired a 1907 H. White Steamer to follow Theodore Roosevelt's horse-drawn carriage.

White House chauffeurs drove later presidents, until the Secret Service assumed many of the driving responsibilities after Franklin Roosevelt's death in 1945.

In 1965, Lyndon Johnson was the first president to ride in a bulletproof limo in an inaugural parade, less than two years after his predecessor, John F. Kennedy, was shot and killed while riding in an open car.

Obama should expect two seemingly contradictory feelings when riding in the presidential limousine, said Joe Funk, a retired Secret Service agent who was President Bill Clinton's driver during part of his career.

"I think he will be surprised about how when he's in the limo, it's a cocoon," Funk said. "The everyday noises will be gone, and he will be totally isolated in this protective envelope."

"At the same time, I think he will be surprised at the communication capabilities, how the phones, the satellites, the Internet -- everything is at his fingertips," he said. "So at one end, you are totally removed from society. The other side of the coin is that he can have any communications worldwide at a moment's touch."

Funk says presidents sometimes chat with the agents, and sometimes don't.

"Every day is different, just like every person," he said. "Sometimes they get in the car and they have a lot on their mind. They're involved in reading material, they're involved in the newspaper, they're talking to local dignitaries or they are talking to Cabinet-level."

"Other times, they are interested in sporting events, in doing the crossword puzzle, interested in the feedback they get from talking to the agents -- primarily the supervisor that sits in the front seat," Funk said.

"While the government spares no expense for the presidential limo, the weight of the car makes it less maneuverable and more sluggish than comparable sport utility vehicles," Funk said. "And the door and window frames, which accommodate thick ballistic glass, create large blind spots," he said.

Funk's own experience driving Clinton was uneventful, he says, which is a good thing, considering his line of business.

"I was very lucky. We didn't have any close calls," he says. "Everything was very smooth."

But he still considers the experience a career highlight.

"At the end of the day, if you had a good driving day, you do kind of sit back with a certain amount of pride and say, 'I had the president of the United States in the car with me for an hour, two hours, and I got him from point A to point B safely in conjunction with all the other team members,' " he said. "When it's done, you can sit back and take some pride in knowing that you pulled it off."

Available in any color, as long as it's black

One Internet wag, adding to the rampant speculation about the new car, made this prediction: It will be painted black. But environmentalists may ask, will it be green?

Not likely. Car enthusiasts believe the overweight vehicle burns diesel and will have low mileage. And with diesel costing about $2.40 a gallon Monday, versus $1.67 for gasoline, this new limo can't be called an economy vehicle.

"The limousines of yesteryear were designed just well enough to provide protection to get the president out of the situation," says Ken Lucci, CEO of Ambassador Limousine Inc. and owner of two Reagan-era limos. "In today's case, they [the Secret Service] expect a prolonged attack, and they expect an attack that is a lot more violent than [with] a weapon you can hold in your hand."

"It literally is a rolling bunker," he says. "It just happens to have wheels on it."

It's not a bad vehicle for someone whose job is to fix the economy, even if it won't brew coffee on command.

Lower prices needed to drive tech sales

Technology companies will need to lower prices this year to appeal to consumers, says David Silverberg, managing editor of DigitalJournal.com.

There will be sharp discounts coming this year as companies struggle to sell products to buyers who are watching their cash in the face of the economic downturn.

"So there will be fewer big video-game titles this year because they are costly to produce, and "a lot more simpler games," he predicted. Karaoke-type games that can be played with friends, such as Guitar Hero, will continue to be popular," he said.

But even if consumers do hold back, there will still be new gadgets and applications this year.

"Communications-device companies Research in Motion and Nokia will jump on the applications bandwagon, following the path set by Apple Inc.'s iPhone," Silverberg said.

"GPS on cellphones "will really be huge," while organic light-emitting diode (OLED) TVs will come on strong, if the price comes down. At the moment, an 11-inch Sony OLED TV costs $2,500," Silverberg said.

"But OLED TVs "trump LCD big time," because the resolution and colours are much better, and they draw less energy," he said.

"Social networking will continue to be popular, and the next step may be corporate use of the sites to connect with customers and link staff," Silverberg predicted. But current users may feel that is an intrusion, he said.

This could be the year of the Blu-ray video format. After it beat out the competing HD format last year, manufacturers could put more money in to marketing and publicity.

"But lowering the cost of the players is key," Silverberg says.

Bringing credibility to the All-Star game

The official end of the NHL All-Star Game balloting period fits in nicely with the unofficial start of the "why we heck do we need to change the All-Star Game/All-Star Game at all" season.

Personally, I don't really care. The All-Star Game ceased to hold any real attraction for me years ago. I accept it for what it is - a meaningless, zero-intensity game of shinny, albeit one that features many of the most talented hockey players in the world.

That said, I remember what the game used to mean. It was a spectacle and it was special and I looked forward to it each season. Theoretically, that's what it still could be today.

From an NHL marketing perspective, it represents another entry point to sell the game to kids, and those that don't really know much about hockey, to get them hooked or to deepen their bond. As things stand, it's an opportunity that isn't being fully exploited.

In recent years, the hockey community has discussed ad nauseum potential format changes that might re-energize the "mid-season classic." We won't go down that road again right now (personally, I don't really like the North America VS. World thing, with the "US/THEM" feel it gives off...none of that nonsense anymore guys).

One thing to look at is, How the starters are selected because, ironically, the very method they instituted to give ownership to their customers is undermining itself.

The electronic ballot stuffing, or the spectre of it, is a turn-off. While it may not be reflected this year in total number of votes cast, it's impossible to tell since fans can vote as frequently as they like. So when Sidney Crosby "breaks Jaromir Jagr's record" for votes received, it's totally meaningless. Using this method, Chris Simon may break Crosby's record one day (no offense to Chris Simon there).

Here are a few ways they could alter the selection process to lend it more credibility.

1. Have the players vote. Regardless of format they choose to use (East vs. West, North America vs. Europe, Under 28's vs. Over 28's..yes I know that last one sounds real stupid), players would select their side's starting lineup , but would not be permitted to cast ballots for their NHL teammates.

2. Devise a statistical formula to pick the starters. Perhaps it's different for forwards, defensemen and goalies. Maybe each conference's top goal-scorer, assist-collector, plus-minus player and save percentage stopper are all guaranteed spots. Maybe the formula is more complex. Either way, it'd be black and white.... The best player up to that point of the season gets to play in the game.

3. If it remained important to have some fan participation, hold a contest in which two lucky winners got to pick the starters in conjunction with each side's coaching staffs or executive boards. That would draw visitors into websites (that can't be the driving reason behind fan balloting, can it?) and eliminate the risk of a non-worthy player being selected.

4. Move the All-Star games out doors! in my opinion (by it being only my opinion, you're free to disagree with me) these outdoor games have been great! Make them a yearly thing by using them for the All-Star game.. The NHL has already seen how many tickets they can sell to a "regular" or "exibition" game, imagine how many more they can sell with 2 teams full of stars!!!.

I'm sure there are MANY other tweaks, amendments or overhauls that could be made to breathe life and credibility back into the event. Let me know what you think would make the All-Star game better and more watchable.

CANADA GOLDEN at World Junior Championships

With a 5-1 win over Sweden, Canada's junior hockey team is back on top of the world, and this gold medal might just be the sweetest one yet.

This was an offensively gifted, explosive, fun to watch squad.
The team didn't have the big bruising power forwards or a defence-first philosophy like the last four championship squads were known for.

While coach Pat Quinn did stress defence, he also held the reins a little looser when it came to giving this group of talented players some offensive freedom.

"It's the kids you've got," he said after Monday's 5-1 win over Sweden. "That's the kids we have and they're terrific kids."

This was Canada's second-highest scoring team in the 35-year history of the tournament, averaging 7.5 goals per game.

John Tavares of the Oshawa Generals, Cody Hodson of the Brampton Battalion and Jordan Eberle of the Regina Pats led the 45-goal charge for Canada.

Hodgson, a Vancouver Canucks prospect, led the tournament in points with 16. Tavares, one of the odds on favorites for the No. 1 pick in the upcoming 2009 NHL draft next June, was Canada's top goal-scorer with eight. The 18-year-old of Oakville, Ont., was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

Canada's power-play ran at an impressive 50 per cent through the event thanks to the strategy of assistant coach Guy Boucher. Two of the five goals in the final game came when Canada was a man up.

Hodgson scored a goal twice against the Swedes, including an empty-netter. Belleville Bulls defenceman P.K. Subban, Angelo Esposito of the Montreal Junior and Eberle also scored for Canada.

Joakim Andersson replied for the Swedes and goaltender Jacob Markstrom stopped 26 shots. The Swedes were a tournament co-favourite due to their speed and skill, but the Canadians kept that in check Monday.

A question mark hung over Canada's defence after giving up nine goals in two games prior to the final.

While Quinn said he was confident in goaltender Dustin Tokarski, the cautious way he said it indicated the Canadian coach had concerns about the state of his team's goaltending.

But the Spokane Chiefs netminder rose to the occasion with his best game of the tournament. Tokarski, who was signed by the Tampa Bay Lightning last week, covered off the gaps between his pads and his posts, squared up to the shooters and made 39 saves.

"Tokarski was very good tonight and I was happy to see that because there was some question in the other games," Quinn said. "But tonight he was one of the keys ... because he made some key saves when he had to have them."

The Canadians stopped making high-risk passes and cheating into the offensive zone against the Swedes.

They controlled the game from the opening minute, when Sweden's Mikael Backlund shoved his glove in Tavares's face and Canada's power play did what it had done the whole tournament.

"Only one goal against, against a great Swedish team," Tavares said. "We needed a game like this."

The victory tied the country's record of five consecutive titles in this tournament set between 1993 and 1997. Canada's 15th gold at the world juniors also tied Russia/Soviet Union for the all-time lead.

There was immense pressure on this team to win a fifth gold medal and do it on home ice. But the majority of Canadian players were making their first and only appearance in the world juniors and they just wanted their gold medal.

"Coach always stressed this was our story," said Tavares. "It's obviously special to be a part of the fifth, but it was never about tying the record. It was just getting a gold for everyone and winning on home ice for all these Canadians."

Each of the last three years, it looked like the run of gold could be over. There was a semifinal shootout win versus the U.S. in 2007, an overtime win against the Sweden last year and another narrow 6-5 shootout victory against Russia in this year's semifinal.

Canada was five seconds away from playing for bronze versus Russia when Eberle tied the game.

"It's the heart and our passion for the game of hockey," said Tavares. "No matter is what is thrown at us, or what people say, or the adversity we face we learn how to deal with it and we become so close as a team."

"We really learn how to be strong as 22 guys playing as one."

Quinn, 65, insists Canada's resurgence in this tournament isn't because of the hockey summit after the debacle of the 1998 Olympics. He credits Hockey Canada's training centres across the country, established in the early 1980s, for building this new dynasty.

"It's great programs and the medals are just a way to count that we're doing good jobs," he said.

The 20,380 at Scotiabank Place set a new single-game attendance record at the world junior tournament. It was the fourth time a new mark was established in Ottawa and erased the previous high of 20,223 that was set during Canada's preliminary-round game against the U.S.

The audience included Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff.

"Throughout the tournament, Canadian players not only produced world-class hockey on the ice, they also represented our country with tremendous dignity and pride off the ice," Harper said in a statement. "I want to commend all of the players, coaches, volunteers, families and staff who contributed to this successful tournament.

"This is a well-deserved victory."

Canada will have home-ice advantage in playing for a sixth straight gold in Saskatoon and Regina in 2010.

Germany and Kazakhstan were relegated to the world 'B' championship for finishing ninth and 10th. Switzerland and Austria will join Canada, Sweden, Russia, Slovakia, the U.S., Czech Republic, Finland and Latvia in Saskatchewan.

According to organizers, 453,282 tickets were sold, which is a tournament attendance record that obliterated the previous high of 325,138 set in Vancouver three years ago.

Because of the sheer size of Scotiabank Place it wasn't a difficult ticket to get and there were still some available for Canada's semifinal and the finals late last week.

Scalpers were asking $350 for upper-level seats prior to the final.

The attendance record was attainable because of Scotiabank's capacity and the Civic Centre, the site of the Pool B games, also holds 10,000. Most European arenas hold 16,000 to 18,000.

Other notes: Rumours surfaced on Monday that the Oshawa Generals had traded Tavares's rights to the London Knights, but the Generals issued a statement saying the 18-year-old Oakville, Ont., had not been dealt ... Subban, a Montreal Canadiens draft pick, hugged Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk twice in the post-game ceremony ... Prince George Cougars forward Dana Tyrell was on the ice to sing the anthem following the game. A knee injury forced him off the team prior to the tournament and he was replaced by Evander Kane ... Hickey, Subban, Tavares and Lethbridge Hurricanes forward Zach Boychuk, who played with a sprained ankle, have won back-to-back world junior titles ... According to the International Ice Hockey Federation, Ottawa posted the fourth largest attendance of any of its world championships, including the world men's tournament which is so popular in Europe. The 2004 world championship in the Czech Republic holds the attendance record of 552,097.

Teens on MySpace talking sex, violence

A new study finds that 54 percent of teens talk about behaviors such as sex, alcohol use, and violence on the social networking giant MySpace -- presenting potential risks even if all they're doing is talking, researchers said Monday.
The study looked at MySpace profiles of 500 people who identified themselves as 18-year-old males and females in the United States.

References to risky behaviors included both words and photos, the authors said.

Not all teens who write about risky behaviors in their profiles actually engage in them in real life, says Dr. Megan Moreno of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, one of the authors of the study, which appears in the January issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

They may instead talk about sex, substance use, or violence because they are contemplating doing those things, or because they want to brag without actually doing what they say, Moreno said.

Even if teens have not actually engaged in risky behaviors but merely brag about them online, this can still affect their future behavior, said study co-author Dr. Dimitri Christakis, professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington and director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children's Hospital.

"Those who lie about the behaviors to show off may receive positive feedback from others -- comments such as "that's great" or "I do the same thing" -- that encourage them to actually try out the behaviors," he said.

"Apart from that, teens who claim such behaviors are more likely to be victims of bullying and unwanted invitations for sex," he said.

In a second study, Moreno and colleagues identified 190 profiles of 18- to 20-year-olds that contained three or more references to sexual behaviors or substance abuse. The authors then made a profile of their own, called "Dr. Meg," from which they sent a single e-mail to half these profiles, warning them about the risky information and offering information about clinical resources.

They found that, after three months, 42.1 percent of the profile owners who received the e-mail -- and 29.5 percent of those who did not -- either removed references to risky behaviors or made their profiles private.

"It's really not that MySpace is bad or good. I think the lesson is that it's a tool, and how you use it determines the kinds of outcome you're going to get," Moreno said.

Experts say the bottom line is that parents should get more involved in the online lives of their children.

"I tell parents that they should absolutely create their own MySpace and Facebook page," Christakis said. The study inspired him to create his own Facebook account, and his 10-year-old already wants to know about his "friends," he said.

"In some cases, parents should even have their children's passwords for these social networking sites, especially when the children are around age 13 or 14," said Vivian Friedman, child-adolescent psychologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Friedman was not involved with the study, but she is well aware of the problem. One of Friedman's patients, the daughter of a preacher, posted nude photographs of herself online, a move that cost her father his job, Friedman said.

But she said 54 percent as a figure for profiles with risky behaviors seems too high, given that most of what happens on social networking sites is "chit-chat."

"I have parents that catch their kids bragging about something on MySpace, and when you actually confront them, the kid says 'I really wasn't doing it,' and they can prove they were not at the party where they were supposed to have been drinking," she said.

Beyond keeping a watchful eye on risky interests and pictures, parents should also use social networking sites such as MySpace -- which had about 120 million users as of this summer -- as an opportunity to learn about their childrens' favorite movies and hobbies, as well as their top friends, she said.

"You so often hear parents say 'I don't even know my kid anymore.' Here's a very easy tool to get to know your kid again," she said.

Twitter accounts of Obama, Britney Spears hacked

The Twitter accounts of President-elect Barack Obama, CNN anchor Rick Sanchez, Britney Spears, Fox News and 29 others were hacked Monday according to the microblog site, leading to false and inappropriate messages being posted on their accounts.

First Fox News Twitter followers read a false message about Bill O'Reilly's sexuality Monday morning after hackers launched several attacks.

Then came the attack on pop princess Britney Spears private parts.

CNN anchor Rick Sanchez, who uses Twitter on his TV show to interact with the audience, also fell victim to the scam, when a hacker posted about drugs on his account.

Twitter is a social-networking blog site that allows users to send status updates, or "tweets," from cell phones, instant messaging services and Facebook in less than 140 characters.

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone wrote on the site's blog that the accounts were compromised after a hacker accessed tools the support team uses when a Twitter user can't remember or wants to reset their login info.

"We considered this a very serious breach of security and immediately took the support tools offline," Stone said in the blog post. "We'll put them back only when they're safe and secure."

Jennifer Dargan, Director of Public Relations for CNN confirmed Sanchez's account was compromised.

"As a result, some Twitter users may have received offensive messages attributed to Rick when the breach occurred," she said. "This is annoying, though such breaches are not uncommon when using social networking sites."

"Rick has notified Twitter of his account's breach and taken some basic steps to secure his account's access. Rick enjoys communicating with viewers via Twitter and he and many others at CNN find social networking a valuable tool in their shows. Rick will continue to use Twitter -- along with MySpace and Facebook -- to engage CNN's audience."

The attacks came after Twitter suffered a vicious phishing scam over the weekend, during which everyday Twitter users may have been tricked into logging on to a page masquerading as the Twitter front page, according to the site.

Instead, users were actually giving out their login information. The fake link was then passed along to anyone following that user.

Twitter posted a small notice on the page of each user warning them about the attacks.

But some users, concerned about the attacks, began messaging Twitter employees.

"So you're OK with a status quo where any Twitter [application] is potentially a phishing scam?" Twitter user "Aral" posted on the account of Alex Payne, a developer at Twitter. According to his Web site Payne is in charge of working with programmers who develop their own applications that work with Twitter.

"I'm certainly not happy with the security status quo. I just want people to understand the different threats. We'll get there," Payne responded.

The attacks are the first known security issues with Twitter, which has grown as a popular social networking site during the last year.

The attack on Twitter indicates hackers may see social networking sites as a good place to try and steal passwords and account information from the most people.

While many of the accounts were fixed quickly by resetting passwords, the attacks are a reminder for Twitter that with increasing popularity comes more security risks.

Those risks have kept employees at Twitter working quickly to try and fend off attacks and fix compromised tools.

The company's CEO Evan Williams echoed that sentiment with a post on his Twitter account this morning.

"Mood at Twitter HQ the first work day of the year: Focused Anxiety."