Danny Puff

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Country singer Brad Paisley says he was trying to foster an open discussion of race relations when he collaborated with rapper LL Cool J on "Accidental Racist."

The new song about racial perceptions has drawn ire from both the country and urban music worlds after its wide release this week. Paisley, the singer-songwriter known for his white cowboy hat and virtuoso guitar work, gave his first interview Tuesday since the hubbub began on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" after briefly addressing the debate Monday night on Twitter.

"I felt like when we were writing this song, it wasn't necessarily up to the media and I don't really trust Hollywood ... or talk radio or anything like that to sort of deal with that anymore," Paisley said on the show. "I think it's music's turn to have the conversation."

The song appears on Paisley's new self-produced album "Wheelhouse," released Tuesday. It's his most ambitious album so far and the progressive message of "Accidental Racist" is in line with opinions the 40-year-old West Virginia-born singer has expressed before in interviews and songs.

Of the album, Paisley wrote on Twitter, "I hope it triggers emotions," and says he wouldn't change a thing about it: "This is a record meant to be FAR from easy listening. But fun. Like life. Have a ball, ya'll."

At its heart, "Accidental Racist" is about how cultural symbols favored by whites and blacks the fashion choice of wearing Confederate flags or baggy pants, for instance come loaded with meaning.

It's not a new discussion. Though race relations have evolved over the decades, cultural symbols continue to color perceptions.

Paisley uses the Confederate flag as an example in the song, noting whites are "caught between Southern pride and Southern blame" 150 years after the end of the Civil War.

"I try to put myself in your shoes and that's a good place to begin," Paisley sings, "but it ain't like I can walk a mile in someone else's skin/Because I'm a white man livin' in the southland/Just like you I'm more than what it seems/I'm proud of where I'm from/But not everything we've done/It ain't like you and me can rewrite history/Our generation didn't start this nation/We're still paying for mistakes that a bunch of folks made long before we came."

Paisley was unavailable for an interview and LL Cool J's publicist did not immediately respond to messages. The 45-year-old rapper, who elevated himself from a teen sensation on the streets of Queens to an American cultural icon as a personality and actor on shows like CBS's "NCIS: Los Angeles," provides the response to Paisley's meditations.

He kicks off his portion of the song "Dear, Mr. White Man, I wish you understood what the world was really like living in the hood." Later in the song he raps, "I guess we're both guilty of judging the cover not the book/I'd love to buy you a beer, conversate and clear the air/But I see that red flag and I think you wish I wasn't here."

Later he and Paisley enter a call and response portion of the song where LL Cool J raps in part: "If you don't judge my 'do rag, I won't judge your red flag. ... If you don't judge my gold chains, I'll forget the iron chains ... Can't rewrite history, baby ... let bygones be bygones ... Rest in peace, Robert E. Lee, I got to thank Abraham Lincoln for freeing me ... ."

"One of my favorite lines in the song is he says 'I think the relationship between the Mason-Dixon needs some fixin','" Paisley told DeGeneres. "Leave it to a rapper to put it so simply and so beautifully."

Not all the good people of the blogosphere and Twitter world were as taken, though, and comedians were weighing in as well.

Demetria Irwin of black culture blog The Grio wrote, "'Accidental Racist' is the worst song in the history of music," then broke it down line by line.

Comedian Patton Oswalt tweeted: "I can't wait for Brad Paisley & LL Cool J's next single: "Whoopsy Daisy, Holocaust, My Bad""

Even the usually open-armed Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson of The Roots seemed taken aback as he tweeted: "Just heard the "Accidental Racist" man that Weird Al is amazing."

A little later, he compared the reaction to "Accidental Racist" to the recent backlash over Rick Ross' contribution to the Rocko song "O.U.E.N.O," which brought an apology after detractors accused him of glorifying date rape.

"All the "OUENO" weigher ins....i expect "Accidental Racist" to get equal amount of discussion & dialogue," he wrote.

That it did. Paisley told DeGeneres that was the point.

"Make up your own mind," he said. "That's fine. You can throw things at me. I'm all right."

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Follow AP Music Writer Chris Talbott: http://twitter.com/Chris_Talbott.

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MIAMI (AP) U.S. Treasury officials say the trip by Beyonce (bee-AHN'-say) and Jay-Z to Cuba was licensed as an educational exchange.

Assistant Treasury Secretary Alastair Fitzpayne wrote in a letter Tuesday to congressional representatives that the famous hip-hop couple traveled to Cuba with a group authorized by the Office of Foreign Assets Control to promote people-to-people contact in Cuba.

The letter was released Tuesday by U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (ih-lay-AH'-nah rahs LAY'-tih-nehn).

Ros-Lehtinen and U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (dee-AZ' bah-LART'), both Florida Republicans, had expressed concerns to the Treasury Department about the trip and wanted to know if it was licensed.

Beyonce and Jay-Z marked their fifth wedding anniversary in Havana last week. U.S. citizens are not allowed to travel to Cuba for mere tourism, though they can obtain licenses for academic, religious, journalistic or cultural exchange trips. The so-called people-to-people licenses were reinstated under the Obama administration.

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By Amy Sawitta Lefevre

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Winai Sawaengkarn closes his eyes before reaching into a wooden box and drawing a black card. He beams, and his watching mother sweeps him up into a tight embrace, overjoyed that he will not have to serve in the army.

Winai, 21, is just one of thousands of Thai men taking part in April's army recruitment lottery that will determine if they serve in the military. Others unwilling to chance fate volunteer for a shorter stint.

"I've been lucky. But I'm happiest for my mother," said the delivery man, who shouted when he saw his black card which exempts him from military service.

Men over 21 must serve in the army, which has always been at the forefront of Thai politics but has come in for some rare criticism since 91 people died in anti-government protests in 2010.

Those who volunteer serve six months, but others choose the annual lottery, which goes on for 10 days in recruitment centers around Thailand.

Nobody wants a red card, which means serving for two years, with the chance of a posting in the dangerous south.

"I haven't slept in a week. I prayed before coming here that he wouldn't get a red card," said Noppakorn Leelahemkattana, mother of a 20-year-old son.

Only those not considered physically capable of service, the mentally ill and those who have significantly altered their physical appearance - such as transgenders, who are more visible in Thai society than in many other nations - are exempt. Students can defer while in full-time education.

Some wealthy and well-connected Thais have been known to pay bribes to keep their sons from military service, but others see the army and its 9,000 Thai baht ($310) a month salary as a way out of poverty and a means to discipline unruly sons.

"I want my son to be a soldier, he drinks too much and could do with the discipline," said Acharaya Goonyatip. "If he's sent to the south, I would make peace with that. We all have to die anyway." Her son subsequently drew a red card.

STILL TREATED WITH DEFERENCE

Created as a permanent organization in 1852, the Royal Thai Armed Forces has been treated with deference on the whole, despite some occasional criticism in a country that has seen 11 successful military coups since 1932.

But that started to change in 1973 when it suppressed a student uprising. The army has also come in for part of the blame in the deaths of 91 people after the government ordered a crackdown on a 2010 anti-government protest.

Its sometimes draconian ways, such as drills that involve being forced to drink liters of water and then vomit, or punishments like rolling head first on gravel pits, have been criticized from within and without.

Some people also question the fact that the army does little to help the vulnerable in its midst. Drug use is prevalent, and some recruits are sexually abused.

"There was a lot of drug abuse, people on amphetamines. We had officers inspect our urine once or twice a month," said Manit Iamsomboon, an engineer who served two years in the Royal Thai army after drawing a red card.

A commanding general with the Territorial Defence Command acknowledged that there were problems with drugs, which he said were an endemic social problem.

"I would say about half of our recruits every year have used drugs at one point or another," said Wichit Seeprasert. "We can help them temporarily stop because we do checks but after they leave it's out of our control."

Among those singled out for special treatment are transgenders, who are not allowed to change their gender on their national identification cards and may be unlucky enough to be recruited if their physical changes are still slight.

But there has been little overt public outcry and no calls to change the system, which is viewed with resignation as something of a male rite of passage.

"This is part of every Thai man's life," said aspiring chef Jom Radidgumpu, who was filing papers to defer until his studies were over. "You can leave it up to fate or you can volunteer."

(Reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre, Editing by Elaine Lies and Michael Perry)

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - A business analyst from Virginia beat out 8.15 million other entries to win ESPN's annual prediction contest for the NCAA basketball championship - but has gained more attention for the handle he created than his powers of prognostication.

Craig Gilmore, inspired by several pints of beer and using the name Lannay Kekua, won the contest, accurately picking Louisville to defeat Michigan in Monday night's college basketball championship game before the 64-team tournament began.

Lannay Kekua was the name an apparent hoaxster created to fool Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o, leading the football player to think he had an online and telephonic relationship with a woman who in reality never existed. Reports of her death during the season became a touching story until it unraveled as an embarrassing hoax.

Gilmore said he chose the name in order to tease two of his buddies who are Notre Dame graduates.

"People were sending me messages on my ESPN profile saying, 'Dude, we're just rooting for you because it would be great if Lannay Kekua's entry wins the ESPN bracket,'" Gilmore said.

ESPN advertises the winner will "have a chance" to win the grand prize of a $10,000 gift card for electronics retailer Best Buy, and Gilmore received an email saying he would be entered in a drawing.

"You're telling me I beat out over 8 million other people and I'm not guaranteed the prize?" Gilmore said.

If he does win the prize, he has already told his wife he plans to buy an 80-inch 3D television.

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Paul Thomasch and Eric Walsh)

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NEW YORK (AP) There's a change in the pecking order for country music's competing awards shows, at least for this season.

The Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday were seen by an estimated 15.5 million people, the Nielsen company said. It is believed to be the first time the ACM awards outdrew the more established Country Music Association awards, which took place in November.

A much-anticipated musical pairing of George Strait and Garth Brooks, performing in a tribute to the late Dick Clark, was a highlight of Sunday's show. Luke Bryan was paired with Blake Shelton of "The Voice" as co-host, then beat him for entertainer of the year in what was considered an upset.

The Los Angeles-based Academy of Country Music was formed in the 1960s in response to the Nashville-based Country Music Association, and the two have been rivals for attention in the industry. The CMA's first televised awards show came in 1968, with the ACM following in 1972. The CMA awards have been more popular in every year since the advent of Nielsen's "people meter" ratings system in 1988, and presumably before that.

The CMA awards had 13.7 million viewers in November, Nielsen said. But ABC points out that it was televised only a few days after Superstorm Sandy struck the East Coast and left millions of people without power; the same awards show had 16.4 million people the year before.

The prime-time Final Four matchup between Michigan and Syracuse gave CBS another big audience on Saturday, traditionally a quiet night of TV viewing. It was seen by 17.1 million people.

Last week also had an unusual sight: two episodes of "American Idol" finishing outside of Nielsen's 10 most popular programs. ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" and NBC's "The Voice" were both more popular. In fact, it was largely due to "The Voice" that NBC finished ahead of Fox among younger viewers.

ABC's new sitcom "How to Live With Your Parents" had a strong debut with 8.4 million viewers, helped by following the popular "Modern Family" on the schedule. NBC's "Hannibal," a drama that the struggling network had pinned some high hopes upon, was seen by 4.4 million, Nielsen said.

CBS won the week handily in prime time, averaging 11.3 million viewers (7.0 rating, 11 share). ABC was second with a 6.7 million viewer average (4.4, 7), NBC had 5.24 million viewers (3.3, 5), Fox had 5.15 million (3.2, 5), the CW had 1.12 million (0.7, 1) and ION Television had 1.1 million (0.8, 1).

Among the Spanish-language networks, Univision led with a 3.6 million prime-time average (1.9, 3), Telemundo had 1.4 million (0.7, 1), UniMas had 520,000 (0.3, 0), Estrella had 190,000 and Azteca 100,000 (both 0.1, 0).

NBC's "Nightly News" topped the evening newscasts with an average of 8.4 million viewers (5.6, 11). ABC's "World News" was second with 7.4 million (5.1, 11) and the "CBS Evening News" had 6.4 million viewers (4.3, 8).

A ratings point represents 1,147,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation's estimated 114.7 million TV homes. The share is the percentage of in-use televisions tuned to a given show.

For the week of April 1-7, the top 10 shows, their networks and viewerships: "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 17.24 million; NCAA Final Four: Syracuse vs Michigan, CBS, 17.1 million people; Academy of Country Music Awards," CBS, 15.51 million. "Person of Interest," CBS, 14.57 million; "NCAA Basketball Bridge Show," CBS, 14.33 million; "Dancing With the Stars Results," ABC, 13.98 million; "The Voice" (Tuesday), NBC, 13.93 million; "Dancing with the Stars," ABC, 13.91 million; "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 13.71 million; "The Voice" (Monday), NBC, 13.31 million.

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ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co. CBS is owned by CBS Corp. CW is a joint venture of Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corp. Fox and My Network TV are units of News Corp. NBC and Telemundo are owned by Comcast Corp. ION Television is owned by ION Media Networks. TeleFutura is a division of Univision. Azteca America is a wholly owned subsidiary of TV Azteca S.A. de C.V.

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Online:

http://www.nielsen.com

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By Alexandria Sage

PARIS (Reuters) - Talking food with top French chef Alain Ducasse is like simultaneously visiting a local farmers market, travelling across the world, stepping back into history and visiting the future.

France's ubiquitous three-star chef, whose empire includes more than 20 restaurants, a culinary institute and a publishing house, is now embracing 21st century technology with a new iPad application, "My Culinary Encyclopedia".

With 250 recipes from the Mon Grand Livre de Cuisine collection, the app offers ingredient profiles with 360 degree views, demonstration videos, and preparation tips. Ducasse, 56, spoke to Reuters in the kitchen of his Plaza Athenee restaurant about what inspires him today and how much is yet to learn.

Q: One doesn't think of great chefs as being enamored of technology. Why an app?

A: I'm all about transmitting knowledge. In cooking today it's about technical performance, cooking tools that have developed to help cooks to be more regular in cooking technique. And this technology here helps us to transmit knowledge, it's the modern book. Today a kitchen is a laboratory, it's very technical. Before it was a nightmare because it was so hot, you had gas ovens and you had to test the temperature with your finger. But just a quarter century later we've changed centuries. Our profession was so difficult 25, 30 years ago but today (cooking) is comfortable, appealing.

Q: Do you see clients in your restaurants consulting their iPads at the table before they begin to eat?

A: Of course. We want to know everything about everything. Before eating, the client is going to explain what he's about to eat. Even beforehand he's going to weigh in, it's good, it's not good, he takes a photo and then everyone knows what he's eating. But it's the limit of the exercise. You should first take pleasure before weighing in about it. It's first of all a chance to share a pleasant moment with your friends, to take the time with your food and not to make commentary.

Q: What inspires you?

A: Nature and markets. Nature, what it gives us every day, in spring, autumn, summer. Cooking is all about what do I have - what can I use right now where I am - what do I know, and what do I do. Tonight I'm off to Tokyo and Thursday I'm in Kyoto. There's a street ... where you have a sort of the center of the world of food. I think the French and the Japanese are both obsessed by seasons, small producers, freshness.

Q: Do you still make new discoveries there?

A: Always. The more I discover the more ignorant I am. What I know is a lot less than what there is yet to discover, it's terrible. I've probably been to that market 50 times and I'm sure I'll find something I've never seen before.

Q: Any new cuisines of the world that lately intrigue you?

A: South America. Brazil and the Amazon. What they've found so far in the Amazon is 5 percent of what there is yet to discover to eat in the Amazon because it's completely unknown. I've eaten things I've never eaten before over there. Now I'm going to try to go to Peru in September because I think the Peruvian food is interesting.

Q: Is that frustrating, after discovering new things not being able to find them again back in France or elsewhere?

A: I think you have to have a global vision but a local expression of that. It's to nourish my curiosity, to register new tastes and maybe, for example, when I'm in Japan or China and I try gyoza, those raviolis ... traditionally, you eat them in the working-class neighborhoods and they're fantastic. What we can take away from that is the double cooking, the crisp side and the soft side. I've been inspired by the technique rather than the produce. Those local products are best eaten there.

Q: In your busy life do you still get to cook for yourself?

A: Often I cook when I'm in the country. I have a very nice garden and extraordinary markets where there are products from the earth and the sea, in the French Basque country. To make my meal, I go to the market and to the garden and then I decide what I'm going to do. That's a great pleasure. And then after - to choose the wine. The French are always interested in what you eat, but also in what you drink! And they drink well, a lot and often. With Americans it's ice tea. For lunch it's ice tea! No one drinks wine at lunch, it's incredible.

Carrots in Marsala Wine (serves 4)

8 large carrots with tops

2 oz (50 g) butter

10 coriander seeds

3 Tbs Marsala

1 1/4 tsp sugar

1/2 cup chicken stock

Salt, freshly ground pepper

Peel, trim and wash the carrots conserving 3/4 inch of shoots. In a ham slicer, slice the carrots into fine 1/10 inch slices, retaining their tops. In a heavy-bottomed casserole, melt the butter and saute the carrots. Grind the coriander seeds, then add to the carrots. Moisten with the Marsala, season with salt and add sugar. Cover the casserole and cook on a gentle heat for 3 minutes gradually, adding stock if necessary. Reduce the carrot cooking juices to thicken. Arrange the carrots on the plates. Depending on the consistency of the sauce, reduce for a further minute until syrupy. Coat the carrots. Serve hot.

(Reporting By Alexandria Sage)

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By Susan Heavey, Andy Sullivan and Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A liberal magazine reported on Tuesday that it had obtained a recording of U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell's discussion with campaign aides on putting the mental health and religious views of a potential opponent, actress Ashley Judd, "on the radar screen."

The campaign strategy session was held in February in Louisville, Kentucky, according to Mother Jones magazine, which published the audio and a transcript online, but would not reveal its source or how the recording was obtained.

McConnell has asked the FBI to investigate what he called the "bugging" of his campaign headquarters but has declined to comment on the meeting itself. "This is what you get from the political left in America," he told reporters.

Judd has since decided not to challenge McConnell, who represents Kentucky in the U.S. Senate and is up for re-election in 2014.

Meetings to talk about "opposition research" are standard fare in campaigns. But recordings of such discussions do not often become public.

FBI Special Agent Mary Trotman confirmed that McConnell's office had contacted the agency. "We are looking into the matter."

McConnell also would not comment on another part of the recording, which indicates that at least one of McConnell's Senate staffers had spent time researching Judd's past comments on everything from abortion to coal mining. Several other staffers could have been involved in the effort - one person in the meeting said the research reflected the work of "a lot of LAs," a common abbreviation for legislative assistant.

Ethics rules bar members from using staff for campaign purposes on government time. Staff members can work for campaigns under Senate rules as long as they are not using public resources - they cannot use their office computer, for example, or work on campaign efforts when they are getting paid for legislative work.

"So long as those rules are adhered to, there's no problem with this," said Paul S. Ryan, senior counsel at the Campaign Legal Center. "It's quite common for staff members to work on campaigns, it's not an unusual arrangement at all."

In the recording, the presenter, referring to Judd, says "this sounds extreme, but she is emotionally unbalanced. I mean it's been documented."

He mentions that Judd's autobiography discusses how "you know, she's suffered some suicidal tendencies. She was hospitalized for 42 days when she had a mental breakdown in the '90s."

The presenter also says "I know this is sort of a sensitive subject but you know at least worth putting on your radar screen is that she is critical ... sort of traditional Christianity. She sort of views it as sort of a vestige of patriarchy."

One thing any investigation would focus on is whether any law was in fact broken. Federal law and the law in many states prohibit the intercept of oral communication, but that might not apply depending on who made the recording and how.

"Obviously a recording device of some kind was placed in Senator McConnell's campaign office without consent," McConnell's campaign said in a statement. "By whom and how that was accomplished presumably will be the subject of a criminal investigation."

Mother Jones was the magazine that obtained a recording of a fund-raising speech by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney last year in which Romney said 47 percent of Americans were dependent on the government and unlikely to vote for him. When disclosed, the recording dealt Romney a damaging blow.

(Additional reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Fred Barbash and Jackie Frank)

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By Teo Jion Chun

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A Singapore businessman accused of bribing three Lebanese soccer match officials with prostitutes has been released on bail after he entered a not guilty plea in court on Tuesday.

Businessman Eric Ding Si Yang, who once worked for the local New Paper tabloid as a football tipster, will contest the three corruption charges that had been filed against him, his lawyer Thong Chee Kun told reporters.

Bail was set at S$150,000 ($121,000) and Ding will appear in court again on April 18.

Ding left court on Tuesday wearing sunglasses and a shiny long sleeved green t-shirt accompanied by six men and a woman. He shook hands with a reporter from the New Paper before leaving in a black car.

Ding's release on bail comes one day before a hearing in which FIFA-recognized referee Ali Sabbagh and assistants Ali Eid and Abdallah Taleb are expected to enter their pleas and request bail. The Lebanese officials each face one charge of "corruptly receiving gratification... to fix a football match."

The three officials had arrived in Singapore last week to take charge of the AFC Cup match between local side Tampines Rovers and East Bengal of India, but were hastily replaced hours before kick off by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

They are currently being held in separate cells, with the prosecution arguing against bail at an earlier hearing on Friday for fear they were part of a syndicated operation.

The officials face a maximum fine of S$100,000 and a five-year prison term if found guilty. Ding faces the same punishment on each charge.

(Writing by Kevin Lim. Editing by Patrick Johnston)

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CZESTOCHOWA, Poland (AP) Workers are putting the finishing touches on a new statue of the late Pope John Paul II that its backer is calling the tallest one of the pontiff in the world.

The 13.8-meter (45.3-foot) white fiberglass figure will tower over the southern Polish city of Czestochowa, home to the predominantly Catholic country's most important pilgrimage site, the Jasna Gora monastery.

Funded by a private investor and put up on his land, the statue of the Polish-born pontiff shows him smiling and stretching his arms to the world. On Tuesday, workers were joining the pieces together and painting them before the official unveiling of the statue Saturday, to be attended by church and city authorities.

Leszek Lyson, who is funding the project, called the pope "a great and good man who has done a lot for the world: ended communism and opened borders in Europe, reached out to people in his pilgrimages around the world."

He said the statue "should make everyone stop and think about life."

Its construction comes as the traditionally respected church is facing criticism for its conservative views on the family and ethics, and its opposition to abortion, in-vitro fertilization and gay marriage.

Poland has long been predominantly Roman Catholic, but church statistics show attendance shrinking from some 50 percent of parish members in the 1980s; to 45 percent in 2005, the year the pope died; to 41 percent in 2010.

Born Karol Wojtyla in Wadowice, southern Poland, John Paul was elected pope in 1978, a surprise choice from communist-controlled eastern Europe.

In Poland, he is credited with inspiring the Solidarity movement that helped end communism in 1989. His death was a time of national mourning.

Lyson told The Associated Press that he wants the new statue to remind future generations of the Polish pope.

However, 22-year-old Ewelina Gozdek, who was watching the preparations with her friends, was skeptical. "It is an attraction now in a city where nothing ever happens, but will be forgotten soon enough," she said.

The unveiling ceremony will mark three years since Lyson saved his son from drowning and is a sign of thanks.

He is also trying to get the statue into Guinness Book of Records as the world's tallest one of John Paul.

That will generate comparisons with two John Paul statues in other countries.

Last year, an adapted version of a controversial 5.5-meter (18-feet) bronze sculpture of Pope John Paul II went on display in Rome. The original had irked many Romans who said it was ugly and didn't adequately capture the likeness of their beloved pope.

In Santiago, Chile, a small statue of the pope was inaugurated on San Cristobal Hill in 2011, after a proposal to build a 13-meter (43-foot) one was rejected as too big.

Poland already boasts that it has the world's tallest statue of Jesus, unveiled in 2010 in the western town of Swiebodzin.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) Lil Wayne, Ron Howard, Scarlett Johansson and Kim Kardashian are all on the same page when it comes to criminal justice reform.

They're among more than 100 entertainers calling on President Barack Obama to focus on changing drug laws. Rap mogul Russell Simmons helped assemble the coalition of celebrities and civil rights leaders that presented a letter to the president on Tuesday.

The group praises the president's efforts toward drug incarceration reform but insists "the time is right" to move toward replacing jail sentences with intervention and rehabilitation for non-violent offenders. The starry group, which also includes Jennifer Hudson, Nicki Minaj, Susan Sarandon and Will Smith, also asks Obama to form a panel to handle clemency requests and to support a measure that allows judges to waive mandatory minimum sentences.

"It is critical that we change both the way we think about drug laws in this country and how we generate positive solutions that leave a lasting impact on rebuilding our communities," Simmons said, citing Department of Justice data that shows that the United States jails more of its citizens than any other country in the world.

Drug offenders comprise nearly half the federal prison population in the U.S.

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