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CNN SATURDAY MORNING NEWS

Nelson Mandela Hospitalized; Protests Continue in Afghanistan Over Koran Burning; Continued Shelling of Syrian Civilians; Republican Primary in Michigan; South Carolina Wind Damage; Plastic Surgeon Operates on Young Daughters; App to Watch the Oscars; Google Launches a No-Track Button; Gas Prices Up Three Cents Overnight; Relax in All- Day Korean Sauna; Pick your Seatmate Before you Fly; Contraception Controversy; New App Finds Local Hot Spots

Aired February 25, 2012 - 08:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's 8:00 a.m. in the east, 5:00 a.m. in the west. Good morning, everyone. I'm Deborah Feyerick. Here is what's happening now.

Former South Africa President Nelson Mandela is in the hospital. We'll have the latest on his condition with a live report from Johannesburg.

The free Syrian army and its fight for freedom against government tanks and troops. CNN's Michael Holmes joins us from the region with a live report.

And did gas prices go up overnight? We'll look at pump prices around the nation and see who is paying the most and why it's going up, up, up.

We start with a developing story out of South Africa. Former President Nelson Mandela is in the hospital right now. Officials are calling it an abdominal complaint. The 93-year-old's health has declined in recent years and he has largely kept out of sight, shunning public appearances.

Joining me now from Johannesburg is CNN's Nkepile Mabuse.

First of all, what are you hearing? What is going on?

NKEPILE MABUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Deborah, the presidency and the African National Congress, that is former President Nelson Mandela's political home, has been very, very adamant that Mr. Mandela is OK, that there is no need to panic, and pains to reassure a very panicked public because the last they heard was that Mr. Mandela is suffering from an abdominal ailment that can really need a specialist's attention.

We haven't heard anything official since that statement was released this morning by the presidency. But the ANC is saying, look, this was not an emergency. Mr. Mandela went into hospital because this was a precautionary measure. Doctors that are looking after him around the clock were worried and they just wanted this checked out. And I just spoke to the presidential spokesperson a couple of minutes ago who said no news is good news, that he hasn't heard anything from Mr. Mandela's doctors and so people should not panic. But of course South Africans are panicked because the last time Mr. Mandela was admitted was in January when we were told that he was going in for a routine checkup, only to find out that he actually had a serious respiratory infection. So people want more information. They want more reassurance from the presidency in the form of details of what's going on.

FEYERICK: And Nkepile, he is 93. He has been in declining health. But, clearly, if he -- when he passes away, it's going to be a tragic end of something for South Africa because of who he is, because of what he's accomplished.

MABUSE: Definitely. Mr. Mandela is revered, loved, adored, not only here in South Africa but around the world and his house is of national and international importance. That's why people want more information. They want to rest assured with details of what's going on with Mr. Mandela, knowing that he is definitely OK.

And, of course, the government in South Africa treats Mr. Mandela's health as a closely guarded secret. They think that it is a private matter and they will only give information that they feel is necessary to give to the public, Deborah.

FEYERICK: Nkepile Mabuse, thank you so much. We'll check in with you a little later on.

We have other breaking news, this out of Afghanistan. Two American troops have been killed. It happened at the Afghan interior ministry in Kabul. According to Reuters, the dead are believed to be a colonel and a major. Much more on this story as information becomes available.

Meanwhile, people are taking to the streets for the fifth straight day in Afghanistan to protest the burning of Korans by international security forces. Three people were killed today and another 50 were injured in Kunduz when protesters apparently tried to burn down a United Nations building there. Eight were killed in protests yesterday. President Obama and the commanding coalition generals in Afghanistan have apologized.

Let's move to Syria now and the humanitarian crisis there. The Red Cross hoping to get back into some of the hardest hit areas to get the wounded to safety. We are talking about Homs. The city has been the epicenter of the uprising and the main target of the military. Activists say at least 17 people were killed there already today.

Joining me now is CNN's Michael Holmes live in Beirut.

And Michael, what is the Red Cross hoping to do with the injured right now?

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they were hoping to go back into the besieged neighborhood of Homs Baba Amro today. They were hoping to do that at first light. Well it's after 3:00 here in the afternoon. They have not been back in. We're told it was because of very heavy shelling that has been going on. There is no cease-fire in Baba Amro.

We were speaking to go an activist about an hour ago. We could hear the shelling in the background as he spoke to us. He estimates that hundreds of rockets and artillery shells have been pounding into that neighborhood just this day alone. He said it was impossible to even think of leaving the house.

The IRC yesterday went in. They took out seven people who were wounded and another 20 other civilians. They were hoping -- then it became dark. They were hoping to go back in at first light and get more people out from Baba Amro. That has not happened. They have not been able to get back in. They say that their priority, the focus is to get out wounded civilians in priority of their injuries, the severity of their injuries. But no movement on that today.

Of course, those western journalists still in there, too. The bodies of two journalists, two wounded journalists and two uninjured journalists, they're not even being thought about at the moment -- Deborah.

FEYERICK: Michael, we've been seeing this dramatic footage shot by a French journalist. It doesn't seem as if President al Assad is even unbowed, even in the slightest. What came from the called friends of Syria conference? Is he paying attention or does he simply not care?

HOLMES: At the moment, it appears he simply doesn't care. He scoffed at that conference. He derided those who attended it and said it was basically a conspiracy, that coming from state media.

The conference in Tunisia, the so-called friends of Syria, the 70 or so countries who got together, what they came up with was calling for an immediate humanitarian aid. They gave legitimacy to one of the main opposition groups. They endorsed the idea of a joint Arab-U.N. peacekeeping force.

But you know what? At the end of the day, the people inside Homs, the ones we have been talking to as recently as just a few minutes ago, they too, say that they are sick of the talk. They say nothing is happening. There's been talk from the U.N. to this conference in Tunisia and nothing is changing on the ground. So the people inside Syria say that it means nothing. The ones we're talking to in the Syrian government just continues to pound places like Homs into dust, Deborah.

FEYERICK: And the pictures really, they're so dramatic wondering when something is going to change if at all, Michael Holmes reporting for us, thank you so much.

To politics now and the Republican race for the presidential nomination. Rick Santorum in Michigan right now. St. Claire Shores participating in Tea Party rally in the Michigan primary. That's coming up on Tuesday.

And it's a busy day on the campaign trail. The focus is on Michigan, but don't forget, Arizona votes on Tuesday, also. Well, CNN political editor Paul Steinhauser is watching the battle from the relative safety of Washington this morning.

And Paul, what are the candidates focusing on right now? How do they each break out?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: We have three days to go until this two crucial primaries. You can't say enough of that Deb. A lot of the action was in Arizona during the week.

We had our CNN debate there on Wednesday night. At that debate, Rick Santorum was forced by Mitt Romney to kind of defend a lot of his positions when he was in the Senate, some of those positions not so popular with conservative voters who are going to be so instrumental choosing the next Republican nominee.

So Sanatorium getting to Michigan last night, taking a tougher stand against Mitt Romney. Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I didn't pick, well we're going to bail out some and not bail out others. That's a violation -- I don't know what principles that you can say are consistent when you say, I'm going to bail out one group of folks and not bail out another industry.

My feeling was you're either for them or you're against them, but don't you start picking winners and losers and that's what Governor Romney and others in this campaign have done. I haven't. You may not like my position on bailouts, but I've been consistent and principled, unlike other people in this race.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: Unlike other people. Who is he talking about there? Listen, we all know the auto bailouts are such a big issue, such a big issue in Detroit and across Michigan.

As for Romney, listen, we can't say enough. This is such a crucial state, Michigan for him. He needs to win it. Remember, he was born there. His father was governor there. It is really a crucial state for him to win on Tuesday regardless of what his campaign says. Yesterday, touting a big economic plan, he was touting his Michigan roots.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I love this country. I love this state. This feels good, being back in Michigan. You know, the trees are the right height. The streets are just right. I like the fact that most of the cars I see are Detroit made automobiles. I drive a Mustang and a Chevy pickup truck. An drives a couple of Cadillacs actually.

(END VIDEO CLIP) STEINHAUSER: On the other side, how Michigan is getting most of the traffic now, I was out in Arizona for the debate. Not a lot of campaign ads on TV there in Michigan. They're getting flooded. Deb.

FEYERICK: It's so interesting. Obviously, Detroit benefited from the bailout. The auto industry is sort of making, on the comeback. Kind of interesting to hear Mitt Romney saying that his wife drives a couple of Cadillacs, probably won't resonate that well. But is everybody in Michigan there today also?

STEINHAUSER: Let's take those live pictures of Rick Santorum again. He's starting today in Michigan right now speaking at a Tea Party rally there. And then after that event in Michigan, he actually goes to Tennessee. Remember, that's one of the super Tuesday states.

Romney spends the whole day in Michigan. He's not leaving Michigan.

As for Ron Paul, he's starting the day in Oklahoma, but guess where he ends -- Michigan.

The only person who is not going to be Michigan today Debt is going to be Newt Gingrich. The former House speaker out in California. He's got one event, which means he's probably doing some fundraising on the side. A lot of action to comment. Of course, Tuesday, a big primary day.

FEYERICK: Paul Steinhauser for us, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

Some South Carolina residents will be doing some cleaning up today. That's after two tornados tore through the state yesterday damaging homes and cars. Winds topped about 130 miles an hour. So far, no injuries reported.

And meteorologist Alexandra Steele in for Reynolds Wolf. How many tornados were there, actually?

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: There have been seven tornados reported, but still the National Weather Service needs to go out and assess the damage. Some of those it seems to be, maybe there were two. Some of those could be repeats of the same tornado.

But the National Weather Service has confirmed at least one in South Carolina near Aiken Lexington county line with winds estimated at 130 miles per hour. If that were the case, that would be an EF-2, still early to ascertain that. But a second tornado new Pineville, South Carolina, trees, poles, wires down.

Believe it or not, look at all of this damage. You know the winds it takes to lift these massive structures. So we're going to have to see. But no people, believe it or not, have been injured with the reports of the tornados from yesterday.

Today, the story, Deb, the winds, massive wind storms. We'll talk about where it is now and how strong that could be.

FEYERICK: OK. Thanks. A Chicago pastor spends 94 days camping on a roof to send a message to prostitutes, gangs and drug dealers. What made him finally come down from that roof, coming up next.

Plus, how old should someone be to get plastic surgery? We're going to introduce you to a father who defends his choice to operate on his two adopted daughters.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Let's take a look now at some of the stories making news across country.

We're going to be starting in Chicago. Reverend Corey Brooks is waking up this morning after 94 days camping out on the roof of the south side Chicago motel. Brook vowed to remain on the roof until he raised $450,000 to buy and tear down the building. He wants to build a community center in its place. The community says the motel has become a magnet for drugs, prostitution and violence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REVEREND COREY BROOKS: To all the people who have given $1, $5, $10, $100, $1,000, I want to say thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: Actor and director Tyler Perry helped put Brook's mission over the top Friday, donating nearly $100,000.

In California, the days of the milkman may soon become extinct. The recent spike in gas prices threatening to spoil Jimmy Pastor's small business delivering milk to 5,000 customers. Gas prices have already forced Rockville Milk to cut back deliveries from twice to once a week.

In Oregon, dressed in all black armed with two books, a Nerf gun and some extra bullets, seven-year-old Liam Baird hit the street at Estacada (ph) to catch some bad guys but he had to sneak out of the house first to find them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA BAIRD, LIAM'S MOTHER: I had no idea he was gone until my husband opened the door and there was a police officer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: Luckily, Liam never ran into the bad guys. He did, however, later visit the police station for a lesson in police work.

It's 17 past the hour. Meteorologist Alexandra Steele in for Reynolds Wolf. What's it looking like?

(WEATHER REPORT) A California plastic surgeon, he is defending his decision to operate on his daughters, both of them adopted. ABC's 20/20 first aired the family's story last night. Both of Dr. Michael Niccole's daughters are now 23. One of them underwent her first cosmetic procedure at the age of 10. The other got breast implants for her 18th birthday.

Host Barbara Walters asked Niccole if performing surgery on the 18- year-old was a little daunting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. MICHAEL NICCOLE, PLASTIC SURGEON: Not really. Being in practice for 30 years, I felt who would give them the time and the patience that their father would give them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: Well, the two sisters also receive regular injections of Botox to prevent wrinkles because they're going to be 24 next year.

Well, we want to know what you think. First, how old should a teenager be to get cosmetic surgery? And should cosmetic surgeons do procedures on their own family? I can't wait to read all of your tweets. Tweet me, @debfeyerickCNN. I'm going to read some of your thoughts later on in the show.

Do you think you have it bad when you have to fill up? Just look at the gas price in Orlando, $6 a gallon. Ouch. We are breaking down this relentless and soaring rise.

And Hollywood, that's right, getting ready for its biggest night of the year. Next, some new Oscar apps for you to share the experience with your friends. We'll give you some of our favorites.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Good morning, Washington. It is now 22 minutes past the hour. Welcome back to CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

Well, if you're tuning into the Oscars tomorrow night, just watching the show may not be enough for you. I can hear the conversation now, ooh, what's going on backstage? Did you see this dress that the actress is wearing? Oscar night is all about that shared experience with friends and that means having the right app.

HLN digital lifestyle expert Mario Armstrong knows just the right one.

MARIO ARMSTRONG, CNN DIGITAL LIFESTYLE EXPERT: Yes, I do.

FEYERICK: Cut, roll, take one. Let's start with the first thing most of us have. First of all, how do I get backstage if I want that personal experience with the Oscars?

ARMSTRONG: There are several different apps that you can choose from. There's a couple out there. The first one that we'll give you that backstage access though is called Backstage Pass. It's a free app. You can use it on all of the Apple devices. And what it will do is it will enable you to see all types of things that are happening actually at the show, even 12 live cameras from different angles.

So you'll see cameras on the red carpet. You'll see cameras backstage with the winners. You'll even see a camera in the control room. So really revealing and fun experience to give you another look at the actual Oscars from behind the scenes.

FEYERICK: What if you want to compete with your friends? Obviously you want to pick - there are pools (INAUDIBLE) the most winners? What's the app for that?

ARMSTRONG: You can actually do it in two. You can do it in the backstage pass, as well, but the one that really a lot of folks are having a lot of fun with is called Awards Hero. Now Awards Hero is a way to create your own pool like you just said. And then what you can do is you can invite your Facebook friends into your pool. And so in real time, you can kind of compete, see who is picking the most winners. It's all about the social experience.

What we're seeing here is being able to watch main events or large events on television but then also interact with our friends that may be in other cities or other countries, for that matter and watch the same experience and share in that together.

FEYERICK: So let's move beyond the Oscars. There's an app that lets you share your TV experience with others when you're watching other shows. Is this available to Android users, as well?

ARMSTRONG: Yes. This one is available to Android users as well as iPhone and it's call in2now. It's made by Yahoo! Here is what's really cool about it. You take this app, you point your microphone at the television and you hit a green button on it. And basically, what it's doing is it's listening to the audio of that show and then it will tell you what that show is.

But then it also rewards you and brings you all types of relevant information about that show. You'll see actors' tweets. You'll see other ancillary information all related to that particular program, again creating that immersive social experience beyond just the one to one with the television.

FEYERICK: Watching television is so interactive these days. You can't just, like, watch and tune out.

ARMSTRONG: No.

FEYERICK: -- to multi-task anyway and also, you can't forget, Mario, that you can also follow your favorite stars who are also tweeting from the Oscars.

ARMSTRONG: That's right. FEYERICK: So that's another thing. But Mario, I want you to stay with us. We're going to ask you about this no track button. That's a big issue.

ARMSTRONG: Absolutely.

FEYERICK: And Google and some of the other giant Internet companies are going to let us use. What do we really get out of this? Mario is going to have answers right after this to make your Oscar viewing experience even better.

ARMSTRONG: So is that a cut?

FEYERICK: Cut.

ARMSTRONG: Cut. See you in a few.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Before the break, I told you Google and some of the other Internet giants have agreed to offer a no-track button for Web surfers. HLN digital lifestyle expert Mario Armstrong is back with us to break this down.

First of all, what is it? What does it mean and what's it going to do?

ARMSTRONG: What it's going to do here, Deb, is the bottom line, people are being tired of being tracked on the Internet from advertisers. And so, what this will enable you to do is when you log on to your Web browser, be it Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla, Firefox, all these different browsers, Safari, you will have a button that will basically allow you to say, I do not want to be tracked while on this page or through this advertisement. I don't want this tracking me to send me information or send me pop-ups and things later on throughout my Web experience.

So that's what we're talking about here, giving people the ability to control that tracking mechanism. And so it remains to be seen how well this is going perform, but that's the idea right now.

FEYERICK: Mario, it's so interesting because, obviously, this is one way that advertisers have sort of found a way to profit off the Internet. Why are Google and others agreeing to this now?

ARMSTRONG: Yes. Well, because, you know, privacy is starting to really become more prevalent in our discussions about the Internet. And people -- and users are getting more people online, getting more fed up. You're starting to see lawmakers really start to pay attention to the fact that people are really feeling like they have no more privacy any more. So now you're seeing companies want to take an active role.

The reason why you're seeing Google be a little bit active is actually Google is a little late. Microsoft's Internet Explorer's browser already has this built in. Mozilla's Firefox already kind of has this build in. So Google doesn't want to have a bad PR face, number one. Number two, these companies need to have a seat at the table now before legislation and things start to really get drafted. This is the beginning of a discussion and these players want to have a good seat at the table to influence that discussion.

FEYERICK: Mario, I have a theory and it's an untested theory, but I think, in the future, the most precious commodity is not going to be gold, it's going to be our personal privacy.

What are these companies still going to be tracking?

ARMSTRONG: I would very much agree with you on that. So that's why we have to really maintain and watch out for our personal privacy and understand where it's going.

Look, the bottom line is, these companies will still be able to track information, they're saying for market demographics or for helping them understand a little bit about who is doing -- who is actually viewing on certain things to help them better design their products or build their products.

So that is where that line get's kind of a little bit is gray there. And we'll have to kind of -- you know remain to be seen exactly how this is going to play out and what people will actually feel is going to be too much and too little.

FEYERICK: All right very interesting.

ARMSTRONG: All right, Deb.

FEYERICK: Well, join us every Saturday at this time as our digital lifestyle expert Mario Armstrong gives the scoop on the very latest technology.

Now of course, you can always find him online.

Well, checking "Top Stories".

Two American troops have been killed in Afghanistan. It happened at the Afghan Interior Ministry in Kabul. According to Reuters, the dead are believed to be a Colonel and a Major; much more on this story at the top of the hour.

Former South African President Nelson Mandela is in the hospital this morning. Officials say the 93-year-old anti-apartheid icon has a long standing abdominal complaint. Doctors felt medical attention at this time was necessary. Several members of Mandela's family telling CNN the hospital visit was routine and they say Mandela is doing fine.

Well, the military is identifying the seven Marines killed in a helicopter collision along the Arizona/California border this week. They are Major Thomas Budrejko, Captain Michael Quin, Captain Benjamin Cerniglia and Captain Nathan Anderson, also, Sergeant Justin Everett, Lance Corporal Corey Little and Lance Corporal Nickoulas Elliott. The cause of the crash, that is still under investigation.

The Marines are preparing to deploy to Afghanistan when two of the helicopters crash into one another.

And a car bomb has exploded near the presidential palace in Yemen. At least 21 people were killed. This as Yemen's new president was being sworn in at the capital today.

$6 for a gallon of gas: It is the harsh reality for drivers in Orlando, specifically in the Disney area. A look at how the rest of the country compares, that's coming up, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Well, it's a relentless rise. Gas prices jumped three cents just overnight. The national average is now $3.67 for a gallon of regular unleaded. And that's up 30 cents from just a month ago. Some cities are seeing upwards of $5 a gallon.

Well, what's going on? Our Josh Levs is back to explain why some cities are hurting worse than others.

(CROSSTALK)

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

FEYERICK: And Josh, it is very confusing.

LEVS: I know.

FEYERICK: You see $6 a gallon in the Orlando area near Disney.

LEVS: Right.

FEYERICK: Why is it so high there?

LEVS: Yes. Everyone is talking about this. Let's go right to that video. We'll talk this out. So you know actually the average in Florida is still high but it's under $4. But in some of these tourist trap areas, they are especially high. But there are some states right now where the average is over $4. Look at this video from Los Angeles, where in general a lot of people are seeing gas prices over $4.

And you know what it's not getting any better. As you said it's been getting worse and worse. And you're seeing a few things going on. A little bit to the uptick in the economy, but a lot of it is the concerns about Iran and the impact that that's having on the markets where oil is traded.

Let me show you some of these differences that are going on across this country. And then we'll break down why. We have this really cool interactive map here on CNN. And basically, you can click on any state and see what the average is in your state; we update it all the time.

Here's California, you can see what their average, $4.20 right now, but if you jump over to Colorado which is a whole different story, $3.12. So why so different? I got four major reasons for you.

Let's go to these screens first big reasons you should know about is taxes. The taxes are different in different counties, in different states. That can have a huge impact. The next is environmental rules. Different states, even different counties have different rules about what kind of gasoline they have to have.

Two more big things you should know. One is the distance from the supply, so the effort that it takes to get the gasoline to where you are can add to the cost. And the other thing and this helps to explain what we're seeing in Orlando is competition. If you have an area that has a lot of gas stations, you might see lower prices. If you're in an area in where you've to return a rental car and there's just one gas station or something like that, where there's less competition there's a stronger market for the seller, then you're going to see it be higher.

So that's a good explanation of why it's so different.

Before we disappear here I just want to show you this, a blue map we've got at CNN.com as well. We can end with this, which shows you the percentage of your income that is going to gasoline; Montana over there, 10.6 percent; North Dakota, 10 percent. You can look over here in the northeast, New York about five percent. And this has a lot to do with incomes in different parts of the country as well as how much people are driving, other factors.

I've got all sorts of information for you, including how to save money. Let's show my screen Facebook and Twitter, JoshLevsCNN also CNN.com/Josh.

So Deb, those are the basic reasons there.

FEYERICK: Yes.

LEVS: What we want people to do is find the areas that have more competition so that they can get the cheaper gas.

FEYERICK: Yes absolutely. But it's very interesting. And you wonder whether Congress is going to look into whether some areas are marking up that gas unfairly. Because if the national average is $3.67 ---

LEVS: Right.

FEYERICK: And then you're getting gas for $2 more in other regions, there's something just -- just not right about that. Josh Levs, thanks so much. I really appreciate it.

LEVS: You got it, yes.

FEYERICK: Of we're going to go to your Web site.

Well, ever wanted to hand-pick the person sitting next to you on an airline flight? Good news. There is an app for that, kind of, more coming up in two minutes.

But first, time for "Travel Insider". As CNN reporters and producers, we often have the inside scoop on great places to go. Our associate producer Nesta Distin shows us where she goes to unwind. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NESTA DISTIN, CNN ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: I'm Nesta Distin, in Duluth, Georgia at one of my favorite places to relax. The Jeju Sauna is modeled after traditional Korean spas that are popular in Korea. They're affordable and a common getaway for families.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's very relaxing here.

DISTIN: A family band on tour from Philadelphia decided to come here and take a break.

DIVER WAXING, SPA VISITOR: My favorite part was swimming in the pool.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The pool feels like silk when you're swimming in it.

DISTIN: The swimming pool and floors are made of jade tiles. In Korean culture, jade is used to bring calm and balance to the body. Like spas in Korea, Jeju has multiple hot and cold saunas. There're seven. Each has walls lined with natural elements like gold, charcoal and salt with temperatures ranging from 120 to 140 degrees. The ice room is much cooler.

Owners say it's the largest of its kind in Georgia. The Jeju spa just outside of Atlanta, I love coming here to relax.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Ok. So we have all been there on a very long flight with someone sitting next to us. And maybe they're a little too loud or a little too talkative or worse, a little too boring when they are talking to you.

Well, apps like Facebook may be putting an end to this. Nadia Bilchik joins me now for this "Morning's Passport". You can actually go to Facebook and get the skinny on who you're sitting next to.

NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: Only if you are a KLM, the Dutch Airline, passenger and only if you choose to opt into this particular program. So you go on to the KLM Web site. Then it goes "manage your reservations". And if you are one of those individuals who's chosen to opt in, either your Facebook or your LinkedIn profile will come up for the other passenger who has opted into the program and then they will decide on having you sit next to them for the long flight from Holland to let's say New York or San Francisco or San Paolo.

So that's the sweet places it goes to at this point. So you have to have agreed, both of you. But then what I found interesting was the clause that says what if you don't like the person who has chosen to sit next to you? And they're very careful about that. They say you can't reject the person. So that was clever. You can't outright say, well, Deb Feyerick has agreed to sit next to me and for some reason, I don't want to. What you then have to do is change your reservation, but you have to do that at least two days before. You can't get on to the flight and decide to change your reservation.

FEYERICK: Ok, so all right. So this way at least you're giving somebody the option, for example.

BILCHIK: Right.

FEYERICK: But you know what's so much more interesting? You know, you wonder why you can't rate the passenger next to you. That would be an interesting app.

BILCHIK: Wouldn't it?

FEYERICK: But -- but how many airlines -- KLM is trying this out.

BILCHIK: Yes and only about 200 people so far have tried and the stories are very successful because they literally sit together. They have chatted beforehand.

FEYERICK: Right.

BILCHIK: If you think about it, it's the ultimate in networking. It's the ultimate taking online networking to in person networking.

FEYERICK: Right.

BILCHIK: You speak online. You know you're going on the same plane. You've chat beforehand and then you meet and maybe you continue a relationship. I think in a year's time they'll be saying, who got married as a result of KLM's Facebook LinkedIn online to in person program.

FEYERICK: Right.

BILCHIK: There are a couple of other people that are doing it. In fact KL Air, the Malaysian Airline has something called MH buddies.

FEYERICK: That's right, ok.

BILCHIK: So they have that. And a Danish start-up called "Planely (ph)" apparently has been doing this since 2010.

FEYERICK: So they're trying it. Well, listen you know might as well. You're on a plane, you're on there together, you might as well figure out that there is something nice about the randomness I think.

BILCHIK: Except you've been speaking about privacy and you said privacy is going to be a commodity of great value.

FEYERICK: Right.

BILCHIK: So it will be interesting to see if it takes off in this country.

FEYERICK: Absolutely. Nadia Bilchik, thank you so much. It's so interesting. Now I'm thinking who I'm going to be sitting next to when I go back to New York.

BILCHIK: Now you're going to have to test them out before hand.

FEYERICK: Thank you. Exactly, exactly. I'll have my dark glasses on.

Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

Well, how young -- here is another question should someone be to receive plastic surgery? We're going to introduce you to a father. He is defending his choice to operate on his two young adopted daughters.

Plus, with so much debate about birth control coverage in the news, one doctor is here to tell us why the pill is used for more than just preventing pregnancies. That's coming up next.

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FEYERICK: And good morning, Washington, D.C. You're looking at the White House there. It is now 47 minutes past the hour. Welcome back to CNN SATURDAY MORNING. So glad you could spend part of your morning here with us.

Well, the debate over birth control, it has become a very hot political issue in recent weeks especially after the Obama Administration issued a mandate requiring religious institutions to provide coverage to their employees. But there are other uses for the pill other than preventing pregnancies.

I'm joined now by Dr. Lisa Flowers, an OB/GYN professor at Emory University. And are we looking at this too narrowly when we say religious institutions that when they don't want to pay you for the pill, would they pay were it used for something else?

DR. LISA FLOWERS, OB/GYN PROFESSOR, EMORY UNIVERSITY: Yes, and I think that's really critical. We have the terminology, hormonal contraception. But it's beyond that. It's really hormonal therapy. Some birth control pills were brought in, in 1957 for the prevention or treatment for menstrual disturbances.

And that's how we have to think about it. There's so many variety of ways that we use hormonal therapy or hormonal contraception in this country to alleviate the problems that women have on a regular basis.

FEYERICK: So what are some of those, for example? What else are birth control pills used for?

FLOWERS: Absolutely. It's used for heavy menstrual cycles to decrease the blood flow that occurs during the menses. By being able to reduce the blood flow that occurs during a woman's menstrual cycle, we reduce their chances of iron deficiency anemia. The other thing is heavy -- is actually painful, menstrual cycles. This is a big problem that causes a lot of quality of life issues, women not being able to go to work, students not being able to go to school.

Birth control pills truly do help reduce those symptoms that women will feel during their menstrual cycles. Other issues are we know the longer acting progesterone-only hormonal therapies help with fibroids, decrease the amount of bleeding and decrease the size of the fibroids.

Other issues: reduction of ovarian and endometrial cancer on a long term basis. We know women for years on contraceptive pills have a reduction of over 40 percent for ovarian cancer, 56 percent for an endometrial cancer.

So these are the multiple benefits that we use hormonal therapy whether it's progesterone only or whether a combination of estrogen and progesterone could truly manage these everyday problems that women have and decrease the morbidity from it.

FEYERICK: You know, it's so interesting because I think you're the first person I've heard use the word "hormonal therapy". Do you think it would be more palatable to certain religious hospitals if it were characterized as hormonal therapy? Or do you think they're just -- they're apt.

FLOWERS: No. I actually think it would be more palatable. They would really be able to understand all the multiple uses that we do on an everyday basis. All these problems that I listed to you, as far as heavy menstrual bleeding, the painful periods, those are everyday common problems that women deal with on a regular basis.

I think if these organizations really understood the impact that it has on the quality of life for these women, the workforce and the ability for these women to be productive citizens in society, I think they would truly understand that it is a needed medical intervention that has significant impact in reducing morbidity in this country for women.

FEYERICK: And interesting -- finally, do you think it's the issue of payment. Women have been paying for it, really, all along. Now the burden is simply being put on another institution, another agency. Do you think women would still continue to pay for it or is it just something -- it's a fairness issue?

FLOWERS: You know what it is? It's equal care. We have to really understand that, of course, those that have -- the people who have either medical care or have the finances to buy the hormonal therapy, they'll do fine. But it's the have-nots; those who have no ability to pay for this.

In this country right now, we are truly concerned, one of our biggest issues, health disparity. Health disparity has been the biggest thing that we've been trying to reduce as far as the health care system and the U.S. population because we know that it has such a significant effect.

If we don't make sure that this is covered, then what will happen is that gap between the haves and have-nots will widen --

FEYERICK: It just widens and widens and widens. All right.

FLOWERS: And that's why we need to do it. FEYERICK: Dr. Lisa Flowers, thank you so much for coming in. Very interesting perspective. Appreciate your time.

FLOWERS: Appreciate you inviting me.

FEYERICK: Thank you.

FLOWERS: Thank you.

FEYERICK: Nelson Mandela hospitalized. The 93-year-old former South African president's location, it's being kept secret. We're going to tell you why.

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FEYERICK: Well, you're visiting a new city and you want to have a night out on the town. Who doesn't? But there's just one problem, you don't know exactly where to go. A new app plans to help you find just the right spot.

Reynolds Wolf explains in this week's "Start Small, Think Big".

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Chicago is a city of almost 2.7 million people. And if you're new to town, it can take a lot of exploring to know exactly where the locals hang.

(on camera): But here at state in Chicago, they're using incredible technologies and an application that lets you know exactly what you're going to see on the other side of the door before you even walk in.

(voice-over): It's an idea Cole Harper had after a long night of bar hopping.

COLE HARPER, SCENE TAP: My friends and I were going around Chicago and really spent about $150 one night just in cab fare trying to find the right spot. Eventually we just sort of looked at each other and said, "Hey, wouldn't it be great if we already knew which bar we should go to?"

WOLF: The app is called "Scene Tap". It uses cameras to tell how full bars and restaurants happen to be. Facial recognition technology provides male to female ratio. It's an idea that can help you find a table and the best ladies ideal. But it also gives bar owners like Kosta Giannoulias a better idea of who he's serving.

(on camera): Now, were you able to discern a difference before and after the technology arrived?

KOSTA GIANNOULIAS, BAR OWNER: We thought it was going to be more people are going to come to an establishment that's incredibly busy. It actually turned out to be just the opposite. Our business increased 30 percent to 35 percent just alone on people going to the app to see us. So once they see a social environment where it's not too crazy, they'll be much more inclined to come in, have a conversation. WOLF (voice-over): An idea that could become part of any night out.

Reynolds Wolf, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: So we told you a story about a doctor who performed cosmetic surgery on his two adopted daughters. And we asked, how old should a teenager to be to get cosmetic surgery? And should cosmetic surgeries do procedures on their family members?

Well, JennanJones dna81, she tweets, "For an older personal procedures, family would be the best to do the work because they care the most about you. Support."

Delanor writes "I think it's ridiculous that a parent would allow their kids to get plastic. What kind of message are you sending?"

Keep the comments coming; tweet me @DebFeyerickCNN.

Back now to one of today's top stories; South Africans holding their collective breath this morning. That's because Nelson Mandela has been hospitalized. It may not be as bad as it sounds. We have the latest, coming up next.

A deadly shooting in Afghanistan's interior ministry claims the lives of two Americans. We're going to take you live to Kabul for the latest.

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