has >> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm richelle carey. here are the stories we're following for you. the grim anniversary of the sandy hook shootings is marked across the united states. and solemn pr procession brs nelson mandela's body home and a china's spacecraft lands on the moon. >> it's the year ago when 20 young children and six teachers were gunned down at sandy hook elementary school. the town of new town asked for privacy but vigils were taking place in other parts of the country. let's go now to our

correspondent who spent time at a vigil for sandy hook. tell me about this organization that you spent time with today who marked this anniversary. >> reporter: that's right, richelle. the organization is a grassroots organization called moms demand action for gun sense in america. it began the day after the sandy hook massacre last year. 100,000 moms they have a chapter center all 50 states. they say they're tired of nothing being done. and then they have several goals that they want to accomplish. they say mainly they want to ban ammunitions magazines that hold more than ten rounds. they want to ban weapon sales at gun shows. they want to ban online sales of ammunition. they met at a mark in miami and they brought their children with them saying it's very important

that they create awareness around the country that they are no longer going to stand by. now in just wait and see and let somebody else do something. in the meantimeish, in hartford, connecticut, the only vigil that was held there was the ringing of church bells. and in washington, d.c. president obama and the first lady lit 26 candles and had a moment of silence for those 26 victories. the president spoke about the painful shooting. >> one year ago today a quiet peaceful town was shattered by unspeakable violence. six dedicated school workers and 20 beautiful children were taken from our lives forever. as parents, as americans the news filled us with grief. new town is a town like so many of our home towns. the victims were he ha educatord

kids who could have been our own. >> now everybody who was present there today donned the colors of the sandy hook school. they held up signs where they said they were no longer going to be silent, that the church bells and bells ringing in general means that they're going to make noise. so what's going to follow now is that every day this week they have call to action on every day whether it be reaching out to your legislator, sending out e-mails, tweeting. they have something happening every single day this week because they say that they want to see federal legislation and something to protect their children. they don't want to have to see something like this happen again. richelle. >> christina, thank you. people across the country remember last year' tragedy yesterday's school shooting in colorado played out an all too

familiar scene. 18-year-old carl pearson walked into arapahoe high school with a shotgun looking for a teacher. he did not find him, but he shot and critically wounded another student before turning the gun on himself. paul beman has been on the scene since that story broke. >> arapahoe high school remains closed. we've seen police activity but much more subdued than yesterday. you can see on the east parking lot, that remains close. it's our understanding that's where the shooter's car is parked, and the shooter's body remains in the building. counselors are helping, and the victim remains in critical condition. we'll learn more about her at a

press conference. the west side of the school, that particle lot was opened where students and parents and teachers were allowed to come and pick up their cars. that's when we spoke to one student about what he knew about the shooter. >> he's quiet and had weird logic, weird inside. not something that a normal high schooler would think about. >> like what? >> i would say he's a self-proclaimed communist, just his ideas and stuff like that. he just didn't--he's really smart, but almost too smart for himself. >> that was senior chris davis who had a class last year, an english lit class with the shooter saying that while he was combative and opinionated, nothing about him suggested he would erupt in violence the way he did yesterday. now we're wait forgive later this afternoon. we're expecting another press conference with the sheriff where we'll receive more information about the girl who

is in critical condition. we'll learn more about her identity and perhaps a little bit more about the teacher that the student, carl pearson, was targeting as well as maybe more about his motives. >> paul beman reporting there. following the newtown shootings there was an outcry about gun violence. but instead of going down gun violence has risen. >> the question how many people have been killed since newtown is surprise big difficult to answer. slate magazine obtained information by using twitter they compiled one of the most comprehensive list of people killed in the last year. combining that data from the recent estimate from the cdc they predict as of today roughly 11,610 people have been killed by gun homicide. newtown shootings also prompted groups around the country to push for gun control measures. that means raising money and

lobbying. in the end gun control groups raised five times lobbying money than they did before sandy hook. the $1.6 million gun control groups raised was chump change compared to what gun rights lobbying raised a staggering $12.2 million. lobbying spending for gun rights peaked with the columbine and sandy hook shootings. much of that money went to push for passing laws with state legislatures around the country. aof the 1500 state gun bills introduced, 109 was signed into law. 70 of those enacted laws loosened gun restrictions. just 39 tightened restrictions. most of the bills were approved in state with the control by republican legislatures. after the sandy hook shootings

last year there was flurry of talk restricting gun use in an effort to reduce the number of people killed by guns across the country. but the data shows differently that the number of gun homicide in america has just gone up. and that laws have been passed since the shooting, but they expand rather than restrict the rights of gun owners. >> john terret reporting. south africa is preparing to say good buy to nelson mandela. his body arrived in his hometown of qunu today. the former president will be buried tomorrow in a plot near the family's ancestral home. we're live in qunu where it has been a celebratory scene. nick, tell us what is happening now. obviously its nightfall, but huge, historical day tomorrow. >> reporter: yes, it has been a celebratory scene to a certain extent, but i have to say i've been out all day talking to people, and there is a real

sadness here. there is goodbye. this is sending mandela home for the last time. mandela always said that a man's life should end near where it began. he has been flown to his family's home where he grew up, and that was really something that people felt very strongly, that they were saying goodbye today. we saw very emotional ceremony thrown by the ruling party that mandela helped to create. a lot of tears. a lot of goodbyes as the coffin draped in the south african fl flag, something that mandela sacrificed so much for. and then we saw thousands and thousands of people lining the streets from the military base just a few miles from here to the home just down the road from here. i spent time with them, and they're revery grateful, very thankful, and it was one of these moments in these people's

lives whether young or old, black or white, they'll always remember, they were able to participate in this today. they were sad, and they were mourning, no doubt. >> and it's really like losing a member of the family. describing something that has turned from a moment of celebration to a moment of finality. tell us what we can expect tomorrow. >> reporter: yeah, i think we're going to see one of the most sad moments of these ten days of mourning for mandela's life. there is a long program set, and we're going to see a real sense of local tradition. we're going to see a real sense of saying goodbye in a customary tradition. overnight we'll get things like a leather skin draped over the coffin. we'll get the sacrifice of the ox. this is a tradition that mandela's family has practiced for hundreds of years. we see mandela as an statesman, an urbane, sophisticated man in

the last 20, 30 years of his life. but make no mistake. he called himself a country boy. he's from this area and he took his greatest lessons from the tribal chiefs he agree up under, and he's very proud of the up bringing that he had, and many people believe he took the values that he learned here and brought it to the greater sophistications that we see. and some of the traditions that are going on here are very localized. >> that's what is so fascinate fascinating. there is so much of the new world and the old world, and there are so many lessons to be a part of tomorrow. >> that's the point he would make. that's the point that his life perhaps has made. he always said that leading from behind, for example, gently, and

gently persuading people to his own point of view is a lesson he learned at four, at six. foremidible moments. yes, we know what happened to him in prison. we know that he became a much less angry man, much more of a man who was able to persuade people, able to lead a country to free a country from the shackles of apartheid. but he really did combine the old world and the new world very well, and i think we're going to see a lot of that tomorrow. >> all right, it's going to be quite a day. thank you so much for that report. we'll be talking to you again tomorrow and throughout tomorrow as well. and in northern california there is a strong connection to nelson mandela among those who fought to end apartheid. melissa chan explains. >> it's the people of oakland, the people of the bay area who have given me and my delegation

strength and hope to continue the struggle. >> reporter: 1990, and the end of an eight-city tour for nelson mandela. he chose to thank at his farewell the people of the san francisco bay area. [♪ singing ] commemorating nelson mandela this past week city leaders invoked the area's own contribution to the ante apartheid movement. the strategy back in the 1980s municipal and institutional divestments from companies doing business with south africa involving billions of dollars. >> san francisco, the university of california, the state of california played a leading role in being the initiator of the divestment movement from south africa. >> anti-apartheid student protests took place here in the 1980's at uc berkeley including

a continuous sit-in and rallies that brought together hundreds of students. >> demonstrators scuffled with police in more than 150 people were arrested. >> reporter: students, community people here again overnight all day long in solidarity to ask our regions to divest. >> nancy skinner, now a state assemblywomen, was then a graduate student who led the divestment committee. >> we felt we were morally implicated in the regime that basically was denying the majority of people of south africa, their freedom, their ability to participate in government and in any democracy. >> reporter: many others took action not only students. in 1984 larry wright was a longshoreman. he reports how union members refused to move south african cargo off ships.

>> the ships sat there for 11 days. every day there was a demonstration. every day the longshoremen refused to work. they tried to negotiate some way to get the ship unloaded but we refused. >> the divestment became inevitable. >> until the world stood with south africa through means like divestment their struggle would never have reached its fruitful conclusions. >> and so at city hall it was a dual honor for nelson mandela but also for the tradition of progressive politics in the bay area showing how decisions made here and ten thousand miles away from south africa could make a difference. melissa chan, al jazeera, california. >> still ahead, china is celebrating a milestone today. the touchdown of its mission to the moon. >> this is snowing this saturday afternoon all the way from

chicago to new york city, and in new york and much of the northeast for that matter snow is piling up on the ground. cars are taking it very easy as they travel down the roadway. i'll tell you why and where we're expecting up to a foot of snow very soon. >> an al jazeera america exclusive... former president jimmy carter reflects on the life and legacy of nelson mandela. >> that spirit of nelson mandela is embedded deeply in the heart and soul of the south africans... >> they worked side by side for freedom, now president carter talks about mandela's global impact. a revealing interview you won't see anywhere else. >> i've never heard him say, that he was grateful to the united states... >> talk to al jazeera with jimmy carter only on al jazeera america king's ransom, 62-year-old nick saban says, "i'm too darn old to start over", he did not adarn, he used the other word. he agreed to a multi year

extension remain the coach of crimson tide. >> not one day during the school year goes by where a navy pleeb doesn't hollar beat army, or a cadet, "beat navy." the two oldest dismiss meet for the 114th time. michael eaves has more. >> on paper this game doesn't figure to be much of a battle. 7 and 4 navy against a team posting three wins. the games are not played on paper. the long-standing rivalry is more than a contest. i'm going to pay the last respect for my president. >> he was a global symbol of hope, courage and freedom. >> the world thanks you for sharing nelson mandela with us. >> today was declared a day of reflection and prayer.

>> now al jazeera america commemorates nelson mandela from the people who knew him. >> i think all of those people who were inside that stadium were very lucky to be there. >> an emotional look at the life and legacy of nelson mandela. >> only on al jazeera america. >> chinese spacecraft landed on the moon today. that's a first for china. the jade rab bet as it's called will roam the moon collecting soil samples for the next three months. we have reports in beijing on this historic moment. >> reporter: the rabbit has landed. called jade rabbit this was the moment the rover touched down on board its lander. arriving right on target in the area known as the bay of rainbows, and watched live

across china on t.v.'s. it marks another milestone following in the footsteps of the russian and american exploits of years ago. >> i'm so happy to see the way the space program has developed. i'm very proud. >> i never expected to see this. i'm very happy my country managed to do this. >> a tangible display to the world of china is growing technical expertise and economic might. it's space program is a priority for the country's leadership. it now looks to build it's first space station on the moon in the the 2020. at this story the scale models of the jade rabbit and it's lander are selling fast. >> in recent years the space

program has developed there is more and more attention being paid to chinese spacecraft, and the models are becoming more and more popular. >> the next challenge the rover still has to venture out to begin its work conducting a number of tests including the use of ground penetrating raider to reveal more of what is below the moon's surface, so far so good. >> reporter: it may be decades since the russians and americans were roving the moon. but as scientists point out the instruments are far more sophisticated than it's spread sezzepredecessorsand it's the oe moon right now. >> 40,000 people in the central african republic has been abandoned for security reasons. many people were carrying machetes as they waited in exceed big long lines. some people waited for eight days.

french patrol unities said the risks were too high. in ukraine two top officials have been suspended over police brutality and two others are under investigation and may be under house arrest for attacks on protesters november 30th. many rallied today for and against the current government. the violent demonstrations starredder started weeks ago when it's president decided not to sign the trade agreement with the european union. in bangkok they want the prime minister to step down. the military declined to take sides. egyptian also vote on a move that will pave the way for presidential elections. the election will be held on

january 14th and 15th. the constitution replaces the one created by ousted president mohamed morsi. it was considered too religious by those who ousted him. still ahead, financing art for public places. we look at whether that is a worthy effort.

the europe? >> reporter: it does look,

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm richelle carey. let's take a look at today's headlines. [ bells ringing ] >> a somber anniversary as people remember the sandy hook school shooting. the president and first lady lit 26 candles in honor of each victim. the body of nelson mandela has been returned to his home in quna, and his funeral will be sunday. the chinese probe safely

landed on the moon this morning. it's carrying a solar paneled rover called jade rabbit. >> meteorologist: well, i had a chance to step outside, and boy is it snowing in new york city all the way back to chicago. if you're out there on the roads, i-70, i-80, and i-90 in particular we want to take it easy for traveling. all the way from buffalo to albany, syracuse and much of pennsylvania, philadelphia and pittsburgh snow is coming down. we're going to see three to six inches of know. but as the night wears on we're going to see the storm intensify as it pushes up the coach. looking relatively dry in new england, into vermont and

new hampshire and across maine, a foot of snow expected. we'll have to continue to deal with this as we track through the evening. we have video of the snow falling across portions of new york, illinois into ohio, last night and into today. we'll have to continue to deal with the snow with winds gusting as we look at the storm pushingings to the east with the winds gusting to 17 mph. so that's going to create tricky travel conditions with the know blowing around reducing visibility even further. in new york, 25 degrees. 19 in boston. 11 degrees in albany. if you're out there traveling again, winter storm warnings and advisories all the way back towards chicago. flights out of midway and o'hare, delays, we're looking at delays out of jfk and laguardia due to snow and ice, and we'll deal with that well into tomorrow afternoon and portions of monday. across the southwest a very

different story. santa ana winds kicking up in los angeles, so we need to be careful there, low real heavy humidity and may create problems outside of the los angeles area. >> seattle setting aside 1% of its budget to fund art work for 40 years but now some are requesting if it's money well spent. >> armed with an exact toe kni knife, a tedious but rewarding night of creating her work. her biggest masterpiece, a sculpture outside of one of seattle's public parks. >> this is definitely my first legacy to the stie. i'm attached to this new piece. >> since 1973 scriptures, paintings and murals have been broughting up all over seattle from street corners and bus

stops to atop one of seattle's most scenic overlooks. >> i'm proud of everything that we do. >> art director believes public art gives the city character. >> the art is about the soul of the city. it's an identity for the city. and there are certainly benefits to making people feel proud of where they live. >> reporter: 1% of funding for city roadways and infrastructure is spent on seattle's public art. the goal is to add another element for tourists and conventioners to enjoy enriching the lives of locals, and as the city has evolved so has the type of art. the city decided to try something new, functional art like these benches here. some critics believe the entire program is a waste of money. >> i think it's a ridiculous waste of money. >> reporter: for years radio personality has used his talk show to complain about the art

program. the city spent $3 million on public art. he believes the money should be used for other things. >> i don't want to be a spartan city but i do think there would be enough through the private sector or maybe even a modest investment, but it has just blown completely out of proportion to what i think the taxpayers thought they were getting when they voted for this thing 40 years ago. >> the city is growing, and with that 1% it means that there is 1% for creative people to contribute, to beautify. >> reporter: some believe art is making a difference, giving her and other artists the opportunity to use the city of seattle as their canvas. al jazeera, seattle. >> thank you for watching al jazeera america i'm richelle carey. a special presentation nelson mandela remembered is next. and for updates throughout the day check out our website at www.aljazeera.com. thank you for your time. keep it here.

>> hello and welcome i'm phil torres here to talk about invocations that can change lives. the intersection of hardware and humanity and we're doing it in a unique way. marita davidson is a biologist specializing inning innings innd evolution. kosta grammatis is an engineer who designed a buy ontic eye. i'm phil torres, i'm an entomologist.