>> there you go, perfect! >> ramirez hopes that providing an up close and personal experience will inspire everyone to join the effort to save the elephants. on the weekend edition of "america tonight", a year on pot in colorado, an indepth look at the legalizition of repriation marijuana. >> -- recreation marijuana. >> push it down an explosion of pot use and edibles. lori jane gliha on the dark side of the rocky mountain high. dangerous. also - back of the pack.

florida's pack stars fast but suffering. >> we are legally obliged to keep a business operating that loses 2.5 billion a year. >> 2.5 billion. >> yes sheila macvicar investigates why the dogs are still on the run. good evening, thanks for joining us. this is "america tonight", the weekend edition, i'm adam may sitting in for joie chen. we begin with a look at colorado, a year on pod. "america tonight" trained our lense on the rocky mountain high state after it legalized pot for recreational use. colorado is in a gold rush, business is booming. there's a concern about the darker side of marijuana. lori jane gliha found that the

state faces frightening unexpected consequences. >> i had really, really lost touch with reality and started project il vomiting in the car >> reporter: you thought you would die. >> i said it 20 times "i'm going to die, i'm going to have a heart attack." >> reporter: when jordan took his family to a county fair, he never expected to od on marijuana. the 34-year-old father and video game designer said he and his wife parked the boys about their father and they checked out the exhibition. there wasn't supposed to be pot there, it can only be sold at licensed sites. >> it was 21 and up, you are not allowed to boy or smoke it. >> coombes approached a booth that caught his eye. >> it looked like a willy wonga thing. i was joking saying there's no t.h.c. they said "no, no, no, it's not in here." i started to eat the chocolate. >> less than an hour later he

said he was disorientated begging his wife to take him to a hospital. >> she didn't know where the hospital is, i became paranoid saying you know where a hospital it, are you trying to kill he. >> he was diagnosed with a t.h.c. overdose. >> reporter: i'm curious how angry you are knowing it happened to you. >> you are really pissed off. i would be as mad as if i was at mcdonald's and they had gin us bad beef. you can't don those things. >> coombes is one of seven suing the company. again? >> i would never do it again. >> reporter: edibles are among the most popular products to hit the market. they are also the source of a string of disturbing incidents.

last march levi, a 19-year-old congo lease student on spring break consumed a marijuana cookie containing more than six servings of t.h.c. and jumped to his death from the fourth floor of a hotel. christine kirk called 911 to report her husband consumed marijuana of infused candy, and that her husband consumed it in had a gun. she was shot to death before police arrived. children had been admitted to hospital for marge junior infusion. -- marijuana infusion. there were reports from adults. >> they come in a toot si roll or a piece of chocolate. it's like i can eat this, i'll be right. of it. >> reporter: the string of

incident led calls to ban edibles. trip runs dixie ellism irs and colorado. >> reporter: what went through your mind about banning edibles. >> holy mackerel, my business is down. infused market represents 50% of a $750 million industry. the state of colorado is profiting off this. >> reporter: why does it have to look like candy. can it look like something that is not appetising to a child. ? >> there's no stipulations that the constitutional members that we voted requires for it to look in any fashion. >> reporter: his company has been ahead of the curve, coming out with a user friendly one bottle, one dose soda product. it doesn't go far enough for state regulators who issued a

rule limiting pot in edibles, forcing some off the shelf. >> what you are seeing is production room number one, where all the infused products, edibles - we make the colorado bar. that will be retired on february 1st. it's the third best-selling product. it cannot be scored into 10 milligram doses. it will be replaced. >> reporter: you had to change how you produce your food so it abides by what the law says. >> we lost about 30% of product lines to these rules. >> edibles are not the only potent form of marijuana to catch the state by surprise. cannabis concentrates are one of the fastest growing segments of the industry. powerful and worth more per gram than gold, concentrates reach up to 90% thc content.

at this private marijuana social club on the outskirts of denver. almost everyone is dabbing. dabs can be manufactured safely using expensive equip, a rising number of home cooks are trying to make concentrates by watching how-to videos on youtube. using dangerously vulnerable sole vents kevin wong is a federal intelligent analyst for four states in the rocky mountain area, and tracks the growth of home t.h.c. labs. >> oftentimes there's children in the home. and they can be injured and died. they want the person conducting the lab experiment. they are holding a pir ex dish that has gas expelling on to

their clothing and person. once the source ignites the fumes, they go up in flames. they are an apartment. the impact of the explosion can endanger their neighbours. >> this is a recent one. according to wong, a number of explosions doubled in the last year to 32 since retail went into effect. documenting. skip. >> completely singed off. here is the inside of the palm. that is his skin peeling away. >> while a few cities like denver enacted ordanances against home t hc, in many places it's legal. >> we basically put marijuana - i grind it up a little bit. >> you might call robert lucky.

he said he survived a butane hash oil explosion in 2001. >> we'll use butane. despite suffering burns on the arms and face, he was back to extracting t.h.c. >> you do it in a well-ventilated area like this. >> have not you seen people outside that have done this, and it doesn't go well either. >> i have never witnessed it not going well, unless there was a spark or flame. >> he said he found a safe way to work with butane and wants to educate others. day. >> i make it every day. >> reporter: do you think dabs are the next big thing or... >> dabs are the next big wave to go though the community. wherever people have not experienced it yet. when they get them, they'll want to try them.

>> reporter: the victims of the explosions often end up here at the hospital. >> this is the unit, the first place most of our patients come. >> dr gordon lindberg is the medical director. >> we had two in the past month and another three days ago. lindberg noticed something different about the patient's injured in butane's hash oil. pain-killers had no effect. >> the first few patient that came in, we were giving them the narcotics that we use, and it wasn't working. >> on a hunch the doctor prescribed a synthetic pill used in h.i.v. patient to stimulate appetite. he was giving them more t.h.c. away. >> the pain was easier to manage. they didn't throw up, they were able to keep calories in. lindberg gloves his dabbing patients had been in marijuana

withdrawal and needed the t.h.c. to recover. >> what i worry about is how much marijuana people are taking now as a result of these laws. we never had people falling off of balconies, never had people ending up in emergency rooms from too much marijuana. we never had anyone withdrawing from it. now with the extraction methods, you are dealing with almost pure t.h.c. and they are putting candy. >> so far the numbers are small, but the casualties may increase as the business grows and state authorities scramble to keep up. >> looking ahead next week on connoisseur. >> right off the bat you pull through all that. sometimes it will have a definitive smell, but it doesn't come through in the taste, or this is the opposite.

>> more of the indepth look at colorado's year on pot. "america tonight"s lori jane gliha speaks with the people who see getting stoned as part of their job. that is next week here on "america tonight". "america tonight" returns in just a moment. correspondent sheila macvicar investigates a state that has gone to the dogs. >> a lot of greyhounds in the industry suffer broken legs. others have heart attacks, paralysis. dogs are electrocuted when they full into the lure. >> the dog-raising industry and why the activists who want to see it come to a halt are the track owners.

you may not know this, but there are 21 dog-raising tracks in the u.s., more than half in florida. a dark cloud looms over the state, and the industry.

more than 180 raising greyhounds died last year, what is surprising is the growing up issued dog raising is coming from track owners. "america tonight"'s sheila macvicar investigates why the dogs are still on the run. >> reporter: greyhounds bolt interest the starting gate chasing a mechanical rabbit. they are so fast that they run at 45 miles per hour. twice the speed of the fastest human. greyhounds have been running around tracks in florida for decade along with horse raising, that first legalized gambling in the states. there was a time going to the dogs was glamorous, the place to be, attracting tens of thousands of spectators. those days are long gone. these grandstands built for 10,000 and once packed were

almost empty on a recent afternoon. what used to be a luke rattive sport is a -- luke rat isport groups. >> this is an industry dying because of competition from other forms of gambling and because of concerns about the way dogs are treated in this industry. >> reporter: cary is an anti-greyhound raising activist with gray 2 k a nonprofit group campaigning to put an end to dog raising in the seven states where it is legal. >> raising greyhound spend 22 hours a day in the came. it's a life of confinement for literally thousands of dogs. i encourage everyone to ask themselves would you treat your dog this way. the answer is no.

>> reporter: grey hound raising is dangerous for the dogs. hundreds injured, forced into retirement and threatened with being put down if a new home cannot be found. state records obtained from "america tonight" shows one greyhound dies at a florida track every three days. >> most of those are do you to soars injuries, we know from data that a lot of greyhounds suffer broken legs. other injuries include heart attack, paralysis. dogs are electrocuted when they fall into the lure. this kennel club shows a dog suffering a fatal fall. >> down goes the two. >> so does this jacksonville kennel club video. >> we have to stop the inhumane way of gambling. >> state senator, a former

prosecutor, ran her own investigation into how the dogs are treated. >> is it really true that the dogs are kept in small ken else. is it true that they are kept in vans that are not air conditioned. is it true that they are confined for many, many hours during the day. >> reporter: the answer? >> it's true. people of florida, once they find out what really goes on behind the tracks, behind the lights, behind the excitement , once they see what is really going on will say that is enough. those that argue for an end to dog raising on humane grounds have unlikely allies. we have hundreds raise. >> reporter: dog track owners who want to reduce the raising.

he and his family own a fort myers track and poker room in south-west florida, a business started by his grandfather. he has heard the criticism, watched the decline of the sport. state of florida law mandates that we continue to run the dogs and keep the poker room open. she is obliged to keep a business moving that loses 2.5 million a year. >> at the track. >> just at this track. >> a 1997 florida law meant to keep dog breeders in business. mandating that track owners run raises. the poker law says she has to run 90% of raises you ran in 1996. 20 years ago the track was packed. it was a great source of entertain. the the world has changed drastically now.

>> that means at this track 32 hunt raises every season. each one a money loser, each one harming dogs. across the state in the last decade vetting on greyhounds has fawn by 50%. it competes for the generation that came of age with the internet. most people my age and wronger are interested. watching any animal run around in the circle. >> reporter: he would like to offer a limited schedule, but he can't. unless the state legislature passes a new law putting an end to the link between dog raises and poker rooms, decoupling the two. support. >> if we decouple, it will go the way of any other business. if it's a viable business it will succeed and flourish. if it's not a viable business,

it will die. everyone those in the state that greyhound raising is not a viable business. >> reporter: the state of florida losses money on dogs. spending 1.8 million more to regulate the industry than it receives in tax revenues. >> we, as a state government should not be in the business of putting money into a sport that is inhumane and losing money. the decoupling law comes before the legislature twice before and fail. despite partisan support, there are powerful forces with deep profits lined up adanes it. >> you can't be in a business people. >> reporter: former lieutenant governor is fighting for a group. the people who own and train the dogs.

the track owners, he says, shouldn't be quick to throw the dog owners under the bus. >> there's a lot of benefits having a monopoly. if they don't want to do it any more, fine. relinquish the licence, put it out to bid. the dogs, owners and track fight. >> this issue is not about dog safety or anything else, it's a larger debate over the expansion of gambling. a debate where there's a lot of money, influence, and a state government showing a willingness to grabble with thorny issues. first up, the horse owners and racetracks who worry if the dogs go away. horse raising might be next. in florida, thorough bread raising is a billion disor business.

then the seminole tribe that controls gambling. they don't want track owners shutting down the raises and competing with them by expanding into casinos. he and other track owners are outgunned by the big money players. >> everyone expects us to play with. >> if the seminal tribe were a high school jv football team. levels. >> the seminole tribe has influence and fun yip. >> yes. >> they are the largest gaming world. >> every time the gaming bills come up in tallahassee, high school it collapses from the weight of the greed. people want more and more and more and they are making a heck of a lot of money off it.

money. >> there's a lot of money. >> reporter: when legislatours take up the issue, they face lobbyists including those representing the casino owners, who are looking for a piece of the rich gambling pie. pack. >> our issue to help the dogs essentially becomes a bargaining chip and we are held hostage by debate. >> florida is like the girl at the dance, it's pretty and hasn't been asked to dance yet. we are a resort state. everyone wants to come in and start a casino. it's something where it's been texting to a lot of big entities. big entities and big bucks. >> reporter: the miami herald

newspaper found a malaysian based conglomerate made $2.5 million in campaign contributions during the last election. the seminole tribe 2.3 billion. adelson $7.5 million. the decoupling bill faces an uphill fight and florida's greyhounds most likely will be running all out next year. what are the consequences if the bill fails - i think the reputation around the country, around the world will suffer, continue to suffer as a result. inactivity that means the raises go on and the dogs keep dying when we return the latest education. >> how is what you are doing now

different to what you were doing before. >> old systems, here is a quiz, 20 multiple choice matching whatever. new system - explain how you did that. justify it with text tulle evidence. you can't copy it or fake it. what is the common core? "america tonight"s michael oku with an indepth look at a political battle waged in classrooms. >> "consider this". the news of the day, plus so much more. >> we begin with the growing controversy. >> answers to the questions no one else will ask. >> real perspective. "consider this". monday through thursday, 10:00 eastern. only on al jazeera america.

well winter break is over, kids are back in school at the start of what is expected to be a crucial year for common core standards. at a peak 46 states are on board, three repealed it last year. that is not the end of it. more lawmakers are taking aim at common core. "america tonight"s michael oku on why the teaching method has drawn so much controversy. >> how we can reach our answers

in various ways, okay. >> reporter: on the first week of the school year things were a little different at this charter school in the heart of new orleans. one peak in this first grade yourself. >> let's make 123. instead of memorizing multification tables and stats of problems, students would literally feeling their way through problems. >> 70, 80, 90, 100. >> why? >> reporter: english was different two. in the 7th grade class, students were learn civil in ways unfamiliar to the local siblings, not to mention parents. >> why can't he come right out and say - it is dead? >> i'm not sure. >> you think he's not sure.

>> reporter: how is what you are doing now different to what you were doing before? >> old systems here is your quiz. new system. you can copy it, can't escape it. this approach was inspired by common core. it went in effect last year. a set of outlines that every student should know. we saw our job as. phil, a san francisco based maths educator was on the 3-person team that wrote the maths standards. and modelled them after high performing countries like japan. the curriculum was a mile high.

so it - in japan, they may spend a week and a half on the topic, here we would spend three days. it's not necessarily magic. the transition is tough for teachers in school districts. >> how difficult has it been to ? >> it's been a really steep learning curve, teaching for 15 years. i had every lesson plan you could think of, comparative adverbs, i can do that in my sleep. i believe as a result of common core that these kids are going to be able to think critically. >> the students learn at a deeper level. mickey landry is the directive level of choice that ran the school. his staff trained for two years

to implement the standards. a bipartisan group of governors and education experts came to the same conclusion when they developed the standards from 2010. they were building on the no child left behind policy. the obama administration embraced it and encouraged states to do the same, if they wanted in on raise to the top funds. in 2012 the louisiana governor announced his support for the common core at a choice foundation school with mickey landry at his side. >> parents and kids should not be trapped in a failing school because of their zipcode, income gender or colour. he did a 180, announcing he wanted others to reject the standards.

>> at some point you have to say enough is enough. this is where we draw the line. >> how could he on the one hand in 2012 come to one of our schools and declare he was going to raise the standard and rigor, because that's what our children needed to compete in the world they live in as adults, and pull the rug out from under us. >> that's what it felt like. he was pulling the rug out from under you. >> it totally baffled me. when you look at the political world that he lives in, and you look at the competition he has for republican precedential nomination or vice presidential nomination, they had all pulled away from common court, and i made. >> landry and a group of edsue katers sued governor jindal to prevent him pulling out from common core. a judge ruled in their favour.

not ready to admit defeat. governor jindal filed suit against the obama administration claiming it forced states to adopt the common core. "america tonight" requested an interview with governor jindal, but he declined. it's not just louisiana. cross the country those that signed on to the nikita korostelev are distancing themselves. -- to the common core are distancing themselves. this man casting it as a government intrusion. he hosted an event broadcast at movie theatres where he taught parent not to conform but fight. >> if you are a common core, you are a communist, that's what i'm hearing. i'm

a vietnam veteran, not a communist. i can call those people clansman because they are keeping my kids back from succeeding at a rigorous curriculum. >> would you consider yourselves members of the tea party. democrats? >> no, i'm a liberal. >> across the lake, in the more affluent parish, some parents and teachers are organising against the common core. they say politics aside, there are real reasons to oppose it. them. >> amy dutch was so worried she decided to home school her two young boys. >> i have an issue with standard periods being national standards. i have an issue with everyone doing the same thing. >> reporter: what really bothers parents like amy, common core nods

thads, designed to dye -- methods, designed to dive deeper, confuse children. >> to this day i'm fixing his maths as a home core. we had a problem, jim had two quarters and a nickel, and want to buy a candy. we know where it's doing. it was five questions later asking the problem and at the end explain how you arrive at the answer. he said "i know because i listen", i can't argue with that, he's correct. >> reporter: to be clear, there's a problem raised a variety of different ways ask the the same. >> it is a valid method. i was not seeing that we know all these facts. so that we can answer the problems. >> across the country parents have raised similar concerns. comedian spoke to many of them in this appearance on david letterman. i look at the problems.

it's like, you know, bill has three goldfish, buys two more. how many dogs live in london. something like that. >> but common core's defenders say these methods have worked in japan and singapore. the highest performing countries in the world. >> two plus two equals four. the kids have to be fluent with the basic edition, subtraction, multification, but being able to sufficient. >> i want to thank the schoolboard for their hard work to get us out of common car. the explanation has not satisfied amy dutch and hundreds of other parents who testified at schoolboard motings and the state capital, pleading with lawmakers to repeal the core. five legislators said they vote to get rid of it. for now, it's the law. at the center of this political

storm, the students here still getting used to the new way of learning. the only question even their teachers can answer is how long it will last and now to another growing public debate, there's a twist over the right to die and physician assisted suicide. one of the nation's most outspoken advocates, a man that help people end their lives lost his medical licence. i sat with a former leader of a bold group challenging antisuicide laws. a couple of publications call you the new dr death, making comappearance. -- comappearance to jack devorkian. >> the difference is he liked the publicity. >> dr larry ekberg is a controversial figure, saying he has

helped more than 100 people end their lives. a year after this conversation with "america tonight" the state of maryland revoked his medical licence, saying he breached laws helping six to take their lives. he showed us these bags filled with tubes hooked up to helium tanks. >> what is that like. >> the person doesn't feel pain, discomfort. they go to sleep. >> reporter: you hold their hand. how many times have you held moment? >> about 100. it's an honour. >> from this small unassuming house, dr ekbert was a medical director of of the the final exit group, a group that

travelled the country offering hands-on experience. >> we do a lot of talking, we travel the country. so you know darn well what you are doing. even then we say "sure you want to do this", i had people getting mad saying, "doctor, i said that 50 times." that's the idea, so no one could dream of accusing us of talking or doing something they hadn't thought about. >> i don't wake up it. >> reporter: the right to die stirred a debate when britney maynard ended her life in november. americans watched as the 29-year-old with terminal brain cancer became an advocate and lived a bucket lift, planning her death and ending her life. >> my goal, of course, is to influence this policy for positive change, and i would

like to see all americans have rights. >> legislatures in three states, oregon, vermont and washington legalized physician assisted suicide. and a court ruling in montana decriminalized it. that means it is still illegal in 46 other states, including minnesota. that's what dr larry ekbert fights a legal battle - in 2013 charges that he helped a suburban minnesota woman killed herself was thrown out, ruled unconstitutional. he faces new charges of tampering with the patient's body. he says the suicide was in secret, leaving the woman's family angry. >> the woman did not want her husband to know about this. she was faking her husband out. >> attacked for operating in the

shadows, he faced criticism that he will help anyone die, regardless of the severity of the medical problems. >> i do not think the terminally ill reaches the criteria. it's better to say a person makes a choice to think about what they do with their life. >> i have a man that called me up. 94 years old. he's deaf. what, this is living? more. >> he wants to go. >> he wants to go. >> do you think he should have the choice? >> yes, i do. >> you go down and buy a rifle and blow your brains out. why not have a physician advise you how to do this in a way that is more dignified. >> in the end someone is pulling a helium balloon over their head, and some say it is not dignified. >> depends what you mean. you don't have to do it that way. you save up the pills, get the pills. it's up to you. >> he's pulling the balloons. it's creepy.

>> kerry is against all forms of assisted suicide. she wants to repeal vermont's death with dignity law. >> it's the exception, not the rule, that death is ugly and scary. they want you to think that the only way to make it pretty is to plan it and take a pill for it. >> i don't believe frankly mother nature is that cool. >> she was 90 years old. >> she's motivated by family experiences, sat at her mother's death. >> in my mum's case she bell ladies and gentlemenerently refused to -- belligerently dying. >> what is your concern? >> i want to make sure i have the option to die naturally. i don't want an environment in the future where people are

pressured into ending their lives prematurely. it's a threat. if the people that are pushing this get a foothold and they have a foothold. hopefully we can do something about it. in vermont the physician-assisted suicide law made it. in 2013, when vermont's governor signed death with dignity, there was one enthusiastic doctor in the crowd, dr larry ekbert. >> reporter: do you think there'll be a day when this is available to all americans? >> what should be available is the right to say this is my body and i'll do with it as i wish. and i have no right to tell you what to do with your body. >> polls show it's a position shared by a growing number of americans. still, illegal for the majority. >> dr ekbert plans to appeal the

medical board ruling and try to get his licence reinsitedtated coming up, we return to haiti to mark the fifth anniversary of the devastating earthquake. it's one step at a time. "america tonight"s special scrond soledad o'brien, correspondent, learns about a programme giving many hope.

it's been five years since the devastating earthquake struck haiti. many survivors are still struggling with wounds that will never heel. "america tonight"s special correspondent soledad o'brien bring the the story of young haitian amputees and the programme helping them to take a step forward. >> reporter: at 7-year-old this child seems

no different from other hatian boys his age. he spends the afternoon in a fierce battle alongside his brother. moments later the camera man captures his tension. -- attention. he lives with his father, mother and brother in port-au-prince and lost everything in the earthquake. his father works as a driver during the day. he teaches his boys religious songs and hopes jesus will answer his prayers. his gather worries. this is why. >> he was injured in the earthquake, what happened? >> the foot was badly damaged. the house collapsed on him in his brother. >> he was alive. the next day they reached a hospital. a doctors said there was no need to amputate.

a second opinion delivered the terrible news. the white american looked at it and said "if we don't cut the foot off, the child will die." they cut his foot january. >> reporter: it must have been terrible to see your son in this way. there are some words that need no translation. >> translation: it was horrible. i looked at him for a moment. just a moment. it was so painful. i didn't want the foot cut off. >> she feared the physical pain the son was facing and a life-time of hardship. in haiti, when you miss a limb, you are stigmatized, considered an outcast. children can't go to school, adults can't find a job. >> how come when i walk around

the streets i don't see people on structures. i don't see people missing a leg or arm. we feel rejected from society by showing them. >> this is the education director at healing hands for haiti, a nonprofit offering a limb for those that need them. thee provided 1200 prosthetics since the earthquake. the doctor sits on the board. there's also a crucial matter in haiti. only the strong survive if you have a handicap. you are done. they throw you away. the earthquake destroyed healing hands facilities, when n.g.o. handicap international came in with a partnership saving the programme. and created a successful model for how international aid can help hatians solve a haitian problem.

patrick senier is the programme director. >> translation: when we arrived in haiti, there were no professional services. there was a need to bring in specialists from overseas. >> reporter: the partnership built a new center in port-au-prince, training local staff to replace the foreign specialist. maurice has an appointment to be fitted for a new prosthetic. before the doctor comes in, the young boy sizes up what will be his left foot. >> we give him first prosthetic in 2010. every day he grose. >> reporter: which is good, but your prosthetic is not growing. >> yes. every time we change, it's three or six months. >> reporter: he needs a new one. >> yes, because the stump is growing all the time.

he is growing quickly. when they try the new prosthetic, it needs a few adjustments. it takes time. when they come back a second test is a better fit. he walks up and down, up and down, and therapists check his balance. he likes what he sees. for his mother every visit here, every fitting is a reminder of an already hard life in haiti will be harder for her son. this man oversees the prosthetic shop. and is optimistic. what is the prognosis? how will the little boy we saw today, how will his life be when he's 30 or 40 or 50. >> he's not sick, he just miss a part of the leg. we replace that. he continues to revolve like a normal boy. >> reporter: a big challenge facing the host country like

haiti is the n.g.o.s that support him. they have made sure that healing hands for haiti is self-run and sufficient. setting them up with funding for canada. >> translation: at the same time we started a training programme for the medium term to ensure that there'll be a transfer so that haitians can be capable of providing the care themselves. >> reporter: this is the workshop where the prosthetics are made, each from scratch. beginning as a casting mould and placed into a large oven before being polished off. next door there are straps holding the prosthetics. 10 technicians make about 30 each month. the facility hosts the training center. >> we have time to go. >> it's a good gig, a good job. >> yes.

>> few places in port-au-prince are accessible for the handicapped. lead therapist says that the tragic earthquake could have a silver lining. >> a lot of people in the beginning before the earthquake used to reject people with handicap. i don't know why it ep up there. i see them in another way. >> this is the new reality. every few months they'll travel to and from the cities downtown to get a new prosthetic leg. for him it's like the answer to his prayers. especially in a place like haiti, where the next steps are anything but certain. >> that is "america tonight"s special correspondent sol dad o'brien ahead the mighty pen and how extremists fear that tool.

how those that died for free speech are being honoured.

finally this hour the extremists behind the paris attacks are dead. freedom of speech is alive. here is joie chen on how cartoonists around the world took action with ink to honour a colleague. >> reporter: bad day for humour, it wasn't one the artists would give up without a fight. is it a world so serious that humour is a risky business? one from canberra, washington, rio to brazil and the netherlands. all of our hearts and all art

are with "charlie hebdo". we share the same grief, live the same pain, one we learnt in this country not long ago. today i am a cartoonist. today i am a journalist. today i draw for "charlie hebdo." what is mightier than the sword - the pen. the weapon of wit. in the fight for freedom, the power to speak. and the right to grieve for little charlie lost, but not forgotten. joie chen, al jazeera and that's it for us here on "america tonight". remember if you would like to comment on any of the stories you have seen log on to the website aljazeera.com/americatonight. you can join the conversation on twitter or f.b.i. pages. -- or facebook pages. thank you for watching, have a great night. see you

next week. ^ below psh psh >> this is al jazeera america. i'm thomas drayton in new york. let's get you caught up with the top stories of this hour. the searchers have recovered one of the black boxes of qz8501. condemning terrorism after two days of deadly attacks. u.s. attorney general eric holder who was supposed to attend the rally is a