it's been 40 years since gil scott heron gained fame. the revolution will not be televised. >> the revolution will put you in the driver's seat. >> the revolution will not be televised. the revolution will be no rerun, brothers. the revolution will be live. >> scott heron's mixture of politics, percussion and poetry helped laid the groundwork for rap. he called it bluesology, he became a cult figure and criticized violent rap lyrics. he rejected the title of godfather of rap but pictured himself somewhat of a pioneer. >> that's what most people are. they're behind me. they came behind me and they're following me good. >> gil scott heron was 62 years old. >>> still ahead as we continue on "world news." saturday night, collisions at home plate. as we usher in summer, should one of payable's key rules be changed? >>> also a remarkable find in the atlantic right off the coast of north carolina. we'll take you on board tonight to see the anchor lifted up from blackbeard's ship. >>> on this memorial day weekend, some familiar faces celebrating

gil scott-heron was 62. >>> we're back with a special tribute this memorial day weekend after this. >n abundance on this memorial day weekend as the country pays tribute to those who served and died defending it. but for one man in cape may, new jersey, every day is about veterans and the flag. the story tonight from nbc's mike taibbi. >> reporter: on summer mornings on the southern tip of new jersey they raise a special flag each day. it's the coffin flag of a fallen u.s. veteran, brought by family members to sunset beach. on this day it's the flag that once draped the coffin of felice uzalino, dora to her friends, who served in the army during world war ii. >> my mother would be honored and very proud of this day. she's like up there. she's just flowing with the wind. you know. standing tall like my mom would. >> reporter: the flags were the idea of sunset beach owner marvin hume, himself a world war ii veteran, who lost a childhood friend when the japanese attacked pearl harbor. his friend's body was never recovered, but hume wanted to find a way to salute his sacrifice. >> i thoug

>> our inspiration is a great blue heron. it was the site itself that attracted us. this is an incredibly beautiful outdoor room. we did a bit of reverse engineering once we knew we wanted to work here. which animals live here? the great blue heron jumped out at us. we walked around, and quickly, you get into another pace. you slow down, leave the city behind you. you can feel the wind and the breeze. in our increasingly frenetic, fast-paced, connected life, the chance to be of here and slow down a bit was part of the agenda. as part of the installation, it was suggested that this would be deliberately not mowed because it would allow the sustaining of insects, plants, that would graduate -- that would gravitate to the area. >> that is right. i think you quickly notice that. >> thank you for being here. presidio habitat is an exhibition at the presidio trust. it will be in san francisco through may 2011. we hope you will come out to experience this amazing exhibition and great natural treasure. >> to learn more about the other habitats installations in the presidio,

scott-heron was 62 years old. >>> coming up, a dubious anniversary. the first aids case discovered three decades ago. why do we stand now? dr. sanjay gupta takes a closer look at the fight against aids and medical advances 30 years late later. >> ask not what your country can do for you. >> it was the dawn of a new hopeful age. >> the problems are not all solved and the battles are not all won and we stand today on the edge of a new frontier. >> president john f. kennedy, jfk, and then there was bobby. >> we to make an effort to understand and get beyond difficult times. >> and teddy, the third to reach the u.s. senate. >> too many of our senior citizens are being forced to choose between neglecting their ailments. >> at home there was ted and his wife joan. teddy, jr., kara, and patrick, who was the youngest by six years. it was july of 1967, patrick's birth made headlines. just five days old and people wondered if he would run for president. the same issues he talked about in public, were those part of the dinnertime discussion? >> my dad and my unc

. >>> gil scott heron has died in new york city.e 1970 politically and socially charged song "the revolution will not be televised." scott-heron's music in 2008 in an interview he revealed he contracted hiv after years of battling drug and alcohol addictions. gil scott-heron was 62 years old. >>> in pakistan the taliban are claiming responsibility for blast that left eight people dead and another dozen wounded. it happened near the border. a pro-government militia fighting the taliban was the target. the spokesman says the attack like others is a payback for the killing of osama bin laden. >>> we're checking out reports of a live explosion in the libyan capital of tripoli this morning. we're told it's near the gadhafi palace. we'll pass on more information as it comes to us here. >>> the u.s. state department is urging american citizens to get out of yemen as the violence escalates between anti-regime tribesmen and yemeni security forces. the small arms fire heard yesterday in the yemeni capital has grown louder as five powerful exp

request authorization to advertise for competitive bids for construction contract no. 2749, heron's head park improvement project. 8d. request authorization to execute contract modification with cochran, inc. to retroactively extend the substantial completion date by an additional 150 days, to march 30, 2011, for the installation of a shoreside power system for cruise ships at pier 27, contact no. 2722. >> so moved. is there any public comment on the consent calendar? all in favor? resolution 11-27, 11-28, 11-29, 11-30 have been approved. >> 9a. informational presentation on the preliminary design concept for the expansion of the downtown ferry terminal. >> good afternoon, commissioners. dan hood. we are here to provide an informational update on the expansion of the downtown ferry terminal and to present ideas for your review for the upcoming public discussion. of how to improve public in circulation spaces around the ferry building. last fall, the port has been working in close partnership with a water bird is the transportation authority, weta, to develop a design for the expansion of

three years ago scott-heron was hiv positive.ath yesterday at the age of 62 is still unclear. >>> a bit of relief for the millions of americans traveling this holiday weekend. gas prices are actually dropping. aaa says the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded is just under $3.80. that's almost a penny less than yesterday, but still almost a dollar more than this time last year. as americans remember their war dead this holiday, virginia senator mark warner is pressing the u.s. army to fix problems at arlington national cemetery. in a letter to the secretary of the army, warner expressed disappointment about the lack of improvements at the burial ground. arlington has been criticized for misplacing remains due to its antiquated recordkeeping system. >>> thousands of u.s. military personnel are spending the memorial day holiday in new york for fleet week. a parade of vessels is docked at the new york harbor as you see right there. you the chance to see some of their high-tech gear close up as well, if you happen to be

gil scott-heron called by many the godfather of rap.ed social and political messages through music and spoken word and rose to fame in '60s and '70s and was an influential force releasing a final album last year. in 2008 scott-heron revealed that he had contracted hiv. >>> this weekend americans remember our fallen heros but for thousands of widows across the country, every day is their memorial day. karen davis lost her husband at 21 and then went to build a sisterhood for those like her determined to turn their grief into triumph and survival. that's why she's this week's cnn hero. >> my husband corporal michael davis was killed in baghdad, iraq. four years later people still don't know how to react when you say. hi. i'm a widow. after the funeral i felt like everyone wanted to write off my grief due to young age. you're young. you'll get remarried. i wanted to talk about it with other widows. they won't judge me if i'm laughing and tell me that i'm grieving wrong. i just wanted to create what i was searching for and just hope that th

. >>> gil scott heron died friday in new york. he was 62 years old.ferred to as the godfather of rap. scott-heron music has been sampled by hip-hop stars like kanye west and common. >>> more than 35 million americans plan to travel this memorial day weekend. that is up from last year when gas prices were about a dollar cheaper. right now the average national for a gallon of regular is 3.81 a gallon. >>> have you ever accidentally walked off with a hotel towel or maybe not so accidentally? the hotel industry is betting on it. some hotels are actually selling a small washable microchip into their towels, sheets and bathrobes. if you walk off with it, you sort of buy it. want to bring in katie lennon now. katie, how is this thing going to work anyway? >> yes, you want to think twice about that five-finger discount. if you walk off with that luxurious bathrobe or towel, chances are some hotels are implementing a tag right inside there. so, in other words, that is tracking technology that will actually track that you have taken it. you might be saying, wel

musician gill scott heron died today. he is credited with laying the groundswork for hip-hop and rap music through his spoken word poetry which included percussion and political messages. he was called the godfather of rap which is a title he rejected. he died after getting sick on a trip to europe. he was 62 years old. >>> a bay area city where students say they are embarrassed by their school's image. specifically the swatstikas. what the school is doing about it. >>> almost two years to the day since it happened and we are getting answers. what we now know about a plane that crashed into the ocean. >>> for the memorial holiday weekend one day will feature rain showers. the other day will feature sunshine. we will pinpoint your forecast as eyewitness news continues. incidents symbolizing white supremacy. >>> some high school students in the south bay are suspended for incidents symbolizing white supremacy. about five students wore clothing considered white pride gang attire. over the past few months the students also re

. >>> and the legendary musician and poet gil scott-heron has died. he is probably best known for the song "the revolution will not be televised." also an inspiration for rap music. referred to as the godfather of rap. scott-heron also struggled with drug addiction. he died in a new york hospital. he was 62 years of age. >>> and finally, even if you hate cats -- hi, there. >> who hates cats? >> there are hard-hearted people who do not like cats. even they, bianna, might find it in their hearts to like this kitten. the kitten appears to be having a nightmare, where when its mom pulls it in for a big hug. it's the latest hit on youtube. it's been viewed more than 4 million times in just two days. 2 million times by dan harris. just keeps hitting it over and over and over. >> and let the record show, there's a difference between hating an animal and being allergic to an animal. >> that is correct. >> i don't hate. >> thank you for clarifying that. >>> jackie meretsky, help me here. >> ron, that was a good one. that was really good. i, by the way, am not

scott-heron was known for blending musical elements and political scenes into his spoken word poetry.>> if you plan to cross the bay bridge this memorial day weekend, be prepared for delays. cal trans plans to reconfigure the eastbound lanes. some lanes will be closed overnight saturday and sunday. the work is part of the effort to speed up completion of that new span. you can also expect delays on bart this weekend. elizabeth wenger explains how maintenance work on the transbay tube may slow down bart travelers. >> reporter: good morning, if you're planning on riding bart this weekend, expect major delays for trains heading through the transbay tube between oakland and san francisco. bart has to do maintenance and repair work to the tunnel this weekend, specifically the cables that provide power to the track. so for you, what does this mean? bart officials best estimate is approximately 20 to even 40 minutes delays on those lines requiring transfers. work is already wrapped up for today, but expect delays sunday and monday afternoon, until about 2:30 in the afternoon. and don't forge

. >> that is the late gil scott-heron and the ref nuvolut will not be televised known as godfather ofage of 62. the cause of his death has not been released but three years ago scott-hareron revealed he w hiv positive. his music has been sampled by many including kanye west. >>> the last of bernie madoff's personal belongings on the auction block next week. the money raised will be used to pay off swindled investors. madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison for running a ponzi scheme. >>> new york harbor is getting patriotic this memorial day weekend. it's fleet week. new yorkers are also getting a firsthand look at the equipment used by our service members. fleet week runs through june 1st. >>> memorial day weekend is a time to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice and those who continue to put their lives on the line every day. more of america's men and women in uniform are latino. we have one man's story of service and sacrifice. >> reporter: memorial day is just not a day off for this father of five, a lieutenant with the new york city police department who spent two deca

. >> reporter: and it's a joy i experienced in the close company of a great blue heron at crissy field. >> oh, what a shot that is. >> boy, i tell you, that's such a beautiful place, such a wonderful thing. i just want to point out if you go to crissy field, we can continue to help. if you go to crissy field and you buy some coffee or good organic food -- >> at the warming hut. >> or the beach hut cafe, all that money goes to fund the environmental education programs at crissy field center. >> and the warming hut has great little gifts that you can buy people and give to people. >> we were all talking about taking our kids there and our dogs there and enjoying it. for so long it was unused and not usable. it's been so great these last ten years. >> it's so great to have it reborn. it's just one of many parts in our golden gate national recreation that have really come alive thanks to the works of the park service and park conservancy and all the volunteers. 30,000 volunteers every year. >> you're going to be back tomorrow. >> one more wonderful story of the park service, conservancy an

gil scott heron was 62 years old. >>> it's about 19 minutes past the hour. now here's russ and rebecca. >> betty, thanks a lot. just had an album out last year. critically acclaimed. sad loss for us. >> it is a big loss. here is lonnie quinn with a first check of our weather. >> look at the little summer suits russ and i pulled out for the big day. >> love it. >> the unofficial start to summer. i want to talk about the extremes that are out there weatherwise on this memorial weekend. snow flies high in the northern rockies. whereas frisbees fly on the east coast. and there's a little fly in the ointment for the southwest. i'm not talking about rain. in fact it's the lack of rain and the bigtime heat out there. tucson to santa fe to midland, texas. 90 degrees up to 105 anywhere in this big swath of red. humidity levels, i mean, they don't get any lower than that. 5% to 10%, you're dry, you're hot, you have got to be so careful with any kind of an open flame as you try to start a barbecue. please be careful. this is just ripe for those wildfires that you heard

scott-heron was 62 years old. >>> first the latest on search and recovery efforts in joplin, missourile are still missing, six days after a tornado plowed a four-mile long swath thigh the city. the death toll stands at 132 with more than 1,000 injured. we expect an update on those numbers at 11:00 eastern. president obama is returning from that overseas trip today and will be in joplin tomorrow. >>> and it is in joplin this morning where we find our own paul vercammen. paul you're standing in a pile of debris and i do assume that is a neighborhood or at least it used to be? >> it sure was. this is going to give you a sense of how difficult it was for the first responders early on in the tragedy. i'll take a walk and show you right here this was a neighborhood, the whole neighborhood is gone, and as i continue to stroll here you see off in the distance of this massive debris field that is a hospital, st. john's regional medical center. you would say a lot of the people could be brought here quickly. unfortunately, the hospital oblitera obliterated, parts of the fas sad completely torn

if we don't get young men and women like heron and daughter-in-law to stay in, we are not -- our future will be mewhat problematic. i have been struck, it goes back to the dedication and extraordinary young men and women who served right now, i have just been struck by their willingness to do this, to pursue the career. odyssey to meet the needs we have from the national security standpoint, and in many cases even surprised that they will continue to do it because of the kinds of percentages that you just laid out there, one year in x. and yet we have lost -- i have talked to more than my fair share of said i want to get a life, start a family. we just got to slow down. and it's something that i have addressed and people have dressed very, very closely in terms of not just dealing now, but how does this affect our future. i don't think it is my own take on, i don't think it is deliberate. i do know -- i have run into so many, many couples that have been assigned or detailed very specifically to make it work as opposed to what's odyssey going on. so i would be happy to take your name and