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(CNN) — While the world’s attention was focused on Boston and North Korea, the conflict in Syria entered a new phase — one that threatens to embroil its neighbors in a chaotic way and pose complex challenges to the Obama administration.

What began as a protest movement long ago became an uprising that metastasized into a war, a vicious whirlpool dragging a whole region toward it.

Many analysts believe the United States can do little to influence — let alone control — the situation. And it could make things worse. Fawaz Gerges of the London School of Economics argues against the United States “plunging into the killing fields of Syria … because it would complicate and exacerbate an already dangerous conflict.”

Syrian opposition: Russia changed stance

Obama takes aim at Syria, North Korea

A war wary village

Others contend that if the United States remains on the sidelines, regional actors will fight each other to “inherit” Syria, and hostile states such as Iran and North Korea will take note of American hesitancy. They say inaction has given free rein to more extreme forces.

And in the wake of the strikes against Damascus, apparently by Israeli planes, critics argue that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is now more vulnerable than ever and U.S. intervention could help finish him off.

Republican Sen. John McCain has revived calls for a no-fly zone. And introducing legislation to arm the Syrian rebels in the U.S. Senate on Monday, Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez said: “There will be no greater strategic setback to Iran than to have the Assad regime collapse, and cause a disruption to the terror pipeline between Tehran and Hezbollah in Lebanon.”

But more than two years since the revolt against al-Assad began, regional analysts say Syria is in danger of becoming the next Somalia, which collapsed into fiefdoms 20 years ago and has been stalked by anarchy, terrorism and hunger ever since. Except Syria would be worse. Its religious and ethnic fault lines extend across borders in every direction; Somalia’s anarchy was largely self-contained. Somalia never had chemical weapons, nor the missiles and modern armor that make Syria one of the most crowded arsenals in the world.

And unlike Syria, Somalia was never central to a titanic struggle between different branches of Islam: Sunni and Shia.

Given that background, here are five reasons Syria’s war suddenly looks more dangerous.

1: Israel and Hezbollah’s proxy war

For two years, Israel has looked on with growing anxiety as brutal repression in Syria has become de facto civil war. Now a high-octane game of regional poker is under way. The Israelis have not admitted carrying out the devastating strikes of last week, but U.S. officials tell CNN they have no doubt Israel was responsible.

Why would Israel suddenly become an active participant? While much has been said about President Barack Obama’s “red line” — that the use of chemical weapons in Syria would make him reassess U.S. involvement — the Israelis have a different threshold: the transfer of advanced missiles to al-Assad’s ally, the Shiite Lebanese militia Hezbollah.

Their main worry, U.S. officials say, was the possible transfer of Iranian-made Fateh-110 missiles, whose accuracy would pose a new threat to Israel. A consignment of these ballistic missiles had recently arrived at Damascus’ airport. Similarly, the second Israeli strike before dawn Sunday was on a “research facility” near Damascus where weapons destined for Hezbollah were kept.

According to Jane’s Intelligence, Iran’s Defense Ministry reported the test firing of an upgraded Fateh-110 last year, and the Iranian Aerospace Industries Organization claimed it had a range in excess of 180 miles (300 kilometers.)

See destruction from airstrikes in Syria

Syria’s battle of the textbooks

Israel bolsters defense near Syria

Israel’s motive was not to degrade the Syrian military. It was about sending al-Assad a message (copied to Iran and Hezbollah): “If you try to raise the regional stakes by passing a new generation of short-range ballistic missiles to Hezbollah, the response will be swift and severe.”

Gerges, author of “Obama and the Middle East,” told CNN that we are seeing “an open-ended war by proxy. … On the one hand you have Israel, regional powers and the Western states; on the other hand you have Iran, Hezbollah and Syria.”

Middle East analyst Juan Cole agrees, writing on his blog: “It is not that the Israelis and Hezbollah are in any direct conflict, but they are gradually both becoming more active in Syria on opposite sides. It is an open question how long this process can continue before the conflict does become direct.”

One miscalculation could provoke a wider escalation.

The stakes for Hezbollah are enormous. For nearly 30 years, it has been sustained by Iranian and Syrian support. If Syria becomes a Sunni-dominated state, Hezbollah’s “rear-base” vanishes, and suddenly it looks more vulnerable to its archenemy Israel, one of whose strategic goals is to counter the growing missile threat from the north.

Military analysts believe Hezbollah has an arsenal of some 50,000 missiles and rockets, supported by a sophisticated, hardened infrastructure that would be even harder to uproot than during its last conflict with Israel in 2006. Little wonder that Israel has deployed two of its Iron Dome missile-defense batteries in its northern cities.

Will the Syrians retaliate for the strikes, which they describe as a declaration of war by Israel? To do so would divert resources from the regime’s battle for survival. Not to do so would convey an image of weakness in the face of the “Zionist enemy.”

Al-Assad has a history of not retaliating against Israel, most notably when the Israelis took out what was purported to be a Syrian nuclear installation in 2007. According to Cliff Kupchan with the Eurasia Group, Israel has calculated that “Bashar al-Assad is incapable of fighting on two fronts, that Iran will keep its powder dry for a possible future conflict over its nuclear program, and that Hezbollah will not attempt significant retribution without approval from its sponsors.”

But one risk to Israel is that in weakening the Assad regime, it may strengthen some of the best organized and most potent rebel factions: jihadist groups such as the al-Nusra Front, which has already declared its affiliation with al Qaeda in Iraq.

2: More than ever, it’s sectarian

In the early days of the Syrian uprising, people who were anti- and pro-regime shared one common dread: that Syria would descend, Bosnia-style, into sectarian horror. Now, in the fight to prevail, that has become a reality.

Moderates have been sidelined, and despite efforts to revitalize the opposition’s political leadership in exile there is still no umbilical cord between the government-in-waiting and the fighters inside Syria.

The Free Syrian Army coexists with a strong Sunni jihadi element, while the regime is mobilizing “irregular” Alawite militia and Hezbollah fighters.

Syria’s (largely Sunni) rebels say hundreds if not thousands of (Shia) Hezbollah fighters are now fighting for the Assad regime. Hezbollah’s secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, said last week that his party would not stand by and watch the Assad government fall. Regional analysts believe there is a very real risk that along the poorly marked Syrian-Lebanese border, Sunni jihadists will come up against Hezbollah units, setting off a vicious war-within-a-war.

The Syrian opposition sees Iran and Hezbollah everywhere. The head of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel-Rahman told the newspaper Asharq al-Awsat that “Iranian and Hezbollah officers are running the operations room in the battle for Homs and are controlling the army operations in the city.”

He warned of “massacres against the Sunni community living in the besieged areas if the army captures these areas.”

Such massacres were reported in the past week in the coastal Sunni enclaves in Baniyas and al-Bayda. The State Department said over the weekend that “regime and shabiha forces reportedly destroyed the area with mortar fire, then stormed the town and executed entire families, including women and children.”

3: Al-Assad goes for broke?

After being on the defensive for months, the Syrian regime has recently launched a series of brutal counterattacks against areas controlled by rebel factions, seeking to restore precious lines of communication and reconnect Damascus with other parts of the country. In so doing, it appears Assad has relied even more on the shabiha — loyalists with an existential stake in the regime’s survival.

As veteran Middle East watcher Anthony H. Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies has put it: “The Assad regime seems ready to escalate in any way it can to either preserve power or effectively divide the country.”

Among the areas where this counteroffensive has been most intense is Daraya, south of the capital, which has been reduced to ruins on the principle that “if we can’t control it nor shall you.” To the east of Damascus, regime forces have encircled rebels in the Gouta region, relieving the immediate threat to Damascus airport, which is at one end of the critical air bridge between Syria and Iran.

As critical as these areas around Damascus is the town of Qusayr between Homs and the Lebanese border, once home to 50,000 people. Videos uploaded in recent days show the regime pouring artillery fire into the town and conducting airstrikes from above; whole blocks have been demolished. Claims emerged Wednesday from opposition sources of new massacres around the town.

Qusayr sits astride one route to the Syrian coast and another to the Lebanese border. For the rebels, holding Qusayr is important because it’s another way of strangling the regime’s ability to sustain itself, and it complicates Hezbollah’s access to Syria.

The signs are that al-Assad is investing heavily in trying to break the rebels’ hold in key parts of south and central Syria, reversing the gains they had made in a series of hard-won victories last year.

Short of forceful foreign intervention, some military analysts argue for tying al-Assad’s hands behind his back by providing the rebels with more anti-armor and anti-aircraft missiles and a communications infrastructure. More ambitiously, some say the international community should enforce what might be called a “no-move” zone, selectively picking off regime forces from the air or with missiles.

In essence, that’s what NATO’s mission in Libya became. But it would take considerable airpower and the use of facilities across the region to gain control of the Syrian sky. The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, said at the end of April: “The U.S. military has the capability to defeat that system (of Syrian air defenses), but it would be a greater challenge, and would take longer and require more resources” than in Libya.

4: Chemical Weapons

For much of last year, Obama’s “red line” seemed a largely hypothetical one. But as al-Assad’s situation grows more desperate and control of chemical weapons stocks more difficult to guarantee, there are indications that some chemical agents have been used in limited quantities in places like Daraya. The questions are: how much, of what and by whom?

The announcement by a senior U.N. official Monday that rebels may have used sarin gas during an operation near Aleppo in March means this red line is even more difficult to discern. The U.N. commission subsequently said it “has not reached conclusive findings as to the use of chemical weapons in Syria by any parties to the conflict.”

Establishing “custody” and the systematic use of such weapons is very difficult in the absence of monitors on the ground.

A U.S. State Department official on Monday would say only: “We take any reports of use of chemical weapons very seriously and we are trying to get as many facts as possible to understand what is happening.”

But understanding and countering the threat are miles apart. The Pentagon estimated last year it might take 70,000 troops to secure or destroy Syria’s massive stockpiles — and the situation on the ground has deteriorated since then.

In Cordesman’s view, “Any U.S. forces that tried to deal with the chemical weapons in Syria through ground raids would present the problem of getting them in, having them fight their way to an objective, taking the time to destroy chemical stocks, and then safely leaving.”

5: Players and Puppets: Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan

Syria is surrounded by neighbors with a stake in influencing the outcome of its civil war. Most — and other more distant states such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia — are backing their own factions as well as supporting the “government-in-waiting.” Now more than ever they feel the force of that whirlpool.

Iraq’s beleaguered Sunni minority is more and more in confrontation with a Shia-dominated government in Baghdad allied to Iran. The Sunni tribes of Anbar and Ramadi have historical connections with their brethren across the border and would welcome a Sunni-dominated government in Syria as a valuable counterbalance to a hostile government at home.

For more than a year, there have been persistent reports of weapons crossing the border to help the Syrian resistance and evidence of co-operation between Syrian and Iraqi jihadists. Resupply convoys headed through Iraq to the Syrian regime have been ambushed in recent months.

In the view of Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group, “Iraq is teetering back towards civil war, with direct implications for the investment climate across the country, and deepening geopolitical conflict between Iran and the Sunni monarchies” of the Gulf.

Turkey is also growing alarmed at the prospect of a more “Balkanized” Syria. It already has 322,000 refugees on its soil, according to latest figures from the UNHCR, the U.N. refugee agency, with another 100,000 clamoring to cross.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has upped his rhetoric in recent days, criticizing the Israeli strikes but reserving his most passionate denunciation for the Assad regime.

“You, Bashar Assad, will pay for this. You will pay heavily, very heavily for showing courage you can’t show to others, to babies with pacifiers in their mouths,” he told an audience over the weekend.

But Erdogan is struggling to turn indignation into influence. As the International Crisis Group noted in March: Turkey “now has an uncontrollable, fractured, radicalized no-man’s-land on its doorstep.”

The Jordanians know how that feels. They are trying to cope with 450,000 Syrian refugees — equivalent to some 7% of the Jordanian population — growing restless and desperate in makeshift camps. The number in Lebanon has shot up to 455,000, according to the United Nations. In all, the Syrian conflict has generated an extra half million refugees in just two months.

Lebanon — whose sectarian equation mirrors that in Syria — cannot help but be dragged into the war next door. Several Salafist sheikhs in Lebanon have declared jihad against the Syrian regime in response to Hezbollah’s growing involvement. One of them, Sheikh Ahmed Assir, called on Sunnis in the city of Sidon to form brigades to help the resistance in Qusayr. And rocket fire, apparently from the Free Syrian Army, has landed in Shiite areas around the Lebanese town of Hermel.

A land of bad options

Some critics of the Obama administration say there is a moral imperative to intervene in Syria in the face of slaughter (at least 70,000 Syrians have died so far.) In the Washington Post, former Obama adviser Anne Marie Slaughter has recalled the “shameful” failure to confront genocide in Rwanda.

But Cordesman writes: “Syria has become the land of bad options. The Obama administration has reason to hesitate in intervening.”

And Joshua Landis, who runs the blog Syria Comment and is director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, warns that even “a humanitarian intervention will become a nation-building project, as was the case in Iraq.”

With the number of internally displaced now put at 4.25 million people, that would be a huge project.

The dream among diplomats a year ago was that a moderate opposition could be brought together with some regime elements to ease al-Assad from power. As the Syrian war threatens to become a regional one, the United States and Russia are dusting off that option, calling for an international conference within weeks that would be attended by both the government and the opposition.

“The alternative is that Syria heads closer to the abyss, if not over the abyss and into chaos,” said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

(CNN) — The global talent war is heating up as baby boomers begin their mass exodus from the workforce. But a new report reveals employers are not prepared for the new generation of emotionally intelligent, ethnically diverse workers.

“After the Baby Boomers, The Next Generation of Leadership” reveals what the next two decades of the global workforce will look like, as those born after the war make way for the so-called X and Y generations.

Organizations that fail to prepare for the evolution of the workforce “do so at their peril,” the report, from executive recruitment firm Odgers Berndtson and Cass Business School, found.

Baby boomers and social technology

Cliff Oswick,deputy dean of Cass Business School, said the “rock star” approach to chief executive leadership which has been prevalent in recent years will no longer work.

Oswick, speaking during the report’s launch in London Wednesday, pointed to different types of corporate structures, such as citizen-centric and servant leadership, as models for the future.

According to the report, the rise of women into positions of power will create a “feminization” of leadership which will be reflected in the increasing importance of emotional intelligence, people skills and flexibility.

The importance of the BRIC nations and other emerging markets will also ensure more culturally diverse workers are employed around the world.

Editor’s note: Robert Gebbia is the executive director of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

(CNN) — When the public thinks about suicide, they tend to see it as something that typically affects adolescents and people in later life. But alarmingly, more middle-aged Americans are dying by suicide.

(CNN) — Jeanne Cooper, who played Katherine Chancellor, the “Dame of Genoa City,” on “The Young and the Restless,” has died. She was 84.

Her death was confirmed by her son, actor Corbin Bernsen, on his Twitter account.

“Mom passed this morning,” Bernsen posted. “She was in peace and without fear.”

Cooper had been suffering from an undisclosed illness. The cause of death was not given.

A look back at those we have lost in 2013.

Jeanne Cooper, who played Katherine Chancellor, the “Dame of Genoa City,” on “The Young and the Restless,” has died. She was 84.

Ray Harryhausen, the stop-motion animation and special-effects master whose work influenced such directors as Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson and George Lucas, has died at age 92, according to the Facebook page of the Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation.

Jeff Hanneman, guitarist and founding member of Slayer, died May 2 of liver failure.

Chris Kelly, one-half of the 1990s rap duo Kris Kross, died on May 1 at an Atlanta hospital after being found unresponsive at his home, the Fulton County medical examiner’s office told CNN.
Kelly, right, and Chris Smith shot to stardom in 1992 with the hit “Jump.”

George Jones, the country music legend whose graceful, evocative voice gave depth to some of the greatest songs in country music — including “She Thinks I Still Care,” “The Grand Tour” and “He Stopped Loving Her Today” — died on April 26 at age 81, according to his public relations firm.

Actor Allan Arbus poses for a portrait with his daughter photographer Amy Arbus in 2007. Allan Arbus, who played psychiatrist Maj. Sidney Freedman in the M*A*S*H television series, died at age 95, his daughter’s representative said April 23.

Folk singer Richie Havens, the opening act at the 1969 Woodstock music festival, died on April 22 of a heart attack, his publicist said. He was 72.

Australian rocker Chrissy Amphlett, the Divinyls lead singer whose group scored an international hit with the sexually charged “I Touch Myself” in the early 1990s, died on April 21 from breast cancer and multiple sclerosis, her husband said. She was 53.

Pat Summerall, the NFL football player turned legendary play-by-play announcer, was best known as a broadcaster who teamed up with former NFL coach John Madden. Summerall died April 16 at the age of 82.

Comedian Jonathan Winters died on April 11 at age 87. Known for his comic irreverence, he had a major influence on a generation of comedians. Here he appears on “The Jonathan Winters Show” in 1956.

Sir Robert Edwards, a “co-pioneer” of the in vitro fertilization technique and Nobel Prize winner, died April 10 in his sleep after a long illness, the University of Cambridge said. He was 87. He is pictured on July 25, 1978, holding the world’s first “test-tube baby,” Louise Joy Brown, alongside the midwife and Dr. Patrick Steptoe, who helped develop the fertility treatment.

Annette Funicello, one of the best-known members of the original 1950s “Mickey Mouse Club” and a star of 1960s “beach party” movies, died at age 70 on April 8. Pictured, Funicello performs with Jimmie Dodd on “The Mickey Mouse Club” in1957.

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a towering figure in postwar British and world politics and the only woman to become British prime minister, died at the age of 87 on Monday, April 8.

Designer Lilly Pulitzer, right, died on April 7 at age 81, according to her company’s Facebook page. The Palm Beach socialite was known for making sleeveless dresses from bright floral prints that became known as the “Lilly” design.

Film critic Roger Ebert died on April 4, according to his employer, the Chicago Sun-Times. He was 70. Ebert had taken a leave of absence on April 2 after a hip fracture was revealed to be cancer.

Jane Nebel Henson, wife of the late Muppets creator Jim Henson and instrumental in the development of the world-famous puppets, died April 2 after a long battle with cancer. She was 78.

Shain Gandee, one of the stars of the MTV reality show “Buckwild,” was found dead with two other people in Kanawha County, West Virginia, on April 1. He was 21.

Music producer and innovator Phil Ramone, right, with Paul Shaffer, left, and Billy Joel at the Song Writers Hall of Fame Awards in New York in 2001. Ramone died March 30 at the age of 72.

Writer/producer Don Payne, one of the creative minds behind “The Simpsons,” died March 26 at his home in Los Angeles after losing a battle with bone cancer, reports say. He was 48.

Gordon Stoker, left, who as part of the vocal group the Jordanaires sang backup on hits by Elvis Presley, died March 27 at 88.

Deke Richards, center, died March 24 at age 68. Richards was a producer and songwriter who was part of the team responsible for Motown hits such as “I Want You Back” and “Maybe Tomorrow.” He had been battling esophageal cancer.

Legendary publisher, promoter and weightlifter Joe Weider, who created the Mr. Olympia contest and brought California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to the United States, died at age 93 on March 23.

Playboy magazine’s 1962 “Playmate of the Year,” Christa Speck Krofft, died March 22 of natural causes at the age of 70.

Rena Golden, who held top positions at CNN, died at age 51 after battling lymphoma for two years on March 21.

Harry Reems, the porn star best known for playing Dr. Young in the 1972 adult film classic “Deep Throat,” died March 19, according to a spokeswoman at a Salt Lake City hospital. Reems, whose real name is Herbert Streicher, was 65.

Bobbie Smith, who as a member of the Spinners sang lead on such hits as “I’ll Be Around” and “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love,” died on March 16 at age 76. Pictured clockwise from left, Spinners band member Pervis Jackson, Billy Henderson, Jonathan Edwards, Bobbie Smith and Henry Fambrough, 1977.

Sweden’s Princess Lilian, the Welsh-born model who lived with her lover Prince Bertil for 30 years before they were married, has died at the age of 97, the Swedish Royal Court saidin a statement.

Alvin Lee, the speed-fingered British guitarist who lit up Woodstock with a monumental 11-minute version of his song “I’m Going Home,” died on March 6, according to his website. He was 68.

Hugo Chavez, the polarizing president of Venezuela who cast himself as a “21st century socialist” and foe of the United States, died March 5, said Vice President Nicolas Maduro.

Bobby Rogers, one of the original members of Motown staple The Miracles, died on Sunday, March 3, at 73. From left: Bobby Rogers, Ronald White, Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore circa 1965.

Actress Bonnie Franklin, star of the TV show “One Day at a Time,” died at the age of 69 on March 1 of complications from pancreatic cancer.

Actor Dale Robertson, who was popular for his western TV shows and movies, died at age 89 on Thursday, February 28.

Richard Street, former member of the Temptations, died at age 70 on February 27. Street, second from the left, poses for a portrait with fellow members of the Temptations circa 1973.

Van Cliburn, the legendary pianist honored with a New York ticker-tape parade for winning a major Moscow competition in 1958, died on February 27 after a battle with bone cancer, his publicist said. He was 78.

Former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop died on February 25. He was 96. Koop served as surgeon general from 1982 to 1989, under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

Damon Harris, former member of the Motown group the Temptations, died at age 62 on February 18. Harris, center on the stool, poses for a portrait with fellow members of The Temptations circa 1974.

Lou Myers, a stage, film and TV actor who memorably portrayed Mr. Gaines on the comedy “A Different World,” died on February 19 at the age of 75.

Los Angeles Laker owner Jerry Buss died February 18 at age 80. Buss, who had owned the Lakers since 1979, was credited with procuring the likes of Earvin “Magic” Johnson, James Worthy, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. The Lakers won 10 NBA championships and 16 Western Conference titles under Buss’ ownership.

Country singer Mindy McCready was found dead on February 17 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said. She was 37. During her career, McCready landed 14 songs and six albums on the Billboard country charts.

Ed Koch, the brash former New York mayor, died February 1 of congestive heart failure at 88, his spokesman said.

Patty Andrews, center, the last surviving member of the Andrews Sisters, died at her Northridge, California, home on January 30, her publicist Alan Eichler said. She was 94. Patty is seen in this 1948 photograph with her sisters Maxene, left, and Laverne.

Baseball Hall of Famer and St. Louis Cardinals great Stan Musial died on January 19, according to his former team. He was 92.

Baseball Hall of Fame manager Earl Sidney Weaver, who led the Baltimore Orioles to four pennants and a World Series title with a pugnacity toward umpires, died January 19 of an apparent heart attack at age 82, Major League Baseball said.

Pauline Phillips, better known to millions of newspaper readers as the original Dear Abby advice columnist, has died after a long battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. She died January 16 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at age 94.

Aaron Swartz, the Internet activist who co-wrote the initial specification for RSS, committed suicide, a relative told CNN on January 12. He was 26. Swartz also co-founded Demand Progress, a political action group that campaigns against Internet censorship.

Claude Nobs, the founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival, died aged 76 following a skiing accident.

Richard Ben Cramer, the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer whose 1992 book “What It Takes” remains one of the most detailed and passionate of all presidential campaign chronicles, died January 7, according to his longtime agent. He was 62.

Director and stuntman David R. Ellis died on January 7. He directed “Snakes on a Plane.”

Tony Lip, who played mob figures in the hit cable show “The Sopranos” and several critically acclaimed movies, died January 4, a funeral home official said. Lip, whose real name was Frank Vallelonga, was 82.

Character actor Ned Wertimer, known to fans of “The Jeffersons” as the doorman Ralph Hart, died on January 2. He was 89.

Pop-country singer Patti Page died on January 1 in Encinitas, California. She was 85. Born Clara Ann Fowler, Page was the best-selling female artist of the 1950s and had 19 gold and 14 platinum singles.

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Photos: People we lost in 2013

Remembering actress Jeanne Cooper

Cooper was already a well-established TV actress when she took the role of Chancellor in 1973. “The Young and the Restless” was struggling in the ratings and its creator, William J. Bell, wanted to spice things up.

Chancellor was colorful from the beginning: a drunk conducting a series of affairs with younger men, as well as one with the best friend of her husband, the wealthy Gary Reynolds.

The character was an immediate hit and Cooper — who had signed a three-year contract — stayed on.

Cooper was instrumental in another storyline 10 years later. In the early ’80s the actress decided to undergo a face lift, so the show’s producers had Chancellor get a face lift as well — it was performed on-screen.

Chancellor was also part of a famed soap opera feud, in her case with Jill Abbott Fenmore (played since 1987 by Jess Walton). At one point the two believed they were mother and daughter; at another, the relationship warmed when Chancellor had a breast cancer scare. The two later became rivals again.

And Chancellor also found herself victim of many classic soap opera twists: conniving suitors, long-lost relatives, multiple marriages and memory lapses.

Cooper enjoyed all the twists and turns. “I never wanted to be a movie star,” she said in an interview, according to Entertainment Weekly. “I always wanted to be an actress, one of the best. And I am.”

Cooper also appeared in episodes of “Perry Mason,” “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” and “The Twilight Zone.”

Cooper married television producer Harry Bernsen Jr. in 1954. The pair divorced in 1977. Cooper is survived by three children, all actors: Corbin, Collin and Caren.

(CNN) — Thinking of having a baby? You may want to consider moving to Finland — the best place in the world to be a mother, according to Save the Children’s 14th Mothers’ Index.

(CNN) — He hasn’t been on court for eight weeks but Roger Federer showed little signs of rustiness as he dispatched Radek Stepanek to move into the third round of the Madrid Open.

The 17-time grand slam winner and defending champion cruised past his Czech opponent, wrapping up a 6-3 6-3 victory in 81 minutes.

The Swiss was last in action in mid-March when he was knocked out of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells by Spain’s Rafael Nadal.

But despite his near two-month absence from competition, the 31-year-old was back in the groove swiftly to set up a meeating with either Japan’s Kei Nishikori or Viktor Troicki of Serbia.

Federer targets more grand slam titles

On the court with ‘Baby Federer’

Women’s tennis top stars talk personal

The story behind Sharapova’s success

Rafael Nadal returns to the court

Tipsarevic’s clay court master class

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Tommy Haas: My daughter motivates me

“So I’m very happy with how things went today. Stepanek is a player who can cause a lot of difficulties in the game. He has caused me difficulties in the past. Today that wasn’t the case. I thought I was pretty much in control.”

Federer, world No. 2, defeated Tomas Berdych in the 2012 Madrid final and is looking for a 22nd ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title, which would see him draw level with Nadal’s tally.

Unlike Federer, the world No. 3, Britain’s Andy Murray, was made to work hard for his place in round three after overcoming Germany’s Florian Mayer 7-6 7-6.

Murray saved five set points in the opener and came from a break down in the second set to register his 400th Tour victory in just over two hours. He will face French No. 16 seed Gilles Simon next.

The 25-year-old told a press conference: “I felt like I hit the ball very well today. I just didn’t return so well. That was the only thing I would have liked to have done better.”

“He served well and hit a lot of aces on those points, but also I wasn’t reading the serve. So even when I was getting to it I was a little bit late and missed a few too many returns.

“Apart from that, I moved very well, which I didn’t do in Monte Carlo, so that’s a big improvement.”

Two top 10 seeds were knocked out on an eventful Tuesday.

Czech Janko Tipsarevic, seeded nine, was beaten 7-6 6-3 by Argentinean Juan Monaco while Richard Gasquet, the French No. 8 seed was defeated 7-5 3-6 6-4 by Daniel Gimeno-Traver, from Spain.

There were also wins for Stanislas Wawrinka, the Swiss No. 16 seed, and Tommy Haas, the No. 13 seed from Germany.

In the women’s draw, Serena Williams beat Spain’s Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-2 7-5. The world No. 1 was then asked about comments about her from American starlet Sloane Stephens.

In an interview with ESPN magazine Stephens, who stunned Williams by beating her in the Australian Open quarterfinals, claimed Serena hadn’t spoken to her since that match in January.

But Williams refused to criticize the 20-year-old and told reporters: “I’m a big Sloane Stephens fan and always have been. I’ve always said that I think she can be the best in the world. I’ll always continue to think that and always be rooting for her.

“I really just always wish her and anyone, really, especially from America the best. We don’t have that many American players, so it’s always exciting to see so many young players doing so well.”

Elsewhere, Mario Bartoli, the French No. 15 seed, recovered from an injury to her ankle as she beat Spaniard Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor 6-4 2-6 6-4.

Germany’s Sabine Lisicki and Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova were also winners, beating Dominika Cibulkova and Nadia Petrova respectively.

(CNN) — I knew I was going to have to climb 538 stairs to get to Kamikura Shrine in Wakayama, Japan.

What I didn’t know was that those steps — leading to the lofty highlight of my Kumano Kodo pilgrimage — would be on a 70-degree incline.

Ever tried climbing a rock face? Or the roof an A-frame house?

Run a rolling pin over your calves a few times and you’ll get an idea of what I was looking at.

Already exhausted from hiking Kumano Kodo’s ancient trails in the Kii Mountains — the route starts about an hour by train from Osaka — the only things pushing me upward were the encouraging smiles from a grandpa, a girl wearing a long maxi-dress and salarymen in stiff shirts and dress pants who walked past me as if they were taking a stroll to the grocery store.

So, was that uphill torture worth it? Of course — what great hike isn’t?

Anyway, the rest of the trail was relatively easy to get through — the biggest obstacle was all the stops for photos.

And there is good reason for that. The views and little stops along the way make this one of the best (and possibly most overlooked) treks on the planet, a glorious march — or in my case, occasional scramble, that includes hot springs retreats, delicious local food and rich cultural insight into a relatively unexplored part of Japan.

When I say unexplored, I mean for international travelers. Though the pilgrimage has been in operation for more than 1,000 years it remains quite off the map for most visitors to Japan who consider Kyoto or Osaka a far enough detour from the main access point of Tokyo.

And this is a good thing — because it means a richer, more peaceful experience for those that make it to Wakayama prefecture and the Kumano Kodo. And for those that think Japan is expensive, food and accommodation prices are better than reasonable.

This guide will give you all to know to capture a truly epic adventure. And like most epic adventures, there’s a bit to it.

 Map: Nakahechi Route, Kumano Kodo

Map: Nakahechi Route, Kumano Kodo

The religious stuff

Before getting too carried away with directions and recommendations, a step back.

Kumano Kodo is the name of a hiking route made up of seven trails that snake through the Kii Mountain Range in Japan’s Wakayama prefecture. As you can see by the inset map it is about 100 km south of Osaka.

It’s one of only two pilgrimages in the world registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (Spain’s Way of St. James is the other.)

To characterize the experience solely as “a pilgrimage” doesn’t do Kumano Kodo justice.

Though there is some stiff competition, Kumano Kodo just might be one of the world’s top nature hikes.

cnn_storypgraph18″The route dates back more than a thousand years, when imperials and aristocrats took weeks-long journeys from as far away as Kyoto to hit up the area’s three major Buddhist/Shinto shrines, Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Hayatama Taisha and Kumano Nachi Taisha.

Together, the trio of shrines is referred to as Kumano Sanzan.

Instead of a 30-day commitment (as walkers doing Way of St. James sign up for), Kumano Kodo’s infrastructure makes it possible even for the exercise-averse or time poor to enjoy the area’s mountains, cedar-filled forests, farms and hot springs.

If you don’t have the strength, time or desire to do the entire pilgrimage — not everyone considers walking 40-plus kilometers a holiday — there are other ways to take in the highlights (the gallery above shows most of those).

Kumano Kodo has a good transportation network that allows hikers to bite off shorter walks by traveling to various points along the route by bus or train.

The full Kumano Kodo hiking experience takes four or five days.

Help from higher authorities

Regardless of spiritual beliefs, most visitors find it’s useful to learn about the local religious culture before embarking on the Kumano Kodo experience.

Along the way, walkers encounter about 100 “oji” (subsidiary shrines of Kumano Sanzan), at which Japanese pilgrims stop and offer prayers.

The oji’s purpose is to enshrine natural landmarks in the area — be it an ancient tree or a majestic waterfall.

Here’s the routine: drop a coin in the donation box in front of the shrine, ring the bell above the box, bow twice and clap twice, pray then bow once more. Got it?

“Any coin is fine, but the most common is the five-yen coin, called ‘goen’ in Japanese,” says Brad Towle, director of Tanabe City’s international tourism promotion and development department.

“It means ‘good relationship’ and offers hopes for a bonding with God.”

Where to start

 In addition to looking for the oji shrines, visitors need to hunt down stamp booths. Those who collect enough stamps will be given a small token at the Hongu information center.

In addition to looking for the oji shrines, visitors need to hunt down stamp booths. Those who collect enough stamps will be given a small token at the Hongu information center.

Among the seven major Kumano Kodo routes, Nakahechi, which stretches from Tanabe City in the west to Shingu in the east, is the most popular and what we are focusing on here.

Local buses run from Tanabe City’s KiiTanabe train station to Takijiri-oji, the entrance of Kumano Kodo and beginning of the Nakahechi route. (Check out the “Getting around” section at the end of this article for the link to an English-language bus schedule.)

Here you’ll find an information center offering details on the route, as well as free bamboo hiking sticks and a booklet to fill with stamps from various landmarks along the hike.

Bamboo stick in hand and five-yen coins in pocket, Kumano Kodo hikers usually reach the Chikatsuyu-oji mini shrine in Nakahechi on the first day. It’s about 16 kilometers from the Takijiri-oji entrance and takes about six hours of walking.

The following day is a whopper — hikers trek 26 kilometers from Chikatsuyu-oji to reach Kumano Hongu Taisha, the first main shrine on this route.

Kumano Hongu Taisha was relocated to its current location from Oyunohara after being salvaged from floods in 1889.

There’s a large exhibition hall and information center nearby with an interesting mix of details on the pilgrimage.

Most pilgrims then take the 90-minute boat ride from Hongu down the Kumano-gawa river to Kumano Hayatama Taisha and Kamikura Shrine in Shingu — the one with all those steps.

(Click on the map above for an enlarged look at all the routes.)

Hayatama Taisha enshrines a beautiful 800-year-old nagi tree; Kamikura Shrine pays tribute to a gigantic rock, Gotobiki-iwa, on top of Gongen Mountain.

Before heading to the last grand shrine of Kumano Nachi Taisha and the stunning Nachi Falls, pilgrims enjoy one of the easiest walks of the journey, which starts from Daimonzaka. (To get there, visitors can hop on one of the regular buses that pass through Shingu and get off at Daimonzaka.) This section of the hike is on a gentle slope made up of cobblestone stairs lined on both sides with gorgeous Japanese cedars.

Scenery aside, it’s a great place to take in some old school cosplay action. Plenty of pilgrims head for Daimonzaka and change into traditional Heian-era kimonos from the 8th century.

 Cosplayers, pilgrim style.

Cosplayers, pilgrim style.

“We dress up in these old kimonos once a month and walk to Kumano Nachi Taisha,” a 27-year-old walker from Osaka named Sanae Takano told me as we shared a stretch of trail.

“It’s the fourth time we’ve visited the Nachi Taisha in traditional kimonos,” added her companion, Toshifumi Kurinobu. “It’s how the earliest pilgrims traveled in ancient times.”

Heian kimonos can be rented at the Daimonzaka Chaya teahouse by hikers who want to dress the part.

Best short route: Hosshinmon-oji to Kumano Hongu Taisha

Another easy walk is the Hosshinmon-oji to Kumano Hongu Taisha route. (See the green line on the map.)

“This walk takes about two hours through forests and farming communities,” says Towle, of Tanabe City’s international tourism promotion and development department. “It ends at Hongu Taisha, the grand shrine.”

When I walked the route, I stopped at the Fushiogami-oji Chaya (tea shop), which is run by a group of volunteers of a local women’s association.

In addition to volunteering at the shop, Matsumoto Seiko leads tours around the Hongu shrine.

“I have led 12 tours in April alone,” said Matsumoto, who was born and raised in the area.

“When I was younger, I was working in Osaka. My accent from the countryside made me very conscious and shy, but since my hometown has been registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, I’m so proud to introduce it to others.”

In addition to tea, the shop serves shiso juice and coffee made from local hot spring water.

Up for a challenge? Try this route, tiger

Fit pilgrims will want to hit the 14.5-kilometer route between Koguchi and Nachi, which is said to be the most challenging section of the pilgrimage.

“It’s a three-hour hike up the mountain from the 60-meter high village of Koguchi to 800 meters at the peak,” says Towle.

“Going down the other way to Nachi is just as bad. That’s why it has a nickname — ‘sore-back slope.’”

Where to stay

 Just your average Wakayama breakfast at an onsen guesthouse.

Just your average Wakayama breakfast at an onsen guesthouse.

Chikatsuyu-oji and Kumano Hongu Taisha are the towns where most Kumano Kodo visitors crash for the night — both offer plenty of accommodation options.

With its three historic onsen (hot spring) areas, Hongu is particularly popular.

Yunomine Onsen has a small public booth beneath the bridge and a public hot spring pool. Wataze Onsen has a public swimming pool that can be accessed for a nominal fee.

 Tuna sashimi never tastes the same after trying the fresh local version in Tanabe City.

Tuna sashimi never tastes the same after trying the fresh local version in Tanabe City.

Bonito tuna is a star, whether eaten raw or the creative soft-fried version found in Bodai, Nachi-Katsuura.

In Tanabe City, there are more than 200 restaurants cramped in a few alleys that make up Ajikoji, or Corner of Tastes.

While fish markets usually open early in the morning, the port of Tanabe City operates in the afternoon servicing local restaurants.

(CNN) — The arts are thriving in the Arabian Gulf. From Doha to the smallest state of the United Arab Emirates, museums and galleries are making an ambitious mark on the Middle East’s cultural landscape.

On display are not only artistic expressions ranging from the ancient to the contemporary but also a showcase of the ethnic diversity and rich heritage of the region.

In Doha, the capital of Qatar, the Museum of Islamic Art stands on its own man-made island, just off the city’s waterfront.

“It’s not only about the religion itself, but it talks about the combination of cultures, the people of different ethnic groups all coming together to produce this wonderful art,” says Aisha al-Khater, the museum’s director.

Artist blurs cultural borders

The museum, which has only been around for five years, has become one of Doha’s most popular tourist attractions. The collection inside spans over 14 centuries and includes artifacts such as ceramics, carpets and coins. Even the building is something of a work of art: it was designed by the renowned Chinese American architect I.M. Pei.

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Daughter hopes mom ‘rots in hell’

In her book “The Narcissism Epidemic,” Jean Twenge argues that we live in a culture that not only tolerates, but also encourages, “being true to ourselves” and “never compromising.” This can extend to parenthood, as more and more mothers and fathers resist the notion that parenthood is necessarily life changing — and perhaps not all it’s cracked up to be.

(CNN) — The stars of tennis took time out from their French Open preparations Sunday to honor the man who helped them become some of the highest-paid athletes in the world.

Brad Drewett passed away Friday, aged 54, succumbing to the motor neurone disease that had forced him to step down as head of the men’s ATP World Tour.

Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Serena Williams led a minute’s silence ahead of the start of the Madrid Masters, while similar tributes were held at tournaments in Portugal and Germany.

“Brad wasn’t just the president of the ATP but was a player himself, a board member,” Federer said on the ATP website.

“He’s given so much time and effort to the ATP, and I think this is really what we will try to honor in a small way today.”

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Drewett reached a career-high 34 in the world rankings, but his efforts in administration had far bigger impact on the game, from his time on the players’ council to running the ATP’s Middle East, Asia and Pacific operations before becoming president in early 2012.

The Australian took the end-of-season championship to China as part of tennis’ global spread in the early 2000s, and then brought it to London where it has become a lucrative moneyspinner and showpiece for the ATP.

He has also been credited with getting the players a larger share of prize money from the four grand slam tournaments since he took over the top role a year and half ago.

“He was always very nice to work with. Very honest. Very nice. Gentle,” said 17-time grand slam winner Federer.

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“I’ve really enjoyed every step of the way working with him. For me, it was hard seeing him not be the same anymore towards the end physically. But we can only appreciate what he’s done for us and what he did until the last moment he really possibly could.

“That will never go away. I’m sure that the ATP and the players will come up with something for the legacy of Brad Drewett. It’s very important.”

Nadal said Drewett was “a very loved person” on the circuit.

“The only thing we can do is say thank you for everything he has done for our sport, all the support, and all the good things he has done these years to help us and to help us to have a better sport. It’s a sad moment for all of us.”

World No. 2 Federer is returning to action this week to defend his Madrid title, having recovered from the back injury that hampered him at Indian Wells in March.

Read: The burden of ‘Baby Federer’

Like Nadal, he is happy that the Spanish event has reverted to traditional red clayafter experimenting with a blue surface last year that was roundly condemned by many players and subsequently banned by the ATP.

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“There was a lot of criticism about the color, about the quality of the court as well, being extremely slippery,” he told reporters.

“I don’t know if that was due to the color, but this tournament has in the past had issues with the quality of the court. I think through what happened last year with the controversy around the blue clay, it was a big eye opener to have a proper court here now.

“I think this year, from what I’m hearing from the players, it’s a good quality court and the players are happy. In the process, hopefully we’ll see better tennis this year.”

Top-ranked Djokovic, who ended Nadal’s eight-year reign in Monte Carlo last month, is also happier with the new surface.

“The court is great. The one where I practiced is great. I haven’t practiced on the center court yet, but I’ll try to do that tonight to get a little feel about it,” the Serbian said.

Nadal bounced back from his Monte Carlo final defeat to win the Barcelona Open title for the eighth time in nine years.

“The courts were not at the level to play professionally last year,” he told reporters.

“Fortunately this year they are very good. In Madrid, we have the problem of the dry climate, so it’s very difficult to have the clay that settles down properly.”

The women’s tournament is also packed with top names, as defending champion Williams seeks to protect her No. 1 ranking from the challenge of in-form Maria Sharapova — who will go top if she wins the title.

Williams made a slow start to her opening match against Kazakh qualifier Yulia Putintseva on Sunday before winning 7-6 (7-5) 6-1.

However, her older sister Venus was forced to withdraw ahead of her match against Spain’s Anabel Medina Garrigues due to a back injury.

Chinese fifth seed Li Na crashed out, losing 6-3 6-2 to 18-year-old American Madison Keys.

Former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki continued her decline, as the Danish 10th seed lost 6-2 6-4 to another Kazakh player, Yaroslava Shvedova.

Czech eighth seed Petra Kvitova, the 2011 Madrid champion, went through to round two along with Poland’s world No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska.

Meanwhile, veteran Tommy Haas won the Munich Open on Sunday, beating fellow German Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3 7-6 (7-3) 13 years after losing in his previous final appearance in the clay event.

The 35-year-old, a former world No. 2, will now climb to 13th in the rankings.

It was the first all-German final in Munich since 1965, and Kohlschreiber was unable to defend his title — having also won it in 2007.

In Oeiras, Stanislas Wawrinka upset top seed and world No. 4 David Ferrer 6-1 6-4 to win the Portugal Open on Sunday.

It was the 28-year-old Swiss’ fourth career title, and first since January 2011.