SPORTS News:

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"In the wake of the [Jack] Abramoff scandal, there's a greater-than-ever hesitancy among golfers to admit they play. [Republican lobbyist Jack] Abramoff is the former high-powered lobbyist who pleaded guilty in 2006 to charges involving fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public officials. Luxury golf junkets to Scotland were among the things that got him in trouble." ... "For now, mum's the word among many D.C. golfers. Even Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, a longtime player whose 14.5 Index hasn't been updated since 2000, declined to approximate his handicap, saying he hasn't been playing enough to have one. Same for [Oregon Republican Senator] Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore. [Republican-Oregon]) and [Arizona Democratic Representative] Rep. Ed Pastor (D-Ariz. [Democratic-Arizona]). Freshman [Nevada Republican Representative] Rep. Dean Heller (R-Nev. [Republican-Nevada]), a member of the Republican "Ryder Cup" team, also declined to reveal a handicap. [former Georgia Republican Representative] Newt Gingrich, a proud 47-handicapper as a new golfer in 2005, doesn't admit to playing, either."

China - Sports - Industry - People - Environment - Politics - "Olympics water diversion threatens millions." ... "The diversion of water to Beijing [China] for the Olympics and for big hydropower projects threatens the lives of millions of peasant farmers in China’s north-western provinces, according to a senior Chinese government official." ... "In an interview with the Financial Times, An Qiyuan, a member and former chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Committee for Shaanxi province and former Communist party chief of Shaanxi, warned of an impending social and environmental disaster because of overuse of scarce water resources." ... "Beijing will need an estimated 300m cubic metres of additional water just to flush out the polluted and stagnant rivers, canals and lakes in its central areas to put on a clean, environmentally-friendly face for Olympic visitors, according to municipal officials." -By Jamil Anderlini -FT.com

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China - Sudan - Sports - Politics - US - Entertainer - Human - Human Rights - Oil - Military - "China loses Spielberg over Darfur." ... "Scott Jagow: Steven Spielberg will have nothing to do with the Summer Olympics in Beijing [China]. Yesterday, Spielberg withdrew as an artistic advisor for the opening and closing ceremonies. The director says he can't be associated with China's policies toward an African nation in conflict." ... "Bill Marcus: China's a big oil customer of Sudan. China also supplies Sudan with weapons. That's why Spielberg says he quit. He said China should do more to help end the human suffering in Sudan's Darfur region." ... "Human rights activists say Spielberg's move sets a moral standard." -By Scott Jagow and Bill Marcus -Marketplace via -PublicRadio.org

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Illegal - Sports - Drugs - Business - Politics - Maine - "A Debt of Gratitude Owed to Tom Davis." ... "On Tuesday morning before a standing-room only crowd in Room 2154 of the Sam Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill, former Senate Majority Leader [Maine Democratic Senator] George Mitchell, D-Maine — a man who almost single-handedly could give politics a good name — speaking in cogent and complete paragraphs commanded the entire room's attention." ... "Mitchell, the author of a 409-page report on the illegal use of steroids and performance-enhancing drugs by 86 Major League Baseball players was the leadoff witness on hearings on that subject called by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform." ... "George Mitchell, who brokered peace in war-torn Northern Ireland, and who, if the gods were just, would have been either president or chief justice, or both, wears no man's collar. His indictment spared nobody in a position of influence: "Everybody involved in baseball over the past two decades — commissioners, club officials, the players' association and players — shares to some extent the responsibility for the steroids era."-Mark Shields -Creators.com 

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Germany - China - Human Rights - Journalists - Religious - Sports - Global - "Germany's Merkel prods China on rights." ... "German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday pressed China to improve human rights and take on greater international responsibilities as its global influence grows." ... "China has been criticised by many in the West for its treatment of journalists, minority and religious groups, a subject that has gained weight in the run-up to the Beijing Olympic Games next year." -Reuters via -Guardian.co.uk

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China - Environmental - Health - Politics - Air - Land - Water - Coal - Weather - Science - Industrial - History - International - South Korea - Japan - USA - California - Los Angeles - EU- Sports - Children - "As China Roars, Pollution Reaches Deadly Extremes." ... "No country in history has emerged as a major industrial power without creating a legacy of environmental damage that can take decades and big dollops of public wealth to undo." ... "But just as the speed and scale of China’s rise as an economic power have no clear parallel in history, so its pollution problem has shattered all precedents. Environmental degradation is now so severe, with such stark domestic and international repercussions, that pollution poses not only a major long-term burden on the Chinese public but also an acute political challenge to the ruling Communist Party. And it is not clear that China can rein in its own economic juggernaut." ... "Public health is reeling. Pollution has made cancer China’s leading cause of death, the Ministry of Health says. Ambient air pollution alone is blamed for hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. Nearly 500 million people lack access to safe drinking water." ... "Chinese cities often seem wrapped in a toxic gray shroud. Only 1 percent of the country’s 560 million city dwellers breathe air considered safe by the European Union. Beijing [China's capital] is frantically searching for a magic formula, a meteorological deus ex machina, to clear its skies for the 2008 Olympics." ... "Environmental woes that might be considered catastrophic in some countries can seem commonplace in China: industrial cities where people rarely see the sun; children killed or sickened by lead poisoning or other types of local pollution; a coastline so swamped by algal red tides that large sections of the ocean no longer sustain marine life." ... "China is choking on its own success. The economy is on a historic run, posting a succession of double-digit growth rates. But the growth derives, now more than at any time in the recent past, from a staggering expansion of heavy industry and urbanization that requires colossal inputs of energy, almost all from coal, the most readily available, and dirtiest, source." ... "China’s problem has become the world’s problem. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides spewed by China’s coal-fired power plants fall as acid rain on Seoul, South Korea [capital], and Tokyo [Japan's capital]. Much of the particulate pollution over Los Angeles [California, USA] originates in China, according to the Journal of Geophysical Research." (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) -By Joseph Kahn and Jim Yardley -NYTimes 

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US - Afghanistan - Saudi Arabia - Political - Sports - Military - "'Blasphemous' U.S. Soccer Balls Anger Afghans: U.S. Official Claims Misunderstanding, Saying, 'We Do Not Want to Offend'." ... "A demonstration has been held in south-east Afghanistan accusing U.S. troops of insulting Islam after they distributed soccer balls bearing the name of Allah." ... "The balls showed the Saudi Arabian flag, which features the Koranic declaration of faith." ... "The U.S. military said the idea had been to give something for Afghan children to enjoy and they did not realise it would cause offense." ... "Afghan MP Mirwais Yasini said: "To have a verse of the Koran on something you kick with your foot would be an insult in any Muslim country around the world."" -By Alastair Leithead -BBCNews via -ABCNEWS.com

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Don Imus - Racism - Money - Radio - Media - Job - Civil Rights - Sports - Women - Politics - "Don Imus Sued by Rutgers Basketball Player." ... "Don Imus is facing his first lawsuit from a player on the Rutgers Women's Basketball team for derogatory comments that cost him his job as a radio host in April, ABC News has learned." ... "Of the networks that aired "Imus in the Morning," the lawsuit alleges that they "wrongfully, intentionally, willfully ... created, tolerated and maintained an atmosphere in which the making of outrageous statements and comments was acceptable, encouraged, and/or rewarded for many years prior to this occurrence and/or overtly encouraged the statements made."" ... "The lawsuit alleges that use of the slanderous terms was intentional and motivated by greed and financial gain: In using insults against otherwise innocent people, Imus would get higher ratings, making more money for him and his employers. Among other infractions, the suit alleges that Imus violated the players' civil rights." ... "Earlier today, The Associated Press reported that Imus had reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with former employer CBS over his firing. ABC News has learned that Imus could be back to broadcasting as early as January, and is being courted by major media outlets. That settlement, said [attorney Richard] Ancowitz, rewards Imus while leaving little justice for the women of the Rutgers basketball team." (1, 2) -By Lara Setrakian with contributions by Michelle Ruiz and Lauren Pearle -ABCNEWS.com

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China - Sudan - US - 2008 Election - Oil - Military - Manufacturing - Journalists - Human Rights - Sports - Illinois - New Mexico - "China Is Becoming an Issue in 2008 Race." ... "When [2008 election] Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama said in a recent debate that ``the center of gravity in this world is shifting to Asia,'' he had one nation clearly in mind." ... "``China is rising and it's not going away,'' said the senator from Illinois. ``They're neither our enemy nor our friend. They're competitors.''" ... "More than a year before the 2008 election, China - occasionally as partner, more often as adversary and potential vote-getter - is also rising as an issue among the candidates for president." ... "Many of the comments, however, have been complaints, as candidates work to connect with voters increasingly worried about China's huge military buildup, its flood of goods into the U.S., its ability to influence violence in Sudan's Darfur region, its repression of minorities, dissidents and journalists." ... "A recurring theme has been that China must do more to use its oil-buying leverage with Sudan to end rape and murder in Darfur." ... "In a June debate, [2008 election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Democrat Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, suggested that if China does not put more pressure on Sudan, ``we say to them, maybe we won't go to the Olympics.''" -By Foster Klug -AP via -Guardian.co.uk 

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Sports - Drug - Law - San Francisco - California - "Bonds Sets Baseball's Home Run Record: Giants Slugger Passes Aaron With No. 756." ... "Seven fifty-five, the most cherished number in baseball if not all of American sports, lived a good, long, noble life. Spawned from the powerful bat of an aging slugger named Hank Aaron on July 20, 1976, it grew in stature over the years, surviving the occasional challenge and ruling over the record book even as other, lesser records fell. But on a cool Tuesday night near the shores of San Francisco Bay [San Francisco, California], 755 finally perished at the hands of a relentless, controversial invader from the west named Barry Lamar Bonds. Seven fifty-five is gone. Behold, 756." ... "Only three players in the last 86 years have held the sport's signature mark. Babe Ruth first captured it in 1921, then surrendered it posthumously to Aaron in 1974. And now, for better or worse, it belongs to Bonds." ... "Across the land, baseball fans, including many who play and run the game, are unsure what to make of 756 because of the player who struck it. Bonds is alleged to have used steroids beginning in the late 1990s, fueling a late-career explosion in offensive production that is unparalleled in baseball history. Even as Bonds took aim at Aaron's record this summer, a grand jury continued to investigate him for possible perjury and tax evasion charges stemming from his involvement with an alleged steroids ring." ... ""This record is not tainted," Bonds said in his postgame news conference. "It's not tainted at all. At all. Period. You guys [in the media] can say whatever you want."" -By Dave Sheinin -WashingtonPost

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US - Afghanistan - California - Arizona - Sports - Pat Tillman - Military - Politics - "Retired general censured in Tillman case." ... "The Army censured a retired three-star general Tuesday for a "perfect storm of mistakes, misjudgments and a failure of leadership" after the 2004 friendly-fire death in Afghanistan of Army Ranger Pat Tillman." ... "Army Secretary Pete Geren asked a military review panel to decide whether Lt. Gen. Philip Kensinger, who led Army special forces operations in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 attacks, should also have his rank reduced." ... "Geren said he considered recommending a court-martial for Kensinger but ruled it out." ... "[California Democratic Senator] Sen. Barbara Boxer and [California Democratic Representative] Rep. Mike Honda, both Democrats from Tillman's home state of California, said there still too many unanswered questions." ... ""We still don't know the full story about the way the Pentagon and this [Republican President Bush] administration managed this tragedy," Boxer said in a statement. "In my view, the Army should reconsider today's announcement and instead move forward with harsher penalties."" ... "Geren said that investigations have conclusively shown that accidental fire from U.S. troops was responsible for the death in Afghanistan of Tillman, who had walked away from a $3.6 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals [football team] to become an Army Ranger." -By Richard Lardner and Erica Werner with contributions by Scott Lindlaw -AP via -Yahoo 

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Iraq - Saudi Arabia - US - Military - "Inspired Iraq claims Asian Cup crown." ... "Iraq won the Asian Cup for the first time Sunday, a beacon of hope for a nation divided by war." ... "Iraq's 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia on a 71st-minute header by captain Younis Mahmoud was an inspirational triumph for a team whose players straddle bitter and violent ethnic divides. After the game, Mahmoud called for the United States to withdraw its troops from his nation." ... ""I want America to go out," he said. "Today, tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, but out. I wish the American people didn't invade Iraq and, hopefully, it will be over soon."" -By Chris Lines -AP via -Yahoo 

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US - Afghanistan - Pat Tillman - Medical - Science - Censorship - Military - Law - Politics - Sports - "AP: New Details on Tillman's Death." ... "Army medical examiners were suspicious about the close proximity of the three bullet holes in Pat Tillman's forehead and tried without success to get authorities to investigate whether the former NFL player's death amounted to a crime, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press." ... ""The medical evidence did not match up with the, with the scenario as described," a doctor who examined Tillman's body after he was killed on the battlefield in Afghanistan in 2004 told investigators." ... "The doctors - whose names were blacked out - said that the bullet holes were so close together that it appeared the Army Ranger was cut down by an M-16 fired from a mere 10 yards or so away." ... "No evidence at all of enemy fire was found at the scene - no one was hit by enemy fire, nor was any government equipment struck." ... "The Pentagon and the [Republican President] Bush administration have been criticized in recent months for lying about the circumstances of Tillman's death. The military initially told the public and the Tillman family that he had been killed by enemy fire." -By Martha Mendoza with contributions by Scott Lindlaw and Lolita C. Baldor -AP via -Forbes 

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Pat Tillman - Secret - Government - Military - Media- Politics - Sports - People - "White House Denies Request for Documents in Ex-NFL Player's Death." ... "The [Republican President Bush] White House has refused to give Congress documents about the death of former NFL player Pat Tillman, with White House counsel Fred F. Fielding saying that certain papers relating to discussion of the friendly-fire shooting "implicate Executive Branch confidentiality interests."" ... "The military at first concocted a heroic story about how Tillman, a specialist posthumously promoted to corporal, had been killed in a fierce firefight with the enemy, despite obvious evidence that he had been shot by his own men at close range." -By Josh White -WashingtonPost 

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China - Sports - Business - Child - Poverty - Human Rights - Law - Politics - "Ahead of Olympics, China faces charges of child labor:The negative publicity comes at a sensitive moment for Beijing as it seeks to burnish its international image." ... "When a British-based labor consortium charged this week that factory workers as young as 12 are toiling to produce gear and souvenirs licensed by Beijing [China's capital] for its 2008 Olympics, China's reaction was swift." ... "Beijing officials announced they would deal "seriously" with factories that violate China's "very strict" labor codes. But the negative publicity – along with other reports that the problem goes beyond production of Olympic-related memorabilia – comes at a sensitive moment for Beijing as it seeks to burnish its international image ahead of the games." ... "Some observers say that the latest reports represent a weak point in China's otherwise strong record of enforcing child labor laws – especially at a time when child labor is on the decline worldwide." ... "Playfair Alliance, which targets sporting goods and athletic merchandise, reported this week that child labor in China is not limited to a few factories making Olympic souvenirs but may be a growing, potentially widespread problem spurred by increasing labor shortages and rural poverty." (1, 2, 3) -By Kathleen E. McLaughlin -CSMonitor

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Abramoff - Mark Zachares - Government - Money - Politics - Sports - Alaska - Transportation - "Ex-Congressional Aide Charged in Probe of Abramoff (Update2)." ... "A former [Republican] U.S. congressional aide was charged with using his position to help disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff in exchange for food, tickets to sporting events, a golf trip to Scotland and the promise of future employment." ... "Mark Zachares, 49, was charged with conspiracy in a criminal information filed in federal court, which indicates the defendant has agreed to plead guilty." ... "Court documents said Zachares used his post as staff director of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Coast Guard and Maritime subcommittee to help Abramoff land clients and obtain favorable congressional action. Zachares agreed to use his committee position to retaliate against companies that hired other lobbyists, the document said." ... "Abramoff, once one of the Republican Party's best-connected and most powerful lobbyists, is in jail for fraud after pleading guilty in two separate cases." ... "Steve Hansen, a spokesman for Representative Don Young, an Alaska Republican who was chairman of the House Transportation committee when Zachares worked for the panel, didn't immediately return a call seeking comment." ... "Zachares is the 10th person charged in the Abramoff investigation and the fifth former congressional aide." -By Jonathan D. Salant and Cary O'Reilly -Bloomberg

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US - Korea -  John Doolittle - Brent Wilkes - Abramoff - Buckham - DeLay - Politician - Lawmaker - Government - Military - Money - Sports - Virginia - Calif - Texas - "FBI searches Republican lawmaker’s home." ... "The FBI searched the Virginia home of [California Republican Representative] Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.) last Friday in its investigation into ties between the congressman and his wife, Julie, and disgraced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, according to law enforcement and other Congressional and K Street sources." ... "Doolittle used Abramoff’s luxury sports box for a fundraiser without initially reporting it to the Federal Election Commission." ... "Doolittle also has been under fire for paying his wife’s company, Sierra Dominion Financial Solutions, a 15 percent commission on all contributions that the company raised for Doolittle’s campaign committee and leadership PAC. Her only other clients were Abramoff’s former firm, Greenberg Traurig; Abramoff’s former restaurant Signatures; and the Korea-U.S. Exchange Council, which Ed Buckham, a former chief of staff to ex-Majority Leader [Texas Republican Representative] Tom DeLay (R-Texas), created." ... "Doolittle also received contributions from indicted defense contractor Brent Wilkes and his associates, and investigators are probing whether those contributions are linked to any official action Doolittle took to help Wilkes’ company obtain millions of dollars in government earmarks." -By Mike Soraghan and Susan Crabtree -TheHill.com 

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Imus - Racist - Gay - Woman - Journalist - Politician - Radio - Business - University - Women's - Sports - Opinion - "[Howard] Kurtz: "Imus made fun of blacks, Jews, gays, politicians. He called them lying weasels. This was part of his charm"." ... "On April 12, during a report on the controversy sparked by Don Imus' remarks about the Rutgers University women's basketball team, ABC's World News aired comments by Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz, in which he said: "Over the years, Imus made fun of blacks, Jews, gays, politicians. He called them lying weasels. This was part of his charm." Kurtz's quote aired shortly after CBS Radio announced it would discontinue broadcasting Imus in the Morning." ... "Despite Imus' propensity for incendiary remarks, Kurtz has previously been a guest on the Imus program, a fact he acknowledged in his April 12 Washington Post column. Kurtz wrote: "Journalists like me who have gone on Imus's show have done so because we enjoyed the opportunity to talk about politics and media without the stuffiness of so many other programs. And it's probably true that too many of us looked the other way when he went over the line with some of his cruder comedy bits." Yet, as Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting documented, Kurtz wrote in his 1996 book, Hot Air (Crown) that "Imus's sexist, homophobic, and politically incorrect routines echo what many journalists joke about in private."" -MediaMatters.org

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Radio - TV - Business - Opinion - University - Women's - Sports -People - Gay - Religion- Politics - Don Imus - "It's not just Imus." ... "On April 11, NBC News announced that it was dropping MSNBC's simulcast of Imus in the Morning in the wake of the controversy that erupted over host Don Imus' reference to the Rutgers University women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos." The following day, CBS president and CEO Leslie Moonves announced that CBS -- which owns both the radio station that broadcast Imus' program and Westwood One, which syndicated the program -- has fired Imus and would cease broadcasting his radio show. But as Media Matters for America has extensively documented, bigotry and hate speech targeting, among other characteristics, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and ethnicity continue to permeate the airwaves through personalities such as Glenn Beck, Neal Boortz, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Michael Savage, Michael Smerconish, and John Gibson." -MediaMatters.org

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Don Imus - Radio - Media - University - Women's - Sports - People - Politics - "CBS Fires Don Imus Over Racial Slur: Dismissal Caps Week Of Uproar Over Radio Host's Comments About Rutgers Women's Basketball Team." ... "CBS announced Thursday that it has fired Don Imus from his radio program, following a week of uproar over the radio host's derogatory comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team." ... ""There has been much discussion of the effect language like this has on our young people, particularly young women of color trying to make their way in this society," CBS President and Chief Executive Officer Leslie Moonves said in announcing the decision." ... "One of those discussions took place at noon today with a coalition of leaders from the civil rights and women's movements, who said it was time for Imus to go, reports CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes." ... "Losing Imus will be a financial hit to CBS Radio, which also suffered when shock jock Howard Stern departed for satellite radio early last year. The program is worth about $15 million in annual revenue to CBS, which owns Imus' home radio station, WFAN-AM in New York, and manages Westwood One, the company that syndicates the show across the country. CBS Corp. is also the parent company of CBSNews.com." (1, 2) -AP -CBSNews 

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Don Imus - TV - Radio - Employee - University - Women's - Sports- Civil Righs - Advertising - Politics - "MSNBC Drops Imus Program Amid Furor Over Remarks." ... "MSNBC said Wednesday it will drop its simulcast of the "Imus in the Morning" radio program. The decision comes amid growing outrage about radio host Don Imus' demeaning comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team." ... "Imus triggered the uproar on his April 4 show when he referred to the mostly black Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos." His comments have been widely denounced by civil rights and women's groups." ... "The program originates from New York radio station WFAN and is syndicated to other radio stations by CBS Radio. Both, like CBSNews.com, are part of CBS Corp." ... "MSNBC's decision to drop the simulcast came after a growing list of sponsors — including American Express Co., Staples Inc., Procter & Gamble Co., and General Motors Corp. — said they were pulling ads from Imus' show for the indefinite future." -WCBStv.com

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John Edwards - Free Speech - 2008 Election - Don Imus - Media - Entertainment - Business - Politics - Language - Women - University - Sports - "Edwards On Imus Spat: 'I Believe In Forgiveness: Presidential Candidate Stays Mum On Future Imus Appearances." ... "Democratic Presidential candidate John Edwards' spoke exclusively to CBS 2 on Wednesday morning about the Don Imus and Rutgers University controversy, and though he feels Imus deserves a second chance, he wasn't so sure about his future on Imus' popular radio show." ... ""I believe in redemption, I believe in forgiveness," Edwards said of Imus, who was suspended earlier in the week after calling the Rutgers women's basketball team "nappy headed hos."" ... "Unlike candidates Rudy Giuliani and John McCain, who say they will continue to appear on Imus' radio show, Edwards says he hasn't seen enough from the shock jock to make that decision just yet." ... ""What he said is wrong because it's wrong. It has to be condemned, we have to speak out when people use this kind of language," Edwards said. "This is a very serious matter, it should be taken very seriously."" -By Marcia Kramer -WCBStv.com 

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2008 Election - Don Imus - Media - Television - Humor - Business - Employee - Language - Censorship - Politics - Women - University - Sports - Daughters- Human Rights - People - Illinois - "Obama: Fire Imus: [Illinois Democratic Senator and Democratic Presidential candidate] Obama [is] First White House Contender to Call for Imus' Firing Over Racial Slur." ... "In an interview with ABC News Wednesday afternoon, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., called for the firing of talk radio host Don Imus. Obama said he would never again appear on Imus' show, which is broadcast on CBS Radio and MSNBC television." ... ""I understand MSNBC has suspended Mr. Imus," Obama told ABC News, "but I would also say that there's nobody on my staff who would still be working for me if they made a comment like that about anybody of any ethnic group. And I would hope that NBC ends up having that same attitude."" ... "Obama said he appeared once on Imus' show two years ago, and "I have no intention of returning."" ... ""He didn't just cross the line," Obama said. "He fed into some of the worst stereotypes that my two young daughters are having to deal with today in America. The notions that as young African-American women — who I hope will be athletes — that that somehow makes them less beautiful or less important. It was a degrading comment. It's one that I'm not interested in supporting."" ... "Tuesday, the basketball team held a press conference." ... ""I think that this has scarred me for life," said Matee Ajavon. "We grew up in a world where racism exists, and there's nothing we can do to change that."" ... ""What we've been seeing around this country is this constant ratcheting up of a coarsening of the culture that all of have to think about," Obama said." ... ""Insults, humor that degrades women, humor that is based in racism and racial stereotypes isn't fun," the senator told ABC News." ... ""And the notion that somehow it's cute or amusing, or a useful diversion, I think, is something that all of us have to recognize is just not the case. We all have First Amendment rights. And I am a constitutional lawyer and strongly believe in free speech, but as a culture, we really have to do some soul-searching to think about what kind of toxic information are we feeding our kids," he concluded." (1, 2) -By Jake Tapper with contributions by Clayton Sandell -ABCNEWS.com 

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Newspaper - TV - Consumer - Internet - Ads - Illinois - Sports - "Tribune takes Zell's $8.2B buyout offer." ... "Tribune Co. spent six months searching for the best way to boost its lagging stock price." ... "In the end, the solution was barely a mile from the media company's Gothic headquarters on the Chicago River [Chicago, Illinois]." ... "After a board meeting that lasted until almost midnight, Tribune announced Monday morning that it would go private, selling itself for $8.2 billion, excluding debt, to Chicago real estate mogul Sam Zell." ... "Zell, who earned a reputation for reviving undervalued properties, is now charged with turning around the fortunes of the nation's second-largest newspaper company, which like much of the industry is losing readers and advertisers to the Internet." ... "Among his first acts? Sell the storied Chicago Cubs baseball team and use the proceeds to pay down debt." ... "Opponents of media consolidation predicted a staunch fight with regulators in Washington, especially regarding Tribune's cross-ownership of TV stations and newspapers in the same media market." -By Ashley M. Heher with contributions by Dave Carpenter and Wiley Hall -AP via -BusinessWeek

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Rove - Abramoff - Ralston - Sports - Entertainment - Money - Government - Intelligence - Northern Mariana Islands - E-Mail - Safavian - "Rove Aide Linked To Abramoff Resigns: Scandal Claims Its First West Wing Job." ... "A top aide to White House strategist Karl Rove resigned yesterday after disclosures that she accepted gifts from and passed information to now-convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, becoming the first official in the West Wing to lose a job in the influence-peddling scandal." ... "Susan B. Ralston submitted her resignation to avoid causing political damage to President Bush a month before the midterm elections, officials said. "She did not want to be a distraction to the White House at this important time," said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino." ... "A congressional report showed last week that Ralston accepted sometimes-pricey tickets to nine sports and entertainment events from Abramoff while she provided him with inside White House information. The bipartisan report said there is no evidence that Rove knew of or approved of Ralston's actions, and sources said yesterday that the White House was surprised by the report's revelations." ... "The only other White House official caught up in the probe has been David H. Safavian, the procurement chief for the Office of Management and Budget, who was convicted in June of lying about his ties to Abramoff." ... "As a former Abramoff assistant, Ralston played intermediary between the lobbyist and Rove. The congressional report found 66 Abramoff contacts with the White House, more than half of them with Ralston. In addition, Abramoff's lobbying colleagues contacted Ralston 69 times." ... "On Oct. 21, 2001, Ralston e-mailed Abramoff that Rove had read an Abramoff memo about a political endorsement in the Mariana Islands governor's race, a little-noticed election but one important to Abramoff because he had lucrative clients there. Ralston reported to Abramoff that Rove had agreed, writing the next day: "You win :)."" (1, 2) -By Peter Baker and James V. Grimaldi-WashingtonPost 

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George Allen - Virginia - College - Sports - Political - Terrorism - History - 2008 Election - 2006 Election - "New 'N Word' Woe For George Allen: Well-Known Professor Says Va. Senator Used Racial Slur; Allen Denies It." ... "A noted political scientist joined one of [Virginia Republican] Sen. George Allen's former college football teammates in claiming the senator used a racial slur to refer to blacks in the early 1970s, a claim Allen dismisses as "ludicrously false."" ... "Larry J. Sabato, one of Virginia's most-quoted political science professors and a classmate of Allen's in the early 1970s, said in a televised interview Monday that Allen used the epithet." ... "Sabato's assertion came on the heels of accusations by Dr. Ken Shelton, a radiologist who was a tight end and wide receiver for the University of Virginia in the early 1970s when Allen was quarterback. He said Allen not only used the n-word frequently but also once stuffed a severed deer head into a black family's mailbox." ... "Separately, the Washington Post reported that Christopher Taylor, 59, an anthropologist at the University of Alabama, said that during a visit to Allen's Virginia home in 1982, Allen referred to turtles in a pond on his property and said that only "the [racial slur] eat them."" ... "Allen, a Republican, has been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2008. Questions about racial insensitivity have dogged him during his [2006] re-election bid against Democrat Jim Webb." -AP via -CBSNews 

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Secret - Reporters - Business - Sports - Drugs- San Francisco - California - "Reporters must testify over Bonds leak." ... "A federal judge told two San Francisco Chronicle [California newspaper] reporters they must comply with a subpoena and tell a grand jury who leaked them secret testimony of Barry Bonds and other elite athletes ensnared in the government's steroid probe." ... "The decision by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White means reporters Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada must appear before a grand jury investigating the leak unless a higher court blocks the ruling. The pair have said they would not testify and would go to jail rather than reveal their source or sources." ... "The Hearst Corp., owner of the Chronicle, argued that the reporters should be immune to testifying because of a combination of factors, including the First Amendment." ... "Hearst said the leak doesn't involve national security and that a lot of good has come from the writers' reporting." -By David Kravets -AP via -USATODAY

Search the case: <United States v. Fainaru-Wada, 06-90225> via <Google-[News]>

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Somalia - Religion - Military - Law - Entertainment - Sports - TV - "Somali anger over World Cup ban." ... "People in Mogadishu say an Islamist militia which has taken control of most of the city is preventing them from watching the football World Cup on TV." ... "Residents are angry at apparent moves by the militiamen now patrolling the streets to close down cinemas whose proprietors had arranged to show satellite television pictures of World Cup matches taking place in Germany." ... "It is not clear whether the new Islamist rulers in the city have a problem with people watching football." ... "Their spokesman, Sheikh Abdulkadir Ali Omar, indicated to the BBC it was the cinemas that were being targeted because they also showed Western and Indian films that the Islamists say are corrupting to the young." ... "But all this comes just a few days after the head of the Islamic courts militia, Sharif Shaikh Ahmed, said the Islamists had no plans to impose Islamic law in Mogadishu, and wanted the Somali people to decide their own future." -By David Bamford -BBC /News 

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Reporters - Law Enforcement - Politics - Sports - Drugs - San Francisco - California - "Justice Dept. Is Criticized by Ex-Official on Subpoenas." ... "Subpoenas issued last month to reporters for The San Francisco Chronicle were criticized yesterday by a former chief spokesman for Attorney General John Ashcroft as a "reckless abuse of power."" ... "The former spokesman, Mark Corallo, made similar statements in an affidavit filed in federal court yesterday. He said Mr. Ashcroft's successor, Alberto R. Gonzales, had acted improperly in issuing the subpoenas." ... ""This is the most reckless abuse of power I have seen in years," Mr. Corallo said in an interview. "They really should be ashamed of themselves."" ... "The subpoenas, part of an effort to identify The Chronicle's sources for its coverage of steroid use in baseball, would not have been authorized by Mr. Ashcroft, Mr. Corallo said. "You just don't ride roughshod over the rights of reporters to gather information from confidential sources," he added." -By Adam Liptak -NYTimes 

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Burns - Abramoff - Money - Government - Lawmaker - Montana - US - Northern Mariana Islands - Garment - Worker - Florida - Sports - 2006 Election - "Records Show Burns' Abramoff Meetings: Senate Panel Chairman Met Abramoff Team, Collected $12,000 in Donations While Helping Lobbying Client." ... "[Montana Republican Senator] Sen. Conrad Burns and his staff met Jack Abramoff's lobbying team on at least eight occasions and collected $12,000 in donations around the time that the lawmaker took legislative action favorable to Abramoff's clients in the Northern Mariana Islands, records show." ... "The 2001 donations to Burns, a Montana Republican, included money directly from Abramoff and a key garment company executive in the Pacific islands who was part of the coalition paying Abramoff's firm to fend off stronger U.S. [worker] regulations on the islands." ... "In addition, two Burns staffers had accepted a trip arranged by Abramoff to attend the Super Bowl in Florida earlier that year." ... "At the time, Burns served on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that was considering legislation the Marianas opposed. He also ran a Senate appropriations subcommittee that controlled spending for the Interior Department, which regulates U.S. territories including the islands." ... "Burns, who is up for re-election to a fourth term in 2006, received about $150,000 in donations from Abramoff, his firm and his clients between 2001 and 2004." (1, 2, 3) -By Mary Clare Jalonick -AP via -ABCNEWS.com 

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Labor - Drug - Politics - "Baseball Backs Stiffer Penalties for Steroid Use." ... "Reacting to Congressional pressure, Major League Baseball announced yesterday that it would again toughen the penalties for steroid use and for the first time establish testing and penalties for the use of amphetamines." ... "Under the new agreement, players who fail a test for steroids next season will be suspended 50 games, with the penalties increasing to 100 games for a second offense and a lifetime suspension for a third. A three-time offender could seek reinstatement after two years." ... "Baseball currently mandates a 10-day suspension for the first positive test, a 30-day suspension for the second, a 60-day suspension for the third and a one-year suspension for the fourth. A fifth failed test would result in a penalty at the commissioner's discretion." (1, 2) -By Jack Curry -NYTimes

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-  - Politics - "Two Koreas want to field one Olympic team." ... "Officials from North and South Korea agreed Tuesday to meet next month to work out details on competing as a unified team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, a South Korean Olympic official said." -By William Foreman -AP via -MercuryNews 

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Illinois - Texas - Sports - "Chicago White Sox relish first World Series title in 88 long years." ... "Chicago [Illinois White Sox] completed a World Series sweep with a 1-0 victory over the Houston [Texas] Astros on Wednesday night, becoming the second consecutive set of Sox to end a title drought that dated all the way back to World War I." ... "Their first title in 88 years certainly didn't come easily, even in a four-game sweep. The gritty White Sox had to scratch and claw for every win all year, and October was no different." ... "That's what makes their dominant run through the post-season so remarkable." (1, 2) -Canada.com 

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Fashion - "N.B.A. Dress Code Decrees: Clothes Make the Image." ... "On Monday, the National Basketball Association completed details of its new "business casual" dress code, which goes into effect Nov. 1, or opening night." ... "Though still vague in some areas, the final version of the dress code was toned down from an initial proposal that called for players to wear suits at all team functions, including games and flights." ... "The dress code, coupled with N.B.A. Commissioner David Stern's announcement yesterday that the league would start N.B.A. Cares, a vast public-service initiative, highlight the N.B.A.'s latest push to look a little less gangsta and a little more genteel." -By John Eligon with contributions by Liz Robbins and Howard Beck -NYTimes 

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Hurricane Katrina - Louisiana - Disaster - Sports - TX -  -  - "New Orleans Mayor Says `Thousands' Might Be Dead (Update1)." ... "New Orleans [Louisiana] Mayor Ray Nagin said Hurricane Katrina probably killed hundreds and ``most likely, thousands'' of residents as officials sought to evacuate 23,000 refugees to Houston." ... "The refugees, mostly in the Superdome sports stadium, will be taken by 500 buses to the Astrodome in Houston [Texas] 328 miles (508 kilometers) away, officials said. It may be weeks before people are allowed to return, they said." ... "``There is nothing in New Orleans that will sustain them,'' said Lieutenant Kevin Cowan, a spokesman for the Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. ``There is no water, no electricity, no food, no sanitation. People cannot live in New Orleans.''" -By Heather Burke -Bloomberg

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Louisiana - Mississippi -  - Sports - Architecture - "Katrina batters roof of Superdome: Worst of storm still to come for Mississippi." ... "Hurricane Katrina flogged Louisiana's southeastern shore Monday morning with sustained winds in excess of 135 mph as it moved inland, the National Hurricane Center said." ... "New Orleans, braced for a catastrophic direct hit from the powerful Category 4 storm, hunkered nearly 10,000 people in its mammoth Superdome, but Ed Reams of CNN affiliate WDSU reported that the structure has begun leaking as the winds damaged the roof letting daylight and rainwater in the darkened arena." ... "National Guard troops moved people to the other side of the dome. Others were moving beneath the concrete-reinforced terrace level." -CNN 

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Gordon Smith - Corporate - Politics - Sports - Vacations - Jets - Accounting - Telecommunications - Energy - Lawmakers - Ore - Nev - Ind - Fla - Mich - Ky - Va -  -  -  -  - "Amid much scrutiny, mixing pleasure and politics goes on." ... "Even if lawmakers are more sensitive these days about teeing up [golfing] with lobbyists at posh resorts, one would never know it by witnessing a scene at Dulles International Airport on Sunday night when lobbyists returned from the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, a high-end course in southwestern Oregon. One lobbyist from Accenture, an accounting firm, even disembarked sporting a long-sleeve Bandon Dunes polo shirt." ... "[Oregon Republican Senator] Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.[Republican-Oregon]) held the fundraiser, an annual event for his political action committee Impact America. A score of telecommunications, financial-services and energy lobbyists paid $3,000 to $5,000 apiece to join him for the promise of unfettered access for a weekend with the second-term Oregonian and member of the Finance and Commerce, Science and Transportation committees." ... "Smith paid Bandon Dunes $14,472 last year to reserve the resort for his guests, according to disclosure reports filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Bandon Dunes charges $175 per person for a round of golf and at least $300 for rooms during the peak season, from May to October." ... "Smith, the heir of a frozen-foods fortune, seems to have no qualms about his close ties to the business community. He readily admitted that he flew to the event on FedEx’s corporate jet and returned via Union Pacific’s plane." ... "[Nevada] Republican [Senator] Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.[Republican-Nevada]) also flew out for the event, as did [Indiana Republican Representative] Reps. Chris Chocola (Ind.[Indiana]), [Florida Republican Representative] Ander Crenshaw (Fla.[Florida]) and [Indiana Republican Representative] Steve Buyer (Ind.[Indiana])." ... "[Michigan Republican Representative] Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.[Republican-Michigan]) is hosting a golf tournament in July at the Oakland Hills Country Club [in Michigan], the home of the 2004 Ryder Cup matches and the 2008 PGA Championship. [Kentucky Republican Representative] Rep. Harold Rogers (R-Ky.[Republican-Kentucky]), a cardinal on the Appropriations Committee, will hold an event in August at Pebble Beach, the world-famous coastal golf course in California." ... "In the winter, several lawmakers including [Virginia Republican Representative] Chief Deputy Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.[Republican-Virginia]), hosted trips to exclusive skiing resorts in Colorado, Idaho and Wyoming." ... "“You wonder how long Republicans can bifurcate their message to mainstream America with this gross display of wealth,” the lobbyist said." -By Jonathan E. Kaplan -TheHill.com

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-  - -  -  - Sports - "Army Withheld Details About Tillman's Death: Investigator Quickly Learned 'Friendly Fire' Killed Athlete." ... "The first Army investigator who looked into the death of former NFL player Pat Tillman in Afghanistan last year found within days that he was killed by his fellow Rangers in an act of "gross negligence," but Army officials decided not to inform Tillman's family or the public until weeks after a nationally televised memorial service." ... "Tillman's death was an enormous blow to the image of the Army and the Special Forces because of his storybook personal narrative. Tillman turned down a multimillion-dollar football contract with the Arizona Cardinals to enlist in the Army after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He and his brother joined the elite Army Rangers and deployed to Iraq and later Afghanistan, hunting the Taliban and al Qaeda through mountainous terrain." -By Josh White-WashingtonPost 

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- Sports - "In case of a male coach, court adds teeth to gender-bias law: High court rules that Title IX, which shields girls' teams from discrimination, also protects whistleblowers from retaliation." ... "A man who lost his coaching job after complaining that his girls' high school basketball team was being treated like second-class citizens may claim the protections of a 1972 gender-bias law to get his job back." ... "Coach Roderick Jackson sued the Birmingham, Ala., Board of Education, saying the school district had violated Title IX in taking retaliatory action against him. A federal judge and federal appeals court panel threw out the suit." ... "But Tuesday the US Supreme Court reinstated his lawsuit, saying his firing amounts to a form of gender discrimination under Title IX - even though Coach Jackson is a man and was not a member of the girls' team." -By Warren Richey -CSMonitor

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-  -  - "Lance Armstrong wins record sixth Tour de France." ... "Lance Armstrong rode into history Sunday, winning a record sixth Tour de France and cementing his place as one of the greatest athletes of all time." ... "Never in its 101-year history has the Tour had a winner like Armstrong — who just eight years ago was given less than a 50%  chance of overcoming testicular cancer that spread to his lungs and  brain." ... "Armstrong's victories and his inspiring comeback from cancer have drawn new fans to a race that has been won five times by four other riders. His professionalism, attention to detail, grueling training regimens and tactics have raised the bar for other riders hoping to win the three-week cycling marathon." ... "After more than 1,900 miles of racing, riders mostly took it easy on the 101-mile final stage, until they reached the crowd-lined Champs-Elysees." -By John Leicester -AP via -USATODAY

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-  -  -  - "NFL, Arizona Football Fans Mourn Death of Pat Tillman, Who Gave Up Career to Fight for Country." ... "Pat Tillman overachieved in football, and just about everything else. He worked his way from seventh-round draft pick to starting safety for the Arizona Cardinals, then walked away from millions of dollars to join the Army Rangers and serve his country. This week, he paid with his life. Tillman was killed in an ambush Thursday night in Afghanistan. He was 27." -APvia -ABCNEWS.com 

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- "Inside Out:  Terror War Considers Threats From Abroad, But What About From Within?" ... "Since Sept. 11, 2001, the specter of international terror has haunted many Americans, but the capture of suspected serial bomber Eric Robert Rudolph serves as a grim reminder of the dangers that could be lurking at home." ... "Rudolph, the 36-year-old outdoorsman arrested this weekend in the mountains of North Carolina, is accused of carrying out a string of bombings including the blast at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics." -By Andrew Chang -ABCNEWS.com 

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-  - "Dallas teen wins National Spelling Bee." ... "A 13-year-old eighth-grader from Dallas nailed "pococurante" to win the 76th Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee on Thursday." ... "It was Sai Gunturi's fourth time in the competition." ... ""I studied it," a beaming Sai said of the word after winning the contest, $12,000 and other prizes. "That's why I was kind of laughing." The word means indifferent or nonchalant." -By Darlene Superville -AP via -SFGate.com

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• SpellingBee.com

-  -  -  -  - "MLB.TV Puts Live Games Online." ... "Looking to cash in on the popularity -- and exclusivity -- of online audio broadcasts of baseball games, Major League Baseball's Web portal on Tuesday launched a new MLB.TV service that offers on-demand and live access to pay-per-view video feeds." ... "The MLB.TV service, an extension of a three-year exclusive deal with Seattle-based RealNetworks (Quote, Company Info) will employ IP tracking to protect network television rights of local games but, because the technology has been unreliable as a geo-location tool, it's likely to raise the ire of MLB's television partners that shell out billions of broadcast rights." ... "According to Arbitron's Webcast Audience Profiles, fans who tune in and pay for baseball Webcasts were a prized lot." -By Ryan Naraine -InternetNews.com

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- - "Pioneering ABC TV Executive Arledge Dies." ... "ABC News chairman Roone Arledge was remembered as an industry pioneer who ushered in the era of primetime sports, mentored top broadcasters and developed new ways to present the news." ... "Shows from "Monday Night Football" to "Nightline" owed huge debts to Arledge, who died Thursday in New York of complications from cancer, the network said. He was 71." ... "In 1961, he created "ABC's Wide World of Sports," one of the most popular sports series ever, and coined its tag line – "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat."" ... "After disastrous starts, ABC created the newsmagazines "20/20" and "Prime Time Live" under his watch." -By Tara Burghart -AP via -WashingtonPost

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OPINION -  - "New York Times suggests Tiger Woods skip Augusta." ... "The Times said that if Augusta National "can brazenly discriminate against women, that means others can choose not to support Mr. Johnson's golfing fraternity. That includes more enlightened members of the club, CBS Sports, which televises the Masters, and the players, especially Tiger Woods."" ... "The editorial said Sanford I. Weill, the chief executive of Citigroup, and Kenneth Chenault, chairman of American Express, should "lead the way" for other prominent members and resign from the club."  -SFGate.com 

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- "Russian man arrested on charges of fixing ice dancing at [2002] Olympics." ... Believed to be a "Russian crime boss," ... "the charges allege [Alimzan] Tokhtakhounov attempted to influence judges to award the gold medal to the French team of Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat. The French pair did end up winning the ice dancing competition." -By Christopher Newston -AP via  -NandoTimes

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- "High-alert ahead of World Cup kick-off." ... "On the eve of the World Cup finals, security in Seoul [South Korea] is paramount, with army helicopters, patrol boats and paramilitary soldiers on high alert guarding the sky, sea and land." ... "The tournament kicks off on Friday night at Seoul's World Cup stadium with a match between defending champions France and Senegal, and officials say that more than 5,000 security personnel will be posted in the vicinity of the stadium or patrolling other sites in Seoul." -By Andrew Demaria -CNN 

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- "Japan braces for World Cup hooligans:  The influx of rowdy European soccer fans has Japanese preparing for the worst" ... "After seeing repeated television footage of hooligans on the rampage in Europe, homemaker Hiromi Omae says she will take no chances when England plays Nigeria in her home city of Osaka, on June 12. "I'll make sure the kids stay home, keep the dog indoors, and then lock the door and wait until they go away," she says. "I don't mean to be rude to the English, but from what I've seen, the hooligans are terrifying."" -By Jonathan Watts -CSMonitor/subscribe

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