EVEL KNIEVEL DIES AT AGE 69

From CNNsi.com:

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) -- Evel Knievel, the hard-living motorcycle daredevil whose exploits made him an international icon in the 1970s, died Friday. He was 69.

Knievel's death was confirmed by his granddaughter, Krysten Knievel. He had been in failing health for years, suffering from diabetes and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable condition that scarred his lungs.

Knievel had undergone a liver transplant in 1999 after nearly dying of hepatitis C, likely contracted through a blood transfusion after one of his bone-shattering spills.

American Idol alum Kellie Pickler makes Miss Teen South Carolina look like a genius.

CARTOON ABOUT MUHAMMAD TEDDY BEAR SCANDAL

From the NY POST:

BOB KNIGHT HUNTING CONFRONTATION CAUGHT ON TAPE

VICK CO-DEFENDANTS RECEIVE PRISON TERMS

From CNN.com:

RICHMOND, Virginia (CNN) -- The judge who will decide how long Michael Vick stays in prison sentenced two of the fallen NFL star's dogfighting parnters to prison on Friday.

Purnell Peace, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Quanis Phillips, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to 21 months.

Federal sentencing guidelines suggested a year to 18 months. Vick faces the same potential prison time.

U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson, who has presided over the dogfighting case, is not bound by the guidelines. Vick will be sentenced December 10. Tony Taylor of Hampton, Virginia, who was the first to plead guilty, will be sentenced on December 14.

Peace, Phillips and Taylor pleaded guilty last summer and agreed to testify against Vick, prompting the suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback to enter his own plea agreement a few days later.

"You may have thought this was sporting, but it was very callous and cruel," U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson told Phillips.

Sentencing guidelines called for punishments of 12 to 18 months for Peace and 18 to 24 months for Phillips, who has a more extensive criminal record.

Prosecutors recommended sentences at the low end of the range because of the co-defendants' cooperation. But Hudson said he felt sentences on the high end of the range were appropriate because of the nature of the crime.

Hudson told Peace that he was concerned because a pre-sentencing report quoted Peace as saying he saw he nothing wrong with dogfighting.

According to court papers, Vick financed virtually the entire "Bad Newz Kennels" dogfighting enterprise at his 15-acre property in Surry County in rural southeastern Virginia and participated in executing several underperforming dogs by drowning, hanging and other means.

Vick publicly apologized for his role in the dogfighting operation and unexpectedly turned himself in Nov. 19 to begin serving his prison term early. He is being held in a state jail in Warsaw, Virginia.

All four men also face state charges. Vick's attorneys this week requested a jury trial, which is set to begin in Ap

Cops Say Body Found During Search Matches Description of Emily Sander

From Foxnews.com:

EL DORADO, Kan. — Police say the preliminary physical description of a body found east of El Dorado matches that of missing college student Emily Sander.

Authorities searching for the missing Kansas college student found the body of a young woman about 50 miles east of here on Thursday, along U.S. 54., Police Chief Tom Boren said.

Although authorities had not yet identified the body, they said late Thursday that the woman found matched Sander's description.

Sander, 18, was last seen leaving a bar with a man who has been the focus of a nationwide search since police found large quantities of blood in a Kansas motel room where he was staying.

Investigators have not yet found a link between Sanders and her activities as an online porn star named Zoey Zane, but publicity about her explicit photos has brought a flood of tips, many of them false leads.

Before she vanished, nude photos of Sander appeared on various Web sites. The national publicity surrounding her double life kept phones ringing continuously at the El Dorado police station.

The police chief said the publicity was unlikely to help.

"We did talk to the lady that operates the site. We didn't find any viable connection with this main suspect at this point," he said.

Sander, who attended Butler Community College, was last seen Friday leaving the bar with Israel Mireles, 24. Authorities are looking for him and his 16-year-old pregnant girlfriend.

The rental car Mireles was driving was found abandoned Tuesday in Vernon, Texas, where he has relatives. Investigators interviewed family members and planned to bring the vehicle back to Kansas for processing.

"We feel they know where he is at, but they haven't shared that with us," Boren said.

On Thursday, searchers on foot and all-terrain vehicles were checking the tall grass along each side of Highway 54 near Neal, Kan., as they traced the route Mireles may have taken Saturday on the way to Baxter Springs to pick up his girlfriend.

Dozens of people gathered Wednesday in El Dorado for a candlelight vigil for Sander. The turnout moved her grandfather, Clement Sander, who said Emily Sander's disappearance shows tragedy can suddenly strike anyone.

"All I can say to you young folks out there is be careful," he said. "It is a cruel world."

JUDGE WHO JAILED 46 PEOPLE FOR RINGING CELL PHONE REMOVED FROM BENCH

From Foxnews.com:

NIAGRA FALLS, N.Y — A judge who jailed 46 people who were in his courtroom when a cell phone call interrupted proceedings was removed from the bench Tuesday by a state commission.

Niagara Falls City Court Judge Robert Restaino "snapped" and "engaged in what can only be described as two hours of inexplicable madness" during the March 2005 session, Raoul Felder, chairman of the state Commission on Judicial Conduct, wrote in the decision to remove Restaino from the $113,900-per-year post.

A phone rang while Restaino was hearing the cases of domestic violence offenders who had been ordered to appear weekly to update the judge on the progress of their counseling. A sign in the courthouse warns that cell phones and pagers must be turned off.

"Everyone is going to jail," Restaino said. "Every single person is going to jail in this courtroom unless I get that instrument now. If anybody believes I'm kidding, ask some of the folks that have been here for a while. You are all going."

When no one came forward, Restaino ordered the group into custody, and they were taken to jail, where they were searched and packed into crowded cells. Fourteen people who could not post bail were shackled and bused to another jail.

Restaino ordered them released later that afternoon.

Restaino told the state panel he had been under stress in his personal life.

His attorney, Terrence Connors, said Restaino would appeal.

O.J. SIMPSON ARRAIGNED

From CNN.com:

(CNN) -- O.J. Simpson was due in court Wednesday to be arraigned on charges that could send him to prison for life.

Simpson and two co-defendants were to appear before Eighth District Judge Jackie Glass for a felony arraignment on charges stemming from a confrontation in a Las Vegas hotel room on September 13.

Simpson's attorney, Yale Galanter, told The Associated Press the arraignment process was likely to be brief -- but added, "There's nothing in this case that has been standard."

Simpson, 60, has pleaded not guilty to 12 criminal counts in connection with what prosecutors contend was an armed robbery.

The counts include conspiracy, kidnapping, robbery, burglary, coercion and assault with a deadly weapon.

Prosecutors allege Simpson and five other men burst into a room at the Palace Station Hotel, held two memorabilia dealers -- Alfred Beardsley and Bruce Fromong -- against their will and flashed at least one gun while removing items.

Simpson said he was merely taking back items that belonged to him, but one of the two alleged victims described it as a "military-style invasion."

Three of the men initially charged along with Simpson in the incident -- Walter Alexander, Charles Cashmore and Michael McClinton -- testified against him during a preliminary hearing under the terms of a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Alexander and McClinton testified Simpson requested they carry guns and "look menacing" during the incident.

The other two co-defendants, Charles Ehrlich and Clarence Stewart, were bound over along with Simpson on November 14 by Las Vegas Township Justice of the Peace Joseph Bonaventure.

In making his ruling, Bonaventure said many issues raised during the hearing by defense attorneys for Simpson, Ehrlich and Stewart -- including intent, whether kidnapping occurred and the credibility of the witnesses who testified -- should be sorted out by jurors at trial.

During the hearing, Ehrlich's attorney John Moran referred to those who testified as an assortment of "crackheads, groupies, pimps, purveyors of stolen merchandise ... con artists, crooks."

The defense called no witnesses.

In his testimony, Fromong said he had bought the memorabilia legally.

Bonaventure, however, acknowledged the ownership of some of the items was "at least questionable."

Simpson has denied asking anyone to carry weapons or knowing any guns were used in the confrontation.

According to earlier testimony, Fromong and Beardsley were offering more than 600 Simpson-related items for sale, including ties Simpson wore during his criminal trial for the 1994 murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman.

Simpson was acquitted after one of the most sensational trials in American history, but a civil jury later found him liable for their deaths, slapping him with a $33 million judgment. In the years since, attorneys for the Goldman family have doggedly pursued Simpson's financial assets to pay the judgment.

IS MICHAEL VICK GOING BROKE?

From CNN.com:

(CNN) -- Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick has agreed to pay nearly $1 million for the care of about 54 pit bulls found on his property during a dogfighting raid.

His lawyer William R. Martin said in court documents that Vick will deposit $928,073.04 by Friday to an escrow account.

The money is "to be used to pay whatever restitution money is ultimately ordered in this case," states the document, known as a consent order.

The order was filed a week after federal prosecutors asked a federal court in Virginia to order Vick -- also known as "Ookie" -- to keep that much money on hand to cover the dogs' care.

Vick had agreed under his plea agreement to pay "restitution for the full amount of the costs associated with the disposition of all dogs" in the case.

Those costs, Vick agreed, could include "the long-term care and/or the humane euthanasia of some or all of those animals." They were seized from the Bad Newz Kennels on his property in Surry County, Virginia.

Prosecutors pointed in court documents to Vick's deteriorating financial condition. Among the points cited:

• The Atlanta Falcons' attempt to recoup bonus money from his 10-year, $130 million 2004 football contract,
• Vick's alleged default on a $1.3 million bank loan for a wine store,
• Another bank's lawsuit seeking payment for default on a $2.5 million line of credit,
• A third bank's lawsuit seeking at least $2 million for loans related to a car-rental business.

"In addition, published reports also indicate that Vick is in the process of selling assets, specifically a suburban Atlanta home listed at $4.5 million," the court papers said.

Vick, 27, surrendered November 19 to federal authorities to get a jump start on the sentence for his August guilty plea to a federal conspiracy charge of bankrolling a dogfighting operation.

He is being held at Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Virginia, until an upcoming sentencing hearing.

Vick pleaded guilty to the federal charge after three associates admitted their own roles in the operation and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.

The quarterback, who has been suspended indefinitely by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, faces 12 to 18 months in prison on the conspiracy charge.

On September 25, a Virginia grand jury indicted Vick and the three co-defendants on state charges of running a dogfighting ring.


The Surry County grand jury brought two felony charges against the four men: one count of unlawfully torturing and killing dogs and one of promoting dogfights. Each could result in a five-year prison term.

EVEL KNIEVEL, KANYE WEST SETTLE LAWSUIT

From Foxnews.com:

TAMPA, Fla. — Evel Knievel and Kanye West have worked it out.

The 69-year-old iconic motorcycle daredevil said he and West met at his Clearwater condo recently. They settled a federal lawsuit over the use of Knievel's trademarked image in a popular West music video.

Knievel sued West and his record company last year. He took issue with a 2006 music video for the song "Touch the Sky," in which the rapper takes on the persona of "Evel Kanyevel" and tries to jump a rocket-powered motorcycle over a canyon.

Knievel failed in his attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon in Idaho in 1974.

West's attorneys argued the video amounted to satire, covered under the First Amendment.

"We settled the lawsuit amicably," Knievel said Tuesday. "I was very satisfied and so was he."

They agreed not to publicly discuss the terms of the settlement, he said. The two had agreed to mediation in July.

Gabriel Tesoriero, a spokesman for West, confirmed the settlement of the lawsuit, in an e-mail Tuesday.

In the lawsuit, Knievel claimed the "vulgar and offensive" images depicted in the video damaged his reputation. And he accused the 29-year-old rapper of using the Knievel image to "promote his filth to the world."

Meeting West changed his mind, Knievel said.

"I thought he was a wonderful guy and quite a gentleman," he said.

Knievel also expressed concern for West, who is grieving the sudden death of his mother earlier this month.

"I know he's had some tough times the past few weeks, and I hope things work out," Knievel said.

DUMBASS TRIES TO OPEN BANK ACCOUNT WITH FAKE MILLION DOLLAR BILL

From FoxNews.com:

AIKEN, S.C. — A bank teller had a million reasons to deny this transaction.

Police say a man tried to open an account with a $1 million bill, which does not exist. The teller refused and called police while the man started to curse at bank workers, said Aiken County Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Michael Frank.

Alexander D. Smith, 31, of Augusta, Ga., was charged with disorderly conduct and two counts of forgery, Frank said.

The second forgery charge came after investigators learned Smith bought several cartons of cigarettes from a nearby grocery store with a stolen check, Frank said.

Smith has a bail hearing scheduled Wednesday, but Deputy Angela Shunn of the Aiken County Detention Center did not know if he had an attorney. An off-hours call to the public defender's office went unanswered.

SPANKING KIDS A CRIME? IN MASSACHUSETTS MAYBE

From the BostonHerald.com:

Parents who spank their kids - even in their own homes - would be slapped by the long arm of the law under an Arlington nurse’s proposal to make Massachusetts the first state in the nation to outlaw corporal punishment.

Kathleen Wolf’s proposed legislation will be debated at a State House hearing tomorrow morning.

If signed into law, parents would be prohibited from forcefully laying a hand on any child under age 18 unless it was to wrest them from danger, lest they be charged with abuse or neglect.

Rep. Jay Kaufman, a Lexington Democrat, submitted the 61-year-old Wolf’s petition at her request, but is not taking a position for or against corporal punishment.

“He does recognize and understand the concern many would have on legislating parental rights,” said Sean Fitzgerald, Kaufman’s chief of staff, “but the problem is the boundary is often overstepped. The right to hit should never be the right to hurt.”

Charles Enloe, 45, of Plymouth, knows a little something about that. In 2005, he was infamously arrested and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon for taking a belt to his then 12-year-old son during an argument over homework.

The charges were later dropped and Enloe told the Herald yesterday the experience “didn’t change my views at all. I believe discipline starts at home. Are they going to start legislating that you can’t raise your voice to your kids? That you can’t tell them when to go to bed? We’ll be communists then.”

The state Supreme Judicial Court agreed in principle when it ruled in 1999 that parents can spank their kids provided they don’t threaten bodily injury.

Corporal punishment in the home is already illegal in Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Latvia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and the Ukraine.

In 1979, Sweden became the first country in the world to ban spanking. Anders Erickson, spokesman for the Embassy of Sweden in Washington, D.C., said in the 1960s 53 percent of Swedes backed corporal punishment of children. By the 1990s, that number was less than 10 percent.

“There are other ways and means to bring up children than to beat them,” Erickson said. “Much better ways.”

An ombudsman is available to children in Sweden to report allegations of corporal punishment. Parents face jail time if it’s found they’ve stepped out of line

NORTH KOREAN FACTORY CHIEF EXECUTED FOR MAKING LONG-DISTANCE CALLS

From FoxNews.com:

SEOUL, South Korea — A North Korean factory chief accused of making international phone calls was executed by a firing squad in a stadium before 150,000 spectators, a South Korean aid group reported.

Public executions had declined since 2000 amid international criticism but have been increasing, targeting officials accused of drug trafficking, embezzlement and other crimes, the Good Friends aid agency said in a report on the North's human rights.

In October, the North executed the head of a factory in South Pyongan province for making international calls on 13 phones he installed in a factory basement, the aid group said. He was executed by a firing squad in a stadium before a crowd of 150,000.

Six people were crushed to death and 34 others injured in an apparent stampede as they left the stadium, the aid group said.

Most North Koreans are banned from communicating with the outside world, part of the regime's authoritarian policies seeking to prevent any challenge to the iron-fisted rule of Kim Jong Il.

The North in recent months has carried out four similar public executions by firing squad against regional officials and heads of factories, the aid group said.

"It is aimed at educating [North Koreans] to control society and prevent crimes," Good Friends head Venerable Pomnyun said at a news conference.

Good Friends, which did not say how it obtained the information, gave no exact figures of the public executions this year. Some of the group's previous reports of what was happening inside the North later have been confirmed.

The report came a week after a U.N. General Assembly committee adopted a draft resolution expressing "very serious concern" at reports of widespread human rights violations in North Korea, including public executions.

The resolution, co-sponsored by more than 50 countries including the United States and many other Western nations, was sent to the 192-member General Assembly for a final vote.

The North has condemned the draft, saying it was inaccurate and biased.

The communist country insists it does not violate human rights but long has been accused of imposing the death penalty for political reasons, holding thousands in prison camps, torturing border-crossers and severely restricting freedom of expression and religion.

BABS ENDORSES HILLARY CLINTON

From the NY POST:

Barbra Streisand, who hedged her bets months ago with donations to Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards, has settled on one presidential candidate. It's Hillary Clinton.

"Madame President of the United States ... it's an extraordinary thought. We truly are in a momentous time, where a woman's potential has no limitations," Streisand said in a statement released Tuesday by the Clinton campaign. "Hillary Clinton has already proven to a generation of women that there are no limits for success."

The Oscar-winning actress and singer is a FOB - Friend of Bill Clinton - and the endorsement is hardly surprising. In Hollywood, as in politics, timing is everything, and Streisand's endorsement comes one day after another entertainment superstar, Oprah Winfrey, announced she would campaign for Clinton rival Barack Obama.

"Hillary is a powerful voice for change as we find our country at an important crossroads. Under her leadership, our country will regain its respect within the global community. She will prioritize issues of global climate change, universal health care and rebuilding a strong economy. After eight long years, the public will once again have faith in their government," said Streisand, a longtime supporter of Democratic candidates.

In the statement, Hillary Clinton said she was honored for the support.

"Barbra has used her immense talent to be an advocate for truth, justice, and fairness and I deeply appreciate her confidence in my candidacy as we work together to change the direction of our nation," Clinton said.

TRANSVESTITES ATTACK MCDONALD'S WORKERS

From FoxNews.com:

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A troublesome trio of transvestites allegedly laid siege to a Memphis McDonald's restaurant Sunday night, sparking a brawl with the restaurant's crew, according to reports.

Police said they were working on a more detailed description of three men dressed in drag who came into a McDonald's restaurant and started swinging.

Restaurant employee Martez Brisco was working the drive-through window when he reportedly got into an argument with the suspects. When Brisco ignored them tapping at the window, they came in.

"They come to the window, 'Tap, tap, tap.' I'm still ignoring them," Brisco told WMC-TV. "I guess that just pissed them off worser."

The transvestites allegedly struck the manager with a tire iron, and when he swung back, the drag queens took off their stiletto boots, removed their earrings and prepared to attack. The manager, Albert Bolton, was covered with scratch marks after suspects clawed him with their fingernails.

Bolton grabbed a pot of scalding french-fry grease and hurled it at his attackers. One of the cross-dressers then smacked Bolton with a wet floor sign, sending him to the hospital in an ambulance, WMC-TV reported.

Before driving off, the three attackers smashed the drive-through window.

COUPLE HAS SEX IN WAITING ROOM AT TRAIN STATION

From Couriermail.com:

PASSENGERS at a Danish train station were left out in the cold when a couple began having sex in the waiting room, according to police.

"We don't know if it's due to the glacial weather this morning or to unbridled passion, but a couple did not hesitate in having sexual relations in a waiting room at the Koge train station," just south of Copenhagen, police spokesman Carsten Andersen said.

Freezing passengers had called the DSB rail company to complain that while they were stuck out in the cold, a 37-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman had steamy sex inside.

The amorous couple had not been charged with indecency as they had remained dressed, a police spokesman said.

"JUNIOR" GOTTI PISSED AT THE NY POST

From the NY POST:

A furious John "Junior" Gotti blasted the New York Post this morning over yesterday's front-page story that law enforcement officials were hoping to nail him with five murders, claiming his life was now in jeopardy.

"My family lives in fear as a result of this. If I get one in the head does that makes it all better?" he said.

Gotti also took aim at the law enforcement officials who were gunning for him.

"I feel an agent in the FBI has put my family in harm's way," he said.

Earlier this morning in federal court in White Plains, a judge ruled that Gotti's financial records could not be turned over to the US Attorney's office in a separate probe into the beleaguered Mafioso business dealings.

Gotti, decked casually in a yellow sweater and jacket, was accompanied by his two lawyers for the 45-minute hearing.

US Attorney David Massey asked for the government to have access to Gotti's financial records that had been turned over to the fed's probation department to check against any irregularities.

The government claims that Gotti already owes $200,000 in back taxes, which Gotti denies.

Judge Stephan Robinson asked Massey if he knew of any irregularities in the probation report. Massey said no. The judge then denied the request.

He ruled that it was up to the probation department to probe whether Gotti's financial statements are truthful.

The defense has until Thursday to file with the court why Gotti doesn't owe the government any more in back taxes

BARACK OBAMA ANSWERS QUESTIONS ABOUT DRUG USE

From CNN.com:

Does a good role model talk about using illegal drugs?

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama started the debate when he admitted to a high school audience in New Hampshire that he had experimented with drugs while he was in high school.

"There were times when I got into drinking, experimenting with drugs. There was a stretch of time where I did not really apply myself," Obama said.

He added that when he left for college he realized he wasted a lot of time using drugs.

"It's not something I'm proud of," Obama said. "It was a mistake as a young man."

What a change from Bill Clinton's 1992 admission that he had smoked marijuana a time or two and didn't like it. "And I didn't inhale and didn't try it again."

"I never understood that line," Obama said, who said he did inhale marijuana when asked by a student. "The point was to inhale. That was the point."

Clinton's admission has become a cultural joke. Obama's comments? If you ask Republican rival Mitt Romney, Obama's comments were too honest.

"I think in order to leave the best possible example for our kids, we're probably wisest not to talk about our own indiscretions in great detail," Romney said.

Romney isn't alone in that belief. When George W. Bush was governor of Texas in 1999, he talked briefly about his use of alcohol, but refused to talk about other drugs because he feared kids might think what he did was "cool."

Bush said at the time, "It is irrelevant what I did 20 or 30 years ago. What's relevant is that I have learned from the mistakes that I made."

So what's a role model to do? Should he be discreet or open about past indiscretions?

According to Steve Pasierb, president of Partnership for a Drug-Free America, Obama is right on the money. Pasierb says kids are not naive; they know people in high places have experimented with drugs.

"The key is to be honest and to put it the context of saying I did this and it was a dumb choice," Pasierb said. "Obama talked about how it wasn't the right thing to do. When he got serious about his life, he left it behind. If he were to lie, I think most kids would know."

Pasierb says the worst thing to do is feed kids a story they're not likely to believe. In other words, never tell them that you tried it, but didn't inhale.

"Most kids are going to see right through that and will ask themselves, 'How could you know if you didn't like it if you didn't inhale?'" Pasierb said. "Clearly not recognizing something when you did it is probably not the best course."

Pasierb says role models and parents should not be afraid to admit they did the deed.

"Really the truth works best. You owe your kids honesty," he said. "But you don't need to tell them every little detail. You don't have to give them blow by blow."

Is talking about past drug use the best thing for a someone running for president? That's a question much harder to answer.

According to a 2007 Pew Research poll, 45 percent of Americans would be less likely to support a candidate for president who had used drugs.

Obama has to hope his honesty with kids translates in a good way to the adults deciding whether to vote for him.

MySpace Teen Who Fled to Middle East Breaks Up With Arab Beau on 'Dr. Phil'

From Fox.news.com

GILFORD, Mich. — A Michigan teenager who flew to the Middle East last year to be with a man she met on MySpace.com has broken up with him on the "Dr. Phil" show.

"This is really hard for me to tell you, but I'm not going to be with you anymore," 18-year-old Katherine Lester said as her Palestinian boyfriend, Abdullah Jinzawi, watched on a monitor from the West Bank town of Jericho where he lives.

Lester told Jinzawi he was possessive and swore at her. Under questioning by host Phil McGraw, Jinzawi denied being verbally abusive but said he called her names.

Her father, Terry Lester, told Jinzawi he tried to be nice so he wouldn't lose his daughter. "But I'm so glad you're not in front of my face right now because they'd have to take me to jail. You're never going to touch her again."

Lester developed an online romance in 2005 with Jinzawi. For months, she kept the relationship secret before disappearing in June 2006 from her mother's home in Gilford, 80 miles north of Detroit in Tuscola County.

Lester, then 16, was en route to a Tel Aviv, Israel, airport a few days later to marry Jinzawi, then 20, when she was intercepted in Amman, Jordan, by U.S. authorities. They seized her passport and put her on a flight to the United States.

Following her return, the Tuscola County prosecutor's office filed a runaway juvenile petition against her in family court. But prosecutors withdrew it under a deal with Lester and her parents.

After Lester broke up with him via satellite during Monday's show, Jinzawi took out his ear piece, removed his microphone and left the room. He returned a few minutes later, wanting to know why she was ending the relationship and accusing her family of brainwashing her.

DID LARRY FLYNT HELP EXPOSE TRENT LOTT?

From Larry Flynt.com:

"Once upon a time," writes Big Head DC, "there was a twentysomething boy-next-door type with reddish blond hair and a brillantly white smile."

This boy-next-door is male escort Benjamin Nicholas, whose blog 15 Minutes helped him make some connections in business and politics.

One of these connections is rumored to be Senator Trent Lott, Republican Minority Whip and former Senate Majority Leader, rumored to have planned a resignation by the end of this year to avoid being scandalized by Hustler publisher Larry Flynt. Flynt had, back in June, offered cash rewards for substantiated accounts of sexual liaisons with elected officials.

OPRAH'S ENEMY STRIKES AGAIN

From the NY POST:

POOR Oprah Winfrey. Not only does she have to deal with the shameful lesbian abuse scandal at her South African girls school, but now a sleazebag is threatening to publish a supposed exposé about her company, Harpo, intended to further embarrass the billionaire Queen of Daytime Talk.

Last year, Keifer Bonvillain was hit with a federal extortion charge after he allegedly tried to sell Winfrey audiotapes for $1.5 million of a high-ranking Harpo employee bad-mouthing her. But the charge didn't hold up in an Illinois court.

Now Bonvillain, 37, who touts himself as a Louisiana-born "civil-rights activist," has launched a Web site in a bid to get a publisher for his exposé, titled "Ruthless."

His breathless pitch reads: "An office manager at Harpo broke his silence and his confidentiality agreement when he spoke freely about Oprah Winfrey's private life and business affairs. Keifer Bonvillain underestimated one of the world's most powerful women when he, armed with clandestinely recorded tapes, decided to write a 'tell-all' book unmasking the famed celebrity. Within days of Harpo learning about the book, two men were attempting to break into Keifer's home - presumably to get the tapes. Oprah was desperate to keep the truth from being revealed . . . The fallout was Keifer's highly publicized arrest."

Bonvillain vows to disclose that Harpo may have been involved in "blatant discrimination . . . This CEO not only knows about these practices . . . she condones them . . . Hours of taped conversations . . . reveal what they don't want the public to know about [Oprah's] private life, and a business that prides itself on its diversity."

Winfrey's reps at Harpo did not return our calls placed over two days, with a message saying the staff was off for the holiday. Bonvillain did not respond to our e-mail.

Last month, Winfrey was jolted when Tiny Virginia Makopo, 27, a dorm matron at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy near Johannesburg, was suspended over allegations involving indecent assault and soliciting under-age girls to commit indecent acts. Makopo faces 13 criminal charges.

JOE FRANCIS SAYS, "JAILS GONE WILD!"

From the NY POST:

ovember 24, 2007 -- "GIRLS Gone Wild" crybaby Joe Francis continues his torture tour of America, now whining about how he supposedly suffered in an Oklahoma jail and revealing what went on behind bars in Panama City, Fla.

Francis - who's now in relative comfort in a third jail in Reno, Nev. - told Page Six, "I fear for my life if I have to go back there [Florida]. These are the same people that killed a 14-year-old boy," a reference to a February 2006 incident in which a teen died while being restrained by guards.

A Bay County medical examiner later said the boy died from internal bleeding due to sickle cell anemia.

"These are scary people down there. If I get sent back, they will retaliate. They killed that kid . . . I think I would have been dead or I'd be drooling in a cup," added Francis, who must return to the Florida jail if he posts bail in Nevada.

He said guards at the Florida jail, in addition to not giving him toilet paper or meals, forced him to wear ankle shackles that cut his skin and made him bleed in the shower.

"They treated me like I was a terrorist," he said. "They'd put my food just out of reach and laugh with each other, 'Oh, I guess Joe wasn't hungry today.' "

He said that he "hysterically cried" and screamed in his cell but that no one cared: "They had me next to a cop killer and Herman Harmon, who shot a guy in the head with a .38 then escaped from his cell."

He also said he was "tortured" in Oklahoma's Grady County Jail, where he stayed for three weeks while being transferred to a prison in Nevada. He claims guards threatened to strap him naked to a chair for 48 hours and refused to give him a blanket.

Francis is awaiting trial in Reno for federal tax evasion. In Florida, he faces charges for using minors in a sexual performance when two girls, then 17, were videotaped by his company in 2003 in a motel shower. It was later revealed the girls lied about their age.

He was jailed for contempt in Florida, and his bail was revoked when contraband was found in his cell. He has since elected to stay in jail in Reno rather than post bail there and be sent back to custody in Florida.

TEXAS TOWN SELLS FOR 3.8 MILLION ON E-BAY

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (AP) -- Someone in Italy placed the winning bid of $3.8 million on Friday in an online auction for an unpopulated, one-house Texas town.

No one lives permanently in the 13-acre town of Albert, about 60 miles north of San Antonio, but the tavern created from the frame of the old general store is open on weekends.

The town also includes a pavilion, an 85-year-old dance hall, a tractor shed, a three-bedroom house, plus peach and pecan orchards.

But before town owner Bobby Cave signs the deed over, he must ensure the eBay bid is legitimate. Cave said that unlike the usual items bought through eBay, there are no contractual obligations when it comes to real estate.

"There's just not any way to insist that a guy from Italy write me a check for three million," said Cave, 47, an Austin, Texas, real estate agent.

The reserve price for the town was $2.5 million. Even if the deal doesn't go through, Cave said he has about five other prospective buyers genuinely interested in the town.

Bridgeville, in northern California, was the first town ever put on the eBay auction block. The 83 acres were twice sold on the site, in 2002 (that deal fell through) and again last year.

SHOPPERS PUT ESTIMATED $20 BILLION IN REGISTERS

From CNN.com:
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Worried retailers and mall operators breathed a sigh of relief after the 2007 holiday shopping marathon off to a robust start Friday.

According to the first early sales estimate, MasterCard Advisors retail analyst Michael McNamara expects Black Friday sales to hit $20 billion. MasterCard Advisors tracks spending made on credit and debit cards as well as cash and check transactions.

McNamara said the estimate represents 5 percent of total expected holiday sales and slightly outpaces last year's Black Friday sales of $19.1 billion.

However, some industry analysts caution that the early buying frenzy could soon peter out - and endanger crucial weekend sales - as millions of pre-dawn shoppers succumb to shopping fatigue.

"The early bird shoppers are definitely out there. But will it last through the day?" said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst with market research firm NPD Group.

Already, Cohen estimates that mall traffic in the early hours appeared to be down slightly compared last year.

"I'm basing this on mall parking lot capacity and the actual lines in front of stores before they opened today," Cohen said. "Last year there were 200 to 300 people waiting for stores to open on Black Friday. This year, it's maybe 100. And when these 100 people get in, that's it. I'm not seeing a second big rush into the store."

To his point, a Wal-Mart (Charts, Fortune 500) store in Union, N.J., seemed to attract a smaller crowd than last year for its 5 a.m. opening. The shoppers who came out rushed to grab toys such as the Bratz fashion dolls and Dora products and electronics like the Polaroid 42-inch LCD TV set for $798 and a Magnavox DVD/VHS player for $69.

"[Today] will be an OK sales day, but the big issue is whether or not we'll get a slowdown midday," said Cohen. "I'm waiting to see how sales do today and the weekend. All three days are important, although I think Sunday will be much quieter than last year."

The day after Thanksgiving is dubbed Black Friday because it traditionally marks the day when retailers finally move out of the red, indicating losses, and into the black, representing profit.

It also sets the tone to the four weeks of gift-buying leading up to Christmas. Moreover, November and December, together, can account for as much as 50 percent of merchants' annual profits and sales.

This year's Black Friday rush is even more critical for retailers, who are facing a tepid sales forecast for holiday 2007. The National Retail Federation expects total holiday sales to grow 4 percent to $475 billion, its slowest growth in five years as millions of American households curtail their spending habits amid a housing downturn and other economic pressures.

If holiday sales come in below 4 percent, experts fear it could result in a retail industry shakeout marked by store closings in 2008.

"Retailers still haven't felt the full impact of the housing slump, sub-prime [mortgage] collapse, credit card problems and fuel prices on American households and their ability to spend," said Tim Finley, former CEO of men's specialty chain Jos. A Bank who is now managing director with turnaround consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal.

Retail analyst Britt Beemer said he, too, expects the shopping momentum to wane by mid-afternoon and in the coming weeks.

"Stores have opened much earlier this year and this will have a negative impact on sales," Beemer said. "If you are up at 4 a.m. to go to J.C. Penney or Kohl's, chances are when you're done, there's no more shopping left for you in the day."

Overall, Beemer expects holiday sales to grow a disappointing 2 percent. "I'm sticking to that forecast unless I see something improve dramatically over the next two weeks."

Specifically for Black Friday, Beemer said retailers did the right thing by using deep discounts to attract the early crowds but he's concerned that merchants may have killed the Friday after-work shopping rush in the process.

Some mall operators, however, took a different view.

Wally Brewster, spokesman for General Growth Properties, which operates more than 200 malls nationwide, said the company had similar concerns to Beemer's when some of its malls held midnight openings last year for Black Friday.

"But when we looked at the combined sales for Friday and the weekend, total sales at malls that opened at midnight showed a higher increase compared to our malls that didn't," Brewster said. "We'll see if that happens again this year."

So far, retailers do have more to cheer than complain about.

Black Friday's bargain frenzy kicked off just after midnight as throngs of shoppers shrugged off Thanksgiving Day fatigue to grab early bird sales on flatscreen TVs, clothes, jewelry and toys.

Electronics - especially high-definition plasma and LCD TVs, GPS navigation devices, Apple's iPhone and MP3 players - were expected to be among the most sought-after items.

Many retailers offered "doorbuster deals," which are special sales offered only for the first few hours on Black Friday. Some chains, including Kohl's and J.C. Penney (Charts, Fortune 500), opened at 4 a.m. nationwide.

"We had people camping outside the store from last night. They brought blankets, chairs, tents. They're really excited," said Andre Sam, an employee with a Best Buy (Charts, Fortune 500) store located in Manhattan.

By 8 a.m., Sam said a few of the hot items were already sold out."The $900 Panasonic 40-inch HDTV, the Samsung 40-inch HDTV and the $399 Sony laptop are gone," Sam said.

The first big shopping day of the holiday season also attracted plenty of international shoppers, taking advantage of weakness in the dollar.

This year, mall operator Taubman Centers offered $20 gift vouchers to Canadian shoppers to splurge at its four Detroit-area malls on Black Friday.

Taubman Center spokeswoman Karen MacDonald said the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel already had a 30 minute backup as early as 5 a.m. on Friday.

"Border security told us that nine out of 10 people driving in from Canada were shoppers," MacDonald said.

Elsewhere, Toys "R" Us CEO Gerald Storch told CNNMoney.com that it was "pandemonium" inside the the Toys "R" Us flagship in New York's Times Square when doors opened at 5 a.m.

"The lines outside were twice as long as last year because we're offering 101 doorbuster items, which is four times as much as last year," Storch said, adding that he was "encouraged" by the crowds given this year's spate of toy recalls that affected millions of products.

"I think parents are very smart. They know that with all the additional testing done after the recalls, we're only selling the safest toys," he said.

According to Storch, the hottest sellers were the Microsoft Zune MP3 player, Transformers toys, Hannah Montana dolls, Nintendo's Wii and the Guitar Hero videogame.

North of Atlanta, unusually heavy traffic was seen at 4:30 a.m. ET on exit ramps near malls and big stores in Cumming and Alpharetta, Ga.

Crowds flocked to the Tanger Outlet center in Riverhead, N.Y., as early as 11 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day for the mall's midnight opening.

"We estimate that more than 10,000 shoppers were already at the center before it officially opened today," Janine Nebons, general manager of Tanger Outlet center, wrote in an e-mail to CNNMoney.com.

"We estimate that more than 10,000 shoppers were already at the center before it officially opened today," Nebons said.

She said some shoppers waited as long as three hours to get into stores such as Coach, while many young shoppers rushed to grab deals on name brands such as Nike, Guess, Lucky Jeans and Juicy Couture.

Sears (Charts, Fortune 500) spokesman John Casey said the crowds at Sears stores exceeded 1,000 on average when doors opened - despite the retailer not offering early bird shoppers free gift cards this year.

"People were rushing to pick up the Sharp 46-inch LCD TV for $999. Jewelry is going like hot cakes and our Craftsman drill for $39.99 is a big seller," Casey said.

Good weather in the Northeast and Southeast also "helped put people in a great mood to shop," he said.

Industry expert Stevan Buxbaum said retailers could catch a break this year because of an extra shopping week between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

"Retailers have a few more days to really drive sales over the holidays. They've worked hard to keep inventories lean and they've set holiday discounts very early," said Buxbaum, who is executive vice president of consulting firm Buxbaum Group.

Merchants with tightly controlled inventory will survive the holidays with decent sales, Buxbaum said. Electronics sellers will be winners "in terms of dollar volume and not necessarily unit volume growth," he said.

Lack of appealing fashion trends could dent clothing sales in the days ahead while some high-end retailers will struggle, especially names such as Coach that represent "aspirational" luxury for mid-income consumers, he said.

Come January, Buxbaum said retailers need to quickly transition into fresh spring merchandise, which they can sell at full price to post-holiday gift card shoppers.

"It's all about 2008 now," Buxbaum said. "Retailers have to be in stock in their core items and keep inventory under control. Maybe they will slow down growth and manage costs through more direct sourcing."

Despite all these challenges, the holiday season overall is still vital for the industry, said Ernst & Young's retail analyst Jay McIntosh.

"You can't completely ignore [it]. Shoppers will reward excellence by buying at stores that have great merchandise, aggressive prices and customer service," he said. "There will be some retail winners."

3 RE-ARRESTED IN NATALEE HOLLAWAY CASE

From CNN.com
Three young men previously detained as suspects in the 2005 disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway have been re-arrested in the case, the Aruban public prosecutor's office said Wednesday.

Holloway disappeared on May 30, 2005, hours before she was scheduled to fly home to Alabama after a high school graduation trip to this Dutch Caribbean resort island.

The 18-year-old was last seen in public leaving a bar with the three young men who now are again suspects in her disappearance.

Dutch teenager Joran van der Sloot and two Surinamese brothers, Satish and Deepak Kalpoe, were arrested on suspicion of involvement in manslaughter and causing seriously bodily harm that caused the death of the American teenager, the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

"The public prosecutor's office has ordered their renewed arrest because further investigation into the disappearance has led to new incriminating evidence," the prosecutor's office said in the statement.

Van der Sloot was arrested in the Netherlands, where he is attending a university, and is expected to be extradited to Aruba. The Kalpoe brothers were arrested in Aruba.

All three young men previously have denied any role in Holloway's disappearance. The brothers were expected to appear in an Aruban court on Friday, when prosecutors planned to present new evidence to a judge.

CARTOON OF MICHAEL VICK IN JAIL

From the NY POST:

PAINTING FOUND IN THE TRASH SELLS FOR MORE THAN $1 MILLION

From the NY POST:

NEW YORK (AP) -- A masterpiece by a Mexican artist that was found in the trash by a woman who knew little about modern art has been sold for more than $1 million.

The painting "Tres Personajes," by Rufino Tamayo, was discovered in 2003 by Elizabeth Gibson, who spotted it on her morning walk on Manhattan's Upper West Side. She said she took it home because "even though I didn't understand it, I knew it had power."

The brightly colored abstract work was purchased for $1,049,000 by an unidentified private American collector bidding by phone at Sotheby's Latin American Art sale on Tuesday night.

Gibson spent four years trying to find out about the painting, finally discovering on the "Antiques Roadshow" Web site that it had been featured on the popular PBS program and described as a missing masterpiece stolen in 1989.

Gibson has received a $15,000 reward for turning in "Tres Personajes" and also will get a percentage of the sale price.

Painted in 1970, "Tres Personajes" was purchased by a Houston collector for $55,000 as a gift for his wife at a Sotheby's auction in 1977. Ten years later, as the couple was moving to a new home, it was stolen from storage.

The husband has since died, and the widow, who wished to remain anonymous, has decided to sell it.

Tamayo was born in 1899 and died in 1991. His early work has similarities to that of famed 20th century mural Diego Rivera. His later work features the vivid colors and expressions of his native state of Oaxaca.

---

MICHAEL VICK FACES $900,000 BILL FOR DOG CARE

From CNN.com:

The government asked a federal court Tuesday to order former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick to keep on hand assets valued at more than $900,000 -- the amount earmarked for the care of 54 pit bulls.

The animals were found on his property when a dogfighting operation was busted last April.

Vick turned himself in to authorities Monday to get a jump start on serving his sentence for running the ring.

In a motion filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson noted that Vick, in his plea agreement, agreed to pay "restitution for the full amount of the costs associated with the disposition of all dogs" in the case.

Vick agreed that those costs could include "the long-term care and/or the humane euthanasia of some or all of those animals," which were seized from the "Bad Newz Kennels" on his property in Surry County, Virginia.

The motion said that only a restraining order can ensure that Vick's assets are not placed beyond the reach of the government.

It noted that Vick's financial condition is deteriorating, and cited the team's attempt to recoup bonus money from his 10-year, $130 million 2004 football contract; his alleged default on a $1.3 million bank loan for a wine store; another bank lawsuit seeking payment for default on a $2.5 million line of credit; and yet another bank's lawsuit seeking at least $2 million for loans related to a car-rental business.

"In addition, published reports also indicate that Vick is in the process of selling assets, specifically a suburban Atlanta home listed at $4.5 million," it said.

Vick, 27, is being held at Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Virginia, until an upcoming sentencing hearing.

He pleaded guilty in August to a federal conspiracy charge of bankrolling the dogfighting operation after three associates admitted their own roles in the ring and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.

Vick, who has been suspended indefinitely by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, faces 12to 18 months in prison on the conspiracy charge.

The sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 10.

On September 25, a Virginia grand jury indicted Vick and the three co-defendants on state charges of running a dogfighting ring.

The Surry County grand jury brought two felony charges against the four men: one count of unlawfully torturing and killing dogs and one of promoting dogfights. Each could result in a five-year prison term.

FUNNY WRITERS STRIKE CARTOON

From the NY POST:

OBAMA LEADING THE PACK

While the top three Democratic presidential candidates are locked in a fierce campaign battle for Iowa, one candidate is riding a new wave of support.

According to the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll released Tuesday, Sen. Barack Obama has surged to a 4 point lead over Hillary Clinton, and an 8 point lead over John Edwards.

In a survey of likely Democratic caucus-goers in Iowa, Obama draws support from 30 percent, compared with 26 percent for Clinton and 22 percent for former senator John Edwards. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson received 11 percent, The Washington Post reports.

RAW DATA: Click here to view poll details and charts (pdf)

And that is just one of several new polls showing the shifting contours of the political landscape.

Two other polls out Tuesday indicate a possible stronghold for GOP national frontrunner Rudy Giuliani, and another poll gives a glimpse into voters' attitudes about candidates' character.

— In a Nov. 12-14 Mason-Dixon poll of 625 regular Florida voters, a matchup between Giuliani and Democratic national frontrunner Hillary Clinton put him ahead 50-43 percent. GOP rivals Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani also were ahead of Clinton statistically, but within the poll's 4 percent margin of error.

— In a Nov. 2-12 Associated Press poll of 2,230 adults -- 1,049 Democrats, +/- 3%; 827 Republicans, +/- 3.4% -- half of Democrats said candidates' personal qualities were more important than policy positions; 42 percent said issues were more important. It was nearly opposite for Republicans: Half said issues matter most; 43 percent said personal qualities were more important.

— The AP poll also touched on candidate attractiveness (Democrats fared better than Republicans) and ... bowling. Democrats and Republicand don't agree on much, but they do here: Clinton would be the last pick on either party's bowling team.

Previous Iowa polls have shown Clinton with a single-digit lead over her opponents, with Obama and Edwards closely trailing.

Clinton, while still the clear national front-runner, leads on issues such as the Iraq war and health care and has strong support among women voters, however these factors do not appear to be translating in Iowa, where campaigning has been most intense.

While Obama has seen recent gains in the early-voting midwestern state, it remains a tight three-person race for precinct caucuses, however Obama's lead over Edwards was beyond the margin of sampling error.

The poll also asked Iowans whether they are more interested in "new direction and ideas" or "strength and experience." 55 percent said they favored new ideas and direction, compared to 33 percent who prefered experience. Among the "new direction" voters, 43 percent favor Obama and 17 percent back Clinton.

The poll showed no other Democrats receiving more than 5 percent of support.

The ABC News/Washington Post telephone poll surveyed 500 adults likely to participate in the caucuses and was conducted Nov. 14-18. The poll had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

LINDA HOGAN APPEARED IN STREET RACING DVD

From ABC ACTION NEWS:

Ever since Nick Bollea was the driver in a horrible car crash in Clearwater on August 26, he and his family have said Nick was not speeding, and they've denounced street racing.

But the ABC Action News Investigators have obtained a DVD which might show a different side. The 2005 documentary is titled "Vehicular Lunatics". It was filmed at several Florida locations, including Saint Petersburg and Orlando. One "Extra" on the DVD is called "Street Racing With Linda Hogan.

At one point, Linda Bollea (Hogan) is seen alongside another car. Linda Bollea is driving a car identified as a Mercedes S600. Her daughter, Brooke is her passenger. Brooke says to the men in the adjacent car, "Wanna race?" One of the men replies, "Yeah! We love racing you! On three." Brooke replies, "Let's do this. Alright." Then Linda Bollea says "Let's kick it."

The cars take off, but their speeds are not known.

Nick Bollea and his father Terry Jean, better known from his wrestling days as Hulk Hogan, are also seen in the documentary.

Two years later, 17 year old Nick is charged with felony reckless driving after a crash leaves a friend in a coma, and after Nick was pulled over four times for speeding. At one point in the documentary, his mother was asked how she feels about street racing.

Her answer: "Oh, I love it. I love it. The rush, the speed on the road, stereo blasting, heart-pounding, racing in between all the cars, dodging the cops. It's awesome."

ABC Action News Investigative Reporter Matthew Schwartz interviewed the family in their home hours before Nick's arrest two weeks ago, and Linda Bollea denied making that remark when Matthew asked if she said it on the tape.
Mrs. Bollea says, "I never said that. I never would have said that."

The attorney for the mother of Nick Bollea's injured passenger, 22-year old John Graziano, a Marine from Dunedin, had previously said he's planning a civil suit against the Bolleas.

We showed the documentary "Vehicular Lunatics" to Tim Prugh. He's a civil attorney in Tampa who is not involved in the case. Prugh says the video could be damaging to the Bolleas, "Damaging enough where I would attempt to keep it out if I were defending the people that were representing Mr. Bollea. And if I represent the injured party, I want to get that into evidence to demonstrate that they were enthusiastic racers and it was in the family."

Meanwhile, John Graziano remains in critical condition, in a coma, at the James Haley V.A. Hospital in Tampa.

TRAINER WON'T TESTIFY AGAINST BARRY BONDS

From ESPN.com

Greg Anderson, who spent months in federal prison for refusing to testify against his personal training client, Barry Bonds, was released on Thursday when Bonds was indicted on perjury and obstruction of justice charges. He could face a possible return.

If Bonds goes to trial on perjury and obstruction of justice charges, Anderson could be called on again to testify -- and face a return to prison if he again refuses to cooperate. According to Anderson's attorneys, he'll do it again if confronted with the same dilemma.

Anderson could be charged with criminal contempt if he refuses to cooperate with the government if Bonds goes to trial on perjury and obstruction of justice charges. That would mean a criminal trial of his own and an even longer prison sentence than the civil contempt charge that sent him to prison for refusing to testify before the grand jury investigating Bonds.

But Anderson's defense team told the New York Daily News that he won't turn on Bonds.

"He's never going to testify," his lead attorney Mark Geragos said, according to the Daily News.

"He didn't like it there," added Paula Carny, a member of Anderson's defense team, according to the Daily News. "But all any of us have is what we believe is who we are and our word and integrity."

Bonds faces a maximum of five years on each of his four perjury charges and 10 years for one obstruction charge for allegedly lying about his steroid use during a 2003 grand jury appearance. But defense attorneys and former prosecutors who have handled perjury cases said if Bonds is convicted he likely would serve only about a year in prison.

Bonds was charged Thursday for allegedly lying in his testimony before a grand jury investigating a performance-enhancing drug ring centered at BALCO.

Two other athletes and a track coach also have been indicted for allegedly lying to the grand jury investigating the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative.

Marion Jones, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, pleaded guilty in October and faces a maximum of six months in prison when she is sentenced in January.

Elite track coach Trevor Graham, who once coached Jones, and former Olympic bicyclist Tammy Thomas also have been charged with perjury, and both have pleaded not guilty

JESUITS TO PAY $50 MILLION IN SEX ABUSE CASE

From CNN.com

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- A Roman Catholic religious order has agreed to pay $50 million to more than 100 Alaskans who allege sexual abuse by Jesuit priests, a lawyer for the accusers said Sunday.

The settlement with the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus is the largest one yet against a Catholic religious order, said Anchorage lawyer Ken Roosa, who called it "a great day" for the 110 victims.

"These are people who were altar boys and altar servers and altar girls," Roosa said. "These are people who tried to tell their story and in many instances were beaten or told to shut up and told, 'How can you say such things about a man of God?"'

The settlement does not require the order to admit fault, Roosa said. None of the priests was ever criminally charged.

The settlement announcement is premature because some issues need to be finalized, said the Very Rev. John Whitney, provincial superior of the Society of Jesus, Oregon Province, which covers Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska.

"When those issues are resolved we will be available for a more complete discussion of the matter," Whitney said in a prepared statement. He described the settlement announcement as "premature and detrimental."

Roosa said issues involving the plaintiffs had been resolved. The only issues that remained were with the religious order's insurer, he said.

Roosa provided The Associated Press with an e-mail sent Friday from Dick Hansen, the lawyer representing the religious order. It reads, "This e-mail will confirm that a settlement has been reached. ... The settlement calls for $50,000,000 to be paid to the plaintiffs/claimants in exchange for releases of all claims against the Jesuit defendants."

In the e-mail, Hansen says he's glad to "put this matter to rest." Hansen did not immediately return a call from the AP seeking comment.

The sexual abuse allegations involved 13 or 14 clerics and spanned nearly 30 years, from 1961 to 1987, Roosa said. The children's ages ranged from 5 years to teenage.

"Despite all this, no Catholic religious leader has yet to admit that problem priests were dumped in Alaska. For our clients, this settlement represents a long overdue acknowledgment of the truth of their stories of abuse, stories that until today were largely denied and belittled by apologists for the abusers," Roosa said.

The Catholic Church first was notified of the Alaska cases of abuse in 2002, Roosa said.

The cases do not include those against the Diocese of Fairbanks, which owned and managed the churches in the villages in rural Alaska where the Jesuit priests were assigned. Those 135 lawsuits have been reduced to 10. Those cases are expected to be mediated in December

DETROIT IS MOST DANGEROUS CITY

From Fox News:

In another blow to the Motor City's tarnished image, Detroit pushed past St. Louis to become the nation's most dangerous city, according to a private research group's controversial analysis, released Sunday, of annual FBI crime statistics.

The study drew harsh criticism even before it came out. The American Society of Criminology launched a pre-emptive strike Friday, issuing a statement attacking it as "an irresponsible misuse" of crime data.

The 14th annual "City Crime Rankings: Crime in Metropolitan America" was published by CQ Press, a unit of Congressional Quarterly Inc. It is based on the FBI's Sept. 24 crime statistics report.

The report looked at 378 cities with at least 75,000 people based on per-capita rates for homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and auto theft. Each crime category was considered separately and weighted based on its seriousness, CQ Press said.

Last year's crime leader, St. Louis, fell to No. 2. Another Michigan city, Flint, ranked third, followed by Oakland Calif.; Camden, N.J.; Birmingham, Ala.; North Charleston, S.C.; Memphis, Tenn.; Richmond, Calif.; and Cleveland.

The study ranked Mission Viejo, Calif., as the safest U.S. city, followed by Clarkstown, N.Y.; Brick Township, N.J.; Amherst, N.Y.; and Sugarland, Texas.

CQ Press spokesman Ben Krasney said details of the weighting system were proprietary. It was compiled by Kathleen O'Leary Morgan and Scott Morgan, whose Morgan Quitno Press published it until its acquisition by CQ Press.

The study assigns a crime score to each city, with zero representing the national average. Detroit got a score of 407, while St. Louis followed at 406. The score for Mission Viejo, in affluent Orange County, was minus 82.

Detroit was pegged the nation's murder capital in the 1980s and has lost nearly 1 million people since 1950, according to the Census Bureau. Downtown sports stadiums and corporate headquarters -- along with the redevelopment of the riverfront of this city of 919,000 -- have slowed but not reversed the decline. Officials have said crime reports don't help.

Detroit Deputy Police Chief James Tate had no immediate comment on the report. But the mayor of 30th-ranked Rochester, N.Y. -- an ex-police chief himself -- said the study's authors should consider the harm that the report causes.

"What I take exception to is the use of these statistics and the damage they inflict on a number of these cities," said Mayor Robert Duffy, chairman of the Criminal and Social Justice Committee for the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

The rankings "do groundless harm to many communities," said Michael Tonry, president of the American Society of Criminology.

"They also work against a key goal of our society, which is a better understanding of crime-related issues by both scientists and the public," Tonry said.

Critics also complain that numbers don't tell the whole story because of differences among cities.

"You're not comparing apples and oranges; you're comparing watermelons and grapes," said Rob Casey, who heads the FBI section that puts out the Uniform Crime Report that provides the data for the Quitno report.

The FBI posted a statement on its Web site criticizing such use of its statistics.

"These rough rankings provide no insight into the numerous variables that mold crime in a particular town, city, county, state, or region," the FBI said. "Consequently, they lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting communities and their residents."

Doug Goldenberg-Hart, acquisitions editor at CQ Press, said that the rankings are imperfect, but that the numbers are straightforward. Cities at the top of the list would not be there unless they ranked poorly in all six crime categories, he said.

"The idea that people oppose it, it's kind of blaming the messenger," Goldenberg-Hart said. "It's not coming to terms with the idea that crime is a persistent problem in our society."

The report "helps concerned Americans learn how their communities fare in the fight against crime," CQ Press said in a statement. "The first step in making our cities and states safer is to understand the true magnitude of their crime problems. This will only be achieved through straightforward data that all of us can use and understand."

The study excluded Chicago, Minneapolis, and other Illinois and Minnesota cities because of incomplete data.

KANYE WEST GETS EMOTIONAL ABOUT MOM

Kanye West broke down on stage during his concert in Paris on Saturday and started crying over his dearly departed mother, Donda.

GAS PRICES NEAR RECORD HIGH

From CNN.com
The price of gasoline has jumped another 13 cents in the last two weeks, close to the all-time high set earlier this year, according to a survey published Sunday.

The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular is $3.09, the Lundberg Survey found. That's just 9 cents below the record set in May.

The latest price is also 9 cents below the inflation-adjusted all-time high, said survey publisher Trilby Lundberg. In 1981, the price peaked at $1.35 -- which, in today's dollars, comes out to $3.10 using the latest Consumer Price Index data, she said.

Don't be surprised if the records are shattered in the coming weeks, Lundberg said. Even if crude oil doesn't climb further, "we can easily see another dime at the pump," she said, "because refiners are severely squeezed between their oil buying price and their gasoline selling price."

The survey looked at thousands of gas stations nationwide on Friday, two weeks after the previous survey. The lowest average price for a gallon of self-serve regular was in Tucson, Ariz., at $2.91; the highest was in San Francisco, at $3.48.

Here are prices in some other cities:

Des Moines, Iowa - $3.02

Manchester, N.H. - $2.97

Houston - $2.90

St. Louis - 2.96

Salt Lake City - $2.97

Atlanta - $3.03

Washington - $3.08

Portland, Ore. - $3.10

Miami - $3.17

Hartford, Conn. - $3.20

DEREK JETER CARTOON

From the NY POST: