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N a sultry Tuesday this month, on lower Manhattan streets thronged with a mix of teenagers in baggy pants and fashion-challenged baby boomers, the hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons donned his trademark baseball cap to dominate a stage that also showcased Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. But the familiar sights and sounds of a rap concert dressed up a rally to protest school budget cuts and to support teachers.Mr. Simmons, who at 44 is known as the godfather of hip-hop, was trying to use the enormous popularity of hip-hop — the language, the clothes, the stars — to spotlight some of the...

<p>Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon has stepped up his television campaign against the Democratic incumbent, Gov. Gray Davis. In a new 30-second ad, scheduled to air statewide over the next two weeks, Simon takes aim at Davis' campaign fund raising. Following is the text of the ad and an analysis by Dan Smith of The Bee Capitol Bureau.</p>

They missed a couple of extra points, but UT beats South Carolina 12-6, to take it all at the College World Series. A former Yale baseball star is probably smiling right now.

Malaysia's longtime Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad announced on Saturday that he was stepping down from all positions in the government and ruling party. The news was greeted with disbelief and chants of “Mahathir! Mahathir!” at the annual congress of the ruling United Malays National Organization, where he was giving his closing speech. “I wish to announce I am resigning from UMNO and all positions in the National Front,” Mahathir told the delegates, his voice choked with emotion.

ARCADIA, June 19, 2002 — The death of a DeSoto County man is bringing about some unusual questions. Rick Georges died in April, but has yet to be buried. His widow is challenging the city code in the hopes of granting the man’s dying wish.Arcadia is typical of ‘Small Town, USA.’ It’s the kind of place where people bury their beloved pets in the yard. But on one particular street, a widow wants to bury her husband in the side yard."Very odd. I thought it might have been a rumor," said neighbor Mike Witmer.Pat Kepple would have a front row...

Throughout his term, Gov. Jeb Bush has been signing new legislation to benefit FL law enforcment officers. Saturday, June 22, 2002 Fraternal Order of Police Endorse Governor Bush MIAMI BEACH - The Bush-Brogan 2002 campaign is pleased to announce the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). The announcement was made today during the FOP's 53rd Annual Meeting in Miami Beach. The FOP represents more than 22,000 law enforcement officers throughout the state of Florida. "Public safety has been and continues to be a top priority for the Bush-Brogan Administration," Bush said. "I am both humbled and grateful to...

TORONTO -- The Canadian military and the RCMP have been given special authorization to jam radio and cellphone signals during the G8 Summit next week and the Pope's visit to Canada in July. It's the first time police or the military have ever been allowed to block signals, an official said. The authorization allows the Department of National Defence and the RCMP to use jamming devices around Calgary and Kananaskis, Alta., from June 17 to June 29 for the summit of leaders from Group of Eight nations. They will have the same power to jam signals in Toronto from July...

ASHIKAGA, Tochigi -- A man armed with a knife walked into a convenience store here, politely asked the attendant for money, then apologized as he fled with 30,000 yen, police said.Investigators said the assailant entered the store at about 1:35 a.m. on Saturday. After approaching the 34-year-old attendant at the counter, he threatened him with a knife, saying, “Excuse me, I’m terribly sorry but my company has gone bankrupt, so please give me some money.”The attendant handed him 30,000 yen from the cash register, which the man snatched before fleeing on a bicycle. As he left the store he said,...

A camel is suspected of being the cause of of a recent eight-hour shelling duel between Indian and Pakistani troops in the desert state of Rajasthan in which two people died, a report said on Saturday. The Indian Express said the animal strayed into the Indian side from across the border with a Pakistani soldier hot in pursuit, prompting Indian border guards to give chase to the intruders. In turn, Pakistani soldiers opened fire to protect their colleague, killing Indian border guard asssistant commandant Sumer Singh. Indian troops retaliated, killing a Pakistani ranger. The two armies eventually resolved the issue...

londenfreude, the glee felt when a rich, powerful, and fair-haired business woman stumbles, is the guilty pleasure of the age.Martha Stewart has often complained about the cultural bias that punishes women for the Type A traits that are admired in their male peers.For the first time in her closely watched career, however, Ms. Stewart is fighting accusations of impropriety that have nothing to do with gender roles. Even the unproven suggestion that she is involved in an insider-trading scandal threatens to cast Martha Stewart as just another tycoon trying to get a little bit richer by skirting the rules. At...

Bush Sets Fast Pace at Fitness Race Sat Jun 22,12:42 PM ETBy LAWRENCE L. KNUTSON, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - He didn't finish first, second or even in the top 20, but President Bush ( news - web sites) tried to lead by example Saturday in a three-mile run with hundreds of White House workers. Photos AP Photo Slideshows Audio/Video (AP) His goal was to convince Americans to take to heart his message that regular exercise is essential to the good health of both the person and the nation. Bush came in near the top of the 400-runner field,...

A casino that encourages gamblers to play noughts and crosses against imprisoned chickens has been attacked by an animal rights group.Since last month, gamblers at Casino Aztar in Evansville, Indiana, have been queueing to pit their wits against one of the 15 chickens in a money game of tic-tac-toe.The chickens - which work in one-hour shifts - sit inside a box and place their marks on the board by pecking a touch-sensitive computer screen. The winner receives £3,300 or some maize.But this week a “cruelty caseworker” at the local branch of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) wrote...

The launch of a Russian rocket carrying a U.S. television satellite has been postponed because of technical problems, a news agency reported Saturday. The Echostar-8 satellite was to have been launched on a Russian Proton-K rocket from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Saturday, the ITAR-Tass news agency said. The launch was delayed until July 18 because there were some technical problems with the Echostar-8 satellite, the news agency said.

very quarter since the technology boom ended, hopeful forecasters have predicted that a recovery in business technology spending is just a couple of quarters away. "Eventually, they're going to be right," joked Kevin M. Landis, who runs Firsthand Funds, which focuses on technology stocks.It is not likely to happen anytime soon. While other areas are showing tentative signs of strength, technology remains in a deep funk.The reasons go beyond the weak economy. Perhaps for the first time since the invention of the computer, technology is outpacing customers' needs, industry executives say. The equipment of today, they add, can generally handle...

Hollywood Leftists -- You Pay, We Insult FrontPageMagazine.com | June 21, 2002 WINSTON CHURCHILL, many say, once said, "A man younger than 30 who's not a liberal has no heart and a man older than 30 who's not a conservative has no brain." But this fails to explain why so many Hollywood celebrities, even past their 30s, remain leftists. Make Comments View Comments Printable Article Email Article Hollywood Reporter writer Paul Bond explored this question. Hollywood non-liberals do exist, but the number of out-of-the-closet non-libs remains small. After ticking off names like Charlton Heston, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, and a...

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has pulled from newstands the latest issue of The Economist magazine which features an 18-page survey arguing for broad political reform in the country, a magazine executive said on Friday. Some 2,500 subscription copies were delivered as usual, but another 600 issues that usually grace up-market hotel news racks and Chinese stores frequented by foreigners were halted by the authorities. The latest issue features a cover with colourful birds in an ornate Chinese cage and the text "Set China's politics free". "They say it's the sensitivity of the survey, and to be honest we did expect...

LEVELAND -- ALEXANDER M. CUTLER worked his way up through three recessions. Unlike many chief executives, he has learned to thrive in downturns, and has made his reputation that way at the Eaton Corporation, the giant manufacturer based here. This downturn, however, has been different. "The recession we've been through," Mr. Cutler said, "was as steep as anything we've seen since 1981 and 1982," which stands as the worst since World War II. "Everybody keeps comparing what just happened to the mild '90-'91 recession. That totally misses it." National statistics are signaling recovery now, but Mr. Cutler worries that the...

Sen. Hillary Clinton has called on General Mills to put New York's Bravest and Finest on Wheaties boxes. "In this age of celluloid superheroes, America's children have real heroes to look up to, especially in the wake of Sept. 11," Clinton (D-N.Y.) wrote to General Mills' chairman and CEO, Steve Sanger. She endorsed an online petition, posted at www.petitiononline.com/sgt964/petition.html, that calls for a Wheaties box featuring a New York firefighter, cop and transit police officer. General Mills Vice President Tom Forsythe said the company had weighed the idea but decided it "didn't seem appropriate." Peter Gorman of the Uniformed Fire...

The Mexicans,They Died for a Just and Honorable Cause. (Did They, Really?) I Seem to recall Americans saying the same thing about our men at the Alamo! But today I hear more talk about how damn brave the Mexicans are and how they are going to take this state and that state back. From everything I have been able to gather, we're going to let them have what the hell they want and the hell with the Alamo and it's Hero's. We have finally become the "Roll Over and Play Dead Nation" I don't feel like fighting if it does...