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Jockstrip: The World As We Know It

By PENNY NELSON BARTHOLOMEW, United Press International
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'BEHIND ENEMY LINES'

During the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Twentieth Century Fox thanked the 5,000 men and women stationed aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Carl Vinson -- currently on active duty in the North Arabian Sea -- by holding the international premiere screening of "Behind Enemy Lines" aboard the ship's flight deck.

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It was the first-ever debubt screening aboard an aircraft carrier on active duty.

Fox shot a portion of "Behind Enemy Lines" aboard the Vinson, and many of those watching the film last weekend were among its cast of extra players.

The movie is about a Naval aviator who is shot down over enemy territory and the commanding officer who risks his career to launch a renegade rescue mission to save him.


THINGS WE DON'T UNDERSTAND

He's been dead for two decades, but John Wayne has a new CD in stores Tuesday.

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"John Wayne: America, Why I Love Her" features 10 different salutes to America and its people, narrated by the Duke with various musical accompaniment by conductor/arranger Billy Liebert, a former member of the renowned traditional country vocal and instrumental group The Sons of the Pioneers. Based on a series of writings by actor/poet John Mitchum (Robert's brother) on a variety of patriotic and American themes, the album was released originally in 1973.

The album will be available in stores, by mail order and via the Internet ($14.98 CD, $9.98 cassette). It's being distributed by MPI Media of Chicago.


NEWS OF OTHER LIFE FORMS

Legislators joined members of religious, ethical and environmental groups on Capitol Hill Monday to condemn the reported cloning of human embryos and call for immediate passage of an anti-cloning law.

Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., led a news conference attacking the research from Advanced Cell Technology Inc. of Worcester, Mass. Smith was part of a large House majority that passed legislation last summer to prohibit all human cloning. Brownback said the Senate must consider the bill this week and pass it before the Christmas recess.

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"We have to discuss: What is a young human and its moral significance?" Brownback said. "I think it does have significance, that it's not property, that it's a person no matter how it's created."

On Sunday, ACT said it had successfully cloned human embryos using three methods. The company said the research is meant to aid the development of stem cell therapies by providing cells based on a person's own genetic makeup, which would prevent rejection.

Smith said the research would ultimately lead to cloned humans being born.

"Our government cannot sit idly by as mad scientists redefine what it means to be human beings," Smith said. "We cannot allow this violation of human rights, this crime against humanity, to take place on our watch."


TODAY'S SIGN THE WORLD IS ENDING

The controversial former owner of the Cincinnati Reds baseball franchise, Marge Schott -- much maligned for some of her statements and views -- remains "loud, extroverted and engaging."

The Enquirer reports huge numbers of her fans stood in long lines last weekend to get her autograph at the 12th annual Moeller High School Sport Card and Memorabilia Show. The event marked the first time that Schott made such an appearance. She worked the crowd well, telling stories of everything from "the demise of the dollar hot dog at the ballpark to the disappearance of farms in Butler County."

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The publication says she made no apologies for her years at the head of the Reds. "I'm not ashamed of the job I did, honey," she told one autograph-seeking fan of the team, "but it's a little boy's world."

Schott was twice disciplined by Major League Baseball for her racial and ethnic remarks, and gave up ownership of the franchise in 1999. Many referred to her as Auntie Marge.

(Thanks to UPI Feature Reporter Dennis Daily)


AND FINALLY, TODAY'S UPLIFTING STORY

We're a generous lot, we Americans. The California Community Foundation's fifth annual survey of giving and volunteering in Los Angeles County found that while only 4 percent of residents questioned knew someone injured in the events of Sept. 11, two-thirds did something to help the victims, and 70 percent say that Sept. 11 giving will not reduce the amounts they normally give to other causes.

66 percent of LA residents surveyed said they made charitable donations in the wake of Sept. 11, about the same as nationally. Of these, half donated money, one-fourth donated blood and one in five helped collect or raise money. Overall, response to the terrorist attacks did not vary by age, gender or ethnicity. The most common method of giving was to place money in a canister or box, and the most favored recipient was the American Red Cross, with 61 percent of those designating it as the charity of choice for this event.

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Overall, 94 percent of those surveyed said they had donated money or goods for charitable purposes in the last 12 months. More than half of the 500 LA County adults surveyed this year say they gave directly to a not-for-profit or charity in the form of cash, check or credit card.

The most frequent form of giving is in donations of toys, food and clothing.

Two-thirds say they have given money directly to a homeless person.

More than three-fourths of respondents have volunteered -- the most popular means of sharing time are building, fixing or repairing something without pay, and visiting or caring for someone ill or disabled.

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