It was arguably the ugliest game seven of an NBA Finals, but the Los Angeles Lakers overcame a poor shooting night by Kobe Bryant to win their 16th NBA title.

Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant now have a ring for each finger on their hands winning back-to-back NBA titles.   Despite shooting 6 for 24 (o-6 from 3) Bryant still lead all scorers with 23 points and 15 rebounds on the night. Ron Artest and Pau Gasol kept the Lakers in the game scoring 20 and 19 points respectively. Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 18 points.

“This was the sweetest,” Bryant said of his fifth championship. He also took home series MVP honors. “Tonight got the best of me.”

The Lakers now only need one more title to match the Celtics record of 17 NBA championships. Kobe Bryant needs one more to match the man he is constantly compared to, the legendary Michael Jordan.

Watch highlights of the game below:

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SEATTLE — Seattle Mariners outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. retired Wednesday, ending one of the great careers in baseball history.

The 40-year-old Griffey told the Mariners that he was finished playing, and manager Don Wakamatsu made the announcement before Seattle faced Minnesota.

“While I feel I am still able to make a contribution on the field and nobody in the Mariners front office has asked me to retire, I told the Mariners when I met with them prior to the 2009 season and was invited back that I will never allow myself to become a distraction,” Griffey said in a statement.

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“I feel that without enough occasional starts to be sharper coming off the bench, my continued presence as a player would be an unfair distraction to my teammates and their success as a team is what the ultimate goal should be,” he said.

Griffey was hitting only .184 with no homers and seven RBIs this year and recently went a week without playing. There was a report earlier this season — which Griffey denied — that he’d fallen asleep in the clubhouse during a game.

Griffey was a perennial All-Star outfielder and ranks fifth on the career home run list with 630. He won a most valuable player award and was a Gold Glove winner. The only thing missing on his resume was a trip to the World Series.

He played 22 years in the majors with Seattle, his hometown Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox. He hit .284 lifetime with 1,836 RBIs.

For a time in the 1990s, he was considered the best player in baseball. But then injuries began to take their toll and his production started to decline.

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Another temporary fix — an effort to saw through the pipe leaking the oil and cap it — could be tried as soon as Wednesday. In the meantime, more than 125 miles (200 kilometers) of the state’s coastline already have been hit with oil, including the resort of Grand Isle near Port Fourchon.

Shares in BP PLC were plunging in London on Tuesday after the oil company’s latest failed attempt to block the oil leak in the Gulf. Shares fell 13 percent to $6.20 on the London Stock Exchange. Tuesday was the first day of trading there since the failed attempt over the weekend.

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BP also said costs for the spill have reached $990 million.

The cleanup, relief wells and temporary fixes were being watched closely by President Barack Obama’s administration. Obama planned to meet for the first time Tuesday with the co-chairmen of an independent commission investigating the spill, while Attorney General Eric Holder was headed to the Gulf Coast to meet with state attorneys general.

Obama’s energy and global warming czar, Carol Browner, said she doesn’t want to guess the prospects for success when BP again tries to use a containment cap to control the oil spill.

Interviewed Tuesday on ABC television, Browner said, “I don’t want to put odds on it. … We want to get this thing contained.”

Browner also said she’s concerned about the effect the hurricane season, which began Tuesday, could have on ending the environmental crisis.

Meanwhile, basic living quarters have been set up on a barge to house cleanup workers at Port Fourchon, the oil industry’s hub on the Gulf. The 40-foot-long (12-meter-long) corrugated steel boxes, resembling oversized white shipping containers, are stacked two high and three wide and marked with the words “Martin Quarters.”

BP and several subcontractors have set up the floating hotel, or “flotel,” to accommodate more than 500 workers hired to clean up the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

“There are no permanent residents here on the port,” said Dennis Link, a manager from a BP refinery who’s handling logistics at the 1,300-acre (525-hectare) site that’s easily accessible by ship, but reachable on land only by a state road that snakes through the bayous.

The accommodations on the barge are Spartan, but comfortable — similar to military barracks. The quarters are typically floated alongside offshore oil rigs to supplement housing on the drilling operations. If necessary, four tents on dry land nearby can house 500 more workers.

The flotel could be moved if significant amounts of oil wash up at another location. Another flotel sits about 15 miles (25 kilometers) away, off Grand Isle, and BP plans to establish them elsewhere along the coast.

Cleanup efforts are being ramped up while BP also tries the latest in a series of patchwork fixes, this one a cut-and-cap process to put a lid on the leaking wellhead so oil can be siphoned to the surface. The risky procedure could, at least temporarily, increase the oil flowing from the busted well.

Using robot submarines, BP plans to cut away the riser pipe this week and place a cap-like containment valve over the blowout preventer. On Monday, live video feeds showed robot submarines moving equipment around and using a circular saw-like device to cut small pipes at the bottom of the Gulf.

“We are well into the operation to put this cap on the well now,” BP Managing Director Bob Dudley told NBC television on Tuesday.

BP failed to plug the leak Saturday with its top kill, which shot mud and pieces of rubber into the well but couldn’t beat back the pressure of the oil.

The oil company also announced plans Monday to try attaching another pipe to a separate opening on the blowout preventer with some of the same equipment used to pump in mud during the top kill. The company also wants to build a new freestanding riser to carry oil toward the surface, which would give it more flexibility to disconnect and then reconnect containment pipes if a hurricane passed through.

Neither of those plans would start before mid-June and would supplement the cut-and-cap effort.

But the best chances for sealing off the leak are two relief wells, the first of which won’t be ready until August. The spill has already leaked between 19.7 million and 43 million gallons, according to government estimates.

For the relief well to succeed, the bore hole must precisely intersect the damaged well, which experts have compared to hitting a target the size of a dinner plate more than 2 miles (3 kilometers) into the earth. If it misses, BP will have to back up its drill, plug the hole it just created, and try again.

“The probability of them hitting it on the very first shot is virtually nil,” said David Rensink, incoming president of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, who spent most of his 39 years in the oil industry in offshore exploration. “If they get it on the first three or four shots they’d be very lucky.”

The trial-and-error process could take weeks, but it will eventually work, scientists and BP said. Then engineers will then pump mud and cement through pipes to ultimately seal the well.

On the slim chance the relief well doesn’t work, scientists weren’t sure exactly how much — or how long — the oil would flow. The gusher would continue until the well bore hole collapsed or pressure in the reservoir dropped to a point where oil was no longer pushed to the surface, said Tad Patzek, chair of the Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering Department at the University of Texas-Austin.

BP said it doesn’t know how much oil is in the reservoir because it was starting to collect and analyze data on its size when the rig exploded April 20.

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CHICAGO – In her police mug shot, the doe-eyed cartoon heroine with the bowl haircut has a black eye, battered lip and bloody nose.

Dora the Explorer’s alleged crime? “Illegal Border Crossing Resisting Arrest.”

The doctored picture, one of several circulating widely in the aftermath of Arizona’s controversial new immigration law, may seem harmless, ridiculous or even tasteless.

But experts say the pictures and the rhetoric surrounding them online, in newspapers and at public rallies, reveal some Americans’ attitudes about race, immigrants and where the immigration reform debate may be headed.

“Dora is kind of like a blank screen onto which people can project their thoughts and feelings about Latinos,” said Erynn Masi de Casanova, a sociology professor at the University of Cincinnati. “They feel like they can say negative things because she’s only a cartoon character.”

It’s not the first time a children’s character has been dragged into a serious debate.

In the late 1990s, Tinky Winky the Teletubby, a purple children’s TV character with a triangle antenna — was called out by Christian leaders for being gay. Sesame Street roommates Bert and Ernie are often involved in statements on same-sex marriage.

Both shows’ producers say the characters aren’t gay.

In Dora’s case, she’s an easy target as discussion ramps up on how lawmakers should address the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States.

For about a decade, the pint-sized Latina character has taught millions of children the English alphabet, colors and Spanish phrases on a Nickelodeon TV show and through a global empire. Her smiling cherub face is plastered on everything from backpacks to T-shirts to fruit snacks.

But since the passage of the Arizona law — which requires authorities to question people about their immigration status if there’s reason to suspect they’re in the country illegally — Dora’s life and immigration status have been scrutinized and mocked.

Several websites, including The Huffington Post, have narrated Dora’s mock capture by immigration authorities. One picture circulating on Facebook shows an ad for a TV show called “Dora the Illegal Immigrant.” On the Facebook page “Dora the Explorer is soo an Illegal Immigrant,” there are several images showing her sailing through the air over the U.S.-Mexican border.

Many of the Dora images assume the Latina character is an illegal immigrant from Mexico.

But that’s where it gets complicated.

Representatives from Nickelodeon declined to comment on Dora’s background, and her place of birth or citizenship have never been clear.” She has brown skin, dark hair and speaks Spanish with an American accent.

“She’s always been ambiguously constructed,” said Angharad Valdivia, who teaches media studies at the University of Illinois and has explored the issue. “In the U.S. the way we understand race is about putting people in categories and we’re uncomfortable with people we can’t put into categories.”

Dora lives in an unidentified location with pyramids that suggest Mexico, but also tropical elements such as palm trees and her friends, Isa the iguana and Boots the monkey. Does that mean she’s from South America or Florida?

Then there’s oak trees and her fox nemesis Swiper, which are more common to the American Midwest.

The show often plays Salsa-like music, which has some roots in Cuba and is popular across Latin America.

Even the voice actresses behind Dora don’t provide insight.

The original Dora voice belonged to Kathleen Herles, whose parents are from Peru. Dora is currently voiced by actress Caitlin Sanchez, a New Jersey-born teen who calls herself Cuban American; her grandparents are Cuban.

As for the mug shot, it’s been around since late last year, when Debbie Groben of Sarasota, Fla. created it and entered it in a contest for the fake news site FreakingNews.com.

Since debate over the Arizona law heated up the nation’s immigration debate, it’s been e-mailed and texted widely and used on signs at rallies.

“My intentions were to do something funny, something and irreverent,” said Groben, who said she opposes Arizona’s law. “I actually like the little kid.”

The issue appears to have resonated little with Dora’s biggest fans, the millions of parents and their children who seem mostly unaware of the discussion encircling their beloved cartoon.

Altamise Leach, who has three children, said Dora’s ethnicity and citizenship are irrelevant.

The stay-at-home mom credits the cartoon with helping teach her children team work. She even threw her 3-year-old daughter a Dora birthday party, complete with a Dora-like adventure, Dora cake and a woman who dressed up as Dora.

“We have so many diverse cultures, let’s try to embrace everybody,” Leach said. “She puts a smile on my daughter’s face, that’s all I want.”

Erick Wyatt said he never thought about Dora’s origins and his three children never asked.

“I just thought she was a cartoon character that spoke Spanish,” the Flint, Mich., man said.

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THIBODAUX, La. – A man who told police that God told him to walk the streets naked to save his soul has been arrested. Thibodaux police responded to an obscenity complaint around 2 a.m. Thursday and found Shafiq Mohamed walking nude down the street. When approached, Mohamed reportedly told officers that “America raped him” and added God told him to walk the streets naked to save his soul.

Mohamed was taken into custody and charged with obscenity. He was booked into the Lafourche Parish Detention Center where he awaited bail.

It was not immediately known whether Mohamed has an attorney.

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From HuffingtonPost.com:

Yesterday in Venice, Louisiana, fishermen and local residents called a press conference to talk about the air. People complained of the oily smells when the wind is blowing off the water, and listed symptoms including headaches, nosebleeds, asthma attacks, cough, nausea, and vomiting. Those who had been out on the water said it was even worse out there.

Click here to view photos.

I’m not surprised – I smelled it too. The smell that intermittently invades Venice and other locations along the Gulf Coast has a hint of creosote, but also the sickly smell of diesel fuel. It made my stomach turn, and I am not particularly sensitive to these things. It’s clear that there’s something in the air; the question is – is it harmful?

I went out late last week with an air monitoring device to look for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and benzene. It seemed reasonable to start with VOCs, especially benzene, because they are among the most toxic compounds that could be coming from the oil. I have blogged previously on the health effects of these chemicals.

Click here to read more.

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From NYDailyNews.com:

For a minute there, it looked like the “bad girl” was back.

Ex-Rockland County District Attorney Ken Gribetz briefly represented Lawrence Taylor Thursday as a criminal defense lawyer – until the Daily News reminded the world of Gribetz’s past in an online story.

Arthur Aidala abruptly replaced Gribetz as LT’s attorney.

Back in 1995, The News exposed the married Gribetz’s torrid affair with a local woman who claimed he used county money to fund their trysts.

She recounted how Gribetz would leave her voice messages referring to her as his “doll” – and calling himself a “bad girl.”

The News also revealed he pocketed secret referral fees on real estate deals.

Gribetz resigned and pleaded guilty to two federal misdemeanors. He was suspended from practicing law.

Click here to read more.

Updated 05.06.10 @ 11:42 a.m. – Lawrence Taylor Arrested In Connection With Rape Of 16-Year-Old

SUFFERN, N.Y. – Pro Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor was arrested Thursday in connection with the rape of a 16-year-old girl in a suburban New York City hotel room, and another man is accused of bringing her there, police said.

The former New York Giants linebacker was arrested early Thursday at a Holiday Inn in Suffern, said Christopher St. Lawrence, supervisor of the town of Ramapo. The victim was 16, one year below the legal age of consent in New York, St. Lawrence said.

An attorney for Taylor, Kenneth Gribetz, said he expected Taylor to be arraigned later Thursday.

“We’re confident his innocence will be proven,” he said.

A second man was arrested in the case, New York City police said. Rasheed Davis, 36, was arrested on charges of unlawful imprisonment, assault and endangering the welfare of a child.

Police said Davis drove the girl, who had been staying with him in the Bronx for a few weeks, to the Holiday Inn and told her she had to have sex with Taylor. She said she refused, Taylor sexually assaulted her, then he paid her $300, which she gave to Davis, police said.

On the way back from Suffern, the girl sent text messages to her uncle spelling out what had happened, said a law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak about the case. The uncle then went to the NYPD, the official said.

There was no phone number listed at the address provided by police for Davis and it wasn’t clear if he had an attorney. His relationship with the girl was unclear.

The Bronx district attorney’s office refused to comment.

Taylor was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999 and competed in ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” last year. He had a highly publicized struggle with drug addiction and has had multiple legal run-ins in retirement.

A quick, fierce and athletic linebacker who redefined his position, Taylor anchored the Giants’ defense and led New York to Super Bowls titles in 1987 and 1991. He was selected to the NFL’s 75th Anniversary All-Time Team.

A 10-time Pro Bowler, he was the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1986 and the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1981, 1982 and 1986. He recorded 132 1/2 sacks, which doesn’t included his 9 sacks in 1981 when the statistic wasn’t official.

In 2001, Taylor was convicted of possessing drug paraphernalia in New Jersey. The conviction stemmed from the September 1998 discovery in a hotel room of a butane torch and other materials commonly used to smoke crack.

In 1996 and 1997, he was arrested in South Carolina and Florida on drug charges. In those cases, he either admitted his guilt or agreed to enter a pretrial intervention program.

In 2000, he drew five years of federal probation for filing false tax returns and for tax evasion.

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NEW YORK — The stock market has had one of its most turbulent days ever. The Dow Jones industrials plunged nearly 1,000 points in half an hour amid concerns that Greece’s debt problems could halt the world financial recovery.

The Dow has managed to recover two-thirds of its losses and close down 347 at 10,520. But all the major indexes lost 3 percent in a day that recalled the market turmoil of the 2008 financial crisis.

There were reports that a technical glitch hastened the selling. Even so emotions are running high. Traders are concerned that Greece’s economic problems will hurt other European countries and ultimately, the U.S. recovery.

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The Standard & Poor’s 500 index is off 37 at 1,128. The Nasdaq composite index is off 82 at 2,319.

Only 173 stocks rose on the New York Stock Exchange while 3,002 fell. Volume came to an extremely heavy 2.57 billion shares.

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Via:  www.newsone.com

From MIJE.org:

Fox News Channel was the only cable news channel not to carry the funeral service for Dr. Dorothy Height Thursday morning, at which President Obama, Cabinet members, congressional and civil rights leaders were in evidence.

Obama delivered the eulogy.

A Fox News spokeswoman noted to Journal-isms that a Fox News anchor directed viewers to foxnews.com, which streamed the service.

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The progressive Media Matters for America noted the streaming, but added:

“Earlier this week, numerous conservative blogs and websites were promoting a story about a team of evangelical researchers who supposedly ‘found’ Noah’s Ark in Turkey,” Ben Dimiero wrote. “The story is quite obviously a hoax, and when it made the jump to FoxNews.com, they were ridiculed for promoting it in their ‘Science’ section.

“This morning, Fox News decided that this ridiculous ’story’ merited some on-air coverage, and America’s Newsroom devoted several minutes to ‘Noah’s Ark.’ This wouldn’t be so notable if it came on a morning during which nothing else of note was going on, but Fox News ran this segment while President Obama eulogized civil rights legend Dorothy Height. Fox noted that the eulogy would be streaming on FoxNews.com, but they chose to devote their TV airwaves to this:

“As we’ve noted in the past, Fox will use any excuse not to cover various Obama’s speeches.”

Click here to read more.

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Obama Honors Civil Rights Legend Dorothy Height At Funeral

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You can watch live video of the Dorothy Height’s memorial service, including the eulogy delivered by President Barack Obama, below. – NewsOne Staff

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

From CNN.com:

Washington (CNN) — President Obama will deliver the eulogy Thursday at the funeral of civil rights leader Dorothy Height, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Tuesday.

Height’s funeral is set for 10 a.m. ET Thursday at Washington National Cathedral.

Height died last week at the age of 98.

The lasting impact of her life was reflected Tuesday evening by the hundreds of people who came out to pay their respects at her viewing at the National Council of Negro Women, an organization that she served as national president for 41 years. People lined three city blocks in Washington to attend the viewing and praised Height as a leader.

“To me she’s a part of history for women’s rights and the civil rights movement,” Delores Levalle said while waiting to enter the building.

Click here to view photos:

Many of the people attending the viewing emphasized how inspirational she was as a woman and as a leader of the civil rights movement, a woman who stood beside Martin Luther King Jr. during his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

Click here to read more.

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Dorothy Height Funeral & Tribute Scheduled For This Week