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NBA suspends O.J. Mayo 10 games for positive test

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The NBA has suspended guard O.J. Mayo 10 games without pay for violating the league and union's anti-drug program with a positive test.

The league announced the suspension Thursday for Mayo's positive test for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Mayo's suspension will start Friday night when the Grizzlies visit Philadelphia, and he will be able to return Feb. 15 also against the 76ers in Memphis.

Mayo said in a statement released by the team that he is extremely disappointed he will miss 10 games as the Grizzlies are making a push for the playoffs. He blamed an over the counter supplement that he didn't know was banned by the NBA for the positive test, but a team spokesman said Mayo declined to say which supplement he used.

"It was an honest mistake, but I take full responsibility for my actions," Mayo said in the statement released by the team. I apologize to my fans, teammates and the Grizzlies organization for regrettably not doing the necessary research about what supplements I can put in my body."

Mayo's agent did not immediately return a message left at his office Thursday.

Mayo was the No. 3 pick overall in 2008 after only one season at USC, and Minnesota swapped him draft night deal to the Grizzlies for Kevin Love. Mayo was runner-up to Chicago's Derrick Rose for rookie of the year.

But the guard was moved to the bench earlier this season, starting just 15 of Memphis' 45 games this season. He's been bandied about as possible trade bait even while ranking fourth on the Grizzlies with 12.2 points per game.

Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley said Mayo will continue practicing with the team during his suspension.

"O.J. had a lack of judgment but has shown complete accountability," Heisley said in a statement. "We will continue to support O.J. during this time as we have from the moment he joined the team in 2008. He has unselfishly done everything we have asked of him, and we expect him to grow as a player and a person from this experience."

'California Gurls' is Billboard's top summer song

NEW YORK – Fine, fresh, fierce, she's got it on lock: Katy Perry's "California Gurls" is the top song of the summer.

According to Billboard, Perry's groove with Snoop Dogg is the summer's No. 1 tune.

It seems to have been the season for collaborations: Eminem and Rihanna are second with "Love the Way You Lie," followed by B.o.B and Hayley Williams with "Airplanes."

Usher and will.i.am's club hit "OMG" is fourth, Taio Cruz comes in fifth with "Dynamite" and Travie McCoy and Bruno Mars' reggae-tinged "Billionaire" snag sixth.

Mike Posner's "Cooler than Me" is seventh, Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull score eighth with party song "I Like It" and Drake comes in ninth with "Find Your Love."

Eminem is the only artist to appear twice on the list. He's also at No. 10 with "Not Afraid."

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Israel's settlements key to peace talk progress

AMMAN, Jordan – Two days of Mideast peace talks appear to have brought Israel and the Palestinians closer to a deal that would allow those talks to continue, but even if the negotiations move forward far more difficult issues lay ahead.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak suggested a compromise over Israel's plan to lift its partial ban on construction on the West Bank later this month, while Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday he sees no alternative to continuing negotiations in search of peace with Israel.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking in Amman, said she is convinced that Netanyahu and Abbas are trying to seek common ground.

"They are committed and they have begun to grapple with the hard but necessary questions," she said, shortly before leaving for the U.S. "I am convinced that this is the time and these are the leaders to achieve the result we all seek."

Abbas' comments came as Israel was coming under increasing pressure to extend its curb on Jewish settlement construction, and aides to the Palestinian leader suggested there might be movement toward a compromise on that issue.

Abbas had said previously that the talks could not survive if the Israeli building restrictions were lifted as planned.

"We all know there is no alternative to peace through negotiations, so we have no alternative other than to continue these efforts," Abbas said Thursday, speaking through an interpreter in Ramallah, where the headquarters of the Palestinian National Authority is located.

It was unclear from Abbas' remarks whether he was signaling that the Palestinians would remain committed to the talks even if Israel does not extend the limits on building.

Egypt's leader said in a radio interview that he urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to extend the restrictions for three more months to give peacemaking a chance.

Mubarak said he told Netanyahu the delay could give the two sides time to draft their future borders. After those lines are agreed, Mubarak reasoned, Israel can build within its future borders and the Palestinians within theirs.

In comments to Israel's Channel 10 before she left the region, Clinton said for the first time that the U.S. would back a limited extension of the partial construction moratorium, calling the idea "extremely useful."

"I don't think a limited extension would undermine the process going forward if there were a decision agreed to by both parties," she said.

Netanyahu's office said Thursday that Israel doesn't plan to extend the current limits, which are due to expire in late September.

But Israeli officials said they hoped to reach a compromise well before the current restrictions expire on Sept. 26 in hopes of avoiding a major crisis. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because no formal decisions have been made.

Aides to Abbas said no deal had been reached on the settlement issue, but said they accept Mubarak's proposal and expect that a compromise will be found. Previously, the Palestinians have said they would walk out on the talks if any construction resumes.

The aides spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing a sensitive diplomatic matter.

Michele Dunne, a Mideast expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said Thursday the talks appear to have edged the process forward, although bigger challenges lay ahead.

The discussions in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh and Jerusalem "got the talks rolling toward a possible compromise on the settlements moratorium issue, which probably will be reached over the next week or so," she said. "But once again the parties are spending weeks dealing with a short-term issue to avert a crisis rather than getting down to the larger problems."

On Thursday, Clinton and Abbas met at the Palestinian Authority's West Bank headquarters.

Abbas thanked the Obama administration for its efforts to broker the current talks, the first in two years. "I know that is time is difficult and the circumstances are difficult, but the Americans are exerting active efforts to achieve this peace," he said.

Later, Clinton traveled to Amman for lunch with Jordan's King Abdullah, whose country already has a peace treaty with Israel and is a strong supporter of efforts to work out a deal between Israel and the Palestinians.

Dates for the next round of top-level negotiations are supposed to be determined during consultations next week.

Gaza militants opposed to the peace efforts have sent mortars and rockets crashing into southern Israeli communities in recent days, drawing retaliatory Israeli airstrikes.

Overnight, Israeli aircraft hit two Gaza targets that the military described as weapons storage facilities. No casualties were reported.

Palestinian official Raed Fattouh, who coordinates the flow of goods into Gaza with Israel, said the Israeli military also canceled plans to let new cars enter Gaza on Thursday for the first time in four years. The Israeli military had no immediate confirmation.

George Mitchell, the Obama administration's envoy for Middle East peace, traveled to Syria on Thursday for talks with President Bashar Assad and the Syrian foreign minister about starting a separate Syria-Israel peace negotiation.

He told reporters the U.S. administration was determined to achieve comprehensive peace in the Middle East. "It is true that the parties still have profound differences ... but we are determined to see it through," he said.

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Associated Press writers Mohammed Daraghmeh, Jamal Halaby and Dale Gavlak contributed to this report.

TheClassicalStation.org Honors Jewish High Holy Days

WCPE offers Special Programming for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur

Wake Forest, NC (Vocus) September 6, 2010 -- Wednesday evening, September 8th, at 6 PM ET, WCPE presents the Rosh Hashanah Liturgy to celebrate the Judaic New Year as prescribed in the Biblical Book of Numbers. From the beginning of Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement - the mood, music, and liturgy calls for a somber, penitential introspection, both individually and as a community. The music and liturgy will be sung by the Western Wind and Chorus and narrated by Leonard Nimoy. Join WCPE at 6 PM ET on Wednesday, September 8th for one of Judaism's High Holy Days.

The Great Classical Music offered by WCPE transcends belief systems, being crafted by artists from all traditions, and listened to by a global audience reflective of the world’s diversity. Found throughout WCPE’s programming are the traditions of people from all walks of life.

WCPE’s 24/7 live broadcast of Great Classical Music, 24 Hours A Day can be accessed around the globe in several ways; on-line streaming in multiple formats, including IPv6, small dish home satellite reception, local cable television systems and traditional radio broadcasting. A complete list of the ways WCPE is available with instructions for cable and satellite reception can be found at: .

About WCPE: With a 30 plus year history, WCPE is a non-commercial, 100 percent listener-supported, independent station dedicated to excellence in Great Classical Music broadcasting. Community-minded business underwriters and foundations are among the 150,000 listeners in the North Carolina broadcast area. General Manager Deborah S. Proctor’s leadership has enabled the WCPE community to include national and worldwide listeners. Other radio stations and cable television systems are able to rebroadcast Great Classical Music. WCPE is one of the first public broadcasters to stream on the Internet. WCPE is heard worldwide on the Internet in multiple formats, including the next generation IPv6.Because WCPE receives no tax-derived support, the station conducts two on-air fundraising campaigns and two major mail-out campaigns per year to raise needed operating funds. Quarter Notes, the WCPE Program Guide, is published four times a year as a means to enhance appreciation and understanding of classical music. It is distributed to station supporters and is also available online at . For more information, visitor call 1-800-556-5178.

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WCPE FMCurtis Brothers919-556-5178

Boise State gains ground in AP Top 25

More AP Top 25 voters are buying into Boise State as the No. 1 team in the country. Boise State gained seven first-place votes and closed in on No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Ohio State as the top three teams in the first regular season Associated Press football poll held their spots from the preseason.

The Broncos remained third after a thrilling 33-30 victory against Virginia Tech on Monday night, receiving eight first-place votes and 1,399 points from the media panel, 13 points behind the Buckeyes.

Ohio State received four first-place votes and 1,412 points.

Alabama had 47 first-place votes, down seven from the preseason poll, and 1,484 points in the rankings released Tuesday.

TCU from the Mountain West Conference moved up two spots to No. 4, marking the first time since the Bowl Championship Series was implemented in 1998 that two teams from conferences without automatic BCS bids have been in the top five. Boise State is the defending Western Athletic Conference champion.

Texas remained No. 5 and received one first-place vote.

No. 8 Florida dropped four spots after a sloppy 34-12 victory against Miami (Ohio) and No. 10 Oklahoma fell three places after beating Utah State 31-24.

The rest of the top 10 is Nebraska at No. 6, followed by Oregon, which moved up four spots after beating New Mexico 72-0. Iowa is No. 9.

No. 13 Virginia Tech dropped three spots after Boise State scored a touchdown with 1:09 left to beat the Hokies at FedEx Field in Landover, Md.

Falling out of the rankings after close opening losses were Oregon State, Pittsburgh and North Carolina. Moving in were No. 20 Utah, No. 24 South Carolina and No. 25 Stanford.

But the big story is Boise State and the Broncos very well could be the talk of college football all season.

They entered Monday with their best preseason ranking and a legitimate chance to be national championship contenders — if they could beat the Hokies and then flawlessly navigate a schedule with no games more difficult than the first.

Boise State jumped to a 17-0 first-quarter lead, watched that lead evaporate, then needed a two-minute drill capped by a 13-yard touchdown pass from Kellen Moore to Austin Pettis to win its 15th straight game.

"This was no fluke," said voter Brett McMurphy of AOL Fanhouse, who had Boise State No. 1 this week. "(The Broncos) outgained Virginia Tech and hung 33 on the Hokies. The last two teams to score more than 30 against (defensive coordinator) Bud Foster's defense — Alabama in 2009 and LSU in 2007 — went on to win the national title.

"Will Boise? Who knows, but the Broncos deserve the top ranking for this week anyway."

The Broncos have finished the last two regular seasons with perfect records, but neither time was it enough to earn them a spot in the national championship game. They were beaten out by teams from the so-called power conferences with BCS automatic bids, teams like Alabama from the Southeastern Conference and Ohio State from the Big Ten.

This season could be different. Boise State doesn't have to climb over scores of teams to get into position to contend for a spot in the BCS title game, spots determined in large part by the coaches' poll and the Harris poll.

Boise State was third in the coaches' poll this week, moving up two spots. The coaches also had Alabama first and Ohio State second. The Harris poll is not released until October.

"We've just got a long tough hard season, and the bull's-eye will continue to grow, and it's just going to be one game at a time," coach Chris Petersen said.

Not hard enough to satisfy some people.

Boise State plays at Wyoming in two weeks and gets a visit from Oregon State, which opened its season by losing 30-21 to TCU, the week after. The Beavers from the Pac-10 look like the best team left on Boise State's schedule, but the Broncos have lost one regular-season game on their blue turf home field since 2001. Toledo also visits Boise State.

As for the Broncos' WAC competition, well, it's been almost no competition for the Broncos the past decade. Boise State has won seven WAC titles and is 73-4 against conference opponents from 2000-09, a .948 winning percentage that is by far the best of any major college team.

Texas is second-best with an .841 percentage (69-13) in the Big 12 over that time.

Feeling it has outgrown the WAC, Boise State will be leaving the league after this season and joining the Mountain West.

The best teams the WAC can throw at Boise State this season are probably Nevada and Fresno State, though Hawaii and Utah State flashed potent offenses while losing their openers to ranked foes.

Fresno State comes to Boise on Nov. 19. The next week the Broncos have a road game at high-scoring Nevada that on paper seems to be their toughest remaining test.

They finish with Utah State at home on Dec. 4, the same day the SEC and Big 12 play its conference championship games.

If Boise State runs the table do they deserve a spot in the BCS championship game? Ahead of an unbeaten Big 12 or Big 10 champion? How about a one-loss SEC team?

Unless the Broncos take an unexpected stumble, the debate will rage all season.