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SPORTS/ELVIS: ENTERTAINMENT: SCOTT SIMON AND WEEKEND EDITION'S SPORTS COMMENTATOR RON RAPOPORT TALK ABOUT THE OPENING OF THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION'S PLAYOFFS AND RON OFFERS PREDICTIONS. AND SCOTT SIMON AND WEEKEND EDITION'S ENTERTAINMENT CRITIC ELVIS MITCHELL TALK ABOUT THE MOVIE "PANTHER," A FICTIONALIZED ACCOUNT OF THE EARLY DAYS OF THE BLACK PANTHER MOVEMENT OF THE 1960'S.

2: Former homeless man and writer, LARS EIGHNER (EYE-ner). He's written an account of his time on the streets with his dog, "Travels with Lizbeth: Three Years on the Road and on the Streets," (St, Martin's Press).

Daniel talks with Michelle Chalfoun, author of a new book called 'Roustabout'. Chalfoun's book is a fictional account of a young woman's experiences when she joins up with a circus as a member of its crew. The young woman's life is loosely based on Chalfoun's own experience when she also toured with a circus for a few years as a roustabout. Chalfoun says she'd like her next career to be that of a cook... ("Roustabout", HarperCollins).

NPR's Scott Horsley reports on a commercial database that keeps track of millions of Americans who have bounced checks. More than 85-thousand bank branches subscribe to the database, called Chexsystem, and use it to screen potential customers. But critics say a single bad check can place someone's name on the database, and once listed, it's unlikely they'll be able to open an account for up to five years.

NPR's Snigdha Prakash reports on a Massachusetts-based internet startup that plans to take the idea behind frequent flyer programs and apply it to an entirely new area: college savings. UPROMISE says it is signing up credit card companies, grocery chains, car companies and will take the rebates these companies offer and put them in a college savings investment account. Financial advisors are skeptical that such programs are a good idea for most people.

Inflation remained in check last month as consumer prices rose at the same pace as in five of the past six months. As NPR's Jack Speer reports, core prices rose just two-tenths of a percent last month, when food and energy prices are NOT taken into account. Even though gas prices escalated sharply in June, many economists see inflation remaining tame and believe the Federal Reserve is successfully engineering a "soft landing" for the booming economy.

Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) calls for an investigation of SEC Chairman Harvey Pitt's handling of the appointment of ex-FBI and CIA chief William Webster to head a new accounting oversight agency. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports.

Commentator Morton Dean is puzzled that voters did not hold members of Congress and President Bush accountable for the security lapses that resulted in the September 11th terrorist attacks. Dean says he's surprised that the attacks were not raised as an issue in the election campaign.

A new report released today by the General Accounting Office says the Internal Revenue Service had botched a multi-billion dollar modernization project. The project, to replace the agency's thirty-year-old computer system, has already cost taxpayers more than four billion dollars. The GAO says the new system is way over budget, far from being finished, and riddled with problems. NPR's John Nielsen reports.

Writer LAWRENCE SHAINBERG. His new book, "Ambivalent Zen: A Memoir," (Pantheon) is about his years practicing Zen buddism, and centers on SHAINBERG's relationship with his Zen teacher, Kyudo Nakagawa Roshi. "Both master and student live on in this hilarious, provocative account of what being a student of Zen has been." writes Gretel Ehrlich in her review