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Lust in his heart, dust in his head

Former President Jimmy Carter has personally invited North Korea to the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

North Korea, which participated in 1992, is the only nation among 197 countries to decline the IOC’s invitation to Atlanta. Carter, whose 1994 peace mission to North Korea helped defuse a nuclear standoff, has written to the nominal head of state, Kim Jong-il, and asked him to reconsider the decision.

This from the man who pulled the U.S. team out of the ‘80 Games in Moscow? Credibility Gap, Ga., hello…

Bo knows, and has the diploma to prove it

Congratulations to Bo Jackson - former two-sport wonder, marketing genius (“Bo knows…”) and, yes, college graduate. At 33, the one-time Heisman Trophy winner earned a bachelor of science degree in family and child development from Auburn University last week - becoming the first of 10 siblings to get a college diploma and fulfilling a promise to his mother.

“It’s the last piece of the puzzle, to where I feel like I’m a complete person,” said Jackson, who paid tribute to the 1,058 other grads. “There are a whole lot of students here who have worked twice as hard as I have.”

But at least one, Mike Bumgardner, was happy to be in line with Bo.

“It’s great,” he said. “It’s definitely a contrast to the Eric Ramsey graduation.”

Ramsey, a former Auburn player who also came back to finish his degree, was viewed as a traitor for secretly tape-recording his requests for money. When he exposed the tapes and payments, Auburn was placed on NCAA probation. His commencement was marked by boos - and an obscene hand gesture to the crowd by Ramsey’s wife.

Now the good part:

“Ironically, I had to take all my correspondence courses through the University of Alabama,” Jackson laughed.

What, did the credits have to transfer to another school on probation in order to count?

A team that knows how to Thai one on

Thailand soccer coach Thawatchai Sajjkul let his players wear warmups saying “Singha Dream Team” before a Southeast Asia Games match because he thought it would bring good luck.

Maybe to them. Not to him.

Thawatchai was fired, despite his apology to officials and representatives of Carlsberg Beer, a Singha rival that paid $2.5 million for exclusive sponsor rights.

Carlsberg spokesman Damri Triaporn said Thawatchai has been forgiven. In fact, Carlsberg has offered to pay each Thai player $4,000 if they win the final. Thawatchai has not, however, been reinstated.

Four Aces and one joker

After catching the commercial in which the San Francisco 49ers’ George Seifert and Steve Young and the Denver Broncos’ John Elway sing “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing,” Seifert got a letter from the Four Aces, who had a hit recording with the tune.

“We promise not to coach if you promise not to sing anymore,” the letter read.

The last word …

“I came off the ice and asked them to put a picture of my lungs on a milk carton so that someone can find them for me.”

- Dallas Stars winger Shane Churla, on playing at Colorado’s mile-high McNichols Arena

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo