A L S O+T O D A Y Hello Oprah, good-bye Constitution By Lori Leibovich An impeachment scholar bemoans the spectacle that has invaded the House of Representatives (12/04/98) Impeachment diary Compiled by Daryl Lindsey It was a busy week at Henry Hyde's Theater of the Absurd on Capitol Hill (12/04/98)   T A B L E+T A L K How should (or shouldn't) we be shaping our genetic future? Weigh in on gene manipulation in the Science and Health area of Table Talk   R E C E N T L Y All conservatives do not think alike By David Horowitz In a reply to Joel Dreyfuss, David Horowitz defends his view that the black community has locked itself into positions that are destructive to its own interests (12/03/98) The ghosts of bombings past By Jeff Stein Declassified documents from the Pinochet era may finally shed light on how much U.S. officials knew about an assassination in Washington (12/03/98) Debunking the "ethno-bomb" By Jeff Stein U.S. experts are skeptical that Israel has developed a biological weapon that can target Arabs (12/02/98) Who's behind ethnic violence in Indonesia? By Peter Dale Scott "Provocateurs," most likely within the military, are trying to bury the country's hopes for a secular civilian democracy (12/01/98) "Black people must be stupid" By Joel Dreyfuss David Horowitz can't accept that African-Americans shrewdly voted their self-interest in the last election (12/01/98) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Browse the Newsreal Archives - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -         - - - - - - - - - - S A L O N E M P O R I U M FREE! 12-ounce bag of Salon Blend with a purchase of $30 or more. While supplies last.
		T H E__U N E A S Y__D E A T H__O F ____________Florence Griffith Joyner When the superstar former athlete died suddenly in her bedroom, a Pandora's box of dark rumors and murky explanations was let loose. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - BY KRISTINA REBELO ANDERSON Celebrity deaths always switch on the media floodlights, but in recent years few have drawn as much scrutiny as the mysterious demise of former Olympic track star Florence Griffith Joyner on Sept. 21. Autopsy records reveal that the Orange County (Calif.) Coroner's Office, which conducted a month-long investigation into Joyner's untimely death in the glare of international public interest, sorted through theories blaming the Olympian's passing on steroid use, dairy allergies, pesticides, Lyme disease and even murder. Orange County Sheriff's deputies began a homicide investigation into Joyner's death the day she died, the autopsy records reveal, because of preliminary evidence she may have been strangled. That investigation apparently ended when further tests showed Joyner, 38, died of asphyxiation as the result of an epileptic seizure, not strangulation. Other dark speculation may be harder to put to rest. While Joyner's supporters claimed that the autopsy cleared her of long-standing but never-proven allegations that she used performance-enhancing drugs, the autopsy records show only that she didn't die from the use of such drugs. The coroner's office was never able to test Joyner's body for drugs, steroids or growth hormones after her death. "She passed the final, ultimate drug test," her husband and coach, Al Joyner, insisted after the autopsy results were announced Oct. 22. But a coroner's spokesman denied that the autopsy proved Joyner had never used such drugs or banned substances. "It was our job to determine the cause of death, and that's what we did," said Sheriff-Coroner spokesman Lt. Hector Rivera. Chief Deputy Coroner Jacque Berndt requested that Joyner's body specifically be tested for steroids, but was informed that there was not enough urine in her bladder and that the test could not accurately be performed on other biological samples. Joyner's autopsy records, obtained by Salon under the California Public Records Act, reveal the inner workings of an anxious sheriff-coroner's office under scrutiny in a high-profile and puzzling celebrity death. The flamboyant track star known to the world as "Flo-Jo" set all-time records in the 100-meter and 200-meter dash at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. She captivated track fans with her long nails, outrageous costumes and her marriage to Al Joyner -- who is the brother of Jackie Joyner-Kersee, the asthmatic, up-from-poverty Olympic heptathlon champion who also married her coach, Bob Kersee. The Griffith-Joyner-Kersee family became a track and field dynasty. But Florence Griffith Joyner was shadowed by rumors that she had used steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs during her career. She was accused of drug use by track competitors, but she consistently denied the rumors, and she never failed a drug test. Immediately upon her death, however, some sportswriters and steroid experts began suggesting that the demise of an apparently healthy 38-year-old former athlete could be due to the strain that chronic steroid use imposes on the body, especially the heart. The inside story of the coroner's investigation into Joyner's death is not likely to settle the argument for either side. N E X T+P A G E+| The findings that led to a homicide investigation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Become a Salon member. Click here. PHOTOGRAPH: AP/WIDE WORLD