Detroit Free Press

CHAPTER 2. Today's Italian word: Credere (credereh) 1. Believe. As in, "Can you believe Rick Mahorn and the Pope ...

TODAY'S ITALIAN LESSON:Dove (doveh) 1. Where. As in "Where the hell is the exit?" FORLI, Italy -- Well now, ...

SOMEWHERE IN EUROPE -- HeLP! I Am LOcKed in A bAseMent aND my hANds aRE tiEd aND my mOUth IS gagged aND I AM ...

ALBERTVILLE, France -- The thing about printing your own money, the bearded man tells me, is finding a place to do it. It's damn hard. You can't just build a mint, you know. Even if you do run the country.He reaches into the pocket of his blue jeans, which he wears with a denim shirt and white socks and bedroom slippers, not a bad outfit for a deputy minister of the government, and he pulls out a few bills, colorful little things with the picture of a mountain. They are signed by the "Secretary of Finance of Slovenia.""Tolars," he calls them.

MERIBEL, France -- Twenty minutes before the curtain came down, when the world was still young and the score was ...

ALBERTVILLE, France -- "Hey, Sam.""Yeah, Frank?""Pass the beer." * "Hey, Dmitri.""Da, Igor?""Pass the ...

ALBERTVILLE, France -- One jump. One jump. It plays on the mind. One jump. Gotta hit it. One jump. God, let me hit it! The audience can be clapping, the music blaring, filling the arena, violins and kettle drums cascading down to the ice, where the skater glides along in her sequined outfit, big smile, arms out, looking for all the world like Julie Andrews on the hill in "The Sound Of Music." But in her mind there is only one sound, one voice, one screaming order from the storm trooper in the brain. One jump! One jump!"Hit it! Hit it! Hit it! Hit it!"

ALBERTVILLE, France -- One jump. One jump. One jump. It plays on the mind like a sharpened skate blade dragged ...