In September, 2000, famed psychic Uri Geller made a rather audacious claim: that, comfortably ensconced in his English home, he had reached out across the world -- and made the Olympic flame appear to stall as the torch made its way to the top of the stadium during the opening ceremonies in Sydney.

[For the I988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada, the Olympic torch was carried 11,222 miles (from St. John's, Newfoundland to Calgary, Alberta), the greatest distance the torch has ever been carried within a single country. Of those 11,222 miles: 5,088 were covered on foot, 4,419 by aircraft or ferry, 1,712 by snowmohile -- and 3 by dogsled!]

[The Sydney Olympics were not universally wellcomed by the host country's citizens. Protesting the construction of a 10,400-seat stadium in Bondi Beach, an art-supply store posted a sign in its front window: "Buy one volleyball ticket, get 10 free."]