democratic governor of virginia terry mcauliffe issued an unprecedented executive order to immediately restore voting rights to an estimated 200,000 people. each of these individuals have completed their felony prison, probation and parole sentences.
virginia is one of four u.s. states, along with florida, iowa and kentucky, to disenfranchise all people with felony convictions for life, unless they can secure a pardon from their governor. mcauliffe's decision will remain in effect until at least the end of his term in 2018.
this order does not cover people who are released in the future. according to his aides, mcauliffe intends to issue similar executive orders each month to continue to restore voting rights to people as they complete their sentences.
mcauliffe said, "there's no question that we've had a horrible history in voting rights as relates to african-americans; we should remedy it." virginia previously had the fourth highest rate of felony disenfranchisement in the nation - and the third highest for black people.
marc mauer, executive director of the sentencing project said, "this will be the single most significant action on disenfranchisement that we've ever seen from a governor. it's noteworthy that it's coming in the middle of the term, not the day before he leaves office. so there may be some political heat but clearly he's willing to take that on, which is quite admirable."
i am
- mark j. tuggle
- harlem, usa
- same-gender-loving contemporary descendant of enslaved africans. community activist, feminist, health educator, independent filmmaker, mentor, playwright, poet & spiritual being. featured at, in & on africana.com, afrikan poetry theatre, angel herald, bejata dot com, bet tonight with tavis smiley, blacklight online, black noir, brooklyn moon cafe, gmhc's barbershop, klmo-fm, lgbt community services center, longmoor productions, nuyorican poets cafe, our corner, poz, pulse, rolling out new york, rush arts gallery, saint veronica's church, schomburg center for research in black culture, sexplorations, the citizen, the new york times, the soundz bar, the trenton times, the village voice, upn news, uzuri, venus, vibe, wbai-fm, wnyc-fm & wqht-fm. volunteered with adodi, bailey house, inc., black men's xchange-new york, colorofchange.org, drug policy alliance, east harlem tutorial program, imagenation film & music festival, presente.org, save darfur coalition, the enough project, the osborne association, the sledge group & your black world. worked on films with maurice jamal & heather murphy. writing student of phil bertelsen & ed bullins. mjt975@msn.com.
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Friday, April 15, 2016
NBA 2016 Regular Season Leaders
listed below are the nba regular season leaders for 2016:
individuals
points - stephen curry, golden state warriors: 30.1
individuals
points - stephen curry, golden state warriors: 30.1
assists - rajon rondo, sacramento kings: 11.7
rebounds - andre drummond, detroit pistons: 14.8
steals - stephen curry, golden state warriors: 2.14
blocks - hassan whiteside, miami heat: 3.68
field goal % - deandre jordan, los angeles clippers: .703
free throw % - stephen curry, golden state warriors: .908
three-point % - j.j. reddick, los angeles clippers: .475
teams
points - golden state warriors: 114.9
assists - golden state warriors: 28.9
rebounds - oklahoma city thunder: 48.6
steals - houston rockets: 10.0
blocks - miami heat: 6.5
field goal % - golden state warriors: 48.7
free throw % - new york knicks: .805
three-point % - golden state warriors: .416
turnovers - charlotte hornets: 11.9
blocks - hassan whiteside, miami heat: 3.68
field goal % - deandre jordan, los angeles clippers: .703
free throw % - stephen curry, golden state warriors: .908
three-point % - j.j. reddick, los angeles clippers: .475
teams
points - golden state warriors: 114.9
assists - golden state warriors: 28.9
rebounds - oklahoma city thunder: 48.6
steals - houston rockets: 10.0
blocks - miami heat: 6.5
field goal % - golden state warriors: 48.7
free throw % - new york knicks: .805
three-point % - golden state warriors: .416
turnovers - charlotte hornets: 11.9
Golden State Warriors' 73rd Win Sets All-Time NBA Record
On a Wednesday night in raucous Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, the inspired Golden State Warriors beat the wounded Memphis Grizzlies 125-104, to win their 73rd game of the year. Their magnanimous victory came on the final regular season contest, and the defending world champions surpassed the Chicago Bulls' all-time record of 72-10 in 1996.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr, a key role player for the Bulls championship team in '96 said, "I thought (72 wins) was like (Joe) DiMaggio's hit streak, and I was wrong. I will say the same thing now that I said 20 years ago. I don't think this one will ever be broken. Somebody's got to go 74-8 and I don't see it. I hope our fans aren't expecting that next year."
GS All-Star guard and 2015 MVP Stephen Curry had 46 points, including 10 three-pointers (six in the first quarter). Curry finished 2016 with 402 threes, breaking his own record of 286 last year. He won the scoring title for the second consecutive year - increasing his average by 6.3 points, another record, surpassing Larry Bird, who upped his previous year's scoring title by 3.8 points per game.
When asked to compare the '96 Bulls and his current team. Curry said, "The game has evolved a lot and we have our certain identity of how we play. Shooting at a high level, moving the ball, everybody has a role. We have fun doing it. I don't know specifically any differences, but one similarity is we love winning, we love to compete and we love to push ourselves. That's what pushed us to the opportunity we had tonight."
After the history-making triumph, Warriors All-Star forward Draymond Green snatched the game ball at center court. Green said, "73 wins means I'm a part of the best team ever. Not many people can say that. 15 guys can say that, and that's amazing." But he also said, "relief doesn't happen until you win a championship."
In a congratulatory statement Wednesday night, Bulls legend Michael Jordan said, "The game of basketball is always evolving and records are made to be broken. The Warriors have been a lot of fun to watch and I look forward to seeing what they do in the playoffs." Earlier in the month, Green said Jordan told him he hopes Golden State breaks the Bulls record.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr, a key role player for the Bulls championship team in '96 said, "I thought (72 wins) was like (Joe) DiMaggio's hit streak, and I was wrong. I will say the same thing now that I said 20 years ago. I don't think this one will ever be broken. Somebody's got to go 74-8 and I don't see it. I hope our fans aren't expecting that next year."
GS All-Star guard and 2015 MVP Stephen Curry had 46 points, including 10 three-pointers (six in the first quarter). Curry finished 2016 with 402 threes, breaking his own record of 286 last year. He won the scoring title for the second consecutive year - increasing his average by 6.3 points, another record, surpassing Larry Bird, who upped his previous year's scoring title by 3.8 points per game.
When asked to compare the '96 Bulls and his current team. Curry said, "The game has evolved a lot and we have our certain identity of how we play. Shooting at a high level, moving the ball, everybody has a role. We have fun doing it. I don't know specifically any differences, but one similarity is we love winning, we love to compete and we love to push ourselves. That's what pushed us to the opportunity we had tonight."
After the history-making triumph, Warriors All-Star forward Draymond Green snatched the game ball at center court. Green said, "73 wins means I'm a part of the best team ever. Not many people can say that. 15 guys can say that, and that's amazing." But he also said, "relief doesn't happen until you win a championship."
In a congratulatory statement Wednesday night, Bulls legend Michael Jordan said, "The game of basketball is always evolving and records are made to be broken. The Warriors have been a lot of fun to watch and I look forward to seeing what they do in the playoffs." Earlier in the month, Green said Jordan told him he hopes Golden State breaks the Bulls record.
Thursday, April 07, 2016
U.S. Supreme Court Unanimously Affirms One Person, One Vote Doctrine
the u.s. supreme court on monday decided, unanimously, in evenwel v. abbott, a case out of texas which challenges the court's interpretation of the 'one person, one vote' doctrine. the court disagreed with the plaintiffs charge to only count 'eligible' voters.
congressional districts are created for each district to have an equal number of people. officials use population numbers drawn from the u.s. census bureau, which attempts to count all of the people residing in the u.s. every 10 years.
the case questioned the fairness of non-eligible voters - including children, incarcerated people and non-citizens - to be counted in the population numbers shaping each district. texas state republican executive committee member sue evenwel and her co-plaintiffs argued the spirit of the doctrine is to count only eligible voters.
justice ruth bader ginsburg wrote, "as the framers of the constitution and the 14th amendment comprehended, representatives serve all residents, not just those eligible to vote. nonvoters have an important stake in many policy debates and in receiving constituent services."
ginsburg said, "by ensuring that each representative is subject to requests and suggestions from the same number of constituents, total-population apportionment promotes equitable and effective representation."
the surprisingly unanimous decision sparks debates around demographics and power. some groups are more likely to be eligible to vote than others. nearly 80% of white people in america are citizens over the age of 18. but fewer than half of hispanics in america fit the same description.
carving up congressional districts based on eligible voters would result in fewer representatives for heavily asian and hispanic parts of the country. moreover, the seats they would have replaced are mostly democratic.
the court hasn't issued a ruling on the other 'one person, one vote' case it heard last december. in harris v. arizona independent redistricting commission, a group of arizona voters argued the commission created legislative maps to bolster the population and violate the principle in the state's republican-leaning districts.
congressional districts are created for each district to have an equal number of people. officials use population numbers drawn from the u.s. census bureau, which attempts to count all of the people residing in the u.s. every 10 years.
the case questioned the fairness of non-eligible voters - including children, incarcerated people and non-citizens - to be counted in the population numbers shaping each district. texas state republican executive committee member sue evenwel and her co-plaintiffs argued the spirit of the doctrine is to count only eligible voters.
justice ruth bader ginsburg wrote, "as the framers of the constitution and the 14th amendment comprehended, representatives serve all residents, not just those eligible to vote. nonvoters have an important stake in many policy debates and in receiving constituent services."
ginsburg said, "by ensuring that each representative is subject to requests and suggestions from the same number of constituents, total-population apportionment promotes equitable and effective representation."
the surprisingly unanimous decision sparks debates around demographics and power. some groups are more likely to be eligible to vote than others. nearly 80% of white people in america are citizens over the age of 18. but fewer than half of hispanics in america fit the same description.
carving up congressional districts based on eligible voters would result in fewer representatives for heavily asian and hispanic parts of the country. moreover, the seats they would have replaced are mostly democratic.
the court hasn't issued a ruling on the other 'one person, one vote' case it heard last december. in harris v. arizona independent redistricting commission, a group of arizona voters argued the commission created legislative maps to bolster the population and violate the principle in the state's republican-leaning districts.
Tuesday, April 05, 2016
2016 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class
in houston, texas on monday, before the ncaa men's championship game between north carolina and villanova, the following people were inducted into the 2016 naismith basketball hall of fame:
* allen iverson - played 14 seasons; 11 all-star games; four scoring titles; averaged 26.7 points and 6.2 assists; 2001 mvp.
* tom izzo - current head coach (since 1985) at michigan state; 2000 ncaa title; seven final four appearances.
* yao ming - played eight seasons; houston rockets #1 pick in the 2002 draft; eight-time all-star.
* shaquille o'neal - played 19 seasons; 15 all-star games; 1993 rookie of the year; 2000 mvp; four-time champion; three-time finals mvp; two scoring titles; averaged 23.7 points and 10.9 rebounds.
* jerry reinsdorf - chicago bulls owner since 1985; led bulls to six titles, 1991-93 and 1996-98.
* sheryl swoopes - first player signed by the wnba in 1996; four-time champion; six all-star games; three-time defensive player of the year; three-time mvp; three olympic gold medals.
additionally, listed below are people who were inducted posthumously:
* zelmo beatty - two-time nba all-star; three-time aba all-star; 1971 aba champion; 1971 aba finals mvp; averaged 17.1 points and 10.9 rebounds.
* darell garretson - nba referee for 27 years; nba supervisor of officials for 17 years; officiated more than 2,000 games.
* john mclendon - high school and college coach from 1941-1968; three-time naia coach of the year; three consecutive titles at tennessee state, 1957-59; first black head coach in professional sports, cleveland pipers, 1962; pioneered four corners offense and full court press.
* cumberland posey - played basketball from the early 1900s through the mid-1920s; four-time colored basketball world champiomship titles; baseball player, manager and owner in the negro leagues.
* allen iverson - played 14 seasons; 11 all-star games; four scoring titles; averaged 26.7 points and 6.2 assists; 2001 mvp.
* tom izzo - current head coach (since 1985) at michigan state; 2000 ncaa title; seven final four appearances.
* yao ming - played eight seasons; houston rockets #1 pick in the 2002 draft; eight-time all-star.
* shaquille o'neal - played 19 seasons; 15 all-star games; 1993 rookie of the year; 2000 mvp; four-time champion; three-time finals mvp; two scoring titles; averaged 23.7 points and 10.9 rebounds.
* jerry reinsdorf - chicago bulls owner since 1985; led bulls to six titles, 1991-93 and 1996-98.
* sheryl swoopes - first player signed by the wnba in 1996; four-time champion; six all-star games; three-time defensive player of the year; three-time mvp; three olympic gold medals.
additionally, listed below are people who were inducted posthumously:
* zelmo beatty - two-time nba all-star; three-time aba all-star; 1971 aba champion; 1971 aba finals mvp; averaged 17.1 points and 10.9 rebounds.
* darell garretson - nba referee for 27 years; nba supervisor of officials for 17 years; officiated more than 2,000 games.
* john mclendon - high school and college coach from 1941-1968; three-time naia coach of the year; three consecutive titles at tennessee state, 1957-59; first black head coach in professional sports, cleveland pipers, 1962; pioneered four corners offense and full court press.
* cumberland posey - played basketball from the early 1900s through the mid-1920s; four-time colored basketball world champiomship titles; baseball player, manager and owner in the negro leagues.
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