2013 AL and NL Gold Glove Winners

the following athletes were recently awarded gold glove winners for their outstanding defensive play in the 2013 major league baseball season:

american league

pitcher - r.a. dickey, toronto blue jays.
catcher - salvador perez, kansas city royals.
first base - eric homer, kansas city royals.
second base - dustin pedroia, boston red sox.
third base - manny machado, baltimore orioles.
shortstop - j.j. hardy, baltimore orioles.
left field - alex gordon, kansas city royals.
center field - adam jones, baltimore orioles.
right field - shane victorino, boston red sox.

national league

pitcher - adam wainwright, st. louis cardinals.
catcher - yadier molina, st. louis cardinals.
first base - paul goldschmidt, arizona diamondbacks.
second base - brandon phillips, cincinnati reds.
third base - nolan arenado, colorado rockies.
shortstop - andrelton simmons, atlanta braves.
left field - carlos gonzalez, colorado rockies.
center field - carlos gomez, milwaukee brewers.
right field - gerardo parra, arizona diamondbacks.

Serena Williams Crowned WTA Champion

serena williams defeated li na of china, 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 to win the wta championships in istanbul, turkey. the world #1 capped off the best year in her illustrious career. she became the eighth woman to win 11 or more titles in a year, and the first since martina hingis won 12 titles in 1997.

williams said later, "it was an awesome year of tennis." the victory brought williams' prize money total for the year to $12,385,572. the only player, male or female, to earn more in a year was world #1 novak djokovic of serbia. he won $12,803,737 last year, and $12,619,803 in 2011.

williams finished 2013 with a 78-4 record. she ends the year #1 for the third time, after doing so in 2002 and 2009. her incredible season included two majors - the french open and the u.s. open - giving her a total of 17 majors. williams' remarkable winning percentage of .951 is the best on the tour since martina navratilova had an historical 86-1 record and .989 percentage in 1983.

despite her amazing year, williams remains a perfectionist. in fact, she said she would have preferred to win more majors. "i live to win slams. i mean, obviously, i'm so excited to be the wta champion. i can't say it's the best season. i can't say it's not the best. i don't know. i really don't know."

the thrilling final showcased two players over 30 for the first time in the championships' 43-year history. williams is 32, and li is 31, yet both women are playing the best tennis of their careers. li said, "after a set and a half, i was feeling no more energy left. it's a tough tournament, because i played five days in a row. every opponent is in the top eight, so you never have an easy match in this tournament." 

the year-end championships features the top eight women in the world, including two alternates, ranked nine and ten. williams is the first to repeat as wta champion since justin henin in 2007. the african-american won the event for the fourth time in her career, victorious in her 2001 tourney debut, as well as 2009 and 2012.   

End Obama's Immigration Imprisonment Quotas

president barack obama's 2015 budget requests a dangerous and wasteful policy indiscriminately warehousing immigrants into private prisons. immigrants who've committed no crimes, or only minor crimes, are put in prisons to meet an arbitrary immigrant body count quota passed by the house of representatives in 2006.

immigration and customs officials (ice) have a sick incentive to give billions of dollars away to private prison corporations, patrol latinos in border communities and rip immigration families apart. but obama can end this racist initiative by promptly removing it from his budget - demonstrating his care and concern for all americans. 

some people call it the "bed mandate." others call it the immigration imprisonment quote. ice is required to hold at least 34,000 immigrants each day in private detention centers. the quota is the primary reason so many immigrants who haven't committed any crimes are arrested and detained by ice.

it costs $160 each day, or $2 billion per year, to put someone in a private detention center. private prison companies like the geo group benefit from the dehumanization of proud latino communities. however, alternatives to incarceration cost as little as $17 per day, they're progressive and they keep families unified while they wait for their due process.  

in september of this year, 65 members of the house sent the president a letter opposing his policy. entitled, letter to president obama - end immigration detention bed mandate debate, they urge him to remove a budget request for the department of homeland security (dhs) mandating ice have over 30,000 immigrants in detention at all times.

illinois congressman bill foster said, "mandatory detention comes at a high cost both for taxpayers and immigrant families who are needlessly torn apart. not only is the quota fiscally irresponsible, but it makes it impossible for dhs to make rational decisions about detention based on enforcement priorities and needs. it is time to end this costly and unjust practice."

florida congressman ted deutch said, "it would be unimaginable for congress to mandate to other law enforcement agencies how many people they must jail on a daily basis, but that is exactly what this detention bed mandate does to ice. it is time to bring ice offices across the country in line with the best practices of other law enforcement agencies, which apprehend and detain individuals based on actual needs as opposed to a mandate from washington."

Black teenager sues over arrest for $350 designer belt

a 19 year-old college student from queens says he was handcuffed and locked in a jail cell after buying a $350 designer belt from barney's on new york's madison avenue. the teenager says the arrest occurred because he is "a young black man."

trayon christian told nbc 4 new york on wednesday he saved up from a part-time job for weeks to buy a salvatore ferragamo belt in april. he also said the clerk asked to see his identification. after the sale went through and he left the store, he was approached by police about a block away, and asked, "how a young black man such as himself could afford to purchase such an expensive belt," according to a lawsuit filed tuesday in manhattan court.

officers hauled christian to the local precinct, where he showed police his identification, as well as his debit card and the receipt for the belt, the lawsuit says. police believed his identification was fake, and eventually called the bank, which verified it was his, according to the complaint. the teenager, who has no prior arrests, was released.

christian told nbc 4 new york many questions were racing through his mind  while he went through the painful experience of being handcuffed and taken to a cell. "why me? i guess because i'm a young black man, and, you know, people do a credit card scam so they probably thought that i was one of them. they probably think that black people don't have money like that," he said.

he later returned the belt to barney's because he says he "didn't want to have nothing to do with it." christian is suing the city and barney's for unspecified damages as a result of "great physical and mental distress and humiliation." his attorney, michael palillo, told the post, "his only crime was being a young black man."

barney's, the luxury department store, in a statement on wednesday, said none of its employees were involved in any action with christian - other than the sale - adding the store "has zero tolerance for any form of discrimination."  

Black Farmers to Receive $1.2 Billion Federal Lawsuit Settlement

after years of protests and lawsuits, black farmers in the south will begin receiving payments this week as a result of a landmark $1.2 billion settlement in their discrimination case against federal agriculture officials. about 18,000 farmers expect to receive checks over the next few days.

this is the second round of funding for black farmers. thousands received payments in 1999 as part of a settlement in a class-action suit over allegation of widespread discrimination by federal officials  who denied loans and other assistance to black farmers on the basis of their race.

"after all these years and all the fighting, this is what it's all about," says john boyd, president of the national black farmers association, which pushed congress for the settlement. "it doesn't take away what the government has done to us, but for those who receive the payments it will make a difference in their lives," said boyd. 

about 40,000 black farmers filed claims in the settlement, ending a discrimination case against the u.s. department of agriculture. in 2010, president obama signed the bill authorizing compensation for discrimination in farm lending by federal officials. black farmers will receive payments of $62,500, which includes $50,000 for the claim and $12,500 for taxes. about $91 million of the settlement was approved for attorney fees.

"i am pleased this chapter of discrimination in the history of the department of agriculture is closed and bureaucracy will no longer keep these farmers from receiving their due justice," said representative marcia fudge (d-ohio). fudge also serves as chairwoman of the congressional black caucus.  

the payments could lead to an infusion of investment dollars back into farming, adds adell brown, jr., vice chancellor for research at southern university agricultural research and extension center. the center has worked with black famers in louisiana who filed claims in the first and second cases.

many farmers who filed claims have since died. of the 18,000 claims approved, about 4,000 to 5,000 were estate claims. the national black farmers association is working with some families whose deceased parents filed claims. said boyd, "this is not a great trade-off by any means, but i think the funds will make a difference. it's a bittersweet victory."  

19 Male Sexual Abuse Survivors Settle With Penn State Amidst Jerry Sandusky Case

at least 19 young men have settled with penn state over assertions of sexual abuse by former assistant football coach jerry sandusky, according to lawyers for the claimants. many, if not all, have received checks from the university, the attorneys said over the past two days. the school set aside $60 million to pay claims, though several lawyers say the settlements prevent them from disclosing details, including the amounts their clients were paid. 

"they're getting the resources they need to navigate hurdles which have been thrown in front of them," said harrisburg lawyer ben andreozzi, part of a group of four lawyers who have resolved nine claims. they have three other cases, including two yet to be presented to penn state. "does it wipe out all their problems? no," andreozzi said. "does it give them the resources they need to get their lives back on track? yes," he said.

among those who reached settlements were some who testified at sandusky's provocative trial last year. sandusky, the prestigious school's longtime assistant football coach under their legendary head coach joe paterno, is currently serving 30 to 60 years in prison for sexually abusing ten boys over a 15-year period.   

harrisburg attorney chuck schmidt confirmed his client has settled, as did williamsport attorney clifford rieders. "he is a very responsible, thoughtful, intelligent man," rieders said tuesday of his client. "his reaction is that this was a terrible tragedy and he'd like to move on with his life and get the help he needs for a meaningful life." rieders said his client was paid september 30. schmidt said his client received a check two weeks ago.

philadelphia attorney tom kline previously announced his client had settled, as did the philadelphia firm ross feller, which represents seven clients. st. paul, minnesota lawyer jeff anderson said his two cases remain unresolved, as did a spokeswoman for baltimore attorney howard janet, who represents one claimant. two other lawyers who have clients in the sandusky civil claims did not return phone messages.

a penn state spokesman declined to comment, but the school has said it plans to eventually release the number of claimants and the total amount of money they have been paid. lawyers for the school say at least 31 men have come forward, but it's unclear who some of the men are, or whether they have lawyers.  

  

Vote Count Officially Completed for New York City Primary

almost three weeks after new york city's primary for mayor, election officials have finished counting votes, and bill de blasio has avoided a runoff. mr. de blasio, a democrat, finished with 40.81% of the votes. he exceeded the 40% threshold by about 5,600 votes.

the september 10 election showed de blasio with a little over 40% of the vote. but tens of thousands of paper ballots remained to be examined, leaving a plethora of unanswered questions about whether or not a runoff would be necessary.

bill thompson finished in second-place with 26.14% of the vote. thompson reluctantly conceded six days after the primary. he also criticized the city's board of elections, stating the pace of the vote count left him with no reasonable way to wage a viable campaign given the uncertainty of the election results.

in four of the five boroughs, election officials finished tallying votes two weeks after the primary. the results from manhattan were certified three days after the other boroughs were done, a board of elections spokesman said. christine quinn, city council speaker garnered 15.74% of the vote, john liu, city comptroller had 6.84% and anthony weiner, former congressman had 4.94%. 

in the republican primary for mayor, joe lhota, former chairman of the metropolitan transit authority, won with 52.75% of the vote. lhota was followed by john catsimatidis, the billionaire owner of the gristedes supermarket chain with 40.69% and george mcdonald, the founder of the doe fund, with 6.38%.

tuesday, october 1, there will only be one race on the ballot: a runoff for the democratic nomination for public advocate between councilwoman letitia james and state senator daniel squadron. overall, voter turnout was small, as expected, roughly 22%. about 692,000 of the city's 2.97 million registered democrats voted, or 23%. among republicans, the turnout was even less. about 61,000 of the city's 471,000 republicans voted, or 13%.
    

Planned Parenthood Sues Texas Over Controversial New Law Restricting Abortions

the nation's largest provider of abortions sued the state of texas on friday over a controversial new law restricting abortions. planned parenthood, which has nearly 750 affiliate health centers, faces a loss of a large number of their centers in texas due to new provisions within the new law, the organization's officials argue.

the lawsuit challenges a provision stating doctors who provide abortions must have admitting privileges at a local hospital. another provision requires direct supervision of a doctor for women to receive the so-called "abortion pill" ru-486.

"we're in court today to stop a terrible situation for women in texas from getting even worse," cecile richards, president of planned parenthood federation of america, said in a statement. the texas attorney general's office had no immediate comment on the lawsuit.

opponents argue the new law could make it difficult for women to get an abortion in rural areas of the state. they also say the procedure requires very few women to be admitted to a hospital. patricio gonzales, president and ceo of planned parenthood association in hidalgo county, texas, shared his concerns with nbc news.

gonzales said, "it's going to drive poor women to illegal means or ways to terminate the pregnancy, which puts them at risk health-wise. this bill doesn't do anything to prevent abortions. it's going to harm more than do any good." he further added some of the illegal medications available in mexico cause serious hemorrhaging and bleeding, sending women to texas emergency rooms.

the new provisions will not go into effect until october 29. but this polarizing issue has dominated texas politics - and helped to elevate the profile of a leading democratic critic, state senator wendy davis. earlier this year, davis made headlines staging a nearly 11-hour filibuster against abortion restrictions and told supporters she may run for governor.   

WNBA 2013 Year-End Awards

the following individuals were recently acknowledged by the women's national basketball association (wnba) for their outstanding achievement in 2013:

most valuable player - candace parker, los angeles sparks
rookie of the year - elena della donne, chicago sky
defensive player of the year - sylvia fowles, chicago sky
most improved player - shavonte zellous, indiana fever
coach of the year - mike thibault, washington mystics
kim perrot sportswoman - swin cash, chicago sky;
                                          tamika catchings, indiana fever


first team all-wnba

candace parker. los angeles sparks
diana taurasi, phoenix mercury
sylvia fowles, chicago sky
maya moore, minnesota lynx
lindsey whalen, minnesota lynx

second team all-wnba

seimone augustus, minnesota lynx
tamika catchings, indiana fever
tina charles, connecticut sun
elena della donne, chicago sky
angel mccoughtry, atlanta dream

Life Goes On: The Historic Rise in Life Sentences in America

serious crime rates have been declining in the united states for the last 20 years, yet the number of prisoners serving life sentences has more than quadrupled since 1984. senior research analyst ashley nellis documents in her powerful new report, life goes on: the historic rise in life sentences in america, over 159,000 people were serving life sentences in 2012, with nearly 50,000 serving life without parole.

some of the key findings in her report include: one of every nine people in prison is serving a life sentence. approximately 10,000 lifers have been convicted of nonviolent offenses. nearly half of lifers are black and one in six are latino. more than 5,300 (3.4%) of the life-sentenced are female.

more than 10,000 life-sentenced people have been convicted of crimes which occurred before they turned 18 and nearly one in four of them were sentenced to life without parole. the population of prisoners serving life without parole has risen more sharply than those with the possibility of parole: there has been a 22.2% increase in life without parole since 2008.

the report recommends eliminating life without parole, increasing the use of executive clemency, preparing prisoners sentenced to life for release from prison and restoring the role of parole in prisoner release. these progressive initiatives are intended to promote public safety, reduce the high cost of mass incarceration and reshape our crime policies to facilitate rehabilitation.  

Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal Win 2013 US Open Singles Titles

world #1 serena williams of the united states defeated world #2 victoria azarenka of belarus 7-5, 6-7, 6-1 to win her fifth us open women's singles crown. fiercely battling her opponent's competitive spirit, the swirling wind and quite often her own nerves, williams prevailed in a repeat of last year's hard-fought title bout with azarenka, which also went three sets.

the two women later shared their mutual respect. williams said, "vika's such a great opponent, such a great fighter, and that's why she's been able to win multiple grand slams. that's why it was never over until match point." azarenka replied," she's a champion, and she knows how to repeat that. she knows what it takes to get there. i know that feeling, too. and when two people who want that feeling so bad meet, it's like a clash."

williams turns 32 on september 26, and is playing the best tennis of her life. in the longest women's final since 1980 - two hours and 45 minutes - williams served nine aces, including one at 126 mph, en route to improving her amazing 2013 record to 67-4. she has nine titles this year, captured four of the last six major singles titles and became the first woman to earn $50 million in career earnings.

the fashionable, intense & perfectionist black woman now has 17 major singles titles, one behind chris evert & martina navratilova. she equaled steffi graf's five us open victories, one less than evert's all-time record of six in the open era, which began in 1968. williams never won consecutive us opens, but she did on sunday. her first us open triumph came as an unheralded teenager in 1999. since her shocking first-round loss at the 2012 french open, she is 98-5 with 14 titles.

world #2 rafael nadal of spain defeated world #1 novak djokovic of serbia 6-2. 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 to win his second career us open men's singles crown. this was their 37th match against each other - the most between any two men in the open era - and nadal has won 22. it was also their third head-to-head us open final in the last four years. nadal won in 2010 and djokovic won their rematch in 2011.

nadal said afterwards, "this is probably the most emotional one in my career. i know i had to be almost perfect to win. probably nobody brings my game to the limit like novak." said djokovic," he was too good. he definitely deserved to win this match today, and this trophy. obviously disappointing to lose a match like this. thirteen grand slams for a guy who is 27 years old is incredible. whatever he achieved so far in his career, everybody should respect, no question about it."

although he missed about seven months on the tour - including the 2012 olympics and two majors - the charismatic, left-handed warrior is playing the best tennis of his career. nadal is 60-3 overall this year, including a remarkable 22-0 on hard courts. he's won 10 tournaments, among them a record eighth french open, which made him the first man in the open era to win a major singles title in nine consecutive seasons.

their hard-fought, three hour and 21 minute battle drew standing ovations in the middle of some games. most of the rallies went 15-25 shots, with one more than 50 strokes. with his thrilling victory, nadal ranks third on the all-time list with 13 major championships, behind roger federer with 17 and pete sampras with 14. in addition to his eight french open titles, he's won two wimbledon titles, two us open titles and one australian open title. 
  
 

Global AIDS mortality fell by over 20% in the last five years

the overall death rate from aids-related complications has fallen by 21% since 2006, the most recent study in the global burden of disease (gbd) series shows. however, while a number of countries with large hiv burdens have significantly reduced the pandemic's death and disability toll, there is huge disparity in progress between different regions and neighboring nations.

the report also finds in 22% of the 182 countries with documented cases of aids, aids-related mortality and hiv-related disability is still rising. in most cases this is because the countries still have very low prevalence, or in some cases, hiv has arrived very late.

yet there are several counties, most notably the democratic republic of congo (drc), ukraine and russia who have high aids mortality and large numbers of cases where there is little sign of mortality falling. similarly, there are still eight countries in the world - small, mainly pacific nations - who have never had a single recorded case of aids.

the gbd study compiles causes of death and disparity. it computes the number and proportion of disability-adjusted life years (dalys) lost to individual conditions, the proportion of dalys lost, the percentage of deaths attributable to the condition and the proportion of global death and disability due to the condition occurring in each country. from these statistics, it computes a ranking for each condition, globally and per country, in terms of the proportion of death and disability it causes.

the 2010 study found ischaemic heart disease is the number one killer worldwide, and strokes are at number three, meaning cardiovascular diseases in general cause 9.3% of all dalys lost worldwide. while overall mortality and disability rates have fallen, the proportion due to heart disease has risen by 29% and strokes by 19% since 1990.

lower respiratory infections (pneumonia) and diarrhoeal diseases are at number two and four respectively: in 1990 they were numbers one and two, and their death and disability ranking has fallen by 44% and 51% respectively.

hiv and aids are the number five condition. death and disability due to hiv increased by 354% during that time. since 1990, no other condition's disease burden increased more than the 69% rise in diabetes. the disease burden of malaria and tuberculosis, which are at number seven and 13 respectively, fell by 20% since 1990.

furthermore, hiv is responsible for 3.3% of all dalys lost worldwide, though in high-prevalence countries such as south africa it is responsible for up to 40% of dalys lost. hiv and aids are exceptional for its age profile. whereas most other conditions disproportionately affect the old and the very young, hiv is the number one cause of dalys lost for women aged 25-45 and men aged 30-45.

the gbd study revealed which countries are most affected by hiv. as such, hiv is the number one cause of death and disability in a swathe of eastern and southern african countries stretching from somalia to south africa. its also the worst health problem in the west african countries of equatorial guinea and gabon, and number two in the populous countries of cameroon, ghana and nigeria.

hiv is the number one cause of dalys lost in a cluster of caribbean countries, including the bahamas, belize, jamaica and suriname. hiv is number two in nearby guyana and panama, and in the top five in colombia and venezuela. in south-east asia, hiv is most notably the biggest cause of death and disability in thailand, but its also in the top five in nearby malaysia, myanmar and vietnam. in eastern europe, its the third and fourth most significant cause of death and disability in ukraine and russia, respectively.

india and russia, because of their size, contribute more to the global burden of disease in absolute numbers than in prevalence - they are the only two countries in the top ten in terms of numbers of dalys lost not in africa. india is number two after south africa, even though hiv is only the 15th most significant cause of death and disability there. similarly, china, where hiv is the 38th most significant cause of illness, loses as many dalys to hiv than zambia.

the proportion of dalys lost to hiv-related illnesses is generally correlated with how far up the list hiv is in terms of the country's ranking of diseases, but not entirely: it depends how the country's disease burden is distributed. thus, hiv is the number one cause of death and disability in kenya, south africa and thailand, but the proportion of total dalys lost attributable to hiv is 40% in south africa, 15% in kenya and 5.6% in thailand.

among the study's most interesting findings are how each country's hiv burden correlates with the reduction in dalys lost to hiv since aids deaths were at their peak. this peak could have happened anywhere between 1996 - when antiretroviral therapy (art) started becoming available in developing countries - and last year. 

countries who demonstrated progress in lifting their aids burden fell into two types: they were either high-income countries who controlled their hiv burden early, or low-income countries with good art programs instituted more recently. eight countries where dalys lost due to hiv fell by more than 80% from their peak are cambodia, france, haiti, japan, netherlands, new zealand, rwanda and spain.  

the united kingdom had a 63.5% fall in dalys lost to hiv. botswana, germany and the u.s. had a 75% fall in dalys lost to hiv. by contrast, ethiopia showed a 68% fall in dalys lost to hiv, compared with the countries on either side, somalia and sudan, which have seen no fall. in india, dalys have fallen by 8.6% but in south Africa, 11 billion dalys were lost to hiv (500 times as many as the uk), which is remarkable considering the daunting pandemic they face.

in vietnam, dalys lost to hiv have yet to fall, yet hiv is the sixth most significant cause of death and disability there. vietnam may be an example of a country where hiv arrived quite late and is only now going through its phase of expansion. other examples include afghanistan, china, pakistan and the philippines. most of these countries are currently seeing rapid hiv prevalence increases in gay men, men who have sex with men or in people who inject drugs.

unfortunately, some countries where there has been a significant hiv presence for some time have not succeeded in bringing down aids deaths and hiv disability. these countries include the drc with a 2.7% fall in dalys, Ukraine with a 2% fall, Russia with a 0.5% fall, and Indonesia, where there has been no fall at all.  

some countries miserably fail to address their hiv crises. publicly, they blame many reasons why, but two factors have emerged: hiv treatment unsurprisingly lags behind in countries recently torn apart by war (Liberia and sierra leone are prime examples); others where treatment does not get to high-prevalence is largely because of their highly stigmatized populations.

corruption and gross economic inequality are other factors contributing to human misery. hiv death and disability has fallen disproportionately little in the oil-rich but extremely unequal states of angola and equatorial guinea - the latter is the only country in the world where hiv is the number one cause of death and disability but which has seen no fall in dalys lost to hiv.

in Europe, economic decline may be a factor, with Greece and Portugal only seeing relatively poor 29% and 33% declines in dalys lost respectively, compared to at least twice those numbers with their european neighbors. papua new guinea, which a few years ago saw alarming rises in hiv prevalence, was being talked about as the possible site of the first hyperepidemic outside Africa. in the last few years, it has seen a 51% fall in hiv-related death and disability.     






          

KKK and NAACP Representatives Hold Secret Meeting in Casper, Wyoming

a secret meeting was held on saturday between jimmy simmons, president of the casper naacp, and john abarr, a ku klux klan organizer from great falls, montana. the meeting took place at a hotel in casper, wyoming under tight security, the casper star-tribune reported.

the southern poverty law center and the united klans of america (uka) said tuesday the meeting was a first. abarr told the associated press on tuesday he filled out an naacp membership form so he could get the group's newsletters and some insight into its views. he said he paid a $30 fee to join the naacp - the nation's oldest civil rights organization - plus a $20 donation.

simmons said he asked for the meeting after receiving reports kkk literature was being distributed in gillette, about 130 miles north of casper. he also wanted to discuss race relations, including what he said were reported beatings of black men; details were not provided. abarr said he knew nothing about the hate crimes or the literature, which was distributed in a residential neighborhood of gillette in october.

gillette police lt. chuck deaton said there have been 10 hate or bias crimes reported in the past five years involving name-calling but no assaults on black people. deaton also said police were unable to speak with a young man distributing the literature, and he was chased away by neighbors. "in the 21 years that i've been here, that's the first i heard of the klan in gillette," deaton said.

eric wingerter, a spokesman for the naacp's national headquarters, told the star-tribune local chapter leaders aren't required to get permission to arrange meetings. united klans of america imperial wizard bradley jenkins of birmingham, alabama said in a telephone interview he sanctioned the meeting and called it a first between the kkk and the naacp.

abarr said, "i don't know if we accomplished too much. we're not about violence. we're about being proud to be white." mark potok, a senior fellow at the southern poverty law center, said there have been meetings between white and black groups, but nine between the kkk and the naacp.

he called the united klans of america a "copycat wannabee" group that's not the group responsible for violence during the civil rights movement  of the 1960s, including the deaths of four black girls at a baptist church in birmingham. the original uka was dismantled in the 1980s following a lawsuit by the southern poverty law center.   

potok said of the historic meeting, "i think it's outrageous and counterproductive. it gives legitimacy to the klan as an organization you can talk to." but simmons insisted the meeting was worth it. he said, "it's about opening dialogue with a group that claims they're trying to reform themselves from violence. they're trying to shed that violent skin, but it seems like they're just changing the packaging." 

Federal Judge Says NYPD 'Stop & Frisk' Tactics Violates Constitutional Rights

on monday a federal judge said the new york police department's (nypd) controversial 'stop and frisk' tactics violates an individuals constitutional rights. over the last decade the nypd have questioned millions of mostly black and latino people, a tactic many people view as racial profiling.

the judge, shira scheindlin of manhattan federal court, ordered an independent monitor to oversee the program. but she did not order an end to the tactic. four men have sued the city, saying they were unfairly targeted by the nypd. scheindlin ruled their fourth and 14th amendment rights were violated.

the fourth amendment protects against unreasonable searches, and the 14th amendment guarantees equal protection under the law. scheindlin found the police had used the tactic 4.4 million times between 2004 and 2012 - 80% of the people stopped were black and latino.

scheindlin wrote, "the city's highest officials have turned a blind eye to the evidence that officers are conducting stops in a racially discriminatory manner. in their zeal to defend a policy that they believe to be effective, they have willfully ignored overwhelming proof that the policy of targeting 'the right people' is racially discriminatory and therefore violates the united states constitution."

to stop someone, she wrote the police need more than an "unparticularized suspicion or hunch." and to proceed to a frisk, the officer must reasonably suspect the person is armed and dangerous, she wrote. scheindlin noted 88% of the stops resulted in no arrests or tickets. but she emphasized she was making no ruling about the effectiveness of the tactic in fighting crime, only its unconstitutionality.

scheindlin wrote, "many police practices may be useful for fighting crime - preventive detention or coerced confessions, for example; but because they are unconstitutional they cannot be used, no matter how effective." outgoing mayor michael bloomberg planned a press conference monday afternoon to address the ruling. he has vigilantly defended the tactic.

in april, bloomberg said, "there is no doubt that stops are a vitally important reason why so many fewer gun murders happen in new york than in other major cities, and why we are the safest big city in america." scheindlin stressed she was not halting the 'stop and frisk' practice, only trying to make sure it was carried out to protect the liberties and rights of new yorkers. she appointed an outside lawyer to study the program, report back to the court, and to issue public reports every six months. 


      

The Durbin-Lee Smarter Sentencing Act

after decades of "get tough" rhetoric, democrats and republicans are unifying their efforts in the spirit of equality, fairness and justice. the smarter sentencing act, s. 1410, introduced today by senators durbin, and lee, takes two significant steps forward.

first, it reduces overly harsh penalties for drug offenses and allows judges greater flexibility in sentencing. second, it extends the more equitable crack cocaine provisions of the fair sentencing act retroactively to individuals serving prison terms under the now discredited 100-to-1 sentencing disparity.

the smarter sentencing act recognizes what advocates, practitioners and scholars have long understood: ever increasing criminal penalties are not an effective way to keep americans safe. nowhere is this more true than in the area of mandatory minimum penalties, which apply a one-size-fits all approach prohibiting federal judges from assessing cases on an individual basis.

not only are mandatory minimums a primary driver of skyrocketing federal prisons, but they result in racial unfairness. the toxic combination of the so-called war on drugs and diminishing judicial discretion has filled more than half of our federal prisons with individuals convicted of drug offenses, few of whom are kingpins of the drug trade.

this bill does not eliminate mandatory minimums. by reducing penalties and restoring discretion to judges, it will help to mitigate their harshest effects. s. 1410 compliments the fair sentencing act to reduce the disparity in sentences for crack and powder cocaine offenses  - a disparity which disproportionally penalizes African-American communities. the senate should pass this legislation to address unjust criminal justice system penalties which fuel racial disparities in sentencing.    

Fast Food Workers Strike For Higher Wages Around The Country

thousands of workers in seven american cities went on strike, demanding wages for $15/hour and the right to unionize. building on the momentum of an initial strike last november in new york city, organizers say dozens of restaurants in chicago, detroit, flint, kansas city, milwaukee, new york city and st. louis will be affected by waves of worker walkouts over the course of the week.

"these workers need a raise and they need representation in the workplace," said martin rafnan, community director for stl735. the acronym stands for "st. louis can't survive on $7.35," referring to missouri's minimum wage. rafnan said the group, which plans to strike today and tomorrow, hopes to build on a strike last may, when about 100 workers walked off the job.

rafnan said, "in this particular set of actions this week, we're expecting to strike 50 stores and between 100 and 200 workers." he added the response to the strike in may was greater than anticipated - the group only expected 40 or 50 workers to walk out. rafnan said, "it ended up being a much bigger thing."

today's action could see 500-plus workers at dozens of new york city fast food restaurants abandoning their posts for picket lines, said jonathan westin, director of fast food forward and executive director of new york communities for change. at a mcdonald's across the street from yankee stadium, several dozen people chanted, "we can't survive on $7.25."

in april, 400 fast food employees walked off the job in new york. at twice the size of the group's inaugural walkout last november, local organizers called that event the biggest fast food strike in the country - until now. these actions are designed to call attention to "the contradictions between the folks at the top...and the workers themselves living in poverty," westin said.

spokespeople from mcdonald's and yum brands (parent company of kfc, pizza hit and taco bell) referred questions to their trade group, the national restaurant association. bob bertini, a company spokesperson, said, "burger king restaurants offer compensation and benefits that are consistent with the qsr industry." he also said, "wendy's is still assessing the situation...we have no additional comment."    

this week's actions were fueled by a publicly criticized budget guide for mcdonald's workers recommending they get a second job and save $20/month for health insurance. also, a report by the national employment law project shows the vast majority of fast food positions are dead-end jobs. the group's earlier research found nearly 60% of post-recession job creation was for work paying $13.83/hr. or less. 

an open letter was signed by more than 100 economists and published this month by the university of massachusetts, amherst's political economy research institute. the letter is titled, "economists in support of a $10.50 u.s. minimum wage." the economists strongly believe raising wages would add just five cents to the price of a big mac.

the general perception of a fast food worker is a teenager with extra spending money. but the average age of today's fast food worker is 32, the letter said, which has much grimmer implications. "if a worker today is employed full time for a full 52-week year at a minimum wage job today, she or he is making $15,080. this is 19% below the official poverty line for a family of three," the letter also said.

     

 

      



  

Stevie Wonder Boycotts Florida After Zimmerman Verdict

grammy-award winning singer, humanitarian and worldwide superstar stevie wonder has vowed to never perform in the state of florida until a controversial self-defense law is abolished. the international icon went public following the acquittal of george zimmerman, who shot and killed trayvon martin, an unarmed black teenager, february 26, 2012.

zimmerman is a volunteer neighborhood night watchman. on saturday he was found not guilty of murder and manslaughter charges by an all-female (five white, one latina) jury in sanford, florida. he claims he shot martin in self-defense. his defense lawyer mark o'mara said race was not a factor in the confrontation and if zimmerman were black he never would have been arrested. zimmerman is latino and white.

although the state's "stand your ground" law was not used in this trial, the polarizing law has come under civil, legal and media scrutiny. the law establishes law-abiding residents and visitors may legally presume the threat of bodily harm or death from anyone who breaks into a residence or occupied vehicle and may use defensive force, including deadly force, against the intruder.

additionally, the law states, in any other place where a person "has a right to be," that person has "no duty to retreat," if attacked and may "meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another to prevent the commission of a forcible felony."

wonder announced he'll boycott florida and the 22 other u.s. states carrying similar laws, until those laws are overturned. speaking to fans at a show in quebec city on sunday, the legendary singer said, "i decided today that until the stand your ground law is abolished in florida, i will never perform there again. as a matter of fact, wherever i find that law exists, i will not perform in that state or in that part of the world."    

wonder continued, "the truth is that for those of you who've lost loved ones in the battle for justice, we can't bring them back. what we can do is we can let our voices be heard. and we can vote in our various countries throughout the world for change and equality for everybody. that's what i know we can do."

zimmerman's acquittal sparked mass protests across the u.s. some artists publicly spoke out against the verdict. they include beyonce, her sister solange knowles, chris brown, miley cyrus, rihanna and russell simmons. veteran soul singer lester chambers was hospitalized on saturday after he was attacked by a woman at the hayward russell city blues festival in california for dedicating a song to martin.

    

George Zimmerman Found Not Guilty

yesterday in florida an all-female jury (five white, one latina) found george zimmerman not guilty on charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter for fatally shooting trayvon martin, an unarmed black teenager, february 26, 2012. 

zimmerman is a 28 year-old volunteer neighborhood watchman in the gated community of sanford. martin was walking back to his father's house on a dark and rainy night after buying a bag of skittles and a can of ice tea. 

i wanted to write about this yesterday. i really did. but i couldn't. i was unable to find the courage to articulate my emotional turmoil and spiritual warfare. until i saw a tweet by the activist, humanitarian and singer john legend. his tweet said, "my heart hurts."

i felt such profound sadness yesterday. spirit knew i needed to talk to somebody about how i was feeling. but i lacked the humility to pickup the phone and call someone. anyone. my heart was hurting so bad. i feel compassion and empathy for the martin family and their allies worldwide.

i've never had faith in the criminal justice system. i distrust the stand your ground law. i'm resentful towards the secretive right-wing american legislative exchange council and the koch brothers, who fund their oppressive efforts. i'm disgusted with the prosecution for their horrible incompetence. they were a non-mother fucking factor! 

and my heart hurts.

i'm disappointed with the judge and the special prosecutor for not educating the jury on the etymology of the term, cracker. while on the witness stand, rachel jentael, martin's friend - the last person to speak with martin - said martin called zimmerman a "creepy cracker." in the south, the term cracker is neither derogatory nor racist.

i detest zimmerman's trial lawyer, mark o'meara, for suggesting, after his client was acquitted, if zimmerman were black there would be no trial. i wanted to punch him the face for his insensitive remarks. racial profiling was not discussed in the trial, yet martin was racially profiled and stalked by zimmerman: even after law enforcement instructed him to get back in his car.

yes, there have been peaceful marches throughout the country in both large and small cities. a plea for calm has been issued by president obama, martin's parents, florida law enforcement agencies, governors, senators, community-based organizations, non-profit institutions, athletes, celebrities, social media people and progressive folk everywhere. 

and my heart hurts.

trayvon martin was found dead. george zimmerman was found not guilty. fuck the evidence! fuck the law! and we're supposed to do what? pray? turn the other cheek? give it to god? hope this doesn't happen again? is this what a post-racial america looks like? no, this is the real america. this is america's his-tory and enslavement and con-stitution and declaration of independence and jim crow. apartheid has reared its ugly head. again.  

dred scott. emmitt till. fred hampton. rodney king. michael griffith. yusef hawkins. amadou diallo. patrick dorismond. oscar grant. sean bell. ramarley graham.

today, in new york city, there are hundreds of cops on the street everywhere - but young, black men don't feel safe. after trayvon, who's next? is there justice for young, black men in america? or, in the words of richard pryor, is it, just us? 

and my heart hurts... 

Marion Bartoli and Andy Murray Win 2013 Wimbledon Singles Titles

marion bartoli of france defeated sabine lisicki of germany 6-1, 6-4 on saturday to win the 2013 wimbledon singles championship. the 15th-seeded bartoli achieved her first major singles crown at the all-England club. she did not lose a set during the two-week tournament.

bartoli was a runner-up to venus williams six years ago. in a tender display of compassion after the match, she said to her tearful opponent, "i was there in 2007 and i missed it. i know how it feels, sabine, and i'm sure you will be there one more time. i have no doubt about it."

lisicki upset world #1 serena williams in the fourth round. she also beat two other major champions, fransesca schiavone and samantha stosur, earlier in the tournament. said lisicki, "i was just overwhelmed by the whole situation but credit to marion she's been in this situation and she handled it well."   

bartoli served out the final game at love with an ace on match point and dropped to her knees to actualize a childhood dream. she climbed up the wall into the players box to celebrate with 2006 wimbledon champion amelie maursemo - the last frenchwoman to win a major singles crown - and her friends and family. bartoli received $2.4 million for the victory.

andy murray of england defeated world #1 novak djokovic of serbia 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 on sunday to win his first wimbledon singles crown. muray's victory ended an almost 80-year drought by male british players: fred perry was the last to win at the all-england club in 1936.   

the world #2 was asked how the burden of a nation was finally lifted. murray said, "i think i persevered. that's really been it, the story of my career probably. i don't know how i managed to came through that last game. it was unbelievable."

sevens were wild on a warm sunday afternoon in england. murray became the first player from england in 77 years to win at wimbledon. virginia wade won the wimbledon women's singles championship in 1977. the date for yesterday was 7-7. 

murray and djokovic are now the game's top rivalry. federer has slipped to #5. nadal has unreliable knees. both were upset early in the tournament. murray beat djokovic in the us open men's final in 2012. it was his first major victory after enduring four losses. in fact, the two players have faced each other in three of the last four major finals. 

Patents Keep New HIV Meds Too Expensive

doctors without borders, a leading medical aid group, said on Tuesday rising intellectual property rights are blocking the generic production of newer drugs to treat HIV and are keeping them out of reach for developing countries.

at an international aids meeting in kuala lumpur, Malaysia, the group said prices of older drugs long used to treat patients have fallen sharply as india and other countries make generics. but newer, more effective drugs against the aids virus are too expensive, costing up to 15 times more.

"it's good news that the price of key hiv drugs continues to fall as more generic companies compete for the market, but the newer medicines are still priced far too high," said Jennifer cohn, medical director for doctor without borders' access campaign. she said, "we need the newer treatments for people that have exhausted all other options, but patents keep them priced beyond reach."

according to doctor without borders, the governments of Thailand and Jamaica pay $4,760 and $6,570, respectively, a year per patent for the new drug, darunavir alone. Paraguay pays $7,782 for etravirine, while Armenia pays $13,213 for raltegravir. by comparison, a cocktail of older generic drugs costs as little as $139 per person a year.

the group also said the world health organization's new guidelines, which recommend earlier treatment for adults, means an additional nine million people in developing countries will now be eligible for treatment. currently, only about 60% of those who need the drugs are getting them.

arax bozadijan, an hiv pharmacist for doctors without borders, said, "scaling up hiv treatment and sustaining people on treatment for life will depend on bringing the price of newer drugs down." the trans-pacific pact countries account for nearly 40% of global gdp and about a third of world trade; any agreement could significantly impact prices. the obama administration says it hopes to wrap up talks by the end of the year.