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Does Obama Have a Stalker?
By Rebecca White
July 05, 2007
Does Obama Have a Stalker?
Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., has received death threats since he announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for president in 2008--which is why he became the earliest candidate to request Secret Service protection in a presidential race--and now he may have a stalker. Davit Zakaryan was found loitering in Obama's hotel in Ottumwa, Iowa, by Secret Service. Police found a knife with a blade longer than 8.5 inches in the suspect's car, which is not legal in the state of Iowa. Zakaryan will be arraigned Thursday in Iowa for possession of an illegal weapon and driving without a license. Was this the first time he was found within in Obama's vicinity? What did the potential stalker tell the Secret Service in his defense? Read more.
Slave Descendants Still Suffer
Racist remnants of the slave trade are not limited to the United States. Inconsistent government and big-business racism are creating growing injustices for slave descendants in Brazil. Brazil brought more slaves to work its fields and mines than any other country during the slave trade. Descendants of the estimated 4 million slaves that were forced to come to Brazil from Africa are now fighting for their land--and losing. Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who pledged to grant land titles to these descendants, has not adequately followed through with his promise. Today, conditions for these slave descendants, known as Quilombolas, are worsening as they continue to be excluded from economic and political life. How do these descendents fare compared to the rest of Brazil's population, and how many have actually been granted land from the government? What does this mean for slave descendants in the United States?
For more on President Lula da Silva, read the Sept. 2006 issue of DiversityInc magazine on global diversity.
(See also: Who Is Apologizing for Slavery? and The History of Race-Based Governmental Decisions)
NAACP Wants More Blacks in Baseball
NAACP interim president Dennis Hayes says that Major League Baseball's efforts to increase black participation are insufficient. In a letter from Hayes to MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, Hayes writes, "I hope that MLB will start listening to current and former African-American baseball players about their disappointment in the dwindling number of young blacks who are being coached and trained to enter the game that they love." The University of Central Florida's Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports reported recently that 8.4 percent of major-league players last season were black. These numbers are the lowest they have been in two decades. In response to the study's findings, the MLB announced an agreement with KPMG, an accounting firm that sponsors the league, that the firm will make a yearly donation of $1 million to the league's Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities Program. Read more.
Who Has High-Speed Internet?
Blacks lag whites in high-speed Internet adoption, according to a recent report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Read the full report. Despite this interracial lag, more black people are using broadband now than ever before. The Pew study found that 40 percent of black Americans have broadband, up from 14 percent two years earlier. The study also found that the overall rate of broadband adoption has decreased and is slowing in the United States. There was a 40 percent national growth in adoption from 2005 to 2006, but growth slowed to 12 percent from 2006 to 2007. Why are more blacks signing on when nationwide adoption numbers are slowing? Read more.
(See also: How Well Do You Know Your Market?)
Black Lesbian Wins Millions in Discrimination Lawsuit
Brenda Lee, a firefighter who claims she was harassed by colleagues for being a black lesbian, won her case against Los Angeles Fire Department this week. The jury awarded her $6.2 million, the largest jury payout in a string of recent discrimination cases. Lee was the victim of derogatory comments from her superiors who forced her to perform exercises without proper safety precautions. The second phase of the trial will continue on Thursday, when possible punitive damages against Lee's former supervisor, Capt. Christopher Hare, will be assessed. How will the courts rule? Read more.
Why Are More Immigrants Seeking Citizenship?
Want to become a U.S. citizen? You are not alone. Officials say that the number of legal immigrants seeking U.S. citizenship is increasing in light of the recent turmoil in the senate over immigration reform. The number of naturalized citizens has grown from 463,204 in 2003 to 702,589 in 2006. This year, the number of applications surged from 65,782 applications in December 2006 to 115,175 applications in May. What is causing this surge? They may be prompted by fee hikes to process naturalization applications that are expected soon. How is the country responding to this population increase? Arizona, which leads the nation in population growth, is trying to prevent immigration by enforcing state laws that crack down on employers, according to the Christian Science Monitor. What will the future hold for these new U.S. citizens, and how is this surge affecting the immigration-reform debate? Read more.
(See also: On July 4, Disney Naturalization Ceremony Celebrates America and National Latino Groups Say 'We Must Start Anew')
Medical-Marijuana Laws May Restrict Patients
In Washington state, politicians are tackling a difficult question: How much medical marijuana constitutes a two-month supply? The medical-marijuana law, which has been around for nearly a decade, hasn't specified the exact amount of marijuana that a patient is allowed to have on hand at any given time. The law, which only makes reference to a "60-day supply," gives no further information as to how much marijuana that actually means. After years of failed amendments, the state health department has been ordered to quantify this two-month supply in order to make it easier for violators of the law to be punished. People with legal rights to medicinal marijuana are split as to whether this law should be modified. Some are saying, "Why bother?"
"Once again, politics have trumped patients' rights. Once again, politics have trumped science," says Dale Rogers, head of Seattle's Compassion in Action Patient Network, which distributes medical marijuana. Who is protected under Washington state law right now, and whose rights could be taken away? Read more.
Why So Few Female Coaches in College Sports?
Advocates for women in sports say that Title IX, the federal law passed 35 years ago to promote gender equality in scholastic sports, has only increased the number of female athletes, not the number of female coaches. Since 1977, the number of women's intercollegiate teams has increased from 3,495 to 8,702 teams in 2006, but the percentage of those teams with female coaches has decreased in that time. In 1972, 90 percent of women's intercollegiate teams were lead by women. As of 2006, the number is down to 42 percent. Fresno State women's volleyball coach Lindy Vivas is suing the university over wrongful termination. Her case demonstrates the inequity that exists in collegiate coaching. "When I got there, the department seemed really good and seemed to support all the women's sports," says Vivas. "But the message that was sent to me later was either sit down and shut up, or something will to happen to you."
Spain Lures Latin American Immigrants
Spain, historically known for its colonization of the Americas, is now in the market for immigrants from Latin America. "We've passed from a country that exported people to one with a high level of immigration," says Sonia Pottecher, head of communication for Madrid's immigration project, Between Two Shores. Spain's growing economy has spurred the recent increase in immigrants from North America. Another reason why Latin Americans are choosing Spain as their new home is because there is no language barrier. This year, the number of adult immigrants from Latin America went up to 1.8 million from 496,000 in 2001. How is Spanish business benefiting from this increase in immigrants? Read more.
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