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Guess Who's Replacing Rosie? ABC's Likely Picks Would Add Diversity
By Aysha Hussain
July 27, 2007
Who's Next to Join 'The View?' ABC's Likely Picks Would Add Diversity
After months of playing musical chairs, ABC Daytime has reportedly asked female comedians Whoopi Goldberg and Sherri Shepherd to join "The View" as the show's newest co-hosts. An article in the Los Angeles Times says ABC is in final negotiations with the two women, who would add more diversity to the predominantly white panel. The current "View" hosts include Barbara Walters, Joy Behar and Elisabeth Hasselbeck. The new panelists are expected to be announced publicly next week, but ABC has yet to offer any official announcements. Read more.
Feds Raid Medical-Marijuana Clinics
Earlier this week, federal agents infiltrated 10 medical-marijuana clinics in an attempt to stop any illegal-drug activity. This was the second-largest U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration bust since California voters approved medical-marijuana sales in 1996. Five people were arrested and large quantities of marijuana and cash were confiscated. That same day, Los Angeles city leaders introduced a new measure calling for an end to the crackdown on the number of the dispensaries permitted under California state law. Sarah Pullen, a DEA spokesperson, says the timing of the bust and the city's action was "purely coincidental", told Yahoonews.com
Gay Artist Burns Islamic Holy Book
Charles Merrill--artist, gay activist and cousin of the cofounder of Merrill Lynch (one of DiversityInc's 25 Noteworthy Companies in 2007)--will soon get heat from Muslim-advocacy groups for burning a copy of the Quran, or the Islamic holy book. The Quran was supposedly considered a "rare" copy and valued at $60,000. His late wife was given the copy by the late king of Jordan while on assignment for the United Nations. But this is not the first time Merrill, an atheist, has committed this act. He's been reported as editing the Holy Bible with a black marker and pair of scissors. In a statement, Merrill justified what happened because he believes Islam and other religions preach hate against gays. "Airplanes are flown into buildings because of words, and hate crimes against gays," said Merrill. Read more.
Latino Advertising Pioneer Dies
Tere Zubizarreta, founder and CEO of Zubi Advertising, has died of cancer. Throughout her career, Zubizarreta was considered a pioneer and one of the most influential executive Latino women in the advertising industry. Despite years of battling cancer, Zubizarreta ran one of the nation's largest Latino-owned advertising agencies in Coral Gables, Fla., which she uprooted in the 1970s from a rented office in Miami with just one phone and a borrowed typewriter. Read more.
N.M. Same-Sex Couples Can Get Married in Mass.
New Mexico is now the second state to allow same-sex couples to marry in Massachusetts. It joins Rhode Island as the only other state whose gay residents are allowed to marry in Massachusetts (the only state that has legalized same-sex marriage). However, neither Rhode Island nor New Mexico has said it would recognize the marriages after its residents return home, which most likely means they won't be able to receive full marriage benefits. So what's the point? Alexis Blizman, executive director of the pro-gay-marriage group Equality in New Mexico, said she was pleased by the new ruling despite its disappointments. "It's just another reminder that New Mexican same-sex couples need legal protections, and rather than having them seek them out elsewhere, certainly we'd rather have them be able to achieve those here at home," she says. Read more.
NYC Lures Ex-Retirees Back to Work
New York City is launching a new program to encourage retired baby boomers who are unable to work full time--but still want to use their decades-long experiences--to stay connected to the work force. The Department for the Aging, which is sponsoring the program, plans to bring in at least 100 people willing to work on short-term projects for agencies around the city. The effort will be operated by ReServe, an organization that matches seniors with part-time jobs in the New York metro area. Participants, called ReServists, work 10-15 hours a week and are paid hourly, tells The Houston Chronicle.
Clinton Woos Southern Blacks
In an attempt to draw more voters, especially among blacks from the South, Democratic presidential candidate New York Sen. Hillary Clinton is running a full-page ad in the Charleston Post & Courier on her efforts to focus HIV/AIDS funding for rural and Southern areas. The ad came out right before Clinton was expected to attend a Democratic presidential debate held by the National Black Chamber of Commerce. During a debate held at Howard University back in June, Clinton said HIV/AIDS funding does not adequately reach blacks. Read more.
Hotline to Catch Undocumented Immigrants Draws Controversy
There's a hotline number for just about anything nowadays. In Phoenix, Ariz., County Sheriff Joe Arpaio says he refuses to disconnect a hotline number he created in order for people to report information about undocumented workers. Opponents say such services promote ethnic profiling. Arpaio, however, contests that there's nothing unconstitutional about putting up a hotline pointing out that federal immigration officials have similar hotlines. He adds that the sole purpose of the hotline number is so that deputies could investigate people only if authorities had probable cause, states The Houston Chronicle. The hotline service, which began last Friday, has already received 300 messages.
(See also: Phoenix Sheriff Accused of Racial Profiling [scroll down])
Latinos Showcased in New CBS Drama
"Cane," the new CBS primetime drama out this fall, features a mostly Latino cast, a rarity in TV, which will consist of stars such as Jimmy Smits, Rita Moreno, Hector Elizondo and Nestor Carbonell. Moreno says she's honored to play a non-stereotypical character. "As a Latina, this [show] is important to many of us and particularly to the two older members of the cast," says Moreno. "It's the first time, as far as I know, that you will ever see a successful, educated, beautifully dressed, articulate Latino family. I can't tell you what that means to me", reported by The Houston Chronicle.
People of Color Still Few in Congress
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 opened up blacks' right to vote, but new research by political scientists finds the act hasn't opened doors as widely as one might hope for non-white officials since its inception. According to researchers, there is a profound relationship between the Voting Rights Act and the election of non-white officials at the national, state and local levels in the 21st century. The study finds that while people of color hold more positions in Congress since the Voting Rights Act was enacted, they make up less than 12 percent of the House of Representatives. Read more.
New Film Exposes Racism Against Immigrants
In his latest documentary film, "The Invisible Chapel," award-winning filmmaker John Carlos Frey captures how faith is pitted against the heated immigration debate. The documentary is based on the true story of a group of immigrants living among wealthy California residents. The immigrants build their own church that was eventually destroyed. Constructed out of concrete, tile and wood benches for seating, the chapel became a safe haven and community headquarters maintained by the immigrants, but it was ignored by the community for 20 years. Read more.
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