Editorial: Why Detroit water shutoffs are not an Open-and-Shut case

People should pay their bills, no doubt, but losing water service isn't like having to go without cable or a cell phone. The United Nations warned of threats to child welfare and even outbreaks of disease. / Romain Blanquart/Detroit Free Press

Editorial by Detroit Free Press

A fiasco, an outrage, a budding humanitarian crisis, a community health risk, shortsighted, atrocious public policy — take your pick of terms to describe an aggressive Detroit Water and Sewerage Department campaign to shut off water service to delinquent city customers.

Keep in mind that 38% of Detroiters live in poverty. That per capita income for city residents is $14,861. That the reported unemployment rate is 14.5%. That the water department’s shutoff policy is uncompromising, making no exceptions for households with infant children, elderly or disabled residents.

Then ask yourself how cutting off water to impoverished residents benefits anyone.

Better yet, ask Detroit’s emergency manager, Kevyn Orr. His spokesman, Bill Nowling, said the shutoff policy is a necessary part of Detroit’s restructuring.

“No other major city in America has let accounts go delinquent for so long,” Nowling said. “These are difficult decisions. ... We have to run the system so it runs for everybody; when we don’t collect the bills, it doesn’t run well. We have a plan in place for lower-income people, or people who have trouble paying their bills to get on a payment plan, so I don’t think you can say we’re callous about the plight of lower-income residents.”

The United Nations isn’t so sure. After receiving a complaint from a citizens’ group, the UN issued a statement warning that cutting off residents who can’t afford to pay from public water and sanitation has far-reaching implications, from public health (let’s remember that deadly third-world conditions such as cholera are driven by lack of sanitation) to child welfare. If shutoffs disproportionately affect African Americans (and in an 83% black city, that’s a fair bet), it could mean the U.S. is in violation of certain international treaties.

The water department says about 90,000 delinquent customers owe about $90 million for water, a staggering amount. Service was cut off for 7,556 customers in April and May, and the department has now added sufficient crews to shut down another 3,000 customers each week. (It’s important to note that delinquent bills don’t create a budget hole, because the shortage is figured into Detroit water rates. Though the Detroit City Council recently approved an 8% rate increase, in part because of unpaid accounts, department spokesman Gregory Eno said it should result in a roughly $5-a-month increase to the average bill.)

The department is targeting customers who owe more than $150, and whose accounts are more than 60 days late. Water department representatives are quick to point to the number of residents who, post-shut-off, immediately settled accounts or set up payment plans. About 60% of customers had service restored within 24 hours, and roughly 40% of the rest in 48 hours.

It’s good policy for the department to work to improve collection rates, and to prompt customers with sufficient funds to pay what they owe. And given the poverty rate in Detroit, it’s smart to identify delinquent accounts before balances soar to an unmanageable sum.

Yet there’s no question that the department’s longstanding history of tolerance for unpaid bills has helped to create a culture that enables nonpayment by those who can afford to. Sound policy would discern who can’t pay, and who won’t, before cutting off service.

But because of the culture of nonpayment that the department helped to create — and with $90 million in bad debt, it’s impossible to argue that the department hasn’t contributed to this problem — such a policy shift should come slowly, and should err on the side of caution.

A department-funded payment assistance plan will relaunch on July 1, months after shutoffs started. It’s inexcusably bad timing. The policy shift should also have included a significant public awareness campaign to combat customers’ justifiable belief that nonpayment won’t lead to a shut off.

Yet the department’s efforts to educate customers that a change was coming has been shoddy, at best. Eno acknowledged that thousands of bills and shutoff notices didn’t reach customers, but said the department didn’t spend a dime on advertising or outreach.

Folks, he said, should simply pay their bills.

That’s true. And for almost any other service but water and sewerage, it’s a defensible argument.

Contrast DWSD’s lack of outreach to another public safety policy shift — the first laws requiring American motorists to wear seat belts were passed in 1984, but the federal government still allocates millions each year to the national “Click it or Ticket” advertising campaign. It was a concerted effort to change Americans’ behavior, in response to a policy shift. Thirty years later, it’s still going.

It’s hard to say what will happen next. Neither the city nor the water department have evinced any signs they’ll recalibrate ill-conceived policy shift, and without direction from Orr or his boss, Gov. Rick Snyder, it’s likely shutoffs will continue — while Detroiters’ health and quality of life hang in the balance.

Read Justice Ginsburg's Passionate 35-Page Dissent of Hobby Lobby Decision

Story by Wire
Written by Abby Ohlheiser

On Monday, the Supreme Court sided with Hobby Lobby on the company's challenge to the Affordable Care Act's contraceptive mandate, ruling that the mandate, as applied to "closely held" businesses, violates the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act. But the divided court's 5-4 decision included a dramatic dissent from Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who called the majority opinion "a decision of startling breadth." Ginsburg read a portion of her decision from the bench on Monday.

Addressing the majority of her colleagues — including all but one of the six men sitting on the Supreme Court — Ginsburg wrote:

In the Court’s view, RFRA demands accommodation of a for-profit corporation’s religious beliefs no matter the impact that accommodation may have on third parties who do not share the corporation owners’ religious faith—in these cases, thousands of women employed by Hobby Lobby and Conestoga or dependents of persons those corporations employ. Persuaded that Congress enacted RFRA to serve a far less radical purpose, and mindful of the havoc the Court’s judgment can introduce, I dissent.

The justice goes on to criticize the opinion's interpretation of the religious freedom law, writing that "until today, religious exemptions had never been extended to any entity operating in 'the commercial, profit-making world.'"

The reason why is hardly obscure. Religious organizations exist to foster the interests of persons subscribing to the same religious faith. Not so of for-profit corporations. Workers who sustain the operations of those corporations commonly are not drawn from one religious community. Indeed, by law, no religion-based criterion can restrict the work force of for-profit corporations...The distinction between a community made up of believers in the same religion and one embracing persons of diverse beliefs, clear as it is, constantly escapes the Court’s attention. One can only wonder why the Court shuts this key difference from sight.

"In sum," Ginsburg adds about the free exercise claims at the heart of this case,“‘[y]our right to swing your arms ends just where the other man’s nose begins.’”

As this description of our reasoning shows, our holding is very specific. We do not hold, as the principal dissent alleges, that for-profit corporations and other commercial enterprises can “opt out of any law (saving only tax laws) they judge incompatible with their sincerely held religious beliefs.”

Post, at 1 (opinion of GINSBURG, J.). Nor do we hold, as the dissent implies, that such corporations have free rein to take steps that impose “disadvantages . . . on others” or that require “the general public [to] pick up the tab.” Post, at 1–2. And we certainly do not hold or suggest that “RFRA demands accommodation of a for-profit corporation’s religious beliefs no matter the impact that accommodation may have on . . . thousands of women employed by Hobby Lobby.” Post, at 2.1 The effect of the HHS-created accommodation on the women employed by Hobby Lobby and the other companies involved in these cases would be precisely zero. Under that accommodation, these women would still be entitled to all FDA-approved contraceptives without cost sharing.

Ginsburg seems to reply to Alito by suggesting that what Alito sees as a narrow, limited decision is essentially an invitation for lots of future challenges on religious grounds: "Although the Court attempts to cabin its language to closely held corporations," she writes, "its logic extends to corporations of any size, public or private. Little doubt that RFRA claims will proliferate."

The full Ginsburg dissent is below: http://www.scribd.com/doc/231974154/Ginsburg-Dissent

Soul Singer Bobby Womack dead at 70

Bobby Womack performing in Amsterdam in 1976. (Photo Credit - Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns)

Story by New York Times
Written by Paul Vitello

Bobby Womack, who spanned the American soul music era, touring as a gospel singer in the 1950s, playing guitar in Sam Cooke’s backup band in the early ’60s, writing hit songs recorded by Wilson Pickett and the Rolling Stones and composing music that broke onto the pop charts, has died, a spokeswoman for his record label said on Friday night. He was 70.

Sonya Kolowrat, Mr. Womack’s publicist at XL Recordings, said further details about the death were not immediately available.

Mr. Womack, nicknamed the Preacher for his authoritative, church-trained voice and the way he introduced songs with long discourses on life, never had the million-record success of contemporaries like Pickett, Marvin Gaye, Al Green and Otis Redding. His sandpaper vocal style made him more popular in England, where audiences revere what they consider authentic traditional American music, than in the United States.

But the pop stars of his time considered Mr. Womack royalty. His admirers included Keith Richards, Rod Stewart and Stevie Wonder, all of whom acknowledged their debt with guest performances on albums he made in his later years.

Mr. Womack’s 2012 album, “The Bravest Man in the Universe,” is an avant-garde collaboration with a new generation of musicians. It combines old and new material by Mr. Womack, which the British producer Richard Russell and the alternative rock songwriter Damon Albarn mixed with programmed beats, old gospel recordings, samplings of Cooke and other sounds, some played backward or sped up.

The album earned favorable reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. Rolling Stone ranked it No. 36 on its list of the 50 best albums of the year.

“I don’t understand a lot of the things they were doing,” Mr. Womack said of his collaborators in an interview with The Guardian. “I would never have dreamed of doing stuff like that, but I wanted to relate to the people today.”

Mr. Womack had his first major hit in 1964. He was under contract with Cooke’s SAR label when he wrote the song, “It’s All Over Now,” and recorded it with his group, the Valentinos, which consisted of him and four of his brothers. The song was slowly rising on the R&B charts when Cooke told him that a British band called the Rolling Stones had liked it so much that they planned to record it, too.

The song became the Stones’ first No. 1 single in Britain and their first international hit, while the Valentinos’ version sank.

“I was very upset about it,” Mr. Womack said in an interview. “It was like, ‘They stole my song.’ ”

Later, he said, as Cooke had predicted he would: “I stopped being upset when we got our first royalty check. That changed everything.”

(Bobby Womack left / Credit Echoes/Redferns) Many of his songs were recorded by others, often with greater success than his own renditions. Janis Joplin included “Trust Me” on her album “Pearl,” the J. Geils Band recorded “Lookin’ for a Love,” which reached the Top 40 in 1972, and Pickett recorded “I’m a Midnight Mover” and 16 other Womack songs.

In 1971 Mr. Womack played guitar on, and helped produce, Sly Stone’s most ambitious album, “There’s a Riot Goin’ On,” now a soul classic.

Bobby Dwayne Womack was born on March 4, 1944, in Cleveland. His father, Friendly, was a steelworker and part-time Baptist minister. His mother, Naomi, played the organ for the church choir. Under their father’s direction, Bobby and his brothers Cecil, Curtis, Friendly Jr. and Harry formed a gospel group, the Womack Brothers, which began touring in 1953.

Sam Cooke, who spent the early ’50s as lead singer of a gospel quintet, the Soul Stirrers, first heard the brothers sing on a visit to Cleveland, when Mr. Womack was about 7. A decade later, Cooke invited the brothers to join him in Los Angeles, where he had his own record company and was a successful secular pop balladeer.

The Womacks were raised to believe that hell awaited gospel singers who sang pop music, Bobby told interviewers, and at first they resisted Cooke’s summons. They made several gospel records for SAR before changing their name to the Valentinos and recording their first secular songs, a decision that caused a lasting rift with their father, until shortly before his death in 1981.

By 17, Mr. Womack was the lead singer of the new group, the youngest guitarist in Cooke’s touring band, and an emerging hit songwriter. His song “Lookin’ for a Love,” a remake of a gospel composition, became a modest hit for the Valentinos on the R&B chart in 1961 (a decade before the J. Geils version). Royalties from “It’s All Over Now” alone reportedly made him financially secure for most of his life.

Then, when he was 20, Mr. Womack’s career hit a wall. The Dec. 11, 1964, shooting death of Cooke, during a dispute with a Los Angeles motel owner, left Mr. Womack without a mentor or a record label. By most accounts, his decision to marry Cooke’s widow, Barbara Campbell, just a few months after the shooting, made him something of a pariah in the music world.

Unable to land a new record contract, Mr. Womack left the Valentinos and settled into backup work for contemporaries like James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Joe Tex, Joplin and a young, little-known Jimi Hendrix. His solo career began to revive in the late 1960s and early ’70s. Two albums he recorded for United Artists in the 1970s are considered soul classics: “Communication” (1971), which yielded the hit “That’s the Way I Feel About ‘Cha,” and “Understanding” (1972), which included “Woman’s Gotta Have It.”

In 1981 he released two of his most critically acclaimed albums, “The Poet” and its sequel, “The Poet II,” which featured several duets with the soul singer Patti LaBelle. He joined the Rolling Stones to sing a duet with Mick Jagger on “Harlem Shuffle,” on the Stones’ 1986 album, “Dirty Work.”

In 2009 Mr. Womack was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His marriage to Ms. Campbell, as well as two subsequent marriages, ended in divorce. His survivors include two sons, Truth and Vincent, and a daughter, GinaRe. Although hip-hop stars frequently sampled the soul music of his era, Mr. Womack refused most requests by others to use his recordings in their work, he told a British interviewer in 2004. Despite his well-publicized marital problems and struggles with drugs and alcohol, he said, he remained a gospel singer at heart.

“Me being from the old school, I would not say ‘bitch’ on a record,” he said. “I couldn’t face my mother if I did.”

NBA Draft Picks 2014

Round One Draft Tracker below by CBS Sports
Link to complete draft: http://www.cbssports.com/nba/draft/drafttracker

Round 1 Pick Team Grades

1. Cleveland Caviliers / Andrew Wiggins | SF, Kansas Height: 6-8 Weight: 200 The best overall prospect and they don't need him with the ball early with Irving and Waiters. The future is now.
A+

2. Milwaukee Bucks / Jabari Parker | SF, Duke Height: 6-8 Weight: 235 Versatile, an alpha dog and a high-character player. Parker is the guy. He's what will make Milwaukee famous.
A

3. Philadelphia / Joel Embiid | C, Kansas Height: 7-0 Weight: 250 A swing for the fences that means they've either hit a home run or set themselves back. Bold pick.
B

4. Orlando Magic / Aaron Gordon | PF, Arizona Height: 6-9 Weight: 225 Can't miss pick. Worst case, he's a defensive lockdown. Best case, an athletic freak who can change the game.
A-

5. Utah Jazz / Dante Exum | SG, Australia Height: 6-5 Weight: 195 The future of the NBA is in dual combo-guards; he and Burke can play together. They need a game-changer and Exum can be that.
A

6. Boston Celtics / Marcus Smart | PG, Oklahoma State Height: 6-4 Weight: 220 A parachute in case of Rondo trade. Might be a SG who can't hit 3s, but strong as an ox defensively.
C+

7. Los Angeles Lakers / Julius Randle | PF, Kentucky Height: 6-9 Weight: 250 The guy Kobe would want in terms of attitude. A bull inside with great character and touch at the rim.
A+

8. Sacramento Kings / Nik Stauskas | SG, Michigan Height: 6-6 Weight: 205 Better talent here. Stauskas is slow to move and could struggle with the ball. Could have found another shooter.
D+

9. Charlotte Hornets / Noah Vonleh | PF, Indiana Height: 6-10 Weight: 240 Defensive length, rebounding, and can stretch the floor. Talent that fits the system. Total steal despite bust risk.
A+

10. Philadelphia 76ers / Elfrid Payton | PG, Louisiana-Lafayette Height: 6-3 Weight: 180 TRADED TO ORLANDO MAGIC -- Can distribute and defend. It maximizes Victor Oladpio and the rest of their team. The Lob Kingdom?
B+

11. Denver Nuggets / Doug McDermott | PF, Creighton Height: 6-8 Weight: 225 TRADED TO CHICAGO BULLS -- Can he put the round orange thing into the little circle with the net? Exceptionally well. Then the Bulls need him.
A+

12. Orlando Magic / Dario Saric | SF, Croatia Height: 6-10 Weight: 225 TRADED TO PHILADELPHIA 76ERS -- They won't have either of their top-five picks on opening night. GET YOUR SEASON TICKETS NOW! CAN'T REBUILD FOREVER
D-

13. Minnesota Timberwolves / Zach LaVine | SG, UCLA Height: 6-5 Weight: 180 Raw, but can get above the rim and is extremely versatile. As he develops, he could become the face of the franchise.
A-

14. Phoenix Suns / T.J. Warren | SF, North Carolina State Height: 6-8 Weight: 215 A bit of a reach, but if you want a strong, versatile scorer who just knows how to get buckets, Warren is your guy. He's relentless.
B-

15. Atlanta Hawks / Adreian Payne | PF, Michigan State Height: 6-10 Weight: 245 Total beast. Can stretch the floor and attack the rim. Coach Bud can mold him. He's 23 years old and can help them now.
B+

16. Chicago Bulls / Jusuf Nurkic | C, Bosnia Height: 6-11 Weight: 280 TRADED TO DENVER NUGGETS -- Shaw needs a rim protector but this seems like a reach. He's versatile, but they could have filled other needs.
C-

17. Boston Celtics / James Young | SF, Kentucky Height: 6-6 Weight: 215 A real plug-and-play option that allows them to move Green. Nothing complicated and they got two good talents in this draft.
A-

18. Phoenix Suns / Tyler Ennis | PG, Syracuse Height: 6-2 Weight: 180 Ennis gives them depth. He's not going to light anything up, but he could be a very solid rotation player, especially in this system.
C+

19. Chicago Bulls / Gary Harris | SG, Michigan State Height: 6-4 Weight: 210 TRADED TO DENVER NUGGETS -- They need more shooting, and Harris provides that. He's small, but he's behind a bigger Arron Afflalo. Harris will make them better.
B

20. Toronto Raptors / Bruno Caboclo | SF, Brazil Height: 6-9 Weight: 200 Sure? 6-9. Versatile. If he's a steal, it's another Masai Ujiri score... I have no idea.
D

21. Oklahoma Thunder / Mitch McGary | PF/C, Michigan Height: 6-10 Weight: 255 They can develop him slowly maybe with a stint in Tulsa. Good talent at this spot and can pair him with Steven Adams.
B

22. Memplis Grizzlies / Jordan Adams | SG, UCLA Height: 6-5 Weight: 220 Memphis needs shooting, but they also need wing play. Rodney Hood was right there. This is a reach.
F+

23. Utah Jazz / Rodney Hood | SF, Duke Height: 6-8 Weight: 215 A steal at this spot at a position of need. Hood can score and create off the dribble. He's got good defensive upside, surprisingly.
A+

24. Charlotte Hornets / Shabazz Napier | PG, UConn Height: 6-1 Weight: 180 TRADED TO MIAMI HEAT -- They need point guard depth. And, you know, he makes LeBron happy, so sure.
B-

25. Houston Rockets / Clint Capela | PF, Switzerland Height: 6-10 Weight: 211 Gives them great length and helps them with defense. May take some time, but could block out the sun with Howard.
B

26. Miami Heat / P.J. Hairston | SG, North Carolina Height: 6-6 Weight: 220 TRADED TO CHARLOTTE HORNETS -- A shooter to help their offense and an athlete to stick with their system. Excellent fit.
A

27. Phoenix Suns / Bogdan Bogdanovic | SG, Serbia Height: 6-6 Weight: 200 Bogdan will excel in Hornacek's system whenever he arrives. He also has terrific upside.
B+

28. Los Angeles Clippers / C.J. Wilcox | SG, Washington Height: 6-5 Weight: 195 Clippers wanted a shooter. If a better big man was available here, that would be one thing, but there wasn't one. Good fit.
B

29. Oklahoma Thunder / Josh Huestis | SF, Stanford Height: 6-7 Weight: 230 He's a reach, but they needed size and wing depth, especially defensively.
B

30. San Antonio Spurs / Kyle Anderson | SF, UCLA Height: 6-9 Weight: 230 Terrific value here. The Spurs like guys who can pass and shoot. Guess what he can do?
A

New audience segments pinpoint who listens for what.

Briefing by Inside Radio

Forget about adults 25-54. Start focusing on Information-Seeking Loyalists and Music-Loving Personalizers. The two groups make up nearly half (47%) of all audio listening.

They’re part of the new way Nielsen is going beyond traditional demographics to better understand audio consumers.

Germany Beats U.S. as Both Advance to Next Round of World Cup

Story by Bloomberg
Written by Christopher Elser and Dex McLuskey
Video by ESPN

Germany beat the U.S. 1-0, a result that sent both teams into the next round at soccer’s World Cup at the expense of Ghana and Portugal.

Germany won Group G and the U.S. finished in second place on goal difference ahead of Portugal, which defeated Ghana 2-1 on a late goal by Cristiano Ronaldo.



“It’s huge for us getting out of this group,” U.S. coach Juergen Klinsmann said in a televised interview. “Everybody said you have no chance. We took that chance and we move on and now we really want to prove a point.”

Read more:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-26/world-cup-highlights.html
http://www.espnfc.us/fifa-world-cup/story/1876190/united-states-0-1-germany-both-teams-advance-to-round-of-16

Bringing Our Workplace Policies into the 21st Century

Creating a 21st century workplace that works for everyone

To create workplaces that are thriving and competitive in today’s global economy, we must make full use of the talented pool of American workers.

The White House Summit on Working Families focused on strategies ensuring all members of society have equal access to high-quality jobs. Of particular significance are the increasingly important roles of women as the breadwinners in working families with divorce rates for all races hovering around 40 percent http://divorceinamerica.org/divorce-rate-in-america/ http://www.divorcesaloon.com/2014/06/21/global-divorce-trends-2009-2010/.


In this week’s address, the President previewed the first-ever White House Summit on Working Families, where he will bring together business leaders and workers to discuss the challenges that working parents face every day and lift up solutions that are good for these families and American businesses.

Topics will include key issues such as workplace flexibility, equal pay, workplace discrimination, worker retention and promotion, opportunities for low-wage workers, elder care, childcare, and early childhood education.

Read more: http://workingfamiliessummit.org/

STATEMENT FROM REV. AL SHARPTON ON THE PROPOSED SETTLEMENT IN THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE CASE

Kharey Wise, a member of the "Central Park 5" who served 13 years in prison, the longest time of any of the group, appeared with the Rev. Al Sharpton Saturday, June 21 at National Action Network headquarters in Harlem.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/mayor-de-blasio-thanked-kharey-wise-central-park-article-1.1838731#ixzz35UAkjGOy

New York, NY -- “Reports of a settlement in the Central Park Five case signify a monumental victory for the five young men and their families who fought for justice for so long.

It is also a victory for those in the community that stood with them from day one and believed in their innocence in this case. As supporters we were viciously attacked for standing with them, but we were on the right side of history.

One should not underestimate the permanent damaged by the misuse of prosecution – lives were devastated, families torn apart, youth stolen. One of the young men did thirteen years in prison, only to return home unable to get a job. He worked for us at NAN for years, and we were honored to help him get back on his feet.

I commend the New York City Corporation Council Zachary Carter for this diligent work on behalf of the citizens of the city. Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke at NAN’s candidate’s forum in January 2013 at the House of Justice and committed then to seek a fair settlement on this case if he was elected -- he has kept his word...

...The present District Attorney to assure the community that this kind of prosecutorial misconduct will be guarded against in the future. This is a wake up call that we should not end with this lawsuit but begin on due process.”

-Rev. Al Sharpton, President of NAN

Africa Underground Returns to Celebrate Kenya on the National Mall

National Museum of African Art Hosts Evening of Food, Music and Dance “Africa Underground” celebrates “Kenya on the Mall” Saturday, June 28, at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art with a cultural evening of food, music and dance from Kenya and its diaspora.

The event will take place from 7 to 11 p.m. and is part of the museum’s 50th-anniversary yearlong celebration; it is in conjunction with the 48th Smithsonian Folklife Festival where Kenya is one of the featured countries.



Tickets are $25 and must be purchased online. http://africa.si.edu/underground/

Entry includes one free drink with ticket purchase. Food and drink will be available for purchase. A special 20 percent discount rate is available to Folklife Festival Market Place store patrons on the National Mall June 25–28 (located at the corner of 12th street and the National Museum of American History). Participants must be 21 to be admitted (IDs will be checked at the door).

Smithsonian National Museum of African Art
Media only: Eddie Burke (202) 633-4660; burkee@si.edu
Media website: http://newsdesk.si.edu

Coming on the heels of the successful sold-out “Africa Underground” in February 2013, DJ Omosh Fya will be spinning beats from the heart of the Enid A. Haupt Garden. There will be performances from Kenyan comedian Baby J and live music by Makadem with his fusion of Kenyan sounds and Afro-rock jam band Jabali Afrika.

Tickets are $25 and must be purchased online. Entry includes one free drink with ticket purchase. Food and drink will be available for purchase. A special 20 percent discount rate is available to Folklife Festival Market Place store patrons on the National Mall June 25–28 (located at the corner of 12th street and the National Museum of American History). Participants must be 21 to be admitted (IDs will be checked at the door).

“Africa Underground” is held twice a year. Each after-hours event is themed and features works of art, cuisine from the African diaspora from area restaurants, specialty cocktails, creative art activities, live performances and music entertainment from emerging DJs or music groups.
About the National Museum of African Art

The National Museum of African Art is the nation’s premier museum dedicated exclusively to the collection, conservation, study and exhibition of Africa’s traditional and contemporary arts. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). Admission is free.

The museum is located at 950 Independence Ave. S.W., near the Smithsonian Metrorail station on the Blue and Orange lines. For more information, call (202) 633-4600 or visit the National Museum of African Art’s website. For general Smithsonian information, call (202) 633-1000.
Note to Editors: To arrange an interview with the performers, contact Eddie Burke at (202) 633-4660 or burkee@si.edu.

Remarks by President Barack Obama on the Current Situation in Iraq

After a meeting with his national security team, President Obama delivered a statement from the White House Press Briefing Room on the situation in Iraq and the U.S. response, in the wake of the terrorist organization ISIL making advances inside Iraq.

The President made clear that he has "no greater priority than the safety of our men and women serving overseas," which is why he is taking steps to relocate some of our embassy personnel, and also sending reinforcements to better secure American facilities.

President Obama noted that the U.S. has significantly increased intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets in order to get a better picture of what's happening in Iraq. "This will give us a greater understanding of what ISIL is doing, where it's located, and how we might support efforts to counter this threat," he said.

The President also said that the U.S. will keep increasing our support to Iraqi security forces, reiterating that U.S. forces "will not be returning to combat in Iraq, but we will help Iraqis as they take the fight to terrorists who threaten the Iraqi people."

The President emphasized that “the best and most effective response to a threat like ISIL will ultimately involve partnerships where local forces, like Iraqis, take the lead.”

Full remarks: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/19/remarks-president-situation-iraq

Horace Silver, 85, Master of Earthy Jazz, Is Dead

Silver in 1997 (Photo by Alan Nahigian)

Story by New York Times
Written by Peter Keepnews
Link to Horace Silver's Autobiography: http://www.amazon.com/Lets-Get-Nitty-Gritty-Autobiography/dp/0520253922

Horace Silver, a pianist, composer and bandleader who was one of the most popular and influential jazz musicians of the 1950s and ’60s, died on Wednesday at his home in New Rochelle, N.Y. He was 85.

His death was announced by Blue Note Records, the company for which he recorded from 1952 to 1979.

After a high-profile apprenticeship with some of the biggest names in jazz, Mr. Silver began leading his own group in the mid-1950s and quickly became a big name himself, celebrated for his clever compositions and his infectious, bluesy playing. At a time when the refined, quiet and, to some, bloodless style known as cool jazz was all the rage, he was hailed as a leader of the back-to-basics movement that came to be called hard bop.

Hard bop and cool jazz shared a pedigree: They were both variations on bebop, the challenging, harmonically intricate music that changed the face of jazz in the 1940s. But hard bop was simpler and more rhythmically driven, with more emphasis on jazz’s blues and gospel roots. The jazz press tended to portray the adherents of cool jazz (most of them West Coast-based and white) and hard bop (most of them East Coast-based and black) as warring factions. But Mr. Silver made an unlikely warrior.

“I personally do not believe in politics, hatred or anger in my musical composition,” he wrote in the liner notes to his album “Serenade to a Soul Sister” in 1968. “Musical composition should bring happiness and joy to people and make them forget their troubles.”

And Mr. Silver’s music was never as one-dimensional as it was sometimes portrayed as being. In an interview early in his career he said he was aiming for “that old-time gutbucket barroom feeling with just a taste of the backbeat.” That approach was reflected in the titles he gave to songs, like “Sister Sadie,” “Filthy McNasty” and “The Preacher,” all of which became jazz standards. But his output also included gently melodic numbers like “Peace” and “Melancholy Mood” and Latin-inflected tunes like “Señor Blues.” “Song for My Father,” probably his best-known composition, blended elements of bossa nova and the Afro-Portuguese music of the Cape Verde islands, where his father was born.

His piano playing, like his compositions, was not that easily characterized. Deftly improvising ingenious figures with his right hand while punching out rumbling bass lines with his left, he managed to evoke boogie-woogie pianists like Meade Lux Lewis and beboppers like Bud Powell simultaneously. Unlike many bebop pianists, however, Mr. Silver emphasized melodic simplicity over harmonic complexity; his improvisations, while sophisticated, were never so intricate as to be inaccessible.

Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver was born on Sept. 2, 1928, in Norwalk, Conn. His father, who was born John Silva but changed the family name to the more American-sounding Silver after immigrating to the United States, worked in a rubber factory. His mother, Gertrude, was a maid and sang in a church choir.

Although he studied piano as a child, Mr. Silver began his professional career as a saxophonist. But he had returned to the piano, and was becoming well known as a jazz pianist in Connecticut, by the time the saxophonist Stan Getz — soon to be celebrated as one of the leading lights of the cool school — heard and hired him in 1950.

“I had the house rhythm section at a club called the Sundown in Hartford,” Mr. Silver told The New York Times in 1981. “Stan Getz came up and played with us. He said he was going to call us, but we didn’t take him seriously. But a couple of weeks later he called and said he wanted the whole trio to join him.”

Mr. Silver worked briefly with Getz before moving to New York in 1951. He was soon in demand as an accompanist, working with leading jazz musicians like the saxophonists Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young. In 1953, Mr. Silver and the drummer Art Blakey formed a cooperative group, the Jazz Messengers, whose aggressive style helped define hard bop and whose lineup of trumpet, tenor saxophone, piano, bass and drums became the standard hard-bop instrumentation.

After two and a half years, during which Mr. Silver began his long and prolific association with Blue Note, he left the Jazz Messengers, which carried on with Blakey as the sole leader, and formed his own quintet. It became a showcase for his compositions.

Another album by Mr. Silver is “Further Explorations by the Horace Silver Quintet.” Credit Blue Note Records

Those compositions, beginning with “The Preacher” in 1955 — which his producer, Alfred Lion of Blue Note, had tried to discourage him from recording because he considered it too simplistic — captured the ears of a wide audience. Many were released as singles and garnered significant jukebox play. By the early ’60s Mr. Silver’s quintet was one of the most popular nightclub and concert attractions in jazz, and an inspiration for countless other bandleaders.

Like Blakey, Miles Davis (with whom he recorded) and a few others, Mr. Silver was known for discovering and nurturing young talent, including the saxophonists Hank Mobley, Joe Henderson and Michael Brecker; the trumpeters Art Farmer, Woody Shaw, Tom Harrell and Dave Douglas; and the drummers Louis Hayes and Billy Cobham. His longest-lived ensemble, which lasted about five years in the late 1950s and early ’60s, featured Blue Mitchell on trumpet and Junior Cook on tenor saxophone.

As interest in jazz declined in the ’70s, Mr. Silver disbanded his quintet and began concentrating on writing lyrics as well as music, notably on a three-album series called “The United States of Mind,” his first album to feature vocalists extensively. He later resumed touring, but only for a few months each year, essentially assembling a new group each time he went on the road.

“I’m shooting for longevity,” he explained. “The road is hard on your body. I’m trying to get it all over with in four months and then recoup.” He said he also wanted to spend more time with his son, Gregory, who survives him.

In 1981, Mr. Silver formed his own label, Silveto. His recordings for that label featured vocalists and were largely devoted to what he called “self-help holistic metaphysical music” — life lessons in song with titles like “Reaching Our Goals in Life” and “Don’t Dwell on Your Problems” that left critics for the most part unimpressed.

Jon Pareles of The Times wrote in 1986 that Mr. Silver’s “naïvely mystical lyrics” made his new compositions sound like “near-miss pop songs.” On later albums for Columbia, Impulse and Verve, Mr. Silver returned to a primarily instrumental approach.

Mr. Silver was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 1995 and received a President’s Merit Award from the Recording Academy in 2005.

Many of his tunes became staples of the jazz repertoire — a development, he said, that surprised him. “When I wrote them,” he said in a 2003 interview for the website All About Jazz, “I would say to myself that I hope these at least withstand the test of time. I hope they don’t sound old in 10 years or something.”

Rather than sounding dated, his compositions continued to be widely performed and recorded well into the 21st century. And while he acknowledged that “occasionally I hear an interpretation of one of my tunes that I say that they sure messed that one up,” he admitted, “For the most part I enjoy all of it.”

New report shows premium affordability, competition and choice in the Marketplace in 2013-2014

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
News Division


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Shoppers paid an average of $69 per month after tax credits for silver plans and had, on average, a choice of five health insurers and 47 plans

A new report released today by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finds that people who selected silver plans, the most popular plan type in the federal Marketplace, with tax credits paid an average premium of $69 per month. In the federal Marketplace, 69 percent of enrollees who selected Marketplace plans with tax credits had premiums of $100 a month or less, and 46 percent of $50 a month or less after tax credits. Today’s report also looks at competition and choice nationwide among health insurance plans in 2013-2014, and finds that most individuals shopping in the Marketplace had a wide range of health plans from which to choose. On average, consumers could choose from five health insurers and 47 Marketplace plans. An increase of one issuer in a rating area is associated with 4 percent decline in the second-lowest cost silver plan premium, on average.

“What we’re finding is that the Marketplace is working. Consumers have more choices, and they’re paying less for their premiums,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell. “Nearly 7 in 10 consumers who signed up for Marketplace coverage are paying $100 or less for that coverage. When there is choice and competition, everybody benefits.”

According to today’s report, on average, monthly premiums for people who selected plans with tax credits fell 76 percent after tax credits, dropping the cost of the average monthly premium from $346 before tax credits to $82 after tax credits across all plan types. People who selected silver plans, the most popular plan type in the federal Marketplace, with tax credits paid an average premium of $69 per month.

The Marketplace is also providing consumers more easily comparable, quality health plan choices than ever before. In 2014, there were a total of 266 issuers in the Marketplace by state, offering over 19,000 Marketplace plans across all ratings areas, excluding catastrophic plans. Overall, 82 percent of people eligible to purchase a qualified health plan could choose from 3 or more health insurance issuers, and 96 percent could choose from 2 or more health insurers in the Marketplace. In 2014, new issuers represent almost 26 percent of all issuers in the Marketplace, and the new Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans (CO-OPs) tended to have lower premiums than other plans. Early reports from the states suggest that additional issuers will be entering the Marketplace in 2015.

Today’s report demonstrates that the new tax credits are working as intended to make premiums affordable, and the Marketplace is bringing much-needed competition to the insurance market. In addition, the Affordable Care Act includes a number of other provisions to keep premiums affordable. The rate review grant program provides states with resources to enhance their rate review programs. HHS has previously awarded nearly $238 million to states to enhance their rate review programs, and, since the passage of the law, the proportion of insurance company requests for double-digit rate increases was cut by more than half. Consumers saved nearly $1.2 billion on their premiums in 2012 when compared to the amount originally requested by insurers. Health insurance companies also now have to spend at least 80 cents of your premium dollar on health care or improvements to care, or provide a refund. In 2012, 8.5 million consumers received half a billion dollars in refunds – with the average consumer receiving a refund of around $100 per family.

To read today’s report visit: http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2014/Premiums/2014MktPlacePremBrf.pdf

We Can Make the Future Come Faster in the South - Commentary by Benjamin Jealous

Commentary By Benjamin Todd Jealous

We have the antidote to voter suppression: massive voter registration.

We proved it 50 years ago during Freedom Summer. We proved it again in Florida in 2012, when NAACP activists registered 115,000 people in a year when the legislature had effectively made traditional voter registration strategies illegal.

We need to prove it again this summer. As we prepare for November's midterm elections - and look forward to 2016 - our focus should be on the stretch of heavily black states and counties below the Mason-Dixon Line that make up the "Black Belt".

Our new report from the Southern Elections Foundation and the Center for American Progress shows that a massive wave of voter registration could upset the balance of power in many Black Belt states.

For instance, registering 30 percent of unregistered black voters would create enough "new black voters" - even after accounting for turnout rates - to swing a governor's race in Virginia or North Carolina. Meanwhile, registering 60 percent of unregistered black, Hispanic, and Asian voters could upset the balance of power in Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

The conventional wisdom would say that this is impossible - that candidates who represent the views of communities of color and progressive whites simply do not have a chance of winning statewide office in these southern states. This conventional wisdom is wrong for two reasons.

First, it ignores the changing demographic and political trends in the Black Belt. Black re-migration and Latino and Asian immigration are reshaping the demographics of the region. Meanwhile, the extremism of the ruling far-right wing is pushing away white women and young voters of all races.

Second, it takes a pessimistic view of progress. Many people look at the Black Belt and say that nothing has changed for years, and ask why we should invest in the region. This has it exactly backwards. If we invest, then things will change. The light of southern politics has no dimmer switch. It is either on or it is off, and we have the power to switch it on again.

The summer of 2014 can be a season of revival. In the coming months, as black political conventions convene across the country to discuss their political strategy for the coming year, we should remember the mistakes of 2010, when low turnout rates led to a wave of extreme right wing candidates winning office across the country.

We have the power to make sure that does not happen again. In some states it may ultimately be too late to marshal funds for the 2014 election, but there is no reason we cannot start focusing on 2016.

We have the power in Georgia, where the New Georgia Project is working methodically to register 120,000 black, Hispanic and Asian American voters in the state - the biggest voter registration drive in 20 years.

We have the power in Mississippi, where the Mississippi Freedom Summer 50th Anniversary Conference is meeting in late June to reflect on the past five decades of political organizing and put a plan into action for the next five decades.

We have the power through all of the black civic organizations, which can collectively reach hundreds of thousands of people of color below the Mason Dixon Line, and through the growing number of unions and other progressive organizations that are sprouting in the South.

During Freedom Summer and the turbulent 1960's, civil rights activists used to ask new recruits, "Are you willing to die for Freedom?" Today we need to ask each other, "Are you willing to live for Freedom?"

Doing the work to register voters in the South will take our collective time, treasure and dedication. But it is crucial, and it can make the future come faster than many people think.

Jealous is the former President and CEO of the NAACP. He is currently a Partner at Kapor Capital and a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress.

Major League Baseball Hall of Famer San Diego Padres Tony Gwynn, dies of Cancer at age 54.

San Diego Padres Tony Gwynn, here tipping his hat after eclipsing the 3000 career hit mark, dies from Cancer at age 54.

Story by ESPN
ESPN Article: "Tony Gwynn used fear as motivation"
Written by ESPN writer/former San Diego Padres' beat writer Tom Friend

SAN DIEGO -- In late April, I surprised him at the hospital. He was in a wheelchair. His hair was fully gray. He couldn't open his right eye. He could only halfway open his mouth. He was on oxygen. The purest hitter of our generation was dying.

You can't prepare yourself for that. Not when you knew him like I did. I was a rookie Padres beat writer in 1985; he'd won his first batting title in 1984. I knew him when his vision was 20-10, when he considered 1-for-4 a bad day at the office, when he used to write "5.5 hole" on his cleats. That day in the hospital, I would have done anything to see a young Tony Gwynn again. And then I looked down at his feet. He was wearing his old baseball shower shoes. On them was his scribbled number: 19. He was 19 to the end.

He thought I came to write about him that day. But I was really there to cheer up the man who spent 20 seasons cheering up a city. To live in San Diego is to live and breathe Tony Gwynn. My 12-year-old son, born a year after Gwynn retired, wore No. 19 in Encinitas Little League. He and a thousand other kids in town. Petco Park's address is 19 Tony Gwynn Way. His statue sits right behind where he played: right field. If the name Cal Ripken says Baltimore, then the name Tony Gwynn says San Diego.

He played basketball and baseball at San Diego State. He was drafted by the Padres and the San Diego Clippers on the same day. He played here 20 seasons. He could have left via free agency any number of times -- because the Padres are in a small market and let player after player walk -- but Gwynn always took "the hometown discount.''

Other Gwynns kept following him to the club. His brother, Chris, had an RBI for the Padres on the last day of the '96 season to beat the Dodgers and clinch the division. Tony's son, Anthony, would later roam the outfield for the Padres, too. Tony's daughter, Anisha, sang the national anthem here.

This may be a beach town, but Tony made it blue collar. He was the first big league hitter to videotape and watch every one of his at-bats. I would get to the ballpark at 2:30 p.m. for a 7 o'clock night game, and there was Tony, all alone, taking early batting practice. He thought he was a terrible hitter; that's what made him a Hall of Famer. That's why he was able to win eight batting titles and have a career average of .338, the highest since his friend and fellow San Diegan Ted Williams. Tony always told me he was motivated by fear -- fear of going 0-for-5. At 2:30, every day, he'd hit upwards of 100 balls to the 5.5 hole -- between shortstop and third -- and then lope back to the clubhouse ...

For another pinch of chewing tobacco.

I guess, if you want to get technical, baseball killed him. Because he first began to chew at rookie ball in Walla Walla, Washington. He was so paranoid that his swing would fall to pieces overnight that he would dip smokeless tobacco to take the edge off.

He told me he had the same morning habit for years -- brush your teeth, then fire in a dip -- and that he would go through a can and a half of Skoal a day. I remember the cup he used to keep by his locker to spit into. One day at home, his young son, Anthony, thought that cup was full of juice and took a sip. "It was gross,'' Anthony told me once. From that moment on, Anthony vowed he'd never chew.

But it was too late for Tony. "I was addicted," he once told me. He would sneak out of his house late at night -- "like a criminal,'' he said -- to buy his tobacco at a convenience store. If his wife, Alicia, had known, she would've socked him. She wanted him to quit, begged him to quit, threatened to leave him if he didn't quit. He tried bubble gum, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and synthetic chew, but baseball wasn't baseball without the real stuff.

"I'm a tobacco junkie,'' he told me.

Until it gave him cancer of the salivary gland in 2010.

Cancer -- talk about a fastball to the head. He worked to beat it the same way he worked to go to the 5.5 hole. At the time of his diagnosis, he was the head baseball coach at San Diego State and promised them he'd be back after facial surgery, chemo and radiation. But when he returned, his face partially paralyzed, it was hard to look at him, hard to face this fact: Tony Gwynn didn't have the strength to smile. What had made him special -- and this may be part of his legacy -- is that he was the most congenial superstar I ever came across in my 30-year career. His laugh -- part hyena, part grammar school -- would enter the room a minute before he did. You could hear his giggle a half-mile away. Cancer took that away.

He beat it temporarily, but then the growths came back ... and came back again. His father, Charles, had died young of heart problems. Death crossed Tony's mind a lot. When I visited with him at the hospital, he thought I had come to write his obit. About a week earlier, there'd been a mishap during one of his cancer treatments. From what I'm told, he'd lost oxygen and was suddenly barely able to move. It was almost like a stroke, and he was sent to a rehab hospital to learn how to walk again. He knew his body was failing. He knew something perilous had happened to him, and he wasn't going to lie: He was scared.

I wanted to change the subject, so I brought up baseball. For the first time all day, he lit up. His greatest moment was his home run at Yankee Stadium in Game 1 of the '98 World Series, off of David Wells. His most disappointing was the '94 baseball strike. His batting average was .394 on Aug. 11, 1994, the day the players went on strike. If he'd had four more hits -- either four dying quails or four lucky nubbers -- he would have finished at .400, the first hitter to do so since Ted Williams. Without the strike, I believe Gwynn would have done it, and he did, too. He could've handled the media scrutiny. He would've taken his early BP at 2:30 and been all smiles at 6:30.

So his baseball life hadn't been perfect. Over the years, teammates were jealous of his popularity, and even upper management seemed threatened by him. Maybe he'd gotten too big in town for them. How he was never hired as the Padres' hitting coach is beyond me. They could've talked him out of coaching at San Diego State. They could've done more than just hire him as a broadcaster. John Moores, the owner when Tony retired, promised him a lifetime contract in 2001. But, over the years, the two drifted apart.

It has ended badly and sadly. But I choose to remember the young Tony Gwynn, who despite his cherubic appearance, once stole 56 bases in a season. I remember him working on his defense in the offseason -- the same way Michael Jordan worked on his jumper -- and then earning five Gold Gloves. I remember doing a story on him and Don Mattingly in 1986, about a contest in which they were both supposed to hit a button when lights flashed -- to see who had the quickest reactions and the keenest eyesight. They were both in their prime at the time, and Mr. Padre whipped Mr. Yankee.

But I will also never forget that day at the hospital this April. Tony was trying to get his hands and arms to work again, and a therapist sat him in front of a series of lights -- just like he and Mattingly had done in '86. It had been 28 years. There had been three cancer surgeries, there had been weight gain. Tony was slow. He was frustrated. It wasn't fair. He used to have 20-10 vision; now he could barely see out of his right eye.

But he said he was hanging in, that he was looking forward to watching his Anthony play for the Phillies that night on TV. Just the sight of his kid trying to go to the 5.5 hole was enough to keep him upbeat. But first he wanted to take a rest. He was tired. So I said goodbye for the last time.

It was 2:30.

Links:
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/mlb/tony-gwynn-remembered-across-mlb-clubhouses?ymd=20140616&content_id=80137184&vkey=news_mlb
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/mlb/hall-of-famer-tony-gwynn-dies-at-54-after-cancer-battle?ymd=20140616&content_id=80040976

San Antonio Spurs defeat Miami Heat to secure their fifth NBA title

Tim Duncan and the Spurs after beating the Miami Heat in five games to win the 2014 NBA Championship (Photos: Getty Image)

Story by Bloomberg
Written by Erik Matuszewski

The San Antonio Spurs ended the Miami Heat’s two-year reign as National Basketball Association champions by winning their fifth title in the past 16 seasons, and did it in record-setting fashion.

The Spurs became the first team in league history to win three straight NBA Finals games by more than 15 points, capping a four-games-to-one series win with last night’s 104-87 victory in San Antonio. They outscored the Heat by an average of 18 points in their four wins.

San Antonio avenged last season’s six-game loss to Miami in the championship series, the Spurs’ lone NBA Finals loss since 7-footer Tim Duncan joined the franchise as the No. 1 draft pick in 1997. With five titles, the 38-year-old Duncan joins Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers for the most among active players.

“We remember what happened last year and how it felt in that locker room,” Duncan said after scoring 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds last night. “We used it, built on it and got back here.It’s amazing.”

Kawhi Leonard had 22 points and 10 rebounds in Game 5 to lead the Spurs, who prevented the Heat from becoming the sixth team to win at least three straight titles and the first since Bryant’s Lakers in 2000 to 2002. San Antonio also won NBA championships in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007.

Leonard, 22, became the third-youngest player selected as Most Valuable Player of the NBA Finals behind Duncan (1999) and Magic Johnson (1980). The 14 years between Duncan’s first and most recent appearances in the NBA Finals is the second longest in league history. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had 17 seasons between his first trip to the NBA Finals and last at age 42 in 1989.

Emotional Duncan

As the Spurs and their hometown crowd celebrated, Duncan jumped into the arms of former San Antonio center David Robinson, who was a part of the franchise’s first two championship teams and won a title in his final season.

“It’s just the close of a career, I know it’s coming to an end,” a teary-eyed Duncan said when asked about letting his emotions show. “I don’t know if I’ll have a chance to do this again. It’s just a real emotional time.”

The Heat, with their season on the line, jumped out to a 22-6 first-quarter lead last night. The Spurs answered with a 12-0 scoring run and trailed 29-22 after the opening quarter.

San Antonio then outscored Miami 55-29 over the next two quarters, extending its advantage to as much as 22 points. Manu Ginobili scored 19 points, while Patty Mills scored 17 points off the bench for the Spurs and hit 5-of-8 3-pointers.

“What happened last year made us stronger and we weren’t going to let this opportunity get away,” said Ginobili, whose 117 postseason wins alongside Duncan and Tony Parker are the most in NBA history for any trio of players.

‘Better Team’

The Spurs shot 52.8 percent from the field in the Finals, the best for any team in the championship series since the 24-second shot clock was instituted during the 1954-55 season.

“They were the better team,” James said at a news conference. “That’s why they’re the champions.”

The only other playoff series Miami had lost since James joined the team as a free agent in 2010 was in that season’s NBA Finals to Dallas. James last night scored 31 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for the Heat.

“We went to four straight finals,” James said. “We’ll take 50 percent in championships any day. That’s the nature of the game.”

San Antonio had the best record in the NBA this season at 62-20 -- its record 15th straight year with at least 50 wins -- and then beat Dallas, Portland and Oklahoma City to reach the NBA Finals for the second year in a row.

Spurs’ Routs

The Spurs won the opening game of the series by 15 points before losing Game 2 at home, 98-96. The Spurs then romped to two straight victories in Miami by a combined 40 points, joining the 1977 Portland Trail Blazers as the only teams to win back-to-back NBA Finals games by at least 19 points.

Duncan and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich have 149 postseason wins together, 30 more than any other coach-player duo in NBA history. Popovich, in his 18th season in San Antonio, is the fifth coach with at least five NBA titles, joining Phil Jackson (11), Red Auerbach (9), John Kundla (5) and Pat Riley (5).

“There’s a lot of satisfaction to be able to come out on top of such a great organization and a great team,” Popovich said at a news conference. “They’re a class act and they’ll be back next year for sure. From our point of view, it’s satisfying because of the work we put in all year to get back to the finals and have this opportunity, and it worked out.”

This was the 12th NBA Finals rematch in history and the first since the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz faced each other in the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons. Of the prior 11 rematches, there had been seven repeat winners.

The Spurs have a 23-11 record in the NBA Finals for a .677 winning percentage, second only to the Bulls, who had a 24-11 record and .686 winning percentage with Michael Jordan.

“We were so close last year and this year was a great rematch,” said Parker, who had 16 points last night and hit seven of his last eight shots. “We wanted to redeem ourselves. This title is for San Antonio and it’s the sweetest one.”

Story below by Spurs Nation Blog
Written by Dan McCarney

The Spurs started Game 5 of the Finals poorly at the AT&T Center, giving coach Gregg Popovich an unsettling flashback to one of the worst moments in franchise history. Much like their collapse in the 2012 Western Conference Finals, they were sluggish and stagnant, a far cry from consecutive beatdowns at Miami in which they elevated the game to artistic levels.

“I told my team we looked exactly like we did two years ago when we won the first two against OKC and then they won four in a row because we stopped moving the ball,” he said. “The ball didn’t move, it didn’t change sides. And that’s what the game looked like in the first six or seven minutes of the game.”

The Spurs trailed the Heat by 16 at that point, and visions of a return flight to Miami and squandered control were looming. But unlike last year, when fate conspired to steal the championship from their grasp, they simply would not be denied, crushing the Heat by 37 over the next two quarters and cruising to a 104-87 victory that capped their fifth championship and the most lopsided Finals triumph in NBA history.

The Spurs did lose a game in the series, winning 4-1. But their 14-point average margin of victory over those five games was a championship series record, as was their 52.8 team shooting percentage. That it came at the expense of the Heat, whose 4-3 victory in last year’s series continued to torment the Spurs well into this season, made it all the better. It said something about the depth of that heartbreak, and the achievement of getting back and earning redemption, that Tim Duncan said it was the most satisfying of his five championships dating back to 1999.

“It is sweeter than any other,” said Duncan, who became the first player to start for three different championship teams in three decades. “Whether it be because of the time frame, because I’m coming towards the end of my career, because I can have these two (his children) here and really remember it and enjoy the experience, all of those things make it that much more special.”

Having been beaten like no other team in the Finals, the Heat could only lavish praise on the team they devastated last year to win their second straight championship.

“We got smashed,” Chris Bosh said. “They exposed us. They picked us apart. They played the best basketball I’ve ever seen.”

Said LeBron James, “That’s how team basketball should be played. It’s selfless. Guys move, cut, pass. You get a shot, you take it, but it’s all for the team and it’s never about the individual. That’s (their) brand of basketball, and that’s how team basketball should be played.”

Even Manu Ginobili, so single-minded in his pursuit of another title that he said he couldn’t sit still to even read during the Finals, admitted getting caught up in the artistry of the Spurs’ play.

“There were some possessions on the court and seeing what was going on, some others on the bench, I was so proud,” he said. “Sometimes I felt like saying, ‘Wow, this is sweet.’ It was really fun to play like this.”

And, of course, to win and atone for last year’s defeat.

“To be so close last year, it was very cruel,” Tony Parker said. “But that’s the beauty of sport. Sometimes it’s tough. And sometimes it can be beautiful like today, because it shows a lot of character of the team to take a loss and to come back the following year and win the whole thing.

“It just makes the journey even more worth it. It was worth all the pain. It’s so sweet to win a championship the way we did. I would change nothing. It makes it even better, the fact that we had to go through that, to go through a tough loss, and to be able to come back.

“It just makes the journey even more worth it.”

Player of the game

Popovich wasted little time inserting bench captain Ginobili — less than three minutes, in fact. Yet the Spurs’ poor start got even worse, spiraling to a 22-6 deficit with five minutes left in the first quarter. That’s when Ginobili went to work, scoring six of his 19 points during a 12-0 surge that started the Spurs’ turnaround. Ginobili got into it with Miami counterpart Shane Battier to draw an offensive foul, then exchanged elbows with Chris Andersen on the ensuing timeout.



Rather than shrink, Ginobili lives for such confrontations. He later lifted off for a poster dunk in Bosh’s face as the Spurs padded their lead late in the first half, well on their way to victory. Ginobili averaged 14.4 points and shot 50 percent in the series, a huge performance after committing a total of 12 turnovers over the last two games of last year’s Finals.

“I’m not skilled enough to explain properly how we feel,” he said. “It was a tough summer. We all felt guilty. We all felt that we let teammates down. But we work hard. We got (back) to this spot, and we didn’t let go.”

The turning point

The game was barely seven minutes old, with anticipation of a championship celebration still thick in the air, when the Spurs found themselves on the wrong side of a 22-6 broadside. They responded in kind, destroying Miami’s lead and whatever was left of its collective psyche with an extended 59-22 surge spanning nearly two full quarters. The Spurs led by 21 at that point, and never fewer than 14 the rest of the way as they earned their fourth victory of at least 15 points in the series, and 12th in the entire postseason to extend their NBA record.

Here are a few numbers after the Spurs’ 104-87 victory to close out the series in five games.

1. The Spurs’ average margin of victory in the series was 14 points per game. It was the largest point differential in NBA Finals history. The previous record was 12.6 points per game by the 1965 Boston Celtics over the Lakers.
2. Kawhi Leonard scored 22 points and recorded 10 rebounds as he claimed the NBA Finals MVP. At 22 years and 351 days old, Leonard is the third-youngest recipient of that award since the NBA began awarding them in 1969.
3. Leonard also became the fifth-youngest player to notch at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in a series-clinching Finals game and the youngest to do that since Kobe Bryant in 2001, according to ESPN Stats and Information
4. The Spurs finished the series shooting .5276 percent from the field in the Finals. It was the highest shooting percentage for a Finals of any length. The Bulls shot .5272 in five games against the Lakers in 1991 and Detroit shot .5268 against the Lakers in 1989.
5. The Game 5 victory was the 12th time the Spurs have won by 15 or more points in the 2014 playoffs. The Lakers won 10 games by 15 or more points during the 1985 playoffs, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Chuck Noll, the coach who led the Pittsburgh Steelers to four Super Bowl titles, dies at age 82

The late Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Chuck Noll being carried off the field by two of the Steelers Hall of Famers, Running Back Franco Harris and Defensive Lineman Mean Joe Greene, after winning one of the four Super Bowl wins by the 1970's tandum.

Story by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Written by Gerry Dulac

Success was never a destination for Chuck Noll. It was not a road that had an ending, rather always a new beginning. It was a journey, a path that never allowed for complacency or made room for satisfaction. Along the way, the lesson he instructed was always the same, whether it was life or football: Getting to the top is not nearly as difficult as staying there.

No head coach in National Football League history has ever enjoyed as much success as Charles Henry Noll, the only coach to win four Super Bowl trophies. And he did it in a six-year span of the 1970s in which the Steelers, the franchise he transformed from doormat to dynasty, became one of the most dominating teams of any NFL era.

Mr. Noll died in his sleep from natural causes Friday night at his Sewickley home, leaving behind a legion of admirers that includes former players, coaches and thousands of black-and-gold worshipers. He was 82 and had been in ill health for a number of years with Alzheimer’s disease, a heart condition and back problems.

“He will go down as the guy who helped create the mystique that exists now with the Steelers,” said former coach Bill Cowher, who replaced Mr. Noll in 1992 and accumulated 161 victories and one Super Bowl title in 15 seasons with the Steelers, second only to Mr. Noll’s 209 victories in 23 seasons.

Indeed, the late broadcaster Myron Cope once dubbed him the “Emperor,” the leader of what eventually would morph into Steelers nation. And his professional journey eventually landed him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, alongside nine of the players he coached in their Super Bowl halcyon days...

...Mr. Noll was 37, the youngest head coach in NFL history, when the Steelers hired him on Jan. 27, 1969, after Penn State coach Joe Paterno turned down an offer to coach the team. At the time, Mr. Noll was in his third season as a defensive coach with the Baltimore Colts under Don Shula. Before that, he spent six seasons with the San Diego Chargers under coach Sid Gillman.

Even as a player, Mr. Noll was so smart that former Cleveland Browns Coach Paul Brown employed him as a messenger guard who relayed the plays to the quarterback. But, at age 27, Mr. Noll retired as a player because he wanted to coach.

After winning his first game and losing 13 in a row his rookie season with the Steelers, Mr. Noll slowly transformed the hapless franchise into winners, going 5-9 in 1970 and 6-8 in 1971 before leading the Steelers to their first-ever playoff appearance in 39 years in 1972. And their first-ever playoff game even had a magical ending – Franco Harris’ Immaculate Reception that beat the Oakland Raiders, 13-7.

Two years later, the Steelers won their first of four Super Bowls under Mr. Noll, beating the Minnesota Vikings, 16-6.

Read more: http://137.117.100.210/sports/steelers/2014/06/13/Former-Steeler-coach-Chuck-Noll-is-dead/stories/201406130225#ixzz34nhtxxYG

The President Wishes America's Dads a Happy Father's Day

In this week’s address, President Obama wished America’s dads a happy Father’s Day and underscored the crucial role fathers play in our society. The President encouraged Americans to support those living without a father figure through initiatives like My Brother’s Keeper. The President also highlighted actions he is taking on behalf of hardworking, responsible dads and moms, such as hosting the first-ever White House Working Families Summit later this month, and called on Congress to do its part to help offer more parents the chance to work hard and provide for their families.

Radio remembers countdown king Casey Kasem.

Story by Inside Radio

Radio icon Casey Kasem, host of the seminal countdown show “American Top 40” for nearly a quarter century, died early Sunday, according to his daughter Kerri Kasem. Kasem, 82, had been suffering from Lewy body disease, a form of progressive dementia, for several years. The radio community and beyond is remembering the man who made 40 songs a national touchstone.

Thrust back into the headlines recently by an ugly custody battle among family members, Kasem pioneered the modern day radio countdown show, a format that has only increased in popularity. “Everybody who grew up with the radio knew Casey Kasem,” Sean “Hollywood” Hamilton, afternoon personality at Clear Channel CHR “WKTU, New York (103.5) and “Weekend Top 30 Countdown” host, told the New York Daily News. “And everybody who does a countdown show learned from him.” Kasem anchored “American Top 40” from July 4, 1970–August 6, 1988, signing off each show with, “Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.”

Kasem hosted many spin-off shows, including “Casey’s Top 40,” “Casey’s Hot 20,” and “Casey’s Countdown.” He returned to host a revived version of “AT40” from 1998-2004, until Ryan Seacrest took over. Kasem also enjoyed a prominent career doing character voices, including Norville “Shaggy” Rogers in the “Scooby-Doo” franchise from 1969 to 1997, and again from 2002 until 2009 and was Robin in the first animated “Batman.” He provided many voices for “Sesame Street” and other TV shows, was the voice of NBC, co-host of the Jerry Lewis telethon and was heard in numerous commercials. Kasem also moonlighted as an actor, appearing in “Police Story” and “Charlie’s Angels.” In a post on Twitter, Kerri Kasem said the legendary countdown show personality died surrounded by family and friends.

Ryan Seacreast has carried the “American Top 40” mantle for the past decade, and next weekend the show that Kasem created will remember his nearly 40 years behind the AT40 mic. “It’s a sad day for the broadcasting community and for radio listeners around the world,” says Seacrest, who credits Kasem and his show for pulling him to radio. “So when decades later I took over his AT40 countdown show, it was a surreal moment,” he says. Among the major moments during Kasem’s time at AT40 was the first No.1 he ever introduced — “Mama Told Me Not to Come” by Three Dog Night.

AT40 syndicator Premiere Networks has created a special tribute to Kasem on its website where fans can hear classic clips from the show and view photos of the Radio Hall of Famer throughout his career. There’s also a special memorial on iHeartRadio. “One of the most recognizable voices in radio and television, Casey set a gold standard for all broadcasters,” Premiere says in a statement.

An American original that cannot be replaced is the consensus sentiment as broadcasters pause to honor and remember Casey Kasem in the hours since his death. Rick Dees, who launched his own rival countdown show, says he “enjoyed sharing the same space on the radio” with Kasem. “Our friendly competition lead to years of friendship and respect,” Dees says. “We will all miss his style, his voice, and his ability to communicate.”

Like many broadcasters, Clear Channel Networks president Darren Davis says he can vividly remember listening to American Top 40 each weekend when he was a kid. “Casey’s polished style and dedication to his craft helped me fall in love with radio,” Davis says. “He was a true gem, and I’m grateful I got to meet him several times over the years.”

Many members of the Reach Media staff worked with Kasem when it took his show to AMFM Radio Networks in 1998. “He never turned down anyone when they approached him to talk about the show or a long-distance dedication they remembered,” says Marty Raab, who handled the show’s marketing.

Syndicated morning host Tom Joyner says he was among the legions of Kasem admirers. “He was world class, knew the power of radio, and will truly be missed,” Joyner says. Beyond broadcasting SAG-AFTRA also remembered Kasem for the exposure his countdown brought to artists.

Saga Communications EVP Steve Goldstein says Casey was one of the few radio personalities who became a national celebrity and made the AT40 countdown a huge weekly event that listeners looked forward to. “Today in an era of PPM teasing, I remind our people that Casey virtually invented the modern day curiosity tease and did it better than just about anyone,” Goldstein says. “He made everything more interesting and important. And the countdown continues...”

A week as President

STATEMENT BY REV. AL SHARPTON ON THE PASSING OF RUBY DEE

June 12, 2014 (New York, NY)--

“Ruby Dee was a phenomenally rare artist and a jewel to our nation and community. I was privileged to work on several civil rights cases with her and her husband Ossie Davis. She was as committed to social justice as she was to the screen and stage. She will be greatly missed. ”

-Rev. Al Sharpton, President of the National Action Network, Syndication Radio Host of Keeping it Real with Al Sharpton, and TV host of MSNBC's Politics Nation.

Ruby Dee dead at 91

Ruby Dee - the award-winning actress whose seven-decade career included triumphs on stage and screen, a proud civil rights activist, and worked tirelessly in all facets of life with her husband the late Ossie Davis - has died. Ruby Dee was 91.

Links:
http://ossieandruby.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_Dee
http://www.biography.com/people/ruby-dee-9269542#awesm=~oH004oPoC6x4km
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jun/12/actress-ruby-dee-dies-at-91

Interview: A Conversation w/ Don Cheadle About His Miles Davis Film

Don Cheadle is roughly a week into the Indiegogo campaign for his long-in-development Miles Davis biopic, "Miles Ahead," seeking to raise $325,000 towards the film's overall budget of under $10 million.

Interview by Shadow and Act

While promoting the campaign, Cheadle spoke with Shadow And Act about starring, producing, co-writing, and making his feature directorial debut with the film including several new details about the casting and creative choices.

SHADOW AND ACT: Can you talk about the journey you've had over the years trying to get the film made. What kind of response have you gotten as you've met with studios and financiers? Are there any concessions you've been asked to make creatively, or has the hold up largely been due to funding?

DON CHEADLE: It's been all of it. The project first had traction in 2008 when Miles was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and his nephew told reporters that I was going to be playing him in the movie, which was the first I'd heard of it. People started calling to try and put the movie together because the family had given their blessing for me to be in it. I started working with writers and at that point it became clear that the take on the story that I wanted to do was going to have to be controlled by me. I couldn't really translate it to someone else and have it come off in the way that I wanted and needed it to.

So we had a script very early that we went out with, and a lot of people bid on it and several studios had optioned it. And then the world collapsed - the financial crisis hit and a lot of those mini-majors went out of business. We were kind of left without a home at that point, which turned out to be, for us, a good period of time because we pulled the movie back and restructured it and brought on Steven Baigelman ("Get On Up", "Feeling Minnesota") who I co-wrote the movie with, and created a different story.

At that point we went out again with it, and again had a lot of bites and a lot of places that were trying to put it together. And we just finally settled on making it with the financier that we have now, and are again in earnest targeting a start date and casting it, and now we're four weeks out......

.....S&A: Can you tell us about what you're going for stylistically, with the look and feel of the film?

DC: Those are a lot of the decisions that are being made right now as we prep it - which medium are we going to use, film versus digital. Those are the discussions that we're having right now. We're shooting the film in Cincinnati, which is advantageous for several different reasons. Given the architecture of the city, it's New York without dealing with the expense and the hurdles that New York presents. So all of that stuff is being cobbled together now, from design to wardrobe to music.

S&A: What can you tell us about using Miles Davis' music in the film? What particular albums are you looking at, and how will it be used?

DC: It's almost all of Miles Davis' music, from stuff off of the Kind of Blue album, some stuff off of Circle in the Round, Jack Johnson, Bitches Brew, the Porgy and Bess album that he did with Gil Evans. There's a lot of his music that we're using, almost exclusively his music. Although the soundtrack, which will be done in post, will feature other musicians from other disciplines as well, because that was Miles too.

S&A: We recently saw an announcement looking for vehicles from the '40s to the '70s for the film, even though the synopsis says it takes place over a few days. Can we expect to see flashbacks and perhaps, a younger actor cast to play a younger Miles Davis?

DC: "Flashback" would be the general term, but they don't feel like that and they're not dealt with like that in the movie. It's not sort of a ripple fade, go back and see why and how he got there. It's more of a parallel journey that's happening that's looking at Miles' 10-year relationship with Frances Taylor Davis, from '56 to '66. So the flashbacks aren't used to paint a cradle-to-grave depiction. We don't meet Miles when he's eight years old and see the first time he picked up a trumpet; we're not doing that. It's centered around his relationship with Frances.

Read more of the interview: http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/interview-don-cheadle-says-zoe-saldana-is-out-of-miles-davis-biopic-almost-all-of-davis-music-will-be-used-in-the-film

Casey Kasem's family feud: Judge allows water, food infusions stopped

A critically ill Casey Kasem is in the middle of a legal and media battle between his children and their stepmother.

Story by CNN Los Angeles
Written by Alan Duke

Casey Kasem, an iconic voice of radio and television for decades, lies critically ill in a Washington state hospital, while his three children from his first marriage fight with their stepmother, Jean Kasem, in court and the media for control of his final days.

A Los Angeles judge reversed his own decision Wednesday and gave daughter Kerri Kasem the authority to have doctors end his infusions of water, food and medicine.

Kasem's doctor concluded that contining the artificial nutrition and hydration would only "at best prolong the dying process for him and will certainly add suffering to an already terribly uncomfortable dying process," said Kerri Kasem's lawyer, Troy Martin.

"The court's decision today upheld our father's explicit wishes as expressed by him in his health directive," Kerri Kasem said in a statement after the hearing. She was referring to a directive her father signed in 2007, saying he would not want to be kept alive if it "would result in a mere biological existence, devoid of cognitive function, with no reasonable hope for normal functioning."

An attorney for Jean Kasem, Steve Haney, slammed the judge's decision, calling it "the functional equivalent of a death sentence."

"Nobody wants Mr. Kasem to die," Martin said. "The fact is that he is dying from sepsis and dementia."

The public battle -- always emotional and sometimes bizarre -- began in October 2013 when daughters Julie and Kerri led a protest outside of Kasem's Los Angeles mansion, holding signs demanding that their stepmom let them see their ailing father. When confronted earlier this month in Washington state, a rep for one of the daughters said, Jean Kasem tossed raw hamburger meat toward one of her stepchildren, saying she was throwing the meat at "the dogs."

The dispute is about love, Kasem's oldest daughters said. His wife of 33 years argued it's about Kasem's fortune, built over four decades of radio and television voice work.

Reaching for the stars

Kasem's voice counted down the "American Top 40" hits each week for nearly four decades in a radio show heard around the world. He voiced the cartoon character Shaggy on "Scooby-Doo" cartoons for 40 years. He was the voice of the NBC television network for years. He narrated thousands of radio and television commercials during his career.

He divorced his first wife when his daughters and son were young. He remarried in 1980, to Jean, a 26-year-old actress best known for a recurring role on TV's "Cheers" series. The couple have a daughter together, Liberty Kasem, now a 24-year-old aspiring singer.

Kasem became the world's best-known radio host as his syndicated shows grew in popularity and distribution through the 1970s and 1980s. His famous signoff was "Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars." He finally handed off his duties to Ryan Seacrest in 2004.

He retired from hosting and voice work in 2009, two years after a doctor diagnosed him with Parkinson's disease, a diagnosis that was later changed to Lewy body dementia, which has no cure, according to court documents.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/10/showbiz/casey-kasem-timeline/index.html