Monthly Archives: May 2010
Lazy blogger, Saturday edition
“NYU cleared in transplant of kidney”: 37-year-old Vincent Liew received a donor kidney from a woman who was later found to have had metastatic ovarian cancer. Liew died of cancer seven months after the transplant, five months after being informed the donor had cancer. More information here.
Another example of how anti-immigration rhetoric encourages racism and harassment: High school soccer fans throw “green cards” onto field during game where opposing team is majority-Latino.
More wrongful detentions: A Chicago citizen was detained even after his mother provided proof of his citizenship by birth. Note the end of the article:
But such incidents are not unusual, said Stevens, who went through the files of an immigration and refugee rights project and found that 82 cases — 1 percent of the total — involved U.S. citizens, most of whom had been held for one to three months.
That would translate to 4,000 of the 400,000 people detained last year by ICE, Stevens said. She also tracked 30 cases since 2003 where ICE went a step further and deported U.S. citizens, she said. In one case, it took a man wrongfully deported to Jamaica a decade to put together the paperwork to return to the United States, she said.
“Racial bias found in police officer mistaken-identity strife”: Strife? The task force is about officers shot by other officers. Apparently there’s an “issue of race” but not necessarily racism.
More empathy tests and the return of the purple people: An Italian researcher tests reactions of people watching a needle poking white, black and purple hands. Purple hands most likely to get reactions from both white people and black people.
The history you never knew
USC refused to release transcripts for Japanese Americans who were interned during the war. Just a note in a larger story about an Asian American sorority.
Twice in two days!
Yesterday I went into a car dealership, and a white salesman tried to sell me a car. Seriously. We talked for a little bit about my current car, and then he gave me a card and told me to call if I ever wanted to look at some other options. (It was the same dealership from the previous “Bizarro World” post. I swear, I always want to ask them why exactly they are so different from every other car dealership I’ve ever visited. But how can you ask people, “Say! I’ve been wondering why you aren’t racist?”)
Today I went to the store. As I was standing at the counter waiting for the cashier, a white man sidled up alongside me and put his item down in front of me. But the cashier told him that I was first and extended her hand to me. She was Indian, though. ;-D
Seriously, isn’t it a terribly sad commentary on society when I am surprised and shocked by what should be everyday events?
“‘DADT’ affects women, minorities more”
Not that it’s a surprise. Story here.
The ban has disproportionately affected minorities and women. The latest data, compiled by the gay rights group Servicemembers United from Defense Department numbers, shows that in 2008, 45% of troops discharged under ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ were minorities, while minorities were 30% of the service. Women accounted for 34% of the discharges but were 14% of the military.
There’s more:
Pentagon spokeswoman Cynthia Smith says the military does not know why there is a disproportionate number of discharges for minorities and women and, under the ban, can’t look into it.
Note: The press release from Servicemembers United is dated 9/10/2009. So news travels slowly, apparently.
‘Burka rage’
Can’t say that I’m surprised, because this is what happens when you institutionalize racism:
A 60-year-old lawyer ripped a Muslim woman’s Islamic veil off in a row in a clothing shop
Uh.
MSNBC asks, “If Dora the Explorer were an illegal immigrant, would you still allow your children to watch the cartoon show?” 65.9 percent say “No.”
