They killed an African-American man – just because he was Black

Two Kansas City men will spend the rest of their lives in prison for killing a man who was on his way to work – just because he was Black. A federal judge ruled that Gary Eye  and Steven Sandstrom, whose lives were spared by jurors for the March 2005 murder of William McCay, should never be free again. “I’m innocent of all these charges,” Sandstrom said. “This was not a hate crime. Not even close to it, your honor.” But Eye opted not to say anything during his sentencing hearing. Yvonne McCay, the victim’s mother, said she is now ready to move forward. “Justice has been served,” McCay said. “None of this will bring him back, but I pray constantly to God to remove this malice from my heart for these individuals.”

Why do Blacks have kidney-rejection issues? A Johns Hopkins research team reports it may have an explanation for at least some of the higher organ-rejection rates seen among Black kidney transplant recipients. In a small study of 50 healthy adult men, half of whom were Black and half of whom were White, researchers found significantly different amounts of certain immune system cells that are associated with kidney rejection, reports Medical News Today. The cells, known as human leukocyte antigen-specific, or HLA-specific B cells, when “sensitized” produce antibodies that have long been thought to be a factor in transplanted kidney rejection, says Andrea Zachary, professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins and lead researcher of the study. Patients become sensitized when exposed to HLA in blood or tissue that is not their own, Zachary says. Sensitized HLA-specific B cells then produce antibodies that attack transplanted organs containing foreign HLA. “Now that we have an accurate way to count these cells, we are able to confirm what we long suspected, that Blacks might have a bigger army of HLA-specific B cells,” says Zachary, who presented her findings at the Congress of the International Transplant Society in Sydney, Australia on Aug. 12. “Knowing that Blacks have an increased number of HLA-specific B cells – which increases their opportunity for antibody-mediated rejection – we may be able to customize treatments for Black recipients to account for these differences and lessen the likelihood that the organ will be rejected,” says Zachary.
Leave that ear wax alone. O.K., those who have a high-gross meter can skip this one, but you might want to pay attention for your ears’ sake. While many people feel they need to remove ear wax – technically a mixture of secretion, hair and dead skin called cerumen – don’t. It is actually protective since it has lubricating and antibacterial properties, said Dr. Peter Roland, an ear specialist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. He chaired a panel that released new guidelines Friday from the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Foundation. The guidelines are the first comprehensive clinical recommendations meant to help health-care professionals identify patients with impacted wax and treat them properly. “The conclusion is that the mere presence of ear wax does not require anything,” Roland said. If the ears are functioning, and there is no problem, most people should do nothing. And that includes resisting the urge to use a cotton-tipped swab to clean out the ear, he said. Using a swab can actually drive excess wax in further, he said, and then medical attention is often needed to remove it.

Vital Signs: The Republican VP pick’s teen daughter’s pregnancy is her business, but what does it say about “abstinence-only” sex education that conservatives like Sarah Palin are so fond of? Read more at Vital Signs.

Whites-only sign lands a man in jail. Police in Niagra Falls, N.Y., have arrested a 52-year-old former longtime city worker who hung a “Whites Only” on a drinking fountain at the Department of Public Works earlier this month. Authorities say that James Curtis was nabbed at his home Friday morning. Later in the day, police announced that he had been arrested on charges of second-degree aggravated harassment, which is classified as a hate crime. Curtis, who worked for the Department of Public Works for 26 years, is scheduled to be arraigned in Niagara Falls City Court this morning. WGRZ-TV in New York reports that investigators were able to track Curtis down by analyzing handwriting samples.

Virginia’s foreclosures triple

The number of foreclosures in Virginia tripled last month over the same period last year. In Prince William County, the jurisdiction with the highest foreclosure rate in the state,  one in every 103 houses is in a state of foreclosure, including default notices, auction sales and bank repossessions, The Washington Post reports. Loudon County is second in line with foreclosures that rose from 378 to 581 – a 54-percent spike, according to RealtyTrac, which monitors filings throughout the country. Loudoun’s foreclosure rate works out to about one of every 169 house. In the more affluent Fairfax County, the foreclosure rate was significantly slower – one of every 226 houses – but still high enough to evoke concerns. In Arlington County’s, one in every 1,357 houses was in a state of foreclosure. Statewide, some 5,745 foreclosures were filed last month. Virginia has the 10th-highest rate in the country last month, RealtyTrac reported. The number of homes in the United States facing foreclosure in July jumped 55 percent from the year before. “Bank repossessions . . . continued to be the fastest-growing segment of foreclosure activity in July,” James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac, said in a statement. “The sharp rise in [bank repossessions], combined with slow sales, has resulted in a bloated inventory of bank-owned properties for sale.”

Black kids get more in-school spankings than Whites.

If the adage that sparing the rod spoils the child, Black schoolchildren are a lot less spoiled than their White counterparts. A new study shows that of the more than 200,000 children who got spanked at school last year, Black and Native American and kids with disabilities got more than their fair share. You can find more about the findings at BET.com/News. 

Study says Blacks are treated fairly in sentencing. Researchers at the University of Nevada-Reno say that, contrary to the common perception, African American defendants do not get a raw deal from the justice system when it comes to sentencing. When such factors as socio-economic status, education, criminal history and drug use, there is no indication that the courts favor White defendants over Blacks, the researchers said. “A similarly situated African American or Caucasian or Hispanic appeared to be treated fairly in the same way across the board,” said Judge Douglas Herndon. The results of the study, revealed Monday at a legislative hearing, reviewed the circumstances of Black and White inmates currently serving time. It did not explore issues other than their race and incarceration. Gary Peck, of the American Civil Liberties Union, told Channel 8 Eyewitness News that the researchers are wrong if they believe that Blacks and Whites are treated fairly by the courts. “It would be wrong to conclude on that basis that the system is devoid of race-based iniquities or institutional racism,” said Peck. The fact that people of color are far more likely to be arrested amplifies the magnitude of the race problem.

In about a generation, the United States will be a little darker — skin color that is.

Minorites will become the majority by 2042, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Minorities, now roughly one-third of the U.S. population, are expected to become the majority in 2042, with the nation projected to be 54 percent minority in 2050, the bureau said in a press release Wednesday. The bureau expects that minorities will make up 54 percent of the country’s population, the 65-and-older age group will more than double from 38.7 million to 88.5 million, making up more than 20 percent of the U.S. population, and Hispanics would account for 30 percent of the population’ the bureau said. The reason: The non-Hispanic single-race White population will lose its place as the majority by 2042 because of an expected rise in deaths in the 2030s. The Census Bureau defines minorities as everyone except for non-Hispanic, single-race Whites.

It’s the ethnic minorities who get the best offerings in the public sector, they say

Nearly a third (29 percent) of the White folks in Britain believe they are victims of racism, a new government survey reveals. The issue is jobs, as many contend that ethnic minorities are given preference for public-sector openings. Conducted by the Department for Communities and Local Government, the survey shows that Whites feel like they face the most discrimination in public services, such as housing, schools and police, AP reports. A full quarter of Whites believe they lose out on welfare housing. A 10th of Whites say they get a raw deal in the justice system, while a sixth say police discriminate against them. About 3 percent say they get worse treatment than other races in school.

While perspectives differ widely, a new poll suggests racial relations are improving
When it comes to racial relations in America, hope is alive. Blacks and Whites may have completely different views about the seriousness of racism, but an astonishing 58 percent of both groups believe that America’s race relations “eventually will be worked out,” according to a new Gallup poll. “I don’t believe we’ve totally overcome everything that’s necessary for equality, but I do believe things are getting better,” says Ricardo Russell, a 30-year-old African-American retail sales manager from Oak Park, Mich., who participated in the poll. Susann Matarese, a White 52-year-old medical receptionist from Port Charlotte, Fla., admits that she’s a bit troubled by all the interracial dating these days but believes that race relations are “better than they used to be, that’s for sure.” Still, according to the poll, which is the latest in a series of surveys on race by Gallup, 38 percent of both groups believe that race will “always be a problem” in America. Further amplifying the notion that Blacks and Whites tend to see the world completely different when it comes to race, two in three White folks say they are satisfied with the way Blacks are treated in America, while two in three Blacks say they are not satisfied. In addition, the poll found, most Blacks say that racial discrimination is a major factor among the problems African Americans confront, such as dying earlier than Whites and being jailed at a much higher rate. However, most Whites see racism a minor factor or not a factor at all in those situations. But the Black perspective on such issues as employment and housing has improved in recent years, even though it far less rosy than the White perspective. Today, for example, 52 percent of African Americans say Blacks have as good a chance as Whites to get any housing they can afford – that’s 8 percentage points higher than last year. Forty-three percent of African Americans say Blacks have as good a chance to get any kind of job they’re qualified for, a 5-point spike from last year and 10-point increase from 2005. The poll queried 702 Whites, 608 Blacks and 502 Hispanics on issues of race between July 5 and July 6. Is racism going away in America? Do you see race relations improving, getting worse or pretty much staying the same?

Poor Whites “shock” South African official
Jacob Zuma, leader of South Africa’s African National Congress, said he’s shocked and embarrassed about poverty among Whites in his country, reports the BBC. The comments (which come ahead of an election year) came after he visited the town of Bethlehem, where many poor Whites do not have running water or electricity. “I am shocked and surprised by what I have seen here,” Zuma said. “The vast number of Black poverty does not mean that we must ignore White poverty, which is increasingly becoming an embarrassment to talk about.” He added that he saw the same problems in White areas that he saw in Black squatter camps. “This is not about politics; it’s about people who are poor, who are in need and want to be helped by government,” he said. The charity South Africa’s Helping Hand, a group that assists the nation’s poor White communities, said the number of homeless White people since 2002 went up by 58 percent. The country’s mostly White trade union, Solidarity, was pleased with Zuma’s visit and comments. “For a long time Whites have been seen as rich and Blacks poor. Talking about White poverty has been seen as politically incorrect,” the group’s secretary general told the AFP. As Zuma is reaching out to the White community, the nation’s predominately White main opposition party is also trying to strengthen ties with the Black community before the election’s next year, analysts say.

Nigerian explosion kills 12
A patrol tanker burst open and caught on fire in Lagos, Nigeria, killing at least 12, reports the BBC. The accident happened when the tanker’s driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle and slammed into a curb causing the big fire. Another tanker and a bus also got caught in the flames of the fire. A hospital official told the BBC that there were “massive” casualties and that the driver of the bus did not listen when he was told to stop before his vehicle caught on fire. The series of tanker accidents in the highly populated city have prompted authorities to ban heavy vehicles from parking on the street.

Millions sought for AIDS treatment in Africa
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have launched a campaign to raise $21 million to fund an AIDS treatment program in five African countries, HealthDay.com reports. The money would be used for a three-year program in Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea and Nigeria. The program would reach 950,000 vulnerable people, including 49,000 people living with AIDS, 13,000 sex workers and 10,000 orphans, Agence France-Presse reported. Nearly 4.5 million people, including about 400,000 children younger than 14, are living with HIV in the five countries. In 2006, AIDS claimed the lives of 350,000 people in these countries, which form the Sahel region of west and central Africa. “Even though the impact may vary from one country to another, HIV is a major obstacle to development as it affects all key sectors: the economy, health, education and even food security,” said Abdourahmane Ndiaye, the Red Cross’ HIV program officer for the region, AFP reported.

Americans are living longer
For the first time, U.S. life expectancy has surpassed 78 years, the government reported Wednesday, although the United States continues to lag behind about 30 other countries in estimated life span and in some parts of the country life expectancy actually declined. Life expectancy is up for both men and women, and Whites and Blacks in the United States, but Black men still had the shortest lifespan – 70 years. The increase in life expectancy is planly due to better living and to falling rates in almost all the leading causes of death, federal health officials said. The average life expectancy for babies born in 2006 was about four months greater than for children born in 2005. However, in a report published in last month’s Public Libraries of Science Medicine, government figures reported that life expectancy actually declined by 1.3 years in some regions of the country, particularly for women living in Appalachia and the Mississippi Delta. Japan has the longest life expectancy — 83 years for those born in 2006, according to World Health Organization data. Switzerland and Australia were also near the top of the list. “The international comparisons are not that appealing, but we may be in the process of catching up,” said Samuel Preston, a University of Pennsylvania demographer. He is co-chairman of a National Research Council panel looking at why America’s life expectancy is lower than other nations’. The new U.S. data, released Wednesday, come from the National Center for Health Statistics. It’s a preliminary report of 2006 numbers, based on data from more than 95 percent of the death certificates collected that year. Life expectancy is the period a child born in 2006 is expected to live, assuming mortality trends stay constant. The 2006 increase is due mainly to falling mortality rates for nine of the 15 leading causes of death, including heart disease, cancer, accidents and diabetes. “I think the most surprising thing is that we had declines in just about every major cause of death,” said Robert Anderson, who oversaw work on the report for the health statistics center. The overall death rate fell from 799 per 100,000 in 2005 to about 776 the following year. As for the poor life expectancy in the South and Appalachia, health officials say people lacked access to quality healthcare as well as the lack of public health initiatives to control smoking, diabetes and obesity. “It’s probably a sign that things we know how to do extremely well are not reaching the people who need it the most,” Majid Ezzati a Harvard University population and life expectancy expert told NPR. “The fact that its geographically located means that there’s something [going on] beyond individual choice.”