Damian Lillard is NBA Rookie of the Year

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) ? It's unanimous: Damian Lillard is the NBA's Rookie of the Year.

No, it never was in question.

Lillard, the sixth overall pick in last June's draft out of Weber State, led all rookies with a 19-point scoring average. He also averaged 6.1 assists and 3.1 rebounds, playing in all 82 games this season.

He broke Stephen Curry's rookie record for 3-pointers in a season, finishing with 185, and became just the third NBA rookie with at least 1,500 points and 500 assists, following Oscar Robertson and Alan Iverson.

And he swept all six of the league's Rookie of the Month awards this season.

"I can't stop smiling," Lillard said when he was awarded the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy on Wednesday.

Lillard is the fourth player in league history to win the Rookie of the Year unanimously, joining Blake Griffin in 2011, David Robinson in 1990 and Ralph Sampson in 1984.

All season Lillard has been winning accolades from across the league.

"He's fantastic, really fantastic," Kobe Bryant said after the two squared off in a game earlier this month. "A lot of players get hot, but he's got the moves, the patience, intelligence, the balance on his jumpers. He's the real deal."

Utah Jazz forward DeMarre Carroll is also a fan.

"He's a complete player," Carroll said. "He's a young guy but you've got to give him credit, he plays hard and the team really relies on him. He's not afraid to take the big shot. The sky's the limit."

At the ceremony to announce the award at the Rose Garden Arena, the smartly dressed guard spoke about his upbringing in Oakland and how it shaped him as a hard-working player.

He was disappointed when he broke his foot to start his junior season at Weber State, because he had hopes of jumping to the NBA. He redshirted, and came back the next season to earn All-American honors. He was voted the Big Sky's Most Valuable Player.

When he let Weber State know he was going pro, Lillard announced his first goal was to win Rookie of the Year.

"I came out and I proved it up," said the 6-foot-3 guard, who was proclaimed the team's franchise point guard from the start by Blazers general manager Neil Olshey.

"I know that Damian's best days are ahead of him," Olshey said Wednesday. "This is the first step in a bright future."

Lillard is the fourth Blazer to win the Rookie of the Year award, joining Geoff Petrie (1971), Sidney Wicks (1972) and Brandon Roy (2007).

"The thing you love about him more than anything else is he plays with a chip on his shoulder," Toronto Raptors coach Dwane Casey said: "He's one of those underdogs who went to a small school who is out to prove to everybody he's an NBA player."

Lillard has made a point of being active in the Portland community with an anti-bullying campaign. More than 6,000 fans have signed a pledge to help end bullying as part of his "Respect" program.

"He was never satisfied," Blazers coach Terry Stotts said of Lillard. "He had well-deserved accolades throughout the season. He had milestones throughout the season. He was never satisfied."

Indeed, Lillard was already thinking about what's next.

"I think the best thing for me is to take it all in," he said. "Then tomorrow I've got to let it go. I've got my whole career in front of me."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/damian-lillard-nba-rookie-234950360.html

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Gitmo closure elusive, Obama looks at other steps

FILE - In this June 27, 2006 file photo, reviewed by a US Department of Defense official, US military guards walk within Camp Delta military-run prison, at the Guantanamo Bay US Naval Base, Cuba. President Barack Obama's stated desire to try anew to close the Guantanamo Bay prison remains a tough sell in Congress. The White House may look instead toward smaller steps, such as a new push to move some terror suspects overseas. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, file)

FILE - In this June 27, 2006 file photo, reviewed by a US Department of Defense official, US military guards walk within Camp Delta military-run prison, at the Guantanamo Bay US Naval Base, Cuba. President Barack Obama's stated desire to try anew to close the Guantanamo Bay prison remains a tough sell in Congress. The White House may look instead toward smaller steps, such as a new push to move some terror suspects overseas. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, file)

White House press secretary Jay Carney gestures as he speaks during his daily news briefing at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, May, 1, 2013. Carney said the White House is currently considering administrative actions President Obama can take to help push the process of closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay but said he will ultimately need cooperation from Congress.(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Despite President Barack Obama's new vow, closing the Guantanamo Bay prison is still a tough sell in Congress. So the White House may look instead toward smaller steps like transferring some terror suspects back overseas.

Shutting down the prison at the U.S. naval base in Cuba is a goal that has eluded Obama since he took office. In his first week, he signed an executive order for its closure, but Congress has used its budgetary power to block detainees from being moved to the United States.

Now, with 100 of the 166 prisoners on a hunger strike in protest of their indefinite detention and prison conditions, Obama is promising a renewed push before Congress and has ordered a review of his administrative options. The White House is acknowledging its process to review prisoner cases for possible release has not been implemented quickly enough and says the president is considering reappointing a senior official at the State Department to focus on transfers out of the prison.

Guantanamo had slipped down the agenda of the president who promised to close it during his campaign five years ago but has transferred few prisoners out in recent years. Conditions at the camp are tense, with 23 prisoners who are in danger of starving themselves now being force-fed through nasal tubes and some 40 naval medical personnel arriving over the weekend to deal with the strike that shows no sign of ending. While the global community has pressured the United States to shut Guantanamo, most of the American public and their representatives in Congress have been opposed to removing the terror suspects from their isolated captivity.

"Guantanamo is not necessary to keep America safe," the president argued at a White House news conference Tuesday. "It is expensive. It is inefficient. It hurts us in terms of our international standing. It lessens cooperation with our allies on counterterrorism efforts. It is a recruitment tool for extremists. It needs to be closed."

Obama's comments revived an issue that hasn't been prominent in recent political debate, with some of the most recent national polling more than a year old. An ABC News/Washington Post survey in February 2012 found 70 percent of the public approving of keeping the prison open and a quarter disapproving. Five percent had no opinion.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a leading opponent of closure, responded to Obama's latest call by citing last year's administration report that 28 percent of the roughly 600 released detainees were either confirmed or suspected of later engaging in militant activity.

"They're individuals hell-bent on our destruction and destroying our way of life," Graham said in a statement. "There is bipartisan opposition to closing Gitmo."

Republicans and several Democrats have repeatedly blocked efforts by Obama to take the initial steps toward closure. The law that Congress passed and Obama signed in March to keep the government running includes a longstanding provision that prohibits any money for the transfer of Guantanamo detainees to the United States or its territories. It also bars spending to overhaul any U.S. facility in the U.S. to house detainees.

That makes it essentially illegal for the government to transfer the men it wants to continue holding, including five who were charged before a military tribunal with orchestrating the Sept. 11 attacks. But that doesn't mean the administration's hands are completely tied.

Eight-six prisoners at Guantanamo have been cleared for transfer to other countries. Such transfers were common under President George W. Bush and at the beginning of the Obama administration. They stopped after Congress imposed new security restrictions over concerns that some prisoners might be released by foreign governments and return to the battlefield.

The administration could get around the restriction by issuing a national security waiver through the Pentagon, something it hasn't done so far.

Obama signed an executive order two years ago establishing review procedures for detainees to determine if continued detention was warranted, beginning with hearings before an interagency Periodic Review Board. The order required the reviews to begin by March 2012, but the administration has yet to announce any hearings.

Obama spokesman Jay Carney said Wednesday that the administration plans to get the board running, "which has not moved forward quickly enough." He also said Obama is considering the reappointment of a special envoy for closing Guantanamo at the State Department, responsible for trying to persuade countries to accept inmates approved for release. The former envoy, Ambassador Daniel Fried, was reassigned earlier this year and not replaced.

But Carney said help from Congress is needed to close the prison. "We have to work with Congress and try to convince members of Congress that the overriding interest here, in terms of our national security as well as our budget, is to close Guantanamo Bay," Carney said.

House Armed Services Chairman Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., objected to Obama blaming Congress. "The president faces bipartisan opposition to closing Guantanamo Bay's detention center because he has offered no alternative plan regarding the detainees there, nor a plan for future terrorist captures," McKeon said in a statement.

A tough issue is where to send detainees cleared for transfer, particularly the majority who are Yemeni nationals. Obama has banned the transfer of Guantanamo detainees to Yemen since January 2010 because of security concerns after a would-be bomber attempted to blow up a U.S.-bound flight on instructions from al-Qaida operatives in Yemen.

Senate Intelligence Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who initially supported the suspension of transfers to Yemen, wrote the White House last week urging reconsideration of that policy as part of a renewed effort to transfer all 86 of the cleared detainees. Obama spokesman Carney said Wednesday the Yemen moratorium was among the Guantanamo policies under review.

Vijay Padmanabhan, who was a State Department lawyer responsible for Guantanamo-related cases in the Bush administration, said Obama faces three major questions to achieve his goal of shutting Guantanamo. Padmanabhan said Obama needs to figure out what level of risk he's willing to accept in Yemen, come up with a strategy for prosecuting detainees and determine how to handle those who are considered dangerous but for whom there isn't sufficient evidence for prosecution.

Obama said Tuesday, "The idea that we would still maintain forever a group of individuals who have not been tried, that is contrary to who we are, it is contrary to our interests, and it needs to stop." Padmanabhan saw that as a potential shift in Obama's thinking.

"He's always supported the idea that you should be able to nevertheless detain people indefinitely as combatants," said Padmanabhan, now a professor at Vanderbilt Law School. "For the first time, he's challenging a little bit that later proposition. He's suggesting that maybe it's the case we should be thinking about whether we should be detaining anyone that we aren't capable of prosecuting for the rest of their life."

Resuming transfers through the waivers could help ease some of the despair among the men held at the U.S. base in Cuba, said Jennifer Daskal, a fellow and adjunct law professor at Georgetown University who worked on an Obama administration task force addressing detainee policy issues. The administration could also increase its efforts to find other countries willing to accept Guantanamo prisoners and begin reevaluating whether it's possible now to release any of the 46 men who are slated for indefinite detention, Daskal said.

"The idea that it could be closed tomorrow is completely unrealistic," she said. "But there certainly are things that the administration can do even without congressional action that would begin the process of at least winnowing down the numbers at Guantanamo and hopefully alleviating some of the tension."

___

Associated Press writers Ben Fox in Miami and Donna Cassata and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.

Follow Nedra Pickler on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nedrapickler

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-05-01-Guantanamo%20Bay%20Prison/id-385ce1103ede41d39f235ce74211ad4b

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Apple paves way for first debt sale to finance $100B capital return

Apple has taken the first steps to find funds for its $100 billion capital return program to shareholders, as it promised during its second quarter earnings on April 23.

The iPhone and iPad maker filed paperwork with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday, and will begin talks led by Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs, the Reuters news agency reported.

Apple has more than $144.7 billion in cash and doesn't have a penny of debt to its name, making it the wealthiest technology companies currently in existence.

However, the company only has an estimated $45 billion on hand in the U.S., with the rest of that cash offshore. It won't repatriate those funds as it needs to invest in its local subsidiaries, but it would also face a massive tax bill should it return that cash back on U.S. soil.

As a result of this, Apple comes up short and doesn't have the available funds to accomplish this massive capital return program.

The plan is for Apple to sell debt for the first time in its history in order to fund a massive $100 billion capital return program, which would put cash back into the hands of the company's investors.?Apple is also planning to increase dividend payments by 15 percent over the next two years.

To do this, Apple needs to take on debt to fund the investor cash payouts. In getting in touch with the two banks, the company is laying the foundation groundwork in getting this process started.

It's not clear if the two banks will lead the bond offering. By issuing bonds, Apple will be able to raise capital and pay back the money in future.

It comes only a week after Apple reported its first quarterly profit dip in a decade.

Source: http://www.zdnet.com/apple-paves-way-for-first-debt-sale-to-finance-100b-capital-return-7000014691/

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Brighter view on jobs and pay lifts US confidence

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Americans are more optimistic the job market is healing and will deliver higher pay later this year. That brighter outlook, along with rising home prices, cheaper gasoline and a surging stock market, could offset some of the drag from the recent tax increases and government spending cuts.

A gauge of consumer confidence rose in April, reversing a decline in March, the Conference Board, a private research group, said Tuesday. The board attributed the gain to optimism about hiring and pay increases. Economists also cited higher home values and record stock prices.

Despite the rise in the index, to 68.1 from 61.9 in March, confidence remains well below its historic average of 92. Still, the increase signaled that consumers, whose spending drives about 70 percent of the economy, see better times ahead.

A separate report Tuesday showed that home prices nationwide rose in February by the most in nearly seven years. The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index jumped 9.3 percent in February from a year earlier. Prices in all 20 cities rose on an annual basis for a second straight month.

Phoenix led all cities with a year-over-year price gain of 23 percent. Floyd Scott, owner-broker at Century 21 Arizona Foothills in Phoenix, said demand is particularly strong for homes priced below $300,000.

Because of a tight supply, homes for sale are routinely receiving multiple offers, he said. That's driving prices up.

"Now the job market is starting to improve, so younger adults are moving out and either getting an apartment or a house," he said.

The reports were released the same day the Federal Reserve's policymaking committee began a two-day meeting. Analysts expect the Fed to announce Wednesday that it will maintain its low interest rate policies, which include an $85-billion-a-month bond-buying program. The Fed's bond purchases are intended to keep interest rates low to spur borrowing, spending and investing. Its policies have helped keep loan rates at record lows.

Big changes in government policy have caused sharp swings in consumer sentiment in recent months. Social Security taxes rose 2 percentage points Jan. 1. That lowered incomes for a typical household earning $50,000 by about $1,000 this year. A household with two highly paid workers has up to $4,500 less.

And the across-the-board government spending cuts that began taking effect March 1 forced many federal agencies to furlough workers, which reduced their incomes. Government contractors are also likely to reduce jobs in response to the government cuts.

Yet consumers have shown resilience. Economists note that on top of higher home values, record stock prices have boosted household wealth. On Monday, the Standard & Poor's 500 stock index closed at its highest level ever. Consumers who feel wealthier tend to be more confident and more willing to spend.

And employers have added an average of 188,000 jobs a month in the past six months, up from 130,000 in the previous six. Job gains slowed in March to only 88,000. But most economists expect at least a modest rebound in coming months, including a gain of 160,000 for April.

Layoffs also sank to a record low in January. Fewer layoffs tend to make people feel more secure in their jobs and more willing to spend.

In addition, average gas prices nationwide have dropped 28 cents from their peak this year to $3.51 a gallon, according to AAA. AAA said gas could drop as low as $3.20 a gallon by midsummer. The low point in 2012 was $3.33.

Economists caution that confidence typically fluctuates. Measures of consumer sentiment have yet to show consistent month-to-month increases.

"While expectations appear to have bounced back, it is too soon to tell if confidence is actually on the mend," said Lynn Franco, the Conference Board's director of economic indicators.

The Conference Board reported that Americans' confidence in their future income has rebounded strongly after falling in January, when the higher Social Security taxes kicked in.

The number of Americans who expect their income to rise within six months is higher ? slightly ? than the number who think it will fall, the first time that's been true since October.

That may be because wages have increased a bit recently. But it could also be because lower inflation has enabled Americans to stretch their paychecks further.

Pay picked up a bit in the first three months of the year, according to a third report Tuesday. The Labor Department said wages rose 0.5 percent from January through March. That's better than the 0.3 percent gain in the preceding three months.

Over the past year, pay gains have been modest. Wages and salaries have risen only 1.6 percent in that time.

But inflation has been even weaker. The Fed's preferred inflation measure rose only 1 percent in the 12 months that ended in March. That was down from 1.3 percent year-over-year inflation for both January and February.

"People who have jobs, their dollars go a little bit further than they would otherwise," said Chris Christopher, an economist at IHS, a forecasting firm.

___

AP Business Writers Alex Veiga in Los Angeles and Marcy Gordon in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Follow Chris Rugaber on Twitter at https://Twitter.com/ChrisRugaber

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/brighter-view-jobs-pay-lifts-us-confidence-195524234.html

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Upper GI bleed linked to death from other causes

Public release date: 30-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Fiona Godwin
fgodwin@plos.org
01-223-442-834
Public Library of Science

Individuals who have experienced a major bleed from their stomach or oesophagus (known as an upper gastrointestinal bleed) may be more likely to die from other causes, particularly malignant tumours and cardiovascular disease, than those without an upper gastrointestinal bleed, according to a study by UK researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine.

These findings are important as they suggest that an upper gastrointestinal bleed may be either a cause or an indicator of a decline in a coinciding, serious medical condition.

The researchers, led by Colin Crooks from the University of Nottingham, reached these conclusions by identifying a population- based sample of patients who were admitted to hospitals in England for treatment of an upper gastrointestinal bleed between 1997 and 2010 and their recorded causes of death. They excluded individuals who had bleeding from esophageal varices, which are caused by liver cirrhosis. They then used over 80,000 matched controls and a statistical model to calculate the excess causes of death.

Over this period, the researchers identified 16,355 people who had an upper gastrointestinal bleed, of whom 6242 subsequently died, giving a crude mortality rate of 16.0 per 100 person-years in the first 5 years. In the first month after a bleed, the death rate was increased for all causes of death, but the highest mortality rate was from non-malignant digestive disease mostly linked to causes related to the upper gastrointestinal tract. For the remainder of the first year, the highest death rates were from malignant tumors, followed by deaths due to circulatory and respiratory diseases.

In their analysis, the researchers calculated that the total 5-year risk of death due to gastrointestinal causes ranged from 3.6% in people ?50 years to 15.2% in people ?80 years, representing an excess risk of death between 3.6% and 13.4%, respectively. The total 5-year risk of death due to non-gastrointestinal causes ranged from 4.1% in people ?50 years to 46.6% in people ?80 years, representing an excess risk of death between 3.8% and 19.0%, respectively.

The authors say: "We found a considerable excess of all causes of death in individuals following a non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleed, and over half of these deaths were due to non-gastrointestinal co-morbidity, particularly neoplastic and cardiovascular disease."

They continue: "This excess in deaths was not explained by co-morbidity such as cancer or cardiovascular disease diagnosed prior to the admission. Therefore, an upper gastrointestinal bleed may be a marker of disease or an indicator of a deterioration in non-gastrointestinal co-morbidity. "

The authors add: "Consequently, this analysis suggests that for patients who have a non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleed, re-assessment of co-morbidity should be considered in the follow-up period."

###

Funding: This work was supported by personal fellowships: CJC is a research fellow and gastroenterology trainee supported by a Medical Research Council Population Health Scientist fellowship (grant number G0802427); TRC is a Clinical Associate Professor and Consultant Gastroenterologist; JW is a Clinical Associate Professor, Reader in Epidemiology, and Consultant Gastroenterologist supported by a University of Nottingham/Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust Senior Clinical Research fellowship. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing Interests: TRC's wife is an employee of Takeda, and was previously employed by Astra Zeneca. The authors declare no other competing interests.

Citation: Crooks CJ, Card TR, West J (2013) Excess Long-Term Mortality following Non-Variceal Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding: A Population-Based Cohort Study. PLoS Med 10(4): e1001437. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001437

IN YOUR COVERAGE PLEASE USE THIS URL TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE FREELY AVAILABLE PAPER:

http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1001437

PRESS-ONLY PREVIEW OF THE ARTICLE:

Please contact the editorial office for the press PDF article.

Contact:

Colin John Crooks
MRC Population Health Scientist Fellow
University of Nottingham
Epidemiology and Public Health
Clinical Sciences Building phase 2
Nottingham City Hospital
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG5 1PB
UNITED KINGDOM
01158231357
colin.crooks@nottingham.ac.uk; colincrooks@doctors.org.uk

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 30-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Fiona Godwin
fgodwin@plos.org
01-223-442-834
Public Library of Science

Individuals who have experienced a major bleed from their stomach or oesophagus (known as an upper gastrointestinal bleed) may be more likely to die from other causes, particularly malignant tumours and cardiovascular disease, than those without an upper gastrointestinal bleed, according to a study by UK researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine.

These findings are important as they suggest that an upper gastrointestinal bleed may be either a cause or an indicator of a decline in a coinciding, serious medical condition.

The researchers, led by Colin Crooks from the University of Nottingham, reached these conclusions by identifying a population- based sample of patients who were admitted to hospitals in England for treatment of an upper gastrointestinal bleed between 1997 and 2010 and their recorded causes of death. They excluded individuals who had bleeding from esophageal varices, which are caused by liver cirrhosis. They then used over 80,000 matched controls and a statistical model to calculate the excess causes of death.

Over this period, the researchers identified 16,355 people who had an upper gastrointestinal bleed, of whom 6242 subsequently died, giving a crude mortality rate of 16.0 per 100 person-years in the first 5 years. In the first month after a bleed, the death rate was increased for all causes of death, but the highest mortality rate was from non-malignant digestive disease mostly linked to causes related to the upper gastrointestinal tract. For the remainder of the first year, the highest death rates were from malignant tumors, followed by deaths due to circulatory and respiratory diseases.

In their analysis, the researchers calculated that the total 5-year risk of death due to gastrointestinal causes ranged from 3.6% in people ?50 years to 15.2% in people ?80 years, representing an excess risk of death between 3.6% and 13.4%, respectively. The total 5-year risk of death due to non-gastrointestinal causes ranged from 4.1% in people ?50 years to 46.6% in people ?80 years, representing an excess risk of death between 3.8% and 19.0%, respectively.

The authors say: "We found a considerable excess of all causes of death in individuals following a non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleed, and over half of these deaths were due to non-gastrointestinal co-morbidity, particularly neoplastic and cardiovascular disease."

They continue: "This excess in deaths was not explained by co-morbidity such as cancer or cardiovascular disease diagnosed prior to the admission. Therefore, an upper gastrointestinal bleed may be a marker of disease or an indicator of a deterioration in non-gastrointestinal co-morbidity. "

The authors add: "Consequently, this analysis suggests that for patients who have a non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleed, re-assessment of co-morbidity should be considered in the follow-up period."

###

Funding: This work was supported by personal fellowships: CJC is a research fellow and gastroenterology trainee supported by a Medical Research Council Population Health Scientist fellowship (grant number G0802427); TRC is a Clinical Associate Professor and Consultant Gastroenterologist; JW is a Clinical Associate Professor, Reader in Epidemiology, and Consultant Gastroenterologist supported by a University of Nottingham/Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust Senior Clinical Research fellowship. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing Interests: TRC's wife is an employee of Takeda, and was previously employed by Astra Zeneca. The authors declare no other competing interests.

Citation: Crooks CJ, Card TR, West J (2013) Excess Long-Term Mortality following Non-Variceal Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding: A Population-Based Cohort Study. PLoS Med 10(4): e1001437. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001437

IN YOUR COVERAGE PLEASE USE THIS URL TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE FREELY AVAILABLE PAPER:

http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1001437

PRESS-ONLY PREVIEW OF THE ARTICLE:

Please contact the editorial office for the press PDF article.

Contact:

Colin John Crooks
MRC Population Health Scientist Fellow
University of Nottingham
Epidemiology and Public Health
Clinical Sciences Building phase 2
Nottingham City Hospital
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG5 1PB
UNITED KINGDOM
01158231357
colin.crooks@nottingham.ac.uk; colincrooks@doctors.org.uk

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/plos-ugb042513.php

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Linney, "Mad Men," Sofia Coppola to receive Women in Film awards

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Laura Linney, the female cast members of TV drama "Mad Men" and directors Sofia Coppola and George Lucas were named on Monday as winners of Hollywood's annual Crystal and Lucy Awards, which honor women's achievement in film.

The Women in Film organization, which promotes gender parity in the historically male-dominated film business, will honor winners in six award categories at a fundraiser in Beverly Hills in June.

Linney, 49, best known for her Oscar-nominated performance in the 2007 film "The Savages," will receive the award for Excellence in Film.

Five "Mad Men" actresses, Christina Hendricks, January Jones, Elisabeth Moss, Jessica Par? and Kiernan Shipka, will be honored with the Excellence in Television award.

Each actress plays a character that defines the changing gender roles in the 1960s United States portrayed in the series.

Oscar-winner Coppola, 41, who was also nominated for the Best Director Academy Award for 2003's "Lost in Translation," will receive the Directors Award, and "Star Wars" director George Lucas will take home the Humanitarian Award.

Teenage actress Hailee Steinfeld, known for her Oscar-nominated role in the 2010 film "True Grit," will be honored with the Face of the Future Award and Rachel Morrison will receive the Vision Award for cinematography.

Women in Film began hosting the awards in 1977.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; editing by Patricia Reaney and Cynthia Osterman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/linney-mad-men-sofia-coppola-receive-women-film-193055670.html

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'I'm gay': NBA player Jason Collins breaks barrier

In this photo provided by ABC, NBA basketball veteran Jason Collins, left, poses for a photo with television journalist George Stephanopoulos, Monday, April 29, 2013, in Los Angeles. In a first-person article posted Monday on Sports Illustrated's website, Collins became the first active player in one of four major U.S. professional sports leagues to come out as gay. He participated in an exclusive interview with Stephanopoulos, which is scheduled to air on Good Morning America on Tuesday. (AP Photo/ABC, Eric McCandless)

In this photo provided by ABC, NBA basketball veteran Jason Collins, left, poses for a photo with television journalist George Stephanopoulos, Monday, April 29, 2013, in Los Angeles. In a first-person article posted Monday on Sports Illustrated's website, Collins became the first active player in one of four major U.S. professional sports leagues to come out as gay. He participated in an exclusive interview with Stephanopoulos, which is scheduled to air on Good Morning America on Tuesday. (AP Photo/ABC, Eric McCandless)

FILE - In a Friday, Sept. 28, 2012 file photo, Boston Celtics' Jason Collins poses during Celtics NBA basketball media day at the team's training facility in Waltham, Mass. NBA veteran center Collins has become the first male professional athlete in the major four American sports leagues to come out as gay. Collins wrote a first-person account posted Monday, April 29, 2013 on Sports Illustrated's website. He finished this past season with the Washington Wizards and is now a free agent. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 20, 2013 file photo, then-Boston Celtics center Jason Collins (98) guards Detroit Pistons center Greg Monroe, right, in the second half of an NBA basketball game in Auburn Hills, Mich. Jason Collins has become the first male professional athlete in the major four American sports leagues to come out as gay. Collins wrote a first-person account posted Monday on Sports Illustrated's website. The 34-year-old Collins has played for six NBA teams in 12 seasons. He finished this past season with the Washington Wizards and is now a free agent. He says he wants to continue playing. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson, File)

FILE - Boston Celtics center Jason Collins battles Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard (12) for a rebound during the first half of their NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013 in Los Angeles. NBA veteran center Collins has become the first male professional athlete in the major four American sports leagues to come out as gay. Collins wrote a first-person account posted Monday, April 29, 2013 on Sports Illustrated's website.(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

FILE - In a Wednesday, April 17, 2013 file photo, Washington Wizards center Jason Collins, right, battles for a rebound against Chicago Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago. NBA veteran center Collins has become the first male professional athlete in the major four American sports leagues to come out as gay. Collins wrote a first-person account posted Monday, April 29, 2013 on Sports Illustrated's website. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Last summer, NBA veteran Jason Collins considered joining an old Stanford college roommate, U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III, at Boston's gay pride parade.

Collins eventually decided he shouldn't, because he wanted to keep his secret safe: For more than a decade as a professional athlete, he had remained silent about his sexuality, worried about what teammates, opponents, fans ? the world, really ? might think.

Then came the Boston Marathon bombings two weeks ago, which Collins says "reinforced the notion that I shouldn't wait for the circumstances of my coming out to be perfect. Things can change in an instant, so why not live truthfully?"

So after having, he explains, "endured years of misery and gone to enormous lengths to live a lie," Collins became the first active player in one of the four major U.S. pro sports leagues to come out as gay. He wrote a first-person article posted Monday on Sports Illustrated's website that begins: "I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay."

Most recently a little-used reserve center for the Washington Wizards after a midseason trade from the Boston Celtics, the 7-foot Collins is a free agent who can sign with any team. He wants to keep playing in the NBA.

And he plans to be in Boston on June 8, marching alongside Kennedy at the city's 2013 gay pride parade.

"I didn't doubt for a second, knowing he was gay, that he would be the one to do it," Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, told The Associated Press. "I've never known him to look for publicity, or to look for the spotlight, but given that no one else would raise their hand, I knew he would do it."

Added Kennedy: "I'm so proud of him. And I'm so proud to call him a friend."

Collins' announcement, nearly two weeks after the Wizards' season ended, immediately drew praise and backing not only from pals, current and former teammates and coaches, the NBA itself, and a sponsor, but also from the White House ? President Barack Obama called him ? along with former President Bill Clinton, and athletes in various other sports.

"I certainly appreciate it, as a gay person. Any time you can have someone this high-profile come out, it's just so helpful, particularly to young people. We've reached a tipping point," said Billie Jean King, a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles.

"We've got to get rid of the shame. That's the main thing," King said in a telephone interview. "And Jason's going to help that. He's going to help give people courage to come out."

In texts to the AP, Wizards guard Garrett Temple wrote, "I was surprised. I didn't know and I was right next to him in the locker room. It definitely took a lot of courage for him to come out. He was a great teammate," and rookie Bradley Beal wrote: "I didn't know about it! I don't think anyone did! I am proud of his decision to come out and express the way he feels and I'm supportive of that!!"

Collins' coach with the Celtics, Doc Rivers, drew a comparison between Monday's announcement and Jackie Robinson's role when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball.

"I am extremely happy and proud of Jason Collins. He's a pro's pro. He is the consummate professional and he is one of my favorite 'team' players I have ever coached," Rivers said. "If you have learned anything from Jackie Robinson, it is that teammates are always the first to accept. It will be society who has to learn tolerance."

Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant tweeted that he was proud of Collins, writing: "Don't suffocate who u r because of the ignorance of others," followed by the words "courage" and "support."

Even while hiding his sexual orientation, Collins says, he quietly made a statement for gay rights by wearing No. 98 with the Celtics and Wizards: 1998 was the year Matthew Shepard, a gay college student in Wyoming, was killed, and the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organization, was founded.

According to the General Social Survey, the public has grown increasingly accepting of gay relationships since the late 1980s. That survey found in 1987 that 76 percent of Americans thought sexual relations between adults of the same sex was morally wrong. That fell to 43 percent by 2012.

"I'm glad I'm coming out in 2013 rather than 2003. The climate has shifted; public opinion has shifted," Collins writes in SI. "And yet we still have so much farther to go. Everyone is terrified of the unknown, but most of us don't want to return to a time when minorities were openly discriminated against."

While some gay athletes have expressed concerns about how earning potentials could be hurt by coming out, King said she thinks Collins' openness could have the opposite effect.

"I have a feeling he's got a whole new career," King said. "I have a feeling he's going to make more in endorsements than he's ever made in his life."

On Monday evening, hours after his story appeared on the web, Collins wrote on Twitter: "All the support I have received today is truly inspirational. I knew that I was choosing the road less traveled but I'm not walking it alone."

Momentum has been building toward this sort of announcement from a pro athlete in a top league in the United States. NFL players Brendan Ayanbadejo and Chris Kluwe were outspoken in support of state gay-marriage amendments during last year's elections. Obama spoke about his support for gay marriage during his campaign.

The topic made waves during Super Bowl week when one player, San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver, said he wouldn't welcome a gay member of his team. At the time, Ayanbadejo estimated that at least half of the NFL's players would agree with what Culliver said, at least privately.

On Monday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to teams reiterating the league's anti-discrimination policy about sexuality. It includes a section on questions teams cannot ask prospective draft picks and free agents. After the NFL combine in February, three players said officials posed questions about sexual orientation.

Earlier this month, the NHL and its players' union partnered with an advocacy organization fighting homophobia in sports, and Commissioner Gary Bettman said the You Can Play Project underlines that "the official policy of the NHL is one of inclusion on the ice, in our locker rooms and in the stands."

"I would say the NHL has been a force to kind of obviously embrace and encourage. ... What (Collins) did, I think it's definitely (good) for basketball, and the same for hockey, too. It's going to be encouraging for more guys to step up and just be open about themselves," Washington Capitals forward Joel Ward said.

Living in the nation's capital last month while the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments about same-sex marriage had an effect on Collins, who says "the strain of hiding my sexuality became almost unbearable" at that time.

"Less than three miles from my apartment, nine jurists argued about my happiness and my future. Here was my chance to be heard, and I couldn't say a thing," he writes.

After being a first-round draft pick in 2001, Collins has averaged 3.6 points and 3.8 rebounds for the New Jersey Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Celtics and Wizards. He's come to be known more for personal fouls ? he led the league in that category one season ? than flourish.

"I go against the gay stereotype, which is why I think a lot of players will be shocked: That guy is gay? But I've always been an aggressive player, even in high school. Am I so physical to prove that being gay doesn't make you soft? Who knows? That's something for a psychologist to unravel," he says.

As for what response other NBA players will have to his revelation, Collins writes: "The simple answer is, I have no idea."

"Openness may not completely disarm prejudice, but it's a good place to start. It all comes down to education. I'll sit down with any player who's uneasy about my coming out," he says in his account, adding: "Still, if I'm up against an intolerant player, I'll set a pretty hard pick on him. And then move on."

Former teammate Jerry Stackhouse, now with the Brooklyn Nets, wrote in a text to the AP: "I hope Jason is received well by our NBA family. ... I've already reached out to him personally to show support and will encourage more guys to do the same."

NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a statement: "Jason has been a widely respected player and teammate throughout his career and we are proud he has assumed the leadership mantle on this very important issue."

While Collins is the first male athlete in a major North American professional league to come out while intending to keep playing, several have previously spoken after they retired about being gay, including the NBA's John Amaechi, the NFL's Esera Tuaolo and Major League Baseball's Billy Bean.

"I think he is immensely brave. I think it's a shame in this day and age he has to be immensely brave, but he is," Amaechi told the AP. "He's going to be a remarkable and eloquent spokesperson for what it is to be a decent, authentic human being ? never mind just for gay people."

Rick Welts, president and chief operating officer of the NBA's Golden State Warriors, is openly gay.

"He probably knows what he signed up for. There'll be a whole bunch more television reporters and cameras than he's probably had in the past. ... There had been a long bit of speculation about when, who, how. I think that speculation has been put to rest now," Welts said, "and we'll always remember that Jason Collins was the first man to do this."

Collins says that if he remains in the NBA, he could face uncomfortable reactions from spectators.

"I don't mind if they heckle me. I've been booed before. There have been times when I've wanted to boo myself. But a lot of ill feelings can be cured by winning," he writes.

In February, former U.S. soccer national team player Robbie Rogers said he was gay ? and retired at the same time. Rogers is just 25, and others have urged him to resume his career.

"I feel a movement coming," he tweeted after word of Collins' news broke.

Female athletes have found more acceptance in coming out; Brittney Griner, a two-time AP women's college basketball player of the year now headed to the WNBA, caused few ripples when she said this month she is a lesbian. Tennis great Martina Navratilova, who came out decades ago, tweeted Monday that Collins is "a brave man."

"1981 was the year for me ? 2013 is the year for you," her post said.

Sports leagues in Britain and elsewhere in Europe have been trying to combat anti-gay bias. But the taboo remains particularly strong in soccer, where there are no openly gay players in Europe's top leagues and homophobic chants are still heard at some games.

Soccer "is not going to change," said Amaechi, who is English and now lives in Manchester. "If it wanted to change, it would change. It has the resources to do so. It doesn't want to change."

Justin Fashanu is the only significant British soccer player to have come out publicly, doing so in 1990. The former Nottingham Forest and Norwich City striker was found hanged in a London garage in 1998 at age 37. According to an inquest, Fashanu left a note saying that, because he was gay, he feared he wouldn't get a fair trial in the United States on sexual assault charges. Maryland police were seeking him on charges that he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old boy.

Among other athletes outside the U.S. to come out was Gareth Thomas, a Welsh rugby star who attracted widespread media attention in 2009 when he announced he was gay. He continued playing until retirement in 2011.

Orlando Cruz of Puerto Rico came out in October as the first openly gay professional male boxer. Canadian swimmer Mark Tewksbury came out six years after winning a gold medal in the backstroke at the 1992 Barcelona Games. Four-time Olympic diving gold medalist Greg Louganis of the U.S. revealed he was gay in 1994, a year before announcing he was also HIV-positive. Former Olympic skiing gold medalist Anja Paerson of Sweden announced last year, after retiring, that she was in a long-term relationship with a woman.

In SI, Collins recounts that the first relative he came out to was his aunt, Teri Jackson, a San Francisco Superior Court Judge.

"I don't think Jason looked at his life as being a trailblazer," Jackson said Monday. "He has no regrets coming out. And he wants to play. And we'll see what happens next."

Collins says he told his twin brother, Jarron, last summer. Jarron was also a longtime NBA center who last played in the league in the 2010-11 season.

"He was downright astounded," Collins says.

Collins writes self-effacingly about his journeyman NBA career and a parlor game he calls "Three Degrees of Jason Collins," explaining: "If you're in the league, and I haven't been your teammate, I surely have been one of your teammates' teammates. Or one of your teammates' teammates' teammates."

That joking, though, leads to a larger point.

"Some people insist they've never met a gay person. But Three Degrees of Jason Collins dictates that no NBA player can claim that anymore. Pro basketball is a family. And pretty much every family I know has a brother, sister or cousin who's gay," Collins concludes. "In the brotherhood of the NBA, I just happen to be the one who's out."

___

AP Sports Writers Joseph White, Nancy Armour, Larry Lage, Brian Mahoney, Antonio Gonzalez, Rachel Cohen, Paul Newberry, Jimmy Golen, Howard Ulman, Rob Harris, Steve Wilson, Richard Rosenblatt and Tom Withers, and Associated Press Writers Mary Clare Jalonick, Cara Rubinsky, Jennifer Agiesta, Steve Peoples, Josh Lederman and Terry Chea contributed to this report.

___

Howard Fendrich is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-04-30-Jason%20Collins%20Comes%20Out/id-3eceb784b9bf494f9928a61db56b737c

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