Delmon Young was suspended by Major League Baseball on Monday for seven days following his arrest on a hate crime harassment charge last week in New York.
The commissioners office said the suspension is retroactive to Friday, when Young was arrested after a tussle at his hotel during which police say he yelled anti-Semitic slurs.
The suspension will cost Young approximately $257,240 of his $6,725,000 salary.
Detroit general manager Dave Dombrowski said Young will not appeal the ruling and will not face additional discipline by the team.
Matsui signs: Former As outfielder Hideki Matsui signed a minor-league contract with the Rays, and the two-time American League All-Star will report Wednesday to extended spring training in Port Charlotte, Fla.
Damon back in bigs: Johnny Damon, 38, will join the Indians in Chicago on Tuesday night as the team looks for offense. The outfielder is 277 hits shy of 3,000 for his career.
Although theyre in first place, the Indians have been inconsistent at the plate and have gone 11 consecutive games without a home run. According to Stats LLC, Clevelands homerless drought is the majors third-longest since 2000. Only the Angels in 2007 (14 games) and Giants in 2008 (12) had longer gaps between home runs.
Injury news: Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher is expected to miss a week with a strained left hamstring. … Josh Hamilton was held out of Texas lineup Monday because of a sore back; manager Ron Washington called it a precautionary move. … Mets center fielder Andres Torres was activated from the disabled list, and infielder Zach Lutz was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo. Also, Mets starter Mike Pelfrey will have season-ending Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Tuesday. … The Dodgers reinstated right-hander Todd Coffey from the disabled list, where he spent two weeks with right knee inflammation.
This article appeared on page B – 4 of the San#xA0;Francisco#xA0;Chronicle
By Tony Glaros, tkglaros@yahoo.com
May 1, 2012 | 2:47 pm
BEIJING Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived Wednesday in Beijing, where a tense human rights showdown awaits over the fate of a blind Chinese lawyer said to be under US protection after escaping from house arrest.
The issue of Chen Guangchengs future threatens to overshadow this years round of high-level strategic and economic talks between the worlds two biggest economic powers. Those talks begin Thursday.
Publicly, the US and Chinese governments have said nothing about the Chen case. Neither side wants the biggest human-rights issue between the two since Tiananmen Square to damage a working relationship between the worlds top importer and exporter, and between the worlds biggest military and the fastest developing.
Clintons only event on Wednesday before the talks begin on Thursday is a dinner with Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo. Aides traveling with her refused to discuss the Chen case or say whether Clinton would raise the matter with Dai.
Chen, a 40-year-old lawyer who exposed forced abortions and sterilizations as part of Chinas one-child policy, was delivered into the protection of US diplomats in Beijing late last week, according to fellow activists. They say American and Chinese officials are intensely discussing his fate, which could mean getting political asylum in the United States or staying in China, which Chen has told some activists he prefers.
A nationalist Chinese newspaper, the Global Times, warned that the United States would be interfering in Chinas domestic affairs and would embarrass itself if it tried to lobby Beijing on behalf of Chen, saying in an editorial that Chens activism was that of a villagers complaints against local officials.
Questioned on Chens future, President Barack Obama on Monday dodged the issue at a Washington news conference, declining to confirm that he was under US protection in China or that American diplomats were attempting to negotiate an agreement for him to receive asylum.
Obviously, Im aware of the press reports on the situation in China, but Im not going to make a statement on the issue, the president said. Every time we meet with China the issue of human rights comes up.
The Obama administration has signaled that the global economy, North Korea, Iran and Sudan — issues in which millions of lives are at stake — are more important in US-Chinese relations. And it is refusing to say if Chen will even be a topic of discussion this week.
The presidents options are limited. Pressing the issue too hard may prompt a backlash from China, which the US relies on for foreign capital and support in trying to lead the global economic recovery, deal with North Korea and Irans nuclear programs and prevent a potential war between Sudan and South Sudan.
But facing a tough fight for re-election in November, Obama cannot afford to ignore the situation. Doing nothing to help a visually impaired, self-taught lawyer who has fought against forced abortions and corruption in China would open Obama to attacks from his presumed Republican opponent, Mitt Romney.
Romney and several Republican lawmakers already have demanded that Obama not back down to Beijing. Handing over Chen without adequate safeguards would also draw intense criticism from the human rights community in the United States, one of Obamas core constituencies.
The US government has a moral obligation to ensure that Chen Guangcheng, his family and any who aided his Houdini-like escape from house arrest are either granted asylum in the United States or are not mistreated if any of them choose to stay in China, said Frank Jannuzi, head of Amnesty Internationals Washington office.
Bob Fu of the Texas-based group ChinaAid, who has been in touch with people close to Chen, said Tuesday he had no direct word from the lawyers wife and two children, but understood from people living in the same locality that they were still at their home in Shandong province.
Chens older brother, Chen Guangfu, is still missing, he said. Rights activists say the brother was detained last week.
But Chens nephew, Chen Kegui, has contacted a human rights lawyer and does not appear to be in custody, Fu said. He had reportedly gone missing last Friday after a confrontation with men outside his house in the same village.
The key to resolving the situation may well rest with an aging cadre at the top of Chinas Communist Party, who could either promise protection for Chen and his family in China or allow him to leave the country, possibly even to Hong Kong or Macao, as they prepare for their own leadership transition later this year.
Activists say Chen prefers to stay in China if his safety and that of his family can be guaranteed. That would require national leaders to step in and protected Chen from local officials, whove kept him and his wife confined at home since his September 2010 release from four years in prison on charges that supporters say were fabricated.
The ouster of powerful Chinese politician Bo Xilai following a deputys visit to the US consulate in Chengdu in February has already embarrassed the party. It doesnt want to lose more face over Chen, whose case was raised repeatedly by American officials, including Clinton, until the information blackout began last week.
Clinton also declined to talk Monday about Chen but said she would raise human rights issues at the upcoming meetings in Beijing.
A constructive relationship includes talking very frankly about those areas where we do not agree, including human rights, she told reporters.
Human rights talk has angered Beijing for decades and it has criticized the US approach as lecturing. Clinton made waves on her first trip abroad as secretary of state when she said human rights could not dominate the entire agenda with China at the expense of other pressing issues. Her comments drew fire at the time, but the relationship has clearly evolved as global priorities have shifted.
China in the 1990s was in need of foreign investment and diplomatic partners and was willing to send jailed dissidents into exile to get them. But Beijing sees little need for such concessions now, with its diplomatic clout and coffers bulging with foreign exchange.
Activists said the top US diplomat for Asia, Kurt Campbell, had been in intensive discussions in Beijing to strike a deal over Chen before Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithners arrival. Those efforts were continuing Tuesday, according to activists.
DEAR ABBY: On a recent airline flight, a tall man who sat behind me had his left leg out in the aisle during most of the trip. He was wearing shorts, and you could see his large tattoo of a naked woman on his thigh. The drawing was very explicit, and there was no way to avoid seeing it because passengers had to cross over his leg to reach the bathroom.
How do you explain this kind of art to children? Would the airline have the right to ask him to cover the tattoo if it was objectionable?
Offended Traveler from New York
DEAR OFFENDED: Because body art could be classified as freedom of expression, Im not sure they do. However, someones leg protruding into the aisle might be considered a safety issue because it could cause a trip and fall. It would also impede food and beverage carts traveling up and down the aisle. Because you were offended, I hope you averted your gaze if you needed to make more than one trip to the lavatory, and if there were children in tow, that you didnt call their attention to the picture.
bull;
DEAR ABBY: I had an urgent piece of mail to get to the post office. My sister called the postmistress, who agreed to stay open for her to deliver it. In the meantime, I found two other pieces of mail that required checks, quickly wrote them out and gave the three envelopes to my sister, who rushed them to the post office.
Upon her return, she showed me her vehicle, which had a deep gash running along one side because she had backed down the driveway too quickly, not paying attention, and had scraped the car against the stone post. She thinks I should pay half the cost of repair because I was involved.
I think it was her carelessness, and therefore, I should not have to pay. Im not angry, just confused by her reasoning because the same thing happened to me when I ran an errand for her, but I paid on my own for my carelessness. What do you think?
Thinks Differently in Tennessee
DEAR THINKS DIFFERENTLY: I think you should remind your sister that when the same thing happened to you while running an errand for her, you assumed the responsibility for paying for it. For her to say that you were involved is stretching the truth. Shes trying to guilt you into paying. Stand your ground.
bull;
DEAR ABBY: Im a 20-year-old female junior in college. I am intelligent, attractive and friendly, and I want to remain a virgin until Im married. This is not because of religious reasons. I have had a few relationships I thought were serious, but I ended up getting dumped for a looser girl each time, which really hurts.
My family and friends dont understand that waiting until marriage is part of who I am. Ironically, I was raised to think this was proper, but once I reached a certain age, everyone seemed to change their minds.
Im not looking to get married for at least five years, which means a long wait for anyone who wants to date me. Am I going to be alone forever just because I wont jump into bed with a guy before were married?
Principled in Ann Arbor, Mich.
DEAR PRINCIPLED: Not quite forever. I admire you for adhering to your values and so will the man who marries you.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at http://www.DearAbby.com or PO Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
Developers Have Mixed Reactions to BlackBerry 10 News
By BRIAN X. CHEN
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May 1, 2012, 1:17 pm
Comment
Lil Waynes Deal Biggest In Urban Music, Birdman Says
YMCMB start and stop with Wayne; it aint no YMCMB without Wayne, Birdman tells MTV News.
By Rob Markman (@RobMarkman) , with reporting by Sway Calloway (@realsway)
Greensboro, NC — Tucked inside the Old Greensborough Gateway Center, sculptor Jay M. Rotberg creates works of art using bonded resins. His figurines re-create the closeness of family, relationships and togetherness.
As a hobby, Rotberg always enjoyed drawing and carving wood, but his career began as a university professor. Ten years ago he left academia and picked up his hobby on a full-time basis. In the process, he created JMR Sculptures.
Rotbergs work can be found all over the world in galleries, museums, and private collections. Odds are you have passed by his work if you have visited the Greensboro Coliseum. A Cup Of Coffee Please rests at the entrance of the Special Events Center ramp. The sculpture is in commemoration of the sit-in movement.
A lot of his inspiration for his designs come from the streets and parks of downtown Greensboro. There is no doubt in my mind a number of sculptures I have are people on the street, and I walk up to them and I say I am going to make a sculpture of you and I have done that often, says Rotberg.
Rotberg is hosting an Open House May 4th from 6:00pm-9:00pmin his studio at 620 South Elm Street. The event will feature music, wine tasting, and food.The event is free and open to the public.
www.jmrsculptures.com
(CBS News) Jessica Simpsons baby girl has arrived.
The singer/TV personality and her fiance, Eric Johnson, welcomed daughter Maxwell Drew Johnson on Tuesday in Los Angeles.
Pictures: Celebrity babies
Pictures: Jessica Simpson
Eric and I are elated to announce the birth of our baby girl, Maxwell Drew Johnson, Simpson wrote on her website. We are grateful for all the love, support and prayers we have received. This has been the greatest experience of our lives!!
The baby girl weighed in at 9 pounds, 13 ounces, and is 21 3/4 inches long. Maxwell is Johnsons middle name and Drew is Simpsons mothers maiden name, according to reports.
Simpson announced the pregnancy on Halloween, sharing a photo of herself dressed in a mummy costume with the caption, Its true – Im going to be a mummy. In March, she revealed that the couple was expecting a baby girl.
Simpson, 31, and Johnson, 32, got engaged in November 2010.
Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
Miami turn the heat up on Knicks
MANAMA: His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander, yesterday hailed strong relations bonding Bahrain and South Korea, pointing out in this regard projects and fruitful programmes in the industrial and technical sectors. He stressed the need to diversify alliances and political, economic and trade relations in an ever-changing world to ensure greater development potential.
HRH Prince Salman was speaking as he met South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, in the presence of his son Shaikh Mohammed bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
President Lee Myung-bak reaffirmed his countrys keenness in bolstering bilateral relations with Bahrain and multilateral ties with the GCC – describing the drive as a strategic cornerstone of high value.
He welcomed HRH Prince Salman describing his landmark visit as a major boost for bilateral relations.
The President stressed the importance of exchanging visits between officials for joint co-operation to be bolstered even further.
HRH Prince Salman hailed South Koreas world standing, lauding its economic and development strides, sound politics and landmark progress.
We in Bahrain look forward to benefiting from the South Korean development edge and technological know-how and further bolstering relations for both countries to reap the dividends.
Earlier, HRH Prince Salman held talks with South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on joint co-operation. He hailed South Koreans determination, creativity and keenness on enhancing their countrys productivity and pushing forward development.
He also voiced confidence in the capacity of Bahrain to overcome the challenges it is facing and emerge stronger thanks to His Majesty King Hamads determination and leadership.
*SEOUL: Bahrains relations with South Korea and the rest of the world should not be limited to industrial and economic fields, but there should be a special appreciation of the human and cultural relations between nations, HRH the Crown Prince said. Happiness can be summarised in three words: peace, determination and prosperity.