The Cafe' [Think Tank]

Derrick Hayes, left, and his 4x100 teammates were disqualified for a finger gesture — YouTube Of the likely places for a debate over religious free expression to erupt, a Texas high school track and field meet probably wasn’t high on the list. Remarkably, that’s precisely where one athlete’s reactionary gesture has led to a broader discussion about what is appropriate at public school events, after a Columbus (Texas) High relay team was disqualified for one of their member’s heavenward gesture. The incident occurred in Columbus, where the track and field team was hosting a meet with the goal of qualify athletes for the state championship meet later in May. As first reported by Houston CBS affiliate KHOU, the school’s 4x100-meter relay squad achieved just that in winning its race decisively. The anchor of that 4x100 squad was junior Derrick Hayes, who ran a particularly blazing split and  celebrated the team’s state qualification with a simple finger point to the heavens . ...

Kevin Johnson was pilloried for suggesting Obama has not been good for African Americans. But his question was a good one Gary Younge The Guardian ,  Sunday 5 May 2013 15.30 EDT Jump to comments  ( 142 ) ‘There is little correlation between the presence of black faces in high places and progress in the lives of black Americans.' Photograph: Rex Back when affirmative action was white,  educational institutions were created for African Americans  who were barred from admission elsewhere. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) became the breeding grounds for the " talented tenth " – the elite class groomed to lead black America. Towards the end of the last century HBCUs had produced 75% of black PhDs, 85% of black doctors and 80% of black federal judges. Among the most prestigious was  Morehouse, in Atlanta , which counts Martin Luther King, Samuel Jackson and Spike Lee among its alumni. Later this month, Barack Obama ...

YouTu be sensation Antoine Dodson has   publicly renounced homosexuality , announcing on Facebook   that he has become a "True Chosen Hebrew Israelite descendant of Judah," is "no longer into homosexuality" and now wants a wife. Dodson  joined  HuffPost Live host  Alicia Menendez  Friday to explain the switch, saying he has been spending a lot of time reading the bible in his new faith. "It's not praying the gay away because it can be lifted," Dodson told Menendez. "If you really want to change your life, and just get rid of it, then you can. And that's what I'm doing. I'm not saying I don't have the memories of my past, because I do, and I see it everyday in my mind. But I'm trying to move away from that and become a better person. That's all." Dodson added that he has always been attracted to the "art of a woman" but that he mistakenly "tried to actually be that instead of being with...

Reuters / Bob Strong Published time: May 01, 2013 15:38  Edited time: May 02, 2013 18:26 The UN human rights office has condemned force-feeding hunger strikers at Guantanamo Bay, calling it ‘torture’ and a breach of international law. At least 21 inmates out of the 100 officially on strike are being force-fed through nasal tubes. Follow RT’s day-by-day timeline of the Gitmo hunger strike. "If it's perceived as torture or inhuman treatment -- and it's the case, it's painful -- then it is prohibited by international law,"  said Rupert Coville, spokesman for the UN high commissioner for human rights, AFP reported. The UN bases its position on that of the World Medical Association, which consists of 102 nations including the United States, Coville explained. The international organization, a watchdog for ethics in healthcare, said back in 1991 that forcible feeding is  "a form of inhuman treatment"  and  “never ethnically accept...

SANFORD, Florida -- The former neighborhood watch leader charged with fatally shooting a Florida teenager told a judge Tuesday that he agrees with his defense attorneys' decision not to seek an immunity hearing under the state's "Stand Your Ground" self-defense law. Under questioning from Circuit Judge Debra Nelson, George Zimmerman repeatedly said "yes" to a series of questions asking if he was aware he was giving up the right to a hearing before his second-degree murder trial in June. A judge would have sole discretion in an immunity hearing to decide if Zimmerman is exempt from culpability in the shooting. A jury would make the determination in the murder trial. "After consultation with my counsel, yes, your honor," Zimmerman said. The judge had set aside two weeks at the end of April for an immunity hearing should Zimmerman want one. Zimmerman's defense attorney, Mark O'Mara, told Nelson during a hearing in March that he woul...

From time to time, we turn to you, our community, for input on topics of the day that leave us troubled. From  pillow butted imitations of Serena  to  crass tweets on election night , you've helped us dissect some real head-scratchers in the past. We thank you and are so glad you're here to help us with this one. Recently, Mountain Dew released a new commercial featuring the members of musical group,  Odd Future  and a goat... named Felicia. It has all the makings of a bad racist joke: "Five black guys and a goat stand in a line up..." Cud chewing and jive talking, the goat threatens bodily harm to a blonde haired, blue eyed, badly beaten white woman while the other men (all of whom are black men, by the way) stand passively, waiting to be ID'd. If the visuals don't jar you, then the goat's voice probably will. We're already seeing some backlash brewing. Here are some of the responses popping up: In the comments of the video : " I r...

WASHINGTON -- North Korea "will move closer" to its announced goal of being able to strike the U.S. with a nuclear-armed missile if it keeps investing in tests of nuclear and missile technology, the Pentagon said Thursday in a report to Congress. The unclassified version of the report, which was required by a 2012 law, offered no estimate of when North Korea might achieve that capability. It said the pace of progress will depend in part on how many resources are invested. The report fits an established U.S. intelligence picture of North Korea making an enormous effort to become a nuclear power and of an economically poor country directing a disproportionate amount of resources to its military. Much about North Korea is a mystery to Western intelligence agencies, including the intentions of its leader, Kim Jong Un, who came to power after his father, Kim Jong Il, died in December 2011. The Pentagon report said the U.S. foresees little change in North Korea's key ...

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy In an interview with reporters, Zubeidat Tsarnaev, the mother of Boston bombing suspects Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, insists her sons are not responsible for the Patriot Day attacks and expresses her regret in relocating the family to the U.S. By Adrienne Mong and Erin McClam, NBC News MAKHACHKALA, Russia — The mother of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects insisted Thursday that her sons are not responsible for the attack and said she did not see any aggression in the older brother, even when the FBI questioned him two years ago. Speaking to reporters in Russia, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva also said the elder son, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, came to Russia for six months last year to attend a family wedding, visit relatives and later renew his Kyrgyzstan passport. “America took my kids away from me,” she said. “I’m sure my kids were not involved in anything.” Adrienne Mong / NBC News Left to right, ...

Anonymous / New Jersey State Police via AP This is an undated picture provided by the New Jersey State Police showing Assata Shakur, the former Joanne Chesimard, added Thursday to the FBI's list of most wanted terrorists. By Erin McClam, Staff Writer, NBC News The FBI put a woman on its list of most wanted terrorists for the first time Thursday — a 1970s black radical who authorities say shot a New Jersey trooper, made a daring daylight escape from prison and fled to Cuba. The agency and the state also doubled the bounty for her capture to $2 million. The announcement was the latest turn in the 40-year saga of Joanne Chesimard — also known as Assata Shakur — who was part of the Black Liberation Army and became one of the most notorious fugitives in New Jersey history. “While we cannot right the wrongs of the past, we can and will continue to pursue justice no matter how long it takes,” said Aaron Ford, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Newark office. Chesima...