Detroit native Leroy Williams, Jr., who holds the rank of master-at-arms 1st Class in the U.S. Navy, received a Purple Heart during a frocking ceremony at Naval Air Station Sigonella. Williams, a newly-appointed petty officer 1st class, was presented the Purple Heart by Capt. Chris Dennis, NAS Sigonella commanding officer, for injuries sustained in Afghanistan.
Williams, who was part of the NAS Sigonella Military Working Dog Division, was injured by an improvised explosive device (IED), according to an article sent to the Michigan Chronicle by the Navy. The eight pound explosive device detonated about three feet away from Williams, killing his dog, Dinomt. They had been tasked with searching for hidden explosive devices.
In the article provided by the Navy, Williams said they'd been looking for some "high valued" targets, considered to be terrorists; and that Dinomt saved both his life and that of an explosive ordinance disposal technician. The dog was between the IED and Williams and the technician.
Williams, who suffered traumatic brain injury and shrapnel in his leg, said he was "humbled" to receive the Purple Heart, stating in the Navy article that those who receive it aren't normally alive to hold it.
"Because I'm still here, I'm able to move forward, teach future dog handlers, and continue to do my job, which means a great deal to me," he said. "I'll carry it with honor, pride, and the memory of my dog."
During the awards ceremony, Williams also congratulated the other NAS Sigonella sailors who were frocked.
According to Lt. Joe Painter of the Navy Office of Community Outreach, in certain circumstances an officer selected for promotion to the next higher grade may be allowed to be "frocked" and wear the rank devices of this higher grade.

ANN ARBOR—Facebook is a mirror and Twitter is a megaphone, according to a new University of Michigan study exploring how social media reflect and amplify the culture's growing levels of narcissism.

The study, published online in Computers in Human Behavior, was conducted by U-M researchers Elliot Panek, Yioryos Nardis and Sara Konrath.

"Among young adult college students, we found that those who scored higher in certain types of narcissism posted more often on Twitter," said Panek, who recently received his doctorate in communication studies from U-M and will join Drexel University this fall as a visiting fellow.

"But among middle-aged adults from the general population, narcissists posted more frequent status updates on Facebook."

According to Panek, Facebook serves narcissistic adults as a mirror.

"It's about curating your own image, how you are seen, and also checking on how others respond to this image," he said. "Middle-aged adults usually have already formed their social selves, and they use social media to gain approval from those who are already in their social circles."

For narcissistic college students, the social media tool of choice is the megaphone of Twitter.

"Young people may overevaluate the importance of their own opinions," Panek said. "Through Twitter, they're trying to broaden their social circles and broadcast their views about a wide range of topics and issues."

The researchers examined whether narcissism was related to the amount of daily Facebook and Twitter posting and to the amount of time spent on each social media site, including reading the posts and comments of others.

For one part of the study, the researchers recruited 486 college undergraduates. Three-quarters were female and the median age was 19. Participants answered questions about the extent of their social media use, and also took a personality assessment measuring different aspects of narcissism, including exhibitionism, exploitativeness, superiority, authority and self-sufficiency.

For the second part of the study, the researchers asked 93 adults, mostly white females, with an average age of 35, to complete an online survey.

According to Panek, the study shows that narcissistic college students and their adult counterparts use social media in different ways to boost their egos and control others' perceptions of them.

"It's important to analyze how often social media users actually post updates on sites, along with how much time they spend reading the posts and comments of others," he said.

The researchers were unable to determine whether narcissism leads to increased use of social media, or whether social media use promotes narcissism, or whether some other factors explain the relationship. But the study is among the first to compare the relationship between narcissism and different kinds of social media in different age groups.

Funding for the study comes in part from The Character Project, sponsored by Wake Forest University via the John Templeton Foundation. 

On June 19th, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, TX and belatedly announced not only the end of the Civil War (two months prior) but the freeing of all slaves in accordance with President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. Many believe the two and a half year delay in the news that slavery had been abolished was a deliberate act to keep the 250,000 Texan slaves working the plantations.

Now free, many left the plantation in search of family members and a new place to settle. Life however, as "free" people would continue to be bring hardships and struggles that would follow former slaves as well as generations of their descendants.

June 19th, became known as "Juneteenth" and was first celebrated in Texas and other southern states to commemorate the end of slavery. The civil rights movement of the '50's and '60' s brought a resurgence of interest in the history of African-American struggles and in the celebration of Juneteenth. Texas made Juneteenth an official holiday in 1980, with many other states following suit. It is now widely celebrated as "freedom" day to promote African-American culture and history.

For more information, visit www.juneteenth.org 

Detroit mayoral candidate Mike Duggan announced this morning that he will appeal the decision by a Wayne County Circuit Court judge to remove him from the ballot to the Michigan Court of Appeals.

Speaking to a crowded media conference at his campaign headquarters, Duggan said his team of lawyers are appealing Judge Lita Popke’s ruling.

He questioned how the judge could issue a 22-page opinion without hearing the oral arguments of the case brought by mayoral candidate Tom Barrow and labor activist Robert Davis.

“I found it very unusual that someone would write a 22-page opinion without hearing the oral arguments,” Duggan said.

 “The court finds that the Detroit City Charter’s provisions regarding the qualifications for elective office are clear and unambiguous. The candidate must have been a qualified and registered voter in the city of Detroit for one year before he filed for office,” Judge Popke said in her ruling.

         “The stakes are so high that we get somebody elected mayor and I’m going to try my best to make that happen,” Duggan said. “This will be in the hands of the court of appeals and I’ll be out campaigning.”

         If the appeals court takes the case it will have to issue a ruling early next week because absentee ballots will be mailed out on June 22.

If Duggan is not on the ballot by then, he cannot run for mayor.

Alternatively, the appeals court could ask Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey to halt the printing of absentee ballots until it hears the entire residency case.

Davis, the activist who has initiated many legal fights against the state, insisted the latest ruling is according to law.

“It’s quite evident Mr. Duggan didn’t meet the requirements as set forth in the Detroit City Charter,” Davis said. “The people should send a very loud message for Mr. Duggan to go back to Livonia and run for mayor there. I presume Mr. Duggan will appeal. We’re prepared for an appeal. I am confident that her ruling will be upheld and the will of the people of Detroit will be upheld.”

However, Duggan cited Chicago mayor and former White House chief of staff Rahm Emmanuel who had similar issues and was reinstated on the ballot by a higher court. He also noted that former Detroit mayor Coleman Young was kicked off the ballot in 1973 because he couldn’t run as a sitting legislator. But he was reinstated and went on to win.

Barrow has maintained that Duggan’s residency as a technical flap disqualify him from the August ballot, calling Duggan’s campaign “another suburban transplant taking over the reigns of the city.”     

Barrow responded to Duggan’s move to appeal saying, “Duggan is free to appeal to the state courts, the U.S. Supreme Court, the World Court at the Hague and even Capt. Kirk's United Federation of Planets, the result will be the same because the decision is rooted in the case law and state statutes.”

In response, Duggan said Barrow is running a campaign of hate and divisiveness that does not reflect the views of the majority of Detroiters.

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Despite the 2-1 vote of the Detroit Election Commission to retain mayoral candidate Mike Duggan on the ballot, his challengers succeeded in the first round of a court battle to disqualify him from the August primary ballot.

Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Lita Popke ruled Tuesday afternoon in favor of mayoral challenger Tom Barrow and activist Robert Davis that Duggan should be removed from the ballot in the upcoming primary election because of his residency.

“The court finds that the Detroit City Charter’s provisions regarding the qualifications for elective office are clear and unambiguous. The candidate must have been a qualified and registered voter in the city of Detroit for one year before he filed for office,” Judge Popke said in her ruling.

Duggan’s campaign immediately promised to appeal the ruling, stating, “This ruling is contrary to the opinion of every election lawyer who has looked at the case. We’re reviewing our legal options with our lawyers and will make a decision shortly on how we’ll proceed.”

Davis, the activist who has initiated many legal fights against the state, insisted the latest ruling is according to law.

“It’s quite evident Mr. Duggan didn’t meet the requirements as set forth in the Detroit City Charter,” Davis said. “The people should send a very loud message for Mr. Duggan to go back to Livonia and run for mayor there. I presume Mr. Duggan will appeal. We’re prepared for an appeal. I am confident that her ruling will be upheld and the will of the people of Detroit will be upheld.”

Candidate Barrow has maintained that Duggan’s residency as a technical flap disqualify him from the August ballot, calling Duggan’s campaign “another suburban transplant taking over the reigns of the city. We already had a failed experiment with Dave Bing and the parachuting in of a Livonia mayor only works for Republican money interests, not everyday Detroiters.”

When the election commission ruled earlier in favor of Duggan, his campaign lawyer, Melvin “Butch” Hollowell, in an interview with the Michigan Chronicle said the issue is “not really a close legal question,” because Duggan has met the requirements of the new charter.

“I think the election commission did the right thing,” Hollowell said. “This was about having access to the ballot which is an important part of election law all around the country.”

This is a major setback for Duggan, because while candidates are campaigning and raising money, the Duggan campaign will be locked up in a legal battle without knowing what the ultimate verdict will be.

Detroit Election Commission members Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey and interim corporation counsel Edward Keelean voted for Duggan to remain on the ballot while the third member, City Council President Charles Pugh, opposed.

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DETROIT -A police officer who took part in a raid on a Detroit home testified Tuesday that he didn’t see anyone struggle with another officer before a 7-year-old girl was fatally shot on a couch.
Shawn Stallard said he was just an arms-length behind Officer Joseph Weekley when they burst into the home while a stun grenade was thrown through a window to distract people inside. Weekley accidentally fired his gun a few seconds later, killing Aiyana Stanley-Jones.
Stallard repeatedly told jurors that he saw no one in the vicinity, casting some doubt on Weekley’s claim that Aiyana’s grandmother grabbed the submachine gun. Police were at the home after midnight in 2010 to capture a murder suspect.
“Did you see anyone try to take the gun away from him?” assistant prosecutor Rob Moran asked.”No,” Stallard replied.Weekley, a member of an elite police unit, is charged with involuntary manslaughter in Aiyana’s death. He’s accused of failing to control his gun during the chaotic raid.
Stallard said Detroit police are trained to push a person away if they grab an officer’s gun or move the weapon in the shape of a “J” to keep control. He said officers aren’t trained to pull the trigger under those circumstances.

Reports are in that Wayne County Circuit Judge Lita M. Popke sided with mayoral contender Tom Barrow, who along with Robert Davis challenged Mike Duggan's eligibility to run for Detroit Mayor. According to the Detroit City Charter, a mayoral candidate must be a resident of the Detroit at least one year prior to running for Mayor. Duggan's office has not disputed the date he moved, but the city’s filing deadline (May 14th)  for candidates to make the August ballot.

In a prepared statement, Duggan had this to say:

This ruling is contrary to the opinion of every election lawyer who has looked at the case.

We're reviewing our legal options with our lawyers and will make a decision shortly on how we'll proceed.

(June 10, 2013) According to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau, black households continue to outnumber all ethnic (non-white) households that reported using the Internet. The study says 56.9 percent of all black homes -- or 15.3 million -- reported online access and usage in 2011. Among Hispanic households, 14.2 million reported usage, and 4.7 million Asian homes cited usage. One of the factors that has dramatically changed usage among all groups of consumers is the smartphone.

The new information comes from data collected as part of the Current Population Survey's 2011 Computer and Internet Use Supplement, which was sponsored and funded by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

"Going online is no longer a simple yes or no proposition," said Thom File, the report's author and a sociologist with the Census Bureau. "Different groups of people are accessing the Internet in very different ways, and these statistics give us a better understanding of how and where those connections are taking place."

In terms of smartphone usage, the same percentage of blacks as whites (48 percent) reported using a smartphone. Among Hispanics 45.4 percent reported using a smartphone, while 51.6 percent of Asians made the same claim. Overall, 48.2 percent of individuals 15 and older reported using a smartphone.

As technology has changed and evolved over the years, people have seen an increase in the variety and number of ways they use computers and access the Internet. To explore this phenomenon further, the Census Bureau designed a scale to place individuals along a "connectivity continuum."

The connectivity continuum shows variations in adoption of these technologies, ranging from people with no Internet connection or computer, to those connecting from multiple locations and devices.

In 2011, 27.0 percent of Americans connected to the Internet from multiple locations and multiple devices. These individuals were considered "high connectivity" users. On the other end of the connectivity continuum, individuals with no computer or Internet (15.9 percent) made up the second largest group. The remaining 57.1 percent of Americans were located somewhere between these two extremes.

The information was collected as part of a July 2011 supplement to the Current Population Survey, which asked a sample of approximately 54,000 households various questions about computer ownership, Internet use and mobile device usage. 

In recognition of his significant contribution to strengthening ties between the United States and Japan, Mr. Dennis W. Archer, former Mayor of Detroit, has been chosen to be honored with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, by His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor of Japan. The Government of Japan made the formal announcement today, declaring the foreign recipients of the Spring 2013 Imperial Decorations.

During his term as mayor from 1994-2001, Mr. Archer cultivated ties with the Japanese business community in the state of Michigan, and worked to promote friendship between the U.S. and Japan. His achievements factoring into selection for his award include: his recognition of the social and economic contributions made by the Japanese business community in metro Detroit, his promotion of understanding and goodwill between Japan and the U.S., his participation in various international conferences in Japan, and his support of the Japan America Society of Greater Detroit and Windsor (now Michigan and Southwestern Ontario).

Mr. Archer was the first Detroit mayor to attend meetings with the Japan Business Society of Detroit, showing his high esteem of the Japanese community. His effort in opposition to a post-9/11 ban on drivers’ licenses for non-citizens was of great benefit to the Japanese nationals in Michigan. He also promoted bilateral relations with the planting of cherry blossom trees on Belle Isle.

Mr. Archer has been directly involved in activities in Japan, including his leadership of a trade and investment mission in 1995, sending exhibits on loan from the Detroit Institute of Arts to Detroit’s sister-city Toyota City, also in 1995, and supporting the performance of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in Japan in 1998. He has also supported bilateral education exchange between Japan and Michigan.

Mr. Archer participated in various conferences between Japan and the U.S., including mayoral/chamber of commerce conferences held in Japan in 1995 and 1999. He also co-represented the U.S. with the Mayor of Honolulu at an environmental conference in Tokyo in 1995, and attended an Asian-Pacific environmental summit in Hawaii in 1999.

After his term as mayor, Mr. Archer served as chairman of the Japan America Society (JAS) of Greater Detroit and Windsor from 2009-2010, continuing to encourage international relations. He led the 20th anniversary general meeting of the JAS and also participated in the 50th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between Detroit and Toyota City. He also discussed economic development and sustainability at a Japan-U.S. Midwest join-conference in Detroit, co-hosted by JAS and Detroit.

Detroit Consul General of Japan, Mr. Kuninori Matsuda had these words: “I am delighted by the announcement of Mr. Dennis Archer’s decoration, and congratulate him for his accomplishments. His endeavors to promote U.S. – Japan relations and to further Detroit’s role as an international partner for progress are reflected in this award. The Japanese community and companies here in Michigan have benefitted from Mr. Archer’s support, and in effect, the local community has received more recognition from Japan. This is a special day for Detroit.”

Mr. Dennis W. Archer currently serves as Chairman Emeritus of Dickinson Wright PLLC in Detroit and has been praised as one of the top lawyers in the U.S. He also served as Chairman of the Detroit Regional Chamber, was the first African-American President of the American Bar Association, and served as Associate Justice on the Michigan Supreme Court. Archer received his J.D. from Detroit College of Law, and his B.S. from Western Michigan University.

Mr. Archer was honored in Detroit at an official conferment ceremony and celebration on June 3, 2013.