Way To Go, Guys! Central Florida Unions To Pull Funds From Banks Supporting Anti-Worker Agenda
April 21, 2011 No CommentAs a union spokeswoman pointed out, these banks helped shape the group’s political agenda. Not wanting to fund their enemies makes union leaders “thugs” and “bullies.” I say, more like this, please! Unions representing Central Florida teachers, firefighters, police and other government workers are pulling an estimated $10 million from five banks affiliated with the Florida Chamber of Commerce , blaming them for an attack on public employees. The unions are also asking their members — an estimated 20,000 people — to withdrawal their personal money from Bank of America, PNC Bank, Regions Bank, SunTrust and Wachovia . And labor leaders across the state could follow in the coming weeks, union officials say. Executives from the banks in question sit on the Florida Chamber’s board of directors, and the chamber has pushed legislation that would prohibit state and local governments from collecting union dues through payroll deduction. Supporters say the “Paycheck Protection” act would allow public employees to prevent their wages from being used for political purposes, but opponents say it’s simply a labor-busting effort that would make it more difficult for unions to operate. The Florida Chamber of Commerce has lobbied lawmakers in support of the legislation and broadcast a campaign-style ad pushing for it. The measure has already passed the Florida House and is moving forward in the Senate. “It’s a shame that unions have dragged banks into their political games,” Florida Chamber spokeswoman Edie Ousley. “This just goes to show how desperate they are to keep the union gravy train by using the state of Florida to collect union dues. Frankly, we expected these bully tactics a long time ago.”
Continue reading …Way To Go, Guys! Central Florida Unions To Pull Funds From Banks Supporting Anti-Worker Agenda
April 21, 2011 No CommentAs a union spokeswoman pointed out, these banks helped shape the group’s political agenda. Not wanting to fund their enemies makes union leaders “thugs” and “bullies.” I say, more like this, please! Unions representing Central Florida teachers, firefighters, police and other government workers are pulling an estimated $10 million from five banks affiliated with the Florida Chamber of Commerce , blaming them for an attack on public employees. The unions are also asking their members — an estimated 20,000 people — to withdrawal their personal money from Bank of America, PNC Bank, Regions Bank, SunTrust and Wachovia . And labor leaders across the state could follow in the coming weeks, union officials say. Executives from the banks in question sit on the Florida Chamber’s board of directors, and the chamber has pushed legislation that would prohibit state and local governments from collecting union dues through payroll deduction. Supporters say the “Paycheck Protection” act would allow public employees to prevent their wages from being used for political purposes, but opponents say it’s simply a labor-busting effort that would make it more difficult for unions to operate. The Florida Chamber of Commerce has lobbied lawmakers in support of the legislation and broadcast a campaign-style ad pushing for it. The measure has already passed the Florida House and is moving forward in the Senate. “It’s a shame that unions have dragged banks into their political games,” Florida Chamber spokeswoman Edie Ousley. “This just goes to show how desperate they are to keep the union gravy train by using the state of Florida to collect union dues. Frankly, we expected these bully tactics a long time ago.”
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Omagh man to appear in a Northern Ireland court on Saturday although he has not been charged with murder A man who was arrested in connection with the murder of a Catholic police officer in Northern Ireland will be charged with a number of firearms offences this weekend. The man will appear at Dungannon court on Saturday. He is not charged with murder. The 33-year-old, from Omagh, has been charged with possession of explosives, firearms and articles likely to be of use to terrorists. Two other men arrested over the murder of Constable Ronan Kerr were released “unconditionally” on Tuesday. Kerr was killed when a bomb exploded under his vehicle in Omagh earlier this month. Northern Ireland Crime Henry McDonald guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Omagh man to appear in a Northern Ireland court on Saturday although he has not been charged with murder A man who was arrested in connection with the murder of a Catholic police officer in Northern Ireland will be charged with a number of firearms offences this weekend. The man will appear at Dungannon court on Saturday. He is not charged with murder. The 33-year-old, from Omagh, has been charged with possession of explosives, firearms and articles likely to be of use to terrorists. Two other men arrested over the murder of Constable Ronan Kerr were released “unconditionally” on Tuesday. Kerr was killed when a bomb exploded under his vehicle in Omagh earlier this month. Northern Ireland Crime Henry McDonald guardian.co.uk
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enlarge Thoughtcrime, they called it. Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed forever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you. -George Orwell, 1984 Evidently Koch Industries believes in stopping Thoughtcrime before it starts, by simply laying it down to their employees this way: You Will Vote This Way, Or Else. Via The Nation : The Nation obtained the Koch Industries election packet for Washington State —which included a cover letter from its president and COO, David Robertson; a list of Koch-endorsed state and federal candidates; and an issue of the company newsletter, Discovery, full of alarmist right-wing propaganda. Legal experts interviewed for this story called the blatant corporate politicking highly unusual, although no longer skirting the edge of legality, thanks to last year’s Citizens United Supreme Court decision, which granted free speech rights to corporations. Here’s some of what they said in that “election packet”: As Koch company employees, we have a lot at stake in the upcoming election. Each of us is likely to be affected by the outcome on Nov. 2. That is why, for the first time ever, we are mailing our newest edition of Discovery and several other helpful items to the home address of every U.S. employee . This Discovery features election-related information about how government decisions affect us, and about the proper role of business in society (creating value). Charles Koch’s editorial reminds us why it is the policies and actions of politicians — not their personalities or political parties — that matter most. To help set the record straight, we’ve also included an informative reprint from the Washington Examiner . For most of you, we’ve also enclosed a listing of candidates supported by Koch companies and KOCHPAC, the political action committee for Koch companies. Of course, deciding who to vote for is a decision that is yours and yours alone, based on the factors important to you. Koch and KOCHPAC support candidates we believe will best advance policies that create the economic conditions needed for employees and businesses such as ours to survive and prosper. [Emphasis added] Well. I guess if I were walking in the shoes of a Koch employee I might be saying to myself, gosh…I guess I’d better vote the way they say or I won’t have a job. And then I’d burn their damn packet and vote the way my conscience dictated. But not all employees are that bold or that engaged, so I’m sure this little mailing had its intended effect. You should really read the whole packet . It’s fairly amazing. The voter card for Washington “recommended” votes for Dino Rossi and Jaime Herrera on the federal side of the ballot and a whole bunch of Republicans on the state side.
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enlarge Thoughtcrime, they called it. Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed forever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you. -George Orwell, 1984 Evidently Koch Industries believes in stopping Thoughtcrime before it starts, by simply laying it down to their employees this way: You Will Vote This Way, Or Else. Via The Nation : The Nation obtained the Koch Industries election packet for Washington State —which included a cover letter from its president and COO, David Robertson; a list of Koch-endorsed state and federal candidates; and an issue of the company newsletter, Discovery, full of alarmist right-wing propaganda. Legal experts interviewed for this story called the blatant corporate politicking highly unusual, although no longer skirting the edge of legality, thanks to last year’s Citizens United Supreme Court decision, which granted free speech rights to corporations. Here’s some of what they said in that “election packet”: As Koch company employees, we have a lot at stake in the upcoming election. Each of us is likely to be affected by the outcome on Nov. 2. That is why, for the first time ever, we are mailing our newest edition of Discovery and several other helpful items to the home address of every U.S. employee . This Discovery features election-related information about how government decisions affect us, and about the proper role of business in society (creating value). Charles Koch’s editorial reminds us why it is the policies and actions of politicians — not their personalities or political parties — that matter most. To help set the record straight, we’ve also included an informative reprint from the Washington Examiner . For most of you, we’ve also enclosed a listing of candidates supported by Koch companies and KOCHPAC, the political action committee for Koch companies. Of course, deciding who to vote for is a decision that is yours and yours alone, based on the factors important to you. Koch and KOCHPAC support candidates we believe will best advance policies that create the economic conditions needed for employees and businesses such as ours to survive and prosper. [Emphasis added] Well. I guess if I were walking in the shoes of a Koch employee I might be saying to myself, gosh…I guess I’d better vote the way they say or I won’t have a job. And then I’d burn their damn packet and vote the way my conscience dictated. But not all employees are that bold or that engaged, so I’m sure this little mailing had its intended effect. You should really read the whole packet . It’s fairly amazing. The voter card for Washington “recommended” votes for Dino Rossi and Jaime Herrera on the federal side of the ballot and a whole bunch of Republicans on the state side.
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“My name is Barack Obama, and I’m the guy that got Mark [Zuckerberg] to wear a jacket and tie.” — PRESIDENT OBAMA, during an interview with founder Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook’s headquarters on Wednesday (via Huffington Post. See video at Techland)
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Bowie, Christiane F and Taxi zum Klo: these are the things that made Berlin so alluring to the British pop culture of the late 70s and early 80s. Jon Savage remembers a bewitching era Frank Ripploh is fed up. Stuck in hospital for six weeks with some unnamed contagious sexual disease – most probably hepatitis – he receives a visit from his live-in lover. Instead of listening sympathetically to Frank’s moans about the other patients, Bernd gives him a right telling-off about his promiscuity: “I hope lying here teaches you something.” After Bernd leaves, a
Continue reading …Help her connect with her sexual side by meeting her needs, complimenting her and taking her out, advises Pamela Stephenson Connolly I’m a 34-year-old man, married for 18 months. Early in our marriage, sex was better. My drive is high and I like variety, including anal sex, but my wife doesn’t have such a high sex drive. After climaxing once she usually doesn’t get excited again. Since she doesn’t have much desire I’ve started to feel uneasy about approaching her. We love each other very much, but at this point we are different and I’m trying to adjust to having less sex. How can I make her excited about a second or third round in the same night? A mismatch in sexual desire between partners can create sadness and tension, but this is often temporary. You haven’t mentioned children, or what work your wife does either inside or outside the home, but very often lowered desire is a natural effect of childbearing or of tiredness and stress due to work, or family issues. Worrying about money, in-laws, or caring for elderly relatives can also make a woman feel that having sex is the last thing she feels like doing. Your sexual wishes require high energy and stamina – your wife may currently see this as yet another chore at the end of a tough day. Schedule sex earlier in the day, and find ways to help alleviate her tiredness or stress and you may notice a big difference in her desire (some women say it’s highly arousing when men take out the rubbish!). Help her to reconnect with her sexual side by paying attention to what pleases her sexually, giving her compliments, taking her out, and treating her like a precious lover – even when you’re not in bed. • Pamela Stephenson Connolly is a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist who specialises in treating sexual disorders. • Email your problem to private.lives@guardian.co.uk Sex Relationships Pamela Stephenson Connolly guardian.co.uk
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New witness gives graphic account of killings of two young British holidaymakers A new witness has given a graphic account of the deaths of two British holidaymakers, describing how they tried in vain to run away when they were shot in a Florida street. James Cooper, 25, was shot three times in the chest, ran from a driveway, ducked under a clothes line and tripped on tree roots before sitting down on a patch of grass where he died, the witness said. Cooper’s friend, James Kouzaris, 24, was shot in the head and ran across the street in the opposite direction before collapsing and dying in front of a pickup truck, according to the report published in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune newspaper. “I haven’t slept since it happened because I feel I was the last person to see these guys alive,” the witness said, recalling that he heard five shots. The man asked for his identity to be withheld because he feared retribution. Police are considering a theory that the Britons, who were on a three-week holiday in Florida with Cooper’s parents, stumbled into the crime-plagued neighbourhood of Newtown by accident as they made their way to a restaurant after a night out in Sarasota. The bodies of Kouzaris, of Northampton, and Cooper, of Warwick, were found with multiple gunshot wounds at about 3am on Saturday in Carver Court, a street in a social housing project called The Courts, two miles from the last bar they were known to have visited. They would have passed the turn-off to a 24-hour restaurant about a half-mile earlier before reaching Newtown. “We’re more open to the idea that they walked,” said Captain Paul Sutton of Sarasota police. A 16-year-old Newtown resident, Shawn Tyson, was arrested 24 hours after the double shooting and is in jail charged with two counts of first-degree homicide. The bodies were released to a funeral home to await repatriation to the UK. Florida United States Gun crime Richard Luscombe guardian.co.uk
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