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[At The New York Times Erin] Hatton writes that the temp industry sprung up near the height of unions’ power with the ability to skirt labor protections by “casting temp work as ‘women’s work,’ and advertising thousands of images of young, white, middle-class women doing a variety of short-term office jobs.” This strategy “exploited the era’s cultural ambivalence about white, middle-class women working outside the home. Instead of seeking to replace ‘breadwinning’ union jobs with low-wage temp work, temp agencies went the culturally safer route: selling temp work for housewives who were (allegedly) only working for pin money.” They were thus able to create an entire industry of low-pay, unstable work without running into battles with unions or having to offer the employees workplace protections like health benefits, organizing rights and anti-discrimination laws.
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Sunday, February 24, 2013
The Labor Market has Feminized all its Workers
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Saturday, December 22, 2012
It's not that I don't want to work . I'm too sexy for...
Iowa court: Bosses can fire 'irresistible' workers
Story user rating:
RYAN J. FOLEY
Published: Yesterday
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - A dentist acted legally when he fired an assistant that he found attractive simply because he and his wife viewed the woman as a threat to their marriage, the all-male Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday.
The court ruled 7-0 that bosses can fire employees they see as an "irresistible attraction," even if the employees have not engaged in flirtatious behavior or otherwise done anything wrong. Such firings may be unfair, but they are not unlawful discrimination under the Iowa Civil Rights Act because they are motivated by feelings and emotions, not gender, Justice Edward Mansfield wrote.
An attorney for Fort Dodge dentist James Knight said the decision, the first of its kind in Iowa, is a victory for family values because Knight fired Melissa Nelson in the interest of saving his marriage, not because she was a woman.
But Nelson's attorney said Iowa's all-male high court, one of only a handful in the nation, failed to recognize the discrimination that women see routinely in the workplace.
"These judges sent a message to Iowa women that they don't think men can be held responsible for their sexual desires and that Iowa women are the ones who have to monitor and control their bosses' sexual desires," said attorney Paige Fiedler. "If they get out of hand, then the women can be legally fired for it."
Nelson, 32, worked for Knight for 10 years, and he considered her a stellar worker. But in the final months of her employment, he complained that her tight clothing was distracting, once telling her that if his pants were bulging that was a sign her clothes were too revealing, according to the opinion.
He also once allegedly remarked about her infrequent sex life by saying, "that's like having a Lamborghini in the garage and never driving it."
Knight and Nelson - both married with children - started exchanging text messages, mostly about personal matters, such as their families. Knight's wife, who also worked in the dental office, found out about the messages and demanded Nelson be fired. The Knights consulted with their pastor, who agreed that terminating Nelson was appropriate.
Knight fired Nelson and gave her one month's severance. He later told Nelson's husband that he worried he was getting too personally attached and feared he would eventually try to start an affair with her.
Nelson was stunned because she viewed the 53-year-old Knight as a father figure and had never been interested in starting a relationship, Fiedler said.
Nelson filed a lawsuit alleging gender discrimination, arguing she would not have been terminated if she was male. She did not allege sexual harassment because Knight's conduct may not have risen to that level and didn't particularly offend her, Fiedler said.
Knight argued Nelson was fired not because of her gender, but because her continued employment threatened his marriage. A district judge agreed, dismissing the case before trial, and the high court upheld that ruling.
Mansfield noted that Knight had an all-female workforce and Nelson was replaced by a woman.
He said the decision was in line with state and federal court rulings that found workers can be fired for relationships that cause jealousy and tension within a business owner's family. One such case from the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a business owner's firing of a valued employee who was seen by his wife as a threat to their marriage. In that case, the fired employee had engaged in flirtatious conduct.
Mansfield said allowing Nelson's lawsuit would stretch the definition of discrimination to allow anyone fired over a relationship to file a claim arguing they would not have been fired but for their gender.
Knight's attorney, Stuart Cochrane, said the court got it right. The decision clarified that bosses can make decisions showing favoritism to a family member without committing discrimination; in this case, by allowing Knight to honor his wife's wishes to fire Nelson, he said.
Knight is a very religious and moral individual, and he sincerely believed that firing Nelson would be best for all parties, he said.
"While there was really no fault on the part of Mrs. Nelson, it was just as clear the decision to terminate her was not related to the fact that she was a woman," he said. "The motives behind Dr. Knight terminating Mrs. Nelson were quite clear: He did so to preserve his marriage.
"I don't view this as a decision that was either pro-women or opposed to women rights at all. In my view, this was a decision that followed the appropriate case law."
via AP
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
McAfee: on the run
For the past week week, McAfee waged a public battle, requesting an asylum in Guatemala and arguing that police in Belize were persecuting him. Authorities turned down his request and told him he would have to leave the county.
"He opted to return to his country of origin," said attorney Telesforo Guerra, who has represented McAfee since he arrived in Guatemala last week.
Authorities in Belize, where McAfee had lived since 2008, say they want to talk to McAfee about the November 11killing of his neighbor, American businessman Gregory Faull.
McAfee said he had nothing to do with the death and insists he left Belize to escape police persecution.
Guatemalan authorities took him into custody on accusations of entering the country illegally, and his asylum bid was rejected.
McAfee told WSVN he has openly criticized Belize's government for seven months, making himself a "thorn in their side."
via CNN
Monday, December 3, 2012
opting to tweet about the design of Diet Pepsi cans and camels.
It's complicated between Kim Kardashian and the Middle East.
On the one hand, Kardashian is beloved enough that thousands of fans in Bahrain forked over the equivalent of $1,360 just to get a chance to see her open up a milkshake franchise yesterday, Reuters reports. Her arrival caused the crowd to break into "hysterical screams."
She gushed about how beautiful the country was and how hospitable the people were:
Thanks Sheikh Khalifa for your amazing hospitality. I'm in love with The Kingdom of Bahrain @Bu_Daij70
On the other hand, not everyone in Bahrain was excited to host the sex tape reality TV star. Hardline Sunni Muslim politicians tried to block Kardashian's visit to the country because of her "extremely bad reputation" (the motion was never voted on).
About 100 Sunni Salafists showed up to the opening of the Millions of Milkshakes franchise to protest. They brought signs calling her a porn star and stun grenades, while chanting "God Is Great, The Associated Press reported. Police fired tear gas into the crowd to disperse them.
Previously, Kardashian was in Kuwait to open another franchise for the West Hollywood-based Millions of Milkshakes.
She got into hot water earlier this month after tweeting that she was praying for peace in Israel, causing a backlash. She later tweeted that she was also praying for peace in Palestine. And then she just went ahead and deleted all her controversial tweets for peace altogether. During her trip, she avoided discussing politics altogether, opting to tweet about the design of Diet Pepsi cans and camels.
via laist
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
The Shamoon Virus
The hackers picked the one day of the year they knew they could inflict the most damage on the world’s most valuable company, Saudi Aramco.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Leon Panetta, secretary of defense for the United States, called the attack a "significant escalation of the cyber threat."
On Aug. 15, more than 55,000 Saudi Aramco employees stayed home from work to prepare for one of Islam’s holiest nights of the year — Lailat al Qadr, or the Night of Power — celebrating the revelation of the Koran to Muhammad.
That morning, at 11:08, a person with privileged access to the Saudi state-owned oil company’s computers, unleashed a computer virus to initiate what is regarded as among the most destructive acts of computer sabotage on a company to date. The virus erased data on three-quarters of Aramco’s corporate PCs — documents, spreadsheets, e-mails, files — replacing all of it with an image of a burning American flag.
United States intelligence officials say the attack’s real perpetrator was Iran, although they offered no specific evidence to support that claim. But the secretary of defense, Leon E. Panetta, in a recent speech warning of the dangers of computer attacks, cited the Aramco sabotage as “a significant escalation of the cyber threat.” In the Aramco case, hackers who called themselves the “Cutting Sword of Justice” and claimed to be activists upset about Saudi policies in the Middle East took responsibility.
via NY Times 2012/10/24/
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Lousy service, salty food, needlessly crowded, and an overly ambitious menu
36 reviews for Thyme Cafe
The service is consistently excellent, and the kitchen is VERY accommodating of dietary needs. Call ahead, and you can even have Gluten-Free Crab Cakes or Meatloaf!!
It the kind of local place I want to go back to again and again....and do.
It the kind of local place I want to go back to again and again....and do.
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5/2/2010Second thyme I've, been here The staff is friendly and attentive. I like this place, however the… Read more »
Review fromScott B.
Los Angeles, CA9/22/2012The owner cooked his wife Dawn for four days there. When he became a suspect he jumped off a cliff but survived. What a bizarre story!
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Thyme was closed this afternoon when I went there for lunch. At the front door was a sign with flowers that said RIP Dawn Viens.
I did a Google of the name to find that the chef/owner David Viens is clinging to his life after what looks like a suicide attempt. This is not bs, nor is a lie Google it yourself.