(CNN) -- Retired Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, who commanded coalition forces during the Gulf War, died Thursday, a U.S. official said.
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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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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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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!
The Cook and his Lover
On Tuesday, Calififornia restaurateur David Viens went on trial for allegedly murdering his wife, Dawn (though he maintains it was an accident), and cooking her (that part was intentional).
It started in 2009, over beer, bread and lemonade at a California Pizza Kitchen. The Los Angeles Times reported that at some point after dinner, the couple got into a fight that ended with Viens binding his wife's hands and feet with duct tape -- which he told police he'd done twice in the past to prevent her from "driving around wasted, whacked out on coke and drinking." Viens then fell asleep. He told Los Angeles County Sheriff's Sgt. Richard Garcia:
The next morning, "I woke up. I panicked," he said.
"Why — why did you panic?" Garcia asked.
"She was hard," Viens said.
She was hard because she was dead, as Viens quickly realized. To get rid of the body, the chef cooked it in a vat of boiling water for four days and drained the waste in a grease pit at The Thyme cafe.
via Salon.com 9/21/12 2:59 PM
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Real-life masked crusaders fight crime their own way
By his own admission, Dave Montgomery was a functioning drunk who hated himself. Not that many years ago he might guzzle 30 Rolling Rocks to mask the memory of a hit-and-run life that included two divorces and a precious daughter who died in childbirth.
After he quit boozing, his very existence bored him. Then one night in 2006 the suburban tattoo artist typed into a computer search the words he now says have made all the difference: "real-life superheroes."
Since then, he's joined a world of masked crusaders, morphing from flawed human to a fantastic creation straight out of his imagination. At least one night a month, he dons a black leather outfit that suggests pure urban menace, inserts blue contact lenses that give his eyes an eerie glow, and steps into industrial-goth boots that rise nearly to his knees.
And then comes the piece de resistance: a blood-red wraparound mask in the shape of a cross with no nose or mouth.
"It's like reapplying a very old skin you forgot you had, finding out all over again what you really look like," he says of his costume. "It just feels natural."
He calls himself Nihilist...
via John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times August 25, 2012, 9:29 p.m. SALT LAKE CITY —
After he quit boozing, his very existence bored him. Then one night in 2006 the suburban tattoo artist typed into a computer search the words he now says have made all the difference: "real-life superheroes."
Since then, he's joined a world of masked crusaders, morphing from flawed human to a fantastic creation straight out of his imagination. At least one night a month, he dons a black leather outfit that suggests pure urban menace, inserts blue contact lenses that give his eyes an eerie glow, and steps into industrial-goth boots that rise nearly to his knees.
And then comes the piece de resistance: a blood-red wraparound mask in the shape of a cross with no nose or mouth.
"It's like reapplying a very old skin you forgot you had, finding out all over again what you really look like," he says of his costume. "It just feels natural."
He calls himself Nihilist...
via John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times August 25, 2012, 9:29 p.m. SALT LAKE CITY —
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Gunman Kills 6 at Sikh Temple in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Deaths (Fatalities) Murders and Attempted Murders
In what police called an act of domestic terrorism, a gunman opened fire in a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis., south of Milwaukee, on Sunday.
NYT> Home Page 8/5/12 7:22 PM
NYT> Home Page 8/5/12 7:22 PM
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Saturday, June 30, 2012
The Demise of Fois Gras "SB 1520" comes into effect - banning the production and sale of foie gras - this weekend.
On the menu apparently, foie gras doughnuts, shaved foie gras piled in drifts and, says the paper, so much "foie gras ice cream" has been doled out it "actually became a cliche.
via Sky News 07/01/12
via Sky News 07/01/12
Man Plagued by Porn-Induced Headaches
A man plagued by porn-induced headaches has to take painkillers 30 minutes before watching the X-rated movies, according to a case study
via First Coast News 6/29/12
What kind of valuable evolutionary mutation is this?
via First Coast News 6/29/12
What kind of valuable evolutionary mutation is this?
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Sunday, June 24, 2012
The three party system? The Democrats, Republicans and The Brotherhood
BuzzFeed - Latest 6/24/12 1:10 PM
A lot has happened in Egypt over the last 18 months, culminating in the naming today of a new president. Here's what you need to know.
A lot has happened in Egypt over the last 18 months, culminating in the naming today of a new president. Here's what you need to know.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Civil Rights and Adidas' shackle shoe
Withdrawal of Adidas 'shackle' shoe draws support, criticism
3:54 PM, June 19, 2012
via Detroit Free Press
via Detroit Free Press
Obama drums up support
Obama immigration policy draws 64% support
Daily Kos 6/19/12 7:19 AM rss@dailykos.com (Laura Clawson) Barack Obama DREAM Act immigration
and from Reid:
USA Today:“Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid invoked baseball phenom Bryce Harper today when he was talking to the news media about immigration.”
Quote "That's a Clowns question bro!"
Daily Kos 6/19/12 7:19 AM rss@dailykos.com (Laura Clawson) Barack Obama DREAM Act immigration
and from Reid:
USA Today:“Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid invoked baseball phenom Bryce Harper today when he was talking to the news media about immigration.”
Quote "That's a Clowns question bro!"
19 June 2012 Last updated at 20:37 ET
Wikileaks' Julian Assange seeks asylum in Ecuador embassy Mr Assange is facing extradition to Sweden from Britain for questioning over alleged sex crimes
Julian Assange is seeking political asylum at Ecuador's London embassy, the country's foreign minister has said. "Ecuador is studying and analysing the request," Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino told reporters in Quito.
Last week the UK's Supreme Court dismissed Mr Assange's bid to reopen an appeal against extradition to Sweden over alleged sex crimes he denies.
via BBC uk
Wikileaks' Julian Assange seeks asylum in Ecuador embassy Mr Assange is facing extradition to Sweden from Britain for questioning over alleged sex crimes
Julian Assange is seeking political asylum at Ecuador's London embassy, the country's foreign minister has said. "Ecuador is studying and analysing the request," Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino told reporters in Quito.
Last week the UK's Supreme Court dismissed Mr Assange's bid to reopen an appeal against extradition to Sweden over alleged sex crimes he denies.
via BBC uk
Sunday, June 17, 2012
RIP Momento Mori Rodney King 6/17
Odd that on the anniversary of the riots Rodney King passes...
Beyoncé | Lady GaGa@iFreakum Rodney King was the reason my parents had a 3 VCR's when the L.A. riots happened.
via twitter
Beyoncé | Lady GaGa@iFreakum Rodney King was the reason my parents had a 3 VCR's when the L.A. riots happened.
via twitter
Thursday, June 14, 2012
'Moneyball' Godfather Bill James Tackles Politics In Super PAC Age
The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com 6/14/12 9:01 PM The Huffington Post News Editors http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/
WASHINGTON -- A political candidate being dramatically outspent by his opponent has few options. He can pin his hopes on a strong debate performance, dig up dirt on the opposition, or cut a particularly buzz-worthy television ad.
Or he can do what other industries, led by Major League Baseball, have done before: worship at the altar of Bill James.
James is the high priest of baseball number-crunching. In 1977, he began publishing the "Bill James Baseball Abstracts," which paved the way for "sabermetrics," a system of statistical analysis that fundamentally transformed the sport. In 2006, Time magazine named James one of the 100 most influential people in the world. If Billy Beane, manager of the perennially low-budget Oakland Athletics, is the face of "Moneyball" -- the ethos of small-budget teams competing against well-funded opponents -- James is its brain.
via Huff Post
via Huff Post
Jury Sides With Costner in BP Spill Lawsuit
NYT > Home Page 6/14/12 9:29 PM By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BP Plc|BP|NYSE
A federal jury late Thursday rejected claims that Kevin Costner and his business partner duped fellow actor Stephen Baldwin and a friend out of millions of dollars from a BP contract for using oil cleanup devices in the aftermath of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill.
via NY Times
via NY Times
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
CHENEY AND OBAMA COUSINS-EVERY FAMILY HAS A BLACK SHEEP
updated 10/17/2007 7:27:24 AM ET
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WASHINGTON — Though they may spar across the political aisle, Vice President Dick Cheney is close enough to Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama to call him “cousin.”
Eighth cousin, that is.
Lynne Cheney, the vice president’s wife, revealed this tantalizing bit of political trivia during a television interview Tuesday.
She said she uncovered the long-ago ties between the two while researching her ancestry for her latest book, “Blue Skies, No Fences,” a memoir about growing up in Wyoming.
“This is such an amazing American story that one ancestor ... could be responsible down the family lines ...
via AP
via AP
Leaks Could Sink Obama White House
The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com 6/12/12 4:20 PM The Huffington Post News Editors http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/
By opening an investigation into the leaks of classified information, the Obama White House appears to be entering the kind of perilous Fill-In-The-Blank-Gate terrain that has eventually engulfed most administrations in the modern era.
Read More...
More on Barack Obama
George Zimmerman's Wife Charged With Perjury
NYT > Home Page 6/12/12 4:41 PM By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS American Express Company|AXP|NYSE
The wife of Trayvon Martin's shooter was charged with perjury Tuesday, accused of lying when she told a judge that the couple had limited funds during a hearing that resulted in her husband being released on $150,000 bond.
VIA NY TIMES
VIA NY TIMES
BANK ROBBERS DON'T MAKE A LOT OF MONEY
The average take in a British bank robbery is a modest 12,706.60 euros (about $15,887) per person, compared with an average of $4,330 in U.S. bank robberies. Given that the average U.K.wage for fully employed people in Britain is about 26,000 euros, a bank robbery "will give him a modest lifestyle for no more than 6 months." If he robs two, he will still have only a modest lifestyle. Four robberies, and the odds are excellent that he will land in jail. "As a profitable occupation, bank robbery leaves a lot to be desired," the authors wrote. (A similar analysis of drug dealing in the book "Freakonomics" explains why most low-level dealers live with their mothers: The activity is so unprofitable that they cannot afford a place of their own.) That may be why bank robberies are declining in the U.K. and the U.S.
via LA Times
SO MY BUCK SIXTY FIVE GOES TO U.S. JOB CREATION NOOOT GREEN COFFEE IN THE THIRD WORLD?
By Tiffany Hsu June 12, 2012, 10:55 a.m.
Starbucks Corp. has a new line of merchandise that, in line with the conscientious capitalism efforts at several major companies, it said will be used to help support American jobs. The coffee giant will sell a limited-edition mug, tumbler and bag of coffee – all made domestically – to raise money for its Create Jobs for USA fund.
via LA Times
Economic Accountability: Economic transparency is required. Suppliers must submit evidence of payments made throughout the coffee supply chain to demonstrate how much of the price that Starbucks pays for green (unroasted) coffee gets to the farmer.
via Starbucks.com
By Tiffany Hsu June 12, 2012, 10:55 a.m.
Starbucks Corp. has a new line of merchandise that, in line with the conscientious capitalism efforts at several major companies, it said will be used to help support American jobs. The coffee giant will sell a limited-edition mug, tumbler and bag of coffee – all made domestically – to raise money for its Create Jobs for USA fund.
via LA Times
Economic Accountability: Economic transparency is required. Suppliers must submit evidence of payments made throughout the coffee supply chain to demonstrate how much of the price that Starbucks pays for green (unroasted) coffee gets to the farmer.
via Starbucks.com
Thursday, June 7, 2012
A parasitic mite has helped a virus wipe out billions of honeybees across the globe, say scientists.
A team studying honeybees in Hawaii found that the Varroa mite helped spread a particularly nasty strain of a disease called deformed wing virus.
This has led to "one of the most widely-distributed and contagious insect viruses on the planet".
The findings are reported in the journal Science.
Victoria Gill reports.
Canadian Cop Says "Cannibal Killer" Was in L.A. at Time of "Hollywood Hills Body Parts" Murder
Magnotta (left) and Medellin
The Toronto Sun reports that "Montreal police Cmdr. Ian Lafreniere confirmed Thursday that the LAPD is probing possible links between Magnotta and the murder of Hervey Medellin, a gay former flight attendant," adding, "Lafreniere said Magnotta was in Los Angeles at the time of Medellin's murder."
Earlier this week, an item in the New York Observer attempted to link online activity on various sites with Magnotta; while some have been disproved, there is still the possibility some of the internet postings from the time put Magnotta in L.A., including that " Magnotta advertised his services on Facebook as an L.A.-based masseuse" at the time of the Medellin murder in January 2012. Additionally, "a Los-Angeles-based pimp claims to have hired Magnotta to work as a prostitute in January."
Magnotta, a gay adult performer, escort, and kitten killer, was arrested in Berlin, Germany this week. Magnotta stands accused of killing Lin Jun, a Chinese student living and studying in Montreal. The killer sent various body parts from Lin's corpse to various law enforcement and political offices in Canada, and a video verified as authentic by police was posted online of the killing.
The news that Canadian authorities put Magnotta in L.A. in January definitely contradicts the anonymous law enforcement sources who spoke to the L.A. Times Wednesday to say the only connection between the two cases was how bizarre they both are.
The Los Angeles Police Department have made no official statement on any Magnotta connection to the Medellin case, which remains unsolved. According to KTLA, the LAPD are investigating the connection.
The front-runner in Mexico's presidential race says his party, the PRI, has changed since it was ousted from power in 2000. Many Mexicans yearn for the peace and order the country experienced under PRI rule. But others worry about the rampant corruption that brought about the party's downfall.
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» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Ray Bradbury, the American author of Fahrenheit 451 and Something Wicked This Way Comes, died today. He was 91 years old.
Bradbury was born in Waukegan, Illinois, in 1920, and he spent part of his teen years in Los Angeles, where he graduated high school. He got a start in publishing as a newspaper hawker, and in 1943 he became a full-time writer. Bradbury’s first published works consisted of short stories, a form he would master over the course of his career. The prolific writer also wrote novels, essays, plays, teleplays, and poetry.
Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles was his first big break in science fiction publishing. The series of short stories told tales of Earth’s inhabitants colonizing the planet Mars, and Bradbury collected them into a single work. He also sold The Illustrated Man at the same time as The Martian Chronicles; both works brought him commercial success. In 1953, Bradbury published Fahrenheit 451. The book’s vision of a totalitarian state that burns books proved to be a provocative ideological work that evoked strong memories of Nazi Germany during World War II and pitted a strong ideology of freedom of ideas against totalitarian regimes.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
The gourd, originally used to store gunpowder, was extensively decorated on the outside with a flame tool. Burned into its surface is the text: “Maximilien Bourdaloue on January 21st, dipped his handkerchief in the blood of Louis XVI after his beheading.”
“It is described in contemporaneous accounts that there was a lot of blood in the scaffold after the beheading and that, in fact, many people went there to dip their handkerchiefs in the blood,” Carles Lalueza-Fox, lead author of the study and a researcher at Spain’s Institute of Evolutionary Biology, told Discovery News.
The handkerchief is now missing from the gourd, but Lalueza-Fox and his team identified a brownish substance on the interior of the dried squash. Biochemical tests determined that the substance was dried blood.
via MSNBC 10/25/2010 11:01:13 AM ET
Unemployment Figures...
Barack Obama attacks Congress over latest low employment numbers
- The Guardian World News 6/2/12 7:58 AM Paul Harris
After a week of bad figures, president says failure to pass last year's jobs bill in its entirety has slowed economic recovery President Barack Obama attempted to shift blame for a shock rise in America's unemployment on Saturday, attacking an obstructionist Congress for failing to pass job-creation measures.
The bad economic data, which showed the US had created just 69,000 new jobs in April and unemployment had gone up for the first time in a year to 8.2 percent, contributed to a worldwide fall in stock prices. The news was far worse than expectations and stands a chance of significantly impacting on Obama's chances of re-election as both he and his Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, believe the health of the US economy will be the key factor in voters' minds come November. In his weekly address, Obama spoke from the floor of a Minnesota factory where he held a campaign rally late last week. He attacked Congress for only passing a few parts of a planned jobs bill last year, rather than the whole package. "There's no excuse for that. Not when so many people are still looking for work, not when so many people are struggling to pay the bills," he said.
Obama acknowledged that the US economy was struggling and pinned the blame on fallout from the ongoing eurozone crisis and high gas prices which had hit US consumer confidence. "The economy is growing again, but it is not growing fast enough. Our businesses have created almost 4.3m new jobs over the pas 27 months, but as we learned in this week's jobs report, we're not creating them fast enough," Obama said.
Republicans, who control the House of Representatives, have criticised the jobs bill as an example of out-of-control government spending at a time when the country faces a fiscal crisis and needs to cut back. They have now seized on the latest job numbers to attack Obama's record on the economy.
Romney said the poor figures were down to Obama's policies. "The president's policies and his handling of the economy has been dealt a harsh indictment," he told a television interviewer after the numbers were released. "In many respects their policies have it harder for the economy to recover." Romney's campaign is now focusing its appeal on the idea that economic growth will tick upwards if there is a change at the White House. With the 2012 election in full swing now, and expected to be fought over the economy, latest polls show a close race. The Real Clear Politics rolling average of polls has Obama with a narrow lead of just two points over Romney. But in some of the latest surveys, such as the Rasmussen Tracking Poll, Romney has moved into a lead.
via The Guardian World News 6/2/12 7:58 AM
After a week of bad figures, president says failure to pass last year's jobs bill in its entirety has slowed economic recovery President Barack Obama attempted to shift blame for a shock rise in America's unemployment on Saturday, attacking an obstructionist Congress for failing to pass job-creation measures.
The bad economic data, which showed the US had created just 69,000 new jobs in April and unemployment had gone up for the first time in a year to 8.2 percent, contributed to a worldwide fall in stock prices. The news was far worse than expectations and stands a chance of significantly impacting on Obama's chances of re-election as both he and his Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, believe the health of the US economy will be the key factor in voters' minds come November. In his weekly address, Obama spoke from the floor of a Minnesota factory where he held a campaign rally late last week. He attacked Congress for only passing a few parts of a planned jobs bill last year, rather than the whole package. "There's no excuse for that. Not when so many people are still looking for work, not when so many people are struggling to pay the bills," he said.
Obama acknowledged that the US economy was struggling and pinned the blame on fallout from the ongoing eurozone crisis and high gas prices which had hit US consumer confidence. "The economy is growing again, but it is not growing fast enough. Our businesses have created almost 4.3m new jobs over the pas 27 months, but as we learned in this week's jobs report, we're not creating them fast enough," Obama said.
Republicans, who control the House of Representatives, have criticised the jobs bill as an example of out-of-control government spending at a time when the country faces a fiscal crisis and needs to cut back. They have now seized on the latest job numbers to attack Obama's record on the economy.
Romney said the poor figures were down to Obama's policies. "The president's policies and his handling of the economy has been dealt a harsh indictment," he told a television interviewer after the numbers were released. "In many respects their policies have it harder for the economy to recover." Romney's campaign is now focusing its appeal on the idea that economic growth will tick upwards if there is a change at the White House. With the 2012 election in full swing now, and expected to be fought over the economy, latest polls show a close race. The Real Clear Politics rolling average of polls has Obama with a narrow lead of just two points over Romney. But in some of the latest surveys, such as the Rasmussen Tracking Poll, Romney has moved into a lead.
via The Guardian World News 6/2/12 7:58 AM
Emperor of Banana Republic- Sam the Banana Man
When Sam emigrated from Russia in 1891, he was tall, intelligent, ambitious and poor. Within a few years, he’d seen his first banana, and that made all the difference. By 1899, Sam was a familiar figure on wharves in Mobile and New Orleans, where he bought the freckled bananas other traders dumped as too ripe. For Zemurray, a huge man who could swear in five languages, hustle was the name of the game. Who says you can’t get ‘em to market in time? Schmucks!
When Sam died in the grandest house in New Orleans in 1961, he was among the most powerful men in the country, the longtime head of United Fruit, the global behemoth that ruled in Central and South America for 50 years. In between, he lived and fought in cities and jungles, cl
eared fields, planted stems, smuggled weapons, fomented revolutions, advised presidents, built towns. When thwarted by the government of Honduras in 1911, he recruited a mercenary army in the dives of New Orleans’ French Quarter and went to war, replacing the Honduran president with one more to his liking. United Fruit repeated the trick in Guatemala in 1954, this time working with the CIA.
via Salon [book review of The Fish That Ate The Whale by Rich Cohen]
The Rochester boy skipped school Friday to attend Obama's visit to a Honeywell factory in Golden Valley with his dad.
"I had a chance to shake his hand. The President said, 'You must be missing school,'" Tyler told local station KARE.
When Tyler admitted to ditching, Obama pulled out a golden slip of his official stationary — stamped with his presidential seal — and scrawled the missive with a felt-tipped black pen.
News footage of the meet-up showed Tyler in a checkered hoodie beaming from behind a barricade while Obama jotted down the excuse.
"Pretty cool. And it's like, oh, I'm famous! It's really cool," Tyler told ABC's "Good Morning America," while showing off the now-framed note.
He said he'll show it to Mr. Ackerman on Monday.
via NY Daily News 6/3 2012
via NY Daily News 6/3 2012
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Elizabeth Warren Gains Democratic Endorsement in Senate Campaign
NYT > Home Page 6/2/12 8:53 PM By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE Warren, Elizabeth Elections Native Americans Massachusetts Senate DeFranco, Marisa Brown, Scott P United States Politics and Government
After a month of floundering, Elizabeth Warren, the embattled Senate candidate in Massachusetts, gained the Democratic endorsement, avoiding a primary fight.
Friday, June 1, 2012
The Liberal Republican --Bush
Jeb Bush accepts reality, rejects VP
Salon.com 6/1/12 1:22 PM Politics All Salon Jeb Bush Comments
Last summer, in one of the first Republican presidential debates, every single candidate on the stage said they would turn down a hypothetical deal with Democrats to cut $10 dollars in government spending for just $1 in tax increases.
Today, former Florida governor Jeb Bush broke with his party’s anti-tax theology when he told House Republicans that he would happily take that deal. “If you could bring to me a majority of people to say that we’re going to have $10 in spending cuts for $1 of revenue enhancement -- put me in, coach,” Bush told the House Budget Committee, chaired by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
And in perhaps an even greater conservative sacrilege, Bush told the committee that he has repeatedly rejected signing Grover Norquist’s anti-tax pledge. Virtually every Republican in the country running for everything from president to state representative has signed Norquist’s pledge, which holds lawmakers to a hardline anti-tax policy that doesn’t even allow for the expiration of corporate subsidies, like those for ethanol production.
Continue Reading...
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
FDA Rules Corn Syrup Can't Change Its Name To Corn Sugar
NPR Topics: News 5/30/12 2:13 PM
The FDA ruled that changing the name high fructose corn syrup to "corn sugar" would cause confusion. Makers of corn syrup say their product has unfairly received a bad rap and had asked the agency to allow the change almost two years ago.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
via NPR
via NPR
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Senate fails to agree on student-loan-rate freeze
Washington Post: Breaking News, World, US, DC News & Analysis 5/24/12 1:27 PM Rosalind S. Helderman Mitt Romney Democratic Party small business
The Senate held two votes Thursday on measures to ensure that student loan rates for millions of college students do not double in July — and at the conclusion of the legislative action, the issue remained exactly where it began: stuck.
via Washington Post
via Washington Post
Hollywood Filmmakers Given Access to Secret Info About Bin Laden's Killing
A political watchdog organization recently found out that Hollywood director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal were granted access to highly secret information about Osama bin Laden's capture, and they're not happy about it. The website Judicial Watch reported today that it had gotten a hold of 153 pages of transcripts detailing meetings between the filmmakers and officials from the Department of Defense as well as the CIA.
In the transcripts, it becomes apparent that Bigelow and Boal spoke to a member of SEAL Team 6, and were granted access to the secret area where planning for the bin Laden raid was carried out.
via laist 5/24/12
A political watchdog organization recently found out that Hollywood director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal were granted access to highly secret information about Osama bin Laden's capture, and they're not happy about it. The website Judicial Watch reported today that it had gotten a hold of 153 pages of transcripts detailing meetings between the filmmakers and officials from the Department of Defense as well as the CIA.
In the transcripts, it becomes apparent that Bigelow and Boal spoke to a member of SEAL Team 6, and were granted access to the secret area where planning for the bin Laden raid was carried out.
via laist 5/24/12
Sunday, May 20, 2012
via Salon:
Don't believe what Newsweek's cover tells you: The first gay president was James Buchanan more than a century ago
The best speculation about the sexuality of the nonshaving Buchanan, who in his portraits has the eunuchlike, endomorphic features of body and face, as well as the low hairline characteristics of asexual men with low levels of testosterone, is that he had little interest in sex. What is important in his story is the deep friendship he maintained with the southerner King from the time of their first acquaintanceship until the latter's death.
Google gets China OK for Motorola deal
By The Associated Press – 1 day ago
NEW YORK (AP) — Authorities in China have approved Google Inc.'s bid to buy phone maker Motorola Mobility, clearing the way for the $12.5 billion deal to close early next week.
But Chinese regulators attached a big condition: That Google's Android operating system for mobile devices remain available to all at no cost for the next five years.
The approval brings the Internet search giant closer to sealing its biggest acquisition ever. Buying Motorola allows Google to expand into manufacturing phones, tablet computers and other consumer devices for the first time. The deal also gives Google access to more than 17,000 Motorola patents.
via The Associated Press. All rights reserved. 5/20/2012
via The Associated Press. All rights reserved. 5/20/2012
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
NPR Topics: News 5/16/12 4:46 PM
Mary Richardson Kennedy, 52, had trouble with drugs and alcohol and had two high-profile arrests around the time her husband filed for divorce in 2010. An autopsy was scheduled for Thursday.
via NPR Topics: News 5/16/12 4:46 PM
You Mean I Can Lose Ugly Fat byWearing Ugly Shoes
Gawker 5/16/12 5:56 PM Caity Weaver skechers free money Lawsuits Refunds Scams Snake Oil Sneakers Swindles
All your friends laughed at you when you bought magic sneakers you thought would transform you into Kate Upton while you sat around and watched TV, but who's laughing now that Skechers has agreed to pay out $40 million in refunds to those poor saps like yourself who bought the shoes and their claims, hook, line, and sinker? More »
via Gawker 5/16/12 5:56 PM
Strange Days and Strange Heros
For De-Friending The U.S., Facebook's Eduardo Saverin Is An American Hero
As is well known now, Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin recently renounced his U.S. citizenship. Though no specific reason was given by Saverin for his decision, wise minds could very credibly proclaim him an American hero for doing what he did.
via Forbes
5/13/2012 @ 5:01PM
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Financial Reform
May 11 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. lawmakers and interest groups favoring tighter restrictions on proprietary trading said JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s $2 billion loss on synthetic credit securities bolsters their case.
Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and co-author of the so-called Volcker rule, said the New York-based bank’s disclosure is a “stark reminder” to regulators drafting the proprietary-trading ban required by the Dodd-Frank Act.
via Washington Post
via Washington Post
The London Whale
JP Morgan trader 'London Whale' blows $13bn hole in bank's value
The Guardian - 1 day ago
... of the trading activities of Bruno Iksil – nicknamed the London Whale for his ... spends Monday to Thursday in London, staying in a flat in Earls Court, ..
via The Guardian
via The Guardian
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Split gene could have created human brains
Split gene could have created human brains: "
SEATTLE, May 3 (UPI) -- A single gene mutation may have started the evolution of large human brains 2.5 million years ago as humans diverged from early cousins, U.S. researchers say.
"(Via Latest News - UPI.com.)
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
May Day Occupy protests - live coverage
May Day Occupy protests - live coverage: "
Live coverage of Occupy and May Day protests in New York and other US cities, plus highlights from around the world
NAVIGATE THIS BLOG
TWEETS: Ryan Devereaux (@RDevro) in NYC
PHOTOS: protests from around the world
LIVE STREAMS: live videos from around the country
SUMMARY: the latest developments
And still they go past. Unions appeared to be at the front of the march, with more bona fide Occupy protesters bringing up the rear. From nine floors up the action appeared good natured.
Sorry for the shakiness – I'm scared of heights.
In New York protesters are walking down Broadway from Union Square, which takes them straight past the Guardian's office - here's a photo.
Overhead shot of #OWS protesters marching along Broadway in SoHo just now #m1gs twitter.com/AdamGabbatt/st…
— Adam Gabbatt (@AdamGabbatt) May 1, 2012
In Seattle a "citizen superhero" has allegedly sprayed protesters with pepper spray, according to Gawker.
Rodney Lotter posted an image to his Facebook of the superhero, adding: "Phoenix Jones and his spider man sidekick pepper spraying people randomly (including me while trying to take pics) in front of the court house earlier".
According to various reports on Twitter occupy Wall Street protesters have left Union Square and are marching towards Wall Street. This photo suggests there are a lot of them.
Here's a summary of the events so far:
• Activists across the US have joined in 1 May protests. The Occupy movement has called on protesters to participate in a General Strike: stay home from work and school, skip the chores and take to the streets.
• Police in Oakland have used tear gas on a crowd of protesters. San Francisco Chronicle reporter Demian Bulwa said police confirmed to him they used the gas "to gain the attention of the crowd". Officers took four people into custody.
• In New York 15 protesters had been arrested by 4.30pm. A large crowd of protesters have gathered in Union Square ahead of a march to Wall Street this evening.
Earlier we heard about Josh Harkinson, a Mother Jones writer, report that just prior to tear gas being used in Oakland police apparently attempting to restrain a woman had "knocked her off her bike and tackled her".
This video footage appears to be of the same incident, from ABC7. At first glance it seems heavy handed to say the least.
Police in Oakland have apparently confirmed that tear gas was used earlier today. San Francisco Chronicle reporter Demian Bulwa tweets:
PIO Watson confirms tear gas was used on #oo "to gain the attention of the crowd" that surrounded officers "which was effective"
— Demian Bulwa (@demianbulwa) May 1, 2012
Some 15 protesters had been arrested as of 4.30pm, according to the Daily News.
The NYPD says 15 protesters have been arrested as of 4:30 p.m. for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Several demonstrators were busted carrying hammers, but police reported few instances of vandalism.
Officials said someone threw paint on a police cruiser on the Bowery, and one demonstrator was arrested for bumping a scooter cop on Sixth Ave. and biting an assistant chief in the Intelligence Division on the finger.
In New York, occupy protesters have just been watching Tom Morello take to the stage at Union Square with his "guitarmy". Here's a picture from livecaster Tim Pool's stream:
Robert Salonga, a reporter at the Contra Costa Times, has tweeted a few pictures of the scene in Oakland right now.
Tear gas at 14th and Broadway. OPD orders people off the street #bayM1GS twitter.com/robertsalonga/…
— Robert Salonga (@robertsalonga) May 1, 2012
Salonga says one of the police officers at the scene has been hit by paint.
OPD rounding up people in 1400 block of Broadway; officer hit with paint twitter.com/robertsalonga/…
— Robert Salonga (@robertsalonga) May 1, 2012
There are reports that tear gas has been deployed in Oakland. Mother Jones writer Josh Harkinson just tweeted that a "flashbang grenade just went off" before saying he had just been teargassed.
However there is some confusion as to whether it was a smoke bomb or tear gas:
Correction: smokebomb, not teargas ##bayMGS1
— Oakland Local (@oaklandlocal) May 1, 2012
Not sure if it was teargas or just flashbang smoke, but it stings like hell
— Josh Harkinson (@JoshHarkinson) May 1, 2012
Harkinson reported leading up to this that as police detained a woman they "knocked her off her bike and tackled her", adding it was "Totally uncler why".
Kettling nets are quite a blast from the past. They were all the rage last year.
Police bring out kettling nets as protesters approach 11th street and 6th ave #m1gs twitter.com/DeLucaMattS/st…
— Matthew DeLuca (@DeLucaMattS) May 1, 2012
Quite a gang:
Hundreds of protesters sitting on 5 Av at 20 St. Apparently waiting for other group cut off by police twitter.com/AlexSilverman/…
— Alex Silverman (@AlexSilverman) May 1, 2012
Ryan Devereaux tweets from Union Square:
Several hundred people gathered for the permitted rally in Union Square, with a large march en route to join. #m1gs twitter.com/RDevro/status/…
— Ryan Devereaux (@RDevro) May 1, 2012
Here's the latest news story from Ryan Devereaux and Eoin Reynolds on the day so far:
In Bryant Park in New York, a focal point of the protest in the city, there were many of the staple elements of Occupy's original encampment, including a library with works from Thoreau, Alice Walker and F Scott Fitzgerald.
A screenprinting table was set up where participants could "up-cycle" their clothing, taking old their clothes and adding Occupy logos and imagery to them.
"Why buy something new when you can improve something you already have?" said David Yap, who was volunteering at the stand.
Eileen Maxwell arrived in New York on Saturday, motivated by the influence of corporate money on the political process. "We've got to get corporate money out of Congress," Maxwell said. "I'm gonna be here all day, all night."
Maxwell dismissed the idea that the protest movement had declined in relevance. "People think we're invisible. We're not," she said.
Photo embed of Occupy Boston marchers in the rain, courtesy of my colleague Katie Rogers:
Boom. #m1gsbos #m1gs twitpic.com/9g418f
— stuff someone said (@axb21) May 1, 2012
Rainy weather appeared to be an early morning deterrent to Occupy Boston protesters, but by early afternoon a crowd was marching and handing out "Occupy Justice" clothing patches to bystanders. The "Death of Capitalism Funeral Procession" is set to begin at Trinity Church in the city's Back Bay area around 7pm.
I've just been speaking to Laura Long, who is part of the Occupy Oakland strike action in California. She said protesters have split into separate groups, including "anti-capitalist, anti-patriarchy and anti-gentrification", and are marching to areas in downtown Oakland.
She said the reaction from passersby had been "very mixed" but "for the most part [there has been] a lot of support". There were some 150 people in Laura's march, she said, with protesters expecting numbers to grow through the day.
As we spoke Laura and her fellow protesters arrived at Wells Fargo bank in downtown Oakland, where there is currently a stand off with police. Steven Angell sends this picture from the scene.
This is Adam Gabbatt taking over from Tom McCarthy's excellent work.
Arrests now in Washington Square Park as well. New York police have not released a tally of arrests for the day so far. We have picked up reports of about 10 over the course of the morning. As protesters converge on Union Square there may be more.
Multiple arrests, at least two, made outside Washington Square Park. A police scooter kicked to the ground in the process of one. #M1GS
— Ryan Devereaux (@RDevro) May 1, 2012
Former Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello is addressing the crowd in Bryant Park. He's to lead the "guitarmy" – a cadre of protesters bearing instruments – in a march to Union Square.
Morello is talking about Woody Guthrie.
"This year is the 100th anniversary of Woody Guthrie's birth. If he were alive, even at 100, he would be in the streets with us today to sing this song – our song – 'This Land Is Your Land'."
Morello begins singing the song. Guthrie, whose father was a Democratic booster, was named for Woodrow Wilson, the Democratic candidate for president in 1912, the year the folk singer was born on Bastille Day, July 14.
@NSFreePress has a dozen cameras in the crowds in NYC. You can check out their live blog here.
One last photo from @christopherdh90 who is in the thick of the wildcat march in Downtown Manhattan. twitter.com/NSFreePress/st…
— The NS Free Press (@NSFreePress) May 1, 2012
Heh
Important update from #ows wildcat march from @newyorkist
— Adrian Chen (@AdrianChen) May 1, 2012
An arrest in Oakland after an alleged chalking incident.
First arrest. Was chalking -Anti-capitalist march #OO #m1gs #1 twitter.com/oaklandlocal/s…
— Oakland Local (@oaklandlocal) May 1, 2012
A May Day rally in Minneapolis, which you can follow at the uneditedcamera livestream.
The music at this march is good.
Marchers are moving through the Mission District of San Francisco. Occupy marchers there have joined up with unions and immigrants rights groups.
You can follow the action in San Francisco on the punkboyinsf live stream.
And by the way, you can check out Occupy Unity to keep up with live streams across the country.
Reports of clashes between police and protesters at the Occupy rally in Oakland. A live stream is here.
Here, somewhat fuzzily, is the scene outside a Wells Fargo bank in downtown Oakland.
occupywallst.org reports that helicopters are overhead. And in fact they are audible in the CourtneyOccupy livestream from the site.
Protesters are chanting "Whose streets? Our streets." But they're hard to hear with the helicopters.
My colleague Adam Gabbatt caught the march on Houston St.
Houston and Chrystie protest. 150ish people #m1gs twitter.com/AdamGabbatt/st…
— Adam Gabbatt (@AdamGabbatt) May 1, 2012
My colleague Ryan Devereaux is nearby. He has found the "Kill Capitalism, Save the World" sign we saw crossing the Williamsburg Bridge earlier.
Wildcat march staging in SoHo. #m1gs twitter.com/RDevro/status/…
— Ryan Devereaux (@RDevro) May 1, 2012
A quick overview of the Occupy protests in NYC at the moment. Observers report large crowds of protesters, numbering in the hundreds, on Fifth Ave. in Midtown and on Houston Street.
A large number of protesters remains in Bryant Park. The protesters also have a permit to gather at 4pm in Union Square, which may bring together the largest crowd of the day as rallies uptown and downtown converge.
@Timcast is capturing the action on 5th Ave.
May Day protests in NYC.
Here's a picture of those arrests earlier on the Williamsburg Bridge.
RT @DeLucaMattS: About three marchers put in plastic cuffs as marchers cross Williamsburg bridge #M1GS #OWS twitter.com/DeLucaMattS/st…
— Les (@LesHugTX) May 1, 2012
A new live stream out of LA, by CrossXBones.
A small group of protesters chants, "Black, brown, Asian, white, LA for the general strike."
The NYPD official Twitter account has been inactive for 21 hours.
Nothing to see here.
Suspect wanted for 4/26 public lewdness on subway on #Manhattan bound R train SteinwaySt 8005778477 yfrog.com/kgm7qkwj
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) April 30, 2012
A couple live stream updates from the West Coast.
The livestream of the protest that just crossed the Williamsburg Bridge is showing major protest activity on the Manhattan side of the bridge, on Delancey street and through the Lower East side.
Follow OneSabin on Ustream for updates.
The protest on the Lower East Side features a full marching band. Dressed as a marching band.
occupywallst.org is encouraging demonstrators to converge at Houston and 2nd Ave.
11:10am: Occupy Bushwick crossing the Williamsburg Bridge to join demos in Manhattan. Many folks heading back to Bryant Square to rest until next action. The Bike Bloc will be converging at 1 PM for wildcat march at Houston and 2nd Ave. Bring your bicycle! Meanwhile in Washington, DC, @OccupyKSt tweets: ¨We're already arriving at Malcolm X park for celebration. #M1 festivities start at 3, march at 6!¨
Police activity in Midtown, three avenue blocks from the heart of the protests in Bryant Park.
Immigrant worker justice march has been encircled by riot police with batons out. 40th St. & Lexington #M1GS #MayDay twitter.com/mgouldwartofsk…
— M. Gould-Wartofsky (@mgouldwartofsky) May 1, 2012
Reports of protesters marching across the Williamsburg and Brooklyn bridges. See a live stream of marchers on the Williamsburg Bridge here.
The camera is following a tuba player, and being followed by protesters carrying a banner reading "Kill Capitalism, Save the World."
Protesters in Chicago have started marching through the Loop in the city's downtown area, chanting against Bank of America: "You pay, I pay, B of A has got to Pay!"
Watch the livestream of the march here. According to Chicagoist, nearby businesses, including Bank of America, were told to give vendor lists to law enforcement officials and to keep their cameras on and working.
View of the protest at Bryant Park.
What may have been the largest #m1sg march has just returned to Bryant Park. #ows twitter.com/RDevro/status/…
— Ryan Devereaux (@RDevro) May 1, 2012
Expected at the park at noon is Tom Morello, formerly of Rage Against the Machine, who will lead a "Guitarmy" Guitar Workshop and Rehearsal.
The gathering at Bryant Park is operating with a permit from the city of New York.
Most protesters are celebrating May Day as an occasion to commemorate and promulgate the struggle for workers' rights.
Some, however, are unwilling to give up their attachment to the holiday's colorful pagan roots.
Let them eat their cake – and have it too.
May Day in Bryant Park yfrog.com/obmifdpsj
— Lysandra Ohrstrom (@LysandraO) May 1, 2012
How big is the nationwide Occupy General Strike? We invite you to form your own reporter estimate.
Here are live streams of Occupy protests in:
New York and New York
Portland
Chicago
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Who are we missing? Tweet @TeeMcSee or @KatieRogers
Workers, unions and demonstrators have taken to the streets across the globe to mark May Day, and participants and locals have shared the scenes on Twitter.
If you've been involved in an event to mark May Day, send a tweet to @guardian and we'll update this Storify.
Our Karen McVeigh has more on the internal memo produced by the NYPD to guide officer response to today's protests:
Produced by the NYPD SHIELD counterterrorism programme, it warns of possible "militant elements" among protesters and of disruptive activities, such as vandalism.
The briefing, dated April 27, 2012, noted there are "fissures" within the OWS movement and that a "respect for diversity of tactics" included vandalism.
It said: "The General Strike is the first of several major global demonstrations that the OWS movement has played a role in planning, including demonstrations scheduled for May 12, May 15 and May 17-21. As such, it should be expected that organizers have emphasized the important of turnout and will be seeking maximum media coverage."
It warned that "pop-up" and splinter demonstrations and flash mobs may occur at any time especially during the evening actions.
The disruptive events referred to in the NYPD briefing include:
* an unpermited "wildcat march" at 1pm at Sara D Roosevelt Park. Organisers have advocated the use of so-called "Black-bloc" tactics to confront the police "sometimes violently" and cited the tactics used in the G20 summit in Pittsburgh when trash cans, rocks and barricades were used in confrontations with police.
* a "Bike Bloc" in which small groups of protesters on bikes would try to disrupt traffic
*attempts to block Manhattan-bound traffic at bridges and tunnels as well as attempts to stop ferry passengers.
* an NYPD hoodie march against police violence
Follow our Ryan Devereaux as he tweets from the Occupy protests in New York City today.
My colleague Katie Rogers has more detail on May Day Occupy protests planned nationwide today:
EAST COAST: In the District, over 300 protesters have RSVP'd to a May Day festival to begin at 3:30pm EST, and a march from Malcolm X Park (16th St and Euclid St NW) beginning at 6pm EST; the group plans to end their march at the White House.
MIDWEST: Occupy Chicago protesters will rally at 1pm EST. According to The Chicago Tribune, protesters will gather at Union Park on the city's West side and proceed with a 2pm march to Federal Plaza in the Loop.
WEST COAST: A large march is planned for the West Coast, but protesters say they will no longer attempt to shut down the Golden Gate Bridge as previously planned. Protesters say they'll participate in worker and student protests and strikes in Oakland and San Francisco.
An Occupy protester is arrested in Midtown. Infraction unknown.
Occupy protesters are planning May Day protests across the country. A Washington DC protest is scheduled for 3.30pmET. A protest in Chicago is due to start momentarily. In San Francisco, ferry operators have shut down service this morning in anticipation of a strike, according to CNN.
In Los Angeles, a "'4 Winds' People's Power Car and Bike Caravan" is planned to move from the four corners of the city and converge around downtown LA this afternoon.
The Occupy protest moving down 5th Ave. in Manhattan is big enough that the sidewalks are full and police have yelled at protesters to clear intersections. The crowd is moving but the number of people involved makes fluid movement impossible.
We're watching Tim Pool's livecast as he walks with the crowd.
The rain has stopped in New York. It's not exactly sunny, but the umbrellas and ponchos have disappeared.
Protesters are chanting, "Banks got bailed out, we got sold out."
A crowd of what appears to be hundreds of protesters is moving off 6th Ave. toward Rockefeller plaza. The crowd stopped in front of a Chase Bank branch, where police officers formed a cordon.
#M1GS march makes a stop at Chase. Protesters chant to police, "Who do you serve? Who do you protect?" twitter.com/RDevro/status/…
— Ryan Devereaux (@RDevro) May 1, 2012
March now heading east on 51st #m1gs #ows twitter.com/mollyknefel/st…
— Molly Knefel (@mollyknefel) May 1, 2012
Here's a split screen of live video of Occupy protests in NYC and in London.
Other live streams from New York here and here.
The Occupy Unity livestream channel is here. Feeds from LA, San Fran and NYC. Update: and Portland!
News Corp HQ:
"Police set to deal with Occupy crowd that vows to shut down city today" - Fox News ticker at News Corp. #m1gs #ows twitter.com/RDevro/status/…
— Ryan Devereaux (@RDevro) May 1, 2012
The occupy crowd in Midtown strikes an upbeat tone.
Mic check: "Today is a beautiful day."
Mic check: "We love you all."
Mic check: "Thanks for coming to the party."
And:
"The people, united, will never be defeated."
Now a good view of a major protest kitty-corner from Radio City Music Hall at 50th St. and 6th Ave.
An on-the-ground, livestream view of the protest from Timcast by Tim Pool is live now.
A line of police on motor scooters has formed on 6th Avenue.
Protesters are drumming and chanting: "All day, all week, Occupy Wall Street."
Another view of the Occupy protest as it moves through Times Square.
— Occupy Congress (@OCongress) May 1, 2012
Our social news editor Katie Rogers (@katierogers) has put together a public list of @occupydc activists on Twitter. Check it out.
Ryan Devereaux is following Occupy protesters as they make their way from Bryant Square to the Chase Bank headquarters on Park Ave.
#M1GS protesters making their way through Time Square. twitter.com/RDevro/status/…
— Ryan Devereaux (@RDevro) May 1, 2012
Check out our slide show of May Day workers' rights rallies around the world today. Nepal, South Korea, Indonesia, Russia, Greece and on.
Staying dry.
"Education is the weapon of the people"- waterproofed sign outside BOA. #m1gs twitter.com/RDevro/status/…
— Ryan Devereaux (@RDevro) May 1, 2012
"Happy May Day" and "Today is May" trending on Twitter. (Meanwhile #m1nyc has been temporarily taken over by a spambot offering all manner of outre entertainment.)
Who promoted #CorporateGreed?
Some protests and police activity so far this morning, via Twitter:
Barricades and helmeted cops outside the Bank of America picket: #OWS #m1nyc #99PKTS twitter.com/macfathom/stat…
— Nick Pinto (@macfathom) May 1, 2012
#M1gs now outside #wellsfargo instagr.am/p/KFeSpcxuFM/
— Joseph Galbo (@JosephGalbo) May 1, 2012
At the Brooklyn Bridge, quiet - barricades prepared if needed later today. #ows #m1nyc #m1gs yfrog.com/ntu4pkoj
— Patrick deHahn (@patrickdehahn) May 1, 2012
Police presence high at Bryant Park for #M1GS ! Will be live soon #OWS twitter.com/OccupyEye/stat…
— Occupy Eye (@OccupyEye) May 1, 2012
A picket line outside News Corp:
"We are the #99% and we're here to fight back! " #MayDay #M1GS #99pickets #Foxnews twitter.com/515LM/status/1…
— Louis Mazzei (@515LM) May 1, 2012
Occupy protesters have gathered outside the Bank of America tower at Bryant Park. Others are headed for the Chase Bank HQ at Park Ave and 48th St.
Barricades surround the entrance to BOA. Employees being asked to show ID. Dozens of police present including counterterrorism officers.
— Ryan Devereaux (@RDevro) May 1, 2012
Pretty good-sized turnout at BOA picket. Apparently numbers are low at Chase though so reinforcements are en route. Following them. #M1GS
— Ryan Devereaux (@RDevro) May 1, 2012
For a full schedule of planned rallies and protests in New York City, today, visit the "NYC Full Schedule of Permitted and Unpermitted May Day 2012 Actions" at OccupyWallStreet.org.
Protest picket sites include the New York Times building.
#m1nyc #m1gs #mayday one of the #99pickets. Outside of the New York Times building campl.us/jckU
— Lindsay/Osorio 2012(@VotePSL) May 1, 2012
Mother Jones has a map of planned protests around the country today.
A May Day notice from Anonymous.
╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱ ╱┳┳┓┏┓┓┏╱┳┓┏┓┓┏╱ ╱┃┃┃┣┫┗┫╱┃┃┣┫┗┫╱ ╱┛┛┛┛┛┗┛╱┻┛┛┛┗┛╱ ╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱ ★ May 1 - goo.gl/c1yzS #M1GS #Mayday
— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) May 1, 2012
Here's a widely circulated rally poster calling for a General Strike:
A dispatch from Bryant Park:
A number of pickets are now underway.Protesters are circling in front of Bank of America as police look on. #M1GS
— Ryan Devereaux (@RDevro) May 1, 2012
There are 53 confirmed picket protests this morning. Protesters are preparing signs and getting ready to head to those locations. #M1GS
— Ryan Devereaux (@RDevro) May 1, 2012
Occupy protesters are getting wet this morning – and looking for the sun to come out this afternoon.
The rain won't stop us! (Besides, it's supposed to be be 73 and sunny by this afternoon. Come on out!) #OWS #M1GS #M1NYC
— Occupy Wall Street (@OccupyWallSt) May 1, 2012
Moira Herbst writes in the Guardian that the American labor movement needs to reclaim May Day:
Since the late 19th century, some of the wreaths and adornments have given way to banners and flags, as 1 May has become International Workers' Day. Workers throughout the world hold marches and parties to celebrate solidarity and the common goal of achieving better working conditions and better lives.
But American workers, for the most part, have been left out of the festivities. At the height of the cold war, May Day was considered too radical, too "Soviet" perhaps, and the American Federation of Labor itself wanted distance from it. In 1958, President Dwight Eisenhower went so far as to declare 1 May "National Loyalty Day". Loyalty to one concept of America, that is – not worker solidarity.
My colleagues Ryan Devereaux and Adam Gabbatt filed a story about preparations last night for the OWS General Strike today:
About 80 Occupy Wall Street organisers are gathered in the stuffy basement of a lower Manhattan office building to discuss the final stages of the movement's most anticipated action this year.
On a pair of tables in the corner of the room sit stacks of Occupy literature – magazines and newspapers produced by protesters – as well as stickers, posters and fliers: all propaganda for May Day, a nationwide day of action calling on the public to abstain from work, school, shopping, banking and household chores.
The New York Police Department sent around an internal memo yesterday to prepare officers for today's protests. The memo lists planned protests and describes tactics protesters are expected to use. The memo advises that the Occupy protests are distinct from rallies to be held by organized labor, "expected to participate in their own customary May Day rally (which has occurred since 2004)."
Among the planned Occupy rallies the police memo lists are a "wildcat march" beginning at 1pm on East Houston St.; a "Bike Bloc" to take over the streets beginning at 9am at Union Square; an "NYC Hoodie March Against Police Violence"; and a BBQ in Ft. Greene Park. The memo also notes that rallies are planned for Bryant Park, Madison Square Park and Union Square.
"There are fissures within OWS," the NYPD memo notes, "but a 'respect for diversity of tactics,' which includes everything from peaceful protests to the kind of vandalism directed at Starbucks in April, when demonstrators tried to smash the windows at the Starbucks location at Astor Place, has been embraced by the movement."
Occupy has published its own slate of events for the day. Here's a (sort of blurry) picture from Nick Pinto of the Village Voice:
Just got my free program. #OWS #m1nyc twitter.com/macfathom/stat…
— Nick Pinto (@macfathom) May 1, 2012
The Occupy movement has called on protesters to participate in a General Strike: stay home from work and school, skip the chores and take to the streets. Rallies are happening in Bryant Park, Madison Square Park and Union Square.
To follow the action on Twitter watch #m1gs, #m1ows and #ows.
Here's the scene right now in Bryant Park: #OWS #m1nyc twitter.com/macfathom/stat…
— Nick Pinto (@macfathom) May 1, 2012
Some protesters looking for a meetup at the Brooklyn Bridge also are headed to Bryant Park.
Nothing happening at Brooklyn Bridge. Heading up to Bryant Park. #M1NYC #OWS
— C.S. Muncy (@CSMuncyPhoto) May 1, 2012
The Guardian's Ryan Devereaux will be providing updates from Bryant Park.
Just arrived to Bryant Park. Getting a sense of the scene. I'll be providing an update on @democracynow in about ten minutes. #ows #M1GS
— Ryan Devereaux (@RDevro) May 1, 2012
Good morning and welcome to our live blog coverage of Occupy demonstrations on this May Day. We'll be covering protests in New York City, across the United States and around the world.
May Day is a pagan festival of fertility marking the beginning of summer. Since the late 19th century the day has also been a milestone in the workers' rights movement. If you work an eight-hour day – or if your employer at least pays semi-plausible lip service to an eight-hour day – then you have occasion to celebrate, for it was on 1 May, 1886, that the protests began that would make the 8-hour workday the law.
On this 1 May , New York City has woken up to a better rain than we've had for weeks. It's good for the farmers, as they say. Both supporters and detractors of the Occupy movement will be watching to see how many protesters turn out today as a gauge of the strength of the movement.
I wonder if this rain is going to slow down the May Day protest?? OWS seems to protest in ANY weather condition.
— Lauren (@listentolala) May 1, 2012
Our reporter Ryan Devereaux is out with the protesters already in New York, where marches and rallies are planned throughout the day.
Here's a summary of the latest developments:
• Huge May Day marches have unfolded in Asia and Europe. Thousands turned out to demand higher wages in the Philippines, Indonesia and Taiwan, according to the Associated Press, while around 100,000 marched in Moscow and 2,000 in Greece.
• New York police raided the homes of at least three Occupy activists and "interrogated residents about plans for tomorrow's protest". Gawker reports: "They asked what I was doing tomorrow, and if I knew of any activities, any events—that was how the conversation started," said activist Zachary Dempster.
• Favorite headline so far is in the Murdoch-owned New York Post: "OWS 'May' get ugly out there." The story lede also works in "mayhem." Hats off. The coverage is alarmist but the pun-ny bone is intact.
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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.