#union #iww #occupy #ows #p2 #p21 #tlot #tcot #TeaParty Four Reasons to Worry About the Potential Koch Takeover of Tribune Co. Newspapers Splashed across the Sunday edition of the New York Times was news that the Koch Brothers — not content with nearly derailing the entire American political system in the last decade — are expected to place a bid to buy the Tribune Company’s eight newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Orlando Sentinel, and the Baltimore Sun. If their bid is successful, the Koch brothers won’t just have a strong influence over the laws we all live under and the climate we pass on to the next generation, they’ll be publishing the news we read. The New York Times confirmed earlier reports that Charles and David Koch are pursuing a bid for the Tribune Company newspapers, which include the Los Angeles Times, the Orlando Sentinel, The Baltimore Sun and many others. The Kochs, despite financing an unprecedented outside advertising and field campaign, failed to unseat President Barack Obama—a man Charles has referred to as “Saddam Hussein.” In a recent employee newsletter, Charles makes clear he’s not giving up. “As a company, we are committed to doing what is right in every aspect of our business,” wrote Charles. “That is why we will continue doing everything we can to persuade politicians to put what is good for the country first, before it is too late.” If the Koch brothers treat the papers as they do their other philanthropic and political endeavors, the public will be at a great loss. Here are four reasons why: 1.) Koch Known for Peddling Politics Through Every Aspect of Business, Philanthropy: One way the Kochs have influenced policy is through large grants to universities and students to pursue research relating to the Koch’s view of how society should operate. Unlike most other academic donors, Koch attaches strings to their grants, dictating how faculty are hired and which research programs can be pursued, as was the case with the controversy at Florida State University. If Charles Koch is to be believed when he said this year that he would do “everything” he can to persuade politicians, how will the Tribune Company papers maintain independence? 2.) Koch Distorts Science for Profit: Some of Koch Industries’ core businesses—fertilizer, chemical plants, coal shipping, fracking, heavy crude oil refining, cement and petroleum coke—contribute millions of tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and are the reason that Koch is the fifth-biggest air polluter in the country. Though this pollution will ruin the lives and property of many Americans, Koch avoids responsibility by funding a large array of propaganda outlets and think tanks dedicated to distorting the science related to Koch pollution in a bid to stave off regulation. Back in the day, this meant funding efforts to claim acid rain (caused in part by Koch pollution) was a “hoax.” Now, Koch sponsors carnivalesque moon bounces for children to encourage their parents to oppose the EPA’s power to enforce the Clean Air Act, a pledge signed by most GOP lawmakers to avoid action on global warming, as well as many think tanks to provide an ideological or academic veneer for their lies about climate science. “If we win the science argument, it’s game, set, and match,” said Tim Phillips, the political operative hired by David Koch to fight efforts to curb carbon pollution, among other goals. How will Tribune Company newspapers continue their award-winning environmental journalism? 3.) Will the Tribune Reporters Continue to Investigate Koch Influence?: Tribune Company reporters have led in the way in uncovering Koch Industries’ influence in politics and policy. In February of 2011, the Los Angeles Times revealed that David Koch met personally with John Boehner on the first day of the new Congress in the speaker’s chambers, and that Koch’s political spending during the midterm elections helped shape the Boehner’s policy agenda. Last year, the paper reported on a Koch-connected nonprofit that skirted California campaign disclosure laws to funnel million to back two major statewide propositions. Will the papers continue to investigate Koch Industries’ outsized influence in society if the Koch brothers purchase the Tribune Company? 4.) Koch Finances Hate: Koch’s premiere grassroots organizing group, Americans for Prosperity, has funded rallies where health reform has been compared to the Holocaust. The group routinely invites speakers who are known for spreading hatred and conspiracy theories, including anti-immigrant zealot Russell Pearce (who was given an award by AFP) and leading “birther” Jerome Corsi. AFP was exposed by Politico for helping sponsor shock jocks like Mark Levin. Moreover, Koch has been highly involved in the anti-gay Council for National Policy, a group devoted to promoting the homophobic activism of Focus on the Family, Rev. John Hagee, and the Family Research Council. The Tribune Company papers have served as a watchdog for hate in society; how will their reporters cope with being in league with such extremism? _In fact, every September, Koch Industries’ employees celebrate “Founder’s Day,” a celebration of Fred Koch, the founder of Koch Industries and an early leader of the anti–civil rights John Birch Society. Will Tribune Company employees join the festivities honoring a man who warned: “The colored man looms large in the Communist plan to take over America?” http://www.thenation.com/blog/174043/four-reasons-worry-about-potential-koch-takeover-tribune-co-newspapers# #greedylyingbastardshttp://www.twitpic.com/cp1zrz
#occupy #ows #p2 #p21 #tlot #tcot #TeaParty Interview with Ghazi Beji: atheism as a crime! http://atunisiangirl.blogspot.com/2013/04/interview-avec-ghazi-beji-latheisme.html TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH BY GOOGLE CHROME TRANSLATOR In Tunisia, two years after the popular uprising that led to the departure of the dictator ZABA, trials opinion multiply … Most of these cases are brought under the broad heading of damage to religious or moral damage to the sacred. One example is the trial of Al Ghazi Beji and Jabeur Majeri. Indeed, ” Monday, June 25, 2012, the Court of Appeal upheld the judgment Monastir the trial court that sentenced Mehdia Al Jabeur Mejri young surfer, to imprisonment for seven years and a half. The same judgment was given by default against Ghazi Beji that, he was forced to leave the country seeking political asylum abroad, following the indictment of two young surfers to have caused serious material damage by the publication of photographs and writings on their Facebook pages. “* I had the opportunity to interview Ghazi Beji via Facebook and here is the exchange that took place between us: 1) if you start by introducing yourself to International Opinion readers? Ghazi Beji, 28, holds a bachelor's degree in food and biotechnology. I am originally from the Tunisian city of Mahdia. I am the author of the book The Illusion of Islam. 2) With your friend Jabeur Mejri you end sentenced in March 2012 to 7 ½ years in prison, sentence upheld in June following the Court of Appeal reached Monastir to religious morality, defamation, and disturbing the public order. Can you return to this mishap? After the revolution, I wrote a book called the illusion of Islam and my friend Jabeur Mejri wrote a book in English called Dark Land, or have criticized the fascist religious Tunisia and the exclusion of others in the name of Islam. We were sentenced to 7 years and a half in prison and a fine of 1,200 dinars. Jabeur was arrested on 5 March 2012. As for me, I managed to run away and leave my country on 8 March 2012. I had an amazing career: Libya, Algeria – Turkey then I went to Turkey to Greece to swim. Thereafter, I had from Macedonia and Serbia and Romania and finallyI had the subsidiary protection. Unfortunately, I have been targeted and attacked by Islamic extremists while I continued to move me from one country to another: Hungary-Austria-Switzerland-France. 3) How do you see this verdict and the trial in general? This is an attack on my freedom of expression because the religious do not believe in democracy. Their goal in life is to destroy the lives of human beings. They can not digest the fact that someone is happy, they want everyone to livein the shit (lol) 4) You've managed to run away and leave Tunisia. However, we heard that you had to face many difficulties and problems. Can you talk about that? I met several constraints in Libya with jihadi groups in Algeria I spent 15 days in fear of the dictator regime in Greece I had to resist against the extreme right who was chasing strangers in the streets of Athens and racist hyper police, with its rotten laws. In Macedonia, I was in prison and I have had problems with thieves police. In Serbia, I have not had much luck and I was brutally tortured in prisons in the north you south. In Romania, I discovered that racism n has not been eradicated and I found myself in a refugee camp with the terrorists who attacked me. Now I'm moving in different countries of the Western Europe but still undocumented. 5) What is your current situation? Have you managed to rebuild your life? I managed to partially adjust my status but the biggest remains. 6) Your friend Jabeur Majeri languishing in a cell in Tunisia. Can you tell us about the situation and the conditions of his detention? Jabeur is imprisoned in the Mahdia. His situation is very delicate. Indeed, he is tortured by prison guards and other prisoners who accuse him of being an unbeliever. The conditions of his detention are terrible: he caught scabies and can no longer walk. In addition, he is forced to do the prayers in the prison infirmary. 7) Have you found support of Tunisian civil society? How civil society could it help you and how it could act to save Jabeur? I found the support of the Tunisian civil society in France. However, I was ignored by the Tunisian League of Human Rights. Tunisians-the-Tunisian people condemned me. I was vilified and I got several smear campaigns and threats on social networks. 
How do you see the situation in Tunisia now? Do you believe that the freedoms and human rights are in danger right now? I think this phase is an essential and crucial phase in the history of our country. Tunisians must pass through this phase to understand the meaning of democracy, citizenship, the separation between the state and I religion.Mais remain convinced that we will get out either through a civil war or another. 9) have announced the publication of a book. Can you talk about that? I have not yet published my new book, but it will be soon. I will tell all my journey from Tunisia to France I arrived, with a critical eye towards Europe and what they call human Rights which are lies and illusions. 10) I'll leave the last word. In the end I want to say to the people of Tunisia that the fault is not that of Ennahda. I think the majority of Tunisians are hard religious who are struggling to accept difference and digest democracy. The majority is made up of people who are against freedom of expression, and the difference against the gender. I also want to remind the people who shouted loudly thirst for freedom and dignity is the same who voted for the Islamists and fired from my job three times when I was still in Tunisia and my censored before, but I have no hatred towards my countrymen because they will always be my people, my people … * Excerpt from the press kit of the support committee Ghazi Beji and Jabeur Al Majeri. At a conference organized around the theme “Tunisia: the dangers threatening the freedom of expression after the revolution,” the Tunisian section of Amnesty announced its full support to Al Jabeur Majeri and Ghazi Beji. A campaign to collect signatures has already been launched and you can follow the latest developments on Twitter via the hashtag # FreeJabeur.http://www.twitpic.com/cl2ico
#union #iww #occupy #ows #p2 #p21 #tlot #tcot #TeaParty U.S. Holds Hundreds of Detained Immigrants in Solitary Confinement http://solitarywatch.com/2013/03/25/u-s-holds-hundreds-of-detained-immigrants-in-solitary-confinement/ A cover story in yesterday’s New York Times exposes the widespread use of solitary confinement on immigrant detainees. Citing figures that it says are incomplete and ”probably low,” the Times states: On any given day, about 300 immigrants are held in solitary confinement at the 50 largest detention facilities that make up the sprawling patchwork of holding centers nationwide overseen by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, according to new federal data. Nearly half are isolated for 15 days or more, the point at which psychiatric experts say they are at risk for severe mental harm, with ab…http://www.twitpic.com/cht49w
#union #iww #occupy #ows #p2 #p21 #tlot #tcot #TeaParty Homeland Security kept tabs on Occupy Wall Street protesters: Report http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/04/03/296389/dhs-kept-tabs-on-occupy-protesters/ New documents show that the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spied on peaceful Occupy Wall Street (OWS) protesters during the height of the anti-capitalist movement in the country. The documents released by the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF) on Tuesday revealed that the DHS routinely spied on peaceful First Amendment activities and required daily briefing on the extent of media attention being given to OWS activities. The PCJF obtained the 252 pages of documents under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) filing with the DHS, the sprawling Federal agency ostensibly created to co…http://www.twitpic.com/cgskxy
#union #iww #occupy #ows #p2 #p21 #tlot #tcot #TeaParty The state of California in the USA is about to begin construction of a high speed rail line that will go from San Francisco to Los Angeles in 2 hours and 40 minutes. By 2030, the 220mph high speed trains are expected to carry up to 100 million passengers per year, and will be a far faster and more convenient method of travel than flying or driving, meaning people really will want to travel this way. Even with normal bullet trains, the emissions reduction caused by people taking the train rather than flying or driving would be huge, but this project could be even more positive. Before the project was given the go ahead by the state, the board decided to power it entirely with renewable energy, meaning the already more efficient system could have significant environmental benefits for the state. The majority of the environmental impacts come from building and maintaining the system itself, but a study from earlier this year shows that overall it's by far the greener option. However, a group of California farmers recently hoped to halt work on the plan over supposed environmental concerns, but from what it sounds like, the only thing they're concerned about is their ability to grow their businesses. That's their prerogative, but claiming they are fighting for the environment when they're trying to stop something that could significantly reduce emissions is ludicrous. http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/07/26/california-high-speed-rail/ http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/nov/17/california-high-speed-railhttp://www.twitpic.com/cgjntp
#union #iww #occupy #ows #p2 #p21 #tlot #tcot #TeaParty Parks Beyond Borders: Icelandic National Park Rangers and Partners Train in United States; Wales' Brecon Beacons Gets Dark Sky Designation http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2013/03/parks-beyond-borders-icelandic-national-park-rangers-and-partners-train-united-states-wales-brecon-b22975 Rangers from the Icelandic National Park Service and partners just finished a two-week visit to the United States, learning about American-style national park management, development and conservation at national parks in Washington and Oregon. Hjörleifur Finnsson, a park manager at Vatnajokull National Park, said he discovered that he shared a lot of common ground with his new American acquaintances on the topic of park management. “It’s astonishing,” he said, “given the big differences between the two countries”—one of which is…http://www.twitpic.com/cee6eu
#union #iww #occupy #ows #p2 #p21 #tlot #tcot #TeaParty Not Too Big to Resist… Too Big to Jail… http://www.thiscantbehappening.net/node/1632 Corporate America just received the confirmation that they've been waiting for. The attorney general of the United States has now admitted that the biggest American financial corporations have created such a labyrinth of their structures and practices that the Justice Department has given up trying to police them in matters ofcorruption or criminal malfeasance, saying that bringing down any of these mega-banks or businesses could cause crash the economy. In 2008, the Justice Department announced a shift in policy, deciding to be cooperative with the big banks, and to encourage self-policing and self-reporting by the co…http://www.twitpic.com/ccrr2c
#union #iww #occupy #ows #p2 #p21 #tlot #tcot #TeaParty Greenwich Street Townhouse Returns for Just .5 Million http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/03/14/greenwich_street_townhouse_returns_for_just_195_million.php#5141fb63f92ea12d7001820a The initial ad for 452 Greenwich Street emphasized its modern aspects: 3,000-bottle wine cellar, media room, and the fact that it has been used as a set for Target commercials. Fun things all, but not fun enough to sell the place for the owner's hoped-for .5 million. Next tactic: go historical! The listing has switched brokers over to Brown Harris Stevens, where Paula Del Nunzio has given it her patented time-machine treatment (plus a few fresh listing photos). Oh, and a new, easier-to-digest price of .5 million. Positioned on a 25' x 60' lot on the southwest corner of Desbrosses and Greenwich Street, 4…http://www.twitpic.com/cbdslp
#union #iww #occupy #ows #p2 #p21 #tlot #tcot #TeaParty Victoria Hudgins 1:33 PM – Community – Abolish the Death Penalty (History of capital punishment) Writings on the death penalty following an execution, by Catholic social activist Dorothy Day. “Today, May second (1960), Caryl Chessman was gassed to death at San Quentin, California, after a twelve-year fight to save his life. Eight times he was brought to the death cell, and eight times he was given a last minute reprieve. To have some idea of the torment this man went through, one should read The Idiot by Dostoievsky, in which the author tells the story of how he himself was brought to the verge of death and at the last moment his sentence was commuted. Personally, we believe in the …http://www.twitpic.com/c5rbuw
#union #iww #occupy #ows #p2 #p21 #tlot #tcot #TeaParty Scott Walker Proposes Budget That Cuts Taxes While Reducing Funding For Public Schools http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/02/21/1622451/scott-walker-proposes-budget-proposes-big-tax-cuts-and-big-cuts-to-public-education/ Governor Scott Walker (R-WI) is proposing a budget that would fund a variety of right-wing priorities by slashing support for public services and local communities, according to an outline of the plan given in Walker’s “State of the State” address Wednesday night. Walker, who had already cut taxes significantly in his first term, proposed an additional 0 million in cuts (about half of which come from income taxes): With this in mind, I am pleased to announce an income tax cut of 3 million. You, the hardworking taxpayers of this state helped to create the budget surplus, so i..http://www.twitpic.com/c5qx32