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steve2470
steve2470's Journal
steve2470's Journal
March 13, 2014
McDonald’s employees filed seven lawsuits this week alleging the world’s largest restaurant chain is systematically stealing wages through practices including failure to pay overtime and forced work off the clock, a group representing the workers said on Thursday.
The lawsuits also accuse McDonald's of denying them timely meal periods and rest breaks, and requiring employees to purchase their own uniforms or to pay for the cleaning of those uniforms.
All of the cases seek class certification or collective action classification.
The workers are demanding that the company pay back what they call “stolen wages” and stop such practices in the future, their attorneys said on a conference call.
McDonald's workers file suits accusing chain of 'stealing' wages
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-mcdonalds-workers-wage-lawsuits-20140313,0,4238023.storyMcDonald’s employees filed seven lawsuits this week alleging the world’s largest restaurant chain is systematically stealing wages through practices including failure to pay overtime and forced work off the clock, a group representing the workers said on Thursday.
The lawsuits also accuse McDonald's of denying them timely meal periods and rest breaks, and requiring employees to purchase their own uniforms or to pay for the cleaning of those uniforms.
All of the cases seek class certification or collective action classification.
The workers are demanding that the company pay back what they call “stolen wages” and stop such practices in the future, their attorneys said on a conference call.
March 13, 2014
MOSCOW — Russia’s Defense Ministry announced new military operations in several regions near the Ukrainian border on Thursday, even as Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany warned the Kremlin to abandon the politics of the 19th and 20th centuries or face diplomatic and economic retaliation from a united Europe.
In Moscow, the military acknowledged significant operations involving armored and airborne troops in the Belgorod, Kursk and Rostov regions abutting eastern Ukraine, where many ethnic Russians have protested against the new interim government in Ukraine’s capital, Kiev, and appealed to Moscow for protection.
A day after a deputy minister denied any military buildup on the border, the Defense Ministry released a series of statements beginning early Thursday that appeared to contradict that. They outlined what was described as intensive training of units involving artillery batteries, assault helicopters and at least 10,000 soldiers.
The operations confirmed, at least in part, assertions by Ukrainian leaders on Wednesday that Russia was massing forces, as well as amateur photographs that appeared to show columns of armored vehicles and trucks in a border village called Lopan, only 30 miles from the Ukrainian city Kharkiv. One statement announced that another 1,500 paratroopers from Ivanovo, east of Moscow, had parachuted onto a military base in Rostov, not far from the Ukrainian cities Donetsk and Lugansk.
Russia Massing Military Forces Near Border With Ukraine
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/14/world/europe/ukraine.html?_r=0MOSCOW — Russia’s Defense Ministry announced new military operations in several regions near the Ukrainian border on Thursday, even as Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany warned the Kremlin to abandon the politics of the 19th and 20th centuries or face diplomatic and economic retaliation from a united Europe.
In Moscow, the military acknowledged significant operations involving armored and airborne troops in the Belgorod, Kursk and Rostov regions abutting eastern Ukraine, where many ethnic Russians have protested against the new interim government in Ukraine’s capital, Kiev, and appealed to Moscow for protection.
A day after a deputy minister denied any military buildup on the border, the Defense Ministry released a series of statements beginning early Thursday that appeared to contradict that. They outlined what was described as intensive training of units involving artillery batteries, assault helicopters and at least 10,000 soldiers.
The operations confirmed, at least in part, assertions by Ukrainian leaders on Wednesday that Russia was massing forces, as well as amateur photographs that appeared to show columns of armored vehicles and trucks in a border village called Lopan, only 30 miles from the Ukrainian city Kharkiv. One statement announced that another 1,500 paratroopers from Ivanovo, east of Moscow, had parachuted onto a military base in Rostov, not far from the Ukrainian cities Donetsk and Lugansk.
March 13, 2014
Lackluster wage growth is propelling a new White House campaign to reexamine federal labor regulations that administration officials say are leaving more American workers unprotected every year.
The latest move by the White House is expected Thursday, when President Obama plans to announce that he is directing the Labor Department to use its rulemaking authority to beef up federal overtime protections, leading to higher wages for millions of workers.
Obama is also pressing Congress to raise the minimum wage for all workers. And, earlier this year, he took unilateral action to boost the $7.25 minimum wage to $10.10 for federal contractors.
The campaign comes as working-class Americans are struggling to get by on incomes that have not increased appreciably during the Obama administration, despite record corporate profits and a recovering economy. Though stagnant wages are primarily attributed to larger economic forces, economists say federal rules that have failed to keep pace with the growing cost of goods and services have also played a part.
Obama’s expected change to overtime rules would make more eligible for extra pay
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-to-order-expansion-of-overtime-pay/2014/03/12/3262d334-a9f2-11e3-8599-ce7295b6851c_story.htmlLackluster wage growth is propelling a new White House campaign to reexamine federal labor regulations that administration officials say are leaving more American workers unprotected every year.
The latest move by the White House is expected Thursday, when President Obama plans to announce that he is directing the Labor Department to use its rulemaking authority to beef up federal overtime protections, leading to higher wages for millions of workers.
Obama is also pressing Congress to raise the minimum wage for all workers. And, earlier this year, he took unilateral action to boost the $7.25 minimum wage to $10.10 for federal contractors.
The campaign comes as working-class Americans are struggling to get by on incomes that have not increased appreciably during the Obama administration, despite record corporate profits and a recovering economy. Though stagnant wages are primarily attributed to larger economic forces, economists say federal rules that have failed to keep pace with the growing cost of goods and services have also played a part.
March 13, 2014
Eight gay couples and the American Civil Liberties Union have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to force Florida to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.
ACLU of Florida Executive Director Howard Simon said Thursday that same-sex couples suffer discrimination in many ways. Examples include problems getting spouses covered by health insurance, difficulties with inheritance rules and problems with workers' compensation benefits.
The lawsuit names Gov. Rick Scott and other top Florida officials. It asks a judge to declare Florida's refusal to recognize same-sex marriages as unconstitutional. The lawsuit also wants a ruling requiring the state to recognize the marriages.
Earlier this year, another lawsuit challenged Florida's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
*end*
Hope the suit wins in my state !
ACLU, Gay Couples Seek Fla. Marriage Recognition
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/aclu-gay-couples-seek-fla-marriage-recognition-22895873Eight gay couples and the American Civil Liberties Union have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to force Florida to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.
ACLU of Florida Executive Director Howard Simon said Thursday that same-sex couples suffer discrimination in many ways. Examples include problems getting spouses covered by health insurance, difficulties with inheritance rules and problems with workers' compensation benefits.
The lawsuit names Gov. Rick Scott and other top Florida officials. It asks a judge to declare Florida's refusal to recognize same-sex marriages as unconstitutional. The lawsuit also wants a ruling requiring the state to recognize the marriages.
Earlier this year, another lawsuit challenged Florida's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
*end*
Hope the suit wins in my state !
March 13, 2014
Watch Live: House Appropriations Hearing with HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
http://abcnews.go.com/live?stream=2
March 13, 2014
(Reuters) - Former Florida Governor Reubin Askew, a champion of tax reform and open government who became a pivotal figure in Florida politics, died on Thursday aged 85.
He was admitted to hospital in Tallahassee on Saturday with pneumonia and suffered a stroke, according to his former aide, Ron Sachs, speaking on behalf of the family.
Askew was known as one of the "New South" governors - Jimmy Carter in Georgia, Dale Bumpers in Arkansas and John West in South Carolina were others - who were elected in 1970 and turned the region's political focus away from race and toward education, economic development and environmental concerns.
He was the keynote speaker of the 1972 Democratic National Convention and was considered a possible vice-presidential nominee. He said he did not want to put his family in the glare of national attention, though he later made a brief run for president in 1984, dropping out after a low finish in the New Hampshire primary.
*end*
I shook his hand maybe 30 years ago. RIP Mr. Askew and condolences to the family.
Former 'New South' Governor Reubin Askew dies at 85
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/13/us-usa-florida-askew-idUSBREA2C13720140313(Reuters) - Former Florida Governor Reubin Askew, a champion of tax reform and open government who became a pivotal figure in Florida politics, died on Thursday aged 85.
He was admitted to hospital in Tallahassee on Saturday with pneumonia and suffered a stroke, according to his former aide, Ron Sachs, speaking on behalf of the family.
Askew was known as one of the "New South" governors - Jimmy Carter in Georgia, Dale Bumpers in Arkansas and John West in South Carolina were others - who were elected in 1970 and turned the region's political focus away from race and toward education, economic development and environmental concerns.
He was the keynote speaker of the 1972 Democratic National Convention and was considered a possible vice-presidential nominee. He said he did not want to put his family in the glare of national attention, though he later made a brief run for president in 1984, dropping out after a low finish in the New Hampshire primary.
*end*
I shook his hand maybe 30 years ago. RIP Mr. Askew and condolences to the family.
March 13, 2014
Any more feedback on this thread in GD ?
Seems to me that assuming an 8% rate on return on investments for the purposes of retirement, or,
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024650487
Yes, that was the title of the thread.
March 13, 2014
Sen. Feinstein Accuses CIA of Searching Congressional Computers
http://www.c-span.org/video/?c4486712/sen-feinstein-accuses-cia-searching-congressional-computers
March 13, 2014
(CNN) -- If the CIA did, in fact, secretly remove classified documents from Senate computers during an oversight probe, there will be consequences, the chairman of the House Intelligence committee told CNN Wednesday.
"We're going to have to unwind this, find out what the truth is," Republican Mike Rogers of Michigan told CNN's Chris Cuomo on "New Day." "If someone broke the law, they're going to have to pay the penalty."
Rogers' comments followed Tuesday's accusation by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, that the CIA removed some documents from her staff's computers in the middle of an oversight investigation.
Feinstein said the CIA searched Senate computers last year because they believed the panel's investigators might have gained access to materials on an internal review they were not authorized to see. The committee launched a full-blown investigation after learning in an initial review that the CIA had "withheld and destroyed information about its detention and interrogation program."
*video at link*
House intel chair (Rogers - R) warns of penalty if CIA searched Senate computers
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/03/12/politics/congress-cia/(CNN) -- If the CIA did, in fact, secretly remove classified documents from Senate computers during an oversight probe, there will be consequences, the chairman of the House Intelligence committee told CNN Wednesday.
"We're going to have to unwind this, find out what the truth is," Republican Mike Rogers of Michigan told CNN's Chris Cuomo on "New Day." "If someone broke the law, they're going to have to pay the penalty."
Rogers' comments followed Tuesday's accusation by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, that the CIA removed some documents from her staff's computers in the middle of an oversight investigation.
Feinstein said the CIA searched Senate computers last year because they believed the panel's investigators might have gained access to materials on an internal review they were not authorized to see. The committee launched a full-blown investigation after learning in an initial review that the CIA had "withheld and destroyed information about its detention and interrogation program."
*video at link*
March 11, 2014
The Web at 25: I was a teenage dial-up addict
(not me, the author lol )
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57619807-1/the-web-at-25-i-was-a-teenage-dial-up-addict/
This World Wide Web you're looking at right now wasn't always something most people considered worth a second glance -- let alone hours days weeks years of nonstop staring.
In fact, even some of the big info-nerds of the day ignored or dismissed it early on.
One of the earliest public demonstrations of the Web came back in 1991, when a man named Tim Berners-Lee sat at a table with a computer in a Texas hotel conference room, willing to give anyone with a few minutes to spare a personal introduction to his invention -- a concept and a structure that would soon spark a worldwide information revolution.
Every person in the room that day likely came to depend on this invention by the close of the 1990s, if not sooner. But when first confronted with the Web in that hotel, most simply said whatever the equivalent of "meh" was at the time, and went in search of a drink.
"It was quite a warm December evening in San Antonio," recalled Professor Wendy Hall of the UK's University of Southampton, who was in that room for the 1991 Hypertext Conference where Berners-Lee had been denied a speaking spot to show off the most important human creation of a generation or three. "In the courtyard outside the demo room was a tequila fountain and everybody was outside drinking free margaritas, so nobody was inside. This was the first demo of the World Wide Web in America.
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