ALJAZEERA: The Egyptian defence minister, General Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, has given warning that the unrest sweeping the country could lead to the collapse of the state. Failure to resolve the situation “could lead to grave repercussions if the political forces do not act” to tackle it, Sissi said on Tuesday, in comments posted on his […]
Month: January 2013
Google unveils detailed North Korea map
ALJAZEERA: Google’s Maps service has unveiled a highly detailed map of North Korea, an area that went largely undocumented on the service previously. Monday’s development comes just weeks after Eric Schmidt, chairman of the California-based-based internet company, embarked on a secret trip to the country. “For a long time, one of the largest places with […]
DEP pulls Marcellus Shale waste water treatment permit, to allow comment
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE: …The DEP’s original public notice described the permit narrowly — for the treatment and processing of wastewater from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, operations at Marcellus Shale gas wells. But after meeting privately with officials of the firm, the DEP issued a permit that allowed two chemical compounds originally classified as waste to be […]
Chris Christie Vetoes Minimum Wage Increase, Proposes Smaller One
HUFFINGTON POST / REUTERS: -New Jersey’s Republican Governor Chris Christie on Monday conditionally vetoed legislation that would increase the state’s minimum wage to $8.50 per hour from $7.25 and tie it to the consumer price index…. “The sudden, significant minimum-wage increase in this bill, coupled with automatic raises each year tied to the Unites States […]
Fire tragedy after tragedy, mostly due to blocked exits
Half a century ago a discount department store in the Harrisburg burnt to the ground and a score of employees died. To avoid theft, the fire exits in the rear of the building had been chained. This was shocking to us then, but subsequently we have learned about or seen the same tragedy strike again […]
Op-ed: Lottery privatization is a gamble that’s not worth taking
Why privatize a program long heralded as well-run, with the second lowest administrative overhead (3.5 percent) among the 10 largest state-run programs in the country, yielding record returns for older Pennsylvanians the last two years? Why no open discussion, vetting of projections or cost-benefit analysis?
Pa. budget chief says pension reforms essential
ABC 27 / AP: Gov. Tom Corbett’s chief budget adviser says his boss is likely to call for a reduction in future pension benefits for current employees in next week’s budget speech. Speaking at a Pennsylvania Press Club luncheon in Harrisburg on Monday, state Budget Secretary Charles Zogby said deep cuts in education or other […]
At mid-term, 51-31 against Corbett re-election, new Quinnipiac poll shows.
The poll, a snapshot of voter attitude toward Corbett at the middle of his first term, also finds Corbett receiving unenthusiastic support among Pennsylvania Republicans, with only 49 percent saying he deserves to be re-elected. Pennsylvania voters also gave Corbett a poor job approval rating, as 42 percent disapprove of his handling of the job, while 36 percent approve – a slide from November when the Quinnipiac Poll showed 38 percent disapproved and 40 percent approved.
U. S. Expand Role in Africa
WALL STREET JOURNAL: The U.S. signed an agreement Monday with the West African country of Niger that clears the way for a stepped-up American military presence on the edges of the conflict in neighboring Mali. The U.S. and France are moving to create an intelligence hub in Niger that could include a base, near Mali’s […]
Bush Attacks Rubio Plan as He Eyes 2016
NEWSMAX: Neither former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla., nor Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. have announced their plans to run for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, but both are already speaking and acting like contenders, going head to head on issues such as immigration and education reform. Bush said in a Wall Street Journal op-ed last week […]
CC Chapter Five Revised: The Hotel Room Taxes
Lancaster Mayor Charlie Smithgall had no doubt which way the Lancaster County Commissioners were going to vote on establishing a hotel room tax and a convention center authority. Three weeks before the September 15th vote, during a Lancaster City Council meeting, Mayor Smithgall nominated three people to sit on the not-yet-formed, seven-member Lancaster County Convention Center Authority (LCCCA) board of directors.
Cooperatives and Community Work Are Part of American DNA
Curl’s area of expertise is very important for those of us seeking transformational change to a new, more equitable economy and participatory democracy. His book methodically and authoritatively traces the hidden history of cooperatives, cooperation and communalism in US history. He shows how these models of economic democracy were intertwined with many of the transformational changes the country has made…
New Year Drinking in Russia
n the Soviet Union, the New Year was the only non-political holiday. Everybody considered it the most important holiday of the year. This tradition is still alive. The official Holiday is from January 1 to January 9. During these days nobody works: stock markets are shut and no newspapers are printed. Many Russians extend the festivities until January13, when Russia celebrates the New Year according to the old Julian calendar.
Boy Scouts Of America Consider Dropping Ban On Gay Members And Participants
HUFFINGTON POST: Just days after a Maryland-based Cub Scout pack was forced to back down on a non-discriminatory pledge because of a reference to sexual orientation, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) might be changing its national stance toward the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. NBC cites a number of “scouting officials and […]