Saturday - November 17, 2012

and speaking of strikes

This came as a complete surprise. Who would have guessed that these interfering bastards were members of a union?
Too damn bad they can’t go the way of Hostess.
I’m still trying to work out how it is that nobody from our side has made any hits on these foreign inspired 5th columnists in the USA.
The union they belong to is I believe the largest in this country.
These ass-wipes operate all over the world, even in trouble spots I think once the shooting is over. I could be mistaken on that last part. But what disappoints a lot is that I never hear of any of them getting shot.  As in deleted. And nobody ever sends them anything that goes boom when opened.  Charmed life while sticking their red noses into the lives of others.
Oh well. One can still hope.

Quite a bit of infighting over the last several months with accusations of poor performance flying back and forth.
Too bad they won’t self destruct.

AMNESTY INTL. STAFF TO GO ON STRIKE

Staff at Amnesty International’s secretariat in Clerkenwell, London, will go out on strike today over changes to its redundancy policy.

The Unite union, which represents Amnesty staff, said the organisation’s management gave no warning of the withdrawal of its redundancy policy, which came just a few hours before details emerged of a restructure that the union said could make dozens of employees redundant.

Today’s strike follows two separate 24-hour walk-outs at Amnesty International UK’s offices in Shoreditch, London, over cost savings and job cuts.

Speaking about today’s strike, Unite said employees faced a highly uncertain future in the wake of the policy change and that about 300 of the secretariat’s 500 staff based at its Clerkenwell headquarters would walk out.

“While many appreciate cuts to staffing are inevitable, Amnesty management must stick to agreements they have signed and publicly stated they will honour in order to dispel the pervasive mistrust that has taken hold in the organisation,” said Alan Scott, regional officer at Unite.

Amnesty International’s restructure will see its global headquarters in London dissolved and replaced with 10 regional hubs around the world.

Unite said that 97 per cent of members who returned their postal ballot voted ‘yes’ to strike action but Amnesty said in a statement that only a third of staff actually voted to walk out.

Amnesty said the restructure was essential in order to move its work closer to the areas of the world where human rights violations occur.

“We very much regret that staff have taken the decision to take industrial action, while fully respecting their right to do so,” a spokesman for Amnesty International said.

Posted by peiper     on 11/17/2012 at 06:01 AM   
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   Thursday - November 15, 2012

man gets 5 years in the slammer for not being pretty. see the link, you’ll understand.

Here one hell of a problem story and ppl arguing both sides.

Pretty 16 year old girl out partying with friends and as usual for these times, the kid gets stoned and is three sheets to the wind.
She also had some kind of drug in her system.  But it’s all the fault of a guard with 20 years experience under his belt.

Her friends board a subway train, she’s left outside (see the link below) and is leaning against the carriage. 
The train is about to leave but the silly girl is seen leaning against the train’s car.

Now it’s my assumption that anyone seeing her would have assumed that as soon as the girl saw the train moving, she would back away. But she didn’t.
And so she died.

But, it’s the fault of the train guard who gave the signal to the driver to start.
And so the guard gets five years in the slammer as the judge comes down on him like a ton of bricks.
I think the judge is an idiot but unfortunately for the poor hapless guard, the only opinion that counts here is the opinion of an idiot in the form of a judge.
People have killed other people while driving drunk and often do not even go to jail. Or else they get no more than this guard did. Let me tell you what the guard’s crime was. And he is surely guilty as sin on this score.

The poor man is NOT photogenic!  His image is NOT media friendly.

See him at the link and you’ll understand.  He is guilty okay. Of looking goofy.
Meanwhile, the grieving mother says, “Georgia was my entire family.”
Well mom, your entire family was dead drunk at 16.
Of course, that was solely the fault of a guard who isn’t pretty. 

‘An appalling disregard for safety’: Railway guard jailed for five years over death of teenage girl who fell under carriage

Georgia Varley died after falling between a train and the platform on a night out in Liverpool

Train guard Christopher McGee, 45, gave the signal for the driver to depart as the 16-year-old was leaning against the carriage

McGee was sentenced to five years in prison today after being found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence

The teenager’s heartbroken mother said: ‘Georgia was my entire family’

‘She paid for your criminal negligence with her life’ a judge said

By Jaya Narain and Sam Webb

A railway guard found guilty of manslaughter following the death of a teenage girl who fell under a train was jailed for five years today.

Christopher McGee, 45, took a ‘terrible risk’ by giving the signal for the driver to depart as Georgia Varley, 16, was leaning against the carriage, a judge said.

The sixth-form college student, who was drunk on a night out in Liverpool with friends, fell between the train and the platform at the city’s James Street station in October last year as a result of McGee’s ‘appalling disregard for her safety’, a court heard.

Georgia, who was leaning against the train when the railway guard gave the signal for it to leave, was seen to stagger and fall into the gap as it moved away from the platform.

McGee was found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence following a two week trial at Liverpool Crown Court.

Jailing McGee for five years today, Mr Justice Holroyde said: ‘You did not intend to kill or even injure her, but you displayed an appalling disregard for her safety and she paid for your criminal negligence with her life.’

No you fuckin idiot! You and the dim jury. She paid with her life for being drunk and stupid!  And stoned on drugs as reported here.
And anyway, why should a subway train full of people with no tie to her be inconvenienced just because she was stoned?  Lets take another look at sweet 16.

Passing sentence, the judge said: ‘In my judgement, the CCTV footage is unequivocal, Georgia Varley was not moving away and she was not showing any sign of moving away.

‘She only moved when the movement of the train deprived her of support and caused her to lose balance and fall to her death.

‘I am satisfied that you merely hoped and assumed she would get out of the way when the train began to move, and on that wholly inadequate basis you took a terrible risk,’ he added.

‘You must have known that a passenger who falls between the train and the platform is likely to be killed,’ he told the defendant.

‘As the guard of the train, you were in complete control of the movement of the train. That control carries with it the direct and personal responsibility for the safety of passengers.’

Georgia, from Moreton, Wirral, had gone into Liverpool for a night out with her friends when the incident happened on October 22 last year.

A blood analysis following her death showed she had 236mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in her system - the legal driving limit is 80mg.

She also had 0.083mg of the drug mephedrone, or Mcat, in her system at the time of her death.

And here’s a thought. Good thing she wasn’t a muzzie or he’d have gotten life without parole.

A LOT MORE TO THIS ARTICLE AND MORE PHOTOS HERE

Posted by peiper     on 11/15/2012 at 11:07 AM   
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   Thursday - October 18, 2012

The fully expected unexpected facts

Maybe the figures were held back a few days at Obama’s request, just like those layoffs last week, so that he could have a pre-debate number below 8%? This smells to high heaven.

Weekly applications for U.S. unemployment benefits jumped 46,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 388,000, the highest in four months. The increase represents a rebound from the previous week’s sharp drop. Both swings were largely due to technical factors.

The four-week average of applications, a less volatile measure, fell slightly to 365,500, the Labor Department said Thursday. That is a level consistent with modest hiring.

Last week, California reported a large drop in applications, pushing down the overall figure to the lowest since February 2008. This week, it reported a significant increase as it processed applications delayed from the previous week.

A department spokesman said the seasonally adjusted numbers “are being distorted ... by an issue of timing.”

Is this where I trot out the Left’s snide old “I question the timing” remark? Because I DON’T. Neither do you. “delayed from the previous week” my ass. On purpose. We both know damn well the numbers are fudged and manipulated for political purposes by our governing Elites and their brothers in the running dog media.

Posted by Drew458     on 10/18/2012 at 12:27 PM   
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   Saturday - October 13, 2012

You must treat all foreigners to protect their rights… but you can still turn away brits. huh??

So you think there’s problem back home (USA) do ya.
Try this bit of insanity on for size.  I don’t have the imagination to figure out what could possibly be next.  Maybe a formal apology to the Germans for 1939?  Makes as much sense as anything else the euros get up to.
What an education I am getting by being here.  Under normal circumstances in my previous life at home in the states, I really doubt I’d come across things like this.  You know, different lifestyle. I’d have a TV set most likely and would be watching the Dodgers.  And that fellow whose last name I forgot, Mike something. Builder and fixer.  One of those home improvement shows.  I’m just saying I’d be busy with other things and this stuff would simply not figure in my life. 

Well anyway …. this is pretty weird stuff.  The Brits really need to get some things seen to before the island finishes sinking. Maybe while they’re doing that, they’d be too busy to be nit picking at the faults found in the USA. And why are they looking anyway?

NHS tells doctors: You must treat all foreigners to protect their human rights… but you can still turn away BRITONS

· Foreigners must be given free treatment by GPs - it is their human right
· New guidelines dictate that doctors must register any foreign patient
· Includes asylum seekers, overseas students or tourists on a short holiday
· Some GPs are furious, describing changes as a ‘charter for health tourism’

By Sophie Borland

Health tourists must be given free treatment by GPs because it is their human right, say NHS bosses.
New guidelines tell doctors across England they must register any foreign patient who asks for care otherwise it would be ‘discriminatory’.
These include asylum seekers, overseas students or tourists coming for a short holiday. Once registered, they will be entitled to the same NHS care as all other patients and can receive free blood tests, jabs and – in some cases – free prescription drugs.
In fact, the new rules will give overseas patients more rights than those living in the UK who can be turned away from surgeries if they live a few yards outside its catchment area.

There are also fears the ruling will make it even harder for local patients to get an appointment.

Already half of patients cannot get an appointment with their doctor within 48 hours, according to the Government’s own figures.

48 Hours?  Heck, I can not get an appointment with my regular doc if needed in less then a month.  OK, so sometimes it’s only been two weeks. But still.  Of course I can always see another doctor at the same
practise. There are about 12 or 15 at the office complex. Just depends on who has a slot that can see you sooner for non emergency stuff.

Some family doctors are furious at the guidelines and describe them as a ‘charter for health tourism’.
They say that such patients, once registered at a surgery, will also find it far easier to be referred to hospital for thousands of pounds of free treatment.
By law, overseas patients are not entitled to be treated at hospital – unless it is urgent – but staff rarely check on their backgrounds.
Until now, GP practices were not legally obliged to register foreigners and many turn away patients if they do not have passports or ‘proof of address’ documents.

But the new guidelines issued to all doctors in England will change this.
One GP, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘I am not sure the British taxpayer should be paying for the world’s health treatment for free.’
And Tory MP Chris Skidmore, who is campaigning for tougher regulation on health tourism, said: ‘It is alarming that managers are passing these kind of diktats to doctors, many of whom are rightly worried that GP registration is effectively buying free treatment on the NHS.
‘This is not just about the money, vital though that is – we cannot have the NHS, paid for by taxpayers, being abused by people who pay nothing into the system and who are not eligible for free care.’
Mr Skidmore has obtained figures showing that health tourists currently owe the NHS £40million in unpaid medical bills.

read more

Oh btw …. Brits and French at daggers drawn over fishing rights and French boats have been acting very aggressively against English boats with near ramming actions and surrounding Brit boats to keep them from their job.  No shots fired yet but I hear the Navy might be called in to protect Brit fishing fleet.  Last time they did that was with dustup and Iceland. Pretty sure it was Iceland. Iceland declared an exclusive economic zone beyond its own territorial waters.(1972)
So anyway, Iceland Navy started cutting Brit fishing nets, Brits deployed the RN and they actually started ramming each other. It came to an end in ’76 when Iceland threatened to close a vital NATO base.  Brits said ooops and conceded UK ships would not fish within the 200 mile limit set by Iceland.

Posted by peiper     on 10/13/2012 at 01:37 PM   
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   Sunday - September 16, 2012

according to the headline, mentally ill can serve in govt. I thought they did that now.

OK, maybe I’m out of line and unfeeling. I’ll have to leave it to the readers here to tell me.  But this seems like a very bad idea to me.

Now I do understand that mentally ill can cover almost anything and some things won’t be like the sky is falling.  However, is it reasonable to accept as members of parliament who will make important decisions for their country.  Jury duty the same.

Oh well, I guess when voters get upset about things and gripe about the loony tunes in office, now they won’t be using just a figure of speech but the real thing.

Mentally ill to be allowed to become MPs, serve on juries and be company directors

MPs have voted to end ‘discrimination’ which stops those suffering from mental illness serving in public life as a rare private members bill is backed by the House of Commons

By Rosa Prince, Online Political Editor

Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, and Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, were among those who gave their backing to the Bill, which was introduced to the Commons by the Conservative backbencher Gavin Barwell.

It repeals the practice of barring those who have suffered from severe mental health issues from serving on juries or as company directors. MPs who have been institutionalised for psychiatric reasons for more than six months will no longer be forced to stand down from Parliament.

In a rare show of unity in the House of Commons, the Mental Health (Discrimination) Bill was passed without a vote. Private Members Bills such as Mr Barwell’s usually fail to win support, and are talked out of time when they reach the Commons.

But after the Government and Opposition sung behind the new law, the bill was passed with politicians on all sides of the health praising the reform.
Mr Clegg said: “It’s ludicrous in this day and age that a person can’t contribute to public life if they’ve had issues with their mental health.

“Discrimination like this has no place in modern society and it is right that these rules are repealed. These long overdue reforms will send out a positive message that the stigmatisation of people who have mental health problems should not be tolerated.”

Mr Miliband added: “These changes will help bring public understanding and attitudes towards mental health into the 21st Century.
“They will send a message that discrimination against people with mental ill health has no place in modern Britain.
“If people with experience of mental ill health play a full part in public life, our country will be a better place for it.”

Charles Walker, a Conservative MP who has previously spoken movingly about his battle with mental illness, was among those who supported the new law. “I am delighted to say that I have been a practicing fruitcake for 31 years,” he told MPs.
“What we’re seeing is an absolute sea-change in the reporting of mental health problems. There’s still some distance to go but things are improving and they are improving quickly.”

The legislation repeals part of the 1983 Mental Health Act which forces MPs and members of the devolved assemblies to stand down if they have been sectioned for more than six moths.
It also relaxes the rules on jury selection and company directorships as they apply to mental illness.
Mr Barwell said: “It is high time we dragged the law of the land into the 21st century. My Bill’s purpose is very simple: to tackle the last legal form of discrimination in our society.

“To our shame the law of the land still discriminates against those with a mental health condition.
“An MP or a company director can be removed from their job because of mental ill health even if they go on to make a full recovery. Many people who are fully capable of performing jury service are ineligible to do so.
“The law as it stands sends out a clear message that if someone has a mental health condition, their contribution to public life is not welcome. That is an affront to a decent civilised society.”

telegraph

Oh yeah?  How about that other affront?  You know the one. The one where ppl get beaten up and the criminals are not even referred to as such, and get off free because they are judged not to be a threat and were let off due to their supposed religion.  How about torture/murder even of babies and the guilty serve a couple of years and are out free AND,
their identities are now private to protect, them.  Wanna talk about that one?
The list must be a mile long.
I think the question is, if someone had suffered “severe” mental illness, how safe is it to trust them ?  To what extent did the severity extend?

Now this really is a bit bigoted of me but, the fact that such left wingers as Milliband and Clegg support this make it a bad idea, even if the sponsor is a conservative. (in name? don’t know)

OK to be fair about this.
Perhaps if someone had a problem when they were 20, and today they’re 50, even if the problem at 20 was severe, would it be at all fair to judge
them 30 yrs later.
I guess there are always two sides and too often I get stuck on one.

But I do stick by my rant with regard to an affront to society based on so many of the get out of jail free decisions being made. And what greater affront then for the victim of a burglary to hear a judge extoll the bravery of the burglar, and then NOT send him to the pokey.

Posted by peiper     on 09/16/2012 at 12:39 PM   
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   Friday - August 31, 2012

Same Old Same Old

Doc Jeff reminds me that some things never change ...

... from last year, a news item that “shovel ready “ O-stimulus money to build roads and bridges is being sent to China to hire coolies imported foreign workers to do the jobs.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/us-bridges-roads-built-chinese-firms-14594513?tab=9482930?ion=1206853&playlist=14594944

I just hope they use American steel, paint, asphalt, etc. The only thing worse than crappy Chinese steel is crappy French plastic. Let’s not even look at their paint ... again.

And in case you missed it in the news ... this is what happens when the typical Chinese shortcuts and lack of QA occur:

Ok, it wasn’t a suspension bridge, but the thing still literally fell apart at the seams. I don’t want that kind of infrastructure development going on in my country.

Posted by Drew458     on 08/31/2012 at 08:22 PM   
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Night Shift Sucks

Once upon a time, I worked the overnight shift in the grocery stores. Never again. It was Hell. And it looks like it still is. This story is still breaking ...

OLD BRIDGE, N.J. – DEVELOPING:  At least three people have died in a shooting at a New Jersey supermarket early Friday, a law enforcement official said.

The person believed to be the shooter is among the dead, a law enforcement official briefed on the shooting told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the shooting took place in a different jurisdiction.

The shooting happened at about 4 a.m. inside a Pathmark grocery store in Old Bridge, a suburb about 25 miles from New York, Old Bridge Mayor Owen Henry told nj.com. The store was closed at the time and was scheduled to open at 6 a.m.

The store and its parking lot were closed Friday.

New Jersey Transit closed its nearby park-and-ride lot and told riders that they could park in other park-and-ride lots or could ride the North Jersey Coast rail line.

Shots were heard inside the Old Bridge supermarket just before 4 a.m. EDT as employees were preparing to open the store for business, said the local ABC affiliate.

Police found two windows bashed in, the station reported.

I can’t say if somebody was trying to break in, or if they were upset that the store wasn’t open all night, or if this was a disagreement between armed employees (and carrying a gun in NJ is 1000% against the law!), or what.  I don’t know the town of Old Bridge, so I can’t give you any help there either. Old Bridge is in central, coastal NJ, though it is not really a “down the shore” town as they say here; while it is south of Raritan Bay and Staten Island, it is also several miles west of the Garden State Parkway, the coastal highway that is the effective western border to all the seaside communities.



UPDATE: Shit, piss, and damnation. I hate when the weekly NCIS scenario actually happens.

Police responded to shots fired inside the Pathmark, where employees were stocking shelves, at 1043 Route 9 in Old Bridge just before 4 a.m. The store was scheduled to open at 6 a.m.

There was a confrontation with the gunman, who was reportedly in body armor, and the suspect was killed. He was tentatively identified as a 23-year-old ex-Marine who worked at the supermarket for the last two weeks.

It is unknown how many others were shot before police responded, but authorities believe he killed two, a man and a woman, before turning the gun on himself.

Authorities say he left the store around 4 a.m. and returned dressed in camouflage, armed with an AK-47 and an automatic handgun. He shot the two victims, both young adults. The woman was believed to be just 18.

Responding police discovered the bodies and evacuated the other employees to the nearby TGI Fridays. Several were being treated for trauma at waiting ambulances.

Posted by Drew458     on 08/31/2012 at 07:33 AM   
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   Monday - August 13, 2012

Window Day

Up with the birdies today and out the door. Doing windows for several of the condos here. “Quick” money always seems to take longer because I wind up visiting and talking, but I got extra from the first job for washing the screens, and I don’t have the jobs scheduled right on top of each other. “Around 1:20, 2:30ish” is as close as I can do it. Gives me time to stop off back here for a clean dry shirt, a sandwich and a pee. And I won’t burn a whole gallon of gas today. Not even half. Cool ... because prices are going up again, and have been sneaking up 50¢ since their low point in early June.

House Oversight Committee to file contempt suit against Holder

The House Oversight Committee is expected to file its contempt of Congress lawsuit against Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday, a Republican congressional source told Fox News.

The move comes after the House in June voted to hold Holder in contempt over the department’s response to inquiries into Operation Fast and Furious.

The civil court case was expected, as congressional Republicans anticipated they would have to take their case to a judge to try and compel the Obama administration to turn over documents pertaining to the failed anti-gunrunning program.

Shortly before the House voted for contempt, President Obama locked down key documents by claiming executive privilege. That decision is expected to be challenged in the court case.

Well, so much for our cooperative representative government. Thieves and liars. Throw them all in jail, and start over. And every law passed or decided since 2000 ... probably chuck them out too.

DC - Land o’ losers.

Posted by Drew458     on 08/13/2012 at 10:00 AM   
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   Friday - July 27, 2012

grasser - brit speak for squeeler - stool pigeon - rat fink busy body

How’s this for an example of ..... Wait a minute.  Lemme think.

Ok here’s the story. See the guy in the photo?  Pretty foolish working with a chainsaw like that.
So let me ask you people reading this.

Would you report this guy to the authorities for working without safety gear and violating several safety regs.?

Well, this photo was shot thru the window of a neighbor who took the picture and did just that. The busy body reported him and he ended up paying one hell of a fine.

Here’s the whole story.

Elf ‘n’ safety might have got this one right: Gardener must pay £6,000 after neighbour catches him perched on treetop while holding a chainsaw

John Holland had no protective clothes, no ropes, and one foot on the tree and the other on the ladder

He was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £2,000 costs ( $9,400.00 )

By PAUL BENTLEY

Perched precariously on a ladder with one foot on a branch and no harness in sight, landscape gardener John Holland gets to work with a chainsaw.

But while the immediate risk to his safety may have been obvious, it was an unseen danger which cost him dear in the end – a man with a camera in the next door garden.

Mr Holland, 53, has been landed with a £6,000 bill after the neighbour took a picture of him and reported him and his colleague to the authorities.

The furious gardener claims the fee is far too high, but health and safety bosses insist it was ‘sheer good fortune’ that he did not hurt himself or anyone else.

Mr Holland was working in Deeping St James, Lincolnshire, when he was spotted by a local resident balancing at the top of a 20ft tree.

Without wearing the necessary protective clothing or using safety ropes, he had scaled the tree using a ladder which was wider than the trunk.

Once at the top, Mr Holland wrapped one arm around the trunk and balanced with one foot on a branch and the other on the ladder. In his left hand he can be seen holding a chainsaw.

What he didn’t know was that he had been spotted by a neighbour who happened to be trained in assessing chainsaw work and who later reported him to the Health and Safety Executive.

At Spalding magistrates’ court, the landscape gardener admitted breaching a series of regulations on working at height and using protective equipment. He was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £2,000 costs.

Mr Holland, who owns JH Landscaping Services, insists he should not have been fined because he was unaware there were any problems with his style of pruning.

‘As soon as the HSE informed me of the technical faults of what we were doing we went out there and then went on more training courses and put everything right,’ he said.

‘But they still wanted to go ahead and prosecute me to make an example of me so word would get around to other people of how seriously they take this kind of thing.

I was ordered to pay £6,000 but the maximum fine for each offence is £20,000.

‘You can break into a house with criminal intent and the maximum fine is just £5,000, but I could have been fined £20,000 for just having the wrong trousers.’

HSE inspector Neil Ward said: ‘Chainsaws are dangerous pieces of machinery in untrained hands.

‘It is sheer good fortune that no one was hurt that day.’

source, Daily Mail

Posted by peiper     on 07/27/2012 at 01:36 PM   
Filed Under: • Big Brother • Daily Life • work and the workplace •  
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   Friday - July 13, 2012

welcome to the olympic security training class. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Bungling Olympic security firm trains 3,300 teenagers to guard the Games in £284m debacle… but some of the A-Level students seem more keen to snooze and listen to their iPods

· Teen guards ‘behaving like children’ during training exercises
· Security firm G4S accused of jeopardising public safety
· Troops set to be drafted in to fill shortfall
· Theresa May said Logoc will impose penalties on the firm for the mess

By STEPHEN WRIGHT and DAVID WILLIAMS

Sitting in the back row of a classroom, a young man listens to music through bright red headphones.
Next to him a woman is slumped asleep across her desk.

This was the scene at a recent training session for Olympics security guards recruited by G4S.
It was photographed by a fellow student appalled by the poor calibre of those hired by the beleaguered security firm.
The picture will offer fresh embarrassment for Olympic chiefs coming ont he day it emerged that hundreds of A-level students have been hired as front-line security guards at the Games.
They are among 3,300 teenagers recruited from colleges around Britain to help form a ring of steel at the venues.

Security experts expressed alarm that youngsters aged 18 and 19 had been entrusted with searching spectators and bags.
And some accused G4S, the private security firm, of jeopardising public safety by recruiting the students on £8.50 an hour to cut costs.
A whistleblower told the Mail: ‘Some of the people on that course you would not hire to empty a dustbin. You are talking about really poorly educated, slovenly yobs.

SEE IT ALL HERE

Posted by peiper     on 07/13/2012 at 08:11 AM   
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   Thursday - July 12, 2012

benefit claims are a human right and mcdees corners the fries market at olympics

I must go out before more rain and clip hedges. Again.  I can’t believe how fast things grow in the rain forest called England.

OK about this post.
I have nothing against charity or lending a helping hand when I can.  I should put that in past tense as many things have changed since the wife and I were a part of the everyday American workforce.  When we were both young and gainfully employed, the wife gave 10% to charity.  So I have no cheapskate problem with help for those in need.  Hey, once upon a time I was there but had the good fortune to have family support (paid back every single dime) and worked more then one job.  Once I felt the humiliation of actually collecting unemployment for a short period.  And btw, back then they really did check on you.  So I drove a taxi (hated it) and when I wasn’t doing that I worked in a metal scrap yard. Early day in yard and late plus evenings on the taxi. Tiring.
It never, ever would have dawned on me in those far away years, that being on the dole (never was) or even unemployment was some sort of divine right.  Certainly never thought in terms of a human and civil “right.”

My, my how times have changed.  Take a look.

The human right to claim benefits: Jobless could sue for better payments under controversial plan
· Experts are considering whether Labour’s Human Rights Act should include socio-economic rights
· Job-seekers could take the Government to court if ministers failed to provide minimum standard of living
By JAMES SLACK

Human rights law will be extended to include the right to claim benefits and enjoy a comfortable standard of living courtesy of the taxpayer under plans unveiled last night.

A Government panel of experts is considering whether Labour’s Human Rights Act – which is already hugely controversial – should be extended to include so-called ‘socio-economic rights’.

This would allow the jobless to take the Government to court if ministers did not provide a minimum standard of living.
Earlier this week, a report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation suggested a family of four needed an income of almost £37,000 ($54,109.89) to have a satisfactory lifestyle.

Originally, the Prime Minister had pledged to scrap Labour’s Act and replace it with a UK Bill of Rights, which would stop the system being abused by criminals and those who refuse to work.

But, after being forced into a coalition with the Liberal Democrats he had to downgrade his pledge. Instead, he established the commission to decide the best way forward. Yesterday, despite deliberating for 15 months, the panel said it had not decided whether to recommend any change to the Act.

But it said that, if it did decide to opt for a Bill of Rights, it wanted to consider suggestions from the public and pro-human rights groups on whether to add on yet more ‘human rights’ which must be respected by Parliament and the courts.

READ MORE

For the fun side of things I have this to offer.

For those who do not know.

* Americans:  French Fries

* Brits:  Crisps

There will be no testing.

The Brits love their chips, but even my wife gags with dismay at the thought of chips served with lasagne.  I can not imagine that. Quick, get the Rolaids.

McDonald’s force Olympics bosses to ban all other restaurants from selling chips… unless they’re served with fish

· Hundreds of restaurants and food retailers expected to be affected
· Memo about the change said retailers don’t back the decision
· All British favourites must be served without chips - except for fish
By EMMA CLARK

Hundreds of food outlets at Olympic venues have been forced to take chips off the menu, because of a demand from sponsor McDonald’s.

Olympic chiefs have banned all 800 food retailers at the 40 Games venues across Britain from dishing up chips because of ‘sponsorship obligations.’

The only loophole in the agreement, announced in a memo to staff, is that chips can be served with fish - safeguarding Britain’s most famous dish.

But is seems the bosses have predicted an outrage about the decision, emphasising that the move was not backed by the food retailers.

The memo reads: ‘Due to sponsorship obligations with McDonalds, Locog have instructed the catering team they are no longer allowed to serve chips on their own anywhere within the Olympic park.

‘The only loophole to this is if it is served with fish.’
‘Please understand this is not the decision of the staff serving up your meals, who given the choice would gladly give it you however they are not allowed to.

‘This is being escalated through to the directors of L2012C and Locog and the IOC.
‘Please do not give the staff grief; this will only lead to us removing fish and chips completely.

‘Everyone has a right to work in a none abusive environment.’
Commercial partners Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Cadbury, Nature Valley and Heineken will be the only branded products sold at the games.

more

And here’s pretty much what touched off a bit of bother on the subject.

OH WHOOPS, WRONG PHOTO. LOL

Posted by peiper     on 07/12/2012 at 05:56 AM   
Filed Under: • Daily Life • UK • work and the workplace •  
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   Thursday - July 05, 2012

Bankers and daughters and I’m all shook up, uh huh,huh

Something of minor interest to Americans. Or maybe not because what the bank(s) did here are sure to be replicated in the USA.

This is all part of another very major scandal happening here.  And since the top guy at Barclay’s bank is an American, you may be getting the news where you are.

Bob Diamond comes from a family of nine kids, his parents coming to America and raising a family. They are of Scots/Irish background. Which is neither here nor there. Just giving you some background.  Mr. Diamond can not be a dummy having worked his way up to becoming the top gun at his bank and lauded by many for his business acumen.  He has been running the show here for 16 years and so quite naturally people are asking, how does a fellow like this who is a millionaire many times over, with stately homes in more then one country, with friends in very high places, how comes it that he didn’t know some wrong things were happening going back a few years.  How is that possible?

I don’t have any bank loans.  Don’t have a mortgage, and do not carry a balance on a credit card of any significant amount.  It is generally paid in full every month.  So really, I don’t care about this story and I would not have followed it and didn’t at the start but for one thing.
Just to show you how shallow I have become in my dotage.  Or maybe I always have been.

What got me interested in this whole thing was a woman. Wouldn’t ya know it. And why not?  Is there anything else on the planet aside from puppy dogs and cute kittens, as attention grabbing as a pretty girl?  Right. A beautiful car of old vintage.  OK I concede that.
But women are endlessly fascinating.

Now then, with the world dumping on Mr. Diamond, who should come to his defense but his daughter. Who is an analyst at Deutsche Bank, N.Y.
Miss Diamond lost her temper and let fly using some sort of slang I never heard of before but then I haven’t got a Twitter account so far. And that’s where she let go with a tweet that I thought so tame compared to things I have seen and heard on TV, I couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about.  Because what she said was reported in the msm, we all got to know her.  And I must tell you, by far the vast majority of those who were critical of her are nothing more then losers who are most likely envious of her family and her own wealth.  To read some of the things being said about the young (23) woman, you would think that it was immoral and criminal as well, simply to be born into a very wealthy family.  Well rubbish to that.

I haven’t a clue if daddy is telling the truth or not but I am impressed that she immediately came to his defense with guns blazing. Makes a change from all the bad things we read about with regard to families warring. 

OK, just so ya know.  Here what it’s all about.

The London Interbank Offered Rate (or LIBOR) is a daily reference rate based on the interest rates at which banks borrow unsecured funds from other banks in the London wholesale money market (or interbank market).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libor

WHAT DID BARCLAYS DO?

Barclays’ traders speculating on movements in interest rates were manipulating Libor in an effort to make huge profits.

Its traders were conspiring with the ‘submitters’ at the bank which lodge their Libor rates every morning. Depending on the way they were betting, traders would urge these submitters to increase the Libor rate or lower it.

Barclays’ traders also conspired with ex-employees working at other banks to try to influence their Libor submissions. During the financial crisis Barclays also fiddled the figures to dupe the market into thinking it was more financially sound than it was.

Libor is often seen as a barometer of how healthy a bank is. Just as customers with bad credit records have to pay higher interest rates, banks which are deemed in poor financial health are charged more to borrow.

Barclays became anxious that its Libor rate was higher than many of its peers and that they were fiddling the figures. It decided to join the party.

Bank of England governor Sir Mervyn King phoned chairman Marcus Agius to say he wanted the American financier out, it was claimed.
It was reported that Mr Diamond decided to resign after assessing the reaction to Mr Agius’ decision to quit.

But despite his resignation, Mr Diamond, 60, shocked the City by defiantly insisting that he would stay on at the bank despite the rate-fixing scandal.

Mr Diamond was grilled in the Commons by the Treasury Select Committee and the details could be highly embarrassing for regulators with increasing speculation that they were aware of the bank’s practices but failed to act.

Mr Diamond is said to be furious that he and the bank have been blamed for ‘lowballing’ the rates at which Barclays said it could borrow from rivals.
Bankers insist the authorities knew these rates were inaccurate but did not act because they feared the truth would destabilise the markets. It is also claimed that regulators possessed evidence of rate-fixing.

BARCLAYS SPENT £100MILLION ON ITS OWN 3-YEAR LIBOR INVESTIGATION

In the wake of the scandal Barclays reveals it has spent almost £100 million pounds on a three-year internal investigation into how it had submitted inaccurate Libor interest rate prices.
In documents released ahead of Mr Diamond’s appearance in parliament on Wednesday, the bank said:
‘The bank has invested nearly 100 million pounds to ensure that no stone has been left unturned.’

This involved an internal investigation supported by external counsel, which reviewed 22 million documents and more than 75 interviews.
Mr Diamond, who joined the bank 16 years ago, said in his resignation statement: ‘I am deeply disappointed that the impression created by the events announced last week about what Barclays and its people stand for could not be further from the truth.’

‘My motivation has always been to do what I believed to be in the best interests of Barclays. No decision over that period was as hard as the one that I make now to stand down as chief executive.’

He went on: ‘I know that each and every one of the people at Barclays works hard every day to serve our customers and clients. That is how we support economic growth and the communities in which we live and work.’

He added: ‘I leave behind an extraordinarily talented management team that I know is well placed to help the business emerge from this difficult period as one of the leaders in the global banking industry.’

George Osborne said Mr Diamond’s resignation was ‘the right decision for Barclays’ and the ‘right decision for the country’.

The Chancellor added: ‘I think and I hope that it is the first step towards a new culture of responsibility in British banking.’
Mr Osborne acknowledged that the Government had had ‘conversations’ with the bank but denied ministers were responsible for Mr Diamond falling on his sword.

Since January 2011, Barclays has been found guilty of ripping off the elderly, avoiding up to £500million in tax, manipulating interest rates, mis-selling payment protection insurance and systematically exploiting small firms with the sale of complex loans.

Chairman Mr Agius said: ‘Bob Diamond has made an enormous contribution to Barclays over the last 16 years of distinguished service to the group, building Barclays Investment Bank into one of the leading global investment banks in the world. As chief executive he has led the bank superbly.’

Lord Oakeshott, the former Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman, this morning described the banker’s resignation as great for democracy.

‘Bob Diamond’s departure is a great day for democracy. He is the symbol of the gambling and greed we must root out of our banking system.
‘Now the top priority is to catch the criminals, break off the casinos from the basic banks and make them lend.

‘We must never again let the rich and powerful in the City or the media get their hands round the windpipe of Government.’

read more

Gottcha. Now how about seeing to it that wealthy and influential money grubbing, thieving politicians never again fiddle on their expenses.  Oh yeah, and how about denying people who did dip into the public purse their seats in govt.  Oh right. That’s different.
Hypocritical gas bags. 

Posted by peiper     on 07/05/2012 at 11:42 AM   
Filed Under: • Eye-Candy • Finance and Investing • UK • USA • work and the workplace •  
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   Wednesday - July 04, 2012

Buy This House, Put Drew Back To Work

I see that Claremont is on the real estate market ...

Comprising 70 acres atop Bernardsville Mountain and commanding views as far as Manhattan, Claremont is an exceptional estate by any measure. But it is equally noteworthy for its distinguished heritage; Claremont was designed by and became the summer home of the renowned architect George Brown Post (1837-1913). Known as ‘the father of the tall building in New York’ Post’s commissions had substantial impact on the skyline he viewed from Claremont’s privileged stage. And in the surrounding mountain colony, the firm of George Post & Sons built or altered up to 30 country houses making a profound imprint on a period of residential architecture that came to be known as the gilded age of the Somerset Hills.

Classically designed and richly embellished, Claremont’s Neo-Federal-styled mansion captures our wonder as it visually delights. A stone courtyard presents the residence clad with slate roof and stucco-covered stone trimmed with terracotta. Its rounded lines, Corinthian columns, elegant proportions and Beaux-Arts detail are signature Post. Double glass doors provide entry to the wide, marble-floored center hall. Imposing ceiling heights, exquisite moldings, expansive windows and elegant fireplaces grace its commodious gathering spaces including formal living and dining room, library and den.

From the center hall a grand staircase sweeps to the second floor where the Palladian window-wall frames arresting views to the two-story portico, terraced gardens and distant valleys. Included at this upper level is the master suite with bedroom, sitting and dressing room; 4 en suite bedrooms, and extensive staff quarters. Complementing the home is a full walk-up attic and full basement with exterior entrance. The estate also affords a charming guest cottage and beautiful shingle-style carriage house with apartment.

Actually it’s nearly 71 acres, but who’s counting. And all this can be yours for the reduced price of just under ten million dollars. The asking price is $9,800,000. Heck, the land is worth almost that much right off the bat. And don’t worry about security or safety. The house has a retrofit state of the art sprinkler system, a modern alarm system, and a turn of the 20th century active deterrent system, comprised of massive bronzed steel bars that fold out from recesses beside each window and door and can be securely locked from the inside. Oh, and there’s a gate at the street end of the half mile long driveway, to keep those pesky Fuller Brush salesmen at bay. And if that isn’t quite enough for you to feel safe, the world renowned safari outfitter and gun maker Griffin and Howe is right down the street. Not that Bernardsville has any crime, thank you very much. The very idea!

Post was a damned good architect with a perfect sense of proportion. The house is far, far larger than it looks because he got the design just right. He just made everything larger so it balanced; the windows are 9 feet tall, and the front door opens wide enough to drive in a grand piano. Or two. Skirting at the edge of the roof hides most of the roof from view from the ground. Without it, you’d notice that this home is actually nearly 6 stories tall, instead of the generous 2 it appears to be. Well done.

And if you follow the link and look at the pictures of the main house, the carriage house, the guest bungalow, and the property manager’s office building, you won’t see a single pane of glass that I haven’t cleaned, or a room I haven’t worked on or in. I used to get a lot of work at Claremont, until the dear old lady who was the last descendant living there, passed on a couple years back. So I know my way around ... and I could use the steady work. Pretty sure some of those 1/2” thick window panes need reglazing by now.

And you can see Manhattan from the upper windows, 35 miles away. Heck, if you go up the servant’s stairs to the attic and then up the 30 foot tall staircase inside it and then out the roof hatch by the top skylight, I think you can see England. King of the World, indeed!

Posted by Drew458     on 07/04/2012 at 02:55 PM   
Filed Under: • work and the workplace •  
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   Tuesday - July 03, 2012

threats to shoot folks not seen as proper leadership skills

I guess sometimes the pressure of the job just gets to one.

Might embarrass Obama however, as this fellow is a supporter and has the job due to that support.

US envoy to Kenya resigns after ‘threatening to shoot staff in head’

The US ambassador to Kenya resigned after complaints he bullied staff and threatened to “shoot them in the head” if they did not comply with his orders, it has been alleged.

By Jon Swaine, Washington

Scott Gration, who had led the US embassy in Nairobi since February last year, stepped down late last week, citing “differences with Washington regarding my leadership style”.

It is understood that the State Department’s inspector general is preparing to release a scathing report on Mr Gration, who is a close ally of President Barack Obama.

The disclosures threaten to embarrass Mr Obama, who previously made Mr Gration his special envoy to Sudan after the veteran diplomat became an early champion of his presidential ambitions.

read source for his idea of leadership. yuk,yuk

Posted by peiper     on 07/03/2012 at 08:24 AM   
Filed Under: • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists • War-Stories • work and the workplace •  
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