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January 16, 2015
from In These Times:
Whole Foods Worker Fired for ‘Stealing’ a Sweater—Though It Never Left the Store
BY TRISH KAHLE
Janette Belandres worked at Whole Foods Market in Chicago's Lincoln Park for more than three years. A small woman with a wide, pleasant smile, she was a favorite among coworkers and customers, and had a sterling work record. That is, until she was fired on December 28, 2014.
Here’s how Belandres recalls the incident: On December 27, the store was short-staffed and carts weren't being returned quickly enough to keep up with the Saturday morning rush, so a manager sent Belandres to round up carts in the store's parking areas.
Being “on carts,” as workers call it, is a demanding task, especially in winter weather. Typically, only one or two employees cover the Lincoln Park store’s 400-car parking garage. They collect the carts, load them into an elevator, pick out any trash, and wheel a stiff column of six or more carts to the front of the store, navigating an obstacle course of customers and displays.
As she was bringing in a column of carts, Belandres noticed a black sweater, turned inside out, hanging on a hook by a bathroom near the cart elevator. When the sweater still hadn't been removed an hour later, she guessed an employee had taken it off to use the bathroom and then forgotten it. She says it’s typical to find lost items and take them to customer service, although the store has no official policy on how team members should handle lost-and-found.
“I wanted to turn it in to Customer Service,” Belandres says, “but I couldn't take the time.” (At the Lincoln Park store, one of the largest Whole Foods in the country, a trip to the front desk from across the store can take 5 or 10 minutes). Instead, she says, she tied the sweater around her waist and continued to work, planning to turn it in when she get a break. ...............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/17523/whole_foods_worker_fired_for_stealing_a_sweater_thought_it_never_left_the_s
Whole Foods Worker Fired for ‘Stealing’ a Sweater—Though It Never Left the Store
from In These Times:
Whole Foods Worker Fired for ‘Stealing’ a Sweater—Though It Never Left the Store
BY TRISH KAHLE
Janette Belandres worked at Whole Foods Market in Chicago's Lincoln Park for more than three years. A small woman with a wide, pleasant smile, she was a favorite among coworkers and customers, and had a sterling work record. That is, until she was fired on December 28, 2014.
(Full disclosure: The author worked with Belandres at Whole Foods from July 2012 to January 2014 and was a leader of an organizing campaign there, which Belandres supported.)
Here’s how Belandres recalls the incident: On December 27, the store was short-staffed and carts weren't being returned quickly enough to keep up with the Saturday morning rush, so a manager sent Belandres to round up carts in the store's parking areas.
Being “on carts,” as workers call it, is a demanding task, especially in winter weather. Typically, only one or two employees cover the Lincoln Park store’s 400-car parking garage. They collect the carts, load them into an elevator, pick out any trash, and wheel a stiff column of six or more carts to the front of the store, navigating an obstacle course of customers and displays.
As she was bringing in a column of carts, Belandres noticed a black sweater, turned inside out, hanging on a hook by a bathroom near the cart elevator. When the sweater still hadn't been removed an hour later, she guessed an employee had taken it off to use the bathroom and then forgotten it. She says it’s typical to find lost items and take them to customer service, although the store has no official policy on how team members should handle lost-and-found.
“I wanted to turn it in to Customer Service,” Belandres says, “but I couldn't take the time.” (At the Lincoln Park store, one of the largest Whole Foods in the country, a trip to the front desk from across the store can take 5 or 10 minutes). Instead, she says, she tied the sweater around her waist and continued to work, planning to turn it in when she get a break. ...............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/17523/whole_foods_worker_fired_for_stealing_a_sweater_thought_it_never_left_the_s
January 16, 2015
from In These Times:
Should Rahm Emanuel Be Exempt From Ethics Laws?
Executives at firms managing Chicago pension money have made more than $600,000 in donations to the mayor, despite a city ordinance—and an executive order by Emanuel himself—restricting contributions from city contractors.
BY DAVID SIROTA
On its face, Chicago’s municipal pension system is an integral part of the Chicago city government. The system is included in the city’s budget, it is directly funded by the city, and its various boards of trustees include city officials and mayoral appointees. Yet, when it comes to enforcing the city’s anti-corruption laws in advance of the Chicago’s closely watched 2015 municipal election, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration is suddenly arguing that the pension funds are not part of the city government at all.
The counterintuitive declaration came last month from the mayor-appointed ethics commission, responding to Chicago aldermen’s request for an investigation of campaign contributions to Emanuel from the financial industry. The request followed disclosures that executives at firms managing Chicago pension money have made more than $600,000 worth of donations to Emanuel. The contributions flowed to the mayor despite a city ordinance—and an executive order by Emanuel himself—restricting mayoral campaign contributions from city contractors.
Brushing off the lawmakers’ complaint about Emanuel’s donations from the financial industry, the mayor’s ethics commission issued a nonbinding legal opinion arguing that Chicago's pension systems are “not agencies or departments of the city, and thus firms that contract with them are not doing or seeking to do business with the city.” The commission’s interpretation means financial firms’ business with Chicago pension funds should be considered exempt from city ethics laws.
With the aldermen’s complaint about campaign contributions generating headlines and potentially complicating Emanuel’s already tough race for re-election, the Emanuel-appointed commission was unusually frank about its motives: It said the release of its opinion was designed “to attempt to ensure that no ethical clouds are hanging over any candidate’s head.” ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://inthesetimes.com/article/17530/rahm_emanuel_ethics_laws
David Sirota: Should Rahm Emanuel Be Exempt From Ethics Laws?
from In These Times:
Should Rahm Emanuel Be Exempt From Ethics Laws?
Executives at firms managing Chicago pension money have made more than $600,000 in donations to the mayor, despite a city ordinance—and an executive order by Emanuel himself—restricting contributions from city contractors.
BY DAVID SIROTA
On its face, Chicago’s municipal pension system is an integral part of the Chicago city government. The system is included in the city’s budget, it is directly funded by the city, and its various boards of trustees include city officials and mayoral appointees. Yet, when it comes to enforcing the city’s anti-corruption laws in advance of the Chicago’s closely watched 2015 municipal election, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration is suddenly arguing that the pension funds are not part of the city government at all.
The counterintuitive declaration came last month from the mayor-appointed ethics commission, responding to Chicago aldermen’s request for an investigation of campaign contributions to Emanuel from the financial industry. The request followed disclosures that executives at firms managing Chicago pension money have made more than $600,000 worth of donations to Emanuel. The contributions flowed to the mayor despite a city ordinance—and an executive order by Emanuel himself—restricting mayoral campaign contributions from city contractors.
Brushing off the lawmakers’ complaint about Emanuel’s donations from the financial industry, the mayor’s ethics commission issued a nonbinding legal opinion arguing that Chicago's pension systems are “not agencies or departments of the city, and thus firms that contract with them are not doing or seeking to do business with the city.” The commission’s interpretation means financial firms’ business with Chicago pension funds should be considered exempt from city ethics laws.
With the aldermen’s complaint about campaign contributions generating headlines and potentially complicating Emanuel’s already tough race for re-election, the Emanuel-appointed commission was unusually frank about its motives: It said the release of its opinion was designed “to attempt to ensure that no ethical clouds are hanging over any candidate’s head.” ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://inthesetimes.com/article/17530/rahm_emanuel_ethics_laws
January 16, 2015
Jan. 15--The opening of Charlotte's streetcar has been delayed by three months until June, the result of errors made by the contractor, a joint venture between Balfour Beatty and Blythe Development, the city said Wednesday.
Jeb Blackwell, the city's engineer, said the contractors had put extra crews on the project but were unable to catch up after falling behind last summer. In December, the contractors had to remove 700 feet of track on Trade Street that had been improperly installed and was off by a half inch.
The city said the contractor is being fined $1,000 a day for the delay until the project is finished. The fines started Dec. 23.
The city expects construction to wrap up at the end of February. The city will then begin testing the 1.5-mile streetcar line, which will run from Time Warner Cable Arena to Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center. ..................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.masstransitmag.com/news/11804902/charlotte-streetcar-opening-delayed-until-june
Charlotte Streetcar Opening Delayed Until June
Jan. 15--The opening of Charlotte's streetcar has been delayed by three months until June, the result of errors made by the contractor, a joint venture between Balfour Beatty and Blythe Development, the city said Wednesday.
Jeb Blackwell, the city's engineer, said the contractors had put extra crews on the project but were unable to catch up after falling behind last summer. In December, the contractors had to remove 700 feet of track on Trade Street that had been improperly installed and was off by a half inch.
The city said the contractor is being fined $1,000 a day for the delay until the project is finished. The fines started Dec. 23.
The city expects construction to wrap up at the end of February. The city will then begin testing the 1.5-mile streetcar line, which will run from Time Warner Cable Arena to Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center. ..................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.masstransitmag.com/news/11804902/charlotte-streetcar-opening-delayed-until-june
January 16, 2015
from In These Times:
The War on Billie Holiday
The Bureau of Narcotics’ strange obsession
BY JOHANN HARI
Jazz was the opposite of everything Harry Anslinger, the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (established in 1930), believed in. It is improvised, and relaxed, and free-form. It follows its own rhythm. Worst of all, it is a mongrel music made up of European, Caribbean and African echoes, all mating on American shores. To Anslinger, this was musical anarchy, and evidence of a recurrence of the primitive impulses that lurk in black people, waiting to emerge. “It sounded,” his internal memos said, “like the jungles in the dead of night.” Another memo warned that “unbelievably ancient indecent rites of the East Indies are resurrected” in this black man’s music. The lives of the jazzmen, he said, “reek of filth.”
His agents reported back to him that “many among the jazzmen think they are playing magnificently when under the influence of marihuana (sic) but they are actually becoming hopelessly confused and playing horribly.”
The Bureau believed that marijuana slowed down your perception of time dramatically, and this was why jazz music sounded so freakish—the musicians were literally living at a different, inhuman rhythm. “Music hath charms,” their memos say, “but not this music.” Indeed, Harry took jazz as yet more proof that marijuana drives people insane. For example, the song “That Funny Reefer Man” contains the line “Any time he gets a notion, he can walk across the ocean.” Harry’s agents warned: “He does think that.”
Anslinger looked out over a scene filled with men like Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong and Thelonious Monk, and—as the journalist Larry Sloman recorded—he longed to see them all behind bars. He wrote to all the agents he had sent to follow them and instructed: “Please prepare all cases in your jurisdiction involving musicians in violation of the marijuana laws. We will have a great national round-up arrest of all such persons on a single day. I will let you know what day.” His advice on drug raids to his men was always, “Shoot first.” ....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://inthesetimes.com/article/17536/the_war_on_billie_holiday
The War on Billie Holiday: The Bureau of Narcotics’ strange obsession
from In These Times:
The War on Billie Holiday
The Bureau of Narcotics’ strange obsession
BY JOHANN HARI
Jazz was the opposite of everything Harry Anslinger, the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (established in 1930), believed in. It is improvised, and relaxed, and free-form. It follows its own rhythm. Worst of all, it is a mongrel music made up of European, Caribbean and African echoes, all mating on American shores. To Anslinger, this was musical anarchy, and evidence of a recurrence of the primitive impulses that lurk in black people, waiting to emerge. “It sounded,” his internal memos said, “like the jungles in the dead of night.” Another memo warned that “unbelievably ancient indecent rites of the East Indies are resurrected” in this black man’s music. The lives of the jazzmen, he said, “reek of filth.”
His agents reported back to him that “many among the jazzmen think they are playing magnificently when under the influence of marihuana (sic) but they are actually becoming hopelessly confused and playing horribly.”
The Bureau believed that marijuana slowed down your perception of time dramatically, and this was why jazz music sounded so freakish—the musicians were literally living at a different, inhuman rhythm. “Music hath charms,” their memos say, “but not this music.” Indeed, Harry took jazz as yet more proof that marijuana drives people insane. For example, the song “That Funny Reefer Man” contains the line “Any time he gets a notion, he can walk across the ocean.” Harry’s agents warned: “He does think that.”
Anslinger looked out over a scene filled with men like Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong and Thelonious Monk, and—as the journalist Larry Sloman recorded—he longed to see them all behind bars. He wrote to all the agents he had sent to follow them and instructed: “Please prepare all cases in your jurisdiction involving musicians in violation of the marijuana laws. We will have a great national round-up arrest of all such persons on a single day. I will let you know what day.” His advice on drug raids to his men was always, “Shoot first.” ....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://inthesetimes.com/article/17536/the_war_on_billie_holiday
January 16, 2015
Thursday, 15 January 2015 00:00
By Michael Nevradakis, Truthout | Interview
In the following interview, New School professor and economist Richard Wolff provides his analysis of the causes of the economic crisis in Greece and in the eurozone, debunks claims that the Greek economy is recovering and offers his proposal for what a post-capitalist future could look like for Greece and the world.
Michael Nevradakis: Prior to the elections, we've heard talk about how the situation in Greece is turning around, that the economy is recovering. How do you respond to this?
Richard Wolff: I respond to it in the same way that I respond to this sort of report that periodically surfaces here in the United States. Here's the way that I would describe it. We have the worst economic downturn in the last 75 years, second only to the Great Depression of the 1930s, and we're not yet clear how long this one will last and how bad it will be, so it may even overtake the one in the 1930s; we just don't know.
.......(snip).......
The second thing I would say is this: There has been a recovery. There has been a recovery in the incomes and wealth of the 5 to 10 percent of many of the societies hit by the crisis; stock markets in many countries have recovered; corporate profits have recovered in some parts in both financial and non-financial industries - but for the vast majority of people, there has been no recovery. Unemployment is at record highs in many parts of the world. Even for those who have kept their jobs, their jobs have fewer benefits, lower degrees of security [and] children are having to forego education or rack up enormous debts to pay for it. Wherever we turn, the basic life condition of the mass of people is poorer than it was five and six years ago.
There is no recovery for the mass of people, and in the end, even those at the top cannot long enjoy a recovery that is denied to the masses below them, even though they refuse to face that reality and therefore suffer the continuation of this crisis. There is a recent report by a leading German economic research institute begging the European Central Bank to pump more money - quantitative easing, they call it - into the European economy to prevent a deflationary downward spiral. Those who are promising recovery (will continue) have a hard time explaining why a conservative economic research institute in Germany should reverse itself and be so anxiety-ridden that this economic downturn will continue for the future.
.......(snip).......
In essence, you've made the argument that we should be looking toward a post-capitalist future, not just in Greece but worldwide. What would this post-capitalist future look like and how could it be accomplished?
Yes, you have understood me perfectly well, but let me make one final point about that. In one of my recent radio programs, I talked about billionaires because we have a very useful statistical service here in the United States that keeps track of billionaires, and your (readers) might also be interested to know that we have about 1,600 or 1,700 billionaires in the world. If you put them together, they own together, these 1,600 or 1,700 individuals in the world, as much as the bottom half of the entire population of this planet, some 3 to 3.5 billion people. OK, for me, this conversation about capitalism is over. Any economic system that produces 1,600 billionaires who can together dispose of an equal amount of the property of this planet as the lower half, 3.5 billion people, is an economic system that no longer justifies anyone's support other than those 1,700. Them, I could understand. But this is a system whose success in increasing output is completely offset by its absolutely obscene distribution of wealth, which makes the pharaohs of ancient Egypt look like nothing in comparison. So for me, going beyond capitalism is what we call in the United States a "no brainer." It is something that is, or should be, instant, immediate and obvious. ..............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/28505-richard-wolff-on-the-greek-crisis-austerity-and-a-post-capitalist-future
Richard Wolff on the Greek Crisis, Austerity and a Post-Capitalist Future
Richard Wolff on the Greek Crisis, Austerity and a Post-Capitalist FutureThursday, 15 January 2015 00:00
By Michael Nevradakis, Truthout | Interview
In the following interview, New School professor and economist Richard Wolff provides his analysis of the causes of the economic crisis in Greece and in the eurozone, debunks claims that the Greek economy is recovering and offers his proposal for what a post-capitalist future could look like for Greece and the world.
Michael Nevradakis: Prior to the elections, we've heard talk about how the situation in Greece is turning around, that the economy is recovering. How do you respond to this?
Richard Wolff: I respond to it in the same way that I respond to this sort of report that periodically surfaces here in the United States. Here's the way that I would describe it. We have the worst economic downturn in the last 75 years, second only to the Great Depression of the 1930s, and we're not yet clear how long this one will last and how bad it will be, so it may even overtake the one in the 1930s; we just don't know.
.......(snip).......
The second thing I would say is this: There has been a recovery. There has been a recovery in the incomes and wealth of the 5 to 10 percent of many of the societies hit by the crisis; stock markets in many countries have recovered; corporate profits have recovered in some parts in both financial and non-financial industries - but for the vast majority of people, there has been no recovery. Unemployment is at record highs in many parts of the world. Even for those who have kept their jobs, their jobs have fewer benefits, lower degrees of security [and] children are having to forego education or rack up enormous debts to pay for it. Wherever we turn, the basic life condition of the mass of people is poorer than it was five and six years ago.
There is no recovery for the mass of people, and in the end, even those at the top cannot long enjoy a recovery that is denied to the masses below them, even though they refuse to face that reality and therefore suffer the continuation of this crisis. There is a recent report by a leading German economic research institute begging the European Central Bank to pump more money - quantitative easing, they call it - into the European economy to prevent a deflationary downward spiral. Those who are promising recovery (will continue) have a hard time explaining why a conservative economic research institute in Germany should reverse itself and be so anxiety-ridden that this economic downturn will continue for the future.
.......(snip).......
In essence, you've made the argument that we should be looking toward a post-capitalist future, not just in Greece but worldwide. What would this post-capitalist future look like and how could it be accomplished?
Yes, you have understood me perfectly well, but let me make one final point about that. In one of my recent radio programs, I talked about billionaires because we have a very useful statistical service here in the United States that keeps track of billionaires, and your (readers) might also be interested to know that we have about 1,600 or 1,700 billionaires in the world. If you put them together, they own together, these 1,600 or 1,700 individuals in the world, as much as the bottom half of the entire population of this planet, some 3 to 3.5 billion people. OK, for me, this conversation about capitalism is over. Any economic system that produces 1,600 billionaires who can together dispose of an equal amount of the property of this planet as the lower half, 3.5 billion people, is an economic system that no longer justifies anyone's support other than those 1,700. Them, I could understand. But this is a system whose success in increasing output is completely offset by its absolutely obscene distribution of wealth, which makes the pharaohs of ancient Egypt look like nothing in comparison. So for me, going beyond capitalism is what we call in the United States a "no brainer." It is something that is, or should be, instant, immediate and obvious. ..............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/28505-richard-wolff-on-the-greek-crisis-austerity-and-a-post-capitalist-future
January 16, 2015
Richard Wolff on the Greek Crisis, Austerity and a Post-Capitalist Future
Thursday, 15 January 2015 00:00
By Michael Nevradakis, Truthout | Interview
In the following interview, New School professor and economist Richard Wolff provides his analysis of the causes of the economic crisis in Greece and in the eurozone, debunks claims that the Greek economy is recovering and offers his proposal for what a post-capitalist future could look like for Greece and the world.
Michael Nevradakis: Prior to the elections, we've heard talk about how the situation in Greece is turning around, that the economy is recovering. How do you respond to this?
Richard Wolff: I respond to it in the same way that I respond to this sort of report that periodically surfaces here in the United States. Here's the way that I would describe it. We have the worst economic downturn in the last 75 years, second only to the Great Depression of the 1930s, and we're not yet clear how long this one will last and how bad it will be, so it may even overtake the one in the 1930s; we just don't know.
.......(snip).......
The second thing I would say is this: There has been a recovery. There has been a recovery in the incomes and wealth of the 5 to 10 percent of many of the societies hit by the crisis; stock markets in many countries have recovered; corporate profits have recovered in some parts in both financial and non-financial industries - but for the vast majority of people, there has been no recovery. Unemployment is at record highs in many parts of the world. Even for those who have kept their jobs, their jobs have fewer benefits, lower degrees of security [and] children are having to forego education or rack up enormous debts to pay for it. Wherever we turn, the basic life condition of the mass of people is poorer than it was five and six years ago.
There is no recovery for the mass of people, and in the end, even those at the top cannot long enjoy a recovery that is denied to the masses below them, even though they refuse to face that reality and therefore suffer the continuation of this crisis. There is a recent report by a leading German economic research institute begging the European Central Bank to pump more money - quantitative easing, they call it - into the European economy to prevent a deflationary downward spiral. Those who are promising recovery (will continue) have a hard time explaining why a conservative economic research institute in Germany should reverse itself and be so anxiety-ridden that this economic downturn will continue for the future.
.......(snip).......
In essence, you've made the argument that we should be looking toward a post-capitalist future, not just in Greece but worldwide. What would this post-capitalist future look like and how could it be accomplished?
Yes, you have understood me perfectly well, but let me make one final point about that. In one of my recent radio programs, I talked about billionaires because we have a very useful statistical service here in the United States that keeps track of billionaires, and your (readers) might also be interested to know that we have about 1,600 or 1,700 billionaires in the world. If you put them together, they own together, these 1,600 or 1,700 individuals in the world, as much as the bottom half of the entire population of this planet, some 3 to 3.5 billion people. OK, for me, this conversation about capitalism is over. Any economic system that produces 1,600 billionaires who can together dispose of an equal amount of the property of this planet as the lower half, 3.5 billion people, is an economic system that no longer justifies anyone's support other than those 1,700. Them, I could understand. But this is a system whose success in increasing output is completely offset by its absolutely obscene distribution of wealth, which makes the pharaohs of ancient Egypt look like nothing in comparison. So for me, going beyond capitalism is what we call in the United States a "no brainer." It is something that is, or should be, instant, immediate and obvious. ..............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/28505-richard-wolff-on-the-greek-crisis-austerity-and-a-post-capitalist-future
Professor Richard Wolff: "There is no recovery for the mass of people"
Richard Wolff on the Greek Crisis, Austerity and a Post-Capitalist Future
Thursday, 15 January 2015 00:00
By Michael Nevradakis, Truthout | Interview
In the following interview, New School professor and economist Richard Wolff provides his analysis of the causes of the economic crisis in Greece and in the eurozone, debunks claims that the Greek economy is recovering and offers his proposal for what a post-capitalist future could look like for Greece and the world.
Michael Nevradakis: Prior to the elections, we've heard talk about how the situation in Greece is turning around, that the economy is recovering. How do you respond to this?
Richard Wolff: I respond to it in the same way that I respond to this sort of report that periodically surfaces here in the United States. Here's the way that I would describe it. We have the worst economic downturn in the last 75 years, second only to the Great Depression of the 1930s, and we're not yet clear how long this one will last and how bad it will be, so it may even overtake the one in the 1930s; we just don't know.
.......(snip).......
The second thing I would say is this: There has been a recovery. There has been a recovery in the incomes and wealth of the 5 to 10 percent of many of the societies hit by the crisis; stock markets in many countries have recovered; corporate profits have recovered in some parts in both financial and non-financial industries - but for the vast majority of people, there has been no recovery. Unemployment is at record highs in many parts of the world. Even for those who have kept their jobs, their jobs have fewer benefits, lower degrees of security [and] children are having to forego education or rack up enormous debts to pay for it. Wherever we turn, the basic life condition of the mass of people is poorer than it was five and six years ago.
There is no recovery for the mass of people, and in the end, even those at the top cannot long enjoy a recovery that is denied to the masses below them, even though they refuse to face that reality and therefore suffer the continuation of this crisis. There is a recent report by a leading German economic research institute begging the European Central Bank to pump more money - quantitative easing, they call it - into the European economy to prevent a deflationary downward spiral. Those who are promising recovery (will continue) have a hard time explaining why a conservative economic research institute in Germany should reverse itself and be so anxiety-ridden that this economic downturn will continue for the future.
.......(snip).......
In essence, you've made the argument that we should be looking toward a post-capitalist future, not just in Greece but worldwide. What would this post-capitalist future look like and how could it be accomplished?
Yes, you have understood me perfectly well, but let me make one final point about that. In one of my recent radio programs, I talked about billionaires because we have a very useful statistical service here in the United States that keeps track of billionaires, and your (readers) might also be interested to know that we have about 1,600 or 1,700 billionaires in the world. If you put them together, they own together, these 1,600 or 1,700 individuals in the world, as much as the bottom half of the entire population of this planet, some 3 to 3.5 billion people. OK, for me, this conversation about capitalism is over. Any economic system that produces 1,600 billionaires who can together dispose of an equal amount of the property of this planet as the lower half, 3.5 billion people, is an economic system that no longer justifies anyone's support other than those 1,700. Them, I could understand. But this is a system whose success in increasing output is completely offset by its absolutely obscene distribution of wealth, which makes the pharaohs of ancient Egypt look like nothing in comparison. So for me, going beyond capitalism is what we call in the United States a "no brainer." It is something that is, or should be, instant, immediate and obvious. ..............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/28505-richard-wolff-on-the-greek-crisis-austerity-and-a-post-capitalist-future
January 15, 2015
Emotional day in court for Rick Springfield in butt-injury lawsuit
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Rick Springfield yelled and cried while on the witness stand this afternoon for the retrial of an injury lawsuit against him.
Vicki Calcagno, 45, of Liverpool, said Springfield, a 1980s pop icon and actor, struck her with his buttocks while performing in the crowd during a 2004 Chevrolet Court concert at the State Fair. She said she was knocked unconscious.
Calcagno's lawyer, Kenneth Goldblatt, called Springfield to the stand at about 2:30 p.m. Springfield accused Goldblatt of being "very aggressive" with his questions and later raised his voice and pointed at Goldblatt. Springfield said he felt that he was being called a liar.
Springfield was emotional again when his lawyer, John Pfeifer, asked him about going out into the audience to be closer to his fans. Springfield choked up and was given a tissue for his tears.
.....(snip).....
Calcagno claims that Springfield struck her while performing in the crowd during an Aug. 28, 2004 concert at Chevy Court. His buttocks caused "serious, disabling and permanent injuries," according to her 2007 lawsuit. ..................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2015/01/emotional_day_in_court_for_rick_springfield_in_butt-injury_lawsuit.html
For your own safety, stay away from Rick Springfield's booty!!!
Emotional day in court for Rick Springfield in butt-injury lawsuit
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Rick Springfield yelled and cried while on the witness stand this afternoon for the retrial of an injury lawsuit against him.
Vicki Calcagno, 45, of Liverpool, said Springfield, a 1980s pop icon and actor, struck her with his buttocks while performing in the crowd during a 2004 Chevrolet Court concert at the State Fair. She said she was knocked unconscious.
Calcagno's lawyer, Kenneth Goldblatt, called Springfield to the stand at about 2:30 p.m. Springfield accused Goldblatt of being "very aggressive" with his questions and later raised his voice and pointed at Goldblatt. Springfield said he felt that he was being called a liar.
Springfield was emotional again when his lawyer, John Pfeifer, asked him about going out into the audience to be closer to his fans. Springfield choked up and was given a tissue for his tears.
.....(snip).....
Calcagno claims that Springfield struck her while performing in the crowd during an Aug. 28, 2004 concert at Chevy Court. His buttocks caused "serious, disabling and permanent injuries," according to her 2007 lawsuit. ..................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2015/01/emotional_day_in_court_for_rick_springfield_in_butt-injury_lawsuit.html
January 15, 2015
Richard D. Wolff
Wednesday, January 14, 2015 at 7:30pm
“The Economics of a New Year” Judson Memorial Church Assembly Hall 239 Thompson Street at
Washington Square, Manhattan
These programs begin with 30 minutes of short updates on important economic events of the last month. Then Wolff analyzes several major economic issues. For this January 14, these will include:
1. Causes and consequences of the oil price collapse: can it produce another crash?
2. Greece: if Jan. 25 election brings Syriza victory, what happens to Europe?
3. The economics of Cuba, 1959-2014: embargo, survival, new industries, and the turn toward worker cooperatives
Professor Richard Wolff: Global Capitalism: January 2015 Monthly Update
Richard D. Wolff
Wednesday, January 14, 2015 at 7:30pm
“The Economics of a New Year” Judson Memorial Church Assembly Hall 239 Thompson Street at
Washington Square, Manhattan
These programs begin with 30 minutes of short updates on important economic events of the last month. Then Wolff analyzes several major economic issues. For this January 14, these will include:
1. Causes and consequences of the oil price collapse: can it produce another crash?
2. Greece: if Jan. 25 election brings Syriza victory, what happens to Europe?
3. The economics of Cuba, 1959-2014: embargo, survival, new industries, and the turn toward worker cooperatives
January 15, 2015
New York Police Slowdown and the Classic Challenges of Alternatives to Capitalism
Wednesday, 14 January 2015 11:26
By Gar Alperovitz, Truthout | Op-Ed
Quite apart from the political challenges it represents, the current New York City police slowdown illuminates a classic general issue that must be faced by those concerned with how to structure a next system that moves us beyond the problems of both traditional corporate capitalism and traditional state socialism.
While we may enjoy some satisfaction in the NYPD's attempt to enrage its critics by giving them exactly what they've been asking for - i.e. a drastic reduction in the criminalization of the lives of poor communities of color - it's important to confront the additional question of who should be able to make these kind of decisions and how, both now and in serious system-changing discussions. (If every decision about how the NYPD operates were left up to its workers, that would certainly not further the goal of real justice.)
A common position among some theorists is that the answer to the failures of state socialism, for instance, is simply to encourage worker-ownership and self-management of virtually all industry, instance by instance, case by case. Historically, this position was commonly termed "syndicalism."
The traditional "socialist" alternative placed ownership and control in a "community-wide" institution rather than in one that yielded power to "the workers" within any functioning unit. This meant municipal, state, regional or nationalized ownership and control. For syndicalists critical of the kind of top-down bureaucracy that has all too often been associated with socialist experiments, self-management by the workers presents what seems to be a compelling alternative based in freedom and participation. ......................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/28514-ny-police-slowdown-and-the-classic-challenges-of-alternatives-to-capitalism
Gar Alperovitz: New York Police Slowdown and the Classic Challenges of Alternatives to Capitalism
New York Police Slowdown and the Classic Challenges of Alternatives to Capitalism
Wednesday, 14 January 2015 11:26
By Gar Alperovitz, Truthout | Op-Ed
Quite apart from the political challenges it represents, the current New York City police slowdown illuminates a classic general issue that must be faced by those concerned with how to structure a next system that moves us beyond the problems of both traditional corporate capitalism and traditional state socialism.
While we may enjoy some satisfaction in the NYPD's attempt to enrage its critics by giving them exactly what they've been asking for - i.e. a drastic reduction in the criminalization of the lives of poor communities of color - it's important to confront the additional question of who should be able to make these kind of decisions and how, both now and in serious system-changing discussions. (If every decision about how the NYPD operates were left up to its workers, that would certainly not further the goal of real justice.)
A common position among some theorists is that the answer to the failures of state socialism, for instance, is simply to encourage worker-ownership and self-management of virtually all industry, instance by instance, case by case. Historically, this position was commonly termed "syndicalism."
The traditional "socialist" alternative placed ownership and control in a "community-wide" institution rather than in one that yielded power to "the workers" within any functioning unit. This meant municipal, state, regional or nationalized ownership and control. For syndicalists critical of the kind of top-down bureaucracy that has all too often been associated with socialist experiments, self-management by the workers presents what seems to be a compelling alternative based in freedom and participation. ......................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/28514-ny-police-slowdown-and-the-classic-challenges-of-alternatives-to-capitalism
January 15, 2015
from In These Times:
Blood On Their Hands: The Racist History of Modern Police Unions
BY FLINT TAYLOR
Outraged by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s statements concerning the killing of Eric Garner, Patrick Lynch, the longtime leader of the New York City Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (PBA), the NYPD’s officers union, recently made the outrageous assertion that the Mayor had “blood on his hands” for the murder of the two NYPD officers.
In Milwaukee this past fall, the Police Association called for, and obtained, a vote of no confidence in MPD Chief Ed Flynn after he fired the officer who shot and killed Dontre Hamilton, an unarmed African American; subsequently, the union’s leader, Mike Crivello, praised the District Attorney when he announced that he would not bring charges against the officer.
In Chicago, the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), a longtime supporter of racist police torturer Jon Burge, is now seeking to circumvent court orders that preserve and make public the police misconduct files of repeater cops such as Burge, by seeking to enforce a police contract provision that calls for the destruction of the files after seven years. And in a show of solidarity with the killer of Michael Brown, Chicago’s FOP is soliciting contributions to the Darren Wilson defense fund on its website.
Such reactionary actions by police unions are not new, but are a fundamental component of their history, particularly since they came to prominence in the wake of the civil rights movement. These organizations have played a powerful role in defending the police, no matter how outrageous and racist their actions, and in resisting all manner of police reforms.
New York
In June 1966, New York City Mayor John Lindsay, responding to widespread complaints of police brutality, called for a civilian review board. Five thousand off duty NYPD cops rallied at City Hall in opposition, and the head of the PBA, leading the campaign against civilian review, intoned that “I am sick and tired of giving in to minority groups, with their whims and their gripes and shouting. Any review board with civilians on it is detrimental to the operations of the police department.” Invoking the specter of increased crime, the PBA mounted a massive public relations campaign against the measure, and it was defeated in a referendum that year. ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/17520/police_unions_racist
Blood On Their Hands: The Racist History of Modern Police Unions
from In These Times:
Blood On Their Hands: The Racist History of Modern Police Unions
BY FLINT TAYLOR
Outraged by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s statements concerning the killing of Eric Garner, Patrick Lynch, the longtime leader of the New York City Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (PBA), the NYPD’s officers union, recently made the outrageous assertion that the Mayor had “blood on his hands” for the murder of the two NYPD officers.
In Milwaukee this past fall, the Police Association called for, and obtained, a vote of no confidence in MPD Chief Ed Flynn after he fired the officer who shot and killed Dontre Hamilton, an unarmed African American; subsequently, the union’s leader, Mike Crivello, praised the District Attorney when he announced that he would not bring charges against the officer.
In Chicago, the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), a longtime supporter of racist police torturer Jon Burge, is now seeking to circumvent court orders that preserve and make public the police misconduct files of repeater cops such as Burge, by seeking to enforce a police contract provision that calls for the destruction of the files after seven years. And in a show of solidarity with the killer of Michael Brown, Chicago’s FOP is soliciting contributions to the Darren Wilson defense fund on its website.
Such reactionary actions by police unions are not new, but are a fundamental component of their history, particularly since they came to prominence in the wake of the civil rights movement. These organizations have played a powerful role in defending the police, no matter how outrageous and racist their actions, and in resisting all manner of police reforms.
New York
In June 1966, New York City Mayor John Lindsay, responding to widespread complaints of police brutality, called for a civilian review board. Five thousand off duty NYPD cops rallied at City Hall in opposition, and the head of the PBA, leading the campaign against civilian review, intoned that “I am sick and tired of giving in to minority groups, with their whims and their gripes and shouting. Any review board with civilians on it is detrimental to the operations of the police department.” Invoking the specter of increased crime, the PBA mounted a massive public relations campaign against the measure, and it was defeated in a referendum that year. ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/17520/police_unions_racist
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