Saturday, June 8, 2013
Wal*mart needs to pay fair wages
When Walmart moved into a small town near us with one of their Super
Centers, they wiped out about 75% of all of the local businesses. There
isn't a competing grocery store within 15 miles.
From Forbes
For years, Wal-Mart and other large retail operators-have been piling up huge profits by controlling their labor costs through paying employees sub-poverty level wages. As a result, it has long been left to the taxpayer to provide healthcare and other subsidized benefits to the many Wal-Mart employees who are dependent on Medicaid, food stamp programs and subsidized housing in order to keep their families from going under.
With Medicaid eligibility about to be expanded in some 30 states, as a result of the Affordable Care Act, Wal-Mart has responded by cutting employee hours-and thereby wages-even further in order to push more of their workers into state Medicaid programs and increase Wal-Mart profits. Good news for Wal-Mart shareholders and senior management earning the big bucks-not so good for the taxpayers who will now be expected to contribute even larger amounts of money to subsidize Wal-Mart's burgeoning profits.
But, at long last and in a move gaining popularity around the nation, the State of California is attempting to say 'enough' to Wal-Mart and the other large retailers who are looking to the taxpayers to take on the responsibility for the company's employees-a responsibility Wal-Mart has long refused to accept.
Walmart Pays Workers Poorly And Sinks While Costco Pays Workers Well And Sails-Proof That You Get What You Pay For Rick Ungar Rick Ungar Contributor
Walmart Bails On Obamacare-Sticks Taxpayers With Employee Healthcare Costs Rick Ungar Rick Ungar Contributor
It's about time.
Legislation is now making its way through the California legislature-with the support of consumer groups, unions and, interestingly, physicians-that would levy a fine of up to $6,000 on employers like Wal-Mart for every full-time employee that ends up on the state's Medi-Cal program-the California incarnation of Medicaid.
The amount of the fine is no coincidence.
A report released last week by the Democratic staff of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, estimates that the cost of Wal-Mart's failure to adequately pay its employees could total about $5,815 per employee each and every year of employment.
From Forbes
To Wal-Mart: Enough! No More Taxpayer Subsidized Profits For You
For years, Wal-Mart and other large retail operators-have been piling up huge profits by controlling their labor costs through paying employees sub-poverty level wages. As a result, it has long been left to the taxpayer to provide healthcare and other subsidized benefits to the many Wal-Mart employees who are dependent on Medicaid, food stamp programs and subsidized housing in order to keep their families from going under.
With Medicaid eligibility about to be expanded in some 30 states, as a result of the Affordable Care Act, Wal-Mart has responded by cutting employee hours-and thereby wages-even further in order to push more of their workers into state Medicaid programs and increase Wal-Mart profits. Good news for Wal-Mart shareholders and senior management earning the big bucks-not so good for the taxpayers who will now be expected to contribute even larger amounts of money to subsidize Wal-Mart's burgeoning profits.
But, at long last and in a move gaining popularity around the nation, the State of California is attempting to say 'enough' to Wal-Mart and the other large retailers who are looking to the taxpayers to take on the responsibility for the company's employees-a responsibility Wal-Mart has long refused to accept.
Walmart Pays Workers Poorly And Sinks While Costco Pays Workers Well And Sails-Proof That You Get What You Pay For Rick Ungar Rick Ungar Contributor
Walmart Bails On Obamacare-Sticks Taxpayers With Employee Healthcare Costs Rick Ungar Rick Ungar Contributor
It's about time.
Legislation is now making its way through the California legislature-with the support of consumer groups, unions and, interestingly, physicians-that would levy a fine of up to $6,000 on employers like Wal-Mart for every full-time employee that ends up on the state's Medi-Cal program-the California incarnation of Medicaid.
The amount of the fine is no coincidence.
A report released last week by the Democratic staff of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, estimates that the cost of Wal-Mart's failure to adequately pay its employees could total about $5,815 per employee each and every year of employment.
New York Senate makes it a felony to annoy a police officer
From the "Very, very, very bad idea" Department:
The New York Senate has passed a bill making it illegal to "harass" a
police officer by "any type of physical action" -- even action that does
not otherwise constitute interference, obstruction or assault. Given
that "obstruction" and "interference" are famously broad, it's hard to
imagine what conduct the police and the NY Senate believe they need to
control by statute, though there's a clue in the statutory language,
which makes it a felony to "harass, annoy, or threaten a police officer
while on duty."
In other words, if you cause any physical contact with a police officer, even unintentionally, even if the contact does not rise to the level of assault or obstruction or interference, you can be convicted of a felony and imprisoned if the officer can show that your conduct "annoyed" him. This is the kind of statute that seems calculated to allow the police and prosecutors to put people in jail for very long stretches (remember that 97% of people indicted for felonies in the USA plead guilty under threat of decades of prison should they fight and lose) just because they don't like them very much.
I'm reminded of Toronto's notorious "Officer Bubbles", Adam Josephs, who told a G20 protester that if any soap bubbles were to touch him, he could consider it assault (and who violently arrested the protester on that basis). The world laughed (albeit with some weary cynicism) at the idea that a large, armed man could call incidental contact with a soap-bubble "assault." But the New York Senate has effectively given police the power to literally treat mere annoyances as felonious conduct.
In other words, if you cause any physical contact with a police officer, even unintentionally, even if the contact does not rise to the level of assault or obstruction or interference, you can be convicted of a felony and imprisoned if the officer can show that your conduct "annoyed" him. This is the kind of statute that seems calculated to allow the police and prosecutors to put people in jail for very long stretches (remember that 97% of people indicted for felonies in the USA plead guilty under threat of decades of prison should they fight and lose) just because they don't like them very much.
I'm reminded of Toronto's notorious "Officer Bubbles", Adam Josephs, who told a G20 protester that if any soap bubbles were to touch him, he could consider it assault (and who violently arrested the protester on that basis). The world laughed (albeit with some weary cynicism) at the idea that a large, armed man could call incidental contact with a soap-bubble "assault." But the New York Senate has effectively given police the power to literally treat mere annoyances as felonious conduct.
“At a time when shocking incidents of disrespect and outright confrontation are at an all-time high, the men and women who patrol the streets of our cities deserve every possible protection we can offer them,” Senator Griffo stated. “My bill would make it a crime to take any type of physical action to try to intimidate a police officer. This is a necessary action because we can see from the rise in incidents that too many people in our society have lost the respect they need to have for a police officer. We need to make it very clear that when a police officer is performing his duty, every citizen needs to comply and that refusal to comply carries a penalty.”
***
Now who is it that will be determining what constitutes 'harassing' police officer - surely not the police officer(s) ... there are more than enough egomaniacs among them as it is and this ill conceived law will only make things worse.
"Weeds" Come to Life?
NY Mom Arrested in Massive Pot Bust
by Winston Ross, Eliza Shapiro
To
people who didn’t know her well, Andrea Sanderlin was a fairly typical
mom. She doted on her two young daughters and bragged about their
endeavors to anyone who’d listen. She was to be the maid of honor in a
wedding next month. She goes to dinner parties and family functions. She
designs baby furniture.
That’s what she tells people, anyway.
“She’s a great mom,” one friend told The Daily Beast. “Because she’s all about being a mom.”
But the few people Sanderlin allowed inside a tight “inner circle” knew the 45-year-old Scarsdale, N.Y., woman kept a loosely guarded secret that funded a lavish lifestyle: a secret straight out of the Showtime series Weeds.
Sanderlin was running a massive marijuana growing operation out of Queens, federal authorities allege in a criminal complaint released
Tuesday. Agents seized 2,800 marijuana plants and large quantities of
dried marijuana from the sprawling, two-room warehouse where she
allegedly tended to her plants on an industrial block in Maspeth,
Queens, according to documents obtained by The Smoking Gun.
Sanderlin’s arrest came as a shock to some. To others, not so much.
“I knew she was growing weed. It was just kind of known,” said one
friend, who spoke on the condition that she not be named. “I had no idea
how extensive it was.”
What Sanderlin didn’t hide were the apparent spoils of the operation:
a leased four bedroom, five-bathroom, 5,500-square-foot Spanish-style
mansion on a tranquil street in one of New York City’s wealthiest
suburbs. A Mercedes GL4 sport-utility vehicle. The “biggest diamond ring
I’ve ever seen in person, on a human person, outside of a museum,”
according to the friend—an engagement ring given to her by her
boyfriend, Vince “Rome” Garcia. The Friesian horse and newfound
equestrian hobby she cultivated at Twin Lakes Farm in Bronxville, where
private lessons go for $95 an hour.
“She was into plastic surgery,” the friend said. “She got a Brazilian butt lift that she actually went to Brazil for.”
While she didn’t hide her wealth, Sanderlin kept her alleged pot
business under wraps, at least until an anonymous informant tipped off
the New York branch of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency after the arrest
of five men in a separate incident in April. In order to save himself,
one of the five arrested growers ratted out Sanderlin, whom he referred to as “Andi.”
Federal agents responding to the tip eventually found Sanderlin’s
posh house and her three vehicles—a white Chevy van and black Jeep
Liberty, along with the Mercedes. Then they found a clue: Sanderlin was
paying $9,000 a month in electricity fees to Con Edison. In cash.
“I know that large cash payments are consistent with narcotics activity,” the indictment read.
Agents tracked Sanderlin for more than a week as she went about her
daily routine, driving the gray Mercedes from 193 Saxon Woods Road in
Scarsdale across the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge and parking in the
driveway of 58-15 57th Drive in Queens, the site of the warehouse
registered as a New York City corporation called Fantastic Enterprises.
On May 20, the agents stopped Sanderlin, identified themselves, and
searched the warehouse.
Chocolate giants accused of price fixing
Former Nestle president criminally charged
Canada’s
Competition Bureau said Thursday it is laying price-fixing charges
against Nestle Canada Inc., Mars Canada Inc. and ITWAL Ltd., a network
of independent wholesale distributors.
The accused in a chocolate price-fixing case could face a bitter fate if
convicted — millions of dollars in fines for the companies and
potential jail time for the individuals.
Canada’s Competition
Bureau said Thursday it is laying criminal charges against Nestle Canada
Inc., Mars Canada Inc. and ITWAL Ltd., a network of independent
wholesale distributors.
Also charged are former Nestle Canada president Robert Leonidas; Sandra Martinez, former president of confectionery for Nestle Canada; and David Glenn Stevens, president and chief executive of ITWAL.
The companies and individuals are accused of conspiracy under the Competition Act.
In separate statements, both Nestle and Mars said they intend to “vigorously defend” themselves against the charges. Both said the allegations date back to 2007 and earlier.
Statements from ITWAL and Hershey were not immediately available.
The bureau says it must not only prove competitors agreed to fix prices, but that the agreement would likely have “an undue economic effect” on the market.
“We are fully committed to pursuing those who engage in egregious anti-competitive behaviour that harms Canadian consumers,” said interim competition commissioner John Pecman.
“Price-fixing is a serious criminal offence and today’s charges demonstrate the Competition Bureau’s resolve to stop cartel activity in Canada.”
The bureau found out about the alleged scheme through its immunity program, under which the first party to disclose an offence or provide evidence may receive immunity, provided it fully co-operates.
Subsequent parties that help out in an investigation may receive lenient treatment.
In this case, the bureau says Hershey Canada Inc. co-operated with its investigation and the agency recommended to prosecutors that the company receive lenient treatment.
The Competition Act’s current conspiracy provision could mean a $25-million fine and/or imprisonment of up to 14 years.
But since the price-fixing took place under an earlier provision, the penalties are less harsh. In this case, the accused face a fine of up to $10 million and/or a prison term of up to five years.
The bureau says proving the law was broken will also be more complicated under the old rules.
Also charged are former Nestle Canada president Robert Leonidas; Sandra Martinez, former president of confectionery for Nestle Canada; and David Glenn Stevens, president and chief executive of ITWAL.
The companies and individuals are accused of conspiracy under the Competition Act.
In separate statements, both Nestle and Mars said they intend to “vigorously defend” themselves against the charges. Both said the allegations date back to 2007 and earlier.
Statements from ITWAL and Hershey were not immediately available.
The bureau says it must not only prove competitors agreed to fix prices, but that the agreement would likely have “an undue economic effect” on the market.
“We are fully committed to pursuing those who engage in egregious anti-competitive behaviour that harms Canadian consumers,” said interim competition commissioner John Pecman.
“Price-fixing is a serious criminal offence and today’s charges demonstrate the Competition Bureau’s resolve to stop cartel activity in Canada.”
The bureau found out about the alleged scheme through its immunity program, under which the first party to disclose an offence or provide evidence may receive immunity, provided it fully co-operates.
Subsequent parties that help out in an investigation may receive lenient treatment.
In this case, the bureau says Hershey Canada Inc. co-operated with its investigation and the agency recommended to prosecutors that the company receive lenient treatment.
The Competition Act’s current conspiracy provision could mean a $25-million fine and/or imprisonment of up to 14 years.
But since the price-fixing took place under an earlier provision, the penalties are less harsh. In this case, the accused face a fine of up to $10 million and/or a prison term of up to five years.
The bureau says proving the law was broken will also be more complicated under the old rules.
Are You Prepared for the Krispy Kreme Sloppy Joe?
Every year, Chicken Charlies introduces a new heart attack on a plate at the San Diego Fair. Past creations have included deep fried Kool Aid, zucchini nachos, fried avocado and more. This year, the new additions include a fried bacon-wrapped pickle, deep fried cookie dough, a waffle dog and, most notably, a sloppy joe sandwich with a Krispy Kreme donut bun.
I'd test out the monstrosity for you guys while I'm at the fair this Saturday, but unfortunately, I have a gluten intolerance and even a regular Krispy Kreme donut would leave me feeling like death for the next 24 hours. Of course, if you guys have any requests for things you'd like to see me check out at the fair (I'll even eat weird stuff as long as it won't make me sick), just let me know and I'll see if I can oblige while I'm there.
Soy Sauce Overdose
Soy
sauce is tasty, but apparently it can also be deadly at high levels.
Kids, here's why it's dumb to drink a quart of soy sauce as a dare:After the man drank the soy sauce, he began twitching and having seizures, and the friends took him to an emergency room. That hospital administered anti-seizure medication, and he was already in a coma when he was taken to the hospital where Carlberg was working, the University of Virginia Medical Center, nearly four hours after the event.Tia Ghose of LiveScience has the post: Here.
"He didn't respond to any of the stimuli that we gave him," Carlberg said. "He had some clonus, which is just elevated reflexes. It's a sign that basically the nervous system wasn't working very well."
The team immediately began flushing the salt out of his system by administering a solution of water and the sugar dextrose through a nasal tube. When they placed the tube, streaks of brown material came out. Within a half hour, they pumped 1.5 gallons (6 liters) of sugar water into the man's body.
The man's sodium levels returned to normal after about five hours. He remained in a coma for three days, but woke up on his own.
It's all in the Brain
A new study by researchers from Brown University finds more
evidence that breastfeeding is good for babies’ brains. The study made
use of specialized, baby-friendly magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to
look at the brain growth [...]
Researchers report that a single, 20-minute session of Hatha
yoga significantly improved participants’ speed and accuracy on tests of
working memory and inhibitory control, two measures of brain function
associated with the ability to maintain [...]
Why Did The Neanderthals Die Out?
Our current solo status on Earth is therefore an evolutionary oddity - though it is not clear when our species became Earth's only masters, nor is it clear why we survived when all other versions of humanity died out. A major conference in London this week will reveal the results of five years' research on why Homo sapiens emerged triumphant in the survival battle of the humans.
World's Oldest Tumor
A Neanderthal bone fragment shows a cancerous tumor
Melody Kramer of National Geographic News has the post: Here.The discovery of a fibrous dysplasia in a Neanderthal rib is the earliest known bone tumor on record, predating other tumors by more than 100,000 years. The rib, recovered from a site in Krapina, Croatia, indicates that Neanderthals were susceptible to the same types of tumors modern-day humans get, despite living in a remarkably different environment."They didn't have pesticides, but they probably were sleeping in caves with burning fires," says David Frayer, an anthropologist at the University of Kansas and the co-author of a new paper about the discovery. "They were probably inhaling a lot of smoke from the caves. So the air was not completely free of pollutants—but certainly, these Neanderthals weren't smoking cigarettes."
Sansiantai
The Dragon Bridge To The Island Of The Three Immortals
Sansiantai is saturated in folklore. The three enormous rocks making up the island's most conspicuous feature long ago gave rise to a native myth that three of China's Eight Immortals once chose the island for a place to rest. Even the name of the island translates to the Terrace of the Three Immortals.
Solar Secrets
Sun-graze comet shows solar secrets
A comet's extremely close encounter with the Sun gives scientists a look at a region never visited by spacecraft.
The universe has 100 billion galaxies
... with 100 billion stars in each galaxy
There are 100 billion galaxies, with 100 billion stars in each galaxy, in the universe. It’s a ridiculously large number of stars when you add it all up. It’s a figure that’s always amazed me, ever since I was kid watching Carl Sagan on TV.
The view from the Hubble Telescope.
It’s also why, even though I’m not convinced there’s anything near
us, I am convinced that we’re not alone. Having said that, it’s been
theorized that even if we aren’t alone, it’s not entirely clear that
another civilization would be nearby, at our equal stage of development
(so that we could communicate electronically), or that the other
civilizations would even exist at exactly the same time that we exist –
meaning, something existed a long time ago, died off, we existed, then
we die off, then another civilization peaks somewhere else.And let’s not even get into the problem that the immense distances pose. We could receive a signal from a distant civilization, but it might have been sent a million years ago. Would they even still exist, let alone even if they did, what would they be like after a million years of civilization?
Anywhere this video about the Hubble telescope, and the Ultra Deep Field, got me thinking of these matters. I’ve always loved astronomy. And these kind of videos reignite that passion for me, big time.
Kepler Stars And Planets Are Bigger Than Thought
The Kepler space telescope's target stars appear to be bigger than astronomers realized.
Animal News
Jim Morrison who famously slithered around in tight pants on
stage, was known as The Lizard King. Now scientists have named an
enormous lizard after the late great rock star.
Dogs may help correct certain human mental health disorders by affecting brain chemistry and function.
The similarity in development suggests gestures played an important role in language evolution.
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