What do skin moisturizer, anti-malarial drugs and diesel fuel all have in common?

With all the delays LEED v4 has been given, one wonders if it will ever be adopted.

[Politics] :
Main opposition Democratic Party chair Lee Jae-myung says he will appeal a court decision to fine his wife one-point-five million won, or around one-thousand-100 U.S. dollars, for violating the Public Official Election Act.  Lee expressed deep regret over the Suwon District Court handing down such a ...

[more...]

“Union members and non-union members have a strong interest in seeing our economy grow," said Rusty Hicks, the new head of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, which represents over 300 unions.; Credit: Ben Bergman/KPCC

Ben Bergman

Labor unions have led the fight to raise the minimum wage in several American cities, including Los Angeles, where the City Council is considering two proposals right now that would give raises to hundreds of thousands of workers (to $13.25 an hour by 2017 and $15.25 an hour by 2019).

But few of the unions' members have benefited directly from the initiatives. So why do unions care about a $15 wage for non-union workers? 

It’s part of a long-term strategy to protect the interests of their members, labor leaders say. They also see an opportunity to raise the profile of unions after years of falling membership.

"We can’t be the movement that’s just about us," said David Rolf, an international vice-president of SEIU, who led the first successful $15 minimum wage campaign in SeaTac, the town in Washington that is home to the region's similarly named airport. 

“We have to be the movement that’s about justice for all," Rolf added. "The labor movement that people flocked to by the tens of millions in the 1930s wasn’t known for fighting for 500-page contracts. They were known for fighting for the eight-hour day, fighting to end child labor.”

The idea that workers should earn $15 dollars an hour first came to the public’s attention during a series of fast food strikes that started in New York City in late 2012. Those workers didn’t just walk off the job by themselves. They were part of a campaign organized by unions, led by SEIU, which is made up mostly of public sector and health care workers.

$10 million fast-food strikes

The Service Employees International Union spent $10 million dollars on the fast food strikes, according to The New York Times. But none of those restaurants have unionized, and because it’s been so hard to form private sector union these days, they probably never will, said labor historian Nelson Lichtenstein.

“In effect what you have now is the SEIU – its hospital membership or its members working at the Department of Motor Vehicles – helping to raise the wages of fast food workers, but not their own wages,” Lichtenstein said.

That's because unionized workers earn far more than the current or proposed new minimum wages, in L.A. an average of more than $27 an hour, according to UCLA's Center for Research on Employment and Labor. 

The spread of the $15 minimum wage from SeaTac to Seattle to San Francisco — and now possibly Los Angeles — is a huge victory for labor unions, but it’s unlikely most of the people getting raises will ever be part of organized labor.

Still, the rank and file seem to support their unions' efforts.

“I personally support using our organization as a way to advocate for those who don’t have a voice," said Rafael Sanchez III, a teacher's assistant at Bell High School who's a member of SEIU Local 99. 

A challenging time for the labor movement

In the 1950’s, about one in three American workers belonged to a union. Last year, just 11 percent did – or 6 percent of private sector workers – the lowest numbers in nearly a century.

Rolf says the minimum wage campaigns mark a change in tactics for organized labor; Rather than the shop floor, the focus is on the ballot box and city hall.

“Since at least the 1980s, winning unions in the private sector has been a Herculean task," Rolf said. "The political process provides an alternative vehicle.”

And an increasingly successful one. It was voters who approved the first $15 wage, in Washington state in 2013, and another one in San Francisco last year.  

In Los Angeles, the issue is before the city council. Mayor Eric Garcetti opened the bidding, proposing a raise of $13.25 on Labor Day before six council members countered with $15.25.

The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor – lead by Rusty Hicks — is pushing for the higher option.

“Union members and non-union members have an interest in seeing our economy grow," said Hicks. "You can’t continue to have a strong, vibrant economy if in fact folks don’t have money in their pockets.”

Other benefits for unions: A safety net and a higher floor

Some union members see a higher minimum wage as a safety net.

Robert Matsuda is a studio violinist represented by the American Federation of Musicians, part of the AFL-CIO. Even though he’s not working for the minimum wage now, he worries that may not last: He’s getting fewer and fewer gigs as more film and TV scoring is outsourced overseas.

“I might have to take a minimum wage job in the near future, so it might directly affect me,” said Matsuda.

There’s also a more tangible benefit for unions, says Nelson Lichtenstein, the labor historian: A higher minimum wage means a higher wage floor to negotiate with in future contracts.

“It’s one labor market, and if you can raise the wages in those sectors that have been pulling down the general wage level – i.e: fast food and retail – then it makes it easier for unions to create a higher standard and go on and get more stuff,” said Lichtenstein.

On Friday morning, union members will rally in front of Los Angeles City Hall, calling on the council to enact a $15.25 an hour minimum wage as soon as possible.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Will Davidson and his Minecraft creation, modeled off the Santa Cruz Mission; Credit: Steve Henn

Minecraft is a deceptively simple video game. You're dropped into a virtual world, and you get to build things. It's like a digital Lego set, but with infinite pieces.

Its simplicity makes it a big hit with kids, like 10-year old Will Davidson. Last year, Will built a Spanish mission for a school report. He modeled his off the Santa Cruz Mission. "I made a chapel over here," Davidson says. "I also have a bell tower."

After he turned in his report, he added a few things. Like skeleton archers. "And zombies ... and exploding things, and spiders, that try to kill you," he said.

Minecraft is popular with kids because they're free to create almost anything, says Ramin Shokrizade, a game designer.

Also, kids aren't manipulated into clicking buttons to buy add-ons within the game. In other games, designers give players a special power for free at first, then take it away and offer it back at a price.

Zynga, the creator of Farmville, calls this fun pain, according to Shokrizade. "That's the idea that, if you make the consumer uncomfortable enough, and then tell them that for money we'll make you less uncomfortable, then [they] will give us money," he says.

Kids, Shokrizade says, are especially susceptible to this — and Minecraft has a loyal following, in part, because it doesn't do it.

Susan Linn, from the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, agrees. She says a big reason she likes Minecraft is because after you purchase the game upfront, that's it.

"Parents don't have to worry that their kids are going to be targeted for more marketing," Linn says. "How forward-thinking!"

But Linn is worried. Microsoft bought Mojang, the company that created Minecraft, on Monday for $2.5 billion, and she says that any time a large company spends billions to acquire a smaller company, executives are bound start looking for new ways to get even more money out of it.

Copyright 2014 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

 

State of the EHS Nation- Exclusive results from ISHN’s 28^th annual White Paper Reader Survey.

Express Oil Change thinks the rumors of Michael Bourn's return to the Atlanta Braves are highly exaggerated.

William (Bill) Mackintosh is Web Manager at the University of York. A Web CMS selection process is underway before the introduction of an Institutional Portal. William facilitated a workshop session on "Web Usage Statistics in the University Environment" with Paul Kelly.

William G Nisen became Chief Executive of the E-Institute in 2001. Prior to assuming his duties at the E-Institute he co-founded South Fork International (an international management consultancy), and before that, he was President of McGraw-Hill Home Interactive, where he successfully launched the company's consumer retail business. Mr Nisen has a long association with Scotland. From 1987 through 1993 Mr Nisen was President and CEO of OWL International, a joint U.S./Scottish company, where he directed a turn-around of the company, managed its growth with sales exceeding $10MM, sold it and successfully transitioned all operations to Matsushita Electronics Industrial. Mr Nisen also has held management positions at Lotus Development Corp. and Harvard University's Computer Graphics Laboratory. Nisen also serves on the board of directors for several technology companies. William gave the opening keynote plenary talk on day 2 on Knowledge Based Web Sites: A Preliminary Investigation.

Japan's former vice minister of finance for international affairs, Masato Kanda was reported with comments on Wednesday ICYMI.

• currency market volatility had increased reflecting recent changes in monetary policies and political situations in major countries
• "There is no change to our stance that we will need to respond appropriately to excess movements on the currency market as excessive foreign exchange volatility is undesirable"

His comments have not slowed the yen decline:

***

Kanda is now a special adviser to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and the finance ministry., said in an interview that currency market volatility had increased reflecting recent changes in monetary policies and political situations in major countries.

This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at www.forexlive.com.

St. Louis Fed Pres. Musalem is scheduled to speak at the top of the hour. Musalem is a voting member in 2025. Back on October 7, Musalem spoke and said:

• More rate cuts likely given economic outlook.
• Won't predict timing or size of future Fed easings.
• Personal rate outlook is above Fed’s median view.
• Costs of easing too much outweigh easing too little.
• Supported Fed’s decision last month to cut rates by 50 basis points.
• Policy patience has served Fed well.
• Cooler job market still consistent with strong economy.
• Expects inflation pressures to continue to abate.
• Expects inflation to converge to 2% over next couple of quarters.
• Financial conditions remain supportive of growth.
• Some economic activity slowed by rate policy, election uncertainty.

That was over a month ago. So how he weighs in now will be interesting given the backup in yields and other economic and other developments since that time

This article was written by Greg Michalowski at www.forexlive.com.

• Rate cuts to date are an acknowledgement of growing confidence that inflation is on the path to 2% goal
• Hope productivity growth can outrun the effects of slowing population growth
• Won't let enthusiasm over rising productivity get ahead of data or commitment to reaching Fed goals

There isn't much of a hint on anything here.

This article was written by Adam Button at www.forexlive.com.

Times below are GBT / US Eastern time:

1400 / 0900 Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Thomas Barkin speaks on the economy in fireside chat before the Real Estate Roundtable

1500 / 1000 Federal Reserve Board Governor Adriana Kugler speaks on "Central Bank Independence and Economic Outlook" before the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association (LACEA) and the Latin American Chapter of the Econometric Society 2024 Meeting

2000 / 1500 Powell, as already noted

2115 / 1615 Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams speaks before the "Intermediating Impact: Making Missing Markets" event hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York

As head of the NY Fed Williams is vice chair of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) and has a permanent vote at the table. .

This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at www.forexlive.com.

Viral online things have created IRL lines that are getting out of control. And it's not worth it.

Outlook on Mac - When someone @ mentions your name, Outlook will skip to that line when showing a short snippet in your inbox.

Hubo un momento en el que pensé que hostiaba a la juez de silla. Al final perdió el partido, la gloria, el cheque del millón y medio de dólares, pero que es eso cuando llevas trece majors, sobreviste al asesinato de una hermana y hace seis meses sufriste una embolia pulmonar

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual […]

Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to target "massive waste and fraud."

Google wants to solve Pixel phones' overheating and battery issues. But not without removing some serious features to save money.

Content Warning: Incredibly ugly upcoming U.S. Politics. Stephen Miller and Donald Trump's public promise for a "bloody story" - plans for sweeping raids and mass deportations of 10 to 20 million people living in America are expected to start when Trump assumes office and begins on day one.

People living all across the United States, from farm camps in the backwaters of Florida to the ethnically diverse neighborhoods of major cities will likely be greviously impacted. Currently it is expected that the combined utilization of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), National Guard, local police, trained and armed civilians and possibly even the US Military will take part in the raids to capture legal and illegal immigrants. Sympathetic police departments will have their funding slashed if they don't participate in the raids. Surprisingly, some research suggests a majority of Americans support mass deportations and concentration camps, which was reflected in the election results. Whether the popular support continues after it begins depends on the effectiveness of ICE and the Department of Homeland Security's indoctrination and propaganda programs that they have already been preparing for this moment, as well as the mass media's whitewashing of the proceedings as an "affordable housing program," among other things. So the question is, what can we realistically expect? ICE's "Citizens Academy" program offers up some clues...

The academy trains civilians to operate multiple firearms, use lethal force, perform surveillance on immigrants, and conduct raids while also acting as a public relations initiative to try and sway public opinion about ICE, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the HSI unit of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). "We ran Border Patrol Citizen Academies back when I was an agent as well," Jenn Budd, former Senior Border Patrol Agent, whistleblower, and author of Against the Wall told Unicorn Riot. "The entire goal is to indoctrinate locals into why it's okay for us to violate people's rights." The training materials that show where to strike people with batons to subdue them are but the tip of the iceberg in terms of violence. While the ICE presentation on using force contains the "Monadnock Baton Chart" (presumably named after baton manufacturer Monadnock) showing the degrees of damage inflicted on a suspect based on where they're struck with a baton, the majority of this part of Citizens Academy training covers when to use deadly force.

What could happen to the people swept up? The program is generally portrayed as mass deportations, but already it has become clear that many countries (even Mexico) are expected not to welcome the tidal wave of migrants. Instead, the prison-industrial complex which is being flooded with investment money is gearing up to build large scale prisons and camps to house them. Many of these migrants can be expected to be kept there for years on end, with the Supreme Court supporting indefinite detetion of immigrants, an affirmation of long standing U.S. policy. Slavery in America is still legal in the prison system (even California voter's just reaffirmed) and many companies could stand to make a lot of money off of the cheap workforce. The prior Trump administration focused on breaking families up, but this time they promise to include everyone in the family, no matter the immigration status, even denaturalization of American citizens. How will it be payed for? The operation is projected to cost upwards of $300 billion or much more and this has frequently been cited as a major reason that the invisioned plans will falter. If Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) plans for freeing up $2 trillion of the yearly federal budget succeeds, there appears to be plenty of money to reallocate. Even without these slush funds, Trump has already declared that the operation has "no price tag." Some recent and historical parallels In China, many Uyghurs have been put into forced labor prison camps for decades now, and the Xinjiang region has long been at the technological vanguard of state of the art large scale surveillance and population control research and development. American and Western tech companies can take what they have learned in Xinjiang and finally bring it home for wide spread use domestically. During the Holocaust, many "good Germans" helped to report their neighbors, and already Americans are arguing whether it is ethical to call in ICE on theirs. America has a long history of anti-immigrant campaigns and attacking ethnic communities, including Operation Wetback in 1953-54, the Japanese Internment Camps during WWII and tracing back to events like the Trail of Tears and traditional American slavery, to name a few. Hoping for the best While the years of preparation for Project 2025, combined with the GOP's complete control of all of the branches of the federal government suggests things are going to be harder to stop. It is good to remember that for all intents and purposes this will be an unimaginable kakistocracy and the revolving door of grifters is likely to spin even faster than it did during the first Trump administration. Major logistical questions remain - how fast can they actually scale up, for example, or deal with the massively inflated costs, bribes and outright theft chipping away at the budget. The chaos caused by replacing 50,000 federal employees with largely incompetent hacks while gutting government agencies left and right alone will likely slow down any plans significantly due to the complex and tightly coupled systems that make up the US government. Fortunately the ACLU and many other organizations and Democratic state governments vow to legally fight back against the upcoming operations. And lastly, it is likely that there will be large scale public action. Whether it is in the form of protests, strikes or imaginative work arounds for whatever crackdowns that are coming, there many Americans who will push back.

Outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken began a farewell visit to the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday in which he repeatedly insisted that President Joe Biden would "push every dollar out the door that we have at our disposal" to Ukraine.

The post Blinken Assures NATO Biden Will Funnel Billions to Ukraine Prior to Trump Return appeared first on Breitbart.

President-elect Donald Trump formally announced Wednesday that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) is his pick for secretary of state. Trump issued a press release confirming numerous media reports that indicated Rubio would be chosen for the critical role. “Marco is a

The post Trump Confirms He Will Nominate Marco Rubio as His Secretary of State: ‘A Very Powerful Voice for Freedom’ appeared first on Breitbart.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) responded to a question about whether he thinks Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) would be confirmed by the Senate by pointing to "recess appointments."

The post Rep. Thomas Massie on Whether Gaetz Will Be Confirmed AG by Senate: ‘Recess Appointments’ appeared first on Breitbart.

On Tuesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Your World,” former Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz stated that, during the Biden administration, “One of the things we struggled with when I was the Chief was getting engagement from policy officials

The post Fmr. Biden Border Patrol Chief: Homan Will Fix Many Issues I Had with Biden, Picking Him ‘a Tremendous Step’ appeared first on Breitbart.

The Fed is in a rate cut cycle as Trump is coming to the White House—just as he would prefer.

The post Breitbart Business Digest: Trump Will Love the Fed Doves appeared first on Breitbart.

American Idol Season 22 Runner-Up, Will Moseley is set to release 'Everything But Me' December 6

[Written by Stephen Wright] Bermudian-born ice hockey player Willy James has made the most of his opportunities since signing for the Saskatoon Blades in the Western Hockey League [WHL] – the top major junior league in Canada. Rookie James, who signed a WHL Scholarship and Development agreement in March last year, spent the first eight […]

Michael Irvin breaks down whether the Buffalo Bills can finally end the Kansas City Chiefs' undefeated streak in this pivotal matchup. He analyzes the key factors at play as Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen go head-to-head.

On most dimensions, the policy mix of incoming president is positive for US equities

Rally in dollar debt is unlikely ‘Trump trade’ and comes just months after huge restructuring

Donald Trump won the election. The House and Senate are in Republican hands. That means the GOP now owns the debt and its consequences. This responsibility, while too much for past politicians, presents the opportunity of a lifetime: namely, to be the ones who put the government back on fiscal…

A remote fishing town on the edge of Peru’s coastal desert is the site for a $1.3 billion megaport majority-owned by the Chinese shipping giant Cosco.

A remote fishing town on the edge of Peru’s coastal desert is the site for a $1.3 billion megaport majority-owned by the Chinese shipping giant Cosco

The incoming Trump administration’s solution to government spending is a new Department of Government Efficiency led by co-department chiefs: the world’s richest man and Trump’s former political opponent. But while on the surface the plan to cut government spending seems simple, the “department,”…

Dutch appeal court ruled in favour of oil and gas company over judgment telling it to limit emissions A court ruling in favour of Shell does not spell the end of climate litigation against companies, legal experts have said. The oil and gas company celebrated on Tuesday when it won an appeal…

An awfully hopeful take on what Trump might do about America's "forever wars".

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia plans to require social media platforms to act to prevent online harms to users such as bullying, predatory behavior and algorithms pushing destructive content, the government said Thursday. “The Digital Duty of Care will place the onus on digital platforms to…

The U.S. is accusing Russia of preparing to cut undersea cables which carry Internet traffic all over the world, and Russia is accusing western powers of preparing to do the exact same thing.  In some cases, these undersea cables literally stretch from one continent to another, and so it is impossible to guard them.  That …

At a time when Bitcoin has reached its all-time high and a meme coin rally is underway, Popcat (SOL) has… Continue reading Will $POPCAT’s Decline Lead to a Rebound, or Should Investors Look to $FLOCK for Potentially Bigger Gains?

The post Will $POPCAT’s Decline Lead to a Rebound, or Should Investors Look to $FLOCK for Potentially Bigger Gains? appeared first on ReadWrite.

Top government officials typically take government and policy fairly seriously. Donald Trump's planned appointees dispense with that old-fashioned idea, writes Phillip de Wet.

Israel suffered one of the deadliest days of its ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon when six of its soldiers were killed in combat near the border.

The incoming Trump administration is reportedly planning to add more pro-MAGA outlets into the small White House press briefing room, which may mean some traditional establishment outlets getting the bump […]

The post Report: Trump Administration Planning a Major Press Briefing Change That Will Infuriate Mainstream Media Outlets appeared first on The Western Journal.

It's happening! The Department of Government Efficiency is no longer just a trolling meme.

The post Just HOW Big Is Trump’s D.O.G.E. Announcement? This Will Put It In Perspective appeared first on Clash Daily.

As Willie le Roux steadily approaches a century of Tests for the Springboks, the man who gave him his first cap, Heyneke Meyer, has applauded him for becoming a well-rounded player - a combination of Bok greats Andre Joubert and Percy Montgomery.

The Sabres claimed James Reimer off NHL waivers on Wednesday. The 36-year-old is near the end of his NHL days, but he deserves credit for his staying power, says Adam Proteau.