11 Temmuz 2012 Çarşamba
10 Temmuz 2012 Salı
9 Temmuz 2012 Pazartesi
No more tipping in Germany?
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Court banned male circumcision:
http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/27/12446284-german-court-bans-male-circumcision-sparks-outrage-among-jews-muslims?lite
Muslims and Jews expressed outrage:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/27/circumcision-ruling-germany-muslim-jewish
Circumcision and kids' health:
http://kidshealth.org/parent/system/surgical/circumcision.html
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| "Customs of Central Asians. Circumcision." "Photograph shows a group of men seated on the ground near a small boy who is being circumcised." Albumen print. "Illus. in: Turkestanskīi al'bom, chast' ėtnograficheskaia..., 1871-1872, part 2, vol. 1, pl. 71." "Batga [sic] buri" translated from Persian as "circumcision." (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/27/12446284-german-court-bans-male-circumcision-sparks-outrage-among-jews-muslims?lite
Muslims and Jews expressed outrage:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/27/circumcision-ruling-germany-muslim-jewish
Circumcision and kids' health:
http://kidshealth.org/parent/system/surgical/circumcision.html
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Male Religious Circumcision a 'Bodily Harm' that Should Be Banned Says German Court [Controversy]
Bravo, Germany!
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America is right on track
To contact us Click HERE
For the millions of Philadelphia-area residents who ride SEPTA, this is the winter of our discontent. But on a recent trip to Germany, I had a chance to sample an alternative to our struggling public-transportation system.My son, Marc, a junior at Temple University, is studying abroad for a year at the University of Hamburg. Between Christmas and New Year's Eve, he spent time shepherding my wife, my daughter and me around this north German metropolis of 2.6 million souls. We relied on Hamburg's buses and trains.Without exception, when riding the subways, surface trains and buses, we encountered on every platform and at every bus stop a digital display that gave the route number, destination, and time of arrival (updated minute-to-minute) of the next conveyance. Trains and buses were almost all new and modern; they were uniformly spotless. But most notable was that Hamburg's transit system depends upon the honor system.As with SEPTA, passes can be purchased for daily, weekly or monthly riding privileges. But there's one great big difference: In Hamburg - and this also proved to be true in Berlin, where we spent a day touring Germany's capital - no driver, conductor or turnstile attendant checked the tickets and passes. No, this is not a typographical error. And, no, I wasn't hallucinating under the influence of all that great German beer. No one at all regularly checks up on riders or collects their tickets.According to my son, who after a semester on the scene should know, transit police periodically spot-check selected stops to see who's trying to scam free rides. In a week's worth of riding around the city, making frequent switches from one route to another, we never saw a single transit cop. We fastidiously bought our daily passes but never once were asked to present them for inspection. Had we been so inclined, we could have ridden for the week for free.How can Hamburg - and I presume, based on our brief Berlin excursion (where, once again, we were never challenged), other German cities - maintain a first-rate transit system on an honor code? First, the system is well-funded by public officials who recognize the value of this municipal infrastructure, and free transit-stop parking is subsidized by neighboring merchants. SEPTA, meanwhile, hopes Philly's former mayor, now our governor, can shift highway funds to bail it out, sparing us the fare hikes and service cuts. At best, we stagger from crisis to crisis.Second, based on my son's observations of who presents their passes and who scoots during the inspectors' rare spot checks, the vast majority of riders refrain from cheating.So, OK, maybe I am reminded of that terrific scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where Harrison Ford tosses the Gestapo agent out the window of the zeppelin and then explains to the shocked passengers, "No ticket." You'll recall that every one of those good folk dives into a pocket or purse and whips out a ticket.In other words, yes, this honor system may be a "German" thing. If you have a hard time seeing it work in Philly, well, I'm inclined to agree with you. But Hamburg's transit system prospers under a social contract between public officials and passengers who are willing to honor a code of mutual financial responsibility that for Philadelphia is sadly lacking.James Ottavio Castagnera is a Philadelphia lawyer, writer and university administrator.
But America does freight railroading better
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2118307,00.html
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| List of railway stations in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Germany does transit right
January 06, 2005|By James Ottavio CastagneraFor the millions of Philadelphia-area residents who ride SEPTA, this is the winter of our discontent. But on a recent trip to Germany, I had a chance to sample an alternative to our struggling public-transportation system.My son, Marc, a junior at Temple University, is studying abroad for a year at the University of Hamburg. Between Christmas and New Year's Eve, he spent time shepherding my wife, my daughter and me around this north German metropolis of 2.6 million souls. We relied on Hamburg's buses and trains.Without exception, when riding the subways, surface trains and buses, we encountered on every platform and at every bus stop a digital display that gave the route number, destination, and time of arrival (updated minute-to-minute) of the next conveyance. Trains and buses were almost all new and modern; they were uniformly spotless. But most notable was that Hamburg's transit system depends upon the honor system.As with SEPTA, passes can be purchased for daily, weekly or monthly riding privileges. But there's one great big difference: In Hamburg - and this also proved to be true in Berlin, where we spent a day touring Germany's capital - no driver, conductor or turnstile attendant checked the tickets and passes. No, this is not a typographical error. And, no, I wasn't hallucinating under the influence of all that great German beer. No one at all regularly checks up on riders or collects their tickets.According to my son, who after a semester on the scene should know, transit police periodically spot-check selected stops to see who's trying to scam free rides. In a week's worth of riding around the city, making frequent switches from one route to another, we never saw a single transit cop. We fastidiously bought our daily passes but never once were asked to present them for inspection. Had we been so inclined, we could have ridden for the week for free.How can Hamburg - and I presume, based on our brief Berlin excursion (where, once again, we were never challenged), other German cities - maintain a first-rate transit system on an honor code? First, the system is well-funded by public officials who recognize the value of this municipal infrastructure, and free transit-stop parking is subsidized by neighboring merchants. SEPTA, meanwhile, hopes Philly's former mayor, now our governor, can shift highway funds to bail it out, sparing us the fare hikes and service cuts. At best, we stagger from crisis to crisis.Second, based on my son's observations of who presents their passes and who scoots during the inspectors' rare spot checks, the vast majority of riders refrain from cheating.So, OK, maybe I am reminded of that terrific scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where Harrison Ford tosses the Gestapo agent out the window of the zeppelin and then explains to the shocked passengers, "No ticket." You'll recall that every one of those good folk dives into a pocket or purse and whips out a ticket.In other words, yes, this honor system may be a "German" thing. If you have a hard time seeing it work in Philly, well, I'm inclined to agree with you. But Hamburg's transit system prospers under a social contract between public officials and passengers who are willing to honor a code of mutual financial responsibility that for Philadelphia is sadly lacking.James Ottavio Castagnera is a Philadelphia lawyer, writer and university administrator.But America does freight railroading better
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2118307,00.html
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Game-Based Learning
To contact us Click HERE
An article o n the ten best colleges for game-based learning:
If you were busy playing Call of Duty and you missed it, July 8 was Video Games Day. While most people’s experience with gaming involves mindless destruction or sports competition, educators have begun to see the value in the medium for helping students learn. While the research is still developing and some professors are still skeptical, these 10 colleges represent your best bets for learning while playing video and other games.More: http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/2012/07/08/10-best-colleges-for-game-based-learning/
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| Future events marker for video games (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
10 Best Colleges for Game-Based Learning
Posted on Sunday July 8, 2012If you were busy playing Call of Duty and you missed it, July 8 was Video Games Day. While most people’s experience with gaming involves mindless destruction or sports competition, educators have begun to see the value in the medium for helping students learn. While the research is still developing and some professors are still skeptical, these 10 colleges represent your best bets for learning while playing video and other games.More: http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/2012/07/08/10-best-colleges-for-game-based-learning/
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The 2012 Elections
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James--
This week, Mitt Romney is jetting along on his luxury speedboat on vacation. He’s got a reason to celebrate: his campaign brought in a whopping $100 million in June.
If Mitt and his SuperPAC backers like the Koch Brothers can bury us under a wave of corporate special interest cash now, we will lose in November.
We need you right now.
If everyone who's been waiting to give, pitches in $3 or more today we can start closing the gap right now.
Please do your part -- make a donation of $3 or more right now.
From the start, we’ve known President Obama and Democrats nationwide would need all of us to build a victory together -- if we’re going to build it at all.
It’s now or never.
http://dccc.org/Build-It-Together
Thanks,
Robby
James--
 |
If Mitt and his SuperPAC backers like the Koch Brothers can bury us under a wave of corporate special interest cash now, we will lose in November.
We need you right now.
If everyone who's been waiting to give, pitches in $3 or more today we can start closing the gap right now.
Please do your part -- make a donation of $3 or more right now.
From the start, we’ve known President Obama and Democrats nationwide would need all of us to build a victory together -- if we’re going to build it at all.
It’s now or never.
http://dccc.org/Build-It-Together
Thanks,
Robby
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As NLRB braces to revisit Yeshiva, it gets a wide range of views on faculties' influence
To contact us Click HERE
The Board's May solicitation:
Office of Public Affairs
202-273-1991
publicinfo@nlrb.gov
www.nlrb.gov
The National Labor Relations Board is inviting briefs from interested parties on the question of whether university faculty members seeking to be represented by a union are employees covered by the National Labor Relations Act or excluded managers.The case is Point Park University (06-RC-012276). At this Pittsburgh-based university, faculty members petitioned for an election and voted in favor of representation by the Communications Workers of America, Local 38061. However, the university challenged the decision to hold the election, claiming that the faculty members were managers and therefore ineligible for union representation.The case ultimately was presented to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which remanded it to the Board for a fuller explanation of its original conclusion that the faculty’s role at the university is not managerial. Specifically, the court asked the Board to identify which of the factors set forth by the Supreme Court in its 1980 decision NLRB v. Yeshiva University are most significant in deciding whether faculty members are statutory employees or managers. After a new decision by an NLRB Regional Director again concluded that the Point Park faculty members were statutory employees, the Board granted the University’s request to take up the issue once more.To aid the Board in addressing the matters raised in the court’s remand, the Board has invited briefs. In its Notice and Invitation to File Briefs, the Board listed eight questions that the briefs should address. and invited submissions of empirical and practical evidence. Briefs should be filed with the Board on or before July 6, 2012.
The Briefs that were submitted:http://www.nlrb.gov/case/06-RC-012276
Analysis:http://chronicle.com/article/Labor-Board-Is-Offered-Starkly/132781/
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| Union members picketing outside the National Labor Relations Board offices in Washington, D.C., in November 2007 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Board invites briefs on question of faculty member status
May 22, 2012Contact:Office of Public Affairs
202-273-1991
publicinfo@nlrb.gov
www.nlrb.gov
The National Labor Relations Board is inviting briefs from interested parties on the question of whether university faculty members seeking to be represented by a union are employees covered by the National Labor Relations Act or excluded managers.The case is Point Park University (06-RC-012276). At this Pittsburgh-based university, faculty members petitioned for an election and voted in favor of representation by the Communications Workers of America, Local 38061. However, the university challenged the decision to hold the election, claiming that the faculty members were managers and therefore ineligible for union representation.The case ultimately was presented to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which remanded it to the Board for a fuller explanation of its original conclusion that the faculty’s role at the university is not managerial. Specifically, the court asked the Board to identify which of the factors set forth by the Supreme Court in its 1980 decision NLRB v. Yeshiva University are most significant in deciding whether faculty members are statutory employees or managers. After a new decision by an NLRB Regional Director again concluded that the Point Park faculty members were statutory employees, the Board granted the University’s request to take up the issue once more.To aid the Board in addressing the matters raised in the court’s remand, the Board has invited briefs. In its Notice and Invitation to File Briefs, the Board listed eight questions that the briefs should address. and invited submissions of empirical and practical evidence. Briefs should be filed with the Board on or before July 6, 2012.
The Briefs that were submitted:http://www.nlrb.gov/case/06-RC-012276
Analysis:http://chronicle.com/article/Labor-Board-Is-Offered-Starkly/132781/
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8 Temmuz 2012 Pazar
Romney's Globalized Fortune (1)
To contact us Click HERE
Jim --
President Obama is wrapping up a campaign bus tour through northern Ohio and western Pennsylvania, where he's been talking to people about his commitment to investing in American workers and creating jobs here at home. Yesterday, he backed up his words with actions by standing up to China's unfair trade practices, and showed his faith in American workers and industry yet again.
As we've continued to learn this week, Mitt Romney has bet against America as a private citizen, as a businessman, and as an elected official. Check out this week's tipsheet for details, and be sure to let others know about the stark differences between President Obama's and Mitt Romney's records when it comes to protecting American jobs.
#1 Standing tall against unfair trade practices
Yesterday, President Obama filed a case with the World Trade Organization against China's unfair trade practices. China has imposed more than $3 billion in unfair taxes on more than 80 percent of our auto exports to China, including cars made in Ohio and Michigan. But while the President has stood up and enforced trade laws against China, Mitt Romney attacked the President's 2009 effort to stand up to China on behalf of the American tire industry, calling it "bad for the nation and our workers." Check out this blog post about the President's record of holding China accountable for its trade practices, and make sure people you know have the facts on the issue:
#2 Map of Romney investments
A Vanity Fair article published this week revealed that Mitt Romney has heavily invested in foreign tax havens, raising questions about whether he's ever avoided paying U.S. taxes. We already knew that he had a Swiss bank account until just last year, and that he still owns a mysterious corporation in Bermuda. The article notes that Romney's finances are "deeply entangled" with Bain Capital, including investment funds in the Cayman Islands. We don't know all the details because he won't follow precedent by releasing his tax returns, raising a lot of questions about his finances that Americans deserve to know the answers to. Take a look at this map of Romney's known investments in offshore tax havens, and make sure others see it, too:
#3 Do you have a Swiss bank account?
Do you have an offshore bank account? As far as I know, it's pretty unusual for any American to have one -- especially someone who wants to be president of the United States. But just to make sure we weren't missing anything, we asked some people on the street whether they have an offshore bank account. Take a look at the video, see what they had to say, and share it with your friends:
#4 What a president believes matters
The campaign released a new TV ad this week that highlights a key difference in President Obama's and Mitt Romney's economic philosophies: The President believes in an economy that expands manufacturing and brings jobs back to America, while Mitt Romney's policies would encourage outsourcing, threatening the security of the middle class. Watch the spot, and share it with your friends and family:
Lastly, the Romney campaign and the Republicans announced this week that they raised more than $100 million in the month of June. We're still crunching our June numbers, but for context, that's about what we raised in April and May combined. The President is counting on you, and he's betting that the grassroots organization you're helping to build can overcome Romney's unprecedented money machine. So thanks for stepping up -- now invite your friends and family to join the Truth Team as well:
Thanks,
Stephanie
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| Mitt-Romney (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
President Obama is wrapping up a campaign bus tour through northern Ohio and western Pennsylvania, where he's been talking to people about his commitment to investing in American workers and creating jobs here at home. Yesterday, he backed up his words with actions by standing up to China's unfair trade practices, and showed his faith in American workers and industry yet again.
As we've continued to learn this week, Mitt Romney has bet against America as a private citizen, as a businessman, and as an elected official. Check out this week's tipsheet for details, and be sure to let others know about the stark differences between President Obama's and Mitt Romney's records when it comes to protecting American jobs.
#1 Standing tall against unfair trade practices
Yesterday, President Obama filed a case with the World Trade Organization against China's unfair trade practices. China has imposed more than $3 billion in unfair taxes on more than 80 percent of our auto exports to China, including cars made in Ohio and Michigan. But while the President has stood up and enforced trade laws against China, Mitt Romney attacked the President's 2009 effort to stand up to China on behalf of the American tire industry, calling it "bad for the nation and our workers." Check out this blog post about the President's record of holding China accountable for its trade practices, and make sure people you know have the facts on the issue:
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A Vanity Fair article published this week revealed that Mitt Romney has heavily invested in foreign tax havens, raising questions about whether he's ever avoided paying U.S. taxes. We already knew that he had a Swiss bank account until just last year, and that he still owns a mysterious corporation in Bermuda. The article notes that Romney's finances are "deeply entangled" with Bain Capital, including investment funds in the Cayman Islands. We don't know all the details because he won't follow precedent by releasing his tax returns, raising a lot of questions about his finances that Americans deserve to know the answers to. Take a look at this map of Romney's known investments in offshore tax havens, and make sure others see it, too:
| |
Do you have an offshore bank account? As far as I know, it's pretty unusual for any American to have one -- especially someone who wants to be president of the United States. But just to make sure we weren't missing anything, we asked some people on the street whether they have an offshore bank account. Take a look at the video, see what they had to say, and share it with your friends:
| |
The campaign released a new TV ad this week that highlights a key difference in President Obama's and Mitt Romney's economic philosophies: The President believes in an economy that expands manufacturing and brings jobs back to America, while Mitt Romney's policies would encourage outsourcing, threatening the security of the middle class. Watch the spot, and share it with your friends and family:
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Stephanie
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