1
N.Y. / Region
In N.A.A.C.P., Industry Gets Ally Against Soda Ban
At a court hearing, the civil rights group’s New York chapter supported a suit aiming to block restrictions on large sugary sodas, saying they were unfair to minority small-business owners.
2
World
‘Propaganda’ by Gays Faces Russian Curbs Amid Unrest
Police arrested about 20 people as attackers hurled eggs and paint at gay rights advocates who gathered in Moscow to protest a bill that outlaws “homosexual propaganda.”
3
Science
An Increase in Radiation Monitoring for Fracking
Pennsylvania says it will conduct a comprehensive review of radiation levels in drilling cuttings and water but that the amounts measured so far are negligible.
4
Business Day
Moving From Wall Street to the Tech Sector Proves Tricky
As more financiers jump to the technology sector, some find that big investors are skeptical that they have what it takes to nurture a young company.
5
Opinion
A Child With Down Syndrome Keeps His Place at the Table
The advances for children with Down syndrome in the United States are still a work in progress.
6
Opinion
How Much Law School Is Enough?
Professionals in the legal community respond to an Op-Ed article, “Make Law Schools Earn a Third Year.”
7
Opinion
The Tomorrow Majority
The country isn't more liberal -- but the center has moved, and Republicans have not.Populism, Republican Style
The recent speech
by Bobby Jindal, Louisiana’s governor, has drawn a fair bit of
attention. Conservatives would have you believe that it marks the start
of real GOP reform; but the reality, as Andy Rosenthal says, is that Jindal wants to change the jingle in the commercial without changing the product.
And if you want a clear demonstration of that point, compare Jindal’s words and deeds. Here’s what he just said:
And if you want a clear demonstration of that point, compare Jindal’s words and deeds. Here’s what he just said:
We must not be the party that simply protects the well off so they can keep their toys. We have to be the party that shows all Americans how they can thrive. We are the party whose ideas will help the middle class, and help more folks join the middle class. We are a populist party and need to make that clear.And here’s what he recently did:
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (R) recently rolled out a plan to replace his state’s personal income and corporate taxes with an increased sales tax. Such a move would shift taxes from the rich to the poor, who are disproportionately hit by the sales tax.I guess there is some innovation here: finally, Republicans have stopped being the party that only want tax cuts, and have started becoming the party that wants to cut taxes for the rich while raising them on ordinary families. Populism!"
According to an analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, Jindal’s plan will raise taxes on the bottom 80 percent of Louisianians, while cutting them for the richest 1 percent:
– The bottom 80 percent of Louisianans in the income distribution would see a tax increase from repealing the personal and corporate income taxes and replacing them with a higher sales tax.
– The poorest 20 percent of taxpayers, those with an average income of $12,000, would see an average tax increase of $395, or 3.4 percent of their income, if no low income tax relief mechanism is offered.
– The middle 20 percent, those with an average income of $43,000, would see an average tax increase of $534, or 1.2 percent of their income.
– The largest beneficiaries of the tax proposal would be the top 1 percent—a group with an average income
of well over $1 million. Louisianans in the top 1 percent would see an average tax cut of $25,423, or 2.3 percent of their income under the plan described above.
8
U.S.
Obama and Senators to Push for an Immigration Overhaul
The Senate proposal will probably include four main elements, including a pathway to citizenship for those who entered the nation illegally.
9
U.S.
Governors Push Bigger Reliance on Sales Taxes
Ambitious experiments in collecting revenue that are taking place at the state level could shape the national approach on taxes.
10
U.S.
As California Bounces Back, Governor Calls For Lofty Goals
Emboldened by a brighter fiscal picture, Gov. Jerry Brown delivered an optimistic State of the State speech that sought to secure California’s long-term future.
11
Sports
Junior Seau’s Family Sues N.F.L.
The star linebacker was 43 when he killed himself; the family accuses the N.F.L. of hiding information about the link between head hits and cognitive issues.
12
Opinion
A Cold Shoulder for Russian Dissidents
The suicide of a Russian dissident at a Dutch detention center raises troubling questions about the West’s support for human rights.
13
Business Day
Financial Crisis Suit Suggests Bad Behavior at Morgan Stanley
Documents released as part of a lawsuit against Morgan Stanley shed new light on what bankers knew at the height of the housing bubble and what they did with that secret knowledge.
14
Travel
Before Setting Off, a Drill
The cruise industry has instituted 10 new safety policies in response to the Costa Concordia crash that killed 32 people a year ago.
15
Your Money
Disputing a Charge on Your Credit Card
The cat and mouse game that goes on behind the scenes can be tilted more, or less, in your favor, depending on how you go about it.
16
Science
Court Faults E.P.A.'s Biofuels Mandate
An appeals panel says the E.P.A.'s calculations of available cellulosic fuel was based on desire rather than facts.
17
Style
Day Care and Behavior Problems, Unlinked
When day care is consistently good, and consistently used, any negative effect on children's behavior disappears.
18
Technology
Apps and Other Digital Tools Lend a Hand to New Mothers
Digital tools offer new mothers help with a range of tasks, including writing thank-you notes, getting back to the pre-baby weight, ordering diapers and other necessities, and calming the little one.
19
Business Day
Cities Urge Public Pension Funds to Divest From Gun Makers
Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago urged the executives of two major banks to cease the financing of firearms companies. Other cities are making similar efforts.
20
World
Subway Workers Ordered to Halt Their Strike in Athens
Subway employees angered by pay cuts that they say will reach 25 percent of their salaries had defied a court order to return to work, sending their strike into an eighth day.Athens has lost the subways.
The city will probably degenerate further.
If things are not corrected this is a death spiral.
Cheaper workers will not correct it. Cheaper money can.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21202065
25 January 2013
Last updated at 11:08 ET
Police earlier stormed a metro depot in the city, breaking up a workers' sit-in. Traffic was gridlocked as commuters struggled to work by car.
Athens is trying to implement austerity measures unpopular with trade unions.
The strike action over planned pay cuts had crippled the underground system as the Athens metro, trams and suburban railway serve more than 1.1 million passengers daily.
"I am pleased that the urban rail workers restarted the network, and passengers are even more pleased," Transport Minister Costis Hadzidakis said.
But Athens's transport network continued to suffer disruption on Friday evening despite metro services resuming, as bus workers remained on strike in solidarity with their union colleagues.
And various transport workers were preparing to march towards Athens' main Syntagma Square later - the scene of sometimes-violent protests in recent years.
'Exploring legal options'
The civil mobilisation order issued by the government on Thursday threatened metro workers with dismissal, arrest and even imprisonment.
It was the first time the conservative-led coalition had invoked a 2007 emergency law to deal with "peace-time emergencies".
The Athens metro, trams and suburban railway serve 1.1 million people daily
Such emergency legislation has only been used nine times since the collapse of Greece's military dictatorship in 1974.
"The workers who were handed the notice didn't have a choice," said Manthos Tsakos, general secretary of the main metro workers' union. "We are exploring legal options."
Other transport workers had joined the striking metro workers in solidarity on Friday and a big rally was planned to protest against a public sector unified wage scheme that would see their salaries reduced by up to 25%.
The police operation at the metro depot took place shortly before 04:00, with about 100 riot police officers entering the area where workers had barricaded themselves overnight.
A police spokesman told the BBC three people had been arrested and subsequently released.
'No repeats' Under the terms of its massive international bailout, the Greek government has had to accept substantial spending cuts, such as redundancies and pay freezes in the public sector, and reduced pensions.
The austerity programme has had a major impact on the economy, with the unemployment rate hitting 26.8% earlier this month - the highest figure recorded in the EU.
Athens commuters had faced gridlock on the roads on Friday morning
But Prime Minister Antonis Samaras delivered a tough message to Greeks on Thursday evening.
"The Greek people have made huge sacrifices and I cannot allow any exceptions," he said.
Referring to the metro strike, he warned: "Everyone should understand we will not repeat the mistakes of the past."
His junior coalition partner, the Democratic Left, criticised the use of the civil mobilisation order as "an extreme choice" and urged more dialogue. But party sources quoted by the Kathimerini newspaper said the issue would not split the three-party coalition.
Socialist Pasok leader Evangelos Venizelos backed Mr Samaras's decision, calling the strike "unacceptable".
Greece's colossal debt mountain and struggle to reduce it fuelled speculation last year that Greece might have to abandon the euro.
So far, the European Central Bank, International Monetary Fund, and the European Commission have pledged a total of 240bn euros ($315bn; £196bn) in rescue loans, of which Greece has received more than two-thirds."
Greece crisis: Athens 10-day metro strike ends
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Police stormed a metro train depot to break up a sit-in, as Claire Brennan reports
A
10-day strike by metro workers in the Greek capital, Athens, has ended
after the government threatened them with arrest unless they returned to
work.
Although a protest by some public transport workers continued, the metro reopened at around 15:00 (13:00 GMT). Police earlier stormed a metro depot in the city, breaking up a workers' sit-in. Traffic was gridlocked as commuters struggled to work by car.
Athens is trying to implement austerity measures unpopular with trade unions.
The strike action over planned pay cuts had crippled the underground system as the Athens metro, trams and suburban railway serve more than 1.1 million passengers daily.
"I am pleased that the urban rail workers restarted the network, and passengers are even more pleased," Transport Minister Costis Hadzidakis said.
But Athens's transport network continued to suffer disruption on Friday evening despite metro services resuming, as bus workers remained on strike in solidarity with their union colleagues.
And various transport workers were preparing to march towards Athens' main Syntagma Square later - the scene of sometimes-violent protests in recent years.
'Exploring legal options'
The civil mobilisation order issued by the government on Thursday threatened metro workers with dismissal, arrest and even imprisonment.
It was the first time the conservative-led coalition had invoked a 2007 emergency law to deal with "peace-time emergencies".
The Athens metro, trams and suburban railway serve 1.1 million people daily
"The workers who were handed the notice didn't have a choice," said Manthos Tsakos, general secretary of the main metro workers' union. "We are exploring legal options."
Other transport workers had joined the striking metro workers in solidarity on Friday and a big rally was planned to protest against a public sector unified wage scheme that would see their salaries reduced by up to 25%.
The police operation at the metro depot took place shortly before 04:00, with about 100 riot police officers entering the area where workers had barricaded themselves overnight.
A police spokesman told the BBC three people had been arrested and subsequently released.
'No repeats' Under the terms of its massive international bailout, the Greek government has had to accept substantial spending cuts, such as redundancies and pay freezes in the public sector, and reduced pensions.
The austerity programme has had a major impact on the economy, with the unemployment rate hitting 26.8% earlier this month - the highest figure recorded in the EU.
Athens commuters had faced gridlock on the roads on Friday morning
"The Greek people have made huge sacrifices and I cannot allow any exceptions," he said.
Referring to the metro strike, he warned: "Everyone should understand we will not repeat the mistakes of the past."
His junior coalition partner, the Democratic Left, criticised the use of the civil mobilisation order as "an extreme choice" and urged more dialogue. But party sources quoted by the Kathimerini newspaper said the issue would not split the three-party coalition.
Socialist Pasok leader Evangelos Venizelos backed Mr Samaras's decision, calling the strike "unacceptable".
Greece's colossal debt mountain and struggle to reduce it fuelled speculation last year that Greece might have to abandon the euro.
So far, the European Central Bank, International Monetary Fund, and the European Commission have pledged a total of 240bn euros ($315bn; £196bn) in rescue loans, of which Greece has received more than two-thirds."
Not good.
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