Wisconsin Supreme Court And Corporate Political Involvement

Wisconsin Supreme Court And Corporate Political Involvement

Submitted by: Stateside Associates

Yesterday s election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court seat was a reminder that the fight over public pensions and collective bargaining rights is going to have a significant impact on business. With the lead changing hands multiple times throughout the night, this race may very well end up in a recount. Before the public sector unions turned this election into a referendum on the recently passed collective bargaining changes, Justice David Prosser was expected to easily win re-election over state Assistant Attorney General Joanne Kloppenburg.

They turned a low key election into a multi-million dollar national fight, and highlighted why corporate executives should be concerned about the fight over collective bargaining. The Supreme Court election could change the balance of power on the court whose decisions could have far ranging impacts on business. But it isn t just about the Supreme Court. This is a fight about the future of public sector unions, not about the pay and benefits of the workers themselves.

If it were just about pay and benefit levels, business could probably keep clear of the issue, but the unions see the collective bargaining issue as critical to their future. Therefore, they will drag anyone and everyone into this fight to try to preserve their right to bargain on working conditions as well. They decided to take on the Supreme Court race because they are challenging the new collective bargaining law in court. And more directly, the unions were going after companies and trying to drag them directly into the fight.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XIbu-5yIvk[/youtube]

For example, The Wall Street Journal s Best of the Web blog recently described how several Wisconsin public unions threatened Wisconsin companies with boycotts if they did not publicly oppose Governor Walker s efforts to curtail collective bargaining. Rather than urging a boycott to express dissatisfaction with a company position, the unions threatened a boycott if the company didn t support the union position.

Public unions have also stepping up their rhetoric against corporations. For example, to promote a national day of protest for collective bargaining on April 4, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers (AFSCME) called those legislators who have supported public sector pension and benefit reforms corporate-bought politicians on the AFSCME website. This is part of a strategy of trying to shift the focus away from the issue of pay and benefits for public employees and toward corporations and linking them to Wall Street and the recession.

As a result, some companies have decided it might be easier to simply stay on the political sidelines, hoping to keep out of the political crosshairs of unions or other activist groups. However, that could be a mistake, and not in the best interests of the company or its shareholders. Economics (and other social science) students will remember the Prisoners Dilemma, and a variation of it is applicable here. If only one company decides not to participate in politics, they will benefit from other companies participating. However, if many companies all make that same decision, they will cede the political field to those who do not have their best interests at heart and then all companies will suffer from the resulting public policies.

A much better strategy is to continue, or even increase, a company s political activity and have a proactive corporate communications strategy ready to defend the corporation s political contributions as in the best interests of the public, the company s employees and its shareholders.

It is likely that we are just at the beginning of a multi-year struggle over the future of the size and scope of government, which affects public sector unions directly. Companies should decide now which side of that fight they want to be on, because it is much easier to make a thoughtful decision about corporate political strategy when the spotlight is elsewhere. But the spotlight is likely to shine regardless of the choice a company makes. Unions are making the argument that the public policy choice is between teachers/police pay versus corporate tax breaks. So companies need to decide whether to support candidates that will fight for a good business climate to create private sector jobs, or stay out of the fight and see their taxes increase and potentially have to lay off workers. The public sector unions are making sure this is the choice. If corporations stay silent, it will be a very one-sided fight. The Supreme Court fight in Wisconsin was just an opening salvo. There will be more to come.

About the Author: With deep expertise in both strategy and execution, Stateside Associates transcends the conventional categories of government relations consulting. Learn about Stateside Associates’ breadth of proficiencies at

stateside.com

.

Source:

isnare.com

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<div class=Space Shuttle Discovery launch scheduled for Tuesday
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Space Shuttle Discovery launch scheduled for Tuesday

Saturday, July 23, 2005

NASA has announced that the Space Shuttle Discovery is due to blast off on Tuesday 26 July at 10.39 am EDT.

The news that the 43 hour countdown will be restarted on Saturday comes after the successful resolution of the problems that forced the aborting of the previous launch attempt.

The countdown includes 28 hours of scheduled “hold time” bringing the total time period up to Tuesday.

The launch had been scrubbed previously due to a faulty main fuel tank sensor which was sufferring from electromagnetic interference. Engineers fixed the problem by improving the electrical grounding of the system to reduce interference.

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<div class=Prison officers’ strike ends in England and Wales
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Prison officers’ strike ends in England and Wales

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Prison officers in England and Wales are on strike today as part of a continuing dispute over pay rates with employers, the Ministry of Justice.

The Prison Officers’ Association (POA) announced the strike, the first in its history, at 0600 (BST) on the morning of the 29th of August, just an hour before it was due to start. As the morning progressed, officers at most public prisons across the two countries locked prisoners in their cells (a “lockdown”) and walked out, aiming to remain on strike until 0700 on the 30th.

The strike has been condemned by the Ministry of Justice, as a breach of the Industrial Relations Act, with Justice Secretary Jack Straw calling it “deeply regrettable and wholly unjustifiable”. Immediately following the announcement of the action, the Ministry commenced proceedings to gain a High Court injunction against the POA. Such an injunction was granted by Mr Justice Ramsey, who said that there was “overwhelming case” for it, after the court heard evidence that a Joint Industrial Relations Procedural Agreement, agreed to prevent industrial action, had been broken.

Despite the court proceedings, the strike continued largely unabated, and was expected to run its full course.

Inmates were at one point reported to have been seen on the roof of Liverpool Prison, however the situation was brought under control without any escapees.

In Wormwood Scrubs Prison, London, all 1,300 prisoners were being looked after by just eight governors, while atCardiff, as prisoners, locked in their cells, shouted “You’re breaking the law” to the officers standing in the car park. As a result of the lack of staff, prisoners could not be transported to court, were fed in their cells, could not be visited and could not take part in any rehabilitation or community service courses. In addition, 900 prisoners had to be accommodated elsewhere, unable to be admitted to public prisons.

This evening, this strike was called off by the POA, who issued an order to all of its members to return to work, with further pay discussions expected to come on Friday.

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Sunny Flats In Mohali  The Key To Experience A Blissful Living

Sunny Flats In Mohali The Key To Experience A Blissful Living

Sunny flats in Mohali- the key to experience a blissful living

by

Deepti Chugh

For all those who want to own their dream home in the form of flats and apartments, where would they get hold of feel which seems purely like their home ground? The answer is quite simple. There is actually nothing a better place than Punjab as it thriving at a brisk pace with the developments of all essential amenities. Sunny enclave is the budding and peaceful township located very close to the Mohali bus terminus. Flats in Sector 74 A have grabbed the attention of investors and buyers in and around the city. There are even affluent NRI s who are showing great interest in the property investment options. The entire township is spread over a few sectors, which is more popularly known as Greater Mohali. This is a favorable place for those who want to reside in close proximity to the advanced cities such as Chandigarh and Mohali.

In the coming years, this district is expected to turn into a fully urbanized city with several other facilities. Nevertheless, the residents would find all useful conveniences which include shopping malls, educational institutes, banks, multispecialty hospitals and much more. There are several new projects that are lined up in the coming years. Several building projects of furnished flats have been pioneered by renowned Bajwa Developers, which is considered amongst the highly acclaimed property developers and builders in Mohali. They have undertaken several other ventures all throughout Punjab thereby providing world class apartments, condos, and even luxurious villas to masses for the past few years. Individuals can have a great view of the recent construction at Sunny Enclave when they are driving on the Ropar -Mohali highway.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPm8jn4V2ck[/youtube]

The entire township is designed with spacious accommodations, walking alleys, Wi-Fi connectivity, telephone, and cable links, along with huge parking space. Apart from flats, individuals may also find plots in Sector 117 at extremely affordable price. They can easily locate plots with different sizes, within the budgets. It is of great opportunity for the buyers and investors to obtain Mohali plots as the property prices are unwavering.

Mohali has immense influence over real estate prices in Sunny areas and it is expected to rise in the coming years. Furthermore, the region is developing at a rapid pace that will lead to increase the property prices even more. Spacious accommodation, and serene surroundings are offered within the reach and people can locate all types of housing options at their much favored location.

With excellent infrastructure, Sunny Flats have become the most desired destination for dwelling. For those who want to invest in a property in Mohali, then there is no need to think twice. This is the right time to make the investment which is going to yield them twice or thrice of what have been invested.

Harji Realtors is one of the leading real estate agents in the region of Chandigarh, Mohali and Kharar. For more information on great deals in

1 BHK Flat in Mohali

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sunny flats

check out our website.

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com

<div class=46 illegal Afghan immigrants suffocate in truck in Pakistan
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46 illegal Afghan immigrants suffocate in truck in Pakistan

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

 Correction — Nov 1, 2013 The article below claims each passenger paid 4000 to 8000 USD. Each paid 30,000 Rupees, equivilent at the time to about US$375. 

The bodies of 46 Afghan illegal immigrants who suffocated to death in a container truck Saturday near Quetta, Pakistan, returned home Tuesday.

The Edhi Foundation placed the victim’s bodies into coffins to transport them back to Chaman. Funeral prayers were said before victims left Quetta hospital. “We are taking these dead bodies to Spin Boldak and later these will be flown to Kabul by helicopter. We are thankful to Pakistan government for every help,” said Afghan consul general Daud Mohsini.

Afghan officials received the bodies from The Edhi ambulances and Pakistan police escorts at the Pak-Afghan border Bab-e-Dosti (Friendship Gate). Security was high and traffic was backed up at the border crossing. The bodies were taken to Kandahar then to Kabul before they were laid to rest in their home towns.

Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan dispatched aircraft to Pakistan to bring home the 46 victims. Poor weather grounded the planes, and the bodies were driven back across the border.

Pakistan police found a locked truck packed with approximately 111 Afghan illegal immigrants around 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Quetta on Saturday. The driver had fled the scene where 62 people were initially pronounced dead. Police said that from the strong smell emanating from the truck, the victims may have died days before they were discovered.

45 other people were found unconscious and taken directly to the hospital. At hospital two more migrants died. “The death toll is 46,” said Ghulam Dastagir, a police official.

Wazir Khan Nasir, a senior police official said, “We have been able to talk to some of the people, who were trapped in the container. They were all Afghans in the container and the container was going to Iran, When the condition of people inside the container deteriorated, the driver fled, leaving the container.”

Survivors have reported that a human smuggling racket locked 64 Kabul residents and 37 Spin Boldak residents in the truck container Friday afternoon. The truck’s air conditioning unit stopped working causing the locked passengers to cry out for help which was unheeded by the truck’s driver, and they fell unconscious. However, the loud ruckus caused by the trapped people inside did alert police and local residents to their plight.

The trip had cost each illegal immigrant US$4,000 to 8,000 for the trip. Gul Zameen, a survivor said, “We are all poor and wanted to find jobs in Quetta and Iran.”

The survivors have been charged under the Foreigners Act and some have been detained. Karzai has ordered an investigation and “demanded people avoid dangerous illegal migration and not be deceived by smugglers.” “We’ll go to Pakistan and talk to the survivors to find out what had exactly happened. The culprits will be brought to justice,” said Moheeddin Baluch head of the investigating delegation.

Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is also investigating. Five suspects believed to be involved in running the human smuggling racket have been arrested.

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<div class=Living with HIV during COVID-19: Wikinews talks to HIV-positive sex workers about how pandemic has effected their lives
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Living with HIV during COVID-19: Wikinews talks to HIV-positive sex workers about how pandemic has effected their lives

Sunday, October 18, 2020

The spread of coronavirus in late 2019 and then in 2020 led to a global pandemic, affecting various daily activities. Originating in Wuhan, China, the virus spread globally, and by March, drastic measures were taken by the Indian government. Some branches of the South Western Railway of India had started taking precautions by distributing masks to ticket collectors and guards from as early as March 8. Some colleges were suspended by March 13, their exams postponed as the government introduced lockdown and enforced social distancing.

Announced in the evening, the Indian Prime Minister asked his countrymen to get the essential products and avoid going out as much as possible. Long queues outside the grocery shops, people in masks, some in N-95 masks, and hand sanitisers at the gates of megamarts were a common sight. There were reduced items in the shops, and some stores had a limit of the number of customers allowed in the store at any given time. Food delivery services, and taxi services were on hiatus — workers who depended on the profession for their daily income, while people including software engineers were working from home. Physical classes in schools and colleges were replaced by online lectures to prevent social gatherings.

While many relied on technology for continuing their work and earn their livelihood, Wikinews reached out to sex workers in Mysore in June who, unlike others, can’t maintain social distancing for their work. Two sex workers, Akram Pasha, and Jaya (a pseudonym), who were part of a sex worker’s group called “Ashodaya Samithi” discussed how their lives had been affected by the coronavirus, the lockdown and the restrictions they had faced.

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How To Write A Better Press Release}

How To Write A Better Press Release}

How To Write A Better Press Release

by

Brian KonradtA press release is the most effective way to generate free publicity for your business or organization. A well-written press releases can generate mountains of coverage, and most of the time, that coverage will be more in-depth than any ad. Writing press releases are tricky; since they’re targeted mostly to journalists, the focus, style and tone is different from the typical business document. The following tips will help you craft a clear, creative press release.THE BASICSLike any news story or announcement, a press release must be spun” — that is, it must have a particular angle interesting to journalists and, subsequently, to readers. Sure, the opening of a new office might mean big things for your company, but it’s of little interest to the rest of the community if you don’t tell them why they should care. Consider the following elements of a good press release and incorporate them into your work:RELEVANCE: This is the most basic concern you need to address; how is your news relevant to the publication’s demographic? Are you providing jobs or new services? Is a prominent community figure involved? Does it relate somehow to a recent hot topic? Always know your release’s relevance before writing.TIMELINESS: A journalist will rarely pay attention to a release if it isn’t timely. Does your release relate specifically to a holiday or event? Did it happen recently or will it happen soon?DISTINCTIVENESS: What makes your news unique? Is it something interesting, or different, enough that people outside your company or organization would want to read about it? Would you?LACK OF COMPETITION: Think carefully about other news or events taking place at the time of your release. Are you competing with holiday news when your release isn’t at all holiday related? Will publications have bigger stories with which to concern themselves? If so, hold off on releasing your story until there’s a bigger gap in the news cycle. THE FORMATHow you write your press release is equally as important as the information you choose (or choose not) to include. Follow these steps when writing your press release, and keep them in mind as you create a personal template for future releases. RELEASE DATE: This should be the first thing under your letterhead. Include the exact date if the material is restricted to a specific time, or use the words FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE if time isn’t a factor.HEADLINE: A strong headline will draw attention to your release, much like a strong headline draws attention to any news story. This should be one line only, in all caps and indicative of your release’s exact point.LEAD PARAGRAPH: In three sentences or less, immediately summarize your story. This paragraph is often called a nut graf” in the newspaper business — it tells the story in a nutshell.BODY PARAGRAPH(S): The remaining paragraphs elaborate on your story and often include quotes from prominent people within the company or in your community. Keep the writing short and snappy, using familiar words and eliminating any clichs or redundancies. Remember: you’re essentially writing for journalists, so use a style similar to that of the publication you’re approaching. This should be no more than two paragraphs, which keeps your entire release to one double-spaced page.END: A closing paragraph or summary (like the kind found in letters or reports) isn’t necessary for a release; remember, this is similar to a news story. End with either ###, -end- or -30-.

Brian Konradt has been a professional freelance writer for more than a decade. To read more articles on

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmhRMMA5iL0[/youtube]

english grammar

and how to write better, visit

LousyWriter.com

.

Article Source:

eArticlesOnline.com}

<div class=Ahmadinejad sends letter to George W. Bush
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Ahmadinejad sends letter to George W. Bush

Tuesday, May 9, 2006For the first time in three decades, direct and at least partially public diplomatic communication will commence between the United States (US) and Iran. Iranian government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham said that Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has sent a letter to the U.S. president George W. Bush proposing “new solutions for getting out of international problems and the current fragile situation of the world”.

Mr Gholam-Hossein Elham did not say whether the letter mentioned the nuclear dispute, one of the diplomatic problems currently straining relations between Iran and the USA. This information arrived one day after the Iranian parliament announced that it might retract from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if Western pressure over its programme was to increase.

Differing reports have been made as to whether or not the letter will be made public, and if so, when. In its online report of 8 May 2006, 09:25 GMT, the BBC quoted Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi as saying that the contents of the letter would be made public once Bush had received it. The updated version of the report of 8 May 2006, 14:52 GMT, quotes Asefi as saying that the contents would be made public “at the right time”. An ABC report quoted Gholam-Hossein Elham as saying “it is not an open letter.”

Iran’s foreign affairs minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, delivered the letter to the United States’ interests section in the Swiss embassy in Tehran on Monday. The United States has not held diplomatic relations with Iran since the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said “this letter isn’t it. This letter is not the place that one would find an opening to engage on the nuclear issue or anything of the sort.”

“It isn’t addressing the issues that we’re dealing with in a concrete way,” she added.

John R. Bolton, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, also read the letter, saying, “I think it is typical of Iran that when major decisions are about to be taken … that they have tried to throw sand in the eyes of the proponents of the action. That’s what this may be.”

The letter has since been put on an official Iranian website, and on Tuesday, Ahmadinejad said “the letter to US President George Bush carries the Iranian nation’s views and comments on international issues as well as suggestions for resolving the many problems facing humanity.”

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<div class=Category:July 14, 2010
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Category:July 14, 2010

? July 13, 2010
July 15, 2010 ?
July 14

Pages in category “July 14, 2010”

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<div class=NHL: Penguins to remain in Pittsburgh
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NHL: Penguins to remain in Pittsburgh

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell announced Tuesday morning that a deal had been struck between state and local officials and the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey franchise. The Penguins organization will formally announce the deal tonight, prior to the Penguins game against the Buffalo Sabres at the Mellon Arena. The deal will ensure that the Penguins will remain in the city with a 30 year lease on a new arena to be built in downtown Pittsburgh. The framework of the deal was constructed in an emergency meeting last Thursday in Philadelphia, when both government and franchise officials indicated that progress had been made, with the details laid out over the weekend. With the new deal, the Penguins organization would be expected to pay $3.8 million per year, as well as $7.5 million per year from both Don Barden, owner of Majestic Star Casino, and the state economic development fund. The Penguins organization has also been given the option of building a parking garage on property of the Pittsburgh Sports Authority between Centre and Fifth avenues, by contributing $500,000 per year.

The new arena is expected to cost approximately $290 million, and should be completed and ready to host hockey games by 2009. The Penguins will sign a temporary lease to keep the team at Mellon Arena until the new building is finished.

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