President Obama detailed a proposed plan on Monday that would widen the circle of salaried employees able to receive overtime benefits in an opinion piece published in The Huffington Post.
In the piece, Obama asserts that an exemption that was intended for highly paid white collar employees affects workers making as little as $23,660. Under the president’s plan, overtime protections would go to salaried employees who make up to $50,400 per year.
“We’ve got to keep making sure hard work is rewarded,” the president writes. “Right now, too many Americans are working long days for less pay than they deserve.”
Obama maintains this is not only good for employees, but also for employers who are now paying employees what they deserve and are being undercut by those who don’t.
Watch for more resistance from the right on this one, but part of the problem is employers are taking many advantages of employees.
In addition if they were actually concerned about employees and jobs they would stop sending so many jobs across borders with so many trade agreements.
The racially motivated 17 June 2015 Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church shooting that left nine people dead led to a backlash against the open display of the Confederate flag, which in turn prompted another backlash against the anti-flag backlash.
Shortly after the shooting, major U.S. retailers such as Walmart and Amazon.com announced that they would no longer sell the Confederate flag or merchandise bearing its likeness. Almost immediately, anti-backlashers reported rumors holding that Amazon was following government orders in discontinuing the sale of the Confederate flag, while continuing to offer Islamic State flags for purchase.
A related controversy erupted (in what appears to be a growing trend of debating social issues via bakeries) involving Walmart and a customer’s cake order. According to ABC News, a Walmart customer in Louisiana challenged the retailer’s recent decision to discontinue Confederate flag merchandise by ordering a cake bearing that flag’s image from the store’s bakery:
Chuck Netzhammer said he ordered the image of the Confederate flag on a cake with the words, “Heritage Not Hate,” at a Walmart in Slidell, Louisiana. But the bakery denied his request, he said. At some point later, he ordered the image of the ISIS flag that represents the terrorist group.
Of course, Netzhammer’s account presumed that Walmart bakery employees clearly recognized the Islamic State flag on sight and nonetheless “cheerfully” made the cake for him. He never acknowledged the far likelier scenario that the folks processing his order were quite familiar with the Confederate flag, but they neither recognized the second image he proffered them as an “ISIS battle flag” nor were informed by him about what that image represented.
Furthermore, the Confederate flag policy change announced by Walmart (and Amazon) in the days after the Charleston shooting was made in part because such merchandise was widely available and remained popular among their American customers. The discontinuation of those items was prompted in large part by a state of prominent supply and demand, a situation that was in no way analogous to the sale of ISIS flags at either retailer — therefore a similar policy regarding (largely non-existent) ISIS-related merchandise was superfluous.
Unsurprisingly, Walmart confirmed that their employee was not aware that the image Netzhammer had requested be put on his cake was a symbol associated with ISIS:
An associate in a local store did not know what the design meant and made a mistake. The cake should not have been made and we apologize.
They will do anything for money until they see it is not met with approval and they make less money, It is the current fad to deny the confederate flag.
Jack Carter , the rapid-fire, wise-cracking comic who was a familiar presence from The Ed Sullivan Show to Laugh-In , died June 28 of respiratory failure at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 93. Carter had a long career that began shortly after Worl Wochit
Jack Carter, a comedian and actor known for Broadway, television and film roles, died Sunday. He was 93.
Carter, whose entertainment career spanned more than seven decades, died of respiratory failure at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Born Jack Chakrin to Jewish immigrant parents from Russia, the Brooklyn, N.Y., native got an early career start, appearing as a mimic on radio’s Major Bowes Amateur Hour as a teenager. He attended the Academy of Dramatic Art and, besides acting and comedy, he worked as an emcee, singer, dancer, director and nightclub entertainer. He made more than 50 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.
After serving in the Army during World War II, Carter appeared on Broadway in Call Me Mister. On television, he worked on Milton Berle’s Texaco Star Theatre before becoming host of Cavalcade of Stars. In the early 1950s, he hosted The Jack Carter Show as part of NBC’s Saturday Night Revue.
He also appeared on The Colgate Comedy Hour with such talents as Ed Wynn, Jimmy Durante, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis and Donald O’Connor.
Carter, whose Broadway credits also include Mr. Wonderful and Top Banana, hosted the first televised Tony Awards ceremony in 1956. His film resume includes roles in Viva Las Vegas with Elvis Presley and Mel Brooks’ History of the World: Part I.
The Emmy-nominated actor could be seen in many TV comedies, including Caroline in the City and 3rd Rock from the Sun, and dramas, including Dr. Kildare, The Rockford Files and Diagnosis Murder. He made several appearances in Showtime’s Shameless, including one as recently as 2014.
Carter was a frequent guest on such variety and comedy programs as The Dean Martin Show, The Andy Williams Show, The Jackie Gleason Show, Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In and numerous Bob Hope specials. During the 1970s and 1980s, he appeared as a celebrity panelist no such game shows as The Match Game and The $10,000 Pyramid.
Behind the camera, Carter directed Lucille Ball’s CBS comedy, Here’s Lucy, and such plays as A Thousand Clowns, Silver Anniversary and Mouth-Trap.
Carter is survived by his wife Roxanne, who he married in 1971; his son, Michael Carter, and Michael’s wife, Victoria; his son, Chase Carter; his daughter, Wendy Carter; and his grandchildren, Jake and Ava.
Six people were arrested at Lakewood Church Sunday after heckling Pastor Joel Osteen while he was preaching, according to Houston Police.
The individuals are from Wells, Texas, and are associated with The Church of Wells.
Casey Eaglin was at Sunday’s 11 a.m. service and just a few seats away from one of the protesters.
“He jumped up with his bible and started screaming ‘Shame on you Joel, shame on you Joel’ and Joel kind of just repeated scripture and they just escorted them out,” said Eaglin.
He added, “I was terrified for a quick second there. After the first guy, I thought oh it’s just a random heckler, but then you start seeing the second, the third.”
Lakewood Church told KHOU-TV that a number of their volunteer ushers are also law enforcement officials. Those officials are apparently armed during the services so that they can react to anything like what happened Sunday.
Eaglin said he’s thankful for the quick response of the Lakewood Church security.
“For a second there I started thinking about the church shooting that happened and I was thinking ‘Oh God something bad is about to happen’ but they were real quick,” he said.
The individuals who caused the disturbance were escorted out of the church and were arrested. They are being charged with criminal trespassing, police said.
OK OK why, you ask, did I post this? What caught my eye is that church has a security force.
Why would a church need a security force? Don’t they have the ultimate protector?
An American Airlines employee from Texas has been arrested in Pennsylvania as part of a child sex sting.
Ray Howland, 55, of Arlington, was arrested Friday in Moon Township and charged with attempting to set up a sexual encounter with a mother and her 10-year-old daughter, Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane said in a news release Monday
According to Kane, the “mother” and “daughter” were actually an undercover agent.
According to a criminal complaint, Howland was allegedly “looking for a family or a couple of girls” to engage in sexual relations while on a business trip to Pennsylvania.
Authorities allege Howland attempted to set up a meeting with the mother and her 10-year-old daughter for the purpose of engaging in sex with the child. He allegedly detailed his intentions though e-mail and text messages.
Howland was taken into custody by agents from the Office of the Pennsylvania Attorney General and the Moon Township Police Department. He is charged with one count each of criminal attempt to commit rape of a child, involuntary sexual intercourse, unlawful contact with a minor, criminal attempt to commit indecent assault and criminal use of a communication facility, Kane said.
Howland’s bail was set at $150,000. A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for July 7.
Kane said an investigation is ongoing into whether there were other families with which Howland sought to meet.
Howland has worked as a senior manager at American Airlines for over seven years, according to what appears to be his LinkedIn page.
American Airlines issued a statement Monday saying the company “holds its employees to the highest level of ethical standards” and employees who violate those standards “are subject to disciplinary action, which may include immediate termination.”
Anybody else think we need to do a Bobbit on this turd?
“The Power of Love” is a song co-written and originally recorded by Jennifer Rush in 1984. It has been covered by several artists, most notably by Celine Dion, Laura Branigan, Helene Fischer, and Air Supply. Rush’s original version went to number one in the United Kingdom in 1985 and became the biggest-selling single of the year in that country. It was also a number one single in several other European countries, as well as Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Dion’s version went to number one in the United States, Canada and Australia in 1994. The song has been translated into several languages, becoming a pop standard.
Death
Branigan died in her sleep at her lodge in East Quogue, New York, on August 26, 2004. The cause was attributed to a previously undiagnosed cerebral aneurysm. It was reported in the media that she had been experiencing headaches for several weeks before her death but did not seek medical attention. Her ashes were scattered over Long Island Sound.
Recaptured killer David Sweat told authorities that he and Richard Matt had planned to flee to Mexico in the hours after their spectacular escape from prison three weeks ago, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday.
The plan apparently went awry when Joyce Mitchell, the 51-year-old manager of the prison tailor shop, abandoned a plan to drive off with them, Cuomo told The Capitol Pressroom, a local radio show here.
“They would kill Mitchell’s husband, then get in the car and drive to Mexico on the theory that Mitchell was in love with one or both of them,” Cuomo told the Pressroom. “Then they would go live happily after after, which is a fairy tale that I wasn’t read as a child.
“But we all believe what we want to believe.”
Sweat’s condition was upgraded to serious from critical Monday, one day after being shot and captured near the tiny town of Constable, less than two miles from the Canadian border. Matt was fatally shot by U.S. Border Patrol officers Friday.
Sweat told investigators the men decided to head for Canada when Mitchell did not show. Cuomo said Sweat told authorities the two escapees split up about five days ago.
“Sweat felt that Matt was slowing him down, as a matter of fact,” Cuomo told Pressroom.
State Trooper Jay Cook spotted Sweat on Sunday, chased him on foot and finally shot Sweat as he approached a tree line, authorities say. Cuomo has dubbed Cook a “hero,” saying Sweat could have disappeared into the woods and then into Canada if Cook had not acted.
U.S. justices turn down states over voter registration restrictions
Here is a picture of the IDIOTS!
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a new case on voter registration in Arizona and Kansas, meaning the two states will not be able to require applicants to show proof of citizenship.
By rejecting a joint appeal by the states, the high court left in place a November 2014 ruling by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. That appeals court decided that the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, a federal agency that oversees changes to state voter registration procedures, was not required to grant the states’ request that proof of citizenship be added to registration requirements.
An earlier version of the legal battle made it to the high court in 2013. Then, the court struck down an Arizona law that required people registering to vote in federal elections to show proof of citizenship. In the ruling, Justice Antonin Scalia had said that Arizona could ask the federal commission to include a citizenship provision on the federal form.
The case is Kobach v. U.S. Election Assistance Commission, U.S. Supreme Court, No.14-1164.
In other words we will have non-citizens voting in the elections. Does anyone else see a problem with this? I sure the fuck do…………
BRITAIN and Europe should be braced for possible terror attacks TODAY, a leading security expert said last night.
The date marks the first anniversary of Islamic State setting up its so-called caliphate in Syria and Iraq.
Dr Afzal Ashraf warned: “The timing of the atrocious attacks in Tunisia, France and Kuwait suggest that these events could have stemmed from the same motivation: to mark the first anniversary of the forming of the caliphate which will be on Monday.
“Friday was significant, as it was the last holy day before this anniversary. Instead of going to a mosque, the form of worship adopted by these people is to kill innocent people.
“And it is very likely IS will try to grab the headlines again in the next four or five days with another flurry of activity. This real risk will continue until the end of Ramadan, around July 19.”
Thousands of Britons defied an increased terror alert on Saturday to attend parades around the UK to mark Armed Forces Day.
More than 900 marched in Guildford, Surrey, at a parade attended by David Cameron and Prince Andrew.
A threat by a suicide bomber to target a parade in Merton, south-west London, was thwarted by police.
Authorities are warning of possible terrorist threats around the July 4 holiday, several law enforcement officials told CNN on Friday.
The Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the National Counterterrorism Center issued a joint intelligence bulletin to law enforcement across the U.S.
The bulletin doesn’t warn of any known active plots. But it serves as a general warning of heightened threats. It says extremists could launch attacks tied to Independence Day or in reaction to perceived defamation of the Prophet Mohammed.
CNN reported in recent weeks that U.S. law enforcement officials believe the Islamist terrorist threat is the highest in years. The officials have raised concern about possible domestic attacks tied to the July 4 holiday and the upcoming visit of Pope Francis.
The FBI and the Justice Department’s national security division have moved aggressively in recent weeks to arrest and charge extremists thought to be plotting attacks or supporting groups such as ISIS. The FBI has increased its surveillance and monitoring of some suspects.
Also on Friday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson issued a statement in response to the attacks in France, Tunisia and Kuwait,saying in part, “Particularly with the upcoming July 4th holiday here in the United States, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI continue to communicate with state and local law enforcement about what we know and see.
“We are encouraging all law enforcement to be vigilant and prepared,” the statement continued. “We will also adjust security measures, seen and unseen, as necessary to protect the American people.”
To be honest I have mixed emotions on this one, ISIS could very well be here in this country, Along with recent confirmations of street terrorists like MS13. And very easily with unsecured borders that we have. Many demand we give rights to people who come here illegally and do not think we should protect those same people from the terror groups using that same means to enter the country.
The second thought, or concern rather, is this stuff is the basis they used to justify the Patriot act to violate so many innocent people rights with intrusions in all our lives based on the Guvments need to monitor their own citizens more than the real dangers of our country.
