Reporters For Right-Wing Publication Daily Caller Beaten By NYPD, Helped By Protesters By Zaid Jilani on November 17, 2011 at 1:20 pm "Reporters For Right-Wing Publication Daily Caller Beaten By NYPD, Helped By Protesters" The Daily Caller's Michelle Fields faced abuse from the NYPD and help from protesters. The right-wing Daily Caller website has been anything but kind to Occupy Wall Street, even going so far as to condemn the protest movement as generating riots, murder, and arson. But when a couple of Daily Caller employees were at Occupy Wall Street this morning, it was the very protesters they had been demonizing who ended up helping them out. “Direna had a camera in her hand and I had a microphone, and we were being hit,” she said. Fields says that protesters right now are effectively “barricaded” in Zuccotti Park, which was the spot from which they were ousted from on Tuesday. Update The Daily Caller has now added video of Fields being assaulted by police.
France gets sucked in to the debt crisis. Here’s why. Please support our site by enabling javascript to view ads. LONDON, UK — In Europe’s sovereign debt crisis, the powers that be are playing yet another round of the ratings game. This time the action is in France. The country's AAA bond rating — a key pillar for Europe’s bailout — is being loudly questioned. It's a bad time for France to be "it" in the ratings game. Meanwhile, French bond yields are going up, as the markets seem to be lining the country up for a sustained attack. Eurofight: France and Germany bicker over bailout This does not come as a surprise to France's political leaders. The French themselves don't seem bothered, according to Paris-based political commentator Agnes Poirier. The latest round of the ratings game began a week ago, with the ineptitude of one agency, Standard & Poor's. Then on Tuesday this week, the Lisbon Council, a Brussels-based think tank, issued a comparative study of all the euro zone countries' economic "health."
New Mexico House Votes 65-0 To Move State's Money To Credit Unions, Community Banks New Mexico's House of Representatives voted Monday to pass a bill that allows the state to move $2 billion - $5 billion of state funds to credit unions and small banks. The municipal funds bill was approved 65-0 (roll call - PDF), and is subject to a vote by New Mexico's Senate. Governor Bill Richardson told the bill's sponsor that he supports the legislation. The altered view of New Mexico lawmakers in favoring local control of state funds, officials said, follows national mention of the New Mexico effort in the "Move Your Money" campaign of New York pundit Arianna Huffington in her online Huffington Post columns. Move Your Money is a project started by Arianna and Rob Johnson that aims to spur financial reform at big banks by encouraging account holders to move their money to smaller credit unions and community banks. New Mexico State Representatives Brian Egolf (D-Santa Fe) and Timothy Keller (D-Bernalillo) sponsored the bill, HB 66. Pledge to Move Your Money!
Girls in Tech Launches in London & Names Top 100 Women in Tech Europe The international network that seeks to promote and empower women in tech and entrepreneurship, Girls in Tech, has just announced that it will be launching in London in June. The Next Women will be their media partner. Founded in 2007 in San Francisco by Adriana Gascoigne, the network counts numerous chapters around the globe – in China, France, Greece, Singapore, Taiwan, the US and more – and over 8,500 members worldwide. Girls in Tech UK seeks to empower women in technology by simply providing them with more visibility through hosting mini tech conferences and meet-ups where a majority of the speakers – unlike other tech conferences – are women. Sponsored by Google and Criteo, and with The NextWomen as media partner, the London launch of Girls in Tech will take place on June 1st at Google Campus with speakers from companies and organisations including : At the event, Girls in Tech London will be announcing the Top 100 Women in Tech in Europe.
Pullen Baptist takes a stand for gay marriage - Religion Editor's note: Reader comments have been disabled on this story because of numerous violations of our comment policy. The full congregation of Raleigh's Pullen Memorial Baptist Church voted Sunday to prohibit the church pastor from legally marrying anyone until she can legally marry same-sex couples under North Carolina law. The congregants said in a formal statement that current North Carolina law - and the language proposed for a vote next year on an amendment to the state Constitution - discriminates against same-sex couples "by denying them the rights and privileges enjoyed by heterosexual married couples." "As people of faith, affirming the Christian teaching that before God all people are equal, we will no longer participate in this discrimination," the church's statement says. The vote was unanimous and brought tears to the eyes of some of the 100 or so members who stood to vote in favor of the "statement on marriage ceremonies." Holy union only Congregation's will
Multiculturalism in Europe After the rise of multicultural policies in the 1980s and 1990s, the winds have shifted in Europe. Terrorist attacks in Madrid, London, Norway, and, most recently, in Toulouse, have furthered the securitization of Islam across Europe, while increasing immigration (predominantly from Muslim countries) has caused societal tensions. As a result, existing ideas concerning multiculturalism, religious pluralism, and national authenticity are being challenged. Past policies of cordon sanitaire are no longer in full effect, as mainstream political parties have come to adopt some of the ideas of their populist and right-wing peers; witness former president Nicolas Sarkozy’s campaign rhetoric against immigration and Muslims following the strong showing by right-wing candidate Marine Le Pen. Sindre Bangstad, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Social Anthropology, University of Oslo Back to top Keith Banting, adopting a strong emphasis on civic integration. Elizabeth H.
Journalists obstructed from covering OWS protests New York, November 15, 2011--The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned by today's reports of New York City police mistreating and detaining journalists and obstructing them from covering events at the Occupy Wall Street protests. "We are alarmed by New York law enforcement's treatment of journalists covering the eviction of Occupy Wall Street today," said Carlos Lauria, CPJ senior coordinator for the Americas. "Journalists must be allowed to cover news events without fear of arrest and harassment. It is particularly disturbing that government officials sought to block any coverage of the event at all." At least seven journalists were arrested in New York today, according to press reports. The Associated Press reported that AP writer Karen Matthews and AP photographer Seth Wenig were arrested this afternoon while they were covering demonstrations a mile north of Zuccotti Park. Some of the journalists described being handled roughly by law enforcement.
Brussels Airlines Introduces Flights from the U.S. to Europe Brussels Airlines Introduces Flights from the U.S. to Europe Beginning this month, Brussels Airlines is running nonstop flights between Brussels and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. These aren't the only nonstops on the route; both American and Delta also fly nonstop from New York to Brussels. Advertisement At this point, Brussels does not seem to be pushing any special introductory fares. Brussels quotes a fare of $949 round-trip, exactly matched by competitive nonstops on American and Delta. Brussels Airlines gushes about its new lie-flat business-class seats and deluxe cabin service. Brussels is a member of the Star Alliance, which features through-ticketing options from lots of North American cities on Air Canada, United, and US Airways to a long list of European and Asian destinations. All in all, Brussels Airlines looks like a good—although not overpowering—choice for flying nonstop between New York and Brussels. You Might Also Like:
BP accuses Halliburton over Gulf of Mexico oil spill | Environment BP has accused Halliburton of destroying damaging evidence relating to last year's Gulf of Mexico oil spill. In a court filing, BP has alleged that the US oil services firm of intentionally destroying evidence about possible problems with its cement slurry poured into the deep-sea Macondo well about 100 miles (160 km) off the Louisiana coast. An oil well must be cemented properly to avoid blowouts. Also in the documents filed in a New Orleans federal court, BP accuses Halliburton of failing to produce incriminating computer modelling evidence. BP asked a US judge to penalise Halliburton and order a court-sponsored computer forensic team to recover the modelling results. Halliburton has told media outlets that the accusations are untrue. Also involved are Anadarko Petroleum and Cameron International. The first trial over the disaster is scheduled to start 27 February in New Orleans.
Study: Wealth Inequality In America May Be Worse Than It Was In Ancient Rome By Travis Waldron on December 19, 2011 at 1:50 pm "Study: Wealth Inequality In America May Be Worse Than It Was In Ancient Rome" The 99 Percent Movement effectively changed the American political debate from debt and deficits to income inequality, highlighting the fact that income inequality has increased so much in the U.S. that it is now more unequal than countries like Ivory Coast and Pakistan. While those numbers are startling, a study from two historians suggests that American wealth inequality may actually be worse than it was in Ancient Rome — a society built on slave labor, a defined class structure, and centuries of warfare and conquest. In the United States, the top 1 percent controls roughly 40 percent of the nation’s wealth. Their target was the state of the economy when the empire was at its population zenith, around 150 C.E.