July 31, 2013

Must ALL Republicans be assholes?

A county Republican Party chairman in New Jersey had some harsh words this week for Hispanic labor leader Milly Silva, the newly tapped running mate of the state's Democratic candidate for governor.

“Poor thing,” Jose Arango, the chairman, said of Silva, who is the executive vice president of labor union SEIU 1199. “It’s like picking my secretary. She’s a very nice person. The union likes her, but even in the union she’s vice president. She hasn’t been a committeewoman."

Arango added, "It’s like the guy in CVS with no expertise who suddenly gets promoted to pharmacist. It’s like the guy saying, ‘I work at CVS, I can be the pharmacist.'"

Silva is relative unknown in New Jersey politics, but she has a long history of organizing immigrant workers, women, minorities and low-income wage earners. She graduated from Columbia University, becoming the first in her family to hold a college degree, and is now a leader of an organization that represents the health care workers at 7,000 nursing homes. Barbara Buono, the Democratic nominee for governor, presumably tapped Silva as her running mate to energize female and minority voters and unionized workers. ......................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/31/jose-arango-milly-silva_n_3684246.html?ncid=txtlnkushpmg00000037

July 31, 2013

72-hour coast-to-coast Amtrak ride condensed to just over 3 minutes

http://vimeo.com/58737104

July 31, 2013

NJ: Bus Driver on Phone Lost Control, Hit Pole That Fell on Stroller, Killing Baby: Sheriff

An 8-month-old baby girl in a stroller was killed Tuesday when an out-of-control bus driver who police said was on the phone slammed into several cars and two light poles, causing one to fall onto the child.

The mother of the baby was pushing the stroller on the sidewalk along East Boulevard in West New York, N.J. when it was hit.

Witnesses described chaos after the crash.

"Traffic stopped, people running to the bus," said Johanner Romero.

Police officer Michael Stetson gave CPR to the injured child, Angela Paredes, but it was too late. .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Bus-Crash-Baby-Killed-New-Jersey-West-New-York--217632661.html

July 31, 2013

Metro Detroit fast food workers protest, walk out in push for higher wages

(Detroit Free Press) Fast food workers in metro Detroit are protesting and walking out of area restaurants today in an effort to increase the minimum wage.

Pointing out the average full-time fast food worker earns $15,392 annually on an estimated $200 billion in annual industry earnings, workers say they don’t make enough to support their family.

The protests are taking place this week in seven states, and are affecting 89 sites in metro Detroit and Flint, according to D15, a group organized to protest on behalf of 50,000 fast-food workers in metro Detroit.

Workers would like to see the minimum wage raised to $15 per hour, today said civil rights activist and Detroit 15 liaison Pastor W. J. Rideout II, after protesting this morning outside the McDonald’s at 9 Mile and Van Dyke in Warren. ......................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.freep.com/article/20130731/NEWS06/307310063/Michigan-fast-food-workers-continue-push-for-higher-wages

July 31, 2013

What is with the Hillary Clinton media blitz this week?

Every other HuffPost update on my FB news feed involves her.

July 31, 2013

Florida Rep. Ritch Workman Claims High School Textbook Has Pro-Islam Bias

A textbook used in Advanced Placement history classes in Florida is under scrutiny by Rep. Ritch Workman (R-Melbourne) and a group of parents who think the book displays a pro-Islam bias.

According to Workman and the parents, the book’s partiality to Islam is apparent when compared to its coverage of Christianity and Judaism. Workman and several others criticized the textbook at a Brevard County School Board meeting last week, saying that information in the book is incorrect.

“Our children deserve facts and accuracy, not history being revised for our own failure or desire to not offend one culture or another,” said Workman to the school board, according to Florida Today.

In a video for local outlet WESH-TV, Workman explains that the book, titled “World History,” dedicates 36 pages to Islam and only several paragraphs to Christianity. He also says the book “sugar-coats the rise of Islam.” ................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/30/ritch-workman-islam-textbook_n_3678927.html?ncid=txtlnkushpmg00000037

July 30, 2013

Chicago: A Vision for Bus Rapid Transit on Ashland

from the Chicago Transit Authority:


Ashland Bus Rapid Transit



Project Vision

The CTA, in partnership with the Chicago Department of Transportation, Department of Housing and Economic Development, and the Federal Transit Administration, performed a year-long planning study to assess options for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on both Ashland and Western Avenues.

Photo of people at public meetingAfter analysis and input at six public open houses in 2012, BRT is now planned for 16 miles of Ashland from Irving Park Road to 95th Street, with the first phase now being designed for central Ashland from Cortland Avenue to 31st Street with ongoing public input.

What is BRT?

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a term applied to a variety of bus service designs that provide for faster, more efficient and more reliable service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing street and traffic signal infrastructure.

Why BRT on Ashland?

There are many reasons why Ashland Avenue is a good corridor for implementing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)—it has high transit demand, it connects many parts of the city, and its physical layout is compatible with BRT improvements.

Ashland Avenue has the highest bus ridership of all CTA routes, with 10 million boardings in 2012—more than 31,000 per weekday. Currently, 1 in 4 households located within walking distance of Ashland Avenue do not have a car. Ashland BRT would provide a transit option about as fast as driving for neighborhood residents, with an up to 83% increase in bus speeds during peak periods, and a 50% improvement in reliability.



Ashland BRT would connect with seven CTA ‘L’ stations, two Metra stations, and 37 bus routes, and provide a much-needed north-south transit connection outside of the downtown area. The Ashland corridor provides access to nearly 133,800 jobs, including large employment centers such as the Illinois Medical District, and serves popular destinations like UIC, Malcolm X College, and the United Center. There are also 99 schools within walking distance of the proposed Ashland BRT. ..........................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.transitchicago.com/ashlandbrt/

July 30, 2013

National Study Of Houston Teens Finds 26% Text Every Time They Drive

July 29, 2013
by: Ed Mayberry


(KUHF) A new study finds that 27 percent of Houston teenagers say they read a text or email every time they drive. About one in five Houston teens have extended conversations via text message while driving.

It's a national survey from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and Toyota that finds that cell phone use by teen drivers — and their parents — is pervasive.

Sixty-seven percent of Houston teens report using a cell phone while driving, and 83 percent of parents do the same.

More than one in ten Houston teens — 12 percent — say they update or check Facebook or Twitter while driving. .....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://app1.kuhf.org/articles/1374854836-National-Study-Of-Houston-Teens-Finds-26-Text-Every-Time-They-Drive.html

July 30, 2013

Robert Scheer: Gag Me With Lawrence Summers

from truthdig:


Gag Me With Lawrence Summers

Posted on Jul 29, 2013
By Robert Scheer


The idea that Barack Obama would still consider appointing Lawrence Summers to head the Federal Reserve rather than order an investigation into this former White House official’s Wall Street payments, reported Friday by The Wall Street Journal, mocks the president’s claimed concern for the disappearing middle class. Summers is in large measure responsible for that dismal outcome, and twice now, after top level economic postings in both the Clinton and Obama administrations, he has returned to gorge himself at the Wall Street trough.

As Clinton’s Treasury secretary, he pushed for radical deregulation allowing investment bankers to take wild risks with the federally insured deposits of ordinary folks, a disastrous move compounded when he successfully urged Congress to pass legislation banning the effective regulation of the tens of trillions in derivatives that often proved to be toxic.

The first direct result of those new laws was the mammoth merger that created Citigroup. Eight years later, the federal government had to save Citigroup from bankruptcy brought on by its leading role in the sale of those toxic mortgage-based derivatives, to the tune of $45 billion in taxpayer funds and backing $300 billion of the bank’s bad paper.

At that time, Citigroup paid Summers—teaching at Harvard and yet hustling as a Wall Street consultant—$45,000 for a lecture, a piddling amount compared with the $135,000 he got per talk from Goldman Sachs. In all, while he was advising candidate Obama during the 2008 election season, Summers made off with $8 million in Wall Street compensation, with the lion’s share coming from the D.E. Shaw hedge fund. .......................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/gag_me_with_lawrence_summers_20130729/

July 29, 2013

Pro-Marijuana Ad Pulled At Weekend NASCAR Race To Avoid Upsetting 'Family' Atmosphere

A commercial touting marijuana as an alternative to beer was pulled from displays outside a weekend NASCAR race after just a few airings.

The ad, seen above, was purchased by the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) -- the nation's largest pro-marijuana legalization advocacy group -- and was celebrated by the organization as the first time a pro-pot campaign would be seen at a major sporting event. Organizers for the Brickyard 400 race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway disputed that claim, noting that the boards set to display the commercial were not technically on stadium grounds. When officials with the company that had allowed MPP to purchase air time caught wind of its pro-marijuana message, they scrambled to take it down.

"We decided to pull ultimately because it's not obviously a great fit for the NASCAR audience, for the family kind of oriented audience, that's why we decided to pull the ad," Grazie Media CEO Vanessa Wojtala told WISH.

USA Today reported that few NASCAR fans seemed to notice the ad in its hours of circulation. The narrator's claim that marijuana should be considered a "new beer" with "no calories, no hangovers" and no link to "violence or reckless behavior," was apparently largely lost due to garbled audio. The ad was initially scheduled to run 72 times through Sunday. .....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/29/pro-marijuana-ad-nascar_n_3670100.html?ncid=txtlnkushpmg00000037