sicily posting

Friday, April 5, 2013

Draft Tunisia constitution threatens right to strike: union | Morocco ...

?TUNIS, April 5, 2013 (AFP)

Tunisia?s powerful UGTT trade union accused?the National Constituent Assembly on Friday of seeking to limit the right to?strike in the new constitution that is being drafted.

Article 27 of the draft stipulates that the right to strike is guaranteed?as long as such action does not endanger the ?life, health or security of?people.?

??We will not let this article pass,? said Houcine Abbassi, secretary?general of the General Union of Tunisian Workers.

??Those who are behind this article want to put an end to the work of?unions, to the UGTT,? Abbassi told a news conference, in a veiled reference to?the governing coalition headed by the Islamist party Ennahda.

Under the decades-long rule of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the UGTT was the?only union and the only national political force other than the Rally for?Constitutional Democracy, the ousted dictator?s ruling party.

It has had tense relations with Ennahda since the Islamists triumphed in?October 2011 in Tunisia?s first free elections following the revolution, and?regularly accuses Ennahda of trying to intimidate or weaken it.

Economically struggling Tunisia has suffered numerous strikes in recent?months, is also torn by a political crisis over the failure to achieve?consensus on the post-Ben Ali constitution.

Source: http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2013/04/85477/draft-tunisia-constitution-threatens-right-to-strike-union/

jessica sanchez robert kennedy cardinals san diego weather frances bean cobain north korea missile launch modesto

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Balance between good economics and good politics imperative ...

Balance between good economics and good politics imperative, says Ahluwalia New Delhi - Laying emphasis on the need for good economics to complement good politics, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia today stated that no society can have a future without the two and the systems would run down in the absence of a positive balance.

Dr. Ahluwalia stated that he is a firm believer that good economics can lead to good politics but the path to it is not easy. He further said that bad policies exist because of vested interests and to address this issue, electorate needs to be adequately informed to understand who is benefiting from policies of the Government.

Mentioning energy pricing as one of the most difficult areas of policy, Dr Ahluwalia highlighted that as India imports majority of its energy needs be it crude oil, natural gas or coal, the domestic price of energy should reflect the imported price.

"Benefits of such change would only occur over a period of time whereas costs are evident immediately," he added.

Emphasizing the role and importance of institutional participation of business, Dr. Ahluwalia urged the CII to assess 12th Five Year Plan and bring out 15 potentially controversial things with its views on agreement or disagreement. This, according to him, will offer a better chance of good sensible economics being complemented by good politics.

Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, who also addressed the forum, stated that good governance is the critical link between good economics and good politics.

Emphasizing that good economics is imperative for economic growth, Prasad stated that India had squandered away lot of opportunities focusing on distribution and not on capacity expansion.

Emphasizing the importance of good governance, he highlighted four contemporary (policy) issues in sectors relating to coal allocation, national highways, real estate and telecom where good policy work failed to deliver desired results due to bad governance.

Concluding, Prasad said that the inherent potential of the country is waiting to explode and politicians have to become facilitators by practicing good economics, good politics and proper governance and should not be road blockers.

The chief editor of Business Standard, T N Ninan, while speaking on the forum, stated that the economic reforms issue has not really figured adequately in the political framework. He said that managing the economy well is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for the political parties to bring them back in power.

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in his address stated that good economics and good politics are the two sides of the same coin and if put together they lead to good governance.

Referring to Kautilya, he stated that good economics should be driven by the motto of service and welfare of all sections of the society.

Hooda pointed out that the industry friendly policies of his government has benefitted the State by catapulting the average growth of state GDP from 6.4 percent between 1966-67 to 2004-05 to an annual average growth rate of 9.3 percent in last eight years.

Sharing important statistics on investments in his State, he mentioned that 87 percent of all investments made in Haryana came from the private sector and the state enjoys a high implementation rate with 81 per cent of the investments are under implementation stage.

Hooda said that for inclusive growth, it is important to give economic value to land, create employment opportunities and make people employable by inculcating in them skills.

Source: http://www.indiavision.com/news/article/business/411712/balance-between-good-economics-and-good-politics-imperative-says-ahluwalia/

Jennifer Granholm Tulane player injured fox sports obama speech Art Modell Frank Ocean Gay bill clinton

Shain Gandee and the appeal of the 'reckless redneck'

The death 'Buckwild' star Shain Gandee will confirm backwoods stereotypes for some, but it also points to such shows' deeper appeal ? a glimpse into a life lived with less anxiety.

By Patrik Jonsson,?Staff writer / April 3, 2013

Shain Gandee from MTV's 'Buckwild' reality series was found dead Monday in a sport utility vehicle in a ditch along two other people near Sissonville, W. Va. Apparently, he had been 'mudding.'

Amy Sussman/Invision/AP/File

Enlarge

MTV has stopped production of its wildly popular ?Buckwild? reality TV show after one of its carefree stars, Shain Gandee, was killed in a freak off-road accident, along with two other men.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

The tragedy instantly sparked questions about voyeurism in pop culture and the dangers that exist between the words ?reality? and ?TV.? Most specifically, did the push for provocative TV featuring reckless and stunt-prone West Virginia 20-somethings fuel Mr. Gandee?s abandon away from the cameras?

So far, the answer to that question isn?t known, though MTV is picking up Gandee?s funeral costs. But those who knew Gandee describe him as one of the most genuine on the show, whose actual personality and behavior didn?t change too much when the cameras rolled. The men died of carbon monoxide poisoning after getting their truck stuck in a mud hole in a late-night adventure.

?Buckwild? was already controversial before Gandee?s death, particularly for its portrayal of young self-described American rednecks and questions about whether the show was intended strictly to make fun of rural Americans ? a sort of ?hillbilly-sploitation.? It also had its share of real controversy. Recently, Gandee?s co-star, Salwa Amin, was arrested on drug charges involving heroin and meth.

Down to earth and slightly off-kilter, the crew escaped rural boredom by spinning wheels in mudholes and, occasionally, making swimming pools out of dump truck beds. Their alcohol-fueled love fumblings added to a sense of parody, but their overall travails and search for good times seemed to act as a link between an increasingly urbanized America and its agrarian and pioneer roots.

In that respect, Gandee?s death has, for many viewers, provided a moment to consider the cultural stereotypes that drive the show and have made white, rural Americans the ripest, and most acceptable, demographic for parody.

The kind of reckless escapades perpetrated by the ?Buckwild? crew are, on one hand, simply laugh fodder for ?urban supremacists,? says cultural critic Jim Goad, author of ?The Redneck Manifesto.? Yet there may be a deeper, more genuine appeal, he adds.

?Masculinity has been demonized and people have been denatured, so maybe [redneck reality shows] harken back to some genetic memory ? where something that seemed authentic got [lost] and smashed in this increasing push to urbanization,? says Mr. Goad.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/Op5xDm77BG8/Shain-Gandee-and-the-appeal-of-the-reckless-redneck

Innocence of Muslims Clara Schumann Jael Strauss Alison Pill gizmodo cnet britney spears

Rutgers AD reviewing Rice's job in wake of video

FILE - In this May 6, 2010, file photo, Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti, right, presents Mike Rice with a jersey after Rice was introduced as the school's men's basketball coach during a news conference in Piscataway, N.J. The airing Tuesday, April 2, 2013, of a videotape of Rice using gay slurs, shoving and grabbing his players and throwing balls at them in practice over the past three seasons has Pernetti reconsidering his decision not to fire the coach. Pernetti was given a copy of the video in late November by a disgruntled former employee, and he suspended Rice for three games, fined him $50,000 and made him undergo anger management classes for inappropriate behavior after investigating it. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 7, 2012, file photo, Rutgers coach Mike Rice reacts to play during an NCAA college basketball game against Connecticut in Piscataway, N.J. The airing Tuesday, April 2, 2013, of a videotape of Rice using gay slurs, shoving and grabbing his players and throwing balls at them in practice over the past three seasons has Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti reconsidering his decision not to fire the coach. Pernetti was given a copy of the video in late November by a disgruntled former employee, and he suspended Rice for three games, fined him $50,000 and made him undergo anger management classes for inappropriate behavior after investigating it. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz, File)(AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 28, 2012, file photo, Rutgers coach Mike Rice waves as he holds a ball presented to him for his 100th career win after Rutgers defeated Cincinnati in an NCAA college basketball game in Piscataway, N.J. ESPN's airing on Tuesday, April 2, 2013, of a videotape of Rutgers basketball coach Mike Rice using gay slurs, shoving and grabbing his players and throwing balls at them in practice over the past three seasons has the university's athletic director reconsidering his decision not to fire the coach. Scarlet Knights AD Tim Pernetti was given a copy of the video in late November by a disgruntled former employee, and he suspended Rice for three games, fined him $50,000 and made him undergo anger management classes for inappropriate behavior after investigating it. (AP Photo/Mel Evans,file)

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) ? Rutgers said it would reconsider its decision to retain basketball coach Mike Rice after a videotape aired showing him shoving, grabbing and throwing balls at players in practice and using gay slurs.

The videotape, broadcast Tuesday on ESPN, prompted scores of outraged social media comments as well as sharp criticism from Gov. Chris Christie and NBA star LeBron James.

Athletic director Tim Pernetti was given a copy of the video in late November by a former employee. He suspended Rice for three games a month later, fined him $50,000 and ordered him to attend anger management classes.

In an interview with WFAN Radio on Tuesday, Pernetti said university president Robert Barchi also viewed the tape last fall and agreed with the punishment.

But ESPN's broadcast prompted an outcry, led by the governor himself.

"Governor Christie saw the video today for the first time and he is obviously deeply disturbed by the conduct displayed and strongly condemns this behavior," spokesman Michael Drewniak said. "It's not the type of leadership we should be showing our young people and clearly there are questions about this behavior that need to be answered by the leaders at Rutgers University."

The Miami Heat's James weighed in with a tweet: "If my son played for Rutgers or a coach like that he would have some real explaining to do and I'm still gone whoop on him afterwards! C'mon."

Rice, who was hired by Pernetti three years ago, is 44-51 at Rutgers, including 16-38 in the Big East, after going 73-31 in three seasons at Robert Morris. The Scarlet Knights went 15-16 this season and 5-13 in the Big East.

Pernetti told WFAN that he understands why many are asking why Rice wasn't fired after the initial investigation.

"I spent more time with that option on whether we should fire Mike or not than any other option," Pernetti said. "At the same the results of the investigation where we ended up, the determination was made to suspend him. My biggest concern as the AD is that I am always trying to protect the interests and reputation of the university and that's what makes this one so difficult. There is a lot of hindsight, 20-20, .... that there will be no other option than to terminate Mike. I made that decision. I am accountable for it. I have to live with it."

Rice was Pernetti's first major hire after getting the AD's job.

"In the end I am not going to look back and say shoulda, woulda. All I can do is figure out going forward the decisions I can make to fix the problem for Rutgers," Pernetti he told the radio station.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-04-02-BKC-Rutgers-Rice/id-cb04053ef5104d829efc8568f6fb44a6

Golden Globes homeland homeland Miss America 2013 Aaron Swartz Java Gangster Squad

Momentum Rental & Sales, New Rental Business, to Hold Grand ...

Momentum Rental & Sales, a brand new equipment rental company in Port Lavaca, Texas, is holding a grand opening next week to promote its new facility and strengthen relationships with customers and the general public. The new rental company, founded by former RSC Rental employee Joey Barrett, has been in business since the summer of 2012 and opened its new facility a month or so ago.

Barrett told RER he worked with RSC for almost 14 years and then decided to start his own rental business. His store is focused primarily on the industrial rental market, with a lot of contractor customers.

?We have everything from small chipping hammers up to 120-foot manlifts,? Barrett said. ?Of course we?re on a much smaller scale, but we have pretty much the same type of inventory as United Rentals and RSC when it existed.?

Barrett said the store has earthmoving equipment as well as a strong inventory of merchandise and supplies. The new store is about 60 feet by 250 feet in size, plus a 3,000-square-foot showroom. Momentum has nine employees, Barrett said.

Barrett added he hopes to be able to expand the company, south towards Corpus Christi and north towards Houston.

Source: http://rermag.com/headline-news/momentum-rental-sales-new-rental-business-hold-grand-opening

Columbine shooting News Ryan Lanza Facebook usa today foxnews yahoo news cnn news

So Close: Astros end Darvish's perfect game in 9th

Texas Rangers' Yu Darvish delivers a pitch against the Houston Astros in the ninth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 2, 2013, in Houston. Darvish pitched eight and two-thirds perfect innings before giving up a hit to Astros' Marwin Gonzalez in the Rangers' 7-0 win. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Yu Darvish is greeted by his teammates as he leaves the game after surrendering a hit in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on Tuesday, April 2, 2013, in Houston. Darvish pitched nine and two-thirds perfect innings before giving up a hit to Astros' Marwin Gonzalez in the Rangers' 7-0 win. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Smiley N. Pool)

Texas Rangers fan Justin Kirby puts up the 14th K for Texas Rangers starting pitcher Yu Darvish's 14th strikeout against the Houston Astros, in the eighth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 2, 2013, in Houston. Darvish pitched eight and two-thirds perfect innings before giving up a hit to Astros' Marwin Gonzalez in the Rangers' 7-0 win. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

Texas Rangers' Yu Darvish delivers a pitch against the Houston Astros in the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 2, 2013, in Houston. Darvish pitched eight and two-thirds perfect innings before giving up a hit to Astros' Marwin Gonzalez in the Rangers' 7-0 win. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Yu Darvish heads to the dugout at the end of the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros on Tuesday, April 2, 2013, in Houston. Darvish pitched eight and two-thirds perfect innings before giving up a hit to Astros' Marwin Gonzalez in the Rangers' 7-0 win. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

HOUSTON (AP) ? Yu Darvish literally came within inches of perfection.

Darvish was one out from a perfect game when Marwin Gonzalez grounded a clean single through the pitcher's legs, and Texas beat the Houston Astros 7-0 on Tuesday night.

A screen shot of the play showed the ball sail what looked to be less than a foot below the pitcher's glove and into the outfield.

"That was impossible to catch," Darvish said through a translator.

The celebrated right-hander from Japan struck out a career-high 14 and was in complete control before Gonzalez smacked the first pitch he saw up the middle. Darvish was unable to get his glove down in time and the ball skittered into center field well beyond a desperate dive by shortstop Elvis Andrus.

At that moment, one thought went through Darvish's mind.

"I can now go back to the dugout," he deadpanned. "Even if I got the complete game today, it's not going to translate to three or five wins. It's a win. A win's a win."

Darvish smiled and put up his hands ? as if to say, "Oh well, it happens." Texas' infielders quickly came to the mound, and manager Ron Washington joined them.

"I didn't want to be the last out," Gonzalez said. "I was trying to look for a good pitch to hit and put it in play. That's all I was thinking."

Washington patted Darvish on the chest and then signaled for a reliever. A crowd of 22,673 that included plenty of Rangers fans cheered Darvish as he walked off after 111 pitches. He stopped and tipped his cap before getting high-fives from teammates in the dugout. He sat on the bench to watch the rest of the game then joined the handshake line after the final out.

And if Darvish was upset about coming oh so close, he didn't show it.

"I went that far," he said. "I'm really satisfied."

Working from the stretch throughout ? even though he never needed to ? Darvish became the first pitcher to lose a perfect game with two outs in the ninth inning since Armando Galarraga on June 2, 2010. Of course, the Detroit pitcher was denied only because of an infamous missed call at first base by umpire Jim Joyce, who later admitted he blew the play.

On the second full day of the major league season, Darvish nearly picked up right where baseball left off last year, when there were a record three perfect games, thrown by Philip Humber, Matt Cain and Felix Hernandez.

"He threw all seven of his pitches in, out, up, down and every way you could throw a ball tonight," said Rangers catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who caught Humber's perfect game for the White Sox last season. "You get to that point and you start thinking it's going to happen, but it just wasn't meant to be."

Darvish's 14 strikeouts matched a Minute Maid Park record and were the most by a Rangers pitcher since Hall of Famer and current team CEO Nolan Ryan had 14 in July 1991 against the Angels.

Darvish arrived in the majors last year with much fanfare, having already been a five-time All-Star and two-time MVP in Japan. The Rangers paid more than $107 million to get him for five seasons.

The 6-foot-5 righty quickly settled in with Texas, becoming an All-Star last year on the way to going 16-9 with 221 strikeouts. He also once flirted with perfection, retiring the first 17 batters at Kansas City on Sept. 3.

"I think I got lucky today. I felt I pitched better against the Royals last year," Darvish said. "I had better command in that outing."

If he had been able to finish the job Tuesday, it would have been the earliest perfecto in history.

Darvish didn't really need a dazzling play from his defense as he shut down the Astros and chased the 24th perfect game in big league history ? including the one Don Larsen tossed in the 1956 World Series, and two in 1880.

Andrus was disappointed he couldn't get to Gonzalez's single.

"He hit the ball really good right up the middle," Andrus said. "I tried really hard to get to it. I think I dove and it was like 10 feet from me. I was praying that at least his glove would touch it and slow it down, but he hit it pretty hard."

It was almost the second time in 10 months the overmatched Astros failed to put a runner on base. Cain's perfect game for the World Series champion San Francisco Giants came against Houston on June 13 last year.

Many expect the Astros to be the worst team in the majors this year, after two straight 100-loss seasons and a major league-low payroll under $22 million. But they cruised to an 8-2 win over Texas in the major league opener and their American League debut Sunday night.

The 26-year-old Darvish carried over a strong showing in spring training this year into near perfection in his first regular-season start. The Astros looked totally lost against him, often taking wild swings at breaking balls that bounced.

With the crowd on its feet and a mixture of cheers and "Yuuus" filling Minute Maid Park, Chris Carter took Darvish to a full count before striking out on the ninth pitch of the at-bat for the first out of the eighth inning.

Rick Ankiel followed by striking out and Justin Maxwell hit an easy grounder to second baseman Ian Kinsler.

Darvish looked toward the sky for a couple of seconds before retreating to the dugout.

He began the ninth by getting two easy groundouts before Gonzalez ruined his bid. The 24-year-old Gonzalez made his big league debut last year, hitting .234 in 80 games for Houston.

Darvish, who played seven professional seasons in Japan before joining the Rangers, set rookie franchise records for wins and strikeouts last season. He finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting behind winner Mike Trout and Oakland outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.

The win gives Darvish five straight regular-season victories dating to last season. He took the loss in the Rangers' 5-1 loss to Baltimore in the AL wild-card game.

Using his dizzying array of pitches, including a fastball that topped out at 97 mph, a slider, and 95 mph cutters, Darvish bedeviled the mostly inexperienced Houston hitters.

Darvish (1-0) sailed through the first four innings, striking out nine, including the side in the second and fourth.

Carter hit a long fly that looked as though it could be gone before David Murphy caught it just in front of the left-center wall for the first out of the fifth.

"I really thought it was a home run," Darvish said.

Michael Kirkman relieved Darvish after Gonzalez's hit. Jose Altuve followed with a single before Kirkman fanned pinch-hitter J.D. Martinez to end it.

Darvish has never thrown a complete game in the majors.

Lucas Harrell (0-1) allowed six hits and one run with four strikeouts in six innings for Houston.

Lance Berkman had a run-scoring single in the third against his former team. Kinsler hit a two-run homer off Rhiner Cruz in the seventh to make it 3-0. Texas added two runs in the eighth and two in the ninth.

NOTES: The last no-hitter by a Rangers pitcher was Kenny Rogers' perfect game against the Angels on July 28, 1994. ... These teams wrap up the series Wednesday when Humber makes his Astros debut against Texas RHP Alexi Ogando.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-04-03-BBA-Rangers-Astros-Folo/id-c605be41caf84a36b055c2cf65553d2e

obama birth certificate nick cannon lindsay lohan saturday night live snl lindsay lohan valley fever project x the lorax

HBT: D-backs top Cardinals in 16-inning marathon

No one told Josh Collmenter and Mitchell Boggs that it?s too early in the season for games to be lasting past 3 a.m.

It took nearly 5 1/2 hours, but the Diamondbacks edged the Cardinals 10-9 in 16 innings Wednesday to claim two out of three in the opening series in Arizona. Cliff Pennington singled in Jason Kubel against a fatigued Fernando Salas to end it.

Salas was working into a third inning for just the third time in his career. The winning pitcher for Arizona, Josh Collmenter, pitched five innings out of the pen.

The Cardinals were ahead four times in the game, but never could make a lead stick. They were up 4-1 in the fifth, 7-5 in the sixth, 8-7 in the eighth and 9-8 in the 12th. Trevor Rosenthal and Mitchell Boggs both took blown saves for the club. Boggs, who is acting closer with Jason Motte sidelined, blew his chance in the 12th.

Gerardo Parra, Martin Prado, Paul Goldschmidt and Pennington all had three hits apiece for the Diamondbacks. Parra, Martin Prado and Goldschmidt homered.

The Cardinals got a scare in the contest when Allen Craig, making his first outfield start of the year, injured a knee in a wall collision in right, but he was able to stay in. He finished the game back at first base.

Daniel Descalso had four hits for the Cardinals.

While the offense was very good, the obvious key for the Diamondbacks tonight was that they were never forced to turn to Heath Bell out of the pen. Collmenter was able to go five innings after throwing as many as four in a game this spring. Bell would have followed him to the mound, but the Diamondbacks wanted to stay away from him after he gave up two homers, retired just one of the six batters he faced and ruined a perfectly good relationship on Tuesday.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/04/diamondbacks-top-cardinals-in-16-inning-marathon/related/

chuck fran drescher scarlett o hara pat sajak vanna white michael robinson joe paterno memorial service