Seedersandleechers
Seedersandleechers's JournalSwedes to give six-hour workday a go
Source: thelocal.se
"We think it's time to give this a real shot in Sweden," Mats Pilhem, Left Party deputy mayor of Gothenburg, told The Local.
He explained that the municipal council would use two different departments - a test group and a control group, in essence. Staff in one section will cut down to six-hour days, while their colleagues in a different section stick to the ordinary seven-hour day. All employees will be given the same pay.
"We'll compare the two afterwards and see how they differ. We hope to get the staff members taking fewer sick days and feeling better mentally and physically after they've worked shorter days," he said.
Pilhelm said he hoped the move would create more jobs, as he had seen evidence that longer shifts entailed less efficiency. In some sectors, such as elderly care, the problem was not staff shortages, he claimed, but people working inefficiently over longer shifts.
Read more: http://www.thelocal.se/20140408/swedish-workers-to-test-six-hour-work-days
7 hour work day is the norm.
European Parliament passes strong net neutrality law, along with major roaming reforms
Source: Gigaom.com
European fans of the open internet can breathe a sigh of relief: the European parliament has passed a major package of telecoms law reform, complete with amendments that properly define and protect net neutrality.
The amendments (PDF) were introduced by the Socialist, Liberal, Green and Left blocs in the European Parliament after the final committee to tweak the package – the industry committee – left in a bunch of loopholes that would have allowed telcos to start classifying web services of their choice as “specialized services” that they can treat differently.
It’s a good thing the net neutrality argument didn’t sink the whole package, as it also includes new laws to eliminate roaming fees within Europe, creating a truly single market for telecoms services. Now the whole package gets passed through to the next Parliament (elections are coming up in May), then the representatives of European countries for final approval.
Read more: http://gigaom.com/2014/04/03/european-parliament-passes-strong-net-neutrality-law-along-with-major-roaming-reforms/
Sucks to be us.
NYC Freedom Tower B.A.S.E. Jump
For anyone who doesn't have cable or netflix
bringthepopcorn.net is a great search site for listing and accessing full length movies on youtube. I usually search by genre and screen quality. It also has reviews. Just click the popcorn box on the upper left corner. Enjoy. I've watched some great movies!
Telecom Giants Drag Their Feet on Broadband for the Whole Country
snip:
For almost 20 years, AT&T, Verizon and the other big players have collected hundreds of billions of dollars through rate increases and surcharges to finance that ambitious plan, but after wiring the high-density big cities, they now say it's too expensive to connect the rest of the country. But they'd like to keep all that money they banked for the project.
http://mag.newsweek.com/2014/03/21/telecom-giants-drag-feet-broadband-whole-country.html#.UyBbYY2JqRc.twitter
Fourth Georgia Hospital Shuts Down As The State Continues To Refuse Medicaid Expansion
Source: Thinkprogress
For the fourth time in two years, a rural hospital in Georgia is shuttering its doors over a dearth of patients who can pay for their medical services, the Albany Herald reports. An increasing number of hospitals that serve large numbers of poor and uninsured Americans are being forced to close in states that are refusing the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion.
The Lower Oconee Community Hospital, a so-called “critical access” hospital in southeastern Georgia with 25 beds, will close down and possibly re-open as an urgent care center that provides services that aren’t quite serious enough to necessitate an emergency room visit. Patients in the Wheeler County region who need more extensive medical care after the hospital closes will need to travel upwards of thirty miles in order to receive it.
“We just did not have sufficient volume to support the expenses,” said CEO Karen O’Neal in an interview with local CBS affiliate WMAZ. “It’s a terrible situation, and it’s tragic, the loss of jobs and the economic impact.”
Last fall, Bloomberg reported that at least five public hospitals in Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia — including three in Georgia alone — were cutting staff and services in the wake of their refusal to expand Medicaid. These hospitals are so-called “Disproportionate Share Hospitals” — providers that serve a disproportionate number of poor and uninsured Americans, and as such don’t always receive payments for the care they give patients.
Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/02/18/3299961/fourth-georgia-hospital-shuts/
Mass killer Anders Breivik threatens hunger strike for better video games, end of “torture”
Source: euronews.com
Norwegian mass killer Anders Breivik has threatened to start a hunger strike over his living conditions in jail, it has emerged.
Breivik, who killed 77 people in 2011, compared prison to “torture” and bemoaned, among other things, the lack of an up-to-date video games console in his cell.
His comments were made in a four-page hand-written letter to penitentiary officials, which contains a dozen requests, including making his jail time compliant with European regulations. They also tackle issues of fundamental rights, such as a daily walk and communication.
Breivik requests the Playstation 2 he has access to is replaced by a more recent Playstation 3. “Other inmates have access to video games for adults while I can only play the less interesting children video games. One example is ‘Rayman Revolution,’ a game designed for 3-year-olds,” the 35-year-old wrote.
Read more: http://www.euronews.com/2014/02/14/far-right-terrorist-breivik-threatens-hunger-strike-for-better-video-games-end-/
Will this person actually be released from prison in his 50's? A 21 year sentence for killing all these children. WTF?
Alaska primed to become third state to legalize retail marijuana title
Source: Washington Times
Alaska is poised to become the third state to legalize retail marijuana after pro-pot advocates this week cleared the signature hurdle to place an initiative on the August ballot.
The Committee to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska hit 31,593 valid signatures Tuesday, well above the 30,169 signatures required to place the measure before voters. The initiative is expected to appear on the Aug. 19 primary ballot once a final count is certified by the state.
Alaska follows in the footsteps of Colorado and Washington, where voters approved measures to regulate the sale of recreational marijuana for adults in November 2012. Colorado unveiled the nation’s first retail pot shops in Jan. 1, and Washington is expected to begin marijuana sales in June.
Dependably Republican Alaska would become the reddest state to approve retail marijuana, but Committee spokesman Taylor Bickford predicted the legalization effort would appeal to the electorate’s libertarian streak.
Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/feb/6/alaska-primed-become-third-state-legalize-retail-m/
Circus elephant hurt in drive-by shooting returning to Mississippi after recovering at Missouri farm
Source: Associated Press via Kansascity Star
TUPELO, Miss. — A circus elephant is coming back to Mississippi, nearly a year after being injured in a drive-by shooting.
Carol, a 39-year-old Asian elephant, spent several weeks recovering at a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus farm in Springfield, Mo., after the April 9, 2013, shooting outside BancorpSouth Arena in Tupelo, Miss. The animal was shot in the shoulder.
No arrests have been made but the case remains open.
Circus spokeswoman Melinda Hartline tells the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal that Carol will return as a part of the Super Circus Heroes show. The new show will run from April 3-6.
Hartline says Carol has been back performing, "doing what she loves" and there were no second thoughts about bringing her back to Tupelo.
Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2014/02/06/4802669/circus-elephant-hurt-in-drive.html#storylink=cpy
Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2014/02/06/4802669/circus-elephant-hurt-in-drive.html
"doing what she loves" Bullshit!
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