What a Weiner!

"Weiner denies he sent lewd photo" by Associated Press / June 2, 2011

WASHINGTON — Representative Anthony Weiner of New York denied yesterday that he sent a lewd photo from his Twitter account to a female college student but did little to calm the media storm when he said he could not say “with certitude’’ that the man in the photo wasn’t him.

After a combative news conference on Tuesday in which Weiner refused to answer any questions about the incident, the Democratic lawmaker spent yesterday in a series of interviews trying to explain the situation. But some answers — and his attempts at humor — only stirred up the situation further....

Weiner quipped that maybe the alleged hacking was just “the point of Al Qaeda’s sword.’’ 

Why would the "toilet" care about him?

Despite his denial, questions lingered about the incident...

There were questions about why the congressman, married recently to an aide to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, was following the college student on Twitter.

The sexually suggestive photo was posted Friday and sent to the student. The tweet of the lewd photo first was reported Saturday by BigGovernment.com, a website run by conservative commentator Andrew Breitbart.

Breitbart is also known for posting a video of an Agriculture Department employee, Shirley Sherrod, giving a speech that when edited by Breitbart made it appear that she was making racist comments.

Related: White House apologizes to fired USDA worker

I would be doubting the authenticity of this latest diversion, too.

The photo on Weiner’s account was quickly deleted, but it set off a torrent of speculative buzz....

I don't know about you, but I'm sick of speculation being presented as news.

Weiner has not explained why he was following the student on Twitter, one of 198 people he follows on the social media site. Weiner is one of the more prolific tweeters in Congress and he has more than 50,000 followers, a number that grew over the past two days....  

Just what you want in a representative!

Weiner is the third New York congressman in little over a year to be caught up in a scandal. Republican Representative Chris Lee resigned earlier this year after shirtless photos he sent to a woman surfaced online. Democratic Representative Eric Massa resigned in March 2010 amid a sexual harassment scandal.

Related: Massa Probe Touches Pelosi

AmeriKan media minimizing gay sex scandal?

--more--"

Related: Loudest Obamacare cheerleader wants out - MUST READ

Yeah, he is a dick. 

Don't Get on the Bus

"Bus run by company with history of violations crashes in Virginia, killing 4" by Associated Press / June 1, 2011

BOWLING GREEN, Va. — A bus run by a company with a record of safety problems overturned on a Virginia highway early yesterday, killing four people and injuring several others....

The company has been involved in several accidents over the last two years. It also has been cited over that same time for 46 violations of drivers being fatigued....

The bus departed Greensboro, N.C., on Monday night and was headed to Chinatown in New York City with 59 people aboard....

--more--"

"Discount bus company suspended after fatal Va. crash; Its safety record before accident cited by regulators" by Timothy Williams, New York Times / June 2, 2011

NEW YORK —Tuesday’s crash was at least the third fatal accident involving one of the many discount tour bus companies that use Chinatown as a hub.

In March, a World Wide Tours bus driver returning to Chinatown from a Connecticut casino swerved off Interstate 95 in the Bronx, slicing the bus in half and killing 15 people. Two days later, a Super Luxury Tours bus headed from Chinatown to Philadelphia crashed on the New Jersey Turnpike, killing two people, including the driver. 

Related: Chinatown Casino Bus Crash

--more--"

"Crash kills 28 in India wedding party" by Associated Press / June 1, 2011

GAUHATI, India — A would-be groom and several relatives going to a wedding were among the 28 people killed when a wooden bridge collapsed and sent a bus crashing into a lake in India’s remote northeast, officials said yesterday.

The bus fell 15 feet into the water and sank with the wedding party trapped inside late Monday near the village of Hajo, about 25 miles west of the Assam state capital of Gauhati, district magistrate S.K. Roy said....

--more--"  

Also see: India searches for executioner to carry out rare death sentence

Hacking Away at the Economy

“You can bring a state to its knees without any military action whatsoever.’’ 

"International law covers threats, cyber chief says; Official sees no need for treaty, only cooperation" by Paisley Dodds and Raphael G. Satter, Associated Press / June 2, 2011

LONDON —  Recent high-profile attacks against Sony Corp. and Lockheed Martin Corp. have made headlines, while experts described last year’s discovery of the super-sophisticated Stuxnet virus — thought to have been aimed at sabotaging Iran’s disputed nuclear program — as an illustration of the havoc that malicious programs can wreak on infrastructure and industry....  

Gee, who would want to do things like that?

Related: The Boston Globe's Invisible Ink: Israeli Virus Infects Iran

Also see: Israeli Worm Eating Its Way Through Iran

It's also suspected that it made its way to Japan and had something to do with the coolant reactor failures  -- which again is absent from the pages of my printed paper.

--more--"    

 Related: Hackers in China access hundreds of Gmail accounts

Chinese a cutout for someone else?  Why would they bother. 

Taxpayer ID theft a growing problem 

Tenn. targets sharing of Web subscriptions

But they can't protect your medical records. 

Also see: Markets sour on weaker outlook

War Zones: As The Economy Dies, Murders, Shootings, Robberies And Looting Erupt All Over America

Congressional Research Service Confirms Big Banks Borrowed Cash For Next To Nothing, Then Lent It Back to the Federal Government at Much Higher Rates

Globe Tracks Tornado Through Town

"Tornadoes tore through Western and Central Massachusetts, killing at least four people, injuring an untold number, and reducing schools, churches, and homes to splinters along its destructive path....

In Monson, residents described widespread damage that made the Central Massachusetts town look like it had been bombed....

Destructive, deadly tornadoes are uncommon, but not unprecedented, in Massachusetts....  

I've lived here my whole life and I've never seen anything like this.

--more--"

Related:

Mix of warm, humid air, winds stirred up rare tornadoes

So the lying, agenda-pushing paper is telling us it is all nature, 'eh?  

Must be weather modification and manipulation then.  Carbon taxers can't scream global warming without extreme weather.  

Then again, maybe it is all natural; I hope you understand my lack of faith in my newspaper after the endless and continuing lies, readers.

Schoolchildren on bus treated to scary spectacle

All Joplin missing are accounted for

Also see:

Wednesday Weather Report

Tornado Talk


Tornado Toll

Tornado Comes Through Town

Boston Globe Bear Hug

"Your Bruins are in a little bit of a drought when it comes to this event. This is their sixth appearance in the finals since they last won in 1972, and they are 5-21 in finals games since Johnny Bucyk last hoisted the Cup. Last night’s loss give the Bruins 11 losses in their last 12 finals games....

--more--"  

Related: Front Page Face Off 

Also see: Black bear spotted in Wayland, Framingham

Boston Globe Beach Patrol

Police seek to extend authority
Following a Memorial Day weekend melee that caused authorities to swarm Carson Beach, city officials are seeking to claim police authority over Boston’s waterfront, territory that now belongs to State Police. 

Globe Editorial Carson Beach: Putting the 'mob' in 'flash mob' 

Carson Beach: Whose turf is it?

Related: Boston Globe Day at the Beach

Boston’s Davis doubts gang role in fights, disagreeing with State Police 

Another Night in Libya

"NATO aircraft bomb the Libyan capital night after night"

"S. African finds Khadafy adamant; Italy vows aid to rebels" by Diaa Hadid, Associated Press / June 1, 2011

TRIPOLI, Libya — Moammar Khadafy insists he will not leave his country, South Africa’s president said yesterday after he met the embattled Libyan ruler.

Khadafy’s departure is the key demand of rebel forces battling his troops. Yesterday, Italy’s foreign minister pledged to provide Libya’s rebels with fuel and hundreds of millions of dollars backed by frozen assets of Khadafy’s regime....

The hard lines of the two sides and the competing, high-level visits illustrated the virtual stalemate in the conflict. NATO aircraft bomb the Libyan capital night after night, and military forces from the two sides battle, but little is changing on the ground.  

So WHEN do the GROUND TROOPS go in?!!!!

South Africa is concerned for Khadafy’s safety, according to the statement released by President Jacob Zuma’s office yesterday, after he returned home from his talks with Khadafy in Tripoli — a rare visit by a high-level world figure.

Zuma was pressing to revive an African Union proposal for a cease-fire and dialogue to settle the Libya conflict, and Khadafy agreed, the statement said. Khadafy “called for an end to the bombings to enable a Libyan dialogue,’’ it said. “He emphasized that he was not prepared to leave his country, despite the difficulties.’’

I'll second that!

Zuma called for a halt to NATO airstrikes as part of the cease-fire.

After initially backing NATO’s involvement, Zuma and the African Union called for a cessation, charging that NATO had overstepped its UN mandate to protect civilians.  

I would say; they are KILLING THEM!

NATO aircraft blasted five tank transporters near the western coastal town of Zlitan on Monday, Major General John Lorimer, British military spokesman, said in a statement. The town is between Tripoli and the rebel-held city of Misrata. Several airstrikes were heard in Tripoli after nightfall....

Must be difficult to get to sleep. 

:-(

--more--"

Queen Quitting

What a King's daughter is, right?

"Daughter of Dr. King quits Atlanta megachurch in wake of pastor’s sex scandal" by Associated Press / June 1, 2011

ATLANTA — The New Birth church did not announce the departure of Bernice King, the youngest daughter of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.,  on Sunday, instead focusing on a Memorial Day tribute to fallen soldiers and their families....  

At the nonviolent, antiwar Dr. King's.... sigh.  Kings been co-opted.

Just days ago, New Birth founder Bishop Eddie Long reached a settlement in the sexual misconduct lawsuits he has fought since September.....   

Related: Georgia's Gay Pastor

I can see why she's leaving.

--more--"

Mladic Moved to U.N. Cell

"Mladic in isolation at UN detention unit; Judges reject delay request" by Mike Corder and Dusan Stojanovic, Associated Press / June 1, 2011

THE HAGUE — Former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic was placed in a UN detention unit yesterday to await trial on genocide charges, 16 years after he was indicted in the killing of 8,000 Muslim men and boys in the worst massacre of civilians in Europe since World War II....

Mladic had spent 16 years on the run. When he was caught leaving his relative’s house for an early morning walk he was looking worn and disheveled. He was said to have suffered at least two strokes.

Earlier yesterday, Mladic was briefly released from his jail cell, traveling in a secret, armored convoy to a cemetery where he visited the grave of his daughter.

At the grave, he left a burning candle and a bouquet of flowers.

--more--"  

Also see: Back to the Balkans

Serbs Mad About Mladic Arrest

Another Banker, Another Assault

"A former chairman of a major Egyptian bank is being held on $25,000 bail after being charged with sexually abusing a housekeeper at a luxury New York City hotel. The incident comes just weeks after the arrest of a former International Monetary Fund chief on similar allegations....

--more--"

Related:

IMF Man Maid in Manhattan

IMF Scum on Suicide Watch in Pathetic Ploy For Sympathy

DNA said to link ex-IMF chief to maid    

Also see: Israeli Fisching Around For IMF Job

Bankers Never Lose

Greece up that poop shoot, taxpayers.

"New rescue plan for Greece seeks tougher measures" by Landon Thomas Jr., New York Times / June 1, 2011

LONDON — A new rescue package for Greece is taking shape, one that would offer billions of euros in new loans in return for accelerated privatization and tougher tax collection measures on the part of the beleaguered Greek government, European officials said yesterday....   

Related: Greece Going Down?

At the deal’s heart would be an informal understanding that private-sector holders of Greek government bonds might be persuaded to roll over the debts, or extend new loans when older obligations come due.  

When you are in a hole do you keep digging?

Exposed banks would not just step back from the precipice of a forced loss on their bonds, they might also hope that in two years Greece will be in a better position to repay its debts in full....

Adding to the urgency has been the persistent flow of deposits out of the banking sector.  

Oh, CAPITAL FLIGHT! 

What did Greece do wrong?

Since the crisis began, $86.3 billion in deposits have been withdrawn from Greek banks. Bankers in Athens said outflows were particularly severe Thursday and Friday after comments — later described as rhetorical — by a Greek politician about the possibility Greece could stop using the euro.

Oh, they might be GETTING out of the E.U.

European governments have concluded an additional $86.3 billion now, while politically unappealing, would be less costly than if a restructuring of Greece’s debt produced a financial contagion that spread.

I thought the financial geniuses and wizards already fix that?

But how an economy already in free fall will generate the growth to produce the needed budgetary surplus to start paying down debt remains unanswered....
 
Kicking the can down the road, but the public relations propaganda looks good.

--more--"

Lunch Gives Germans Gas

Must have been the salad.  

"Europe’s toll in bacterial mystery hits 16" by Associated Press / June 1, 2011

BERLIN — A massive and unprecedented outbreak of bacterial infections linked to contaminated vegetables claimed two more lives in Europe yesterday, driving the death toll to 16. The number of sick rose to more than 1,150 people in at least eight nations.

Nearly 400 people in Germany were battling a severe and potentially fatal version of an infection that attacks the kidneys and kills up to 5 percent of patients.

A US analyst said doctors had never seen so many cases of the condition, hemolytic uremic syndrome, tied to a foodborne outbreak.

Investigators across Europe were frantically trying to determine how many vegetables were contaminated with enterohaemorrhagic E. coli or EHEC — an unusual, toxic strain of the common E. coli bacterium — and where in the long journey from farm to grocery store the contamination occurred.

The highly politicized mystery deepened with new evidence that German vegetables may have been contaminated by at least two strains of EHEC.

--more--"

Nazis in Nablus

What is not so surprising anymore is the use of the benign term "settler" for Zionist militants.

"Tensions high at West Bank holy site; Arabs fret as more Jews visit" by Matti Friedman, Associated Press / June 1, 2011

NABLUS, West Bank —Convoys of buses carrying 1,600 Jewish worshippers began driving into Nablus in waves for prayers at Joseph’s Tomb. Escorted by olive-drab army jeeps and dozens of ground troops, it was the biggest group to reach the site since the military began regularly allowing visits four years ago.

Then it is OFFICIAL STATE POLICY, isn't it?

The lead bus was crammed with ultra-Orthodox Jews in long black coats and settler teens in jeans and T-shirts.

When the buses finally moved into Nablus, Israeli soldiers in battle gear were visible securing the route, standing by closed shops and clumped beside a Bank of Palestine ATM.

Organizers, members of the hard core of Israel’s settlement movement, see the visits to the traditional gravesite of the biblical Joseph as a mix of religious duty, assertion of ownership, and show of force. For many observant Jews, Nablus is part of the biblical land promised to the Jews by God.... 

The absolute arrogance is astounding.

Palestinians view them as a provocation and an attempt by Israeli extremists to create a political foothold inside their city, which is one of the main autonomous zones established by the interim peace accords of the 1990s. The Palestinians hope to make the entire West Bank, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, part of a future independent state....  

Related:




I don't know how you are going to get a state out of that when Israel says they are keeping all settlements (as they continue to expand) and want all of Jerusalem.

Maybe THIS is a better answer: Memory Hole: Future Vision of Israel

Nablus was a militant hotbed in the Arab uprising last decade. The city’s Arabs and residents of nearby settlements, considered hard-line by many other settlers, view each other with animosity.

Yeah, "settlers" -- AS IF NO ONE WAS ALREADY LIVING THERE!!

--more--"

Ashcroft's Amnesty

It's now official: we are a Nazi nation. 

"Former attorney general John Ashcroft cannot be sued for his role in detaining an American Muslim, even though the government did not charge the man with a crime, the Supreme Court ruled yesterday....

--more--"  

Related: Tortuous Immunity

Cancer Calling

I'm glad I hardly use the thing and rarely take it with me.  

"Cellphones are added to list of potential risks for cancer; But evidence of harm limited, WHO asserts" by Deborah Kotz and Carolyn Y. Johnson, Globe Staff / June 1, 2011

The World Health Organization yesterday placed cellphones on its list of items that can potentially cause cancer in humans, based on studies suggesting there might be a small increased risk of glioma, a rare brain cancer, from heavy use of the mobile device.

Related: Brief Cell-Phone Use Can Cause Cancer-Related Brain Changes 

Maybe someone should call the corporate media on the lies.

The group said the evidence of harm from cellphones is limited and is based on inconclusive research, but warrants classification of the phones as “possibly carcinogenic to humans’’ — a category that includes 266 items, from gasoline exhaust to dry cleaning agents to talcum powder.  

Agenda-pushing code for it gives you cancer. 

WHO officials suggested that consumers take precautions to keep their mobile phone antenna away from their head by using hands-free devices or the speaker phone feature, or texting when possible.

“The evidence, while still accumulating, is strong enough to support a conclusion . . . that there could be some risk, and therefore we need to keep a close watch for a link between cellphones and cancer risk,’’ said Dr. Jonathan Samet, a University of Southern California epidemiologist who chaired a panel of 31 international scientists charged with reviewing the research on the risks from the phones’ electromagnetic fields....   

Rarely use, don't take with.

--more--"  

Also see:  Your Cellphone Tracker

Coffin-Calling Cellphones

Cancer Calling on Cellphone

Tornado Comes Through Town

As I get older these things frighten me more and more. The video running on the local news channels is mind-blowing. Houses destroyed, trees uprooted, buildings on Main Street looking as if they had been bombed in a war. 

"Violent thunderstorms rolled across the state this afternoon, spawning an apparent tornado in the city of Springfield, the National Weather Service said. A tornado warning has now been issued for areas in Boston's western and southern suburbs, as the storms continue to rampage east....

--VIDEO--"

Story went national as CNN and Weather Channel are reporting it. 

Related: Mass. tornado damages hundreds of homes

UPDATE: At least four killed as violent tornadoes rip through Mass.

All quiet here now. 

Too soon be forgotten:

"Joplin set to start hauling off debris" by Jim Salter, Associated Press / June 1, 2011

JOPLIN, Mo. — Cleanup efforts in Joplin will move ahead today, when Governor Jay Nixon says crews will begin hauling away debris left by a massive tornado that leveled a third of the city and killed more than 100 people in southwest Missouri....  

We were lucky. We did not get it anywhere near as bad as they did.

Environmental officials have said the debris must be handled carefully because it could contain hazardous waste, such as asbestos used in the construction of older buildings.

The tornado damaged or destroyed more than 8,000 structures.

Nixon said the federal government will cover 90 percent of the cost of the debris removal. He said the Missouri National Guard will lead the cleanup effort.

Yesterday, Home Depot employees in orange vests were busy helping customers in the parking lot of the Joplin store, which was flattened just nine days ago by a tornado.

There was not a lot to choose from just yet, but the store’s reopening and quick sales of roofing material, lumber, and other construction necessities showed city residents’ determination to begin rebuilding quickly after the May 22 tornado cut a 6-mile swath through the heart of this community of nearly 50,000 residents....

It will be a long time before Joplin completely rebuilds from the tornado, but the work has begun....

scattered signs of progress....

--more--" 

I have to confess, dear readers, I had been doubtful of weather modification and manipulation, but now I am really starting to wonder.  I will simply have to tell you that I DON'T KNOW!  You will have to decide for yourself if you hear a HAARP or not.  

Either way, we continue....

Global Warming Gets a Cool Chill

"Hyperbolic climate rhetoric doesn’t scare as many people as it used to. Gallup reported in March that of nine leading environmental issues, global warming is the one Americans worry about least. In Britain too, as The New York Times noted last spring, fear of climate change has receded, as more and more people conclude that the dangers have been over-hyped....

Scaremongering wins headlines; fact-based skepticism eventually wins arguments.

And that leads to 9/11 Truth.

--more--"   

But, but, but, all the weird weather proves global warming.

Related: 

The Other Global Warming Conference

Where's Global Warming, MSM?
   
Fresh Air Clears Out Fart Mist

The Boston Globe's Invisible Ink: Finally Sniffing the Fart Mist

When I Finally Tired of Reading the Boston Globe

Report deals a blow to chronic fatigue patients

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Globe Joke of the Day

It was the National lead:

"In staged vote, House rejects new debt limit; GOP offers plan and calls for its failure" by Jackie Calmes, New York Times / June 1, 2011

WASHINGTON — Republicans brought up the measure and then urged its defeat, while Democrats — who not long ago were seeking just such a vote to raise the debt ceiling without attaching spending cuts — assailed Republicans for bringing it up, saying its certain defeat might unnerve the financial markets.

Just in case, Republican leaders scheduled the vote for after the stock market’s close and, in the preceding days, called Wall Street executives to assure them that the vote was just for show....

The showdown over the issue is likely to continue well into the summer, with consequences for both parties and, potentially, for the economy and Wall Street, where the bond market in particular is watching the standoff closely. Yet for all the talk of crisis should Congress fail to raise the debt ceiling by Aug. 2, when the Treasury Department says it will run out of room to meet all the government’s obligations without further borrowing, the financial markets are likely to yawn at yesterday’s proceedings.  

Or not: Dow Jones

Down almost 300, huh?

“Wall Street is in on the joke,’’ said R. Bruce Josten, executive vice president of the US Chamber of Commerce....  

Do you see me laughing here?

Investors have grown accustomed to partisan games of chicken that always end with the needed increase in the government’s borrowing authority. But this showdown, many say, is riskier because of the strongly held antispending, antitax views of the many freshman House Republicans combined with the fragility of the economic recovery....

More numerous than the insurgents elected in the conservative waves of 1980 and 1994, many freshman Republicans have no experience in public office and consider themselves citizen-legislators who entered government to shrink it, regardless of the political costs....  

Paper definitely has a point of view, although they are killing troops by keeping the wars going.

 Many Republicans have also made comments indicating that they do not understand or do not care that an increase in the debt limit is needed not only for new spending but also to cover Social Security checks, military pay, and myriad other agreed-to purposes.

For Republicans and Democrats to agree this summer on a far-reaching deficit-reduction plan is a hurdle that is all the higher given how far apart the parties are....

But they are all together on bailouts for Wall Street, war spending, and cutting checks for Israel.

--more--"

More "jokes" at which I'm not laughing at:

Ex-energy company CEO picked for commerce post

An industry guy, not an environment guy?  The revolving door continues to spin.

Boston-area home prices off 2.7% in a year

Luxe condo rentals find eager market 

Consumer confidence at 6-month low

"Oil prices may climb further soon.   

That is not what the headline of the article implies, ha-ha.

The world is consuming more oil than ever, and the thirst for oil in China and other emerging economies will mean growing demand, analysts say. Investment banks like Goldman Sachs are betting that global supplies can only grow tighter in coming months, and that will push oil prices higher....  

Then I would damn near count on it.

--more--"   

Yeah, right, lower prices coming.  

The Globe shoving a gas pump up your ass is far from funny. 

Update: Yastrow: “We Are on the Verge of a Great, Great Depression”

Louisiana Leads the Nation

"Financial disclosure forms still outdated; Documents reveal little of leaders" by Frank Phillips and Noah Bierman, Globe Staff / June 1, 2011

Two years after lawmakers tightened ethics rules to calm public outrage over corruption scandals, the state continues to use outdated financial disclosure forms that allow political leaders to avoid providing a clear picture of their finances, business dealings, and potential conflicts of interest.

Yesterday was the annual deadline for Beacon Hill’s decision makers to reveal their financial holdings, but the public can expect to get only a narrow glimpse of politicians’ assets and family income on a form that has not been updated in three decades....

The state’s public disclosure laws and the Ethics Commission that enforces them were created after a corruption scandal rocked the State House in the late 1970s and sent three state senators to jail. At the time, the law’s disclosure requirements were some of the strictest.

Some lawmakers and public officials have argued that the current law is still sufficient. More specific information about home values, they say, is already available in other public documents. Too much public scrutiny could also discourage public service, they believe.

??????? 

Then I'LL DO IT!

But other states have made efforts to update their laws to keep them current. Several years ago, Louisiana's public, fed up with their state's history of colorfully crooked politicians, demanded tighter laws that transparency advocates now consider the national standard....

Who would have thunk it?

Massachusetts ranks 17th....   

Bit like farting in a crowded elevator.

--more--"

Front Page Face Off

Ready for their shot
The Stanley Cup would quiet longstanding critics who accuse Jeremy Jacobs, who purchased the Bruins in 1975 for $10 million, of caring more about the bottom line than winning.  

Related: Bruin Up Some Front Page Stories

Front-page Metro features:

For these Bruins fans, a love that defies time

Our rivals, our soul mates

And on the back page of the Metro section I found this: 

Comparing Boston to Vancouver

Mass. Labor Leader Tosses in Towel

Sadly, just deserting a sinking ship. 

"Veteran union leader retiring; AFL-CIO’s Haynes leaves amid crisis in labor movement" by Michael Levenson,  Globe Staff / June 1, 2011

Robert J. Haynes, the longtime president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, announced yesterday that he will step down in the fall, prompting soul-searching about the future of the labor movement and a potential fight for succession.

A tough-talking former ironworker who has led the state’s largest labor group since 1998, Haynes is a powerful and divisive figure, influential in elections but prone to strident rhetoric, some of which has alienated his allies in the Democratic Party. His departure follows a series of historic defeats at the State House this spring....   

Related: New Rules For Unions in Massachusetts

Haynes’s decision, while a shock to some union leaders, was not a surprise to others, who said he felt worn out after suffering painful setbacks.

Recently, he failed to persuade the overwhelmingly Democratic Legislature to drop its bid to cut the collective bargaining rights of municipal employees in an effort to save money for cash-strapped cities and towns. He also angered some Democrats with his vow to oust lawmakers who voted for the bill. 

I have been giving this quite a bit of thought and IF MASSACHUSETTS had ELECTED a REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR like I suggested, we would NOT BE HAVING this DISCUSSION!

Think about it. The DEMOCRATIC LEGISLATURE would NEVER have sent this over to a REPUBLICAN governor so he could claim political victory. Or if they did it would totally expose them as nothing different.   

The law of unintended consequences works in mysterious ways, huh?

“It’s a done deal for our relationship with the people inside that chamber,’’ he declared after the House approved the bill in April.  

Where else you gonna go?

Haynes was also criticized this spring for accepting nearly $73,000 to serve on the board of the nonprofit Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts as the board approved an $11 million severance package for its chief executive, Cleve Killingsworth.  

Related: The Eight-Million Dollar Escape

The Culture of Blue Cross

Haynes’s payment was seen as a potential conflict of interest and an embarrassment for a labor leader who frequently rails against the pay of chief executives.  

What you come to realize is many leaders of labor are no better than the bosses. Just protecting their position while rubbing elbows.

“I think he’s tired,’’ said David J. Holway, president of the National Association of Government Employees, who said he had urged Haynes to stay on as president. “There’s no good time to get out, but he’s reached that point in his life when he wants to smell the roses.’’

I'm smelling something all right.

--more--"

Massport Fireman Pulls Double Duty

"Safety worker’s 2 jobs restored, but with limits; Shift-swapping at EMS, Massport drew scrutiny" by Walter V. Robinson, Globe Correspondent / June 1, 2011

Both the Massachusetts Port Authority and Boston Emergency Medical Services Department have reinstated Richard G. Covino to his two full-time jobs as Massport firefighter and Boston paramedic, but under schedule restrictions likely to force him to relinquish one of the jobs.

EMS Chief James W. Hooley said yesterday that Covino will no longer be allowed to swap shifts with other paramedics, the practice at both agencies that made it possible for Covino to rearrange schedules so that he could work 100-hour weeks and earn about $200,000 a year. In at least five instances last year alone, Covino was paid for working both jobs at the same time, according to payroll records....

--more--" 

Related: Sunday Globe Special: Firefight at the Boston Firehouse

For the record, I am not in favor of any of these looting jobs against taxpayers; however, the newspapers make it seem like this is the reason the state is broke when the real reason is shoveling away billions in debt interest payments to banks and corporate welfare to well-connected interests. 

Boston Globe Beach Gang Bang

Boston’s Davis doubts gang role in fights, disagreeing with State Police

Related: Boston Globe Day at the Beach

Also see: Tragic end to search for girl caught in surf at Hampton Beach

Japan on the Rebound

"A rebound is widely expected, once rebuilding work gathers momentum, and as supply chains return to normal....

Sigh. Nothing will ever be normal again.

--more--"   

Not a word about Fukushima today. 

No longer news, right, even though radiation continues to spew? 

Related: Japanese Carmakers Say No Radiation Risk Expected on Exported Vehicles
  
Shoppers in Asia Shun Japanese Products on Radiation Concerns