Workers Of The World Do Something

Russian workers have expressed their opinion, they don't accept 60 hours/week without overtime. From RIANOVOSTI:

Russians are ready to work longer than the current 40-hour week, but want to get more than their basic wage for this additional labor. This is why they have rejected billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov’s idea. He suggested formalizing a 60-hour working week without paid overtime.

According to a recent survey conducted by the national pollster VTsIOM, 77% of respondents are not ready to work more than 40 hours a week for their basic salary. This is understandable, as nearly half of Russians currently get additional pay for working overtime.

Similarly, 61% of respondents blackballed Prokhorov’s proposal that educational leave should only be granted to working students who were sent to a college or university by their employer. There are few such students in Russia. Most students who take on a job to pay for their education or housing will be unable to combine their studies with employment if this law is approved.

Half of Russians are against giving the employer too much freedom: 51% of the respondents do not think employers should have the right to change the working hours, payment and other conditions of a labor contract because of a crisis or falling demand.

At the same time, the respondents support Prokhorov’s idea that labor contracts be concluded with pensioners and inexperienced young people, provided the contract is signed for a minimum of 12 months. They also think employers should be allowed to extend fixed-term contracts as many times as they need (provided the employee agrees of course), and agree that probationary periods be cancelled for people the employer sends on further education courses."

"Last year, Prokhorov suggested amending the labor code to increase the working week by 20 hours to 60 hours and to give employers more freedom to manage their labor force. He said social guarantees and motivation should be tied to labor productivity, which is low in Russia compared to developed states."

Mikhail Prokhorov is the owner of the New Jersey Nets and is the 39th richest guy in the world and hopes to start what is essentially the Oligarchs Party in Russia. Makes Putin look rather progressive.

Memorial Day 2011 USA/David Crosby - What Are Their Names

We have way too many holidays meant to reinforce blind patriotism and social conformity. It is worth remembering that Memorial Day was started to commemorate the greatest existential conflict in American history, the Civil War, where America almost destroyed itself. This is a time for real reflection rather than an excuse for obese, vacuous, Americans to ride motorcycles.

Corporate Controlled Nukes

The Herald of Scotland reports that the management of the British nuclear weapons base at Coulport is being privatized and will be run by a corporate consortium headed by Lockheed-Martin:

"THE running of Britain’s nuclear bomb base at Coulport on the Clyde is to be handed over to a consortium of multinational private firms led by the controversial US arms dealer, Lockheed Martin, the Sunday Herald can reveal.

Defence ministers in Westminster have decided that the highly sensitive job of managing more than 200 Trident nuclear warheads, and arming the Royal Navy’s submarines with them, should be taken over by the group of companies within the next year.....

"Angus Robertson, the SNP’s defence spokesman and the party’s leader in Westminster, attacked the decision as “highly questionable” last night.

“Weapons of mass destruction are the most sensitive areas of military technology and should not be put in private hands,” he said.

“The SNP opposition to the nuclear fleet is absolute, but as long as Trident and nuclear missiles remain on the Clyde, their security must be absolute and UK ministers should reconsider their decision to give responsibility to companies outwith the country.”

"COULPORT’S Royal Naval Armaments Depot is meant to be one of the most secure places in Britain. Sprawled across the slopes above Loch Long, surrounded by cold war-era watchtowers and fences, are buildings and bunkers in which Britain’s nuclear bombs and missiles are kept.

The fact that private companies were bidding to take over running the site caused a furore when it was first disclosed by the Sunday Herald last October. At the time, the MoD said that Coulport’s management was under review, but insisted that no decisions had been taken. Now, however, arrangements for transferring management to ABL have begun.

According to the leaked MoD plan, ABL will be responsible for “processing, handling, and storage” of Trident warheads and missiles, along with “dockside handling”, “explosive handling”, “radiological safety” and “nuclear emergency response”.

This if anything shows that there is no limit to the monetization and corporatization of the most sensitive and potentially catastrophic of human activities. Obviously Fukushima and the Gulf Oil catastrophe, both corporate ventures within the past year alone, have changed nothing in the relentless pursuit of profits over common sense.

Messer Chups - Tremolo From The Crypt (HD)

A little Russian surf music: 31.07.2009 — Санкт-Петербург, клуб А2.

The Koch Brothers and The Tar Sands

Here we have the diabolical combination of America's premier oligarchic kleptocrats, the Koch brothers, and Canada's world class eco disaster, the tar sands of Alberta. If you really want to understand how demented the whole tar sands thing is read "Stupid To The Last Drop". Here's more:

"Stupid to the Last Drop by William Marsden is without question the definitive guide to Canada’s oil sands and what Marsden describes as ‘environmental armageddon’. In fact, the full title to his beautifully researched, and absolutely riveting book is: Stupid to the Last Drop: How Alberta is Bringing Environmental Armageddon to Canada (And Doesn’t Seem To Care). Marsden, an award-winning journalist with the Montreal Gazette, has provided a detailed account of the oil industry in Alberta and how that industry is now threatening to destroy the entire province.

The oil sands in Alberta, Canada, occupy about 148,000 square kilometres – roughly the size of Florida. Marsden describes it as "…the oil capital of the world –the new Saudi Arabia". Stupid to the Last Drop painstakingly documents the levelling of the Boreal forest to access the oil sands, the creation of tens of thousands of gas wells, the water waste, poisoned rivers, impact on communities, politician corruption and companies that will stop at nothing to squeeze every last resource out of Alberta."

This is the on land equivalent of the Gulf Oil Spill that never stops.

This is What Fascism Looks Like

Wisconsin republicans dispense with the appearance of any interest in Democracy. Hopefully this will be tied up in court for the foreseeable future, if not, where do they think suppressed voters are supposed to go? Assholes.

John Nichols At Wisconsin Democracy Campaign

John Nichols is a Wisconsin resource. He has a grasp of history of the state which is unmatched. A place that has produced a demagogue like McCarthy and socialist mayors of Milwaukee has a history which at the least can be described as colorful. Perhaps he should run for something, there do seem to be a few oppurtunities.

Madison WI: The Fight Is Not Over

Myself and Mrs. WINston SmITh attended a rousing labor rally at the now very familiar steps of the state Capitol this afternoon. I am happy to report that the battle against the corporatization and commodization of every aspect of human existence is alive and well in Wisconsin. While ostensibly sponsored by AFSCME there was a very diverse range of people and interests represented including but not limited to students, undocumented people, retirees, farmers, and labor unions in both the private and public sectors. This is in part due in no small measure to the fact that the Fitzwalker regime has managed to offend almost anyone in the state who is not a millionaire or corporation with its budget bill. While the crowd, which I would estimate in the 25,000 to 30,000 range, was in good humor the stakes in this struggle are high for everyone affected and even more so as the radical right in our state makes an effort to disenfranchise as many as possible through voter suppression. Increasingly what passes for MSM has tried to portray these gatherings as wild and out of control I am hard pressed to find much extremism amongst people who for the most part look like folks you'd run into at the grocery store. The real extremists unfortunately meet in small rooms inside the the Capitol and at the Governor's residence.

MSNB's Dylan Ratigan Talks To Mark Ames & Yasha Levine About The Koch Bros.

A fascinating interview that connects the dots on many levels. I found the Russian references particularly interesting in regards to manufactured movements and democracy (or as the Russians would say, dermocracy).

Brave New Films Takes On The Koch Bros.

More info here.

U.S. Energy Information Agency to Quit Analyzing Energy Data

As economically distressed Americans take a bit of a breather from speculator driven gas prices (until the next round) the Oil and Gas Journal reports that the government agency responsible for keeping track of oil and gas reserves among other things is having its activities curtailed due to budget cutbacks:

"WASHINGTON, DC, May 2 -- The US Energy Information Administration will not prepare or publish US oil and gas reserves data for 2011 as it cuts $15.2 million, or 14%, from its budget, the US Department of Energy information and analysis agency said on Apr. 29. The reductions are part of Congress’s latest continuing resolution that was signed into law by US President Barack Obama on Apr. 15. The resolution keeps the federal government running through Sept. 30. ...

I found this little snippet particularly telling and unsettling:

"In addition to not preparing the annual oil and gas reserves data survey, the agency said it will be necessary to curtail efforts to understand linkages between physical energy markets and financial trading; suspend analysis and reporting on the market impacts of planned refinery outages; suspend collection and dissemination of monthly state-level data on wholesale petroleum product prices including gasoline, diesel, heating oil, propane, residual fuel oil, and kerosine; and halt preparation and publication of the annual petroleum marketing data report and the fuel oil and kerosene sales report. "

This is breathtaking in the depths of its shortsightedness and stupidity. Not to mention akin to aiding and abetting quasi criminal activity. It is hard to imagine clearer evidence of a society and system incapable of understanding its own problems let alone dealing with them.

The Canadian Elections

Americans may be surprised to learn that there is a national election in Canada tomorrow pitting Stephen Harper the current conservative Prime Minister against a variety of contenders including Michael Ignatieff of the Liberals and Jack Layton of the New Democratic Party.Harper was widely thought to have the advantage but surprisingly the NDP has been coming up in the polls which could make things very interesting. I was intrigued by this passage from the party platform which would seem to suggest exporting all to insatiable Americans might not be a priority.

"Recognizing that oil and gas will continue to play a prominent role in our energy mix in the medium term, we will discourage bulk exports of our unprocessed resources and encourage value-added, responsible upgrading, refining and petrochemical manufacturing here in Canada to maximize the economic benefits and jobs for Canadians."

Wow Canada with an energy policy.

Go NDP!

Putin: Measure your success by non-fired missiles!

This video raises alot of questions about "modern political systems" and the future world international relations.

Sen. Randy Hopper's 1 800 475 TALK for "Hot, Horny Girls"!

Randy Hopper continues to live up (or down) to his double entendre name with this latest exploit as reported from Uppity Wisconsin:

"First Sen. Randy Hopper's wife told protesters he wasn't home: He was in Madison shacking up with his mistress that was half his age.

Then it was found that he got his mistress a plumb state job AND a hefty raise shortly after she started.

Now Randy has put the perfect cherry on this FUBAR sundae: He put out a newsletter to ALL of his constituents that mistakenly gave the number of an ADULT XXX CHAT LINE."

Russian Oligarchs Oppose Pension Reform, Echos Of The Tea Party Russian Style

The similarities between oligarchic kleptocracies never ceases to amaze as these articles from the Moscow News amply illustrate. Unbeknownst to most Americans a struggle between Russian oligarchs and the Russian people now mirror Americans struggles to prevent the sell off of basic human benefits such as medical care or in this case social support for the elderly:

"Workers in dangerous jobs, generally involving oil or metal, just lost out as a long-discussed bill on employers paying more into their pensions was finally dealt a mortal blow by the Duma.

The bill has been talked over since 2002 and Friday’s death knell passed largely unnoticed, overshadowed by trade unionists and parliamentarians decrying the efforts of Mikhail Prokhorov, one of Russia’s richest men and leading light of the RSPP or ‘oligarch’s trade union’, to tilt the labour code in favour of the employer.

The pensions bill would have meant that workers in dangerous industries who retire up to ten years earlier would have their pension shortfall made up by employers. The standing situation poses ominous consequences for the pension fund.



Dead hand of the oligarchs

Of Russia’s 20 richest oligarchs 16 have made their money in the listed dangerous industries of oil, coal, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, pharmaceuticals, fertilizer, ports and airports, Moskovsky Komomolets reported.

The paper links this with the failure of the bill, something that Lyubov Maslova, of Alttrak, a currently mothballed tractor factory in Altai region, agrees with.

Yes, it would affect the tycoons’ profits and “Yes, they did affect [the fate of the bill], because it’s additional money that would go nowhere but to the welfare of the common worker,” Maslova told The Moscow News.

Interestingly Vladimir Putin, attempting to raise some sinking political capital has weighed in on the side of the workers:

"Amid proposals for increasingly liberal economic reforms, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was adamant about boosting the pension fund, and insisted on getting whatever funds necessary to provide adequate care for some 40 million veterans and pensioners.

“Everyone must pay for the pension system,” Putin said in a Monday video-link meeting with pension fund heads from eight federal districts. This came amid a growing debate on the budget deficit and talk from President Dmitry Medvedev’s advisors of easing the burden on businesses in paying social and pension fees.

In 2010, pensions rose by over 40 per cent, with people receiving an average of more than 8,800 roubles a month ($312). Putin pointed out that Russia was one of few countries that raised pensions during the economic crisis, and said pension spending would increase by 20 billion roubles ($0.7 billion) this year.

“There is money in the budget for this,” he said. “I want to stress that this is our top priority, and we must find the funds. We cannot allow a return to a situation of the 1990s, when pensions were not paid out for months.”

Tom Tomorrow Weighs In

Unfortunately this seems all too plausible.

Messer fur Frau Muller - Funny man

After the previous post this seemed somewhat appropriate.

Russian American Parity: Nukes Now Income

Americans are used to comparisons of Russian vs. American military strength however they may have to adjust to the idea of approaching income maldistribution parity becoming unnervingly similar in both countries. From the Eurasian Review:

"The real incomes of the two least-well-off quintiles of the Russian population have fallen since 1991 while those of that two best-off have risen significantly, dramatically increasing income differentiation and potentially exacerbating class-based tensions, according to two studies by the Higher School of Economics...
" The bottom 40 percent of the population has fallen behind over this period, he reports. The level of real incomes for the lowest 20 percent has fallen 1.45 times and the next lowest quintile by 1.2 times. At the other end, the top 20 percent have seen their incomes double, and the next highest quintile had their incomes go up a quarter...
"This change in the distribution of real incomes has hit the least-well-off groups especially hard because of the decline in state support for housing, education and especially medicine, with the lower quintiles forced to spend a higher proportion of their incomes for all these things or do without them, the studies found.

The situation in medicine is particularly striking, Polunin observes. In the European Union, for example, individuals directly bear 24 percent of the cost of medical treatment while in Russia that figure is now 40 to 50 percent, a dramatically higher fraction than only twenty years ago.

And this increase is hitting Russians, especially those least well off, because the average rate of illness among Russians rose 43 percent per 100,000 population over the period 1990 to 2008 and because many of the illnesses involved, such as cancer and heart disease, are particularly expensive to treat.

But the most striking findings of the report concern income differentiation, Polunin suggests. “In Soviet times, the earnings of a worker (120 rubles a month), an engineer (180 rubles a month), and a colonel in the KGB (350 rubles a month) of course were different, but not by ten times as much as is the case today"

Meanwhile in the U.S. misplaced concern about socialism aggravates more social disparity as noted by Reuters:

"Americans actually live in Russia, although they think they live in Sweden. And they would like to live on a kibbutz. This isn’t the set-up for some sort of politically incorrect Catskills stand-up joke circa 1960. It is the takeaway from a remarkable study by Michael Norton and Dan Ariely on how Americans think about income inequality.

The right likes to argue that income inequality as an issue doesn’t win elections because Americans don’t begrudge the rich so much as they want to join them. The Norton and Ariely study suggests otherwise. Given a choice, the authors find, Americans would prefer to live in a society more equal than even highly egalitarian Sweden.

Another popular view is that income inequality isn’t experienced as acutely by most Americans as the numbers suggest because of how much can be “consumed” by the lower rungs of the nation’s socioeconomic ladder. No less a figure than Alan Greenspan, the maestro himself, once made this case at the Federal Reserve’s annual Jackson Hole conference, presenting data on the consumption of dishwashers, microwaves and clothes dryers showing that if measured by the possession of these goods – as opposed to the huge and growing income divide — inequality was decreasing.

That interpretation is not without merit. But it turned out that allowing Americans to prosper by using their homes as A.T.M.’s and maxing out on their credit cards was maybe not such a great idea.

Personally, I lean toward two other theories. Americans are mistaken about income inequality because of national self-confidence and the lottery effect.

By national self-confidence, I mean the widespread conviction that the American way is probably right because all those other ways don’t seem to work out so well. This is a wonderful national quality and one of the reasons America has such resilience. But confidence in the American way can make it hard for the country as a whole to recognize when things aren’t working.

Take, for instance, the health care debate, when a politically effective criticism of what has come to be known as Obamacare was to argue that it would destroy the “best” health care system in the world. Mary Meeker, a Silicon Valley guru of impeccably capitalist and American credentials debunked that idea in her recent USA, Inc. presentation, in which she pointed out that “U.S.A. per capita health care spending is 3x OECD average, yet the average life expectancy and a variety of health indicators in the U.S. fall below average. But if you spend way more than everyone else, shouldn’t your results (a.k.a. performance) be better than everyone else’s, or at least near the top?”

Aside from faith in American national excellence, the other main reason Americans seem so unperturbed by the widening chasm between the rich and everyone else is what I like to call the lottery effect. Buying lottery tickets is clearly an irrational act — the odds are hugely stacked against us. But many millions of us do, because we see the powerful evidence that an ordinary person, someone just like us whose only qualifying act was to buy a ticket, wins our favorite lottery every week.

For many Americans, the nation’s rowdy form of capitalism is a lottery that has similarly bestowed fabulous rewards on the Everyman. The current leading exemplar of self-made billions is Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, and he may soon be outstripped by the even more instant cyber-star Andrew Mason, the founder of Groupon.

But the problem with lotteries is that there are only a few winners. That is the story the numbers tell us about American capitalism today — and unless that underlying reality changes, at some point all those folks who think they already live in Sweden will realize they live in a winner-take-all society, and that most of us aren’t winning."

I first visited the then Soviet Union in 1975 and was struck more by similarities than differences in the two societies. The Russian communists had more in common with republican rotarians than American leftists. Today both countries have embraced what I call Fuck You capitalism and are run by oligarchic kleptocracies with similar results for their respective peoples.

oleg kostrow in three hands

From the great album "Moscow, the sex the city, the music".

Prosser Wins But State Investigation Into Years of Waukesha Voting Irregulaities Looms

Supposedly David Prosser has pulled off a squeaker in what was to be a cake walk:

"A conservative state Supreme Court justice overcame efforts to tie him to Wisconsin's polarizing governor and survived a near-upset in a race that drew national attention after a fierce fight over union rights.

County tallies finalized Friday showed Justice David Prosser defeated little-known challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg by 7,316 votes. State election officials said they will wait to declare an official winner until the deadline for Kloppenburg to seek a recount passes. She has until Wednesday to call for one."

I say supposedly as an investigation into the suspicious activities of the Waukesha county clerk, Kathy Nickolaus, is in the offing:

"The state's investigation into vote irregularities in Waukesha County will stretch back at least five years, the head of the Government Accountability Board said Thursday.....
"Now questions have emerged over Nickolaus' published vote counts from as far back as the fall of 2006, when there were key statewide elections including races for governor and attorney general.
"This is part of what we're looking into. We have a lot of complaints," said Kevin Kennedy, the director and general counsel for GAB. "It's part of our investigation."

This woman is not an aberration but rather an example of the ongoing criminal conspiracy known as the Republican Party. A RICO indictment is more in order.