Dock worker strike looms despite cooling-off period request

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dock workers on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts moved closer to a potential strike next week even though Florida's governor asked President Barack Obama to order a cooling-off period if the nearly 15,000 longshoremen walk off the job.

The International Longshoremen's Association, the union representing the dock workers, and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, the group of shippers and port operators, have been bargaining since March, but reportedly remain far from a deal covering cargo handling at 15 ports on the U.S. Gulf and eastern coasts.

The employment contract between the two groups expired at the end of September, but the sides agreed to a 90-day extension of terms that runs out on December 29. The union has said if the contract expires without a resolution it could call a strike a day later.

In a letter this week, Florida's Republican Governor Rick Scott asked President Obama to invoke federal law and order a cooling-off period if the longshoremen go on strike.

Despite Scott's request, the International Longshoremen's Association was continuing to operate with the December 29 deadline in mind, Jim McNamara, a spokesman for the longshoremen's union, said on Sunday.

"We have the deadline and we are waiting to hear from the federal mediator," McNamara said, adding that the union expects to "continue negotiations until the end of (December) 29, so that is where we are at right now."

Spokesmen for the U.S. Maritime Alliance were not immediately available for comment.

A White House spokesman was also not immediately available to comment on whether President Obama would consider the request for a cooling-off period.

Scott said in a letter to Obama, dated Thursday, that the president had the power under 1947's Taft-Hartley Act to prevent or interrupt a work stoppage at the ports. Presidents Richard Nixon and George W. Bush both used Taft-Hartley, which calls for 80-day cooling-off periods and mediation, Scott said.

Florida ports in Miami and Fort Lauderdale would be directly hit by a strike or lockout, but a stoppage would also rattle overall transport and trade, which accounts for 550,000 jobs in the state and $66 billion in economic activity, Scott told Obama.

The December 29 deadline looms as nearly 3,000 union dock workers at four Pacific Northwest ports voted on Friday and Saturday on a "final" contract offer presented by grain shippers. Union leaders had urged a rejection of the proposal, although results of the vote were not yet available on Sunday.

(Editing by Jan Paschal)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dock-worker-strike-looms-despite-cooling-off-period-211943084.html

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Take The Initiative With These Self Help Suggestions | Mind and ...

It?s of utmost importance to work on your self improvement. From developing a healthier lifestyle, to developing better spending habits. It?s vital that you work on yourself to live the best life you can. Think of personal development as a lifelong journey that could take you places you have not thought of yet. You are sure to have a much happier and healthier life if you find a way to develop and maintain good habits every day.

Personal development comes from the decisions that you make when you choose not to miss an opportunity. Even if you don?t have all the information you would like, don?t be scared to make decisions. Good instincts derive from making successful decisions. Even bad decisions serve a purpose, as they teach valuable lessons. You?ll make a better decision next time.

TIP! Everyone makes mistakes, especially when it comes to following a healthy diet. Stress can be just as detrimental to your health as a sugary meal, so keep that fact in mind, and try to relax.

When you are working toward self improvement, an important thing to keep in mind is that you are entitled to the best. You have no one to disappoint but yourself. You can?t have any regrets if you know that you performed to the best of your abilities.

A fundamental basic of personal development includes improvements to your health. People feel better physically and mentally when in the best shape. When your health is good you think wisely and make good decisions. You also save money on medical expenses. You?ll often find that making one healthy choice leads to another, helping you to continue to improve your healthy lifestyle.

TIP! A critical step of personal development is the realization and acceptance of your insignificance. Realizing how tiny you are in the grand scheme of things will help you to admit your ignorance.

Demonstrate altruism to improve your life. If you direct your energy outward to make others? lives better, while temporarily putting your own needs second, you can greatly improve your character. Making sacrifices for others can help you to transcend feelings of selfishness and jealousy.

Be aware of your physical limitations when reaching for your goals and do not overwhelm your body. Do your best, but do not overwork yourself to the point of physical or mental exhaustion. Making sure you stay healthy is important when you are trying to reach your goals. This will end up being counter-productive in your personal development.

TIP! Your body?s health and your mental health are two sides of the same coin, and each has a close effect on the other. Regular exercise and nutritious foods are important to gaining total personal fitness.

Act with your core values in place. Each individual has beliefs that he or she follows all the time. Following these beliefs will help your sense of self-esteem. It gives your life meaning and a solid structure to build around. Better yet, this practice encourages consistency, which is an excellent character trait to maintain.

It may become discouraging to begin developing better personal habits and lifestyles, but once you start noticing your life developing towards a better future, you will never want to stop. You can always develop better ways to do things and it?s important to always try hard towards any personal development goals you have.

TIP! Exercise is not only for people wanting to lose weight. The physical reasons for exercising are numerous.

You should now know more about the complex world of emotional freedom. Researching emotional freedom was an essential step. If you?re still curious, don?t be afraid to find other articles about emotional freedom to read through.

Categories: Personal Development | Tags: Personal Development | Permalink

Author: manpro

European Marketing Professional Online- and Networkmarketer Online Afiliate Marketer

Source: http://www.mindandbodymagic.com/take-the-initiative-with-these-self-help-suggestions/

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Film Threat - The Road To The End

When I was a kid, I wanted to be Indiana Jones. I acted out scenes from the first two films in my backyard with friends, and generally had lots of fun in Indiana Jones world. I never thought to film it, but some did, and those adventurous filmmakers are now older, and have a book written about their experience. My point in saying that is, even though it would be easy to dismiss a fan film made by children or young adults as simply just Pretend Time on Camera, that doesn?t necessarily mean it?s a bad thing. Every filmmaker has to start somewhere, and to be a filmmaker you must make films to perfect your craft and learn more.

Which brings us to Jason Wright?s short Lord of the Rings fan film, The Road to the End. In it, Wright, as Frodo, travels along with Gollum (Brian Wright) in his quest to rid Middle-earth of the One Ring and the evils of Sauron. While it takes some artistic license (where?s Sam?), the fan film seeks to shed a bit more light on how Frodo comes to understand Gollum?s plight, and sympathize, with someone whose life may be a sign of Frodo?s fate, should he never part with the One Ring. It?s a noble idea.

In practice, though, it is much like the criticisms lodged at Jackson?s own work, with some fan film-specific ones thrown in. The narrative is predominantly just Frodo and Gollum walking around. They may have a moment here or there of conflict, but there?s no real tale in there, beyond what we already know of the grander story. Because of the narrative?s lack of arc or conflict, it begins to feel repetitious and long, without focus.

Other criticisms are technical ones that are obvious, and born of both the filmmaker?s youthful nature and potential lack of resources. Gollum, for instance, was never going to be a motion-captured creation anywhere near what Peter Jackson came up with, but he could?ve been more than just a kid in a grey shirt and black shorts and sneakers, running around on all fours. Maybe some make-up? It?d probably be easier to accept Gollum?s lack of art direction in costuming if Frodo?s wasn?t so well done. Save the flip-flops on his feet, costume-wise, Frodo looks every bit the hobbit we?ve seen in other incarnations of the character.

Now, having said all that, the film has a number of strengths. The edit is extremely well-done; if it feels long, it?s not the pacing so much as it is the story. Additionally, despite the limited resources concerning the camera utilized, it is shot with a brilliant eye for composition. In other words, the film shows a true talent for filmmaking, shot composition and editing, including on the audio side of things.

Because, honestly, this isn?t that far off from being something truly strong; take off the flip-flops, and maybe wear a wig or let the hair grow out, and you?ve solved the criticisms of Frodo. Come up with a way to make Gollum look less like a kid in regular clothes, and that one?s taken care of too (the performance, outside the look, is great). Then you?re left with finding a story, which is no doubt the more difficult one to tackle, but also the most important. Sometimes that?s just a case of time or, worst case scenario, finding someone else who can write a great tale.

The Road to the End was shot in 2003, hence the young look of those involved (considering they?re all out of high school now), and I?m very impressed with the filmmaking involved. The talent was there, the skills were getting there; if this is what Wright was capable of making as a kid, I?m curious as to what he?s making now, nine years later.

This film was submitted for review through our Submission for Review system. If you have a film you?d like us to see, and we aren?t already looking into it on our own, you too can utilize this service.

Posted on December 22, 2012 in Reviews by Mark Bell

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Source: http://www.filmthreat.com/reviews/59159/

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Egypt's Brotherhood claims draft charter passes

CAIRO (AP) ? Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood claims that the disputed Islamist-backed constitution has passed with a 64 percent 'yes' vote after a two-round referendum.

The unofficial results announced by the Islamist group Sunday come a day before the election commission is expected to announce the final official tally for voting organized over two weeks.

According to the Brotherhood tally based on results from individual polling stations as well as voting abroad, around 64 percent of 16.6 million approved the constitution. Brotherhood totals have been accurate for earlier elections.

The local media has reported comparable results. The comparatively low turnout of 32 percent of eligible voters, as well as allegations by the opposition of voting violations, threatens to undermine the constitution's legitimacy and keep Egypt polarized.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypts-brotherhood-claims-draft-charter-passes-090621045.html

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NeighborWorks America Brings Individuals and Families ?Home for ...

Top Affordable Housing Organization Supports Pre-Purchase Counseling, Foreclosure Prevention Counseling and Access to Affordable Rental Homes

Washington, DC ? December 21, 2012 ? (RealEstateRama) ? As the holidays approach, many individuals and families across the nation who are ?home for the holidays? ? as homeowners or in affordable rental homes ? are there because of the work of NeighborWorks America and its network of affiliated organizations.

NeighborWorks America, which creates opportunities for people to live in affordable homes, improve their lives and strengthen their communities, supports a network of more than 235 nonprofits, located in every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. NeighborWorks organizations offer critical on-the-ground services to potential homeowners, providing assistance and serving as stewards to responsible homeownership. NeighborWorks through its organizations also works to create stronger communities by creating and managing affordable rental homes.

The following are examples of the consumers NeighborWorks organizations have served in the homeownership and rental process:

Daniel and Monique Hernandez (Phoenix, AZ) started looking to purchase a home more than 2 years ago but after several false starts their realtor and lender recommended they call NeighborWorks organization NHS Phoenix for help. With the assistance of NHS Phoenix counselors they were able to find a home they could afford. Daniel and Monique and their two children will spend this holiday season in their brand new home. They look forward to having a large space for their family to visit. ?We always wanted the stability and security of homeownership,? said Daniel. ?Being able to say we?re proud homeowners has been a long time coming, and it wouldn?t have been possible without the help of NHS Phoenix.?

Justin Kunesh and Mary Beth Kressin (Milwaukee, WI) recently moved into their new home with Select Milwaukee?s assistance. ?We love not just our house but what we are creating inside and outside of it,? the couple said. The couple worked closely with a homeownership specialist at Select Milwaukee to buy a foreclosed property in July and then with a rehab specialist who helped coordinate and oversee a two month long renovation project totaling $65,000. With capital from NeighborWorks? Capital Funding for the Rehabilitation of Affordable Housing (CFRAH), Select Milwaukee?s Renew GREEN energy efficiency improvements program provided a $15,000 loan, with a projected average annual energy savings of 30%. After completing all major rehab and construction work, the couple moved into their home in September. ?Select Milwaukee helped our dream become reality,? the couple said.

Savette Taylor (Wilmington, DE), a single parent with 2 children, nearly lost her home to foreclosure before NeighborWorks organization Interfaith Community Housing of Delaware, Inc. provided assistance. After two car accidents, Savette was unable to work and started to fall behind in paying bills. Savette valued the one-on-one foreclosure prevention education and counseling her housing counselor provided. ?I really feel comfortable knowing that I have someone to reach out to that can help, guide me and put me in the right direction,? said Savette. Working with Interfaith Community Housing of Delaware, Inc. helped her stay in her home. She is excited to spend the holidays at home, and have her financial challenges behind her. ?I host Thanksgiving and Christmas every year at my house for my entire family ? my mother, my grandmother, my aunt, my cousins ? and the house is full,? said Savette.

Darryl Perry (Silver Spring, MD), recently divorced and a U.S. Navy veteran, got a fresh start in an affordable rental home, close to public transportation, where his daughter can visit him regularly. Father and daughter now spend quality time cooking in their new kitchen and will be ?home for the holidays?.

?NeighborWorks America is committed to creating responsible homeownership and making sure that safe, decent affordable rental homes are available,? said NeighborWorks America CEO Eileen Fitzgerald. ?The NeighborWorks network of nonprofits provides critical on-the-ground knowledge of local communities, as well as best practices. We want everyone to be home, especially during the holiday season.?

In the last year, the NeighborWorks network assisted 260,000 households with housing needs, provided 93,000 individuals and families with homeownership education, owned and managed 96,000 rental homes, and created nearly 14,000 homeowners.

For more about NeighborWorks America, go to www.nw.org. To locate a NeighborWorks organization, go to http://www.nw.org/network/Utilities/NWOLookup.asp.

About NeighborWorks America
For nearly 35 years, NeighborWorks America has created opportunities for people to improve their lives and strengthen their communities by providing access to homeownership and to safe and affordable rental housing. In the last five years, NeighborWorks organizations have generated more than $19.5 billion in reinvestment in these communities. NeighborWorks America is the nation?s leading trainer of community development and affordable housing professionals.

Contacts:
Lindsay Moore, , 202-220-6317, twitter: @neighborworks

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  Washington, DC - November 20, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- As individuals and families prepare for Thanksgiving, and to host loved ones in their homes, NeighborWorks America celebrates new homeowners across the country as they experience the special joy of homeownership. NeighborWorks America, which creates opportunities for people to live in affordable homes, improve their lives and strengthen their communities, supports...

• NeighborWorks America Receives $2 Million Grant from Bank of America Charitable Foundation
  Washington, D.C. - April 22, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) --NeighborWorks America, one of the nation?s leading nonprofit community development corporations, today announced that it received a two-year, $2 million grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation to support a variety of initiatives including affordable homeownership and training for local nonprofit professionals....

• NeighborWorks? Helps More Than 16,700 Families Become Homeowners
  Washington, DC - March 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- NeighborWorks America, one of the largest community development corporations and the sponsor of one hundred full-service Home Ownership Centers around the U.S., today announced that more than 16,700 families became homeowners last year through the efforts of NeighborWorks organizations....

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Source: http://www.realestaterama.com/2012/12/21/neighborworks-america-brings-individuals-and-families-%E2%80%9Chome-for-the-holidays%E2%80%9D-ID017843.html

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Court strikes down Costa Rica in-vitro ban

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) ? A Costa Rican ban on in-vitro fertilization has been struck down by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in a decision that reproductive health groups said could lead to greater access to abortion and some contraception in other Latin American countries.

The court said in a ruling late Thursday that a long-standing Costa Rican guarantee of protection for every human embryo violated the reproductive freedom of infertile couples because it prohibited them from using in-vitro fertilization, which often involves the disposal of embryos not implanted in a patient's uterus.

The court said that governments cannot give embryos and fetuses absolute protection under the American Convention on Human Rights. The Costa Rican government said it will comply with the court's decision and move to allow in-vitro fertilization.

The advocacy groups said they believed they now would be able to successfully challenge bans such as the total prohibition of abortion in El Salvador, Honduras, the Dominican Republic and Chile, which are based in part on the assertion of total protection of life for embryos and fetuses.

"This is a wonderful day for reproductive rights," said Alejandra Cardenas, a lawyer for the U.S.-based Center for Reproductive Rights, which filed briefs in the case.

Oriester Rojas said he was forced to travel outside Costa Rica with his wife to get in-vitro treatment and told reporters, "I hope that from now on everyone who's been affected by this can have the opportunity to turn their dreams of being fathers and mothers into reality."

Advocacy groups said most important was language about a guarantee of the right to life included in the American Convention on Human Rights, a binding treaty ratified by most countries in the Western Hemisphere and overseen by the Costa Rica-based rights court.

The article declares that the right to life "shall be protected by law and, in general, from the moment of conception."

The six-judge panel said in its ruling that "it is possible to conclude from the words 'in general' that the law's protection of life under said provision is not absolute, but rather gradual and incremental according to the development of life."

Cardenas said that a new case challenging, for example, a total ban on abortion would have to follow the standard that protections for fetuses are not absolute.

"They are always subjected to exceptions and must be proportional and incremental," she said.

Costa Rican Attorney General Ana Lorena Brenes told reporters, "We don't agree with it, but that doesn't mean that the country won't respect the judges' decision."

In-vitro fertilization was introduced to Costa Rica in 1996 by a doctor who helped couples give birth to 15 babies over four years. It provoked strong opposition from conservative groups and the Roman Catholic Church, which campaigned against the technique because it led to the disposal of fertilized eggs.

In 2001, 18 people brought a complaint before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights after Costa Rica became the only Latin American country to bar in-vitro fertilization.

Costa Rican couples with enough money traveled to clinics in Panama, where hundreds of Costa Rican babies were born with the technique. One of the arguments the plaintiffs made before the Inter-American commission was that the ban was a form of discrimination against poorer families.

The human-rights commission ruled against Costa Rica and in 2010, after the failure of a congressional reform, the Inter-American Court on Human Rights took up the case, hearing testimony from both sides before issuing its binding ruling.

The regional court not only struck down the ban Thursday but said it was requiring Costa Rica to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation to the complainants and pay for in-vitro fertilization for low-income couples through its social security system.

The United States is one of 12 countries that have either not ratified the American Convention on Human Rights or have pulled out of it due to objections that it violates their national sovereignty.

____

Weissenstein reported from Mexico City.

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Michael Weissenstein on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mweissenstein

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/court-strikes-down-costa-rica-vitro-ban-190900474.html

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Pope grants pre-Christmas pardon to former butler

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict made a surprise pre-Christmas visit to the jail holding his former butler on Saturday and pardoned him for stealing and leaking documents that alleged corruption in the Holy See.

The pope and Paolo Gabriele spent about 15 minutes together before Gabriele was freed and allowed to return to his family in their Vatican apartment, a Vatican spokesman said.

Gabriele was convicted of aggravated theft on October 6 in a case that shone unwelcome publicity on the Vatican and had been serving an 18-month sentence in a jail cell in the city state's police headquarters.

"This was a paternal gesture towards a person with whom the pope shared his daily life for several years," Father Federico Lombardi, a spokesman, said.

"This is a happy ending in this Christmas season," he said.

Gabriele was arrested in May after Vatican police found many documents in his possession that had been stolen from the pope's office.

The former butler gave them to the media in what mushroomed into an embarrassing scandal for Benedict's pontificate that became known as "Vatileaks".

Gabriele told investigators he had leaked the documents because he saw "evil and corruption everywhere in the Church" and that information was being hidden from the pope.

The Vatican said the pope had also pardoned a second Vatican employee, Claudio Sciarpelletti, who was convicted in a separate trial of helping Gabriele and given a two month suspended sentence.

Gabriele will no longer be able to work in the Vatican but will be helped to find a job and start a new life outside its walls together with his family, the Vatican said.

"VISCERAL LOVE"

Gabriele, 46, told the court that convicted him at the trial - one of the most sensational in the recent history of the Holy See - that he did not consider himself a thief and that he had done what he did out of "visceral" love for the Church.

In one of the most dramatic betrayals of trust in Vatican history, Gabriele, who served the pope his meals and helped him dress, photocopied sensitive documents under the nose of his immediate superiors in a small office adjacent to the papal living quarters in the Apostolic Palace.

He then hid more than 1,000 copies and original documents, including some the pope had marked "to be destroyed," among many thousands of other papers and old newspaper clippings in a huge armoire in the family apartment inside the Vatican walls.

A former member of the small, select group known as "the papal family", Gabriele was one of fewer than 10 people who had a key to an elevator leading directly to the pope's apartments.

He said during the trial that from his perch as papal butler he was able to see how easily a powerful man could be manipulated by aides and kept in the dark about things he should have known.

In the course of the trial, intimate details emerged of the inner workings of an institution long renowned for its secrecy.

The documents Gabriele leaked triggered one of the biggest crises of Pope Benedict's papacy when they emerged in a muckraking expose by an Italian journalist earlier this year.

The case was all the more embarrassing for the Vatican because it came at a time when it was trying to limit the reputational fallout from a series of scandals involving sexual abuse of minors by clerics around the world as well as from mismanagement at its bank.

(Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Andrew Osborn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pope-grants-pre-christmas-pardon-former-butler-123004105.html

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