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BEIJING — Two Chinese activists who agitated for officials to disclose assets argued their innocence on Thursday, the second day in a series of prosecutions of anti-corruption campaigners highlighting the government's resolve to crush any challenges.
The trial of Zhao Changqing, a veteran Chinese dissident, was adjourned after he dismissed his two lawyers in a move that would help delay his case, one of his lawyers, Zhang Xuezhong, told Reuters by telephone.
China's government has waged a 10-month drive against the "New Citizens' Movement" of which Zhao was a member. The group advocates working within the system to press for change, including urging officials to reveal their assets.
Zhao initiated dinner gatherings in Beijing where citizens discussed the disclosure campaign. He is charged with "gathering a crowd to disturb public order," an offence punishable by up to five years in prison.
Zhao told a Beijing courtroom that he was not guilty of any crime, Zhang said.
"He said that all his actions, including promoting the asset disclosure of officials, promoting equal access to education in China and pursuing the realization of constitutional democracy are completely legitimate and legal, and in keeping with the basic principles of modern civilization," Zhang said.
"He felt that the court was being totally unjust and that their allegations were unfair."
Zhao would get 15 days to select two new lawyers. "Only in this way can he avoid a hasty court trial that would be wrapped up before the Chinese New Year," Zhang said.
"If you delay the time a little, there's always the opportunity that there might be a change."
Zhao has been jailed three times for pro-democracy activities, including a three-month sentence for his involvement in the June 4, 1989, protests in Tiananmen Square.
The campaign against the movement exposes the ambivalence in Beijing's bid to root out pervasive corruption, even as President Xi Jinping leads a new campaign to tackle graft.
China has detained at least 20 activists involved in pressing for asset disclosure, although not all are from the New Citizens' Movement.
Another activist, Hou Xin, stood trial in Beijing on Thursday afternoon. Hou was one of four activists who unfurled a banner in Beijing last year urging officials to disclose their assets.
Hou, who has been released on bail, is also charged with "gathering a crowd to disturb public order", her lawyer, Ding Xikui, told Reuters.
"She defended herself, [saying] she believes she's innocent," Ding said. "She expressed her views—that this is a normal and legitimate expression and not a crime."
Prominent rights advocate Xu Zhiyong, who founded the New Citizens' Movement, went on trial on Wednesday, but his lawyer said he refused to offer any defense and called the court unjust.
US Concerned
Diplomats said they were shut out of Zhao's trial, which was surrounded by heavy security. Police hauled a dozen petitioners away from the courthouse and fended off foreign reporters.
Gary Locke, US ambassador to China, said in a statement he was concerned that the trial of Xu and other activists was "retribution for their public campaigns to expose official corruption and for the peaceful expression of their views."
"The United States government calls on Chinese authorities to release Xu and other political prisoners immediately," Locke added.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang, asked about the foreign criticism of the trial, repeated that Xu was being tried in accordance with the law, and that China "resolutely opposed" foreign criticism.
The Global Times, a popular tabloid owned by Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece the People's Daily, said China should not be "overly sensitive" about the West's special attention to dissidents and support.
"But the Chinese people will never allow the attitudes of external forces to guide the country's attitude in its internal affairs," it said in a comment.
On its microblog account, the Beijing No.1 Intermediate Court said Wang Gongquan, a venture capitalist and close friend of Xu's who was arrested last October, had confessed to "planning and inciting a mob to disturb public order" together with Xu.
But Zhang Qingfang, Xu's lawyer, said the posting was a "complete distortion of facts".
Five more activists will stand trial in Beijing and the southern city of Guangzhou on Friday and Monday. Three went on trial in December and face more than 10 years in prison if convicted.
On Wednesday, Xu attempted to read a closing statement to the court, but was cut short by the judge. In the statement, he defended the New Citizens' Movement.
"More than 137 countries and territories around the world currently have systems in place for officials to declare assets, so why can't China? What exactly is it these 'public servants' fear so much?" he wrote.


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On the night of the unexpected election of Argentina's Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio as Pope Francis, many of the Romans gathered in St. Peter's Square were actually rooting for an American pope -- and not only for the breath of fresh air a "Yankee pope" promised to bring to the centuries-old traditions of the Vatican.
Rome's business owners had pinned their hopes on the election of an American pope in the hope it would generate an extra influx of tourists and bring some much needed relief to the Eternal City's crisis-battered economy.
Rome was hit particularly hard in the global recession that saw Italy's gross domestic product (the sum of all goods and services produced) shrink by 2.2 percent in 2012. Recent data show that unemployment in the Eternal City rose by almost 3 percent in the last four years.
"We hope the conclave lasts for a few days and that they elect an American pope: he would bring more tourists," the owner of a cafe near the Vatican told the La Repubblica newspaper before the conclave.
As it turned out, the cardinals chose the new pope quickly, after only two days of voting, and opted for a Latin American.
Still, the first few days of Bergoglio's papacy have sparked enthusiasm in Rome and throughout the world. And Roman shop owners and hotel managers have started to believe the election of Pope Francis will still be good news for them.
The new pope is "worth around 50 or 55 million euros a month," Giuseppe Roscioli, president of Italy's hoteliers association, told the Corriere della Sera daily.
If at first tourists will mostly come from Argentina, "then they will come from all South America: Brazil, Mexico and so on," he said.
The positive effect of Bergoglio's election will be felt for five or six months, he added.
The recent influx of tourists and journalists who wanted to witness the papal transition has already boosted Rome's economy.
The day of Francis' election, the Italian newspaper La Stampa reported that rates for hotel rooms and rental apartments in the vicinity of the Vatican had skyrocketed since Pope Benedict XVI's surprise resignation announcement Feb. 11.
Renting an apartment near St. Peter's for the duration of the conclave might cost up to 8,000 euros (about $10,000), or even more if it sports a room with a view of St. Peter's Basilica or the Sistine Chapel's chimney.
The price of hotel rooms more than doubled compared to normal rates this season, according to Federconsumatori, a consumer association.
Small businesses around the Vatican, such as souvenir sellers, have benefited, too, even if Bergoglio's election also surprised them.
Just minutes after Francis finished introducing himself to the crowd in St. Peter's Square on March 13, a woman perusing the shelves of a tourist shop just outside the square asked the storekeeper, "When will you have souvenirs of the new pope?"
"Tomorrow, maybe the day after tomorrow," the man answered. "I just called the supplier and he says they were planning for the Italian or the Brazilian. They didn't expect this. So it's going to take a little longer."
It usually takes no longer than 48 hours for souvenir suppliers to produce rosaries, medals, key chains and candles with the image of the new pope.
Cecilia Lozzi of Mondoroma Distribuzione, a company that makes papal souvenirs, said after a new Vatican law introduced copyright on the pope's image, producers must wait for the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, to supply an official image.
But even as they wait for the official image, many producers decided to use the iconic image of Francis smilingly saluting the crowd from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica.
Less than 48 hours after his election, Bergoglio's face already adorned rosaries, postcards and prayer cards sold at the trinket stands near St. Peter's Square. Prices ranged anywhere from 75 cents to $9.
While the most popular papal souvenirs remain those bearing the image of John Paul II, souvenir shops hope Bergoglio will eventually prove just as popular.
"I think he's going to be a good pope," Stefano Di Segni, owner of a trinket stand around the Vatican for 30 years, told Reuters. And, he hopes, good for business.

subset: commoncrawl


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Dear Editor,
It is hard to believe that summer is over and that school has already started. As we begin the school year it is important that we as a community support our local public schools.
We have amazing schools, but with the continuous state cuts in education it is our responsibility to step up and provide what the state will not provide. This means supporting the PTAs at the local schools, and the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation.
We are experiencing a shift in fundraising throughout our school district, and in order to make it a success it is essential that everyone participates in the fundraising campaign this year, and every year.
Moving forward the Education Foundation will be fundraising for the Vision for Student Success, which will provide art classes, reading and math intervention, highly trained teacher's aides, teacher training, lower class size in grades K-3, and enrichment in every single school in the school district.
The PTAs and Booster Clubs will continue to fundraise at their own schools, but the Education Foundation will now be the only way to provide some of the enrichment that those organizations have provided for in the past.
However, in order for the Education Foundation to succeed, the communities of Santa Monica and Malibu must change their mind set and participate in this campaign.
Please support our local schools by contributing to the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation AND to the PTAs and Booster Clubs at the local schools.
The Education Foundation is asking for a dollar a day ($365), but more importantly we are hoping for a very high participation rate, so please give whatever you are comfortable giving.
The excellence of our schools only helps our community, so whether you have children in our schools or not, we are asking that you support Santa Monica and Malibu's youth by supporting our excellent public schools. Change is difficult, but it can also be exciting.
Get on the wave of change and support our students by supporting the Education Foundation.
Donate at www.smmef.org or send donations to:
Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation 1645 16th Street Santa Monica, CA 90404
Wendy Sidley Board President
Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation


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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a prescription polymer treatment for brittle nail syndrome (nail dystrophy). Innocutis' Nuvail, a 16% poly-ureaurethane, was formulated to mechanically support the damaged nail plate using a proprietary polymer blend that creates a strong adhesion to the nail surface. This forms a breathable barrier while protecting and strengthening the nail.The treatment penetrates the intercellular spaces and nail surface ridges.
The breathable barrier allows for oxygen transfer to the nail plate while blocking water absorption, thus preventing the wet-dry cycle that leads to damaged nails. Daily application of Nuvail also protects the nail from harm caused by work activity such as direct abrasion and friction, according to the company.
The treatment dries with a clear matte finish and is, therefore, usable by both men and women. Nail polish may be worn on top of the polymer treatment, but the polish must be applied after the treatment dries and must be removed before reapplication.
Although this patented polymer treatment is available by prescription only, perhaps its technology can be adapted for more effective cosmetic nail treatments.


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Hide-A-Way Hills Real Estate
Updates, articles, listing information and general musings about the community of Hide-A-Way Hills and its relate real estate.
Providing UNIQUE Internet Marketing and a RESPONSIVE level of informed, professional real estate services to Buyers and Sellers in Hide-A-Way Hills, Ohio and the surrounding Hocking and Fairfield County areas.
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Hide-A-Way Hills is sure to be your perfect resort community for that getaway cabin or your next full-time neighborhood. Hide-A-Way Hills possesses a relaxing attitude towards life that you thought never existed in less than a 60 minute drive from Columbus or Athens, Ohio.
Hide away cabins, lakefront homes, golf course views, and homes on wooded lots all can be found at the private gated resort community of Hide-A-Way Hills, Ohio.


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Morton's streak ends as Angels beat Rays 5-3
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Charlie Morton's luck finally ran out.
He suffered his first loss in 22 starts on Saturday when the Angels hit three homers in a 5-3 victory over Tampa Bay. It was his first loss since Aug. 11, when he pitched for the Houston Astros.
"I've pitched poorly enough to lose this year. I just didn't because our guys put up a bunch of runs and got me off the hook," said Morton (8-1). "You can lose giving up a run or two. I've just been really fortunate to be on a really good team, really good defense, really good offense."
He struck out nine in six innings, giving up four runs on five hits, including a couple of home runs.
"I didn't think my best stuff, my best pitches, came until the last few innings," he said. "That was the kind of game where you make a couple mistakes and you for pay for it."
David Fletcher, Justin Bour and Kevan Smith homered for the Angels. Fletcher's three-run home run in the second spotted left-hander Jose Suarez an early lead in his third major league start, and the Angel bullpen preserved it with 3 1/3 shutout innings.
Hansel Robles pitched the ninth for his 10th save in 12 opportunities.
The Angels' victory, coming quickly after a bullpen meltdown in a 9-4 loss on Friday night, was good for manager Brad Ausmus' appetite.
"It's good to get that off your back," Ausmus said. "We had a rough one yesterday out of the pen, but to come back less than 24 hours later and get the job done, it certainly makes it a lot easier to enjoy dinner."
The Angels' fourth win in five games came without a hit from Mike Trout (0 for 4), Shohei Ohtani (0 for 4) or Albert Puljols, who had the day off. Trout saw it as a big confidence boost for the beleaguered bullpen on a day when veteran Cody Allen was designated for assignment.
"Obviously you're going to run into games like (Friday night)," Trout said. "But they stepped up today and that's what you've got to do in baseball; you've got to turn the page."
The Rays fell into a virtual first-place tie with the New York Yankees, who were scheduled to play Saturday night.
Brian Goodwin drove in the Angels' first run with a double and scored on Fletcher's two-run homer, giving Los Angeles a 3-0 lead in the second inning. Bour made it 4-0 with a homer in the fourth, his sixth of the season.
Yandy Diaz got the Rays back in the game with a three-run homer, his 11th, after hits by Avisail Garcia and Tommy Pham in the sixth. Pham had two singles in his fourth straight multi-hit game.
Smith's second homer of the season, off reliever Jake Faria, regained a two-run lead for the Angels in the eighth.
Suarez (2-1) gave up three runs on five hits, including Diaz's homer, in 5 2/3 innings.
"He did everything we needed him to do today," said Smith. "He was able to go deep into the game, and he did it with all of his pitches. Kept them off balance, and we were able to get to our horses in the bullpen and close the game out."
Tampa Bay two-way prospect Brendan McKay entered after an opener for Triple-A Durham against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and struck out rehabbing New York Yankees sluggers Aaron Judge (left oblique strain) and Giancarlo Stanton (biceps/shoulder/calf) a combined three times in four at-bats. The lefty, who has a 1.35 ERA in four appearances, retired Judge on a grounder and a strikeout, while striking out Stanton twice.
Angels: SS Tommy La Stella remained out of the lineup with left forearm tightness. ... RHP Trevor Cahill threw from up to 180 feet as part of his recovery from right elbow inflammation.
Rays: RHP Tyler Glasnow (strained right forearm) threw briefly off a bullpen mound for the first time. He can come off the 60-day IL on July 10.
Angels: Struggling reliever Cody Allen, 0-2 with a 6.26 ERA in 25 games, was designated for assignment one day after allowing four runs over two-thirds of an innings in Friday's 9-4 loss to the Rays. RHP Taylor Cole was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake.
Rays: RHP Jake Faria was recalled from Triple-A Durham due to a taxed bullpen and INF Daniel Robertson was optioned to the International League club. Robertson was hitting just .205 with two homers and 15 RBIs in 58 games.
RHP Griffin Channing, one of four pitchers in AL history to have recorded five or more strikeouts in each of his first eight starts, makes his ninth start in Sunday's series finale against Rays opener Ryne Stanek. The Angels will be trying to get back to .500 for the first time since April 15.


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Widespread power outages and subway shutdowns may wind up making Superstorm Sandy the second most expensive storm in U.S. history, according to the forecasting firm Eqecat. That would rank it right behind Hurricane Katrina.
Eqecat said Thursday that the damage from the storm will likely be far worse than it previously predicted, largely a result of Sandy hitting the most densely populated area in the country.
The firm doubled its previous estimate for the total bill and now says Sandy may have caused between $30 billion and $50 billion in economic losses, including property damage, lost business and extra living expenses. The cost to insurance companies could run as low as $10 billion and as high as $20 billion.
The new numbers square with an earlier estimate from IHS Global Insight. IHS said Sandy could cause about $20 billion in property damages and between $10 billion and $30 billion in lost business.
The firm pointed to two reasons that Sandy will leave a bigger bill than it first thought. Power outages are more widespread than in a typical Category 1 storm, Eqecat said. Sandy knocked out electricity for more homes and businesses than any other storm in history, according to the Department of Energy.
The lack of subway service in New York City and blocked roadways will also push the total cost higher, Eqecat said.
Before the storm hit, Eqecat had estimated that total economic losses from Sandy could range as high as $20 billion and that losses to insurance companies could reach $10 billion. Payouts for insurance claims are typically a fraction of the overall cost to the economy.
If the damages hit $50 billion, it would make Sandy the second-costliest U.S. storm after Katrina in 2005. Katrina's overall costs were $108 billion. Taking inflation into account, that works out to $128 billion today.
Even after adjusting for inflation, the high end of Eqecat's damage estimates for Sandy would be higher than those caused by previous major storms. Andrew, which struck in 1992, cost $44 billion in today's dollars, and the Ike storm of 2008 cost $32 billion.
Another major firm that calculates the cost of catastrophes, RMS, is gathering information before it makes its first estimate. RMS said Thursday that it has two reconnaissance teams out surveying the damage. The firm has offices in Hoboken, N.J., where floodwaters stranded thousands of people.
Eqecat's estimates only cover private losses, not costs covered by the government through the National Flood Insurance Program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Max Mayfield, the hurricane center director during Katrina, said the costs to FEMA can be $2 to $2.5 for every dollar of losses covered by private insurance.


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Nectar Monthly Honors December 2010
December has been a month of extreme highs and lows. As I've pushed forward with the opening of Nectar Tasting Room (January 6-8), I've experienced several crushing blows that are almost immediately followed by big wins. This experience has certainly added several grey hairs to my head and wrinkles to my face. Last January, I kicked off the year with my first Nectar Monthly Honors recap. While not quite as cool as a Grammy nomination, it has been an attempt to capture my favorite things from the previous month. I make it a point to save favorite tweets, blog posts, and I review the wines from the month to highlight my favorites.
December 2010 has been one of the most busy months of my entire life. In the midst of everything I managed to write 16 posts (my lowest total since I started the blog). These 16 posts generated the highest traffic ever on the site with nearly 10,000 people viewing over 17,500 pages. 17 wines made the pages of NectarWineBlog this month and some of them were very, very good!
Cheers to you and yours for 2011. My goal (or resolution if you will) is to continue with more of the same. The tasting room will open and hopefully this time next year I can report back that I've been able to quit the day job. Enjoy life with friends and drink happy!
Wines of the Month
Best Value Under $15
Oddly enough, I didn't review any wines that were under $15 retail this month. I did enjoy a $14 Chardonnay from Terra Blanca winery as part of our tasting room preview party and I purchased a few Argentinean Astica Malbec ($5) from Rocket Market (3/5). While the Terra Blanca Chardonnay was a nicely balanced Chardonnay, I've committed to not reviewing the wines at the tasting room (conflict of interest). So, for December 2010, no wine is chosen for this category.
Best Overall Wine
Of the 17 wines that showed up in the December reviews, several compete for the top spot of the month. A company known for TV dinners surprised me. A Rose in the Palouse captured my imagination. A wine consumed in October ended up being my top pick for December's best overall wine.
In October, I enjoyed a visit to 3 wineries in the Columbia Gorge area (Maryhill, The Pines 1852 and Syncline Winery). James Mantone of Syncline has an old world approach to his wine making that brings out the flavor of the vineyard and the grape without over oxidizing or oaking the wine.
The Southern Rhone inspired with a Grenache (48%) and Mouvedre (24%) focused blend that also includes Syrah, Counoise, and Cinsault. Not much in my notes except silky and thick. Perfume and raspberry on the nose with great layers of fruit and spice. $35 4+/5
Read about the rest of the journey and other Syncline wines, here > http://drinknectar.com/2010/12/02/visit-the-columbia-gorge-for-some-surprise-wines/
- Runner-up: 2009 Wawawai Canyon Carmenere Rose
Other Highlights From December
Marketing Advice for Any Business
enobytes Where Will You Spend Your Next Marketing Dollar for 2011? http://bit.ly/fkbSVu
noseyparkerinw Small business predictions 2011 -pay attention for your own good http://ning.it/gQ8rEE
Posts that Make You Think
@ThomsonVnyrds: Millennials Would Rather Die http://ht.ly/3mgbb Do you agree?
@9swords 25 reasons why I'll leave your website in 10 seconds http://bit.ly/hVWAB5
Best Picture of the Month
Millennier Photo: Give me a break. Now. fuckyeahwine: http://tumblr.com/xv9y2t9kd
Post that Made Me Spit Wine Out My Nose
lenndevours Is @JamesSuckling a Douche? This blog sure makes a strong case http://bit.ly/hmcWzw
Top Posts of The Month
- Leavenworth – Bavarian for Wine – Proper SEO helped drive traffic to this post as thousands of visitors searched for Leavenworth Christmas Tree Lighting party. This post is a recap of my visit to several Leavenworth wineries.
- Ten Blogging Lessons I Learned In Year One – This post is a holdover from November and got some great readership in the last few days of December.


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There are lots of dirty words reserved for females, particularly those of high-school age. But there are three words that, arguably, epitomize them all. As has been shouted down many a junior high hallway: "You are just a fat, slutty, lesbian." This is enough to make some girls cry, others defiant. They have a notable effect on girls of my generation as a whole.
Many of these words are used as terms of endearment among certain clans of females, but others find them dreadfully offensive. The words' meanings fluctuate based on by and to whom they are said. Still, the fact that these words have such a significant effect makes a point about the values of the next generation of young adults.
So, it appears that the worst things for a female young adult to be are overweight, sexually promiscuous and homosexual.
The only reason for someone to remark upon someone else's weight, arguably, is for health reasons, and for that you would really have to care about him or her. Because of the stigma of obesity in our society, though, it's almost impossible to make this statement without being utterly offensive. And even if it is for health reasons … well, if you possessed an acquaintance who never ate any fruit or vegetables, would you yell down the hallway after she did something awful,"You lousy non-fruit eater!"?
The non-fruit eater, to eliminate association with this label, might increase her fruit intake, which could improve her health. Similarly, someone called "fat" might try to lose weight. With teenagers, often unaware of and impulsive about such issues, the seemingly easiest way to lose weight is to engage in an eating disorder. And it's likely that anorexic or bulimic behaviors would be far more damaging to her health than being (over)weight would. The (coughcough bullshit coughcough) beauty standards shown everywhere–television, the Internet, magazines–already torture tons of girls about their self-image, causing many to think that they are "fat" when they are at a perfectly healthy weight. And if they were overweight to the point where it negatively impacted their health, there shouldn't be societal condemnation; there should be support. Weight certainly doesn't impact who someone is as a person.
Now for slut, which according to Merriam-Webster is "a slovenly woman," "a promiscuous woman; especially: prostitute" or "a saucy girl." Many girls who are branded as sluts wear things that are more revealing and sexually provocative than do other girls, but is that slovenly? Today, the word slut does pertain to promiscuity, but when this term originated it was a synonym for prostitute. Although some teenage girls called sluts may be sexually active, it's unlikely that there are large sums of money changing hands. And a saucy girl–really? Saucy can mean simply intelligent, but, less flatteringly it means "amusingly forward and flippant." Are "forward" boys called any term that has been degrading since 1500? No. This term exemplifies not only the sexual double standard but also persisting intellectual sexism. Sexual promiscuity does not define the goodness of a person either; unless peoples' feelings are being hurt or health being damaged, is this truly a judge of one's character?
Finally, "lesbian" or "gay." In the immortal, YouTube-sanctioned words of John Green:
So, I thought this was pretty widely known, but I guess I have to explain what gay means. Being gay means that you're attracted to people of the same gender. So, a video can't be gay because it doesn't have a gender … Gay will never work as an insult because it's not bad.
Why and how has our society managed to marginalize yet another minority and turn a simple word for identity into a volatile slur? Although evidence points to sexual orientation being genetic or biological, even if it isn't, how is someone else's life anyone else's business? As Green pointed out, why is any object that is considered bad called gay? Because teenagers are horrifically misinformed about these issues. It's basic human rights that are being violated each time the words gay or lesbian are misused.
Every person who uses these insults, whether aware or not, is affirming society's definitions of what is correct. But there is no "right" body type. There is no "right" sexual activity. There is no "right" sexual orientation. This youth generation is blindly succumbing to the adult-constructed media; we are not even thinking for ourselves. If we want a progressive society, we're going to have to make quite a few changes within our own generation.
Alexa Salvato is 15 years old. This post originally appeared at the fbomb.
Photo courtesy of Flickr user d.loop under Creative Commons 3.0


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Lots of organizations come to our company, Advertising for Humanity, asking for "a new brand." They typically mean a new name, or icon, or a new look and feel for their existing name. Lots of people think that brand begins and ends there — that once we shine up the name they can stick it below their email signature, pop it on their website, and, voila, they have a new brand. Much of our work consists of disabusing people of this notion.
Brand is much more than a name or a logo. Brand is everything, and everything is brand.
web: http://blogs.hbr.org/pallotta/2011/06/a-logo-is-not-a-brand.html


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Union Busting in America
Written by Stephen Lendman Subject: ActivismIt dates from America's 19th century industrial expansion when workers moved away from farms to factories, mines, and other urban environments, with harsh working conditions, low pay, and other exploitive abuses. As a result, labor movements emerged, organizing workers to lobby for better rights and safer conditions, pitting them against corporate bosses yielding nothing without a fight.
During unionism's formative years, workers were terrorized for organizing. In company-owned towns, they were thrown out of homes, beaten, shot, and hanged to leave management empowered.
The 1892 Homestead Steel Works strike culminated in a violent battle between Pinkerton agents and workers. As a result, seven were killed, dozens wounded, and, at the behest of Andrew Carnegie, owner of Carnegie Steel, Governor Robert Pattison sent National Guard troops to evict workers from company homes, make arrests, and help CEO Henry Clay Frick's union busting strategy. It worked, preventing organizing of the Works for the next 40 years.
The Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions chose May 1, 1886 as the date for an eight-hour work day to become standard. As the date approached, unions across America prepared to strike. On May 1, national rallies were held, involving up to 500,000 workers.
On May 4, the landmark Haymarket Square riot protested police violence against strikers the previous day. Someone threw a bomb. Police opened fire. Deaths resulted. Seven so-called anarchists were convicted of murder. Four were executed.
Radicalized by the incident, Emma Goldman became a powerful social justice voice through writing, lecturing, being imprisoned for her activism, and finally emigrating to Russia after its revolution, then elsewhere in Europe. After her death, she was buried in Chicago near the graves of the Haymarket radicals she supported.
Led by American Railway Union's Eugene Debs, the 1894 Pullman strike was the first national one, involving 250,000 workers in 27 states and territories. America's entire rail labor force struck, paralyzing the nation's railway system. At the time, The New York Times called it "a struggle between the greatest and most important labor organization and the entire railroad capital."
At issue were unfair labor practices, including long hours, low pay, poor working conditions, and little sympathy from owner George Pullman. On his behalf, President Grover Cleveland sent federal troops. Hundreds of others were given police powers. At the time, unionists were seen threatening US prosperity.
The strike was broken, killing 13, wounding dozens and resulting in Debs' arrest, trial, conviction for violating a court injunction, and imprisonment for six months. Radicalized by the experience, he became America's leading socialist figure when released, later running five times for president, in 1920 while again in prison for opposing US involvement in WW I.
Founded in 1905, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or Wobblies) had 100,000 members at its peak in the 1920s. Led by Big Bill Haywood, Eugene Debs, and others, it was committed to help workers against abusive management practices. It's motto was "an injury to one is an injury to all." It's goal was revolutionary, saying in its Constitution:
"The working class and the employing class have nothing in common. There can be no peace so long as hunger and want are found among millions of the working people. (The) struggle must go on until the workers of the world organize as a class, take possession of the means of production, abolish the (unfair) wage system, and live in harmony with the Earth....It is the mission of the working class to do away with capitalism (for) a new society within the shell of the old."
As a result, corporate bosses and Washington sought to crush it. In 1917, the Wilson administration used the Espionage and Sedition Act to raid and disrupt union meetings across the country, arresting hundreds on the grounds that they hindered the war effort by opposing it. In 1918, they were tried, convicted and given long sentences, except Haywood. Released on bail after conviction, he fled to Russia where he remained.
From 1918 - 21, the infamous Palmer Raids ravaged the union further during the time of the first Red Scare, effectively busting it, though it's still around, a shadow of its former self. Visit its web site at iww.org to follow their latest activities, including comments on class warfare in Wisconsin.
In the early 20th century, Colorado labor wars raged, notably pitting mine bosses, National Guard troops, and strikebreakers against workers. In his People's History of the United States, Howard Zinn wrote poignantly about the 1913-14 Ludlow, CO coal strike and subsequent massacre, killing 75 or more strikers, strikebreakers, and bystanders for defying what he called "fuedal kingdoms run by (coal barons that) made the laws," imposed curfews, and ran their operations more like despots than businessmen.
Other Union Busting Efforts
During the 1902 coal strike, 14 miners were killed and 22 injured in Pana, IL. In 1904, a Dunnville, CO battle between state militia forces and workers left six dead, others injured, 15 arrested, and 79 exiled to Kansas.
During the 1909 New York shirtwaist strike, female garment workers were arrested, a judge telling them, "You are on strike against God." In March 1911, a fire at New York's Triangle Shirtwaist factory killed 46, mostly women and young girls working in sweatshop conditions. They still exist today. Earlier articles discussed them, accessed through the following links:
In 1912, the IWW-led Lawrence, MA Bread and Roses textile strike was largely successful. It was credited with inventing the moving picket line, a tactic to avoid arrest for loitering. Also in 1912, National Guard forces were used against striking West Virginia coal miners. In July that year, striking Brotherhood of Timber Workers were confronted by armed Galloway Lumber Company thugs, resulting in four deaths and dozens wounded, the incident called the Grabow Riot.
In 1913, New Orleans police shot three maritime workers, striking against the United Fruit Company. One died.
In 1914, Butte, Montana militia crushed striking Western Federation of Miners workers.
On January 19, 1915, famed labor leader Joe Hill was arrested in Salt Lake City, UT on bogus murder charges. Nonetheless, he was executed 21 months later. Before his death, he wrote Bill Haywood saying, "Don't mourn - organize!" The same day, Roosevelt, NJ factory guards shot 20 rioting strikers.
In 1916, Everett (WA) Mills strikebreakers attacked and beat strikers. Police stood back without intervening, claiming the incident took place on federal land. Three days later, 22 unionists were arrested for speaking out. In October that year, IWW members were beaten, whipped, kicked and impaled for their activism. At their subsequent November 5 meeting, seven were shot and killed, 50 others wounded, and unknown numbers were unaccounted for.
Numerous other incidents at that time involved shootings, hangings, beatings, and arrests, unionists viciously attacked to disrupt them.
In 1919, nearly four million workers struck, including against against steel and coal companies. Management retaliated. The year's Great Steel Strike failed. Company owners called workers dangerous radicals threatening America. Federal and National Guard troops again were used, resulting in violence, deaths, injuries and arrests. From 1919 - 23, numerous coal strikes also occurred, government again siding with management.
In 1920, the Battle of Matewan resulted in nine deaths, later sparking an armed rebellion of 10,000 West Virginia coal miners at the Battle of Blair Mountain, the largest insurrection since the Civil War against which army troops intervened.
In 1922, the Herrin, IL coal strike massacre left 21 dead. In 1927, picketing coal miners were massacred in the company town of Serene, CO. In 1929, National Guard troops and armed thugs destroyed the National Textile Workers Union (NTWU) office during the Loray Mill Strike.
During the 1937 Little Steel strike, Youngstown Steel and Tube and Republic Steel employed hundreds of armed police who fired on strikers trying to prevent scabs from entering factories. On May 30, things exploded when Chicago police joined them, opening fire on picketing strikers and their families, killing 10 and injuring hundreds.
Earlier in the 1930s, unionists were convicted of criminal syndicalism. Vigilantes beat Harlan County, KY strikers. Police killed striking Ford Dearborn, MI strikers. Four cotton workers were killed on strike. National Guard forces killed two Toledo, OH Electric Auto-Lite strikers, wounding hundreds. Police attacked and fired on striking Minneapolis Teamsters. Other deaths, beatings and arrests occurred throughout the decade, even after passage of the landmark 1935 Wagner Act.
In 1932, the Hoover administration warred on WW I veterans, demanding promised bonuses. General Douglas MacArthur-led government troops burned their camps for marching peacefully for their rights.
In 1962, Jack Kennedy's Executive Order 10988 established limited collective bargaining rights for federal employees. It spawned state and local efforts to expand theirs.
In 1968, National Guard troops were used against Memphis, TN sanitation worker strikers, days before Martin Luther King's assassination, there to support them. Violence followed, including beatings. A young unarmed boy was killed emerging from a housing development.
Union busting post-WW II was mostly nonviolent, but just as determined to deny workers their rights after passage of the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act. It greatly weakened union clout, allowing stiff penalties for noncompliance.
It enacted "unfair labor practices," prohibiting jurisdictional strikes (relating to worker job assignments), secondary boycotts (against companies doing business with others being struck), wildcat strikes, sit-downs, slow-downs, mass-picketing against scabs, closed shops (in which workers must join unions), union contributions to federal political campaigns (now freely given candidates), and more while legalizing employer interventions to prevent unionizing drives.
Serious erosion of union power to bargain collectively followed. As a result, employers can illegally fire union sympathizers and receive only minor wrist slap fines after years of expensive litigation to prove wrongdoing. Moreover, they can fire workers for any reason like incompetence or none at all. In addition, strikes are further neutralized because companies can hire replacements or threaten to move offshore.
Since the 1980s especially, earlier hard won rights significantly eroded after Reagan busted PATCO strikers, discussed in a previous article, accessed through the following link:
From then to now, it's been all downhill to where private and public workers face losing all rights unless mass activism resists. Despite Wisconsin heroics, national actions are sorely lacking, largely because union bosses collude with management and political leaders against their own rank and file.
"Confessions of a Union Buster"
In his book, Martin Jay Levitt describes from experience what happens, saying:
"Union busting is a field populated by bullies and built on deceit. A campaign against a union is an assault on individuals and a war on the truth. As such, it is war without honor. The only way to bust a union is to lie, distort, manipulate, threaten, and always (one way or another) attack. The law does not (intervene)....rather, it serves to suggest maneuvers and define strategies," pitting media-supported companies, government, and corrupted union bosses against rank and file unionists, on their own, their grit, resourcefulness, and staying power alone for strategy.
Levitt also calls the National Labor Relations (Wagner) Act a "union buster's best friend" because "its complexity....presents endless possibilities for delays, roadblocks, and maneuvers that can undermine a union's efforts and frustrate" members. The union buster's key tactic is delay ahead of elections, buying time to organize "counter organizing drives," targeting members and immediate supervisors to fear, not embrace, unionism as allied with their interests.
Efforts are also made to discredit unionists by "routinely pr(ying) into (their) police records, personnel files, credit histories, medical records, and family lives in search of a weakness" to use against them. When no dirt's found, targeted workers are called gay or accused of cheating on their wives. It works in blue collar towns.
Other techniques involve "sackings," even though illegal under NLRA's Section 8(a)(3), prohibiting firing workers for urging others to join unions. Nonetheless, union busters know that reinstatement procedures take time, often years. The idea is to weaken support prior to elections, focusing heavily on winning over supervisor support, who, in turn, can influence rank and file members.
Learn more on Levitt's web site, accessed through the following link:
He also provides "Top Secret" information of what can and can't be said on the issues, accessed through the link below:
He calls his purpose an effort "to inform and educate WORKERS and Union Organizers about what to expect from management in regards to Union Busting Terrorist Tactics used during union campaigns by management and their consultants in their attempt to defeat their employees from forming a union....or destroy (ones) that already exist."
Nonetheless, the Wagner Act, though measurably weakened, lets workers unionize. Specifically, its Section 7 states:
"Employees shall have the right to self-organization, to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid and protection."
Levitt also provides information on union busting propaganda, tactics used by Walmart and other companies, labor union resources, for-profit union busters, and more.
Economic Policy Institute (EPI) and American Rights at Work Education Fund on Thwarting Union Organizing
On May 20, 2009, they cited a new five-year study, showing employer anti-union behavior intensifying. Cornell University Professor Kate Bronfenbrenner (a noted labor expert) said employers are more than twice as likely to use 10 or more tactics to thwart organizing efforts.
Titled "No Holds Barred: The Intensification of Employer Opposition to Organizing," it focused on coercive and punitive tactics against organizing efforts, including threats, intimidation, interrogation, harassment, surveillance, retaliation and firings to thwart it. As a result, most workers without unions who want them at best find their wish indefinitely postponed.
Even when workers successfully unionize, 52% have no contract a year later, and for 37% it's two years. Moreover, besides intensive union busting tactics, employers are less likely to offer incentives such as unscheduled raises, positive personnel changes, bribes, special favors, social events, promises of improvement, and employee involvement programs.
In addition, private sector campaigns differ markedly from public sector ones, at least during the 1999 - 2003 period she studied. Recent events in Wisconsin, Ohio and other states show this very much is changing. Though most states let workers freely organize, current tactics show they're subjected to similar private sector tactics to strip away their rights and leave them powerless.
As a result, unionists face increasingly hard times because companies, government, and corrupted union bosses use today's economic environment against them, pleading hard times reasons for cutting back when, if fact, they're exploiting current conditions to reward corporate favorites at their expense.
Joe Hill was right saying "organize" to fight back. So is imprisoned human rights lawyer Lynne Stewart, saying: "Organize - Agitate, Agitate, Agitate, Love Struggle!"
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
1 Comments in Response to Union Busting in America


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Source: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
BOTSFORD, AMOS EDWIN, farmer, militia officer, jp, judge, politician, and businessman; b. 25 Sept. 1804 in Saint John, N.B., second son of William Botsford* and Sarah Lowell Murray, née Hazen; m. September 1864 Mary Arabella Allison, née Cogswell, in Sackville, N.B.; they had no children; d. there 19 March 1894.
In 1808 Amos Edwin Botsford moved with his family to Westcock, N.B., where his grandfather Amos Botsford* had settled in 1790. He received his education at the Westmorland Grammar School and likely did some legal studies with his father. He then took up farming, eventually working hundreds of acres of the lucrative Tantramar marshlands and uplands. In the 1830s he served for several years as a justice of the peace and a senior judge of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas for Westmorland County. His local activities also included the 2nd Battalion of Westmorland County militia; he became a captain in 1823. Nine years later he succeeded his father as lieutenant-colonel of this unit, a command he retained until 1867.
Since his family took an active interest in public affairs, it was perhaps inevitable that Botsford should seek to enter the political arena. In the election of 1830 he was an unsuccessful candidate for Westmorland, a seat formerly held by both his grandfather and his father. Three years later he became a member of the Legislative Council, and he occupied this position until confederation. He was also named to the Executive Council, serving from 1838 to 1840.
As a councillor Botsford represented New Brunswick in several inter-provincial and international discussions. In 1836, for example, he was appointed a commissioner with Edward Barron Chandler* to settle the boundary with Nova Scotia; in 1839 he was a delegate to Quebec to determine the boundary between Lower Canada and New Brunswick, and in the same year he was a commissioner to Washington to discuss a border difficulty. One of his most significant assignments came in 1852 when Lieutenant Governor Sir Edmund Walker Head* chose him, a person of "discretion and intelligence," to represent the province in the reciprocity talks in Washington.
Botsford was a strong supporter of Samuel Leonard Tilley and confederation. He thus opposed his younger brother Bliss*, who represented the anti-confederation position in the House of Assembly. In April 1866 he introduced in the Legislative Council a resolution for a federal union of the provinces, and this motion was carried. When Albert James Smith*'s anti-confederation government fell later that month, Lieutenant Governor Arthur Hamilton Gordon* called upon Botsford to form an administration, but he declined. His efforts on behalf of Tilley in the subsequent election did little good in Westmorland County, where four opponents of confederation, including his brother, were returned. A government headed by Tilley was nevertheless elected and confederation achieved. In May 1867 Botsford was, by royal proclamation, called to the first Canadian Senate. Although not particularly prominent or vocal in the chamber, he sat in the speaker's chair from 3 to 5 June 1872 and again from 16 Feb. to 19 April 1880.
Botsford was an active layman in the Church of England, attending St Ann's in Westcock, which had been built in 1817 on land donated by his father. He joined his father as a warden of the church and until his death assisted in the upkeep of Anglican churches in the immediate area. His adherence to the Church of England led in March 1845 to a confrontation with Humphrey Pickard*, principal of the Wesleyan Academy in Sackville. Reports that the academy's chaplain, Albert Des Brisay*, was "resorting to a most extraordinary mode of bringing over the students to the Methodist faith, by working upon fears and passions of the youth," caused Botsford to advise in council against a grant of £300 intended for the academy. Although Pickard angrily denied "any tampering with the religious principles of youth whose families are connected with other Christian Denominations," Botsford did not back down from his claims. There was no proof that Des Brisay was attempting to recruit students for Methodism, however, and the government continued to make grants to the academy.
Botsford's agricultural pursuits extended beyond his large farm. An active member of the Sackville and Westmorland Agricultural Society, he represented Westmorland County on the provincial Board of Agriculture, established by the government in 1859, and for a time served as its president. In closely supervising public grants to local agricultural societies, the board encouraged increased cultivation, the importation of breeding stock, and the growing of practical root crops. With Botsford as a member of the planning committee, it also introduced an annual provincial exhibition, the first being held on 1 Oct. 1861.
In the second half of the 19th century business opportunities increased dramatically in New Brunswick, particularly after the introduction of Sir John A. Macdonald's National Policy in 1879. All that was needed for growth was the ambition and capital of local entrepreneurs, and Botsford was one of those who responded. He centred his activities in Moncton, investing substantially in the Moncton Gas Light and Water Company, the Moncton Cotton Manufacturing Company, and the Acadia Sugar Refinery. He also held shares in the Sackville Electric Light and Telephone Company. The most important project in which Botsford became involved was the New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island railway. Prince Edward Island had been promised some means of "continuous communication" with the mainland on entering confederation in 1873, and the following year a number of Sackville's most prominent citizens banded together to plan a branch line of the Intercolonial from Sackville to Cape Tormentine, the closest mainland point to the Island. Botsford joined wealthy Sackville businessman Josiah Wood* and several others in providing capital for the undertaking, and the New Brunswick and Prince Edward Railway Company was incorporated in April 1874. Botsford subsequently became president. Competition from Amherst, N.S., a growing industrial centre ten miles from Sackville and almost an equal distance from the cape, threatened the company's plans, particularly after Amherst's federal representative, Charles Tupper*, became minister of railways and canals in 1879. It took a decade of struggle before Wood, the major political proponent of the railway, secured federal support for the venture. The line was opened on 20 Nov. 1886.
Amos Edwin Botsford's support of Conservative politics, agricultural interests, regional development, and the Church of England is reminiscent of the concerns of his father and grandfather. Unlike them, however, he experienced a new economic age of railways and manufacturing enterprises. He died in his 90th year at Sackville of complications arising from a heart ailment and acute bronchitis. He was buried in the Rural Cemetery at Saint John.
NA, MG 24, A20, 3, Head to A. E. Botsford, 7 April 1852; G24; MG 26, A, 139, A. E. Botsford and Josiah Wood to Charles Tupper, March 1882; MG 27, I, D15, A. E. Botsford to George Kerr, n.d.; RG 31, C1, 1861, Sackville. PANB, MC 1156, X: 28, 51; RG 7, RS74, 1895, A. E. Botsford. Borderer, and Westmorland and Cumberland Advertiser (Sackville, N.B.), 13 Jan. 1865. Chignecto Post and Borderer (Sackville), 2 June 1870; 22, 29 March 1894. New-Brunswick Courier, 29 March, 12 April 1845. CPC, 1881, 1891. D. R. Facey-Crowther, "The New Brunswick militia: 1784–1871" (ma thesis, Univ. of N.B., Fredericton, 1965). D. [W.] Jobb, "Josiah Wood [1843–1927]: 'A cultured and honoured gentleman of the old school'" (ba thesis, Mount Allison Univ., Sackville, 1980). MacNutt, New Brunswick. D. [W.] Jobb, "The politics of the New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island Railway, 1872–1886," Acadiensis (Fredericton), 13 (1983–84), no.2: 69–90.
© 1990–2024 University of Toronto/Université Laval
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Cite This Article
Lorna Milton Oulton, "BOTSFORD, AMOS EDWIN," in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 12, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed February 24, 2024, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/botsford_amos_edwin_12E.html.
The citation above shows the format for footnotes and endnotes according to the Chicago manual of style (16th edition). Information to be used in other citation formats:
Permalink: | http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/botsford_amos_edwin_12E.html |
Author of Article: | Lorna Milton Oulton |
Title of Article: | BOTSFORD, AMOS EDWIN |
Publication Name: | Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 12 |
Publisher: | University of Toronto/Université Laval |
Year of publication: | 1990 |
Year of revision: | 1990 |
Access Date: | February 24, 2024 |


text: Is anyone familiar with creating a TIN using ArcGIS9.3 and British Columbia DEM data (.GEN files)? I can't figure out how to get the breaklines to work during the creation of the TIN. Using Workstation/AML it works perfectly. I can provide more details if anyone's familiar with the problem I'm encountering. See the images below.


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Long-time USAC supporters Buck & Betty Rice of Grand Saline, Tex., Bill Wever of Bloomington, Ind. and John and Terri Youngs of Loogootee, Ind. have again joined the "Indiana Sprint Week" bandwagon, offering cash and product awards for series participants.
Wever, whose B & W Auto Mart is located on Route 45 in Bloomington, will present the B & W Auto Mart "Josh Burton Hard Charger Award" to the driver accumulating the most position advances during the seven-race Indiana Sprint Week feature events. The award honors the memory of the driver who competed in Indiana Sprint Week in 2012 but lost his life in a racing accident in May. The $404.04 check which accompanies the award is in honor of Burton's familiar car number, 04.
The Rices are posting a $100 cash award each night for the fastest qualifier, which should create competition for new track records.
The Youngs will again, for the sixth straight year, present the Indiana Sprint Week winning car owner with a $3,500 Bridgeport Rocker crafted from curly cherry wood donated by Don & Lisa Kreischer of northern Ohio. The rocker represents over 200 hours of craftsmanship.
The 26th "Indiana Sprint Week" covers seven races between this Friday, July 12, and Saturday, July 20. Tracks involved include Gas City, Kokomo, Lawrenceburg, Terre Haute, Lincoln Park in Putnamville, Bloomington and Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt.
USAC, its participating race tracks and its member participants are appreciative of the sponsorships these supporters have continued to provide and their contributions will enhance what already promises to be a spectacular Indiana Sprint Week experience for all.


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Mar 2, 2012, 2:47 PM
BOSTON (AP) – A former student at a Roman Catholic college in Massachusetts is suing the school, saying officials didn't do enough to help her move out of the dorm room she shared with a roommate she found to be overly sexual.
The former Stonehill College student, Lindsay Blankmeyer says she was driven into a suicidal depression because housing officials didn't give her reasonable alternatives for getting out of her living situation.
She alleges in the suit that her roommate had sex with her boyfriend while Blankmeyer tried to sleep just feet away.
She says she eventually moved into a hotel room, then withdrew from school when her depression worsened.
The suit seeks $150,000.
A spokesman says the college in Easton is reviewing the case and there are two sides to the story.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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Here's something I've never seen before.
Last month, Canadian singer Bryan Adams and his girlfriend welcomed their second baby girl, Lula RosyLea. Lula's middle name is a reference to her time of birth, as per this tweet by Adams:
Lula Rosylea arrived @ teatime this wk. a cup of 'rosie lee' = 'cup of tea' in cockney. Lula comes from Gene Vincent's song Be-Bop-A-Lula
This is the first baby I know of to be named via Cockney rhyming slang.
What's Cockney rhyming slang? It involves word substitution based on rhyme. Typically, a word in a sentence is replaced with a rhyming phrase, and then the rhyming part of the phrase is dropped. This makes the resulting sentence hard for those not in-the-know to understand.
Here's an example: "Use your loaf." It's really "use your head," but the phrase loaf of bread was used instead of head, and then loaf of bread was shortened to just loaf. Hence, "use your loaf." Get it?
Speaking of bread, if you've ever heard people use the slang word bread to mean money, that's CRS too. Money rhymes with the old expression bread and honey, which shortens to bread.
So that's how Bryan Adams turned tea into Rosie Lee, which is a common CRS rhyme for tea. (And now, if you're ever in London and someone asks you if you want a cup of Rosie, you'll know what they're talking about!) "Rosie Lee" refers to American burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Lee (1911-1970).
I thought this was a rather cool way to come up with a baby name, so I've collected a few dozen other well-known CRS rhymes that involve names. On the left you'll find the original word, in the middle is the name/phrase substitution, and on the right is the shortened version.
- back – rhymes with Cilla Black – shortens to Cilla
- ball – rhymes with Albert Hall – shortens to Albert
- belly – rhymes with Darby Kelly – shortens to Darby
- brake – rhymes with Veronica Lake – shortens to Veronica
- cake – rhymes with Sexton Blake – shortens to Sexton
- coat – rhymes with Billy goat – shortens to Billy
- curry – rhymes with Ruby Murray – shortens to Ruby (if these parents had had a girl instead of a boy, Ruby would have been a great option)
- door – rhymes with Rory O'Moore – shortens to Rory
- fairy – rhymes with Julian Clairy – shortens to Julian
- fish – rhymes with Lillian Gish – shortens to Lillian
- gin – rhymes with Anne Boleyn – shortens to Ann
- gin – rhymes with Vera Lynn – shortens to Vera
- ice – rhymes with Vincent Price – shortens to Vincent
- kettle – rhymes with Hansel and Gretel – shortens to Hansel
- lisp – rhymes with Quentin Crisp – shortens to Quentin
- mess – rhymes with Elliot Ness – shortens to Elliot
- neck – rhymes with Gregory Peck – shortens to Gregory
- old man (father) – rhymes with Peter Pan – shortens to Peter
- rail – rhymes with Toby Ale – shortens to Toby
- Stella (brand of beer) – rhymes with Yuri Geller – shortens to Yuri
- Stella – rhymes with Nelson Mandela – shortens to Nelson
- table – rhymes with Betty Grable – shortens to Betty
- tea – rhymes with Bruce Lee – shortens to Bruce
- tea – rhymes with Kiki Dee – shortens to Kiki
- tea – rhymes with Rosie Lee – shortens to Rosie
- telly – rhymes with Liza Minnelli – shortens to Liza (e.g., "What's on the Liza?")
- trouble – rhymes with Barney Rubble – shortens to Barney
- 2:2 (lower second-class honors) – rhymes with Desmond Tutu – shortens to Desmond
- undies – rhymes with Eddie Grundies – shortens to Eddie
- wedding – rhymes with Otis Redding – shortens to Otis
I think Darby (for "belly") might be an especially tempting one baby namers, no? :)
Bryan's first baby girl, Mirabella Bunny, was born last Easter.
Update, Dec. 2016: A reader named Sam recently told me about the Complete Dictionary of Cockney Rhyming Slang, which contains a bunch more names — like Errol Flynn for "chin," and Euan Blair for "Leicester Square." Enjoy!
Sources: Byran Adams on Twitter, Cockney Rhyming Slang
Image: Digital Commonwealth


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The U.S. Department of Transportation announced new regulations requiring railroads to install signs at highway-rail grade and pathway crossings with telephone numbers the public can use to alert railroad companies to unsafe conditions. "The sooner railroads can be made aware of potentially unsafe conditions, the faster they can respond to ensure the safety of everyone driving over or walking across highway-rail crossings," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
Under the final rule published in the Federal Register, railroads must establish Emergency Notification by installing clear and readable signs with toll-free telephone numbers at crossings so the public can report unsafe situations and for railroads to respond to malfunctioning warning signals, vehicles stalled on the tracks or other emergency situations. Depending on a railroad's operating characteristics, calls may be received through a 24-hour call center, or for smaller railroads, through an automated answering system or third-party telephone service.
"The signs will help reduce the risk of certain highway-rail crossing collisions," says Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo. "They will tell the public who to contact if they come upon a vehicle stalled on the tracks, or see problems involving flashing lights and gates."
Upon receiving a call, the dispatching railroad is required to contact all trains authorized to operate through the crossing, inform local law enforcement to assist in directing traffic, investigate the report or request that the railroad with maintenance responsibility for the crossing to investigate the report. If the report is substantiated, the railroad is required to take certain actions to remedy the unsafe condition.
Based upon comments received in response to its proposed rule, railroads without an existing ENS will have until July 2015 to establish one. Railroads that currently have an ENS in place may be able to retain existing signs, or will have until July 2015 or July 2017 to replace signs depending upon several factors. FRA's regulatory impact analysis for the final rule found the total cost will be $15.6 million, which is expected to be offset by estimated accident and casualty reduction benefits of $57.8 million over a 15-year period.


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Congressman Asks Big Sis to Explain Huge Ammo Purchases
"Congress has a responsibility to ask Secretary Napolitano as to exactly why these purchases have occurred"
Paul Joseph Watson
March 19, 2013
New Jersey Congressman Leonard Lance (R) has demanded an explanation from Secretary Janet Napolitano as to why the Department of Homeland Security is buying huge amounts of bullets.
Asked about the federal agency's purchase of over 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition over the past year – enough to wage a 20 year plus war – as well as thousands of armored vehicles – Lance called on Congress to get involved.
"I think Congress should ask the Department about both of those issues and I would like a full explanation as to why that has been done and I have every confidence that the oversight committee ….should ask those questions," said Lance, adding that he shared a belief, "that Congress has a responsibility to ask Secretary Napolitano as to exactly why these purchases have occurred."
The Congressman said he was "concerned" and that his goal was ensuring Americans "continued to live in a country based on freedom and individual rights," adding that he hoped Congress could get answers on the reasons behind the huge ammunition purchases by the DHS.
Lance, who is the U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 7th congressional district, was speaking at a Morristown Tea Party Organization meeting on Friday.
Last week, the Democratic Governors Association (DGA), a lobbying organization which represents governors affiliated with the Democratic Party, started an ad campaign calling on Americans to sign a petition demanding Sarah Palin be denounced for "extremist" rhetoric after the former Governor of Alaska expressed concern about the bullet purchases in a Facebook post.
Earlier this month, Forbes Magazine called for a "national conversation" on the matter despite claims by mainstream media and leftist websites that the issue had been "debunked". As we documented, the sole source for claiming the story was "debunked" came from a single quote by a DHS official carried in a February 14 Associated Press report.
The AP report regurgitated claims by the federal agency that the bullets were bought in bulk to save money and were for training purposes only.
However, as former Marine Richard Mason told reporters with WHPTV News in Pennsylvania last week, hollow point bullets (which make up the majority of the DHS purchases) are not used for training because they are more expensive than standard firing range rounds.
"We never trained with hollow points, we didn't even see hollow points my entire four and a half years in the Marine Corps," Mason said.


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TMCnet News
Ads for coming Moto X focus on user 'freedom to design' own unique smartphone [Global Data Point](Global Data Point Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Motorola began promoting its highly-anticipated Moto X smartphone in newspaper ads and on its Web site. The device will be the first smartphone produced by Motorola since it was acquired by Google a year ago. The promotions don't include images of the new phone, which reports say will run Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 and feature a 4.7-in. 720p touchscreen display. The Motorola promotions say the Moto X is "coming soon." Various unconfirmed reports say it will be unveiled on August 1. The promotions on the Motorola website instead show a picture of two people jumping off the end of a dock into a lake with the words: "Celebrate the freedom to design a smartphone as unique as you are." The tone of the print ad also focuses on freedom and July 4th celebrations, with Motorola boasting it is "the first smartphone designed, engineered and assembled in the USA." Apple recently began airing TV ads along a similar theme: "This is our signature and it means everything: Designed by Apple in California." Brian Wallace, vice president of Motorola's global brand and product marketing, told Ad Age that assembling Moto X smartphones in its Fort Worth, Texas, assembly plant is "very different. What better time than July 4th to come with a message like that?" Wallace said some Moto X components will be made abroad, but final assembly will be in the U.S. Motorola's Web site says 2,000 new employees have been hired to produce the devices in Fort Worth. Now that smartphones are so widely used in the U.S., the marketing and advertising of them has taken on greater significance, analysts said. The nuances of hardware and software are sometimes compared, but more often the overall user experience and even where they are designed and made are put forward as a competitive advantage. Motorola's print ad ran in The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and Washington Post and was created by Droga5, an independent advertising firm. Reports have circulated that the customer-designed hardware elements in the Moto X could be laser-etched art on the case (as happened with Microsoft's Zune HD) or custom cases. Native Android software from Google is known to be highly customizable. Last month, PhoneArena published a leaked photo of what is presumed to be the Moto X running on Sprint's 4G LTE network, as well as next-generation 802.11ac Wi-Fi and NFC. It appears to be shaped somewhat like an iPhone, a rectangle with rounded corners. It will have a 1.7 GHz dual core Snapdragon processor, 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage along with a 10-megapixel rear camera and 2 megapixel front camera, according to various reports. Anticipation for the Moto X is as high as for any recent Android phone, if only because Google had a hand in designing it, analysts said. Some pundits have said Google bought Motorola to more tightly control device design and manufacturing, similar to the Apple's processes. At the same time, analysts have noted that several other Android manufacturers have objected to Google for taking such control in what was intended to an open source approach. (c) 2013 Global Data Point. All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |


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text: When making a scrapbooking layout, paint often can be your best friend! Sometimes I just can't find the right paper to match the photo that I want to scrapbook so I pull out my paints and start playing. I pick out colors that I feel will best convey my feeling or the story in the photo. In the picture above of my daughter, I focused on purples and turquoises for her kind and loving traits and the softness of the photo. However, I added orange for the funny and silly side that I admire in her. Colors that you use can truly set the tone to your layout. Next time your do a page try to have some fun with some paints. See what you can come up with!