Threat of the 'thought police' alarms Israel's Arab minority

Threat of the 'thought police' alarms Israel's Arab minority

Israeli Arab leaders have called an emergency meeting today to discuss their growing alarm over a series of "racist and fascist" bills being promoted by right-wing members of the country's parliament. One of the bills has already brought fierce accusations from two prominent Jewish Knesset members that its backers are trying to create a "thought police" and "punish people for talking".

The Higher Arab Monitoring Committee – the main umbrella body of Arab political and civic leaders in Israel – cited special concern over another bill which would outlaw the commemoration of the Nakba or catastrophe on Israel's Independence Day. While Israel's Declaration of Independence on 14 May 1948 is celebrated annually as the foundation of the state, Palestinians in Israel, Gaza, the West Bank and in refugee camps abroad mark the expulsion and flight of some 700,000 Arabs during the war of that year.

But the Committee is also protesting at another bill, which was given its first reading in the Knesset this week, that would make it a crime to negate Israel's right to exist as a "Jewish and democratic state".

Lord Mandelson seeks GM Europe job pledge as Magna wins race for Vauxhall

Lord Mandelson seeks GM Europe job pledge as Magna wins race for Vauxhall

Magna, the Canadian car parts maker, was poised last night to take over the stricken GM Europe, which includes Vauxhall in the UK.

British union leader Tony Woodley told the Guardian that the planned take-over would result in the eventual closure of Vauxhall's van plant at Luton in Bedfordshire, which employs about 1,500 workers. "I know what Magna's plans are about. Luton has no future," he said. "This news is nothing to shout about."

The Magna consortium is believed to include Oleg Deripaska, the Russian oligarch who infamously met business secretary Lord Mandelson on a yacht in Corfu last summer. The proposed deal could see some Opel/Vauxhall van production shift to Russia, where Deripaska's commercial vehicle manufacturer Gaz is based. A spokesman for Deripaska in London could not confirm his involvement.

It will be weeks before it is confirmed which GM Europe plants will close. But the future of the Luton plant now looks doubtful beyond 2012, when existing production commitments expire, according to Woodley and other industry sources.

But Lord Mandelson, the UK business secretary, who this week said he had received categorical assurances from bidders that Vauxhall's plants at Luton and Ellesmere Port would not be sacrificed to German interests, told Sky News last night: "I will be seeking from [Magna] reinforcement of the commitment they gave to me to continue production by Vauxhall here in the UK."

Opel/Vauxhall, which took over GM Europe's assets last week, has been locked in tortuous negotiations with the German government, which has led talks over the group's future, and prospective bidders. Magna has plans to axe 2,500 jobs in Germany, according to reports.

Understand, Accept, Move On

Understand, Accept, Move On

As to whomever reads these posts knows, I work at a bank in Pawhuska as a part-time receptionist. For the hours of 8:45-3:30, I sit at a desk in the front of the bank and greet people as they come in while answering and transferring phone calls to their requested needs.

It is not a bad job in itself. In all honesty, and to most, it is an absolutely amazing job. Though the pay is not great, it's steady and consistent. The only problem with it is me. I cannot blame any other for it. But in the end, neither can I "blame" myself. I come by it naturally.

My first job was a part-time position at a nonprofit organization called "The Book Samaritan". The purpose of the organization was to receive new or used school books from the state or families who did not want them, and supply those materials to needy homeschooling families. My job was to unpack the shipped books and organize them. Put together the orders. And ship out completed package orders. It was a good job for me as I worked alone. The only employee. Occasionally my boss would come by to see how things were going, but for the most part, I was by myself.

My next three jobs I took up pretty much all at once. The Housing Authority (as a record's assistant), Pawhuska Literacy (as the sole office worker and web designer), and then my favorite, Allen Bro. Feedstore. The first two I didn't like very well. Not enough energy and physical stamina in the day to make me feel as if I had spent a full days work. However, the feedstore, was awesome. I came in during the same time that my younger brother, Lynn, was working there and our boss was remodeling the show room. So I got to try my hand not only at feedstore management and sacking, but also putting in a ceiling, air conditioning conducts, and mass painting. It was alot of fun! And yea, made me completely exhausted at the end of the day.

From there, I came to the bank. Better pay, but hated the conditions. Haha! Even saying this, would on the surface be completely ridiculous! Let's compare...air conditioning - little to no cooling, medium wage - $0.50 more then medium wage, sitting in a desk practically doing nothing all day - sweating away the hours and enjoying the few moments to just sit down and do nothing. Haha!

Even so, a couple days ago I really wanted to quit. It wasn't just the conditions, but my fellow workers that I think pushed me over the edge. Because of me wanting to do more, but can't because of where I'm placed, and them looking over my shoulder wondering what I am doing with my time and giving me things to do so that I don't appear to the public to be doing nothing when i'm not gripping the phone or speaking to a customer bugs the dickens out of me. (lol, yea I didn't really focus on grammar or sentence diagramming right there...but who give a rat's backside anyway) haha!

My mother helped me out on this one. She brought me back down to a focusing point which is what I needed to grasp again. The good thing is I have a job. I'm making the money I need to leave and pursue my destiny. That right there should be enough for me to continue until the end of this summer.

I understand why I'm upset. I accept that there is something I can do about it. And I'm going to move on from feeling sorry for myself and deal with it. Always keeping in my sights the end goal.

Mises Economics Blog

In today's column, Paul Krugman now insists that not only should we not fear inflation, but we don't even have to worry about it at all, at least in the short term. As is his style, Krugman wraps a Big Lie around a tiny kernel of truth.

First, the self-pronounced Great One claims that anyone who even says the "I-word" is engaging in scare talk. Banks might be flush with reserves, he notes, but lending is way down. (Funny how that happens when government demonizes the healthy firms and props up the sick ones.)

Second, Krugman forgets that there is another inflation card to be played, and that is the Federal Reserve purchasing bonds directly from the Treasury and the Treasury spending the money from there. In fact, Krugman has endorsed the use of inflation as a way to give the economy "traction."

In his book, The Return of Depression Economics, Krugman states that most economic problems can be "solved" by governments printing more money. To Krugman, money is nothing more than a governmental creation that can -- and should -- be manipulated by the state whenever Great Minds like Krugman declare it.

Here is someone who attacks gold as money, not simply because governments cannot manufacture new gold to give an economy "traction," but also because things like gold (or any monetary standard) come with expectations of honesty, integrity, and holding to promises. That, according to Krugman, is silly:

I've just reread Eichengreen and Temin, The Gold Standard and the Great Depression, which does a great job of showing how the "gold mentality" -- what they call mentalite, with an accent -- paralyzed policymakers. (The longer-form version, with more personal color, is Liaquat Ahamad's Lords of Finance.)

What E&T show is that circa 1930 key decision-makers had spent so many years equating adherence to gold not just with prosperity, but with morality, decency, civilization itself, that they couldn't even contemplate breaking with that orthodoxy -- even in the face of total catastrophe.

I think we're more flexible now. But my sense is that the mystique of finance is playing a somewhat similar role.

One cannot minimize what he is saying, for it goes to the heart of Krugman's view of economics. In that view, people and their choices are to be manipulated and coerced whenever the government declares it. Now, Krugman seems to believe that only governments can prevent economic disaster. Others, like me, hold that governments generally are the cause of economic disaster, and that certainly holds true in the current crisis.

Leeds Business Week supplies all the tools for success

Leeds Business Week supplies all the tools for success

• Leeds Business Week will be held at Leeds Metropolitan University’s Rose Bowl from Monday 1^st to Friday 5^th June 2009.
• Leeds Business Week is brought to the city by Marketing Leeds, Leeds Chamber and RIBC, and is sponsored by Yorkshire Bank.
• The week, the theme of which is ‘Your Toolkit for Success’ is aimed at people of all levels of business.
• Business Week will include a series of seminars, conferences and workshops, providing the tools for business success now and in the future.

Leeds Business Week kicks off with a launch breakfast featuring guest speaker Penny Mallory – rally driver-turned performance coach and motivational speaker. Other speakers include Richard Reed, co-founder of innocent Smoothies, who will help inspire young entrepreneurs to turn their ideas and enthusiasm into business, at a session hosted by Yorkshire Icons.

The week also provides an opportunity to look at the different ways in which men and women operate in the workplace. Vive La Difference, hosted by Leeds Metropolitan University, is just one of many events taking place over the week, culminating in the Yorkshire International Business Convention in Harrogate on Friday 5th June.

Inspirational business speaker and author of 'Saving the World at Work', Tim Sanders, will also be speaking at an event of the same name during the week, demonstrating how businesses can change the world by changing the way they work. He will also share personal stories on how thousands of people from the mailroom to the boardroom are innovating and helping people, communities and the planet.

Other highlights of Leeds Business Week include a seminar with Stuart Bruce, managing director of social media experts, Wolfstar. The week will also help raise awareness of the importance of innovation in business in a session for SME’s hosted by Business Link, The University of Leeds and Leeds Metropolitan University.

For further information on Leeds Business Week, including details of how to register for events, visit www.leedsbizweek.biz

Quotes

Deborah Green, chief executive of Marketing Leeds said: “Leeds Business Week is key in helping us achieve our aim of positioning Leeds as a leading business centre, both in the UK and internationally. The first ever Leeds Business Week in 2008 was an excellent example of how collaborative working can produce great results. With the support of Leeds Chamber and RIBC and the kind sponsorship of Yorkshire Bank, we have a calendar of over 20 events planned for the week, which we hope will grow on the success of last year.

“Leeds Business Week will provide the opportunity to network with a local, national and international business audience. I encourage businesses to get involved to equip themselves with the tools for success.”

Gary Williamson, chief executive of Leeds Chamber said: “We are strong supporters of business growth and development in the city. In the current economic landscape, it is all the more important to share best business practice, and Leeds Business Week is the ideal platform to achieve this. The week, with its mix of motivational seminars and inspirational speakers, will support and encourage the city’s entrepreneurs and its business community.”

Dean Cutbil, director for Yorkshire Bank added: “Yorkshire Bank is proud to be sponsoring Leeds Business Week for the second year running. We are strongly committed to connecting with the business community to ensure knowledge is shared and excellence is achieved. Leeds Business Week offers us an opportunity to do just that. We look forward to seeing a diverse range of businesses at the event, and hope those who attend find the different topics and speakers useful and inspiring.”

Extra Information

www.leedsbizweek.biz

www.marketingleeds.com

www.leedsliveitloveit.com

About Marketing Leeds

Marketing Leeds is the marketing company for Leeds, and aims to provide clear vision, purpose and leadership to ensure that the city fulfils its potential as a world class destination for business, leisure and education. It was created from a powerful partnership between the public and private sectors. The company is limited by guarantee, with a board of ten directors drawn from a cross section of the business community and the council.

The Rose Bowl

The Rose Bowl, the new home for Leeds Business School from September, is Leeds Metropolitan University’s new flagship building at its Civic Quarter campus. The £57m Rose Bowl, as its name suggests, has a reflective glass ‘Rose Bowl’ lecture theatre at its heart, which literally reflects the Civic Hall. It includes flexible teaching and learning space which will become the new focal point for the Faculty of Business & Law, as well as state-of-the-art conferencing facilities for 600 delegates, making it one of the largest conference venues in the city.

Media contacts:

Wolfstar

+44 (0)113 394 7960

Amy Johnston

amyj@wolfstarconsultancy.com

Jed Hallam

jedh@wolfstarconsultancy.com