EconomicsSouthAfrica: Woud-be Christian mineworkers: Spark violence, cut down by police reaction, intimidate fellow workers again fellow Christians

A few days back, I posted the following on refWrite page 2 (not my usual posting l;ocation):

Church leaders condemn mine strike killings

Cape Town, South Africa (ENInews)--Church leaders have condemned the deaths of 35 people in a shoot-out between police and striking workers at a South African platinum mine. "It is a terrible, heart-breaking tragedy for the individuals concerned and for our nation," said the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town Thabo Makgoba. [271 words, ENI-12-0485]

In South Africa, you always have to check out what role Communist Party labour operatives had in any labour-involved shoutout.  Don't assume that only the police had arms.  The World Council of Churches has one of the most myopic news services on the planet, so the only particulars we get here is a one-sentence selection of the Anglican Archbishop's statement, but ENI gives us no clue as to the causes of the tragedy, so we must resort to probabilities.  In other words, its news briefs are edited to heroize the ecclesiastical functionaries that currently find favour with the World Council of Church'es ENI.  I later discovered that WCC-ENI charges for the details, and witholds info from poor bloggers around the world who can't afford their fees.

— Politicarp, refWrite Frontpage political news-spotter and columnist

LabourGlobal: International Trade Union Congress (ITUC): Regressive attack on Christian Labour at Canadian secularist bidding

Here in Canada, the secularist labour federation Canadian Labour Congress has made a behind the scenes move to drive the Christian Labour Association of Canada out of its membership in the world body for labour, the International Trade Union Congress.  Thru-out its existence, CLAC has been rebuffed by Canada's monopoly unions despite its small size and unthreatening relation to the monopolistic giants; at one time, secularist union goons in northern British Columbia actually attempted to drop huge stones on CLAC 's representatives' automobile travelling beneath a certain overpass, having lain in wait for the Christian union.  Luckily, they missed.  Let's hope they miss again in their already-too-successful crusade to stigmatize and shun Christian labour in Canada.  They circulate falsehoods and pull strings on the international level because the militant secularists hate the existence of a union that does not indulge in class-warfare rhetoric, actions, or style of pursuing healing in the whole realm of industrial relations.  The CLAC is an inter-racial, multi-ethnic organization that welcomes members of all faiths or none, uniting and educating its membership to advance Christian social principles in the workplaces where employees democratically choose CLAC to represent them.  At present CLAC must "fit" into a system of one-union-takes-all-power of representation.  It's broader vision is a thoroly pluralized system of representation, whereby workers in each workplace vote for the union that best stands for the principles freely chosen by each worker.  This necessitates a proportional representation of the workers employed in each company or industrial sector.  That goal is far in the future, but it is one that seeks harmony between all labour unions as well as between workers and employers.

Among ITUC's 175 million members, there's no room for the more-than-50,000 Canadians who choose to be represented by a Christian-principled union that cares for its members and works to influence its employers toward long-term stability of the workforce and cooperation between labour and management.

refWrite appeals to readers to write, email, or telegram the ITUC to include CLAC fully and to halt the totalitarian tendencies of the Canadian Labour Congress.

Albert Gedraitis, refWrite publisher

Text below is from the CLAC website

International Trade Union Congress 

& 

Christian Labour Association 

of Canada’s International Affiliation

You may have heard that CLAC was suspended recently from its membership in the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

What happened?

• ITUC is the world's largest labour union confederation representing 175 million workers in 155 countries.
• The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), a federation of unions representing over three million workers, requested that ITUC suspend CLAC's membership based on a number of false allegations—CLAC is employer-dominated, CLAC undercuts working conditions, CLAC discriminates on the basis of age, etc.
• ITUC and the CLC are non-governmental, self-regulating, voluntary organizations that are unconnected to any legislative or regulatory body, labour board, or government agency.

What does the suspension mean for CLAC members?

• Nothing—CLAC's suspension from ITUC has no bearing on its ability to represent members.
• CLAC remains a union certified by labour boards in western Canada, Ontario, and the three northern territories and by the federal Canada Industrial Relations Board.
• Canadian labour boards have certified CLAC to represent workers over 2,000 times since CLAC was established in 1952.
• CLAC's suspension from ITUC does not affect the union's continued international work and humanitarian efforts in Haiti, China, and other countries.
• CLAC's membership in ITUC can only be revoked by the federation's World Congress.
• CLAC's executive leadership and National Board will review all options regarding the union's international affiliations prior to ITUC's next World Congress, scheduled for May 2014.

 Background

• ITUC was formed in 2006 following a merger of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and the World Confederation of Labour (WCL).
• CLAC had been a member of WCL since 1987 and joined ITUC as a founding member in 2006 after it was assured that ITUC would respect independent voices.
• CLAC presented volumes of evidence to ITUC countering the CLC's allegations (www.clac.ca/pages/ituc-response).
• CLAC has competed very successfully against unions affiliated with the CLC.
• CLAC was not granted a hearing before the General Council when the decision to suspend CLAC was made.
• Ken Georgetti, president of the CLC, sits on ITUC's Executive Bureau, which made the recommendation to suspend CLAC, as well as on ITUC's General Council, which made the decision.
• The same allegations made by the CLC have been rejected by Canadian workers, labour boards, and courts countless times.
• Word of the suspension was leaked by members of the General Council before CLAC was even notified, demonstrating a clear vendetta against CLAC and displaying a crass lack of ethics and professionalism.

 Where can I learn more?

• Read what's really behind ITUC's decision to suspend CLAC ("Power politics," and "Old Labour Tries to Oust CLAC from ITUC").
• Go to www.clac.ca/pages/ituc-response to read the specific false allegations made by the CLC and CLAC's response to them.
• If you have questions, talk to your CLAC representative.

PoliticsSouthAfrica: Gender Equality: Stiff penalties for public and private sectors, says Zuma government

Far-reaching equalization measures are planned for both government and other major spheres of society in regard to women's participation in the new South Africa.  This is a major project of societal transformation in the hoped-for resurgence of transformational politics, sponsored by the secure-majority but beleaguered African National Congress party in power.  Remarkably, an unusually h+ level of equalization already exists at the top, percentage of Members of Parliament and cabinet.  But in the wider society there are age-old traditions interwoven in tribal and clan life.  Violence against women is a key issue.

— Politicarp, refWrite Frontpage politics columnist

The government is to introduce draft legislation aimed at enforcing gender equality both in the public and private sector and those who do not comply will face stiff penalties. Strides have been made towards empowering women in South Africa. About 44% of MPs are women and they constitute 43% of cabinet. Private companies will now be forced to look at gender parity in their sector. Still of huge concern is violence against women. Democratic Alliance MP, Helen Lamoela, says women in South Africa still face violence and anger on a daily basis. Some believe that not much has changed for the majority of women. "Not much has changed for the majority of women in our country the most glaring inequality is the lack of respect for women and the rape statistics bear witness to this," says African Christian Democratic Party MP Cheryllyn Dudley. Others feel teenage pregnancy should be given equal attention. The Inkatha Freedom Party, MP Liezel van der Merwe, says:"Surely this is a national crisis that we can no longer ignore." Meanwhile, Ireland's first female president, Mary Robinson, says South African women aren't making the same progress as their predecessors did under apartheid. Robinson was part of panel discussion in Johannesburg, which included veteran trade unionist Emma Mashinini and Gain Chairperson Jay Naidoo. Robinson says the voices of South African women today need to be as vibrant as those under apartheid. She says far too many women keep quiet about issues that directly affect them. “The movement of women in South Africa that was so significant in the fight against apartheid in the struggle for freedom needs to rejuvenate and reinvent itself," says Robinson. She says young women need to be a part of that new movement, fighting for a common goal. Robinson says the voices of South African women today need to be as vibrant as those under apartheid. Women day celebrations August is Women's Month. President Jacob Zuma is expected to address women's Day celebrations at the Union Buildings, Pretoria tomorrow. The ninth of August marks the day in 1956 when women from all races and walks of life marched to the Union Buildings in protest against oppressive apartheid laws. This historic march was a turning point in the role of women in the struggle for freedom and society at large. Since that eventful day, women from all walks of life became equal partners in the struggle for a non-racial and non-sexist South Africa. This year will focus on addressing the challenges faced by rural women. The theme for 2012 is: "56 years of women united against poverty, unemployment and inequality”. The campaign slogan is: “Forward to the Decade of African Women".

DisasterPhilippines: Manila: The country's capital city hit by "torrential monsoon rains"

How terribly sad! And how agonizingly sad for the people displaced, for Filipino society generally. (Please see refWrite page 2, for a prayer by a Filipino (Pinoy, as my friend says) as he reflects upon the situation — another surge of flood due largely to the heavy rainfalls again today.)

— Albert Gedraitis, refWrite publisher

Manila Bulletin (Aug8,2k12)

Prayer for Philippines ... refWrite page 2

Metro Back To Red Warning

By ELLALYN B. DE VERA

August 8, 2012, 5:12pm

MANILA, Philippines — The red warning signal for heavy rainfall was re-issued in Metro Manila Wednesday afternoon due to heavy rains caused by a series of thunderstorms from the southwest monsoon.

Metro Manila was placed under red signal for 30 consecutive hours, from 9 p.m. on August 6 to 3 a.m. on August 8, due to torrential monsoon rains.

The rainfall signal was terminated briefly at noon, but yellow and green warnings were subsequently re-issued by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) at around 1 p.m.

Red signal in Metro Manila was issued anew at around 4 p.m. of Wednesday due to continuous heavy rains.

The heavy rainfall warning system is divided into three levels, using color codes, yellow (Advisory), green (Alert), and red (Emergency).

Red warning signal is the highest alert for rainfall, particularly if “rainfall observation is more than 30 mm (heavy rains) within one hour or if continuous rainfall for the past three hours is greater than 65 mm.”

A green signal is for “rainfall observation of more than 15 mm to 30 mm (moderate) within one hour,” while a yellow warning signal is issued when a “rainfall observation is from 7.5 mm to 15 mm (light rains) within one hour and is likely to continue.

PAGASA said the southwest monsoon has weakened slightly as typhoon “Haikui” located outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) has moved farther away and made landfall in the vicinity of Shanghai, China on Wednesday morning.

Weather forecaster Buddy Javier said rainfall warning is updated every three hours.

He also noted that the amount of rainfall from 8 a.m. Tuesday to 8 a.m. Wednesday, recorded at the PAGASA Science Garden Station in Quezon City, was 391.4 millimeters (mm).

This was higher than the 24-hour rainfall from August 6 to 7 at 323.4 mm.

Likewise, the accumulated rainfall since August 1 is 906.55 mm, which is almost double the August average rainfall of 526.8 mm at the Science Garden Station.

Gine Nievares, hydrologist of the PAGASA, said four of the nine major dams in Luzon continue to release water.

She said the La Mesa Dam also continues to overflow with its water level at 80.36 meters, which is above its 80.15-meter spilling level, at 8 a.m. on Wednesday.

“The level in La Mesa Dam is gradually subsiding as of this morning,” she said.

Javier said the weather condition in the Northern, Central and Southern Luzon, and Visayas, particularly the western sections will improve by Thursday.

PoliticsLibya: Tawerghans: Supported Gaddafi, now displaced, can't vote, haunting vocal music and video

Gribi20 (July31,2k12)

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PoliticsUSA: Mainstream TV news: Obama's allies

EgyptDay1 (Aug2,2k12)

IndiaDisaster: Electrical power failure: 670 million souls no electricity, no air conditioners in killer heat

New York Times (August,2k12)

2nd day of power failures 

cripples wide swath of India

By JIM YARDLEY and GARDINER HARRIS

Published: July 31, 2012 428 Comments

More NYT fotos here

NEW DELHI — It had all the makings of a disaster movie: More than half a billion people without power. Trains motionless on the tracks. Miners trapped underground. Subway lines paralyzed. Traffic snarled in much of the national capital.

Multimedia

TimesCast | The World’s Largest Blackout

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Blackout Continues in India

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Does India’s power failure affect you? Tell us about it on the India Ink blog.

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Related

• India Ink: India's Power Guzzlers to the North (July 31, 2012)

• India Ink: The Diesel Generator: India's Trusty Power Source (July 31, 2012)

• India Struggles to Deliver Enough Power (April 20, 2012)

Related in Opinion

• Dot Earth Blog: The Power Gap Behind India's Mass Blackouts(July 31, 2012)

• Room for Debate: Should Air-Conditioning Go Global, or Be Rationed Away? (June 21, 2012)

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"There is so much rampant corruption in both the private and public sectors - it's always eaten up the money meant for infrastructure."

Mrinal Jhangiani, Edgemont, NY

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On Tuesday, India suffered the largest electrical blackout in history, affecting an area encompassing about 670 million people, or roughly 10 percent of the world’s population. Three of the country’s interconnected northern power grids collapsed for several hours, as blackouts extended almost 2,000 miles, from India’s eastern border with Myanmar to its western border with Pakistan.

For a country considered a rising economic power, Blackout Tuesday — which came only a day after another major power failure — was an embarrassing reminder of the intractable problems still plaguing India: inadequate infrastructure, a crippling power shortage and, many critics say, a yawning absence of governmental action and leadership.

India’s coalition government, battered for its stewardship of a wobbling economy, again found itself on the defensive, as top ministers could not definitively explain what had caused the grid failure or why it had happened on consecutive days.

Theories for the extraordinarily extensive blackout across much of northern India included excessive demands placed on the grid from certain regions, due in part to low monsoon rains that forced farmers to pump more water to their fields, and the less plausible possibility that large solar flares had set off a failure.

By Tuesday evening, power had been restored in most regions, and many people in major cities barely noticed the disruption because localized blackouts are so common that many businesses, hospitals, offices and middle-class homes have backup diesel fuel generators.

But that did not prevent people from being furious, especially after the government chose Tuesday to announce a long-awaited cabinet reshuffle — in which the power minister was promoted to take over the Home Affairs Ministry, one of the country’s most important positions.

“This is a huge failure,” said Prakash Javadekar, a spokesman for the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party. “It is a management failure as well as a failure of policy. It is policy paralysis in the power sector.”

For millions of ordinary people, Tuesday brought frustration and anger; for some, there was fear. As nighttime arrived, Kirti Shrivastava, 49, a housewife in the eastern city of Patna, said power had not been restored in her neighborhood. “There is no water, no idea when electricity will return,” she said. “We are really tense. Even the shops have now closed. Now we hope it is not an invitation to the criminals!”

Tuesday also brought havoc to India’s railroad network, one of the busiest in the world. Across the country, hundreds of trains were stalled for hours before service resumed. At the bustling New Delhi Railway Station, Jaswant Kaur, 62, found herself stranded after a miserable day. Her initial train was stopped by the power failure. By the time she reached New Delhi, her connecting train was already gone.

“Now my pocket is empty,” she said. “I am hungry. I am tired. The government is responsible.”