falconjm's posterous http://falconjm.posterous.com Most recent posts at falconjm's posterous posterous.com Wed, 23 Feb 2011 22:09:00 -0800 What Is Going On in Libya? http://falconjm.posterous.com/what-is-going-on-in-libya http://falconjm.posterous.com/what-is-going-on-in-libya

Libya, an oil-rich nation in North Africa, has been under the firm, if sometimes erratic, control of Col. Muammar el Qaddafi since he seized power in 1969. But in February 2011, the unrest sweeping through much of the Arab world erupted in several Libyan cities. The trajectory of the Libyan revolt has been radically different from those that toppled Arab autocrats in Tunisia and Egypt. Though it began with a relatively organized core of antigovernment opponents in Benghazi, its spread to the capital of Tripoli was swift and spontaneous, outracing any efforts to coordinate the protests, and Colonel Qaddafi has lashed out with a level of violence unseen in either of the other uprisings.

 

General Information on Libya

Official Name: Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Capital: Tripoli (Current local time)
Government Type: Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in practice, an authoritarian state.
Chief of State: Muammar el-Qaddafi, Col.
Population: 6.037 million (2007, est.)
Area: 679,362 square miles, or slightly larger than Alaska.
Languages: Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major cities.
Literacy: Total Population: 82.6%; Male: 92.4%; Female: 72% (2003 est.)
GDP Per Capita: $12,300 (2003)
Year of Independence: 1951
 

Topics_libya_395

 

According to the US Department of State's annual human rights report for 2007, Libya’s authoritarian regime continued to have a poor record in the area of human rights. Some of the numerous and serious abuses on the part of the government include poor prison conditions, arbitrary arrest and prisoners held incommunicado, and political prisoners held for many years without charge or trial. The judiciary is controlled by the government, and there is no right to a fair public trial. Libyans do not have the right to change their government. Freedom of speech, press, assembly, association, and religion are restricted. Independent human rights organizations are prohibited. Ethnic and tribal minorities suffer discrimination, and the state continues to restrict the labor rights of foreign jobs.

In 2005 Freedom House rated both political rights and civil liberties in Libya as "7" (1 representing the most free and 7 the least free rating), and gave it the freedom rating of "Not Free" Libya's human rights record was put in the spotlight in February 2011 due to the government's violent response to pro democracy protestors that killed hundreds of demonstrators.

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/02/23/multimedia/100000000657144/timescast-february-23-2011.html

 

 

 

 

 

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Mon, 21 Feb 2011 22:37:38 -0800 Protesting Against The Bill SB 5 http://falconjm.posterous.com/protesting-against-the-bill-sb-5 http://falconjm.posterous.com/protesting-against-the-bill-sb-5

        What does SB 5 do:

  1. End all collective bargaining rights for state employees, including at universities and colleges;
  2. Local police and firefighters would have weakened rights to binding arbitration by instead required deadlocked parties to extend their contract for a year first;
  3. Local government could no longer include terms of health insurance coverage or costs in collective bargaining agreements.  Management will pick insurance policies, and employees must cover at least 20 percent of the cost;
  4. Allow local governments to hire permanent replacement workers during a strike (i.e. “scabs.”)
  5. Prohibits public employers from picking up extra employee pension contributions;
  6. Eliminates from state law automatic pay increases for experience and education (no automatic raise when you get your Masters Degree, teachers!);
  7. Eliminates from state law leave policies and automatic 15 sick days for teachers;
  8. Prohibits school districts from bargaining away certain management powers, such as the ability to deploy teachers to certain buildings;
  9. No longer makes longevity a deciding factor when management is deciding to make layoffs;
  10. Requires a public employer to publish on its website any changes in the union contract that impacts compensation of workers, including wages, length of service payments, and insurance coverage.;
  11. Requires the employer and the State Employment Relations Board to publish the parties’ offers on their websites before and after fact-finding is complete; and
  12. Allows schools or local governments in fiscal emergency to terminate or modify a collective bargaining agreement

Continue reading on Examiner.com: Sen. Jones, speaking on collective bargaining bill (SB5), misses Kasich cameo - Columbus Government | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/government-in-columbus/sen-jones-speaking-on-collective-bargaining-bill-sb5-misses-kasich-cameo#ixzz1EfIQ5j6U

 

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