“For those friends wondering, this special ‘red’ equality symbol signifies that marriage equality really is all about love. Thanks to the Human Rights Campaign for this effort. Please consider changing your profile today in support—esp if you are a straight ally,” - George Takei.
Human values are not imprinted on the fabric of the universe because what it means to be human is always negotiable.
Choose cats.
(UC Davis police Lt. John Pike pepper-sprays Occupy UC Davis protesters on Nov. 18 on the campus Quad. Pike, who was on paid leave for eight months, is no longer employed by the university, campus officials said Wedneday. Wayne Tilcock/Enterprise file photo)
“The UC Davis police lieutenant who became the target of a worldwide outcry, John Pike, and a second officer who doused Occupy UC Davis protesters with pepper spray, Alexander Lee, are no longer employed by the university.
In response to repeated Enterprise inquiries about Pike’s job status, UCD spokeswoman Claudia Morain said Pike was no longer an officer as of Wednesday. She declined to say if Pike was fired or resigned, citing state law and university policies protecting the confidentiality of personnel decisions.
Pike, whose annual salary was $121,680, remained on paid leave for eight months after the Nov. 18 incident. He will receive no other payout from the university, Morain said. He remains entitled to retirement benefits.
The employment of the second suspended officer, who earned $57,060 per year, ended July 11, Morain said. The university has not revealed his identity, pending the outcome of an ongoing court case. The Enterprise has named Lee based on still photographs, video and university documents.
The Enterprise was unable to reach Pike for comment.”
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Wugazi - Sleep Rules Everything Around Me [HD]
Life. I can relate.
Member (Activist) in the Icelandic Parliament for the Movement and WikiLeaks advocate takes a stand for CommanderX, a long standing member of both Anonymous and the People’s Liberation Front.
Please sign the petition. He is in need, as he is the only anon to face many, many years in Federal prison - and made it safely out of the United States.
https://www.change.org/petitions/free-commander-x
White Stripes - Seven Nation Army (The Glitch Mob Remix)
That Feel.
(Photo: Protesters at the UC regents meeting in Sacramento wore orange and called themselves prisoners sentenced to debt. Credit: Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)
“Student protesters angry about another possible tuition hike disrupted the meeting of the University of California regents Wednesday in Sacramento, with some demonstrators dressed in orange prisoner uniforms and singing about “working on the chain gang.”
The regents were about to discuss a recent report about the treatment of protesters on campuses and then analyze the impact of the governor’s May revision of the state budget on tuition.
Officials have said a 6% percent tuition hike may be in the works for July’s regent meeting if state funding does not increase.
After 15 or so protesters began chanting and marching around the meeting, they ignored orders to clear the hall. The regents then moved to another room to discuss other business in closed session.
The protest ended after about 15 minutes and the regents were expected to resume their public sessions after lunch, according to a UC spokesman.
Student activists have staged a string of protests in recent months, clashing with police. In March, three UCLA students were arrested after protesters disrupted a San Francisco regents meeting with a “spring break” demonstration in which some stripped down to bathing suits and tossed inflatable beach balls.
In a November incident that was recorded on video and widely viewed online, UC Davis protesters were squirted with pepper spray by campus police.
Undergraduate costs for California residents, including tuition, room, board and campus fees, has risen to $31,000 and university officials have warned of more increases if voters this fall reject Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed tax hike.”
-LATimes|L.A. NOW
Photo Credit: Brian Nguyen
“An update on Joshua Clover and the Davis/Banker’s Dozen: Rejecting a plea deal for 80 hours of community service, calling the charges against them “a sham,” the group entered their not-guilty pleas (May 10th) in Yolo County Superior Court and now have a new court date set for June 1 at 8:30 a.m., with the legal assistance of San Francisco lawyer J. Tony Serra, who has defended both the Black Panthers and Hells Angels in the past, according to The New York Daily News.”~How to Help:
“We appreciate any and all support from our extended community. Help us to end the repression of political dissidence.
- Donate to our legal fund.
- Sign our petition.
- Call, fax, or write the Yolo County D.A. and ask him to drop all charges.
- Call or write Chancellor Katehi, demanding that she immediately cease the criminalization of protest on the Davis Campus.
- Come support us at our arraignment on June 1st, 2012 (conflicting reports of 8:30am/1:30pm check with Yolo County Superior Court or watch for updates closer to the date of arraignment)
Yolo County Superior Court, Dept. 9
213 Third Street
Woodland, CA 95695 - Like Davis Antirepression Crew on facebook to stay up to date.”~DavisDozen.org
Photo Courtesy of: @DavisARcrew/Davis Antirepression Crew(facebook)
One of the reasons Californians should still be Occupying, as if school tuition increases, locking up students and professors for protesting on campus, and police brutality weren’t enough on May 12th 93,000 (according to CBS News) lost extended unemployment benefits. According to the US Bureau of labor (Feb 2012) almost 11% (That’s about 4,147,000 people) of the entire state of California is unemployed. This number 11% is calculated by taking a sample of unemployed families every month across the nation and measuring the amount of change over time. To read more on how the US Gov. calculates unemployment and to try to make an educated decision on whether or not you think 11% is the actual number go here: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Here is the article from CBS:
(CBS News) MERCED, Calif. - “A lot of Americans are still suffering from the investment disasters of 2008. Back then, Congress extended unemployment benefits to 99 weeks in many states — but tomorrow, that extension ends and 236,000 Americans are about to get notices that the checks are over, as CBS News correspondent John Blackstone reports.
At the Community Action Agency in Merced, Brenda Callahan-Johnson is bracing for a flood of long-term unemployed seeking emergency food, housing and financial aid.
“A lot of these people are not going to know that they are not getting unemployment until they get the letter in the mail, and they’re going to be scared,” Callahan-Johnson told CBS News.
Tomorrow 93,000 Californians are losing extended unemployment benefits.
Callahan-Johnson told CBS News correspondent John Blackstone that she had never seen anything like this.
“In 19 years, I have never had this many cuts in unemployment at the same time,” she explained.
In California’s agricultural heartland, Merced is being hit hard by federal law that cuts extended benefits in states where unemployment has fallen. In the last year, California’s rate has dropped from 11.9 percent to 11 percent. But, in Merced, it’s 20 percent.
“Merced County is experiencing dire unemployment,” Callahan-Johnson said.
While finding work in Merced is difficult, finding places where people used to work is easy. One plant, which made ladders, closed in October — taking with it 140 jobs.
The closed Pepsi bottling factory once employed 40. Sixty people used to make parts for Toyota at another closed location.”
Continue reading: Thousands to lose long-term unemployment benefits, even where it remains sky-high
