March 19, 2013

Cyprus parliament rejects tax on bank deposits as condition of international bailout

Source: Aljazeera

AJELive ‏@AJELive

Just in: #Cyprus parliament rejects tax on bank deposits as condition of international bailout | More soon...

The Cypriot parliament has rejected a deeply unpopular tax on bank deposits, throwing into doubt an international bailout for the troubled euro zone member needed to avert default and a banking collapse.

The 56-seat parliament voted by 36 votes against, 19 abstentions and with zero votes in favour to bury the bill, a condition of a 10 billion euro ($13 billion) European Union bailout for the Mediterranean island. One deputy was absent.

Read more: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/03/201331916031211779.html

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More at the link.

PresidentofCyprus @CyprusPresident

Cypriot parliament officially rejects terms of the EU bailout. #Cyprus #bailout
Retweeted by OccupyEire

March 19, 2013

Badass Mofo's Chain Themselves Inside Corporate Office (NSFW)

Not safe for work...language.



Comedian Lee Camp Comedian Lee Camp ‏@LeeCamp

My new 1-minute video on the activists fighting against the #KeystoneXL pipeline (Badass Mofo's)

#occupy #NoXL

This is a piece from the upcoming Episode 3 of the Moment of Clarity Show, featuring Roseanne Barr. [get more at www.LeeCamp.net]

March 19, 2013

Oral argument today at 2 pm in NATO5 case- challenging Terrorism Counts against 3 defendants

Peoples Law Office ‏@PeoplesLawChi

Oral argument today at 2 pm in #NATO5 case- challenging Terrorism Counts against 3 defendants: http://bit.ly/YEh0Yw


http://peopleslawoffice.com/lawyers-for-the-nato-3-to-argue-challenge-to-terrorism-counts/

Today, March 19, 2013, lawyers for the NATO 3 will argue their motion to dismiss the state terrorism charges filed against their clients Brian Jacob Church, Jared Chase, and Brent Betterly. The motion, which was filed in January, challenges the statutory definitions of “terrorism” as being unconstitutionally vague and as impermissibly restricting lawful conduct protected by the First Amendment.

The definition of terrorism used in the Illinois statute, “an intent to coerce or intimidate a significant portion of the civilian population,” does not require an element of force or violence, nor does it limit its application to illegal conduct. Furthermore, the statute fails to define a “significant portion of the civilian population” and lacks standards for defining other terms such as “coerce” and “intimidate.” For these reasons, the statute fails to provide constitutionally sufficient notice to those facing potential criminal charges.

The vagueness of the statute also allows for the arbitrary and politically motivated use of the statute by police and prosecutors, exemplified by the charging of Betterly, Church, and Chase on the eve of major anti-NATO demonstrations last May. Though the terrorism statute was passed following September 11, 2001, the challenged sections had never been used until Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez charged the NATO 3 with material support for terrorism and conspiracy to commit terrorism and issued an accompanying press release alleging sensationalist plots by the young activists—none of which ever occurred.

The NATO 3 lawyers will be available to answer questions after the court appearance.

(Legal documents are linked at this page.)

March 19, 2013

AUDIO: New York’s Police Union Worked With the NYPD to Set Arrest and Summons Quotas

Anonymous ‏@OccupyTheMob

EXCLUSIVE: Leaked audio reveals #NewYork’s #policeunion worked with the #NYPD to set quotas for summons and arrests: http://tnat.in/jd8E4


http://www.thenation.com/article/173397/audio-new-yorks-police-union-worked-nypd-set-arrest-and-summons-quotas

Audio obtained by The Nation confirms an instance of New York City's police union cooperating with the NYPD in setting arrest quotas for the department's officers. According to some officers and critics of quotas, the practice has played a direct role in increasing the number of stop-and-frisk encounters since Mayor Michael Bloomberg came to office. Patrolmen who spoke to The Nation explained that the pressure from superiors to meet quota goals has caused some officers to seek out or even manufacture arrests to avoid department retaliation.

The audio could be included as evidence in the landmark federal class action lawsuit Floyd, et al. v. City of New York, et al., which opened yesterday in US District Court for New York's Southern District.

The audio, recorded in 2009 by officer Adil Polanco, is part of a series of recordings originally released to the media that year, and a selection first aired on WABC-TV in 2010. But WABC-TV used only a small portion of the recordings, and did not air the union representative's explosive admission.

“I spoke to the CO [commanding officer] for about an hour-and-a-half,” the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association delegate says in the audio recording, captured at a Bronx precinct roll call meeting. “20-and-1. 20-and-1 is what the union is backing up… They spoke to the [Union] trustees. And that’s what they want, they want 20-and-1.”

(More at the link.)

March 19, 2013

Interview with Congressmen Huelscamp who voted against the NDAA 2x's

Luke Rudkowski ‏@Lukewearechange

had a great interview with Congressmen Huelscamp who voted against the #NDAA 2x's and told me more scary info on #DHS

March 19, 2013

Cypriot news website in English for those following what's happening there (Update)

OccupyIreland ‏@OccupyIreland

Cypriot news website in English for those following what's happening there

#cyprus

http://www.ekathimerini.com

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Cypriot MPs reject tax on bank deposits

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/03/201331916031211779.html

MPs overwhelmingly reject the terms of a eurozone bailout deal with zero votes in favour, 36 against and 19 abstentions.

The Cypriot parliament has rejected a deeply unpopular tax on bank deposits, throwing into doubt an international bailout for the troubled euro zone member needed to avert default and a banking collapse.

The 56-seat parliament voted by 36 votes against, 19 abstentions and with zero votes in favour to bury the bill, a condition of a 10 billion euro ($13 billion) European Union bailout for the Mediterranean island. One deputy was absent.

March 19, 2013

Portland nonprofit creates currency for homeless

Sammy Beach ‏@OccupyDisabled

Portland nonprofit creates currency for homeless http://prsm.tc/9c1ETZ


http://www.katu.com/news/local/Portland-nonprofit-creates-currency-for-homeless-198701901.html

Vanstaaveren is the Executive Director of Sanctity of Hope, a nonprofit run by volunteers who are distributing tokens in the community that the homeless can use to buy goods and services at participating businesses. They can't use them to buy cigarettes, drugs or alcohol.

“I didn’t have too much trouble giving cash to the homeless,” said Vanstaaveren. “I figured it was not up to me what they did with the money. But I knew a lot of people who did care, but wanted to give.”

Homeless man Dee Stewart said he makes about $50 per day panhandling downtown. He said he uses money to buy food, cigarettes and sometimes a motel room.

“There are some that would go out and do drugs with it,” Stewart said. “I don’t drink. I don’t do drugs. I feed my wife. I feed myself and sometimes put us up in a motel if we get enough.”

(More at the link.)

March 19, 2013

The Giving Circle: Our recent trip to help those still in need on Staten Island

The Giving Circle ‏@TheGivingCr

Our recent trip to help those still in need on Staten Island:

… #sandy #helping

March 19, 2013

Idle No More, Defenders of the Land form alliance, call for “Sovereignty Summer”

Idle No more ‏@IdleNoMore4

#idlenomore Defenders of the Land form alliance, call for “Sovereignty Summer”
http://aptn.ca/pages/news/2013/03/18/idle-no-more-defenders-of-the-land-form-alliance-call-for-sovereignty-summer …


Idle No More has joined forces with Defenders of the Land and the new alliance plans to launch “escalating action” during what is being called the “Sovereignty Summer,” according to a draft joint declaration obtained by APTN National News.

The alliance has been endorsed by Jessica Gordon, Sylvia McAdam, Sheelah McLean and Nina Wilson, the four founders of Idle No More, along with the movement’s lead organizers, provincial and territorial chapters.

As a result of the alliance, Idle No More has now agreed to support non-violent direct action, including blockades, in the cause of Indigenous rights.

The Defenders of the Land is an established network of Indigenous activists that was formally formed in 2008. The network has been involved in Indigenous land rights issues across the country, including in ongoing hotspots like Ontario’s Grassy Narrows First Nation, Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation and Barriere Lake in Quebec.

(More at the link.)

March 19, 2013

Brooklyn Under Siege Day 4

THE HOOD COLLECTIVE ‏@OccupyTheHood

#brooklynprotest http://www.examiner.com/article/brooklyn-under-siege-day-4?fb_action_ids=10200986027279644&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%5B256235077847441%5D&action_type_map=%5B%22og.likes%22%5D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D …


“Martial law in brooklyn and few credible sources reporting it. Wake up journalists, get in there. ‪#martiallaw ‪#riot ‪http://nyti.ms/Z29YQm" said Dan T on Twitter Friday morning.

Jackson Green ‏‪@jacksondgreen tweeted, “Everyone should work to raise awareness. Get ‪#brooklynprotest and ‪#brooklynriot trending. Call news stations demanding coverage.”

Russia Today Correspondent Anastasia Churkina spoke with community residents before Thursday’s protests and reported, “Locals say that there will be no calm until justice is seen.”


“People are angry. People are angry because this is not the first time that there’s been killing in the neighborhood, and there never seems to be justice, so I think that’s what we’re unfortunately seeing people reacting to,” community leader Bishop Orlando Findlayter told Churkina.Wednesday, over 40 arrests were made in a march through East Flatbush, where Gray was shot and killed by police on Saturday.

(More at the link.)