July 2, 2015

Daily Holidays - July 2

National Anisette Day On July 2nd we observe National Anisette Day. Anisette is an anise-flavored liqueur that is made by distilling aniseed and sometimes adding a sugar syrup. Anisette is popular in Spain, Italy, Portugal and France.

True Anisette should not be drunk straight as its alcoholic content is high enough to cause irritation to the throat. However, mixing it in with coffee, gin, bourbon or water will bring out a bit of a sweet flavor. To enjoy this sweetness without drinking, you can make Anisette cookies!

If you are one to grab all of the black jelly beans at Easter, you will surely enjoy this day and the drink that makes it special, Anisette. Although Anisette does not contain licorice, it does have that sort of distinct flavor. http://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-anisette-day-july-2/

I  Forgot Day I Forgot Day gives you the chance to make up for forgetting birthdays, anniversaries, and even those days you think you might forget in the future.

Apologise (belatedly) for anything you’ve missed, let slip or otherwise forgotten! https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/i-forgot-day/

World UFO Day Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No – it’s an unidentified flying object! Celebrate UFO Day by looking to the sky, visiting Roswell, and watching sci-fi films! https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/ufo-day/

http://www.famousbirthdays.com/july2.html

July 1, 2015

The economic plan that could save America (but scares conservative billionaires senseless)

Long-term unemployment is the scourge of modern economies. In a society where people take value from work, unemployment is destabilizing and degrading. A bout of long-term unemployment can permanently scar worker, leaving them with lower wages and fewer usable skills. Last year, Jared Bernstein and Dean Baker put forward a persuasive case for a return to full employment as the palliative to unemployment. But it’s increasingly clear the private sector cannot create full employment on its own. Even at the height of the Clinton boom, millions of African-Americans and low-skilled workers were jobless. To get full employment, progressives should embrace an idea that hasn’t surfaced recently in mainstream American political dialogue: a universal government job guarantee.

In a recent article, Derek Thompson explored a future “world without work.” While his article was well-researched and informative, it misses a key point: For inner-city Black Americans, “a world without work” is not a dystopian future, but a present reality. As Mark Levine writes, “By 2010, in five of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas, fewer than half of working-age black males held jobs. In 25 of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas, fewer than 55 percent of working-age black males were, in fact, employed.” In a recent Center for Economic Policy Research report Cherrie Bucknor notes the Black/white gap in employment rates “increased during the recent recession and is still larger than its pre-recession level.”

http://www.salon.com/2015/06/29/the_economic_plan_that_could_save_america_but_scares_conservative_billionaires_senseless/

July 1, 2015

Nurses vote not to decertify their union at SLU Hospital

Members of the nurse’s union at Saint Louis University Hospital voted against de-authorizing their union June 15, a measure that would have effectively created a “right-to-work” policy within the hospital.

The National Nurses United affiliate has about 650 members at SLU Hospital; only 140 voted in favor of de-authorization during three scheduled voting periods throughout the day. The measure needed 326 votes to pass.

The group calling for the de-authorization vote was led by Brian Hendricks, a registered nurse who has been with SLUH since 1989.

The union, National Nurses Organizing Committee, entered its contract with the nurses in June 2013; the contract expires in June 2016.

http://labortribune.com/nurses-vote-not-to-decertify-their-union-at-slu-hospital/

July 1, 2015

The F-35 Can't Beat The Plane It's Replacing In A Dogfight: Report

We’ve heard of significant shortcomings before with the fighter jet that’s supposed to be America’s future, but this is just as bad as it gets. The F-35 performed so dismally in a dogfight, that the test pilot remarked that the it had pretty much no place fighting other aircraft within visual range.

That’s according to a scathing report obtained by our friends over at War Is Boring that details the results of visual range air-to-air engagement tests between an F-35A and an F-16C. The F-35, which the US Air Force, Navy, and Marines are expected to rely upon, in addition to the air arms of militaries across the world for at least the next few decades, was supposed to be better than its F-16 predecessor in all respects.

The F-35’s ability to compete against other fighter aircraft in a close-in dogfight, even against the decades old designs it looks to replace, has always been a contentious issue. Long ago, the F-35’s maneuverability was planned to far exceed that of fourth generation fighters. Over time, those claims eroded to the point where the troubled stealth jet is described as being “about as maneuverable as an F-16.”

The fact that the F-35 can carry its weapons and fuel internally was of course the major deciding factor in being able to make such a claim.

http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/the-f-35-cant-beat-the-plane-its-replacing-in-a-dogfigh-1714712248?rev=1435613397457

July 1, 2015

Ferguson police antagonized Michael Brown protesters, DoJ report finds

Police antagonized crowds who gathered to protest in Ferguson after Michael Brown’s death last summer, violated free speech rights and made it difficult to hold officers accountable, according to a Justice Department report that found across-the-board flaws in law enforcement’s response.

The report summary, which covers the two-week period of unrest that followed a white officer fatally shooting the unarmed black 18-year-old in August, also faulted officers for inappropriately using teargas, withholding information that should have been made public and relying on military-style equipment “that produced a negative reaction” in the community.

The summary is part of a longer after-action report to be released in the coming weeks focusing on the actions of police in Ferguson, St Louis city and county and the Missouri state highway patrol.

Details of the summary were first reported by the St Louis Post-Dispatch on Tuesday. The Associated Press later obtained a copy.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/30/ferguson-police-michael-brown-protests?CMP=fb_us

July 1, 2015

Daily Holidays - July 1

Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! July 1st celebrates National Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day, a day to ponder over, or taste, the many creative, awkward or just plain silly different types of ice cream flavors. It is meant for more than the love of the traditional vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream. http://nationaldaycalendar.com/latest-posts/

National Gingersnap Day Mmmmmm, hungry? Celebrate July 1st, National Gingersnap Day, by enjoying this sweet and savory treat. Gingersnaps are cookies typically made from molasses, cloves, ginger, cinnamon and brown sugar. They are a combination of sweet and spicy and have long been enjoyed by many.

Gingersnaps are a healthier alternative to other cookies, being that they are generally low in calories and have many benefits. The ginger that is in these cookies has anti-inflammatory properties, is known to help treat nausea and fight heart disease and other illnesses. http://nationaldaycalendar.com/latest-posts/


U.S. Postage Stamp Day We can celebrate National U.S. Postage Stamp Day by appreciating the ease and simplicity with which we can send and receive mail. Because of the invention of the postage stamp, we can simply pay a standard rate to purchase a “symbol” that we can attach to our letter and send it with no responsibility to our recipient.

Before the postage stamp, the cost of sending a letter/package was actually given to the recipient. The postal worker would take the letter and deliver it to the desired destination and would only then, collect the money for the postage. Because of this, there were times that the recipient would refuse the letter, leaving the cost to the postal service. The postal service had to set aside an allotted amount of money for this, and took it as a loss. http://nationaldaycalendar.com/latest-posts/

http://www.famousbirthdays.com/july1.html