- Feel
the rage, Tucson. And when you’re done with that, grab your phone and call a
friend to come give you a ride because you’re not going to be catching that
city bus to your destination like you planned. That’s because you and several
thousand of your fellow Tucson residents remain without
steady public transportation as the longest strike in recent history continues.
At the center of this showdown are around 530 bus drivers, mechanics, operators
and other Sun Tran workers who went on strike on Aug. 6 after negotiations
between the union and Sun Tran broke down. Behind lofty demands and
record-setting determination, union members have shattered the previous record
for a strike, which was set during a strike in 2001 that lasted around 10 days.
On the other side of this battle are management and a federal mediator who are
working to schedule a meeting with the union, Sun Tran spokeswoman Kandi Young
said. Thanks to the strike, just eight routes are operating and there will be
no service this weekend. When it’s actually, you know, operational, Sun Tran
provides about 66,000 passenger rides on an average weekday. Andrew Marshall,
principal officer of the Teamsters Local 104, previously said that safety is a
major issue after 22 bus drivers were assaulted in the past 13 months and
believes the striking workers have the support of the community. Tucson Mayor
Jonathan Rothschild tried to push the process forward with the oh, so effective
tactic of releasing a public statement encouraging both parties to restart negotiations.
That statement didn’t much influence the 200 workers who rallied outside the
Ronstadt Transit Center on Friday afternoon, determined as ever to keep this
fight going until they win……….
- No
worries, Charli XCX. If you feel like your
horrible, overrated pop music act needs to get off the road and stop torturing
people with that sh*t you call music so you can “be creative,” go for it. The
world is a better place when you’re not spitting your lame game into the mic in
a live setting, so having the British musician bail on the Charli and Jack Do
America tour alongside Bleachers (a.k.a. Jack Antonoff) is perfectly fine.
Sure, having one of the tour’s namesakes peace out on the remainder of the
dates because she’s having a diva moment looks bad on the surface, but fans
will get over it. The tour is set to resume in Boston Sept. 14 after a short
break, but Charli XCX won't be there and she explained why in a long,
meandering post on her Facebook page. "For
personal reasons I will not be able to continue this tour," she wrote.
"These personal reasons include the fact that I need to be creative. Artists
tour for a really really long time and I have been on the road for a while now,
probably not as long as some, but for me it feels like an eternity. I am struggling
to create whilst I'm on the road and that is making me unhappy. As an artist I
need to move quickly and write a lot to not feel restless. Artists often
do tour for a long time and it’s mostly because that’s how they make most of
their money gouging fans for overpriced tickets and $35 t-shirts, but if this
woman feels isolated and sad on the road making a lot of money, then so be it.
No one’s life is going to be worse for missing live versions of her songs and
Antonoff will find someone else to open for him……….
- Riot
Watch! Riot Watch! Germany is the place and anti-immigrant protestors are the
ones driving this uprising. On one side of the showdown are dissidents who
rioted in front of a new asylum shelter near
Dresden and on the other side if The Man. Specifically, the German government
has harshly condemned the riots, which led to at least ten injured, most of
them police officers. Justice Minister Heiko Maas denounced the attacks on
Twitter, writing that Germany will "never tolerate that people are
threatened and attacked in our country." Maas said authorities will use
the "toughness of the rule of law to strike back" against right-wing
protesters like those who clashed with police and blocked the road to an asylum
shelter in Heidenau to stop migrants from moving in. At least the motives in
this case are clear, namely a bunch of extremist kooks who hate all outsiders
demanding that their country stop allowing people to enter and seek asylum.
Despite the riots, the first asylum seekers were finally able to move into the
home early in the morning the day after the uprising when police successfully dispersed
the rioters. As many as 600 migrants are expected to find shelter in the former
warehouse, so the extremists should have more reasons to riot and more chances
to rage against the machine in the weeks ahead. Just when you think Germany
might be moving past its ugly, hateful past and persecution of minority groups……….
- Bridging
the societal and sports divide between bitter enemies like Russia and the
United States isn't easy. Just ask legendary rebounding diplomat Dennis Rodman
how difficult it can be to ease tensions between a Communist hellhole of a
nation and the U.S., because Ambassador Rodman’s work to make nice between
America and North Korea has had virtually no effect. But maybe former world boxing champion Roy Jones Jr. can do what
Rodman could not and maybe his quest began this week when he Russian President/dictator
Vladimir Putin for Russian citizenship over a cup of tea. So many great
diplomatic quests have begun over a simply cup of tea and this one came two
years after Jones' promoter claimed that the boxer wanted a Russian passport. Jones
saw his opening when Putin wished him success doing business in Russia and responded
that it would be easier if he had a Russian passport. Then, in words that
should send a chill down the spine of every freedom-loving soul everywhere in
the world, Putin informed Jones that getting one would not be a problem if he
planned to spend a significant part of his life in Russia. No offense to
Russians, but spending a major chunk of one’s life in a place where the
authoritarian regime tramples the basic rights of both citizens and neighboring
countries it feels like invading on a regular basis doesn’t sound extremely
appealing. Fittingly, the meeting between Putin and Jones took place in Crimea,
which Russia annexed last year and where Jones was appearing for a show. Jones
said he hoped sport could help "build a bridge" between the U.S. and
Russia……….
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