Rethos.com - Akeeba's News Feed

Writer's Strike Could Become General Strike

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 23:24:42 -0500

Disney, CBS Corporation, General Electric (NBC/Universal), Time Warner (Warner Brothers and CW Network), News Corporation (Fox) and Viacom (Paramount and CW Network), these are the corporations who currently deny the stirking writers adequate and fair compensation. Their willingness to deny the writers what they need not only forces the writers to go on strike, but it hurts their families and all of the families of the people who are out of work during this period.

The strike started on November 5, 2007. It’s been almost two months. Have you ...

Company Closes, City in Trouble, We Need Your Help!

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 10:11:49 -0500

Recently, a company in the city I live in announced that it will be closing in January. This closing will cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax income and at least 300 jobs will be lost. That’s at least 6% of the elibigle workers in my city who will be newly unemployed and at least 8% of the city’s total tax income. This is a huge hit to the local economy, to say the least. And why are they closing?

One of the stated reasons is the current downward spiral of the housing market. The company is in the housing industry and if no new homes are bein...

Is Rethos, Inc. a Socially Responsible Corporation?

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 23:41:51 -0500

This is what I received from my employer for my end of the year bonus. It was printed on a small green slip of paper that looked as if it were cut with scissors. My bonus was US$45.17.

...Click on the picture to read the note…

There are a few things I’d like to point out in regards to the above note which I think will help demonstrate the clear understanding managers (herein referred to as Oppressors, Exploiters, and Dominators or OED’s...

Christians, Rethos, Swastikas, and Oppression

Sun, 09 Dec 2007 08:22:59 -0500

Christians are proselytizing in the U.S. via their so-called nonsectarian, secular symbols: Christmas Tree, Christmas lights, Wreaths, etc… Christians are creating a U.S. society where Pagan-Christian-based symbols are acceptable in public settings while other religion’s symbols are judged to be non-secular and unacceptable for public display. This has been happening for many many many years now, probably since the founding of the U.S. The one place on Earth (said the founders or the U.S.) where people were free to believe what they want actually turns out to be based on a...

Strikes Everywhere!

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 21:10:26 -0500

To strike or not to strike? That seems to be the question on many people’s minds throughout the world. But before they asked themselves that question, they had to ask themselves whether or not it was worth it to organize a union/group in the first place.

Strikes for pension reform are severely disrupting people’s lives throughout France. The UAW just finished a couple of strikes against Chrysler and GM for job security and health benefits. The Writers Guild of America is currently striking against every major movie and TV producer so th...

Can You Make The Right Choice?

Sat, 03 Nov 2007 17:55:46 -0400

I know, I know. Having children in a world where the population is reaching its upper limit is not just crazy, but irresponsible. I know this. However, sometimes this happens and when it does, it can be magical and challenging as well as liberating and empowering.

When my wife and I had our baby 16 months ago, we were forced to make a choice: give our child the recommended vaccinations or trust the research regarding the harms and don’t get the vaccinations. Our baby is so precious and loving that we couldn’t see ourselves risking our baby’s life with thes...

Would You Cross the Picket Line If Crossing the Picket Line Meant Watching TV?

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 20:04:41 -0400

If we turn on the TV or watch a movie, we rarely think about unions, politics, and strikes as they apply to the makers of TV and movie content. But, the reality is, the people responsible for making TV shows and movies are organized into unions in order to protect themselves against large media corporations. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is currently negotiating a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP). Apparently, the negotiations aren’t going well and a strike seems to be in the making.

Are you going to support the str...

Work More = Learn Less = More WAR = More Work

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 02:54:50 -0400

The ongoing cycle of economic “slave-trade” development in the United States is continued by the recent United Auto Workers (UAW) strike at Chrysler. Some might say this is a good thing. As people in the United States move from the comfortable middle class into a working or slave class, we’ll gradually (possibly suddenly) become truly class conscious and put ourselves into the ideal psychological position for fundamental radical change (i.e. socialist revolution). This is the basics of the classical Marxist dialectic. Myself, on the other hand, sees this whole diale...

Are You Forced To Work Overtime?

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 01:22:03 -0400

Are You Forced To Work Overtime? If you are, then you know how draining it is. You’ve felt that exhausted feeling after a 16-hour shift. Or you’ve realized that you just worked right through your weekend only to have the work week starting up early tomorrow morning. Well, I’m sure you’ve figured out that instead of this being the wonderful opportunity to make a little extra cash, it’s actually a devious and sinister device used by the corporation to both save money and maintain corporate power over labor.

My first experience with overtime invol...

Talking About the Strike at Work

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 21:10:11 -0400

When speaking to my coworkers about the recent United Auto Workers (UAW) strike against General Motors (GM), I came across some interesting responses. I tried to frame the discussion in terms that made the UAW appear positive. I made a strong statement that the UAW won because they scared GM into making a better offer in less than 2 days. Therefore, the strike tactic was a success and is still a viable and powerful tactic against corporations. These are the responses I received:

1) I don’t care because it doesn’...

UAW on Strike: My Thoughts

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 05:33:25 -0400

The UAW went on strike this past Monday, September 24, 2007. I work in an industry that is directly affected by this strike and I’m excited that this is happening. I’ve been discussing this issue with many people at my work, many of them don’t really understand what’s going on and many just don’t care. I started writing my thoughts on this so I figure, why not post them to rethos.

When I drove into work on Monday morning, I was excited because this is the week of the anniversary of the Little Rock 9 that helped to deseg...