à atenção da CGTP-IN

Flash Mobs Bound For Germany's Highest Court

Flash mobs with a purpose are the newest form of political protest. Now one of Germany's biggest unions is using them to fight labor disputes, asking members to desert loaded shopping carts in supermarket aisles. Businesses want flash mobs outlawed and are taking the case to Germany's highest court.

They started off with pillow fights, water pistols and beach parties. But now German flash mobs are getting serious. The impromptu meetings of large groups of people usually organized online or via mobile phone, are now being used by a labor union as a tool in a dispute over wages and hours. As a result, the question of whether they are legal or not may soon become a case for Germany's highest court.

(...) This flash mob came just two days after Germany's Federal Labor Court decided that flash mobs were a legitimate form of industrial action. The court had been addressing the issue of another flash mob organized by the Verdi union that took place in late 2007.

The court's judgment: "A union-organized action like this, undertaken in the course of industrial action, is not illegal." The court said such an action could be justified as part of a labor dispute and that employers could defend themselves against it by utilizing their proprietorial rights or by closing the business for a short time. A flash mob cannot be seen as "blockade of business," the court said.

Ig Nobel 2009

Gas mask bra traps Ig Nobel prize

Veterinary medicine: Catherine Douglas and Peter Rowlinson of Newcastle University, UK, for showing that cows with names give more milk than cows that are nameless.

Peace: Stephan Bolliger, Steffen Ross, Lars Oesterhelweg, Michael Thali and Beat Kneubuehl of the University of Bern, Switzerland, for determining whether it is better to be smashed over the head with a full bottle of beer or with an empty bottle.

Biology: Fumiaki Taguchi, Song Guofu and Zhang Guanglei of Kitasato University Graduate School of Medical Sciences in Sagamihara, Japan, for demonstrating that kitchen refuse can be reduced more than 90% in mass by using bacteria extracted from the faeces of giant pandas.

Medicine: Donald L Unger of Thousand Oaks, California, US, for investigating a possible cause of arthritis of the fingers, by diligently cracking the knuckles of his left hand but not his right hand every day for more than 60 years.

Economics: The directors, executives, and auditors of four Icelandic banks for demonstrating that tiny banks can be rapidly transformed into huge banks, and vice versa (and for demonstrating that similar things can be done to an entire national economy).

Physics: Katherine K Whitcome of the University of Cincinnati, Daniel E Lieberman of Harvard University and Liza J. Shapiro of the University of Texas, all in the US, for analytically determining why pregnant women do not tip over.

Chemistry: Javier Morales, Miguel Apatiga and Victor M Castano of Universidad Nacional Autonoma in Mexico, for creating diamonds from tequila.

Literature: Ireland's police service for writing and presenting more than 50 traffic tickets to the most frequent driving offender in the country - Prawo Jazdy - whose name in Polish means "Driving Licence".

Public Health: Elena N Bodnar, Raphael C Lee, and Sandra Marijan of Chicago, US, for inventing a bra that can be quickly converted into a pair of gas masks - one for the wearer and one to be given to a needy bystander.

Mathematics: Gideon Gono, governor of Zimbabwe's Reserve Bank, for giving people a simple, everyday way to cope with a wide range of numbers by having his bank print notes with denominations ranging from one cent to one hundred trillion dollars.

É sempre reconfortante ler estas coisas. Curiosamente, ou não, alguns dos vencedores já foram mencionados neste espaço. Vejam lá se os descobrem...

refinada ironia

Excelência da UA em relevo na cerimónia oficial de abertura do ano

A cerimónia teve início com a intervenção da Reitora, Prof. Maria Helena Nazaré, que aproveitou o tema da lição de abertura deste ano «A Universidade e a crise do pensamento crítico» e a presença do seu autor, Prof. Medeiros Ferreira (um dos actores da adesão de Portugal à CEE) para dizer que a resposta a algumas questões e desafios globais, como o papel da Universidade na construção de uma sociedade mais solidária e mais preparada, deverá encontrar-se em conjunto na Europa alargada.

Por falar em crise do pensamento crítico, uma tropa de caloiros devidamente enquadrada por morcegos entrou depois do início da palestra e saiu antes do fim. QED. É sempre bom interromper oradores convidados durante um acto solene.

Cada vez mais me envergonho pelos montes de merda que pululam na UA...

duas abordagens ao mesmo problema

EU Investigators Debunk Saakashvili's Lies

The EU fact-finding mission on the Russia-Georgia war has published its findings in a much-anticipated report. The authors blame Georgia for the war but also assign partial responsibility to Russia. Both countries have reacted angrily to the findings, with the Russia ambassador to NATO saying the report is only "pseudo-balanced."

Azerbaijan offers Armenia joint Nagorny Karabakh corridor

BAKU, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - Baku has proposed that Azerbaijan and Armenia jointly use a corridor linking Armenia to Nagorny Karabakh, an Azerbaijani deputy foreign minister said on Thursday.

Nagorny Karabakh, an enclave inside Azerbaijan with a predominantly ethnic Armenian population, has been a source of conflict between the former Soviet republics since the late 1980s. The province has its own government and is de facto independent.

simpatizo com este senhor

«Olheiros do Benfica tiveram grande mérito na vinda de Falcao» – Pinto da Costa

manutenção automóvel

sai dianteira direita, entra furado;
sai traseira direita, entra dianteira direita;
sai furado, entra traseira direita;
sai dianteira esquerda, entra furado;
sai traseira esquerda, entra dianteira esquerda;
sai furado, entra traseira esquerda;

2 horas depois, rodas trocadas e costas arruinadas.

e o meu Sporting que os ature

Duarte Gomes no clássico do Dragão

Duarte Gomes, da AF Lisboa, foi o árbitro nomeado para dirigir, no próximo sábado, o jogo grande da 6.ª jornada da Liga, que opõe FC Porto e Sporting, no Estádio do Dragão.

O juiz lisboeta, recorde-se, desentendeu-se com Ricardo Peres, um dos adjuntos da equipa técnica leonina, antes do jogo com o V. Setúbal, disputado em Alvalade a 9 de Maio passado. A Comissão Disciplinar da Liga considerou que Duarte Gomes demonstrou «comportamento ilícito», mas salientou, na ocasião, que se verificou «causa de exclusão de culpa», decidindo por isso não castigar o árbitro.

Já o treinador de guarda-redes foi repreendido por escrito e multado em 400 euros.

faltam-me superlativos

Acaba de me rebentar mais um fusível.

Eu cá tenho as minhas tripes com a sociedade ianque, e já disse vezes sem conta que, se o meu futuro o permitir, nunca lá hei-de meter os pés. O que é pena, consta que aquilo é um país rico em todos os sentidos, até em termos humanos. Mas ele há merdas que me eriçam os pêlos do pescoço (ambos).

Não basta a paranóia do terrorismo, não basta o total desrespeito pela privacidade das pessoas, não basta as suas putas de serviço dentro da UE. Não. Isto pode ir sempre mais longe...

German Minister Says New US Entry Fee 'Not Logical'

A high-ranking member of the German government is calling on Washington to abandon plans to introduce a fee to visit the US. At a meeting in Brussels on Monday, Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Party (CDU), said that entering the United States should remain free of charge. The US had previously revealed plans to introduce a $10 (€6.80) fee for anyone wishing to enter the country without a visa.

(...) The United States has said that they intend to collect the fee through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). The system has been used to track visitors from countries using the Visa Waiver Program since January. The ESTA system involves having potential visitors to the US fill out a form at least three days in advance of their journey and is intended to assist US immigration screeners. Once registered with ESTA, the visitor registration is valid for two years. However, registration does not guarantee entry to the US, and therefore cannot be considered an actual visa.

Washington intends to use the planned fees to finance advertising campaigns for tourism, and estimates from a travel industry lobbying group claim the campaign could create 40,000 jobs in the travel industry. Schäuble has criticized these plans. "Financing a campaign to promote tourism by charging tourists $10 may not be logical," Schäuble said.

Não precisam de visto, é na boa. Só não garantimos entrada e ainda pagam. Mas não precisam de visto, é mesmo na boa.

Burros de merda.

blogosfera e legislativas

A meu ver, entre pseudo-escutas, têgêvês, aljubarrotices, insultos e campanhas escuras, mouras guedes, públicos e afins, mais todos os comentários e análises daí decorrentes, creio que os únicos contributos sérios da blogosfera para o debate que precede estas eleições foram este e este.

simpatia pelo prevaricador

Swiss ref banned over fan insult

A high-profile Swiss football referee has been given a three-match ban for insulting fans.

Massimo Busacca was pictured waving his middle finger at crowds during a match between FC Baden and Young Boys.

Fraudster in £3,000 petrol theft

A conman used a cloned card to buy £3,000 worth of petrol at the same West Midlands petrol station over six days.

(...) He also offered motorists in Birmingham the chance to top-up with discounted fuel, leading a convoy of interested drivers to the filling station.

'Naked police run' investigated

Australian police are investigating whether officers ran naked round an unmarked police van as they travelled to a stag party.

The incident was reported by a woman who saw two men get out of the van at traffic lights in Brisbane on Sunday afternoon.

When police checked the licence plate number, they realised it was a police vehicle, Australian media reported.

Tudo isto é muito esticado, e no entanto eu faria igual.

sobretudo, saúde

Newsletter da AAUAv:

Bar do Estudante reabre em grande!

Dia 23 e 24 o BE abre o ano com duas grandes festas.
Quarta-feira podes contar com o DJ Johnny N e o VJ Carlos Míguel, depois do arraial.
DJ MS.J prometem animar a quinta-feira com "Saúde no Regresso às Aulas" - Promoção para Novas Alunas: 2 Shots pelo preço de 1.

no comments

recordações

Gorbachev defends controversial legacy

Mikhail Gorbachev is remarkably serene about his record as the last leader of the Soviet Union.

He says he expected a different outcome, but he would do it all over again.

It was Mr Gorbachev's policies that sparked the 1989 revolutions which swept away communism in Eastern Europe.

But Russia, too, went through a metamorphosis - and after the loss of the Soviet empire two years later, it was the Soviet Union itself that fell apart.

The result is that for many Russians, Mr Gorbachev's years in the Kremlin remain bitterly contentious.

ladrões

Charge students more, say bosses

University students in the UK should pay more for their loans and accept higher tuition fees as "inevitable", says a report from business leaders.

The Confederation of British Industry says the extra money needed to fund universities should come from savings in the student support system.

social-tropeções

4 Awkward Moments in Facebook "Likes"

microgerações

A Power Station in Your Own Basement

Green-energy provider Lichtblick and German automaker Volkswagen are joining forces and promising to stir up the energy market with an unusual plan. Instead of relying on massive energy facilities, the average consumer may soon have a miniature power station in their basement.

(...) The ambitious new project could be worth billions of euros and generate enough electricity to replace up to two nuclear power stations or even coal-fired power plants in the near future. The technology required to put this plan into practice is highly complex, but -- depending on demand and the market situation -- the new setup could network 1,000, 10,000 or even 100,000 small natural-gas-powered thermal power stations and, in effect, instantly create a virtual large one.

A giant quantity of electricity could be generated by such a system. Channelled straight from the basements of individual houses, where Lichtblick plans on installing the mini power stations, it could then be fed into the public powergrid. Likewise, the mini stations could also provide a source of cheap thermal energy and warm water for each household.

plantações

Greek police arrest man for growing cannabis on busy highway

ATHENS, September 18 (RIA Novosti) - Greek police arrested a man for growing cannabis on a busy national highway, local media said on Friday.

According to investigators, the cheeky 35-year-old suspect planted cannabis on the dividing strip of a national highway linking the country's largest cities - Athens and Salonika.

The plants had been growing for some time in full view of drivers, who did not seem to notice them.

The police destroyed 42 large cannabis bushes.

tensões

Frustrations Grow Among Slovakia's Hungarian Minority

Independent Experts Blame Georgia for South Ossetia War

eu ajudei a fundar isto

jogar com chave fixa

Bulgarian lottery repeat probed

The Bulgarian authorities have ordered an investigation after the same six numbers were drawn in two consecutive rounds of the national lottery.

The numbers - 4, 15, 23, 24, 35 and 42 - were chosen by a machine live on television on 6 and 10 September.

An official of the Bulgarian lottery said manipulation was impossible.

A mathematician said the chance of the same six numbers coming up twice in a row was one in four million. But he said coincidences did happen.

cómicos da bola

Heerenveen: holandeses com trauma ao «assalto final» do Sporting

O treinador do Heereveen está preocupado com os minutos finais do jogo em que a sua equipa vai receber o Sporting, na ronda inaugural da Liga Europa. Jan de Jonge lembra o que aconteceu a outras duas equipas holandesas, AZ Alkmaar e Twente, que foram eliminadas pelos «leões» com golos já em período de descontos.

«O Sporting joga com um ritmo baixo. A outra equipa fica com a ideia que tem o jogo controlado. Eles têm paciência para esperar pelos instantes finais e matar o jogo. São verdadeiros matadores», disse o técnico holandês.