Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Rick Santorum
@RickSantorum Pittsburgh and Washington
Karen and I have 7 children; Candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States; former Congressman & Senator from Pennsylvania
http://ricksantorum.com
http://ping.fm/Wbe4x
@RickSantorum Pittsburgh and Washington
Karen and I have 7 children; Candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States; former Congressman & Senator from Pennsylvania
http://ricksantorum.com
http://ping.fm/Wbe4x
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Five myths about the Iowa caucuses - The Washington Post
Five myths about the Iowa caucuses - The Washington Post: "2. Retail politics is king in Iowa.
The one-on-one retail politicking that marked earlier campaigns has gone the way of the corner store. The days when a candidate such as George H.W. Bush could bounce around Iowa in a station wagon "
'via Blog this'
The one-on-one retail politicking that marked earlier campaigns has gone the way of the corner store. The days when a candidate such as George H.W. Bush could bounce around Iowa in a station wagon "
'via Blog this'
Hurd Pursued Sex With Jodie Fisher While CEO of HP, Letter Says
By Aaron Ricadela
Dec. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Former Hewlett-Packard Co. Chief Executive Officer Mark Hurd made attempts to persuade Jodie Fisher to have sex and kissed and touched her inappropriately while she was a company events contractor, according to a much- contested letter that was ordered to be released today.
During dinners, hotel-room visits and other meetings in cities such as Los Angeles, Atlanta, St. Louis and Madrid between 2007 and 2009, Hurd kissed and embraced Fisher, brushed his hand against her breast and attempted to initiate an affair, according to the letter sent to Hurd on June 24, 2010, by Fisher’s lawyer, Gloria Allred. Hurd, who is now president of Oracle Corp., wasn’t found to have committed sexual harassment by Hewlett-Packard, and Fisher herself later said the document contained inaccuracies.
“You had designs to make her your lover from the onset using your status and authority as CEO of HP,” Allred said in the letter to Hurd, which was obtained by Bloomberg News. “At times you would behave professionally seemingly ‘getting’ that she was not going to have sex with you. At other times, not, and you would relentlessly attempt to cajole her into having sex with you.”
The letter, which sought a settlement for sexual harassment, was made available after a ruling by the Delaware Supreme Court that it should become public as part of the evidence in a shareholder lawsuit against the Palo Alto, California-based company. Hurd’s relationship with Fisher led to his resignation as CEO on Aug. 6, 2010, after a company investigation found he had violated its standards of business conduct. Hurd settled with Fisher the week he resigned.
Hurd’s Aftermath
Since Hurd’s departure, Hewlett-Packard has struggled to revive sales and seen its stock tumble 45 percent. He was replaced last year by Leo Apotheker, who himself was ousted on Sept. 22 and replaced by Meg Whitman.
Allred and Michael Thacker, a Hewlett-Packard spokesman, declined to comment.
In settling with Hurd last year, Fisher and Allred said there was no romantic or sexual affair between the two. Hewlett- Packard’s investigation found that he didn’t violate the sexual- harassment policy.
Fisher told Hurd in a 2010 letter, also obtained by Bloomberg News, that the Allred document had “many inaccuracies in the details” and that the CEO’s behavior didn’t hurt Hewlett- Packard or its reputation.
The Allred “letter was recanted by Ms. Fisher,” said Ken Glueck, a senior vice president for Redwood City, California- based Oracle. “She admitted it was full of inaccuracies.”
Contrasting Views
Allred’s letter portrays Fisher as being nervous in Hurd’s presence because of his advances. In contrast, e-mails from Fisher to Hurd show her enthusiastically discussing her job. The messages, also obtained by Bloomberg News, depict her politely inquiring about Hurd’s family and describing him as “fun” to work with.
The eight-page letter from Allred to Hurd portrays a two- year romantic pursuit of Fisher, an actress and former contestant on the reality show “Age of Love.” She worked as a greeter at Hewlett-Packard events around the world. Her job was to introduce key customers to Hurd at the events.
According to Allred’s letter, Hurd, who is married with two daughters, made sexual advances toward Fisher during dinners and other meetings. During an October 2007 visit to her hotel room at the Ritz Carlton in Atlanta, Hurd twice touched Fisher’s breast and asked her to stay in his room for the night, the letter said. Two months later in a hotel room in St. Louis, he embraced her and quickly kissed her on the lips.
‘Major Strings Attached’
At another meeting, Hurd told Fisher he had girlfriends in New York and San Francisco, according to the letter. He also told her that many women were “crazy about” him, the document said. At a final meeting in Boise, Idaho, in October 2009, Hurd “grabbed and kissed” Fisher, the letter said.
The meetings made Fisher nervous and worried about her employment status, according to the document.
“She felt tired, irritated and depressed, sad and mad with the growing unbending realization that her great new job had some major strings attached,” said Allred, who works at Allred Maroko & Goldberg in Los Angeles.
Hurd also told Fisher of plans to buy technology services company Electronic Data Systems Corp., a deal that was ultimately completed in 2008 for $13.9 billion, according to the letter. During a meeting in Madrid in March 2008, Hurd walked Fisher to an ATM and showed her his checking account balance of more than $1 million to impress her, the document said.
‘Filled With Inaccuracies’
Amy Wintersheimer, an employment attorney for Hurd at the firm Allen Matkins, said in an e-mailed statement that she sought to keep the letter confidential because it is “filled with inaccuracies.”
“The truth is, there never was any sexual harassment, which HP’s investigation confirmed, and there never was any sexual relationship, which Ms. Fisher has confirmed,” Wintersheimer said.
Hewlett-Packard Shareholder Ernesto Espinoza sought the letter, along with company books and records, in a suit aimed at investigating possible corporate wrongdoing in conjunction with the payment of Hurd’s severance package of as much as $40 million, according to court papers.
This week’s court decision came after arguments in Dover Oct. 12 challenging a ruling in March by Delaware Chancery Court Judge Donald Parsons Jr. that most of the letter should be released.
--With assistance by Phil Milford and Sophia Pearson in Wilmington, Delaware. Editors: Nick Turner, Michael Hytha
To contact the reporters on this story: Aaron Ricadela in San Francisco at aricadela@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Tom Giles at tgiles5@bloomberg.net
Church Nativity scene with gay figures vandalized
CLAREMONT, Calif. (AP) -- Vandalism of a church's Nativity display that includes depictions of gay and lesbian couples was being investigated as a hate crime, police said.
The damage at Claremont United Methodist Church occurred late Saturday or Sunday morning.
The display's three panels feature silhouettes of three hand-holding couples - two men, two women and a heterosexual pair. The vandal knocked over the depictions of the gay and lesbian couples but left the straight couple alone.
"It's a hate crime based on it being church property as well as the wooden box knocked over that depicted two males holding hands," Claremont police Sgt. Jason Walters told the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.
The display created by artist church member John Zachary includes the phrase "Christ is born" and a Star of Bethlehem but no traditional manger figures. For the past six years, Zachary has designed and built a scene on the church's front lawn. The scene has had controversial themes before, but this was the first about gay couples, the Daily Bulletin said.
Zachary said the artwork suffered at least $3,000 worth of damage. The exhibit had three panels that weighed 600 pounds each.
The Rev. Dan Lewis said he was saddened by the incident.
"We have members of our church who are gay and lesbian who it sends a very personal message to," said Lewis, who learned of the vandalism on Christmas Day. "I tried to say in worship on Sunday morning that we will not let it trouble us."
Ed Kania, 60, an openly gay member of the church, called the act of vandalism disappointing, especially because Claremont is a generally seen as a progressive college town.
"It's a reminder that although there are pockets of acceptance, not everybody is accepting," he told the Los Angeles Times. "We're all kind of disappointed, but we're using it as a rallying point."
---
Information from: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, http://www.dailybulletin.com
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Sen. Ben Nelson reportedly won't seek reelection, leaving a strong pickup opportunity for the GOP in 2012. More @ http://wpo.st/3Sg4
Monday, December 26, 2011
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa 'was buried in cement at General Motors' HQ' | Mail Online
Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa 'was buried in cement at General Motors' HQ' Mail Online: "Mr Elkind initially said he didn't want the job, but he was told: 'Nobody's asking you.'
He began testifying against the mob when police discovered he'd worked with a con man. They gave him an ultimatum - tell or be charged."
'via Blog this'
He began testifying against the mob when police discovered he'd worked with a con man. They gave him an ultimatum - tell or be charged."
'via Blog this'
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