Appeals court ruling restores NFL lockout

CNN Blog
(http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/04/29/appeals-court-ruling-restores-nfl-lockout/?on.cnn=1)


Posted: April 29, 2011, 7:47 pm ET


National Football League players have again been locked out of training facilities, because of an appeals court ruling. Meanwhile, negotiations continue over a new collective bargaining agreement between league owners and the NFL Player's Association.

A temporary stay has been granted of a lower court order that had ruled NFL owners could not lock out the players, said Michael Gans, the clerk with the 8th Circuit appeals court.

"We are back to a lockout," Gans said.

The temporary ruling allows the NFL to again suspend football operations as they seek to revise the current system.

A lockout was imposed after talks between the players and owners broke down last month and the players disbanded their union. In response, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and seven others filed a lawsuit on behalf of other current and eligible NFL players against the league to halt the lockout, which could affect the start of the 2011-12 season scheduled for September 8.

U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson ruled in favor of the players on Monday, issuing an injunction that ordered the league's owners to lift their lockout. The NFL appealed the ruling on the grounds that federal law prohibits injunctions in labor disputes.


Posted by: CNN's Emanuella Grinberg


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PT aprova retorno de Delúbio, tesoureiro do mensalão

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Opinião do Blog:

Sério, com coisas como essa, será que é tão difícil assim fazer oposição?!?

Ricardo Bampa - Sex, 29 Abr, 2011 | 22:14:18
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Veja.com
(http://veja.abril.com.br/noticia/brasil/pt-aprova-retorno-de-delubio-soares)

29/04/2011 - 20:51

Alguns petistas comiam pizza no momento da votação do diretório

Luciana Marques

O Diretório Nacional do PT aprovou na noite desta sexta-feira a volta do ex-tesoureiro e réu no processo do mensalão que corre no Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF), Delúbio Soares, ao partido. A decisão já era esperada e não houve nenhuma manifestação pública de petistas contra o retorno de Delúbio, que foi expluso do PT em 2005 no auge do episódio do mensalão. Foram 60 votos a favor de seu retorno, quinze contra e duas abstenções. Delúbio deve se filiar no diretório do PT em Goiânia, segundo o recém-eleito presidente do PT, Rui Falcão, que votou pelo retorno do ex-tesoureiro.

Falcão disse que não poderia se omitir neste caso, mesmo podendo usar a prerrogativa de um presidente. "Ele teve um comportamento neste período que atende aos itens do manual dos filiados e sempre defendeu nossas ideias publicamente. Como não existe pena perpétua nem no Brasil, e tampouco no Estatuto do PT, encaramos isso com naturalidade", declarou.

Delúbio Soares não apareceu na reunião do diretório durante todo o dia. A votação sobre seu retorno foi acompanhada por sua esposa, Mônica, que integra o diretório. Enquanto os petistas aprovavam o retorno de Delúbio, não paravam de chegar pizzas à sede do PT.  Isso porque, com o adiantado da hora, integrantes do partido não aguentaram a fome e encomendaram a comida. Outros preferiram se dirigir à pizzaria que fica próxima ao prédio do partido. "Aqui não há caixa dois", brincou um dos sócios do restaurante, animado com o faturamento do dia.  

Três petistas discusaram a favor de Delúbio - Ricardo Berzoini, Virgílio Guimarães e Bruno Maranhão. Outros três falaram contra a refiliação do ex-tesoureiro: Walter Pomar, Renato Simões e Carlos Árabe. Berzoini ponderou que a volta de Delúbio ao partido não significa que ele terá os mesmos poderes que tinha no início do primeiro mandato do presidente Lula. "Ele não tem condições de voltar ao diretório nacional, mas apenas ao diretório municipal em Goiânia", avaliou. Berzoini negou, no entanto, que Delúbio venha a se candidatar à Prefeitura de Goiânia. Segundo ele, o atual prefeito da cidade, Paulo de Siqueira Garcia (PT), deverá ser candidato à reeleição.

A decisão sobre o retorno de Delúbio foi o último item da pauta de discussões do diretório. Antes, os petistas debateram sobre reforma política e conjuntura econômica do governo Dilma Rousseff. O partido defende cotas para mulheres na lista fechada – em que os eleitores votam no partido, e não nos candidatos individualmente. O diretório também defendeu a política econômica do governo e as medidas adotadas para o combate à inflação.

Repercussão - "Sou a favor de sua volta pelo tempo que ele passou à margem do partido e pela execração pública", disse a senadora Marta Suplicy (SP), uma das que mudaram de opinião em relação a Delúbio. O ministro da Secretaria-Geral da Presidência, Gilberto Carvalho, disse que ele retomará todos os direitos políticos. "Ele volta com direitos plenos de filiado, não há condenação judicial", disse.  "Ele terá abertura inclusive para se candidatar", observou o deputado federal André Vargas (PR). 

Se não for barrado pela Lei da Ficha Limpa no STF, Delúbio ainda pode tentar uma vaga ao cargo de vereador. Sobre o assunto, os petistas preferem não comentar.

Tags: ⁠ deluvio soares, diretório nacional, executiva, mensalão, pt, retorno

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EUA acusam Líbia de dar Viagra a tropas e estimular estupros⁠

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Opinião do Blog:

Não pode ser?!?! É o fim dos tempos! Viagra agora é arma de guerra!

Ricardo Bampa - Qui, 28 Abr, 2011 | 21:51:21
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O Globo
(http://moglobo.globo.com/integra.asp?txtUrl=/mundo/mat/2011/04/28/eua-acusam-libia-de-dar-viagra-tropas-estimular-estupros-924343704.asp)

28/04 às 20h50 Reuters⁠

NAÇÕES UNIDAS - A embaixadora dos Estados Unidos na ONU disse nesta quinta-feira ao Conselho de Segurança que as tropas leais ao ditador da Líbia, Muamar Kadafi, estão cada vez mais recorrendo à violência sexual, e que alguns soldados têm recebido doses do medicamento contra a impotência sexual Viagra.

Vários diplomatas da ONU que participaram de uma sessão a portas fechadas do Conselho relataram à Reuters que a embaixadora Susan Rice citou a questão do Viagra no contexto do agravamento dos casos de violência sexual por parte dos soldados do regime líbio.

- Rice abordou isso na reunião, mas ninguém respondeu - disse um diplomata, sob anonimato. A acusação havia surgido inicialmente em um jornal britânico.

Se for verdade que os soldados de Kadafi estão recebendo Viagra, disseram diplomatas, isso indicaria que eles estão sendo estimulados por seus comandantes a estuprar mulheres para aterrorizar a população em áreas que apoiam os rebeldes.

O uso do estupro como arma de guerra tem recebido crescente atenção da ONU. No ano passado, o secretário-geral da ONU, Ban Ki-moon, nomeou uma relatora especial para questões de violência sexual durante conflitos armados, Margot Wallstrom.

Neste mês, Wallstrom criticou o Conselho de Segurança por não ter mencionado a violência sexual durante duas recentes resoluções relacionadas à Líbia, apesar de o Conselho ter prometido priorizar esse assunto.

Wallstrom disse na ocasião que relatos sobre estudos na Líbia não haviam sido confirmados, mas citou o caso amplamente divulgado de Eman al Obaidi, uma mulher que no mês passado foi a um hotel frequentado por jornalistas em Trípoli e disse que havia sido estuprada por milicianos leais ao governo.

O Tribunal Penal Internacional já está investigando se o regime de Kadafi cometeu crimes de guerra na sua violenta repressão a manifestantes que exigiam mais liberdade.

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Obra é paralisada para preservar espécie rara de perereca no Rio

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Opinião do Blog:

No meio do caminho havia uma perereca! A perereca mais cara do mundo!

Ricardo Bampa - Ter, 26 Abr, 2011 | 14:54:49
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ANDA
(http://www.anda.jor.br/2011/04/26/obra-e-paralisada-para-preservar-especie-rara-de-perereca-no-rio/)

Ivasão de habitat

26 de abril de 2011

Um pequeno anfíbio foi capaz de paralisar parte das mais importantes obras do PAC (Programa de Aceleração do Crescimento) no Rio.

Ao encontrar a minúscula Physalaemus soaresi (uma perereca de apenas 2 cm), em setembro de 2009, em um trecho de 4 km em Seropédica, o Arco Metropolitano não pôde simplesmente ignorar o animal. A solução encontrada pela secretaria de Obras, responsável pelo projeto, foi construir um viaduto ao custo de R$ 18 milhões para preservar o habitat do animal.

Trata-se de uma espécie que só vive numa área de 4,9 milhões de metros quadrados da Flonamax (Floresta Nacional Mário Xavier), em Seropédica, entre a rodovia Presidente Dutra e a antiga Rio-São Paulo – exatamente no trecho onde o Arco vai passar. E a perereca (apelidada pelos funcionários da obra de Norminha, personagem poligâmica da atriz Dira Paes na TV) não está sozinha. Há ainda o peixe das nuvens (Leptolebias minimus), também endêmico e ameaçado de extinção.

O projeto aguarda liberação do Ibama para entrar em processo de licitação. A previsão é de começar a fazer o viaduto em dois meses, no máximo. O governador Sérgio Cabral prometeu entregar a rodovia pronta em dezembro de 2012, durante fórum na Firjan (Federação das Indústrias do Rio de Janeiro). Além do problema ambiental, a obra sofreu atraso devido às mais de 3,6 mil desapropriações e da descoberta de mais de 40 sítios arqueológicos.

"Quando surge uma perereca no meio do caminho, então vai-se estudar que perereca é esta, qual a espécie, como fazer para garantir a procriação. O mesmo em relação aos sítios arqueológicos e com as desapropriações. Dá trabalho, atrasa a obra, mas isso faz parte do jogo democrático", explicou Sérgio Cabral.

Plano diretor

O valor total da obra, que une recursos dos governos federal pelo PAC e estadual, já passa de R$ 1 bilhão. A via vai ligar o complexo petroquímido de Itaboraí ao Porto de Sepetiba, em Itaguaí, desviando o trânsito pesado dos caminhões da região metropolitana.

A obra ganhou Plano Diretor Estratégico de Desenvolvimento no dia 18. O estudo cruza oportunidades e restrições ambientais da região, além de identificar problemas, como nos abastecimentos de água e de energia. A finalidade é evitar a destruição ambiental e formação de assentamentos urbanos precários.

Fonte: eBand

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Judge Ends NFL Lockout, Chaos May Ensue

MyFoxPhilly.com
(http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/sports/eagles/judge-ends-nfl-lockout,-chaos-may-ensue-042511?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter)

Seg, 25 Abr, 2011 | 22:18:01

A federal judge ordered an end to the NFL lockout on Monday night, leading to the possibility of free agency and trades before the NFL draft on Thursday.

That would be a Hail Mary for the players, but NFL owners still have two appeals they want ruled on immediately, and if a Circuit Court doesn't side with owners on a stay, the NFL would need to open for business for a month. And with great speed, the NFL could get a ruling by Thursday night.

U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson ordered an end to the NFL lockout on Monday, giving the players a victory in their fight with the owners.

The ball is now in the hands of NFL owners, who will ask for legal rulings as quickly as possible to keep the lockout in place.

"We will promptly seek a stay from Judge Nelson pending an expedited appeal to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals," the league said. "We believe that federal law bars injunctions in labor disputes. We are confident that the Eighth Circuit will agree. But we also believe that this dispute will inevitably end with a collective bargaining agreement, which would be in the best interests of players, clubs and fans. We can reach a fair agreement only if we continue negotiations toward that goal."
In her ruling, Judge Nelson didn't say if she would issue a stay of her ruling until owners could appeal.

If the NFL can't get a stay from Judge Nelson immediately, it would ask the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals for a stay until it can rule on the case. The second stay would take several days to happen after a decision by Judge Nelson.

Without the stays, the NFL would be forced to open for business until the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals rules on the case sometime in late May.

In other words, if the NFL can't get the stay, free agency will begin, teams could make trades and there is no salary cap.

The NFL would also run the league without a collective bargaining agreement.

Then, if the Eighth Circuit Court sides with the owners on appeal, the NFL would shut down again.

Nelson said she was swayed by the players' argument that that the lockout, now in its second month, was causing irreparable harm to their careers.

Granting the injunction swings some of the leverage to the players' side, which could actually bring the two sides closer to a resolution, according to Seth Borden, a labor law expert at McKenna, Long and Aldridge in New York.

"It's still going to boil down to the way the parties view their respective positions and respective leverage," Borden said. "Until the league and the players feel like they're at the point of no return for next season, progress will be slow toward that overall resolution."

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Judge orders NFL owners to lift lockout

CNN/Blogs
(http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/04/25/judge-orders-lifting-of-nfl-lockout/)


Posted: April 25, 2011, 6:35 pm ET

A federal judge ruled in favor of NFL players on Monday, issuing an injunction that ordered the league's owners to lift their lockout.

The league will ask Nelson to stay the ruling, pending the league's appeal to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said.

"We believe that federal law bars injunctions in labor disputes," the league said in a statement. "We are confident that the 8th Circuit will agree. But we also believe that this dispute will inevitably end with a collective bargaining agreement, which would be in the best interests of players, clubs and fans. We can reach a fair agreement only if we continue negotiations toward that goal."

A lockout was imposed after talks on collective bargaining between the players and owners broke down last month.

Posted by: CNN Sports' Alfonso Savage, The CNN Wire


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NFL lockout gets its day in court

CNN.com
(http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/04/05/minneapolis.nfl.lockout.hearing/index.html)

By Tricia Escobedo and Chris Welch, CNN

April 5, 2011 4:16 p.m. EDT

St. Paul, Minnesota (CNN) -- A federal judge will hear arguments on Wednesday from lawyers representing current and former NFL players who want the league to lift its lockout and this year's football season to proceed.

Judge Susan Richard Nelson will consider whether to grant a preliminary injunction that would lift the lockout, the result of an ongoing dispute between the NFL owners and the players who have failed to reach an collective bargaining agreement.

It's possible that Nelson will make a decision after Wednesday's hearing at U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota. If she rules in favor of a preliminary injunction, the NFL is likely to appeal. If she rejects the players' motion, the lockout will continue.

Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and seven other players have filed a lawsuit on behalf of other current and eligible NFL players against the league to halt the lockout, which could affect the start of the 2011-12 season scheduled for September 8.

The players also want a future trial to determine if the NFL lockout is in violation of federal antitrust laws.

Brady v. NFL lawsuit

On Monday, the federal judge agreed to combine Brady v. National Football League with another class action lawsuit, Eller v. NFL, filed in late March by a group primarily made up of retired NFL players.

That second lawsuit is "potentially more threatening" because the plaintiffs in Eller v. NFL are not bargaining members of the NFL's players union (NFLPA) and the NFL cannot argue that they engaged in bad faith during collective bargaining discussions, according to SI.com's legal analyst Michael McCann.

"The NFLPA may be removed from the picture in Eller v. NFL, a point which would take away a key defense the NFL enjoys in Brady v. NFL," McCann explained.

Last month, negotiations between the NFL and NFLPA aimed at preventing a work stoppage broke down. The players union decertified itself. By giving up their collective bargain rights, the players could file individual anti-trust suits against the league and the owners. That move set the stage for a lengthy legal battle with owners.

At the time, the NFL accused the union of walking away from "a very good deal on the table."

If the players are locked out from playing in September, it would be the first NFL work stoppage since 1987, with months of labor and legal maneuvering for football fans already confused about how a $9 billion industry lacks enough money to satisfy everyone.

The heart of the issue between the players and the owners is how to divide the league's $9 billion in revenue.

Right now, NFL owners take $1 billion off the top of that revenue stream. After that, the players get about 60%.

The owners say that the current labor deal doesn't take into account the rising costs related to building stadiums and promoting the game. The players argue that the league has not sufficiently opened up its books to prove this.

In addition, the owners also want to increase the season by two games, which the players are against because of the risk of injuries.

While star players earn millions of dollars each year, the median NFL salary is $790,000 and the average career lasts about four years.

A lockout also impacts the league's employees: the receptionists, ticket salespeople, and stadium workers. The New York Jets have announced that they will require all business-side employees to take a one-week unpaid leave each month during any lockout.

The lockout will not stop the NFL draft, which will proceed as scheduled on April 28-30, the league said.

All other regular off-season activity would cease, threatening to delay or cancel the start of the new season.

The teams might approach the draft a bit differently in the midst of a lockout, according to Steve Politi, a sports columnist for The Star-Ledger in Newark, New Jersey.

"Teams might (pick) based on needs rather than the best players available, because who knows when they'll be able to address those needs on the free-agent market," Politi explained.

It is possible for the NFL season to go forward with replacement players -- but analyst Michael McCann says that is not likely:

"Practical and legal hurdles would make doing so extremely unlikely," he explained.

But it's still a possibility.

"The NFL might argue that if NFL players won't accept the league's best CBA (collective bargaining agreement) offer, the league has no choice but to resume games with other players who are willing to play," he added.

CNN's Tricia Escobedo reported from Atlanta and Chris Welch reported from St. Paul. Steve Politi, a sports columnist for The Star-Ledger in Newark, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

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Stuntman dies when safety net fails in human cannonball show in front of huge crowd

Dare devil: A performer at a previous Scott May's show shoots out of the cannon as part of the human cannonball stunt. Today's tragedy is believed to have happened due to a safety net malfunction. The 23-year-old man has yet to be formally identified

Mail Online
(http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1380477/Stuntman-dies-safety-nets-fails-human-cannonball-Kent.html)

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 9:09 PM on 25th April 2011

A human cannonball was dramatically killed today when the stunt went tragically wrong in front of a huge crowd.

Horrified onlookers watched helplessly as the 23-year-old man was fired from the cannon only for his safety net to fail to engage properly.

A Kent Police spokesman said the man's next-of-kin had been informed but he has yet to be formally identified.

Bystanders who had flocked to see the Bank Holiday stunt at a county show said the man was knocked unconscious and had blood pouring from his mouth moments after impact.

The accident happened during a performance at the Kent County Showground in Detling, Kent, this afternoon.

An evening performance was immediately cancelled and police cordoned off the showground as officers investigated the tragedy.

Members of the public were told to avoid the area and all of the Scott May daredevil shows were cancelled.

'A man taking part in a human cannonball event has died after it is believed a safety net failed to engage,' said a spokesman for Kent Police.

'The evening show was due to start at 7.30pm but it has now been cancelled.'

One woman who watched the show with her three-year-old son said she had been horrified when the stuntman - named only as Matt - landed right in front of where she had been standing.

'He was right in front of us and had blood coming from his mouth and was out cold,' she said.

The man was taken to hospital but later died from his injuries.

'We got a call at 3.40pm to the Kent County Showground, Detling, where a man in his 20s was suffering from traumatic injuries,' said a spokesman from South East Coast Ambulance Service.

'He was treated by a land ambulance crew that attended with a single responder in a car and the air ambulance crew.

'He was then taken by land ambulance with the assistance of a paramedic and doctor from the air ambulance on board.'

The Scott May's show has been touring the country since 1991 and boasts stunts including motorcycle jumps and monster trucks as well as the human cannonball.

The rocket is built on to the back of a 7.5 tonne truck and during the stunt the human cannonball climbs into the huge barrel before being fired into the air.

The performer then lands on a safety net, but must climb down before the poles holding the net in place crash to the ground.

A spokesman from the Scott May Stunt Show would not comment on the man's death but said that 'due to unforeseen circumstances all shows have been cancelled until further notice.' 

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