Islamists on Thursday rushed to approve a draft constitution for Egypt without the participation of liberal and Christian members, aiming to pre-empt a court ruling that could dissolve their panel and further inflaming the clash between the opposition and President Mohammed Morsi.
The move advances a charter with an Islamist bent that rights experts say could give Muslim clerics oversight over legislation and bring restrictions on freedom of speech, women's rights and other liberties.
The assembly that has been working on the constitution for months raced to pass it in a single marathon session that continued past midnight, with members voting article-by-article on the more than 230-article draft. The lack of inclusion was on display in the nationally televised gathering _ of the 85 members in attendance, there was not a single Christian and only four women, all Islamists. Many of the men wore beards, the hallmark of Muslim conservatives.
For weeks, liberal, secular and Christian members, already a minority on the 100-member panel, have been withdrawing to protest what they call the Islamists' hijacking of the process.
The sudden rush to finish came as the latest twist in a week-long crisis pitting Morsi and his Islamist supporters against a mostly secular and liberal opposition and the powerful judiciary. Voting had not been expected for another two months. But the assembly abruptly moved it up in order to pass the draft before Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court rules on Sunday on whether to dissolve the panel.
To come into effect, the draft must be passed in a nationwide referendum, which Morsi said Thursday will be held "very soon."
"It is trying to impose a constitution monopolized by one trend and is the furthest from national consensus, produced in a farcical way," the National Salvation Front said in a statement, read by Waheed Abdel-Meguid, one of the assembly members who withdrew.
Thursday's vote escalates the already bruising confrontation sparked last week when Morsi gave himself near absolute powers by neutralizing the judiciary, the last branch of the state not in his hands. Morsi banned the courts from dissolving the constitutional assembly or the upper house of parliament and from reviewing his own decisions.
Speaking in an interview on state TV aired late Thursday, Morsi defended his edicts, saying they were a necessary "delicate surgery" needed to get Egypt through a transitional period and end instability he blamed on the lack of a constitution.
"The most important thing of this period is that we finish the constitution, so that we have a parliament under the constitution, elected properly, an independent judiciary, and a president who executes the law," Morsi said.
Street clashes have already erupted between the two camps the past week, leaving at least two people dead and hundreds wounded. And more violence is possible.
The opposition plans another large protest for Friday, and the Brotherhood has called a similar massive rally for the following day, though they decided to move it from Tahrir to avoid frictions. Bands of youths have been daily battling police on a road leading off the square and close to the U.S. Embassy.
At least three independent daily newspapers are threatening not to issue editions on Tuesday in protest against Morsi's edicts and the rushed constitutional vote, according to the National Committee for the Defense of Freedom of Express, which called for the move.
The Constitutional Court's announcement that it would rule on the legitimacy of the assembly was a direct defiance of Morsi's edicts. It will also rule Sunday on whether to dissolve the upper house of parliament, which is overwhelmingly held by Islamists. Most of the nation's judges are on indefinite strike to protest the edicts.
It is not clear what would happen to the approved draft if the court dissolves the assembly. The crisis could move out of the realm of legal questions and even more into the more volatile street, to be decided by which side can bring the most support.
The opposition is considering whether to call for a boycott of any referendum on the constitution or to try to rally a "no" vote, said Hamdeen Sabahi, a National Salvation Front leader who ran in this year's presidential race and came in a surprisingly strong third.
"The people should not be made to choose between a dictatorial declaration or a constitution that doesn't represent all the people," he told independent ONTV, referring to Morsi's decrees. "He is pushing Egypt to more division and confronation."
During Thursday's session, assembly head Hossam al-Ghiryani doggedly pushed the members to finish. When one article received 16 objections, he pointed out that would require postponing the vote 48 hours under the body's rules. "Now I'm taking the vote again," he said, and all but four members dropped their objections.
2012年10月7日星期日
Our endangered top earners in need of saving
There was nothing on TV the other night, so I took Gerry Brownlee's advice and turned on the computer to "buggerise on Facebook".
As Colin Hogg said, "On TV these days, if they're not cooking it, they're killing it." Or singing and dancing about cooking and killing it.
To be fair, Close Up had just done an item on higher salaries that entertained me. Prompted by Andrew Ferrier's $8.2 million payment by Fonterra, the earnings of the country's top executives is news of the week yet again. I use the words "entertained" and "news" begrudgingly. Likewise "earnings".
But I'm wondering if we're not enviously looking at the salaries of our chief executives all wrong. Actually, I'm quite worried about our top earners. Like rare and endangered species, I think they need saving. Intervention is required if they aren't going to go the way of the giant moa or dodo.
I don't think we appreciate the responsibilities of our CEOs. For a start, their job descriptions are so . . . so . . . universal. They have a galaxy of responsibilities to navigate through.
Black holes surround them everywhere. It's no fun being an awesome supernova when your blinding brightness burns up everything and everyone who comes into your orbit.
The hours they work are immense. How do they sleep? I mean, when do they sleep? Like their bank balances, the clock is always ticking over. Likewise their brains.
Just carrying around a head so obviously weighed down with intelligence and knowledge and facts and figures has to be a strain on the neck. Their brains are packed in so tight, their skulls must ache. Continuously. Not to mention all the blunt knives sticking out of their backs. No wonder they can't sleep.
They are working themselves into early graves. Their well-appointed coffins will be of no comfort to them, or their families.
No, the more I think about it, being a CEO is not for me.
I think I'll aspire to something a little more lowly, say, prime minister. Certainly that's the message you get when you look at their comparative salaries.
If the prime minister of our entire country is worth $411,510 each year, why does the Education Ministry head get $520,000? And why does Auckland University vice-chancellor get $640,000?
If Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee gets $257,800 as a Cabinet minister, why does Christchurch City Council chief executive Tony Marryatt get more than $500,000? Isn't Gerry's job more important at the moment?
And why, oh why, did Auckland Council chief executive Doug McKay earn twice the prime minister's salary last year?
Imagine the conversations. "Mr McKay, I've got the prime minister on the phone for you."
"Tell him I'm busy, doesn't he know I've got a council twice as important as his country to run?"
Benchmark their salaries I say, with the top dog being the prime minister.
Reports have put the average private sector chief executive's salary in New Zealand at $315,000. Yet in the public sector, the average has been shown to be $340,000. This is reassuring. It means we can do something about it.
Jobs are becoming so big no amount of money can compensate them. Where once there were two jobs, now there is one, and that one person is working harder and longer than ever.
As Colin Hogg said, "On TV these days, if they're not cooking it, they're killing it." Or singing and dancing about cooking and killing it.
To be fair, Close Up had just done an item on higher salaries that entertained me. Prompted by Andrew Ferrier's $8.2 million payment by Fonterra, the earnings of the country's top executives is news of the week yet again. I use the words "entertained" and "news" begrudgingly. Likewise "earnings".
But I'm wondering if we're not enviously looking at the salaries of our chief executives all wrong. Actually, I'm quite worried about our top earners. Like rare and endangered species, I think they need saving. Intervention is required if they aren't going to go the way of the giant moa or dodo.
I don't think we appreciate the responsibilities of our CEOs. For a start, their job descriptions are so . . . so . . . universal. They have a galaxy of responsibilities to navigate through.
Black holes surround them everywhere. It's no fun being an awesome supernova when your blinding brightness burns up everything and everyone who comes into your orbit.
The hours they work are immense. How do they sleep? I mean, when do they sleep? Like their bank balances, the clock is always ticking over. Likewise their brains.
Just carrying around a head so obviously weighed down with intelligence and knowledge and facts and figures has to be a strain on the neck. Their brains are packed in so tight, their skulls must ache. Continuously. Not to mention all the blunt knives sticking out of their backs. No wonder they can't sleep.
They are working themselves into early graves. Their well-appointed coffins will be of no comfort to them, or their families.
No, the more I think about it, being a CEO is not for me.
I think I'll aspire to something a little more lowly, say, prime minister. Certainly that's the message you get when you look at their comparative salaries.
If the prime minister of our entire country is worth $411,510 each year, why does the Education Ministry head get $520,000? And why does Auckland University vice-chancellor get $640,000?
If Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee gets $257,800 as a Cabinet minister, why does Christchurch City Council chief executive Tony Marryatt get more than $500,000? Isn't Gerry's job more important at the moment?
And why, oh why, did Auckland Council chief executive Doug McKay earn twice the prime minister's salary last year?
Imagine the conversations. "Mr McKay, I've got the prime minister on the phone for you."
"Tell him I'm busy, doesn't he know I've got a council twice as important as his country to run?"
Benchmark their salaries I say, with the top dog being the prime minister.
Reports have put the average private sector chief executive's salary in New Zealand at $315,000. Yet in the public sector, the average has been shown to be $340,000. This is reassuring. It means we can do something about it.
Jobs are becoming so big no amount of money can compensate them. Where once there were two jobs, now there is one, and that one person is working harder and longer than ever.
2012年7月5日星期四
The Avon location of the popular bargain designer fashion chain
The T.J. Maxx parking lot in Avon was nearly filled Thursday as shoppers took advantage of closing sales.
The Avon location of the popular bargain designer fashion chain is closing for good on July 14 at 6 p.m., according to signs on the store windows.
"We are always assessing and reviewing our real estate strategies and our decision to close the Avon store reflects that thinking," Sherry Lang, senior vice president of global communications at the TJX Companies, Inc., wrote in an email to Patch.
The Avon store employees have been offered "the ability to work at our other area stores," Lang said.
In order to clear out its remaining merchandise, all items are 20 percent off the regular retail prices through the closing date.
Many customers were in the store the day after the 4th of July, looking at everything from clothes and shoes to sunglasses and kitchenware.
"We are grateful for the patronage of our T.J. Maxx customers in Avon and believe they will continue to find great values at our nearby stores in Granby and Farmington," Lang said.
The next closest T.J. Maxx stores you'll be able to go to after next Saturday are in Farmington, at The Convenience Center on 600 Southeast Rd., and in Granby at Stop & Shop Plaza on 124A Salmon Brook Street.
The Avon site was one of 28 T.J. Maxx stores in Connecticut and the newest is in Southbury.
Bargain shopping is still an option in Avon at Marshalls in Nod Brook Mall at 315 West Main St. (Route 44) and at area boutiques like Jolie Boutique Consignment and A Cool Chick Place.
Lang confirmed that T.J. Maxx will be opening 50 stores nationally and 10 globally in the United States, Canada and Europe, but declined to identify the towns specifically.
About this column: Businesses and real estate are ever-changing. New companies come to Avon and older ones move out. New establishments are built and current ones are renovated. Patch is going to monitor the changes in the Avon business and development world.
The Avon location of the popular bargain designer fashion chain is closing for good on July 14 at 6 p.m., according to signs on the store windows.
"We are always assessing and reviewing our real estate strategies and our decision to close the Avon store reflects that thinking," Sherry Lang, senior vice president of global communications at the TJX Companies, Inc., wrote in an email to Patch.
The Avon store employees have been offered "the ability to work at our other area stores," Lang said.
In order to clear out its remaining merchandise, all items are 20 percent off the regular retail prices through the closing date.
Many customers were in the store the day after the 4th of July, looking at everything from clothes and shoes to sunglasses and kitchenware.
"We are grateful for the patronage of our T.J. Maxx customers in Avon and believe they will continue to find great values at our nearby stores in Granby and Farmington," Lang said.
The next closest T.J. Maxx stores you'll be able to go to after next Saturday are in Farmington, at The Convenience Center on 600 Southeast Rd., and in Granby at Stop & Shop Plaza on 124A Salmon Brook Street.
The Avon site was one of 28 T.J. Maxx stores in Connecticut and the newest is in Southbury.
Bargain shopping is still an option in Avon at Marshalls in Nod Brook Mall at 315 West Main St. (Route 44) and at area boutiques like Jolie Boutique Consignment and A Cool Chick Place.
Lang confirmed that T.J. Maxx will be opening 50 stores nationally and 10 globally in the United States, Canada and Europe, but declined to identify the towns specifically.
About this column: Businesses and real estate are ever-changing. New companies come to Avon and older ones move out. New establishments are built and current ones are renovated. Patch is going to monitor the changes in the Avon business and development world.
2011年11月1日星期二
Donatella's Only Gripe With Rehab Was The Lack Of High Heels
You may know Donatella Versace as the very tanned, very blonde creative director of her brother's eponymous fashion house, but you may not have known these tidbits — the designer has a particular disdain for a fellow fashion insider, she used to have a serious cocaine problem that drove her to rehab, and she's way more business savvy than you'd think. Check out my three favorite quotes from her interview with Newsweek below --
On her cocaine addiction -
The turning point came in 2004, when a party thrown for the 18th birthday of her daughter Allegra became an intervention for Donatella, who flew to rehab that night with minimal fuss. “The only thing she complained about," Sozzani says, “was not being able to wear high heels. She said, ‘I can give up anything, but not my high heels.’ She’s totally ironic and self-aware."
On her not-so-fondess of Roberto Cavalli -
She’s not so kind about Cavalli, the Italian designer who’s become a favorite among the Euro set, largely by combing the Versace archive for endless inspiration. “I think that to do a collection—how do you say—as an homage to Versace, this is fine. But when you do a lot of collections as an homage to Versace—why? What’s the point?" She sees a look of concern on the face of her PR person, who’s sitting across from her. “Was I a beetch?" Donatella asks. Then she bursts out laughing.
On designing with the consumer in mind -
"When the 2008 financial crisis happened, everyone did safe clothes thinking people would invest money in an outfit they could wear again and again and again," she says. “Well, nothing could be wronger than that. It turned out to be the opposite. People with money were looking for special pieces. They want something recognizable, so I captured this feeling very early."
On her cocaine addiction -
The turning point came in 2004, when a party thrown for the 18th birthday of her daughter Allegra became an intervention for Donatella, who flew to rehab that night with minimal fuss. “The only thing she complained about," Sozzani says, “was not being able to wear high heels. She said, ‘I can give up anything, but not my high heels.’ She’s totally ironic and self-aware."
On her not-so-fondess of Roberto Cavalli -
She’s not so kind about Cavalli, the Italian designer who’s become a favorite among the Euro set, largely by combing the Versace archive for endless inspiration. “I think that to do a collection—how do you say—as an homage to Versace, this is fine. But when you do a lot of collections as an homage to Versace—why? What’s the point?" She sees a look of concern on the face of her PR person, who’s sitting across from her. “Was I a beetch?" Donatella asks. Then she bursts out laughing.
On designing with the consumer in mind -
"When the 2008 financial crisis happened, everyone did safe clothes thinking people would invest money in an outfit they could wear again and again and again," she says. “Well, nothing could be wronger than that. It turned out to be the opposite. People with money were looking for special pieces. They want something recognizable, so I captured this feeling very early."
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