The Blood is The Life 04-12-2012

[miss_s_b]

• Certified causes of death inaccurate in fifth of cases, study suggests | Society | guardian.co.uk
  Terrifying
  (tags: )
  
  
• Drug Rape Prevention: DrinkSavvy Color Changing Drinkware | Indiegogo
  (tags: )
  
• Science jokes
  "Dr Heisenberg was out for a drive, and stopped by police. "Do you know how fast you were going?" "No, I know where I am.""
  (tags: )
  
  
• How one family were brought to their knees by the taxman - Telegraph
  This is terrifying if true
  (tags: )
  
  
• Copyright for a digital age
  (tags: )
  
• Caron's Musings: Lib Dems stop Tories from taking Housing Benefit from the Under 25s
  (tags: )
  
• GHOST Is Awesome
  My name is Jennie Rigg and I approve this message (from Gail Simone)
  (tags: )
  
  
• Hello, tailor.: The costumes and characters of The Avengers: Black Widow and Hawkeye.
  (tags: )
  
• Sick and tired: the coalition’s war on the disabled and destitute
  "The Conservative front bench is keen to remind us that the world of work has changed since Beveridge’s day. One of the most important changes has been that a full salary can no longer be expected to provide any sort of decent standard of living, or indeed to cover basic rent in many cities where employment is to be found – which is why the majority of recipients of housing benefit, among other benefits, are in work. And yet the fantasy that removing benefits will “get Britain working” continues, because we allow it to."
  (tags: )
  
  
• Hansard report on the debate in the Lords about violence against women
  SEVERE trigger warning.
  (tags: )
  
  
• How does the media report murders of women?
  (tags: )
  
• Why Kelvin MacKenzie is wrong to diss the north
  (tags: )
  
• Investment in renewable energy has halved in just three years, says alarming research - UK Politics - UK - The Independent
  (tags: )
  
• Promo Bay blocked: Web censorship now extends to perfectly legitimate sites - Pirate Party UK
  (tags: )
  
• BBC News - Five things about women in the press
  (tags: )
  
• Richest 10% of UK households own 40% of wealth, ONS says
  (tags: )
  
• Egg inspectors among obscure bodies who can monitor our emails
  But it's not a snooper's charter, is it, Theresa?
  (tags: )
  
  
• Tragic deaths that demand a better response than I witnessed - Comment - Voices - The Independent
  (tags: )
  
• Starbucks to slash paid lunch breaks and sick leave | Business | guardian.co.uk
  "Staff who complete five years of service will continue to receive a pen and the right to take four weeks off without pay." - WOW!
  (tags: )
  
  

Comments

[gwenhwyfaer]

That tax case demonstrates that allowing trials where only one side gets to put a case, for whatever reason or purpose, is always unjust.

[drunkwriter]

Probably the worst thing in that article is tucked away at the bottom with the 1% contributory pension scheme. Assuming anyone manages to work at Starbucks for long enough to qualify... 1%? What's the point? We've just switched pension providers here so this stuff is somewhat on my mind, but I get (a very generous, don't get me wrong) 10% which is still enough to net me slightly less than bog all when I get to pensionable age. And I suspect my salary is already somewhat higher than most of the people we're talking about here.

I feel really bad now about the peppermint hot chocolate I had the other day.

The really disgusting thing is that I happen to know that Starbucks is a particularly cushy place to work if you're on the corporate side, even if you're just a data entry temp. It's only the frontline staff in shops who will be getting shafted here.

[rmc28]

Starbucks are really not winning me back to being a customer.

[drunkwriter]

Nor me, apart from the basic tastiness of the peppermint hot chocolate. I suspect that their behaviour towards staff is broadly in line with the industry standard, though, it's just a bit more glaring in light of their tax practices.

[bagpuss]

It would be interesting to know if there is any correlation with good employment practice and "moral" tax practices (moral of course being a very loaded term)

[drunkwriter]

"good" employment practice is also a pretty loaded term. I once worked for one of the most benefit-laden publishers in the business, and it was the most miserable six months of my career.

[bagpuss]

True, nice benefits doesn't always make for a nice employer but I guess nice benefits and a crappy employer is better than crappy benefits and a crappy employer but these things are never quite so cut and dry

I always thank my lucky stars that I work for a good employer, with good benefits and a decent rate of pay, makes me better off than a lot of people

edit: I guess employee benefits is one of the things which are considered though when the "best" places of work are ranked

[miss_s_b]

"It's only the frontline staff in shops who will be getting shafted here."

So far so normal AFAICS

[drunkwriter]

The poor student who handed me yesterday's lunch in Pret said more or less the same thing.