Putting Wisconsin's Union Battle In Historical Context

In There is Power in a Union: The Epic Story of Labor in America, journalist Philip Dray follows the labor movement as it grew out of 19th century uprisings in textile mills. There are several parallels between those historical battles and what is currently going on in Wisconsin, he says.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/03/08/134337221/putting-wisconsins-union-battle-in-historical-context?ft=1&f=1057

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Recall Efforts In Wisconsin Face Tough Odds

The Wisconsin recall efforts have been launched in the wake of a partisan standoff over public employee pay, benefits and collective bargaining guarantees.

Cronin says history suggests that the attempts to dislodge eight Democratic and eight Republican lawmakers are unlikely to succeed. Even Republican Gov. Scott Walker, a lightning rod for Democratic anger, is likely to be safe from ouster because state-level recall efforts have a very high likelihood of fizzling out.

The state's 14 Democratic senators remain sequestered in Illinois, where they fled three weeks ago to avoid a showdown vote involving Walker's state budget. The governor wants to use budget-related legislation to significantly reduce collective bargaining for workers. The issue has deeply divided state residents.

"People may be confused and annoyed on both sides — with the governor for being ham-handed about cuts, and with Democrats for leaving the state to avoid a vote," Cronin says. "But recall efforts very rarely succeed at the state level."

Eighteen states allow the recall of state officials. Though eight states require specific grounds for recall — from incompetence in Alaska, to a felony conviction in Kansas — Wisconsin is among those with no such rules.

Local-Level Recalls More Common

Though many point to the dramatic recall of California Gov. Gray Davis, a Democrat, in 2003 as a defining grass-roots success, it was actually an anomaly, researchers say.

The most recent prior recall of a governor? More than 80 years earlier, when North Dakota Gov. Lynn Frazier was ousted during his third term, a victim of anger over a downturn in the state's farming economy, worsened by a drought.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/03/08/134340952/recall-efforts-in-wisconsin-face-tough-odds?ft=1&f=1003

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Cartoon Characters Neutralize Healthful Cereal Messages

Researchers find a cute penguin can lead children to shed reservations about unhealthful food. When the researchers added the cartoon character to a box of cereal labeled "Sugar Bits," its popularity with children surged.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/03/08/134337236/cartoon-characters-neutralize-healthful-cereal-messages?ft=1&f=1007

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Alaskans Win National Snow-Battlers Championship

There was a new competition at the Fur Rendezvous festival in Anchorage, Alaska, this year: team snowball fighting. Thirty-two teams competed in the tournament. The winners — a team called the Rum Runners — have the chance to compete for the United States at the international competition in Japan next year. Host Melissa Block talks with Gary Ray, a co-captain of the Rum Runners.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/03/07/134342253/Alaskans-Win-National-Snow-Battlers-Championship?ft=1&f=1003

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