Archive for » September 6th, 2012«

06 Sep 2012

JWoww gets engaged to Roger Mathews, with date to be determined, sources say

Oh, wow, JWoww – Confidenti@l has discovered you’re engaged.

Jenni (JWoww) Farley and long-term boyfriend Roger Mathews will walk down the aisle on a date yet to be set, according to multiple sources.

“[Farley] has been engaged [to Mathews] for a while,” one source close to “The Jersey Shore” cast reveals, although the insider can’t say when Farley’s 37-year-old boyfriend popped the question.

“Producers are making her save it for filming,” says the source, referring to the second season of the “Snooki JWoww” show, which started taping this August. But the source warns, “[Farley] and Roger are always on and off.”

Let’s hope the couple can stick it out that long. Despite being together for two years, the 27-year-old surgically enhanced brunette and Mathews have had a rocky relationship.

On a recent episode of “Snooki JWoww,” Farley had a blowout with Matthews when he wouldn’t change his schedule to see her when she returned from a trip to Mexico with Nicole (Snooki) Polizzi earlier than planned. Farley told Matthews he could “burn in hell.”

For now, it seems to be smooth sailing. The two were spotted Tuesday hitting the gym in Tom’s River, N.J.

We hope Mathews went big when rock shopping. “I just want a big ring,” she told People last month. “That’s all I care about – a big ring.”

Farley isn’t the only Shore member who knows how to keep a secret: Her co-star Polizzi initially lied about her pregnancy on “Good Morning America,” only to fess up on the cover of US Weekly in March.

In the Sept. 17 edition of People, which was released Wednesday, the pint-sized reality star of “Snooki JWoww” gave her first interview about Lorenzo Dominic, her week-old baby boy with her fiancé, Jionni LaValle.

“When I got pregnant, everything changed,” Polizzi says. “The partying is long gone. I’m a new person.”

An MTV spokesperson responded, “MTV does not comment on series in production.”

GREEN GAGA

It’s easy being green. Just ask Gaga. When the eccentric songstress holds her Fame fragrance launch Sept. 13 at the Guggenheim, the black-tie masquerade fete comes with one condition: You gotta rock a hat. And not just any hat will do. Ladies must wear a crown, tiara or lobster chapeau. The launch’s hosts are photographers Steven Klein and Nick Knight, and we hear that Gaga will orchestrate some sort of performance art. Stay tuned.


WENN

Mena Suvari lashed out after getting a parking ticket on her car.

TICKED-OFF MENA AND PAL’S MELTDOWN

Mena Suvari was a long way from “Happy Valley” when she got a parking ticket in L.A. the other day. An eyewitness tells Confidenti@l the 5-foot-4 actress was waiting for a pal to get a tattoo at Norm Will Rise parlor when a traffic officer busted her for blocking a loading zone off N. Fairfax Ave.

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06 Sep 2012

Jewish Dating site JChicago.com hosts Launch Party for hundreds of Chicago Jewish singles

JChicago.com, a Jewish dating and matchmaking service, hold a successul launch celebration during Tantrik for hundreds of Jewish singles. JChicago matchmakers were in attendance.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) Sep 06, 2012

Over a hundred of Chicago Jewish singles swarming into Tantrik for a launch celebration of a new dating use JChicago.com on Aug 23rd 2012.

JChicago.com is a Jewish dating and matchmaking use that will also yield events for a members to inspire people to accommodate face to face in a loose and beguiling setting. The Launch celebration supposing only that – there was good food, splash specials and song via a evening.

The JChicago plan is a one-of-a-kind village far-reaching partnership to assistance Jewish singles in Chicago find suggestive relationships. It is headed adult by The Living Room and partners with JCC’s Kehilla, Hillel of Loyola, Chabad on Campus, Club1948, FREE of Chicago, Birthright Next, and Anshei Shalom Young Professionals.

The Chicago Jewish dating use uses a mixed of both personal matchmakers and a singular relating record to emanate peculiarity suggestions for their members. JChicago matchmakers were benefaction during a launch party, and helped promote matches via a evening. Since a event, members have been contacting their matchmakers to let them know about those people they were meddlesome in assembly again, and a matchmakers have been promulgation them any other’s profiles so that they can get to know some-more sum about any other.

“Seeing so many peculiarity singles bond with any other during a eventuality was amazing,” says Rabbi Moscowitz (Director of The Living Room in Bucktown). “The mixed of a online JChicago use and a vast events yield mixed ways for Jewish singles to meet.”

About JChicago

JChicago is an online Jewish dating use where internal Jewish matchmakers, with a assistance of Advanced Computer Algorithms, support Jewish singles of all backgrounds and tact levels with anticipating adore and suggestive relationships. JChicago is led adult by The Living Room, and is in partnership with JCC’s Kehilla, Hillel of Loyola, Chabad on Campus, Birthright NEXT Chicago, Club1948, FREE of Chicago, and Anshei Shalom B’nai Yisrael Congregation.

Rabbi Yosef Moscowitz
JChicago
773-796-4040
Email Information

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06 Sep 2012

Cupid Partners with Scamalytics to Tighten Noose on Scammers

Online dating innovator implements “zero tolerance” opinion to scammers to make a dating communities a safest and many socially rewarding in a industry. Sophisticated synthetic comprehension record from RecSys formula in quick scammer showing and elimination.

Palo Alto, Calif. (PRWEB) Sep 05, 2012

Cupid plc [LSE AIM: CUP], publisher of a world’s many renouned and fastest-growing online dating communities, is ratcheting adult a strong anti-scammer measures by implementing state-of-the-art Scamalytics technology from RecSys Ltd. Scamalytics anti-scammer record is already handling on Cupid’s BeNaughty.com and GirlsDateForFree.com websites, with rollout designed on other Cupid plc sites such as Cupid.com, Flirt.com, BlackMatch.com within months.

The formula to date have been impressive: Cupid’s anti-scammer measures are now throwing scammers 35 percent faster and scammer showing is adult 10 percent. And, to stay forward of a fast-moving game, Cupid can now fast adjust a anti-scammer measures to elaborating scammer techniques.

“Scammers are a flay of online dating. Whether it be a classical small-time burglar handling from an Internet café in Nigeria, or a legions of ostensible cam girls looking to imitation people out of their money, we’re clamping down tough on these parasites to make a online dating communities safe, fun and rewarding,” pronounced Sean Wood, communications executive during Cupid plc. “RecSys’ Scamalytics has consistently proven to be a many modernized accessible and, already, we’re saying glorious formula by regulating worldly AI record on a front line of this effort.”

With some-more than 12 million members underneath notice by Scamalytics’ programmed scammer detection, Cupid has already seen a 10 percent diminution in ‘front line’ scammer activity. This, joined with Cupid’s existent Quality Assurance methods and members’ possess fraud stating activities, has meant 20,000 scammers are being identified and henceforth blocked from Cupid’s communities any month. In addition, any particular identified as a scammer is combined to a Scamalytics master database, that is accessed by other online dating companies that use Scamalytics.

Mark Brooks, editor of Online Personals Watch and boss of a Internet Dating Executive Alliance, sees a Scamalytics network fondness as an critical step toward boosting a repute and recognition of online dating and people find sites: “Scammer abuse is still a scandal of a internet dating attention and so it’s good to see Cupid, a perceptive open company, operative with Nick and his group to kick scammer abuse.”

Scamalytics employs worldly algorithms to detect scammers by examining a user’s login details, form description, encrypted email and discuss messages, and other pivotal indicators of brute activities. To brand intensity troublemakers with a high grade of probability, record also factors in a user’s login location, IP address, form photo, and function patterns typically used by scammers.

The Cupid-Scamalytics complement also learns how scammers are perplexing to equivocate showing in genuine time, so that changes in scammer function are now rescued and reported. This means that scammers who change strategy or aim users with new scams are picked adult some-more mostly and faster. Additionally, a complement can detect ostensible “bots” mostly operated by orderly crime gangs, that emanate profiles and rivet genuine members in programmed scripted conversations designed to bleed some form of payment.

Nick Tsinonis, handling executive of Recsys Ltd, sees a partnership as an critical step both for Cupid’s brands and for a online dating industry: “Both a teams have worked tough to achieve these critical measures in a quarrel opposite scammers. However, we can’t rest for prolonged as a conflict ceaselessly evolves. Our idea is to spin a attention customary that unites a online dating attention to discharge scammers from a communities.”

Expert tips on how to brand and equivocate scammers

1.    Be heedful of provocative images. Some scammers will post voluptuous cinema of girls and wait for responses, rather than be actively scamming on site. This will concede them to lay on a database for months until a right “victim” is found.

2.    Military cinema should spin on your fraud radar warning, too. Some of a biggest scams start from ostensible soldiers in a armed services with a plausible moan story and a unfortunate need to “settle down.”

3.    Try and keep a review going on a dating site messaging complement rather than being dragged off to Skype or MSN, during slightest initially. Also, occupy some simple conversational tests:

  •     If a chairman claims to be local, rivet in a local-knowledge review (e.g. a weather, some circuitously event, sports team, TV, or festival) and watch for mistakes.

  •     If a chairman is not claiming to be local, cruise because he or she would wish a long-distance relationship. Is there good reason, such as some quite surprising common ground? If not, because aren’t they restricting themselves to people a bit nearer to their stream location?

4.    Look out for difference like “dear” and out-of-date regretful language, as good as badly shaped sentences.

5.    Never, ever send income to anyone on a dating site, and generally equivocate wiring cash.

6.    Always be on a surveillance for get-rich-quick schemes. If it sounds too good to be loyal afterwards it substantially is a scam.

ABOUT CUPID PLC

Since a arrangement in 2005, Cupid has determined itself as a tellurian personality in online dating, with a bottom of some-more than 54 million members in 58 countries, and revenues of £53 million in 2011. Cupid plc was listed on AIM in Jun 2010 (LSE AIM:CUP). The association offers a far-reaching accumulation of online dating services (traditional dating, infrequent dating, and niche dating) that seductiveness to dating users of different ages, cultures, and amicable seductiveness groups. Visit Cupid on a Web during http://www.cupidplc.com, and follow us on facebook.com/cupidfanpage and Twitter@cupidplc.

Tim Cox
Cupid plc
650-369-7784
Email Information

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06 Sep 2012

EA Turns Its Back On Single-Player Games, Embraces The Cloud

Will EA’s single-player games survive the company’s transition to cloud-based, always-online gaming? Will single-player gaming survive an industry hell-bent on making that leap?

“We are very proud of the way EA evolved with consumers,” EA Labels President Frank Gibeau said recently [pdf]. “I have not green lit one game to be developed as a single player experience. Today, all of our games include online applications and digital services that make them live 24/7/365.”

Gibeau is speaking of EA’s embrace of the cloud. Going forward, every EA game will have some multi-player or social component. This doesn’t mean single-player games will cease to be a part of the EA catalog, it just means that even single-player games will have tie-ins across multiple devices.

The Four Horsemen of the current gaming industry are: Mobile, Social, Free-To-Play, and The Cloud.

“Thus we end up with things like Dead Space 3, which has evolved from a solo horror experience to a co-op shooter, or the Galactic Readiness gong show of Mass Effect 3, or Dragon Age Legends on Facebook,” writes The Escapist’s Andy Chalk.

These four industry trends are all bound closely to one another, and there’s no sign that any of them will be reversed…at least not any time soon.

A Convenient Truth

In fairness, this can be a very valuable system for certain types of games. Gibeau uses FIFA as an example, noting that the game is “available across 12 different platforms,” and that “FIFA fans can check their standings on their mobile device or tablet, manipulate their teams on Facebook or play an immersive game of FIFA on their PC or console. Everything is connected so the user can pick up just where they left off from anywhere.”

This same model will be applied to all sorts of genres, Gibeau says, including titles like Battlefield and SimCity.

I can see the convenience of this sort of cloud-based gaming. Let’s say I’m playing an MMORPG that comes with a Facebook app and a mobile app. From my phone or Facebook login I can check my character, maybe play some mini-games or browse the cash shop (assuming this is a free-to-play game with a cash shop, a not too unlikely scenario these days.)

Depending on how immersive the game is, I can certainly see how being able to check in on my character or guild or the state of the server vs. server component, etc. would be a convenience. For sports games like FIFA I can see the utility of the cloud as well. After all, MMORPGs and sports games are inherently social games with non-linear gameplay and are competitive by nature. The more tools I have access to, the better.

But look no further than Mass Effect 3′s Galactic Readiness “gong show” (as Chalk puts it) for an example of how this sort of cloud-based integration across multiple platforms can seriously muddy what ought to be a genuinely single-player experience.

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06 Sep 2012

Kindle Fire 2 Release Date: Amazon Press Event Live Updates & Tablet Pre …

The Kindle Fire 2 release date is expected to finally get announced today at a special Amazon press event in Los Angeles. This article will provide the latest live updates coverage from today’s event, where the company could also announce other new items such as another Kindle Touch or even a smartphone.

The Kindle Fire 2 pre-order details will likely be revealed today by Jeff Bezos, or another top executive from Amazon. Currently, the original Fire tablet is sold out on Amazon’s website, which has led to the widespread speculation that a new version will be introduced Thursday. It’s believed the item will include a better display, faster processor and possibly a front and back-facing camera. There may be some other special features or design specs thrown in to try to stay ahead of the pack.

Amazon will need to really bring their A-game as they head into the upcoming holiday shopping season. They’ve currently got the Google Nexus 7 which has been getting rave reviews and robust sales. Also, Apple is planning to bring out an iPad Mini in a few months, which could become a Kindle Fire 2 killer. However, Amazon is hoping that the strength of its digital content offering including movies and TV shows, as well as the content that made them famous – eBooks, will continue to bring more customers their way. A recent deal with EPIX has shown the company means business, and is looking to continue their competitive entry in the tablet market. A new Kindle Fire tablet will certainly help them with the battle, as long as it can deliver the goods.

Today’s Amazon press event has a scheduled start time of 10:30AM PT/1:30PM EST. Any important updates regarding Amazon’s product announcements will be in the comments section below. Do you think Amazon will only introduce the new Kindle Fire 2 tablet and its release date today, or other items as well?

(Image Source: Amazon.com)

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06 Sep 2012

Democrats single out Texas as the nation’s vilest villain in the ‘war on women’

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Texas state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte co-chaired the Democratic National Convention in 2008. (AP Photo/ John Leyba)

Texas Republicans have been singled out as villains in the war on women by none other than … Texas Democrats.

At a Texas delegation breakfast earlier this week, State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte “warned that the attack on reproductive rights had roots in Texas, with the Legislature’s law to require those seeking an abortion to first undergo a sonogram,” reported Robert T. Garrett for Dallas Morning News.

Carol Alvarado, a Democrat from Houston, described the sonogram requirement as “government intrusion at its best … a climax in government intrusion,” while trying to explain to her colleagues at the Texas House of Representatives that the sonogram might have to be obtained by using a vaginal probe.

“They just don’t respect us [women]. They don’t think we’re smart enough to make our own decisions,” Van de Putte said of the Republicans at the DNC.

Van de Putte  is not the only one to draw comparisons between Texas and the state of national politics during the Democratic National Convention.

“What Rick Perry has done to Texas, that’s exactly what Mitt Romney wants to do to the rest of the country,” Cynthia Wilson of  Dallas told Dallas Morning News. “I join many women here in saying, ‘No, we’re not going to let that happen.’”

“If you want to see what a Romney presidency might be like, look at Texas,” Cecile Richards,  President of Planned Parenthood and daughter of former Texas Gov. Ann Richards, told The Daily Beast.

Richards spoke at the convention Wednesday night. Besides saying that both her mother and grandmother are from Texas, Richards said, ”Back in Texas, we say that you dance with them that brung you. President Obama brought women to this dance and we’re staying with him all the way through November!”

It’s no surprise that Richards is not happy with her home state. Planned Parenthood is fighting a hard battle in Texas. At the end of August, a federal appeals court ruled that Texas can cut funding to organizations, such as Planned Parenthood, linked to abortions. Richards and Planned Parenthood have already appealed the federal court ruling.

Mimi Swartz, executive editor of Texas Monthly, recently evoked a different saying that Texans might be familiar with. In her piece  Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, Wives, she wrote,  “Texas is heaven for men and dogs, but it’s hell for women and horses.”

The Republicans have found their champion in the outgoing Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, who has been playing defense on behalf of the party prior to the DNC. She wrote an Op-ed Unfriendly to women? Not my GOP for the CNN web site after telling Candy Crowley that Republicans “don’t have a problem with women.”

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06 Sep 2012

Grapevine: Lady Gaga adds Palace date to concert tour

Lady Gaga has a post-Valentine’s Day treat planned for her Little Monsters in Detroit. Gaga will play The Palace of Auburn Hills on Feb. 16, the pop superstar announced Wednesday. Ticket information, including prices and on-sale date, is not yet available. The Palace show is a part of the first round of North American dates for the singer’s “Born This Way Ball,” dates for which were announced by Gaga on Wednesday.

The North American leg of her tour, which has already played in parts of Asia, Australia and Europe, kicks off Jan. 11 in Vancouver and wraps March 16 in Miami. The Palace date is surrounded by two off-days on either end, allowing for the possibility of additional concerts to be added. Gaga plays Chicago’s United Center on Feb. 13 and Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center on Feb. 19.

Gaga’s “Monster Ball” tour made multiple Detroit stops during its year-and-a-half run, including two dates at Joe Louis Arena in January 2010 and a Palace stop in September 2010. The tour also played Grand Rapids in March 2011. The “Born This Way Ball” is in support of Gaga’s 2011 album “Born This Way.” The singer has announced a 2013 release for her next album, “Artpop.”

Country Music Awards nominations are in

The nominations for the 46th Annual Country Music Association Awards were announced Wednesday, reports Billboard.com. Eric Church received five nominations, while husband and wife Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert , each earned four nominations. Hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood , the awards will broadcast live from Nashville on ABC at 8 p.m. Nov. 1.

Patti LaBelle settles lawsuit for $100K

Grammy-winning RB singer Patti LaBelle will cough-up $100,000, settling a lawsuit filed by Roseanna Monk and her husband last year, reports the Associated Press. Monk claims LaBelle cursed and threw water at her and her young daughter while in the lobby of a Manhattan apartment building in November 2010. The dust-up started when LaBelle reportedly accused Monk of allowing her daughter to play in the lobby. The Monks live in the building, where LaBelle was staying while appearing in the musical “Fela!” According to the New York Post, Monk and her husband will donate the money to a children’s cancer charity.

Also …

Puddle of Mudd singer Wes Scantlin was arrested for public intoxication after the Los Angeles-bound flight he was on made an emergency landing at a Texas airport Tuesday, reports TMZ. Sources allege that Scantlin got angry when the flight crew refused to sell him alcohol. Scantlin may also get slapped with prison time for interfering with a flight crew, which is a federal crime. The singer is due in an Austin court on Oct. 3. The singer was arrested in January and charged in April for felony cocaine possession. He pled guilty in July, reports Rolling Stone.

A public viewing of actor Michael Clarke Duncan’s casket will take place at Los Angeles’ Hall of Liberty in Forest Lawn on Sunday, reports TMZ. Additionally, an invitation-only memorial will take place Monday. The Oscar-nominated actor died Monday after suffering a heart attack in July. He was 54.

uwatson@detnews.com

(313) 222-2613

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06 Sep 2012

Independent Dating: How to make use of a site features

On tip of this, we have some of a best site facilities around to make certain we have a unequivocally best dating knowledge possible. Take a demeanour during some of a facilities we can design to advantage from when we join Independent Dating.

Encounters

Our Encounters trickery lets we crop by member profiles while rating them ‘Yes, No or Maybe’, so we can let others know if you’d like to accommodate them or not. We’ll keep a record of all a people you’ve pronounced ‘yes’ to, uncover we a members that have pronounced ‘yes’ to we and uncover we if we have any matches (where we both rate any other as a yes).

Who’s nearby me

The Who’s Near Me trickery is an interactive map that will uncover we singles by their location. Scroll around a map, wizz into a bubbles, and perspective profiles all from a map – a best approach to find singles in a area we live, work or like to hang out.

Ice breaker

Once you’ve sealed adult to a site, and before you’ve upgraded your account, we can send a giveaway ice-breaker.  An ice-breaker is a ideal event to deliver yourself to a organisation of singles, while during a same time gauging your response. Kind of like a ‘try before we buy’!

Filtering

With so many singles looking for adore online it can infrequently feel like anticipating a needle in a haystack. That’s where a filtering trickery comes in handy! Set filters on your comment to make certain you’re usually contacted by a people we wish to be.

Notification bar

You’ll never skip a thing with a presentation bar. Situated during a bottom of a site, a presentation bar will warning we each time we get a new wink, message, form perspective and most more, so you’ll always be in a know.

Video profile

You can unequivocally let your celebrity gleam by with a video profiling facility. Record your unequivocally possess video and upload it to your form to shows others a genuine you.

Mobile platform

We don’t wish we to skip any dating opportunities and that’s because we can date on a go with Independent Dating. Find singles in your internal area, respond to messages and arrange dates – all from a palm of your hand!

With all these advantages and so most some-more Independent Dating takes a highlight out of dating, withdrawal we to make a right tie with a right singles. Join giveaway today and take a demeanour for yourself!

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06 Sep 2012

AL roundup: Adeiny Hechavarria’s go-ahead single lifts Blue Jays over O’s, 6-4

TORONTO — Blue Jays rookie Adeiny Hechavarria drove in the go-ahead run with a bunt single, Rajai Davis homered and had three RBIs and Toronto beat Baltimore to avoid a three-game sweep.

Steve Delabar (4-1) worked one inning of relief for the win as the Blue Jays snapped a four-game slide and ended Baltimore’s winning streak at three.

Adam Jones hit a solo home run and Mark Reynolds added a two-run drive off Casey Janssen in the ninth, his sixth in six games and 18th of the season, but it wasn’t enough for Baltimore.

The Orioles return home Thursday for a pivotal seven-game homestand that begins with four against the Yankees, followed by three against Tampa Bay.

Miguel Gonzalez (6-4) gave up five runs, four earned, and seven hits in 6 1-3 innings.

RANGERS 7, ROYALS 6

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Adrian Beltre hit a three-run homer, Michael Young also went deep and Texas held on to beat Kansas City.

Ryan Dempster (5-1) gave up RBI doubles to Billy Butler in the first inning and Salvador Perez in the sixth, but was otherwise stingy for the AL West-leading Rangers. He only allowed two other hits in six innings, striking out eight to win his fourth straight game.

Beltre’s homer came off Everett Teaford (1-4), who was making his fifth start of the year. Young’s solo shot came off Vin Mazzaro during a three-run seventh.

The runs proved handy when Kansas City mounted a late comeback. Alcides Escobar’s RBI single off Joe Nathan put the potential tying run on first with two outs in the ninth, but Alex Gordon flied out to end the game. It was Nathan’s 27th consecutive save and 28th in 29 chances this season.

Ian Kinsler, Elvis Andrus and Nelson Cruz also drove in runs to help the Rangers (81-55) take a five-game lead in the division. The win also moved them a season-high 26 games above .500, and assures a club-record fourth consecutive season of .500 or better.

WHITE SOX 6, TWINS 2

CHICAGO — Alex Rios homered twice and drove in a career-high six runs to lead the White Sox over Minnesota.

Rios hit a grand slam in the first inning off P.J. Walters (2-3) and a two-run shot in the sixth to help Chicago maintain its one-game lead in the AL Central over Detroit.

The Twins scored 18 runs against Chicago pitching Tuesday, but White Sox starter Jake Peavy (10-10) silenced Minnesota’s bats a day later, allowing one run and six hits to win for the first time since Aug. 1.

TIGERS 7, INDIANS 1

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06 Sep 2012

Teachers: Monday strike date still on – Chicago Sun

BY MAUDLYNE IHEJIRIKA AND STEFANO ESPOSITO
Staff Reporters

September 5, 2012 4:34PM




Updated: September 5, 2012 7:44PM

Chicago Public School officials put a new economic offer on the table Wednesday but Chicago Teachers Union officials immediately labeled it “unacceptable’’ and said they were holding firm to a Sep. 10 strike date.

Chicago Public Schools teachers leaving a union delegates meeting Wednesday evening said that a Monday strike date is still on.

“It’s basically be ready to strike,” said Michael Bochner, an art teacher and delegate, “and it’s about the logistics, what we will have to do over the weekend, what we will have to do on Monday morning.”

Officials did say the board was no longer pursuing merit pay for teachers.

The Chicago Teachers Union House of Delegates held its monthly meeting at 2260 S. Grove Thursday to discuss if enough progress had been made in negotiations with CPS to warrant changing the strike date that had been set for Sept. 10.

But their decision to keep that date comes as the union on Wednesday filed with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board (IELRB) unfair labor practice charges against CPS, alleging it unlawfully imposed changes in working conditions.

The charges claim the district has already eliminated annual longevity pay increases (known as Step increases) and a longevity sick leave benefit, while instituting new teacher evaluation procedures — changes that are still being negotiated. State law prohibits employers from making changes in employment conditions while bargaining is ongoing.

The union is seeking an IELRB injunction ordering CPS to rescind the changes.

With the delegates saying they had not changed the scheduled strike date, it’s looking more and more more likely that public school parents across the city will have to make alternate plans for what to do with their children on the first day of what should be the second week of school.

With the IELRB filing a further indication of strained negotiations between the teachers and the school district, it was looking more like the latter.

In setting the strike date last week, CTU declared it had become necessary in order to move contract talks with CPS that have dragged on since November.

With post-strike date talks during the Labor Day weekend addressing only what CTU officials called “the underbrush” — and not the main issues — CTU officials say it’s doubtful delegates will find enough progress has been made.

For his part, Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard came out of the weekend talks unable to say whether enough progress would be made by today to avert the first walkout in 25 years for the nation’s third largest school system.

The two sides remain far apart, on contract issues as well as on their perception of the progress in negotiations — the weekend talks CTU described as only “clearing the underbrush,” Brizard described as “steady progress.”

Meanwhile, Mayor Emanuel remained mum this week on the impending strike, with his spokespeople staying on point as school opened Tuesday — avoiding talk of strikes and rather trumpeting the fruition of his longer school day and year.

That signature accomplishment would be disrupted by any walkout on Monday by the CTU’s membership of 26,000 teachers and other school staff.

As the CTU House of Delegates decision looms, CPS’ central office is working to nail down its strike contingency plan, involving opening about a quarter of the schools for half-day activities starting Monday.

The names of the schools were to be identified by week’s end, with parents required to sign up for the programs online or by calling the central office, which plans to have staffers on hand over the weekend.

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