Sunday, June 28, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
I found this true Germany news item surpirising...need to travel the country more I guess
New Report Reveals the Depth of German Poverty
By TRISTANA MOORE / BERLIN Tristana Moore / Berlin
Mon May 25, 5:10 am ET
To many on the outside, Germany looks like a big, rich country enjoying the benefits of being Europe's largest economy. Inside, Germans know that looks can be deceiving. As in any nation, parts of Germany suffer from poverty, and Germans have always assumed they knew which parts: the west is rich and the east is poor. But a new report reveals the truth isn't that simple. The wealth imbalance in Germany isn't just between east and west; there are also large regional differences between the country's north and south. And across the country there are pockets of poverty more crushing than most Germans realized - and it's only getting worse.
Based on data taken before the recession hit, the new "poverty atlas" published by ParitÄtische Gesamtverband, an umbrella group for German charitable associations, and the Federal Statistics Office on May 18 is, according to the its authors, the first report to detail Germany's poverty levels and break the results down by region. It shows that in eastern Germany, for example, the average poverty rate is around 20%, with up to 27% of people in one area, Vorpommern, living below the poverty line. By contrast, in southern Germany, in the states of Hesse, Baden-WÜrttemberg and Bavaria, the poverty rate is around 11%. (See pictures of printing money in Germany.)
Chancellor Angela Merkel's home state, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, is the poorest region in Germany with a 24% poverty rate; one of the richest is the picture-postcard pretty Black Forest region, with a poverty rate of only 7.4%. According to the report, the massive gulf between rich and poor doesn't only exist between regions, but within them, too. The northern areas of the state of Bavaria have a poverty rate of 15%, more than double the 7% rate in Munich, in southern Bavaria.
The report also shows that the west and the north, regions commonly believed to be prosperous, actually hold some pockets of poverty. In places such as the city of Hamburg and the states of Lower Saxony, North Rhine Westphalia and Rhineland Palatinate, around 15% of people are living on a low income.
The authors of the report conclude that Germany is a deeply divided country in terms of income and wealth. "Poverty is on the rise," Ulrich Schneider, the head of ParitÄtische Gesamtverband, tells TIME. "Our poverty rates date from 2007, before the current economic crisis. Unemployment will rise this year so there's bound to be more poverty." In many towns in eastern Germany local factories have shut down and, since reunification, unemployment rates have climbed to 25% after an exodus of young people looking for work in the west - a far cry from those "blossoming landscapes" former Chancellor Helmut Kohl promised back in 1990. (Read "Kohl Wins His Way.")
Anyone who's living off less than 60% of the median household income is defined by the E.U. and the German government as living in poverty. In Germany, that's around $1,066 per month for a single person or $2,240 for a couple with one child. Some of the hardest hit by Germany's increasing poverty levels are children. It's estimated that there are more than 3 million German children living in poverty; in Berlin alone, up to 36% of all children are poor. "The gap between the rich and poor is wider than ever and more children have been plunged into poverty," says Bernd Siggelkow, a pastor who runs the Arche project in Berlin to help children in need. "People who claim state benefits are stigmatized by society and in the past children were simply forgotten by politicians."
Not surprisingly, the poverty atlas has reawakened the long-raging political debate over a national minimum wage.[ Rubberdom, says YES! ] Germany doesn't have a general legal minimum wage and only six sectors of the economy have a statutory rate - in the construction industry, for example, the minimum pay rate is between $12.50 and $18 an hour. Union leaders and politicians have been calling for a national minimum wage of $10.50 an hour, but Chancellor Merkel and her conservative party colleagues have refused to back down, saying a minimum wage could be counterproductive as jobs that pay less than the required minimum would be cut and that could lead to higher unemployment. "More and more people are on low wages earning less than $7 an hour," says Michael Pausder, spokesman for the VDK, an association that promotes equality for people in need. (See pictures of the former East Germany making light of its past.)
The authors of the new report say targeted measures are needed to tackle poverty and unemployment in the poorest regions, but they admit there's no magic bullet. As the recession bites ever deeper, and with a general election coming in September, German policymakers will have to wake up to the nation's growing poverty problems - and fast.
By TRISTANA MOORE / BERLIN Tristana Moore / Berlin
Mon May 25, 5:10 am ET
To many on the outside, Germany looks like a big, rich country enjoying the benefits of being Europe's largest economy. Inside, Germans know that looks can be deceiving. As in any nation, parts of Germany suffer from poverty, and Germans have always assumed they knew which parts: the west is rich and the east is poor. But a new report reveals the truth isn't that simple. The wealth imbalance in Germany isn't just between east and west; there are also large regional differences between the country's north and south. And across the country there are pockets of poverty more crushing than most Germans realized - and it's only getting worse.
Based on data taken before the recession hit, the new "poverty atlas" published by ParitÄtische Gesamtverband, an umbrella group for German charitable associations, and the Federal Statistics Office on May 18 is, according to the its authors, the first report to detail Germany's poverty levels and break the results down by region. It shows that in eastern Germany, for example, the average poverty rate is around 20%, with up to 27% of people in one area, Vorpommern, living below the poverty line. By contrast, in southern Germany, in the states of Hesse, Baden-WÜrttemberg and Bavaria, the poverty rate is around 11%. (See pictures of printing money in Germany.)
Chancellor Angela Merkel's home state, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, is the poorest region in Germany with a 24% poverty rate; one of the richest is the picture-postcard pretty Black Forest region, with a poverty rate of only 7.4%. According to the report, the massive gulf between rich and poor doesn't only exist between regions, but within them, too. The northern areas of the state of Bavaria have a poverty rate of 15%, more than double the 7% rate in Munich, in southern Bavaria.
The report also shows that the west and the north, regions commonly believed to be prosperous, actually hold some pockets of poverty. In places such as the city of Hamburg and the states of Lower Saxony, North Rhine Westphalia and Rhineland Palatinate, around 15% of people are living on a low income.
The authors of the report conclude that Germany is a deeply divided country in terms of income and wealth. "Poverty is on the rise," Ulrich Schneider, the head of ParitÄtische Gesamtverband, tells TIME. "Our poverty rates date from 2007, before the current economic crisis. Unemployment will rise this year so there's bound to be more poverty." In many towns in eastern Germany local factories have shut down and, since reunification, unemployment rates have climbed to 25% after an exodus of young people looking for work in the west - a far cry from those "blossoming landscapes" former Chancellor Helmut Kohl promised back in 1990. (Read "Kohl Wins His Way.")
Anyone who's living off less than 60% of the median household income is defined by the E.U. and the German government as living in poverty. In Germany, that's around $1,066 per month for a single person or $2,240 for a couple with one child. Some of the hardest hit by Germany's increasing poverty levels are children. It's estimated that there are more than 3 million German children living in poverty; in Berlin alone, up to 36% of all children are poor. "The gap between the rich and poor is wider than ever and more children have been plunged into poverty," says Bernd Siggelkow, a pastor who runs the Arche project in Berlin to help children in need. "People who claim state benefits are stigmatized by society and in the past children were simply forgotten by politicians."
Not surprisingly, the poverty atlas has reawakened the long-raging political debate over a national minimum wage.[ Rubberdom, says YES! ] Germany doesn't have a general legal minimum wage and only six sectors of the economy have a statutory rate - in the construction industry, for example, the minimum pay rate is between $12.50 and $18 an hour. Union leaders and politicians have been calling for a national minimum wage of $10.50 an hour, but Chancellor Merkel and her conservative party colleagues have refused to back down, saying a minimum wage could be counterproductive as jobs that pay less than the required minimum would be cut and that could lead to higher unemployment. "More and more people are on low wages earning less than $7 an hour," says Michael Pausder, spokesman for the VDK, an association that promotes equality for people in need. (See pictures of the former East Germany making light of its past.)
The authors of the new report say targeted measures are needed to tackle poverty and unemployment in the poorest regions, but they admit there's no magic bullet. As the recession bites ever deeper, and with a general election coming in September, German policymakers will have to wake up to the nation's growing poverty problems - and fast.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Mistress Evolin in Pet Torture
Holy Smokes Batman! It's Rubberdom Evolin in a Latex Bikini. Smooches!!!
http://evolinpierce.com
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Rubbedom Carmen Rivera in Hammergeil
This summary is not available. Please
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Saturday, April 18, 2009
Agent Provocatateur - Rubberdom Dita's lost control
This summary is not available. Please
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Sunday, April 12, 2009
Sabrina Sabrok Show en El Monchis and as a Brunette!
This summary is not available. Please
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Saturday, March 28, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
DAS KINK : From Zurich with love...
-
RUBBERDOM DEA DONATELLA MEETS GEORGE
(Part 1)
The Zurich I left behind was grey and cold. Montreux was milder. I felt calmer and relaxed as I drove up to the Le Montreux Palace Hotel, ready to meet George, a client I’d known for a while.
The hotel’s Belle Époque architecture had an old world charm. I liked it.
A hotel doorman stepped smartly up to my car and opened the door for me. I swung my legs out, the side slit in my knee length pencil blue suit skirt opening. If the doorman thought he was going to gaze upon my Cervin stockings, he was mistaken.
“You can get my bag from the boot,” I said. I had put my hair up into a tight bun, and made my eyes up with heavy mascara and plenty of dark eye shadow. The doorman would have known that I meant business.
I stood up, straightened my starched white blouse, buttoned my close fitting jacket and lifted a big Dolce & Gabbana handbag from the car.
“Have my case brought up to my room in precisely two hours,” I said, handing the doorman my car keys.
I headed upstairs to the adjoining rooms George had booked. I knocked on his door.
“Ah! Teacher!” The voice was George’s. Our game had begun.
| How the story continues? You will find the rest of the adventure in the members area. Become a member at Dea Donatella! |  |  |
-
DEA DONATELLA RUBBERDOM!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
DARK RUBBER RABBITs TV - Channel #29 - 7 x 24 Hours of Rubberized Britney Spears!
RUBBERDOM BRITNEY SPEARS
CHANNEL - 7 x 24 Hours
CHANNEL - 7 x 24 Hours
Only @ Rubberdom's Dark Rubber Rabbit TV
"...okay stop your groans!..."
Saturday, February 14, 2009
The rubberdoms with Susan Wayland!
This summary is not available. Please
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Sunday, February 08, 2009
Rubberdom now supports Twitter!
TWITTER TWITS!
on Rubber
You will see LIVE mobile phone updates from Rubberdoll, Ancilla Titlla and Us on this WEB BLOG page off to the right.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Two hearts beat as one. Evolin Pierce to join Rubberdom!
Joins...
[Sexually-Explicit;Adults Only 2008clip @ EvolinPierce.com
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Friday, January 02, 2009
WINNER RUBBERDOM OF THE YEAR 2008 (JEAN BARDOT)
This summary is not available. Please
click here to view the post.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Catwoman/Chanteuse Eartha Kitt passes away....
By Christopher Wilson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Eartha Kitt, who rose from the Southern cotton fields to captivate audiences around the world with sultry performances as a singer, dancer and actress, died on Thursday at the age of 81.
Kitt died of colon cancer for which she was recently treated at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York, said Andrew Freedman, a long-time friend and publicist.
The cancer was detected about two years ago and treated but recurred after a period of remission.
"She came back strongly. She had been performing until two months ago," Freedman told Reuters by telephone from Los Angles. "We had dates booked through 2009."
Slinky, sensuous and cat-like, Kitt described herself as a "sex kitten" and used her seductive purr to charm audiences across the world.
Actor-director Orson Welles once called Kitt "the most exciting woman alive" and, along with Lena Horne, she was one of the first African-American sex symbols.
Kitt picked up a string of awards during her long career, winning two Emmys and being nominated for a third, as well as a Grammy. She also had two Tony nominations.
Her hit songs included "C'est Si Bon," "Let's Do It" and "Just an Old Fashioned Girl." She also was widely associated with Christmas because of her hit "Santa Baby." The song, recorded in 1953, went gold this year and she received the gold record before she died, Freedman said.
Despite those accolades, Kitt may have been at her best in her nightclub act, which allowed her to use her feline, seductive manner to its fullest.
"She loved cabaret performances," Freedman said. "If there was ever an opportunity to do a small intimate venue with about 150 people, that was always her preference."
BLACKBALLED
Kitt was blackballed in America for speaking out against the Vietnam War in the 1960s -- most notoriously at a White House luncheon in the company of first lady Lady Bird Johnson. Kitt then began performing in Europe, where she had been popular early in her career, and eventually returned to the United States to great acclaim.
"She was never one to look back on her life," Freedman said. "She was a true individual who believed that if you had a true belief in yourself, your talent was authentic."
"My greatest challenge was to be able to survive in the business and to be able to survive according to what I was doing. Not what other people were doing," Kitt told Reuters in a 2005 television interview at the Newport, Rhode Island jazz festival.
"I just stuck to my own guns and I think that was one of the way's I have survived. The audience is not supposed to know that I'm scared, the shyest person in the world."
Kitt was born to a black-Indian mother and a white father on a plantation in South Carolina in 1927. She once described herself as "that little urchin cotton picker from the South, Eartha Mae" and often spoke of a tough childhood in the impoverished segregated South. She was often harassed for being light-skinned before being sent to live with an aunt in New York City.
But Kitt's life in New York also was marred by abuse and poverty until she got her start as a member of the Katherine Dunham Company and made her film debut in "Casbah" in 1948.
In an interview with The Times of London in April Kitt described her approach to performing by saying: "I do not have an act. I just do Eartha Kitt ... I want to be whoever Eartha Kitt is until the gods take me wherever they take me."
She was married in the 1960s to real estate developer Bill McDonald and they had a daughter, named Kitt. She also was known for her relationships with Welles, cosmetics mogul Charles Revson and Arthur Leows Jr. of the U.S. movie theater chain.
Friday, December 12, 2008
A humble tribute for the late Bettie Page (R.I.P)
> LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bettie Page, a 1950s pinup model who helped set
> the stage for the 1960s sexual revolution, has died. She was 85.
> Her agent Mark Roesler says Page died Thursday night at a Los
Angeles
> hospital after suffering a heart attack nine days ago. He says she
> never regained consciousness.
>
>
> Page attracted national attention with magazine photographs of her
> sensuous figure in bikinis and see-through lingerie that were
quickly
> tacked up on walls across the country. Her photos included a
> centerfold in the January 1955 issue of then-fledgling Playboy
> magazine, as well as controversial sadomasochistic poses.
>
>
> Roesler says Page had been hospitalized for three weeks with
> pneumonia and was about to be released when she suffered the heart
> attack Dec. 2.
"....a true american treasure, who will be greatly missed" - Rubberdom/FJB
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