Word: unionizers
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...their own homes. "There is a lack of ethics in all this," he said. "The Christmas trees don't project the image of a humble party of the poor." The continual Christmas celebration is also symptomatic of a country "full of poets and surrealism," Carrion says. Sandinista lawmaker and union boss Gustavo Porras has no patience for such naysayers. "We are in the second phase of the revolution," he says, "and we are fighting the same enemies as always - the oligarchy and the gringos." Porras, an Ortega loyalist, is a main architect in the government's constant mobilization and celebration...
...these days Icelanders are enduring an identity crisis. Almost bankrupted by the economic downturn - which they call the "Kreppa" - they are shedding age-old shibboleths about their sturdy self-sufficiency. On Thursday, they did what would have been unthinkable just one year ago: they reached out to the European Union for help. (See pictures of the global financial crisis...
...Part of the reason Turkey adopted the new legislation was to comply with requirements set out by the European Union, which the country is seeking to join. But the law also dovetails with the Islamic-rooted government's deep distaste for tobacco and alcohol. None of Erdogan's ministers smoke, and previous governments had been trying to introduce similar laws for years, only to be stymied by strong pressure from tobacco lobbyists. Turks spend almost $25 billion a year on cigarettes. (Read: "New Turkish Law Curbs Military's Power...
...Despite the prevalence of smoking in Turkish society, recent polls show overwhelming public support for the ban - around 90%. "There's been an amazingly quick cultural shift," says Sylviane Ratte, a tobacco control expert who monitors Turkey for the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (also known as The Union). "People see it as a health issue. The main concern is that the ban be equally enforced." To that end, the Health Ministry has trained a 5,000-person task force to patrol establishments and dole out fines to anyone caught lighting up. For now, smokers who defy...
...once a national pastime, compliance with the ban is high: 97% in New York City, 98.5% in Italy and 94% in Ireland, according to the U.S-based Global Smokefree Partnership. "There will be a transition period, which lasts several months, while people realize the cultural norm has shifted," says The Union's Ratte. "But we have the example of France to go by. Nobody thought it was possible, but after the cut-off date, the norm changed overnight." (See a video on the end of the French custom of smoking in bars and restaurants...