You probably weren't surprised to learn I was an English major for one semester in college. This week, I'm leveling up the nerd factor and divulging another academic secret of mine: I took three years of Latin in high school. And, for a dead language, Latin is everywhere. Ever heard of an astronaut? They didn't have those back in the Roman Empire, but astronaut gets its name from combining the Latin word for star (astrum) with the word for sailor (nauta). Boom: Star sailor.
We use Latin in our abbreviations all the time without really even knowing what they mean. Today I'm going to focus on i.e. and e.g. and try to help you understand when each is appropriate to use.
The abbreviation "i.e." stands for id est, which is Latin for "that is." Use i.e. when you want to clarify or further define what you just stated. Think of i.e. as "in essence." Here's an example: Carmel's City Council recently removed funding for the mayor's $5 million carousel, i.e., one super-expensive horse tornado.
The abbreviation "e.g." stands for exempli gratia, which means "for example" in Latin. It's easy to remember "e" is for "example." I like to think of e.g. as "egg sample," which would be a strange item to try on sample day at Sam's Club. Here's an example for you: I love any kind of fall activity (e.g., jumping in leaf piles, watching football, and consuming any pumpkin-flavored beverage).
Here are some other things to remember: Always add periods after each letter in i.e. and e.g. They are abbreviations, not their own words. Always add a comma after the abbreviations, even if your spell check interjects a squiggly red line beneath it.
Other Latin abbreviations that are part of our everyday lives include R.I.P., P.S., C.V., N.B., per cent., and vs. They are all ticked they didn't get any attention in this article, i.e., not the prettiest ponies at the petting zoo.
— Curtis Honeycutt is a nationally syndicated humor writer. Connect with him on Twitter (@curtishoneycutt) or at curtishoneycutt.com.


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Home Beauty Anti-Aging Treatments
The Best Anti-Aging Products at Every Price Point
Jenn SinrichUpdated: Dec. 14, 2018
No matter what your budget may be, you can find anti-aging skin products that get the seal of approval of top dermatologists.
Eye creams: Under $10
When it comes to eye creams, Erum Ilyas, MD, a dermatologist at Montgomery Dermatology, says the focus should always be hydration. "Products with lots of alpha hydroxy acids can be a bit too harsh for the thin skin around the eyes," she says. She likes Aquaphor Advanced Therapy Healing Ointment Skin Protectant, $7, for its hydrating effects even on the thin skin around the eye area. "By applying petroleum jelly around the eyes first, then applying your anti-aging products on the rest of your face, you can avoid excess irritation and the skin around your eyes will look great in the morning!" she says.
To wake up tired and puffy eyes, you'll need a solution that contains caffeine, like The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG, $12, which helps reduce the appearance of eye contour, puffiness, and pigmentation all in one application. "Caffeine has clinically been shown to reduce the appearance of dark circles and puffiness under the eyes," says Dr. Ilyas. "EGCG is a green tea extract with clinically proven benefits as an antioxidant that is great for this area."
Hadley King, MD, a dermatologist at Skinney Med Spa and clinical instructor of dermatology at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, loves Sumbody Calm, Cool, Collected Calming Eye Serum, $35. "It contains essential fatty acids to promote a healthy skin barrier and amino acids and vitamin A to promote skin cell renewal," she explains. "Additionally, two of its ingredients, organic mustard seed, and evening primrose, contain alpha-linolenic acid, which helps maintain skin structure." Don't miss the best anti-aging products for every decade of your life.
Eye creams: $50+
One of Stacy Chimento's, MD, a Miami-based dermatologist at Diane Walder by Riverchase Dermatology, personal favorites for daily use on her eyes is ISDINCeutics K-ox Eyes, $110. "This product contains vitamin C oxide, hyaluronic acid, haloxyl, matrikines, and flavonoids to combat dark circles," she says. "It's great for puffiness, pigment and fine lines."
Serums: Under $10
Dr. Ilyas recommends thinking of serums as lightweight products with a very small particle size. "They do not have the thickness or weight of a lotion or a cream and can penetrate the skin more effectively," she says. For a low-cost serum, her go-to is Seventh Generation Boost Hydrating Skin Serum, $8. "It's a mild product that contains lightweight oils, like jojoba, to hydrate and soften the skin effectively," she says. "Remember these products come in smaller containers for a reason—a little bit goes a long way!"
Even at such a reasonable price point, CeraVe Hyaluronic Acid Face Serum, $17, packs everything you need in a serum into a tiny package—skin-plumping ceramides and hyaluronic acid and skin-protecting vitamin b5 (pantothenic acid). "Hyaluronic acid in a serum form allows it to penetrate between the skin cells to draw moisture into the superficial layers of skin," says Dr. Ilyas. "Hyaluronic acid can find its way into these cracks and draw moisture into the skin to repair and hydrate!"
"Olay Regenerist Regenerating Serum's, $19, amino-peptide complex II delivers both moisturizers as well as anti-aging peptides," says Dr. King. "Clinical studies have shown a reduction in fine lines and wrinkles and improvement in skin firmness after four weeks of use." She loves it for its non-greasy and lightweight formula that's easy to layer under products—sunblock, a heavier moisturizer or makeup. These are the anti-aging secrets dermatologists won't tell you for free.
Serums: $50+
The combination of two antioxidants—vitamin C and the herb gingko biloba—found in Pure Bioderm Antioxidant Super Serum, $58, protects your skin from free radical damage from UV radiation and pollution, explains Dr. King. "Not only is this serum shown to smooth the skin and hydrate the skin after one month of use, but the addition of gingko biloba also adds to the stability of the product, which is often an issue for vitamin C serums."
Night creams: Under $10
Although marketed for acne, Dr. King says that AcneFree Daily Skin Therapy Complexion Perfecting Cream for Overnight Skincare with Retinol and Hyaluronic Acid, $9, is a great low-price-point way of including a retinol night cream for anti-aging. "Retinoids are proven to increase the turnover of skin cells and stimulate the production of collagen," she says. "This night cream is enriched with hyaluronic acid and moisturizers to make it gentle and not irritating, which is great because retinol can sometimes cause irritation of the skin."
This drugstore-priced night cream is a favorite of both Dr. Chimento and Dr. King for its suitability for all skin types and intense moisturizing properties. "Olay Night Cream Regenerist Night Recovery Anti-Aging Face Moisturizer, $21, has an advanced amino acid complex supercharged with intense, moisturizing ingredients and niacinamide (topical B3) which is a great anti-inflammatory and soothing component," says Dr. Chimento.
Dr. Ilyas' pick of a night cream under $50 is CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion PM, $27, which she says is lightweight and won't mess up your bed sheets with a greasy film. "It has Cerave's signature ingredient, ceramides, which have been proven to effectively improve the hydration of the skin and improve the barrier function of the skin overall," she says. "Cerave also contains hyaluronic acid to further improve the skin's hydration." Find out the 10 pieces of anti-aging advice you should definitely ignore.
Night creams: $50+
via skinbetter.com
If you're willing to splurge on a night cream, Dr. King recommends spending your hard-earned money on something that works, like SkinBetter Science AlphaRet Overnight Cream, $110. "This product offers a unique combination of alpha hydroxy acid and a retinoid to leave the skin looking refreshed, without irritation, and also provides moisture to counteract the dryness that can be caused by retinoids," she says. "Clinical studies showed a reduction in the appearance of wrinkles in 4 weeks, with little-to-no irritation."
Oils: Under $10
"Facial oils can do much for the skin if used correctly because they contain antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and essential fatty acids that work very nicely to balance the complexion and provide nutrients to the skin," explains Joel Schlessinger, MD, dermatologist and RealSelf advisor. "They also provide moisture, which is great for keeping dry and rough skin soft and healthy." For a fragrance-free formula that's fantastic for sensitive skin that needs quick hydration, Dr. Chimento recommends Neutrogena Sheer Oil-Lotion, $7.
Dendy Engelman, MD, a dermatologist at Manhattan Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery, loves Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil Light, $12, because it can be applied all over the body and it is 100 percent argan oil. "With this face oil, you're getting the highest concentration which can be mixed or directly applied," she says.
According to Marnie Nussbaum, MD, a New York City-based dermatologist, Caudalie Vine[activ] Overnight Detox Oil, $36, is an excellent choice for folks showing signs of aging. "It contains 100 percent organic essential oils including lavender, neroli, carrot, and white sandalwood to detoxify the skin and pull out pollutants from the day with its antioxidant and antibacterial properties," she says. "Grape seed oil regenerates the skin overnight so you wake up to glowing, more luminous skin." Don't miss the 10 anti-aging myths dermatologists need you to stop believing.
Oils: $50+
Dr. Schlessinger is a big fan of the Nia24 lightweight oil ($71), which contains the brand's formulation of Pro-Niacin as well as vitamins A, B, C, D and E to protect against future signs of aging and provide antioxidant protection. "The potent combination of ingredients allows this oil to keep skin hydrated while also improving the tone and texture of skin," he says. "The Pro-Niacin in this formula is a very good option for those with aging concerns."
Face wash: Under $10
For a gentle cleanser that targets signs of aging, experts recommend Neutrogena Hydroboost Hydrating Cleansing Gel, $9, which is clinically proven to boost skin's hydration level and lock it in throughout the day. Dr. Chimento typically recommends this facial wash for patients with anti-inflammatory and skin sensitive skin and says that it's ideal for winter months when the air is depleted of moisture.
One of the reasons Dr. Ilyas recommends this cleanser to patients is because it's non-foaming. "While many patients seek out foaming cleansers, they actually make skin more drying and potentially irritating," she says. "I love IT Cosmetics Confidence in a Cleanser, $28, because it's gentle and has ceramides and hyaluronic acid which hydrate the skin while it cleans," she says. "It also has colloidal oatmeal to soothe the skin."
For a cleanser that doubles as a makeup remover—something that not all face washes do!—reach for Kate Somerville's Cold Cream Moisturizing Cleanser + Makeup Remover, $48. This multitasking product really comes in handy, as Dr. Ilyas believes that excessive use of makeup wipes has led to an increase in eyelid rashes. "These can become pretty harsh to the point where they start to dry the skin out and cause premature signs of aging," she says. "I love this cleanser because it cleans and moisturizes while gently removing makeup."
Face wash: $50+
Though on the pricey side, Dr. Ilyas swears by this cleansing wash that uses botanical oils to remove dirt, grime, oil, and makeup. "In La Mer's The Cleansing Oil, $136, sesame seed oil hydrates the skin while cleansing and eucalyptus oil helps treat and repair aging skin," she says. "I love algae extract on ingredient labels as an antioxidant for the skin and its conditioning effects." Find out the anti-aging foods you should add to your diet.
Moisturizer: Under $10
No matter the price tag on your moisturizer, if it contains hyaluronic acid, you're in the right place, according to Joshua Zeichner, MD, director of Cosmetic and Clinical Research in Dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. "Hyaluronic acid, found in Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Body Gel Cream with Hyaluronic Acid, $9, is like a sponge that binds to 1000 times its weight in water to hydrate and plump the skin," he says. "It is extremely popular in face care and has now made its way over as a hero ingredient in body moisturizer as well."
Another key ingredient in a moisturizer, especially for those concerned about signs of aging, is sunscreen. "Broad Spectrum SPF of at least 30 protects the skin from UV damage," says Dr. Kin. She loves Aveeno Active Naturals Absolutely Ageless Daily Moisturizer, $22, which contains just that as well as antioxidant-rich blackberry extract which protects the skin from free radicals from UV and pollution. "It's non-greasy, doesn't cause breakouts and has been shown to improve firmness and elasticity."
Though not a moisturizer, this serum is a favorite of Dr. Ilyas to use in place of a moisturizer for individuals showing signs of aging who do not have terribly dry skin. "Linoleic acid and omega 6 fatty acid are two important ingredients found in Philosophy When Hope is not Enough Nightly Restorative Serum, $40, that work to thin out the thick sebum or oils in our skin and helps prevent our pores from getting clogged," explains Dr. Ilyas. "It's also an effective antioxidant that touts anti-inflammatory benefits." Check out these 9 tricks to looking younger from dermatologists.
Moisturizer: $50+
This cream is Dr. Ilyas' splurge. "I can honestly say that when I use Bobbi Brown Hydrating Face Cream, $57, I'm routinely told my skin looks like it glows or it looks as if I just had a skin tightening treatment," she says. "It has algae extracts that condition the skin allowing makeup to spread evenly, the caffeine soothes the skin, and the hyaluronic acid is essential for added hydration."
Face mask: Under $10
via ulta.com
Face masks are garnering more and more attention now that they come individually packaged in the form of sheet masks, however, all sorts—gel, cream, peel off, etc.—still provide plenty of benefits. Dr. Ilyas loves Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Hydrogel Mask, $3, which is cost-effective and, unlike ordinary sheet masks, it contains a unique hydrogel material that seals in moisture. "It also contains hyaluronic acid that will hydrate the skin and plump its appearance," she adds.
If you're looking for a mask that will help even out skin tone and exfoliate to leave a smoother surface, try Origins Original Skin Retexturizing Mask with Rose Clay, $28. "Rose clay absorbs extra oil and dirt out of the skin. It can lift out makeup as well," says Dr. Ilyas. "With added botanical oils and hyaluronate, the polished effect of a mask is further enhanced with added moisture." These are the worst pieces of skin-care advice dermatologists have heard.
Not only is Josie Maran Whipped Mud Mask Argan Hydrating and Detoxifying Treatment, $48, hydrating and detoxifying, but it provides a great deal of anti-aging benefits as well. "Argan oil has proven benefits to protect and repair the skin.," says Dr. Ilyas. "The added omega fatty acids will help thin out the thick sebum or oil of a skin quality of skin to leave it glowing and minimizing the appearance of pores."
Face mask: $50+
If you're looking to target both adult acne and signs of aging, try Sunday Riley Saturn Sulfur Acne Treatment Mask, $55. "It provides anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and pore-unclogging properties and also includes 4 percent niacinamide to promote clear skin and zinc and bentonite clay to reduce excess oil," says Dr. King. "Pimples still happen at an older age, so I believe this is a nice option for more mature shoppers." Next, don't miss these 30 anti-aging secrets that could add years to your life.
Originally Published: December 14, 2018
Jenn Sinrich
Jenn Sinrich is an experienced digital and social editor in New York City. She's written for several publications including SELF, Women's Health, Fitness, Parents, American Baby, Ladies' Home Journal and more.She covers various topics from health, fitness and food to pregnancy and parenting. In addition to writing, Jenn also volunteers with Ed2010, serving as the deputy director to Ed's Buddy System, a program that pairs recent graduates with young editors to give them a guide to the publishing industry and to navigating New York.When she's not busy writing, editing or reading, she's enjoying and discovering the city she's always dreamed of living in with her loving fiancé, Dan, and two feline friends, Janis and Jimi. Visit her website: Jenn Sinrich.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Recruiter Insights
Meet the Company Cleaning Up Space Trash Before It Gets Created
D-orbit is focused on eliminating space debris with the help of smart satellite disposal systems.
by B the Change, February 20, 2018
Today, more than 6,000 satellites are in space, of which only 1,000 are still operational. The remaining are orbiting around the Earth, uncontrolled. These and other forms of space debris are putting our existing services, think GPS navigation and weather forecasting, at risk of collision and destruction. How Italian 2017 Best for the World honoree D-Orbit is looking to prevent the problem from occurring in the first place.
An artist's rendering of space debris in orbit. Credit: European Space Agency.
Up to a few years ago, outer space was substantially empty of manmade objects and risk of mutual collision was relatively low. Now, about 20,000 objects larger than 5 cm are lying at 18,000 miles per hour (more than 30'000 km/h), increasing the risk of mutual collision. This could cause a collision chain that could severely damage our space assets, compromising most of the services that we use on Earth every day (e.g. GPS navigation, telecommunication, disaster prevention, weather forecasts, etc.).
D-Orbit seeks to solve the problem at the source. The company develops smart satellite disposal systems (D-Orbit Decommissioning Devices, D3) that can be installed on spacecraft and launcher stages before launch. The devices are able to remove spacecraft and satellites in a quick, safe and controlled manner from their orbits. The objective is to help operators save their assets (i.e. orbital slots), reduce operational costs and risks, and consequently provide easier, sustainable and profitable access to space.
2017 BEST FOR THE WORLD
D-Orbit is a 2017 Best for the World honoree. Find the full list of Best for the World companies and all of the stories about these companies setting the gold standard for people using business as a force for good.
We at B the Change were, needless to say, fascinated by D-Orbit's mission and work, so we asked the company a few questions about how and why they live into their mission every day.
What practices has your company implemented that have helped you become Best for the World?
Our environmental impact is important to our company's operations and mission. We have increased our energy efficiency by using 100 percent LED lighting. We have reduced our carbon impact, saving 50 tons of C02 thanks to extensive usage of public transportation, and we have adopted water-consumption reduction technologies at company's production venue. And, 45 percent of our suppliers were selected within 322 km from the production venue.
D-Orbit employees examining one of the company's products.
We also work with our local community to increase awareness about using business as a fore for good. Through our "Alternating School-Work" project with schools in the Lake Como area, we disseminate information about B Corps and other themes ,such as innovation, entrepreneurship and space engineering. Every employee has paid time off for volunteering activities as well.
D-Orbit contributed to adoption of the benefit corporation model in Italy, and served as a a case study in innovation and in applying the B Corp model to space.
In what ways does the company include and consider your stakeholders in achieving your mission and having a positive impact? How has it contributed to the company fulfilling its mission?
D-Orbit practices sharing of time, ideas, tools and documents as instruments for improving relations among the people, company productivity, and internal capability of innovation. As a "Società Benefit," (Italian benefit corporation), the company also intends to pursue one or more common benefits and act in a responsible, sustainable and transparent way to people, communities, territories and the environment; cultural and social activities; organizations and associations; and other stakeholders.
Specifically relating to our workers, we have increased the number of employees by 60 percent from 2015 (15) to 2016 (24). D-Orbit team members are empowered to define their working schedule around their needs, and the company offers the possibility to work remotely to accommodate family and personal needs. D-Orbit invests in the development of its personnel. The course of 2016 team members received a combined 270 hours of training.
What goals does D-Orbit have for continued improvement?
We are aiming to reduce our electricity consumption, heat consumption and water consumption by 5 percent the end of 2018. We are also tracking the following areas using specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):
Improve employee knowledge in job-related areas (KPI: People training time > 16h/person)
Improve employee engagement (KPI: People satisfaction = 2, out of 4)
Set up a bidirectional feedback system between D-Orbit and independent suppliers (KPI: Supplier satisfaction: 80–100 percent)
Set up an evaluation methodology for suppliers that include also social and environmental performance (KPI: 50 percent of suppliers screened within 2017)
Improve the involvement and awareness of employees in relation to the B Corp movement (KPI: B Corp training evaluation: effective)
Set up a customer satisfaction/engagement analysis to evaluate projects (KPI: 100% of projects evaluated against customer satisfaction)
What does earning a place on the Best for the World lists mean for your company?
It is, of course, a point of pride, but it goes well beyond that. It is an important recognition of our social and environmental engagement and, at the same time, a reminder that there's great room for improvement … and that we'll never stop working to keep deserving to be listed among the Best for the World.
A version of this article originally appeared on B the Change. B the Change is building a global community of Certified B Corporations. Read more stories of people using business as a force for good in B the Change, or sign up to receive the B the Change Weekly newsletter for more stories like the one above, delivered straight to your inbox.
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text:
What's Left of My World
What's Left of My World Publisher's Summary
Lauren Russell often wondered why her father had been so adamant about teaching her skills that most other fathers wouldn't even consider teaching their daughters. Ever since she was little, she had been taught how to live and survive outdoors, and how to use firearms to protect herself and those around her. Some of the training had been a bit extreme. Or had it been?
Many of her questions were answered the day the world as she knew it ended. Now, the skills she had been taught serve an essential purpose. They keep her and those she cares about alive.
Even in the sparsely-populated mountains of West Virginia, where she and her family have been forced to relocate for their safety after the collapse, peril lurks around every corner. Normal life has taken on a whole new meaning for Lauren, her family, and the community they have become a part of. In this different world, the new status quo is self-preservation. There is no more middle ground. People either live, or they die.
Lauren's father didn't make it home on the day the world changed forever, and she misses him more than anything. Now, in What's Left of My World, she and her family must learn to endure life's horrors - without him.
©2016 C.A.Rudolph (P)2017 C.A.Rudolph
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A Story of a Family's Survival
By: C. A. Rudolph
Lauren Russell often wondered why her father had been so adamant about teaching her skills that most other fathers wouldn't even consider teaching their daughters. Ever since she was little, she had been taught how to live and survive outdoors, and how to use firearms to protect herself and those around her. Some of the training had been a bit extreme. Or had it been? Many of her questions were answered the day the world as she knew it ended.
✫✫ 4 Stars ✫✫
By 🎧 Cyndi Marie 🎧 on 02-14-20
Sale price: $24.95 or 1 credit
This We Will Defend: The Continuing Story of a Family's Survival
Book Two of the What's Left of My World Series
By: C.A. Rudolph
For a brief period after the world changed forever, the self-reliant community of Trout Run Valley managed to avoid conflict. They practiced subsistence, and found safety and security within their numbers. As the post-apocalyptic timeline moved forward, it began to spiral downward. Takers had made their presence known, and their malevolent intentions clear, transforming the once benign community into a violent battleground.
A Story of Growth
By Brian on 01-26-18
We Won't Go Quietly
A Family's Struggle to Survive in a World Devolved
Lauren Russell, her family, and the community of Trout Run Valley had been blessed with a workable blueprint for overcoming nearly insurmountable odds - odds that had been surmounted against them, and others like them, since the blackout, subsequent decline of society, and the world's devolution. The aftermath of the most recent onslaught, a ruthless attack by a menacing enemy, had left them reeling in its wake, leaving a once-sustainable food supply damaged beyond repair and two of their own senselessly murdered.
✫✫ 4.5 Stars ✫✫
Divided We Stand
What's Left of My World Series, Book 4
The decision to splinter backfires. When Lauren and the others leave the safety of the valley in search of supplies and aid, they're trapped, captured, and tortured. Escape seems impossible…if they're to survive, it will be only be by rescue, and not without blood on their hands and tears in their eyes. Could you watch one of your own be beaten? The group's captors are coldblooded and ruthless, and they senselessly brutalize without pity. Despite Lauren's bravery in the face of insuperable odds, she finds herself heartbroken. Can she still find the will to keep fighting?
A Survival Story Yet Untold (Book Five of the What's Left of My World Series)
Alan Russell thought about his family night and day. They didn't just mean the world to him, they were his world. As a devoted husband and father, his sole purpose was to love, support, and protect them. Yet Alan had gone a step further, doing everything in his power to ensure his family's survival in what he believed would become a perilous and uncertain future. On the day civilization changed forever, he found his efforts hadn't been enough.
Lauren Russell is a daughter fighting tenaciously for everything in which she believes, on an endless search for answers, for herself and the world that was taken from her... Alan Russell, a husband and father tragically disconnected from everything he's ever known, is in heartrending pursuit of his family and a life that left him behind. Alan once told Lauren that he believed they were indivisible, for, they possessed a bond between them that was beyond compare.
✫✫ 4.5 Stars✫✫
The Heart of War
Book Seven of the What's Left of My World Series
A world subjugated by tyranny. A society unraveled. A nation in shambles. A population decimated. A future boundlessly uncertain. A community of families on the verge of extinction. The Russell family is finally reunited and the citizens of Trout Run Valley are blessed with a period of repose, but the interlude does not last. Measures of aggression resume against them yet again, only this time, escalate to an unprecedented degree of ruthlessness, forcing the surviving victims to their breaking points.


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As many of you know by now, we lost our Greyhound Bobby on the 23rd of May with Bone Cancer. After 2 months of trying to come to terms with the loss, we made the decision to re-home Opal and Gem, they had been at the rescue for a long time and they both not only deserved a home but they deserved to be re-homed together. So on the 22nd of July it was to be the start of their new life, which was also Gems 10th Birthday.
It is now 6 weeks on, and really what can I say!! Or should that be where do I start! Within the first hour of their arrival, they had both tried to attack a concrete cat that was in the front garden, Opal had belly flopped into the pond and had come out a lovely shade of green along with 2 cut wrists after cracking them on the concrete trying to get out of the pond, and had to wear 2 bandages on her legs for the rest of the day! We had previously put up a baby gate so that they would not be running up and down the stairs and was a bit worried in case it was a bit to low and they would be able to jump over it, But we didn't need to worry as Gem managed to get stuck underneath it instead! It then started to thunder in, and as we new they where both terrified we thought we could be in for a rough ride! Gem was trying her best to dig to Australia through the lounge carpet and Opal managed to squeeze behind the computer desk! Things would surely only get better?
NO, boy was we wrong! Life with Opal and Gem is what you could call either Interesting, Exhausting or "Oh my God what have we done"! Opal is just like a 3 month old puppy trapped in a 3-year-olds body, she knows absolutely nothing, never mind what anything is! She has eaten 3 tubs of fish food including the plastic containers, drinks every cup of tea or coffee that looks like it isn't being drunk and is quite partial to the odd glass of Coca Cola ( like she needs anymore E numbers)! The living room is now an activity centre, where the settee and the chairs are used as climbing frames and something to jump off, cushions are ideal for throwing and knocking ornaments off with and my best crystal is great for sharpening your teeth on! They both prefer to wee on the kitchen mats and not on the tiles as they don't splash their bum on the carpet!! They think that magazines and papers are not for reading, lipstick is better eaten not worn, all teddy bears, duvets and cushions must be de-stuffed at all times and if you jump up and down on the bed long enough it makes you sick!!
Although Opal is the main instigator of the trouble in the house, Gem knows this and uses it to her advantage, we have caught her on a number of occasions stealing things and then quickly laying down and pretending that it wasn't her! Baseball hats and trainers being her main fetish. I could go on and on and on and on, but I am sure that you are all getting the picture now!
1). A bag of sugar CAN cover every square inch of an average sized house!
3). Duvets should be thrown on the floor – not folded!
4). Shoes DO NOT come in pairs – its a myth!
5). Mats are a useless form of floor covering!
6). Throw your rubbish directly on the floor – don't bother with a bag!
7). Don't bother setting your alarm clock – unless you want to be up before 4am!
8). Canaries can fly across a room, even when in a cage!
9). Poo bags are not big enough when you have 2 dogs!
10). The surround sound is now obsolete as it makes everything sound like thunder!


text:
El hormiguero de Parker (Cercomacroides parkeri) es una especie de ave paseriforme de la familia Thamnophilidae perteneciente al género Cercomacroides, hasta recientemente incluida en Cercomacra. Es endémico de Colombia.

Distribución y hábitat
Se distribuye por los Andes en el centro oeste de Colombia (ladera oeste de la cadena occidental, laderas norte y este de la cadena central, ladera oeste de la cadena oriental, incluyendo la Serranía de los Yariguíes).

Vive en el borde del bosque de montaña, en elevaciones entre los 1130 y 1830 m de altitud.

Descripción
Mide 14 a 14,5 cm de longitud. Presenta dimorfismo sexual. El macho adulto es negro por encima y gris por debajo, con franjas blancas delgadas las alas y matíces oliváceos en los flancos. La hembra tiene las partes superiores de color pardo oliváceo, con corona, oídos, anillo ocular y lores gris parduzco; las partes inferiores desde el mentó a la región infracuadal, son de color rufo ferruginoso.

Sistemática

Descripción original
La especie C. parkeri fue descrita por primera vez por el ornitólogo estadounidense Gary R. Graves en 1997 bajo el nombre científico Cercomacra parkeri; localidad tipo «La Bodega, Antioquia, Colombia».

Etimología
El nombre genérico femenino «Cercomacroides» deriva del género Cercomacra y del griego «oidēs»: que recuerda, significando «que recuerda a un Cercomacra»; y el nombre de la especie «parkeri», conmemora al ornitólogo estadounidense Theodore A. Parker III (1953-1993).

Taxonomía
Ya fue considerada conespecífica con Cercomacroides tyrannina de quien es pariente cercana, así como de C. serva. Es monotípica. Antes incluida en el género Cercomacra, de donde fue separada junto a otras especies a un nuevo género Cercomacroides sobre la base de estudios filogenético moleculares y evidencias morfológicas y comportamentales.

Referencias

Enlaces externos

 Videos, fotos y sonidos de Cercomacroides parkeri en The Internet Bird Collection.
 Sonidos y mapa de distribución de Cercomacra parkeri en xeno-canto.

parkeri
Aves endémicas de Colombia
Aves de los Andes
Animales descritos en 1997

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
The Crisis: Make the bosses pay! - Manifesto of the International Marxist Tendency – Part Two
We continue publication of our Manifesto which outlines the causes of the present economic crisis and puts forward a programme of action for the international labour movement. In Part Two we offer a programme to combat unemployment and defend living standards, but also specific demands to defend the organisations of the working class and the youth as they come under attack from the bosses in a moment of crisis.
How to combat unemployment
During the boom, when fantastic profits were being made, the majority of working people did not see a real rise in wages. They were subjected to increased pressure for ever-higher productivity and longer hours. But now, as the crisis begins to bite, they are threatened not just with drastic cuts in living standards and conditions but also with the loss of their jobs. Factory closures and rising unemployment are on the order of the day. This in turn signifies a deepening of the crisis and a further deterioration in the living standards of the people. On a world scale, millions are faced with the danger of being cast into the pit of pauperism.
For ten years the Spanish economy was presented as the motor of job creation in the euro-area. Now the ranks of the jobless in Spain have been swollen by more than 800,000 in the past year. The collapse of the decade-long construction boom has pushed Spain's unemployment rate to 11.3 percent, the highest rate in the European Union. "It's going to get worse; this has just started," said Daniele Antonucci, an economist at Merrill Lynch International in London. He forecasts Spain's unemployment rate will rise to 13 percent next year, while European joblessness will swell to 8.1 percent from 7.5 percent by the end of 2008. In reality, the figures for unemployment are far worse, but governments resort to all kinds of tricks to reduce them. The same situation exists, to a greater or lesser degree, in all countries.
The workers must defend their living standards, if they cannot increase or better it. Unemployment threatens society with disintegration. The working class cannot permit the development of mass chronic unemployment. The right to work is a fundamental right. What sort of society condemns millions of able-bodied men and women to a life of enforced inactivity, when their labour and skills are required to satisfy the needs of the population? Do we not need more schools and hospitals? Do we not need good roads and houses? Are the infrastructure and transport systems not in need of repair and improvement?
The answer to all these questions is well known to everybody. But the reply of the ruling class is always the same: we cannot afford these things. Now everybody knows that this answer is false. We now know that governments can produce extraordinary sums of money when it suits the interests of the wealthy minority who own and control the banks and industries. It is only when the majority of working people request that their needs are attended to that governments argue that the cupboard is bare.
What does this prove? It proves that in the system in which we live the profits of the few are more important than the needs of the many. It proves that the whole productive system is based on one thing and one thing only: the profit motive, or, put plainly, greed. When workers go on strike, the press (which is also owned and controlled by a handful of billionaires) pillories them as "greedy". But their "greed" is only the struggle to make ends meet: to pay the rent or mortgage, to pay the food and fuel bills that are increasing steeply month by month, to provide for their children and families.
On the other hand, the greed of the bankers and capitalist is the greed to accumulate vast fortunes from the labour of others (for they themselves produce nothing). With this money they spend money on works of art, not for enjoyment but only as yet another profitable investment, on lavish lifestyle and extravagance, or to indulge in further speculation that always ends in economic collapse and misery – not for themselves, but for the majority upon whose productive labour society rests.
In the past the employers argued that new technology would lighten the burden of labour, but the opposite has been the case. The EU has just passed a law that increases the maximum working week to sixty hours! This is in the first decade of the 21st century, when the miraculous advances of modern science and technology have produced more labour-saving devices than in all previous history. What sense is there in this? What sense is there in having a large number of unemployed people being paid for doing nothing, while in the workplaces other workers are being forced to work long hours of compulsory overtime?
During the boom, the employers force the workers to work long hours of overtime, in order to squeeze the last ounce of surplus value from their labour. But when the recession starts and they no longer have a market for their goods, they do not hesitate to close their factories, as if they were so many matchboxes, and throw their workforce onto the streets, while exploiting the rest to their very limit. The impasse of capitalism is such that unemployment will no longer have a "conjunctural" character but will be increasingly organic or "structural". A man or woman who is over 40 or 50 may never work again in their lifetime, while many qualified people who lose their employment will be forced to take unqualified and low-paid jobs in order to survive.
This is the economics of the madhouse! From a capitalist point of view it is quite logical. But we reject the crazy logic of capitalism! Against the menace of unemployment we advance the slogan of public works and work sharing without loss of pay. Society needs schools, hospitals, roads and houses. The unemployed must be put to work on a major programme of public works!
Trade unions must ensure that the unemployed are closely linked to the workers, bound together in the solidarity of mutual responsibility. It is necessary to share out the available work without loss of pay! All the available work must be divided among the workforce in accordance with how the extent of the working week is defined. The average wage of every worker remains the same as it was under the old working week. Wages, under a strictly guaranteed minimum, would follow the movement of prices. This is the only programme that can protect the workers in a time of economic crisis.
When they are making huge profits the property owners jealously guard their business secrets. Now that there is a crisis, they will point to their account ledgers as "proof" that they cannot afford the workers' demands. This is especially the case with the smaller capitalists. But whether our demands are "realistic" or not from the standpoint of the employers is not the point. We have a duty to protect the vital interests of the working class and to protect it from the worst effects of the crisis. The bosses will complain that this will reduce their profits and have a negative effect on their incentive to invest. But what incentive do the majority of people have under a system based on private profit? If the vital interests of the majority are incompatible with the demands of the present system, then to hell with the system!
Is it really logical that the lives and destinies of millions of people are determined by the blind play of market forces? Is it fair that the economic life of the planet is decided as if it were a gigantic casino? Can it be justified that the greed for profit is the sole motor force that decides whether men and women will have a job or a roof over their heads? Those who own the means of production and control our destinies will answer in the affirmative because it is in their interest to do so. But the majority of society who are the innocent victims of this cannibalistic system will have a very different opinion.
By fighting to defend themselves against the attempts to make them pay for the crisis, the workers will come to understand the need for a root-and-branch change in society. The only answer to factory closures is factory occupations: "a factory closed is a factory occupied!" That is the only effective slogan for combating closures. Factory occupations must necessarily lead to workers' control. By means of workers' control the workers acquire experience in bookkeeping and the administration of the enterprise that will permit them later to run the whole of society.
This has been the experience of the most advanced workers' struggles in recent years, especially in Latin America. In Brazil (CIPLA/Interfibras, Flasko and other factories), Argentina (Brukman, Zanon and many others) and Venezuela, where the giant oil company PDVSA was restarted and run by the workers for months during the bosses' lockout in 2002-2003, and where a movement of occupied factories developed around Inveval in 2005 and is gaining strength.
In all these cases and in many more, workers have attempted successfully against all the odds to run their factories under their own control and management. But workers' control cannot be an end in itself. It poses the question of ownership. It raises the question: who is the master of the house? Either workers' control will lead to nationalization, or else it will merely be an ephemeral episode. The only real solution to unemployment is a socialist planned economy, based on the nationalization of the banks and major industries under democratic workers' control and management.
We demand:
No to unemployment! Work or full maintenance for all!
Down with business secrets! Open the books! Let the workers have access to information about all the swindles, speculation, tax dodges, shady deals and excessive profits and bonuses. Let the people see how they have been swindled and who is responsible for the present mess!
No to factory closures! A factory that closes is a factory occupied!
Nationalization under workers' control and management of factories that threaten to close!
For a wide-ranging programme of public works: for a crash building programme of affordable social housing, schools, hospitals and roads to give employment to the jobless.
For the immediate introduction of a 32-hour week without loss of pay!
For a socialist planned economy, in which unemployment will be abolished and society will inscribe on its banner: THE UNIVERSAL RIGHT TO WORK.
Fight to defend living standards!
While the bankers and employers made fabulous profits, in real terms the wages of the majority either stagnated or declined. The gulf between rich and poor has never been greater than it is today. Record profit levels were accompanied by record inequality. The Economist (hardly a left wing journal) pointed out: "The one truly continuous trend over the past 25 years has been towards greater concentration of income at the very top". (The Economist, June 17, 2006.) A tiny minority became obscenely rich, while the share of the workers in the national income is constantly reduced and the poorest sections sink into ever-deeper poverty. Hurricane Katrina revealed to the whole world the existence of a subclass of deprived citizens living in Third World conditions in the richest country in the world.
In the USA millions are threatened with losing their jobs and homes, while profiteering continues apace. At the same time that Bush announced his $700 bailout plan, US utility companies reported a record rise in the number of customers defaulting on their gas and electricity bills. The largest increase in power cut-offs was in the states of Michigan (22 percent) and New York (17 percent), although rises were also reported in Pennsylvania, Florida and California.
The workers of the USA produce 30 percent more now than ten years ago. Yet wages have hardly increased. The social fabric is increasingly strained. There is an enormous increase in tensions in society, even in the richest country in the world. This is preparing the ground for an even greater explosion of the class struggle. This is not only the case in the USA. Around the world, the boom was accompanied by high unemployment. Reforms and concessions were being taken back even at the peak of the boom. But the crisis of capitalism does not only mean that the ruling class cannot tolerate new reforms. They cannot even permit the continued existence of those reforms and concessions that the workers have won in the past.
Working people derived no real benefit from the boom but are now being presented with the bill for the recession. Everywhere there are attacks on living standards. In order to defend the profits of the bosses and bankers, wages must be reduced, the hours and intensity of work increased and spending on schools, housing and hospitals slashed. This means that even the semi-civilized conditions of life that were achieved in the past are under threat. In present-day conditions no meaningful reform can be achieved without a serious struggle. The idea that it is possible to do this by agreement with the bosses and bankers is false to the core.
The idea of "national unity" to combat the crisis is a cruel deception of the people. What unity of interest can there be between the millions of ordinary working people and the super-rich exploiters? Only the unity of the horse and the rider who digs his spurs into its sides. The leaders of the Socialist, Labour and left Parties who vote for "crisis measures" involving lavish bail-outs for the bankers and cuts and austerity for the majority of society are betraying the interests of the people who elected them. Those trade union leaders who argue that in a crisis "we must all pull together" and imagine that it is possible to secure concessions by moderating wage demands and agreeing to the conditions imposed by the employers will achieve the opposite of what they intend. Weakness invites aggression! For every step back we take, the bosses will demand three more. Along the road of class collaboration and so-called New Realism there lies only new defeats, factory closures and cuts in living standards.
While unemployment inexorably rises, the cost of living also increases. Fuel, gas, electricity, food – all have increased, while wages are frozen and the profits of the big energy companies soar. In the past period the bourgeois economists argued that they had "tamed inflation". How ridiculous these arguments sound today! Families who yesterday lived on two wages now have to live on one – or none. The struggle for life now assumes an ever-harsher meaning for millions. Inflation and austerity are merely two faces of the same coin. Neither can serve the interests of the working class. We completely reject all attempts to place the burden of the crisis, the disorganization of the banking system and all other consequences of the crisis of the profit system on the shoulders of ordinary working people. We demand employment and decent living conditions for all.
The only solution to the galloping rise in prices is a sliding scale of wages. This means that collective agreements should assure an automatic rise in wages in relation to the increase in price of consumer goods. The bankers and their political representatives tell the masses: we cannot afford higher wages because this will cause inflation. But everybody knows that it is wages that are trying to catch up with prices, and not the contrary. The answer is a sliding scale of wages, whereby wages are automatically linked to increases in the cost of living. However, even this is not sufficient. The official indexes of inflation are rigged in order to underestimate the real amount of inflation and then workers are ordered not to ask for increases in excess of these false figures. It is therefore necessary for the trade unions to work out the real rate of inflation, based on the price of basic necessities (including rents and other housing costs) and to keep this under constant review. All wage claims should be based on this.
A living wage and pension for all!
A sliding scale of wages, linking all increases to the increases in the cost of living.
The trade unions, co-operatives and consumer associations must work out the real index of the cost of living in place of the "official" index, which does not reflect the real state of affairs.
Set up committees of workers, housewives, small shopkeepers and unemployed to control price increases.
Abolition of all indirect taxation and the introduction of a heavily progressive system of direct taxation. Abolish all taxation for the poor and let the rich pay!
An end to fuel poverty and a drastic reduction of fuel bills! This can only be achieved through nationalisation of the energy companies, which will enable us to impose price controls on the consumer price of gas and electricity. No more profiteering at the public's expense!
The trade unions
In the present period, the workers more than ever before need their mass organizations, above all trade unions. The trade union is the basic unit of organization. It will not be possible to fight to defend wages and living standards without powerful trade unions. That is why the bosses and their governments are always seeking to undermine the unions and restrict their scope of action through anti-union legislation.
The long period of boom has affected the union leaders, who have embraced the policies of class collaboration and "service unions", precisely when the conditions for such things have vanished. The right wing trade union leaders are the most conservative force in society. They tell the workers that "we are all in the same boat" and must all make sacrifices to solve the crisis, that the bosses are not the enemy and class struggle is "old fashioned".
They preach a bargain between wage labour and Capital, which they regard as "new realism". In reality it is the worst kind of utopianism. It is impossible to reconcile mutually exclusive interests. In the present conditions the only way to obtain reforms and wage increases is through struggle. In fact, it will be necessary to struggle to defend the gains of the past, which are everywhere under threat. This is in direct contradiction to the class collaboration policies of the leaders, which reflect the past, not the present or the future.
In their efforts to neuter the unions and turn them into instruments to control the workers, the ruling class does all in its power to corrupt the tops of the unions and entangle them with the state. We oppose all such attempts and stand for the strengthening and democratisation of trade union organization at all levels. The unions must be independent of the state and must control their leaders and oblige them to fight consistently for the interests of the workers.
The reformist union leaders, who like to think of themselves as practical and realistic, in reality are completely blind and obtuse. They have not the slightest idea of the catastrophe that is being prepared by the crisis of capitalism. They imagine that it is possible to muddle through, accepting cuts and other impositions in the hope that everything will be all right in the end. They cling to the "good relations" with the capitalists that they imagine their conduct will achieve. On the contrary! All history shows that weakness invites aggression. For every step back they make, the bosses will demand three more.
Even when they are forced by pressure from below to call strikes and general strikes, they do everything in their power to limit such actions to mere gestures, limited in time and scope. When they are obliged to call mass demonstrations, they turn them into shows and carnivals with balloons and bands, with no militant class content. For the leaders, this is only a means of blowing off steam. For serious trade unionists, on the contrary, strikes and demonstrations are a means of getting the workers to understand their power and prepare the ground for a fundamental change in society.
Even in the previous period there was an undercurrent of discontent as a result of the attacks on workers' rights and anti-trade union legislation. This will now come to the surface and find an expression in the mass organizations of the working class, starting with the unions. The radicalisation of the rank and file will enter into conflict with the conservatism of the leadership. The workers will demand a complete transformation of the unions from top to bottom, and will strive to turn them into real fighting organizations.
We stand for the building of mass, democratic and militant trade unions, which will be capable of organizing the majority of the working class, educating and preparing them practically, not just for a radical transformation of society, but for actually running the economy in a future democratic socialist society.
Complete independence of the unions from the state.
An end to compulsory arbitration, no-strike deals, and other measures to restrict the scope of action of the unions.
Democratise the unions and place control firmly in the hands of the members!
Abolition of election for life! Election of all union officials with right of recall.
Against bureaucracy and careerism! No official to receive a higher wage than a skilled worker. All expenses to be available for the inspection of the membership.
No class collaboration! For a militant programme to mobilise the workers in defence of jobs and living standards.
For trade union unity on the basis of the above demands.
For rank and file control, including the strengthening of the shop stewards committees and the creation of ad hoc strike committees during strikes and other conflicts as a means of ensuring the fullest participation of the widest number of workers.
For the nationalization of the commanding heights of the economy and the creation of an industrial democracy in which the unions would play a key role in the administration and control of every workplace. Trade unionism is not an end in itself, but only a means to an end, which is the socialist transformation of society.
The crisis of capitalism has particularly negative effects in the case of the young generation, which represents the key to the future of the human race. The senile decay of capitalism threatens to undermine culture and demoralize the youth. Whole layers of young people, seeing no way out of the impasse, become prey to alcoholism, drug addiction, petty crime and violence. When young people are murdered for a pair of trainers we must ask ourselves what kind of society we are living in. Society encourages young people to aspire to consume products that they cannot afford, and then throws up its hands in horror at the results.
Margaret Thatcher, that high priestess of market economics, once said there is no such thing as society. This noxious philosophy has had the most devastating results since it was put into practice thirty years ago. This crude individualism has contributed powerfully to creating a spirit of egotism, greed and indifference to the sufferings of others that has seeped like a poison into the body of society. It is the real essence of market economics.
The true measure of the level of civilization in society is how we take care of the old and the young. By this measure, we do not qualify as a civilized society, but rather a society that is teetering on the edge of barbarism. Even in the period of boom there were already symptoms of barbarism in society, with a wave of crime and violence, and the spread of anti-social and nihilistic moods among a layer of young people. But these moods are a faithful reflection of the morality of capitalism.
The reactionaries protest loudly about this but, since they cannot admit that such things are the consequences of the social system that they defend, they are powerless to propose any solution. Their only response is to fill the prison cells with young people, who learn how to be real criminals instead of mere amateurs. And so we enter into a vicious circle of social alienation, drug addiction, degradation and crime.
The "answer" of the Establishment is to criminalize young people, to blame them for the problems generated by society itself, to increase repressive policing, to build more prisons and hand out heavier sentences. Instead of solving the problem, such measures only serve to aggravate it and to create a vicious circle of crime and alienation. This is the logical result of capitalism and market economics, which treats people as mere "factors of production" and subjects everything to the profit motive. Our answer is for the youth to organize and join the working class in the struggle against capitalism and for socialism!
The crisis of capitalism means more unemployment and a further deterioration of the infrastructure, education, health and housing. This decay of civilized standards brings with it the risk of further social disintegration. It will mean an increase in crime, vandalism, anti-social behaviour and violence.
It is necessary to take urgent measures to prevent new layers of youth sinking into the morass of demoralization. The fight for socialism means the fight for culture in its broadest sense, to raise the aspirations of young people, to give them an aim in life that is more than the struggle to survive on a level hardly higher than that of animals. If you treat people like animals, they will behave as animals. If you treat people like human beings, they will react accordingly.
Cuts in education at all levels, the abolition of student grants and the imposition of fees and student loans mean that working class youth are excluded from higher education. Instead of being properly trained to serve the needs of society, and given access to culture, the majority of young people are condemned to a life of drudgery in low-paid unskilled jobs. At the same time private companies are allowed to interfere in education, which is increasingly being treated as a yet another market for making profit.
A decent education for all young people. A massive programme of school building and a genuinely free system of education at all levels.
The immediate abolition of student fees and the introduction of a living grant to all students who qualify for higher education.
A guaranteed job for every school-leaver with a living wage.
An end to the domination and exploitation of education by big business. Drive private enterprise out of education!
The provision of well-equipped youth clubs, libraries, sports centres, cinemas, swimming pools and other recreational centres for young people.
A programme of affordable public housing for students and young couples.
"Practicability"
The crisis of capitalism means that everywhere the bankers and capitalists wish to place the entire burden of the crisis onto the shoulders of the people who can least afford to pay: the workers, the middle class, the unemployed, the old and sick. The argument is constantly repeated that, because there is a crisis, we cannot afford to improve or even maintain living standards.
The argument that there is no money to pay for reforms is a blatant falsehood. There is plenty of money for arms and to pay for the criminal wars of aggression in Iraq and Afghanistan. But there is no money for schools and hospitals. There is plenty of money to subsidize the rich, as we saw with Bush's little gift of $700 billion to the bankers. But there is no money for pensions, hospitals or schools.
The argument about "practicability" therefore falls to the ground. A given reform is "practical" or not, depending on whether it is in the interests of a given class or not. In the last analysis, whether it is practical (that is to say, whether it will be carried into practice) depends on the class struggle and the real balance of forces. When the ruling class is threatened with losing everything, it will always be prepared to make concessions that it "cannot afford". That was shown in May 1968 in France, when the French ruling class conceded huge increases in wages and important improvements in conditions and hours in order to bring the general strike to an end and get the workers to leave the factories they had occupied.
The onset of crisis may at first produce a shock, but this will soon turn to anger when people realize that they are being asked to pay the price of the crisis. There will be sudden changes in consciousness, which can be transformed in the space of 24 hours. A big movement in just one major country can provoke a rapid change in the whole situation, as happened in 1968. The only reason that this has not yet happened is because the leadership of the mass workers' organizations is lagging behind events and failing to present a real alternative. However, there are already signs of a change.
In the recent period there have been general strikes and mass demonstrations all over Europe. In Greece there have been nine general strikes since the right wing New Democracy party took office in 2004. In the first six months of 2008 Belgium witnessed a wave of wildcat strikes reminiscent of the 1970s. The movement spread spontaneously from one sector to another. In March 2008 the Berlin Transport Company (BVG) was paralysed by a long and militant strike of the drivers and the maintenance and administration workers. After years of concessions and backsliding by the unions the workers have said they have had enough. Thousands of students took to the streets in Spain on Wednesday 22nd October to protest against plans to privatise university education and also opposing any plans to make workers pay for the capitalist crisis through cuts in education, health and other public services.
In Italy the students are mobilising. Hundreds of thousands of school and university students, together with teachers, professors and parents are mobilising all over Italy against Berlusconi's attempt to further privatise education. This has led to occupations of schools and universities. The response of the government has been to threaten the use of armed police against the students. On Saturday, October 11, 300,000 workers and youth demonstrated in Rome in a demonstration called by Rifondazione Comunista.
All this shows that the workers will not remain with arms folded while their living standards are destroyed. The stage is set for a big upswing in the class struggle. The workers are not interested in the logic of the profit system. Our duty is to defend the interests of our class, preserve living standards and raise the conditions of the workers to levels that approximate a civilized standard of living. If there is money for the bankers, then there is money to finance the kind of reforms we need to make society a fit place to live in!
Defend democratic rights!
For more than half a century, the workers of Western Europe and North America believed that democracy was fixed for all time. But this is an illusion. Democracy is a very fragile construction, and one that is only possible in rich countries where the ruling class can make certain concessions to the masses in order to mitigate the class struggle. But when conditions change the ruling class in the "democratic" countries can pass over to dictatorship with the same ease as a man passing from one compartment of a train to another.
In conditions of heightened class struggle, the ruling class will begin to move in the direction of reaction. They will complain that there are too many strikes and demonstrations and demand "Order". Recently, Cossiga, who was Christian Democrat Minister of the Interior in Italy in the 1970s, later President of the Republic, and now life Senator, was asked what should be done about students' demonstrations. He answered:
"Let them get on with it for a while. Withdraw the police from the streets and campuses, infiltrate the movement with agents provocateurs who are ready for anything, and leave the demonstrators for about ten days as they devastate shops, burn cars and turn the cities upside down. After that, having gained the support of the population – making sure that the noise of the ambulance sirens is louder than those of the police and carabinieri – the forces of order should ruthlessly attack the students and send them to hospital. Don't arrest them, as the judges will only release them immediately; just beat them up and also the professors who foment the movement."
This is a warning of what we can expect in the coming period of heightened class struggle in Italy and other countries. In the future, because of the weakness of the reformist leaders it is possible that they may succeed in establishing some kind of Bonapartist (military-police) dictatorship in one European country or another. But under modern conditions such a regime would be very unstable and probably not long lasting.
In the past in Italy, Germany and Spain there was a large peasantry and petty-bourgeoisie, which formed a mass base for reaction. This has disappeared. In the past most students were from rich families and supported the fascists. Now most students are left wing. The social reserves of reaction are quite limited. The fascist organizations are small, although they can be extremely violent, which reflects weakness, not strength. Moreover, after the experience of Hitler, the bourgeoisie has no intention of handing power to the mad dogs. They prefer to base themselves on the "respectable" army officers, using the fascist thugs as auxiliaries.
Already in the recent period democratic rights have come under attack everywhere. Using the excuse of anti-terrorist legislation, the ruling class is introducing new laws to restrict democratic rights. After the 11the September terrorist attacks, Bush rushed through the Homeland Security Act (HSA). The Bush administration is attempting to destroy the basis of democratic regime established by the American Revolution and move towards a form of rule freed from the constraints of law. Similar laws have been passed in Britain and other countries.
We will fight to defend all the democratic rights that have been conquered by the working class in the past. Above all we will defend the right to strike and demonstrate and oppose all legal restrictions on trade unions. Everyone must have the right to join a trade union and combine with other workers to defend his or her rights. Very often the defenders of capitalism contrast socialism with democracy. But the same people who dare to accuse socialists of being anti-democratic and put themselves forward as the defenders of democracy have always been the most ferocious enemies of democracy. They conveniently forget that such democratic rights that we possess today were conquered by the working class in long and bitter struggle against the rich and powerful who consistently opposed every democratic demand.
The working class is interested in democracy because it provides us with the most favourable conditions for developing the struggle for socialism. But we understand that under capitalism democracy must necessarily have a restricted, one-sided and fictitious character. What use is freedom of the press when all the big newspapers, journals and television companies, meeting halls and theatres are in the hands of the rich? As long as the land, the banks and the big monopolies remain in the hands of a few, all the really important decisions affecting our lives will be taken, not by parliaments and elected governments but behind locked doors in the boards of directors of the banks and big companies. The present crisis has exposed this fact for all to see.
Socialism is democratic or it is nothing. We stand for a genuine democracy in which the people would take the running of industry, society and the state into their own hands. That would be a genuine democracy, as opposed to the caricature we now have, in which anyone can say (more or less) what they want, as long as the most important decisions affecting our lives are taken behind locked doors by small, unelected groups on the boards of directors of the banks and big monopolies.
The immediate abolition of all anti-trade union laws.
The right of all workers to join a union, strike, picket and demonstrate.
The right to free speech and assembly.
No to restrictions of democratic rights under the pretext of so-called anti-terrorist laws!
The workers' organizations must reject the false idea of "national unity" with capitalist governments and parties under the pretext of the crisis. The latter are responsible for the crisis and want to present the bill to the working class.
<< Part 1 Contents Part 3 >>
Italian workers and students are fighting back by Mauro Vanetti and Fernando D'Alessandro (October 27, 2008)
Greece: Another important general strike – right-wing government in deep crisis by Editorial Board of Marxistiki Foni (October 24, 2008)
Colombian workers and peasants mobilise in one day general strike (October 24, 2008)
Day of action confirms determined militancy of Belgian workers by Erik Demeester in Belgium (October 16, 2008)
"Workers' Control and Nationalization" by Rob Lyon part one , two and three (January, 2006)


Tomorrow, Mesdames et Messieurs, is the day when we will be training Louis Catorze to use Le Tunnel. Until now we've kept it hidden from view by leaning a big floor tile against it, because we didn't want him to attempt to use it whilst locked and then be discouraged from ever trying again. So we decided that we would unveil it to him when he's allowed to use it, on a weekend day when we will be around to fix any mishaps or release the silly sod if he gets trapped.
The problem last time was that Louis Catorze didn't understand that he had to push the door with his head (maybe because, as a mighty monarch who commands a nation, he is used to having lowly peasants open doors for him). For those who aren't familiar with the workings of a Sureflap chatière, kitty needs to push with his head to allow the reader to read his microchip; contrary to non-Sureflap-owners' belief, the chatière doesn't open from a distance, not even a short one. So Louis Catorze's failure to push meant he didn't get out.
Then one day, after around 5 months of us trying everything we could think of including spraying the door with catnip (made no difference), and sticking opaque paper over it just in case it was the transparency that freaked him out (also made no difference), he just went out. Once only, mind, but still! A few weeks later he'd cracked it.
So it really could go either way tomorrow: un grand succès or un désastre total. I can't help but have high hopes for my dear boy despite the fact that, in order for the Sureflap to initially register him as a user, Cat Daddy had to stuff him undignifiedly through it as one would stuff a duvet cover into the washing machine.
Next > Le jour de gloire est arrivé!
Perhaps a box to act as a step until he gets used to it?
I like your last sentence….and it made me think that Le roi would surely follow a feather duvet down the tunnel! But joking apart, we had a similar problem with our catflap (magnetic in those days). The fact that the magnet which was hanging from Minouche's collar had to be high enough to open the gates! So we had to build a step outside the back door to enable this. It worked a treat. So a permanent step to raise His Majesty maybe??
Catflap in my kitchen on a Saturday morning. When we had a carpenter do some work for us recently, he made a step for the cat flap and it made all the difference! Good luck in your mission….


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« 'Salmon Farming Kills' lawsuit - "Cermaq in the Dock in Canada" | Main | Marine Harmfest »
Pepé Le Pew Loves Farmed Salmon!
The current stench coming from the disease-ridden salmon farming industry is enough to turn the nose of Pepé Le Pew – but seemingly not Pew Environment Group who is embracing farmed salmon like a smitten kitten.
In an exclusive interview, Pew Environment Group's Deputy Director Tom Wathen revealed that Pew is supporting the certification of farmed salmon via the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC).
"Pew supports the farmed salmon standards finalized by the Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue but we're keeping a low profile," admitted Pew's Tom Wathen in a phone call this week. "We felt that the standards were sufficiently strong to warrant Pew's support."
"Pew ended up where we ended up," continued Pew Environment Group's Deputy Director. "I think if we get criticized for our support for farmed salmon then that's fair game."
By supporting the Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue's standards, Pew dismissed the concerns of the 'Global Aquaculture Performance Index' which Pew itself funded via the Lenfest Ocean Program. In fact, the standards performed so badly that a report published in December 2011 ranked them not even close to a 'green' ranking!
The rotten decision to support farmed salmon was taken earlier this year by Pew Environment Group's Managing Director Joshua Reichert.
Pew's Joshua Reichert is privately known by his colleagues as 'The Seagull' on account of his habit of swooping down on people's projects and crapping on them.
How Pew came to support farmed salmon is a sordid tale involving dirty oil money, big industrial NGOs (so-called BINGOs) and corporate greenwashing.
Pew Environment Group is part of the Pew Charitable Trusts which claims to "work globally to establish pragmatic, science-based policies that protect our oceans."
In fact, Pew owe their origins and $5 billion fortune to oil. Joseph Pew founded US oil company Sun Oil (now Sunoco) and Pew still has significant investments in Exxon Mobil, Chevron and other oil companies.
Read more via 'Can Pew's Charity Be Trusted?'
Pew's love affair with farmed salmon - which it has previously denounced as unsustainable and laden with cancer-causing contaminants - is a real heartbreaker.
Pew endorsed the final draft of WWF's farmed salmon standards in February despite objections from the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform (CAAR) in British Columbia that is did "not adequately protect wild salmon and the environment".
"Unfortunately, there are too many uncertainties to say it is strong enough to protect wild salmon or marine ecosystems and, for the CAAR groups, that is our bottom line," commented Jay Ritchlin, Director of Marine Conservation at CAAR member group the David Suzuki Foundation, and a Steering Committee member of the Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue.
Pew still remains on the Steering Committee of the 'Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue' along with Marine Harvest, the Chilean salmon farmers association, the Norwegian salmon farmers association and the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (which includes the BC Salmon Farmers Association). Earlier this month, CAAR broke off dialogue with Marine Harvest for failing to honour commitments via their 'Framework for Dialogue'.
Pew's support for farmed salmon leaves the so-called 'environmental' group out in the cold along with the much maligned World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Nevertheless, Pew's support could prove crucial as the ASC seeks to certify farmed salmon as 'responsible', 'sustainable' and 'environmental'.
Pew's Hank Cauley is certainly well placed to ensure the certification of farmed salmon goes swimmingly – he sits on the ASC's supervisory board. According to Pew's Tom Wathen, however: "Pew has no plans as an institution to come out in support of the ASC."
Yet by supporting the Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue standards, Pew has screwed the environment and shackled itself to the certification of farmed salmon by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council.
By supporting the final draft of WWF's farmed salmon standards, Pew is effectively sanctioning the:
- use of toxic chemicals and pesticides
- untreated discharge of waste pollution
- the killing of marine mammals
- the spread of infectious diseases and parasites
- the unsustainable use of wild fish for feed
Read more via 'The Abominable Salmon Council: Buyer Beware!'
Pew's endorsement of the killing of marine mammals flies in the face animal welfare issues as well as the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act. In fact, a legal opinion sought by Pew's Gerald Leape in 2005 stated that "the shooting of seals at salmon farm pens is clearly prohibited." This legal opinion was cited in a formal complaint to the U.S. Department of Commerce filed by the Global Alliance Against Industrial Aquaculture in 2011.
Read more via 'Salmon Farming Kills Marine Mammals'
The Pure Salmon Campaign (which included Pew as 'global partners') also campaigned against the killing of seals by Marine Harvest (a company Pew is now working with via the Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue).
Pew's Managing Director Joshua Reichert also sits (rather uneasily given his support for the killing of marine mammals) on the board of directors of the Humane Society of the United States.
Pew's support for salmon feedlots is all the more surprising given their 'Reforming Industrial Animal Agriculture' campaign against factory farming on land.
Pew's shameful decision to support the certification of farmed salmon represents a slap in the face to all the scientific research Pew has funded over the decade. In fact, research supported by Pew has proved that salmon farming is not only unsustainable but farmed salmon is also contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals. Peer-reviewed scientific research funded by Pew has also shown that salmon farming kills wild salmon all around the world.
Pew funds the Lenfest Ocean Program which "supports scientific research aimed at forging solutions to the challenges facing the global marine environment". Aquaculture projects funded by Pew's science program include 'Effects of Aquaculture Pens on Coastal Water Quality', 'Competition Between Catch of Forage Fish for Fishmeal and Human Consumption' and 'Evaluating the Impacts of Antibiotic Use in Chilean Salmon Aquaculture'.
Pew concedes that salmon farming is killing wild salmon and spreading infectious diseases.
"In Chile, up to 50 percent of salmon concentrated in aquaculture facilities die from infections linked to poor water quality and sanitation," states one Pew-funded program. "Consequently, the aquaculture industry proactively adds antibiotics to the salmon feed each year, which passes into the water column and surrounding sediment through uneaten fish food and feces."
In 2009, Pew also exposed the illegal use of chemicals on Chilean salmon farms by companies including the world's largest, Marine Harvest.
Read more via 'U.S. FDA Reports Show Unapproved Chemicals Used by Largest Chilean Salmon Farms'
Pew also hosted a screening of the film "Farmed Salmon Exposed" in Washington DC as part of the Pure Salmon Campaign's 'Global Week of Action' in 2009. The film exposed the shameful practices of Norwegian companies operating in Chile, Canada, Scotland and Ireland.
"I've visited salmon farms, read scientific articles, and interviewed the multi-billion-dollar industry's advocates and detractors, but never have I encountered anything as graphic as the film Farmed Salmon Exposed by Canadian filmmaker Damien Gillis, which will be available online later this week as part of the Pure Salmon Campaign's Global Week of Action," wrote food writer Barry Estabrook in The Atlantic. "Be warned, there are some extremely disturbing images in the clip, and the film in its entirety is positively gut-wrenching."
Sadly, Pew pulled the plug on the Pure Salmon Campaign and their 'Salmon Aquaculture Reform' campaign in 2010.
Pew-funded research in 2008 found "a widespread negative impact of aquaculture farms on wild salmon survival." Peer-reviewed research published in 2007 - funded via Pew's 'Marine Extinction Project' – also found that "parasites from fish farms may drive some wild salmon populations towards local extinction."
Another Pew-funded program publicly admits that: "Wastes and nutrients from fish pens may be altering the character of the surrounding ecosystems and potentially posing a hazard to human health."
"As the aquaculture industry grows, so will the number of pens that create pollution," said Professor Roz Naylor of Stanford University in 2011. "We discovered that the natural environment around fish pens can dramatically affect how far waste plumes travel from the source," explained her Pew-funded colleague Jeffrey Koseff.
Pew concedes that salmon farming not only causes waste pollution and produces a contaminated product but also is inherently unsustainable. Pew's forage fish program, for example, demonstrates that salmon farming is draining the oceans of wild fish and is quite literally stealing precious protein such as anchovies out of the mouths of hungry Africans and Latin Americans.
"The more farmed fish we produce, the less fish there is," wrote Dr. Daniel Pauly of the Pew-funded 'Sea Around Us' project at the University of British Columbia in 2009. "This is akin to robbing Pedro to pay Paul."
"We need fish meals not fishmeal," said another Pew-funded researcher Dr. Patricia Majluf at the Seafood Summit in 2011. "Put simply – fish feed multinationals are stealing perfectly healthy food out of the mouths of Peruvians." As Dr. Jennifer Jacquet from the University of British Columbia – another Pew-funded researcher - put it: "If you're farming a predator you'll always get less out than you put in."
Read more via 'Fighting for Fish Meals Not Fishmeal'
Moreover, the fishmeal and fish oil used for salmon farming is contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals. A Pew-funded study published in the journal Science in 2004 "found significantly higher levels of cancer-causing and other health-related contaminants in farm raised salmon than in their wild counterparts."
"Farmed salmon should be consumed in limited amounts," recommended the study authors which included Dr. Ronald Hites, Director of Indiana University's Environmental Science Research Center. "Consumers should be aware that consumption of even one or two meals of farmed salmon per month may exceed acceptable contaminant levels."
Other scientific studies have clearly shown that farmed salmon is an unhealthy choice for consumers.
How Pew can now support the Aquaculture Stewardship Council as a "credible consumer label" which will brand farmed salmon as a "responsible" choice for consumers is beyond reason. Promoting a product which contains cancer-causing contaminants and contributes to several metabolic disorders linked to diabetes and obesity is clearly irresponsible and a breach of public trust.
Pew's decision to endorse the Aquaculture Stewardship Council in promoting farmed salmon as 'responsible', 'sustainable' and 'environmental' is nauseating and difficult to swallow.
Pew's U-turn on farmed salmon means the organization is now careering headlong into a public relations car wreck.
Pew's CEO Rebecca Rimel and Joshua Reichert won't be smiling as Pew's name is dragged through the mud.
Pew's CEO Rebecca Rimel has faced her fair share of criticism. According to Vivian Krause, a former employee of fish feed giant Nutreco (a former owner of Marine Harvest):
Pew's CEO replied:
Why Pew is now ignoring their own science and backing salmon farming is unreasonable. Rebecca Rimel, however, is not a person to argue with.
"There's a word for people like Rebecca W. Rimel (especially when it's used, and pronounced, the way the French apply it to a certain kind of woman): formidable," reported The Wall Street Journal in 2007.
"Ms. Rimel, 55, has led the Pew Charitable Trusts since 1994. With some $5.2 billion in assets, the Pew, a legacy of the family that started Sun Oil, expects to disburse almost $250 million this fiscal year. By any standard, it would be a heavyweight in the foundation world, except that the Pew is no longer a grant-giving foundation. In 2004, it transformed itself into a public charity, putting itself into the program business, enabling it to spend sizable sums on lobbying, and enhancing its power."
Pew's support for PCB-contaminated farmed salmon may therefore represent another power play. But truth be told, the people don't want 'sustainable' and 'responsible' farmed salmon rammed down their throats. Full stop. Period. End of story. That's all folks!


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I see you are back in your extra layers again and planning to celebrate Christmas early.
Mark and Leo : Happy Christmas! Make sure your pet skua doesn't return to sample the goodies!
Congratulations on completing the third stage.
WHat is a pet skua?
De la neige et des paquets dorés… un Noël comme les autres finalement!!
On vous embrasse et vous envoie du soutien de tout notre cœur.
Wishing you all a very, very happy Christmas.
Much love to my 'little' brother, Leo. I hope you have some good food and a wee nip to celebrate? Will miss you on Boxing Day, but will be sure to save you some pavlova! And will give Jess, Freya & Jackson and extra big hug for you on.
Lots and lots of love and great big Christmas hugs.
You made the FT newspaper in Shanghai.
I have been flying over the North Pole.
Merry Christmas boys. Will have a swim for you today Mark. Very windy here a couple of days ago and someone was kite surfing off our beach!
a good xmas and a white one regards froggie nz.
OMG!. Santa is in your tent!. The old furry man all fat and dressed in red on the right corner!.
Merry Christmas to you guys hope you have a brill one, may the wind be with you.
As you know we are in Gib at the moment and it's all booze and food. I'm fuked up after pushing a pram up the rock with two 50 kilos kids in it, but the worst bit was downhill. I think it took 7yrs of my life, try going downhill and the kids are moving backwards and forwards, I would have kicked them out or run them over the cliffs it they was mine. So now I'm fuked up with sore legs and can't walk up or down stairs.
C'est super de vous suivre ainsi et de vous voir en forme.


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FACTBOX: Ships held by Somali pirates
(Reuters) - Somali pirates seized a U.S.-flagged, Danish-owned container ship on Wednesday in the latest of a sharp rise in attacks off the Horn of Africa nation, officials said.
There have been at least 15 pirate attacks on vessels off the coast of Somalia which were reported by the International Maritime Bureau for March, after only two in January and February. Earlier hijackings focused on the Gulf of Aden.
Below are facts about the ships believed to be still held by pirates as well as the increase in piracy:
STOLT STRENGTH: Seized November 10. The chemical tanker had 23 Filipino crew aboard. It was carrying nearly 24,000 tons of oil products.
CHEMSTAR VENUS: Seized November 15. The tanker was traveling from Dumai, Indonesia, to Ukraine. It had 18 Filipino and five South Korean crew.
NAMES UKNOWN: Seized on December 10. Pirates hijacked two Yemeni fishing vessels with a total of 22 crew in coastal waters in the Gulf of Aden. Five crew reportedly escaped.
NAMES UNKNOWN: Seized on December 16. A yacht with two on board, an Indonesian tugboat used by French oil company Total. Pirates also hijacked the Chinese fishing vessel Zhenhua-4 with 30 Chinese crew aboard but it was freed the next day.
LONGCHAMP: Seized on January 29, 2009. The liquefied petroleum gas tanker, built in 1990, had 13 crew on board, 12 Filipinos and one Indonesian. The tanker has a capacity of 3,415 tons.
SALDANHA: Seized on February 22, 2009. The Maltese-flagged cargo ship, sailing to Slovenia, has 22 crew and was loaded with coal. TITAN: Seized on March 19, 2009. The 43,000 dwt Saint-Vincent-flagged cargo vessel with 24 crew was sailing from the Black Sea when it was attacked by pirates.
NIPAYIYA: Seized on March 25, 2009. The Greek-owned and Panama-registered MT Nipayia, was seized by pirates 450 miles from Somalia's south coast.
BOW ASIR: Seized on March 26, 2009. The 23,000-tonne Bahamas-registered chemical tanker was carrying caustic soda. It was operated by Salhus Shipping and carried 27 crew consisting of a Norwegian captain, 19 Filipinos, five Poles, one Russian and one Lithuanian.
INDIAN OCEAN EXPLORER: Seized March 2009: The 35-meter boat was built in Hamburg as an oceanographic research vessel. It accommodates around 12 passengers. The yacht Serenity with three people on board was seized in late February or early March.
HANSA STAVANGER - Seized April 4, 2009: The 20,000-tonne German container vessel was captured about 400 miles off the southern Somali port of Kismayu, between the Seychelles and Kenya. The vessel had a German captain, three Russians, two Ukrainians and 14 Filipinos on board.
TANIT: Seized April 4, 2009: The yacht was carrying two couples and a 3-year-old child. Pirates also seized a Yemeni tug.
MALASPINA CASTLE - Seized April 6, 2009: The 32,500-tonne bulker is UK-owned but operated by Italians.
MAERSK ALABAMA - Seized April 8, 2009: The 17,000 ton Danish container ship was hijacked about 500 km (300 miles) off Somalia and was carrying 20 U.S. sailors.
* PIRACY: KEY FACTS:
-- In 2008 there were 293 incidents of piracy against ships worldwide -- 11 percent up on the year before. Attacks off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden increased nearly 200 percent.
-- All types of vessels have been targeted. The pirates boarding the vessels were also better armed than in previous years and prepared to assault and injure the crew.
Sources: Reuters/International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Center/Lloyds List/Inquirer.net