Food for thought

A third independent inquiry into the stolen emails of climate scientists that were made to look as if data had been manipulated to emphasize climate change, concluded that the scientists acted with integrity and did not manipulate data. The climate skeptics were strongly critical of the skeptics' attacks. This appeared on page 13, whereas the leaked emails and the manipulation charges were all over the front pages of the media.

The queen's recent visit to Canada evoked this gem from the media,
"What is astounding about her is how that sense of humour, that sense of the absurd, that sense of comedy of life has survived sixty years of grueling public life." I wonder how the writer would describe forty years in a factory or down the mines!

We know that FIFA (the soccer body) sells sponsorships to the big companies for billions of dollars and protects their rights by banning other advertising, especially `ambush advertising', not just from the stadiums, but for miles around each one and thus throttling the small cottage industries that make a few dollars. All, it may be said with the compliance of the African government that is supposed to look after its people. Well, the dispossessed are fighting back. The most popular T-shirt going around is FICK FUFA. Another says, WELCOME TO THE FEEFA 2.010 WHIRLD CUP. Yes, there is a dot between 2 and 0 as FIFA has got the rights FIFA World Cup 2010.

There's always a way around. Let's hope they can also find a way around the root of the problem and circumvent capitalism altogether. John Ayers

Food for thought

There's a big bru ha ha in Canada over making the census long form mandatory instead of compulsory. The critics say we won't get vital information such as where the poverty is so we can give income support and other social programs.
We have had the census and the required information for over a hundred years but we still have poverty. Something doesn't add up here.
A couple of months ago it was reported here that Frank Stronach, head of Magna Auto Parts was getting out with $863 million. Make that $1 billion now. His utilities bills must have gone up last month.

The Toronto Star editorial of June 27 noted how the G8 countries have failed their own test, "The gap between the G8's compassionate rhetoric and its readiness to help was especially striking. 'Hundreds of thousands of women' and "nearly nine million children" die needlessly every year, said the G8 communiqué. "These deaths profoundly concern us and underscore the need for urgent collective action." Yet when called upon to deliver, the leaders' profound concern came up short. $50 billion in aid was promised in 2005 but eventually came up short by $20 billion. $30 billion may sound like a lot but this is the rich club that generates close to $40 trillion in wealth.
Once again, the oppressed class waits for crumbs that do not come from the rich class. (Last sentence not part of the editorial, in case you were wondering!).
Also, this is a group that spent $1 billion on security for their meeting – could have saved a lot of lives! John Ayers

Food for thought

A recent Toronto Star headline screamed, `Economy Booms in June'. The figures were unemployed rate went from 8.1% to7.9%; number unemployed went from 1 506 400 to 1 475 200; number working went from 17 096 600 to 17 189 800. Hardly a `boom', but if you say something often enough maybe people will believe you. Latest figures show stagnation. In any case, a government strapped for cash can go out and spend $16 Billion on 65 first strike short range fighter planes at $140 million apiece plus service contracts. Just what we need in the second largest country in the world with no other capabilities to strike a match. Said fighters would have to be refuelled in the air and wait hours for bombers to come with the fuel.

Oh well, health care and poverty can just wait!

REFORM UNDER ATTACK

The Building Worker's summer edition was illustrating this old cartoon to demonstrate that the Tories are a class apart while campaigning that thing can only be better under a Labour Govt.

"As our economy begins to strenghten, Government revenues pick up. We are able to pay off the deficit. Most sensible economic advisers will tell you that this would be the best way to deal with the problem........"

So there you have it. The problems is solved, you just have to run faster to stay right where you are, or maybe you could give the idea of common ownership of the means of production a thought or two.

drugs

A new study has revealed Scotland has some of the worst drug abuse rates in the world, and the situation is getting worse. The international survey by the UN includes results from 200 countries, and shows greater per-head use of heroin, ecstasy and cocaine in this country than almost any other.Figures show that almost 4%of the population is regularly using the class A drug cocaine – the highest rate recorded anywhere. Around 1.5% of Scots adults inject or smoke opiates – almost three times the world average. It is estimated that there are now around 50,000 heroin and 750,000 cocaine users across Scotland.Another international study by the UN published in February this year found there were 656 drug offences per 100,000 people in Scotland. Second-placed Iran recorded 619 per 100,000. The figures, which compared drug-related crime, possession and abuse across more than 70 states, put Scotland’s drug crime rate at more than double that of England and Wales, and six times the worldwide average.

Only five nations – including Afghanistan, where the majority of heroin is cultivated – recorded higher levels of abuse than here. The others were Iran, Costa Rica, Russia and Mauritius. Scotland’s ecstasy problem is a third higher than in England and Wales. The nation also tops the European table for the highest level of drug-related deaths. The British Medical Journal in 2008, estimated that around 32% of excess mortality in Scotland was due to drug abuse, with drug users 12 times more likely to die than those in the general population.

The escapism of drugs has become a feature of so many lives. Whether it’s a joint at home, or ecstasy in a nightclub, many of us use drugs to unwind or enhance our experiences. However, heroin addiction is causing countless damaged lives. There’s often a fine line between using drugs for enjoyment and using drugs to escape the pressures of society. When drugs to numb the pain of the daily rat race become the norm, then society is in serious trouble. The dispossessed youth of the inner cities and sink council housing estates are right to think there is no hope within the present system, but wrong to sit back and wallow in its excesses. Socialists say that society can be better than this.

Overworked, underpaid — and relieved?

The shoddy economy is leaving many workers feeling overworked, underpaid — and yet relieved to be employed at all.

"Fewer workers are doing more and more," said Brett Good, a district president with staffing firm Robert Half, which has surveyed workers on this topic. "You've got a lot of people that are working harder, making less money — and you're getting to a point of frustration."

Employers have cut millions of jobs since the recession began in December 2007, driven by a drop in business and a desire to shore up costs and boost profits. Although the cost-cutting has helped propel a spate of strong earnings in recent weeks, pleasing Wall Street, it has left those who are still employed struggling to pick up the slack.

Fifty-six percent of Americans have taken on extra duties at work over the past two years because of staff cuts, according to insurer MetLife's Study of the American Dream, which was conducted in April and released last week.

Employees also are cramming more work into each day. Labor productivity has moved steadily higher over the past two years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Vote: Taking on more work in weak economy?

While many employees have been happy to assume extra duties in exchange for having a job at all, there are signs of growing frustration, or weariness.

More than one-third of college-educated professionals surveyed by Robert Half do not believe they have been fairly compensated for the extra work they have had to take on because of the weak economy.

That may be one reason up to 50 percent of workers say they plan to look for a new job once the economy improves, up from 25 to 35 percent in more prosperous times, said Good.

"Look around your office," Good said. "About half of those people are passive jobseekers."

Of course, some people may be eager to switch jobs for other reasons, such as because they were forced to take a pay cut or a position beneath their qualifications because of the weak job market.

Still, the fact that people say they want to find a new job doesn't mean they will actually do it, Good said.

For one thing, with the unemployment rate at a high 9.5 percent, there still aren't that many jobs out there. As of May there were about 4.7 jobseekers for every job opening, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

Also, with the economic situation still fairly uncertain, many people may feel it is too risky to move to another company, where the situation could be even worse or they could end up being first in line for a layoff, Good said.

Building skills, fearing change
Robert Burgett, 39, is one of those who has been working harder for less money during the recession. Over the past several years the San Francisco-based graphic designer has been asked to take on more responsibilities, including coming up with marketing ideas and writing copy. Meanwhile, he's had a 20 percent pay cut, seen his health care costs rise and watched as about half of his colleagues have been let go.

In better economic times, that might have prompted him to look around for other opportunities. But in this economy, he worries that a new job would end up being even less secure than the one he has now. And after watching his partner and roommates all go through job losses this year, he doesn't feel like it would be worth risking what he has now.

Instead, Burgett has tried to see the recession as an opportunity for reinvention. By taking on more responsibilities, he believes he has a much broader wealth of expertise, which could help  if he does get laid off.

FRIENDLESS FIRE

"More American soldiers are dying at their own hands than in combat, an army report has concluded, blaming official negligence for a surge in suicide and self-destructive behaviour. The 300 page report was released as the US Army recorded the highest number of suicides in one month for more than 30 years. Thirty two soldiers committed suicide in June, more than one a day, a rate only just matched during the Vietnam War. ... While 160 active-duty personnel and 79 reservists committed suicide during 2009, a further 146 soldiers died from high-risk behaviour associated with combat stress, including drink-driving and drug overdoses. The number of deaths is higher than the total combat toll for the same period." (Times, 31 July) RD

BEHIND THE FINE WORDS

Recently in a show of strength the USA and South Korea mounted an exercise in and around the Sea of Japan. It consisted of 20 ships, 200 aircraft and 8,000 military personnel and was supposedly a response to the sinking of a South Korean vessel by North Korea. Like all such military displays of power it was accompanied by fine words. They were "protecting the democratic South against the tyranny of the North". China, an ally of North Korea viewed it as "an intrusion into an area not far from Chinese territorial waters". It is much more likely that the correspondent Giles Whittell was much nearer the real economic truth behind the fine words when he reported

"The military display that may or may not have struck fear into the hermit dictatorship north of the 38th parallel has angered Beijing as it seeks to assert sovereignty over nearly 1.5 million square miles of the South China Sea, rich in oil and mineral deposits".

(Times, 28 July) RD

AN EXPENSIVE WANK

"Hugh Hefner's Playboy: 1953-1979 (Taschen), his 3,506-page, six-volume "illustrated autobiography", is distilled from this modest collection and mixes personal reflection with pictures of breasts culled from the magazine. It is printed in a limited edition of 1,500 copies, and is on sale for the princely sum of £900." (Guardian, 17 July) RD

HALF A MILLION HOMELESS

"More than 500,000 people will be added to social housing waiting lists and nearly 300,000 jobs will go under proposals to cut the housing budget by up to 40 per cent, say campaigners. The National Housing Federation says ministers risk "shutting the door on an entire generation of low-income families" by cutting cash for affordable homes." (Times, 26 July) RD

PROGRESSING BACKWARDS

"The gap between the health of rich and poor is greater now than at any time since modern records began, a study shows. Government initiatives have done little or nothing to close the gap between the life expectancy of poor people and those who are wealthy, researchers from universities in Sheffield and Bristol, writing in the British Medical Journal, said. They looked at deaths between 1921 and 2007." (Times, 23 July) RD

"HUMANITARIAN" SLAUGHTER

"The Israeli military has imposed restrictions on the use of white phosphorous munitions, which led to civilian deaths and casualties in Gaza last year. Israel told the UN that it would deploy them only when approved by a "humanitarian affairs officer." (Times, 22 July) RD

SEVENTY DIE FOR RELIGIOUS NONSENSE

"Islamists claim attack in Uganda. Uganda's most feared insurgent group, the Shabab, claimed responsibility on Monday for the coordinated bombings that killed more than 70 people in Uganda,as crowds gathered to watch the final match of the World Cup." (New York Times, 11, July) RD

CASH, CORRUPTION AND CAPITALISM

"Last week Goldman Sachs agreed to pay a $550 million (£360 million) fine to settle accusations by the US regulators that it misled investors over a mortgage-backed security. It followed claims that the investment bank had - among other things - helped Greece to hide the true level of its indebtedness, played a key role in the 2008 US banking crashed and behaved like a "great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money" (Rolling Stone magazine)." (Times, 21 July) RD

CORRUPTING RESEARCH

"One of the world's largest oil companies has broken its pledge to stop funding groups that promote scepticism about man-made climate change. Exxon Mobil, parent company of Esso, gave almost £1 million last year to organisations that campaign against controls on greenhouse gas omissions." (Times, 19 July) RD

TOUGHER AT THE BOTTOM

"For the first time since the 1970s more than one billion people, almost one-sixth of humanity, were either hungry or undernourished last year and the number is growing, an international conference on food security held in Manila was told last week. This figure was 100 million more than in 2008, and the Asia-Pacific region leads the world with more than 650 million hungry people, according to data by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)." (The National, 11 July) RD

TOUGH AT THE TOP

"Charles, the Prince of Wales, doesn't exactly have to save for a rainy day: he collects Aston Martins, has three chauffeurs and holds overseas investments totaling at least $68 million. But as Britain copes with a bleak economic forecast and austerity measures meant to tackle its $230 billion deficit, the future King has embraced a royal version of frugality sure to make playboy princes around the world quiver: he's cutting back on canapes, and he's hosting drinks parties instead of lavish dinners. "We are always keeping an eye on the economic climate," Charles' private secretary, Michael Peat, told reporters in London on June 29. "We do live in the real world for the most part anyhow." (Time, 3 July) RD

CHEAP, CHEAPER, CHEAPEST

"As costs have risen in China, long the world's shop floor, it is slowly losing work to countries like Bangladesh, Vietnam and Cambodia at least for cheaper, labor-intensive goods like casual clothes, toys and simple electronics that do not necessarily require literate workers and can tolerate unreliable transportation systems and electrical grids. Li Fung, a Hong Kong company that handles sourcing and apparel manufacturing for companies like Wal-Mart, H & M and other Western retailers and brands. Liz Claiborne, reported that its production in Bangladesh jumped 20 percent last year, while China, its biggest supplier, slid 5 percent. Bangladesh is getting very competitive, William Fung, Li Fung's group managing director, told analysts in March. The flow of jobs to poorer countries like Bangladesh started even before recent labor unrest in China led to big pay raises for many factory workers there and before changes in Beijing's currency policy that could also raise the costs of Chinese exports. Now, though, economists expect the migration of China's low-paying jobs to accelerate." (New York Times, 16 July) RD

STOP MOANING WORK HARDER

Next time you complain to your boss about being exploited let us hope he doesn't read this piece of nonsense. "People who make their colleagues miserable by constantly moaning at work may actually be suffering from a mental illness, a study suggests. According to researchers in Germany, they are suffering from a new condition called post-traumatic embitterment disorder. ...The findings are based on a two-year study of 21 people by researchers at the University of Berlin." (BBC News, 20 June) Presumably the "researchers" didn't moan or complain and no one mentioned to them that research that only used 21 people is hardly convincing. Here's to the day when more and more of us "suffer" from post traumatic embitterment disorder. The researchers may call it a mental disorder we call it good sense. RD

CAPITALISM IN ACTION

"A boy aged seven has been found working 98 hours a week to produce decorative Christmas goods for the British high street. He is employed from 9am to 11pm, seven days a week, earning 7p an hour for his widowed mother. The boy, known only as Ravi, not only works but sleeps in a Delhi sweatshop that produces items for Pound-land, the cut-price chain store." (Sunday Times,11 July) RD