DNA: THE LARGER AND "BETTER" VERSION:
The News and Views section of the November 30th edition of 'Nature' magazine(pp553-554) contains an interesting article entitled 'A broader take on DNA' that discusses the latest research on synthesis of modified forms of DNA. The article reports on a paper in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (Lynch, S.R., Liu, H, Gao, J and Kool, E.T., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 128, 14704-14711 (2006)) that describes the synthesis of an "expanded" form of DNA that can carry twice the amount of genetic information of normal DNA.
The new form of DNA which the authors have christened "xDNA" is made by modification of the four normal bases of DNA, adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine, by the addition of an extra benzene ring between the backbone of deoxyribose and the active area of the bases that form hydrogen bonds. The extra rings sit perpendicular to the long axis of the polymer formed by the hydrogen bonds. The reason that this formation carries extra information is that while ordinary DNA has only two possible base pairs, A-T and C-G, xDNA has four possible combinations, xG-C, G-xC, xA-T and A-xT.
This synthetic form of DNA has a few interesting differences from natural DNA. The synthetic form is more stable than natural DNA because of an increase in "stacking" , both within strand and between strands. Also 12 base pairs are required to complete one turn of the helix as opposed to ten in natural DNA. Because of this the major and minor grooves of the helix are broader and shallower than in regular DNA. These grooves determine the interactions of DNA with both proteins and smaller molecules, and therefore xDNA will interact with such molecules in ways different from natural DNA. xDNA is also naturally fluorescent, unlike regular DNA.
There are barriers to the use of xDNA. DNA polymerases do not interact properly with the altered geometry to initiate replication of the altered DNA. While "directed evolution" of polymerases, with in vitro mutation and selection, (shades of intelligent design), has had some success in altering the normal forms of the enzyme it would be a giant step to try and engineer a polymerase that could initiate replication in xDNA.
Yet there is great promise that such synthetic forms of DNA could help elucidate the normal forms of DNA's interactions with other molecules by offering a comparative model.
Til then, Molly has to say that the synthesis of a "Rosie O'Donnell" form of DNA is a remarkable achievement on its own. Plumper and cuter. Undoubtedly Santa's DNA is a naturally occurring form of this molecule.
Merry Christmas,
Molly

NEW EDITION OF UPPING THE ANTI:
The latest edition of 'Upping the Anti', a libertarian socialist journal produced in Toronto is now available. See http://auto_sol.tao.ca or Autonomy and Solidarity in the contacts list below. This issue goes for $5 plus $2 postage. If you live outside of Canada the editors request that you order the journal through AK Press (see contacts under 'Anarchist Publishers and Distributors) as the cost of postage is prohibitive. The editors have put previous issues of the journal in a pdf format at their website.

• This issue contains:
• The Anti Imperialism of Our Times by Aijaz Ahmad
• Latin America vs. Global Capitalism by William Robinson
• Making Friends With Failure by AK Thompson
• Haiti:Adventures in Colonialism by Isabel McDonald
• The Zapatistas: Enter The Intergalactic by RJ Marconi
• How To Keep On Keeping On by Jen Plyler
• A Round Table On the Six Nations

Much, much more

Check it out,

Molly

Missing the Geminids:
The sky here in Winnipeg clouded over shortly after sundown. It is now midnight, and it is still totally overcast. Looks like I'll miss the show. The western horizon shows no sign of clearing.I'll be up before the sun is, and maybe I'll catch a few meteors then. In the meantime, many thanks to all who checked into this blog for the timing of the event. Hopefully you have better viewing than we have here in Winnipeg. More on events astronomical in the future. Check into Space.com for updates.
Molly with deep sighs

KEEP THE DOG WHERE IT IS:
This is more local trivia, so if you have no interest in either Winnipeg or buses feel free to skip this item.
The local press is reporting that Greyhound Canada has entered into negotiations with Winnipeg airport officials to move the city's bus depot from downtown to the airport. Greyhound's lease for the downtown facility expires in 2009. The University of Winnipeg has expressed interest in acquiring the property if the Dog should vacate, and there is little doubt that this would be a prime acquisition for the University being as it right across from their main buildings. Even the local MP, Pat Martin of the NDP, has expressed the opinion that move would be a good thing. According to the Winnipeg Free Press he says that,
"Having the bus depot where it is, is an eyesore, a nuisance, a headache, an absolute disaster. It's inappropriate for it to be where it is."
Now, I've met Pat, and he's a very nice man. He's actually one of the few members of the NDP caucus who occasionally takes the socialist name seriously, and his record in Parliament is exemplary. But...I have to disagree with him here, just as some of the bus users who were interviewed by the Free Press did.
Bus depots are always and everywhere an "eyesore" and a "nuisance". It's their nature. They are a large institutional face of the real facts of class differences in society. They are the beggar on the street magnified by a factor of 10,000. Molly can remember many trips on the dreaded "bone shaker" across Canada, with all the insanity that goes with the territory.
But they are still...necessary. For a large number of people it is the only affordable method of intercity transit, ugly and inconvenient as it is. In Europe the trains, which are much more comfortable give a much more efficient method of travel, but in Canada the rail industry has been destroyed by government policy.
Bus users interviewed by the Free Press pointed out that the present location of the Dog is the most convenient for out of town people who must come into Winnipeg from remote communities for medical treatment. It is a quick jump to the dreaded Health Sciences Centre. A shuttle bus just doesn't cut it, unless the taxpayer is-as usual- expected to fork out the dough for a shuttle that has the many stops that out of town people may need. Take it as a given that such a service wouldn't break even if it didn't charge fees equivalent to taxis. Besides that, after a 7 hour ride on the bone shaker the last thing a sick person needs is waiting at 30 below or 30 above for the "shuttle bus". Perhaps standing on the bus if it is too crowded.
Then there is a matter not mentioned by the Free Press article. What about those who wish to leave Winnipeg, a laudable ambition I'm sure. Presently many(most ?) of those who wish to ride the Dog either live in Winnipeg's inner city or are within one reasonable bus ride to the depot. It's what they can afford. Put the depot at the airport and many people would be faced with up to a two hour marathon in the heat or cold with transfers to get to the shuttle and to the airport. Winnipeg's airport is not as inconvenient as some, but it is till "out of the way".
In summation a move to the airport would penalize Winnipeg's poorest citizens even if it would be a convenience for charter buses of sports or music fans coming into the city for events. Molly will continue to follow this story as it develops and do her level best to prevent such a move.
An "eyesore" is the price that society must pay for its sin of having a class system.
Molly

Update On Iranian Labour Activists:
The good folks at Labour Start (http://www.labourstart.org -see also the Links section at the bottom of this page) have some good news to report concerning labour union members arrested in the past few weeks by the Iranian government. Three of the activists have been released, but the union President Mansour Osanloo (see previous items on this blog), arrested on Nov. 19th remains in prison. So far Labour Start has generated over 4,500 messages of protest in support of this unionist. The people at Labour Start wish to reemphasize the importance of this campaign. In recent days Iranian students have risked their lives to protest at a speech by the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, calling out "Death to the Dictator" in the face of a real dictator. Workers and students in Iran need and deserve all the support we can give them. To join the campaign for the release of Mansour Osanloo please follow the following link:
http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgl?c=167
Molly

THE DAY OF THE ELEVENS (PLUS ONE):
One final eleven here. These are the new links that I have added to the blog (see the bottom of the page). Under the general links section I've added 'Delete the Border' (http://deletetheborder.org ), a group in the American Southwest opposed to the tightening of immigration controls, and the Manila Autonomous Media (http://a-manila.org ), a source of independent news from the Philippines.
The Online Libraries section is now graced with the Nestor Makhno Archive (http://www.nestormakhno.info ) and the Anarchosyndicalist section has had the website of the British IWW (http://www.iww.org.uk ) added.
There are also four new blogs, 'An Australian Anarchist Weblog' (http://blog.anarchy.org.au ), Chaparral's Blog (http://deletetheborder.org/chaparral ), Che_y_Marijuana (http://che_y_marijuana.gnn.tv/users/blogs.php# ) and Circle of Solidarity (http://circleofsolidarity.blogspot.com ).
Finally three new sources have been added to the Graphics and Cartoons section: the Spunk Press Garphics Library (http://www.spunk.org/library/index/images.html ), Bendib (http://www.bendib.com ), a Middle East cartoonist, and Mike Flugennocks' site (http://www.sinkers.org ).
Happy browsing,
Molly

THE DAY OF THE ELEVENS: PART TWO:
FREE THE SAGODA ELEVEN:
On February 11th, 2006 eleven young people from various areas in the Philippines set out for a hiking trip to a well known camping spot in the mountains of northern Luzon, the main island of the Philippines. The young people, ranging in age from 15 to 24, knew each other from involvement in libertarian groups such as Food Not Bombs and Earth First. In other words they were all idealistic young adults with no knowledge of or affinity for "armed struggle" and a certain antipathy to communist sects.
The truck they had hitched a ride with was intercepted by the police. The eleven were assaulted and imprisoned. Hours after their arrest a member of the local paramilitary organization of the Philippine government arrived and "identified" them as members of a guerrilla force that had attacked a military outpost on Feb. 10th. The detainees pointed out during their questioning that the group had been in many different locations on that date and only came together on the 11th for their nature trip.
The guerrilla group that they were supposedly part of, the New People's Army, is a Maoist terrorist group active in the Philippines. From the Molly point of view two things have to be said. While not being a fan of Maoists I must say that any Maoist group that recruits young "punks" (as the arrested describe themselves) for military attacks is particularly stupid. The converse is that any person with libertarian sympathies who would do Maoist dirty work would also have to be particularly stupid. Given two almost unbelievable levels of stupidity the truth is likely to be as the detainees say- they are totally innocent and the victim of a mercenary who denounces people for money.
The detainees were subjected to a number of tortures(I'll spare you the details) and forced to sign false confessions. Their whereabouts only became public because one of the prisoners managed to escape for a short period of time, and he alerted others to what had happened.
Many people across the world have rallied to the defence of these young people, especially on last Nov 17th and 20th when actions were held in numerous countries. The prisoners are, at the latest report, being held in the Benguet Provincial Jail. The detainees would appreciate items such as "punk rock memorabilia" and funds for their legal defense. To find out how to send such items and funds contact Solidarity South Pacific at solidaritysp@lycos.com . Bear in mind that these are political prisoners who may have materials sent to them used against them in their trials. Molly would suggest that you behave like she does in her beliefs that the only way to anarchism is gradual and in her granite hard anti-communism. This is evidence for their defense.
To keep up to date on this case watch the Manila Autonomous Media site at http://a-manila.org .
Molly

THE DAY OF THE "11s": PART ONE:
"SOCIALIST" BOSSES ATTACK SCOTTISH WOBBLIES:
It's Dec. 11th and her Royal Pubaness, Empress Mollymew I And Only declares this the "day of the elevens". The first eleven to note are the eleven workers at the Scottish Parliament. Of these five are IWW members. These workers are employees of the now-split Scottish Socialist Party, a semi-Trot group that became the darling of the British left for actually electing members to the regional Parliament of Scotland beginning in 1999 when their ex-leader Tommy Sheridan was first elected. Sheridan was joined by Rosemary Byme and 4 other members in the recent elections in 2003. True to their Trotskyist heritage the SSP began to infight, and the result was that Sheridan and Byme split off to form their own sect called 'Solidarity'. They took two of the original 13 parliamentary support workers with them during the split, leaving the magic number "11" with the original Party. The details of the split are singularly unedifying with a veneer of Sheridan's private life coating the usual Trot hunger to find tiny details to split upon.
The SSP and Sheridan's group now haggle over the exact sum that each group will receive from the Scottish taxpayer to promote their own convoluted agendas. The result has been that the remaining 11 workers are left without enough funds to support their wages. They can only continue to be paid if they "voluntarily" switch to the Sheridan group.
Merry Christmas ! The Scottish IWW refuses to take sides in this dispute. They are demanding that all six of the MSP honour their contract with their workers until the May, 2007 elections with no pay cuts or firings.
To follow the continued soap opera of the vanguard of the workers versus the workers stay tuned to the British IWW site at http://www.iww.org.uk .
Molly

MOLLY'S NEW LINKS SECTION:

Over the past few days I've been experimenting, not always successfully, with graphics on this site. All this was a lead-in to adding yet another section to the Links part of this blog. See the bottom of the page for same. This section 'Graphics and Images' will try and list internet graphic resources for the aspiring "artiste" in all of us, and also for those who appreciate humour to brighten the deadly dull business of opposing the State.
Look below for this new section. It will be expanded in days to come. Any suggestions for additions are welcomed.
Molly

THE GENERAL STRIKE IN SWEDEN: THE MISSING REPORTS:
Molly has previously reported on the attempted general strike that the Swedish syndicalist union SAC (see AnarchoSyndicalist Links in the contact section of this blog) called for Nov. 15th. This call was, of course, widely publicized in the press and electronic sites of the world's anarchist movement. Numerous messages of solidarity were sent to our Swedish comrades. The strike, of course, has come and gone, and what is missing from the public face of anarchism is any analysis of what the strike call actually achieved. The SAC may have reported on the results, but little or none of this of this has been published in languages other than Swedish. The exception is an article published in Royo Y Negro, a journal of the Spanish CGT. Published on Nov. 17th, two days after the strike, it was entitled, 'La Huelga de la SAC asusta a patronal y sindicatos mayoritarios en Suecia' (Molly trans: The SAC's strike frightens management (or the bosses' organization) and the majority unions in Sweden).
Royo y Negro made no estimates of the total number of people who heeded the call of the SAC, but they made three observations about the benefits of the strike call. The first was that many affiliates of the majority union, the LO, were so disgusted by the manoeuvres of their union bosses that they joined the SAC demonstrations on their own initiatives. The second benefit was that the strike call reawakened public interest in the existence of the SAC in Sweden. The third is that the call reinvigorated the activity of the locals and industrial sections of the SAC.
All of this is undoubtedly true and to the good, but actual numbers would be much more to the point. Without them one relies on factors that are more than a little subjective. When and how to issue a strike call is an important question as international anarchosyndicalism competes with bureaucratic unions across the world. Success should be judged by objective criteria so that lessons can actually be learned. subjective criteria should be followed over time to see if initial impressions were indeed true.
Still waiting for same...
Molly
PS:The graphic above is the logo of the SAC.

DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME:
That famous international business consultant, Mollymew LLB of the investment firm of Mollymew, Finagle, Finagle, Funt and Kittens once advanced the following proposition in regards to one of the principals of the following story in a previous entry on this blog. It was that,
"Nobody EVER becomes wealthy by investing their money wisely. You ONLY become wealthy by investing 'other peoples'' money wisely.
There should be an addendum to the following advise, to wit,
"You become wealthy faster if you avoid paying back the other people unless absolutely pressed by the law- and even then delay it as long as possible. It's best to never pay them back at all."
At the level of a few hundreds or thousands of dollars this sort of behavior results in prison time for fraud. At the level of hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars it results in election to Mayor or, if the Gods smile, eventual leadership of a provincial Conservative Party. Hundreds of millions of such behavior give you the right to run for the federal Conservative Party leadership. Ah...who was Peter Pocklington ?
But speaking of the hundreds of thousands it comes to mind in a recent lawsuit launched by the receivers for the now-defunct Crocus Fund of Manitoba. The receivers for this fund, one of the most poorly managed labour sponsored funds in the country, have recently launched a lawsuit against the Winnipeg Goldeyes for recovery of the interest on a loan they made to the ball team in 1999.
The facts of the matter are that the Goldeyes took out a loan from the Crocus Fund for $375,000 on July 19th, 1999. They contracted to make semi-annual interest payments at 8%. Unlike a normal consumer loan they was no stipulation to pay back any of the principal. Despite making no payments on the first loan the Goldeyes were granted a second loan one year later for $59,149 at prime plus 2%.The present interest on the original loan that the receivers are suing the Goldeyes for is $305,000.
The principle owner of the Goldeyes is, of course, the Winnipeg Mayor, Sam Katz. The Goldeyes have already been granted privileges from the City of Winnipeg vis-a-vis land development for their parking lot. It would be interesting to watch future developments in terms of such Winnipeg businesses as Salisbury House, Maple Leaf Distillers and the Burton Cummings Theatre, as well as other enterprises that Katz has had a hand in.
Ah well, 2/3rds of a million dollars is chickenfeed in terms of what business is granted by government fiat in Canada each year. The sad thing is that the Labour Sponsored funds such as the Crocus have a theoretical mandate to develop local and small business and especially to help out producers' coops. Very few of them devote even a pittance of their funds to such goals, even if few are so grossly "private banks" as the Crocus was.
Private Banks ! It would be nice if you or I could take out loans with a payment schedule of every six months. It would be even nicer if we never made a payment and were granted a further loan a year later. It would be the nicest of all if it took the bank SEVEN years to move even if we made no payments at all. You could easily become wealthy by investing said money.
But once more kiddies...don't try this trick at home... it only works for the stalwart defenders of morality and ethics known as conservative politicians.

A Blast From The Past:
I've been adding a few more links recently and plotting the latest section of the Links. What's new is a link to the online Canadian magazine 'Connexions Online' under the 'Other Interesting Links Section' (http://www.connexions.org ). They describe themselves as, "an organization working to connect individuals and organizations working for social change with each other, with information and ideas and with the general public. Connexions Online features information about resources and organizations fostering democratization, economic justice, environmental responsibility, civil liberties and the creation and preservation of community". They are an interesting source for links but somewhat light on libertarian content. Mostly liberal and social democratic.
The "Blast From the Past" is a link I've added to the general links section. This is an archive of 'The Red Menace', a libertarian socialist magazine published out of Toronto in the late 70s. The inspiration was a reprint of an article from that journal from Ed Clark on the Anarkismo site. It was entitled 'Why the Leninists Will Win' and bemoaned the lack of serious anarchist organization at that time. Of course the Leninists never did "win". Time moves on, and today they are tiny political cults with even less relevance than the primitivist wing of anarchism. In the 30 years since the Red Menace was publishing anarchism has grown exponentially. True it has its more than usual share of disorganization and plain flakiness- like it always has had. But the general movement has grown in both numbers and practicality. In the 70s organizations like NEFAC would have been seen as pure fantasy. The IWW has expanded and become actually capable of waging real union struggles. Anyways, have a look at this "ol' time" snapshot from a period when this growth was just beginning.

I'm still fascinated by my site monitor. Today it recorded what I think is the first visit from Moscow. Dobre,dobre, Tovarisch. Love it. Canada and the USA continue to top the list, but Great Britain's share has fallen. Countries in the running include the Phillipines, Turkey, Germany, India and Australia. I sure do miss Argentina. Ah well.

My first attempt at reproducing a full page cartoon on this site was only partially readable. If you ruin your eyes trying to squint and make it all out, well what do you expect from staring at a computer screen all day ? Hopefully I'll iron out the glitches soon.

That's all there is to say from Mollyland today. Love that poetry.

This is a test. If it ends up being readable I'm going to have lots of fun.
Molly

GEMINID METEOR SHOWER TO BEGIN TOMORROW:
The annual meteor shower in the constellation of Gemini, mentioned previously on this blog, is due to begin tomorrow evening. They will peak on Wednesday night/Thursday morning, at which you may expect to see up to 60 meteors per hour. There will be less interference from moonlight than occurred with the Perseids this year. The Moon will enter its last quarter on Tuesday, and be no more than a fat waning crescent at the time of the peak.
The meteors will appear to radiate from an area about half the size of the Moon near the star of Castor in Gemini. This star will begin to rise in the east-northeast quadrant of the sky at about the time twilight comes to an end. This is the best time to catch a sight of 'Earth-Grazers'. These are meteors with long, bright trails that emanate from a point near to or on the horizon. Gemini will be about 1/3rd of the way up from the horizon by 9:00 PM, and by 2:00 AM it will be at the its zenith. The Geminids are actually fragments of an Earth-crossing asteroid, 3200 Phaeton, rather than the usual cometary debris that spawn most meteor showers. As such they are several times denser than the usual meteoroids and appear to travel slower than usual. This makes for better viewing. Their trails will appear longer as well.

E-MAIL ACTION CAMPAIGN:
IN SUPPORT OF IWW BARISTAS AND ETHIOPIAN COFFEE GROWERS:
The IWW Starbucks Workers Union continues its campaign to enlist public support in favour of the right to organize on the part of Starbucks workers and in support of the efforts of the Ethiopian government to trademark three locally grown strains of coffee. It is estimated that the efforts of Starbucks and other corporations to oppose this measure have cost Ethiopian farmers close to $90 million a year in lost revenue. Over 70,000 customers have taken the initiative of protesting to Starbucks about their stubbornness. A meeting on November 28th between Ethiopian Prime Minster Meles Zenawi and Starbucks chief executive Jim Donald produced no resolution of the dispute.
The Starbucks Workers' Union has launched a e-mail campaign to support the efforts of the Ethiopians and also their own organizing efforts. The letter that they wish you to send to the Starbucks Chairman reads as follows:
Dear Chairman Schultz;
I am deeply distressed that you have once again rejected an agreement that would allow Ethiopian coffee farmers to control their own cultural heritage. On November 29th in a meeting in Ethiopia's capital city between Starbucks CEO Jim Donald and Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, the Ethiopians assured Starbucks a royalty-free licencing agreement. Despite this assurance, you have insisted on maintaining your unfair market position while Ethiopian coffee farmers live in brutal poverty. How can you sleep at night knowing that you are profiting off the place names of exquisite Ethiopian Coffee- Sidamo, Yirgaceffe, Harrar- as coffee farming families struggle to feed themselves, access clean water and send children to school ?
I am also disturbed that you have taken the same paternalistic approach to Ethiopian coffee farmers that you have taken toward Starbucks baristas joining a union for a better life on the job. Your socially responsible marketing gimmicks do not put food on the table for baristas or coffee farmers.
I support the Justice From Bean to Cup! campaign linking baristas and coffee farmers across the Starbucks suppl;y chain for a living wage and respect. Stop interfering with the fundamental right of baristas and coffee farmers to an independent voice on the job. Sign the trademark agreement with Ethiopia and respect the right of baristas to join a union.
I urge your prompt attention to this matter."
The above message can be sent by clicking here: http://starbucksunion.org/node/1127 .

To follow the ongoing campaign to unionize Starbucks go the union website at http://starbucksunion.org

SOLIDARITY WITH OAXACA RADIO:
The University Radio in Oaxaca City, Mexico, Radio APPO, has been shut down by government forces for some time now. This radio station gave the people of Oaxaca who were struggling against the corrupt government a media voice to publicize their point of view. Since Nov. 25th there have been over 17 people killed, 140 injured, 190 openly arrested and 60 "disappeared" by the government forces. There is now a Canadian project called 'Radio Solidarity Oaxaca' that hopes to help the Mexican people in their efforts to rebuild a radio capacity in said Mexican State. The project is looking for both financial and technical assistance. Anyone interested can contact Don Kossick at kossickd@gmail.com . Cheques can be made out to and sent to the Progressive Organizing Project c/o 202 -111th St. West, Saskatoon, SK S7N 1T2, Canada. This project is sponsored by Making the Links Radio at http://www.makingthelinksradio.ca .
The struggle in Oaxaca has inspired solidarity actions worldwide in the past few months. To keep up to date with the continueing actions in support of the people of Oaxaca State see such sites as the Oaxaca Solidarity Alert List (http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/oaxaca ) and the Oaxaca Solidarity Network at http://www.oaxacasolidarity.org . For background information see various posts on the IRC America program at http://americas.irc-online.org .
Meanwhile the EZLN, the Zapatista National Liberation Army of Chiapas has issued an appeal for a worldwide day of solidarity with the people of Oaxaca on Dec. 22, 2006. To follow the progress of this call and to keep up to date on the Zapatistas see their official site at http://www.ezln.org.mx
Molly Note: Don Kossick mentioned above was the NDP candidate in the Saskatchewan riding of 'Blackstrap'.

DOG QUOTES:
Molly really has to hold her hairball reflex on this item. It's quotes on that blight on the Earth called dogs. But for those with less refined tastes than cat-lovers here it goes:
A little joke first:
If you want somebody who will bring you the paper without first tearing it apart to remove the sports section then buy a dog.
If you want somebody to make a fool of himself simply over the joy of seeing you then buy a dog.
If you want somebody who will eat whatever you put in front of him and never says it is quite as good as his mother made it...then buy a dog.
If you want somebody who is always willing to go out at any hour, for as long and wherever you want, then buy a dog.
If you want somebody who will never touch the remote, doesn't care about football, and can sit next to you as you watch romantic movies then buy a dog.
If you want somebody who is content to get up onto your bed just to warm your feet and whom you can push off if he snores then buy a dog.
If you want somebody who never criticizes what you do, doesn't care if you are pretty or ugly, fat or thin, young or old, who acts as if every word you say is especially worthy of listening to, and loves you unconditionally, perpetually...then buy a dog.
But, on the other hand, if you want somebody who will never come when you call, ignores you totally when you come home, leaves hair all over the place, walks all over you, runs around all night and only comes home to sleep and eat, and acts as if your entire existence is solely to ensure his happiness, then...buy a cat.
What did you think it was going to be ????

Anyways, on to the quotes:
1)"The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue"
-Anonymous
2)"Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful"
-Ann Landers
3)"If there are no dogs in heaven, then I want to go where they went"
-Will Rogers
4)"There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face"
-Ben Williams
5)"A dog is the only thing on Earth that loves you more than he loves himself"
-Josh Billings
6)"The average dog is a nicer person than the average person"
-Andy Rooney
7)"We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made."
-M. Acklam
8)"Dogs love their friends and bite their enemies, quite unlike people. We are incapable of pure love and always have to mix love and hate."
-Sigmund Freud
9)"I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult."
-Rita Rudner
10)"A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance and to turn around three times before lying down"
-Robert Benchley
11)"Anyone who doesn't know what soap tastes like has never washed a dog"
-Franklin P. Jones
12)"If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very,very few persons"
-James Thurber
13)"If your dog is fat you are not getting enough exercise"
-Unknown
14)"My dog is worried about the economy because Alpo is up to $3.00 a can. That's almost $21.00 in dog money"
-Joe Weinstein
15)"Ever consider what our dogs must think of us ? I mean here we come back home from a grocery store with the most amazing haul, chicken pork, half a cow. They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth."
-Anne Tyler
16)"Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea"
-Robert A. Heinlein
17)"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man."
-Mark Twain
18)"You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says,'Wow, you're right ! I never would have thought of that !"
-Dave Barry
19)"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole"
-Roger Caras
20)"If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then give him only two of them."
-Phil Pastoret
21)"My goal in life is to be as good a person as my dog already thinks I am"
-Unknown

Enough of this distasteful subject for now. Back to the cat world.
Molly

THE LOGIC OF THE SPONGE:
Anarchists have often used an argument against "political action" as opposed to "direct action" that goes as follows:
"In struggling for and eventually gaining political power in pursuit of certain goals such social justice, workers' rights, etc. the successful "revolutionaries" become merely a mirror reflexion of the rulers that they previously opposed."
The usual justification for this argument is any number of modifications of the old adage that "power corrupts...". Very true, and few except aspiring new rulers fail to see the truth of this cynical but realistic view.
There's another way, however, to look at the matter. I call it "The Logic of the Sponge". It doesn't involve "corruption" at all, though real corruption is certainly ever present in any political enterprise, no matter how "noble" the professed goals of that enterprise are. In actual point of fact it has probably been centuries !!! since their was a ruling class or political caste that didn't try and cloak its naked power in high sounding rhetoric. From Idi Amin to the Khymer Rouge, to Pinochet, to the present US government, to Castro, to Stalin and Mao, to Hitler to every example you can think of every brutal regime has cloaked its intentions with some "greater good".
Individual corruption certainly accounts for at least "some" of the faults of such regimes. The ruling class of Cuba, for instance, certainly "lives better" than the average Cuban. But there is a greater source of what goes wrong when people seek power "for the greater good". The simple exercise of power has its own deadly habitual routine that seems an inevitability to anyone ensconced in a position to exercise power. the vast majority of Nazis were very much like the "good Marxists" of any of the last century's "people's paradise". They promoted the function of the machine that ground say 50 million Chinese to death just because "it was the way that it was done".
The "Sponge" absorbs its good intentioned invaders. One doesn't have to invoke some innate depravity of human nature to explain why revolutions "eat their own" (and a goodly chunk of other people besides). The pure force of habit, routine and an overwhelming social pressure to conform does the greatest amount of the job.
This is not as "unknown" as it may appear. The example of China, which has the highest death toll of the failed experiments of Marxism in action, is very apt. China has been conquered from outside on more than one occasion. In the long term, however, the culture of China has ended up absorbing the invaders like a great sponge. The invaders became habituated to the Chinese way of doing things and became as Chinese as the Chinese. China was a "great sponge" with tens of millions of citizens who eventually acculturated the invaders to behave in a fashion typical of the tradition. The interlude of Marxism in recent history may have been the bloodiest as the carriers of the Western ideology called Marxism were more detached from human sympathy than the Mongols or the Manchus, but in an historical perspective the era of mass slaughter and "ideological struggle" in recent Chinese history may have been shorter than the time it took China to absorb previous invaders.
China is hardly unique in this sponge ability. India did the same to many of its invaders. The Roman Empire survived for centuries by absorbing its invaders, and even the theoretical end of the Western Roman Empire left much of the ideology and culture of Rome very much alive and thriving.
Government is as much a sponge as Chinese, Roman or Indian culture. It has its ways of doing things that those who "conquer the state" become very much accustomed to despite whatever good intentions they may have. As a tool to create equality, justice, freedom,etc. it has a "very blunt edge". The use of this tool demands its own manner of handling that soon becomes both habit and the "common sense" of the tool users. One doesn't have to postulate either sadism or greed to explain how previous governmental changes failed. The sponge absorbed the threat thrown at it.
Molly

INTERNATIONAL SYNDICALIST CONFERENCE:
PARIS, APRIL 27th TO MAY 1st, 2007:
Previous conferences of the international syndicalist and anarchosyndicalist movement have been held in San Francisco in 1999 and Essen, Germany in 2002. The French CNT (CNT Vignoles http://www.cent-f.org ) has undertaken to host another gathering to point the way forward for international libertarian unionism.
The conference will begin on Friday, April 27th with a reception of the delagates. The morning of Saturday the 28th will be taken up with meetings and presentations of the various unions on numerous topics such as the cost of living, wages, redundancy, privatization, labour rights, institutions, revolutionary syndicalism, repression,etc.. The afternoon will be given over to "sectoral presentations" such as construction, education, postal services, health, janitorial services, cultural, press, transport, steel industry, agricultural, etc.. The day will conclude with a concert in the evening.
On Sunday the 29th the morning will be devoted to other libertarian themes that intersect with the union struggle such as women's struggles, anti-fascism, social ecology, housing immigration and imperialism. In the afternoon there will be a collective presentation of the various meetings, and a general assembly will follow in the evening. Monday, the 30th will be devoted to a showing of "militant movies" and visits to various locations in Paris. On Tuesday the conference will join other French anarchists for the annual Mayday demonstrations in Paris.
To keep up to date with the plans visit the site of the French CNT at http://www.cnt-f.org (seulement en francais) or watch the Anarkismo site (http://www.anarkismo.net -or see the Links section of this blog) for announcements that will have English translations.
Ah, Paris in the spring ! Hopefully the Spring of a New World.
Molly Notes:
A Google search of the internet will uncover what happened at the two previous conferences, I 99 and I 02. These conferences are basically put on by syndicalist forces outside of the IWA-AIT (International Workers' Association- Associacion International de Trabahadores: the "official" anarcho-syndicalist International). Many of these are members of International Libertarian Solidarity (see http://www.ils.sil.org or the Syndicalist Links section of this blog). The ILS site has many links that give a flavour of the supporting organizations. Each conference, however, attracts a number of groups that are outside of BOTH ILS and the AIT, and their is even participation from some groups within the AIT. The "unofficial" anarcho-syndicalist movement is far !!! larger than the "official" one and, at least in Molly's view, is no less "anarchist" than the more "purist" AIT.

By the Way:
For those interested in the meat of the last post you can follow the progress of the federal anti-scab legislation at the website of the Public Service Alliance of Canada at http://www.psac.ca .
Molly

TELLING TOO LITTLE:
The December edition of the Industrial Worker had a brief article on the recent Bill C-257 which passed second reading by a margin of 167 to 101 in the House of Commons on Oct. 25th. The article reads as follows,
"The House of Commons voted Oct. 25 167 to 101 in favour of Bill C-257, which would make it illegal for employers covered by the Canada Labour Code to hire scabs. The bill was supported by union activists across the country including CUPE members who sent in hundreds of emails to their MPs. According to the 2.2 million-member Canadian Labour Congress, the bill will help create more tranquil labour relations in the federal jurisdiction, including a significant drop in work days lost due to strike or lockout."
This article was far too brief and actually obscures more than it tells in the effort to present "good news". A little background is in order. The bill is actually the 11th time that the Bloc Quebecois has attempted to introduce such legislation under the provisions for "private members bills". All previous attempts have been defeated. The Act entitled 'An Act to Amend the Canada Labour Code (replacement workers) would indeed forbid the hiring of scabs in labour disputes governed by the Canada Labour Code, but these are a small minority of the disputes that occur in Canada. In the Canadian federal system most labour disputes and regulation fall under provincial jurisdiction.
Presently two Canadian provinces ban the use of scabs during strikes, Quebec since 1977 and BC since 1993. Right wing ideologues at the Fraser Institute tout so-called "evidence" as opposed to the position of the CLC that such legislation reduces ! time lost to strikes in such publications as 'Budd, John W. (2000)."The Effect of Strike Replacement Legislation on Employment." Labour Economics 7:225-247' and 'Budd, John W and Yjiang Wang(2004) "Labour Policy and Investment:Evidence From Canada". Industrial and Labour Relations Review 57, 3 (April), saying that "employment and investment decrease in jurisdictions that ban the use of replacement workers".
The academic studies cited are deeply flawed. Can you say, "lack of controls". The case of these two Canadian provinces, the most militant in Canada is taken in isolation from not just the numerous other union factors that may make a jurisdiction seem "unfriendly to business" but also in isolation from general economic trends that affect all Canadian provinces, with or without anti-scab legislation. In particular, even though the Fraser Institute mentions them, the cases of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland where scabbing has been prohibited via precedent setting court cases rather than legislation are ignored in such reports. Any old piece of academic driftwood if your ship appears to be going down I guess.
The reading given the bill was actually only the 'Second Reading', the stage of a bill in the Canadian system where "the principle and object of a bill is either accepted or rejected". The Bill now goes to committee. Hearings for said committee began today, with presentations from various interest groups. Detailed examination of the clauses will be conducted through a lengthy process of hearings and consideration (and, of course, wheeling and dealing) before any such bill is presented to Parliament for a third and final reading.
From Molly's point of view this Bill is very much one of the 'Christmas Bills' that will be "lost in committee". The process of passing an Act of Parliament is a little more complicated than the layperson might imagine. A Bill is, of course, automatically lost if a given Parliament ends with the calling of an election. It can, however, also be lost due to the ending of a "session of parliament" that end with the dissolution of the session and the introduction of a new speech from the throne. Should Bill C-257 miraculously avoid both pitfalls and come to a vote in the Commons before either event it still has to pass the Senate before such events to become law. More than a few little hurdles to pass before the partial protection becomes the law of the land for the few Canadian workers who fall under federal jurisdiction. I wonder when the RCMP will go on strike ?
The prohibition of scabs has less of an effect than other right wing ideologues who are more shrill than the Fraser Institute imagine. A great number of editorials (and same disguised as "news) have hit the more right wing papers and airwaves in the recent days bringing up the spectres of no 911, no fire protection, no police, etc.,etc.,etc.. In actual fact the legislative power available to governments in BC, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland has been more than equal to countering the "wild in the streets" scenarios. Essential services legislation, compulsory arbitration, court injunctions, etc. have always ! been more than enough to defeat public sector strikes without ! the use of scabs- which for emphasis- could hardly ever be used in ANY public sector strike anyways.
To a large extent the new Bill is more of a symbolic statement than a realistic reform. Something like the eternal "Quebec as a nation" statement in Canadian politics.
Molly note: The whole matter discussed above falls very much into the usual category of anarchist and syndicalist advocacy of "direct action" versus "political action" as means to achieve workers' rights. It, however, brings up an interesting question of what "reforms" to support.
First, it should be noted that 99% of anarchists in the historical sense have seen anarchism as a method to change "property rights", in particular the property rights of workers vis-a-vis those who control "the means of production", whether they be capitalists, managers of corporations or government bureaucrats, "socialist"(sic) or otherwise. There are some who may disagree, particularly in the USA where cults of anarcho-capitalism (to whom private property is as sacred as the Blessed Host) and primitivists who think such questions are "petty" in terms of their existential quest for an identity of the "most radical". Ego-boo big time.
But most anarchists have seen the gradual (or sudden-revolution) extension of workers' rights to the control of their work time and the product of same as close to the heart of anarchism. To anarchists this is justice, equality and liberty rolled into one. As such there is the ever present tendency to compromise and simply applaud any effort of government to legislate such matters, such as anti-scab legislation. The "right wing danger" in this, as opposed to the "left wing danger" of fools such as the primmies or less foolish people such as left communists who reject ALL reforms is to begin to pretend that such legislation is anarchism. To forget that it is merely a compromise that has BOTH good and bad points. To get carried away with a bipolar view of the world that cheers each and every lefty cause and government act without any consideration of the limitations of same. Cheer leading in other words.
The idea of "reform" is important to anarchism. Without it it becomes a silly little cult that gives identity and nothing else. The posing of "revolution" as the "final answer" to every small question is no answer at all, and an "ultra" position is NOT a useful political position. It is, however, important to judge reforms realistically, and to be very much public about their limitations. When anarchism has organizations that can continually and persistently "push the envelope" about the major questions of public policy such as anti-scab legislation then it will have "arrived" as a real movement and force in society. It may fall short of apocalyptic dreams, but it will be much more real for abandoning illusions.
Until then...
Molly

FREE LEONARD PELTIER:
The latest issue of the 'Industrial Worker' had a brief notice on the upcoming 14 th annual Leonard Peltier solidarity march on Feb. 10th, 2007 in Tacoma, Washington. This item is mirrored in greater detail at the IWW website (http://www.iww.org -or see the links on this board under 'Anarcho-Syndicalist Links'). The press release from the Tacoma Leonard Peltier Support Group available on the website gives a brief explanation of how the case of Peltier connects with such matters as the war in Iraq and the increasing authoritarianism of the US government. It ends with an interesting quote from Chief Sitting Bull that would have made a good addition to the quotes on cooperation that we posted here some days ago,
"As individual fingers we can easily be broken, but all together we make a mighty fist."
The Tacoma group is asking for both donations in solidarity and for other help in further publicizing Peltier's case. They can be contacted via bayou@blarg.net , and donations can be sent to Tacoma Leonard Peltier Support Group, Box 5464, Tacoma WA 98415-0464, USA. To receive updates on helping Peltier sign up to the NW Peltier Support list by sending an email to nwpeltiersupport-subscribe@lists.riseup.net .
To learn more about the case of Leonard Peltier who has spent 27 years in an American prison for a crime that there was precious little evidence that he committed and whose case has been investigated by Amnesty International see 'The Case of Leonard Peltier' at http://freepeltier.org . For a list of other actions elsewhere that may be held in Peltier's support see 'The Leonard Peltier Defense Committee' at http://www.leonardpeltier.net .
A little Molly note here on "you can't escape the bastards anywhere". If memory serves me well, which it doesn't always, Peltier was "scooped" in Canada in the community of Fort Simpson NWT. In her eternal quest to skirt the edges of the flat Earth and skateboard across the razor thin line that separates the ends of the Earth from the chaos that lies about Molly was once there. In the dead of winter none the less. A more isolated spot could hardly be imagined. Go along a few hundred miles of logging road that is barely passable with no signs of humans anywhere to be seen. Poof, you're at the "thriving community" that actually has visitors during the summer when the Mckenzie is open for shipping. Look hundreds of miles in any direction, and there ain't no people. This was many years ago, and perhaps things have changed since then, but at that time the 'Bay Store' was king.
Yet the RCMP hunted Peltier down there and he was eventually extradited to the USA on fabricated evidence. If things have indeed changed it only goes to emphasize the fact that you can't "run away" from society and hide in a little subculture or even in an isolated area. If they want you bad enough they will find you. The struggle to make things better can't be forwarded by crawling under the covers. Peltier had very good reasons to make for the edge of the Earth, but they found him. Very few who opt to drop out into subcultures today have anything near one millionth of the reason to run that Peltier had. They even make themselves less relevant by doing same, and they exist on the sufferance of their irrelevance. Peltier was not irrelevant, and he was hunted down. Think about it.
Molly

ITEMS FROM THE IWW:
The latest issue of the 'Industrial Worker', the monthly of the IWW (December, 2006) has arrived at the ol' cathouse. It contains an interesting insert with the title 'Books for Rebellious Workers'. Well, books it is in part, on the history of the IWW and on contemporary labour struggles, IWW and otherwise. There's the old faithful 'The Little Red Songbook' with guitar chords for the musical amongst us. The catalogue also has other items, posters, tee shirts, buttons, baseball caps, patches, sports pennants and CDs for those who prefer their music heard rather than read. There's also the 'Solidarity Forever' 2007 IWW calender.
Seems like there might be something here to leave under the tree for your favourite black cat this Christmas. The items can be viewed and ordered online at the IWW website http://www.iww.org -or see the syndicalist links at the bottom of this blog. a copy of the insert is probably also available by emailing the IWW at books@iww.org , phoning them at 215-222-1905 or writing them at Industrial Workers of the World, Box 42777, Philadelphia PA, 19101, USA.
Molly aside: How do you do like my new do in the upper left? It's the getup I wore to the Black Cat Ball last All Souls Day. A hissing good time was had by all. Enough of the off-green stuff. I promised more icons and I deliver. Order from the IWW, and they'll deliver too.

Two More Iranian Unionists Arrested:

Two more members of the Board of Directors of the Syndicate of the Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company were arrested on Dec. 3rd and released pending a judicial hearing on Dec. 4th. The two activists, Seyed Davoud Razavi and Abdoireza Tarazi, were distributing union leaflets in Tehran's Khavaran Bus Terminal. These two activists are among 50 suspended workers who were fired over job actions last year.

Meanwhile various Iranian labour and social activists issued a joint release on Dec. 3rd demanding the release of Mansour Osanloo, the union President, who had been held in detention since Nov. 19th (see previous items on this blog 'Iran:Free Mansour Osanloo Now'-Nov. 24th and 'More on Mansour Osanloo'-Nov. 29th) . Mr. Osanloo has now been allowed one visit from his wife and another with his lawyers. The lawyers, however, have not been able to view the State's file on him.

As previously mentioned the 'Labour Start' site (http://www.labourstart.org -or see 'Other Interesting Links at the bottom of this page) have initiated a solidarity campaign for Mr. Osanloo. A general background on the situation of labour in Iran can be found at the site of the 'International Alliance in Support of Workers in Iran (http://www.workers-iran.org ), a labour solidarity group set up in 2000 by various Canadian unions.

New Issue of 'Organize' by the Anarchist Federation of Britain:
The 'Anarchist Federation' is the British section of the International of Anarchist Federations. This year they celebrate their 2oth year as a group. They have placed the latest issue of their magazine 'Organize' on their home page (http://www.afed.org.uk - or see the Links section of this blog) in a downloadable pdf format.
This issue contains articles such as '1956:The Hungarian Revolution', 'The Vast Machine' (on state surveillance), 'Swaziland' (on the situation in that South African country), 'The Politics of the AF' and much more. Wander on over to have a look.

The Best of the Blogs:
Eugene Plawiuk (see the 'Blogs' section of the links on the bottom of this page, especially 'Le Revue Gauche' at http://plawiuk.blogspot.com ) has reposted a couple of his recent essays to the 'Anarkismo' list (see the 'Links' section and http://www.anarkismo.net ) under the heading of 'Other Libertarian Press'.
One of the essays, 'Libertarian Justice' is a defense of the jury system insofar as it actually allows the people to determine legal matters instead of the legal apparatus of the state. Plawiuk notes the following advantages of the jury systems over other methods of trial-
*a jury's power is limited as a jury does not establish precedent because each case is different
*the requirement that all verdicts be unanimous protects minorities from the abuse of majorities
*a jury does not need to be subservient to the legal community or to other minions of the state
*a jury has no vested interests to protect
*a jury views justice from a layman's perspective.

The other essay 'The Era of the Common Man' is an historical tract on the Jacksonian democrats who formed the 'Working Men's Parties' in the USA during the 1830s. Plawiuk shows how these people were the forerunners of American individualist anarchism as well as many other aspects of 19th century American radicalism.

Check out Le Revue Gauche for these and many other (a huge number actually) essays on all topics radical.

Iggy Loses:
My fellow blogonauts Larry Gambone and Eugene Plawiuk(see the 'Blogs' section on the links at the bottom of this page) have had quite a tilt at Michael Ignatieff in the past few weeks. Neither one liked 'The Ig' very much at all, though I think they may have overstated his commitment to the neo-con position. It's hard to say if somebody like Ignatieff has any firm position at all on anything, right down to which shoe to put on which foot in the morning. As such he would have made a great Liberal leader as the pure distilled essence of said Party is to be all things to all people in Canadian politics. Anyways, Stephan Dion is now leader, and I'm afraid that few of us outside of Quebec know much about him. In Quebec he is regularly caricatured as a "rat" in editorial cartoons.
Speaking of which...the Sun Media has recently released an entertaining cartoon in the papers that they control. The panel features the standard political convention with placards waving sheep and balloons. The announcement from off-panel says, "...and the new leader of Alberta's Conservative Party is...Michael Ignatieff". The word balloon from two party members says, "...I knew it was a mistake to hold both conventions on the same weekend."
The new leader of the Alberta Conservatives is Ed Stelmach, who snuck through the party establishment candidate, Jim Dinning, and the hard right ideologue Ted Morton, to win the leadership.
Well, maybe Gambone and Plawiuk are right after all. Ignatieff would have made a good Alberta Conservative leader, perhaps a better one than the man they elected this weekend. At this time Michael is praying for a Pinochet style heart attack on the part of Eddy. A "draft Mike" movement is afoot.

Linking Right Along Now:
I've added a few more links in the past few days. See the bottom of this blog.
One is under the general 'Links' section ie 'Andrew's Course in Anarchism' (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/5362/index.html ). It's a good general introduction to anarchism.
The others are under the 'Texts' section. Two are by Larry Gambone, 'Emile Armand' (http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/worldwidemovements/armand.html ), on the eponymous French individualist anarchist, and 'The Libertarian Movement in Chile:1840- Present (http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/worldwidemovements/chilemovement.html )
The final text is 'The Chinese Anarchist Movement' by R. Scalapino and G.T. Yu at http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/worldwidemovements/scalapino.html .
Enjoy,
Molly

Airbrushing For The Masses:
This item is shamelessly stolen from the latest edition of the online Canadian leftist magazine 'Straight Goods'. See the links section at the bottom of this blog.
Everyone is at least vaguely aware that the pictures of women portrayed in various magazines are "idealized" ie they are fakes. The art of retouch has advanced light years from the early days of the "photo-sweatshop". These days it is possible to make anyone look like anyone else with the mere click of a mouse button.
Straight Goods features a story about two campaigns that let the viewer follow the process through its devious pathways. The first is sponsored by the Swedish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs as part of its 'Girl Power' campaign. Visit the website- http://demo.fb.se/e/girlpower/section1 to see how you can view before and after pictures of each alteration on a popular magazine cover. The second, strangely enough, is a corporate sponsored site, the Dove Soap's 'Real Beauty Campaign'. This site- http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.ca demonstrates the tricks of image manipulation used for fashion shoots in an even fuller manner than the first, though with less humour.
Now, Molly says, this may be an idea. They could make my tail appear longer, my fangs sharper. I could lose that green and orange tabby and becomes a calico. My eyes would glow with something other than red-eye. Dream on Molly.

There's Always Room In Hell,
Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet is presently clinging to life in the Luis Felipe Brieba Military Hospital in Santiago, Chile. His doctors have performed an emergency angioplasty to restore blood flow to his heart after he suffered an heart attack earlier in the day. Bypass surgery is being considered. The retired murderer regained consciousness soon after the first operation. On his 91st birthday on Nov. 25th Pinochet issued a statement taking "full political responsibility", if not moral responsibility, for the crimes of his regime. The last rites have been administered to the aging tyrant, though one imagines that they were the "abbreviated version". It would take a long time to confess to each of the 3,197 politically motivated executions that Pinochet's regime committed while in power. Pinochet is probably lucky enough to get a priest who doesn't demand "detail"- or repentance either for that matter.
Meanwhile down in the Stygian regions corporate executives of Hadean Enterprises are reportedly considering a new development of the "boiling oil" subdivision. Leaked details report that the good general will join his predeceased friend Milton Friedman in a vat of molten copper.
General Pinochet presently faces three indictments in the Chilean courts. One is in regard to murder and kidnapping, the other is in regard to human rights abuses. The final one is the only one likely to achieve justice even after the dark angel comes to collect Augusto's soul. It's about tax avoidance charges. Shades of Elliot and Big Al ! If justice can't be done while the murderer is alive at least get his estate.

Interesting Conjunction Upcoming:
I've already mentioned the upcoming Leonid Meteor Shower due for Dec. 13th and 14th. Another interesting astronomical events will be happening at about the same time, Dec. 7th to 14th actually. This is a triple conjunction of the planets Mercury, Mars and Jupiter in the constellation of Scorpio. The magnitudes of the three planets will be Jupiter: -1.7, Mercury: -0.6 and Mars: +1.5. As you can gather from this Mars will be quite faint, and you will need a good pair of binoculars to spot it. This is compounded by the fact that the best time for viewing will be at about 6:30 AM, and the trio will be quite low in the southeast.
There will be 40 triple conjunctions in the period 1980 to 2050 ie about one every 21 months. Some of these, however, are impossible to observe. The unique aspect of the upcoming one this Dec. is that it will be the "tightest" of any of the events ie the planets will be the closest to each other as compared to other conjunctions. The relative positions of the planets will change over the course of the week of the event.

Molly goes tiptoeing through the tulips once more, or
Quotes on cooperation:
Every once in awhile the humans, lazy apes that they are, don't clean the litter boxes to Molly's satisfaction. Who do they think they are ? If God hadn't intended them to open cat food cans and clean litter boxes he wouldn't have given them opposable thumbs.
So here we go again, out to the Quote Garden, so that Molly can do what a cats gotta do. Here are a few of the flowers she dragged back this time. Anarchists generally believe that humans have a natural heritable propensity for cooperation, and that authority isn't needed because of this talent. So...on cooperation:
A. "A snowflake is one of God's most fragile creations, but look what they can do when they stick together."
- Author Unknown
B."In union there is strength."
-Aesop (yep, it's true. That's where it came from)
C."No member of a crew is every praised for the rugged individualism of his rowing."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
D."Some of us are not as smart as all of us."
-Ken Blanchard
E."Cooperation is the thoroughgoing conviction that nobody can get there unless everybody gets there."
-Virginia Burden
F."Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success."
-Author Unknown

A Little Explanation on Structure:
I have stated before that this blog is not exclusively anarchist. It will contain items that may seem far from the major focus of the links section. The links section, by the way, has flipped back to the bottom of the blog for no good reason. May Dread Cthulthu visit the administrators of Blogger.com . It will flip back to the left again, once more for no good reason that I can discern.
To the more ideological amongst the readers here it should be noted that those who may visit this little outpost for matters astronomical, historical, linguistic, jocular or any other general interest matter will be exposed to anarchism, perhaps for the first time. Also, there is a deep connection between at least the underlying ideas of anarchism if not the ideology of same especially as promoted by some American based cults (though not by the vast majority of anarchists outside of the USA) and "amateur science" such as astronomy or ecology. The annual "bird counts" in almost all communities in North America (elsewhere ?) are an example of science at its best. Babble about "getting close to the earth by critiquing western science based world views' is religion in the making, without the intellectual nor artistic quality of real religions.
The author of this blog has done his yeoman's duty of publishing scientific articles many years ago, though he no longer does such as he is more than busy enough with a clinical practice. The publishing is for other younger, wiser and more ambitious people. Yet there is an incredible beauty in the process of scientific discovery that the scientific community has been very lax in expressing, perhaps because many of its practitioners don't share the aesthetic sensibility that leads to real advance in science. Science has become too much of a bureaucratic enterprise these days, and the bureaucratization advances by the year. However much I may admire the advances of genomics, for instance, it is a bureaucratic enterprise par excellence, whether it be done by a public or a private consortium. The advances in evolutionary biology are far less constrained by "funding fads". There are also areas of science that can still admit the input of "amateurs". Comet discovery. Local ecology. Zoology and botany. The list goes on. Much more on this later.
By the way, the little iconic version of Molly as an angry green cat indicates an union related post, whether this be syndicalist or otherwise. More icons will hopefully follow for clarity.

Philadelphia Newspaper Guild Asks for Solidarity:

This item is from the 'Friends of Nefac' list, forwarded by 'Miller Memorials' of the USA Workers' Solidarity Alliance.

Actions now being considered by the owners of the Philadelphia Daily News, Inquirer and Philly.com may put hundreds of Philadelphia union members of the Philadelphia Newspaper Guild out of their jobs. The rumour is that scab labour is being considered to replace the workers who will be "terminated". The Guild is asking for support letters at their email address voices@local-10.com . For further information on this go to http://www.phillyunions.com .

Molly