Politics: Karl Marx: Five reasons why the thinker was ahead of his time

Without his wife Jenny Marx (1814-1881), Marx's accomplishments would not have been possible. Born Johanna Bertha Julie Jenny von Westphalen, Marx's better half was not only a journalist but also his first critical reader. She debated with him and the publicist and philosopher Friedrich Engels and collaborated on the creation of the "Communist Manifesto." In the only handwritten version of the booklet that has survived the years, the first lines are written by her.

As a journalist, she wrote texts about the 1848 March Revolution in Germany and reviews of William Shakespeare for the renowned Frankfurter Zeitung newspaper, negotiated with publishers and spoke a number of foreign languages — better than her husband. Her skills came in handy, since the Marx family was forced to spend most of their lives in exile. Friedrich Engels called her and her husband the two "highly gifted natures" and said of Jenny after her death that "her bold and wise counsel" would be bitterly missed.

In 1866, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels helped make the eight-hour day an official demand of the International Workers Association. As early as the 1810s, Welshman Robert Owen is said to have coined the slogan in Britain: "Eight hours work, eight hours sleep, and eight hours leisure and recreation."

The eight-hour day was introduced by law in Germany, for the first time in 1918. Since then, however, the law is changing: Six-hour days are now being tested in several European countries. 

Read more at : https://www.dw.com/en/karl-marx-five-reasons-why-the-thinker-was-ahead-of-his-time/a-60716738

USA: Its Time For America To Wake Up

We’re still going strong, but have you noticed where we are? We’re seemingly lost and confused. Our country is only 241 years old, practically a baby compared to many other historic countries such as Rome, Greece, India, or Egypt. We still have a lot of growing to do and we must understand exactly that means for us. America, land of the free and home of the brave, yet we hold consistent tragedy in our hands. We spend excessive time trying to maintain the sanctity and outdated values that have been set that we neglect the country that we’re steadily growing into. Roses are gold, but what’s in the heart of the unknown? It’s time that we speak; speak easily, speak clearly, and speak incredibly!

At the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we were nothing but a caterpillar. The caterpillar utilized a system of oppression to conquer and build the land that we call home today. During The Great Depression, Jim Crow, and The Civil Rights Movement, we found our way into a cocoon. In our cocoon, we dealt with planes taking down two of our most precious treasures. It was in 2008 that a progressive butterfly released itself with the game changing presidential election race. We as a country came together and let our land be what it was meant to be, beautifully diverse. Our butterfly consists of black, white, brown and many shades and tints in between. Some eat sashimi for breakfast, others like eggs benedict for lunch. Some prefer Giuseppe Zanotti for their shoe style, others prefer a pair of Chuck Taylors for their comfort. Yet we refuse to embrace that which makes us individuals. Instead, we constantly sting each other like vengeful wasps. Our diversity is what tears us apart.

READ MORE AT: It’s Time For America To Wake Up | Thought Catalog

EU: Ukraine’s EU membership: still some way off – by Dorina Baltag

On Sunday, the fourth day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, appealed for it to be granted membership of the European Union. On Tuesday, members of the European Parliament overwhelmingly approved—with 637 votes in favour—a resolution which called for a range of measures and seemed to offer a European perspective to the country.

Ukraine expressed its interest in the EU soon after declaring its independence from the collapsing Soviet Union in 1991. This was understood as a foreign-policy reorientation which would open new prospects for co-operation with western countries and bring modernisation and socio-economic development.

It was not however until after the Eastern Partnership was established in 2009 that the EU-Ukraine relationship was institutionalised, through the conclusion in 2014 of the Association Agreement. The agreement is a comprehensive document—circa 2,140 pages, including 46 annexes, three protocols and a joint declaration—published in the Official Journal. The detailed provisions imply alignment of Ukrainian laws and policies with the EU acquis, which requires extensive legislative and regulatory approximation, including sophisticated mechanisms to secure the uniform interpretation and effective implementation of relevant EU legislation.

Read more at: Ukraine’s EU membership: still some way off – Dorina Baltag

EU: European MPs vote to end summer time clock change

European MPs vote to end summer time clock changes

Read more at :  

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-47704345

Airline Industry: Here’s why you shouldn’t buy a US-to-Europe flight more than two months in advance – by David Yanofsky

The average fare for a flight from the US to Europe will vary by $256 from when a ticket is first offered to the day the plane takes off. A flight from the US to South America will fluctuate in a $262 range over the same period. This is according to Kayak, a travel website, which analyzed millions of searches made by US travelers over the past year.

Kayak found that the cheapest fares from the US to Africa were just 33 days before departure, while the cheapest to Europe were 53 days before departure, and the cheapest to South America were 162 days out. The cheapest flights to Asia were booked 270 days—a full nine months—in advance.

Challenging the conventional wisdom, the most expensive fares typically appear when purchased far in advance of a flight. For example, the average ticket to South America was more than 20% higher than the subsequent cheapest fare when booked more than 300 days before departure.

Only flights to Europe were more expensive when bought on the day of departure instead of 350 days in advance.

In general, the price of flights to all regions jump significantly during the week of departure. Fares from the US to Europe rise by 15% in the seven days before departure. However, even with this big price increase, a ticket to Europe is almost always cheaper than one to Asia or Africa, no matter when you book.

Read more: Here’s why you shouldn’t buy a US-to-Europe flight more than two months in advance – Quartz

Evening Star - Europe will be putting their clocks forward one hour for summer tonight - When will England join Europe?

For the complete report from the Evening Starclick on this link

Europe will be putting their clocks forward one hour for summer tonight - When will England join Europe?

If senior UK Suffolk MP has his way the UK will soon all be on the same time as Europe - whether we are in Ipswich or Italy. Tim Yeo tabled a private members bill which would have moved time in this country forward an hour. During the winter we would operate on what is now British Summer Time and during the summer we would have double BST. That is the time used by countries across most of the European Union.

In the European Union, Summer Time begins and ends at 1:00 a.m. Universal Time (Greenwich Mean Time). It begins the last Sunday in March and ends the last Sunday in October. In the EU, all time zones change at the same moment.