Rashid's Blog: A Place for Inquisitive Souls

Karl Marx, Critique of the Gotha Program – new translation, PM Press, 2022

There is also a discussion of the book, today, 15 September 2022, 5.30pm Chicago time.

Marx’sCritique of the Gotha Programis a revelation. It offers the fullest elaboration of his vision for a communist future, free from the shackles of capital but also the state. Neglected by the statist versions of socialism, whether social democratic or Stalinist that left a wreckage of coercion and disillusionment in their wake, this new annotated translation of Marx’sCritiquemakes clear for the first time the full emancipatory scope of his notion of life after capitalism. An erudite new introduction by Peter Hudis plumbs the depth of Marx’s argument, elucidating how his vision of communism, and the transition to it, was thoroughly democratic. This definitive edition also includes an afterword by Peter Linebaugh and other supplementary materials. At a…

A healthy soil is a mixture of soil particles, air and liquid. Air and liquid take up space in the area that is called a soil pore. When soil is subjected to pressure, it tends to compress – called soil compaction. The main effect this has on soil reducing the pore space between soil particles. Pores contain vital air and liquids for plants and soil microbes.

The pressure can come from a footprint or tractor wheels. In healthy soils, this air provides needed oxygen to soil microbes and plant roots. When soil is compacted, there is less air – and thus less oxygen for microbes, roots, etc. In addition, in soils with less pore space, water has no path to flow down into the soil.

Compaction in agriculture and forestry

A major cause of man-made compaction in agriculture is related to the use of heavy machinery. For example, as…