We have to marshal forces for the turtles. That’s the leader in this week’s edition. If you are welcome, it doesn’t mean your pets are, too. A friend lays down reasons why Megan is single and finally, we encourage you to fight for what’s yours. Scroll down…

Donna came into my cubicle with a printed sheet of paper. It stated how thousands of turtles die every year because of oil leakage. Donna is gathering material for an article that she is working on. It’s about endangered species. The turtle is one of them on her list. Donna was telling me how their natural habitat is being disturbed. Donna said, “These turtles can face tough challenges like shark attacks and boat strikes. It’s just this oil that they can’t cope with.” There was definitely some meat in her research material to arouse compassion for these wonderful creatures of the sea. I took the printout from her to read at a convenient time.

Going through the article informed me that egg mortality and developmental defects are commonplace for these turtles. And all because of careless handling of industry sewage and sometimes leakage of oil tanks in the high seas. The world is for them as well. Just because they don’t have a spokesperson to pick up their cause with the world media doesn’t mean they will be abandoned. We have to stand up and fight for them. They are looking at us to do something for them. If all of us make a contribution in whatever way we can, through online communities or other forums to share thoughts, there will be some positive changes. Let’s take this pledge on World Turtle Day.

Remember Rachael’s pet dog Max? He’s under fire, it seems! Rachael’s boyfriend Charlie doesn’t much approve of pets. When Rachael visited him on a couple of occasions with Max, things came to a head. Charlie told Rachael very politely that Max was not welcome. Needless to say, Rachael was much hurt by this. Rachael took it that Charlie was very understanding and when this came out of the blue, she was upset. Liz explained her that a person’s level of understanding should not be taken for granted. It may be that he doesn’t like something that Rachael does. It’s not necessary that they will have exactly similar likes and dislikes. It didn’t cut much ice with Rachael because of Kong.

Rachael had this ready argument that Kong is liked by everyone and is welcome everywhere! I can’t blame her! Kong is loved by Adrian’s partner Cathy and all my friends as well. With Sarah it is a little different. Sarah doesn’t feel comfortable with Kong around but there is no complaints from her end yet. Liz had no answer to this question. Liz tried to reason that it was actually honest of Charlie to mention that. Rachael doesn’t seem to be interested in Charlie’s apologies as well. Max isn’t safe from it too! Rachael is asking Max why he can’t be like Kong!

Megan has been single for some time now. No wonder Megan is wondering if something is wrong with her. Irina, the one who claims to know it all, decided to help her out. For starters, Irina outlined some reasons Megan finds herself at the wrong end of the dating spectrum. Irina told her, “You need to meet people at all those parties you go to with your colleagues. You can’t just glue yourself to a chair at the bar!” Megan’s wonder-struck eyes proved that Irina had hit the nail on the head. Sensing success, Irina fired her next volley: “You also need to move about alone. Guys won’t come up to you if you are always surrounded by friends.”

Megan pressed her for more on this. Irina was only too willing to comply. Irina told her, “Stay away from being seen with male colleagues, even if they are your friends!” Megan couldn’t get this easily. Irina explained that prospective dates don’t know the relationship status between Megan and the male colleague. They are more likely to take him as her partner. We were a little intrigued by Irina’s insight here. Finally, Irina told Megan that she must drop her busy demeanor. “Nothing acts as a better repulsive factor for a guy looking for a date than a woman who’s fiddling with her cell phone when seated at a bar!” Point taken, Irina!

Looks like the season of disappointments and pink slips is finally over. But the after effects are still reverberating through the corridors of power. People who used to make a certain sum of dough before the curtains came down now finds the going really tough. Many are complaining about being underpaid. Ryan, as usual, has a thing or two to say about this. He feels that people have to stand up for themselves and their rights. When he got bizarre looks shot at him from the adjoining cubicles, he thought of adding this as an afterthought: “But we’ve got to be sensible as well! Because we can’t throw away what we have by making a rash comment!”

Ryan found that he has the attention of a few co-workers now. He spoke at length then. Ryan said, “Talk to people! Ask them if they have the same issues to address. Once you open up in covert circles, you’ll be surprised how many responses you’re going to get!” I think he’s right here. In the present time we are more like individual units functioning independently. It’s incredible how much support we can get ourselves if we reach out a helping hand. Just the one word of caution: when dealing with professional matters, don’t be confrontational. Even when you are fishing for information, don’t get into a question-answer mode. A discussion and sharing of ideas can get you more mileage. Once you feel united, you can do something to change things and demand what’s rightfully yours.

Here’s an interesting Franklin D. Roosevelt quote for all you guys who feel hope is at a premium: “When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”