a vantage point on activist consumerism
From the category archives:
Answer: they all scored very poorly in a recent survey designed to find out how high street retailers treat their foreign workers. The survey, carried out by Labour Behind the Label, reported that:
“The scandalous truth is that the majority of workers in the global fashion industry rarely earn more than $2 a day in [...]
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Rowan Williams, The Archbishop of Canterbury, has been directing attention recently to environmental issues and our responsibility to reduce our ‘footprint.’ One of his suggestions (in a recent interview with The Times) could take a serious toll on the livelihood of many African farmers:
He said that the carbon footprint of peas from Kenya and [...]
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Time reports that in Kenya a seed that was recommended by scientists and the government as an ideal Biofuel for growth in arid areas is actually heavily dependent on water.
“Convinced they could reap large profits from the plant in the global craze for alternative energy sources, hundreds of farmers turned over acres of [...]
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The Guardian reports on the current state of life in Southern Sudan. While the SPLA are said to be disarming, peace is threatened from all sides by poverty, disease, interference from neighbouring territories, and the arrival of Uganda’s LRA. People are displaced and children are stolen and traded as commodities:
“We [...]
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Adbusters recently published this article about the bloodthirsty conflict over diamonds in Zimbabwe.
Robert Mugabe’s ruling party, Zanu-PF, has recently renewed its interest in diamonds. Diamonds are a valuable asset for foreign exchange, especially when a government has been cut off from the international community by sanctions.
Late last year the military moved into Chiadzwa and began [...]
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According to an article today from Time, the Zimbabwean economy may be on the up, thanks to a decision to scrap the Zimbabwean Dollar and instead use US Dollars and South African Rand.
“I am earning in real money, it feels good,” says Majuru. “I can now put food on the table and feed my family.” [...]
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