Truth About Tech

Yesterday, whilst checking my inbox I found a polite email from a reader, well actually they said they just found me after doing a search about Trade Unions and Labour Rights blogs subjects which I have more then a passing interest in. So maybe they'll become one in the future, anyway the reason they got in touch was to bring to my attention a graphic they've made illustrating the state of the cyber economies manufacturing sector. You know the people who build our mobile phones, laptops, plasma screen tellies and Ipads to name just a few must have items. This is the second time I've made a post based on a readers email, and I just want you all to know that on the off chance someone sends me a line I do read it, I of course can't promise a response but if you have something you want me to take a look at I will do so.

It is quite enlightening, I'm sure we're all familiar with China's role in producing apple products, if only because they seem to produce everything these days, well that and because Apple's front companies have once again strove for and achieved the impossible, by being perhaps the most abusive employers to operate in the People's Republic a competition with an exceptionally low bar indeed.

Here's a couple of highlights:





Anyway on to the Image




The poster has asked for some feedback, so if you have anything to add, criticism, praise or points for improvement feel free to leave comments. Speaking for myself I think its pretty good, the only thing I'd add is that it might be better to do a few more about Canada and Europe's consumption of technology and any specific problems relating to them. While I enjoy a good excuse to criticise Eagleland it would be extremely dishonest of me to not point out that all Developed nations with extensive consumer markets play a part in fuelling this cycle and the only way to completely end injustice in the work place is through global solutions. Still this is welcome information, I was most surprised to see Hungary on the list but then again the EU is at heart a club for European Industrialists putting labour rights quite low on the priority lists.

Well the image is made under Creative Commons so feel free to use it and spread the word as you will.

Some Examples of "Greedy" Unions and Labour Groups

Every time a Union or even worse a Labour advocacy group or human rights for workers group gets some precious screen time or front placement in a paper you know what to expect,crowing about greed and profit theft. in the more intelligent media this is altered slightly to "concerns" over "narrow sectional interests" and "short term goals", funny given that these papers never mention or criticise the Freemasons, or the Carlyle group, or any other group of venture capitalists who've hidden there assets in some tiny backwater. You know groups which have no other purpose but self profit even if at the expense of the rest of the population.

Then I remember who owns most of the media or buys up all that glossy advertising ar which point it stops being funny and just gets sad. To address that here is a few stories from around the world of Unions and Labour groups focussing on improving the general good for all.




"This weekend the first Trader Joe's in the state of Florida is set to open its doors and ahead of a grand opening, farmworkers scored a long-sought-after victory with the grocery store chain. On Thursday, Trader Joe's signed a landmark agreement to pay one penny more per pound of tomatoes picked by immigrant farm workers in South Florida. The deal came a day before planned protests from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. FSRN's Kelly Benjamin has more."

The above videos document the campaigns by migrant labourers to end abuses in the fields where they work, as migrants employed in seasonal work often far out of site of most Americans they have few legal protections and even fewer avenues to end injustices and abuse directed at them.

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) is a membership-led farmworker organization of mostly Latino, Haitian and Mayan Indian immigrants working in low-wage jobs throughout the state of Florida. We have been organizing in the town of Immokalee since 1993 and have a base of nearly 4,000 members.

This campaign on behalf of tomato pickers is to get the buyers of the crops they pick (mostly fast food chains and supermarkets) to pledge themselves to abuse free business and pay a staggering extra penny per pound picked.

"The logic behind the Campaign for Fair Food is simple. Major corporate buyers -- companies such as Publix, Ahold, Kroger and Wal-Mart -- purchase a tremendous volume of fruits and vegetables, leveraging their buying power to demand the lowest possible prices from their suppliers. This, in turn, exerts a powerful downward pressure on wages and working conditions in these suppliers' operations.

A 2004 study released by Oxfam America, "Like Machines in the Fields: Workers without Rights in American Agriculture," concludes: "Squeezed by the buyers of their produce, growers pass on the costs and risks imposed on them to those on the lowest rung of the supply chain: the farmworkers they employ" (36). The Campaign for Fair Food aims to reverse this trend by harnessing the purchasing power of the food industry for the betterment of farmworker wages and working conditions."

Currently the campaign is focussing on Publix superstore.



Meanwhile in South Africa we have an interview with the leader of the Union of Metal Workers, explaining there greedy believe that South Africa needs to become less reliant on fossil fuels and embrace a greener economy. For those not in the know the biggest employers of Metal Workers in South Africa are currently linked to the fossil fuel producers, oil coal and gas.


"Frank Hammer interviews Cedric Gina, president of the National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa about the need that workers lead the transition to a green economy"

Happy (Very Late) St. Davids Day

Well it was St.David's day when I started writing this, and its now St. Patrick's day so I guess those three tags are doubly valid now. I hope those who do celebrate David's Day had a good one, and those who "celebrate" St. Patrick's also have a fun evening (Drink responsibly). I personally don't really celebrate any Saint days, and no its not a anti Christianity or pro secular thing, I just don't really see much sentiment to be celebrated. I also don't like Welsh Cakes, so there's also that.

I mean David and Patrick's days are the closest to a Wales and Ireland Culture day we have, and given the centuries of cultural eradication the Celts have resisted those are important, but there's very little actual culture being celebrated beyond fancy dress and some stereotypical images of Dragons and Leprechauns.

In fact given that the days are tied to the Celtic conversions to Christianity they effectively commemorate the first systematic revision of Celtic Culture. See Celts much like well pretty much every other tribe or ethnic group had there own Cultural superstitions and philosophies, the problem was these "Morality tales" and legends often had to do with there native religions, so that mean the hero's and villains where often chosen of some deity or the actual God itself. Obviously Christianity being Monotheistic wasn't too happy about the people they were enlightening filling there heads with nonsense about false Gods and made up monsters. Fortunately though rather then just get rid of the whole thing most of the myths where edited "slightly" to make them more compatible with Christianity and the two were able to coexist.

A perfect example of this relationship is the Celtic Cross:

It is believed that the design of a cross with a circle or Halo around the cross section was made by St. Patrick (some say St. Declan) to show the local Celts how important the Cross of Christ was, the Circle is supposed to represent the Sun, so you get the impression that the Son of God gives warmth and life to the world the same way the Sun in the sky does.

Its just a shame the Symbol has been high-jacked by Far right groups, the Celtic Cross is actually banned in some countries as a result, so as pretty as it is I don't recommend getting it as a tattoo. Why the interest from "White Pride" groups? no idea, especially since modern Celtic Nations and areas tend to be Left of Centre and the greatest historical enemies of the Celts where Germanic Tribes and Romans (guess which countries have instituted the ban). Still I suppose its a step up from the Swastika as a symbol of whiteness, most Celts are certainly fairer skinned then the average Hindu or Eastern Buddhist,even though historically Celts originated around Basque Country and according to our Atlantic cousins whom happen to be skin heads Spain doesn't count as White enough, but they also display Celtic crosses on occasion, so I guess in a few decades they'll be slapping Star of David's on there banners.


Anyway Celtic history and Culture is actually very complex and interesting, I recommend the curious look up the Celtic Revolution by Simon Young or check out the Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race by T.W. Rolleston.

To Make up for the Quiet Period

Sorry for the lack of updates, things have been very busy for me right now, hopefully I'll be back posting soon. I do have a few mostly finished drafts though they were about special days on the calendar so expect a few sorry this is late but.... introductory posts.

Anyway to make up for the lack of updates heres a music video, but not just any video, its the theme song of "Stalin" the main character of the 2006 Indian musical film Stalin, don't worry though its in English so you can sing along. In addition to being a strange subject for composition it is also very catchy enjoy it.

Black Revolutionary History Month

Its February (thankyou leap year)ok only just but I live in Britain and so not only have no obligation to celebrate the occasion (Britain of course being a nation totally devoid of racism and marginalisation as I'm sure you continental types are well aware) and it will still be February for a few more hours in the States.

But justifications aside I am celebrating this month regardless for several reasons, first there's alot of black people in the world and a good number of them have done and are doing noteworthy things, but due to most nations ethnocentric interests these are often overlooked and that is not only unfair it is also extremely ignorant. Second thanks to Imperialism much of "recent" history experienced by black people whether in American cities, Africa or the tropical islands has been dominated by one form of exploitation or another and resistance to it. And third a lot of that history is actually very impressive, take slavery, slavery is an abhorrent and ancient practice and naturally there have been many uprisings and escape attempts wherever it was practised, whose the most famous of these self emancipators? Spartacus of course, and while I don't which to knock the man or Kirk Douglas's portrayal of him in the film it should be remembered that he lost.

Toussaint L'Ouverture the man who led the Haitian's to freedom when they turned there tools into weapons was actually dubbed "Black Spartacus" by the French which given his success where Spartacus failed is a bit like calling the Gold medallist from Kenya in the Olympic 200m sprint the black (insert name of) guy who came second. Still given Spartacus's competition I think Marx's compliment that he was "the most splendid fellow in the whole of ancient history" is well deserved.

Anyway for a more cogent reason why this month matters and why Black History is something we all should celebrate and learn from, here is a commentary by Mumia Abu-Jamal.

Rapture

Sorry for the quiet time, and double sorry for this being another redirection post, I was originally going to post my thoughts on the Bioshock (that's the game set under the se with Diving suit Golems) novel Rapture here soon, but after pestering the guys at Mobbly for awhile and they relented and let me start uploading reviews and articles about books. So I thought why not upload there and get paid for it, just like Ayn Rand would have wanted?

So why post here, other then to brag about being paid for something I do anyway? because Rapture is the most readable and clever rebuttal to ideology of Ayn Rand I have ever read. Yes I am serious a book about a city under the sea with magic genetic engineering programs and drug addicted mutants is a cogent exploration of what would actually happen if unrestricted capitalism where putt into practice. For an example Andrew Ryan (WE ARE AYN RAND) the leader of this new city has a number of problems but since government is wicked and evil he has no way to deal with Raptures problems other then make a speech underplaying the issue or use shady underhanded tactics to get the job done. That is a very big hole in these New Right theories, how do you deal with "troubelmakers" if its some sort of government body then you haven't really changed anything, all it would take would be for some competent and ambitious fellow to use its enforcement powers to put themselves in charge and wreck the whole system. And if there's no public enforcement body how on earth would you maintain order? In Rapture Ryan has benevolently built a security firm that is there de-facto police force, and once the cracks start to show you can probably guess how smart it was to make the "police" whom are armed to the teeth (by Ryan Industries) answerable to one man only.

There is also plenty of examples of the most cut throat making it too the top making a mockery of the ideologies lofty ideals of freedom and efficiency. Remember Rand wasn't just making a Manifesto for the "Rich to Richer" club she actually claimed her ideals would enshrine freedom and individuality, which has never really held much water given that the most market orientated societies on earth where Latin American Dictatorships or 19th Century Europe where every nation was ruled by an Aristocratic Oligarchy and oppressed the rest of the planet.

Anyway if you're looking for an intelligent book with a bit of action and mystery then you should check out my review of it and see if anything takes your fancy. And for added incentive there is an actual Class War lead by an Irish rebel called Atlas (and yes they did choose that name for Irony).

FSRN Donation Drive

"FSRN and our independent media friends are holding a one-day fundraising and consciousness-raising event called #supportyrmedia. Please visit, donate, comment and share before midnight ET (GMT -5) tonight! Help us raise $2,000 and win matching grants!"

Free Speech Radio News (FSRN) is holding a special one day long fund-raiser, the target is two thousand dollars but if they hit that target they'll receive matching donations meaning the total will be four thousand dollars. FSRN has been up and running for nearly twelve years now, that's twelve long years resisting censorship from the top board and getting important but unsettling stories from across the world out to a wider audience.

They have until tonight GMT-5 which will be around 5 in the morning for us in the UK. I know its annoying to be constantly hounded for money but I know a lot of people across the world are sick of the blatant bias and manipulations in the Mainstream Media and its domination by Corporate and Government interests, this is a worthy cause I've shared and uploaded only a fraction of the work this group does, from Hawaii to Palestine, to the forests of India and the coastal towns of Indonesia FSRN has brought important news to the airwaves, please if you feel the standards of acceptable journalism demonstrated by our old friend and defender of decency Rupert Murdoch and his staff, then I strongly recommend you at least take a look at what there asking for.

Some more highlights to sway you:



"In Senegal, residents defied a ban on protests and are demonstrating ahead of an expected court ruling on whether President Abdoulaye Wade will be permitted to run for a third term. The West African country will hold presidential elections next month and in the lead up to the vote, human rights and civil society groups have condemned what they call a government crackdown on opposition leaders. The showdown about who will be on the ballot is the latest in the election process. For more we go to FSRN reporter Alpha Jallow who is in Dakar. He joins us by cell phone."



"Today Iran's supreme leader vowed to retaliate in the event of an attack and condemned Western-backed oil sanctions on his country. According to Reuters, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke on state TV to mark the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

On Thursday, the US Senate Banking Committee approved sanctions on Iran that could cut billions of dollars of revenue from abroad. The legislation, called the Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Human Rights Act, would stop transfers through the telecommunications network called Swift, and add to already strict sanctions on Iran's Central Bank. The bill now moves to the full Senate.

Rhetoric from the US and Israel has risen this week as UN said a team of nuclear inspectors will return to Iran later this month.

For more we're joined by Arang Keshavarzian, Associate Professor at NYU's Department of Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies."



"We turn now to New York, to look at a string of police shootings and a beating involving young black males that has community members outraged. FSRN's Jaisal Noor reports."

The link again http://www.razoo.com/story/Fsrn