July 04, 2009
Declaration
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Words from one of the most important documents ever created. Photo by Flickr user sunsurfr, used under a Creative Commons license.
Posted by jnfr at 06:42 PM | Comments (0)
June 12, 2006
O Brave New World!
that has such wonders in it...Inside Apple's iPod factories
By Macworld staff
Apple's iPods are made by mainly female workers who earn as little as £27 per month, according to a report in the Mail on Sunday yesterday. ...
The Mail visited some of these factories and spoke with staff there. It reports that Foxconn's Longhua plant houses 200,000 workers, remarking: "This iPod City has a population bigger than Newcastle's."
The report claims Longhua's workers live in dormitories that house 100 people, and that visitors from the outside world are not permitted. Workers toil for 15-hours a day to make the iconic music player, the report claims. They earn £27 per month. The report reveals that the iPod nano is made in a five-storey factory (E3) that is secured by police officers.
Another factory in Suzhou, Shanghai, makes iPod shuffles. The workers are housed outside the plant, and earn £54 per month - but they must pay for their accommodation and food, "which takes up half their salaries", the report observes. ...
Apple is just one of thousands of companies that now use Chinese facilities to manufacture its products, the report observes. Low wages, long hours and China's industrial secrecy make the country attractive to business, particularly as increased competition and consumer expectations force companies to deliver products at attractive prices.
Posted by jnfr at 03:11 PM | Comments (2)
July 19, 2005
John G. Roberts
CNN is saying that he's stated Roe v. Wade should be overturned. Sounds like Bush's kind of Supreme Court Justice.
UPDATE: This is from Prochoice.org:
John G. Roberts is nominated to the DC Circuit of the Circuit Court of Appeals, widely perceived to be the most influential of the appellate courts and a stepping-stone to the United States Supreme Court. As an attorney in the Justice Departments of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, Roberts repeatedly argued for the reversal of Roe v. Wade stating that there was "no support in the text, structure or history of the Constitution" for the reasoning behind Roe. NAF believes that the appointment of Roberts will weaken the protections of Roe and its progeny. Numerous cases impacting the accessibility of abortion could come before this circuit, including administrative decisions such as the availability of mifepristone (RU-486).
UPDATE: AmericaBlog has more.
Posted by jnfr at 05:48 PM | Comments (0)
November 19, 2004
Protect every child
John Kerry plans to introduce a bill which would assure that every child in the nation receives health insurance. At the moment, eight million children have no insurance, and receive minimal care. This is an issue close to my heart, since I was one of those kids growing up.
Kerry wants you to become a co-sponsor of his bill. Follow the link to sign on, and listen to Kerry's video message.
Posted by jnfr at 01:39 PM | Comments (0)
November 17, 2004
Oh yeah...
While we're talking about clemency for DeLay, you might want to note that selling a little bit of marijuana can get you 55 years in jail. Is this a great country or what?
Posted by jnfr at 08:23 PM | Comments (0)
Torturing detainees
No, it's not Guantanamo.
It's a two-part story at NPR about abuse of illegal immigrants while in the hands of Homeland Security. The prisoners were mostly petty criminals who were supposed to be sent home or to a regular jail. Instead they were beaten and attacked by guard dogs. Listen to the whole thing at the link.
Posted by jnfr at 05:23 PM | Comments (0)