From the New York Times
Chinese Legislate Labor Law Reform: No Worker Left Behind!
"Passage of the measure came shortly after officials and the state news media unearthed the widespread use of slave labor in as many as 8,000 brick kilns and small coal mines in Shanxi and Henan Provinces. It was one of the most glaring labor scandals since China began adopting market-style economic policies a quarter century ago.
The police have freed nearly 600 workers, many of them teenagers, held against their will in factories owned or operated by well-connected businesspeople and local officials.
"Abuses of migrant laborers have been endemic in China, where millions of temporary workers have faced unpaid wages, unsafe working conditions and collusion between factory owners and local officials.
"“It will be more difficult to run a company here,” said Andreas W. Lauffs, head of Baker & McKenzie’s employment law group, which represents many of America’s biggest corporations in China."
Meanwhile, back in the U.S., immigrant workers continue to be abused, the Senate can't figure out a reform that would satisfy both corporations and nativists, and the right to choose a union continues to be honored in the breach. Now that's post-modernism!
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Defending Poison in Tooth Paste
Beijing, from a special correspondent
"What's the big deal?" says Chinese toothpaste manufacturer.
A leading toothpaste manufacturer expressed his bewilderment at US objections to small amounts of poison in toothpaste imported from China.
"How come all of a sudden you are getting upset about a little poison? The risk is minimal and the dentifrice is very cheap! Do the math!" said an industry spokesperson. "Isn't this the kind of reasoning you neoliberal one-world globalization assholes have been pushing? Cost-benefit? In any case, most of the people who've been given this stuff are in jail, so who gives a damn about them, and the others are poor people who buy in discount stores! And since when did you give a f+++ about poor people?"
We would normally expurgate such comments, but why censor such self-serving statements? "They are transparently ill-informed," said a high placed white house official. "We should just shut them up!"
"What's the big deal?" says Chinese toothpaste manufacturer.
A leading toothpaste manufacturer expressed his bewilderment at US objections to small amounts of poison in toothpaste imported from China.
"How come all of a sudden you are getting upset about a little poison? The risk is minimal and the dentifrice is very cheap! Do the math!" said an industry spokesperson. "Isn't this the kind of reasoning you neoliberal one-world globalization assholes have been pushing? Cost-benefit? In any case, most of the people who've been given this stuff are in jail, so who gives a damn about them, and the others are poor people who buy in discount stores! And since when did you give a f+++ about poor people?"
We would normally expurgate such comments, but why censor such self-serving statements? "They are transparently ill-informed," said a high placed white house official. "We should just shut them up!"
Monday, June 25, 2007
Old Hurricane
Alice Williamson Diary
Eleazar Arthur Paine
________________________________________
(from Durham, Walter T. Rebellion Revisited, a History of Sumner County, Tennessee From 1861 to 1870. Sumner County Museum Association. Gallatin, Tennessee. 1982)
Throughout her diary Alice Williamson refers to him as E. A. Payne, Payne, Gen. P., Old Payne, Our king, Tempest, his lordship, old hurricane, Thunder Storm, and Old Marster, but his real name was Eleazar Arthur Paine. He was born on September 10, 1815, in Geauga City, Oh. He died on December 16, 1882 in Jersey City, NJ. He graduated from West Point 1839 and went on to be a lawyer and militia officer. After the war he practiced law. He was a cousin of Gen. H E Paine, who later became a congressman, and a bureaucrat. His Civil War service includes:
• July 1861 Col. of 9th Illinois, September 1861 appointed Brig. Gen. of Volunteers
• Commanded a brigade at Paducah
• Commanded 4th Division/Army of the Mississippi at New Madrid
• Island No 10, Ft. Pillow, Memphis
• Commanded 1st Division/Army of the Mississippi and District of West Kentucky
• Guarded railroads
• Resigned from millitary duty April 1865.
(from http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/ung_p.html)
The following is a short table, showing some figures about the men and weapons under Paine's command, taken from The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies Ser.1, v.32 pt.3.
District of Nashville (Rousseau)
Officers Men Agg. present Agg. present and absent pieces of artillery
heavy field
Gallatin (Paine) 8 130 157 159 6
Gallatin was repressed by the brutal General Eleazor A. Paine, commander of the Union railroad guard from November 1862, to April, 1864. The occupying army in Gallatin had two assignments; protect the rail and water lines, and police the civilian population. In 1862, they built a fort at Gallatin, called Fort Thomas, that overlooked the town. The provost marshall stationed at the fort wa s given the responsibility of policing Gallatin.
During 1863 General Paine tightened military control over the Gallatin area. He did this by giving patriotic speeches to his troops, and getting support from the local newspapers. His men criss-crossed Summer County, looking for rebels and bushwhacker s. For example, in January, he took a large force eastward towards Kentucky, using cavalry to round up rebels.
His tyranny was always present. He was known all around Gallatin for executing suspected rebel spies without a trial. His sadistic executions like chasing down prisoners who were set free on old horses is described in Williamson’s diary as "chasing the fox with fresh horses". He also had a fondness for villagers’ furniture, confiscating it for his own use.
He was removed from the post April 29, 1864 by the orders of Major General William T. Sherman, who transferred him to Tullahoma to guard bridges across the Duck and Elk rivers. The following is the text of the order as published in The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies Ser.1, v.32 pt.3.
April 29, 1864
General Rousseau,
Nashville, Ten.: Order General Paine and the regiment now at Gallatin to Tullahoma, and give him charge of the defense of the road, embracing Duck and Elk River bridges. Replace Paine's troops by some guard at the bridges. The road north of Nashville is not important to me but the south is vital. Remember to place gun racks and muskets in all the forts and strong buildings, so that citizens may, if necessary, assist in the defense of Nashville. But there is no danger there now and cannot be for a month to come
W.T. Sherman
He was quickly back to his old ways, and soon he was under investigation. A congressional inquiry into his actions in Kentucky found him guilty on some counts, and punished him by reprimand at Paducah.
Eleazer A. Paine's son was mentioned by Alice as "Capt. Paine (Son of Tempest)", and was stationed at Gallatin for a time. His full name was Captain Phelps Paine.
(from Durham, Walter T. Rebellion Revisited, a History of Sumner County, Tennessee From 1861 to 1870 Sumner County Museum Association. Gallatin, Tennessee. 1982.)
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/williamson/annotations/paine.html
Eleazar Arthur Paine
________________________________________
(from Durham, Walter T. Rebellion Revisited, a History of Sumner County, Tennessee From 1861 to 1870. Sumner County Museum Association. Gallatin, Tennessee. 1982)
Throughout her diary Alice Williamson refers to him as E. A. Payne, Payne, Gen. P., Old Payne, Our king, Tempest, his lordship, old hurricane, Thunder Storm, and Old Marster, but his real name was Eleazar Arthur Paine. He was born on September 10, 1815, in Geauga City, Oh. He died on December 16, 1882 in Jersey City, NJ. He graduated from West Point 1839 and went on to be a lawyer and militia officer. After the war he practiced law. He was a cousin of Gen. H E Paine, who later became a congressman, and a bureaucrat. His Civil War service includes:
• July 1861 Col. of 9th Illinois, September 1861 appointed Brig. Gen. of Volunteers
• Commanded a brigade at Paducah
• Commanded 4th Division/Army of the Mississippi at New Madrid
• Island No 10, Ft. Pillow, Memphis
• Commanded 1st Division/Army of the Mississippi and District of West Kentucky
• Guarded railroads
• Resigned from millitary duty April 1865.
(from http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/ung_p.html)
The following is a short table, showing some figures about the men and weapons under Paine's command, taken from The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies Ser.1, v.32 pt.3.
District of Nashville (Rousseau)
Officers Men Agg. present Agg. present and absent pieces of artillery
heavy field
Gallatin (Paine) 8 130 157 159 6
Gallatin was repressed by the brutal General Eleazor A. Paine, commander of the Union railroad guard from November 1862, to April, 1864. The occupying army in Gallatin had two assignments; protect the rail and water lines, and police the civilian population. In 1862, they built a fort at Gallatin, called Fort Thomas, that overlooked the town. The provost marshall stationed at the fort wa s given the responsibility of policing Gallatin.
During 1863 General Paine tightened military control over the Gallatin area. He did this by giving patriotic speeches to his troops, and getting support from the local newspapers. His men criss-crossed Summer County, looking for rebels and bushwhacker s. For example, in January, he took a large force eastward towards Kentucky, using cavalry to round up rebels.
His tyranny was always present. He was known all around Gallatin for executing suspected rebel spies without a trial. His sadistic executions like chasing down prisoners who were set free on old horses is described in Williamson’s diary as "chasing the fox with fresh horses". He also had a fondness for villagers’ furniture, confiscating it for his own use.
He was removed from the post April 29, 1864 by the orders of Major General William T. Sherman, who transferred him to Tullahoma to guard bridges across the Duck and Elk rivers. The following is the text of the order as published in The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies Ser.1, v.32 pt.3.
April 29, 1864
General Rousseau,
Nashville, Ten.: Order General Paine and the regiment now at Gallatin to Tullahoma, and give him charge of the defense of the road, embracing Duck and Elk River bridges. Replace Paine's troops by some guard at the bridges. The road north of Nashville is not important to me but the south is vital. Remember to place gun racks and muskets in all the forts and strong buildings, so that citizens may, if necessary, assist in the defense of Nashville. But there is no danger there now and cannot be for a month to come
W.T. Sherman
He was quickly back to his old ways, and soon he was under investigation. A congressional inquiry into his actions in Kentucky found him guilty on some counts, and punished him by reprimand at Paducah.
Eleazer A. Paine's son was mentioned by Alice as "Capt. Paine (Son of Tempest)", and was stationed at Gallatin for a time. His full name was Captain Phelps Paine.
(from Durham, Walter T. Rebellion Revisited, a History of Sumner County, Tennessee From 1861 to 1870 Sumner County Museum Association. Gallatin, Tennessee. 1982.)
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/williamson/annotations/paine.html
Sunday, June 24, 2007
E-Lexicon from our European Correspondent
Dear Crispy,
Here is some e-lexicon I have developed. I would like to encourage the blog readers to keep adding to the list.
New E-lexicon
Wratting: chat writing (as in "let’s wrat")
Skugging: hugging a loved one on Skype
Skissing: kissing a loved one on Skype
e-stalking: continuously reminding people of things by email (as in people who owe you book chapters for a book you are editing, or who owe you money, or anything else you have to keep reminding them to send you)
e-troduction – introducing people to each other on email
Natasha, European Correspondent
Here is some e-lexicon I have developed. I would like to encourage the blog readers to keep adding to the list.
New E-lexicon
Wratting: chat writing (as in "let’s wrat")
Skugging: hugging a loved one on Skype
Skissing: kissing a loved one on Skype
e-stalking: continuously reminding people of things by email (as in people who owe you book chapters for a book you are editing, or who owe you money, or anything else you have to keep reminding them to send you)
e-troduction – introducing people to each other on email
Natasha, European Correspondent
Institute for Nanny Technology
Special from Research Triangle, North Carolina
A new Institute for Nanny Technology has been launched in the Research Triangle, near Durham and Raleigh, North Carolina. "The scarcity of legal nannies has provoked a serious research effort," announced Tommie Thompson, former head of HHS and erstwhile Republican presidential aspirant. "Some say that they had to give me something just to stay out of the Presidential race, but I think that the problems of illegal immigrant nannies, shaken babies, and stuff like that, warrant serious investigation by highly qualified investigators." Critics have suggested that the institute be called the No-No Technology Center, but that was certainly not a serious suggestion.
A new Institute for Nanny Technology has been launched in the Research Triangle, near Durham and Raleigh, North Carolina. "The scarcity of legal nannies has provoked a serious research effort," announced Tommie Thompson, former head of HHS and erstwhile Republican presidential aspirant. "Some say that they had to give me something just to stay out of the Presidential race, but I think that the problems of illegal immigrant nannies, shaken babies, and stuff like that, warrant serious investigation by highly qualified investigators." Critics have suggested that the institute be called the No-No Technology Center, but that was certainly not a serious suggestion.
Bush announces new Dept of Ontological Security
Washington, by special correspondent.
The Bush Administration announced this morning at the Sunday services of Alexandria's Re-Born and Forever (Coke-head No-more) Cathedral that the new Dept of Ontological Security would be headed by Tony Blair. Blair has recently retired as British Prime Minister and, according to UK tabloids, is converting to Roman Catholocism. This took him out of the running for Special Ambassador to the Mid-East for the Coalition of the Insane, but Condo Rice insisted that a spot be made for him. "This is the man who got down on his knees with the President!" said the Rice-person. "Ontology has got to be taken care of by such an ass-kissing piece of friendship!"
Ontological security also involves having a positive view of self, the world and the future.Ontological security is a stable mental state derived from a sense of continuity in regard to the events in one's life. Giddens (1991) refers to ontological security as a sense of order and continuity in regard to an individual’s experiences. He argues that this is reliant on people’s ability to give meaning to their lives. Meaning is found in experiencing positive and stable emotions, and by avoiding chaos and anxiety (ibid; Elias, 1985). If an event occurs that is not consistent with the meaning of an individual's life, this will threaten that individual's ontological security. from Wikipedia
The Bush Administration announced this morning at the Sunday services of Alexandria's Re-Born and Forever (Coke-head No-more) Cathedral that the new Dept of Ontological Security would be headed by Tony Blair. Blair has recently retired as British Prime Minister and, according to UK tabloids, is converting to Roman Catholocism. This took him out of the running for Special Ambassador to the Mid-East for the Coalition of the Insane, but Condo Rice insisted that a spot be made for him. "This is the man who got down on his knees with the President!" said the Rice-person. "Ontology has got to be taken care of by such an ass-kissing piece of friendship!"
Ontological security also involves having a positive view of self, the world and the future.Ontological security is a stable mental state derived from a sense of continuity in regard to the events in one's life. Giddens (1991) refers to ontological security as a sense of order and continuity in regard to an individual’s experiences. He argues that this is reliant on people’s ability to give meaning to their lives. Meaning is found in experiencing positive and stable emotions, and by avoiding chaos and anxiety (ibid; Elias, 1985). If an event occurs that is not consistent with the meaning of an individual's life, this will threaten that individual's ontological security. from Wikipedia
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Bloomberg Buys America!
New York, by a special reporter.
Mayor Bloomberg announced to day that rather than run for president his new strategy was to simply buy the United States. "After discussions with Soros, Buffett and Gates, I've decided that if we pool some of our resources, we can simply buy the whole damned place and stop this nonsense of corruption in Florida, Ohio, etc." "The people in Texas think too small," said a Bloomberg spokesman. "Think of all the money we'll save on elections, primaries, campaigns, all that bullshit. It's cost effective!"
Rupert Murdoch refused to answer our calls. He seems to feel that his game of buying all the newspapers in the world, plus television, etc., has been out-classed by the Davos Commies, as the new consortium is called.
Mayor Bloomberg announced to day that rather than run for president his new strategy was to simply buy the United States. "After discussions with Soros, Buffett and Gates, I've decided that if we pool some of our resources, we can simply buy the whole damned place and stop this nonsense of corruption in Florida, Ohio, etc." "The people in Texas think too small," said a Bloomberg spokesman. "Think of all the money we'll save on elections, primaries, campaigns, all that bullshit. It's cost effective!"
Rupert Murdoch refused to answer our calls. He seems to feel that his game of buying all the newspapers in the world, plus television, etc., has been out-classed by the Davos Commies, as the new consortium is called.
Blair Turns Down Bank
London, special correspondent.
Tony Blair has turned down the job as head of the World Bank. "I'm concerned that the UK might need a loan pretty soon and I don't want to get into any conflicts of interest," said the retiring PM. "I have been thinking about running as an independent for the presidency in the US, but now the Republicans are offering me the spot, so I have to think through my plans." "Retirement is really great," said his old friend, Bill "Baby Face" Clinton. "I'd like to spend some time shooting old friends like the boys in Texas do." Blair and Clinton broke out into laughter when they saw Wolfie walk by. "London is a smashing place!" said all the old boys.
Tony Blair has turned down the job as head of the World Bank. "I'm concerned that the UK might need a loan pretty soon and I don't want to get into any conflicts of interest," said the retiring PM. "I have been thinking about running as an independent for the presidency in the US, but now the Republicans are offering me the spot, so I have to think through my plans." "Retirement is really great," said his old friend, Bill "Baby Face" Clinton. "I'd like to spend some time shooting old friends like the boys in Texas do." Blair and Clinton broke out into laughter when they saw Wolfie walk by. "London is a smashing place!" said all the old boys.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
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