Meat - This is an argument that simply defies logic.... that somehow the aliens are going to "eat" us. Particularly given that we live in an industrial society, modern humans is one of the worst possible sources of protein that you can come from. We are top predators with a lifetime of accumulated chemicals, heavy metals, and parasites that would be and are lethal to anybody eating that kind of flesh. If an aliens society simply needed the protein for survival, I'm sure there are several rather large food processing corporations that would gladly provide domestic livestock in sufficient quantities to more than satisfy their needs anyway. How many McDonald's Hamburgers do these aliens really want and why is that not sufficient to be sold by.... McDonald's?
Who says we're just protein or for nourishment? Maybe we become the galactic equivalent of M&Ms - a bit crunchy, tasty, and no real redeeming nutritional value, but consumed by the handfuls nevertheless.
Why assume that they either have a concept of ethics, that their ethics might apply to us, or that taking resources would be unethical in their view?
They don't need a "concept of ethics." But there's the basic problem that if they have no problem with taking resources from another civilization, what problem do they have with taking resources from each other?
Consider ants. They will not raid their own nest, and in fact will fight to the death to protect it. But have zero qualms about raiding the nests of others.
more laws and faster internet and more electronic accounting so those same regulators can simply watch more porn. The rules were being broken; adding more rules won't solve the problem. It's systemic, because there is NO accountability for doing your job, and there aren't any repercussions beyond MAYBE losing your job (maybe, because the Federal Employees Union will do their best to keep you in your job).
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Here's an idea: contract out the regulatory oversight to a private company, and let them earn a share of any fiscal penalties for fraud that they uncover. Uncover a Bernie Madoff-sized scheme? You just earned a big payment. In other words, actually MOTIVATE people to do their job, and make any rewards they earn dependent upon their success in that job.
Well, the original contention was that "M$ is more of public target because of the premium they charge for their product". And the facts don't bear this out, at least for the product (bluetooth mouse) under discussion here.
Oh, in that case you're right - $37 IS higher than $40! The grandparent's post is now suddenly OK, and that's why Microsoft is to be pounded rather than Apple...
Right now the US is a bit better than China, but having lived in both (US and China) the trends are unmistakable. The US is quickly heading to where China was in the 60s, and China is quickly heading to where the US was in the 60s. Including personal freedoms, economic freedoms, and in general social well-being.
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And the media tend to be an arm of the current political majority; for example, when George W. Bush was President you could count on near-daily reports of deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now that President Obama is seated you don't see that at all, or it's buried deep in the news (never mind that Afghanistan is now more deadly for US troops than Iraq ever was). They're an arm of the US political left, as much as the CCTV channels in China. The difference is that the CCTV channels will tell you - unabashedly - they are pro-Government; most of the media in the US will claim to be independent and balanced.
And as far as casting votes, well, we have a LOT of problems doing just that with any semblance of transparency or accuracy.
Bzzzt! that is not what the human rights report says. Workers are not allowed off campus except during specified hours, so unless they can find alternative housing in the plant, which they can afford, yes they have to live in the dorms.
And the article is utter bullshit. You can LEAVE the plant after work; you badge in and out, and either go through a metal detector or get wanded down so you don't walk off with some items to sell. Go stand outside any of these big factories at 5 PM and prepare to get trampled in the wave of humanity that comes out.
Are you being paid to spread misinformation?
Fuck you. Go live in China - hell, go visit it - for a few weeks and quit sucking off the liars who wrote this article.
Did you read the report? Average workers last 6 months at the factory before leaving in desperation and giving up two weeks pay to do so.
And the article is bullshit again; you do get 15-20% turnover every year, and it happens at Golden Week (Chinese New Year). You get people who head home - permanently - at the 2 week shutdown of China. Why? Because life in the factory was so fucking horrible?
NO. Because they've put their time in, earned their money, and are heading home to get married, start a family, and start their own business.
Or, they jump to another factory that they've heard about from friends who work there (friends they meet in the evenings when they leave the plant to go and socialize) and jump for higher wages.
Factory owners used to hold the year-end bonuses until after Golden Week to encourage people to come back; even that's not enough any more, so they're raising wages and increasing the overtime rates (oh, I guess you have no fucking clue that there is overtime in China, do you)?
First, in the US there is legal recourse. Second, since when is consensual sex, sexual assault?
First, in China there is legal recourse. Ask around the street with the workers or the managers, and they'll tell you of leads or bosses getting fined, jailed, or both for abuse.
And you forget that Clinton fucking ASSAULTED Paula Jones, and his perjury was DURING HIS GRAND JURY TESTIMONY relating to her civil suit of that assault. Lewinsky was just bad judgment; the many SEXUALLY ASSAULTED a woman and lied about it under oath. THAT was the reason he was impeached. Nothing consensual about that, but idiots like you will ignore that because it doesn't play to your prejudices.
That's a fine opinion, but it stinks like shit to me. The anger is fully justified.
Because you're fucking ignorant. Read the other posts, you'll see PLENTY of people saying the same thing. But I guess you want to feel good about yourself regardless of the facts, go ahead you righteous prick...
Human right is nothing, laws can be interpreted according to the government.
And that differs from the US - how? Our Government also interprets the law. And if you say "well China has a Government controlled media to hide the problems" how is that different? Remember how the media and many were upset with illegal wiretaps a few years ago? Well with the new Administration and death lists for US citizens you hear nary a peep. The media works hand-in-hand with the Government.
I live in the US and China (have an apartment in Shanghai, in Minhang near Qibao town), and there's not as much difference between the two as you think, in terms of freedoms and open Government. Of course, when our politicians steal millions they get promotions; in China they're shot. Somehow I respect the Chinese solution a bit more.
Yes, because my friends and colleagues - Chinese nationals, working in those very factories - don't deserve the wages and environment they have, better they go back to their farm in Western China and earn 1/10th the amount, in conditions 10 times worse, and with no chance of advancement. How dare we provide living wages and sanitation and housing and food! Back to the plastic-and-sod house for you, with the pigs and chickens brought inside to sleep with you at night so your neighbors don't steal them...
Having been to KYE, Foxconn, Compal, Vtech, and some other mega-factories (check out the GGEC factory town, for example), I can assure you that the conditions mentioned in this article are what you will find at all these places. Including Apple products which I've watched being assembled and roll out of the exact same building where MS and HP products are produced. These conditions are not unusual, and this article is more a hit-piece than facts.
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But what do I know, I'm just a consulting engineer with heavy emphasis on manufacturing, who's been living half-time in China for half the last decade, and counts MS, Apple, and HP as clients...
Having been to KYE, Foxconn, Compal, Vtech, and some other mega-factories (check out the GGEC factory town, for example), I can assure you that the conditions mentioned in this article are what you will find at all these places. Including Apple products which I've watched being assembled and roll out of the exact same building where MS and HP products are produced. These conditions are not unusual, and this article is more a hit-piece than facts.
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But what do I know, I'm just a consulting engineer with heavy emphasis on manufacturing, who's been living half-time in China for half the last decade, and counts MS, Apple, and HP as clients...
Hey, go to Spain - nothing like a 3 hour nap in the middle of the day! I don't remember hearing about "teh overworked workerz!" being bandied about for Spain's national siesta!
Correct me if I am wrong, but is it not still a one party state and "workers paradise"?
Nominally a one-party state, with significant factions inside that party (such as the pro-free-Tibet group, for example). And an honest evaluation will show that most of the West - the EU and the US - are much more "communist" than China. The Marxist mantra of "from each according to their abilities, to each according to their needs" applies MUCH more to the EU and the US than it does to China.
you're required to live in the dorms and you have specific hours you're allowed to leave the dorms, even when not working. That's not exactly the typical boarding house and it is completely unacceptable. Remember "freedom" is an incredibly important concept for most of these company's customers.
Bzzzt. You can live "off campus" no problem, if you want to. Check out all the apartments above the shops that ring the factories. They're the "line leaders" and senior assemblers, typically renting those places, 2-3 to an apartment.
And in most factories in the Nanjing-to-Ningbo stretch of factories (and in Xiamen, and Shantou), dorms are the exception NOT the rule; perhaps 20% of the workers live in the dorms with most living off-site.
Shenzhen and Dongguan are notably different predominantly because of the much higher land costs, much higher density of factories and workers, and much higher percentage of low-end manufacturing (low-tech, with more minimum wage workers).
Yes, but not all places only hire women and children for the normal worker positions and in the states you have the ability to successfully take an employer to court and worker's rights organizations to investigate on your behalf.
You find a LOT of males at the factories, but rarely on the production lines. They're shuffling boxes - feeding and emptying the production lines. Strength is used to perform those tasks.
And in general China is a much more misogynist society; heck, you see on TV the annual China Airlines stewardess (yes, they are still called stewardesses, not flight attendants) competitions complete with talent and swimsuit competitions!
This isn't an apology, this is a calibration; a response to take a clearly politically-motivated hit-piece and add some context from a person who's on-site half the time for several years.
Do they live in dorms? Some do, but the conditions aren't terrible by low-end Chinese standards, and considerably better than the farmhouse the worker most likely moved from.
Does the food suck? Yes it does, but it is edible (and yes, when I work at a factory I tend to eat with the line workers to build rapport and get what I need done faster - a concept lost on Chinese AND US AND EU managers; they never miss an opportunity for a nice comfortable lunch and to simply hand down demands rather than actually go to the line, work with the workers, and solve the bloody problems).
Do some women get sexually harassed? Sure. Heck, here in the US we have Presidents committing perjury about their sexual assaults! NO society is free of sexual harassment, China is no exception, and it is considerably BETTER than what you see in Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and India.
Bottom line: this "article" is a hit piece for political purposes, it does nothing to improve conditions, and in fact hurts worldwide relations by fomenting undeserved anger.
They are not allowed to talk or listen to music, are forced to eat substandard meals from the factory cafeterias, have no bathroom breaks during their shifts and must clean the toilets as discipline, according to the NLC.
I've been to the KYE factory (not for MS, for other clients) and while that is the official rule, you'll see every 3rd or 4th worker with a headset plugged into their phone, blasting out the latest Chinese pop tunes. There are rules, and there are "rules"; you do know that in China the car is supposed to yield for the pedestrian? Well, follow that rule and you'll die.
As far as meals, yeah, they suck. It's Chinese food cafeteria style. The cafeterias at Sundstrand when I worked there (18 years ago) sucked too with poor versions of mass-produced food. Guess what: cafeteria style food usually sucks. This isn't your modern Microsoft of Apple dining experience with independent restaurants bidding and competing to sell $9 lunches.
Bathroom breaks? Saw plenty go to the bathroom at KYE, Vtech, Compal, and other big places. Of course, you had to arrange for someone to cover your spot for 3-5 minutes, because that production line keeps going. They don't stop a 200 person line so one can take a leak. Typically they space breaks out so that your fellow workers can pick up the pace for a short burst to cover for you. And you do likewise.
The workers also sleep on site, in factory dormitories, with 14 workers to a room. They must buy their own mattresses and bedding, or else sleep on 28in-wide plywood boards. They 'shower' with a sponge and a bucket.
Dormitories are common in Southern China, especially in Dongguan and Shenzhen. Not so much in Ningbo, or Hangzhou, Suzhou, or other places. You know why? Because a cheap 1 bedroom apartment starts at 500 RMB a month; when you're making 800 RMB a month you can't live off-site. So you live in a dorm with a dozen others.
As far as beds, ever travel in China? Ever stay at a non-Crown Plaza/Sofitel/Hilton hotel, but a 4 or 5 star Chinese hotel? Great amenities, as good as the best in the US, but the beds - like freaking rocks with half a dozen sheets over them for padding. That's how beds are in China, literally a box spring or solid wood platform. It's what people have IN THEIR HOMES, even those that can afford a soft, Western mattress. There's a belief that a really firm bed will keep your spine straight and tall.
As far as sponge baths, welcome to Asia. You'll find that throughout Asia, not just in dorms, but even in mid and upper end homes. For example, I have a rather wealthy friend in Thailand, who lives outside of Chaiyaphum. Yes, she lived in the US for a decade, recently moved back home. Big beautiful new house, modern plumbing, AC, Internet, satellite TV, great place. And a big BUCKET with water, a smaller pan of water, and a washcloth for bathing. Nice modern toilet with a built-in bidet but a SPONGE BATH. When asked why, the answer is 'that is how we do it'.
And many of the workers, because they are young women, are regularly sexually harassed, the NLC claimed.
Yes, that does happen, and it's terrible. Many places in Asia still consider women as second-class; assholes love that kind of place. Happens all over, in fact...
The organisation said that one worker was even fined for losing his finger while operating a hole punch press.
Ummm... Yeah. Anything more than innuendo on that one? I've been in forging facilities with open pits for steel coils, wide-open 400 ton flywheel presses, etc. Nowhere near OSHA compliant (not unlike manufacturing facilities in the US and EU about 60-70 years ago). I've even seen an accident or two. Workers are shuffled off and cared for, and another is brought in to keep the machine running. One time the operator really screwed up and because of his bone-headed move (trying to
Then what law requires Amazon to keep records - or provide records - for a Government which has no jurisdiction over them? How is Amazon answerable to the State of NC?
And - not having any legal presence inside NC - what law requires that Amazon pay any taxes in NC? Can NC decide that all residents of NY must also pay NC taxes?
Please watch the video! You'll see the combatants spread out, aim firearms at the helicopter, and the soldiers in the helicopter report incoming fire, then requesting permission to fire back. The citation is in the very video being used to say they "murdered" Iraqis.
Rules haven't changed, that video is basically showing the ROE were solid. The helicopter was fired upon first, was confronted by multiple hostiles with RPGs and AK-47s, and the journalists weren't wearing any identification to mark themselves. Additionally patrols in the neighborhood had been attacked, and this was part of a tracking effort.
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Guess what - you walk around with weapons taking shots at helicopters, they're going to call in for permission to counter and if received, counter. I know, doesn't play to the whole "collateral murder" URL though, does it? No flamebait there!
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Meat - This is an argument that simply defies logic.... that somehow the aliens are going to "eat" us. Particularly given that we live in an industrial society, modern humans is one of the worst possible sources of protein that you can come from. We are top predators with a lifetime of accumulated chemicals, heavy metals, and parasites that would be and are lethal to anybody eating that kind of flesh. If an aliens society simply needed the protein for survival, I'm sure there are several rather large food processing corporations that would gladly provide domestic livestock in sufficient quantities to more than satisfy their needs anyway. How many McDonald's Hamburgers do these aliens really want and why is that not sufficient to be sold by.... McDonald's?
Who says we're just protein or for nourishment? Maybe we become the galactic equivalent of M&Ms - a bit crunchy, tasty, and no real redeeming nutritional value, but consumed by the handfuls nevertheless.
Why assume that they either have a concept of ethics, that their ethics might apply to us, or that taking resources would be unethical in their view?
They don't need a "concept of ethics." But there's the basic problem that if they have no problem with taking resources from another civilization, what problem do they have with taking resources from each other?
Consider ants. They will not raid their own nest, and in fact will fight to the death to protect it. But have zero qualms about raiding the nests of others.
Hold it up in front of your webcam and use the capture mode!
Why don't we just print out what is there now, give everyone a copy, and then reuse the existing space?
Here's an idea: contract out the regulatory oversight to a private company, and let them earn a share of any fiscal penalties for fraud that they uncover. Uncover a Bernie Madoff-sized scheme? You just earned a big payment. In other words, actually MOTIVATE people to do their job, and make any rewards they earn dependent upon their success in that job.
Well, the original contention was that "M$ is more of public target because of the premium they charge for their product". And the facts don't bear this out, at least for the product (bluetooth mouse) under discussion here.
Oh, in that case you're right - $37 IS higher than $40! The grandparent's post is now suddenly OK, and that's why Microsoft is to be pounded rather than Apple...
And the media tend to be an arm of the current political majority; for example, when George W. Bush was President you could count on near-daily reports of deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now that President Obama is seated you don't see that at all, or it's buried deep in the news (never mind that Afghanistan is now more deadly for US troops than Iraq ever was). They're an arm of the US political left, as much as the CCTV channels in China. The difference is that the CCTV channels will tell you - unabashedly - they are pro-Government; most of the media in the US will claim to be independent and balanced.
And as far as casting votes, well, we have a LOT of problems doing just that with any semblance of transparency or accuracy.
No, real nerds would argue about the mass of the chick, right in front of her...
When you spread lies, don't be surprised that you're called on it. Simple as that.
Bzzzt! that is not what the human rights report says. Workers are not allowed off campus except during specified hours, so unless they can find alternative housing in the plant, which they can afford, yes they have to live in the dorms.
And the article is utter bullshit. You can LEAVE the plant after work; you badge in and out, and either go through a metal detector or get wanded down so you don't walk off with some items to sell. Go stand outside any of these big factories at 5 PM and prepare to get trampled in the wave of humanity that comes out.
Are you being paid to spread misinformation?
Fuck you. Go live in China - hell, go visit it - for a few weeks and quit sucking off the liars who wrote this article.
Did you read the report? Average workers last 6 months at the factory before leaving in desperation and giving up two weeks pay to do so.
And the article is bullshit again; you do get 15-20% turnover every year, and it happens at Golden Week (Chinese New Year). You get people who head home - permanently - at the 2 week shutdown of China. Why? Because life in the factory was so fucking horrible?
NO. Because they've put their time in, earned their money, and are heading home to get married, start a family, and start their own business.
Or, they jump to another factory that they've heard about from friends who work there (friends they meet in the evenings when they leave the plant to go and socialize) and jump for higher wages.
Factory owners used to hold the year-end bonuses until after Golden Week to encourage people to come back; even that's not enough any more, so they're raising wages and increasing the overtime rates (oh, I guess you have no fucking clue that there is overtime in China, do you)?
First, in the US there is legal recourse. Second, since when is consensual sex, sexual assault?
First, in China there is legal recourse. Ask around the street with the workers or the managers, and they'll tell you of leads or bosses getting fined, jailed, or both for abuse.
And you forget that Clinton fucking ASSAULTED Paula Jones, and his perjury was DURING HIS GRAND JURY TESTIMONY relating to her civil suit of that assault. Lewinsky was just bad judgment; the many SEXUALLY ASSAULTED a woman and lied about it under oath. THAT was the reason he was impeached. Nothing consensual about that, but idiots like you will ignore that because it doesn't play to your prejudices.
That's a fine opinion, but it stinks like shit to me. The anger is fully justified.
Because you're fucking ignorant. Read the other posts, you'll see PLENTY of people saying the same thing. But I guess you want to feel good about yourself regardless of the facts, go ahead you righteous prick...
Human right is nothing, laws can be interpreted according to the government.
And that differs from the US - how? Our Government also interprets the law. And if you say "well China has a Government controlled media to hide the problems" how is that different? Remember how the media and many were upset with illegal wiretaps a few years ago? Well with the new Administration and death lists for US citizens you hear nary a peep. The media works hand-in-hand with the Government.
I live in the US and China (have an apartment in Shanghai, in Minhang near Qibao town), and there's not as much difference between the two as you think, in terms of freedoms and open Government. Of course, when our politicians steal millions they get promotions; in China they're shot. Somehow I respect the Chinese solution a bit more.
NewEgg pays $9 for that mouse from the distributor. If it goes bad, it gets shipped back to the brand.
The distributor pays $6 for the mouse, and $1 for tariffs and shipping.
The brand pays $3 for the mouse, and provides the warranty guarantees.
The manufacturer pays $0.10 for labor, $2 for materials, $0.30 for overhead.
RECAP: manufacturer makes $0.60; brand makes $3; distributor makes $2; retailer makes $7. You tell me where the greed resides.
Such uncaring, heartless bastards...
Having been to KYE, Foxconn, Compal, Vtech, and some other mega-factories (check out the GGEC factory town, for example), I can assure you that the conditions mentioned in this article are what you will find at all these places. Including Apple products which I've watched being assembled and roll out of the exact same building where MS and HP products are produced. These conditions are not unusual, and this article is more a hit-piece than facts. . But what do I know, I'm just a consulting engineer with heavy emphasis on manufacturing, who's been living half-time in China for half the last decade, and counts MS, Apple, and HP as clients...
But what do I know, I'm just a consulting engineer with heavy emphasis on manufacturing, who's been living half-time in China for half the last decade, and counts MS, Apple, and HP as clients...
Hey, go to Spain - nothing like a 3 hour nap in the middle of the day! I don't remember hearing about "teh overworked workerz!" being bandied about for Spain's national siesta!
Correct me if I am wrong, but is it not still a one party state and "workers paradise"?
Nominally a one-party state, with significant factions inside that party (such as the pro-free-Tibet group, for example). And an honest evaluation will show that most of the West - the EU and the US - are much more "communist" than China. The Marxist mantra of "from each according to their abilities, to each according to their needs" applies MUCH more to the EU and the US than it does to China.
The reality is M$ is more of public target because of the premium they charge for their product.
Exactly, I mean you pay $23 for a Microsoft Bluetooth Mouse but only $40 for an Apple Bluetooth mouse! Those terrible people overcharging for their product...
you're required to live in the dorms and you have specific hours you're allowed to leave the dorms, even when not working. That's not exactly the typical boarding house and it is completely unacceptable. Remember "freedom" is an incredibly important concept for most of these company's customers.
Bzzzt. You can live "off campus" no problem, if you want to. Check out all the apartments above the shops that ring the factories. They're the "line leaders" and senior assemblers, typically renting those places, 2-3 to an apartment.
And in most factories in the Nanjing-to-Ningbo stretch of factories (and in Xiamen, and Shantou), dorms are the exception NOT the rule; perhaps 20% of the workers live in the dorms with most living off-site.
Shenzhen and Dongguan are notably different predominantly because of the much higher land costs, much higher density of factories and workers, and much higher percentage of low-end manufacturing (low-tech, with more minimum wage workers).
Yes, but not all places only hire women and children for the normal worker positions and in the states you have the ability to successfully take an employer to court and worker's rights organizations to investigate on your behalf.
You find a LOT of males at the factories, but rarely on the production lines. They're shuffling boxes - feeding and emptying the production lines. Strength is used to perform those tasks.
And in general China is a much more misogynist society; heck, you see on TV the annual China Airlines stewardess (yes, they are still called stewardesses, not flight attendants) competitions complete with talent and swimsuit competitions!
This isn't an apology, this is a calibration; a response to take a clearly politically-motivated hit-piece and add some context from a person who's on-site half the time for several years.
Do they live in dorms? Some do, but the conditions aren't terrible by low-end Chinese standards, and considerably better than the farmhouse the worker most likely moved from.
Does the food suck? Yes it does, but it is edible (and yes, when I work at a factory I tend to eat with the line workers to build rapport and get what I need done faster - a concept lost on Chinese AND US AND EU managers; they never miss an opportunity for a nice comfortable lunch and to simply hand down demands rather than actually go to the line, work with the workers, and solve the bloody problems).
Do some women get sexually harassed? Sure. Heck, here in the US we have Presidents committing perjury about their sexual assaults! NO society is free of sexual harassment, China is no exception, and it is considerably BETTER than what you see in Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and India.
Bottom line: this "article" is a hit piece for political purposes, it does nothing to improve conditions, and in fact hurts worldwide relations by fomenting undeserved anger.
They are not allowed to talk or listen to music, are forced to eat substandard meals from the factory cafeterias, have no bathroom breaks during their shifts and must clean the toilets as discipline, according to the NLC.
I've been to the KYE factory (not for MS, for other clients) and while that is the official rule, you'll see every 3rd or 4th worker with a headset plugged into their phone, blasting out the latest Chinese pop tunes. There are rules, and there are "rules"; you do know that in China the car is supposed to yield for the pedestrian? Well, follow that rule and you'll die.
As far as meals, yeah, they suck. It's Chinese food cafeteria style. The cafeterias at Sundstrand when I worked there (18 years ago) sucked too with poor versions of mass-produced food. Guess what: cafeteria style food usually sucks. This isn't your modern Microsoft of Apple dining experience with independent restaurants bidding and competing to sell $9 lunches.
Bathroom breaks? Saw plenty go to the bathroom at KYE, Vtech, Compal, and other big places. Of course, you had to arrange for someone to cover your spot for 3-5 minutes, because that production line keeps going. They don't stop a 200 person line so one can take a leak. Typically they space breaks out so that your fellow workers can pick up the pace for a short burst to cover for you. And you do likewise.
The workers also sleep on site, in factory dormitories, with 14 workers to a room. They must buy their own mattresses and bedding, or else sleep on 28in-wide plywood boards. They 'shower' with a sponge and a bucket.
Dormitories are common in Southern China, especially in Dongguan and Shenzhen. Not so much in Ningbo, or Hangzhou, Suzhou, or other places. You know why? Because a cheap 1 bedroom apartment starts at 500 RMB a month; when you're making 800 RMB a month you can't live off-site. So you live in a dorm with a dozen others.
As far as beds, ever travel in China? Ever stay at a non-Crown Plaza/Sofitel/Hilton hotel, but a 4 or 5 star Chinese hotel? Great amenities, as good as the best in the US, but the beds - like freaking rocks with half a dozen sheets over them for padding. That's how beds are in China, literally a box spring or solid wood platform. It's what people have IN THEIR HOMES, even those that can afford a soft, Western mattress. There's a belief that a really firm bed will keep your spine straight and tall.
As far as sponge baths, welcome to Asia. You'll find that throughout Asia, not just in dorms, but even in mid and upper end homes. For example, I have a rather wealthy friend in Thailand, who lives outside of Chaiyaphum. Yes, she lived in the US for a decade, recently moved back home. Big beautiful new house, modern plumbing, AC, Internet, satellite TV, great place. And a big BUCKET with water, a smaller pan of water, and a washcloth for bathing. Nice modern toilet with a built-in bidet but a SPONGE BATH. When asked why, the answer is 'that is how we do it'.
And many of the workers, because they are young women, are regularly sexually harassed, the NLC claimed.
Yes, that does happen, and it's terrible. Many places in Asia still consider women as second-class; assholes love that kind of place. Happens all over, in fact...
The organisation said that one worker was even fined for losing his finger while operating a hole punch press.
Ummm... Yeah. Anything more than innuendo on that one? I've been in forging facilities with open pits for steel coils, wide-open 400 ton flywheel presses, etc. Nowhere near OSHA compliant (not unlike manufacturing facilities in the US and EU about 60-70 years ago). I've even seen an accident or two. Workers are shuffled off and cared for, and another is brought in to keep the machine running. One time the operator really screwed up and because of his bone-headed move (trying to
Then what law requires Amazon to keep records - or provide records - for a Government which has no jurisdiction over them? How is Amazon answerable to the State of NC?
And - not having any legal presence inside NC - what law requires that Amazon pay any taxes in NC? Can NC decide that all residents of NY must also pay NC taxes?
Please watch the video! You'll see the combatants spread out, aim firearms at the helicopter, and the soldiers in the helicopter report incoming fire, then requesting permission to fire back. The citation is in the very video being used to say they "murdered" Iraqis.
Guess what - you walk around with weapons taking shots at helicopters, they're going to call in for permission to counter and if received, counter. I know, doesn't play to the whole "collateral murder" URL though, does it? No flamebait there!