Comments

1
That's a nearly 5minute video.

Aint no body got time for that.

(it's at 2:50 and only mildly interesting))
2
Your awesome neck tatoo guy looks like a white supremist. For some reason, they love eyelid tatoos.
3
Jeebus Keerist, did he get some weird neck-stretching operation in order to fit that monstrosity on there?
4
@1.Typical American unwilling to spend 5 minutes on any news story and disinterested in the sufferring of others.
5
You know, I would totally vote for a '70s porn star for DA.
6
@ 1, did you know that you can hover your mouse over the progress bar at the bottom of the video and see a still from that moment in time? You can find the "interesting" moment that way.
7
Cheers to support of the UN position: cessation of Israeli confiscation of Palestinian territories and resumption of 1967 borders with small modification for peace.
9
Here's my rendering of the "new" NBA stadium:

http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_pic…

Hint..we already got one!
10
@9, it's over.
11
@9 I know, right? I was hoping for something futuristic. Hovercraft seating?!?
12
Irwin Schmeck has to be one of the worst porn names ever.
13
@4

Typical American (you) *willing* to spend 5 minutes of your time gawking at other people suffering
14
The CNN video: the tragedy is in the escalation of the bombing during the entirety of the interview. The frightened man in Gaza vs. the "in-fear" man in Israel. The human reaction of the CNN reporter is touching. It's worth five minutes.
15
"Lingonberry Slave Labor" is an apt headline, witting or not. Swedish wild berry wholesalers have been contracting out the picking to intermediaries who either lure or import Southeast Asian workers, and more recently Eastern European workers, to Sweden. Sometimes, there's no work for them when they get there and sometimes they don't get paid for the work they've done, so they end up stranded in Sweden with no money.

As for Ikea's use of East German prison labor, I'm sure their executives felt guilty about it all the way to the bank, just like those Swedish wild berry wholesalers.
16
@15, got any links for the lingonberry-picker story? All I could find was this English-language item on a Finnish site:

http://yle.fi/uutiset/thai_berry_pickers…

I keep a lot of lingonberries around (IKEA's "Sylt Lingon" preserves, 15 to a case, iirc) and use them for Swedish pancakes, PB&J's, meat sauces, etc. Not modifying my winter provisioning without credible info.
17
@16, from the articles I've read, the exploitation in Sweden isn't limited to lingonberries: it's wild berry picking as a whole. Only a few articles specify which berries, which might have thwarted your search.

Most articles are from 2010, but here's one from 2012: http://phys.org/news/2012-06-berry-labor…
18
Here's a big story you missed:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/brea…

19
Fuck Yea Cascadia!!!
20
Large pro-choice protests today in Ireland. Savita Halappanavar, the 31 year old Indian dentist who died after being denied an abortion, will be remembered.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/brea…
22
@17: Thanks for that. A credible organization. I'm drafting a letter to IKEA asking about their specific labor practices in regard to that product.
23

▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼
YOU ● ARE ● NOT ● A ● LOAN!
▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲



►►► ROLLING JUBILEE ◄◄◄:
A bailout of the people by the people!


As of this moment, Rolling Jubilee has raised $337,700 to abolish $6,758,826 of debt.



Rolling Jubilee is a Strike Debt project that buys debt for pennies on the dollar, but instead of collecting it, abolishes it. Together we can liberate debtors at random through a campaign of mutual support, good will, and collective refusal. Debt resistance is just the beginning. Join us as we imagine and create a new world based on the common good, not Wall Street profits.
Learn more or contribute.


On Twitter: @StrikeDebt || #RollingJubilee

In the media:
On Democracy Now:
Rolling Jubilee: Buying Up Distressed Debt, Occupy Offshoot Bails Out the People, Not the Banks

At Yes! magazine:
With Rolling Jubilee, 99 Percent Beats Wall Street at Its Own Game

On CBC's Day 6:
Strike Debt's Rolling Jubilee

At the NPI Advocate (the Northwest Progressive Institute's blog):
Occupy offshoot launches “Rolling Jubilee”

At the NY Times:
Occupy Wall St. Offshoot Aims to Erase People’s Debts

At Forbes:
Finally, An Occupy Wall Street Idea We Can All Get Behind, The Rolling Jubilee
24
@16 (rob!): Sorry for the delay. For some reason I no longer remember, I get email alerts from an English-language Swedish paper called The Local.* I first read about the berry picking monkey business in The Local a couple/three years ago and I've seen it reported on there maybe a couple of times since. I don't have links to the best stories, but you should come up with something useful by googling:

berry picker asian OR "eastern european" site:thelocal.se

*I never bothered unsubscribing because, hey, Lisbeth Salander and social democracy!
25
Thanks, PCM. A custom search, no less!

It seems that exploitation has shifted from Southeast Asians to Eastern Europeans because, due to a change in the laws in 2011, "Asian pickers are suddenly more expensive," but "as EU citizens don’t need a work permit the new guidelines don’t apply to them." Lovely.

...The wry thought comes to me unbidden of an old, old, old Lily Tomlin routine, "Glenna and Jane":
The piece ends in present time (the late 1970s) as Glenna as harried mother talks to her friend Jane on the phone, making plans to ‘‘go to the Unitarian for the fundraiser,’’ and then ‘‘Lord & Taylor. There’s a big sale.’’ It ends finally with her speaking to her maid. ‘‘Rosita, I am going out. Yo voy ahora. I’ve left the grocery list on the counter. Remember, no lettuce and no grapes. Adios.’’
26
Rolling Jubilee has now raised enough funds to eliminate over $7 MILLION of debt!
27

Stephen Colbert ‏@StephenAtHome

Whatever you do, do NOT support Occupy Wall Street's debt relief drive here: rollingjubilee.org . Debt, like true love, is forever.

1,498 Retweets 447 Favorites
28

Dan Savage @fakedansavage

Hey, #rollingjubilee? How can I get involved? What can I do? I love -- LOVE -- this cause.


Gee... if only there were some way Dan could help get the word out about Rolling Jubilee.

Maybe if there was like, I don't know, some kind of public forum, that lots of people viewed, where Dan could maybe write a description of Rolling Jubilee and how people can help?

But... does such a place even exist??

Aw, heck. I'm stumped.

Oh well!

Please wait...

Comments are closed.

Commenting on this item is available only to members of the site. You can sign in here or create an account here.


Add a comment
Preview

By posting this comment, you are agreeing to our Terms of Use.