 |
The linked rings on every Chinese Coke bottle and the leaping athletes on each McDonald’s paper bag testify to the power the world’s biggest corporations believe this summer’s Olympics wields. But having spent huge sums, the companies sponsoring the Beijing games are about to find themselves the targets of a new, more vigorous war on China’s human rights record by campaigners boosted by the success of protests along the torch relay route. Yesterday a coalition of Tibetan groups warned Coca-Cola that it would be “complicit in a humanitarian disaster” unless it used its influence to ensure Tibet was dropped from the torch route. And tomorrow, Dream for Darfur will launch a critical “report card” on sponsors of the games.
Campaigners are urging companies to press the International Olympic Committee and Beijing itself for change – or risk damaging their brands. “Companies [who do not act] will get physical protests; they will get letters; we will ask people to turn off their adverts,” said Ellen Freudenheim, director of corporate outreach at Dream for Darfur, which argues that they should press China to put pressure on Sudan as its major oil buyer. “Sponsors don’t make policy and we understand that. But combined they have about the equivalent of the GDP of Canada, the world’s eighth largest economy; they have government affairs offices; they have lobbying firms; they have international presences – and they all do engage in politics.”.
I think its going to be a long hot summer for China.
#31–Ah Yea==I heard it was Vietnam?
Southpark did some very funny skits about it. They also think it is small, but they didn’t give any source for that info.
I could go on, but I would say too much.
#29–Uncle Ben==I read your PS and dismissed it because “everybody knows” there is a long tradition of succession sentiment in Vermont that spreads West and South for a few states.
Right now, in my medicated state, I’m thinking I recall you are a Brit–or UK’er? So the question is fair.
I think Last year some jerk in Vermont submitted a formal bill to succeed from the Union. Its been going on ever since Shays Rebellion just after the formation of the Union?
As far as an actual “party” forming around that issue? No I don’t think so, but I could be wrong.
There are too many protests. I Protest against protests.
Bobbo:
You question about China’s penis size is a good and important one to consider. I’d reckon that collectively it’d be very large, at least, if a country’s penis size is the sum of all its parts. If a country’s penis size is based on an average, then I couldn’t really comment because I haven’t seen enough naked Chinese men to make a fair comment.
On a less serious note, the ‘internationalism’ v. ‘regionalisation’ is certainly an interesting one. Years ago I read a book called Jihad v. McWorld by Benjamin R. Barber which discussed this issue at length. If I remember correctly, he pretty much predicted exactly what has happened over the last decade or so (it was published in 1992): as globalism expands, so does a new form regionalism, inevitably leading to separatist movements, terrorism etc as people try to stem the tide of change.
I reckon both sides inevitably will ‘win’ because they always do. The interionalists will win because they will destroy the cultures that exist now, but then one of the lovely thing about regionalisation is that once people have lived somewhere long enough, they become part of that region, so people in Britain whose ancestors immigrated here from France, Germany or elsewhere on the continent last a generation or two as European, but after that their teeth start to rot, they drop vegetables from their diet, and are sucking back warm flat beer with the best of them while fighting over soccer football matches they don’t even watch. And everywhere else the internationlists internationlise will just form its own new regional identity soon enough.
#35–Uncle Ben==constant change without progress? It fits. I’ll look for the book. Thanks.
#12, 888,
Seems like you have been listening more to other brain washed idiots than you have first hand experience.
Canada is NOT perfect. It is, for many things that count, better than the US though.
*
The Education is more uniform and, on average, better than in the US.
Higher education costs students less for a better education.
Health Care far surpasses the US. Long waits are more the exception than the rule. Needless operations are much fewer than in the US. Canadian Health Care is NOT free. Canadians pay for it through their taxes the same as Americans pay for their Health Care through contributions.
Taxes are higher, but then there are fewer “user fees”. There is also less National Debt per capita than in the US. That means our great grandchildren won’t be paying for Bush’s fuck-ups.
Violent crime is much lower.
Convicted criminals are rehabilitated and reintegrated into society. This leaves a lower rate of recidivism which leads to even fewer people behind bars which leads to a safer society.
Police protection is less politically influenced.
The Canadian equivalent to the US Bill of Rights offers stronger protections to citizens.
Canadian industry is more efficient than American industry, producing more per man-hour. Canadian workers have more mandated protections too than do American workers. They also have mandated yearly paid vacations.
And, Canada is recognized around the world as one of the best places to live. Americans only think so.
#37
R O T F L
(I’m sure it is not Canada your little ad is about, since I lived there and I don’t recognize Canada from your description…)