More invaluable work from the Environmental Justice Foundation, in collaboration with Anti-Slavery International. Their latest thoroughly researched report estimates that one million children were subjected to slave labout during the 2009 cotton harvest in Uzbekistan.
This is essential work because it gives the lie to false UK, US and EU claims that the human rights situation under the Karimov regime is “improving”, thus “justifying” their continued alliance with Uzbekistan as a logistics base and route for operations in Afghanistan.
Here is a selection of key facts from the report:
?? Children as young as 10 years old can be dispatched to the cotton fields for two months each year, missing out on their education and jeopardizing their future prospects.
?? Uzbekistan is the world’s 3rd largest cotton exporter and earns around US$1 billion
annually from the sale of its cotton to clothing factories primarily in Asia, which in turn
export garments to the west; and to cotton traders, many of which are based in Europe.
?? Reports in November 2009 estimated one million children working in the last harvest.
Cotton picking is arduous labour, with each child ascribed a daily cotton quota of several
kilos that they must fulfil.
?? Children may be compelled to stay in barrack-like accommodation during the harvest.
Living conditions are often squalid. In those places where food is provided to children, it is
inadequate, often lacking in basic nutrition and children can often only access water
from irrigation pipes, which carries health risks.
?? Children can be left in poor physical condition following the harvest; illnesses including hepatitis, injuries and even deaths are all reported. The harvest begins in the late summer, when temperatures in the fields remain high and can continue until the onset of the Uzbek winter. Children are not provided with any protective clothing whilst they work.
?? Children receive little or no reimbursement for their labour, perhaps a few US cents per kilo of cotton picked. However, payments are deducted to cover their travel to the fields and the food they are provided with during the cotton picking season, which can leave them in debt.
The full report can be downloaded from here:
http://www.ejfoundation.org/page93.html
Every year young children die during forced labour in the Uzbek cotton fields. Millions of adults are also conscripted into slave labour. Islam Karimov and Gulnara Karimova get ever wealthier.
It is a stunning fact that Wal-Mart, Tesco, Asda and C&A have been so sickened by Uzbek child slavery that they have voluntarily banned Uzbek cotton and set up, at their own expense, audit systems to ensure there is not Uzbek cotton in products they sell.
Yet no government has used available anti-slavery provisions in international trade agreements to ban Uzbek cotton. The EU has never even discussed the matter while, thanks to the influence of Western governments, UNICEF has never made any statement or taken any position on child slavery in Uzbekistan.
This is arguably the World’s most depraved single act of inter-governmental complicity.
The points that were consistently made about MP candidature in Norfolk North.
The Labour candidate was a total idiot, as easily evidenced.
The Conservative candidate was an air-head, again as easily evidenced.
So, there are serious deficiencies in our democracy when exceptional candidates like Craig Murray are not elected, and the likes of Chloe Smith are elected.
The perversity of it indicates that it’s pure evil at work.
Democracy is being undermined from above.
And that’s another criminality that we need to ensure is prosecuted to the fullest extent of law.
Regardless of my political views or anyone elses for that matter. You can believe anything you want to, and I am hardly likely to change your mind.
I just HATE DICTATORSHIP because it is the most inefficent and atrocious form of Leadership ever attempted by the human race.
I have personally experienced both the management philosophies of dictatorship, and its reverse EMPOWERMENT
In a dictatorship, the most powerful idiot tells everyone to do it THIS WAY. No one is allowed to air their views, and suggest alternatives for discussion that may lead to a far better result.
I do not TELL my Son how to run his Business, despite the fact that I finacially support him and am considering investing some more money in his business.
He is much brighter than me to explore a whole variety of different scenarios and solutions that I would never have thought of.
But he does sometimes discuss with me, a whole variety of different quite complex options as if I would instantly understand and be able to make a reasoned recommendation.
But in such discussions, I tend to ask more questions rather than giving any recommendations.
Empowerment, delegation, giving Real Responsibilty and a Budget to Operate under – that Means YOU Spending Money as Sensibly as Possible So THAT THE FUCKING THING WORKS
If I tell him what to do, and it all fucks up – he will say it was all my fault, because I said he should do it this way
If he takes on full responsibility himself and shares it with the People he is working with…
They will Make Damn Sure It Works.
Because They All Really Want It To Work Because it is Theirs.
Tony
“It’s Something Else Entirely
The Difference Between Leadership and Domination”
Extracts
It is commonplace to refer to our dearly elected as leaders. But are they leaders? Who or what do they lead? Using the word in the strict sense of going first while everyone else follows, our elected officialdom consistently takes the country in the wrong direction; away from where the people who live and work here, by vast majority, want to go.
That is not leadership. It is something else entirely.
There is an easily discerned line between leaders and tyrants. It would do us well to know the difference.
The main role of leadership is to help people get where they want to go. Leadership is specifically about individuals. It challenges individuals to think in new ways and to try to achieve things they don’t believe they can achieve. Leadership is coaching. It is guidance. It is experience and wisdom. Leadership is never about the leaders because the end goal of good leaders is to become useless; to no longer be needed by others in order to achieve their goals. Leaders empower others.
http://thinkorbeeaten.blogspot.com/2009/05/its-something-else-entirely.html
I told my friend today whilst walking to the next pub to see a band (who has always worked for a large company in computing) – What his monthly costs were.
He said “What – He is Only a Spotty Kid?”
Your Lad is Paying Out “THAT” Every Month
I said Yes But He Has Got “THIS” coming in, and he scoops all the Surplus Up To BUILD His Business Even Bigger.
And so My Son flabbergasted me a few hours ago. I didn’t know what to say.
He just told me, that he has already moved to Manchester.
I said “What?” – “You Cunt” – “You are London Born and Bred”
“Yeh – But They Give Me a Much Better Deal in Manchester”
“In Manchester They are 10 Times Faster For The Same Price.”
“Why should I Pay 10 Times More in London?”
And We Keep Beating You Southern Tossers at Football
Though Oldham looks a bit fucked at the moment, they have not yet been demoted from The Football League
I didn’t say to him
“You are still only 21 What The Fuck Fo You Know?”
He said Bye Dad – I have just got some more Business in
MANCHESTER
(He was/is considering pulling out of Manchester and moving it to ICELAND)
But The SCOUSERS are RUMOURED To Be coming in with a better offer
Tony
Personally I just couldn’t believe this was happenning
And She passed my Son to me
And I counted all his fingers and toes and he just looked so incredibly beautiful
And he had only been born for about 2 minutes and he crapped all over my arm
And so we all smiled and said – well obviously that bit works too
We currently have half of the front end of a sports car in the hall of our home
Newly Painted in British Racing Green
Tony
I picked this up from a song played on the Radio cos I liked the vocal switches but was almost certain it was a male American Musician probably from California
But the more I heard the song the more I liked it because it had hidden depth
So I finally got around to google the words
“I’m obsessed with the mess that is America”
And I got this
Marina Lambrini Diamandis (born 10 October 1985), better known by her stage name Marina and the Diamonds, is Welsh
Welsh?
I Thought She Was American
And I Thought She Was a Bloke
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1VTcJfL7RE
Tony