Friday, July 05, 2013

Food for thought

The federal government is in free-trade talks with the European Union and the Asia-Pacific Block. Although it will affect the lives of ordinary Canadians strongly, the Harper government, that always trumpets transparency, is keeping the details secret. This passes for democracy!
The New York Times (May 19, 2013) describes the New Delhi suburb of Ashok Nagar as a warren of dusty battered lanes, tangles of wires hanging between poorly constructed buildings, and sewage coursing through the alleyways. Not atypical of India, but this place is not supposed to even exist. This unauthorized colony of 200 000 people is a part of the five million in New Delhi living in spontaneous developments in the city. It seems you have to help yourself even
living in an Asian economic tiger, and don't wait for the rising tide to lift all boats!
The New York Times (May 12 2013) gave a profile of Sohel Rana, owner of the collapsed garment factory in Bangladesh. He travelled by motorcycle accompanied by a gang of thugs. Mr. Rana The Times writes, is a product of the global garment industry in which large corporations search for cheap labour for high profits. Rana, involved in drugs, had five factories in the building, the bottom floor reserved for the pleasures of the local politicians. Now he has had his assets seized and has been arrested. It should be the capitalist system that allows, no, encourages, such a situation, that should be on trial. John Ayers.


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