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nXt
October 25, 2007 2:39 PM
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Winnie The Pooh looks hungry.

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Hinomura
October 25, 2007 3:18 PM
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I love how \"The [Chinese] ministry particularly blamed 'foreign-funded' enterprises that exported goods.\"
Even though \" All of these conditions violate Chinese law, but local officials refuse to provide enforcement.\" I'm chinese but I still say fuck china. don't have lax ass corrupt enforcement and then try to blame America. this is totally the chinese governments fault. I mean we shouldn't take advantage of their dismal safety standard but at the same time we shouldn't be blamed for it either.

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MusicLand
October 25, 2007 3:44 PM
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Thanks for the play-by-play. Particularly disturbing (but not a surprise?)...

\"10:41: Walmart buyers roam China like a pack of wolves. They go to factories saying 'you gave us a product for $.09 last year, we want it for $.07 this year.' One factory owner quipped that he'd have to stop paying himself to meet their price demands.\"

So much for the Wally \"Ethical Standards Program\" (via [walmartstores.com]).

\"At Wal-Mart, we have achieved our growth in part through supply chain excellence - delivering the merchandise our customers need and want. In doing so, we draw upon a global network of suppliers and factories. When we buy merchandise, we realize that our orders touch factory workers and their communities around the world. [...] For that reason, we continue to invest in a robust Ethical Standards Program.\"
- Lee Scott, President and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores

\"Supply chain 'EXCELLENCE'\"??? Are you kidding? What is excellent about strong-arming folks like this? 'Roaming like wolves' just can't be seen as treating suppliers very good, right? Yikes.

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weazel
October 25, 2007 4:07 PM
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That Pooh Bear is seriously scary. The one costume a fatty would be good at, and a skinny does it.

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girly
October 25, 2007 4:19 PM
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\"09:52: Some factories don't even bother hiring \"permanent\" workers, instead opting for a revolving door of temporary workers.\"

I wonder if America is headed in that direction with all businesses.

\"10:03: Mattel, Hasbro, Fischer-Price and Disney all use sweatshops, but the biggest beneficiary is Walmart.\"

Just. Crazy.

10:06: When Lee Dur shut down because of Mattel's lead paint issues, all workers were laid off. Not a single one knew a thing about lead poisoning, or that they might have been exposed to lead.

Crazy! When are places like WalMart going to figure out if employees are treated bad and regulations are ignored, that puts the consumers, and the corporate bigwigs themselves in danger, too? We all use this stuff...

[about the toy insdustry talking about reform] \"10:17: This sounds like a lot of talk, many meetings, but little action.\"

Yup.

\"10:21: Wow, Chinese prisoners are affixing labels that read \"Made in America.\"\"

Nooooo!!! (but I kind of expected it...)

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Trai_Dep
October 25, 2007 6:50 PM
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There's no way that any US worker can compete against these Dickensian conditions, at least as factored in a spreadsheet. We simply need to shred free-trade agreements w/ developing nations until they become fair trade.


A decade of this madness has ruined this country and its families. Time to fix things.

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