The term “exploitation” typically conjures up images of horrendous working conditions, perhaps sweatshops in China or India, or the child labour used by Western clothes manufacturers. We think of people working long hours for little pay in terrible conditions ruthlessly bullied by unscrupulous bosses or gangmasters.

Such “exploitation” is presented to us as exceptional – and contrasted with the “normality” of working life for most people, particularly in countries such as Britain.

Karl Marx had a different understanding of exploitation. Rather than seeing it as exceptional, he argued that exploitation is fundamental to capitalism.

For Marx, exploitation was not just about the level of wages received, or working conditions, but was the very process whereby capitalism creates profit out of the work we do.

In order to understand what Marx meant by exploitation we need to start with his explanation of where profits ultimately come from – the “labour theory of value”.

Marx argued that human labour is the source of all value. At the time many economists agreed with this. But Marx went further – he argued that the amount of value created by people when they work is greater than the amount they receive back in wages.

Therefore the capitalist is stealing from workers some of the value that their labour has created. This “surplus value” forms the basis of profit.

This argument is an anathema to any mainstream economist or commentator. They generally accept that the world of work involves an equitable exchange – “a fair day’s pay for fair day’s work”.

If anything, we are told that workers are being “greedy” when they demand pay increases over and above what is considered “fair”. Such “selfish” pay demands risk the “health of the whole economy”, they claim.

Fair’s fair?

But for Marx, this ideology of “free and fair exchange” masks the exploitation built into the capitalist system. It hides the exploitation that goes on every day in a society where a tiny minority of people make vast profits out of the work done by the majority.

So how did Marx arrive at such a radical view? Capitalism was just developing when Marx was writing, but already he could see how different it was from previous societies.

For most of human history people had worked primarily for their own consumption. They produced things that met their needs directly, whether it was food grown on their land or clothes they made at home.

In contrast, capitalism is all about commodity production – things are produced not for immediate use but as commodities to be sold on the market.

Commodities do have to be of some use eventually, but they have to be exchanged for money before the producers can get any benefit from their efforts. Therefore all commodities have what Marx called an “exchange value”. Their price reflects this exchange value.

But how is this exchange value determined? Marx argued that the one thing all the very different commodities bought and sold under capitalism have in common is that they are products of human labour. It is this that provides the basis for exchange.

In previous societies, before money was universally used, people would swap or barter items with one another. How much or how little was exchanged would generally depend on how long people had taken to make the items.

Two people would only swap items if they felt it had taken roughly the same amount of time for each to make their items – otherwise it would not seem like a fair deal. It was not just an exchange of things that had taken place but an exchange of the labour time of the people involved.

The method of barter is obviously very time consuming and inefficient. As commodity production increased, the use of money became more important as a way of equating different products.

Previously one table may have been swapped for two chairs based on the amount of labour time used. Now one table may equal £10, and therefore one chair would equal £5.

The price charged still reflects the amount of labour time gone into making the product, but the use of money – since it can be exchanged for any commodity – cuts out the need for direct exchange between producers.

Money allows us to equate things that seem to have nothing in common, in terms of materials, how they have been made or their actual use.

Because of this money appears to be the goal of production under capitalism. Acquiring it often feels like our own personal goal, since it will enable us to buy the things for a better life. Therefore it can seem like money is the source of value.

But money only has value to the extent that it gives you a claim on the labour of others. If you had stacks of money, but nothing was being produced, then it would be no use.

It is the common element of human labour that allows us to measure how much a particular commodity should be sold for on the market.

And it is this that Marx argued determines their value. The price of a commodity reflects the labour time needed to produce it.

So far it still seems as if everyone is on a more or less equal footing. But if all commodities are exchanged according to amount of labour needed to produce them, where does profit come from?

The answer lies in the relationship between the capitalist and wage labour. Under capitalism, our ability to work – Marx called this our “labour power” – is also a commodity to be bought and sold like everything else.

No secret

This is not a secret. We talk of “joining the labour market” after finishing education. We try to make ourselves more “marketable” to employers.

Workers sell their ability to labour (their labour power) to a particular employer or capitalist for an agreed price (our wage).

Our labour power is extremely useful to the capitalist since it is able to create all sorts of products. But how is its exchange value ultimately determined?

The price of labour power is determined just like that of any other commodity. It depends on the amount of labour required to produce it.

Now behind the term labour power lies a human being, although the capitalists often like to forget this. So workers get paid enough money to keep them going.

You get enough money for food, the cost of your rent or mortgage, clothing and enough rest time to enable you to arrive at work each morning able to put in the required amount of effort and attention.

So what determines wages is the cost of living in a society. You go to work where you create products for the capitalist. In return you get money – your wage – with which you buy the different products you need to live, products that have themselves been created by other people’s labour.

This still seems quite fair, since you get paid the amount needed to cover your cost of living.

But there is a difference between the amount you are paid for your labour power and the value that your labour creates when you work.

For example, it may only take four hours of society’s total labour to produce the things you and your family require. So by lunchtime, you have covered your wage and by rights you should go home.

But you do not stop work then. You go back to work in the afternoon and perhaps do an eight hour day. If four hours of your labour has created enough value to pay your wage, then the capitalist takes the next four hours of work from you for nothing.

Pocketing profits

In this example the capitalist is able to pocket a “surplus” of four labour hours a day from each worker. This is what Marx called “surplus value”, which is the source of profit.

Your labour creates more value than the value of your labour power. So exploitation is not an anomaly under capitalism – it is part of the normal workings of the system.

But there is another side to exploitation. The problem for capitalists is that when they buy labour power, what they get are people who can think and act for themselves.

Most people do not go into work thinking their wages should just cover the minimum required to enable them to keep on working another day. Instead we look at the tremendous wealth in society and think – rightly – that we are entitled to a better standard of living.

So there is a continual struggle over the cost of labour power. Battles over pay break out regularly, especially at times when the real cost of living is going up.

If exploitation is crucial to capitalism, the logical conclusion is that an end to exploitation would require an end to capitalism.

But all the day to day battles over pay and conditions represent more limited battles against exploitation.

If we win some of these battles, it gives workers the confidence and strength to win more. It also helps us to win the battle of ideas to convince people that we have to get rid of the whole system.

Marx’s labour theory of value identifies labour as the source of value. It exposes how capitalists steal part of the value that our labour produces.

But this theory is not just a commentary on the system we live under. It is a weapon for workers who want to fight to get rid of the system of capitalism – and end exploitation forever.

Source: Socialist Worker

Further reading

Karl Marx’s Wages, Price and Profit is an account of his theories written for an audience of workers. Chris Harman’s Explaining the Crisis looks at how Marx’s insights shed light on the problems of capitalism today. Marx’s Capital by Ben Fine and Alfredo Saad-Filho is a good introduction to Marx’s major work. All are available from Bookmarks, the socialist bookshop, phone 020 7637 1848, » www.bookmarks.uk.com

© Copyright Socialist Worker (unless otherwise stated). You may republish if you include an active link to the original and leave this notice in place.

Tune in next Tuesday to the Open Journal on Houston's Pacifica radio affiliate KPFT when host Tim O'Brien (that's my bro) interviews Chris O'Brien (that's me) about responsible purchasing, fair trade, and sweatfree apparel.

Tim has been waging a fair trade coffee campaign and a sweatfree apparel campaign on campus at the University of Houston. See these previous posts about the campaing and check out the websites of UH Students Against Sweatshops and UH United Students for Fair Trade.

Tune in next Tuesday to the Open Journal on Houston's Pacifica radio affiliate KPFT when host Tim O'Brien (that's my bro) interviews Chris O'Brien (that's me) about responsible purchasing, fair trade, and sweatfree apparel.

Maybe we'll even talk about beer, who knows?

Each eel skin purse has two sections; an inner one for coins and credit cards, and an outer lining for your mobile phone, lipgloss and keys. Perfect for all your eco shopping expenses! And they look gorgeous with all your outfits this summer! They're £36 (≈ €45/$72) each. Get one in fuchsia, baby pink, ravishing red, mustard yellow.........Eel-skin purses at BoBelle

I'm guessing most Americans just want oil prices to come down. The problem with drilling right now to help oil prices is that it would take years for it to come on-line.

Therefore, I don't think they support drilling as much as they just want the prices to come down.

The Democratic Party needs to put forward a platform of how to bring oil prices down. I have some perspectives on the matter, which I believe would be worthwhile to explore.

The problem with oil prices is two-fold. Half of the increases in oil prices in the U.S. is due to dollar devaluation. The other half of the increases in oil prices is due to supply/demand issues, especially speculation.

DOLLAR DEVALUATION

The problem with dollar devaluation is a broad one. If you look at charts of the U.S. Dollar, the Euro, and oil prices of the Euro and U.S. Dollar, you'll see this clearly. And it is an increasing factor in the price of oil. There are two primary reasons for devaluation, monetary policy and lack of economic growth.

MONETARY POLICY

The first is that the quasi-private Federal Reserve bank needs to stop printing money. This means national debt and credit.

We need modest increases in rates to discourage borrowing. We don't want to shrink the money supply, but we do want to stop printing more money than there is economic growth to support it. We also need to cut back on spending. Congress needs to get wise with spending.

We should also probably look at reforming how the Federal Reserve bank works, but that is another book beyond the scope of this diary.

ECONOMIC GROWTH

The second half of dollar devaluation is having the economic growth to support the printing of money. I like to point to the trade deficit and the primary causes that jobs and business are leaving America. We need to bring jobs back to America. We can't keep buying junk from China and outsourcing labor to India and expect economic growth if we're not producing anything ourselves.

TAX REFORM

The proposed Fair Tax from Libertarians and Huckabee eliminates the corporate and income tax and replaces it with a national sales tax and a modest monthly prebate ($200).

I think we can do better by making it more progressive and pay for the progressivity with a modest tariff on corporations.

I propose we replace the income tax with a national sales tax with significant monthly prebates ($400-800) to make it progressive, even serving as a blanket form of welfare or agrarian justice (rent money), and a reduction of corporate tax to 10%.

A 10% corporate tax is definitely low enough to encourage corporations to move to America and stay in America. Corporate taxes are in a sense a sales tax in that the cost is passed to the consumer, but the modest corporate tax would serve as a tariff to make it fair for small business to compete with big business.

TRADE REFORM

We also need to revisit trade tariffs. Free trade is great in theory, but this is the real world. America can't engage in free trade if we don't produce anything. We need tariffs for wage equality. Americans need to work. We need to charge tariffs on goods from other countries where labor costs make it unfair competition.

We should implement trade tariffs in the spirit of free trade. We should adjust tariffs by the amount of wage inbalance. This would encourage other countries to pay their workers more. It would stop outsourcing and allow America to compete fairly and trade with the world again without going deep into debt.

Fair trade is free trade for the real world.

DOLLAR DEVALUATION CONCLUSIONS

We need a strong economy to support our debt. We can't keep financing our economic well-being indefinitely. The only people who profit on our current economic policy are the people who print the money and collect the interest on our debt, the quasi-private Federal Reserve corporation. And the secondary banks aren't even profiting now that we're going bust. We're being looted. We need some practical reforms and some radical reforms.

SUPPLY/DEMAND

The other half of oil prices is supply and demand. In 2007, demand outpaced supply by about 1M barrels/quarter and added significantly to the price of oil. Part of this demand was due to speculation.

SPECULATION

I'll address speculation first. Speculation is good in theory in that buyers are taking oil off the market and holding it until there is a supply problem.

I suspect there might be some insider trading fraud. People who understand the impact of dollar devaluation on oil prices surely thought of speculating on oil prices.

I suspect beating the war drum with Iran is causing speculation to occur. We'll of course need the oil if we go to war with Iran. We need to stop beating the war drum if we're going to stop some of the speculation.

DRILLING / SUPPLY SOLUTIONS

America has a lot of untapped oil. We already produce about 8-10M barrels/year. Russia has even more untapped oil and produces a little more than we do. We can make up for a short fall of 4M barrels if Russia, the U.S., and other countries have oil wells on stand by to make up for short supply.

We should work with these other countries to put in place a strategic drilling and capping in case of crisis.

I believe we already do a lot of that. I hear there are lots of tapped and capped wells sitting idle, primarily from big oil buying out little oil.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY / DEMAND SOLUTIONS

If we propose such drilling, we should take the opportunity to package it with an alternative energy plan. This includes tax incentives and subsidies for such things as electric and hydrogen cars and hydrogen pumps.

We'd need to first start talking more about hydrogen. Most people don't know much about it and the best source of information, the Hydrogen Car Company, no longer exists. I think Ford bought it out, but I'm not positive.

There are many other energy alternatives, such as tankless water heaters, which should be encouraged with tax incentives or subsidies. I tend to prefer subsidies for such consumer goods so that the average American doesn't have to worry about complicated tax forms.

There are also energy-saving activities. New technology and public awareness is increasing. This should continue.

The key thing here is funding for public awareness of a broad range of programs, and the tax incentives and subsidies to get the ball rolling.

SUPPLY/DEMAND CONCLUSIONS

Supply isn't the only solution to the problem. We should consider supply solutions for the event of crisis and work towards preventing crisis.

We should use the opportunity of the cry for supply to package broad alternative energy solutions to reduce the demand for oil. We need to be willing to look at a broad range of solutions, especially things that are practical for today.

Ten Thousand Villages is a line of boutique stores that sell handmade,  fair trade items from around the world. I first wandered into Ten Thousand Villages in Asheville, NC during the Bele Chere Festival and was captivated by all the great finds! Rows & rows of lovely chandelier earrings, unique baskets, drums from Africa, handmade angel ornaments, and sculptures - all at very reasonable prices. Not only do you have the pleasure of a unique item for your own home (or for a gift for someone else) - you're also helping support artisans around the world support their families and build their communities because they earn a living wage. It's the ultimate in socially responsible shopping.

I desperately want one of their hand knotted Oriental rugs. What a classic, timeless piece for any home.

Started in the nineteen-eighties by Italian food fanatic Carlo Petrini, Slow Food is a social and ecological movement that encourages “good, clean, and fair” food production and consumption. ‘Good’ means that the food tastes good and is good for our bodies; ‘clean’ means that our food is produced in an environmentally sustainable and non-toxic way; and ‘fair’ means that the growers and producers who make our food are paid a fair wage.  Although Slow Food now has organizations in one hundred and thirty-two nations around the world, it has gained a reputation for being a club for the middle-aged, social elite.   Recently, however, Slow Food has made significant strides to move away from this image through projects such as the indigenous food festival, Terra Madre, and by reaching out to younger generations who are seeking to re-embrace lost food traditions and reconnect with the environment. In 2007 Slow Food USA, launched Slow Food On Campus, an initiative to start-up Slow Food Convivia on college and university campuses.  To date there are eight Campus Convivia, one of which is here at Boston University.

Slow Food BU officially became a BU club in the Fall of 2007, and since then has been working diligently to encourage local and seasonal eating on campus. Along with getting involved in the Real Food Challenge, SFBU has been working with other student and administrative groups to encourage environmental sustainability in campus dining halls. A collaboration between SFBU, BU’s Environmental Student Organization, and BU Dining Services, called ‘Tray-less Tuesdays,” effectively limited tray use and water consumption in university dining halls. The success of this project has inspired one independently run dining hall on campus to permanently remove all trays.

In the Spring SFBU hosted “A Foodie’s Dilemma: How Boston’s Cheapskates Can Eat Sustainably,” a panel discussion about the difficulties of eating a local and organic diet on a student budget.  Because we are a convivium as well as a club, we hosted bi-monthly potlucks, where students came to learn about Slow Food.

In the upcoming year, SFBU plans to collaborate with the Nutrition Club in order to encourage further sourcing of organic food in campus dining halls.  We are also going to be involved with the new farmer’s market on our campus.

To find out more about the Slow Food movement, check out www.slowfood.com.  For more on the happenings at BU check out our SFBU blog. We look forward to keeping you up to date on our progress at BU.

Slowly yours,

Dory D

President, SFBU

Die Kicks von Sensatonics sind bioaktive Liköre aus geballter Pflanzenkraft. Jeder Kick enthält eine fein abgestimmte Formel hochwertiger Pflanzen aus kontrolliert biologischem Anbau oder kontrollierter Wildsammlung. Der Hauptbestandteil -das Bio Guarana- ist "fair " gehandelt und die Süße wird nur mit Bio-Fruchtsäften (Bio-Apfel, Bio-Agave, Bio-Maracuja) erzielt. Künstliche Aromen und Konservierungsstoffe sind ebenfalls "Fehl am Platze". Des Weiteren bestehen die Kicks ausschließlich aus reinem Bio-Alkohol und gereinigtem, energetischem Wasser. Die aus Pflanzenaromen bestehenden Kräuterelixiere sind leicht konsumierbar und in drei unterschiedlichen Varianten erhältlich, die wir Ihnen natürlich nicht vorenthalten möchten.

KOKMOK - der Tanztropfen für lange Nächte. Dieser erfrischend spontane und energetische Kick enthält die Vollaromaextrakte der Pflanzen Galgant, Vanille, Süßholz, Guarana, Kolanuss und Kardamom. Der KOKMOK-Kick lässt sich prima zusammen mit Ginger Ale oder Bionade Ingwer-Orange genießen.

Alles in Allem ein anregender Erfrischungskick, der mit guter Laune überrascht.

VENUSWAVE - für spontane Zwischenstopps auf Liebesplaneten. Dieser körperlich anregend sinnliche Kick ist aus den Pflanzenextrakten Galgant, Vanille, Süßholz, Guarana, Colanuss, Damiana und Muira Puama zusammengesetzt. Der Kick VENUSWAVE lässt sich gut mit rotem Traubensaft oder der Bionade Litschi kombinieren.

Alle enthaltenen Extrakte sorgen dafür, dass wohlige Gefühle von zärtlicher Absicht getragen werden.

MOONWALK - Proviant für Planeten ohne Schwerekraft. Dieser Kick ist leicht, ausdauernd und schwerelos zugleich. Er besteht aus den Vollaromaextrakten der Pflanzen Kalmus, Catuaba, Passiflora, Passionsfrucht und Guarana. Den MOONWALK-Kick genießt man am besten zusammen mit Maracuja-Nektar oder der Bionade Holunder.

Alle zusammen schenken den Moonwalkgenießer ein Gefühl von losgelöster Zuversicht.

Die 30ml großen Kicks-Fläschen haben einen Alkoholgehalt von 15% vol. und können gut geschüttelt natürlich auch pur getrunken werden. Die Wirkung der Kicks beginnt nach ca. 15min und entfaltet sich über 3-5 Stunden.

Ralf Guethe, einer der Geschäftsführer der sensatonics GmbH, stellte uns freundlicherweise die Unternehmensphilosophie zur Verfügung. Hieraus ist ersichtlich, dass es sich die Firma "zur Aufgabe gemacht hat, pflanzliche „Erlebensmittel“ herzustellen, deren Einnahme sich unmittelbar positiv auf die Erlebnisqualität des Konsumenten auswirkt".

Wir sagen wieder einmal Danke Schön - das können wir nur unterstützen!

Wir möchten sehr gern wissen, ob Sie auch bereits Erfahrungen mit den vorbenannten Produkten gemacht haben?

Ihr Team von myreform!

The Conscious Consumer's got some special offers on at the moment.  Hurry though when they've gone they have gone.  Thought we all could do with a little cheer with so much doom and gloom, so go one treat yourself and grab a bargain.

Special Offers can be found at http://www.theconsciousconsumer.co.uk/index.pl?c=OFFERS

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Tags: podcast, changing habits, starbucks, fair trade, acclimatzation, helix, kauai electric, bag2bag, krogers

We're in Uganda now, after one night in Kampala and a four hour plus bus ride to the town of Mbale. Before I report on Uganda, tho, I want to write about our final visit in Rwanda: a stop at the Millennium Village Project in Bugasera (which is in the same district as the Nyamata genocide site we visited last week). MVP is the product of the United Nations and has been piloted in several locations throughout the developing world with the aim of helping communities reach the UN Millennium Goals.

The MVP in Rwanda presents an extremely impressive model of community development. We visited a district primary school - that's me and Rich Katz above with some of the students. We visited on the last day of school (the young girl to my right is holding her report card). We also visited an MVP health clinic and a women's craft cooperative that is helping to build economic capacity for the area. (That's Rhonda Stein below, learning basket weaving from one of the coop members).

Our first stop in Uganda was along similar lines. Uganda Crafts in Kampala is a Fair Trade org that creates and sustains jobs for the disadvantaged throughout Uganda, Kenya and the Congo - employing women, the disabled, orphans, and people living with HIV. Before visiting the shop, we sat with Betty and Rose, who help run the project and described its genesis and evolution in depth. On the right is Lauren Parnell, who will be working with Uganda Crafts for the coming year and is our guide (with her husband John) for the rest of our sojourn in Uganda. We met Lauren through her work in Chicago with the Interfaith Youth Core.

We have a full day tomorrow. Stay tuned...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Thanks to Sini Maury of Oxfam Fair Trade for this...The criteria were developed by the Welsh Assembly Government, the Scottish parliament, the Wales Fair Trade Forum (who say they are "helping third world producers" ; mind you, FLO International's slogan is "fairtrade guarantees a better deal for third world producers" so I guess we shouldn't be surprised, ugh) and the Scottish Forum. An independent panel made up of representatives from Oxfam, IFAT, Traidcraft, Christian Aid, etc assessed the evidence and gave their support. It wasn't the responsibility of the Fairtrade Foundation to give out the title. ...posted by Ian Hussey

Fair Trade Nation Status - Criteria

Aims

1. To increase awareness of Fair Trade and surrounding issues
2. To increase the sale of Fair Trade products
3. To contribute to greater trade justice

4.      To engender a meaningful commitment to Fair Trade from Parliament and executive bodies

1.   Measurable Countrywide Criteria

2.   National Assembly / Parliament

·        Annual statement of opinion in support of Fair Trade

·        Use and promote Fairtrade products internally including Fairtrade tea / coffee / sugar / biscuits at all meetings

·        Ensure Fairtrade available at all catering outlets

·        Actively promote Fairtrade fortnight each year

3.   Government / Executive Resolution (WAG)

·        Use and promote Fairtrade products internally including Fairtrade tea / coffee / sugar / biscuits at all meetings

·        Ensure Fairtrade available at all catering outlets

·        Actively promote Fairtrade fortnight each year

·        Annual public report on progress of Fair Trade country campaign

·        Actively support the promotion and development of Fair Trade including:

o       Seek to develop pro fair trade public sector procurement guidance and promote fair trade public sector procurement wherever possible.

o       Promote Fair Trade in schools through the curriculum, procurement and any other means possible

o        

·        Promote Fair Trade at an international level and through international trade agreements where appropriate.

·        Acknowledge the role of Fair Trade in economic development policies

4.   Other Desirable Objectives

These are targets which are not easily measurable but which should also be promoted and where possible measured as part of the Fair Trade Country campaign.

·        Resolutions in support, and pledge to use and promote Fair Trade from major faith groups across the country

·        Schools across the country to sign Fair Trade pledge or become Fair Trade Schools and pledge to promote and use Fair Trade products internally

(To be measured asap)

·        Trade unions to support and pledge to use and promote Fair Trade internally and to members

·        Resolutions of support from Chambers of Commerce or business networks to include pledge to use and promote Fair Trade

·        Resolutions in support, with pledge to use and promote Fair Trade from youth organisations across the country

·        Voluntary organisations resolve to use and promote Fair Trade internally

·        National Festivals

·        A good number of BAFTS or World shops

·        A good number of Fairtrade or BAFTS suppliers

·        75% of all school children in the country to have access to Fairtrade or locally sourced fruit at school

 [The Wales Fair Trade Nation campaign built on a strong Fair Trade Towns campaign in which there was already a lot of local organizing happening. Besides the relatively small size of the country, Wales was able to pursue Fair Trade Nation status because they are not legally bound to any trade agreements (Canada is, the UK is, most countries are, of course). So, the Welsh government was able to pursue not only procurement of Fair Trade Certified products but also other fair trading practices without violating any trade agreements or the unfair trade rules set by elites in the World Trade Organization without approval of or input by or een accountability really to the citizens of the world. So, no, we won't be seeing a Fair Trade UK or Fair Trade Europe or Fair Trade world next, as the naive enthusiasm of the following article hopes - that is, unless current trade agreements around the world are re-written, the WTO is dissolved or pretty much changes its ideology completely, and monkeys fly out of my butt. ...Posted by Ian Hussey, thanks to Jacqui MacDonald, Sini Maury, and Reykia Fick for info and input. The opinions expressed herein are my own]

Could all nations be fair trade like Wales?

"The specialty coffee industry is at the forefront of offering ethical, eco-friendly products. Although this is a niche market, it is rapidly touching mainstream," notes Tatjana Meerman, Publisher of Packaged Facts. "For example, in April 2008, Wal-Mart launched a line of six premium packaged ground coffees that are either Fair Trade Certified, USDA Certified Organic, or Rainforest Alliance Certified."

There is a demand by the consumer for these products. There are a host of producers who may not be able to afford certification, such as the Rancho San Francisco in Mexico, but still follow the organic practices and whose coffee cups very well. I send a tribute out to Bongo Billy's Founder Bill Mehaffey, who was one of the first organic and fair trade roasters in Colorado.

The Torygraph has this today.

John Say, of our gentleman-type-writer team, said this a few months ago too - 18th March 2008.

"Fair Trade" kit does not solve any problems - a typical erroneous fascist left "solution" for the wrong problem. Sadly, and expensively, the right solution is to abolish (it may have to be colonially, but I'd hope not) the socialist dictocracies set up in the wake of "decolonisation" by the denizens of the Bandung Generation - egged on as they were by well-meaning but cretinous Western governments.

We'll also have to clear out most of the current crop of teachocrats in Britain's state schools and (most of) its Universities too. I've no idea what they will do to earn a crust, so therefore I am so very very sorry for them and their families in this eventuality: it's their problem for they brought us to it - but they won't be allowed near a school, a university, or a computer, or a telephone, for a very very very long time, if at all. I guess that they will just have to learn to be sensible plasterers or brickies'-mates, or just drive tractors...no, that's too responsible a job, they might run over a Libertarian non-politician accidentlaly-on-purpose.

This is a very un-Libertarian solution to a problem not of our making. All we were was asleep. (I suppose that's bad, yes.)

I'm beginning to think that pure, passive Libertarianism, unleavened by some revolutionary activity, is not going to be enough any more.

Sometimes I get very angry. Sorry.

If you are interested in Fair Trade and want to help spread the word, you or your business/organization are the perfect candidate for our new Affiliates Program! You can earn money just by posting our banner on your website, while promoting, supporting and encouraging your friends and family to make ethical and environmentally-friendly choices.

We are a tiny organization with no advertising budget, so we heavily rely on you and our loyal customers to help us spread the word. As they say, 'the rising tide lifts all boats', so please join us as we do our part in furthering the mission of Fair Trade Fashion! Our Affiliates Program is a way for us to send a little thanks back to you for all of your help.

When you sign up for our Affiliates Program, you can instantly start making money for you personally, your business or your non-profit organization. It's simple - when you help bring new socially-driven consumers to our website, our Affiliates Program lets you share in our success. Since you get a cut of each sale that you send our way, you can secure an additional revenue stream for your business or provide an excellent fundraising tool for your non-profit organization.

When a visitor follows an AP Affiliate link, banner, product listing or product review (yes, we'll let you review our products for free!) on your website that results in a sale on our site, you automatically get credited a minimum 10% commission!

Its easy to sign up and shortly after your account will be active and you can log in on our website. Once logged into your account you'll find instructions for setting up links on your site (either via banner or text links). These links can be featured on as many sites or pages as you like or could be distributed via email or other promotional methods.

Please visit our website to learn how this program works and to sign up today!

You too can become a partner in Fair Trade and make a difference in the world!

'드립으로 진한 커피를 만들려면 어떻게 해야하나요?'라는 강일이의 질문에 대해 친절히 대답해주셨다.  그러려면, 1.  커피 양을 많이  2.  드립 물줄기를 가늘게  3.  물빠짐이 최대한 천천히 되도록.  가려다 말고 서서 로스팅 기계와 물줄기 가늘게 나오는 드립 포트로 핸드 드립 하는 과정을 구경했다.  한 잔씩 마시고 좀 모자른 듯 싶어서 둘이 한잔 더 시켜 반으로 나눠 마실까 - 했었는데 시범으로 진하게 내린 커피를 선물로 주셔서 기쁘게 고맙게 마셨다.  드립 커피는 옅고 에스프레소는 진한 건줄 알았는데 그게 아니었다.  우리의 전기 포트로는 핸드 드립 커피를 만들 수 없는 거였어, 우리가 이제껏 마신건 커피가 아니었나봐, 하면서 왔다.  그날은 맛있었던 만큼 잠을 잘 못잤다.  커피스트는 커피도 물론 맛있지만 마시러 들어가는 그 신문로가 좋다.  '대체 그 커피집 언제 나와'를 들으며 걸어가는 길. 

위의 책은 커피스트 주인님이 내신 책이다.  표지를 클릭하면 교보 책 소개 페이지로 넘어간다.  차례만 간단히 보면 - 왜 커피인가 / 커피란 무엇인가 / 커피 좀 더 들여다보기 / 로스터를 꿈꾸며, 로스팅 / 배합의 미학, 블렌딩 / 나도 이제 커피의 맛을 안다, 커피 테이스팅 / 추출 기구가 다르면 커피 맛도 다르다 / 한 잔의 맛있는 커피를 위하여 / 핸드 드립 고수되기 / 바리스타, 그들은 누구인가? - 이렇게 구성되어있다. 

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그리고 어제는 카페 뎀셀브즈에 갔었다.  뿌듯한 케이크와 커피가 있는 곳.  아래 사진 출처는 themselves 홈페이지 - 사진을 클릭하면 카페 사이트에서 케이크를 미리 주문해놓고 원하는 날짜에 찾아갈 수 있다.  요건 슈크림이랑 과일들이 옹기종기 모여있는 슈타르트다. 

3층은 목아프고 2층은 시끄럽기 때문에 1층에 앉으려 했는데 자리가 없어서 바에 앉았다.  엎드려있기 딱 좋은 높이와 등받이없는 의자 때문에 허리에 통증이 느껴졌다.  그럴 때마다 몸을 일으켜 유리 너머에서 여러가지를 엄청나게 빨리 만드는 걸 구경했다.  날이 더워 그런지 녹차라떼를 만들어달라는 사람이 많았다.  슈루룩 툭툭 하면 '맛있게드세요'라고...  어쩜 그렇게 빨리 만드시지?  난 뭘 잘 흘리는 편이고...  커피 엎어뜨려 흥건한 트레이를 반납할 때 쑥쓰러웠던 적이 한두번이 아닌지라, 나도 저런 손놀림을 갖고싶다, 이런 생각을 했다.  척척척-  안흘리고.  ㅎㅎ

커피잔 옆에 엎드려 자다 머신 떨리는 소리에 화들짝 놀라서 깨곤 했다.  바에 앉아있으면 커피를 만들어주는 분들이 크게 인사하는 목소리를 계속 들을 수 있어서 좋다.  영수증에는 'Trust them...  They're Baristi'라고 써있다.  믿고픈 Baristi의 환영 패턴은, 누군가 한 명이 먼저 손님이 들어올 때 '어서오십시오'라고 하면 나머지 분들이 동시에 '어서오십시오'라고 한꺼번에 인사를 해주시는 것.  gospel이나 james brown 노래에 많이 쓰이는 call & response 패턴과 같다.  대중음악 시간에, 블루스가 처음 등장하기도 전 아프리카 원주민들이 목화 딸 때 즐겁게 일하기 위해 선창+제창 형식으로 부르던 음원을 들었었다.  우리 나라 민요에도 많은 바로 그! 

어서오십시오(한분) + 어서오십쇼어서오십쇼(다같이)

안녕히가십시오(한분) + 안녕히가십쇼안녕히가십쇼(다같이)

이걸 몇시간 동안 계-속 듣다보면 하루종일 목화밭에서 일할 수 있을 것 같다.  어제는 작게 따라하기도 했다.  themselves는 가서 무작정 마음이 편하다기보다는 약간 분주한 분위기 덕분에 손에 잡고있는 일이 잘 된다.  마음이 급하기만 하고 읽을거리, 쓸거리는 많을 때 한번씩 가서 오래 앉아 밀린 것들을 하고 온다.  아니면 그냥...  여기가 맛있어서 일이 잘 되는건지도 모르겠다.  맛있어서 웃으며...  '윌리를 찾아서'에 나오는 윌리 닮은 바리스타 분에게 인사를 하고 나왔다.

아무튼!  갑자기 커피 이야기를 하게 된 것은, ilsa slancio를 주문했기 때문이다.  어차피 비싼 랩탑을 못 살 바엔 평소에 필요했던 거라도 사놓잔 심정으로 샀다.  이 포스트를 쓰는 동안 택배 아저씨가 슬란치오를 갖다주셨다.  작년 여름 제천에서 돌아와 비알레띠 모카 2~3컵으로 지난 1년 동안 잘 마시다가 보일러가 많이 부식되어 더는 쓸 수 없게 되어버렸다.  보일러만 따로 살 수 있는 줄 알고 일단 밑부분만 지난 주 아파트 분리수거날에 버렸는데 -_- 따로 팔지 않아서 포트를 알아보던 중 집에서 샷 아메리카노 만들어마시기에 좋다는 스테인리스 포트로 눈을 돌려 결국 ilsa slancio를 골랐다.  단순히 설탕이 싫어서 아메리카노를 마시기 시작했는데, 지금은 케냐AA같은 과일맛 신맛 나는 커피는 말고 토리자나 과테말라 SHB같은 맛이 좋아졌다. 

콜럼비아, 브라질, 히말라야 같은 곳이 커피로 유명하지만 fair trade가 아닌 대부분의 커피 전문점이 채택하는 유통 방식이 그쪽 커피 농가에게 얼마나 큰 횡포인지 읽고 나서부터는 되도록이면 가려 마시려고 노력한다.  가려 마실게 아니라 아예 커피를 안마셔야 하는거 아니야?  라고 생각하면 우울하지만...  일단 착한 커피를 골라서 마시면 그나마 내가 할 수 있는 일을 하는 게 아닐까, 하는 마음으로.

slancio는 오동통 동글동글 작고 귀엽게 생겼다.  그러면서 포트 입모양은 껄껄 웃고있다, 껄껄껄.  손 쫙 펴면 손 전체보다 약간 작다.  2인분이니까 즉 1인분이라는 뜻이네.  엄마한테 보여드렸더니 잘 샀다고, 이번 것은 오래 쓰겠다고 좋아하셨다.  비알레띠 나머지 부분도 엄마가 이번주 분리수거날에 갖다 버리셨다면서...  아 - 이번 포트는 관리 잘 해서 오래오래 맛있게 해마셔야겠다.  맛있겠지 뭐! - 내가 맛있게 만들 수 없어도 대신 맛있는 음식을 만들어 주는 사람들이 세상에 많다는 것이 때때로 고맙다.  항상 고마워하면서 살아야지.  더운데 잘 먹읍시다.

If you are participating in the Obama campaign, you may have noticed that most meetings deal primarily with how to mobilize the vote--few of them deal with political issues or policies. The Democratic Platform meetings to be held between now and July 31 provide an alternative--an opportunity to talk politics and to advance the pro-labor politics you support.

In Sacramento we will hold one such meeting at:

7 PM, Obama Headquarters, 1420 65^th Street Suite 102.

Wed. July 30, 2008.

This particular event will focus on platform issues pertaining to NAFTA and Fair Trade, Immigration, and one or two additional issues. Other platform meetings could take up other issues such as the Employee Free Choice Act. You can influence the process by attending.

Please inform yourself in advance on Obama's positions on the issues by going to www.barackobama.com.

There will be several of these events in each city and region of the country. They will all be listed at www.mybarackobama.com/page/event.

Both the Obama campaign and Progressive Democrats of America are organizing such events.

Note: if you register at mybarackobama.com, you will be asked to make a financial donation. This is voluntary. You do not need to donate to attend the platform meetings.

For more information, contact Duane Campbell of Democratic Socialists of America at:

campd227@pacbell.net

RSVP http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4grx4

Do you know who picked the cocoa beans for your chocolate bar? Historically, beans picked by Mayans were treated like currency and were a deeply valued food source. When Cadbury and Hershey were growing business empires, plantation slaves picked beans without pay. We’ve learned that this slavery has not been entirely abolished. Browsing your local market, you will find that chocolate bars are dressed in labels with checklists of consumer concerns. Whether your chocolate is organic, GMO free or packaged in recycled paper, the most important information on the label may be that iconic Fair Trade Certified stamp.

Knowing the importance of Fair Trade certification (fair pay for labor) has become more common, but information never spreads fast enough. That is why Bitter Chocolate: The Dark Side of the World’s Most Seductive Sweet by the As it Happens radio host Carol Off is so valuable. Released in the United States this spring, Off’s book is a smart and captivating investigation of the chocolate trade, from ancient Mayan uses of cocoa though the rise of big chocolate business and the human lives compromised or out-rightly destroyed in its wake. Fortunately, Off closes with a more promising chapter that brings us back again to the Mayan cocoa farmers today and the efforts of chocolate makers who are helping transform workers’ living standards by choosing a Fair Trade business approach.

Off’s book provides a gruesome history of international chocolate trade, but she also offers encouragement that grass-roots activism and purchase voting for Fair Trade products can make a difference.

Though this hands-on experience, I learned about the importance of local and organic food, and how investing in this movement will help to create the world I want to see.  I realized that people in my neighborhood and on my campus, like me, were disconnected from their food sources, and that this was normal. As many of you can relate, I became a little food-obsessed, and I found others who shared my fascination.  How radically simple an idea to grow food for yourself and your friends!

Around this time, friends of mine were researching the feasibility of creating a community garden on campus.  A small group of about 6 interested students, the "garden group," met periodically to talk about our shared vision.  (PC does not have a local foods initiative, nor an environmental studies major [yet].  The few people who are passionate about these issues, when working together, demonstrate the ability to bring about change on a very grassroots level, but the process is slow.)  Little by little, a project took shape.  A nearby church donated a ½ acre grassy parking lot.  Soil was tested for contaminants by sending a sample to the University of Massachusetts soil testing facility.  For an urban area, the soil was miraculously low in lead and contaminant levels! We secured space, a small group of dedicated student gardeners, supporting faculty and staff… but the garden wasn't on our campus.  What would we grow, and who would benefit from this little green oasis? Greater community involvement was essential.

The garden group started talking to neighbors and small businesses in the area, to discover how people would feel about a garden.  The local health center and youth center expressed the most interest.  The garden project developed because we celebrated and utilized community assets (students, community groups, and small businesses) and identified potential (abandoned lots) to eventually meet community needs.

Three students involved in the garden group graduated, but stayed in the Smith Hill area to continue work on the garden.  (As you know, a challenge of organizing in college settings is that people graduate or leave for semester breaks before projects can really get underway.  In this case, the dedication of these individuals ensured the sustainability of the project.) The students partnered with a neighborhood action network called the Smith Hill Community Congress, and a committee developed to oversee funding and direction of the garden.  Since then, the Providence After School Alliance has teamed with the garden group to create a summer youth program centered on gardening and sustainability.  Check out the Community Congress's progress here http://communitycongress.blogspot.com/.

This process took more than a year, and we still have a ways to go.  We hope that the garden will provide hands-on learning for both college students and residents of the neighborhood.  We hope that students who see food growing locally and organically will stop to think about where their food comes from, especially in our dining halls.  And we hope that it will bring people together who otherwise wouldn't interact.  Everybody's got to eat, right?

Two years ago, members of the Providence College chapter of Amnesty International campaigned to change our campus coffee distributor to a fair trade-certified brand.  We were relieved to find out that the existing coffee distributor had a fair trade certified option, and a simple letter to our cafeteria manager secured a fair trade option in both cafeterias.  We declared this a small victory, but knew we were not finished.  Nevertheless, we were dismayed to find that our excitement about fair trade didn't make its way around our campus of 4,000 undergrads.  We observed that students didn't choose the fair trade option coffee, complete with the green indicator leaf and title in italics.  They chose the old brown coffee dispenser with the conventional coffee and boring label.  Why? Ethical consumption was not a priority because, honestly, no one suggested it be one.  Because Amnesty members were at capacity tackling too many other campaigns, we overlooked the importance of campus education around fair food.

Very few groups on campus are talking about fair food.  Before we can talk to decision makers or work with food providers, fair food has to become part of the campus culture.

Hope lies in the most unexpected places, like parking lots. Last semester, the environmental studies class worked with a local farm to make our school a CSA pick-up site.  Now, faculty, students, and staff receive local veggies every week.  Here lies an opportunity: a group of people, invested in local food, waiting in a parking lot every Tuesday afternoon for their fennel and squash.  What conversations could begin?

The movement grows from here, from classrooms, from volunteer service at urban gardens, from stepping off campus, and from conversations.

I am wondering: How have other student groups formed relationships with the community beyond campus walls?

I feel like we are in an unusual predicament in that we have outside community support, but lack support from the campus body, administrators, and academic groups. We have a lot of outreach to do. Any ideas to help us out?

Peace!

Kerry

say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.(w.berry)

Green Cotton just covered a 2 part series on Steve & Barry's in May ' "The Cheapest Dress in the World Part I and Part II - and I just wrote a piece on this latest news aptly entitled, 'Part III' on our new site. Come check our latest story on Steve & Barry out.

Photosource: Mark Lennihan/Associated Press as seen in The NY Times

habar nu aveam de aceasta poveste, pana nu am dat de produsele oxfam acum cateva saptamani, in bucuresti. la delicateria. daca poftiti, eu am incercat cafeaua pentru espresso.

hmm, stiu ca suna asa, dar acesta nu este un mesaj publicitar. doar o observatie.