News Bites: Buy Nothing Day; USC Protest; BuinessWeek on Sweatshops

#1

Tomorrow, Nov. 24, is Buy Nothing Day. An informal day of protest against consumerism founded by Vancouver artist Ted Dave and subsequently promoted by the Canadian Adbusters magazine. Adbusters will feature the best ideas. If you have plans, e-mail the magazine.

#2

USC students staged a (mostly) naked protest against university-licensed apparel sold in the campus bookstore. The students are asking that:

1. USC not buy products from companies without independent factory monitors.
2. The companies making USC apparel consider consolidating with all manufacturers of college apparel to a set of factories held to industry standards.

#3

BusinessWeek cover story (Nov. 27) on “Secrets, Lies, and Sweatshops: How Chinese suppliers hid the truth from US companies.”

See this table highlighting some of the ways Chinese factories frustrate labor auditors by gaming the system. Here is a table comparing conditions between China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, etc.