Alright, having a look at my views list, I'll admit that I've probably over done it on the advocating of petitions and protests but I believe that this stuff is important. This is the news that doesn't get into the paper because the big companies don't want it to be. I might be an Autistic but I still live in this world and I care about it and I care about the people in it even if they are mostly homo sapients rather than homo autistics. Despite the fact that a lot of homo sapients would rather that I didn't exist, I remember that homo sapients are my parent race and I will respect them as such, even if some of their actions turn my stomach and get my goat. It's why I take the stand that I do. I can see the best that homo sapients could be and I want to help them reach it. If that makes me a snob as well as an autistic then so blasted be it. Besides we need to save this world, it's the only one with chocolate.
Still to give all my loyal readers a break from the advocating I will spilling the beans on my recent efforts to start up my career and get it off the ground.
About a week and a half ago I had to go into Dereham to visit the bank and while I was wanting for the bus home it crossed my mind that instead of making another trip into Dereham I could take care of an idea that I'd had a while ago. So I walked over to the citizens advice bureau and asked them 'how do I go about getting a busking license?' The immediate response was 'well, I've never been asked that before'. Well after trawling through the Internet a while and asking around, I was told to go to Dereham Town Council. Seeing as it was in the same building as the citizens advice bureau I nipped across the corridor and asked them.
They were not so helpful, in fact they were rather grumpy, saying that the information on the Breckland site was wrong and they didn't know why it was on there so I had to go to Breckland. Seeing as they have Headquarters in Dereham I walked over there and asked the same question.
They were brilliantly helpful, giving a couple of options, that I hadn't thought about. However, there is no way I can afford the four hundred and eight pounds (£408.00) fee for a street traders license so I'm going with just plain busking. However, for that you don't need a license, you just need the permission of the parish or town council. So back to Dereham Town Council I went. As a footnote, Breckland said that they won't mind me busking in the Nelson Place Precinct of Dereham.
When I got back to Dereham Town Council they were a little less grumpy and told me that it depended on where I wanted to busk in Nelson Place Precinct because the buildings are owned by a consortium of five charities that have they administration handled by Brownings of Norwich but the surface of the Precinct is the property of Norwich County Council. They gave me the numbers for both of them and then I came home 'cause I'd been three hours in Dereham instead of just one.
The next morning I phone Brownings of Norwich but the person I need to speak to wasn't going to be there until after half past eleven. So I sat around twiddling my thumbs until nearly twelve when the phone rang. However, the person at the other end just had time to ask my name before the line cut off. Believing it had to be the guy from Brownings of Norwich I phoned them back. It wasn't them but they dealt with the enquiry but dig this, apparently they actually only own one of the buildings and it isn't their responsibility to give me permission either. However, they won't have any objection to me busking my art work there as long as I don't block any door ways. They also told me that the Precinct has been adopted by the Highways Department of Norwich County Council so I phoned them next.
They have no interest in me as long as I don't interfere with the paving stones. They can't give me permission but they don't mind if I busk there as long as I don't damage the pavement. They also directed me back to, you guessed it, Dereham Town Council.
And guess what, they said that it's not their responsibility to give me permission but, dig this, neither will they say they don't mind because they don't want to give me wrong information and have me get into trouble.
So I have three authorities that say it's not their responsibility to give me permission but also it's O.K. by them and one that says that it's not their responsibility but won't say they don't mind either.
Great, anybody know where I'm meant to go next?
Thursday, 24 July 2014
Monday, 7 July 2014
TTIP - Secret Courts
Alright, I know it always seems that I'm banging on about some appeal or petition all the time but that is because, as far as I'm concerned, this is the stuff that should be in the news papers but isn't, probably because the big businesses pulling this crap don't want it in the newspapers.
For instance, a trade deal between the EU and US, known as TTIP (the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership), threatens to undermine our basic democratic rights and puts our public services at risk but despite the severity of the threat, TTIP is facing a media blackout, with the newspapers refusing to publish news about it. I wonder who told them not to.
Not only that but last month 250 people, including MPs and trade union leaders, were arrested in Brussels while peacefully protesting against TTIP. Now did that make it into the newspapers, no of course not, the businesses don't want us to know about it.
TTIP is being negotiated in secret – clearly, policy makers do not want people to know about it and if we want to beat this undemocratic deal, we need to make sure people know what's going on behind closed doors. Makes me feel like I'm living in 1930's Germany and this time it is the big business men who are acting like Hitler.
If that gets up your nose then here is the link to help out.
Take action and get TTIP into the papers.
One of the reasons the corporations don't want people knowing about TTIP is because it is set to include a system of offshore ‘corporate courts’ that will allow companies to sue governments for protecting their people and environment. They are dressing this up as "investor state dispute settlements" or “Investor-State Arbitration Settlement" (ISDS) but really all it means is that big businesses will be able to sue the governments for trying to curb their powers.
ISDS would set up a system of tribunals where corporations could take our governments to court if they didn’t like a particular law that they thought harmed their business.
If TTIP is passed a future UK government could be faced with huge law suits if it wanted to remove companies from the NHS, freeze energy prices, restore public control to the railways, outlaw fracking, or raise the minimum wage. That is what has happened where similar ‘corporate courts’ already in existence in other countries.
Recently Germany was sued for placing a moratorium on nuclear power by a Swedish energy giant, Argentina has been sued for freezing energy bills, Slovakia for renationalising its health insurance system, and Egypt for raising the minimum wage. Also Ecuador is being sued by Chevron because the country is requiring it to clean up a huge toxic oil spill in the heart of the Ecuadorian rainforest and Australia is being sued by Phillip Morris because it wants to take action to curb teenage smoking.
This is what ISDS would mean for Europe -- more corporate lawsuits against the things we care about.
Thanks to public pressure the EU Commission has opened up a public consultation on the part of TTIP allowing ‘corporate courts’. This gives us a unique opportunity to tell the EU we want democracy, not a corporate power grab. But guess what, they are only keeping the consultation open for a short period of time so it seems to me that they don't want too many people knowing about it.
The SumofUs community has built a tool to make submitting any comments you have about this destruction of our democracy easy - it doesn't take three minutes to use and it could be the best chance to tell both the EU and the US what we think about one of the most dangerous parts of the TTIP trade deal.
The EU’s consultation is a great first step - and it shows that pressure to drop the deal from all over the EU is starting to work. Now the EU have said they’ll listen, we need to make sure they hear from us. We know the public is against these rules -- but the EU needs to hear that loud and clear.
Making a comment is easy with this new tool, and it's our best chance of stopping these secret corporate courts.
See the link above if you want to tell the US to butt off. Seems weird to be having to do this to a county that has spent over a decade trying to convince the world that it's the good guy.
For instance, a trade deal between the EU and US, known as TTIP (the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership), threatens to undermine our basic democratic rights and puts our public services at risk but despite the severity of the threat, TTIP is facing a media blackout, with the newspapers refusing to publish news about it. I wonder who told them not to.
Not only that but last month 250 people, including MPs and trade union leaders, were arrested in Brussels while peacefully protesting against TTIP. Now did that make it into the newspapers, no of course not, the businesses don't want us to know about it.
TTIP is being negotiated in secret – clearly, policy makers do not want people to know about it and if we want to beat this undemocratic deal, we need to make sure people know what's going on behind closed doors. Makes me feel like I'm living in 1930's Germany and this time it is the big business men who are acting like Hitler.
If that gets up your nose then here is the link to help out.
Take action and get TTIP into the papers.
One of the reasons the corporations don't want people knowing about TTIP is because it is set to include a system of offshore ‘corporate courts’ that will allow companies to sue governments for protecting their people and environment. They are dressing this up as "investor state dispute settlements" or “Investor-State Arbitration Settlement" (ISDS) but really all it means is that big businesses will be able to sue the governments for trying to curb their powers.
ISDS would set up a system of tribunals where corporations could take our governments to court if they didn’t like a particular law that they thought harmed their business.
If TTIP is passed a future UK government could be faced with huge law suits if it wanted to remove companies from the NHS, freeze energy prices, restore public control to the railways, outlaw fracking, or raise the minimum wage. That is what has happened where similar ‘corporate courts’ already in existence in other countries.
Recently Germany was sued for placing a moratorium on nuclear power by a Swedish energy giant, Argentina has been sued for freezing energy bills, Slovakia for renationalising its health insurance system, and Egypt for raising the minimum wage. Also Ecuador is being sued by Chevron because the country is requiring it to clean up a huge toxic oil spill in the heart of the Ecuadorian rainforest and Australia is being sued by Phillip Morris because it wants to take action to curb teenage smoking.
This is what ISDS would mean for Europe -- more corporate lawsuits against the things we care about.
Thanks to public pressure the EU Commission has opened up a public consultation on the part of TTIP allowing ‘corporate courts’. This gives us a unique opportunity to tell the EU we want democracy, not a corporate power grab. But guess what, they are only keeping the consultation open for a short period of time so it seems to me that they don't want too many people knowing about it.
The SumofUs community has built a tool to make submitting any comments you have about this destruction of our democracy easy - it doesn't take three minutes to use and it could be the best chance to tell both the EU and the US what we think about one of the most dangerous parts of the TTIP trade deal.
The EU’s consultation is a great first step - and it shows that pressure to drop the deal from all over the EU is starting to work. Now the EU have said they’ll listen, we need to make sure they hear from us. We know the public is against these rules -- but the EU needs to hear that loud and clear.
Making a comment is easy with this new tool, and it's our best chance of stopping these secret corporate courts.
See the link above if you want to tell the US to butt off. Seems weird to be having to do this to a county that has spent over a decade trying to convince the world that it's the good guy.
Friday, 27 June 2014
Slavery in Seafood
“They kept me chained up, they didn’t care about me or give me any food...They sold us like animals, but we are not animals - we are human beings.”
This heart-wrenching quote is from a man sold from ship to ship in Thailand, caught in the trap of slavery and forced to work on a boat that supplies feed to the prawns we buy at the grocery store.
The three largest grocers in the world -- Walmart, Carrefour, and Costco -- were named specifically in a new investigation by the Guardian for selling prawns and shrimp whose production relies upon slave labour. One week later, those companies are still refusing to take two simple steps to rout out slavery from their supply chains -- and that’s where we come in.
Human rights activists are demanding Walmart, Carrefour and Costco join Project Issara, a Thailand-based initiative to end modern slavery, as well as institute a zero tolerance policy on slavery based on conditions on the ground. Before the spotlight of the Guardian expose fades, it's up to the free people of the world to raise their voices to speak out against slavery in the prawn industry.
The world’s largest prawn and shrimp farmer, Thailand-based Charoen Pokphand (CP) Foods, is the prime supply offender, buying from suppliers that work directly or indirectly with slave-manned fishing boats. Worse still, the problem isn’t limited to CP Foods. Indeed, human rights advocates have been raising alarms about conditions in the Thai seafood industry for years.
Project Issara was founded by Anti-Slavery International to eliminate slavery within export-oriented industries in Thailand. The project seeks to push brands that may be buying slavery-made products to use their brand power to eliminate slavery within global supply chains.
Testimony from escapees reveals the gravity of this exploitation. One trafficking victim said he had seen as many as 20 fellow slaves killed in front of him. “If you buy prawns or shrimp from Thailand, you will be buying the product of slave labour,” said Aidan McQuade, director of Anti-Slavery International.
SumOfUs have targeted Walmart in the past over its involvement in Thai slavery in fishing. It cut ties with the supplier in question -- but clearly no policies were in place to prevent this from happening again. This is why signing up to Project Issara and devising policies to prevent this from happening again are essential if meaningful change is ever going to be made.
Walmart customers exist all around the world -- it is a global company that owns Woolco stores in Canada, Walmex in Mexico, Bompreço in Brazil and Asda in the UK. Costco is planning a big expansion into Australia and Carrefour has stores in 34 countries. The companies are hoping their customers across the globe won't make the connection between CP Foods and the prawns we buy at the grocery store. Let's stand up together and show them how wrong they are. If you want to help, here's the link to:
Sign the petition to tell Costco, Walmart and Carrefour to take concrete actions to end slavery in their supply chains.
This heart-wrenching quote is from a man sold from ship to ship in Thailand, caught in the trap of slavery and forced to work on a boat that supplies feed to the prawns we buy at the grocery store.
The three largest grocers in the world -- Walmart, Carrefour, and Costco -- were named specifically in a new investigation by the Guardian for selling prawns and shrimp whose production relies upon slave labour. One week later, those companies are still refusing to take two simple steps to rout out slavery from their supply chains -- and that’s where we come in.
Human rights activists are demanding Walmart, Carrefour and Costco join Project Issara, a Thailand-based initiative to end modern slavery, as well as institute a zero tolerance policy on slavery based on conditions on the ground. Before the spotlight of the Guardian expose fades, it's up to the free people of the world to raise their voices to speak out against slavery in the prawn industry.
The world’s largest prawn and shrimp farmer, Thailand-based Charoen Pokphand (CP) Foods, is the prime supply offender, buying from suppliers that work directly or indirectly with slave-manned fishing boats. Worse still, the problem isn’t limited to CP Foods. Indeed, human rights advocates have been raising alarms about conditions in the Thai seafood industry for years.
Project Issara was founded by Anti-Slavery International to eliminate slavery within export-oriented industries in Thailand. The project seeks to push brands that may be buying slavery-made products to use their brand power to eliminate slavery within global supply chains.
Testimony from escapees reveals the gravity of this exploitation. One trafficking victim said he had seen as many as 20 fellow slaves killed in front of him. “If you buy prawns or shrimp from Thailand, you will be buying the product of slave labour,” said Aidan McQuade, director of Anti-Slavery International.
SumOfUs have targeted Walmart in the past over its involvement in Thai slavery in fishing. It cut ties with the supplier in question -- but clearly no policies were in place to prevent this from happening again. This is why signing up to Project Issara and devising policies to prevent this from happening again are essential if meaningful change is ever going to be made.
Walmart customers exist all around the world -- it is a global company that owns Woolco stores in Canada, Walmex in Mexico, Bompreço in Brazil and Asda in the UK. Costco is planning a big expansion into Australia and Carrefour has stores in 34 countries. The companies are hoping their customers across the globe won't make the connection between CP Foods and the prawns we buy at the grocery store. Let's stand up together and show them how wrong they are. If you want to help, here's the link to:
Sign the petition to tell Costco, Walmart and Carrefour to take concrete actions to end slavery in their supply chains.
Wednesday, 18 June 2014
Tony the Tiger - Truck Stop Attraction
For more than ten years, a tiger named Tony has been kept in a tiny cage of only 3,200 square-foot at a truck stop in Louisiana. Even though a law passed in 2006 prohibits the ownership of tigers in Louisiana, Tony's captor, Michael Sandlin, has continued to imprison him. And now, lawmakers in Louisiana are trying to pass a law that would make it legal to keep Tony imprisoned at the truck stop.
A truck stop is no place to keep a wild creature like Tony. Every day, diesel fumes from the enormous trucks passing through hurt Tony's eyes and lungs; the loud honking and other highway noises could be damaging his sensitive ears. Plus, Tony's bare cage has few toys for him to play with. Even though tigers love swimming, he doesn't have a pool to give him any relief from the blazing hot Louisiana sun.
And that's not counting the truck stop visitors who torment Tony, reducing this gorgeous, graceful tiger into a cowering, confused animal.
A few years ago, the Animal Legal Defence Fund won a case that would forbid Sandlin from renewing his permit to keep Tony. Yet he has refused to set him free -- and now the state Senate has passed a bill that would grant him a one-person exception to the law forbidding tiger ownership. The bill (S.B. 250) that would allow Michael Sandlin, the owner of the truck stop, to keep Tony, in defiance of Louisiana's own laws. Legislation passed in 2006 banned ownership of tigers in Louisiana but anyone who had owned a tiger prior to 2006 was grandfathered in. I'd call this a betrayal of the law abiding citizens of Louisiana.
That bill is currently sitting on Governor Bobby Jindal's desk for him to sign. If we don't stand up for Tony right now, he could be trapped in that cage forever. If you agree that a law is no law if you can buy exception from it then here's a link to the petition:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/589/086/506/last-chance-to-help-tony-the-tiger/
A truck stop is no place to keep a wild creature like Tony. Every day, diesel fumes from the enormous trucks passing through hurt Tony's eyes and lungs; the loud honking and other highway noises could be damaging his sensitive ears. Plus, Tony's bare cage has few toys for him to play with. Even though tigers love swimming, he doesn't have a pool to give him any relief from the blazing hot Louisiana sun.
And that's not counting the truck stop visitors who torment Tony, reducing this gorgeous, graceful tiger into a cowering, confused animal.
A few years ago, the Animal Legal Defence Fund won a case that would forbid Sandlin from renewing his permit to keep Tony. Yet he has refused to set him free -- and now the state Senate has passed a bill that would grant him a one-person exception to the law forbidding tiger ownership. The bill (S.B. 250) that would allow Michael Sandlin, the owner of the truck stop, to keep Tony, in defiance of Louisiana's own laws. Legislation passed in 2006 banned ownership of tigers in Louisiana but anyone who had owned a tiger prior to 2006 was grandfathered in. I'd call this a betrayal of the law abiding citizens of Louisiana.
That bill is currently sitting on Governor Bobby Jindal's desk for him to sign. If we don't stand up for Tony right now, he could be trapped in that cage forever. If you agree that a law is no law if you can buy exception from it then here's a link to the petition:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/589/086/506/last-chance-to-help-tony-the-tiger/
Friday, 13 June 2014
Vodafone and the Tax Dodging Scam
Vodafone has not paid a single penny in taxes since 2011, despite making a post-tax profit of £59.4 billion last year. Vodafone recorded this huge profit because it funnelled its revenues to Luxembourg -- despite having virtually no presence in the country.
While Vodafone is happy to take money from the pockets of people in the UK, it doesn't want to give anything back to the communities that keep it in business. Vodafone openly admits on its own website that it actively avoids paying tax so it can line the pockets of its shareholders. So I guess that it should be given points for honesty, even if it is being honest about being dishonest. Hang on isn't that a contradiction in terms? Rather like the oxymoron 'an honest politician'?
In India too, Vodafone have sought to avoid a further £1.6bn tax bill. However, the Indian authorities, unlike the British, have successfully pursued Vodafone for the money, forcing it to pay up.
While Vodafone is happy to take money from the pockets of people in the UK, it doesn't want to give anything back to the communities that keep it in business. Vodafone openly admits on its own website that it actively avoids paying tax so it can line the pockets of its shareholders. So I guess that it should be given points for honesty, even if it is being honest about being dishonest. Hang on isn't that a contradiction in terms? Rather like the oxymoron 'an honest politician'?
In India too, Vodafone have sought to avoid a further £1.6bn tax bill. However, the Indian authorities, unlike the British, have successfully pursued Vodafone for the money, forcing it to pay up.
Companies like Vodafone are crippling the UK’s social housing sector. Without corporations paying taxes, the government cannot afford to build much needed social housing. The amount of tax Vodafone owes the British government could pay for thousands of new homes. Not to mention shoring up the failing NHS.
Vodafone’s AGM is coming up in six weeks. It's time to show Vodafone that customers will no longer stand for the injustices that let multi-billion pound companies get away with anything, while ordinary people are left to pick up the pieces of a destroyed housing market. Here's the link if you want to add your voice to the chorus of protest.
Vodafone: It’s time to pay your fair share. Stop avoiding taxes by moving your operations to tax haven Luxembourg.
Vodafone: It’s time to pay your fair share. Stop avoiding taxes by moving your operations to tax haven Luxembourg.
The Nike Nine
Guess what? Turns out that there is yet another big business with dirty little skeletons in the closet.
Nike says it respects its employees' rights to join a union 'without harassment, interference or retaliation.' But it fired nine workers in Indonesia for doing exactly that.
The 'Nike Nine' formed a union at Nike's Chang Shin shoe factory to negotiate for better wages, better health insurance and the payment of promised bonuses. First management ignored their demands. Then when demonstrations began, the bosses started to intimidate them. Ultimately, they were all fired, and the police were called on the group's leader, Ato.
It's ridiculous for Nike to allow its factories to crush workers' demands for decent pay and conditions. The global sportswear giant made $25.3 billion in revenue last year. It can afford to pay its employees a living wage, even if it has the decency to pay it's taxes.
After they were fired, Ato and the other eight workers set up camp outside the Chang Shin factory gates. They were soon joined by other union members for a peaceful solidarity demonstration. This was met by a heavy and intimidating security presence, including police, Indonesian military, factory security and hired thugs.
This is blatant union-busting. Nike claims it is building a 'more empowered and equitable supply chain' but the reality for its workers on the ground is disempowerment, fear and intimidation.
It's vital that we stand up for the Nike Nine, to show this hypocritical company that the world is watching, and it can no longer build its empire on exploitation.
This sort of behaviour belongs in the history books of the eighteen hundreds (1800), when the Tolpuddle Martyrs were transported to Australia for daring to form a trade union. If you want to you can use the link below to put this over sized business back in its place. In the mean time, I'm not buying anything from Nike.
Tell Nike: reinstate the 'Nike Nine' with full back pay, and clean up your supply chain so that joining a union is genuinely respected.
Nike says it respects its employees' rights to join a union 'without harassment, interference or retaliation.' But it fired nine workers in Indonesia for doing exactly that.
The 'Nike Nine' formed a union at Nike's Chang Shin shoe factory to negotiate for better wages, better health insurance and the payment of promised bonuses. First management ignored their demands. Then when demonstrations began, the bosses started to intimidate them. Ultimately, they were all fired, and the police were called on the group's leader, Ato.
It's ridiculous for Nike to allow its factories to crush workers' demands for decent pay and conditions. The global sportswear giant made $25.3 billion in revenue last year. It can afford to pay its employees a living wage, even if it has the decency to pay it's taxes.
After they were fired, Ato and the other eight workers set up camp outside the Chang Shin factory gates. They were soon joined by other union members for a peaceful solidarity demonstration. This was met by a heavy and intimidating security presence, including police, Indonesian military, factory security and hired thugs.
This is blatant union-busting. Nike claims it is building a 'more empowered and equitable supply chain' but the reality for its workers on the ground is disempowerment, fear and intimidation.
It's vital that we stand up for the Nike Nine, to show this hypocritical company that the world is watching, and it can no longer build its empire on exploitation.
This sort of behaviour belongs in the history books of the eighteen hundreds (1800), when the Tolpuddle Martyrs were transported to Australia for daring to form a trade union. If you want to you can use the link below to put this over sized business back in its place. In the mean time, I'm not buying anything from Nike.
Tell Nike: reinstate the 'Nike Nine' with full back pay, and clean up your supply chain so that joining a union is genuinely respected.
Friday, 6 June 2014
Least We Forget
June 6th 1944. The day the world changed. The day the slaughter of thousands began to end. The day that the madness of one man began to crumble out from underneath him and his.
Much has been said about the Second World War and the Holocaust, the truth remains - it was a blood bath. The D-Day landings embodied six years of struggle in one day when the water turned pink with blood.
Can the mind comprehend the silhouettes of nine hundred bodies laying on the sand? Can the mind comprehend the attempted genocide of more than entire people?
What is sad is that the blood still flows.
We have had the Korean War, Vietnam, Bosnia, Ireland, Afghanistan, Iraq (twice), Africa and now Ukraine.
Can we honesty say that the Second World War ever stopped? When all soldiers still die on beaches and beach heads? When they lie bleeding on deserts and dust fields? When the bombs and the bullets still rip the life from soldier and civilian alike?
In two thousand years can we say that mankind has come any where, when all that changed is that we have perfected our methods of killing to the point where we can wipe out all life on the planet with the push of a button?
Some how I can't say that we have.
In Memorium - least we forget.
Much has been said about the Second World War and the Holocaust, the truth remains - it was a blood bath. The D-Day landings embodied six years of struggle in one day when the water turned pink with blood.
Can the mind comprehend the silhouettes of nine hundred bodies laying on the sand? Can the mind comprehend the attempted genocide of more than entire people?
What is sad is that the blood still flows.
We have had the Korean War, Vietnam, Bosnia, Ireland, Afghanistan, Iraq (twice), Africa and now Ukraine.
Can we honesty say that the Second World War ever stopped? When all soldiers still die on beaches and beach heads? When they lie bleeding on deserts and dust fields? When the bombs and the bullets still rip the life from soldier and civilian alike?
In two thousand years can we say that mankind has come any where, when all that changed is that we have perfected our methods of killing to the point where we can wipe out all life on the planet with the push of a button?
Some how I can't say that we have.
In Memorium - least we forget.
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