Not Buying Their Products Anymore, . . .

John Baer: Maybe Hershey foreign workers are all-day suckers - Philly.com:

The students, on work, travel and cultural visas from China, Ghana and Eastern Europe, say Hershey gave them not culture but back-aching, production-line work on round-the-clock shifts at a candy-packaging warehouse.

They get about $8 an hour, minus charges for housing.

The kids there now protest mistreatment and say their initial complaints drew threats of deportation. The State Department is investigating and a team of academic labor lawyers showed up yesterday to talk with students. Among the lawyers, according to the Harrisburg Patriot-News, is Sarah Paoletti, director of Penn's Transnational Legal Clinic.

Another irony? Hershey laid off 700 full-time workers over the past four years and plans to lay off another 500 next year. One might wonder if cheap-labor kids from other countries were always part of the plan.

Meanwhile, Hershey reports a profit for the quarter just ended of $130 million, up from $46 million a year ago. And sales jumped 7.5 percent to $1.3 billion.

The company is distancing itself from the student flap on grounds that vendors and other temporary-hiring companies made all the arrangements. One such company now says it won't use exchange students again, and all of the companies involved say they'll offer the students a free trip to U.S. landmarks

Yum, . . .

I wonder why nPR didn't broadcast this story? Were they worried that their agribusiness underwriters (Cargill, Conagra, et al) would get upset?

Got Enhanced Meat? USDA Rule May Make It Easier To Tell : Shots - Health Blog : NPR

"About 30 percent of poultry, 15 percent of beef, and 90 percent of pork are injected with some kind of liquid enhancement before sale, USDA says, and it's usually something high in sodium. Yet consumers are often unaware that a solution has been added."

FRIDAY FEEDBAG FOR THE WEEKEND AND FOLLOWING WEEK:

Food for your spirit

(Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of traditional period of self reflection, penance, leading to Easter for we Christians):



Food for your mind

About four weeks ago, from January 23, 2009 “Bill Moyer’s Journal” (tivo it, tape, carve this program on tablets, there’s always something valuable he covers) :

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/01232009/profile.html

“Bill Moyers sat down with political columnist and blogger David Sirota and WALL STREET JOURNAL columnist Thomas Frank to talk about their expectations for this administration and what they think Obama must accomplish to bring real "change" to Washington.” Watch the show or read the transcript, you choice.

Grumpy’s favorite quote:

THOMAS FRANK: And but exactly what David said. He [Obama] doesn't — maybe he does understand that he has the power, I mean, this is where they teach you the orthodoxy, you know? Harvard, Chicago Law School. I mean, these are the upholders of the orthodoxy, the idea that, no, we can't have an industrial policy in America. The market has to decide. We can't pick winners. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

He now has the power to throw all that overboard. History is demanding that he throw it overboard. The — you know, the orthodoxy is discredited like at no time since, you know, the 1930s. It is, you know, it is in his power to do that. I think he'll rise to the challenge."

Food you should AVOID

How about 1170% of your daily cholesterol per serving sound?

http://consumerist.com/5161202/the-worst-food-product-ever-may-have-been-found

Am I the only one getting a disturbing zombie vibe?