Good morning!

I am sure many of you are reading about the recent hot topic of the 3 girls that have been held captive for over a decade in a house basement in Ohio. I am sadly once again sickened by the abuse of men. There is so much chatter going on – Were the police lazy and uncaring when it came to investigating the perpetrator/rapist/abductor, Ariel Castro, who calls himself a sexual predator?  In my opinion, yes.

There have been past reports of him abducting his own children and abusing his wife, and yet why were his actions not taken and looked into more seriously when they were reported?  As Lacy pointed out “We also learn how incredibly inept the police are,” and I too echo Robert, RT, “…calls them ‘high school diplomas,’ they only act to gain extra hours in back pay.”  These are the men that are supposed to protect us.

I hate to say this but the truth is we women need to take our own lives into our own hands because we cannot rely on the men in uniform to come to our aid. They just could care less. More and more we are shown this. And every time I see a cop put to the test, I ask myself, what more can I do to protect myself?

And the more “normal” the man seems, the more I feel we need to be suspicious, because that is how it seems lately. “Oh…he was such a nice man…He would come over and share a beer, pet the dogs, water my lawn…blah blah blah.” The perps are smooth and they want you to think that they are “normal” so that you’ll trust them.

Sorry guys, even if you are a nice guy and aren’t a perp, my radar is on high alert. I am going to take precautions as if you are a perp, or at least a possible perp. And I’m going to take all precautions because I do not EVER want to be in a position that these and so many other girls have had to endure at the hands of  disgusting men.

If you are a decent guy and this thought process pisses you off. Tough. Deal with it or do something to help women so that we don’t have to live on high alert.

And now I read Castro is blaming the girls. Its their fault for being kidnapped. Castro writes: “They are here against their will because they made a mistake of getting in a car with a total stranger.” Ugh…I am so sick of men blaming the woman. Men just can’t seem to take responsibility for their own sick behavior. If he was is such need of a wanting help he could’ve asked for it. Instead he bound these women and raped and abused them as he saw fit. He even threatened to kill the girls when one became pregnant and was born premature because he starved and punched the pregnant girl in her stomach. Yeah…blame the girls.

Here’s a recent write from USA Today:

Ariel Castro arraigned on kidnap, rape charges

The suspect was making his first court appearance since three women were freed from captivity.

Handcuffed and wearing a dark blue jail jumpsuit, Castro stared at the floor throughout most of the five-minute hearing, even while exchanging words and a few nods with his attorney, public defender Kathleen DeMetz.

It was Castro’s first court appearance since Amanda Berry’s screams on Monday alerted neighbors, then the police, then the world to the nightmare she and two other victims — Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight — have endured at the hands of a sadistic captor in his west side house.

In a brief explanation of the charges, prosecutor Brian Murphy alleged that they were based on Castro’s “premeditated, deliberate and depraved decisions to snatch three young ladies from Cleveland’s west side streets to use for whatever self-gratifying, self-serving ways that he saw fit.”

He said the women were forced to endure a “horrifying ordeal for more than a decade” in which they were had been “bound, restrained and sexually assaulted.”

“They were never free to leave this residence,” he said, referring to Castro’s home on Seymour Avenue.

Murphy noted that the girls disappeared suddenly almost 10 years ago, but re-emerged “thankfully and miraculously” three days ago.

As Castro continued to look down at his feet, Murphy noted that while the suspect was now being held by authorities “the women are free to resume their lives that was interrupted and also with the promise and the hope that justice will be served.”

Cleveland Municipal Court judge Lauren Moore then set bail at $8 million. She said that if Castro, who is unemployed, should post the the bond, he is ordered to have “absolutely no contact with the victims or the victims’ families.”

“I knew that the bond would be extremely high,” said DeMetz, Castro’s attorney.

Ariel Castro is arraigned at Cleveland Municipal Court on four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape on May 9. Bail was set at $8 million. Emmanuel Dunand, AFP/Getty Images

Castro did not enter a plea, which DeMetz said would be done when the case is transferred from the municipal court to the county court. She said it was “quite possible” that the county prosecutor will charge Castro with additional crimes.

Castro, who has been under suicide watch during his confinement in the medical ward of the municipal jail, will be transferred to the county jail.

CBS News, quoting an unidentified law enforcement source, reported Thursday that FBI agents found a note in Castro’s house, apparently written in 2004, in which he apparently contemplated suicide and asked that all of his money be provided to each of his victims.

In the note, CBS’s investigative producer Pat Milton reported, Castro wrote that he was abused as a child and was raped by an uncle.

DeMetz, the public defender, said she met with Castro for 30 minutes Thursday morning to review his rights and court procedures. She declined to say whether he talked about the case or describe his demeanor.

She said he had not spoken to his brothers Thursday and that the men had been held separately.

Knight, now 32, remains in a Cleveland hospital. But Berry, 27, and DeJesus, 23, returned to their Cleveland homes earlier Wednesday for their first time in almost 10 years, where they were surrounded by family and friends.

The kidnapping charges include Berry’s 6-year-old daughter, who was conceived and born in the house on the city’s west side. DNA tests are being conducted to determine the child’s father.

Castro two brothers, Pedro and Onil, who were arrested along with him on Monday, also appeared with him in court. But prosecutors say there is no evidence linking them to the abduction and rape case or suggesting they had any knowledge of it.

They were in court on unrelated misdemeanor charges, which were quickly dispatched. The judge then ordered the two brothers released.

Even as prosecutors finalized formal charges, some grim details have emerged from an initial police report on what went on inside the house at 2207 Seymour Avenue on Cleveland’s west side.

The victims have told investigators similar stories of being abducted by Castro after he offered them a ride home from school or work.

The report, obtained by Cleveland TV station WKYC, sketches the outlines of the victims’ descent into hell. It is rife with details of beatings, chained confinement, starvation and death threats.

It alleges that Castro impregnated Knight five times, forced her to starve for weeks at a time and punched her in the stomach until she miscarried. Castro, the report said, also forced Knight to deliver Berry’s baby in a plastic kiddie pool and threatened to murder Knight if the newborn died.

“Michelle stated that Ariel told her that if the baby died, that he’d kill her,” the police report states, according to WKYC’s Tom Meyer.

The report then tells of the next few harrowing minutes as Knight fought for her own life and for the life of Berry’s child, Jocelyn, who had stopped breathing during the birth.

Knight, the report said, put her mouth to the Jocelyn’s mouth and “breathed for her” to keep them both alive.

The report, according to WKYC, says Berry managed to escape on Monday because Castro forgot to lock the “big inside door” when he left briefly to go to a local fast-food restaurant. She then alerted neighbors and called 911.

In newly released police audio tapes, a 911 dispatcher notifies officers on Monday that she’s just spoken to a woman who “says her name is Amanda Berry and that she had been kidnapped 10 years ago.”

An officer on the recorded call says, “This might be for real.”

Once police arrived, the officers checked the basement and then walked to the second floor.

“As we neared the top of the steps, Officer Espada hollered out, ‘Cleveland Police,’ at which time … Knight ran and threw herself into (Officer) Espada’s arms,” the officer writing the report noted. “We then asked if there was anyone else upstairs with her, when (DeJesus) came out of the bedroom. “

Espada then put Knight down and DeJesus jumped into the officer’s arms.

As the victims settled into their sudden freedom on Wednesday, Nancy DeJesus, Gina’s mother, thanked those who had helped the family over the past nine years.

“Even the ones that doubted, I want to thank them the most,” she said. “They’re the ones that made me stronger, the ones that made me feel the most that my daughter was out there.”

Gina’s aunt, Sandra Ruiz, called on friends, relatives and the media “to give us time and privacy to heal.”

**********

Readers: Castro is going to be held in captivity all right, just like the girls, but for probably a lot longer. And if he’s lucky he’ll get to experience what it’s like to be someone’s play thing, and see how he loves it. He use to drive a bus giving kids a ride. The bus is gone – Now all he is going to be is a ride. Payback is a bitch.

Thoughts? blog me.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

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Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

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Good morning!

I don’t know if all of you read Health Info but for the ones that do, I don’t know if the post about the toxic receipts got to you, but it affected me. I am a businesswoman and I am handling receipts all of the time. This is not the first time I have heard about thermal paper being bad to touch but now it is much worse for our health! And reading this recent write has certainly inspired me to act differently. I am already so aware of the many germs that fly around on a daily basis and how to keep myself protected. I eat as healthy as possible. And now it looks like I am going to have to don some rubber gloves when I file my receipts (!) What next? And why is this being allowed in the market?

I’ll tell you what is next, and why it is happening. I found this on the Huff Po. A good write by Robert Reich. The republican party cares more about their corporate cronies and obtaining as much wealth as possible, and could care less about our safety and making sure that we have our safety laws in place and enough people to run them. Instead, when they can’t directly repeal laws they don’t like, they just hollow them out by denying funds that are needed to enforce them.  - And our health & safety is just one area that is being hollowed out. Read on to discover more.

The Hollowing Out of Government

The West, Texas chemical and fertilizer plant where at least 15 were killed and more than 200 injured a few weeks ago hadn’t been fully inspected by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration since 1985. (A partial inspection in 2011 had resulted in $5,250 in fines.)

OSHA and its state partners have a total of 2,200 inspectors charged with ensuring the safety of over more than 8 million workplaces employing 130 million workers. That comes to about one inspector for every 59,000 American workers.

There’s no way it can do its job with so few resources, but OSHA has been systematically hollowed out for the years under Republican administrations and congresses that have despised the agency since its inception.

In effect, much of our nation’s worker safety laws and rules have been quietly repealed because there aren’t enough inspectors to enforce them. That’s been the Republican strategy in general: When they can’t directly repeal laws they don’t like, they repeal them indirectly by hollowing them out — denying funds to fully implement them, and reducing funds to enforce them.

Consider taxes. Republicans have been unable to round up enough votes to cut taxes on big corporations and the wealthy as much as they’d like, so what do they do? They’re hollowing out the IRS. As they cut its enforcement budget – presto! — tax collections decline.

Despite an increasing number of billionaires and multi-millionaires using every tax dodge imaginable – laundering their money through phantom corporations and tax havens (Remember Mitt’s tax returns?) — the IRS’s budget has been cut by 17 percent since 2002, adjusted for inflation.

To manage the $594.5 million in additional cuts required by the sequester, the agency has announced it will furlough each of its more than 89,000 employees for at least five days this year.

This budget stinginess doesn’t save the government money. Quite the opposite. Less IRS enforcement means less revenue. It’s been estimated that every dollar invested in the IRS’s enforcement, modernization and management system reduces the federal budget deficit by $200, and that furloughing 1,800 IRS “policemen” will cost the Treasury $4.5 billion in lost revenue.

But congressional Republicans aren’t interested in more revenue. Their goal is to cut taxes on big corporations and the wealthy.

Representative Charles Boustany, the Louisiana Republican who heads the House subcommittee overseeing the IRS, says the IRS sequester cuts should stay in force. He calls for an overhaul of the tax code instead.

In a similar manner, congressional Republicans and their patrons on Wall Street who opposed the Dodd-Frank financial reform law have been hollowing out the law by making sure agencies charged with implementing it don’t have the funds they need to do the job.

As a result, much of Dodd-Frank – including the so-called “Volcker Rule” restrictions on the kind of derivatives trading that got the Street into trouble in the first place – is still on the drawing boards.

Perhaps more than any other law, Republicans hate the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Yet despite holding more than 33 votes to repeal it, they still haven’t succeeded.

So what do they do? Try to hollow it out. Congressional Republicans have repeatedly denied funding requests to implement Obamacare, leaving Health and Human Services (the agency charged with designing the rules under the Act and enforcing them) so shorthanded it has to delay much of it.

Even before the sequester, the agency was running on the same budget it had before Obamacare was enacted. Now it’s lost billions more.

A new insurance marketplace specifically for small business, for example, was supposed to be up and running in January. But officials now say it won’t be available until 2015 in the 33 states where the federal government will be running insurance markets known as exchanges.

This is a potentially large blow to Obamacare’s political support. A major selling point for the legislation had been providing affordable health insurance to small businesses and their employees.

Yes, and eroding political support is exactly what congressional Republicans want. They fear that Obamacare, once fully implemented, will be too popular to dismantle. So they’re out to delay it as long as possible while keeping up a drumbeat about its flaws.

Repealing laws by hollowing them out — failing to fund their enforcement or implementation — works because the public doesn’t know it’s happening. Enactment of a law attracts attention; de-funding it doesn’t.

The strategy also seems to bolster the Republican view that government is incompetent. If government can’t do what it’s supposed to do — keep workplaces safe, ensure that the rich pay taxes they owe, protect small investors, implement Obamacare — why give it any additional responsibility?

The public doesn’t know the real reason why the government isn’t doing its job is it’s being hollowed out.

*******

Readers: It is sickening how much our health (not to mention many other things) is affected by the decisions that our government makes on our behalf. If you don’t think your voice or your vote matters you are so wrong. If we continue like this, our health is going to deteriorate in so many ways and all of us are going to be supporting the drug companies, and stuffing the pockets of the greedy, whether we want to or not.

What are your thoughts? Blog me.

Lakshmi: Of course. I am so sorry for the loss of your dear friend. I cannot imagine what you and her loved ones must be feeling. My best to you. Thank you for being here with me, reading my blog.

Danielle: Umm..that’s hard. One can’t compete with something like that. I’m happy for you that you have moved on and I HOPE you find another love that is mutual.

Arlene:  Yes, I like to think the same as well. Perhaps we will meet. I forgot to say thanks for being a loyal reader for the past 4 years. My best to you too. I HOPE you enjoy your new life in Berkeley.

Peace out. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good Monday morning!

How was the weekend? I don’t know about you, but I am having a tough time this Monday morning. I am blogging in bed but all I want to do is put my computer aside and put my head back on my pillow and rack out for a bit more.

And I don’t know if this is happening to you but every time I get onto my blog, the video from 3 days ago about the 5-year old who shot his sister starts up automatically. What’s the deal? A tad bit bothersome right? If it is happening to you too, you can be rest assured I have fixed the issue. The video is out of here. Ba-bye.

Speaking of saying ba-bye…

Relationship Study Finds Link Between Depression And Unsupportive Spouses

When it comes to your mental health, it’s true that being alone is better than being in bad company, according to a new study from the University of Michigan.

Psychiatrist Dr. Alan Teo, who led the study, found that people with unsupportive or critical spouses were significantly more likely to be depressed than people who were not in a “steady, marriage-like relationship.”

“The quality of your relationships matters more than quantity when it comes to depression,” he told NPR.

Researchers surveyed 4,642 American adults between the ages of 25 and 75 in the 1990s and then again 10 years later. Participants were asked questions intended to measure their partner’s level of support, such as “How much can you rely on him or her for help if you have a serious problem?” and “How much can you open up to him or her if you need to talk about your worries?” They were also asked questions to gauge how strained their relationships were, such as ““How often does he or she criticize you?” and “How often does he or she let you down when you are counting on him or her?”

The study also examined the effects of other non-marital relationships with friends and family on depression, but found them to be less predictive than spousal relationships.

*******

Readers: Click on the title heading to link you to original article which shows a slideshow of 10 of the most interesting divorce-related research findings of the last year.

Without getting too personal about my last relationship, since I am obviously not anonymous in my tellings, I will at least confess to you that for me, it is better to be alone. That is all I will say.

Except I will add that I did click over to slideshow and the first thing I thought when I read it was, “Here we go again – Blame it on the woman.” I could be wrong, but I’m not sure I believe the validity of the first finding:

Divorce could be in a woman’s genes. In February 2012, Swedish scientists released a study suggesting that a specific gene may explain why some women have a hard time committing, or staying committed, should they marry. 

The researchers found that women who possessed a variation of the oxytocin receptor gene known as A-allele were less likely to get married due to difficulty bonding with other people. Those with the gene who did marry were 50 percent more likely to report “marital crisis or threat of divorce.” 

As far as having a hard time committing, I know quite a few single girlfriends who have been proposed to more than once, and have tuned the men down. Not because they had a difficult time bonding or making a commitment but because they didn’t want to settle. The didn’t feel that the men they were with were true partners. They enjoying the man and the relationship, but not enough to commit to the seriousness of marriage.

I also know quite a few married women who wanted out because their husbands turned out to be not who they thought they were. They felt like they were in the relationship alone – he wasn’t a team player. The word “narcissist” was not an uncommon word in the conversation. I think many women are just sick of the things many men (not all) do and won’t do, and either don’t feel their needs are met to make the commitment or are tired of not getting their needs met in the relationship and want out.

Although I don’t expect any relationship to be perfect, I know for me, the things I now look for and expect in a relationship are far different than they were 20 years ago. As far as the rest of the findings with respect to my divorce, I found some of them interesting. Very interesting.

Are you better off without your spouse? Did any of these findings apply to you in your divorce? Blog me.

Peace out. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning.

“Just noticing…”

…If we keep demanding cheaper prices on the clothing that we buy…if we keep supporting stores such as Walmart, Target, Primark, Matalan and Mango, etc., we are having a direct effect on the livelihood of women garment workers. Team that up with a factory owner who cares more about his bottom line than the safety and well-being of his workers, and you get a catastrophe such as the recent one in Bangladesh.

BANGLADESH: Corruption harms women garment workers in building collapse

(WNN) Dhaka, BANGLADESH, SOUTH ASIA: In a city where work comes hard, the often grueling work of a woman garment workers, including migrant garment workers, in Dhaka can be filled with unseen danger. In the past 7 months the Tazreen Fashions building trapped mostly women textile workers as doors were locked shut killing 100 of the women who could not escape when fire broke out. The most recent danger in a different 8 story Rana Plaza Building collapse has killed over 380 garment workers in what has been described as the worst industrial accident for workers throughout Bangladesh. Over 2,220 people have been trapped in the rubble with injuries flooding medical facilities.

Rescue efforts for the survivors have been overwhelming and difficult as substandard equipment was the only equipment available and fire broke out during the recent rescue efforts out causing more deaths. Hopes for finding anyone else alive has at this point grown slim says the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Following his arraignment, the owner of the collapsed multi-floor building, Mohammed Sohel Rana, left the courtroom in Dhaka yesterday on his way to jail after receiving charges surrounding corruption with negligence, illegal construction and forcing workers to work under duress. To protect him from an intensifying protesting crowd Sohel Rana wore a police riot helmet and a bulletproof vest as he left the court and walked to a vehicle on his way to jail under police escort. He is one of 8 other people connected to the daily operations of the Rana garment factory who were arrested after the dramatic collapse of the building took place.

Ignoring earlier warnings by inspectors that the illegal building housing thousands of garment workers was unsafe, critical cracks in the structure were discovered and reported by inspectors. But no direct action nor response followup ever happened.

Human rights advocates call the act an industry-wide endangerment and abuse of workers, as well as a government oversight.

“Reforms should include a drastic overhaul of the government’s system of labor inspections and an end to government efforts to thwart the right of workers to unionize,” said Human Rights Watch.

In an Bangladesh industry that has brought in almost 9 Billion dollars, today’s average pay for a women garment worker is $38 (USD) per month. Long hours, that can include unsafe 24 hour work cycles, along with few breaks and other work allowances have been found.

“All the factory buildings visited except one are over-crowded, congested and poorly ventilated. The floor space per worker is small and stairways are narrow. In one factory, bundles of cloth and cartons were found on the staircases,” outlined Dhaka University associate professor and researcher Momtaz Jahan. “The workers work under hundreds of powerful electric bulbs for the whole time of their work. It was observed that, the sound of the operation of 100-200 sewing machines in the same work floor exposed the workers to high noise that exceeded tolerable level.”

Other sharp criticism of officials at top levels in the Bangladesh government include their refusal to allow an international rescue country teams to go in and assist immediately when the collapse occurred as United Nations sponsored INSARAG -International Search and Rescue Advisory Group was turned away.

In an area especially prone to earthquakes it is thought that government officials, as well as building owners, have looked the other way on enforcing building codes for a long time that might otherwise have saved lives. In 2012 only 18 government inspectors had been issued to work to inspect approximately 100,000 factory buildings in Dhaka outlines Human Rights Watch.

“This company [Rana Plaza Factory] has to take action immediately to support the families of the people who were killed and injured,” said London based advocates War on Want Campaign and Policy Director Ruth Tanner, who was in Dhaka on the scene.

As giant retailers juggle a history of buying from Bangladesh companies like U.K. based clothing distributor Primark, along with The Gap, Walmart and subsidiaries under The Gap like Banana Republic and Old Navy, no corporations to date have been implicated with any direct connection to the Rana Plaza Factory operations.

Canada based child clothing distributors Loblaw as well as Primark have recently made statements promising that families of the catastrophe will be receiving financial assistance through their corporate channels, especially children who have become orphans.

Because of an increasing rate of garment worker deaths affecting hundreds of women as well as men, the corporate clothing push is now on for greater managed transparency and integrity with partnerships for Bangladeshi manufacturing practices and conditions.

But management efforts against corruption in Bangladesh have a long way to go say global advocates for women garment workers.

In a recent public release The Gap said it did not have any connection to the Rana Plaza operations. Last month the corporation pledged 33 Million to improve safety with inspectors to its facilities by hiring independent contractors working in Bangladesh. Walmart is doing the same with 1.8 Million that is now going for factory safety management.

“Given the long record of worker deaths in factories, this tragedy was sadly predictable,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch recently. “The government, local factory owners, and the international garment industry pay workers among the world’s lowest wages, but didn’t have the decency to ensure safe conditions for the people who put clothes on the backs of people all over the world,” he continued.

*******

Readers: We all purchase many things – Can we try to buy with a conscious? Thoughts? What are you “just noticing?” Blog me.

Irene: Yes, you are so correct. I was only looking at the positive side but of course it does go both ways, and unfortunately you gave two great examples of how an organized minority can manipulate the unorganized majority.  Thanks for pointing those out.

Naji: If only love could bring peace, but we know better don’t we.

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Peace & Love…

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

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Good morning!

I discovered this segment; an interview with the writer Marianne Williamson on Oprah’s network. I haven’t read Williamson’s book, however, I found this to be interesting and…wanted to share it, and hear your thoughts.

In 1992, Marianne Williamson, author of A Return to Love, said that the following 20 years would be critical to the survival of mankind. Now that time has come. Find out why she says we’re both better and worse off than before—and reveals the one force that still has the potential to turn everything around.

Marianne Williamson on What’s Wrong—and Right—with the World

Readers: I agree with Williamson – I too believe that small groups of people can become powerful with their voice and their ideas and bring about big change. We’ve seen it happen historically, how even one person’s actions can change the world. We can’t wait on the majority to all agree. We are recently seeing how some issues are literally at a standstill.

Sometimes…many times, it takes radical ideas or actions to get something to happen, something to change.  Rosa Parks, is perfect example. I try to think of how I can have a positive affect in the things I believe in…the things that I think will be for the good of all. How about you?

We are the only species that systematically destroys our own habitat because we are the only species on our planet that is greedy. And because of that greed we do things that are not in our best interest or the best interest of our planet, which in the end effects our livelihood. Throw in racism, mix it up with greed, and you have a recipe for “how quickly can we destroy our economy, our environment…?” I could go on.

I also like that Williamson points out that although reading spiritual books is good we can’t just be all about crystals and rainbows…and la de da...” We need to get involved and have a voice. I found it interesting when she speaks about what Martin Luther King said about Ghandi, lifting love beyond mere personal relationship, and turned it into a broad scale social force for good. Terrorists have taken hatred and turned into a political force….the only way to transform that..is if we turn love into a social and political force, like King and Ghandi.” Hmm…I like that.

Thoughts? Blog me.

Happy  Saturday! Thanks for being here with me. Sending love…

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"