I presume everyone has heard of the term "Champaign socialism".
Well, after spending a lubricated weekend of hangovers, I've decided to better my life and eat fresh fruit instead.
I plan to continue this lifestyle until the weekend. That's 2 more days of sobriety!
To celebrate this new healthy lifestyle I've taken a picture of my dinner of this evening along with the book I am currently re-reading.
Obviously the artistic merits of the photograph are somewhat lacking, but there is a subtle irony to the pic.
You see:
The pineapples are from Del Monte. That's part of the "United Fruits" multi-national. They've cornered the fruit market in South and Central America. Most fruit farmers now have to work for them and get paid very little for their efforts.
Europe did subsidise smaller fruit farmers until a few years ago, giving them decent working conditions and normal wages. But the WTO (world trade organisation) ruled in United Fruits' favour and now my pineapples smell of slavery.
The melon is from Israel. Israel saps the life (water) out of the region to keep producing their fruits. The farmers who initially farmed in Israel used a trickling system to preserve the eco-system. But they only managed to produce enough to get by themselves. Hardly strange considering the climate in the Middle-East.
Because of the amount of water being used by Israel, the Dead Sea is shrinking at an alarming rate.
Don't worry about that though. It's dead anyway.
My Strawberries are Dutch. They're picked by illegal workers (illegal immigrants from the former Soviet countries and ex-refugees who are not going to get a permit). The farmers are willing to take the risk of being caught, because they can pay illegal workers half of what the minimum wage is, if they employed legal workers.
The illegal workers can hardly get by, but are pleased that they are getting some income. The Farmers are happy because they increase their profit margins. The Dutch consumer is happy, because
a) they don't want to do that job anyway and
b) they get their strawberries cheaper
And the Dutch government is happy because they've met their targets of "removing illegal people from the system".
Although it sounds like a fantastic fairy tale, the illegal immigrants are not insured and their kids don't go to school.
Yummy!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v90/shavixmir/strawberry2.jpg
Originally posted by Tirau Dancoca cola for one and some of the banana compaines, nestle products also for the shameful way they behave in columbia.
Good post Shav... what other brands should be avoided?
Meanwhile
Eat NZ produce,, picked by back packers on OE from Europe who party all night and pick by day.
these companies have been implicated in helping the columbian regime execute trade unionists.
Originally posted by chris stephens??? Of the main co's isn't Dole the one to avoid???
coca cola for one and some of the banana compaines, nestle products also for the shameful way they behave in columbia.
these companies have been implicated in helping the columbian regime execute trade unionists.
also which coffee companies are destroying the rain forest in Brasil and Columbia??
Footnote... our Govt have been practising Chardonnay Socialism what ever that really means.
Originally posted by XanthosNZYou drove to France from New Zealand? How long did that take you?
When I was young we drove to France. I ate an entire punnet of strawberries and was sick in the back seat. It was pink.
Reminds me of a girl I once dated, stunningly beautiful, but dumb as the day is long. She wanted to know how long it would take to get from Iowa to Switzerland by bus if she went there for a summer vacation. On a non-related topic, she also had no idea that the US had ever been at war with Japan, much less that they had dropped two atom bombs on them. Still she was phenomenal in many critical areas.
Originally posted by shavixmirAll I know is that I found the picture of your nipple vaguely disturbing at first, but, now I find myself plagued by a peculiar and inexplicable feeling of arousal.
I presume everyone has heard of the term "Champaign socialism".
Well, after spending a lubricated weekend of hangovers, I've decided to better my life and eat fresh fruit instead.
I plan to continue this lifestyle until the weekend. That's 2 more days of sobriety!
To celebrate this new healthy lifestyle I've taken a picture of my dinner of thi ...[text shortened]... n't go to school.
Yummy!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v90/shavixmir/strawberry2.jpg
http://photobucket.com/albums/v90/shavixmir/?action=view¤t=markjune2.jpg
Originally posted by Hand of HecateFrom England. And come to think of it the Chunnel wouldn't have been built back then. I guess we got a car ferry.
You drove to France from New Zealand? How long did that take you?
Reminds me of a girl I once dated, stunningly beautiful, but dumb as the day is long. She wanted to know how long it would take to get from Iowa to Switzerland by bus if she went there for a summer vacation. On a non-related topic, she also had no idea that the US had ever been at ...[text shortened]... that they had dropped two atom bombs on them. Still she was phenomenal in many critical areas.
