Charity Wristbands Mate in Sweatshops:
Bitter irony for Oxfam and other charities

 

Iain Reeve, OP Contributor

It was revealed early in the sum-
mer that popular charity wrist-
bands sold at www.makepoverty-
history.com, a coalition of vari-
ous charities advocating the end
of extreme poverty, were pro-
duced in sweatshop conditions in
factories located in China.
Among the conditions being
investigated by ethics commis-
sions are wages falling below the
Chinese minimum wage of 2.39
Yuen per hour, unpaid overtime,
lack of fire exits, and denial of
days off. Oxfam, for its part,
never sold bands bought from
one factory after word of such
conditions arose and sold those
purchased from another factory
only after concerns were report-
edly addressed. The point
remains, however, that many

 

wristbands advocating an end to
poverty were sold to people after
being created in the very condi-
tions they claim to protest.

The charities have taken what
has been called a “positive
engagement policy,” working
with factories to improve condi-
tions. This policy has been taken
due to fears that angered with-
drawal from the factories would
just lead them to take their poor
conditions to another customer.
Still, many beg the question: why
were such wristbands not created
in factories paying higher than
minimum wages, or even pro-
duced in factories in the west?
Rither way many charities must
now wear egg on their face while

they continue to press forward
with the Make Poverty History
campaign.

 

 

NEWS 5
Testicular Cancer

A game of pocket pool that could save your life

Josie Padro, OP Contributor

Enter your BC postal code to access the site,
and then refer to the alphabetical list of
topics.

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness
Month. It’s also good time to think about tes-
ticular cancer. So far, there is no strongly
established cause of testicular cancer, but it is
most common in men between the ages of
15 and 34, and is five times more common in
Caucasian males.

Since testicular cancer is almost 100 per-
cent curable if it is found early, the best
defense is a good offense—a monthly testicu-
lar self-examination. If you find any of the
following, see your doctor right away:

@  Ahard and painless lump in a
testicle

e Pain, dull ache, of a feeling of
heaviness in the scrotum

e Swelling of the scrotum

e __ Bigger or tender breasts

Despite the positive prognosis, men often
wait too long before consulting their doctor.
The average time between symptom discov-
ery and actually going for medical help is 14
weeks. As a result, about half of those who
go for help are already at an advance stage of
the disease.

So, if you are a male between the ages 15
and 34, testicular cancer might not be the
topic you most want to talk about, but it is
worth thinking about. A simple monthly
check might be real lifesaver.

For more information about how to per-
form a testicular self-examination, go to
www.bchealthguide.org,

 

 

 

 

Pat Robertson Calls for Assassination
of Venezuelan President Chavez

Nicole Burton, News Editor

Right-wing US broadcaster Pat Robertson called for the
assassination of the democratically elected president of
Venezuela on Tuesday, August 23. In a statement that
put millions around the world in an uproar, Robertson
stated that Venezuela was becoming a “launching pad
for communist influence and Muslim extremism,” and
that “if [Chavez] thinks that we’re trying to assassinate
him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it.
It’s a whole lot cheaper than starting a war.” Even the
Bush administration quickly distanced itself from the
comments.

Despite Robertson’s attempted back-pedaling, the
Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned his
incitement for assassination, and is calling for
Robertson to be held accountable for his actions.
Inciting for the assassination of a government leader is
illegal under international law and is considered an act
of state terrorism.