The slave labor behind your favorite clothing brands: Gap, H&M and more exposed.

 

A new report from Human Rights Watch details the criminally abusive conditions in Cambodia's garment factories (By Patrick Winn/GlobalPost).

 

(Credit: Shutterstock).

 

BANGKOK, Thailand — No one expects to find paradise inside a Cambodian sweatshop.

But a new Human Rights Watch report reveals that conditions at the poor nation’s garment factories aren’t merely bad. They’re often criminally abusive.

Americans have reason to cringe over the sad conditions forced on Cambodian clothing makers. The United States is the top destination for “Made in Cambodia” clothes. Major brands such as Gap, Marks & Spencer and Adidas all rely on Cambodians to stitch their clothing.

 

Outlets such as H&M can sell hoodies for as little as $25 because Cambodian women (almost all the workers are women) will sew for roughly 50 cents per hour.

 

Cambodia’s clothing factories are notoriously unpleasant. They’re hot and loud. Workers routinely flop on the floor in mass fainting episodes. Last year, strikes for better pay were crushed by authorities who shot dozens dead.

 

And yet half a million Cambodians work in this sector — namely because the main alternative, toiling in rice paddies, can be even worse.

 

The Human Rights Watch report, “Work Faster or Get Out,” undermines major clothing conglomerates’ claims that factory abuses in Cambodia are isolated and easily fixed.

 

Interviews with workers in more than 70 factories add to the growing pile of evidence that suggests severe abuse is rampant — not rare — in Cambodian factories that stitch clothes for the West’s many mallrats. Here are four damning facts:

 

Factories hire children.

A young Cambodian garment worker watches a video from a mobile phone in her room near the factories in Phnom Penh on May 9, 2014. (Getty Images).

 

Kids under 15 are legally forbidden to work in Cambodian factories. But some workers told Human Rights Watch that they dropped out of the seventh or eighth grade — at ages ranging from 12 to 14 — so they could start stitching for international brands.

 

According to the report, one woman at a factory supplying H&M clothes “estimated that 20 of the 60 workers were children.” Others told Human Rights Watch that “children worked as hard as adults” and would stitch long hours into the night.

Factories fire women who are visibly pregnant.

 

 

A group of garment workers protest inside the Canadia Industrial Park on Sept. 17, 2014 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

(Getty Images)

Roughly 90 percent of Cambodia’s seamstresses are women. And if they get pregnant, they’re often fired.

Pregnant workers are seen as slow, unproductive and prone to frequent bathroom breaks. At nearly half of the 70 factories investigated in the report, workers reported discrimination against pregnant workers.

 

As one former garment worker said, women will “wear their skirts or clothes really tight and try to squeeze their belly in so they can hide their pregnancy.” One factory accused by workers of discriminating against pregnant women has supplied clothes to Gap, according to Human Rights Watch.

 

Factories scream at you for using the toilet.

 

An armed member of the security forces watches as a group of young garment workers have lunch in one of the streets inside the Canadia Industrial Park near Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

 (Getty Images)

 Using the toilet during a 10-hour shift — even once or twice — can provoke the wrath of bosses. One factory cited in the report apparently makes threatening announcements over loudspeakers like, “Don’t go to the toilet … you need to sew faster.”

 

Factories scam workers out of cash.

 

Cambodian military police arrest protesters during a demonstration by garment workers to demand higher wages in front of a factory in Phnom Penh on Jan. 3, 2014. Cambodian police opened fire on the garment workers, killing at least three people. (Getty Images).

Some factories will promise extra cash to workers who churn out an exceptional number of blouses and T-shirts. The workers will clamor to hit this quota — all in the hopes of earning an extra 50 to 75 cents at the day’s end.

And then, according to Human Rights Watch, some factories will simply refuse to pay them. These quotas can also be extremely high: 2,000 shirts stitched in a 10-hour day. But when workers can’t stitch fast enough, they’re often told to go home so they can be replaced.

The most extreme abuses are carried out in shadowy off-the-books factories that secretly operate under legit factories with proper licenses. “The rights violations are the worst in these factories,” said Aruna Kashyap, the report’s lead author, “and we don’t even know how many of them exist.”

 

http://www.salon.com/2015/03/22/the_slave_labor_behind_your_favorite_clothing_brands_gap_hm_and_more_exposed_partner/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow 

 

After A Disaster, This Is What Flight Attendants Want You To Know.

 

After any airline incident, flight attendants take on an even more crucial role. In the wake of the Germanwings tragedy, it is no different. Passengers want to know they are safe. As we carry on with continually-booked flights, it makes sense that we look to airlines and flight attendants to make us feel better. Here is what flight attendants everywhere would like you to know:

 

1. Flying is still safe.

 

We flight attendants know that we are all safer in the sky than in a car, and we know flying is still one of the safest modes of transportation. Do your own research and see. (If you look up car accident statistics compared with aviation accidents, you may actually become afraid of driving!) Another tool that eased my mind is Flight Aware, which allows you to view aircraft traffic around any airport. You will be amazed at how many airplanes are flying around that one airport, putting the sheer number of safe flights in perspective.

 

2. The media doesn't necessarily reflect our views.

 

One thing that needs to be addressed is that the media can sometimes compromise our security! Time and time again, more than a few reporters and news outlets disclose what is supposed to be secured information. We all need to stay vigilant. Publicizing airline security measures to boost ratings is not ok. Flight attendants would like the media to respect the boundaries of our security measures and not disclose this information to the public.

 

3. There are ways to calm your fear of flying.

 

Flight attendants are a family no matter the uniform, and any airline tragedy is devastating to us. Our hearts go out to our brothers and sisters at Germanwings, and our hearts hurt too. This incident causes flight attendants anxiety just like anyone else. In the U.S. most airlines thankfully have resources like the Employee Assistant Program (EAP) to help when needed. If you have fears about an upcoming flight, then practice a new fast before an upcoming trip, meditate before travel, and look to your flight attendants for reassurance. A book I always recommend is Gavin De Becker's The Gift of Fear. This book does much to empower you and helps you differentiate true fear from ongoing anxiety.

 

4. And we're doing our best to make flights safe, too.

 

Flight attendants work to not become complacent. Flight attendants attend mandatory training once a year to hone and review the skills they are taught in initial training. Flight and cabin crews attend crew briefings prior to the start of any trip. This is an important safety measure to make sure the entire crew is on the same page. Passengers can help by making the flight attendants aware of any concerns that they may have. While flight attendants are the eyes and ears of the cabin, they can't possibly be everywhere at all times. If you notice something unusual, let us know.

 

In any aviation incident we can take solace in the fact that from most tragedies come lessons and safety improvements. Let's hope this is true as the details unfold for Germanwings Flight 9525.

 

(Sara Keagle, Flight attendant & founder of TheFlyingPinto.com).

 

Women Over 50 Are Invisible? I Must Have Missed The Memo.

 

Here's an if-a-tree-falls-in-the-forest question: if society didn't tell older women they were invisible, would older women still feel invisible?

 

The other day I stumbled upon an article in Salon written by Tira Harpaz. The author's pedigree was impeccable: a graduate of Juilliard, Princeton University and Fordham Law School, a mother of three, and a former attorney who now runs a college admissions guidance business. You would expect a woman of this stature to write from a place of empowerment, would you not? Instead, she penned a piece called "Women Over 50 Are Invisible." Harpaz writes that anyone can be made to feel invisible if they're put in "the shoes of an over-50 woman," and goes on to recount copious scenarios that have made her feel value-less, beginning when a younger man on a train shot her a disinterested glance.

 

The article was full of anecdotes like that, and the more I read, the more depressed I felt. I didn't feel depressed because I related. I felt depressed because I loathe the power that stale older-women-are-invisible narrative wields. The writer should have been basking in the glow of a half-century well-spent, but she sounded more like someone in desperate need of Prozac. Here was a smart, accomplished woman who'd had the benefit of a five-star education and a brilliant career, whose self-worth had vanished with the advent of menopause. She writes:

 

Passersby would simply not see me when I walked down the street. People I met at parties would look slightly disappointed and then look past me, and gradually, I began to shrink inside.

 

I asked myself why I don't feel invisible, at 52. I'm a financially stressed single mother who lives in an apartment, works a full-time job, a part-time job, and writes a blog. And yet I don't feel invisible. I feel like I can compete with younger women for male attention and am surprised when I walk into a room and a man doesn't look at me. I never wonder what's wrong with me; I wonder, what the hell's wrong with him?

 

So how did I miss this dismal memo? How have I reached the grand old age age of 52 still feeling desirable ... in a far more durable and meaningful way than I did in my 20s?

 

The easy answer is that I don't look 52, whatever 52 is supposed to look like these days. But it goes far beyond my appearance and speaks to my attitude. After decades spent trying to follow the culture's party line about women, I now get a subversive thrill from trying to disrupt it. I'm a firm believer that our thoughts affect our emotions and self-concept, which then shape our actions.

 

I could look at myself and see a middle-aged, cash-strapped, over-worked, and occasionally overwrought single mom. OR I could see a survivor who shed her Stepford Wife shell and now isn't letting anyone dictate how she should live, who she should date, or what kind of sex she should have. 

 

Shrugging off society's death knell to mature women takes audacity, something every 50-plus woman needs if she doesn't want to go gently into that good night. Feeling invisible stems less from one's appearance, and more from the value we put on other people's often shallow judgments of middle-aged women. I think it's my refusal to listen to the messages telling me I've passed my expiration date, and my determination to create a brilliant second act, that makes me seem younger than my years.

 

And proudly, defiantly visible.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/erica-jagger/must-have-missed-the-memo_b_6851156.html?ir=Women&ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000046 

 

 

The Death of Judas (By Dexter B. Wakefield).

 

Perhaps one of the most sinister and evil human figures in the Bible is Judas Iscariot. He was one of Jesus’ closest disciples—even an apostle—yet he chose to betray the One who is the hope of the world. And he did it for money!

 

The Son of Destruction.

 

Judas had a number of character flaws, but the one mentioned most prominently in the Scriptures is his love of money. Judas often fell into temptation because of money. “But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, ‘Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?’ This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it” (John 12:4–6). Judas clearly did not believe that Jesus was God in the flesh, and it appeared to him that the authorities were going to stop Jesus one way or another. It was time to cash in, if possible, and an offer of 30 pieces of silver would be sufficient for Judas to make his deal.

 

Judas’ lust for money led him down a path to his destruction. “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:9–10).

 

The word “perdition” comes from the Greek word apoleia (Strong’s 684), which refers to complete destruction. This term is applied to Judas at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion, when Jesus referred to Judas as “the son of perdition” (John 17:12). When Jesus and the disciples took their last Passover together, Satan entered Judas, and he left the supper. “When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.’ Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke… Jesus answered, ‘It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.’ And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, ‘What you do, do quickly.’ But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him. For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, ‘Buy those things we need for the feast,’ or that he should give something to the poor. Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night” (John 13:21–30).

 

Judas went out to earn his wages by a brief but dreadful labor… a kiss of betrayal. The night that he went out into may have been dark, but it could not compare with the darkness that was in Judas’ heart as he went—that of the Prince of Darkness!

 

When Jesus prayed before His crucifixion, he mentioned Judas. “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled” (John 17:12).

 

The term “son of perdition” or “son of destruction” is applied to only one other person besides Judas in the scriptures—the end-time “man of sin.” He will also be controlled or possessed by Satan as Judas was. “Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God” (2 Thessalonians 2:3–4, RSV).

 

What emotions would Judas have felt when he was in the grip of the “power of darkness”? He surely felt hate and resentment. Perhaps power and exultation? Nevertheless, with Christ’s sinless death, the end of Satan’s reign was assured. Ultimately, Satan left Judas with emptiness, hopelessness and crushing depression. Judas only wanted… to die.

 

Ultimately, Judas’ greed, and the grievous sin that resulted from it, led to his complete destruction—in a horrific way!

 

The Death of Judas.

 

Exactly how Judas died is a bit controversial. Matthew gives an account that some say conflicts with Luke’s account in the Book of Acts. Notice how Matthew described Judas’ pathetic end. “Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, ‘I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.’ And they said, ‘What is that to us? You see to it!’ Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself. But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, ‘It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood.’ And they consulted together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, ‘And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me’” (Matthew 27:3–10).

 

But in the book of Acts, Judas’ death seems to have another description. “‘Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.’ (Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong [Greek: prenes; leaning forward, prone], he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out. And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.) ‘For it is written in the Book of Psalms: “Let his dwelling place be desolate, and let no one live in it”; and, “Let another take his office”’” (Acts 1:16–20).

 

So, did Judas die of hanging—or of a fall?

 

Some critics even cite these two descriptions as proof that there are contradictions in the Bible. But actually, the account of Judas’ falling does not contradict the account of his hanging; rather, it adds information. That is the case with many so-called biblical contradictions. Matthew 27:5 states that Judas died of hanging, and that was the actual cause of death. Notice that the statement in Acts 1:18 does not say that Judas died of a fall. It only says that his body fell and broke open.

 

When a man dies by hanging, when does his body fall? When he is cut down, of course. This is the most likely explanation in the case of Judas’ death.

 

Judas hanged himself during the Days of Unleavened Bread, which was a very important festival to the Jews of his day—and remains so today. But if a Jew were to touch a dead body, he would be unclean for a period of time and would not be able to participate in the festivities. Notice the law regarding this.

 

“He who touches the dead body of anyone shall be unclean seven days. He shall purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean. Whoever touches the body of anyone who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the Lord. That person shall be cut off from Israel. He shall be unclean, because the water of purification was not sprinkled on him; his uncleanness is still on him” (Numbers 19:11–13).

 

In order to ease the body of a hanged person to the ground, it is necessary to touch it. But a devout Jew would be very reluctant to touch the dead body of a suicide by hanging, especially during the Passover season. As the Law of Moses says, “If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God” (Deuteronomy 21:22–23).

 

Even if Judas’ body stayed on the rope of his hanging all that day, it would have fallen when it was cut down. But when someone commits suicide by hanging, they usually do it in a very private place. It could have been days before Judas’ body was discovered and the bloated body cut down. The scriptures give no information on how long Judas’ body was on the rope. In either case, we have the ghastly scene of Judas’ body falling headlong and his bowels bursting open upon impact with the ground.

 

A Study in Extremes.

 

But why would Luke add such a gruesome detail in his Church history in the Book of Acts? One interesting reason may be that Judas and Jesus are a study in polar opposites. Here are some examples:

 

When Jesus died, He poured out His blood that cleanses the whole world.

 

When Judas died, all manner of uncleanness came out of him.

 

Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit.

 

Judas was possessed by Satan.

 

Jesus is the Son of the Creator God, and He created all things.

 

Judas became the “son of destruction” because Satan entered him. Satan is called Apollyon—which is Greek for “Destroyer.”

 

When Jesus was taken to the chief priests, He was severely beaten. “Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?” (Matthew 26:67–68).

 

When Judas went to the chief priests, he was well-received and paid. “And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money” (Mark 14:11).

 

Jesus’ every word was truth.

 

Judas was the epitome of insincerity and deception when he betrayed Jesus with a kiss. “Jesus said to him, ‘Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?’” (Luke 22:48).

 

Jesus was sinless, and He removes the guilt of our sins.

 

Judas’ sin was grievous, and he betrayed an innocent man. He died in his sins having said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood” (Matthew 27:4).

 

Jesus is King of kings!

 

Judas lost his office. “For it is written in the Book of Psalms: ‘Let his dwelling place be desolate, and let no one live in it’; and, ‘Let another take his office’” (Acts 1:20).

 

Jesus inherited all things!

 

Judas threw away the price he was given for betraying Jesus, and the money was used to buy him a place to be buried. The man who loved money died with nothing.

 

Jesus’ burial place was the unused chamber of a rich man. “Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid” (John 19:41).

 

When Judas died, he was pushed into a grave in a pauper’s field for those who were considered unworthy to be buried with decent people. “Let his dwelling place be desolate, and let no one live in it” (Acts 1:20).

 

Jesus’ body was treated with respect and dignity and received a proper burial in accordance with Jewish custom. “Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury” (John 19:40).

 

Judas had an ignominious death and could not be buried properly in accordance with the manner of the Jews.

 

Jesus loved His friends to the end. “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end” (John 13:1).

 

Judas betrayed his friends.

 

Jesus was resurrected to eternal life.

 

Judas died in ignominy and came to nothing. He is dead to this day.

 

Jesus will live in glory forever!

 

For Judas, “It would have been good for that man if he had not been born” (Matthew 26:24).

 

There is no contradiction in the accounts of Judas’ death. Rather, when the accounts are taken together, they add information and give us a more complete picture of the events. By giving us the grisly extra details of Judas’ death, Luke was pointing out the extreme opposite to Jesus that Judas represented. That great contrast should give us an increased appreciation for the glorious and exalted role of our Savior as we prepare for the Passover and meditate on the magnitude of His sacrifice—and our indebtedness to Him.

 

http://www.lcg.org/cgi-bin/lcg/lcn/lcn-issue.cgi?category=LivingChurchNews&item=1425917548&v=17&i=2&d=March/April

 

 

Airlines rushed on Thursday to change their rules so as to require a second crew member in the cockpit at all times, hours after French prosecutors suggested a co-pilot who barricaded himself alone at the controls of a jetliner had crashed it on purpose.

 

The United States already requires two crew members to be in the cabin at all times, but many other countries do not, allowing pilots to leave the flight deck, for example to use the toilet, as long as one pilot is at the controls.

 

That is precisely what French prosecutors suspect happened on the Germanwings flight on Tuesday. They say Andreas Lubitz, 27, locked the captain out and appears to have set the controls to crash into a mountain, killing all 150 people on board.

 

Airlines including Norwegian Air Shuttle (NWC.OL), Britain's easyJet (EZJ.L), Air Canada (AC.TO), Air New Zealand (AIR.NZ) and Air Berlin (AB1.DE) all said within hours that they had introduced a requirement that two crew members be in the cockpit at all times.

 

Canada said it would immediately impose such a rule on all its airlines while those that already had such rules in place, including Ryanair (RYA.I), rushed to reassure customers.

 

Among the companies that did not announce such a policy change was Germanwings parent Lufthansa (LHAG.DE), whose CEO Carsten Spohr said he believed it was unnecessary.

 

"I don't see any need to change our procedures here," Spohr told journalists. "It was a one-off case. But we will look at it with the various experts at Lufthansa and the authorities. We shouldn't lose ourselves in short-term measures."

 

His comments drew criticism on Twitter, with some people demanding the airline introduce the two person-rule.

 

I'M FLYING WITH YOU:

 

"@lufthansa will you insist on having 2 pilots in the cockpit at all times from today? I'm flying with you this weekend...," asked Twitter user @kazababes.

 

Later on Thursday Spohr told German broadcaster ARD that Lufthansa would sit down with other German carriers and the country's aviation authority on Friday to discuss the matter. "We will see whether there are measures that can be taken quickly to further improve safety," he said.

 

Germany's aviation association BDL said all airlines in the country, including Lufthansa, had agreed to discuss such rule changes.

 

"Today we spoke with all our members about possible consequences," BDL managing director Matthias von Randow told Reuters. "We will therefore look at introducing these new procedures without delay."

 

Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd (QAN.AX) and Singapore Airlines Ltd (SIAL.SI) said they have strict, multi-layered systems in place to protect the cockpit but declined to comment further.

 

The incident is likely to provoke further debate about the future of cockpit protections. Since the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, regulators have required cockpit doors to be impenetrable when locked from the inside.

 

But the idea that pilots themselves could be a danger creates reason to re-examine such policies, said retired French crash investigator Alain Bouillard.

 

"Today we have the reverse question: should we be blocking doors?" he said.

 

Last year's disappearance of Malaysia Airlines 370 raised such questions, although whether the pilots played any role in that plane's disappearance has never been confirmed.

 

LAM Flight TM-470 crashed in Namibia in November 2013 after what investigators said were "intentional actions by the pilot" after the first officer left the flight deck, causing the death of 33 people.

 

An Egypt Air flight 990 from Los Angeles to Cairo crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 217 on board, in 1999. The cause is disputed but U.S. investigators determined the probable cause was deliberate action by the relief first officer.

 

U.S.-based Adams Rite Aerospace, a unit of Transdigm (TDG.N) which supplies systems to secure cockpit doors on all Airbus planes, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

 

(By Victoria Bryan and Tim Hepher).

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/27/us-france-crash-cockpits-idUSKBN0MM2XH20150327