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Your Tetley tea won’t taste so good after you read this

by wojciechrak75 Posted on February 13, 2014

Your Tetley tea won’t taste so good after you read this

By

Akarsh Simha

India’s reputation for producing delicious teas stems mostly from vast plantations in the northeastern state of Assam.

Tourists admire the beauty of the region, but life is hard as hell on the plantations. Undernourished workers, including children and the elderly, toil from dawn until dusk for pittances, often spraying industrial pesticides with little protection and enduring unsanitary conditions. They retire at night to overcrowded homes.

It is suffering such as this, which was chronicled a year ago in a complaint filed by three Indian nonprofits, that now has the World Bank investigating the production of Tetley tea — one of the world’s most popular brands. Farming at the 24 Tetley plantations under investigation is overseen by a company called APPL. The company is 50 percent owned by Tetley parent Tata Global Beverages, with the World Bank’s main lending body and some other shareholders also holding stakes.

“We want the company to comply with the labor laws and upgrade the working and living conditions,” Jayshree Satpute, an official with Nazdeek, one of the three nonprofits that filed last year’s complaint, told Grist. “This investment of [the World Bank] was done also to benefit the workers — but there have been no real positive changes.”

Following a year of review, the World Bank announced last week that it will launch a full investigation into “potentially significant adverse” environmental and social impacts at the plantations, where 31,000 Indians work. The announcement was followed by the publication earlier this week of a damning report by the Human Rights Institute at Columbia Law School, which visited 17 of the 24 plantations during two years of its own investigation. Here are some lowlights from the new Columbia report:

The abusive conditions for APPL workers are consistent with conditions in the sector as a whole. They are rooted in the colonial origins of plantation life which continue to define the extremely hierarchical social structure, the compensation scheme, and the excessive power exercised by management.

The tea workers of Assam and the adjacent area of West Bengal come from two marginalized communities — Adivasis (indigenous people) and Dalits (the so-called “untouchable” caste) – whose ancestors were brought from central India by British planters. They remain trapped in the lowest employment positions on the plantation, where they are routinely treated as social inferiors. …

Workers live in cramped quarters with cracked walls and broken roofs. The failure to maintain latrines has turned some living areas into a network of cesspools. APPL is failing to provide adequate health care, both in respect of quality and access. Medical staff are poorly-trained and frequently absent. …

At one plantation, while the manager lauded the old and new mechanisms in place to ensure that pesticide spraying happened safely, and stressed the absence of any gaps, the research team watched a group of sprayers walk past his window with chemical tanks on their backs and no protective gear at all on their bodies.

According to the World Bank’s ombudsman, APPL officials have told its investigators that labor issues on its plantations reflect industry-wide problems and couldn’t be directly addressed by a single corporation. 

On Friday, Tetley is scheduled to join with other large tea manufacturers in announcing a 15-year plan to boost the sustainability of the industry’s plantations and better support the communities that work on them.


Source
CAO Appraisal for Investigation of IFC, Compliance Advisor Ombudsman, World Bank International Finance Corporation
“The More Things Change …” The World Bank, Tata and Enduring Abuses on India’s Tea Plantations, Columbia Law School Human Rights Institute

John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com.

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Your Tetley tea won’t taste so good after you read this

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Greens sue EPA over Pacific Northwest’s increasingly acid waters

by wojciechrak75 Posted on October 17, 2013

Greens sue EPA over Pacific Northwest’s increasingly acid waters

By

Daniel Powell

The rugged waters off Oregon are turning acidic.

Carbon emissions are turning seawater acidic, and environmentalists say that’s a violation of the Clean Water Act.

The Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the EPA, challenging the agency’s assertion that the increasingly acidic ocean off Oregon and Washington meets federal water-quality standards.

Perhaps a quarter of the carbon dioxide that we pump into the air mixes into the sea, where it reacts with water to produce bicarbonate. The byproducts of these reactions are loose hydrogen atoms, which lower the marine pH. The concentration of hydrogen ions in surface ocean waters has risen 26 percent since the Industrial Revolution, reducing pH levels by 0.1 unit.

Rising ocean acidity has hit the Pacific Northwest hard, and local shellfish hatcheries have been in crisis since 2005. That’s because the deep near-coastal waters experience extensive upwelling — in which waters rise and sink, carrying minerals and nutrients up and down like elevators. Strong upwelling zones off Chile and southern Africa are also being severely affected by acidification.

The Center is arguing in federal court that the acidic waters of Oregon and Washington should be defined by the EPA as impaired. If that were to happen, new pollution control measures may be required to repair the water quality, potentially prompting greater government urgency in clamping down on greenhouse gas emissions.

This is not the first time that the Center has taken such action. From EarthFix:

The Center for Biological Diversity filed a similar lawsuit in 2009. Back then, the EPA agreed with the center and determined that it should address acidification under the Clean Water Act.

But the environmental group says the EPA has not taken the necessary actions since then.

“We need fast action to save marine diversity, because when the harm of ocean acidification deepens we’ll realize how much we all depend on the ocean,” Miyoko Sakashita, the Center’s oceans director, said in a statement. “The Pacific Northwest is among the places getting hit hardest at the outset of this crisis. Although some state officials in Washington are taking it seriously, we need the EPA and the Clean Water Act to truly begin addressing it on a broader scale.”


Source
Lawsuit Asks EPA to Save Pacific Ocean Shellfish, Wildlife From Acidification, Center for Biological Diversity
Group Sues EPA To Address Ocean Acidification Under Clean Water Act, EarthFix

John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com.

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Greens sue EPA over Pacific Northwest’s increasingly acid waters

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Dot Earth Blog: Soundtrack for a Debt Showdown – In the Red, Got No Green and I’m Feeling So Blue

by wojciechrak75 Posted on October 8, 2013

green4us

Warhammer Battlefields: Northern Wastes – Games Workshop

‘In the Northern Wastes there is naught but death and madness, yet countless tribes dwell within, fighting for the glory of their twisted gods. Every sane Druchii fears the day when these barbarians stop warring against one another long enough to turn their attention towards our borders.’ Northern Wastes is a two player Warhammer campaign that can be set any […]

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Crochet One-Skein Wonders – Judith Durant & Edie Eckman

Finally, a One-Skein Wonders book just for crocheters! Edie Eckman and Judith Durant offer 101 great crochet projects — from jewelry and scarves to bags, hats, dresses, and home dec items — that each use just one skein of yarn. Whatever your experience level, you’ll find something here to delight you!

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Warhammer: Dark Elves – Games Workshop

From the desolate wastes of Naggaroth the Dark Elves march forth to enslave the world. Ruled over by the heartless Witch King, they are a race of infinite cruelty and evil. Ancient sorceresses wield hateful dark magics and bathe in the blood of their victims to keep themselves young, while pitiless knights ride cold blooded steeds into battle. Warhammer: Dar […]

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How to Paint Citadel Miniatures: Space Marines – Games Workshop

The First Founding Space Marine Chapters are the foundation of the Adeptus Astartes, each one distinct with its own iconography, colours and markings. When they march to war the symbols of the Chapter strike fear into their foes, each one heavy with their valorous deeds. In this, our biggest painting guide to date, you will find extensive detail on how […]

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Paracord Fusion Ties – Volume 2 – J.D. Lenzen

Paracord Fusion Ties – Volume 2 (PFT-V2) is the second installment in the paracord fusion ties book series and another stunning achievement by author J.D. Lenzen. Like Paracord Fusion Ties – Volume 1, PFT-V2 reveals innovative and stylish ways of storing paracord for later use. So once again you’ll find crisp, clear, full-color photographs (over 1,000 i […]

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How to Paint Citadel Miniatures: Dark Elves – Games Workshop

The Dark Elves embody the grace and style of the elven race, though distorted by their dark hearts and cruel natures. Flowing robes, elegant armour and curved swords bear the signs of this evil; covered in barbs, blades and the shadowy colours of their homeland of Naggaroth. This extensive guide provides a host of techniques and tips for painting your Dark E […]

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How to Raise the Perfect Dog – Cesar Millan & Melissa Jo Peltier

From the bestselling author and star of National Geographic Channel’s Dog Whisperer , the only resource you’ll need for raising a happy, healthy dog. For the millions of people every year who consider bringing a puppy into their lives–as well as those who have already brought a dog home–Cesar Millan, the preeminent dog behavior expert, says, “Yes, […]

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Oogy – Larry Levin

In the bestselling tradition of Rescuing Sprite comes the story of a puppy brought back from the brink of death, and the family he adopted. In 2002, Larry Levin and his twin sons, Dan and Noah, took their terminally ill cat to the Ardmore Animal Hospital outside Philadelphia to have the beloved pet put to sleep. What would begin as a terrible day suddenly go […]

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Codex: Space Marines (Enhanced Edition) – Games Workshop

The Space Marines are the chosen warriors of the Emperor, and the greatest fighting force of the Imperium. Each Space Marine is a genetically enhanced super soldier, easily a match for a dozen lesser men, armed with some of the deadliest weapons in the galaxy and encased in formidable power armour. This codex explores the formations and Chapters of the Space […]

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Dog Training For Dummies – Jack Volhard & Wendy Volhard

Make training fun and effective This friendly guide shows you how to select the right training method for your dog, based on his unique personality, to reach your desired goals. Whether you want to teach Buddy to sit or master retrieving, you’ll get expert training tips and techniques for you and your dog — to ensure a mutually respectful relationship w […]

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Dot Earth Blog: Soundtrack for a Debt Showdown – In the Red, Got No Green and I’m Feeling So Blue

Posted in alo, Citadel, eco-friendly, FF, For Dummies, G & F, GE, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, LAI, Monterey, ONA, solar, solar power, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Dot Earth Blog: Soundtrack for a Debt Showdown – In the Red, Got No Green and I’m Feeling So Blue

If You’ve Ever Traveled to a "Suspicious" Country, This Secret Program May Target You

by wojciechrak75 Posted on August 21, 2013

Mother Jones

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A previously unknown Bush administration program continued under President Barack Obama grants the FBI and other national security agencies broad authority to delay or squash the immigration applications of people from Muslim countries, according to documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Under the program, immigrants can be designated “national security concerns” based on the flimsiest of rationales, such as coming from a “suspicious” country. Other criteria that can earn an immigrant this label include wiring money to relatives abroad, attending mosques the FBI has previously surveilled, or simply appearing in FBI case files.


Our Yearlong Investigation Into the Program to Spy on America’s Muslim Communities


How the Bureau Enlists Foreign Regimes to Detain and Interrogate US Citizens


When Did Lefty Darling Brandon Darby Turn Government Informant?


Charts from Our Terror Trial Database


Watch an FBI Surveillance Video


Documents: FBI Spies and Suspects, in Their Own Words

“This policy is creating a secret exclusion to bar many people who are eligible for citizenship because…of their national origin or religion or associations,” says Jennie Pasquarella, the ACLU lawyer who authored a new report on the program, which is called the Controlled Application Review and Resolution Program (CARRP). “It’s doing this without the knowledge of the public, without the knowledge of applicants, and without, we believe, the knowledge of Congress.”

The criteria laid out under CARRP, which took effect in April 2008, are used to process nearly every immigration application. But once the FBI or another government agency flags an immigrant as a potential national security threat, that person’s application for citizenship or permanent residency is shunted off into a separate system, where it lingers and is almost invariably rejected. The immigrants who have been labeled “national security concerns” have no way to know about or contest the decision.

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If You’ve Ever Traveled to a "Suspicious" Country, This Secret Program May Target You

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White House calls for more grid spending as climate changes

by wojciechrak75 Posted on August 12, 2013

White House calls for more grid spending as climate changes

By John Upton

Vilseskogen

Superstorm Sandy got the better of this power pole in New Jersey last year.

An era of ferocious storms and wildfires is not mixing well with America’s aging electrical grid.

The White House published a report Monday calling for a substantial amount of money to be spent fortifying the country’s electrical grid, better protecting transmission lines and other infrastructure from storms, floods, and other severe weather events. From the report [PDF]:

Severe weather is the number one cause of power outages in the United States and costs the economy billions of dollars a year in lost output and wages, spoiled inventory, delayed production, inconvenience and damage to grid infrastructure. Moreover, the aging nature of the grid — much of which was constructed over a period of more than one hundred years — has made Americans more susceptible to outages caused by severe weather. Between 2003 and 2012, roughly 679 power outages, each affecting at least 50,000 customers, occurred due to weather events.

The number of outages caused by severe weather is expected to rise as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of hurricanes, blizzards, floods and other extreme weather events. In 2012, the United States suffered eleven billion-dollar weather disasters — the second-most for any year on record, behind only 2011. The U.S. energy sector in general, and the grid in particular, is vulnerable to the increasingly severe weather expected as the climate changes.

The study, by the White House Council of Economic Advisers and the U.S. Department of Energy, concludes that weather-related power outages cost America between $18 billion and $33 billion per year. What would it take to substantially reduce that figure? The Obama administration doesn’t offer specifics, as the AP reports:

The White House report says increased spending in recent years has still not matched the level of investment between 1960 and 1990. It suggests new spending should be focused on a few main areas, including “hardening” the system by installing stronger equipment, building more transmission wires and energy storage systems to make the grid better able to absorb shocks, and installing more sophisticated technology.

The report does not suggest how much new spending was needed, where that spending would come from, or how much money would be saved by preventing some outages and making others less severe.

The following map, taken from the new report, shows last year’s billion-dollar disasters and makes the point that lots of different kinds of weather events could plunge areas into darkness:

White HouseClick to embiggen.

John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com.

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White House calls for more grid spending as climate changes

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Tom’s Kitchen: I <3 Farro Edition

by wojciechrak75 Posted on August 10, 2013

Mother Jones

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I fell in love with farro, an ancient relative of wheat, more than 10 years ago at the venerable Brooklyn restaurant Al di La. The puffed little kernels formed the basis of a chilled salad, tossed with arugula and tomatoes. The farro was light yet nutty, substantial yet melt-in-your-mouth tender, and it merged beautifully with the other ingredients, like some kind of Platonic ideal of pasta. Then I encountered it in similar several times in a trip across Italy working on organic farms, mostly in the northern states of Umbria and Tuscany.

I returned to the United States in the throes of a full-blown farro obsession, determined to make it part of my repertoire. By then I had moved out of New York City and was living on a small farm in rural North Carolina, far from any fancy-food emporia. Online researched seemed to suggest that what we call spelt in the US is identical to Italy’s farro. So I embraced spelt berries, which I could find at the local health-food store. Results were more or less dismal. Even after long soaking and hours of cooking, something almost always seemed off: the kernels would be either way too chewy, deplorably mushy, or, paradoxically, both. In time, I learned that true farro (also called emmer) and spelt are indeed distinct, but by then I had ceased to care. I had moved on to other obsessions. (Somewhat childishly, I exacted my revenge against spelt in this 2011 April Fool’s piece. I should note that spelt flour is an excellent thing, especially for non-yeasted baked goods like biscuits and cookies).

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Tom’s Kitchen: I <3 Farro Edition

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