also, news from yesterday
This is from yesterday, but I was out at my lecture, and busy being sick most of today. (My stomach hates me, it hates the food plan, it hates in general.)
Wal-Mart must pay workers $78m.
Many readers will know of my dislike and disapproval of Wal-Mart, as evidenced by the fact that it has its very own tag on my blog. This is just more in the general pile of news. I am, however, suddenly facing a very real set of choices in my life, as since moving to Houston I am confronted with Wal-Mart superstores and Sam's Clubs all over town. I know many people who choose to shop at Wal-Mart, including some close friends, because they are trying to live frugally, to save up for important things like buying homes, feeding & clothing children, or making the car payment. The choice is one that each of us must make for ourselves. However, the fact that across America there are people who have no choice, for whom Wal-Mart is the only alternative not only for buying but for working (although statistically speaking it's unlikely employees can afford to shop at the stores), is the sad consequence of the business decisions that leave the company surrounded by articles like the one above, and leave small-town America high and dry without any economic and business diversity.
Seeing the crowded parking lots of the Wal-Marts and the Sam's Clubs makes me sad, then makes me angry. For alternatives to Wal-Mart and other "big box" stores, check Buy Blue.
And one piece of fun news: Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh and the Grameen Bank have been jointly awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. Yay microcredit, and paving the way to a sustainable future for all people.
Wal-Mart must pay workers $78m.
Many readers will know of my dislike and disapproval of Wal-Mart, as evidenced by the fact that it has its very own tag on my blog. This is just more in the general pile of news. I am, however, suddenly facing a very real set of choices in my life, as since moving to Houston I am confronted with Wal-Mart superstores and Sam's Clubs all over town. I know many people who choose to shop at Wal-Mart, including some close friends, because they are trying to live frugally, to save up for important things like buying homes, feeding & clothing children, or making the car payment. The choice is one that each of us must make for ourselves. However, the fact that across America there are people who have no choice, for whom Wal-Mart is the only alternative not only for buying but for working (although statistically speaking it's unlikely employees can afford to shop at the stores), is the sad consequence of the business decisions that leave the company surrounded by articles like the one above, and leave small-town America high and dry without any economic and business diversity.
Seeing the crowded parking lots of the Wal-Marts and the Sam's Clubs makes me sad, then makes me angry. For alternatives to Wal-Mart and other "big box" stores, check Buy Blue.
And one piece of fun news: Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh and the Grameen Bank have been jointly awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. Yay microcredit, and paving the way to a sustainable future for all people.