I must admit I like Starbucks coffee. I like the full-bodied taste and I also enjoy the pleasant atmosphere in a lot of their stores. I applaud them for treating their employees well and supporting progressive causes.
It is no secret that some progressives don't like the company because they feel they drive independent coffee shops out-of- business. Many also feel they represent a negative side to globalization through the homogenization of global culture.
However, there's another story out there that doesn't get much attention: Intellectual Property Rights, Royalties and Trademarks. The dispute is essentially over money and involves a very poor country and a very rich company. This shouldn't come as a surprise to many: there were lobbying, public relations and the refrain of social responsibility.
Recently, Ethiopia and Starbucks had a dispute over these issues with a mutually beneficial "agreement" being reached in June. Was this agreement fair? To whom? Will we ever know? Should consumers care how much money a coffee farmer receives from every cup they purchase?
Friday, August 24, 2007
Monday, August 6, 2007
The Late, Great Tom Snyder
Tom Snyder was one of my favorite broadcasters ever. He was one of the best, and original, TV personalities when I was growing up in the 1970s. Anybody else remember him?
Haiti
Haiti. The poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. Median age is 18.4 years. Life expectancy at birth: 57 years. Approximately 53% literacy rate. Infant mortality rate: almost 64 deaths per 1,000 live births. GDP per capita:$1,800 External Debt: $1.3 billion. "80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty." Source: CIA World fact Book. The process of reform is slow and difficult, filled with many reverses.Isn't time to for the international community to start paying more attention to Haiti? If it doesn't, why should anyone be surprised when another crisis erupts there?
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