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Learned Today::Marginal Revolution: Facts about FairTrade

The article offers many other points of interest. For instance:
By guaranteeing a minimum price, Fairtrade also encourages market oversupply, which depresses global commodity prices. This locks Fairtrade farmers into greater Fairtrade dependency and further impoverishes farmers outside the Fairtrade umbrella. Economist Tyler Cowen describes this as the “parallel exploitation coffee sector”.
Coffee farms must not be more than 12 acres in size and they are not allowed to employ any full-time workers. This means that during harvest season migrant workers must be employed on short-term contracts. These rural poor are therefore expressly excluded from the stability of long-term employment by Fairtrade rules.
In other words, it's mostly a marketing gimmick.
via Marginal Revolution: Facts about FairTrade.

tsk tsk for starbucks, et al!

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rePost::Where Does My Money Go? » Data

Data
All the data we’ve extracted and cleaned is available on google docs linked from our summary spreadsheet.
The majority of our present data comes from the Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis (PESA) which is the highest level breakdown of Government spending. However, we aim to have information at a much more granular level down to the lowest levels of government expenditure.
An introduction to our material with details of what we’re working and where we need help can be found here.
If have ideas for data we should incorporate and where we can find it please let us know using the form below.
via Where Does My Money Go? » Data.

the visualization is here:
http://www.wheredoesmymoneygo.org/prototype/
This is cool, wish we could do this to data from the philippines.
If I can find out where I can get this data for free. probably either from the NSO (National Statistics Office) or Possibly Congress/Senate archives. I don’t know but I am putting this on my todo list!!

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rePost:: You make school a perfect misery

Mr Broome
Dear Sir
I write this letter for the good of myself and other boys. Instead of you teachers making school a pleasure you make it a perfect misery to those who happen to be a little backward. Referring to myself, I can say that I never did like school but since I came to Rockdale I have just dreaded the thought of school. This, may I say, has all come from your sneering and poking fun at those who are not quite so well on as others. If a boy happens to have a few mistakes instead of you trying to help him in his difficulty you look over his slate, you either cane him, or spell out aloud his foolish mistakes before over 100 boys who are always ready to make fun. This is why there are so many boys who are always ready to play the truant. And therefore instead of me looking forward to school days I just long for the time when I shall receive a sitificut saying that I may leave school. And as manhood draws on I shall look back on my schooldays as a period of misery instead of a period of happiness.
A Margett
Scholar at (Inferior?) Rockdale Public School
via Letters of Note: You make school a perfect misery.

Life is hard enough for us to make fun of each other.
Life is hard enough that we shouldn’t try to make it any harder on other people.
Quash the need to feel superior. (Being superior is different from needing to feel superior).
Do not listen to the that voice that tells you to pick on other people.
Do not even care if anybody is picking on you.

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rePost::Now we know why Ritalin works – SmartPlanet

As an ADHD kid myself, and father to two more, this may also explain something I have found troubling my whole life. I don’t react well to praise. Tell me you like this article and I may just shrug it off. Tell me you hate it and we can have a good argument — well an argument at any rate. Praise doesn’t give me the hit it gives you — I need a lot of it to feel it.
via Now we know why Ritalin works – SmartPlanet.

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rePost::Avatar :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews

Avatar
BY ROGER EBERT / December 11, 2009
Cast & Credits
Jake Sully Sam Worthington
Neytiri Zoe Saldana
Grace Sigourney Weaver
Col. Miles Quaritch Stephen Lang
Trudy Chacon Michelle Rodriguez
Parker Selfridge Giovanni Ribisi
Norm Spellman Joel David Moore
Moat CCH Pounder
Eytukan Wes Studi
Tsu’tey Laz Alonso
Dr. Max Patel Dileep Rao
Corporal Lyle Wainfleet Matt Gerald
20th Century Fox presents film written and directed by James Cameron. Running time: 163 minutes. MPAA rating: PG-13 (for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking).
Watching “Avatar,” I felt sort of the same as when I saw “Star Wars” in 1977. That was another movie I walked into with uncertain expectations. James Cameron’s film has been the subject of relentlessly dubious advance buzz, just as his “Titanic” was. Once again, he has silenced the doubters by simply delivering an extraordinary film. There is still at least one man in Hollywood who knows how to spend $250 million, or was it $300 million, wisely.
“Avatar” is not simply a sensational entertainment, although it is that. It’s a technical breakthrough. It has a flat-out Green and anti-war message. It is predestined to launch a cult. It contains such visual detailing that it would reward repeating viewings. It invents a new language, Na’vi, as “Lord of the Rings” did, although mercifully I doubt this one can be spoken by humans, even teenage humans. It creates new movie stars. It is an Event, one of those films you feel you must see to keep up with the conversation.
via Avatar :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews.

Hmm, I was really obsessing on the fact that we have the Metro Manila Film Fest this Dec 25 to the 1st week of January. Was wondering how I would be able to watch this at least twice. Hope it is as good as it is said. Need to watch this at IMAX. I’m babbling. I am really excited!!
On James Cameron being such a hippie, we need someone like cameron to counteract micheal bay , enough said!

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Funny::AT&T: Strictly for losers

It gets worse. Cringester A. H. swears he saw the words “You’re a Loser” flash across his screen seconds before the official “Sorry; you’re not an instant winner today” graphic displays. Sure enough, perusing that image’s properties shows the alternate text that will appear if your browser can’t display it: “You’re a Loser.”
I am not at all surprised. When you treat your customers with this much contempt, you can’t think of them as anything but losers. I don’t see how Apple can continue its exclusive relationship with AT&T for much longer. It’s becoming an embarrassment.
via AT&T: Strictly for losers.

Companies like this should not be allowed to continue existing.

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rePost::Watch the 1967 Bob Hope special, save America's public domain videos Boing Boing

So Carl’s pitch is simple: Watch some awesome public domain videos and do good for the world.
Now, Carl Malamud sez, “In preparation for my testimony on the future of the National Archives before the House Oversight Committee, we forked out another $461 and uploaded 28 more government videos. I’m trying to show that people care about this stuff, so I’ll report the total number of views to the Congress. This batch has some amazing stuff. In addition to the Bob Hope Christmas Special, there are documentaries about the Manhattan Rhythm Kings, the Cambodian Royal Ballet, and James Audubon. If you’re into spooks, don’t miss the CIA’s True Stories, a special on Mind Control and Hallucination, and KGB Connections.”
via Watch the 1967 Bob Hope special, save America’s public domain videos Boing Boing.

nice excuse to watch some videos in youtube!!!!
their youtube channel here

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rePost::Philippine left backs Villar, Legarda | ABS-CBN News Online Beta

Philippine left backs Villar, Legarda
by Carmela Fonbuena, abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak | 12/14/2009 1:52 PM
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MANILA, Philippines – After months of courtship, presidential candidate Manuel Villar of the Nacionalista Party (NP) succeeded in getting the support of the leftist group Makabayan.
Senatorial aspirants Bayan Muna Satur Ocampo and Gabriela Rep. Liza Maza on Monday officially joined the NP senatorial ticket as “guest candidates.”
Ocampo and Maza bring with them the support of the eight party-list groups under Makabayan–Bayan Muna, Gabriela, Anakpawis, Kabataan, Katribu, Migrante, Courage, and the Alliance of Concerned Teachers.
“Matagal pinag-usapan ang pagsasamang ito. Di naging madali sa magkabilang panig dahil alam kong ito ay kauna-unahang pagkakataon. Nagsimula sa maraming pagkakaiba, sa pagwawakas konti lang pala pagkakaiba,” Villar said at a press conference in Quezon City.
“I am extremely happy with this partnership,” he added.
It is the first time that the leftist alliance is officially supporting presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
“Ganun kalaki ang pagtingin namin sa mga kandidatong ito,” said Ocampo’s colleague in Bayan Muna, Rep. Teodoro Casiño.
via Philippine left backs Villar, Legarda | ABS-CBN News Online Beta.

This is probably the first presidential election where the two front runners both give me hope that the Philippines can be a great country within a lifetime. There is only so much angst I can live with.  We can always hope pray and do.