Saturday, November 26, 2005

ORG: Make Poverty History

What does poverty have to do with justice?

I'll just highlight one issue today: fair trade. Unjust trade policies make it difficult for the poorest developing countries to compete in international markets, so the very tools they need to develop are withheld from them. I believe fair trade is much more helpful than debt forgiveness. The two main trade issues often cited involve agricultural (subsidies & trade rules) and barriers to market entrance.

Let's support groups like these who are trying to deal with these issues:

Make Poverty History (http://www.makepovertyhistory.org/)
Millennium Campaign (http://www.millenniumcampaign.org/)

Don't forget that White Band Day is coming soon (Dec. 10). Here's a shot of some Filipino boys at last years WBD rally.

4 comments:

Newsandseduction said...

The heading of your this blog appears often on the corner of many other blogs and prevents shifting to the next blog. one has to insistently click the next blog to shift or go back to the previous blog and then click many times to avoid the blog with a corner with "make poverty a history" slogan, in order to read more blogs.
A misuse of a well meant slogan, what you say?

Jeff said...

Actually, I don't quite understand. I don't seem to have that problem. What browser are you using?

And while we're on the topic... Have you joined the movement?

bryant said...

I believe this is an example of what newsandeducation is talking about
luciamoniz.

You can't click on the "next blog" link in the upper right corner of the page.

Unfortunately, I think that most people don't know what Fair Trade is. I started reading Jared Diamond's newest book Collapse which got me thinking about it again.

Thanks for the post and links. I'll try to remember to wear a white band.

Jeff said...

Gotcha, Bryant, now I see.

So the lessons are: (1) Stop poverty like the corner-sign stops "next blog." (2) People are stuck in poverty because of forces beyond their control just like we're stuck in the blog because of the corner-banner that's out of our control.