“Today, Apple unveils the new iPad. If it is like Apple’s past products, it will be a sleek, gorgeous gadget, hand-assembled by underpaid workers forced to put in illegal and dangerous amounts of overtime.”

-SumofUs, in their demand that Apple release information about their workers’ overtime. Sign the petition here.

“Our job, as consumers, is to continue to keep the pressure on until Apple decides that the risks inherent in the status quo – the risks to its brand, its staff morale, and its loyal customer base – are higher than the costs of taking real action to improve workers’ lives.”

–SumOfUs in its latest email. Sign the petition.

“Proprietary trading is not an essential commercial bank service that justifies taxpayer support.”

–Paul Volcker defends the rule that bears his name, which allows for government insurance on commercial bank deposits but leaves speculative traders to fend for themselves. Goldman, Sachs would prefer its prop desk was backed by Uncle Sam.

“Imagine the LAPD politely asking a gang of Crips and their lawyers to issue a report on whether or not a drive-by shooting by the Crips should be brought before a grand jury – that’s basically how the SEC now handles many preliminary investigations against Wall Street targets.”
-Matt Taibbi in his latest Rolling Stone exposé

All Ye Good Citizens of America

The competent systems managers who went to the good schools, those of us now so consumed by our busy lives, are responsible for maintaining the panopticon of modern American culture, in which we can all see the goal, but we can’t see each other.

Detritus

Who among us is ready to make an actual sacrifice to restore the vitality of our country, of our planet?

Our Current Paradigm

The brilliant inventor Thomas Edison transfixed the world with his miraculous inventions which captured sound and created light. His noble efforts, and those of his “muckers” at his laboratory in New Jersey, grew eventually into the Titan of American Business, General Electric, creator of ovens, toasters, and medical image scanners, provider of many thousands of… Continue reading Our Current Paradigm