Weedy1

The original Crack Shack or Mansion game. The game features real Vancouver real estate listings, as of April 10th, 2010 http://www.crackshackormansion.com/

You won't get good low light photos with most point and shoots on the market today unless you're doing still photography with a low fixed ISO and long exposure. Point and shoot cameras when in auto mode generally boost the ISO setting in order to get a low light shot. Once the ISO is boosted noise is introduced into the image which results in the dark and grainy look you speak of.

Now I believe you.

Have you tried Scotty anchor locks? http://www.scotty.com/fishing-gear-equipme...anchor-lock.htm

Turn some frickin lights off you guys. Sheesh.. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/201...-emissions.html

http://www.bbwaterton-crowsnest.com/bedsid...r%20B&B.htm

AMRE Supply #119, 3851 Manchester Rd. SE Calgary, AB 403-243-6662

Maybe Playfair would be willing to fill a position. It sure would bring back some of the class Calgary once had.......... :$*%&:

Good Job. Very good video and quite enjoyable to watch.

She would be if:

That's if she can make it through the door: http://home.mytelus.com/telusen/portal/New...;CatID=National

That's the result of all the practice we got during the stanley cup years. I bet the only dip in consumption Calgary saw was during the mens figure skating finals.

Now just add some Bill. Perfect nutcake recipe.

"perpetuating stereotypical disinformation" What a crock of crap Jack. There a examples of what I mentioned in my first statement within the 2008 Human Rights Reports I listed. Lets see your facts Jack. Does this carry some sort of weight I'm unaware of? Does this make you some sort of expert in the field? Because Jack didn't witness any of the abuses means they don't exist? Give me a break. Whether or not the 2008 Human Rights Reports are entirely correct, I'd say these "non-specific "reports"" do a fairly good job backing up my claims. As far as being subjective generalized accusations I guess that depends on who I would prefer to believe, you or the State Department. To counter by describing your own experiences is ridiculous and extremely subjective. By the way this is how those reports are produced. Some further reading for your pleasure. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/...tter/118984.htm

Are you trying to hijack what has already been succesfully hijacked? Is that fair? BTW, thanks for your contribution to the amazingly insightful thread Dune.

Do you have a valid and intelligent response to what I posted or are you just here to show off your lack of intelligence again? Maybe you can show how what I have posted is "an old, tired story" as you previously stated. It's either time to show me the facts or time to shut up.

My post wasn’t, nor was intended to be, a "Blanket" statement or generalization painting all countries and all "factories" in Asia as using unacceptable labour practices. Nowhere within my post was there any reference to ALL Asian factories. My second response also indicated that if I knew which Asian factories condoned any of the listed practices I would not purchase products from them which further indicates that I was not “blanketing” all Asian factories as using unacceptable labour practices. You call this a myth / blatant lie but previously say they were "Past practices"????? Seems to me you are saying these practices existed at one time but have now become a myth? Am I hearing you right Jack? I hope not. Although I agree 100% that there have been dramatic changes, being a witness to change doesn’t mean substandard labour practices don’t exist in Asia. The fact we buy most of our products from "industrialized Asia" doesn’t negate the fact abuses occur in Asia. There was a real push in the late 90’s to change unacceptable labour practices and it has been successful to some degree especially in China. But again, we are discussing Asia not China alone. As for the facts here you go: (yes all gathered using the most powerful research tool ever known to man) I used China, Taiwan, Pakistan, Thailand and the Philippines as examples considering we purchase an enourmous amount of merchandise from them. Sri Lanka was thrown in there to provide some balance just in case I was to be accused of being biased. I didn't dare to comment on Afghanistan. **************** Asia definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Asian...s_by_population Asia comprises of over half the world population. **************** **************** Child labour: http://www.ilo.org/public/english/region/a...news/rep_ib.pdf **************** See table 1.2. From 2000 to 2004 there was a change from 127.3 million economically active children to 122.3 million economically active children in Asia and the Pacific. Those are children ages 5-14. Not exactly great statistics. **************** 2008 Human Rights Report: China (includes Tibet, Hong Kong, and Macau): http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/eap/119037.htm **************** CHINA - The People's Republic of China, with a population of approximately 1.3 billion Quote from article: Other serious human rights abuses included extrajudicial killings, torture and coerced confessions of prisoners, and the use of forced labor, including prison labor. Workers cannot choose an independent union to represent them in the workplace, and the law does not protect workers' right to strike. Quote from article: The country's population control policy relied on education, propaganda, and economic incentives, as well as on more coercive measures. Those who violated the child limit policy by having an unapproved child or helping another do so faced disciplinary measures such as social compensation fees, job loss or demotion, loss of promotion opportunity, expulsion from the party (membership in which was an unofficial requirement for certain jobs), and other administrative punishments, including in some cases the destruction of private property. Quote from article: Officials continued to censor, ban, and sanction reporting on labor, health, environmental crises, and industrial accidents. Quote from article: Women continued to report that discrimination, sexual harassment, unfair dismissal, demotion, and wage discrepancies were significant problems. In 2007 the ACWF reported that female migrant workers, comprising more than 30 percent of all migrant workers in the country, faced numerous challenges in the workplace. The survey found that female migrant workers lacked legal protection (more than 50 percent had no labor contract, compared with 40 percent of male migrants), had long working hours (more than 40 percent worked nine to 10 hours a day while 24.8 percent worked more than 11 hours a day), earned low wages, and did not have access to safe and sanitary work environments. The ACWF studies also showed that 21 percent of rural women working in cities were fired after becoming pregnant or giving birth and that some women delayed motherhood for fear of losing job and promotion opportunities. Quote from article: The law provides for nine years of compulsory education for children. However, in economically disadvantaged rural areas, many children did not attend school for the required period and some never attended at all. Public schools were not allowed to charge tuition but faced with insufficient local and central government funding, many schools continued to charge miscellaneous fees. Such fees and other school-related expenses made it difficult for poorer families and some migrant workers to send their children to school. Quote from article: The law prohibits trafficking in women and children for sexual exploitation; however, there were reports that men, women, and children were trafficked to, from, through, and within the country for sexual exploitation and forced labor. Quote from article: Most trafficking was internal for the purposes of sexual exploitation, forced labor, and forced marriage. Quote from article: NGOs reported an increase in child trafficking, especially in rural areas, and in cases of children forced to work as beggars, petty thieves, and prostitutes. Some children worked in factories, but many ended up under the control of local gangs and were induced to commit petty crimes such as purse snatching. Quote from article: Inadequate and poorly enforced occupational health and safety laws and regulations continued to put workers' health and lives at risk. The State Administration for Work Safety (SAWS) acknowledged that occupational health and safety concerns remained serious. Quote from article: Work-related injuries and fatalities were also common outside the mining sector. In January the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games denied allegations that 10 workers had died at Olympic venue construction sites, but SAWS, which did not supervise the construction industry directly, later confirmed the death of six workers at Olympic construction sites over a three-year period. Quote from article: Many factories that used harmful materials or processes not only failed to protect their workers against the ill effects of such materials or processes but also failed to inform them about the hazards, neglected to provide them with health inspections as required by law, and denied their claims for compensation when they fell ill. In February 130 workers at a lead refinery in Shaanxi Province, which the government ordered closed in November 2007, reportedly suffered from lead poisoning and were seeking compensation after being dismissed from their jobs. In July, 20 workers at a battery factory in Jiangsu Province reportedly suffered from cadmium poisoning and were seeking compensation. MACAU - Macau, with a population of approximately 543,000, is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and enjoys a high degree of autonomy, except in defense and foreign affairs, under the SAR's constitution the Basic Law. Quote from article: Authorities believed that Chinese, Russian, and Thai criminal syndicates were involved in trafficking women to the SAR for prostitution, after which victims were passed on to local crime syndicates. There were no confirmed reports of official involvement in human trafficking. Victims were primarily from mainland China, Mongolia, Russia, Eastern Europe, Vietnam, and Thailand. Quote from article: The Labor Department enforced occupational safety and health regulations, and failure to correct infractions could lead to prosecution. During 2007 the Labor Department inspectorate conducted 8,591 inspections and uncovered 5,512 violations carrying fines totaling approximately 1.6 million patacas (more than $200,000). In 2007 there were 4,535 occupational injuries and 14 occupational deaths. Although the law includes a requirement that employers provide a safe working environment, no explicit provisions protected employees' right to continued employment if they refused to work under dangerous conditions. *************** 2008 Human Rights Reports: Taiwan: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/eap/119038.htm **************** Quote from article: The law prohibits forced or compulsory labor by adults and children. However, there were reports that such practices occurred. The authorities prosecuted numerous cases of forced child prostitution, and there was evidence of trafficking in persons into other industries such as household caregivers, farming, manufacturing, and construction. Quote from article: NGOs reported that labor brokers and employers regularly imposed high fees on foreign workers, frequently using the debt as a tool for involuntary servitude, and that foreign workers were unwilling to report employer abuses for fear the employer would terminate the contract and forcibly deport them, leaving them unable to pay back debt accrued to brokers or others. In January the CLA amended regulations governing the payment of wages to foreign workers to prevent employers from deducting foreign brokerage and other fees not in accordance with their contracts. Quote from article: Prostitution is illegal; however, prostitution, including child prostitution, was a problem. Currently, the Social Order Maintenance Act mandates punitive measures only for prostitutes; those patronizing prostitutes are not subject to penalties unless a minor is involved. Trafficking in women remained a problem. *************** 2008 Human Rights Report: Pakistan: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/sca/119139.htm **************** Quote from article: Although implementation of the 2006 Women's Protection Act somewhat improved women's rights, rape, domestic violence, and abuse against women remained serious problems. Honor crimes and discriminatory legislation affected women and religious minorities respectively. Religious freedom violations and inter-sectarian religious conflict continued. Quote from article: Widespread trafficking in persons, child labor, and exploitation of indentured and bonded children were ongoing problems. Child abuse, commercial sexual exploitation of children, discrimination against persons with disabilities, and worker rights remained concerns. Quote from article: At a 2007 human rights seminar in Islamabad, participants noted a 12-year-old girl could be purchased for 90,000 to 200,000 rupees ($1,143 to $2,539) in parts of Sindh and NWFP. In rural areas, poor parents sold children as bonded laborers and sold their daughters into marriage. Quote from article: Trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children were problems. According to Sahil, an NGO that focuses on child sexual exploitation, children were generally prostituted through the involvement of a third party rather than prostituting themselves as a means of survival. Quote from article: Women and children from rural areas were trafficked internally to urban centers for commercial sexual exploitation and labor. Bonded labor of children in brick kilns, rice mills, and textile factories remained a serious issue. Quote from article: The law prohibits slavery and all forms of forced labor, including bonded and child labor; in practice, however, the government did not enforce these prohibitions effectively and there were numerous instances in which these practices occurred. Quote from article: Bonded laborers often were unable to determine when their debts were fully paid. Those who escaped frequently faced retaliation from former employers. Quote from article: Enforcement was a serious problem. According to HRCP and SPARC, there were 10 to 11.5 million child laborers, many of them in agriculture and domestic work. The media reported that approximately 70 percent of non-agricultural child labor took place in small workshops, complicating efforts to enforce child labor laws as, by law, inspectors may not inspect facilities employing fewer than 10 persons. Quote from article: Health and safety standards were poor. There was a serious lack of adherence to mine safety and health protocols. For example, mines had only one opening for entry, egress, and ventilation. Workers could not remove themselves from dangerous working conditions without risking loss of employment. *************** 2008 Human Rights Report: Philippines: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/eap/119054.htm **************** Quote from article: Sex tourism and trafficking in persons for sexual exploitation and forced labor were serious problems. Quote from article: The law prohibits sexual harassment. However, sexual harassment in the workplace was widespread and underreported due to victims' fear of losing their jobs. Sexual harassment at a shoe factory in Muntinlupa City spurred unionization and a strike in July; in November management reinstated dismissed employees and recognized the workers' union. Female employees in special economic zones were particularly at risk; most were economic migrants who had no independent workers' organization to assist with filing complaints. Women in the retail industry worked on three- to five month contracts and were often reluctant to report sexual harassment for fear their contracts would not be renewed. There were reports that some firms took action against female employees who became pregnant. Quote from article: The country was a source, transit point, and destination for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor. A significant number of men and women who migrated abroad for work were subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude in the Middle East, North America, and other parts of Asia. Women were trafficked abroad for commercial sexual exploitation, primarily to Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, and countries in the Middle East and Western Europe. Women and children were also trafficked within the country, primarily from rural areas to urban areas for forced labor as domestic workers and factory workers and for sexual exploitation. Quote from article: Traffickers targeted persons seeking overseas employment. An estimated eight million Filipinos worked overseas, approximately 10 percent of the population and 20 percent of the workforce. Most recruits were females ages 13 to 30 from poor farming families. The traffickers generally were private employment recruiters and their partners in organized crime. Many recruiters targeted persons from their own hometowns, promising respectable and lucrative jobs. Quote from article: However, child labor remained a common problem, and a significant number of children were employed in the informal sector of the urban economy as domestic workers or as unpaid family workers in rural agricultural areas--some as bonded laborers. The government estimated that there were approximately four million working children, an estimated half of whom were exposed to hazardous working environments, in industries such as quarrying, mining, deep sea fishing, pyrotechnic production, and agriculture, especially sugar cane plantations. Quote from article: Violation of minimum wage standards and the use of contract employees to avoid the payment of required benefits were common, including in the government-designated SEZs, where tax benefits were used to encourage the growth of export industries. According to a year-end Bureau of Working Conditions report, 11,531 of 26,169 inspected firms were found to have violated labor or occupational safety and health standards. Many firms hired employees for less than the minimum apprentice rates, even if there was no approved training in their production-line work. *************** 2008 Human Rights Report: Thailand: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/eap/119058.htm **************** Quote from article: Human rights workers, particularly those focusing on violence in the south, reported harassment and intimidation. Trafficking in persons remained a problem. Members of hill tribes without proper documentation continued to face restrictions on their movement, could not own land, and were not protected by labor laws. Government enforcement of labor laws was ineffective. Quote from article: Women and children (particularly girls) tended to be the most frequent trafficking victims for sexual exploitation. However, credible studies and evidence accumulated from a number of cases suggested that the trafficking of men for labor exploitation, especially migrant workers, was also prevalent. The trafficking of men, women, and children into such fields as commercial fisheries and seafood processing was documented in the Samut Sakhon region. Some portion, believed by the UN, NGOs, and the government to be a minority, of the estimated 200,000 to 300,000 sex industry workers in the country were either underage or in involuntary servitude or debt bondage. Young migrant women and girls, especially from Laos, were employed in indentured servitude Quote from article: Trafficking in children, including for commercial sexual exploitation, remained a serious problem. Pedophilia continued, both by citizens and by foreign sex tourists. In 2007 the government, university researchers, and NGOs estimated that there were as many as 60,000 prostitutes under age 18. Quote from article: Entire families occasionally were trafficked for labor in sweatshops. Boys and girls were trafficked chiefly from Burma and Cambodia for sexual exploitation and to work in begging gangs. Underage boys reportedly were brought into the country for specialized work in which small size was an advantage. Quote from article: Because foreign women frequently were unable to speak the language and were considered illegal immigrants, they were particularly vulnerable to physical abuse and exploitation. Reports of labor trafficking also were received from Burmese migrant workers, who were ostensibly offered jobs in the food processing industry but were later induced or forcibly transported to work on fishing vessels. Quote from article: Those members of hill tribes who were not citizens continued to face restrictions on their movement, could not own land, had difficulty accessing credit from banks, and were not protected by labor laws, including minimum wage requirements. They were also barred from state welfare services such as universal health care. Quote from article: The constitution prohibits forced or compulsory labor, including by children, except in the case of national emergency, war, or martial law; however, the government was unable to enforce these provisions effectively in the large informal sector. Quote from article: Employers routinely kept possession of migrant workers' registration and travel documents, which restricted their travel outside of the work premises. There continued to be reports of sweatshops or abusive treatment in livestock farms, seagoing trawlers, animal feed factories, and seafood processing factories in which employers prevented workers, primarily foreign migrants, from leaving the premises. There were no estimates of the number of such workplaces, but the large number of migrants from Burma, Cambodia, and Laos created opportunities for abuse. Quote from article: On January 16, the police rescued three Laotian girls and arrested three Thais on charges of abuse and child slavery. The girls worked as domestic employees in Samut Prakarn for two years before being rescued. They were regularly beaten or burned when the employers were dissatisfied with their work. On February 4, four Burmese migrant workers were shot and killed, at point-blank range and with their hands bound, on a rubber plantation in Surat Thani Province. Police arrested six suspects, five of whom were tried; on December 25, three received the death penalty and two received life sentences. Police arrested four individuals in the June 2007 death of a Karen migrant worker who attempted to flee a factory in Supanburi Province, where he allegedly had been subjected to forced labor and severe physical abuse by his employer. Factory owner Sarawut Ayuken was charged with murder and with providing work and shelter to illegal migrant workers. In 2007 the court sentenced him to 12 months' imprisonment and a fine of 35,000 baht, (1,050), but he then changed his plea to guilty and, in exchange for acknowledging fault, received a lesser sentence of two years' probation and a fine of 17,500 baht ($525). The cases against the other three suspects remained with the provincial court. *************** 2008 Human Rights Report: Sri Lanka: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/sca/119140.htm **************** Quote from article: “According to the BPCW, 253 reported incidents of rape occurred through October. Services to assist victims of rape and domestic violence, such as crisis centers, legal aid, and counseling, were generally limited. Quote from article: Prostitution, although illegal, was prevalent. Some members of the police and security forces reportedly participated in or condoned prostitution. Trafficking in women for forced labor also occurred. Quote from article: Sexual harassment was a criminal offense carrying a maximum sentence of five years in prison; however, the government did not enforce the law. Women often experienced sexual harassment.” Quote from article: Women and children were reportedly trafficked internally for domestic and sexual servitude. No statistics were available on the extent of this problem. A smaller number of Thai, Chinese, and Russian women and women from the former Soviet Union were also trafficked into the country for commercial sexual exploitation. Quote from article: As of September 2007 fewer than 10 trade unions were active in EPZs, partially because of access restrictions on outsiders to enter the zones. According to the Board of Investment (BOI), in September 2007, unions were attempting to operate in 33 out of 264 factories in the EPZs; however, they were formally recognized in only 12 of these factories. Quote from article: The law provides for the right to collective bargaining; however, the government did not enforce it. **************** Trafficking in Persons Report 2009 : http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2009/ **************** http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2009/124799.htm The Trafficking in Persons Report 2009 was added for your reading pleasure. That being said, I'm sure there are no instances anywhere in Asia where people are denied breaks, toilets visits or drinking water, or safety supplies. That would be just too cruel. Weedy, Master of the Myth

No. This wasn't about whether or not I buy Asian made products. Like I said in my last post, "Would I buy an asian made rod? You bet." You stated "My point is there is nothing wrong with asian factories." I simply pointed out what was wrong with Asian factories. If I knew or cared to find out about which factories were at fault and what products they produced then I would not purchase those products. The fact is I don't care enough because I am a typicle North American slob of a consumer that is more interested in how cheap I can find a product as opposed to who or where it was made. (With the exception of fly rods that is, I only buy American because we all know how much more advanced anything made in the US is. ) Hey, just being honest. Go Walmart!!

Unless of course they employ 8 year old children that are paid 13 cents a day while their mother whores herself out in the brothel above the factory. Or the asian factories that work their employees 60+ hours a week. Or the asian factories that pay less than the legal minimum pay. Or the asian factories that won't let their workers take breaks. Or the asian factories that don't provide drinking water during the workday. Or the asian factories that don't provide proper safety supplies for their workers. Or the asian factories that don't provide proper toilets. (See if you can hold it for 8 hours.) Or the asian factories that physicaly and mentally abuse their workers. Or the asian factories that hold ransom the work permits of the people emplyed at the factories. But none of this has ever happened before. I made it all up just for fun, and besides we were talking about the fly rod industry so there's NO WAY any of the above mentioned abuses could happen in an Asian fly rod plant. Would I buy an asian made rod? You bet. Good video by the way.

For those glued to the tube here's the official site for what's happening. http://www.vancouver2010.com/

At least we have Joe Biden on our side!!

I think you better stop spending so much time in the bush Wes..

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