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kalistarkalospia · 28 days ago

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˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗ KALEIDOGYN˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Published on: 6/16/2025

By: Kali

It's deeply troubling that many women continue to grapple with substantial challenges in their quest for equality with their male counterparts. While white men often have the autonomy to chase their aspirations freely, numerous women face dire circumstances, including violence, systemic discrimination, and pervasive injustices. This situation prompts a critical inquiry: why is it so challenging to extend the same respect and support to women, who are indispensable to our society’s fabric?

We must acknowledge that the actions of a single individual do not reflect the character or inherent value of an entire gender. A concerted effort is necessary to dismantle the obstacles that inhibit women from enjoying the same rights and opportunities as their male counterparts. Advocating for equality and fostering respect for all individuals not only enhances our communities but also cultivates a more just and equitable society.

For generations, women have persistently fought for their rights, striving to eliminate discrimination solely based on their gender.

Historically, before the 1970s, women encountered formidable barriers in their pursuit of divorce. A woman could only secure a divorce if she provided compelling evidence of her husband’s serious misconduct, such as adultery, cruelty, or abandonment. This often necessitated a painful and public examination of a couple's private lives. However, in a landmark development in 1969, California, led by then-Governor Ronald Reagan, became the first state to adopt a no-fault divorce law, permitting couples to divorce by mutual agreement without attributing blame. This pioneering move sparked a nationwide trend, resulting in a dramatic surge in divorce filings throughout the decade, a phenomenon now referred to as “The Divorce Revolution.”

Before 1973, women were systematically barred from serving on juries across all 50 states. The Civil Rights Act of 1957, signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, allowed women the right to serve on federal juries; however, it wasn't until 1973 that all states enacted similar laws, ensuring women could participate in the judicial process.

California also holds a significant historical distinction as the first state to pass a law, as early as 1862, that permitted women to establish bank accounts in their own names. Nevertheless, before the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) in 1974, women throughout much of the U.S. could not open bank accounts or apply for loans without a male cosigner, even if they held stable employment or income. The ECOA, signed by President Gerald Ford on October 28, 1974, marked a pivotal moment, prohibiting lenders from discriminating based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, marital status, or age.

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), enacted in 1978 and signed into law by President Jimmy Carter on October 31, 1978, provides crucial protections against discrimination for individuals based on pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. This legislation mandates that employers treat pregnant employees equitably, affording them the same considerations as non-pregnant employees regarding hiring, firing, promotions, and benefits.

In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), hailed as the most comprehensive legislation for disability rights in U.S. history, was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990. The ADA safeguards individuals with disabilities from employment discrimination, ensuring that employers cannot unjustly refuse to hire someone solely due to their disability status.

Additionally, the Women's Business Ownership Act of 1988, enacted on October 25, 1988, under the leadership of President Ronald Reagan, empowered women entrepreneurs to secure loans without requiring a male cosigner. This monumental legislation, championed by Representative John LaFalce, was a significant leap towards financial independence for women and garnered support from the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO).

Before the landmark Supreme Court decision in Eisenstadt v. Baird in 1972, unmarried women lacked the legal right to access birth control. Though in 1965, the Supreme Court had previously established the right for married women to obtain contraception in the historic case of Griswold v. Connecticut, it wasn't until Eisenstadt that the rights of unmarried women were recognized and protected.

These historical milestones represent only a fraction of the monumental battles women have fought for their rights. Unfortunately, despite the progress made, there remains a vast expanse of issues that women continue to confront and advocate for today, underscoring the ongoing struggle for equality and justice in society.

Women are not less intelligent, skilled, or capable in certain areas compared to men. They are not passive, submissive, or less assertive than men. Additionally, women are not physically or mentally weak. A woman’s role should not be limited to household tasks, childcare, and domestic duties; she can excel in careers as a police officer, firefighter, secretary, truck driver, construction worker, electrician, and more, just as well as any man. Women are equally dedicated to their careers as men, even when they have children.

However, women often face pressure to conform to stereotypical expectations regarding their behavior, appearance, and roles. These stereotypes can restrict women’s career choices and opportunities for leadership, personal development, and advancement. Moreover, they contribute to the overarching issue of gender inequality by reinforcing traditional gender roles and limiting women's potential. Women are frequently portrayed as damsels in distress, stay-at-home mothers, or overly sexualized characters. Such stereotypes in real life can negatively impact women's self-esteem and sense of worth.

Why should we as a society degrade a woman? There shouldn't be any excuses and responses as to why we should degrade women. We shouldn't make a woman feel less unique about their life. All women are unique regarding their background, likes, abilities, and ethnicity.

Yes, There are terrible women around the world who say and do heinous actions. But those terrible women who say and do heinous actions don't represent all the women in the world.

#original poem #poetry #writeblr #writer #writers and poets #writers on tumblr #writing #history #justice #world history #woman #pretty woman #women

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onwesterlywinds · 2 years ago

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PROMPT #2: Bark

This piece is set roughly two years before XIV 2.0 and reflects part of the aftermath of the 2020 prompt #30 Splinter.

The night before the imperial audit was due to the capital, the 9th Bureau offices of the IVth Legion resembled the aftermath of an explosion - a comparison with which Alma was intimately familiar. Sheafs of paper obscured most of the great meeting room table in Hyur-tall columns that might once have held some deeper organizational purpose but was now more a testament to the workings of imperial procedure than any meaningful function. The air, too, was thick with sweat and breath; the confidentiality of their task prohibited them from opening a window, and the odors that had gathered throughout the evening served only to inhibit concentration. Dona eir Quinta had retreated to the veranda for a smoke break, Sadr rem Albeleo was attending to a security breach elsewhere in the building, and many of the other staff with whom Alma was much less familiar had collapsed after pushing far past their twenty-bell shifts.

As such, when the legatus strode in to the office, only she and Menenius sas Lanatus were there to greet him.

"How fare the preparations?" said Noah van Gabranth by way of greeting.

Menenius bowed his head with much more certainty than Alma had seen from him only a few minutes prior. "Proceeding apace, my lord."

"Good." But he paid no mind to the carnage of bureaucracy transpiring around him. "Velius. With me, if you would."

Her pulse quickened, as it always did whenever he addressed her directly. She stood from the page she had been annotating - a note on the damage done to Dalmasca's historical sites during the bombings under Livia sas Junius - and made to present herself at attention.

"And bring a writing pad," the legatus added.

Menenius raised an eyebrow, glancing back and forth between the both of them with unabashed curiosity. Whether out of unflagging obedience or abject fatigue, he simply nodded, and he left Alma to follow behind his superior when the latter made a quick exit.

"The prisoner is a collaborator of the Dalmascan Resistance," said Gabranth as they walked the halls of Nalbina Fortress to reach the keep. "A powerful mage with connections to the void."

She understood then why Gabranth had not simply done away with the prisoner: void mages were rare - those with enough scruples to land them in Nalbina, much more so.

"She has rejected multiple offers of friendship over the decades; nevertheless, we believe non-violent interrogation may yield insightful results. For her records, copy down our conversation in full, without shorthand. Make note of her expressions and any movements of her limbs."

"Yes, ser." The instructions were basic orders for an interrogation of any sort. What she could not yet grasp was why this task proved just as crucial as a half-completed audit that needed to be aboard an airship bound for the capital by the time the sun rose.

That question remained even as the legatus opened the door to the oubliette. The woman within the cage beyond was greatly diminished; Alma would have to inquire later how long her imprisonment had lasted thus far, given that she had been made to hang. All the same, her features were striking: long waves of purple hair cascaded down over her brown skin, and her tired eyes still shone bright amid the single candle that cast its light around the door.

"Ah," said the prisoner. One of her ears gave a twitch, one that Alma supposed was more out of instinct than any true emotion. "The imperial hound returns, now with a shadow in tow."

After serving in the IVth Legion for more than three years, Alma had seen firsthand how Noah van Gabranth was a man willing to tolerate a great deal of uncouth behavior, even rudeness, so long as they came from a place of loyalty. The Viera voidmage's jokes were nothing Alma had not heard before, even from within the 9th Bureau's own ranks - but to hear them from a prisoner was something far different.

But Gabranth did not react to her impudence with anger or amusement. Instead, he raised both hands to his helmet and lifted it from his head to hold it at his side.

It was the first time Alma had ever seen his face - though she recognized it from countless lithographs she had seen of Basch. There, in the dim light of the fortress, he might have passed for his father's ghost.

"State your name, for the record," said Gabranth.

Only then, with the invocation of her role, did Alma remember that she had been brought here for a definitive purpose.

Again the prisoner's ear twitched, this time in the direction of Alma's pen scratching upon the paper. Her eyes were locked with Gabranth's in a way she had never seen before, not even from his officers.

"Hrjt - that's H-R-J-T - of the Graylands. Called 'Brotin' in the Viera tongue. And I would humbly request, for the record, an acknowledgement that the legatus remains unable to pronounce my name, even after nearly thirty years of our dalliances." Here, she inclined her head as deeply as she was able to Alma. "And what is your name, dear scribe?"

"She is of no consequence," Gabranth interjected, and Alma found herself grateful for the words. "But you, Miss Brotin-"

"It may help if you think of it as containing a D, as the R is what is known as a 'flipped' R. 'HED-yet.'"

"-you may yet rise above your name." Alma could not help but abbreviate nearly every word that came through, could not hope to capture in full the crosstalk flying fast between the longstanding adversaries. "To do so, I would present you with this."

A brightness emerged from Gabranth's side, even before Alma glanced up from her furious scrawling. From a pocket inside his armor, he withdrew a piece of auracite.

Hrjt went still in her chains. She took in a deep breath of the putrid dungeon air, deep enough for Alma to make note of it upon the page - and then, in a mere instant, her eyes reflected the selfsame stygian light.

"Dark and cold is this lover's embrace," she intoned. Her voice had dropped several octaves in mere moments. "I lie among the boundless detritus, piled high atop the ruins of the outcasts - a feast for those who cannot sink lower. Look upon me! Partake of me!"

Alma wrote faster than she had ever written before, heedless of all but the need to capture the words as they came to her. Then Hrjt coughed, and murky saltwater poured from her mouth, all down the front of her ragged and stained shift.

"I am here," she whispered. She now spoke as a Dalmascan man would speak, using masculine-gendered grammar. Alma could barely speak Dalmascan, though she knew enough of it from listening to Rabanastran radios for bells on end.

And Hrjt's speech conveyed only desire in its simplest form - words simple enough to piece together through the fervency with which they were conveyed.

"Where are you, my love? I feel you, yet you are not with me. Our son, you-" She turned, then, to Alma. "My son. Do not bring him here. He would only drown in these depths."

"Your son?" asked Gabranth. His voice was both hard and dangerously sweet - a horrific sort of invitation. "Who is your son?"

Hrjt did not reply; she merely coughed again and vomited even more water from some unfathomable depth. When she righted her head, it was with the great fatigue that one would expect of a prisoner who had been hanging by her wrists for nigh on a week.

"No more," she said. "I've had enough of your barking for now, Your Honor. Permit me to go, and I will let you live to howl another day."

Gabranth, inexplicably, thrust the glowing stone back into his pocket.

Hrjt breathed in a quiet, steadying breath - and in an instant, a wreath of dark aether enveloped and subsumed her. By the time Alma blinked to confirm what she was seeing, Hrjt had vanished without so much as a single trace.

"Again," Gabranth mused. "Ah well. We will find her again. She always returns to Valnain."

Alma knew better than to ask more questions about this woman, or to speak of the stone that had been brought to subdue her; and so she followed the legatus back to the office and returned to her work.

#Alma Malheur #Hrjt Brotin #REAL ONES KNOW. REAL ONES GET IT.#FFXIVWrite #FFXIVWrite 2023

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phanfictioncatalogue · 2 years ago

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Club Fics Masterlist

All Those Dirty Thoughts Of Me - grooveyle

Summary: Dan and Phil are together but they have dark secrets that they don’t want the other to know. Phil is a cheater and Dan is a prostitute. Phil goes to a different strip club than his usual and it’s actually Dan’s work place.

be still my foolish heart (ao3) - t_hens

Summary: Phil is a bartender in a jazz club during the Prohibition and he’s doing his best to live a plain, but safe life - that all goes out the window when a new jazz band is hired and the drummer, Dan, starts to capture Phil’s heart.

Come What May (ao3) - PhantasticFiction

Summary: (tw) Phil Lester usually wasn’t one to go to strip clubs. But after being coaxed into it by a couple of his friends he meets the ever hypnotizing Greyson Bear (Dan Howell). Easily falling in love with him Phil works to save Dan from the underworld of prostitution.

Company Policy (ao3) - watergator

Summary: dan works in a bakery-by-day, gay club-by-night bar. phil owns said bar. things happen.

dressed up 1999 versace (ao3) - dizzy

Summary: Dan and Phil go to a gay club.

Give Me A Try - danfanciesphil

Summary: Dan, a bartender at ‘Habenero’, Brighton’s hottest gay club, has been obsessed with AmazingPhil, the openly gay Instagram model for a long time. In all the fantasy meet-cute scenarios Dan has imagined for he and his semi-celeb crush, none of them involved him being at work, being soaked in various liquids, or being halfway through a Saturday night hell-shift. Sometimes, life doesn’t wait around for your plans.

inhibitions (ao3) - CapriciousCrab

Summary: Looks can be deceiving and Dan gets more than he bargains for when he picks up a guy at the club.

Lantern In Your Heart - botanistlester

Summary: Phil is bicurious, so to help him figure out his sexuality, he ends up at a gay club. There, he meets Dan, who helps him out in more ways than one.

Lydian (ao3) - sierraadeux

Summary: When Phil needs to accurately depict a jazz club in one of his films, it only makes sense to experience one in real life.

Only Love Can Hurt Like This (ao3) - phandomsub

Summary: Phil Lester stumbles into a strip club with nothing to lose but his last forty pounds.

rainbow on your skin, glitter in your veins (ao3) - watergator (orphan_account)

Summary: dan and phil go to a gay club in america

Saturday Night Fever (ao3) - TheUKAmazingDan

Summary: It’s the 1970s, and Phil is just looking to have a little fun.

shine on, diamond (ao3) - deathlytireddan

Summary: Dan and Phil going to a gay club.

The Birdcage (ao3) - sadlybunny

Summary: Phil Lester is the owner of the popular drag club, The Birdcage. Dan Howell, his long term partner, is the headlining queen “Amethyst Star”. But when Phil’s son comes to them with important news, their relationship is threatened by the promise of new in-laws who might not know that Phil is gay.

we break the dawn (ao3) - templeofshame

Summary: The last time Dan was here without a tour hanging over his head, he wasn’t even watching Drag Race, let alone ready to be spotted in the crowd at a drag show. Tonight, if someone recognizes them, asks for a photo, even takes a creepshot… they can knock themselves out. There’s no limit to how queer Dan and Phil can be in public, not anymore.

Wishing I Could Make this Mine - melancholymango

Summary: Phil has been recovering from his last break-up for a very long time, to the point that it’s more about not wanting to put himself out there again than it’s about wanting to go back to what he had before. His friends pick up on this and he ends up being dragged to a strip club, only to run into his childhood best friend (and lifelong crush) Dan Howell, at the bar. Dan Howell, the bashful and shy teen he’s been out of contact with for years now, who then proceeds to prance onto the stage and strip with all the confidence in the world.

#phanfictioncatalogue #phanfiction #phanfic #phan #masterlists #clubbing #clubbing masterlist

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dieletztepanzerhexe · 2 years ago

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annihllated by my pottery teacher today. she said that my fear of destroying the piece i was working on certainly extends into other areas of my life (true) and that pottery class is a great place to work through inhibitions that prohibit me from doing things without worry. she said it's a controlled environement that can be used to practice different skills and deal with issues preventing me from living, literally word for word what they say in group therapy xD

#but first of all how did she know that me being scared of destroying something i put a lot effort into also means those other things #oh i know. it's bc potters are special. they know more #also she's a spiritual witch #barely here #more concerned with angels and making deals with them in the astral plane #moje

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renthony · 2 years ago

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[ID: a comment left by tumblr user msexcelfractal, which reads "Cool post OP, now do Birth of a Nation. End ID.]

Content warning: antiblackness, antisemitism, sinophobia, general discussion of bigotry and oppression

You really want to try and go there as if that's some kind of gotcha on the subject of dark fiction? Fine. Let's go there. I've got sources and free time.

Birth of a Nation is a horrific hate crime of a film. It is flagrantly racist and was connected to a surge in KKK membership. Nobody should watch that film for enjoyment. It's horrific. Nobody should be forced to watch it, either. You don't have to watch the film, and I don't recommend you do, unless you're actively involved in studying it for whatever reason. It's a bad, hateful movie.

I have not watched it in its entirety and I don't really ever intend to. There are Black scholars who have already broken it down and discussed it at length, and I don't feel I'm going to get anything out of the film that they haven't already covered. If I need to study Birth of a Nation in more depth for whatever reason, I'm going to defer to Black scholarship on the subject.

But if you tried to ban the film altogether? If you tried to erase it from existence? I would ask what the fuck is wrong with you. Banning Birth of a Nation does absolutely nothing to combat the racism that created it. It wouldn't stop racists from making racist art. It wouldn't erase the damage done by the film. It wouldn't go back in time and make it retroactively never made.

You know what banning it would do, though? It would strip film scholars of the ability to discuss it. It would prohibit people from talking about exactly why it was bad. It would inhibit honest conversations about what the film was and who it affected.

You know what you do with horrific bigoted art like Birth of a Nation? You have content warnings, like the one I put at the beginning of this reply. You don't spring it on people who don't want to discuss it. You don't put it on for people to watch without warning. You don't tell everyone you know to go and watch it and give it money.

You do things like what Warner Brothers did with their Tom and Jerry disclaimer:

“These animated shorts are products of their time. Some of them may depict some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that were commonplace in American society. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today. While the following does not represent the Warner Bros. view of today’s society, these animated shorts are being presented as they were originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed.”

You damn sure don't erase it from history and pretend that ignoring it will solve bigotry. Censorship is not the answer, because censorship is always enforced harder on marginalized artists. You ban racism in film, you ban films by Black artists who are exploring the topic from their own perspective.

When the Hays Code banned "offense to other nations," you know what happened? It didn't stop racism in film, that's for damn sure. It instead gave bigoted censors a perfectly legal and easy way to shut down art by marginalized people, which they did gladly.

The rise of the Nazi Party in Germany resulted in the Reichsfilmkammer demanding the removal of all Jewish workers from Hollywood's European locations. American films began receiving heavy censorship and bans in Germany, and so American studios complied with the Reichsfilmkammer's demands in order to avoid legal trouble in Germany.

Despite the Nazi party's outright hostility toward Hollywood, the MPPDA office discouraged any negative depiction of Germany or the Nazi party. Germany had been such a huge market for American cinema that the Reichsfilmkammer's censorship codes for German films began impacting American-made cinema. Jewish representation in cinema all but disappeared overnight. Joseph Breen, the head of the censor board, was an open antisemite, going on open tirades against Jewish people. His censorship policies were flagrantly bigoted and only served to reinforce that bigotry on a systemic level.

In 1933, Herman J. Mankiewicz and Sam Jaffe tried and failed to make an anti-Hitler film titled "The Mad Dog of Europe." The Hays Code was used to deny the film's production. On July 17, 1933, Will Hays himself ordered the filmmakers to cease and desist, all in the name of "not offending Germany."

Said Joseph Breen, "It is to be remembered that there is strong pro-German and anti-Semitic feeling in this country, and, while those who are likely to approve of an anti-Hitler picture may think well of such an enterprise, they should keep in mind that millions of Americans might think otherwise.”

Variety said about the subject, “American attitude on the matter is that American companies cannot afford to lose the German market no matter what the inconvenience of personnel shifts."

Anna May Wong, a Chinese-American actress, lost out on a leading role in the film "The Good Earth," due to the Code's explicit ban on interracial relationships. The leading man had already been cast with a white man wearing yellowface, meaning that Wong was unable to be cast as the leading lady and love interest, even though the characters were supposed to both be Chinese. The role instead went to a German-American actress wearing yellowface, who went on to win an Oscar for the role.

Censorship doesn't help anyone. Censorship does not protect anyone. Censorship does not prevent bigotry, and in fact only serves to reinforce it.

Anyone who read this far and learned something: being an independent media censorship researcher doesn't exactly pay the bills, so check out my Ko-Fi or Patreon if you learned something and feel generous.

My main sources for this post are:

Pre-Code Hollywood: Sex, Immorality, and Insurrection in American Cinema, 1930-1934, by Thomas Doherty

The Dame in the Kimono: Hollywood, Censorship, and the Production Code, by Leonard J. Leff and Jerold L. Simmons

The Encyclopedia of Censorship, by Jonathon Green & Nicholas J. Karolides

Morality and Entertainment: The Origins of the Motion Picture Production Code - Stephen Vaughn

Sin in Soft Focus: Pre-Code Hollywood, by Mark A. Vieira

Forbidden Hollywood: The Pre-Code Era (1930-1934), When Sin Ruled the Movies, by Mark A. Vieira

Hollywood's Censor: Joseph I. Breen & the Production Code Administration, by Thomas Doherty

And since you made me talk about Birth of a fucking Nation, here are some additional resources for people who are actually interested in Black media history:

Birth of an Industry: Blackface Minstrelsy and the Rise of American Animation, by Nicholas Sammond

Archival Rediscovery and the Production of History: Solving the Mystery of Something Good - Negro Kiss (1898), by Allyson Nadia Field

Humor and Ethnic Stereotypes in Vaudeville and Burlesque, by Lawrence E. Mintz

The Original Blues: The Emergence of the blues in African American Vaudeville, by Lynn Abbott and Doug Seroff

Waltzing in the Dark: African American Vaudeville and Race Politics in the Swing Era, by Brenda Dixon Gottschild

Darkest America: Black Minstrelsy from Slavery to Hip-Hop, by Yuval Taylor and Jake Austen

Love & Theft: Blackface Minstrelsy and the American Working Class, by Eric Lott

The Prettiest Girl on Stage is a Man: Race and Gender Benders in American Vaudeville, by Prof. Kathleen B. Casey

Dancing Down the Barricades: Sammy Davis, Jr. And the Long Civil Rights Era, by Matthew Frye Jacobson

Blackface, Whiteface, Insult and Imitation in American Popular Culture, by John Strausbaugh

A Change in the Weather: Modernist Imagination, African American Imaginary, by Geoffrey Jacques

Hollywood Black: The Stars, The Films, The Filmmakers by Donald Bogle

The Blackface Minstrel Show in Mass Media: 20th Century Performances on Radio, Records, Film, and Television, by Tim Brooks

Oscar Micheaux and His Circle: African-American Filmmaking and Race Cinema of the Silent Era, by Pearl Bowser, Jane Gaines, and Charles Musser

America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality at the Movies, by Harry M. Benshoff and Sean Griffin

White: Essays on Race and culture, by Richard Dyer

Black American Cinema, edited by Manthia Diawara

Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World, by Wil Haygood

Framing Blackness: The African American Image in Film, by Ed Guerrero

Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, & Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films, by Donald Bogle

White Screens, Black Images: Hollywood From the Dark Side, by James Snead

Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism, by Nancy Wang Yuen

The Hollywood Jim Crow: the Racial Politics of the Movie Industry, by Maryann Erigha

Your personal triggers and squicks do not get to determine what kind of art other people make.

People make shit. It's what we do. We make shit to explore, to inspire, to explain, to understand, but also to cope, to process, to educate, to warn, to go, "hey, wouldn't that be fucked up? Wild, right?"

Yes, sure, there are things that should be handled with care if they are used at all. But plenty more things are subjective. Some things are just not going to be to your tastes. So go find something that is to your tastes and stop worrying so much about what other people are doing and trying to dictate universal moral precepts about art based on your personal triggers and squicks.

I find possession stories super fucking triggering if I encounter them without warning, especially if they function as a sexual abuse metaphor. I'm not over here campaigning for every horror artist to stop writing possession stories because they make me feel shaky and dissociated. I just check Does The Dog Die before watching certain genres, and I have my husband or roommate preview anything I think might upset me so they can give me more detail. And if I genuinely don't think I can't handle it, I don't watch it. It's that simple.

#original post #media studies #media analysis #media literacy #censorship #the hays code #joseph fucking breen #will hays

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noahcalhoun · 1 month ago

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Cannabis and Athletic Performance: Myths, Facts, and Emerging Research

In recent years, cannabis has gone from being a taboo subject in sports to a topic of open CNS disorders discussion among athletes, trainers, and researchers. With changing laws and social attitudes, many athletes are using cannabis for recovery, pain relief, or mental focus—but does it actually help performance, or is it just hype?

This article explores the myths and facts surrounding cannabis and athletic performance, examines the latest scientific findings, and looks at how the world of sports is adapting to this evolving issue.

The Historical Stigma For decades, cannabis was viewed strictly as a performance-inhibiting drug, banned by most major sports organizations. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) still prohibits cannabis during competition, citing concerns over health risks, performance enhancement, and violation of the spirit of sport.

However, as public perception shifts and more professional athletes speak out about using cannabis for pain and stress management, questions are being raised about whether its prohibition is still justified.

Myth 1: Cannabis Is a Performance Enhancer One of the most persistent myths is that cannabis gives athletes a competitive edge. But science tells a more nuanced story.

The Reality: Cannabis is not a direct performance enhancer in the traditional sense. It does not improve cardiovascular function, muscular strength, or endurance. In fact, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the primary psychoactive component, may impair motor coordination, reaction time, and short-term memory—clearly disadvantages in competitive settings.

However, cannabis may indirectly benefit athletes by aiding in recovery and mental well-being, which can contribute to better performance over time. This distinction is important: cannabis doesn't help you run faster or lift more, but it might help you train harder and recover better.

Myth 2: Cannabis Use Equals Lazy Athletes The stereotype of the “lazy stoner” doesn’t align with the growing number of elite athletes who advocate for cannabis use. From MMA fighters and NFL veterans to Olympic gold medalists, many athletes say cannabis helps them manage pain, anxiety, and sleep—critical components of peak performance.

The Reality: Cannabis use does not necessarily reduce motivation or athletic drive. In fact, some athletes report enhanced focus during repetitive, endurance-based training, such as long-distance running or cycling. Others use cannabis post-training for muscle relaxation and mental decompression.

That said, chronic or excessive use can dull motivation and cognitive function, particularly with high-THC products. Like anything, moderation and context matter.

Emerging Research: What the Science Says Although research is still limited due to decades of prohibition, early studies are beginning to shed light on how cannabis interacts with the body in the context of exercise and recovery.

Pain Management Cannabis is widely used for its analgesic (pain-relieving) properties. Athletes who endure constant strain, such as football players and endurance runners, often deal with chronic pain. Cannabis—especially CBD (cannabidiol)—has shown promise in reducing inflammation and pain without the addictive risk of opioids.

Sleep and Recovery Sleep is essential for muscle repair and athletic recovery. Some studies suggest cannabis can help users fall asleep faster and improve sleep quality. THC appears to reduce sleep latency, while CBD may reduce anxiety-related sleep disturbances.

Reduced Inflammation Animal studies and preliminary human research suggest CBD may reduce inflammation by interacting with the body’s endocannabinoid system. This could benefit athletes by speeding up recovery and reducing downtime.

Mental Focus and Stress While THC can impair short-term memory and attention, some athletes claim microdosing or using specific cannabis strains helps with mental focus during long training sessions. CBD, on the other hand, is known to reduce anxiety without cognitive impairment, which may help athletes stay calm under pressure.

Risks and Considerations Despite the potential benefits, cannabis use is not without risks—especially in a sports context:

Impaired Coordination and Reaction Time: This can be dangerous in high-speed or contact sports.

Heart Rate and Respiratory Effects: Cannabis can temporarily increase heart rate and may not be advisable for athletes with cardiovascular concerns.

Tolerance and Dependency: Frequent use can lead to tolerance, and in some cases, psychological dependency.

Regulatory Issues: Cannabis is still banned by WADA during competition and by some leagues and organizations. Athletes must stay informed about testing rules and legal consequences.

The Future of Cannabis in Sports As more states and countries legalize cannabis, sports organizations are beginning to rethink their policies. In 2021, the UFC partnered with a CBD company and announced it would no longer punish athletes for cannabis use. Similarly, the NBA and MLB have relaxed their cannabis testing rules.

This shift reflects a broader recognition that cannabis, when used responsibly, can be a tool for recovery and mental health rather than a threat to fair competition.

However, major institutions like the International Olympic Committee and WADA still maintain restrictions, and many athletes continue to navigate a legal gray area. More clinical research is needed to guide policy changes and educate athletes about best practices.

Conclusion Cannabis and athletic performance is a rapidly evolving area, full of myths, emerging science, and strong opinions. While cannabis isn’t a traditional performance enhancer, it offers potential benefits in recovery, pain management, and mental well-being—all essential for long-term athletic success.

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literaturereviewhelp · 3 months ago

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Controversy over Evolution and Creationism in the Public School Kitzmiller et al. Vs Dover School District Introduction: Kitzmiller Vs Dover School District case was argued in one of the United States District Courts of Pennsylvania; the twenty one days trial lasted for six weeks from September, 26, 2005 to November 4, 2005 (UScourts, 2005). The judgment was given on December 20, 2005 more than a month later. The case was in the favor of the plaintiff, but there was no further appeal as the board members, who were in the defense lost in the subsequent school board elections. It is an interesting case involving school board and parents, experts who testified and publishers who showed special interest in the case. It aroused interest due to the controversy it created around religion, science and education. The Case Summary: Kitzmiller et al. Vs Dover School District is the first direct case against a public school district. The case was based on a statement read to the sophomore (9th grade) students in the Dover School District in their biology class. The statement, according to the plaintiffs, endorsed “Intelligence Design”, a non-scientific creationist theory based on religious beliefs, as an alternative theory to Darwins’ Theory of Evolution, and thus violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Unites States Constitution as part of the Bill of Rights (UScourts, 2005). The Establishment Clause recommended a separationist and a non-preferentialist approach to religion and prohibits the preference or support of a religious idea without a secular purpose. So, the plaintiffs said that the statement in its being ‘creationist’ actually implies support of a religious idea and therefore violates the clause. According to Lemon, 403 U.S at 612-13, if any teaching or statement’s “principal or primary effect advances or inhibits religion, it violates the Establishment Clause (UScourts, 2005). However, the defense claimed that the statement does not violate the Establishment Clause as it does not mention or support any religious belief and that intelligence design is purely empirical; moreover, it does not teach intelligence design but only introduces that there is such a theory. The ruling was in favor of the plaintiff and the Judge John E. Jones III ruled out teaching intelligent design as constitutional. The Arguments: The plaintiff, who were nine parents from the Dover School District represented by American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) and Pepper Hamilton LLP filed a case against the Dover School District over a statement that was to be read out aloud in the 9th grade biology class in the school district. UScourts (2005) says that the primary inquiry is Whether the District has shown favoritism toward religion generally or any set of religious beliefs in particular: The touchstone for our analysis is the principle that the ‘First Amendment mandates governmental neutrality between religion and religion, and between religion and nonreligion.’ When the government acts with the ostensible and predominant purpose of advancing religion, it violates the central Establishment Clause value of official religious neutrality, there being no neutrality when the government’s ostensible object is to take sides. McCreary, 125 S. Ct. at 2733 (quoting Epperson, 393 U.S. at 104). Arguments of the Plaintiff: Based on the trail documents in The TalkOrigins Archive (2006a) some of the major arguments of the plaintiff and their witnesses are listed as follows: 1. Read the full article

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nursingwriter · 3 months ago

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Nano Artery The Use of Nanoparticles as Plaque-Reducing Agents in Human Arteries Summary of Current Approaches Common methods for preventing the buildup of plaque in arteries, which restricts blood flow and has the potential to cause a variety of health problems based on the location of the buildup, include the use of standard stents and newer degradable stents that also employ a controlled release of pharmaceutical compounds that themselves restrict the formation and buildup of plaque in the area of the stent (Chan et al. 2010; Chorny et al. 2010; Kohn & Zeltinger 2005). The fabrication of these stents has improved to the degree that they can be made safely degradable without limitations to functionality, and this has allowed for the controlled release of pharmaceutical compounds that has greatly improved the efficacy of such treatments in the prevention of atherosclerosis and the correction of plaque build up without requiring more invasive and riskier procedures (Kohn & Zeltinger 2005). These stents actually represent two relatively recent engineering advancements in their safe degradability as well as the level of control with which the pharmaceutical-releasing action of these stents can be accomplished (Kohn & Zeltinger 2005). Major advancements in assessment methods that lead to a determination of the need for intervention and the type of intervention recommended have also taken place in the past decade. Lesions and areas of plaque buildup that could have been repaired with stents often go unnoticed and can lead to sudden cardiac death, as the relatively invasive procedure of intravascular ultrasound was needed for detection (Schoenhagen & Nissen 2003). Newer methods of magnetic resonance imaging MRI) and computed tomography (CT) have been developed that are entirely non-invasive, however, allowing for more accurate and comprehensive assessment that in turn leads to less invasive corrections (Schoenhagen & Nissen 2003). II. Critique of Current Approaches Though these approaches are less invasive and more effective at both diagnosing and treating plaque buildup in arteries, and work as preventative methods that are thus more effective at reducing risks from plaque buildup than purely curative methods, there is still a fair degree of invasiveness involved in all stent procedures (Chan et al. 2010; Chorny et al. 2010; Kohn & Zeltinger 2005). In addition, though the ability for control in the rate of release of pharmaceuticals has been greatly increased with the newly-developed stents, there is still a limited window of operational capabilities in terms of timeline and in absolute amounts of drugs delivered through these stents (Kohn & Zeltinger 2005). Both of these aspects of these procedures limit their efficacy and make them undesirable in light of developing technologies (Chan et al. 2010; Chorny et al. 2010). III. Use of Nanoparticles Specifically, the use of manufactured nanoparticles to target areas of plaque buildup and delivery pharmaceutical compounds to these areas either as an enhancement to stent use or as a replacement therapy has received increasing attention from researchers (Chan et al. 2010; Chorny et al. 2010). This research is still quite new, however, and the question remains as to whether or not nanoparticles can truly serve as a replacement for stents by prohibiting plaque growth through a variety of means, including more targeted and longer-range delivery of pharmaceutical substances that destroy such build-ups and inhibit plaque deposits from forming. The efficacy of this approach has already been preliminarily demonstrated, but the long-term viability and safety of this intervention method as well as attendant risks have not yet been fully determined (Chan et al. 2010; Chorny et al. 2010). IV. Motivation for Research Despite the numerous advancements that have been made in treating plaque build-up in arteries and the general treatment and control of other cardiac issues, coronary artery disease is still the leading cause of death in North America and is a significant problem in other parts of the world, as well (Schoenhagen & Nissen 2003). This provides ample motivation for the study of techniques that might be more effective in treating and preventing coronary artery disease than those that are currently employed; the benefits of such research will directly impact the lives of many individuals by providing increasingly effective, less invasive, and more cost-effective treatments that prolong life and improve the quality of life. There are also more intrinsic motivations for conducting this research, including the ability to develop knowledge and work at the forefront of medical and engineering science, and though personal these motivations are not to be taken lightly. V. Improvement of Quantitative Approaches Current assessment methods for this technology generally involve focusing on minute details of the functionality of the nanoparticles without long-term data gathering and statistical analysis efforts taking place (Chan et al. 2010; Chorny et al. 2010). It is the goal of this research to improve these methods by including not only the functionality of the newly developed technologies, but also to assess the health improvements and/or rates of re-incidence in patients that undergo nanoparticle treatment, with regression analysis used to determine the degree of correlation between this treatment and changes in health. This will also allow for direct comparison to other treatment methods in terms of efficacy. References Chan, J., Zhang, L., Tong, R., Ghosh, D., Gao, W., Liao, G….Farokhzad, O. (2010). Spatiotemporal controlled delivery of nanoparticles to injured vasculature. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, January 2010. Chorny, M., Fishbein, I., Yellen, B., Alferiev, I., Bakay, M., Ganta, S….Levy, R. (2010). Targeting stents with local delivery of paclitaxel-loaded magnetic nanoparticles using uniform fields. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, April 2010. Kohn, J. & Zeltinger, J. (2005). Degradable, drug-eluting stents: a new frontier for the treatment of coronary artery disease. Expert review of medical devices, 2(6), pp. 667-71. Schoenhagen, P. & Nissen, S. (2003). Assessing Coronary Plaque Burden and Plaque Vulnerability:Atherosclerosis Imaging With IVUS and Emerging Noninvasive Modalities. American Heart Hospital Journal 1(2), pp. 164-9. https://www.paperdue.com/customer/paper/nano-artery-the-use-of-6938#:~:text=Logout-,NanoArteryTheUseof,-Length3pages Read the full article

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limerencerp · 5 months ago

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𝑪 𝑼 𝑹 𝑹 𝑰 𝑪 𝑼 𝑳 𝑼 𝑴 , 𝐩𝐭. 𝐢𝐯

In the late seventeenth century, what was first believed to be the onset of enduring mental illness would later be recognized as a rare endowment of the human mind. At first, Volition — which was misinterpreted as psychosis, witchcraft, demonic possession, and pious fraud — was believed to be a condition that required neurological intervention. Those who were suspected of performing extraordinary feats of the mind were subjected to invasive physical therapy that often left the recipient incontinent or lacking significant cognitive function.

The smudging and attempted erasure of Volition was eventually met with resistance by those who understood that select minds had developed in such a way that deserved to be sanctified and explored. Soon, conversation surrounding Volition was prohibited and individuals who claimed themselves proficient in the craft were barred from practicing, but in 1697, practitioners new to the colonies elected to document this “cerebral anomaly” and build a sanctuary where they could indulge their curiousity without fear of consequence, criticism, or interruption. And while decades of observation did little to provide a substantial explanation into the origins of shared metaphysical abilities, with their resources combined, New England’s most accomplished men conceived Galloway Academy in the quiet town of Aberdeen.

In the years that have since passed, the art of Volition has been further studied and divided into four major disciplines, and practitioners — otherwise known as ‘Volitionists’ — are given the privilege of mastering all four competencies during their tenure at the Academy. Prospective students are first sourced from home where their abilities are observed from afar over a period of five to seven years; thereafter, they are then given the opportunity to participate in an assessment of their character and abilities — individuals who possess a negligible amount of Volition or test poorly on their personality assessment are subject to removal from the university.

Upon successful enrollment, students are provided hands-on experience as well as theory-led instruction; at the end of every second term, pupils may apply for Matriculation with an appointed instructor. Aspiring Volitionists that maintain an exemplary grade point average may continue their personalized education with an instructor for the remainder of their enrollment before obtaining further tutelage from the Vice Chancellor.

It is believed that many of Galloway’s alumni often obtain a position of significant influence within the broader society upon completion of their studies. With a resounding return on intellectual investment, it has been — and continues to be — Galloway’s mission to take the sharpest minds in North America and mold them to perfection

The four areas of metaphysical study at Galloway Academy can be found down below

𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐔𝐋𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍

A divisive use of Volition among scholars, Volitionists possess the ability to manipulate the thoughts, actions, and emotions of others. The duration and intensity of this experience is dependent on the level of skill applied by the practitioner; a novice may lull their subject into a state of hypnosis while an adept user might assume complete control over their target. In Who Are We, If Not Gods? (Greene, 1999, pg. 402-403), Volitionists that have mastered the grim art of compelling those around them often develop the ability to manipulate the primary senses, and with dedicated practice, may produce a number of hallucinations, thus subjecting the mind of their victim(s) to an infinite loop of terror

𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐀

With this ability, Volitionists may impede the movement and traveling speed of objects or individuals at their behest. In the associated literature, Volition: A Case Study in New England (Butler, 1943), there are numerous accounts of practitioners silencing their peers by inhibiting the mobility of their tongues (colloquially known as ‘tying’) or otherwise rendering their bodies immobile for extended periods of time. With prolonged use on a specific target, users run the risk of inflicting irreversible damage to an affected individual, such as poor cognitive function or atrophy of the muscles

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

Using a sufficient amount of mental force, practitioners possess the ability to impose their will against obstacles both inanimate and sentient. This use of power is most often associated with prolonged concentration or heightened emotions, and without sufficient care and dexterity, users are susceptible to ‘weeping’. In the posthumous publication, Dare To Know, Dawson Abernathy alleges that Volitionists who have refined the art of projection are capable of infiltrating the mind of their target without alerting them to the intrusion, and adversely, can wield their mind in such a way that any harm they inflict upon their victim may bear the same results as if they were created during a physical altercation

𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄

Regarded by many to be one of the most invaluable competencies, practitioners are taught how to defend themselves from an offensive use of Volition. With practice, a user may learn how to detect a telepathic assault on their mind, how to resist an external impulse applied by another Volitionist, and how to thwart their assailant by hastily manufacturing false memories, thoughts, or emotions in retaliation. In Judith Caraway’s peer-reviewed essay, The Mind’s Wide Eye, individuals who have learned to compartmentalize or lie with impunity are quite adept at resisting coercion and manipulation

𝑳𝑰𝑴𝑬𝑹𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑬 is an upcoming semi-private dark academia roleplay set in the fictional town of Aberdeen, Vermont. Our tale of 𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬, and 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐞 takes place on the sprawling grounds of Galloway Academy, but beyond the dignified veneer of gilded bibliotheques and spacious lecture halls, something within the university persists, gorging itself on 𝐏𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑 and 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐆𝐄 — on the rot of 𝐇𝐔��𝐑𝐈𝐒

Follow for updates or track the tag “#limerencerp”.

#jcink #jcink premium #jcink rp #jcink roleplay #semi-private rp #semi-private roleplay #dark academia rp #dark academia roleplay #mature rp #mature roleplay #limerence rp

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bllsbailey · 6 months ago

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Oklahoma Education Board Approves Proposal Requiring Parents To Disclose Immigration Status for Student Enrollment

The Oklahoma Board of Education approved a proposal on Tuesday that requires all parents to declare their child’s immigration status or citizenship when enrolling them in schools in the state.

After a 6-0 vote, the proposal now heads to the state legislature — where lawmakers and the governor will have to approve it before it can officially take effect.

According to Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters, the proposal will be used to acquire more data about illegal immigrant children’s status. However, a CNN article posted on a January 28th reported that parents will have to declare their own immigration status or citizenship as well.

Parents or legal guardians will have to provide a “U.S. birth certificate, U.S. passport, consular report of birth abroad, permanent resident card or other legal document,” according to AP News.

“Our rule around illegal immigration accounting is simply that. It is to account for how many students of illegal immigrants are in our schools,” Walters explained.

Students without legal status would not be prohibited from enrolling or attending classes under the proposed rule. However, it would mandate that districts keep track of the number of kids whose evidence of citizenship was not presented — submitting those figures to the Oklahoma State Department of Education, excluding any personally identifiable information.

“Nothing in this Section shall be construed to prohibit, or inhibit, any child from receiving the education they are entitled to receive,” the proposal states.

Walters also offered a fair warning to those applying to Oklahoma schools.

“If a law enforcement official comes in and asks for information, we’re legally required to provide that information,” Walters continued. “If they come and ask us for certain information, we’ll happily provide that.”

“It would frankly be a pretty easy change, because there’s already a lot of information that we require when a student enrolls in a district,” he concluded.

Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts

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daphenominchief · 6 months ago

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Villegas vs. Legaspi, G.R. No. L-53869, March 25, 1982

Facts:

Raul A. Villegas filed a complaint against the Vera Cruz spouses and Primitivo Cania, Jr. in the Court of First Instance (CFI) of Cebu. The private respondents were represented by Assemblyman Valentino L. Legaspi, a member of the Batasang Pambansa.

Villegas questioned Legaspi's appearance as counsel, arguing that the Constitution prohibits members of the Batasang Pambansa from appearing before Courts of First Instance.

The CFI of Cebu initially inhibited from the case, because Assemblyman Legaspi was also the lawyer of the Judge's wife in two pending cases. The case was re-raffled to another branch of the CFI, presided by Judge Burgos, who denied the disqualification of Assemblyman Legaspi.

Edgardo P. Reyes filed a case in the CFI of Rizal against N.V. Verenigde Buinzenfabrieken Excelsior-De Maas and Eustaquio T.C. Acero. Assemblyman Estanislao Fernandez appeared as counsel for Excelsior, and this was also questioned based on the same constitutional prohibition.

Both cases were consolidated because they involved the same issue regarding the appearance of Assemblymen as counsel before the Courts of First Instance.

Issue:

Can members of the Batasang Pambansa appear as counsel before Courts of First Instance (now Regional Trial Courts)? Specifically, can they appear in cases originally filed in those courts?

Answer:

No, members of the Batasang Pambansa cannot appear as counsel before Courts of First Instance in cases originally filed with them. Their appearance is limited to cases where the CFI is exercising appellate jurisdiction.

Legal Basis:

Section 11, Article VIII of the 1973 Constitution (as amended in 1981) prohibits members of the Batasang Pambansa from appearing as counsel "before any court without appellate jurisdiction".

The term "appearance" means "voluntary submission to a court’s jurisdiction".

"Counsel" is defined as "an adviser, a person professionally engaged in the trial or management of a cause in court; a legal advocate managing a case at law".

Courts of First Instance have a dual "personality"; they can act with original or appellate jurisdiction.

The Constitution's intent is to limit legislators' appearances to courts exercising appellate jurisdiction.

This is to prevent undue influence, eliminate the use of office for personal gain, ensure impartiality in trials and preserve the independence of the judiciary.

Application:

Assemblyman Legaspi prepared the Answer for the respondents in the case before the CFI of Cebu, which is considered "appearance as counsel".

Similarly, Assemblyman Fernandez's appearance for Excelsior before the CFI of Rizal also constitutes "appearance as counsel".

The cases in the CFI of Cebu and Rizal were original cases and not an appeal from a lower court. Thus, the CFI was exercising original jurisdiction.

The constitutional provision regarding legislators appearing in court is designed to prevent undue influence in the judiciary.

Because the CFI was acting in the exercise of its original jurisdiction, the Assemblymen were prohibited from appearing before those courts as counsel.

Conclusion:

The Supreme Court granted the petitions, holding that Assemblymen Legaspi and Fernandez were prohibited from appearing as counsel before the Courts of First Instance in the specific cases. The court ordered the orders issued by the CFI of Cebu set aside.

Doctrine:

Constitutional provisions take effect immediately and apply to pending litigation.

The prohibition on members of the Batasang Pambansa from appearing as counsel applies to courts without appellate jurisdiction.

"Appearance as counsel" includes actions such as preparing an answer and representing a party in court.

Courts of First Instance (now Regional Trial Courts) have a dual personality and can act with either original or appellate jurisdiction.

The constitutional intent is to limit legislators’ appearances to courts exercising appellate jurisdiction.

Ratio:

The ratio of the ruling is to prevent undue influence by legislators in the judicial system. The framers of the constitution intended to avoid situations where legislators may use their office for personal gain, undermining impartiality and the independence of the judiciary.

The court emphasized that while the Courts of First Instance could exercise appellate jurisdiction, the prohibition on legislators' appearances applied to cases originally filed in those courts where they were acting in their capacity as a court of first instance.

The interpretation favors a restricted application to "appellate practice" to ensure the integrity of the judicial process. This ensures that legislators, who are often lawyers, do not exploit their position for personal or professional advantage.

The constitutional history of the provision shows an intention to move from limiting the prohibition to only members of the Commission of Appointments to all members of the legislature. The rationale was to remove any influence of the legislature on the judiciary.

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dailyanarchistposts · 8 months ago

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[Special thanks goes out to Co-op America, and responsibleshopper.org, whose publications aided in the research of this chapter.]

Section I: Abuse of the Worker (Modern)

The nation of Burma is currently under the control of an illegal military junta. It has been under this control since 1988. Under the force of the military, men, women, children, and the elderly are forced to labor without compensation. Sometimes they work to complete agricultural or industrial projects, other times they work for the military carrying supplies and ammunition. Most of the money the regime makes is through the natural resources that are exported. By purchasing their commodities, one is supporting the regime. However, businesses that are still doing business with Burma include 3M, American Express, BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke), Citigroup, Inc., Glaxosmith Kline, Halliburton, Hewlett-Packard Co., Hyundai, Lucent Technologies, Saks Incorporated, [511] Chevron Texaco Corp., Hyundai, Mitsubishi Motors of America, Inc., Nestle USA, Nissan Motor, Sony Corp., Toshiba Corp., Unocal [512] Federated Department Stores, [513] TJX, and Kohl’s. [514]

In the 1980’s and 1990’s, the use of outsourcing among American industries had become a popular trend, only becoming more and more used. Outsourcing is when American industries move capital to foreign territory, where production costs are lower. Why are they lower? They’re lower because they’re capable of getting away with lower wages, more hours, and fewer jobs. With the passage of NAFTA, this only increased. In Mexico, American industries import from maquiladoras, Mexican factories where laborers are paid poorly and forced to work overtime. Though passed with the intention of helping the world, NAFTA has meant fewer jobs with more hours and less pay. Businesses using Mexican maquiladoras include BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke), Canon Inc., DaimlerChrysler, Eli Lilly, Ford Motor, General Electric Company, General Motors, Hewlett-Packard Co., Hitachi American, Ltd., Honda Motor, Honeywell, Hyundai, IBM, Mattel Inc., Mitsubishi Motors of America, Inc., Motorola, Nissan Motor, Sanya Electric Co., Ltd., Sara Lee Corp., Sony Corp., Toshiba Corp., Volkswagon AG, and Xerox. [515]

Some apparel sold at Dillard’s is made in Excel Apparel Exports, a Haitian factory. Workers here earn $1.33 a day. [516] Caribou Coffee sells products that are not Tarnsfar certified Fair Trade, meaning that the coffee farmers are paid lowly and work in poor conditions. Carribou Coffee owns 160 locations throughout the United States. [517] Gap and Nike brand clothing are made at BJ&B sweatshop in the Dominican Republic. Violating even that nation’s labor laws, women are paid less than men, workers are hit, touched inappropriately, and belittled, and conditions are unsanitary. Out of the $20 retail cost of a brand cap, $0.08 is given to the workers, who earn about $40 after 56 hours of work. [518] Both Circuit City and JCPenny employment contracts prohibit their workers from litigating against their employer. This disallows employees from filing suit for sexual harassment, abuse, or violation of labor laws. [519] Hasbro, the child toy company, subcontracts factories in Asia, using cheap labor and lack of enforcement of labor laws. Such labor laws prevent unsanitary and unsafe conditions, as well as protecting wages. [520] In a Nabisco food processing plant in Oxnard, California, female employees were denied the right to take bathroom breaks, while males were allowed this privilege. The employer even padlocked the female bathroom between breaks. [521] In a National Semiconductor facility in Greenock, Scotland, women workers are suffering serious occupational health problems, including miscarriages, reproductive cancers, vision problems, and respiratory ailments. The ability to unionize is illegal, thus inhibiting workers from organizing against the unsanitary conditions. [522]

Nike was the recipient of the National Labor Committees’ First Annual Golden Grinch Awards. It was received because the company had outstanding sweatshop abuses and starvation wages. In one Dominican Republic factory, workers were given 6.6 minutes to sew one children’s sweatshirt. They earn $0.08 for each $22.99 Nike sweatshirt they sew, less than 3/10ths of 1% of retail price. [523] In Guatemala, a Phillips-Van Heusen employee work force organized a union according to Guatemalan law, but the company refuses to recognize the validity of it. [524] In Saipan, 40,000 garment workers brought suit against Polo Ralph Lauren, because workers faced harassment, abuse, and poor working conditions. [525] Shirts and pants sold at Wal-Mart stores are made by workers at the Beximco Factory, Bangladesh, where employees work 12 hour days, seven days a week, and receive between 9 and 20 cents an hour. [526] A New Orleans worker at the Winn-Dixie grocery store was fired because he was a crossdresser, when not at work. [527]

In June of 1995, JCPenny fired 186 workers at an El Salvador plant because they organized in a union. This was after being subject to excessive overtime and undue punishment. [528] Since 1996, Darden Restaurants has been charged with four separate accounts of anti-gay discrimination. [529] From 1996 to 1997, Halliburton aided in construction in Burma, knowing of the forced labor, or literal slavery, that was used to build it. [530] Mitsubishi has been mishandling sexual and racial harassment allegations from 1996 and earlier. Some women were set back in careers for not giving in to sexual harassment. [531] In 1997, Fruit of the Loom slashed 7,700 U.S. jobs in shifting production to the Caribbean, ultimately offering fewer jobs, for longer hours, with less pay. [532] Home Depot paid $104 million to settle a class-action discrimination suit, involving 25,000 employees. [533] Kmart, Limited Brands Inc., and May Department Stores, was named as one of the companies that used sweatshop labor most often in 1997. [534]

In a 1997 report, teenage girls and women working in the Keyhinge factory in Vietnam were forced to work 9 to 10 hours a day, seven days a week, often earning just six cents an hour. They were producing promotional toys for happy meals. In February of that year, 200 workers fell ill, 25 collapsed, and three were hospitalized, because of chemical exposure. [535] On March 8 of 1997, Carmelita Alonza died after spending 11 days in the hospital. The cause of death was related to her 14 hour workdays and eight hours of overtime every Sunday. She worked in a factory that supplied Eddie Bauer, Federated Department Stores, Gap, Jones Apparel, Liz Claiborne Inc., May Department Stores, and Polo Ralph Lauren. [536] On June of 1997, a British judge noted in a sidenote that McDonald’s pays low wages, helping to depress wages in the catering trade. [537] Reebok shoe factories in China employ workers as young as 13, paid below legal minimum, and forced overtime, according to a September 1997 report. [538] In October of 1997, First Union settled an age discrimination suit against 239 former employees, by paying $58.5 million. Old workers were fired and replaced with younger, less-qualified workers. [539] In an Associated Press report for November of 1997, Nicaraguans who make garments sold at Kmart work in appalling conditions and are paid extremely little. The report also noted Hondurans who were forced to work in similar conditions for the Kathie Lee Gifford line. There was physical, verbal, and sexual abuse. The factories were surrounded by barbed wire, guarded with armed soldiers, and employed children as young as 15, some forced to work 13 hours a day, seven days a week, without overtime pay. [540] In December of 1997, five garment workers in El Paso, Texas, were awarded $10.6 million in court, when the Levi Strauss company violated their privacy rights. The violation occurred as retaliation, when the workers sought work comp benefits for injuries incurred at the plant. [541]

Arlen Benjamin-Gomez traveled to Honduras in 1998, where she interviewed workers for two weeks. These workers were paid $3.50 a day and forced to work long hours of overtime without pay. Ventilation was poor in the factories, the managers treated them badly, and they had limited use use of the bathrooms. Workers who tried to unionize were blacklisted and fired. [542] Also in 1998, Gap clothing and clothing by the Sara Lee Corp. was manufactured in a Thai factory. It underpaid workers, denied payment of overtime, required forced overtime, and provided no working welfare, violating the law in Thailand. Work shifts were 12 hours each with limited bathroom use. Women workers were sexually harassed and violated. Unionizing workers were fired. [543] McDonald’s has been allowed by the government to put restaurants in public hospitals, guaranteeing a monopoly — however, such restaurants are anti-union. [544] In maquiladoras in Mexico, Sanyo performed pregnancy tests and fired all pregnant women. [545] A 1998 report detailed 53 cases of pregnancy discrimination at 50 factories along the U.S.-Mexico border and in Baja, California. These factories are operated by Tyco International, which requires mandatory pregnancy testing during the hiring process. [546] Also in 1998, Tyson Foods cheated workers out of 30 minutes of overtime pay everyday. [547]

As late as March of 1998, Federated Department Stores and Polo Ralph Lauren were selling clothing made in China, under illegal working conditions and violating internationally recognized workers rights. [548] A March 1998 visit to Reebok factories had discovered that wages and monitoring were inadequate, and that virtually little to no progress had been made in allowing workers the right to unionize. Also, the actual wages had decreased in purchasing power by 60%. [549] In March of 1998, a female worker suffered sexual harassment, verbal and physical, by workers of Tyson Foods corporation, and her complaints to management were completely ignored. [550] One woman was demoted from State Street Corp. after taking a maternity leave. Investor’s Business Daily stated that the complaint claimed, “women were targets of profanity and were underpaid relative to their male counterparts; that another woman was fired because she missed work while attending court after having been the victim of domestic abuse; and that an employee played a compact disc of a woman having an orgasm over speakers located in the equity trading room.” [551] In June of 1998, an explosion linked to outdated equipment at the Pennzoil-Quaker State Company killed 5 workers. Pennzoil paid a $1.5 million fine in April of 1996 for violating OSHA’s safety management rules and materials handling rules. [552] In 1998 of August, CIGNA Corporation withheld raises from their employees unless the employees signed over their right to sue over age, sex, and racial discrimination, any form of harassment, or wrongful hiring. [553] In 1991, Whole Foods fired an employee for her union activity in the United States. In November of 1997, Whole Foods also fired 70 union workers with 70 non-union workers. At another Whole Foods, one worker was fired for trying to represent the work force and bring up concerns of the workers. [554] In October of 1998, a female worker of the Dana Corporation was subjected to sexual harassment by a male supervisor. Her claim was backed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The harassment went on for several years. [555] Time Warner Inc. denied health and pension benefits to hundreds of eligible workers, by claiming they were independent contractors. [556] In 1998, the Valero Energy Corp. finally gave compensation to a widow of a worker at its’ Armarillo, Texas refinery, who was killed in a 1996 gas explosion. A jury determined the company was guilty of gross negligence. [557]

The year 1999 was not much different than others. In an Indonesian oil facility, owned by Chevron Texaco Corp., 8,000 workers face labor and human rights violations. [558] In a 1999 report, General Motors was found to be performing pregnancy tests and discrimination against pregnant females. [559] A group of black employees working for Merk were being treated unfairly and not given the same promotion opportunities as white employees. [560] In January of 1999, HoltraChem Manufacturing was fined by the NC Occupational Safety and Health Administration for health and safety violations, including overexposure of mercury to employees, frequent hydrogen fires, and lack of protective clothing for dangerous chemicals. [561] In the same month, Warnaco and seventeen other clothing manufacturers were accused of using indentured labor to produce clothing, failure to pay overtime, and intolerable work conditions in Saipan, a United States territory. [562] In February of 1999, Airborne Inc. was sued because their policy of randomly searching workers violates their civil rights and the collective bargaining agreement. [563] In early 1999, Tyson Foods tried to take away 21 benefits from workers when contracts came up for renewal. [564] In March of 1999, a white supervisor for Airborne Inc. accelerated the disciplinary process of seven African Americans and Hispanics, as well as screaming obscenities at them and physically threatening them. [565] Kohl’s, owned by Great Atlantic and Pacific, was accused in 1998 of practicing wage discrimination, by giving only high paying positions to male employees. By 1999 of March, 1,500 females have joined in a suit against the company. [566] A report from March of 1999 reported that more than half of the clothing sold by Lands’ End was being purchased from overseas, where sweatshop conditions are prevalent [567] In April of 1999, Bellsouth was accused of discriminating against 300 employees, who were denied promotions and pay raises because of age and gender. [568] A May 1999 report identified Cooper Tire & Rubber as one of 12,500 workplaces with notably high occupational injury and illness. [569] When Mexican workers at a maquiladora voted to be represented by an independent union in May of 1999, Hyundai refused their request. [570]

According to a June, 1999 report, Boise Cascade has been charged with 350 willful negligence violations of worker safety since 1988. [571] According to another June, 1999 report, Phillips-Van Heusen shut down a factory that had been granted independent monitoring and moved to a non-unionized, poverty-wage sweatshops. [572] In July of 1999, 13 current and former employees of Winn-Dixie were awarded $120,000 each by a federal court for race and sex discrimination. [573] Federal Express Corp. in Maryland were accused of male managers sexually assaulting and molesting five women. [574] Rockwell International plead guilty to three felony counts, in which it was accused of the deaths of two employees due to lack of safety regulations. [575] In September of 1999, one MBNA telemarketer filed discrimination charges against the company, on physical disabilities and age. [576] The University of Arkansas purchases its school clothing from overseas nations where sweatshop conditions flourish. [577] In October of 1999, Fruit of the Loom paid $7.3 million in a settlement agreement because they had refused to pay wages to workers. [578] In late 1999, one female employee of MBNA was sexually harassed and assaulted by a male coworker, whom the company had refused to do anything to help. The harassment was so intense that it went to the point of physical collapse. [579] In October of 1999, Phillips-Van Heusen and four other clothing manufacturers agreed to settle a class-action suit because of their sweatshop conditions in the United States. [580] Sales staffers at Quaker Oats had lost their jobs in 1994 because of age discrimination, were finally paid settlement in late 1999 . [581] Seoney’s Inc. paid out $18 million in settlement fees because of unfair wage and labor practices. [582] Amazon.com’s work conditions include four people sharing one cubicle, low wages, and poor management. [583] In September of 1999, a former employee of AutoNation filed a religious discrimination lawsuit against his employer, because he was fired on religious grounds. [584] A Nigeria-American employee of Autonation was harassed at a dealership, calling him “ebola” and “ebola virus” over four months. [585] Norman Pawlowski was fired from Hewlett-Packard, when he brought up environmental and safety violations that threatened the safety of other employees. [586] In December of 1999, 8,000 Indonesian workers held violent protests demanding higher wages from Nike’s starvation wages. [587] Seven workers were killed at Tyson Foods facilities throughout 1999, when no other poultry company has reported any fatalities in that or the next year. [588]

In January of 2000, Dana Corporation was found to be hiding microphones in security cameras to eavesdrop on employees. [589] Georgia Pacific refused to pay 6,000 seasonal farm workers the minimum wage in the United States. The same thing happened with employees of International Paper Co.. [590] Whole Foods routinely failed to pay overtime to employees who worked more than 40 hours a week over a two-year period. [591] K-tel International Inc., and 11 other companies, were making bootlegs of slain rapper Tupac Shakur’s music, without compensation. [592] Goodyear Tire & Rubber has been engaging in anti-union activities in March of 2000, including firing 48 production employees at its Guatemala plant. [593] Eighteen retailers, including Jones Apparel, Liz Claiborne Inc., and May Department Stores, in March of 2000 agreed to compensate underpaid and overworked employees in sweatshop conditions in Saipan, a U.S. territory. [594] A massive explosion at a petroleum plastics plant in Texas, March 2000, killed one person and injured 74 others. It was the third fatal accident in 11 years, and fourth explosion in one year. The company had failed to meet safety regulations. [595] An Arabic-Syrian employee of Federated Department stores was mocked for her ethnicity and then fired for actions that, when other workers engaged in them, there was no disciplinary action. [596] Forty five employees of IBM in April of 2000 were exposed to cancer-causing agents within an IBM plant that failed to meet safety regulations. [597] JCPenny is one of several U.S. corporations employing 40 thousand factory workers in Jordan, where workers earn $3.50 a day. JCPenny and several other companies contracted sweatshop labor in Saipan. In December of 2000, JCPenny contracted Daewoosa clothing factory in American Samoa, where workers sometimes were refused food for days, as a form of punishment against workers, refused to pay wages, and engaged in physical assaults on their workers by the bosses. A San Francisco garment plant operated by JCPenny was shut down because it refused to pay $850,000 in wages. Also, JCPenny operates assembly plants in Haiti, paying less than that nation’s minimum wage. [598] Louisiana-Pacific violated six safety standards in an explosion that killed a worker and hospitalized another at its Olathe plant in October 1999. [599]

In May of 2000, CIGNA Corp. shortchanged doctors on insurance policies, by refusing to pay for certain services that were covered in the contracts. [600] Foot Locker Inc. has been paying its Canadian employees only 65% of minimum wage in Toronto, some being paid as low as $2.50 an hour, forced to work up to 12 hours without overtime pay. [601] Kohl’s was given one of the National Labor Committee’s First Annual Golden Grinch Awards, for outstanding sweatshop abuses and starvation wages. Their labor is contracted in sweatshops in Nicaragua. [602] Limited Brands Inc., as well as 17 other clothing manufacturers, used indentured labor to produce clothing. They failed to pay overtime and minimum wage, while advertising their garments as “Sweatshop Free.” 50,000 workers were harmed from their activities. [603] Toyota forced one employee to work 12 to 16 hours a day, seven days a week, for years. Japan’s legal system forced the company to compensate the widow. [604] United Airlines (UAL Corporation) was ruled to pay discrimination damages, when they had stricter weight standards for female employees than male employees. [605] In July of 2000, Northwest Airlines fired a number of employees that were organized in union activity. They also used spyware to monitor the employees opinion of the company. [606] In August of 2000, American Airlines (AMR) had to pay 1.7 million to 99 disabled people who were denied jobs with the carrier. [607] Federal Express was fined by the FAA for failure to apply legal safety procedures in transporting chemical oxygen generators. One improperly placed oxygen generator was the cause of a crash that killed 110 people. [608] Interstate Bakers was ordered to pay $11 in damages to 21 black workers, because they were denied promotions, subject to racist comments, and given the worst shifts. [609] Fox TV illegal fired Jane Akre, a reporter who refused to run a false report claiming that Monsanto’s bovine growth hormone was safe. Strong evidence linked the growth hormone to cancer in humans. Monsanto warned Fox of “dire consequences” unless the television station lied to the public about the safety of the growth hormone. [610]

In September of 2000, Kmart, Kohl’s, and four others engaged in aggressive anti-union activity. All union workers were fired. Union leaders were charged with serious criminal offenses. All employees who complained about verbal and physical abuse were also fired. [611] Marriott International was accused of over 80 violations of labor law during its four years of contract talks with 9,000 of its workers. [612] In October of 2000, Albertson’s failed to pay final wages on time when employees left the company. [613] Proctor and Gamble Co. uses non-union talent in commercials produced. [614] A lawyer suing Publix Super Markets said, “It’s clear that for years, Publix has engaged in a pattern and practice of channeling women into low-paying jobs and preventing them from moving from part-time to full-time work, which has affected their opportunities for advances and benefits.” [615] In October of 2000, Publix Super Markets discriminated against six Hispanic employees, by refusing them promotions. [616] In November of 2000, Amazon.com posted anti-union materials on its internal website, providing managers with “warning signs” of possible union organizing activities. [617] Louise Lopman spent three months at an El Salvador factory that produced for Fruit of the Loom and other companies. Women were frequently denied bathroom access, given polluted water to drink, forced to stand 12 to 14 hours per day, and paid 43 cents per hour. Lopman said, “In the sweatshops of El Salvador, I saw young women working in very inhumane conditions... experiencing severe violations of dignity, of self-esteem, and of human rights.” [618] One doctor for Humana was fired when he argued against policies that would hurt patient care. [619] Kmart, for four years according to labor leaders, has been opposing the formation of unions in its stores while offering benefits and wages that are insufficient. [620] Louisiana-Pacific has been discovered to have eight serious safety violations involving 42 separate occurrences, where there was a “substantial probability” of death or physical harm. [621] The EEOC said it had found evidence of a “pattern and practice of discrimination” against women at Morgan Stanley Dean Whitter. [622] In December of 2000, 49 agents for Allstate are suing because the company refused to pay overtime. [623] The Great Atlantic and Pacific corporation paid its deliverymen $2 an hour over the course of six years. This was the employment of over 110 people in Harlem. [624] A black, homosexual man for Morgan Stanley Dean Whitter was fired on accounts of photos of him appearing in a gay pornographic magazine. [625] 15,000 African Americans were fired or refused promotion because of their race from 1993 to 2000, for the company Publix Super Markets. [626]

In 2001, female employees at USAirways complained, claiming “male coworkers frequently came to work intoxicated and were permitted to watch pornographic videos in an employee lounge.” Those who complained were fired. [627] In January of 2001, two women from Chicago plants were sexually harassed, and they claimed that sexual harassment was widely accepted and complaints went ignored. [628] Two IBM workers were exposed to toxic fumes at the company’s facility in Fishkill, NY, causing birth defects. [629] A Mexican plant for Nike employed children, forced striking workers to work at gunpoint, and allowed rancid food to its employees. [630] In January of 2001, U-Haul classified 480 employees as managers to deny them overtime, but a Los Angeles court ordered the company to pay over $10 million in overtime pay. [631] In February of 2001, Hewlett-Packard reneged on its promise to provide lifetime discounts on its products to over 3,800 Hewlett-Packard retirees. [632] It was discovered in February of 2001, that as many as 13,000 workers from Mattell Inc. may have been exposed to toxic levels of trichloroethylene (TCE) from 1951 to 1980. TCE has an association with anemia, arthritis, cancer, birth defects, and liver damage. [633] In February of 2001, nine current and former Microsoft employees suffered racial discrimination at their workplace, where they were passed over for promotions, paid less than co-workers, experienced a hostile work place, and subject to retaliation. [634] Global Alliance published a report, claiming that “Indonesian workers [at nine different factories] making Nike clothes and shoes are being sexually and verbally abused, have limited access to health care and are forced to work overtime.” [635]

A lawsuit against Wal-mart claims that the company set up a system of frequently paying its female workers less than male counterparts and bypassing women for promotions. Another lawsuit alleges that Walmart “denied women promotions, paid them less than men and forced them to visit strip clubs on business.” The National Organization for Women are boycotting Wal-Mart, claiming unequal pay between the sexes, denying promotion to female employees, exclusion of contraception in health benefits, and refusal to sell the “morning-after pill” (Preven) for women, but still selling Viagra for men. According to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 72% of Wal-mart’s staff is women, but only a third of them make it to management, ranking it below rivals’ levels of 25 years ago. In California, another boycott was called against the Wal-Mart company, for using racial slurs against its Mexican workers. The EEOC would issue its 17th lawsuit against Wal-mart in August of 2001 for discriminating against job applicants who are disabled. Another EEOC lawsuit claims that a Wal-Mart “greeter” was fired after the company refused to let her sit down occasionally, due to her knee problems. In another EEOC lawsuit, Walmart failed to provide qualified interpreters for deaf applicants and employees. [636] 400 Florida farm workers for Taco Bell are paid 40 to 45 cents for every 32 pounds of tomatoes they pick — a yearly average of $7,500 with no benefits. In May of 2001, Pizza Hut (of Yum! Brands) paid $10 million in a lawsuit for backpay. In February of 2000, they paid $9 million to 3,000 California employees who were not given overtime. [637]

In March of 2001, an engineer for Consolidated Edison warned that the nuclear power plant was faulty, and resigned in protest. A security guard was forced to his sixth straight day of 12 hour shifts, and was fired for complaining. [638] The DaimlerChrysler company was sued in March of 2001, for disallowing his disabled workers from transferring from plant to plant, but allowing transfers for non-disabled workers. [639] American Airlines was accused of violation the Americans with Disabilities Act for the second time by the EEOC in March of 2001. [640] Disney, Sony Corp., and Time Warner Inc., failed to pay 25,000 discharged workers on time of their last paycheck in March of 2001. [641] In February of 2001, Ford’s new evaluation process was designed to weed out older workers. [642] Kohl’s has been selling clothing made in El Salvador, where women are given mandatory pregnancy tests (and fired if positive), obligatory overtime of 6 days a week with 13 hour shifts, and paid as little as 60 cents an hour, less than a third of the cost of living. [643] In March of 2001, Mitsubishi Motors of America agreed to pay $1.4 million to a group of minority workers, because the company “denied blacks promotions and transfers, and ignored racial incidents in the workplace, such the use of slurs, graffiti with the letters ‘KKK’ and, in once instance, the hanging of a noose in a break area.” [644] Starbucks has refused to implement human rights monitors on its coffee plantations, where some of the worst human rights violations have been recorded. [645] A class-action discrimination suit is against Sunoco, Inc., because, as one black workers claims, “The majority of blacks that have been employed by Sunoco are limited to staff positions and denied key management positions that instead go to whites,” as well as hosting a hostile a hostile environment. [646]

In April of 2003, Target and 21 other companies had to pay $20 million at a court order for sweatshop labor in Saipan, a U.S. territory. More than 13,000 workers worked 12-hour days regularly, seven days a week, without overtime pay. It also required workers to sign contracts waiving basic human rights. Target has been employing 40,000 workers in Jordan, where workers earn $3.50 a day. In March of 2001, Target was selling clothing produced in El Salvador, with mandatory pregnancy tests, six working days a week, thirteen hour shifts, and wages as low as sixty cents an hour. [647] 21 workers for U-Haul were immediately fired for trying to join the Teamsters Union. [648] Ten black Xerox workers filed charges with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, claiming they were disallowed job advancement or promotion. [649] In April of 2001, 12 employees of Albertson’s filed a racial discrimination against their company, for being routinely passed over for promotions — even workers who have been with the company for 31 years. [650] Amazon.com’s working conditions it April 2001 included “poor pay, poor conditions, poor communications and poor management,” as well as harassment and intimidation. [651] American Airlines’ health plan does not cover reproductive care for women, but provides Viagra for men. [652] General Electric Company, General Motors, Honeywell, Sony Corp., and McDonald’s, was named as a violator of workers rights’ in U.S., Canada, and Mexico, by the Human Rights Watch. [653] In April of 2001, a federal discrimination lawsuit (by the EEOC) was filed against Kroger for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, by harassing mentally retarded workers into quitting their jobs. A minor was also threatened with arrest if he refused to quit his job. [654] In April of 2001, Georgia-Pacific settled a racial harassment suit, because its African-American employees were exposed to racial slurs, jokes, and graffiti at the facility, and one employee was fired for complaining about harassment from the manager. [655] Marriott International has been refusing to unionize its hotels for years, with labor leaders and government officials declaring a boycott against Marriott. [656]

Daimler Chrysler in June 2001 refused to hire disabled mechanics at its Detroit Axle Plant. [657] An employee of Bellsouth was fired from the company after being subjected to anti-Semitic harassment and complaining about it, in June of 2001. [658] A 27-year veteran of Dupont was refused a promotion because of his disabilities. [659] Ford Motor, in response to many of these discrimination suits, went with reverse discriminations: it refused to promote white managers, in favor of women and minorities. [660] Ford Motor in June of 2001 ignored complaints of six of its employees for sexual harassment, including “Grabbing the salesmen’s genitals and buttocks, asking for sexual favors and making inappropriate comments of a sexual nature.” [661] Jefferson Smurfit Group plc admitted to failing to ensure worker safety, causing the death of one of its workers in. The investigation found that it has had previous worker fatalities in the past, that were only met with fines. [662]

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allyorganicme · 8 months ago

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Exploring the Benefits of Organic Citric Acid 50% Solution in Sustainable Manufacturing

Organic citric acid has gained significant attention in recent years as a key player in sustainable manufacturing processes. This naturally occurring organic acid, primarily derived from citrus fruits, is not only versatile but also environmentally friendly. Among its various forms, the 50% solution of organic citric acid stands out for its effectiveness in numerous industrial applications. This article delves into the benefits of using organic citric acid 50% solution in sustainable manufacturing, highlighting its role in promoting eco-friendly practices, enhancing product quality, and contributing to overall sustainability.

What is Organic Citric Acid 50% Solution?

Organic citric acid is a weak organic acid with the chemical formula C6H8O7. It is characterized by its sour taste and is widely recognized for its applications in food preservation, cleaning, and various industrial processes. The 50% solution refers to a concentrated liquid form that contains 50% citric acid by weight. This concentration is particularly useful in industrial settings where potency and efficacy are essential.

Production Process

The production of organic citric acid typically involves fermentation processes utilizing specific strains of the mold Aspergillus niger. The fermentation begins with a carbohydrate source, often derived from renewable resources like corn or sugarcane. The resulting citric acid is then concentrated to create the 50% solution, ensuring that it retains its organic certification by adhering to strict agricultural standards that prohibit synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.

Benefits of Organic Citric Acid 50% Solution in Sustainable Manufacturing

1. Eco-Friendly Alternative

One of the most compelling advantages of organic citric acid is its eco-friendly nature. As industries increasingly prioritize sustainability, organic citric acid 50% solution serves as a natural alternative to synthetic chemicals commonly used in manufacturing processes.

Biodegradability: Organic citric acid is biodegradable, meaning it breaks down naturally without harming the environment. This characteristic is crucial for companies aiming to minimize their ecological footprint.

Reduced Chemical Load: By replacing harsher chemicals with organic citric acid, manufacturers can reduce the overall chemical load in their processes, contributing to cleaner production methods.

2. Versatility Across Industries

Organic citric acid 50% solution is renowned for its versatility, making it applicable across a wide range of industries:

Food and Beverage: In food manufacturing, citric acid acts as an acidulant, flavor enhancer, and preservative. It helps maintain product quality by preventing spoilage and enhancing taste. Its ability to lower pH levels inhibits microbial growth, extending shelf life without the need for synthetic preservatives.

Pharmaceuticals: In the pharmaceutical industry, organic citric acid is used as a buffering agent. It helps maintain optimal pH levels in formulations, ensuring the stability and efficacy of active ingredients. Additionally, it enhances the solubility of certain compounds, improving drug absorption in the body.

Cosmetics and Personal Care: Citric acid is commonly used in cosmetics for pH adjustment and as a natural exfoliant. Its inclusion in skincare products helps to improve texture and effectiveness while aligning with the consumer demand for clean beauty.

3. Cost-Effectiveness

The use of organic citric acid 50% solution can lead to cost savings for manufacturers in several ways:

Concentration Efficiency: As a concentrated solution, organic citric acid requires smaller quantities to achieve desired results compared to less concentrated alternatives. This efficiency not only reduces raw material costs but also minimizes storage and handling expenses.

Extended Shelf Life: By utilizing citric acid as a preservative, manufacturers can extend the shelf life of their products, reducing waste and losses associated with spoilage.

4. Enhancing Product Quality

In sustainable manufacturing, product quality is paramount. Organic citric acid 50% solution contributes to improved quality in various ways:

Flavor Enhancement: In the food and beverage industry, citric acid enhances the flavor profile of products, providing a refreshing tartness that balances sweetness. This improves the overall sensory experience for consumers.

Stability and Safety: In pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, citric acid helps stabilize formulations, ensuring that products remain effective throughout their shelf life. Its antimicrobial properties also enhance product safety by inhibiting harmful bacteria.

5. Supporting Sustainable Practices

The adoption of organic citric acid 50% solution aligns with broader sustainability goals in manufacturing:

Sustainable Sourcing: Organic citric acid is typically sourced from renewable agricultural practices, supporting local farmers and promoting sustainable agriculture. This commitment to sourcing reflects positively on a brand’s social responsibility.

Circular Economy: By incorporating biodegradable ingredients like organic citric acid, manufacturers can contribute to a circular economy, where materials are reused and recycled, minimizing waste and environmental impact.

Application Examples in Sustainable Manufacturing

1. Food Preservation

In food manufacturing, organic citric acid 50% solution is used to preserve a variety of products, including sauces, dressings, and beverages. By lowering the pH, it inhibits the growth of spoilage organisms, allowing products to remain fresh for longer periods. This not only reduces food waste but also ensures that consumers receive high-quality products.

2. Pharmaceutical Formulations

In the pharmaceutical sector, organic citric acid is integral to the formulation of effervescent tablets and syrups. Its buffering capacity helps to maintain the desired pH, enhancing the stability and efficacy of active ingredients. This is particularly important for medications that require precise pH levels for optimal absorption.

3. Cleaning Products

The cleaning industry has embraced organic citric acid as a natural alternative to harsh chemicals. In formulations for household and industrial cleaners, citric acid effectively removes mineral deposits, limescale, and stains. Its safety profile makes it suitable for use in environments where chemical exposure must be minimized.

4. Cosmetic Formulations

In cosmetics, organic citric acid is often found in exfoliating products, toners, and creams. It helps to balance pH and enhance the performance of active ingredients, aligning with the growing trend towards clean and effective beauty solutions.

Safety and Handling

While organic citric acid 50% solution is generally safe to use, proper handling is essential to ensure safety:

Protective Equipment: When handling concentrated citric acid, it is advisable to wear appropriate protective equipment, such as gloves and goggles, to prevent skin and eye irritation.

Storage Guidelines: Organic citric acid should be stored in a cool, dry place, away from incompatible materials. Proper labeling and containment are crucial to avoid accidental exposure.

Dilution: In many applications, it is necessary to dilute the 50% solution to achieve the desired concentration. Care should be taken to follow guidelines for safe dilution practices.

The Future of Organic Citric Acid in Sustainable Manufacturing

As the demand for sustainable practices continues to grow, the role of organic citric acid 50% solution is expected to expand. Innovations in production methods, such as utilizing agricultural waste for fermentation, may enhance its sustainability profile even further.

Moreover, ongoing research into the health benefits and potential applications of citric acid will likely lead to new uses across various industries. As consumers increasingly prioritize natural and organic products, the market for organic citric acid is poised for significant growth.

Conclusion

Organic citric acid 50% solution represents a powerful tool for manufacturers seeking to implement sustainable practices while enhancing product quality. Its versatility across food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and cleaning industries showcases its effectiveness as an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic chemicals. By adopting organic citric acid, manufacturers can not only improve their processes but also contribute to a more sustainable future.

As a brand dedicated to quality and sustainability, AllyOrganics is committed to providing high-quality organic citric acid solutions that meet the needs of modern industries. By embracing the benefits of organic citric acid 50% solution, businesses can foster innovation, support environmental stewardship, and align with the growing consumer demand for sustainable products. The future of manufacturing is green, and organic citric acid is at the forefront of this important shift.

#Organic Citric Acid 50% Solution #C.O. Citric Acid 50% Solution

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