Word: migrants
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...most symbol-laden Games ever. Foremost is the massive security operation that has disrupted the lives of residents and visitors, as the host city's ubiquitous policemen and soldiers repeatedly stop vehicles and individuals for inspection. Then there are other issues, such as the ejection from the city of migrant workers, the government-ordered closure of numerous bars, restaurants and clubs, even the surprising lack of foreign visitors due to strict new visa policies put in place to lessen the threat of terrorists and outside agitators spoiling Beijing's festive mood. And let's not forget the air; despite restrictions...
Some Beijingers have opted to leave town on what's jokingly called a biyuntao--"avoid Olympics package"--which rhymes with the Chinese word for condom. Others, including huge numbers of migrant workers, have been forced out. A group of builders from Sichuan who lived in our courtyard while refurbishing the neighborhood left recently, taking their coal cooking stove and pet kitten with them. A few blocks away, restaurant owner Liu Ruilin complains that some of his best customers are gone. "I thought the Olympics were going to be good for business," he says. "But lots of outsiders are leaving...
...North African migrant workers believe such crackdowns will stop their brothers from coming. What might work better can be seen on a farm 100 miles (160 km) south of Tunis. Here the vision of a Mediterranean Union is in full flower. David Jacob is the technical manager for Agroland Tunisie, a 370-acre (150 ha) joint venture with Chanabel, a French farming conglomerate based near Lyons. Jacob is showing top officials from Tunis the new field of baby nectarine trees that were planted in January. He brought the latest techniques for hydration and pruning from France, and knows what pleases...
...recent incidents of xenophobia in South Africa not only reveal the brutality of some criminals, they also show the government's difficulties in fighting poverty. Although South Africa's economy has been growing constantly, people in the townships - especially migrant workers from Zimbabwe - do not really benefit. I wonder whether the attacks will impact on South Africa's staging of the 2010 World Cup. Adrian Lobe, STUTTGART, GERMANY...
...promote the very practices it purports to detect. In The China Price, Alexandra Harney describes how Chinese suppliers set up "five-star factories" whose model working conditions impress auditors, while also creating "shadow" factories to meet actual order deadlines. With a minimum of paperwork or safety codes, staffed by migrant workers who often put in 12-hour days seven days a week, these shadow factories are unregulated, but common. The craze for auditing has, paradoxically, led factory owners to create such factories. It also sops up resources that could be channeled toward improving labor conditions. "If factories are getting monitored...