I recently posted on the Distributist Review:

Slave Made Goods By Country: A List from the Department of Labor

For instance, from where should one buy bricks? Apparently not Afghanistan, Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, China, Ecuador, India, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Peru, Uganda, or Colombia. All but one of these countries use child labor, and six use slave labor.

Slave labor. To make bricks. In 2009. No word yet on the forecast for the next round of plagues.

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Previous Posts:

Go Read Caritas in Veritae

Did you ever think you'd read an encyclical that advocated:

• energy efficiency, and the moral duty to reduce energy consumption
• consumer co-ops
• micro-finance
• large-scale redistribution of wealth on a world-wide scale
• intergenerational justice—in the context of environmental resources
• opening international markets, especially in agriculture

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If you want to skip straight to the encyclical: go read Caritas in Veritae.

And if you want to print it out, consider this personal reading copy I prepared for myself. It's three columns and only 28 pages (as opposed to the 50 or so my browser quoted me).

Don't miss this!

When Toilet Paper Is A Major Victory

Why did the R.L. Denim owners begin paying maternity leave, stop beating workers, and, yes, supply soap and toilet paper? Because when an overworked 18-year-old died, the NLC, other groups, and individuals writing letters begin to put pressure, not on the factory, but on the retailer ordering from the factory. (More...)

Handmade Toy Alliance

Handmade toys may soon be illegal in the United States.

That's the bad news. The good news is that they would already be illegal, if toymakers and others hadn't gotten together and fought back. Now they need our help. (More...)

Three Acres and a Penguin

Imagine if you could only fill your car with gas from Exxon. Or only get an oil change at the dealership. Or if it was illegal to open the hood of your car unless you worked for the manufacturer. Even if you had no desire to be your own car mechanic, these rules would seem a bit draconian.

So why this paroxysm of intellectual property law for computer software? (More...)

Read the Distributist Review.