This comes on the heels of a CNN report aired on December 13, 2007 of last year, when it was revealed that Wal-Mart Christmas Ornaments were made under deplorable conditions. Children ranging from ages of 12 to 16 years old, making 26 cents an hour which is half of China's minimum wage.

Business Week.com cites a new study released, which exposed Wal-Mart's auditing program failed to uncover that a supplier of children's wear are being produced in sweatshop conditions. The factory forced workers to lie to Wal-Mart inspectors about the working conditions. Wal-Mart has, of course, tried to hide this report from the public.

According to Business Week, "Wal-Mart acknowledges that it urged SweatFree Communities several times not to publish its report."

According to the study, "Sweatshop Solutions? Economic Ground Zero in Bangladesh and Wal-Mart's Responsibility," the factory forces workers to toil marathon 19-hour shifts from 8 am to 3 am in order to finish Wal-Mart orders with tight deadlines. "If any worker declines overtime, management harasses him or her mentally or physically," says Elina, a 22-year old factory helper. The report recounts one incident of a pregnant worker, who was refused leave, and forced to deliver her child inside the factory.

"In response to this report and pressure from our organization, Wal-Mart promises action to make this factory a model for others in Bangladesh," said Bjorn Claeson, Executive Director of SweatFree Communities, a worker rights organization that authored the report. "We welcome Wal-Mart's intervention. As one of the most powerful companies in the world with enormous presence in Bangladesh Wal-Mart could have a dramatic positive impact. But the company should recognize that its own low price demands and just-in-time production system is the root cause of sweatshop conditions. To bring about substantive changes in this factory and others, Wal-Mart must be willing to change its own demands."

According to the BusinessWeek story, Ruth Rosenbaum, executive director of CREA, a Hartford-based socioeconomic research center that focuses on human and labor rights, said "Wal-Mart has taken positive steps on environmental and sustainable issues, but when it comes to working on issues that question its purchasing practices or where its way of doing business would have to change, that's where things hit a wall."

"This report once again shows Wal-Mart's failed commitment to ethical sourcing," said Stacie Lock Temple, Sr. Director for Strategy and Communications for Wal-Mart Watch, a watchdog organization that monitors Wal-Mart's business practices. "If Wal-Mart and the Walton family were truly committed to improving worker conditions in factories such as this one, the company would be willing to change its excessive demands and spend the money required to ensure fair working conditions."

Another reason people should not shop at Wal-Mart. How many reports about sweatshop supplier practices and lawsuits about worker violations is it going to take to wake shoppers of Wal-Mart up? Every time you buy a product there, you are contributing, not only to child labor sweatshops in Bangladesh and China. But also, condoning the over 2,000,000 million employee violations and that is in just one current lawsuit. Wal-Mart and the Walton's have made billions off these kinds of practices - isn't it time to find another store to patronize?

dit jaar in thema "Boerderij" enkele nieuwe creaties aan de creatafel.

Eigenlijk heel leuk vind ik de kippetjes...

Leuk hé?!

Vanaf maandag krijgt je kleuter de driedimensionale boerderijwerkjes mee naar huis: een waakhond, een varkentje of zo'n leuk kippetje.

Benieuwd wat het wordt bij jouw kleuter?

Groetjes, juf Bérénice

Início do curso a distância: 6/10

Carga horária: 38 horas (30h EAD e 8h presencial).

Pré-requisito: estar registrado e em dia com o CREA-PR. O curso é gratuito

 Inscrições e informações: www.crea-pr.org.br ícone PRO-CREA - Cursos a Distância.

Fonte: Boletim  Pró-Crea 51

-Crea un ambiente en el que puedas estar concentrado sin distracciones.

-Busca las condiciones óptimas en las que puedes estudiar y apégate a ellas.
-Evita distracciones. Solos o combinados, la música, la comida  son relajantes, así que en lugar de estudiar lo que lograrás es dormirte.
-No estudies acostado. Lo único que conseguirás es dormirte, la cama sirve para descansar no para estudiar.

Depuis plus de deux ans, cette Maison, espace culturel, accueille une imprimerie offset qu'elle a confié à Jean-Jacques Tachdjian, "altergraphiste" et fondateur de l'association La Chienne, pour qu'il y mène ses expérimentations graphiques. Une presse vite baptisée la Machi(en)ne.

De son union avec le monstre, Jean-Jacques Tachdjian a fait naître des tonnes d'imprimés, témoignant de sa volonté de faire de l'offset d'hier une technique artistique de demain.

L'exposition En©rage propose donc une nouvelle donne artistique et graphique, mettant en lumière l'intérêt des techniques industrielles pour les créateurs et plasticiens. Que se passe-t-il quand le graphiste prend en main la machine, modifie ses réglages, la détourne de ses objectifs premiers ?
La première partie de l'exposition est donc consacrée aux impressions sauvages sorties de la machine de Wazemmes et du cerveau de Tachdjian et de ses acolytes de l'association La Chienne (Rocco, Bertoyas, The Pit..). Des enfants des écoles aussi ont participé. Comme des passants du quartier.(pixelcreation)

Du 11 octobre au 23 novembre 2008.
Maison Folie Wazemmes, 70 rue des Sarrazins, Lille (59).
Ouvert du mercredi au samedi de 14h à 19h et le dimanche de 10h à 19h.

na een weekje in het kader van de boerderij zijn al enkele dieren de revue gepasseerd. Dit niet enkel in leergesprekken, neen, ook aan de creatafel maken we elke dag een ander dier.

Aan de ramen van onze klas (wel aan de achterzijde dus je zult een kijkje vanop de wegeling moeten nemen) prijken de kleurrijke koe-, varken- en haanvliegers! Maar het is eigenlijk op papier dat de meeste dieren tot stand komen: een koe, een varken, een kat, een pauw en een eend. En het is dan nog niet eens zo gemakkelijk want de moeilijkheid bestaat erin de dieren te maken 'naar voorbeeld'. Zo'n stappenplan is een moeilijk gegeven voor kleuters maar de meeste kinderen brengen het er prima vanaf.

Maar het moet niet altijd moeilijk zijn aan de creatafel... neen, vandaag maken we een 'waakhond'. Juf brengt het concept aan en voor de rest mogen we onze creativiteit de vrije loop laten gaan. Bekijk hieronder het resultaat...

Zijn ze niet gewoonweg schattig?!

Dus niet verschieten als je kleuter volgende week een waakhond mee naar huis heeft! ;-)

Groetjes, juf Bérénice

Toen ik vorige week weer voor mijn werk in Älmhult (Zweden) was, heb ik een plak marsepein gekocht. En er zaterdag maar meteen een bloemetjestaart van gemaakt.

Els propers dies 25, 26 i 27 de Setembre es celebrarà el V Festival CREA, organitzat conjuntament amb CREA i PVC

Divendres 25
Bar La Cotxera, c/ Costa i Cuxart 31.
-20:00 h. No me enamoro ni con tacones.

Dissabte 26
La Cosa Nostra, c/ Beret 83.
-20:00 h. Apertura de puertas.
-21:00 h. Rückkôprax (Ubicación sorpresa) Mr Shure. (Patio)
-22:15 h. Semolinika (Sala)
-23:00 h. Las Trifásicas (Patio)
-23:30 h. Semolinika (Sala)
-00:00 h. Academia Thuya (Patio)
-00:30 h. Riot Über Alles (Sala)

Diumenge 27
La Cosa Nostra, c/ Beret 83.
-20:00 h. Apertura de puertas.
-21:00 h. La Quadra Mágica (Patio).
-22:15 h. La Cabeza Descalza (Sala).
-23:30 h. III Concurso lanzamiento de ordenadores. (Patio).
-00:15 h. Envasado al Vacío. (Patio).
-01:00 h. New Entity (Patio)

Per descarregar el programa complet clicka AQUI

Meslek Yuksek Okulu, Lisans ve Yuksek Lisans ogrencileri icin duzenlenen Biltronik Proje Yarismasi katilimlari devam ediyor. Musiad tarafindan organize edilen yarisma bir cok buyuk firma tarafindan da sponsorluk vasitasiyla destekleniyor. Everest, Crea, Datateknik ornegin.

Son katilim tarihi: 28 Kasim 2008 Cuma

Ancak dedigimiz gibi sadece ogrenciler ve yeni mezunlar katilabiliyor. Yeni mezunlarin katilabilme sarti sundugu projenin ogrenim doneminde yapilmis olmasi. Her turlu projeyle katilabilir ogrenciler, misal ogretim gorevlileriyle yapilmis bitirme projeleri, grup projeleri dahil.

Amac olarak sitesinde cok kucuk bir aciklama koymus ve cok yuvarlak ifadelerle;

" MÜSİAD, Bilgi Teknolojilerinin iş dünyasında ve ekonominin ve toplumun her katmanında doğru bir şekilde kullanılmasının önemini bilmekte ve bu konuda üyelerini doğru teknolojiyi kullanma konusunda teşvik etmektedir. Bunun yanında MÜSİAD, Türkiye’nin sadece iyi bir teknoloji pazarı olmakla yetinmemesi gerektiği ve TEKNOLOJİ üreten bir ülke olması gerektiğini düşünmektedir. Üniversitelerden mezun olan mühendislerimizin yeni fikirler, buluşlar ve teknolojiler geliştirmek amacı ve rüyası ile üniversitelerden mezun olmalarının bu konuda gerekli olduğunu düşünmektedir.  Üniversite öğrencilerini bu yönde teşvik etmek ve başkalarının geliştirdiği ürünlere en iyi destek hizmetini vermek iddiası ile değil; en iyi teknolojiyi yapma iddiasına sahip olmayı öne çıkartmak amacı ile MÜSİAD, Bilgi Teknolojileri Proje Yarışmasını düzenlemektedir. " http://www.biltronik.org/2008/default.aspx?pageID=0

Oduller ise yine cok guzel yani projeniz varsa katilin :)

• Birincilik Ödülü       : 20.000 YTL + Dizüstü Bilgisayar 
• İkincilik Ödülü        : 15.000 YTL
• Üçüncülük Ödülü    : 10.000 YTL

Yarisma Anasayfasi: http://www.biltronik.org/2008/default.aspx?pageID=0

Iyi calismalar...

"The report underscores the current shift in the Canadian housing market, as the tone of activity moves slightly closer to a buyer's market," said Millan Mulraine, economics strategist for TD Securities in an economic note yesterday.

One positive, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association yesterday, is that new listings are down from record levels of the previous four months. Fewer listings means less inventory on the market. The association says price declines in pricier markets, mainly in the West, have pulled down the average price.

"The boom in the housing markets is definitely over," Tsur Somerville, a professor in the Sauder School of Business at University of British Columbia said in an interview. "Depending on where you live, you can likely expect prices to fall further."

Somerville, in a study released this month, looking at the relationship between house price and rents estimates that housing prices in some Canadian cities such as Regina, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Montreal, would have to drop as much as 20 per cent to be in balance. The professor found only Toronto and Edmonton house prices were not overvalued in the first half of 2008.

Put another way, average Vancouver house prices would have to fall by $85,000, in Winnipeg it would be $74,000 and Ottawa $81,000.

Just because homes are overpriced doesn't mean the market will plunge to equilibrium, Tsur said.

Toronto housing prices are not out of line because they have not had the explosive growth of other cities, Sommerville said. "Some cities look way out of line when you run the numbers, but Toronto is bang on."

Sommerville cautioned that the study was based on existing detached home prices and rents and did not include condo stocks.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/499739

Click here for Professor Sommerville's recent report on the relationship between house prices and rent

KeyCanada.ca
Real Estate Canada
Canadian Real Estate Blog

A Lagoa Encantada Cidadania e Turismo Sustentável (Lects) é uma entidade sem fins lucrativos que mantém intercâmbio cultural com estudantes franceses dos cursos de engenharia e meio ambiente. Formada por empresários, produtores rurais e comunidade, a entidade desenvolveu projeto de captação e adução da água, orienta a comunidade na formação de planos e ações para fomentar o turismo na localidade, além de ajudar no destino de resíduos sólidos usados como adubo.

A Lagoa Encantada está envolvida por uma Área de Proteção Ambiental. Além da paisagem formada por um espelho d'água de 6,4 km2 - cercado por fazendas e mata nativa, um espetáculo natural desperta a curiosidade e a imaginação: as ilhas flutuantes que se movem de uma margem à outra da lagoa, ao sabor dos ventos e da correnteza formada pelo ribeirões que a alimentam, como Lagoa Pequena e Serrapilheira. Conhecida no passado como "Lagoa de Ilhéus", guarda as mais interessantes lendas que fazem parte do folclore ilheense, devido à presença dessas ilhas flutuantes que parecem transformar-se em seres místicos, a exemplo do "lobisomen" e da "mula sem cabeça". O poeta Cyro de Mattos retrata a Lagoa como "encantada porque nela existe uma cidade submersa, com navios iluminados e até galos clarinetam na madrugada (...) ilhas se movem, o vento inventa uma música de harpa (...). Os moradores mais antigos dizem que a lua deita, sob estas capas, a noit encanta, quem pescar na logoa nunca mais retorna". Além desses mitos, a lagoa, na realidade, já abrigou peixes-boi que foram dizimados com arpões. Delicie-se com as histórias e lendas contadas pelos moradores da região.

Proteção de Conteúdo 011 7417 2155

Era da tanto che cercavo qualcosa del genere che funzionasse bene e che non necessitasse di registrazioni.

Fare una strip di un fumetto in pochi secondi!

:P

Maar hee, weer zo leuk van thuisonderwijs: als je iets niet kunt, dan leer je het samen. Ik had een boek uit de bibliotheek meegenomen van Terry Longhurst, van de bekende I can draw-serie. De boekjes van die serie zijn in het Nederlands ook in een verzameldband te krijgen onder de letterlijke vertaling Ik kan tekenen.

Terwijl Philip voorlas uit Pim, Frits en Ida, wijdde Jet zich aan het tekenen van een paard (altijd verrassend wat ze zal kiezen). De instructies zie je hiernaast - even aanklikken voor de grote foto.

Longhurst doet het stap voor stap voor, en Jet probeerde het zelf na te doen. De eerste poging ging aardig.

Dat was even inkomen, vond Jet en ze deed een tweede poging. Die bestond net als in het voorbeeld inderdaad uit cirkels, ovalen en strepen, alleen leek het nog niet erg op een paard.

De derde poging vond ik zelf fantastisch,

maar Jet moest er bijna van huilen. 'Zijn nek is veel te dik en hij heeft rare poten! Hij lijkt helemaal niet op het plaatje.' Ik zei dat het natuurlijk wel tijd kost om iets te leren. Veel doen, kijken waar het fout ging en nog eens proberen.

Een moeder uit onze thuisonderwijsgroep vertelde me dat het bij tekenen vooral gaat om kijken. Zij heeft kunstacademie gedaan en heeft de meest geweldige creatieve tips en ideeën (kijk maar onder 'creatief' en 'ideeën' op haar site). Ik vertelde Jet dus dat ik begreep dat goed kijken heel belangrijk is, en we probeerden het nog eens. Nu samen. Soms keek ik en tekende Jet en dan keek Jet en tekende ik een stukje.

En toen kregen we dit.

Daarna heeft Jet de randen wat dikker gemaakt, de basisvormen uitgegumd en hem ingekleurd. Voilà. Alleen maar door te kijken.

O Seminário também objetiva reunir competências dos setores público, privado e do terceiro setor em torno do tema de forma a contribuir para o estabelecimento de uma nova atitude política.

Sabe-se que apesar de o Brasil concentrar 13,7% da água doce superficial do mundo e sua produção hídrica girar em torno de 8 mil quilômetros cúbicos por ano – cerca de 20% do que é produzido em todos os países – uma significativa parcela da população ainda não tem acesso aos serviços de abastecimento de água.
Mais preocupante ainda é a coleta de esgoto pela rede pública. Esse serviço está disponível em apenas 52,2% dos municípios e apenas 20% tratam (mesmo que parcialmente) o esgoto coletado. Atualmente, 48% das cidades brasileiras não coletam o esgoto produzido nas casas, ou seja, corre a céu aberto. O destino do lixo também não é adequado: 63,3% dos municípios destinam os resíduos coletados para os lixões a céu aberto, sem nenhuma espécie de controle ambiental.

Nos últimos dez anos, dados da Defensoria das Águas, entidade vinculada à Conferência Nacional dos Bispos do Brasil (CNBB) informam que quintuplicou a contaminação de águas de rios, lagos e lagoas. São mais de 20 mil áreas contaminadas.

Local: Auditório do CREA-MG (Av Álvares Cabral, 1600 – Bairro Santo Agostinho – Belo Horizonte)

Data: 23 e 24 de setembro de 2008

Site: www.institutobrasil.com/saneamento

Informações: (31) 3892-5468

Apoio: PETROBRAS, Associação Mineira de Municípios, CREA-MG e Editora Globo

This is the first time in any month that new listings surpassed 80,000 units, the association said, adding that listings are up across the country as people rush to take advantage of high home prices.

"We're facing a far more balanced market than we did last year," said Gregory Klump, CREA's chief economist, in an interview. "There's a lot more product from which to choose," he said. "Buyers can afford to be in less of a hurry."

Across Canada, said Klump, "people are putting their homes on the market to take advantage of recent price gains." What Canadians are seeing, said Michael Gregory, an economist with BMO Capital Markets, is "a healthy correction." "When you have double digit price gains on a nationwide basis for several years, you're going to have to pay a little bit of that back at some stage," he said.

New listings reached new heights in Ontario and Quebec. In Manitoba, they climbed to their second-highest level since the beginning of the new millennium. In fact, the rise in listings nationally more than offset a monthly decline in the number of new listings in Alberta, where levels have been retreating from a peak reached in March, said CREA.

Earlier this month, CREA reported that listings in the country's major markets remained near record levels in July. On a seasonally adjusted basis, 50,782 properties were listed through the MLS systems - the second-highest level on record, just 0.2 per cent below the peak reached in May.

"The trend for new listings generally (national and major market) reflects recent price trends," said Klump. "While still elevated, new listings in Alberta are easing and market balance is stabilizing now that prices there have softened," he said. Affordability has been eroded by recent price gains, he said, "That's one of the reasons you have fewer buyers this year, just from an affordability standpoint." Some people are listing their homes for sale, said Gregory, in part because they figure "that prices have gotten toppish."

Then, he said, there are those who have made investments. They are probably "looking to move out of real estate at the tailend of a very healthy ride." A big chunk of the new listings are "investors and speculators." The housing dynamic has changed quite considerably in Canada over the last few months, said Gregory. "It looks like that is going to continue."

Seasonally adjusted national sales activity in July was stable compared to June. The average price of a home based on the national MLS figures slipped by 2.4 per cent year-over-year in July. That compared to an average price decline of 3.6 per cent in major markets reported by CREA in early August. At the end of July, the average price of a resale home was $302,298, down from $309,885 in July 2007, the national MLS figures released Friday showed.

CREA's figures indicate that in July almost 43,000 sales were sold, down from 48,748 in July last year. Going forward, said Klump, "we expect that new listings will remain elevated for the rest of the year." As a result, he said, "the significant price gains that we saw last year are definitely in the rear-view mirror. They'll be very modest over the rest of the year and into next." He also said that with the country's economic fundamentals remaining strong, CREA doesn't see any collapse in the housing market in the offing

On Friday, Statistics Canada reported that the economy rebounded in the second quarter after losing ground in the first quarter. Gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 0.3 per cent in the three months ended June 30, after it contracted by 0.8 per cent in the first quarter. Technically that means Canada has technically avoided a recession, which is defined as two consecutive quarters of declining economic output.

"With the economy still fundamentally on sound ground, we don't expect to see the massive layoffs that we saw in the recession of the early 1990s," said Klump. "With employment remaining elevated, the fundamentals are still sound for the housing market," he said. "We don't expect the Canadian market have similar trends to those in the U.S." Statistics Canada recently reported that the national unemployment rate improved slightly to 6.1 per cent in July, from 6.2 per cent in June, but only because many people - especially the young - left the workforce.

The U.S. housing market has experienced a severe downturn for more than a year after several years of rapid growth. Many industry observers say Canada will avoid a U.S-style boom-and-bust cycle but that demand will nevertheless slow. As for prices going forward, said Gregory, "houses on the market are staying on longer." Many dwellings "put up at the heights of the boom, they aren't moving."

Visit: CREA

KeyCanada.ca
Real Estate Canada

     Eu, como muitos engenheiros de alimentos e engenheiros quimicos, tenho (tinha) registro profissional no CRQ e no CREA. Uma palhacada.

      Meu primeiro emprego foi como encarregada de Controle de Qualidade e era responsavel pelo laboratorio de analises fisico-quimicas e microbiologicas. Como envolvia muitos reagentes e produtos quimicos, achei por bem me registrar no Conselho Regional de Quimica (CRQ). E foi o que eu fiz.

     No ano seguinte, mudei de emprego e estava dando aulas para Engenharia. O curso de Engenharia Mecatrônica e Produção estavam no processo de registro junto ao CREA e precisei me registrar também no CREA. Mais uma continha para pagar todo ano...

     No ano passado pedi isenção de pagamento no CRQ e este ano fiz a mesma coisa. Quando veio o pedido de cópias autenticadas da carteira de trabalho, resolvi solicitar também o cancelamento do meu registro. E deu tudo certo. Registro cancelado. Uma continha a menos para pagar todo ano...

     O CREA resolvi pagar porque fiz o concurso e deveria estar em dia com as anuidades. Mas antes da viagem vou pedir a suspensão do registro. Aos poucos as pendências vão sendo resolvidas.

     O post deveria ter sido publicado antes... em 23 de agosto, mas tive problemas com o laptop e logo depois viajamos para Foz... ô, como as despedidas são tristes...

Terwijl de spandoeken met 'Wij gaan weer naar school' boven de weg wapperden en vanaf vandaag heel schoolgaand Nederland in de lokalen zat, werd in Rotterdam de derde Not Back to School Party gevierd. Voorgaande jaren hielden we het nog in kleine kring met onze lokale thuisonderwijsgroep, maar vandaag hadden we de hele Speeldernis afgehuurd en was er een recordaantal van 153 mannen, vrouwen en kinderen.

We hebben genoten. Van alle nieuwe mensen, van de vrijheid, van het uitwisselen van thuisonderwijsplannen en ervaringen, van het zonnetje en van de popcorn die we in het kampvuur konden poffen.  

De kinderen hebben vanaf elf uur gerend en gespeeld, zijn cowboys en indianen geweest en hebben zelfs nog even gezwommen. Om vijf uur rolden ze nat, zanderig en met de kampvuurwalmen in het haar de auto in.

Deze Not Back to School Party was tegelijkertijd het officiële afscheidsfeestje van een van de gezinnen van onze lokale thuisonderwijsgroep. We zijn jarenlang samen op stap geweest; naar dierentuin, heempark, speeltuin en museum, we hebben samen Sinterklaas gevierd en gebarbecued, en volgende maand verhuizen J. en haar mannen naar de Verenigde Staten. J. was de bedenker van het nietterugnaarschoolfeest en de Mom's Night Out. We gaan haar vreselijk missen.

We hadden een paar afscheidscadeautjes, waaronder een stapel lapjes waar iedereen van onze groep iets persoonlijks van had gemaakt. J. maakt graag quilts, en we hadden de stukjes stof versierd, zodat zij er een lappendeken van herinneringen van kan maken.

 

Philip en Jet legden gisteravond nog de laatste hand aan hun lapje (erfelijk belast met een voorkeur voor het werken op de rand van de deadline) en het resultaat mocht er wezen.