Sunny day, sweepin' the clouds away

Yesterday to the ballgame with Anna. The Giants stank and the game was a crusher, but we did get to see Barry Bonds steal his second base in two games, and a home run smacked by Phillie Ryan Howard that was the deepest home run I've ever seen hit at that park. Hey, I give props to the opps when the accomplishment is truly impressive.

In unrelated news, the Chronicle this morning published a substantial article on working conditions for the teenagers who put together iPods in China. Loved this bit:

An iPod assembler, a 20-year-old with an easy grin, described factory housing, where hundreds of workers share common rooms, bunk-style, in large dorms. It's 96 degrees, and the dorm has no air-conditioning, said this worker, who earned about $130 last month for working as much as 12 hours a day. The factory floor is air-conditioned, however, so working a Saturday shift rather than resting in the hot dorm is an easy choice.

Did you get that? Conditions in the housing are so horrible that you're better off putting in another shift.

Well, it's better than working in a coal mine, which is not a thing of the past for child laborers by any means. Read the Human Rights Watch page on child labor and servitude around the world.

Fortunately for American users, many nostalgic songs about "Working in a Coal Mine" and so on are available for your iPod!