December 05, 2009

A Swedish department store has pulled a line of North Korean-made designer jeans off their shelves once they found out they were from North Korea. The store wants to avoid any controversy that may arise with having ties to North Korea -- a very isolated country that rules with absolute authority. Most North Koreans are prohibited from accessing outside TV, radio, or internet, and only elites are allowed to leave the country. The store's director said, "For us this is not a question of Noko Jeans -- this is a question about a political issue that [our department store] doesn't want to be associated with." Adding that the department store is not "the forum for discussion" on North Korea.

Noko Jeans is a line started by three Swedish entrepreneurs. The jeans are cut, made, and trimmed by factory workers in North Korea, while the materials are from other countries. The three Swedish owners hoped their label would help break North Korea's isolation through increased trade with the West. One owner explained, "This is not a support project (for Kim Jong Il), but it is a way for us to get closer to the country and, in a controversial fashion, shake this isolation up a bit."

Interestingly, the Noko Jeans only come in black, partly because blue jeans are associated with the United States and are stigmatized in North Korea. Jeans have been banned in North Korea for years because they are considered a symbol of U.S. imperialism. In 2005, the country's women were even urged to refrain from wearing trousers, saying that Western clothing "dampens the revolutionary spirit and blurs national pride." (Full Story)

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An Arizona man who leaves jugs of water in the desert for illegal immigrants may face prison. A federal jury in June convicted Walt Staton (a member of the group No More Deaths, which supports humanitarian aid along the border) of littering in the Buenos Aires National Widelife Refuge. A judge then ordered him to pick up trash for 300 hours, sentenced him to a year of unsupervised probation, and banned him from the refuge for a year.

He was scheduled to be re-sentenced on Friday after he told a U.S. magistrate last month that he objected to the court's punishment on legal and moral grounds. He asked to have his sentence modified or suspended pending appeal. However, the magistrate denied his motion and threatened to double his community service to 600 hours or give him 25 days in prison. The magistrate also scheduled a probation violation hearing for December 21. (Full Story)

I can't believe this guy actually was arrested and is being sentenced. The desert terrain that these immigrants are crossing is very dangerous. The conditions can seriously injure or kill someone. And these immigrants are braving these conditions to get an opportunity at a better life or to make more money to provide for their families. I think leaving jugs of water in the desert, to help keep these people alive, is a noble act that should be worthy of positive recognition. I can't believe he's actually being charged with littering. That leaving jugs of water for people for humanitarian reasons is considered the same offense as ignorantly throwing a candy wrapper on the ground.