h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

GuideML - You don't need to put in between paragraphs and headings etc, as the and tags insert a spcae for you.
- You can put a bulleted list in the fourth paragraph (where you've used stars - which would not be formatted as written, in GuideML) using the tags (unordered list) to surround your entire list, and the tags to surround each List Item.

Spelling - receive and foreign (e before i in both cases)

I'd also rephrase the first paragraph myself.

Hope that's the kind of input you wanted. If you want me to do a quick 'Sub-ed' job on it, send it to me at [email protected] and I will.

Any other queries, feel free to get back to me.

Pegasus ~carrying a black towel~

PS Excellent topic by the way.

Thanx for those points pegasus, glad you liked it!

I'll sort those little bits out later!

Thanx again

Z

No worries.

~A~

Just tidied up the opening paragraph and corrected the spelling and done the list thingy!

Thanx again!

Z.

That paragraph still doesn't quite read right. Something about shareholders sweating...

~A~

's that any better?
Z.

Hello Zarniroop, excellent topic choice, mind if I mention a few things?

The first paragraph problem: It is unclear due to lack of link between exploited and exploiters. WHich profit?

There are millions of communities in under-developed regions of the world who are suffering from exploitation at the hands of the multinational companies who buy too cheaply from local producers, ship it overseas, and sell at a fat profit for the shareholders.

Thats just my suggestion of how the start might be improved - however it ends up, the flow of goods from producer to multinational to consumer compared to the flow of cash from consumer to multinational, should be clearer.

Second paragraph: one should ALWAYS try (hard ) to avoid starting a sentence with But, or Which. Just rearrange it a little.

Apart from that, good stuff. It's really important in my opinion that people can find out that such things as the FairTrade Foundation exist, and why they exist.

Will consider intro further if you want...
cheers now, poet

Thanx Vogonpoet,

I was beginning to think this had dropped out of peer review.

Comments are well made and noted, if you would like to collaberate a bit on this and help me polish it up I'd be grateful

Z.

sure thing zarniroop (that mispelling is hard to spell ) I would love to help.

Query: Should greater emphasis be made in general on reasons that FairTrade movement is neccesary?

Whole article would fit nicely into (and be much easier to introduce within ) entry about potential perils of free trade for the developing countries, although that would of course be a pretty big undertaking - how much is already covered in guide, I shall investigate.

After all, only real problem with first paragraph is that it is trying to sum up situation that whole reports could be written on. Thats all .

I've cleared up th first paragraph using your suggestion, mine was a bit sloppy. I was trying to only skim the surface of the evils of the free market, the guide is very light on this subject, I did start an entry on capitalism, but it's a bit of a biggie and is presently on ice.

See how it reads now as I do want to keep it relatively short, let me know anything that may be missing to the detriment of issue.

Thanx

Z.

Yep, thats much better.

That second paragraph still needs editing though - for a start first sentence is "International trade may seem a to have only a small influence on world poverty", so there is an extra "a" there at least:

International trade may seem to have only a small influence on world poverty

Out of curiosity, how do the entries normally get edited?

You know, the whole "Free/Fair" trade debate, along with proper relevant background detail about WTO, the old MIA, the role of NGOs, ect, would make a pretty good topic for a project at the University of Life - which would potentially be a handy way of finding further help. Would require a fair bit of work maybe, am I willing to do some? Hmm, interesting.....

Just updated again,

Lioke the idea of the fairtrade / freetrade project, not sure wether it's a univeristy project or an ask the community thing, tho.

Entries usually get edited after being picked up in peer reveiw http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A395589 by a scout. There is a thread in languishing in there for this entry, but I think it's only visible if you click on more conversations.
It could do with a comment or two to boost it back up into the public sphere



Z.

Well I shall endeavour to raise your entry back into the public conciousness - hah, along with a few other things that the public concscience should be aware of.

Although I dont suppose the public has one. Or I for that matter. Oh well.

Hi guys.

Welcome to the Guide vogonpoet, and welcome to HVS.

I see vogonpoet has already suggested the very idea I was coming to put forward - a project for the university! It should be noted that if you wish to write a collection of entries (eg on Third World Development - a subject very close to my heart) for the university, that these do NOT go through the Peer Review system, as they have their own, which sort of 'bypasses' Peer Review. If you want to leave the 'Fairtrade' entry in Peer Review, that's fine, and you can simply link to it later from your project. Alternatively, you can put a note in the thread to the effect that you wish to withdraw that entry from Peer Review, as it forms part of a project for the university.

It seems you two are already well on the way discussing and potentially planning this, and if you decide to do a project, I would be very happy to advertise it for you on HVS homepage, and we could try canvassing our members for further help, as I am sure it is a subject that would interest many of them.

Why not take a look at the information about the university first: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/university

Then if I can be of any further assistance, drop a note on my personal homepage: http://bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/U54754

Or click on H2G2 Vegetarian Society above to go and post a request for volunteers at HVS. You will need a Sub-editor for your project, for which I can offer my services.

Hope that all sounds reasonable. Keep up the good work.

~A~

Thanx A, for your enthusiastic and supportive comments maybe I should re-title the entry The Fairtrade Mark, if thats how I can keep it short and sweet, which is my intention. I feel I can use it as an easy introduction to the perils of the freemarket, which may make a good project for the university, personally I've not spent any time in the university recently and previously I wasn't interested in any of the projects there, no reason why I shudn't pop over soon tho!

The link to your home page tries to set a cookie and then redirects me to the bbc on,ine front page!


Z.

Hey Z, if you just type in A's number into your browser you should get there, but the link thing IS weird isnt it..

I think I probably would like to involve myself deeper into this wee fair\free debate, so I shall start giving potential structure of such a project some thought...

Hmm, looks like we are on the way to creating a monster...so be it.

That is an excellent article you've got there Zarniwoop! (BTW, it's a good thing I changed my screen name--with two people signing -Z it would get pretty chaotic!) This past year I have become very heavily involved in the fair trade movement (or what the corporate media refers to as the "anti-globalization movement", which sends the wrong message entirely). Working locally by helping to build an economic justice group on my university campus and campaigning to get an anti-sweatshop code of conduct for university apparrell (success!), and also participating in many protests and mass mobilizations. Needless to say I am thrilled to see this article appear, especially being written by one of the HVS's own!

In the way of constructive criticism, I can only echo the previous suggestion of including an explanation of why the WTO/IMF/WB's brand of "free trade" equals taxpayer-assisted total corporate McDomination and the suffering of workers and the environment the world over, etc., etc., etc.

In high school Economics I was taught that there were two choices: selfish, inefficent, nationalist protectionism or the liberating egalitarianism of free trade which will eliminate all the world's problems. I believed it because I didn't know anything else. Now that I'm "enlightened" I notice that the more the Movement grows, the more politicians increase their rhetoric. "Free Trade is about freedom!", and the like. Thank God Free Trade's most powerful defender is a bumbling idiot who responded to the Quebec rebellion with "If people are protesting free trade, I'd have to say I disagree with that". But others aren't so speech impaired, and h2g2 is just the kind of forum to present people with the facts. It won't get printed in corporate-owned newspapers and only progressives pay heed to protestors, but this article could very well win some people over. It's always unpleasant to point fingers and name names, but I read a great quote that summarizes the need to do just that: "The Earth isn't dying, it's being killed. And the people killing it have names and addresses."

So I second the suggestion to expand this article to an expose of "free trade" if you are comfortable writing about that. BTW, I am the webmaster for the student organization I refered to earlier in this post. I can't write the address here (House Rules), but if anyone is interested, it is listed on my home space. There are some good resources there for concerned citizens and aspiring activists.

Good luck with the article Z, and keep up the good work!

-Wolfman

Thanx for the kind words wolfman,

pleased to hear of your activities at uni, keep them up, we can change the world!!

On the subject of free trade I don't want to take on that subject for a guide entry, tho I agree that one is needed.

I want to keep this entry short and easily understandable and have relevant links to organisations working in the faretrade movement, the only addition that I am contemplating at the moment is some personal accounts from those benefiting from faretrade. Otherwise the article in my opinion is complete!

Thanx again,

Z.

Have just posted a thread on the current uni projects, to suggest the freetrade vs fairtrade as a project for the economics dept. http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/F59030?thread=117699&post=1004113 z.