SAMANTHA GERBASI WRITES — When choosing production locations, American companies typically consider profitability, labor availability, and taxes. But now, there is a new factor at play: Public health. Consider the case of Vietnam. After a prolonged lockdown due to a surge in coronavirus cases, the country is finally beginning to…
Tag: Nike
CHINA: NO REST FOR FORCED LABOR IN THE COTTON INDUSTRY
AUDIE LAYARDA WRITES — In December 2020, word of forced labor, among other atrocities, in Xinjiang, China, surfaced. While forced labor in China isn’t new, the fact that the Xinjiang region supplies 20% of the world’s cotton pressured powerful figures to make statements. Amid allegations of torture and rape, the…
JAPAN: SLAMMING THE OLD-SCHOOL BASKETBALL ‘TABOO’ OFF THE CULTURAL COURT
KATHERINE PETERSON WRITES- ‘Slam Dunk,’ a 1990’s Japanese anime, tells the story of a high school basketball team from Shōhoku High. Critics believed the program would lack viewers, as editors claimed that “basketball was a taboo in this world.” But without manga viewers, the No. 8 draft pick and Japan…
Hong Kong: AMID ALL THE STREET CHAOS, A STEADY BUSINESS AMID THE SNEAKER-HEAD COMMUNITY
DANIEL ZAND WRITES– High priced athletic shoes have driven “sneakerheads” — shoe enthusiasts who collect and trade the products, particularly in basketball and skateboarding—to fake (as in knock-off) sneakers. The demand for them is booming, as the makers of brands like Nike and Adidas are well aware. Chan, a seller of fake sneakers in…
PHILIPPINES: Pacquiao K.O’d for Homophobic Comments
MARY GRACES COSTA WRITES – No, Manny, gay people aren’t “worse than animals,” but you might be. “People’s Champion” Manny Pacquiao has boxed himself into a corner with homophobic comments made to Filipino television network TV5. And the Eight Division world boxing champ’s loose lips may have cost him a lucrative Nike contract and…