Brian Berger of Sports Business Radio toured a factory in China that makes sports apparel for top brands. You should read his whole report: "So what were my overall thoughts of my first visit to a sports apparel factory? I'm torn. You see, its all relative. By Chinese standards, workers who earn $1.00 an hour are actually fairly compensated. But when you try to explain earning a dollar an hour and working 60 hours a week with maybe one or two breaks per day to use the bathroom or have something to eat to those of us living in Western civilization, most people are appalled. While I was pleasantly surprised to see that the conditions in the factory I visited were humane, it also saddens me to think that anyone spends 9.5 hours per week, 6 days a week cranking out sports apparel product with tremendous amounts of pressure to succeed. One stitch out of place and you've got your supervisor and your production line of co-workers staring at you. That's not exactly how I'd want to live my life, but again, to many Chinese workers, a stable job with air conditioning being piped in is better than working in the fields sweating all day or towing heavy goods on the back of your bike for miles and miles."
Vlade Divac, (his website) as beloved off the court as any player in NBA history is kicking off a major international charity effort, centered in Belgrade and Chicago. From the press release: "'You Can Too' aims to raise three million dollars to purchase and restore over 500 abandoned homes in villages throughout Serbia and Africa, providing shelter for approximately 2,000 refugees currently living homeless. The initiative is a collaborative effort between the United Nations Refugee Agency, the Serbian Refugees Committee, and the Humanitarian Organization Divac (HOD). HOD was founded by the seven-foot-one center and is led by his wife Snezana. Over the past nine years, Divac, through his Divac Children's Foundation, has provided more than $2.5 million in humanitarian assistance and educational programs to children internationally and in the United States. The three-day extravaganza begins on Friday, Sept. 21, with the 'All Stars Party,' a ceremonial dinner at the White Palace in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. Hosted by the country's royal family, Prince Aleksandar and Princess Katarina Karadjordjevic, the event will include entertainment and a grand-scale auction. On Saturday, Sept. 22, the festivities continue in Belgrade with a street basketball competition for children under the age of 16. The basketball contest will include champions from the '21 Across 21' Tournament, which began last weekend in 21 Serbian cities. To honor Divac's number when he played for the Sacramento Kings, each of the 21 cities will host their own three-on-three tournament, with every winner advancing to the Belgrade event. The evening of the 22nd, a carnival with as many as 500 children participating will take place at the capital's Kalemegdan fortress, followed by a free concert at City Hall. The 'Party for Serbia' concert will feature performances by special guests The James Brown Family, African musical artists Mori Cante and Raste, and Serbian performers Bajaga, Van Gogh, and others."
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