From Reporters Without Borders, via Gawker:
Dear Mr. Jobs,
Reporters Without Borders, an organisation that defends press freedom throughout the world, urges you to intercede with your subcontractor in China, the Taiwanese company Foxconn, and get it to drop its lawsuit against reporter Wang You and editor Weng Bao of China Business News (Diyi Jingji Ribao).
These two journalists were responsible for an article on June 15 criticising work conditions at a Foxconn plant. At Foxconn’s request, the Shenzen intermediate people’s court froze their assets – apartments, bank accounts and cars – on July 10. Foxconn then brought a lawsuit accusing them of “smearing its reputation” and demanding 30 million yuan (3 millions euros) in damages.
We know that Apple is already aware of this case. After the London-based Daily Mail newspaper ran a story about it on June 11, your company reacted by investigating conditions at Foxconn‘s plants and discovered that your supplier had indeed violated several aspects of your code of conduct, including those concerning the length of the working week and days off.
We believe than all Wang and Weng did was report the facts and we condemn Foxconn‘s reaction. We therefore ask you to intercede on behalf of these two journalists so that their assets are unfrozen and the lawsuit is dropped.
We trust you will give this matter your careful consideration.
Sincerely,
Robert Menard
Secretary-General
Reporters Without Borders
-I think James Wolcott is fab. [seriously, who among us doesn’t have a crush on Jimbo?] I’ve tacked his contributor’s picture to my wall, and every night I read some sonnets, such as “Woman’s Constancy,” to my Little Jim, as I call him. I’ve bought these cutouts of Ken-doll clothes and sometimes dress Jim up. Could you let him know green corduroy works best with his skin tone?
Comments and questions should be directed to vfmailatvfdotcom. Please note that because of the volume of feedback received, not every message can be answered individually. Press requests should be directed to elizabeth_hurlbutatvfdotcom.
As always, read all FAQs before even thinking about framing a question in your minds, much less taking up the valuable time of their well-bred and expensively-educated interns with a misdirected or simply misguided query.
Such as:
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What?
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-Right. I’m in cashier school in Modesto. I can’t possibly fork over 30 bucks to reread that Michael Shnayerson piece on Ira Rennert.
Why not try your local library instead? Look for the Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature or use your library’s Web site by clicking on the periodicals link and using the search function.
-I’ve got a scorching-hot tip for Dominick Dunne. I really can’t say what it is, but it involves a very famous cousin of a really rich daughter of this high-society lady who recently had her bejeweled Pacarana stolen by an Oscar-winning set designer. Whom can I call?
Gems such as these should be e-mailed to DDunneatcondenastdotcom. If they sound credible, they will be presented to the diarist, who will either follow up on your lead or dismiss it as imaginative drivel.
-Graydon Carter’s “Editor’s Letter” really got my goat, who ate it and became quite ill. I’m appalled and want to let him know.
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-Man, I love that Proust guy‘s questionnaire. So probing. Has he got any books out I can buy?
To purchase books by contributing editors and photographers, as well as copies of classic covers, click V.F. STORE.
-Our glee club hopes to perform a choral version of a Vanity Fair story. We were thinking of Bruce Weber’s photo portfolio on Scandinavian lingerie, “Swede Surrender.” How does a club, company, school, or organization get a reprint of a previously published piece?
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-I’m the publicist for Glom Altoidov, the Uzbek sausage king. How can I get him into the Vanity Fair party the night of the Oscars—along with his Afghan hound, Follicula?
The party is by invitation only. Prostration, self-flagellation, or coquetry will hold no sway with V.F.’s editors, though such behavior is wildly entertaining. Animals are not admitted. Press inquiries regarding the party, and press inquiries only, should be directed to elizabeth_hurlbutatvfdotcom.
And so on…I really wanted to close this with the pic of Parker and Benchley forming an archway of mops, under which presided Conde Nast, with a doily for vestments, but it’s not out there and my scanner’s not working. Ah well, of such suffering is great art born. Right?
The transcript is here, for those of you who have difficulty with American accents.
From a WordPress blog I can’t seem to find at the moment; sorry, if it’s you, leave a comment and I’ll update the entry.
The Simpsons theme meets capitan Kirk. Performed with Rhodes piano, Theremin and funnel.
What he does not say is that it’s performed by a COMPLETE LUNATIC! I love this whackjob, and so do 380,000 other people, primarily sexy Scandinavians, according to the YouTube stats. I bet he never has to suffer through a chilly Arctic night alone.
raincoaster 