1Not just number one in the Boycott charts but also the numero uno global warming villain, Esso hits the top spot with a bullet. Esso (ExxonMobil in the US) gave more dollars than any other company to get the Kyoto treaty-bustin' halfwit George Bush in the White House. And as soon as Bush got it into office, whoosh goes the international agreement on global warming. Fact: In 2000, Esso made the biggest profit in history - $17.7bn - yet it spent not one cent on renewable energy! Find out more at www.stopesso.com, www.boycottamerica.org, Campaign against Climate Change and read, 'A tiger out of your tank' 2 Still flying high at two - Shell. This bunch of corporate bastards won over the competition with an impressive three pronged attack, nominated for their funding of the climate-negotiation-wrecking Global Climate Coalition, their activities in Nigeria (human rights meets the Shell-funded army...) and polluting beyond the cause of duty. Boycott Shell 3 Climbing high at Number Three are Procter & Gamble, whose products are regularly tested on animals, causing pain and terror. Huntingdon Life Sciences, the world's largest commercial animal testers, maintain a colony of monkeys for on-site testing on behalf of Proctor & Gamble. Proctor & Gamble claim to be the world leaders on researching humane testing, but the stark reality is that in 7 days P&G spend more on adverts than they have spent in 11 years on humane testing methods! We say boycott the bastards! Don't buy Arial, Bold, Crest, Fairy Liquid, Head & Shoulders, Max Factor, Tampax, Vidal Sasson and Vicks. Find out more about their stomach turning activities at the Uncaged Campaign site and here 'Procter & Gamble kills' 4 Back up to number four with a bullet is Nestlé for demanding that Ethiopia, one of the poorest countries in the world, should pay back $1 million. Nestlé have also been in these charts from day one for their continuing refusal to act responsibly in their marketing of baby-milk substitutes across the world. This results in mothers being persuaded to give up breast-feeding and use expensive, unsafe bottle milk over-diluted with dirty water Public concern at Nestle's leading role in promoting artificial infant feeding around the world led to the launch of the international Nestle boycott in 1977. A marketing code was introduced as a consequence. With pressure from the boycott, Nestle has curbed some of its more blatant malpractice, such as the use of "milk nurses" (company sales reps dressed as nurses), baby pictures on infant formula tins and some media advertising. However, it continues to violate the marketing code, putting profit before health, and to lobby for weak legislation and trading standards. UNICEF recently restated that 1.5 million infants die around the world every year because they are not breast fed. See our news report or contact Baby Milk Action, FREEPOST, Cambridge, CB2 3BR. 01223 46420, web site babymilkaction 5 Straight back in at Number 5, it's our old favourites, Nike. Nike loves to spend, spend, spend on adverts promoting a sporty and healthy lifestyle, but the lives of the poor bastards who makes their shoes is anything but healthy. Workers who make Nike's shoes and clothes in Asia and Latin America live in extreme poverty and suffer stress and exhaustion from overwork. Find out just how boycott-able they are here! NikeWatch Campaign, www.nosweat.org.uk and Corpwatch B R E A K E R S NEW ENTRIES! We welcome Caterpillar (maker of clothes and shoes as well as bulldozers) for their work at the forefront of American union busting and continue to operate in Burma, closely followed by Borders, the American bookselling giant currently expanding in Britain, is notoriously anti-union (both nominated by Ruairi Patterson) Looking good for a top five place are BP Amoco for their continued sponsorship of death squads in Colombia in exchange for keeping those pesky environmentalists off their back. More info Lonely Planet shoot into the lower regions of the chart for issuing a guide to Burma (and dismissing humanitarian misgivings about the regime) following the Burmese junta's efforts to upgrade its tourist infrastructure - often using slave labour. Continuing the Burmese theme, say hello to Premier Oil for building a pipeline in Burma through an area of jungle that was also cleared using slave labour (while laughably protesting that they reported any human rights abuses to 'the relevant authorities'; ie the Burmese government). nominated by Ruairi Patterson Looking good for a top five place are Sheraton hotels- they are building a massive hotel in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, having spent nearly US$100M on it, in the very midst of one of the poorest parts of town. Several thousand people were forcibly evicted to make way for the site. The hotel is for UN fatcats to stay in during conferences on poverty in the 3rd world- at a minimum of $500 per day, whilst watching the effects of their "effective" conferences all around them. nominated by [email protected] Also storming up the charts with a bullet is the Mitsubishi Corp. for their world destruction of rainforest, deciduous forest and other habitats, supporting Burmese military groups for exploitation of indigenous people, child labour, and other military regimes around the world. As the largest corporation in the world, they will stop at nothing to make a quick profit. Largest polluters on record. etc. etc. etc. Nominated by [email protected] Hurtling up the ratings is the UK's Mail on Sunday and Daily Mail. These despicable, right-wing rags seething with barely-concealed homophobia ran some disgraceful, sleazy, 'kiss and tell' stories that resulted in Brixton's most progressive and respected cop, Brian Paddick, being removed from his job. We don't normally come out out in defence of coppers, but Paddick's liberal, enlightened policies resulted in the effective decrimalisation of cannabis on the streets and a much-needed focus on the community-damaging crack and smack dealers. Full story here. A promising new candidate for a top 5 place is GAP. As Stan Nichols explains: 'GAP, Inc should definitely be included in with boycott top five , not only for their refusal to pay workers a living wage, but also for not allowing their plants to be inspected by other sub-contractors they hire. The Fisher family (founders of Gap, Inc which includes, Gap, Banana Republic, and Old Navy) is reported to be worth 11 billion U.S. dollars, Donald Fisher alone: 8 billion. Gap CEO, Millard Drexler makes over 24,000 per HOUR! Not only can they not afford to pay a decent wage to their workers, but they can't afford to pay for conservation or restoration plans for the 235,000 acres of old growth forest they bought from Louisiana Pacific in Mendocino and Sonoma Counties. They are rapidly logging and killing the ecosystem in Northern California to make a greasy dollar. When the land is dead, it is rumoured that they will sell it for real-estate development. Consumers need to know what is behind Gap's label!' Moving down from the coveted Numero Uno spot, but still well dodgy, American Express are still up there with the worst after they proudly advertising fur coats in its catalogues. Bonus points were also earned for their part in the development of a US ski resort that will destroy the habitat of grizzly bears and other endangered animals. Well done Amex! Looking strong for a top five place are the government of Burma whose recent human rights violations involved condemning a 28 year old girl to 7 years hard labour for ....singing a protest song. Bubbling under is good ol' McDonalds for their bully boy attempts to silence its critics and, well, for just being McD! Find out just how dodgy they are here: www.mcspotlight.org Also bubbling under but looking good for continued chart success is the World Bank for continually reaping in interest from Third World countries, amounting to around 10 times what they receive in aid each year. Nice work fellas! Nominated by: Iain Roddick ([email protected]) Also performing well are American giants, Budweiser. As owners of Seaworld, they are responsible for the keeping 18 performing Orca whales in captivity, including one called Corky who has been in captivity for 27 years. The Born Free Foundation is leading the campaign with the slogan, 'Buds out until Corky's out!' Extra points were also awarded for the multinationals behaviour in hounding out of the original Czech brewery. Brand new and rustling up a storm in the charts are WALKERS CRISPS. Despite being owned by Pepsi now they derecognised the union 4 years ago and the union rep has to meet members in his car in the car park. Nominated by: Paul Ibbs ([email protected]) Also looking good for a place in the top ten are Bacardi. -This US company supports the sanctions against Cuba, while promoting its rum as genuine cuban rum. It continually lobbies the US government to keep these sanctions in place.(Hugh Jones, Cambridge, UK) Storming up the charts again are Monstanto, as [email protected] explains: " Don't forget Monsanto! Not only one of the worlds largest proponents of GMO's, pesticides, and cancerous fake sugar (aspartame & saccharin), but lately here in the US burning up quite nicely in the courtroom. The latest, after the whole fiasco in Florida with the journalists over rBGH, is their attacks on small farmers for having their Roundup Ready canola or soybeans growing through genetic pollution and/or drift. Monsanto is bringing them to court, for violating intellectual and biotechnical property rights, and unfortunately occasionally winning. " Feedback & action: So - who do you think should be nominated for a place in the Boycott Top Five? Send in your entries here, and we'll post up the best contenders... » For more info on dodgy corporates and their practices: corporatewatch.org.uk » Also check out: Get ethical! UK ethical companies (Sadly necessary disclaimer: we here at urban75 do not necessarily agree with the opinions expressed and think that all major corporations are lovely people who are really, really concerned about the environment, and their press statements are totally truthful. Honest)

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