-Caveat Lector- Euphorian spotted this on the Guardian Unlimited site and thought you should see it.
To see this story with its related links on the Guardian Unlimited site, go to http://www.guardian.co.uk Good buy, adieu Sarah Left on how to survive Buy Nothing Day with your ethics (and your wallet) intact Sarah Left Thursday November 28 2002 The Guardian Hello there. I hope you made that cup of coffee yourself, because today is Buy Nothing Day, an anti-consumerist celebration that appeals to both the very ethical and the very cheap. The 11th annual break from the shops falls the day after Thanksgiving, the US holiday that traditionally sounds a starting gun for an all-out, hedonistic rush to the shops for Christmas goodies. Adbusters, the group behind Buy Nothing Day, wants people to stop consuming for 24 hours and consider alternatives to a Christmas that costs money. In Britain the buying spree has already begun - Oxford Street switched on the Christmas lights earlier this month. The Credit Card Research Group estimates we will spend £20bn - or £7,600 a second - before sitting down to Christmas lunch. No better time than the present to cut up a credit card, then, and stop the energy-wasting, package-producing, landfill-bursting gluttony of the consumer Christmas. For those of you who did not realise until now that today is Buy Nothing Day, but want to do your bit for planet and wallet, here are answers to some frequently asked questions: That coffee came from Starbucks. Can I still take part? Yes, but penance is required. The credit card will have to go. Get out the scissors. I have no food. How am I going to get lunch? Try bartering for lunch with a colleague, the office canteen or a locally owned shop. If you are near a park, field or wood, many leaves and berries are edible. My umbrella snapped in the wind. I need another one. Rather than adding it to a landfill, attempt a repair with some duct tape. If that fails, improvise with a plastic bag or a newspaper. Even if I make it through today without spending money, I can't avoid spending money on Christmas presents. Exchange Christmas gift exemption vouchers - downloadable from the Adbusters site - with friends and family. The kids will not like that. Give children library cards instead of books. Take them to a story-telling session. Or ice skating. Or to a local playground. It's Friday, it's dark and it's cold. I need a pint. Call your friends and throw a party. Have them bring the booze. If it has to be the pub, remember that bartering while drunk could be dangerous. Try to avoid buying your round instead. Have a very merry Buy Nothing Day, each and every one. Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
