Let’s expand our foreign language vocabulary! Can you say, “guolaosi”? It’s a Mandarin word meaning “death from overwork!” The word describes the phenomenon of Chinese workers falling dead on the spot as they toil in sub-Dickensian conditions so you can save a dollar on your next laptop!

China Daily, an English-language state-run publication, says an estimated 600,000 Chinese workers die each year in this fashion, sometimes falling “off their stools bleeding from the ears, nose and anus,” as left-leaning mag The Nation reported in 2007.

That which we consume also consumes us. Happy Friday!

Johann Hari: And now for some good news [The Independent] (Thanks to Michael!)

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