Photos

… Con Edison… buys a quarter of its manhole covers… from India… the workers at one of West Bengal’s many foundries relied on strength and bare hands rather than machinery…. flames, sweat and liquid iron mixing in the smoke like something from the Middle Ages… men, often shoeless and stripped to the waist, waited with giant ladles, ready to catch the molten metal that came pouring out of the furnace… state law requires the city to buy the lowest-priced products… [Link — thanks, Shireen]

My buddy Anuvab’s wickedly funny play Life, Love and EBITDA:

Preeti: They all say Made in India — all the covers in New York City… And what do we do? Call up the owner of this company who is definitely sleeping ’cause it’s the middle of the night there, and ask if they are for sale?

Susan: Yes. That’s exactly what I did. Its two owners. Twins. Women, like us… Zohrab and Zehnab Gofuz… An Indian company in London. This is some serious reverse colonial shit… They call these chicks lesbian immigrants, dirty Pakis, whatever. So the girls choose to employ only white men and are really mean to them. Except in India where they give workers candy…

Preeti: What’s the hidden value of a manhole cover?

Susan: What someone will pay not to have to smell their own shit on their way to work every day… No one wants to pay a fortune for manhole covers… It’s shit — treat it like it. [Link]