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A new shopping center is preparing for its grand opening in Nanjing, China.
So what, you ask?
 | Apparently Chinese fraud-repreneurs were tired of reproducing item look-a-likes. Each of the stores in this mall is a knock-off of a popular national franchise - "a McDonalds look-a-like burger bar called McDnoald’s, a Starbucks-style coffee shop called Bucksstar Coffee, and a wannabe Pizza Hut called Pizza Huh." (Read more...) |
On August 1, airline industry analysts warned that high fuel costs were threatening to bankrupt more than 50 European airlines. The same day, The Financial Times reported that delivery of a rescue proposal for Italy's Alitalia Airlines would be delayed due to stalled merger negotiations. Days later, Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's Prime Minister, promised to save Alitalia from bankruptcy. 'We will perform another miracle and will offer a profitable national company, he said'. The Italian government owns 49% of Alitalia. The ensuing three weeks were filled with rumors of new investors and partners to save the troubled airline; until Thursday when it was confirmed that Alitalia had filed for bankruptcy protection.
You need to know that Alitalia history and Pavlov's Theory of Classical Conditioning to understand the impact this airline industry turbulence has had on me.
| Anytime I hear the words Alitalia Airlines, the song Eh Cumpari plays in my head. The Italian novelty-song from the 1950's is about the different instruments from the orchestra playing the song. Julius La Rosa sang it, backed by Archie Bleyer's band. It's The Gaylords' cover of La Rosa's #1 hit that plays in my head. (I could only find La Rosa's version to put here. |
Stacey Fearnall, a waitress at Nathaniel's Restaurant in Owen Sound, was laid off after she shaved her hair off in a local fundraiser for a cancer charity.
The 36-year-old raised almost $2,700 in pledges over four months and then had her thick, red locks shaved off in a local Cops for Cancer event on the weekend...When she showed up for work Tuesday at Nathaniel's restaurant in Owen Sound, an upscale eatery, her employers told her to take the summer off -- without pay. (Full article...)
In April, Fearnall approached owners Jeff Ferris and Dan Hilliard. They told Fearnall "they would not be pleased" if she shaved her head in the fundraiser. They encouraged her to participate in a way that would not affect her job at Nathaniel's.
At first, I thought this was a case of a woman who lost her job because of her cancer.
That would be discrimination.
That's not what happened here at all.
Rather, and despite being warned, Fearnall chose to participate in the fundraiser by shaving her head. Removing her hair violated Nathaniel's dress code standard for employees. They're allowed to outline acceptable standards. Tim Horton's doesn't allow visible piercings. Show up for a shift with a nose stud and you'll be sent home. McDonald's doesn't allow a visible tattoo; cover it or go home.
And she wasn't fired. She was laid off until she was able to comply with the company's expectations. Hilliard offered some accommodations to her, by suggesting she cover her head - a hat appropriate to the restaurant's ambiance would have been sufficient - and return to work.
If Fearnall lost her hair due to alopecia, chemotherapy or any unavoidable circumstances, and was fired my reaction would be completely different.
Sorry, but I can't turn the wheel of sympathy for her. She made her choice - the fundraiser over her job. She knew that consequences at work were likely. Ferris and Hilliard are just following through.
Poorly handled? For sure. Discrimination? No.
I commend her on the contribution to the fundraising...but the charity should have come up with a different name - Cops for Cancer? Are the police in Grey-Bruce really FOR cancer?
[Stacey Fearnall] [Nathaniel's Restaurant]
[Owen Sound] [Cops for Cancer]
[Ontario Human Rights Commission]
Photo by: James Masters (Owen Sound Sun Times)
A U.K. government sub-committee has a new proposal to reduce emissions.
"The influential Environmental Audit Committee says a personal carbon trading scheme is the best and fairest way of cutting Britain's CO2 emissions without penalising the poor.
Under the scheme, everyone would be given an annual carbon allowance to use when buying oil, gas, electricity and flights.
Anyone who exceeds their entitlement would have to buy top-up credits from individuals who haven't used up their allowance." (More...)
To protect citizens against rising food costs, food ration cards for the poor were suggested in Russia just two weeks ago. The recommendation was sent back to the committee for more review as present-day paradigms of ration strategies were criticized as inefficient.
Experts point to the cost and bureaucracy involved to administer such a plan as primary flaws, but I see the potential for something worse: black market carbon trading and carbon credit identity theft. In 1941, rations were introduced to help manage the economy during WWII and the black market for unused ration coupons flourished.
Diabolical thinkers are probably already conjuring plans to control the worldwide supply of carbon credits.
 | Control carbon credits, Control the world! (insert evil laugh here) |  |
Here's what I don't get:
If I'm using their
laser hair removal
service, why would I
only want 50% of it removed?
This featured sign was not provided by
I figured I'd suffer glares galore when I moseyed in late for my appointment with the breast surgeon to review the biopsy results.
The good news is that the computer was down, so His Assistant hadn't generated the Daily Patient List.
The bad news is that the pathology report hadn't been sent to the office yet.
Technically, the office wasn't open yet, so I figured I'd be shown straight to an exam room - there'd be no time to flip through a magazine in the reception area.
The good news is that I was.
The faxed report was received within 10 minutes of the request being made by His Assistant.
The good news is that it was now the first page in my chart.
The bad news is that she took the chart out of the room.
The doctor came in and I lectured him on customer service expectations. "When I take my vacuum cleaner in for service, I expect Claude to diagnose the problem, order any replacement parts and repair the unit," I began.
"Claude's customers don't expect to be involved in ordering the parts, arranging delivery, or scheduling the bench work. The operating procedures behind the service don't involve me. I know that it's taken care of because he consistently delivers quality service."
Of course there is a difference between a physician and appliance repair, but the Service Management Process is the same:
Merchandisers for the Beijing Olympics 2008 are frustrated by the availability of unauthorized apparel and souvenirs being produced by merchandise pirates.
Authorities had investigated about 80 commercial and personal Web sites selling fake Olympic merchandise, or lacking licenses to sell the legitimate product. "The supply channels on these illegal Web sites are chaotic," Xie Funing, a spokesman with the Olympic E-commerce Operation Centre, was quoted to say.
The Global Congress on Combating Counterfeiting and Piracy, called the illicit trade "a global epidemic reaching a scale now too great for individual governments, industry sectors or companies to solve."
China is the largest supplier of counterfeited merchandise worldwide. It is estimated to cost legitimate manufacturers $50 billion in sales.
Tags: [Beijing 2008] [Fake Merchandise] [China]
[Global Congress on Combating Counterfeiting]
The sub-headline announcement about securing $20 million in capital was lost to the error in the headline. Perscription?
It would be perjorative to say that the busy editor of the preceeding story is a little out of practise. Persuing corrections is the perogative of the editor.
A basic spell-check would've caught the mistake.
Tranzyme Initiates Phase II-b Testing of TZP in multinational clinical study.The Employment Opportunity Commission has accepted the case of Angie Arttus, a woman in Sparta Wisconsin, who says "she was fired because she has breast cancer." Read the article...
Arttus's claim states that a Human Resources manager at Dura-Tech Industries asked her to resign from her job as shipping clerk, which she has held for 4 months, because it "would look better on her resume than if she was terminated".
The EEOC will investigate the complaint.
Lesson: The Human Resources department serves the needs of the company, not the employees.
Lesson: Breast Cancer Awareness Month creates awareness, not understanding (or sensitivity).
Lesson: There is no "I have cancer" in TEAM
Aside: The Etobicoke Dolphins Midget BB team Raises Money for Breast Cancer Research this Saturday when they host the Brampton Canadettes at Centennial Arena. The puck drops at 7:00 p.m.
Tags: [Angie Arttus] [Dura-Tech Industries] [EEOC]
[Breast Cancer] [Wrongful Dismissal] [Breast Cancer Awareness Month]
A recent survey showed that more Americans can accurately list the ingredients in a Big Mac than recall the ten commandments.
In a study of 1000 people, 80% correctly identified the seven elements of the Big Mac; less than 60% remembered 'thou shalt not kill'. Read more...
The survey was completed at the request of the producers of the animated movie The Ten Commandments (Oct. 19).
Kelton Research also found that "survey participants had an easier time remembering the names of the six children on the old TV series 'The Brady Bunch.' "
| Imagine how much more dismal the results might have been if Moses hadn't dropped a tablet, reducing the commandments from 15 to ten! |
Have you seen Quizno's ad for the new Chicken Carbonara sandwich?
Click the sandwich poster to watch the 30-second spot.
It focuses on lunch in an office. A staffer declares that he has given up on eating as he rolls an I.V. pole closer to his desk. His colleague tells him that food deserves another chance. He offers the Chicken Carbonara sandwich as proof of a satisfying alimentary experience.
It's not that I'm offended by the commercial, exactly. I rely on intravenous nutrition and hydration because of severe gastroparesis and if I had to choose, I would choose food any day.
Every day.
Tags: [Quizno's] [Chicken Carbonara Sandwich] [Lunch]
[Gastroparesis] [I.V. Nutrition (TPN)]
Lexus issued its 86th safety recall yesterday. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issues recalls when an investigation concludes that "an auto manufacturer is found to be responsible for a serious safety or mechanical defect".
In the Lexus situation, incidents of accidental acceleration related to the Lexus ES350, Toyota RAV4 and Tacoma truck were reported to the agency in August.
"One driver told the agency the vehicle had hit speeds of 100 m.p.h. over a 6-mile stretch of freeway due to the problem. A Michigan woman said the problem caused her to lose control of her Lexus, triggering a rollover crash on I-75 that totaled her car."
Lexus will replace 55,000 floor mats that, when not properly installed, allow the mat to crowd under the gas pedal, interfering with the safe operation of the accelerator.
Owners of the Prius and Avalon are being asked to check the installation of their floor mats as a precaution.
This isn't about floor mats.
Part of the story is that since 1990, Lexus has issued just 85 recall notices to vehicle owners. That's across its entire line up of vehicles.
Over the same time period, Ford* announced 1721 recalls; General Motors announced 1142+ recalls of its light truck and van lines; and Chrysler recalled the Sebring model alone 72 times since it was introduced in the 1995 model year!
Over 12 years, the Sebring has been recalled almost as many times as the complete product mix of Lexus over the past 17 years! And the Sebring is described by Canadian Driver with the following phrases: "high value", "solid performance", "consistent Chrysler quality".
The floor mat example demonstrates that it needn't require great expense or considerable time to return a vehicle to NHTSA safety standards.
But isn't it just a little embarassing that the #1 luxury car brand issued a recall involving a $25 rubber mat?
* Refers to Ford branded models only. Does not include Mercury or Lincoln.
+ Applies to GMC light-duty trucks, vans, minivans.
Tags: [Lexus] [Toyota]
[Automotive Recalls] [Accidental Acceleration]
[Runaway Audi Scandal] [Detroit Three]
[Weiss Research] [Automotive Recall Scoreboard] [Floor Mats]
Further Reading on North American automotive market:
The Demise of the American Auto Industry and the Rise of Toyota
(Martin Weiss, Money and Markets, March 2007)
If the accelerator is stuck: Hook your toes under the pedal to free it up.
If that doesn't work, downshift into lowest gear (some pros say neutral) and apply the brakes.
Pull off the road once vehicle has slowed.
Marc Jacobs unveiled these gems at FashionWeek. Part of his Spring 2008 collection, the shoes will retail for around $660.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency released this warning yesterday:
Undeclared Walnuts in Bella Cucina Cookies
The recall notice begins: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning people with
allergies to walnuts not to consume Bella Cucina
Death by Chocolate cookies. The affected product may contain walnuts which are not declared on the
label... (Read the entire notice)
So, Death by Chocolate cookies are being recalled because eating them may result in death?
Tags: [Anaphylaxis] [Nut Allergy] [Bella Cucina]
[Socrates] [Hemlock Poison] [Death by Chocolate]
[C.F.I.A.]
Three weeks ago, I introduced readers to the Bulletproof Backpack. This is a real product, designed by Mike Pelonzi and Joe Curran of Boston. You can view the Product Page at MJ Safety Solutions.
I made the joke about Kevlar for Kindergartners. Just a few days later, I read about U.K.-based BladeRunner that has responded to parent requests for improved safety in school uniforms with its unique Kevlar Blazers. Send BladeRunner your child's outfit and they will add a Kevlar lining to it. Real product.
Then Trutex, another uniform supplier in the United Kingdom, showed off its product development team who are working on a way to incorporate GPS in its school uniforms. A safety net for parents, the microchip in the waistband or collar will allow them to monitor their child via a secure website. Schools are in the pro-camp for these devices - the chip's being touted as a tool to reduce truancy. In fact, according to surveys conducted by Trutex, only "children aged over 13 were less enthusiastic, fearing it would mean that their parents could spy on them." The teens can relax for this school year. The product team still has to find a tamper-proof circuit that doesn't break down in the wash. Still real, just not on the market yet. (Insert your own "No Child Left Behind" jokes)
Today, all the talk seems to be about Toddler Taser brought to you by Bulletproof Baby. Metro (U.K) covered the product testing of a stroller yesterday.
Bulletproof Baby is a viral marketing site linked to Shoot 'Em Up, not an actual supplier of protective gear and equipment. Was Metro really fooled? Some of its readers were. From a post at Jack-be-Nimble: "At first I wasn't sure if it was a parody or not and then I realized that it was not."
Really? You weren't tipped off to any satire even though the order desk is located in Iowa?!
Tags: [Bulletproof Clothing] [MJ Safety Solutions]
[BladeRunner] [Trutex Uniforms]
[Toddler Taser] [Bulletproof Baby] [P.T. Barnum]
[Shoot 'Em Up] [Clive Owen] [Paul Giamatti] [Monica Bellucci]
[New Line Cinema]
It's August. Bittersweet.
Summers' door is closing behind us. In just weeks, a new school year will begin.
Families begin the march to the malls; the tradition of back-to-school shopping must be maintained. Bags containing new shoes, stylish sportswear or pristine uniforms are proudly toted. The bags with the pencils, pens, protractors and paper are dragged. Something about this bag elicits whining and requires a slower pace.
Kids want the Five Star Sound binder, so they can connect their mp3 players in class. Parents consider the item's practicality, novelty, style and value in the purchase process.
Boston parents Mike Pelonzi and Joe Curran want their backpack, My Child's Pack, to be among your back-to-school necessities.
The backpacks, which will cost $175, have a super-lightweight bullet-proof plate sewn into the back which weighs no more than a bottle of water. Pelonzi said the material used is a secret.
That's right. A bullet-proof backpack. According to Pelonzi, "during a three-year testing phase, [the backpacks] stood up to bullets as well as machete, hatchet and Ka-bar knife attacks."
Kevlar for kindergartners. Flak jackets for freshmen.
Tags: [Bulletproof Backpacks] [Mike Pelonzi] [Joe Curran]
[Back-to-School Shopping] [Flak Jackets] [Bulletproof]
I don't shop at Wal-Mart. There are many reasons.
I don't like the way they do business. Here's how my relationship with Wal-Mart started:
| When Wal-Mart came to Canada, it initiated a campaign to convince shoppers the merchandise in its stores was Canadian merchandise. It looked to me like Wal-Mart was disguising the truth. Sure, it buys merchandise from a warehouse located in Canada. That warehouse receives goods from an offshore supplier. The shipment was ordered and arranged by Wal-Mart. A Canadian truck delivers the cartons to the final destination. I know a little about Canadian content and I wasn't buying their claim. Wal-Mart hadn't demonstrated enough Canadian content for me. |  Bryan Adams' album Waking Up the Neighbors was deemed ineligible for Juno award nomination in 1992. The CRTC concluded that the album did not meet Canadian Content (can-con) criteria.Amid tremendous controversy in 1991, Adams, his management and A&M Records convinced the CRTC to amend its criteria for Canadian content to include a Canadian artist who has collaborated with a non-Canadian and receives at least half of the credit for both music and lyrics. All about Bryan Adams Tags: [Bryan Adams] [Bruce Allen] [CanCon] [Juno Awards] [CRTC] |
The government in Mexico is concerned that Wal-Mart is exploiting local customs to increase the retail giant's profitability.
Wal-Mart is behaving a little badly? I'm shocked!
Thousands of adolescents work as unpaid baggers in Wal-Mart’s Mexican stores.
(Joseph Contreras, Newsweek, July 31, 2007)
Wal-Mart's Global Code of Ethics prohibits work without compensation.
(Click Picture to Read Excerpt)
When a company recruits teens to be volunteers, doesn't that make those teens employees?
"Wal-Mart de Mexico reported net earnings of $1.148 billion in 2006 and $280 million in profits in the second quarter of this year." Federal District Labor Secretary Benito Mirón Lince points out 'Wal-Mart has the capability to pay the minimum wage [of less than $5 a day], and this [unpaid baggers] represents an injustice.'
Wal-Mart explains that the company complies with the International Labor Organization's guidelines that prohibit employing youth under the age of 14. (At least since 2005, when "Wal-Mart agreed to pay the U.S. Labor Department $135,540 in civil money penalties to settle charges of 24 child-labor violations.")
A volunteer is "a person who performs a service willingly and without pay." Wal-Mart provides accident insurance to its volunteer baggers, and pays bonuses for academic achievement. Once you pay a volunteer, he is no longer a volunteer; he is an employee.
The government of Mexico doesn't like it, but is nervous to push Wal-Mart to change. Wal-Mart is the largest private company employer in the country. Mexico simply can't afford those 150,000 workers to be out of work.
I'm usually quiet about my preference to shop elsewhere; but I consider this too outrageous to ignore.
Wal-Mart squeezes the labor force in the name of low prices. Squeezing Lower Prices
Mexico Labor Report 2006
Tags: [Wal-Mart] [Walmart de Mexico]
[I.L.O.] [Newsweek] [Joseph Contreras]
