New Apple retail chief makes "mistake" in firing staff, hires them back

Apple is reversing changes to the formula used to calculate staffing levels at its retail stores, according to a Dow Jones news report. An experiment using new formulas had apparently led to wide-ranging layoffs and cuts in assigned hours. However, Apple's new retail chief John Browett said the company "messed up" implementing the changes in the first place, and is hiring new staff to keep its stores prepared for a potential flood of customers next month.

Earlier this week it came to light that Apple Stores had been cutting staff hours, especially for part-time staff, and laying off many recent new hires. The changes came after Browett, the new SVP of retail, implemented a popular 25 percent pay raise for Apple Store employees when he took over for former SVP of retail Ron Johnson. Speculation suggested the changes were made to offset the increased costs of the higher pay.

That speculation seemed plausible given a recent New York Times article that suggested that Apple's army of retail employees were underpaid given the company's decidedly spectacular financial performance of late. Blog ifoAppleStore also cited sources that claimed Browett was—against advice to the contrary—trying to increase the retail division's profit margin by having all stores running "leaner."

The news comes shortly after a source close to Ars revealed that there was a company-wide wave of firings last week. The incident was related to employees taking advantage of stocks of replacement refurbished iPhone 4 models, which Apple had quietly begun replacing with iPhone 4S units. It seems Genius Bar staff were encouraging other employees, including managers, to claim their own personal iPhone 4 was malfunctioning, which a Genius would swap for a "free" upgrade to an iPhone 4S. Staff involved in such "trade-ups" were summarily shown the door.

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/08/new-apple-retail-chief-makes-mistake-in-firing-staff-hires-them-back/

The iEconomy
Apple’s Retail Army, Long on Loyalty but Short on Pay

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/24/business/apple-store-workers-loyal-but-short-on-pay.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1

Dogfighting ring broken up, pictures and video, all good, have a nice day.

The Humane Society of the United States and their Animal Rescue Team was in Kalamzoo, Michigan last week with Hello Bully (Hello Bully is a Pittsburgh based non-profit focused on rescuing, rehoming, rehabilitating and repairing the reputation of the American Pit Bull Terrier.) and the Kalamazoo Humane Society to rescue 46 dogs from two suspected dogfighting operations. Click the link below to see more photos!

At one property set back in the woods, dozens of dogs were living outdoors on heavy chains or in chain-link pens, without regular access to drinking water or shelter. One black dog was tethered to a chain weighing almost as much as she does.

Inside, the team discovered a basement with blood splattered on the walls and floor, along with equipment typically used for dogfighting. In spite of being valued only for their capacity to engage in violence, the animals were so friendly and happy to see us, as you can see in our video and photos from the rescue. At another location in a residential neighborhood, we helped rescue more dogs and document another area stained with blood.

All these dogs are starting new lives thanks to the work of Kalamazoo County Animal Services and Enforcement, which began an investigation after receiving tips from the community. We were glad to assist with the investigation, provide the services of our mobile crime lab, and set up an emergency shelter. Local law enforcement and SWAT teams were also on the scene, as well as Kalamazoo Humane Society and Hello Bully providing assistance.

The animals from both suspected fighting rings are now at the emergency shelter, some receiving veterinary care for broken bones or illness. Some are elderly; many have scars consistent with fighting. All of them are getting plenty of care and attention, and we’re already seeing shyer dogs start to open up to people. We’ll have each dog professionally evaluated for possible adoption through our Dogfighting Rescue Coalition.

The owners of both properties were arrested and charged with multiple felonies—one had been convicted on dogfighting charges in the past. It’s this sort of work that we do that makes our communities safer for animals and people. No one can participate in this sport and be an upstanding member of society. People who disregard the law and enjoy watching this kind of violence won’t confine that behavior to the pit bull ring. It will spill over into the rest of their lives, and into the lives of innocent people and their communities.

http://hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2012/08/michigan-dogfighting-rescues.html




http://slideshows.humanesociety.org/index.php#id=album-153&num=content-2881

For those of you who may be English Bull Terrier fans, Rufus, the king of all bullies, died today

He won Westminister in 2006, he was family of friends who helped rescue many English Bullies and whom I adopted my beloved Corey from. Rocky Top's Sundance Kid, the winingest Bullie in history. His family are Liberals and lovers of dogs. The angel known as Rufus has gone. Long live the king.





rest in peace our king, rest in peace.

US Gun Violence by the Numbers

(Older but relevant)

5 Average number of child deaths in gun-related accidents or suicide EVERY DAY

9 Number of kids under 19 years old killed by guns EVERYDAY

32 Number of states in the US that allow ANYONE to purchase firearms without an ID or criminal background check
40 Percent of gun sales in the US occur without an ID or background check requirement

40 Percent of American households that contain both children and guns

83 Average number of Americans killed by guns EVERYDAY

1,260 Average number of annual firearm homicides in the European Union (pop 376 million)
10,821 Average number of annual firearm homicides in the US (pop 282 million)
34,000 Average number of Americans killed by guns EVERY YEAR

$33,000 Average medical cost (80% uninsured) of a gun related death

$300,000 Average cost (80% uninsured) of a gun related injury

70,000 Average number of gun-related injuries EVERY YEAR

655,000 Number US service men and women killed in all Foreign Wars combined
1,035,000 Number of gun deaths in the US over the past 30 years

$4 million NRA contributions to George W. Bush's 2004 campaign

$18 million NRA contributions to Congressional candidates in the last four election cycles

$40 million NRA promised contributions to John McCain's 2008 Presidential campaign

$34 billion Annual US medical and productivity costs of gun injuries and deaths


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-rosenthal/us-gun-violence-by-the-nu_b_139879.html

The gun crime map of America: interactive

What do the latest US crime figures tell us about gun crime? Which states have the most firearms murders, robberies and assaults? Click on a state to explore it - or use the dropdown menu to choose different ways of seeing the data


http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/interactive/2011/sep/27/gun-crime-map-statistics





You HAVE to go to the page to view the map and crunch the numbers. It's quite chilling in it's detail. These are the numbers the gun lobby will hide and argue till they have shouted you down, but there is no changing the numbers, the numbers don't lie. If we weren't awash in guns, we wouldn't have this problem.


How bad is gun crime in the US? The latest data from the FBI's uniform crime reports is out and it provides a fascinating picture of the use of firearms in crimes across America.

At the beginning of the year the shooting spree in Tucson, Arizona, that targeted congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords left six dead, including a nine-year-old child. But since then, the issue has been given scant attention.

However, the figures themselves are astounding for Brits used to around 600 murders per year. In 2010 - the latest year for which detailed statistics are available - there were 12,996 murders in the US. Of those, 8,775 were caused by firearms.

The FBI crime statistics are based on reports to FBI bureau and local law enforcement. The figures are not complete - there are no stats for Florida on firearm murders and the data for Illinois is "incomplete". But even so it provides a detailed picture of attacks by state.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/jan/10/gun-crime-us-state

Full spreadsheet

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AonYZs4MzlZbdGhycDRPQlN1dTBoMzJWOTk0Uk9DRVE&hl=en#gid=9

TSA – Grope & Pillage

First they came for the SUVs, then the Ferrari's, after that, the pick up trucks

but they weren't happy with their catch so they took the BMW's, Benz's, Audi's and Jaguar's. Pretty soon, the Corvette's were gone too. By then everyone drove little jelly beans that looked like their neighbors. And it was deemed good.


But then, in the middle of the night in the distance came a roar. Some nights it lasted for hours. The CO2 sensors went off the charts, but by the time the eco police arrived, all that were left were tire tracks and wine bags (cans and bottles long since gone the way of the outdoor barbecue).


Not in my lifetime. Let the exhaust pipes scream.

WAHHHHHHHHHHHH

Treat your employees well and profits will follow

Renowned business builders carefully watch over their employees, like a shepherd over a beloved flock. They are kind, respectful, encouraging and highly supportive. They value their team and have learned that happy employees are the key to a first- rate business. This attribute is one of the powerful characteristics of award-winning entrepreneurs.

I am pleased to share with you a powerful business model called the Service Profit Chain, authored by three Harvard professors. Its premise is that if leaders honor employees, profits will be the ultimate result. It is the opposite approach from leaders who have money as his or her number one goal and for whom people are dispensable.

The model focuses first and foremost, on providing high-quality service to employees as well as to customers, with financial reward as a byproduct. It's a model used by many of the world's top companies. The points and sequential steps are as follows:

Conversely, consider a poor leader who hires the wrong people, promotes a vile culture, continually criticizes employees and they, in turn, mistreat customers who never return to shop and tell their friends to do likewise.

http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/04/03/treat-your-employees-well-and-profits-will-follow


Too too many business try to cut expenses to profitability rather than make a profit on what they sell or take care of their most valuable asset, their employees. Sadly most of us work for dolts who could give a shit about our lives, our families, our health.

The honeybees are still dying

The eerie mystery of the vanishing honeybees has not been put to rest.

In the last few weeks, three separate studies explored the effect of insecticides on honeybee and pollinator health. One paper linked neonicotinoids, a new class of systemic insecticides that have come into widespread use in recent years, to impaired honeybee navigation; a second noted the effects of low levels of the pesticides on bumblebee reproduction.

The most talked about study, from a Harvard team, found that the colonies fed neonicotinoid-laced corn syrup collapsed in a manner that appeared to mimic the effects of Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD—the mysterious phenomenon in which otherwise-healthy bees simply vanish from their hives. Neonicotinoids, declared the Harvard team, were “the likely culprit in sharp worldwide declines in honeybee colonies since 2006.”

Dramatic headlines soon followed: “Mystery of the Disappearing Bees: Solved!” announced a Reuters headline. Ah, if only that were true. Even if neonicotinoids were banned tomorrow, honeybees would still be in big trouble.

The recent studies add to mounting evidence that low levels of neonicotinoids may have “sub-lethal” outcomes—long-term effects on pollinators that haven’t been measured in chemical-company testing submitted for EPA approval. What those papers don’t prove, unfortunately, is that “neonics,” as they are called, cause CCD—or explain the troubling colony losses we’ve seen in recent years.

http://boingboing.net/2012/05/07/the-honeybees-are-still-dying.html

Well, our worst fears are realized, but Bush and Cheney will NEVER be prosecuted

we all know that, at least not while they are alive. At least while a LOT of people are still alive. It will take a generation to right the wrongs they caused. Those withut power have no voice today.


Sad that these men of power can tear down institutions with impunity, and the Administration we hold as our own will never move on those two.



Have a nice weekend.