Dear Apple. Check Your Factories

I admit that I own an iPhone and I love, but I also admit that they working condition issue that came up in recent news is giving Apple a bad rap but also must be addressed. While Apple did inspections on the factories which did the final 'construction,' as you might call it, of their products they failed to look at the factories that produced the components for these technology wonders. There were shocking reports of things which, according to

A spate of suicides at Foxconn Technology Group factories in 2010 and the illnesses of workers at Wintek Corp., in 2011, which were thought to be caused by exposure to toxic chemicals, both created bad publicity for Apple.

Recently Apple has switched from auditing their own factories to bringing in a third party. This is a wise move for Apple due to the fact when an individual company audits their own factory there is no one to keep them in line or prevent them from lying. It is stated in the CBC article that

The audits will include interviews with employees about working and living conditions, including health and safety, working hours and wages, along with inspections of manufacturing and living areas and examination of employment-related documents. 

Let this be a sign to other companies, no matter what they produce in their factories, that in order to protect their business it is important to run audits on their factories to ensure worker safety/

China Apple Factories FLA Audits
Petition: Apple CEO Tim Cook-Protect Workers Making iPhones in China
Behind the News: 02/11/2012
FoxConn Raise Wages Apple Contractor?
Do Apple Users Care Enough to Protest Chinese Working Conditions
FoxConn Wiki Page

On the Web, a Growing Market for Philanderers -- USA TODAY

Well it's Valentine's Day and many people are celebrating what relationships they have and the feelings they harbor for their significant other and their friends. Whether it be a romantic love or just an appreciative love towards your children or your parents. What about the people who are unhappy in the current relationships that they have? Well ironically there's a site for that! As USA Today states in its article there are new threats posed towards marriages, not just with affairs with the secretary or another coworker the Ashley Madison Dating site advertises itself as for those who are looking for an affair. What has society come to the point where when someone is unsatisfied with their spouses efforts? And apprently these sites are the most successful after Valentine's Day. So a word of advice, "If your Valentine's Day expectations aren't met, your mate might soon be looking elsewhere for a little romance and appreciation."

Now the site itself is much like any other (cheap) dating site. The information that people give when they sign up for a site like Ashley Madison includes your limits (Something short/long term, cyber affair/erotic chat, whatever excites me, anything goes, and undecided), height, weight, and date of birth. Through these terms you can search for a suitable person (attached male/female, unattached male/female, same gender, etc) at which point you can either meet or just keep it to the internet.

Why has this become such a problem? Well as the founder and CEO of Ashley Madison states, "People are disappointed by their spouses' lack of effort, and they feel especially undervalued when there is a societal expectation of romance. Certain days of the year act as litmus tests for many people in relationships." All right, I see a few problems with this, (1) relationships are being undervalued, (2) relationships are expected to be easy, and (3) people are seeming to be unwilling to sort out the problems that they face.

A sociologist that interviewed members of the Ashley Madison site stated that the reason these sites are so successful is due to the fact that "people aren't taking care of their marriages." Paort of the issue is that people are becomming attached to the social networking sites of the day such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs, and other sites that there is more potential for issues. USA Today presents this warning: "Social networking sites can open a Pandora's box of relationship destroyers -- unleashing everything from affairs, to rekindling of past toxic relationships, jealousy, imaginary online relationships that replace face-to-face intimacy, and online stalking, to name a few."

Things to watch for:

• Relationship Status -- your spouse should be willing to provide their relationship status on websites, if they are not, it probably is a red flag to sit down and talk.
• Trust! This is one of the most important aspects of a marriage.
• The Past: avoid reconnecting with old flames, while it may seem enticing at the time it can end up incredibly messy. If you just want to sit down for coffee maybe suggest meeting them with your spouse or significant other.
• Too Much Information: Watch what you say online, particularly if you're venting about a relationship.
• It's Permanent: Hey, most people think that a post on the internet is temporary, but actually everything we email, post, tweet, share, or whatever is recorded in a database.

Shocking quote:

"Websites designed to facilitate cheating appear to be thriving; some earn tens of millions of dollars a year, and competition is growing."

As someone who has seen others be cheated on and feared the possibility of someone cheating on me I understand the importance of communication and putting energy into a relationship. This means loving one another, but also respecting one another, even when there are problems.

And as a closing note, be careful and enjoy the people around you!

Occupy Oakland Gone Bad

In the past six months the Occupy Wall Street protest has intrigued people around the globe and encourage them to stand up against corporate. While corporate greed has been a problem it was not directed at the correct people. In addition to this a weak economy provides for difficult times and inhibits the job market from being having a more positive outlook. Recently Oakland protesters threw objects at police including, but not limited to rocks, lit flares, bottles, and pipes. The Associated Press and CNN report on this:

Oakland police used tear gas and flash grenades Saturday to break up hundreds of Occupy protesters after some demonstrators started throwing rocks and flares at officers and tearing down fencing. (AP)

Occupy activists tossed pipes, bottles, burning flares and other objects Saturday at Oakland police, who responded by using tear gas and smoke grenades and arresting 19 demonstrators, police said. (CNN Wire Staff)

What hasn't been recognized is that Occupy Oakland is then providing significant dangers to both the police but also to the citizens around them who aren't protesting. After announcing their plan to seize a vacant building they sent a letter to the city hall stating:

If police prevent the seizure, the protesters warned Wednesday, they will take further actions. Possibilities include future blockades of Oakland International Airport, the Port of Oakland or City Hall, according to a letter to the city from Occupy Oakland. (Bulwa, Demian; San Francisco Chronicle)

Whatever change they are looking for it will not happen if you blockade the international airport, the city hall, or any other location. There are people in those locations who have jobs in which their paychecks put food on the table for their children, allow for them to get an education, and help improve safety for the United States. There are many other things that are being disrupted by protesting these issues. The police are there to protect the people and make sure our rights are protected. If they have things thrown at them, they aren't supposed to just stand there and take it. So what do the locals think:

You're making the damn revolution playing tag with OPD every Saturday night, vandalizing businesses, encouraging arson and you want the city to call of the cops so you can do that unencumbered?! But I didn't laugh cause I was just too pissed off." (Community Voice)

There are numerous consequences for these actions including danger to the surrounding locations due to the arson (people's homes, small businesses, etc.) and at a cost to the business itself creating a risk of lost jobs due to unexpected costs. Instead of protesting, go to the capitol, petition with your representatives, create a bill, do something that might actually directly cause change/ 

19 Occupy activists arrested in Oakland after clashing with police
Oakland Police Use Tear Gas on Occupy ProtestersOccupy Oakland and Me: Breakin' Up is hard to do (Community voices)
Occupy Oakland Says it Will Seize Vacant Building