Apple, if you don't already know, lowered the price of their $600 iPhone to $400. For those of you who already own an iPhone, Steve-o is offering you a $100 store credit, so go find out how you can claim what is yours!
I know I haven't done a beer review in a while (shame on me) - but now is the time, ladies and gents, to go seek out an Oktoberfest. Not just any, though - go find one from Munich. These are the authentic Oktoberfests - there are only six brewers allowed to serve beer during Oktoberfest and those are Paulaner (which I'm drinking right now), Spaten, Augustiner, Lowenbrau, Hofbrau and Hacker-Pschorr. Paulaner and Spaten is available at Consumers - although Spaten is only available as a 12-pack this is ok... they serve this stuff in liter mugs in Europe!
Oktoberfest's 200th Anniversary in 2010, or the World Cup in South Africa in 2010. Ugh... I dunno.
Joshua's Journal
My Podcast Link
09/06/2007 19:58 #40976
iPhone price update09/05/2007 19:32 #40958
What We DoCategory: work
Probably the most complicated question I ever get asked is, "what do you do?" This isn't the sort of question that I can blurt out three syllables to give a good answer. Since I was asked to describe my job in a journal entry, here it is!
Corporate Social Responsibility
This is the industry that we are in, although I just refer to what we do as "social compliance." In a nutshell, our industry kicked off when Kathie Lee Gifford got into trouble about 10 years back for being associated with a sweatshop in Honduras, which was manufacturing goods for Wal-Mart. As a result of the media exposure and pressure from labor activists, the industry was launched and now virtually every major retailer in the world either has their own auditing department or hire a company like ours. Companies do this because their reputations can be quantified in dollars, so investing in this sort of endeavor is a way to certify that their products are being ethically sourced. Companies like Nike have their own auditors. Other companies hire us because we are independent and therefore our evaluations have a bit more credibility - we are not affiliated with the company that is being audited nor are we directly affiliated with our clients. This is a very niche type of industry - most of the companies that do independent auditing are small and we all know each other.
The Buffalo area is home to one of the most accredited and well respected independent monitoring firms in the world - the company I work for! My company is the primary, preferred monitoring firm for several large retailers that you all are commonly familiar with, dozens of private manufacturers that are seeking certification to a worldwide independent standard, and most recently several major universities. We are accredited to perform audits on behalf of the Fair Labor Association, Worldwide Retail Apparel Production, SA8000 (the top standard), ISO, C-TPAT (this is a security audit program designed by private industry and the Department of Homeland Security), among others, and not mentioning the individual standards that certain major retailer clients write for themselves (some are weaker than others).
Our company has offices in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Mexico, and of course Buffalo. We have auditors in several countries - having locals is incredibly important and we try to do so as much as possible. It cuts down on travel costs, which my boss loves. We have to travel in order to do our job - this brings us to countries in the entire Western Hemisphere, but we mainly work in North/Central America, the Carribean and Asia. Probably the foreign countries we do most of our work in are located in Central America and Asia, but we also do loads of work in the continental United States - personally I've been to 32 states and counting. I've been through the airports in almost every major city in the United States - my favorite airport is the one in Buffalo, since it means I'm home and not somewhere else! My favorite places in the United States are Seattle, Southern California, the desert and Texas.
We are social compliance auditors - we are paid to visit factories and verify whether or not the facility we are visiting is adhering to labor and health and safety laws as applicable in the locality we are in. So yes, we are familiar with the laws in all the states we visit, individual provinces in Canada, or whatever country we are in, as well as an entire criteria of soft issues such as harassment and abuse, forced labor, child labor, discrimination, collective bargaining/freedom of association and the like. We meet with members of management ranging from production managers all the way to the CEO. I explain to them exactly how the audit is going to work and what we need - because this is done as a contractual obligation for these facilities to sell to our clients they give us access to a wide variety of sensitive information. We examine employee files, payroll information, company policies and a laundry list of safety documentation to determine whether or not the facility meets the standard we are auditing to that day. We are interested in knowing if pay records and time records match, if any illegal deductions are being taken out, if inappropriate disciplinary actions are being taken by the employer, if the workers are being paid on time and legally, if workers are working excessive hours and a host of other things that are too many in number to mention in this already long paragraph. What we see and hear dictates where we probe next.
We interview employees at random and in private, with no interference or participation from management - here employees are given the opportunity to tell me what they like and dislike about the company they are working for, and it gives me the opportunity to verify things we may have found during document review or possibly learn about a potential problem to look for. As a rule we dress casually - we find that workers are more at ease when we're wearing jeans. We also do a health and safety inspection of the plant - in the US the facilities are bound by OSHA but in other countries the laws may be weaker, so almost invariably the standards we audit to include some aspects of OSHA as well as other basic health and safety criteria that, in some cases, go above and beyond the written law.
I'm leaving an extraordinary amount of detail out here, but you get the idea. We assemble a ton of data, create a snapshot of the facility and provide to our client reports that indicate how good or how poor the facility was. We do have some latitude in interpreting the standards that we are auditing to, depending on the issue, but for the most part these are very rigid, very strict standards that must be complied with. As a contractual obligation of doing business with The Big Gray Box, for example, you *must* clear an ethical standards audit to sell to them. If they are not satisfied, they cease accepting orders from that particular manufacturer that is giving us trouble. Typically just the threat of such a thing gets these facilities to beg us to revisit them as soon as possible, and yes, they give us what they wouldn't give us before the minute we walk in. I've audited companies as small as 3 floor workers, all the way up to large corporations with $150 million in accounts with our client. These companies give us an enormous amount of respect, and we have to use our authority discreetly. Depending on our judgments these companies could be set to lose millions of dollars and hundreds of jobs so it is to their benefit, although they see us as intruders, to go through with the audit. In the past, unfortunately, because a facility was firing employees a dozen at a time for even mentioning unionization, the facility had to close because they lost business with our client.... and 800 people lost their jobs. You can see that we have to strike a balance at times, but first and foremost our concern is for the worker and we approach our job professionally.
Generally, we are there to assess the facility to determine if the workers are getting what they are legally entitled to, that nothing is being taken away from them without their consent, that they are being treated ethically and with respect, that their basic human rights are being respected, that nobody is being abused or wrongfully treated, that workers aren't being overworked and that the company is providing to its workers everything that they need in order to be productive but most importantly safe. Like I've mentioned, we work off of individual company standards and independent global certifications. As a company policy, we also pass on "best practices" everywhere we go - we occasionally see some really great things that we tuck away and pass on to other companies if we think it would improve their situation.
Believe it or not I'm summarizing. If you have a question about an individual topic, ask away - I'll be as specific as I can. Unlike a lot of latte sipping pseudo-intellectuals that complain about worker mistreatment and lack of rights in Guangdong province, I'm at the front line of workers rights and sandwiched in between the workers, the companies that hire them and the large retailers that buy their products. I have an insiders look and a privileged point of view regarding these issues. We actually are the ones that visit these "sweatshops." I can tell you who deserves their reputation and who doesn't, the worst thing I've seen, the coolest items I've seen being made (my job is sometimes like a daily field trip), what I like about my job/what I hate about my job, the limitations of our industry - you name it I'll try to answer it.
Corporate Social Responsibility
This is the industry that we are in, although I just refer to what we do as "social compliance." In a nutshell, our industry kicked off when Kathie Lee Gifford got into trouble about 10 years back for being associated with a sweatshop in Honduras, which was manufacturing goods for Wal-Mart. As a result of the media exposure and pressure from labor activists, the industry was launched and now virtually every major retailer in the world either has their own auditing department or hire a company like ours. Companies do this because their reputations can be quantified in dollars, so investing in this sort of endeavor is a way to certify that their products are being ethically sourced. Companies like Nike have their own auditors. Other companies hire us because we are independent and therefore our evaluations have a bit more credibility - we are not affiliated with the company that is being audited nor are we directly affiliated with our clients. This is a very niche type of industry - most of the companies that do independent auditing are small and we all know each other.
The Buffalo area is home to one of the most accredited and well respected independent monitoring firms in the world - the company I work for! My company is the primary, preferred monitoring firm for several large retailers that you all are commonly familiar with, dozens of private manufacturers that are seeking certification to a worldwide independent standard, and most recently several major universities. We are accredited to perform audits on behalf of the Fair Labor Association, Worldwide Retail Apparel Production, SA8000 (the top standard), ISO, C-TPAT (this is a security audit program designed by private industry and the Department of Homeland Security), among others, and not mentioning the individual standards that certain major retailer clients write for themselves (some are weaker than others).
Our company has offices in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Mexico, and of course Buffalo. We have auditors in several countries - having locals is incredibly important and we try to do so as much as possible. It cuts down on travel costs, which my boss loves. We have to travel in order to do our job - this brings us to countries in the entire Western Hemisphere, but we mainly work in North/Central America, the Carribean and Asia. Probably the foreign countries we do most of our work in are located in Central America and Asia, but we also do loads of work in the continental United States - personally I've been to 32 states and counting. I've been through the airports in almost every major city in the United States - my favorite airport is the one in Buffalo, since it means I'm home and not somewhere else! My favorite places in the United States are Seattle, Southern California, the desert and Texas.
We are social compliance auditors - we are paid to visit factories and verify whether or not the facility we are visiting is adhering to labor and health and safety laws as applicable in the locality we are in. So yes, we are familiar with the laws in all the states we visit, individual provinces in Canada, or whatever country we are in, as well as an entire criteria of soft issues such as harassment and abuse, forced labor, child labor, discrimination, collective bargaining/freedom of association and the like. We meet with members of management ranging from production managers all the way to the CEO. I explain to them exactly how the audit is going to work and what we need - because this is done as a contractual obligation for these facilities to sell to our clients they give us access to a wide variety of sensitive information. We examine employee files, payroll information, company policies and a laundry list of safety documentation to determine whether or not the facility meets the standard we are auditing to that day. We are interested in knowing if pay records and time records match, if any illegal deductions are being taken out, if inappropriate disciplinary actions are being taken by the employer, if the workers are being paid on time and legally, if workers are working excessive hours and a host of other things that are too many in number to mention in this already long paragraph. What we see and hear dictates where we probe next.
We interview employees at random and in private, with no interference or participation from management - here employees are given the opportunity to tell me what they like and dislike about the company they are working for, and it gives me the opportunity to verify things we may have found during document review or possibly learn about a potential problem to look for. As a rule we dress casually - we find that workers are more at ease when we're wearing jeans. We also do a health and safety inspection of the plant - in the US the facilities are bound by OSHA but in other countries the laws may be weaker, so almost invariably the standards we audit to include some aspects of OSHA as well as other basic health and safety criteria that, in some cases, go above and beyond the written law.
I'm leaving an extraordinary amount of detail out here, but you get the idea. We assemble a ton of data, create a snapshot of the facility and provide to our client reports that indicate how good or how poor the facility was. We do have some latitude in interpreting the standards that we are auditing to, depending on the issue, but for the most part these are very rigid, very strict standards that must be complied with. As a contractual obligation of doing business with The Big Gray Box, for example, you *must* clear an ethical standards audit to sell to them. If they are not satisfied, they cease accepting orders from that particular manufacturer that is giving us trouble. Typically just the threat of such a thing gets these facilities to beg us to revisit them as soon as possible, and yes, they give us what they wouldn't give us before the minute we walk in. I've audited companies as small as 3 floor workers, all the way up to large corporations with $150 million in accounts with our client. These companies give us an enormous amount of respect, and we have to use our authority discreetly. Depending on our judgments these companies could be set to lose millions of dollars and hundreds of jobs so it is to their benefit, although they see us as intruders, to go through with the audit. In the past, unfortunately, because a facility was firing employees a dozen at a time for even mentioning unionization, the facility had to close because they lost business with our client.... and 800 people lost their jobs. You can see that we have to strike a balance at times, but first and foremost our concern is for the worker and we approach our job professionally.
Generally, we are there to assess the facility to determine if the workers are getting what they are legally entitled to, that nothing is being taken away from them without their consent, that they are being treated ethically and with respect, that their basic human rights are being respected, that nobody is being abused or wrongfully treated, that workers aren't being overworked and that the company is providing to its workers everything that they need in order to be productive but most importantly safe. Like I've mentioned, we work off of individual company standards and independent global certifications. As a company policy, we also pass on "best practices" everywhere we go - we occasionally see some really great things that we tuck away and pass on to other companies if we think it would improve their situation.
Believe it or not I'm summarizing. If you have a question about an individual topic, ask away - I'll be as specific as I can. Unlike a lot of latte sipping pseudo-intellectuals that complain about worker mistreatment and lack of rights in Guangdong province, I'm at the front line of workers rights and sandwiched in between the workers, the companies that hire them and the large retailers that buy their products. I have an insiders look and a privileged point of view regarding these issues. We actually are the ones that visit these "sweatshops." I can tell you who deserves their reputation and who doesn't, the worst thing I've seen, the coolest items I've seen being made (my job is sometimes like a daily field trip), what I like about my job/what I hate about my job, the limitations of our industry - you name it I'll try to answer it.
lizabeth - 09/07/07 03:40
Wow... very, very interesting reading... thank you for taking the time to write all this up, (e:joshua)!
Wow... very, very interesting reading... thank you for taking the time to write all this up, (e:joshua)!
metalpeter - 09/06/07 19:52
I will admit that I wish American Companies would try to get the wages in other countries higher (but as you said that isn't why they are there). I do think that by them going to other countries for either jobs or to make products or componnets or other things that they do undercut American laborers. I do understand why activists don't like that. I even knew someone who (I think only in American factories) tried to get people to start unions or at least see if there was interest. But I also admit that what is our lose is that other countries gain. I saw a news program where they showed some call service jobs in India. The company they showed everyone was trained in English and it was a highly sought after job so for the people there it was great. So as much as I don't like out sourcing or things being made in other countries (yeah I think it hurts the poor and helps the stockholders) it does help the places where these companies use cheaper work then in the us. I just hope that most of the companies do listen to what your company tells them and makes the right choices. I think what might be better for the activist to do is to try and change the laws and the rules for countries where they don't like the standards of workers.
I will admit that I wish American Companies would try to get the wages in other countries higher (but as you said that isn't why they are there). I do think that by them going to other countries for either jobs or to make products or componnets or other things that they do undercut American laborers. I do understand why activists don't like that. I even knew someone who (I think only in American factories) tried to get people to start unions or at least see if there was interest. But I also admit that what is our lose is that other countries gain. I saw a news program where they showed some call service jobs in India. The company they showed everyone was trained in English and it was a highly sought after job so for the people there it was great. So as much as I don't like out sourcing or things being made in other countries (yeah I think it hurts the poor and helps the stockholders) it does help the places where these companies use cheaper work then in the us. I just hope that most of the companies do listen to what your company tells them and makes the right choices. I think what might be better for the activist to do is to try and change the laws and the rules for countries where they don't like the standards of workers.
joshua - 09/06/07 19:23
(e:drew) - what I hate about the job (and what forced me to back away for a bit) was being away from home so much. I felt like I couldn't meet anybody new, couldn't hang out with my friends, see my family, felt like I was a stranger in my own home. I really dislike how chaotic our schedule can be - there were weeks where I literally flew in and out of a city only to go to another one, every day, 5 days in a row. Plus, think about this - when you fly all the time, the last thing you want to do when vacation comes around is travel somewhere!
If I had a name for you of a company that is shady, I'd tell you. Most of the companies that have been bad were bad as a result of their own issues, not as a result of the retailer we represent. For the retailers, we are there for exactly that - to find out who is doing things right or wrong and to let our clients know so that they can avoid sourcing there. I have a few stories about some of the bad factories I've been to - but I don't want to make this too long! I'll say this - one of the worst places I've been to was in Missouri - bad apples can be anywhere.
Who has a bad reputation and doesn't deserve it? You'd hate me if I answered that honestly, and a lot of people here wouldn't believe me anyway! Bahhh... hell. The Big Gray Box, from our experience, sources from mostly excellent places. Believe it or not, these multinational retailers not only force jobs overseas but manage to keep many, many small manufacturers in the USA afloat. These places put up with the BS because the business is sometimes 50-100% of their volume in sales - they are very eager to be compliant so if there are any issues they are almost always solved quickly. But, the way this works is that we are assigned facilities to audit by the retailer, on their time schedule. It isn't as if we get a blank slate and a list of factories to choose to audit as our leisure... I kind of wish it were this way so that we could plan our schedule in a more rational way. So, in other words, they choose where we visit, so although our impression of the facilities is generally good, the truth is that we do not go anywhere without them telling us where to go first.
(e:lauren) - I got into this job because one of my best friends' father is the President. He wanted to build an auditor from the ground up so I was the first for our company that wasn't either a lawyer or come from a high-level manufacturing background. He gave me the opportunity so I took it! As for how strongly I identify with the ethos of the social responsibility movement - I'd say we are all very proud and passionate about what we do. It feels good to know that I've helped people that I'll never get to meet (at least not all of them). So from that perspective I'd say that I very strongly identify with the social responsibility aspect of the job - for me its my stronger suit than the H&S stuff anyway. I'm passionate about improving something for somebody out there - by far my favorite thing about the job is being able to be around people and use my people skills. Its interesting having to relate to the janitor all the way up to the owner, and I love making little microrelationships with the workers - it helps me to understand their point of view and also helps them trust me, so that if something really bad is happening behind the scenes they are willing to tell me. If you aren't a people person, super anal with details, knowledgeable about the law, perceptive and flexible you can't do this job, hehe. Plus, I have to admit, I like the fact that its a fairly liberalized industry. Its perfectly okay for me to wear my Birks in my office, or walk around barefoot. I like that I'm not always in an office, although for the past few months I have been. Its nice to be able to see the country not just on the coast but in all the spots in between. I feel like I've gotten Ph.Ds in American Culture and Sociology from my experiences; overall being put in the position my job gave me has made me a better person and has been an amazing proving ground for whatever job I end up taking next.
(e:peter) - whattup man. That is exactly true and you are touching on a point that is a pet peeve of mine with activists, who mean well and I love, but don't understand the context of what they are seeing sometimes. A factory in Bangladesh is going to be worlds different than one in the US. "American" standards are not practical or realistic depending on the country you are in. What we might consider to be a sty, they may consider their best effort. Thats a fact of life when you are buying stuff from a country where employers pays their workers 10 cents an hour.
(e:janelle) - you can see as much as you like, really, but ultimately its up to us. Personally I like hanging out and soaking in the local flavor wherever I am. Sometimes the schedule doesn't permit it and we are constantly driving to different areas that are kind of remote - its not all glamorous! But still though, I've had some interesting experiences and have been to a ton of places that I wouldn't have visited otherwise... so that is another one to chalk up in the "good" column! Some places we know so well that they remember us when we come back - our hotels in LA, certain restaurants, etc. - that is fun stuff.
Activists - love em/hate em is the best way to describe them. We are able to exist because of them, but I find many of them to be too cozy with unions and too political.
As an example, recently Starbucks has taken some stick because some of the baristas want to unionize, which is ludicrous in my eyes, but whatever. In any case, a former barista is suing Starbucks over allegations that they were supressing his attempts to unionize some baristas. One of the organizations supporting him is called the IWW, and one of its members recently stated that corporate social responsibility is "meaningless" if certain objectives can't get completed. What this activist and maaaannnny others don't understand is that its not CSR's job to proselytize on behalf of labor unions - we are there simply to verify that workers are able to freely discuss *the possibility* of unionizing. This is a line that activists are constantly crossing, and monitoring firms can only roll their eyes at these kinds of comments.
I think many activists and NCOs are under the mistaken impression that American corporations should bring American wage and labor standards to foreign countries. I mentioned this to you before Janelle and I think you have a more rational view of it, lol. (e:peter) also touched on an aspect of it in his comment. Companies don't move to a foreign country just to pay the workers the same amount as they were making back in the states... this should be obvious. Where the activists are 100% right, though, is that the retailers should be watching who they source from, and that there *should* be a rigorous ethical standard that should be enforced. There are workers out there that do need some degree of protection from abusive factories and its no laughing matter. Unfortunately we've been to a few but I'm happy to say that its rare that we go to a really awful plant, where they couldn't care less about safety or the rights/wants/needs of their workers. Most standards have very similar principles that they all share - the details are what separate the stricter standards from the weaker.
One fantastic company - Levi-Strauss! Don't ever be afraid of owning their stuff. =) Their CSR program is one of the strictest and most comprehensive out there, and they are mega dedicated. Nice people, too.
(e:drew) - what I hate about the job (and what forced me to back away for a bit) was being away from home so much. I felt like I couldn't meet anybody new, couldn't hang out with my friends, see my family, felt like I was a stranger in my own home. I really dislike how chaotic our schedule can be - there were weeks where I literally flew in and out of a city only to go to another one, every day, 5 days in a row. Plus, think about this - when you fly all the time, the last thing you want to do when vacation comes around is travel somewhere!
If I had a name for you of a company that is shady, I'd tell you. Most of the companies that have been bad were bad as a result of their own issues, not as a result of the retailer we represent. For the retailers, we are there for exactly that - to find out who is doing things right or wrong and to let our clients know so that they can avoid sourcing there. I have a few stories about some of the bad factories I've been to - but I don't want to make this too long! I'll say this - one of the worst places I've been to was in Missouri - bad apples can be anywhere.
Who has a bad reputation and doesn't deserve it? You'd hate me if I answered that honestly, and a lot of people here wouldn't believe me anyway! Bahhh... hell. The Big Gray Box, from our experience, sources from mostly excellent places. Believe it or not, these multinational retailers not only force jobs overseas but manage to keep many, many small manufacturers in the USA afloat. These places put up with the BS because the business is sometimes 50-100% of their volume in sales - they are very eager to be compliant so if there are any issues they are almost always solved quickly. But, the way this works is that we are assigned facilities to audit by the retailer, on their time schedule. It isn't as if we get a blank slate and a list of factories to choose to audit as our leisure... I kind of wish it were this way so that we could plan our schedule in a more rational way. So, in other words, they choose where we visit, so although our impression of the facilities is generally good, the truth is that we do not go anywhere without them telling us where to go first.
(e:lauren) - I got into this job because one of my best friends' father is the President. He wanted to build an auditor from the ground up so I was the first for our company that wasn't either a lawyer or come from a high-level manufacturing background. He gave me the opportunity so I took it! As for how strongly I identify with the ethos of the social responsibility movement - I'd say we are all very proud and passionate about what we do. It feels good to know that I've helped people that I'll never get to meet (at least not all of them). So from that perspective I'd say that I very strongly identify with the social responsibility aspect of the job - for me its my stronger suit than the H&S stuff anyway. I'm passionate about improving something for somebody out there - by far my favorite thing about the job is being able to be around people and use my people skills. Its interesting having to relate to the janitor all the way up to the owner, and I love making little microrelationships with the workers - it helps me to understand their point of view and also helps them trust me, so that if something really bad is happening behind the scenes they are willing to tell me. If you aren't a people person, super anal with details, knowledgeable about the law, perceptive and flexible you can't do this job, hehe. Plus, I have to admit, I like the fact that its a fairly liberalized industry. Its perfectly okay for me to wear my Birks in my office, or walk around barefoot. I like that I'm not always in an office, although for the past few months I have been. Its nice to be able to see the country not just on the coast but in all the spots in between. I feel like I've gotten Ph.Ds in American Culture and Sociology from my experiences; overall being put in the position my job gave me has made me a better person and has been an amazing proving ground for whatever job I end up taking next.
(e:peter) - whattup man. That is exactly true and you are touching on a point that is a pet peeve of mine with activists, who mean well and I love, but don't understand the context of what they are seeing sometimes. A factory in Bangladesh is going to be worlds different than one in the US. "American" standards are not practical or realistic depending on the country you are in. What we might consider to be a sty, they may consider their best effort. Thats a fact of life when you are buying stuff from a country where employers pays their workers 10 cents an hour.
(e:janelle) - you can see as much as you like, really, but ultimately its up to us. Personally I like hanging out and soaking in the local flavor wherever I am. Sometimes the schedule doesn't permit it and we are constantly driving to different areas that are kind of remote - its not all glamorous! But still though, I've had some interesting experiences and have been to a ton of places that I wouldn't have visited otherwise... so that is another one to chalk up in the "good" column! Some places we know so well that they remember us when we come back - our hotels in LA, certain restaurants, etc. - that is fun stuff.
Activists - love em/hate em is the best way to describe them. We are able to exist because of them, but I find many of them to be too cozy with unions and too political.
As an example, recently Starbucks has taken some stick because some of the baristas want to unionize, which is ludicrous in my eyes, but whatever. In any case, a former barista is suing Starbucks over allegations that they were supressing his attempts to unionize some baristas. One of the organizations supporting him is called the IWW, and one of its members recently stated that corporate social responsibility is "meaningless" if certain objectives can't get completed. What this activist and maaaannnny others don't understand is that its not CSR's job to proselytize on behalf of labor unions - we are there simply to verify that workers are able to freely discuss *the possibility* of unionizing. This is a line that activists are constantly crossing, and monitoring firms can only roll their eyes at these kinds of comments.
I think many activists and NCOs are under the mistaken impression that American corporations should bring American wage and labor standards to foreign countries. I mentioned this to you before Janelle and I think you have a more rational view of it, lol. (e:peter) also touched on an aspect of it in his comment. Companies don't move to a foreign country just to pay the workers the same amount as they were making back in the states... this should be obvious. Where the activists are 100% right, though, is that the retailers should be watching who they source from, and that there *should* be a rigorous ethical standard that should be enforced. There are workers out there that do need some degree of protection from abusive factories and its no laughing matter. Unfortunately we've been to a few but I'm happy to say that its rare that we go to a really awful plant, where they couldn't care less about safety or the rights/wants/needs of their workers. Most standards have very similar principles that they all share - the details are what separate the stricter standards from the weaker.
One fantastic company - Levi-Strauss! Don't ever be afraid of owning their stuff. =) Their CSR program is one of the strictest and most comprehensive out there, and they are mega dedicated. Nice people, too.
janelle - 09/06/07 12:51
Thanks for sharing what you do Josh. It's fascinating. I guess I might fit into the pseudo intellectual crowd in that I like to think about the topic and talk about the topic, but I don't think I'm a complainer and I try not to speak authoritatively on the subject.
I'd like to hear more on your thoughts about activists in the industry-how it directly impacts or frustrates what you do maybe. It seems that the dynamics between the activists, your industry, and the manufacturing/sweatshop industry might be one of those necessary evils in a way where all three need to exist.
I sure think you're lucky in the sense that a lot of business travelers don't get to see much of where they travel; they spend all their time in conference rooms. But it seems you get to see a bit of the countries you visit, yes?
Thanks for sharing what you do Josh. It's fascinating. I guess I might fit into the pseudo intellectual crowd in that I like to think about the topic and talk about the topic, but I don't think I'm a complainer and I try not to speak authoritatively on the subject.
I'd like to hear more on your thoughts about activists in the industry-how it directly impacts or frustrates what you do maybe. It seems that the dynamics between the activists, your industry, and the manufacturing/sweatshop industry might be one of those necessary evils in a way where all three need to exist.
I sure think you're lucky in the sense that a lot of business travelers don't get to see much of where they travel; they spend all their time in conference rooms. But it seems you get to see a bit of the countries you visit, yes?
metalpeter - 09/05/07 20:22
I hate speaking for other people but I'll quickly touch on the "sweetshop" issue. As you said different countries have different rules and laws. What makes something a sweetshop to other people is that the wages and conditions of places people work are substandard to the US. But that could still be true but they are within the law of their country or area. I can remember a piece that some undercover guy wrote about I think it was mexico I can't remember where he investigated working conditions and the general sense that I got was that NIKE i want to say payed people a lot less then in america and the conditions weren't as good, However it was still one of the best places in mexico. I won't get into the fact that in every country there are some places that must break the law and are good enough not to get caught but that is a different discussion. Hey in any event your job doesn't sound at all boaring and also sounds pretty complex to.
I hate speaking for other people but I'll quickly touch on the "sweetshop" issue. As you said different countries have different rules and laws. What makes something a sweetshop to other people is that the wages and conditions of places people work are substandard to the US. But that could still be true but they are within the law of their country or area. I can remember a piece that some undercover guy wrote about I think it was mexico I can't remember where he investigated working conditions and the general sense that I got was that NIKE i want to say payed people a lot less then in america and the conditions weren't as good, However it was still one of the best places in mexico. I won't get into the fact that in every country there are some places that must break the law and are good enough not to get caught but that is a different discussion. Hey in any event your job doesn't sound at all boaring and also sounds pretty complex to.
lauren - 09/05/07 19:52
I must admit I am quite fascinated with this type of thing. I can't even begin to comprehend how complex and precise this type of job has to be. I think my questions would be, how/why did you get into this line of work and what do you like about it/do you identify with the "social responsibility" aspect of it?
I must admit I am quite fascinated with this type of thing. I can't even begin to comprehend how complex and precise this type of job has to be. I think my questions would be, how/why did you get into this line of work and what do you like about it/do you identify with the "social responsibility" aspect of it?
drew - 09/05/07 19:51
Wow. This is cool. I often skim over the longer posts, but I enjoyed reading this one. I guess I've been in the pseudo-intellectual crowd, even though I don't drink lattes (sipped or otherwise. Anyway, since you offered to answer more questions, I'll ask a couple:
I can see what you like about your job--what do you hate?
Are you allowed to name a buisness that a person of good consience
should absolutely avoid doing business with?
Who has a bad reputation that DOESN'T deserve it?
Wow. This is cool. I often skim over the longer posts, but I enjoyed reading this one. I guess I've been in the pseudo-intellectual crowd, even though I don't drink lattes (sipped or otherwise. Anyway, since you offered to answer more questions, I'll ask a couple:
I can see what you like about your job--what do you hate?
Are you allowed to name a buisness that a person of good consience
should absolutely avoid doing business with?
Who has a bad reputation that DOESN'T deserve it?
09/03/2007 14:44 #40912
You Honk We DrinkI already wrote a journal entry today (see below) but I couldn't ignore these guys if I wanted to... they are set up directly across the street.
Don't forget about these guys!
UPDATE: (e:felly) asked... so here we are 5 hours later. They got rid of the big sign because it kept blowing over... har har har.
Don't forget about these guys!
UPDATE: (e:felly) asked... so here we are 5 hours later. They got rid of the big sign because it kept blowing over... har har har.
joshua - 09/04/07 10:21
They drank from about 11am until 8pm - once it started getting dark they began to drop like flies. Speaking of flies, you should have seen our more underprivileged residents jumping on those empty cans!
They drank from about 11am until 8pm - once it started getting dark they began to drop like flies. Speaking of flies, you should have seen our more underprivileged residents jumping on those empty cans!
fellyconnelly - 09/03/07 21:41
thanks for the update! it looks as though they started multiplying! funny how beer does that.
how late were they at it?
thanks for the update! it looks as though they started multiplying! funny how beer does that.
how late were they at it?
jenks - 09/03/07 20:42
what an awesome drinking game!!!!
what an awesome drinking game!!!!
jason - 09/03/07 20:38
Hee hee
Hee hee
joshua - 09/03/07 17:15
Er... yeah. Me! (e:jason) always logs himself back in and never logs out... the bloody bastard!
Er... yeah. Me! (e:jason) always logs himself back in and never logs out... the bloody bastard!
jason - 09/03/07 17:13
Yep it was me - I think we had some mutual recognition going on there.
I took your idea into practice Felly - I updated w/a new picture!
Yep it was me - I think we had some mutual recognition going on there.
I took your idea into practice Felly - I updated w/a new picture!
mrmike - 09/03/07 16:19
Thought I saw you on your porch (Jason told which was which). I had half a notion to yell a hello, but figured there were already enough yahoos screaming in the street.
Thought I saw you on your porch (Jason told which was which). I had half a notion to yell a hello, but figured there were already enough yahoos screaming in the street.
fellyconnelly - 09/03/07 15:47
wait... these guys do this often??? i definetely honked for them. both times i went by.
being across the street from them, it would be interesting to tape them throughout the day - maybe get an interesting video of their progression...
wait... these guys do this often??? i definetely honked for them. both times i went by.
being across the street from them, it would be interesting to tape them throughout the day - maybe get an interesting video of their progression...
mrmike - 09/03/07 15:23
I was just getting a soda at Spot -- couldn't miss em.
I was just getting a soda at Spot -- couldn't miss em.
james - 09/03/07 15:10
They are there every year, without fail. I have to admire that.
They are there every year, without fail. I have to admire that.
09/03/2007 12:57 #40908
Labor DayJust remember, its only temporary. Unless you are un or underemployed (you know who you are), tomorrow you get to return to the grind and today is simply an oasis. Keeping this in mind, even though its cloudy outside, enjoy it!
Today I'm grilling corn on the cob! This is something I love to do. Why? Because grilled corn on the cob is effing delicious.
Our grandmother was admitted to a hospital in Jamestown on Wednesday, and nobody back home (including my father) bothered to tell me about it. Well, this isn't entirely accurate - my father called me while I was at work in Toronto, I couldn't check my messages, and when I did and called him back, he never bothered to return my call. I found out she was sick from my brother, who called me just as I pulled up to my office. How rude! In any case, she is okay but has been diagnosed with some sort of heart condition that will require her to be less active and to keep in mind that she needs to take rests when she does do things. She is 79 and up until now she's never been prescribed any kind of medication outside of a mild happy pill (she's a worrier).
So, we drove home on Friday night and I visited her at the hospital while Jason had his fantasy football draft. I brought her some dark chocolate from Fowler's but she was too tired to eat it... they ran some tests and shot that slightly radioactive fluid through her veins to detect clots or other problems. The good news is that she is out of the hospital - I feel better with her being able to sleep in her own bed. She complained about the hospital food - I understand the need for budget restraint but for Christ's sake, can't we feed these sick people something decent if they are holed up in a hospital bed? I saw her food - its borderline prisoner quality.
My general impression, obviously, of seeing my grandmother in a hospital bed was disturbing and I didn't like it at all. This was the same place that my grandfather died, and seeing my other grandparent in a similar situation reminded me of the sad fact that one day my brother, my father and I will still be together but will feel very alone. We had a highly unorthodox situation in our household growing up, but it allowed me to effectively have three parents (my dad, my grandparents) and so she is, for all intents and purposes, my mother.
The positives outside of seeing my grandmother out of the hospital was being able to hang with my hippie father and go to local farmer's market - its Jamestown but Anderson's off of Foote Ave. (if you are ever in J-Town for some reason) blows away the bullshit going down on Bidwell (or anything else around here) every weekend. I got some fabulous sweet peppers and some jalepenos. I don't know what to do with the jalepenos but I wanted them anyway - I am usually confident that I'll find something useful to do with them! Any suggestions for recipes for stuffed sweet peppers, or what to do with the jalepenos, are more than welcome. We also bought some homemade granola and some other things, but of course included in our little farmer's market adventure was the corn on the cob. I wish I could have literally bought the stand - there was so much great looking local produce along with some other local treats. Weg is local but its still ultra corporate - its nice to stuff the cash directly into the farmers' collective hands for once!
I made a recipe for escarole and bean soup with sausage that is in the fall Menu Magazine from Wegman's - it turned out great! It looks just like the picture - I did not take a picture of my soup but if you look in the Menu Magazine, there you have it. We have plenty of leftovers, but I'm sorry to say that its all spoken for! Oh, and while shopping for ingredients for the soup I pulled the :paulomatic trick of asking nicely for two flavors of the gelato - I tried the coffee and the "Tahitian vanilla." I must say - it was good but the gelato at Dolci is far creamier.
Happy birthday to those of you that I missed the wishes for - have a great week, starting with todays fleeting yet enjoyable cloudy oasis!
Today I'm grilling corn on the cob! This is something I love to do. Why? Because grilled corn on the cob is effing delicious.
Our grandmother was admitted to a hospital in Jamestown on Wednesday, and nobody back home (including my father) bothered to tell me about it. Well, this isn't entirely accurate - my father called me while I was at work in Toronto, I couldn't check my messages, and when I did and called him back, he never bothered to return my call. I found out she was sick from my brother, who called me just as I pulled up to my office. How rude! In any case, she is okay but has been diagnosed with some sort of heart condition that will require her to be less active and to keep in mind that she needs to take rests when she does do things. She is 79 and up until now she's never been prescribed any kind of medication outside of a mild happy pill (she's a worrier).
So, we drove home on Friday night and I visited her at the hospital while Jason had his fantasy football draft. I brought her some dark chocolate from Fowler's but she was too tired to eat it... they ran some tests and shot that slightly radioactive fluid through her veins to detect clots or other problems. The good news is that she is out of the hospital - I feel better with her being able to sleep in her own bed. She complained about the hospital food - I understand the need for budget restraint but for Christ's sake, can't we feed these sick people something decent if they are holed up in a hospital bed? I saw her food - its borderline prisoner quality.
My general impression, obviously, of seeing my grandmother in a hospital bed was disturbing and I didn't like it at all. This was the same place that my grandfather died, and seeing my other grandparent in a similar situation reminded me of the sad fact that one day my brother, my father and I will still be together but will feel very alone. We had a highly unorthodox situation in our household growing up, but it allowed me to effectively have three parents (my dad, my grandparents) and so she is, for all intents and purposes, my mother.
The positives outside of seeing my grandmother out of the hospital was being able to hang with my hippie father and go to local farmer's market - its Jamestown but Anderson's off of Foote Ave. (if you are ever in J-Town for some reason) blows away the bullshit going down on Bidwell (or anything else around here) every weekend. I got some fabulous sweet peppers and some jalepenos. I don't know what to do with the jalepenos but I wanted them anyway - I am usually confident that I'll find something useful to do with them! Any suggestions for recipes for stuffed sweet peppers, or what to do with the jalepenos, are more than welcome. We also bought some homemade granola and some other things, but of course included in our little farmer's market adventure was the corn on the cob. I wish I could have literally bought the stand - there was so much great looking local produce along with some other local treats. Weg is local but its still ultra corporate - its nice to stuff the cash directly into the farmers' collective hands for once!
I made a recipe for escarole and bean soup with sausage that is in the fall Menu Magazine from Wegman's - it turned out great! It looks just like the picture - I did not take a picture of my soup but if you look in the Menu Magazine, there you have it. We have plenty of leftovers, but I'm sorry to say that its all spoken for! Oh, and while shopping for ingredients for the soup I pulled the :paulomatic trick of asking nicely for two flavors of the gelato - I tried the coffee and the "Tahitian vanilla." I must say - it was good but the gelato at Dolci is far creamier.
Happy birthday to those of you that I missed the wishes for - have a great week, starting with todays fleeting yet enjoyable cloudy oasis!
08/28/2007 11:26 #40778
iPhone HackedToday's top story on Yahoo! - 
Supernerd George Hotz, 17-year old whiz kid and future brain mechanic, managed (with the help of some online collaborators, no less) to unlock his iPhone so that he could use T-Mobile, or most of the other networks for that matter. What did he do? He traded his modified phone for a car and 3 new iPhones. The party he traded his phone to say that there are no plans "on the table" to commercialize this. *COUGH.* Sure pal, sure.
In any case, bravo George! I love it when kids are too smart for their own good and then parlay their know-how to their benefit like this.
Oh, Elmwood Art Festival - glad its over. I look forward to the festival but dealing with the annoyance of it all brings out the curmudgeon in me. Its fun for the first couple of hours, until strangers decide that your private residence is a perfect place to park their lazy asses to lick an ice cream cone and can't bear to walk the 250 feet to the pre-prepared food tent, complete with seating. Not to mention that the trash that people leave behind is ridiculous - who drops plastic wrappers in a rose garden and walks away? In general its a pain in the ass, but the neighborhood cheerfully puts this show on every year. One year I came home only to see a drunk guy passed out on my porch, with his friend sitting there with him telling me, "its cool man, its cool." No it isn't and get the fuck off my porch!
The good things involved gelato at Dolci, a couple fresh-filled canolis for (e:jason) and I and a new ashtray that I bought for $6. I got a pulled pork sandwich at Fat Bob's stand, which came without a bun because they ran out by 2PM. I have to say, the meat was completely flavorless - Fat Bob's Smokehouse is a joke. Dolci claims that they are the only place in the area that fresh fills canolis on a regular basis - is this true? There were some other items at the food court that looked interesting - I'm sure that this was well-received by the visitors. My only request - can we sort out this problem w/not serving alcohol? All I wanted was some sangria mixed with ice and I came home with an ashtray and flavorless pulled pork in a cup!
For once I was actually enthusiastic about some of the things I saw at this festival. A woodworker was demonstrating his skills making items using a pedal-powered saw - how cool! This guy was attracting a crowd of spectators and the kids definitely enjoyed it. Also, some paintings and other pictures I saw were truly impressive and not as obscenely priced as in the past. I saw a painting I wanted - $75. Unfortunately for the painting I'm about to buy a Chelsea FC home shirt, hehe. Planet Love had their hippie t-shirts, and other places had tie-dye items. I found myself admiring some of the different ceramic items - if I had a place for this stuff they would have made for excellent room decorations. I felt that some of the ceramic items were far too expensive, however. $16 for a ceramic mug? You're having a laugh! I saw a t-shirt I was so tempted to buy that I'm sure you saw if you walked the festival - Keep Elmwood Freaky! Ahhh... irony.
I was most pleased to see multiple areas where music was being performed - SORT YOURSELF OUT ALLENTOWN ART FESTIVAL! You cannot have a proper street festival without live music being performed - period, end of story. Generally I enjoyed the festival this year and we did have some great weather on Sunday to properly enjoy it. While I do complain about the problems that having this festival on my block brings along with it, there is a certain amount of pride in having an opportunity to show off your neighborhood in this way. You have to prepare for this festival - buy up all the beer and food you can get, park your car somewhere legal, don't expect to move your car unless you leave late at night, and just enjoy the two days.
Oh, and Mike Niman was hanging outside the front of my house on Saturday. For a guy on government salary as a professor, for Christ's (and everyone elses) sake couldn't he manage to clean himself up a little? It reminded me of that hilarious picture of him taken in the back seat of a cop car after being arrested by Buffalo's finest - during an altercation involving Critical Mass. That was the funniest thing the Beast ever published... hate to give them credit but cheers!
Supernerd George Hotz, 17-year old whiz kid and future brain mechanic, managed (with the help of some online collaborators, no less) to unlock his iPhone so that he could use T-Mobile, or most of the other networks for that matter. What did he do? He traded his modified phone for a car and 3 new iPhones. The party he traded his phone to say that there are no plans "on the table" to commercialize this. *COUGH.* Sure pal, sure.
In any case, bravo George! I love it when kids are too smart for their own good and then parlay their know-how to their benefit like this.
Oh, Elmwood Art Festival - glad its over. I look forward to the festival but dealing with the annoyance of it all brings out the curmudgeon in me. Its fun for the first couple of hours, until strangers decide that your private residence is a perfect place to park their lazy asses to lick an ice cream cone and can't bear to walk the 250 feet to the pre-prepared food tent, complete with seating. Not to mention that the trash that people leave behind is ridiculous - who drops plastic wrappers in a rose garden and walks away? In general its a pain in the ass, but the neighborhood cheerfully puts this show on every year. One year I came home only to see a drunk guy passed out on my porch, with his friend sitting there with him telling me, "its cool man, its cool." No it isn't and get the fuck off my porch!
The good things involved gelato at Dolci, a couple fresh-filled canolis for (e:jason) and I and a new ashtray that I bought for $6. I got a pulled pork sandwich at Fat Bob's stand, which came without a bun because they ran out by 2PM. I have to say, the meat was completely flavorless - Fat Bob's Smokehouse is a joke. Dolci claims that they are the only place in the area that fresh fills canolis on a regular basis - is this true? There were some other items at the food court that looked interesting - I'm sure that this was well-received by the visitors. My only request - can we sort out this problem w/not serving alcohol? All I wanted was some sangria mixed with ice and I came home with an ashtray and flavorless pulled pork in a cup!
For once I was actually enthusiastic about some of the things I saw at this festival. A woodworker was demonstrating his skills making items using a pedal-powered saw - how cool! This guy was attracting a crowd of spectators and the kids definitely enjoyed it. Also, some paintings and other pictures I saw were truly impressive and not as obscenely priced as in the past. I saw a painting I wanted - $75. Unfortunately for the painting I'm about to buy a Chelsea FC home shirt, hehe. Planet Love had their hippie t-shirts, and other places had tie-dye items. I found myself admiring some of the different ceramic items - if I had a place for this stuff they would have made for excellent room decorations. I felt that some of the ceramic items were far too expensive, however. $16 for a ceramic mug? You're having a laugh! I saw a t-shirt I was so tempted to buy that I'm sure you saw if you walked the festival - Keep Elmwood Freaky! Ahhh... irony.
I was most pleased to see multiple areas where music was being performed - SORT YOURSELF OUT ALLENTOWN ART FESTIVAL! You cannot have a proper street festival without live music being performed - period, end of story. Generally I enjoyed the festival this year and we did have some great weather on Sunday to properly enjoy it. While I do complain about the problems that having this festival on my block brings along with it, there is a certain amount of pride in having an opportunity to show off your neighborhood in this way. You have to prepare for this festival - buy up all the beer and food you can get, park your car somewhere legal, don't expect to move your car unless you leave late at night, and just enjoy the two days.
Oh, and Mike Niman was hanging outside the front of my house on Saturday. For a guy on government salary as a professor, for Christ's (and everyone elses) sake couldn't he manage to clean himself up a little? It reminded me of that hilarious picture of him taken in the back seat of a cop car after being arrested by Buffalo's finest - during an altercation involving Critical Mass. That was the funniest thing the Beast ever published... hate to give them credit but cheers!
joshua - 09/03/07 12:55
That is correct, as far as I know - he traded the phone and didn't give them step by step directions. During his interview though, he describes in a fair bit of detail what the process was that allowed him to do it.
When you purchase something you can do whatever the hell you want to with it - its a free country. Apple cannot control, legally or otherwise, what people do with their products once they are purchased. I think where the legal issue really hits is how to apply this knowledge commercially without Apple's consent - for example, I can't see how legally the company that procured this kid's iPhone can sell reconfigured iPhones to the general public. I can see this becoming an issue in the future because, well, AT&T is shit!
That is correct, as far as I know - he traded the phone and didn't give them step by step directions. During his interview though, he describes in a fair bit of detail what the process was that allowed him to do it.
When you purchase something you can do whatever the hell you want to with it - its a free country. Apple cannot control, legally or otherwise, what people do with their products once they are purchased. I think where the legal issue really hits is how to apply this knowledge commercially without Apple's consent - for example, I can't see how legally the company that procured this kid's iPhone can sell reconfigured iPhones to the general public. I can see this becoming an issue in the future because, well, AT&T is shit!
jenks - 08/31/07 13:24
i dunno... just b/c he bought it doesn't mean he can just alter it, can he? at least, aside from 'for private use'... aren't there about a million patents/copyrights on every aspect of the iphone?
but maybe i read it wrong-he just sold/traded the altered phone- not instructions on HOW to alter it?
i dunno... just b/c he bought it doesn't mean he can just alter it, can he? at least, aside from 'for private use'... aren't there about a million patents/copyrights on every aspect of the iphone?
but maybe i read it wrong-he just sold/traded the altered phone- not instructions on HOW to alter it?
joshua - 08/29/07 11:53
I'm not entirely sure about the legality of what he did, other than to say that a) he bought it, he's free to alter it however he likes, BUT; b) receiving compensation for his altered iPhone is a legal gray area that I'm not going to presume to understand. Since he is simply trading something he bought and not actually pursuing commercialization of his concept I'd assume he is in the clear but I'm not entirely sure. I don't think that the company would have agreed to compensate him if there were a question of legality, but you never know these days!
I'm not entirely sure about the legality of what he did, other than to say that a) he bought it, he's free to alter it however he likes, BUT; b) receiving compensation for his altered iPhone is a legal gray area that I'm not going to presume to understand. Since he is simply trading something he bought and not actually pursuing commercialization of his concept I'd assume he is in the clear but I'm not entirely sure. I don't think that the company would have agreed to compensate him if there were a question of legality, but you never know these days!
jason - 08/28/07 16:51
Yeah, Niman probably is still wearing the same t-shirt. I think the PC term for this is "earthy" yeah?
Yeah, Niman probably is still wearing the same t-shirt. I think the PC term for this is "earthy" yeah?
jenks - 08/28/07 16:04
ummm, isn't it like super-illegal to hack his iphone like that? I mean I know people have been working on it since the second they came out, but can't apple sue the pants of that kid?
ummm, isn't it like super-illegal to hack his iphone like that? I mean I know people have been working on it since the second they came out, but can't apple sue the pants of that kid?
mmmm Spaten Oktoberfest is probably my favorite beer on earth. Rumor has it we are getting it on tap soon!