Merry Christmas

Well the semester was a pleasure, i hope everyone has a safe holiday and those who are traveling, be safe on the roads. Hopefully Santa brings lots of gifts.

It's About Time

All this week headlines discussing O.J. Simpson's trial have been the talk of the town. Nearly 14 years after he had been acquitted of capital murder charges, he found himself back in court facing charges or armed robbery, kidnapping and other felony charges. He is staring down nine to 33 years in a federal prison for his role in the incident. I think we all have been waiting too long for O.J. to finally spend jail time. I know deep down O.J. did kill his wife Nicole, and Ron Goldman and the Goldman family can finally rest assure this man will be behind bars, as Mr. and Mrs. Goldman reserved seats in the courtroom for the trial. Well O.J., you finally got what's coming to you

Black Friday Indeed

Black Friday started the Christmas shopping season off with a bang as stores opened their doors in the wee hours of Friday morning and shoppers lined the sidewalks in tents and blankets with coffee's and hot chocolate occupying their hands. This is seen as a day of excitement and joy as shoppers get great bargains and sale oppurtunities for their Christmas shopping. There is only one thing wrong for this season, and that is the death of the Wal-Mart employee who was trampled to death but a storm of hungry fierce shoppers. It is sad that the man was stepped on by more than a couple hundred people as not one citizen attempted to help the man to his feat. By the time help arrived it had been to late and the employee had passed away. This just goes to show how greedy of a society we live in where every person only worries about themselves and their own well-being.

Plaxico, Plaxico, Plaxico

Defending Super Bowl Champions, the New York Giants, are again on the verge of yet another outstanding season at their record increases to 11-1 for this 2008 season. As the season has been coming to an end, an unexpected event occured at a New York night club early Saturday morning. Giants starting wide receiver, Plaxico Burress, unexpectedly and unintentionally shot himself in the leg with his own gun. He was already planning on sitting out for Sunday's game due to a hamstring injury but now has found himself sitting out the last four games of the regular season and now facing legal charges for illegaly carrying around a firearm which he had not had a permit for. These athletes are professionals and need to start acting like professionals. They are role models and heros to many young fans and need to understand that. You have a job and a responsibility to your team, your fans, and yourself. Maybe these incidents will be a wakeup call to all NFL players and help them realize its a game only in a sense.

Wanted to end this blog with a lighthearted post. Well almost.

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/617/story/692085.html I thought this fitting after our talk in class today about whether or not animals should have the same emphasis placed on their lives as we plce on human lives. This guy shot a deer, twice, and it jumped up an attacked him after he thought it was dead. It sounded like it mauled him pretty good before he was able to shoot it again. He got what he deserved, I think. I like to go fishing but hunting with guns and bows is an entirely different thing. I may be more warm to the idea if it were necessary for survival but nowadays, hunting is a sport and not for survival. That deer should have done more than just peel his scalp back. Make him feel like that deer felt when he was shot. Right?

Ohio college advisor ran a prosititue raffle

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/617/story/692062.html Oh boy. Priorities are skewed here a little bit. Faculty and staff of any college are supposed to maintain a good image as they represent the institutiont they teach for and are role models to the students they teach. What was really scary was that the prostitute involved was a child sexual assault case worker. Can you say wrong on so many levels? Yes, most definitely. Their bonds should have been set a lot higher and they should be on more than paid leave. With all of the crazy stuff going on in the world, we do not need the people who are part a child's life or those who are molding the minds of the future doing things like selling raffle tickets for a prostitute date. Jeez, you dont need to buy it if it is available to you in a more ethical way.

Why should grown ups play games like that?

I find it hard to believe that people have jobs to simply harass others and they actually like it. About a year ago, my niece bought a car. The loan company required a cosigner, my sister, and ten references. TEN. I understand a miximum of about five but TEN!!!!!! At any rate, she put ten references down and quite a few of them were family members. Me, my mother, another sister, her cousin, just to name a few. Unfortunately, the lovely child defaulted on the payments and has moved about three times since and has switched jobs. Yes, they cannot locate the car to do a reposession. When they called my sister, she told them that she did not know where her daughter was and that they had to take a number and stand in line to get anything out of her. (Her ex husband ran off with his secretary and left her with nothing.) When they were unsuccessful with her, they began to call that list of references. They called my house the other day. I didnt listen to the voicemail they left and I assumed it was a sales call. So, I called the number back on the caller ID and told them to take my number off their list because I was not interested nor did I know anyone who I am associated with who was interested in a loan. Later, I listened to their voicemail and called the direct extension that was provided. Everytime it sounded like someone picked up, I got hung up on! HOW ABSOLUTELY RUDE CAN PEOPLE BE!??!?!?! Is there not such a thing as business etiquette anymore?

Buick Calls it Quits with Tiger

After 4 years of a 5-year contract Buick decided to end the contract a year early, saving 8 million. Im sure Tiger is not hurting for that measly 8 million, but you would think after 4 years of excellent promos that Buick would at least honor the end of the contract. But I guess the economy has got everyone in a pinch.

Tiger Walks Out on Buick

A la Carte Pricing

In today's airline market prices may seem very cheap but but whats not cheap is the " a la carte pricing." With charges of exta bags, aisle seats, and everything else you could think about. I dont think its right for the airlines to charge the customers for everything under the sun, without explaining it before. When you buy a plane ticket you expect to be able to ship one bag and yourself for the prive you paid, then you get here and they try to stick you with some extra stuff.

Fuel Prices

I cant stress enough how excited i am on how cheap gas is getting. I used to fill my SUV up for about $70 and now its only $30. Although it is good for the consumer, is it good for the economy? Our struggling economy is hurting and fuel costs are dropping. Do you think there is some kind of correlation?

Turkey or Ham?

I hope everyone is looking forward to thanksgiving. I know my stomach has been in training for months. What do all of you think, turkey or ham? i know turkey is tradition but more and more people are going to ham.

creepy facebook

2 new notifications and 1 friend request, obvious words assoicated with facebook, but how far does facebook really go. I myself have had a facebook account for over 3 1/2 years now and have seen the many changes which the website has undergone. It started with just college students and quickly tunred in the sister of myspace. The other day I had received a friend request by some random old fat guy that I didn't even know, except he had the same exact name as me. Of course I denied him, that is just plain out creepy. Do you really know all of these people that well that you can share personal information with them, just because you met them one drunk night at a party and now they have access to all of your information. Anyways, I think it is getting a little out of hand with all these new applications and whatever else they are doing on there. Might be time to delete the account.

Fear in the Air

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27666800/

We all know of the unfortunate incidents which have taken place on college campuses across the USA within the past few years. These incidents would include college students being shot, stabbed, robbed and even all the other little situations which do not make the news. A college campus is said to be a fearful place to be living now-a-days, even with the increased campus and police protection. A question is how far are campus's willing to go in order to ensure their students are protected to the fullest extent? That question lies in the hands of students who are proposing permits for concealed weapons on campus. I for one feel concealed weapons on campus would be a horrible idea as you could have students as young as 18 being strapped with a 9mm in the middle of world religion class. It was cause more distraction and even could possibly let a killer posing as an innocent civilian carry a gun onto campus and it be okay as long as he has his/her permit to go with it. I feel things happen in this world for a reason and if you're going to live your life in fear then just don't leave your house, it's as simple as that

Stepping on the toes of the small business owner by the government.

http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/article/11146/

While I maintain that it is better to have city services on properties that are used by owners for rental properties, this property in this article should have grandfather clauses added to it because it is not a single unit property. I know that there are several donuts in the county in question here that need to be annexed into the city of Gainesville but if the owner in this article is keeping his property highly maintained and he is able to provide low income housing, then why should he be forced to give up his livelihood because some lazy dispatch operator does not want to learn the ins and outs of what is considered county and what is not. This is unfair to this guy and they need to listen to him.

They should have known they were chasing a rediculous dream

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/101/story/651785.html

The investors in Hard Rock Park had a great idea and it could have been very lucrative for them but, unfortunately, the timing was way off. They should have done more surveys of the local, regional, and national economic factors before deciding to open up the park which was the first ever of its kind. It was a brilliant idea and many people wanted to come from all over the world to check it out until they found the price tag of simply getting in through the gate to be short of cutting off an arm or giving them your first born. It was rediculous to expect people to pay to park as well as an extravagant entrance fee and then to have to pay for every breath you took once you entered the part? Get real folks. That was greed plain and simple. Also, whose idea was it to "Rent-a-Center" the whole park anyway? It is ok to borrow capital to begin a business but to borrow it like that for every single piece involved is not good business decision making. Apparently greed put its green tint on everything involved here. There was too much hype for it all and thre was not enough concrete investment and analysis done here. This is a prime example of what a rush job will do to you.

Is this really necessary?

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/breaking_news/story/668459.html

The federal government wants to help the state of SC jam cell phone signals that come from state prisons. Ok. If they are aware that there are cell phone signals coming from these places, why do they just not conduct a search or more specifically pinpoint the source and punish the offender? Why do something that is federally illegal in the first place? While I understand that it is against the rules for inmates to have cell phones and even consider them contraband, is it not a little hypocritical to tell the inmates that even if they are able to obtain a cell phone and use it inside the prison, we are going to break a federal law to ensure that you do not enjoy the priviledge of using it? I would think so. I know that some of these inmates would use the phones to commit crimes or aid someone in committing a crime but it just doesnt make sense. Many of the inmates in prisons have nothing better to do than to read and when they catch wind that the government is breaking the law just to keep them from doing something, they are going to find marvellous ways to circumvent the procedure and sue the government. It will boil down to the fact that "so what, they are taking away my rights by scrambling or intercepting my cell phone usage and that is against federal law, I am going to sue them even though I am not supposed to have the cell phone in the first place." Boy, that is a great way to waste even more of the taxpayers money, is it not?

CCU Calendar Changes

Online in my coastal webmail I noticed a survey about possible calendar changes for the upcoming fall 2009 semester. The survey was proposing possibly doing away with the week off for thanksgiving and extending summer break till past labor day in order for students to earn a few extra dollars during the summer. This would also mean that school would let out later in May. After reading a few questions in I realized the only way for students to earn a few extra bucks before school starts is to extend summer, not just keep it the same length in just moving the dates we start and get out. If Coastal was so worried about us students making more money why wouldnt they offer more campus jobs and job fairs on campus?

Trading

Unethical insider trading is insider knowledge unavailable to outsiders. Like we talked about in class with Martha Stewart unfair trading of stocks. After that conversation we talked about buying iteams from people would don't know what they have. The teacher gave the example of an old man having something of value in his barn. The question of is it right to buy something from someone that is of alot more value than you are going to pay. Well there are many things to consider like if you know how much it is worth maybe that is because you really need it but can not afford it. Also if the old man will never find out, and he was not using it who are you hurting? The main point i wanted to bring up is in today's society we should feel less guilty. Ever since the internet people have effortless access to knowledge. With a push of a button we can answer any question. If everyone can find out how much their iteams are worth then it is not our job to tell them, but is it right? Amber Muncey

Vote Today???

Today is election day! With the recent events in our economy, and country I would assume people are voting. From the stock market losing points to the gas price, America needs help. We are at war, and yet it doesn't even seem like a big issue. Now is the time to change the things we have been complaining about. I have been asking people if they have voted today and to my surpise they have not. As a matter of fact other than my family I have not talked to anyone who has voted in this election. When I ask people why they have not voted they all say ''my vote does not matter.'' Are these people to lazy to go stand in line, or do they really think they don't have a say in the government. Are the concepts men and women have died for just not true? Do our votes matter? A government for the people by the people and of the people, or our votes don't count? Our country is founded on basic princples, and to say this undermines them. Is the government chosen by a few indiviuals, or us?

Playboy models on snowboard desgins draws protest

A half-dozen ski resorts in New England and the West are joining in protests against two new lines of snowboards that feature images of Playboy models and cartoons of self-mutilation. Smugglers' Notch in Vermont says it has banned employees from using the Love and Primo boards made by Burton Snowboards. Other such resorts have prohibited employees from using the Love boards or any other inappropriate, offensive or suggestive equipment while on duty. The boards also led to a demonstration last week outside Burton's headquarters in Burlington, Vt. Many who actively took part in the protest feel Burton has a social responsibility towards society to create a positive message towards our younger future generation. It all comes down to the profit motives as the boards seem to be a big success to those who take part in snowboarding. Burton CEO Laurent Potdevin says the company supports freedom of artistic expression and stands by the boards. Has Burton gone to far with these desgins?

Habitat for Humanity and the property on 905

Recently, Habitat for Humanity purchased a large tract of land off of Highway 905 near recycle road. This is a great opportunity for this organization as they have fourty plus families waiting and working to have their homes built. Habitat was created by Jimmy Carter and is meant to provide affordable housing and homeownership to families who would not normally be able to purchase a home. It is not an overnight fix as families are carefully selected based on income, housing situations and other factors. Upon being selected, they go through a very rigorous community service, education, and "sweat equity" program. They learn about home ownership, finances, and other responsibilites that come with being a homeowner. They make lasting friendships and fully appreciate what they have worked so hard to attain.

The surrounding communities near said tract of land fear that the homeowners will not keep up their homes and that the crime rates will increase with the influx of "people not like them." I take serious offense to that. I am a member of one of these families and have been waiting for my home to be built for almost three years now. It enrages me that people in this world are so selfish that they feel they have to dump their miseries on others and not improve the status of life for others. I personally know many of the families already in their homes. Quite a few of them finally are off housing, welfare and their children are fairing better because of it. They are healthier because they are under a lot less stress and these evil "neighbors" of theirs are no longer paying taxes to support them. We all are trying to better our position in life here and Habitat for Humanity provides a way for those of us who do not have the means to obtain those goals. Wake up you rotten neighbors and get real. For nearly all of you, I believe there was a time where you were at a disadvantage and needed someone else's help. How would you feel if you were told "No, go away, you are beneathe me!"

Five Rivers

The Five Rivers Scandal has been going on for over a year now. This is one of the rare cases where people who were working for a nonprofit agency acted in their own best interest and did things for their own profit. This went against all ethics rules and laws to the detriment of the agency. I assume that the parties involved saw how easy it was for them to obtain monies from the federal government and other agencies that had a genuine interest in helping the sort of clients that Five Rivers was supposed to be helping and they took advantage of that kindness.

As a result of that, you see people becoming more and more angry when a nonprofit agency asks for funds. Nonprofits do that simply because they do just that. They do not operate for a profit. While I think this is rather silly, it makes sense because one of those philosophies is the fact that they are trying to help people and not make anyone rich. I will continue to keep up with the saga of Five Rivers. While stories like this are not my thing, I am interested to see how this comes out because you do not hear of people getting caught doing this to a nonprofit as much as you hear about people embezzling funds from a for profit corporation.

Socialism?

You hear more and more about the fears of our nation being reformed and having socialist pieces. Everyone is saying that OBama's redistribution of wealth through taxes is straight out socialism. What do you all think, would it be good for our nations poor and middle class to gain back a little ground instead of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer? The plan basically points out how people who make over $250k a year will be taxed a little higher instead of the taxes coming from the poorest of the nation.

How many people believe it is morally and ethically right to vote? do you feel obligated or do you want to put forth your voice. i never actually felt the need to vote, but with all of this economic and financial hassels, i directly feel like this election will effect our generations future. i think that our nation is taking a bad direction and we need some kind of change.

Where is the election going?

Im not sure what is going on with this election, both parties are attacking each other, and all i want to hear is how each is going to make our nation a better one. i dont even know who i would vote for, i think every politician is crooked, and what scares me more is they just want to get in the whitehouse by telling lies about one another. how can people who harp on morals and religion lie and betray so many on a day to day basis?

Proposal for Prostitution?

In this town where medical marijuana clubs do business next to grocery stores and gay marriages are as common as hetero marriages, prostitutes could soon walk the streets without fear of arrest. San Francisco would become the first major U.S. city to decriminalize prostitution if voters next month approve Proposition K — a measure that forbids local authorities from investigating, arresting or prosecuting anyone for selling sex. The ballot question technically would not legalize prostitution since state law still prohibits it, but the measure would eliminate the power of local law enforcement officials to go after prostitutes. The arguments sway both ways as the positives and negatives battle eachother back and forth. This would free up $11 million in funds that are used to investigate prostitution, but now the police force will not be funded for other such investigations. This proposal could make the city and magnet for prostitution and quickly turn beautiful San Francisco into a sex driven city.

AVX just doesn't know when to quit

For many Myrtle Beach residents, the antics of the AVX corporation are beginning to wear thin. A few months ago, they mentioned that the military may be responsible for some of the pollution that is being blamed on AVX as a result of the military base being adjacent to the AVX property. While the government admits that there is still some cleanup that needs to be done, the pollution the government put into the ground is nowhere near the AVX side of the old air base property nor has it been conclusively tested to be the same type or as caustic as the AVX pollution. AVX filed court documents this month stating that the military is who is responsible for the groundwater contamination in the neighborhood around the AVX property in Myrtle Beach. Not suprisingly, AVX has also requested protection of its employees from having to answer questions as to how the contamination happened in the first place.

My thinking is that if AVX is indeed innocent, why are they so concerned with their employees being questioned unless they have something to hide or they are guilty in the first place?

Michele M

Gas on the decline

As we have all seen the price of gasoline has been on a steady decline as hurricane season starts to wind down and the mess down south is starting to be cleaned up. According to a national survey taken last Sunday, gas prices dropped a record level in the last two weeks, falling by more than 35 cents a gallon. The price has now tumbled nearly 87 cents, or 21%, below the record $4.11 set July 17. And it's down about 43 cents from a month ago, but still remains some 49 cents, or 19%, higher from a year ago. As the current economic crisis still unfolds, there is some relief for the working middle-class American, so some pressures can be freed from our minds. Slowly but surely economists still see a steady decrease in the price of gasoline. Oil prices also have been moving sharply lower amid fears that the economic crisis, which has deepened globally, will have a severely damanging effect on demand. Do you think this decline in the price of gasoline has some Americans feeling somewhat more secure in their money situations?

" TV Ads Take a Nasty Turn"

If you haven't noticed, lately there have been a lot of attacks at different compaies with their commercials and marketing techniques. The aticle that I read said that Dominos would give their new sandwiches away to the first 1,000 people named Jared, taking a jab at Subway. Another instance was when Campbell's soup commercial said it was made with TLC while Progresso was made with MSG. The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (NAD) said that they have 50 percent more complaints about aggressive ads than they did last year. I personally think its great mostly because it makes for better TV, but in a business sense isn't this exactly what business is supposed to be? In our book says anything is legal as long as its within the rules of the game, and competition is a main part of the game. To me whoever can sell the product better, whether it be knocking your competitor down or not you should win and get the money.

Schools and the "forced" tutoring

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/living/education/story/615484.html

It is a great service that they offer when the schools fail to meet their AYP goals however, the drawback is the fact that they do not provide transportation. I believe many parents would take the offer if transportation were provided or the providers of the services would come to the schools for all the services they offer.

A couple of years ago, the Middle School that my son went to offered tutoring and Sylvan was the provider that the parents chose. However, the initial assessment to determine the childs needs would have to be done at the Sylvan office behind the old air force base. At the time, we did not know exactly where it was and had to decline the tutoring he so would have benefited from because we could not get him to the initial assessment. We were assured that once he went through the initial assessment, that services would be offered at the school, however (1) we had one car and (2) we could not travel very far with that one car. Unfortunately, we had to decline the tutoring services. Had transportation been offered, we would have allowed him to do that. Also, had it been more convenient, we would have too. It amazes me how the school system offers these great things, but they make it so damn difficult to obtain the services.

Ok, time to talk Bike Rallies, Michele M.

I am so perturbed (sp?) by all this bike rally stuff. It drives me insane that every single year, there were talks about scaling them back and now after years of threatening to do so, they have finally done something and it is to the detriment of the community. There are businesses that closed due to the fact that their main part of the money making year is during the three bike rallies that come to Myrtle Beach. It has alienated a couple of groups of people with the potential to bring in some serious tourism dollars each year.

Further, I happen to believe that the city wants to end only the Memorial Weekend bike rally but cannot do so without eliminating both Harley rallies. That would be a form of discrimination and nobody wants to mess with the NAACP and I dont rightly blame them. Yes, the people who come to the Memorial Day weekend rally do happen to be a little louder or rowdier but one incident that happened during that week spurred this whole thing. I understand the whole situation surrounding the Coastal Student that was shot was the beginnig of this whole thing. But there are some fundamental flaws here: (1) He was living on Flagg street which is known for drugs and prostitution (2) He should have taken a better approach to the parking situation instead of yelling at the person parking in front of his apartment (or room, whatever it was.) I understand that he has his rights to peacefully live but why should the city take this one event to spur a whole bunch of bad decisions. Our economy is in a serious world of hurt in Myrtle Beach and it is not getting any better. What do you think?

Response: Bail Out!!

Although i believe in the laissez faire approach, i think governement needs to take action in some way shape or form. I like the idea of limiting the amounts that CEO's walk away with. i have heard rumors about individuals providing ideas like, maybe instead of the tax payers flipping the bill for this bail out, that maybe corporations should front the money and this could provide future tax relief (Writeoffs as well). i think provisions like these are a good idea any way, im suprised it took this long to have anyone say something.

Back on track?

Hundreds of billions of dollars, a bail-out plan, and an economy in a serious crisis sounds like a serious problem to all those who know the current situation, but only one day after the the newly propsed bill failed and the dow jones dropped a staggering 778 points, Tuesday, September 30th, was a day full of smiles on wall street as the dow had its 3rd largest increase, growing 450 points. Many people understand the precious value of the passing of this bill, and many assure the effects will be "painful and lasting" unless it is passed. Thousands of jobs are at risk due to the lack of funds to support payroll's. So if this bill is passed, do you think America and its economy will make a full recovery as our leaders assure us we will?

Financial Crisis

Wondering how everyone feels about this bailout plan. I am not a political person, a matter a fact i hate politics. The reason i have started watching is because of the direct effect it has on our future. I know we as an economy have to do something but i don't know what. I think it is a little crazy for the government to bail out a company that made bad decisions, businesses go under everyday. The biggest problem i have with these companies is that they claim bankrupcy but there CEO's are walking out the door with hundreds of millions of dollars. CRAZY!

Michele M. Blog posting for the week of Sept 22

http://www.thetimesnews.com/news/defender_17985___article.html/ahead_indigent.html I chose this article not for the business aspect of the discussion but because it applies to my thesis paper. I am very interested in the Public Defender system and am concerned that it can be improved. By counties such as this not having a formal public defenders office, I see that the indigent clients of this community are severely underserved. This particular community is the principal reason I became so interested in this issue in the first place. I am a firm believer in equality in justice and that no matter how atrocious the crime, they deserve to be properly defended by a competent attorney. By just using a list, this county is sorely underserving the clients that need the services of an attorney the most. From my perspective, the clients that are being served by the attorneys that are on the list are continually being put on a back burner and are being UNjustly served. Imagine what the ethical implications are of this system if they are denied the opportunity to finally have a public defenders office?

What about income inequalites in the U.S today?

I had to do another resoponse question on this topic so i figured I would kill two birds with one stone. But from what I read is that many companies are more concerned with making their own profits than their employees. Over the past few years production levels have risen by a significant percentage but the pay rates have stayed the same. So employees feel like they're doing more work they ought to get more money. They also say that companies had to lower american wages to stay competitive with foreign countries because their labor is so cheap. I also read that the increase in income in the top quintiles is a result of the number dual earning households increased, meanwhile single-parents families also increased, widening the gap between the top quintiles and the lower quintiles. I know some inequality is good, but is such a large gap good?

AIG Bailout

One day after Palin spoke publicly to the US on the matter of America's economy being in shambles, the Federal Reserve granted a loan to the American International Group for a grand lump sum of 85 billion dollars, not what you would necessarily call "chump change." Foolish moves by the American government are worsening the economy day by day. All surrounded are subjected to this as we see in another declining day on wall street. The Dow Jones dropped a staggering 449 points, its lowest since November of '05. Money is quickly being lost by all and the mayhem will be sure to follow. America needs to wake up and face reality because we are quickly falling off the boat.

Michele M. post for the week of September 15, 2008

http://www.scnow.com/scp/news/local/grand_strand/article/suspended_atlantic_beach_police_chief_responds_to_allegations/14672/

By now, most Horry County residents are aware of all the troubles that Atlantic Beach has had in their government. First the Mayor and members of that office staff and now the Sheriff for Atlantic Beach. There has also been rampant rumors that, because of all the troubles, Atlantic Beach may be absorbed into North Myrtle Beach or another adjacent city. I find that sad because Atlantic Beach is one of the few Black owned cities on the eastern seaboard.

This story and all related stories that have been going on for this over the past few months are prime examples of how Business Ethics apply to a wide array of the way things are run. Ethics applies to every aspect of our lives. It can be government, business, school, even our actions have some ethical implications. I am a firm believer that if you are doing something that hurts others or taking advantage of priviledges you have, then you will be caught and have to face the consequences. In this light, the Sheriff of Atlantic Beach may have taken advantage of the priviledges he has as an officer. Using the patrol car for other purposes than policing is one example. Alternatively, the interim town manager may be wrong by falsely accusing the Sheriff simply because he wants him out of that position. Only time will tell who is acting unethically and who will be punished for their "wrongdoings."

What do you think about a 4 day school week? Michele M.

http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/article/8616/

My sister lives in Gainesville, Georgia. I found this article in the local paper there. The local community college there is going to be closed on Fridays for the fall semester in an "energy and cost saving" move. It states that the amount of courses will not decrease but that the delivery method will change. It looks like they will be more dependant on Blackboard or another similar program as many of the courses will have a quiz or something due there on Fridays. I wonder how the employees feel about that? (Especially the ones who get paid by the hour and are dependant on that 40 hour per week paycheck!) It also makes me concerned that the school day will have to be longer for the other four days for the full time students. It is expensive enough to go to college of any type but to try that with those students who have families or have to pay their own way through will make it hard and it may make opportunities for those types of students in that area a little more slim. Way to go Lanier Tech, make education a dream for those who need dreams to get out of the life they are currently living!

Should States Raise Driving Age?

This article I found on msnbc.com deals with issues regarding the proper age to recieve a drivers license in the U.S. As most know, the legal age to obtain a drivers license is 16, and in New Jersey 17. Car crashes are the number one leading cause for teenage deaths in America right now and the number steadily increasing. The issue is a highly debated one, with good arguments coming from both sides. Many feel that chauffeuring their kids around until they're 18 and ready for college is ridiculous, commenting that teens need to grow up and learn responsibility. Others feel it is putting inexperienced foolish teenagers behind the wheel of a 2 ton piece of metal acting as a wrecking ball on the road. I for one, being from New Jersey and not recieving my drivers license till I wa 17 feel that an extra year or two may not be the worst thing in the world. Besides, this could save parents money on cars, insurance, gas, and the hassle of dealing with their kids accidents and car problems they will surely go through. Do you feel the age to recieve a drivers license should remain at 16 or should the government raise the age to 17 o 18?

Why machinists decided to strike Boeing

I found this article on msnbc.com. The main idea is why are 87% of Boeing workers on strike. Most people looking form the outside don't see why, especially when their pay is being increased by 11%. The pay would increse by 5% the first year and 3% in the two following years. Boeing also said that they would keep the workers pesion planl, which they had originally planned to scrap. But the catch is along with the pay increse, there was a decrese in medicare. The workers main concern is that with no medicare, even a few hospital visits can negate their increased wages. The question is should Boeing try to stay on good terms with its workers, and increase wages as well as keep the existing Medicare plan. Or should they just do what they want, hire and train new machinist? What's right?

AVX and their audacious thinking Michele M.

I have been keeping up with the whole AVX fiasco with their polluting the ground water in the 17th Avenue South block and the 10 block radius of neighborhoods nearby in Myrtle Beach. Recently, they applied to the federal government for yet another permit to emit toxins. This time into the air. This all happened while the groundwater pollution was fresh on residents minds AND while there are three lawsuits in federal court as a result of the pollution. Last Friday, they pulled their request for their permit without comment. Albeit that was a smart move on AVX, it shows how their thinking process is in relation to hurting the communities that it is a part of.

Another imbisillic move on their part was to acutally believe that they were going to get the federal government to help them with the cleanup cost as the military branch that last occupied the Withers Preserve community (the old air force base) was still cleaning up the base from their time in residence there. AVX thought that they could get away with that because they assumed they could blame their woes on that governmental entity. It does not matter that the old air base is located right next to the AVX property. AVX didnt even bother to see if the pollution from the old air base was the same type of pollution that AVX was dealing with and it was not.

How ethical would it be for AVX to be allowed to emit toxins into the air with the light that they have run amuk of federal standards in the past?

What do you think?

I use to work in banquets and i would like to know what you all think about a particular situation. as employees we were paid a starting wage of $9.50/hr. our jobs were to serve parties ranging from 100 to 2500 people. when our employer would bill the parties for our services, they would include a 25% gratuity. They told the clients that this covered all of the tips for the staff working the event (made this very very clear). so everyone attending the event knew tip was included. At the end of events the employees never saw a dime. after much frustration, we found out that the gratuity was being dispursed to upper management as bonuses. Let me know what you think?

Mortgage Industry

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssFinancialServicesAndRealEstateNews/idUSN0312975220080903

A few can spoil it for the masses. Just because a couple of bad corporate execs decide to cheat and defraud their customers, the public, quite understandably, equates attributes such as wealth and power with deception and theft. It's sad that the rest of corporate America has to suffer the consequences of a bad reputation just because a couple of bad seeds thought they could get away with it. 

MIchele's Post for the week of August 25, 2008

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FARM_SCENE_FARMWORKER_HOUSING_SURVEY?SITE=NCBUR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

I got this article out of the paper from where I used to live in Burlington, North Carolina. (The Times News)

The article talks about migrant workers and the substandard if no housing that is available to them. There is even mention of a "tent area" where many of the fieldworkers reside as well as ones who are considered homeless. I happen to think that, for one, the farmers choose migrant workers because they work for next to nothing as opposed to hiring people out of our own back yard. This hiring practice is rampant throughout the country because companies do everything they can to cut costs. What they fail to realize is that they are cutting the throats of the very people they are in business trying to cater to. The people who were born in this country are having a hard time finding a sustainable living because illegal foreigners will come and pile up 20 deep in one house and work for next to nothing. They then send the money back to their home country which hurts our economy even more. I would applaud the companies who take more effort to hire people who are legal in this country and turn away those who can not prove their citizenry. It doesn't matter that the illegal can work for less or has the better skills. Skills are learned and a true American can learn those skills and become just as valuable to a company with even more loyalty than an illegal. Companies should see that loyalty is not there in an illegal as they have turned their back on their own country and refuse to become a citizen or our country like they should.

Welcome!

Welcome to our blog. It is now set up! This is for group 3 section 1 of the Business Ethics class at Coastal Carolina University.