Thursday, June 15, 2006

Music to Go, Going to Pot, -and- Paradise Lost


Music to Go - iPod/toilet paper dispenser introduced
Going to Pot - MySpace.com bragger busted for marijuana cultivation
Paradise Lost - Aruba fudging tourism number

On this date in history: June 15 1999

Nicholas Vitalich is arrested outside a supermarket in San Diego, California for slapping his girlfriend upside the head with a large tuna. Vitalich is booked for assault with a deadly weapon, namely the fish.

Apple is investigating a newspaper report that staff in some of its Chinese iPod factories work long hours for low pay and in "slave" conditions. The article in the Mail on Sunday alleged that workers received as little as $50 a month, doing 15-hour shifts making the mp3 player.

Employees at the factory lived in dormitories housing 100 people and outsiders were banned, the paper said. Apple said it did not tolerate its supplier code of conduct being broken. In a statement the firm said: "Apple is committed to ensuring that working conditions in our supply chain are safe, workers are treated with respect and dignity, and manufacturing processes are environmentally responsible."

The company added it was "currently investigating the allegations regarding working conditions in the iPod manufacturing plant in China."