Archive for January 2nd, 2009

Driving in the rain? Here’s a safety tip …

January 2, 2009

This email has been making the rounds:  

A woman had an accident and totaled her car.   It was raining, though not excessively, when her car suddenly began to hydro-plane and literally flew through the air.  She was not seriously injured but very stunned at the sudden occurrence!

The highway patrolman on the scene told her something that every driver should know: NEVER USE YOUR CRUISE CONTROL IN THE RAIN OR SNOW — OR ON WET OR SLIPPERY PAVEMENT. 

The lady thought she was being cautious by setting the cruise control and maintaining a safe consistent speed in the rain. Not so.

According to the highway patrolman: if the cruise control is on when your car begins to hydro-plane and your tires lose contact with the pavement,
your car will accelerate to a higher rate of speed making you lose control.
 
NOTE: Some vehicles (like the Toyota Sienna Limited XLE) will not allow you to set the cruise control when the windshield wipers are on.

* * * * *

Ken’s Take: This may be an urban myth, but I doubt it — makes too much sense.

* * * * *

Want more from the Homa Files?
Click link =>  The Homa Files Blog

Posted in Autos - Travel | 2 Comments »

Starbucks’ (un)happy Baristas unionizing … uh-oh !

January 2, 2009

Excerpted from Business Week, “Starbucks’ Union Blues”, December 31, 2008

Starbucks’ legal wrangles with a union that wants to organize its baristas is tarnishing the coffee chain’s reputation for social responsibility

Starbucks, once the undisputed leader in premium-price caffeine fixes, has long cultivated a corporate image for social responsibility, environmental awareness, and sensitivity to workers’ rights. Now that carefully crafted reputation is under assault, thanks to a messy legal dispute with a group called the Starbucks Workers Union (SWU).

The NLRB found that Starbucks had illegally fired three New York City baristas as it tried to squelch the union organizing effort …. the company broke the law by giving negative job evaluations to other union supporters and prohibiting employees from discussing union issues at work.

The judge ordered that the three baristas be reinstated and receive back wages. The judge also called on Starbucks to end discriminatory treatment of other pro-union workers.

The timing isn’t ideal for Starbucks, which faces lower demand from the recession, an overall loss of panache for the brand, and a sliding stock price.

The company’s shares more than halved in value in 2008, while Dunkin Donuts and McDonald’s continued to grab market share among coffee drinkers.

Starbucks has been the target of numerous National Labor Relations Board complaints over unlawful violations of workers’ rights.

The SWU is especially keen on tarnishing Starbucks’ image as a “socially responsible” company. Union reps say that Starbucks has a systematic problem with low wages, irregular working hours, and a lack of reliable health care. Starbucks maintains that it pays competitive wages and is among the first large employers to offer health insurance to part-time employees, who make up 100% of its workforce.

Starbuck’s carefully cultivated reputation for social responsibility, may be vulnerable. “The image of the brand that it is wonderful being green, promoting free trade, and helping people, and not being an oppressor of labor.”

Full article:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_02/b4115026911242.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index+-+temp_news+%2B+analysis

* * * * *

Want more from the Homa Files?
Click link => The Homa Files Blog

Posted in Mktg - Brands | Leave a Comment »