The title grammar is deliberate by the way. Are you writing the right ads? Are you researching your target market and analyzing your keywords effectively? Are you optimising your campaign/landing pages congruently and correctly?  Are you testing, testing, testing?! (Did I mention testing?) Are you really harnessing the true power of Google Analytics? If you’re not, then you’re paying too much, and losing valuable traffic. You have two options: If you have the time and space - Learn & Practice, otherwise - Pay a Professional. Google has written the rules for you to absorb. The audience has extrapolated on this and offered intrinsic advice, and various tools. There’s really no excuse.

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At least eleven 15 year-old children were discovered to be working last year in three factories that supply Apple.

The company did not name the offending factories, or say where they were based, but the majority of its goods are assembled in China.

Apple also has factories working for it in Taiwan, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, the Czech Republic and the United States.

Apple said the child workers are now no longer being used, or are no longer underage. “In each of the three facilities, we required a review of all employment records for the year as well as a complete analysis of the hiring process to clarify how underage people had been able to gain employment,” Apple said, in an annual report on its suppliers.

Apple has been repeatedly criticised for using factories that abuse workers and where conditions are poor. Last week, it emerged that 62 workers at a factory that manufactures products for Apple and Nokia had been poisoned by n-hexane, a toxic chemical that can cause muscular degeneration and blur eyesight. Apple has not commented on the problems at the plant, which is run by Wintek, in the Chinese city of Suzhou.

A spokesman for Wintek said that “almost all” of the affected workers were back at work, but that some remained in hospital. Wintek said n-hexane was commonly used in the technology industry, and that problems had arisen because some areas of the factory were not ventilated properly.

Last year, an employee at Foxconn, the Taiwanese company that is one of Apple’s biggest suppliers, committed suicide after being accused of stealing a prototype for the iPhone.

Sun Danyong, 25, was a university graduate working in the logistics department when the prototype went missing. An investigation revealed that the factory’s security staff had beaten him, and he subsequently jumped to his death from the 12th floor of his apartment building.

Foxconn runs a number of super-factories in the south of China, some of which employ as many as 300,000 workers and form self-contained cities, complete with banks, post offices and basketball courts.

It has been accused, however, of treating its employees extremely harshly. China Labor Watch, a New York-based NGO, accused Foxconn of having an “inhumane and militant” management, which neglects basic human rights. Foxconn’s management were not available for comment.

In its report, Apple revealed the sweatshop conditions inside the factories it uses. Apple admitted that at least 55 of the 102 factories that produce its goods were ignoring Apple’s rule that staff cannot work more than 60 hours a week.

The technology company’s own guidelines are already in breach of China’s widely-ignored labour law, which sets out a maximum 49-hour week for workers.

Apple also said that one of its factories had repeatedly falsified its records in order to conceal the fact that it was using child labour and working its staff endlessly.

“When we investigated, we uncovered records and conducted worker interviews that revealed excessive working hours and seven days of continuous work,” Apple said, adding that it had terminated all contracts with the factory.

Only 65 per cent of the factories were paying their staff the correct wages and benefits, and Apple found 24 factories where workers had not even been paid China’s minimum wage of around 800 yuan (Pounds76) a month.

Meanwhile, only 61 per cent of Apple’s suppliers were following regulations to prevent injuries in the workplace and a mere 57 per cent had the correct environmental permits to operate.

The high environmental cost of Apple’s products was revealed when three factories were discovered to be shipping hazardous waste to unqualified disposal companies.

Apple said it had required the factories to “perform immediate inspections of their wastewater discharge systems” and hire an independent environmental consultant to prevent future violations.

However, Apple has not stopped using the factories.

In 2008, Apple found that a total of 25 child workers had been employed to build iPods, iPhones and its range of computers.

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A New York record company executive has been arrested for refusing to tweet a message ordered by the New York Police Department.

The incident arose after a crowd of young girls had amassed in the city to see pop star Justin Bieber, who was signed to the company. The police wanted the crowd to disperse, and told Def Jam Records senior vice president James Roppo to “tweet” a message telling the group to leave.

 However, Roppo refused. Police said the group was a safety concern and 35 units were called to help control the crowd.

 Roppo was charged with felony assault, endangering the welfare of a child, obstruction of governmental administration, reckless endangerment and criminal nuisance. He has pled not guilty, and is due in court on 9 December.

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The Sequel…

Sound familiar?

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Young Orangutan Feeding

October 4th is the Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals so this week we celebrate animals around the world.
If you haven’t already done so, you can Go Bananas and help make a difference to the lives of Borneo’s orangutans.

With 90% of their natural habitat gone, orangutans now face a terrifying future. Starving and forced into daily contact with humans, they are often subject to machete attacks which leave the adult apes dead and their orphaned babies traumatised and injured. Sadder still, these orphans are then subjected to the cruelty of being sold into the illegal pet trade.

These beautiful orangutans face an uncertain future, but with your support we can help to rescue, care and rehabilitate them back into the wild where they belong. Whichever way you decide to get involved, your efforts will help create a safer and better world for animals.

To Go Bananas for World Animal Week visit www.gobananas.org.au today.

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Ducati Hypermotard

Witness ~ The “bling” beast.

The Hypermotard was the inspiration for one of the newest Terminator machines, the MotoTerminator!

TWO WHEELS, ONE PURPOSE - TO THRILL
The Hypermotard takes on urban canyons and mountain curves with total abandon. Its purpose is single-minded - to thrill.

The aggressive ‘motard’ styling and stance combine with Ducati ’sportbike’ technology to deliver the best of both worlds. With a riding position that ensures total control, the exceptionally slim and incredibly light Hypermotard is ready to dominate every inch of asphalt with big-bore acceleration and road holding that redefines the street experience.

High performance starts with attitude and the Hypermotard is the most aggressive of the Ducati family. Reduced to its essentials, it is extreme, untamed, over-the-top and always hungry for the next challenge.   

It offers what no ordinary supermotard can - speeds exceeding 125mph on the race track, fuel injection, and 90 Desmo hp - all combined in an unmistakeable Ducati package that offers unbridled passion for motorcycles that are truly unique and exhilarating.

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Rusty’s Jamie O’Brien puts it on the line at The Wedge, So Cal’s most punishing wave.

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Not too long ago, with a huge whip, Ronnie Renner established the world record for the highest air out of a quarter pipe. Thousands of FMX and MOTO fans were on hand at the Santa Monica Pier to witness the event.

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