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Saturday, December 8, 2012
'Workampers' help Amazon meet holiday rush
13 hrs.
It's 5:30 p.m.?outside a huge?Amazon?fulfillment center in Fernley, Nev., population 19,000. Workers pour out of the doors as a new wave of employees arrive. They're putting in close to 12-hour shifts round the clock during the final Christmas rush.
Some employees leave and go home to RVs, a few of them parked, ironically, in a?Walmart?parking lot across the street.
These are "workampers," temporary seasonal workers who roam the country in Winnebagos and Fleetwoods. They're filling the 31 RV parks around Fernley, east of Reno, to work for another few weeks at a center Amazon has had here since 1999.
"I've gotten to know a lot of really cool people, and I'm really going to miss them," says 50-year-old Sharon Scofield. "But then I'm excited that I get to come back again next year, hopefully, and see them again."
Scofield and her husband have set up temporary residence at the Fernley RV Park, where 60 percent of the 49 spots are occupied by members of Amazon's "camperforce". Temporary employees are paid about $12 an hour, plus overtime, and Scofield plans to use her income to pay for gas for her Winnebago all year. "The work is hard," she says. What does she do for fun after hours? "Sleep."
(Read More:?Why Many Americans Aren't Spending More This Holiday)
Amazon says it's hired 50,000 seasonal workers and may keep some of them after the holidays. Workampers say the company recruits during the off season in places like Quartzsite, Ariz., where many of them winter.
Jim Melvin is in his second season for Amazon. "It gives me extra money to travel with." This 68-year-old retiree from California says he walks up to 10 miles a day picking merchandise inside the Amazon facility. "When you walk into it, you know you're gonna work hard." He's hoping to save enough money to buy a car to tow behind his rig. Melvin blogs about his life on the road and the people he meets. "They're fun...you see the same people," he laughs.
The seasonal workers spend money in Fernley and Reno, an area recovering from the recession more slowly than the rest of the country.
(Read More:?How Amazon Piles Billions Behind Tax Shield)
Amazon even pays the rent for temporary employees at RV parks it contracts with. "It's necessary for parks like this to survive," says Bernard Roberts, general manager at the River's Edge RV Park in Sparks. "This particular park is not a destination park." He says seasonal workers provide about 40 percent of his business, and rents range from $350 to $575 a month.
(Read More:?Holiday Shoppers to Splurge on Themselves This Year)
Near the Amazon warehouse, Wai Louie serves up lunch at Louie's China Bistro. "Without Amazon, the whole city would be in trouble."
Soon, however, the estimated 400 seasonal workers will be pulling out of Fernley. Most temporary jobs end Dec. 23, and then they're gone...until next year.
Despite the hard work, Sharon Scofield hopes to get hired on again next year. "When I'm wrapping these presents, it makes me feel good knowing that I put that thing in there and I'm getting it out the door, and I love that challenge."
Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/workampers-help-amazon-meet-holiday-rush-1C7481090
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Friday, December 7, 2012
Man falls from upper deck at Oakland Raiders game
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) ? Police say a man fell from the upper deck at Oakland Coliseum during Thursday's Raiders-Broncos game and is in serious condition at a hospital.
Oakland police Officer Kevin McDonald says the man fell from the third deck on to the concrete of the lower concourse at about 5:30 p.m., shortly after kickoff.
McDonald says initial reports called the fall an accident, but it remains under investigation.
He says the man is at a hospital and listed in serious condition, but had no further information on his injuries or identity.
The Raiders, who lost to the Broncos 26-13, issued a statement saying the team had no information beyond what authorities are releasing, but the their thoughts and prayers are with the man and his family and friends.
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Eyeing public companies you never heard of. Maybe's there's a gem ...
There are thousands of public companies you never heard of. There are reasons. Most haven?t done well in the past two years. Or they?re new and taking a very long time to get ramped up. Or they screwed up. (hired too many people, expanded too quick) and then? they ?restructured? (fired people, sold divisions). Or they have marketing-challenged managements. Or all combined.
Fact is it?s not easy to be a small public company today. Especially if your stock has been around 17 cents all year.
The worst ones are biotech. Most are so far from an approved drug they can sell that you wonder why they even bother. I met one that was selling for $700 three years ago, then dropped to 28 cents and is now 56 cents. Heh, we doubled the price this year. As one biotech director quipped, ?If mice had money, we?d all be millionaires.? He was referring to all the mice whose lives were saved by new drugs. Of course, most of them were made sick deliberately by old drugs. But, that?s another story. Maybe.
The LD Micro Conference I?m attending in L.A. features public companies selling at 11 cents on up. Many are under $1. Virtually all are under $10. There is one selling at $26.88 ? BOFI Holdings. BOFI is the holding company for Bank of Internet USA. It works over the Internet from one location in San Diego. Its sales have exploded. One is selling at $24 ? the DDD Group, which develops and sells software to let you watch 3D images without glasses. Their sales are growing nicely. BOFI and DDD present today.
But they?re not this morning?s story.
Nor is this morning?s story a diatribe on CEOs who can?t speak publicly or Powerpoint slides the audience can?t read because there?s too many words, numbers, pie charts, and zillions of circles and arrows all crammed into unbelievable clutter. Nor is this about using cliches, like ?game changer,? or ?restructuring?, or our ?exit strategy.? But it could be about all these presentation practices which can give irritation a whole new meaning. I wonder if any of these CEOs have ever heard of communications coaches. They sure could use a few.
I spied four trends ? first, making online purchases better, faster, bigger with software and other services. Second, making commerce work on smartphones. Dumb phones that only make phone calls and do SMS are dead. Now everyone has apps that do everything from price shopping to calling limousines. And everyone is buying a smartphone. Third, everyone is eying social media ? especially Facebook and now also Google Plus ? as a way of finding out what consumers want to buy and then selling it to them online. Fourth, everyone and everything is moving to the cloud. The cloud is hot. Since I write this column ?in the cloud,? I am aware of its perils.
I?m here to find nuggets. Here goes with nuggets, albeit preliminary ones and based on my listening to their 25 minute presentations and getting in an occasional question ? but no additional research.
I liked Acacia Research (ACTG). They get patents from the holders, license them and split the revenues. Their sales are exploding. They have 250 patent portfolios and seem to be getting more every day. They mine money from their patents.? Companies will license patents as a peace of mind thing ? not being sued down the road when they?re successful with their shiney new products. The lawyers are winning, again.
I liked Local Corp. (LOCM). They help local businesses (many of whom don?t have web sites) be contacted by people looking for local services, like hairdressing or dog grooming, etc.
I liked Newtek Business Service (NEWT). They?re the only non-bank SBA-approved lender, which means that of every $100 they lend to a small business, they can immediately sell off $75 ? the part that?s SBA-insured. They hold the remaining 25% on their balance sheet, hoping it won?t default. They talked about a 9% default, which seemed high to me. They also do ?managed technology solutions? for small businesses ? like web hosting, data storage, cloud computing, etc. Little businesses are being pushed into the 21st century.
I also liked Cinedigm Digital Cinema (CIDM). They process movies for showing in theaters. Their digital files are much larger and far more complex than the movies you and I watch on DVDs. There are worldwide standards for showing in theaters, great theater projection equipment (from Sony and others). Digital movies don?t degrade ? get scratched, etc. These guys seem to be in the right place at the right time.
The good news about the conference was nobody ? and I mean nobody ? talked about the Fiscal Cliff. They all talked about their shiny new thing and their shiny new company. It?s truly exciting to float around watching everyone selling everyone else a deal.? Heh, I?m buying.
That?s it for now. I got to get ready for the early sessions, which begin at ? yuch ? 7.30 AM.
?PYONGYANG (The Borowitz Report)-North Korean leader Kim Jong-un surprised Korea-watchers today by abruptly cancelling his nation?s controversial rocket test and launching a fragrance instead.
The dictator?s signature fragrance, called ?Number Un,? could be on store shelves in time for Christmas, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
The decision to launch a fragrance rather than a rocket ?shows a kind of realism that has been rare in the Kim family,? said North Korea expert Dr. Hiroshi Kyosuke, of the University of Tokyo.
?I think Kim Jong-un most likely said to himself, `Given how badly my last rocket did, maybe I?ll just launch a fragrance,? ? he said.
The official North Korean announcement offered this description of the new fragrance: ?Number Un deliriously combines the sweet smells of North Korea?s native unicorns with the irresistible aroma of our Dear Leader himself. This holiday season, every kiss begins with Kim Jong-un.?
Harry Newton, who is aware that his emailed column is truncated. But isn?t quite sure why. If you?re looking for a good reason to hate software, this is it.
Apple got pounded yesterday. Down over 6%. One of the firms raised its margin need on Apple. But the firm was tiny. And not powerful enough to erase over $30 billion of Apple market cap in one day. I suspect people are dumping Apple to lock in gains, figuring their cap gain tax rates will be hugely higher next year. What with the Fiscal Cliff. I?m glad I?ve been warning against Apple, because of no-Steve and no-new products. But I didn?t push short-selling it. Drat. Apple will bounce back, but maybe not until next year. Meantime, I love the iPhone 5. I?m getting one the moment I get back to New York ? tomorrow morning. Stay well. Turn off the TV. Stop with this Fiscal Cliff, for now. There are businesses to start, businesses to buy and products to launch. It?s a good time to be alive ? despite Washington?s efforts to rain upon our parade. Whoever elected the morons?
Which way do you spell eyeing or eying? I like eyeing. But the dictionary tells me I?m wrong. Wait there, I wrote a dictionary. I?ll do it my way.
Source: http://www.technologyinvestor.com/?p=16477
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Survey: Small biz owners cautious in the summer
NEW YORK (AP) ? A survey of small business owners shows they remained cautious during the summer about borrowing money.
The survey released Thursday by researchers at Pepperdine University and Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. shows that demand for financing was little changed in the third quarter from the first three months of the year, when researchers made their last survey. The number of businesses that had recently tried to get financing was unchanged at 32 percent.
Sixty-three percent of small businesses said tight credit conditions were restricting their growth, compared with 64 percent in the first quarter. And 53 percent said tight credit was affecting their ability to hire ? down from 55 percent early in the year.
Seventy-six percent of the small businesses surveyed said it was difficult to get a loan, virtually unchanged from the 77 percent who called loans hard to get in the first quarter.
The survey confirms other reports that showed small businesses have been reluctant to borrow to hire or expand. Owners have been uneasy because the economy has been weak, and because they were uncertain about the political climate while they waited for the results of the presidential election. More recent surveys have shown they're also anxious about the negotiations in Congress about avoiding the fiscal cliff ? the combination of tax increases and budget cuts scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1.
More than 3,400 companies in Dun & Bradstreet Credibility's database took part in the survey. The company supplies credit ratings on small businesses.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/survey-small-biz-owners-cautious-summer-160342980--finance.html
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Education & Reference 2015: MILLER LEVINE BIOLOGY STUDENT ...
MILLER LEVINE BIOLOGY STUDENT EDITION 2008C
by PRENTICE HALL
(6)New!: $94.04 (as of 12/03/2012 03:16 PST)
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Education & Reference
Prentice Hall Biology utilizes a student-friendly approach that provides a powerful framework for connecting the key concepts of biology. New BIG IDEAs help all students focus on the most important concepts. Students explore concepts through engaging narrative, frequent use of analogies, familiar examples, and clear and instructional graphics. Now, with Success Tracker? online, teachers can choose from a variety of diagnostic and benchmark tests to gauge student comprehension. Targeted remediation is available too! Whether using the text alone or in tandem with exceptional ancillaries and technology, teachers can meet the needs of every student at every learning level.
With unparalleled reading support, resources to reach every student, and a proven research-based approach, authors Kenneth Miller and Joseph Levine continue to set the standard.
Prentice Hall Biology delivers:
- Clear, accessible writing
- Up-to-date content
- A student friendly approach
- A powerful framework for connecting key concepts
- Rank: #5736 in Books
- Brand: PRENTICE HALL
- Published on: 2007-01-31
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 1.70" h x 8.40" w x 11.00" l, 5.75 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 1146 pages
Source: http://topeducationreference952.blogspot.com/2012/12/miller-levine-biology-student-edition.html
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Source: http://lowe79.typepad.com/blog/2012/12/education-reference-2015-miller-levine-biology-student.html
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