Search Results for: blog when an apology is not an apology 1

Thalidomide Maker’s Apology Not Enough

A few days ago, Gruenenthal, the maker of thalidomide, issued an apology to the people who were affected by the drug. Thalidomide caused severe birth defects in thousands of babies. Many are seeing the apology by the drug maker, decades after the damage was done, to be lacking. Thalidomide is a drug that was made by a German company named Gruenenthal. The drug was intended to be used by women who were pregnant as a cure for morning sickness. It was sold in the 1950’s and 1960’s in 46 countries including the UK, Australia, and what was once West Germany. … Continue reading →

Ancestry.com Had Another Site Outage

Did you have problems using Ancestry.com the other night? It probably wasn’t because of something wrong with your computer. The popular genealogy website had it’s second site outage in less than a month. The issue, whatever it was, has been resolved, but it is leaving people who pay for the service with some questions. On August 9, 2012, the popular genealogy website, Ancestry.com, experienced a site outage. It carried over into August 10, 2012 before things got resolved. Since the website was inaccessible, someone at Ancestry.com posted a status on their Facebook page that noted that they were aware of … Continue reading →

Aviva “Fires” More than 1,000 Workers by Mistake

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It is always a good idea to check to see who you have included in an email before you click “send”. Someone at the British insurance company Aviva neglected to do that before sending an email that gave instructions about what to do now that you are no longer working for the company. Around 1,300 workers received this email on accident. Oops! Aviva Investors is a global insurance company that sells insurance in the United States and Canada, as well as in the UK, Europe, Australia, and in many countries in Asia. In the United States, the insurer sells life … Continue reading →

Insurance Podcast Roundup – Week of March 5, 2012

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It is time for the Insurance Podcast Roundup once again. Listening to a podcast that talks about the potential changes that could happen to your insurance policies is a great way to stay informed. Lately, it has become a way to keep up with politics, too. NPR has an episode of “All Things Considered” that was released on March 1, 2012. This episode is called “Majorities In Senate and Public Support Birth Control Coverage”. The episode discusses the ramifications of the Blunt Amendment, (if it had been passed). It also shares information from a Kaiser Family Foundation poll that shows … Continue reading →

Special Needs Blog Week in Review – Week of February 12 – 18, 2012

The Special Needs Blog Week in Review is a great way to quickly catch up on everything that appeared in the Special Needs Blog in the past week. It is a good way to make sure that you haven’t missed anything. You can scan through this list to search for blogs about whatever particular special needs your child happens to have. The Special Needs Podcast Roundup for the week went up on February 13, 2012. I would like to point out an episode done by The Coffee Klatch that is titled “NY Times Op Ed Gone Wrong – Ritalin Gone … Continue reading →

Not the Way You Want to Start Your Vacation

“Hope for the Best. Expect the worst.” I think Mel Brooks helped make those words famous. Or maybe it was the person, who typed them up on small pieces of white paper, and stuck them into fortune cookies. Either way the idiom often becomes my mantra when traveling with children. I just survived a 10,000-mile journey to and from Hawaii with my young daughter, and yes, I hoped for the best, but expected the worst. Shockingly, things went fairly smoothly… unlike past trips. Despite two delayed flights and a few shoulder blows courtesy of the guy sitting behind me, who … Continue reading →

Not Being Able to Say Sorry has Far-Reaching Effects

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Most of us find it difficult to say sorry from time to time. But it is really worth the effort to ask ourselves “Why?” Because being unable to say “Sorry, I have made a mistake” can cause problems in all areas of our lives. A friend recently encountered a person who ran a jewelry mail order company in Ireland. The representative of this business was categorically unable to apologize for mistakes he had made and consequently has not only lost a customer, but this particular customer will tell others about his poor service and his business will suffer as a … Continue reading →

Not So Smart Business

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Tim Horton’s Coffee Shop Fires Single Mom for Giving Out a $.16 Doughnut–to a Toddler Yep, apparently her manager wanted to make an example of what not to do. Don’t be generous to customers’ children thereby encouraging them to come back but instead, tell the little tike that he doesn’t deserve a doughnut. Apparently a worker saw the toddler reaching for the doughnut from across the counter and just gave him one. Shame, shame–she didn’t pay for it and her manager fired her for stealing. Once the story broke the company offered her the job back (which she accepted) and … Continue reading →

Oh My… Miley! G-Rated Star Appears in PG-13 Photos

So, by now I’m sure you are well aware of the whole Miley Cyrus provocative photo brouhaha. For those of you who have been blissfully living in a media-free world allow me to give you an update: The 15-year-old squeaky-clean Disney star might want to stay away from digital cameras for a while. The teen is currently embroiled in two front-page controversies both of which involve racy pictures of her. Last week the singer-actress went on the defensive when “playfully provocative” photos of her posing on her ex-boyfriend’s lap showed up on the Internet. (Cyrus called them “silly.”) In one … Continue reading →

When An Apology Is Not An Apology (2)

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Have you ever had an apology from someone who says they are sorry and then proceeds to tell you all the reasons why it wasn’t their fault? And does this qualify as an apology? Most people don’t feel quite satisfied after hearing the words “I’m sorry” followed by a list of excuses proclaiming the person’s innocence. In When An Apology Is Not An Apology (1), we looked at the case of Paul and his sister-in-law, Elise. As a lawyer, Paul had volunteered to find out for Elise the exact nature of the crimes that had occurred during her sexual assault. … Continue reading →