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

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

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

Punctuality is a Virtue: Part 2

If you are late: Do not over apologize: Enough time has been wasted so there is no need to go overboard with excuses or with apology. A quick simply apology will suffice. For instance, if you walk into a meeting a few minutes late simply smile and say, “My apologies, there was an accident on the expressway. Let’s get right down to business we lost enough time.” Most will be forgiving and respect you for not sounding like a student telling his teacher a dog ate his homework. Do not make a habit out of it: We are all busy. … Continue reading

“Cars 2” Trailer Released

I’ve possibly been a bit unfair towards “Cars” in complaining that it gets a sequel, the forthcoming “Cars 2,” when it’s my least favorite Pixar film. I know “Toy Story 3” was fantastic, but I just wasn’t as excited for it or into it as I have been for years about Pixar, because I’m sad that they’re not being encouraged to further innovation. Unfortunately for it, “Cars 2” has borne the brunt of my disgruntlement over the whole issue. Its existence incorporates all the things I don’t like about the direction in which Walt Disney Corp. CEO Bob Iger is … Continue reading

Part 2 of Top Tips for Communicating Effectively

Today I am continuing the tips for communicating effectively which I started yesterday. 7. Pick the right time One I mentioned the other day was about picking the right time. Not when your spouse is doing something else. We did have that conversation when Mick raised it the next day so he had heard it, and he was his usual encouraging and supportive self. Although sometimes driving on the car can work if you’re not in traffic and needing to concentrate a lot. It often works well with children and teenagers too, so long as they’re not the ones driving. … Continue reading

Not Being Able to Say Sorry has Far-Reaching Effects

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

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