I find it very interesting that Apple is re-tuning some of their practices only after a Chinese employee commits suicide.  The suicide came about after the individual had been scrutinized and harassed by security personnel over a missing iPhone prototype.  Shortly after Apple released a statement saying all employees and contractors “must be treated with dignity and respect.”  Is this really true personification the idea “Think different,” that founder Steve Jobs promotes in the advertisements his company is so well known for? 

     The article from the Associated Press, mentions seventeen different violations including three where workers were hired underage,  eight infractions wherein workers paying “recruitment” fees were above the legal limits in those countries; three cases in which suppliers used non-certified vendors to dispose of hazardous waste; and three others where the companies gave falsified records during the audits.

     You might guess that now “Think Different” may take on some new connotations,  in my case it is yet another shade in the smorgasbord of issues with Apple products.

     And the winner is… New Zealand!  

     After all, how can you trust a country which touts the “largest inland lake in the world, mate?”  “The deepest trench in the Earth, and the only place you can find glow worms, bro?”

     Yes, I’m serious … They actually believe that crap.

     Of course, you will be chastised by most any Kiwi for pointing out any larger lakes in the United States or a gigantic one in the Baltic region, the Marianas Trench or firefly larvae.

     Even though New Zealand did tie with Denmark and Sweden, I’m proud to have done my part…