Amazon Warehouse Workers Demand to Work from Home

 

Amazon Warehouse Workers Demand to Work from Home

Thursday, October 3, 2024 - Amazon CEO Andy Jassy made headlines when he recently announced his employees that have been working from home should return to the office. This has sparked backlash from the employees currently working from the warehouse.

"If they set us up with all of the inventory at our house, it would be more efficient," one warehouse worker has suggested." Another warehouse worker interviewed said, "encouraging employees to return to the office is only going to encourage them to shop at local stores." 

Stay tuned to this news story for more updates. 

 

 

 

Support the Arts... Financially

 

How you spend your money is your vote for the kind of world you want.

Hello everyone! Gambol the Clown here! Today I'm going to talk about a serious topic. If you are an artist, you need to be aware of getting scammed and ripped off. If you are someone who claims to support the arts, you will heed this important advice. I am an artist, it's a business, and you should pay up for my services.

Recently I was asked by a business association to provide my entertainment services for FREE for Small Business Saturday. The deal is that I'll dress as an elf and entertain people and the plus is that it will bring attention to my business. Well, here's the problem with that. Isn't the point of Small Business Saturday to provide a focus upon local businesses seeking financial gain? How ineffective is that business model? Do restaurants provide free food so they can be promoted by customers? I want to tell Ferrari and Lamborghini I'd be happy to drive their cars around and promote them if they donate cars to me. 

This clown costume I wear is more than a costume, it's a high quality entertainment character. My material is original and I spend a lot of time working on my acts so I can deliver a high quality product when people PAY for my services. ALL artists are worthy of your financial support. If you like sculptors, painters, actors, comedians, clowns, guitarists, drummers, dancers, chefs, baristas, bartenders, mixologists.. you PAY for their services. 

What about my volunteer options? I will happily volunteer my services for churches and charities. The goal there is for the community to come together for a common cause and the common cause should be the focus of the financial (or material) gain. I volunteer with veterans groups, Christian churches, and other groups that seek to raise support for people who are suffering from serious illnesses like cancer and complicated diseases. During those events, not only do I get compensated with practice time and a crowd of people, but I get to interact with people who are having a difficult time and have the opportunity to reach them. 

If you're an artist, don't accept anything less. You should be using your talents where it's possible to make an impact on the world as a donation of your time and efforts, but when people want you to provide your services in exchange for "exposure" or promotion, that's rip off. Getting exposure is free. Walk around handing out business cards. 

Here's another example. There have been contests in the past where people want you to send in your artwork for free, then they'll select the winning contribution to be featured on their advertising. If they want you to work for them, they'll pay you up front. That's a bad idea. 

Work hard at producing good art and ensure that you're compensation matches the level of quality. Michael Jordan is the best basketball player of all time. When he first made his shoe deal with Nike, they offered him a percentage of all sales. His understanding that he was more than a basketball player netted him around $400,000,000 annually in passive income. You can't have a million dollar dream with a minimum wage work ethic. 

Inspirational Royalty

 

Some years ago, I turned on a television show documenting families competing in beauty pageants. It was a little unsettling to see the amount of money and time wasted to have these girls go through their routines and compete for what seemed to be a superficial goal. Is it really impressive for young girls to paint their faces and stand there while their dresses are sparkling with glitter? What is the point of that? As a professional entertainer, I do enjoy the performance portions of the shows (which is where I feel the focus should be shifted.)

A couple years ago, this view changed dramatically when I got to see the hearts of some of these girls and how much they really do care for their neighbors. I was contacted by the family of “Princess Addison” to perform at an event where they raise money every year to support a family struggling with expenses because their daughter has an aggressive form of cancer. Addison thought that this is an important cause because between all of the trips to hospitals and so much time spent in isolation a girl needs to party like a princess. Every November, these girls put on their ball gowns to support a princess who spends most of the year in a hospital gown.

As a veteran who deployed overseas (and the primary reason why I enjoy being a clown) is because there are very few countries that allow their children the freedom to be children. I’ve been to countries that enlist their young boys into military service at a very young age. For the young girls, in many cases their path is even worse. Every year, I get the opportunity to reach these girls with some laughs, some hope and encouragement, and we get the opportunity to celebrate how fun it is to be a kid and dream of being royalty!

This event is called Addison's Princess for a Day Fundraiser There are television commercials that call upon us to raise money for children with cancer and it may seem like a daunting task. These girls prove that one person can’t do everything, but everyone can do something. Every year, the community of princesses (and some princes) come together to raise funds to support the massive living expenses for a family that has to deal with treatment and travel. I am truly blessed and humbled to be part of this experience every year.

For more information about this event and how to get involved please click the link above!