Oakland Tribune from Oakland, California • 48

M1 vn mwni D4 The Argus The Ravi The TrtxjnaJhe HoniH The Times Star Sunday November ft 1994 CQHteTr lanjatiBEfe ijg? V'T" DBayAm Nation South land 7-Eleven convenience store chain will begin selling a prepaid card for long-distance telephone -calla later this month The 7-Heven Phone Card will work tike a debit card with prices ranging from $599 for 15 minutes of lOftg-diatance service in the US to $1999 for 80 minutes 7-Eleven which baa negotiated -contracts with a number of long-distance companies fa-duding MCI Communications Corp said extensive radio promotion of the tarda ahould begin in December Aroli bifroducM fatar Macintosh! NIVI VtRNPP II9IM I WWIS IVINMilVNPMII Apple Computer Inc hss introduced new faster Sower Macintosh computer intended for professionals work with large amounts of visual data Apple nkl jjjwlWreMarintorii 8100 powered hy a IlfMncga- -kettz PowerPC microprocessor is its fastest computer The chips fa older versions tun at 60 66 and 80 MHi TTir nnf marhlnn tha liVrrf In tfin IWr The newmacfaine ia the lateat in the Power a lower-end black-and-white printer ia being reduced to $269 frdta $299 Canon is seeking to boost ita 25 per-cent share of the Ink-Jet printer market through the price cuts which are effective immediately i Cusip coda for stockik bonds goMonBna: Traders brokers and other securities professionals can now uae their computers to get information an mare than 15 million stocks and bonds The Information ia available front the Cusip Service Bureau a New York- based standards group that assigns nine-digit Cuaip codes to domestic and international securities in North America Using a database supplied by the bureau Wall Street Anna insurance companies hanks and others can access the Curip code arid other Important details including a security's current selling price date of issue and date of maturity The information which is constantly updated encompasses corporate municipal and corporate bonds stocks warrants limited part- nerahips commercial paper and other securities Derive atives snd options are not sasigned Cusip codes and ire therefore not Included in the database The Cusip data-base ia aimed at speeding up the time it takes to process trades from five to three days and less Pumpkin The Gon Microsoft teams up bn infanctlw TV: ml croaoft Corp has struck agreements with 10 companies to help develop Its two-way television softwaie Hewlett- Packard Ca and NEC Ckup will design television settop boxes for people to manipulate information aent fatothefr TVs Microsoft software dubbed will control the deyices Helping to set up the qratema will be Alcatel Andersen ConauMng Lockheed MkaOea ft Space Co NTT Data Communications Systems Corp and Olivetti Companies that win teat the technology are Deutsche Telekom of Germany Telstra Corp of Aus- tnitta and US West Comma- nmrnft ideation Inc Microsoft isiWlOUII already baa announced 1 planned trials of the more sophisticate channel-changer with Teto-Communica-tiona Inc SBC Communications Inc Rogers Cableay-stems Limited and Nippon Telegraph ft Telephone Corp NEC also ia Joining Compaq Computer Corp and Intel Corp fa building computer equipment to run Tiger' 1 vVooiQy vD nunen sopvuB nwim sowicvn Prodigy Services Co has laundied a separate computer online service called AatraNet available to people who can access the Internet The service ia designed to filter and direct people to what Prodigy deema to be die beat news sports financial and governmental resources available on the Internet the global network of computer networks The product will be free at first But Prodigy plana to charge for some information starting next month AatraNet is alao accessible on a part of the Internet known as the World Wide Web that most computer owners still reach The Web requires special software and a high-speed access Him that Appla UiinnhaH bi March The computers az based on the 1 PowerPC chip developed by an aUance of Apple IBM Carp and Motorola be Apple expects the new Power Mac to be used by publishers and other profearinrsls who work with Urge Image flies graphics and design requiring much computation The new machine with a UJ5 retail price of 6379'te amllabfc fa Hmtted quantities Vofaane ship-i un expected to start next month 5 V- plans to tear out one set of old trade fa Oak- I on Third Street between Oak Shd Filbert streets I pave over the road with asphalt The other set of track on (Seune road will be repaired The work rhich win cost Union Pacific more than $600000 will ake about six weeks Detours will be posted along the oute which is used by trucks heading to and from the urt of Oakland Earlier this year Iftiion Pacific re-tnoved all tracks on Third between Filbert to Union UP dind Southern Pacific Railroad are negotiating a deal would eventually move all UP trains over to SPs starting at 47th and Ban Leandro avenues er noduct Safety Commisaion ia warning parents that pumpUnahaped erasers resembfing candy can pose a choking hazard to small children The orange erasers were aold as part of aeta of 60 erasers of varying shape called the Halloween Toy Eraser Assortment marketed by Oriental Trading Co of Omaha Neb The company declined aSafety Conuniasion request that it recall the erasers the agency said The seta of 60 erasers sold for $450 In the 1994 Oriental Trading Company Catalog with a sticker on the lid reading No 925 QTY :1 TUBE (60 PCS) MADE IN i Canon cuts pricos on infc-jat printers: Canon Computer Systems Inc following the lead of competitor Hewlett-Packard Co cut prices aa much aa 15 percent its biack-andwhite and color ink-jet printers Hewlett-Packard one of the largest makers of color and 1 1 monochrome printers last month announced 15 percent price cuts on its ink-jet printers Canon's foureoior fainter will have a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $469 down from $549 and die company said it expects the actual store price tag to be $399 The price on i nra vtcan 19W escoro vor raag amcc Ford Motor Ca said it's recalling about 32000 1995- model Eacorts because of a possible safety problem Just over a month after file cars went on the market Ford aid mounting bolts may be miaaing from passenger -aide airbags Ford said it knows of no accidents because of the problem which it said was discovered when an airbag dislodged during shipment Owners will be nott- -fled directly by Ford and Ford dealerships to return the cars to the dealerships where they will be inspected and repaired if necessary at no charge i wire reports a worker to quit may exist when SCNFPS HOMMM) NEWS SERVICE Judge treated their resignation as a quit rather than an involuntary constructive discharge This leaves the employee without a Job and often without an adupiate means of recompense First if the demotion or other adverse action involves a severe reduction fa re-' sponsibiUties and pay? a court is more likely to consider it a constructive discharge than if it Just involves a reduction in responsi- party was assessed mote then $5 million fay a Jury The employer had demoted an el-deify long-term employee an executive to file position of warehouse Janitor: The Jury was not amused or redd hareeament claims often lead to strong constructive discharge claims as welL This moat frequently occurs when the hareeament has become so hostile that any reasonable person fa their right mind would fed compelled to resign The ride: What many cm- ployees do not realize ia that constructive discharge dalms are not favored by Judges In other words courts bdieve that resignations should be an action of last resort Consequently many stunned employees have quit their Jobe only to learn that the and if a fa the position would fed compelled to resign in the same situation then the employee's resignation can be treated as a firing by the Judge and Jury Employers who create these often end up paying some of the highest Jury verdicts in employment law Indeed severs! of the recent weU-pub-Udzed Jury verdicts that involve large awards involved constructive discharges The reason for fids correlation is obvious: Most often a sympathetic Jury will aide with a hardworking individual against a feedeas corporation that has treated workers crawly or viciously For some employers the result has been staggering For example a Louisiana com- behind the hostility Third don't forget that courts are looking for working condi- tions therefore you would want to quit" and claim a constructive discharge merely! because you did not receive promotion' Several courts have concluded that slthouglr the Mure to promote may support a dis-j' crimination claim it ia rarely sufficient to! support a constructive discharge claim Author Gilbert Raman is an at-1 torney in Denver He also is an adjunct' prqfessor qf law and author qf 7b Protect and Ertfmrce Your Employment' Rights" The book is available by calling (800) 247-6553 Some employers try to disguise their illegal (fiscrimtastory intent by deliberately forcing an employee to quit rather than firing or laying them off These employers 3 apparently be lieve they can avoid being sued for discrimination if they can drive file helpless worker out This often crates a high-stakes risk for both the company and the employee The risk Many employers realize that if the underlying purpose of their action is illegal discrimination Second remember that in the discrimination context it ia important not only to -ahow intolerable waking conditions but also to ahow that (Bscriminatlon ia the reason for the hostility Thus if you believe you are being subjected to pervasive hostility ask yourself whether discrimination is African: Trend catches on late in the Western US Marketing: Developers disparage ethical criticism Continued from D-1 English ttke Nige- or havelong ex-' country Uke many Americana face a different entrepreneurial barriers the seed money or open a retail shop know how to meet or otherwise ia trying to get everyone's antenna said Allen Edson of American Development Oakland there's Sum the color of -ft Americans tradtag special appeal be-' to keep money snd black hands where It goals ContfnuecHrafn D-1 Sr celebrated file grand opening 1 of their second store bn upscale College Avenue selling everything from Jewelry to wall hangings at Slices that benefit from the lower standard of living in many African epuntries Asret has found she no longer to travel back home for inventory calling instead on a wide range of who approach her with goods from Ghana Nigeria Gambia Matt and Kenya 1 On a recent weekday morning three men from Cameroon unloaded merchandise at the new store as Asrat nodded assent or waved away the too-femiliar She said she met them on their visit 'for the World Cup soccer match J- "I have admething to show you very nice" one of the men said- National trend is this a shirt? How much is fids Asrat demanded already speak riana and Kenyans perience fa this Ethiopians African set of Many lack background to and some don't Africans freelance involved in trade la file African Association fa slot more involved For African with Africa holds cause It tends commerce fa can serve community Vl 1 Supporting buaineaa ia one vvareL hona i chess' anoHoumoN-M propntior or vranMiMiuo bwiihohi ray irom I in roonoa voni mvmb die said it's unlikely (the producers) are being paid Ii Even if a community can satiety file demand of the Western marketplace and make a profit large orders can place craft producers at file mercy pf a foreign corporation their style Juat like having books with black people in them pretty people we want to be pretty'' file Umriansaid dl a reflection of the desire of African people here and internationally to preserve our agreed Subira Kifeno aaaiatant director of the African American Cultural Center in Long Beach More than a mere interest in lathe interest fa African products reflects a renewed focua on action Kifeno add whether ifs supporting black liberation or crating faafitufiona to file needs of our expensive the man "Very teased "When are you going to bring me file Camerounian music tapes?" she clucked in mock exasperation "Asrat said die never deals wtfir faherican Importers becauae their micea are high and fixed they goat do budneee fa the African African-American of the principles behind Kwamaa for example a week-long holiday between Chrietmae and New Year that celebrates African heritage and is abo a time when many people seek out their first Africantaspired clothing Once a customer wears one such Noutfit whether traditional or modem they usually want more add Barbara Ogwiide African-American clothing dewgner who opened WeatAfrique hdwrnatiqnd in downtown Hayward a year ago One 'reason ia that African fabrics look good on African Ameri- effective balance to the powerful Imperatives of advertisers? Madeline Caneps has Jbeen called the of Sonic" The executive vice president of product development and marketing of Crystal Dynamic Inc a Redwood City-based software developer Canepa also worked at Sega playing an integral part of launching fa 1990 She questioned whether video game television shows and ensuing advertising was reaching danger-ousty high levels and took away from the educational content on Saturday mornings ia definitely a tie to what you seen on tV and what to purchased in the afore but quite frankly it seems that everything on Saturday morning television is an ad for some commercial product whether it ia for toys fast food or a line of clothing die add should video games be any different? Ia It because some mem- ben of Congress thinks video games are bad? Does Tiny Toons end you to buy a Warner Brothers product? Does Duck Tales make 4 person want to buy Disney? The hottest selling Halloween costume was the Power Ranger There fa definitely a tie but why fa that bad?" Regardless of the origins of the products Congress feels all dianef ten feeding the marketing monster are a threat to educational integrity Canepa aaid that white fas commercial product a rtoq4 being told the Hedgehog le ai rience no different from a mode or TV ahow except that it lasts ahe said "Yea these exp riences are in the form of a com mercial product but they are experiences You build the ganri mechanics around the character that forma a world and a story The bat thing you're (game maker) thinking about fa marketing a product "The marketing machine happens she said story fa created long before the marketing push begins" The fear is when a character cre-ifed to (hake a profit for a product appears In the form of a half-hour television show the show potentially could become a full-length fcd-verttoement for the video game Tve heard thto argument before and It fascinates me because there fa a perception that thebe tatft a story behind what we aaid llk-chaelene Criatlnl Rlatey group director of Bcenafag'aud character development for Sega of America the US-baed arm of Sega Inc baaed on the medium of the video game market that no story-Sonic the Hedgehog fa a character It's not traditional atorytel-ting but time fa a story behind hfa -x Gapcom UA the Sunnyvafa-- based software company that spawned marketing giants and has gotten involved Mega Man is also on the TV circuit appearing Saturday mornings in 95 markets nationwide inducting the Bay Area Mega Man has appeared fa a dozen' software games and has generated more than $1 billion in revenue Meanwhile the Fighter" series of games has sold 13 million titles and has revenue over $3 billion which doesn't include action figures or any revenue generated from ita coining $40 million motion picture' As of now only television show adaptations of video game charao ten have been the target of congressional probes But the marketing of video game characters trsveb far beyond the small screen Jun Aida director of licensing at Gapcom acknowledges the danger of a bombardment of advertising through television shows but said strength of product determines the level of danger involved "I think unethical ia too strong a word to use but there baa to be a tine that separatee commercialism and entertainment I understand and support tint We fed we can create as a peacelU and likable character as we can regardless of its ability to 'sell The government has long feared file prospect of commercial merchandisers flooding the Saturday morning television scene with its characters The House Subcommittee on Telecommunication and Finance led by Chairman Ed Mdtkey (D-Maasl) passed the Children's Television Act of 1990 to Instate restriction on advertising during children's television But while the government believes fa curbing the influence of advertiser fa Saturday morning entertainment some game companies downplayed their ability to way kids fa any direction are sometimes smarter than we give them credit far raid George Harrison director of mar-keting at Nintendo thing that we do know ia that they respond to trends whether It be Mighty Morph and Power Rangers or Barney But they do know when they're trying to be sold After a fodowHip hearing in June of this year' the subcommittee wants the FOC and video game companies to increase the education value on Saturday morning television Instead of offering virtually ftiti-tength product advertisement "We recognise the farces of the marketplace will not serve the need of the children weti That is why the act waa Markey aaid do- -fending file follow-up on the 1990 act has the bw served aa an Indeed Africans enjoy distinct advantages over their American unterparta when It cornea to for-Men trade even if they don't rehr orv jmconneclione abroad Africa tiiey make the really jun bright things and people wear them mnly to the Mid Beta an fa buaineaa or came here to abkty uafaeas and found the sudden fa- Ogwude Madara and doaena of her load Chdkh Diakhete began inv other local designers quickly Kenya's Khii tribe renowned for Ka soapstone carvings faces the poaaibtity of aedng workers idled as the UA market becomes ovens tinted with Kenyan aoapatone especially low-priced products said Aldous KardareUl manager of file African importer Origfaelfa in Berkeley Store owner know they cannot prevent consumers from turning to cheaper imitations offered by maas retailer 'Educating people about the origlnd of the goods they cany may be the onfy defense Mohaniied hung a map of Africa fa Karifau Ethnic Gifts and brought in picture books about the continent She said her business depends on the support of a core group of working women who understand quality and the range of goods available locally Other AfricaaAmerican entre preneura find themselves embroiled fa that do not fetter thefrAfrican counterparts Madarsald die often hear crit-idanfrojm AfricanAmerican eus- tomen for featuring Asians and-modeling Africarvfa-dothlng in her catalog "Bade people are always buying from white and Orientd stores why cant they fav from black people too?" ahe reasoned Qgwude who depends on clients of all races to sustain her fa Heyward also promotes free trade fa her store under the umbrella of American culture ir nothing v-wrong with' wearing opal from one country dtit from said the former Lockheed safety engineer "America' has so much culture we shouldn't be afraid oC sharing Waiting in fiie wings meanwhile ia the challenge posed fay big-money retailers who are Juat now wajdng up to the call of an untapped market Shop owners mention Nordstrom Emporium Marshall's JCFetmey fipfagd Tuget and Mer- all entering the market for African glfti and dnthing i White such Ug orden frtJi big account may vpear to benefit the worker nnd communities supplying Afticahcrafttcorpdrate commerce pose new rtifammaa for those who would see blade buaineaa remain in bhekhanda Debbl James who work for the JBan Fdndsco-based organization Global Exchange glree an example from Indonesia where -the popularity of batik clothing has led to the formation of sweetshops fa the mqjor dries Rather than (bring and sewing batik clothing by hand sweatshop worker have tittle control over de-dgn and production James add and they are often paid a wage below thecost of Bvfag Wal-Mart has taken to adting Jackets from Guatemala' James added at prices far below what someone would pay to ensure a profit to the producer Guatemalans an succeeding fa adting tovWl-Mart nuqrbe fair trade poqia art noi needed any-- ortfagfraduond dofidng from So egd to sell' at showrooms and ade expos while he was a student i the late 1980a By 1991 he had pened one of Oakland! first Africa tores Africa By The Bay on Telegraph Avenue figuring he could use is knowledge to grow faster than le -f vr- "When I kw whd fofiier im-havc because I grew up fa I thought I could do better jf-tnore quality make it bigger advertise" he said Last year he opened a second lo- on Lakeahore and has efnee ads on load cable stations and i Channel 2 Africans like Diakhate file i Jus been more a matter of acting fiw American mar- fietpiMedwnfrikining budneaa hturtgranta aftjoy adwitafiee If they- -V die potentid fa the African having one's dothmg tailor made: Makfag 'Weafemdyle far ddona with African doth would ex-' tend mlea far beyond Kwanzas and' Back History Month to yeaMound 'replenishment of a wardrobe suit able for the office Nearly all the African shops now offer tfak service Mactara who caSs her line of WeateriHtyie pantsuits Jackets and ddkken'e doming the BebdHc Cd-faction said moat African Americans fa dties tike New York Washington Dallas and Atlanta already omt faod aw efimic gar-mod because so many dundies and sodd groiqia boat occasion to -wear them the Weet we are bdifad'' ahe ffsHL I think the time has Tome Black people have the feeling faey ward to be -v I aA rjr i.