The Fourth Wall
page 3
Obama
from page 1
assassinated before he really had
a chance to prove himself a great
president, although he is
consistently ranked at the top of
“Best President” lists. The best
comparison to be made to Senator
Obama would have to be Jimmy
Carter. Carter was elected simply
because of his likeability as a
person. Unfortunately, likeability
as a person doesn’t translate to a
decent president, as we saw by the
Iran Contra crisis and gas crisis
during Carter’s presidency.
However, it was a time when the
country was still reeling from
President Nixon’s Watergate
scandal and subsequent
resignation. They wanted someone
who was down to earth, and
seemed trustworthy.
By Jordan Martin
Editorial Division Editor
Do you have an unusual talent
that you would like to exhibit? All
you need is a video camera, an
Internet connection, and some mad
skills.
The Internet has now become a
means for people with uncommon
talents to exhibit their skills in a
public forum. YouTube hits for a
recent video clip showing a six-
year-old Wisconsin resident
playing “Stairway to Heaven” on
a viola with his toes have reached
the 800,000 mark. “It’s more fun
than Halo Three!” he explained
when questioned by the media
about why he spent so much time
By Andrew Lynn
Staff’ Writer
There has been recent
speculation, at least in the areas
surrounding Mont Alto and
Chambersburg, that Hershey’s
Chocolate is closing their southern
California distribution center and
outsourcing to Mexico. The
distribution center, opened in 2002,
was to serve the western parts of
the United States and the Asia
market. In light of recent economic
struggles, both domestic and
international, the speculation
seems probable in a business
sense. However, is one to believe
that the leading North American
chocolate producer is moving to
Mexico? It would be hard to
believe this, especially in the
company’s home
Pennsylvania.
The Hershey Company’s
public relations department was
contacted and failed to return any
phone calls.
In January, the company
reported a decrease in net income
of $344,907,000 in 2007, compared
to 2006. The company attributed
price increase to the increase in
transportation, fuel, raw material,
and utility expenses.
After careful searches,
Hershey has outsourced. About
80 percent of the manufacturing is
to occur in the U.S. and Canada at
developing his unusual skill.
Curious tourists have flocked to
his small town in the hopes of
glimpsing a performance. However,
he does not present his skills
publicly. His father says, “he’s not
ready for the big time just yet.” A
documentary film is reportedly in
the works.
- Don’t have any unusual
talents? Not to worry. With the
latest social networking
technology, you will be too busy
to bother acquiring skills or
making videos. Rival websites
Myspace and Facebook have
taken online connectedness to a
whole new level. :
Myspace has announced that
it will add a new feature to the
website so that subscribers can
a place for friends
analyzing their heart and
perspiration rates. The devices will
automatically update the mood of
the wearer to Myspace, creating a
whole new level of connectedness.
“We believe this feature will give
members deeper insight into the
moment-by-moment moods of their
friends,” said Tom, Myspace’s
ubiquitous founder. “It also
provides an easy method of
psychological evaluation.”
Facebook is reportedly
developing a device that will allow
the websites users to see directly
into the minds of their friends. Calls
to Facebook headquarters were
answered by robotic voices that
refused to comment.
was implemented in early 2007.
This ten percent shrink impact will
vary from one plant to another. The
prospective plan will also reduce
jobs within the company by 1,500.
The company claims in a press
release in early 2007 that borderless
sourcing would give further
leverage to company’s
manufacturing and a lower cost
overall cost structure.
Richard Lenny, president and
chief executive of Hershey, stated
in a 2007 press release, “when
completed, the transformation
program will deliver a flexible,
A
advantaged supply chain designed
to meet a diverse range of
consumer and customer needs
while generating significant
resources available to invest
behind our strategic growth
initiatives. We recognize this will
involve considerable change over
the next three years, and intend to
make this transformation of our
supply chain as smooth as
possible for our employees and
customers. We will work closely
with those affected by the program
to assist them with the transition.”
Given this plan, Hershey
expects profit margins to grow
significantly once the restructuring
is completed in 2010. The
company’s production capacity is
expected to grow up to 20 percent
in the next three years as a result
of the outsourcing.
Although Hershey originated
as a small town company, and it is
understandably difficult for locals
of “the sweetest place on Earth”
to accept outsourcing as the best
alternative, the executives of the
company are clearly doing what
seems to be in the best interest of
the company and its stockholders.
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