Word: half
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Marcus, who joined Amazon in '96, recalls learning Web coding on the fly in order to get his reviews online. Kerry Fried sardonically references "my assistant" to refer to her endless clerical duties. Almost every Amazonian spends half his time each December wrapping packages and manning customer-service lines. "It doesn't matter what you've done before and what you're going to do later," says Moe. "You figure it out as you go along...
This is how Amazon's other half lives. At least 40% of the work force labors in a distribution center or customer-service center. It's the blue-collar work of the Internet. Neon hair, body piercings and non-Caucasian skin tones are generously represented. And so is the Amazon work ethic. "You have to prove yourself," says Edwards, 30, who came here from a print shop. "But once they notice that you're on time, hardworking and consistent, good things happen. Some people are really motivated," he says, as a headphoned airhead ambles by. "Others aren't motivated...
...recent years, civil rights leaders have awakened belatedly to the toll of AIDS among black Americans, who now account for more than half of the new cases of HIV infection in the U.S. But for all their kente-cloth shawls and lavish Kwanza celebrations, only a handful of African-American leaders, such as Julian Bond of the N.A.A.C.P., philosopher Cornel West and former Congressman Ron Dellums, along with a few church and charitable organizations, have aggressively addressed the disaster in Africa. As Rivers says, it's long past time for black leaders "to come from under the shroud of denial...
...missed a turn (we suspected) and so had stopped to ask directions. We pulled over next to a median strip, on which stood eight or 10 people, half with shopping bags, presumably waiting for a bus. We rolled down the window, smiled sheepishly and directed our confusion to one of the men (tall, black, in a shiny Adidas jersey). With a swift sort of purpose, he nodded and stepped forward from the island and toward us, in a gesture we took as exceptionally friendly and helpful, getting so close to better relate the coordinates...
...outside Jovellanos there's Estelle, chatty, about 35, and her 10-year-old Javier, who jump in at a dusty corner. Estelle sighs and laughs as she gets in and says hello. Had they been waiting long? Yes, yes, she says, they'd been waiting an hour and a half. They're going to a town called Australia, 20 minutes away. "Why is there a town in Cuba called Australia?" we ask. Estelle doesn't know. She turns to Javier. Javier has no idea. She shrugs and smiles...