Algebraic and geometric properties of flag Bott-Samelson varieties and applications to representations

We introduce the notion of flag Bott-Samelson variety as a generalization of Bott-Samelson variety and flag variety. Using a birational morphism from an appropriate Bott-Samelson variety to a flag Bott-Samelson variety, we compute Newton-Okounkov bodies of flag Bott-Samelson varieties as generalized string polytopes, which are applied to give polyhedral expressions for irreducible decompositions of tensor products of $G$-modules. Furthermore, we show that flag Bott-Samelson varieties are degenerated into flag Bott manifolds with higher rank torus actions, and find the Duistermaat-Heckman measures of the moment map images of flag Bott-Samelson varieties with the torus action together with invariant closed $2$-forms

Discounted Jobs: How Retailers Sell Workers Short

This study, conducted in the fall of 2011, sought to track the wages and working conditions of frontline non-managerial workers in New York's booming retail industry. We interviewed workers employed at non-union large stores and national chains from high-end Fifth Avenue fashion to off-brand clothing retailers on Fordham Road in the Bronx. Because New York is the retail capital of the United States, and the majority of respondents worked in stores with a national presence, this study paints a portrait of the practices and conditions experienced by retail workers across the country. Responses from the 436 workers surveyed debunk myths surrounding the industry that boasts about putting America back to work. This report provides insight into the workers and families who are trying to survive on low-wage retail work - showing that race and gender matter a great deal when it comes to how much workers earn per hour, how likely they are to be promoted along a career path, and how likely they are to have benefits such as health insurance or paid sick days