The Top 10 Everything of 2008

When a British man named Mark Mitchell bought a new iPhone in August, he discovered photos of one of the factory workers who had made it, a young Chinese woman in Shenzhen province. Sporting a pink and white striped uniform, flashing peace signs and grinning broadly at her workstation, the worker made for a perfect Apple ad. Mitchell promptly posted the pics online and soon the whole world was speculating on the mystery girl, her working conditions and whether the entire thing was a hoax. Foxconn, the assembly contractor, called the incident "a beautiful mistake," and — proving that not everyone actually wants 15 minutes of fame — noted that the young woman was rattled by the global attention. "She's really scared by the media," a company spokesman said of the worker, whose name was never made public. "We let her off work today so she could rest."

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