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ANY OF THIS SOUND FAMILIAR TO YOU AS DEC. APPROACHES Company Memo --------------------------------------------------------- FROM: Patty Lewis, Human Resources Director TO: All Employees DATE: December 12, 2009 RE: Gala Christmas Party I'm happy to inform you that the company Christmas Party will take place on December 23rd, starting at Noon in the private function room at the Grill House. There will be a cash bar and plenty of drinks! We'll have a small band playing traditional carols. Feel free to sing along, and don't be surprised if our CEO shows up dressed as Santa Claus! A Christmas tree will be lit...

OSLO (AFP) – Norwegian energy group Statoil said Wednesday it was selling some of its US offshore oil assets to China's state-owned CNOOC, marking the first step by a Chinese energy major into the US market. The sale, announced along with Statoil's quarterly results, involves a limited stake for the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) in four exploitation licences for deepwater blocks bought in 2007 and 2008. "On 29 October Statoil signed a farm down agreement with the Chinese company CNOOC involving a number of Statoil's leases in the Gulf of Mexico," Statoil said in its third-quarter earnings statement....

From its headquarters in a modest office park outside Sunnyvale, Calif., Bridgelux is hoping to spark a revolution in light fixtures for homes and offices across the U.S. It's ready to ramp up production of tiny light-emitting chips that blaze as bright as some incandescent bulbs but consume a fraction of the energy. To meet surging orders for its chips, it's prepared to spend $250 million over three years on gleaming cleanrooms. The question is, where should it put its plants?

This came from a Marine unit over in Iraq. SLEEP LAST NIGHT? Bed a little lumpy... Toss and turn any... Wish the heat was higher... Maybe the a/c wasn't on... Had to go to the john... Need a drink of water... Scroll down Yes... It is like that! Count your blessings, pray for them, Talk to your Creator And The next time when... The other car cuts you off and you must hit the brakes, Or you have to park a little further from Walmart than you want to be, Or you're served slightly warm food at the restaurant, Or...

The Company He Keeps Can you know a person by the company they keep? If you can, is it fair to do so? Is it then fair to judge them? I often have the opportunity to get to know someone through personal and business relationships. However, when I don’t have a personal or business relationship knowing them by the company they keep has served me well. The advice remains in good stead but I was curious of its origin. I have not found a direct connection to the advice but I did find several indirect references. As early as 1541,...

Note: The following text SNIPPET is a quote: Alleged Mexican Cartel Leaders, Associates Targeted in Newest Effort to Combat Drug Trafficking Organizations Today the Departments of Justice, State and Treasury announced coordinated actions against the Gulf Cartel/Los Zetas drug trafficking organization, now known as the "Company," in the latest in a series of efforts by the U.S. government to neutralize and dismantle this violent cartel. Antonio Ezequiel Cardenas-Guillen, Jorge Eduardo Costilla-Sanchez, Heriberto Lazcano-Lazcano and Miguel Trevino-Morales, high-level Mexican leaders of the Company and 15 of their top lieutenants, have been charged in U.S. federal courts with drug trafficking-related crimes. Also...

NORTH MANKATO, Minn. (AP) -- A wholesale printing company in southern Minnesota says it's eliminating 114 positions. Carlson Craft of North Mankato made the layoffs Thursday in its effort to adapt to the current economic downturn. Besides the economy, General Manager Barb Kaus says in a statement that consumers' needs have changed, and that the restructuring is needed to focus on new technology. The company, which is part of Taylor Corp., makes printed stationery products and personalized accessories. It was founded as Carlson Letter Service in 1948.

NEW YORK – The Fox network is making a reality show out of the troubled economy. An upcoming series titled, "Someone's Gotta Go," lets employees of a small business decide which one of their colleagues will be laid off.

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The administration of President Barack Obama is considering new bailout initiatives that will allow troubled companies to benefit from rescue programs while avoid restrictions imposed by Congress, The Washington Post reported Saturday. ... Experts at the Obama administration have concluded that this approach is vital for persuading firms to participate in programs funded by the 700-billion-dollar financial rescue package, the report said. The administration believes it can sidestep the rules because, .. it has decided not to provide federal aid directly to financial companies,.. Instead, the government has set up special entities that act as middlemen, channeling...

Can Private Security Guards Act As Cops? That's Exactly What They May Soon Be Doing On The Far These private security cars patrol Michigan Avenue between 100th and 116th streets, and a proposed city ordinance would give them many police powers. They're private security guards, already on patrol, but they may soon have the powers of Chicago Police officers. As CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports, the private security officers now on patrol on the city's Far South Side are expected to have their powers expanded as part of a citywide ordinance now being prepared. But officials are questioning...

As Milosevic's intelligence chief, Jovica Stanisic is accused of setting up genocidal death squads. But as a valuable source for the CIA, an agency veteran says, he also 'did a whole lot of good.' By Greg Miller March 1, 2009 Reporting from Belgrade, Serbia -- At night, when the lawns are empty and the lamps along the walking paths are the only source of light, Topcider Park on the outskirts of Belgrade is a perfect meeting place for spies. It was here in 1992, as the former Yugoslavia was erupting in ethnic violence, that a wary CIA agent made his...

An Israeli company has made an offer to buy the kosher meat producer Agriprocessors. The company, Soglowek Nahariya, made the offer in a filing Sunday with an Iowa bankruptcy court, the Des Moines Register reported. Agriprocessors, once the country's largest producer of kosher meat, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November. The company had been on a steady downward spiral since May, when federal agents descended on the company's Postville slaughterhouse and arrested more than one-third of its workforce in what was at the time the largest single-site immigration raid in American history. Joseph Sarachek, a bankruptcy trustee who...

From what the experts are saying, the economic crisis of 2008 would be the buggest since the Great Depression that started in 1929. So in this new crisis, the stock market is going down, unemployment is going up, banks are filing for bankruptcy, some Americans automakers barely survive, etc. With this current situations, big enterprises are even thinking about changing their corporate logos.

Some home builders already struggling in Florida's dismal housing market are facing another headache: The Chinese-made drywall they used is causing unpleasant odors and possibly leading to electric problems in dozens of homes constructed during the housing boom.

Just months after his Microsoft farewell, Bill Gates is quietly creating a new company -- complete with high-tech office space, a cryptic name and even its own trademark. Public documents describe the new Gates entity -- bgC3 LLC -- as a “think tank.” It’s housed within a Kirkland office that the Microsoft co-founder established on his own after leaving his day-to-day executive role at the company this summer. Is this Bill Gates’ next big business? A Gates insider gives an emphatic no -- saying it’s not a commercial venture but rather a vehicle to coordinate the software mogul’s work on...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 5, 2008 – Dominion Resources has a simple philosophy when it comes to supporting its employees who serve part-time in the military: “Whatever it takes, for as long as it takes.” That philosophy has led to a companywide culture of support for the military and also earned Dominion the 2008 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. Dominion, with headquarters in Richmond, Va., is one of 15 companies receiving the award, which recognizes employers who provide exceptional support to employees serving in the National Guard or Reserve. Dominion has many programs to support its employees who are...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18, 2008 – Because it always has been a family-owned and -operated business, it’s no surprise that Coastal Windows, a small Hawaii company, knows how to take care of its employees. Coastal Windows applies its family philosophy in taking care of all employees, including those who serve in the National Guard and Reserve. For its support of employees who serve part-time in the military, Coastal Windows is being awarded the 2008 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. Coastal Windows has 62 employees, and at present, only one of them serves in the National Guard, said Bob Barrett,...

If there's a recession going on, someone forgot to tell Silicon Valley. Yes, the region's economy has slowed noticeably in recent months. Yes, unemployment is up from a year ago. Yes, credit is tight. And yes, there is a severe dip in the housing market. Despite those problems, the dynamics of Silicon Valley's technology sector have buffered the South Bay from the worst effects of the national downturn. Observers point to a host of reasons for this strength. The valley's largest companies have tons of cash, limiting their need to borrow. Much of their business is overseas, where spending remains...

Lasting Impression: Does The Face Of A CEO Determine A Successful Company? ScienceDaily (Jan. 14, 2008) — It certainly takes more than a pretty face to run a leading national corporation. But according to a recent Tufts University study, the performance levels of America’s top companies could be related to the first impressions made by their chief executive officers (CEOs). Using photographs of the highest and lowest ranked Fortune 1000 companies’ CEOs, psychologists Nicholas Rule and Nalini Ambady quizzed ordinary college students to determine which of the pictured faces were characteristic of a leader. Without knowledge of the pictured individuals’...

BAGHDAD — Patrolling the streets of the Iraqi capital is common to just about any cavalry squadron, infantry battalion, troop or company. Now add in regular rotations through a Coalition outpost, where you live next door to the local populous, and you have what many leaders call a "projection of force" to deter would-be terrorists from inhabiting quiet neighborhoods. Company I, 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment from Vilseck, Germany, is only about a month into their tour, but have already been tasked with running Combat Outpost "Remagen" and patrolling the streets of the Karkh District in central Baghdad. The...

The summer that shook the American workplace The new threat and hidden agenda of Labors new Government By Will Fine, Executive Director National Alliance for Worker and Employer Rights This summer has been the summer that shook the foundations of the Employee -Employer relationship as no time has in nearly thirty years. While our national security is being defended overseas, our domestic security has become imperiled by governmental transformation at the hands of Labor Union Central Command that has deployed a government it can control. The credibility of Congress is at stake to defend a free workplace.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12, 2007 – The contributions of a West Virginia excavating company helped lighten the load -- literally -- for a deploying Army National Guard aviation unit. When Army National Guardsman Chief Warrant Officer 3 Timothy Smith found out he was deploying, he was concerned about the distance from the command post to the flight line at Forward Operating Base Speicher, Iraq. It was nearly a mile, and with each of the four-person crew carrying 150 pounds in gear, plus weapons and ammunition, all in 135-degree-plus heat, Smith saw a problem. “We’d be worn out before we ever...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 30, 2007 – When one of its employees was deployed to Iraq for National Guard duty, the Ultra Machining Company reached out to take care of him and his family while he was gone. Those efforts have earned the Monticello, Minn., company a top Defense Department award. The employee, Sgt. Lou Jacobson of the Minnesota National Guard, was so impressed with the support he received during his deployment that he nominated the company for a Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. Ultra Machining Company, or UMC for short, is among 15 businesses and organizations selected this...

Company 'settles over anti-English legal claim' Last Updated: 2:08am BST 02/05/2007 A nationalist political party which sued a hospitality company for anti-English discrimination has been paid £5,200 in an out of court settlement, it was claimed yesterday. The English Democrats Party took legal action against Royal Armouries International, which provides corporate hospitality at the Royal Armouries museum, after a booking for a conference room in Leeds was cancelled. The party, which campaigns for an English Parliament, said RAI initially claimed the room was double-booked but later said it was concerned about potential damage to its reputation. The English Democrats said...

TUCSON, Ariz. - Federal authorities on Friday raided a construction company accused of hiring illegal immigrants, detaining eight undocumented workers and arresting several other employees. Scores of agents fanned out in Douglas, along the Mexico border, and in Sierra Vista, about 50 miles northwest, in the raid on Sun Dry Wall & Stucco Inc.'s offices, a foreman's home, the home of a suspected counterfeiter and eight work sites. Company president Ivan Hardt, 44; the firm's human resources manager, Carol Hill, 42; and four other employees were taken into custody on federal counts of conspiring to knowingly hire illegal workers and...

PHOENIX, Nov. 6, 2006 -- For every drain ABC Plumbing and Rooter Company Inc., clears, a local troop-support group clears a $5 donation. Rudolf Kellner (right), director of ABC Plumbing and Rooter Company Inc., a Chandler, Ariz.-based company, and William Chiusano, the company’s president, presented the non-profit troop-support group Packages From Home with a $5,000 donation. Photo by Samantha Quigley  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “We decided that $5 out of every call -- every home, every business those trucks pull up to -- would go to ‘Packages From Home,’” Rudolf Kellner, the Chandler, Ariz.-based company’s director said....

Small Houston oil company at the center of global dramaERHC's story becomes oddly intertwined with FBI bribery probe By DAVID IVANOVICH Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau Sept. 18, 2006, 1:28PM WASHINGTON - Initially, theirs was a tale to rival that of any legendary Texas wildcatter. A little-known Houston oil company lands a potential blockbuster deal in the crude-rich waters off West Africa and appears poised for a big payoff. Negotiating the rocky shoals of West African politics and threats of arrest for sedition, ERHC Energy, a tiny company with no experience in offshore drilling, secures the rights from the...

SAN FRANCISCO - Stanford University will bar physicians working at its two hospitals from accepting even the tiniest gifts from drug industry sales representatives to try to eliminate corporate influence from medical decisions, the school announced Tuesday. The policy takes effect Oct. 1 and also bans accepting gifts from other companies such as medical device makers that do business with the hospitals. The policy also prohibits the doctors from accepting free drug samples and publishing articles in science journals that were ghost written by corporate authors. The industry's sales force also would be prohibited from areas where patients are seen...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12, 2006 – The Defense Department is honoring the Fred Fletemeyer Company, a small family-owned construction business in Colorado Springs, Colo., with its most prestigious award for employers who support National Guard and reserve troops. The Fred Fletemeyer Company is among 15 employers across the United States named as winners of the 2006 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. The award publicly recognizes employers for exceptional support beyond the requirements of federal law. Employees who also serve in the Guard or reserve nominate companies for the honor. Navy Reserve Senior Chief Petty Officer Bill Feigt, a Fletemeyer...

This is for real. If you go to this website, www.letssaythanks.com, you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services. It is FREE and it only takes a second. Wouldnt it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these?

WASHINGTON, Aug. 29, 2006 – Cardi’s Furniture Superstores in New England is one of 15 recipients of this year’s Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award for outstanding support of employees in the Guard and Reserve. “Cardi's Furniture Superstores is proud to receive this incredible honor,” said Benjamin DeCastro, the company’s promotions director. Rhode Island National Guardsman Sgt. Gerald Pincins, a Cardi’s employee, nominated the company for the award. “We are proud of Sergeant Pincins for his bravery while on his tours of duty,” DeCastro said. “We’re also proud of our staff who work hard every day to ensure that...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2006 – Allianz Life Insurance, with headquarters in Minneapolis, is one of 15 recipients of this year’s Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award for outstanding support of employees in the Guard and Reserve. “We take great pride in being named a recipient, but we're also very humbled,” said Jim McManus, an Allianz spokesman. “We believe this kind of honor belongs to all of the servicemen and women who serve our country.” The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Defense Department agency established in 1972, runs the Freedom Awards program. ESGR’s mission...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23, 2006 – A Fargo, N.D., business that provides loans to farmers and ranchers has received Defense Department recognition for its support of employees in the National Guard and reserve. AgCountry Farm Credit Service is one of 15 U.S. businesses chosen to receive the 2006 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award for outstanding support of employees in the Guard or reserve. Employees who are members of the Guard or reserve nominate employers for the award. “It’s quite an honor and a privilege to receive such a distinguished award. We were absolutely thrilled when we got the news,”...

Imagine going to get your car repaired, paying for it, and then finding out that the work was never done. With the help of insiders, NBC4 uncovered an apparent scheme at several Los Angeles area Jiffy Lube stores. The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office has asked customers who have had problems at Jiffy Lube stores to contact the DA's Consumer Protection Division, by e-mail, at jiffylube@lacountyda.org

Drugs Worth Millions Stolen From Area CompanyUPDATED: 12:07 am EDT August 10, 2006 WAKE COUNTY, N.C. -- Federal, state and local authorities are investigating an interstate drug heist, after millions of dollars in medications never made it to their intended destination. Authorities said that the alleged heist occurred at Longistics Corporation in Wake County near Research Triangle Park late Saturday. According to police, at least three suspects targeted the company, which handles shipments for the health care industry, and stole two tractor-trailers full of prescription and over-the-counter drugs. "The FBI estimates that the total value of the prescription and non-prescription...

SHANGHAI, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Fuyao Group Glass Industries Co. Ltd. (600660.SS: Quote, Profile, Research), China's biggest auto glass maker, is set to bid for North American glass making assets of Ford Motor Co. (F.N: Quote, Profile, Research), two sources familar with the matter said. Automotive Component Holdings LLC, a parts subsidiary of Ford, is discussing the sale of glass manufacturing operations and other assets as part of the U.S. auto maker's restructuring. Fuyao has held two rounds of talks with Ford and has been selected to submit a final bid for the glass assets, a source told Reuters. The...

CAMP TAJI, Iraq (Army News Service, July 10, 2006) – One unit has sole responsibility for getting Baghdad-stationed coalition forces and civilians in need of medical care to the right treatment facilities. Since November 2005, more than 3,500 patients have been transported by Company C, 2nd Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. The more than 80 Soldiers assigned to the unit operate from Camp Taji and Forward Operating Base Falcon. Missions taken on by the “Dustoff” Company are categorized as urgent or priority according to patients’ conditions. “Our overall mission is to facilitate the safest and...

The theme for this weekend is Air Shows and comparing them in the US and Britain. I have picked Biggin Hill Air Show which is an ex RAF Station which is now in private ownership but continues to have an annual Air Show. I last visited the airshow in 2000 but a friend of mine attended this year. The following are extracts from this year's program.

Jack Welch gives advice on how the new graduate can succeed in American companies. It seems to be good advice to succeed in any company -- anywhere. His number one piece of advice: OVERDELIVER - This is very un-American -- and very un-student-like. In school, students learn to meet certain objectives -- answer certain questions within certain time parameters. In the workforce -- it's not that way anymore. To get an A+ in business, Welch says, a person -- 22 years old or 62 years old -- needs to: 1. Expand the organization's expectations of what you can do --...

HIT, Iraq, June 4, 2006 – Bringing the Iraqi army to the lead in the country's beleaguered Anbar province is a tough assignment. But Marines assigned to the military transition team at Firm Base 4 here have taken it on. Vehicles return from a patrol in Hit, Iraq. Army troops work with Iraqi soldiers to maintain order in the Euphrates River city in Anbar province. Photo by Jim Garamone  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Along with soldiers of Battalion Task Force 1-36, they are working to train Iraqi soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 7th Division. Anbar...

USA Citizens Day - July 1st Immigration Control Rally Nationwide Rally on Saturday, July 1st, at noon, at your City HallMay 1st - Million of Illegal Aliens Marched in our StreetsTwelve million illegal aliens demonstrated their political power, and declared May 1st to be A Day Without Undocumented Workers ( illegal aliens ). They boycotted the USA, all US businesses and institutions. Millions of them marched in our streets, carried Mexican flags, shouted "Si se puede!", and demanded new laws from our Congress. July 1st - U.S. Citizens Nationwide Rally for Immigration ControlRally to stop our continuous invasion by...

Combat Diary: The Marines of Lima Company® “Combat Diary: The Marines of Lima Company ” Rated: TVPG Running Time: 120 Minutes Genre: Movies Closed Captions: Yes Upcoming Airings: Thursday, May 25 @ 9pm/8C Friday, May 26 @ 1am/12C Saturday, May 27 @ 8pm/7C Sunday, May 28 @ 12am/11C Sunday, May 28 @ 1pm/12C Monday, May 29 @ 8am/7C Monday, May 29 @ 2pm/1C Saturday, June 03 @ 11am/10C Search for other upcoming episodes Featuring candid interviews and never-before-seen video, we tell the story of the hardest hit combat unit of the Iraq war. Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, a...

FORT HUACHUCA — Soldiers of the 69th Signal Company returned home after nearly a year in Iraq where they put in a number of communication infrastructures. The 142 men and women of the unit — most of whom are cable dogs, individuals who install communication lines — stepped off the charter aircraft at 8 p.m. Thursday, concluding a trip from Kuwait to Arizona. Waiting for the ramp to be put up to the plane, soldiers of the 11th Signal Brigade, to which the 69th belongs, were as anxious to see their fellow soldiers get off the commercial airliner as probably...

U.S. Army Capt. Kathlen Stornelli (left), physician’s assistant, Company C, 204th Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, wraps a bandage over the ankle of Spc. Silas Brown, a combat medic assigned to Company C, at Forward Operating Base Duke, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Edgar Reyes Company C Aid Station Soldiers On Call 24/7 Despite long workdays and details at Forward Operating Base Duke, Company C personnel stand ready to treat injured soldiers. By U.S. Army Pfc. Edgar Reyes2nd Brigade Combat Team4th Infantry Division FORWARD OPERATING BASE DUKE, Iraq, April 12, 2006 — When U.S....

My husband jokes that I should have been an electrician. In this age of outsourcing and job insecurity, the trades seem to us to be the best professions of the future. To be sure, most aren't glamorous and are often physically demanding. But a number seem to have financial security and stability, and their job portability doesn't hurt, either. Many of us white-collar employees don't get to choose where we will live; we must go wherever our employer requires us. Many folks in the trades can command a good income, choose their own hours, and put down roots in a...

Company of Heroes10:00pm The Fight for Fallujah — They were sent into a hellish city to hunt down terrorists house-to-house. Hear their incredible story, from the graphic battle footage to the interviews with the families they left behind. (cc)

WASHINGTON, March 16, 2006 – Wounded troops can eat a lot of steaks on $75,000, which is the amount the Italian company, Finmeccanica, Inc., gave Washington's Fran O'Brien's Stadium Steakhouse today during a Pentagon ceremony hosted by the deputy secretary of defense. Holding a replica of the $75,000 check presented to Washington's Fran O'Brien's Stadium Steakhouse are co-owner Marty O'Brien and Pier Francesco Guarguaglini (right), chairman and chief executive officer of the Finmeccanica, Inc., of Rome, Italy. The company donated the money to help the restaurant provide free steak dinners to wounded servicemembers. Standing in the background are servicemembers...

1 Every action done in company ought to be with some sign of respect to those that are present. 2 When in company, put not your hands to any part of the body not usually discovered. 3 Show nothing to your friend that may affright him. 4 In the presence of others, sing not to yourself with a humming voice, or drum with your fingers or feet. 5 If you cough, sneeze, sigh, or yawn, do it not loud but privately, and speak not in your yawning, but put your handkerchief or hand before your face and turn aside. 6...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22, 2005 – A professional decorating company aimed to make this holiday season a little brighter for military families by donating Christmas decorations to more than 30 families of deployed servicemembers. Christmas Decor, a Texas-based company that specializes in designing and installing outdoor holiday decorations, chose the families from more than 200 applicants across the country and gave them a customized decoration display, said Brandon Stephens, director of marketing for Christmas Decor. This is the first time Christmas Decor has sponsored a program like this, but it's one that all the company's franchises immediately supported, Stephens said. "It...

AR RAMADI, Iraq (Dec. 20, 2005) -- The Marines were up early, bracing themselves against the cold-desert wind off the Euphrates River and waiting for the “all go” from headquarters. The sun was just breaking the horizon and painting the sky a splotchy pink and blue while word was passed that the mission would go off as planned. The first team of Combined Anti-Armor Team White, along with Company L’s 2nd Mobile Platoon exited the heavily fortified gates of Hurricane Point and began their part in Operation Block Party 6. Soon after the first two units left the base, the...