Free Republic

Massimo d'Amore, the divisive figure at the center of many of PepsiCo's biggest marketing campaigns over the past several years, is retiring. -snip- Mr. d'Amore has cast a long shadow at PepsiCo and in the marketing world. A charming Italian, he has been lauded as both innovative and creative, but has also been a lightning rod for controversy. He oversaw the creation of new logos, packaging and marketing campaigns for several brands, including Pepsi, Tropicana, Gatorade, Mtn Dew and Sierra Mist.

BANGKOK, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Hundreds of striking workers forced U.S. auto maker General Motors Co [GM.UL] to shut its Thai assembly plant on Monday, company and union officials said, raising the stakes in a pay dispute with management. About 200 of 800 unionized workers at the plant in southeast Rayong province joined the strike, a GM spokeswoman said. The rest were asked to take paid holidays pending negotiations with union leaders, she added. But GM union leader Suriya Pochairuak put the number of striking workers at about 700. The GM plant, which has about 1,700 employees on its payroll,...

Silicon Valley's unemployment rate soared in June to 11.8 percent, its highest level in nearly 60 years, as the region lost more manufacturing jobs, many of them in the tech industry. The good news in a rather bleak picture is that the valley gained enough jobs in other areas, such as professional and business services and the hospitality industry, to make up for those losses. The picture statewide was worse. California lost 66,500 jobs during the month, according to a report released Friday by the state Employee Development Department. While California's unemployment rate remained unchanged at 11.6 percent, there are...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States has received a letter from the Palestinian Hamas movement for President Barack Obama, who considers the militant group a terrorist organization, a US official confirmed Friday. "I can confirm that it was from Hamas to President Obama," a State Department official said on condition of anonymity, adding that US officials were weighing "how it should be treated."