Sunflower Halved Hypersaturated

Sunflower Halved Hypersaturated
Yes this is a real sunflower I took this shot a couple of summers ago in the garden outside my work window

Friday, January 30, 2009

Finally Friday

Happy Friday and best of all, the sun is shining, the birds are singing and the Steelers are going to win the Super Bowl!!! I don't know much about the Cardinals and I admit to not even knowing such a football organization existed (clearly I only knew of the Cardinal baseball team), but regardless they're going down!

It seems every time I turn on the news a major company is laying of thousands of workers. I was shocked when I heard about Microsoft, but no one seems to be exempt. I have compiled a running list (courtesy of Forbes), all of which happened in January (yes this month):

AT&T - 12,000 jobs
Credit Suisse - 5,300 jobs and 1,200 contracting jobs
DuPont - 2,500 jobs
Viacom - 850 jobs
Avis - 2,200+jobs
State Street Corp - 1,600 to 1,800 jobs
Jefferies Group - 358 jobs plus closing 3 international offices
Carlyle Group - 10% of staff
Boeing - 4,500 jobs
Microsoft - 5,000 jobs
Caterpillar - 20,000 jobs
Pfizer - 8,000 jobs
SprintNextel - 8,000 jobs
Home Depot - 7,000 jobs
General Motors - 2,000 jobs
Texas Instrument - 3,400 jobs
Phillips Electronics - 6,000 jobs worldwide
Corus Group - 3,500 jobs
ING - 7,000 jobs
Starbucks - 6,700 jobs, closes 900 stores
Target - 600 jobs, 400 positions closed
AOL (Time Warner) - 700 jobs
Merillat (Masco) - 70 jobs
SPX - 400 jobs
Intel - 5,000 jobs
Walt Disney - 600 voluntary buyouts for executives
Wynn Resorts - 53 jobs, construction
Eaton - 5,200 jobs, 78 in Iowa
Warner Brothers (Time Warner) - 800 jobs
Clear Channel Communications - 1,850 jobs
Deere & Co - 120 at Iowa plant
ConocoPhillips - 1,300 jobs
Hertz Global Holdings - 4,000 jobs
WellPoint - 600 jobs, 900 positions closed
Advanced Micro Devices - 1,100 jobs
Xerox - 275 jobs in NY
MeadWestvaco - 2,000 jobs
IBM - 2,800 jobs
Lincoln National - 540 jobs
Ambercrombie & Fitch - 50 jobs
Harley-Davidson - 1,100 jobs
Huntsman - 1,175 jobs, 490 contractors
Burlington Santa Fe - 2,500 jobs
UAL - 1,000 jobs
Autodesk - 750 jobs
Marshall & Ilsley - 830 jobs
General Electric - 1,000 jobs
Ecolab - 1,000 jobs
Delta Air Lines - 2,000 get early retirement
Motorola - 4,000 jobs
Google - 100 jobs
Cummins - 800 jobs, salary freeze in place for the rest of the year
Mosaic - 1,000 jobs
Textron - 2,000 jobs
Best Buy - 500 jobs
Precision Castparts - 40 jobs
Oracle - 500 jobs
Freeport-McMoRan - 1,550 jobs
Smithfield Foods' - 75 jobs at Missouri plant
Union Pacific - 230 jobs
General Dynamics - 179 jobs
Walgreen - 1,000 jobs
EMC - 2,400 jobs
Alcoa - 13,500 jobs, salary and hiring freeze globally
Aqua Glass (Masco) - 30 jobs
Cigna - 1,100 jobs
United States Steel - 50 jobs, Texas production closed

I cannot begin to imagine the feeling of not knowing whether or not you are going to have a job by the end of the day. Hopefully the newly proposed economic stimulus plan will help to alleviate some of the pressures of this failing economy, I guess time will be the truth serum.

I will say that I actually enjoy reading the White House website. I love the fact that President Obama (love saying that!!!) is allowing the public that elects these officials into office the opportunity to see what's going on.

Finally, and on a slightly lighter accord...there are times when a really cute commercial catches my eye. I must say that the commercial below I LOVE not only for the message behind it, but it is sooo adorable and the old lady looking out the window has the best reaction! I hope you enjoy it also!!!!



Have a great day!!

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