Wednesday, February 24, 2010

If We Only Knew

Like many of the readers of this blog, we all have been besieged by our parents as youngsters to get rid of the excess "junk" in your rooms. Today you get besieged by your management to maintain an uncluttered workplace. Now we learn that if you had kept that 1938 Action Comic with Superman involved for the firs time, you could have gained a cool million for a minimal investment of a dime. How's that for a return on investment?

Promotion Announcement

Bruce A. Michaels has joined Sudath Relocation Systems of Fort Lauderdale as director of relocation management. He brings more than 30 years of relocation industry experience to Suddath Relocation Systems, a leader in worldwide corporate and household relocations, corporate facility moving, warehousing and logistics.  In his new role, Michaels is responsible for bringing South Florida businesses customized solutions for a range of needs -- from streamlining office and industrial moving and managing furniture, fixture and equipment (FF&E) issues, to providing flexible, cost-effective warehousing and logistics support.   He is based at Suddath Relocation Systems of Fort Lauderdale’s state-of-the-art commercial warehousing facility in Deerfield Beach.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Relocation Announcement

Lucy is moving to the Bay Area. The Portland, Ore.-based activewear clothing company and retailer will relocate its headquarters to San Leandro, which is also home to VF Corp.-owned North Face. Only about one dozen of Lucy’s 95 headquarters employees are expected to move with the company. That means Lucy will hire about 50 people in the Bay Area for product, retail, marketing and operations positions. The move will take place by the end of August, and Lucy will need to lease additional office space, said Paul Mason, a spokesman for VF Corp. ( From the San Francisco Business Journal)

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Manpower hints at social media change

Social networks are morphing into "commercial networks" for businesses and will transform the world of work with the profitable opportunities they hold for both individuals and prospective employers, according to Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN), a world leader in the employment services industry. Organizations can tap previously invisible and inaccessible pools of talent in the form of virtual workforces via the connective power of social media.
"Social networks are really a misnomer because they are turning into commercial entities and changing the way companies do business," said Jeff Joerres, Manpower Inc. Chairman and CEO. "Groups of individuals who, in the past, could not participate in the traditional workforce for religious or cultural reasons, or because of disabilities can now work virtually through social networks. These untapped but highly-skilled workers are critical in the face of an aging global workforce and worsening talent mismatch."

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

It is that time of year again

Yes, it's that magical time of year again when the Darwin Awards are bestowed, honouring the least evolved among us.
Here is the glorious winner:

1. When his 38 calibre revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach , California would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder.  He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again.  This time it worked.

And now, the honourable mentions:

2. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat cutting machine and after a little shopping around, submitted a claim to his insurance company.  The company expecting negligence sent out one of its men to have a look for himself.  He tried the machine and he also lost a finger.  The chef's claim was approved.

3. A man who shovelled snow for an hour to clear a space for his car during a blizzard in Chicago returned with his vehicle to find a woman had taken the space.  Understandably, he shot her.

4. After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from Harare to Bulawayo had escaped.  Not wanting to admit his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride.  He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies.  The deception wasn't discovered for 3 days.

5. An American teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train.  When asked how he received the injuries, the lad told police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit.

6. A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change.  When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided.  The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter.  The total amount of cash he got from the drawer... $15. [If someone points a gun at you and gives you money, is a crime committed?]

7. Seems an Arkansas guy wanted some beer pretty badly.  He decided that he'd just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run.  So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window.  The cinder block bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious.  The liquor store window was made of Plexiglas.  The whole event was caught on videotape.

8. As a female shopper exited a New York convenience store, a man grabbed her purse and ran.  The clerk called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give them a detailed description of the snatcher.  Within minutes, the police apprehended the snatcher.  They put him in the car and drove back to the store.  The thief was then taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID.  To which he replied, "Yes, officer, that's her.  That's the lady I stole the purse from."

9. The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti , Michigan at 5 A.M., flashed a gun, and demanded cash.  The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn't open the cash register without a food order.  When the man ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't available for breakfast.  The man, frustrated, walked away.
 [*A 5-STAR STUPIDITY AWARD WINNER]

10. When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle street, he got much more than he bargained for.  Police arrived at the scene to find a very sick man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage.  A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline, but he plugged his siphon hose into the motor home's sewage tank by mistake.  The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges saying that it was the best laugh he'd ever had.

Thursday, February 04, 2010

Are we our Brothers Keeper?

Found a notation on line that made reference to the fact that in many cities, those families who are now receiving assistance have at least one person in the household who is working full time. The full article can be found at http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/feb/03/workers-hungry-too-study-finds/