$20 million to wrestle
LOS ANGELES (AP)—Floyd Mayweather Jr. is a champion boxer and has tested his moves on “Dancing With the Stars.” Now the man many consider the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world is preparing to drop the gloves and do some wrasslin.’ A $20 million payday awaits the undefeated WBC welterweight champion when he takes on Big Show as part of WWE’s “WrestleMania XXIV” at Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla., on March 30. “It’s entertainment. You have a chance to just be you and do what you want to do,” Mayweather said Monday after a chaotic Staples Center event that masqueraded as a news conference.

That guy is huge though...

Man amasses black history treasure trove
PHILADELPHIA - As a child growing up in the 1940s, Charles Blockson was once told by a white teacher that black people had made no contributions to history. Even as a fourth-grader, Blockson, who is black, knew better. So he began collecting proof. Today, the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection at Temple University contains more than 30,000 historical items, some dating to the 16th century. It includes Paul Robeson's sheet music, African Bibles, rare letters and manuscripts, slave narratives, correspondence of Haitian revolutionaries and a first-edition book by W.E.B DuBois.

Obama may face grilling on patriotism

WASHINGTON - Sen. Barack Obama's refusal to wear an American flag lapel pin along with a photo of him not putting his hand over his heart during the National Anthem led conservatives on Internet and in the media to question his patriotism. Now Obama's wife, Michelle, has drawn their ire, too, for saying recently that she's really proud of her country for the first time in her adult life. Conservative consultants say that combined, the cases could be an issue for Obama in the general election if he wins the nomination, especially as he runs against Vietnam war hero Sen. John McCain.

Do these little gestures really define a person's level of patriotism? I'm sure there are a few people out there who place their hands over their heart and feel nothing during the National Anthem. What about those who don't even know the words?

Consumer prices rise again in January

WASHINGTON - Consumer prices rose by a bigger-than-expected amount in January, reflecting big increases in the cost of food and health care, the government reported Wednesday. The Labor Department said that its closely watched Consumer Price Index posted a gain of 0.4 percent last month, matching the December increase and was higher than economists had expected.

Obama's On a Roll

Obama scores 10th straight victory

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama added Wisconsin and Hawaii to a primary season winning streak that now totals 10 and has put Hillary Rodham Clinton into a virtual must-win scenario in Democratic contests coming early next month in Texas and Ohio.

China media, public angered by Spielberg

BEIJING - Hollywood director Steven Spielberg's decision to quit the Beijing Olympics over the Darfur crisis is drawing condemnation by China's state-controlled media and a groundswell of criticism from the Chinese public. Last week, the American director withdrew from his role as an artistic adviser to the opening and closing ceremonies of the Summer Games, accusing China of not doing enough to press for peace in the troubled Sudanese region.
Officially, the Chinese government has not directly criticized Spielberg by name, expressing only "regret" over his decision. But the state-run media and the public have been far less restrained.

Proud Mary- Tina Turner

Wow!!! Energetic!!!
You don't have a lot of singers today who can put down a performance like that.

Show Love everyday, not just today

But thy eternal summer shall not fade Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st; Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.- William Shakespeare

BlackBerry service out in N. America
NEW YORK - A major service outage afflicted users of the popular, addictive BlackBerry smart phones across the United States and Canada on Monday, wireless carriers said. Officials with AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless said BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. told them customers of all wireless carriers were affected. It was not immediately clear how many BlackBerry subscribers had problems, as some users reported being able to access their service normally Monday afternoon. The BlackBerry service, which lets users check e-mail and access other data services on their handheld devices, has become a lifeline for many business executives and is increasingly popular among consumers with models like the BlackBerry Pearl.
Things happen. Technology isn't foolproof. Hopefully it was "too much of an inconvenience" to the hoards of Wall St. businessmen & women.

Doctors use Wii games for rehab therapy
CHICAGO - Some call it "Wiihabilitation." Nintendo's Wii video game system, whose popularity already extends beyond the teen gaming set, is fast becoming a craze in rehab therapy for patients recovering from strokes, broken bones, surgery and even combat injuries.

I have heard so many people talk about of much fun the Wii is and it's a good thing where you can find a way to make exercise or in this physical therapy enjoyable.

Macy's to cut about 2,300 jobs

CINCINNATI - Macy's Inc. said Wednesday it will cut about 2,300 management jobs as the department store operator consolidates three regional divisions and decentralizes buying in a bid to reduce costs and boost sales. The announcement came as Macy's announced separately that it had a steeper-than-expected drop in sales in January at established stores and that earnings in its fiscal year would be below Wall Street estimates. Shares fell almost 5 percent on the news. The Cincinnati-based retailer has been struggling with disappointing sales and resistance from shoppers in some markets where the Macy's name replaced local favorites it absorbed as part of its acquisition of May Department Stores Co. in 2005 amid efforts to build a national brand.

I guess Macy's isn't the same everywhere. Macy's Herald Square is a nightmare on most days. I wish I knew where all those people cam from. A little reorganization to their current business structure may be what this company needs to improve on its sales. It is never good when jobs are lost to it though.

Monster.com commercial Guy with Big Legs

I just love this commercial for some reason.

BUS200- Chapter 1 Review

Management is the process of working with & through other to achieve organizational objectives in a changing environment. It involves managing people, finances, technology
Management is said to be a social process.

Some managers fail in areas such as communication, skill level, adapting to change, meeting business objectives and/or spending too much time micro managing employees.

The difference between effectiveness and efficiency is that effectiveness entails achieving a stated organizational objective whilst, efficiency refer to the resources used to achieved an objective against what was actually accomplished. There must be a balance between the two in order to receive the best outcome.

Managers are required to be able to make the best of limited resources such as land, labor and capital, as well as adapt to a changing environment( being able to adapt and adjust to changing circumstances).

Offshoring or outsourcing is the practice of sending jobs to low-wage countries.

5 sources of change affecting managers today

Globalization- international business. This forces managers to become more culturally diverse and more competitive within the international market.
Product quality evolution- The fix-it approach to quality & The inspect-it-in approach to quality which basically dealt with addressing and fixing problems after they have occurred. Whilst The build-it-in approach to quality and The design-it-in approach to quality more effectively tries to foresee and address problems before they occur.
Environmentalism- in the past it was jobs versus the environment. Now a healthy environment is helping to create jobs. Finding a better way of doing business without harming the environment.
Ethical Reawakening- managers are under heavy attack and scrutiny by the public and other groups to maintain certain standards.
E-Business & the Internet- the internet has become an outlet for businesses/ managers to conduct business transactions, as well as buy and sell goods/services to potential consumers.

TBC

Chrysler supplier files for bankruptcy

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Chrysler LLC scrambled to maintain its inventory of plastic parts after a supplier filed for bankruptcy protection.
Engineered Products Inc. apparently failed to negotiate a bailout package with its customers,The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
Dearborn-based Plastech agreed to supply Chrysler through the weekend, spokeswoman Michele Tinson said.
The bankruptcy filing had not forced Chrysler to shut down any plants, Tinson said. "But it could potentially," she said. "It could impact a number of plants."
Calls to Plastech headquarters were not answered late Friday.
Chrysler was Plastech's fourth-largest customer, The Journal said. The company has 8,000 employees at more than 30 plants in North America.

I hope this doesn't lead to layoffs.