Peanut Butter News

Full Story at CNN.com

CNN) — A man apparently angry over a poor performance evaluation entered an Ohio State University maintenance building early Tuesday and opened fire, killing a manager before turning the gun on himself, police said.

Larry Wallington, 48, a building services manager at the OSU Maintenance Building, was pronounced dead at the scene of the 3:30 a.m. ET shooting, Ohio State University Police Chief Paul Denton said. Wallington was a 10-year university employee, he said.

Full Story at NYTimes.com

JOSH SMITH is a large man with a shaved head, a goatee and a look in his eyes that can only be described as stoked. And he is never more stoked than when he talks about his job, one of the strangest at the General Motors Proving Grounds, here in this suburb 45 miles northwest of Detroit.

All day, he breaks G.M. parts.

Not just any parts. Mr. Smith is a member of Red X, a team of 33 engineers who study auto parts that are malfunctioning for reasons that have everyone stumped. The work is a little bit “CSI” and a little bit “MythBusters.” Red X takes working parts and methodically torments them in controlled experiments, hoping to re-enact the demise of ones that failed.

Full Story at ABCNews.go.com

Appearing on “Good Morning America” today Feinberg also responded to a senior Republican congressman who claimed that AIG has “taxpayers over a barrel.”

In a statement released Tuesday night Sen. Charles Grassley, the senior Republican on the Senate Finance Committee said “the Obama administration has been outmaneuvered. And the closed-door negotiations just add to the skepticism that the taxpayers will ever get the upper hand.”

Feinberg insisted he had not been “outmaneuvered” by the insurance giant.

Full Story at CNN.com

(CareerBuilder.com) — Higher education isn’t for everyone, and people have a variety of paths to choose from once they graduate from high school. They might know from the start that they want to go straight to the professional world.

Other new graduates often decide to try college for a semester to see how it goes and then realize it’s not for them.

While the decision to pursue a degree or to enter the work force is fraught with pros and cons, earning a lot of money isn’t. Not that money means everything, but wouldn’t we all like to see some bigger numbers on our next paycheck?

Full Story at NYTimes.com

The bill, introduced by Representative Luis V. Gutierrez, Democrat of Illinois, was seen as the opening volley in what Democrats and Republicans expect to be a hard-fought battle. President Obama has pledged to take up the issue early next year; efforts to overhaul the laws during George W. Bush’s presidency failed despite the backing of Mr. Bush and some Republicans.

Full Story at news.Yahoo.com

CHICAGO – Henry Ford would have hated 2009, and not just because it’s been a tough year to sell cars.

Ford, as the story goes, refused to do business on Friday the 13th, and this week marks the third time this year that the 13th will fall on a Friday — the most times it can happen in one year.

It’s a day when people rearrange travel plans, delay surgery or just pull up the covers and stay in bed until Friday the 13th turns into Saturday the 14th, convinced that even stepping out of the house would cause bad luck to find them the way an anvil finds the head of Wile E. Coyote.

“They’re afraid something tragic or ominous would happen,” said Donald Dossey, a North Carolina behavioral scientist and author who said he named the fear — paraskavedekatriaphobia — proof that he does not suffer from hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, the fear of long words.

Full Story at CNN.com

Now, actress Florence Henderson, otherwise known as Mrs. Brady, has a new mission: Helping older adults learn to use technology.

Her new business, Floh Club, is a “telephone-based technical support service” focusing on people who didn’t grow up with computers — especially grandparents who want to stay in touch with family but are intimidated by webcams, Facebook, instant messaging or even e-mail.

Henderson says Floh Club is “like roadside assistance for your computer.”

She spoke with CNN’s Josh Levs about her inspiration, her grandkids and “Brady Bunch” rumors as the show celebrates its 40th anniversary.

Full Story at CNN.com

(CareerBuilder) — Just like Vegas, what happens on the Internet, stays on the Internet. How that affects your job search is up to you.

Gone are the days when all you were concerned with was whether or not your résumé and cover letter were error-free.

Now, you’ve got bigger things to worry about — like what kind of personal information is floating around online.

Job seekers should not only manage how they come across in person, but on the Web, too.

We often forget that everything you post online, from your Facebook profile to your Amazon book reviews, is out there for others to see and judge.

Full Story at CNN.com

Lickteig runs a clothing store on eBay, where she’s a “Gold PowerSeller,” ranking among the top 1½ percent of merchants on the online marketplace.

The 35-year-old family practitioner says she earned $120,000 last year on eBay, more than she did practicing medicine.

“It’s just kind of this thrill,” she said. “It think it’s the thrill of having built up this business and just done it myself. I don’t have to get an MBA. I don’t have to have a storefront.”

As health care reform threatens to shake up the business of medicine, recruiting firms promote alternatives for doctors at pharmaceutical, biotechnology, insurance and investment banking firms. But eBay?

Full Story at CNN.com

With more than $6 billion in losses through June, the global airline industry is on track to outpace the initial yearlong prediction that it would lose $9 billion, said Brian Pearce, chief economist for the International Air Transport Association, which represents about 230 airlines.

“Airlines are in survival mode,” as they approach the end of the third quarter, Pearce said from his office in Geneva, Switzerland. “They’re trying to raise cash to carry them through, are starting to see some benefit, but they’ve got a very long way to go.”

Among the number of recent U.S. airline announcements meant to offset losses: A paring down of Southwest Airlines flights; the layoff of 921 flight attendants at American Airlines; a creeping up of baggage check-in fees at US Airways, among others; and the exclusive use of smaller, cheaper to operate regional jets for United flights out of St. Louis, Missouri.

Full Story at msnbc.com

LINCOLN, Neb. – Jackie Harpst expected a busy summer at her nonprofit housing agency, as work crews backed by Nebraska’s share of $5 billion in federal stimulus money headed out to seal windows and spread insulation.

Months after she thought work would begin, not a single window has been caulked. And she’s still not sure if her team will be able to get to work adding insulation before the summer heat passes — or even before the winter’s chill sets in.

“We’ve hired people and purchased equipment with the anticipation we’d be able to spend the money soon, and now, as we see it drag on and on, it’s just very frustrating,” said Harpst, housing director of the Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska.

Full Story at CNN.com

Working from home is the new casual Friday. It’s one of those perks that many employers have incorporated into their policies, but it’s still not the norm and most everyone wishes it were.

Employers have several reasons for wanting to limit the amount of work you do from home. They’re not just being sourpusses about the situation, even if that’s what you think. Most bosses who are hesitant to expand their telecommuting policies are afraid of giving employees too much room to mess up. Think about how many business casual experiments went awry when someone showed up in clothes more suitable for club-going. All you need is one blockhead to ruin it for everyone.

Many of these fears, however, are unfounded. At least that’s what Kate Lister and Tom Harnish say in their new book, “Undress for Success: The Naked Truth About Making Money at Home.