RPT-FEATURE-Downturn hits U.S. corporate meetings
ORLANDO, Fla., Dec 2 (Reuters) - The storm buffeting the U.S. economy threatens to swamp the $175 billion corporate meetings industry as companies seek to cut back on expenditure by reducing the number of conferences they hold.

FDA details year's progress on food protection plan
Dec 2, 2008 (CIDRAP News) ? The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a report yesterday detailing the first year of accomplishments in implementing its Food Protection Plan, a road map the agency presented in November 2007 in response to a spate of contamination incidents involving domestic and imported food.

JSA club members attend convention in state?s capital
Members of the Junior State of America (JSA) club at San Marcos High School attended a statewide political convention at the Texas Capital, last weekend.

When the Ax Falls Twice
"B oth of us?" I sputtered. It was all I could say when the publisher of the Missoulian , the daily newspaper in Missoula, Montana, quietly told my husband and me that we were both being laid off, effective immediately.

Part IV: Customer Service Symposium
At the recent customer service symposium Betty Stanton, spoke to the audience. She has a lot of experience in building a community. She is from Moab. She was a grant specialist with roots in the Moab area and she moved back ...

DAVID LAVOIE: The rising tide of narrow fundamentalism
RECENT events in Mumbai make it stunningly clear; the man we all need to fear is the armed fundamentalist of whatever ilk.

CVB on record pace
The Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau is on pace to set a record for advance bookings.

City sells self as convention destination
Statesville tourism representatives plan to attend the Association Executives of North Carolina annual trade show in December to promote the area as a destination spot for conventions and meetings.

Business calendar
#9830;The Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for the Athena Award, presented to an individual in the community who has attained and embodies the highest level of professional excellence in her or his business or profession, has devoted time and energy to improving the quality of life for others, and actively...

Joelle Leandre: Basse continue
2008 was a good year for French bass master Joelle Leandre: a biographical book A voix basse , assembling her talks with journalist and producer Frank Medioni; excellent discs, with bass comrade Barre Phillips? A l'improviste (Kadima Collective), with reed player Akosh S.?

Preparations in full swing to host Dubai Drink Technology Expo 2008
Preparations are in full swing to host the first Drink expo ever specialized in Beverage technology, liquid food and mineral water in the Middle East and North Africa Region, The Dubai Drink Technology Expo is scheduled on 14 - 16 December 2008, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Zaabeel Hall.

Legislators bill state $1.3 million for travel
State Sen. Tom Buford was one of at least seven legislators who got word recently of the state's $456 million revenue shortfall while attending a convention of lawmakers in Duck Key, Fla., at taxpayers' expense.

S.F. chamber hosts business forum
S.F. chamber hosts business forum The next Small Business Issues Forum, a monthly meeting sponsored by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, is scheduled Wednesday from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the chamber office at 235 Montgomery St. The brown-bag meeting...

Nutter Has New Campaign for Convention Business in Phila.
Mayor Michael Nutter announced a new campaign encouraging meeting planners, show organizers and local business leaders to bring or keep meetings and conventions in Philadelphia -- the campaign is called "bring it home."

Hotels optimistic amid economic downturn
Dismal forecasts for the U.S. hospitality industry have not crushed Bakersfield hoteliers' hopes that visitors will pack city hotels in 2009. Despite general agreement that next year will be the local industry's toughest since 2001, some tourism executives hope the city's relatively low hotel room rates will prove attractive through the slow economy. Others are worried that inexpensive rooms ...

Industry names in the news
Awards ? Starcom Design/Build has won three awards in the Maryland Remodelers competition sponsored by the Maryland Home Builders Association.

Tourism agency to tap reserves to promote city during economic downturn
Bracing for the prospect that Americans will grip their wallets more tightly and cut back on travel, the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation plans to dip into its reserve next year to finance tourism promotion and marketing efforts....

Education update
Dec. 8: Our Lady of Camarin holiday, no classes.

How to manage the demands of life with the call of Christ
The Juggling Act

Expressing Emotions In E-mail So As Not To Be Misinterpreted
How do people use emoticons, subject lines, and signatures to define how they want to be interpreted in email? The authors find that "a shift to email interaction requires a new set of interactional skills to be developed." Unlike face-to-face conversations, email interactions leave out tone of voice, body-language and context, which can lead to misunderstandings.