Microsoft announced today that they are eliminating another 800 jobs worldwide.  This includes several dozen jobs in Massachusetts, and some in Washington state as part of a larger effort to cut costs and increase efficiency.  Employees may be told as soon as today. 

The layoffs will affect everyone from Rare, Games for Windows, to about a quarter of the Massive team.

Microsoft full statement: “Earlier this year, we announced that in order to reduce costs, increase efficiency and prioritize our focus areas, we would eliminate approximately 5,000 positions by June 2010.  Today, we are eliminating around 800 positions spread across multiple businesses and locations and have completed our reduction plan sooner than we had anticipated 11 months ago.  At the same time, we continue to hire in priority areas, but also understand that continuing to manage our businesses closely, as we always do, can mean additional headcount adjustments.”

Microsoft has nearly 1,000 Massachusetts employees and expects to eliminate less than 4 percent of the workforce there…about 40 jobs.  About 50,000 people in the US have a job with Microsoft, and 40,000 of those employees are in Washington state.  Microsoft announced 5,000 global layoffs in January, so additional cuts now were unexpected.  After these cuts, Microsoft will have about 88,000 employees worldwide.

Source: Microsoft

Ohio voting results 2009, particularly Issue 2 Ohio results are hot.  Ohio voting results 2009 and Issue 2 Ohio results are among the many voting results that so many people are concerned about today.

Ohio voting results 2009 indicate that soon Ohio will be able to have Vegas style casinos in their very own state due to the passage of Issue 3 during the 2009 November elections.  Those who supported Issue 3 in the Ohio 2009 elections estimate that casinos will bring 34,000 jobs to the state.

Issue 2 Ohio results deal with livestock.  Unofficial results show that Issue 2 is passed.  This means that the state of Ohio will set up a Livestock Care Standards Board. The board will write standards that must be followed.

Issue 1 in Ohio was also supported during 2009.  Voting results indicate that a constitutional amendment will be passed. This amendment will give bonuses to Ohio residents that served during the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq conflicts.  Those who saw action will see $100 per month of service up to $1,000.  Families of veterans killed will receive $5,000 and those who were noncombatant will get $50 per month of service up to $500.

Maine election results 2009 are anticipated. The Maine gay marriage vote is important to Maine voters this election year.  Maine election results 2009 for the Maine gay marriage question 1 have many implications.

In May, Maine’s governor signed an order which legalized gay marriage in Maine.  Question 1 during the Maine election in 2009 centers on a “citizens veto” of legalized gay marriage.

So far, whenever a gay marriage repeal has been placed on a ballot, it’s been passed.  Citizens for the most part aren’t as excited about gay marriage as you may think.  Why not? Aren’t we free to love whoever we want? According to many people’s belief systems, they don’t want their children to be taught that marriage between a man/man or woman/woman is acceptable.

We need to respect the views of these people.  They either have religious beliefs or their own personal set of morals. However, a gay marriage repeal would prove devastating for gay couples across Maine.

The Maine gay marriage vote during the Maine election 2009 is important either way you look at it.  If legislation is passed, it will be that much harder for any new states to pass gay marriage legalization. If Question 1 is successfully defeated, it will show those that oppose gay marriage that their footing isn’t as strong as it used to be.

Virginia governor race results are in.  Virginia governor race results and Bob McDonnell are headline makers. Virginia election results are important to many – even those outside of Virginia.

For the first time in 8 years a Republican has won the VA governor race.  This is an important implication and shows politicians how their constituents can change their mind at any time.

The VA governor race was one of the three top November 2009 election races watched.  The 2009 elections are said to serve as some form of indication of how the 2010 mid-term elections will be.

People are tired of the current Administration.  That’s not to say that Democratic leadership is bad.  It’s just to say that people have always wanted change, but the change that they have been given isn’t good enough. 

The Virginia governor race results that indicate that Bob McDonnell won the first Republican governorship in 8 years is very strong. Maybe this will be enough to make sure that those charged with making our decisions know that they have to keep our interests at hand, lest they lose their positions.

The Virginia Governor race results are the first of many of the highly anticipated races to be called.  Will the night end in a Republican sweep? Only time will tell.

New Jersey election results for the NJ governor race is hot. The New Jersey election results for NJ governor race will undoubtedly be highly anticipated, as voters and politicians see if Republicans are gaining ground against the democrats.

Currently, voting locations for the NJ governor race are closed, and the votes must be counted.  As this article is written, the votes are only 2% counted with the Republican candidate in the lead.

Why do people all across the country care about the New Jersey election results and the NJ governor race? The NJ governor race is one of the top 3 anticipated races in the country because if the Republican contender wins, it will be the first time since 1997 that a Republican held the New Jersey governorship.

The results of the New Jersey election results are important because they will show politicians what their constituents want.  People are tired of the political drama going on in recent months. People are fed up and want to voice exactly what it is that they want.

While it is entirely possible that the New Jersey governor race will end in a Democrat victory, most are anticipating that the New Jersey election results will indicate a Republican victory for the first time since 1997.

Election results November 2009 are important. The election results in November 2009 are 2009’s most important political event.  The outcome of the November 20o9 elections will show politicians how their constituents feel about the current political atmosphere.

Three race outcomes are highly anticipated in November’s election.  They include the New Jersey Governorship, Virginia Governorship, and a race for a spot in the US House of Representatives in New York.

New York’s House race is very peculiar.  The Republican candidate dropped out when a Conservative candidate came on board.  The Conservative candidate received a number of endorsements, including one from Sarah Palin. The Republican candidate then backed the DEMOCRAT, in a jaw-dropping turn of events.

CNN has estimated that the Virginia race will be won by a Republican.  This is a trend away from the normal Democratic governorship.   I wouldn’t be surprised if other races had similar outcomes.

If more Republicans win races across the country in the November 2009 elections, you can be sure that it will shake things up a bit.  Democrats will be afraid to upset their constituents, lest they be next to hit unemployment in the 2010 mid-term elections.

Official November 2009 election results will be available on CNN.com.  You can click THIS LINK to go straight to November 2009 election results from CNN as they come in.

Black Friday deals 2009 are hot. Black Friday deals for 2009 for all retailers are hot. What Black Friday deals will be available at Wal-Mart for 2009?

 Black Friday deals have already been disclosed for a handful of retailers.  Sears is going to host “Black Friday Now” sales throughout November and December. Target has a site set up where consumers can enter their email address to receive Black Friday 2009 email updates.

 With all the speculation about Black Friday 2009 deals, we haven’t heard much about retail behemoth Wal-Mart.  One would think that Wal-Mart would have the best Black Friday deals of them all…after all Wal-Mart is all about cutting out the competition.

 Recently, Wal-Mart launched an attack against bookstores.  Wal-Mart and Amazon.com have lowered the price of highly anticipated hardback titles to just about $9.  This could pose a threat to local bookstores, that thrive on their loyal customer base.  Just how loyal do you think the customer base will stay when they can get a $30 book for $9?

 The Wal-Mart Black Friday deals 2009 will be the gold standard for the industry.  There will be thousands of Black Friday deals to be had at a multitude of retailers, but expect heavy crowds and amazing deals at your local Wal-Mart store.

 So far, only a few select Black Friday ads have been leaked.  They include Gander Mountain and Harbor Freight.

Holiday shoppers looking for good deals will be happy to learn that Sears’ “Black Friday” ads have been revealed.

Sears

Black Friday, which is the day after Thanksgiving, traditionally marks the beginning of Christmas shopping in the United States. Many retailers offer doorbuster sales as an incentive for shoppers.

A 48-page advertisement for Sears’ Black Friday sales has been revealed online.  The sales include jewelry, HDTVs, washers and dryers, digital cameras, and more.  The ads note that Sears will open its doors at 4 a.m. on Friday, November 27, 2009, to start the doorbuster sales.

Several Web sites online are dedicated to Black Friday sales for stores such as Sears, Toys ‘R’ Us, Target, Kmart, and more.  Here are a few to help shoppers get started:

• BlackFriday.fm 
• Black-Friday.net
• BFads.net
• BlackFriday.info
• BlackFriday.com

Know of some good Black Friday deals? Leave them in the comments below.

Jeffrey Chiang is a good example of what not to do to get a job.  He recently interviewed at Bank of America and when asked if he had any other offers, he said that he was in his second round of interviews at Morgan Stanley.  So Bank of America contacted Morgan Stanley who stated that he had only had a phone interview, and he claimed that he had an offer from Bank of America.  Chiang then provided proof of a job offer from Morgan Stanley (which they now knew was fake).  And the Bank of America forwarded the email to Morgan Stanley. Chiang also demanded to stay at the Four Seasons while there on his interview.

Here is the email chain of events:

From: Jeffrey Chiang
To: [Morgan Stanley]
Subject: FW: Bank of America Merrill Lynch Interviews

From: [Fake Bank of America ML Recruiter]
To: Jeffrey Chiang
Subject RE: Bank of America Merrill Lynch Interviews

Hi Jeff,

Everyone was very impressed with your interviews today. We are excited
to formally extend to you an offer to join Bank of Ameria [sic]
Merrill Lynch as an analyst next summer. You should be getting
documentation in the mail to sign very shortly. If you have any
further questions please feel free to email me. Again, congratulations
and we look forward to having you join us next year.

——————————

From: [Morgan Stanley]
To: [Bank of America ML]
Subject: FW: Bank of America Merrill Lynch Interviews

This is what Jeffrey sent Morgan Stanley to prove he received an offer
from your firm. Given you told me you dinged him, should I assume this
is fake? If so, that’s unbelievable and his school should be notified,
he shouldn’t get a job anywhere on Wall Street.

——————————

From: [Bank of America ML]
To: [Lehman Brothers], [UBS]
Subject: FW: Jeffrey Chiang

I don’t know if this guy has come up on your radar screens in terms of
analyst recruits, but you need to be warned about him. I should have
been tipped off by the fact that he ran a “5k marathon” on his resume.
I just figured something got lost in translation.

I interviewed him on campus, and while he was pretty weird/intense, he
seemed like somebody who would crank and potentially make for a good
analyst, so we waved him in for an office visit.

Things started going bad for him when I got a call from our HR
department about him during our Superday. In making his travel
arrangements with our travel agent, he had apparently made a big stink
about needing to stay at the Four Seasons and blow up on the travel
person. It was apparently bad enough that she went to the trouble to
inform our HR department.

Our Superday reviews on him were pretty mixed, nonetheless. He had
spent a summer at Gulfstar, so I did a bit of checking on him there,
and it became clear that they were also very unimpressed with the way
that he carried himself. So, we dinged him, but that is not where the
story ends.

He had told one of the associates in our office that he was in the
second round of interviews for MS’s Palo Alto office. Well, our
associate happened to mention this to his friend that works in the MS
Palo Alto office and the associate at MS said that Jeff had had only
had a phone interview but had indicated that he had an offer from
BAML. When the MS team asked him to send proof of his offer, he
manufactured the email below and forwarded to the MS team.

We have notified UT of this joker’s behavior, but needless to say,
this guy shouldn’t be able to get a job at McDonalds after a stunt
like this.

Walmart Money Card

Walmart offers a prepaid Visa money card where you can load money onto the card and then use it as a Visa credit card.  There are no loading fees, but a monthly fee does apply.  The fees for the Walmart Money Card use to be higher, but have been reduced to just $3.00.  It is by far the cheapest money card out there.

The Walmart Money card can be purchased at any Walmart location.  A bank account or credit check is not needed.  The card is then activated with a phone call. 

For more information: Walmart Money Card