iLLuMiNaTa - The Enlighten One's

The Illuminati has surfaced from the shadows to carry out the final phase of its legendary vendetta against its most hated enemy... the Catholic Church.

Langdon's worst fears are confirmed on the eve of the Vatican's holy conclave, when a messenger of the Illuminati announces he has hidden an unstoppable time bomb at the very heart of Vatican City. With the countdown under way, Langdon jets to Rome to join forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and mysterious Italian scientist, to assist the Vatican in a desperate bid for survival.

Embarking on a frantic hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra follow a 400-year old trail of ancient symbols that snakes across Rome toward the long-forgotten Illuminati lair... a secret location that contains the only hope for Vatican salvation.

An explosive international thriller, ANGELS & DEMONS careens from enlightening epiphanies to dark truths as the battle between science and religion turns to war...

Dan Brown Profile

Brown is interested in cryptography, keys, and codes, which are a recurring theme in his stories. Currently his novels have been translated into more than 40 languages.

Although many perceive Brown's books as anti-Christian, Brown states on his website that he is a Christian and says of his book The Da Vinci Code that it is simply "an entertaining story that promotes spiritual discussion and debate" and suggests that the book may be used "as a positive catalyst for introspection and exploration of our faith".

The Solomon Key

Brown is working on a new novel, called The Solomon Key, which will reportedly take place in Washington D.C., and feature the "secret" society of the Freemasons. An exact release date has not been announced, but the most common media speculation says 2008. Brown's promotional website states that puzzles hidden in the book jacket of The Da Vinci Code (including two referring to the Kryptos sculpture at CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia) give hints about the subject of this novel. This repeats a theme from some of Brown's earlier work. For example, a puzzle at the end of the book Deception Point decrypts to the message, "The Da Vinci Code will surface."

Novels

• Digital Fortress, 1998
• Angels & Demons, 2000
  • Angels and Demons, Special Illustrated Edition, 2005, Atria. ISBN 0-7432-7506-3
• Deception Point, 2001
• The Da Vinci Code, 2003
  • The Da Vinci Code, Special Illustrated Edition, 2004, Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-51375-5
• The Solomon Key, in development, will possibly be published in 2008

Movies

• The Da Vinci Code, 2006 (Brown is listed as executive producer)
• Angels & Demons, mid-2009

DOWNSIZING

• Downsizing or doing layoffs is a toxic solution. Used sparingly and with planning downsizing can be an organizational lifesaver, but when layoffs are used repeatedly without a thoughtful strategy, downsizing can destroy an organization's effectiveness. How you treat people really matters - to the people who leave and the people who remain.
• One outcome of downsizing must be to preserve the organization's intellectual capital.
• How downsized employees are treated directly affects the morale and retention of valued, high-performing employees who are not downsized.
• Downsizing should never be used as a communication to financial centers or investors of the new management's tough-minded, no-nonsense style of management -- the cost of downsizing far outweighs any benefits thus gained.


Electronics giant Toshiba, hit by the collapse in computer chip prices, is to axe 18,800 jobs.

The firm, Japan's largest chipmaker, has confirmed media reports that it is to cut its global workforce by 10%. Toshiba is also exploring a tie-up with European rival Infineon, which has reported a slump of almost two thirds in profits at its memory chip division.

The moves provide further evidence of the difficulties besetting Japan's tech sector, still reeling from the announcement a week ago that Fujitsu was cutting 16,400 posts. Hitachi, Japan's largest electronics manufacturer is also considering cutting 20,000 posts, a report by a Japanese newspaper said on Sunday.

Hitachi on Monday confirmed it was to cut 800 jobs by March at its electronic materials and household chemicals unit, Hitachi Chemical, with news of more widespread cuts not expected for a fortnight.
Toshiba blamed the job losses, which will be enacted by March 2004, on the deteriorating business climate, which has affected firms in technology sectors particularly badly.

"The dramatic economic slowdown that began in the US at the end of 2000 is becoming a global phenomenon that has undermined worldwide demand for IT," the firm said in a statement. The majority of jobs culled - about 17,000 - will go from operations in Japan, where six of 21 factories will be closed.
A further 10,000 staff will be encouraged to shift posts within the group.

"With this action plan we want to regenerate the company," company president Tadashi Okamura said.

Resources:

http://humanresources.about.com/od/layoffsdownsizing/a/downsizing.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/1511308.stm

Rupture of silence, the breaking of dawn,

I expect nothing, no more fun;

The times are hard, the days are long,

I lost nothing, neither I won………

I am pathetic, so I feel;

Why can’t I change, but do I need???

I don’t pretend, like you;

You are happy, but are you????

Yesterday is no more,

Tomorrow I may be gone….

I may not live the next day,

So don’t ignore me today…….

What I am doing?

I try to find the answer;

But it’s illusive,

I have nothing to offer…..