American Stationery Company, Inc. was presented the 2009 Fred Nicotera Award for The Best of the Best for industry excellence from the Worldwide Printing Thermographers Association (WPT). The winning entry, "The Celebration of Cole Porter" invitation, was framed with the award and presented to American Stationery at the WPT's annual awards dinner on July 11, 2009.

Peru, IN (PRWEB) -- The 12th Annual Excellence in Thermography Awards were presented at the close of this year's Worldwide Printing Thermographers Association annual conference. Dubbed the "Freddie" awards, after Fred Nicotera, the "Father of Thermography," the awards are given to companies for their use and application of the thermographic process (raised printing) on items in a wide range of categories.

Winning the first place Freddie award for the "Social Announcements / Invitations, 100% Thermographed" category, American Stationery's entry also took home the highest honor of the evening, the Fred Nicotera Award for The Best of the Best. The entry, a gala invitation designed to honor the late Cole Porter, was chosen for the award from over 400 entries in this year's contest.

Contest entries were judged at the WPT headquarters in Nashville, TN and displayed at the conference before the awards dinner on Saturday. "To have this work selected by our industry as the Best of the Best is a great honor," says Guy Luttrell, V.P. of Production. "This award recognizes our company and its

By June Soh
Washington-VOA News

As corporations in America cut hundreds of thousands of jobs, there are reports that some of the newly unemployed are starting their own businesses. New ventures, however, often face challenges. And in Washington, DC, there is a company where entrepreneurs can share space and resources as well as connect with others who are facing common challenges.

Adrian Constantyn is a graphic designer and illustrator. He was recently laid off from a publishing company where he had worked for years as an assistant art director. "I found that it didn't make sense to me to go seek out another job since there were not

(inan.info)-By VOA News

Oil giants Royal Dutch Shell and BP announced record profits for the first quarter of this year, driven by the surging price of crude oil.

Royal Dutch Shell says its first quarter net income jumped 25 percent to more than nine billion dollars. BP says its profits soared 63 percent to about $7.6 billion.

Both companies said oil and gas production remained unchanged during the quarter.

Exxon Mobil is scheduled to report its first quarter results May 1. Some economists expect the company will also announce record profits.

ConocoPhillips said April 24 its first quarter profit rose 17 percent to more than $4 billion.

Meanwhile, oil prices continued to ease downward from Monday's record high of almost $120 a barrel after British refinery workers ended a two-day strike.

The strike shut down production at the Grangemouth refinery and forced the closure of a

(inan.info)-By Brian Padden
Washington


Farmers around the world would seem to benefit from rising food prices. But as VOA's Brian Padden reports, rising costs, limited natural resources and government restrictions prevent many farmers from getting rich.

Farming
For Texas rice farmer Ray Stoesser, rising food prices are tempered by the increased costs of fuel, transportation and other supplies. He says, "Fertilizer went up $80 a ton last week. It seems like when we need it, everything goes up."

In Thailand, farmer Khun Ton expects to have a good year but he says he must limit the amount of land he uses to cultivate rice. "I have more

(inan.info)-Maureen Bunyan to Host Citizens by Choice: Women in Business Leadership

Washington, DC-On Wednesday, June 11, at 7:30 PM, the National Archives will host a panel discussion on Citizens by Choice: Women in Business Leadership. The event will take place in the William G. McGowan Theater of the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, located on the National Mall at Constitution Avenue and 7th Street, NW.

Many Americans are surprised to learn that there is a large and growing group of immigrant women entrepreneurs and business leaders who are rapidly making their mark in the U.S. business sector, in every region of the country and across a wide range of industries. Their talents and skills have positively contributed to the evolution of business and industry. What are the challenges they face, and how have they used gender and nationality as strengths in building their businesses?

WJLA news anchor Maureen Bunyan moderates a

(inan.info)-President Bush met with small and mid-sized business owners to discuss temporary tax incentives in the economic growth package. In February 2008, President Bush signed into law an economic growth package that will boost our economy by putting money back into the hands of American workers and businesses. This growth package meets the criteria the President laid out in January – it amounts to more than $152 billion, or about one percent of GDP, provides tax rebates to more than 130 million American households, and offers temporary tax incentives for businesses to

(inan.info)-By Scott Stearns
White House/Voanews
President Bush says the government will intervene again if further action is needed to stabilize U.S. financial markets. The president made the comments a day after U.S. officials issued a $30 billion line of credit to prevent the collapse of one of Wall Street's biggest investment banks. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns has the story.

Employees listen as U.S. President George W. Bush (R) makes remarks on Trade Policy at the Jacksonville Port Authority, Inc. in

(inan.info)-ST. LOUIS, March 11, 2008 -- Citing irregularities with the process of the competition and the evaluation of the competitors' bids, The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has filed a formal protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO), asking the agency to review the decision by the U.S. Air Force to award a contract to a team of Northrop Grumman and European Aeronautic Defence and

(inan.info)-Washington, DC - Problems that began in the U.S. mortgage markets have led to the most serious international economic crisis since the late 1990s. Huge losses and concern about credit quality have spread far beyond the housing sector. America faces the prospect of a sharp recession, made all the likelier by the probable default of several million additional mortgages in the coming year and the resulting displacement of millions of families.

To avert a recession, or at least diminish its severity, Congress and President Bush recently collaborated to pass an economic stimulus package, and the Federal Reserve has lowered interest rates. But the unusual nature of the problems means that these measures, while necessary, are not sufficient. Determining what must be added to the policy mix requires understanding how this economic crisis is different from all

First Ever Global Maps Reveal Spread and Severity of Marine Invasive Species

HONOLULU, HAWAI'I — — Eighty-four percent of the world’s coasts – including those in Hawai‘i – are being affected by foreign aquatic species, according to a new Nature Conservancy study published today in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.

This study represents the first quantitative global assessment of the impacts and causes of marine invasive species, and evaluates where they are located, how they are transported, and which species are the most harmful to native habitats.

Hawai‘i is named as an ecoregion with high levels of invasion, with 73 marine invasive species, 42 percent of which are considered harmful and are disrupting multiple species or wider ecosystems. San Francisco tops the list with 85 species, 66 percent considered harmful. (The study only includes species for which there is scientific data available on the ecological impact, and local scientists believe there may be many more marine invasive species in Hawai‘i.)

Likely pathways for the spread of these invasive species in Hawai‘i are