• January 2010 - Volume 1, Issue 1
• March 2010 - Volume 1, Issue 2
• May 2010 - Volume 1, Issue 3
• June 2010 - Volume 1, Issue 4

WASHINGTON D.C., March 20, 2009 — For the second consecutive year, PST, Inc. has been selected for the 2009 Best of North Charleston Award in the Computer Training category by the U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA).

The USLBA “Best of Local Business” Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USLBA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

Nationwide, only 1 in 70 (1.4%) 2008 Award recipients qualified as 2009 Award Winners. Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2009 USLBA Award Program focused on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USLBA and data provided by third parties.

CONTACT:
U.S. Local Business Association
Email: PublicRelations@USLocalBusinessAssociation.com

Air Mobility Command

News Release

OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Scott Air Force Base, Illinois 62225-5335

Release No.: 09-R1

Date: 19 May 2009

AIR MOBILITY COMMAND ANNOUNCES DATES FOR RODEO 2009

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill., (AMCNS) – Ingrid Tugwell nominated to represent Charleston Air Force Base as Honorary Commander participant in RODEO 2009, Air Mobility Command’s premier mobility competition, will take place July 19 – 25, 2009 at McChord Air Force Base, Wash.

The international competition focuses on readiness, and features airdrops, aerial refueling and other events which will showcase the unique and wide-ranging capabilities of military security forces, and aerial port, maintenance and aeromedical evacuation personnel.

More than 100 teams and 2,500 people from the Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, as well as allied nations, are expected to participate.

The last biennial competition took place in July 2007 at McChord AFB.  While the operations tempo remains high, Maj. Gen. Brooks Bash, Air Mobility Command Directorate of Operations and RODEO 2009 commander, says it’s important that AMC continue this key event.

“RODEO showcases AMC’s best of the best and allows us to train and learn through spirited competition,” said General Bash.  “Not only does this world-class competition train mobility forces for the fight, it provides a forum for Airmen and our international partners to share the best of tactics and techniques.  Improvement and cooperation are essential in our continued participation in overseas contingency operations.”
RODEO competitions are designed as military training events and are not open to the public.  Media wishing to cover RODEO should contact AMC/PAC.

First, please check the Palmettobug Digital website for the most recent article on Avoiding False Economies. While we are all keen on saving money these days, you need to beware of making price your primary consideration and thereby costing yourself more in the long run. This article will give you some examples of how this can happen and what the consequences might be.

In PC news, Windows 7 should ship in October of this year. Before that retail version ships though, many people are testing out the Release Candidate version. This is a pre-release version of the operating system that is fairly close to the final edition that will ship. From both my experiences with Windows 7 and what others are saying, I think that Microsoft has finally gotten it right. In short, Windows 7 is everything that Vista should have been - fast, stable, and user friendly. Expect Windows 7 to be a big hit. Additionally, the next version of Microsoft Office is currently in development, is expected to go into testing next month, and should be released either late this year or very early next.

On the Apple side, the next version of Mac OSX is due out soon. Apple’s developer conference, WWDC, will be held next week and more details should emerge then. Also, the next version of the iPhone will probably be announced. I have been using the beta version of the new iPhone operating system, OS 3.0, and it is stable and chocked full of great features such as cut-and-paste and global search. With the new versions of both platforms expect there to be more integration, increased usability, and improved speed. And if you are interested in automating repetitive process on your Mac, you will want to check out my review of the new book AppleScript 1-2-3. This book has been a long time coming, but is well worth the wait.

Still in the Apple realm but of more local interest, I will be teaching an “Introduction to the Macintosh” course at PST - Productivity Solutions & Training in North Charleston on July 30th. The full day class will include such topics as navigation, system customization, printing, and basic networking. To register for the class just go to the Application Training Schedule on PST’s website. Or you can call them at (843) 529-0098. This should be a great class and if it proves popular we will look at doing more of them and on various Apple topics.

Finally, now that I have mentioned PST, I would like to let you know about the partnership I have formed with them. In addition to maintaining Palmettobug Digital, I will now be serving as PST’s Director of Consulting. While the partnership is new, the relationship is not. I have been working with PST in various forms since 1995. PST specializes in providing comprehensive training and consulting services to individuals, companies and the government. They are affiliated with Microsoft as a Microsoft Certified Partner for Learning Solutions  and also provide industry certification testing as a Prometric and Certiport testing facility. So, now in addition to the support and development services I was able to offer, a wide variety of personal and corporate training is now available.

In closing, if there is anything I can do to help you - from websites and databases to training or machine repair - please let me know. And if you would pass this newsletter on to your friends and colleagues it would be greatly appreciated.

Michael Carnell
Palmettobug Digital

Emotional intelligence involves being sensitive to other people’s emotions. Sounds “soft”, doesn’t it? But the impact it can have on your agency’s success is staggering! The modern workplace is characterized by open communication, teamwork, and a mutual respect amongst employees and those that lead them. In today’s age you must understand how to read (and send) the right message, using all of the tools available to us — yes, that includes using our emotional intelligence. This topic is so important the Project Management Institute uses it as a basis for their 12-month Leadership Institute Masters Course.

Yes, it’s that important.

Ingrid Tugwell is President and CEO of PST, Inc. She brings with her a wealth of both teaching and business experience with her, having run her own successful small business for 15 years and from working with local, state, and federal agencies as integral parts of their training programs. She was named in the “40 under 40″ by the Charleston Business Journal and represents SC Small Business in Washington, DC as Honorary Chairman of the Business Advisory Council. Under Ingrid’s leadership PST has received the Best of North Charleston award for computer training by the US Local Business Association, Small Business of the Month, and a variety of other awards given by the Mayor of Charleston, Charleston Regional Business Journal, and the Charleston Chamber of Commerce.

We arrived at the Beijing airport on March 16 for a wonderful week of exploration. While we were allowed to explore and travel freely there was a subtle government presence, for instance we were not allowed to ask political questions while at Tian An Men Square and had a government guide to and from the airport.

A construction boom is taking place in Beijing and Shanghai. There are more cranes in use in China than any other place besides Dubai. Shanghai was a dynamic city that mixed the old city (with English and French influences) with the new ultra-modern section. The new Shanghai has been built over the past 19 years and has many dramatic skyscrapers with multi-story video screens set into the buildings and lighting displays. There are hundreds of thousands of cars now in use, causing significant congestion in Beijing and Shanghai. Many citizens travel by electric motor scooters or bicycles. There are even separate lanes for those on scooters and bikes.

U.S. brands are prevalent with KFC, McDonalds and Starbucks all over the major cities. We even found two newspapers in English. Internet and television are exposing them to the world where they follow American politics and sports. There are several government TV stations and dozens of foreign language stations available (including CNBC, CNN and HBO). I saw a Chinese young man watching an episode of “Friends” with Chinese subtitles on his laptop.

Real estate was interesting because you can purchase a home (not land), with a 20 percent down payment, pay the balance over 30 years, with five percent interest. The government owns the land on which the home is located and after 70 years the home (even if it’s fully paid for) reverts back to the government. The government also at any time can take one’s home. If this is done, another home is provided. Homeowners pay a property tax once - when the house is purchased. The average cost of apartments in the cities is $120,000. There are no elevators in apartment buildings under 10 floors, so the lower the floor, the more valuable the apartment.

It was an exciting trip learning about the Chinese culture. In general, policies have moved to more freedoms and openness. The people we encountered depicted: joyousness, efficiency, conscientiousness, good senses of humor and very friendly to Americans.

Murdaugh has extensive experience in graphic design, office applications, and instruction.

PST Charleston, a Microsoft certified partner, provides technical training, professional development, business consulting, and government services. PST Charleston is a locally owned and operated company that has been in business since 1994. PST Charleston builds long-term relationships with every customer they serve by providing exceptional value, consistent quality training and consulting, competitive pricing and outstanding customer service.

Carnell has many years of business and development experience as well as both technical and application instructional experience on both Windows and Macintosh platforms. Additionally he possesses multiple industry certifications and has been published extensively on programming and software applications.

PST Charleston, a Microsoft certified partner, provides technical training, professional development, business consulting, and government services. PST Charleston is a locally owned and operated company that has been in business since 1994. PST Charleston builds long-term relationships with every customer they serve by providing exceptional value, consistent quality training and consulting, competitive pricing and outstanding customer service.

Dan Furlong, facilitator, has had a long standing relationship with PST Charleston and has done an outstanding job with the project management courses.

Click here to see the current Project Management course schedule.

Maurice spoke to fifth graders at Sangaree Intermediate School on Friday, January 30.  Various positions in the computer field were discussed and several questions were asked by the students as to the experience necessary, his title and what education was required for his line of work.

Mr. Noisette’s son, Nicholas J. Noisette, attends Sangaree Intermediate as a fifth grader and was thrilled to have his dad speak.