Posted: 20 Aug 2010 09:59 AM PDT

Published: Friday, August 20, 2010, 10:00 AM Updated: Friday, August 20, 2010, 10:32 AM

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Navy should discharge former astronaut Lisa Nowak, who lost her NASA job over a bizarre airport attack on a romantic rival, according to a Navy panel that reviewed her case.

The panel of three admirals made the recommendation Thursday after a daylong hearing at the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville.

The recommendation now goes to the Naval Personnel Command. A final decision will be made by the Secretary of the Navy. In the meantime, Nowak will continue working on the staff of the chief of Naval Air Training in Corpus Christi, Tex.

She flew on the space shuttle in 2006, but was dismissed from the astronaut corps after her arrest in 2007. There was no listed number for Nowak in Corpus Christi and Nowak's commanding officer in Texas didn't immediately return a call Friday.

The panel recommended downgrading Nowak from captain to commander and giving her a discharge of "other than honorable."

If the recommendation is accepted, the change in Nowak's rank means she will receive a pension at the rank of commander rather than captain. Additionally, only veterans who are discharged honorably can get benefits under the GI bill, said Stephen Strickland, a public affairs specialist at the Navy Region Southeast in Jacksonville.

Nowak was sentenced to a year on probation in November after pleading guilty to third-degree felony burglary and misdemeanor battery.

Nowak confronted her romantic rival, Colleen Shipman, in the parking lot of Orlando International Airport in February 2007 after driving from Houston. Shipman had begun dating Nowak's love interest, former space shuttle pilot Bill Oefelein.

Wearing a wig and trenchcoat, Nowak followed Shipman to the parking lot and tried to get into her car, then attacked her with pepper spray. Shipman was able to drive away.

--The Associated Press

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php
Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Need a job? Tattoo might be turnoff - Chicago Sun-Times

Posted: 21 Aug 2010 06:58 AM PDT

August 21, 2010

While visible tattoos and body piercings have become more acceptable in mainstream society, these forms of personal and artistic expression can still carry a stigma in the white-collar workplace, some experts say.

"When you present yourself in the workplace, you need to recognize that people will naturally make a judgment about how you look," said Sue Thompson, a workplace consultant and speaker based in Wilmington, Del. "You need to look like you mean business."

In certain industries where more conservative standards of appearance rule the day -- such as banking, law, accounting and insurance -- tattoos and body piercings can hurt your chances of landing a job or advancing in your career.

"As a job seeker, you have to judge whether the employer you are interviewing with is going to be accepting of your body art," said John Challenger, CEO of global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas Inc.

"If that is not the case, and that is where you really want to work, then you have to make an effort to conceal your tattoos and take out your piercings."

Employers might have a difficult time finding candidates without some type of body embellishment: The Food and Drug Administration estimates as many as 45 million Americans have at least one tattoo.

A 2010 Pew Research Center report revealed tattoos on 38 percent of Americans ages 18 to 29 and 32 percent of people ages 30 to 45.

Scripps Howard News Service

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Juju.com: Charlotte is middle of the pack for job seekers - Charlotte Business Journal

Posted: 13 Aug 2010 02:25 PM PDT

Charlotte ranks in the middle of the pack among the best U.S. cities for job seekers, according to career search engine Juju.com.

The Queen City is No. 22 among the 50 largest U.S. markets, Juju's Job Search Difficulty Index says.

The index is based on the ratio of jobless workers in a given market to job openings advertised online, which Juju compiles and lists on its website.

Washington, D.C., claimed the top spot among cities, with 1.18 jobless workers per advertised job, followed by San Jose, Calif.; New York; Baltimore; and Hartford, Conn.

Juju said the worst cities in which to find a job this month out of the 50 it ranks are Miami, with 9.41 jobless workers per available job, followed by Detroit; Las Vegas; Riverside, Calif.; and Los Angeles.

Click here for Juju's latest Job Search Difficulty Index for Major Cities.