Here's to a great and prosperous 2009!

NASA today announced its selection of the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft for the International Space Station (ISS) Cargo Resupply Services (CRS) contract award. The contract is for a guaranteed minimum of 20,000 kg to be carried to the International Space Station (ISS). The firm contracted value is $1.6 billion and NASA may elect to order additional missions for a cumulative total contract value of up to $3.1 billion.

SuccessFactors announced the conclusion of its litigation against Softscape. As part of the settlement, Softscape has issued a press release acknowledging it created a March 2008 PowerPoint presentation entitled “The Naked Truth,” designing it to look as if it came from a disgruntled SuccessFactors customer. Softscape further acknowledges that the presentation contained inaccurate information about SuccessFactors and that Softscape was responsible for distributing the presentation “anonymously” over the Internet. In admitting responsibility, Softscape also agreed to pay SuccessFactors an undisclosed amount in settlement and dismiss with prejudice all counterclaims against SuccessFactors.

McAfee today announced that the company has been added to the S&P 500 Index, effective after the close of trading December 22, 2008. “The decision by S&P to move McAfee into the S&P 500 Index reflects the financial markets’ confidence in McAfee’s ability to deliver on our business strategy,” said Rocky Pimentel, McAfee’s chief operating officer and chief financial officer. “This is a tribute to the dedication of our employees who work hard each day to make McAfee a global leader in digital security.”

Despite a faltering economy, commercial building owners are continuing to allocate funds and resources to green their portfolios. According to the “2008 Green Survey: Existing Buildings,” the second annual national survey of the commercial real estate sector, more than 80 percent of respondents have allocated funds to green initiatives this year. In addition, 45 percent said that their sustainability investment will increase in 2009. Findings of the study, sponsored jointly by Incisive Media’s Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com, the Building Owners and Managers Association International (BOMA) and the U.S, Green Building Council (USGBC), will be released today at Greenbuild 2008, ...

The world must grapple with a new and challenging energy future brought on by a time of financial and economic turbulence. Abrupt changes in markets, prices, and demand are creating urgent challenges across all the energy industries, while technology and new policies from a new U.S. administration are raising fresh uncertainties for 2009 and far beyond.