(The Conference Board: New York) -- The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had declined in June 2012, improved slightly in July. The index now stands at 65.9, up from 62.7 in June. The Expectations Index improved to 79.1, from 73.4.

The bossless office: Is it the wave of the future or an idea that will always be a utopian dream, given the inevitable intrusion of human nature?

(NCQA: Washington, D.C.) -- The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has released its new Case Management (CM) Accreditation program for organizations managing care for patients with complex health care and social needs.

(NSF: Ann Arbor, MI) -- NSF International, an independent global public health and safety organization that develops standards as well as tests and certifies products for the food, water, health, and consumer products industries, has acquired Becker & Associates Consulting Inc.

(Bruker: Phoenix) -- At the Microscopy & Microanalysis (M&M) 2012 Annual Meeting, Bruker announced the Dimension FastScan Bio Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), which enables high-resolution microscopy res

St. Luke’s Church of Smithfield, Virginia, dates back to 1632. As the oldest surviving Gothic building in the United States, St. Luke’s Church is a historical landmark that is very significant to the Smithfield community and surrounding area.

Muntasir Mamun and Mohammad Ujjal are riding across the United States on a bicycle built for two. As they pedal in sync from Seattle to New York, they’re not only gazing at our purple mountains’ majesty and amber waves of grain.

(Beamex: Marietta, GA) -- Beamex introduces a new modular calibration system, MCS200. It is a modular test and calibration system for workshops and laboratories. The MCS200 offers efficient and ergonomic possibilities for the maintenance of process instruments.

(Simpler Consulting: Corapolis, PA) -- Simpler Consulting, a global management consulting firm, has released a new book,