Capitalism vs. the Climate. Denialists are dead wrong about the science. But they understand something the left still doesn’t get about the revolutionary meaning of climate change. There is a question from a gentleman in the fourth row. He introduces himself as Richard Rothschild. He tells the crowd that he ran for county commissioner in Maryland’s Carroll County because he had come to the conclusion that policies to combat global warming were actually “an attack on middle-class American capitalism.” His question for the panelists, gathered in a Washington, DC, Marriott Hotel in late June, is this: “To what extent is this entire movement simply a green Trojan horse, whose belly is full with red Marxist socioeconomic doctrine?” About the Author Naomi Klein Naomi Klein is an award-winning journalist, syndicated columnist, fellow at The Nation Institute and author of the...
Also by the Author Some of big green's most powerful players still invest in energy companies. Urban-Development Legends by Mario Polèse, City Journal Autumn 2011. Grand theories do little to revive cities. E.O. Hoppé/Corbis Cities that have used incentives to lure heavy industry have created little long-term growth. For decades, city fathers and academics have studied economic development, searching diligently for ways to make urban economies prosper. Surely this quest is understandable—as understandable as the search for success that so many people undertake in the personal-finance section of the local bookstore. But just as personal finance has yet to unlock the secret of how to get rich, no surefire government-led strategy exists that can turn around a troubled economy like Buffalo’s or Gary’s.
Cities, like people, are too diverse to allow anything but fairly commonsense prescriptions. The history of local economic development is a story of academic fads. The unfortunate results of that optimistic epoch were large industrial complexes, often in petrochemicals or steel, which created jobs but little subsequent growth. SmartCity Business Show E01: "Why a Business show?" Intro to SmartCity with Paul Kent. Germany’s Next Top Cluster! A Model Competition From Deutschland. Out of the recessionary rubble the “German model” stands tall in economic and policy circles for its resiliency and productivity. The Eurozone may be cracking but the German export machine keeps turning out world-beating manufactured goods with characteristic efficiency. Although fresh scrutiny is rightfully exposing weaknesses in corners of the German economy, experts concerned with the productive sector of the U.S. economy are turning to Germany for lessons.
We at the Metro Program count ourselves among the German industrial sector’s admirers. Just last week, a forum we hosted on why--and which--manufacturing matters lauded the country’s apprenticeship system, high-road shop floor practices, and best-in-class Fraunhofer research institutions, which provide applied R&D services to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The competition should be lauded for its purposeful scale and design. It was launched in 2007 and comprises three rounds of competition. The Coolest Park & Ride Ever | hugeasscity. As a rule, I try to keep my employer out of HAC, but recent discussions of park & rides combined with a bad case of Portland envy compel me to break that rule presently.
For you see, my GGLO colleagues and I just responded to a call for concepts for Memorial Coliseum in Portland’s Rose Quarter. Our concept? Fill it with cars and make a gigantic park & ride out of it. Think I’m kidding? Go ahead, click those links. Here’s what we thunk up: “We propose to repurpose Memorial Coliseum in a way that will foster Portland’s evolution into a model sustainable city of the future. “Portland has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050, which will require a two thirds reduction in driving. “Our interim solution is to provide parking in peripheral locations, thereby reducing the need for cars to enter the city core, and enabling the core to develop without the impediment of parking. Anybody still with me? 10 Whacky Economic Indicators (That May Be True) Is Starting A Business Safer Than Your Job? [Infographic] What's Better - Getting a Job or Starting a Business?
With a slow economy, many people have turned to entrepreneurship as a means to pay the bills. Which begs the question, what’s better today — getting a job or starting a business? We dug deep to find out the numbers and have compared the risk of starting a business to keeping a job. If you’ve ever thought about starting your own company, take a look at our graphic below to help decide if entrepreneurship is right for you. What do you think? Is it now more risky to keep a job? Small Business Loans Made Simple Create a Free Lendio Account Overview “Laid off? “True entrepreneurs reduce risk to the point that action becomes quite logical.” Unemployment Rate: 9.1% 26% of North American workers are self-employedIn 2008 on average 2,356 people went into business for themselves every day.Their ventures accounted for 78% of U.S. businesses SELF-EMPLOYMENT There are only four paths toward business ownership: Among the fastest-growing industries are: FDI Blog.
In our series regarding the US competitiveness for FDI, we began examining the different drivers behind corporate FDI decisions, followed by a closer look of different views and opinions by various subject matter experts addressing these FDI drivers. Now we continue our assessment with a factual benchmark of the global competitiveness of the United States (US) versus emerging and low cost economies. Based on several comparative global benchmark reports as well as national statistical resources, we have computed and modeled a competitiveness score for all countries under study. To assess the competitiveness of the US we have used Investment Consulting Associates´ (ICA) web-based location benchmarking software product LocationSelector.com. Below are the aggregated location groups that we took into consideration for this benchmark analysis.
Business environmentBusiness risksInfrastructureLabor costMacro economyTax Source: LocationSelector.com Business Environment Business Risks Infrastructure. Midwest Economy: Innovation and the District’s Food Industries, and "Clean Tech" Conference Announcement. « Digging Out of a Hole – A View from Detroit | Main | Beige Book and District Indicators » September 6, 2011 Innovation and the District’s Food Industries, and "Clean Tech" Conference Announcement By David Oppedahl and Bill Testa We all eat, yet the variety of what we eat is mesmerizing.
Whether we eat the newest power bar developed in a laboratory or the latest organic, heirloom tomato, innovation is essential to food reaching our mouths. Everyone has a stake in the innovation of the agricultural and food industries—from the inhabitants of the rural Midwest, to the research scientists in our nation’s labs and universities, to people around the world who benefit from pest-resistant strains of grain.
A Regional Strength It is an interesting feature of regional economies that they often continue to be the innovative centers of the industries that were born there. Historically, the Midwest economy is as closely linked with agriculture and the food industry as it is with, say, manufacturing. IEDC and Conexus Indiana Launch Indiana Aerospace & Defense Council to Bolster State's $7.5B Defense Industry. Tier economic strategy put on the table at forum. BINGHAMTON — If the goal was to involve the public in producing an economic development plan for the region, the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council succeeded Thursday.
What remains to be seen, however, is whether the council got the kind of input it will actually use in the five-year strategic plan it must submit to state officials by Nov. 14. The Southern Tier council held its first public forum Thursday at the Binghamton University Downtown Center to collect feedback from area residents. About 60 people showed up, including the heads of companies, work force and business development executives, Empire State Development officials and others. They were encouraged to provide ideas and other comments as part of work groups centered on eight topic areas, as well as fill out slips of paper with suggestions or other feedback regarding the council's strategic plan. ESD said about 40 forms were submitted. An additional $800 million from state agencies also will be available. State, Local Leaders Tout New ED Direction. VOL. 126 | NO. 172 | Friday, September 02, 2011 By Bill Dries You have entered an invalid email addressTo:* RequiredFrom:* RequiredMessage: You have entered an invalid email addressFrom (email):* RequiredMessage:* Required Local economic development leaders told Tennessee Gov.
Bill Haslam this week that they are ready to make the transition from one five-year economic development to another. “Let me be clear. –Bill HagertyState economic development commissioner And state economic development commissioner Bill Hagerty said the state will remain able to respond to out-of-state prospects for jobs, but will “double down” on its ability to assist existing businesses in the state to expand. The doubling down represents a shift in economic development planning from former Gov. “Every time I come to Memphis the news is better and better,” Hagerty said as he reviewed the “localization” of economic development efforts into nine regions.
“Let me be clear. University of Memphis President Dr. Building Resilient Regions | Harnessing the power of metropolitan regions. Twitterinfo8.png (PNG Image, 648x4266 pixels) How To Make The Worlds Easiest $1 Billion. With all the banks paying back the TARP money, some folks are assuming that the great Wall Street bailout is finally coming to an end. But of course it isn't! Taxpayers are still guaranteeing all big bank bonds (Too Big To Fail) and subsidizing huge bank earnings and bonuses with absurdly low interest rates.
But instead of bellyaching about it, you might as well just smile and cash in. After all, that's what Wall Street's doing. So here's how to make the world's easiest $1 billion: STEP 1: Form a bank. STEP 2: Round up a bunch of unemployed friends to be "bankers. " STEP 3: Raise $1 billion of equity. STEP 4: Borrow $9 billion from the Fed at an annual cost of 0.25%. STEP 5: Buy $10 billion of 30-year Treasuries paying 4.45% STEP 6: Sit back and watch the cash flow in. At this spread, you should be earning at least 4% per year on your $10 billion of capital, or $400 million. You'll have made $400 million in a single year! Don't be greedy. So proceed to Step 7.
STEP 7: Go public. Small Business Outlook Survey - April 2011. Small Business Economic Trends Survey - NFIB Optimism Index. The NFIB Research Foundation has collected Small Business Economic Trends data with quarterly surveys since the 4th quarter of 1973 and monthly surveys since 1986. Survey respondents are drawn from NFIB’s membership. The report is released on the second Tuesday of each month. This survey was conducted in March 2014. A sample of 3,938 small-business owners/members was drawn. Six hundred eighty-five (685) usable responses were received – a response rate of 17 percent. After February’s Decline, Confidence Up in March The latest Small Business Optimism Index rose 2 points to 93.4, mostly reversing the February decline but failing once again to breach the 95 ceiling that has capped the Index during the recovery.
“Overall, the March gain more or less reversed the February decline. The latest Small Business Optimism Index rose 2 points to 93.4, mostly reversing the February decline but failing once again to breach the 95 ceiling that has capped the Index during the recovery.