The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has been the starting line for a myriad of technologies over the last forty three years, some of which have, of course, failed to make inroads in the consumer electronics market (My car still doesn’t fly). All the chatter this year seems to be on the fact – the […]
#Philanthropy: Charitable Giving Rebounded Faster Than Business Cycle
Charitable donations inevitably follow the business cycle: when we are feeling flush and confident of future earnings, Americans want to share their bounty with those less fortunate. When those same folks are worried about their employment status or, worse, have lost their jobs, they still give, though not as much. Nevertheless, generosity still outperforms the […]
The Flooding of New Orleans – Five Years On
The print, broadcast, and online media have all weighed in on the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the resultant flooding of over 80% of the city of New Orleans. Most of the reports we have been reading and watching want to tell a story of recovery, and there are many cases of success to […]
#Opinion: Corporate Social Responsibility As A Cause For The Deepwater Horizon Disaster?
Are corporations practicing kindness that can kill? Is BP too devoted to appearing green and ‘beyond petroleum’ to get down to the tricky work of deepwater drilling for oil? What about Massey mining concern and the disaster from April? And perhaps Wall Street Banks were too focused on gender equality not to study the bubble […]
Happy Fourth of July! May You Have (Only) Monday Off
We wish you a joyous and safe Fourth of July weekend holiday, with plenty of family, friends, fireworks, and good eats! And as a mark of (vaguely) good news to roll into the weekend, the unemployment rate fell in June from 9.7% to 9.5%. The fall is the result of a unique trade-off, as over […]
“BP Cares” About Public Relations, Though ‘Public’ Seems A Sticking Point
Like we said, the great satire of @BPGlobalPR forces one to hesitate before laughing or crying, unsure which is the proper response. Leroy Stick continues to lambast people’s mushy responses to this little setback. I mean, “So YOU want to see pictures of dead animals covered in oil and WE are the bad guys!? Sick […]
Government Announces Plans To Forestall New Wave Of Foreclosures
Jeff Swiatek of The Indianapolis Star (Indiana) reported two days ago that the wave of foreclosures that seemed to have been forestalled in that city is on the verge of swelling again. The report, specific to the Indianapolis region, is all the more chilling when we recall that Indiana (and Maryland) was (were) not deep […]
Banks Back to Profitability (& Bonuses) But Homeowners Still Drowning
The Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) likely kept the banking industry afloat, and few doubt the necessity to keep the banking industry solvent for the sake of functioning markets and businesses. The bailout began under the president who encouraged the housing bubble in the first place, and was accepted by the Obama Administration as a […]