| Daily Dose of Opimism | Tadawul (Saudi Arabia) Stock Market Crashes; Saudi King Abdullah Plans "Risk-Free Fund" | In the past three years, up to nine million Saudis, or half the population, have started playing the market in the conservative desert state, whose strict brand of Islam outlaws standard forms of gambling. They were encouraged by a government which hoped the bourse would enable citizens to share in the economic boom that has come with a rise in world oil prices not seen since the 1970s. It hoped that would help to iron out some of the country's huge disparities of wealth. | ||
| Ask Uncle Bill | Taxes Country by Country | There will be a lot of debate in the next few years over taxes. Some tax cuts expire in 2010, I think, and two--the 15% tax on capital gains and 15% tax on dividends-- have been extended for at least two years. People get all exercised about taxes with the fat cats not paying their share (actually 5% of the taxpayers pay about 50% of the taxes) or somebody yelling about taxes killing them. | ||
| The Boring Made Dull | Doha and Agriculture Subsidies | One of the few positive things that can be said about American agricultural policy is that it’s not as bad as Europe’s. So, not only does this toxic mess run up the prices of food around the world, create environmental problems, and generally harm poorer countries who could be exporting food, it now threatens the Doha round on tariff reductions. | ||
| Mover Mike | Lawrence Kudlow Wears Rose Colored Glasses | Larry Kudlow says Capitalism needs a moral core, and the G-Men are restoring the rule of law and re-moralizing our economic system. | ||
| The Business of America Is Business | Terrorism as Economic Warfare | Two American academics, James and Brenda Lutz of Purdue University, have recently published a very thoughtful and insightful analysis of the choice of economic targets of terrorist attacks. | ||
| Passionate America | Passionate America Joins Wide Awakes Radio | Blogging leads to work at home opportunity. I will be hosting my own internet radio talk show. | ||
| Big Picture, Small Office | Guess Who's Coming to Dinner | Big Picture Guy comes down on the side of angels, acknowledging that customers are people. But being people means having certain foibles, like expecting freebies from suppliers. This has led to a couple of uncomfortable situations and unfortunate exchanges. | ||
| Purple Motes | Sensory Ecology | Lessons from the failure of AT&T's massive investment in PicturePhone in the early 1970s | ||
| Personal Finance Advice | Fuel Bank - Hedge On Gas Prices | A new gas distibution system will be introduced this fall where you can prepay for your gas at a set price and hedge against higher gas prices in the future. | ||
| Kicking Over My Traces | Evaluating Affiliate Ads | A method to help in choosing among different affiliate ads for your website. | ||
| Crossroads Dispatches | Losing My Mind, Coming to My Senses | Looks at a new renaissance of sensual, aesthetic, abundance themes in companies from coffee to chocolate to 'green' architecture. (Ongoing series) | ||
| Execupundit | Beware of Good Examples | The dangers hidden beneath good performance. | ||
| Photon Courier | Coal-Powered Jets: Update | Within a few years, you may be flying on airlines whose fuel is derived from coal. | ||
| GT | Nonviolent Communication | It can be incredibly effective in the pursuit of developing oneself as an Authentic Leader. Institutions would be much healthier and much more fun places to spend time if we could all operate in the ManyOne-ness and communicate on a needs level. | ||
| InvestorGeeks | A Progressive take on Dividends | Do aggessive companies pay dividends? Frank shows that companies like Progressive Insurance can stay lean and provide a dividend to shareholders. | ||
| The Browster Blog | Web 2.0 is Bottom up | Web 2.0 is Bottom up. No, not "belly up", bottom up. User generated content is driving the growth. The idea that the users at the perimeter of the web, not the publishers in the center, are really the ones who create the web, blogging being a great example. | ||
| Jack Yoest | Bribery as a Cost of Doing Business In Washington, DC | In India it's called "Speed Money." In Mexico it's call "Facilitation." In China it's called a "Relationship." In the US of A, it's called a "Bribe." Except in Washington, DC, where it's called "Love." Frank Robinson, an Inspector... | ||
| FiveCentNickel | Wire Transfers When Closing on a House | Gone are the days when a cashier’s check was essentially treated like cash — while they’re still written against certified funds, there’s been so much fraud in recent years that most banks subject cashier’s checks to the same funds availability rules as plain old personal checks. | ||
| Career Intensity Blog - David V. Lorenzo | The Eight-Step Process to Manage Your Emotions | The most sound strategic thinkers make decisions based upon a harmonious blend of emotional and intellectual drives. Their passions incite them to act, and their minds guide them in navigating and making solid choices. Neither force overwhelms the other. They exist in peaceful synergy. |