| Goodbye small town America.
A delightful little coffee shop, a good, old fashioned ethnic bakery, a convenient grocery store, a wonderful gift shop, an award winning restaurant, a fun, relaxing wine bar, a hot dog stand, a malt shop and more all make their home in downtown Riverside. All; independently owned. In my small, rural home town of 380 people, we had a word for a place of such abundance: Metropolis. This spring, I am looking forward to taking my son to the malt shop. Many years from now, he will be old enough to go there and to school by himself on his bicycle. Will I have increased traffic to worry about? Will I have to worry about groups of teen-agers standing on the corners, attracted to our vibrant downtown? Will I have to worry about a large number of out-of-town strangers passing through our village? If I have a wish for our town it is this: Let my son grow up in small town America as it was meant to be.
Is Transition from Communism Possible?
Is Transition from Communism Possible? Lest you hold your breath to the end of this article - the answers to both questions in the title are no and no. Capitalism cannot be "learned" or "imported" or "emulated" or "simulated". Capitalism (or, rather, liberalism) is not only a theoretical construct. It is not only a body of knowledge. It is a philosophy, an ideology, a way of life, a mentality and a personality.
This is why professors of economics who studied under Socialism can never teach Capitalism in the truest sense of the word. No matter how intelligent and knowledgeable (and a minority of them are) - they can never convey the experience, the practice, the instincts and reflexes, the emotional hues and intellectual pugilistics that real, full scale, full blooded Capitalism entails.
Billionaire Sam Zella master of risk-taking
CHICAGO - Seemingly fearless in the face of risk, Sam Zell once acknowledged riding his motorcycle as fast as 145 mph on a trip across the South American pampas. That same boldness and willingness to defy conventional practice has helped him amass one of the world's largest fortunes, trusting his instincts to snatch up distressed properties that others didn't dare touch. Zell now is set to take on a significant new risk with Tribune Co., which the billionaire investor moved in on after watching the struggling media conglomerate draw only tepid interest elsewhere. Tribune said Monday it had agreed to a complicated transaction in which Zell will invest $315 million and become chairman when the buyout is complete later this year. As with past purchases, he is counting on having acquired undervalued assets near the bottom of a cycle.
Carl Icahn makes the case for real estate
I respect Carl Icahn's wisdom about markets so much that I have a Google Alert set up so that every time he is in the news I get an email about it immediately. In the Heard on the Street column in today's Wall Street Journal [subscription], we get a glimpse of the timeless investment philosophy that has catapulted Icahn to number 24 on the Forbes list of richest Americans. With his investment in WCI Communities (NYSE: WCI), a luxury real estate developer in Florida, many observers started to wonder if old Carl, at 69, had finally lost it. As the Wall Street Journal said, "Amid softening home prices, rising foreclosures and turmoil in the mortgage industry, billionaire financier Carl Icahn is making a contrarian bet on a troubled pocket of the U.S. housing market: high-end Florida condominiums." Mr.
Change in attitudes essential to attract mega investors ...
COLOMBO: Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama called for a total change in the attitudes at the Board of Investment to attract more mega investments to the country. Dr. Amunugama said the BOI was on track to attract US$ 4 billion worth of investments in several fields. Speaking at the opening of a new unit for mega projects at the BOI, Minister Amunugama said: I think for a long time, there have been proposals that the BOI should go for rather high investment areas and to give a customised service to those mega investors. Originally when the BOI was started, there were only mega investors. But over a period of time, the services of BOI were expanded, but expanded, probably, in the wrong direction. The emphasis was moved away from mega investment to facilitating and offering tax benefits to, I would say, marginal or questionable enterprises.
Thomas Properties venture to buy $1.15B of Austin real estate
Thomas Properties Group Inc. (NASDAQ: TPGI) of Los Angeles is leading a joint venture to buy 3.5 million square feet of Class A offices in the Austin market for $1.15 billion in what may be the largest real estate transaction in Texas history. The deal expected to close within two months would also make Thomas Properties the largest office landlord in town. .
Public pensions a new gold standard
When Dover Police Chief William Fenneman retired recently, he was earning a $114,000 yearly salary, but he was able to take about $125,000 a year in retirement pay. The New Hampshire retirement system calculates retirement benefits based on the three highest-paid years in an employee's service. Because of that formula, Fenneman, who now heads the Juvenile Justice Division of the Department of Health and Human Services, was allowed to include unused sick and vacation days in his final year's salary to inflate what he received in benefits when he retired. Other long-time state commissioners are allowed to collect both their retirement and their salary when they turn 60 under a provision approved by the Legislature several years ago. The argument at the time was the change was needed to retain long-time state officials, including commissioners Richard Flynn of Safety and Steven Taylor of Agriculture and Secretary of State William Gardner.
Malaysia to invest in Iran's plant
Malaysia has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Iran to invest in the construction of a giant gas-fueled power plant in Iran.
Iran Power Development Company (IPDC) and Malaysia's Amona Group of Companies signed the document in Tehran on Tuesday.
The gas-fueled power plant will have a capacity to produce 500 to 1000 MW of electricity, and will be constructed on the BOO (build-own-operate) basis, said Mohammad Behzad, the IPDC managing director.
He added that the two sides agreed to hold next round of talks over the issue in May.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Ahmadian, Iran's deputy energy minister for water and energy, said that the Islamic Republic is determined to enhance the presence of foreign investors in its power industry.
Are we saving too much?
A group of economists from the University of Wisconsin think people are socking away too much money for retirement. Based on a study by a trio of authors, the report, "Are Americans Saving 'Optimally' for Retirement?" concluded that Americans are saving too much for retirement... and not having enough fun with their money today. Area investment advisors, however, disagree. "I don't think you could ever save too much for retirement," said First Insurance and Investments financial advisor Shari Wyse. "In general, from things I've read and seen, most people aren't saving enough money for retirement." Phil Recker of Edward Jones Investments of Paulding agreed with Wyse. "You can never be overly prepared when it comes to your financial future," he said.
Financial Planner /Advisor Position
Gilbert Advanced Asset Management, Inc., a Premier-Financial Planning firm in the Tri-City area is seeking an ambitious, very intellignet, and self-motivated individual for the position of Financial Planner or Advisor. Job duties include meeting with clients and prospects as well as bringing in a new potential clients through various marketing methods. iIn addition, Advisor would provide ongoing financial and investment advice. Interested candidates must have experience in the financial industry as a financial planner, advisor, or consultant and have an entrepreneurial mindset. Also excellent communication, writing, and speaking skills are required in addition to a Bachelor's Degree or higher. Candidates must also possess a high level of professionalism to meet the firm's intrinsic values of honesty, accuracy and unparralleled service.
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