Articles About General

You’ve heard about  Warren Buffett and Bill Gates trying to get their fellow billionaires to give away half their money to charity? Well, now their challenge is resonating outside the United States. Twelve new magnates have joined the Buffett-Gates “Giving Pledge” bringing the total to 102. Who are they? Richard Branson, the Virgin Airlines eccentric; […]

President Obama was inaugurated for his second term — the 44th president — a day after he took his oath on the constitutionally required date at the White House.  The crowd was smaller, the weather throughout most of the nation was biting cold, and the message was hope chilled with the experience and weariness of […]

When he was a kid, Silicon Valley entrepreneur Pek Pongpaet bounced around the world, living in Asia, Europe and finally ending up in San Francisco. Along the way, he became a martial arts instructor and even played one of the characters in the Mortal Kombat video game. But the reason Forbes and Wired Magazine wrote […]

Like a good 30’s serial, Congress seems to enjoy brinkmanship and 11th hour rescues. And it was historic. For the first time in 20 years, Republicans voted to raise income taxes (the last time was when George H.W. Bush broke his “read my lips, no new taxes” pledge).  The Senate’s “fiscal cliff” bill passed 257-167. […]

With the Bush era tax cuts on capital gains poised to expire at the end of the year, the investment sales market went on a tear in the 4th quarter. According to CoStar, total deals were up 46% from the same time a year ago based on transaction data through Dec. 31, according to Brian […]

Like a good 30’s serial, Congress seems to enjoy brinkmanship and 11th hour rescues. And it was historic. For the first time in 20 years, Republicans voted to raise income taxes (the last time was when George H.W. Bush broke his “read my lips, no new taxes” pledge).  The Senate’s “fiscal cliff” bill passed 257-167. […]

According to the U.S. Green Building Council, the perceived cost benefits of green building include the following: Operating costs decrease of 13.6 percent for new construction and 8.5 percent for existing buildings; Building value increases 10.9 percent for new construction and 6.8 percent for existing buildings; Occupancy increases of 6.4 percent for new construction and […]

You’ve heard of Kickstarter where budding entrepreneurs and artists reach out via the internet to regular folk to get them to fund their idea in return for swag or just a thank you? Well now, a group of Occupy Wall Street people are using that idea to get people out of debt. Strike Debt is […]

By 2030, no country—whether the US, China, or any other large country—will be a hegemonic power. So opens a new study, by the National Intelligence Council. The product of 4 years of research, the report offers a number of pronouncements: A return to pre-2008 growth rates and previous patterns of rapid globalization looks increasingly unlikely, […]

On December 5, 2012, the world lost it’s greatest living jazz artist, Dave Brubeck.  Some may dispute that claim but consider his achievements. He was the first jazz artist to reach rock-star status with 1959’s groundbreaking album, Time Out, the first jazz album to sell a million copies. The album gave us the hit singles […]