By Moore Information, As economic conditions have continued to worsen throughout 2008, voters have grown more concerned about protecting jobs than protecting the environment. Asked which issue they are more concerned about today, 65% of U.S. voters say they are more concerned about protecting jobs, while only 27% are more […]

By Economist Dr. Eric Fruits, Econinternational The BBC reports that the European Commission has scrapped rules that prevent oddly-sized or misshapen fruit and vegetables being sold in Europe. The EU’s agriculture commissioner called it “a new dawn for the curvy cucumber and the knobbly carrot.” Proponents of the scrapped rules […]

By Bill Conerly, Businomics, Conerly Consulting, TARP is, of course, the Treasury plan to provide capital to banks.  There are terms of the deal described in the press and in official documents from the Treasury.  However, the deal is subject to any modification that Congress wants to make.  Section 5.3 […]

Test you knowledge on these current affairs questions 1. Which Oregon County has moved to a four day work week? A) Multnomah B) Clackamas C) Washington D) Jackson 2. Researchers announced that ______ was a better indicator of premature death than traditional weight measurements. A) Cholesterol level B) Alcohol consumption […]

By Allyssa Williams, BIZ Reporter. A comprehensive citizens’ report detailing the root causes and basic problems of prostitution along Northeast 82nd Avenue should be released in early December, according to Dawn Rasmussen, president of the Save Northeast 82nd Avenue Coalition. The report would help guide businesses and neighborhoods in the […]

BIZ REPORT — Portland based Columbia Sportswear announced this month it is laying off 75 employees which is 4% of their workforce.  At the same time Columbia is opening a store at Portland International Airport and also at three other locations in Minneapolis, Seattle and Chicago. President Tim Boyle stated, […]

By Phil Peach, Oregon Remodelers Association, There is still a lot of uncertainty about the future of the construction industry, and whether we are at the “bottom” of the economic downturn, how long the recovery will take, when new homebuilding will return and what effect that will have on the […]

By Bill Conery, Businomics, Conerly Consulting, Yesterday I explained the basics of a credit default swap.  Now let’s explain how they sunk AIG.  The obvious risk of the CDS is that the original bond issuer (Barb in the simple explanation) cannot repay her debt.  In AIG’s case, they did extensive […]

Test your knowledge on events that happened this week. 1. NBA coaches this week agreed to… A) Wear designated clothing brands during games as a promotion B) Hire a law firm to sue referees for repeated errors C) Ban the use of non-recycled cups at courtside 2. Which Governor was […]

From Oregon Small Business Administration, Manuel Castaneda , president of Pro Landscape,Inc., is the Oregon Minority Small Business Person of the Year for 2008 announced SBA Portland District Director Harry DeWolf. The award was presented at the Minority Business Opportunity Committee’s (MBOC) Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week awards luncheon on […]