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May 30, 2008

Light Friday: Monkey Brains and Golden Fryer Grease...

...Phoenix Lander on Mars and Hope Lost with Lost Balloon.

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May 29, 2008

Domestic Manufacturing Shows Optimistic Signs

Tired of reading about bad news surrounding the U.S. economy and the manufacturing sector? There are signs throughout the country that should restore optimism.

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May 28, 2008

Global Oil Outlook: A Crude Reality

Consumers and businesses alike are suffering from higher energy costs. How did we get here? There is no short answer, as a number of factors together have led to today's prices.

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How Are High Gas Prices Affecting You?

Record-high gas prices affect more than just the family vacation. As gas prices rise, so does stress on the job.

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Investing in Energy Innovation

Many reasons have been cited for the world's huge energy challenges. How innovative will our response be? And what role will R&D have in a proposed innovation revolution?

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Old Sources for New Savings

In combating high energy costs, efficiency and conservation seem to offer the best payback. That's why increasingly more businesses are investing in efficiency measures.

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Food and Fuel Compete: The Downside to Biofuels

Not long ago, ethanol was being billed as a solution to the world's energy crisis. Now the alternative fuel is being blamed for higher food prices and even today's struggling economy as a whole.

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2008 Fuel Efficiency Guide

As car buyers' preferences change, automakers strive to increase fuel economy and cut fuel inefficiencies. Some manufacturers are already ahead of the curve.

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The Home Energy Savings Checklist

Energy and utility prices continue to rise and suck up ever more of our income. Cutting energy costs in the home requires minor changes, commitment and a shift in thinking.

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Understanding and Coping with Procrastination

Understanding procrastination's root cause can help employees better manage it in the workplace. Consider these procrastination-busting tips to improve your productivity.

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Recommended Reading

In A Thousand Barrels a Second, economist Peter Tertzakian gives all the bleak numbers but still manages to have an optimistic energy outlook — without engaging in the doomsday approach of so many books on oil.

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May 27, 2008

10 Green Heresies to Accept

Global warming is promoted with a ferocity and intensity that is similar to a religious fervor. Skeptics are treated as heretics, and believers are considered lunatics. In preparation for tomorrow's biweekly IMT e-mail on energy, here are 10 recently proposed "inconvenient truths."

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May 23, 2008

Light Friday: It's Baaaaack!

OK, so maybe it never went away, but the relationship between God and Science is again gaining traction as new arguments from a diverse set of voices attempt to answer the question, "Does science make belief in God obsolete?"

Heavy. Yet it's still Light Friday, so herein we also have barbershop policing and LEGO brick boulders — Indiana Jones-style!

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May 22, 2008

Pain and Comfort in the Eurozone

Eurozone factory orders have recently slumped, according to official EU data released today. Yet some comfort can be found in the fact that unemployment continues to fall and that the euro-area economy should avoid a full-blown recession in 2008-2009.

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May 21, 2008

Meetings: Do I Really Have to Look at You?

The time and money spent for business travel does not always result in a high return. With travel costs edging ever higher, another look at virtual meetings could yield significant savings in time and expenses.

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May 20, 2008

Feeling the Heat of Sourcing in Emerging Markets

Public scrutiny due to recalls has made product safety, product quality and environmental standards in emerging markets a hot-button issue. The manufacturers that can "move quickly and intelligently to propagate higher standards" throughout the supply chain are likely to use them to derive new benefits, says a new Deloitte report.

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May 19, 2008

Weekly Industry Crib Sheet: Consumers Remain Fickle on Economy. . .

. . . Small-Biz Loans Remain Elusive, a Bright Spot for Builders, plus the Latest on Unemployment, Earnings, Retail Sales and MORE.

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May 16, 2008

Light Friday: Help Eliminate Bad Movie Science...

... I, Lawn Mower and MORE.

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May 15, 2008

How Business Applications Waste Our Time

Enterprise usability issues are most common in big companies, but they're an issue for smaller businesses as well. Are user-inefficient business applications wasting your time?

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May 14, 2008

Devastating China Quake's Economic Ripple Effect

The earthquake that wreaked havoc in China this week has killed nearly 15,000 people and dislocated thousands more, has crumpled roads, destroyed factories and disrupted the power and communication infrastructure in the area. Yet many analysts are predicting the disaster will be a "transitory jolt" to China's booming economy.

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May 13, 2008

A Modest Proposal: 6 Supply Chain Improvements

There is no silver bullet for the challenges in today's global supply chain. Yet a higher degree of awareness and a prudent approach can go a long way in most areas of the supply chain.

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Managing Spiking Metals Prices

Scarce metals have become so expensive that thieves are literally dying to get their hands on them. To combat the effects of these prices, supply chain managers and purchasers should reassess their risk strategies.

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Panic at the Pump

With fuel prices remaining at historical highs, truckers are faced with unprecedented challenges. Should the government intervene to bring some relief to truckers and the overall economy?

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How to Protect Intellectual Property in China

Intellectual property theft has skyrocketed in the past decade, and counterfeiting continues to grow rapidly. Here are some preventative tips learned by those who have gone before.

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Tips for a Greener Supply Chain

There's no getting around it: The global supply chain is headed toward a more sustainable and more responsible future. The trick for business is to approach this inevitability as an opportunity rather than an obstacle.

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Working for Employers Who Work with You

Supporting employees' work/life balance goes a long way in creating a culture of flexibility. For employers of choice, job flexibility is more than a perk; it is a way to retain top talent by keeping them healthy and committed.

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The Costs of Weight on Business

Epidemic or not, the rate of obesity in the U.S. has skyrocketed in recent decades. Those extra pounds can be as bad for an employer's bottom line as they are for a person's health and waistline.

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How Much Anxiety is Too Much?

Some anxiety is normal — a typical reaction to stress that helps us cope with tense situations. But excessive worrying may be a sign of anxiety disorder. When is it a problem?

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Recommended Reading

In The Wizard and the Warrior, two bestselling authors use wizards and warriors as models for leadership. For great leaders, a combined dose of magic and strength can make all the difference, they posit.

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May 12, 2008

Weekly Industry Crib Sheet: How Gas Prices Are Affecting Employees. . .

. . . Dollar Sees Gains (Briefly), Container Traffic Declines; Consumers Borrowing More; N.J. May Build Wind Farm; Automotive Strikes, Buyouts and "Buy-Downs"; and MORE.

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May 9, 2008

Light Friday: Mother's Day by the Numbers

It's that time of year again, when many of us buy Mom a mixed bouquet in the supermarket and extend an invitation to a mediocre brunch - and maybe even foot the bill - hoping it makes up for the other 364 days of the year when we fail to return her calls. Ungrateful progeny . . .

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May 8, 2008

Airbus to Review A380 Delivery Schedule

Airbus customers are braced for more A380 delays. In a letter to customers this week, Airbus highlighted the "challenging" production schedule of its A380 and hinted at new delays. Meanwhile, labor unrest continues to jeopardize both Europe's troubled aircraft maker and rival Boeing's efforts to keep current production and delivery schedules.

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May 7, 2008

A Brief History of Starting Up in a Down Economy

No doubt, things are gloomy and it's a lot easier to get down about an unstable economy and its job opportunities. Yet, as Inc.com recently pointed out, some of America's iconic companies began and flourished in gloomy times.

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May 6, 2008

The Spring 2008 State of U.S. Manufacturing

Even though the real bears just awoke from hibernation, the United States economy has been what you'd expect of a bear going into hibernation — falling heartbeat rate and metabolism. So too for manufacturers, today's situation seems more like an indefinitely long sleep with no way of knowing when spring will come.

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May 5, 2008

Weekly Industry Crib Sheet: Stimulus Rebates, Patent Legislation, Oil Prices and Auto Sales ...

... March New Orders, Disposable Income, Consumer Confidence, Photovoltaic Cell Advancement and MORE.

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May 2, 2008

Light Friday: Talking to Ourselves, Chaos in the Print Shop, Patently Improving Marriage Proposals...

Also, this week the IRS began transferring economic stimulus payments to millions of Americans. Here is a straight-to-the-point explanation and some off-the-top-of-the-head spending ideas (Hint: Convert it to another currency. . . maybe dolphin teeth).

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May 1, 2008

Tips for Collecting Payment

Living on the edge of bankruptcy creates too much stress. But a real problem for many businesses, small companies in particular, is getting paid by customers on time. Learn some basic tips and tricks to get your customers to pay you on time.

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