Jeff's OurWorld Page

Industry executives say they are trying to change the image of the luxury goods business by embracing new environmental and labor standards, according to this article in The New York Times. The motivation for this shift is not entirely altruistic -- and that's a good thing. Greed has gotten us into so many of the messes we're in, and greed alone… Continue

China's decision to block YouTube this week because someone dared post video of protestors being brutalized is yet another example of why this country -- apparently deemed "too big to let fail" -- does not belong among the ranks of modern, economically active nations. The country has too difficult a time with that… Continue

An American International Group Inc. executive who received a bonus worth more than $742,000 after taxes has resigned publicly — in an Op-Ed column in The New York Times. Jake DeSantis, an executive vice president at AIG's Financial Products division, said Wednesday he's leaving the company and will donate his entire bonus to charity. The letter, addressed to AIG's CEO, Edw… Continue

"That's such an OLD phone," my 20-something colleague said, looking at my Samsung Blackjack as if it were something nasty the cat had brought into her freshly cleaned kitchen. I thought she was referring to the scratched surface and the cracked screen.

"Not really," I said, turning the phone over in my hand. "I got it about a year and a half ago."

My colleague wrinkled her nose with distaste and looked at me with an expression that said without a word: "Like I said: `Old'."

… Continue

Wind power from the upper Midwest is more cost-competitive with power generated from conventional fuel sources when extra-high voltage transmission lines are used, a study by The Brattle Group concludes. The study, "Transmission Super Highway: Benefits of Extra High Voltage Transmission Overlays" states that renewable resources are an economically feasible way to respond to energy demands in a carbon-regulated environment, according to a release from ITC Holdings Corp., a transmission developer,… Continue