Here’s a story in the New York Times about voting in America. The article notes, “After six years of technological research, more than $4 billion spent by Washington on new machinery and a widespread overhaul of the nation’s voting system, this month’s midterm election revealed that the country is still far from able to ensure that every vote counts.”
Richard Wolffe and Holly Bailey have a plan in this week’s edition of Newsweek.
“Given his deep immersion in Iraq, as well as his position as the leader of the world’s only superpower, Bush now needs to work on the whole puzzle.
As Britain’s Tony Blair recently pointed out, at the heart of the region’s politics stands the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Saving Lebanon wins Bush little gratitude, except from the Lebanese. Saving the Palestinians, on the other hand, could transform his presidency and the fate of the country his legacy depends upon: Iraq.
The Bush administration’s approach to what is left of the Palestinian Authority remains mired in its anti-Hamas stance. The Bush administration considers Hamas a despicable terrorist group that glorifies mass murder. But it isn’t rocket science to figure out ways to sidestep the Hamas government—through Fatah (its old rival), the United Nations or nongovernmental groups. It is in nobody’s interests—including Israel’s—for Gaza to continue its descent into gangland anarchy. It’s also in nobody’s interests to give up on the plans of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to withdraw from parts of the West Bank. . . .
“Bush doesn’t need to approach the Palestinian situation alone. He should do so together with Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia—and he could use it as a template for cooperation elsewhere, such as Iraq and Iran. He may not succeed in bringing peace to the Palestinians and Israelis. But the process itself would boost Bush’s low standing in the region and his ability to achieve his goals, especially in Iraq. The lesson of Lebanon, and of Bush’s second term, is that the United States is far more powerful when it works with its friends on the world’s toughest challenges.”
so reports the Washington Post. According to this story,”[Shell Oil Co. President John] Hofmeister and other top energy company leaders, such as Duke Energy Corp.’s chief executive, James E. Rogers, back a proposal that would cap greenhouse gas emissions and allow firms to trade their quotas. . .
“Some businesses are making new hires based on the assumption that legislative activity on global warming will increase in the coming months. Truman Semans, director of markets and business strategy for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, said at least half a dozen of the companies that belong to the center’s Business Environmental Leadership Council have recently hired staff members focused on global warming. . .”
A newly published synthesis of 866 peer-reviewed studies of the effect of climate change on wild plants and animals has found what its author, Camille Parmesan, an assistant professor of integrative biology at the University of Texas at Austin, describes as a “clear, globally coherent conclusion.”
Flora and fauna are migrating north or climbing to higher ground if they can, said Parmesan, whose paper appears in the December issue of the Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics. If they cannot move, she said, their numbers are often declining, their health is getting worse, and some are disappearing altogether, reports the Washington Post.
In the high country of western Montana, ski resort manager Tom Maclay is trying to outrun climate change by persuading the U.S. Forest Service to lease 12,000 acres across Carlton Ridge and Lolo Peak. The land, which lies above property he owns, would allow his resort to reach a top elevation of 9,100 feet.
Maclay is well aware how climate change is transforming his business and how nearby resorts have suffered from a lack of snow in recent years. At nearby Glacier National Park, the U.S. Geological Survey quantifies the change, noting that there has been a 73 percent decline since 1850 in the area of the park covered by glaciers. Many smaller glaciers are now gone, it says, and larger ones have shrunk by about two-thirds.
Polar bears along Hudson Bay are losing weight and declining in number as the ice shelf melts and their feeding season shrinks. Power planners in the Pacific Northwest, which gets three-quarters of its electricity from hydroelectric dams, are meeting in brainstorming sessions and making contingency plans for early snow melts, increased wintertime rainfall, lower summertime river flows and electricity shortfalls during hotter, drier summers.
A new committee has been announced for the 110th US Congress.
In the Sunday New York Times. This article discusses the use of peer groups to calculate executive pay and how those groups are compiled. There is growing concern on Wall Street that the peer groups are cherry-picked by executives, consultants and directors in an effort to pump up executive pay. Here’s the article.
The Wall Street Journal has released it’s “50 Women to Watch 2006″ list. The list appeared in the November 20, 2006 print edition and is available online.
Here’s the Top 10
1. Melinda Gates, Co-founder, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
2. Indra Nooyi, President and Chief Executive, Pepsico
3. Irene Rosenfeld, Chief Executive, Kraft Foods
4. Patricia A. Woertz, President and Chief Exec., Archer-Daniels-Midland
5. Andrea Jung, Chairman and Chief Exec., Avon Products
6. Neelie Kroes, EU Antitrust Commissioner, European Union Commission
7. Patricia Russo, Chairman and Chief Exec., Lucent Technologies
8. Clara Furse, Chief Executive, London Stock Exchange
9. Anne Mulcahy, Chairman and Chief Exec., Xerox
10. Margaret Whitman, President and Chief Exec., EBay
Recognizing the best books by American authors, the National Book Foundation’s National Book Awards were presented on November 15th. Here’s a list of the winners:
Both the Democrat and Republican parties have selected their respective leadership for the upcoming session of Congress.
In the House, the Democrats selected Rep.Nancy Pelosi (CA) to the first female Speaker of the House. Rep. Steny Hoyer (DE) was selected as Majority Leader and Rep. Jim Clyburn (SC) will serve as Democratic Whip. Rewarded for his work as head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Rep. Rahm Emanuel (IL) will be the chair of the Democratic Caucus, making him No. 4 in the Democratic hierarchy in the House.
The Republicans in the House will select their leadership on Friday.
In the Senate, Republicans elected Sen. Mitch McConnell (KY) as Minority Leader and Sen, Trent Lott (MS) as Minority Whip.
Democrats elected Sen. Harry Reid (NV) to serve as Majority Leader and Sen. Dick Durbin (IL) to serve as Assistant Majority Leader.
The “Blue Dog Coalition” named Representative Mike Ross (D AR) as one of its co-chairmen. Ross was chosen as the communications co-chairman and will advance the pro-defense, anti-deficit message of the 44-member group.
By virtue of the post, Ross will be the voice of the Blue Dogs for the next two years.
Arkansas stands to reap billions of dollars as a result of the Fayetteville Shale play, according to Pickering Energy Partners President Dan Pickering. A University of Arkansas study estimated an economic impact of $2.3 billion, the creation of 10,000 jobs and more than $100 million in taxes all by 2008. Pickering said that this estimate may be conservative.
Pickering estimated that at a rate of 50 rigs exhausting 10 wells yearly, the industry hits about $1 billion yearly, not including other services associated with drilling that could multiply the number two or three times. That rate could continue for 25 years on Southwestern Energy’s property, Pickering said.
While the land grab is largely over, those looking for investment opportunities should consider companies that supply the drilling companies involved in the shale play, and should also pay attention to the success of Southwestern Energy, the frontrunner in the Fayetteville Shale play.
As people work longer and delay retirement, having someone younger as your boss is becoming more and more common. Roberta Chinsky Matuson, writing for Yahoo hot jobs, writes to those in that situation and how to deal with it.
A couple of tips: manage your insecurities; respect communications differences; be open with your boss; and most importantly, give your boss a chance.
For those of you wanting more information about the strategy and a better understanding of the threat, I reference you to this piece in The New York Review of Books, which summarizes a series of books and strategy memos on the topic.
Last week’s stunning victory for the Democratic Party leaves them in control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Washington Post has an article on the questions that defined the election. Check it out.
This week Slate.com is co-hosting the Slate 60 Conference on Innovative Philanthropy at the William J. Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock. The William J. Clinton Foundation and the Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas are also hosts. The conference brings together 150 donors and thinkers in the hopes of spurring more and better giving. You can track the conference online.
For those of you interested in personal philanthropy or how your company can be a better corporate citizen, I encourage you to review all of the information coming out of this conference.
