TEDx, January 21, 2013 This Monday, Barack Obama will be sworn in to serve his second term as President of the United States. The challenges he will face over the next four years are unlikely to be any easier than those he faced in his first term. These 14 talks dare to explore the domestic… Continue reading

Columbia Journalism Review, January 18, 2013 Reuters reports that Amazon’s fourth quarter results may take a hit from new laws that force it to collect sales taxes in California, Texas, and Pennsylvania. Best Buy says its online sales outperformed in those three states compared to the rest of the country, while analysts say Amazon’s sales… Continue reading

The Tyee, January 17, 2013 It’s a typically cold and rainy December morning on a rooftop in downtown Vancouver. The revolving restaurant atop the Harbour Centre skyscraper peeks above some closer buildings to the north, the pious spire of the Holy Rosary Cathedral marks south. Steps away, the concrete roof supports a massive greenhouse filled… Continue reading

The Washington Post, January 15, 2013 Why wait on Washington when there’s Wal-Mart? Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer and the biggest private employer in the U.S. with 1.4 million workers here, said Tuesday that it is rolling out a three-part plan to help jumpstart the sluggish U.S. economy. The plan includes hiring more… Continue reading

The Beaufort Gazette, January 6, 2013 A coupon book offering discounts at Hilton Head Island restaurants and a website promoting businesses in downtown Beaufort and Port Royal represent the latest attempts to lure Lowcountry diners and shoppers away from big-box retailers and chain restaurants and into locally owned shops and eateries. …snip… Around the same… Continue reading

Cleveland Plain Dealer, December 29, 2012 CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — At Zagara’s Marketplace, shoppers who can’t find something they need can request it at the customer service desk.  Store President John Zagara will hunt it down and special-order it — even if the person who asked for it ends up being the only customer who… Continue reading

Grist Magazine, December 20, 2012 Walmart has staked the lion’s share of its sustainability program on greening its supply chain. Instead of changing its own business practices — selling flimsy, landfill-bound products and building sprawling stores that can only be reached by car, for example — Walmart has said that it can make more headway… Continue reading