AABE President Discusses Renewable Energy Stardard

American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) President Frank Stewart discussed in a National Journal article some key flaws with the current Renewable Energy Standard (RES) proposals before Congress, and offered some suggestions for improving them. These improvements included:

Change the RES to a CES, or Clean Energy Standard, including clean coal and nuclear power, thereby strengthening our national energy capacity and encouraging more rapid development.

Develop a clean, safe, and timely way to develop America’s shale gas resources to promote energy security, stability, and reliability.

Finally, legislation ought to consider strengthening federal investment is research, development and deployment of technologies to improve energy efficiency in residential and commercial buildings and in industrial processes.

According to Stewart:

Frank Stewart

"America needs all types of energy, from oil and gas to solar and wind. In addition, we need to be able to manage these multiple, dispersed and variable generating capabilities with speed, accuracy and reliability. Our nation needs a healthy economy and a healthy environment. We need policies that encourage innovation, that promote fairness, that improve security and that lay the foundation for the future. America needs a CES, not a RES."

Acting Globally

In this case, a state helps small, midsized companies target the China market.

Local small and midsized companies have experience and technologies that can be attractive to Chinese companies, but a lack of resources to explore the international market can hold them back. That's why the state is taking a role in helping these companies identify the right market and find the right partners.

Read all about it here.

Joints Center Hosting Smart Grid Forum

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies is inviting the public to a Technology Policy Forum co-sponsored by the Media and Technology Institute and the Commission to Engage African Americans on Climate Change:

THE SMART GRID PROMISE: IMPROVING EFFICIENCY AND ENHANCING QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL AMERICANS

Join them as the U.S. Department of Energy releases their new report concerning the future of the nation’s Smart Grid technology. Smart Grid technology is an example of energy and broadband technology coming together to solve a major infrastructure challenge. Leaders from the policy, industry and advocacy arenas will respond to the new report, and engage in a dialogue about the potential of Smart Grid technology to improve our nation’s energy system, and enhance the quality of life for all Americans.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2010 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

CAPITAL HILTON, Federal B Room, 1001 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC

Keynote Remarks: Scott Blake Harris, Esq., General Counsel, U.S. Department of Energy

Opening Remarks: Ralph B. Everett, Esq., President and CEO, Joint Center

Panelists:

Jeff Brueggeman, Esq., Vice President, Public Policy, AT&T
Calvin Butler, Esq., Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Exelon Corporation
Charles Davidson, Esq., Director of the Advanced Communications Law & Policy Institute, NY Law School
Dean Garfield, Esq., President and CEO, Information Technology Industry Council
Betsy Mullins, Senior Vice President, Policy and Political Affairs, TechNet
Bret Perkins, Senior Director, Public Policy, Comcast
Larry Plumb, Ph.D., Executive Director, Emerging Issues and Technology Policy, Verizon

RSVP at smartgridRSVP@jointcenter.org by October 1, 2010. For questions or press inquiries, please contact Betty Anne Williams at (202) 789-3505.

Can China Move Into the Exclusive Club of High Per Capita Income Countries?

The 1992 Nobel economics laureate Gary Becker -- professor of economics at the University of Chicago and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution -- writes a magnificent opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal, "China's Next Leap Forward."

Quick insightful snippet here:

Global markets allow poor countries to grow rapidly for a while, but it is far more difficult to grow beyond middle-income levels. Much has been made of the fact that a month ago China's aggregate GDP surpassed that of Japan. But all that means is China's per capita income is about 10% of Japan's, since China's population is about 10 times that of Japan. Despite its great economic advances, China still has a long way to go to become a rich country.

Don't overlook it. Blog is equally fascinating.

Cartoon credit here.

Posted by: The Global Small Business Blog

Chloramine+Lead Pipes+Fluoride=Contaminated Tap Water

From an  article by Olga Naidenko, Environmental Working Group Senior Scientist

American water utilities are increasingly switching to chloramines, a mixture of chlorine and ammonia, for final disinfection of drinking water. Chloramine was supposed to be a "safer" water disinfectant than chlorine because it reduces formation of toxic chlorination byproducts. A 2005 survey by the American Water Works Association found that approximately a third of all utilities now use chloramines. Water disinfection byproducts are associated with increased risk of cancer and possibly adverse effects on the development of the fetus, so minimizing their levels in drinking water is a good thing. Yet, chloramines drastically increase the leaching of lead from pipes.

Two thirds of the U.S. municipal water supply is artificially fluoridated in an effort to prevent tooth decay. But fluoridation additives in tap water are not the same form of fluoride as found in toothpaste. Typically, water is fluoridated with fluorosilicic acid (FSA) or its salt, sodium fluosilicate, collectively referred to as fluorosilicates. In contrast, fluoride in toothpaste is usually in form of simple sodium fluoride salt, NaF.

Fluorosilicates have a unique affinity for lead. In fact, lead fluorosilicate is one of the most water-soluble forms of lead.  When fluorosilicates in water pass through lead-containing pipes and metal fixtures, the fluorosilicates extract high levels of soluble lead from leaded-brass metal parts. Researchers have found that the mixture of the two chemicals: disinfectant (whether chlorine or chloramine) with fluorosilicic acid has a drastically increased potency, leaching amazingly high quantities of lead. This lead goes into our drinking water and right on into our bodies, where they wreak havoc by poisoning our heart, kidneys and blood, causing irreversible neurological damage and impairing reproductive function.

Chlorine and chloramine are probably here to stay for some time. On the other hand, fluoride, or, specifically, water fluoridation with fluorosilicates, is quite dispensable. There is clear evidence that fluoride dental products significantly reduce the incidence of cavities. In contrast, a substantial and growing body of peer-reviewed science suggests that ingesting fluoride in tap water does not provide any additional dental benefits other than those offered by fluoride toothpaste and may present serious health risks.

In case of fluoridation and chloramines, what emerges at the end of the pipe (our faucets) is a potentially highly hazardous mixture of fluorosilicates, lead, and residual levels of disinfectants. To protect the health of our families today, we can buy a water filters to remove heavy metals and disinfection byproducts from my drinking water with a simple pitcher filter.

Water treatment chemistry is still insufficiently understood by scientists and specific water quality outcomes depend on the particular chemical interactions found in each water treatment and distribution system. To protect the health of the entire nation, we really need to consider if our current methods of water treatment can withstand scientific scrutiny, or whether they should be re-assessed so as to provide safe, healthy tap water to all Americans. (EWG EnviroBlog, 7/13/2009)

What Makes French Country Guesthouses So Charming?

Take a break. Dream of your own year in Provence. It's the rooms, gardens and breakfast tables that make a difference.

Be our guest here (be sure to click on full screen).

Related piece: French Connections

Photo credit here.

Shell, National Urban League and Black Enterprise Magazine

PRESIDENT CORNER

By Norris McDonald

The Autumn season brings two events that Shell Oil is co-sponsoring:

1)  Shell Oil Company is sponsoring the National Urban League Founders’ Day Reception on September 27 in New York. According to Shell, they support the Urban league because it is a, "partnership that closely aligns with Shell’s firm commitment to diversity and inclusiveness at all levels throughout our organization.”

2) Black Enterprise is hosting Part 2 of A Conversation on Energy sponsored by Shell, in Washington D.C at the Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel, on Nov. 8, 2010.

Shell Oil's outreach program should be commended.  Now if we can get them to engage in equity mentor/protege partnership programs, it would add significant substance to their outreach activities.

Blacks do not own energy infrastructure and resources in the United States and Shell could do something about that beguiling situation. AAEA would be happy to work with Shell in solving this energy sector problem.

10210 One Nation Working Together March on Washington

One Nation Working Together is sponsoring an October 2, 2010 March on Washington that will include unions, major civil rights, religious, environmental organizations and others. One Nation Working Together is a social movement of individuals and organizations committed to putting America back to work and pulling America back together. Coming from a diverse set of backgrounds, experiences, beliefs and orientations, we are determined to build a more united country with good jobs, equal justice, and quality public education for all.

Highlights of the overall program:

Rally Program: 12-4:00 pm EDT [C-SPAN]

12:00 pm Opening: Moderators DJ Reborn and Ed Schultz
Pledge of Allegiance
Star Spangled Banner (Opera singer Angela Brown)
Historical Reading: "Why We March"
Performance: Urban National Choir
Video: Jobs
Historical Speech: "I Have a Dream"
12:30 pm
Jobs Segment
Historical reading by Wendell Pierce
Remarks: Mary Kay Henry and Jackie Johnson
Performance: Black Ice
Remarks: Van Jones and Gayl Caul
Remarks: Rev. Al Sharpton and Lindsay McCluskey
Performance: Charlie Hill
Remarks: Larry Cohen and Barbara Elliot
Remarks: Richard Trumka and Diana Ortiz
Remarks: Ellie Flores and Bishop Garrison
Remarks: Min. Lisa O'Reiley and Father Simon Bautista
1:30 pm
Public Education/Civil Rights Segment: Moderator Tom Joyner
Education Video
Historical Cesar Chavez Speech Reading: Harry Belafonte
Performance: "America the Beautiful" by Frederic Yonnet
Remarks: Ben Jealous and Marian Wright Edelman
Remarks: Deepak Bhargava and Colin Whited
Performance: Paul Rodriguez
Remarks: Dennis Van Roekel and Wade Henderson
Historical Harvey Milk Speech Reading: Victoria Rowell
Remarks: Randi Weingarten and Rev. Freddie Haynes
Performance: Beau Sia
Remarks: Margaret Moran and Greg Cendana
Video: Justice
2:30 pm
Justice Segment: Moderator Joe Madison
Performance: Julissa
Video: Environment
Remarks: Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins and Bob King
Remarks: Hiawatha Brown and Bill McKibben
Performance: Alix Olson
Remarks: Rev. Jesse Jackson and Yves Gomes
Performance
Remarks: Janet Murguia and Iman Malik Mujahid
Historical Speech Reading
Remarks: George Gresham and Liz Allen
Remarks: Luis Gutierrez and Darlene Nipper
Historical Remarks: Why We March Call to Action
Performance: One Nation Under a Groove by George Clinton Band

The program ends at 4:00 p.m.

National Urban League Celebrates Centennial Founders Day

The National Urban League and more than 70 affiliates across the country are launching their second century of economic empowerment leadership at a Centennial Founders Day Celebration on Wednesday, September 29, 2010.

Shell Oil Company is sponsoring the National Urban League Founders’ Day Reception. According to Shell, they support the Urban league because it is a, "partnership that closely aligns with Shell’s firm commitment to diversity and inclusiveness at all levels throughout our organization.” The Founders’ Day Reception is from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, September 27, at Le Parker Meridien Hotel, 119 W. 56th St. in New York. Actress and comedienne Phyllis Yvonne Stickney is the mistress of ceremonies, and entertainment will be provided by jazz flutist Sherry Winston.

Among other activities, the New York Urban League has scheduled an Open House and Neighborhood Day; the Charleston, S.C. affiliate will receive a proclamation from the mayor; and the Urban League of Columbus, GA, will rally to get out the vote. The Urban League of Chattanooga, TN, has a full day of activities planned, including a scholar’s fair, a Federal Reserve Bank listening tour and an open house.

To contact an affiliate for more information

Media wishing to attend the New York reception should contact Teresa Candori or call at 646-319-0891.

America's Export Goals Target Small Businesses

Only 4 percent of U.S. small businesses export, according to the Small Business Administration. Fortune 500 firms dominate exports, even though they comprise a small percentage of U.S. businesses.

Our friend, esteemed colleague and foreign correspondent, Josh Kurlantzick (check out his book "Charm Offensive"), writes a good piece on:

Obama's Export Goals Target Small Business for AllBusiness.com

One of my comments was:

What’s more, she says, history suggests small companies respond to these initiatives: As the Commerce Department has expanded its Gold Key program, which helps exporters connect with potential buyers overseas, demand for Gold Key has increased steadily among small companies. And once these entrepreneurs stick their toes into exporting, they learn that they can manage some of the risks. Besides Gold Key, entrepreneurs who work with the Export-Import Bank can get credit insurance that steps in and pays exporters when customers don’t. “Once you have that security,” says Delaney, “exporting doesn’t seem so scary.”

Read the entire article here.

Photo credit here.

Black Farmers March on Washington To Pass Settlement

Black farmers marched on Washington on September 23, to demand payment from the government for discrimination black farmers have suffered through systematic practices at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The settlement has been approved by the Obama Administration and the farmers, and funding passed the House. The Senate has tried and failed 8 times to take up the bill. Senate leadership has indicated that the only way Black farmers will receive funding is by unanimous consent, coupled with the Cobell settlement. Cobell deals with mismanagement of Native American trust accounts by the U.S. Department of the Interior, while the Black famers' settlement seeks to give Black farmers and Blacks who attempted to farm the opportunity to have their claims of discrimination by the USDA determined on their merits.
 

No Fear Productions: Interview by Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo

Bird's Eye View of Downtown Chicago

Have a great weekend everyone!

When I took this photo, I was standing on a pier that extended out over Lake Michigan near Fullerton Avenue beach while looking South at downtown Chicago.

Photo credit: Laurel Delaney, GlobeTrade.com

Posted by: The Global Small Business Blog

Why You Need a Website In Our Wired World

Here are six reasons why you need a website.

No. 1 of 6:

Stand out from the crowd. Taking the easy, cheap route rarely wins new clients or influences prospective customers. If anyone can start a blog or be on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, what distinguishes one company from the millions of others? By having a traditional website, you show you have a little investment in the game. Sure, creating new digital marketing channels can boost your business star power online, but these social media platforms should not stand alone.

Read my entire contribution over at Verio, a world-class web-hosting company for SMBs around the globe:

Why SMBs Need a Website, Not Just a Free Facebook Account

Full disclosure: Verio is a client and we are a happy customer of Verio's at Globetrade.com

Posted by: The Global Small Business Blog

M.I.A. Paper Planes & Tamil Tigers

M.I.A. explains her song "Paper Planes" can be interpreted as being about gun manufactures taking your money and about fear of immigrants.

Part 1

From Times Live

Part 2

High Speed Rail: $50 Billion and No Blacks Allowed

By Harry Alford

What is happening in Washington, DC is similar to a situation in Oakland, CA a few years ago. My friend, Shannon Reeves, was president of the local NAACP chapter there. One night at a city council hearing everyone was unloading about how bad the economic situation was. Finally Shannon let them have it, “You have a Black mayor, predominantly Black city council, Black school superintendent, Black police chief, Black fire superintendent, Black state representative, and a Black congressperson and Black everything else. If things are bad then someone Black has either done it or let it happened.” In essence, the solution must start with us and cities like Oakland, Compton, East St. Louis, Gary, Detroit, Camden, etc. must start to police and correct themselves. Outside sources are not going to do it for us.

So far this Stimulus Bill has been a disaster for Black America. We have participated in about 1% of the revenue at best. Only thing is the Union movement is mad about that one percent we have in addition to the 1% Hispanics have and the 3% women share. In total that is 5% and they see that as awful. The greedy unions want it all to themselves and they aren’t going to stop until they get it. After all, they paid the Obama Campaign over $200 million and they want the big return on that investment.

The latest union hustle is the High Speed Rail System they want built throughout America. We need this like a “hole in the head”. Our economy is in the tank. We can’t fill airplanes, normal trains or buses but they want to fill the nation up with these bullet trains that will not be used by many. There is at least $50 billion in jobs doing this and the unions want all of those jobs. They already have gotten the Obama Administration to eliminate civil rights and affirmative action programs regarding the oversight of this project.

Normally, the US Department of Transportation’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program would apply. This states that goals must be set for minority and women businesses and equal opportunity employment must be enforced. But oh, the little bigots have found a loophole. There is an underutilized agency within the Department of Transportation where the DBE program doesn’t apply. That is the Federal Railroad Administration. So, in a sinister way, the Obama Administration is shifting all the responsibility for the high speed rails to this department so affirmative action and civil rights cannot be enforced. This is terribly sad isn’t it? It is change all right – change for the worst.

Courageously, Congresswoman Gwen Moore (Black Democrat, Milwaukee) stepped in the way and filed house bill H.R. 5010 which states that the Federal Railroad Administration must abide by the DOT civil rights programs. The bill states: “To amend title 49, United States Code, to require that not less than 10 percent of the amounts made available for certain high-speed rail projects be expended through small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, and for other purposes.” She dropped this April 13, 2010. However, Speaker of the House Pelosi went to work against it. She assigned the bill to Congresswoman Corrine Brown (Black Democrat, Jacksonville), Subcommittee Chair for Railroads and Congresswoman Nydia Velasquez (Hispanic Democrat, NYC), and Chair for the House Small Business Committee. The bill has been frozen ever since. It has been over five months and they are conspiring to kill it.

Strangely enough, there has not been one member of the House of Representatives to cosponsor this bill with Congresswoman Moore. No member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Democratic Party, Transportation or Small Business Committees. Congresswoman Moore is out there by herself. It is a betrayal of African Americans, minorities and women, in every since of the term.

Remembering Oakland, I must state that if we have a Black President, Black House Whip, 43 members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Black Attorney General (in charge of Civil Rights) and Black representation throughout the federal government then someone Black is doing this or letting it happen. It is 2010 and they are openly killing civil rights. Somehow we are going to have to rally and fight this terrible assault. One thing we can do is remember this in November when we go to the polls. If your congressperson is not going to fight this then you need a new congressperson. There should be no high speed rail system built in this nation unless it comes correct. Racism should not be allowed and certainly not promoted by the Democratic Party and supported by the Congressional Black Caucus.

I shall close this sad commentary with one of my favorite tunes of the 1960’s. “They are all chicken feathers; all without one gut; trying to make it real; but compared to what.”

Mr. Alford is the co-founder, President/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce.

Becoming An Export Country

With its, "Export Nation" article, MyBusiness Magazine (NFIB) tells you what you need to know about the government’s ambitious export initiative—and whether your business can profit.

Be sure to catch the following part for a glimpse at a powerful learning lesson that a small business owner experienced on an export deal:

Earlier this year, Sheridan O’Brien, an NFIB member and owner of industrial products convertor, manufacturer and distributor CS Hyde Co. in Lake Villa, Ill., received a large Internet order via credit card from Germany—close to $20,000 worth of tape and film. The customer kept adding to the order, requiring CS Hyde to pay the freight forwarder—a third-party company that arranges overseas shipments—several different times. This made her suspicious. She called the credit card company and sure enough, the card was a fraud, even though it initially showed up as approved. CS Hyde ended up paying a fake shipping company $7,000 out of its own coffers.

See how it ends up here.

At this blog or elsewhere online, we've covered how critical it is to arrange a secure method of payment (refer to "Methods of Payment" by Laurel Delaney) on international transactions. It doesn't have to be complicated. Don't let the notion of how to get paid scare you away from exporting. You just need to consult with your trusted banker (that's how I learned the ropes). Hopefully, they have a strong international division to walk you through your options. If they don't, find a bank that does!

As for "Export Nation," happy to be quoted in it. Special thanks to Christina Galoozis for writing it. Over time, the topic will become even more relevant and only grow in importance.

Posted by: The Global Small Business Blog

How to Grow a Global Virtual Networking Business

Some tips on:

How To Build Your International Business Network Online

Posted by: The Global Small Business Blog

50 Scholarly Blogs for Climate Science Students

AAEA on list

OnLineCollege.org has listed fifty scholarly blogs for climate science students that have information about global warming, weather, meteorology, environmental science, geography, mapping and GIS systems, among other topics that feed into the broader discipline of climate science. Through OnLineCollege.org, students can either major in or sign up for climate science courses as a means of furthering their meteorological understanding. Blogs, most especially those by professional or academic organizations and individuals, make for a great supplement to their lessons.

How to Plan To Go Global

Inc. published a feature, "9 Tips For Doing Business Globally (nice slide show!)," offering some basic, general tips on how to get started in taking your business across borders.

I am not so sure hiring a guide is critical to conducting business internationally. Interpreter, yes, if needed, to translate conversations but a guide is not generally necessary unless you plan to do an awful lot of sightseeing in a market you are unfamiliar with. Most small business owners don't spend gobs of time dilly-dallying on business trips. They line up appointments with key people, get the business done and return to running their business.

Posted by: The Global Small Business Blog

Changes at the Joint Center's Climate Change Commission

Robert Bullard, Beverly Wright and Gabriela Lemus are no longer on the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies' Commission to Engage African Americans on Climate Change.

New members include Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, Broderick D. Johnson, Carolyn Green, Calvin G. Butler , Jr., Milton Carroll, Mary H. Hayden, and Veronica Johnson.

Out:

Bullard is Director of the Environmental Justice Resource Center at Clark Atlanta University. Wright is Executive Director of Dillard University's Deep South Center for Environmental Justice. Lemus is Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement.

In:

Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins is Chief Executive Officer of Green For All in Oakland, California. Broderick D. Johnson is Chairman of Bryan Cave Strategies and Partner at Bryan Cave LLP in Washington, DC. Carolyn L. Green is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of EnerGreen Capital Management, LLC in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Calvin G. Butler, Jr. is Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Exelon Corporation in Chicago, Illinois. Milton Carroll is Chairman of the Board of CenterPoint Energy, Inc. in Houston, Texas. Mary H. Hayden is a Research Scientist at the Research Applications Laboratory at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Veronica Johnson is a Meteorologist at NBC News4 Weather Plus in Washington, DC.

CURRENT LIST OF COMMISSION MEMBERS

Global Power Colors

WOW!

The Most Powerful Colors in the World

Illustration credit: COLOURlovers

Posted by: Laurel Delaney, The Global Small Business Blog

Shirley Chisholm Presidential Accountability Commission

Political scientist Ron Daniels formed the Shirley Chisholm Presidential Accountability Commission in late 2008 as a mechanism to hold the nation's first black president accountable. Eventually, the group hopes to issue a report card that grades the administration on how well it is doing in closing racial disparities. The commission is named after the first African American woman elected to Congress and the first woman to seek the Democratic nomination for president. The Chisholm commission, which is still in its formative stages, includes Julianne Malveaux, a political economist and president of Bennett College for Women; Michael K. Fauntroy, an associate professor of public policy at George Mason University; and Tricia Bent-Goodley, a professor of social work at Howard University. According to Daniels:

"The subtext is that there seems to be some hesitancy - to put it mildly - on the part of the Obama administration to overtly address issues of race. There is talk about a rising tide lifts all boats. But if there is unevenness in terms of how the boats are situated, then maybe you should look at that, instead of some across-the-board notion."

AAEA is concerned that Blacks do not own energy infrastructure and resources in the United States: no offshore oil rigs, no coal mines, no natural gas wells or pipelines, no oil wells, no oil tankers engaged in the international oil trade, well, you get the idea. We hope the Commission will put this issue on its agenda. AAEA has approached every energy sector in trying to increase minority ownership of energy infrastructure and resources, but have been repeatedly rebuffed.

AAEA's latest legislative venture is proposing the ‘Minority Energy Partnership Act of 2010’ or the ‘MEP Act of 2010.’ The MEP Act would amend the Internal Revenue Code to allow Expensing of all costs related to stimulating mentor/protégé partnerships in the energy sector. The deductions would equal $500 billion and cover a period of ten years. (Wash Post, 9/18/2010) More:

AndersonatLarge

Tracking Change

Dr. Boyce Watkins

The New National Export Initiative Web Page

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) launched a new web page dedicated to USTR's work on the President's National Export Initiative (NEI).

As President Obama announced in his State of the Union address, agencies across the federal government are teaming up under the National Export Initiative to create jobs by expanding exports. This page will serve as a one-stop shop for updates on USTR's NEI work and connections to the entire NEI effort across the Obama Administration.

Visit here.

Illustration source here.

Posted by: The Global Small Business Blog

Gloria Reuben: Nationally Known Environmental Activist

Gloria Reuben, left, was born in Toronto, Canada and is best known for her role on the American television series ER as Jeanie Boulet, a physician assistant. She has starred in numerous other television and movie roles. In 2000, she sang back up for Tina Turner on her Twenty Four Seven Tour.

Reuben takes environmental issues very seriously and has participate in numerous events, including as a speaker at the 2010 Earth Day event on the National Mall. She serves on the Board of Directors of the National Wildlife Federation. She is vice chair of the board of trustees of Robert F. Kennedy’s Waterkeeper Alliance, an advocacy group aimed at protecting waterways around the world. In 2009, The Daily Green recognized Reuben's environmental efforts with the Heart of Green Award. (Wiki)

How to Work the World Efficiently: Love Logistics by UPS

UPS is making the world a better (and easier) place to conduct global business and celebrating in a big way (watch video).

They've launched their first global business-to-business campaign, “We Love Logistics,” to emphasize its breadth of services. The campaign includes direct mail, print, TV, digital, social media and out-of-home and targets business decision-makers.

Read more about this:

UPS delivers first global b-to-b campaign, ‘We Love Logistics’

UPS delivers 'amore' - WSJ.com

upside, the UPS blog

Visit the most powerful force in business today:

UPS: The New Logistics

Posted by: The Global Small Business Blog

Merging Grant Programs Will Reduce Grants To HBCUs

The National Science Foundation is proposing to merge three grant programs for minority-serving institutions into a single new program that would also allow awards to majority-white institutions. This will have the effect of reducing grant funds to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).

At least 20 percent of the nation's 105 black colleges are in financial distress and many suffer from a lack of support from state and federal agencies, as well as very low percentages of alumni-giving compared with the levels at predominantly white institutions.

The White House Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, established by President George H.W. Bush in 1989, has typically included only the presidents of black colleges.

The National Science Foundation's proposal, described in President Obama's budget request for the agency in February, would eliminate funds for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program, the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation, and the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program, and replace them with a single new program that would encourage minority participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—the STEM disciplines (refers to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). (The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 10, 2010)

Orlan Johnson, Chairman, Securities Investor Protection Corp

Orlan Johnson, Zina Johnson, Barack Obama
Orlan Johnson, 48, is the Chairman of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), having been confirmed to that position in February 2010. He is also a partner in the Business Department of Saul Ewing in Washington, DC. He has in-depth and practical experience in mergers and acquisitions, stock and asset acquisitions and dispositions, corporate financing, joint ventures, proxy contests and tender offers, and general corporate governance matters. Mr. Johnson was an original member of Obama national finance committee and served on campaign policy committees related to transportation insfrastructure, finance/banking and energy issues.

Prior to joining Saul Ewing, Mr. Johnson was Of Counsel at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy, where he served as co-head of its regulatory practice in the Washington, DC office. Before that, he served for nine years as a Staff Attorney and Branch Chief in the Division of Investment Management for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In this capacity, his primary responsibilities included advising the Commission on the regulation of exempt utility companies and utility companies registered under the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935.

In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Johnson is an adjunct professor of law at Howard University School of Law where he teaches Securities Regulation classes.

Johnson is married to Zina Johnson, a gospel musician. They have three children, Nia, Adam and Jair and live in Bowie. (Wash Post, Gerson Lehman Group)

Johnson has a J.D. from the Howard University School of Law, 1987 and received his B.A. from Andrews University in 1984.

The World Has Changed

International Business Times reporter Hao Li writes, "Global Demand Shifting to Emerging Markets," about how the world has changed with more businesses looking to emerging markets for growth.

According to Ding Yifan, an economist from a Chinese think-tank (reported via Reuters), the U.S. would be the loser in a trade war with China partly because U.S. exporters would lose access to Chinese customers.

I was honored to speak with Mr. Li about how small businesses factor into the grand scheme of emerging market opportunities. Here are a couple of my quotes:

Laurel Delaney, president of GlobeTrade, said the lack of capital and education is indeed two main reasons that small businesses aren't exporting, so government export programs are probably on the right track.

Delaney said the Internet is another reason exporting is increasingly feasible for small businesses because it dramatically reduces the cost of contacting customers. She said the recent emergence of social media makes connecting with prospects globally even more realistic.

Moreover, U.S. businesses should keep in mind exporting doesn't only involve goods, but also services. For small businesses, services exports will become increasingly important, said Delaney.

Read the entire article here.

Illustration credit here.

Posted by: The Global Small Business Blog

Comments? We welcome them.

FOE Reports: Africa Becoming Green OPEC: Good or Bad?

Friends of the Earth Africa and Friends of the Earth Europe report in:

"Africa: Up For Grabs: The Scale and Impact of Land Grabbing for Agrofuels"

The African continent is increasingly being seen as a source of agricultural land and natural resources for the rest of the world. National governments and private companies are obtaining access to land across the continent to grow crops for food and fuel to meet growing demand from mainly overseas countries. Agrofuels - the large scale production of crops used to produce liquid fuels - are being hailed by some as Africa’s silver bullet.

Proponents of agrofuels generally argue that agrofuel production will address the economic crisis facing many developing countries; they will create wealth and jobs and alleviate poverty. These issues need to be assessed objectively. We should not accept these arguments without subjecting them to empirical analysis. The rationale behind this research is anchored on this premise. It looks at the spread of agrofuel production across Africa and highlights the social, economic, health and environmental concerns found.

Many of the host countries have encouraged this investment, keen to develop a potentially lucrative export crop. Fifteen African nations joined forces to set up what has been described as a “Green OPEC” and a number of national governments have also introduced domestic targets and strategies for agrofuel use at home. But there is also a growing awareness of the downsides of this agrofuel boom. As scientists and international institutions challenge the climate benefits of this alternative fuel source, local communities and in some cases national governments are waking up to the impact of land grabs on the environment and on local livelihoods.

FOE's Recommendations for action: 1. Put a brake on land grabbing: a) Stopping the drivers – political targets that increase demand for agrofuels should be scrapped, in particular the EU’s mandatory target and b) African states should immediately suspend further land acquisitions and investments in agrofuels.

Will the USA Small Business Owner Exporting Civilian Aircraft Please Claim Their Prize?

Census Bureau's Global Reach blog says:

Last month (June 2010) saw a $7.9 billion increase in the deficit despite a 3.3% drop in petroleum imports. This month, the trade deficit improved despite petroleum imports holding steady at $26.8 billion. A drop of $0.7 billion in crude oil was offset by increases in fuel oil and other petroleum products.

And, they go on further to say:

The increase in exports was driven by civilian aircraft, up $1.4 billion to $3.6 billion in July.

If you are a small business owner (with less 500 employees) exporting civilian aircraft as noted above, please let us know so you can claim your prize.

We wish to honor you here with a special feature story and will definitely let the Obama administration know that their National Export Initiative, which encourages small businesses to export, is working!

Illustration credit can be found here.

Posted by: Laurel Delaney, The Global Small Business Blog

Untouchable Subjects Now Within Reach and Free to Anyone, Anywhere in the World

MIT OpenCourseWare

Get going. It's free. To anyone. Anywhere.
Watch. Listen. Learn.

Read self-learner Physicist Wendy Ermold's (pictured) story here on how she learns new concepts and ideas in her rare off hours. You can too.

Photo credits here.

Position Changes at EPA's Office of Public Affairs

Stephanie Owens, left, has replaced M. Allyn Brooks LaSure as Deputy Associate Administrator in the Office of Public Affairs. Owens was Director of the Office of Public Affairs. Owens was formally the senior vice president of The Agency LLC, a consulting firm specializing in the development of corporate social responsibility strategies. Her clients included the National Football League and Major League Baseball. She also served as the Vice President of Collaborative Initiatives for the American Cancer Society, Special Assistant to Vice President Al Gore for the Federal Interagency Task Force on St. Petersburg, Senior Advisor to Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and Special Assistant to Secretary Henry Cisneros. Owens is a graduate of the University of Southern California and native of Detroit, Michigan.

Adora Andy, right, who was EPA Press Secretary has also been elevated to Deputy Associate Administrator for Communications in the Office of Public Affairs. Andy was a television News Producer at WPTY in Memphis for two years. Prior to that, she was a producer and reporter in Columbia, Missouri. Andy served as Press Secretary for Congressman Harold Ford, Jr.'s U.S. Senate Campaign in Nashville, Tennessee. She was Public Information Officer for the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office. Andy also has news experience at CNBC Europe in London. Andy was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas and graduated from the University of Missouri's School of Journalism.

Dru Ealons, Norris McDonald, Stephanie Owens
Dru Ealons, far left, replaced Stephanie Owens, as Director in the Office of Public Outreach.

(ZoomInfo, LOHAS)

It's Smart to Sell Your Products Abroad

My fellow colleague and good friend Steve Strauss (pictured above), a USA Today columnist, builds a strong case on how any sized business with an Internet connection can become global provided they do their homework.

And we thank him for including us in it!

Follow Steve on Twitter at @SteveStrauss.

Taking a Business Global Isn't Easy, But It Can Pay Off

Posted by: The Global Small Business Blog

Dr. Ronald Walters Died Friday Night

Our Condolences To The Family of Dr. Ronald Walters

Dr. Ron Walters, 72, died last night, Friday, September 10 at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland.

[The Washington Post, 9/12/2010]

BP Rejects AAEA's Partnership Proposal

The Great Call of China Ends For Vodafone

Dashed hopes but loads of cash later -- Vodafone sells its stake in China Mobile for U.S. $6.6 billion.

Read more here. About Vodafone.

Graphic illustration (Vodafone's global footprint) source here.

Posted by: The Global Small Business Blog

How to Think BIG in the Global Marketplace

Interesting article over at The Porter Bay Group.

When you click on the link, it's an immediate PDF file download: Think BIG: Competing in the Global Market

Posted by: The Global Small Business Blog

An Opportunity to Grow Your Business Internationally

How can an entrepreneur or small business owner pass this up? British Airways (BA) offers U.S. entrepreneurs and small business owners the critical tools for building business relationships abroad and stimulating growth Face-to-Face.

As part of the Face-to-Face campaign, BA will award 250 small businesses the opportunity to travel to London and beyond through the British Airways Face of Opportunity contest. Any entrepreneur or small business owner with a clear business need for international exposure should visit www.ba.com/facetoface for the opportunity to compete for and win a free flight.

British Airways strongly believes face-to-face interaction with global stakeholders is a critical tool to help entrepreneurs and small businesses build ongoing, mutually beneficial business relationships abroad, effectively supporting U.S. economic growth and global expansion and exports.

To learn more and apply, go here. Jump straight to contest here and good luck!

Graphic source here.

Posted by: The Global Small Business Blog

The Global Citizen Sector

Citizen sector is defined by Bill Drayton, CEO of Ashoka and Valeria Budinich, founder and chief entrepreneur of Ashoka’s Full Economic Citizenship Initiative, as:

... the term we use to define the millions of groups established and run by mission-minded individuals across the globe who are attempting to address critical social needs—has long been regarded as understaffed and inefficient. But that has changed. We work with some 3,000 social entrepreneurs worldwide, and over the past 30 years we’ve seen the citizen sector catch up with business as it has increased its productivity, size, and reach. Its organizations are attracting talented and creative leaders, and their work is changing the game in critical industries and areas such as energy and health care.

Read more about this at "A New Alliance for Global Change," but you cannot access the entire article without first subscribing or purchasing a single copy PDF over at Harvard Business Review. And once there, you might also pick up a copy of, "Can Entrepreneurs Save the World?"

Related piece here (blog post by Ashoka).

Photo credit here.

Director of AAEA Kenya Office Publishes New Book

"Peace Art: The Forbidden Expression"

Boaz Adhengo writes:

"My purpose of writing this book is to describe the complex ‘Peace Art’ as it occurs in Africa and specifically, Kenya. My understanding of Peace Art is not universally accepted. Some researchers’ prefer less expressive, more cognitive behavior models to describe this concept. More so, conflict and chaotic relation of art, a look into the opposite. It is more of a proposal into collective action, into resourceful organization of art into action. The approach into this writing is purely creative but informing, merging existing examples with experience into a digestible piece that will not warrant a meeting."

Purchase the Book via Amazon.com

AAEA Kenya

A Sense of Globalization Is Very Important

Foreign Policy Contributing Editor Christina Larson talks with Google Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt (pictured) about what makes a city smart, how not to lose $1 trillion -- and the one place he's never been. Very interesting read.

Excerpt:

How is information technology changing the world?

When I was growing up, an elite controlled the media. And the majority of the world was very, very poor, both in a resource sense and an information sense. Since then, a set of things have occurred: the digital revolution, the mobile revolution, and so forth -- of which I am enormously proud because they are roughly the equivalent of lifting people from abject poverty and ignorance to a reasonable ability to communicate and participate in the conversation.

Information empowers individuals. And it has a huge and overwhelmingly positive impact on society. Think of someone who can now get information about finance or technology, or they're in school and they can't afford textbooks but access information online. Or imagine medicine -- I mean there's just issue after issue.

Globalization has clearly been responsible for lifting at least 2 billion people from abject poverty to extremely low levels of middle class. As a result, they have greater access to education and opportunity; they are much less likely to attack you, and they're busy trying to fulfill their low-cost version of the American Dream. They're trying to buy a car.

Read the entire interview: "Googlopolis"

Caricature drawing credit above of Eric Schmidt can be found here.

Posted by: The Global Small Business Blog