Category: Business

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  • The Bloom Box Just Became More Accessible

    Bloom Energy, which produces the solid-oxide fuel cell known as the Bloom Box, just made off-grid electricity more accessible. The Bloom Box, previously only available to people and companies willing to fork out $800,000 for it, is now also part of a service called Bloom Electrons. When you sign up for this service, you can […]

  • Existing Home Sales Up 12%

    Image: James Thompson/Flickr Thanks to low mortgage rates and reasonable prices, existing home sales increased 12% last December, according to the National Association of Realtors. From Bloomberg BusinessWeek: Purchases of existing houses, which are tabulated when a contract closes, increased 12 percent to a 5.28 million annual rate…The median price dropped 1 percent from a […]

  • Fraudsters Tap Carbon Offset Mkt, Climate Scientists

    Image: Wikimedia Built it, and they will scam. This seems to be the mantra of money-hungry fraudsters everywhere, even in the carbon-credit and global warming fields, both recent targets of pilferers. The EU, for one, has suspended trading on its carbon market because hackers have lifted millions of dollars in credits from the computerized system. […]

  • Texas, ESPN: Money Talks

    Image: Calamity Jane/Flickr Move over, Notre Dame. ESPN just inked a 20-year, $300 million deal for a new 24-hour Longhorn network. ESPN has more about the network, which will feature 3 hours of non-sports broadcasting per day: ESPN will help develop, launch and operate the network, according to a news release. The deal is worth […]

  • Debit Rewards Becoming a Thing of the Past

    Image: Channel R/Wikimedia Debit rewards will soon become a thing of the past–unless you use a small bank. A law that takes effect in July will cap debit swipe fees for banks that have more than $10 billion in assets. From Bloomberg: Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc., the world’s biggest payment networks, set rates charged […]

  • What’s Open and Closed on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day?

    In case you’re wondering, here’s the lowdown on whether banks, the US Post Office, and other institutions are open on Martin Luther King Day (from the Star Tribune): POST OFFICES Most are closed. BANKS TCF and U.S. Bank traditional and in-store branches are open normal hours. Wells Fargo in-store branches are open normal hours. GROCERIES […]

  • 25 Martin Luther King Quotes to Remember

    There’s a solid reason we celebrate Martin Luther King Day every year, and it doesn’t just have to do with getting the day off if you work for the government. These 25 MLK quotes will remind you why we hold the day in observance: 1. True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it […]

  • This Week’s Weird Jobs

    Looking for someone trained in human euthanasia to work in an economy-proof industry. If you lack those qualifications, you can always settle for life at the cactus nursery. This week’s weird jobs have a taste of it all: 1. Texas: Cactus Nursery Worker Needed Growing and expanding cactus and succulent nursery is looking for an […]

  • Interview: Social Entrepreneurs and the L3C

    Image: D. Sharon Pruitt/Flickr Social entrepreneurs are becoming a permanent fixture in the American business landscape. Doing business to do good is especially popular among the Gen-Y generation, but former nonprofit executives are migrating towards the for-profit model, as well. It’s only recently that new, hybrid legal designations for these kinds of businesses–the L3C is […]

  • Top 10 Things That All Customers Want

    Whether you’re running a small business or a large corporation, selling dollar-store items or luxury products, every customer has the same desires. Take a look at this top 10 list to see how your company rates in the area of customer service: 1. Involvement Customers want to feel like you care about their needs, and […]