Made in America - Wind Energy

Great quotes about unemployment

"Unemployment is capitalism's way of getting you to plant a garden."
-Orson Scott Card

We believe that if men have the talent to invent new machines that put men out of work, they have the talent to put those men back to work.
-John F. Kennedy

The hardest work in the world is being out of work.
-Whitney Young, Jr.

Hunger is not the worst feature of unemployment; idleness is.
-William E. Barrett

Thanks to Dan Miller for these.

Why is Barack Obama having such an expensive inaugural when we are in such dire times?

As the recession continues to wreak havoc on the U.S. economy and inauguration celebrations ramp up, a lot of people are asking: "How much will this shindig cost?"

The short answer? More than $150 million — and yep, that's the most expensive ever. (By comparison, George W. Bush's 2005 inauguration cost $42.3 million. Bill Clinton managed with $33 million in 1993.)



For the first time, President Bush has declared an emergency in Washington, D.C. to supplement the $15 million Congress has already allotted for security measures. It's no surprise that security costs are sky-high — Barack Obama received Secret Service protection very early in his presidential run and record crowds (likely anywhere from 1.5 to 3 million people) are expected for the record number of events. In fact, the Secret Service will be in charge of security not just for inauguration day, but for four days, starting Saturday with Obama's train ride from Philadelphia. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told the AP:

"It will be the most security, as far as I'm aware, that any inauguration's had."

Obama's much-discussed (and very cool-looking) custom Cadillac limo certainly couldn't come cheap, though we'll never really know how much it cost. Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell said the car's exact specifications are a big secret, including the safety features and production cost.

But Forbes reports it's not all flak jackets and armored cars:

To manage an event of this scale, the District of Columbia will spend a mammoth $47 million. It is not enough.... Much of the $45 million will go toward creating a dynamic Inauguration experience for the everyday visitor, not just funding exclusive events. "We don't even consider these events to be extravagant," says Linda Douglas, a spokeswoman from the Presidential Inauguration Committee. "With crowds of this size, most of our attention is being devoted to opening up as many events to the public."

Read the entire story HERE

Another sign of changes in the music industry

Due to a slow economy and a recording industry that seems to be trying to figure out how to sell albums right now, Equity Music Group in Nashville is suspending operations. People don't seem to be spending money on albums right now and something else that seems to be changing the industry is the ability to get the music without having to buy a full album.

I hate to see this happen but hopefully the business will go on and we'll see growth in Nashville and the music industry again. Read more below and the complete story in the Tennessean newspaper.
~Corey


Little Big Town and the folks from Equity Music Group

Nashville-based independent music label Equity Music Group said Tuesday that it was suspending its operations immediately, blaming a challenging economic climate.

"Our investors tried to a find a way to keep the doors open at Equity, but with a struggling industry, an overall decline in discretionary spending by consumers and a total freeze on the capital markets" the board made this decision, said Tim Wipperman, the label's president.

Equity Music Group began in 2003, co-founded by country artist Clint Black and Mike Kraski, a former Sony/Nashville executive. The label was best known for once representing the country music group Little Big Town.

Read the entire story in the Tennessean newspaper.

U.S. rail network facing congestion ‘calamity’

“For those of you who’ve ever seen a good rail meltdown, this is what it looks like,” Rose, CEO of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., said as the crowded hall shifted uncomfortably in their chairs. “It’s literally chaos in the supply chain.”

While the nation’s attention is focused on air travel congestion and the high cost of fuel for highway driving, a crisis is developing under the radar for another form of transportation — the freight trains used to deliver many of the goods that keep the U.S. economy humming.

The nation’s 140,000-mile network of rails devoted to carrying everything from cars to grain by freight is already groaning under the strain of congestion, with trains forced to stand aside for hours because of one-track rail lines.

Read the entire article in Better Roads.

JetBlue is Flying Out of Nashville

JetBlue Airways is pulling out of Nashville, effective January 6.

The law fare air carrier began its service in Music City in August 2006 with nonstop service between Nashville and New York.

The announcement to drop its Nashville flights comes as the carrier generated its first third-quarter profit in two years and capacity and occupancy grew.

Read more about it in the Nashville Business Journal.