Commentary
Tapping Experts to Teach
Four years ago, I was dismayed by the terrible matheducation my son was getting at a Seattle public K-8 school; for two years in arow, he had had the same incompetent teacher. So I pulled together a committeeof similarly concerned parents and started a before-school math program. I putan ad on Craigslist and received resumes…
When Hiring, Look For Native Intelligence: That Doesn’t Just Mean Math, Stupid!
The Gates Foundation’s Global Health President Tachi Yamada offers great management advice in an interview in today’s New York Times. Asked what he looks for in a hire he makes two recommendations: 1) Hire someone who is willing to embrace change. Often that means hiriing someone who has been through a lot of change in…
Climb Every Mountain
Journalists love anniversaries that end with zero; the mathis so much easier to handle that way. So, as you prepare your calendars for March, here is a10-year anniversary to jot down and for which to plan the appropriatecommemoration: March 10, 2000. That date isn’t jarring a flood of memories, is it? Not to worry. March…
The Jobs Recovery Could Be Much Stronger Than Most Expect
A Fidelity economist makes the case for rising investments and a “job-full” recovery! Lisa Emsbo-Matinglly, Director of Economic Analysis argues that while a jobless recovery followed the dot com bust, that dowturn came after a long cycle of large investments in technology and other capital investments. By contrast, while there has been a great deal…
Area Brokers See Modest Gain in Dow, Offer Stock Picks
At the Metropolitan Grill’s annual “Guess the Dow” luncheon Thursday, area brokers predicted, on average, that the Dow would climb to 11,676 by the end of 2010, up less than 10 percent from current levels. The Dow closed on December 31, 2009 at 10,428.05 points.The most optimistic broker suggested the Dow could end the year…
Windows 7 Service Pack 1
So it appears that Microsoft is getting ready for Windows 7 Service Pack 1, according to the Seattlepi.com. The Service Packs are the upgrades Redmond inevitably releases for its operating system which, depending on your frame of mind, either provide additional enhancements and fixes to the initial release, or are a tacit admission that the…
A Hard Fall
The Washington state economy will build steam through the spring and summer of 2010, but total employment won’t return to peak levels of 2008 until well into 2011, analysts forecast. And for many residents and businesses, the gloomy outlook will persist. “Economists say they see a recovery, but try to tell that to the 7…
Our Boeing-less Future
Boeing’s announcement of a second 787 production line in South Carolina, an economic development plum the state of Washington had expected as its birthright, prompted reactions of disappointment, anger, resignation, frustration and bewilderment. Then there was this response to a piece written by your columnist for The News-Tribune in Tacoma: “I don’t give a crap…
The Next Phase
“In all modern depressions, recessions, or growth-corrections, as variously they are called, we never miss the goods that are not produced. We miss only the opportunities for the labor-for the jobs-that are not provided.” -J.K. Galbraith When prominent members of the state’s business community gathered for the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce’s annual leadership conference…
The Workers Comp Chokehold
Economic crises tend to expose flawed systems. The current crisis surrounding the financial markets and housing bust displayed the weaknesses of mortgage-backed securities. The recession a decade ago brought overexposed dot-coms to their knees. A decade before that saw the trials of savings and loans. Here in Washington, our down economy revealed regulatory policies that…
The Social Media Blind Spot
Despite the massive success and acceptance of Web 2.0 community-building sites such as Facebook and Twitter, many of today’s executives continue to ignore these social media networks. Many claim they don’t have the time or desire to spend energy or resources building their online communities. But the reality is these tools are being widely adopted…