Business News Online

Sporting dark sunglasses, some sandals and mostly short sleeves, the assemblage at the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota’s posh Lido Key beach club was both happy testimonial and unapologetic promotional stunt.

In all, some two dozen elected officials and others filmed spots that will be cobbled into a YouTube video aimed at bolstering the area’s image.

“Our beaches are as beautiful as they’ve ever been,” said Richard Bradshaw, owner of the Comfort Inn and Days Inn hotels, on Clark Road, and chairman of Sarasota County’s Tourist Development Council.

“The water here is clear, clean and refreshing,” said Jim McManemon, the Ritz-Carlton’s general manager, to a background of beach strollers and pelicans fishing for a late breakfast.

But amid the pep rally atmosphere and the images of pure, green waters and foamy whitecaps, dark clouds formed and sounds of thunder rumbled off in the distance.

More symbolically, clouds may coalesce in the weeks ahead, as the gushing oil — estimated now to be as much as 3.8 million gallons daily by some scientists — meets summer hurricane season, beginning June 1.

Oil from the downed BP America rig Deepwater Horizon appears poised to move, flowing into the so-called “loop current” in the Gulf, according to satellite images.

Read more…

“What we need from you,” the TV news producer said, “is a quick look at the unemployment numbers. It should seem you’ve done lots of research on this and are digging deep to give us the low-down. Of course, we don’t have time for real depth, but a scowl and a slight twitch will cover that.”

I practiced scowling and twitching. Unemployment numbers come out monthly and the news media cover them as diligently as violations of selected commandments.

Not only do we get the national numbers, but we get state and county numbers as well. It’s a feast without nutrition attended by the entire country.

After all, these local numbers can send federal dollars to your hometown or, if they are bad enough, get you a visit by the President and the national press corps.

“What’s the big headline in the latest numbers?” the producer asked.

Read more…

These days some parts of America, especially poorer neighborhoods, are beginning to look like victims of bombing raids, as whole city blocks are up for bulldozing following a recession blighted by unemployment, failed mortgages, and foreclosures.

But it doesn’t have to be this way … that is, if the American spirit of free enterprise is allowed to work its magic.

Enter the real estate wholesaler from the left, please. America’s latest breed of entrepreneurs is paying cash for houses regardless of condition, then flipping them on for a profit of just $10,000 a few days later. Real estate wholesaling offers mixed benefits to communities – these include putting distressed homes back into the hands of those who care for them, but also adding a premium to houses that lower-income families battled to afford before they came along.

Nobody knows how many of these dark knights in armor there are. One thi

Read more…