written by: Andy Watkins
Editor - BusinessDetroit.com
As I write this article the automakers are driving to Washington D.C. to present their case to Congress. Now many call it a bailout and many others will call it a bridge loan. It's actually both a bridge loan and a bailout. The main question is should this occur and the answer is YES. If it does not happen are country's ability to mass produce will be greatly damaged. We will have to count on other country's to produce our products in the event of a war and that won't work. Just for National Security reasons we should allow the loans to go through as long as the business plans are real and that the loans are guaranteed to be paid back.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
15 Running for Mayor of Detroit
written by: Claire Oberiane - guess writer
In Detroit, Michigan we recently went through a long drawn out Mayoral scandal and now we are in phase two of it's recovery process. 15 to individuals have thrown their hats into the ring to run our great city of Detroit. As residents of Detroit I ask you to research these potential leaders and ask them what their plan is to make the City of Detroit one of the top 5 cities in the United States. Ask them for a time frame, ask them who their advisors are going to be and what's the most important item they see to start the turn around.
I cry everytime I drive down Woodward Avenue looking at blighted city scapes and offices with homes half burned down and stop lights that work only part of the time. Even with Ford Field, Comerica Park, Casinos and GM's head quarters the city still lacks basic services. Many cities that have similar issues tend to make the same mistakes year after year. They keep wanting to hit that home run with large investors and they forget the basics like good roads, top notch police that are apart of the neighborhoods, community centers, entertainment, parks and more parks.
Tell these potential Mayors that you want more from them then any Mayor from any other city and nothing less. Then tell your city council members to get out of the way have faith in the leadership that the people voted in.
In Detroit, Michigan we recently went through a long drawn out Mayoral scandal and now we are in phase two of it's recovery process. 15 to individuals have thrown their hats into the ring to run our great city of Detroit. As residents of Detroit I ask you to research these potential leaders and ask them what their plan is to make the City of Detroit one of the top 5 cities in the United States. Ask them for a time frame, ask them who their advisors are going to be and what's the most important item they see to start the turn around.
I cry everytime I drive down Woodward Avenue looking at blighted city scapes and offices with homes half burned down and stop lights that work only part of the time. Even with Ford Field, Comerica Park, Casinos and GM's head quarters the city still lacks basic services. Many cities that have similar issues tend to make the same mistakes year after year. They keep wanting to hit that home run with large investors and they forget the basics like good roads, top notch police that are apart of the neighborhoods, community centers, entertainment, parks and more parks.
Tell these potential Mayors that you want more from them then any Mayor from any other city and nothing less. Then tell your city council members to get out of the way have faith in the leadership that the people voted in.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
New Mayor now what?
written by: Andy Watkins - BD editor
Well, we now have a new Mayor and a potential race in the near future to select an another new Mayor for Detroit. I just hope whoever becomes our next Mayor goes back to the basic's and stops spending money unwisely. First, improve the roads, garbage pick up, lights, police and fire. Everything else can wait....businesses and residents will flock by the millions if the leadership of Detroit understands one simple thing and that is to keep it basic. When a city can't support the basic's why would anyone think they could grow. Let the private markets take care of the huge expansion projects, schools, subdivision build outs and let the city work on the basic's.
Will they do this...probably not because they've been advised that they all have to think big or the big players won't even think about coming back into the city. Well it's up to the voters to ask the questions and hopefully this time the voters will get it right.
Well, we now have a new Mayor and a potential race in the near future to select an another new Mayor for Detroit. I just hope whoever becomes our next Mayor goes back to the basic's and stops spending money unwisely. First, improve the roads, garbage pick up, lights, police and fire. Everything else can wait....businesses and residents will flock by the millions if the leadership of Detroit understands one simple thing and that is to keep it basic. When a city can't support the basic's why would anyone think they could grow. Let the private markets take care of the huge expansion projects, schools, subdivision build outs and let the city work on the basic's.
Will they do this...probably not because they've been advised that they all have to think big or the big players won't even think about coming back into the city. Well it's up to the voters to ask the questions and hopefully this time the voters will get it right.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Google number 1 ranking
Written by: Andy Watkins
As I'm writing this blog I wanted to share with the members and the Internet community that Business Detroit has doubled it's membership and received the top ranking on Google's Search Engine. We also have the number three spot for MSN and the number fourth spot on Yahoo.
So what does this mean for the members on BusinessDetroit.com...it means that we will receive more traffic and that will help all our members to grow their business.
BusinessDetroit.com was started less than a year ago and it already has over 400 new business listings. Our unique directory was designed by the greatest web design team over at WorldWise.net. Thanks to them our members get great features like email blasts, rating systems, contact system, image loaders and much more. The RSS feed is automatically built in to the database, so everytime one of our members updates his or her listing on BusinessDetroit.com it automatically gets feed to the world wide web.
Please check out our partnership web site directories at BusinessChicago.com, BusinessNewYork.org, BusinessGrandRapids.com, BusinessDesMoines.com.
As I'm writing this blog I wanted to share with the members and the Internet community that Business Detroit has doubled it's membership and received the top ranking on Google's Search Engine. We also have the number three spot for MSN and the number fourth spot on Yahoo.
So what does this mean for the members on BusinessDetroit.com...it means that we will receive more traffic and that will help all our members to grow their business.
BusinessDetroit.com was started less than a year ago and it already has over 400 new business listings. Our unique directory was designed by the greatest web design team over at WorldWise.net. Thanks to them our members get great features like email blasts, rating systems, contact system, image loaders and much more. The RSS feed is automatically built in to the database, so everytime one of our members updates his or her listing on BusinessDetroit.com it automatically gets feed to the world wide web.
Please check out our partnership web site directories at BusinessChicago.com, BusinessNewYork.org, BusinessGrandRapids.com, BusinessDesMoines.com.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Are the Credit Unions the 1980's Savings and Loans?
written by: Andy Watkins - BD editor
The credit arena is getting more and more tight as the bank regulators and the federal banks keep making statements of future slow downs and major write offs of billions of dollars from consumers. Do you remember the 1980's when hundreds of Savings and Loans closed their doors and the Federal government came in and help bail out many while others lost everything. Well now we have a new group that are under threat and that is the current credit unions across this country. On average 3 to 4 banks close each year, but not the prediction is that over 100 to 200 banks will close and most of them small banks or credit unions.
What should you do if your with a small bank or credit union...nothing if you just have savings or a checking account because that's insured for over $100k, but if you are invested in the stocks or a mutual fund you might want to protect your money and speak with your financial advisors from some short term and long term protection of your investments before it's too late.
Does that mean that all Small banks or Credit Unions will go under...NO...but many of them count on the larger banks and their cash flow is tightening everyday, which means the available monies will not got to small banks or credit unions to loan out, which means they won't make any money and will have to sell their existing loans to keep their doors open.
It's a different world we live in and it's time to relook at your portfolio and make sure your not opened for a complete wipe out.
The credit arena is getting more and more tight as the bank regulators and the federal banks keep making statements of future slow downs and major write offs of billions of dollars from consumers. Do you remember the 1980's when hundreds of Savings and Loans closed their doors and the Federal government came in and help bail out many while others lost everything. Well now we have a new group that are under threat and that is the current credit unions across this country. On average 3 to 4 banks close each year, but not the prediction is that over 100 to 200 banks will close and most of them small banks or credit unions.
What should you do if your with a small bank or credit union...nothing if you just have savings or a checking account because that's insured for over $100k, but if you are invested in the stocks or a mutual fund you might want to protect your money and speak with your financial advisors from some short term and long term protection of your investments before it's too late.
Does that mean that all Small banks or Credit Unions will go under...NO...but many of them count on the larger banks and their cash flow is tightening everyday, which means the available monies will not got to small banks or credit unions to loan out, which means they won't make any money and will have to sell their existing loans to keep their doors open.
It's a different world we live in and it's time to relook at your portfolio and make sure your not opened for a complete wipe out.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Banks going out of business
Written by: Karen Thompson - Guest writer
The Federal bank regulators now say as reported on CNN.com just two weeks ago that 100 - 200 banks mostly small banks will go out of business with in the next year. What is going on? Why are we still asking if we are in a recession or not....can we all say YES and move on. First thiing to repairing our economy is to admit there is a problem and then start fixing it. Everyday we don't admit that we are in a recession is another day that goes by that we don't fix things. People are losiing their homes, jobs, retirement etc...
The silver lining on all of this is that our own state of Michigan has been in a recession for a long time, so we've already been beaten up and are use to the bad times. Now with news of riots and bad economics coming out of China and India we might see a shift of the U.S. automakers readjusting their game plan and finally realize maybe it wasn't the greatest plan to move our factories overseas.
If people in the U.S. can't afford the companies products then it doesn't matter how cheap the labor force is....if no one is buying, then no one is buying. Greed has come full circle and now we are paying the price. We need to go back to the basics and remember why we became who we are as a nation. It was because we built things and sold things better and faster then anyone else. Well, today I moved my mutual funds around and made sure my funds had a limit to the financial sectors. I've gotten burned too many times in the past two decades and have learned my lesson....the Bear Sterns bank failure is just the begining....protect your money and slow down your spending to protect your assests. We are headed for rough waters and if your not prepared it could destroy everything you have earned. I'm not saying pull all your investments....but I'm telling you that you need to monitor them closing and don't panic. Place them in areas that haven't been hurt from the bad news and keep watching. If another chip falls...then you might want to make another change. If you ignore it...you will most likely lose everything.
In summary, banks failing really is a bad thing and we are in a recession. Pay attention to your investments and prepare yourself for a very bad fall. You can survive this mess if you just take the proper action and steps now to protecting yourself and your family. Best of luck to all the readers and hopefully this recession is a short one.
The Federal bank regulators now say as reported on CNN.com just two weeks ago that 100 - 200 banks mostly small banks will go out of business with in the next year. What is going on? Why are we still asking if we are in a recession or not....can we all say YES and move on. First thiing to repairing our economy is to admit there is a problem and then start fixing it. Everyday we don't admit that we are in a recession is another day that goes by that we don't fix things. People are losiing their homes, jobs, retirement etc...
The silver lining on all of this is that our own state of Michigan has been in a recession for a long time, so we've already been beaten up and are use to the bad times. Now with news of riots and bad economics coming out of China and India we might see a shift of the U.S. automakers readjusting their game plan and finally realize maybe it wasn't the greatest plan to move our factories overseas.
If people in the U.S. can't afford the companies products then it doesn't matter how cheap the labor force is....if no one is buying, then no one is buying. Greed has come full circle and now we are paying the price. We need to go back to the basics and remember why we became who we are as a nation. It was because we built things and sold things better and faster then anyone else. Well, today I moved my mutual funds around and made sure my funds had a limit to the financial sectors. I've gotten burned too many times in the past two decades and have learned my lesson....the Bear Sterns bank failure is just the begining....protect your money and slow down your spending to protect your assests. We are headed for rough waters and if your not prepared it could destroy everything you have earned. I'm not saying pull all your investments....but I'm telling you that you need to monitor them closing and don't panic. Place them in areas that haven't been hurt from the bad news and keep watching. If another chip falls...then you might want to make another change. If you ignore it...you will most likely lose everything.
In summary, banks failing really is a bad thing and we are in a recession. Pay attention to your investments and prepare yourself for a very bad fall. You can survive this mess if you just take the proper action and steps now to protecting yourself and your family. Best of luck to all the readers and hopefully this recession is a short one.
Friday, February 22, 2008
EBAY is failing to support it's membership
Written by: Guest writer - Angela Carin
Ebay has done it again...it has started a crusade of being paranoid. A good friend of mine just had his account shut off after being a member in great standing for 5 years. He wasn't a very large member grant you, but he was still a very good member with a 100% in his favor on the responses he got. I don't want to mention his name because....well you'll hear about him in the national news soon enough...he's suing Ebay for $75 million. That's right he's suing them for $75 million for all the abuse he has under gone in the last three weeks.
Well it all started three weeks ago when my friend contacted Ebay and asked them how he could sell products with his account. They gave him the generic tips and posts that helped him connect with third party drop shipment company. A drop shipper is a company that holds the inventory, handles the sales and ships it to your customer, then cuts you a check. Well after Ebay recommended this company to my friend he signed up and he was on his way to selling on Ebay. Then Ebay shut his account down and told him he couldn't use a 3rd party to sell on Ebay....huh...that's strange they recommended this vendor now he can't use it...doesn't make much sense now does it...wait...it gets even better. Now that his account is shut off he inquires why...they say they don't believe he's the account holder....so they ask him to fax his personal information to number that goes to India...that's right....personal information (That Ebay says never do...) is now asking for him to send it right away. They asked him to fax his drivers license, Social Security number, three utility bills and a birth certificate....all in order to sell again on Ebay. Sounds a little fishy doesn't it, so my friend decided to contact the head quarters and yes it was a new policy of Ebay's. So he did fax it...and they still didn't believe him....well this went on back and forth for three weeks. He faxed a total of 112 pieces of information with his information on it and still nothing.
Now he was very upset and stressed out over the whole situation...he didn't know where to turn and wanted to stop the Ebay abuse, so no one would ever have to go through that mess again. My friend seeked out legal advise and decided to file legal action in the form of $75 million. I asked my friend do you think you have a chance of winning....he stated that's not the point....the amount I'm suing for will get an executives attention to see how stupid Ebay is and hopefully they will modify their practices. Well, that shows you how important high quality employees really are and how good communication skills could have avoided this situation for Ebay. Personally, I hope the judge throws the book at Ebay to show that the little guy does matter and just because your a large corporate monster, doesn't mean you have the right to abuse anyone. Well my friend good luck and hopefully your stress levels will lower as this situation passes.
Now if you've experienced anything like this with Ebay or another company share your thoughts with us today.
Ebay has done it again...it has started a crusade of being paranoid. A good friend of mine just had his account shut off after being a member in great standing for 5 years. He wasn't a very large member grant you, but he was still a very good member with a 100% in his favor on the responses he got. I don't want to mention his name because....well you'll hear about him in the national news soon enough...he's suing Ebay for $75 million. That's right he's suing them for $75 million for all the abuse he has under gone in the last three weeks.
Well it all started three weeks ago when my friend contacted Ebay and asked them how he could sell products with his account. They gave him the generic tips and posts that helped him connect with third party drop shipment company. A drop shipper is a company that holds the inventory, handles the sales and ships it to your customer, then cuts you a check. Well after Ebay recommended this company to my friend he signed up and he was on his way to selling on Ebay. Then Ebay shut his account down and told him he couldn't use a 3rd party to sell on Ebay....huh...that's strange they recommended this vendor now he can't use it...doesn't make much sense now does it...wait...it gets even better. Now that his account is shut off he inquires why...they say they don't believe he's the account holder....so they ask him to fax his personal information to number that goes to India...that's right....personal information (That Ebay says never do...) is now asking for him to send it right away. They asked him to fax his drivers license, Social Security number, three utility bills and a birth certificate....all in order to sell again on Ebay. Sounds a little fishy doesn't it, so my friend decided to contact the head quarters and yes it was a new policy of Ebay's. So he did fax it...and they still didn't believe him....well this went on back and forth for three weeks. He faxed a total of 112 pieces of information with his information on it and still nothing.
Now he was very upset and stressed out over the whole situation...he didn't know where to turn and wanted to stop the Ebay abuse, so no one would ever have to go through that mess again. My friend seeked out legal advise and decided to file legal action in the form of $75 million. I asked my friend do you think you have a chance of winning....he stated that's not the point....the amount I'm suing for will get an executives attention to see how stupid Ebay is and hopefully they will modify their practices. Well, that shows you how important high quality employees really are and how good communication skills could have avoided this situation for Ebay. Personally, I hope the judge throws the book at Ebay to show that the little guy does matter and just because your a large corporate monster, doesn't mean you have the right to abuse anyone. Well my friend good luck and hopefully your stress levels will lower as this situation passes.
Now if you've experienced anything like this with Ebay or another company share your thoughts with us today.
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