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Katie Recommends
Anthem by Ayn Rand
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Civil Disobedience by Thoreau
Confessions by Augustine
Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt
End the Fed by Ron Paul
Power Divided by Jason Lewis
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
Treatise on Law by Thomas Aquinas
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Monthly Archives: October 2009
Oct
29
Leave football alone!
By Katie Kieffer
It must be nice to be president. I thought it would be a stressful job in this economy with consumer confidence at an all-time low, our country at war, a swine flu pandemic and multiple national security threats. Apparently I was wrong.
With 32 newly-appointed “czars” to help run the country, President Obama appears to have ample time on his hands for more serious issues like whether NCAA football should convert from a Bowl Championship Series (BCS) system to an eight-team college football playoff system.
Continue reading
Posted in Sports
5 Comments
Oct
28
Sickeningly sweet news
By Katie Kieffer
I was reading a local health fitness magazine the other day and came across an article about foods that give you energy. The author surprised me by stating a little-known-fact about one of the biggest culprits to your health: High fructose corn syrup.
High fructose corn syrup is subsidized by the government. No big deal? Huge deal. Government corn subsidies total over $56.2 billion. Continue reading
Posted in Health Care
7 Comments
Oct
27
Need a Halloween costume idea?
By Katie Kieffer
Halloween is at the end of the week. Last Halloween was a no-brainer if you wanted to dress up as a political figure: Palins, McCains and Obamas were everywhere. If you’re out of ideas, I’ve got a few for you: Continue reading
Oct
26
Chi-Town’s career advice for young professionals
By Katie Kieffer
If you’re like most young professionals, you want to know when this recession is going to end. We’re young and generally optimistic, but reality is starting to bite. If you’re paid on a commission, you’re drowning. If you’re salaried, you hope your job won’t be cut. So, what can you do for your career during this down-cycle?
Chicago, IL: Rumblings of the recession, its length and its impact sifted up among the rainy skyline. This month, I participated in a conference with about thirty other young professionals in commercial real estate from across the country. We all wanted to know: “When is the recession going to end, and what can we do to boost our careers in the meantime?” To this end, we invited Dr. James R. DeLisle to come present on the economy and capital markets. Here are my key takeaways from DeLisle’s presentation that can help you build your career up during this recession: Continue reading
Oct
23
Find out what top MN money-maker is overlooked
By Katie Kieffer
Bees are an essential part of our national economy. Did you know that we rely on bees for one-third of our food supply? Pollinators are essential to helping “over 70 percent of the world’s wild and cultivated flowering plants reproduce,” Brian Devore states in his column, “A Sticky Situation for Pollinators,” in Minnesota Conservation Volunteer. There is an “estimated $20 billion in services pollinators provide U.S. crops annually,” says Devore.
Clearly, if the bees continue to fade away, much of our agricultural economy and independence will be at stake. There are various explanations for why the bees are dying off. Ultimately, we want to know what to do to help save them – and protect our food supply. Continue reading
Oct
21
How to keep our country safe
By Katie Kieffer
Our country is at war in Iraq. We hear of potential terrorist threats on our country on a daily basis. I can’t remember the last time I went to the airport and the Homeland Security Advisory System’s “threat level” was lower than “High” or “Orange.” We are continually bombarded with signs of war and violence. Consequently, it’s easy to become numb to war when most of our daily activities are peaceful. Aloofness puts us in danger, however, of risking the very peace we enjoy.
This past weekend, I went to The Art Institute of Chicago. One of the paintings that jumped out at me was Pompeo Batoni’s painting, The Allegory of War and Peace. This is a famous work of art that can be interpreted in many ways. Here are my takeaways as a young professional on how we can achieve peace in the U.S.: Continue reading
Posted in National Security
2 Comments
Oct
19
How to stay optimistic in a recession
By Katie Kieffer
How do you stimulate yourself to stay positive in this economy? When your friends are losing their jobs and the world seems to be closing in on you at the speed of light, it can be challenging to stay optimistic.
President Obama has tried to stimulate our economy to recover quickly through his economic stimulus package. Clearly, he recognizes that the economy is in a down-cycle. I am concerned, however, about the long-term ramifications of his actions, particularly for young people like me. Continue reading
Posted in Economy
5 Comments
Oct
15
Bold young real estate firm steps out in recession
Part 4 of 4
This is the fourth in a series on how young entrepreneurs and innovation – not massive government spending – will get us out of our economic recession. The young entrepreneurs I’ve interviewed have all started their companies during this recession.
By Katie Kieffer
The Questions:
1.) When did you start the Paradigm Group? Summarize briefly how the two of you decided to come together to start this company?
Kiel: We opened in May of 2009. Anders and I were colleagues at The Geneva Organization and we kept in touch after we both left earlier this year. I came to Anders and we were discussing what was going on in the market and decided it would be a good time to come together and start our own company.
Anders: We did our background research and spoke with a number of companies in the area and realized that even though things are slow, the workload for a lot of companies is still rather high. We recognized that and said to ourselves, “Why don’t we start a company where we can offer commercial real estate services on a short-term basis – hourly or by project?”
Continue reading
Oct
14
Young designer builds her firm despite sluggish market
Part 3 of 4
This is the third in a series on how young entrepreneurs and innovation – not massive government spending – will get us out of our economic recession. The young entrepreneurs I’ve interviewed have all started their companies during this recession.
By Katie Kieffer
The Questions:
1.) Tell me about Evoke. What’s the story behind your company?
I started Evoke two and a half years ago. I set out to focus on the corporate market and actually work in the Minnesota market for a change. I had been traveling a lot, working on casinos and hotels for the past six or so years and needed to be around more for my new blended family. Continue reading
Posted in Economy
Comments Off
Oct
13
MyCore entrepreneur innovates with energy
Part 2 of 4
This is the second in a series on how young entrepreneurs and innovation – not massive government spending – will get us out of our economic recession. The young entrepreneurs I’ve interviewed have all started their companies during this recession.
By Katie Kieffer
The Questions:
1.) What’s the story behind MyCore Industries LLC? How and when did you decide to start this company?
- MyCore was started in March 2009 after my team and I had spent months researching a project in the renewable energy industry. We quickly realized that if a company or business wanted to start using renewable energy, they were essentially on their own.
- There was no single, turn-key solution provider to guide them through the process of determining what kind of technology to use (solar thermal, solar PV, wind, geothermal), getting financing, designing and implementing products and systems, creating environmentally friendly marketing campaigns and seeing each piece through from start to finish. We knew we could fill this hole within the industry – this led us to create MyCore.