National Defense Briefs – 04/06/16

  April 6, 2016

By W. Thomas Smith Jr.   NATIONAL DEFENSE BRIEFS is a series produced by National Defense Consultants, LLC, aimed at informing readers with timely military and homeland security news updates,…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, military

National Defense Briefs – 04/06/16

  April 6, 2016

By W. Thomas Smith Jr.   NATIONAL DEFENSE BRIEFS is a series produced by National Defense Consultants, LLC, aimed at informing readers with timely military and homeland security news updates,…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, military

Solving the productivity mystery

  April 4, 2016

By Robert J. Samuelson   A paradox of our time concerns productivity. We are awash in transformative technologies — smartphones, tablets, big data — and yet the growth in labor…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed

What now?

  April 4, 2016

By Kathleen Parker   So what are we to do? This is a familiar question to opinion writers. Translation: You’ve told us what’s wrong with everything — and we agree.…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed

National Defense Briefs – 03/30/16

  March 30, 2016

By W. Thomas Smith Jr.   NATIONAL DEFENSE BRIEFS is a series produced by National Defense Consultants, LLC, aimed at informing readers with timely military and homeland security news updates,…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, military

National Defense Briefs – 03/30/16

  March 30, 2016

By W. Thomas Smith Jr.   NATIONAL DEFENSE BRIEFS is a series produced by National Defense Consultants, LLC, aimed at informing readers with timely military and homeland security news updates,…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, military

We’re not a poor country, Donald

  March 28, 2016

By Robert J. Samuelson   We are a very wealthy society, and we shouldn’t forget it. Donald Trump apparently has — along with many other people. Visiting recently with The…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed

We’re not a poor country, Donald

  March 28, 2016

By Robert J. Samuelson   We are a very wealthy society, and we shouldn’t forget it. Donald Trump apparently has — along with many other people. Visiting recently with The…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed

Earth Day cleanups are ​part of the problem

  March 25, 2016

By Rudy Socha CEO Wounded Nature – Working Veterans   Annual litter cleanups add an additional 12 million plastic trash bags to landfills every year. Wounded Nature – Working Veterans…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: environmental, headlines, op-ed

Trade myths and realities

  March 24, 2016

By Robert J. Samuelson   In this bitter campaign, one area of agreement unites the major candidates: trade. Bernie Sanders brags that he’s opposed all recent trade agreements; Hillary Clinton…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed

Trade myths and realities

  March 24, 2016

By Robert J. Samuelson   In this bitter campaign, one area of agreement unites the major candidates: trade. Bernie Sanders brags that he’s opposed all recent trade agreements; Hillary Clinton…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed

What did you do to stop him, Daddy?

  March 24, 2016

By Kathleen Parker   Now that Donald Trump has spoken before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a pro-Israel lobbying group, Americans have learned the following: Trump can read…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed

What did you do to stop him, Daddy?

  March 24, 2016

By Kathleen Parker   Now that Donald Trump has spoken before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a pro-Israel lobbying group, Americans have learned the following: Trump can read…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed

Action Plans that Drive Business Part 4: Message and Brand

  March 21, 2016

By Kelly Coulter    Define your audience’s perception Ever wonder what people say about you when you leave the room? You leave an impression on the people around you with…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, marketing-and-communications

Where’s the $3 trillion?

  March 20, 2016

By Robert J. Samuelson   Is the American economy stronger than we think? Perhaps. A persisting puzzle about its recent performance is the stark contrast between growth of jobs (which…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed

National Defense Briefs – 03/17/16

  March 18, 2016

By W. Thomas Smith Jr. NATIONAL DEFENSE BRIEFS is a series produced by National Defense Consultants, LLC, aimed at informing readers with timely military and homeland security news updates, trends,…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, military

National Defense Briefs – 03/17/16

  March 18, 2016

By W. Thomas Smith Jr. NATIONAL DEFENSE BRIEFS is a series produced by National Defense Consultants, LLC, aimed at informing readers with timely military and homeland security news updates, trends,…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, military

The party’s (almost) over

  March 14, 2016

By Kathleen Parker   So it has come to this: A brokered convention or President Hillary Clinton. These options seem to be what’s left to Republicans of conscience, who are,…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed

The party’s (almost) over

  March 14, 2016

By Kathleen Parker   So it has come to this: A brokered convention or President Hillary Clinton. These options seem to be what’s left to Republicans of conscience, who are,…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed

What is the 30 second pitch for South Carolina?

  March 12, 2016

By Alan Cooper Publisher MidlandsBiz, UpstateBizSC, LowcountryBizSC   The following is based on the themes that I developed in a radio interview on the South Carolina Business Review with Mike…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines

What is the 30 second pitch for South Carolina?

  March 12, 2016

By Alan Cooper Publisher MidlandsBiz, UpstateBizSC, LowcountryBizSC   The following is based on the themes that I developed in a radio interview on the South Carolina Business Review with Mike…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines

What The New Social Security Rules Mean To You

  March 8, 2016

By Susan A. McCants, CFP ®   The new Social Security law that passed late last year, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, helped buoy the Social Security system by…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: banking-and-finance, headlines

What The New Social Security Rules Mean To You

  March 8, 2016

By Susan A. McCants, CFP ®   The new Social Security law that passed late last year, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, helped buoy the Social Security system by…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: banking-and-finance, headlines

A new theory of inequality

  March 7, 2016

By Robert J. Samuelson   Thumbing through the annual report of the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) is always an education. This year’s 430-page edition is no exception.…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed

A new theory of inequality

  March 7, 2016

By Robert J. Samuelson   Thumbing through the annual report of the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) is always an education. This year’s 430-page edition is no exception.…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed

The black and white of politics

  March 7, 2016

By Kathleen Parker   FLORENCE, SC – If Donald Trump speaks for disenfranchised whites, Hillary Clinton speaks mostly to blacks who feel the same. But the differences in how people,…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed

The black and white of politics

  March 7, 2016

By Kathleen Parker   FLORENCE, SC – If Donald Trump speaks for disenfranchised whites, Hillary Clinton speaks mostly to blacks who feel the same. But the differences in how people,…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed

Corporate Culture – and the Road Toward “Success”

  March 3, 2016

By Larry Ventimiglio   While business “success” is built upon professional leadership, management, and staff proactively performing their functional responsibilities in a synergistic manner, and guided by a unifying corporate vision, the…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: advice, headlines

Corporate Culture – and the Road Toward “Success”

  March 3, 2016

By Larry Ventimiglio   While business “success” is built upon professional leadership, management, and staff proactively performing their functional responsibilities in a synergistic manner, and guided by a unifying corporate vision, the…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: advice, headlines

HUD awards $157 million in disaster recovery funds in South Carolina

  March 1, 2016

Funding to help communities impacted by last year’s severe flooding U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro announced $157 million will be awarded to South Carolina…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: government, headlines, on-the-move

HUD awards $157 million in disaster recovery funds in South Carolina

  March 1, 2016

Funding to help communities impacted by last year’s severe flooding U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro announced $157 million will be awarded to South Carolina…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: government, headlines, on-the-move

The aging business cycle

  February 29, 2016

By Robert J. Samuelson   At her most recent press conference in December, Federal Reserve Board Chair Janet Yellen had this (abbreviated) exchange with ABC News reporter Rebecca Jarvis. Jarvis:…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed

The aging business cycle

  February 29, 2016

By Robert J. Samuelson   At her most recent press conference in December, Federal Reserve Board Chair Janet Yellen had this (abbreviated) exchange with ABC News reporter Rebecca Jarvis. Jarvis:…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed

Clash of titans: Pope vs. Trump

  February 29, 2016

By Kathleen Parker   COLUMBIA, SC – The popular wisdom that opposites attract is true in both romance and politics. But rarely do adages prove so profoundly — and absurdly…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed

Clash of titans: Pope vs. Trump

  February 29, 2016

By Kathleen Parker   COLUMBIA, SC – The popular wisdom that opposites attract is true in both romance and politics. But rarely do adages prove so profoundly — and absurdly…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed

Budget fairy tales

  February 21, 2016

By Robert J. Samuelson   We have a candor deficit. President Obama last week submitted his $4 trillion 2017 budget, using the occasion for self-congratulation. Deficits are down. Employment is…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed

A South Carolina primer-y

  February 21, 2016

By Kathleen Parker   CAMDEN, S.C. — Out on the hustings, people often ask me: “Can you explain South Carolina?” I just shake my head. It’s complicated, I say. The…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed

The crash of 2016?

  February 15, 2016

By Robert J. Samuelson   You cannot understand the vulnerable state of the U.S. and global economies — and nervous stock markets — without coming to grips with the crash…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed

The crash of 2016?

  February 15, 2016

By Robert J. Samuelson   You cannot understand the vulnerable state of the U.S. and global economies — and nervous stock markets — without coming to grips with the crash…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed

Hillary’s golden tongue

  February 15, 2016

By Kathleen Parker   PALM BEACH, Fla. – As speaking fees go, Hillary Clinton’s allegedly scandalous $200,000 per engagement is chump change compared with Donald Trump’s $1.5 million. But, of…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed

Hillary’s golden tongue

  February 15, 2016

By Kathleen Parker   PALM BEACH, Fla. – As speaking fees go, Hillary Clinton’s allegedly scandalous $200,000 per engagement is chump change compared with Donald Trump’s $1.5 million. But, of…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed

Short-Term Energy Outlook

  February 11, 2016

Highlights    North Sea Brent crude oil prices averaged $31/barrel (b) in January, a $7/b decrease from December and the lowest monthly average price since December 2003. Brent crude oil…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: energy, headlines

Short-Term Energy Outlook

  February 11, 2016

Highlights    North Sea Brent crude oil prices averaged $31/barrel (b) in January, a $7/b decrease from December and the lowest monthly average price since December 2003. Brent crude oil…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: energy, headlines

Should you outsource CMO duties? 

  February 10, 2016

By Kelly Coulter   5 situations where an outsourced CMO is the best investment you can make Your Chief Marketing Officer has a big job. She works with senior leadership…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, marketing-and-communications

Deficits … who cares?

  February 8, 2016

By Robert J. Samuelson   Just how far have budget deficits drifted off the radar screen of presidential politics? Here’s one indicator: Last week, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO)…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, op-ed