On choosing happiness. What’s your choice?

  December 22, 2014

By Jeffrey Gitomer Sales Advice   [row] [col col=8] Happy New Year! Or…is it? People wish it to you, to me – all the time. So how happy are you…

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

South Carolina’s Employment Situation: November 2014

  December 22, 2014

Number of Employed South Carolinians Hits Record High Labor Force Expands for Fifth Consecutive Month   SOUTH CAROLINA – The number of South Carolinians working reached a record high of…

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

Innovation in South Carolina. Are we at base camp yet?

  December 22, 2014

By Alan Cooper   (Based on my radio interview with Mike Switzer, December 22, 2014 )   Productivity and innovation drive prosperity. Five years ago, the Medical University of South Carolina…

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

Sony’s ominous lesson

  December 22, 2014

By Robert J. Samuelson   ”In light of the decision by the majority of our exhibitors not to show the film ‘The Interview,’ we have decided not to move forward…

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

Talk about a wildfire

  December 22, 2014

By Kathleen Parker   First there’s the spark, then the conflagration, followed by the litigation and then, surely, the movie. Call it “Moonlight Fire,” and prepare to suspend disbelief. The…

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

Relaxed Looks That Are Anything But Sloppy

  December 17, 2014

By Brian Maynor   During this time of year a lot of people are using their vacation days, but some of us are still roaming the office halls.  Luckily with…

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

Creating a media crisis in five easy steps

  December 15, 2014

By John Boyanoski     A lot of public relations firms will tell you how to manage a media crisis situation. That is the easy part. But as a business…

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

A statistical feast!

  December 15, 2014

By Robert J. Samuelson   The Stat Abstract is dead. Long live the Stat Abstract. As regular readers of this column know, I’ve been a fanatical booster of the Statistical…

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

South Carolina REALTORS® Release November Market Numbers

  December 15, 2014

CoOLUMBIA, SC – South Carolina REALTORS® (SCR) released its November 2014 statewide housing market reports. With virtually no inflation, interest rates will likely remain low for most of 2015. Construction…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: headlines, on-the-move, residential-real-estate

Graham Pleased with SRS Funding in Year-End Spending Bill

  December 11, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today said he was pleased with the funding provided for Savannah River Site (SRS) in the year-end spending bill, also termed…

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

Clients don’t know.

  December 10, 2014

By Ken Gasque   Don’t misquote me.  Clients know a lot about their products and their customers but clients are humans and humans have perceptions that sometimes are wrong and this…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, headlines

Robert Samuelson: The key to stronger economic recoveries?

  December 7, 2014

By Robert J. Samuelson     “The nation of which [Warren G.] Harding became president was not happy, and forces were underway which seemed likely, unless arrested, to bring more…

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

The media circus around Ferguson

  December 7, 2014

By Kathleen Parker   As the curtain closes on the latest episode of “Ferguson,” the media series, it is fair to wonder whether events might not have spiraled out of…

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

Climate realities in light of the U.S.-China agreement

  November 30, 2014

By Robert Samuelson   The United States-China agreement on climate change is a huge political triumph, possibly “historic,” as its supporters say. Whether it much alters the world’s climate is a more…

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

From Bill Cosby to Ferguson, a reminder of our rule of law

  November 30, 2014

By Kathleen Parker     By now, most Americans probably have formed an opinion about what comedian Bill Cosby did or didn’t do sexually to or with at least 16…

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

City council holds zoning public hearing

  November 24, 2014

By Temple Ligon Columbia City Council met Tuesday, November 18, at 2:00 p.m. for its work session. Its regularly scheduled meeting was on the same day at 6:00 p.m. Top…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: government, headlines

Cultivating Great Teams

  November 19, 2014

By Mike DuBose with Blake DuBose   At some point in our lives, we all take part in activities that necessitate teamwork. These situations crop up within professions, spiritual organizations,…

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

Pope calls for family resurrection

  November 19, 2014

By Kathleen Parker    News that Pope Francis will visit the United States next year for the triennial World Meeting of Families brings elation to Catholics, excitement to pope-watchers — and perhaps a little…

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

Independent Contractors: The NLRB Refines its Standards

  November 19, 2014

By James A. Byars and David S. Robinson             Whether an individual is classified as an independent contractor or an employee has significant legal implications,…

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

Midlands Technical College Appoints New President

  November 19, 2014

Dr. Ronald L. Rhames selected from three finalists after nationwide search   COLUMBIA, SC – The Midlands Technical College Commission announced the selection of Dr. Ronald L. Rhames as the…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: education, headlines, on-the-move

Stock bubble? Don’t blame the Fed’s bond-buying program.

  November 16, 2014

By Robert J. Samuelson   Without QE, will the stock market tank? Count me a skeptic. QE refers to “quantitative easing,” the Federal Reserve’s multitrillion-dollar program of bond buying that…

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

National Defense Briefs – November 13, 2014

  November 13, 2014

By W. Thomas Smith Jr.   National Defense Briefs is a series aimed at informing readers with timely military and homeland security news updates, trends, definitions, and short commentaries. Defense…

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

Columbia City Council – October 21

  November 12, 2014

By Temple Ligon   Baseball In the past week the Bull Street baseball stadium came closer to reality. Jason Freier, owner of the new Columbia minor league baseball team, said…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: government, headlines

Remembering Betty Dent

  November 12, 2014

Ministry, civic duty marked her life   Betty Dent, a former member of the Columbia International University Board of Trustees and a longtime supporter of CIU, passed away in West…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: headlines, on-the-move

Gettys Receives Order of the Palmetto

  November 11, 2014

GREENVILLE, SC – Former Baptist Easley Hospital CEO Roddey E. Gettys, III has received South Carolina’s highest civilian honor — The Order of the Palmetto — for his longtime leadership…

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

3 Reasons You Need to Plan for Your Long-Term Care

  November 5, 2014

By Barbara Franklin     So much of our life is built around planning. We plan for big events like weddings, careers and the birth of a child. We plan…

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

How will Europe’s economy escape the doldrums?

  November 5, 2014

By Robert J. Samuelson  Can Mario Draghi save Europe? Draghi heads the European Central Bank, the continental equivalent of the Federal Reserve. The fact that the question is being asked…

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

How will Europe’s economy escape the doldrums?

  November 5, 2014

By Robert J. Samuelson  Can Mario Draghi save Europe? Draghi heads the European Central Bank, the continental equivalent of the Federal Reserve. The fact that the question is being asked…

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

The “magic” of a few good men

  November 3, 2014

By W. Thomas Smith Jr.   Decades ago I spent 13 long weeks living within the closest thing to a monastery I will ever know. It was a Spartan all-male…

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

The “magic” of a few good men

  November 3, 2014

By W. Thomas Smith Jr.   Decades ago I spent 13 long weeks living within the closest thing to a monastery I will ever know. It was a Spartan all-male…

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

Reaching peak performance – How to achieve your dreams

  November 2, 2014

By Jerry Bellune  Know anyone who wants to be a low-performer? Of course not. You don’t associate with those people. I personally avoid people like that. They’re losers. Business owners…

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

Reaching peak performance – How to achieve your dreams

  November 2, 2014

By Jerry Bellune  Know anyone who wants to be a low-performer? Of course not. You don’t associate with those people. I personally avoid people like that. They’re losers. Business owners…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, headlines

Be Kind and Respectful to Your Fellow Travelers

  November 2, 2014

 By Deborah O’Connor Kids kicking your seat from behind, the person in front of you reclining his seat into your lap, an infant seat falling out of the overhead bin…

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

Be Kind and Respectful to Your Fellow Travelers

  November 2, 2014

 By Deborah O’Connor Kids kicking your seat from behind, the person in front of you reclining his seat into your lap, an infant seat falling out of the overhead bin…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, headlines

Ebola Preparedness for South Carolina Employers

  November 2, 2014

  By: Matthew Korn, Fisher & Phillips LLP   Over the past several weeks, the news media has extensively covered the outbreak of the Ebola Virus in West Africa and…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, headlines, law

A Vote for Education is Critical in South Carolina

  November 2, 2014

By Kara Kerwin   In a state where just 31 percent of eighth graders are proficient in math and 29 percent are proficient in reading according to national assessments, education…

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

A Vote for Education is Critical in South Carolina

  November 2, 2014

By Kara Kerwin   In a state where just 31 percent of eighth graders are proficient in math and 29 percent are proficient in reading according to national assessments, education…

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

The family deficit

  October 27, 2014

By Robert J. Samuelson   We Americans believe in progress, and yet progress is often a double-edged sword. The benefits and adventures of change often vie with the shortcomings and…

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

The family deficit

  October 27, 2014

By Robert J. Samuelson   We Americans believe in progress, and yet progress is often a double-edged sword. The benefits and adventures of change often vie with the shortcomings and…

Read More

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

The millionaire’s club expands

  October 27, 2014

By Robert J. Samuelson The millionaire’s club isn’t what it used to be. Time was that “being a millionaire” was a mark of unimaginable success. You’d joined the financial elite.…

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

The millionaire’s club expands

  October 27, 2014

By Robert J. Samuelson The millionaire’s club isn’t what it used to be. Time was that “being a millionaire” was a mark of unimaginable success. You’d joined the financial elite.…

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