Tag Archives: energy

Obama’s Energy Agenda / Mideast Protests / Rebuilding Haiti

Posted on by

President Obama outlined a bold energy agenda in his State of Union address. The U.S. urges governments in the Middle East to engage with protesters. The Afghan parliament opens in Kabul. We’ve got a report on how financial institutions must polish their public images. Many U.S. cities are hosting Iranian film festivals this winter. And, finally, another look at photo galleries on the rebuilding effort in Haiti.

Obama’s Energy Agenda
(mobile version)
President Obama sees a future in which Americans will drive electric vehicles and get their power from wind, solar, biomass, natural gas and nuclear plants. In his State of the Union address, Obama called for heavy investment in clean energy to help the United States transition to a stronger and more sustainable economy.

Winning the Future with Renewable Energy
(mobile video)
President Obama speaks about how innovation and investment in clean energy technology can help protect the environment while creating new jobs and growing the economy. 

U.S. Urges Engagement with Mideast Protesters
(mobile version)
The Obama administration urges governments in the Middle East and North Africa to “actively respond” to the concerns of younger populations who are voicing their protests in the streets. 

Afghan Parliament Opened
(mobile version)
The Afghan parliament opened on January 26 in Kabul, and the Obama administration calls this “a significant milestone” for the country’s democracy and its people. The United States “joins the Afghan people in celebrating today’s achievement and we encourage the Afghans to begin an inclusive dialogue on electoral reform,” says National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer.

In Business, Reputation Matters
(mobile version)
Many companies know they need to maintain a good reputation to do or improve business, but rarely have they faced the kind of reputational challenges as financial and related industries do today, experts say.

Iranian Film Festivals in U.S.
(mobile version)
Several U.S. cities are holding Iranian film festivals this winter, allowing Americans to see what Iranian filmmakers have to say about their country.

A young boy at a shelter in HaitiPhoto Gallery: Rebuilding Haiti, One Year Later
(mobile version)
One year after a 7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti, the United States continues its commitment to help the Haitian people build back better. Housing remains a critical issue, and USAID has partnered with several organizations to build transitional shelters. Explore this photo gallery about the rebuilding process. At right, a young boy peeks in at his mother in their newly constructed transitional shelter in Carrefour, Haiti.

2010 U.S. Census Results / A New Climate Law / Literary New York

Posted on by

The first results of the 2010 U.S. census are in; learn about the findings. In California, comprehensive climate legislation will go into effect in January. A new report says that Afghan businesses have great growth potential. At a business conference in Algeria, Tunisian and Moroccan entrepreneurs enjoy networking opportunities. And finally, explore literary New York.

First Results of 2010 U.S. Census
(mobile version)
The first results from the 2010 U.S. census reflect a modest overall population growth over the past 10 years, with continued population shifts towards Southern and Western states. The newest data will cause changes in the location of U.S. congressional districts. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, right, says the data will also be used to determine how federal resources are allocated and will help businesses identify new markets.

New California Climate Law
(mobile version)
With national climate legislation stalled in Congress, environmental advocates are focusing on action-oriented states like California, where the most comprehensive climate legislation in the United States will go into effect in January.

A Boost for Afghan Business
(mobile version)
A new report says that the private sector in Afghanistan has great potential for growth under improved business conditions, citing food production, mining, light manufacturing and services as particularly promising sectors.

Tunisian Entrepreneurs Meet
(mobile version)
Twenty-two Tunisian entrepreneurs attended the U.S.-Maghreb Entrepreneurship Conference in Algiers, which was organized by the State Department in partnership with the U.S.-Algeria Business Council. The conference featured panels and networking opportunities for up and coming North African business leaders.

Moroccan Youth Network
(mobile version)
After attending the U.S.-Maghreb Entrepreneurship Conference, young Moroccan entrepreneurs learned fear has no place when it comes to starting a business. Student Hamza El Fisiki says promoting entrepreneurship among Morocco’s youth is an important component to attracting overseas business.

Literary New York
(mobile version)
New York’s book culture sustains great writers and their work. Read about literary culture in the city and hear from authors Tom Wolfe, Pete Hamill and Emily Barton. Founded in 1927, the Strand Book Store, right, located on the corner of Broadway and East 12th Street, occupies five floors and contains 18 miles of books. The New York Public Library, on 5th Avenue at 42nd Street, is an integral part of the intellectual fabric of American life with more than 1 million books.

START Treaty Ratified / The Smart Grid / Gifts That Give Back

Posted on by

The Senate ratifies the U.S.-Russia START strategic nuclear arms pact. The U.N. General Assembly adopts an amendment supporting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights. The United States is working with Pakistan to help it recover from devastating floods, working with Russia on smart grid technology, and working with some of Côte d’Ivoire’s neighbors to investigate how to reinforce the U.N. peacekeeping force in the country during the ongoing political crisis. Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants are spending a year in America. And finally, this holiday season, give a gift that gives back.


START Ratified by U.S. Senate
(mobile version)
The U.S. Senate ratified the New START arms reduction treaty between the United States and Russia that will reduce each nation’s nuclear arsenals to their lowest levels in more than a half century. The Senate gave its approval by a vote of 71 to 26 on December 22. The new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty was signed by President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on April 8 in Prague. 

U.N. Includes LGBT Rights
(mobile version)
The Obama administration welcomed the U.N. General Assembly’s adoption of a U.S.-sponsored amendment that restores gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in its broad condemnation of extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. “Killing people because they are gay is not culturally defensible – it is criminal,” says White House press secretary Robert Gibbs.

A U.S.-Pakistan Partnership
(mobile version)
The United States and Pakistan are working together on several new projects to help rebuild and improve agriculture, health, transportation and other services in Pakistan as that country continues to recover from devastating floods.

U.S. and Russia Talk Smart Grid
(mobile version)
Making energy use more efficient, reliable, affordable, secure, and more consumer-driven through smart grid technology was the topic of a series of recent meetings between Russian and American energy experts in Washington, D.C. and in Texas, made possible by the Energy Working Group of the U.S.–Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission.

U.N. Force in Côte d’Ivoire
(mobile version)
The United States is in discussions with some of Côte d’Ivoire’s neighbors to investigate how to reinforce the U.N. peacekeeping force in the country and ensure that it is capable of maintaining peace and security as its political crisis continues. Along with refusing to hand over power after his election defeat, Laurent Gbagbo has demanded that the 9,000-member U.N. peacekeeping force withdraw. The U.N. Security Council unanimously passed a resolution to extend the force’s mandate until June 30, 2011.

Fulbright Language Teachers
(mobile version)
More than 400 Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants from 49 countries are spending a year in the United States, to not only hone their knowledge of the English language and American life, but also to encourage American students to study foreign languages and culture.

Photo Gallery: Gifts that Give Back
(mobile version)
During the holiday season, many people want to give gifts that have a greater meaning. It’s easier than ever to make a purchase that can help provide income to artisans in developing countries, support donations of food or medicine to the needy, aid victims of war or abuse, or support environmental efforts. Explore this photo gallery of “gifts that give back.” At right, a “Path to Peace” basket created by Rwandan women.

In Kazakhstan, in Search of Workers, Financing, Attitude

Posted on by

Nurlan Kapparov is one of many entrepreneurs coming to the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship from countries with sizeable Muslim populations, April 26-27. Kapparov founded electronics distributor Accept Corporation in Kazakhstan in 1990, when he was still a student, and served as president until 1997. Today he is chairman of Lancaster Group.

Shahid Ansari is provost and dean of faculty at Babson College. He specializes in behavioral and cultural aspects of management accounting, strategy, control, and change management.

Nurlan Kapparov

Nurlan Kapparov

Nurlan Kapparov:
The biggest challenge I see is the lack of professional human resources. We struggle to find the right people to move on with different projects.

We have a very high literacy rate in Kazakhstan, and our population in general is very well educated, because we came out of the strong Soviet education system.

But in the business life, we have a different system. There are not so many local entrepreneurs who speak English, who have a business education, who understand the importance of working transparently and are efficient.

That’s why we invite a lot of ex-pats to work with our country. We would like to rely on our local human resources, but people want more pay than what they can deliver in work. You can get much better, higher-level professionals from outside – people ready to work on less than what our local people want to earn.

Another thing with which we are struggling is the lack of funding [bank financing]. Funding became extremely expensive in the last two years. Our banks have raised interest rates dramatically, to 14, 15 percent per annum. Normal projects cannot survive. The government is encouraging entrepreneurs to participate in the diversification of our economy, but with expensive funding, it is going to be difficult.

Many people are scared of the entrepreneurs; they would rather stay with companies that take care of them. If you have the entrepreneurial spirit inside yourself, you might try to start a business. Many times it will not be successful in the beginning. But small achievements will start to create confidence.

My advice is to be careful with people and build trust in people slowly. Don’t believe that because you’re exceptional, you will get this opportunity or deal or customer.

Another lesson I have learned and could pass on is this: If you have negotiations and you are stuck, try to make the pie bigger so there’s food enough for everybody.

Shahid Ansari

Shahid Ansari

Shahid Ansari:
You focus fairly heavily on the lack of funding and the lack of financial resources. Financial resources are merely one of several things an entrepreneurial ecosystem needs. You need a support system where entrepreneurs can link with each other, a system of “angel investors” to bypass the system of structured finance, a network of education and training materials that cut across from grade school to adults running small and medium enterprises.

The other idea you’re talking about is a cultural idea: attitudes toward risk and failure. The key here is to understand that the traditional notion of an entrepreneur as a “swashbuckling risk-taker” is not correct. Entrepreneurs are actually quite risk averse. They tend to make their decisions based on how much they can afford to lose rather than how much they stand to gain.

One has to make it safe for entrepreneurs to fail. We train our students to start a business and close it down within the first year of college. They learn very quickly that entrepreneurship is about acceptance of failure. They learn to redefine “failure” as “learning opportunities.” They pick up and move on. It’s not always about finding an opportunity but making an opportunity.

Particularly in Muslim countries, the historical context of Islamic entrepreneurship was rooted in trading and caravans. People went and traded goods and distributed profits. If they failed in this venture they never came back because they had let down investors. That’s why a lot of cultures, particularly in Islamic countries, do not separate the failure of a venture from the failure of an individual. The phrase “serial entrepreneurship” doesn’t enter into their lexicon. In the U.S., we understand that individual ventures an entrepreneur may undertake may fail, but that doesn’t mean the failure of the individual.