| Khosrow Semnani, who just sold his waste disposal firm for a reportedly very large sum of money, had his detractors and supporters (see Morning News editorial and Bob Bernick column). I happen to be one of his supporters. I think he will be missed. Having done small amounts of work for Envirocare over the years, I became well-acquainted with Semnani and his operation. He really cared about his 300 employees. He really cared about safety and went beyond regulatory requirements to ensure the well-being of workers and the environment. Most people weren’t aware of it, but Semnani also performed a great deal of charitable and philanthropic work, almost all of it anonymous or without any publicity. I don’t know what his future plans are, but I assume his philanthropic work will continue and probably increase.
Year of the Blog
Political blogging is receiving notice among leaders in the technology world. Michael J. Miller, editor-in-chief of PC Magazine, has designated 2004 as the “Year of the Blog.” Miller said in a Dec. 8 column:
“Blogs clearly had an impact on the way the mainstream media covered the election, even making the media the news story in some cases. Blogs are positioned to have an even greater impact during the next election cycle.”
Transportation Watch
As Utah business leaders promote transportation funding in Utah, it’s interesting to see what’s happening elsewhere. The Seattle Times reported Wednesday (see story) that a coalition of business, labor, environmental and local government leaders called the Transportation Working Group recommended raising Washington’s state gas tax by 10 cents a gallon, after the state raised the tax by 5 cents just last year. The money would be used for critical highway projects and other transportation needs. The coalition said the state should increase transportation spending by $8 billion over the next 10 years. The Washington effort by business leaders is very similar to what is happening in Utah.
Europe Wanted Kerry
Writing his column (subscribe here) from France this week, National Journal’s Charlie Cook tells us what Europeans think about the election results. Basically, they’re shocked. They have loathed George Bush from first sight and are appalled he was re-elected.
“The fact that President Bush was re-elected this year was a rude awakening for many European Bush-bashers. And, because Bush got a clear majority, it is much more difficult for these people to challenge the legitimacy of his administration. The new question is whether they will look at Bush with new eyes, however reluctantly, or whether their four-year-old, anti-Bush sentiments will fan their anti-Americanism, just because U.S. voters elected and re-elected him.
“For the last year, many European governments seemed to have the idea that all they had to do was wait until Bush lost his re-election bid. Now that a second Bush term is a reality, they must figure out how to "manage" this relationship. The process is made more difficult by having constituents who are at best increasingly skeptical of American power, and dealing with a White House that they perceive to project the attitude that it does not care what the world thinks. While that perception is not accurate, it is typical of the attitude of many Europeans. Similarly, the Bush administration will have to decide how much political capital they are willing to spend and just how much they want to repair relations with Europe and the rest of the world.”
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