The SBA's Field Operations Center - West will join FEMA, State and local
officials for a Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) in the State of
Arkansas. The state has identified Benton, Carroll, Clay, Izard, Lawrence,
Poinsett, Randolph, Searcy, Sharp, and Stone, as having sustained some
degree of damages from the severe winter storms that began January 26, 2009
and are continuing. The PDA is scheduled to begin on Monday, February 9,
2009.

Sacramento, CA – Small, non-farm businesses in 68 Arkansas counties (plus neighboring parishes in Louisiana and neighboring counties in Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas) may now apply for low interest disaster loans from the U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA). “These disaster loans offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by the combined effects of heavy rains in August and the remnants of Hurricane Gustav that occurred in the following primary Arkansas counties from August 1, 2008 through September 11, 2008,” announced Alfred E.

From the Wall Street Journal:

"Wilmington, N.C., became the first area in the U.S. to switch to digital-only television broadcasts -- at noon Monday, and it didn't take long before phones were ringing at local stations.

Broadcasters reported dozens of calls from local residents in the city and surrounding counties who either weren't prepared when traditional analog signals shut down, or couldn't get to work properly the set-top boxes designed to allow older TVs to receive digital signals."

From Breitbart.com:

"Now he is one of a growing number bringing their professions back to small-town America thanks to Web-based recruitment campaigns by rural regions beckoning with quality of life.

In isolated southwest Virginia, the program is called Return to Roots. Funded by the Virginia Tobacco Commission and private grants, it lists job openings on its Web site that include positions in information technology, engineering, education and health care.

"INNOVATION AVALANCHE: There’s more innovation happening than ever before. New brands, new niches, new concepts, new products, new services and new experiences are flooding an equally fast expanding number of markets. Just as important, there are more freely available sources to track these innovations than ever before. And all of this is coming to (if not at) you from every corner of the world. The GLOBAL BRAIN has been unleashed, and there’s nowhere to hide for those who aren't part of it."

Read the full article:
http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/innovationavalanche.htm