http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/ en-us eblom@pressherald.com 2008-08-29T16:30:58-05:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/032243.html I've always thought that an AFL-CIO slogan, "the people who brought you the weekend," is about as good a line as can be imagined. It's tight, concise and carries a big message, a reminder that as tough as work can... 32243@http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/ Workers 2008-08-29T16:30:58-05:00 http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/032138.html Economic development officials and business leaders often make sweeping statements about how to grow commerce in Maine. They'll say things like "high-technology is the future of our economy" or "small business is the economic engine that generates jobs" or "we've... 32138@http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/ Economic growth 2008-08-27T15:39:22-05:00 http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/031920.html This week, Maine's Gambling Control Board threw up its hands and withdrew its two-year-old, non-binding resolution that there be an intermission on the introduction of new casino-style gambling operations. The white flag came out because the group recognized that those... 31920@http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/ Tourism 2008-08-22T14:56:22-05:00 http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/031772.html Defense- and Homeland Security-related spending came back into the news this week, as Maine companies jockeyed to capture a piece of the billions spent each year on safeguarding the nation. Early Monday, Adm. Jay Cohen, the U.S. Department of Homeland... 31772@http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/ manufacturing 2008-08-19T18:06:03-05:00 http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/031699.html Good financial news seems hard to come by sometimes. Everybody is always sending you the latest piece of downbeat information, so that you will publish something that furthers their effort to gain new government funding, bashes their political opponent or... 31699@http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/ Personal finance 2008-08-18T13:45:42-05:00 http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/031499.html Just when you thought you could catch your breath, fuel prices demonstrated today that they still have plenty of teeth. Gasoline prices have been dropping fast in recent weeks, as anybody who drives a car is aware. The cost of... 31499@http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/ Energy 2008-08-13T13:19:43-05:00 http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/030780.html When you are talking about the nation's foreclosure crisis, you can't really talk about whether the glass is half full or half empty. The glass has tipped over on the table, and the only question is how much milk will... 30780@http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/ 2008-07-25T17:47:44-05:00 http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/030660.html Wrestlers and black belts in judo know how important leverage is to winning a match. Even physically weaker or smaller contestants can prevail, if they get the angles and the momentum working in their favor. The same is true... 30660@http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/ Personal finance 2008-07-23T14:50:36-05:00 http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/030564.html On its face, the letters-to-the-editor feature makes no sense. Every day, newspapers invite people to complain about the company's effort, so that the news organization can print and distribute those grievances to customers. It's kind of like McDonald's running notes... 30564@http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/ Marketing 2008-07-21T14:58:46-05:00 http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/030411.html Investment professionals say that two base human emotions drive the markets: fear and greed. And we've seen fear driving the market for much of this year, with investors terrified by what oil prices might do to the economy. In... 30411@http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/ Energy 2008-07-17T13:41:34-05:00 http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/030299.html I have a confession: I recently took some money out of the Maine economy. I spent $6 at the Subway shop in New Hampshire and paid $3 to the federal government for the right to climb Mt. Chocorua in the... 30299@http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/ Tourism 2008-07-16T10:55:35-05:00 http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/030293.html Tough times often cause people to fantasize about retirement, especially on warm summer days like today. Never happens to me, of course. I'm speaking in general here. People like my sister Lynda and her husband even make a hobby out... 30293@http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/ Personal finance 2008-07-15T14:54:41-05:00 http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/030232.html When I first started paying close attention to Maine business news, the state was hurting from the recession of 1990-1991. Federal regulators were seizing banks, notably mine at the time, Maine National Bank , and businesses couldn't get access to... 30232@http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/blom/ Introduction 2008-07-14T14:22:29-05:00