Buying a new car is essential to everyone and is one of the most significant investments!

In August 2007, the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis, MN, collapsed, killing 13 and injuring 145 others. Investigations following the tragedy revealed that it could have been prevented. The grave reality is that it is a tragedy that threatens to be repeated at many of the thousands of bridges located across the nation.

In Too Big To Fall: America's Failing Infrastructure And The Way Forward (New York: Foster, 2010), author Barry LePatner chronicles the problems that led to the I-35W catastrophe — poor bridge design,shoddy maintenance, ignored expert repair recommendations, and misallocated funding — and digs through the National Transportation Safety Board’s report on the tragedy, which failed to present the full story.

From there LePatner evaluates what the I-35W Bridge collapse means for the country as a whole — outlining the possibility of a nationwide infrastructure breakdown.

He exposes government failure on a national as well as state level, explains why we must maintain an effective infrastructure system — including how it plays a central role in supporting both our nation’s economic strength and our national security — and rounds out the book by providing his own well-researched solutions.

Too Big to Fall presents an eye-opening critique of a bureaucratic system that has allowed political best interests to trump those of the American people. It contains special comments by James Oberstar, the outgoing Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure.

Cities are the engines of the economic growth and the foundation of our prosperity. But what will become of them as our world gets hotter?

In Climatopolis: How Our Cities Will Thrive In The Hotter Future (New York: Basic, 2010), Matthew Kahn, one of the world's foremost experts on the economics of the environment and of cities, argues that our future lies in our ability to adapt. Cities and regions will slowly transform as we change our behaviors and our surroundings in response to the changing climate. Kahn - professor at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, the UCLA School of Public Affairs' Department of Public Policy, and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research - shows us how this will happen.

The author is optimistic about the quality of our lives in the cities of the future, despite a high chance of less hospitable climate conditions than we face today. At the heart of his conviction in a bright future is our individual freedom of choice. This personal freedom will reveal pathways that will greatly help urbanites cope with climate change.

Taking the reader on a tour of the world's cities - from New York to Los Angeles, Beijing to Mumbai - Kahn's clear-eyed, engaging, and optomistic messages presents a positive yet realistic picture of what our urban future will look like.

An entire chapter is devoted to Los Angeles, including sub-sections titled "Los Angeles Has A Subway?" and "Could Public Transit Become Hip In Los Angeles?"

Are you an American who has lived or worked outside the US and own Foreign Trusts?

Is Pakistan open to American business? Carnegie Endowment asks Ambassador for Investment, Ali Jehangir Siddiqui

"Controversy" over COVID-19 and fertility treatment reveals investor-led interest pushing for more control in the IVF field

Gary Pisano, Harvard Business School professor and coauthor of the HBR article "Restoring American Competitiveness."

Henry Nothhaft, serial entrepreneur and author of "Great Again: Revitalizing America's Entrepreneurial Leadership."

Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business School professor and author of the HBR article "Enriching the Ecosystem."

Daniel Gross, columnist and economics editor for Yahoo! Finance and author of "Better, Stronger, Faster: The Myth of American Decline . . . and the Rise of a New Economy."

Gary Pisano, Harvard Business School professor and coauthor of "Producing Prosperity: Why America Needs a Manufacturing Renaissance."

Bruce Nussbaum, professor at Parsons The New School of Design and author of "Creative Intelligence: Harnessing the Power to Create, Connect, and Inspire."

Laura Morgan Roberts, professor at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, says that organizations are still falling short on promoting racial diversity, particularly in their most senior ranks. While many large companies have "inclusion" initiatives, most leaders still shy away from frank discussions about how the experiences of their black employees and executives -- including their feelings of authenticity and potential for advancement -- differ from those of their white peers. She points to several ways we can change these dynamics. With David Thomas and Anthony Mayo, Morgan Roberts is co-author of the book “Race, Work, and Leadership: New Perspectives on the Black Experience.”

Holiday Inn Express & Suites N-Atlanta Perimeter Mall hotel offers convenient lodging to guests attending the American Craft Council Show at Cobb Galleria Centre from March 15-17, 2013.

The Chief Executive Officer of the National Electrical Contractors Association, David Long, issued a statement on being named to the Great American Economic Revival Industry Group for Construction/Labor/Workforce.

1. Hearing on Expanding the Family and Medical Leave Act

On Tuesday, February 11, 2020, the Workforce Protections Subcommittee held a hearing to discuss the issue of paid family leave. This hearing examined the different ways that the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) could be updated to best benefit employees, employers, and the American economy. Among suggested updates are expanding eligibilty under the FMLA, reducing exclusions, promoting tax cuts to businesses that provide paid leave, and increasing employee access to additional paid leave options.

NECA’s Look Ahead: NECA will continue to monitor this issue as different solutions to paid family and medical leave are presented, working with legislators to reduce the impact on the electrical construction industry. 

2. President Trump Releases Budget Proposal to Congress 

On March 11, 2019, President Donald Trump released his budget proposal to Congress, “A Budget for America’s Future”. The budget and detailed summaries are found here. 

NECA’s Look Ahead: The President’s budget in its current form will not be passed by Congress to become law. The budget is largely seen as a political document. Regarding government funding, the House is expected to introduce the twelve appropriations bills in Subcommittee by the end of April, with the full committee hearings expected in May. The goal is to pass the twelve bills through the House by July. The Senate is expected to pass their version in June.

3. Your Vote Counts!

The 2020 state primary elections are coming up, so be sure to make your vote count! NECA contractors are uniquely positioned to play an important part in our nation's electoral process. NECA is a diverse organization comprised of many voices and election day is your opportunity to make your voice heard.  

NECA’s Look Ahead: Be sure you are registered to vote in your state before election day and research the candidates on your ballot to see where they stand on issues important to you.

Raja Jon Vurputoor Chari, an Indian-American US Air Force colonel, is among 11 new NASA graduates who have successfully completed their over two years' of basic astronaut training . Astronaut candidate training included practice, and testing in spacewalking, robotics, International Space Station systems, T-38 jet proficiency, and Russian language.

Register as a delegate with the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce's upcoming conference.

Backed by the Reserve Bank of India, it’s an ambitious approach that combines privacy protection with credit reporting: if it works, it could unlock the credit market for millions of Indians while offering new levels of data security and consumer control.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services receives about 1,00,000 green card applications from high-skilled applicants of Indian origin every year.

Khanna, 43, is the only Indian-American lawmaker to be named to the White House's Opening Up America Again Congressional Group which comprises Congressmen from both the Republican and the Democratic parties.

Indian-American Dr Madhvi Aya, who contracted the coronavirus in the line of duty in New York, the country's COVID-19 epicentre, could only exchange text messages with her husband and daughter from her hospital bed before she lost the battle to the deadly virus.

Seema Nanda has announced her decision to step down as the CEO of the Democratic National Committee, the top administrative position in the main Opposition party, ahead of the presidential elections in November.

Renu Khator, an Indian-American university chancellor, has been elected to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences for her contributions in the fields of education and academic leadership.

New York is the epicentre of the pandemic in the US and currently has 295,106 COVID-19 cases with over 17,000 deaths.On Tuesday, 337 people died of the disease in the state.

Ashok Michael Pinto, who has worked as a Special Assistant and Associate Counsel to former president George W Bush, was on Monday nominated as US Alternate Executive Director of IBRD for a term of two years.

The committee will consist of four Democrat and three Republican senators. Democratic senators include David Frockt, Manka Dhingra, Christine Rolfes and Rebecca Saldana and Republicans include senators Randi Becker, Tim Sheldon, while one member is yet to be named.

Afghan peace process: America recognises India's role, says US Envoy after meeting S Jaishankar

Image credit: iStock The American South is all about the soul, it definitely attracts you in more than one way. Known for its generous hospitality, good-nat...

Image credit: iStock The Southern States of America can leave a lasting impression. Live your Huckleberry Finn fantasies along the Mississippi River, sing a...

Image credit: iStock If you have completed your American travel bucket list by visiting Los Angeles, New York City, and the likes, then we suggest you rehas...

Three deals in three weeks injected a combined $8 billion in the group and help it pare its debt.

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced settlements with David Kwon and Igor Sabodakha, two traders who allegedly profited from trading on nonpublic corporate earnings information hacked from the SEC’s EDGAR system. The settlement…

The head of a Houston-based company that was the subsidiary of a Chinese company that developed stolen trade secrets was sentenced to 16 months in prison and ordered to forfeit more than $330,000 by U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper of the District of Columbia.

2020 marks the 30th anniversary of President George H.W. Bush signing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law. Throughout this 30th anniversary year, the Division is publishing a monthly series of blog posts highlighting the impact that our recent ADA enforcement efforts have made in people’s everyday lives. We celebrate the many ways in which the ADA has transformed American society and enabled a generation of Americans with disabilities to thrive. At the same time, we recognize that too many barriers to equal opportunity remain. We recommit to our work of making the promise of the ADA a reality, enabling all Americans with disabilities to achieve their dreams and reach their full potential.

On February 27, in Antigua, Guatemala, OPDAT hosted an Operation Regional Shield meeting with prosecutors, investigators, and analysts from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico.

Over the past few months, our lives have changed dramatically due to COVID-19. We have seen the best of America emerge – our nation’s medical professionals, first responders, and supply chain workers have acted heroically, along with so many others.

 Led by multiple Group 1-winning 3-year-old Mirinaque (ARG),  and the talented 3-year-old filly Joy Canela (ARG), an accomplished field of 24 runners has been entered for Saturday's 1 ½-mile Gran Premio International Carlos Pellegrini (G1) — South America's most prestigious race —  at San Isidro Racecourse. The race winner will receive an automatic berth into the 2020 Longines […]

The post South America’s Biggest Race Kicks Off 2020 Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: ‘We have to test more people’: Wisconsin expands coronavirus testing for African American, Latino and tribal communities. “All African Americans, Latinos and tribal community members in Wisconsin will have access to free COVID-19 testing under a plan announced Thursday by Gov. Tony Evers. Evers’ plan is an effort to combat the staggering … Continue reading ‘We have to test more people’: Wisconsin expands coronavirus testing for African American, Latino and tribal communities (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Washington Post: In the early days of the pandemic, the U.S. government turned down an offer to manufacture millions of N95 masks in America. “It was Jan. 22, a day after the first case of covid-19 was detected in the United States, and orders were pouring into Michael Bowen’s company outside Fort Worth, some from … Continue reading Washington Post: In the early days of the pandemic, the U.S. government turned down an offer to manufacture millions of N95 masks in America

Will Marble writes: I’m a Ph.D. student in political science at Stanford. Along with colleagues from the Stanford medical school, law school, and elsewhere, we recently completed a white paper evaluating the evidence for and tradeoffs involved with shelter-in-place policies. To our knowledge, our paper contains the widest review of the relevant covid-19 research. It […]

Pandemic expected to magnify differences between healthy retailers and those with big financial troubles.

https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/sixteenth-annual-native-american-heritage-days-starts-august-13-on-north-rim-of-grand-canyon.htm

The National Park Service continues to accomplish work on projects at Grand Canyon National Park that have been funded, in part, through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/national-park-service-continues-repair-and-reconstruction-projects-at-grand-canyon-with-funds-from-the-american-recovery-and-reinvestment-act.htm

Under clear blue skies the National Park Service and Havasupai tribal members held a ribbon cutting ceremony today for newly constructed housing in Supai Camp located within Grand Canyon National Park. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/5aug10-2_news.htm

The National Park Service invites the public to the 18th annual Native American Heritage Days on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/2011-07-27_heritage-days.htm

On, Wednesday, November 16, Grand Canyon National Park will be celebrating National Native American Heritage Month with a day of special presentations and demonstrations. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/2011-11-03_nnahm.htm