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When is it Worth Pursuing a Construction Claim
When you’re in the construction business, it’s important that you assess your moves before you make them. A single change to plans can cause disruptions, and add costs to the project. Those costs aren’t small change either. That usually means that a claim could be nearing the horizon. That could mean costly construction claim preparation, but does it have to? How Bad is the Damage? A production delay doesn’t necessarily translate to dollars lost, especially if the delay isn’t on something priority. You might be able to shift the workload around to accommodate for the delay. However, if there is a decision to be made and someone is procrastinating then…
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William F. Buckley: The Founder of the National Review
By Phineas Upham William F. Buckley founded the National Review, a conservative publication, in the year 1955. By 1962, he could add “syndicated columnist” to his CV as well. Buckley’s column ran in over 300 separate newspapers across the US, and his political editorials gained fame during TV’s Firing Line segments and a series of magazine and journals. He wrote 40 books over his lifetime, a great majority of which were spy novels. Buckley attended by didn’t graduate from the University of Mexico, because he was called to serve stateside in the U.S. Army when World War II broke out. During his time with the military, he became a second…
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The Real Fury Road: When Big Rig Seats Need an Update
Summary: Improving seats for truckers who do endurance hauling. For truckers, it can seem almost laughable when office workers complain about their seating. After all, they don’t have to consider the challenges that come with endurance hauling. However, much like office workers, truckers can benefit from many innovations and improvements to seating. From new cushions to reupholstering, updating your driver’s seat can improve your health and happiness. The Rigors of the Long Haul Endurance driving puts significant strain on the body and mind. Driver’s seats are suited to 4-5 hour drives at most, but truckers are often on the road for 8+ hours. Shock absorption, weight distribution, and posture are…
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The Dismal Financial IQ of US Managers
Article Written by: RAC Maghreb Our experience over the years has shown us that the vast majority of managers and leaders in Fortune 1000 companies have deficiencies in their basic financial knowledge. We spend most of our time teaching managers and leaders in corporate America how to read their own financial statements, understand key financial measures, and use financial tools to understand the data. Last year we developed a simple financial literacy test, in part because executives almost always assume their managers and leaders know more about finance than they really do, and in part because it’s a great tool to assess people’s knowledge before we develop a…
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Construction Claims What You Need to Know
Everything you need to know about the costs associated with construction claims.
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SuperCell’s Smash Hit
By Phineas Upham If you’ve heard of Clash of Clans, and you’re not playing it, chances are you’re wondering how a free-to-play video game could garner so much attention. Clash of Clans is a game where users attempt to build bases to defend against oncoming assaults, while launching base assaults of their own. Time is limited in this game, so the paid mechanic involves purchasing greater resources to upgrade or speed up construction of something. The game is extremely competitive, with players from all over the world working together to trade and raise armies. It’s made by a Finnish company called “Supercell.” They got their start in 2010, making a…
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The Invention of Listerine
By Phineas Upham Listerine commercials that warn about how many patients suffer from the gum disease known as gingivitis underscores a serious problem. Medical science was wrestling with how to stave off infection during a surgery. It was the turn of the 20th century when Dr. Joseph Lister discovered that carbolic acid kills germs. Listerine was never meant for oral consumption. How it got there is an interesting story. Far more people were leaving hospitals in body bags than on crutches because surgery wasn’t clean, and people died frequently from infections. Today’s hospitals have extremely strict policies regarding germ-free areas. There was a saying during those days, a kind of…
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What is an Adjustable Rate Mortgage Loan?
By Samuel Phineas Upham Consumers during the 1980s were struggling to get loans, which meant that banks were losing money too. Part of the plan to give the slowing economy a bit of a boost involved the Depository Institutions Act of 1982. This act de-regulated the average savings and loan institution, and it gave them more freedom on the kind of loans they could offer. Title VIII of the act gave banks the power to offer what is known as an “Adjustable-Rate Mortgage.” Some economists say that this act was instrumental in the financial crisis of the 1980s, so it’s important to understand how ARMs work and what the average…
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The Basics of Construction Project Management
Construction project management ties together many facets of a construction project. A project manager for construction projects has a complicated job to balance. He or she must review all plans for the project, and devise a workable method to complete the structure within a certain dead line. This means a project manager must remain fully aware of all aspects of the project, from ordering supplies to what personnel are doing on the ground. Here are some of the basic elements involved with construction project management. Suppliers A project manager works with construction consultants, the building owner and everyone else with a stake in the project to find suppliers who can…
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How the Forbes 500 List Worked
By Phineas Upham Forbes no longer publishes its list of the 500 best companies in the United States. It was once a popular staple for the magazine, but the last list ran in 2003, and only records information for 2002. The list looked at a company from five different angles: sales, profits, assets, market value and employees. It was meant to help profile which companies were high growth, how well they were doing, and what jobs were being produced. It was also a measure of a company’s success, and probably had some bearing on investments as well. The value of assets that Forbes measured was a little obscure for the…
