Earth Hour Goes Global

iStock/Thinkstock

On Saturday, March 29th, between the hour of 8:00-9:00 p.m. CDT in Chicago, I witnessed the dimming of the magnificent city lights in honor of Earth Hour US (catch the video here).

I thought by heading over to the Adler Planetarium, where some of the best sights of the Chicago cityscape can be found, there would be no one around. Boy was I wrong. Not only were there hundreds of cars lined up with the same idea but even NBC Channel 5 had their cameras in toe.

More than 30 million people spanning across 35 countries were expected to turn off their lights for 60 minutes during Earth Hour. Did you?

Read more about it here. And see what you can do about it all the time here.

Floating Atop A Secluded Cliff

iStock/Thinkstock

How's that for daydreaming? I don't know about the rest of you but the weather in Chicago has been so nasty over the past five months that I am ready for not just Spring but a HUGE vacation. Spotted this and thought everyone -- whether in Chicago or China -- could use a little virtual spa treatment. Doesn't this look simply magnificent? And it is global.

Import Compliance, Busted!

iStock/Thinkstock

Thought we'd turn the tide from exports to imports and see if any of you see yourself in these myth scenarios relating to import compliance. Take a peek.

Export Boomcountry

iStock/Thinkstock

Surging American exports lighten the gloom. As the dollar skids, small businesses manage to hit a home run with exports. Thank goodness we knew this was coming. Read more here.

One World, One Car, One Name

iStock/Thinkstock

The Ford Fiesta, after flopping in the U.S. in the '70s and selling well in Europe ever since, is set to go global.

No matter the market, the Fiesta it is.

Is Your Export Business Recession-Proof?

iStock/Thinkstock

We ran parts of this in separate Ask the Expert entries but thought you'd like to capture it again in one article over at Small Business Trends.

NAFTA: A Curse or a Blessing?

iStock/Thinkstock

It's the politics, stupid. When it comes to the US economy, trade has replaced the devil as the reason things go bad.

A Fortune magazine poll conducted this January asked Americans what the most important reason for the recent economic slowdown was. The largest number—28 percent—answered "losing jobs to economies where labor is cheaper" and an additional 7 percent mentioned "foreign competition." Fully 78 percent of the respondents said that trade has made things worse for American workers.

Is NAFTA a curse or ... you decide.

Audacity of Hope on Free Trade

iStock/Thinkstock

A provocative commentary published in the New York Times (3/16/08) and authored by N. Gregory Mankiw, professor of economics at Harvard. He was an adviser to President Bush and advised Mitt Romney in his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.

Beyond The Noise On Free Trade

Like what you read? Pay a visit to Mankiw's blog.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

iStock/Thinkstock

You don't have to be Irish to celebrate St. Patrick's Day -- my favorite day of the year! You just need a little "spirit" to make it something special.

Ireland, Sir, for good or evil,
is like no other place under heaven;
and no man can touch its sod
or breathe its air without becoming
better or worse.
~ George Bernard Shaw

I will be thinking of all of you as I toast the night away.

Enjoy! Erin Go Bragh (Ireland Forever)!

Just in (3:19 p.m . CDT) ... St. Patrick's Day Parades Go Global. A hat tip to our Borderbuster newsletter editor Bob Marovich for letting us know about it.

Open That Bottle Night (OTBN) Goes Global

iStock/Thinkstock

Think a product, service or concept can't go global? Guess again.

Wine columnists John Brecher and Dorothy Gaiter share stories from 'Open That Bottle Night' and discuss how the event has gone global.

Read all about it here.

America Is the World's No. 1 Exporter!

iStock/Thinkstock

January 2008 exports rose to $148 billion.

WASHINGTON (3/11/08) -- U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez today issued the following statement on the release of the January 2008 U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services report by the Department’s Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Today’s report shows that U.S. exports increased by 13.1 percent to $1,649 billion in the 12 months ending January 2008 over the prior 12 month period. Imports also increased 6.8 percent to $2,359 billion and the trade deficit narrowed 5.5 percent during the same time period.

Here's more on why we are No. 1.

When Are Emerging Markets No Longer Emerging?

iStock/Thinkstock

When you think of emerging, what comes to mind? I think about something evolving on its own. It moves from informal to formal and begins to develop, grow and eventually prosper.

The folks at Knowledge at Wharton have a whole new way of determining what emerging means when it comes to country development.

It's definitely worth a look.

A Perfect 8.3 = GREAT

iStock/Thinkstock

Happy to hear The Global Small Business Blog (GSBB) received an 8.3 score out of 10 in the Business/International Business category at Blogged.com. The rating is based on the following criteria:

• Frequency of updates.
• Relevance of content.
• Site design.
• Writing style.

Ms. Amy Liu at Blogged notified us last night and said, "This is quite an achievement. Please accept my congratulations on a blog well-done!"

We are honored and thrilled about receiving this exciting award! Many thanks to the folks at Blogged for including us. It just puts more wind behind our sails. At Technorati, our rank is #137,774 out of 112.8 million blogs!

By the way ... we are currently working on a site redesign.

Overseas Adventures in Advertising

iStock/Thinkstock

When it comes to advertising, what's funny in one culture can seem ill-mannered in another.

Globalizing Apple's ads meant tweaking characters, clothing and body language.

Going Global By Going Green

iStock/Thinkstock

Which comes first: going global (global strategy) to get green or going green (green strategy) to get global? Trick question. Find the answer (sort of) here.

Good Health Without Borders

iStock/Thinkstock

As you grow your business globally, you'll most likely -- within a year -- make a trip or two overseas to meet with suppliers or customers to seal a deal.

To ward off any potential health risks before you take off, check out these places for help.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The International Society of Travel Medicine

Happy, healthy travels!

Small Businesses Go Global

iStock/Thinkstock

Better late than never. It pays to have a doctor checkup once in a while. That's where I spotted this.

As reported in U.S. News & World Report:

Small Businesses Go Global

Tips for Small Businesses Looking Abroad