Subject: April Newsletter from Blue Star Strategies
From: "Blue Star Strategies" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:50:48 -0400 (EDT)

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Blue Star Strategies [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001SAS2t7AqRAdtSyTOaXznZtrrTHszKZCfVo3eP6d1YhfNhWhn8jGflrrr4F2kn54NHjoyo6xJUQwFBMdZLe6aTEpKROvs6yHP_B_eIq3LoWBsUiWYYngDiAbXi76OQcHF]
is a dynamic interdisciplinary government affairs firm based in Washington, DC and
servicing the world.

Be sure to check out:

* Sally Painter's op-ed in The Hill "NATO can't let Macedonia fall by the wayside
at Chicago" [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001SAS2t7AqRAe4d9J562BdWOJ1D2QevZhSbmwr4knS9fbOHXlkXLRj0880UtodlZhAwIXYzCRKHA4h05Sd2KpV3mzELTadgYFieeIfZlsvlJ6iqzZO4R1cWZjSZxB31S9Z0IIKy5DHIPVnuRtQ8rwD0okYHX0uS_jWKFJhO4CjX4rff_tpWlWxS1UZZGlINTC-];
* Gabriel Sanchez Zinny's op-ed in The Huffington Post "Why Don't Politicians Get
It With Hispanics?" [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001SAS2t7AqRAf3kF8RFQrQ-mO2A_vhOzScfTk_GmeLKfI4F15XRaZ9vTE7GHS-q0a7-I1i35A2yesQp_OhxLo70uMQBBKwHN3nNovXdlsFz3dy5X01vRd7a-kLjQVzQhUZ6FKeG4OS2IFZY-TIOhDqdDtfp0PVH5sbHqgep2OXmXXOw1u_KWZ1zOsyCZ7cb0-HQYzUE8GgJouYrULvMMhGKOUhYDi2GnZGZteJpEsjS1o=];
and
* Karen Tramontano discussing the economy on Bloomberg Rewind [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001SAS2t7AqRAefGr_iUK3AIYu2VAGeD59SYTuIBMfnfE2QtZ3W_MchXCPfPRJGKKw3dxet1MZYrqbhyHLB280N9pM-LaZ4UdYZzOkqGkOolIpwyUpRUKeENbk8MGOcYWjGn0RrN8INhjr4wRsUVSsNp_DUQWmDSRaU-qL2Y7L0I9rcw3DZyBhOzg==].

IN THIS ISSUE

Chicago's New Paradigm for Urban Development
The American Jobs Act
Apple and the Fair Labor Association
The U.S. Releases 1940 Census Data

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Chicago's Bold Blueprint for Urban Development

Chicago Skyline [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001SAS2t7AqRAeGn4uTmQbtGA5HlcAe_lLSFdWRBjBrrY5kTWoaJWs0-d37cNuXwogttX9rq5TSUzGCKfLkajjpmvSewB4h4pujhwdp1FAlDN_9NBLW7_SpW29SEqZVoj3ReGA7vup1gyBgCl6HTNoRFH7Cli0m7BxAB0qK2n5e-J3HpCi-bjpQGg==]

In March, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined with former President Bill Clinton to
announce a novel new city program - the Chicago Infrastructure Trust.

The proposed Trust will bring to Chicago a development model - that of joint public-private
investments - that has proven to be a dynamic and cost effective mechanism in other
countries but which has not yet gained traction in the US. As the US faces a looming
infrastructure crunch and a federal government that is proving utterly incapable
 of addressing the country's long term planning needs, the innovation is coming 
not a moment too soon.
While the initial announcement was, given the presence of the former President, 
dramatic enough in itself, it turns out that Mayor Emanuel had even larger plans
 in mind. This month, the mayor unveiled an ambitious three year plan, of which 
the Infrastructure Trust is only a part, for investing $7.2 billion across almost
all facets of the city's infrastructure. The plan, if approved, would represent 
a significant advance for the way in which Chicago tackles its toughest problems.
It could also serve as a lesson and a catalyst for the governments of other major
American cities to sidestep federal gridlock and move forward with creative local
policy solutions...

Read the full article here [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001SAS2t7AqRAeGn4uTmQbtGA5HlcAe_lLSFdWRBjBrrY5kTWoaJWs0-d37cNuXwogttX9rq5TSUzGCKfLkajjpmvSewB4h4pujhwdp1FAlDN_9NBLW7_SpW29SEqZVoj3ReGA7vup1gyBgCl6HTNoRFH7Cli0m7BxAB0qK2n5e-J3HpCi-bjpQGg==].
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The American JOBS Act

The American Jobs Act [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001SAS2t7AqRAe25LQkEZZEuRdsf-URB4rD8Ha0EhNIdKnzgAE6a_baS_Qi9PaxFghLGbRmD0hROI4jz-N8FwWSutzhxaJNUl_VbxdpSmJLPff5n3m1plqrxZ1EeIxZKskCZ0rm3pCWFSB0zZoQpz5MGuC2ytqrxV_UEr-h6CFeFuCWTCKWcpd40Q==]

Earlier this month, President Obama signed the JOBS Act into law. At a time when
 there has been little bipartisan cooperation in Washington, the Jumpstart Our Business
Startups Act, which aims to give small businesses more access to capital, made its
way through the House and Senate and on to the President's desk. The provisions 
of the new law represent only a small portion of the broad plan the President has
laid out for job creation, but both Republicans and Democrats praised it as being
a positive step towards creating jobs, getting Americans back to work, and possible
future cooperation.

The JOBS Act, originally drafted by Representatives Stephen Fincher (R-TN) and John
Carney (D-DE), is a collection of several smaller pieces of legislation that aim
 to increase access to capital for small businesses. Many observers feel the law
 reflects a desire by both parties during an election year to show they are doing
all they can to create jobs and provide a climate where start-ups and smaller companies
can flourish.

The new law includes provisions that will make it easier for companies to launch
 IPOs by rolling back corporate governance and accounting rules for as long as five
years for firms with as much as $1 billion in annual revenue. Firms are also given
more flexibility on when to hire an auditor, changes are made to rules that govern
executive compensation, and some firms could be excused from new national accounting
or auditing standards for up to five years...

Read the full article here [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001SAS2t7AqRAe25LQkEZZEuRdsf-URB4rD8Ha0EhNIdKnzgAE6a_baS_Qi9PaxFghLGbRmD0hROI4jz-N8FwWSutzhxaJNUl_VbxdpSmJLPff5n3m1plqrxZ1EeIxZKskCZ0rm3pCWFSB0zZoQpz5MGuC2ytqrxV_UEr-h6CFeFuCWTCKWcpd40Q==].
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Apple's Agreement with the FLA Signals Progress on Workers' Rights

Out of all the mega-corporations that dominate the world of international trade,
 and which regularly draw a mix of scorn and skepticism over their business practices
even from the consumers that rely on them, Apple had long enjoyed a unique popularity.

Its sleek design, high quality and intuitive products, and the rebellious, troubled-genius
image that its founder Steve Jobs continued to project even as he led the world's
largest publicly traded company created a powerful brand and an often intense loyalty.
Even with mounting reports of troubling labor practices on the part of Apple suppliers
in China, the company seemed adept at sidestepping the tarnish of sweatshop labor,
perhaps because the clean, whirring production floors of the IT industry seem so
 different than cramped and chaotic garment industry factories.

That began to change in 2010. First, Apple's Chinese supplier, Foxconn, became a
 household name after several employee suicides made news in the Western press, 
accompanied by the morbid imagery of Foxconn installing suicide-prevention nets 
on its employee dormitories. That same year, performer Mike Daisey made a trip to
China to witness Foxconn's labor practices firsthand, and incorporated gruesome 
stories of rampant child labor and mutilated workers into his hit one-man performance
piece "The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs." And in 2011, two successive explosions
due to an unsafe buildup of aluminum dust killed three and hospitalized scores of
Foxconn factory workers.

The brash charisma of Steve Jobs is well known; few other CEOs inspire theater shows
and Hollywood productions. But equally important was the culture of secrecy with
 which he ruled the Apple kingdom, complicating efforts to get a true picture of
 what, exactly, was happening in its sprawling supply chain...

Read the full article here [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001SAS2t7AqRAftsJz_ZCYdI4uhuFfXzWBtEMFf4eRDpcSVyOdYQYUfQ4IpRQSEOWx3tYqf71UacWt5_02D_LKbYgs1Ldgqwlc-V40lMWgB3VtHujvzCEudDmjpYZv4wmsl2Ig78YhCHUCT68DDKWNgT-eHpVDk0wSfiseXhBZz7k2KcEMlFy0_sg==].
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A Look Back: The U.S. Releases 1940 Census Data

Monday, April 2nd, saw the official release to the public of the detailed information
gathered during the 1940 census. To say that the census information has been popular
would be a gross understatement. The National Archives, the agency tasked with storing,
organizing, and sharing census information, reported that in the first three hours
after the information was released, their website received over 22 million hits.

The sheer volume of web traffic outpaced estimates and slowed servers for much of
the first day. Throughout the day on Monday, many users were only able to access
 periphery functions and information, while larger files and images were delayed
 or would not load at all. Staff at The Archives worked to streamline functions 
on the website and increase server capacity, and by Tuesday, most users reported
 that they were able to find the information they were looking for.

So why all the hype and excitement surrounding the 1940 census?

Read the full article here [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001SAS2t7AqRAcIs6RPFPEOdUoHX5PGwhOTIPKz9uLyDziuNN3m-cQ6jUd4I353vuXZEZFinGzLnQh_O8Y-vlClFsBWHwRjOgerVCTyAvJ2u3lWmGQblKDK65T3jEXL9EY6Qud2G81QoHkGut908yNkGCil7wwgZzTRPKVlUGhv8TJvWtiFOpiawQ==].

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