Briefs
by John Temple Ligon
Science Café EngenuitySC will stage its Science Café Tuesday, November 13, 6 pm at Za's Pizza on Devine Street. The scheduled speaker is Dr. Ken Reifsnider, director of the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Program at USC. The SOFC group at USC is expected to be at the forefront in the field of portable and mobile devices powered by fuel cells. Contact Tory Sojourner at TSojourner@EngenuitySC.com.

Tops in the country For the third consecutive year, Site Selection magazine has chosen North Carolina as the state with the country's top business climate. Immediately following North Carolina on this year's list were Georgia, Texas, Virginia, and Alabama.

Charleston exports A weakened dollar has strengthened the export of goods from the Port of Charleston. In the first quarter of the port's current fiscal year, July 1 to September 30, an increase of more than 60 percent in break bulk exports moved across the docks in Charleston. Break bulk is one of three modes of transportation for ocean- going cargo. Consumer goods travel by container, while break bulk refers to items moved on palette or items outsized. The third category is called bulk like steel, aluminum, petroleum, and crude oil. Break bulk imports for the same period increased by 28 percent.

Good news from Commerce On Friday, November 2, Joe Taylor, our state's secretary of commerce, announced more than 655 jobs were created in the last seven days.

Jasper County port According to a proposal being negotiated by the governors of South Carolina and Georgia, the two states' ports authorities will jointly own a port site at the mouth of the Savannah River. The 1,500- acre site is being bought by both states from the Georgia transportation department for $10 million. To make the first phase of the port operational, about $600 million is expected to be spent over five years.

Transit north While Columbia struggles with one of the worst bus systems for a city its size, Charlotte recently announced the federal government's intentions to fund roughly half of the necessary $750 million in light rail construction to connect downtown with University City 11 miles out. The line is expected to be open by 2013. By 2030, the line should carry more than 35,000 daily passengers. Meanwhile, Lexington County and Richland County drop their three river crossing bus routes on weekends.

Foreclosures out of state Home foreclosures in Charlotte's Mecklenburg County rose 30.5 percent in the third quarter compared with the same period last year. North Carolina suffered an increase of almost 62 percent, and the nation's increase in foreclosures hit 99.5 percent.

Charleston ranked with travelers In the latest Condé Nast Traveler magazine's Readers' Choice awards, Charleston ranked as the nation's No. 3 travel destination. San Francisco was No. 1 and New York City, No. 2. In other surveys by Travel + Leisure magazine, Charleston was ranked third for Most Attractive People, and ranked first for Friendly People.

Looking for another Air South? An Upstate Transportation Summit is scheduled for November 28. It is sponsored by the Greater Greenville, Spartanburg Area and Greater Greer chambers of commerce. An air service task force has already disclosed the Greenville- Spartanburg International Airport consistently loses about 30 percent of its potential business to Atlanta and Charlotte due to cost differences.

Furman money The $400 million endowment at Greenville's Furman University last year had a return on its investments of 23.4 percent. Yale's endowment of $22.5 billion reported a return of 28 percent, and Harvard's $34.9 billion, 23 percent. Until 2002, Furman's money was 70 percent stocks and 30 percent bonds. The composition was changed to 50 percent stocks, 40 percent alternative investments like hedge and private equity funds, and 10 percent bonds.