What’s affecting me, my clients and other small-business owners this week.

BACK TO THE SIXTIES? In his State of the Union address, the president says we’re at a Sputnik moment in our history. Many show their true faces during the speech. Andrew Sullivan says the presentation was strong, and gives a nice round-up of other views. Ezra Klein says there was a lot of vision but few details. Kevin Drum says, “With only a very few exceptions that were passed over pretty quickly (health care reform is great, student loan reform is great), there was almost literally nothing in there that couldnt have been in a George W. Bush speech.” The president gets five B’s, two C’s and a D on his economic report card (which is better than my son did).

THE STATE OF THE SMALL-BUSINESS UNION Small businesses are prominent in the address. A few business owners sit next to the first lady during the speech, and the president makes note of one who did some big things. But The Daily Reckoning’s Addison Wiggins thinks there’s still a war against small business. Some owners want President Obama to focus on the long term. The National Federation of Independent Business says small businesses are in regulatory hell. Some small businesses have some regulation advice for President Obama. Proposed environmental rules may hurt job growth. Companies in the transport industry are facing more regulations. Florida business groups demand an end to regulations that are killing jobs. Goldman’s chief executive warns against over-regulating banks. The good news: a repeal of the 1099 reporting rule has been introduced (again). And regulation is worse in India.

STATE OF THE STATES TheStreet.com publishes its list of the best and worst states for small business. In New Jersey (second worst), the governor begins a campaign to bring in businesses. A travel industry research group predicts that California (third worst) will continue to have even more hotels in default and foreclosure through the first half of 2011. A few states saw significant job progress recently. Clifton Chadwick wonders how some states are going to pay for their shortfalls. Nicole Gelinas of The Boston Globe says markets aren’t going to fix our states’ woes.

IMAGINE THE COST FOR A BOOTH At the conference in Davos (which rakes in $185 million), the consensus is that we’re out of the woods. Many mistresses are jealous. Amy Rosen, president and chief executive of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, says Davos seeds the entrepreneurial mindset: “I cant help thinking about how the top 10 in-demand jobs in 2010 did not exist six years ago. That is as good as any explanation as to why even with such high unemployment companies like Siemens have 12,000 vacancies. We are not arming the work force with the skills and knowledge needed to support economic growth because we are not educating our students to meet the demands of a 21st century economy.”

NOT OK IN THE UK Even though small-business sales in the United Kingdom are recovering, the British economy may be heading for a double dip recession. Rising fuel costs are getting in the way, but there may be a new energy solution on the way: dead people. In Ireland, 75 percent of companies freeze or cut pay. A business guru pens an advice book for doing business in Britain. The Economist predicts inflation in Britain will stay high. Other economists react. A recent survey of 2,000 small-business owners in Britain finds that 55 percent of female owners talk business in the bedroom.

THE ARUOBA-DIEBOLD-WHAT? Commodity prices continue to soar. New home sales also soared in December but are still at their lowest level in 47 years. Gross domestic income is up. But the growth isn’t enough to lower unemployment. Consumer confidence rises in January. The Dow hits 12,000. The US budget deficit passes $1.5 trillion. Rand Paul shows how to save $500 billion. The Postal Service may be closing thousands of offices. Households continue to de-leverage and bank lending is picking up. A report from the National Association of Business Economics reports that demand is higher for the sixth consecutive quarter. The Aruoba-Diebold-Scotti Business Conditions Index (hah, you thought you knew them all, didn’t you?) continues to trend up. Cambridge professor Olivier Blanchard says the global economy continues at two speeds. Some experts believe we’re in a super cycle of global economic growth. But Case Westerns Scott Shane is not optimistic. Wilmington Trust says economic growth in the United States and overseas will remain tepid.

DID REGULATION CAUSE THE CRISIS? According to the results of a recent inquiry, the financial crisis could have been avoided. Many economists spent the past week recalculating the numbers. Paul Krugman says “the financial crisis of 2008 was a teachable moment, an object lesson in what can go wrong if you trust a market economy to regulate itself.” Mike Shedlock, a blogger, feels differently and says the next crisis is already brewing: “Regulation is the cause of the crisis, not the solution. No regulation other than reversing the regulation that created the Fed, then abolishing fractional reserve lending can possibly prevent the next crisis.” Bank of America is still struggling and issues a survey that says the “mass affluent” believe they will never be wealthy. Most Americans have no faith in big organizations and financial institutions. The Fed is expected to stay the course this month.

BACK TO THEIR OLD TRICKS Credit card offers to small-business owners are expected to rise in 2011.

ON THE GO Small Business Labs says 2011 will be the year of mobile payments. The Miami Herald’s Tasha Cunningham discusses mobile marketing is right for your business. A text message thwarts a terrorist attack. Early morning e-mail readers use mobile devices.

LOCAL BLESSINGS Social media location site Foursquare is valued at $250 million and shows what  3,400 percent growth looks like in an infographic. The Ideacafe.com recommends Google Boost for increasing your local business. Chief executives of Foursquare and Groupon discuss cracking the local market. Jeffrey Stibel explains what Groupon cannot offer at the Harvard Business Review. Facebook destroys marriages, plans a Groupon rival and is blessed by the Pope. Small-business advertising fuels Facebooks growth. Mark Zuckerberg looks a little awkward on Saturday Night Live.

BE QUIET AND DO NOTHING Startup Nation’s John M. Fischette explains how to get more productivity from less staff. Curtis Smolar, a lawyer, discusses  his concerns about employees e-mail privacy. Alan Lewis, a business owner, says he hires for culture first, skills second. Here’s how to make your workplace great. Or better yet, encourage your employees to do nothing for just two minutes.

GEN Y HAS THE MUNCHIES A new survey says Generation Y is hungry to start new businesses. Maybe not coincidentally, marijuana soft drinks are introduced in California. Roger Ehrenberg, a venture capitalist, explains how to cut a fair deal with seed stage investors: “Entrepreneurs should be focused on the following (in this order): people, people, people and valuation.” An online comics community raises $3 million. The Obama team is encouraging us to export more. Startup Nation offers a new book on hot businesses for 2011 but I doubt Snooki’s worried.

MICROSOFT KNOWS ALL ABOUT GESTURES Mike Vizard takes us inside the customer relationship management wars in the cloud. Microsoft releases its new CRM. product. Entrepreneur’s Jonathan Blum writes about tomorrow’s tech tools for small business. Cisco expands networking and storage offerings for small businesses. Amazon introduces a bulk e-mail service. Linkdex, a software development company, launches a tool to help us control search engine optimization. Xerox picks up a few innovation awards. Verizon offers bundled Google Apps but Kevin Fogarty thinks they think we’re stupid. Microsoft plans an interface for all types of gestures.

MISCELLANEOUS Get set for the Women’s Business Leadership Conference in March. The most lucrative business is repeat business. Boston Beer Company is helping to finance local small businesses. Zappos and Amazon give the best customer service. I guess I wont be staying at Marriott hotels any more. Office Depot offers a new financing plan.

THIS WEEKS AWARDS

BEST PROOF THAT NEW YORKERS ARE WIMPS Go ahead and start a business there the people aren’t as tough as you think.

HERO OF DAVOS Robert Scobel of Rackspace picks his hero of the Davos conference: “Elisabet de los Pinos. What has she done? Found a way to deliver chemotherapy directly to cancer without delivering the poison to other parts of a cancer patient’s body.”

BEST CASE AGAINST LOBBYISTS Huffington Post’s Zach Carter and Ryan Grimm write about how the small-business lobby hurts small business: “Two years into the Obama administration, small businesses are still struggling to obtain credit and hire new workers, while big businesses withhold payments from them, horde cash and enjoy record profits. But if the top small-business goal for the past two years was to elect Republicans, the NFIB has done its job.”

THIS WEEKS QUESTION Do small-business lobbyists speak for you?

Gene Marks owns the Marks Group PC, a Bala Cynwyd, PA consulting firm that helps clients with customer relationship management. You can follow him on Twitter.

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State Reps. Andy Thompson, R-Marietta, and Jarrod Martin, R-Beavercreek, want to allow small, private employers to give compensatory time to employees. That would mean employees who work more than 40 hours in a week could bank compensatory time instead of collecting overtime pay.

Thompson and Martins bill would apply only to businesses with gross sales of less than $500,000. Larger businesses are governed by federal law, which allows comp time for public sector employees but not private sector employees.

Although there is nothing in Ohio law allowing comp time, nothing expressly prohibits it, either.

Maybe this has existed informally, but this is a way of codifying it and making businesses aware that this is available, Thompson said.

Thompson said the proposal would be cheaper for businesses in the long run. Otherwise, they would have to pay overtime.

Current bill language says employees would get 1.5 hours off for every hour more than 40 worked in a week, but Martin said the language will be changed to provide one hour for every one worked more than 40.

The bill is before the House Economic and Small Business Development Committee, which Thompson sits on. Lawmakers have made this bill a priority, Thompson said, and it likely will go before the committee next week.

Three of the five members of the House GOP leadership have signed on as co-sponsors, along with the chairwoman of the committee, Rep. Nan Baker, R-Westlake.

Brian Rothenberg, executive director of ProgressOhio, opposes the bill. He said a comp time system would put pressure on employees to work overtime, and they might not get to take their comp time, allowing employers to abuse the system.

Its usually not a situation where you work two hours one week and you get it back the next; it accrues up over time, Rothenberg said. Especially in this day and age when you dont stay at a company for your entire career.

The bill has the support of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, legislative director Chris Ferruso said.

Its about flexibility and an ability for an employer and an employee to negotiate a benefits package that works best for them, Ferruso said.

jalaimo@centralohio.com; (740) 328-8576

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P. Griffith Lindell is a veteran business consultant, speaker and author. His newest book is Struggling With Your Business? Ten Questions to Consider Before Investing A(nother) Dime. The views expressed are his own.

President Obama focused part of his State of the Union address on the need for government (to) create the conditions necessary for businesses to expand. I applaud and agree with him. The lifeblood of America must flow through micro and small-business veins.

Its going to take more than political pronouncements, however, to produce the revenues and profits that will change the rules of the current economic game.

Its going to take some practical business programs developed, implemented and overseen by those who understand the stresses of meeting a payroll not by some isolated academics or the political elite with ivory tower views. The major arteries of governmental involvement are needed, but with fewer constrictions. Until our economic blood flows freely to the small capillaries of small business, the national economy body will be anemic.

Lets be certain in 2011 that the circulatory system of economic turnaround becomes healthy. First, eliminate the stress of uncertainty, which only constricts. Second, provide a regular heartbeat of money at good rates to oxygenate the economys blood supply.

Regaining health will demand small business advocates with hearts that have been strengthened in a crucible that mixes: (1) the stresses of making a payroll; (2) with finding and keeping customers; (3) while blending in relief born of opportunities that generate enough revenue to continue to fund the business.

Local, state and national program leadership must come from those who have proven experience they have developed simple, practical business plans that leveraged resources, managed cash and returned a profit. Such leaders recognize that resources (like small business loans) must come from all facets of the community and the government can help facilitate that process without being the process.

The demands on the small business person are enormous. Business issues startup costs, capital expense and cash management all must be pointed to providing something special for a target group of customers. Whether Im consulting with business people, speaking, teaching university students or volunteering at SCORE, I know that this understanding of customers is a game changer.

But its not just about customers and cash. Small business consumes money, time and people. And it has a big appetite. Sometimes the small business family gets devoured by the demands and stresses particular to a small business. The uncertainty of complying with healthcare laws continues to provide stress that reaches inside many a business and reaches the families involved. Governmental program leaders must comprehend these stresses and act accordingly.

Government has a role: facilitating access to capital at reasonable rates, encouraging entrepreneurship, preventing tax-and-license burdens from being onerous and provide clear and consistent regulatory messages that will help small businesses mitigate their risks.

But more is needed. Government leaders must provide program overhaul and streamlined processes that have been honed by the principle less is more. Then we all benefit. More jobs. More tax revenue. More services that can meet growing demands.

If President Obama and other governmental leaders provide this, Americans will rise up and applaud them.

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Government, Business

O’Malley Launches Maryland Made Easy Small Business Initiative

The governor of Maryland introduces members of the state small business commission–the outgrowth of a two-year task force.

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State Reps. Andy Thompson, R-Marietta, and Jarrod Martin, R-Beavercreek, want to allow small, private employers to give compensatory time to employees. That would mean employees who work more than 40 hours in a week could bank compensatory time instead of collecting overtime pay.

Thompson and Martins bill would apply only to businesses with gross sales of less than $500,000. Larger businesses are governed by federal law, which allows comp time for public sector employees but not for private sector employees.

While there is nothing in Ohio law allowing comp time, nothing expressly prohibits it, either.

Maybe this has existed informally, but this is a way of codifying it and making businesses aware that this is available, Thompson said.

Thompson said the proposal would be cheaper for businesses in the long run. Current bill language says employees would get 1.5 hours off for every hour over 40 worked in a week, but Martin said the language will be changed to provide one hour for every one worked over.

The bill is before the House Economic and Small Business Development Committee, which Thompson sits on. Lawmakers have made this bill a priority, Thompson said, and it likely will go before the committee next week.

Three of the five members of the House GOP leadership have signed on as co-sponsors, along with committee chairwoman Rep. Nan Baker, R-Westlake.

Brian Rothenberg, director of ProgressOhio, opposes the bill.

He said a comp time system would put pressure on employees to work overtime, and they may not get to take their comp time, allowing employers to abuse the system.

Its usually not a situation where you work two hours one week and you get it back the next; it accrues up over time, Rothenberg said, and he cites that as a problem. Especially in this day and age when you dont stay at a company for your entire career.

The bill has the support of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, said legislative director Chris Ferruso.

Its about flexibility and an ability for an employer and an employee to negotiate a benefits package that works best for them, Ferruso said.

jalaimo@centralohio.com. 740-328-8576

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The Small Business Development Center at FGCU will hold a town hall meeting 8 am to 11 am Thursday, Feb. 10, at FGCUs Sugden Welcome Center.

On the agenda:

- Discussion of issues that negatively impact small business growth in Florida.

- Discussion of state regulations or statutes that impede small business expansion and new venture formulation.

- Information for small businesses on how to obtain government assistance.

Event facilitator is Lew Attardo, Florida small business advocate. The advocate represents the views and interests of the Florida small business community and serves in an advisory capacity when state legislators consider laws and regulations that may affect small business.

The forum is free, however seating is limited. Reservations are encouraged. You can sign up at sbdcseminars.org or by calling 745-3700.

Too little action

All talk; little action.

Thats the American Small Business Leagues verdict following President Barack Obamas State of the Union address Tuesday.

According to a business league press release, Obama mentioned small businesses five times and jobs more than 30 times.

Yet, the league said, the Obama administration has consistently refused to honor its small business campaign promises, including pledges to:

- Stop the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants.

- Restore the Small Business Administrations budget and staffing to pre-Bush administration levels. To date, the SBAs budget remains below Clinton- and Reagan- era levels, the business league reported.

- Restore cabinet level status for the administrator of the SBA. The business league said the SBA chief was removed from the Cabinet during George W. Bushs tenure.

Small businesses create a vast majority of net new jobs, yet President Obama has given them virtually none of the stimulus money, while giving nearly all of the small business contracting dollars to Fortune 500 firms, said Lloyd Chapman, business league president.

Until that ends, unemployment is not going to go down and the economy is not going to recover, Chapman added.

The business league endorsed Obama for president, but clearly the honeymoon is long over.

What do you think? If you own or manage a small business, please share with readers of this column how the president could best help your enterprise to succeed.

Kindly drop me a note at lruane@news-press.com.

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Rochester, NY-January 28, 2011-The Simon Graduate School of Business at the University of Rochester is offering full- and partial-tuition scholarships for its Executive MBA program during an Online Business Simulation scholarship competition beginning on February 7, 2011.

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interactive workshop

NEW BEDFORD Join the MA Small Business Development Center (MSBDC) Southeast Regional Office, Foley Foley PC, Sylvia and Company Insurance Agency, Inc. and The New Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce for an interactive workshop on Health Care Reform. This program will be presented by attorney Michael E. Foley from the law firm Foley Foley, PC, and Julie A. Jennings from Sylvia and Company Insurance Agency, Inc.

The health care law will be phased in over the next several years. While many provisions will not take effect until Jan. 1, 2014, some new protections were implemented when plans renewed last September. This program will: Review the timeline for reform; what happened in 2010; small employer tax credits; early retiree employer subsidies; grandfathered health plans; new non-discrimination requirements; examine what is on the horizon in 2011, and then look ahead to the major changes that take effect especially from 2014 through 2018.

The workshop will be Feb. 8, from 8:30 am 10:30 am at the New Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce, 794 Purchase St. The cost is $20.00, discounted to $10.00 if you are a chamber member. Seating is limited. To register, visit the MSBDC website at www.msbdc.org/semass and click on Event Calendar or call the MSBDC office at: 508-673-9783 Ext: 10.

restaurant insurance

NEW BEDFORD Christopher J. ONeil, of the Tomlinson ONeil Insurance Agency, announces his companys attendance at the 2011 New England Food Show being held March 20-22 at the Boston Convention and Expo Center. Zurich Small Business, an agency carrier and leader in small business insurance, will be there to introduce a new restaurant insurance program. The Zurich Restaurant Program is a new product which bases the rating on public square footage of the restaurant. Clients enjoy the elimination of audits on receipts and also the inclusion of coverage such as liquor liability, food borne illness and food spoilage and others.

Tomlinson ONeil Insurance will be at Booth 3206, where visitors can enter to win various prizes chosen at the end of each day and the end of the show. Bring a copy of a current insurance policy for a comparative quote and automatically be entered to win an IPod Touch!

Tomlinson ONeil Insurance Agency Inc. has served thousands of individuals and businesses throughout Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island since 1956. For more information, visit their website at www.toinsurance.com or call 888-993-3947. The New England Food Show website is www.nefs-expo.com.

tourism effort

FAIRHAVEN In its effort to expand and update its email lists of town businesses, the Office of Tourism is asking members of the business community to submit their contact information to the office.

According to Tourism Director Christopher Richard, a survey recently completed by students from the UMass Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research shows that few Fairhaven businesses are making contact with his department. The Town offers a number of free services to businesses that wish to take advantage of them, he said. We have space for the display business brochures, cards, sample menus and fliers at the Visitors Center at no charge. We have opportunities for businesses to have free internet links through the Tourism web site. Were also now giving Fairhaven businesses a chance to post discounts coupons online so consumers can print them to use when they visit the town.

To make sure that businesses stay up to date with these and other programs and activities, Richard asks that they provide the Office of Tourism with their business name, an email address, mailing address, phone number and the name of a contact person. If the business has a web site, its url can be sent, too. The information can be emailed to FairhavenTours@aol.com or mailed to 43 Center St., Fairhaven, MA 02719.

The office is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm The tourism web site is http://FairhavenTours.blogspot.com. It may also be accessed from the Towns main web site http://Fairhaven-MA.gov.

attention, women

The members of the Southcoast Express Network of the American Business Womens Association (ABWA) invite all women from diverse occupations and stages in their professional careers to join them at their next meeting on Feb. 2, at the Country Club of New Bedford, 585 Slocum Road, Dartmouth (wheelchair accessible). The Southcoast Express Network is a non-profit group that meets on the first Wednesday of every month. The meetings begin at 5:30 pm and include time for networking, dinner and a speaker. The cost is $25 per person.

The February speaker is Sheryl Worthington Turgeon of Your Health Potential. Her topic is Beat the Sugar Blues to improve your energy level, health, concentration and mood! Sheryl Worthington Turgeon, MPH, CHC, CMMS, is a certified health, nutrition and vital living coach, who helps women come alive by eating whole fresh foods, celebrating their spirits and achieving their dreams. Her background includes a Masters in public health from Boston University, with a concentration in behavioral change, certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and certification in Business Coaching.

To make a reservation or for more information, contact Lisa LeBreux, the clubs Vice President of Communications at (508)989-9235.

new appointments

DARTMOUTH RP Valois Company General Contractors has announced two appointments for their growing Commercial Division. Tony DiGiantommaso of North Attleboro recently joined the firm as vice president of Commercial Construction while Charles W. Killam, Jr. of Rehoboth will serve as the divisions chief estimator. DiGiantommaso has spent the last seven years as project executive for Bufftree Building Company, where he directed operations and managed their larger commercial projects. He is a graduate of Wentworth Institute of Technology with a bachelors degree in Civil Engineering.

Killam also recently worked at Bufftree as chief estimator since 1997 and was fully responsible for estimating on major negotiated and design-build commercial projects. He received his bachelors degree from Cornell Universitys School of Civil Engineering and holds a Massachusetts construction supervisors license. RP Valois is an award-winning builder of distinctive custom homes, landmark commercial buildings and historic properties throughout the SouthCoast area and nearby Rhode Island.

new desserts

DARTMOUTH Satisfying every sweet tooth in Dartmouth, Cold Stone Creamery at 83C Faunce Corner Rd introduces the new plated desserts line, featuring four creations. Debuting on Feb. 2, the Plated Desserts line combines classic indulgences, like brownies and funnel cakes, with Cold Stones premium ice cream.

These plated desserts are a new and deliciously decadent way to enjoy the everyday treats we already love, said Cold Stone Creamery owner, Tammi McCarraher.

Through April 30, these indulgent plated desserts will be available at an introductory price of $4.99. The four are:

Brownie A La Cold Stone, Churro Caramel Crave, Chocolate Lava Meltdown and No Fair Funnel Cake.

For more information about Cold Stone Creamery, visit www.coldstonecreamery.com.

tea time again

WESTPORT Partners Village Store, 865 Main Road, is bringing back its Thursday Afternoon Teas, Thursdays, Jan. 27 – March 31, 3-4 pm in the stores Tea Room Cafe.

Invite a friend, parent or grandchild and enjoy a spot of traditional English Tea with special tea sandwiches, mini desserts, and great conversation. Cost is $12.95 per person. Space is limited. Call for reservations and payment: 508 636-2572.

he delivers

NEW BEDFORD New Bedford Dominos delivery expert Hernani Ernie Guilherme was recently honored for his 15th year of service by franchisee Tony Squizzero in a small ceremony Jan. 9 at the store, located at 836 Ashley Blvd.

During his 15 years at Dominos, its estimated that Guilherme has driven more than 1 million miles and has delivered 35,000 times in New Bedford.

Ernie has been with my company from almost the start, and we have really grown together, said Squizzero. Ive seen his kids grow into adults, two of whom have worked for me, and hes seen my family grow as well. Were all family at Dominos, and Im proud to celebrate our successes together.

Guilherme has been heavily involved in the local community, raising funds for the Neediest Family Fund and local schools. He has won numerous awards for safety and service excellence. Guilherme has lived in New Bedford for 31 years, raising three children with his wife Maria.

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Computerworld – Four months after it debuted Office for Mac 2011, Microsoft on Tuesday launched the first free trial of the application suite.

The trial version of Office for Mac Home and Business 2011 includes fully-functional versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, the suites word processor, spreadsheet, presentation manager and e-mail client.

Users can run the trial edition for 30 days.

Microsoft has used try-before-you-buy for its Mac Office before; two years ago it offered a 30-day trial for Office for Mac 2008.

However, Microsoft lets Mac OS X users run Office through its paces only half as long as it does Windows customers. The consumer and enterprise trial editions of Office 2010, which requires Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7, are valid for 60 days.

When the month-long trial of Office for Mac expires, customers must purchase a product activation key by buying a boxed copy of the suite or obtaining a key via online purchase.

The latter will be less expensive.

Amazon.com, for example, sells the single-license Office for Mac Home and Students 2011 for $99.99, $20 off Microsofts price, and the three-license edition for $124.25, a $25.74 discount.

The more expensive Home and Business 2011 — the only version that includes Outlook — runs $174.99 for a single license, $228.43 for a two-license pack on Amazon, a savings of $25 and $51.56, respectively.

Alternatives to Microsofts suite include the for-free OpenOffice.org and the just-released LibreOffice, as well as Apples own iWork bundle.

iWork, which costs $79 but costs $66.55 on Amazon.com, is also the only suite of the four that can be purchased on Apples Mac App Store, the iPhone e-mart doppelganger that opened earlier this month. In the Mac App Store, Apple sells the three iWork applications — Pages, Numbers and Keynote — for $19.99 each. Mac App Store software can be installed on up to five personal machines.

Last year, when Apple first announced the Mac App Store, Microsoft said only that its Mac group was working to understand the impact of the new app store, but would not commit to trying that distribution channel for Office.

The 890MB Office for Mac trial can be downloaded from Microsofts Web site after providing a name and e-mail address.

Also this week, Microsofts development team dodged customer questions about whether they would add OneNote to Office for Mac.

Last week, Microsoft released an iPhone version of OneNote. The app, however, is of little use to Mac owners, who lack a desktop version for creating notebooks – something impossible on the iPhone — or synchronizing notes. Instead, they must use the Web-based OneNote.

No, we dont have any updates outside of the new [Office for Mac] 2011 suite which includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook, the Microsoft Mac team said on Twitter in response to questions about a possible OneNote on the Mac.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gkeizer, or subscribe to Greggs RSS feed . His e-mail address is gkeizer@ix.netcom.com.

Read more about Applications in Computerworlds Applications Topic Center.

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This weeks Business Pulse survey from Los Angeles Business looked at the proposed Amazon bill floated in Sacramento that would allow the state to collect sales tax from out-of-state online retailers for purchases sold in California.

Some analysts say it would collect $300 million for the cash-strapped state every year, while others say it would lead to a loss of jobs — and an actual decline in revenue.

We wanted to know what you thought.

Results of this weeks question — Should the state collect sales tax from online-only retailers that sell products in California? — broke down as follows:

One comment was left on the poll:

The answer to the question is not clear cut. The current law in every state requires businesses that have a physical presence in the state to collect sales tax. Online retailers like Amazon has a physical presence in Washington State but not California so it collects sales taxes from all purchases delivered to Washington residents. Amazon also does business with retailers to sell thru Amazon. Those businesses likely would have to collect sales taxes from purchasers in the state where they have a physical presence. While many other states are proposing similar sale tax legislation, it raises the question of whether simply being present on the Web is enough to be physically present in the state. That would create a whole host of legal issues that go beyond taxes. By posting this, does this make me physically present in the state where you are reading it subject to the laws of your state? Lets not even get into the law governing corporate entities. For many states, this is a potential cash cow in a time when they need the revenue but they fail to consider the broader implications of the action.

This weeks question looks at responses to the State of the Union. Did President Obamas message resonate with you, or did you favor the responses offered by the Republicans or the Tea Party.

We want to know: Who offered the best State of the Union plan for the economy?

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