Now September 2008

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monday, september 19
Tee Off
Ryder Cup
Louisville, Kentucky

Tiger Woods once called the Ryder Cup an "exhibition, because there's no winner's check." Wrong! Louisville's cashing in big-time on the biennial U.S.-vs.-Europe golfing match, expecting 240,000 out-of-state visitors, $115 million in spending, and countless gauzy shots of the lush bluegrass of Valhalla Golf Club. And this year's losers? Team U.S.A. could do it again -- it has lost the past three cups and five of the past six. But the biggest losers may be NBC and its advertisers. Tiger's out with a knee injury, and TV ratings for golf tournaments typically drop by a third when he's not playing. -- JC

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monday, september 22
Dig
National Mining Association Convention
Las Vegas

When coal-industry lobbyists say that the United States is the Saudi Arabia of the black rock, they may be understating the point. The coal beneath Illinois alone contains more energy than all the oil in Saudi. What coal boosters often neglect to mention: coal's super-high CO2 emissions. Clean-coal technology will be on the agenda at MinExpo 2008's State of the Industry briefing. The Department of Energy also plans to exhibit results of its private-sector research partnerships. We're wondering how far-reaching -- and cost-effective -- those will be, given that, in January, the feds nixed FutureGen, a zero-emissions coal power plant, due to cost overruns. -- CM

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wednesday, september 24
Commit
Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting
New York

Every CGI participant, whether organizer-in-chief Bill Clinton or head of state or NGO peon, must commit to do something to change the world. Most make promises on-site -- "You have to do something before you leave, or you're not going to come back next year," says a CGI taskmaster -- but the clever (and PR-minded) beat the rush by announcing early. (Visa, for one, has pledged to reach 10 million people with a financial-literacy program.) This year, CGI will also try a new electronic-messaging service meant to help attendees network and bankroll their projects. If you're connected enough to be there, though, we suggest a more direct route to funding: Find Warren Buffett. -- Clayton Neuman

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thursday, september 25
Covet
DigitalLife
New York

This tech expo is all about average Joes and Janes. It's the rare consumer-electronics show that allows actual consumers in the door. (Take that, CES!) More than 60,000 geeks will test-drive new toys. And the nerdiest can enter contests, including Fastest Geek (build a working computer from scratch, stat) and the Innovators Challenge, in which 25 firms vie for funding before a panel of VCs and tech writers -- after a consumer vote, of course. -- KR

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thursday, september 25
Bail
International Banking Conference
Chicago

Kudos for candor to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, organizer of this annual powwow for some 150 central bankers and academics. This year's theme is credit turmoil, and topping the agenda is an illustration of battered flagships in stormy seas. The U.S. ship seems near capsizing. "I don't think it's a downer," says conference coordinator and glass-half-full guy Douglas Evanoff. "It's an opportunity to figure out what we need to do next." One thought: swimming lessons. -- KR

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