Google's Abandoned Library of 700 Million Titles
Imagine a world where Google sucks. It might seem a stretch, but a few geeks with long memories remember the last time Google assembled a giant library that promised to rescue orphaned content for future generations. And the ruins of that online archive are a cautionary tale in what happens when Google simply loses interest.

Sneak Peek: 3-D TV Menu Systems Surprisingly Complicated
It's not the sexiest problem in the world, but someone's going to have to solve it: How, if three-dimensional television becomes the next HD — the way much of the industry hopes it will — are viewers going to navigate those channels?

Let's Make a Deal Search Engine, Ask.com Says
Ask Deals — which hunts down coupons and sales — takes its place besides Ask’s more conventional tabs for searches for news, video and images. It’s a response to a growing number of searchers looking for discounts in tough times, the company says

FTC Tells Amateur Bloggers to Disclose Freebies or Be Fined
Gadget bloggers and Amazon.com reviewers now must disclose freebies and financial interests or face fines up to $11,000, according to rules announced by federal regulators Monday. It's an attempt to make word-of-mouth endorsements on the net easier to believe.

Mr. Know-It-All on Laptop Autopsies, Rookie Journalism, F-Bomb Tweets

My geeky 8-year-old son wants to take apart my old laptop. But the thing still works, so I could also donate it. What's the right call?

If philosopher John Stuart Mill were alive today—and able to escape his grave in southern France—he'd advise you to employ the "greatest happiness principle." Make the choice that will bring maximum enjoyment to the maximum number of people. If you turn the laptop into an engineering project for your son, you'll thrill him for a few hours and teach him a bit about circuitry—lessons he could also learn by disassembling a less valuable gadget. But if you donate it, you could provide months or years of happiness to someone else's child, and perhaps to the rest of their family as well.

So find a reputable organization that will get the laptop into needy hands. And while you're at it, see if you can track down a completely dead computer (ask a friend or check craigslist) so your son can dissect its innards. Just promise you'll closely supervise Junior's tinkering; while learning about semiconductors, he should also discover the glories of goggles and the magic of battery recycling.

My old college newspaper is posting its archives online—including some truly awful pieces I wrote in the '90s. Can I ask to have them taken down?

The most basic tenet of journalism is that, save for when factual errors must be corrected, the published record is immutable. Embarrassed interviewees aren't permitted to retract foolish quotes, and embarrassed scribes can't disappear their weaker efforts. Such is the unwritten contract we enter into when we dabble in journalism, whether on campus or in Wired. Suck it up.

"Ultimately, what you're asking to do here is lie, to say, 'I'm perfect,'" says George Sylvie, a journalism professor at the University of Texas at Austin. "Every little Catholic fiber in me says you just don't do that." Nobody expected digital distribution, my friend, but just because you thought your half-baked op-eds were destined for the memory hole doesn't mean you get a mulligan. Technically, your pieces have always been available, whether stacked on a library shelf or spooled on microfilm. You just weren't famous enough for anyone to care.

Anyway, you're probably worrying too much. People are generally quite forgiving of the intellectual missteps and inappropriate revelations of youth. We were all 20 once. And if someone does confront you about a truly inflammatory bit of prose, point out that a person's views can evolve dramatically over time. After all, Ronald Reagan started out as a Democrat.

What's the policy on profanity in tweets? Is it OK to drop f-bombs at will, or should I replace curse words with pound signs and ampersands?

The only profanity enforcer on Twitter is the invisible hand: ticked-off readers voting with the Unfollow button. Is that enough of a disincentive to keep your filthy mouth—er, fingers—in check? That depends on your long-term plans for Twitter domination. Who exactly is your target audience? If your forte is passing along links about parenting or needlepoint, then blue language may rankle your core demographic. But if your chief selling point is acerbic cultural commentary, foulmouthed musings may actually increase your popularity. Look at film director Kevin Smith (@ThatKevinSmith)—more than 1 million followers as of this writing, and his tweets occasionally include explicit references to his wife's most private parts.

But honestly, if any of your followers are too fragile to endure a single ribald tweet, they probably shouldn't be anywhere near the Internet in the first place. Have you seen some of the nasty $#@! on there?

Need help navigating life in the 21st century? Email us at mrknowitall@wiredmag.com.

Clive Thompson on How the Real-Time Web Is Leaving Google Behind

When Michael Jackson died on June 25, millions of people flooded onto Google News to find the latest information about what had happened. The spike in traffic was so massive that Google suspected a malware attack and began blocking anyone searching for "Michael Jackson."

It's a funny story, but it illustrates how the Web is changing. People increasingly turn to the Internet for up-to-the-minute information about, well, everything—blog postings about celebrity antics, status updates from friends, and pictures and videos of political events as they unfold, like the protests over the Iranian election. Studies have shown that these types of search requests are on the rise.

Pundits call it the real-time Web. It's upending the Internet as we've known it, and it's not something that Google can easily dominate.

For more than 10 years, Google has organized the Web by figuring out who has authority. The company measures which sites have the most links pointing to them—crucial votes of confidence—and checks to see whether a site grew to prominence slowly and organically, which tends to be a marker of quality. If a site amasses a zillion links overnight, it's almost certainly spam.

But the real-time Web behaves in the opposite fashion. It's all about "trending topics"—zOMG a plane crash!—which by their very nature generate a massive number of links and postings within minutes. And a search engine can't spend days deciding what is the most crucial site or posting; people want to know immediately.

So a new generation of search engines like Tweetmeme, OneRiot, Topsy, Scoopler, and Collecta are trying to redefine what makes a piece of information important.

Some of these sites offer a Digg-like indexed front page that displays hot topics, while others just include a simple search field. But most of them rely heavily on Twitter. When a burst of tweets citing a particular subject or URL emerges, it's a "signaling event," as Rishab Ghosh of Topsy puts it. To make sure they're not just getting hoodwinked by spammers, these new search engines employ some clever tricks, like crawling tweeted URLs and discarding those that land on sites containing spamlike language. Most disregard Twitter users who behave like spambots—for example, ones that follow thousands of people but have very few followers themselves.

Other ploys abound. OneRiot has a toolbar that lets users flag an interesting post immediately. Collecta actively imports blog posts and tweets so they appear in search results less than a second after they go live, rather than the hours it can take regular search engines to catalog the same info. "We want to be limited only by the speed of light," Collecta CTO Jack Moffitt jokes.

The result is something curiously different from regular searching. If you hunt for "Michael Jackson" on a traditional engine like Ask.com or Bing, the vast majority of the links remain the same day to day. Authority changes slowly on the "old" Web. But real-time search engines deliver different, updated results almost every time.

The creators of these new engines argue that their goal isn't to answer questions— à la Google—but to organize experience into a keyhole glimpse of what the world is doing at this very moment. "It's exactly what your friends are going to be talking about when you get to the bar tonight," OneRiot executive Tobias Peggs says. "That's what we're finding." Google settles arguments; real-time search starts them.

Edo Segal, a pioneer in real-time search, thinks the field is going to explode as updates become more automatic, with our devices autoreporting where we are, how we're feeling, and what we're doing and seeing. Old-school search will never vanish, but real-time news will create a society where we have an omnipresent sense of the moment. "Google organized our memory," Segal says. "Real-time search organizes our consciousness."

Email clive@clivethompson.net.

Scott Brown on the Facebook Movie

To: A. Sorkin, D. Fincher
cc: Hollywood
Re: Facebook Movie

Gentlemen: My Google Reader informs me that you two are teaming up to write and direct a making-of-Facebook story (working title: The Social Network). While I'm a tad offended I wasn't notified through more formal channels—I am, after all, a member of Facebook and therefore entitled to give notes—I offer my heartiest congratulations. Aaron, I have no idea how you pulled off that script: Mark Zuckerberg isn't exactly known for rapid badinage, and Facebook, as concept, resists the bricks-and-mortar convention of hallway "walk-and-talks." (Wish you'd landed the Doom movie, A-Sorks—nothing but hallways in that one! Very West Wing.) On the other hand, a movie about Ivy League twerps putting their yearbook online, suing each other over boilerplate code, and ultimately dispatching a hapless foe (MySpace) sounds like a good flick for you to helm, Finchy. Lemme guess the twist: Those Nordic twins with the runaway pituitaries still litigating for a share of Facebucks? They're not real, right? They're Zuckerberg's Doublemint version of Tyler Durden—chips off the ol' id.

But enough backslapping: Let's talk turkey. This is going to be a terrible movie, right? I mean, it better be. Because Hollywood's ancien régime is counting on you to make social media look bad. They're eager to embalm Web 2.0 in celluloid. Otherwise, why bother with some silly silicon catfight? The titanic tech war between Bill Gates and Steve Jobs would've made a riveting flick 25 years ago. But Hollywood couldn't muster interest in those propellerheads back then and, decades later, relegated the whole saga into a made-for-TV-movie.

Today, however, the fear of new microstudios (College Humor, Funny or Die) and delivery systems (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) is so fierce and so tangible that Tinseltown is reaching for its weapon of last resort: the handshake. Hey, Social Media! Wanna be in pictures? Well, of course it does, the same way triumphal Japanese businessmen enjoyed visiting Graceland in the '80s—to pose with a glitzy cultural relic. If you want to kill something in the shell, pluck it prematurely and smear it all over the big screen. It'll go from cutting edge to lite-FM lame faster than you can say "You've got mail."

With that in mind, I'd love to talk future projects. Let's get crackin' on Left 4 Twitter. The pitch: It's a zombie picture! The logline: A social network is thrown into panic when its members' very souls get sucked away by a simpler, faster, more smartphone-friendly social network. And here's your summer tent pole: Google Toolbar: Revenge of the Copyright. This one's pretty tried-and-true: Take an old brand we all feel a little nostalgic for, pour on the special effects, and cast Megan Fox as the cheesecake. When all the Google apps combine to form one massive menacing Toolbar (and unsheath the blazing Tool-sword), a collective OMFG! will shake this nation the likes of which hasn't been felt since Goatse. And speaking of Goatse: I hope like hell you're ready to meet Sacha Baron Cohen's latest outrageous character: GOATSE! He's ... well, you know who he is. We're going to send him to a church in the South, then just let the cameras run until the cops show up.

See the genius? Hollywood can simultanously appropriate and neutralize new media brands by miring them in old-media corn and cliché. The theoretical target audience for The Social Network—250 million (and counting) Facebookers—think of the site as small-screen Web utility, not big-screen fare; and nobody would confuse Mark Zuckerberg with Citizen Kane. Let's hope this movie goes straight to video and Hollywood maintains its oligopoly. That'll show those code monkeys who's boss. Yeah! High five! Peace out. —Scott

Email scott_brown@wired.com.

Taming Twitter Overload: 'Lists' to the Rescue
Twitter tries a method to sub-categorize the people you follow into "lists," making it possible for the first time to systematically organize — and recommend — feeds you follow.

Alpha Geek: Rocket Scientist Takes on TV for Gamers

Mary Spio has been a server at McDonald's and an aerospace engineer at Boeing. She holds one of the patents that make it possible to send movies to theaters digitally (no. 7,065,355, relating to "very high data rate satellite transmission"). She also founded a successful singles magazine called One2One Living and currently runs Gen2Media, an Internet-oriented video production and distribution company.

Now Spio is bringing her talents to Xbox Live. About 17 million people subscribe to Microsoft's online entertainment service, and a new one signs up every five seconds. But they still come mainly for gaming; the media offerings are mostly network fare—not exactly in the strike zone for Xbox users. "They're not watching American Idol or America's Got Talent," Spio says. "They're playing Rock Band." What these kids need, she says, is customized content.

So she's planning a show called The Verge, a cross between—of course—America's Got Talent and Rock Band. Independent artists will produce their own music and submit it via e360live.com. Viewers and a panel of industry professionals will then pick 20 entrants to be featured on Xbox Live, and subscribers can vote on their favorites. Spio's production team will shoot footage and gather backstories on the 20 finalists, to be woven into weekly programs leading up to the finale this winter. "This is the Guitar Hero generation," Spio says. "We want to make shows that match their taste." Sure, it's harder than selling Big Macs—but probably easier than building rockets.

Newsy: The News Is Broken, But We Can Fix It
It’s old news that news consumers shield themselves from pesky dissenting viewpoints by patronizing only those outlets that present a comfortably conforming world view. The web and iPhone service "Newsy" hopes to help remedy the situation by creating short, original video clips with their own reporters highlighting how various sources reported the same news item.

Wired: Tech Biz
Dispatches from Silicon Valley.

 

Chicago news, weather, traffic - CBS 2 - WBBM
Chicago news, weather, traffic - CBS 2 - WBBM

 

What now? Boeing move sends state scrambling
The Boeing Co. is a huge part of Washington's history. Following the announcement that it will build 787 planes in South Carolina, whether it will be a significant part of Washington's future remains to be seen.

Machinists: We offered Boeing 10-year, no-strike deal
The announcement that Boeing would take a second 787 production line to South Carolina shook union halls around the Puget Sound. The move, at least to union leaders and members, smacked of union-busting and poor business sense.

How green is that product? Seattle startup lets you know
Eco-rate, a Seattle startup, aims to compare products so that consumers can figure out just how green a product is before they buy it.

Boeing picks South Carolina for new 787 line
Boeing has decided to put its second line for building the 787 in North Charleston, S.C., not Everett, Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon says.

Big Fish Adds Senior Execs
Seattle-based Big Fish Games announced today it has hired Michael Vernon as chief financial officer and Ian Hurlock-Jones as chief technology officer. Vernon is a veteran of Seattle-area firms aQuantive and Zumobi, while Hurlock-Jones comes from Fox Interactive Media and Buy.com. Big Fish, a leading developer and distributor of casual games, announced it was opening ...

Amazon.com puts a cork in it, won't sell wine online
Amazon.com, the Seattle-based retail giant that prides itself on being able to sell almost anything, has abandoned its more than year-long crusade to sell wine online.

Kineta Cuts Deal With MPI
Seattle-based Kineta, the company developing drugs against autoimmune diseases, said today it has formed an alliance with MPI Research. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed, but Kineta will get support for animal studies that will enable it to start clinical trials in 2010, the company said. Kineta also received the second year of funding under ...

SonoSite Sales Drop 13%
SonoSite, the Bothell, WA-based maker of portable ultrasound machines, said today its sales dropped 13 percent in the three-month period that ended Sept. 30. The company (NASDAQ: SONO) said it had $53.6 million in revenue during the third quarter, compared with $61.6 million in the same period a year earlier. The company also said it ...

Amazon Teams Up With Microsoft for E-Books, Bing Goes Real-Time, Revolution Computing Reels In $9M, & More Seattle-Area Deals News
It was a big week for big companies. Amazon’s stock soared, and the e-commerce giant made a deal with Microsoft that should make Kindle e-books even more popular. There was also interesting deals news from Bing and a few Northwest venture firms and startups. -Kennewick, WA-based Infinia has raised $3.25 million in debt and options out ...

Zymo Gets $70M for Starting Trial
Seattle-based ZymoGenetics (NASDAQ: ZGEN) will receive a $70 million milestone payment from its partner, Bristol-Myers Squibb, for starting a mid-stage clinical trial of pegylated interferon lambda for hepatitis C, according to a statement. The trial, called Emerge, will initially enroll 50 patients on a variety of doses, then expand to 500 patients who are randomly ...

Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Business News
Read business stories from seattlepi.com

 

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U.S. Unemployment Rate Hits 10.2%, Highest in 26 Years
The number of unemployed rose to 15.7 million in October, as 190,000 nonfarm jobs were lost, the government said, and economists do not expect relief until next year.

Windfall Is Seen as Bank Bonuses Are Paid in Stock
Bankers are likely to make unusually large gains on the stock grants and options they received after shares in their companies fell sharply during the financial meltdown.

Broader Measure of U.S. Unemployment Stands at 17.5%
The official jobless rate excludes millions of people who have given up looking for work and part-time workers who want to be working full time.

Stocks and Bonds: Seeing the Glass Half Full Despite the Day’s Reports
The market had been expecting unemployment to top 10 percent before peaking. But the pace of job losses has accelerated and the rate is likely to go higher.

Off the Charts: Car Buyers Come Back, but Not in Droves
A factor causing sluggishness may be that auto companies produced and, with discounts, sold too many cars in the years before the recession.

Executives Are Wary After Arrests
Recent arrests in an insider trading case have hedge fund managers and technology company leaders watching their words carefully.

Administration Rejects Plan to Buy Fannie Mae Credits
Goldman Sachs had proposed to pay cash for Fannie Mae’s tax credits, which are tied to investments in affordable housing.

British Bankers Defend Their Pay and Bonuses
Regulators, central bankers and citizens are criticizing bankers for continuing large compensation packages while receiving government funds.

Berkshire Says Profit Tripled in Quarter
The big Warren Buffett-led conglomerate said its third-quarter profit tripled as the improving economy and stock market boosted the value of its derivative contracts.

To Retain Its Bankers, Citi Offers Option Plan
As an extra incentive to keep its bankers, Citigroup said it would grant one stock option at just above the current price for each share employees had accumulated.

A.I.G. Reports Profit but Warns of Continued Volatility
The insurance giant, which was bailed out last year amid the financial crisis, warned that earnings would remain choppy as the company executes its restructuring plan.

Blackstone Reports $275 Million Third-Quarter Profit
The Blackstone Group on Friday reported a $275 million profit for the third quarter, as the giant publicly held private equity firm bounced back from the depths of the financial crisis last year.

Choice for Bear Trial Jury: Two Clashing Stories
As closing arguments come to an end, the jury in the trial of two former Bear Stearns hedge fund managers will have to decide which version of reality they believe.

Founders Win a Piece of Skype From eBay
The founders of Skype will drop their lawsuits against the company and a consortium of buyers who bid to purchase Skype. In exchange, the founders will get a 14 percent share in the new Skype.

Questioning a Test for Cancer
Scaring people into quitting is the marketing rationale for a new genetic test, which purports to identify which smokers have the highest risk of developing lung cancer.

Your Money: Money Issues That Can Test Even a Rock-Solid Marriage
Money may be the root of all evil, and in a marriage it can certainly be the seed of trouble. Here are five things couples should do to sidestep difficulties.

Patient Money: In Anxious Times, Medical Help for the Mind as Well as the Body
A new law requires that next year big group plans provide the same level of care for mental health as for medical ones.

Shortcuts: Bridging the Workplace Generation Gap: It Starts With a Text
The book “How Not to Act Old” has some tips to help the 40-plus crowd communicate with younger co-workers.

Prep Schools Face Cuts in Student Aid
The institutions’ endowments have suffered, making schools scramble for ways to keep their doors open to students who do not come from wealthy families.

Beijing Denounces U.S. Duties on Chinese-Made Pipes
China denounced new duties as protectionist, a week before President Obama is due in China talks.

British Airways to Cut Another 1,200 Jobs
The total number of planned staff reductions rises to nearly 5,000 as the British carrier wrestles with what its chief executive called the toughest year in the history of aviation.

G.M. Executive Quits Over Opel Decision
The head of European operations for General Motors quit after the automaker backed out of a deal to sell its Opel brand, a decision that has angered German workers and government officials.

Virtual Goods Start Bringing Real Paydays
It is quickly becoming commonplace for people to spend a few dollars to get ahead in an online game or to give a friend a gift on a social network.

Medical Device Maker Settles Conflict Inquiry in New Jersey
The settlement calls for Synthes, the maker of the Prodisc artificial spinal disk, to disclose any future payments or investments held by doctors involved in researching its products.

Consumer Borrowing Falls Sharply
The Federal Reserve said borrowing fell $14.8 billion, the biggest decline since July.

Enthusiasm for I.P.O.'s Starts to Fade Across Asia
There are signs that the primary equity window that saw a big revival two quarters ago is beginning to quickly shut.

Job Cutbacks Rise by 1,200 at a Carrier in Britain
The airline says the additional reductions are necessary in what its chief calls the most difficult year in airline history.

Chinese Agencies Struggle Over Video Game
Two government agencies are facing off over the right to regulate the popular online game World of Warcraft.

Research in Motion Plans Big Share Buyback
Stock in the company, creator of the BlackBerry smartphone, has lost about a third of its value since September.

Yacht Broker Sentenced to 2 Months for Tax Evasion
A Florida yacht broker gets credit for promptly confessing and for assisting a federal inquiry of tax evasion at offshore banks.

Turning Happy Hour Into a Global Job Search
As the New York economy founders, job seekers are using social events to forge foreign connections that hold hopes of new careers.

Pension Checks of Retired New York City Teachers Canceled
City and union officials attributed the mistake to the Bank of New York Mellon, which said it would return the money and cover any resulting overdraft fees.

Official Endorses Workplace Clinics for Vaccine Distribution
The official said swine flu vaccine should be distributed through many outlets, to get it to high-risk people quickly.

NYT > Business

 

Unemployment Hits 10.2%, Highest in 26 Years
Employers shed 190,000 jobs over the past month.

Watchdog: Taxpayers Likely to See Profit From Govt. Bank Help
Congressional Oversight Panel: Fees from govt. guarantees will bring profits.

Wife No. 2 Paying for Wife No. 1? Join the Club
Massachusetts' 2nd Wives Club lobbies to change rules on alimony payments.

Ford's Airbags for Backseat Passengers
The airbags will appear first in the company's next general Ford Explorer.

Walmart: Nobody Will Lose Job With H1N1
New report suggests policy could contribute to spread of H1N1 virus.

Forget MP3: The New Ways to Steal Music
MP3s are being replaced by formats with better sound quality.

Wall St. Before Main St. in H1N1 Vaccine?
Reports that businesses were among groups getting vaccine has some crying foul.

Year After Election: Obama vs. the Economy
Since the election, public opinion has not moved on the big issue, the economy.

House Follows Senate in Passing Unemployment and Housing Credit Extensions
The House passed a bill extending unemployment benefits.

Opinion: Govt. Wisens Up on Sarbanes-Oxley
Fewer cos. would be subject to Sarbanes-Oxley audits under House amendments.

Hobson Advises College Students About Good Financial Practices
Adviser says to start saving and limit yourself to one credit card.

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Jordan Sneaker Choice Could Cost School Big
Marcus Jordan, son of Michael Jordan, wore Nikes despite UCF's Adidas deal.

PHOTOS: Millionaire Fair in Moscow
Despite the financial crisis, wealthy Russians flock to the luxury goods fair.

House Opens Debate on Health Care Overhaul Bill
Obama health care plan moves toward decisive debate in House; GOP united in opposition

G-20 Finance Officials: Too Early to End Stimulus
G-20 finance officials pledge to maintain emergency support until recovery is assured

China Offers Africa More Trade, Investment
Official: China offers Africa more trade and investment at key summit

South Korean Workers Protest Gov't Labor Policy
Tens of thousands of South Korean workers protest government labor policy

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Obama Calls Holdouts on Health Care
Obama lobbies Democratic holdouts on health care to clear way for House vote

WATCH: Obama Pledges to Fight Jobless Rate
President says he "won't let up" on battling the rising unemployment rate.

WATCH: Is It Worth It to Take a Sick Day?
Some companies make it hard for flu-stricken employees to stay home.

WATCH: Economy and Politics: What Lies Ahead?
Congress is poised to pass legislation to extend help to struggling Americans.

WATCH: The 50 Cent Empire
From the streets to the charts to an entrepreneur looking to build up his brand.

WATCH: Shopping Spree
"Shoptimism" is back for the holiday season.

WATCH: Is Your Ruby Real?
Elisabeth Leamy dissects the difference between composites and genuine rubies.

WATCH: Buc-ee's Key to Success? Clean Bathrooms
Many travelers will wait for a Buc-ee's gas station just to use the bathroom.

WATCH: Saving Without Tears
What you can do to wind up with hundreds of dollars in 30 days.

WATCH: The Best Way to Cash in Your Rewards
How to make your frequent flier miles go further.

WATCH: How Much of Your Premium Goes to Care?
Newly compiled figures show how much of your dollar goes toward medical care.

WATCH: Buffett's $34 Billion Bet
Bloomberg's Matt Miller on and Berkshire Hathaway's most recent acquisition.

WATCH: Eatery Uses Skype to Interview Job Candidates
Arizona businessman says using the Internet cuts on cost and time.

ABC News: Money

 

Obama urges passage as House health vote nears
House Democrats upbeat after meeting with Obama, but vote set for Saturday still may be delayed to round up support.

Britain's Brown urges global tax
G20 agrees to kee massive stimulus measures in place until global economy strengthens.

Five bank closures to cost FDIC fund $1.5 bln
A California-based bank that focused on the Chinese-American market was the largest of five failures on Friday that cost U.S. taxpayers more than $1.5 billion.

NewsWatch: House readies for historic health-care vote
Obama expectecd on Capitol Hil Saturday to rally Democratic lawmakers on eve of vote, which could come later in day.

NewsWatch: G20 begins push for 'peer-review' program
Over the past year, G20 leaders have held a series of high profile summits filled with handshakes and toasts to show they can work together for the good of the global economy; now their top finance officials gather in Scotland to make that cooperation a reality.

Top Ten: The week's Top 10 videos on MarketWatch
In case you missed them, here are the top 10 videos that appeared on MarketWatch for the week of Nov. 2-6:

Personal Finance Daily: The week's 10 best Personal Finance stories
In case you missed them, here are the top 10 Personal Finance stories from MarketWatch for the week of Nov. 2-6:

Auto Review: 2009 Audi R8 5.2: The best Audi ever
The R8 is a great car but needs more power to get into the same playpen as the Ferraris and Lambos Since Lamborghini is part of the same family it was relatively easy to find a V10 engine to up the ante.

Market Snapshot: U.S. stock market caught by discord about recovery
Another weeek of rough sailing awaits investors.

California bank failure to cost FDIC $1.4 billion
San Francisco-based United Commercial Bank, which received federal bailout funds in 2008, and four other banks are taken over bny regulators on Friday.

MarketWatch.com - Top Stories
MarketWatch, a leading publisher of business and financial news, offers users up-to-the minute news, investment tools, and subscription products.

 

GMAT Pill Method - Quick GMAT Prep

Preparing for the GMAT takes time--usually 3 to 6 months. But if you don't have that long to prepare or just want to learn a quicker way to study, you may want to consider looking into the GMAT Pill Method. The company offers last minute, on-demand video prep to GMAT test-takers. They have been getting good reviews around the web and offer a 60-day money back guarantee to anyone who is not satisfied.

GMAT Pill Method - Quick GMAT Prep originally appeared on About.com Business School on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 16:41:43.

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10 Ways to Find the Right Job

Not sure what kind of job is right for you? The About.com Guide to Continuing Education offers 10 ways to find your perfect job.

10 Ways to Find the Right Job originally appeared on About.com Business School on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 10:29:28.

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Free Micro-eMBA

The Free Management Library offers a great MBA program for self-learners. Known as the Micro-eMBA, the self-paced program does not award a degree or certificate. However, it does provide valuable education for entrepreneurs, leaders, and managers. The free program focuses on for-profit business organizations. If you are interested in focusing on nonprofits instead, you can explore the Free Nonprofit Micro-eMBA Program.

Find  more free business courses.

Free Micro-eMBA originally appeared on About.com Business School on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 11:02:44.

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Where Do You Buy Textbooks Online?

There are lots of places to buy business school textbooks online. Where do you like to buy textbooks? Share your favorite sites and see where other people like to shop in this Textbook Buying Survey.

Where Do You Buy Textbooks Online? originally appeared on About.com Business School on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 15:17:54.

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Where Do You Rent Textbooks Online?

There are lots of different places to rent business school textbooks online. Where do you like to rent business school textbooks? Why?

Share your answer and see what other people had to say in this Textbook Renting Survey.

Where Do You Rent Textbooks Online? originally appeared on About.com Business School on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 15:15:43.

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MBA PodTV

MBA Podcaster has just launched a new video series geared toward MBA applicants. Known as MBA PodTV, the video series will feature relevant news and application strategies for MBA applicants. You can watch the first installment of the series on the MBA Podcaster website.

MBA PodTV originally appeared on About.com Business School on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 10:37:02.

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Should I Earn a Master's Degree?

Thinking about a master's degree? Find out what a master's degree program entails, why you should consider a master's degree, and how you can choose the best master's degree program:

Should I Earn a Master's Degree?

Explore This Topic Further

• Glossary of Masters Degree Programs - This online glossary from Education-portal.com offers comprehensive information about different types of master degree programs in business.
• Online Masters Degree - Visit OnlineMastersDegree.net to learn more about how online master's degree programs work and to explore the different types of online master's degrees that are available.
• Masters Degree vs. Doctoral Degree - Tara Kuther, the About.com Guide to Graduate School, explains the difference between a master's degree and a doctoral degree.

Should I Earn a Master's Degree? originally appeared on About.com Business School on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 10:45:56.

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Accelerated MBA Programs - The Quick and Cheap MBA

BusinessWeek has just posted a very interesting article about accelerated MBA programs. The article reports on the growing popularity of these programs, which typically take half the time to complete and cost half as much as a traditional two-year MBA program. The piece also explores the pros and cons of accelerated programs. If you are thinking about an MBA, you'll definitely want to check it out.

Accelerated MBA Programs - The Quick and Cheap MBA originally appeared on About.com Business School on Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 at 19:23:26.

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GMAT Test Format

Acquiring an understanding of GMAT test format will help you prepare for and do better on the GMAT test. This easy-to-read chart demonstrates GMAT test format so that you know what to expect from the test:

GMAT Test Format

Related GMAT Resources:

• Free GMAT Math Course - Free practice GMAT questions delivered to you via email everyday for 10 days.
• Top 5 GMAT Study Mistakes - A list of the most commonly made study mistakes from a ManhattanGMAT instructor.
• GMAT Prep Course Discounts - Several of the top GMAT prep companies, including Veritas, ManhattanGMAT, Manhattan Review, and PowerScore, are offering exclusive discounts on GMAT prep courses to About.com readers.

GMAT Test Format originally appeared on About.com Business School on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 10:24:23.

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Most Popular Online MBA Programs

Wondering which online MBA programs are the most popular among business students? The following list offers a ranking of the most popular online MBA programs based on the number of students enrolled in 2009. MBA programs that have been included on the list provide 100 percent of their course materials online:

Most Popular Online MBA Programs

Explore Online MBA Programs

• Online MBA Programs - This site offers a guide to earning a top MBA degree online as well as detailed information about earning an MBA in specific concentrations.
• Free Online MBA Courses - This blog post provides a list of select MBA courses offered free through MIT's Sloan School of Management.
• Top 10 Online MBA Programs - This list offers a brief summary of the top 10 online MBA programs based on rankings/reputation, networking opportunities, gained skills, tuition investment, and other important factors.

Most Popular Online MBA Programs originally appeared on About.com Business School on Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 at 15:38:52.

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About Business School
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When you have the chops but lack the diploma
I do a job that, in many organizations, requires a master's degree. I do not have one, but I do have 25 years of experience doing this job. I've been at my new company about a month, and a few co-workers have made comments like, "So you're not really a [job title]" when they find out I don't have a...

Nation's jobless rate tops 10 percent
The jump in the unemployment rate to 10.2 percent, reported Friday, suggests that the job market could take longer than expected to recover and deepens the pressure on President Obama to come up with more immediate solutions.

What is the true value of the United States' gold?
Buried in the Treasury's International Reserve Position report is an intriguing bit of math. The document details the total amount, by weight, of the Treasury's gold reserves, plus a dollar value for said metal. But some fast division reveals something interesting: The Treasury marks the value of...

Credit card reforms mean mailings to consumers may include big changes
Clear out the holiday catalogues, the Christmas cards and the coupons, and your mailbox may look less than festive. Now that the credit card industry is required to warn you about any changes they're planning, you should be scrutinizing what you think is only junk mail.

The Color of Money: MoneyGram settles charges of abetting fraud
In one of the largest consumer payouts of its type, MoneyGram International has agreed to fork over $18 million to the Federal Trade Commission to settle charges that it knowingly allowed con artists to use its operation to swindle U.S. consumers out of millions of dollars.

Limit loss by studying up on volatility
Want to avoid big fund losses the next time the stock market falls on its keister? Spend a few minutes learning about the concept of volatility.

Investing books that just keep paying dividends
Boost your investor IQ with a good book. Here are five to check out:

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Don't wire money to . . .
-- A stranger -- in this country or anywhere else.

Politics & The Nation
1 killed, 5 wounded in Orlando shooting A2 Painting a street green hasn't stimulated one new job A3

Corrections
-- Steven Pearlstein's column in the Nov. 6 Economy & Business pages incorrectly referred to "uncomfortably high employment." It should have read "uncomfortably high unemployment."

Democrats round up health bill votes
House Democratic leaders pushed with mounting confidence Friday toward a historic vote on expanding the nation's health-care system, and President Obama joined an intense last-minute lobbying campaign to pick up the last few votes needed to secure the measure's passage.

One killed, five wounded in Orlando shooting
ORLANDO -- To those who lived near Jason Rodriguez, the unemployed man charged with shooting six people, killing one, in an Orlando high-rise building Friday, the warning signs were there.

Chinese company to buy a stake in AES
AES, the Arlington-based power generating company, said Friday it would raise $2.2 billion for new projects by selling 15 percent of its stock and more than a third of its wind-generation business to a unit of China's sovereign wealth fund.

Cheery reports on productivity, jobless claims lift stocks
Stocks climbed Thursday as investors cheered improving economic data, including a surge in worker productivity and a stronger-than-expected weekly unemployment claims report.

Panel says evidence is insufficient to know effectiveness of abstinence programs
Sex-education programs that encourage teens to delay sexual activity and teach them about contraception cut risky sexual behavior, increase condom use and lower the chances of getting the AIDS virus and other infections, a panel of independent experts concluded in a report released Friday.

Basement condo? Busy road? It's a tough sell.
Gus Drakakis's single-family brick colonial didn't seem like it would be an easy sell. Yes, it was in good condition. And yes, it was remodeled.

Honor rules, CDC urges vendors of H1N1 vaccine
As the public clamors for the still-scarce H1N1 pandemic flu vaccine, a top federal health official on Thursday urged state and local health departments to be on the lookout for the possible diversion of the vaccine to people who don't yet qualify for it.

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Recession roommates
A one-bedroom apartment is not a lot of space for Julie Beers, her 2-year-old daughter, a golden retriever and a black Lab.

Putting 'good faith' back in closing
Remember the bad old days of 11th-hour mortgage settlement cost shocks and mystery junk fees? Remember when the "good-faith estimates" your lender gave you upfront said closing costs would be about $2,000, but somehow they ballooned to $3,500 on the final settlement sheet?

Holiday sales could launch e-book readers as mass-market must-haves
Technology is stalking your bookcase. It has already taken over your photo albums and emptied your film canisters. It overwhelmed your music collection and flooded Goodwill with CD towers. It canceled your newspaper subscription. (Sniff, tear.) And now, digital evangelicals believe technology is ...

Fed stands by rock-bottom interest rates for near future
Federal Reserve leaders are sticking with their policy of very low interest rates for some time to come, they indicated Wednesday, but gave new details of the factors they will use to decide when to change course.

Companies sitting on piles of cash
In the summer of 2008, steel giant Nucor decided to raise some cash. It issued new shares of stock and floated some corporate bonds. As financial markets crumbled, the company ignored pleas from some investors and analysts that it buy back shares, which are now selling for about half their peak.

House votes to extend jobless benefits, expand home buyers' tax credit
Congress gave final approval Thursday for an additional $24 billion to help the jobless and support the housing market as climbing unemployment poses a growing liability for elected officials.

Retailers post best sales month since July 2008
The retail industry posted solid sales increases last month compared with the previous year, according to data released Thursday, but performance among chain stores was uneven as shoppers become increasingly picky about where they spend their money.

SBA bailouts draw little attention despite high expected default rate
A federal bailout of AIG last year attracted angry protesters who for weeks gathered outside the insurance giant's headquarters in New York and stalked company executives at their homes.

Senate Democrats disregard GOP boycott to pass greenhouse gas emissions bill
Disregarding a Republican boycott, Democrats on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passed legislation Thursday that would impose a mandatory curb on greenhouse gas emissions.

Environmental groups debate new tack in climate-change fight
MANHATTAN, KAN. -- A curious debate has broken out among American environmental groups, as the Senate balkily starts to focus on the threat of climate change.

Allied Capital posts 7th straight quarterly loss
Allied Capital reported a third-quarter loss of $140.7 million (79 cents a share) as the publicly traded investment firm took a $117 million expense to restructure its debt in a tight borrowing climate.

14 charged with insider trading
NEW YORK -- The largest insider-trading case in a generation intensified on Thursday as federal authorities charged 14 people on Wall Street, including hedge fund executives, a lawyer and company insiders, with netting more than $20 million in illegal profits.

Color of Money: Adult children's finances can be parents' business
I'll be the first to admit that I'm a hovering parent, especially when it comes to the money my children get and spend.

FHA delays the release of disputed audit of its finances
The Federal Housing Administration abruptly delayed the release of a long-awaited independent audit of the financial soundness of the agency, citing potential problems with the accuracy of some of the study's economic models.

As Black & Decker chief steps aside, he declines golden parachuteNo golden parachute as Black & Decker chief takes next step
As head of Black & Decker for 24 years, Nolan D. Archibald was due a little parachute in case of severance. When the Maryland power-tool maker decided to merge with its rival Stanley Works this week, Archibald was entitled to open it and float away with $20.5 million.

Inability to lower taxes helped cost Gov. Corzine his job
TOMS RIVER, N.J. -- In the end, Republican Chris Christie was propelled into the New Jersey governorship by the same force that pushed him so far ahead in early polls in the year-long campaign: angry, widespread resentment over the state's finances, especially the property taxes that incumbent Jo...

Local Digest: AOL income fell 50 percent in quarter
AOL's operating income fell 50 percent in the third quarter, as the Time Warner unit continued to face declines in the number of subscribers and revenue.

House leaders prepare for rare Saturday vote on health-care bill
House leaders put in motion the machinery to hold a rare Saturday vote on the most far-reaching expansion of the health-care system in more than 40 years.

Business Digest: Verizon Wireless to double its cancellation fees
With a whole new line of smart phones coming onto the market, Verizon Wireless said that starting November 15 it is doubling to $350 the penalty fees for subscribers who leave their contracts early.

Pick to be U.N. point man on financial reform seeks to reassure lawmakers
Jide J. Zeitlin, a former Goldman Sachs executive nominated to be the U.S. point man on financial reform at the United Nations, told a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee Wednesday that financial and legal troubles he faced as a private investor would have no bearing on his ability to impose fi...

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Senate votes to renew tax credit for first-time home buyers
The Senate voted Wednesday to renew the government's $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers through the first six months of next year as part of a broader bill designed to extend unemployment benefits.

J.P. Morgan settles SEC case over Alabama municipal bonds
J.P. Morgan Chase agreed to a $722 million settlement with federal regulators over accusations that the bank and two former executives made illegal payments to win municipal bond business from Jefferson County, Ala.

Republican victories in Va., N.J. hinged on economic worries
Voters worried about jobs and the shaky economy helped drive Republican gubernatorial victories in Virginia and New Jersey, according to exit polls, adding political urgency to Democratic efforts to combat the nation's surging unemployment rate.

GM decision to keep Opel angers German government, unions
German government and labor union leaders Wednesday blasted General Motors' decision to cancel the sale of a majority stake in its Opel division, but GM assured them that its own restructuring plan for Opel would closely resemble the one that would have been carried out if auto parts giant Magna...

Obesity, poor education big obstacles to military recruiting
It's tough enough selling military service to teenagers who might not be so keen on getting their heads shaved or buy the whole "we do more by 9 a.m." line. And the fact that enlisting today could very well mean a visit to the front lines doesn't help, either.

Buffett places big bet with $34 billion railway purchase
Berkshire Hathaway chairman and world's second-richest man Warren Buffett said Tuesday that his $34 billion purchase of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway is a bet on America's future.

Chrysler 'intertwined' with Fiat as it lays out recovery plan
AUBURN HILLS, MICH. -- After coming closer to annihilation than either of its U.S. rivals earlier this year, Chrysler laid out its recovery plan Wednesday, with company officials saying they intend to repay the government bailout loans by 2014 and restore to glory this "great American brand."

N.Y. files antitrust lawsuit against Intel
NEW YORK -- New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo filed an antitrust suit against Intel on Wednesday, accusing the world's largest chipmaker of illegally threatening computer makers and paying them billions of dollars in kickbacks to stop using chips made by rivals.

Steven Pearlstein: Business v. labor story getting old
In the American narrative on global competitiveness, there are two enduring story lines.

Policies sought to add jobs without piling on the deficit
NEW YORK -- With the nation's unemployment rate at its highest point in 26 years and projected to rise, the Obama administration is intensifying its search for policies that can stoke job creation without adding significantly to the nation's crippling budget deficit.

Airport board raises rates for Dulles Toll Road
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority board voted Wednesday to double rates on the Dulles Toll Road by 2012, setting aside objections from commuters.

Senate moderates wield influence to seek changes to health-care reform
Moderate lawmakers are exerting their outsize influence in the divided Senate to secure changes to health-care reform legislation, potentially adding more delays to a bill that has already missed several announced deadlines.

Some experts worry that cost controls in health-care reform are too cautious
Democrats in Congress are embracing the spirit of President Obama's call to slow the runaway rise of health-care costs but are shying away from some of the most aggressive techniques for achieving that.

Bolling wins reelection in race for lieutenant governor
Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (R) cruised to reelection Tuesday in Virginia, proving the wisdom of an early decision to step aside for Robert F. McDonnell's bid for governor and run a campaign that moved the GOP closer to the middle of the ideological spectrum.

GM backs out of Opel sale
The General Motors board voted Tuesday to keep its Opel division, abruptly reversing an earlier decision to sell a majority stake in the European automaker to Magna International and its Russian partner, Sberbank.

Digest: Madoff's auditor pleads guilty to fraud
LEGAL Bernard L. Madoff's longtime auditor pleaded guilty to securities fraud charges Tuesday, saying he failed to do his job to verify the disgraced money manager's records but did not know Madoff was running a massive Ponzi scheme.

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Obama nominee on U.N. financial reform has faced business and legal problems
UNITED NATIONS -- Jide J. Zeitlin, a former Goldman Sachs investment banker who has been nominated as the U.S. point man for financial reform at the United Nations, has faced some financial setbacks and clashes as a private investor, including legal complications involving a telecommunications...

Small public firms win audit exemption with White House help
A House committee, under pressure from the White House, voted Tuesday to exempt small public companies from part of a federal law designed to prevent financial fraud, despite objections from regulators and key Democratic leaders.

Federal Diary: Praise for the Thrift Savings Plan
During these highly partisan and contentious times, it's not every day that Democrats and Republicans, labor and management, and workers and retirees find themselves on the same side of an issue. But that was generally the situation Tuesday when the Thrift Savings Plan for federal workers was mos...

Shinseki cites plight, plan to help homeless veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs laid out Tuesday an ambitious five-year goal of curbing the number of homeless veterans, pledging $3.2 billion to an issue that is more rapidly affecting those who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars than by any from past conflicts.

German Chancellor Merkel urges U.S. to act on climate change
German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Congress and the Obama administration Tuesday to take bold steps to address global warming, even as Senate Democrats and Republicans feuded over whether to press ahead with a climate bill.

Mall fair packs in unemployed shopping for jobs
Hundreds of people thronged a job fair at the Westfield Wheaton shopping mall on Tuesday in hopes of finding employment before the holiday season -- and the accompanying bills -- set in.

Local Digest
LEGAL

Health Care Rx panelists debate the costs of Congress's reform bills
Excerpts from Health Care Rx, where experts debate their policy prescriptions for the health-care system. For the full discussion, go to http://views.washingtonpost.com/healthcarerx.

Ford Motor Co. reports $1 billion profit for third quarter
Ford, the only major American automaker to avert bankruptcy and spurn a government bailout, signaled its growing strength Monday, posting a third-quarter profit of about $1 billion and lifting hopes that the U.S. industry can recover.

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Dodd to go alone with draft for financial reform
Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) plans to circulate a draft bill of sweeping financial reforms as soon as next week that breaks with the Obama administration and the House on two key issues, officials said.

British government moves to downsize bailed-out U.K. banks
LONDON -- The British government is moving to break up parts of major financial institutions bailed out by taxpayers, with a restructuring plan expected to be unveiled as soon as Tuesday. The move highlights a growing divide across the Atlantic over how to deal with the massive banks partially...

Crisis culprits helping lead recovery
Two sectors that led the collapse of the economy over the past two years -- manufacturing and housing -- are now emerging as among the biggest drivers of growth, which was underscored by new data published Monday.

Black & Decker to merge with Stanley
Black & Decker, struggling amid a sales slump resulting from a dramatic slowdown in construction, said Monday it would merge with rival Stanley Works in a $4.5 billion deal joining two of America's best-known tool manufacturers.

British government downsizes bailed-out U.K. banks
LONDON -- The British government announced Tuesday that it will break up parts of major financial institutions bailed out by taxpayers, highlighting a growing divide across the Atlantic over how to deal with the massive banks that were partially nationalized during the height of the financial...

Will the Supreme Court protect your money from excessie mutual fund fees?
Yesterday the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case on excessive compensation in the financial services industry. Commentators looking for a news hook are analogizing the case to the current debate about excessive pay on Wall Street and the legality of government measures to regulate compensati...

Army contractor in Iraq is warned to cut workforce
The Army's primary support contractor in Iraq has been warned by Pentagon auditors to cut its workforce there or face nearly $200 million in penalties for keeping thousands too many on the payroll.

Value Added: A small niche in collectible coins grows into a $5 million mini-empire
Jeffery Morin's memorabilia business in Stafford probably isn't the next Google or eBay, but I love the 27-year-old's story because it's about a regular guy who saw an online opportunity and went for it.

Deal for schizophrenia drug Fanapt 13 years in making for Vanda Pharmaceuticals
Early next year, if all goes according to plan, doctors will be able to prescribe a new antipsychotic drug for patients with schizophrenia. When that happens, investors in a local pharmaceutical firm will surely breathe a sigh of relief.

Lender CIT Group files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
NEW YORK -- CIT Group, a major lender to small and medium-size businesses, filed for bankruptcy protection Sunday afternoon, a process that almost certainly will wipe out the federal government's $2.3 billion investment in the company.

North Korea military asserts command over nation's economy
SEOUL -- North Korea's military, whose nuclear program vexes the Obama administration, has grabbed nearly complete command of the nation's state-run economy and staked out a lucrative new trade in mineral sales to China to make money for its supreme commander, Kim Jong Il.

Politics digest: Health care, climate change
After months of criticizing Democrats' health-care proposals without offering one of their own, House Republicans are preparing to unveil a reform bill this week to compete with the majority's ideas.

Some Democrats concerned over abortion provision in health bill
While House leaders are moving toward a vote on health-care legislation by the end of the week, enough Democrats are threatening to oppose the measure over the issue of abortion to create a question about its passage.

Supreme Court to hear NLRB case
The Supreme Court said Monday that it will decide whether two people can do the work of five when it comes to resolving labor-management disputes in the workplace.

Local Digest
EARNINGS

Business Digest: U.S. auto investment probably lost, GAO says
AUTOMOTIVE Taxpayers are unlikely to recover their full investment in General Motors or Chrysler, U.S. government investigators said Monday in the latest review to cast doubts that the government will recoup the $80 billion it poured into the two automakers.

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Deals: Davis mutual fund firm lowers fees
It's fun writing about Wall Street's greedheads and tax dodgers. But every once in a while, I get to write about something positive -- and unpublicized -- that some Wall Street types have done. Today's reversal of the Street's natural order involves Davis Advisers.

Report says aid kept, added 7,000 D.C. area education jobs
Federal economic recovery aid for education has created or saved more than 7,000 jobs in the District, Maryland and Virginia, according to a report by the government board assigned to keep track of stimulus spending, part of about 400,000 jobs preserved nationwide.

Goldman seeks to buy Fannie Mae assets
Goldman Sachs is proposing to buy millions of dollars in assets from struggling mortgage finance giant Fannie Mae, an offer a recent Treasury Department analysis found would not be advantageous for taxpayers, people familiar with the matter said.

Justices tackle case on investment fees
Several Supreme Court justices on Monday seemed reluctant to make the courts arbiters of whether mutual fund investment advisers are charging excessive fees for their work on what has become an essential investment tool for Americans.

U.S. sees shortage of ammunition
In a year of job losses, foreclosures and bag lunches, Americans have spent record-breaking amounts of money on guns and ammunition. The most obvious sign of their demand: empty ammunition shelves.

Fed gives Wall Street a deadline on pay plan
NEW YORK -- Summoned to the ornate Lower Manhattan headquarters of the New York Federal Reserve building on Monday, Wall Street's top bankers were given a Feb. 1 deadline to submit proposals for how they plan to improve their pay practices, people with knowledge of the meeting said.

Lupus drug headed to FDA
Rockville-based Human Genome Sciences announced Monday that its experimental lupus drug has completed its final round of testing at a higher dose and will be headed to the Food and Drug Administration for approval.

Despite Bloomberg's lead, New Yorkers have misgivings
NEW YORK -- As Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg campaigns for reelection, some of his steadiest supporters include people like Freddy Batista: a man with mixed feelings.

Senate climate bill faces challenges
The climate-change bill that has been moving slowly through the Senate will face a stark political reality when it emerges for committee debate on Tuesday: With Democrats deeply divided on the issue, unless some Republican lawmakers risk the backlash for signing on to the legislation, there is al...

Retirement can be only as secure as your retirement home
Is your retirement secure? For some people who thought they had taken care of everything, the answer may be riding on another question: Is your retirement community secure?

Frank says overdraft protection should be 'opt-in'
Bank overdraft fees as high as $39 on debit card transactions aren't "favors" for consumers if they haven't asked for them, House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank said.

Keep pet expenses on a short leash
Pet owners spent $43.2 billion on their animals in 2008, according to the American Pet Products Association. This year, despite the recession, they are expected to spend 5 percent more. But your furry (or scaly, slimy or feathery) loved one's health and happiness doesn't have to cost a fortune.

Numbers big (joblessness) and small (interest)
This week is as big as they come for economic news.

Larry Prior
Position: President and chief operating officer of ManTech International, a provider of technologies and services for national security programs.

INSIDER TRANSACTIONS

Appointments
The Washington Group of MassMutual of Bethesda named Adolph W. Ebersberger Jr. to its financial services agency.

Bankruptcies
These firms recently filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court's local court clerk's offices.

Depression diary: When the banks went dark
Eighty years ago this week, the United States experienced the worst meltdown of the stock market in the nation's history. As the effects of the crash rippled through the broader economy, banks began closing their doors in record numbers.

FACE TIME
MONDAY Increasing Audience Engagement. A seminar for nonprofit organizations and agencies on strategies for creating user-focused Web sites to increase audience engagement. 8 to 11 a.m., National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW, 13th floor, Washington. Sponsor: Forum One Communications. Cost: $75....

CIT Group files for bankruptcy
NEW YORK (Reuters) - CIT Group Inc, a lender to hundreds of thousands of small and medium-sized businesses, filed for bankruptcy on Sunday, as the global financial crisis left it unable to fund itself and the recession clobbered its loans.

Help File: Bungled bundled software on a Dell; yet another phishing fraud
Q: My Dell Windows XP laptop keeps showing the same "Windows Installer" prompt telling me to insert a disc I don't have to run some Sonic program. How do I stop it?

Consumer spending falls as Clunkers program ends
The end of the popular "Cash for Clunkers" program sank consumer spending in September, according to new government data released Friday, but economists say shoppers remained resilient.

Uncertainty over election puts life in Kabul on hold
KABUL -- Traffic in Afghanistan's congested capital is worse than ever this month, with carloads of religious pilgrims arriving from the provinces to take flights to Saudi Arabia for hajj, and wedding parties scheduled back-to-back in ornate halls to beat the approaching winter weather.

Scrutiny scant as D.C. paid felon millions in AIDS contract
In 2005, Robin Beale was convicted in federal court of taking part in a local mortgage fraud scheme that bilked lenders out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

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Rep. Barney Frank supports requiring financial companies to pay ahead of time into a fund the government could use to wind down large, troubled firms
Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, indicated Friday his willingness to change gears and support a provision that would require financial companies to pay ahead of time into a fund that the government could use to wind down large, troubled financial firms.

CIT preparing to file for bankruptcy protection
NEW YORK -- CIT Group, a major lender to small businesses, is preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as early as this weekend, sources familiar with the matter said Friday, which would likely wipe out the federal government's $2.3 billion stake in the company.

Lurking doubts launch a sell-off
Wall Street recorded its sharpest drop in six months Friday as investors, who have been groping for evidence that an economic recovery is gaining steam, responded to renewed signs of weakness calling into question how vigorous the rebound might be.

Wash Post Business
The Washington Post Business and Economy section provides coverage and analysis of economic policy,business policy and financial news as it relates to Washington,D.C.,the federal government and individual agencies. Washington Post Business also offers video,discussions and blogs about major economic issues.

 

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