Category: Business

By Peter Delevett, San Jose Mercury News – Dave Morin isn’t easily star-struck. The early Facebook employee is a close confidant of Mark Zuckerberg, and when Morin left the social networking giant two…

By Gregory Karp, Chicago Tribune – Eight. That’s how many emails are in my Microsoft Outlook inbox at this moment. How is that possible when I, like millions of cubicle dwellers across America,…

By Jessica Guynn, Los Angeles Times – SAN FRANCISCO — Pinterest is the one looking to get pinned this holiday season. The popular social networking site that lets you collect and share images…

By Marie G. McIntyre, McClatchy Newspapers – QUESTION: One of my co-workers, “Andrea,” was recently promoted to a higher-level position. I applied for the same job, but was never even interviewed, despite…

By Andrea Chang, Los Angeles Times – We’ve all received them — cheesy holiday greeting cards and party invites with messages like, “Ho ho hope you have a very merry Christmas.” Pre-written mass-produced…

By Steve Alexander, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) – QUESTION: I am a contemporary ballroom DJ and have been looking in vain for software that can copy .WAV format music files and a DVD player…

By Alejandro Lazo, Los Angeles Times – Home prices increased in September, a leading gauge shows, indicating that a moderate but stable housing recovery is under way after several months of improvement. The…

By Wayne Madsen – WASHINGTON — The canard that President Obama is anti-business is a propaganda remnant from Mitt Romney’s failed presidential campaign. Obama, after all, was the president who bailed out…

By Jackie Crosby, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) – Elle Ashton was pretty sure the “crud” that made her head feel like it was in a crushing vise had morphed into a sinus infection. But…

By Adam Belz, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) – GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. — Something stunning happens at 60 miles per hour inside the UPM Blandin paper mill. A thin layer of damp white pulp, flattened…

By Don Lee, Los Angeles Times – WASHINGTON — In a grim new forecast, a leading international economic group sharply cut its outlook for U.S. and global growth next year and warned that…

By Sean Cockerham, McClatchy Newspapers – WASHINGTON — The U.S. government is suspending oil giant BP from winning new federal contracts or oil leases, saying the company’s “lack of business integrity” makes it…

Diane Heldt, CR Gazette – About $8 million has been obligated from the federal government to the University of Iowa for the construction of a removable flood wall around the Iowa Advanced…

By Marc Lifsher, Los Angeles Times – SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The federal budget crisis in Washington known as the fiscal cliff” has millions of long-term unemployed on the edge. A 4 1/2-year-old program…

By Jim Puzzanghera, Los Angeles Times – WASHINGTON — New home sales dipped 0.3 percent in October and the government revised down its figures for September in a report that threw some cold…

By Troy Wolverton, San Jose Mercury News – One item sure to be on many holiday shopping lists this year is a tablet. But which one to choose? Consumers will see more tablets…

By Reid Kanaley, The Philadelphia Inquirer – Check out these smartphone applications for shopping in the holiday season. All are free and have versions for Android and Apple devices. ShopAdvisor, by Evoqu Inc.,…

By Mimi Whitefield, The Miami Herald – PANAMA CITY, Panama — The Panama Canal Zone was a little slice of American life in Central America — a parallel society with its own…

By Dana Hull, San Jose Mercury News – When military veterans search for jobs, they often want more than a paycheck. Many say they look for rewarding work and a team of…

By Jim Puzzanghera, Los Angeles Times – WASHINGTON — Mary Schapiro said Monday she will step down as chairwoman of the Securities and Exchange Commission next month. Schapiro, who has headed the Wall…

By Mimi Whitefield, The Miami Herald – Huge yellow dump trucks resemble Tonka toys in a sand pile as they haul tons of rust-colored dirt and basalt rock from a 56-foot gash in…

By Mimi Whitefield, The Miami Herald – SAVANNAH, Ga. — Five mega-ships — one as long as three-and-a-half football fields — line the wharves of this bustling port as towering cranes pluck containers…

By Rex Huppke, Chicago Tribune – I have some bad news for young people entering the workforce: You’re all a bunch of weenies, and we don’t like you. LOL! JUST KIDDING! No, seriously,…

By Gary M. Singer, Sun Sentinel – QUESTION: Years ago we bought a mobile home, but we lease the lot that it sits on. The lot lease was affordable but has gone up…

By Steve Alexander, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) – QUESTION: I run an email newsletter service for some local nonprofits, and I disagree with your column advising people to label unwanted e-mail spam rather than…

By Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times – By the time Joe Rosenkrantz took his seat in his company’s conference room, a video camera had already handled the introductions. An image of Rosenkrantz,…

By Henry Chu, Los Angeles Times – LONDON — Divisions within the European Union were laid bare by two days of haggling between leaders over a new long-term spending plan that broke up…

by Mark Miller, Publisher of FitnessDigest.us – This is an expert is from FitnessDigest.us Vol. 4.2 Summer 2012. This issue in it’s entirety can be bought on coopnet.biz or Scribd.com. Volume 4.2,…

By Troy Wolverton, San Jose Mercury News – If you’re shopping for a new television this holiday season, you won’t find much in the way of new technology — at least not at…

By Rob Hotakainen, McClatchy Newspapers – WASHINGTON — Ross Waycaster designed the first of his four mobile applications as a high school senior in Tupelo, Miss., a game called “Super Marrio Jump” that’s…

By Amy Martinez, The Seattle Times – SEATTLE — For many small merchants, selling on Amazon.com is an easy way to boost their business in a tough economy — if only they can…

By Ruth Mantell – WASHINGTON — Sentiment, not to mention stock prices, of home builders are perking up, and they have good reason. The inventory of existing homes is at a 10-year…

By Shan Li, Los Angeles Times – Get ready for a red, white and blue Christmas. With a sluggish economy, high unemployment and a just-finished presidential election laser-focused on jobs, many consumers say…

By Salvador Rodriguez, Los Angeles Times – Facebook has proposed taking away users’ ability to vote on certain privacy policy changes and restructuring the social network’s governance process. Currently, the Menlo Park, Calif.-based…

By Chuck Myers, McClatchy-Tribune News Service – The green revolution has reached well into the consumer realm, and created buying opportunities that can both have a positive impact on the environment and household…

By Troy Wolverton, San Jose Mercury News – With numerous brands, technologies, features and sizes to choose from — not to mention a wide range of prices — picking a TV can be…

Los Angeles Times – Preparing for Black Friday means knowing what to wear, what gear to bring and what kind of support you may need. Sensible clothing is key. If you’re camping…

By Don Lee, Los Angeles Times – WASHINGTON — Consumer confidence held at a five-year high in November, but there were signs that concerns about the “fiscal cliff” are starting to weigh…

By Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press – Here’s a money-saving thought: Can you find holiday cash in the car seats? No, not just a few stray nickels and quarters. Different ways to create…

By Donna Gehrke-White, Sun Sentinel – “Spiritual” estate planning — deciding how to passed down money based on values — is becoming a hot topic for baby boomers who want to make sure…