In the Wall Street Journal by June Fletcher (Meet the Nouveaux Neighbors) 5, September, 2008. Florida and Arizona are becoming “Canada South” as Canadians flock to sunshine destinations in search of summer homes. A recent report indicated that a third of the real estate sells in Florida and Arizona were purchased by Canadians. Reasons given for the southern migration include the rising Canadian dollar, a strong housing market, and escalating home equity—properties in Canada grew by an amazing 11% in 2007 and are expected to rise an additional 5% for 2008. The influx of Canadians to Sunbelt states has allowed for the transfer of foreign traditions such as traditional foods and languages. Abstract by Steve Kramer

In the Wall Street Journal by Don Clark (Intel Seeks to Boost Performance, Not Power Use) 20, August, 2008. Intel Corporation announced the release of the next generation of microprocessors codenamed Nehalem. The new technology increases performance while using less power—the chips get some of their performance gains by using a type of memory that was impart perfected by rival Advanced Micro Devices. Intel also revealed that they are entering the solid-state drivers market which is designed to replace disk drives using chips known as NAND flash memory.

In the Wall Street Journal by Sue Shellenbarger (The Mommy M.B.A.: Schools Try to Attract More Women) 20, August, 2008. The competition for post-graduate female students is becoming intense. Traditionally, only about 30% of females enroll as fulltime M.B.A. students compared to 49% in medical school and 47% in law school. Females list expense and the desire to start families as the main reasons for not pursuing their M.B.A. degree. Business schools have responded by launching several part-time, and morning programs. Some schools are also allowing part-time students more time to complete their program. The part-time programs have been met with limited success. Abstract by Sara Rush

In the Wall Street Journal by Rhonda L. Rundle (Stem Cells and Breast Surgery) 19, 2008. Breast augmentation by using fat cells and stem cells—for increased size or repair following cancer surgery has become one of the hottest and most controversial cosmetic surgery procedures being performed. Ms. Rundle profiles several cosmetic doctors that are developing ways to use the bodies own tissue to repair or ‘improve’ breasts. An American company is credited with inventing a device the mixes fat cells with stem cells. The article highlights several concerns such as the fat cells calcifying and interfering with mammograms, an increased risk of breast cancer, and the augmented breasts changing form. Abstract by Steve Kramer

In the Wall Street Journal by Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan (Fashion’s Latest Comeback Attempt) 17, August, 2008. The article profiles the comeback of fashion designer Mr. Christian Francis Roth. Mr. Roth stormed the fashion world as a young 21 year-old with his pioneering grunge-inspired looks. His company thrived for a short time until production costs forced him to close his operations. Mr. Roth has since partnered with Peonie Ng, owner of Gold Palace Corp. LDT., a Hong Kong company. The new clothing line will be produced in China and will be priced well below high-end lables. The duo is also looking at launching a lower-end clothing line in China and Korea. Abstract by Si Martin

In the Wall Street Journal by Sue Shellenbarger (The blogger mom in your face) 16, August, 2008.  The story profiles mega-blogger Heather Armstrong and her blog dooce.com. Mrs. Armstrong is known for having witty posts about her daily life with her husband, daughter and dog. A stay at home mom that was fired from her job for writing posts about her boss (you’ve been dooced) has positioned her blog as an advertising giant, landing such companies as BMW, J.C. Penny and Verizon. Mrs. Armstrong says she has developed some boundaries for her posts, “I’m not going to write anything about my family that I wouldn’t say to them in real life, in front of other people.” Abstract by Tom Macadue

In the Wall Street Journal by By Elizabeth Bernstein (A Death in the Family) 16, August, 2008. Mrs. Bernstein profiles the life of Mr. William Bruce, a diagnosed schizophrenic who was coached by government funded advocates in order to gain his release from a mental institution. “No matter how psychotic, that voice is still worthy of being heard” was echoed by Ms. Helen Bailey, an attorney for Maine’s Disability Rights Center. Shortly after his release, Mr. William Bruce murdered his mother. Mr. Bruce has since been committed to a mental institution indefinitely. The father of William has been actively working to strengthen commitment and treatment laws with the support of his son. Abstract by Terry Jones

In the Wall Street Journal by the Wall Street Journal (Cracking the Code of Restaurant Wine Pricing), 15 August, 2008. The Wall Street Journal article investigates why the same wines are priced differently across various regions in the United States. Several reason for the differences are identified including varying wholesale costs, a more luxurious ambience, the age of the restaurant, the different laws and tax codes and the number of customers. Several suggestions are also offered to value minded wine drinkers such as gaining familiarity with retail prices for wines they commonly drink, ordering wines from lesser known regions and varietals and in some cases using on-line services like wine-services.com before ordering and never order wine by the glass. 

Abstract by Greg Tillman

In the Wall Street Journal by Arron O’ Patrick 15 August, 2008. The article highlights a major push by breweries in Europe to attract women beer drinkers. Several companies are mentioned including Coors, Green King PLC, and Diageo PLC. Breweries and pubs have adopted such tactics as offering orange slices coated in brown sugar, serving beer colder and offering a version of the original that is sweeter or fruity tasting. Mr. O’ Patrick provides several reason why the breweries have an uphill battle attracting women such as the popularity of vodka and wine, beer being viewed as fatting and the dislike of the smell and aftertaste by women.

In the Wall Street Journal by Robert Tomsho, 11 August, 2008. Competition among Web hosting providers has made hosting a website so cheap that most people can have their own website hosted for as little as $10. The article provides the following simple steps to be online with your own site – buy a domain, host your site from companies offering free hosting services such as those provided by Microsoft, and make money by running Google Adsense ads on the Web pages. Several hosting companies also provide free tools to build a site quickly—even without much technical knowledge, you get dozen’s of design templates absolutely free.

In the Wall Street Journal by Scott McCartney, 13, August, 2008. Big brother is watching! Companies are turning to software that monitors employees actual travel spending compared against what was booked. Many companies have policies that prevent employees from upgrading airline tickets or moving into posh hotel rooms. Employees seem to resist these types of monitoring systems as they prefer to use their personal loyalty programs, even though many companies have negotiated unknown perks for their employees. Sales related employers are also resistant to these types of programs as they do not want to be viewed as not supporting their employees even though they may save thousands of dollars per year. (Is your boss spying on your upgrades?)

In the Wall Street Journal by Dana Mattioli, 13, August, 2008. Mrs. Mattioli investigates the current trend by companies of combining senior level positions with lower level positions. The article profiles several companies that have incorporated this maneuver as a way to deal with the current economic downturn. The article also states that the practice can backfire as increased responsibilities cause early burnout forcing the company to spend addition funds to hire a replacement. Mrs. Amy Armitage stresses that company leaders need to make sure that cuts are actually helping the company grow. (Help wanted: Senior- level Job, Junior Level Title, Pay)