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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/CuEyeiUH90M/">
<title>Services Made Flesh: 10 Weird &#x2013; and Not So Weird &#x2013; &#x201C;Avatar&#x201D; Gadgets</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/CuEyeiUH90M/</link>
<description><![CDATA[The dawn of the 21st century brought us a problem: we had lots of data, but no real way to bring that data into the real world. We could feasibly lug laptops and phones around, but did they ever do exactly what we needed them to do? Don’t answer that.

Manufacturers, in their wisdom, decided to do something about it and so devices like the Peek - for email - and the CueCat - for nothing - were born. Here's a look at ten "avatar" gadgets, gadgets that brought a web service into the real world, for better or worse.


Twitterpeek - We should be nicer to the Twitterpeek. This standalone device, designed specifically for Twittering, mirroring our own obsession with the microblogging service and, if anything, we willed it into existence with our collective desires for always on Twitter. Does it work? Eh. Is it a good idea? Eh. Is it for us? Probably not, but what do I know?













]]></description>
</item>

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<title>The Font Kingdom: Search, Explore, Create, and Download Fonts for Free</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/FZ1m3x_3cIY/</link>
<description><![CDATA[

Being a blogger, I often find design elements on the web for my posts or my blog in general. It's becoming a very common experience for bloggers to know a thing or two about web design. I'm guessing it is the web that taught us to be quasi-designers by offering us lots of easy-to-use tools that help us create just about everything we need: photo-editing, widgets, logos, buttons, and yes, fonts as well. Fonts are a big focus of the Web2.0 era—they are now bigger, cleaner and smoother, especially when it comes to logos.

Can you imagine Techcrunch's logo looking like this? It's all dependent on font choice. (in case you were wondering BTW, Twitter's font is mostly Pico created by Maniackers Design)

Regardless of the fact that the web makes it easy for everyone to be more creative (i.e., logo above), it becomes a paradise for designers themselves who seek new tools &#38; inspiration. So whether you're a professional graphic designer, or an amateur web publisher this list of font tools might come in handy (eventually).













]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/rasQXWdhZdk/">
<title>Skype Founders Assembling Killer Team For New Online Music Startup</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/rasQXWdhZdk/</link>
<description><![CDATA[Now that they got what they wanted - a renewed stake and board representation in the Skype that will be spun off eBay soon - the Scandinavian duo Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis can divert more of their attention again to the latest Internet venture they're putting their weight behind: Rdio. The yet-to-launch digital music startup was first talked about publicly a couple of weeks ago in a New York Times article but we haven't heard any further information about the startup.

I've been keeping busy this weekend doing some very basic research - I love you, Internet - about Rdio and discovered a couple of interesting details that have emerged on the Web since the stealth startup got its first dose of media attention.













]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/K5t4JceX_a8/">
<title>Snoop Dogg, Entrepreneurship and Rajasthan</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/K5t4JceX_a8/</link>
<description><![CDATA[

I'm in India this weekend with fellow TechCrunch/BusinessWeek writer Sarah Lacy. After we’re done with the elephant rides in Jaipur, we’re going to be meeting local tech startups. Then we head back to New Delhi to meet more aspiring entrepreneurs. Sarah is writing a book on how startup culture has gone global and I’m researching how R&#38;D has globalized. It never ceases to amaze me how you can find brilliant entrepreneurs everywhere—whether in the middle of the Thar Desert in Rajasthan or Santiago Chile (where local entrepreneurs showed me life-sized holographic images projected through some hardware connected to their laptops, and software which can help monitor the operational efficiencies of department stores in California). The promise of these early ventures is always amazing and their enthusiasm infectious. Which brings me to Global Entrepreneurship Week. And Snoop Dogg.

You are probably asking yourself, what the heck does the controversial and highly successful rapper have to do with entrepreneurship? 













]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/VblcEAERGGk/">
<title>YouTube Is Falling Apart Again</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/VblcEAERGGk/</link>
<description><![CDATA[

The ads are destroying YouTube. At least this one is.  It is a video ad for sustainable energy company from Spain called Acciona.  Yeah, I had never heard of them either.  

The video starts with this Euro-dude in a suit starting to blow up and crack apart like he's made from plaster.  Halfway through, the actual video player crack in half, and all of the surrounding parts of the site shake and fall away, while an annoying voiceover is saying something about rebirth.  I don't know, maybe it makes more sense in Spanish. 













]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/4a17pFsbIUc/">
<title>Marissa Mayer Chosen As A Glamour Magazine Woman Of The Year</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/4a17pFsbIUc/</link>
<description><![CDATA[

Google's Vice President of Search Product and User Experience Marissa Mayer was recently  profiled in a Vogue Magazine article that offered a in-depth glimpse into the exec's lifestyle, loves, career and fashion preferences. Now, Mayer has been named as one of Glamour Magazine's 2009 Women of the Year. Joining Mayer on the list are a variety of female powerhouses and icons including Maya Angelou, First Lady Michelle Obama, Susan Rice, Euna Lee and Laura Ling. 

Mayer has been frequently profiled in business and technology publications over the years, but it's also nice to see her achievements highlighted in magazines like Vogue and Glamour. The brainy Stanford-grad has been able to set an example for young women everywhere. As one of Google's early hires, she's now helping to lead product design for one of the world's most innovative companies. And she's only 34. What's not to love about a successful and geeky coder who also loves to wear Oscar de la Renta, Chanel and Armani?













]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/SX_Gv-pXibY/">
<title>The Just Because We Love You TwitterPeek Giveaway #Crunch</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/SX_Gv-pXibY/</link>
<description><![CDATA[If you're a Twitter freak and think that a dedicated Twitter device is just the thing for you, read on. 

This week we saw the launch of the TwitterPeek, a cute little device built by Peek that will do just about anything you want it to do, as long as all you want it to do is access Twitter. It won't surf the web. It won't make phone calls. It won't support third party apps. But it most certainly does run Twitter.

You can get it in black. Or, if you want to show a little flair, you can get in in cyan.

For some crazy reason I wanted one. A friend bought me one that I will truly love forever(ish). But the company also sent me one. And while I may or may not need one TwitterPeek, I almost certainly don't need two TwitterPeeks. 

This is where you come in.

We're giving one of these away to a TechCrunch reader. It's the cool one, cyan, with lifetime service that costs $200.  And it's all yours. Just retweet this post and make sure to include the short URL link - http://bit.ly/3U2Yhy - as well as the #crunch hashtag. Please only tweet the message once, anyone tweeting repeatedly will be disqualified. Tomorrow we'll sort through all of the tweets and pick one randomly for the win. You'll get the TweetPeek device in the mail, and we'll throw in a TechCrunch tshirt. Even the postage is on us. But please note that in this case only U.S. readers are eligible, because the device only works in the U.S.














]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/liG4aMJgOCA/">
<title>Gowalla Hops Onto Android Via The Mobile Web</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/liG4aMJgOCA/</link>
<description><![CDATA[Up until now, if you wanted to use the location-based service Gowalla on the go, you had to have an iPhone. Today, that expands to Android. But rather than building an app, Gowalla has extended support to Android using the mobile web. This works because Android's browser is closely tied to the device and is able to access location information, which is vital for Gowalla. The goal is to extend this mobile web support to BlackBerry and a few other location-aware devices in the next week or so, co-founder Josh Williams tells us.

As a small team, Gowalla, like its rival Foursquare, doesn't have a lot of resources to devote to building apps on all the mobile platforms, so this is a good solution for the time being. Eventually, the plan is to have native apps for all the big platforms, Williams says.













]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/1Hp2mLGtBP4/">
<title>textPlus 2.0 Hits The App Store For Free Texting</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/1Hp2mLGtBP4/</link>
<description><![CDATA[

textPlus, a text messaging app that's powered by GOGII, has just hit the App Store. textPlus lets any iPhone or iPod Touch send free text messages to any cell number by using in-app advertising to cover its costs. There is no limit on how many text messages you can send per month, it's just a matter of getting WiFi, 3G or an Edge connection. GOGII was one of the first companies that was funded by iFund, the partnership between venture capital firm KPCB and Apple, which was announced at the Apple SDK roadmap event.

With version 2.0 of textPlus, GOGII is announcing the availability of textPlus usernames, which can effectively serve as a stand-in for a phone number, which is great for iPod Touch users. Your friends can send standard text messages to you from any phone, simply by sending a text to the shortcode 60611 that leads off with your username followed the rest of their message (so a text to me would look like "DanielBru Hi are you coming to the movie tonight?").













]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/VwfE7WPeuo8/">
<title>My Not-So-Epic Quest To Find The Elusive Verizon Droid Line</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/VwfE7WPeuo8/</link>
<description><![CDATA[Today is Droid day — an event that I, like many tech bloggers, have been looking forward to for quite some time. Unlike some people, I wasn't graced with a test Droid last week, so I was forced to go out and get one the old fashioned way: by getting to the store as early as possible, before the precious devices sold out. And while I was concerned about falling prey to a supply shortage, a part of me still hoped there would be many others like me, helping justify my early morning rise. These are my notes as I searched for the unexpectedly elusive Verizon Droid line.

5:30 AM.  I woke up this morning to the soothing chimes of my over-priced alarm clock, took a look at the ungodly hour, and immediately sank back into my pillow.  It wasn't until my second alarm (strategically positioned far out of arm's reach) kicked in that I remembered the task at hand: Droid day.













]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/gVW9EygJsWA/">
<title>MSNBC Having A Bad Friday (NSFW)</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/gVW9EygJsWA/</link>
<description><![CDATA[I think it's safe to assume their Twitter account has been hacked.

Update: Yep. Now suspended.













]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/UqxOBmGuEzU/">
<title>Europe&#x2019;s Biggest Paper Blocks iPhone Browsers To Force Sales Of Its App</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/UqxOBmGuEzU/</link>
<description><![CDATA[So much for the coming mobile nirvana of free mobile content - at least for iPhone users in Germany. Today Europe's biggest newspaper, BILD-Zeitung, intends to use, in effect, brute force to compel users buy its new iPhone app. The paper tabloid is to block anyone using an iPhone browser from accessing its website.

Now, readers will not only have to pay for the dedicated BILD iPhone app, but they also need to pony-up recurring fees for new articles. The same is planned for Axel Springer's quality paper Die Welt. Users of Nokia, Blackberry, HTC or other smartphone brands will not be blocked - but only for as long as it takes for Springer to develop an app for each device.













]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/QDGRYfsK28M/">
<title>Chomp Eats Up Some Seed Funding. Next, Will Bite Into The Mobile Space.</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/QDGRYfsK28M/</link>
<description><![CDATA[It's not yet clear what Chomp exactly is, but we do know that it's a rather hot property right now. It took the still stealth start up just 10 days to raise a nice seed round from Ron Conway and a few other big name angel investors, we hear.

So what do we know? Well, the company is definitely in the mobile space. In fact, it's a "BIG mobile play," founder Ben Keighran tells us. Keighran, who in 2006 started Bluepulse, a mobile messaging app, has most recently served as the lead advisor to Aardvark for their mobile strategy. There's apparently no website for the company yet, but they do have a Twitter account, which features one tweet: "Working on something sekret... :-)"













]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/k35nBV8SXyI/">
<title>Exclusive Video Of The Litl Webbook</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/k35nBV8SXyI/</link>
<description><![CDATA[When news of the Litl Webbook broke out on Wednesday, I was pleased to learn that the company is located here in Boston, since there aren't nearly as many people in this area making actual hardware devices, as opposed to software and web companies.

I got a chance to sit down with CEO John Chuang for a thorough overview of the Webbook, so check out the video inside for some information about the design philosophy and user interface behind the $699 transforming internet computer.













]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/YM6YK_xi6xg/">
<title>Infosys Co-Founder Adds Another $91 Million To Venture Fund</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/YM6YK_xi6xg/</link>
<description><![CDATA[

More good news for Indian entrepreneurs! Infosys co-founder and chairman N. R. Narayana Murthy's new VC firm, now called Catamaran Venture Fund, just added a whole lot more money to its coffers. A few weeks ago, we reported that Murthy was turning to “the dark side” after selling a large amount  of company shares in order to set up a venture capital firm. To set up the fund, Murthy reportedly sold 800,000 shares, or 0.13 percent of the company, its total value converting to $38.7 million, more or less.

It appears that Murthy's wife, Sudha Murthy, who reportedly put up the seed funding for Infosys Technologies at its founding 30 years ago, has sold 2 million shares worth of her Infosys stock, worth roughly $91 million dollars. And Sudha sold 22 percent of her personal holding to fund her husband's new VC fund. 













]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/3txlcFdGpck/">
<title>Google Pushes Droid With Rare Ad On Homepage</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/3txlcFdGpck/</link>
<description><![CDATA[

Do you see something strange in this screenshot of Google's homepage today?  No, not Bert and Ernie (it's Sesame Street's 40th birthday).  It's that ad for the Verizon Droid right there under the search box (today is also Droid Day).  Although, the juxtaposition does make it seem like Bert and Ernie are trying to get you to buy a Droid.

Google's homepage is normally an ad-free zone.  No more than 28 words are allowed on it, and Google is always trying to find ways to make it even sparer.













]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/H-y_Mz3AnUk/">
<title>App Store Hypocrisy Update: Mein Kampf Complete With Nazi Logo Approved</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/H-y_Mz3AnUk/</link>
<description><![CDATA[This just keeps getting more and more ridiculous. Before I begin, let me start out by saying that all things being equal, I have no problem with the Apple putting Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf into the App Store, as they have today, as both The Next Web and Edible Apple spotted. It's a book, it's a rather big part of history, it's in book stores, etc. That said, all things are not equal in the App Store, not even close. And by Apple's own standards there is no way this should have been approved.

Let me remind everyone that Apple rejected a Someecards application last month partially due to the fact that one of the cards included was mocking Hitler (and more specifically, the film Inglourious Basterds). They flat out rejected it, didn't require a certain rating for the satire, just rejected it. So when you see Mein Kampf in the store, complete with a swastika as its icon, you'll forgive me if I'm a bit dumbfounded.













]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/xtJTSkp9zPg/">
<title>Android Developer Challenge 2 Finalists Posted, Final Judging Begins</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/xtJTSkp9zPg/</link>
<description><![CDATA[Early this morning, 200 Android developers woke up to one hell of an e-mail: they'd made it into the final round of the second Android Developer Challenge, and were thus one giant step closer to as much as $250,000. 

Android Developer Challenge 2 officially began way back in May, though the actual voting didn't begin until some time in September. The votes were split amongst Android users and Googlers (with the latter getting a 55% say), with all voting taking place in a special, custom-made application. To be eligible, applications had to be completely fresh to the Android Market (read: no updates allowed) as of August 1st, couldn't have been a part of the first Challenge, and had to play friendly with Android v1.5.














]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/AglVo9i-M_4/">
<title>Zillow Starts Charging For Leads.  Will Lenders Retaliate?</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/AglVo9i-M_4/</link>
<description><![CDATA[

Zillow, a popular real-estate listings site, recently tweaked the pricing model in its marketplace for mortgages, angering many of the lenders who pay Zillow for customer leads. A few weeks ago, the site announced that it will be introducing a new pricing model for these leads to lenders.

Zillow's mortgage marketplace, which launched in 2008, lets borrowers submit loan requests for mortgages and then review quotes provided by lenders. Basically, lenders will be able to submit any number of loan quotes for free, but will be required to pay Zillow a "market-priced fee" when any borrowers contact them regarding their quotes. When a contact is made, the lender will be charged a market-priced fee. 













]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/B6BYl6pzhyo/">
<title>With Brizzly In Good Health, Director Of TV&#x2019;s House And Others Invest In Thing Labs</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/B6BYl6pzhyo/</link>
<description><![CDATA[Brizzly is on a roll right now. Just yesterday, it became the first web-based Twitter client to implement Lists, and last week it rolled out Facebook support. Today brings good news for its parent company: More funding.

At the end of this month, Thing Labs will close a $600,000 round which is basically an extension of its Series A from back in June of last year, co-founder Jason Shellen tells us. This will bring its total funding to $2.2 million. But this round is more notable for who is involved: angel investor Ron Conway, Steve Olechowski (the former COO of Feedburner, now at Google), and Greg Yaitanes, who was an early Twitter investor, but is better known as a director of Fox's hit show House. He's also directed episodes of Lost, Heroes, Grey's Anatomy, and many other popular TV shows.













]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/EWQFz82DvpM/">
<title>Seesmic Web One-Ups Brizzly With Lists AND Geolocation Support (Kind Of)</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/EWQFz82DvpM/</link>
<description><![CDATA[Earlier this week, Seesmic rolled out support for the new Twitter Lists for its Desktop client. Today, that same functionality comes to its web-based client. And with it comes a bonus: Geolocation support.

Now, to be clear, most users still won't be able to use this geolocation support just yet, as Twitter has yet to enable it for most users. But if you do happen to have it, Seesmic supports it. As you can see in the screenshot, it looks pretty nice. If you see a little location marker on a tweet, you can hover over it to bring up a Google Map overlay showing where that tweet was sent from.













]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/VggFUBt2Ia8/">
<title>TechCrunch Europe ChristmasCrunch &#x2013; A Realtime Holiday</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/VggFUBt2Ia8/</link>
<description><![CDATA[

It is time for the second annual TechCrunch Europe ChristmasCrunch! Yes folks it's our annual TechCrunch Europe meetup and Festive Holiday party, in one handy package. This year we're taking a different tack - basing it around one of the the hottest themes right now, namely the rise of realtime streams. We've seen the emergence of Twitter, Facebook, Friendfieed and Google Wave but it's clear that this is only just the beginning of the world going realtime. TechCrunch is running the Realtime Crunchup of course, but this event in London will also feature some of the hottest realtime startups in the world today.













]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/imYdCiig-J4/">
<title>Andreessen On Skype: &#x201C;This Is One Of The Most Important Companies On the Internet.&#x201D;</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/imYdCiig-J4/</link>
<description><![CDATA[

Earlier this morning, Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis settled their lawsuits with eBay and a syndicate of investors in return for a 14 percent stake in the company they founded.  The lawsuits were complicating the spin-off of Skype from eBay because the Skype founders still controlled the service's underlying peer-to-peer technology.  

In an interview with me this morning, Marc Andreessen, one of the investors through his new fund Andreessen Horowitz, told me, "The deal was never held up.  The money was in escrow and was going to close" even if the lawsuits weren't settled.  The transaction is on track to close later this quarter, and Josh Silvertman will continue to be CEO.













]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/sgh-c72IfBU/">
<title>Confirmed: Skype Founders Settle With eBay And Others, Get 14% Stake In Skype, Not 10%</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/sgh-c72IfBU/</link>
<description><![CDATA[eBay has just announced that it has reached a settlement with the founders of Skype, clearing the way for the sale of the Internet communication company to a consortium formed by private equity firm Silver Lake Partners, Andreessen Horowitz and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. 

Index Ventures, a historical investor in Skype, is not going to be part of that buying party after all, and its partner Mike Volpi is definitely out of the picture (no surprises there). Marc Andreessen, partner of Andreessen Horowitz, tells us: "Everything is settled—all lawsuits, all IP.  The Joltid IP is now owned by Skype.  The company is free and clear to execute to its full potential."

The original Skype founders, Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, are now back in the game. The Scandinavian businessmen are getting 14 percent of Skype back for rights to the Global Index P2P technology their company Joltid controls (which is key to the Skype software) - and not 10% like previously reported by other media. In addition, Friis and Zennström gain representation on the board of the new entity. The two men are also putting in a 'significant amount of capital' of their own in exchange for the stake in the new company, presumably through their Atomico Ventures fund.













]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Ja0-jM_jDSw/">
<title>Fever Pitch: It&#x2019;s Droid Day, Enjoy The Moment.</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Ja0-jM_jDSw/</link>
<description><![CDATA[If you are a tech lover, there is nothing quite like the launch day of a much hyped new gadget. Expectations run high. And since those expectations are rarely satisfied once you have the special little device in hand, it's a moment to savor. In the hours before you own it, that device is perfect in every way. It will make you happier, a better person. There are no bugs, there are only features. It is whatever you want it to be.

Launch day of a new cool gadget is the closest thing to being a kid again on Christmas day (or whatever your winter solstice holiday of choice). You've anticipated the day. You've called in sick to work. And you are standing out in the freezing cold at 7 in the morning, hoping your place in line assures you a device before the carefully-planned sell out occurs. You've worked yourself into...a Fever Pitch.

I've always been let down with the real world gadget after that high of anticipation. But that's ok. It's part of the cycle of tech.

Today is Droid day. In just a few hours Verizon stores will open and the first customers will get their hands on their very own Droid. 

And I promise you, if you are one of the people waiting in line, you will have a much lower than average amount of letdown. That's because, in my humble opinion, the Droid is the coolest mobile phone to exist to date. It is as close as we've come to the Platonic ideal of a smartphone. It's very existence ensures that the next iPhone will be even better than it otherwise would have been. Competition is good.

Yes, this is an unabashed love letter to the Droid. If you want the dispassionate reviews, we've got em. And then some. That isn't what this post is about.













]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CorporateResponsibilityAndSustainabilityNews-Enn/~3/y6U3V3Lv_Ks/40671">
<title>Clean Energy Legislation Will Boost US Manufacturing Jobs </title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CorporateResponsibilityAndSustainabilityNews-Enn/~3/y6U3V3Lv_Ks/40671</link>
<description><![CDATA[U.S. clean energy legislation could help create 850,000 manufacturing jobs around the country, a report from a group representing business and environmental interests said on Wednesday.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CorporateResponsibilityAndSustainabilityNews-Enn/~3/e6RCxXXINeI/40668">
<title>Washington, Stop Dithering, US Goals on Climate Urgently Needed</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CorporateResponsibilityAndSustainabilityNews-Enn/~3/e6RCxXXINeI/40668</link>
<description><![CDATA[As the last round of "intersessional" climate talks before Copenhagen opened today in Barcelona, all eyes were looking in the same direction they were when we left Bangkok three weeks earlier: at the United States. Without American numbers on mitigation (or emissions reductions) and finance (for developing nations to build their own clean energy economies, and also to adapt to the impacts of climate change), any real forward progress in the talks is just about impossible.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CorporateResponsibilityAndSustainabilityNews-Enn/~3/kqmt-91hOaM/40663">
<title>Ethiopian Rift Shows How Continents Can Split, Create New Ocean</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CorporateResponsibilityAndSustainabilityNews-Enn/~3/kqmt-91hOaM/40663</link>
<description><![CDATA[A new study reported by the Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia and the University of Rochester sheds light on how the continents move, and oceans are created.  
                        
                        In 2005, a gigantic, 35-mile-long rift broke open the desert ground in Ethiopia. At the time, some geologists believed the rift was the beginning of a new ocean as two parts of the African continent pulled apart, but the claim was controversial.
                        
                        Now, scientists from several countries have confirmed that the volcanic processes at work beneath the Ethiopian rift are nearly identical to those at the bottom of the world's oceans, and the rift is indeed likely the beginning of a new sea.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CorporateResponsibilityAndSustainabilityNews-Enn/~3/h2cabNjg9SU/40662">
<title>Margaret Thatcher, Lyndon Johnson  were Right!</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CorporateResponsibilityAndSustainabilityNews-Enn/~3/h2cabNjg9SU/40662</link>
<description><![CDATA[President Lyndon Johnson and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher made stark warnings about global warming decades ago, but convincing evidence for action only amassed in recent years, experts say.
            
            A 190-nation U.N. conference in Copenhagen in December is due to agree a new U.N. pact to curb greenhouse gas emissions to slow a rise in temperatures to prevent floods, droughts, wildfires or rising sea levels.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CorporateResponsibilityAndSustainabilityNews-Enn/~3/lZEbBG5y_7U/40661">
<title>ENN is pleased to be a media partner with Robert Bateman&#x2019;s Innovative Contest that Challenges Youth to Connect with Nature</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CorporateResponsibilityAndSustainabilityNews-Enn/~3/lZEbBG5y_7U/40661</link>
<description><![CDATA[In an unprecedented collaboration, over thirty major organizations have joined forces to invite young Americans to discover nature by entering the Robert Bateman "Get to Know" Contest. These partners include the US Forest Service, US Fish & Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Federation, the Children & Nature Network, the Wyland Foundation, and many others. The Get to Know Contest invites any American age 18 or younger to go outdoors, to "get to know" their wild neighbors, and then to share their experience by creating art, writing, or photography.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CorporateResponsibilityAndSustainabilityNews-Enn/~3/zmIh7LFmofo/40658">
<title>Turning Algae Into Bioplastic Could Slash Petroleum Use by 50%</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CorporateResponsibilityAndSustainabilityNews-Enn/~3/zmIh7LFmofo/40658</link>
<description><![CDATA[California-based company Cereplast has revealed that it is developing breakthrough technology to transform algae into bioplastics, and predicts that it could replace 50% or more of the petroleum content used in traditional plastic resins.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CorporateResponsibilityAndSustainabilityNews-Enn/~3/OUOizF7MnLo/40650">
<title>Using the Sahara Sun to Power Europe</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CorporateResponsibilityAndSustainabilityNews-Enn/~3/OUOizF7MnLo/40650</link>
<description><![CDATA[A $400 billon plan to provide Europe with solar power from the Sahara desert moved a step closer to reality with the formation of a consortium to carry out the work. Known as the Desertec Industrial Initiative (DDI), the German-led consortium believes it can deliver solar power to Europe as early as 2015.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2009/11/09/091109ta_talk_surowiecki">
<title>James Surowiecki: Priced to Go</title>
<link>http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2009/11/09/091109ta_talk_surowiecki</link>
<description><![CDATA[In the spring of 1992, the airline industry was in dismal shape, debilitated by the recently ended recession and an overreliance on discounting. So American Airlines announced a new &#8220;value pricing&#8221; plan, which entailed cutting fares while replacing complex discounts with a simple, four-tier price system. It&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2009/11/02/091102ta_talk_surowiecki">
<title>James Surowiecki: Why Banks Stay Big</title>
<link>http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2009/11/02/091102ta_talk_surowiecki</link>
<description><![CDATA[Before the financial crisis, the banking industry was too concentrated and clubby. And now? It&#8217;s even more so. In the midst of the crisis, the country&#8217;s four biggest banks&#8212;Citigroup, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo&#8212;actually got bigger. Thanks primarily to&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2009/10/19/091019ta_talk_surowiecki">
<title>James Surowiecki: Exit Through Lobby</title>
<link>http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2009/10/19/091019ta_talk_surowiecki</link>
<description><![CDATA[Resigning in protest is not in the American grain. Robert McNamara stuck around as Secretary of Defense even after he decided that the Vietnam War was a disaster; Colin Powell did the same during the Bush Administration&#8217;s push for war with Iraq; and in the lead-up to&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2009/10/12/091012ta_talk_surowiecki">
<title>James Surowiecki: Will consumer spending really stay down?</title>
<link>http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2009/10/12/091012ta_talk_surowiecki</link>
<description><![CDATA[For all the uncertainty about the current state of the economy, everyone is sure of one thing: this recession has permanently remade American consumers, turning them from spendthrifts into tightwads. From cover stories on &#8220;The New Frugality&#8221; to stories about cheapness as a new status symbol and pundits&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2009/09/28/090928ta_talk_surowiecki">
<title>James Surowiecki: Ratings Downgrade</title>
<link>http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2009/09/28/090928ta_talk_surowiecki</link>
<description><![CDATA[When Barack Obama went to Wall Street last week to make the case for meaningful financial regulation, he took well-deserved shots at some of the villains of the financial crisis: greedy bankers, reckless investors, and captive regulators. But to that list he could have added credit-rating agencies like&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2009/09/14/090914ta_talk_surowiecki">
<title>James Surowiecki: Recovery and the fear of inflation.</title>
<link>http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2009/09/14/090914ta_talk_surowiecki</link>
<description><![CDATA[The economy is still limping, job losses are still rising, and consumers are still reluctant to open their wallets. So it&#8217;s the perfect time to worry about . . . inflation? Apparently so, because, of late, the cries of inflation hawks have grown increasingly loud. Pointing to huge deficit spending, and&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2009/08/31/090831ta_talk_surowiecki">
<title>James Surowiecki: Status-Quo Anxiety</title>
<link>http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2009/08/31/090831ta_talk_surowiecki</link>
<description><![CDATA[There are times when Americans&#8217; attitude toward health-care reform seems a bit like St. Augustine&#8217;s take on chastity: Give it to us, Lord, but not yet. In theory, the public overwhelmingly supports reform&#8212;earlier this year, polls showed big majorities in favor of fundamental change&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2009/07/27/090727ta_talk_surowiecki">
<title>James Surowiecki: Fifty Ways To Kill Recovery</title>
<link>http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2009/07/27/090727ta_talk_surowiecki</link>
<description><![CDATA[If you came up with a list of obstacles to economic recovery in this country, it would include all the usual suspects--our still weak banking system, falling house prices, overindebted consumers, cautious companies. But here are fifty culprits you might not have thought of: the states. Federalism, often described&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2009/07/06/090706ta_talk_surowiecki">
<title>James Surowiecki: Caveat Mortgagor</title>
<link>http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2009/07/06/090706ta_talk_surowiecki</link>
<description><![CDATA[In 1937, the Massengill Company began selling a health product called Elixir Sulfanilamide, which contained one of the antibiotic sulfa drugs. Unfortunately, it also contained diethylene glycol, a solvent that happens to be deadly to humans. In a matter of months, the elixir killed more than a hundred consumers. The&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2009/06/22/090622ta_talk_surowiecki">
<title>Will gas prices pump up inflation?</title>
<link>http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2009/06/22/090622ta_talk_surowiecki</link>
<description><![CDATA[How fast the world turns. Only a few months ago, as consumer spending evaporated and commodity prices collapsed, investors and policymakers were haunted by the spectre of deflation. Today, with the economy showing some signs of bottoming and commodity prices back on the rise, the worry du jour has suddenly&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=46b6eb7dd76846699879c8a0d5f84634">
<title>Your Money: Money Issues That Can Test Even a Rock-Solid Marriage</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=46b6eb7dd76846699879c8a0d5f84634</link>
<description><![CDATA[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.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=aec7b39ab66bc4f5c49fec6f9f1358ad">
<title>Patient Money: In Anxious Times, Medical Help for the Mind as Well as the Body</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=aec7b39ab66bc4f5c49fec6f9f1358ad</link>
<description><![CDATA[A new law requires that next year big group plans provide the same level of care for mental health as for medical ones.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=1e1c4f8a2ccbfcff5f146610c133d939">
<title>U.S. Unemployment Rate Hits 10.2%, Highest in 26 Years</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=1e1c4f8a2ccbfcff5f146610c133d939</link>
<description><![CDATA[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.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=b2f87187bebcae28a25dcee30bf3dfa8">
<title>Shortcuts: Bridging the Workplace Generation Gap: It Starts With a Text</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=b2f87187bebcae28a25dcee30bf3dfa8</link>
<description><![CDATA[The book “How Not to Act Old” has some tips to help the 40-plus crowd communicate with younger co-workers.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=376b6b62cd02dbc4610c29ae7a56cdeb">
<title>U.S. Readies Jobless Aid and Help on Homes</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=376b6b62cd02dbc4610c29ae7a56cdeb</link>
<description><![CDATA[The White House said that President Obama would sign the measure, which passed after weeks of delay.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=9715b5ccd8f623e68f9a1ffedfc8e4c8">
<title>House Bill Would Assure Workers Paid Sick Days</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=9715b5ccd8f623e68f9a1ffedfc8e4c8</link>
<description><![CDATA[Legislation introduced in Congress on Tuesday would guarantee five paid sick days for workers sent home by their employers with a contagious illness.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=bb20bfa6d9041595506fadffefd38d96">
<title>A Free Credit Score Followed by a Monthly Bill</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=bb20bfa6d9041595506fadffefd38d96</link>
<description><![CDATA[The government is trying to counter what it says are ads that trick consumers into paying for credit monitoring.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=63dcb37006ca41d5555d1beb38a3410d">
<title>Justices Scrutinize Adviser Pay</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=63dcb37006ca41d5555d1beb38a3410d</link>
<description><![CDATA[The Supreme Court is likely to announce a new standard for evaluating claims of excessive compensation of fund advisers.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=fe15643d8ecd70c692c65a3d67b0ef1e">
<title>States Are Pondering Fraud Suits Against Banks</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=fe15643d8ecd70c692c65a3d67b0ef1e</link>
<description><![CDATA[Unable to do much about runaway foreclosures, the states’ top lawyers are thinking of suing banks for fraudulently marketing mortgages.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=22ce0ad7fffdde0d397d90cb2059a820">
<title>Patient Voices: Coping With and Without Insurance</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=22ce0ad7fffdde0d397d90cb2059a820</link>
<description><![CDATA[The Senate and the House are moving toward completion of their respective health care bills, but many of the reforms under consideration would not take effect until 2013. Until then, many Americans will continue to live with a patchwork insurance system that often frustrates and baffles them. Here, six men and women share their experiences.


 ]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=9465766d0cc01fe6de996a65e350c966">
<title>Fundamentally: Time Heals Everything in Quarterly Statements</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=9465766d0cc01fe6de996a65e350c966</link>
<description><![CDATA[For many investors, the 12-month performance of brokerage accounts and 401(k)’s should soon look much better. How will that affect their market outlook?


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=3f1e5e133e964fd5d311b37a952c89e2">
<title>Mortgages: Fraud Watch for Homeowners</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=3f1e5e133e964fd5d311b37a952c89e2</link>
<description><![CDATA[A new online service offers free help to keep homeowners safe from a form of fraud known as “house theft.”


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=b6241c7a74df379e85c6146cc0eefbe3">
<title>Wealth Matters: Big Investors Grow Wary of Hedge Funds and Private Equity</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=b6241c7a74df379e85c6146cc0eefbe3</link>
<description><![CDATA[The rich have become cautious about putting money into alternative investments, after promises of high returns came up empty.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=4e3932490c688afe8627eaecb9b2b27e">
<title>Patient Money: Now Is the Time to Weigh Medicare Options</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=4e3932490c688afe8627eaecb9b2b27e</link>
<description><![CDATA[Before the year ends, people have to decide whether to choose a new plan in the program or to change nothing at all.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=64291f1438bae99145a568846f339df5">
<title>U.S. Economy Began to Grow Again in 3rd Quarter</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=64291f1438bae99145a568846f339df5</link>
<description><![CDATA[Output of goods and services grew at a 3.5 percent annual rate, but it will be months before job-seekers feel a change.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=fb18ee6da80d9baf2f1ff3fcd6f0dc2a">
<title>Prescriptions: The Family That Pays Together</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=fb18ee6da80d9baf2f1ff3fcd6f0dc2a</link>
<description><![CDATA[Provisions pending in the House and Senate health care bills would permit children to remain on their parents' insurance policies well into their 20's.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=7091a64e801586a63a36b55dbc2d991b">
<title>Frugal Traveler: Staying With Newfound Friends, for a Fee</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=7091a64e801586a63a36b55dbc2d991b</link>
<description><![CDATA[AirBnB.com is a Web site that connects budget travelers with locals who are offering anything from an air mattress in their living room to a private bedroom in a luxury loft.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=ed2ce97a9ea71d786f5be5fa76709b84">
<title>Preshrunk Prices</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=ed2ce97a9ea71d786f5be5fa76709b84</link>
<description><![CDATA[The sky used to be the limit for the price of designer jeans. Now the sky is falling. The $300 pair of designer jeans is now, courtesy of the recession, the $200 pair of designer jeans.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=73dede43bcd7ae0ad81ac27faf4fdd1c">
<title>Hurting Rivals, Google Unveils Free Phone GPS</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=73dede43bcd7ae0ad81ac27faf4fdd1c</link>
<description><![CDATA[Google’s service could chip away at sales of stand-alone GPS devices and the subscription services offered by cellphone carriers.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=9ac43fc0aea39d194ac561e5f335ec57">
<title>App of the Week: Make Quick Work of That Pile of Receipts</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=9ac43fc0aea39d194ac561e5f335ec57</link>
<description><![CDATA[An iPhone application takes photos of receipts and turns them into data for record-keeping programs like Quicken.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=f5cfd879b34c562a60f7ed8daca72a43">
<title>New Database to Help Set Payouts by Health Insurers</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=f5cfd879b34c562a60f7ed8daca72a43</link>
<description><![CDATA[As part of a legal settlement, a consortium will set up a system to help determine reimbursements for patients using out-of-network doctors.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=33d6c0f2ab16f686c19dc1f6688bb20e">
<title>Fears of a New Chill in Home Sales</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=33d6c0f2ab16f686c19dc1f6688bb20e</link>
<description><![CDATA[The August data from a home price index suggested that a housing recovery is taking hold.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=e32db11fb9d65131181e67253e7db38f">
<title>Economic Scene: A Drop in the Wrong Bucket</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=e32db11fb9d65131181e67253e7db38f</link>
<description><![CDATA[The president has proposed sending a $250 check to every Social Security recipient, but some economists recoil.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=2fb3dd9f4b242ea74b8f798fd0dcac1e">
<title>The Haggler: Hopelessly Lost in Someone Else&#x2019;s Account</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=2fb3dd9f4b242ea74b8f798fd0dcac1e</link>
<description><![CDATA[The Haggler is asked to deal with a cellphone bill gone awry.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=020aa294a402cb4ee5dfa84d25943d3a">
<title>Mortgages: Homeowners Walking Away</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=020aa294a402cb4ee5dfa84d25943d3a</link>
<description><![CDATA[Many homeowners question whether they should abandon a home that’s “underwater” even if they can still afford the payments.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=c273d15a8f8178091104d1c7031035d7">
<title>No Einstein in Your Crib? Get a Refund</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=c273d15a8f8178091104d1c7031035d7</link>
<description><![CDATA[The Walt Disney Company is offering refunds for its “Baby Einstein” videos, a tacit admission that they did not increase intellect.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=5f453cfb51980da7b465aaad8fae2c6d">
<title>Your Money: Money Talks to Have Before Marriage</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=5f453cfb51980da7b465aaad8fae2c6d</link>
<description><![CDATA[Love may move mountains, but money can crumble the strongest marriage. A good way to head off problems is to discuss financial issues before the ceremony.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=fa740352c710cc361064c2453f8c67fb">
<title>Patient Money: Scrutinizing 2010 Insurance Options</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=fa740352c710cc361064c2453f8c67fb</link>
<description><![CDATA[Companies change health insurance offerings each year, so open those envelopes and read the choices.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=7f21306082558fc357e9c84ea2f1ca3c">
<title>Shortcuts: Losing Out After Winning an Online Auction</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=7f21306082558fc357e9c84ea2f1ca3c</link>
<description><![CDATA[Online auctions can offer bargain prices and rare items, but bidders can also fall victim to costly errors and fraud.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=ef19dd7bc53815f649c9bf2e93bae66c">
<title>65 and Up and Looking for Work</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=ef19dd7bc53815f649c9bf2e93bae66c</link>
<description><![CDATA[Nearly half a million people 65 and older want to work but cannot find a job, this group’s highest unemployment level since the Great Depression.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=8bdc43b75433ed4fc8cd600f23a3d9b4">
<title>College Costs Keep Rising, Report Says</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=8bdc43b75433ed4fc8cd600f23a3d9b4</link>
<description><![CDATA[The average annual cost of tuition and fees at four-year public colleges rose 6.5 percent from last year, to $7,020, the report said.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=603d91537f98ba9f874e3e8258c4b6d2">
<title>A Reader Q.&#x26;A. on G.M.&#x2019;s Bankruptcy</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=603d91537f98ba9f874e3e8258c4b6d2</link>
<description><![CDATA[Ron Lieber and Tara Siegel Bernard respond to reader questions about what the bankruptcy means for consumers.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=9c2d470836cfa36dbcad0f1205226895">
<title>Your Money: Financial Advice for Recent Graduates</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=9c2d470836cfa36dbcad0f1205226895</link>
<description><![CDATA[Three experts answer readers’ questions from recent college graduates and their parents.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=040cd97c169287ac6d44c08fb87454c6">
<title>Steps to Prevent Identity Theft, and What to Do if It Happens</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=040cd97c169287ac6d44c08fb87454c6</link>
<description><![CDATA[Quick action is needed if an unusual charge shows up on a credit card statement or a thief opens an account in your name.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=4b0a2538fb3ecdf9ecf42a81fc12c805">
<title>Life and Disability Insurance: What You Need to Know</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=4b0a2538fb3ecdf9ecf42a81fc12c805</link>
<description><![CDATA[What sort of insurance you need in the event of untimely death or disability depends on what your objectives are.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/your-money/health-insurance/primerhealth.html?partner=rss&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Health Insurance: What You Need to Know</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/your-money/health-insurance/primerhealth.html?partner=rss&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[With Americans spending an ever increasing amount on medical costs, it’s more important than ever to have insurance that fits your health care needs.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/your-money/401ks-and-similar-plans/primer401k.html?partner=rss&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>401(k)&#x2019;s: What You Need to Know</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/your-money/401ks-and-similar-plans/primer401k.html?partner=rss&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[For many people, saving for retirement means squirreling away as much as possible through employer-provided plans, the most popular being the 401(k).]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/your-money/financial-planners/primerplanners.html?partner=rss&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>About Financial Planners: What You Need to Know</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/your-money/financial-planners/primerplanners.html?partner=rss&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[If you’ve landed here, it means you’ve realized that you might need some professional advice in handling your financial affairs.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/your-money/annuities/primerannuities.html?partner=rss&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Annuities: What You Need to Know</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/your-money/annuities/primerannuities.html?partner=rss&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Annuities are a basic staple of modern portfolios, the financial equivalent of a backstop to guarantee a minimum of income in retirement.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/your-money/credit-scores/primerscores.html?partner=rss&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Credit Scores: What You Need to Know</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/your-money/credit-scores/primerscores.html?partner=rss&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[You may not have checked your credit score lately, but there’s a good chance someone else has.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/your-money/credit-and-debit-cards/primercards.html?partner=rss&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Credit and Debit Cards: What You Need to Know</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/your-money/credit-and-debit-cards/primercards.html?partner=rss&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Though the two types of cards may be used interchangeably, there are notable differences between them.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/your-money/estate-planning/primerestate.html?partner=rss&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Estate Planning: What You Need to Know</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/your-money/estate-planning/primerestate.html?partner=rss&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Deciding what happens to whatever is left of your money when you die rarely gets the attention it should get.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/16/your-money/mutual-funds-and-etfs/primerETF.html?partner=rss&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Exchange-Traded Funds: What You Need to Know</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/16/your-money/mutual-funds-and-etfs/primerETF.html?partner=rss&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Exchange-traded funds, also known as E.T.F.’s, have surged in popularity in recent years, and the number and types of products have proliferated.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/21/your-money/taxes/primertax.html?partner=rss&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Income Taxes: What You Need to Know</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/21/your-money/taxes/primertax.html?partner=rss&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[When it comes to income taxes, there are different types of people.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/your-money/home-insurance/homeinsurancebasics.html?partner=rss&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Home Insurance: What You Need to Know</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/your-money/home-insurance/homeinsurancebasics.html?partner=rss&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Here’s how to make sure you get the right coverage for your largest and most important investment.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/16/your-money/mutual-funds-and-etfs/primermutualfunds.html?partner=rss&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Mutual Funds: What You Need to Know</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/16/your-money/mutual-funds-and-etfs/primermutualfunds.html?partner=rss&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Mutual funds are the building blocks of your investment portfolio.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=225e5eb142e4baf5abdb003f485a6e9b">
<title>Room for Debate: The 40-Something Dependent Child</title>
<link>http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=225e5eb142e4baf5abdb003f485a6e9b</link>
<description><![CDATA[More and more people, even in middle age, can't make ends meet without aid from their parents.


]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14816649&#x26;fsrc=rss">
<title>India&#x27;s gold purchase: Adornment and investment</title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14816649&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[India is eager for the IMF&#8217;s bullionIF YOU count bangles, necklaces, anklets and other pieces of jewellery, India is the largest repository of gold in the world, according to the World Gold Council. Many Indians see gold as an investment as well as an adornment. India&#8217;s post office sells 24-carat gold coins, as small as 0.5 grams, to savers wary of fiat currencies or mutual funds. The latest big investor in the metal is the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). On November 3rd the central bank said it had bought 200 tonnes of gold from the IMF, a purchase that would have cost about $6.7 billion. The news pushed the price past $1,090 an ounce for the first time.The IMF&#8217;s gold holdings are less decorative than India&#8217;s, but also impressive: the third-biggest official stash in the world. Its sale to the RBI is part of a plan to offload 403.3 tonnes, or an eighth of its total. The proceeds will create an endowment to cover the fund&#8217;s operating expenses and help expand its lending. It is doing its best not to rock the market by selling first to central banks, in keeping with their agreement in August to sell no more than 2,000 tonnes over five years. But the gold market is now interested in how much central banks might buy, not how much they might sell. ...]]></description>
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<title>The World Bank-IMF meetings: Money, votes and politics</title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14584651&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Battles over money and power at the World Bank and IMF&#8220;WE ARE into the world of politics&#8221;, said the World Bank&#8217;s president, Robert Zoellick, at the two-day annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, ending on Wednesday October 7th in Istanbul. Mr Zoellick was referring to the disagreements between richer and poorer countries over his institution&#8217;s pleas for more funding to cope with the aftermath of the financial crisis. But his statement held true for much of what went on at this year&#8217;s meetings. It was easy to reach broad agreement that it was too early for governments and central banks to begin winding down their big stimulus packages. But opinions diverged over the need to boost the funding of the world&#8217;s main financial institutions, and even more so when it came to discussing demands by big developing countries such as China and India for more voting power on their boards.  ...]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14558474&#x26;fsrc=rss">
<title>The role of emerging markets: Cosmetic surgery?</title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14558474&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[The face of global economic governance is changingSYMBOLISM or substance? The G20 meeting in Pittsburgh secured the place of emerging markets at the top table of global economic policy. &#8220;Bretton Woods is being overhauled before our eyes,&#8221; declared Robert Zoellick, head of the World Bank. The G20 leaders agreed to shift voting power substantially within the IMF towards &#8220;dynamic emerging markets and developing countries&#8221;, and endorsed similar reform at the World Bank. They also announced that the G20 itself will replace the G7, a rich-world club that will now concentrate mainly on security issues, as the primary forum for international economic co-operation. The Financial Stability Board, which is supposed to oversee the co-ordination of global financial regulation, has also expanded to include the G20&#8217;s emerging&#8211;market members. But how much clout the developing world will actually have remains unclear. ...]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14489982&#x26;fsrc=rss">
<title>The IMF on economic recovery: Snail&#x27;s pace</title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14489982&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Recovery from this recession is likely to take several years, says the IMFWHEN the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, told a Washington think-tank this month that &#8220;the recession is very likely over at this point&#8221;, he was careful to add that the American economy would remain weak for some time yet. Analysis released on Tuesday September 22nd by IMF economists who have been studying the aftermath of 88 banking crises over the past four decades, supports Mr Bernanke's cautious talk. While most discussion of the worst recession since the Depression looks at the immediate pain from lost jobs and shuttered shops, the IMF analysis suggests that the effects of the downturn will be felt long after it is technically over.It is not surprising that trouble in the banks results in big drops in GDP: the IMF finds that output per head falls steadily for three years after a typical banking crisis. Recovering from that takes a long time, even after a return to pre-crisis growth rates. Seven years after a typical banking crisis has ended output per head is 10% lower, on average, than it would have been in the absence of a crash. The IMF also finds that recessions (such as this one) that are associated with banking crises lead to output declines that are about three times as large in the medium term as those that follow currency crises (222 of which the fund's economists also scrutinised). ...]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14456879&#x26;fsrc=rss">
<title>The IMF assessed: A good war</title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14456879&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[The IMF has done well under Dominique Strauss-Kahn, but its future is unclearDOMINIQUE STRAUSS-KAHN, the ebullient managing director of the International Monetary Fund, likens its role to that of a doctor. As the crisis has spread, the IMF has been called in to cure ailing economies from Ukraine to Pakistan. It is still too early to judge the success of the fund&#8217;s prescriptions for troubled countries. But the IMF itself is certainly in far ruder health than it was at the start of the financial crisis.Just a year ago the fund&#8217;s finances were in tatters and its relevance was in doubt. During the early stages of an economic crisis that should have been its natural terrain, Barry Eichengreen, an economic historian at the University of California, Berkeley, wrote: &#8220;Global crises used to remind us why we have the IMF. If the fund doesn&#8217;t come up with some new ideas for how to handle this one, the crisis may only remind us why we can forget it.&#8221; ...]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14455617&#x26;fsrc=rss">
<title>The International Monetary Fund: Back from the dead</title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14455617&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[But the IMF is not quite ready for the futureTHE International Monetary Fund has had a good crisis. Two years ago the world&#8217;s main international economic institution was heading for irrelevance, its homilies ignored by rich countries, its advice despised in poorer ones and its lending unnecessary in a world flush with private capital. Today the fund is widely hailed as a flexible and innovative crisis-responder. It has committed over $160 billion in a host of new loans and credit lines, up from barely more than $1 billion in 2007. Its lending capacity is being trebled to $750 billion.This warp-speed revival is the result, in part, of good luck. The sudden slump in private capital flows after the collapse of Lehman Brothers a year ago was calamitous for many emerging economies, but it was a powerful reminder of the importance of an official emergency lender. Good leadership has also played a role. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former French finance minister who took the IMF&#8217;s helm in November 2007, has shown a boldness and political deftness his predecessors lacked. His Keynesian instincts (he hails from France&#8217;s Socialist Party) proved right for the times. His call for a global fiscal stimulus in January 2008, for instance, now seems prescient. He has pushed through reforms that allow the fund to dole out large amounts of money fast, while convincing a broad array of countries, including rising powers like China, India and Brazil, to contribute to its coffers (see article).  ...]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14413372&#x26;fsrc=rss">
<title>The World Bank&#x27;s Doing Business report: Reforming through the tough times</title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14413372&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[A World Bank report makes surprisingly cheerful readingWITH falling sales, rising public indebtedness and surging anti-business sentiment, the past year has been a tough one both for business people and for pro-business policymakers. &#8220;It is not just a crisis of the economy,&#8221; says Mahmoud Mohieldin, Egypt&#8217;s minister of investment. &#8220;It is a crisis of economic thinking. It is a crisis that is confusing many reformers.&#8221;Even so, the World Bank&#8217;s annual Doing Business report*, which tracks changes to the regulations that affect business, suggests that governments have handled the storm well. In the year since June 2008, 131 countries introduced 287 pro-business reforms&#8212;20% more than in the previous 12 months and more than in any year since the World Bank started the survey in 2004.  ...]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.economist.com/world/la/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14416716&#x26;fsrc=rss">
<title>Ecuador, Argentina and the IMF: The price of pride</title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/world/la/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14416716&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Life outside the system becomes a bit harderWHEN the world economy was booming and prices for South America&#8217;s commodities were high, several left-wing governments in the region liberated themselves from what they denounced as the oppressive tutelage of the IMF, and embarked on a dash for growth powered by big increases in public spending. In today&#8217;s straitened times, such policies are harder to finance. First to find this out is Ecuador. High oil prices allowed Rafael Correa, its socialist president, to ramp up spending on social programmes and to win a second term at an election in April. But oil output and remittances from Ecuadoreans abroad are both falling. Despite better tax collection, the budget deficit is heading for around $1.5 billion this year. Since Ecuador adopted the dollar as its currency after a financial meltdown in 1999, the government must borrow this money and cannot print it. ...]]></description>
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