Commentary

Consuming Passions
By Candice Zachariahs

Can we shop our way to happily ever after?
Agricultural Revolution
By Gabrielle Coppola

NAFTA is about to free Mexican corn from trade-limiting tariffs. If it’s such good news for farmers south of the border, why are they up in arms about it?
Fuelish Choices
By Jennifer Leigh Hodson

Coal by any other name is just as devastating to the environment. If you think liquefying it makes it green, take a drive through Appalachian coal country.
Money Talks
By Simone Baribeau

Should you tell your co-workers how much you make? In a recent survey, 88 percent of respondents said no. I say, “You bet.” And I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is.
Business Cycles
By Debra Conn Borchardt

Mountain biking can lead a town to economic recovery, but will the town take a ride?

Behind the News

Riding With the Fishes
By Wayne Ma

New York City Transit plans to dispose of 1,600 old subway cars off the Atlantic coast. But do the cost savings for the city outweigh the environmental costs to the ocean?
Live, From a Stage 1,000 Miles Away
By Ryan Derousseau

Fabchannel.com streams real-time concerts from a club in the Netherlands to a computer near you. Cool. But is it profitable?
Good Enough for Government Work?
By Debra Conn Borchardt

It’s official. Federal procurement offices must find bio-based products that don’t use fossil fuels. Soy ink anyone?
Regulation Nation
By Simone Baribeau

As the world waits for a resolution to the subprime debacle, many state governments have jumped in and proposed legislation to protect consumers and the economy.
Woman’s Work
By Aliza Rosenbaum

As more women walk away from careers on Wall Street in search of a better work/family balance, some major firms have launched aggressive programs to woo them back.
The Rise of the Asian Art Market
By Eva Woo

Newly wealthy investors from emerging markets are pushing prices for the works of contemporary Asian artists to heights never seen before. Is it just another bubble?
Paper Chase
By Samar Srivastava

How can newspapers stop the slide in circulation numbers? Redefine circulation. But will advertisers buy the new formula?

Crunching the Numbers

That’s a Lot of Moolah!

When the Washington Post listed the five top-paid CEOs for 2005, we decided to look back and see how much their total compensation changed over the past three years. The results are surprising. For one executive, payday grew 1,000 percent, but for another, it was down by almost half.

CEO	2003	2005
Dale Wolf, Coventry Health Care	$6,568,396	$11,803,351
Douglas McCorkindale, Gannett	$17,085,879	$8,893,560
Paul Saville, NVR	$900,000	$10,529,663
Daniel Hesse, Spring Nextel	NA	$10,125,808
Thomas Fitzpatrick, SLM	$21,192,390	$24,271,120

Source: Compensation data from Hay Group. Totals include base salary, cash bonus, and equity compensation, including stock options.

Biz Poll

Do you think it's a good idea to tell your co-workers how much you make?

Yes (0%)
No (0%)

Loading ...

Mint translates financial transactions into colorful, eye-popping graphics.

Free and Easy

A new Web site makes managing your finances painless by doing most of the work for you, and it dispenses the kind of penny-pinching advice your parents did. It's the perfect recipe to appeal to young up-and-comers. Or so Mint believes.

By Wayne Ma

Well-Farmed Chefs

By Jennifer Leigh Hodson

At a culinary school in Colorado, students are learning about food at the source -- down on the farm.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

By Eva Woo

Tom Beachy thinks there’s money to be made in giant-pumpkin seeds. But will growers pay for something they’ve always gotten for free?

Chip Chop

By Candice Zachariahs

Online gaming enthusiasts take to the courts and the halls of Congress to fight internet betting bans.

Digital Easter Egg Hunt

By Samar Srivastava

Programmers hide them everywhere. In your video games, your DVDs and CDs, your computer applications. But they're not always easy to find. Here's how you can get in the game.

Bugged!

By Simone Baribeau

Overwhelmed by an onslaught of vermin, urban dwellers are taking matters into their own hands. Underground — but not that far underground — New York City's illegal pesticide market is booming.

The One-Dollar Solution

By Gabrielle Coppola

Waldo’s Mart, a scrappy Mexican discount chain, is thriving in Mexico’s sluggish economy, while Wal-Mart, the behemoth of retail, is suffering. Does the upstart know something the world’s largest retailer doesn’t?

Murdoch Means Business

By Aliza Rosenbaum

The launch of Fox Business News was the equivalent of an earthquake in the small world of business news television, causing some chaos—but hopefully no deaths. Yet.