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Inside the World
of Blizzard

The recent $18.9 billion merger of Activision and Blizzard created the gaming industry¹s biggest player. But Blizzard is worth much more than its greatest hit, World of Warcraft

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BAA, the operator of many of Britain's major airports (including Heathrow - Europe's busiest) may have to sell up to three of its airports to meet competition requirements by the country's regulators. This is a major blow for BAA and its Spanish owner Ferrovial, which just completed a huge $25 billion debt restructuring for the airports.

—Mark Scott, Europe Insight

Saks just reported a wider second quarter loss. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I am not surprised. No, not because the U.S. economy is shrinking and the dollar is getting sand kicked on it by a pumped-up euro, but because while Saks positions itself as a luxury brand it just isn't quite luxurious-or global-enough.

—Charles Dubow, The Business of Luxury

The Amish have moved away from strictly farming and diversified into various other ventures. Could this be the start of a new trend in small business: the Amish workforce? In this time of rising costs due to fuel spikes, and the loss of manufacturing jobs as a result of outsourcing, tapping into this hardworking domestic set of ready-made workers is attractive.

—Stacy Perman, The New Entrepreneur

I have been predicting that Medvedev's performance will lead to his replacement on the 2012 presidential ticket. Putin surely won't tolerate a leader indecisive at the moment of truth, and will find someone else to run.

—Steve LeVine, The Oil and the Glory

Is Microsoft's vision of search enough to catch Google? Short answer: No. Not even close. Not for a long time, anyway.

—Rob Hof, Tech Beat

The New York Times just revealed a secret project we've been working on for nearly two years: The Business Exchange. The new product, to debut on Sept. 3, brings our reader engagement initiative to a new level. It allows users to create their own business topics on our site. Our search engines will then crawl the Web to capture every story and every blog post written on any topic. Readers also can post links to stories and blogs we miss-and also add their own perspectives on all this news, analysis, and opinion.

—John A. Byrne, What's Your Story Idea?

You have to hand it to Nike for being fast. Within 24 hours of the heartbreaking departure of Chinese superstar hurdler Liu Xiang on Monday, Nike's ad team at Wieden + Kennedy came up with a new ad capitalizing on the country's collective grief and disappointment over Liu's agonizing withdrawal with an Achilles tendon injury.

—Frederik Balfour, Eye on Asia

To halt climate change, we need to start capturing the millions of tons of CO2 pouring out of the world's electricity plants. So far, most of the focus has been on pumping the CO2 back underground, to bind with rocks. But Calera, a California-based startup says it can capture and stash more than 90% of the CO2 in cement to make sidewalks, buildings, and roads-- man's version of rocks.

—Adam Aston, Green Biz

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Get Smart? Or Maybe Not

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News & Analysis

Merrill, Goldman, Deutsche in Auction-Rate Deal

Big banks agree to pay millions in fines and refund money to investors who bought the risky securities

Great Firewall of China Silences iTunes

China may be upset about a 'Tibet Solidarity' album that's being downloaded, says blogger Frederik Balfour

Plus: Palm Goes Pro

Seinfeld for Microsoft: An Advertisement about Nothing?

Blogger David Kiley says spending $10 million on a celebrity campaign is a risky way to relaunch a troubled product

Oil Price Jumps $5

Prices rise to their highest level in two weeks, over $122 a barrel

Plus: Economic Indicators Point Down

Credit Cards Replace Small Biz Loans

As commerical loans become harder to find, small business owners give in to aggressive marketing and get slammed with 30% interest rates

Slide Show: Evaluating Top Small Business Credit

Executive Summary

Tensions between the U.S. and Russia stoke oil prices, GameStop nearly triples sales, and more business news from around the Web

Dialogue with Readers

Companies

For Steuben's Craftsmen, a Fragile Future

After decades of taking a loss on the high-end glassmaker, Corning has sold Steuben Glass to private equity firm Schottenstein

Investing

When Will Casinos Snap Their Losing Streak?

A tough economy and steep fuel prices are hurting Las Vegas and other casino areas. Relief might not come anytime soon

S&P on Banks and the Rough Road Ahead

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Technology

Olympic Winner: Online Video

The success of NBC and Yahoo in attracting viewers is showing advertisers the value of placing messages alongside Internet video

Book Publishers: Learn From Web 2.0

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Global Business

Fresenius Stays Strong in Tough Times

The health-care company's products are virtually immune to recession, and it has used the strong euro to acquire U.S. drugmaker APP Pharmaceuticals

English Soccer's Global Reach Scores Big

Slide Show: England's Highest-Paid Footballers

Probe into Spanair Crash Begins

Chinese Censors Silence iTunes

Innovation & Design

Podcast: The View from 1,614 Feet

Just as new world records are set at the Beijing Olympics, the race to construct the world's tallest building continues

Lotus Concept Ice Vehicle

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Small Business

Success on a Shoestring

An entrepreneur explains how his company grew from two to over 50 employees in 15 years and doubled revenues every year for the past four, without venture capital

Making Remote Check Deposit Real

Plus: Video: High-Tech Banking

Starting a Business Development Center in Nigeria

Podcast: The One Minute Entrepreneur

Blog: Why Stay Small?

Today's Tip: Lead with a Beginner's Mind

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Managing

Interactive Case Study: Keeping Knowledge in the Company

A pilot program at American Express gives soon-to-be retirees less work and more time to pass along their expertise to younger generations

The Ethics of Protesting

Go For It, Brett

Board Governance 101: Lessons from Alcatel-Lucent

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Business Schools

Swinging for Sport Management

Getting into the sport management business allows mere mortals to share the glory and the rewards. A look at choosing an undergraduate program

Slide Show: Students of Sport Management

Goizueta Unveils New Curriculum

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Lifestyle

Lotus to Develop Bio-fuel Engine

The new OMNIVORE engine concept will significantly increase fuel efficiency for sustainable bio alcohol fuels

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The Debate Room

Anorexia: A Media-Borne Illness

TV, magazines, and the Internet are to blame for today's artificial standard of beauty and the resulting low self-esteem and eating disorders among girls and women. Pro or con?