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Addresses the issue of lead poisoning facing households in the U.S. Number of homes with lead paint; Incidence of lead poisoning in children; Differences in the prevalence of lead in various U.S. regions; Range of developmental disabilities and health problems associated with lead; Ways to safeguard the family from lead exposure and poisoning. INSET: Getting Rid of Lead Safely.

Focuses on the electronic-procurement technology, a method of electronically interacting with suppliers in the U.S. Reasons behind the success of the technology; Procedures of the electronic-procurement technology; Information on the Worldwide Retail Exchange launched by retailers.

Features the cities of Boston, Baltimore and Atlanta as an alternative destinations for designers and other creative people in the United States. Overview of the demand for creative workers; Availability of wireless design projects; Opportunity for career development and recreation.

Presents information on freebie Web sites in the United States. Name of site; Function of the site; Base of operations; Target audience; Number of users per week; Content; Features; Usability; Advertising options; Business performance; YourFreeStuff.com; EasyFreebies.com; Freaky Freddie's Free Funhouse; FreeSamples.com; FreeCenter.com.

Provides information on allergy. Author's experience with food allergy; Symptoms of allergies on women; Pathology of allergy; Allergies that can turn into asthma, a chronic condition that causes inflammation of the lungs and makes breathing difficult; Factors causing allergies and asthma. INSET: The Big Three..

Discusses alternatives to credit cards being evaluated by Internet retailers in the United States. Percentage of Americans that do not own or cannot qualify for a credit card; Payment products that are based on proprietary technology; Availability of stored credit and accumulating-balance currencies; Technical requirements of payment options.

Focuses on Amazon.com and the three rivals challenging the company for the online book business in the United States. Growth of Amazon.com; Barnes & Noble's launch of its online store Barnesandnoble.com; Borders.com's cross-promotional efforts; Profile of Fatbrain.com.

Discusses the dispute on whether to use or not use the United States' cable system to provide customers of Internet service providers with high-speed service via AT&T facilities. Views of supporters; Opinions of providers against the issue. INSETS: Point-Counterpoint;Legislating Open Access;The Access Battle Is Joined.

Discusses the implementation of standards for the cable industry in the United States. Regulations for digital television by the United States Federal Communications Commission; Comments from Wayne Davis, vice president of engineering at Jones Intercable Inc.; Information on Cable Television Laboratories Inc.

Looks at several online companies using the viral marketing techniques in the United States. Forecast on the growth of viral marketing by 2005; Drawbacks of viral marketing; Evolution of Gazooba.com's viral marketing services.

Focuses on United States-based online media buying exchanges' challenge of winning advertising buyers in an economic downtown. Exchanges' connection of advertisers with advertising agencies and broadcast, radio, print and online media outlets; Touted advantages of the exchanges; Challenge of persuading skeptics.

Reports on the highlights of the Streaming Media East 2000 conference held in New York City, to demonstrate the potential of streaming media technologies. RealNetworks' announcement of a deal to provide support for its main competitor Apple Computer Inc.'s QuickTime technology; Microsoft Corp.'s demonstration of its new Windows Media client.

Focuses on Cable Television Laboratories Inc.'s (CableLabs) search for separate standards for set-top and cable modems. Information on the set-tops that are governed by the OpenCable initiative; Details on the modem standard called Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS); What the standards for high-definition television (HDTV) are dependent on; Comments from Rouzbeh Yassini, executive consultant at CableLabs.

Focuses on the responsibilities of Elizabeth Schutt as director and curator of Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum in Tonawanda, New York. Restoration and maintenance of horses in the museum; Historical background of the museum; Enjoyment of Schutt in her work.

Focuses on the number of students watching television programs in New York City. Assessment of the viewing habits of the children; Factors considered in the selection of television shows; Ability of the parents to understand the needs of the children.

Presents tips in conducting a search for unclaimed property in the U.S. Web site of the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators; Investigation of old tax refunds; Provision of personal information for the state's unclaimed property office.

Presents a column on the use of technology in education. Examination of Milwaukee's teacher-mentoring program which is online; History of the growth of the program; How the program helps save the school districts money; How it works; Ability to interact through the portal or in person; Belief the system prevents teacher resignations; Comments from a user.

Reports on edge technologies pushed by certain United States companies to enable the delivery of broadcast-quality streaming media directly to cable headends, via content-distribution networks (CDN). Two types of edge technology, CDN and edge service providers; Benefits to cable television operators; Companies including Cidera Inc., Orblynx Inc., Adero, Kamai Technologies and Digital Island.

Examines several challenges facing the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) in the United States. Sluggishness of the speed of WAP content received by wireless mobile radios; Absence of technology needed for the handset to send and receive encrypted packets; Decline of WAP content development resulting from the dispute between Geoworks and Phone.com.

Reports the formation of Wireless DSL Consortium (WDC) by technology suppliers in New Orleans, Louisiana. Efforts to support the creation and advancement of Multipoint multichannel distribution service standards; Role of WDC in the testing and verification of standards-based products; Plans of implementing non-line-of-sight solutions.

Discusses how United States developers of children's television programming are turning to international co-productions to narrow the gap between production costs and profit. Fragmentation of the television industry; Reliance on physical humor and gestures rather than language to keep a program moving; Including English-speaking writers in the creative process to keep scripts interesting for an American audience.

Focuses on Santa Barbara, California-based Internet company ants.com. Company background; Services offered by the company to freelance business consultants; Expansion plans.

Reports that Cablevision Systems has no plans to migrate its Optimum Online customers to the high-speed cable service of Excite@Home in Long Island, New York. Problem of Cablevision with @Home service in Connecticut; Other operators experiencing difficulties with @Home system.

Discusses the fight of cable operators with local governments about the opening of local cable systems to Internet providers in the United States. Reasons operators are fighting open access; Details on cable companies that filed lawsuits about open access; Statement issued by Paul Di Senso of SRI Consulting.

Deals with the legislation that will force cable companies in the United States to open their networks to Internet carriers. Information on the proposal of Representative Ed Markey; Background of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

Reports on the introduction of the Internet Freedom Act, a legislation that would open up broadband communication competition in the United States. Sponsor of the legislation; Provisions of the bill.

Reports on mergers and acquisitions among cable companies in the United States. Cox Communications Inc.'s acquisition of TCA Cable TV; Microsoft Corp.'s negotiation with Cable & Wireless Inc. to buy more than 30 percent of its British cable holdings; Factors driving the merger activity.

Features Prestige Cable TV, a family-owned cable operator with subscriber clusters in Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia. Number of video channels offered by Prestige to its customers; Cable modem service fee; Cost of modems; Technical challenges faced by the company.

Highlights a study conducted by Cahners InStat Group showing that cable operators may not have the capacity if an all-encompassing digital must-carry ruling is put into effect by the United States Federal Communications Commission. Problems facing AT&T Corp.'s plans to provide local phone service; Estimated cost of digital must-carry to the cable industry.

Reports on the merger of cable companies Comcast and MediaOne in the United States. Terms of agreement; Association of Comcast-MediaOne merger and At Home and Road Runner merger; Role of Microsoft Corp. in the Road Runner-At Home merger; Implications for cable operators.

Reports on Internet service provider MindSpring Enterprises Inc.'s provision of high-speed cable modem access in Montgomery, Alabama. Expansion plans in four other Southern cities by the end of 1999.

Reports on US West's plan to roll out video-on-demand (VOD), along with its Very High Data Rate Digital Subscriber Line service, in March 1999 in Arizona. Company's conduct of VOD trials in Boulder and Denver, Colorado; Type of technology used by the company to deliver VOD; Introduction of the @TV integration service.

Focuses on the question raised by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (FCC) on the merger of AT&T Corp. and Tele-Communications Inc., Bell Atlantic Corp. and GTE Corp. and SBC Communications Inc. and Ameritech Corp. Why the FCC scrutinizes the proposed mergers; Background about the three mergers; Comments from several executives of telecommunication companies.

Presents the results of a survey conducted by International Data Corp. regarding information appliances and Internet-enabled television. Projected growth for Internet appliances; Statistics on worldwide shipment of Internet appliances in 1997; Market performance of Internet gaming devices; Forecast on NetTV appliances.

Provides information on the broadcasting of digital television (DTV) in the United States. Problems faced by broadcasters; Estimated total audience of the broadcast; Price range of DTV.

Reports on Internet access services offered to retail outlets, with reference to the service provided by Burger King restaurant, located at 182 Broadway, New York. How access is provided; Identification of other retail outlets where services will be provided; Comments from Paul Johnson, an analyst at International Data Corp.

Reports on efforts to define protocols for television programming with enhanced data with the establishment of the Advanced Television Enhanced Forum (ATVEF). Expected goals of the protocols; Aim of the ATVEF Comment Draft Specification Version 1.0; Comments from Cynthia Brumfield, senior analyst at Paul Kagan and Associates Inc. INSET: Members only.

Discusses the expected battle between broadcast stations and cable companies regarding broadcasting digital broadcast must-carriage. Circumstances surrounding the battle; Reference to a proposal made by the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992; Options which are available in the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed rule-making; Suggestions for solutions.

Reports that the consortium of colleges and nonprofit agencies, the Instructional Television Frequence Services (ITS) is objecting to the giving of permanent two-way licenses to wireless cable companies in the United States. Impact this objection could have on the wireless industry; Comments from John Mansell, analyst from Paul Kagan Associates Inc.; Details on the Wireless Communications Association International's 11th Annual Convention which was held in Pennsylvania.

Presents information on the wireless cable market in the United States. Comments from Andrew Kreig, president of Wireless Communications Association International; In-depth look at wireless cable; Popularity of wireless cable; Changes made to wireless cable.

Reports that @Home Network Corporation's @Work business arm has entered the outsourcing market. Information on the company's Cox@Work Internet hybrid outsourcing services; Comment from Don Hutchison, senior vice president and general manager of the @Work division; Other services provided by the company.

Looks at several Web sites in the United States using the viral marketing technique. Reason for the success of viral marketing; Views of Adam Roth, vice president of marketing at Asimba.com, on the benefits of viral marketing; Problems with the viral promotion made by home furnishings retailer Ikea.

The article reports that credit card companies decreased their television (TV) advertising spending by 30 percent in 2009. A summary of the U.S. Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009 is presented. The act restricts credit card companies from marketing to consumers under the age of 21, and as a result young adults above 21 will be the card companies' target market.

The article discusses the economic impact of the U.S. Credit CARD Act of 2009, on the credit card industry. The bill limits the amount of rate increases on existing balances, decreases marketing to individuals under the age of 21, and curbs the amount of over-limit fees a company can charge. An in-depth discussion regarding the impact the restrictions have had on the way credit card companies conduct business, such as the amount spent on marketing, is presented.

The article focuses on the efforts of U.S. marketers to determine the integrated message effects of product placement. It describes the method employed by Marketing Evolution. Information on the Branded Entertainment service added by TNS Media Intelligence is given. It describes how the Q-Ratio of iTVX works. Industry executives issued statements analyzing the marketing trend.

Reports on television programs that improved the ratings of television networks in the U.S. in 2005. Success of American Broadcasting Co. brought about by "Soccer Moms"; Consistency of the ratings of "Everybody Loves Raymond"; Comedy shows that will be aired by National Broadcasting Co. Inc.

The article presents information about the performance of stocks of six top business enterprises in Chicago, Illinois. Sears, Roebuck and Co. has steadily lost market share the past 20 years to discounters and specialty merchants. But due to big stock buybacks, its stock has been performing well in the market. Walgreen Co. faces a serious challenge to its pharmacy business from mail-order drugs. If the company can embrace mail-order itself on a large scale, its employees can consider buying its stocks.

Don't buy companies — buy products. That strategy has helped Glenview-based Illinois Tool Works Inc., a manufacturer of products ranging from plastic packaging to construction fasteners, experience a 17% jump in revenues, to $5.7 billion, for the first half of 2004, compared with the year-ago period. Illinois Tool Works Inc., which made 18 acquisitions, representing $415 million in acquired revenue, in the first six months of 2004, believes in the 80/20 rule — that 80% of a business' sales come from 20% of its product offerings.