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Articles featured this month in The Wall Street Journal Classroom Edition
INDEX TO BUSINESSES AND BRANDS

COVER STORY: CRUNCH TIME FOR THE ECONOMY

CRUNCH TIME | The massive government rescue of the financial industry may have spared the country a rerun of the Great Depression. But the U.S. economy is still in for a rough couple of years anyway. Article

FEAR FACTOR | The saving and investing habits of young workers have always been dismal. And the recent turmoil in the stock market isn’t helping matters. But the recent decline in stock prices actually favors young investors, because it means the shares they buy are relative bargains, and have more room to grow in the decades before they hit retirement. Article

IT'S NOT 1929 | A long streak of excess lending got out of hand as banks and even some established industrial companies made a stream of risky loans. The stock market grew shaky in September, and then in October, the bottom fell out. The year, of course, was 1929 No doubt, the parallels are stark and frightening. But the differences between now and then are even greater. Article

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Consumers Cut Health Spending Article
Baby Boomers Delay Retirement Article
Nonprofits Brace for Slowdown in Giving Article
Stores Plan for Weak Holiday Sales Article
New York’s Wealthy Economize Article
State, Local Tax Revenue Stagnates Article
Restaurants’ Gloom Spreads Article

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MEDIA

changing their tunes| Apple’s iTunes Music Store has been the runaway hit of the music business, selling more than five billion song downloads since it started five years ago. But a growing number of record companies are trying to steer clear of Apple, because they say selling single songs on iTunes in some cases is crimping overall music sales. Subscribers only

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SEE HEAR: Apple improves iTunes for the blind Article
NEW FORMAT: SanDisk, record companies launch slotMusic Article

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SPORTS

SUDDEN IMPACT | Just a few years ago, Esther Phiri was a struggling single mother with a sixth-grade education selling vegetables on the street in Mutendere, an impoverished neighborhood of Lusaka, Zambia’s capital. This summer, she left Africa for the first time as a world boxing titleholder. Article

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DETERRENT: Study affirms benefits of smoking ban. Article
CONGRESS ACTS: Bill would let FDA regulate tobacco Article

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CAREERS

SUN SEEKER | Nearly anyone who works in a real-estate-related industry is feeling the squeeze of a depressed housing market. But for Brian von Moos, director of business development for Borrego Solar Systems, business is growing, as more homeowners, builders and businesses look to solar energy as a solution to rising energy costs. Article

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HOW I GOT HERE: The NFL’s head of licensing. Article
ALL OF THE ABOVE: Voters want it all on energy. Article
CHILLING VIEW OF WARMING: A review of Thomas L. Friedman’s book “Hot, Flat, and Crowded’ Article
HOT AIR: Early adopters of wind energy aren’t saving much money Article

VIDEO: The rise of green-collar jobs Watch it.

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ON CAMPUS

GIVE ME A BREAK | The first semester of college is a time of immense freedom and excitement—your first opportunity to be a grown-up and live completely on your own! And yet, oddly, by the time November rolls around, the thing you want to do more than anything else in the world is go back home. But my first few visits home turned out to be a minefield of fights with my parents, awkward reunions with my friends, and worries about where I really belonged. Article

LINKS
READ JOURNAL ENTRIES FROM THESE FRESHMEN at Freshman Journal

FREDERICK SCARF: The Freshman 15? Yeah, it’s real.
ANNA FOLSOM: New home feels like camp—for now
EMILY KELLOGG: The circle of college life
CHRISTOPHER LEE: College is about finding your niche

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PERSONAL FINANCE

EXTRA CREDIT | A credit card is a handy thing to have in college. You can have what you want when you want, and worry about paying for it later. But the immediate gratification of using plastic to buy an iMac or concert tickets has a way of coming back to haunt college students after graduation. College students “don’t realize that anything they do now will stay on their credit report for the next seven to 10 years,” says Thomas Fox, community outreach director at Cambridge Credit Counseling Corp. Article

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BIRTHDAY CARD: Celebrating 50 years of plastic Video
NEW CAMPUS CARD: The rise of high-fee debits Article
SKIP THE FREE IPOD: Bad habits can be learned young. Article
FINANCIAL SECURITY FOR COLLEGE GRADS: Jobs that can make the debt payment. Article

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OPINION

SOME GUN LAWS WE CAN ALL AGREE ON | By Michael Bloomberg and Thomas Menino. Article

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR | Read

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QUOTE/UNQUOTE

“Obviously, I would change the title.”

—David Lereah, Author of “ Why the Real Estate Boom Will Not Bust,” published February 2006

With tens of thousands of new books competing for attention each year, authors
are under pressure to write topical books and make some bold claims in their titles. As a result, their works are often overtaken by events. | Read full article

“The draft is the last line of defense for our country.”

—Maj. Greg Park, Oklahoma Army, National Guard

Maj. Park is helping the Selective Service System recruit and train civilians to serve on local draft boards, which determine who deserves to be excused from military service if the draft is reinstated. | Read full article

“It is unique. We get a personal touch when the newspaper is written by hand.”

—Parvez Ali, Indian truck driver

Mr. Ali is a loyal reader of Musalman, an Urdu-language newspaper in Chennai, India. The paper has been handwritten by Urdu calligraphers since it was founded 81 years ago. | Read full article

“I once tried salted whale fat and almost threw up.”

—Sindri Svensson, Age 11, Iceland

After a 20-year ban on commercial whaling, Iceland has resumed limited hunting of minke whale, one of the smallest and most numerous of the main whale species. But marketing the meat to a new generation of Icelanders is proving difficult. | Read full article

“Oftentimes, people over at the hotel will wave.”

—Rick LaBelle, Chicago

Mr. LaBelle bought a downtown condo with glass walls and sweeping views of Lake Michigan—and of the hotel across the street. The lack of privacy forced his daughter to retreat to a bathroom to dress. | Read full article

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COLLEGE FINANCE

College Hopefuls Forced to Lower Sights | The weakening economy is forcing many to consider less prestigious schools. Article

Tuition Increases at Colleges Slow | Torrential increases in college tuition have abated, according to the College Board. But observers warn that the easing will almost certainly be short-lived. Article

High-Degree Holders Show Power | Workers with professional degrees were the only group to see their inflation-adjusted earnings increase. Article

What Every Freshman Needs to Know | If you're about to start your freshman year in college, the one thing likely neither you nor your parents is focusing on is money. To start your adult life on the best financial footing, consider these 10 rules while you're in school. Article

Students Face Steep Curve in Landing Private Loans | Private lenders are tightening requirements. Here's what students need to know. Article

Score More Financial Aid | Education costs are skyrocketing. Here's how to maximize the financial aid that's out there. Article

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