Business

"Sue," the Tyranosaurus rex skeleton, is one of the most famous exhibits at Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History

Chicago's Famed Field Museum Struggles To Dig Out Of A Hole

8:25pm May 06, 2013

by Cheryl Corley

The museum, already hard-hit by the economic crash, didn't meet projected fundraising and attendance numbers, and now must make up a $5 million budget deficit. The shortfall forced it to sell some items in its renowned collection.

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With instant messages buzzing, emails pinging and texts ringing, how can employers increase productivity in the workplace? Software companies are tackling the problem, tracking employees' computer time to find ways to improve their efficiency.

When It Comes To Productivity, Technology Can Hurt And Help

3:27pm May 06, 2013

by Yuki Noguchi

With more employees working on the road and more distracting technologies in the office, some companies are creating new ways to improve efficiency. One software firm helps identify wasted time, while another makes it easier for co-workers to collaborate.

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Why Calif. Doesn't Want Smokers To Pay More For Health Insurance

3:27pm May 06, 2013

by Stephanie O'Neill

The federal health law allows states to charge smokers up to 50 percent more for a health plan sold through the new exchanges. But a bill moving forward in the California Legislature would prevent that from happening.

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Virgin Galactic Reaches Milestone In Space Tourism Industry

3:27pm May 06, 2013

by Wendy Kaufman

Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson's space tourism venture, cleared a big hurdle Monday with its first powered test flight. Virgin Galactic plans to start taking "space tourists" for rides early next year. A ticket is expected to cost $200,000.

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Spice Girls Musical To Close Early

6:48am May 06, 2013

The London show will close in June after just six months on the stage. Scathing reviews and terrible ticket sales are to blame. The show reportedly has lost more than $7 million.

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Obama Encourages U.S., Mexico To Focus On Economic Relations

12:14pm May 03, 2013

by Carrie Kahn

President Barack Obama is in Mexico for talks with President Enrique Pena Nieto and a speech to young people. His trip aims to highlight the strong ties between the neighbors as well as the need for continuing cooperation on security and immigration matters.

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Construction workers move a framed wall into place at a new housing development in San Mateo, Calif.

Housing Recovery Lifts Other Sectors, Too

6:00pm May 02, 2013

by John Ydstie

Healthy increases in construction and home sales are boosting things like sales of pickups and landscaping, which, in turn, lead to more hiring. But federal budget cuts may undermine that momentum, economists say.

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Employers using the E-Verify program are required to post an E-Verify Participation Poster, shown here in a handout photo. A Senate bill would make participation in the system, used to check employees' immigration status, mandatory for all employers.

National

Bill Would Put Immigration Verification System To The Test

5:27pm May 02, 2013

by Ted Robbins

The Senate's immigration bill would require all U.S. employers to use E-Verify, a federal database that checks a worker's immigration status instantly. While businesses have had difficulty using the system in the past, officials say its results are now accurate 98 percent of the time.

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Casual clothing detail fashion background made in the USA

Ethical Fashion: Is The Tragedy In Bangladesh A Final Straw?

4:05pm May 02, 2013

Since a garment factory collapsed last month in Dhaka, killing more than 400 people, ethical fashion has been in the spotlight. Elizabeth Cline, author of Overdressed: The Shockingly High Price of Cheap Fashion, explains the economy that created this tragedy and what we can do to fix it.

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A Look Ahead At The Future Of Tech

2:14pm May 02, 2013

Technology's already changed our lives in ways we couldn't have imagined just a few years ago. As part of Talk of the Nation's "Looking Ahead" series, Farhad Manjoo, technology columnist for Slate.com, discusses what's changing and how it will change us.

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