As deficits impede the government from improving and repairing roads, bridges and airports, they are becoming increasingly amenable to the idea of a partnership with the private sector. Of late, big banks like Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse are starting to take an interest in financing massive infrastructure projects.

Earlier this year, the Fed slashed interest rates to 2%, a figure that remained unchanged after a recent meeting. Analysts expect that the rate will not rise until some time next year.

While the Fed claims to have reduced rates to aid the floundering US housing sector, many economists believe that this will only further cripple the economy.

Let's pull off the Band-Aid quickly. You've come to believe that mutual funds are a smart place to put your money. They're not.

That's the assessment of the smartest minds in finance, supported by a mountain of historical data. If you own actively managed mutual funds, you will almost certainly retire with less money -- a lot less money -- than if you'd simply dumped your money into boring index funds. So two questions: How can this possibly be true? And why, in gleeful defiance of the data, do more people keep buying mutual funds every year?

Jim Rogers, CEO of Rogers Holdings has criticized the Fed for flooding the system with liquidity and accepting mortgage-backed securities as guarantees. He advocates that the bank be abolished as a means to help the economy.

Working for the man is becoming obsolete. Employees and customers want to work for and support companies that share their ethical values, says Sanders. He believes we are in the midst of a "responsibility revolution" in which sustainable business practices and social responsibility will become something no company can afford to ignore. Ultimately, it's all about doing good at work -- why sustainability and corporate responsibility are becoming easier -- and necessary for survival.

What do you mean by is saving the world at work?

Chris Dewolfe, the lanky, shaggily hip CEO of Myspace, is holding his last meeting of the day from a prone position, a collection of long limbs stacked on a tiny red love seat. The early evening powwow, taking place in the cramped office of his senior communications director, is interrupted when I come crashing in to say good-bye.

Early next month, United Airlines will no longer offer complimentary snacks to economy class fliers across North America, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. One month after, it will stop offering complimentary meals in domestic business class for most flights. In a double whammy, it will also raise the prices of food you can buy on board.

Although eBay is making changes to its fee structure ? emphasizing fixed prices over the auction model it's known for following, Schonfeld writes, "the Web has moved on and eBay is stuck in still waters." Page views are down 15% year-over-year, while the stock is down 26%.

"I suspect we're hated," says John Quinn, flashing a small but satisfied smile. Quinn is exaggerating, but not by much. He's the lead partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges, an offbeat Los Angeles -- based law firm that has been stepping on a lot of white-shod toes in its ascent to -- some might say assault on -- the highest stratum of the elite corporate legal community. "It's sort of a mix of disdain and jealousy," says partner Patrick Shields.

Kunz lists several ways in which Twitter could potentially try to make money, and then systematically takes apart each and everyone of these.

Twitter could ask users to pay ? but once a free service has already been established, it's hard to get them to pony up.

Twitter could get messages to pay by selling them as product placement ? users would likely rebel if their tweets were hijacked for text ads.