The price of crude oil, gold, copper and other commodities has fallen on world markets as hurricane Gustav spared the US Gulf states from the devastation caused by Katrina and Rita in 2005.   ┬á Crude oil for October delivery fell as low as $105.46 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, 8.7 percent less than on 29 August. Today's trading is combined with yesterday's for settlement purposes because of the Labor Day holiday in the US.

Oak Ridge National LaboratoryKeith Regan learns that the interdisciplinary approach may hold the key to unlocking biofuels that do not compete with food crops. In the search for alternatives to fossil fuels in the transportation realm, biofuels are considered the most viable short-term alternative. However, traditional biofuels made from food stocks such as corn and soy pose their own inherent problem: they create competition for prime farmland and force growers to choose between producing crops for fuel or food.

Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center The director of the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center tells Keith Regan that itÔÇÖs only a matter of time before the key is found to creating transportation biofuels out of grasses and trees. The current crop of biofuels generates more than its share of heated debate. Created from the sugars in corn and soy, the existing version of ethanol puts transportation needs in competition with food supplies.

Microsoft Corp., the worldÔÇÖs largest software maker, agreed to buy Greenfield Online Inc. for $486 million in a move that will strengthen its search and e-commerce services in Europe. ┬á The acquisition will boost Microsoft into the European market for shopping comparison Web sites that sell computers, cameras and other retail products. ┬á MicrosoftÔÇÖs failed bid for Yahoo! Inc. earlier this year left the software giant searching for ways to catch Google Inc. and boost its Internet business.

A welcoming look at the cityThereÔÇÖs a new rapid transit line coming to ease the congestion of traveling between Vancouver, Richmond and the international airport that serves them, Jane Bird explains to Gary Toushek. The transportation corridor between downtown Vancouver (British Columbia) in the north and downtown Richmond to the south is one of the most congested in the Greater Vancouver area, in both directions.┬áWith its dense neighborhoods, the area encompasses one-third of the regionÔÇÖs jobs and 20 percent of its population.

Getting to the root of biofuelsKeith Regan learns that the interdisciplinary approach may hold the key to unlocking biofuels that do not compete with food crops. In the search for alternatives to fossil fuels in the transportation realm, biofuels are considered the most viable short-term alternative. However, traditional biofuels made from food stocks such as corn and soy pose their own inherent problem: they create competition for prime farmland and force growers to choose between producing crops for fuel or food.

A place to stay ÔÇö for 50 yearsPhilippe Gadbois of Atlific Hotels & Resorts tells Ruari McCallion about new ideas after the firmÔÇÖs 50 years in the hotel business in Canada. ItÔÇÖs just coming up to half a century since Holiday Inn awarded its first franchises in Canada. One of the two companies selected was Atlific Hotels & Resorts, founded in 1959 and based in Montreal.

Nothing but upside When Compton Petroleum learned of cutting-edge technology that could increase safety, protect the environment and save money, the company moved quickly, as Keith Regan explains. When John Kendrick, manager of environmental, health and safety at Compton Petroleum Corporation learned of a new infrared camera technology that could help pinpoint gas leaks, he began to do his homework and prepare a case for laying out the capital expenditure to acquire the technology. ÔÇ£I put together a PowerPoint presentation with maybe 20 slides or so,ÔÇ

Nothing but upside When Compton Petroleum learned of cutting-edge technology that could increase safety, protect the environment and save money, the company moved quickly, as Keith Regan explains. When John Kendrick, manager of environmental, health and safety at Compton Petroleum Corporation learned of a new infrared camera technology that could help pinpoint gas leaks, he began to do his homework and prepare a case for laying out the capital expenditure to acquire the technology. ÔÇ£I put together a PowerPoint presentation with maybe 20 slides or so,ÔÇ