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

Official openingsAfter writing last year about De BeersÔÇÖ progress towards its first diamond mine in Canada, Martin Ashcroft finally has the opportunity to cover not one, but two official openings. A long and winding road reached a milestone in July with the historic official opening of two new diamond mines in Canada. On Friday 25 July, De Beers Canada cut the ribbon on its Snap Lake mine, located 220-kilometres northeast of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories.

A reputation for innovationKeith Regan learns how North American Development GroupÔÇÖs comfort level with more complex projects has helped it add some innovative developments to its portfolio. North American Development Group (NADG) has been in the business of developing retail centers for more than 30 years and over that time has had a hand in developing, redeveloping or acquiring some 17 million square feet of retail and related space.

The winning formulaThe oil and gas production business is enjoying good times on the back of high demand, but Pure Energy is investing in the future as well. Ruari McCallion takes a closer look. Time, money and energy sounds like something Albert Einstein would have developed a formula to describe. Superficially simple, like E = MC2, behind it would be calculations and theories that would make your brain hurt. There is, however, a purer simplicity about the relationship between time (T), money ($) and energy (E): TE = $.