Street musicians seem to be more visible in New York City these days. Could this be a sign of the economy worsening? The other night I saw a guy playing a piano, yes, a whole piano he had hauled into the West 4th Street subway station. It's almost become a competition for performers to suss out...

With the president's signing into law the $787 billion economic stimulus plan earlier this week, the scramble has begun to figure out how it gets spent. A new official site, Recovery.gov, shows a time line of how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will unfold and an overview of the major...

Now that Congress has delivered to the president the economic-stimulus bill for his expected signature, how much aid will your state get in the final compromise package? The Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank updated an online map on February 13 to show state-by-state funding...

In this era of pink slips, the prospect of a new four-star hotel, retail, entertainment and residential complex in Las Vegas hiring thousands seems like a mirage in the desert. Yet, the MGM Mirage (NYSE: MGM) CityCenter complex is seeking more than 12,000 permanent employees, in addition to over...

It's getting to be the time of year when young goblins rule the streets, but some everyday items may include more trick than treat. While officials this fall are on the lookout for stores stocking candy laced with the harmful chemical melamine, yard-sale shoppers might be wise to be wary of plastic...

Don't fret if you didn't celebrate Museum Day, the round-the-country free-admission extravaganza arranged by the Smithsonian on September 27. Several corporations have been stepping up so you can steep yourself in culture, admission-free, on other dates. If you carry a Bank of America card, you're...

Computer meltdowns, data loss, spyware invasions - all the demons of the digital age I'd read about but never thought would visit my home PC. After all, I protected my home computer with a firewall, virus protection software and an anti-spyware program. Plus I had a subscription to Carbonite, an...

The life-changing possibilities offered by the humble library card continue. The free classes at New York Public Libraries stretch beyond English literacy, basic computer skills and genealogy research. Many computer classes are even offered in Spanish. In Queens libraries, instructors teach in...

With one card, I gain entree to some of the best consumer values in New York City: a computer with high-speed internet and access to sophisticated search engines, dozens of classes and performances, music, video and research help. My card even lets me access much of this from home. I'm talking...