Business - Investor's Business Daily

Oil: With the long July Fourth weekend, you might get a chance to see your senator or representative. If so, you should be ready to dispel a few myths politicians now have about drilling for more oil.

Steel and mining stocks tumbled Wednesday, but as China and India continue to build their way into the 21st century, steel and the iron ore and coking coal to make it are still hot commodities.

The European Central Bank hiked its benchmark interest rate by a quarter-point 20hursday but signaled no more boosts are on the way, giving the dollar a lift.

Employers shed jobs in June for a sixth straight month and the service sector unexpectedly reversed, according to reports out Thursday.

1 The 6th straight monthly payrolls drop was in line with forecasts, though April and May payrolls were revised lower. That bodes ill for the economy, but recessions typically have bigger job cuts. Unemployment stayed at 5.5%, defying forecasts for a dip after May's spike. Factories and home builders slashed staff. Rising jobless claims signal more job losses ahead.

About 55% of U.S. adults have high-speed Internet access at home, up from 47% a year ago, says a new study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. But 27% of Americans continue have no access at all, and many prefer not to have it. People without Internet access give several reasons for not logging on, with 33% saying they're not interested, 12% saying it's not available, 9% saying it's too frustrating, 7% saying it's too pricey and 7% saying it's a waste of time. Dial-up users give similar reasons for having a slow connection rather than high-speed access.

At a reunion in Bogota, ex-Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt embraced her children for the first time since her abduction six years ago, saying the thought of them helped her survive the ordeal. She and 14 other hostages, including three Americans, were rescued from FARC rebels in the Colombian jungle. The gov't said its spies tricked the rebels into handing over their most prized hostages without firing a shot.

To try to reduce rising state energy and employee gas bills, Utah will switch thousands of jobs to a 4-day workweek. Employees will work 10-hour days and be paid the same as before. GOP Gov. Jon Huntsman's order will affect 17,000 executive-branch employees. Ark., N.M. and Idaho are mulling similar moves.

The benchmark 30-year fixed home loan rate fell 10 basis points to 6.35%, ending a 5-week uptrend to a 9-month peak, mortgage finance giant Freddie Mac said. Weaker economic data made a Fed rate hike less likely, pushing Treasury yields and mortgage rates lower. The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage slid 12 ticks to 5.92%. The 1-year ARM fell 10 basis points to 5.17%.

That's essentially the idea with the 10-week moving average.

The aging of America is posing new burdens on families, communities and government agencies, as more seniors suffer from memory loss or dementia due to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

A nonprofit group that's using software to scour the ocean floor off Britain for the wreck of a ship commanded by Revolutionary War hero John Paul Jones is getting help from another technological marvel: a nuclear submarine.

Corporate giants such as Starbucks Coffee (NasdaqGS:SBUX - News) use mapping tools to select where to build stores. But that application only scratches the surface. Details on geographic information system (GIS) technology:

As America struggled early in its history, he would urge confrontation when others preferred waiting.

Now televisions, digital cameras and game consoles commonly link to the world without those physical ties.

White-hot coal stocks melted down last week when European spot prices for thermal coal, used to make electricity, plunged overnight, taking its biggest one-day hit in three years. The European price dropped from near $225 per ton to below $200. That dragged down U.S. prices by as much as $20.

If you're a recent college graduate, repaying your variable-rate student loans is about to become less expensive. The same is true for parents who borrowed to pay college bills.

In the face of floods, fuel prices and a feeble economy, the railroads keeping chugging along. The rail boom that began almost five years ago shows no signs of derailing.

Think of Ideapoint 19 an online matchmaker bringing biotech inventors and biopharma companies together.

New Wal-Mart Logo The world's biggest retailer is getting a makeover -- at least as far as its logo is concerned.

Many entrepreneurs insist they have no time for marketing. They claim they're too busy running their business to promote it.

Hans Gieskes ran a $1.3 billion company. But for nearly a decade he has rued a $180 business decision.

The rising cost of gas is making 2008 a rough ride for some commuters, as well as employers fighting to retain valued workers.

Taxation: For those who like the politics of redistribution, Sen. Barack Obama is their man. The presumed Democratic presidential nominee's plan would soak the richest Americans and spread the wealth around.

Energy: What do the Democratic-led Congress and OPEC have in common? Both sit on vast amounts of oil, and are content to leave it in the ground and let prices soar. Fortunately, Americans are catching on.

1 Indexes opened modestly higher, but another record oil-price high sent stocks reeling to end at session lows. The Nasdaq dived 2.3%, NYSE composite 2%, S&P 500 1.8% and Dow 1.5%. The midcap S&P 400 sank 3%. Volume eased from Tue.'s feverish pace. Despite oil's rise, many energy leaders reversed lower. The 10-year T-note yield fell 3 ticks to 3.97%.

Believing it's within sight of a major pro-union shift in Washington, the Service Employees International Union announced that it will spend $75 million to help its favored candidates in 2008.

Americans battling soaring gas and food prices and a weak economy are buying goods and services they probably wouldn't purchase during good times, analysts say.