By ELWIN GREEN, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Coal an unseen presence in everyday life

Coal, which previous generations used to fuel their furnaces, is no longer such an intimate part of most Americans' everyday experience. But it still figures in many Americans' everyday life.

The greatest challenge faced by people re-entering the work force after an extended absence is not mastering new technologies or learning new skills, but learning the way around their new work environment, according to a recent survey by a leading staffing firm.

Countless people begin a new year with resolutions to lose a few pounds. But perhaps even more people could boost their productivity, and consequently their self-esteem, by losing a few hundred e-mails.

Gasoline prices dipped slightly as the Thanksgiving travel season began, but are still significantly higher than they were a year ago, and are expected to remain so into the new year.

Nationally, the average price for regular unleaded was $2.636 this week, more than 75 cents higher than the year-ago price of $1.885.

Cynthia Golding is on a crusade.
It began when Golding, of Upper St. Clair, Pa., saw that her gas bill for November was $387; the highest it had ever been before then was $315.
"Oh well," she told herself. "It'll come down next month."
But the next month's bill was $521.

In 2004 Howard Dean changed the nature of political campaigning by using the Internet to propel himself from obscurity to credibility as a presidential candidate. Barack Obama's campaign used the advancing capabilities of the Internet to fuel a journey not merely to credibility, but also to the presidency.

The ripple effect of a nearly six-month plunge in fuel prices is beginning to show up in places other than at the gasoline pump.
Both businesses and consumers who need to send packages should see lower shipping costs this week.

CARBONTRADING (Green, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) -- The global market for carbon trading is booming. But what is it? 700.While recent months have seen a global contraction in both debt and equity markets, at least one financial market has been booming this year, a market that scarcely existed five years ago.

Dec. 3, 1992: Neil Papworth, a 22-year-old engineer for Vodafone, a British telecommunications company, types "Merry Christmas" on his computer and sends the message to the cell phone of a colleague, Richard Jarvis, and the earth shifts slightly on its axis.

PITTSBURGH -- Forget C3PO, R2-D2, Commander Data, the Jetsons' Rosie and even the Robinson family's mechanical pal. In coming years, the most important robot in your life is likely to be parked in your driveway, said a spokesman for a robotics company.