BELLWETHERS
> Large daily newspapers around the world are watching closely to see what will happen to the SF Chronicle, which is sucking air in a major way -- losing circulation and advertising revenue to Internet alternatives. "A study last year said Craigslist alone had by then cost Bay Area papers as much as $65 million in help-wanted ads."

> Thousands of government bodies, including states, cities, towns, school districts, and water authorities, are watching Duluth, Minnesota, where they just figured out that the cost of promised healthcare retirement benefits will double the city's entire operating budget. This is going to become a big time issue across the US as millions of people that accepted lower salaries during their earnings years, in exchange for better retirement benefits, are now retiring. Will there be money to pay for it all? It appears not.