Your report for Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Buy Michigan Now releases holiday gift guide
Livonia-based Buy Michigan Now, a campaign designed to promote and restore Michigan’s economy, today released its 2008 Holiday Gift Guide. The site encourages residents to buy gifts that will help support their local economy this season. The Holiday Gift Guide features unique gift ideas from a wide variety of companies around the state. There are suggestions for music lovers, sports aficionados, foodies, children, and more. The guide is divided into 19 different gift categories and also includes a section to help consumers distinguish local retailers from national competitors. More.

Economics Dept.: Detroit purchasing managers index plunges again
In November, the Detroit Metro Purchasing Managers Composite Index fell 5 points, registering 31.1. David Allardice, Walsh College Director of Doctoral Programs, makes the survey each month on behalf of the Detroit-area branch of the National Association of Purchasing Managers. Production dropped (down 13 points to 25.0); new orders declined (down 7.5 points to 22.5); raw material and finished goods inventories declined; and employment remained in decline (November index at 34.7). The November report reveals a wide range of price declines for commodities and fuel costs. More.

Dow, Kuwaiti firm finalize joint venture
Midland-based Dow Chemical Co. and Kuwait City, Kuwait-based Petrochemical Industries Co., a subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corp., Monday announced that they have signed a Joint Venture Formation Agreement and other documents regarding the formation of K-Dow Petrochemicals, a 50-50 joint venture to manufacture petrochemicals and plastics. It is expected that the new company will begin operations no later than Jan. 1. K-Dow will be supply petrochemicals and plastics and will manufacture and market polyethylene, ethyleneamines, ethanolamines, polypropylene and polycarbonate, and will also license polypropylene technology and market related catalysts. More.

UM surgeons pioneering new surgical technique for scoliosis
Since the time Tricia Ann Vinson was first diagnosed with scoliosis in sixth grade, the condition had become increasingly painful and debilitating. Vinson -- now 23 -- started with pain in her right shoulder blade, then pain in her lower back, and then constant back pain that began when she was pregnant. The pain continued after her son was born, forcing her to limit how much time she played with him and picked him up. She decided to try an experimental surgery at the University of Michigan Health System, in which the curvature of the spine is corrected with a minimally invasive procedure. Initially, she was still in pain and had limited mobility after the surgery. But now, six months later, Vinson is a success story. So is the surgery, so far. More.

Army picks GE Aviation for corrosion detection on rotors
GE Aviation was selected by the United States Army to partner with Aviation Applied Technology Directorate to research, develop and apply the technology behind an integrated corrosion health monitoring system for rotorcraft fleets. The contract is valued at $2 million and will cover a 2-year span of rotorcraft research and monitoring. Some of the work will be done at GE Aviation's laboratories in Grand Rapids, the former Smiths. More.

KVCC seeks placement for tech interns
Businesses and industries are invited to partner in a major internship initiative that Kalamazoo Valley Community College plans to launch in January. Funded for a three-year period by the KVCC Foundation, the $100,000 project seeks to place at least 55 students per academic year with enterprises interested in a grow-your-own-workforce alliance. The bulk of the grant funds will be used to pay up to 50 percent of the wages for KVCC students accepted for internships through December 2011, with the companies they work for providing the balance. While the initiative is targeting enterprises involved in bio-medical services, alternative fuels, and the digital arts, companies involved in other sectors of the regional economy are also invited to take part. More.

MCWT black-tie event raises $180k for scholarships and more
The Michigan Council of Women in Technology drew 450 IT leaders to the GM WinterGarden at the Renaissance Center in Detroit Nov. 15 for the organization’s annual black-tie gala and silent auction. The fundraiser, named MCWT Fire Ball, brought in approximately $180,000, which will go toward scholarships, research grants, technology camps and robotics programs for women in metro Detroit. More.

Verizon Wireless fires up new cell sites
Verizon Wireless Monday announced the activation of two new cell sites to expand network coverage. One site is in Washtenaw County, and will improve Verizon Wireless' voice and data network coverage in Dixboro and Superior Township as well as along M-14 between Dixboro and Prospect roads. The other site, in Canton Township, improves Verizon Wireless' voice and data network coverage in south Canton, including along Michigan Avenue between Sheldon and Ridge roads. More.

WWJ.com offers new content for the holidays

I don't know if you've noticed lately, but there's a ton of cool new content at www.wwj.com, the Web site of your Great Lakes IT Report's "mother ship," WWJ Newsradio 950. There's been a major push into video, for one thing.

And some of it, of course, involves technology.

You can get information on the hottest wireless gadgets for gift-giving from the experts at Farmington Hills-based Wireless Toyz at http://www.wwj.com/pages/2949583.php. (It's pretty long, but our video wizards have thoughtfully chopped it up for you.)

The site also has a whole ton of other cool holiday-related content under the general heading of
http://holidaysindetroit.com/. Included is more information on adopting a family for Christmas under the Volunteers of America's Adopt-A-Family program.

Oh, and for the real Christmas traditionalist, here's the annual calculation of the actual cost of giving your love the actual gifts mentioned in "The Twelve Days of Christmas," at this link. Man, who would have known that bump in the minimum wage would cost you when it comes to those maids a-milking.

Note: For information on how you can sponsor content in the Blue Box, contact Jeff Lasser at (248) 455-7319 or jeff.lasser@cbsradio.com.

THE WORLD IN TECH

Regulators hang up on cell tower backup rules
Federal regulators have rejected proposed changes by the Federal Communications Commission that would require all U.S. cell phone towers to have at least eight hours of backup power. The White House Office of Management and Budget said the FCC failed to get public comment before passing the regulations last year and didn't show that the information required from wireless companies would actually be useful. It also said the FCC hadn't demonstrated that it had enough staff to analyze the hundreds of thousands of pages of documents that the wireless industry said its members would likely have to produce as part of the regulations. A federal appeals court put the rules on hold this summer pending a review by the OMB, which is tasked with overseeing federal regulations. FCC officials said they were considering their options, which could include changing the proposed regulations or voting to override the OMB's decision. More.

Retailers offer deals, discounts on 'Cyber Monday'
Retailers who saw Thanksgiving holiday sales drop off as the weekend progressed stepped up online promotions on the day known as "Cyber Monday" to try to get consumers tired of the crowds at stores to keep shopping. But after weeks of already heavy discounting both at regular stores and online, experts were doubtful that the day would give much of a lift to what is still expected to be one of the weakest holiday seasons in years. "People are expecting that deals will only get better as we approach the Christmas time frame," said Youssef H. Squali, an analyst at Jefferies & Co. "So while Cyber Monday is significant I wouldn't say today is the only day to track. People may opt to wait a little more." The Monday after Thanksgiving was dubbed "Cyber Monday" by the National Retail Federation trade group in 2005 to describe the unofficial kickoff to the online retail season - when customers shopped at their desks as they returned to work. But with more deals advertised ahead of time and more consumers with high-speed access at home, the day has lost some luster. More.

Clearwire to market WiMax under brand name 'Clear'
Newly merged company Clearwire Corp. says it plans to sell its wireless broadband service under the brand name of "Clear." The Kirkland, Wash.-based company said Monday the name will replace the "Xohm" brand used by partner Sprint Nextel Corp. in Baltimore. Clearwire merged Friday with Overland Park, Kan.-based Sprint's wireless broadband network. Sprint has sold Xohm-branded services in Baltimore since September. The services use WiMax technology, which is like the wireless Internet signals found at coffee shops and airports except they can cover an entire city. More.

Appeals court wants narrowed ruling against Qualcomm
A federal appeals court ruled Monday that a lower court went too far in ordering that two Qualcomm Inc. patents be held to be unenforceable. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit agreed with the lower court that Qualcomm was wrong not to reveal that it owned the two patents when it became a member of a group that created the digital video standard known as h.264, with incorporates the patented technologies. The video standard is widely used for streaming Internet video, including by YouTube, and on Blu-ray discs. Because of Qualcomm's behavior, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California ruled last year that its two patents be held to be unenforceable in all contexts. The appeals court disagreed with the wide scope of the district court's order, and said Monday the patents should only be unenforceable when it comes to h.264 products. It sent the case back to the lower court. More.

Stocks: Markets plunge, Nasdaq down 9 percent on gloomy economic outlook
Technology stocks took a heavy beating Monday as a sharp sell-off on broader market -- sparked by the latest gloomy economic data- - was exacerbated by reports of poor semiconductor sales. The Nasdaq Composite Index ($COMPQ) fell 137.5 points or 8.9 percent to close at 1,398.07. The Dow industrials ($INDU) plunged 679.95 points or 7.7 percent to 8,149.09. The Morgan Stanley High Tech 35 Index (MSH) fell 25.05 points or 7.6 percent to 306.46, while the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index ($SOX) fell 15 points or 7.6 percent to 183.24. The Amex Pharmaceutical Index (DRG) fell 15.32 points or 6 percent to 239.63, while the Amex Biotechnology Index (BTK) fell 44.92 points or 7.5 percent to 551.06. The S&P 500 ($SPX) fell 80.03 points or 8.9 percent to 816.21. Whacking the tech sector, the Semiconductor Industry Association reported a 2.4 percent year-over-year drop in chip sales in October. Stocks fell further after a report showed the manufacturing sector of the U.S. economy slumped at the fastest pace in 27 years in November. Some strategists also cited concerns that investors in hedge funds are pulling out more of their money before the end of the year, forcing funds to liquidate assets and pressuring the overall market. Earlier, manufacturing gauges in China, the euro zone and the U.K. each showed significant drops, with the Chinese and British gauges dropping to record lows. The European Central Bank and the Bank of England are expected to cut interest rates further at their policy meetings Thursday. Mixed reports came out of the holiday shopping season. The National Retail Federation estimated that shoppers spent 7.2 percent more than last year, but another poll found that 70 percent of consumers only purchased deeply-discounted merchandise.

All contents copyright 2008 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS Radio & Eye logo trademarked and copyright 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. Written and edited by Matt Roush, Technology Editor, WWJ Newsradio 950, Detroit. GLITR contains material from the Associated Press, Reuters and MarketWatch.com, used by permission. For coverage comments or news tips, e-mail Matt Roush at mnroush@cbs.com or call (248) 455-7380. For marketing and advertising queries, contact Jeff Lasser at jeff.lasser@cbsradio.com or (248) 455-7319. To subscribe, e-mail Nancy Ho at nancy.ho@cbsradio.com. For questions or concerns, please email Pete Kowalski, WWJ's Station Manager.

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