Government Bailout helps Executives 'Retreat'

According to AP...less than a week after the federal government had to bail out American International Group Inc., the company sent executives on a $440,000 retreat to a posh California resort, lawmakers investigating the company's meltdown said Tuesday.

September consumer sales drop sharply: MasterCard

Falling behind: More Americans see utilities cut off.....The number of Americans whose electricity or natural gas has been shut off for nonpayment of their bills is up sharply in many parts of the country as people struggle with higher prices and a shaky economy.

On Education

Video Game Helps Math Students Vanquish an Archfiend: Algebra
....This fall, New York City is rolling out Dimension M — M stands for math — in 109 middle schools across the five boroughs after trying the game out in two dozen schools, including I.S. 30, last year. Like a modern twist on “Jeopardy!,” the fast-paced video game quizzes students on prealgebra and algebra topics ranging from prime numbers to fractions and complex equations. A correct answer brings 500 or more points, a wrong one as few as 25; the player with the most points wins. (No prizes, just glory.)...