Recession fears in focus after bailout bonanza. Global recession fears returned to center stage on Wednesday after trillions of dollars pledged by governments around the world for bank bailouts eased the threat of imminent financial meltdown.

How to survive the next depression. Whether the sky is falling or not, times definitely will be tougher, and you can't count on anyone to bail you out. It's time to be a grown-up.

M&I to buy Miami money manager. Marshall & Ilsley Corp. said Monday that it has agreed to buy a majority interest in Taplin, Canida & Habacht Inc.

Writing the Book on Efficiency. To fill a new Loudoun County school library, don't spend months on the phone with book publishers. Just dial up a warehouse near Minneapolis, and it will freight over seven heavy pallets.

Video: Bush on 250 million investment in banks. Bankwide.com. President Bush announced today that the government would be injecting $250 billion into U.S. Banks Also Secretary Paulson says that he regrets having to take the action.

Scaling Summits Advanced High School Math. This week, staff writer Valerie Strauss concludes The Post's review of math education with a look at college-level work in high schools and what some graduates might be lacking.

Rhee Fires Shepherd Principal, Raising Questions About Vetting. Shepherd Elementary in upper Northwest is a bright spot in a D.C. school system with all too few. It has good test scores, a diverse student body and an active parent community.

Panel's Review Lands Medical School on Probation. George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences was put on probation by its academic accrediting organization for being out of compliance on several standards, school officials told students and faculty yesterday.

Sen. Boxer Urges More Help From Mortgage Servicers. Sen. Barbara Boxer on Friday pressed for action from 21 banks and lenders that an advocacy group has accused of insufficient support for at-risk homeowners in California.

AIG spent thousands on hunting trip. A handful of top executives from American International Group Inc. spent thousands of dollars during a recent English hunting trip, even as the New York-based insurer asked for an additional $37.8 billion loan..

ESOL Enrollment Is Higher Than Projected. The Prince William County school system's enrollment in English for Speakers of Other Languages has dipped this year to 13,130 students -- a drop of 279 from last year -- but the figure is much higher than projected and will force the system to try to find about $1.6 million in its reserve funds and..

Nearly 1 in 6 homeowners 'underwater'. After a housing slump that has pushed values down 30% in some areas, roughly 12 million households owe more than their homes are worth.

Scales Tilting in Eastern Shore Race. If Maryland's 1st Congressional District race were a TV show, it would be a telenovela.

US stocks set to open higher after Wednesday drop. Wall Street was headed for a mild rebound Thursday after its steep dive in the previous session, but investors remained anxious ahead of data expected to suggest that the economy is in a recession.The market is also awaiting third-quarter results from Citigroup Inc. Analysts predict that the bank will report its fourth straight quarterly loss. Merrill Lynch & Co., which recently agreed to be acquired by Citigroup Inc. rival Bank of America Corp., early Thursday posted a net loss of $5.1 billion.

GM, Chrysler deal talks accelerate - report. Merger talks between ailing automakers General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC. are reportedly picking up amid increased interest from lenders eager to close a deal.

You'll want to take the long way home in 2009 Acura TL. Surely the neighborhood shortcut is a quicker way to work, but the long way has that pair of hilly, 20-mph "S" corners that let TL's performance-oriented all-wheel drive sling it fiercely through the turns.

Switzerland pumps billions into bank rescue plan. Switzerland followed the lead of other European countries and the United States on Thursday by announcing it would inject billions of dollars into its banking system.The main recipient will be UBS AG, which is being offered up to $54 billion so that it can part with securities that have gone bad since the start of the worldwide financial crisis.Switzerland's largest bank, which racked up losses and writedowns totaling about 45 billion francs over the past year, will also receive $6 billion from the government in return for mandatory convertible bonds.

Intel profit beats expectations, future less clear. Technology bellwether Intel Corp posted a 12-percent rise in quarterly profit as the world's biggest computer chipmaker said demand, while uncertain, was holding up despite the global economic crisis.

U.S. Said to Invest in Citigroup, Goldman, Bank America, JPMorgan, Wells. The Bush administration will announce a plan to rescue frozen credit markets that includes spending about half of a total of $250 billion for preferred shares of nine major banks, people briefed on the matter..

Best Buy takes aim at Europe's electricals market. Best Buy, the world's top consumer electricals retailer, set out bold international growth plans on Tuesday, led by its European venture with Britain's Carphone Warehouse, despite a tough consumer outlook.