Knight Ridder Tribune

Not in my back yard. Bay Area neighborhoods sound the cry more forcefully than any region in California to block proposed housing packed tightly together or rising to multiple stories....

Women "belong to the highest bidder," Napoleon Bonaparte reputedly observed. "Power is what they like--it is the greatest of all aphrodisiacs." The little guy from Corsica was onto something. So...

Recent data from the Mortgage Bankers Association show that refinancing now accounts for almost three-quarters of all mortgage-loan applications. That's not surprising. The percentage of total mortgage applications that are...

We all have visions of working in a sprawling office with a mahogany desk and matching credenza, a few fat potted plants and a couch for our guests to lounge...

Few people like the prospect of change. But it feels a lot better if you're managing the change than if you have no control over it. That's why it's important...

The latest urban legend emblazoned on various Web sites and snaking its way through e-mail lists involves "actual one-line statements" from employee performance reviews: - This employee has reached rock...

To professionals whose attitudes about the work world are colored khaki, not pin-stripe gray, the word "etiquette" sounds old-fashioned. Others say they feel more comfortable knowing the rules of professional...

When it comes to on-the-job happiness, a growing number of American workers can borrow a line from a vintage Rolling Stones song and lament, they "can't get no satisfaction." Recent...

Every house is potentially a "sick house." Carpets, drapes, furniture and cabinets, depending on their composition, can all give off volatile organic compounds. Paints, varnishes and other solvents also can...

Here's something to be thankful for: The United States has had almost no major natural disasters this year. The year 2000 dawned with apocalyptic fears -- biblical, technological, meteorological --...