Eastman Kodak Co. (EK:NYSE)

PLATTSBURGH -- State and local officials and leaders are not to blame for Pfizer's decision to close three former Wyeth facilities in the North Country.

But instead of a new business or a promising startup moving to Harriman, it turned out to be a new $40 million laboratory for the state Department of Agriculture and Markets that will house 49 workers already employed by the state. That's nothing to sniff at. But once more, it was state government leading the way on development in the region.

He came out of nowhere to reinvigorate a forgotten neighborhood. It took a small army to rebuild a Lower West Side neighborhood. What makes the whole thing even more extraordinary is the resume of the rebuilder. Yet through the inspired commitment of this guy with suburban roots grew a flower that bloomed on tough city streets. Give the suburban guy the key to the city.

The school's executive program offers participants the chance to learn and discuss how technology is changing, or even disrupting, their industries

Private equity firm Blackstone Group, run by co-founder Stephen Schwarzman, bought a $7.8 million stake in Southwest Airlines Co., cut its stake in Eastman Kodak Co. and sold its holdings in Calpine Corp. during the latest quarter. New York-based Blackstone disclosed the changes to its $2 billion U.S. stock portfolio in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Monday.

Norma Desmonds of the YouTube age, get ready for your close-up. Consumers may love 60-inch plasma televisions, but when it comes to personal electronics, it's the age of the incredible shrinking camcorder. "This was technology waiting to happen," said Jerry Magee, future product marketing manager for Kodak.

With Thanksgiving more than a week off, is it too soon to trot out the cliched cornucopia? It's correct twice a day: It cost $70 million to refurbish City Hall, yet its big clock high above Wells St. has been stuck at 12 o'clock since early October. Time to figure out why. Some of the clock's guts were replaced and some were not. More new parts have been ordered.

Love making home videos on the go? The emphasis on cheap-and-portable is the idea behind the newest niche of portable recording devices -- pocket camcorders, affectionately called candybar camcorders. They also provide much higher-quality images than the current crop of smartphone video recorders offer.

The train is coming. Crook is not like most elected officials. A year after being elected, he knows how he can do it the most good: Eliminate his job, dissolve the village and give taxpayers a break. I told you this guy is practical. Crook is 48, beanpole-lean, with a shock of graying hair. In many ways, he is a perfect guy for a job that--by any objective measure-- no longer needs doing.

Employers and hospitals don't have to wait for Congress to address inefficiencies and waste