But economist Jack Strauss says credit conditions threaten the main engine of job growth since two thousand one small businesses.

VOA: special.2009.11.06

With a Yahoo buyback in sight, and full control over the group, founder and CEO Jack Ma can focus on building an even better engine for online trade.

FORBES: As Sales Decelerate In China, Alibaba Sharpens Its Toolbox

Once there, firefighters have to plug their engine into a fire hydrant--the equivalent of a wall jack in the information world.

FORBES: Think You're Wireless? Think Again

History, say Mr Gore's boosters, is already proving him right: last year Jack Smith, the chairman of General Motors, declared that no car company that relied solely on the internal combustion engine would thrive in the next century.

ECONOMIST: 2001: A Gore Odyssey