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Every week, reporters around the continent write great business stories that don't make it onto your screen or into your local paper. And every week I scour newspapers around the continent to identify five of those great stories to enrich your weekend reading. This week I'm pointing you to stories about battery-powered cars, venture capital, time out for football, and Steve Jobs, his condition and his candor.

My Posts This Week

Look to your left to see what I blogged about here this week. Over at Momentor I blogged about "How to get better" and did my weekly selection of Top Career Posts.

Last week's newsletter was "The Bird Lady of Toogoodoo Creek." As usual there were pointers to Web and Reading Resources, too.

Carnivals

Blog carnivals are collections of posts from a number of blogs. This week we've got the latest editions of two of the best Carnivals.

The Carnival of the Capitalists returns after a year off. This time it's Twitter-centric. And it's still got some great posts.

The January Carnival of Trust is up at Mediation Channel.

The January Small and Home Business Carnival is up.

The Corporate Vigilance Carnival is up.

And now, here's my pick of the five best local stories this week.

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer: Battery-powered cars not yet practical for mass production"
With all the prototypes and concept cars, not to mention company commercials and claims made to Congress, you'd think that automakers plan to start mass-producing these vehicles soon. But for all the buzz, electrification is years away at best. "

Wally's Comment: This is good perspective on the issue of electric cars. GM is staking its future on the Volt, which will cost $40,000 and be loaded down with enough batteries to go forty miles on a charge. My bet is that the real GM strategy is to count on the government buying lots of Volts as a way to make their auto bailout work and do something green even if neither of those decisions makes sense.

From the Los Angeles Times: Venture capitalists abandon 'spend mentality'
"Venture capitalists slammed shut their wallets during the last three months of 2008, investing 45% less in Southern California start-ups than during the same period a year earlier, according to a report scheduled for release today."

Wally's Comment: Venture capital used to be such fun when you could count on a quick cashout via an IPO. Now it's tougher and that means that many players are leaving the field. That will leave the smart, patient and well-heeled funds and those VC firms that see themselves as business incubators.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer: House hunting: Any takers on game day?
"Some real estate open houses may be canceled because of the Eagles-Arizona Cardinals playoff game. The football game, to be played near Phoenix, starts at 3 p.m. in Philadelphia - typically, in the middle of most Sunday open houses. "

Wally's Comment: Read this piece and discover several different strategies that Philadelphia area real estate agents are using to deal with the Eagles fans who will be heading for a TV come 3 PM on Sunday.

From the San Jose Mercury News: Questions linger after Jobs' exit
"Far from ending the swirl of speculation about Steve Jobs' health, his announcement Wednesday that he would take a six-month medical leave only fueled suspicions that Apple hasn't come clean about the condition of its chief executive."

Wally's Comment: Silicon Valley's hometown paper is just one of many around the country who finally seem to be tired of Steve Jobs' medical smoke and mirrors.

From the New York Times: Health Isn't a Private Issue When You're a Legend
"Steve Jobs's decision to reveal more about his health may not belong entirely to him, not when so much of Apple's business relies on his personality as chief executive.

Wally's Comment: Joe Nocera is definitely tired of the song and dance. He suggests two things. First, as an iconic CEO whom many view as the reason Apple has done well he owes the Apple shareholders a bit of candor. Second, it's time for the Apple board to quit its "Yes, Steve" act when it comes to Jobs. They, too, owe something to the shareholders.