We all knew it was coming but the above headline from the hometown newspaper sure puts the stamp of finality on it, doesn't it? Brand Budweiser isn't going anywhere, of course, but the story makes it clear that everything has changed in St. Louis, with potentially far-reaching effects across the U.S. "It was the final step in a process that began with the proud local brewer vowing to fight for its independence, but ended with the amicable creation of a global brewing giant," we're told in a short piece carrying three bylines and a contributor's credit.

About two-dozen "Proctoids" from Procter & Gamble and approximately the same number of loosey-goosey employees from Google are roaming each other's halls and training meetings in an effort to transfer, as P&G employees put it, "learning." "We're trying to open the eyes of our brand managers," says P&G's digital innovation manager, Stan Joosten. When actress Salma Hayek unveiled an ambitious promotion for P&G's Pampers brand last April, the Google team was stunned to learn that Pampers hadn't invited any "motherhood" bloggers to attend the press conference, Ellen Bryon reports. In response, P&G invited a dozen or so bloggers to …

Reckitt Benckiser has been the most successful major package-goods company of the past five years in sales and profit growth, Jack Neff reports. The British-based company's 17 "power brands" include Lysol, Airwick, Finish, Mucinex, Veet and French's mustard. Reckitt has posted 10% organic sales growth worldwide so far this year. "The most frequent question we have been asked about Reckitt Benckiser in 2008 is, 'How do they do it?'" writes Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Andrew Wood in a recent note. "Our most frequently given answer is, 'We don't really know.' ... They are simply extraordinary operators." Culturally, Reckitt …

There's a video from a Sony/BMG conference in Rome about the exponential develop of technology -- and emerging nations -- that made its viral way to my email in box yesterday. Among the claims made: "By 2013, a supercomputer will be built that exceeds the computational capabilities of the human brain." The next slide asserts: "Predictions are that by 2049, a $1,000 computer will exceed the computational capabilities of the entire human species." Dell CEO Michael Dell gave a speech yesterday outlining what he calls "the fourth wave" of computing, which will make very powerful systems available …

Besides cutting credit limits, credit card companies are raising rates and fees and suspending offers such as no-interest balance transfers, according to Nancy Trejos' story. They are also making rewards programs less rewarding and shutting down inactive accounts. According to a Federal Reserve survey, 20% of domestic banks have cut credit limits for existing prime, or very creditworthy, borrowers. About 60% have cut limits for existing nonprime borrowers, and none report raising lines for those clients.