December 17, 2006

LAST October a quiet and unassuming 26-year-old musician from Mexico arrived at Nashville International Airport to meet an American record producer he had known only through a few e-mail messages and a phone conversation. Neither had any idea what the other looked like. The musician was Gerardo Garza, the floppy-haired, dirty-blonde It Boy of the alternative rock scene in Monterrey, Mexico, who goes by his lifelong nickname, Chetes. (It's Spanish shorthand for ''cheeks''; Mr. Garza's are noticeably pale and round.) The producer was Ken Coomer, a Nashville studio whiz who played drums for the new-school Americanists Wilco and Uncle Tupelo, two bands Mr. Garza had only recently heard.

Venture capital investors are asking young people to help them assess new technology such as mobile gadgets and social-networking Web sites designed for, used by and sometimes built by young people; venture capital industry has historically made decisions by trusting its knowledge of engineering, strict analytics and gut instincts, but young people may be better equipped to spot nuances and trends; photos (L)

Trading in life insurance policies held by wealthy seniors has quietly become a big business for investors.

Author Richard Dawkins (God Delusion) and Sam Harris (Letter to Christian Nation) both have books defending atheism on best seller lists, but they say they do not have problem celebrating Christmas because it is no longer religious holiday; photos (M)

St Joe Company, Florida real estate developer, sold lots in WaterSound Beach and WaterColor developments, with binding agreement that buyers would break ground on homes within three years; dramatically slowing housing market along Florida Panhandle and devastating impact of Hurricane Dennis in 2005 left St Joe's with number of lots on which construction has yet to begin; rather than face flood of land sales from owners unable or unwilling to build in slow market, company has extended 'build-out deadline' for additional two years; photos (M)