Toyota's woes are a cautionary tale for other Japanese companies needing to expand abroad and drive earnings growth. Critics say Toyota failed to balance a traditionally tight management style that ensured quality with the changing demands of globalization. Stefan Lippert, a business professor at Temple University, Japan Campus, calls it the "kaisha dilemma," using the Japanese word for "company." "The incredible success of the Japanese economy is based on the kaisha. It's based on this specific [pre-bubble] management model. However, times have changed."

February 5, 2010 | Associated Press

Concern is growing over the performance of Akio Toyoda, Toyota's president and CEO. Once dubbed the "prince" by local media, a new nickname for Toyoda had been catching on: No-show Akio. Some observers doubt whether the new CEO will survive the recall crisis. Jeff Kingston, director of Asian Studies at Temple University, Japan Campus, said Toyota's problems call into question the merits of family management. "Once the recall is completed and perhaps some grace period to save face, he will have to fall on his sword," he said.

February 5, 2010 | Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (N.Y.)

Temple senior Max Cuddy is a determined young man. Last year, Cuddy approached Temple sociologist Mary Stricker about creating a course on urban violence. His idea: starting a class bringing college students and high schoolers together to dissect aggression in their neighborhoods. Stricker explained the challenges of starting a new class and declined. A year later, Cuddy’s tenacity and the professor’s guidance have resulted in a special topics course on urban violence that both hope will morph into a permanent avenue to get underprivileged kids thinking about college, and college kids thinking about the underprivileged.

February 5, 2010 | Philadelphia Metro

With Prius owners are now on alert for possible pedal problems, the city's car share operators are assuring customers they have nothing to worry about. Neither Zipcar nor PhillyCarShare have any 2010 Priuses, although both have pulled a small number of cars that were listed on Toyota’s massive recall last week. "I think there’s definitely going to be a temporary effect," said Ram Gopalan of Temple’s Fox School of Business. "Maybe rental car companies will not be able to use this particular brand of cars [but] I think this kind of blemish will disappear soon and everything will be back to normal in a few months or so."

February 5, 2010 | WSOC-TV (Charlotte, N.C.)

Prolonged exposure to cold temperatures increases the risk of several different types of injuries. Howard Palamarchuk of Temple's School of Podiatric Medicine says the toes and feet are very susceptible. Many winter boots are made of rubber or some type of synthetic waterproof construction. If the feet sweat, or the socks get wet, the moisture can't escape. The boots may not necessarily keep the cold away, so the socks (and toes and feet) can freeze. Palamarchuk recommends wearing socks that wick away moisture from the feet to keep them dry.