What Kills More Than 8,000,000 People Every Year?

Would you believe it if I said...

Tighten your belt

South Africans must brace for harder times aheadDURING his annual state-of-the-nation speech earlier this month, President Thabo Mbeki acknowledged that many South Africans feel glum. Besides political uncertainty & some high-level corruption cases, people are now worrying about the economy. The Chamber of Commerce & Industry's latest survey shows that business confidence has slumped to levels last seen in 2003. Another poll near the end of last year, by Ipsos Markinor, revealed that just under half of South Africans thought the government was managing the economy well, a drop of 17 percentage points in a year. Last month's power cuts have also dented confidence. Virtually all analysts reckon that the economy, after growing by an average of 5% or so in the past four years, will slow down this year. The government has announced that occasional blackouts will be necessary until July, when a plan that includes rationing & incentives to use less electricity kicks in. Blackouts forced mines to stop operating for a few days last month & have also hit manufacturing hard. But St&ard Bank, one of the largest financial institutions, notes that sectors that do most to spur growth--services, wholesale & retail trade & construction--depend less on electricity than do manufacturing & mining. ...

Why Business Leaders Should Care about SOA

In business language, with minimal use of IT jargon, this white paper explains service oriented architecture (SOA) as a way to get more "bang" from the IT buck.
Published by: Equifax

Emerson Network Power to buy Aperture

Aperture's Vista data center infrastructure management software isn't flawless, users say, but becoming a division of Emerson's Liebert Corp. may bring it to the next level.

Web Features: Fade to Black: The Night Sky of the Future [Slideshow]

The night sky on Earth (assuming it survives) will change dramatically as our Milky Way galaxy merges with its neighbors & distant galaxies recede beyond view.

Forecast for Sunday, March 02, 2008 for Las Vegas, NV

Today: Partly Cloudy. Lo: 43�F. Hi: 66�F. Chance of precipitation: 0%Tomorrow: Fair. Lo: 43�F. Hi: 64�F. Chance of precipitation: 0%Tuesday: Cloudy / PM Sun. Lo: 51�F. Hi: 71�F. Chance of precipitation: 0%Wednesday: Fair. Lo: 49�F. Hi: 71�F. Chance of precipitation: 1%Thursday: Clear. Lo: 49�F. Hi: 66�F. Chance of precipitation: 3%More information at MSN Weather(Powered by Foreca)

Scientists decipher Maya Blue puzzle

Chicago archaeologists have solved the mystery of how the ancient Maya produced Maya Blue, a vivid & virtually indestructible pigment...

Heroin Found in Boots of Bus Passenger

These boots weren't made for walking. Customs agents at a Laredo port of entry found nearly two pounds of heroin hidden in the soles of boots in the luggage of a commercial bus passenger.

Online donors buy breast implants for Calgary woman

A Calgary woman has become the first Canadian to receive enough donations from strangers through a U.S. website to get breast augmentation surgery.

C&ace Leadley, a 26-year-old single mother, came across a website called My Free Implants while surfing the internet in 2006. The site connects women wanting bigger busts with men willing to donate money to their operations.



C&ace Leadley will be getting her surgery in April. (CBC)


Leadley set up a profile & posted some pictures of herself. Soon, she was chatting online with men from around the world.

"I just had guys wanting to talk to me & messaging me," she told CBC News. "I made some pretty good friendships from there & then the donations started coming in."

She eventually found enough benefactors who donated $8,500 for her surgery in April that will take her from a size 29A to a 36C. The money will be transferred directly from the website to her surgeon.

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DeShaun Foster released by Panthers

Running back DeShaun Foster was released Thursday by the Carolina Panthers.

Gas Suspected in Ill. Plaza Explosion

Some shop owners smelled gas for the last couple of days at a shopping plaza rocked by an explosion that injured at least eight people & rattled nearby buildings, authorities said.

Bureaucracy swamps ISO meeting on Microsoft format

FRANKFURT/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A meeting to hammer out a consensus on whether a Microsoft document format should become an international st&ard descended into near chaos this week, people close to the meeting told Reuters.

The long trip to Beijing: What to expect?

It's 12:30pm Tuesday July 31st.

I'm at Pearson Airport in Toronto preparing to board Air Canada flight #31 to Beijing, China. I'm pleased to learn that the 13-hour flight is non-stop service.

Iran sanctions vote faces new delay: diplomats

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council will likely delay a vote on a third round of sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, as Western countries lobby for a big vote in favor, diplomats said on Wednesday.

There's nothing like the real Led Zeppelin

Imitators can be fun in pop music, especially if they camp it up or add a clever twist, like Lez Zeppelin, the all-girl Led Zeppelin cover b&.

When debt is good & bad

With the price of many investments sliding & with hard rain falling in the form of a credit crunch & a likely recession, there is reason to think that borrowers & lenders will rethink what represents prudent borrowing.

S&P Affirms MBIA, Ambac

St&ard & Poor's Ratings Services affirmed its rating on MBIA Inc. & Ambac Financial Group Inc. on Monday, saying it appears the troubled bond insurers will raise enough cash to pay the claims they are likely to face.