With the world still reeling from the recession, to say that companies have been operating in tough times is an understatement. Yet thriving in the face of adversity only strives to make businesses stronger - as we found in this month's issue when talking to the leaders of Dahabshiil and Ghana Home Loans. Essential to starting up successful businesses in entrepreneurial spirit - and we look at how farming app AgriManagr, created by Virtual City Group, is helping hundreds and thousands of workers in the agricultural industry. Marketing guru Vanessa Clark discusses ...

From the Internet to social media to cell phones, there is no doubt that thanks to the communications revolution we are living through marketers are spoilt for choice when it comes to new ways to reach customers and prospective markets. Sure, there is much angst over how budgets are re-allocated, how activity is tracked and how the traditional media needs to evolve to remain relevant. But on the whole, life has never been rosier for marketers, with cheap, direct and effective ways of getting their messages across. But when does too much of a good thing go bad? Just ...

The story behind international money transfer Dahabshiil truly is one of rags to riches. The company, now one of the largest money transfer businesses in the Horn of Africa, was started by African entrepreneur Mohamed Duale. In the 1970s, he fled Somalia with his family when civil war broke out in 1988 to England. With very limited resources, Duale set about rebuilding his business in his mission to serve African communities. With an ever-increasing Somali population, Dahabshiil flourished in London and has gone from strength to strength. In 2009, Dahabshiil made ...

The Frontier Danceland dance company has teamed up with acclaimed director and choreographer Byron Perry to bring a new production called One Show Only to Singapore. Singapore's School of the Arts Studio Theatre will stage the unique performance on May 18th and 19th 2012 at 20:00 local time on the Friday, while Saturday shows are available at 15:00 and 20:00. One Show Only aims to explore the way that simple interactions can blossom into complex patterns and systems through the medium of dance, drawing inspiration from patterns found in the natural world. The title ...

Kuala Lumpur audiences will be flocking to see Asian musician Janice Yan performing in a live showcase called I'm Back on May 25th 2012. The hot young starlet will be thrilling attendees at the Kenanga Wholesale City venue at 20:30 local time on the Friday during what will be her first ever live show in Malaysia. Yan won the hearts of TV audiences when she appeared as one of the contestants on the 2010 special season of popular Taiwanese talent show One Million Star, also known as The Star Legend. Though this event was intended as a special showcase of past contestants, ...

Although over-the-counter products may claim to minimize facial wrinkles and frown lines, Dr. Albert C. Cattell, who specializes in skin care at Ann Arbor Dermatology, warns that many of these products may not be as effective or as long-lasting as BOTOX Cosmetic. A number of products currently on the market are being dubbed "natural BOTOX" or "green BOTOX" because they contain natural ingredients such as hibiscus seeds and other organic plant substances touted for their skin-smoothing and skin-tightening abilities. "I find that while some ...

Kent V. Hasen, M.D. of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery of Naples says "The Cutting Edge," a recent 20/20 special on plastic surgery, helped make the public aware of new advancements in cosmetic surgery. Dr. Hasen specializes in several of the procedures that were discussed, including breast augmentation in Naples. The special, which included interviews by Barbara Walters, took an in-depth look at plastic surgery and the newest innovations for minimally invasive techniques. "The recent 20/20 special examined how improvements in surgical techniques have shortened ...

VIDEO: The GOES-13 satellite captured these images of an ash cloud streaming from Mexico's Popocatepetl Volcano and blowing over the town of Puebla, located to the east. The images were captured... Click here for more information. Satellites continue to provide a look at the ash and gas clouds being emitted from Mexico's Popocatepetl Volcano. NASA has animated imagery from NOAA's GOES-13 satellite to provide a week long look at the volcano's activity. "Most of the time, ...

Dr. Camille Cash is moving her plastic surgery practice in Houston to better serve her patients. "I'm constantly seeking ways to connect with my patients and offer them the highest level of service," Dr. Cash says. "My move to the Upper Kirby area will allow me to provide the same quality procedures in a more accessible location. My entire team is committed to making this transition as smooth as possible." Dr. Cash offers a full range of surgical and non-surgical treatments to help patients with all of their cosmetic needs. She is well-respected ...

CHAMPAIGN, lll. — Does hearing that you are a member of an elite group – of chess players, say, or scholars – enhance your performance on tasks related to your alleged area of expertise? Not necessarily, say researchers who tested how sweeping pronouncements about the skills or likely success of social groups can influence children's performance. The researchers found that broad generalizations about the likely success of a social group – of boys or girls, for example – actually undermined both boys' and girls' performance on a challenging activity. The new study appears ...

Lupus is a devastating disease, the multitude of symptoms, the pain and suffering for those who have the disease, plus it's a challenge for the medical community to diagnose. Many times, someone with lupus will see upwards of 3 to 5 doctors before finally getting a correct diagnosis. And for many, a diagnosis will never come, and they will die with a disease they never knew existed. According to Molly's Fund Fighting Lupus - a Northwest based lupus awareness organization - lupus is one of the few diseases with a rising mortality rate. Only awareness, education, and faster ...

Ottawa, Ontario (23 April 2012) – Permafrost zones extend over 50% of Canada's land area. Warming or thawing of permafrost due to climate change could significantly impact existing infrastructure and future development in Canada's north. Researchers Jennifer Throop and Antoni Lewkowicz at the University of Ottawa, along with Sharon Smith with the Geological Survey of Canada, have published a new study, part of an upcoming special issue of the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences (CJES), that provides one of the first summaries of climate and ground temperature relations ...

On April 12 to April 15, Dennis and Nicki Goff were among the top level members invited to the first ProU Peak Mastermind experience. Held at the beautiful Hilton Papagayo Resort and Spa on the western coast of Costa Rica, this event brought together the experience and vision of world class leaders in marketing and coaching to this group of online entrepreneurs. Financial guru David Bach led the speaker line-up, followed by Chris Daigle, aka the Connector, Michael Force, ProU Marketing Partner Director, and ProU visionary founder Jay Kubassek. The formal sessions were ...

This press release is available in German. The lengthening of days in late winter is an important signal that stimulates the reproductive activity of many animals. Animals living in the milder climatic conditions of southern Europe usually begin breeding earlier in spring compared to animals living in colder habitats further north. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and colleagues have now discovered that day length affects gene activity differentially in the brain of great tit populations from central and North Europe. This is particularly ...

SAN DIEGO— Coronary artery disease continues to be a major cause of death in the U.S., killing hundreds of thousands of people per year. However, this disease burden isn't evenly divided between the sexes; significantly more men than women are diagnosed with coronary artery disease each year. The reasons behind this difference aren't well defined. Though some studies have shown that men's hearts become more constricted than women's during exercise, letting less blood flow through, women are more likely than men to have symptoms of heart trouble after emotional upsets. Searching ...

Dr. Theresa M. Jarmuz of Buckhead Facial Plastic Surgery is a plastic surgeon who specializes in face lift in Atlanta. She says the FaceTime Facelift, a procedure that specifically targets face and neck areas that appear flabby onscreen during video chats, is not often requested at her practice. A recent article from the The Huffington Post explains why some iPhone users are turning to cosmetic procedures to enhance their FaceTime images. According to the article, plastic surgeon in Northern Virginia developed the FaceTime Facelift to concentrate on areas that are ...

SAN DIEGO — Chronic fatigue syndrome, a medical disorder characterized by extreme and ongoing fatigue with no other diagnosed cause, remains poorly understood despite decades of scientific study. Although researchers estimate that more than 1 million Americans are affected by this condition, the cause for chronic fatigue syndrome, a definitive way to diagnose it, and even its very existence remain in question. In a new study, researchers have found differing brain responses in people with this condition compared to healthy controls, suggesting an association between a biologic ...

San Diego, CA— Chocolate, considered by some to be the "food of the gods," has been part of the human diet for at least 4,000 years; its origin thought to be in the region surrounding the Amazon basin. Introduced to the Western world by Christopher Columbus after his fourth voyage to the New World in 1502, chocolate is now enjoyed worldwide. Researchers estimate that the typical American consumes over 10 pounds of chocolate annually, with those living on the west coast eating the most. Wouldn't it be great if only chocolate were considered healthy? In fact, chocolate ...

San Diego, CA —Kids can be really mean – especially to other kids – and school-yard bullying can have serious immediate and long-term effects. One area of increasing concern in this regard is the possibility that overweight or obese children shoulder the brunt of bullying. With childhood obesity rates reaching unprecedented levels, this may translate into even more negative behavior being experienced by today's kids. It is also possible that children who are disliked by their peers may respond by becoming less active and more likely to overeat – compounding the issue even ...

Realityworks, Inc. recently published a case study following a joint project between the United Way of Greater Milwaukee (UWGM) and Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). The study, Teen Pregnancy Prevention in an Urban Area: The Milwaukee Project examines the joint actions of the community to make dramatic drops in adolescent pregnancies. In 2008 the City of Milwaukee Health Department declared a goal of reducing teen pregnancies by 46 percent. The UWGM took on the task of making this goal a reality. They partnered with several organizations including MPS to implement a ...

San Diego, CA — Periodontitis, inflammation of the tissue surrounding the teeth, affects more than half of adults and is linked to an increased risk of stroke and other heart problems. To evaluate whether fish oil supplementation could be an adjunct therapy for periodontitis, Dr. Alison Coates from the University of South Australia and colleagues from the School of Dentistry at University of Adelaide in Australia reviewed evidence from eight unique studies that involved humans. Their review of these studies showed that improvements in clinical measures were common in ...

San Diego—Researchers at the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine have shown that G protein-coupled receptor expression may predict the prognosis of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Their findings may identify new ways to treat such patients. The UCSD researchers, led by Paul A. Insel, M.D., Professor of Pharmacology and Medicine, will present their findings on April 24. A clinical problem for many diseases, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) the most common form of leukemia in adults, is the lack of tests or biomarkers that can predict ...

San Diego, CA — Oregano, the common pizza and pasta seasoning herb, has long been known to possess a variety of beneficial health effects, but a new study by researchers at Long Island University (LIU) indicates that an ingredient of this spice could potentially be used to treat prostate cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in American men. Prostate cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the prostate gland and usually occurs in older men. Recent data shows that about 1 in 36 men will die of prostate cancer. Estimated new cases and deaths from this disease ...

Dr. Sandeep Jejurikar says a newly approved silicone-gel-filled breast implant increases the variety of implants available to patients, and he explains the breast augmentation options available at his plastic surgery practice near Chicago. The new implant is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for female breast augmentation patients age 22 and older and for female breast reconstruction patients of any age. "It's great to see how safe choices for plastic surgery procedures are expanding," Dr. Jejurikar says. "Safety is the most ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Here's an anatomical packing list for making that historic trip from water to land circa 370 million years ago: Lungs? Check. Legs? Check. Patches of highly vascular bone in the skin? In a new paper, scientists propose why many of the earliest four-legged creatures that dared breathe on land carried bony skin features. The "dermal bones" within the skin, especially the bones covering the skull roof and forming part of the shoulder girdle, had a highly complex surface of ridges and furrows called "dermal sculpture." The authors suggest ...