LONDON, June 26 /PRNewswire/ --

- Over Three Quarters of Parents Who Find Getting the Right Size and Fit of Uniform Difficult Said the 'School Buddy' Service Would Improve the Quality of Their Shopping Experience ***

- With Photo

June 29th sees the new and exclusive launch of the 'Bhs School Buddy' uniform shopping service. Bhs are the only retailer in the UK to offer such a service to their customers.

Who are the 'Bhs School Buddies'?

Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) is an unexpected death caused by a sudden loss of heart function (sudden cardiac arrest, SCA). Every year, 400,000 adults die of SCD, making it one of the largest causes of death in Europe. Sudden Cardiac Death begins with Sudden Cardiac Arrest, mostly caused by an arrhythmia called “ventricular fibrillation” (a rapid, chaotic, lethal rhythm of the heart). When this occurs, the heart will abruptly stop to pump blood. Consequently, the patient feels dizzy and faints. SCD occurs within minutes, if no resuscitation is immediately initiated.

A team of scientists led by chemist and Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) Pioneer laureate Piet Gros and medical microbiologist Jos van Strijp from Utrecht University have succeeded in 'freezing' a chain reaction of the immune system and they're calling it a breakthrough in the field of immunology.

One of the oldest defense mechanisms of our body is the complement system. Unlike white blood cells, which must learn to recognize pathogens, the complement system works from birth onwards. The system consists of proteins that initiate a chain reaction to kill bacteria and damaged cells. However the system is not perfect; it can run wild and attack our own healthy cells.

Archaeologists have used stone tools to answer many questions about human ancestors in both the distant and near past and now they are analyzing the origin of obsidian flakes to better understand how people settled and interacted in the inhospitable Kuril Islands.

Using X-ray fluorescence spectrometers, archaeologists from the University of Washington and the Smithsonian Institution have found the origin of 131 flakes of obsidian, a volcanic glass. These small flakes were discarded after stone tools were made from obsidian and were found at 18 sites on eight islands in the Kurils. The flakes were found with other artifacts that were dated over a time period spanning about 1,750 years, from 2500 to 750 years before the present.

SYDNEY, June 26 /PRNewswire/ --

- Rod Beckstrom is Global Entrepreneur, Analyst and Author

Internet founders and leaders are joining industry executives and government officials in praising the selection of Rod Beckstrom as the new Chief Executive Officer and President of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090626/DC38669 )

Yesterday, the Brazilian national team overcame a 2 goal deficit to defeat the USA squad 3-2 in the final of the Confederations Cup.   The unheralded USA team was a surprise but  teams always are until they achieve big wins over a period of time.    Then it becomes predictable and expected, like Brazil.

But what makes a great footballer?   Being in excellent physical condition undoubtedly helps but few people actually believe that intense physical training alone can turn an average player into Cristiano Ronaldo - who is Portuguese.   Instead, there is something else that must be added.   Scientists from the University of Queensland have decided to study what this "something else" might be.  

LONDON, June 26 /PRNewswire/ --

- Medical Experts Call for Greater Consideration of Gastric Banding for Obese People With Type 2 Diabetes

LONDON, June 26 /PRNewswire/ --

Allergan's LAP-BAND(TM) AP System for obesity intervention has become the first device to receive official European approval for weight loss that leads to improvement or remission of type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes has reached pandemic proportions[i] and the risk of developing the disease has increased up to 10 times in people who are obese. Obesity is defined as having a Body Mass Index of 30 or greater. Alarmingly, the United Kingdom has the fastest growing rate of obesity in the developed world.[ii]

CALGARY, Canada, June 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Addax Petroleum Corporation (Addax Petroleum or the Corporation) (TSX: AXC and LSE: AXC) announced today that the definitive agreement (the Acquisition Agreement) with Sinopec International Petroleum Exploration and Production Corporation (SIPC) pursuant to which SIPC has agreed, subject to the terms of the Acquisition Agreement, to make an offer to acquire all of the outstanding common shares of Addax Petroleum by way of a negotiated take-over bid for C$52.80 per common share has been filed with the Canadian and U.K. securities regulatory authorities. A copy of this document may be obtained via http://www.sedar.com and http://www.londonstockexchange.com.

About Addax Petroleum

MCKINNEY, Texas, June 25 /PRNewswire/ --

Torchmark Corporation (NYSE: TMK) announced today that it has priced an offering of US$300 million in aggregate principal amount of 9.25% Senior Notes that will mature in 2019. Torchmark expects the offering to close on June 30, 2009, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The net proceeds of the offering will be used for the repayment of the US$99.45 million in aggregate principal amount of Torchmark's 8.25% Senior Debentures that mature on August 15, 2009, and general corporate purposes.

Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC and SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc. are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering.

Q. Who said this? "I have only two passions - space exploration and hip-hop."

A. Buzz Aldrin, space exploration pioneer, on Apollo 11, second person to walk on the moon, 79-year-old white dude.

I thought this was a joke when I first saw the posting on Wired, but it's real - Buzz recorded a rap song, "The Rocket Experience," with help from Snoop Dogg, Quincy Jones, Soulja Boy and Talib Kweli (who I didn't know but according to Wikipedia is "one of the best-known and critically, if not commercially, successful rappers in alternative hip-hop).