The economic slowdown has filtered through to all sectors of the economy, with entertainment company Walt Disney reporting a 13 percent decline in profits for the fourth quarter.  Disney reported net earnings of $760 million, down from $870 million in the same quarter a year ago. "Consumer confidence is the lowest we've seen in over three decades," said chief executive Robert Iger. ┬á┬á Disney reported a sharp drop in hotel bookings and the tougher advertising climate hit its television networks.

The advertising alliance between Google and Yahoo! has collapsed after the Justice Department indicated its intention to try to block the deal. ┬á┬á Earlier this year the Yahoo! board rejected a takeover offer of $33 a share from Microsoft, in a deal worth $47.5 billion, claiming it undervalued the company and that Yahoo! shareholders would be better served by the company following its own strategy.┬á┬á Part of that strategy was to hook up with Google in an arrangement where paid search ads from Google would appear alongside Yahoo!

Only now that itÔÇÖs happened is it safe to say that the┬áonly surprise about Barack ObamaÔÇÖs victory in the US Presidential election was the size of his winning margin.  Most people, even Republicans who dared not contemplate such a thing, most likely knew in their heart of hearts that yesterday belonged to Obama, long before the figures were added up.┬á┬á  At his victory rally, president-elect Obama said he had received an "extraordinarily gracious" call from his rival Senator John McCain, and praised the former Vietnam prisoner-of-war as a "brave and selfless leader,

Hedge funds have taken some stick in the current economic climate, but when hedging pays off it can pay big-time, with Chesapeake Energy recently recording a $2.85 billion gain from hedges on its natural gas and oil sales.   Chesapeake returned third quarter earnings of $3.25 billion at the end of October, almost ten times the $346 million earned in the same quarter last year.

Breaking new ground┬áThe Ann & Robert H. Lurie ChildrenÔÇÖs Hospital of Chicago, the new state-of-the-art childrenÔÇÖs hospital soon to replace ChildrenÔÇÖs Memorial Hospital, will set new standards in pediatric healthcare, Ruari McCallion reports. The feet that stood on the shovel that broke the ground for the new Ann & Robert H. Lurie ChildrenÔÇÖs Hospital of Chicago on April 21, 2008, may have been just regular-sized but they represented a huge step forward in child health in the whole of North America.

Coordinated construction┬áDowntown Calgary is in the midst of a changing skyline. The construction of the Jamieson Place complex will provide the city with cutting-edge design and technologyÔÇöand one of its first LEED Silver buildings, Andrew Pelis learns.

The right direction┬áKeith Regan details how an aggressive acquisition strategy has made it possible for Eveready Directional Boring to be a full-service provider to oil fields and other industries. When Lyle Jeffries first launched his directional boring business in the Canadian province of Alberta, it was with a single piece of equipment capable mainly of helping contractors install utilities without digging open trenches.

Patient privacy┬áKeith Regan learns how Halifax Medical CenterÔÇÖs building project modernizes healthcare delivery to the fast-growing Florida population without losing touch with the past. Halifax Medical Center of Daytona Beach is the Florida coastal cityÔÇÖs primary hospital, featuring the areaÔÇÖs only Level II trauma center and the only pediatrics emergency department.

A well oiled team┬áFred Baker tells Gay Sutton about the changes taking place in the Canadian oil and gas exploration sector and how Milestone Exploration is reshaping its strategy for new circumstances. YouÔÇÖd think that with oil prices rising so dramatically over the last couple of years and governments focusing on security of supply, being in the oil and gas exploration business would be highly attractive. And you would be right.

Taking the heat┬áAubrey Eveleigh, COO of MetalCORP, talks to Gay Sutton about the strategic value of finding a rare unique metal, rhenium, in Ontario. Not many of us are likely to experience a genuine Eureka momentÔÇöthat instant when you realize without a doubt that you have discovered something outstanding and unique.