Mattel, the world's largest toy manufacturer and birth place of the popular Barbie doll, has high chances of winning a copyright lawsuit it filed against MGA Entertainment. MGA churned out Bratz, an urban facsimile of Barbie. Mattel contends that when the Bratz doll was designed by Carter Bryant, he was still a Mattel employee, therefore income from the sale of the doll including direct sales and licensing fees must accrue to Bryant's former employer.

A security guard was terminated from employment after he stopped a teenager from attempting to steal alcohol, because he allegedly went against the company policy that only selected officers could deal with shoplifting situations. Dean Babcock, a 54-year old former policeman who is now a security guard at a local Targer, said that Monday he spotted a 16-year old girl attempting to steal a bottle of tequila worth $45. Upon closer inspection, Babcock identified the girl as the same one who security cameras caught stealing a bottle of rum a few days earlier.

An Australian man announced online that he was putting his entire life up for sale, auctioning it to the highest bidder. According to 44-year-old Ian Usher, the winning bidder will get his home, his car, all his material possessions, and even his job. Usher explained that with regards to the job, the winner would be given a two-week trial employment at a rug shop in Perth, Western Australia.

A Canadian baby is born every minute and 29 seconds, while a Canadian passes away every two minutes and 29 seconds. Given this trend of birth and deaths, Canada's population is expected to hit 33. 3 million by July 2008. For the Action Democratique du Quebec, the country's natural birth rate is not growing fast enough to spare the province from becoming a gray one. ACT believes a faster pace of economic growth can be achieved by Quebec if their women have more babies. ACT is suggesting at least two children per Quebec woman.

India's lucrative outsourcing sector is not limited to back office jobs. It is now emerging as a major supplier of "back bedroom jobs" as an infant outsourcing hub as well. According to the International Herald Tribune, reproduction is the newest addition to the Asian tiger's outsourcing industry. Couples from the United States and Europe are asking Indian women to serve as surrogate mothers, leading to a boom in the number of clinics offering the procedure.