The U. S. military and a consortium of biotechnology research organizations are embarking on a program to regenerate damaged tissues and body parts of American soldiers injured in Afghanistan and Iraq. InCytu Inc. , which develops tissue healing and regeneration devices, and Rutgers/Cleveland Clinic will constitute the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine (AFIRM).

Abuse of government-issued credit card privileges made the headlines in the U. S. and Canada this week. A few days after the U. S. General Accountability Office reported widespread charging of unauthorized items among federal employees, a Canadian bureaucrat made news by charging $230,000 to her state-issued credit card to buy souvenir coins which she deposited in her personal bank account. Veronica Topic, 24, later withdrew the money, purchased electronic gadgets and auctioned it on eBay. The Canada Border Services Agency employee even had the gumption to have the laptops, Palm Pilots and other gizmos delivered to her office, which caused raised eyebrows among her officemates.

Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis announced a new system to help keep city police officers in shape and physically fit, saying the old requirements are not working. Weis, who said the current cash-incentive system is not working, announced a new plan which would focus on more "holistic" or "integral" approach to physical fitness, including healthier eating habits and sustainable workout programs.

One place where you won't find a new kid in the office block - Canada. It may have been barely noticeable two decades ago, but there's no denying the fact now that Canada's workforce is going grey. Census data shows that the country's labor force is increasingly being made up of older workers. Recent labor statistics found the new median age of Canada's workforce is over 41-years-old, and revealed that more than two million Canadians aged 55 to 64 are still gainfully employed.

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.