Lance Armstrong is retiring after this year’s Tour de France, ending a cycling career in which he inspired millions by overcoming testicular cancer to win his sport’s signature event six straight times. Armstrong says he remains “fully committed” to winning his seventh straight Tour de France this year and is driven “by that dream to go out on top. That a big deal to me.” Speculation regarding Armstrong’s future had grown in recent months, fueled by the rider’s comments that he wanted to spend more time with his three children and step up his efforts in raising awareness and funds for fighting cancer. “It will be the last one, win or lose,” the 33-year-old Texan said at a news conference on Monday, according to CNN.com
Spears to become mommy
Britney Spears has put an end to the tabloid rumors that she is expecting a baby, by confirming them. Spears, who married husband Kevin Federline in September, announced that she is indeed pregnant. In a press release Spears said, “The time has finally come to share our wonderful news that we are expecting our first child together.” Spears and Federline recently signed a deal with UPN to star in their own six-episode reality show airing in May. The show will document the couple’s courtship, engagement and wedding, according to Rolling Stone Magazine.
Marburg virus spreads through Africa
A cousin of Ebola, the Marburg virus has erupted periodically in Africa in sudden, gruesome epidemics, only to disappear just as mysteriously. This time it has struck with a vengeance, killing nine out of 10 people infected – a total of 230 people so far, including 14 nurses and two doctors who cared for the sick. Marburg spreads through blood, vomit, semen and other bodily fluids. Even a cough can prove fatal for someone hit by a few drops of spittle. Corpses, teeming with the virus, are especially dangerous. A contaminated surface can be deadly – the virus can find its way into someone’s eyes, nose or mouth, or enter the bloodstream through a cut. They are trying to contain the worst outbreak of one of the world’s most frightening viruses, known as Marburg. But with the death toll rising every day, no one is predicting success soon, according to the New York Times.
Adobe buys Macromedia for $3.4 billion
The document-design software company Adobe Systems Inc. said that they have agreed to acquire the multimedia software firm Macromedia Inc. for about $3.4 billion in stock. Adobe, which is based in San Jose, Calif., and is best known for its Acrobat document sharing software, said the deal is expected to close this fall. “Customers are calling for integrated software solutions that enable them to create, manage and deliver a wide range of compelling content and applications – from documents and images to audio and video,” Bruce Chizen, a chief executive of Adobe, said in a statement. “By combining our powerful development, authoring and collaboration software – along with the complementary functionality of PDF and Flash – Adobe has the opportunity to bring this vision to life with an industry-defining technology platform,” according to the New York Times.
Posted to the web by Shawn Rice
