Missed opportunities: 9 poor business decisions that would have changed history

Excite could have purchased Google for $7,50,000 | Back in 1999, founders of Google, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, decided to offer their then-nascent company to Excite, one of the most widely recognised online portals of the 90s, for $1 million. CEO George Bell wasn’t too excited about the deal, even after the duo brought down their asking price to $7,50,000. Today, with a market cap of $367.6 billion, Google has become one of the biggest tech companies and is synonymous with “search”, while Excite slowly dwindled in its shadow.…

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Kidneys can be affected because of poor air quality, says study

Polluted air increases the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) which occurs when a person’s kidneys are damaged, or cannot filter blood properly, researchers, including one of Indian origin, have found. The study highlighted that people with diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure or heart disease are at an increased risk of developing CKD. Apart from PM2.5, air pollution also contains heavy metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium -all of which are known to negatively affect the kidneys. Researchers from the University of Michigan in the US, warn high risk…

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Air stays ‘very poor’, no relief in sight for 48 hrs

Delhi’s air quality remained `very poor’ on Saturday with moderate to dense fog seen in several places around the capital. Conditions are expected to remain the same for the next 48 hours with dense fog expected in parts of the city, experts said. Wind speed picked up in the evening, which saw an improvement in air quality but conditions in the morning remained poor with PM 2.5 levels over 3-4 times in several places across Delhi. The permitted limit of PM 10 being 100 microgramscubic metre, while it is 60…

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Capital’s poor show continues

The capital continued to experience “very poor” air quality on Monday. Though the pollution level had improved from last week’s “severe”, experts said the air quality will continue to be “very poor” till December 15, after which it may deteriorate further. According to Delhi Pollution Control Committee’s realtime air quality monitoring, PM 2.5 levels ranged from 200 to 300 micrograms per cubic metres at most locations like Punjabi Bagh, Mandir Marg and RK Puram. “The improved conditions will continue till December 15.Due to the movement of the western disturbance over…

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Poor Diet Sees Scurvy Reappear in Australia

Scurvy, a disease historically associated with old-world sailors on long voyages, is making a surprise comeback in Australia, with health officials Tuesday revealing a rare spate of cases. Caused by vitamin C deficiency, the condition used to be a common — and often fatal — curse among seafarers who went months without fresh fruit and vegetables. Once barely heard of in developed countries, reports suggest the problem is also on the rise in Britain, while a medical journal this year detailed the case of a baby developing scurvy in Spain.…

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Poor Sleep May Adversely Affect Kidney Function

Short and poor quality of sleep may worsen kidney function in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), says a study. “Short sleep and fragmented sleep are significant yet unappreciated risk factors for CKD progression,” said one of the researchers, Ana Ricardo, from the University of Illinois at Chicago in the US. “Our research adds to the accumulating knowledge regarding the importance of sleep on kidney function, and underscores the need to design and test clinical interventions to improve sleep habits in individuals with CKD,” she added. Although there is increasing…

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