Culturite

Yahoo has hired Internet search leader Google to sell some online ads in hopes of boosting its profit.

The Sunnyvale-based company announced the plans late Thursday after its stock plunged 10 percent on news that its efforts to revive takeover talks with Microsoft had hit a dead end.

Yahoo Inc. is now counting on Google Inc.’s superior moneymaking system to appease its angry shareholders as it tries to fend off a shareholder mutiny being led by activist investor Carl Icahn.

By using Google’s superior advertising technology, Yahoo believes it can boost its annual cash flow by $250 million to $450 million in the first year of the deal.

The partnership could last up to 10 years if it can win antitrust approval.

Strawberry Shortcake was having an identity crisis. The “it” doll and cartoon star of the 1980s was just not connecting with modern girls. Too candy-obsessed. Too ditzy. Too fond of wearing bloomers.

Warner Brothers struggled to make the Looney Tunes characters relevant to modern children, and introduced futuristic-looking “descendants” of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and others in a television series in 2005. But many parents hated the “Loonatics,” which had mohawks and menacing eyes.

So her owner, American Greetings Properties, worked for a year on what it calls a “fruit-forward” makeover. Strawberry Shortcake, part of a line of scented dolls, now prefers fresh fruit to gumdrops, appears to wear just a dab of lipstick (but no rouge), and spends her time chatting on a cellphone instead of brushing her calico cat, Custard. Her new look was unveiled Tuesday, along with plans for a new line of toys from Hasbro.

Strawberry Shortcake has hung up her bloomers and ditched her beloved cat, Custard, in favor of a cellphone and straightening iron. The 1980’s cartoon star received what her owner, American Greetings Properties, called a “fruit-forward” makeover in aims of connecting with today’s girls. American Greetings also plans on dusting off the Care Bears, putting the pudgy bears on a diet and extending their eyelashes for maximum modern cuteness. Word has it Jem and the Holograms have also reinvented themselves for the new millennium by donning the same 80s clothing, but picking up a few tattoos and cocaine habit.

Want to work for Google — but you can’t code and don’t have an MBA? You’re not completely out of luck: We’ve scanned the 793 positions open in the U.S., and we’ve found some options for you:

* Executive Chefs, Mountain View. High stress — you have to feed a lot of Googlers – but you get to play around with a $72 million food budget. And it might make you a millionaire — even if you have to leave for Facebook to get your payday. Requires culinary degree, at least 5 years as a sous chef, experience with ethnic and vegetarian food, and experience with high-volume dining.

* Massage Therapist, Chicago. Upside: You only have to work 12 hours a week. Downside: You have to rub big-shouldered Googlers. Requires national massage certification, 500 certified massage hours, 3 years of professional massage experience.

Whenever we’re asked “when is Firefox going to be released” we endeavor to answer to the best of our abilities, but the truth of the matter is that we’ll only ever ship “when it’s ready”. We have a lot of indicators that help us understand when the product is ready for release: feedback from our pre-release milestones, excitement in the community and the press, availability of compatible Add-Ons, and a large active beta community helping us ensure that the release is compatible with all the various sites on the Internet.

After more than 34 months of active development, and with the contributions of thousands, we’re proud to announce that we’re ready. It is our expectation to ship Firefox 3 this upcoming Tuesday, June 17th. Put on your party hats and get ready to download Firefox 3

Four people were killed and at least another 20 were reported injured Wednesday when a tornado struck a Boy Scout camp in western Iowa, a state safety official said.

Iowa Public Safety Commissioner Gene Meyer said the four were killed by a storm that slammed into the Little Sioux Scout Ranch near the Nebraska state line.

Meyer said about 120 people, including 93 children, were believed to be at the camp at the time of the storm.

Lloyd Roitstein, president of the Boy Scouts of Mid-America Council, said the scouts at the ranch were between 13 and 18 years old and were there for a week of training. He said all of them were staying in tents and that the site was destroyed.

“All of the buildings are gone; most of the tents are gone; most of the trees are destroyed,” Roitstein said. “You’ve got 1,800 acres of property that are destroyed right now.”

The National Weather Service received a 7:35 p.m. report of a touchdown at the site.

Officials at Burgess Memorial Hospital, about 20 miles away from the ranch, said they had treated several patients injured by the storm Wednesday night and that injuries ranged from minor to serious.

As many as 40 people may be injured atboy scout camp near Little Sioux, in western Iowa after a storm ortornado touched down.

Emergency officials who could be heard on a police scannerreported the injuries at the Little Sioux Scout Ranch which islocated in Iowa’s Loess Hills.

The officials said many of the injuries were head injuries.

A dispatch operator with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Officewould not confirm reports of injuries but said first responderswere at the camp site and more were en route.

Negotiators from Taiwan and China have opened their first formal talks in almost a decade, aiming to forge an agreement on expanded charter flights between the sides that have had no scheduled transport links between them in 59 years.

Taiwan’s delegation Thursday also planned to discuss what additional help the island could provide for China’s earthquake relief efforts. The talks are scheduled to run through Friday at a state guesthouse in western Beijing.

The 19-member Taiwanese team is being led by Chiang Pin-kung, chairman of the quasi-governmental Straits Exchange Foundation, and includes two vice Cabinet ministers — the highest-ranking Taiwanese officials ever to participate in bilateral talks.

Talk show host Oprah Winfrey is the world’s most powerful celebrity for the second straight year and for the fifth time ever, according to the 2008 Forbes Celebrity 100 Power List released on Wednesday.

During the past year Winfrey made $275 million, Woods, $115 million, Knowles $80 million, Beckham $50 million, Depp $72 million, Jay-Z $82 million, and The Police $115 million.

The rankings give the most weight to earnings over the past year but also factors in such things as Internet presence, press clippings, magazine covers and mentions on TV and radio.