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On a day when most of the financial media are speculating about the reasons that led to the retirement of Google 's (Nasdaq: GOOG) chief financial officer, I'm more concerned about the company's chief financial offering.

I'm a self-admitted technology geek, and I subscribe to a host of science-related magazines, including Technology Review, Discover, Wired, Science Daily, and Scientific America. Lately, all of these periodicals have run articles that, in one way or another, relate to the changing state of the world's oceans -- how icebergs have recently been discovered to be a vital component of the ocean's ecosystem, for example, or how jellyfish are taking over large swaths of the ocean.

Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) is the Big Kahuna of retailing, so it's only natural for it to strike up an exclusive direct-to-retail deal with legendary surfwear brand Ocean Pacific. The partnership will help stock the world's largest chain's mostly unhip clothing racks with a brand that once defined surf apparel.

LOS ANGELES -- Child welfare and labor law issues surrounding CBS' "Kid Nation" are adding to the concerns Hollywood unions say they have with reality shows.

DAEJEON, South Korea -- South Korean scientists have created synthetic lipids called pseudoceramides that can be used in treating diseases in which skin cells grow abnormally.

NEW YORK -- No. 1 ranked Justine Henin and both of the Williams sisters advanced past the second round Wednesday at the U.S. Open.

LUXEMBOURG -- The next International Monetary Fund director likely will not be European, the eurozone finance ministers president said in an interview published Wednesday.

NEW ORLEANS, Ga.-- Two celebrity musicians plan to collaborate to spotlight recovery efforts two years after Hurricane Katrina struck the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts.