| Aids leaves Africa's grannies to raise children
Skinny and gap-toothed, her nose smudged with black dust, grandmother Kanotu Mumo sorts charcoal into small pots for sale on the stoop of her slum hut. Mumo is an "Aids granny" in Kibera, Nairobi, one of Africa's biggest slums. Like grandmothers all over Africa, they have been left to fend for orphans after their own children and husbands died. Her hut, stacked with sacks of charcoal, measures 3m by 2,5m and it is too dark inside to see more than a few centimetres, even in the middle of the day. Somehow she shelters four grandchildren, two great grandchildren and the child of a dead relative, who sleep on mattresses and two beds. There is no toilet or running water. According to United Nations figures, at least 12-million children in Africa have lost one or both parents because of Aids. This accounts for 80% of all Aids orphans in the developing world.
Pampering your skin: Head to Toe Beauty proves you don’t have to go ...
Vanderpol owns the hair salon, but does most of her skin-care work in a private area through the office door. Even as her business grows, she still likes to do the work that makes clients feel good. "I like people," she said. One of the best parts of being pampered, she said, is the escape from the daily grind it allows the client. "Body wraps [for example] are good for the soul, because in addition to health, many of these services are also pampering and stress reducing," she said. "There are some days I wish someone could give me a facial." To help grow Head to Toe Beauty, located at 424 E. Main St., Vanderpol said she said she has to do a good job educating potential clients. For example, she needs to let southern Iowans know they do not have to travel to Des Moines to get these skin-care services.
Editorial: Warnings don’t help economy (Jan. 23)
What's happening in the housing market in areas where the bubble burst will get all the attention. People could look around and see if the stores are full, the airlines are full, hotels are full and their jobs are safe. Those are better indicators than listening to some talking head in New York or LA tell you how bad things are. " .
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