Lifestyle

A Minute With: Michael Fassbender and his "Fish Tank"  Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:14 EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) He may not be a household name in the United States, but Michael Fassbender is fast becoming one of the hottest young stars in Hollywood.

 

Does your baby cry in French or German?  Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:04 EST

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - The wail of a newborn may sound the same to the ears of sleep-deprived parents the world over, but according to scientists, that's not the case: Babies cry in the language their parents speak from the first days of life.

 

Business Books: The human brain in the workplace  Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:55 EST

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The modern workplace is an emotionally charged landscape of constant threats and unconscious fears that can addle or even destroy our brainpower, according to three recent books on neuroscience.

 

Dutch among lowest cannabis users in Europe: report  Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:37 EST

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch are among the lowest users of marijuana or cannabis in Europe despite the Netherlands' well-known tolerance of the drug, according to a regional study published Thursday. Among adults in the Netherlands, 5.4 percent used cannabis, compared with the European average of 6.8 percent, according to an annual report by the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction, using latest available figures.

 

Pakistan takes to the fashion runways  Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:26 EST

KARACHI (Reuters Life!) - Pakistan took fashion to the runways this week hoping to promote a more glamorous side of a nation better-known worldwide for violence and militant extremism.

 

Father of Bollywood stars in India's Oscar entry  Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:26 EST

MUMBAI (Reuters Life!) - When Dhundiraj Govind Phalke decided to make a movie in 1911, he faced ridicule and a severe shortage of funds. Undeterred, he sold most of his belongings to create India's first feature film, "Raja Harishchandra," sowing the seeds for what is today the world's largest film industry.

 

South Korea asks youth to spread love through rice  Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:21 EST

SEOUL (Reuters Life!) - Love is a sweet rice cake stick, or that is what South Korea's farm ministry would like the country's romantically minded to believe.

 

Golfers can cut handicap three strokes with better sleep  Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:27 EST

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Golfers with the nighttime breathing disorder obstructive sleep apnea can improve their game and cut their handicap by up to three strokes by treating their sleeping problem, according to a small U.S. study.

 

Activity, prices bounce back at Sotheby's auction  Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:22 EST

NEW YORK (Reuters) - If there is distress in the art market, it was not on view at Sotheby's on Wednesday as the auction house sold more than $180 million worth of Impressionist and modern art at a sale exceeding even the most optimistic expectations.

 

Bottles reborn as blankets for disaster victims  Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:33 EST

TAIPEI (Reuters Life!) - A plastic bottle thrown into a Taipei recycling bin could be reincarnated as a blanket to warm disaster victims in any of 20 countries, thanks to a unique project by the world's largest Buddhist charity.

 

Record prices return to Sotheby's  Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:00 EST

Several records were broken for artists at Sotheby's New York auction of impressionist and modern art, with 181 million dollars in sales, above the pre-auction estimate.

 

Cheap Christmas cheer as champagne bubble bursts  Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:00 EST

French families will be toasting the holidays with cheap champagne this year thanks to big supermarket chains that are offering "discount bubbly," much to the annoyance of producers.

 

Indian filmmaker unveils her own minuscule Parsi Minority  Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:00 EST

Men in PLO T-shirts march through noisy, chaotic streets; their leader, all in white, stands before the wrought iron gate of a Zoroastrian fire temple urging followers to pledge purity and denounce outsiders.

 

A decade of Sharia law in north Nigeria breeds frustration  Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:00 EST

A decade after Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north re-introduced strict Islamic Sharia law, the fervour has fizzled while disillusionment is becoming more strident about its patchy application.

 

Record prices return to Sotheby's  Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:00 EST

Several records were broken for artists at Sotheby's New York auction of impressionist and modern art, with 181 million dollars in sales, above the pre-auction estimate.

 

East German nudists let it all hang out, 20 years on  Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:00 EST

"It has nothing to do with sex," insisted Udo Schumacher, 64, as he stood, stark naked, on a beautiful but bracing beach in Prerow in what was once communist East Germany.

 

Surf's up in China as shunned sport catches a wave  Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:00 EST

Clutching her surfboard, Guo Shujuan strolls down a beach on southern China's Hainan island and glides into waves that pound a shoreline littered with rubbish and broken bottles.

 

Technology not causing social isolation: Pew study  Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:00 EST

Contrary to popular belief, technology is not leading to social isolation and Americans who use the Internet and mobile phones have larger and more diverse social networks, according to a new study.

 

Arizona couple arrested for stealing scores of luggage  Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:00 EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Police have solved the mystery of where about 1,000 pieces of luggage from Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport disappeared to -- the home of local couple Keith and Stacy King.

 

John Irving still spinning fiction from real life  Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:05 EST

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Backstage, renowned novelist John Irving tells a story about the 300-pound (165-kg) man he found in the sauna at his New York hotel that morning.

 

Ailing Ohio economy sways voters toward casinos  Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:31 EST

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Ohio voters opened the door to casinos on Tuesday, sparking a debate on whether the new gambling will help the state's ailing economy.

 

Berlusconi says crucifix ruling denies Europe's roots  Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:04 EST

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's Silvio Berlusconi said on Wednesday a European Court of Human Rights ruling that called for crucifixes to be removed from Italian classrooms was a nonsensical attempt to deny Europe's Christian roots.

 

"Give pees a chance" student may face jail  Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:59 EST

LONDON (Reuters) - A university student who was photographed urinating over a war memorial was warned on Wednesday that he could be jailed for the "disgusting act."

 

Portrait of disabled swimmer wins photo prize  Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:24 EST

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - A portrait of a 13-year old swimmer, who lost her right foot when she was 10 months old, was awarded a photography prize at the National Portrait Gallery, its spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

 

London mayor shows chivalry not dead in bike rescue  Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:12 EST

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - London Mayor Boris Johnson rescued a woman attacked by a group of girls wielding a metal bar after answering her plea for help during an evening bicycle ride, a spokeswoman for his office said Wednesday.

 

Witness: The news conference that toppled the Wall  Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:57 EST

Volker Warkentin, a correspondent for the German language service in Berlin, has worked for Reuters for 31 years. In the following story, he describes the East German government news conference on travel freedom that unexpectedly led to the opening of the Berlin Wall.

 

Amazon Indian tribe hit by swine flu  Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:14 EST

LONDON (Reuters) - Swine flu has hit an isolated tribe of Indians in the Amazon jungle, with seven dying in the last two weeks, Survival International said on Wednesday.

 

Founder of Catholic Opus Dei group focus of movie  Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:11 EST

LONDON (Reuters) - If Opus Dei had a rough ride in the blockbuster movie based on Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code," it looks set for an altogether more sympathetic portrayal in another film that deals with the Catholic organization.

 

Book Talk: History of memoirs finds scandal was not a given  Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:21 EST

CANBERRA (Reuters Life!) - In his memoir, Andre Agassi has admitted to using crystal meth. Irish hurling star Donal Og Cusack came out in his recent autobiography. Sarah Palin's autobiography became a best-seller before its release.

 

Rainwater is safe for your health: study  Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:56 EST

SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) - Drinking untreated rainwater is safe for your health, according to an Australian study.

 

Military, banks, books: author looks back in thriller  Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:47 EST

SINGAPORE (Reuters Life!) - British author Mark Powell's life reads like a novel, so perhaps it's no surprise the former special forces military officer turned international banker found his true calling in writing books.

 

Giving up hope can make some ill people happier: study  Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:43 EST

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Giving up hope can actually make some people living with a serious illness happier, according to U.S. researchers who have found a "dark side of hope."

 

In Ethiopia disabled people get jobs, not hand-outs  Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:00 EST

In the streets of the Ethiopian capital hundreds of disabled people beg, some from makeshift wheelchairs, the less fortunate dragging themselves on their hands from car to car.

 

Italy unites to condemn crucifix ruling  Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:00 EST

Italian political leaders of left and right were united with the Vatican Wednesday in condemning a European court ruling that crucifixes displayed in schools are a breach of human rights.

 

Maine voters reject same-sex marriage  Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:00 EST

Maine voters have rejected a law allowing same-sex couples to marry, in a major setback to gay rights advocates hoping the northeastern US state would become the first in the country where voters directly approve gay marriage.

 

Maine voters reject same-sex marriage  Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:00 EST

Maine voters have rejected a law allowing same-sex couples to marry, in a major setback to gay rights advocates hoping the northeastern US state would become the first in the country where voters directly approve gay marriage.

 

Russian leech grower taps into rising demand  Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:00 EST

Natalya Lepyoshkina smiled as she fed her three-week-old "children" a meal of warm cow's blood, rinsed them off with water and poured them into an array of glass jars.

 

London's Savile Row tailors roll up sleeves for battle  Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:00 EST

For the past two centuries the tailors of Savile Row in London have dressed the world's finest in bespoke suits -- but now they face a fight to defend their prestige image.

 

Royal Enfield goes back to the future  Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:00 EST

Royal Enfield, the cult motorcycle brand, launched its all-new Classic model in India Wednesday, aimed at consigning its "looks good, leaks a bit" image to history.

 

'Archaeologist of erotica' revives world of brothels  Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:00 EST

The sign hung at 12, rue Chabanais, in the days when the building housed the most prestigious of Paris' infamous bordellos, read "Welcome to the Chabanais: The House of All Nations".

 

Russian leech grower taps into rising demand  Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:00 EST

Natalya Lepyoshkina smiled as she fed her three-week-old "children" a meal of warm cow's blood, rinsed them off with water and poured them into an array of glass jars.

 

Russian leech grower taps into rising demand  Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:00 EST

Natalya Lepyoshkina smiled as she fed her three-week-old "children" a meal of warm cow's blood, rinsed them off with water and poured them into an array of glass jars.

 

London's Savile Row tailors roll up sleeves for battle  Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:00 EST

For the past two centuries the tailors of Savile Row in London have dressed the world's finest in bespoke suits -- but now they face a fight to defend their prestige image.

 

Want to quit? Don't go to light smokes  Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:45 EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Smokers who switch to a low-tar, light or mild brand of cigarette will not find it easier to quit and in fact may find it harder, researchers reported on Tuesday.

 

Swine flu not just a threat to young: study  Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:22 EST

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Swine flu can cause severe disease in people of all ages and appears to pose a special threat to those who are obese, according to an analysis of H1N1 cases in California released on Tuesday.

 

French anthropologist Levi-Strauss dies at 100  Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:22 EST

PARIS (Reuters) - French intellectual Claude Levi-Strauss, the founder of structural anthropology, has died at the age of 100, his publishing house Plon said on Tuesday.

 

Phone texting reveals sensitive new "metrotextual"  Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:43 EST

LONDON (Reuters) - Men have become so openly affectionate with each other using mobile technology they've taken to signing off text messages to male friends with a kiss (x), giving rise to a new generation dubbed "Metrotextuals."

 

Valentino pins right balance with new line: CEO  Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:40 EST

MILAN (Reuters Life!) - Italy's Valentino has pinned down the right balance for the fashion brand whose founder retired last year with its latest womenswear collection receiving "great response" from press and buyers, its CEO said.

 

Kate Winslet wins damages over exercise libel  Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:29 EST

LONDON (Reuters) - Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet accepted libel damages of 25,000 pounds ($41,000) on Tuesday over allegations she publicly lied about her exercise regime.

 

Deen Brothers branch out from mom's cooking shadow  Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:07 EST

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Jamie and Bobby Deen have followed in the footsteps of their mother, television cooking personality Paula Deen, and launched their third cookbook.

 
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