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Fiscal crisis spurs animal instincts

Feature
2009-7-6

TO draw visitors, zoos count on gentle giraffes rolling out their long tongues to grasp treats, stingrays gliding through a pool to be petted and the playful tussling of tiger cubs. This year they're also getting...

Fashion cycles: How to look cool and trendy on two wheels

Feature
2009-7-6

PARA Tao, a fashionable young lady, loves hanging out with friends in chic spots on Taikang, Changle and Wukang roads. None is too far from her home in the center of Shanghai, but not that close, either. About...

Total solar eclipse: the cosmic event of the last 2,000 years

Feature | Science/environment
2009-7-6

CHINA will be the center of the universe for astronomers, sun worshippers and everyone who loves the sky on July 22. The world's longest total eclipse of the sun in 2,000 years will take place from 8:23am to...

At home with Mao's photographer

Feature | Culture and history
2009-7-6

AT the age of 21, Lu Houmin was assigned to take pictures of the Chinese leaders in Zhongnanhai, including Chairman Mao Zedong. Later Lu became Mao's private photographer for 12 years. "Today all I want to express...

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Accessorize your bike - Ladies get pink handles and pink seats

Feature
2009-7-6

MANY Chinese young people, who once would have disdained "old-fashioned" bicycles, are now riding them for fun and touring, upgrading their wheels and customizing their bikes. They are buying fancier, more professional...

  Monkey King makes stage magic

Feature | Stage
2009-7-6

JOURNEY to the West" featuring the fantastic Monkey King and his magical powers has been turned into a TV series, animation feature, Peking Opera and musical drama. But a "magical" stage play featuring spectacular...

Yue, ceremonial axe from the Xia

Feature
2009-7-5

YUE is an axe-shaped weapon used in China more than 3,000 years ago. It has a threatening larger-than-necessary blade, heavy but unwieldy. The Yue axe on display at the Shanghai Museum is 35.6 centimeters by 33.2...

Global fund supports new child nutrition efforts

Feature
2009-7-5

WITH the support of Project HOPE and the Abbott Fund, China's first nutrition development program for children was set up last week at Shanghai Children's Medical Center. The program will provide leading-edge...

Best of British get a chance to shine

Feature
2009-7-5

THE saying "best of British" is often used colloquially, uttered with ironic or even sardonic style in an "old boy" manner to those setting out on seemingly difficult or impossible tasks. But currently it is being...

Breathing new life into tomes of heritage

Feature
2009-7-5

"BOOK doctor" Du Weisheng restores ancient books, some dating back to the 5th century, others including more than 100 volumes of a rare encyclopedia. It is a daily grind but the job is increasingly important, as Fu...

Aquarium hopes obese kids flip for athletic seals

Feature
2009-7-5

YES, he's obsessed with grooming, and he occasionally barks at you, but in most ways Isaac is not your typical fitness instructor. He weighs in at 158 kilograms, eats 7.3 kilograms of food at a time and he's only...

Tormented killer supports campaign

Feature
2009-7-5

THE letters are unfailingly polite, the carefully crafted correspondence of a man with too much time on his hands. There is no hint of aggression, nothing to suggest that they were penned by the same writer who once...

Berlin fashion awards take hold

Feature
2009-7-5

STILL a rookie player in the international fashion world, what Berlin's annual Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week lacks in big-name designers it makes up for in a range of up-and-comers hoping to make their mark. While...

Cheapskates set the course to new riches

Feature
2009-7-5

WHEN Jeff Yeager's book "The Ultimate Cheapskate" came out 18 months ago, he felt like a voice crying in the wilderness telling people to ditch their cell phones, hoard their pennies and pay off the mortgage. Now...

The game's up for Russia's gamblers

Feature
2009-7-5

RUSSIA'S plan to close gaming halls, from gaudy casinos crowned by extravagant neon structures to dingy dwellings containing a handful of slot machines, could turf a third of a million people out of work this week....

Jackson 'pressured' nurse for sleep drug

Feature
2009-7-5

MICHAEL Jackson was so distraught over persistent insomnia in recent months that he pleaded for a powerful sedative despite warnings it could be harmful, says a nutritionist who was working with the singer as he prepared...

  'Ring' cycle lords it over music fans

Feature | Stage
2009-7-5

LIFE is full of choices, few starker than this: on a sunny June day would you rather stroll along the Danube River or sit for five hours in a darkened hall listening to a very large soprano belt out Wagner? For...

New breed debuts on catwalk

Feature | Fashion
2009-7-5

GERMAN designer Dorothee Schumacher opened Berlin's annual Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week this week with a collection of neutral-toned business wear enhanced by delicate touches of bows and sparkle trim. Although...

Oddball comedy a flatline dud

Feature | Film and TV
2009-7-5

MAKING a solid summer comedy starring Jack Black, Michael Cera, David Cross and Hank Azaria should be so easy, a caveman could do it. Somehow, despite the presence of those reliable actors and the highly advanced...

Sipping and saving in Napa

Feature | Dining
2009-7-5

A visit to the famous Napa Valley vineyards in southern California doesn't have to cost a fortune, Brooke Donald reports. With a wedding planned for California's wine country in the middle of the recession, my...