Hit the gym or make dinner? Most adults don't have time for both

Hit the gym or make dinner? Most adults don't have time for both —Even among those who were able to squeeze in both a workout and meal preparation in the same day, a 10-minute increase in time spent preparing food was linked to a workout that was 10 minutes shorter, the researchers said. 

In the study, a team of scientists from Ohio State University's College of Public Health analyzed nationally available data on more than 112,000 American single and married adults, with or without children, who had reported their activities for the previous 24 hours. 

Of those, 16 percent of men and 12 percent of women said that they had exercised on the previous day. And men spent, on average, almost 17 minutes preparing food, compared to an average of 44 minutes for women. 

The average time spent exercising for the entire sample of adults, including those who did not exercise, was 19 minutes for men and nine minutes for women. 

"As the amount of time men and women spend on food preparation increases, the likelihood that those same people will exercise more decreases," said Rachel Tumin, lead author of the study and a doctoral student in epidemiology. 

"The data suggests that one behavior substitutes for the other." "If we assume, for example, that adults have 45 minutes of free time to allocate to health-promoting behaviors, maybe we need to look at that holistically and determine the optimal way to use that time," she said. 

She presents her study April 12 at the Population Association of America meeting in New Orleans. jw/kc ( Relaxnews )

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Are you happy?

Are you happy? - The pursuit of happiness was enshrined as a right in the Declaration of Independence over 200 years ago, but now researchers and policy makers are looking closely at what nations are the happiest, and why.

Last year, the United Nations passed a resolution declaring March 20, 2013 the first International Day of Happiness. The resolution recognized "happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world and the importance of their recognition in public policy objectives."

So, why is happiness so important? How is happiness measured? And what countries are the happiest?

Just Explain It: Who Are The Happiest People In The World?

That's what we set to find out, on today's “Just Explain It.”

The United Nations believes happiness can be the result of their peacekeeping, anti-poverty, human rights and sustainability duties. When International Happiness Day was announced, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, "Social, economic, and environmental well-being are indivisible. Together they define gross global happiness.”

Research shows that people who are physically healthy, have strong social and communal ties, and have meaningful goals tend to be happier and live longer. Money only makes an impact on happiness to the point of covering necessities. Once those needs are met, research doesn’t show a correlation between more money and more happiness. Similarly, governments are also finding other ways to define national happiness and success beyond wealth and gross domestic product.

In 1972, the small Himalayan nation of Bhutan rejected GDP as a measure of its well-being and adopted gross national happiness or GNH. In Bhutan, GNH consists of shared economic prosperity, environmental and cultural preservation, and good governance. It sounds hard to measure, but it seems to be working pretty well for them. In the last 20 years Bhutan has doubled its life expectancy.

More recently in 2009 former French President Nicolas Sarkozy created a commission to measure the nation’s prosperity by looking at issues like the environment and quality of life. Meanwhile, in 2010, British Prime Minister David Cameron began measuring the nation’s “life-satisfaction” through surveys, and he directed local governments to foster well-being in an effort to improve it.

Many studies use data beyond wealth to calculate happiness and well-being, but they don't provide a definite answer as to who are the happiest people in the world.

The 2012 Legatum Prosperity Index ranked 142 countries by surveys and empirical data across eight areas: Economy, Entrepreneurship & Opportunity, Governance, Education, Health, Safety & Security, Personal Freedom and Social Capital. Wealthy northern European nations Norway, Sweden and Denmark topped the list.

The United States ranked high, but came in 12th. It was the first time it wasn’t in the top ten. The two lowest ranking scores for the U.S. were in the Economy, and Safety & Security. But the biggest drops in the last two years of the Index for the U.S. were in Entrepreneurship & Opportunity, Personal Freedom and Governance.

However, a Gallup survey published last year found different results. In their survey to find the most positive nation in the world, Gallup asked citizens in 148 countries if they experienced a lot of enjoyment the previous day. They also asked if respondents felt respected, well-rested, laughed and smiled a lot, and did or learned something interesting the day before the survey. Who were the most positive people? Citizens in Panama and Paraguay answered yes to all those questions 85% of the time. In fact, eight out of the top ten countries were in Latin America: El Salvador, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala, Ecuador and Costa Rica. The other two countries in the top 10 were Thailand and the Philippines. Only 76% of U.S. respondents said yes to all of the questions, placing it in 35th place.

What might cause the different results? Gallup’s poll asked respondents more subjective questions about themselves, while the Legatum survey used both questionnaire and hard data. There could also be cultural differences as well: people in certain countries may be more or less likely to express happiness than others. ( Just Explain It - News )

But then again, isn’t perceived happiness, still happiness?

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9 Ways Supermarkets Suck You In

9 Ways Supermarkets Suck You In - If you're a fairly savvy shopper, you may stroll into the supermarket with your trusty coupons in hand and your flier of specials perused, secure in the knowledge that you're going to walk away a savings champ.

Truth is though, those things are a bit of a set up to get you through the doors. And once you're on site, supermarkets have all sorts of strategies to get you to spend more money.

1. Resist the Smells

The olfactory bombardment starts as soon as the front door swings open. Mouth-watering scents emanate from the bakery and deli, enticing you to buy the more expensive prepared foods, says consumer expert Andrea Woroch. One grocer in New York City even pipes in artificial scents to inspire shoppers to buy more.

2. Forget the End Caps

End caps are the spots at the ends of each aisle, where supermarkets place so-called sale items that aren't always that cheap. They're counting on our preference to avoid heading down an aisle to lead us to grab an end-cap item that seems reasonably priced.

"Don't give in," says Woroch. "Wait until you can comparison shop amidst the appropriate aisle. Better yet, find grocery coupons on your smartphone from sites like CouponSherpa.com, and see if the product on your list is available at a discount."

3. Get Physical

Manufacturers pay big bucks for prime shelving real estate, either at adult eye level or, in the case of products marketed specifically to children, on the lower shelves. Corporations shell out extra cash because they know we're more likely to buy what catches our eye most easily. "Before you grab the first item you see, take a moment to scan the entire shelf and make sure you're truly getting a good deal," says Woroch.

4. Appreciate the Plain Stuff

Product packaging is usually exceptionally bright, featuring plenty of yellows and reds because these colors attract our eyes, says Woroch. Between that and the bright store lights, grocery shopping can lead to migraines.

Fight back against the visual assault, and you'll save money. "Buying generic brands is one of many ways to combat escalating food prices. Before grabbing the first item that attracts your eyes, look for less-gaudy house brands and compare unit prices," says Woroch.

5. Ask for More Cashiers

Stores intentionally understaff checkout lines so customers spend more time standing around near the impulse items that line the corridor leading to the cash registers, says John Tschohl, author of Achieving Excellence Through Customer Service. Items such as lighters, candy, magazines, nail clippers and gum are often found here. "Don't stand for it: Complain to the store manager and ask him or her to open extra checkout lanes," he says.

While you're waiting, don't start picking up things. Instead, think about what you want to accomplish for the day.

6. Expect Tricky Tactics

"Grocery stories will put regularly priced items on display with a sign. Customers then think because there is a special display that the item must be on sale," says Jack Taylor, professor of retail at Birmingham-Southern College. "They will also price items 'two for $3,' which may not actually be a sale."

Agnes Huff says her husband refused to play the supermarket games. "Every week, Costco changes the location of all the items - so you have to walk back and forth through the store, and I'm sure to encourage you to get stuff you do not need or can use as impulse purchases. My husband complained countless times to management, and to no avail. He finally told them he was not coming back to Costco at all," says Huff.

The key to success: Stay focused.

7. Be Wary of Pairings

"Grocery stores will also put related items together," says Taylor. "For example, they will put chips near the chip dip display. This way, if the customer was only planning to purchase chips, they may see the two together and make an impulse buy. Oftentimes you'll even see these two items on the same display."

Stick to your list.

8. Ignore the Expensive Wines

Supermarkets in states where they are allowed to sell wine often have a glass-front cabinet with $40 and $50 bottles even though few people ever buy them. The reason: Just having it there increases the number $20 and $30 bottles sold, says Patrick Schwerdtfeger, author of Marketing Shortcuts for the Self-Employed. If the selection ranges from $8 to $30, most people will buy something in the middle; say a $17 bottle. But if the selection ranges from $8 to $50, once again, most people will buy something in the middle; say a $24 bottle. "Simply by having a few expensive bottles on display, supermarkets can increase the average purchase by 50% or more. And the best part is that most consumers don't even realize they're behaving differently," says Schwerdtfeger.

Stay within your budget.

9. Don't Buy the Numbers Hype

Signs may say "10 for $10," or "2 for $5," but in most cases, you get the same price if you buy only one, says Carrie Kirby of the blog Frugalistic Mom.

Not every item pictured in store ads is on a large discount -- in fact, sometimes an item pictured in the ad costs more this week than it did last week, she adds.

Deals that offer "seven for $5.50" are designed to confuse shoppers who aren't quick with their mental calculators. The same trick applies to the now popular 10 for $10 game making the supermarket rounds, says Woroch. ( foxbusiness.com )

Keep your guard up, always, and do your own math.

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Will William and Kate Make Up for Charles and Di?

Will William and Kate Make Up for Charles and Di? - As the royal wedding approaches, I find myself thinking back to the other wedding 30 years ago that I helped cover as a young reporter in London and wondering from afar (in Iowa, where I now live) how the extravaganza on April 29 - and, beyond that ritual, the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton - will differ.

During the summer of 1981, all of England seemed to have wedding fever - even my socialist pals. And as an intern working in the London bureau of an American newspaper, I was swept up in the excitement of covering a big story in great detail - which is how I learned all about organza.

"So organza is the name of the designer?" was my clueless follow-up question during an interview with Lady so-and-so for a fashion story on what wedding guests would be wearing.

"No, dear, it's the name of the fabric," the lady responded, turning fabric into a four-syllable word.

Still, as a 22-year-old Yank who couldn't imagine marrying, let alone into that family, I wondered if 20-year-old Diana Spencer knew what she was getting into. So did the feminists who distributed sadly prescient buttons that read, "Don't Do It Di." Lady Di seemed so young and naive. Prince Charles made me shudder, especially with his "Whatever love is" response to a reporter's question about whether the couple was in love.

Union Flags are hung along Regent Street - The Union Flags are hung along Regent Street in London in celebration of the forthcoming royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton Tuesday, April 19, 2011.

Flash forward to Kate the commoner, who at 29 is an older bride than Diana was and surely wiser and worldlier. And William - a groom at 28, not 32 like Charles - surely has learned a thing or two from the horror-story marriage that followed his parents' fairytale wedding. Am I the only one, this time around, who is less pumped about the wedding but more optimistic about the marriage? Not judging from conversations with British and American friends. (All female. The guys I know claim to not give a hoot.)

This is a couple who appear to have a relatively normal relationship, who've had rough patches over the years, who know that marriages can fail - and, in the case of Kate's parents, succeed (or at least endure). "They're going into it with their eyes wide open," observes Peggi, my 50-something hairstylist.

At the very least, the son of the People's Princess seems more certain than his dad about whatever love is. "Just compare the engagement photos," says my 26-year-old stepdaughter Emma, a single career gal in Chicago. On the face of it, the cuddly Wills-and-Kate pose is chillingly like the Charles-and-Di pose, down to Diana's engagement ring that Kate now wears. But William and Kate look like they like each other, my stepdaughter thinks. William's arms are wrapped snuggly, even protectively, around Kate.

My British friends report that this wedding is drawing less attention there than the 1981 wedding but is widely welcomed as a happy story, especially given all the other gloomy news (wars, uprisings, natural disasters, nuclear peril, economic belt-tightening). After the Charles-and-Di disaster, we may be less likely to believe in weddings stage-managed by Buckingham Palace. But we still want a happily-ever-after outcome for this attractive couple, especially this duty-bound young man who, as a boy, loved and lost his mother.

Yet so much has changed since 1981. Today, the British monarchy seems like even more of an anachronism, notes my friend Merida, a London bureau friend now living in New York. And with all that's going on in the world, it's hard to imagine the press (or at least the "old media") committing the resources lavished on Charles and Diana's wedding. In 1981, thousands of Brits camped out along the wedding-procession route (prompting me to bunk in our bureau near Fleet Street the night before so I didn't have to fight the crowds during my morning commute).

Will they do the same this month on the "happy day," as Prime Minister David Cameron described it? Will many Brits again celebrate with neighborhood street parties? (My London friend Francine has been invited to an unusual bash - a republican, i.e., antimonarchist, lunch with red-colored food and no telly watching allowed.) Will Americans get up in the wee hours of the morning on April 29, 2011 - as many did on July 29, 1981 - to watch the wedding live on TV or, now, the Internet? Will we stock up on commemorative tchotchkes?

I confess I want a little Wills-and-Kate plate. For years, a little Charles-and-Di plate has sat atop my bedroom dresser, beside a smaller plate marking Diana's 1997 death. What I don't think I want is a "Don't Do It Kate" button. So far, my London friends report there are none to be found. ( time.com )

READ MORE - Will William and Kate Make Up for Charles and Di?

Why Kate Middleton won’t toss her bouquet

Why Kate Middleton won’t toss her bouquet --The ceremonial fight for the bride's bouquet is a symbolic, entertaining, and occasionally violent staple of most weddings, but there won't be a throng of eager young ladies queuing up to catch Kate Middleton's lavish flower arrangement on April 29.

British royal protocol dictates that instead of being hurled skyward and giving one lucky and sure-handed girl a superstitious shove toward marriage, Kate's bouquet will come to a far more solemn rest.

As she heads back down the aisle at Westminster Abbey, having completed her nuptials to become either Her Royal Highness Princess William of Wales or another title of the queen's choosing, she will take a moment to lay her floral creation at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, a historic grave embedded into the church floor in 1920 to commemorate anonymous soldiers killed at war.

"It is one of the ways I remember the boys who didn't come home," Michael Selby, a private during World War II who honors the tomb whenever he visits the Abbey, told Yahoo!. "It is a symbol for the men whose bodies lay in a foreign field, a lot of them never identified."

The tomb, carrying the body of an unidentified soldier brought home from the first World War, is a revered site in British military history. It became etched into royal tradition in 1923 thanks to Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, who would later be known as the queen mother.

Bowes-Lyon, much loved and expertly portrayed by Helena Bonham Carter in the Oscar-winning movie "The King's Speech," set the tradition when she wed her "Bertie," King George VI, by laying a wreath on the tomb in honor of her brother Fergus, who had died during the war. On that occasion the arrangement was laid on the way to the altar. It has since been followed by every royal bride, though subsequently on their way out of the church.

As preparations for William and Kate's wedding got into full flow earlier this year, Kate made it known that she wished to pay a tribute to the military. Such a gesture surely met with the approval of Prince William, who continued family tradition by serving as a search and rescue pilot in the Royal Air Force and is currently stationed at a flight base in Wales.

William's brother, Prince Harry, has also vigorously launched himself into a career of service, flying Apache helicopters and recently being promoted to the rank of captain in the British Army Air Corps.

With the queen closely involved in planning for the wedding ceremony, it was agreed that the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior would be a fitting way to stick with royal practice, while also giving a touching nod to the services.

But what of the flowers that will be laid there? There has been some mystery regarding the creation. The Daily Mail reported that floral expert Shane Connolly would be given the honor of piecing together what will perhaps be the most-viewed bouquet in history.

Whatever form it takes, it is virtually certain that it will contain the royal staple of myrtle, known as the herb of love. Queen Victoria planted a myrtle bush at one of her residences, Osborne House, in the 1840s, and every royal wedding bouquet since has contained a sprig taken from the same plant.

William and Kate are very much a modern couple, but their wedding looks like it will be notable for its deference to history, right down to the concoction, placement, and symbolism of the bouquet. ( Yahoo.com )

READ MORE - Why Kate Middleton won’t toss her bouquet

Russian leader dances to “American Boy”

Russian leader dances to “American Boy” - A video of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev getting down to the 1990s Russian pop hit "American Boy" (sadly, not the Estelle/Kayne version with which most American viewers are familiar) has gone viral since being posted to YouTube Tuesday:

"Sporting a form-fitting silver jacket ... Medvedev somewhat awkwardly wiggles his hips and kicks up his heels with other party guests in the half-minute clip posted late Tuesday," Reuters reported, noting one commenter's review of the Russian leader's restrained performance: "It looks like Medvedev's swallowed a stick."

Undeterred by the judges, the dancing machine himself was quick to claim his moves: "We're rocking out last year at a reunion with my (university) class," Medvedev explained on his Twitter feed. "The dances/music are those, from the past," he wrote, punctuating with smiley signs.

Both Medvedev, who casts himself as a clean-cut, Twitter-adept moderate, and his more hard-line predecessor, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, a former KGB colonel and two-term Russian president who oversaw Russia's 2008 invasion of U.S.-ally Georgia, are teetotalers and exercise buffs. But Kremlin watchers have long wondered the degree to which the two men represent competing power centers in Moscow so much as a good cop/bad cop routine with Putin still pulling many of the strings.

They may soon get a chance to find out. With Russia scheduled to have presidential elections next March 2012, there are signs Putin may be exploring a campaign. Among them: Putin unveiled a plan to Russia's Duma Wednesday to spend $53 billion on programs to try to boost the former superpower's declining birthrate, which has fallen 6% since the 1990s, the BBC reported.

Is Medvedev's newly-posted "American boy" dance video then a sign he may be exploring a run against the man largely thought to have installed him in the Kremlin as an acceptable proxy when Putin himself was barred from seeking a third consecutive term as Russian president?

We shall see. For now anyhow, Medvedev has gone some way to "reset" the Kremlin's public image from both the chilly Cold War-reminiscent days of the Putin presidency, as well as from the corrupt and chaotic, vodka-swilling, early Glasnost era of Russian President Boris Yeltsin, who amazed onlookers when he emerged from his usual stupor to bust a move during his own 1996 re-election campaign: ( yahoo.com )

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Queen consents to royal wedding

Queen consents to royal wedding – Queen Elizabeth has given her formal consent to the marriage of grandson Prince William and Kate Middleton in the form of a historic hand written legal document made of vellum and elaborately illuminated.

Under the terms of the Royal Marriages Act of 1772, the British monarch must formally approve the marriage of her children and of most direct descendants of King George II, who reigned in the 18th century, before their wedding.

The Instrument of Consent, images of which were made available by William's office on Thursday, bears the queen's signature "Elizabeth R" and is sealed with the Great Seal of the Realm.

It reads: "NOW KNOW YE that We have consented and do by these Presents signify Our Consent to the contracting of Matrimony between Our Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales, K.G., and Our Trusty and Well-beloved Catherine Elizabeth Middleton."

The Instrument of Consent is one of a very few instruments that pass under the Great Seal which bear the monarch's signature. It will be given to William and Middleton after their wedding on April 29.

The document was illuminated by one of a panel of scrivener/artists retained by the Crown Office.

William - The Instrument of Consent, which is the Queen's formal consent to Prince William's forthcoming marriage to Kate Middleton, is seen at the Crown Office at the House of Lords in London April 20, 2011. Britain's Queen Elizabeth has given her formal consent to the marriage of grandson Prince William and Kate Middleton in the form of a historic hand written legal document made of vellum and elaborately illuminated. Photograph taken April 20, 2011

William - A detail from the Instrument of Consent, which is the Queen's formal consent to Prince William's forthcoming marriage to Kate Middleton, is seen at the Crown Office at the House of Lords in London April 20, 2011. Britain's Queen Elizabeth has given her formal consent to the marriage of grandson Prince William and Kate Middleton in the form of a historic hand written legal document made of vellum and elaborately illuminated. Photograph taken April 20, 2011

According to William's office, vellum is used only for the most important state documents.

The queen turned 85 on Thursday and attended the traditional Maundy Service at Westminster Abbey in London, also the venue for the royal wedding.

During the service, which dates back to the Middle Ages, she handed out Maundy money to people in recognition of services to the church and community. ( Reuters )

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What Kate Middleton’s wedding to Prince William could do for Britain

What Kate Middleton’s wedding to Prince William could do for Britain – The most anticipated wedding since that of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer takes place exactly two weeks from today at 11 a.m., when the eldest son from that marriage, Prince William, ties the knot.

British Prime Minister David Cameron declared April 29 a bank holiday, and the nation seems awash in both wedding euphoria and skepticism.

After years of scandal and tragedy around Buckingham Palace, the Kate and William royal wedding is, especially for a global media audience, trending towards a modern fairy tale in an era when dreams and charm are often in short supply. Yet it’s also a wedding in an era of austerity and looming massive budget cuts in Britain. And it comes at a time of diminishing awe over royal trappings, nobles, lords, family crests, polo horses, limousines, and so on, especially among the young.

Still, the betrothed claim an inspiring story line: A handsome prince and military officer will give his hand and title of princess to a lovely commoner with an art history degree. His mother was a celebrity mourned by the world; her mother was an airline stewardess. After eight years William proposed on his knee next to a lake on Mount Kenya last fall with the diamond-and-sapphire ring Diana once wore.

So the opportunity for a royal rapprochement with Britain’s middle class is perfect: The bride’s name is even Middleton.

After years of fuddy-duddy misbehavior, airing of dirty royal laundry, the tragic Charles and Di sagas, and scandals among aristocrats – the royal monarchy has a chance to rebrand its devalued image when the the Archbishop of Canterbury weds the couple at Westminster Abbey on April 29.

The requisite glamor, poiseTo brighten the story, there seems to be genuine public sympathy for both Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

He’s the boy-now-man that Brits watched grow up as son of the beloved Princess Diana; he doesn’t appear in sordid scandals and acquits himself with dignity. Brits see him and his brother Prince Harry as having inherited their mother’s desire to be one of the people, genuine, not a stuffy royal. In a break with tradition, William named his brother Harry "best man" rather than just a "supporter."

“We like the boys, and we like Diana,” says Timothy Strap, a livery driver from East London. “She protected those boys from royal ways. It used to be royals were raised by nannies, but Di was a close, kind, and loving mother even if she was a bit mixed-up, poor girl.”

Kate Middleton, for her part, has got the requisite stately glamor, remains calm, is punctual, polite, poised, and properly deferential. These are all elements, in British eyes, that are commendably opposite from those of Sarah Ferguson. “Fergie,” whose commoner status was highly unusual, proved to be rough around the edges and a never-ending source of tabloid catnip, before divorcing Prince Andrew.

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If William ascends to the throne, Middleton will be known as Queen Catherine – the fifth in British history, but the only queen by any name with a college degree, which she obtained at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

Brits skeptical of the fairy tale, while Americans love itIs the wedding hyped, commercialized, sold in the street? Are there Kate and William saucers, stamps, jellies, coins and cakes? Yes, and much more. There is even a limited edition of commemorative red, white, and blue seed potatoes for patriotic British gardeners to mark the marriage.

Hasn’t the couple been together eight years already? Does taking seriously an ornamental future king and a Cinderella bride require some willing suspension of disbelief? Yes.

In fact, the fairy tale aspect of the wedding -- two relatively drama-free young people who appear to love each other, with castles in the background – is seen skeptically among many Brits. Nor are early predictions of a lucrative commercial bonanza off the wedding still being claimed.

“There’s a large amount of talk and activity in the media and companies that stands to profit. But only a small number of people in Britain are really interested,” says Jasmine Birtles, a London commentator who runs a personal finance website. “In America the wedding is a huge deal, much more so than here. I only know two people who are going to sit at the telly with cake and watch this. It’s the older middle-aged British outside London who will watch and wave the flag.”

In polls at the end of 2010 a majority of Brits said they either “didn’t care” about the wedding (31 percent) or were indifferent (28 percent).

A recent spate of articles and studies indicate that the wedding is likely to be a net loss for Britain due to the holiday and cost of services – rather than a gain.

Philip Shaw, an economist at Investec services in London said this week that for the “inflow of tourism and, arguably, a 'feel good’ factor as well, the Royal wedding will be good for the economy. But in terms of the effect on the headline GDP, it’s very likely to be negative.”

“I don’t want the day off – I have to earn a living don’t I?” says a taxi driver in London who did not give his name.

7 percent of Brits 'embarrassed' to buy souvenirsNor are wedding souvenirs or memorabilia being snatched up at anything like the rate in 1982 at the Charles and Diana wedding.

The Lancashire Evening Post this week quoted studies showing that 70 percent of Brits are “embarrassed to admit” that they either may or intend to buy a wedding souvenir since it is seen as “tacky” or a “waste of money.”

Ms. Birtles says that most younger Brits are not only are embarrassed to admit they may watch the wedding, but in fact a great number of Londoners are going to deliberately leave to take advantage of Friday-Monday holiday weekends in consecutive weeks of Easter, wedding, and bank holidays.

At Fortnum and Mason, a well-known specialty shop on Piccadilly Street, most of the royal wedding shortbread has sold out, says a sales manager who declined to be quoted because he was not authorized to speak with the media. He added that he would like to have had more time to prepare a special wedding line of goods but the engagement was only made public in November.

Along with “sweet William” soaps and royal wedding chocolates and porcelain there is a royal wedding rose petal jelly. A large section of royal wedding foods has been reduced to one aisle. The store today was mainly full of tourists from outside Britain. ( csmoitor.com )

READ MORE - What Kate Middleton’s wedding to Prince William could do for Britain

Bored with the Royal Wedding? No Way

Bored with the Royal Wedding? No Way - Recent polls in the U.S. and Britain tell us Americans and Brits are bored with the upcoming royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton. Fully 65 percent of Americans and 59 percent of Brits say they could not care less. The media have taken up the cause asking "who cares?" and proclaiming "enough already!"

To all the party poopers out there, may we kindly suggest, bugger off! That leaves approximately 108 million Americans and 25 million Brits who are interested, and we wish you wouldn't rain on our parade, thank you.

This is one of the most exciting real-world events to occur for true romantics since, well, Charles and Diana's wedding 30 years ago. True, that marriage didn't turn out too well, but who can forget the beauty and majesty of Diana entering the church in her exquisite gown with its 25-foot train, the huge crowds lining the streets in London, or the spectacular views of Westminster Abbey?

There really is nothing else like an English royal wedding in our modern world. Here in the United States, we don't buy into the idea of meritocracy in America, and we're proud to proclaim ourselves commoners. Perhaps we can no longer admit we are dreamers who believe in fairy tales in our oh, so cynical modern world.

This year, my sister and I have plans to travel to our parent's house and watch every single moment of the festivities from beginning to end. If we have to get up in the middle of night to do that, so be it. The whole family is excited to get together again, and we cannot wait.

The last time, 30 years ago, we all arose at 3 a.m. to watch Diana and Charles' wedding, and we definitely were not alone. Even if our neighbors had said they were not the least bit interested, we'd have known they were lying. How could we know? My father, my sister and I peeked through the curtains in the wee hours of the morning to find out.

We learned that fully 100 percent of the houses surrounding us had their lights turned on at that hour. Sure, they wouldn't admit it, but we will see how many turn on their lights in the morning April 29, and just like last time, we shall know the truth, the polls be damned. ( news.yahoo.com )

READ MORE - Bored with the Royal Wedding? No Way

The sketches of Hitler's official artist who erased his name from files in shame after WWII

The sketches of Hitler's official artist who erased his name from files in shame after WWII - Works by one of Adolf Hitler's official artists - who erased his own name from the records after the war - have finally been revealed by his family.

Austrian artist Roman Zenzinger's works portray German soldiers, but he was never a Nazi and was ashamed of his role in the regime.

After hostilities ended he locked up all his sketches, drawings and oil paintings and tried to remove all references of himself from the files.

Official artist: Roman Zenzinger depicted the lives of ordinary German soldiers stationed in northern Italy and Austria during WWII

Day to day: Zenzinger tried to capture the humdrum existence of soldiers who probably opposed the fighting as much as any Allied conscript

His works have since remained concealed by his family in Vienna; but now they are to sell some of them at a British auction house in a bid to restore their relative's reputation.

Richard Westwood-Brookes, from Shropshire-based Mullock's auction house, where the paintings are to be sold, said: 'In the latter stages of the war, with Germany lying in ruins, Zenzinger turned his personal hatred on the Nazis.'

'He showed in stark reality what the Nazis had achieved - millions dead, destroyed cities and decimated people.'

After the war ended Zenzinger continued to work as a commercial artist; no one ever knew about his wartime past apart from his immediate family.

He had been attached to a police unit based in northern Italy and Austria and had first-hand contact with the German soldiers he drew and painted.

Write caption here

But Zenzinger's work was not Nazi propaganda of the type he might have been expected to produce. He tried to obscure Nazi symbolism in his pictures, and give truthful accounts of the lives of the soldiers whose lives he chronicled.

'Rather than paint an idealised Aryan super race who were conquering the world under Hitler's evil doctrines, Zenzinger portrayed the ordinary soldiers,' said Mr Westwood-Brookes.

'He showed them going about their tasks under orders in much the same way as any soldier from allied nations - and probably hating the war just as much.'

Sixty-five years on, three of Zenzinger's pencil drawings are now on auction and are expected to sell for £3,000 each.

They show a soldier in the act of throwing a grenade, a soldier mending his motorcycle side-car and a soldier wearing all his army kit.

Mr Westwood-Brookes said: 'In the hope that his [Zenzinger's] achievements as a war artist will finally be recognised and the wartime record put straight, his surviving family have agreed to allow us to offer the first of what we hope will be many examples of his wartime art.'

He added: 'Zenzinger's pictures certainly stand as historical documents from a different perspective to those we are used to.

'This sale will provide a unique opportunity to obtain work by a hitherto unknown artist whose importance will doubtless grow as more information emerges about him. ( dailymail.co.uk )

READ MORE - The sketches of Hitler's official artist who erased his name from files in shame after WWII

A property with character

A property with character: Hitler House tweet sparks Internet fad of matching buildings with celebrities - The foundations were laid by a simple tweet - and now the the fad of matching houses with their celebrities doppelgängers is growing at a frightening rate. Grab your hard hat and get involved!

Originally Charli Dickenson, 22, uploaded the picture of a house in Port Tennant, Swansea, on to his Twitter account because he thought it was the spitting image of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

The picture, in which the sloping, angular roof and the thin brown door depict the famous fringe and moustache of the Führer, has become an Internet sensation.

Scroll down to see a video about the 'Hitler House'

Spot the different: The Hitler House (right) has a striking similarity to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. And after Charli Dickenson tweeted about the property in Port Tennant, house-a-like has become a popular craze

And now many more users of the popular microblogging site have come up with some other interesting candidates for house-a-likes - and they are not all flattering!

From politicians - both male and female - to sportsmen and famous actors: no one is safe now from being compared to an inanimate object.

Ironically estate agents, wanting to hoodwink prospective buyers, might say that a place has 'character'. Well these properties genuinely can be linked to a personality.

This house has a similar smile and eyes to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Harriet Harman, Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, has been linked to this house

With most of the houses using round windows to depict the famous people's eyes, one is reminded of the bible phase 'the eyes are the windows to the soul'.

Well, if that were true, in this case most of these house-a-likes would have a pretty vacant spirit!

It is perhaps little coincidence that a number of politicians, then, have been compared to bricks and mortar.

With it's down facing bottom window this building has a remarkable similarity with ex-PM Gordon Brown

Former prime minister Tony Blair is known for his odd facial expressions - and here is a building to match

This bizarre house has a round window, and has been likened to the face of current PM David Cameron

Britain's reigning prime minister, David Cameron, is shown to be similar to what appears to be a science building.

With a peculiar chimney system and saucer-like eyes - as well as a small transparent door area - this building looks very similar to the Old Etonian.

And his predecessor, Labour's Gordon Brown's famous upturned smile is cleverly depicted in another house.

Being Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague needs to keep his mouth more closed than his house-a-like

Former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson's teeth are not pretty - and that's mirrored in this building

Tony Blair, who ruled Britain between 1997 and 2007 before his chancellor Brown took over, was famed for his wide, wild-eyed enthusiasm, and he, too, does not escape the punishment.

Another member of the Labour party, Harriet Harman, has distinctive red hair and that is winked at in her house-a-like.

And the U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, is similarly mirrored. The former First Lady has a wide smile and the house that has been paired with her has a huge grin.

This unkempt, rugged house is the splitting image of famous British actor Brian Blessed

Here a futuristic property is lined up similarly to teenage mutant ninja turtle Leonardo

Away from politics there is a property with what look like chipped teeth offering a toothy smile, akin to former heavyweight world champions 'Iron' Mike Tyson's gappy grin.

And famous booming Shakespearian actor Brian Blessed, with his bushy, unkempt beard, has been brilliantly depicted by a house which has ivy mischievously creeping up the walls.

Finally a futuristic property has what looks like eye slits and a wide mouth, very much like a teenage mutant ninja turtle, such as Leonardo here. Cowabunga! ( dailymail.co.uk )

READ MORE - A property with character

A commentary on kids' caffeine consumption

Kids Are Getting Amped on Caffeine, Even at Age 5 - A commentary on kids' caffeine consumption

Most school-age children drink caffeinated drinks, and many of them are imbibing enough caffeine to give adults the jitters. And their sleep is suffering. That's the news from the Journal of Pediatrics, which surveyed parents on their children's caffeine habits.
Click here to find out more!

It turns out that 5- to 7-year-olds on average drink 52 milligrams of caffeine daily, or the caffeine equivalent of one Coke. That may not sound too bad, but the 228 parents in the new study admitted their 8- to 12-year-olds drink the caffeine equivalent of almost three Cokes daily. And the more caffeine the kids took in, the less they slept.

It's hard to imagine parents thinking double lattes are a good choice for kids, but the fact is that 75 percent of the 228 parents surveyed by the researchers, at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, said their kids down caffeinated drinks daily. Soft drinks are the biggest culprit; they're also a bad choice for kids because they're high in sugar, with zero nutritional value. Schools don't always help on this. A recent study found that 14 percent of public elementary school students and 38 percent of private elementary school students can buy sugar-sweetened beverages at school. And kids often don't realize that Gatorade and other sports drinks are just soft drinks in disguise.

Here are three ways that parents can cut back on children's caffeine consumption, and increase their odds of a good night's sleep:

• Take soft drinks off the menu, at home and in restaurants. They're bad nutritional choices, and many contain caffeine.

• Beware of hidden caffeine. Many orange sodas have caffeine, but you'd never guess it from the taste. Indeed, not all caffeinated drinks are brown. One can of Mountain Dew has 55 mg of caffeine, which beats the amount in a can of Coke or Pepsi.

• Explain that energy drinks aren't the right kind of energy for kids. A 16-ounce Arizona Green Tea Energy has 200 mg of caffeine; that's four Cokes! Clearly this green tea is not a healthy choice.

The fact that so many high-caffeine drinks are also sugary makes them more attractive to children; think of it as training wheels for a caffeine addiction. That's not a lesson that grade-schoolers need to learn. ( usnews.com )

READ MORE - A commentary on kids' caffeine consumption

Bamboo car featured in Abra festival

Bamboo car featured in Abra festival -- Bamboo or kawayan was the star of the show in a festival held recently in the province of Abra.

Various products made of bamboo and sugar cane were showcased during the province's Kawayan Festival.

Among those featured were fans, hats, baskets, bags, tables and chairs, and even a car all made out of bamboo.

Guests had a chance to taste foods and wines made of sugarcane.

And what's a Filipino festival without singing and dancing? Young Abra residents danced to music made from instruments made of bamboo.

Business management students from the Divine Word College in Bangued presented their balinkutsa and basi made from sugarcane.

As a result of the festival's success, the provincial government of Abra is mulling holding a big trade fair to promote the province's various products.

A trade fair recently held at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City also featured products made from Abra. Producers earned almost P12 million in sales.
Residents of Abra are expecting a bigger production this year as more manufacturers turn to machines to boost productivity. ( abs-cbnnews.com)

READ MORE - Bamboo car featured in Abra festival

Elizabeth Taylor late for her own funeral

Elizabeth Taylor late for her own funeral - True to the sense of humor and flair that defined her life, Elizabeth Taylor knew exactly how she wanted her final starring role to play out.

Her publicist tells Lifeline Live in a statement that Taylor wanted to be late for her own funeral:

The service was scheduled to begin at 2 pm but at Miss Taylor's request started late. Miss Taylor had left instructions that it was to begin at least 15 minutes later than publicly scheduled, with the announcement, "She even wanted to be late for her own funeral."

Family members leave the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California after the funeral of screen legend Elizabeth Taylor, March 24, 2011.

The multi-denominational service, officiated by Rabbi Jerry Cutler at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, Calif., lasted about an hour. Taylor, who died Wednesday at age 79, was laid to rest in the Great Mausoleum, beneath a soaring marble Michelangelo angel with family and close friends in attendance. Taylor is not right next to Michael Jackson, but near him.

The casket was closed and draped with a blanket of abundant, fragrant gardenias, violets, and lily of the valley.

This Feb. 16, 1997 file photo shows Elizabeth Taylor arriving with Michael Jackson at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles for her birthday celebration.

The ceremony included poetry readings that began with close friend Colin Farrell reciting Gerard Manley Hopkins' poem The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo, immediately followed with other selections by Miss Taylor's son Michael Wilding, her grandson Tarquin Wilding, and her daughter Liza Burton Tivey. Grandson Rhys Tivey performed a moving trumpet solo of Amazing Grace.

Taylor's publicist said any details of a memorial service would likely be announced at a later date.

In New York tonight, marquees of Broadway theatres will be dimmed in her memory at exactly 8:00 p.m. for one minute. ( usatoday.com )

READ MORE - Elizabeth Taylor late for her own funeral

In the dating game, speaking styles count

In the dating game, speaking styles count - American researchers have found a new way to predict the success of a relationship -- compare the speaking style of a couple.

In a study of college students they found that couples whose language was in sync were almost four times more likely to want to see each other again than those who did not use similar language.

"We are able to predict this at higher rates than the people themselves," said Professor James Pennebaker, of the University of Texas, who headed the research team.

In a study of college students they found that couples whose language was in sync were almost four times more likely to want to see each other again than those who did not use similar language.

The researchers, who reported their findings in the journal Psychological Science, focused on function words -- which are not nouns or verbs but the words that show how those words relate. For example: a, be, anything, that, will, him.

"Function words are highly social and they require social skills to use," Pennebaker explained. "For example, if I'm talking about the article that's coming out, and in a few minutes I make some reference to 'the article', you and I both know what that article means."

As part of the experiment, about 40 pairs of college students participated in four-minute speed dates and had their conversations recorded.

"We found that function words are a powerful reflection of somebody's psychological state," Pennebaker said. "You can tell when people are in the same state or are on the same page."

A second part of the study examined the everyday instant message conversations between already dating couples over a 10-day period. The conversations were analyzed by a computer for words and conversational patterns.

Pennebaker said that researchers were once again able to fairly accurately predict which couples would continue dating.

They found that the speaking and writing styles couples use during interactions are a good indicator of whether or not a relationship will be successful.

"The higher their style matching scores, the more likely they were to still be dating later on," Pennebaker said.

About 80 per cent of the couples whose conversational styles were similar were still dating three months after the experiment, compared with just 54 per cent of couples whose styles were markedly different.

Pennebaker said that the results were notable because they occur during everyday conversations, even though most people don't notice.

"None of us pay attention to these words," Pennebaker said. "What's wonderful about this is we don't really make that decision; it just comes out of our mouths." ( Reuters )

READ MORE - In the dating game, speaking styles count

Five signs to know he's cheating

Five signs to know he's cheating - So you have been losing sleep over it but not sure how to find out if your guy is innocent or guilty?

Well, here's some help. We give you five visible signs to know if your partner is really cheating on you...

Five signs to know he's cheating! (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images)

When you have been having less sex

This could be a tell tale sign that your guy is indulging in bed romps outside. However, another reason could be his porn addiction. Sudden drop in libido definitely indicates a serious underlying issue. Deal with it before it's too late.


When he gets too protective about his mobile phone

Is he avoiding calls in your presence or quickly replying to messages when he's with you? Reason could be that he wants to give you quality time, but make sure there's nothing more to it. If he's not comfortable in taking calls in your presence or prefers to move away from your audible/hearing range to catch up on a call, means there is something that he is trying to hide.


When he talks about someone from the opposite sex

When you meet someone new, you have a rush of emotions. You want to talk about that person with everyone. For obvious reasons, he will avoid that with you. But does he suddenly bring up someone in a conversation and then try to skirt it with other discussion?


When his friends act weird

Well, most of the friends will stay loyal to him and ensure that you are not let in to this secret. No matter how annoying it might get for you, the signs of guilt will be evident enough on their face.


When he disappears too much

Today he's out for team dinner; tomorrow he is packing off to a destination. And is this all happening in a pattern that seems too odd? Listen to the warning signs in your head.

Time to take control! (.indiatimes.com )

READ MORE - Five signs to know he's cheating

Working and breast-feeding: Tales from the closet floor

Working and breast-feeding: Tales from the closet floor - Three months after my first baby was born, I returned to work, lugging a huge, heavy breast pump. I had been exclusively breast-feeding, and I loved every cuddly moment of it. (Except for the fact that the baby never wanted to do anything else, including sleep for more than 45 minutes.) I loved nourishing my baby. I loved that breast-feeding could always get him to stop fussing. And the novelty of having luscious breasts three times their normal size was fun, too.

I never had qualms about feeding my baby anywhere and everywhere. I would whip out my breast on a bench in Washington Square Park, at al fresco restaurants, inside museums, in the middle of the living rooms of elderly relatives. On Tuesday evenings, I would go out for drinks and dinner with two friends and our newborns. We would breast-feed with one hand, and drink a beer with the other. (Don’t start about the drinking whilst breast-feeding; it was just one beer, and the baby, now ten, got a perfect score on his standardized math test last year.)

Pumping is not quite the same as nursing a warm baby, though. For pumping, you need privacy. It’s impossible to discreetly slip a breast onto a pump in public. On my first day back at “Jane,” the magazine where I worked, I parked my pump under my desk in my cubicle. I knew from a colleague that I would have to pump on the floor of the beauty closet. Mid morning, my breasts were so full they threatened to spurt, so I crouched down on the floor of the beauty closet. It was tiny and cramped, with nothing but the whir of the motor to keep me company. Sometimes there would be a knock on the door and I'd have to tell people what I was doing. Surrounded by bottles of neck and knee creams, two funnels attached to my breasts, I watched the milk being sucked through tubes and into the bottles. This was not as fun as nursing. I felt vaguely like a cow.

Very soon after my return to work, I was offered a new job at “ym” with my own office and privacy for pumping. I had guilt about switching jobs after a three-month leave, but I could not resist the luxury of pumping while seated in a comfortable chair. It was a full 60 percent of why I took the job, even though they doubled my salary and offered me a signing bonus.

I think I would have continued to pump on the beauty closet floor had I stayed at “Jane,” but I am at some level a masochist. And I don’t know if I would have been able to keep it up for a year, as I did for both babies while working at “ym.” During my tenure there several staff members gave birth, and the company put in a nice private room for nursing moms, making it just a little easier for them to go back to work. Which was good for them, good for their babies — and good for the company.

(Well, that last part is debatable, since the magazine folded a few years later.)

What about you? Did you breastfeed once you returned to work? Did poor pumping facilities make you stop nursing sooner than planned? ( today.com )

READ MORE - Working and breast-feeding: Tales from the closet floor

Couples Accused as Spies Were the Suburbs Personified

Couples Accused as Spies Were the Suburbs Personified. They raised children, went to work in the city each day, talked the small talk with neighbors about yard work and overpriced contractors. In short, they could have been any family in any suburb in America.

Juan Jose Lázaro Sr., left, and his wife, Vicky Peláez, doted on their schnauzers and their teenage son, Juan Jose Lázaro Jr

In Montclair, N.J., a woman who lived next to the Murphy family described them as “suburbia personified.” They asked their neighbors for advice about the best middle schools to send their two young daughters. Richard Murphy mowed the lawn; Cynthia Murphy would come home from her job as a financial-services executive, daffodils and French bread in her hands.

“We would talk about gardening and dogs and kids,” said one neighbor, Corine Jones, 53.

Miles away in Yonkers, there lived another ordinary couple, Vicky Peláez and her husband, Juan Jose Lázaro Sr. They doted on their two pet schnauzers and their teenage son, Juan Jose Lázaro Jr., a classical pianist.

The elder Mr. Lázaro had been known among his students at Baruch College for his outspoken left-leaning politics, and his comments in class offended some but earned respect from others, just as Ms. Peláez’s columns for El Diario La Prensa, one of the country’s most popular Spanish-language newspapers, had earned her a following of both fans and critics.

And in Cambridge, Mass., there was Donald Heathfield and his wife, Tracey Lee Ann Foley. He received his master’s degree in public administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government in 2000; she worked for a real estate company, passing a background check before she was hired.

Movies, books and television shows have taken to depicting suburbia as a place where not all is as it seems, where people with decent jobs and decent homes mask their secret double lives, and that seemed to be the case here: The three couples were among 11 people arrested as part of a ring that prosecutors said spied for the Russians under deep cover inside the United States.

Relatives, friends, classmates, neighbors and co-workers of the three couples expressed shock at the arrests, and they searched their memories for signs that something was amiss, but mostly came up blank.

“I didn’t know they were spies, but I know what they weren’t,” said Stanley Skolnik, 67, a neighbor of the Murphys. “They weren’t unusual.”

Some of those who knew the couples said there might have been clues, too subtle to cause concern. A neighbor asked Ms. Murphy, who received her M.B.A. from Columbia Business School last month, if she was from Russia, after hearing her accent. Ms. Murphy said that no, she was from Belgium.

Classmates of Mr. Heathfield at Harvard thought highly of him, but “his work was a little bit mysterious,” said Craig Sandler, a classmate who is the president of State House News Service, a news organization in Boston.

But there were also those who were skeptical that federal investigators had arrested the right individuals, saying that they did not believe the accusations and, in the case of Ms. Peláez and Mr. Lázaro, that their pro-Communist political views made them targets of the investigation.

On Tuesday afternoon, as Waldo Mariscal, Ms. Peláez’s son from a previous marriage, walked out of the family’s house in Yonkers, he was asked if Ms. Peláez and Mr. Lázaro had any connection to Russia.

“Yes,” Mr. Mariscal said. “Russian music. Tchaikovsky.”

Unlike other Americans accused of spying over the decades, the three couples did not shy from leading private lives that were in many ways quite public. Ms. Murphy kept a page on the networking Web site LinkedIn. Another of the 11 arrested, Anna Chapman, ran a real estate Web site and said she wanted to start a venture fund to broker partnerships between American and Russian businessmen.

In her native country, Peru, Ms. Peláez had earned acclaim as a television reporter for Frecuencia Latina, and was briefly kidnapped in 1984 by a group of leftist insurgents.

At El Diario, where she had worked for more than 20 years, Ms. Peláez’s columns had a following, broaching topics that were openly sympathetic to Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela and that were critical of the Bush and Obama administrations. Her work was reprinted on leftist Web sites, including some sponsored by the Cuban government.

“It’s not like I’m defending Vicky just for the sake of defending her, but I know her as a dedicated mother and a compassionate woman who would take food out of her mouth to give to someone who needs it,” Mónica Chang, a friend of Ms. Peláez’s who worked with her at Frecuencia Latina, said in a telephone interview from Peru.

The authorities said that of the three couples, all but Ms. Peláez had assumed false identities. And while neighbors and relatives detailed all the ways that they were typical families, the criminal complaint filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan detailed their alleged work as secret agents.

Ms. Chapman had met regularly with a Russian government official since January, the complaint said. On Saturday, after a meeting with an F.B.I. undercover agent posing as a Russian consulate employee, she bought a cellphone and provided a false name and address: 99 Fake Street.

Ms. Peláez and Mr. Lázaro were accused of receiving packages of money from representatives of the Russian government. Surveillance of their Yonkers home in 2003 revealed “the irregular electronic clicking sounds associated with the receipt of coded radio transmissions,” according to federal court papers.

In fall 2008, the elder Mr. Lázaro taught a class on Latin American politics at Baruch College. Students said he denounced the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and praised the health and educational systems in Cuba; among the required reading was “The Secret History of the American Empire: Economic Hit Men, Jackals and the Truth About Global Corruption.” ( nytimes.com )

READ MORE - Couples Accused as Spies Were the Suburbs Personified