Erotic Review owner: "Women can't write about sex"

By Paul Lauener
LONDON (Reuters Life!) - Women are not passionate enough about sex and concentrate too much on feelings to be able to write raunchy stories, the new owner of Britain's Erotic Review said on Monday.
Determined not to let the magazine be "drowned in estrogen," she said she would have almost exclusively male writers as they knew a lot more about sex.
"I think women, too many of them, whether it's nature or nurture or politics, they're not straightforward about sex," Kate Copstick told Reuters.
"It's almost like writing about food ... Ladies who lunch, should not really write about food because they don't really love food. They don't salivate at the thought of a great steak."
A former writer for the magazine, she bought the publication in May from its original founder, Jamie Maclean, after it ran into financial difficulties.
She said she loved sex so could write about it in the "scratch and itch burst of endorphins" style in which it should be written.
The magazine, which critics have described as middle-class porn, re-launches with its 100th issue this month, and includes an article on Japan's "Festival of the Steel Penis."
Copstick, a 48-year-old former journalist and author of several instructional books about sex, said it would have a new style which would include more poetry, comment and picture spreads, as well as the erotic fiction she said most women were so bad at writing.
Her decision to favor male writers has not escaped criticism.
Kathy Lette, a former writer for the review, speaking on BBC Radio 4 on Monday, said a third of women were not achieving orgasm which showed men still had a lot to learn, with women well placed to teach them.
(Editing by Steve Addison)

Source: Reuters

Many Asians count on their pet fish for good luck

By Eveline Danubrata
SINGAPORE (Reuters Life!) - During these tough financial times, some Asians are seeking solace in faith. Others are pinning their hopes for a turnaround on their pet fish.
In the Chinese culture, owning a fish is considered a good investment because the Mandarin characters for fish and water are associated with wealth and plenty.
And a Singapore-based firm which exports more than 500 species of ornamental fish to 65 countries around the world says its business appears to be recession-proof. It even expects to turn a profit this year.
"In tough times, you tend to believe in religion even more, but you may also keep some fish," said Kenny Yap, executive chairman of ornamental fish breeders and suppliers Qian Hu, one of the biggest in Southeast Asia.
"Many different types of fish are about luck."
One of the most auspicious fish species in Chinese culture is the arowana or dragonfish, which is believed to have the power to bring luck and prosperity.
Some Chinese believe they are descendants of a mythical dragon and place high value on dragon symbolism. The red and gold arowana variety are especially prized, as their colors are seen as being traditionally lucky in China.
Yap said arowanas contribute 60 to 70 percent of Qian Hu's total sales volume of ornamental fish in China, its major market.
A typical high-grade silver arowana, measuring 15-18 cm costs between $1,400 and $2,000, but some bigger, rare fish can fetch tens of thousands of dollars. The fish can live up to 25 years and can grow up to one meter in length.
Toh Wee Kai, who owns a printing shop in Singapore, said his business has been doing well ever since he put an arowana on display some seven years ago.
He had since bought eight more, as well as five large stingrays, which cost 12,000 Singapore dollars ($8,200) each.
"My first fish attracts a lot of customers. So after one, I started to get more," Toh said. "Most Chinese businessmen believe breeding arowanas will bring them good luck."
Qian Hu's Yap said the firm aims to distribute tropical fish in India in two years' time to tap into the country's expanding and increasingly affluent middle class.
"In India they have not formed a particular preference for a fish type, but the trend is they like slightly more expensive fish," Yap said.
"I think the new rich actually like more expensive things than the old rich."
(Editing by Miral Fahmy)

Source: Reuters

Indoor cyclists loving the spin class they're in

By Dorene Internicola
NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) Who says they're just spinning their wheels?
As indoor cyclists ride stationary bikes up and down simulated hills, they might not be going anywhere, but they're controlling every push of the pedal.
"It's a group setting but really you're doing your own thing," said instructor Bethany Lyons. "In spinning the knob that controls resistance is right in front of you.
"You don't have to look like an idiot in class. That's a huge factor," explained Lyons, a group coordinator for the Crunch fitness chain, which offers 275 indoor cycling classes per week nationwide.
Lyons said spinning appeals to teenagers and 80-year-olds alike "because everyone works at their own rate."
"If the instructor suggests you turn it up, you don't have to," she said. "In some other classes, an instructor will say 'beginners stay here' but a beginner will try it anyway because they don't want to stand out."
In the absence of weather and potholes the cyclist can go a lot farther, theoretically of course, than in the inconveniently changing real world.
"In 45 minutes you'll ride a lot more miles in a spin class than you would on an outdoor bike," Lyons explained.
Spin classes are the brainchild of Johnny G., a South African-born marathon cycler who in 1987 designed and built his own stationary bike so he could practice indoors.
When he began teaching friends out of his Venice, California, garage, the modern spin class was born.
"Indoor cycling programs offer a high-energy, low-impact means of cardiovascular exercise," Shannon Crumpton, spokesperson for The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), said in an interview.
Even better, spinning can burn a whopping 300-500 calories per 45-minute session.
"It's one of the few group exercise programs that meet ACSM recommendations for improving cardio respiratory fitness and weight management," the exercise physiologist said from Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.
But good as it is, experts say spinning is not enough.
"Spinning lacks upper extremity and core strengthening, so one should supplement with stretching or yoga for flexibility," said. Dr. Alexis Chiang Colvin, Assistant Professor of Sports Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. Continued...
Source: Reuters

African designers eye growth at debut fashion week

By Sandiso Ngubane
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters Life!) - Traditional prints vamped up with stiletto heels and shoulder pads define the inaugural pan-African fashion week where designers from 20 countries are eyeing growth despite the global slowdown.
The recession has dulled demand for haute couture from Paris to Tokyo, but African economies are faring better than many in the west and designers hope the energy of a young fashion industry and this week's new platform will help lure buyers.
Adama Kai from Sierra Leone described herself as a pioneer in her country, better known for a devastating civil war where drugged-up child soldiers hacked off villagers' limbs with machetes, than swathes of chiffon and the vintage mini-dress.
"I'm hoping to get exposure, to meet buyers, to link up with some magazines," said Kai, who was trained in New York and Paris.
"We're growing The excitement of childhood, the excitement of youth is what African fashion really has to offer the industry right now." Kai added.
Kai said the global slowdown had forced African designers, like their peers in the fashion capitals of Paris and Milan, to focus on practicality rather than whimsical design.
While South Africa already hosts several events for local designers, this is the first pan-African fashion week, and is aimed at highlighting the continent's creative energy by bringing 50 designers from across Africa under one roof.
"We needed a platform where we can have the focus of the world on what the design output of the continent is," said Precious Moloi-Motsepe, chief executive of Africa Fashion International, the company that hosts the event.
"We should in addition to admiring what comes from Western Europe begin to look inward and admire and celebrate ourselves."
Several designers said they liked to combine hints of African tradition and heritage with the best of European style.
South African designer Suzanne Heyns, who accessorized her Or d'Afrique collection with gold jewelry, explored Africa's French colonial past through European-inspired clothes that featured exaggerated hips and bottoms in a nod to the traditional curvier African female form.
"It is nothing that necessarily has to be traditional," Heyns said.
Eyola Adede, a Nigerian-born London-based designer, showed contemporary women's wear carried hints of African prints.
"I don't want to be pigeonholed," said Adede.
"Obviously Africa inspires me hugely because I'm from Africa, but at the same time the real influence for my brand is the Victorian era, which also took inspiration from Africa, South America and from all around the world." Continued...
Source: Reuters

China's Terracotta Army to show true colors in new dig

XIAN, China (Reuters Life!) - Chinese archaeologists have restarted excavation work at the burial site of the famous Terracotta Army after 20 years, armed with technology that would preserve the original colors of the 2,000-year-old sculptures.
The team will work in Pit 1, the largest pit on the site near the northern city of Xian. State news agency Xinhua said the pit had already yielded more than 1,000 terracotta figures, but is believed to have held around 6,000.
Officials gave permission for digging to restart after two decades thanks to technological advances that ensure the still-buried warriors keep their original colors once they are exposed to the air.
"There is color here, in the pupil and on this part of the cheek and on the forehead you can see the color of the hair," said one archaeologist working on site as he demonstrated the faint colors on the face of a recently uncovered warrior.
State television footage showed archaeologists painstakingly chipping earth away from the bodies of soldiers and horses. Hardly any of the figures were intact because the tunnels holding the army had collapsed.
Many hope that the new dig will also reveal a rare high-ranking officer amongst the archers, infantry and charioteers, Xinhua said. So far only 10 "generals" have been uncovered and none has been found in Pit 1.
Dating from around 210 BC, the Terracotta Army was crafted during the reign of the Qin Emperor who ordered the life-size figures to be buried in tombs around his own in Shaanxi province's Lintong county, near Xian.
The army was created to help the emperor rule in the afterlife. Chinese records state that the site was discovered in 1974 by farmers digging a well.
(Reporting by Tyra Dempster, editing by Miral Fahmy)

Source: Reuters

Spare us a million? Sydney radio asks Richard Branson

SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) - An Australian radio station hard hit by the economic downturn managed to ask Richard Branson for A$1 million ($808,400) after a month-long campaign to grab his attention -- and the British entrepreneur politely refused.
Independent Sydney radio FBi, which helped launch popular bands such as Wolfmother and The Vines, had asked listeners to come up with ways to ask Branson for funding, throwing in a A$50,000 ($40,400) cash prize for the most creative approach.
The station's "Ask Richard" campaign, which included T-shirts printed with a silhouette of his head, involved supporters busking on the streets, sky-diving and creating a video game to get the billionaire's attention.
On Monday, FBi finally got a call from Branson who said he found out about the campaign when an Australian woman swam 2.5 miles to his Caribbean island to tell him about it.
"We were having an early evening dinner and a rather soaking wet Australian girl stumbled into the dinner room," Branson told FBi's Alison Piotrowski from his home on Necker Island.
"She'd swum two and a half miles from another island to our island to tell us about the campaign. She had a great dinner and she stayed the night and I contacted my Australia office to find out what was going on," he added.
Piotrowski told Branson that several corporate sponsors had pulled out since the beginning of the year due to the financial crisis, and the station was in financial difficulty.
When she asked him directly for the money, Branson declined but pledged his support for the station, offering four economy and business class tickets on his Virgin Atlantic Airways and V Australia airlines to London and Los Angeles, as well as tickets to the London music festival, V Fest, in August.
"I'm afraid I wasn't able to give you a big check, but I will continue to support you," Branson said. "I think that part of the difficulty we have is that everybody, everyday likes to ask for a million bucks or more."
Piotrowski said the station had picked Branson, the founder of the Virgin Group that spans businesses ranging from music to space tourism, because he "loved music and was a risk-taker with an obvious sense of fun."
($1 = 1.237 Australian dollar)
(Writing by Miral Fahmy, editing by Sugita Katyal)

Source: Reuters

China, Taiwan approve swim through military zone

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Authorities in China and Taiwan, political rivals once on the brink of war, have agreed to remove underwater military barricades and let 100 people swim from one side to the other, Taiwan officials said on Monday.
The 8.5-km (5.2-mile) swim, billed as the latest symbol of peace between the two sides as well as their first military agreement, is set for August 15 between the southeast Chinese city of Xiamen and Little Kinmen, an outlying Taiwan-controlled island.
"The bigger meaning is that this is a competition for peace," Kinmen County Magistrate Lee Zhu-feng told a news conference. "We want peace, not war."
Military officials have agreed to remove anti-ship landing barricades, which stand as testament to a skirmish between the two sides five decades ago, county officials said.
Protected by coast guard boats from both sides, about 100 professional swimmers, 50 from each side, will go one way from Xiamen through the warm but choppy waters.
Next year another 100 swimmers, 50 from each side, plan to do the route in reverse in what could become an long-term annual event, organizers said.
In 1958, China bombed the islands of Kinmen, also known as Quemoy, for weeks as it tried to seize them. Kinmen has strategic and military value and remains heavily guarded. The main island of Taiwan is about 160 km (100 miles) from China.
The barricades are spikes mounted at an angle on cement bases and designed to spear warships headed toward shore.
China has claimed Taiwan since 1949, when Mao Zedong's Communists won the Chinese civil war and Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists (KMT) fled to Taiwan. Beijing has vowed to bring Taiwan under its rule, by force if necessary.
Since Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou took office in May, the China-friendly leader has eased tension with Beijing through trade and transit deals, although military distrust lingers.
(Reporting by Ralph Jennings; Editing by Ken Wills and Sugita Katyal)

Source: Reuters

N.Y. indie film studio launches in tough times

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Two New York financiers have launched an independent film company to make and sell low-budget movies in a tight U.S. market that has seen hard times for two years due to competition, slowing DVD sales and a lack of fresh money.
Mary Dickinson and Charlene Fisher unveiled DF Indie Studios late Friday to eventually produce 10-12 films annually with a production cost of $10 million or less. They plan to guarantee distribution in the U.S. and Canada, backed by what they say is $150 million in equity financing.
DF Indie Studios (DFIS) has the support of big-name movie makers such as brothers Tony and Ridley Scott ("Gladiator") and independent film veterans Ted Hope and Anne Carey. ("Adventureland" and "In the Bedroom").
"We've been amazed to see the competitors in our budget range have pretty much disappeared," Dickinson told Reuters.
"That's why we're excited about this time period," added Fisher. "We see it working in our favor."
Dickinson and Fisher plan to usher low-budget movies from script through production, editing, marketing and distribution, and they believe they are entering the market for art house flicks at a low-point after many studio players fell on hard times starting in late 2007.
Many independent film producers making contemporary art house films like Oscar winner "Slumdog Millionaire" hope to sell their distribution rights at festivals like Sundance. But DF Indie Studios vows to self-distribute movies they produce.
Currently many of the specialty divisions of major studios, such as Twentieth Century Fox's Fox Searchlight or Universal Pictures' Focus Features and even major independent companies like Lions Gate, routinely crank out films at a cost of $15 million to $30 million and more.
But with a production cost of less than $10 million, DF Indie Studios hopes to hit it big with movies more in the vein of a "Napoleon Dynamite," which was a festival favorite before hitting mainstream success.
But DFIS comes into the market at a difficult time after a glut of low-budget movies met keen competition about two years ago, causing several indie companies to fail in 2008, a trend that continues this year.
Moreover, declining DVD sales have cut revenues and digital downloads remain a future uncertainty.
Still, Dickinson and Fisher could be entering the market poised for an uptick. At May's Cannes film festival, many major players said they were starting to see signs the glut of movies easing and that late 2009 and 2010 could mark a turning point.
Like others, Dickinson and Fisher also noted that amid the recession, theater ticket sales were currently on an upswing as people were flocking to theaters for cheap entertainment.

Source: Reuters

Gory British prison drama wins Sydney Film Festival

SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) - A drama about a violent British prisoner has won the top award at the 56th Sydney Film Festival, beating three local films for A$60,000 ($49,000), the largest cash prize in Australian film.
"Bronson," written and directed by Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, looks at the life of Welshman Michael Peterson, who adopted the name Charles Bronson after the action movie actor when on the fight circuit.
Bronson, who has been called the "most violent man in Britain," was jailed for armed robbery in 1974 but his sentence has been repeatedly extended for crimes committed in prison, including attacks on fellow inmates and guards as well as hostage-taking. He has spent about 30 of 35 years in jail in solitary confinement.
Bronson, 56, is played by English actor Tom Hardy, who met him in prison while preparing for the film, which was criticized in Britain for glorifying the criminal's life.
The president of the festival jury, director Rolf de Heer, said "Bronson" best demonstrated "the competition's criteria of emotional power and resonance, audacity, cutting edge, courage and going beyond the usual treatment of its subject matter."
The Sydney Film Festival celebrated its 56th anniversary this year but the official competition is only in its second year, funded by Hunter Hall Investment Management to reward "courageous and audacious filmmaking."
Last year another prison drama, "Hunger," about IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands in his dying days, won the inaugural official competition.
Twelve movies were in the official competition at the 12-day festival this year with no clear favorites, although three Australian movies had gone down well with audiences.
These were "Disgrace" about a university lecturer in post-apartheid South Africa, "Missing Water" about a refugee who fled Vietnam in a small boat, and "Beautiful Kate" directed by British actress Rachel Ward about a writer returning to his family farm as his father is dying.
The first Foxtel Australian Documentary Prize of $10,000 was split between two films -- "A Good Man" about a struggling Australian farmer and his quadriplegic wife, and "Contact" about an Aboriginal woman's first contact with white men when she was 17.
(Writing by Belinda Goldsmith, Editing by Miral Fahmy)

Source: Reuters