The stuff of dreams

Shakespeare wrote in The Tempest: "We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep." British actor Barrie Rutter has always lived his dream, and this year marks a special highlight in his long and distinguished career.

Life Expat

Global village

Beijing

Nicoleen's adventures are heaven sent

Ten years ago, in the sunny Caribbean island of Jamaica, Nicoleen Johnson had to decide between two attractive post-graduate scholarships: a one-year master's program in England or four years at Fudan University in Shanghai.

Sheer satisfaction

Inside a rudimentary mud house in one of China's most far-flung regions, half a dozen wide-eyed villagers crowd around the screen of a laptop, as though glimpsing some alien part of their future. It is the first time any of these impoverished farmers has seen a computer.

Life Travel

Walk along Poland's wild side

MIKOLAJKI, Poland: The clouds in the clear blue sky seem to skirt the rolling hills in Poland's Masuria Province, as we paddle along a stream so clear that the fish can be seen darting amid a carpet of underwater plants.

Snow-white mountain wedding is as precious as jade

SHENZHEN: How many couples plan to get married on a snow-capped mountain? It may not be the normal ceremony, but on the first day of October on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in Lijiang, a scenic city in Southwest China's Yunnan Province, more than 500 couples are planning to hold a massive wedding ceremony.

Seaside blues

Careering down a mountain along a metal half-pipe track, loosely strapped into a flimsy plastic sled, you can't help but have a little giggle to yourself.

Life Health

The funny thing about health

MUNICH: Popular wisdom has it that laughter is the best medicine. And now, a growing number of scientific studies are now providing proof.

A new look at old medicines

CHICAGO: Scientists are studying traditional food supplements used for centuries - from ginseng and flaxseed to shark cartilage - for possible cancer-curing qualities, according to research presented at a major cancer conference in Chicago.