Life Health

Where did your mojo go?

HAMBURG: When women reach menopause, their hormones hit the brakes hard. Hormonal changes in middle-aged men are less drastic. Their bodies' production of testosterone, the main male sex hormone, declines gradually.

Fred isn't the only partner for ginger

My first encounter with a finger of ginger (jiang) was around 10 years ago at university when my Pakistani housemate was whipping up a curry. At that time it was a distinctly alien ingredient, and I was baffled that this knobbly brown lump could be in any way related to the powdered stuff that gives ginger nuts and gingerbread men (reportedly "invented" by Queen Elizabeth I) their kick.

Allergies are not to be sneezed at

WIESBADEN, Germany: Hay fever sufferers are getting hit even earlier. In Germany, pollen was already in the air in January, and February was worse.

IN BRIEF (Page 19)

Life Style

Clothes speak volumes

HAMBURG: "Clothes maketh the man" - goes the old adage, and it's still valid the world over. Many people believe clothing choices will say much about character as well as social ties.

Runway rags reveal a battle of the sexes

PARIS: Jean-Paul Gaultier fits like a glove at the luxury-led house of Hermes, as he demonstrated yet again with his impeccable collection for next autumn-winter on Saturday in Paris.

Crochet converts show a knack for knitting

HAMBURG: Some knitters spend time searching the Internet for lost edge stitches while others seek instructions for unique creations such as an elephant sweater that has arms that look like the trunk of an elephant. Others watch a DVD to learn how to knit a sock.

Decide for yourself if conflict is compatible

HAMBURG: Eye make-up this spring is both a glimpse of the past and the future - tender reserve on one hand and the courage to use shrill tones on the other.

Life Expat

Linguist left speechless

Anyone who has been in Beijing for a while knows how the taxi drivers behave - they talk a lot about everything. Hence the other day, Brendan O'Kane, an Irish American who has been living in Beijing for the past four years, was not surprised that the cabbie started chatting even before he'd gotten comfortable in his seat.