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INNSBRUCK, Austria -- It's been suspected for centuries, but a team of world-renowned scientists has finally confirmed it: Lawyers and leeches have identical genetic makeup. Dr. Andreas Volkenweiler of Austria's famed Innsbruck Institute of Genetic Research confirms that, "While studying the DNA sequences of many genes that control body patterns in various occupations, our research team observed that each lawyer gene contains a stretch of 180 nucleotides -- or structural components of DNA -- which exactly match the structure of those found in leeches. "Once we made that basic match, other similarities between the two species were fairly easy to...

68-Year-Old Jane Fonda Is New Face of L'Oreal Jane Fonda is the surprise new face of L'Oreal, heading a lucrative advertising campaign at the age of 68. The star joins a glittering list of celebrity spokesmodels including Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz after signing to front L'Oreal Paris anti-ageing treatment. The $700,000 contract will see Fonda endorse the face cream on billboards and magazines, and the actress - who is a vocal critic of cosmetic surgery - insists she is perfect for the role. She says, "Somebody's got to give a face to getting old. I'm going to try and...

Employers can set different dress codes and grooming standards for women than for men, as long as the rules aren't burdensome or based on sex stereotypes, a federal appeals court decided Friday in the case of a female casino bartender who was fired for refusing to wear makeup. "Grooming standards that appropriately discriminate between the genders are not facially discriminatory,'' the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said in a 7-4 ruling. The court said some sex-differentiated workplace rules may be discriminatory -- for example, weight rules imposed only on female flight attendants, which the court struck...

LONDON (Reuters) - North Wales police couldn't believe their eyes when a camera at a notorious accident spot caught a driver using both hands to put on her make-up. Donna Maddock, 22, was filmed as she drove along the A499, one of Britain's most dangerous roads. She held a mirror in her left hand and an eye pencil in her right, leaving the steering wheel to itself. Wednesday, she was fined 200 pounds ($350) with 55 pounds costs and had six penalty points added to her driving license after admitting careless driving at Pwllheli magistrates court. "A car is a...

"We won. They lost. Could you just write that once?" That was Democratic/Labor strategist Gale Kaufman's one request this morning from those of us in the Capitol press corps. The finality of her sentiment-- her side as winners, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's camp as the losers on Election Day-- is one that seems to contrast with an often repeated thought in recent days: that everyone now simply needs to find a way to get along and get to work on the state's problems. Interestingly enough, the need to "get along" is exactly what it sounds like the governor has decided to...

Previous studies have suggested that men who are fertile have more attractive faces. In the latest research, scientists at St Andrews University established a similar pattern in women - and then looked further to examine the effect cosmetics have on this gift of nature. They found that make-up could improve the appearance of the less attractive woman, thus confusing the instincts of the male into thinking she was more fertile than she actually was. But on the good-looking woman, it did not improve her chances of attracting a partner. She would be just as successful relying on her natural beauty....

San Francisco -- An appeals court heard arguments Wednesday in the case of a female casino bartender suing Harrah's Entertainment after she was fired for refusing to wear makeup. It was the second time the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the largest in the nation, heard the closely watched sex-discrimination case. In December, a three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based circuit said the woman's firing was legal, because the Reno casino also demanded male employees to be equally well groomed under the hotel's "Beverage Department Image Transformation" program. The smaller panel of judges tossed out Darlene Jespersen's case against...

A new health alert over chemicals used in make-up, shampoo and soaps is issued today. Experts say products containing the chemicals - called phthalates - could cause women to give birth to boys with female characteristics. Their research found shrunken genitals and less masculine behaviour in babies. Phthalates help to give cosmetics colour and bond perfume molecules. They are also used in pliable plastics such as clingfilm, kidney dialysis tubes, blood bags and even children's toys. "This is a very big problem," said study leader Professor Shanna Swan, of the University of Rochester. The research, to be published-next month in...

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) - A ninth-grade student has accused officials at a Southern California high school of discrimination for suspending him for wearing lipstick and eye makeup. James Herndon, 16, said the five-day suspension imposed Monday by administrators at San Bernardino's Pacific High School was unfair because females are allowed to wear cosmetics on campus. "If I can't wear makeup," he said, "then the girls or the staff can't wear makeup either." Herndon says his black lipstick and red eye makeup express the Wiccan religious beliefs he shares with his mother, a priestess in the neo-pagan faith. The suspension...

Sunday April 10, 10:43 AM Japan,S.Korea say won't change FX reserves makeup GINOWAN, Japan, April 10 (Reuters) - Japan and South Korea both indicated on Sunday that they would not change the composition of their massive, dollar-heavy foreign reserves. Currency markets have been on alert for any sign of changes in the reserve policies of Japan, China, Taiwan and South Korea, which are the world's top holders of external reserves with nearly $2 trillion between them. Japanese Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki on Sunday reiterated the government's stance that it would move cautiously in managing its foreign currency reserves. The ministry...

Guys love sex, but there are some things they just won't do to get it. A new survey of American men by GQ magazine reveals that 92 percent would never wear makeup — even if it guaranteed a more fulfilling sex life. And only 14 percent of those quizzed said they would make themselves up if they knew it would get them a 25 percent raise at work. "Makeup is sort of the final frontier for guys. It's one thing to take money from your mother's purse, it's another one thing to take her lipstick," said Michael Hainey, GQ's...

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A female bartender who refused to wear makeup at a Reno, Nevada, casino was not unfairly dismissed from her job, a U.S. federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday. Darlene Jespersen, who had worked for nearly 20 years at a Harrah's Entertainment Inc casino bar in Reno, Nevada, objected to the company's revised policy that required female bartenders, but not men, to wear makeup. A previously much-praised employee, Jespersen was fired in 2000 after the firm instituted a "Beverage Department Image Transformation" program and she sued, alleging sex discrimination. In a 2-1 decision, a three-judge panel of...

OTTAWA — Health Canada says cosmetic manufacturers will be required to list the ingredients of their products on labels within two years. The cabinet approved the changes after 10 years of study. Health Canada says consumers have lost hair, suffered serious swelling or sustained eye injuries. It estimates cosmetics users suffer at least 900-thousand minor undesirable effects every year, but says only about 50 cases are reported to authorities. The Canadian Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association, which represents manufacturers and marketers, welcomes the regulatory change. It says consumers want to know what their cosmetics are made of. The listing...

<p>The Food and Drug Administration issued an alert Friday warning of possible disfigurements from injecting permanent ink as eyeliner, lip liner or eyebrow coloring.</p> <p>The notice listed scarring and difficulty eating among the worst side effects of so-called "permanent makeup."</p>

An American B-movie horror actor has been told that he is the rightful prince of an Afghan province, thanks to the antics of an illustrious ancestor. Scott Reiniger starred in the original Dawn of the Dead and also cropped up in the 2004 remake. But should the acting work dry up, he could always attempt to reclaim his birthright as the "Prince of Ghor", a remote province in western Afghanistan. It transpires that Reiniger is the great-great-great grandson of the 19th-century American adventurer Josiah Harlan, who was granted the title as the result of a treaty he signed with the...

WASHINGTON : Presidential hopeful and Massachusetts Senator John Kerry today announced he has offered Johnny Depp first refusal of the coveted VP spot in his Democratic bid for the White House. I first saw Johnny in that scissors movie, Kerry told reporters, and I’ve wanted to run with him ever since. A source close to the Kerry campaign stated that Kerry believes Depp’s charm, charisma and intense global popularity is just the thing needed to sway voter support of post-teen females, twenty-something housewives, every woman in middle-aged America and that ‘certain section of guys’ towards the Democratic ticket in November....

The Council has 15 members-- five permanent members and 10 elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms: <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]> Membership and Presidency of  the Security Council in 2003 Month Presidency Membership Term Ends January France Permanent Member February Germany 31 December 2004 March Guinea 31 December 2003 April Mexico 31 December 2003 May Pakistan 31 December 2004 June Russian Federation Permanent Member July Spain 31 December 2004 August Syrian Arab Republic 31 December 2003 September United Kingdom Permanent Member October United States Permanent Member November Angola 31 December 2004 December Bulgaria 31 December 2003   Cameroon 31 December...

Gore being interviewed (on tape) by Leslie Stahl, announces he will not run for the 2004 democratic presidential nomination.Those of you on the West coast, be sure to see the beginning when Bill Clinton is featured in a teaser for anothe story--the sore on his mouth is frightening!

Women accused of hogging the mirror before a night out can finally silence their critics - they are quicker at getting ready than ever before. It takes an average of 23 minutes for the modern woman to put on her "face", compared with an average of 90 minutes a decade ago. Point of order. It may not take forever, but it certainly feels like forever - Ivan Furthermore, today's men are more patient than their counterparts of the early Nineties, and are prepared to wait for the results of the transformation. The survey of 1,000 men from across the UK,...