Costs mean women wait to start, expand family

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Women are waiting longer to start a family and may have fewer children than planned due to tough economic times, according to a new study. Sixty one percent of mothers questioned in a survey said they were worried about not having enough money to raise their children and 72 percent said the weak economy was a big consideration.

New saggy jeans designed to improve mobility

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Men who like to sag their jeans down low but fear they could end up around their ankles may be interested in new pants that snap to special boxer shorts for support and improved mobility. Irese and Mark Davenport, two brothers from Newark, New Jersey, unveiled Sagz Jeans this week. They noticed their teenage children's movement was hampered by the look, which came to prominence in 1990s hip-hop music videos.

More children hospitalized for mental illness

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Children are increasingly likely to be admitted to the hospital for mental problems, although the rates of non-psychiatric hospitalizations have remained flat, according to a study. From 1996 to 2007, the rate of psychiatric hospital discharges rose by more than 80 percent for five to 13-year-olds and by 42 percent for older teens, the study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, said.

Reinvention helps L.A.'s foodie status soar

LOS ANGELES (Reuters Life!) - Los Angeles' restless and ever-changing food scene is hard to define, but it has forced U.S. diners to rethink their concept of what a restaurant is. From hipster food trucks to exotic menu mashups and "pop-up" restaurants -- reinvention is the theme that connects trend-setting chefs in the nation's second-largest city that has a reputation as a culinary Wild West.

Williams College tops U.S. best university list again

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - For the second consecutive year Williams College in Massachusetts was named the best university in the United States, ahead of Harvard and two top military schools. With less than 2,100 students it nudged past Princeton and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, which took the second and third spots on the annual list compiled by Forbes.com.

Human hair trade soars on celebrity hairdo envy

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - A growing desire for the glossy, long locks of celebrities is fuelling a multi-million pound (dollar) global trade in human hair, with demand for hair extensions surging in the past year, according to e-commerce website Alibaba.com. Searches for human hair extensions in Britain jumped 160 percent in the 12 months to the end of June, with salons noting an increase in women seeking to emulate the hair of stars such as former "X Factor" judge Cheryl Cole and Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger.

Escaped peacock returns to New York's Central Park Zoo

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A mischievous peacock that escaped from New York City's Central Park Zoo was back home on Wednesday after temporarily taking up residence on the ledge of an upscale Fifth Avenue apartment. "Our staff monitored the bird through the night and at 6:45 a.m. he flew back on his own," Central Park Zoo Director Jeff Sailer said in a statement. "A thorough understanding of the peacock's natural behavior allowed for the successful planning of its recovery."