Abandoned communist funfair traces Berlin's past

BERLIN (Reuters Life!) - Berlin is littered with relics of its communist past, with one of the eeriest being Spreepark, where the remains of what was once East Germany's only amusement park still stand. The park sprang to life in July, when a small section was reopened to the public with a cafe serving cakes and drinks and a couple of old rides running again, drawing nostalgic visitors wanting a taste of the park's past.

Chinese rhino cups set "Antiques Roadshow" record

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A collection of Chinese cups carved from rhinoceros horns has become the most valuable find in the 16-year history of the television program "Antiques Roadshow" in the United States. The five cups, believed to date from the late 17th or early 18th century were valued at $1-$1.5 million on Saturday after being brought to the TV show at a stop in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Australian police pepper spray angry kangaroo

SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) - Australia police used pepper spray to overpower an aggressive kangaroo after it attacked a 94-year-old woman as she tended to the laundry in her backyard. Kangaroos rarely stray into urbanized areas, and Police Sergeant Stephen Perkins said on Tuesday two officers were sent to assist the woman, who was attacked by a "Big Red" in the town of Charleville in southwest Queensland earlier this week.

New York scheme for 143,000 kids to work off library fines: Read

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York Public Library will waive the outstanding fines of up to 143,000 city children currently barred from borrowing new items on the condition they do one thing: read. Beginning on Monday, children enrolled in the library system's summer reading program will be able to knock $1 from their bill for every 15 minutes of reading they complete.

Asians feel excluded from U.S. power centers: study

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Despite being well educated, ambitious and driven, Asian-Americans often feel excluded from corporate America and hit a bamboo ceiling that prevents them from reaching top jobs, a new study showed. Asian-Americans account for fewer than two percent of Fortune 500 CEOs and corporate officers, according to the research from the Center for Work-Life Policy, a non-profit think tank in New York City.

Schwarzenegger says son "much better" after accident

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said on Monday that his 13-year-old son, Christopher, is improving as he recovers from injuries suffered when he was hit by a large wave at the beach. "Thanks for all your support for Christopher," Schwarzenegger wrote in a Twitter post. "It means a lot to me & to him. He's doing much better & we'll have him back at full speed soon."

Exhibit highlights textiles' role in modern interiors

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The role of textiles in the history of modern interiors and design, often unrecognized, gets the spotlight at an exhibit at the Bard Graduate Center: Decorative Arts, Design History and Material Culture. The overlooked status of modern textiles is perhaps best exemplified by the iconic "Womb" chair by Eero Saarinen, according to Earl Martin, a curator of the "Knoll Textiles, 1945-2010" exhibit.