Society & Culture

People who align, embrace and really believe with the values and mission of their organization are the ones who emerge as leaders, while those who are not as invested often get pushed to the periphery. Faking it won't work suggests a new study.

Found in southern France, imported ancient Etruscan amphoras and a limestone press platform offer the earliest known biomolecular archaeological evidence of grape wine and winemaking.

Marital discord is costly to children, families, and communities. However, new research data suggest that the Internet may be altering the dynamics and outcomes of marriage itself. More than a third of marriages between 2005 and 2012 began online, reveals that marriages that began on-line, when compared with those that began through traditional off-line venues, were slightly less likely to result in a marital break-up (separation or divorce) and were associated with slightly higher marital satisfaction among those respondents who remained married. According to new research, online couples are happier, stay together longer and have lasting marriages.

Asia’s economies are becoming increasingly integrated, and this in turn is driving growth and wealth creation. The number of High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs) in Asia will grow from the estimated level of 2.17 million in 2013 to at least 2.82 million by 2015. Based on the cross-sectional data, including a comparison on luxury goods and services costs, China's Hong Kong, China's Shanghai, Singapore and Bangkok have the most items that cost more than the region's average prices, while most luxury services in India's Mumbai, Indonesia's Jakarta, Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur, Philippines' Manila and China's Taipei are below the regional average. The report expects the next wave of luxury consumption in China and Asia is less about famous brands, but a migration towards heritage, underlying quality and understatement.

Larry King, via Facebook, denies claims that he has been hired by the American branch of RT TV channel. According to Larry King, RT has not hired him, but bought the rights to be the exclusive U.S. broadcaster for his show “Larry King Now.” The show will still be available online at Hulu.com and Ora.tv (the latter was co-founded by King himself) – and now RT.com. Russia Today is simply airing the shows, without any editorial oversight.

Harry Browne’s book, entitled The Front Man: Bono (In the Name of Power), is considered an important book about Bono and celebrity, one of the few books about contemporary music that understands issues of colonialism and white privilege, especially in regard to Africa. The author called out U2's Bono as a fraud or incompetent boy who never grew up or faced facts. Browne's Bono resembled no entertainment or arts figure nearly as much as that other sad, sheltered boy, George W. Bush. Browne, according to Dave Marsh, described Bono as that little boy in man’s boots, surrounded by forces he fathoms no more than a five-year-old fathoms the perils of the sea, a victim of the world’s greatest con artists; not an egomaniac but someone so insecure he has found ways to be shielded from almost all harsh realities (well, at least his own). If the book were a movie, as Dave Marsh critiques, that one might be able to measure the price paid just by the way Bono looks at himself in the mirror.

May 30, 2013 (TSR) - Award-winning interviewer Larry King will host a mold-breaking political talk show on RT from next month, speaking to both leading establishment figures, and those...

Stress may turn us into zombies, but mindless behavior doesn’t just lead to overeating and shopping sprees—it can also make us stick with good behaviors.

Blue is the Warmest Colour, a three-hour graphically erotic film by French-Tunisian Abdellatif Kechiche, about a passionate lesbian love affair has won the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and crowned by an all-star jury led by Hollywood director Steven Spielberg. Blue is the Warmest Colour emerged as a favourite for the prize immediately after its premiere. The award came on the day of a major demonstration in Paris against a new law making France the 14th country to legalise same-sex marriage.

Russia's foreign minister has called Azerbaijan's failure to award any points to Russia's entry in the Eurovision song contest "outrageous". Azerbaijan says it cannot explain how it awarded no points to Russia, when Garipova came second in its phone poll whereas Russian voters awarded the maximum 12 points to Azerbaijan's Farid Mammadov. As the Russia were stolen, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev has now ordered an official inquiry into how its votes for Russia went missing.

Women are largely measured by their appearance and even little ones get that message loud and clear, thanks to the mainstream media bombardment of fear and insecurity in our world. Ending the Patriarchal Disney Princess industrial complex is the key to balancing our world from gender inequality and mistreatment of women and girls around the world. It all starts with good parental influence. Changing the world for the better starts with investing in our children noble virtues and zero patriarchy indoctrination, or any false and primitive indoctrination that says women are second and have less worth and value than men. With cyber bullying, sexy tween stars and an ever-present pressure to be thin, here's a perspective from real moms about bringing up girls in today's world.

The Eurovision 2013 final has begun with a surprise: A gay marriage anthem featuring a lesbian kiss. The evening began with a special Eurovision anthem penned by ABBA's Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, with Swedish DJ Avicii. ABBA won Eurovision in 1974 with "Waterloo," in what was the beginning of one of the most successful pop careers of all time. Shortly after, Finland's entry, Krista Siegfrids performed with "Marry Me." The singer drew international media attention during Friday's second semi-final when she kissed one of her female dancers on stage at the end of her act.