Europeans are getting bigger. According to scientists, that's because their standards of living are improving. But not all Europeans are the same size. Apparently the Dutch are the tallest people in Europe, and sometimes they have a tough time finding clothes that fit.

• 12/10/09
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The price of gold is on the rise, and the raw material has never been as valuable as it is today. In times of uncertainty, investors fall back on the security of gold -- whether it's in the form of bars, coins or jewelry. But even gold dealers and jewelry manufacturers need a sure supply, so they regard the surge in the price of raw gold with mixed feelings.

• 12/9/09
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Brescia may not be on most travelers' Italy itinerary, but the city close to Milan rewards visitors with a rich history, excellent food and wine and Italian design shops.

• 12/8/09
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Some people have a philosophical reason for it, some just like it as a raw material. Eat Art is a genre of contemporary art that features works comprised of edible materials. From butter to toast and beyond.

• 12/7/09
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Major fashion labels from Italy and France continue to set the tone when it comes to seasonal fashion trends. But many have also long since branched out and expanded their lines to include perfume, sunglasses, and home linens. Some have even gone a step further - into making furniture.

• 12/4/09
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Stocks of cod in the North Atlantic are being increasingly depleted by the effects of climate change. Because the water is getting warmer, the fish are growing more slowly, and their stocks were already weakened by overfishing.

• 12/3/09
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Anyone who has ever looked for an apartment knows just how difficult it can be. Most places you look at are either chock full of someone else's clutter or cold and bare,and it takes real imagination to visualise the possibilities for any given room. This is where "home staging" agencies come in. These are professionals who can quickly revamp interiors to appeal to the tastes of prospective tenants and buyers.

• 12/2/09
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In accordance with an ancient oath, the Passion Play in the Bavarian village of Oberammergau is performed only every 10 years. Its a major theatrical event, in part because it involves each and every villager who wants to take part. In May of 2010 the Passion Play will premiere for the 41st time. The rehearsals have begun and modern Oberammergauers are giving 100 percent to fulfill their ancestors' promise to God.

• 12/1/09
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A key argument against converting energy production from fossil fuels to renewables has been that we cannot rely on them for a steady supply. The sun doesn’t always shine, and there isn't always a lot of wind. Now a research field known as "energy meteorology" is helping to make sustainable resources more reliable. Using remote sensing methods, such as satellite data, weather experts are finding ways of forecasting the intensity of the sunlight and winds used to generate power.

• 11/30/09
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Berlin's ballet star Nadja Saidakova combines her vocabulary of classical movement with the pulsing beat of the clubbing tunes by London's DJ Luke Slater. This result is an exciting artistic experiment, full of beautiful contradictions.

• 11/29/09
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Long gone are the days when cheerleaders merely filled the gaps at sports events and encouraged the audience to support the players. Now cheerleading is considered a bona fide sport, and it's caught on in Germany. The Alba Berlin Danceteam are as dedicated to their work as are the players in the basketball team with whom they perform.

• 11/27/09
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In France owners of many chateaux are complaining about wine thievery, and police are investigating ever more cases of wine cellars suddenly going empty. Even big-name delicatessens like Hédiard have been hit by thieves trying to get their hands on costly Grand Crus. Wine shops are taking elaborate security measures.

• 11/26/09
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Moving away from the traditional white cube that most contemporary art galleries represent, art lovers have increasingly been opening their homes to the art world in recent years. Berlin has become a hotspot for living-room exhibitions.

• 11/25/09
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They call themselves "Staff Benda Bilili": eight musicians who all suffer from polio. Their instruments are homemade, and in some cases were even invented by their players. They live outdoors on the streets of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and were brought together by their love of music and life. Now they're on tour in Europe.

• 11/24/09
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Whether Braun aimed to produce an alarm clock or a heater, chief designer Dieter Rams was responsible for it. During his 50-year career with the firm, he helped Braun develop an individual style and modernize its appearance. His products are still in demand throughout the world, and a retrospective of his work is on show in London.

• 11/23/09
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Berlin's "Cookies" has been around for 15 years now, and is still attracting visitors from around the globe. How has the club, and Berlin's nightlife scene in general, kept its buzz?

• 11/22/09
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The residents of the tiny town of Bondkirchen were tired of living in the state of Hesse. Forms had to be filled out to attend schools in Brilon, a town just over the border in North Rhine-Westphalia. License plates for cars were different in the two neighbouring villages and the garbage was collected on a different day. But now, the people of Bondkirchen have initiated a change.

• 11/21/09
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Brussels is not just the European capital - it's also a major crime center. Even members of the European parliament have been robbed and beaten in the middle of the city. Criminals know that many people carry a laptop, a pricey cell-phone and a full wallet. The police, poorly equipped and paid, feel they're fighting a losing battle.

• 11/19/09
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Wolfgang Joop is one of Germany's best known fashion designers and entrepreneurs. He may be celebrating his 65th birthday. but he doesn't have any plans to take things easy.

• 11/18/09
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Germany is celebrating the 250 th anniversary of Friedrich Schiller's birth this year. He's one of the country's Great Writers, but nowadays he tends to be overshadowed by his older contemporary, competitor and collaborator, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. So who is the greater of Germany's two Greatest Writers?

• 11/17/09
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It's a well known fact that singing is good for your health and brings down stress levels. Those are just two of the reasons why high-powered managers like to give their vocal chords a work-out from time to time. One way they can do so is by joining the Leader Choir, which is a special project of Berlin's Radio Choir. All their working lives, the executives are pushed to perform; in the choir they perform in a completely different way.

• 11/17/09
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Parents who care for small children at home instead of putting them into nursery schools or kindergartens are supposed to receive an extra 150 euros ($223) monthly. At least that's the new center-right government's plan, and it's evoked a storm of criticism. One key objection is that parents could use the money for things other than their children's welfare.

• 11/16/09
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Tweeting - normally, that's a verb you might associate with cartoon birds - but it's also a term describing the act of writing a Twitter status update. It's one of the most popular internet trends. All around the globe, people are tweeting their news on the World Wide Web - even US President Barack Obama tweets. But if you want to stand out from the 44 million Twitter users, you either have to be famous - or creative. German artist Michaela von Aichberger is one of the latter, she has found a unique way to create portraits of her fellow Tweeps, or Twitter users.

• 11/16/09
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He grew up in East Germany and after the fall of the Berlin Wall, he became enamored in electronic music, which was gaining popularity in Berlin's club scene. Van Dyk soon began deejaying at the legendary techno club "Tresor" and from there he shot onto the international scene.

• 11/16/09
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Swiss-born Martin Schlaepfer is now the ballet director at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Duesseldorf and has now been nominated for the renowned Faust Prize. But winning awards is old hat for this choreographer, whose prize shelf is getting pretty full.

• 11/13/09
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Born in communist East Germany, Evelin Senarclens de Grancy fled to the West after facing increasing harassment from the secret police, the Stasi. But the author also faced repression in the West. Her second husband was a spy and as a double-agent he was passing information on to her former persecutors - the Stasi.

• 11/13/09
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Belgians like to get their shellfish from the Dutch province of Zeeland. But now politicians have called on the nation to boycott the delicacies to protest the Netherlands' refusal to dredge the Western Scheldt estuary. The Netherlands says its refusal is based on environmental concerns. But to the Belgians the real reason is to prevent competition with the Dutch port at Rotterdam. Only if the estuary is deepened can the next generation of heavy container ships dock in Belgium's port at Antwerp.

• 11/13/09
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Does the sight of a metal garage door offend your aesthetic sensibilities? You're not alone, apparently. A German Internet firm has found the answer: photo tarpaulins that will spruce up any monochromatic garage door and give your house a whole new look.

• 11/13/09
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