Jeans, beer and a pool table hardly sound like a unique concept, since that could describe just about any dive bar in town. But there's nothing low-end or common about the L.A. Fairchild Denim Bar in Cardiff, Calif., where patrons can sample draft beer and play a game of pool while shopping for the latest and most expensive brands of denim from Hudson to Rock & Republic to J Brand.   DENIM SERVED - Laura Fairchild, ... [full story]

If you think your commute is tough, perhaps you'll have empathy for a growing number of San Diego biotech workers who are splitting their time between their local office, Beijing or Shanghai.   WORLD MARKET - BioDuro Vice President Paul Conlon (right) introduces managers of BioDuro client Ambit Biosciences to workers in China via teleconference. The company's Beijing team handles outsourced work from 40 U.S. and European companies. CNS Photo by Sean M. Haffey. Just don't feel ... [full story]

VERBATIM The dinosaurs became extinct because they didn't have a space program.   TRUE FACTS - To have sex, a yeast cell must reshape itself, becoming elongated like a microscopic pear. CNS Photo.    WHAT IS IT? - This is an egg case of a pirate spider attached to a plant stem. CNS Photo.    FAKING IT - Researchers say men would enjoy 'chick flick' melodrama movies more if they were told that the plot is all fake. CNS Photo.    PICKY ... [full story]

  Height is a complex trait; there is no single explanation for the differences determining height. Studies revealed that most of the variation is determined by both genetic and lifestyle factors.  [full story]

Q: We bought a house in the country with a great view - it overlooks the lake and hills beyond. It's wonderful by day, even though the glare is sometimes a problem. But at night the windows are just big, black rectangles. Should I put up curtains for use at night? A: That's one answer. Curtains that can be pulled out of sight by daylight   HIGH, WIDE AND HANDSOME - Beautifully furnished with natural materials, ... [full story]

Q: Last week a friend of 26 years and I got into an argument about a political candidate which ended with her walking out of my house and slamming the door. Being born in the same town, we spent our girlish years laughing, finding husbands, having children and maturing together. I hope she is feeling as I do - there is no legitimate reason why we are mad at each other. Neither of us has ... [full story]

In my family, Aunt Fannie's tea cake recipe is the one that got away. My friend Stephanie's mother had a way with cabbage and bacon that no one else can seem to duplicate.   LOST, BUT FOUND AGAIN - Cooks Illustrated food writer Jack Bishop describes the book 'America's Best Lost Recipes' as a 'preservation project.' CNS Photo. Every family has special dishes that an aunt or grandpa used to make according to a set of instructions ... [full story]

"Sympathy for the Devil: Art and Rock and Roll Since 1967" by Dominic Molon and others (Yale University Press, $50). Art and rock have been cross-pollinating since at least the time that Andy Warhol was promoting The Velvet Underground, and other artists began to create album covers and later videos. This book, issued in conjunction with an exhibition at MOCA Chicago, offers ample evidence of this synergistic relationship, in both a number of essays and ... [full story]

How often over the past decade have we heard employers and their workers complain about the rising cost of health care? The answer is "every year," especially when annual surveys reveal how much health insurance premiums have climbed. Until now, the general idea of containing health care costs was for employers to reduce their coverage, or to make workers pay an increasing share of the load. Either way, the employer and the workers lost out. ... [full story]

You step away from the desk to get a snack. You head toward the break room for a candy bar from the vending machine. You sit down and chat with co-workers. The office break room is no longer just a place to grab a cup of coffee; it has become a room to socialize, snack or watch some TV. Ralph Bianculli, chief executive officer of Paradigm Group, a full-service supply distribution company, says the break ... [full story]