Life

IOWA CITY, Iowa — A man who was pulled over for speeding as he rushed his pregnant wife to the hospital said he was determined to keep going despite the police lights flashing behind him.
Tyler Rathjen planned to keep going as his wife, Ashley, began giving birth to their son in the passenger seat. But a red light with heavy traffic finally forced him to stop.

TORONTO — Horse meat found lurking in beef products in Europe has some meat eaters worried about what’s on their dinner plate, but not Filomena Lorusso — she knows it’s all horse, of course.
Lorusso, the owner of Toronto deli Cavallino Carne Equina and Groceries, feels so strongly about horse meat, it’s not just the only type of meat she sells, it’s the only kind of meat she eats.

VANCOUVER — Emily Carr University’s plan to expand its visual arts school is looking good, following a multimillion-dollar donation from businessman and philanthropist Michael Audain.
The chairman of Polygon Homes announced a $5-million gift Thursday toward the planned expansion of the art school’s campus on Great Northern Way in Vancouver.

TORONTO — Two Canadian cookbooks have tied with Microsoft for best charity fundraising cookbook for North America while a Quebec chef won in the best cookbook category in an international competition.
They were among a number of Canadian titles which won prizes at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards for 2012 in Paris on Saturday.

TORONTO — Economic uncertainty and poor financial planning are being cited as key reasons why a majority of Canadians surveyed in a new poll say plans to retire by age 66 are more of a fantasy than a reality.

VIENNA, Austria — These museum goers didn’t just leave their coats at the coat check. They handed over their shirts, trousers and underwear.

TORONTO — Appearances count, it seems, even when a loved one’s life may be hanging in the balance.
A new study shows that family members of people in hospital intensive care units place more trust in doctors who are well groomed, in a white coat or scrubs and wearing an easy-to-read name tag.

NEW YORK — Banana Joe, a little affenpinscher with a bouncy step and shiny black coat, walked off as America’s top dog Tuesday night, winning best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club.
Affectionately called a monkey dog because he looks just like one, Banana Joe made up for near misses the last two years at Madison Square Garden.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — When online voters nixed the clothes iron token from Hasbro’s Monopoly game, the appliance was held up as passe, as something your grandmother once used to ease the wrinkles out of linens and handkerchiefs.

TORONTO — Love is in the air in Victoria as the B.C. capital regains its crown as Canada’s most romantic city.
The picturesque city topped the rankings in the fourth annual list compiled by Amazon.ca after falling to the No. 5 spot in 2012.
North Vancouver landed in the runner-up position, with Waterloo, Ont., in third place.