NEW YORK (Reuters) – Princeton scores top marks and edged past Williams College in Massachusetts and California’s Stanford University in a new ranking of the top colleges in the United States released on Wednesday.

The New Jersey university topped the Forbes list, which assessed U.S. colleges based on their graduation rates, student outcomes and satisfaction, low levels of debt and post-graduate success.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – With the start of the 2012 Olympics Games in London just two days away, nearly three quarters of people around the globe plan to watch at least some of the event, according to a new poll released on Wednesday.

Seventy two percent of more than 18,000 adults questioned in 24 countries said they will tune in to the Olympics, which begins on Friday and runs until August 12, and 20 percent said they would follow track and field and soccer most closely.

NEW YORK, July 25 (Reuters) – With the start of the 2012
Olympics Games in London just two days away, nearly three
quarters of people around the globe plan to watch at least some
of the event, according to a new poll released on Wednesday.

Seventy two percent of more than 18,000 adults questioned in
24 countries said they will tune in to the Olympics, which
begins on Friday and runs until Aug. 12, and 20 percent said
they would follow track and field and soccer most closely.

NEW YORK, July 18 (Reuters) – Cruise lines see smooth
sailings and increased bookings in 2012, despite the tragic
sinking of the Costa Concordia off the coast of Italy earlier
this year, which travel experts feared would take a toll on the
industry.

The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) said on
Wednesday that more than half of travel agents it polled have
reported selling more cruises this year compared to last.
One-quarter said by midyear the numbers were similar to 2011.

NEW YORK, July 18 (Reuters) – With 24 restaurants around the
world, 11 Michelin stars, numerous cookbooks, and TV shows,
Gordon Ramsay is the top earning chef in the United States, with
an estimated global income of $38 million, according to a new
list by Forbes.com.

Scottish-born Ramsey, known to U.S. television audiences for
his acerbic comments on “Master Chef” and “Hell’s Kitchen”,
surpassed Rachael Ray, who earned an estimated $25 million for
the year ending June 2012 from her TV show, magazine and
cookbooks.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Want to drop those extra pounds without starving yourself? Keeping a food journal, not skipping meals and eating out less often, particularly for lunch, will help, according to new research released on Friday.

Scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, in a study that looked at the impact of various self-monitoring techniques in older overweight and obese women, showed that simple changes in behavior can make a difference on the scales.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – More than 60 Hebrew, Arabic and Latin medieval manuscripts from England’s Bodleian Library in Oxford will be displayed, most for the first time in the United States, in a new exhibition at the Jewish Museum this fall.

The show, “Crossing Borders: Manuscripts from the Bodleian Libraries,” includes the Kennicott Bible, which was created in Spain in 1476 and is thought to be one of the most extensively illustrated medieval manuscripts in existence.

NEW YORK, July 5 (Reuters) – Tough economic times are
boosting sales of beauty products and designer jeans as women
put more emphasis on looking good and attracting a partner,
according to a university study.

Researchers in Texas found that a downturn in the economy
has a positive impact on the beauty industry, in what has been
dubbed the “lipstick effect” and that price is not an issue.

NEW YORK, July 2 (Reuters) – Nearly 30 percent of U.S.
teenagers are sexting, sending nude photos via email or text,
according to a study that shows the behavior is more common than
previously thought.

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch also
found that more than half of teens have been asked to send a
nude photo of themselves to someone, and 31 percent had
requested a naked picture to be sent to them.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – With their balmy weather, sandy beaches and aging population southern U.S. cities, particularly in Florida, are among the vainest in the country, according to a new ranking.

Tampa topped the list and Miami, St. Petersburg and Orlando were among the top 20 cities most concerned about appearance in a report in Men’s Health magazine that studied what people are willing to do to look their best.