Hamburg - Intense social networking with family and friends helps improve your intelligence and memory more than any other method, according to German researcher Siegfried Lehrl of the University of Erlangen.

Quoted in the latest edition of the magazine Vital, Lehrl said that while mind games and puzzles such as Sudoku improve memory, social interaction activates the brain on several levels with the positive effects becoming especially visible during the course of a lifetime.

Several studies found that people who meet regularly with other people had much better cognitive abilities or brain-based skills needed for the simplest to the most complex task compared to a group with less social interaction, the report said.

Even pedigree dogs are happy to wolf down meat left over at the abattoir. But cats are often fed the fishmonger's best.

"Our pets seem to be eating better than their owners," said Giovanni Turchini, a researcher at Melbourne's Deakin University.

"These gourmet pet foods contain a significant amount of fish that may be suitable for direct human consumption. We don't have enough fish to feed the world."

Turchini would like to see pampered felines weaned off restaurant-quality grub and introduced to the by-products of the fish filleting industry.

Dogs thrive on leftover meat and it follows that cats could get used to offal.

Buenos Aires - Four couples move around the small dance floor to the tune of a tango coming from a CD player.

Students, who cannot yet dance well, wait their turn and sit on colourful plastic chairs lined up against the wall and watching their friends in the meantime.

One of these onlookers is Martina. She loves to tango, and she proudly shows off her new black leather, high-heeled shoes or real

tango shoes.

Friedrichshafen, Germany - Shoe soles made of old tyres, breathable jackets which used to be plastic bottles and T-shirts derived from old rags.

The world of outdoor and sporting fashion has discovered that recycled products are not only kinder to the planet - they sell well too.

The latest advertising blurbs from many outdoor wear companies

boast that products such as garments, shoes and accessories are made exclusively or partly from reusable materials. Recycling and sustainability were also among the key themes at a recent outdoor clothing trade show in the southern German town of Friedrichshafen.

Kelkheim, Germany - Hippies and bird watchers traditionally nurture a love of nature, but according to a new study, "nature" is now hip in society as a whole.

"Nature is no longer seen as an abstract concept but is becoming an increasingly integral part of our style of living," said trend scouts Anja Kirig and Ingrid Schick of the Institute for Future in Kelkeim in Hesse state.

The experts have coined the term "Neo-Nature" to describe a movement which they believe is permeating the worlds of fashion, interior design and garden landscaping.

Hamburg - Dog breeders are calling it a "wurst-case scenario" for dachshunds as Germans are apparently losing interest in owning the stubborn "sausage dog" that has long been equated with Germany.

Dachshunds used to be as common on the streets of Germany as beer bellies and lederhosen and VW Beetles. But, like the Beetle, the dachshund has gone out of style.