The waif-look could soon be officially out in the land of fashion houses. On Tuesday, the lower house of parliament adopted a landmark measure making it illegal for anyone -- including fashion magazines and celebrities - to incite or promote unhealthy thinness.

The French fashion industry led fashion houses, advertising firms and media outlets signed on Wednesday a charter to fight anorexia among models in magazine advertisements and catwalks. The anti-anorexia drive in the world's fashion capital was led by Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot along with groups in other countries worldwide. This will put an end to the display of ultra-skinny bodies of fashion models.

More than half a dozen artworks made by a notorious cult killer at the Dorchester Penitentiary in New Brunswick have been added to the collection of "murderabilia" offered for auction by a U. S. website. MurderAuction. com, is a novelty site that rounds up and sells personal effects, artworks, paintings, letters, and other knick knacks owned by, or associated with infamous criminals in recent history to a niche market of crime memorabilia collectors.

A pretzel resembling the Virgin Mary was posted on the online auction site eBay, and bids for the item have surpassed the $1 million mark. The pretzel, posted on the website by owner Michael Fleming, had received a bid of $10,950 Thursday afternoon, and was later on followed by a questionable $1. 1 million by a first-time bidder.

The adage "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" is not true, according to a new book on insults. In the real world, words do have significant effects, says University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) professor of humanities Jerome Neu in his new book, "Sticks and Stones: The Philosophy of Insults" (Oxford University Press, 2008).