A vintage scale that has stood in front of a Los Angeles store for 30 years has a personality of its own. (LAT) View

A fragrance expert reveals why the rare ingredient 'oud' is so prized in the Middle East -- and why it's heading to a perfume counter near you. (The Guardian) View

Worried residents of a small Louisiana fishing community face an uncertain future. The Deepwater Horizon disaster destroyed their environment, their livelihoods, and, for some, their families. (UNC) View

John Nese is the Willy Wonka of carbonation. His L.A. specialty store offers more than 500 types of fizzy beverages -- but no Pepsi. (Chow.com) View

Get a haircut or play a game of checkers at this long-standing Washington, D.C. establishment. (Roll Call) View

Scouts comb farming villages offering winsome teenage girls the opportunity to become the next Gisele Bündchen. (NYT) View

Although much has been done to rebuild New Orleans after its 2005 disaster, BP's Gulf oil spill presents yet another obstacle to the region's revival. (USA Today) View

Now that most of the advertising art on buildings is made of cheaper, easier to install vinyl sheets, wall-painting artists have become a rare breed. View

Her framing business subsided, so Treasure Philips devotes most of her efforts to strategizing how to get big supermarket discounts. (Time) View

After the housing market crashed, Robert Rudolph, 53, left his formerly prosperous career as a mortgage broker to pursue his first love: choir music. (AARP) View

For Phan Plork, using his shrimp boat and crew for oil cleanup is filthy and dangerous work, and pays only half of what he made before BP fouled the Gulf of Mexico. (LAT) View

After unhappily struggling to balance career with homemaking, a Minnesota mom decides to host women's parties to hawk sex aids. View