Sodium: Getting rid of dirt - and murder victims

Be warned, this article contains material some readers may find distressing. That's because it's about sodium - and the story of one of Italy's most notorious serial killers illustrates elegantly some of this element's unique properties.
(BBC)

Read the article here.

The Greatest Infographic Ever

Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema

Your wireless router could be murdering your houseplants

Are you slowly killing your houseplants? Probably! But there might be a reason (other than neglect) why they’re all yellow and wilty: your Wi-Fi router.
An experiment by a handful of high school students in Denmark has sparked some serious international interest in the scientific community.

How China spends Christmas

As the western world eagerly anticipates the festive season, in China Christmas will be a relatively subdued affair. Schools and businesses will remain open and life will continue as normal for the majority of the population.
But not everyone lacks festive sprit. The BBC spoke to shoppers in Beijing, who are embracing some Christmas traditions. 
 


For source go here.

Remember When Nokia Also Made Paper, Galoshes and Gas Masks?

Nokia started as a paper company. It was 1865, and the mining engineer Fredrik Idestam established a wood pulp mill next to the Tammerkoski Rapids in the southwest of Finland. A few years later, he opened a second mill, this one located on the banks of the Nokianvirta River — a river, apparently, named for an animal: a small mammal related to the weasel and the wolverine.

Europe’s new designs that may help the UK’s housing crisis

As the UK faces a housing crisis, The Culture Show travels across Europe to find the latest architectural movements which could provide a solution.

The combination of population increases, a shaky economy and changes in working and living habits has led to a housing shortage in the UK. The Culture Show visits three locations in Europe to see how innovative new projects could offer solutions to Britain’s housing problem.

UK wages decline among worst in Europe

Wages in the UK have seen one of the largest falls in the European Union during the economic downturn, according to official figures.

Figures from the House of Commons library show average hourly wages have fallen 5.5% since mid-2010, adjusted for inflation, which is the fourth-worst decline in the 27-nation bloc.

By contrast, German hourly wages rose by 2.7% over the same period. Across the European Union as a whole, average wages fell 0.7%.

Who are Turkey's protesters?

Turkey's deputy prime minister has apologised to environmental campaigners whose efforts to save a park in Istanbul provoked an unprecedented wave of anti-government unrest. The apology was intended to defuse the tensions but demonstrations have continued. Jeremy Bowen reports from Istanbul on the challenge to the Turkish leadership.

For source go here. 

Margaret Thatcher

James Naughtie considers the lasting influence of Margaret Thatcher, the longest serving Prime Minister of the 20th Century and the only woman to hold the post. Her uncompromising policies and leadership style earned her the enduring nickname "The Iron Lady". She passed away 13 April 2013.

Listen to the 12-minute BBC radio broadcast.




For source go here.
More podcasts from The New Elizabethans programme are available here.

French economy returns to recession

French president Francois Hollande has introduced
reforms aimed at boosting the country's economy

France has entered its second recession in four years after the economy shrank by 0.2% in the first quarter of the year, official figures show.

Its economy shrank by the same amount in the last quarter of 2012. A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth.

France has record unemployment and low business and consumer confidence.
Separate figures showed that the recession across the 17-nation eurozone has continued into a sixth quarter.

Diabetes warning over soft drinks

People should consume fewer sugar-sweetened soft drinks, say European scientists

Drinking one or more cans of sugary soft drinks a day is linked to an increased risk of diabetes in later life, a study suggests. 

A can a day raises the relative risk of diabetes by about a fifth, compared with one can a month or under, say European scientists.

Meet the strangest startup in travel: CorruptTour

Prague-based startup travel agency offers tours of "corrupt" areas and cities. Genius or gimmick? 
We’ve covered a lot of startups in our careers, but this one takes the prize for our favorite travel startup ever, for the simple reason that it is the strangest ever: CorruptTour.

Is culinary tourism the next big thing in Crete?

In the wake of the ongoing economic crisis, the Greek island is using its tradition of fresh local produce to make tourism the driving force towards recovery.



For source go here.

Living in a Box: Amsterdam’s Shipping Container Homes

The crowded Dutch city has been meeting a pressing need for student and other low-income housing by using ubiquitous steel shipping containers. After years at sea, the containers were rusted and dented but ready for reuse to house people instead of products.

Amsterdam student Rose Mandungu stands in front of a colorful apartment complex constructed of a rather unusual material—discarded shipping containers.

It Was Bankers That Brought Cyprus to the Brink

What is it about the islands around Europe's periphery?

Is there some peculiar psychological thing about proximity plus the illusion of isolation that makes them turn themselves into havens for runaway banks? Inquiring minds want to know.

Anyway, Cyprus's story has obvious parallels with both Iceland's and Ireland's, with R.M.M.L. — Russian mobster money laundering — as an extra ingredient. All three island nations had a run of rapid growth as their status as banking havens left them with banking systems that were too big to save. Iceland, at peak, had banks with assets that equaled 980 percent of gross domestic product; Ireland was at 440 percent. Cyprus, at around 800 percent, was closer to Iceland in this respect.

Why do criminals smuggle garlic?

Sweden has issued international arrest warrants for two Britons suspected of illegally importing 10m euros (£8m) worth of garlic into the EU via Norway. Why would criminals do that? 

 
Swedish state prosecutors claim to have cracked one of Europe's more seemingly strange, if lucrative, smuggling rings.

They say two British men are believed to have made millions of euros smuggling Chinese garlic from Norway into Sweden.

Revival of the British butler

The TV series Downton Abbey is now being shown in more than 100 countries and has generated an interest in the fine art of butling.

But what qualities do you need to be a good butler? David Lewis takes some training and discovers that some hotels are now offering guests their own personal butler during their stay.

For source go here.

E-books added to Inflation Basket

Thousands of prices are collected from 150 different areas
of the UK

E-books have been added to the basket of goods used to calculate the UK's rate of inflation, but Freeview set-top boxes are out.

The latter has been replaced in the basket by digital television recorders, signalling the changing face of technology.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) updates the basket each year so the contents accurately reflect current trends in spending.

The basket contains about 700 items.

Amsterdam hotel proud to be the world’s worst

While another hotel might brag about its comfortable beds, spectacular views and excellent customer service, the Hans Brinker Budget Hotel in Amsterdam promises a lift that rarely breaks down, a door that locks and comfort comparable to a minimum security prison. 

Advertisements for the Hans Brinker Budget Hotel in Amsterdam.

Proclaiming itself as “The Worst Hotel in the World”, the Hans Brinker goes so far as to recommend a list of nicer places to stay in the Dutch capital, including the Hotel de L’Europe, Hotel Krasnapolsky and the Intercontinental Hotel — all luxury spots with the finest amenities. In fact, of the hotel’s 16 recommendations, the Hans Brinker clocks in at 15, just below an abandoned mine shaft and just above an unmarked grave.