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.

From Poland With Love for Great Britain

Japan's amazing lunchboxes

Making a packed lunch for your children to take to school is a chore performed by parents around the world. 
But in Japan, it is not just the taste and healthiness of the meal that is important - but how it looks. 
The country's ancient emphasis on food presentation has been transformed into a trend for character bento - packed lunches made to look like pandas, teddy bears or even real people. 
The BBC's Tokyo correspondent Roland Buerk has been finding out more.



For source go here.

Get a life! Facebook is bad for you

Using the social network seems to make people more miserable

Those who have resisted the urge to join Facebook will surely feel vindicated when they read the latest research. A study just published by the Public Library of Science, conducted by Ethan Kross of the University of Michigan and Philippe Verduyn of Leuven University in Belgium, has shown that the more someone uses Facebook, the less satisfied he is with life.

Past investigations have found that using Facebook is associated with jealousy, social tension, isolation and depression. But these studies have all been “cross-sectional”—in other words, snapshots in time. As such, they risk confusing correlation with causation: perhaps those who spend more time on social media are more prone to negative emotions in the first place. The study conducted by Dr Kross and Dr Verduyn is the first to follow Facebook users for an extended period, to track how their emotions change.

To earth with love...

The world's first "social media astronaut" returns to earth as Channel 4 News tracks the story of Commander Hadfield's out-of-this-world tweets.


For source go here.

Ovulation And Pregnancy Test Sales Soar in UK: Is Baby Boom Coming?

Droves of British women have caused a huge spike in the sales of fertility and pregnancy tests in the wake of Kate Middleton’s pregnancy announcement. Is a UK baby boom on the horizon? 

An increase in tests
Clearblue has divulged that sales of home fertility monitors and pregnancy tests have spiked recently -- the increase? As much as 60 percent in the UK.

“We’ve never seen an increase like this before,” said Hugh Ayling, Clearblue UK Brand Manager. “We were pretty stunned when the stats came in and we wondered why it was. Then we worked it back and saw the spike came after Kate made her announcement.”

Five Minutes With: Katie Melua

Singer Katie Melua talks to Matthew Stadlen about growing up in Georgia, how power cuts shaped her early musical experiences, why music matters and playing a concert under the sea.



For source go here.

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.

Why we're so hooked on technology (and how to unplug)

Do you respond to the beep, ping, rattle and shake of your gadgets on command? You may be suffering from digital distress -- or maybe even a case of Social Media Anxiety Disorder -- and you might be in need of a digital purge. 

Sound like something you could benefit from? This Friday, March 1, marks the fourth annual National Day of Unplugging. Participants around the country can pledge to unplug from their digital crutches for a full 24 hours -- from sunset to sunset -- while experiencing the forgotten art of being present.

Why unplug? “We’ve reached a point where all of our technological devices are using us, rather than the other way around,” Gemini Adams, author of “The Facebook Diet” (coming out April 2013) told The Huffington Post.

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.

Words are fun

Check out this funny comic showing examples of English homophones, words that are pronounced the same but differ in meaning.

The President’s Favorite Phrase: A Video Mash-Up

President Obama is known for his eloquent speeches, but above all, he just wants to be clear...

For source go here.

Men: Can a Stranger Dress You Better Than You Dress Yourself?

Trunk Club delivered clothes

Fashion thrives on the tangible. That old proverb “seeing is believing” is of crucial importance when it comes to clothing. But there’s a little piece of all of us men that wishes someone would do it for us — pick out an outfit, top to bottom, just like our mothers (perhaps regrettably) used to do for us in our elementary school years. 

Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to have help picking out new clothes–from my mother, sister and girlfriend, among others. But a few months ago, I received a box of clothes in the mail, a package that had been tailored specifically for me–filled with stunning outfit choices from Theory and Ben Sherman, no less–and selected by none other than Lisa Bubes.

Who is Lisa, you ask? To be honest, I’m not entirely sure. Lisa and I have no history together. In fact, we’ve never met in person and have only spoken on the phone twice. But she demonstrated an incredible ability to both match and challenge my personal style brand, presenting me with four highly-curated outfits in colors and styles that suited me precisely. And it was all done from the comfort of my desk, with no need to trek from store to store in the frigid New York winter, hunting for whatever garment I happened to need.

Dear New York, what's up with the niceness?

(CNN) -- Oh, New York. People say you never sleep, and you're filled with neon lights and people scurrying from place to place. Rumor has it you're a tough place to call home. Some suggest that people leave before you get a chance to harden them.

But lately, we're a little taken aback by all the good things we keep hearing about you. You're not getting soft, are you? The sweet city stories are getting hard to ignore.

Here are three recent examples that caught our attention:

Look at all these people singing in Times Square. So much niceness. What gives, New York?

Not another manic Monday

When we first heard about your murder-free Monday, we were tempted to shrug it off as some random thing. (There was not a single reported slaying, stabbing, shooting or knifing in any of the five boroughs on Monday, according to the New York Police Department.) Some of our commenters were thrilled or surprised.

"Having lived in 'the world's greatest city' for over 30 years, I never thought I'd see the day," wrote reader BlackDynamiteOnline.

A few attributed the numbers to online shoppers hunkered down for Cyber Monday or criminals who did a better job of hiding bodies than usual. Others thought the whole thing was a little strange.

"Imagine! We are celebrating a murder-free day," said KPerspective. "This is sordidly interesting."

There was more good news to come.

Random acts of kindness

The police officer who gave a pair of boots to a homeless man is the talk of the Web. Jennifer Foster, a tourist from Florence, Arizona, snapped a photo near Times Square that ended up being posted on the NYPD Facebook page. The post received 338,000 likes and more than 22,000 comments.

"This is awesome. We shouldn't be surprised by this," commented Facebook user Tony Stiltner. "I believe things like this should be the norm. But I am absolutely thrilled. The officer is a true hero and others should learn from his actions."

Twitter users picked it up as well, and the #NYPD hashtag was full of tweets buzzing about the story on Thursday morning.

"(Shout out) to the #NYPD cop that bought the homeless barefoot man some socks and winter boots," wrote J Tucker in a tweet. "That's awesome. Wish more cops were like him."

We also heard good things about storm recovery efforts.

Generosity after disaster

Let us not forget how people have come together as the East Coast recovers from the pounding it received from Superstorm Sandy. We received numerous iReports sharing stories of giving and courage, and highlighted a few of them in a story on CNN.com.

An impromptu Broadway performance, volunteer work, storytelling, photo restoration efforts and a rapping duo were among the efforts we heard about.

Upon encountering this story, a reader using the name Reen B raved about the people of the region.

"I love New Yorkers. Good for these people for helping out with their creativity, a gift not all of us have but everyone can appreciate. Godspeed, NY/NJ, here's to healing and hope."

What gives?

Maybe the holidays have everyone in an extra-good mood. That's assuming we make it past our upcoming date with Doomsday, which no doubt has some people musing about the fragility of life.

We're still a little baffled -- and delighted! -- by all these touching stories, so we now turn back to you.

Is there something really going on here? Is New York getting nicer, or are we just now seeing its true colors in a trio of recent news events? Do you heart New York? Let's hear your thoughts in the comments below or put your video commentary on CNN iReport.

If the comments on this story are just as nice, we'll know that all this friendliness wasn't just a fluke.

For source go here.