This new movie is based on on the old fairy tale which in English is usually known as the Sleeping Beauty. There are versions of it in several languages such as the German story of 'Briar Rose' and the French version of the Beauty Asleep in the Wood.... (read more)

A lot of people have some trouble with this, and almost everyone would rather stay in bed on a cold winter's morning, but if you are really struggling and feeling very tired all morning, it may be time to try and change a few things. The most obvious... (read more)

There are still plenty of people who don't like the idea of using a Kindle at all, and there are already a few who have become such fans of them that they're almost giving up on books altogether. But for most people, which is better probably depends on... (read more)

Schadenfreude is a German word. It's hard to translate exactly but the nearest definition is 'taking pleasure in another person's suffering'. It's from the two words 'Schaden' which means harm or damage, and 'Freude' which means joy or pleasure. It's... (read more)

In this current week (from 12 May 2014) the favourites to win, by a long way are the home team - Brazil. At the moment the odds are at 3 to 1 for them to win. After that the next favourites are Argentina at 9/2, followed by Germany with odd of 11/2.... (read more)

Everybody seems to be talking about mindfulness at the moment. In the UK they are talking about introducing it in schools, and MPs and sports people, among others, are supposed to practise it. So what is it? It is taken from Buddhist ideas about fully... (read more)

Insomnia, or not being able to sleep, is becoming a bigger problem according to experts. This is to do with our 24 hour lifestyles, not having to follow the natural... (read more)

You can find plenty of examples of both morning and evening people who are happy, healthy and productive, so it's important to find out what suits you and do it if you can. However, there is evidence that 'extreme owls', ie people who really hate getting... (read more)

This question refers to your body clock and especially to whether you are a morning or evening person. Owls, of course, mainly only come out at night, while larks are among the earliest birds to start singing in the morning. In the same way, some people... (read more)

It shouldn't be necessary to mention this unless you are asked. If there is a place on the form which asks you whether you have already applied and been refused you will have to fill that in, but if there isn't you don't have to make a point of mentioning... (read more)

The original creator of the Poldark books, which are now being adapted for TV for the second time, was Winston Graham. He was born in Manchester in the UK in 1908 and... (read more)

This series about a family of mine owners in 18th century Cornwall is set to air in 2015 and most of the cast have already been chosen. The main character, Ross Poldark (played by Robin Ellis in the earlier series) will be played by Aidan Turner, and... (read more)

This is a new series expected to be shown by the BBC in 2015. It is a remake of the hugely popular 1970s series, which itself was based on a series of novels by Winston Graham. The first Poldark series used the first 4 of Graham's books - he then wrote... (read more)

The May bank holiday series Jamaica Inn was based on a novel of the same name by Daphne du Maurier. This first appeared in 1936 and it had already been filmed by Alfred Hitchcock and adapted for TV (in the 1980s) before the latest version. The landscapes... (read more)

This was supposed to be a big Easter hit for the BBC, and large numbers of viewers did tune in to watch. However, after the first night (it was a three part series) several million of them tuned out again, and there were over a thousand complaints about... (read more)

This year the contest was won by the Austrian candidate - Conchita Wurst. Conchita had already attracted a lot of attention before the contest was broadcast on 11... (read more)

So far there have been six Star Wars films, and a seventh is on the way. In addition, two independently made standalone films are planned. There have also been a great many... (read more)

Pinterest has a huge number of categories - there are already well over 30 and the number keeps growing. Five examples could include: Popular - this category is quite simple and includes anything that people tend to like at the moment. If you click it... (read more)

It is worth remembering that a great many species of plants growing in the UK are not native ones - in fact there are at least 2000 'invasive' species, most of which have adapted to the climate and existing plants and animals perfectly well. However,... (read more)

Clearly, you mustn’t put anything into your compost bin that is toxic or poisonous in any way – so no harmful chemicals, cleaning products, food that has been contaminated etc. You also mustn’t put in anything that doesn’t rot down – eg plastic,... (read more)