Do you really know?

The beach flag system is a way of indicating the safety conditions of the water and the beach. It helps you to avoid potential hazards and enjoy your time at the beach. Not all countries use the same flags or have the same meanings for them. In some countries, such as the USA and Canada, there are more than four colours of flags, such as brown for rip currents or double red for water closed. There...

Just like vegetables, fruit is essential in a healthy and balanced diet. Ever since the UK government’s campaign in 2003, we’ve all known that we’re supposed to get our “five a day”. And a lot of fruit tends to be pretty sweet, especially when ripe. That’s because fruit contains sugar, and more specifically a large amount of fructose with little glucose. The problem with fructose is that it easily...

As of 1st July 2023, UK energy regulator Ofgem brought the energy price cap down to £2,074, a significant fall from the previous price guarantee of £2,500 that was introduced by the government in October 2022. Prices had soared mostly due to an increase in wholesale energy costs caused by the war in Ukraine. Bear in mind the price cap is based on an estimate for a dual fuel household paying by dir...

There are a number of possible reasons why people don’t manage to save as much money as they would like. For example: paying for things with a credit card can make you forget how much you’ve spent, or you simply don’t earn enough to save in the first place. You might feel like money saving methods simply won’t ever work for you. But let's go back to basics. A simple Japanese technique called “kake...

Back in 2013, American reality TV show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills featured a scene that would unexpectedly go viral nearly a decade later. The scene showed a phone conversation between former model Yolanda Hadid and her daughter Gigi. Hadid junior said she felt sick because she hadn’t eaten all day, and her mother’s advice in response was to “eat two almonds”. It might have seemed innocu...

Whether you’re planning a short trip or a long-haul adventure, you want to make sure your home is safe and sound while you’re away. Here are some steps you can take to protect your property and prevent unwanted visitors. Smart devices can offer various advantages for keeping your home safe while you’re away. Of course, there are many more things you can do depending on your situation and preferenc...

Last chance tourism is a travel trend whereby tourists increasingly seek to experience the world’s most endangered sites before they vanish or are irrevocably transformed, according to the definition given by the Current Issues in Tourism magazine. Last chance tourism is also sometimes referred to as doomsday tourism. The term was first coined in the early 2010s in Britain, before catching on in o...

Every year, The Economist Intelligence Unit publishes a Global Liveability Ranking, which assesses urban areas around the world according to quality of life, based on a number of factors. The latest ranking was made public in June 2023, and a trend was quickly identified.  A number of highly-ranked cities dropped drastically, and that includes British cities like London, Edinburgh and Manchester....

Sleep is often seen as a waste of time. Many businessmen, politicians, and celebrities boast about sleeping only 5 hours per night or even being insomniacs. However, despite its sometimes bad reputation, sleep is essential for maintaining good health and aging well. Bear in mind that no one has ever gone longer than 11 and a half days without sleeping. As a point of comparison, Scottish man Angus...

Rufus the hawk is the official bird scarer of Wimbledon. His job is to scare away pigeons and other birds from the famous tennis tournament.  Before hawks were used, they tried various methods to keep the birds away, such as loud noises, nets, wires, and even fake owls. But none of them worked very well. The birds would get used to them or find ways around them. They would make a mess on the court...

According to USA Today, the word “hangry” entered the Oxford English Dictionary in 2018. It’s a portmanteau term which combines the words “hungry” and “angry”. While it might sound a little silly or light-hearted, there’s evidence to suggest that getting grumpy is a pretty common reaction to feeling hungry.  The scientific reasons aren’t completely clear. But it kind of makes sense when you consid...

During the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, many of us managed to avoid getting infected by following social distancing and hand hygiene guidelines. But the virus caught up with most people sooner or later, even those who were particularly cautious.     And yet there are some people out there who have still never had Covid, three and a half years since it emerged. Scientists believe some of...

We’ve already talked about flygskam and the no-fly movement in the past. Today, let’s discuss the shift towards train travel which has come about as a result, and the pride which people take in it! In Sweden, they even came up with a name for it, which is tagskryt, and translates as “triain bragging”! The train has always been the preferred mode of transport for some people. Let’s face it; it’s ea...

Think back to the story of Peter Pan, and more specifically the character of Wendy Darling, Peter’s friend who accompanies him to Neverland. She’s the eldest and most mature of the Darling siblings, and acts as a mother figure to Peter too. You could definitely describe her as caring, nurturing, responsible and self-sacrificing. Well those may sound like totally positive characteristics, but there...

One of the biggest indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic has been that on people’s mental health. Limited social interactions have led to feelings of loneliness increasing for many, all across the world. In light of this, it comes as no surprise that people have been actively seeking friendships and connections with others more than ever before. Data from Tinder suggests that the average numbe...

Public urination has long been a nuisance in the United Kingdom, as it is in many other countries. But it’s really gotten worse in the last few years, and that’s down to the Covid-19 crisis in particular. British authorities decided to close public toilets for hygiene reasons. And that’s actually exacerbated a longer-term trend, which has seen around 50% of public toilets closed in the last decade...

Wimbledon is the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world, dating back to 1877. It is also one of the few sporting events that has a strict dress code for players: they must wear almost entirely white clothing and shoes.  This is one of the most famous traditions of Wimbledon, dating back to the late 19th century. Some people think that it has to do with etiquette and tradition,...

If you’ve ever had a “conversation” with Siri, Google Assistant or Alexa, you may well have been using a domotics system, without necessarily knowing what that means. The term refers to the use of robotic technology and electronic systems for controlling home appliances and devices. It’s also known as home automation, or simply a “smart home”. And indeed the use of smart home devices has really ta...

You may have heard of Stockholm Syndrome, which is when a hostage or a victim develops a positive bond with their captor or abuser. But did you know that there is an opposite of Stockholm Syndrome, which sees that dynamic flipped? It’s called Lima Syndrome. The rare and intriguing phenomenon is named after the Peruvian capital city of Lima. It emerged in the context of a turbulent period in Peruvi...

Eating a healthy diet that includes a lot of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and fish can help you keep your brain in tip-top shape. There are plenty of brain boosting foods but here are five that you might want to start including.  First of all, oily fish. When people talk about brain foods this is often at the top of the list. This type of fish includes salmon, trout, tuna, herring, and sardines, a...

In cities across the world, Pride Parades take place in late June and early July, with the London 2023 event set for 1st July. They bring together thousands of people and give visibility to the LGBTQ+ struggle. These events have consistently grown and spread to new places after first taking place in June 1970. They’re also known as pride marches or festivals.    How did Pride marches first begin?...

We have some exciting news: our brand-new format, 'Love Me Love Me Not,' is now fully available on all listening platforms. We invite you to enjoy the episodes and explore the intricacies of love.  Whether real or fictional, discover the behind-the-scenes of the most iconic love stories in our world. Step into the backstage of these seemingly "glamorous" relationships that can sometimes prove to b...

The subject of today’s episode is something that’s happened to many of us. You meet someone special, start spending a lot of time together and gradually fall in love. You go out for romantic dinners, you order takeout and watch Netflix on the couch. You’re so caught up feeling happy and comfortable with your partner, that you don't worry too much about your appearance. Research has suggested that...

2022 marked the driest summer in nearly 30 years according to the UK government. And authorities felt the need to bring in a hosepipe ban across Kent and Sussex, which came into effect from 26th June. Back in April, a National Drought Group spokesperson said that Britain won’t be able to “rely on the weather alone” to sustain water levels, and that preparations were being made to reduce the drough...

The idea that light-colored eyes are generally more fragile is pretty widespread. They’re less resistant to sunlight and require more protection. According to Medical News Today, it’s estimated that around 8-10% of people in the world have blue eyes. When our eyes are open, rays of light pass through the pupil, the black opening in the center of the iris. As you may know, the pupil dilates when it...