Devon mud-hut woman 'allergic to modern life'

Kate Burrows and partner Alan built their home in Devon of tree trunks knitted together and covered with mud and straw. She says the move was prompted by a series of illnesses, called Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), caused by living in her former rented home.


http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-38852842

The interesting history of the Michelin Guide

Michelin Guides are a series of guide books published by the French company Michelin for more than a century.

Its history dates back to 1900 when tyre manufacturers André Michelin and his brother Édouard published the first edition of a guide for French motorists. At the time there were fewer than 3,000 cars in France, and the Michelin guide was intended to boost the demand for cars, and thus for car tyres. It was given away free of charge, and contained useful information for motorists, including maps, instructions for repairing and changing tyres, and lists of car mechanics, hotels and petrol stations.

In 1954 they made several changes, the notable ones being: listing restaurants by specific categories; hotel listings (initially only for Paris); and the abandonment of advertisements in the guide. Recognizing the growing popularity of the restaurant section of the guide, the brothers recruited a team of inspectors, who were always careful in maintaining anonymity, to visit and review restaurants

In 1926, the guide began to award stars for fine dining establishments. Initially, there was only a single star awarded. Then, in 1931, the hierarchy of one, two, and three stars was introduced. Finally, In 1936, the criteria for the starred rankings were published.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelin_Guide

The mysterious origins of Jazz

The anniversary of the first jazz recording 100 years ago also marks the beginning of debates that are still ongoing, writes Christian Blauvelt.

The date was 26 February 1917, and this novelty song, Livery Stable Blues by the Original Dixieland Jass Band, was the first jazz recording. That would be a remarkable milestone in its own right, but embedded into Livery Stable Blues are issues that have haunted jazz, and popular music as a whole, ever since.


http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170224-the-mysetrious-origins-of-jazz

When in trouble, call the cops

It is fair to say, no police officer expects that trouble to be related to the complexities of a 10-year-old's maths homework. Yet when faced with just such an issue, one brave officer in Marion, Ohio, stepped up to the mark.

Lena Draper decided to use Facebook to get in touch with her local police force, sending them an appeal for help at the weekend. Undeterred by the nature of the homework - Math (not the officer's strong suit) - Lt Gruber threw himself into the challenge.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-39045906

The Pope on who is a believer

If you're a Christian who exploits people, leads a double life or manages a "dirty" business, perhaps it's better not to call yourself a believer, Pope Francis suggested in a homily on Thursday in Rome.


http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/23/world/pope-atheists-again/index.html

There's something very charming about tea houses

Here are 11 of the world's best tea houses:


http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/16/foodanddrink/worlds-best-tea-houses/index.html

Devon bus shelter gets mystery 'Banksy-style' makeover

A bus shelter in the village of Walkhampton, Devon, is being secretly decorated and furnished by an unknown person, sparking intrigue in the community.


http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-39028130

The 14-year-old who made the best Facebook Messenger chatbot

For the past six months, Alec Jones, a 14-year-old from Victoria, Canada, has been working on Christopher Bot, a chatbot that helps students keep track of homework they've been given over the course of a week.


http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-39013950

Kung fu granny

The 93-year-old grandmother may be petite, but Zhang Hexian can pack a punch. It's one of the many martial arts moves she's mastered in her 89 years of practicing kung fu. Zhang, who lives in China's southeastern Zhejiang province, says all her family members have learned kung fu, which instills discipline and strength.

She credits kung fu, plenty of sleep and a healthy diet of mainly vegetables and a little bit of meat for keeping her healthy, pointing out that she's never had to go to the hospital.


http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/19/asia/china-kung-fu-granny-trnd/index.html

"dear Google boss"

An "entrepreneurial" seven year old wrote to Google for a job and its CEO replied. After discussing her father's work, Chloe Bridgewater decided she would like to work for Google and penned a letter beginning "dear Google boss".

It was only the schoolgirl's second letter, after her first missive to Father Christmas, but the search engine's CEO Sundar Pichai wrote back.


http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-38990254

The Art & Inspiration of Laurel Burch

Diagnosed with severe osteopetrosis at the age of 7, Burch's bones would easily break or fracture just from a fall or bump. Raising two children on her own was quite a challenge not just physically but financially. Art proved to be her saving grace. Rather than expressing her pain, she chose to lift people up, to make them feel good.


http://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=7438

The surprise ingredient one chef never leaves behind

Pichet Ong, the A-list pastry chef, who has worked with world-famous chefs including Jean-Georges Vongrichten, published cookbooks, appeared on Top Chef and was named one of the Top 10 pastry chefs in America, travels with his own vanilla beans so he’s always prepared to whip up some last-minute cake batter for clients in need of a tasting.


http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20170214-the-surprise-ingredient-one-chef-never-leaves-behind

Dubai announces passenger drone plans

A drone that can carry people will begin "regular operations" in Dubai from July, the head of the city's Roads and Transportation Agency has announced at the World Government Summit.


http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-38967235

Three amazing women from Delhi’s urban slums

For many women living in urban slums, self-sustainability and independence from family and societal pressures is a mere pipe dream. However, these three women from South Delhi’s slums are challenging these pre-defined gender roles and making their mark boldly.


http://www.thebetterindia.com/85843/how-3-women-defying-great-odds-pursue-dreams-work/?utm_source=The+Better+India+Newsletter&utm_campaign=f97af7c693-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_cd579275a4-f97af7c693-74060141

Tihar Jail launches fashion lab and training programmes

Tihar Jail in association with Pearl Academy, the fashion laboratory, will offer training for the prison’s female inmates.

Sudhir Yadav, Director General of Tihar Jail, said it would help the women inmates learn life sustaining skills and provide them with great opportunities to earn a livelihood in their life after prison.


http://www.thebetterindia.com/86362/tihar-jail-pearl-academy-fashion-laboratory/?utm_source=The+Better+India+Newsletter&utm_campaign=f97af7c693-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_cd579275a4-f97af7c693-74060141

How the RCS helps China's stressed out millennials

The Rainbow Chamber Singers (RCS) was founded in 2010 by conductor Jin Chengzhi and a small group of his fellow students at the prestigious Shanghai Conservatory of Music. The choir puts on a concert every six months, performing old favorites and newly written traditional-style choral pieces.

Jin -- who describes himself as a "rational optimist" -- said that his work comes from his own experiences and anxieties, but that he hopes the songs "can bring people understanding and hope for life."


http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/09/asia/china-rainbow-chamber-singers/index.html

The Afghan girls with silver swords

Led by 20-year-old Sima Azimi, the Shaolin Wushu club practises on a snow-covered mountaintop to the west of Kabul.

A great tribute to the human spirit......in spite of what Afghanistan has gone through..is still going through.


http://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-38880353

The one quality that builds trust and loyalty

Pink Jeep Tours, the 57-year-old Arizona-based company, which offers sightseeing excursions around the Grand Canyon, Sedona and Las Vegas in bright pink jeeps, had set its sights on growth throughout the US and new markets abroad. When it decided to expand, it investigated exactly what set it apart from the competition and in which areas it could improve.

Read here what they found the secret of their success was:


http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20170130-there-is-one-quality-that-builds-trust-and-loyalty

The Eagle Huntress

The story of the Eagle Huntress is simple and heartwarming. Aisholpan Nurgaiv, the rosy-cheeked 13-year-old heroine, is trained by her father to hunt on horseback with a golden eagle - traditionally a male pursuit - and shocks everyone by winning the prestigious eagle-hunters' competition held annually in the town of Ulgii, in north-western Mongolia.


http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-38874266

What Peter Pan teaches us

With its astute observations about the human brain and behaviour, JM Barrie’s classic tale pre-empted modern neuroscience by decades. Within Peter's whimsical adventures, Barrie was hiding some profound insights into the human mind, and in particular, the ways it develops over childhood.

Here, neuropsychologist Rosalind Ridley realised, was a tale that teaches us all how we learn to think.


http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170201-what-peter-pan-teaches-us-about-memory-and-consciousness

A surprising way of showing gratitude

In remote fishing communities across southeast Alaska live the intensely generous Tlingit (pronounced klink-kit) and Haida tribes, a nation of matrilineal Native Alaskan Indians that have called this region – along with parts of Western Canada – home for more than 10,000 years.

Their ceremonies of generosity are an economic, social, religious and political glue like no other. As Rosita Kaa háni Worl, president of the Sealaska Heritage Institute, an organization of cultural preservation, creation, advocacy and education for Native Alaskan artists, explained, “These ceremonies bring together opposite clans and help create balance among our moieties, clans and houses; and our ancestors. They keep harmony in our very complex social structure — and that’s really important.”


http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20170202-a-surprising-way-of-showing-gratitude

Karen Danczuk

Karen Danczuk has said she wants to shed her "selfie queen" tag and become an MP to help sexual abuse victims.

"What drives me is I feel I'm an underdog, and there are millions of people out there like me," she said. "It takes just one person to say 'I'm going to fight this and we're going to take it on.'"


http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-38842671

Barry White Jr

This is  is the teacher we all wish we had. Ask the fifth-graders at Ashley Park Elementary School in Charlotte, North Carolina.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/item/943f27a0-bae0-4dcc-ac5f-4014ef1d4b09?oihiyv