The village of widows

Devli Bhanigram is called the “village of widows” after the flash floods struck Kedarnath area last year.

There is full acceptance of their plight because these women believe that this is what god scripted for them. And yet, these are not the stereotype widows. There is grief, but there is also a sense of purpose. Their full focus is on their children - they want to educate their children in the hope that the future will be brighter. And they are striving to that end...

http://www.hindustantimes.com/elections2014/state-of-the-states/village-of-widows-overcomes-tragedy-to-vote-for-a-new-beginning/article1-1215820.aspx

Fashion fades. Style is eternal

The return of rock's women of the 70s.

Debbie Harry, Chrissie Hynde and Pattie Smith have endured because they were unwilling or unable to accept the stereotypes of pop.

Christian Joy, a stylist, says, "Nowadays it's all about fashion – who's wearing Chanel, who's wearing Gucci. Back then, those girls weren't going out and buying fashion. They had a style that almost doesn't exist any more."

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/may/03/women-rock-stars-1970s-style-is-eternal

The common Nightingale has the best birdsong

Research highlighted on International Dawn Chorus Day, suggests that the common nightingale is top of the feathered crooners because of the composition of its brain.

The nightingale's vocal range has far more notes than any other species.

Researchers at the University of Bath and Cornell say that 'it is possible to draw parallels between the ways in which the bird brains have developed to learn complex songs and the way human brains have evolved to allow language.'

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/may/04/nightingale-best-birdsong-brain-research

Meeting after 78 years

Longest-separated twins find each other...

Ann Hunt, a 78-year-old, had no idea she had a sibling at all until last year. Now she and twin Elizabeth Hamel have met for the first time since they were babies.

And it was Ann's youngest daughter, Samantha Stacey who helped bring this about.

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27188642

A charmer if there ever was one

And a role model too!

With his white hair, tweed jacket, a pince-nez and sharp wit, he's clearly a sophisticated man of the world.

Francesco Maglia is also one of Italy's most exclusive umbrella makers -- and looks every inch the craftsman.

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/08/travel/milan-umbrella-maker/index.html?hpt=hp_bn5

Superheroes and children

Fascination with superheroes can benefit a child in many ways, including boosting his self-confidence and making him feel powerful. Cynthia Falardeau of Vero Beach, Florida, encouraged her son, Wyatt, to explore superheroes for years, because of the way they changed her childhood for the better. She says, "I think he is learning that everyone is capable of being extraordinary."

What better lesson can we give a child than that?

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/28/living/irpt-kids-superheroes/index.html?hpt=hp_bn8

How many of us dream of a life filled with adventure?

This Austrian couple Daniela Reibnegger and Christian Benke are actually living it.

http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/travel/free-fearless-and-loving-it/article5962733.ece?homepage=true