Nepenthe

This is a fascinating book, though for reasons its author may not have entirely intended. Written in 1945-46 but just published in the United States, Michelangelo in Ravensbruck is a memoir of the German and Soviet occupations of Poland -- but it is not the kind of World War II memoir we are used to. The author, who died in 2002 at the age of 104, was a wealthy countess, a professor of art history, a devout Catholic, a fervent anticommunist and a member of the Polish underground. In 1942, she was arrested by the Gestapo, which sent her to a series of prisons and then to Ravensbruck, the women's concentration camp north of Berlin. But because of who she was -- and who she was not -- Karolina Lanckoronska's experience, and the meaning she makes of it, differed in fundamental ways from those of Jewish camp survivors such as Primo Levi and Jean Améry. Her account is as interesting, and as valuable, for what she puts in as for what she leaves out. Lanckoronska was one very tough da...

THE DOUBLE LIFE OF SAKI Monday 30 April 9pm-10pm; rpt midnight-1am; rpt 3am-4am; rpt Wednesday 2 May 10pm-11pm; rpt 1.25am-2.25am; rpt Saturday 5 May 11.05pm-midnight; rpt 2.50am-3.50am (signed) Roger Davenport takes the title role in The Double Life of Saki, BBC Four's dramatised documentary about the Edwardian short story writer Hector Hugh Munro. Here he explains his enthusiam for this lesser known satirical author and his inspirations for writing the script. I can't recall quite when or why I first read the work of Hector Hugh Munro, the writer known as Saki. My father, the critic John Davenport, was apt to pass a book to one of his young sons with the words, "I think this will amuse you." It could have been something by the Canadian humorist Stephen Leacock, or Malcolm Lowry's Under the Volcano. Anyway, by the time I was 16, I'd read all the Saki short stories. As to why I liked the best of them as much as I do, well, it's his voice. Detached, funn...

For almost four decades, the astrophysicist Stephen Hawking has studied black holes, exploding stars and the origins of the universe from the confines of his wheelchair. Tonight, at around 7pm, the renowned Cambridge professor will experience the weightlessness of space at first hand on a zero gravity trip over the Atlantic. The 90-minute adventure aboard a converted airliner nicknamed the vomit comet marks the achievement of a lifelong ambition for the cosmologist, who was once told by doctors not to bother finishing his PhD because of advancing motorn neurone disease. "It will be wonderful," said Professor Hawking, whose best-selling A Brief History of Time popularised the theories of quantum gravity and enlightened the masses about many of the mysteries of the universe. "For someone like me, whose muscles don't work very well, it will be bliss to be weightless." The 65-year-old, who has spent most of his adult life in a wheelchair and communicates through a s...

Spain: Olive Oil Antioxidant-rich olive oil protects against heart disease. Japan: Soy Protein-packed soy is linked to the prevention of cancer and osteoporosis. Greece: Yogurt Among yogurt's benefits: enhanced immunity, improved lactose intolerance, and stronger bones. India: Lentils Lentils give you protein, cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber, and lots of iron. Korea: Kimchi Loaded with key vitamins, kimchi contains healthy bacteria that aids digestion.

Is there one song you've written that sums up all you ever wanted to say through music? Roger Waters: Two songs sprang immediately to mind: «Us and Them» and «Wish You Were Here».

La imagen recoge la solitaria resistencia de una mujer durante un desalojo de colonos israelíes. Además de ser una buena foto de prensa, firmada por Oded Balilty, de AP, la imagen tiene una estructura muy poderosa : una diagonal formada por una columna de policías antidisturbios, una horizontal formada por otros colonos mirando desde una montaña, varias columnas de humo negro y la fuerza que le da el gesto de la mujer que trata de parar a los policías. La fotografía ha generado de inmediato un debate acerca de si recoge realmente la situación de Oriente Medio.

The Green ones I have, the Black ones I wish...

You Are Kermit Hi, ho! Lovable and friendly, you get along well with everyone you know. You're a big thinker, and sometimes you over think life's problems. Don't worry - everyone know's it's not easy being green. Just remember, time's fun when you're having flies! The Muppet Personality Test

Leónidas e as Termópilas, Jacques-Louis David , 1814