It was the best of times, it was the worst of times - pretty much any time you sit down and try to think of a memorable opening line to anything you write. Indeed there is no more important task than nailing a good opening line to a book. Great first lines from novels, such as Charles Dickens' "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," from A Tale of Two Cities or Jane Austen's "It is...

"Ramen," somebody recently probed as I gushed adoringly about the food of Japan (again), "that's just noodle soup, isn't it?" Like a besieged tom cat ready to challenge the neighbours' pit bull, my back arched instinctively and I cascaded into an explosive rant. Ramen is far more than just noodle soup. The exact origins or ramen are unclear. There’s a great deal of speculation that links ramen to China, gastronomically speaking, but its Japan that’s generally regarded the rightful home...

Brewed: St Austell, Cornwall Strength: 4.9% Originally founded in Cornwall by Walter Hicks in 1851, St Austell Brewery is still 100 per-cent family owned and renowned for brewing some of the South-West’s most popular beers. In addition to brewing their own beers from a brewery overlooking the bay of St Austell, their Small Batch Brewery builds on the success of a previous micro-brewery, allowing St Austell’s team of brewers to constantly experiment with new flavours and styles. Eureka, for instance, was...

A woman who was branded a ‘dunce’ at school and hid her illiteracy all her life is finally learning to read – at the age of 87. Retired factory worker Ursula Shepherd says her teachers in the 1930s “didn’t care” if she was educated. The pensioner, who has learning difficulties, was branded a ‘dunce’ by classmates and left school at the age of 15 unable to read or write. She hid her illiteracy throughout her working life and at home...

By Linda Marric @linda_marric There’s one thing Catfight director Onur Tukel cannot be accused of, and that thing is lacking in originality. However you chose to read his film, one thing is for sure, this curious little production manages to pack more punches and raise more laughs than the majority of comedies being made in Hollywood right now. Divided into three main chapters, the film plays with ideas of femininity in a way that has seldom been depicted on screen...

A furious job-seeker has blasted high street chemists Boots after being turned away from an interview – for not being dressed “conservatively enough”. Not the best news to emerge on International Women's Day. Rosie Reilly, 26, was wearing a black and white high-collared blouse and a knee length black skirt when she met bosses of the Boots store in Richmond, London. She had applied for a job as a full-time sales assistant. But after the first part of the interview,...

There is a certain sort of person who likes to talk a great deal about the importance of etiquette. There is also a lot of discussion about the decline of modern manners. At the same time we live in a time of the decline of ritual – if you want an emblem, my former employer, the House of Commons, has decided that the clerks should no longer wear wigs and court dress (the House of Lords has not followed suit,...

Half (50%) of London adults believe women receive fewer opportunities after returning from maternity leave 17% of the respondents from London disagree that their CEO actively strives for gender equality and supports initiatives in the workplace Over half (56%) of adults surveyed in London said they would be ‘much happier’ at work if their employer offered a more flexible working arrangement This International Women’s Day, RICS encourages employers to review diversity initiatives and sign up to its Inclusive Employer Quality...

By Shari Hofer, VP marketing, Rosetta Stone As high-profile female leaders continue to infiltrate the boardroom and even lead our country, there’s a welcome shift in the way women are being perceived. Indeed, International Women’s Day (IWD) certainly highlights progress in changing attitudes towards strong females, however a level of inequality still exists. In 2016, 33 percent of global businesses had no women senior management, with women occupying just 22 percent of senior roles in G7 countries. There are also...