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Tokyo (dpa) – "So cute: Is that a Labrador? Can I pet him? Oh, a terrier you say – my next guess! Did you move here recently by chance?" And so begins another friendly chat with a stranger thanks to a dog. Be it getting a bit of tree-infused park air, ambling round the block or just a quick wander to the shops, having a dog on a lead or seeing one is always a potential ice-breaker. Small wonder, then, that a team of Japanese researchers have found an association between owning a dog and having a "stronger sense of community" – an apparent outcome the team puts down to the pets doubling-up as a conduit for "neighbourhood-based connections." "Compared to incidental interactions or friendships, anchored personal relationships fostered by dog ownership are more likely to be perceived as ties with neighbours," the researchers assert in a paper published in the science and medical journal PLOS One on Wednesday. Around 500 residents of Sagamihara in Japan volunteered to take part in the research, which was carried out by psychology and veterinary academics at Rikkyo University and Azabu University. The same tendency for dog-owners adding to connections within a neighbourhood was not seen as much among owners of other pets, including cats – a finding the researchers said was in line with other related work on the subject.  The team called for further research taking in distinctions such as differing effects of dog ownership and dog walking as well as the "frequency, duration, and distance of dog walks." Future studies should also take into account "dog characteristics" – a potentially challenging subtlety which the researchers contend could further help with the "disentanglement of the association between dog ownership and personal relationships." The following information is not intended for publication dpa spr coh

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Vienna (dpa) – Words with a pleasant sound are easier to remember, a study by the University of Vienna has found. Invented words like "clisious", "smanious" and "drikious" were presented to around 100 English-speaking participants to test how sound alone, independent of meaning, influences perception. They also examined whether the beauty of sounds affects how easily words can be learned. The 100 participants viewed different pretend words which were designed to be "beautiful", "neutral" or "not beautiful". First they were asked to learn and memorize the words, later to recall them, and finally to rate how beautiful they found them. "We found that the words that participants remembered best were also the ones they rated as most beautiful," said study leader Theresa Matzinger. The results point to a close relationship between memorability and what is known as euphony, or the beauty of sound. "Whether we remember things better because we find them beautiful or find them beautiful because we can remember them better remains to be seen," said the University of Vienna lecturer, whose study was published in the journal PLOS One. The link between aesthetic perception and the learnability of language could affect foreign language learning, marketing strategies and language change across generations. "Certain sound patterns may persist in languages because they sound pleasant, while others may disappear because we find them less appealing," Matzinger said. The following information is not intended for publication dpa mrd xxde coh

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Berlin (dpa) – Sure, those Santa hat-shaped biscuits are fine, but are they three-dimensional? These marzipan treats bring edible Santa hats to life with bright-red marzipan, a white sugar pearl as a bobble and desiccated coconut for a furry snowy rim. With a little remodelling, they can even be reworked as Christmas stockings. In this recipe from cookbook author Christiane Kührt, the biggest job is shaping the marzipan mixture and decorating it with icing, sugar pearls and coconut. There's a trick to this part. "So that the coconut shavings stick as snow on the brim and the pearl as the bobble on the tip, the icing must not be fully dry yet, because then it acts like a glue," Kührt says. Her measurements are for nine little hats. "You can make them smaller, then you will get more," she says. However, you need to take care, as they can quickly turn light brown in the oven. "These Santa hats should only be baked at 160 degrees. At 180 to 200 degrees the sugar darkens too quickly." A special touch comes from rose water. "A well-stocked supermarket will have it in the baking section. If not, you will find it at the chemist," Kührt says. If you don't like the aroma of rose water, you can replace it with two drops of bitter almond flavouring, she says. Curious? Time to get baking. Ingredients for about nine Santa hats For the dough: 200 g marzipan paste 50 g icing sugar 1 medium egg white 30 g flour 50 g ground blanched almonds 2 tbsp rose water (optional) For the decoration: 100 g icing sugar about 3 tbsp lemon juice red food colouring 30 g desiccated coconut 9 large white sugar pearls Preparation: For the dough, line a baking tray with baking paper. Coarsely grate the marzipan paste and put it in a mixing bowl. Add icing sugar, egg white, flour, almonds and rose water if using. Knead everything first with the dough hooks of a hand mixer, then with your hands, until smooth. Divide into portions a little larger than a walnut. Roll into balls, then shape into slightly conical Santa hats. Set the flat bases on the tray. Chill the hats for at least 45 minutes so they keep their shape when baking. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Bake the hats in the middle of the oven for about 15 minutes; they should not darken. Remove, then leave to cool completely and firm up. For the decoration, mix icing sugar with lemon juice and food colouring in a small bowl to a thick but still flowing icing. Tip the desiccated coconut onto a small plate. Line a board with baking paper. Dip each hat tip-down into the icing, let it drip briefly and set on the paper. Immediately place a sugar pearl as the bobble on the tip. As soon as the icing pools at the base, press the underside into the desiccated coconut and use your fingers to form a white rim all around. Leave the Santa hats to dry on baking paper. The following information is not intended for publication dpa/tmn cwg yyzz n1 amc

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Netflix, already the streaming industry leader, now looks set to own two of the biggest video streaming platforms with the purchase of Warner Bros and its HBO Max app. What awaits Netflix subscribers? Los Angeles (dpa) – Streaming giant Netflix is acquiring the Hollywood stalwart Warner Bros following the spin-off of Warner's Discovery Global business unit for nearly $82.7 billion, Netflix announced on Friday. Does this mean that Warner's HBO Max app, a high-end rival to Netflix known for cult shows like "The Wire", "The Sopranos" and "Succession", will be merged with the Netflix app? Netflix isn't saying anything along these lines so far. In fact, it's still early days, and the company says it expects the transaction to take 12 to 18 months. However it does suggest that Netflix viewers will be able to watch HBO and Warner content like "Batman", "Superman", "The Last of Us" and "Game of Thrones". "By adding the deep film and TV libraries and HBO and HBO Max programming, Netflix members will have even more high-quality titles from which to choose," the company said in its statement announcing the purchase. Access to HBO's content will allow Netflix to "optimize its plans for consumers, enhancing viewing options and expanding access to content." It's also possible that HBO could keep the two brands separate, but that subscribers could purchase and watch both together in the same app. Currently, subscribers can pay for a discounted bundle of Disney, Hulu and HBO Max. Alongside HBO Max and HBO, the deal also includes content from Warner Bros' film and television studios. "By combining Warner Bros' incredible library of shows and movies — from timeless classics like 'Casablanca' and 'Citizen Kane' to modern favorites like 'Harry Potter' and 'Friends' — with our culture-defining titles like 'Stranger Things,' 'KPop Demon Hunters' and 'Squid Game,' we'll be able to do that even better," Ted Sarandos, co-chief executive of Netflix, said in a statement. "Together, we can give audiences more of what they love and help define the next century of storytelling," Sarandos said. Warner Bros officially put itself up for sale in October after receiving several takeover bids. In addition to the Hollywood studios and the streaming service HBO Max, this also includes several television channels. According to reports, Netflix is only interested in the production and streaming business. However, Warner originally wanted to spin off the channels into a separate company anyway. The purchase may also make the streaming giant a major player in the cinema business. Until now, Netflix has generally refused to release its original exclusives in cinemas, preferring to focus on streaming. The following information is not intended for publication dpa evy bf xxde hm ph wjh coh

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

Two fierce matriarchs, played by Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey, clash over land, power, and family loyalty in Netflix's new Western, "The Abandons". Los Angeles (tca/dpa) – Ah, the Western. That great American canvas, upon which many sorts of motion pictures have been projected, stretching back to the very beginning of the medium: adventure, romance, comedic, serious, simplistic, artistic, racist, revisionist, historical, metaphorical, low-budget, big-budget, dark, light, set in a wild landscape or on the edge of it, where the deer and the antelope play, etc., etc. In 1939, the year John Ford made "Stagecoach," elevating John Wayne to stardom, Roy Rogers and Gene Autry were also busy. (If Wikipedia is to be trusted, something like 120 Westerns were released that year.) Roy and Gene would also have television careers when the tube came knocking, birthing a wealth of Westerns — "Bonanza," "Gunsmoke," "The Rifleman," "The Virginian," "Maverick," "Have Gun, Will Travel," I could go on from here to Missouri. This year we've had"American Primeval" and"Ransom Canyon," the ongoing brilliance of"Dark Winds" and the continuing adventures ofTaylor Sheridan . With so many movies and television series working that vein over more than a century, it's no surprise that the same material turns up again and again. "The Abandons," a new Western premiering this week on Netflix, is thick with old plot points and character types. (Seven episodes out of 10 were available to review.) Admittedly, creator Kurt Sutter has given the tropes a bit of a spin, making two women — played by Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey — adversarial matriarchal leads, but the nuts and bolts come right off the shelf. We are in the town of Angel's Ridge in Washington Territory in the year 1854. Constance Van Ness (Anderson) and Fiona Nolan (Headey) are widows — but not "widder women" — each in charge of her business, turf and adult children. Constance is upper-class, cold, refined, ambitious and the owner of a silver mine. Her brood consists of Willem (Toby Hemingway), the problem child; Garret (Lucas Till), the younger but more capable son (he wears a suit), trouble in his own way; and Trisha (Aisling Franciosi), a fair flower who will nonetheless curse like a sailor at times. She plays Schubert on the piano, a character detail that feels tacked on, but at least it is a character detail. Fiona is her almost mathematically conceived opposite, an earthy rancher with four adopted grown children; there's a horrible dead husband in her backstory. Elias (Nick Robinson) and Dahlia (Diana Silvers) are brother and sister, whose late father left the money for the land upon which Fiona has built their ranch. (Guided and gifted, in her mind, by God.) With them are Albert (Lamar Johnson) and Lilla Belle (Natalia del Riego), "two angels alone and hurting" Fiona met along the way. They are "five abandoned souls, now kin," and so call their ranch the Abandons. Production is down at the mine, which Constance fears will make "my primary associate, the esteemed Mr. Vanderbilt," as in Cornelius, withdraw his investment, which in turn will make Angel's Ridge slide "back into the mud" and won't do Constance any good either. (The town, as even the sheriff describes it, belongs to her.) And so she lusts after a suspected vein of silver running under Jasper Hollow, occupied by Fiona's ranch and three other families, none of whom are in a rush to leave, despite A) her offers of money and B) acts of sabotage to force them to go. They debate whether to "go to the law" or handle her themselves, and because they are democrats, vote on it. The collision of wealthy, often industrial interests with humble workers on the land has been the basis of many a Western; we are meant, as feeling humans, to side with the farmers and the ranchers against the mine owners as custodians rather than despoilers of the Earth. That Willem calls Isaac the blacksmith "a dirty little Jew" doesn't speak well for the Van Nesses, either, but we'll see much worse from him before the opening episode is out — and then we won't see him. On the other hand, Fiona is more than a little crazy and Constance, in her icy way, can seem almost reasonable. At times it seems that the two, as mothers, might be about to make some interesting connection, even common cause, but they are driven apart by mutual antipathy and the fact that each will be guilty of some awful stuff against the other. "Our struggle, Fiona," says Constance, "is a matter concerning property, not children." "All matters concern my children," replies Fiona. "But do our children need such concern or do we slyly foster it clinging to our motherly purpose?" Well, that is the question, and you do wonder why these kids don't just light out for Portland. (Constance, whom one would not exactly call maternal, believes her motherly purpose is superior to Fiona's, "it being one of blood"; Fiona responds, "Love is not shared through blood.") There's a "Romeo and Juliet" subplot as well, involving Elias and Trisha, and though Sutter may not have had Shakespeare specifically on his mind, given that his"Sons of Anarchy" contained a whole lot of "Hamlet," it seems not unlikely. Other plots involve bandits, guns and an Indigenous tribe, the Cayuse, about to sign a treaty and a rebel faction out to scotch it. In spite of supercharged performances by the two leads, there's something pasteboard about the characters, drawn in thick outlines but not really colored in; that the actors are saddled with old-timey dialogue makes them less rather than more real. (As is often the case, minor players make a more lifelike impression, including Michael Greyeyes and Michiel Huisman, who do work, cleaner and dirtier, for Constance, and Ryan Hurst as one of the Jasper Hollow inhabitants, a quiet man with a past and a way with guns, another popular Western type.) The series is busy, certainly, and frequently violent, with a few impressive set pieces, but majestic Canadian scenery aside, "The Abandons" feels artificial, schematic. (Good characters get to make pure, naked love; bad ones have pervy sex — implied, not shown.) Any random three minutes of "Deadwood" or even a still photo of Wayne seem more genuinely expressive of its times, however historically accurate or fanciful they may be. In spite of a nicely conceived main street and a decent complement of extras, Angel's Ridge itself never comes alive. (Patton Oswalt appears briefly as the mayor, his only real job to provide a body for expository dialogue to stream across.) The silver mining at the bottom of all this business isn't portrayed at all, nor are any practical matters of running a ranch; everyone's too busy fussing and feuding, I suppose. Cornelius Vanderbilt, glimpsed briefly on his way to visit Constance, disappears, presumably to resurface in the concluding three episodes; and by "concluding" I mean whatever brings us to the cliffhanger I assume is coming. Beyond the hope of seeing horrible people punished and not-horrible people flourish, which I am always down for, did I care much about the fate of Jasper Hollow or Constance's silver mine? I can't say that I did. The following information is not intended for publication tca dpa coh

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

Two fierce matriarchs, played by Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey, clash over land, power, and family loyalty in Netflix's new Western, "The Abandons". Los Angeles (tca/dpa) – Ah, the Western. That great American canvas, upon which many sorts of motion pictures have been projected, stretching back to the very beginning of the medium: adventure, romance, comedic, serious, simplistic, artistic, racist, revisionist, historical, metaphorical, low-budget, big-budget, dark, light, set in a wild landscape or on the edge of it, where the deer and the antelope play, etc., etc. In 1939, the year John Ford made "Stagecoach," elevating John Wayne to stardom, Roy Rogers and Gene Autry were also busy. (If Wikipedia is to be trusted, something like 120 Westerns were released that year.) Roy and Gene would also have television careers when the tube came knocking, birthing a wealth of Westerns — "Bonanza," "Gunsmoke," "The Rifleman," "The Virginian," "Maverick," "Have Gun, Will Travel," I could go on from here to Missouri. This year we've had"American Primeval" and"Ransom Canyon," the ongoing brilliance of"Dark Winds" and the continuing adventures ofTaylor Sheridan . With so many movies and television series working that vein over more than a century, it's no surprise that the same material turns up again and again. "The Abandons," a new Western premiering this week on Netflix, is thick with old plot points and character types. (Seven episodes out of 10 were available to review.) Admittedly, creator Kurt Sutter has given the tropes a bit of a spin, making two women — played by Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey — adversarial matriarchal leads, but the nuts and bolts come right off the shelf. We are in the town of Angel's Ridge in Washington Territory in the year 1854. Constance Van Ness (Anderson) and Fiona Nolan (Headey) are widows — but not "widder women" — each in charge of her business, turf and adult children. Constance is upper-class, cold, refined, ambitious and the owner of a silver mine. Her brood consists of Willem (Toby Hemingway), the problem child; Garret (Lucas Till), the younger but more capable son (he wears a suit), trouble in his own way; and Trisha (Aisling Franciosi), a fair flower who will nonetheless curse like a sailor at times. She plays Schubert on the piano, a character detail that feels tacked on, but at least it is a character detail. Fiona is her almost mathematically conceived opposite, an earthy rancher with four adopted grown children; there's a horrible dead husband in her backstory. Elias (Nick Robinson) and Dahlia (Diana Silvers) are brother and sister, whose late father left the money for the land upon which Fiona has built their ranch. (Guided and gifted, in her mind, by God.) With them are Albert (Lamar Johnson) and Lilla Belle (Natalia del Riego), "two angels alone and hurting" Fiona met along the way. They are "five abandoned souls, now kin," and so call their ranch the Abandons. Production is down at the mine, which Constance fears will make "my primary associate, the esteemed Mr. Vanderbilt," as in Cornelius, withdraw his investment, which in turn will make Angel's Ridge slide "back into the mud" and won't do Constance any good either. (The town, as even the sheriff describes it, belongs to her.) And so she lusts after a suspected vein of silver running under Jasper Hollow, occupied by Fiona's ranch and three other families, none of whom are in a rush to leave, despite A) her offers of money and B) acts of sabotage to force them to go. They debate whether to "go to the law" or handle her themselves, and because they are democrats, vote on it. The collision of wealthy, often industrial interests with humble workers on the land has been the basis of many a Western; we are meant, as feeling humans, to side with the farmers and the ranchers against the mine owners as custodians rather than despoilers of the Earth. That Willem calls Isaac the blacksmith "a dirty little Jew" doesn't speak well for the Van Nesses, either, but we'll see much worse from him before the opening episode is out — and then we won't see him. On the other hand, Fiona is more than a little crazy and Constance, in her icy way, can seem almost reasonable. At times it seems that the two, as mothers, might be about to make some interesting connection, even common cause, but they are driven apart by mutual antipathy and the fact that each will be guilty of some awful stuff against the other. "Our struggle, Fiona," says Constance, "is a matter concerning property, not children." "All matters concern my children," replies Fiona. "But do our children need such concern or do we slyly foster it clinging to our motherly purpose?" Well, that is the question, and you do wonder why these kids don't just light out for Portland. (Constance, whom one would not exactly call maternal, believes her motherly purpose is superior to Fiona's, "it being one of blood"; Fiona responds, "Love is not shared through blood.") There's a "Romeo and Juliet" subplot as well, involving Elias and Trisha, and though Sutter may not have had Shakespeare specifically on his mind, given that his"Sons of Anarchy" contained a whole lot of "Hamlet," it seems not unlikely. Other plots involve bandits, guns and an Indigenous tribe, the Cayuse, about to sign a treaty and a rebel faction out to scotch it. In spite of supercharged performances by the two leads, there's something pasteboard about the characters, drawn in thick outlines but not really colored in; that the actors are saddled with old-timey dialogue makes them less rather than more real. (As is often the case, minor players make a more lifelike impression, including Michael Greyeyes and Michiel Huisman, who do work, cleaner and dirtier, for Constance, and Ryan Hurst as one of the Jasper Hollow inhabitants, a quiet man with a past and a way with guns, another popular Western type.) The series is busy, certainly, and frequently violent, with a few impressive set pieces, but majestic Canadian scenery aside, "The Abandons" feels artificial, schematic. (Good characters get to make pure, naked love; bad ones have pervy sex — implied, not shown.) Any random three minutes of "Deadwood" or even a still photo of Wayne seem more genuinely expressive of its times, however historically accurate or fanciful they may be. In spite of a nicely conceived main street and a decent complement of extras, Angel's Ridge itself never comes alive. (Patton Oswalt appears briefly as the mayor, his only real job to provide a body for expository dialogue to stream across.) The silver mining at the bottom of all this business isn't portrayed at all, nor are any practical matters of running a ranch; everyone's too busy fussing and feuding, I suppose. Cornelius Vanderbilt, glimpsed briefly on his way to visit Constance, disappears, presumably to resurface in the concluding three episodes; and by "concluding" I mean whatever brings us to the cliffhanger I assume is coming. Beyond the hope of seeing horrible people punished and not-horrible people flourish, which I am always down for, did I care much about the fate of Jasper Hollow or Constance's silver mine? I can't say that I did. The following information is not intended for publication tca dpa coh

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

Joachim Trier’s new film "Sentimental Value" has cemented his reputation for capturing delicate human emotions. After earning the Grand Prix at Cannes, this film is already being talked about for the Oscars. Berlin (dpa) – Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier has confirmed his status as one of arthouse cinema’s most sought-after directors with “Sentimental Value”, which won the Cannes Grand Prix and is being praised for its acting and distinctive visual language. Few directors capture human feeling in such delicate images as Trier, with some calling him a modern incarnation of cult filmmaker Ingmar Bergman for the emotional depth in his work. Since "The Worst Person in the World" with Renate Reinsve, Trier has been in high demand. When "Sentimental Value" premiered in Cannes, many were sure the family drama would win the Palme d’Or. In the end, Trier received the festival’s second most important award, the Grand Prix. The film lingers in the viewer's thoughts with its outstanding performances and striking imagery. "Sentimental Value" tells a simple story. A father (Stellan Skarsgård) has become estranged from his daughter and tries to reconnect after her mother’s death. Gustav works as a director. His daughter Nora (Reinsve) is a theatre actor and is meant to star in his comeback film. Nora resents that he was not there for her as a child and turns the role down. She generally struggles to allow closeness and suffers depressive episodes. Only with her sister (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) does she have a close relationship. An actor from the US (Elle Fanning) ultimately takes the role, creating new tensions within the family. The centre of events is the family home, which frames the story. Trier uses the house not as a mere backdrop but as a space where relationships become visible. The camera uses walls and door frames to render proximity and distance spatially. He also often moves in close to his characters’ faces, making the finest of emotions visible and heightening the film’s emotional depth. It is a story of family structures, and of the support and the wounds they can contain. At the same time it is about the artistic life. All this is told with melancholy and humour. At one point Gustav gives his young grandson an inappropriate birthday present of Michael Haneke’s morbid psychodrama "The Piano Teacher" on DVD and tells him the film will explain women and their relationships with their mothers. Despite references that will delight cinephiles, "Sentimental Value" can appeal to a broad audience. As in "The Worst Person in the World", it is about love, loss and fear, in essence about life itself. Trier tells it so delicately that the film moved some at May’s festival to tears. An Oscar nomination, at least in the Best International Feature Film category, is considered likely. The following information is not intended for publication dpa lif yyzz n1 cor

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

The Duchess of Sussex is staging Christmas in a sparkling show packed with celebrities, anecdotes and recipes. Can Meghan win over fans with her cheery celebrations? She sure is trying. San Francisco, California (dpa) – Wearing a black jumper, Meghan dances through a row of undecorated Christmas trees. Only the best will do for the Sussex home; the tree must be large and lushly green before it is decorated. "Once a year, you can do the tree thing," she says, laughing, before finding the right fir tree and decorating it with glittering baubles in the following scene. It's a highly traditional start to the show by Prince Harry's wife. And now, you can watch her cook and bake her way through a nearly 1-hour long show on Netflix. In "With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration," Meghan invites viewers to a "festive wonderland full of warmth, traditions and lots of joy," the streaming platform says. Guests include chefs Will Guidara and Tom Colicchio, as well as tennis player Naomi Osaka. This all sounds promising, but the show may still struggle in terms of viewers. The first two seasons of the series were savaged by critics, who slammed the shows for lacking authenticity, calling the productions contrived, smug and cloying. Can Meghan turn things around by stirring in a touch more reflection? 'Joyless as coal in a Christmas stocking’ She is trying. In this special, the Duchess of Sussex cooks up all kinds of recipes, makes Advent calendars for her children Archie and Lilibet, serves festive cocktails and gets her hands dirty with cookie dough and beetroot – all to the sound of Christmas music. She also tells stories from her childhood and raves about her mother's Christmas dinner. She laughs as she steps in front of the camera in red pyjamas to announce her next two guests. But despite all her efforts, some aren't buying all that Christmas fever. Even before the release, the British media responded with frosty critique. Watching Meghan skip among the Christmas trees pretending to be cold, you have to "secretly admire" the project, which seems almost like "a deliberate provocation," The Guardian wrote. Rather than genuine joy, Prince Harry's wife served up "a sterile imitation of suspiciously flawless baked goods, fake smiles and artificial emotions," The Telegraph reported. The series presented a celebration "without any soul" and was "as joyless as coal in a Christmas stocking." Meanwhile The Times slammed what it called "meaningless crafts," implausible conversations, going so far as to dismiss the show as a "fever dream." A kiss for Harry We also get to see Prince Harry, standing in the kitchen. He raves about his mother-in-law's Christmas dinner, as Meghan prepares it. Viewers are even treated to a kiss, in a rare scene of this kind of the couple. Meghan and Harry, the younger son of King Charles III, renounced their royal duties more than five years ago and now live with their children in the US. Harry's relationship with his father has long been seen as broken though there were recently indications of an initial rapprochement. After leaving the British royals' inner circle, Meghan and Harry signed a contract with Netflix and brought several projects to the screen. In the summer, they extended their collaboration and signed a multi-year first-look deal. And the platform seems eager as ever to turn out further productions. Meghan's love of Christmas is nothing new. She has been photographed in the past decorating a Christmas tree that was a good four or five metres tall. And she has also celebrated Christmas with the royal family, joining the traditional festivities in Sandringham, despite all the differences, the Telegraph noted. "I love the holiday season," she says in the trailer. Will viewers share the love? The following information is not intended for publication dpa pba xxde arw

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This tidying trend can help bring back calm before Christmas. London (PA Media/dpa) – Before all the Christmas celebrations officially commence, now is the perfect moment to set aside some time for some serious decluttering. Getting the house clean, organised and festive can feel like an overwhelming task, but the snowflake rule offers a simple way to make it more manageable. We got in touch with professional organiser, Lesley Spellman, who hosts "The Declutter Hub" podcast with Ingrid Jansen, who explained exactly what this tidying trend entails and how it can bring a sense of much-needed calm amidst all the Christmas chaos. What exactly is the snowflake rule? Just as no two snowflakes are the same, this decluttering trend encourages you to eliminate any duplicates in your home to create a more streamlined space. “The idea is that you go through your stuff in a really simple way and make choices based on duplicates that you have in your home,” explains Spellman. “You look at where you’ve got duplicates, and then determine which one is the most useful or the most sentimental to you. “This rule takes decluttering right back down to a simple ‘choose this one or that’ kind of idea and encourages you to not have anything additional to what you need in your home.” It helps simplify the often daunting prospect of decluttering. “A very simple method like this is perfect for people who have just found themselves in a position where they’ve got a little bit too much stuff and want to do a clear out ready for Christmas,” says Spellman. “The whole premise of the snowflake method is that it’s quick and speedy and you can get through lots of different rooms before Christmas.” Why is the lead up to Christmas the perfect time to use this method? Helps creates space It’s a great way to prepare your house before the inevitable influx of stuff that tends to accumulate during all the festivities. “It obviously depends on your individual circumstances, but if you’ve got children then there is usually an exponentially crazy influx of stuff coming into the house around Christmas,” says Spellman. “There’s only so much space in your house, so clearing the decks a little bit allows space for these things to come in.” Provides an opportunity to take extra things to a charity shop The snowflake method may also lead to a pile of items that are in a good enough condition to take to the charity shop. “It’s an absolutely brilliant time of year to take things like partywear, brand-new items and Christmas decorations to a charity shop,” says Spellman. “It’s a good thing to do this side of Christmas because a lot of these things will be less useful to charity shops afterwards.” Helps you feel calmer “There’s just this feeling of calm that comes with having less,” highlights Spellman. “Having control of your home and that feeling that you get from decluttering and organising your home just makes you feel a little bit calmer.” Provides the opportunity to teach your kids a lesson “If you’ve got children, I think it’s really important to teach them that you can’t just ask for loads more stuff from Santa or mum and dad without letting go of some of the stuff that you’ve already got,” says Spellman. “I think teaching those lessons early on is a really good thing. Can help you uncover things “By following the snowflake method you will probably uncover a lot of stuff that you completely forgot about which might stop you from buying new things, so will therefore help you save money,” says Spellman. “Through this process you might also uncover things like Christmas cards, gift bags and wrapping paper that you can use up rather than buying new.” Gives you a kickstart on new year organising “So many people wait until January, which is obviously a big time for decluttering, but it’s brilliant to start now and get ahead of the game,” says Spellman. “Investing a little bit of time in decluttering now will help you feel so much calmer and more accomplished.” Here are some helpful tips on how to get started… Think about what the goal is “It’s really important to understand what the big picture goal is,” says Spellman. “Ask yourself, why do you want to do it? Is it for the children or have you got guests coming over? “Think about what’s important to you and what’s going to help turn the dial on a little bit more.” Focus on one room at a time “Decluttering the communal rooms is probably going to be the priority,” says Spellman. “The kitchen is a great place to start as it’s the hub of the home and it’s important to have that as a space that you are proud of and feel comfortable in.” Break it down into manageable chunks “If you start a massive declutter which takes you from 8 am on Saturday morning to 7 pm at night, then you are going to be completely worn out and won’t want to do any more the following day,” says Spellman. “But if you instead break it down over a few different weekends and start with the kitchen and break it down cupboard by cupboard that will help you manage your own energy levels.” The following information is not intended for publication dpa pa arw

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Berlin (dpa) – Your shoes may have started to smell – it would not be surprising as our feet sweat more than many people think. During the day, the amount of sweat can quickly add up to the equivalent of a small shot glass. Do remove this moisture as otherwise it accumulates inside your shoes, allowing bacteria and fungi to grow. That's what causes an unpleasant smell. However, with a little prevention and some proper care, you can easily avoid such odours. Prevention through airing, choice of materials To prevent shoes from starting to smell in the first place, Claudia Schulz from the German Shoe Institute recommends: Changing shoes regularly and allowing each pair to rest for at least 24 hours. Newspaper placed inside the shoes overnight draws out any residual moisture. Cedar shoe trees are particularly effective as they absorb moisture and give off a pleasant scent. The choice of materials also plays a role. Leather or natural fibres such as cotton and linen absorb sweat better than synthetic materials. Wearing socks made of natural fibres such as merino wool or cotton also reduces perspiration inside the shoe. "Walking barefoot in trainers or closed shoes, on the other hand, is not a good idea, as moisture then accumulates even faster," says Schulz. If shoes smell already What can you do if your shoes already smell and cannot be put in the washing machine? The simplest method is to air them out regularly, using a fan if necessary, says Schulz. Try using antibacterial sprays from the chemist's or based on essential oils as they also help to reduce germs and neutralize odours. You can also put lemon slices in your shoes or scented sachets with herbs are suitable home remedies. "Baking powder or coffee powder, on the other hand, are often not strong enough to effectively combat the smell," she says. You can also place your shoes in a bag in the freezer for a few hours. The cold kills bacteria and reduces odours, but this method is more suitable for textile and plastic shoes than for delicate leather. Care depends on material Leather shoes require more care. They should be treated regularly with creams to moisturise and keep the material supple. You can clean suede leather such as velour with special brushes and can also treat them to repel dirt and moisture. You can clean textile shoes or trainers in the washing machine under certain circumstances, but be careful as especially with mixed materials or glued soles, you may start to see unsightly edges or loose seams, says Schulz. It is safer to wash them gently by hand with a mild detergent. If you use the washing machine, you should put the shoes in a laundry bag, wash the laces separately and select a gentle cycle. To keep your shoes extra fresh, store them with scented sachets or even spray a little of your favourite perfume in the shoe box – that gives the shoes a very personal touch. Don't forget foot hygiene If you want to prevent odours in the long term, go beyond caring for your shoes. Do wash your feet regularly and dry them thoroughly prevents sweat odours. You can also use foot powder and special deodorants to help reduce the production of sweat. The following information is not intended for publication dpa/tmn nam tsn xxde arw

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)