Judging by the number of books recently published about the joys of swimming in the sea as well as in Britain’s many lakes and rivers, outdoor swimming is enjoying a renaissance writes Julia Stephenson.

Despite being as soft a Southerner as they come, in warm spells I am a regular at the Serpentine in London where I love nothing more than flinging myself into the lido for energising swims. Brrrrrr. Yes it’s bracing but boy do you feel wonderful afterwards.

During hot spells this Elysian paradise is crammed choc-a-bloc with permatanned lounge lizardy types all chatting each other up energetically.  If you are a glam over 60 and looking for a hot date on a Saturday night, it’s the place to be.

As Anti-depressant prescriptions continue to soar during the Recession, Tim Lott tries out an eight-week course of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy courtesy of the NHS

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For years we’ve been told that to avoid certain illnesses we should be eating five portions of fruit and vegetables each day.

But where did this figure come from, and what exactly does it mean?

Does it include a few olives on top of a takeaway pizza? Or a handful of mushy peas served up with some fish and chips? And what about that tin of pineapple rings in syrup?

Experts now say that five is the minimum we should be consuming. In fact, to really safeguard our health we should be eating nine portions a day. And it’s important that we get the right mix of varieties of fruit and vegetables as each contain a unique set of different vitamins and minerals.

 In this section we are going to look at the dual wave/particle nature of light and the famous double slit experiment. We are also going to look at how the fragmentary world view that created the mind/body split can be replaced by the holomovement.

The prestigious First Prize goes to Ireland. Check out the runners-up...

When celebrities embrace a cause it often puts people’s backs up, writes Julia Stephenson. 

Many of us prefer our celebs pretty, pointless and mute, and there are sneers and snarls when they use their fame to shine a spotlight on something more interesting than their fitness regimes. I was amused by Sharon Stone’s recent peace initiative (`I’d kiss just about anyone for peace in the Middle East’), at least she’s having a go and keeping a sense of humour. With our rulers discredited and too cowardly to put human rights before short term profit, no wonder there is a void so easily filled by actors, television chefs, pop stars and models.