You could hear the students mutter as they were served sodden spaghetti, yet again, in the cafeteria.

And this was the salvation of his house, for several large chunks of plaster cracked off and inside he discovered a pot full of golden scudos.

The eclipse of male supremacy in dancing onstage began in the 1830s when Marie Taglioni established a foothold for women, employing the toe dance as an essential element of ballet.

She has been battling against cancer for years.