Munching on soil can be indicative of a dog's emotional state. A pet that's stressed or bored may indulge in pica, or the ingestion of non-edible materials. If it's dirt, then they'reindulging in geophagia. A dog may also turn to a dirt buffet to try to alleviate some kind of health ailment, like anaemia (a low blood cell count), an upset stomach, or some kind of nutritional deficiency. (Gastrointestinal problems are more likely to lead to eating grass, however.) Despite their reputation for having cast-iron stomachs, you really, really don't want your dog snacking on dirt.
Three new words to use
Afterclap - an unpleasant turn of events after you thought you'd finished dealing with something.
Attpåklatt (Norwegian) - a child born many years after their siblings, literally translates as "afterblob".
Sploot — the pose of a dog or cat when it lies on its stomach with hind legs stretched out behind the body.
It's just like walking on the moon!
Queen was the world's leading influencer
The British used to colonise land, they now they colonise our attention, writes Dave Pell, adding that the media coverage of the royal family is the true measure of their power and it is not waning. "The mega-coverage is happening in UK publications, of course, but it's also happening across the world. You don't have to be one of her subjects for the Queen to be your favourite subject. The British used to colonise land. Now they colonise our attention. It's not just news. The royals are covered endlessly in documentaries and dramatised versions of their lives that blur the line between fiction and a carefully scripted fictionalised reality. How blurred is the line? Even amid the breathless coverage, I was surprised that the Washington Post chose to take over the top of the homepage with a breaking news alert that the Queen's corgis will live with Prince Andrew."