FluxDash

SEMANTIC ENIGMASWhat does -istan" mean as in Pakistan, Uzbekistan or Afghanistan? Jackie Rigden, London UK It's a suffix that exists is many Indo-European languages - but not English - and means "home" or "place"...the equivalent of the English or German "-land". The Hindi name for England is "Inglistan", but actually in Pakistan the "-stan" comes from "Baluchistan". Pete, Brixton It's a good acronym, as Pakistan also translates as "

Rights and freedomFamily lawIn English and Welsh custody cases, a finding that one parent has poisoned a child’s mind against the other can be crucial, even if there are questions over the accountability of those making the decisions Questions over use of ‘psychological experts’ in parental alienation cases Amanda wept as she recalled her children being removed from her home several years ago – her youngest clinging to her as they were dragged away screaming.

The ObserverTravelReviewGive yourself a regenerating boost at 10 of the most energising and uplifting mountain wellness resorts and spas Naturhotel Chesa Valisa, Hirschegg, AustriaThe first certified bio-organic hotel in the Vorarlberg region, this 500-year-old building is now home to a soothing mountain retreat, combining a programme of outdoor hikes, indoor yoga and spa treatments with plenty of cosy spaces for relaxing with a book or just drinking in the glorious views.

SplitM Night Shyamalan’s new movie, Split, stars James McAvoy as a character with 23 different personalities. And, like most screen portrayals of the disorder, it is seen as dangerous and violent. But what’s the truth behind the stigma? Tom Hanks played six different characters in Cloud Atlas, Eddie Murphy played seven in The Nutty Professor and Alec Guinness notched up eight in Kind Hearts and Coronets. But James McAvoy sets a new benchmark with his new movie, Split.

Life and styleWhen Simon Copland went to the Sydney festival of Really Good Sex, he didn’t know what to expect. But the experience was liberating When I told my friends and colleagues I was going to a festival of sex, they were quick to jump to salacious fantasies. Most assumed I was going to a mass orgy – a weekend of rampant debauchery. Others had visions of Sexpo – strippers, pole dancers and porn stars.

Brief lettersBiologyLettersMy 1950s school was a topsy-turvy worldEating upside down | Riding the Gypsy Queen | School mottos | Big dogs | Letters that divided Britain I remember being taught in biology class in our 1950s grammar school in Manchester that peristalsis works both ways (Dairylea cheese ad showing child eating while upside down banned over choking risk, 19 January). Under teacher supervision, two of us held a boy upside down by his ankles while he drank half a bottle of milk through a straw.

Guardian SelectsChildbirthPregnant women are incubating something that could prove hugely valuable to modern medicine and the global economy – and 99% of the time it’s being thrown away Birth is messy. It’s often not until you’re pregnant that you learn about the third stage of labor – the bit after the baby appears, when the mother pushes out the placenta that has provided life support for the previous nine months.

Charles Baudelaire photographed by Etienne Carjat c1866. Photograph: Getty ImagesCharles Baudelaire photographed by Etienne Carjat c1866. Photograph: Getty ImagesNicholas Lezard's choiceCharles BaudelaireReviewThis translation is the best way yet for English speakers to enter the poet’s dream-like world I suspect that in the UK Baudelaire is more nodded to respectfully than actually read. This is a pity, because he could be said to have been the first modern poet: TS Eliot thought so, saying he was “the greatest exemplar in modern poetry in any language”.

Tom Hardy Tom Hardy responds to sexuality question: 'What are you on about?' – video At a Toronto film festival press conference for Legend, which stars Tom Hardy as London gangster twins Ronnie and Reggie Kray, a journalist for an LGBT news site asks the actor – in a roundabout way – about his sexuality. Hardy asks in return why the subject is being raised, before cutting off the exchange with a gentle ‘thank you’