An Age of Magic

The riddle of the last Tsars

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I have always found the story surrounding the last days of the family of Tsar Nicolas II fascinating. There was always a certain amount of possibility that the woman who claimed to be Anastasia, Anna Anderson, just may have been her. But that was debunked some years back.  Then there have been other claims that the boy, Alexei, escaped with one of his sisters. But recent tests have proved otherwise. DNA tests carried out on two sets of bones found in the Ural Mountains appear to have solved the riddle.

Forensic experts say initial results show the human remains belong to 13-year-old Crown Prince Alexei and his sister Princess Maria, 19. This is both sad and enlightening…it is always hard to imagine the boy surviving anyway as he was a sufferer of haemophilia - he would have bled to death quite quickly after the shooting.

Now, however, Russian scientists say the first conclusions of DNA tests indicate that the two sets of bones found last year are those of Maria and Alexei. The remains of the tsar, tsarina and other family members were discovered in a grave near Ekaterinburg in 1991. They were authenticated by DNA tests.

This was a tragic event in any case, the Tsar was a cousin of George V and the Tsarina was a great aunt of Prince Phillip; the four daughters were absolutely beautiful. Such a shame they were victims of their birth.

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What chair do you relax in at the end of the day?

Have you ever come home from work at the end of a very long day and just wished you could have your own personal massage therapist to ease away all those aches and pains? Maybe you are a Mum and have a sore back and neck after lifting and carrying heavy babies and toddlers throughout the week.  I can certainly identify with this.

If you have been out shopping you will certainly have seen those massage chairs on demonstration in the shopping centre’s with sales people asking you to sit down and try one for the experience. I’ll bet you haven’t as yet. Whilst you may not wish to get roped into buying one ‘on the spot’ you are also missing out on learning just how effective one of those Massage Chairs can be. Not only for relaxation but for your health as well.

We all know that feeling relaxed is the first step towards good well-being. So many of us sit on uncomfortable chairs at computer screens all day, at office desks or just maintain bad posture in general. What you need is the human touch. A Human Touch quality massage chair can transform your life; it will massage just basic points or your whole body…whichever you choose.  Do your body, and health, a favor and treat it to a massage chair.

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Would YOU fly in a paper plane?

A new space shuttle is set to be launched from the International Space Station - made entirely from paper. The paper aeroplane will fly 240 miles down to earth travelling at speeds of up to Mach 20 - 15,200 miles per hour. And if the 20 centimetre long origami design is successful, scientists believe it could herald the future of space travel.The paper dart has been treated to withstand the intense heat and wind speeds it will encounter as it re-enters the earth’s atmosphere. Friction with the air heats the outer surface to extreme temperatures and can have catastrophic consequences for real space shuttles. Tragically, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated on its return to Earth in 2003, killing all seven crew members on board.

The much lighter origami shuttle, which researchers at the University of Tokyo, Japan, claim will come down more slowly, is not expected to burn up on re-entry despite hitting temperatures of 200 degrees Celsius. Well, despite all the assurances from the scientists involved, for now I think I will stick to a normal Boeing 747.

Popularity: 35% [?]