An Age of Magic

Not a great way to lose weight.

Poor Cheryl Cole – but then everyone has been warning her for quite a while now about her husband Ashley being what he is…a slimy cheat behind her back. And he has been at it again. Of course, as last time, this will all run to textbook form. Cheryl will lose a lot of weight while she is hiding out in the US, she will come back to the UK ‘gaunt and fragile’ , all doe-eyed and perfectly made up.

Not quite how the rest of us look when we suffer the same sorrows. I would not say that having an unfaithful partner is the best best fat burner you will find – effective yes, but not desirable – but women like Cheryl are so accustomed to self-deprivation when it comes to food that they hover between thin and gaunt all the time. Just dump him Cheryl, do us all a favour.

Popularity: 24% [?]

One for space tourists – an observation deck.

It may not be a five-star space hotel, but life has never been so good off planet. Just two weeks after the arrival of the Internet, the International Space Station is getting an Italian-made observation deck that will offer panoramic views of Earth. Space shuttle Endeavour will deliver the seven-windowed dome to the International Space Station next week, along with more living space in an chamber called Tranquility.

Endeavour is due to launch with six astronauts on board at 0939 GMT. It comes just days after President Barack Obama’s big space station plug in his proposed budget for the coming fiscal year. While the White House scrapped NASA’s moonward-ho Constellation program, the space station got an extension until at least 2020, with the promise of more relevant research.

When astronauts exercise in the Tranquility, for instance, they will be able to gaze out the nearby dome windows whenever the shutters are open. And when the day’s work is done, they will be able to pop their heads and shoulders into the 5-foot tall cupola, beholding the universe. The lookout also will provide 360-degree views of the space station, allowing the crew to see directly outside during robotic work. Until now, they’ve had to rely on TV cameras when they use the robot arm to move or install big-ticket items.

Popularity: 35% [?]

New roof up and going.

Finally. After almost a whole year we have our new roof on the kitchen and no longer have to empty buckets after a rainy night. I have to say that the builders certainly worked fast too; the day after they completed the work we had a very heavy snowfall which would have been a disaster had the roof not been fixed.

There was one hiatus when the guys had to go seeking electrical supplies as they also had to replace two large fluoro light fittings but they said it would take them five days to complete and they were bang on target. We are still to get the other last part of the work done and that is an insurance job so it remains to be seen if that can be completed in equal efficiency. Nevertheless, the xmas dinner went off well enough using just a convection/ microwave – but it will be lovely to have a proper cooker going once again.

Popularity: 59% [?]