IRELAND TRIUMPHS AT GRAND NATIONAL

The whole of the country was gripped by Grand National fever this weekend! Trade was brisk at the bookies as people flocked to place their bets on one of the world’s most famous horse races, run annually at Aintree. This year’s race was won by Numbersixvalverde, ridden by Irish jockey Niall Madden. Nina and Paul Carberry made Grand National history by becoming the first brother and sister to ride in the famous steeplechase. Numbersixvalverde’s win rewarded one lucky punter with a massive payout of £130,000 after he wagered just £2 on the totescoop6 at the bookies. Well done to him!

IL DIVO ON TOUR - NOT TO BE MISSED!

I had the great pleasure of seeing Il Divo last night at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester. David, Sebastian, Carlos and Urs were in fine voice and look even better in the flesh than they do on tv! They were excellent and gave a superb performance. Il Divo are currently on tour in Britain. Don't miss them!

J K ROWLING SLAMS SOCIETY'S OBSESSION WITH WEIGHT

Harry Potter author J K Rowling has slammed the stick thin models and celebrities of today, referring to them as “talking toothpicks!” and “empty headed, obsessed, emaciated clones.” The best-selling writer and mum of three, expressed concern that these young women set a bad example and stereotype to young girls. J K Rowling stated that she feared for her own two daughters and other young girls growing up in a world obsessed by women looking “skinny”. I have to agree with that. Why is it that you never see plump women on the cover of glossy magazines? No wonder so many young women suffer from eating disorders with society’s obsession to be slim and a perfect size 10.

GWYNETH BRITAIN'S BEST-DRESSED WOMAN

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow has been named as Britain’s best-dressed woman, coming top of the annual list compiled by fashion magazine Harper’s Bazaar. The Oscar-winning star, who is expecting her second child, lives in London with her husband Coldplay’s Chris Martin and daughter Apple. Gwyneth also counts fashion designer Stella McCartney amongst her closest friends.

OBESITY DANGER IN UK KIDS

New Research shows that a total of 700,000 U.K. children are now clinically obese leading to a massive increase of diabetes and heart disease in youngsters. The main causes are lack of exercise and bad diet. Not surprising really, as the majority of today's children tend to spend all their leisure time either watching t.v. or on their computers. Also Jamie Oliver's healthier school meals have backfired in some schools, as many children prefer to tuck into their junk food laden lunchboxes rather than eat the healthy school meals on offer.

BRITONS LIKE TO KEEP UP WITH THE JONESES!

It's official! According to the results of a finance company survey this week, Britons spend over £900 per person per year to keep up with the Joneses! Most of this money is spent on gadgets, clothes, cars and on their homes, as they desperately try to impress their neighbours! So there we go. I went shopping for a new cordless phone this week and purchased an all-singing, all-dancing one (well almost! It has a lot of functions!) but I really needed one. Honestly! I'm not trying to impress the neighbours!

TONY BLAIR STAYING PUT FOR NOW

Britain’s Prime Minister, Tony Blair is insisting he’s here to stay, (For the time being anyway! More’s the pity!), and he has no intention of standing down by Summer. He dismissed claims of his imminent departure from No. 10 as “April Fool’s stories” and “soap opera politics”, insisting he wouldn’t be standing down anytime soon as he has a “huge amount” to do. Mr Blair described a massive workload ahead sorting out pensions, welfare, crime and health. I’d say he’s got his work cut out, judging by the current state of things in this country! According to the results of a poll this week, over half the British population believe Mr Blair has “run out of steam” and a third of the public think he should go now, whilst the remainder think he should stay.

NEWCASTLE NAMED AS BRITAIN'S WINDIEST CITY!

It’s official, Newcastle has been named as Britain’s windiest city and it’s nothing to do with the weather! According to a recent survey by British supermarket chain Asda, sales of Windeze and other similar anti-flatulence products have soared in Newcastle. Could it be due to the fact that the people in Newcastle eat a diet richer in wind-producing fruit and vegetables? If so the people in Newcastle are amongst the healthiest in Britain too!

GENE PITNEY DIES ON U.K. TOUR

Sad news from England today, the American singer Gene Pitney has died whilst on his U.K. tour. The singer who was famous for his hit song, “24 Hours From Tulsa”, was found dead in his Cardiff hotel room this morning. He was only 65 years old, comparatively young by today’s standards. It’s a true saying that we never know the time or the hour when things like this will happen. Another good reason to live life to the full and enjoy every moment. Rest in Peace Gene. Our deepest sympathies go out to his family.

LARGE SIZE TROUSERS COULD DAMAGE YOUR HEALTH!

A recent newspaper article made me smile. A British Department of Health Professor believes that larger size trousers (for bigger waisted people!) should come with a government health warning! His argument is that overweight people buying larger sized trousers are more at risk from heart disease and diabetes! The Professor suggests that a label should be sewn into the trousers, warning potential purchasers that they need to exercise more, eat a healthier diet and visit their doctor! What next!

ENGLISH BOOK NEWS

William Shakespeare is in the news this week. A rare folio edition of the bard's works which originally cost 20 shillings (one English pound in today's money) is up for sale at a cool asking price of £3.5million. The book is being described as the most important book in English Literature because half of its plays had never been printed before and would have been lost for all time. If William Shakespeare was alive today, he would be laughing all the way to the bank!

On another note, Harry Potter author, J K Rowling has won the coveted Book of the Year award for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince at The British Book Awards Show. Cricket Star Freddie Flintoff scooped the Top Sports Book award for his book, "Being Freddie". Well done to both of them!

"HIMALAYA" TO BE ISSUED TO SCHOOLS

Every secondary school in England is to be issued with a copy of former Monty Python star Michael Palin’s best-selling book, “Himalaya” to encourage kids' interest in Geography. It seems that fewer and fewer children are now taking the subject at GCSE and Advanced level and according to the schools' watchdog, it is one of the worst taught subjects. I have to agree with that, from my own personal experience. As somebody who nearly became a teacher myself, I always think that in order for pupils to be interested in certain subjects, they have to be put to them in a certain way, to hold their interest. How a subject is taught and the teacher’s attitude is of paramount importance.

As Michael Palin himself explained: "You can travel the seas, poles, and deserts and see nothing. To really understand the world you need to get under the skin of people and places. In other words, learn about geography. I can't imagine a more relevant subject. We'd all be lost without it." I can't agree more and as somebody whose worst subject at school was Geography, I think issuing copies of “Himalaya” to all secondary schools is a brilliant idea!

GNARLS BARKLEY DOWNLOAD TOPS THE CHARTS

Gnarls Barkley has made history tonight by having the first downloaded single, “Crazy”, to reach No. 1 in the U.K. singles chart. Over 30,000 copies of the track have been downloaded so far. The fact that the single can only be downloaded and is not available in any shops until Monday, just goes to show the power of the internet on the U.K. music chart, with many U.K. music fans now preferring to download their favourite tracks, rather than buying cds. Last week’s No. 1 single, “So Sick” by Ne-Yo has now fallen to No. 2 in the charts.

RICE GREETED BY ANTI-WAR PROTESTORS

In the news this week, U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice arrived in the U.K. amidst a storm of protest by anti-war protesters. Miss Rice was invited over by her new best friend, Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, who wanted to show her round his constituency and hometown of Blackburn (in the north of England). Miss Rice recently showed Jack Straw round her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama and he wanted to return the favour! Mr Straw was disappointed when a planned visit to a mosque was withdrawn and hadn’t counted on the strength of feeling against Miss Rice’s visit who some described as a “terrorist”. Miss Rice dismissed the demonstrations, saying, "It is part of the democratic process that if people have different views to express them. I think it is best if people have different views that they do express them and not bottle them up." Today Jack Straw and Condoleeza Rice made a surprise trip to Iraq to try to break the deadlock over setting up a new government. Hopefully this will happen sooner rather than later so both Britain and the U.S. can finally concentrate on sorting out the problems closer to home, in their own countries and the troops can come home.

TOM JONES CELEBRATING KNIGHTHOOD

Popular Welsh singer Tom Jones is celebrating this week after receiving a knighthood from the Queen. The 65 year old singer who still sounds and looks as good as ever has never forgotten his Welsh roots and "the green, green grass of home", even though he has lived in the States for many years. When he first moved to America, he was so homesick, he had a red telephone box shipped over from Wales, which he put in his backyard to remind him of home! Tom Jones is truly one of the greatest singers of our time. Well done to him!

CURE FOR UNRULY TEENAGERS?

Researchers have discovered that eating Fish Oil supplements can improve the behaviour of unruly teenagers. Apparently a study was done on a group of youngsters suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder and Hyperactivity and their behaviour improved dramatically after taking an Omega 3 supplement for 3 months. The results of this new research come hot on the heels of a report in The British Medical Journal the previous week, questioning the benefits of eating oily fish (such as tuna and salmon which are rich in Omega 3). The report concluded that it is unclear whether a diet rich in Omega 3 foods, actually reduces or increases total death rates from heart attacks and diseases such as cancer or strokes. Apparently compared to giving up smoking or taking regular exercise, the benefits of an Omega 3 rich diet are negligible. Despite this heart experts are still encouraging the public to eat foods high in Omega 3, including oily fish. I personally love tuna, sardines and salmon and will continue to eat them for a long time to come, whether they have health benefits or not.

EMBRACE TO RECORD ENGLAND ANTHEM

West Yorkshire band Embrace have been chosen to record the official England World Cup anthem, “World at Your Feet”. They follow in the footsteps of Baddiel and Skinner and New Order, who have both recorded World Cup songs in the past. According to the band’s lead singer, they can’t wait to get into the studio and record the new track. Good luck to them!

TONY BLAIR PLANS TO BID FAREWELL TO NO. 10

Tony Blair has finally come to the same conclusion as the majority of people in this country. He’s been Prime Minister for long enough and it’s time to go! Mr Blair is facing increasing pressure to name the day when he will be leaving No. 10 (Downing Street), after announcing in Australia that he will not be standing at the next General Election. Even the bookies are taking bets on when that day will come. Many British people feel let down that Mr Blair chose to make the announcement of his departure on the other side of the world (in Australia) and not here in England to those who voted for him. Apparently Mr Blair is regretting his announcement already as this has weakened his party leadership even more, although he has pledged to “fix” the NHS before he quits. That’ll be the day! If Mr Blair wants any help packing up his belongings, I’m sure there’ll be plenty of willing volunteers out there to help him on his way!

BRITONS LOSING SLEEP

According to a recent survey, more than 65% of the British public have trouble sleeping, with many averaging only 5 hours sleep a night. Is it any wonder with the current state of things in this country? The majority of people are probably losing sleep worrying over how they’re going to keep a roof over their heads with the soaring costs of both council tax and fuel costs!

BRITAIN HIT BY STRIKE ACTION

Millions of council workers came out in protest today over government plans to raise their retirement age from 60 to 65, in the biggest strike to hit Britain for 80 years. Thousands of schools, libraries and leisure centres around the country were closed and many bus and rail services came to a standstill causing travel chaos. Many council services across the U.K. were crippled by today’s strike. The issue of pensions is a problem that affects everyone in Britain, both public and private sector workers. Maybe the whole country should go on strike, it’s in such a mess! We’re being told that people are living longer and there’s no longer enough money in the state pension pot, so we will all have to work longer. Maybe if the government hadn’t wasted billions of money on three years of conflict in Iraq, we’d have plenty of money to cover everyone’s pensions, both the private and public sector workers.