Via @NoelWho on Twitter.

 

What the what?  Why in God’s name…

Well, it’s not in God’s name, it’s in the name of magazine sales of course.  The late Princess Diana would have turned 50 this Friday, so Newsweek thought it was only appropriate to power up the photoshopper and create this fantastical photo of what it would be like “if she were here”.

It’s creepy and somewhat disturbing.  Mostly because she’s managed to hang on to her hot body but somehow wrinkle beyond her years.  Come on now, you know if Diana were alive today she’d be firmly on the Botox train!  A strange one from a magazine that used the be “the boring one filled with graphs and politicians” on our coffee table when I was a kid in America.

I don’t know who did this, or even where it happened, but it made me very very happy.

Thanks to the lovely Angela Scanlon I made a purchase today that is probably the most deadly purchase I’ve ever made.  I bought a t-shirt (well actually I bought two) from the ladies at What Will I Wear Today.  They are very stylish, and intrinsically Irish, slogan t-shirts, which made me smile AND get out my wallet.  Check them out here.

No really.  These are some talented ladies.

Intelligence is a really important part of the Miss USA Pageant.

It’s Friday, I’m having an ugly day, it’s raining and I live at home*.  Currently there are four small screaming children playing wii, my mother is hoovering, and a sky man is installing a satellite dish with a very loud power drill.  There is only one thing for it:

*This is temporary but still a pain in the arse.

I’m still sad about Cheryl Cole.  The whole thing seems so cruel y’now?  I was surprised when it was announced that she was going to be a judge on American X Factor, but figured she must have proven herself after the months and months of speculation.  I felt it was really cruel when after just 2 weeks she was unceremoniously ousted, and still feel a bit sad about the whole thing.  I know, I know, she’s minted, she could have come back to X Factor UK, why the hell should you feel sorry for her?  I don’t have an explanation, I just feel sad about it, and I was interested to get my eyes on some of the stuff recorded before she was out on her ear.  This is a video of the official X Factor announcement and presentation in the States, and in it we get a little glimpse of herself.  Looks good to me!

Terry Pratchett is an English novellist who most people will know for his work in the genre of fantasy.  I’ve never read anything he’s written (not so much for the fantasy ,me) but everyone I know who has read him waxes lyrically about his work, and in 1998 he was given an OBE for his services to Literature.  Terry, on average, has written 2 books a year since 1983 and his next book will be released in October of this year.  He describes the monetary rewards of his work as “an unavoidable consequence” rather than a motivational factor, he writes to write.  Writing is Terry’s life.  However, that life may be cut short.

Having been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s Disease in 2007, writing has become increasingly difficult for Terry Pratchett.  He now dictates to an assistant or uses speech recognition software, which help at the moment.  Terry does not know how long he will be able to continue, but he does know that he does not want to get to the point where his condition prevents him from living the life he loves.  In an article published in 2009, Terry Pratchett stated that he wished to commit “assisted suicide”, and last week in a one of documentary for the BBC he explored this idea.

It was definitely one of the most powerful pieces of television I have ever seen, if not the most powerful.  It’s not the easiest watch, but I believe it is essential that we give these matters thought, and I highly recommend it to all of you.  Your thoughts are welcome.