By one o’clock the food hall at  The Winter Fair filled with hungry punters clutching cocktail sticks. For the first time, I was one of them.

It was the second busiest show in history.  Great comfort for the organisers when you consider The Royal Show ended this summer.

The highlights for me were: learning about wool production with Gareth Jones from British Wool, speaking to Sean Evans from Farming Connect. Listen to the interview here.

And watching farmers preparing their bulls for show. There were Hereford Bulls having a blow dry, bulls coated in glitter and bulls getting their tails back-combed and fluffed up with hairspray.

I also saw the new EID equipment for the first time. It was impressive but looked expensive. How will small abettors and farms afford it?

Whilst at the fair, NFU Cymru, named its two Women Farmers of the Year: Daphne Tilley of Cefn Du Farm and Loraine Makowski-Heaton of Ffynnongrech Farm in Carmarthenshire. Loraine turned her goats’ milk into a range of food to help children suffering with asthma and eczema.

For me, The Winter Fair was a chance to talk to big farming organisations like the CLA, Farmers Weekly, NFU and CALU face to face. They all had stalls at the fair and were all happy to chat to me about the work they do.

The  food and drink  stands traded exceptionally well. Some of the Welsh food and drink  Briohny and I sampled included hot cider, mutton stew, organic flapjacks, smoked cheese, Welsh beef, venison burgers and bara birth.

Photographs and video coming soon….

By four o’clock I found myself  rubbing shoulders with YFC members in one of the  heaving beer tents . A few faces I recognised after visiting the Farming Connect stand. These young men and women are our farming future and I’m happy to report we’re in safe, prosperous and happy hands.

Cheryl Cole has pipped Victoria Beckham to land the title of Britain’s top-earning WAG after doubling her fortune over the past two years.

The X-Factor judge was said to have grossed an estimated 6.9 million pounds, thanks to TV and sponsorship deals, a soaring solo music career, endorsements and property agreements.

The 26-year-old, who lives in a 3.5-million-pound mansion with Chelsea star hubby Ashley Cole, beat David Beckham’s better half who reportedly grossed 6.75 million pounds over the last two years.

“It’s the end of Posh Spice’s reign. Queen Victoria is on her way out. And there’s a new princess ready to take her crown,” the News of the World quoted a source as saying.

The source added: “There’s much more in the pipeline. She has the potential to be massive and leave other Wags – including Posh – behind.”

The source went on: “There isn’t the same buzz about new, fresh, lucrative contracts. While Victoria’s slipping down in many people’s eyes, Cheryl’s star is on the up.”

Source

Yesterday Soros Fund Management Filed a 13-F outlining the fund’s long portfolio as of September 30th, 2009.  The total value of the holdings reported in the filing is $6,198,089.  Twenty holdings represented roughly 50% of the value.  Soros Fund Management is a hedge fund management company that invests primarily based on macroeconomic analysis.  It should be noted that the fund’s equity portfolio likely contains significant short positions, which are not reported in 13-F filings.  Some of the positions in the filing may be in place as hedges or part of a multi-part trade, rather than a directional bet.  With that in mind, a glance at this firm’s major holdings provides clues to its macroeconomic outlook.  

Total stakes in Petroleo Brasileo Brasileiro (NYSE: PBR) represent 9.23% of the value of the positions reported in the filing, with just over 13 million shares held.  This is down from by 2.3 million from the fund’s last filing.

A stake in Hess Corp (NYSE: HES) represents 4.47% of the value of the protfolio reported in the filing.  Soros Fund managament held 5,886,40 shares, up by 1700 from the fund’s last filing.

Potash Corp (NYSE: POT) represents 4.3% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 2,948,421 shares as of September 30th, up 971,386 since the fund’s last filing.

LSI Corporation (NYSE: LSI) represents 4.05% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 249,687,000 shares as of September 30th, up 600,000 since the fund’s last filing.

SPDR Gold Trust (NYSE: GLD) represents 3.91% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 2,450,320 shares as of September 30th, up 2,445,420 since the fund’s last filing.

Linear Technology Corp (NASDAQ: LLTC) represents 3.68% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 277,978,000 shares as of September 30th, up 4,500,000 since the fund’s last filing.

Plains Exploration & Production Company (NYSE: PXP) represents 2.73% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 6,113,815 shares as of September 30th, down 412,585 since the fund’s last filing.

Flextronics International (NASDAQ: FLEX)) represents 2.47% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 157,805,000 shares as of September 30th, up 14,166,000 since the fund’s last filing.

Verizon Communications Inc (NYSE: VZ) represents 2.24% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 4,578,953 shares as of September 30th, up 3,984,100 since the fund’s last filing.

Lawson Software Inc (NASDAQ: LWSN) represents 2.2% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 143,028,000 shares as of September 30th, up 128,948,000 since the fund’s last filing.

AT&T Inc (NYSE: T) represents 1.83% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 4,209,497 shares as of September 30th, up 3,418,497 since the fund’s last filing.

InterOil Corp (NYSE: IOC) represents 1.79% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 2,817,650 shares as of September 30th, up 957,650 since the fund’s last filing.

DirectTV Group Inc (NASDAQ: DTV) represents 1.77% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 3,984,666 shares as of September 30th, up 3,797,66 since the fund’s last filing.

Best Buy Inc (NYSE: BBY) represents 1.75% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 2,892,800 shares as of September 30th, up 1,103,300 since the fund’s last filing.

Weatherford International Ltd (NYSE: WFT) represents 1.65% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 4,922,313 shares as of September 30th, up 3,180,970 since the fund’s last filing.

Suncor Energy Inc (NYSE: SU) represents 1.47% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 2,643,100 shares as of September 30th, up 1,958,700 since the fund’s last filing.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE: GS) represents 1.23% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 415,100 shares as of September 30th, unchanged since the fund’s last filing.

Walgreen Co (NYSE: WAG) represents 1.03% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 1,699,600 shares as of September 30th, up 242,700 since the fund’s last filing.

Wal-Mart Store Inc (NYSE: WMT) represents 0.88% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 1,116,040 shares as of September 30th, up 1,026,330 since the fund’s last filing.

Yahoo! Inc (NASDAQ: YHOO) represents 0.21% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 25,000 shares as of September 30th, down 105,800 since the fund’s last filing.

Garrett W. McIntyre

American rapper Jay-Z, one of the most influential music producers in the world, is reported to be in talks with Cheryl Cole about working together.

Cheryl’s album 3 Words was executive-produced by Black Eyed Peas singer Will.i.am, but Jay-Z’s input on her career would give her profile in the US an enormous boost.

The 26-year-old singer is said to have hit it off with Jay-Z’s wife Beyoncé when she performed a duet on the show with Alexandra Burke.

A source told the Daily Mirror: “Cheryl is the biggest fan of Jay-Z and Beyoncé. To hear the feeling is mutual has totally made her year.

“She never imagined her album would have taken off like this.

“To get Jay-Z’s support is beyond her wildest dreams.”

Jay-Z is currently in the UK to support Beyoncé while she is on tour.

The rapper took to the stage with Rihanna, who is signed to his Def Jam label, on Monday night in Brixton, while Beyoncé was performing at the O2 Arena.

Cheryl’s single Fight For This Love went in at number one, and her album has gone platinum in the UK.

Her role as an X Factor judge has also helped transform Cheryl into Britain’s top earning WAG, with an income of £6.9 million over the past two years.

Source

Air Sports have different biginnings. In the following set of articles we’ll try to cover all great over time aspects of air sports. The first one is about hot air balloons.

Hot air balloons

The first clearly recorded instance of a balloon carrying (human) passengers used hot air to generate buoyancy and was built by the brothers   Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier in Annonay, France. After experimenting with unmanned balloons and flights with animals, the first tethered balloon flight with humans on board took place on October 19, 1783 with the scientist Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, the manufacture manager, Jean-Baptiste Réveillon and Giroud de Villette, at the Folie Titon in Paris.

Modern hot air balloons, with an onboard heat source, were pioneered by Ed Yost beginning in the 1950s which resulted in his first successful flight on October 22, 1960. The first modern day hot air balloon to be built in the United Kingdom (UK) was the Bristol Belle in 1967. Today, hot air balloons are used primarily for recreation. Today balloon festivals are a great way to see hot air balloons close up, and are an enjoyable family outing.

WOW:  Hot air balloons are able to fly to extremely high altitudes. On November 26 2005, Vijaypat Singhania set the world altitude record for highest hot air balloon flight, reaching 21,290 meters (69,852 feet, almost two times more than a passanger plane normal altitude).

COMPETITIONS: Balloon competitions are often called “races” but they’re most often a test of accuracy, not speed. For most competitive balloon flights, the goal is to fly as close as possible to one or more exact points called “targets”. Once a pilot has directed the balloon as close as possible to a target, a weighted marker with an identifying number written on it is dropped. The distance between a pilot’s marker and that target determines his or her score.

Exemple of competitions that include hot air balloons: Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett, Tochigi Hot Air Balloon International Championship & Hot Air Balloon Honda Grand Prix Final Round, World air Games 2009.

Slowly, Victoria Beckham’s departure from the UK will get her out from the charts in the kingdom. For now, David Beckham’s life partner managed to be ranked in the top three gains of the so-called WAG (wives and girlfriends of footballers).

Place two was won by the X Factor judge and singer Cheryl Cole, with 6.9 million pounds. The 26 year old star has managed to raise the nice amount over the past two years, from advertising, concerts and sales of CD with her band, Girls Aloud, but also with her solo career that began this year.

On the other hand, Victoria earn 6.75 million pounds from the reunion of the Spice Girls and from her new career as a designer.

“It was just a matter of time until someone to replace Victoria Beckham. Cheryl is involved in many activities: the L’Oreal ads, the X Factor, Girls Aloud, so that she became unstoppable”, said one source.

Cheryl Cole’s not had to bad a week really – she’s knocked Victoria Beckham off her throne as the highest earning WAG and managed to save X Factor dweeb Lloyd from the chop for the zillionth week in a row last night.

Following even more snaps of her and Ashley apparently arguing appearing on Friday and Saturday, Chezza managed to put a brave face on it, although she was apparently forced to resort to a Croydon facelift in order to keep smiling.

It’s interesting to note that she’s still got her wedding ring planted firmly on her finger here, although with all the extra wedge she’s now earning, she could have easily binned the old one and had a replica knocked up just to shut everyone up…

Source

Cheryl Cole has reportedly taken the position of Britain’s top-earning WAG from Victoria Beckham.

The X Factor judge earned £6.9 million, compared to the former Spice Girl’s £6.75 million, over the past two years, the News of the World claims.

A source told the newspaper: “It’s the end of Posh Spice’s reign. Queen Victoria is on her way out. And there’s a new princess ready to take her crown.”

In addition to the money she has made as a result of starring on The X Factor, Cole has also boosted her bank balance through her singing, various sponsorship deals, interviews, modelling and some shrewd property purchases.

However, the source claimed that Cheryl could earn even greater sums in the future.

They said: “There’s much more in the pipeline. She has the potential to be massive and leave other WAGs – including Posh – behind.

“Cheryl will be the ultimate WAG money-making machine.”

The source suggested that Beckham’s star, on the other hand, may be waning, claiming: “There isn’t the same buzz about new, fresh, lucrative contracts.

“While Victoria’s slipping down in many people’s eyes, Cheryl’s star is on the up.”

Source

X FACTOR judge Cheryl Cole has overthrown Victoria Beckham as Britain’s top earning WAG by raking in a whopping £6.9million.

The 26-year-old has earned millions from TV sponsorship deals, her time with band Girls Aloud and solo music career over the past two years.

Meanwhile, Victoria’s reign has begun to fade as it emerged she earned £6.75m from her Spice Girls reunion and fashion label.

A source said: “It was only a matter of time before someone replaced Victoria Beckham as number one WAG.

“Cheryl has her finger in so many pies with her L’Oreal ads, X Factor reignand of course, Girls Aloud, that she has become unstoppable. ”

Cheryl’s fortune has more than doubled, thanks to her role on the X Factorjudging panel alongside pop mogul Simon Cowell, which netted her£1.75million in two years.

The pop princess, worth an estimated £12million in total, has also made £2.5million from her music career – as one fifth of Girls Aloud, as well as a fledgling solo career.

Her debut hit Fight For This Love went straight to No1 as the year’s fastest selling single, and her deal with L’Oreal netted her £500,000.

The shrewd star has also collected £1.25million from property investments whilst living in a £3.5million Surrey mansion with husband Ashley Cole.

A five-book deal, a fashion label and a perfume range are all rumoured to be in the pipeline in the UK and US.

She’s expected to earn £500,000 from her 2009 calendar and an additional £400,000 from modelling and interviews.

But Victoria, who is married to to footballer David Beckham, still remains the wealthiest WAG overall with a personal fortune of £45m.

Cheryl is now the second wealthiest WAG – above Coleen Rooney, 23, worth £8million.

Frank Lampard’s ex, model Elen Rives, 34, is fourth with £3.5million while Peter Crouch’s model girlfriend Abbey Clancy, 23, is fifth with £2million.

Source

Cheryl Cole has become the highest earning WAG, according to a report. The X Factor judge has eclipsed Victoria Beckham to become the top earning footballer’s wife.

Sources told the News of the World that the Girls Aloud singer has earned almost £7million through lucrative sponsorship deals.

This has seen her take top place in the earnings table ahead of Victoria Beckham who reportedly made £6.75million over the past two years.

A source told the newspaper: “It’s the end of Posh Spice’s reign.

“Queen Victoria is on her way out. And there’s a new princess ready to take her crown.”

Cole has managed to increase her personal fortune after signing a string of TV and sponsorship deals.

The source claimed that Cheryl is about to launch her own range of branded items and is set to increase her fortune.

They added: “There’s much more in the pipeline. She has the potential to be massive and leave other Wags – including Posh – behind.”

“Cheryl will be the ultimate Wag money-making machine.”

Source

Recent reports suggest that their may be a new queen of the wags. Cheryl Cole has allegedly earned more than Victoria Beckham who many are claiming is on her way out. The X Factor judge is said to have made £6.9 million because of her role as a judge on the show along with her success so far as a solo singer and because of television sponsorship deals. Victoria Beckham has only made an estimated £6.75 million over the last couple of years.

Many predict that this is just the beginning for Cheryl Cole who already has a £500,000 deal with L’Oreal, a calendar due to come out which should net a similar figure, £1.25 million in property deals and the fastest selling single of the year so far. Publishers Harper Collins have allegedly offered the singer a five-book deal which would be worth millions. Cheryl Cole is also said to be planning to launch a fashion range and put her name to a new perfume all of which could potentially make her a fortune.

Posh Spice on the other hand is not seeing the same glittery future. It is true that the Spice Girls’ reunion made her around £4 million and that her fashion range netted around £2 million but other than that new money making deals seem to be thin on the ground for the former queen of the wags. She doesn’t really need to worry much just yet as she and her husband, David Beckham are still said to be worth in the region of £125 million.

Source

Cheryl Cole has pipped Victoria Beckham to land the title of Britain’s top-earning WAG after doubling her fortune over the past two years.

The X-Factor judge was said to have grossed an estimated 6.9 million pounds, thanks to TV and sponsorship deals, a soaring solo music career, endorsements and property agreements.

The 26-year-old, who lives in a 3.5-million-pound mansion with Chelsea star hubby Ashley Cole, beat David Beckhams better half who reportedly grossed 6.75 million pounds over the last two years.

“It’s the end of Posh Spice’s reign. Queen Victoria is on her way out. And there’s a new princess ready to take her crown,” the News of the World quoted a source as saying.

The source added: “There’s much more in the pipeline. She has the potential to be massive and leave other Wags – including Posh – behind.”

The source went on: “There isn’t the same buzz about new, fresh, lucrative contracts. While Victoria’s slipping down in many people’s eyes, Cheryl’s star is on the up.”

Source

 Christopher Bailey has been promoted from creative director to chief creative officer at Burberry. He joined the company in 2001 and has been pivotal in steering it back towards success after it became the label du jour of the Chav culture and WAG world. Who can forget those photographs of Daniella Westbrook and her baby in head to toe Burberry print? Although cringe-worthy to most those photos encouraged hundreds of imitations of the great British classic beige print, from hats to dog baskets and even acrylic nails!

Bailey has been credited with transforming the brand back into a global label. A huge part of this transformation has been the reduction in the visibility of its distinctive check pattern. Burberry returned to London Fashion Week in 2009 after a ten-year absence and featured mainly muted pastel colours, only handbags gave a nod to the check. The latest advertising campaign featuring Emma Watson has also given the brand a lift, with her sophisticated and classic English looks, she is the complete antithesis to the perma tanned chav followers of 2000.

Speaking of Bailey’s new role, Angela Ahrendts said “the Burberry brand today is more cohesive than at anytime in the company’s history owing much to the clarity, consistency and purity of his amazing vision.”

In June of this year Bailey was awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth for services to the fashion industry. No doubt there are many more awards to come as he continues in making Burberry a global successful brand.

Testing new street sweeper

sweepies can halp find noms.

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“Snap” passed away on November 5, 2009 after a short illness and 14 years of tireless dog service.  He is survived by his Girl, a Neurotic Jack Russell Terrier, “Woody,” an oblivious, Special-Needs Border Collie, “Pogo,” and an extended family of humans of varying ages, all of whom considered Snap “a hella cool dog.”

An informal memorial will be held on Friday, November 6, 2009 by the family in the form of a nice long walk and extra dog biscuits.  A wine service is currently being considered for any who would like to attend.  In lieu of flowers, please show condolences by finding a canine in close proximity and extending a pat accompanied by the words: “Good Dog.”

Snap began life in Longbranch, WA on August 5, 1995.  He was born to “Pete” and “Molly,” the proud parents of Snap and 3 other siblings.  His Border Collie family has a long and varied history of sheep herding, a profession Snap chose to eschew in favor of lifelong advocacy to The Ball, The Frisbee and Things That Can Be Thrown for a Dog.

At age 8 weeks, Snap was purchased by a family of dubious intelligence who allowed him to live outside until he was two years old, and then in the fall of 1997 remanded him to Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue on the premise that he was “not very smart.” He disproved this statement quickly by showing that he always understood everything that was ever said to him.

It was at this time that Snap met his Girl and his former partner, the late “Tessie” (4/3/93 – 7/11/06).  Snap and Tessie’s union was never formally recognized by the state because of arcane laws concerning dogs, however they behaved as a true married couple – bickering, stealing each other’s food, and generally treating the other one with contempt.  Shortly after Tessie’s passing, Snap and his Girl took up residence with Woody and Pogo – who, while they did not replace Tessie in Snap’s affections, did provide an outlet for any untapped aggression and extra toys and food when they were not vigilant.

Throughout his life, Snap’s passion was Running to Fetch Things For Humans.  His preferred items to fetch were The Ball and The Frisbee, but ingeniously, Snap would encourage the throwing of: sticks, twigs, rocks, pinecones, balled up pieces of paper, children’s toys, shoes, makeup, wine corks, bits of plastic, leaves, gum wrappers and many other portable items that could be dropped in a lap and subsequently tossed.

Snap also enjoyed swimming, hiking, riding in cars with the windows open, begging for pizza crusts and laying his head on laps while staring into human eyes.  He was never considered a cuddler, but his knack for seeking out humans who needed to pat a Good Dog was widely recognized.  It was often noted that when you needed comfort, Snap was there, and you knew you were done needing comfort when he dropped the ball in your lap, indicating you had felt sorry for yourself long enough.

Although he was fluent in both Dog and English, he was a quiet dog, occasionally “whoowooing” in welcome or barking to alert his family to an unfamiliar human.  He did most of his talking with his dark brown eyes that were accented by laser beams if a game of fetch might be forthcoming.

Snap did work sporadically throughout his life to end the existence of Cats, whom he considered a plague on the planet.  This aversion began with “Ozzie,” an obese, unpleasant cat who taught Snap at an early age that cats are capable of eating dog food and sometimes stealing human hands that should be throwing things for dogs to fetch.  Another cat, “Bizkit,” reinforced this belief, once even engaging in a UFC-like fight with Snap in a locked bathroom, resulting in minor wounds and the last time Snap would ever tolerate a cat in his living space.  Even though Snap was unsuccessful in ridding the world of all cats, he continued to protect his food from imaginary cats until his death.

It is suspected that Snap developed an undetectable form of cancer during his last year.  Although he continued to fetch, hike, and beat the crap out of Woody and Pogo, he declined in recent months, preferring to sleep near the toilet and pretend to be deaf when he was called.  He also suffered from selective dementia, “forgetting” his name when begging at the table was prohibited or a bath was imminent.

Snap’s life was ended peacefully by the gentle hands of a veterinarian with his head in the lap of his Girl.  The day previous to his death, he had indicated that he would like to stay alive for a bit longer, giving his Girl, her male human, and their human puppies a chance to pat him for a final time and to assure all of them that he was ready to go to Dog Heaven.

The human puppies are marking Snap’s passing by creating a bright and beautiful display of hand-drawn art projects featuring rainbows and amorphous dog shapes surrounded by tears and stars.

Heartbroken for now, his  Girl will remember all the milestones in life that Snap shared with her for the past twelve years. His unconditional love, acceptance and simple joy in life will leave an empty spot in her heart.  The Girl hopes that empty spot will eventually be filled with all the things that Snap and other Good Dogs try to teach humans, best written as follows:

THINGS I LEARNED FROM MY DOG

1. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
2. Allow the experience of fresh air and wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
3. When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
4. When it’s in your best interest, practice obedience.
5. Let others know when they have invaded your territory.
6. Take naps and stretch before rising.
7. Run, romp and play daily.
8. Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.
9. Be loyal.
10. Never pretend to be something you are not.
11. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
12. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close and nuzzle them gently.
13. Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
14. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
15. On hot days, drink lots of water and lay under a shade tree.
16. When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
17. No matter how often you are scolded, don’t buy into the guilt thing and pout, run right back and make friends.
18. Bond with your pack.
19. Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
20. Long after you are gone, remain a memory in your master’s dreams

Michela Quattrociocche is surely a sought after girl. So many hits on her.. Alex Curran is fast shadowed by this new chick in town. Wow! she’s sure is one hot Italian. So, enjoy…

WHY are we all in love with Cheryl Cole? How can this reality show pop star-turned-WAG exert such a powerful hold on the public imagination?

That CV helps. Fourteen- year-old-girls are convinced the only sure-fire path to career nirvana is: 1. Winning a reality show and 2. Marrying a Premiership footballer.

Fair play, Cheryl’s managed both of those peculiarly 21st-century fantasies.

But it’s not just dim teenagers who worship at the Cole Face.

Posh, clever people adore her too, analysing her appeal as if she’s a one-woman cultural trend.

The Geordie Princess was practically deified last week in a gushing profile in The Daily Telegraph, of all places.

At the other end of the press spectrum, she dominates the celeb glossies who pore over her every move with a generosity not seen since the early days of Lady Di coverage.

Indeed, it’s rare for a female in the spotlight to be given a relatively easy ride by the media.

It’s quite refreshing that at least one woman in British life escapes the usual malice.

How the likes of Peaches, Lily and Jordan must envy her apparent immunity to tabloid bitching.

Such is the affection for chart-topping Cheryl she can get away with anything – from miming to a dodgy past that includes an accusation of abusing a lavatory attendant in a Guildford nightclub.

But although a certain amount of reinvention has gone on since the days when her personal style owed more to Pollard (Vicki) than Prada, her appeal lies in her authenticity.

She does seem a good sort, protectively cwtching our boy Lloyd in the cauldron of The X Factor.

No wonder the Treharris 16-year-old has a permanent dreamy grin on his cherubic chops – he must think he’s died and gone to adolescent boy heaven.

Women love her too. Not in a Sapphic way. It’s a sisterhood thing.

Because, like mere mortal females who would never get away with that high pants and slashed trousers combo, even Cheryl has to suffer the consequences of Disastrous Husband Choice.

Women relate to her vulnerability in the face of marital discord. All that physical perfection, bubbly personality and she still hooked up with love-rodent Ashley.

But perhaps our biggest fixation is with the way she looks.

Sparkly chocolate eyes, doll-like Audrey Hepburn figure and the shiny bouffant that is testament to the complex art of the hair extender. Not forgetting the dazzling choppers. Thanks to the latter, even I’ve succumbed to Cheryl Obsession.

“Can’t you give me Cheryl Cole’s teeth?” I whined at the dentist last week.

Now not even Cheryl had Cheryl Cole’s teeth until a few years ago.

“Veneers,” he said with the slightly weary air of all those 1990s hairdressers confronted with women waving pictures of Jennifer Aniston.

After a computer graphic of enamel shaving and a hefty price quote, I wasn’t quite so enamoured of the idea.

Yet Cheryl’s teeth have undoubtedly put a smile on the face of cosmetic dentistry – veneer sales are booming.

But where will it all end with our Cheryl Obsession? It’s an anxiety for Mrs Cole herself, who acknowledges she’s enjoying a particularly enduring love affair with the fickle British public.

“You can’t help thinking, ‘When is it all going to stop? When is it all going to go bad’?” she pondered last week.

Could the break-up have begun on Saturday night as she descended the steps to the X Factor stage in an outfit that could only have been spawned by Gok Wan getting stuck on Scrapheap Challenge?

It was apparently a “£1,500 tube dress by Georgian-born designer David Koma” but the bizarre black and metal number brought frock-horror to Hallowe’en.

Fans jammed websites with scathing sartorial judgement. Simon Cowell warned of serious wardrobe malfunction: “You’d better sit up in that dress,” he smirked.

When Cheryl asked why, Cowell said: “You’ll see why.”

The mystique of Britain’s favourite fashion icon was evaporating. Not even Cheryl Cole can get away with wearing a hub cap on each boob. Sorry love. It’s over… until the next outfit.

Source

is isbn: 9780385609340 and by Terry Prachett. It is his first post Alzheimer announcement book in the discworld universe – although whether it is an adult or child version is something i  did not know until reading it (a useful idea in a series like his).

I suppose it is an adult discworld title and it finally explains the cyptic remark about local journalists not beng able to cover the football match on saturday.

Theres a lot of characters in this book, but they do wonder in and out of focus about the development of a sport.  The running jokes wax and wane accordingly and being a subject (football/rugby) i don’t particularly like makes it not one of the better discworld books.

Its full on multicultural message also got a little tiresome, however it has bananas in. and an ape.

A wondering 2/5 bananas.

Image: Splash News

We did a double take when we saw this photo and we’re sure you will too.  Yes, this is Elen Rives (former WAG of Frank Lampard) looking like she’s rolled around in a batch of Hello Kittys, not much unlike Lady Gaga, who not so long ago looked like she’d rolled around in a batch of Kermits.  Hmm.  Elen is in fact promoting Hello Kitty’s 35th anniversary – but we can’t imagine we’ll be seeing her wear this get-up to Nobu or Movida anytime soon!

EXTRAVAGANT, self-seeking, vacuous. All adjectives that have at some time or other been attached to WAGs. Lizzie Cundy, wife of former Chelsea star Jason, reckons that’s all a bit unfair. And she once made a television programme called WAGs World for some insignificant listing on the satellite bouquet to reinforce the point.

In her own words, the programme “aimed to show a different side to WAGs – that they’re not all empty-headed shoppers but a lot of them are successful businesswomen and have some great ideas.”

Mrs Cundy clearly had herself in mind. You see, the self-styled television presenter is full of great ideas. Like the one that almost cost her husband his latest job.

As you might expect the idea involved another footballer’s spouse – the current WAG du jour, Cheryl Cole, husband of Ashley, the former £55,000 a week “Arsenal slave”.

And it was quite a stunt; Lizzie having apparently used her WAG connections to persuade the X-Factor star to give Jason an exclusive phone interview for his weekend show on talkSport radio.

It proved quite a scoop for the commercial station whose PR department immediately went into overdrive. In the interview, “Cheryl” revealed how she’d tried but failed to persuade Simon Cowell to change his hairstyle and that she probably wouldn’t be going to South Africa next summer to watch her husband play at the World Cup.

Press releases were circulated, advertisers tapped up and so delighted were the talkSport management with Jason’s work that they replayed highlights of the interview on subsequent shows. Jason, in turn, rewarded his sharp operator wife by showering her with gifts of flowers and bling.

For ambitious Jason it was another leg up in the competitive world of talk radio.

His wife, though, was hiding an embarrassing secret – the voice on the end of the line hadn’t been the former Girls Aloud star’s at all.

This had been a stunt that went a little too far.

Mrs Cundy came up with the idea of the interview at a WAG bash where she got talking to former Generation Game hostess and impressionist Francine Lewis who said that her latest “voice” was Cheryl’s.

Ms Lewis happily agreed to play her part in the set-up.

In the radio interview, “Cheryl” told Jason how she’d bumped into his wife at a recent party before seamlessly turning the conversation to Simon Cowell’s hair. “I’ve told him that he needs to change his hairstyle. I’ve told him time and time again, he just doesn’t listen to anyone. He thinks he’s gorgeous, you know what he’s like.”

The original plan had been for Mrs Cundy to come clean immediately after the interview but so swift and successful was the stunt and the media circus it prompted that, in the words of a friend, she “bottled it”.

The truth was only revealed some time later when Ms Lewis’s agent called the station to ask for a copy of the interview.

And now, finally, Mrs Cundy has confessed her role in the plot.

“This was a light-hearted joke that went wrong,” she said.

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X FACTOR beauty Cheryl Cole says she’d have no problems snogging fellow judge Dannii Minogue.

The shock lesbian confessed emerged as the Girls Aloud singer held a web chat on her MySpace site.

The popular WAG made the declaration as she played a game of ’snog, marry and avoid’, choosing between Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Minogue.

Cheryl opted to swap saliva with the Australian stunner, leaving male fans of the reality TV show drooling.

At least this male fan.

But who did she choose to marry?

She chose Louis of course.

She wrote: “I’d kind of like to avoid the other two but I could not bear the thought of being married to Simon Cowell because one, you would not get a word in edgeways, two he is always right, and three because it’s enough just sitting next to him on the weekend.’

“I would have to marry Louis because it would be comfortable and nice and he would make a nice cup of tea!”

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