Lots of space for little green men

This is perhaps the world's most famous observatory. Telescopes having been gazing into space from this spot for hundreds of years - for those of you in the know, one of them stares directly at Pluto, which is visible even in broad daylight. No, not that Pluto. Yep, that's right, that one.

The world's second most famous astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, said earlier this week that he doesn't think the US should go back to moon - with current plans aiming to do just that by 2020.

A quantitative easing alternative

The government has finally caught on. Despite the swish graphics on BBC and ITN News, no-one understands quantitative easing. Ex nihilo, deposit multiplication - nope, it means nothing.

So instead, the clever people at the Royal Mint have made 20p coins actually worth £50. How did they do this? Well, tens of thousands of 20ps have entered circulation with no date on them. They've instantly become a collector's item.

Michael Jackson's death: The scoop of the decade

Thirty Mile Zone, aka TMZ, was the first website to report the death of Michael Jackson, beating the LA Times by a good few minutes.

Although my dad ran it pretty close - texting me at half 10 to inform me of Jacko's death. How does he do it?

Bryher Campsite

It's my first posting from work. I should be writing stories but my mind is elsewhere - having just got back from holiday, 'tis all I can think about.

Bryher Campsite was my destination, and this beach, Rushy Bay, is a few minutes walk from it.

The longest day

As I write, the sun is setting on the longest day of 2009. I should be outside watching it, but I've just come back from a long and unpleasant train journey between Penzance and London.

The attached photo is from two days ago at the south-western tip of England, the Isles of Scilly. This will be the last place to get dark this evening - but it's too late to get there now, sorry.

Chopper to the rescue

The "ludicrous and unnecessary disruption", as Boris Johnson has called it, has begun - no tubes in London until Thursday night.

Luckily, I have the next two weeks off work - meaning I'm not one of the three million commuters affected.

Sum, sum, summer summer murder

It is becoming normal to carry a knife if you're a young person. This is according to a report by the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee, which highlighted the "arms race" that exists between rival gangs in Britain.

Nowhere is this more prevalent than London, where 22 people under the age of 20 were stabbed to death last year. The latest fatality was 17-year-old Jahmal Mason-Blair, a promising footballer, who was stabbed in the neck in Hackney last month.

High rises for orange dogs

High rise tower blocks such as this were supposed to provide much-needed housing in overcrowded cities. Until now, the option of living in a high rise extended only to humans.

According to the BBC, 40-feet towers could be built above Leeds' canals to provide a habitat to the city's foxes, birds and bats.

Tamil protests in London

The Tamil protest at London's Parliament Square continues despite the Sri Lankan government announcing the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. 

As many as 5,000 people have gathered in an attempt to persuade the government to mediate the release of those detained in internment camps in the north of Sri Lanka.

Personified cigarette

A discarded cigarette mimics the relaxation he - and it's definitely a he, look at the Elvis haircut - gave to his puffer.

Staycationing

This would have been quite the metaphor pre-credit crunch, but thanks to the ongoing "economic downturn" [shudder], the colours in this painting look that little bit brighter. 

Some six million Brits plan to holiday domestically this summer - with a further 14 million overseas visitors set to join them. Wonder if the apprentices/apprenti helped?