Exciting news... for solar powered transport

Exciting news you may have missed….

A British built, solar powered light aeroplane flew for two days from its own power last week, the BBC announced. The craft, called a zephyr, made two flights of 54 and 33 hours respectively using onboard batteries to store the energy it collected from the sun. Although the aeroplane managed to fly for 54 hours on its longest flight, no official record assessors were there, so the shorter journey has become the world record for the longest solar powered flight instead. Good one team! For more information go to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6916309.stm

Reasons to eat cheese no 1

Those of you who have attended smart dinners will recall that it is customary to end the meal with cheese and biscuits. It is unusual, however, for anyone to enquiry why they are eating cheese at this time.

The answer seems to be that in the west there is well established custom of eating cheese at the end of the meal in order to clean the teeth from the small bits of food that have accumulated there. You could describe it as flossing without string. In former times, chewing gum and cheese were important ways of helping your teeth survive in times before effective tooth paste, brushes and other devices.

As I enjoy the taste of Double Gloucester and Red Leicester cheeses, I now try to eat them at least once a day, at the end of the meal, as a cheap way of looking after my teeth.

personality of the week.

My apologies for not keeping personality of the week going as much as its popularity might have demanded. Owing to a really busy summer I was not able to put the required work in to produce these personality sketches, so they have not been many of them. However, here is at least one personality of the week it is the Egyptian queen Hatshepsut. Although there were several queens of Egypt Hatshepsut has probably received the most attention owing to her numerous building projects and comparatively peaceful reign.

Hatshepsut ruled Egypt as sole ruler (pharaoh) between 1479 to 1458 BC, although exact dates are open to debate. As ruler she was involved in the usual kind of projects, building temples, presiding at religious festivals, and leading the troops in battle.

The policy that most befits her for entry into the café’s hall of fame is her idea of going to foreign lands – the Land of Punt – and collecting from there frankincense trees. These trees were carefully stored and watered in baskets so they could be replanted back in Egypt. This is the first recorded case a transplant of crops between countries. At the café, we think this shows cleverness, persistence and innovation and for this reason Hatshepsut deserves the title of personality of the week. Hatshepsut, a casket of Frankincense awaits you at the front of the café.

My thanks to for the use of the image: Keith Schengili-Roberts

Electric moped 10 miles over hills

Tonight, I rode my electric moped over some of the most challenging road conditions it is likely to face: steep hills at night and it has risen to the occasion. Given that its 1500 watt motor is fairly small in terms of transporting a human and moped, I think the way it tackled local hills, especially on the coast road was extremely impressive! Tomorrow, I am taking it to work (at the school) - let's see what the pupils think...