ETs? Of course they exist, declares Britain’s pioneer spacewoman

Helen Sharman believes that aliens exist and could even be among us on Earth.

And why should we give any credence to her view? Well, she is a scientist and she was the first British person to go into space.

Dr Sharman made no claims of sightings or visible evidence but told the Observer newspaper last week that so vast is space extra-terrestrial (ET) life is bound to exist somewhere in the universe.

“Aliens exist, there is no two ways about it,” she said. “There must be all sorts of different forms of life” among the billions of stars.

“Although aliens may not be made up of carbon and nitrogen like humans, it’s possible they are here right now and we simply can’t see them.”

Dr Sharman, a chemist, made history when she travelled to the Soviet space station Mir in May 1991 along with two Russian scientists, Anatoly Artsebarsky and Sergei Krikalev. Aged 56, she now works at Imperial College, London.

In 2018, she was awarded membership of Britain’s top-flight Order of St Michael and St George.

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The village public house in Britain has traditionally been seen as a male-dominated place for drinking beer and maybe playing darts or dominoes. Could this now be changing?

Ye Olde Cross in Ryton in northeast England closed down in 2018, but more than 300 local people contributed £150,000 (Ksh19,869,713) to give the pub a new lease on life.

Reopened last year, it now runs community events, including a regular quiz night, yoga lessons, business networking and a book club. And it won a Pub Saving Award from the Campaign for Real Ale organisation.

Paul Ainsworth, co-ordinator of the award, said, “The more examples of people taking action to save their beloved local pub, the more others will be empowered to make a difference in their local communities. Pubs can be a real lifeline, providing support and a social network to many people in times of need.”

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The figures are mind-boggling. This year, it will take the bosses of Britain’s leading companies just three days to earn what the average worker makes in a year.

The average national salary is £29,559, which works out at £14.37 per hour. Earnings by the top 100 companies average £3.46 million per year, equivalent to £901.30 an hour.

Luke Hildyard, director of the High Pay Centre, which produced the report, said, “Chief executive officers are paid extraordinarily highly compared to the wider workforce, helping make the UK one of the most unequal countries in Europe.”

The government’s Business Secretary, Andrea Leadsom, described the figures as “eye-watering for the vast majority of hard-working people”, and Trade Union Congress chief Frances O’Grady said the report “tells you everything about how unfair our economy is”.

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The average British male is allowed just three drawers and one-third of the wardrobe for his clothes and many men have to stow their belongings in the garden shed.

According to a survey for Anglian Home Improvements, one in 10 men has just a single shelf in the wardrobe to call his own.

On the other hand, men are the culprits when it comes to mess and clutter. Nearly one in five women have secretly thrown out clothes belonging to their man because they didn’t suit them.

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To the long list of dumb crooks, add the name of Stacey Bunyan, 29, a cleaner from Canterbury. She stole a £275 Louis Vuitton necklace then posted a selfie of herself wearing it.

Spotted by the owner, she was arrested and admitted theft. Magistrates sentenced her to community service.

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After a boozy Christmas and New Year, January is probably the time when most people ponder the attractions of sobriety. If so, the Mindful Drinking Movement is probably designed for them.

This ever-increasing force for change is holding a Mindful Drinking Festival on January 18 and 19.

It will take place at the Truman Brewery in East London, but that is as close as attendees will come to the brewery’s traditional products.

On offer instead are alcohol-free tipples, including distilled botanicals, to accompany talks on sober parenting, alternatives to gin and tonics and wellness cocktails.

Bottoms up!

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A man was walking through a seedy section of town late one night when he was approached by a bum, red-eyed and unsteady on his feet.

The bum asked for 10 pounds. The man said, “Will you spend the money on booze?” No way, protested the bum.

“Will you gamble with it?” Absolutely not, the bum said. “Very well,” responded the man, “please come with me and show my wife what happens to a man who does not drink or gamble.”

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