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A smile in the sky from inverted rainbow

by JO STEELE - Tuesday, September 16, 2008
It's something which always puts a smile on your face - but this upside-down rainbow has a grin all of its own.

The dazzling vision - or circumzenithal arc to those in the know - is rarely seen outside polar regions.
But freak weather conditions in Cambridge combined to produce this cheerful rainbow.
'I've never seen anything like it before,' said astronomer Dr Jacqueline Mitton, who captured the smile on camera near her home. 'It was just an amazing combination of factors that happened at the right time
Normal rainbows form when light penetrates raindrops and comes out the other side. But these upside-down one are made when it bounces off ice crystals in high-level cirrus clouds, sending rays up towards the Sun.
'The arc is a quarter circle, pointing toward the setting Sun,' said Dr Mitton's husband, Simon, an astronomy writer.
'It is much brighter and more concentrated than a rainfall rainbow.' The couple were surprised to see the phenomenon in the East Anglia sky.
The apparition was made more spectacular by the presence of 'sun dogs' - gleaming spots on a halo around the Sun.
According to Jim Bacon, managing director of Weatherquest, upside- down rainbows are more common than you might think. 'But they are usually obscured by clouds lower down or the cirrus cloud may be too thick to observe it,' he added.
And Dr Mitton, 60, explained: 'The conditions have to be just right - you need the right sort of ice crystals and the sky has to be clear.
'We're not sure how big an area it was visible over, but it was certainly very impressive
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upside-down
with the upper part undermost -
in or into complete disorder; topsy-turvy: The burglars turned the house upside down -

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Lion hides from Ike but tiger runs wild

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

The King of Beasts in the House of God

A lion escaped from the rising floodwaters after Hurricane Ike by seeking sanctuary in a Texas church – but elsewhere a hungry tiger was on the loose.
The lion's owner was trying to drive to safety with the animal when he saw cars and trucks stranded in the rising floodwaters. He knew he and the King of the Jungle were in trouble.
He headed for the church on Bolivar and was met by a group of residents who helped the lion wade inside, where they locked it in a sanctuary as the storm raged

The lion's owner Michael Ray Kujawa said the group got on pretty well in the latter day Noah's Ark.
"When you have to swim, the lion doesn't care about eating nobody," he said.
But Texas authorities trying to clean up after Ike have a new problem on their hands: There's a tiger loose.
A county official said that the animal somehow left its enclosure at an exotic pets centre in Crystal Beach on Bolivar Peninsula, an area that is one of the hardest hit by Ike.
Animal experts are coming in to try to catch the tiger.
Galveston County Judge Jim Yarbrough, the county's top elected official, put it this way: "Turns out there's a tiger, and I understand he's hungry ... so we're staying away from him

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Sweethearts reunite after 40-year break

Wednesday, September 17, 2008
A pair of lovers forced apart in the 1960s when they had a baby are getting married - after their daughter reunited them.

Back together: Christine Orchard and Chester Locke

Christine Orchard was banned from seeing Chester Locke when she told her family she was pregnant at the age of 16.
Mr Locke, who was 23 at the time, was also warned off trying to contact his daughter, Tracey.
The pair led separate lives and went on to marry - and divorce - other people

But Tracey secretly kept in touch with her father and arranged a surprise meeting for her parents when their marriages collapsed.
Despite their years apart, the pair fell in love for the second time and are due to marry at the end of the month.
'It felt very safe going back to someone I already knew. I suppose in a way we were reliving our youth,' said Ms Orchard, 57, of Taunton, Somerset.
Mr Locke, 64, said: 'She's the love of my life and I couldn't be happier. If you'd have told me ten years ago that I'd be marrying Christine after all these years I would never have believed you.'
Mother of three Tracey, 40, added: 'I think it's going to be a new beginning for the whole family

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World's oldest man turns 113

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Veteran: Tomoji Tanabe

The world's oldest man is today celebrating his 113th birthday as he tells reporters that he wants to live for another five years.
Tomoji Tanabe, who was born September 18, 1895, received birthday gifts, flowers and US$1,000 cash from the mayor of his hometown of Miyakonojo, on Japan's southern island of Kyushu.
Tanabe told reporters he wants to live 'another five years or so,' according to city spokesman Akihide Yokoyama. That was a slight downgrade from last year, when he said he wanted to live 'for infinity
The former city land surveyor, who lives with his son and daughter-in-law, is in good health and sticks to the habits that have gotten him this far.
He rises early and reads the newspaper each day, drinks milk every afternoon and eats regular meals. He also avoids alcohol and does not smoke.
On Tuesday, he woke up early in the morning to eat breakfast before walking out to meet the mayor and members of the press at his home, Yokoyama said. The cash gift he received is given annually to the city's oldest resident.
Japan has one of the world's longest life expectancies, nearly 86 years for women and 79 years for men, which is often attributed to the country's healthy diet rich in fish and rice.
The number of Japanese living past 100 has more than doubled in the last six years, reaching a record high of 36,000 people this year. The country's centenarian ranks are dominated by women, who make up 86 percent of the total.
Japan's centenarian population is expected to reach nearly 1 million - the world's largest - by 2050, according to U.N. projections.
The world's oldest person is 115-year-old Edna Parker, who was born on April 20, 1893, and lives in a nursing home in Indiana

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Artist whose music is a load of scrap

by JO STEELE - Thursday, September 18, 2008
Most musicians would get irate if you called their work rubbish - but for Joao Ricardo such a comment is, well, music to his ears.

The 49-year-old makes his instruments from junk and he is able to belt a tune out of anything from golf trolleys and computer keyboards to vacuum cleaners and ironing boards.
Among his creations is an instrument made from a table, which forms the base of a 'harp', and on which a sound is created by old piano hammers striking strings made from strimmer cord

His repertoire has now landed him a dream gig after he was invited to perform alongside the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The Portuguese artist, who has been working with art students at Great Yarmouth College, Norfolk, is composing a piece for his 'junk orchestra' to perform at Great Yarmouth's Hippodrome next month.
Joao said: 'This is the first time I have had students of this age helping me make them and I have really enjoyed the experience
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repertoire
the list of dramas, operas, parts, pieces, etc., that a company, actor, singer, or the like, is prepared to perform

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Mrs Brown gets an eyful

Thursday, September 18, 2008
Forget the credit crunch, just look at the cut of that cloth.
Sarah Brown, wife of the prime minister, was obviously most impressed by what was on view when she attended a London Fashion Week show.

Tyson Beckford was the so-buff model stripped down to his underpants who caught her eye in the Fashion for Relief show.
But it was singer-turned-presenter Cilla Black who stole the star-studded show, as she sashayed down the catwalk dressed in an Yves St Laurent top hat, shirt and tails and little else.

The event was organised by supermodel Naomi Campbell in aid of the White Ribbon Alliance, which campaigns for safer childbirth in the Third World. Mrs Brown, who is a patron of the charity, said of Wednesday's event: 'This will have a major impact on the lives of many women around the world.'
Girls Aloud's Cheryl Cole, model Erin O'Connor, artist Tracey Emin, Kimberly Stewart and the Sugababes all strutted down the catwalk.
The final day of London Fashion Week today sees collections from designers including Josh Goot, Bora Aksu, Modernist and MAN.
Yesterday, fashionistas were treated to Vivienne Westwood's coveted Red Label as well as designs from the four finalists in the Fashion Fringe competition

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No fairytale ending for this Grimm goggle story

by JOEL TAYLOR - Thursday, September 18, 2008
Veteran swimmer Roland Grimm has been banned from his local pool because leisure centre bosses do not like his goggles.

Roland Grimm: unpopular goggles

He was told by managers that as his goggles covered his eyes and nose and feature non-shatterproof panels they breached health and safety guidelines.
So, despite using the pool for more than 30 years, Mr Grimm has been ordered to ditch the goggles or stay out of the water.
'I've used these goggles in more than 100 different pools in countries including Germany, Spain, France and Portugal and no one else has ever complained or questioned why I am using them,' said the 60-year-old
'I'm very upset because it seems mad. I like to swim every day and this is messing up my whole life,' he added.
Mr Grimm, of Swiss Cottage, north London, said he had started wearing the special brand of eye-wear to stop water going up his nose.
It also features a single eye piece which does not press against his face.
But centre manager Gary Dark insisted the goggles were a potential safety hazard.
'Non-shatterproof panels in enclosed environments can cause facial injury on impact with pool surfaces or other bathers and may pose a further hazard in relation to broken glass remaining on the pool floor,' he said.
The angry swimmer hit back: 'After you've been swimming for 40 years all over the world, you know what works best for you and what's safe

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?Will Faldo lead from tears to triumph

Friday, September 19, 2008

The 37th Ryder Cup starts in Valhalla today and Europe team captain Nick Faldo was reduced to tears after meeting local sporting icon Muhammad Ali.
The European team met boxing great and Louisville-born Ali on the eve of the eagerly anticipated clash against the USA , an experience which Faldo said left him close to tears, adding: 'It was just an incredible moment.'
He will, though, be hoping the US won't have him in tears on Sunday night as his side look to extend their dominance after three successive victories.
Faldo may have made a meal of it but his 'sandwich list' became his real list last night with Padraig Harrington and Robert Karlsson kicking off Europe's bid for a fourth straight Ryder Cup today.
The European captain's pairings leaked out on Wednesday when Faldo was ­pictured holding a piece of paper showing the initials of his players during practice at Valhalla.
This suggested Faldo would start with Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood in the morning foursomes. But instead Open and US PGA champion Harrington and Karlsson go first with Garcia and Westwood fourth out against Kenny Perry and Jim Furyk.
Confirming his selections last night Faldo, in reference to Irishman Harrington, said: 'It's pretty tough to push a three-time major champion out of his seat.'
Henrik Stenson and Paul Casey are in the second game against Justin Leonard and Hunter Mahan while Justin Rose partners controversial wild-card selection Ian Poulter against Stewart Cink and Chad Campbell

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? Britney set for The X Factor

By SOPHIE ROBEHMED - Thursday, September 18, 2008

? Could Britney be heading for the X Factor

. Britney Spears is reported to be making a comeback visit to Britain to star on The X Factor
If rumours of Britney's return to perform single Womanizer on the show are to be believed, it will be her first visit on British soil since her Onyx Hotel tour more than four years ago
An insider on ITV1 hit told The Sun: 'Everyone is thrilled. To have Britney involved is a massive coup. They expect ratings to go through the roof when her performance airs.'
The news indicates the 26-year-old's continued recovery after she suffered a very public meltdown last year that prevented her from coming here to promote her previous album, Blackout

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Tropic Thunder fights a losing battle

(15) Running time: 107min
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh - Thursday, September 18, 2008

Arrive early for this stupidly expensive action-comedy or you'll miss the best bits: the spoof trailers. From action flick Scorcher IV: Global Meltdown with its Arnie-worthy tagline 'Who left the fridge open?' to an Oscar-winning tale of conflicted monastic passion hilariously titled Satan's Alley, they're spot-on brilliant. Frustratingly, the actual film fails to top them.
Instead it's laughs a-few as pampered A-list stars Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller doing his usual insecure Zoolander shtick), Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr controversially blacked up as a Russell Crowe-alike Aussie method actor) and Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black, wasted as a Porky's-style gross-out king) set out to make 'the best Vietnam movie ever made'. Only to find themselves stranded in the jungle without a stylist

With new comedy blood such as producer Judd Apatow (Superbad, Knocked Up) nipping at his heels, you'd have thought director/writer/star Ben Stiller would have upped his game – instead he's just upped the budget. War movie parody here amounts to little more than Stiller repeatedly collapsing, Platoon-style, in front of expensive flames, the main aim being to show off his 'look, no carbs!' biceps. And Robert Downey Jr's uncomfortable, eye-rolling, 'crazy fool' act just isn't funny enough to justify its weak satirical pay-off. Team America this ain't.
You may think I'm being a spoilsport but I'm doing you a favour by lowering your expectations. Get the beers in first and Tom Cruise jive-dancing to T-Pain's Lo in a hairy fat suit may well be the funniest thing you've seen that evening. Otherwise it's a case of wasted talent. A fart in the face of Apocalypse Now that fails to blow you away