Oh Knickers... another Royal gaffe.

Prince Philip's bloomer as he asks Scottish Tory leader if she is wearing tartan knickers

By FAY SCHLESINGER
Last updated at 9:31 AM on 17th September 2010

He is months from his 90th birthday, but the Duke of Edinburgh still has still got it when it comes to a little light flirting.

Yet for him no occasion is complete without a gaffe, and amid the pomp of the Papal visit today the royal managed a 'bloomer' of a particularly risqué nature.

While the Pope greeted other dignitaries at a midday reception, Prince Philip mingled with Scottish political heavyweights Annabel Goldie, the country's Tory leader, and her Labour counterpart Iain Gray, 53.

Papal visit: Scotland's Tory leader Annabel Goldie, second left, at the unveiling of the Pope's tartan last week. Today she was asked if she was wearing knickers in the same material by Prince Philip

The Duke began by politely admiring the unusual blue-green tartan of Mr Gray's tie, which had been designed specially to commemorate the Pontiff's visit.

'That's a nice tie,' the Duke said, before leaning over to matronly Miss Goldie, 60, and asking: 'Do you have any knickers in that material?'

 

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The prim and proper spinster replied: 'I couldn't possibly comment. And if I had, I couldn't possibly exhibit them.'

Fortunately she later saw the funny side. 'It's marvellous that humour is alive and well in the Royal Family,' she said.

The Duke's blunders span the decades.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1312687/POPES-UK-VISIT-Prince-Philip-asks-Annabel-Goldie-shes-wearing-tartan-knickers.html#ixzz0zmyAvbL9

The REAL Sybil leaves Fawlty Towers behind....

The REAL Sybil dies aged 95: Woman's Torquay hotel helped inspire Fawlty Towers

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 4:32 PM on 16th September 2010

The hotelier who was the inspiration behind Basil Fawlty’s wife Sybil in the classic BBC comedy Fawlty Towers has died aged 95.

Beatrice Sinclair and her husband Donald were immortalised in fiction by John Cleese after he stayed at their Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay, Devon, in 1971.

Mr Cleese was staying in the resort while filming Monty Python's Flying Circus and became impressed by Mr Sinclair’s ‘wonderful’ rudeness.

Infamous: An undated picture of Beatrice Sinclair and husband Donald with daughters Ann and Helen. They were the inspiration behind Sybil and Basil Fawlty

He is said to have terrorised his guests and at one point threw Eric Idle's suitcase behind a wall in the garden in case it contained a bomb.

Mr Sinclair barked and threw maps at them and Mr Cleese found his behaviour so funny he was inspired to write Fawlty Towers and create Basil in his image.

It is unclear how much of the character Sybil was based on Mrs Sinclair but during the Python's stay she apparently tried to charge Graham Chairman and Michael Palin a two week fee for a night's stay.

 

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She was also the ‘driving force’ and founder of the hotel and her husband would always address her with 'Yes Dear', just as Basil addressed Sybil, played by Prunella Scales, in the popular TV series.

Mrs Donald - who always denied her husband was anything like Basil - died on Monday at the Georgian House care home in Torquay aged 95.

The hotel's current owner Brian Shone said: ‘She was the person who drove the business and she was the strong one. Whenever she told Donald what to do he would say “yes dear”.

Immortalised: John Cleese and Prunella Scales as Basil and Sybil Fawlty in the classic TV series Fawlty Towers

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1312598/Fawlty-Towers-Sybil-inspiration-Beatrice-Sinclair-dies-95.html#ixzz0zjbbbmJ4

Not only mad dogs and Englishmen ...

Bangkok has become a regional centre for some of the more unusual sports

• Published: 12/09/2010 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: Brunch

If you chanced upon a game of Gaelic football in Bangkok, you'd probably be puzzled at the very least. To unaccustomed eyes the sport seems nothing short of bizarre, with 30 players clutching, kicking, and bouncing what looks like an ordinary soccer ball. Indigenous to Ireland, the sport of Gaelic football combines elements of soccer and rugby into a fast-paced and physically intense game. The aim is to score in the odd H-shaped goals at either end of the rectangular pitch. Scoring the ball in the goal below the crossbar earns three points, while placing it over the crossbar earns one point.

NOT JUST FOR THE BOYS: Gaelic football is popular with women too. PHOTO: GEORGE HATCHELL

In the meantime, players can run for a short distance with the ball in hand, kick the ball away, or "hand-pass" it to another player by striking it with their fists. This challenge of effectively managing both hands and feet lasts for a full 60 minutes, split into two equal halves.

Even if this all sounds somewhat bewildering or daunting, fear not - actually grasping the basics isn't too hard. John Campbell, chairman of the Thai Gaelic Athletic Association, says: "Besides being great fun and excellent for keeping in shape, the game is relatively simple to pick up.

"Gaelic football is also alive and kicking in Asia, with countries from Japan to Dubai boasting teams. Our non-Irish membership here tends to be attracted by the combination of a competitive sport and a great social scene, nicely summed up by the Irish expression craic [fun]."

In October last year, the Thai GAA hosted the 14th Asian Gaelic Games, held at Bangkok Patana School. More than 800 people, including celebrities and ambassadors, attended the international tournament, where teams from 16 countries competed.

Older men stay attractive longer....

Older men like George Clooney stay attractive for a decade longer

Older men go on being physically attractive to women for at least a decade longer than they used to, as study has shown.

 

By Heidi Blake
Published: 7:30AM BST 16 Sep 2010

George Clooney is 49 Photo: GETTY IMAGES

The modern man is capable of turning a woman’s head up to the age of 55, while 30 years ago few women would have looked twice at a man over 45, the research showed.

A greater emphasis on dressing well and keeping fit has dramatically improved the physical attractiveness of older men, according to the findings.

 

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The trend towards women marrying and having children later in life has also extended the period for which a bachelor is considered eligible.

Baldness is no longer seen as a stigma, and even a slight paunch is unlikely to render a man unattractive to women, the study for Debenhams found.

Many women reported finding the greater financial security of older men reassuring because it represents a better life for their children.

Ruth Attridge, a spokeswoman for the department store, said: "Older men are now remaining more attractive to women for longer than ever before.

"They are increasingly seen as eligible, prospective partners rather than old bores with little energy left to catch the female eye.

"It's great news for George Clooney and Brad Pitt, but might not make

that much difference to Bruce Forsyth."

Men are now spending more time, either alone or with a partner, selecting styles to suit their shape, as well as choosing shades which complement their complexion, hair and eye colour.

Giant Arcus cloud rolls over town-Australia.

Incredible giant 'roll cloud' looms over photographer's house

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 11:49 AM on 16th September 2010

• 
  
  

Sometimes, the pictures come to you. A wedding photographer managed to be lucky enough to step outside his front door and witnesses this incredible scene.

Rob Sharrock snapped up his Nikon D300 and dashed out to capture this monstrous roll cloud which seems to go on forever.

Mr Sharrock , from Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia, lives in the house with the awning to the left of the frame.

An incredible roll cloud dominates the skies above the photographer's house in Australia. Roll clouds ocurr ahead of storm fronts

The roll cloud is a subtype of arcus cloud - the funnel is horizontal and does not connect to the ground.The other subtype of arcus is a shelf cloud, which also often appear to precede storm fronts.

These rare long clouds sometimes form near advancing cold fronts. A downdraft from an advancing storm front can cause moist warm air to rise, cool below its dew point, and so form a cloud.

When this happens uniformly along an extended front, a roll cloud may form.

Mr Sharrock said: 'It was amazing. I couldn't believe my luck in getting something like this right outside my own home.

'I just looked up in the sky and said "Bloody hell, what on earth is that? It seemed to go on for miles. It was truly incredible

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1312512/Incredible-giant-roll-cloud-looms-houses.html#ixzz0zh32e7Ps

Oktoberfest for non-Bavarians.

DW's definitive Oktoberfest guide for non-Bavarians

 

Don't call him a "Seppl"

Those who have never attended Oktoberfest may want to familiarize themselves with some basic tenets of the Bavarian beer bash before braving the crowds in Munich each year.

 

Never, ever call a Bavarian dressed in traditional costume a Seppl (your "average Joe") because any such exclamations like "Hey, look at that Joe Blow" might just get you a bop on the nose - or may at the very least mean the party's over.

Should you have a slip of tongue anyway, the best thing to do is invite the poor guy you've just insulted to a Weisswurst (Bavarian veal sausage). Watch out, though: don't cut the sausage with a knife and fork, but take it in your fingers and zuzel it (suck at it) and you'll score major points with your moody Bavarian.

Auszuzeln (sucking out the sausage) is not considered impolite, but rather, respectful of Bavarian tradition and downright earthy.

Even something to satiate your sweet tooth

Bavarians can be jolly if you say the right things to them

Always, always order a Weissbier (wheat beer) and a Brezn (pretzel) to accompany your Weisswurst. And while some actually believe that it tastes better with regular mustard, Bavarians will insist that it needs to be eaten with the sweet kind.

Also, never ask for a Frikadelle (hamburger), but instead, for aFleischpflanzerl, or even better: a Steckerl-Fisch - a fish on a stick.

For those with a sweet tooth, ask for a Zwetschgendatschi (no, it's not a Dachshund) if you want a piece of plum cake.

Have fun and "O'zapft is!"  (The beer keg's been tapped - let the games begin!)

 

Who's a pretty boy then ????

Beware of the guard bird: Jack the parrot launches savage attack and scares off gang of thieves

By OLIVER PICKUP
Last updated at 5:21 PM on 15th September 2010

A parrot is being hailed a hero after it fought off a gang of thieves when they targeted a pet shop.

The exotic bird pecked and scratched the thugs as they tried to make off with thousands of pounds worth of exotic animals in the early hours of this morning.

Jack the Sun Conure parrot's attack was so ferocious that he had pieces of ripped clothing and blood on his beak - and his feathers covered Hobday's pet shop in Coventry.

Hero: Jack the parrot took lumps out of the thieves and scared them off. DNA specialists may still be able to catch the robbers

Police believe the 11-month-old bird panicked and went on the offensive after the thieves tried to pull him from his cage.

Officers say Jack's heroics could help them trace the thieves through DNA evidence left at the scene.

Despite Jack's attack, up to three thieves still managed to steal three snakes and an exotic bird.

Caroline Hobday, 49, who runs the store with her husband Andrew, 52, said: 'We couldn't believe it when we got into work in the morning.

'There was blood all over the shop and Jack was perched on top of his cage squawking like mad.

'All the evidence looks like he scared the thieves away and spent the rest of the night patrolling and protecting the other animals like a guard dog.

'Jack is a feisty young bird and is fiercely protective over the other birds in the shop.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1312268/Beware-parrot-Feathered-hero-Jack-launches-savage-attack-scare-gang-thieves--saves-pet-pals.html#ixzz0zep32M1D