Italian Job Conundrum is ‘Solved’

The Royal Society of Chemistry has announced the winner of a competition to solve the conundrum at the end of the iconic UK film The Italian Job.

In the film, the robbers’ coach almost drives off a cliff, ending up balanced precariously on the edge, with the gang at one end and their gold at the other.

The RSC asked for ideas to get the gold off the coach before it tips over.

John Godwin from Surrey came up with the winning idea which involves draining fuel from the vehicle.

In the conclusion to the 1969 movie, Charlie Croker, played by Michael Caine, tries to reach the gold, but as he does so, the coach tips up dangerously.

Then gang leader Croker turns around and says: “Hang on a minute lads, I’ve got a great idea.”

So what was the idea?

Some 2,000 members of the public put forward their own theories. Many of them were from children.

Twelve-year-old Thomas Nixon’s homonym solution was for the gang to sing until they all got “frogs” in their throats. The frogs start to jump up and down which rocks the bus. They use the “rocks” to weigh down the end of the bus.

Eventually, the gang’s throats become sore from the singing. And with the “saw” they cut the gold bullion in half. Because two halves make a whole – the gang could sneak the gold through the “hole”.

But the winner, John Godwin from Godalming, had a more practical solution involving a three-stage process.

First, the coach needed to be stabilised. This involved smashing out the windows on the part of the coach overlooking the drop and smashing them inward at the front end to improve the weight ratio slightly.

One of the bullion raiders is then lowered outside and deflates the wheels to stop the coach from rocking.

Second, its weight distribution needs to be changed, particularly over the rear of the coach which is overlooking the drop. This involves emptying the fuel tank which John Godwin discovered was at the rear of the coach. This, he estimated, would contain 140kg of fuel.

Third, he would allow a member of the team to leave the coach and bring rocks in to the front of the vehicle to ensure it was stable and the gold could be removed.

“There’re several sheets of maths here,” said John Godwin.

“It was a good long day with a calculator. It’s more than 20 years since I saw the film – I remember thinking there must be some way of getting that gold off the bus.

“I always had an idea of how they might solve this – so when the Royal Society of Chemistry put this out to the public as a competition it seemed like the ideal opportunity to see if it would really work or to see if it was hot air.” 

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Gerrard secures FA Cup draw for Liverpool

Liverpool and Everton face an FA Cup fourth round replay after their second draw inside a week at Anfield.

Joleon Lescott put Everton ahead after 27 minutes, turning in a Tim Cahill header from Steven Pienaar’s corner.

Liverpool drew level nine minutes after the break when Everton keeper Tim Howard allowed Steven Gerrard’s shot to squirm in after 54 minutes.

Howard redeemed himself with a stunning save from Gerrard, with Everton’s defensive power earning a draw.

Liverpool attacked constantly throughout, but Everton were magnificently marshalled at the back by Lescott and Phil Jagielka, both impressing under the watchful eye of England coach Fabio Capello.

Everton will be happier to take the tie back to Goodison Park, whereas Liverpool now have another vital game in a packed fixture list and it remains to be seen how boss Rafael Benitez treats the replay.

David Moyes’s side suffered a blow prior to kick-off when influential midfield man Mikel Arteta was ruled out with a rib injury sustained in training.

And there was a setback of a different kind for Liverpool’s £20m striker Robbie Keane, who did not even make the substitutes’ bench.

This is sure to cast further doubts over his long-term Liverpool future.

Liverpool, predictably, started at pace but it was Everton who posed the questions as Pienaar went down under challenge from Alvaro Arbeloa.

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Coldplay and Duffy dominate 2009 Brits nominations

Coldplay and Duffy are set to dominate this year’s Brit awards, following the announcement that both are tipped for four awards each. But last year’s critics’ darlings, Elbow, and the US west coast folk band Fleet Foxes have made the final step into mainstream acceptance as they were listed among the nominees revealed at the awards launch party at London’s Roundhouse.

The prevalence of Chris Martin’s group at this year’s event, which takes place on 18 February, mirrors Coldplay’s remarkable domination of the 2009 Grammy nominations in which they were named in seven different categories. With the Grammys also taking place next month, Coldplay could walk away with 11 awards for their album Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends before the month is out.

The multi-million selling band are up against Welsh newcomer Duffy, whose debut Rockferry was the biggest-selling UK album of last year, in the Mastercard British album and best British single categories. The 23-year-old singer faces former Brits critics’ choice winner Adele in the award for breakthrough act and British female solo artist.

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David Beckham’s Armani Underwear Advert

The footballer’s publicity shots for Armani underwear has brought about a 50% increase in sales of simple white men’s pants at Selfridges.

They are currently outselling boxer shorts by two to one at the top Oxford Street store.

Demand for the entire Emporio Armani underwear range has risen 30%, Selfridges said.

“David Beckham is a global style icon, appealing equally to men and women,” said Selfridges’ David Walker-Smith.

“Where he goes, fashion is bound to follow, so briefs are the big story for underwear.”

Unfortunately for the guys, the tight white pants modelled by Becks in the Armani campaign will not be available in the UK until next year.

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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

As New Orleans celebrates the end of the Great War, a boy is born. Severely deformed and exhibiting the symptoms of a dying man, the baby is discovered on the steps of a nursing home by an African-American woman who immediately takes him in.Munich).Hollywood production catered to mainstream audiences.

Benjamin Button (Pitt) is no ordinary child. As he grows up amongst the elderly, it becomes apparent he’s getting younger as the years pass.

Told in fairy tale style, we watch as Benjamin finds his footing (literally), gets swept up into a life as a seaman during World War II.  He falls in love with a rich British aristocrat (Tilda Swinton) before returning to the States for his true love, Daisy (Blanchett).

Loosely based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was adapted for the screen by the famed Eric Roth (Forrest Gump,

Like Forrest Gump, The Curious Case is a story of a Southern outsider on a journey, with the same quirky characters, historical events and wry moments of wisdom thrown in for good measure.

However Benjamin Button is a more nuanced character than the uncomplicated Forrest Gump: this is a man who has toiled with death, ageing and displacement throughout his life.

The Curious Case is a demanding script, requiring the leads to cover 80 years of their character’s lives in the space of two and a half hours. Brad Pitt is brilliant in a role that requires subtlety, humility and loneliness. His make-up artist deserves top marks for transforming Pitt from a tiny frail man, through the middle-aged spread, into a teenager.

Cate Blanchett is stunning as Benjamin’s love, Daisy. Blanchett successfully captures Daisy’s young naivety, her ballet-dancing elegance and her tender final days as she reminisces on Benjamin’s life.

The script carefully dodges potential potholes – the close friendship seven-year-old Daisy shares with 85-year-old Benjamin being perhaps the most difficult scenes to negotiate.

The film is whimsical and charming, with quirky scenes thrown in to reflect the eccentric plot. If only there were more – but this, after all, a big budget

The film takes it’s time as it explores the curious case of Benjamin Button – after all, life is a journey, not a destination.

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Kylie to present the Brit awards

Singer Kylie Minogue will present the Brit Awards alongside Gavin and Stacey stars James Corden and Mathew Horne.

Kings of Leon, Duffy, Girls Aloud and the Pet Shop Boys are among the stars who will appear on the night.

U2 will also be performing at the awards, which will be held at London’s Earls Court on 18 February.

Brits committee chairman Ged Doherty said the show was going to be a “must-see event”. Nominations for the awards will be announced on Tuesday.

Outstanding contribution

Mr Doherty added: “We are heading towards truly special Brits this year”.

TV and radio presenter Fearne Cotton is hosting the nomination show at the Roundhouse in Camden, north London.

Among the acts tipped for success are Coldplay, who released their fourth studio album Viva la Vida or Death And All His Friends in 2008.

It has already been announced the Pet Shop Boys will receive the outstanding contribution to music prize.

The public will be able to vote for their favourite British single, live act and breakthrough act once the shortlist has been announced.

The best British single is decided on the night by a telephone vote which will be open during the live broadcast on ITV1.

The Brits Academy, made up of 1,000 invited music industry professionals and critics, decide on the remaining eight awards.

Last year’s big winners were Take That, who scooped best live act and best British single.

 

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Ross Kemp in Afghanistan

 

The former EastEnders star on dodging bullets with British troops on the front line in Afghanistan for his new Sky One series.

 

Whether you think of him as EastEnders hard man Grant Mitchell or as a Bafta award-winning infiltrator of real-life gangs for Sky One, few would associate Ross Kemp with subtlety. Yet when he’s speaking of his recent trip to Afghanistan with the British Army, he’s surprisingly understated: it was, he says, ‘an unhealthy environment in many ways’.

That doesn’t quite cover what Kemp went through during the year he spent making Ross Kemp in Afghanistan, which starts on Sky One on Monday. He trained with the First Battalion the Royal Anglians, met soldiers and their families while still in England, and – with Ministry of Defence approval – was sent with them to Camp Bastion in Afghanistan’s Helmand province.

‘I’ve got many friends who are in the services,’ he says, ‘but you never really hear a squaddie giving his point of view. I’d never heard one talk publicly and I wanted to hear that voice.’

Kemp secured access to Afghanistan through his father’s connections to his old regiment, and through a brigadier who happened to have gone to school with one of the programme’s makers. ‘I knew how dangerous it was,’ says Kemp, ‘but the CO said we could film training – and that if I was good enough, I could go out on deployment.’

On camera, that training appears at times to be almost totally unlike Afghanistan. In England’s subzero temperatures, a village that was built to be like somewhere typical of Eastern Europe scarcely resembled Helmand and its 50-degrees Celsius temperatures. But it did prepare Kemp and the troops for the tactics they were to use. ‘And anyway,’ says Kemp, ‘I don’t think you can prepare for lying flat-faced in the field while someone tries to kill you; I don’t think you can prepare for the consistent jeopardy of not knowing if the next bump is going to be your last bump.’

Watching the series, over its five episodes, it is clear that Kemp is often in very real danger – even the MoD were surprised when they reviewed the film – but what comes through most powerfully is the resourcefulness and humanity of the soldiers who are fighting.

‘It’s amazing how your basic instincts come to the fore,’ says Kemp. ‘Even though you’re carrying body armour, your helmet, nine litres of water and more, you can run very quickly when someone’s trying to kill you. It’s very motivational.’

Conditions away from the battlefield are often shocking, too, says Kemp. Rations were built for war in a cold climate, so chocolate bars melted to sauce; a pair of trousers became rags within a week because of the constant getting wet with sweat and then drying out in the heat. ‘We’ve been seduced into thinking that we’re fighting an electronic war,’ says Kemp, ‘but we’re not, it’s won on the ground by fighting men. And there is a shortage of helicopters, which I think is despicable. It’s just money, and they are the most important thing that’s needed out there.’

For many reasons, helicopters included, not everyone survives the fight – Kemp’s film includes some of those who don’t make it, and talks to their families. ‘I’m more proud of this than anything that I’ve ever been involved in,’ says Kemp. ‘But to look into the eyes of a mother who has just lost her 18-year-old son and ask her how she feels is probably the hardest thing I’ve had to do.’

 

 

Mini Cars

The Mini is a small car that was produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered an icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout (that allowed 80% of the area of the car’s floorpan to be used for passengers and luggage) influenced a generation of car-makers. The vehicle is in some ways considered the British equivalent to its German contemporary, the Volkswagen Beetle, which enjoyed similar popularity in North America. In 1999 the Mini was voted the second most influential car of the 20th Century, behind the Ford Model T.

This distinctive two-door car was designed for BMC by Sir Alec Issigonis. It was manufactured at the Longbridge and Cowley plants in the United Kingdom, the Victoria Park / Zetland British Motor Corporation (Australia) factory in Sydney, Australia, and later also in Spain (Authi), Belgium, Chile, Italy (Innocenti), Portugal, South Africa, Uruguay, Venezuela and Yugoslavia. The Mini Mark I had three major UK updates: the Mark II, the Clubman and the Mark III. Within these was a series of variations including an estate car, a pickup truck, a van and the Mini Moke — a jeep-like buggy. The Mini Cooper and Cooper “S” were sportier versions that were successful as rally cars, winning the Monte Carlo Rally four times from 1964 through to 1967, although in 1966 the Mini was disqualified after the finish, along with all the other British entrants, as the French wanted a Citroen victory. Finding no other reason to disqualify the Mini, the French hosts settled on an ‘illegal’ combination of headlamps and spotlights. Minis were marketed under the Austin and Morris names until Mini became a marque in its own right in 1969.

Cristiano Ronaldo wins FIFA World Player of the Year

Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo has been crowned the Fifa World Player of the Year in Zurich, the first player from the Premier League to receive the honour. Ronaldo, 23, has had a formidable year for his club, winning the Premier League and the Champions League, scoring 42 goals in the process. This trophy also completes a clean sweep of individual honours for the man from Madeira.

“It is an overwhelming moment for me, a very special moment,” he said in his emotional acceptance speech at Zurich’s Opera House last night after being presented the award by Pele. “I would like to say to my mother and my sister: you can set off the fireworks now’. I want to thank my friends, my family and my team-mates. This is one of the most important moments in my life. I hope I can come back.”

This trophy completes a clean sweep of the major individual awards for Ronaldo, having already won the Football Writers’ Player of the Year award, the PFA Player of the Year award, the Golden Boot, the Ballon d’Or and the FifPro World Player of the Year award.

The award his decided by the votes of international captains and coaches, with Ronaldo beating Lionel Messi (who came second) and Xavi Hernandez of Barcelona, Fernando Torres of Liverpool (in third place), and Milan’s Kaka, last year’s winner, to the title.

No player from the English League has won the award since its inception in 1991, when Lothar Matthaus, of Germany and Internazionale, won the trophy.

In the 18 years it has been running Dennis Bergkamp (1997), David Beckham (1999 and 2001), Thierry Henry (2003 and 2004) and Frank Lampard (2005) have all finished second. Ronaldo’s win is not only a recognition of his individual brilliance but a further confirmation that the Premier League is the most powerful domestic competition in Europe.

Before the ceremony Ronaldo had said that he was representing not just Manchester United and Portugal but also English football. “There might not be an English player here but Fernando Torres and me represent teams from England and this is very important for the country and for this reason we are very proud to be here. It is a huge responsibility and this is also a victory for English fans. The English Premier League is very strong, but there are also strong leagues in Spain and Italy.”

Ronaldo dedicated the award to his family but was eager to acknowledge the influence Sir Alex Ferguson has had on him. “Sir Alex has had an important role to play in my life,” he said. “Last season was a great one for me, my club, and the boss was important for me because I learned a lot from him.

“His immense experience, after so many years, is of paramount importance and for me it’s a privilege to be able to be a part of the history of such a big club as United. Without Sir Alex and Luiz Felipe Scolari [his former Portugal coach] I wouldn’t be here today.”

That he is still in Manchester is largely down to Ferguson’s bullish defiance in the summer. Ronaldo made it clear he wanted to leave for Real Madrid but the authorities at Old Trafford proved intransigent. When asked about the latest rumour coming out of Spain, that his agent Jorge Mendes had been in Madrid agreeing a deal for a summer move, Ronaldo simply said that it was “not true”.

Ronaldo, despite his on pitch sullenness, and, by his stratospheric standards, mediocre form, claims that United are perfectly poised to repeated their double success of last season. “We are in a great position to win the Premier League and the Champions League again. We are one of the best clubs in the world and if we play to our very best, like we did against Chelsea, we will have no trouble winning everything again.”

It has been an eventful week for Ronaldo. He helped United out-class Chelsea on Sunday and, after receiving the award, flew back to Manchester last night to prepare for tomorrow’s home game with Wigan. And all that after spectacularly crashing his Ferrari last Thursday. When asked about his accident he responded with typical modesty. “I feel fantastic,” he said. “I feel great, better than before the accident.” After the year he has had it is hard to see how he could improve.

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KM2 Kate Moss Lips

 

Kate Moss lips - trust us - they're hers!

 

 

Kate Moss (born January 16, 1974), is an English supermodel. She has appeared on over 300 magazine covers. She is known for her tiny frame, uncommon modeling height for a fashion model, and appearing in many advertising campaigns. She is also notorious for her high-profile relationships and party lifestyle. She came 2nd on the Forbes top 15 richest supermodels list, estimated to earn 9m in one year. The above canvas print available to buy at Modern Canvas Art.