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Wednesday, May 30, 2012 » 05:00pm

Yusuf – aka Cat Stevens – describes his new musical Moonshadow as an epic new fable based in part on his own life journey.

The singer-songwriter of such worldwide hits as Father and Son and Morning Has Broken has written seven new songs for the show, which makes its world premiere in Melbourne on Thursday.

The score comprises these and Yusuf’s catalogue of classics including Wild World and Moonshadow.

Yusuf said it took him 10 years to bring Moonshadow to the stage, but writing a musical had been a dream for more than 40 years, hatched during his childhood spent in London’s West End.

‘I was surrounded by theatres,’ Yusuf told reporters on Wednesday.

‘My first great ambition was to be a composer of musicals.

‘So Gershwin, Rogers and Hammerstein, Bernstein, they were my idols before the Beatles.’

The world he has created is inspired by his personal odyssey, which includes a conversion to Islam in 1977.

‘It’s a little bit to do with my journey but at the same time it’s also based on some of the early ideas I had about (father of buddhism) Siddhartha, the Alchemist, but many things to do with the odyssey; the journey outward and the journey home,’ Yusuf said.

‘In a way the musical has a very important message about family as well.

‘One of the big statements in the musical is when everything else in the world is broken the first place to fix is the home.’

Visually, the nighttime land of Alayila has a Brothers Grimm fairytale quality with touches of Ottoman-inspired exoticism and steampunk modernity.

Gareth Keegan, who plays the principal role of Stormy, described it as ‘Aladdin-ish, Tim Burton-ish, Medieval-ish’.

The story follows Stormy in a quest to discover the world beyond his home of Alayila and the endless night that engulfs it.

Magical scenes are created using multimedia.

Yusuf’s world has been brought to life by designers layering projections over traditional sets.

‘It is a new fable. It’s an epic,’ Yusuf said.

‘This is quite original.’

Moonshadow opens in Melbourne on Friday.

While we kinda struggled to find truly heinous celeb attire last week, we had absolutely no trouble whatsoever this time around. In fact, we discovered more than the usual amount. Seven atrocious ensembs! (Well, that’s mainly because the Olsen twins were in the same pic.) So between Whitney Port‘s, uhh, unique pants and Gwen Stefani‘s WTF outfit, here are the worst dressed…

Natasha BedingfieldWhile we appreciate the pops of color, this two-piece seems slightly inappropriate for a benefit.Wacky fashion two weeks in a row? not a good thing, Nat.

Whitney PortWhoa, somebody took the printed pants trend a bit too far.Florals and animal graphics get our approval. not entire landscapes.

Mary-Kate and Ashley OlsenUsually when celebs come back from being off the grid, they’re at least stylish…That’s obviously not the case here.

Gwen StefaniMaybe she was just trying to go all incognito while shopping for groceries?If that’s the case, Gwen def had us fooled. we almost mistook her for a bag lady!

Nicole RichieFringe. Leather. Cowboy pants. We’ll say it again, fringe. Leather. Cowboy pants.is anyone else seeing the problem here?

SnookiA cheetah-print bag, a leopard-print hair wrap, and lacy jeans.that is all.

Whose outfit had you screaming “OMG” — and not in a good way? do you actually like any of them?

Check out Last Week’s Wackiest looks!

June 4, 2012 (STILLWATER, Okla.) — Jacksonville Jaguars first-round draft pick receiver Justin Blackmon is due in court after he was arrested on an aggravated DUI charge this weekend in Oklahoma.

Payne County sheriff Sgt. Brandon Ingham says the 22-year-old former Oklahoma State star is scheduled to go before a judge Monday afternoon.

Authorities say Blackmon was arrested early Sunday morning after a breathalyzer test showed he had had three times the legal limit of alcohol in his system.

the Jaguars selected Blackmon with the fifth pick in this year’s NFL draft in the hopes that he could upgrade the league’s worst offense.

Jaguars spokesman Dan Edwards said the team is aware of the report.

Blackmon was released from jail on $1,000 bond. He didn’t have an attorney listed in jail records.

(Copyright ©2012 by the associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Dieting in pregnancy is safe for women and does not carry risks for the baby, a review of research has suggested.

The British Medical Journal analysis looked at the findings from 44 previous studies involving more than 7,000 women.

The London-based team said following a healthy diet – and not eating for two – prevents excess weight gain and cuts the risk of complications.

But current guidelines do not advocate dieting or weight monitoring.

The advice from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), published in 2010, says: “Dieting during pregnancy is not recommended as it may harm the health of the unborn child.”

However women are advised to aim to reach a healthy weight before conceiving.

Babies’ weights ‘unaffected’

Half the UK population are either overweight or obese and the rates are rising.

And in Europe and the US, between 20% and 40% of women gain more than the recommended weight during pregnancy.

High weights are linked to complications such as pre-eclampsia, diabetes and high blood pressure as well as early delivery.

This review, funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), compared diet, exercise or a combination of the two.

Dietary advice was based on limiting calorie intake, having a balanced diet and eating foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables and pulses.

The researchers then examined how much weight women gained during their pregnancies and if there were complications.

While each approach reduced a woman’s weight gain, diet had the greatest effect with an average reduction of nearly 4kg (8.8lbs).

With exercise, the average reduction in weight gain was just 0.7kg (1.5lbs). A combination of diet and exercise led to an average reduction of 1kg (2.2lbs).

Women following a calorie-controlled diet were significantly less likely to develop each of the complications considered, but the researchers say those findings need to be repeated in larger studies.

Babies’ birth weights were not affected by dieting.

‘Simpler and easier’

Dr Shakila Thangaratinam, a consultant obstetrician at Queen Mary, University of London who led the study, said: “We are seeing more and more women who gain excess weight when they are pregnant and we know these women and their babies are at increased risk of complications.

“Weight control is difficult but this study shows that by carefully advising women on weight management methods, especially diet, we can reduce weight gain during pregnancy.

“It also shows that following a controlled diet has the potential to reduce the risk of a number of pregnancy complications.”

She added: “Women may be concerned that dieting during pregnancy could have a negative impact on their babies. This research is reassuring because it showed that dieting is safe and that the baby’s weight isn’t affected.”

But in a commentary in the journal, women’s health experts from St Thomas’ Hospital in London – including Lucilla Poston who helped develop the NICE guidance, said it would be “premature” for the current guidance, which only recommends women be weighed at their first pregnancy check-up, to change.

Dr Janine Stockdale, research fellow at the Royal College of Midwives, said: “We should be careful to note that the researchers are not advising women to lose weight during pregnancy; this is about managing excessive weight or weight gain.

“If a woman is on target to gain the right amount of weight during her pregnancy, then ‘dieting’ and ‘calorie-controlled dieting’ as we commonly understand these terms, is not for her.

“We need to reassure women that under the care of a midwife or other health professional, weight management is safe.”

–Courtesy of BBC News

RT

The US Center for Disease Control has been forced to address the American public in the wake of internet rumors of a possible ‘zombie apocalypse”.

It’s hard to say which is more ‘out there’: that people believe there might be a virus that reanimates dead people, or that a federal agency actually weighed in on the issue in earnest.

The CDC has previously run a few tongue-in-cheek campaigns about zombies, using the popular theme to get the public prepared for “anything”. as the agency’s director says, “if you are generally well equipped to deal with a zombie apocalypse, you will be prepared for a hurricane, pandemic, earthquake, or terrorist attack”.

But it’s now found itself in an unusual spot: having to treat the matter seriously. CDC spokesman David Daigle said the agency “does not know of a virus or condition that would reanimate the dead (or one that would present zombie-like symptoms)”.

But it’s not reassuring the masses. Zombie conspiracies are bouncing around the Internet, becoming the third most-popular search term on Google – all after a number of unrelated, yet disturbing, incidents.

A man in Miami attacked and ate the face of his victim. The victim survived, but doctors are having a hard time piecing his face together. then, an engineering student in Maryland allegedly stabbed a man to death and then ate his heart and brain. in Canada, police are on the hunt for a porn actor who reportedly slaughtered, dismembered, sexually-violated the body and then ate his victim.

The cause for this cannibalistic outbreak is unclear – some blame drugs, others cite psychological issues. One woman even claimed it was all because of a voodoo curse. but the human fascination with the undead is not new; it’s one of the reasons the CDC used them for an awareness campaign in the first place.

And even though they deny the existence of zombies, a kit list on their website provides readers with information about everything they may need in case a zombie does come around.

So, in case you’re feeling panicky, remember: non-perishable food, medications, a utility knife, sanitation supplies, clothing, personal documents and one gallon of water per day should keep the undead away.

The Boston Celtics host the Miami Heat tonight in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, and the conspiracy theories continue to fly. Anyone who uses Twitter can see those who believe commissioner David Stern wants the Heat to win and is using his influence to encourage officials to make it happen. not only is this asinine, but it’s totally illogical. and here’s why.

Celtics are the better story 

This is one angle that people don’t seem to understand. If it’s about what is best for the NBA, the better story would be the Celtics. Boston is the seventh-biggest television market while Miami is just 16th. If it’s about money, it would benefit the NBA to have the larger market win.

The Heat didn’t do anything wrong by having three superstars decide to align themselves and take less money to play together, but it’s definitely not what the NBA wants. It’s really bad for the NBA to be extremely top-heavy because superstars sell tickets and without superstars in small-markets, they will really struggle (see Bobcats, Charlotte).

LeBron James is bigger, stronger and faster than anyone who guards him

If a high school player tried to guard a college player, it would be a huge mismatch. The only way the college player would be stopped is by being fouled; otherwise, they would run roughshod over the smaller, weaker and slower defender.

The same thing is happening in the NBA right now with James. he is 6’8″, 250 pounds and is faster than most players in the NBA. He’s stronger than most of his defenders and it makes sense that defenders would foul him more often than if they were guarding a smaller player.

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

The Heat were a plus-two in free throws in Game 1, plus-18 in Game 2 and minus-six in Game 3. A big reason for that is that James has been focused on getting the ball into the paint. Over the span of the playoffs, James has taken 126 shots inside nine feet and 125 shots from outside nine feet. less outside jumpers lead to more free throws.

Superstars are smarter across the board and don’t get themselves into foul trouble

A fascinating stat from last night’s San Antonio Spurs game against the Oklahoma City Thunder shows that Kevin Durant and Tim Duncan were called for zero fouls combined. they were on the floor for 79 combined minutes yet were called for no fouls. is that a conspiracy, too?

Detractors will point to the fact that Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are leading the playoffs in personal fouls, so that must mean it’s a conspiracy. they are 34 and 35 years of age, respectively, and trying to guard players in their primes. they have taken a public stance to be harder on the Heat, as Rajon Rondo vowed to make them “hit the deck.”

The bottom line here is that the Heat are younger and more athletic than the Celtics. Boston can’t just let Miami run all over them, so they choose to be more physical, and that’s going to lead to more fouls. The Heat can use their athleticism to stay with their man and don’t have to be so physical and, naturally, won’t be called for as many fouls.

There’s no conspiracy here. It’s just that one team is better than the other.

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More car fires happen every year from deferred maintenance than accidents. keep your family safe; have your car checked today!

Regular oil changes are your best investment toward the longevity of your engine! keep your car running longer!

According to a recent survey, nearly one-third of all cars and light trucks have belts or hoses that are ready to be replaced. Have your belts and hoses checked regularly, and you won’t have to worry!

Regular brake inspections are the best way to ensure safe and reliable braking and minimize the cost of repairs when brake service is needed. Safety comes first, have your brakes checked regularly!

Routine tune-ups and engine performance checks can be your best guarantee of good performance and fuel economy. Economical and dependable, have your engine checked today!

Regular alignment checks are your best way to maximize tire life and ensure that your car performs on the road as it should. Don’t risk an accident, have your tires and alignment checked regularly!

Proper tire inflation can improve gas mileage by more than 3% when maintained regularly. Save money and wear and tear on your tires!

A loose gas cap can trigger the "Check Engine" or "Service Engine Soon" light. make sure the cap is secure and tight. always check!

Having your car’s HVAC system serviced regularly can help save you money on more expensive repairs. Your car is a big investment, take care of it!

Frequent washing and polishing is the best way to protect your car’s finish from the damaging effects of acid rain. Your car is a big investment, take care of it!

Nearly 60% of people claim their driving behavior has changed due to rising gas prices, with 90% saying they drive less and 75% revealing that they are maintaining their vehicles better. Should’t you be one of them!

70% of consumers believe the benefits of regular vehicle maintenance will improve the environment, while nearly all believe it will increase fuel efficiency. help the environment, and save a little money, have your car checked today!

The chances of a drive belt failure rise dramatically after four years or 36,000 mile for V-belts and 50,000 mile for serpentine belts. Safety first, have your car checked if you’ve reached these milestones!

Have your car’s brake system inspected annually, even if you don’t suspect any problems! not all problems are noticeable and why risk an accident from faulty brakes!

Good fuel economy, performance and low emissions are all interrelated for an efficiently-operating engine. keep your engine running right!

If your car requires major engine work, it may be more economical to have your engine rebuilt rather than buying a different car.

You should check the condition of the coolant each Spring and Fall to make sure the additives that protect against corrosion still function. And while you’re there, have them check your windshield wipers too!

Carbon monoxide from your car’s exhaust is odorless, colorless-and lethal. If you have any suspicions of a leak, have it checked out at once. Safety comes first!

Your car’s engine can use more than 10,000 gallons of air for every gallon of fuel burned, so it’s easy to see how big a job the air filter has. does your air filter need to be replaced?

It’s best to replace your car’s fuel filter every two years or 24,000 miles. does yours need to be replaced?

During normal driving, you may not notice a light that isn’t working; inspect your car’s lights at every oil change.

You should test your battery every Fall. If your car’s battery is three years old or more, consider replacing it since the chances of failure increase. does yours need to be replaced?

For longest automatic transmission life, have the fluid and filter changed every two years or 24,000 miles. does yours need to be changed?

Last week was a big deal for fans of both space travel and capitalism, as the spacecraft Dragon visited the International Space Station and, like its fantastical namesake, delivered food and computers to astronauts.

The reason the SpaceX Dragon is big news is not because the unmanned spacecraft is huge or advanced or armed with photon torpedoes. It’s news because it’s a privately built and privately funded vehicle, ushering us into a shining new era in which space travel becomes banal and tedious.

If you read the account of the mission and substitute “Peterbilt” for “Dragon,” “loading dock” for “International Space Station” and “Bakersfield” for “orbit,” you’ll see that once you get over the whole “vacuum of space” thing, it’s the story of a slightly awkward delivery of dry goods to a government warehouse.

This, I should explain, is a good thing. Humanity never advances without reaching for the stars, pulling them from the spheres, looking at them and saying, “Man, these stars suck. Why don’t we get better stars? Pfft.”

So I will be extremely satisfied if, within my lifetime, I can see space travel become completely, irritatingly common. I look forward to hackneyed stand-up comedians making predictable jokes about G-forces and anti-space-sickness pills. I await the formation of a corrupt and inefficient Space Docker’s Union. I anticipate being annoyed by yet another maudlin country-western song about the lonely but honest life of a geosynchronous cargo handler.

But that’s not the only space news. Buoyed by the temporarily newfound interest in the transport of cargo from Earth to pretty close to Earth and back, news outlets are covering more, shall we say, “minor” aspects of the race to make space into the finally profitable frontier.

One bit of news is that the FAA has given Virgin Galactic permission to fly its latest craft, the prosaically yet annoyingly named SpaceShipTwo, into space.

This troubles me. Not the permission, the fact that the private space company had to get permission. You need the FAA’s say-so to leave the planet?

I never really thought about it before, mostly because I’ve never been in a position to achieve escape velocity. I’ve generally been happy with the whole gravity well thing, give or take some lower back pain. but now that I’m aware that I can’t just leave the planet at will, it’s all I want to do.

I feel trapped, kept on Earth by the oppressive forces of government bureaucracy. who are they to tell me whether I should be surrounded by breathable atmosphere? what are they going to do, post a guard at the Kármán line and demand to see my papers as I zoom by at a dozen or so kilometers per second?

So along with the inevitable youth vogue for “space hauler hats,” I hope that the future brings some degree of restlessness and rebellion when it comes to space travel, a deeply principled rejection of the tyranny of Earth-bound governmental control.

We were born here, but we don’t have to stay here. Don’t let the man literally keep you down. Occupy space.

Born helpless, naked and unable to provide for himself, Lore Sjöberg overcame these handicaps to spend several days in low-Earth Bakersfield.

People magazine reports that Miller, 30, looked happy and relaxed in a flowing gray dress with black piping leaving her baby shower Sunday.
www.nydailynews.com/…/sienna-miller-tom-sturridge-celebrat…

Pete Sixsmith has been back at the chalk face, enriching young lives and earning the means to enable him to attend Premier League games again next season. Or will he forsake round footballs for the squashed variety? ask him at the wrong moment, when he’s just been thinking about Joey Barton or recapturing his Rugby League youth, and you risk hearing a disturbing response …

With the season over, not a huge interest in the playoffs and even less in England’s fortunes, anoraks like myself desperately search for a weekend fix.

This Saturday, for the first time since early July 2011, I spent the sixth afternoon of the week in the house, with precious little to do. I could have gone and watched local cricket, but the effects of a repeat go at the Trans-Pennine Ale Trail to celebrate Gerard Wood’s 50th birthday kept me indoors feeling a wee bit sorry for myself.

However, there was the Sunday to look forward to. and as the 8.31 to Liverpool Lime Street pulled out of Darlington Bank Top, I was eagerly anticipating a day of top class Rugby League at Eastlands Stadium.

For the past seven seasons, the RFL has organised a weekend where all 14 teams have played in the same stadium. they have been to Cardiff and Edinburgh, but this time opted for Manchester and the home of the PL Champions.

The policy, wherever possible, is to have a local derby. so on the Saturday, Castleford and Wakefield, Warrington and Widnes and the two Hull clubs clashed. next day, Catalans and London and Huddersfield and Salford were non-derby games, followed by Leeds and Bradford and St Helens and Wigan, which most definitely were.

Image: Pierre-Selim

I arrived in time to see all the opening game, played in front of a growing crowd and with plenty of skill but little real passion. Catalans had a noisy bunch of fans in the upper tier, while I searched in vain for anyone from the Broncos. it ended up a comfortable win for the French team.

Next up was second in the table, Huddersfield against lowly Salford. Plenty of support for both sides and a cracking game where the lead changed hands six times before the underdogs clinched it in the closing stages.

The Giants fans sat next to me shook their heads, quaffed their pints and revelled in Town’s dramatic penalty win at Wembley, while Salford supporters, unused to such a glorious victory, cavorted in the sun.

The Leeds v Bradford game (dubbed the “airport derby” by one wag behind me), was no classic as Leeds did their best to turn victory into defeat. Danny McGuire scored five tries but dropped the ball more often than Seamus McDonagh in his playing days and it took that pocket dynamo (love a really good sporting cliché) Rob Burrow to change the game and bring the Rhinos home.

The lower and middle tiers of this excellent stadium were filling nicely and by the time Saints and Wigan appeared, there was a raucous atmosphere, fuelled by beer and local pride. these two are not the best of friends.

As a contest, it was over in the opening 10 minutes as the Pie Munchers blew their rivals away with two stunning tries. at half time, a real beating was on the cards and the Saints fans booed their team off. Shades of the Sports Direct Arena, Nov 2010.

There was a classic brawl which involved all 26 players and ended up with three sent off, which I missed as I had been offered a lift home by my brother and nephew and they had to go to work (whatever that is) the next morning. his car was parked next to that of a Wigan fan carrying the legend “No pies kept in this car overnight”.

So a cracking day out, where I sat with Huddersfield fans to the left of me, Wigan fans to the right, Bradford in front and Leeds and Saints fans in the row behind. all watched the games, roared their teams on and never once involved themselves in raw abuse. when the whistle went to end the games, opposing fans shook hands, not fists.

On the way home, there was a discussion about whether such a thing could be possible for the Premier League. it was a discussion as short as the one that goes “Joey Barton is a positive influence on society; discuss”. answer: No.

We imagined Sunderland and Newcastle fans mingling at Wembley and exchanging banter in a friendly way. the nephew, for some reason an Arsenal fan (although he does follow the Leeds Rhinos – it’s in the family DNA; fourth generation) and possessing a degree in law, said he could no more sit down with a Spurs fan to watch a match than eat his own liver. and could you imagine the fun if Leeds United were invited. Everybody would want a poke at them.

When did football get as partisan as this? when I was nobbuta lad, I used to go to St James’ Park (as it was then) on the Saturdays I could not get to an away game because Jimmy Wilson had checked my paper round collection money. I even went with my school haversack which had SAFC painted in it and Jim Baxter’s name highlighted.

Now, allegedly older and wiser, I will not contemplate setting foot inside the place for the Olympics and if the World Cup Final were played there and I had a ticket, I would give it away – at least maybe.

On the way out, I spoke to a steward and asked him if there were any major differences between this and a football crowd. He thought for amoment and said “This lot drink more, but they can take it to their seats. We had one altercation where we threw some clowns out for throwing beer about, but other than that there’s not much difference. It’s just that we are much more relaxed with Rugby League”.

As our game stumbles through a potential racial minefield – Terry, Poland, Ukraine – perhaps I will start reflecting on whether the later years of my life will be like the early ones and see me rejecting football for Rugby League. It’s much friendlier.