Kansas man struck by lightning hours after buying lottery tickets

A Kansas man was struck by lightning hours after buying three Mega Millions lottery tickets on Thursday, proving in real life the old saying that a gambler is more likely to be struck down from the sky than win the jackpot. Bill Isles, 48, bought three tickets in the record $656 million lottery Thursday at a Wichita, Kansas grocery store. On the way to his car, Isles said he commented to a friend: "I've got a better chance of getting struck by lightning" than winning the lottery. Later at about 9:30 p.m., Isles was standing in the back yard of his Wichita duplex, when he saw a flash and heard a boom -- lightning. "It threw me to the ground quivering," Isles said in a telephone interview on Saturday. "It kind of scrambled my brain and gave me an irregular heartbeat." Isles, a volunteer weather spotter for the National Weather Service, had his portable ham radio with him because he was checking the skies for storm activity. He crawled on the ground to get the radio, which had been thrown from his hand. Isles had been talking to other spotters on the radio and called in about the lightning strike. One of the spotters, a local television station intern, called 911. Isles was taken by ambulance to a hospital and kept overnight for observation. Isles said doctors wanted to make sure his heartbeat was back to normal. He suffered no burns or other physical effects from the strike, which he said could have been worse because his yard has a power line pole and wires overhead. "But for the grace of God, I would have been dead," Isles said. "It was not a direct strike." Isles said he had someone buy him ten more tickets to the Mega Millions lottery on Friday night. While one of the three winning tickets was sold in Kansas, Isles was not a winner. Officials of the Mega Millions lottery, which had the largest prize in U.S. history, said that the odds of winning lottery were about 176 million to one. Americans have a much higher chance of being struck by lightning, at 775,000 to one over the course of a year, depending on the part of the country and the season, according to the National Weather Service. Isles, who is out of work after being laid off last June by a furniture store, said he did once win $2,000 in the lottery and will keep playing. "The next time I will use the radio while sitting in the car," he said

UK singer Robbie Williams to be father

 

British singer Robbie Williams and his partner Ayda are expecting a baby, he said on his website on Friday. Williams, 38, said the baby was expected later this year. “We’ve seen scans and cried ... looked at babies in commercials and teared up ... the nursery is already planned,” he wrote in his official blog, adding that he couldn’t wait “to be a daddy.” According to British tabloids, Williams, who rose to fame in boy band Take That, married actress Ayda Field at his Beverly Hills home in 2010. After leaving Take That he forged a successful solo career and signed one of the world’s biggest music deals with EMI in 2002. In October he announced he was switching labels to record his next studio album with Universal Music. The singer, best know for hits like “Angels” and “Let Me Entertain You,” has won more BRIT awards — Britain’s top music prizes — than any other act.

popular Caribbean dancing style used by adults, known as 'daggering', is sexualising the dance floors of a much younger generation.

 

 Teenagers as young as 11 are modelling sex acts and rape, in the form of daggering, on the dance floor with their peers. Deputy Children's Commissioner Sue Berelowitz said: "there's not a lot separating that kind of behaviour from actual violent, coercive sex." Footage seen by Channel 4 News [see above] shows an under-18s club night in East London. As with all 'under-18s' club nights, everyone is between 11 and 16. Some of the children look much younger. The club is packed. The music: Caribbean dancehall. The dancing style: daggering. It is a style of dancing that any carnival regular will be used to. Aficionados will no doubt, have a more technical description of the style but it mainly involves women bending over and rubbing their backsides up against the men's crotches. During that August weekend in Notting Hill every adult gives it a go. But what's different about this night club is that every child is giving it a go. Spurred on by the DJ, the 'daggering' becomes more enthusiastic, some of it verging on violent. Boys and girls end up on top of each other on the floor simulating sex. Throughout the night someone employed by the club promoter (presumably an adult) is filming it all and uploading it on the club's website via YouTube.

Baggage handlers to strike at Easter

 

Baggage handlers at Stansted Airport are to strike over Easter in a row over pay, the GMB union announced today. The move follows an overwhelming vote in favour of industrial action by 150 GMB members employed by Swissport after the union claimed that shift changes would lead to wage cuts of up to £1,000. The GMB said strikes will be held on Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Monday, threatening disruption to passengers flying on holiday for the holiday break. GMB official Gary Pearce said: "GMB members have voted overwhelmingly for strike action and for action short of a strike. "Up to now the company has been intent on imposing these changes without agreement and this is completely unacceptable, as this vote shows. "GMB has offered several alternative shift patterns and working arrangements but the company refuses to listen so far. "I have notified Swissport of the ballot result and I have asked them for more talks to try to avert action over these pay cuts. "GMB members consider that Swissport is attempting to make savings at their expense and they are not willing to agree to this. "Unless there is urgent talks and a settlement, this vote for action this will result in disruption over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend. "The travelling public need to be aware that it has been this aggressive move by Swissport to cut our members pay at a time of high inflation that has led to this strike vote. "If the strike goes ahead, Swissport is entirely to blame for the disruption."

Whitney Houston's mother believes Bobby Brown's DUI arrest proves what she's been telling people all along ... he's just a bad dude.

 

 Sources close to Cissy Houston tell us ... she's always felt Bobby was a cancer ... who infected Whitney's life with negative influences. We're told Cissy felt "vindicated" when she found out Bobby was arrested for driving drunk on Monday afternoon ... and believes the incident is exactly why she wants Bobby to "keep his distance" from his daughter Bobbi Kristina. The Houstons believe Bobbi K has been in a "vulnerable place" since Whitney passed ... and as one source puts it, "This is the last person she needs to be around." Instead, we're told Cissy wants Bobbi Kristina to hang around "positive mentors" ... like Clive Davis.

JetBlue Captain Subdued By Passengers After 'erratic' Behavior, Forcing Emergency Landing

Passengers on board a JetBlue flight were forced to subdue the captain Tuesday after he began to exhibit "erratic behavior," including screaming "they're going to take us down," according to the passengers. JetBlue Flight 191, which was headed from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to Las Vegas, made an emergency landing in Amarillo, Texas, due to what the airline called a "medical situation."  Passenger describes subduing JetBlue pilot Former corrections officer says he choked ranting captain after stewardesses struggled to corral him The captain reportedly ran up and down the aisles screaming, "Say your prayers," after his co-pilot locked him out of the cockpit, the New York Post reported. Sources identified the captain to Fox News as Clayton Osbon, a JetBlue flight standards captain from Richmond Hill, Ga. He was taken into custody when the flight landed, but it wasn't immediately clear whether he faced any charges. Osbon had ranted about Al Qaeda and a possible bomb onboard before being subdued, passengers said. Laurie Dhue, a former Fox News anchor who was on board the flight, said she also heard the captain mention "Afghanistan" and "Israel" during his rant. A flight attendant reportedly asked passengers to restrain the captain. Several, including a retired NYPD sergeant, came forward and pinned the man until the plane landed, the New York Post reported. David Gonzalez, a former corrections officer who was headed to a security conference in Las Vegas, told Fox News that the captain had tried to break into the cockpit after being locked out, and he struggled with the flight attendants and appeared to want to open the plane’s side door. “I said, ‘Hey, what’s the problem,’” Gonzalez said. “And the stewardess said, 'Can you help me?’” Gonzalez said the pilot began yelling about Iraq and Iran. After a two-minute struggle, Gonzalez said he was able to subdue the pilot. Other passengers then stepped in and tied the pilot, he said. An off-duty airline captain who just happened to be a passenger on the flight went to the flight deck and took over the duties of the subdued captain, the airline said in a statement. It didn't elaborate. JetBlue said the captain was taken to a medical facility in Amarillo. Sources tell FoxNews.com that Osbon sustained "minor" injuries in the incident. Initial reports do not suggest that Osbon has ties to counterterrorism. Clayton Osbon's wife, Connye, defended her husband. "There are several different sides to every story. Just keep that in mind," Osbon's wife, Connye Osbon, told ABCNews.com.  The FBI, FAA, TSA and local law enforcement are coordinating on investigating the incident, according to a TSA statement.

Alicia Silverstone feeds her toddler like a bird

Actress Alicia Silverstone has filmed herself chewing up food and passing it into her toddler's mouth — like a bird feeding a chick. And the 35-year-old Clueless star has posted the video to her blog in a bid to promote the practice to other mothers. "I just had a delicious breakfast of miso soup, collards and radish steamed and drizzled with flax oil, cast iron mochi with nori wrapped outside, and some grated daikon. Yum!" she wrote on her blog thekindlife.com. "I fed Bear the mochi and a tiny bit of veggies from the soup… from my mouth to his. It’s his favourite... and mine. "He literally crawls across the room to attack my mouth if I’m eating."

Pro-life 'October Baby' Rejected By Major Studios, Blitzes Box Office

 

“The Hunger Games” wasn’t the only film to hit box office paydirt this past weekend. Although it only opened in 390 theaters, the anti-abortion drama “October Baby,” starring John Schneider,earned the second-highest-per-screen average, bringing in almost $2 million in ticket sales. “I was shattered when I first learned about the story. I was moved and mesmerized. I wasn’t an activist, I was just someone who was shattered by the truth,” director Jon Erwin told FOX411’s Pop Tarts. “Here is our little film, small budget, in the top ten (at the box office). We are thrilled, blown away.” “October Baby” follows the emotional journey of a young woman who learns that she was almost aborted, but at the last minute was instead given up for adoption. The film almost didn’t see the light of day. “This film couldn’t find a home, no studio wanted to touch it. It was considered too controversial,” Erwin continued. “There was a real moment of despair at one point, the film wasn’t finished and nobody would take a look at it. But every time we screened it, it attracted such intense emotional reactions. So we had to raise the money ourselves, and the release process took much longer than we wanted.” According to Dr. Ted Baehr, founder of the Christian movie site Movieguide.org, the success of “October Baby” can be attributed to a strong Christian and moral world view that touched the hearts of those who saw it. He says it’s important for more audiences to have the chance to see it, too. “All who see it should be transformed, so considering the importance of the message, everyone should see it,” he said. “It needs more theatrical exposure.” Erwin said they are hoping for a wider release next month, and communities are so desperate to see the film they are forming “action squads” in which Christian schools, churches and residents are coming together and agreeing to buy a certain amount of tickets to cover costs. “We don’t have the deep pockets and resources that big studios have,” Erwin added. “So we have to take the long approach. But people are really getting behind this and rallying. People identify with it, that’s why the film worked.”

French judges seek arrest of Equatorial Guinea leader's son

 

Two French judges sought an international arrest warrant for the son of Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema on money laundering charges, a judicial source said on Tuesday. The two judges, Roger Le Loire and Rene Grouman, consider there are grounds to suspect that Teodorin Obiang, who is agriculture minister in the small, oil-rich central African country, acquired real estate in France by fraudulent means. The warrant will not be released until a prosecutor has reviewed the request and decides whether to proceed. Teodorin is frequently seen enjoying an extravagant lifestyle abroad with multi-million dollar mansions, jets and yachts. Billboards in the capital Malabo seek to show him at work and in touch with the people, but diplomats and analysts cite his playboy lifestyle as a cause for concern. The French judges, who have been handling the case since 2010 on the basis of "concealment of embezzled public funds," suspect that the properties were purchased with public money from Equatorial Guinea. The judges had previously sought permission from the government of Equatorial Guinea to question Teodorin, but that request was rejected, Olivier Pardo, lawyer for the oil producing nation, told Reuters in Paris. "Unless one wishes to violate the sovereignty of the State of Equatorial Guinea and harm relations between France and Equatorial Guinea, it is absurd to want to launch an arrest warrant," he said. As part of the investigation, French police raided a building belonging to Equatorial Guinea in a wealthy area of Paris in February. After three days they removed art works and fine wines worth several million euros. The building was valued at about 150 million euros and investigators say it housed a nightclub and hairdressers, which suggested it was not being used as a diplomatic residence. Anti-corruption organisation Transparency International had filed the original legal complaint against Teodorin Obiang. On March 1, Teodorin filed for defamation against Daniel Lebegue, the president of the French arm of Transparency, denying he had embezzled funds. President Teodoro Obiang has ruled the former Spanish colony for more than three decades, making him the longest-serving African leader following the demise of Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, with rights groups labelling his regime one of the world's most corrupt. The country produces about 240,000 barrels of oil per day. In January, Teodorin asked a U.S. court to dismiss attempts by the Obama administration to seize some $71 million worth of his assets, denying charges that they were obtained with allegedly corrupt funds taken from his country. He argued he had not violated U.S. or Equatorial Guinea law and called the corruption allegations "character assassination" against him and his country. Equatorial Guinea in October said it wanted to appoint Teodorin as its deputy permanent delegate at U.N. cultural agency UNESCO in Paris, a position that would give him diplomatic status in France. Until now the agency has not received any official documentation to proceed further with that request.

SIMON Cowell has fallen for a new make-up artist – and she's a lookalike of former X Factor judge Cheryl Cole.

Meet the BGT babe bringing Cowell out in a Cole sweat

Simon falls for Cheryl double Francesca Neill

Beauty ... Britain's Got Talent make-up artist Francesca Neill