Birmingham Post

Mission Possible ; Film-Maker Theo Kamecke Enjoyed Unlimited Access to Nasa During the Apollo 11 Moon Landing 40 Years Ago. He Recalls the Event with Jon Perks

Few people realise a rather nondescript wheelchair played its own small part in the Apollo 11 Moon landing. Theo Kamecke was at the controls, using it to steer his cameraman up and down the aisles of Launch Control, Cape Kennedy, as he recorded every momentous minute in July 1969.

Fine Fruit Needs All Our Help ; There's Never Been a Better Time to Eat Fresh British Cherries Says Sarah O'meara

ou can rent a tree, plant your own, or grab a basket and find a handy orchard. YBut however you choose to get hold of your cherries this year, don't leave it too long.

Perfect Way for a Dim Son to Dine

THE PLACE Yo! Sushi, Selfridges, Bullring, Birmingham. T: 0121 600 6712f WHY GO? Fishy brain food for the masses, delivered to your place setting on a neverending conveyor belt, ensuring freshness, flavour and an absence of surly waiters. You can eat in silence without having to talk to a living soul. No wonder the Japanese live forever.

Touch of Class ; Revamped M-Class Is More Than Just an Off-Roader As Edward Stephens Finds Out

Whatever your feelings about the size and fuel consumption of large SUVs there is little doubt that the latest ones fulfil any demands that you make of them - on or off-road. Take the latest Mercedes-Benz MClass, for example. A real car for all reasons.

20-Year-Old Taxi Goes to Crusher

Greener Bikers' Incentives Plea

Motorcycle insurance broker Devitt says it believes there is a need for the Government to promote the benefits of using two wheels as a cost-effective and greener mode of transport. The company says that 90 per cent of its customers would like to see the Government doing more to encourage motorcycling and introduce financial reasons to motivate Britain to keep biking.

Motorists Taking an Eye Off Road

Insurance company Admiral has calculated there are 420,000 rear- end bumps in the United Kingdom each year, accounting for a quarter of all road accidents. While the percentage of motorists having road accidents has been falling steadily for several years, the number of accidents where one vehicle hits another from behind has not followed this trend, suggesting many motorists are not paying enough attention to the road ahead.

White the New Favourite Colour

Step Out of Africa ; Designers Find Inspiration in Exotic Places, Anuji Varma Goes in Search of Tribal Glamour

When high summer comes along, fashion designers often take their inspiration from far-flung locations. And this season the destination is Africa. But those expecting earthy safari tones are in for a shock.

Irvine's Magic Still Intact

Reheated Cabbage by Irvine Welsh Jonathan Cape, pounds 12.99 Irvine Welsh, still probably best known for his incredible 1993 debut novel Trainspotting, is back with his fourth collection of short stories.

Universalverse ; Poetry That Celebrates the World's Beauty Is Needed with the Planet Under Threat, Says Richard Edmonds

Can Poetry Save The Earth? A field guide to nature poems, by John Felstiner Yale: pounds 25.00 "The poetry of Earth is never dead." It was the young John Keats who coined this line on a winter evening in Hampstead in 1816. And ever since that time poetry of Earth has not failed us. Wordsworth, Shelley, Keats himself, Robert Frost, Walt Whitman especially - a man who seemed to merge physically into the universe - Edward Thomas, Gerard Manley Hopkins and more - many more - are here in abundance...

Challenging and Beautifully Written

CHILDREN'S BOOK Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan. David Fickling Books, pounds 12.99. I was warned before I read Tender Morsels that it was an incredibly moving book, controversial in the extreme and not something for those of a delicate nature.

A Kind of Magic ; the New Harry Potter Film Reviewed by Graham Young

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE Cert 12A, 153 mins The late-teen Harry Potter stars have now spent half their school age lives working on bringing the boy wizard to life on the silver screen.

A Transport of Joy ; Terry Grimley Previews Motionhouse Dance Theatre's Latest Visit to Birmingham

After completing two decades of creating original contemporary dance in Leamington, Motionhouse Dance Theatre is on a high this summer. "We're in our 21st year now and what's great about it is it's the most exciting time we've ever had," says Kevin Finnan, joint founder and artistic director with Louise Richards.

Song-Cycle That Bridges Present and the Past

review Seven Elements/Fyfe Hutchins Lichfield Cathedral

The Butterfly Lady Comes Out of Hiding

One-time Radio 1 press officerturned historical novelist Fiona Mountain will be talking about her latest book, Lady of the Butterflies, at Kings Heath Library next week. One of her previous books has featured mutineer Fletcher Christian and she is now planning one about Charles I's queen, Henrietta Maria. But the subject of Lady of the Butterflies, the pioneering 17th-century lepidopterist Lady Eleanor Glanville, is likely to ring a bell only with specialists.

Pre-War Tvs for Auction

What is thought to be the world's largest collection of pre-war televisions will go under the hammer in London in September. The 24 televisions form part of Michael BennettLevy's collection of early technology, which will be sold at Bonhams' Knightsbridge salesroom on September 30.

Bags of Value ; Sally Hoban Previews an Exhibition of Travel to Mark Airport's 70th Birthday

We all know we should cut down on air travel to help the environment, but one of the main reasons why I don't like flying anymore is that it has lost its old fashioned glamour and mystique. Gone are the days of turning up at the airport with your sunglasses down and head scarf fluttering in the breeze, carrying a beautiful leather suitcase adorned with brightly coloured stickers from exotic places.

Collecting Diary Saturday Weekend Antiques [ ... ]

COLLECTING DIARY SATURDAY Weekend antiques and collectibles fair at the Staffordshire County Showground, Trentham Gardens, Weston Road, Stafford, 10am-5pm, Saturday and Sunday. These fairs were originally advertised for July 11 and 12 but were moved back a week by the organisers, Antique Forum 01782-393-660 or 07921-659-798.

Going with a Bang a ; with Pubs Facing a Tough Time, Chris Upton Recalls Some of the Drinking Dens of the Past

These are difficult days in the life of our public houses. The storm of recession, the smoking ban, cheap supermarket booze and high rents have drawn their existence into question and nowhere has seen greater losses than the West Midlands. "Business opportunity" signs hang where once was a dog and duck or a king's head.