The ObserverWorld newsMartial arts star kicks his way into the political limelightThe presidential primaries have thrown up almost constant shocks and surprises. But there is one thing that stunned everyone in politics: the unexpected impact of Chuck Norris. Of course, as many TV villains can testify, no one ever sees Chuck Norris coming. Or at least not until it's too late. Then he kicks you in the face. Yet to the amazement of pundits everywhere, Norris has transformed the Republican race.

Painting This article is more than 4 months oldNicolas de Staël exhibition aims to put art back at centre of tragic artist’s storyThis article is more than 4 months oldWorks by painter, whose turbulent life often overshadowed his short career, go on display in Paris The life of the Russian-born French artist Nicolas de Staël was short, turbulent and ultimately tragic. Forced into exile by the 1917 revolution, orphaned, a loner who was hopelessly romantic but unlucky in love, De Staël died at the age of 41 after he threw himself out of the window of his Côte d’Azur atelier after the woman with whom he was obsessed rejected him.

Regrettable celebrity tattoos Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email 6 August 2009: Celebrities, they're just like us! They make permanent mistakes in tattoo ink, too Thu 6 Aug 2009 14.50 EDT First published on Thu 6 Aug 2009 14.50 EDT Beckham can bend it, but he can't read Sanskrit. Posh's proper name is spelled - or, rather, misspelled - 'Vihctoria' on his left forearm Photograph: Kevork Djansezian/Getty

Bloom of the boot ... Photograph: dardespot/Getty ImagesBloom of the boot ... Photograph: dardespot/Getty ImagesPass notesGardensThe pandemic planting craze continues apace, with cacti grown on dashboards. Not to mention the gardens springing up in fire stations and along railway sidings Name: Cardening. Age: New, according to social media users who have been sharing pictures of it during the pandemic, but in-depth research by the Pass notes team has found a reference dating to 2007, when a man in Minneapolis recommended cardening as a way to combat road rage.

Notes and queriesAnimalsThe long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific concepts Why do mice have such long tails? Several wood mice live in the dry stone wall a couple of metres from my back door. Most of them have tails that are longer than their bodies. Occasionally one has a tail only about half as long, which I suspect has been shortened accidentally.