Students gather under Porticoes in Bologna, home of the world’s oldest university (Picture: Alamy)

As the nation’s youth decamps to university, Christian Koch looks at top-of-the-class student cities. Cheap beer, thrift shops and hipster-spotting included…

BOLOGNA

The world’s oldest existing university, the University of Bologna (founded in 1088) has bequeathed the red-brick city with an 80,000-strong student populace (many seemingly dog-on-a-string crusty types) and Italy’s best gay scene.

Learn something: At Bologna’s Carpigiani ice-cream museum (www.gelatomuseum.com), visitors can taste historic flavours (an 1822 strawberry sorbet recipe, anyone?) and create their own gelato. Walk it off by clambering up 12th-century Asinelli Tower (Italy’s other leaning tower) or strolling Bologna’s 40km of arcaded porticoes.

Hangover-friendly grub: Bologna’s surrounding Emilia-Romagna region is considered Italy’s culinary heart, having spawned Parma ham, balsamic vinegar and, yes, spaghetti bolognese. However, you won’t find it on any menus. Instead, look for tagliatelle al ragù, best sampled at side-alley eateries.

Partying: The student-saturated Via del Pratello and Via Luigi Zamboni have some great birrerie and wine bars where you can sup Aperol spritzers without people thinking you’re guzzling Lucozade in a glass. Try Caffè Zamboni (www.caffezamboni.it).

Grant-blowing digs: 15th-century nunnery Convento Dei Fiori Di Seta has a wine bar and breakfast served in the altar. From £340 per night. www.silkflowersnunnery.com

Getting there: BA return from £154. www.ba.com

LEEDS

Thanks to three universities (University, Metropolitan and Trinity), Leeds has long been lauded as a youthful, energetic city. Visit buzzing student heartlands Hyde Park and Headingley to follow in the footsteps of alumni Chris Pine, Kaiser Chiefs and Mystic Meg.

Hangover-friendly grub: Edwardian boozer Whitelock’s (www.whitelocksleeds.com) is the oldest pub in Leeds, offering spruced-up Yorkshire fare including Sunday roasts and black pudding with pancetta.

Socialising with students: The Otley Run is a famous pub crawl. Starting in Headingley, it takes in 19 watering holes, including Woodies, where you can spin a wheel if you’re unsure what to drink.

Partying: Leeds Met’s student union apparently sells more beer than the Munich beer festival. Your sloshed-student-safari should also include arty bar Nation of Shopkeepers (www.anationofshopkeepers.com, door policy: ‘no pirates or Jeffreys’) and musty gig venue Brudenell Social Club (www.brudenellsocialclub.co.uk).

Grant-blowing digs: Riverside rooms at 42 The Calls come with their own fishing rods. From £70 a night. www.42thecalls.co.uk

Getting there: Train from London: East Coast return from £26. www.eastcoast.co.uk

Sample Yorkshire fare at the historic Whitelock’s pub in Leeds (Picture: Alamy)

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

Boston might be America’s ‘cradle of liberty’ but it can be slightly staid. A short subway ride away is boho Cambridge, home to academic big-hitters Harvard and the maverick Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Leafy Harvard Square teems with used bookstores (try Lorem Ipsum), coffee houses and bars, where you can eavesdrop on students who will either become presidents (Harvard has produced eight of them) or subjects of their own Social Network film.

At Central Square you’ll find nerdier MIT students, notorious for ‘experimental’ pranks like dropping pianos from sixth-floor buildings.

Learn something: MIT museum (web.mit.edu/museum) celebrates the institute’s innovative brainwaves. Exhibits include the ‘world’s first sociable robot’ and the genius behind teabag design.

Hangover-friendly grub: Brunch nirvana East Coast Grill (www.eastcoastgrill.net) has coconut-fried fish tacos and a make-your-own Bloody Mary bar.

Partying: ‘Nightclub-theatre’ The Donkey Show (www.americanrepertorytheater.org) hosts confetti-strewn extravaganzas in which actors-dancers embed themselves in the audience.

Grant-blowing digs: Hotel Veritas has art deco rooms. From £128 per night. www.thehotelveritas.com

Getting there: BA flights to Boston from £443. www.ba.com Cambridge is a 15-minute cab

ride away.

Hang out in the second-hand bookshops, coffee houses and bars of Harvard Square (Picture: Alamy)

NANTES

The Loire capital houses 51,000 students (one in two Nantais is under 40) who take over city bars on Thursday evenings. France’s ‘city of secrets’ is like an adult playground, where visitors could stumble upon ‘supermarket art’ (masterpieces tucked-away in frozen food aisles) or real-life wolves in the moat of the local château.

While students are lying-in: Check out Les Machines de l’Ile (www.lesmachines-nantes.fr), an island of monster machines where you can ride a giant mechanical elephant or an oversized squid on a 25m high carousel.

Hangover-friendly grub: Sunday mornings at Talensac market (www.marche-talensac.fr) feature early-rising pensioners mingling with fresh-from-the-clubs students, both quaffing local Muscadet and scoffing oysters.

Partying: Cultural centre Le Lieu Unique (www.lelieuunique.com) is based in a former biscuit factory and comprises bars, artist workshops, Friday-afternoon break-dancers and Foucault-reading students.

Grant-blowing digs: Villa Cheminée is a house perched atop an industrial chimney, designed by architect Tazu Nishi. Contact the tourist board to book. en.nantes-tourisme.com

Getting there: One-way easyJet flights from £33.99. www.easyjet.com

Les machines de l’Ile, an artistic project conceived by Francois Delaroziere and Pierre Orefice (Picture: Alamy)

GRONINGEN

As degrees get more expensive, British students are increasingly enrolling at Dutch seats of learning such as the University of Groningen, where fees and living costs are half what you’d pay in Britain. Groningen is a lively student city with pretty canals and gabled houses, a party-until-5am-nightlife plus enough bicycles to give Chris Hoy a migraine.

Socialising with students: Possibly Europe’s only January music festival, Eurosonic Noorderslag (festival.eurosonic-noorderslag.nl) is staged at indoor venues across Groningen. Previous festival acts include AlunaGeorge and Villagers.

Hangover-friendly grub: If you can’t face kill-or-cure hangover herring from the Fish Market, Groningen has a plethora of budget options including Mexican Four Rose’s and Chinese buffet Ni Hao.

Partying: Snug De Pintelier (www.pintelier.nl) has extensive Belgian beer and jenever (Dutch gin) lists while indie dive Vera (www.vera-groningen.nl) is legendary for hosting seminal Nirvana gigs.

Grant-blowing digs: The Schimmelpenninck Huys is near the market square. Rooms from £63 per night. www.schimmelpenninckhuys.nl

Getting there: Groningen is two hours north-east of Amsterdam. Return flights to Amsterdam from Gatwick, Southend, Luton and Stansted, from £64. Direct trains run every hour from Schiphol Airport, £22.

Spend a day among bicycles, cafes and bars in Groningen Grote Market (Picture: Alamy)

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New Year's Evil (film)

New Year's Evil is a 1980 American slasher film written and directed by Emmett Alston, co-written by Leonard Neubauer, and starring Kip Niven, Roz Kelly, and Chris Wallace. The plot follows a Los Angeles punk rock and new wave show host who receives a series of phone calls during a televised New Year's Eve bash from a killer warning of impending murders that he plans to exact as the New Year dawns on each time zone.

Plot
As the film begins New Year's Eve is on its way and television's most famous punk rock lady icon, Diane Sullivan (or "Blaze" as her fans call her), is holding a late-night countdown celebration of music and partying, televised live from a Hollywood hotel. All is going well until Diane receives a phone call from an odd-sounding stranger claiming his name is Evil, who announces on live television that when the clock strikes midnight in each time zone, a "Naughty Girl" will be "punished" (murdered), then the killer signs off with a threat claiming that Diane will be the last Naughty Girl to be punished. The studio crew takes safety measures and heightens security but a string of murders occur across Los Angeles at each stroke of midnight across each time zone. The killer records his victims as he murders them and calls back the station each time, playing the tapes back to prove that he is serious. Diane's son Derek arrives but is mostly ignored by his mother, causing him to start behaving very erratically due to Diane's lack of interest in his life. There are many suspects as to who the mysterious killer and caller is: a crazed fan, a religious psychotic or maybe it is someone much closer to Diane than anyone could have ever expected. Evil eventually infiltrates Diane's party and upon confronting her is revealed to be Diane's husband Richard who was previously thought to be too busy to attend. Richard reveals his motivation to be a similar feeling of neglect and anger of Diane's and other women's treatment of him. He gets caught by security trying to kill Diane and flees from the scene. He races toward the rooftop where he commits suicide by jumping. Diane is loaded into an ambulance while Derek is seen wearing the killer's old mask in the ambulance with the corpse of the medic at the front.

Cast

 Roz Kelly as Diane "Blaze" Sullivan
 Kip Niven as Richard “Evil” Sullivan
 Chris Wallace as Lieutenant Ed Clayton
 Grant Cramer as Derek Sullivan
 Louisa Moritz as Sally
 Jed Mills as Ernie Moffet
 Taaffe O'Connell as Jane
 Jon Greene as Sergeant Greene
 Teri Copley as Teenage Girl
 Anita Crane as Lisa
 Jennie Anderson as Nurse Robbie
 Alicia Dhanifu as Yvonne
 Wendy-Sue Rosloff as Make-up Girl
 John London as Floor Manager
 John Alderman as Doctor Reed
 Michael Frost as Larry

Filming
Filming began in Los Angeles, California on 15 October 1980.

Soundtrack
The song "New Year's Evil", written by Roxanne Seeman and Eddie del Barrio, is performed on-camera by the Seattle rock band Shadow, who appear as a punk rock band in the film playing the song at the opening of the movie and repeatedly throughout.  The recorded studio version also appears in the film.

This version was pressed as a 7" vinyl 45 rpm single. Promotional singles were sent to radio stations throughout the US. A full soundtrack record is announced in the closing credits of the film, but has not materialized.

W. Michael Lewis and Laurin Rinder composed the film soundtrack and produced the title track's recording.

Release
New Year's Evil was theatrically released in the United States on December 19, 1980 by Cannon Film Distributors. The "New Year's Evil" 35mm print played at Quentin Tarantino's New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles, California on December 29, 2018. New Year's Evil was released on DVD through on-demand pressings from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Limited Edition Collection on June 28, 2012. Scream Factory, a subsidiary of Shout! Factory, released the film on Blu-ray on February 24, 2015.

Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, New Year's Evil has an approval rating of 14%, based on seven reviews. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a 1½ and wrote, "New Year's Evil is an endangered species - a plain, old-fashioned, gory thriller. It is not very good. It is sometimes unpleasantly bloody. The plot is dumb and the twist at the end has been borrowed from hundreds if not thousands of other movies. But as thrillers go these days, New Year's Evil is a throwback to an older and simpler tradition, one that flourished way back in the dimly remembered past, before 1978". Gene Siskel gave the film zero stars out of four, calling it "a hideously ugly motion picture". Variety wrote, "The true horror of New Year's Evil is the endless musical numbers by punk rockers and shots of their dancing fans. Amongst that, the bloody killings seem a welcome relief." Among retrospective reviews, Eric Vespe of Ain't It Cool News said, "New Year's Evil falls into that 'didn't love it, didn't hate it' gray area of mediocrity that doesn’t exactly inspire any kind of passion one way or the other. On the one hand it's too goofy and amateurish to really be creeped out by and on the other it's not fun enough to rally behind". Dread Central's Matt Serafini concluded, "This isn't worth your time if you're looking for a horror film to deliver in scares or suspense, but as a late night horror fix, it's ideal. What New Year's Evil lacks in scares it makes up for in pure entertainment. And really, that's all you can ask for". The film was labeled "another routine mad-slasher film" and a "strictly paint-by-numbers effort" by TV Guide.

References

External links

Category:1980 films
Category:1980 horror films
Category:1980s horror thriller films
Category:1980s independent films
Category:1980s mystery films
Category:1980s slasher films
Category:American films
Category:American independent films
Category:American slasher films
Category:English-language films
Category:Films directed by Emmett Alston
Category:Films set in hotels
Category:Films set in Los Angeles
Category:Golan-Globus films
Category:Mass murder in fiction
Category:New Year films
Category:Punk films
Category:Holiday horror films


Image copyright Reuters

The latest - and perhaps most headline-grabbing - source of tension between Donald Trump and the US intelligence community is an unverified report, apparently compiled by a private intelligence firm, claiming Russia has gathered compromising data about the president-elect.

Those claims raise far more questions than they answer. Here is a summary of what we know so far.

Who wrote the report and why?

It has been widely attributed to Christopher Steele, a retired British intelligence officer.

Mr Steele, who runs a London-based intelligence firm, was reportedly hired by anti-Trump Republicans to investigate Mr Trump's ties to Russia during the battle for the party's presidential nomination. In the general election campaign the research was funded by an anonymous Democratic donor.

But since Mr Steele has been in hiding since the report surfaced on Tuesday, there is no confirmation that he is the author.

What does the report say?

It consists of a series of memos dated from June to December, and said to be based on information from members of the Russian intelligence community.

It claims that Russian officials have cultivated Mr Trump for at least five years to encourage splits within the Western alliance, and shared intelligence information with him.

Most startlingly, it alleges that Russia has managed to compromise Mr Trump and is in a position to blackmail him. It says Russia's FSB agency has footage of the president-elect using prostitutes at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Moscow.

How did the public learn of the existence of the report?

CNN reported its existence on 10 January, and the Buzzfeed website published it in full.

How credible is the information it contains?

Since the report was published, Mr Trump has denounced it as "false and fictitious" and "made up, phony facts". Russian officials have also dismissed it as "pulp fiction".

All major media outlets have stressed that the report's allegations are unsubstantiated. Several, including the BBC, had knowledge of the claims before the election but were unable to verify them and therefore did not publish stories.

Newsweek says it "contains lots of Kremlin-related gossip" and points to factual errors and the misspelling of Russian names.

However, the reports were considered credible enough by the US intelligence community for a two-page summary to be given to both President Barack Obama and President-elect Trump in early January.

US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has merely said the claims were still being assessed. He also strongly denied suggestions by Mr Trump that US intelligence agencies had been involved in leaking the report.


MCC Theater's Permission, the new comedy from Hand to God playwright Robert Askins recently extended by a week through June 14th. Permission celebrates its Opening Night tonight, May 20th, at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street). (more...)

The Drama League (Executive Director, Gabriel Shanks) gathers for the 81st Annual Drama LeagueAwards Ceremony, hosted by 2014 Tony Award nominee, Hand to God's Steven Boyer with special guest Tyrone, today May 15, 2015 in the Broadway Ballroom at the Marriott Marquis Times Square (1535 Broadway). Below, BroadwayWorld will be bringing you the complete list of winners live! (more...)

MCC Theater's Permission, the new comedy from Hand to God playwright Robert Askins recently extended by a week through June 14th. The first performance of the show is set for tonight, April 29th, at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street). Permission celebrates its Opening Night on Wednesday, May 20th. (more...)

MCC THEATER announced today that Permission, the new comedy from Hand to God playwright Robert Askins previously scheduled through June 7th, is extending by a week and will now run through June 14th due to popular demand. **Notably, this announcement comes prior to the first performance of the show** set for Wednesday, April 29th at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street). Permission, which was previously scheduled through June 7th, celebrates its Opening Night on Wednesday, May 20th. For more information, please visit www.mcctheater.org. (more...)

The new American play Hand to God opens on Broadway tonight, April 7, 2015 at the Booth Theatre (222 West 45th Street), marking the Broadway debuts of playwright Robert Askins and director Moritz von Stuelpnagel. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you an inside look at the afterparty following HAND TO GOD's big opening night! (more...)

Catch up on the week's biggest stories from Broadway and beyond in BroadwayWorld's 'This Week in Pictures,' featuring coverage of press events, rehearsals, opening nights, and more. Highlights this week include coverage of the Radio City NEW YORK SPRING SPECTACULAR opening night red carpet, the premiere of Sutton Foster's new TV Land comedy, YOUNGER, Vanessa Hudgens and the cast of GIGI performing on Live With Kelly and Michael, and more! (more...)

MCC THEATER has announced the cast for the world premiere of Robert Askins' Permission: stage and screen star Justin Bartha, of Broadway's Lend Me A Tenor, Off-Broadway's All New People and the blockbuster film The Hangover; Twilight and "Grey's Anatomy" Emmy-nominated star Elizabeth Reaser, returning to MCC following her critically acclaimed performance in this fall's The Money Shot; and theater regulars Nicole Lowrance, Talene Monahon, and Lucas Near-Verbrugghe. Permission is set for April 29 - June 7, 2015 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, with an official opening night on Tuesday, May 19th. For more information, please visit ?www.mcctheater.org. (more...)

IF/THEN, which was named the 'Best Musical of the Year' by New York Magazine, will play its final Broadway performance Today, Sunday, March 22 at 3:00pm. Upon closing, the musical will have played 29 previews and 401 performances. Below, take a look back at the show's journey to Broadway! (more...)

MCC THEATER has announced that the New York premiere of Jennifer Haley's The Nether directed by Anne Kaufman has now extended through Sunday, March 22, 2015 due to popular and critical acclaim. The production opened on Tuesday, February 24th and was previously scheduled through March 15, 2015 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street). A production of The Nether also just opened to great critical acclaim in London's West End at the famed Royal Court Theatre. The play had its world premiere in Los Angeles in 2013 at Center Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre. For info and tickets, please visit www.mcctheater.org. (more...)

MCC Theater presents the New York premiere of Jennifer Haley's The Nether directed by Anne Kaufman. Ben Rosenfield, memorably of the final two seasons of 'Boardwalk Empire,' and rising talent Sophia Anne Caruso will take on the roles of Woodnut and Iris, respectively. As previously announced, The Nether will also star 'Nurse Jackie' Emmy Award winner Merritt Wever, New York theater veteran Peter Friedman and Tony Award winner Frank Wood. (more...)

The Casting Society of America (CSA) has named the winners for the 30th Annual Artios Awards, which took place tonight in both Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton and in New York at 42WEST (formerly XL Nightclub), Cabaret & Lounge. (more...)

The Casting Society of America (CSA) has named the winners for the 30th Annual Artios Awards, which took place tonight in both Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton and in New York at 42WEST (formerly XL Nightclub), Cabaret & Lounge. Performers Patton Oswalt and Michael Urie hosted in Los Angeles and New York, respectively. This is the first year that the Artios Awards was moved to January to take place during the height of awards season. (more...)

The Casting Society of America (CSA) has unveiled its feature film nominees for the 30th Annual Artios Awards. Final film ballots have been distributed and votes can be entered at http://www.castingsociety.com/, through Monday, January 12th. All winners for film, television, theater and new media categories will be announced at the 30th Annual Artios Awards on January 22, 2015 with award ceremonies to be held simultaneously at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles (reception will commence at 6:00 p.m. PDT) and at 42WEST (formerly XL Nightclub), Cabaret & Lounge (514 West 42nd Street) in New York (reception will commence at 6:00 p.m. EDT). (more...)

MCC THEATER has announced complete casting for the New York premiere of Jennifer Haley's The Nether directed by Anne Kaufman. Ben Rosenfield, memorably of the final two seasons of "Boardwalk Empire," and rising talent Sophia Anne Caruso will take on the roles of Woodnut and Iris, respectively. As previously announced, The Nether will also star "Nurse Jackie" Emmy Award winner Merritt Wever, New York theater veteran Peter Friedman and Tony Award winner Frank Wood. (more...)


They have stopped forcing guests to do chores, abandoned curfews and even started serving booze at some of their ritzier establishments. Now, in the latest stage of its modernisation programme, the Youth Hostel Association (YHA) is considering whether to finally allow men and women to share a dorm.

The strict gender division has existed since the YHA was formed 80 years ago, with no exceptions made for married couples, families or platonic friendship groups.

But amid increasing competition from antipodean-style backpackers' hostels that cram anyone and everyone into gargantuan dormitories where anything goes, the YHA has had to think about the hitherto unimaginable in order to stay in the game.

By the end of the year, the association hopes to have started a pilot scheme offering mixed dorms in some of its inner-city hostels, a YHA spokeswoman said.

"We are obviously aware that a lot of people come to us and do want to share with members of the opposite sex, whether friends or partners," she said. "At the moment we don't offer it, but it's something we are looking into. One of our corporate managers is going to put a proposal together to suggest trialling it at one or two of our inner-city hostels, most likely in London."

The move is sure to polarise opinion among those seeking a cheap bed for the night, said Tom Hall, travel editor of Lonely Planet. "Some people like segregated dorms because they don't want to feel uncomfortable getting undressed, and there is also the chance of being disturbed by potential naughtiness – I know that has happened to me," he said. "But I think that is probably cancelled out by people travelling more and more in mixed groups, or couples going on city breaks, who all want to be in the same room. These places are often now treated more like budget hotels than traditional hostels."

Plus, said Hall, British customers' expectations are very different nowadays. "Most young people's first experiences of hostels now are in New Zealand or Australia, where mixed dorms are the norm," he said.

Among the backpacking community, opinions vary, with women most likely to oppose any change, fearing an increase in snores and smells from sleeping men, as well as worrying about security.

But outside the Journeys hostel – a non-YHA establishment – in King's Cross in London last week, some backpackers welcomed the move. Student Hannah Adler, 21, said: "It'd be a good thing, because it'll change the atmosphere for the better, and it certainly wouldn't make me feel unsafe. At the moment, the YHAs are too strict, and when you stay there, it sort of feels like you're back at school."

Martin Balaam, 40, said: "I think it's a great plan, because mixed dorms are the best things about independent hostels. Conversation is much easier in a mixed dorm – you get to meet both men and women, and so there's a much friendlier and more social atmosphere. I'm surprised they're thinking about it, though, because the YHA have always wanted a different sort of clientele."

But Jennifer Ridge, 65, was more wary. "I don't like the idea initially, because I think it'll be bad for the atmosphere," she said. "But if it helps the hostels stay open, if it helps them financially, then I think they've got to do it."

Currently, all dorms in the YHA's 200 hostels in England and Wales are single sex, though an increasing number of hostels offer twin or double rooms for couples, as well as family rooms.


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Year Published

Title

URL

Access Date

December 13, 2017

Publisher

A+E Networks

On this day in 2002, President George W. Bush announces his plan to federally fund faith-based initiatives.

Bush started his day at a National Prayer Breakfast held in the ballroom of the Washington Hilton Hotel, where he explained the basic philosophy behind his plan. In service to others, he said, we find deep human fulfillment. And as acts of service are multiplied, our nation becomes a more welcoming place. Later that day, he announced the new policy from the Oval Office with leading members of Congress and the press in attendance. Bush proposed that faith-based organizations should assume a greater role in providing social-service programs without breaching the separation of church and state. He suggested that government should not discriminate against faith-based programs, but it should encourage them to flourish. Under his plan, religious groups could receive federal funding to implement programs usually carried out by secular non-profit organizations.

A devout Christian, Bush’s plan applied to a multitude of denominations in order to, in his words, unleash these fantastic armies of compassion which exist all across the country. The new policy received bipartisan support, including kudos from leading Senators Joseph Liebermann and Rick Santorum. The senators agreed with Bush that individuals and couples should receive tax breaks for donations to faith-based charities as well as secular organizations.

Bush’s plan to federally fund faith-based programs upset die-hard secularists and debate over the efficacy and constitutionality of the program continued into his second term. While a study by the PEW Forum on Religion and Public Life revealed that approximately 70 percent of Americans prefer that government agencies provide the majority of aid to the needy and poor, the same number supported the right of church organizations to apply for federal funding for their social programs.

Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!

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On February 7, 1970, Louisiana State University basketball star Pete Maravich scores 69 points in a game against Alabama, setting a Division I record that would stand for 21 years.
Peter Press Maravich was born June 22, 1947, in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. As a child, he learned to play basketball from his...

As part of Operation Flaming Dart, 49 U.S. Navy jets from the 7th Fleet carriers Coral Sea and Hancock drop bombs and rockets on the barracks and staging areas at Dong Hoi, a guerrilla training camp in North Vietnam. Escorted by U.S. jets, a follow-up raid by South Vietnamese planes...

Operation Dewey Canyon II ends, but U.S. units continue to provide support for South Vietnamese army operations in Laos. Operation Dewey Canyon II began on January 30 as the initial phase of Lam Son 719, the South Vietnamese invasion of Laos that was to commence on February 8. The...

On this day in 1915, in a blinding snowstorm, General Fritz von Below and Germany s Eighth Army launch a surprise attack against the Russian lines just north of the Masurian Lakes on the Eastern Front, beginning the Winter Battle of the Masurian Lakes (also known as the Second Battle...

Dr. Josef Mengele, the infamous Nazi doctor who performed medical experiments at the Auschwitz death camps, dies of a stroke while swimming in Brazil—although his death was not verified until 1985.
Mengele was born on March 16, 1911, in Gunzburg, Germany. His father founded Frima Karl Mengele & Sohne, a factory...


Wimbourne House

Wimbourne House (also known as Wimborne House or the William Kent House) is a historic townhouse at 22 Arlington Street in St James's, a district of the City of Westminster in central London, England. Designed in the Palladian style by William Kent, it was built between 1743 and 1754, being completed after the architect's death. It is a Grade II* listed building, and the west front overlooks Green Park. The building now houses special event rooms for the adjacent Ritz Hotel.

History
Henry Pelham, Prime Minister between 1743 and 1754, hired William Kent to design the house located at 22 Arlington Street in two phases. The original construction began simultaneously with his elevation as prime minister and continued even after the 1748 death of the architect Kent. When Kent died, the work was completed by Stephen Wright. In the 18th century, Arlington Street was not only fashionable but was known as the 'ministerial street'. Pelham's neighbours included Robert Walpole at No. 5, Lord Tyrconnel, the Duchess of Norfolk and his enemy Lord Carteret, later Earl Granville. The decoration and construction of the house was completed in early 1754, but Pelham died suddenly on 6 March 1754.

The house was then occupied by Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Gower, who would later become Marquess of Stafford. Leveson-Gower resided at 22 Arlington while the house he was having built by architect Sir William Chambers was being completed, and he was followed by another Prime Minister, Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton. In 1774, Henry Pelham-Clinton, Earl of Lincoln, took possession of his family's home and began renovations, which continued until his death in 1778.

The first owner of the house known in the 19th century was John Jeffreys Pratt, Marquess Camden. In the year of his death, 1840, Marquess Camden sold the house to Major Henry Somerset, 7th Duke of Beaufort, who had served in the Peninsular War as an aide-de-camp to the Duke of Wellington.

When the Duke of Beaufort bought the house, he renamed the house after his title, and during his residency, it was known as "Beaufort House."  He hired architect Owen Jones, who had studied the Alhambra, to embellish the interiors and expended enormous sums refurbishing the interior of the house. Beaufort sold the house a year before he died to William Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton.

The 11th Duke of Hamilton purchased the house in 1852 and promptly renamed the structure "Hamilton House". He purchased the house for £60,000 and lavished more money on the house for approximately a decade, including installing iron firebacks with his coronet and motto. Upon his death, the house passed to his widow, who sold it via auction in 1867 to Sir Ivor Bertie Guest, who was engaged to Lady Cornelia Spencer-Churchill, daughter of the 7th Duke of Marlborough. In 1880, the title of Baron Wimborne was conveyed to Guest, who renamed the house as had been customary, to coincide with his title.

As with previous owners, Guest undertook numerous renovations. For example, one of his main additions was the ballroom: passing from the entry hall to the winter garden, the ballroom was resplendent in elaborately carved and gilded mouldings. The Ritz Hotel had originally inquired about acquiring the house in 1898, only to be rebuffed by Lord Wimbourne, who replied that he was thinking of enlarging his garden, asking "how much do you want for the Ritz?".

Wimbourne House had been greatly expanded during the 18th and 19th centuries, but most of these additions were removed in the 1970s,  and an effort to restore the "Kentian character" of the building was made.

In 2000, the architectural firm of Ettwein Bridges Architects was hired to create rooms as function suites for the adjacent Mewès & Davis’s Louis XVI style Ritz Hotel. After extensive study to try to preserve the elements and special characters of both of the heritage sites, an area was identified to connect the two buildings, which was filled with the inner-working machinery of the hotel. The new function suites and machinery plant had to be built and equipped while both the hotel and casino were still operating. Much of the machinery was relocated to the roof, and a new steel structure had to be inserted around existing structures to keep vibrations from the equipment to a minimum.

An inventory and description taken after Pelham's death served as a guide for the restoration. The grisaille paintings that Kent had fashioned for the Great Room ceiling, and others, have been restored and regilded. Some of the later remodeling attempts have been preserved, like Owen Jones’s fish-scale motifs. One hundred years after Ritz originally tried to obtain the house, it officially became part of the Ritz Hotel.

References

Bibliography

External links

 The Ritz – William Kent House

Category:Grade II* listed buildings in the City of Westminster
Category:Grade II* listed houses in London
Category:Guest family
Category:Houses completed in 1754
Category:Houses in the City of Westminster
Category:Palladian Revival architecture
Category:William Kent buildings
Category:1754 establishments in England


He has all the qualities of an heir to a business empire. He’s young and ambitious, industrious and innovative, boasts posh degrees and international work experience, and most of all is humble and grounded. Gaurav Shetty, the dashing scion of MRG Group and son of hospitality and infrastructure icon K Prakash Shetty chats with RITZ about his forthcoming plans amidst a busy schedule that involves the launch of g77 Cafe, a rustic themed restopub in the heart of Bengaluru’s party crucible.

Gaurav looks dapper in a crisp white shirt as he welcomes guests to g77 Cafe, a brand new chill-out zone that promises an eclectic blend of not just bites and beverages, but even cutlery, crockery and glassware. “Every dish that comes from the kitchen and the bar is presented in a unique manner,” says Gaurav. There are ‘melting pots’- pani puri shells with veggies/chicken and topped with cheese and ‘nachos bhel’ – two exotic takes on the ubiquitous chaat offered everywhere. The charming quirks of this place extend to the crockery as well. So we’re presented with egg burji served in an egg holder, burgers ushered in a bright red miniature telephone booth, an iron box utilised effectively for serving mutton pepper fry, and a jar with a sculpture of the Belgian Manneken Pis brimming with long island iced tea.

Gaurav says that not just the food, but even the crockery used for serving has to be distinct “to pull in the crowds.” He was inspired by the cafes, lounges and pubs in London and Paris, during his multiple visits to the two hipster cities where there is a huge market for the unconventional and the offbeat. The idea for g77 (‘g’ standing for MRG Group’s Goldfinch Hotels and 77 being a lucky number for his family) came while he was out on a late night drive near the airport road. “Yeah I get new ideas while I’m driving,” he says.

Gaurav is extremely passionate about cars. He enjoys driving at night through different parts of Bengaluru and finds the whole act of being behind the steering wheel a therapeutic experience, one that leaves him feeling refreshed and recharged. We sure believe him, what with his fleet of 9 premium and luxury cars from brands like BMW, Audi, and Mercedes to Porsche, Bentley and Lamborghini. “I drive when I’m a bit tense or upset and even otherwise.” Upon closer observation, you realise that white is the dominant colour in his fleet. “White is many favourite colour. Especially in cars,” laughs Gaurav, a teetotaller who initially wanted g77 Café to have mainly food and mocktails on the menu. “I got a new team and they said let’s also add in drinks and cocktails.”

Gaurav joined the MRG Group around 2013, after graduating from the Swiss Hotel Management School and getting trained at Fairmount, Switzerland and the Taj Group. At MRG, he’s been hands-on with hospitality, adding that he’s personally more inclined towards food and beverages.

So what’s it that he’s ideated and implemented that’s worked in the group’s favour over the years? “We were more into building (Goldfinch) hotels from scratch. To build a hotel takes upto three years. So I’d suggested the idea of acquiring existing hotels and then re-branding them. We’ve done that in Mumbai and Delhi,” he says, referring to the group’s acquisition of 4-star hotels like Express Sarovar Portico near Delhi and Aura Grande in Mumbai in 2015.

These acquisitions marked MRG’s foray into the intensely competitive Mumbai-Delhi markets. Is buying and re-branding easier than building from scratch? “Certainly. But it is also challenging as you have to get your standards right in a running hotel.” So will the group look to build hotels or make more buys? “Yes I would like for us to build as well. But if there is an opportunity to buy and if the location is ideal, I would want to do that,” he says without getting into the specifics.

Gaurav appears optimistic about expanding the Goldfinch brand, a well-recognised chain of fine boutique hotels that are known for their sophisticated interiors and contemporary outlook. Presently, there are six Goldfinch properties and he reveals that many more are slated to open across Mumbai, Puducherry, Mangalore, Chikamaglur and Bengaluru. So in the next five years, we would see 12 more Goldfinch hotels, is what Gaurav asserts. Although hospitality is competitive, there is room for growth, with the industry itself zooming at over 14% growth each year. And running parallel to its plans of setting up new properties and executing buyouts, the MRG Group also has an association with Hilton and Marriott through which they would build the hotel and then hand it over to the two global brands to run. “We would be the owners, but Hilton and Marriott will operate the hotels. The properties in turn will be co-branded,” he states.

Just like developing more Goldfinch hotels, Gaurav is equally keen on opening more restaurants over the next few years, around 30-35 spread across India. MRG operates brands such as Kabab Studio, Banjara Melting Pot, Banjara The Restaurant, Sana-di-ge, Kudla, Legacy of Punjab, and the lounge bar Aviator.

The turnover for the hospitality division of the MRG Group was around Rs 78 crores last year, and is projected to be over Rs 100 crores this year, due to the new properties.

“Our restaurant brands were mostly inside our hotels. We’re now focused on more standalone ones. Sana-di-ge recently opened in Delhi as a standalone restaurant and the response has been phenomenal.”

Talking of Sana-di-ge, Gaurav had once suggested to his father to introduce the delicious elneeru payasam (tender coconut kheer) at this restaurant. “Dad liked the idea and we implemented it. The payasam has received tremendous response and has even won awards.”

Working with a parent is a unique experience by itself. What has the young man imbibed from Prakash Shetty, a prominent name on the hospitality and infrastructure scene? “Dad has an eye for detail. And he is very strong on the financial side. The learnings and the experience I’ve garnered working with him is incomparable to what I’ve learnt otherwise,” says the proud son who begins his day by discussing business with his father each morning and gaining sound advice.

But is what he’s doing now something he’s always wanted to do? “Yes,” he smiles. If not in hospitality, where would he be? “I’d be a cricketer. I was a batsman and I played extensively for my school and college.” Running parallel to his zest for cricket (and cars) is his fixation with shopping. When he takes a break from being a workaholic, he’s a bonafide shopaholic. If stressed, he’d rather go online and shop for shoes, clothes or accessories. But mostly in white. Or black. After then probably in blue. “90% of my wardrobe is in white and black,” grins Gaurav.

So what’s his one goal now with regards to the MRG group? “I want my group to grow. It’s like my family and all those who work with us are like my family members. I would want my family to grow. If they’re happy, I’m happy.”

Fast 5 With Gaurav

Favoured destination – London, for sure. For the food, for the place, for everything


LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 25: Actresses Debbie Reynolds (L), recipient of the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, and Carrie Fisher pose in the press room at the 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Actress Debbie Reynolds, mother of the late Carrie Fisher, was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday, TMZ reports. She later died.

Reynolds suffered a medical emergency — possibly a stroke — according to TMZ.

Reynolds was at her son’s home in Beverly Hills, discussing funeral plans for Fisher, and someone called 911 from the house just after 1 p.m. Family sources tell TMZ they called 911 to report a possible stroke.

RELATED: Debbie Reynolds dies at 84, one day after daughter Carrie Fisher passes

Reynolds, 84, has reportedly been distraught since her daughter suffered a cardiac emergency on a United flight from London to Los Angeles on Friday.

The ambulance just took Reynolds to a nearby emergency room.

On Tuesday, Reynolds posted on Facebook:

“Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter. I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop. Love Carries Mother”

WASHINGTON - MAY 12: Actresses Debbie Reynolds (L) and Carrie Fisher (R) arrive at the premiere of "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith," at the Loews Cineplex Uptown Theatre May 12, 2005 in Washington, DC. Star Wars premiers are taking place across the country tonight. (Photo by Shaun Heasley/Getty Images)

HENDERSON, NV - FEBRUARY 27: Actress Carrie Fisher (L) and her mother, actress Debbie Reynolds, arrive for Dame Elizabeth Taylor's 75th birthday party at the Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas on February 27, 2007 in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

(Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images)

HOLLYWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 07: Actresses Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher arrive at the premiere of the HBO documentary "Wishful Drinking" at Linwood Dunn Theater at the Pickford Center for Motion Study on December 7, 2010 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

poses in the press room at the 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.

390723 07: Actress Debbie Reynolds, left, poses with her children Carrie Fisher, center, and Todd Fisher June 19, 2001 in Hollywood at the unveiling of the site of the new Hollywood Motion Picture Museum. The museum, set to open in February 2002, will house Reynolds'' $30 million motion picture costume collection, which includes over 3,000 costumes, as well as props and sets from hundreds of Hollywood''s biggest films. (Photo by Getty Images)

390723 08: Actress Debbie Reynolds, right, poses with her children Carrie Fisher, left, and Todd Fisher June 19, 2001 in Hollywood at the unveiling of the site of the new Hollywood Motion Picture Museum. The museum, set to open in February 2002, will house Reynolds'' $30 million motion picture costume collection, which includes over 3,000 costumes, as well as props and sets from hundreds of Hollywood''s biggest films. (Photo by Getty Images)

WASHINGTON - MAY 12: Actresses Debbie Reynolds (L) and Carrie Fisher (R) arrive at the premiere of "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith," at the Loews Cineplex Uptown Theatre May 12, 2005 in Washington, DC. Star Wars premiers are taking place across the country tonight. (Photo by Shaun Heasley/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 01: Debbie Reynolds poses during a photocall to promote her UK tour 'Alive and Fabulous' on her 78th birthday at The Sofitel Hotel, St James on April 1, 2010 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - AUGUST 16: Actress Debbie Reynolds poses alongside one of the original costumes she wore in the "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" on display at The Paley Center For Media's Reception For "Debbie Reynolds: The Exhibit" on August 16, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - JUNE 16: Actress Debbie Reynolds attends the 100th anniversary celebration of the Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows supporting the Motion Picture & Television Fund and the American Comedy Fund hosted by Brett Ratner and Warren Beatty at Beverly Hills Hotel on June 16, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images for BHH)

12th February 1972: American actress Debbie Reynolds with her daughter Carrie Fisher. (Photo by Dove/Evening Standard/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 2: This undated file photo shows US actor Gene Kelly, who died 02 February at the age of 83 at his home in Beverly Hills, California, with actress Debbie Reynolds from the movie "Singin' in the Rain." Kelly was best known for his roles in the movies "Singin' in the Rain" and "An American in Paris" AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read FILE/AFP/Getty Images)

circa 1961: American actress and singer, Debbie Reynolds, panning for gold in one of her films. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

American actress, Debbie Reynolds modelling a swimsuit in the garden. Original Publication: People Disc - HK0134 (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

Here is a look at the life of actress Debbie Reynolds.

Personal: Birth date: April 1, 1932

Birth place: El Paso, Texas

Birth name: Mary Frances Reynolds

Father: Raymond Francis Reynolds, a railroad carpenter

Mother: Maxene Reynolds

Marriages: Eddie Fisher (September 26, 1955-May 1959, divorced); Harry Karl (November 25, 1960-1973, divorced); Richard Hamlett (May 25, 1984-May 1996, divorced)

Children: with Eddie Fisher: Todd, February 24, 1958; Carrie, October 21, 1956-December 27, 2016

Other Facts: Warner Bros. talent executive William Orr was responsible for changing her first name from Frannie to Debbie.

Has been known to say, “Yes, I’m Princess Leia’s mother” when referring to her daughter, actress and author Carrie Fisher, who played the character in the Star Wars movie universe.

Since the 1950s, she has been involved with The Thalians, a group of entertainment professionals who support mental healthcare issues. She serves as president emeritus.

She is a proud former Girl Scout and has always supported scouting.

Has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award.

Timeline: 1948 – At the age of 16, she is crowned Miss Burbank, California. Talent scouts are in the audience, and this exposure leads to a film contract with Warner Bros. Her first movie role is uncredited, in “June Bride.”

1950 – Is let go from Warner Bros and placed under long-term contract by MGM.

1952 – Stars in “Singin’ in the Rain” as a singer and a dancer. When the movie started production, Reynolds didn’t know how to dance; she was taught by choreographer and lead Gene Kelly.

1957 – Reynolds and husband Eddie Fisher are bridesmaid and best man at the wedding of their good friends, Elizabeth Taylor and Mike Todd. After Todd’s death in 1958, Fisher and Taylor begin an affair which leads the breakup of his marriage to Reynolds and a subsequent marriage to Taylor in 1959.

1965 – Is nominated for a Academy Award for Best Actress for the 1964 film, “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.”

1969-1970 – “The Debbie Reynolds Show” airs on NBC.

1970 – Buys much of MGM’s memorabilia at auction and in 1972, forms the Hollywood Motion Picture and Television Museum, a non-profit corporation that collects props and costumes as other studios sold them off.

1974 – Is nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the play, “Irene.”

1993 – Opens the Debbie Reynolds Hotel & Casino with her real estate developer husband Richard Hamlett, to showcase some of her memorabilia.

1995 – Opens the Hollywood Motion Picture Museum in Las Vegas.

July 7, 1997 – Files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after a deal to sell the hotel falls through.

2000 – Is nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In a Comedy Series for “Will & Grace,” and a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children’s Special for “A Gift of Love: The Daniel Huffman Story.”

June 12, 2009 – Her motion picture and television museum files for bankruptcy after funding collapses.

June 18, 2011 – The first of three planned auctions for the museum’s movie memorabilia collection is held.

December 2, 2011 – “Debbie Reynolds-The Auction Part II” is held.

January 22, 2012 – Reynolds tells the Los Angeles Times she doesn’t want to have any more auctions.

May 17-18, 2014 – Reynolds holds the final auction for her collection of Hollywood memorabilia. “Debbie Reynolds-The Auction Finale” includes famed pieces like Vivien Leigh’s “Scarlett O’Hara” black chiffon hat and three outfits worn by Joanne Woodward in “The Three Faces of Eve.”

April 2013 – Reynolds’ memoir “Unsinkable” is released.

2015 – Receives the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award.

2016 – Is awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.


Pages

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Write What You Know?

Before The Morning v/s Once Upon A
Stormy Night: Write only about what you know?

Hello peeps! Delighted to be here with
ye all today – thanks, JoAnne, for having me over.

I always rely upon my hosts to provide
me with the topic they want me to address, and JoAnne asked me about
a very pertinent point...

For, you see, this May, I have 2 books
coming out.

May 7 sees the release of Before
The Morning (Corpus Brides: Book 2), a romantic
suspense/ espionage thriller, while May 29 will see the release of
Once Upon A Stormy Night, part of the 1NightStand series.

The first takes place between London
and Hastings in England, Nice and Arles in France, Prague in the
Czech Republic, and Las Vegas, Nevada. The second takes place on my
native island and the place I call home, Mauritius (which is – I
guess many of you won’t have heard of it before! – a small
tropical island in the southern Indian Ocean).

I haven’t been to most of the places
I mention/use as locales in Before The Morning, while I am
intimately acquainted with every setup/setting present in Once
Upon A Stormy Night.

We’re always told to “write what you know”... Can I apply this here, where these 2 books are
concerned? Not exactly.

Before The Morning is a romantic
suspense/espionage thriller. I couldn’t have set it in Mauritius,
because there’s just no way can such a huge clandestine operation
be carried off on such small a territory! And, since the heroine,
Rayne, makes her drunken lover, Ash, marry her on an ‘impulsive
whim’, I would’ve needed to take them to Vegas anyhow... and I’ve
never been to Vegas!

We’re also told to be “fresh”,
“innovative”, to “ get off the beaten track”... That’s how
I found myself one day on Facebook asking my friends and readers
about locales they wish to see in a book, and a childhood friend of
mine piped up that she’d never seen Prague – that so-beautiful
European city – in any book. She planted the seed of having Prague
as an important locale in the book... and yes, I’ve never been to
Prague!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mauritius_23.08.2009_06-07-46.jpg

Once Upon A Stormy Night, on the
other hand, takes place in Mauritius, mainly in the capital city
waterfront shopping village, where my brother used to work in the
very posh Barkly Wharf offices. I’ve haunted the Caudan Waterfront
since its inception back in 1996, and the villa where the
one-night-stand takes place – very much a hotel we visited last
year, on the craggy, cliffy, rough southern coast. I close my eyes
and I picture every detail of these settings...

...but what about these places I’ve
never seen with my own eyes, let alone set foot in?

That, my friends, is where research
comes in... and there’s nothing more helpful for researching
locations than Youtube. From snippets of travel programs, to videos
uploaded by tourists (often peppered with their very personal
observations, that little something extra to give you a juicy detail
to work with), you can become an armchair traveler, and see the world
as if you were right there!

That’s how Prague came to life for me
in Before The Morning; how I stepped into the interiors of
Beyond Medispa, the upscale, cost-the-money-off-your-arse
beauty spa in Harvey Nichols in London, and The Ritz; how I placed
Rayne and Ash in the split-level villa located in a gated community
in the Henderson area in Las Vegas; Rayne’s walk through the
deserted lanes of the Roman necropolis in Arles, in the French
Provence.

I didn’t write about exactly what I
know – instead, I set out to learn what I could, and however I
could, about the things I didn’t know.

I can only hope these locations come
across as the magical places I got to “see” and imagine. But I
have an idea – why don’t you tell me what you think, when you
read the stories?

Thanks for having me over today, JoAnne
– it’s been an absolute pleasure!

From Mauritius with love,

Zee

Before The Morning

. . . is a time of great darkness. . .

A trained killer with borderline
sociopathic tendencies:

Rayne Cheltham traced out her life's
path when she was twelve: she would marry her best friend and bear
his children, and in the process, stifle the restless edge in her.
When he vows never to marry, she gives in to the darkness and becomes
a clandestine agent—until the day he walks into her world again,
and her carefully fabricated façade crumbles.

A former cop burned by life and his
personal demons:

When Ash Gilfoy meets a woman who
reminds him of his childhood best friend, he starts upon a path that
leads him down into an abyss once again. The day Rayne waltzes back
into his life, he knows she is his second chance, and the one who
will save him.

Each thinks the other is their
redemption . . . until they discover how deep the other's edge of
darkness goes

No one knows Rayne used to be a spy and
an assassin, and no one knows why Ash left the police force. The
secrets between them make them sit on a keg of gunpowder with a lit
fuse in their hands. Neither knows what 'normal' means now,
especially Rayne, whose whole life is built on a lie. Truth is
threatening to explode in their faces, and that is not the only
menace they have to face. Someone is out to get Rayne, and she must
disclose her past before it is too late.

Can Rayne and Ash survive all that's
thrown in their path? Can they hang on to the last thread of their
relationship, and can they emerge, still together and still alive, in
the morning after the deepest darkness?

You can also find her on Facebook,
Twitter, and Goodreads, as ZeeMonodee.

Once Upon A Stormy Night

British billionaire Lars Rutherford
came to the tiny island of Mauritius to take over directorship of his
best friend's shipping company. He's not here for anything but the
job, or – to the chagrin of the many matchmaking society mamas in
the country – to find the 'right woman' for him.

Corporate legal affairs specialist
Simmi Moyer is rich, beautiful, successful, and climbing the
executive ladder with tremendous speed. She's got it all – or does
she? Mauritian society shuns her for being single and childless, and
nothing she accomplishes will ever be enough.

Lars isn't looking for a woman; Simmi
isn't looking for a man. Both just want one night to forget their
precarious position in this traditional, culture-driven society.

But will a few stolen hours of solace
ever be enough, especially when they realize Madame Eve might just
have paired them with the one they didn't know they were looking for?

The tempest brewed by uncalled-for
yearning in their hearts when they meet, and the desire for something
more substantial than one night of pleasure, builds between them,
while outside, a real-life cyclone storms on the island and enconsces
them in a world where only the two of them exist.

Before the night is over, both Lars and
Simmi will have to decide whether they'll walk out the next morning
alone, or if they can put themselves on the line to step out
together.


Aspinal of London

Aspinal of London is a London designer, manufacturer and retailer of luxury leather goods and accessories for men and women.

Company
Aspinal of London was founded in 2001 by current Chairman Iain Burton. The Creative Director of Aspinal is Mariya Dykalo, who graduated from the Lviv Academy of Art and Design. Giles Deacon the Haute Couture designer was appointed as Design Director in August 2018. Aspinal began by designing and manufacturing handmade small leather goods and hand bound leather books using small workshops and artisans in England and Italy.  After five years as a pure play online retailer, Aspinal opened its first retail store in Selfridges, London, and by 2016 Aspinal has opened ten stand-alone stores in London and stores in Selfridges and Harrods, opening its first international store in Kuwait in January 2013.

Aspinal launched its first handbag 'The Paris Bag' in 2008. Ladies handbags now account for a substantial part of the brands offering.  It also designs bags for men as well as a wide range of men's and ladies' wallets, accessories, travel bags and travel accessories, office and business accessories such as briefcases and other travel accessories. </ref> .

The Aspinal of London flagship store opened in Lower Regent St, St James in November 2017. The store is on two levels and 350 sq meters and has been included as one of the top 40 most instagrammable stores in the world.

In January 2020, it was reported that Aspinal of London was reviewing funding options amid talks about a sale of the company. Throughout 2019, the company struggled with a surge in costs, with loses doubling over that time period.

Marketing
In 2013 Aspinal of London created the 'Elizabeth Hurley Bag' in collaboration with the English actress Elizabeth Hurley to support the charity "Breast Cancer Awareness".
In 2017, Aspinal collaborated with Michelle Dockery, the actress of Downton Abbey fame to launch the Dockery bag  which became known in China as the Lady Mary bag and in 2018 Aspinal collaborated with David Gandy the  super model to launch the "Aerodrome Collection" by David Gandy, a collection of leather bags, back packs and goods inspired by the iconic British World War 11  fighter plane the Supermarine Spitfire. In 2014 after supplying the Royal Household with leather goods, HRH Prince Andrew made an official visit to the Aspinal head office and design studio.

Aspinal of London has been part of London Fashion Week's published schedule showing its new collections twice a year often at Claridges Hotel Ballroom and more recently at its London flagship store. Giles Deacon is an English Couture fashion designer and designed Pippa Middleton's wedding dress was appointed Design Director in 2018.

On 9 April 2016 Aspinal launched a collaboration with Chinese actress Yang Mi.    The Yang Mi bag  raises funds for One Foundation, a Chinese charity founded by Jet Li to   provide clean water for Chinese children.

Aspinal is the sponsor of the Midhurst Town Cup polo competition, which is a local Polo match played at Cowdray Polo Club, the home of British Polo. Prior to her wedding, a Kate Middleton "Princess Catherine Engagement Doll" was sold, which came with a toy Aspinal bag as an accessory.

References

External links
 Aspinal of London

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Monster Family

Monster Family (also known as Happy Family) is a 2017 computer animated horror comedy film directed and produced by Holger Tappe, and co-written by David Safier. It is based on David Safier's children's book Happy Family. The film stars Emily Watson, Nick Frost, Jessica Brown Findlay, Celia Imrie, Catherine Tate, and Jason Isaacs. The film received negative reviews from critics.

Plot

The film begins in Transylvania, where Count Dracula laments about his loneliness with his three bat servants. Suddenly, he receives a phone call from Emma Wishbone, who has mistakenly called him instead of a monster costume store. Rotten luck bedevils Emma until she reaches her bookstore, where she complains to her co-worker Cheyenne of all the troubles plaguing her family:

 Her own bookstore is in dire financial straits.
 Her son Max is bullied in school and is a social outcast due to his nerdy mannerisms.
 Her daughter Fay is sarcastic and rude, caring only about boys.
 Her husband Frank is constantly overworked and sleep-deprived.

Seeking to foster a sense of family, Emma makes a handful of monster costumes for her family - her as a vampire, Frank as Frankenstein's monster, Fay as a mummy, and Max as a werewolf - to wear to a monster-themed costume party presented by Cheyenne. Though the family is clearly not in the mood for such an outing, they nevertheless reach their destination. They unexpectedly receive a star treatment only to discover that they have been mistaken for a monster-themed rock-and-roll band that was meant to perform at the party. Security guards deposit the family into the alleyway behind the building, where Emma finally snaps.

The bad evening only grows worse when Baba Yaga arrives to turn Emma into a vampire with a transformative curse. The spell works, but unexpectedly turns the rest of the family into the monsters they were portraying. Enraged, Emma chases down Baba Yaga while her family splits up to visit various spots around the city. Fay goes to her crush's house only to be rejected due to her appearance while Max stalks and scares the school bully. Emma eventually captures Baba Yaga and demands to have her family returned to normal only to discover the old witch's amulet - the source of her power - has worn out and must be recharged at the London Eye.

After Baba Yaga escapes, the Wishbone family regroups at home and they realize they must catch Baba Yaga to return to normal. The Wishbones reach the airport, with help from Cheyenne - who is unafraid of the Wishbones' new appearance. Fay manages to get them on the plane after learning she can hypnotize people, which she does with abandon. On board the flight, Emma begins to spiral into the more violent side of vampirism as her bloodlust kicks in and she attempts to bite one of her fellow passengers. A timely intervention from Dracula halts this and he absconds with the confused and blood-hungry Emma aboard his personal jet leaving her family on the passenger plane.

As her family wonders where she is, Dracula tries to talk Emma into running away with him. She initially considers due to not being happy with the issues with her family. But when she refuses, Dracula unceremoniously tosses her from his jet.

As Emma regroups with her family by the London Eye, Dracula gets upset and tells his hunchback servant Renfield to prepare his snowflake machine to destroy the world in retaliation.

Meanwhile, Baba Yaga gets her amulet charged. When Emma confronts her and tries to take the amulet, Baba sends the family to Egypt. Cheyenne tries to help, but she ends up befriending and helping Baba Yaga. She tells Cheyenne about Dracula's plan to turn Emma into a monster. Baba Yaga also tells her about how he imprisoned her and said he would free her if she did what he asked.  The only way for them to return to normal was to be happy as themselves despite their appearance.

Emma and the family hallucinates an Oasis while in the deserts of Egypt, but soon snap out of it and realize that they have been unknowingly walking in a circle.

Dracula shows off the snowflake's power to his servant and swears revenge on the humans.

Meanwhile, in Egypt, Max and Fay get angry at Emma and go off on their own in separate directions. Emma then gets angry at her husband and pushes him away.

Dracula had been watching her. Seeing this, Dracula goes to get her as she wanders around until the bloodlust finally takes over. She attacks a couple of tourists, but Dracula narrowly saves them and takes her away to his castle.

Meanwhile, Frank comes across a stranded Jeep filled with models and Fay meets Imhotep. Imhotep tells Fay she's pretty and shows her how to use her mummy powers to become a sandstorm. Max gets mistaken for a piece of food by a dromedary and he chases it to a desert hotel with glass pyramids, where Frank also happens to be.

Dracula seeks to romance Emma in his castle. They dance. Though she refuses his advances at first, she eventually agrees to stay. After being shown to her beautiful new room, Emma realizes she misses her family. Cheyenne and Baba Yaga then suddenly appear and explain the truth about what Dracula had done to Baba Yaga.

Frank, Fay, and Max separately come to realize that their newfound luck doesn't compare to when they are together as a family. Fay learns that Imhotep plans to take over the world, Max learns that having people scared of you isn't very fun, and Frank learns to be a better husband. Baba Yaga and Cheyenne then transport them to Dracula's castle.

Renfield tells them that if Emma doesn't marry Dracula, he will shoot a magical snowflake into the sun, causing all life on earth to die - except for vampires as they don't require sunlight.

The family confronts Dracula, with the intention of pouring homemade holy water in his bath. Though they lose initially, they eventually turn themselves human by realizing their love and need for each other and becoming happy. They then gain the upper hand by exposing Dracula to sunlight and permanently freezing him with his snowflake.

The Wishbones return home and their circumstances change. Frank stands up for himself at work after putting a photo of their family adventure and the frozen Dracula on his desk, Max stops getting bullied, and Fay meets a nerdy guy in a knight's costume at a costume party that Emma throws at home. Baba Yaga, Renfield, and the three bats crash the party. The family takes another photo together, showing their happiness.

Cast
 Emily Watson as Emma Wishbone, Frank's wife and the mother of Fay and Max. She is turned into a vampire.
 Nick Frost as Frank Wishbone, Emma's husband and the father of Fay and Max. He is turned into a monster similar to Frankenstein's monster.
 Jessica Brown Findlay as Fay Wishbone, the daughter of Emma and Frank who is turned into a mummy.
 Ethan Rouse as Max Wishbone, the son of Emma and Frank who is turned into a werewolf.
 Celia Imrie as Cheyenne, Emma's co-worker at her bookstore and family friend.
 Catherine Tate as Baba Yaga, Dracula's former captive witch. She is responsible for turning the Wishbone family into monsters.
 Jason Isaacs as Count Dracula, a vampire who becomes infatuated with Emma.
 Ewan Bailey as Renfield, Baba Yaga's husband and Dracula's former butler.
 Issac Rouse as Jayden, Fay's boyfriend.
 Daniel Ben-Zenou as Imhotep, a mummy who teaches Fay how to use her mummy abilities.
 Jessica McDonald as Sheila, Fay's schoolfriend.
 Sidney Dorn as Bull, the school bully who picks on Max.
 Emma Tate as Head Model
 Dirk Stollberg, Jan Makino, and Rainer Fritzsche as Dracula's bats
 Friedel Morgenstern

Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 10% based on 21 reviews, and an average rating of 2.3/5. The critical consensus reads: "Monster Family promises a family-friendly animated monster mash, but succeeds only in delivering a viewing experience so lackluster that parents may find it genuinely frightening."

Box office
The film was a box office bomb. It grossed $127,259 in the US, £443,269 in the UK, $4,692,430 in Germany and $21,178,934 in other countries for a worldwide total of $26,441,982, making it a commercial failure.

Release
The film was theatrically released in the United Kingdom on 2 March 2018. Monster Family was released on DVD in the UK on 2 October 2018 by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

References

External links
 Monster Family at British Film Institute website
 Monster Family at Internet Movie Database
 Monster Family at Rotten Tomatoes

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Agostino Borgato

Agostino Borgato (June 30, 1871 – March 14, 1939), sometimes known as Al Borgato, was an Italian actor and director, before moving to Hollywood in the mid-1920s. Borgato acted and/or directed about fifteen films in his native Italy between 1915 and 1922. In the 1920s, he also acted on the stage in both Italy and England. In 1925 Borgato immigrated to the United States, where he began his American acting career in Herbert Brenon's silent film, The Street of Forgotten Men.

His Hollywood career would last fourteen years, during which time he would appear in 45 films (although some sources have him in as many as 62 films), having roles in such classic films as 1932's Murders in the Rue Morgue (starring Bela Lugosi, and the 1939 musical comedy version of The Three Musketeers (starring Don Ameche and The Ritz Brothers).

His distinctive features and voice resulted from acromegaly. The Three Musketeers and Hotel Imperial were the last two films he worked on, and both were released on the same day, February 17, 1939, less than a month before Borgato would die of a heart attack on March 14.

Filmography

In Italy
(Per MoviesPictures.org)

L'ultimo cavaliere (1915) - actor
Estremo convegno (1915) - actor
 The Sinful Woman (1916) - actor
Il vetturale del Moncenisio (1916) - actor
Buon sangue non mente (1916) - actor
Uragano (1918) - actor
Supremo olocausto (1918) - director
S.M il Danaro (1919) - director
S.A. l'Amore (1919) - director
Il cuore di Musette (1919) - director
Il ponte dei sospiri (1921) - actor
Il figlio (1921) - actor, director
Il trionfo di Ercole (1922) - actor

In the United States
(Per AFI database)

The Street of Forgotten Men  (1925)
The Love Thief  (1926)
A Kiss in a Taxi  (1927)
Fashions for Women  (1927)
Horse Shoes  (1927)
Hula  (1927)
The Magic Flame (1927)
A Perfect Gentleman  (1928)
Romance of the Rio Grande  (1929)
Hot for Paris  (1929)
La voluntad del muerto  (1930)
Behind the Make-Up  (1930)
The Maltese Falcon  (1931)
Transgression  (1931)
Il grande sentiero  (1931)
Murders in the Rue Morgue  (1932)
Bird of Paradise  (1932)
Primavera en otoño  (1933)
 Forbidden Melody (1933)
Christopher Strong  (1933)
Marie Galante  (1934)
Now and Forever  (1934)
All Men Are Enemies  (1934) (uncredited)
Julieta compra un hijo  (1935)
In Caliente  (1935)
Mad Love  (1935)
The Gay Deception  (1935)
Till We Meet Again  (1936)
Wives Never Know  (1936)
Rose-Marie  (1936)
Love on the Run  (1936)
Man of the People  (1937) (uncredited)
El capitán Tormenta  (1937)
Internes Can't Take Money  (1937)
Lloyd's of London  (1937)
Maytime  (1937)
The Firefly  (1937)
The Bride Wore Red  (1937)
Love Under Fire  (1937)
The Emperor's Candlesticks  (1937)
Daughter of Shanghai  (1938)
A Trip to Paris  (1938) (uncredited)
Swiss Miss  (1938)
Flight into Nowhere  (1938)
Hotel Imperial  (1939)
The Three Musketeers  (1939)

References

External links

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Key Club: 'Celebration of a dream'

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by:
Robin Hartill
Managing Editor

Top Arvida Corp. officials flew in from around the United States; each was seeking a first look at the pristine new beachfront hotel.

It was the final week of September 1982, and the Inn on the Beach hotel had finally been completed, more than six years after the Longboat Key Town Commission approved plans for the Longboat Key Club, which would have a resort at the center, serving as the hub of its activity.

The hotel welcomed its first guests Oct. 4, 1982, including a conference group from Eastern Airlines.
In the following months, parties and golf and tennis tournaments celebrated the new resort.

“They had a big shindig,” said Richard “Sam” Barlow, who began working for Arvida in 1970 and today serves as the Key Club’s irrigation technician. “The mayor was invited. I remember that. A lot of the locals came out.”

Longboat Key Director of Tennis John Woods remembers the celebratory tennis tournament that drew big names such as Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and Fred Stolle, along with a dinner dance in which Larry Elgart and his band played.

The three-month kick-off period was titled “Celebration of a Dream.”

Dreaming bigArvida officials weren’t the first to dream big for Longboat Key’s south end.

A January 1983 advertisement for Inn on the Beach paid homage to the man whose big dreams never came to fruition.

The promise that was made ahead of its time came in the form of a luxury hotel on the land that is now the home of the Chart House Restaurant in 1926 that was to become a Ritz-Carlton hotel.

Instead, John Ringling ran out of money as Florida’s land boom burst in the late 1920s. Ringling abandoned the hotel, which was approximately 90 days away from completion.

The hotel languished for the next three-and-a-half decades, dubbed the “Ghost Hotel” by locals. It was an eyesore and a known hangout for local teenagers.

Then, in 1959, Arthur Vining Davis, a 92-year-old aluminum mogul, set his sights on Longboat Key. He formed a development company and named it Arvida, combining the first two letters of his first, middle and last names, then for $13.5 million purchased 2,000 acres, including the south half of Longboat Key, most of Lido Key, and all of Bird, Otter and Coon keys.

The sale was the largest real-estate deal in Sarasota history.

Shortly after the deal was announced in 1959, a Sarasota Herald-Tribune article contemplated the possibilities the deal carried, including the completion of Ringling’s hotel.

“Arvida has in its hands the future of Sarasota,” a top local Realtor, who had searched for a buyer and developer of the hotel and believed it to be structurally sound, told the newspaper. “If the project is done well, it will be of benefit to all who live here. If it is done badly, it will be disastrous.”

In the early 1960s, Arvida considered completing Ringling’s hotel, but 33 years of neglect made that impossible. Instead, the company demolished the hotel in 1962 and 1963.

The company then began a massive development program throughout the Key, clearing land, digging a perimeter canal “and coming before the Town Commission with scores of plans for some of the most attractive and innovative buildings and golf courses in the country,” according to Ralph Hunter’s “From Calusas to Condominiums.”

In 1975, after it had already built its first golf course and tennis facilities at Islandside, Arvida applied to develop the Key Club’s hotel, restaurant, 1,500 residences, yacht club and specialty shopping center.

Residents who filled Town Hall weren’t just concerned about Arvida’s plans for the Key Club. They worried about plans for shopping centers, tourist traps and attractions that would bring the masses across the bridges from mainland Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Finally, the commission approved the plan 4-3 in May 1976. But the approval was contingent on Arvida’s compliance with 25 conditions, including its providing for the widening of Gulf of Mexico Drive.

Dream come trueRome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was the Key Club.

The next four years would bring various threats of lawsuits, discussions and compromises about the project’s zoning, development schedule and land intensity schedule.

But by 1980, Arvida got permission to begin construction for its hotel, and two years later, the first hotel guests arrived.

The opening of the hotel was neither the beginning nor the end of the Longboat Key Club’s development.
But a newspaper advertisement that ran during the three months after the hotel was completed summed up the milestone moment.

“John Ringling had a dream,” it stated. “A magnificent dream of an unsurpassed resort experience in the Florida Gulf Coast sunset. In keeping with that dream, Arvida Corp. unveils the Inn on the Beach at Longboat Key Club. To fulfill a promise that was made before its time. But, that time has come ... and now we celebrate that dream.”

This article includes information from Frank Cunningham’s “The Key to Longboat”; Ralph Hunter’s “From Calusas to Condominiums”; Gary Mormino’s “Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams”; and archives of the Longboat Observer, Gulf Coast Business Review, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, St. Petersburg Times and The Evening Independent.

LONGBOAT KEY CLUB & RESORT TIMELINE1959 — Arthur Vining Davis formed Arvida Corp. and purchased John Ringling’s 2,000-acre real-estate holdings including the southern half of Longboat Key, most of Lido Key and all of Bird, Otter and Coon keys.

1984 — The Key Club received four stars in the Mobil Travel Guide — one of the few resorts to achieve such a rating after its first year — and four diamonds from the American Automobile Association (now AAA).

April 30, 1990 — The Shannon Resort Group Inc. entity Key Club Associates purchased the Key Club’s Harbourside and Islandside golf and tennis facilities for $22 million and Inn on the Beach in a separate $3 million sale. The sale closed nearly two years after Shannon officials began negotiations. As part of an agreement between the town and Arvida, the town had the first right of refusal for the purchase of the property’s golf and tennis facilities. The commission ultimately voted 3-4 against the purchase, clearing the way for the Shannon Group to buy the facilities.

July 1992 — The Town Commission approved an out-of-court settlement with the Shannon Hotel Group as part of the “Tee Time” lawsuits stemming from a complaint that the company gave preference to hotel guests over members for tee times at its golf facilities despite a previous agreement that members would be given preference. The agreement allowed the Key Club to solicit membership off the island, as long as it could prove that it wasn’t operating at capacity and to allow hotel guests to use the Harbourside course with a one-day advance booking between Jan. 1 and April 30, while disallowing group bookings.

1996 — The 12,000-square-foot Harbourside clubhouse was completed, and expansions of the Islandside clubhouse, including the addition of a 3,000-square-foot fitness center, was also finished.
March 2004 — Loeb announced that Shannon Resort & Club Group owners Shane Eagan and Tom Rasmussen would no longer manage the Key Club. Michael Welly was named as the Key Club’s new general manager.

December 2007 — The Key Club purchased Longboat Key Moorings for $8 million, completing a deal that took three years of negotiations and three separate offers.

April 10, 2008 — The Key Club unveiled a $500-million project for its southernmost Islandside property.

Sept. 30, 2008 — The Key Club filed a pre-application request for a $400 million scaled-back plan in part because of concerns of Islandside residents.

March 2009 — The Key Club unveiled its $4.5 million Tennis Gardens facility with 20 Har-Tru courts, tennis concierge, Court 21 Cafe and Lounge, and a 500-seat stadium that can be expanded to seat up to 2,500.

June 30, 2010 — The Town Commission approved the Islandside plan after 23 public hearings, which took place at Temple Beth Israel instead of Town Hall because of the crowd’s size.

Aug. 22, 2012 — The Key Club and Loeb announced a joint venture with the Delray Beach-based Ocean Properties Ltd. For all of the resort’s assets that, if consummated, will make Ocean Properties an equity partner in Key Club Associates, L.P., the entity that controls the Key Club.

Aug. 29, 2012 — The Florida 2nd District Court of Appeal upheld the lower court’s ruling that quashed the Islandside development order, effectively killing the application.

September 2012 — Key Club General Manager Michael Welly received the green light from Loeb and the Islandside project’s London-based investors, Abercromby Property International, to resubmit its project to the town.


Steve Ridgway

Stephen Ridgway, CBE (born 29 September 1951) is a British business executive best known for having been the CEO of Virgin Atlantic Airways.

Early life
Ridgway was born in Tavistock, Devon, and grew up on a farm in Bantham near Salcombe. He went to school in Kingsbridge, south Devon

He gained an Economics BSc degree (awarded by the University of London) from Oxford Brookes University. He later gained a PGCE in 1976.

Career
He worked for Cavenham Foods (owned by Sir James Goldsmith and later sold to Générale Occidentale) as a sales manager, and briefly became a teacher. He moved to Miami and began his business career working for a builder of power boats, Ted Toleman. He worked for two years as Business Development Manager at the Toleman Group. One of these boats was the Virgin Atlantic Challenger, and he became the Chief Pilot. From 1981–1985 he worked for Cougar Marine, who built the Virgin boats.

Virgin Atlantic
He joined Virgin Atlantic in 1989. In 1990, he became managing director of Virgin Freeway. He became a board director in 1994. Formerly Virgin Atlantic's vice-president of customer services, he was appointed as managing director of  Virgin Atlantic in April 1998. He became Chief Executive in October 2001.

He announced his retirement as CEO of Virgin Atlantic on 10 September 2012, and left the company on 1 February 2013.

He has built the £13.5m St Moritz Hotel in Trebetherick, Cornwall, with his brother Hugh.

Personal life
Ridgway has three children and lives in London and Sussex. His children were educated at St Edward's School, Oxford the same school where Sir Richard Branson had his children educated. He enjoys sailing and fast cars. He was awarded a CBE in the 2006 New Year Honours.

References

External links
 Virgin Atlantic
 Sunday Times - Andrew Davidson January 2009
 Daily Mail February 2008
 The Times (London), 28 August 2006: Powers in the boardroom - No plain sailing for Virgin chief
 BBC News: Virgin staff 'shocked' by pilot Includes photo of Ridgway and his statement following the arrest of a Virgin Atlantic pilot.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. - So just what have the Huskies been up to since they left Seattle?

A few dozen fans and UW staff members stood out in the rain to send the team off from Alaska Airlines Arena at noon Tuesday. The players wore new, all-gray sweat suits with purple, block Ws and 2011 NCAA Tournament on the front, and 2011 Pac 10 Champions on the back in the middle of the shoulders.

Lorenzo Romar began the flight to Charlotte by coming to the back of the plane and offering sticks of red licorice to surprised members of the Husky band. Try to find another big-time coach who does that.

The band members then continued their tradition of singing "Bow Down to Washington" with a clapping chorus as the Huskies' chartered jet took off at about 1:20 p.m. local time Tuesday afternoon from Boeing Field in Seattle. The players, all in first class for this latest trip to the NCAA tournament, got a kick out of forward and jokester Darnell Gant joining in with the band from the other end of the plane.

Then came the five-hour flight across the country, covering 2,800 miles in the longest trip for an NCAA tournament team to a second-round site. Coaches and some staff sat with their wives and families. Isaiah Thomas listened to music on his headphones, which are on so much they may actually be glued to his head. Freshman Terrence Ross fretted that he had forgotten his movie DVDs, and that this was going to be "the longest five hours of my life."

Somewhere over the Rockies, Bryan-Amaning held and swung and giggled with assistant coach Raphael Chillous' daughter Zaya as the toddler waited in front of first class for the bathroom to become available.

Moments later, MBA emerged in coach class with a smile and a box of Cinnabon rolls. He took them to the back galley and convinced a flight attendant to warm up the rolls there. Minutes later, she came back carrying a warm tray of them, with the sweet smell wafting through the cabin.

The team arrived around 9:30 p.m. Charlotte time and were greeted with home-like weather: rainy and temperatures in the 40s. The seventh-seeded Huskies arrived at the Reinassance Charlotte Southpark, which is in a corporate office park and across from a swanky mall, about 15 minutes south of downtown and the Time Warner Cable arena, and immediately ate a Southern-style dinner in a meeting room: fried chicken, ribs, macaroni and cheese and corn muffins. Oh, and apple pie with ice cream.

The NCAA assigns hotels for each second- and third-round sites based on seeding. In Charlotte, No. 1-seeded Duke is at the, ahem, Ritz-Carlton downtown. Second-seeded North Carolina is at the Hilton Charlotte University Place. The Tar Heels' opponent, 15th-seeded Long Island, gets the Marriott across the mall from where UW is staying. The only other of the eight teams here not downtown near the arena is 16th-seeded Hampton, which is staying at a Doubletree Suites, about a quarter mile from UW's place.

The first full day of acclimating to the Eastern time zone included players submitting some of the 10 final exams or term papers for winter quarter the players are completing on this trip. The Huskies have an academic advisor on the trip that administers study tables each afternoon in the hotel and proctors exams. So it's not all basketball here.

Bryan-Amaning joined us before the team's lunch for a live chat with hundreds of fans in the hotel's lobby atrium. He spent a full hour answering questions such as what attracted him to UW from London - "Coach Romar." He also revealed that the international basketball governing body, FIBA, this week granted host Great Britain a place in the Olympic tournament at the 2012 London Games. He's already been on the national team, and its coach has indicated this week's decision likely makes Bryan-Amaning an Olympian.

The team had an intense, two-hour practice inside the tiny gym at Division II Queens University nearby on Wednesday. You could tell it was March. Players dived head-first for loose balls and staged a battle royale during a particularly heated rebounding and transition drill. It was the most competitive - and, the players later said, productive practice of the season. This game will be won or lost in the lane against the inside-oriented Bulldogs, and Washington knows setting a rugged, frenetic tone on its terms will be a key.

Wednesday night, the players, staff and their families had a big dinner at Del Frisco's steakhouse a short walk from the hotel. At the end of the feast, assistant coach Raphael Chillious had his daughter help him blow out the single candle on a small cake as the rest of the room sang Happy Birthday to him.

Coaches have come by rooms at 11 p.m. for bed check each night, but that's not lights-out time. The Huskies have struggled to get their sleep patterns on east-coast time, and many have been up to the early A.M. hours because of their Seattle body clocks. That's how Friday night's 9:45 p.m. local time should work to UW's advantage. It's almost the precise hour, 6:45 p.m. Seattle time, that the Huskies tipoff most of their West Coast games all season. Georgia, meanwhile, will be starting at its latest hour of the season.

Thursday was the Dawgs' busiest basketball day yet this week. Another focused, two-hour practice in the morning back at Queen's University last until lunch. The players then bussed back to their hotel, and en route stopped at the neighboring mall to visit its food court and their favorite place: Chick-fil-A.

Next was study hall, with four more players taking tests. Bryan-Amaning had a sociology final, one of the last ones in his major. At 4 p.m., the team boarded its bus downtown to go to the game arena, the fancy, 20,000-seat home of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats, for the first time for interviews and a public practice of mainly layups. As they left the hotel, many of them were buzzing over Morehead State upsetting Seattle native Peyton Siva and Louisville minutes earlier.

The team's demeanor grew noticeably more focused Thursday. All minds are on Friday night's start to UW's sixth NCAA tournament in nine seasons under Romar.