The Jan. 24 bombing at Moscow's Domodedovo International Airport killed 35 people and injured more than 160. The attack occurred at approximately 4:40 p.m. as passengers from several arriving international flights were leaving the airport after clearing immigration and customs. The attacker (or attackers; reports are still conflicting over whether the attack was conducted by a man or a man and a woman together) entered the international arrivals hall of the airport, a part of the facility that is outside the secure area and that is commonly packed with crowds of relatives and taxi and limo drivers waiting to meet travelers. Once the attacker was in the midst of the waiting crowd and exiting passengers, the improvised explosive device that he (or she) carried was detonated. It is not clear at this point whether the device was command-detonated by the attacker as a traditional suicide bomb or if the device was remotely detonated by another person. The attack was most likely staged by Islamist militants from Russia's Northern Caucasus region who have conducted a long series of attacks in Russia, including the Aug. 24, 2004, suicide bombings that destroyed two Russian airliners. The Domodedovo attack serves as a striking illustration of several trends we have been following for years now, including the difficulty of preventing attacks against soft targets, the resourcefulness of militants in identifying such targets and the fixation militants have on aviation-related targets.

Soft Targets

By definition, soft targets are those targets that are vulnerable to attack due to the absence of adequate security. Adequate security may be absent for a number of reasons, including disregard for the threat and lack of competent forces to conduct security, but most often soft targets are "soft" because of the sheer number of potential targets that exist and the impossibility of protecting them all. Even totalitarian police states have not demonstrated the capability to protect everything, so it is quite understandable that more liberal democratic countries do not possess the ability to provide airtight security for every potential target. Moreover, some measures required to provide airtight security for soft targets are often seen as intrusive by citizens of countries where personal freedom is valued and the financial cost associated with providing such security measures is often seen as excessive. There is an old security truism that states: "If you try to protect everything all the time you will protect nothing."

Because of this reality, policymakers must use intelligence gained from militant groups, along with techniques such as risk assessment and risk management, to help them decide how best to allocate their limited security resources. While this will help protect the targets the government deems most sensitive or valuable, it will also ensure that some things remain unprotected or under-protected. Those things become soft targets. While most militants would prefer to attack traditional high-profile targets such as embassies and government buildings, those sites have become far more difficult to attack in the post-9/11 world. At the same time, the relentless pursuit of terrorist operatives by the United States and its allies has resulted in the degradation of the capabilities and reach of groups such as al Qaeda. Today the threat posed to the West stems primarily from grassroots militants and jihadist franchises rather than the al Qaeda core. While this has broadened the threat, it has also made it shallower, since grassroots operatives are far less capable of spectacular and strategic attacks than the professional terrorist cadre of the al Qaeda core. The combination of increased security at hard targets and the reduced capabilities of militant operatives has resulted in militant planners shifting their targeting toward softer targets, which are easier to attack. As a result of this shift, targets such as hotels have replaced embassies and other hardened sites in militant target selection.

Generally, militants prefer to attack soft targets where there are large groups of people, that are symbolic and recognizable around the world and that will generate maximum media attention when attacked. Some past examples include the World Trade Center in New York, the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai and the London Underground. The militants' hope is that if the target meets these criteria, terror magnifiers like the media will help the attackers produce a psychological impact that goes far beyond the immediate attack site — a process we refer to as "creating vicarious victims." The best-case scenario for the attackers is that this psychological impact will also produce an adverse economic impact against the targeted government.

Unlike hard targets, which frequently require attackers to use large teams of operatives with elaborate attack plans or very large explosive devices in order to breach defenses, soft targets offer militant planners an advantage in that they can frequently be attacked by a single operative or small team using a simple attack plan. The failed May 1, 2010, attack against New York's Times Square and the July 7, 2005, London Underground attacks are prime examples of this, as was the Jan. 24 attack at Domodedovo airport. Such attacks are relatively cheap and easy to conduct and can produce a considerable propaganda return for very little investment.


FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT PARK INN - PAGE 2

NEW DELHI: Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group will increase the number of hotels it operates in India to 100 by 2015, a top company official said. The American hospitality firm is currently the largest international operator in the country with 63 hotels. "India is a priority for us. We have more hotels here than in China," said Simon Barlow, president, Asia Pacific for the company. Carlson opened 13 hotels in 2012, after a record year in 2011 when they opened 18 hotels. This year, the plan is to open another 13 properties which will take them closer to their target of 100 hotels.

NEW DELHI: Global hospitality major Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group plans to open over 130 new hotels in India in 10 years as it seeks to increase it's footprint in the country. The chain, which currently runs hotels under brands Radisson Blu, Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson in India, will focus mostly on mid-scale hotels under management contract. "We plan to open over 130 new hotels across India by 2024. We already have 68 hotels that are operational in the country," Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group South Asia Chairman K B Kachru told PTI. The new hotels will be across the brands that the company has in India but the focus will be mainly on the midscale segment as it has more demand and significant potential, he added.

COIMBATORE: Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group is eyeing major pilgrimage centres in south India to set up hotels as part of its expansion plans, a top company official said today. Carlson Group is one of the world's largest hotel chains. South India has vast potential for religious tourism and the group is focusing its attention to develop hotels in major pilgrimage centres like Tirupati , Madurai and Rameshwaram , said Raj Rana , CEO, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, South Asia.

NEW DELHI: Global hospitality major Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group today launched its upscale 'Radisson Red' brand in India as part of its ambitious expansion plans here. The Group has 74 hotels in operation and 43 more in the pipeline across different cities in India. "Bringing the Radisson Red brand to India is in line with our continued long term commitment to India to bring new brands to the market," Group's Asia Pacific President Thorsten Kirschke told PTI. Radisson Red is the company's upscale brand which enables guests to 'elect' the type of experience that best reflects their lifestyle.

GUWAHATI: Global hospitality major Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group plans to add 3,000 new rooms to its portfolio under various brands across India over the next 3-4 years, creating 4,500-5,000 new jobs. The Group, which has been primarily into big cities in India, will have most of its planned 27-28 new hotels in tier-II cities of the country. "The Carlson Rezidor Group continues to add 7-8 hotels every year to its portfolio and we will continue this rate. At present, we have 27-28 hotels in pipeline and in various stages of completion," Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group (South Asia)

NEW DELHI: US hospitality major Carlson is picking 26% stake in a fresh venture with the Unitech group for introducing the Regent hospitality brand in India. The joint venture would be developing the luxury hotel property located at Greater Noida with an estimated investment of Rs 450 crore. For Carlson, which has global operations under brands such as Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn, Country Inns & Suites apart from Regent, this would be the first such equity venture in the country.

GURGAON: Identifying India as a key market for its future growth, global hospitality and travel company Carlson today said it plans manage over 100 hundred hotels in the country by 2015 as part of international expansion plan. The company, which manages 31 hotels across India, said it will have over 11,000 rooms in the next five years on the back of expansion, up from the 2,865 rooms it has at present. It has already opened three new hotels this year, while another five are in the pipeline to be operational in 2010.

CHENNAI: US-based international hospitality chain Carlson Hotels Worldwide's Country Inns & Suites has made its entry into the Chennai market with a new 96-room hotel in Egmore. The Rs 78-crore hotel, styled Country Inn & Suites by Carlson, has come up on the same property that housed the erstwhile Vaigai hotel (a 58-room hotel that was in operation for four decades) till a few months ago. Spread over 9.5 grounds, the 11-storeyed the new hotel has 96 rooms, only 48 of which are currently operational.

Despite economic growth remaining slow and demand for hotels slackening, Carlson Hotels' chairperson Diana L Nelson considers India a strong market. In the past one year, 15% of Carlson's hotel investment world over was in India. By 2020, the company plans to manage 200 hotels in the country as well as invest in some, Nelson told ET's Varuni Khosla in an interview as she explained the company's strategy. Edited excerpts: There has been a shift of sorts from interest in luxury hotels to mid-market hotels in India.

LONDON: Carlson Hotels, the US group that operates the Regent and Radisson chains, is planning to add 30 odd hotels in India in the mid-market segment over the next few years, and has set up a strategic alliance with a new US $1 billion private equity fund to target primarily in India and China. Carlson Hotels Asia Pacific has plans to expand its Park Inn and Country Inn mid-market brands and economy brands in India in smaller cities and towns, and has tied up with Lotus Hotel Invesment Fund, based in London, which is a new fund focused exclusively on the hotel sector in the high-growth markets of India, China and others in the Asian region.


Cranberries lead singer Dolores O’Riordan has died suddenly in London at the age of 46. No cause of death has been revealed. The singer was in London for a recording session on a new album.

Police in Westminster said they were called to a hotel on Park Lane at 9.05am. “A woman in her mid-40s was pronounced dead at the scene,” a Metropolitan Police statement said. “At this early stage the death is being treated as unexplained.”

Her publicist said that family members are “devastated to hear the breaking news” and have requested privacy “at this very difficult time”.

She is survived by her ex-husband, Don Burton, and her three children, Taylor Baxter, Molly Leigh and Dakota Rain.

Dolores O’Riordan, lead singer with the group The Cranberries. Photograph: Eric Luke

The parish priest from her home town has confirmed her funeral will take place in Co Limerick.

Fr James Walton, parish priest at Ballybricken & Bohermore Parish, said: “I only found out this afternoon. Her family is very devastated and upset. “The suddenness of her death has been a shock. I met Dolores two or three times when she was home visiting family. She was a lovely lady.

“Her family are still waiting for more details to come from London about her death. The plan is for her to be buried here at home. When that will be will depend on when her body is released.”

A spokeswoman for the London Hilton, on Park Lane, said: “It is with deep regret that we can confirm a guest sadly passed away at the hotel on Monday 15th January. “We offer our sincere condolences to their family at this difficult time. “Team members acted swiftly to alert the Metropolitan Police and we are co-operating fully with their investigation.”

O’Riordan was born in Ballybricken, Co Limerick, in 1971, the youngest of seven children. She joined The Cranberries in Limerick in 1990. They were one of the biggest Irish bands of the 1990s, selling more than 40 million records over their career. Their most popular hits included Zombie and Linger. They split up in 2003 and re-formed in 2009.

Last year the band released an acoustic album, Something Else, but had to cancel tour dates in Europe and North America because of O’Riordan’s ill health.

In May, The Cranberries cancelled a string of shows after O’Riordan was instructed by her doctors to stop working for a month for medical reasons associated with a back problem. A further set of shows in North America, due to take place in September and October, were cancelled in July.

Dolores O'Riordan: Share your memories and tributes

bye bye Gio. We're off to Ireland 🍀 pic.twitter.com/d6HKOFJqGB — Dolores O'Riordan (@DolORiordan) January 4, 2018 We are devastated on the passing of our friend Dolores. She was an extraordinary talent and we feel very privileged to have been part of her life from 1989 when we started the Cranberries. The world has lost a true artist today.

Noel, Mike and Fergal — The Cranberries (@The_Cranberries) January 15, 2018

O’Riordan posted on the band’s Facebook account on December 20th: “Hi All, Dolores here. Feeling good! I did my first bit of gigging in months at the weekend, performed a few songs at the Billboard annual staff holiday party in New York with the house band. Really enjoyed it! Happy Christmas to all our fans!! Xo”

In November she recorded the theme song for the animated short film Angela’s Christmas, which was broadcast on RTÉ One on Christmas Eve.

Tributes

President Michael D Higgins paid tribute to the late singer. He said she and The Cranberries had an “immense influence on rock and pop music in Ireland and internationally”. The President added: “I recall with fondness the late Limerick TD Jim Kemmy’s introduction of her and The Cranberries to me, and the pride he and so many others took in their successes. To all those who follow and support Irish music, Irish musicians and the performing arts her death will be a big loss.”

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said for anyone who grew up in Ireland in the 1990s, Dolores O’Riordan was the voice of a generation. “As the female lead singer of a hugely successful rock band, she blazed a trail and might just have been Limerick’s greatest ever rock star. RIP,” he tweeted.

Other tributes poured in from across the music world.

Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries performing during the Cognac Blues Passion festival in Cognac in July, 2016. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Kinks guitarist Dave Davies posted a photograph of himself with O’Riordan and tweeted: “I’m really shocked that #DoloresORiordan has passed so suddenly. I was talking to her a couple of weeks before Christmas. She seemed happy and well – we even spoke of maybe writing some songs together – unbelievable God bless her.”

Hozier tweeted: “My first time hearing Dolores O’Riordan’s voice was unforgettable. It threw into question what a voice could sound like in that context of Rock. I’d never heard somebody use their instrument in that way. Shocked and saddened to hear of her passing, thoughts are with her family.”

Kodaline, who have supported The Cranberries on recent tours, tweeted: “Absolutely shocked to hear about the passing of Dolores O’Riordan! @The_Cranberries gave us our first big support when we toured with them around France years ago! Thoughts are with her family and friends.”

Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Josepha Madigan said she was “very saddened” to hear the news of the singer’s death.

Ms Madigan described the singer as an “enormously successful artist internationally.”

In a tweet on Monday evening, Ms Madigan said O’Riordan’s “haunting vocals on classics such as Linger and Zombie will live on forever.”

She added: “I’d like to pass on my condolences to her family at what must be a very difficult time for them”.

Limerick City Labour TD Jan O’Sullivan also paid tribute to the singer, saying “her talent and that of her band mates put Limerick on the map musically.”

Air rage incident

In 2016, air rage charges against O’Riordan were formally struck out after she paid €6,000 to the court poor box following an air-rage incident on an Aer Lingus flight from New York to Shannon Airport on November 10th, 2014.

It emerged during the trial that O’Riordan was suffering from a “severe mental illness” at the time of the incident. She had no memory of what had happened. The court was told that O’Riordan had been paranoid and delusional and later spent three weeks at St Patrick’s psychiatric hospital. The judge said it would be unfair to criminalise her.

In an interview last year, O’Riordan spoke about the impact the death of her father Terence in 2011 had on her and that she felt his presence after he died.

“When it happened to my father, I was very close to him. I was actually holding his hand when he took his last breath. I worried that he would die and I would be on tour,” she told the US-based Soul Sisters podcast.

“I felt something coming from him into my hand and into my body. I felt like a bit of his spirituality coming into me, and then I felt like he was inside me for a while. His spirit was in my spirit that we were caught up. It took me two years to let go.”

She said death had been a preoccupation since she was a teenager. “I used to go to graveyards and hang out there. I know I have to die. You have to die. We all have to die. When is the question. How long do we have here?” .


A block away from where I live stands the Hotel Cecil. A tall, tower-like complex with a history almost as sordid as the one that haunts the Tower of London. Hotel Cecil has always been known as the place where serial killer Richard Ramirez, aka The Nightstalker, lived for some time.

The hotel also housed another serial killer whose victims were all prostitutes. The cold-blooded Austrian serial killer, Jack Unterweger.

The Hotel Cecil is once again making headlines. However, it’s not because of another serial killer but rather of the mysterious and eerie death of Canadian tourist Elisa Lam.

The body of 21 year-old Elisa Lam was found floating inside one of the hotels water tanks on February 19th of this year. When the LAPD was called to the scene they requested any surveillance video the hotel might have kept for the last few days. It was then that the LAPD stumbled into the controversial and bizarre video of Elisa Lam’s last moments.

This video was taken minutes before she died and shows an obviously mentally unstable Elisa Lam entering and exiting the elevator in the hotel’s lobby. At times appearing to be talking to herself and acting erratically. This video went viral in the popular Chinese website Youku.com, generating more than 3 million hits in the span of a week or so. It comes as no surprise that rumors about possession instantly began as soon as the video hit the internet.

To inject any paranormal or conspiracy theories into the case would be demeaning Elisa Lam’s death. It’s obvious that something is not right. Her abnormal behavior in the elevator suggests that she may be hallucinating or under a severe form of psychosis. Yet most of the comments you read are from those who believe that either Elisa Lam was possessed or haunted, therefore causing her to commit suicide.

After keeping the public in suspense for months, the LAPD finally released the results of Elisa’s autopsy and toxicology screen. They didn’t find any drugs in her system, ruling Elisa’s death as accidental.

Drugs did not contribute to the death of a Canadian tourist whose body was discovered in a water tank atop a downtown Los Angeles hotel four months ago, coroner’s officials said. A maintainence worker discovered the body of Elisa Lam, 21, on Feb. 19 after residents of the Cecil Hotel complained about low water pressure. At the time Lam had been missing for several weeks from the hotel after traveling there from Vancouver, Canada. Los Angeles County coroner’s officials said Thursday that Lam died of an accidental drowning. Herbipolar disorder was a significant condition but authorities did not elaborate. Coroner’s officials noted that the medical examination found no visible signs of trauma on the body and toxicology tests found nothing that contributed to her death. Lam had been missing for three weeks before being found. During that time, detectives with the LAPD‘s robbery-homicide division appealed to the public for help in the case that included the release of video of her inside a Cecil Hotel elevator. In surveillance footage, Lam could be seen pushing buttons for multiple floors and at one point stepping out of the elevator and waving her arms. The only ways to get to the roof are via a locked door that only employees have access to and a fire escape. The door is equipped with an alarm system that notifies hotel personnel if someone is on the roof, Los Angeles police Sgt. Rudy Lopez said. Lam’s case inspired amateur sleuths to post numerous theories on websites about what might have happened to her. International media outlets, particularly in Canada and China, have also continued their coverage of the story. Much of the speculation focused on the surveillance video of Lam in the hotel elevator. The video went viral on the Chinese video site Youku.com, with more than 3 million views and 40,000 comments in a 10-day span. Many commenters said they were disturbed by the tape, with one calling it “spooky.” “I knew about Elisa Lam but this is the first time I saw the video,” one wrote. “I’m so scared, I’m shaking. I’m numb.” –LA Times

The strange circumstances surrounding her death keep haunting Elisa Lam.

Many are not content with the police’s investigation into the case, asking why the alarm did not go off when she opened the door that lead to the rooftop? Or why would she commit suicide by drowning herself inside a dark water tank as opposed to simply just jumping off the ledge of the building. The flames of conspiracy keep being fanned by the LAPD’s secrecy on the case.


The Firm (1989 film)

The Firm is a 1989 British made-for-television drama film directed by Alan Clarke and written by Al Hunter Ashton for the BBC. It stars Gary Oldman, Phil Davis, Charles Lawson and Steve McFadden in his acting debut. The film is based on the activities of the Inter City Firm (billed as the "Inter City Crew") football firm of West Ham United during the 1970s and 1980s.

The film, which courted controversy on release, has come to be regarded among the finest films on the subject of football hooliganism. It is notable for having almost no musical score or diegetic music, save for Dean Martin's rendition of "That's Amore" over the opening titles. Oldman's performance has been hailed as one of the greatest of his career.

Plot
Clive Bissel (nicknamed "Bex", or "Bexy") is a married man with a baby son. He is the leader of a hooligan firm known as the ICC (Inter City Crew). His wife no longer approves of his activities as a football hooligan, which contrast to his respectable job as an estate agent. Even when his baby son injures himself with a craft knife Bexy has carelessly left lying around, he is unwilling to give up violence as he admits it gives him a "buzz". Conversely, Bexy's father shows acceptance of his son's lifestyle, happily taking a group photograph of the 'tooled up' gang and boasting of similar activities in his own era. However, he feels that Bex and his friends have gone soft because they now use weapons and worry too much about strategy, instead of just getting on with fighting rival mobs.

The film begins with a rival gang called "The Buccaneers" vandalising Bexy's Ford Sierra XR4x4 and spraying graffiti in a football dressing room while Bexy and his mates are playing football. Bexy's arch nemesis and leader of the Bucaneeers, Yeti, then drives a white Volkswagen Golf GTi cabriolet across the football pitch.

With an imminent international football tournament in Holland, Bexy wants to form a 'National Firm' - comprising several rival gangs - big enough to take on the well organised and large international hooligan groups. Bexy meets leaders from other firms in the Tower Hotel in London, including the Buccaneers. The other gangs like the idea but do not like the idea of Bexy being top boy. The rival firms then agree to fight each other in order to determine who will lead the new, amalgamated firm into Europe.

Bex and his fellow hooligans only possess any kind of social status amongst their own groups, and Bex relishes being looked up to and admired by the younger men in his own firm. Bexy used his natural leadership qualities to cajole and encourage his peers, and uses intimidation to cement his position as leader of the ICC. These young men think of themselves as important, respected figures in their local community, but Bexy's wife tells him that the truth is somewhat different. Everyone thinks of him as a joke, she says, but because they fear his violent nature, few are willing to point out to him that he is not the working class hero he thinks he is.

The ICC survive violent clashes with the other gangs but must still defeat the Buccaneers. Bexy is relishing the chance to defeat Yeti. Bexy beats up Yeti during the ICC's clash with the Buccaneers in a pub but is then shot dead by an injured Yeti. Just before being shot, Bexy expresses astonishment and disbelief that Yeti has a gun, and says 'Oh, come on!' before Yeti pulls the trigger.

The closing scene depicts the surviving ICC members in a pub, honouring Bexy as a hero. They claim when they are fighting European firms at the forthcoming tournament, they will be doing so in memory of their dead leader. The hooligans from three different firms, who were fighting each other not long ago, agree that Bex was a visionary who brought them together, giving him legendary status, and that his death will not make them change their behaviour, as they vow to continue.

Cast
Gary Oldman as Clive "Bex" Bissell
Lesley Manville as Sue Bissell
 Albert Bentall as Sammy Bissell
Phil Davis as "Yeti"
Andrew Wilde as "Oboe"
Charles Lawson as "Trigg"
William Vanderpuye as "Aitch"
Jay Simpson as Dominic
Patrick Murray as "Nunk"
Robbie Gee as "Snowy"
Terry Sue-Patt as Yusef
Nick Dunning as Simon
Nicholas Hewetson as "Beef"
Steve McFadden as Billy
Steve Sweeney as JT
Hepburn Graham as Stu

Reception and legacy
The Firm proved controversial, and has been both celebrated and condemned for its violent content. Tom Dawson in The List reported that it "is widely considered to be the toughest and most insightful screen depiction of football hooligans". Vice critic Harry Sword wrote that "The Firm remains the definitive celluloid document on football hooliganism: a panoramic masterpiece that captured a world of vicious violence and material aspiration". Philip French in The Observer described the film as "by some way the best movie on the subject of football hooliganism and a key text on the subject of Thatcher's Britain."

Film4 hailed The Firm as a "brilliant and compelling drama" that features Oldman "at his visceral, intense best". Josh Winning of Total Film observed its "unflinching depictions of violence" along with Clarke's "layered, fearless approach", and named Oldman's "stunning" performance as the best of his career. Matthew Thrift of the British Film Institute in 2018 wrote that Bissell "remains probably Gary Oldman's greatest screen performance".

The Firm has been described as a cult classic.

Home media releases
The film was first released on VHS on 21 Oct 1996 in a double pack with the similarly themed ID, with a standalone release following a few years later. A DVD was first released by Prism Leisure on 2 Feb 2004. The film has been sold as part of numerous box-sets, often packed in with other films of a similar nature or from director Alan Clarke. On 10 Sep 2007 a special edition DVD (released in collectible SteelBook packaging) was finally released by BBC. Extra features on the special edition include:
An introduction to the film by David Leland
A documentary on the life's work of Alan Clarke
Timewatch: A documentary exploring the roots of football hooliganism
The Late Show: Panel discussion and critical reaction to the film
Audio commentary with Phil Davis and Lesley Manville

A version of the film with censored scenes restored from tape (including a more graphic version of Bex's blinding of Oboe, a scene of Bex mock-raping his wife, and Bex performing a knife attack on Yeti's private parts) was included in the 2016 DVD set Alan Clarke at the BBC, Volume 2: Disruption, and also released as a stand-alone DVD, both under the BFI's auspices.

Remake
The story was adapted by Nick Love into the 2009 film of the same name.

References

External links

The Firm at the British Film Institute's Screenonline

Category:1980s drama films
Category:1989 films
Category:1989 television films
Category:British association football films
Category:British drama films
Category:British films
Category:British television films
Category:Films directed by Alan Clarke
Category:Football hooliganism in the United Kingdom
Category:Millwall F.C.
Category:West Ham United F.C.
Category:Films set in 1988


Liquid nitrogen cocktail: Lancaster's Oscar's Wine Bar fined £100k Published duration 17 September 2015

image copyright Rex Features image caption Gaby Scanlon had been celebrating her 18th birthday when she drank the cocktail

A wine bar has been fined £100,000 after a woman drank a cocktail containing liquid nitrogen and had to have her stomach removed.

Gaby Scanlon, of Heysham, Lancashire, was served the Nitro-Jagermeister while celebrating her 18th birthday in 2012.

Oscar's Wine Bar in Lancaster previously admitted health and safety failings, at Preston Crown Court.

The court heard Ms Scanlon was left close to death after drinking the £3.95 shot.

She was taken to Lancaster Royal Infirmary, where a CT scan found a large perforation in her stomach.

Ms Scanlon, now 20, spent three weeks in hospital, undergoing surgery to remove her stomach and connect her oesophagus directly to her small bowel.

'Smoke from nose'

Her solicitors told the court the experience, on 4 October 2012, had "completely changed" her life.

She now suffers from "episodes of agonising pain", has to avoid some foods and can no longer enjoy eating, they said.

image copyright PA image caption Oscar's director Andrew Dunn, of Old Earswick, York, pleaded not guilty to his part in the company's failings

Describing the moment she drank the shot, Ms Scanlon told the court: "I turned to the man and asked if it was okay to drink. He said 'Yes'.

"Smoke was coming from my nose and mouth. Straight away I knew something was not right. My stomach expanded."

Oscar's Wine Bar Ltd, registered in Swinton, South Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to one count of failing in the duty of an employer to ensure the safety of persons not in its employment, admitting it failed to ensure the shot cocktail was safe for consumption.

No risk assessment was carried out regarding the potential dangers of the drinks.

The firm's director Andrew Dunn, of Old Earswick, York, pleaded not guilty to his part in the company's failings.

The prosecution said it would offer no evidence against him if he made a £20,000 contribution to the court costs prior to sentencing.

A spokesman for Lancaster City Council said: "We took the view that in the public interest it was not necessary to prosecute Mr Dunn, taking into account the interests of the family."

'Safety concerns'

Passing sentence, Judge Pamela Badley said the bar's actions "fell very far short of standards".

Liquid nitrogen was present in the Nitro-Jagermeister shot to create a cloud of smoke in the glass.

While such drinks are not illegal, physicists say the liquid must completely evaporate before the drink is safe for consumption.

The court heard the bar had sold a range of cocktails using the chemical after Mr Dunn saw similar drinks in the Berkeley Hotel in London.

He was said to have found them "alluring and intrigued by the dramatic effect".

But senior health and safety officer Peter Lord, who visited the bar in May 2012, said he had concerns about the drinks and sent a letter with guidance on liquid nitrogen usage, which was met with no response.

The family-run bar's barrister Kevin McLoughlin said the family had been left "mortified" and apologised to Miss Scanlon and her family for the "errors and misjudgements that were made".

He said: "The company and the family are truly sorry. At no time did they see anything warning them of the risks of ingestion.

"The essence of this calamity was the ignorance on the part of the company."


When you stay at a hotel you can almost guarantee your room is not going to be unique. It will look very much the same as every other room at the property, if not exactly the same. When visiting a destination like London I want something special, a place to not only rest my head after a busy day of sightseeing, but a place that adds to the whole experience.

With so much rich history and so many countries to visit it can be hard to narrow down what places to visit on a European trip. Our family has planned many European roads trips now and we have visited so many beautiful destinations. There are some places though that will always stand out, the ones you will always remember and can’t get over how amazing they are. One of these places is Gdańsk, Poland.

When planning a family trip to London the first thing you might do is book a hotel, but this would be a huge mistake. With so many accommodation options in London it can be overwhelming, but there is one company that has your back and can make your London stay amazing, welcome home to your Merino Apartment.

Planning a trip to London can be both exciting and also sometimes overwhelming especially when you throw kids into the mix. Where do you go? What will you see? But more importantly, where will you stay? The most obvious choice might be to find a hotel near attractions, but you might be surprised to find out that a hotel isn’t the only option and it definitely isn’t always the best decision.

When friends or readers ask about my many trips to Singapore I always tell them to imagine a small destination with a big impact! There’s really no way to properly describe Singapore as it’s a destination like no other. While it can seem to be a much smaller country than others don’t confuse that with a lack of activities or things to do. In fact every time I go back there is always something I missed on my last trip. It takes several trips to even chip away at what Singapore has to offer travelers.

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Events

Product liability seminar

On Thursday 12th February 2015, Colin Edelman QC was a guest speaker at BLM's annual evening seminar which was centred around topical liability, regulatory and coverage issues.

The event took place at The Andaz Hotel, London and offered guests the opportunity to hear more about practical analysis of recent case law and developments in product liability.

The panel, included BLM Partners Jim Sherwood, Michael Harvey and David Kidman as well as Philip Earl, Head of Product Regulation at the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills and Colin Edelman QC, who discussed the following:


LONDON — It was early Friday night here, and neither Don Porter nor Jessica Mendoza was in a good place.

Limos were gathering the VIPs from the VIP hotels along Park Lane. Soon, the opening ceremony of the London Olympics would begin. They were to be, as all Olympic openings have become, an artistic springboard to an athletic extravaganza.

Porter sat in an empty lounge alcove of the Grosvenor House Hotel and watched the hustle and bustle of departing dignitaries. He attended his first Games in 1968 in Mexico City, and with the exception of the U.S.-boycotted Moscow Games and the Munich Games in 1972, he had been to every Olympic Summer opener since 1976 in Montreal. He would not go this time.

Mendoza was in Orlando, Fla., one very big ocean separating her from her desired destination.

They talked by phone, commiserated a bit and had the company of each other’s ongoing bewilderment over what had happened to their Olympic dreams.

Porter is the president of the International Softball Federation. After many years of trying — “29 years, 6 months and 13 days,” he says — his sport made it to the Olympics. It made its debut at the Atlanta Games in 1996, played before sellouts there and seemed as if, with its wholesome competitive nature and its showcasing of female athletes, it was perfect for an event that preached the need for exactly that.

“I remember going to one of our games in Atlanta,” Porter says, “seeing big crowds heading in and a guy scalping tickets. I stopped the car to be sure. At that moment, I thought we had made it.”

NBC even got enough complaints about lack of air time for softball in Atlanta that Dick Ebersol sent Porter a hand-written note afterward. It said, “It won’t happen again.” Porter says he still has the note.

Things went well through Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004, and the sport was contested in ’08 in Beijing. But before that, the International Olympic Committee had voted it out, starting in London.

Mendoza was a star outfielder on the Athens and Beijing teams. She is 31, a Stanford grad, is married with a two-year-old son, works as a commentator for ESPN and is still playing softball in a pro league.

“I would have been there now,” Mendoza says. “Today hit a lot of us. There have been lots of tweets and texts. We are all feeling like we felt the day they dropped softball.”

That day, Mendoza says she had just hit two home runs in a game and was feeling pretty good.

“There were sportswriters waiting for me,” she recalls. “I was ready to talk about my game. Then one asked me how I felt about softball being eliminated from the Olympics. It was like a punch in the stomach. I lost my breath.”

The politics of the Olympics could have either killed Porter or made him stronger. The 81-year-old former NFL referee hopes for the latter. Since his sport lost its Olympic status, he has carried on the campaign. Feeling like an outcast, he came here, nevertheless, to keep pushing his message to the IOC.

“I’m working it as hard as I can,” he says, “but it gets tough. They don’t like to see you coming.”

Porter has been told his only path back is a joint venture with baseball, which also was tossed from the Games. He is in the process of joining the softball federation with the baseball federation, and doing so somewhat under protest.

“This is not our preference,” he says, “but if it is the best and only way to get back into the Olympics, we’ll do it.

Baseball is the entree because the IOC likes its corporate connections and says it wants “the best athletes in the world.” There will likely be no compromise for minor leaguers, such as Tommy Lasorda’s team that won in Sydney. The major leagues in Japan, Taiwan and Korea have signed on, so the IOC is looking for MLB’s big boys too. But getting Bud Selig and his owners to stop their season in August every four years so Albert Pujols and Matt Kemp can play in games against Belgium and Sri Lanka is not a likelihood.

Porter labors on, practicing detente with a room full of people, half of whom think baseball and softball are the same thing because they both have bats and balls, and the half who covet new money from MLB sponsors.

In a night when she is a world away, Mendoza remembers the Beijing opening ceremony as giving her an “unbelievable rush.” She remembers not wanting to leave when it ended. But her biggest rush was at her saddest moment, just minutes after she and her U.S. teammates had lost the gold-medal game, for the first time ever, to Japan.

Before the game, knowing this would be a softball finale, she conspired with players from other teams, mostly Australia, to get a bunch of yellow softballs after the medals ceremony and spell out, on the field, a giant “2016.” That was the year they hoped the IOC would let them return.

When her U.S. team lost, she hated the idea. “But I stopped sulking, got over myself, and went ahead,” she says.

The Australian team, there as spectators, drew the numbers on the field and soon, after language barriers were overcome, Chinese, Japanese, Australians and U.S. players were constructing their message to the IOC.

They posed for a picture, and Medoza says she ended up holding hands with the Japanese pitcher who had just beaten them.

“I never thought I could sink so low,” she says, “and rise up so quickly again.”

The next chance for Porter and Mendoza to feel good about an opening ceremony is whenever and wherever they hold the 2020 Olympics. Sadly, even that will take a late-inning, 10-run rally.

bill.dwyre@latimes.com


Gary Rhodes

Gary Rhodes,  (22 April 1960 – 26 November 2019) was a British restaurateur and television chef, known for his love of British cuisine and ingredients and for his distinctive spiked hair style. He fronted shows such as MasterChef, MasterChef USA, Hell's Kitchen, and his own series, Rhodes Around Britain.  As well as owning four restaurants, Rhodes also had his own line of cookware and bread mixes.  Rhodes went on to feature in the ITV1 programme Saturday Cooks, as well as the UKTV Food show Local Food Hero.

Early years
Rhodes was born in Camberwell, South London in 1960, to Gordon and Jean (née Ferris) Rhodes. He moved with his family to Gillingham, Kent, where he went to The Howard School in Rainham. He then attended catering college in Thanet where he met his wife Jennie.

Career
His first job was at the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel. He was hit by a transit van in Amsterdam leaving him with serious injuries. He then toured Europe in various jobs before becoming sous chef at the Reform Club, Pall Mall and then on to the Michelin-starred Capital Hotel in Knightsbridge where he worked under Brian Turner. Rhodes became the head chef at the Castle Hotel, Taunton in Somerset. He retained the hotel's Michelin star at the age of 26.

In 1990, Rhodes returned to London with his family to become Head Chef at the Greenhouse Restaurant in Mayfair. The menu became known for reviving British classics, including faggots, fishcakes, braised oxtails and bread and butter pudding. He was awarded a Michelin star for the Greenhouse in January 1996. In 1997 he opened his first restaurant, City Rhodes, and in 1997 Rhodes in the Square – both with global contract catering company Sodexo. This partnership expanded into the brasseries of Rhodes and Co in Manchester, Edinburgh and Crawley.

In 2003, following the closure of restaurants City Rhodes and Rhodes in the Square the previous year, he opened Rhodes Twenty Four in one of London's tallest buildings, Tower 42. Rhodes described his hopes for the restaurant on launch: "If we never get a Michelin star here, I will be very disappointed, but what I really want is customers." It won a Michelin star in 2005, which it retained until it closed as one of two Michelin starred restaurants for Rhodes in London.

Rhodes also owned Arcadian Rhodes on the P&O superliner Arcadia, Cumberland Rhodes, and Rhodes Calabash, in Grenada. He was also a contributor to the BBC Good Food magazine.

His first TV appearance was at the age of 27, courtesy of Glynn Christian on Hot Chefs; this led to Rhodes Around Britain and Gary's Perfect Christmas. For two seasons, 2000 and 2001, Rhodes hosted the original MasterChef USA on PBS. Rhodes ran a TV series New British Classics reintroducing classic British cuisine, and published a book of the same name.

Rhodes starred in the television series Rhodes Across India, with apprentices Bushra Akram, Scott Davis and Kalwant Sahota, and Rhodes Across China, which explored Chinese cuisine, with sous chefs Melissa Syers and Teresa Tsang.

Rhodes appeared in a commercial tie-in with Tate & Lyle in the late 1990s, and his recipes endorsed sugar and treacle products accordingly; his name was printed on every Tate & Lyle sugar sachet across the country. Rhodes was associated with a Cooking in Schools campaign with Flora UK and appeared in television adverts for Flora margarine, some of which featured him "driving a van topped with a giant styrofoam crumpet" which were banned.

He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on 17 June 2006. In the same year he competed, representing the South of England, in the BBC's Great British Menu, but lost to Atul Kochhar.

Rhodes appeared on the BBC Two spoof game show Shooting Stars, during which hosts Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer asked him to 'represent fire through the medium of dance'. He also competed, with professional partner Karen Hardy, in the sixth series of Strictly Come Dancing which began on 20 September 2008, and finished in 14th place.

In 2011, he moved to Dubai. He headed Rhodes Mezzanine (the forerunner to Rhodes W1) at the Grosvenor House hotel, and another called Rhodes Twenty10 at Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort.  In 2013 he opened his first restaurant in Abu Dhabi. Rhodes was a supporter of Manchester United FC.

Death

Rhodes died in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on 26 November 2019; he was aged 59. Rock Oyster Media and Goldfinch TV said in a statement to the PA news agency that Rhodes was taken ill very suddenly at home, during a break in filming a new television series, and died a short time afterward.  It was later confirmed by Rhodes's family that his death was as a result of a subdural haematoma, normally associated with a brain injury.

Many fellow celebrity chefs paid tribute, including Marcus Wareing, Aldo Zilli, Ainsley Harriott, Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver, the last of whom said he was "a massive inspiration to me as a young chef", adding that he "reimagined modern British cuisine with elegance and fun". Tom Kerridge described Rhodes as "one of the greatest British chefs who almost single handedly put British food on the world stage".

Restaurants
 Rhodes Calabash – located in the Calabash hotel, in Grenada
 Arcadian Rhodes – aboard the P&O liner Arcadia
 Oriana Rhodes at the Curzon – aboard the P&O liner Oriana
 Rhodes D7 Restaurant in Dublin – closed in 2009
 Rhodes W1 (Grosvenor House; London) – closed
 Rhodes Twenty10 (Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa and Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
 Rhodes 44 (St. Regis Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)  – closed in 2014
 Rhodes at the Dome, Plymouth Hoe, Plymouth – ended involvement in January 2016
Rhodes 24 (NatWest Tower, London) – closed 2014

References

External links
Official website
 Gary Rhodes at the British Film Institute

Category:1960 births
Category:2019 deaths
Category:English food writers
Category:English television chefs
Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Category:English chefs
Category:People from Camberwell
Category:People educated at The Howard School
Category:Head chefs of Michelin starred restaurants
Category:English emigrants to the United Arab Emirates
Category:Businesspeople from London


The Real Housewives of Potomac just got very interesting.

It turns out back in November AllAboutTRH and every other site missed a very juicy story that’s only now come to our attention.

Months ago claims surfaced that Ashley Darby‘s husband Michael MAY have cheated on her with a man!

The unidentified homewrecking man-whore man reportedly met Michael while on a business trip in London.

According to sources, Michael and his lover spent two days together at a hotel, but it turns out the dude had no clue that Michael was married until he turned on his TV and saw him with his wife.

To keep his alleged lover quiet Michael showered him with swag including a Cartier love charm and Chanel aftershave.

See the photos and messages that were allegedly exchanged between Michael and his side piece below. (WARNING: dick pics below – I did my best to make them less graphic)

Hold on a second and let me pick my jaw up off the floor. All I can say is wow. I NEVER heard this rumor or saw any stories about it anywhere. WTF. Insane.

Do you think there’s any truth to these claims? Sound off below!

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Arthur Wicks was killed after an explosion at the GPO

The mystery of Arthur Wicks, an Englishman who took up arms to fight for Irish freedom, remained unresolved a century after he died from his wounds.

He is not listed by his real name on the 1916 Rising monument that was unveiled in Glasnevin Cemetery three years ago.

He is listed under his alias ''John Neal''.

He was one of a number of people from Britain without any close connection to Ireland who chose to fight against British forces in Ireland between 1916 and 1921.

Historian Dr Padraig Og O'Ruairc tells the story of Wicks and writes about a number of men from Britain who deserted British forces to fight for Ireland during the War of Independence in a booklet entitled Deserters, Defectors and Diehards to be launched this Saturday.

"While a few dozen 1916 and War of Independence rebels were from Britain, most had Irish ancestry but some, like Wicks, had no links with Ireland," said Dr O'Ruairc.

The 1916 memorial wall in Glasnevin lists the names of rebels and members of the British forces, the police, and civilians who died in the conflict. The name ''John Neal'' is listed as a civilian.

The Englishman was the son of a bootmaker from Norwich. He worked in the hotel industry in England and joined the Industrial Workers of the World in 1911. He was known as a trade union orator.

He was imprisoned for his key role in the 1913 London Hotel Strike. On his release, he discovered he was blacklisted to prevent his employment in hotels in Britain.

He moved to Dublin in March 1916 and placed an advertisement in The Irish Times seeking employment in the hotel sector using the name ''John Neal''. He found work as a waiter and later was hired by the Shelbourne Hotel.

When the Rising broke out, he joined the Irish Citizen Army which was led by James Connolly who was born and raised in Scotland.

Irish Citizen Army veteran Thomas Craven recalled the 23-year-old Englishman had dark hair and bright dark eyes. He wore an Industrial Workers of the World badge as he asked to join the revolution.

Wicks told Craven he was a ''conscientious objector'' to fighting for a capitalist and imperialistic government and he also had a conscientious objection to being left out of a fight for liberty.

He was accepted when he reported for duty at the Rising's headquarters at the GPO.

Wicks was among 10 Irish Citizen Army members sent to Fairview in the afternoon of Easter Monday to occupy the Wicklow Chemical Manure Factory at Ballybough Road. During the first two days of the insurrection, Wicks and his comrades made sniping attacks on British soldiers.

The men became heavily outnumbered and were recalled to the GPO where they were commended by Patrick Pearse.

Wicks and others were then sent across the street to occupy the Metropole Hotel where they remained during three more days of heavy fighting.

As the hotel came under artillery fire, the volunteers were evacuated but Wicks and volunteer Charles Saurin were ordered to remain behind on the top floor to monitor enemy movements. Saurin said Wicks bravely remained on a parapet using a pair of field glasses, oblivious to the danger.

"He was one of the calmest and bravest individuals that I have ever encountered," Saurin recalled years later.

On Friday, Wicks and others were ordered back to the GPO which was being evacuated. An ammunition pouch exploded and Wicks suffered devastating shrapnel injuries.

Saurin remembered Wicks falling against him, saying "Can't you stand away and let a fellow lie down?"

Lying across a pile of mail sacks, Wicks told rebel officer Oscar Traynor: "I'm dying, comrade."

Traynor recalled later: "Upon his handsome face a look settled that I can only describe as dignified in the extreme."

Following the surrender, Wicks was carried on a stretcher to Dublin Castle and he died that night in the castle courtyard.

He was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery in the area that became the 1916 plot and he was listed as ''John Neal''. On the memorial wall unveiled in 2016, he is listed as ''Neal, John - Civilian''.

Dr O'Ruairc said it was "a disgrace" that Wicks was not acknowledged on the monument as a combatant who fought for Irish freedom.

A Glasnevin Trust spokeswoman said it required two contemporary primary sources for a name to be included in the Necrology Wall. The name John Neal was found entered in the cemetery register following his burial and the name was also included as a casualty in the 1916 Rebellion Handbook published at the time.

Such is the complex nature of Irish history, Dr O'Ruairc stated that 41 Irishmen killed in the 1916 Rising were on duty in the ranks of the British Army and police.

Another man from Britain to take up arms for Irish freedom was a young Scotsman, Ian MacKenzie, from the Highlands who joined the Irish Volunteers during the War of Independence.

His brother was killed in action in France in 1916 and his father was a major in the British army. His mother later moved with Ian to Killarney, Co Kerry, in the hope of saving her son from conscription and death in the trenches.

MacKenzie spoke Scots Gaelic and he was able to converse with native Irish Gaelic speakers. In 1918, he moved to the Gaelic speaking district of Ballingeary in Co Cork to study Irish.

He became involved with the Irish volunteers and was arrested by police for possession of a revolver. He was released without charge and he later cheekily demanded the revolver back but was refused.

A friend of MacKenzie, journalist Geraldine Neeson, described him as "a most attractive person whom we all liked very much. An extrovert… he had a sharp frequently used wit and a clear, infectious laugh, and was excellent company".

MacKenzie's main role was making improvised grenades for the IRA and he travelled to England in early 1921 and returned with 11 new revolvers. He took the Republican side in the Civil War and was shot dead in Cork in 1922. He is buried in the Republican Plot in Saint Finbarr's Cemetery in Cork City.

Dr O'Ruairc's book also details a number of British soldiers with no links to Ireland who went over to the other side to fight for Irish freedom.

'Deserters, Defectors and Diehards' will be launched in Connolly Books, Temple Bar, Dublin, at 3pm this Saturday.

Sunday Independent


Bob Dylan’s instant reaction to the recently completed album Paul McCartney brought by his London hotel room for a quick listen in the spring of 1967 may not sound like the most thoughtful analysis ever offered, but it still hit the nail on the head. “Oh I get it,” Dylan said to Paul on hearing Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band for the first time, “you don’t want to be cute anymore.” In time, the Beatles’ eighth studio album would come to be regarded by many as the greatest in the history of rock and roll, and oceans of ink would be spilt in praising and analyzing its revolutionary qualities. But what Bob Dylan picked up on immediately was its meaning to the Beatles themselves, who turned a critical corner in their career with the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band on June 1, 1967.

Writing in The Times of London in 1967, the critic Kenneth Tynan called the release of Sgt. Pepper “a decisive moment in the history of Western civilization,” but 30 years later, Paul McCartney called it a decisive moment of a more personal nature. “We were not boys, we were men,” is how he summed up the Beatles’ mindset as they gave up live performance and set about defining themselves purely as a studio band. “All that boy [stuff], all that screaming, we didn’t want any more,” McCartney said. “There was now more to it.” With Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the Beatles announced their intention to be seen “as artists rather than just performers.”

Sgt. Pepper is often cited as the first “concept album,” and as the inspiration for other great pop stars of the 60s, from the Stones and the Beach Boys to Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, to reach for new heights of creativity. For the Beatles themselves, 1967 marked not just a new creative peak, but also the beginning of a three-year period in which the group recorded and released an astonishing five original studio albums, including two—1968’s The Beatles (a.k.a. “The White Album”) and 1969’s Abbey Road—that occupy the 10th and 14th spots, respectively, on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the Greatest Albums of All Time. Also in the top 15 on that list are Rubber Soul (1965) at #5, Revolver (1966) at #3 and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band at #1.


Santa Claus is coming to town(
Visual
)53
editions published
between
1970
and
2015
in
English and Spanish
and held by
2,529 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
Where does Santa's suit come from? Why does he slide down the chimney? Why does he live at the North Pole? The answers to
all these questions and the origins of our favorite holiday traditions are revealed in this classic about Kris Kringle, the
world's most famous gift-giver

Top Hat by Mark Sandrich(
Visual
)110
editions published
between
1935
and
2015
in
5
languages
and held by
2,309 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
Showman Jerry Travers is working for producer Horace Hardwick in London. Jerry demonstrates his new dance steps late one night
in Horace's hotel, much to the annoyance of sleeping Dale Tremont below. She goes upstairs to complain and the two are immediately
attracted to each other. Complications arise when Dale mistakes Jerry for Horace

Funny face by Stanley Donen(
Visual
)75
editions published
between
1956
and
2016
in
4
languages
and held by
2,308 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
A Cinderella story about an inconspicuous salesgirl who is whisked off to Paris by a group of fashion magazine sophisticates
and is transformed into a dazzling model with whom the magazine's photographer falls in love

Swing Time by George Stevens(
Visual
)81
editions published
between
1936
and
2016
in
6
languages
and held by
1,922 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
A performer and gambler travels to New York City to raise the $25,000 he needs to marry his fiancée, only to become entangled
with a beautiful aspiring dancer

Royal wedding by Stanley Donen(
Visual
)139
editions published
between
1951
and
2013
in
4
languages
and held by
1,666 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
A musical set during Princess Elizabeth's wedding to Philip Mountbatten. A brother-sister dance team go to London and get
caught up in romance

Irving Berlin's Easter parade by Fred Astaire(
Visual
)66
editions published
between
1948
and
2013
in
3
languages
and held by
1,648 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
Astaire is trying to forget ex-dance partner Miller while rising to stardom with Garland. Too good to watch just at Easter
time

Shall we dance? by Mark Sandrich(
Visual
)73
editions published
between
1937
and
2013
in
English and French
and held by
1,551 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
A male ballet dancer and a female singer enter into a phony romance to generate publicity for their careers

The band wagon by Howard Dietz(
Visual
)77
editions published
between
1953
and
2015
in
5
languages
and held by
1,512 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
Fading movie musical star Tony Hunter, down and out in Hollywood, decides to try his luck on the Broadway stage

On the beach by Stanley Kramer(
Visual
)39
editions published
between
1959
and
2015
in
4
languages
and held by
1,468 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
Radioactive fallout from a nuclear war has wiped out the entire northern hemisphere, with the exception of Australia. With
fallout expected momentarily, the Australians review their lives, establish new relationships and prepare for their tragic
demise

Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn(
Visual
)7
editions published
between
1941
and
2010
in
English
and held by
1,254 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
A song and dance man leaves showbiz to run an inn that is open only on holidays. A former partner joins him and the two find
themselves competing for the affections of the same lovely lady

The Easter Bunny is comin' to town(
Visual
)18
editions published
between
1977
and
2008
in
English and Croatian
and held by
1,162 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
In the village of Kidsville, a town run entirely by children, the children and Sunny the Bunny make goodies for the Easter
holiday, and win over the grumpy nearby town of grownups by inventing many happy Easter traditions

The gay divorcee by Mark Sandrich(
Visual
)50
editions published
between
1934
and
2014
in
4
languages
and held by
1,078 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
In one of their best loved, most charming song and dance comedies, Fred and Ginger demonstrate just how they became known
as America's greatest dance team. Includes the Academy Award-winning hit The Continental

That's entertainment! by Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer(
Visual
)43
editions published
between
1974
and
2015
in
4
languages
and held by
1,072 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
The movies, the magic, the memories, the greatest moments, the brightest stars. The incomparable Golden Era of MGM musicals
shines in this compilation of music and dance performances

Follow the Fleet by Mark Sandrich(
Visual
)47
editions published
between
1936
and
2015
in
4
languages
and held by
1,068 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
A Navy sailor tries to rekindle a romance with the woman he loves while on liberty in San Francisco

The Barkleys of Broadway by Charles Walters(
Visual
)32
editions published
between
1949
and
2015
in
3
languages
and held by
1,065 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
Josh and Dinah Barkley are a successful (though argumentative) musical-comedy team, yet Dinah chafes as Galatea to her husband's
Pygmalion. When serious playwright Jacques Barredout envisions her as a great dramatic actress, Dinah is not hard to persuade

Finian's rainbow by Burton Lane(
Visual
)22
editions published
between
1968
and
2011
in
4
languages
and held by
1,059 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
Fred Astaire plays a conniving rogue with a stolen crock of gold and spirited wistful daughter. A leprachaun is trying to
get back his gold before he turns mortal

The towering inferno by John Guillermin(
Visual
)20
editions published
between
1974
and
2009
in
English and No Linguistic content
and held by
1,036 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
On the night of the dedication ceremony of the world's tallest skyscraper, a raging blaze breaks out, threatening the party-goers

Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn by MCA Videocassette Inc(
Visual
)44
editions published
between
1942
and
2015
in
4
languages
and held by
908 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
A song-and-dance man leaves show business and opens up a Connecticut inn with his former partner

Ziegfeld follies by Vincente Minnelli(
Visual
)26
editions published
between
1945
and
2013
in
6
languages
and held by
764 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
A dead showman looks down upon the Earth and dreams of his perfect show. A who's who of credited and uncredited Hollywood
talents

Flying down to Rio by Thornton Freeland(
Visual
)31
editions published
between
1933
and
2015
in
English and No Linguistic content
and held by
747 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
This film, containing the first of many Fred Astaire - Ginger Rogers partnerships, concerns a band in Rio. Songs include "The
Carioca," "Orchids in the Moonlight," and the title song. Pilot and band leader Gene Raymond woos Dolores Del Rio, and then
learns that she is engaged to a friend of his, after he flies her home to Rio. Fred & Ginger provide the musical moments.
Notable for a brilliantly photographed finale with chorus girls on the wings of flying airplanes, the movie was the musical
that broke with the rather contrived Busby Berkeley production and moved toward a closer integration of musical and narrative
elements. Astaire's dance numbers come not as interruptions but as extensions of the plot


Image copyright Cats Protection Image caption Olivia Meheux took Monty to a hospice to be with her husband as he died

Remarkable kitties whose owners say have transformed - or even saved - their lives have earned nominations to be crowned top cat.

The Cats Protection's National Cat Awards 2019 will be held at the Savoy Hotel in London on Thursday. Here are the inspiring tails of the feline finalists and their proud owners.

Rescue cats to the rescue

Image copyright Olivia Meheux Image caption Olivia Meheux and David Willie married at a hospice before he died

When Dave Willie was diagnosed with terminal bone cancer, he and girlfriend Olivia Meheux adopted Monty to complete their family for their final few months together.

The 12-year-old tabby brought fun, laughter and companionship to the couple during the toughest of times, said Ms Meheux, of East Grinstead, West Sussex.

The couple married before Mr Willie died aged 26 at a hospice surrounded by those he loved - his wife, family and his cat.

Ms Meheux said: "I'm so grateful for everything Monty did to make Dave's last few months with us as happy as possible."

Image copyright Cats Protection Image caption Alex Eades said Nala still recognised Charlotte's voice on videos

Alex Eades, from Brighton, got tabby and white cat Nala for her daughter Charlotte when she was seven years old.

When Charlotte was 16 she was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer and underwent three years of gruelling treatment.

She found ways to cope, including her YouTube channel where she talked about her favourite things - fashion, make-up and Nala.

Charlotte died in February 2016, aged 19. Her mother and brother Miles have continued her YouTube channel and Nala remains a fixture in their videos.

Ms Eades said: "Since we lost Charlotte, Nala has helped me and Miles so much. She's a link to Charlotte, but she's also so much more. She really is the constant in our lives, the heart of our family."

Image copyright Cats Protection Image caption Edwina said JJ barely left her side while she battled cancer

Edwina Norris, from Alcester in Warwickshire, adopted cat JJ with her husband Bill.

When Mrs Norris had cancer she said their pet barely left her side during her long and painful recovery.

"When I became ill he became even more attentive and on the bad days he would choose to come and lie with me. Just stroking him seems to make everything so much better," she said.

Furrever friends

Image copyright Cats Protection Image caption Finn with his cat Jeffree who has changed his outlook on life

Finn, from Coventry in the West Midlands, lost his father to cancer just weeks after his diagnosis. The 13-year-old, who has Asperger syndrome, became increasingly withdrawn, his mother Gayle said.

But within an hour of meeting eight-year-old stray Jeffree "the change in Finn's outlook was remarkable", she said.

The pair formed a close bond, helping Finn cope with his loss and giving him a purpose in life.

Image copyright Cats Protection Image caption Finley has made friends by talking about his cat Chi

Eight-year-old Finley, from Loanhead in Midlothian, has autism and Sensory Processing Disorder, meaning everyday life can be overwhelming.

But rescue cat Chi has transformed his life, helping him to build social networks by sharing stories about his beloved cat, said Finley's mother Jo.

"Chi really is an ambassador for cats and helping more people understand what wonderful therapy they can be for children with ASD," she said.

Image copyright Cats Protection Image caption Charlie with cat Cisco who helped him rebuild his confidence after being mugged

Charlie Hammond from Kettering in Northamptonshire was just 14 when he was mugged while out walking with friends. The ordeal left him too anxious to leave the house.

When kitten Cisco came on the scene the fog started to lift, said his mum Zoe. "Cisco gave Charlie a new focus and two years on he's been able to move on with his life," she said.

Heroic tails

Image copyright Cats Protection Image caption Marcia said her cat Jack alerted her parents before she had a seizure

Marcia McSwegan, 23, from Glasgow, has global autonomic dysfunction, which can cause her to have seizures and blackout with no warning.

But she said her cat Jack could sense a seizure coming on and would dash to her parents, pacing and behaving erratically to alert them to what was happening.

Even after Marcia came around Jack would not leave her side and was a comforting companion while she recovered, she said.

Image copyright Cats Protection Image caption Susan said Truffles has been a great comfort to her after her husband died

Aubrey Wilshere from Swansea suffered a brain injury following a diabetic attack and was at home recovering.

His wife Susan said she was out in the garden when their cat Truffles came dashing out meowing in a frantic state.

She followed him back into the house and found her husband having a seizure and called an ambulance.

Mr Wilshere had developed epilepsy and died a few months later but while he was ill Truffles would frequently raise the alarm, his wife said.

Truffles continued to be a source of comfort and support, she said.

Image copyright Cats Protection Image caption Hazel said Walter could detect when her blood sugar level had fallen

Hazel Parkyn, from Swadlincote in Derbyshire, has type 1 diabetes and falling blood sugar levels have meant she could suffer a diabetic attack while sleeping - with potentially life-threatening consequences.

But her cat Walter has sensed when her blood sugar was running dangerously low and would persistently pat her face until she woke, she said.

"He's a really great pet and I love having him around but he's more than that, he's a lifesaver," she said.

Most Caring Cat

Image copyright Cats Protection Image caption Deborah Elm said Rosie helped her through the most difficult time in her life

Deborah Elm's husband Adam Jacques had cystic fibrosis and was just 39 when he died following a stroke after a lung transplant.

Ms Elm said she adopted Rosie in the hope a pet would help her cope with the huge hole in her life.

She credited Rosie with helping her through the most difficult time in her life, from providing a distraction when her loss seemed unbearable, to cuddling up close when she struggles to sleep at night.

Image copyright Cats Protection Image caption Claire said Herman the cat gave her a sense of peace

Claire Yates' parents died suddenly a day apart and she struggled to come to terms with her loss.

But her three-year-old cat Herman became her tower of strength, said Ms Yates from Buxton, Derbyshire.

"When things feel difficult, he just watches you and draws you into his sense of peace," she said.

"He's got me through one of the toughest times in my life by giving me unconditional love, lifting my spirits and making me smile even if at first I didn't want to."

Image copyright Cats Protection Image caption Kirsty Ayre said her cat Sparky has helped her cope with every challenge she had faced

Kirsty Ayre, from Clydebank in Dunbartonshire, had already lost her parents within a year of each other when she became the victim of a laser pen attack. She was left blind in one eye and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

But she said her cat Sparky had helped her to cope with every challenge she faced.

And when a separate health condition caused Kirsty to faint, Sparky would gently pat her face until she came around, she said.

"I find it really hard to leave the house but because of Sparky I'm never alone - it's me and her against the world," said Ms Ayre.

You may also like:

Purrfect companions

Image copyright Cats Protection Image caption Luci said Douglas helped her when she was left bedridden after a brain injury

Luci Mahon from Derby, who has neurological condition ME, took in a thin bedraggled stray and named him Douglas.

Two years later Ms Mahon suffered a brain injury as a result of medication she was taking for another illness.

Ms Mahon said Douglas had been her constant companion, barely leaving her side during a long and difficult recovery.

Image copyright Cats Protection Image caption Abigail said Jethro helped her live life to the full

Abigail Knight was hospitalised with mental health issues in her early twenties and feared she would never live an independent life.

But when she moved into her own flat in Essex with cat Jethro her recovery went from strength to strength.

Years later, when Jethro became ill with diabetes and needed twice-daily insulin injections, Ms Knight gave him all the care he needed.

Jethro went on to develop a brain abscess and once again she nursed him back to health.

Now aged 32, Ms Knight is studying at university, working as a youth support worker and living with girlfriend Holly.

Image copyright Cats Protection Image caption Spooky likes to stay close by to his owners Dave and Lorraine

Lorraine and Dave Reid began feeding a shy, thin stray cat near their home in Liverpool. Soon she moved in and they named her Spooky.

Two years later, Dave became ill when his kidney, which had been donated by Lorraine 14 years previously, began to fail.

He also developed skin cancer and needed several operations but he said Spooky made sure he was never alone.

She followed him about the house and brought him "humour and comfort", he said.


- Search, compare and find a cheap hotel in Guiyang- Check the location of your hotel on a Guiyang map- Acces pictures for cheap Guiyang hotels as well as a description for the hotel, ratings, or services and amenities available (internet, swimming pool, A/C,...)

Wether you look for a cheap Guiyang hotel or a luxury hotel, Jetcost will find the best prices and deals.

For your Guiyang trip, either business or tourism, search your hotel on Jetcost, leading hotel price comparison service. Compare live prices and fares offered on more than hundred travel agents and hotels websites, find the best prices, book and save. Find your hotel in just one click: Guiyang hostel, cheap hotel or luxury hotels in Guiyang. The top searched cities on Jetcost are: Venice hotels, hotel Munich, hotel London, hotel Madrid, hotel Miami, hotel Dublin...


Edward Shirley Kennedy

Edward Shirley Kennedy (usually known as E. S. Kennedy) (1817–1898) was an English mountaineer and author, and a founding member of the Alpine Club.

Early life
Kennedy was a gentleman of independent means, who attended Caius College, Cambridge as a Fellow-Commoner in his mid-thirties.

Founding of the Alpine Club
During an ascent of the Finsteraarhorn on 13 August 1857, Kennedy discussed the formation of a national mountaineering club with William Mathews, who had corresponded with F. J. A. Hort about the idea in February 1857. At the end of that year, Kennedy was chairman of the meeting at which the Alpine Club was founded (the meeting was attended by twenty of the leading British alpinists of the day, and was held at Ashley's Hotel in London on 22 December 1857). Kennedy was made Vice-President, with John Ball as President and T. W. Hinchliff as Secretary.

Kennedy served as President of the Club between 1860 and 1863.

A wood engraving by Edward Whymper of The Alpine Club at Zermatt in 1864 shows Kennedy with John Ball, William Mathews, T. G. Bonney, John Tyndall, Alfred Wills (the Alpine Club's third president), and Ulrich Lauener. Kennedy appears as a man of above average height, with a full beard, carrying a long plain wooden staff, several inches taller than himself.

Alpinism
In 1854 Kennedy attempted the unclimbed Dom – the highest mountain entirely within Switzerland – with Saas-Fee priest and hotel owner Abbé Joseph Imseng and two Swiss guides, but the guides were unwilling to tackle a particularly tricky passage, although both Kennedy and Imseng were happy to continue. Together with Charles Hudson, Kennedy was one of the earliest practitioners of climbing without guides in the Alps, climbing Mont Blanc du Tacul and Mont Blanc (by a new route) in guideless parties.

Kennedy was the editor of the second series of Peaks, Passes, and Glaciers (1862). Like the first series (1858), this was a collection of papers (in two volumes) published by the Alpine Club; these were the forerunners of the Alpine Journal, which first appeared in 1863.
Kennedy was also active in discussions concerning modification to the traditional ice axe, proposing a design based on the American backwoodsman's axe.

First ascents
Goûter ridge (incomplete) of Mont Blanc in 1854 with Charles Hudson and party
Mont Blanc du Tacul (first official ascent) on 5 August 1855 with Charles Hudson, Edward John Stevenson, Christopher and James Grenville Smyth, Charles Ainslie and G. C. Joad
Fuorcla Crast' Agüzza. Kennedy, together with J. F. Hardy, and guides P. and F. Jenny and A. Flury, were the first to reach this col (although they did not traverse it) on 23 July 1861.
Monte Disgrazia on 23 August 1862 with Leslie Stephen and Thomas Cox, and guide Melchior Anderegg

Bibliography
Edward Shirley Kennedy, Thoughts on Being: suggested by meditation upon the Infinite, the Immaterial, and the Eternal (1850)
Edward Shirley Kennedy and Charles Hudson, Where there's a Will there's a Way: An Ascent of Mont Blanc by a New Route and without Guides, London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1856. Reprinted by Kessinger Publishers, June 2007,
Edward Shirley Kennedy (ed.), Peaks, Passes, and Glaciers: Being Excursions by Members of the Alpine Club. (2 vols.), London: Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts, 1862. Vol. 1, 8 maps, 22 wood engravings (5 full page), pp. 445; Vol. 2, 6 maps, 34 wood engravings (7 full page), pp. 541
Edward Shirley Kennedy, 'The Ascent of Monte della Disgrazia', in The Alpine Journal: A Record of Mountain Adventure and Scientific Observation by Members of the Alpine Club, Vol. 1, No. 1. ed. Hereford Brooke George, London, Longmans, 2 March 1863

Note
E. S. Kennedy should not be confused with T. S. Kennedy of Leeds, an alpinist who made several first ascents during the same period (e.g. Dent Blanche (1862), Moine ridge of the Aiguille Verte (1865)).

References

Category:1817 births
Category:1898 deaths
Category:English book editors
Category:English sportswriters
Category:English mountain climbers
Category:Presidents of the Alpine Club (UK)
Category:Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge


A quarter of London homes listed on Airbnb were rented for more than 90 days last year, many illegally and in breach of an act intended to stop landlords turning badly needed housing into unofficial hotels. The booming homesharing website admitted on Thursday that 4,938 of its “entire home” London listings – 23% of the total – were let out for for three months or more, despite a law requiring anyone doing so to apply for planning permission.

The San Francisco-based website published an independent report into its activities by the thinktank IPPR that concluded: “It is likely there are many cases where planning permission for a change of use has not been obtained.”

The report warned that Airbnb and other homesharing sites are causing landlords to remove properties from the already stretched private rented sector and placing them into short-term lets in a trend that poses “potential future risks to housing supply in London”.

Airbnb announced on Thursday that from next spring it will ban hosts in London from renting out entire homes for more than 90 days a year without official consent.

Airbnb is driving up the rent in your urban neighborhood | Alexander Zaitchik Read more

“The problem was that a website that was about people making a little money letting out rooms was being abused by professional landlords turning their properties into hotels by the back door,” said Tom Copley, Labour’s housing spokesman on the London assembly, who campaigned for the change.

He said it adversely impacted on the already squeezed housing supply in the capital and affected local communities, with people in some areas complaining of Airbnb guests coming and going at all times.

It was already against the law for property owners to let out their homes on short term, hotel-style lets without planning permission, if the total letting period was over 90 days per year. But, according to Copley, town halls did not have the resources or data to enforce it.

Sarah Hayward, leader of the London Borough of Camden, welcomed the ban. “Swathes of properties in Camden had effectively been removed from the longer-term rental market, making it both more expensive and difficult to find a longer-term rental property in the borough for those working here,” she said. “It was abundantly clear to all councils involved that many users of the site were flouting the 90-night limit, and the simplest way to stop that was for Airbnb to stop it at source.”

In a letter to hosts sent on Thursday, Airbnb said: “We want to help ensure that home-sharing grows responsibly and sustainably, and makes London’s communities stronger. That is why we are introducing a change to our platform that will create new and automated limits to help ensure that entire home listings in London are not shared for more than 90 days a year, unless hosts confirm that they have permission to share their space more frequently.

Airbnb faces worldwide opposition. It plans a movement to rise up in its defence Read more

“The new measures will begin from 2017. If you want to host more often, you will need to certify that you have permission to do so or apply for the relevant permissions from your local council.”

In March, Airbnb said London was the third biggest city in terms of places to stay, with a little over 40,000 places, and that this was growing at a rate of 75% per year.

“I welcome this move,” Copley said. “Airbnb have engaged constructively since I raised this with the mayor a couple of months ago. I now call on other short-term letting websites to do the same.”

Airbnb, which has been valued at $25bn (£20bn) and helps let out 3m properties around the world, has faced a regulatory backlash in some cities where leaders have grown concerned about its impact on housing supply.

Berlin levies a €100,000 (£85,000) fine for anyone renting out more than half of their home for less than two months without a permit, while hosts in San Francisco who do not register with the city authorities can be fined up to $1,000 per day. In New York there are strict laws against short lets in apartment blocks if hosts are not staying the apartments at the same time as their Airbnb guests.

“While independent research shows that home-sharing has no significant impact on housing affordability in London, we believe it’s important to take action against unwelcome commercial operators who have no place on our platform,” Airbnb told hosts.


How Goldman Sachs lost $1.2B of Libya's money - stevenj
https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-goldman-sachs-libya/
======
ScottBurson
Matt Levine's take, discussed here a few days ago:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12610352](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12610352)

~~~
Overtonwindow
Matt Levine is brilliant, thank you.

------
arcanus
> From his hotel room, Kabbaj called Michael Sherwood, one of Goldman’s top
> London executives, who said the bank would do whatever it took to get them
> out. Goldman’s security team called back, telling Kabbaj it was looking at
> options for “extraction” and ordering him not to leave the Corinthia. The
> hotel housed the U.S. embassy and a complement of armed U.S. Marines, not to
> mention hundreds of foreign witnesses to anything unpleasant that might
> occur. The next morning, a Goldman partner called to say the bank’s security
> team was increasingly concerned about their safety. They hustled to the
> airport and a flight to London.

Goldman has an extraction team? Pretty cyberpunk.

~~~
api
Virtually everything has come true except 'trodes, razor blade implants, and
Rastafarians in space.

Wait...

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcranial_direct-
current_st...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcranial_direct-
current_stimulation)

Okay, so razor blade implants and Rastafarians in space.

------
sean_patel
This is a repost. See previous post from 3 days ago =>
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12605043](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12605043)


The majority of Europe’s most popular city break destinations are also the most expensive. Yet, there are ways to get a similar weekend away at a lower cost. Here are some of our top picks...

Swap Amsterdam for Utrecht

Utrecht is the ideal alternative to the Netherlands’ pricey capital, with its picturesque canals and wide selection of museums displaying everything from Dutch masters to Aboriginal Australian art. It’s also convenient to get to from almost anywhere, just half an hour by train from Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport. Expedia has a two-night break here from £146pp, including room-only accommodation at the super-central Park Plaza Utrecht and flights from Luton to Amsterdam.

Swap Copenhagen for Turin

Many people visit the Danish capital for its great design and food, but the Italian city of Turin also offers a feast for the eyes and stomach. This former World Design Capital has a big creative community, and is home to museums such as the Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, as well as cool design shops, hip bars and cafés. And don’t miss out on Piedmontese gastronomy; wine and white truffles are both specialities. easyJet Holidays has two nights in Turin from £98pp including flights from Gatwick and B&B at the Hotel Diplomatic.

Turin hosts an annual public exhibition of light installations, Luci d’Artista (Stefano Menegatti/Flickr)

Swap London for Manchester

Manchester is going from strength to strength. Its cultural offering includes the recently revamped Whitworth Art Gallery and the Home arts centre, while in the Northern Quarter you’ll find a cool bar and restaurant scene to rival east London’s. There’s also a growing number of luxury hotels to choose from, among them the King Street Townhouse, which sits in the city centre and has Manchester’s only rooftop infinity pool. Doubles start at £120 a night through LateRooms.com.

Manchester’s Northern Quarter (Jose Francisco Del Valle Mojica/Flickr)

Swap Vienna for Budapest

With its grand boulevards and imposing architecture, Budapest offers similar visuals to Vienna. However, the Hungarian capital is a little rougher around the edges, but in a good way (don’t miss a drink at a ruin pub). Lastminute.com offers two nights in Budapest from £83pp, including flights from Stansted and self-catering accommodation at the Hi5 apartments, close to the Szechenyi Chain Bridge.

Budapest’s Parliament Building (Getty Images)

Swap Paris for Lille

For those who want a flavour of the French capital – even down to taking the Eurostar to get there – Lille is a fantastic alternative. The Palais des Beaux Arts de Lille is one of France’s best museums (second only to the Louvre), and among the architectural beauties is the original Gare du Nord, which was moved here stone by stone from Paris in the late 19th century (it now serves as the Gare de Lille Flandres). SuperBreak has two-night packages from £164pp, including Eurostar tickets and room only at the Crowne Plaza Lille.


Indulge in 1920s glamour with

Michael Law’s Piccadilly Dance Orchestra – You’re the Top

Audiences can transport themselves to the glitz and glamour of the 1920s with Michael Law’s Piccadilly Dance Orchestra – You’re the Top when they swing by the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch on Sunday 10 September at 4pm.

Join the talented musicians and glamorous female vocalist of Michael’s acclaimed Piccadilly Dance Orchestra for an unashamed wallow in the wonderful music of elegant jazz and swing from the flavoured Art Deco era. This musically immaculate tribute to the roaring 20s features great songs by Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, The Gershwins, Noel Coward, enhanced by those vivacious ‘Flappers’, The Gatsby Girls.

Founded in 1988,Michael Law’s Piccadilly Dance Orchestra is world famous for providing superb entertainment to a very high standard. They have enjoyed residencies at London’s Ritz and Savoy Hotels and have recorded six CDs.Acclaimed worldwide for their spirited recreations of the music of the British Dance Bands, they were chosen for BBC 4‘s highly successful Len Goodman’s Dancing Feet and sequel, Len Goodman’s Dance Band Days.

Don’t miss this glittering party celebrating the iconic music from a lost world where top hats, white ties and tails were the dress code and love was forever in the air!

Michael Law’s Piccadilly Dance Orchestra – You’re the Top comes to the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch on Sunday 10 September at 4pm. Tickets are £17.50 and can be purchased by calling the Box Office on 01708 443333, in person at the theatre or online at queens-theatre.co.uk.


What to drink when you’re not drinking.

Founded by Ben Branson in the comfort of his kitchen in the woods, Seedlip, the world’s first distilled, non-alcoholic spirit blossomed into production with the help of a small copper still and a copy of John French’s The Art of Distillation (1651).

Being the world’s first distilled non-alcoholic spirit, Seedlip solves the dilemma of ‘what to drink when you’re not drinking.’ With no calories, no sugar, no sweetener and no artificial flavours; there’s no doubt that regardless of the reasoning to steer clear from alcohol, Seedlip is bound to be the easiest and most sophisticated adult alternative.

Bottled and blended in England, Seedlip flourished with the help of Ben’s long line of farming heritage. Dating back to over 300 years within the industry, the family owned and operated farm grew into the inspiration for Seedlip’s three expressions: Garden 108, Spice 94 and Grove 42. Designed using particular aspects from the family home and its produce; each of the three bottles obtain three very distinct botanical flavours.

Using a peculiar distillation technique which includes maceration, copper pot distillation and a filtration process for each individual botanical, this six-week procedure creates the ever so fragrant and diverse flavours of the Seedlip range.

The entire design process, from growing produce, to distilling, bottling and labelling all takes place in the comfort of Ben’s family farm grounds with the help from his parents.

Ben says, “my family’s 300-year farming heritage coupled with a career working on drinks brands laid the foundations to spend two years working with distillers, growers & historians to create adult, complex drinks when, for whatever reason, you’re not drinking alcohol.”

Launched in November of 2015, today, Seedlip today is served in over 6000 cocktail bars, hotels, Michelin starred restaurants and retailers across London, Sydney, Melbourne, Milan, New York, San Francisco and Hong Kong to name a few. Seedlip has blossomed into a pioneer for the non-alcoholic beverage industry.

Adding to its prestigious list of bars and stockists, Seedlip has also crowned a title for Best Emerging Brand at the 2017 British Luxury Awards and Best Launch in The Drinks Business.

Tasting Profile:

Garden 108 – think English countryside with explicit notes of the handpicked peas and hay. Combined with a herbal base of spearmint, rosemary and thyme.

Spice 94 – best described as a combination of allspice berries and cardamom. Hints of lemon and grapefruit peel with an oak and cascarilla finish.

Grove 42 – celebrating the intensity and vivaciousness of an orange. The citrus-based expression has a strong tasting profile revolved around bitter orange, mandarin, blood orange, lemongrass, ginger and finally lemon.

For more information including recipe book, visit Seedlip.


5 Tips to Help Deal with Negative Reviews

Over the busy Christmas period, it’s easy for mistakes to be made – we’re only human, after all! Unfortunately though, unless dealt with swiftly, those mistakes can lead to dissatisfied customers, which leads to negative reviews, no matter how hard you might try. You might already have a procedure to deal with these, but if you’ve encountered your first one, don’t treat it as routine, or be blasé – Definitely don’t let it get you down – read carefully, then take action, so you can turn the negative review into a positive experience for both you and your customer.

Don’t forget, negative opportunities are also opportunities to identify and fix weaknesses in your processes to save time, money and improve the customer experience for more sales.

1. Don’t simply ignore it

Your upset customer has turned to whichever means of leaving a review they can because they don’t feel like they’re being heard – or that they feel they won’t be heard, or have a satisfactory outcome if they do get through to you. So by ignoring their review, you’re confirming their worries, you’re giving them the opportunity to carry on telling people how bad their experience was, but you’re also allowing potential new customers to wonder whether you care or not, which will impact their decision on whether to buy from you.

2. Do respond; but take a moment first

If you feel the customer has been unfair, or has complained online before contacting you, it can be frustrating – so don’t respond at that moment. Take a minute to clear your head, talk it over (or rant about it!) with a colleague or acquaintance so you’re calm and collected when you write your response, otherwise you risk getting into a messy online battle, and nobody emerges a winner in those. And remember to re-read the review once you have calmed down, before you formulate your response.

3. Make the customer feel they are being heard

You need to acknowledge the issue directly, and make sure the customer feels valued when you propose a course of action. Ultimately, you want your customers to have had a great experience when they deal with you – that’s how you get repeat business, after all. This is a chance to win your upset customer over, and reassure new customers – so you need to do this carefully. Make sure they know you understand why they’re upset, and that you want to help resolve the issue.

4. Choose your words wisely

As we mentioned already, you don’t want to get into an online war of words. So even where you feel the customer is in the wrong, apologise for an appropriate aspect – maybe communication, or the way that your website labels things wasn’t clear to them. You can word it carefully, e.g. “I’m sorry you feel this way”, if you think the complaint is unreasonable. Once you have a good, authentic response, (no pre-planned, canned responses here please) invite them to get in touch with you offline, so you can resolve the issue one way or another. Offline is better – it shows you really care, but if your customer decides to be unreasonable and won’t deal with the situation by phone or email, it’s better that you reiterate that you’re happy to try and resolve it offline, and leave it at that. Potential customers will see you tried, and be reassured that you will help them offline if they should encounter an issue.

5. Paint your business in a great light

You offer great customer service; this is your chance to show the world you do. Make sure whoever responds to the review uses their full name, and their role in the company, showing that you’re taking it seriously and not hiding from them. Once you’ve apologised, and addressed the complainant’s specific issue, say something along the lines of ‘we aim for all our customers to be satisfied with their order and the service they receive from us’, or one of your company’s aims as appropriate to their complaint – this will help reassure potential customers that you DO care.

But remember, a bad review isn’t necessarily bad news for you; you can’t please everyone, all the time, after all. Take the Ritz Hotel in London, for example. Considering it is one of the most famous hotels in London, renowned for their high standards, you might assume that everyone would be happy with the service they receive there; however, at the time of writing, there were over 4000 reviews on TripAdvisor, with over 100 reviewers rating the hotel as ‘Poor’ or ‘Terrible’.

Don’t worry; your negative reviews, as long as you deal with them well, can help to maintain your online presence as being authentic and trustworthy. And if you start encountering multiple bad reviews or complaints for the same area, feature or product, they can help you improve your business by identifying where you need to make improvements.

Dawn oversees the eBusiness Guru content with a ruthless eye for detail and has a broad range of qualifications & experience that includes retail, IT services in the Higher Education sector, teaching & training as well as an interest in equality and data protection law. A prolific reader, Dawn also loves dancing modern jive & Ceroc, and spending time at the beach.

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