London is one of the most visited cities in the world. It is also comparatively
a city with very little space. It has already expanded and is quite saturated in
terms of accommodation for people visiting London. Accommodation in London
can be expansive. There are several options though.

If you are in London for a day or a week you can easily find a good hotel that
will be the best solution. But if you plan to stay in London for several weeks
or several months or years you will certainly need an apartment. Apartment
in London is usually called a Flat and to find a flat in London one has to
search several web sites before hand .

The rent in London like most of the world is paid on monthly basis in advance
however when people advertise they tend to put a weekly and yearly price. So it
is always wiser to calculate the monthly price (i.e., rent x 52 / 12). In London
a 1 bedroom flat in the centre of London (zone 1&2) you will find accommodation
about £240/week.

Today London is a big city. Although London in the past referred to a small
walled city but Today, London has taken on a much larger meaning to include all
of the vast central parts of the modern metropolis, with the city having
absorbed numerous surrounding towns and villages over the centuries, including
large portions of the surrounding "home counties", one of which - Middlesex -
being completely consumed by the growing metropolis. The term Greater London
embraces Central London together with all the outlying suburbs that lie in one
continuous urban sprawl within the lower Thames valley. Though densely populated
by New World standards, London retains large swathes of green parkland and open
space, even within the city centre.

Greater London consists of 32 London boroughs and the City of London that,
together with the office of the Mayor of London, form the basis for London's
local government. The names of several boroughs, such as Westminster or Camden,
are well-known, others less so, such as Wandsworth or Lewisham. This traveler's
guide to London recognizes cultural, functional and social districts of varying
type and size:

Map of Different Areas in & Around London

Central London
Central London and inner boroughs. Bloomsbury
Vibrant historic district made famous by a group of turn-of-the-century writers
and for being the location of the British Museum and numerous historic homes,
parks, and buildings. Part of the Borough of Camden.

City
of London
The City is the area of London that originally lay within the ancient city walls
and is now a major world financial centre.

Covent
Garden
One of the main shopping and entertainment districts. Incorporates some of
London's theatreland. Part of the City of Westminster and Borough of Camden.

Holborn-Clerkenwell
Buffer zone between London's West End and the City of London financial district,
home to the Inns of Court

Leicester Square
West End district comprising Leicester Square, Chinatown, Trafalgar Square and
Piccadilly Circus and the centre of London's cinema and theatre land

Mayfair-Marylebone
Some extremely well-heeled districts of west central London and most of the
city's premier shopping street

Notting Hill-North Kensington
Lively market, interesting history, the world famous carnival and diverse
population

Paddington-Maida Vale
Largely residential district of northwest central London with lots of mid-range
accommodation

Soho
Dense concentration of highly fashionable restaurants, cafés, clubs and bars, as
well as London's gay village

South
Bank
South side of the river Thames with good views of the city, several theatres and
the London Eye

South
Kensington-Chelsea
An extremely well-heeled inner London district with famous department stores,
Hyde Park, many museums and the King's Road

Westminster
A city in its own right, the seat of government and an almost endless list of
historical and cultural sights, such as Buckingham Palace, The Palace of
Westminster and Westminster Abbey

You can go to any zone But make note of one thing that far off places may be
cheaper but will cost you more in terms of transport tickets. In London Don’t be
too confident in public transport, as especially compared to other cities, there
are often problems: signal failures, escalators repairs, station overcrowded,
delay trains every day.

West London is generally more expensive than east, south and north. Hampstead
with its nice, pleasant, peaceful areas, Little Venice, Notting Hill with the
famous Portobello market, Kensington and Chelsea with the proximity of Hyde Park
are among the highest prices. In contrast, South of the River (that’s how
English people call the left bank) is cheaper. But you can also find expensive
area such as Wimbledon there. Clapham is nice but can vary depending upon if you
are at Clapham Common or South Clapham. Further, you can take the train at
London Bridge and stay near more popular areas such as Bexley or Lewisham.

Since the accommodation in London is expansive many people use shared
accommodation. It is quite common to see people looking for or offering shared
accommodation in London. Sharing a flat or a house with a few people is the most
convenient and cheapest way in London

You can search for your room mate or flatmate in London online by going to the
website of Easy Room
Mate You can find rooms and also post free adverts for yourself or if you
have a room to share in London you can place your ad as well.

A good reference is the Loot (http://www.loot.com/) and MoveFlat (http://www.moveflat.com/).
This newspaper is published every few days and conveniently groups adverts from
owner looking to sell, rent, or shared flats.

If you are already in London you can also buy Loot classified newspaper which
lists all available room sharers in the week. The best day to buy the Loot (in
any Newsagents) is the beginning of the week or the end (especially on Friday).
However the Monday edition includes Sunday's adverts and the Saturday edition
includes Friday's ads. Be quick as the sooner you will phone, the better your
options will be. You can also find information in the Evening Standard (evening
newspaper), particularly on Wednesday and during the weekend when you've got a
huge section with adverts.

FLATSHARING IN LONDON

Instead of living in a pokey attic room with huge rent, why not try shared
accommodation? Frequently associated with students, sharing is spreading
nowadays towards older established workers and covers people from 18 to 49 years
old. Without falling into a community style of life such as in the 70's, you can
choose to share an accommodation for a bigger space, less expense.

Flatsharing is a way to meet more and more followers who choose to break a
lonely life, save money or just find an affordable accommodation in a difficult
market. This way of life has numerous advantages in term of money, practicality
or social life.

If you look for a room or a flatshare, it's free to search into the database
with thousands of offers.


A Room in Chelsea Square

A Room in Chelsea Square is a 1958 British gay novel by Michael Nelson, originally published anonymously due to its homosexual content and "thinly veiled portrayals of prominent London literary figures." It is about a wealthy gentleman who lures an attractive younger man to London with the promise of an upper crust lifestyle.

Publishing
A "camp" novel about "bitchy queens in 1950s London", A Room in Chelsea Square is semi-autobiographical. It was published anonymously because of its explicit gay content at a time when homosexuality was still illegal, and since its characters were thinly disguised portraits of prominent literary figures in London. The character 'Patrick' is based on arts philanthropist Peter Watson; 'Ronnie' is based on Cyril Connolly, editor of the literary magazine Horizon; and 'Christopher' is based on the poet Stephen Spender. The cover of the 1959 US Anchor Books edition was illustrated by Edward Gorey, who was then on staff at Doubleday. Sphere Books republished A Room in Chelsea Square in 1969, and it was reprinted again in 1986 by the now-defunct Gay Men's Press in their Gay Modern Classics series. The 2013 Valancourt Books edition features a new introduction by Gregory Woods.

Plot summary
Wealthy middle-aged gentleman Patrick lures handsome provincial journalist Nicholas to London with the promise of a job, and puts the younger man up at his hotel suite. Nicholas soon becomes accustomed to Patrick's gifts, luxurious lifestyle and interesting friends, but realizing that Patrick is interested in more than friendship, Nicholas finds that he will have to either give in, or give up everything Patrick can provide.

Critical reception
A Room in Chelsea Square received several positive reviews at its initial publication. Malcolm Bradbury called the novel "sharp, witty, malicious ... wonderfully developed in the best Machiavellian tradition" in The New York Times Book Review. Julian MacLaren-Ross wrote in Punch that the author's style "is swift and straightforward, his narrative gift considerable ... Consistently diverting, this may be the novel about homosexuality to end all novels on the subject", adding that the novel would "make many a reader’s day". John Betjeman was equally complimentary in the Daily Telegraph, writing that "the story is told with sustained suspense: the various men in it are not merely types, but flesh and blood, even if one wishes that Patrick had never been born." Books and Bookmen declared the novel "classic high camp", and The Sunday Times called it "odiously funny and delightfully unwholesome ... a distinct relief after the ponderous treatment homosexuality has tended to get in some recent novels."

In his introduction for the 2013 edition, Woods notes that the novel gets opposing responses: to some, it is "a camp tour de force”, and to others, “especially in the decade or so after its publication, it is a parade of negative representations of homosexual men." He argues that, though the novel's characters are not sympathetic and it makes no effort to promote tolerance or law reform:

James Jenkins of Valancourt said in 2014 that the novel "elicits some really strong reactions from today's readers—people either think the novel is hilarious fun, or else they view the main character, Patrick, as a reprehensible predator. I think it's great that a gay novel from 1958 can still inspire such interest and passionate responses."

References

External links

Category:1958 British novels
Category:British LGBT novels
Category:Novels with gay themes
Category:Works published under a pseudonym
Category:1950s LGBT novels


My top surgery adventure as a nonbinary person with the NHS continues

Based on, and intended as an update to, this post. It was updated in January 2015 here.

Bit of a history:

So I was on my surgeon’s (Victoria Rose’s) waiting list for 4 months.

At the moment I am in a constant state of overwhelm. I am excited, and I am scared, and I am feeling everything that I’ve felt since I worked out I was trans all at once. I am realising that in the grand scheme of things even though this is a huge catalyst my mission is just to get through it as minimally-scathed as possible, because this is incredibly stressful and getting from A to B is all I actually need to do.

I’ve made accommodations for my cat (she’ll be fed by my neighbour while me and Adam are in London, and then she can have my house all to herself while I sleep at Adam’s to prevent her climbing on my chest in the mornings). I’m looking at hotels for me and Adam for arriving the night before we check into the hotel. My mum will come to London to be with me too. I’ll stay in the hotel until I feel well enough to travel back to Aberdyfi, either driven by my mum or on the train in a first class seat.

I’m assembling advice and an Amazon wishlist.

Exercised and strong muscles heal faster. I’m going to try to walk and use weights on different muscle groups every day pre-surgery.

I’ll need shirts with buttons down the front because I won’t be able to lift my arms for a while.

I’ll need drinking draws because I won’t be able to lift a mug to my mouth easily.

I’ll have to make sure everything I might need is below chest height.

So if you’ve got any post-top-surgery recovery advice, or any advice about the surgery itself, let me know. :)

10 days to go…


Plump DJs

Plump DJs are an English dance music duo consisting of Lee Rous and Andy Gardner, considered to be early pioneers of the breakbeat genre in late 90's. Throughout the 2000s, they have been very prolific creatively, releasing many celebrated underground singles, albums compilations. Also remixing the records of well-known dance music mega stars such as Deadmau5, Mark Ronson, Fatboy Slim, Orbital and the Stanton Warriors. They cemented their international status through their 10-year residency at London's famous superclub Fabric, in a career that has taken the duo to the largest stages on all four corners of this earth to perform.

At present they can be found hard at work producing dance music in their Soho recording studio, and Dj'ing on a regular basis at various music lead venues around the world. In their beloved home of London, Gardner&Rous release innovative dance music on their Grand Hotel Records imprint, and recently also on the Stanton Warriors label, Punks Music. The primary testing grounds for their experiments being the notorious XOYO & Nest night clubs in Central London. In this year they have had number of triumphs, performing an epic closing set at Glastonbury on the Arcadia stage to 40,000 people. Recently their single 'Yes Yes' was remixed by rising stars Hybrid Theory, and has been an internet smash. Notching up many millions of clicks and club support from the likes of legends DJ EZ & Mr Jam.

Career

1990–2003: Beginnings
Lee Rous and Andy Gardner met at proto-breakbeat label Freskanova in west London in the late 1990s. Gardner was making music with Matt Cantor from the Freestylers, and Rous was DJing at and promoting the Passenger nights in Kings Cross.

Their first release together, "Plump Chunks"/"Electric Disco", came out on Finger Lickin' Records in 1999. When they released the A Plump Night Out album – basically a live DJ mix featuring their own original music – they began to achieve international fame.

The Plump DJs were asked by dance music culture magazine Mixmag to mix their February 2001 cover CD, which they called Elastic Breaks. Soon after, in May, they released a two-CD mix compilation called Urban Underground and in February 2003 they produced the eighth album in the FabricLive series for the acclaimed London venue.

Their artist album Eargasm was released in July 2003 and featured synthesizer pioneer Gary Numan and Lamb vocalist Louise Rhodes. They began a quarterly residency at Fabric, running their own Eargasm nights at the London club, and secured placings in the DJ magazine Top 100 DJs list and won a multiple Breakspoll awards.

2008–2011: Formation of own label
In 2008, they rebranded their Fabric night, calling it Headthrash after their latest album and opening up the music policy to other styles apart from breakbeat. Their DJ sets and productions began changing accordingly, and the four-deck live DJ show they developed allowed them to pull off more creative mixes in clubs and at festivals such as Coachella, Glastonbury, and Skolbeats.

In 2009, their contract ended with Finger Lickin' Records and they signed to release a double-CD post-breaks compilation on the Global Underground series. They released the "My Hi Tops" single on the Global Underground imprint, too.

In 2010, the Plump DJs began releasing material on their own label Grand Hotel. They have also become one of the label's new residents at events held at Fabric and Matter nightclubs. Their recent remixes have been more eclectic with artists such as Deadmau5, Dave Spoon, and the Stanton Warriors.

In 2011, Rous and Gardner signed acts SUBMO & Bonsai Kat to their Grand Hotel label, and continued releasing music through this platform. Their advanced 4deck DJ live show toured extensively in the UK and abroad, and their Light Fantastic club record became a 'tune of the year' in Mixmag. This year saw them hold regular sold out shows at London recently opened XOYO nightclub.

2012–present
2012 marked the release of "Gobbstopper" and "Dont Stay in Mix" showing a return to form. This in turn fueled the release of their Dirty Weekend album on GHR and further sellout shows at their now beloved NEST and XOYO venues in London. They continue to tour the UK club and festival circuit and worldwide now regularly in the US and Canada. The duo's remixing services have been called upon by Moby, Orbital, Mark Ronson and The Loops of Fury.

2013 then saw continuing support for the duo, as they developed their sound further after their inspirational first tours of the US & Canada. Collaborating with UK soul singer Juliette Ashby. 'You Belong to Us' the single struck a chord with London design team Baked Agency, and was presented with a forward thinking drone cam video, hitting the streets with rave reviews from Vice's Noisey blog.

This paved the way for a bumper 2014, towards the end of which the duo turned their attention, reviving their breakbeat sound.

Discography

Studio albums

Mix albums

Note: Elastic Breaks and Breakbeat Annual were both released as free CDs in separate issues of Mixmag.

Singles
Take The Weight
 Y2K (white)
 Plumpy Chunks/Electric Disco (Finger Lickin')
 The Push/Remember My Name (Finger Lickin')
 Scram/No Way (Finger Lickin')
 War + * I'll Get You (Finger Lickin')
 Big Groovy Fucker/TB Reality (Finger Lickin')
 In Stereo/Mantra/Nylon Radar/Squeaks & Bleeps (Finger Lickin')
 In Stereo/Squeaks & Bleeps (Finger Lickin')
 The Gate / The Funk Hits The Fan (Finger Lickin')
 Pray For You feat. Gary Numan (Lee Coombs Mixes) (Finger Lickin')
 Pray For You (Plump DJs Dub)/How Much Is Enough (Finger Lickin')
 Soul Vibrates/Bullet Train (Finger Lickin')
 Creepshow/Weighed Down (Finger Lickin')
 Get Kinky/Pressure (Finger Lickin')
 Creepshow (Soul Of Man/Freestylers Mixes) (Finger Lickin')
 Album Sampler 1 - The Rub Off / Acid Hustle (Finger Lickin')
 Album Sampler 2 - Lee Coombs - Shiver (Plump DJs Remix) / Madox Smells Like Naples (Finger Lickin')
 Dr. Dub / Blackjack (Finger Lickin')
 Redshift (Finger Lickin')
 Electric Disco (D.Ramirez Remix) (Finger Lickin')
 Mad Cow (Finger Lickin')
 Listen To The Baddest (Finger Lickin')
 System Addict / Doppler (Finger Lickin')
 Torque Of The Devil / Take The Weight (Finger Lickin')
 Torque Of The Devil (The Subs Remix) (Finger Lickin')
 Snake Eyes / Disco Unusual (Finger Lickin')
 Shifting Gears (Stanton Warriors Remix) / Rocket Soul (Finger Lickin')
 Beat Myself Up (Plump DJs Night Mix) / London Street Music
 Plump DJs - My Hi Tops (Global Underground)

Remixes
 Freestylers - Here We Go (Freskanova)
 War - Galaxy (RCA)
 Elektronauts - Bumper (Lacerba)
 Arthur Baker - Breakers Revenge (Freskanova)
 Alien - Frankie-The Pranker (Blue Room)
 Soul Hooligan - Sweat Pea (Freskanova)
 JDS- Nine Ways (London)* Brothers Love Dubs - The Mighty Ming (Decode)
 BT - Smartbomb (Nettwerk)
 Dee Jay Punk Roc - Blow My Mind (Airdog)
 Freestylers - Push Up (Against The Grain)
 Frisky featuring Vee - I Like The Way (Positiva)
 Stakker - Humanoid (Jumpin' & Pumpin')
 Lee Coombs - Shiver (Finger Lickin')
 Mint Royale - Take It Easy (Faith & Hope)
 Mr Velcro Fastener - Electric Appliances (Air Recordings)
 Orbital - Funny Break (ffrr)
 Rennie Pilgrem - Some Place Funky (Mob)
 Pucker Up! - Pucker Up!
 War - Galaxy (Finger Lickin')
 Fatboy Slim - Everybody Loves a 303 (Skint)
 Stanton Warriors - Precinct (Punks)
 Dave Spoon - Lummox (Television)
 Deadmau5 - Strobe (EMI)
 Viro & Rob Analyze - WannuB (Noiseporn Records)

Awards and nominations

External links
Plump DJs website

References

Category:Breakbeat music groups
Category:English house music groups
Category:English musical duos
Category:Electronic dance music duos
Category:Remixers
Category:Club DJs


The 10 best films set inside hotels

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
, the sequel to 2012's Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which saw Judi Dench and co. purchase a retirement hotel in northern India
, has its London premiere tonight. To mark the occasion, Telegraph Travel has chosen its 10 favourite films set inside hotels
(and no, Guest House Paradiso does not feature...)


Must Experience Accommodation Facilities in London

December 12, 2014

If you are looking towards planning an eventful vacation while enjoying the comforts delivered by eco-friendly hostels and hotels, then you are in a right spot. Hotels in London City offers an incredible range of green stays across the world and get ready to create some positive impacts on your next trip-by staying in one of the following gorgeous hotels. Check out the list of impressive and valuable hotels that must be included in your bucket list when you plan a visit to London. (Image by SaffyH – BETA IS NOT BETTER IT IS WORSE!)

Hotels near Oxford Street

Oxford Street is the most famous tourist spot that keeps you busy through out the trip. Oxford Street is captivated by some of the most popular and eye catching hotels that definitely worth your visit. Just few minutes of walk from the shops of Oxford Street, you can find out astonishing Mandeville Hotel, an award-winning restaurant that has been comprised of stylish air-conditioned rooms, free Wi-Fi and other top class facilities. With unique and stunning design, this innovative A Morgans hotel is just a two minute walk from Oxford Street, which is very spacious, designer rooms boast fantastic London views, HD TVs, and Egyptian cotton sheets.

The Marylebone Hotel is 500 metres from the shops of Oxford Street including Selfridges that offers complimentary access to a state-of-the-art gym, 18 metre swimming pool and fitness classes. The Ritz London is the world-famous hotel offers the height of opulence with luxurious bedrooms, exquisite British cuisine, and classic afternoon teas. Ham Yard Hotel and Charlotte Street Hotel are the most astonishing hotels that offers well maintained rooms with air conditioning, garden, terrace and also a minibar and iPod-docking station and much more.

The Milestone Hotel

If you are looking for a hotel with impeccable service, delicious food and a relaxing, comfortable atmosphere, then look no further. The Milestone Hotel is simply the best hotels in London hotels over the years, where one can find out the great friendliness of everyone. All the rooms are pretty quiet even those on the front which overlooks the main road. The location of The Milestone was very good for getting around, the nearest tube station is a 10 minute walk, with lots of shops to peruse on the way. Kensington Gardens are directly opposite the hotel too. Would recommend and definitely stay here again. (Image by bill barber)

There are the top hotels in London, which worth your money and effort. Have fun and enjoy!

You might also like

Comment

Nice to read about your recent travel experiences! I must say that there’s a dreamy touch to your post. I had traveled to this beautiful country last year. But I missed The Milestone Hotel experience. Can you tell us more about it?


Image caption Guests from around the world are expected to gather for Lady Thatcher's funeral in St Paul's

Downing Street has released an initial list of invitations to Baroness Thatcher's funeral next Wednesday.

All surviving US presidents and British prime ministers are on the guest list, as well as a representative of the Reagan family.

Ronald Reagan's widow Nancy is understood to be too frail to travel.

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev will also not be attending owing to health problems, his spokesman has said.

It has also been confirmed that neither George HW Bush, Mr Reagan's vice-president who succeeded him in the White House nor his son George W Bush, US President between 2001 and 2009, will be attending.

The guest list for the event was drawn up by Lady Thatcher's family with the assistance of the government and the Conservative Party.

More than 2,000 invitations will be sent out, with most set to be dispatched on Friday.

Full capacity

The Queen and Prince Philip are already confirmed for the ceremony, which will take place in St Paul's Cathedral, London.

It will be the first funeral of a British politician the Queen has attended since that of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965.

NOTABLE INVITEES The Queen

All surviving ex-prime ministers

All surviving US presidents

All surviving members of Lady Thatcher's cabinets

Current cabinet

Labour leader Ed Miliband

First Ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Michael and Carolyn Portillo

FW de Klerk

Dame Shirley Bassey

Jeremy Clarkson

Sir Terry Wogan

Joan Collins

Sir Trevor McDonald

Lord and Lady Lloyd Webber

Lord and Lady Archer Who is going to the funeral?

The cathedral has a capacity of 2,300 and is expected to be full on the day.

All surviving members of Lady Thatcher's cabinets will be invited, as will the current cabinet and Labour leader Ed Miliband.

Other invited guests from around the globe include former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and a representative of Nelson Mandela.

A spokesman for Mrs Reagan said she was "heartbroken" about Lady Thatcher's death but was no longer able to make such trips and a family friend, Fred Ryan, would be representing her at the funeral.

Guests from the world of entertainment who have already confirmed their attendance include BBC Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson, Welsh singer Dame Shirley Bassey, broadcaster Sir Terry Wogan, Lord Lloyd-Webber and Sir Tim Rice.

Author Frederick Forsyth, a longstanding supporter of the Conservative Party, has also been invited, as have actresses Joan Collins and June Whitfield.

Veteran journalists Sir David Frost and Sir Trevor McDonald will be attending, alongside British fashion accessories designer Anya Hindmarch and the Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu.

Former Labour prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have confirmed their attendance, as has Alex Salmond, First Minister of Scotland, and FW de Klerk, the South African president who oversaw the end of apartheid.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has not been invited, but the country's ambassador to Britain has. Downing Street says this is in keeping with diplomatic protocol for such occasions.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Commander Christine Jones: "If you want to come to London to protest please come and talk to us"

Lord Kinnock, who was Labour leader for most of Lady Thatcher's time in Downing Street and was defeated by her at the 1987 election, will not be present because of a commitment to attend the funeral of a former local councillor in Wales.

More than 700 armed forces personnel will line the route of the procession from Westminster to St Paul's, including three bands whose drums will be covered in black cloth.

A gun salute will be fired from the Tower of London and the coffin will be carried into St Paul's by service personnel from regiments and ships closely associated with the Falklands campaign.

Prime Minister David Cameron said he believed it was right that Lady Thatcher was being given a ceremonial funeral with full military honours.

"I think people would find us a pretty extraordinary country if we didn't properly commemorate with dignity, with seriousness, but with also some fanfare... the passing of this extraordinary woman," he said.

Analysis The list of those invited to Lady Thatcher's funeral reads like a who's who of the past four decades. Two former Labour Prime ministers - Tony Blair and Gordon Brown - will attend but Lady Thatcher's old adversary Lord Kinnock will not. The Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has not been invited - the Argentine Ambassador has instead. It is no secret that Jeremy Clarkson is part of David Cameron's "Chipping Norton set" but perhaps less well known he had links with Lady Thatcher. He too has been invited along with a smattering of entertainment greats including Dame Shirley Bassey and Lord Lloyd-Webber. There is no confirmation yet of the cost of holding what may not be a state funeral but certainly looks like one. But Mr Cameron believes the nation supports plans to mourn someone he has described as "an extraordinary leader"

"I think not only in Britain would people say, 'You are not doing this properly', but I think the rest of the world would think we were completely wrong."

Mr Cameron has previously welcomed suggestions as to how Lady Thatcher could be commemorated.

The Mayor of London's office, Westminster Council and the government are understood to be looking at a variety of central London sites, including Parliament Square, as a potential site for a new statue.

The Metropolitan Police said they were working to ensure the day of the funeral passed off safely, amid concerns that some people may use it as an opportunity to protest.

On the day of Lady Thatcher's death, there were small gatherings in various parts of the UK, notably in Glasgow, Bristol and London, with those taking part saying they were celebrating her death.

Met commander Christine Jones urged anyone wishing to demonstrate at the funeral to talk to the police.

"The right to protest is one that must be upheld," she said.

"However, we will work to do that whilst balancing the rights of those who wish to pay their respects and those who wish to travel about London as usual."

Meanwhile, the Foreign Office has said "an administrative error" led to inaccurate guidance being issued to diplomatic staff in embassies around the world after it was reported they had been told to wear mourning clothes on the day of the funeral.

They were later told it was unnecessary.

Lady Thatcher, who won three successive general elections, died "peacefully" on Monday after suffering a stroke while staying at the Ritz hotel in central London.


The terrorism case against former Guantánamo inmate Moazzam Begg collapsed after MI5 belatedly gave police and prosecutors a series of documents that detailed the agency’s extensive contacts with him before and after his trips to Syria, the Guardian has learned.

The documents included minutes of meetings that MI5 officers and lawyers held with Begg, at which he discussed his travel plans and explained he was assisting opposition fighters in their war against Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

On seeing the material, Crown prosecutors realised it corroborated Begg’s defence case: he insists he was always perfectly candid with MI5, and says the agency assured him no attempt would be made to hinder him if he wanted to return to Syria.

Begg’s lawyers had disclosed that the meetings had taken place earlier this year during a hearing in open court during which they made an unsuccessful attempt to secure Begg’s release on bail.

On Wednesday prosecutors told an Old Bailey judge they had “recently become aware of relevant material”, and would be offering no evidence against Begg.

The judge formally entered not guilty pleas on all seven of the terrorism charges that Begg was facing, and he was freed from Belmarsh high-security prison in south London a few hours later.

While Begg and his lawyers were not told anything about the contents of the previously secret material that secured his release, it is now clear that police and prosecution lawyers involved with the case are angry that the documents were disclosed to them after Begg had spent several months in prison on remand. A source with knowledge of the affair said they believed the material should have been handed over at the start of the investigation.

The Crown Prosecution Service says that had it possessed the material, Begg would not have been charged. Begg’s assets remain frozen, however, and he has no access to his bank account, as a result of an order issued by the Treasury after he had been charged with terrorism offences.

Similar orders have been imposed on Cage, the London-based pressure group through which Begg campaigned on behalf of terrorism suspects who have been denied legal rights.

Treasury sources indicated on Thursday that the order would not automatically be lifted as a result of his acquittal.

Begg, 46, spent Thursday with his family in Birmingham and consulting with his lawyers. Associates say he is considering whether to bring legal action against MI5. He has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his three-year incarceration without charge in Bagram Prison and Guantánamo after 9/11, during which time he was tortured. His time in Belmarsh is understood to have exacerbated this condition.

After the Syrian civil war broke out in March 2011, Begg made several trips to the country, most recently in December 2012.

While there he investigated reports of US and UK rendition operations and interviewed former prisoners of the Assad regime.

However, he maintains that during this time he had been in close contact with the intelligence services, keeping them abreast of his plans. The contacts began after he alleged in a blog on Cage’s website that during a trip to Syria in July 2012 he had uncovered MI5’s role in intercepting a phone call by a British Libyan dissident who lived in Syria. British spies were alleged to have then informed Assad’s secret police, which led to the man being rendered to Libya.

In a subsequent blog, Begg said a few months after he had made this allegation, he had been approached by an MI5 officer “who said they wanted to talk to me about my views on the situation in Syria”.

“I told them that they must be aware that I was investigating several leads regarding British and American complicity in rendition and torture in Syria. They called back after consulting with their lawyers and said they understood that and would still like to meet. I agreed to speak to them and meet at a hotel in East London. Both MI5 and me had our lawyers present.”

In the meeting Begg said MI5 were concerned about “the possibility of Britons in Syria being radicalised and returning to pose a potential threat to national security. I told them that Britain had nothing to worry about, especially since British foreign policy, at the time, seemed in favour of the rebels.”

Begg then says he was “assured by MI5” that he could return to Syria and continue his work “unhindered”. However a year later the situation in Syria – and the UK’s position – had become more complicated with Islamic fighters eclipsing the secular Free Syrian Army in the battle against Assad.

Begg’s passport was seized when he was stopped at Heathrow last December on returning from a trip to South Africa. “It was assessed my previous visits to Syria had constituted involvement in terrorism,” he wrote. “No explanation other than that was given.” Two months later he was arrested and charged with terrorism offences.

Amandla Thomas-Johnson, spokesperson for Cage, said: “Moazzam has been clear and transparent about his trip to Syria and the events surrounding it and even wrote about his meeting with MI5 months before he was arrested. It’s important we understand why this evidence came to light in the last couple of months. British security services have already played a part in his detention and torture. Has their late disclosure now led to him languishing unnecessarily in jail for months?”


The disgraced Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein has been charged with rape, a criminal sex act, sex abuse and sexual misconduct for alleged incidents involving two separate women, after he had earlier surrendered to authorities in New York.

During a brief court appearance on Friday, Weinstein remained quiet as his lawyers agreed he would post $1 million (€860,000) bail and wear an electronic monitoring device. He also surrendered his passport, and agreed not to travel beyond New York and Connecticut.

A prosecutor told the judge that the investigation was ongoing, and that authorities had encouraged other survivors to come forward. “The defendant used his position, money and power to lure young women into situations where he was able to violate them sexually,” she said.

Speaking outside court, Weinstein’s lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said his client intended to plead not guilty. He called the charges “constitutionally flawed” and “not factually supported”.

It is the first criminal case to be brought against Weinstein since the revelations about him erupted last October and sparked the #MeToo movement.

Weinstein (66) was led in handcuffs, with a detective on either side holding his arms, from the police station into a waiting car. A few minutes later he arrived at a criminal court in Manhattan, and was marched in by the detectives to be arraigned on the charges. He has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex.

Weinstein was stone-faced and sullen, and did not respond to questions from reporters.

Alleged offences

A statement from the New York police department said: “The NYPD thanks these brave survivors for their courage to come forward and seek justice.”

Weinstein surrendered to police early on Friday at the NYPD first precinct in Tribeca in lower Manhattan, where the Weinstein Company has its headquarters and where many of the alleged offences are said to have taken place, either at the offices or a nearby hotel.

He stepped from a black SUV wearing a dark jacket over a light blue sweater and white open-necked shirt. He was carrying three books under his arm . He went into the police station before a crowd of news cameras. He did not respond to shouts of “Harvey!”

Two law enforcement officials told the Associated Press the case would include allegations by Lucia Evans, an aspiring actor who has said the Hollywood mogul forced her to perform oral sex on him in his office. She was among the first women to speak out about the producer.

One official said it was likely the case also would include at least one other victim who had not come forward publicly.

After Weinstein’s arrest, Rose McGowan, one of his most prominent accusers, told the UK’s BBC Radio 4: “It’s a concrete slap in the face of abuse of power. I hope we emerge victorious and, if anything, we have emerged victorious, no mater what, because people are listening now.”

Lucia Evans told the New Yorker in a story published in October that Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex during a daytime meeting at his New York office in 2004, the summer before her senior year at Middlebury College. “I said, over and over, ‘I don’t want to do this, stop, don’t,’” she said.

The Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance, had been under enormous public pressure to bring a criminal case against Weinstein.

A grand jury has been hearing evidence in the case for weeks.

Sexual assaults

In March, Andrew Cuomo, the New York governor, took the extraordinary step of ordering the state’s attorney general to investigate whether Vance acted properly in 2015 when he decided not to prosecute Weinstein over a previous allegation of unwanted groping, made by an Italian model. That investigation is in its preliminary stages.

More than 75 women have accused Weinstein of wrongdoing. Several actors and models accused him of criminal sexual assaults, but many of the encounters happened too long ago for any prosecution. Rose McGowan said Weinstein raped her in 1997 in Utah, the Sopranos actor Annabella Sciorra said Weinstein raped her in her New York apartment in 1992 and the Norwegian actor Natassia Malthe said Weinstein attacked her in a London hotel room in 2008.

The statute of limitations for rape and certain other sex crimes in New York was eliminated in 2006, but not for attacks that happened prior to 2001.

New York City police detectives said in early November that they were investigating allegations by another accuser, the Boardwalk Empire star Paz de la Huerta, who told police in October that Weinstein raped her twice in 2010. She is not one of the victims in the case on Friday; hers was still pending, officials said.

Authorities in California and London are also investigating assault allegations. Britain has no statute of limits on rape cases; some of the allegations under investigation there date to the 1980s.

Parallels

Two of the books Weinstein carried into the police station have been identified as Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway Revolution by Todd S Purdum, and Elia Kazan: A Biography by Richard Schickel.

Something Wonderful was published last month. Weinstein might see something of himself in the story of successful showmen impresarios credited with changing the cultural landscape.

There are also possible parallels in the story of Elia Kazan, the immigrant director of groundbreaking, multi-award-winning classics such as On the Waterfront and A Streetcar Named Desire. Originally a communist, Kazan was later scorned by much of liberal Hollywood for testifying before the House committee on un-American activities in 1952. When Kazan was awarded an honorary Oscar in 1999, dozens of audience members chose not to applaud and 250 demonstrators picketed the event.

Schickel’s 2005 biography also documents Kazan’s many affairs. Three times married, he had affairs with many female actors and leading ladies including Marilyn Monroe. Yet Kazan’s reputation as a formidable Hollywood artist weathered political and personal scandals. – Guardian


Last updated at 16:04 05 November 2006

The best supermarket own-label champagnes taste better than many of the well-known and expensive, according to experts.

A blind taste test of 30 bottles of supermarket bubbly revealed a top trio of "excellent" quality, said food critic Egon Ronay. Priced between £14 and £18 they are far cheaper than most big-name champagnes, he said.

The findings come as the supermarkets gain a growing slice of the UK's total champagne market.

They took 64 per cent of all money spent on champagne in UK stores in the year to October 7, 2006 compared with 59 per cent the previous year, latest figures from independent analysts AC Nielsen show.

Ronay described the range and quality of supermarket champagnes as "a revelation".

"It would certainly be a mistake to buy the well-known brands just because of the name on the label when some of the supermarket champagnes stand up to them very well. Those which were in the first three are as good or better than some of the best," he said.

"Psychologically, because they are lower in price, people may think they are not as good - which would be a mistake."

He added: "Certainly the winning three and perhaps one or two others are better than some of the very well-known names.

"To me it was a revelation. I had never bought champagnes at supermarkets before because one is prejudiced."

A total of 30 different bottles were tested from samples provided by Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose, M&S, Aldi and Somerfield.

Each chain was invited to submit all their own-label champagnes. Some of the champagnes were criticised for being too sweet or not complex enough.

But judges praised the top-ranking bottle of M&S Champagne de St Gall Premier Cru Brut for being a crisp, well-balanced and "complete" champagne of "real class".

The UK is the world's largest importer of champagne ahead of the US and Germany, according to the Champagne Information Bureau. Our champagne consumption is second only to that of France.

The blind taste test, invigilated by the Press Association, was held at The Dorchester hotel on London's Park Lane over three sessions last month.

Ronay was joined by fellow judges Michael Edwards, author of the Champagne Companion, and Dante Campailla, solicitor and champagne connoisseur.

The judges were unaware of the champagne type, supermarket brand, producer or price at the time of testing.

AC Nielsen's figures are taken from till data provided by thousands of UK stores. They show that UK shoppers spent £301.64 million on champagne in shops, supermarkets and off-licences over the past year. Of that amount, £192.73 million was spent in "grocery multiples" which includes Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Asda, M&S, Waitrose, Somerfield, Aldi, Lidl and Netto.

Top three champagnes

Ronay's blind taste test showed the top three champagnes as follows:

First: M&S Champagne de St Gall Premier Cru Brut, £14.99 to December 31. Non-promotion price £19.99.

Second: Sainsbury's Vintage 1999 Blanc de Blancs Brut, £17.99.

Third: Sainsbury's Blanc de Noirs Brut, £13.99.


Connacht (disambiguation)

Connacht or Connaught is a western province in Ireland.

Connacht or Connaught may also refer to:

Places
 Connaught Hill, a community park in Prince George, British Columbia
 Connaught National Army Cadet Summer Training Centre, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
 Connaught Village, a neighbourhood in central London
 Republic of Connacht, a short-lived republic located in Connacht province in 1798
 Connaught No. 457, a rural municipality in Saskatchewan, Canada
 Taman Connaught, a township in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
 Connaught Place (disambiguation), several places
 Connaught Park (disambiguation), several places
 Connaught, Ontario (disambiguation), several places in Ontario, Canada

Schools
 Connaught School for Girls, a secondary school in Leytonstone, England
 The Connaught School, a secondary school in Aldershot, England

Buildings
 Connaught Armoury, a building in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
 Connaught Barracks, an army installation at Dover, England
 Connaught Battery, harbour defences in Nova Scotia
 Connaught Bridge Power Station, a generating station in Selangor, Malaysia
 Connaught Building, a building in Ottawa
 Connaught Hall (disambiguation), two English university halls of residence
 Connaught Hospital, a hospital in Sierra Leone
 Connaught Theatre, a former cinema in Worthing, England
 Old Connaught House, a house in Dublin
 Royal Connaught Hotel, a building in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
 The Connaught (hotel), a five-star hotel in London, England
 The Connaught (Sydney), a landmark residential apartment building in Sydney, Australia

Streets
 Connaught Drive, a road in Singapore
 Connaught Place (disambiguation), a location in several cities
 Connaught Road on the north shore of Hong Kong Island
 Connaught Square, a square in Westminster, London
 Connaught Square, a square in Thunder Bay, Canada

Companies and corporations
 Connaught Laboratories, a company now part of Sanofi Pasteur vaccines company
 Connaught Motor Company, a British manufacturer of high performance road cars
 Connaught plc, a UK company operating in the social housing, public sector and compliance markets

Sport
 Connaught (1965-1987), a thoroughbred racehorse trained in Britain
 Connaught Cup (disambiguation), several Canadian sporting competitions
 Connaught Engineering, a British Formula One and sports car constructor of the 1950s
 Connacht GAA, the provincial council governing Gaelic games in the Irish province
 Connaught Park Racetrack, a horse-racing track at Aylmer, Quebec
 Connacht Rugby, either the governing body for rugby union in the Irish province, or its senior team which competes in the Magners League
 Royal Connaught Boat Club, a watersports club in Pune, India

People
Prince Arthur, 1st Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (1850–1942), third son of Queen Victoria
Prince Arthur of Connaught (1883–1938), only son of the 1st Duke, predeceased his father
Alastair Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (1914–1943), only child of Prince Arthur of Connaught, died unmarried and without issue

Transport
 Connaught, a mail and passenger steamship built in 1897, torpedoed in World War I
 Connaught Road railway station, a former east London station
 Connaught Tunnel, a railway tunnel in British Columbia
 Duke of Connaught, several steamships

Other uses
 Connacht, a major character in the Myth computer game series


Hollywood comes to Kent: Developers unveil plans for £2bn Paramount theme park to rival Disneyland Paris that will create 27,000 jobs

Major Hollywood company could build a theme park to compete with Disney

The venue will be located on a disused industrial site in Kent

Developers say it will create 27,000 jobs

The site is 17 minutes from London by train

Developers have unveiled plans for a new £2billion Paramount theme park in Britain to rival Disneyland Paris.

The proposed development would create up to 27,000 jobs and transform an 872-acre brownfield site in the Swanscombe Peninsula in Kent.

The 'world-class' venue will feature Europe’s largest indoor water park, theatres, live music venues, attractions, cinemas, restaurants, event space and hotels and, if given the green light, will be twice the size of Olympic Park in East London.

Attraction: Developers have unveiled plans to build one of the biggest theme parks in the world in Britain. The £2bn, 872-acre entertainment complex will create 27,000 jobs Potential: The proposed site for the theme park is currently an overgrown wasteland Brownfield: Is this the next hot European leisure destination?

The ambitious resort will be located in the Swanscombe Peninsula in Kent, currently a brownfield site That's entertainment: Swanscombe Penninsula as it appears on Google Earth

The site is on the doorstep of Ebbsfleet International railway station, which is 17 minutes from London and two hours from Paris.

Tony Sefton, project leader for the development company London Resort Company Holdings (LRCH), said the plans were Britain’s biggest post-Olympic project and will take six years to build.

Hollywood-on-Thames: Movie giant Paramount is involved in the plans. It owns the licence to a number of blockbuster films

'Our vision is to create a world-class entertainment destination, the first of its kind in the UK,' he said.

'We are at the start of a long journey, but have been encouraged by the support and buy-in we have had to date.

'We are particularly pleased with the appetite we are seeing from investors, who consider this a compelling investment proposition.

'Over the next 12-18 months we will be progressing the planning application, while embarking on a wide-reaching programme of community consultation, while securing further commercial agreements with third parties.

'Our timetable for delivery, including the planning application process and construction timetable, is geared towards completion and opening in 2018.'

LRCH has signed an agreement with Paramount Licensing Inc, the licensing division of Paramount Pictures, to give exclusive UK licensing for a Paramount entertainment resort at the heart of the site.

LRCH is also in negotiations with a range of major British brands to sign licensing agreements.

Dartford and Gravesham Borough Councils have both offered support for the project.

In a joint statement, Jeremy Kite, leader of Dartford Borough Council, and John Burden, leader of Gravesham Borough Council, said: 'This development represents a tremendous economic growth opportunity for the region.'

WHAT FILMS CAN WE EXPECT THE THEME PARK TO FEATURE?

There is no indication yet as to which of Paramount's films might form the basis for any of the theme park's attractions. However, with such a huge library of films - the company is celebrating its centenary - it has produced, co-produced or has distribution rights for, it could call on any number of hit films to bring visitors flocking. The Indiana Jones series and Transformers, both distributed by Paramount, would be provide ideal themes for rides too. In particular the mine chase from Temple of Doom could offer an experience similar to Disneyland’s Thunder Mountain runaway train. To appeal to younger visitors, the park's creators could well look to 2010 hit How to Train Your Dragon for inspiration, and a Top Gun style flight simulator can't be out of the question. The production company has any number of horror movies it can incorporate into a ride with a fear factor, such as the Friday the 13th series. There were previously six Paramount theme parks in the United States but these were all sold-off and re-branded during a company re-shuffle in 2006. Today, they are operated without the Paramount backing but in their heyday, rides on offer included Tomb Raider: The Ride and The Italian Job: Stunt Tracks.

Another Paramount theme is set to open in Murcia, Spain, in 2015 and company chiefs predict it will draw in three million visitors to the area every year. One of the main attractions in the pipeline is Titanic 4D, which will use state-of-the-art special effects to give guests a taste of the iconic vessel.

Meanwhile a 4D Mission: Impossible ride will take visitors through action scenes in a military-style vehicle. Social media was abuzz with when the news was announced. Teenager Abbie Brett tweeted: 'A theme park up the road... please can this happen', while student Matthew Partridge said: 'If it happens it will be brilliant for Kent '.

Tweeter Jonny, a 23-year-old living in Newcastle, said: ''Used to live right beside here. Do it!'


Coventry Telegraph Hotel Development

The UK’s largest independent hotel group has reached an agreement to operate a 1950s-style boutique hotel at the former Coventry Telegraph offices.

The UK’s largest independent hotel group has reached an agreement to operate a 1950s-style boutique hotel at the former Coventry Telegraph offices.

Bespoke Hotels was founded in 2000 and manages over 9,500 hotel rooms in 21 countries from Australia to America and has 8,000 employees as well as £815 million of assets.

The group manages 96 hotels in the UK including the chic Bermondsey Square Hotel in the heart of London’s creative district, art deco themed Hotel Gotham in Manchester, the Billesley Manor Hotel in Stratford and the Carnoustie Golf Hotel where guests can play the 2018 Open Championship Golf Course.

Developers Complex Development Projects (CDP) has appointed Bespoke Hotels to manage the themed hotel which will celebrate Coventry’s famous Mid-Century architecture at the former Coventry Telegraph building in Corporation Street.

Construction is planned to start at the end of the year on creating 100 bedrooms, a ground floor restaurant and bar, meeting rooms, penthouse suites and a rooftop bar after planning approval was granted by Coventry City Council on July 16. Final approval from the Council is awaited for long lease extensions necessary to deliver the project.

The original features of the building which include the panelled Board Room and Lord Iliffe’s apartment will be retained as unique features of the building’s former life.

Around 130 jobs will be created when the hotel opens which is scheduled to be ahead of Coventry being UK City of Culture in 2021.

Chairman of Bespoke Hotels, Robin Sheppard, who founded the business with Haydn Fentum, said: “This is an iconic building charged with much recent history of the City of Coventry with a really strong tone of voice from which we hope to deliver a rich narrative with nods to the 1950s heyday of the building and a cool contemporary twist.

This will be a destination hotel with tons of character and a cheeky smile.”

Ian Harrabin, Managing Director of CDP, said the securing of Bespoke Hotels underlined the national appeal of the project.

“The project is unique and we needed an operator that embraced our vision for something that will be truly Coventry,” he said. We took advice from national hotel experts and Bespoke was our first choice of partner. We have been working with them for the past six months on the detail of the project and are happy that they share our enthusiasm for Coventry and recognise the opportunity of this unique building.

“We want to create a style of hotel that is not offered anywhere else in the area – a style that is truly bespoke. Their experienced team bring out the heart and soul of hotels with their professionalism, experience, flair and individuality.”

A perfect example of this is Hotel Gotham which is a five-star hotel that was named World’s Best New Hotel and Coolest Boutique Hotel following its opening in 2015 because of its attention to detail ranging from its art deco design to providing a luxury chauffeur service.

Partnered with CDP’s track record of delivering creative developments that break the conventional mould such as FarGo Village and Electric Wharf, the new Telegraph Hotel will also be unlike any other.

Harrabin continued: “We want to give the city an hotel that Coventry can be proud of and provide a focus for the City of Culture status that has been bestowed for 2021. We have been delighted to have received such strong support from all local stakeholders, not least within the council and are determined to create something special with our chosen award-winning hotel operators.”

The project is supported by West Midlands Combined Authority through the Collective Investment Fund managed by Finance Birmingham.

Captions: A CGI image of the Coventry Telegraph building which is to be transformed into a hotel and the terrace, exterior and a bedroom all at Hotel Gotham, Manchester


Shouty chef Gordon Ramsay was on the Swedish/Norwegian talk show Skavlan, and during his appearance host Fredrik Skavlan asked him what it was like to lose Michelin stars. Ramsay lost a couple of them last Fall in a major downgrade when the New York restaurant Gordon Ramsay at the London went from having two stars to none. (Ramsay sold the restaurant to the London hotel in 2009, but it still has his name on it.) And according to Michelin it was the only restaurant in the history of the guide to lose two stars at once for quality issues. It turns out losing those stars is both like "losing a girlfriend" and "losing the Champions League." Ouch.

I started crying when I lost my stars. It's a very emotional thing for any chef. It's like losing a girlfriend. You want her back. I think every top chef in the world, from Alain Ducasse to Guy Savoy, when you lose a star it's like losing the Champions League. There's next year. So it's not done forever that you can't win those things back. I got asked the question literally two weeks ago on holiday. What would you do if you ever lost your third star? Honestly? I would win it back. It's nice to stay focused.

Skavlan asked what Ramsay would do to someone if he found out they were responsible for the star loss: "I would take you to the most amazing fjord in Norway and I would drown you." They also talked about picky eaters (like Ramsay's mom) and how his kids threaten to become vegetarians to get what they want. Watch the whole interview below:

Video: Gordon Ramsay on Skavlan

· Gordon Ramsay on Skavlan [YouTube via Daily Mail]

· All Gordon Ramsay Coverage on Eater [-E-]

· All Michelin Coverage on Eater [-E-]


In the early days ot November, 1917, a wiry, abbreviated man bearing on his face the expression of a determined ferret and in his pocket an important commission from President Woodrow Wilson, stopped off in London at the Savoy Hotel, then noisy with officers on leave from the western front and a banjo band straight from Dixie. He soon heard disconcerting news. “Vague word of a strange new Russian disturbance called Bolshevik” (so he was to recall in his memoirs) had begun to permeate London. “Petrograd became silent.

In the summer of 1918, with Russia removed from World War I as a result of the Bolshevik Revolution, the United States sent troops into Russia at two points. It did so only after the greatest soul-searching on the part of President Wilson, who had said that “the treatment accorded Russia by her sister nations … will be the acid test of their good will …” Two factors influenced the decision. In the Far East, Japan had made a move to occupy Siberia, apparently threatening America’s “open door” policy for China. In North Russia, English and French leaders had hopes of reviving the eastern front against Germany. In addition, large stores of Allied war supplies had been left at the port of Archangel. The expedition to North Russia resulted in fierce combat between American and Soviet soldiers and throws significant light on the forty years of difficult relations between the United States and the Soviet Union that were to follow.


Kay Kent

November 6, 1963 – June 12, 1989

“By taking on Marilyn’s appearance, it’s almost as though I’ve inherited her troubles.”

Ya think?

I collect things that are odd. I collect stories about people that are considered odd. This one I’ve had in the back of my brain for years. In 1989 I read a story about a Marilyn Monroe impersonator from England that died from an overdose of sleeping pills. Ding Ding Ding Ding. Now THAT’s interesting.

I spent 6 years in London intending to document this person’s death in photographs, but never made it there. Recently a nice man named Dan Clegg took my Dearly Departed Tour, told me where he was from, I told him the story, and Dan did the legwork for us. So, thank you Dan.

Kay Kent made her living as a Marilyn Monroe impersonator. She worked for the Lookalikes agency since 1983, and was from the picture above, very successful at it.

Of course, with success, come the lunatics. One Monroe fan sent a funeral wreath to her home with a note, “There is only one Marilyn. Let her rest in peace.”

By all accounts, Kay was pretty obsessed, living as Marilyn, spending thousands on her outfits and surgery. Rehearsing – getting it just right. Spending your life as someone else can never be a good thing, and clearly she was getting lost in it. Clearly.

Shortly before her own death, Kay’s mother passed away of cancer, and according to her brother, Kay began to withdraw. She lived on Victoria Road, in Chatham, in this modest terrace house.

She had a boyfriend, a rockabilly singer named Dean Hammond who reportedly dumped her for a 16 year old.

On the 12th of June, 1989, Kay was found sprawled across her bed, nude, and dead. She had died from Morphine, Nitrazepam and Diazepam Intoxication. The death was ruled suicide. She left a largely illegible note, what could be read were the words, “Dear Dean, I love you so very much, Love, Kay.” Shit. How’d you like that haunting you for the rest of your life? I mean, we’ve all thought about it, but…

I have no information about her funeral or burial.

Most of this information was taken from an article published in People Magazine, written by Margot Dougherty and Janine Di Giovanni.

Now for the fantastic part. Keep in mind, this was published in the News of the World – not the most reputable of papers. I found an article that claims Kay was murdered because she was involved with a spy. Uh huh!

Spy Murder Riddle of Monroe Double

EXCLUSIVE by BILL DAVEY

‘Kay fell victim to hitman’s revenge’

Tragic Marilyn Monroe look-alike Kay Kent was entangled in a sinister international web of spies and arms deals, the News of the World can reveal.
Startling new evidence uncovered by us suggests the 25-year-old blond found dead a year ago could have been MURDERED.
The beauty with the hour-glass figure was Britain’s best-known Monroe impersonator.
She died in the wake of a bizarre £9 million plot to blackmail a foreign government.
And now police are re-investigating Kay’s death, which had looked like a drink-and-drugs repeat of Monroe’s end 27 years earlier.
Kay’s naked body was found sprawled across her bed at her home in Chatham, Kent.
The Key to the Riddle surrounding the tragedy is shady Greek Cypriot businessman Pan Koupparis.

Poison
He became infatuated with Kay, who portrayed Monroe hundreds of times and starred in the hit Holsten Pils TV ad with Griff Rhys Jones.

Koupparis, 39, admits peddling arms and spy equipment to Israelis and Arabs.
“I made a lot of enemies.” he explains at his home in Peckham, south London. “And there had been many threats.
“Anyone who mixed with me was in danger.”
“And I’m convinced that’s why Kay was murdered.
“I believe she was given a massive dose of morphine by someone who wanted it to look like suicide.”

In 1989 Koupparis was jailed for five years at the Old Bailey for trying to blackmail the Cyprus government.
He had threatened to release clouds of poison gas unless they paid up £9 million.
Because he had served so long in custody, Koupparis has now been released from prison.
And speaking for the first time about Kay, who he met at Stringfellows night-club in London in 1987, he revealed:
‘Kay had a superb figure and I was bowled over by her. All the blokes at Stringfellows wanted to chat her up.
But I managed to get her phone number because I persuaded her I had business propositions to discuss with her.
At the time I had lots of money to play around with.
I was officially resident in Cyprus, but staying in some of the best places in London.
I often travelled by Rolls and stayed at £200- a-night hotels.
Soon after our meeting I picked Kay up at a model agency in Chelsea and took her in a chauffeur-driven car to an expensive Italian restaurant in St. John’s Wood, London.
I offered to put her on a £25,000-a-year retainer and help launch a range of fashions and cosmetics based on her. At the same time I got her to agree to fly to Cyprus with me and try to meet the island’s president.
When I was arrested on the blackmail charge I planned to call Kay as a main defense witness at my trial.
She would have told the court we’d been engaged in bona fide business dealings in Cyprus, including meeting the president.
But there were a lot of people – individuals and foreign governments – who wanted to see me locked away.

Ruthless
Then, just after the trial started, Kay died.
She’d become unwittingly involved in my dealings.
And I feel sure she was being followed by someone.
The sort of people who were out to get me and my associates were completely ruthless and would have stopped at nothing, including murder.’

Scotland Yard had been secretly watching Koupparis as part of an investigation codenamed Operation Drifter.
And the News of the World can now reveal how Kay innocently figured in their surveillance. A police report describes the blackmailer leaving London on a train from Charing Cross for one of his many meetings with Kay in Kent.
The entry states: “8.25pm. Target meets with blond female approximate age 25 years wearing pink jumper, blue jeans.
“Together they go into Wimpy bar near Gillingham station.”
But Chatham police who later investigated the look-alike’s death were never told of her connection with Koupparis and his life of danger and intrigue.

Instead she was said to be depressed over the death of her mother and her split from boyfriend, rock singer Dean Hammond.
Kay’s agent Julie Joseph said: “I always thought there might be something funny about her death.
“Kay had a big new contract at the time and seemed fine.”

And now a Chatham detective has confirmed: “certain information relating to the death of Kay Kent has been presented to us and we’re investigating.”

Trivia: Kay was born 15 months and one day after Marilyn Monroe died.

More: According to the article, Kay posed nude as Marilyn in some of her famous poses, for the December 1987 issue of Penthouse. Findadeath supporter and friend Mark Langlois bought the issue for us – which is posted if you click the magazine cover below. Keep in mind (WARNING) – this is a cookie shot – if you know what I mean. Not a trimmed one either – just be aware – its nude and full frontal.


Tag: About

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There are numerous deluxe resorts in Europe that any particular one can contemplate more than. Utilizing the expansive country side that European countries offers, it could be tough sorting out of the most readily useful luxury hotels on the market. Luckily for us there’s help available that takes that sentiment and easily outlines every little thing up. The secret is knowing where to look and who to trust. Needless to say, it isn’t without performing only a little research very first.

There are many elements that have to be separated in order to find which deluxe resort is better concerning private needs. Basically, they all are exactly the same and offer cloned basic requirements that everyone will enjoy. Luxury accommodations in European countries all provide stellar structure, first rate cuisines, refreshing swimming pools, rich courtyards, and some technologically savvy guestrooms. Thusly, there are also gyms and other leisure places that can help hold ones body carved into the form which they wish. Some of the best resort hotels that one can think about tend to be Blue Palace Resort and Spa, resort Hermitage, Hotel Negresco, Adler Hotel, and Cadogan London. Truthfully, there are hundreds much more that provide exact same hospitality into the caliber of utmost excellence.

Beyond the typical activities that folks can partake in, these luxury resort hotels in Europe have actually much to do in their walls, days will easily travel by. You will find daycare centers open to keep consitently the children busy even though the moms and dads are able to go sightseeing. Animals may also be allowed in several facilities for people who like to travel along with their little friends. Additionally barbers and spas that friends may use to keep on their own feeling and looking fresh. Really, these resorts are like cities in on their own. Such a thing a guest requirements will likely be done in a timely manner. Touring normally very possible with a variety of these hotels while they sometimes lay in close distance with historic landmarks. Any history junkie will marvel at capability of uncovering the secrets of European countries while staying at their astonishing hotel of preference.

There’s absolutely no doubt these places will generate an unforgettable travel for all included. Any information that one will be needing is a phone call away. No concerns are off-limits while the staff with your facilities is going to be pleased to help anyone in need. Enjoy with all the current good things in life. Deluxe hotels in European countries tend to be locales that appear to be forged from the dreamscapes of designers every-where. Take part in it and determine what everyone is discussing.

For more information on Luxury resorts Europe, please check out our internet site.

Hilton Head Island, sc is one of the most preferred holiday spots in entire world, and is particularly an area high in history. Before your next trip to the island, then simply take a few momemts for more information on its beginnings and historical relevance.

For hundreds of years, the region was inhabited by indigenous Native People in america and it wasn’t until 1521 your first recorded expedition, led by Francisco Cordillo, happened in the region. In 1663, Captain William Hilton experienced the island during a return journey from Barbados and named it after himself, although island couldn’t really gain prominence before beginning of the sea-island Cotton Trade that was founded between European countries therefore the united states of america.

Through the Civil War, the island became an important functions base when it comes to Union blockade of south harbors and a sizable Union hospital, which became probably the most prominent in the area, ended up being built during this period. Following the war, whenever island arrived under Northern control, a large populace of previous slaves decided on Hilton Head and served in the First Regiment of sc Volunteers, which promised enlistees the chance to possess their land, attend school, and live in Mitchellville, a government housing community constructed on the island. The descendants of these freed slaves are now actually known as local islanders or even the Gullah.

In 1931, physicist and Wall Street tycoon Alfred Lee Loomis purchased over 63% associated with total landmass in the island to use as an exclusive online game book, which land remained mainly undeveloped before 1950’s whenever, as a result of the lumber growth regarding island, three mills were built and also the James F. Byrnes connection, which allowed for much easier usage of the area from the mainland, ended up being erected. It was this bridge that’s in charge of the Hilton Head Island we know today, since for the first time, land designers and residents alike begun to see the region with higher interest. Immediately after this, the ocean Pines Resort and Harbour Town were both manufactured by architect Charles Frasier, and fast location development, like the improvement housing, hotels, hotels, and several tennis classes, and also other commercial developments, soon followed.

These days, people to the island can explore its history additional by going to the countless museums and historic landmarks in the region. Make sure to explore them yourself through your after that getaway.

To learn more about the Hilton Head location including dining, restaurants, real estate, holiday rentals, sailing, golf, beaches, and much more see our site.


While airfare may not be at its lowest, if you're already traveling for Thanksgiving's four-day weekend, use this time to combine a family visit with a quick vacation. And if you're ready to skip the family, use the time off from school to your advantage and hit the road!

We've got some ideas to kick-start your mini-break planning, including some deals and steals to help lure you away from the turkey.

Tropical getaways
Before the chaos of December's holiday season, school events, parties, and family gatherings, take a break on a tropical beach to just relax and enjoy some together time with the kids. Resorts in the Caribbean and Hawaii are catering to holiday travelers with special dinners to enjoy on Thanksgiving. Select an all-inclusive resort and never lift a finger the entire weekend, as the kids frolic on the beach and prune up in the ocean and swimming pool.

Save up to 65 percent on Beaches Resorts in Jamaica and Turks and Caicos. The all-inclusive resorts are family friendly and feature an array of activities, from water sports to snorkeling to glass-bottom boat rides. The resorts also feature kids' clubs and teen activities so everyone in the family will have fun.

Get up to 50 percent off a vacation to the Westin St. John Resort's Villas, which feature fully equipped kitchens and living and dining areas. The same package includes 25 percent off food and beverages.

Cultural cities
The four-day weekend is just enough time to fully explore a city you and your family have always wanted to visit. With restaurants offering Thanksgiving dinners so you can still enjoy the feast (without the full day in the kitchen), a city getaway guarantees a variety of things to do. Spend the weekend exploring museums, take in the theater, and delve into the local history. New York City, of course, makes our list as the top city in which to spend the holiday because kids will enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime fun of taking in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade live. (And Chicago's parade makes it our runner-up.)

Take in Baltimore's Inner Harbor history and museums galore with the family pool package at the Hampton Inn & Suites', starting at $164 per night. The indoor swimming pool offers a winter reprieve after sightseeing, and the package includes a pool fun bucket, as well as a full breakfast buffet and late checkout.

If you're starting the holiday season off in New York, make a little girl's dreams come true with the American Girl Place package at the Marriott Marquis. Starting at $259 per night, the package includes an American Girl doll-sized travel bed to take home, as well as snacks for the family to enjoy in the room.

The Allerton Hotel in Chicago is providing a family package with rates starting at $219 per night. The package includes four tickets to the IMAX at Navy Pier and breakfast for four, as well as overnight valet parking and a coupon book for area entertainment and activities.

Vacation at Grandma's
If you're heading over the hills and through the woods to grandmother's house for a day of turkey, enjoy a three-day weekend mini-vacation nearby. If you'll be in New England, pop into Boston or head to the mountains for a skiing in Vermont. Grandma in Florida or California? What better time to visit Disney World or Disneyland, all bedecked for Christmas? A southwestern Thanksgiving? Phoenix and Scottsdale, Houston and Santa Fe are great for exploring. And take advantage of the lighter crowds visiting the National Parks like the Grand Canyon.

For 30 years, Marcia Miller has flown to Toledo, Ohio, to join four generations of her family for Thanksgiving. But this year, thanks to new airport security measures, she's opting to stay home.
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Visit Arizona's JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort for two nights with the Nickelodeon weekend and enjoy dive-in movies, activities, shows and live appearances by SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer. Kids receive a sleepover kit and the entire family will enjoy a themed family breakfast.

In Charlestown, S.C., the ultra family-friendly Village at Wild Dunes Resort is providing an easy way for families to celebrate the season: Rates starting as low as $139 per night. Stay one night, get 15 percent off. Two nights, get 20 percent. Three nights? You'll save 30 percent, and receive $25 resort credit good at the Sea Island Grill.

If you're in the Midwest, swing by one of the nation's largest indoor water parks, the Kalahari Resort. Stay two nights at the Sandusky, Ohio, location and your family of four will receive admission into the water parks, breakfast, an in-room pizza party with a movie, token for the arcade and a $40 gift certificate to the Great Karoo Restaurant. The package starts at $400.

Disney is offering up to 25 percent off at its select Value Resorts, such as Disney's All-Star Music Resort, and up to 30 percent off at its select Deluxe Resorts such as Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort. Or try the Magic Your Way Package that includes 20 percent off dining at Disney's Port Orleans Resort — French Quarter.

Historical celebrations
Use this holiday to teach the children about the origins of Thanksgiving with a visit to Plimoth Plantation or in Provincetown in or and on Cape Cod, respectively, where the Pilgrims first stepped on our shores. Plimoth Plantation even puts on an authentic Thanksgiving Day dinner, but book quick, as the multiple dinners sell out every year. The Colonial village of Williamsburg in Virginia also puts on quite a show at Thanksgiving at Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center, literally a re-enactment of the first Thanksgiving. Area restaurants feature traditional Thanksgiving dinners, which also book up quickly.

Travel deals

The Williamsburg Woodsland Hotel & Suites is featuring a "Christmas Bounce" package beginning Nov. 24, with two-nights with breakfast and tickets to Colonial Williamsburg and Busch Gardens Christmas Town priced from $379 for a family of four.

Chatham is centrally located between Plimoth and Provincetown, so take advantage of the Holiday Family Escape at Chatham Bars Inn. The three-night package for a family of four includes daily breakfast and 10 percent off spa treatments.

Travel abroad
If you can squeeze in a few more days, airfare and hotel deals abroad, where the holiday doesn't exist, can be a steal! We once traveled to London for Thanksgiving for less than $300 roundtrip, per person (our flights to grandma's would have be $340 per person!) and enjoyed exploring the city when it wasn't crowded with tourists but decorated for the upcoming Christmas season. A visit to our northern neighbor may come with snow to get the kids in the holiday spirit, with Quebec's French-architecture and language providing a decidedly international flair without having to fly across an ocean.


Marylebone Road

Marylebone Road ( ) is an important thoroughfare in central London, within the City of Westminster. It runs east-west from the Euston Road at Regent's Park to the A40 Westway at Paddington. The road which runs in 3 lanes in both directions, is part of the London Inner Ring Road and as such forms part of the boundary of the zone within which the London congestion charge applies.

As part of the Ring Road and a feeder route to the A40 (and hence the M40 motorway) (to the west) and the A5 and M1 motorway (to the north) much of the traffic leaving central London for the Midlands and the North of England travels on this road. It is frequently heavily congested.

History
The road was effectively London's first bypass. Construction of the New Road, as it was called, began in 1756 along the northern edge of the built-up area. In 1857, the road's name was changed from New Road, with sections, west to east, renamed Marylebone Road, Euston Road and Pentonville Road.

The name Marylebone originates from a church, called "St Mary Le Bon", that was built on the bank of a small stream or "bourne" called the tybourne, in an area named after the stream Tyburn. The church and the surrounding area later became known as St Mary at the bourne, which over time became shortened to its present form Marylebone. The current St Marylebone Parish Church is on the south of Marylebone Road, opposite the Royal Academy of Music and at the top of Marylebone High Street.

The crossroads of Marylebone Road and Baker Street was historically known as Marylebone Circus, which is still its unofficial name.

Tourism
One of London's principal tourist attractions lies on Marylebone Road - Madame Tussauds. It is also the location of the Royal Academy of Music and the former "Great Central Hotel", now renamed The Landmark London.

Transport

Mainline stations
Marylebone
Paddington

Tube stations
Edgware Road (Bakerloo Line)
Edgware Road (Circle, District and Hammersmith & City Lines)
Marylebone
Paddington
Baker Street
Regent's Park
Great Portland Street

Buses
Bus routes 18, 27, 30, 74, 205 and 453 serve all or part of the road.

References

Category:Streets in the City of Westminster
Category:1756 establishments in England
Category:Marylebone


Asked to move office in the first week of the Brendan Rodgers era, David Moss quickly recognised that resistence was futile. Celtic's tectonic plates were shifting and the club scouts faced a subconscious choice. A new desk or a new club.

'When Brendan came I was one of the Celtic scouts housed in the big office at Lennoxtown above the media room,' he tells Sportsmail.

'There were six of us in there.

Moussa Dembele was a snip for Celtic when he arrived for £400,000 in summer of 2016

'That's the best office at the training ground. It overlooks everything.

'But Brendan came for the tour he came in and you could see him thinking, "I like the look of this..."

'He took it over for his office. The scouts were kicked out.

'But for me that's not a problem; it's precisely how it should be. The manager is and always has been the most important man at a football club.'

Rodgers arrived at the end of season 2015/16 to find a football club stuck in a damaging rut.

The Ronny Deila appointment hadn't worked.

The players lacked fitness and motivation. The creep of supporter indifference was reflected in banks of empty seats at home league games.

Engaged in a lengthy game of cat and mouse with Fulham's Moussa Dembele challenging circumstances made the job of luring the young striker to Glasgow a challenge.

After Stefan Scepovic, John Guidetti, Mo Bangura and Nadir Ciftci Scotland's champions needed a sure thing. Previously head of scouting for the youth academy Moss had been watching the Frenchman's progress in under-18 games and suspected he'd found one.

'I looked at Moussa and saw a natural goalscorer.

'I met with his agent Mamadi Fofana in a big London hotel next to Kings Cross Station six months or so before Brendan came in.

Celtic scout David Moss played a key part in bringing Dembele to Celtic last year

'I said to him, 'look, I know you will have other clubs and can get a bigger salary elsewhere - but there's a high potential he could go to one of those clubs and be a substitute.

'Celtic might not pay him as much, you might not get the same commission, but he will play lots of games, get lots of chances and play Champions League football. We will show him to the world and after one year, two years maximum, we will sell him hopefully for maximum money.'

'It was a win for Moussa because he had a development plan.

'It was a win for the agent because he made some money.

'And it was a win for Celtic because we got a great player with the potential for a huge transfer fee.'

Top level transfers rarely just happen; they evolve over a period of time. Aware Dembele had no plans to sign a new contract at Fulham, Moss began the seduction early, stopping just short of chocolates and flowers.

'We kept in contact every single week,' he recalls, 'that was the key to everything.

'I would go on and ask, 'Is Moussa playing?'

'And Momadi would say to me, 'don't waste your time coming this week David, he' s not playing.

'If you are diligent and good at your job you realise that good players with the potential of a Moussa don't come along very often.

'To get them you have to do something different. You have to go the extra mile.

'I was acting for Celtic Football Club, a Rolls Royce of a football club, and if you ask Mamadi he will tell you I did things right.

'Everybody looked. Not everybody saw the full potential of Moussa.'

The reluctance of England's top clubs to take a punt on Dembele's explosive talent will eventually cost one of their number a substantial sum of money.

In the summer of 2016 they could have had him for £4million or £5million, subject to a tribunal. A loophole in cross border transfer regulations meant Celtic could snap him up for £400,000 and use the difference to pay a generous wage.

With a fair wind and good fortune Moss suspects his former club will now sell him this summer for a fee approaching £30million.

'Every single club in the Barclays Premier League watched Moussa,' he adds.

'A few said, 'nah, he's lazy, he doesn't do this, he doesn't do that.'

'But I had watched him from a young age - I knew what he could do.

'The other advantage Celtic had was that Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea or Arsenal were not going to take Moussa Dembele as their number one striker.

'They would have been taking him as a £5million gamble.

'Mamadi was a clever agent who saw that if he came to Celtic he wouldn't command a huge transfer fee, but it would be a lot more in terms of an agent's fee than we would normally pay.

'Nevertheless, without Brendan coming in it would never have happened.'

It's no stretch or slight to suggest that Dembele wouldn't have signed for Ronny Deila.

Brendan Rodgers was key in luring Dembele to Celtic where he has excelled

Rodgers proved a game changer the day he walked into a London hotel exuding an air of Premier League gravitas rarely detectable in managers of Scottish football clubs.

'Brendan came in and he raised everything,' claims Moss.

'Honestly, if I'm in charge of Arsenal now and Arsene Wenger goes I wouldn't even look at anyone else.

'He could manage any club in the Barclays Premier League and it wouldn't faze him one bit.

'Dermot (Desmond) and Peter (Lawwell) are realistic.

'They know they will be lucky to hold on to him at the end of this season.

'And that will only be because he hadn't been offered a really top job.

'He's not going to leave Celtic unless it's an Arsenal or a Chelsea or a Man United on the phone.

'Tottenham, maybe, but he turned that down in the past.

'He's not going to leave Celtic for a West Ham or an Everton or Southampton or anything like that.

'Why would you leave Celtic for one of those jobs?'

It falls upon Sportsmail here to interject. To remind Moss that he himself left Celtic to become Huddersfield Town's Head of Football Operations last June.

Accepting the point, he laughs as he recalls the circumstances of the move.

'I said to Brendan I had been offered a position as sporting director of Huddersfield and he said, 'David, you're too good, you need to go.

'He said to me I couldn't do that at Celtic because they didn't have that structure.

'Brendan is in charge. And Peter Lawwell does the negotiations.

'In England most clubs are going down the sporting director road and it's a role I feel I'm best at. The one where I feel I can make a difference.'

A masters degree in sports directorship wasn't enough to make it work. Leaving the Yorkshire club shortly after a historic win over Manchester United the former Falkirk and Dunfermline midfielder is now talking to an overseas club about recreating the model he helped to hone during seven years of fluctuating fortunes at Celtic.

'Before Brendan the parameters were very tight,' he admits.

'Football was changing fast with the money in the Barclays Premier League and every year Celtic were slipping and slipping. Going backwards, backwards.

'I dread to think what would have happened if Brendan hadn't come in - the fans were becoming restless.

'Brendan saved the day by giving the club impetus very few could given it.

'He had that Premier League experience and mentality and imported it to Celtic.

'Nothing against Ronny Deila, I had a great relationship with him.

'But he came from a tiny club in a tiny country and Celtic was too big for him.

'He didn't have the expertise or experience to manage a huge juggernaut of a football club.

'He was a good person, he just didn't have Brendan's kudos or x-factor.'

The x-factor was key to taking Dembele in the end. Moss did much of the leg-work, the financial detail proving challenging until Rodgers arrived and pushed the deal over the line.

'Other managers might not have been able to get Celtic's board to accept it.

'But I always felt Celtic had the potential to be a Benfica or a Porto, with the transfer

revenues of those clubs. And Brendan saw that.

'Listen, Celtic have done well making something like £75million from transfers.

'But a club which is completely switched on can be making £300million or £400million.'

Rodgers speaks often of a new approach. Of Celtic commanding the market rate and refusing to allow English clubs to treat Scottish football like a car boot sale on a Sunday morning.

Moss took a call from Everton in the summer asking if Dembele was worth the £30million price-tag on his head. For Celtic what happens with the striker this summer could be key to shattering the glass ceiling suffocating Scottish clubs.

'When Celtic sold Wanyama, van Dijk, fraser Forster and thought £11million or £12million was unbelievable money,' adds Moss.

'But Brendan came in and said, 'look I know what the market is.'

'If Benfica or Porto or Dinamo Zagreb, even Basle, can sell players for tens of millions of pounds you have to ask, 'what's the difference between them and Celtic? There isn't one.

'Brendan joined Celtic and introduced Premier League thinking. He can talk the talk. The important thing is that he walks the walk as well.

'If Celtic get another two or three seasons out of him they will have won a watch.'


When Nancy Johnstone and her husband Archie set off for the Costa Brava in 1934 they dreamed, like so many Britons have since, of a new, tranquil life on the shores of the Mediterranean, but within two years the Spanish civil war put an end to what they called their “blue paradise”.

Now their books, which can be placed alongside George Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia in their depiction of the war that ripped the country apart in the 1930s, are to be made into an English-language film by the award-winning Catalan producer Isona Passola, whose Pa Negra (Black Bread) won best picture at the 2010 San Sebastián festival.

Nancy, then in her late 20s, had convinced Archie to quit his job as a subeditor on the News Chronicle and go with her to Tossa de Mar, where they planned to build a hotel. They chose Tossa, now a popular resort, because Archie said no one he knew had ever been there before.

When they arrived they found a thriving artistic community, many of whom had fled Nazi Germany. Among them was the architect Fritz Marcus, who designed the hotel that became Casa Johnstone. Other new residents included the artists Marc Chagall, Oskar Zügel and Dora Maar.

Using their Fleet Street links, the hotel soon became popular among London journalists, writers and artists. Nancy learned Catalan and the couple settled into the local community.

Then war broke out and one day in 1936 a Royal Navy destroyer appeared in the bay to rescue British residents. Nancy and Archie refused to go, saying they would not abandon the people of Tossa.

“We had nothing against people defending themselves from a fascist coup,” Nancy wrote in Hotel in Spain (1937), her perceptive and often witty account of their early years in Tossa.

Book cover of A Hotel on the Costa Brava. Photograph: Tusquets editores

That book was followed two years later by Hotel in Flight, both published by Faber but long out of print and forgotten, until they were discovered by Miquel Berga, a professor of humanities at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona and a leading Orwell scholar, who translated the books into Catalan.

“I knew of Nancy Johnstone through an [unflattering] review by Orwell in the late 1930s, but I became fully aware of the potential of fusing the two books in a single narrative when I read the second one and I realised how what began as a sort of ‘A Year in Provence’ became, in the end, a tragic, political, and highly moral tale,” Berga said.

“The fascinating story of the Johnstones is unique in the sense that they didn’t come to the war for political reasons (as was the case of almost all of the reporting by British authors), the war came to them when they had already decided to make Catalonia their adopted country,” he said.

“Nancy Johnstone’s account constitutes the most comprehensive chronicle ever written about the republic and the civil war by a full-time British resident.”

Production is due to start soon on the film adaptation of the books, says Passola, whose company Massa d’Or will make the film – in English – with Scottish and German partners.

“We will shoot it in Tossa,” Passola said. “The old town hasn’t changed. The view that Nancy would have had from her hotel is exactly as it was then.

“Nancy is a powerful character and she gives us an outsider’s view of the war in Spain,” she added. “Above all, it’s an emotional story of this woman who is struggling to make her hotel a success and, when that is interrupted by war, is capable of adapting and showing solidarity with the cause against fascism, as did many English people.”

As the fascists advanced northwards in the 1930s, Casa Johnstone soon become home to 50 children orphaned by the war, while Nancy and Archie eked out a living covering the conflict for the Manchester Guardian and the News Chronicle. The day before Tossa fell, the couple piled 60 children into a truck and drove them to safety in France, joining a long line of refugees.

By then Nancy’s mood and the tone of her writing had changed from can-do cheerful to undisguised cynicism. After describing the harsh conditions in a refugee camp close to Perpignan in southern France, she concludes Hotel in Flight saying:

The relief work depended on what help the British government cared to give. Voluntary organisations were drained. But one organisation was still going strong. A contingent of plus-four clad gentlemen arrived from England to shoot painlessly the wandering, starving Spanish mules. It seemed a pity that they did not first shoot painlessly the cooped-up, starving Spanish refugees.

The couple split up shortly afterwards. Archie spent the war back at the Chronicle and was then seconded to the British embassy in Moscow, but after two years defected to the Soviet Union where he lived until his death in 1978.

Nancy went to Mexico where she remarried. She returned to Tossa in 1951 but was so dismayed by Franco’s Spain that she sold the hotel and after that there is no trace of her.

Nancy Johnstone (far left) in 1947 on a return trip to Tossa after the war. Photograph: Tusquest editors

Casa Johnstone still exists, but has been engulfed by the much larger Hotel Don Juan.

Nancy, bitter about what she saw as Britain’s betrayal of the republic, writes in Hotel in Flight about the Catalans’ blind faith in the British: “They had complete faith in England. England could not allow such things as the bombing of Gernika. England would protect the Basques who had always been her friends.

“In spite of one fact after another, all showing clearly that England was favouring the other side, the local people still clung to their belief.”