The weird life of Charles Webb, author of The Graduate novella made into the smash-hit iconic Dustin Hoffman Anne Bancroft movie has come to light with his death. He and his wife, both from moneyed backgrounds, gave away their wealth, homes, paintings and inheritances and lived off the grid with their children in poverty, … Read more
The love affair that almost tore apart the Royal family, caused an irrevocable rift between brothers who had been close friends, and caused a stand-off between two senior ladies is the subject of a new book, The Crown in Crisis by Alexander Larman. Researched from newly released archival papers and private letters from the time … Read more
A virtual Glastonbury has had to mark the cancelled 50th anniversary gig of what started as a ‘hippie fete’ in Somerset on 19th September 1970 with 1500 revellers and Marc Bolan topping the bill, and went on to become the greatest music festival in the world, attended annually by over 200,000 people. It was … Read more
Antoni Gaudi, the Catalan architect whose memorably individual structures and decorations are an integral part of Barcelona was born 25 June 1852 9.30am Reus, Spain. His most famous work the unfinished church of Sagrada Familia is Spain’s most visited monument. A modernist, he was influenced by his passions in life: architecture, nature, and religion … Read more
Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England, cheerfully remarked the UK had been teetering on the edge of going bust in March; and sent out a warning shot that the bank shouldn’t be seen as the government’s money-tree or cashpoint-in-the-sky ad infinitum. Though whether he’ll win that point is moot. Jeremy Warner remarks … Read more
Lady Colin Campbell, the Jamaican-born aristo-wannabe, has another Royal book out this week – Meghan and Harry, the Real Story. She has previously cornered the market in marginally salacious Royal books, spilling the beans about Diana’s affairs, casting aspersions about the Queen Mother’s parentage and the Queen’s marriage amongst other titbits. None of which … Read more
The weirdly dystopian dramas of the one percenters have thrown up a sad ending with the apparent suicide of Steve Bing, Hollywood playboy, multimillionaire real estate heir, filmmaker and philanthropist. Left a mega fortune when he was 18 he became a Vegas high-roller and strip-club aficionado who used his wealth in part to involve himself … Read more
Seattle is the target of Trump and the far-right’s ire with claims the “radical left” has “taken over” the city when a police-free autonomous zone was set up by protesters after demonstrations over police brutality and systemic racism. The president said he had offered to come in and settle the matter within an hour or … Read more
The Cancer Solar Eclipse has come and gone without too much out of the ordinary in terms of dramatic events. Trepidation and excitement precede eclipses which often turn out to be damp squibs on the day or even week itself. But there can be a curious delayed effect. The 11 August 1999 total solar eclipse … Read more
Tone deaf or deliberate provocation? Trump’s deluded insistence on holding his first campaign rally in the midst of rising CV-19 figures in Tulsa, Oklahoma has drawn outrage from black Tulsans, who say it will stoke tensions never mind act as a super-spreader of infection. In late May 1921 the city was the site of … Read more