Emma, Lady Hamilton became one of the most infamous mistresses in British history when she embarked on ‘one of the history’s greatest love affairs’ with Admiral Lord Nelson. Artefacts from her life are now on display at the Maritime Museum at Greenwich. Born 26 April 1765 in England in poverty, she had a child … Read more
Donald Trump’s cosying up to Vladimir Putin, and (jokingly) suggesting he hack into Hillary Clinton’s emails and leak them, is not without context. Trump has had business dealings for years with Russian oligarchs – which if he were forced to release his tax returns would be obvious. And his present campaign manager Paul Manafort, … Read more
Tom Sutherland, who was held hostage by Hezbollah in Beirut for six and a half years, much of the time with Terry Anderson, has died. He was Dean of Agriculture at the American University there. Born 3 May 1931 at 6am in Falkirk, Scotland, he was kidnapped on 9 June 1985 and released on … Read more
Another ‘disappeared’ with a much less happy outcome was teen-novelist Helen Bailey, who tragically lost her husband in a swimming accident in 2011 and gained a considerable following with her blog Planet Grief and book When Bad Things Happen in Good Bikinis. Her body was recently recovered from the cesspit of the house she … Read more
The reputation of Brit business is taking a pounding this week from two Westminster reports. One said that BHS (British Home Stores) was subject to “systematic plunder” by former owners Sir Philip Green, Dominic Chappell and their respective “hangers-on. It said the “tragedy” of BHS was the “unacceptable face of capitalism” and raised questions … Read more
UK cyclist Chris Froome has won the Tour de France for the third time. Born 20 May 1985 in Kenya, he was brought up in South Africa and now lives in Monaco. But Great Britain is still claiming him as one of their own for a much needed morale boost. Like Bradley Wiggins, … Read more
Germany is reeling from an epidemic of shootings and knifings by immigrants – nothing like as destructive, in terms of lives lost, as Kabul or Baghdad etc – but being closer to home it resonates more. It will pile yet more pressure on Angela Merkel’s open door policy. What is pertinent about the Germany … Read more
When bad things happen – significant life-changing events – there are usually several different astrological influences in place all pointing in the same direction. So they build up a critical mass (so to speak) which forces/accompanies a radical shift. At the moment, we are on the wearisome last lap of several years of the disruptive, … Read more
Melania Trump, born 26 April 1970 in Slovenia (old Yugoslavia), is incredibly different from her husband Donald. He’s Air Fire and very Mutable – so like a hot air balloon and scattered. She very earthy and fixed – with a Sun Saturn in Taurus and Sun opposition Jupiter in Scorpio, with Mercury Venus … Read more
Rolling Stone Mick Jagger is to become a father again in January, at 72 with his partner, Melanie Hamrick, a former ballerina. This will be his eighth child, the others ranging in age from 17 to 45. He also has five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Born 26 Jul 1943 2.30am Dartford, Eng, he’s never … Read more