The Steeple Times

Tag: America

  • More on Menéndez

    More on Menéndez

    As Lyle Menéndez creates a Facebook page about the case against him and his brother Erik, a juror contacts ‘The Steeple Times’ and brands their conviction for killing their wealthy parents “imperfect self-defence”

     

    Renewed interest in the 1989 murders of the multi-millionaires José and Mary ‘Kitty’ Menéndez by their sons, Erik and Lyle, has accompanied NBC’s screening of their fascinating new eight-part Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders.

     

    Consequently discussion has intensified and aside from Lyle Menéndez creating a Facebook page this month where interested parties can read about the slayings and the alleged abuse he and his brother were subjected to, a juror in the first trial contacted The Steeple Times to share her thoughts on the eventual outcome.

     

    In an email to editor-in-chief Matthew Steeples, a juror in the first case brought against Erik Menéndez and author of Hung Jury: The Diary of a Menendez Juror Hazel Thornton remarked:

     

    We were given the choice of:

    – First degree murder (what the men wanted)

    – Second degree murder

    – Voluntary manslaughter (what the women wanted)

    – Involuntary manslaughter

     

    It was widely reported that the women were 1) in love with the M brothers, 2) enamored with defense attorney Leslie Abramson (that part is true; I consider her to be a hero and am thrilled that LOTC [Law & Order True Crime] Menendez is focused on her character), 3) voting emotionally, not logically, and 4) too stupid to understand the jury instructions.

     

    Also, that we wanted to let them go free. No one voted to acquit. Acquittal was not on the table. We didn’t even vote for Involuntary manslaughter.

     

    But we did think the defense was strong enough that it may have happened exactly as they said –that they were in fear of their lives, rightly or wrongly, at the very moment of the killings. It’s called ‘imperfect self-defense’.

     

    Elsewhere in today’s The Steeple Times, we interview Zach Tinker – the actor who plays Erik Menéndez’s classmate, Craig Cignarelli.

     

    More on Menéndez – As Lyle Menéndez creates a Facebook page about the case against him and his brother Erik, a juror contacts ‘The Steeple Times’ to comment on their conviction for killing their wealthy parents
    Lyle Menéndez (left) and Erik Menéndez (right) in prison photographs in more recent years
    More on Menéndez – As Lyle Menéndez creates a Facebook page about the case against him and his brother Erik, a juror contacts ‘The Steeple Times’ to comment on their conviction for killing their wealthy parents
    The brothers continue to allege they were abused by the wealthy parents they slayed, Kitty and José Menéndez
    More on Menéndez – As Lyle Menéndez creates a Facebook page about the case against him and his brother Erik, a juror contacts ‘The Steeple Times’ to comment on their conviction for killing their wealthy parents
    722 North Elm Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 – The home where the Menéndez brothers committed their crimes on 20th August 1989; the house had previously been the residence of both Elton John and Prince in years prior
    More on Menéndez – As Lyle Menéndez creates a Facebook page about the case against him and his brother Erik, a juror contacts ‘The Steeple Times’ to comment on their conviction for killing their wealthy parents
    A tweet by juror in first trial Hazel Thornton containing a Facebook post by Lyle Menéndez about his views on her book

     

    Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders is available to watch in the UK on Sky Living and below an unedited Facebook post from Lyle Menéndez follows:

     

    I thank my family for helping me with this page. I don’t have internet access so this site depends on them. I have been told that setting up this page will open me up to ridicule and criticism. That’s probably true, but it’s something I’m already used to. It is very hard to accept that sexual assault can be the punchline of jokes or the subject of ridicule, but it has occurred–to me–and to many others. If I am mocked for this page, the shame of that belongs on the mocker and not on me or anyone who shares their story here. There is, quite simply, nothing funny about child rape or other abuse.

     

    The purpose of this page is not to debate the clearly wrong actions that I took. The purpose is to provide a safe place for people to talk about their similar experiences and find comfort in others who have suffered in silence in the same way. Those of us who have suffered abuse understand the healing power of sharing our experiences.

     

    I have received thousands of letters from people all over the world who have heard about my experiences and connected with them or simply had empathy for me and my brother. When I first started to receive the letters, I answered every one. But, eventually, I became overwhelmed. Still – whether I answered them or not – I read all the letters and my heart ached for each person brave enough to share, and I was inspired by the strength it took every person to take pen to paper and pour out their hearts.

     

    In fact, I testified every day at my trial in 1993 with a letter of an abuse survivor in my pants pocket to give me courage. The letters I receive to this day continue to give me courage and strength.

     

    With the resurgence of interest in our case and the prevalence of social media, I’m now in a better position to be able to create a place for those of you who want to reach out to me. Even more, this format gives us all the opportunity to create a community of compassion, empathy, inspiration and strength. I hope you will share your stories here and that we can build something positive from something so negative. I hope that we can all be survivors, lift each other up when we need it, and show everyone that by supporting each other, we can not just survive but thrive.

     

    If you write to me here, I will be read your posts, through my family, and I will respond sometimes. We can help each other. But this page is less about me and more about all of us helping each other. There is a community here. But please keep in mind that neither I nor anyone in my family is a professional counselor, therapist, or any type of professional equipped to deal with the psychological and/or emotional issues that child abuse causes. I will be offering my support and advice as a fellow sufferer and survivor and not as any type of expert.

     

    Like I said, I do not have the internet. This site depends on my family. If you see an “-a” after a comment that means that the administrator is the one commenting. And many conversations will be started by the administrator.

     

    One final note: I have heard that social media can be the opposite of what I just described. Please know that hateful posts will not be approved and hurtful/hateful comments will be deleted by an administrator. Let’s make this a safe space.

     

    For more information Hung Jury: The Diary of a Menendez Juror about by Hazel Thornton, click here.

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVcw6H2MA8E

     

  • Zach Tinker – What’s on your mantelpiece?

    Zach Tinker – What’s on your mantelpiece?

    A 20-question interview with American actor and star of NBC’s ‘Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders’ Zach Tinker

     

    The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?

    My gut and my heart.

     

    “Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?

    “Kill ‘em with kindness.”

     

    Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2017?

    To be frank, I had no idea who Kerry Katona is so I looked her up. I also searched “Kerry Katona 2007,” but couldn’t find anything besides some stuff about her being on drugs and held up at knifepoint: I feel like I’m getting off track here.

     

    I would say bigotry is unacceptable in 2017. It’s a distraction. There is so much going on right now that could end really badly and that’s where our focus should be, not on looking for someone else to blame because of their colour or gender or religion.

     

    Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?

    Only at certain times, but I miss being a little kid: Ignorance is bliss.

     

    What might you swap all your wealth for?

    More wealth. I’m kidding: Probably the ability to fly.

     

    Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank”. What’s your view on the state of the financial system?

    I am probably not the one to ask: I’m 23 and just starting to deal with the state of my own economy. But it seems logical that the world is a better place if more people can participate, when we all feel like we have a stake in the outcome.

     

    What phrase or word do you most loathe?

    “The proof is in the pudding” – I’ve never understood what the hell that means. On a more positive and sort of related note,my favourite word is “goop.”

     

    In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home”. What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?

    I think: “Charity begins at need” – That seems more relevant, especially with the horrible string of natural disasters that have occurred around the world recently.

     

    From elementary school through college, charity and volunteering was built in to the education curriculum, so that made it easy and I was very involved in with Camp Harmony. It is a well-run programme to support under privileged children from inner cities, the homeless and troubled families. They host summer camps, winter camps, holiday events, do food drives, back to school drives, support mentorships… I volunteered there for five or six years and it’s one of the most incredible and rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. Sadly, I haven’t been very active in that community for the past few years because of my schedule, but to anyone living in Los Angeles, I couldn’t recommend the programme enough.

     

    The judge in Law Abiding Citizen states: “I can pretty much do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?

    If the question is: “What is my view on the appropriate use of cell phones that explode?” I would probably say, never. They are crazy dangerous, plus I heard their network coverage is terrible.

     

    When it comes to regular old mobile phones, I think in general, just don’t be a dick. I know that sounds flip, but most of us know when phone use is not okay: Don’t text and drive; don’t talk on the phone in a movie theatre and don’t FaceTime at a funeral.

     

    If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?

    Michael Jordan, Lincoln, Marlon Brando, Will Smith, Paul McCartney, Frank Sinatra, Eminem, MLK, Louis CK, Dave Chappelle and my mother’s father. He passed away when my mom was seven and I’d like to meet him and say thank you.

     

    If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?

    A bucket of Ben & Jerry’s half-baked half-twisted ice cream, my grandma’s Italian chicken cutlets, a jar of Skippy Peanut Butter, a box of Captain Crunch Berries with 2% milk, a PB&J sandwich on whole wheat, and a slice of Susie Cakes’ red velvet cake for dessert. Oh, and a big bottle of lemon-lime Gatorade to wash it down. I would eat it in prison, presumably, since I’m on death row.

     

    What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?

    I don’t drink regularly, but that’s mostly about fitness. I’m not judging, but first thing after you wake up is probably not the best idea. Otherwise, sometimes a drink is just what the doctor ordered; I get it.

     

    A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?

    Tea, but I’ll need two packs of Stevia in there first.

     

    Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?

    Small ones: I like when gatherings are intimate, where I can have conversations with people and get to know them.

     

    Who is the most positive person you know?

    Probably my step-dad, Ken Karman.

     

    What’s your most guilty pleasure?

    The TV show My Strange Addiction. That show is insane. All those kinds of shows: Intervention, Cops, etc. They’re trash TV, I know, but God are they entertaining to watch.

     

    If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?

    Hmmm… A piece of chocolate candy, maybe: Sweet with a slightly hard exterior and a soft and gooey inside.

     

    If you were a car, what marque would you be?

    I’d like to say a Ferrari or Lambo, but I’m probably more like a 2005 Mazda Miata or something.

     

    Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.

    I almost bit my own tongue off as a child and had to have it sewn back on while conscious and awake.

     

    What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?

    There is no actual mantelpiece in my tiny studio apartment, but I do have out on display an award my grandfather received from the NBC television network, a book about Marlon Brando, the graphic novel, Watchmen and a bottle of acne medication (left that out, unintentionally).

     

    Actor Zach Tinker was born in New York in 1994 into a family of directors, writers and producers. He is the first of his family to work in front of the camera and currently appears in the NBC series ‘Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders’ as Craig Cignarelli, a classmate of Erik Menéndez .

     

    Follow Zach Tinker on Twitter at @ZachTinker and on Instagram at @zach_atticus.

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVcw6H2MA8E

  • Shawn Sullivan (AKA Shawn O’Suilleabhain and ‘The Putney Paedo’)

    Shawn Sullivan (AKA Shawn O’Suilleabhain and ‘The Putney Paedo’)

    Putney based Shawn Sullivan fled America after being accused of abusing two girls aged 11 and 14 in the 1990s. He was subsequently convicted of sexually assaulting two 12 year old girls in Ireland in 1997 but then moved to London on an Irish passport. Sullivan then married a Ministry of Justice policy manager named Sarah Smith and after fighting extradition to the US claiming it would be a “flagrant denial” of his rights, has lived freely in the UK ever since. Of this monster, a neighbour remarked: “It is a pathetic joke and makes a mockery of the British justice system. He should be extradited and made to pay for his crimes. He manipulated and cheated girls out of their innocence… It is a disgrace and I fear for any children he will come across in the future.” Shame on our bankrupt lawmakers for continuing to protect this repugnant paedophile.

     

  • A Second Kennedy in the White House?

    A Second Kennedy in the White House?

    Could “Hillary Clinton without the baggage” Caroline Kennedy take on Donald Trump?

     

    It is being suggested that JFK’s daughter Caroline Kennedy could run against Donald Trump to become President of the United States of America in 2020 or 2024.

     

    Website Proud Democrats quoted a source close to the former Ambassador to Japan under Obama last week as saying:

     

    “Caroline had a successful ambassadorial run in Japan and feels really very confident about putting her hat in the ring for a New York congressional or Senate seat, with even possibly bigger political objectives down the road… The presidency is on her mind now, believe me.”

     

    Such a move would signal a return to sanity and it should most certainly be encouraged.

     

  • Dwarfing Misogyny

    Dwarfing Misogyny

    Rising star female racing driver Jamie Chadwick puts ‘Bungling Bernie’ Ecclestone in his place and dismisses his ridiculous misogynist views

     

    The first ever female and youngest ever winner of the British GT Championship Jamie Chadwick was interviewed in The Guardian last weekend.

     

    Speaking to the paper’s Giles Richards, 19-year-old Chadwick criticized Bernie Ecclestone’s 2016 remarks at an advertising conference about female participation in F1 in London. At the time ‘Bungling Bernie’ remarked: “I don’t know whether a woman would physically be able to drive an F1 car quickly, and they wouldn’t be taken seriously.”

     

    In response, Chadwick candidly stated: “[Ecclestone’s views are] not based on any fact. If I can prove him wrong that’s just added motivation… Everywhere I have gone everyone has respected that I am there to do a job. If I don’t do it I get the same bollocking a male driver would get and if I do I get the same praise.”

     

    She added: “You don’t want a female to be there as a token effort. You have to have made it on merit. The worst thing that could happen would be if you put someone in who could not compete. It would make a mockery of those who are trying to achieve good things.”

     

    Back in 2016, at the same conference, Ecclestone shared other views that were not exactly considered logical. He also bizarrely suggested that Vladimir Putin “should be running Europe” and expressed his support for Donald Trump to become 45th POTUS. In his dotage, one is left wondering if this little dwarf-like man has been spending too much time watching One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

     

  • Hero of the Hour – David Cornwell

    Hero of the Hour – David Cornwell

    Novelist David Cornwell (AKA John le Carré) speaks sense on the elite, Brexit and Donald Trump

     

    David Cornwell – better known as the novelist John le Carré – gave a rare interview in yesterday’s The Sunday Times. In it, he spoke candidly and revealed his beliefs that Brexit is something he “despises” and that Donald Trump “is such a horse’s arse.”

     

    In the interview Cornwell told the paper’s Bryan Appleyard:

     

    “Surely the definition of a decent society is: one, how it chooses its elite; and, two, how it looks after its losers. Now we choose our elite horribly badly and, as long as private education commands the scene, don’t talk to me about levelling the playing field — the social contract is bust in this country.”

     

    “We’re getting people who start their political careers at university and go in as special assistants to MPs, like those ridiculous people who were advising May [Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill]. We are run by the wrong elite.”

     

    “I understand why people who are socially deprived, with the safety net taken away from them and treated as second-class citizens, have every right to vote for some other dream. I understand that, and I understand it needs a desperate remedy, and fast, but Brexit isn’t the answer.”

     

    Of Trump, he added:

     

    “The Russian-Ukrainian money trail is the one that, combined with collusion in Russian electoral tampering, will, with luck, nail him.”

     

    Cornwell is spot on all scores and we salute him.

     

    ‘A Legacy of Spies’ by John le Carré is out on Thursday (Viking, £20). Pre-order from Amazon for £9.50 by clicking here.

     

  • Big Shorting Gatsby

    Big Shorting Gatsby

    Long Island mansion with links to ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘The Big Short’ for sale for £13.1 million (or 152% more than it sold for in 2011)

     

    F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896 – 1940) set his ‘Roaring Twenties’ classic The Great Gatsby in the fictional locations of East Egg and West Egg on Long Island and now one of the homes that inspired him is available for sale.

     

    Owned by Cornwall Capital founder James Mai – a man whose firm ironically made over 80 times its capital by buying credit default swaps on CDOs prior to the 2008 financial crisis – and his wife Chiara since 2011, 235 Middle Neck Road at Sands Point on Long Island’s Gold Coast was built in 1926 and home to the Rumsey-Harriman railroad dynasty from 1929.

     

    Fitzgerald is said to have spent time at the residence learning about “the lifestyle of the moneyed aristocracy of Old Westport, Long Island, and their involvement in the movement of eugenics” from the Rumseys and ironically, James Mai, is also representative of a clash between ‘old’ and ‘new’ money. In 2008, he and his partner are said to have been the ones “screaming about [the coming crash] as loud as they could, but everyone turned a deaf ear.” The character Jamie Shipley, played by Finn Wittrock in the 2015 film The Big Short, is loosely based upon him.

     

    Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
    Current owners Chiara and James Mai are said to have spent vast sums on the renovation of the estate

     

    Featuring 11,955 square foot of renovated accommodation that includes formal and informal entertaining spaces, 13 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms. There is also a 6-car garage with a 3-bedroom caretaker’s cottage, a 4-bedroom beachside cottage and a boat house.

     

    Outside, on a plot of some 5.3 acres, there is a 391-foot private beach, a tennis court and in spite of its seeming isolation, the property is situated just 29 miles from Downtown Manhattan and 25 minutes by boat.

     

    235 Middle Neck Road is listed by Nava Mitnick of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International. In December 2016, of it, she commented: “Obviously, it’s so imposing – you drive down and see the sweeping views. But when we entered the house, I described it as a ‘glorified cottage’, because it’s so homey.”

     

    235 Middle Neck Road – The Numbers

     

    August 2017 – Relisted for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million).

     

    December 2016 – Listed for sale for £15.4 million ($19.8 million, €16.6 million or درهم72.7 million).

     

    June 2011 – Sold for £5.2 million ($6.675 million, €5.6 million or درهم24.5 million).

     

    February 2011 – Listed for sale for £7.7 million ($9.9 million, €8.3 million or درهم36.4 million).

     

    Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.

  • Diana’s Drive

    Diana’s Drive

    Up-armoured Rolls-Royce used by the late Diana, Princess of Wales to be auctioned in Auburn, Indiana

     

    A 1987 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur I commissioned by the British Foreign Office as part of the British Embassy vehicle pool in Washington D.C. that was used by Diana, Princess of Wales on two occasions is to be sold with an estimate of £35,000 to £42,000 ($45,000 to $55,000, €38,000 to €47,000 or درهم165,000 to درهم202,000).

     

    Just as questions about the late royal’s safety in the Mercedes-Benz in which she made her tragic final journey in Paris in 1997 are again raised, the up-armoured car to be offered is to be sold by Auctions America at their 31st August to 3rd September sale in Auburn, Indiana.

     

    The Balmoral Green with tan hide vehicle features laminated polycarbonate in place of glass windows, Kevlar and steel plate in the body, two Motorola mobile telephones and an exterior telecom (as the windows do not roll down). It has 60,300 miles on the clock and also has air conditioning and a working sunroof.

     

    Used first by the then Princess of Wales on 4th October 1990, the car took her first to a Royal Gala to benefit the London City Ballet at the Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C. and then also to a home for HIV positive children, TERRIFIC, Inc.’s Grandma’s House®, in what was termed an “historic visit.”

     

    Diana’s Drive – Up-armoured ex-British Embassy in Washington 1987 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur I used by late Diana, Princess of Wales to be auctioned by Auctions America at their Labour Day sale in Auburn, Indiana from 31st August to 3rd September 2017 – Estimate of £35,000 to £42,000 ($45,000 to $55,000, €38,000 to €47,000 or درهم165,000 to درهم202,000). Diana’s Drive – Up-armoured ex-British Embassy in Washington 1987 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur I used by late Diana, Princess of Wales to be auctioned by Auctions America at their Labour Day sale in Auburn, Indiana from 31st August to 3rd September 2017 – Estimate of £35,000 to £42,000 ($45,000 to $55,000, €38,000 to €47,000 or درهم165,000 to درهم202,000).Diana’s Drive – Up-armoured ex-British Embassy in Washington 1987 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur I used by late Diana, Princess of Wales to be auctioned by Auctions America at their Labour Day sale in Auburn, Indiana from 31st August to 3rd September 2017 – Estimate of £35,000 to £42,000 ($45,000 to $55,000, €38,000 to €47,000 or درهم165,000 to درهم202,000). Diana’s Drive – Up-armoured ex-British Embassy in Washington 1987 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur I used by late Diana, Princess of Wales to be auctioned by Auctions America at their Labour Day sale in Auburn, Indiana from 31st August to 3rd September 2017 – Estimate of £35,000 to £42,000 ($45,000 to $55,000, €38,000 to €47,000 or درهم165,000 to درهم202,000).Diana’s Drive – Up-armoured ex-British Embassy in Washington 1987 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur I used by late Diana, Princess of Wales to be auctioned by Auctions America at their Labour Day sale in Auburn, Indiana from 31st August to 3rd September 2017 – Estimate of £35,000 to £42,000 ($45,000 to $55,000, €38,000 to €47,000 or درهم165,000 to درهم202,000). Diana’s Drive – Up-armoured ex-British Embassy in Washington 1987 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur I used by late Diana, Princess of Wales to be auctioned by Auctions America at their Labour Day sale in Auburn, Indiana from 31st August to 3rd September 2017 – Estimate of £35,000 to £42,000 ($45,000 to $55,000, €38,000 to €47,000 or درهم165,000 to درهم202,000).Diana’s Drive – Up-armoured ex-British Embassy in Washington 1987 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur I used by late Diana, Princess of Wales to be auctioned by Auctions America at their Labour Day sale in Auburn, Indiana from 31st August to 3rd September 2017 – Estimate of £35,000 to £42,000 ($45,000 to $55,000, €38,000 to €47,000 or درهم165,000 to درهم202,000).Diana’s Drive – Up-armoured ex-British Embassy in Washington 1987 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur I used by late Diana, Princess of Wales to be auctioned by Auctions America at their Labour Day sale in Auburn, Indiana from 31st August to 3rd September 2017 – Estimate of £35,000 to £42,000 ($45,000 to $55,000, €38,000 to €47,000 or درهم165,000 to درهم202,000).

  • Moron of the Moment – Milo Yiannopoulos

    Moron of the Moment – Milo Yiannopoulos

    ‘Trumpsexual’ paedophile apologist Milo Yiannopoulos stands on a radiator as Simon & Schuster reject his £7.6 million lawsuit

     

    On Saturday, Milo Yiannopoulos shared a picture of himself standing on top of a radiator on Facebook. Whether he simply wanted to warm his shoes or actually believed such a move would create awareness about his recently released rant, a book named Dangerous, he again made himself appear as nothing but an idiot.

     

    Yiannopoulos – a self-confessed “coalburner” due to his liking for “black guys for my love life, straight white males as employees, and girls as drinking buddies” – had received news Friday that his former publisher, Simon & Schuster, were “firing back at his £7.6 million ($10 million, €8.5 million or درهم36.7 million) lawsuit” for dropping publication of his work and urging a court to “throw out his meritless publicity stunt.”

     

    In documents submitted to a court in New York, Simon & Schuster argued: “A publisher shall not be obligated to accept or publish the Work if it is in sole good faith judgment the Work is not acceptable to it.” They added:

     

    “Yiannopoulos accepted [an advance] payment without protest, thereby sealing the accord and satisfaction and barring this lawsuit as a matter of centuries-old law… That should have been the end of this contractual matter. Instead, Yiannopoulos waited approximately five months to file this lawsuit, in a naked attempt to drum up publicity for the publication of his book, released days earlier, amidst baseless public statements that Defendant attempted to censor and silence him.”

     

    In response, Yiannopoulos – whose suggestion that abuse of 13 year olds is not paedophilia caused outrage earlier this year – told The Hollywood Reporter:

     

    “[Here in Simon & Schuster is] a client doomed to failure… I’ve hired Jeffrey Weingart and Stephen Meister. Stephen has represented Daddy himself – that’s my pet name for the president, in case you didn’t know – and we all know daddy picks winners.”

     

    As with Trump and his ever-revolving set of staff, we’ll see about that but separately Saturday, this self-obsessed bore shared news by email of a “quick meet and great” in Florida. Yiannopoulos announced: “I will be in a makeshift swimming pool in the back of a pick up truck on a beach chair with my squad.” Charming.

     

  • Palming Off Il Palmetto

    Palming Off Il Palmetto

    Billionaire founder of Netscape has failed to sell his Palm Beach mansion in a year; it remains on the market for £105 million (or 754% more than he paid for it in 1999)

     

    Four times married, a father of four and a collector of rather large gin palaces, Texan James H. Clark founded Netscape in 1994 and earnt $2 billion (the equivalent of $3 billion, £2.3 billion, €2.6 billion or درهم11 billion today) from that project when it was sold to AOL in 1998.

     

    Clark paid just $11 million for a Palm Beach mansion named ‘Il Palmetto’ in 1999 (the equivalent of $16.2 million, £12.3 million €13.8 million or درهم59.5 million today) and spent four years renovating the 5.46-acre property. He placed it for sale for $137 million (£105 million, €117 million or درهم503 million) last August but has plainly failed to attract a buyer.

     

    Built to the designs of the Swiss architect Maurice Fatio (1897 – 1943) as an “Italian Renaissance-style palazzo” in 1930, the house – which is also known as 1500 South Ocean Boulevard – is described by selling agents Sotheby’s International Realty as “without peer in Palm Beach.” The building was subjected to a four year renovation by Mr Clark, reportedly extends to around 44,200 square foot and aside from including 10 bedrooms, 14 full-bathrooms and 12 partial-bathrooms, also comes with a 20,000 bottle wine cellar and a second cellar for an additional 1,000 crates.

     

    Architecturally “a series of pavilions connected by cloisters,” the main house is dominated by formal entertaining areas with 16th century carved ceilings and accessed from a private tunnel underneath the road is a 2-bedroom beach house with an infinity pool that “blends into the turquoise waters of the Atlantic Ocean.” To the other boundary, on Lake Worth, is a boathouse with motorised launches for two vessels and a 2-bedroom apartment above.

     

     Palming Off Il Palmetto – Il Palmetto, 1500 South Ocean Boulevard, A1A, Palm Beach, Florida, FL 33480, United States of America – For sale for £105 million ($137 million, €117 million or درهم503 million) through Sotheby’s International Realty – Home to Netscape founder James H. ClarkPalming Off Il Palmetto – Il Palmetto, 1500 South Ocean Boulevard, A1A, Palm Beach, Florida, FL 33480, United States of America – For sale for £105 million ($137 million, €117 million or درهم503 million) through Sotheby’s International Realty – Home to Netscape founder James H. ClarkPalming Off Il Palmetto – Il Palmetto, 1500 South Ocean Boulevard, A1A, Palm Beach, Florida, FL 33480, United States of America – For sale for £105 million ($137 million, €117 million or درهم503 million) through Sotheby’s International Realty – Home to Netscape founder James H. ClarkPalming Off Il Palmetto – Il Palmetto, 1500 South Ocean Boulevard, A1A, Palm Beach, Florida, FL 33480, United States of America – For sale for £105 million ($137 million, €117 million or درهم503 million) through Sotheby’s International Realty – Home to Netscape founder James H. ClarkPalming Off Il Palmetto – Il Palmetto, 1500 South Ocean Boulevard, A1A, Palm Beach, Florida, FL 33480, United States of America – For sale for £105 million ($137 million, €117 million or درهم503 million) through Sotheby’s International Realty – Home to Netscape founder James H. ClarkPalming Off Il Palmetto – Il Palmetto, 1500 South Ocean Boulevard, A1A, Palm Beach, Florida, FL 33480, United States of America – For sale for £105 million ($137 million, €117 million or درهم503 million) through Sotheby’s International Realty – Home to Netscape founder James H. ClarkPalming Off Il Palmetto – Il Palmetto, 1500 South Ocean Boulevard, A1A, Palm Beach, Florida, FL 33480, United States of America – For sale for £105 million ($137 million, €117 million or درهم503 million) through Sotheby’s International Realty – Home to Netscape founder James H. ClarkPalming Off Il Palmetto – Il Palmetto, 1500 South Ocean Boulevard, A1A, Palm Beach, Florida, FL 33480, United States of America – For sale for £105 million ($137 million, €117 million or درهم503 million) through Sotheby’s International Realty – Home to Netscape founder James H. ClarkPalming Off Il Palmetto – Il Palmetto, 1500 South Ocean Boulevard, A1A, Palm Beach, Florida, FL 33480, United States of America – For sale for £105 million ($137 million, €117 million or درهم503 million) through Sotheby’s International Realty – Home to Netscape founder James H. ClarkPalming Off Il Palmetto – Il Palmetto, 1500 South Ocean Boulevard, A1A, Palm Beach, Florida, FL 33480, United States of America – For sale for £105 million ($137 million, €117 million or درهم503 million) through Sotheby’s International Realty – Home to Netscape founder James H. ClarkPalming Off Il Palmetto – Il Palmetto, 1500 South Ocean Boulevard, A1A, Palm Beach, Florida, FL 33480, United States of America – For sale for £105 million ($137 million, €117 million or درهم503 million) through Sotheby’s International Realty – Home to Netscape founder James H. ClarkPalming Off Il Palmetto – Il Palmetto, 1500 South Ocean Boulevard, A1A, Palm Beach, Florida, FL 33480, United States of America – For sale for £105 million ($137 million, €117 million or درهم503 million) through Sotheby’s International Realty – Home to Netscape founder James H. ClarkPalming Off Il Palmetto – Il Palmetto, 1500 South Ocean Boulevard, A1A, Palm Beach, Florida, FL 33480, United States of America – For sale for £105 million ($137 million, €117 million or درهم503 million) through Sotheby’s International Realty – Home to Netscape founder James H. ClarkPalming Off Il Palmetto – Il Palmetto, 1500 South Ocean Boulevard, A1A, Palm Beach, Florida, FL 33480, United States of America – For sale for £105 million ($137 million, €117 million or درهم503 million) through Sotheby’s International Realty – Home to Netscape founder James H. ClarkPalming Off Il Palmetto – Il Palmetto, 1500 South Ocean Boulevard, A1A, Palm Beach, Florida, FL 33480, United States of America – For sale for £105 million ($137 million, €117 million or درهم503 million) through Sotheby’s International Realty – Home to Netscape founder James H. ClarkPalming Off Il Palmetto – Il Palmetto, 1500 South Ocean Boulevard, A1A, Palm Beach, Florida, FL 33480, United States of America – For sale for £105 million ($137 million, €117 million or درهم503 million) through Sotheby’s International Realty – Home to Netscape founder James H. Clark