Charles Mitford Cust tells the tale of a Steiff bear with a fascinating past
I was routing around in the family safe one rainy day recently when I spotted an unusual object hidden behind a pile of ancient documents right at the back, it turned out to be a near mint condition 1908 Steiff teddy bear which following some simple arithmetic I soon realised had been hiding there for over one hundred years. (more…)
Champagne at Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland available for upto £2,000 a bottle
Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park opens to the public today. By far from a cheap outing, with tickets costing upto £14.50 per ride, this isn’t an event for the financially limited but we must admit we were surprised to see champagne priced at £2,000 per bottle. (more…)
Record price set for a mansion in San Francisco by Yahoo! chief
San Francisco’s Pacific Heights is best known for its extremely expensive properties and as home to the likes of novelist Danielle Steele, SKYY vodka tycoon Maurice Kanbar and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. With the sale of 2950 Broadway for the record breaking price of $35 million (£22.5 million) to Marissa Mayer, president of Yahoo!, however, a new benchmark has been set. (more…)
British born, American raised, Miller rose to fame in the Fox Network series Prison Break. A Princeton graduate, the actor turned screenwriter used the pseudonym Ted Foulke to write Stoker and Uncle Charlie and came out as gay in August 2013 in a letter posted on GLAAD’s website where he declined to attend a film festival in Russia on the basis of the country’s treatment of homosexuals. In his letter he boldly stated: “I cannot in good conscience participate in a celebratory occasion hosted by a country where people like myself are being systematically denied their basic right to live and love openly”.
Australia is the most expensive country in terms of studying costs
A recent study by HSBC’s Wealth Development department came up with a surprising revelation: Australia is the most costly country in the world in which to study. (more…)
Two Rolls-Royce Phantoms blinged beyond belief
It’s the ‘Silly Season’ and this week we have two Pictures of the Week. One is of an American Rolls-Royce Phantom and the other is of a similarly ridiculous car in London. (more…)
20 questions with Marcus Schelbert, food and beverage duty manager of Belgraves – A Thompson Hotel
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?
My friends, my family and my passion for my work, drinks and food.
“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
“Don’t talk, just do it as it could be the last day of your life”.
Two auctions featuring Princess Diana, Monica Lewinsky, President Kennedy, Wallis Simpson and Adolf Hitler
This Thursday, the Chelsea Arts Club in London is holding an event to conclude their silent auction of images and paintings by members of heroes and villains. In Los Angeles, on the same day, Nate D. Sanders, a specialist in rare collectibles, is selling some equally if not far more controversial items.
“If you want news, listen to the radio; if you want sex, read the newspapers” is amongst the many classic quotes from this Conservative peer. A land girl, a Bletchley Park codebreaker, Mayor of Cambridge, an agriculture minister, and now a Baroness, Trumpington famously stuck two fingers up at Lord King of Bridgwater after he called her “pretty old” during a debate. Of the reaction to that, she commented: “It was entirely between him and me – I thought. I wasn’t conscious of there being television [cameras there]… His family says he is famous now”. Of getting older, she added: “Other people’s opinions matter less – unless they’re medical”. On Desert Island Discs in 1990 she chose the Crown Jewels as her luxury item as she said it would maximise her chances of being rescued. A most practical lady and a true national treasure.
Whether innocent or guilty of the murder she’s repeatedly been accused of, this American has made $4 million from her memoir deal with HarperCollins. The family of Meredith Kercher, the true victim in all of this, have rightly stated that they “do not believe anyone should profit from the murder” but Knox, whose conviction for calunnia stands, is therefore indeed proof that crime can indeed pay.