Tag: October 2017

Hero of the Hour – Sir Nicholas Soames

Sir Winston Churchill’s grandson Sir Nicholas Soames takes to Twitter and brands Donald Trump “graceless, boorish and mainly wrong”

Sir Nicholas Soames MP is a gentleman of stature. This Conservative politician stood opposed to Brexit and now, entering the modern age, he has begun to use his Twitter account to share the most sensible of opinions.

Tweeting to his 29,000 followers on Saturday, Sir Nicholas used a hashtag to remark:

#theawfulthingisthathesjustnotfittobePresidentgracelessboorishandmainlyWRONG

Sir Winston Churchill’s grandson is entirely right. President Donald Trump is a disaster and a disgrace and if America had any sense, they’d do just one thing: #GetHimGone

October 22, 2017
Moron of the Moment – Stephanie Mack

Daughter-in-law of fraudster Bernard Madoff illustrates how utterly out of touch she truly is with normality and the lives of ordinary, decent people

“The biggest mistake is putting on something you don’t feel comfortable in” casually commented Stephanie Mack (formerly Madoff) to The New York Times’ ‘Style’ in an interview this week.

As if without a care in the world, the daughter-in-law of the world’s worst Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff – a man whose actions led to financial ruin for many and the suicides of several of his victims – talked to the paper’s Hilary Sargent and shared news that she’s now gone into the business of advising women on how to “choose simple pieces like the best jeans and the kicky accessories to go with them.”

Tastelessly titled: “A Madoff gets a makeover, by giving them,” this cringeworthy feature was plainly designed to give this out of touch with normality woman (whom “loves a good beanie”) room to try and show her human side. It failed and simply illustrated yet another example of the very self-serving entitlement that brought down her father-in-law and those around him.

Remarks such as “I have nothing to hide” are all very well from Ms Mack, but in sharing that she now urges clients coming out of “their recent breakup or divorce” to “drop… $1,200 on a jacket by Iro” she illustrates that money is still her mantra. In adding that her mother-in-law Ruth Madoff is “so much fun to be around” she forgets that this very same woman was shown to be a greedy cross between Imelda Marcos and Barbara Amiel but in commenting: “I’ve urged her to have a comeback. Everyone loves a comeback,” Mack most definitely fails to understand that the public have no desire to see such.

Whilst Guest of a Guest, in toadily referencing the article, decided to term this pointless clothes peddler “the best friend you didn’t know you needed,” we would suggest otherwise: Stephanie Mack – a woman whose new name includes ‘M’ for ‘Madoff’ and vulgarly ‘ACK’ after the airport code for Nantucket (a ritzy location where she once had a holiday home) – is someone one most definitely doesn’t need.

October 21, 2017
A Bargain in Belgravia

Belgravia mews house with garaging for five cars for sale for equivalent of £1,442 per week

A two-storey mews house behind The Lanesborough Hotel in Belgravia has gone on sale for what initially seems like a bargain price of just £1.5 million ($2 million, €1.7 million or درهم7.2 million).

The catch? The 1,391 square foot property in Wilton Row – which comes with a 40-foot long garage with space for up to five cars – is offered on a new 20-year lease that comes without the ability to extend or acquire the freehold.

Effectively priced at the equivalent of rent of £75,000 per year ($99,000, €83,000 or درهم362,000 per year), the unlisted building also includes a reception room, kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom.

Ayrton Wylie are the selling agents.

October 20, 2017
A Bargain in Belgravia

Belgravia mews house with garaging for five cars for sale for equivalent of £1,442 per week

A two-storey mews house behind The Lanesborough Hotel in Belgravia has gone on sale for what initially seems like a bargain price of just £1.5 million ($2 million, €1.7 million or درهم7.2 million).

The catch? The 1,391 square foot property in Wilton Row – which comes with a 40-foot long garage with space for up to five cars – is offered on a new 20-year lease that comes without the ability to extend or acquire the freehold.

Effectively priced at the equivalent of rent of £75,000 per year ($99,000, €83,000 or درهم362,000 per year), the unlisted building also includes a reception room, kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom.

Ayrton Wylie are the selling agents.

October 20, 2017
The Air Went Pop

Canadian sues Sunwing Airlines because he was given sparkling wine instead of champagne

A cheapskate airline allegedly promoted a “champagne service” and then bamboozled at least 1,600 customers by serving them cheap sparkling wine.

Quebec based Daniel Macduff, the BBC report, has launched a class action against Sunwing Airlines after he booked a holiday to Cuba that advertised “a complimentary on-board champagne toast” but only was given cheap sparkling wine instead.

Of the legal suit, Sébastien Paquette, a lawyer for Macduff, commented: “It’s not about the pettiness of champagne versus sparkling wine. It’s the consumer message behind it.”

Whilst Sunwing denounce the case brought against them as “frivolous and without merit,” Guest of a Guest’s Stephanie Maida concluded: “Champagne is a basic human right… The gall.” Pass the bubbles.

October 20, 2017
A Derelict Doer-Upper

Derelict 18^th century Oxfordshire mansion with 125 acres of land for sale for £10 million

A 125-acre Oxfordshire estate with Humphrey Repton landscaped grounds has gone on sale for £10 million ($13.2 million, €11.3 million or درهم48.7 million) in spite of being described as being “in poor order.”

The Coombe Park Estate at Whitchurch-on-Thames is situated at the end of a ¾ of a mile long private drive just 49 miles from Central London. Constructed in 1865, the original mansion was later demolished and what now remains consists of a 13,368 square foot house created from the original servants’ quarters, a coach house and an extension built in 1982.

Featuring 4 main reception rooms, an indoor swimming pool, 6 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms, Coombe Park itself “has been unoccupied a number of years” but now presents an opportunity for a buyer to unleash its “enormous potential” according to selling agents Strutt & Parker.

In addition to the main residence, there are three additional houses, an orangery, a coach house, offices, a sports pavilion, an indoor tennis court, stabling and a boat house included in the sale.

According to a blog from 2008, the estate – which was used by the American military as a rest and recuperation ‘flak house’ during the Second World War – has been in the ownership of an individual from Rotterdam since 1982. He is described as having now “sadly lost his fortune.”

October 17, 2017
A Sloane Home

Belgravia apartment for sale for £27.5 million in spite of being a 1980s timewarp; the Sloaney home forms part of a building at one-time home the residence of one half of Gilbert and Sullivan

A penthouse on the “favoured northern side” of Belgravia’s Eaton Square is on sale for £27.5 million ($36.6 million, €31 million or درهم134.5 million) in spite of not been refurbished or updated since the 1980s.

Part of a building that was the London home of Sir William Gilbert (1836 – 1911) – one half of the Victorian theatrical partnership Gilbert and Sullivan – from 1907 until his death, 90 Eaton Square now spans four buildings and is some 117-foot wide. Its penthouse sits on the fourth floor and extends to some 5,570 square foot.

Featuring 3 reception rooms, a study, 5 bedroom suites, a wine cellar, a terrace and 2 balconies, the vast property is described as having “unusually large picture windows at the front to take advantage of the superior southerly aspect, and a low front parapet wall, allowing superb views of the expansive Eaton Square communal gardens.” Images shown in a sales brochure for it show not only some rather serious works of modern art, but also 1980s ‘Sloane Ranger essentials’ including shagpile rugs, marble bathrooms and chrome-steel cantilever dining chairs.

Previously offered for £30 million ($39.9 million, €33.8 million or درهم146.6 million) by agents Savills, the penthouse at 90 Eaton Square is now currently being marketed by Strutt & Parker. It comes with a surprisingly long lease that expires in 2256.

October 16, 2017
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.

Lyle Menéndez (left) and Erik Menéndez (right) in prison photographs in more recent years

The brothers continue to allege they were abused by the wealthy parents they slayed, Kitty and José Menéndez

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

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

October 16, 2017
A Base in Bayswater

Two bedroom flat in Bayswater for sale for £12 million; it does come with two parking spaces and décor that harks back to the era of Laura Ashley

A leasehold flat in Hyde Park Gardens, London, W2 has gone on sale for the staggering sum of £12 million ($15.9 million, €13.5 million or درهم58.6 million) in spite of having just two bedrooms.

Admittedly, however, the first floor property offered by agents Aylesford is anything but ordinary. It extends to some 3,502 square foot across two period buildings and includes three vast reception rooms with ceiling heights of in excess of 13-feet.

Part of a building used as an auxiliary hospital for officers between 1916 and 1919, the flat also has two balconies, two off-street parking spaces and enjoys views across Hyde Park.

October 15, 2017
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

October 15, 2017