January - February 2016
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
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WHAT’S ON ARTS TRAVEL HERITAGE EATING OUT AMERICAN SPORT REVIEWS
Michael Fabiano 9
772045 596626
New tenor on the block
Essex, county of surprises Sports: NCAA Bowl and Super Bowl
PLUS: OUR EXCLUSIVE US/UK SOCIAL GROUPS GUIDE
ST ACTIOANRRING SPORT TRAVI LEGEND S S PAST RANA!
2ND FEBRUARY 2016 - MANCHESTER ARENA 4TH FEBRUARY 2016 - SSE HYDRO, GLASGOW 6TH & 7TH FEBRUARY 2016 - THE O2 NITROCIRCUS.LIVE
The American ®
Issue 749 January - February 2016 PUBLISHED BY SP MEDIA FOR
Blue Edge Publishing Ltd. Old Byre House, East Knoyle, Salisbury SP3 6AW, UK Tel: +44 (0)1747 830520
Departments: News, Article ideas, Press releases: editor@theamerican.co.uk Advertising & Promotions: advertising@theamerican.co.uk Subscriptions: theamerican@blueedge.co.uk The Team: Michael Burland, Content Director michael@theamerican.co.uk Sabrina Sully, Content Director & Community Contact sabrina@theamerican.co.uk Daniel Byway, Content Executive dan@theamerican.co.uk Virginia E Schultz, Food & Drink (USA) virginia@theamerican.co.uk Michael M Sandwick, Food & Drink (UK) mms@theamerican.co.uk Mary Bailey, Social mary@theamerican.co.uk Alison Holmes, Politics alison@theamerican.co.uk Jarlath O’Connell, Theater jarlath@theamerican.co.uk
©2016 Blue Edge Publishing Ltd. Printed by Bishops Printers Ltd., www.bishops.co.uk ISSN 2045-5968 Main Cover: Michael Fabiano Photo Dario-Acosta; Circular Inset: Harwich Pier courtesy Visit Essex; Square Inset: Super Bowl 50 courtesy NFL
@TheAmericanMag
H
appy New Year to readers old and new! And what an interesting year it promises to be. On the US political front the Iowa Caucuses are held on February 1. They’re the first decision-making events of the 2016 Presidential campaigns and start the process of selecting the Democratic and Republican candidates. (Watch out for our rolling analysis of the results, by that doyen of pollsters - and son of Kansas City - Sir Robert Worcester, starting in the next issue.) High on the list of concerns that the victorious candidates will have to deal with is international terrorism. Let’s hope that a couple of the incumbent’s recent statements come to fruition. President Obama recently said, “Destroying ISIL is not only a realistic goal. It’s gonna get done,” and “Our way of life is stronger. We have more to offer.” Let’s stand up to the bad guys by continuing to enjoy that way of life, wherever we find ourselves. Enjoy your magazine,
Michael Burland, Content Director michael@theamerican.co.uk
Among this issue’s contributors
Jarlath O’Connell Our theater reviewer turns his spotlight on new shows for the new year, including Sir Kenneth Branagh’s new superstarheavy Theatre Company
Colette Dartford We welcome an expat from the ‘other direction’, a British author who found that some English got Lost In Translation in America
Michael M Sandwick The American expat with the golden tastebuds seeks out the best places to eat out, including Meat and Shake - a restaurant, not an invitation!
Read The American online at www.theamerican.co.uk The entire contents of The American and www.theamerican.co.uk are protected by copyright and no part of it may be reproduced without written permission of the publishers. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information in The American is accurate, the editor and publishers cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions or any loss arising from reliance on it. The views and comments of contributors are not necessarily those of the publishers.
The American
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Burton Sweet
To find out whether you’re eligible to advertise your products and services here, and for rates, call Dan +44 (0)1747 830520, or email dan@theamerican. co.uk. You’ll reach Americans living in and visiting the UK as well as Britons who like American culture and products.
Tax Return Preparation and compliance service for US Expatriates. Specialist in providing advice on UK/US Tax interaction. Affordable Fixed Fees. Prospect House, 5 May Lane, Dursley, GL11 4JH 01453 542483 Contact Rachel Finch rachel@burton-sweet.co.uk www.burton-sweet.co.uk Twitter @burtonsweet www.linkedin.com/company/burton-sweet
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Leading practice of accounting, international tax, and corporate service specialists. With offices in the UK and USA, we are the American expats’ trusted choice. UK: 5th Floor, 52-54 Gracechurch Street, London EC3V 0EH +44 (0)20 7648 8950 e: mail@moregroup.com USA: 8382 Six Forks Road, Suite 103, Raleigh, NC 27615 +1 919 977 6610 e: usa@moregroup.com www.moregroup.com
Rawlinson & Hunter
ACCOUNTANCY & TAX Bambridge Accountants
Professional and affordable clear tax advice provided by Enrolled Agents and UK Chartered Tax Advisers. Free initial consultation throughout the UK. We can manage all your US and UK tax affairs and their interaction. 0800 917 6765 taxhelp@cleartaxation.co.uk www.cleartaxation.com
H&R Block Expat Tax Services
Comprehensive tax compliance and advisory service for US citizens living in the UK, particularly specialising in the interaction between UK and US taxes. Eighth Floor, 6 New Street Square, New Fetter Lane, London EC4A 3AQ +44 (0)20 7842 2000 graeme.privett@rawlinson-hunter.com www.rawlinson-hunter.com
Tax & Accounting Hub Bambridge Accountants specialise in the preparation of US expatriate taxes, including the streamlined process, for Americans living abroad. We are based in the heart of Covent Garden and offer fixed fees for US personal and corporate tax returns. 1 Mercer Street, London WC2H 9QJ 020 3757 9290 info@bambridgeaccountants.co.uk www.bambridgeaccountants.co.uk
One H&R Block Way, Kansas City, MO 64105 USA 1-816-504-1665 expattax@hrblock.com expats.hrblock.com Our secure, remote service has a dedicated team which includes CPAs, enrolled agents, and tax attorneys, who focus on expat taxes and can handle all types of U.S. tax returns, including FATCA and FBAR.
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Winner of the 2015 “Best International and Expatriate Team” at the UK Taxation Awards. Leading tax practice with a highly respected client base and excellent reputation for providing high quality UK/US personal and corporate tax services with an international focus. 16 Great Queen Street, Covent Garden, London +44 (0)20 7486 0111 mark.abbs@blickrothenberg.com www.blickrothenberg.com Twitter @BlickRothenberg
Based in Eastbourne and Brighton & Hove, we have been providing tax and business advice since 1928. Within our general practice, we also specialise in Expatriate Tax and US Taxation, providing comprehensive advice and quality service to US citizens living in the UK. For more information contact our Tax Director, Kevin Hancock: 7-9 The Avenue, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN21 3YA 01323 730631 khancock@humph.co.uk www.humph.co.uk
BDO LLP
Jaffe & Co., incorp. American Tax International
Professional service at affordable prices. Fixed fee U.S. Expatriate tax preparation service in London. Federal/ State, Foreign bank account/IRS audits response 152 Burford Wharf, 3 Cam Road, London, E15 2SS +44 (0)20 3286 6445. M: +44 (0)79 1439 3183 kader@taxandaccountinghub.com www.taxandaccountinghub.com
Tax Advisory Partnership
Tax Advisory Partnership provides a broad range of UK and US tax advice and compliances services to private clients both in the UK and abroad. Our highly experienced team are ready to help you. Please contact us for further information. Tel: +44 207 655 6959 info@tap-london.com www.taxadvisorypartnership.com
USA/UK Financial Concierge
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US Expatriate Tax Services
Comprehensive tax preparation and compliance service for US expatriates inbytheBruce UK and Europe. Established in 1981 and managed L Jaffe, BA JD, we provide a full range of US UK tax services for US America House, 54 and Hendon Lane, London N3expatriates 1TT residing in the UK and have over 55 years of cumulative 020 8346 5237 experience preparing tax returns for US taxpayers. daniel@jaff eandco.com www.jaffeandco.com Please contact us today to see how we can help you. 020 8346 5237 www.jaffeandco.com info@jaffeandco.com 54 Hendon Lane, London N3 1TT
Independent US/UK compliant Financial and Investment Planning uniquely placed to assist US clients in navigating through the maze of investment options available in the UK. Contact Andrea Karpinski on 07905 828052 or email her andrea@usaukfinancialconcierge.co.uk
FINANCIAL ADVICE Aisa Professional
ANTIQUES & COLLECTABLES Stephen T Taylor Your American stamp dealer in Britain since 1995. 5 Glenbuck Road, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 6BS 020 8390 9357 info@stephentaylor.co.uk www.stephentaylor.co.uk
COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY
A joint UK and US regulated company who specialise in pensions and offer cross border investment and financial advice using UK and US custodians. Unit 4, Fordbrook Business Centre, PEWSEY, Wiltshire, SN9 5NU + 44 (0) 1672 569111 info@aisagroup.org www.aisagroup.org
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DENTAL Bow Lane Dental Group
Award winning agents offering quality managed properties and house sales in Surrey & Berkshire. Comprehensive stress free service. NAEA, ARLA & NAR qualified staff. 01344 843000 homes@bartonwyatt.co.uk www.bartonwyatt.co.uk
MEDICAL 108 Medical Chambers
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LETTINGS Barton Wyatt
We are a registered investment adviser specializing in UK pension transfer (QROPS) and investment solutions for US Nationals living abroad and British Nationals looking to relocate to the USA. 605 S Country Club Road, Lake Mary Florida, USA Tel: +1 (321) 363-1526 Sandy.King@AlconburyTrust.com www.AlconburyTrust.com (Alconbury Trust LLC is a Registered Investment Adviser in the State of Florida and Texas. Alconbury Trust is not a tax advisor or a Lawyer firm. The above is for education purposes only and not intended as a solicitation of sale. Securities offered through SEI and Vestra US Wealth)
108 Medical Chambers is a leading Consultant led and delivered independent out-patient and diagnostic centre with clinical teams specialising in breast disease, dermatology, groins and hernia surgery, colo-rectal problems, sports injuries and thyroid and ENT problems. 0207 563 1234 info@108harleystreet.co.uk www.108harleystreet.co.uk
TRAVEL Peter Sommer Travel
Maseco Private Wealth For all you and your families dental needs visit the award winning Bow Lane Dental Group in the City of London. We have been making the City smile since 2001. www.bowlanedental.com 020 7236 3600 reception@bowlanedental.com
EDUCATION American SAT & ACT Tuition
Personalised SAT and ACT tutoring, bespoke online courses, expert advice on both the college application process and interviews. 207 Regent Street, 3rd Floor London W1B 3HH +44 (0)20 7692 0766 www.AmericanSATACTtuition.com Elizabeth@AmericanSATtuition.com Twitter: @elivonna Facebook: www.facebook.com/AmericanSAT
Expert wealth management advice, exceptional client service and a phenomenal client experience for Americans in the US and abroad, UK residents, as well as financial advisors, trustees and foundations. Burleigh House, 357 Strand, London WC2R 0HS +44 (0) 207 043 0455 enquiries@masecopw.com masecoprivatewealth.com
Expert-led archaeological tours, cultural tours, gulet cruises and private charters in Turkey, Greece and Italy. One of the world’s ‘Top Ten Learning Holidays’ National Geographic Tel 01600 888 220 info@petersommer.com www.petersommer.com
VISAS & IMMIGRATION US Visa Solutions - Law Office of Janice A. Flynn
Tanager Wealth Management LLP
Integrated financial and investment advice for US expats living in the UK provided by US expats. Global account consolidation, UK/US savings and retirement planning together with investment advice. Contact us for a no obligation meeting or telephone conversation. 020 7871 8440 www.tanagerwealth.com contact@tanagerwealth.com @tanagerwealth
US-licensed immigration lawyers advising on US citizenship, green cards, visa and US entry issues. Honest, straightforward advice and a high level of bespoke service. Third Floor, 6 & 7 Hatton Garden, London EC1N 8AD UK +44 (0)20 7092 6830 US +1 (312) 361-0581 Janice@usvisasolutions.co.uk www.usvisasolutions.co.uk Twitter: FlynnUSVisaLaw
The American
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in this issue...
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Global Entry for Americans and Brits UK Mortages for US citizens
Competition: Albert Hall Tickets Non-US Funds & ISAs Mythbusting American Expats
Learning to Speak American a Brit Heads West
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Burgh Island, Agatha Christie’s Hideaway
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Welcome A-List: Products & Services News
The American
28 32 36 52 60 63
Magica Italia On Yer Bikes with Miss Patricia The American Way Is Essex Fabiano: Trad Tenor for the Modern Age Politics: The Generation Game American Sports: NCAA Bowl Season, Super Bowl 50 Golf Guide Sideline: Commissioner Goodell
10 Diary Dates 40 Food & Drink Reviews 48 Arts Choice
56 Theater Reviews 73 US Social Groups 80 Coffee Break Fun
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NEWS
Global Entry: Expedited US Immigration Clearance for Americans and British PHOTO © U.S. EMBASSY LONDON
I
f you travel regularly to the United States and would like to speed through airport immigration controls upon arrival, the US Embassy has a special opportunity to enroll in Global Entry, the US Customs and Border Protection travel facilitation program that expedites clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival at a US airport. Members of the program can enter the US through separate lanes and kiosks at international airports. Membership also includes TSA Pre, a program which offers expedited security screening when departing from a US airport, so that you don’t need to remove shoes, laptops, liquids, belts and light jackets. A five-year membership for US citizens costs $100.
US Citizens
US citizens can apply for Global Entry at the US Customs and Border Protection website www.cbp.gov. You will be asked to provide your passport information, employment details, your last five years of travel and address history and provide bank card information to pay the
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membership fee. Once you’ve completed the online application, US Customs and Border Protection will contact you to let you know if you have been tentatively approved, and if so will invite you to schedule an interview to complete the process. More information, including a video message from US Ambassador Matthew Barzun, can be seen at www.usembassy.org.uk/ specialrelationshipmagazine. Ordinarily, enrollment requires an interview that can be completed only when you are within the United States. In early December 2015, however, a Global Entry mobile enrollment team visited London, allowing you to complete enrollment before your next trip to the United States. For more information and the next opportunity to apply in London contact LondonCBP@state.gov
UK Citizens
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mbassador Barzun visited the London Stock Exchange to celebrate the expansion of the Global Entry program to UK Citizens. Beginning December 3, British citizens can sign up for Global Entry
and enjoy similar improvements in their travel to and from the United States, entering the US within one minute on average. British members are also eligible for TSA Pre.
Joining the Ambassador [pictured above at the LSE] were UK Secretary of State for Business Sajid Javid, Baroness Karren Brady, soccer star Frank Lampard who now plays for New York City FC, popular scientist Professor Brian Cox, multimedia executive Jamal Edwards, and a host of senior business executives. They are among the more than 3.6 million British citizens who traveled to the United States during the past year. More than 125,000 UK citizens travel to the US four or more times per year, conducting important transatlantic business and building the people-to-people ties that are the foundation of the Special Relationship. UK citizens interested in finding out more about Global Entry, should follow the US Embassy on twitter @USAinUK or go to https:// global-entry.beta.homeoffice.gov. uk/register-to-apply/
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Tax & Accounting | Corporate & Legal Support | Marketing & Digital Important October Deadline for US Expats
October 15th, 2015 - Final tax deadline for US tax abroad PROVIDED you have applied for an extension Have you missed the June 15th US tax abroad deadline? Don’t worry, More Group can help you apply for an extension. We can assist with completing your US Federal Form and arrange for your filing deadline to be extended to October 15th, 2015. The IRS understands that gathering documentation can take considerably longer when living overseas so have provided US expats with the extension. It is however the absolute last deadline for any expat filing their US expat taxes and is only available to expats who apply for it via Form 4868. More Group are experts in advising on US expat tax and filing requirements and are fully qualified to review your tax position in detail, giving you the peace of mind to know you’re in good hands. For more information please contact: Daniel Mould More Group UK 5th Floor, 52-54 Gracechurch Street, London, EC3V 0EH t: +44 (0)20 7648 8950 e: mail@moregroup.com Mike Conroy More Group USA 8382 Six Forks Road, Suite 103, Raleigh, NC 27615 t: +1 919 977 6610 e: usa@moregroup.com
www.moregroup.com
A new view over London: the River Thames shimmers as the Stars and Stripes fly atop the new US Embassy in Nine Elms, Battersea, South London following the building’s Topping Out Ceremony, December 7, 2015
PHOTO: US EMBASSY LONDON
Indian-American Hollywood producer receives doctorate from University of East London shok Amritraj has received an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of East London in a ceremony at London’s O2 arena, November 19. Mr Amritraj is a former international tennis star who played in every major professional tennis tournament, including Wimbledon and the US Open, and represented India in competitions. He became a successful Hollywood producer of over 100 movies, which have grossed $2 billion worldwide. He has worked with stars including Robert DeNiro, Sandra Bullock, Bruce Willis, Jennifer Aniston, and Andrew Garfield and his hit films include Bringing down the House and Blue Valentine. “When I count my blessings, I am
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grateful for having smashed a path or several paths through the very dense and self-protective thickets of
an art and industry which appear, and are in reality, daunting,” said Mr Amritraj. Ashok Amritraj
PHOTO ©GOWRISHANKER
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Selected for you
More events in more detail online at www.theamerican.co.uk
PHOTO ©WWW.NIKIGORICK.COM
London New Year’s Day Parade & Festival www.lnydp.com December 29 to January 2 More than 20 marching bands from High Schools and Universities in the USA join the fun alongside giant helium balloons, cheerleaders, vintage vehicles, an internationally renowned illusionist
American Tour Guide in London amber@AmericanLDN.com www.AmericanTourGuideInLondon.com
All year 2016 Looking to have fun and learn about London? Need to entertain visiting relatives? Explore London with a tour guide who brings history to life! Amber is a Texan with a dynamic presentation style. She has lived here for 15 years and is an official badged guide for the City of London, Westminster and Camden. Affordable rates and tailored itineraries to fit everyone’s travel needs.
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and thousands of other performers. Turn up and watch for free or book grandstand or concert seats online. The parade on January 1st starts at noon in Piccadilly and runs to Parliament Square via Lower Regent St, Pall Mall, Trafalgar Square and Whitehall. Concerts take place in a number of London’s most iconic performance spaces.
New Year’s Eve December 31 It’s the biggest celebration in Britain, Christmas being a more family affair. Two American-flavored parties we’ve heard of are The London New Years Eve Ball at Battersea Evolution, with a ‘New York, New York’ theme (www.smartgroupltd.co.uk/ christmas-parties) and ‘New Year’s Eve Vegas Style!’ at Smith & Wollensky (www.smithandwollensky.co.uk). Churchill’s Scientists Science Museum, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2DD January 23 to March 1 The Science Museum marks the 50th anniversary of Winston Churchill’s death by exploring his fascination with science, and how this interest heralded the scientific developments which helped Britain to win the Second World War. Americans at the Royal Opera House Bow St, London WC2E 9DD www.roh.org.uk to July 31 There are many opportunities to see Americans at the ROH including new superstar tenor Michael Fabiano -
interviewed in this issue (Eugene Onegin, Dec 19 to Jan 7), Kate Lindsey from Richmond, VA (in L’Etoile, Feb 1 to 24), Heather Engebretson and Joyce DiDonato (our cover star in July 2011) in Werther, Massenet’s tragic opera, Jun 19 to Jul 13.
Haxey Hood Haxey, High Street, DN9 2HH www.visitlincolnshire.com January 6 One of the oldest and roughest sporting traditions with over 700 years of history, Haxey Hood sees teams competing to get a ‘hood’ into one of four pubs in the villages of Haxley and Westwoodside. The winning pub pours beer on the hood and hangs it with pride until the following year. Perth Masters Curling Dewars Centre, Perth, Scotland PH2 0TH www.perthmasters.com January 7 to 10 The Curling Champions Tour stops in Perth, with a draw of international curlers including American curler Craig Brown and Canadian curlers Brad Heidt and Kevin Koe. Chariot Racing & Saturnalia www.green-events.co.uk January 9 Mountain bikes towing specially commissioned Roman-style chariots, it’s not your regular sport! In conjunction with the Saturnalia Real Ale Ramble, a celebration of the annual Roman festival of unrestrained merriment when slaves were released and reversed roles with their masters. A Year in the Life of Handel: 1723 Handel House Museum, 25 Brook St, London W1K 4HB www.handelhendrix.org January 13 to August 31 The Museum looks back at the year in which Handel moved into his Brook Street House, illustrating Handel’s place within Georgian London’s social scene.
Buying & Selling USA Stamps, Covers & Postal History
Buying & Selling USA Stamps, Covers & Postal History
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STAMPEX Stamp Show Business Design Centre, Islington, London N1 0QH February 17 – 20
Stephen T. Taylor 5 Glenbuck Road Surbiton, Surrey KT6 6BS Phone: 020 8390 9357 Fax: 020 8390 2235 info@stephentaylor.co.uk www.stephentaylor.co.uk
Stephen T. Taylor 5 Glenbuck Road Surbiton, Surrey KT6 6BS Phone: 020 8390 9357 Fax: 020 8390 2235 info@stephentaylor.co.uk www.stephentaylor.co.uk
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A ME R IC AN TO U R G U IDE IN L O NDO N
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Book a tour for your family and friends: Supercalifragelistic! London’s only Mary Poppins themed costume tour Life and Times of Jane Austen’s Emma Lady Mary’s London - a “Downton” inspired walk Royal London and Changing of the Guard Graffiti and canal walking tours Private tours written to your interest and much, much more!
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WESTERN MUSIC IN CONCERT FRIDAY 11 MARCH 2016
Book launch: ‘The Cultural Left and the Reagan Era’ UCL Institute of the Americas, 51 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PN www.ucl.ac.uk January 14 Dr Nick Witham, lecturer in US Political History at the UCL Institute of the Americas, introduces his new book, which reviews the Presidency and policy of Ronald Reagan from the perspective of those on the left of the political spectrum. Celtic Connections Various, Glasgow www.celticconnections.com January 14 to February 1 Scores of concerts with, well celtic connections, including many US artists. Highlights include Scot Gillebrìde MacMillan with New Hampshire-based Kyle Carey, and the recently announced ‘Bert Inspired: A Concert for Bert Jansch’ celebrating the life and music of the acoustic guitar genius, fronted by ex-Led Zep rock god Robert Plant in aid of the Bert Jansch Foundation, which works to support emerging acoustic musicians Whittlesea Straw Bear Festival Whittlesey, Peterborough, PE7 1QQ www.strawbear.org.uk January 15 to 17 A custom dating back to the late 19th Century saw a local man dressed up in a bear costume made of straw. Now revived, the festival has music, dancers and a host of activities. NBA Global Games The O2, Peninsula Sq., London SE10 0DX www.theo2.co.uk January 16 NBA returns to London’s O2 arena with a scintilating regular season game between Orlando Magic and the Toronto Raptors. Burns Night January 25 Scots everywhere celebrate their national
poet with poetry, haggis and whiskey. The biggest celebration features nine days of music, theater, comedy, and more in the historic town of Dumfries from Jan 22 to 30 (www.bigburnssupper.com).
Aviemore Sled Dog Rally Glenmore Forest Park, Scotland siberianhuskyclub.org.uk January 23 to 24 1000 sled dogs and 250 mushers from far and wide gather for this famous sled race around Loch Morlich in Scotland. Up Helly Aa Galley Shed, St Sunniva Street, Lerwick, Shetland, ZE1 0HL www.uphellyaa.org January 26 This traditional Viking fire festival features a torch-lit procession and culminates in the burning of a replica longboat. London A Cappella Festival www.londonacappellafestival.co.uk January 28 to 30 Groups from around the globe, including Naturally 7 and Home Free from the USA. Making their A Capella Festival debut on January 29th at Union Chapel, Naturally 7 have been a Youtube hit, and recently supported Michael Bublé’s World Tour. Home Free bring an infusion of Nashville and American Rock mixed in with their trademark country flavor Transatlantic Sessions Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8XX www.southbankcentre.co.uk February 1 The concerts that grew from the influential TV series celebrating Celtic and Americana music from both sides of the Pond. This year’s performers include Rhiannon Giddens, (Carolina Chocolate Drops), Scottish folk singer Karen Matheson, Ireland’s Cara Dillon and LA based duo The Milk Carton Kids.
FEATURING AWARD-WINNING MUSIC FROM E. MORRICONE, E. BERNSTEIN AND MORE
COMPETITION ROYAL ALBERT HALL
Saddle up for the show of a lifetime as the Royal Albert Hall brings together stunning, stirring and spectacular Western themes from the likes of John Barry, Elmer Bernstein, Dimitri Tiomkin and the legendary Ennio Morricone. For the first time in the UK, Western Music in Concert (March 11, 2016) will bring together all of Morricone’s best-loved Western themes – from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly to Once Upon a Time in the West – along with stunning, Oscarwinning scores from the likes of The Magnificent Seven, Dances with Wolves and High Noon. For your chance to win a pair of tickets to the concert at the world famous Royal Albert Hall, answer this simple question. Many Western films of the mid 1960s, directed by Italian film-makers, earnt the nickname of ‘What’ Westerns? a) Spaghetti Westerns b) Meatball Westerns c) Pizza Westerns How to Enter: Email your answer and contact details to theamerican@ blueedge.co.uk with WESTERN CONCERT in the subject line; or post to: WESTERN CONCERT, The American, Old Byre House, Millbrook Lane, East Knoyle, Salisbury SP3 6AW, UK; to arrive by mid-day February 29th. Only one entry per person per draw. The editor’s decision is final. No cash alternative. You are responsible for any travel, accomodation or other expenses.
Olney Anglo–American Pancake Race Olney, North Buckinghamshire www.pancakeday.net [US] olneypancakerace.org [UK] February 9 The unique Olney Pancake Race stops traffic as local ladies in traditional apron and scarf run through the streets. Pancakes are tossed at the start and the winner is
Pantomime Season Everywhere, UK
Throughout the winter, stages across the UK will be taken over by festive productions of a great British tradition! ‘Panto’ is the traditional winter family favorite, a theatrical extravaganza often starring TV soap actors and comedians, based on fairy stories and folk tales. Includes songs, slapstick, corny jokes and audience participation (It’s behind you... Oh no it isn’t... Oh yes it is!). The ‘principal boy’ is played by a girl and the ‘dame’ is a man! Your local theater is almost bound to have a panto. Search in the local press, online or on the website
www.bigpantoguide.co.uk Pictured: former Baywatch star David Hasselhoff is Captain Hook in Peter Pan at the Clyde Auditorium. 14
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required to toss her pancake again at the finish. Runners and townsfolk then go into the Parish Church for the great Shriving Service. The race has been run since around 1445 and since 1950 the contest has been an international event between Olney and the town of Liberal, Kansas in America. The winner is declared after times are compared through a transatlantic telephone call from Liberal to Olney.
London Classic Car Show Excel Centre, Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, London E16 1XL www.thelondonclassiccarshow.co.uk February 18 to 21 2016’s classic car showcase is set to be 50% bigger than last year’s inaugural event and features a ‘6 nations’ celebration with cars from the USA, UK, Italy, France, Germany and Japan.
Darwin Festival Shrewsbury, Shropshire www.discoverdarwin.co.uk February 12 to 14 Charles Darwin was born and raised in Shrewsbury. Walks, lectures and workshops celebrate the town’s famous son, and aim to inspire people to explore the natural world and understand better the wildlife with which we share this planet.
Rye Bay Scallop Week Rye, East Sussex www.scallop.org.uk February 20 to March 28 With everything from cookery classes to quiz nights, Rye is the perfect place for seafood lovers.
Welcome Home, Hendrix 25 Brook St, London W1K 4HB www.handelhendrix.org February 13 to 14 Celebrating the opening of Hendrix’s Flat as a visitor attraction, former Handel House Composer-in-Residence Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian is joined by fellow musicians presenting intimate arrangements of Hendrix’s music. On Feb 14, Benji Kirkpatrick reinterprets the songs of Jimi Hendrix acoustically and focuses on Hendrix’s often overlooked quality as a lyricist and songwriter. Jorvik Viking Festival York www.jorvik-viking-festival.co.uk February 15 to 21 An explosive programme of events inspired by Norse mythology including combat performances, crafts, lectures and tours are combined with musical performances and expert archaeological sessions. This year’s festival celebrates 1000 years since King Cnut (Canute The Great) become King of England.
Ben Markovits: You Don’t Have to Live Like This Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG www.kingsplace.co.uk February 21 As part of Jewish Book Week 2016, author Ben Markovits, who grew up in Texas, London and Berlin, talks about his new book, You Don’t Have to Live Like This, a darkly comic and brutal vision of contemporary America. Craft Beer Rising Old Truman Brewery, London E1 6QL www.kingsplace.co.uk www.craftbeerrising.co.uk February 26 to 27 A weekend of great food, beer and entertainment; showcasing some of the finest international brews and coupling them with a lively line-up of bands and DJs. Race Retro Stoneleigh Park, Coventry CV8 2LZ www.raceretro.com February 26 to 28 Europe’s premier show focusing on Historic Motorsport, Historic Racing and Historic Rallying, and includes both cars and motorcycles.
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To Buy or Not To Buy
The benefits and pitfalls of holding a mortgage as a US person living in the UK, explained by Andrea Solana
A
s an American living in the UK, almost nothing related to your financial affairs is easy. The consequences of seemingly simple decisions - such as how to pay for a new home or purchase a mutual fund - may create unnecessary tax charges and complexities. There are a number of key milestones that occur, from the time you arrive in the UK to the time you potentially approach and eventually reach retirement. Many of these changes will impact the appropriate wealth management strategies for American expats. Understanding how rules will change for you over time will allow you to plan ahead and make prudent financial decisions. In this edition we will explore some of the benefits and potential drawbacks of holding a mortgage as a US person in the UK. As most people know, the US allows a mortgage interest deduction on an individual’s tax return if the debt is secured by a qualified
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home. A qualified home is generally defined as your main home or second home. Mortgage interest is generally deductible on (1) mortgages taken out to buy, build or improve your home (otherwise known as home acquisition debt) in the amount of $1 million or less ($500,000 or less if married filing separately) and (2) mortgages taken out other than to buy, build or improve your home (known as home equity debt) in the amount of $100,000 or less ($50,000 or less if married filing separately). If the deductible mortgage interest, along with other allowable itemised deductions (such as real estate taxes, personal property taxes, state income taxes, charitable contributions, etc.) are higher than the applicable standard deduction for the year, then it will generally be beneficial to itemise deductions for the year. The UK doesn’t have a similar mortgage interest deduction allowable for non-investment properties.
As such, it is a common question as to whether mortgage interest is deductible on a foreign residence. In general, the answer is that it may be deductible. The rules around foreign mortgage interest deductions are the same as the rules outlined above for a US property. So, holding a mortgage on your UK residence may provide a benefit from a US perspective if you have taxable income in the US that is not off-settable by foreign tax credits. Not only can you potentially reduce your US taxable income further but you can sometimes receive a financial benefit if you are able to invest available capital and earn a return above that of the after-tax interest rate you pay on the mortgage loan itself. One very important area to be aware of as a potential drawback of holding a mortgage on a foreign property is around foreign currency. Most people know that if, at the time of sale, the property qualifies as the individual’s principal
residence under certain IRS definitions then each owner is entitled to receive a $250,000 gain exclusion on the sale before any US tax applies. The fluctuation of foreign currency exchange rates can have a large impact on the recognition of gains upon disposal of real property. The exchange rate on the date of purchase and the date of sale are used to determine the taxable gain in local currency. When a mortgage is paid off on a foreign property, the owner also must calculate whether there has been a gain or loss on the disposition of the mortgage due to exchange rate fluctuations. If a mortgage costs less at settlement due to the exchange rate at
sale and the date the mortgage was obtained, the portion of gain recognised on the mortgage repayment is taxed at ordinary income tax rates. Without careful consideration of the currency fluctuation over the period of ownership, a taxpayer can sometimes unknowingly create large gains in local currency. Andrea Solana is Head of Advanced Planning at MASECO Private Wealth. Andrea graduated from University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce with a degree in Finance and Management, completed her MBA at Imperial College London and holds her US Series 65 license.
If you would like a full copy of MASECO’s 39 Steps to Smart Living in the UK please visit www.masecopw.com. MASECO Private Wealth is not a qualified tax adviser and you should seek separate advice on your tax position with a suitably qualified tax adviser. MASECO LLP trading as MASECO Private Wealth is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate tax advice.
Non-US Funds and “Stocks and Shares” ISAs by Phil
Hawkins
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f you have ever sought advice from a UK independent financial advisor it is likely that they will have advised you to invest in non-US funds (due to the returns that can be achieved) or a stocks and shares ISA (due to beneficial UK tax treatment). Unfortunately for US citizens or green card holders the IRS might then regard you as having invested in a Passive Foreign Investment Company (PFIC) and when non-US funds are sold they can be subject to onerous tax charges. This is attributable to the fact that the IRS does not want people investing in non-US funds and accumulating the income within the fund and then, when the fund is sold, for it to be treated as a capital gain. A PFIC is defined as any foreign corporation which meets one of the following tests: i. 75% or more of the gross income of such corporation for the taxable year is passive income, or ii. The average percentage of assets held by such corporation during the taxable year which produces passive income or which are held for the production of passive income is 50% or more. In broad terms, passive income means non-trading or investment income such as rents, interest or dividends. Therefore an investment in a non-US fund (be that held in a stocks and shares ISA or independently) would fulfill either one or both of these tests.
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Under PFIC rules, where a US shareholder is invested in a PFIC, at any time during the holding period of the shares, (a) any gain recognized by the US shareholder on the disposition of stock in the PFIC, will be subject to tax at ordinary income rates (rather than long-term capital gains rates), and (b) any such gain is then also subject to a penalty interest charge that is designed to put the US shareholder in essentially the same position they would have been in had they earned the income personally over the holding period. Therefore in summary, the UK tax benefits of investing in an ISA for example, are simply canceled out by the US income tax and interest charge.
Reporting Requirements
PFICs are reported on an annual basis by filing a separate Form 8621 “Information Return by a Shareholder of a Passive Foreign Investment Company or Qualified Electing Fund” for each PFIC investment (i.e. each nonUS fund), which is attached to and filed with the tax return by the due date (inc. extensions). Taxpayers owning PFICs treated under the Mark-To-Market or Qualified Electing Fund rules are required to file a Form 8621 on an annual basis to report the annual income from the PFIC. Individual taxpayers owning a PFIC treated under the excess distribution (default method) must file a Form 8621 to:
i. Report an election (i.e. QEF or MTM), distribution from the PFIC or a disposition of an interest in the PFIC; or ii. Report certain non-income information in the event the taxpayer’s ownership in the PFIC investments exceed specific valuation thresholds.
Excess Distribution Method
(Default method) Unless you make a formal election you will be taxed on this basis and an “excess distribution” is tied to the relative frequency that the PFIC earns and distributes income as a measure of the deferral of US taxation and the amount of such distributions. The amount of an “excess distribution” is calculated with reference to 125% of the average amount received during the three preceding taxable years (or shorter if the holding period is). On receiving a distribution or selling a non-US fund, all of the income and gains held within the fund are taxed at the highest income tax rate (currently 39.6%). In addition to this, the income and gains are considered as being earned ratably over the term of your investment, and interest is payable on income and gains which are considered earned in earlier years. The interest is currently 3% and compounded annually. Also, it is worth noting that losses can be disallowed.
Mark-to-Market Method
The mark-to-market method allows an owner of PFIC shares to make an election for the year in which the fund is obtained to mark gains to market at each year-end – i.e. pay tax on the difference between the fair market value of the fund at the beginning and end of the year. Similar to the “Excess Distribution” method, gains and losses are considered as ordinary gains and losses, not capital.
Qualified Electing Fund Method
This election is not usually available to people who just have non-US funds or stocks and shares ISAs as the election is made on an investorby-investor basis and can only be filed by the first US person that is a direct or indirect shareholder in the
PFIC. Given that you cannot be certain that you are the first American in the fund you cannot make this election. If it can ever be made, it allows the PFIC to be treated as a US based mutual fund such that any income or capital gains earned by the PFIC would be recognized currently by the US shareholder. Income recognized is picked up as ordinary, while capital gains are classified as long term. Losses generated by the PFIC cannot be passed through to the US shareholder. A US investor increases his or her basis in the QEF’s stock for any income inclusions and reduces his or her basis in the stock upon receipt of distributions of previously taxed income so there are no double tax issues.
Conclusion
As you can see being invested in funds or a stocks and shares ISA can potentially have severe US tax consequences but there are ways to mitigate the liability and we can assist you in this process.
Phil Hawkins is Senior Manager at Tax Advisory Partnership 14 Devonshire Square, London, EC2M 4TY. T. 020 7655 6959 www.taxadvisorypartnership.com Tax Advisory Partnership provides a broad range of UK and US tax services to private clients both in the UK and abroad. Please contact us at +44 207 655 6959 for an initial consultation or email info@tap-london.com and we will contact you at the earliest opportunity.
Wishing a very Happy New Year to all readers of The American London t: +44 (0)20 7655 6959 e: info@tap-london.com
Leeds t: +44 (0)113 8272 410 e: info@tap-leeds.com
www.taxadvisorypartnership.com
The American
Mythbusting the American Expat
IMAGE ©ALEXI HOBBS
W
hether it’s James Whistler, Ernest Hemingway or Josephine Baker, there’s always been a certain romance about Americans abroad. But today, who are these Americans? How many are there? Why do they leave the US and what keeps them abroad? Do they behave like other migrant groups or does being a US expat provide special status? These are questions that occupy social scientist Dr. Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfels, an overseas American and expert on international migration. Drawing on research for her book, Migrants or Expatriates? Americans in Europe, that involved hundreds of surveys and in depth interviews, her findings challenge many of the most common myths about American expats, including whether we should be using the term “expat” at all. For starters, you might think that we know how many Americans live outside the United States. In fact, we don’t. Estimates by the US State Department, World Bank and others vary from 2.2 to 8 million. There are many reasons for the wildly varying estimates, but not being able to agree on the number adds complexity to the relationship between the United States and its overseas citizens. As accountants often claim, “If you can’t count it, it doesn’t count.” And what about those images of US expats as fats cats on temporary assignments? First, they’re not as rich
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as you might expect with 22.8% of Dr von Koppenfels’ survey respondents from the UK having an after tax household income of less than $50,000. Second, they’re not that ‘temporary’. As one London-based lawyer explained, “I came for one year and that was 18 ½ years ago.” And it’s not employment that is the top reason given for going abroad, but rather to be with a partner or to study. They’re not all investment bankers either with the largest group of interviewees in the UK working in IT (21.3%) followed by professional, scientific and technical services (18.1%) and education (11.7%). Finance and insurance only came in fourth at 9.6%, and France and Germany have lower rates still. While overseas Americans do not seem to conform to the stereotype, they do share many similarities with other migrant groups. Like most migrants, they retain the myth of return where they speak of their intention to go back to the US but never seem to do so. In fact, most overseas Americans are what Dr von Koppenfels calls accidental migrants. As one man put it in her book, “I never planned on staying here or anything like that. I just did, and home is where your junk collects…” Like other migrant groups, Americans stay active in political, cultural and socio-economic activities that link them with the United States such as Democrats and Republicans Abroad, alumni organizations and
lobbying groups such as American Citizens Abroad. They retain strong economic ties with the US with 75.8% retaining a US bank account, 17.8% owning US property and 47.8% donating to US charities. But as mentioned before, the relationship between overseas Americans and the US government is a complicated one. In her most recent research, Dr von Koppenfels has focused on what is behind the sharp increase in the number of overseas Americans giving up their US citizenship. Again, her findings fly in the face of the common perception that it is rich Americans who want to get out of paying tax. Instead, the research shows that US citizenship renunciation is not linked to income but rather to increasing reporting requirements, fear of draconian penalties and an inability to access financial services in the host country. There is also the sense that the US government is unfairly targeting its own overseas citizens. For example, one interviewee stated: “ I’m an American …I deeply resent being treated like a tax fraud or a drug lord.” And as another put it, “It is not a crime to live abroad and the US should not treat its expat citizens like criminals.” For many, the cost of compliance in terms of accountancy fees is unsustainable. “I can’t pay an accountant 2000 euros a year in order to pay the USA $0.00 in the end.” So even if living overseas throws
up considerable challenges, with some of the largest coming from the home country, its good to know that academics like Dr von Koppenfels are out there, putting overseas Americans under the microscope to better explain us to ourselves, to our family and friends on both sides of the Atlantic and to the governments that make policies that affect us. Tanager Wealth Management LLP is is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK and is an SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Tanager Wealth Management LLP does not provide tax advice. You should seek specialist tax advice from a suitably qualified tax professional. www.tanagerwealth.com
Dr Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfels was the keynote speaker at the recent Town Hall Meeting of American Citizens Abroad held in London where she was also interviewed by Kate Hedges of Tanager Wealth Management for the firm’s podcast series Tanager Talks. You can listen to the interview at www.tanagerwealth.com Dr Klekowski von Koppenfels directs the MA in International Migration at the Brussels School of International Studies, University of Kent in Brussels, Belgium. A native of western Massachusetts, she received her MA and PhD from Georgetown University and an AB from Harvard University. Her book, Migrants or Expatriates? Americans in Europe was published in 2014
by Palgrave Macmillan. Results from the University of Kent’s survey on citizenship renunciation referred to in the article can be found at www.kent. ac.uk/brussels/documents/kvksurveyresults.pdf . The survey is the first academic study of its kind and the largest collection of attitudes of overseas Americans on citizenship renunciation.
What do Tanager Wealth Management clients have in common?
Peace of Mind
020 7871 8440 @tanagerwealth contact@tanagerwealth.com www.tanagerwealth.com Tanager Wealth Management LLP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Tanager Wealth Management LLP is an SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Registered In England and Wales No.OC377053. Registered Office: The White House, Mill Road, Goring on Thames, RG8 9DD
Tanager The American Ad.indd 1
08/07/2015 The American
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Learning to Speak American
Biscuits and gravy ...but not to a Brit © JIMSISEAS
Food, Wine and Being A Brit Abroad by Colette Dartford
I
was living in Northern California’s glorious Napa Valley while I wrote my debut novel*. I had recently relocated from my home in England and while Brits and Americans speak the same language, it quickly became apparent that some things still got lost in translation. Take food for example: a veritable minefield of misunderstanding. I was surprised to discover that ‘biscuits and gravy’ was a popular breakfast dish which contained neither biscuits nor gravy as I knew them. English ‘biscuits’ are cookies in America so what, I wondered, were these strange breakfast biscuits? The
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answer was a variation of what we Brits call scones, although whereas we eat them with clotted cream and jam, in the US they are served as a savoury [sic] dish with thick sausage gravy. And when I say jam I of course mean jelly and for clotted cream read sour cream if you’re American. I don’t wish to labour the point but there was one particular occasion when I was served something I absolutely did not expect. On a shopping trip to San Francisco’s Neiman Marcus, I went to the Rotunda, took a seat at the bar and ordered a glass of champagne. The barman brought it with a basket of Yorkshire puddings.
Yes, Yorkshire puddings – a stalwart accompaniment to Sunday’s roast beef. Originally a much larger version of the pudding was eaten as a first course with thick gravy, filling the stomach with low cost ingredients and saving on the more expensive meat course that followed. So why on earth was I being given a basket of Yorkshire puddings with my champagne? The barman told me they were complimentary ‘popovers’ and though mine were plain, usually they were served with strawberry butter. The notion of Yorkshire pudding and strawberry butter (another thing I had never
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Postcard views of the ‘inappropriately’ named Vineyard Haven, Mass © COURTESY BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
heard of) was a total aberration and when I said this to the barman he commiserated that an awful lot of things must seem different. Indeed they did. Being far from home, inevitably there were things we missed and top of my husband’s list was the traditional Sunday roast I mentioned earlier. It’s not something worth doing for one (I don’t eat meat) so we invited our neighbours to join us. It was only when the beef was in the oven that I remembered we didn’t have anything to carve it on. I popped down to the local hardware store to buy one of those metal dishes with spikes, but couldn’t think of the name so explained I needed something to carve a joint on. The shop assistant raised her eyebrows and said ‘a joint?’ Yes, I replied cheerfully, we’re having friends over and I’m doing a joint. Her perturbed silence confused me until I realized she thought I was talking about marijuana. There’s nothing shocking about marijuana of course, already legalized for personal and medical use in many states, but what I did find shocking was that in some American towns alcohol is sold begrudgingly
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and in others, it is banned altogether. I found this out the hard way when staying with friends on the exclusive Martha’s Vineyard, where Presidents take their summer vacation. While my hosts barbequed halibut steaks for lunch, I cycled to the local supermarket to buy a bottle of wine. Having selected a cheeky Chablis and joined the queue (yes, I know it’s called a line) to pay, I was not expecting to be publicly shamed. But when my turn came the checkout lady announced in a loud and disapproving voice that they didn’t sell liquor on a Sunday. Now ‘liquor’ isn’t a word you hear much in England. It has pejorative connotations and conjures up images of down-and-outs clutching a bottle of something cheap and nasty. That America still has dry towns (including the misleadingly named Vineyard Haven), hints at an uneasy relationship with alcohol that seemed at odds with the centrality of wine to life in the Napa Valley. So when I chose Learning To Speak American as the title of my novel, I was referencing the differences and contradictions I had found. Much of the book is set in the
Napa Valley where a British couple impulsively buy a derelict house. They hope its restoration might somehow restore their marriage, blighted by the death of their only child two years before. In Learning To Speak American, they are really learning to live and love again.
* Colette Dartford’s debut novel Learning to Speak American is published in eBook by Twenty7 Books now and in Paperback in 2016. It is available at www. amazon.co.uk.
Agatha and us Some details from the archives of Burgh Island, South Devon
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t’s lucky that Dame Agatha Christie was a frequent visitor to Burgh Island; if she were not, we would have had to invent her presence. Everything about the Burgh Island Hotel whispers Art Deco glamour and the period so often associated with the crime writer’s most loved works. In fact, at least two were written here: Evil Under the Sun and And Then There Were None. Burgh Island is easily identifiable as
the location: from Pixie Cove (our Herring Cove) to the site of Jacobs Ladder (the cliffs to our Little Island) and our authentic sea water bathing pool with decking fit for Arlena to lie out on. Then there is the hotel itself...a masterpiece of clean, white modernist lines with the flourishing touches of decorative art in the Palm Court bar, reception and the Ball Room. This is the place where Oscar The stairs to the Burgh Island Hotel Ballroom
Deutsch (of ODEON fame) barked indiscreet orders into the ‘phone in reception; where R J Mitchell came during his convalescence to observe the flight of seagulls and create his legacy aircraft, the Spitfire; where Amy Johnson stopped off en route to open Plymouth Airport; where Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson escaped the public to conduct their romance in civilised secrecy; where Noel Coward came
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The Sea Tractor en route to Burgh Island in early springtime
to stay for the weekend and stayed for three weeks, writing Room with a View here. And, most importantly, where Agatha Christie came to write in The Beach House - now a smart hotel suite but then a writer’s hut perched over the waves, and in a small pavilion built for her on the Island’s cliffs. How can the modern visitor step into Mrs Christie’s shoes? Theatrical inspiration is abundant in the atmosphere of the Island, the almost literal step back into a preWar age of sophistication. Black tie dining is normal in the Ball Room, and guests take the opportunity to spend precious time on themselves and their partners. At Burgh Island Hotel, the music is in period, with live music twice a week: an external dance floor tempts you outside under the stars in good weather. As for the other staple of the roaring ‘20s and ‘30s, the cocktail: there is no escaping its magic and pull. However, if you want to follow in Dame Agatha’s footsteps, you’ll have to stick to cream! Agatha was a fervent teetotaller and her indulgence was simply straight cream, with no twist. During the day, the Island environment is a perfect microcosm.
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From silver beaches, swept clean by the daily tides, to rugged cliffs and all the coastal wildlife you could want, it’s a playground as well as a party palace. And you can follow in Mrs Christie’s footsteps by day (if you’ve not yet got round to writing your novel) by taking a surf lesson on the beach. Christie, as well as Edward VIII, was an avid fan of “surf riding” in which a long 6 foot board, looking rather like a door and quite square at both ends, was the mode of conveyance over the waves. In 1938, feeling the winds of the coming War, Christie bought a nearby house for £6,000. Greenway House was to be her country residence for the rest of her life and can be visited easily on a day trip from Burgh Island. But maybe she never lost the feel for Art Deco; in 1940 she bought one of the Isokon flats in Lawn Road, Hampstead where the modernist lines echo the iconic facade of the Burgh Island Hotel. So, thank you Dame Agatha Christie, for your legacy and your spirit, and congratulations on your 125th anniversary. If you were to visit today you would find the hotel you knew much changed as we slip into the 21st century but in so many ways the same: we like our
guests to dress for dinner and to relax completely during the day, away from all cares of the mainland world; we don’t encourage the digital but have wifi throughout as needed; we don’t do mini-bars but do do 24 hour rooms service; our staff are friendly but not intrusive or obsequious - and they all know, and care about, our history, including the Christie legacy. Many guests describe their stay as a “step back in time” but Burgh Island Hotel is what it always was: a private place for couples and good friends to connect, enjoy themselves without modern distractions and take great memories back home. Maybe one will even write a novel one day that will cross countries and cultures as yours still do.
Deborah Clark Owner, Burgh Island
www.burghisland.com www.nationaltrust.org.uk/greenway/ www.modernistbritain.co.uk/post/ building/Isokon+Building/ www.museumofbritishsurfing.org. uk/2012/03/01/museum-of-britishsurfing-opens-april-6-2012/
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H O T E L
What inspired Agatha?
The Ballroom
The Art Deco Bar
Agatha Christie Lunches
The Pilchard Inn
Fabulous Balls
The Outdoor Dancefloor
Murder Mysteries
Amazing Surfing
86 years of fabulous history Q The Beach House
The Unique Sea Tractor
The Mermaid Pool
Seasonal Celebrations
Visit Burgh Island by land, sea or air, all year round and see what inspired Agatha The world renowned Burgh Island Hotel, Bigbury-on-Sea, South Devon TQ7 4BG | Tel: +44 (0)1548 810514 | www.burghisland.com l a t i t u d e
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Magica Italia
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here are so many things that fascinate me about Italy, so many unique experiences that you can only enjoy in one specific place, writes Dr. Michael Metcalfe, archaeologist and ancient historian. All over Italy, that magic can happen in so many different places and settings. What makes them so unique is not one thing: it’s the combination of the landscape, the history, the culture, the very thing the Romans called “genius loci”, the spirit of the place, and your interaction with it. When it all comes together, it can feel magical. In Sicily, in an ancient country estate that has been farmed for millennia, enjoying a home-made breakfast of local produce and waiting to discover the island’s extraordinary cultural heritage: its superb ancient temples at Segesta, Selinunte or Agrigento; its ornate Baroque churches and so much more. On the Amalfi Coast, sitting on the deck of a lovingly hand-crafted
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wooden boat softly rocking on the blue waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea, admiring the morning scenery so rich in beauty and historical wealth, looking forward to visiting a worldfamous destination like Naples or Capri later in the day. In a small village trattoria, having lunch surrounded by friendly locals and sampling the finest treats of one of the world’s most celebrated cuisines, be it pasta, prosciutto or maybe some authentic Italian pizza. In Pompeii, strolling down ancient lanes, gazing at the elaborate decor of 2000-year-old villas and breathing in the atmosphere of a long-lost civilization. In the sea-girt old town of Siracusa, ancient Syracuse, walking the streets of a city that is serene and dynamic at the same time, admiring one of Europe’s most beautiful town-squares, passing the ornate cathedral that conceals the 2.500-year-old Temple of Athena, all bathed in the golden afternoon sun. In Rome, one of the world’s fore-
most repositories of art and history, sipping an aperitif at the stylish bar of a hotel housed in an ancient palace or monastery, engulfed in the city’s modern vibrant life, contemplating a day spent exploring the city’s archaeological treasures, such as the Forum or the Colosseum... Even after years of travel, I still feel the freshness of this daily magic, wherever I go in Italy. Dr. Metcalfe worked and lived in Italy for many years, and was Assistant Professor at the Arcadia University Mediterranean Center for Arts and Sciences in Sicily (an offshoot of Maryland University). He is a specialist in deciphering ancient inscriptions, is the editor of the Blue Guide to Sicily and co-editor of the Blue Guide to the Aegean Islands. He works for Peter Sommer Travels organizing and leading many of their archaeological and cultural tours in Italy, Greece and Turkey. For more information see www.petersommer.com or call 01600 888 220.
PROMOTION
Gliding through the Winter Season View from Chalet Chouqui’s Hot Tub, Verbier, Switzerland
T
he snow has fallen, the resorts are open and the 2015/2016 ski season is now underway! Whether you’re gracing the slopes for the first time or are an experienced skier, the standards of a luxury skiing holiday continue to surpass expectations providing the heights of elegance and sophistication year after year. As the season starts there are some excellent luxury chalets still available during the season, including during the Christmas and New Year period. Luxury ski experts, The Oxford Ski Company has over 17 years experience in the market, personally inspecting and carefully selecting a stunning portfolio of over 400 luxury chalets and hotels across the finest skiing resorts in Europe, North America and Canada. Focussed on delivering exceptional services standards, the company provides an extraordinary and memorable luxury ski holiday to its discerning international clientele. From the moment you
speak to your personalised travel agent who will perfectly match your requirements to the ideal property, to ensuring every detail of your holiday has been catered for with their concierge services. From organising transfers, booking ski instructors, organising events and special occasions, this complimentary service will ensure that every aspect of your holiday is taken care of so clients can simply enjoy their trip without a worry, knowing everything has been taken care of by the team. Some of the newest and exciting properties across the resorts are now available to rent and The Oxford Ski Company provides their choice recommendations: Chalet Ecurie - St Martin de Belleville, France - This stunning renovation of a 130 year old Savoie stable into a luxurious mountain retreat opens this winter. Offering exceptional design with its décor inspired by local history and blends into the rustic elements of its surroundings using natural
materials, cosy fabrics and antiques and results in an utterly charming chalet. Sleeping eight in its four en-suite bedrooms, the chalet soaks up the beautiful mountain views from the expansive living and dining area which spreads across the entire first floor and is framed by the original stable roof of ancient beams and timbers which provides height yet maintains a cosy and intimate space. The chalet includes the services of a professional chef and chalet manager and is only a four minute drive (with your personal chauffeur) from St Martin de Belleville, where the main lift hub gives direct access to the whole 600km of Les Trois Vallees ski area. Weekly rental rates range from £9,995 – £20,995. Chalet Chouqui - Verbier Switzerland – The size of this chalet is a rarity in the resort, and this nine bedroom property is a very exciting new addition to the area which includes a master suite with a four
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IMAGE ©PINEROLO TORINO
Above: Chalet Blossom Hill, Courchevel Le Praz, France Left: Living Room fire, Chalet Baita, Milky Way, Italy
Above: Part of the Living Room, Chalet Ecurie, St Martin de Belleville, France
poster bed, and can cater for 18 guests in total. Offering the luxury of a 15 metre indoor pool, outdoor hot tub and hammam, guests can also unwind in the cinema room, games room or in the bar - perfect for unwinding after a day on the slopes. Weekly rates start from £27,000 - £99,000 however the chalet is also conveniently available for long weekends (Thursday – Sunday) and reverse weekends (Sunday – Wednesday) making it a flexible
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accommodation choice for large families and groups. Baita 1697, Milky Way, Italy – This lovingly restored 17th century Piedmontese farmhouse is located in a peaceful, tranquil hamlet close to Sestriere. Featuring ski-in access it is a convenient three minute walk to the cable car which takes you to the heart of the 400km pisted slopes of the Milky Way, six resorts offering beautiful scenery and diverse terrain for all to enjoy. This stunning and authentic chalet sleeps 10 and is fully furnished to such a luxurious standard with its celebrated professionally designed interior, ensuring supreme comfort can be enjoyed alongside the elegance of original artwork and antiques. The mountain-view roof terrace comes complete with an eight person wooden hot tub and the spacious communal living space includes a media room where you can enjoy an international film and music library, complete with relaxing wood burning open-fire. Rates range from EUR 16,600 - EUR 26,400 a week. Blossom Hill, Courchevel Le Praz, France – This chalet opened
last year and is truly a delightful surprise in the heart of Le Praz with access to the centre of Courchevel 1850 in minutes via the gondola. Large and majestic with a contemporary look, its expansive interior provides a loft-like feel to its huge living areas. Its floating industrial staircase greets you upon entry and is coupled with luxury touches to provide a warm welcome to guests with its central fireplace and dining room. The hidden wine cellar comes complete with its own Savoyard kitchen and the indoor/ outdoor infinity pool allows guests to enjoy the fresh mountain air without leaving the water. Relax in the lavish settings of the cinema room or retreat to the master bedroom which has its own fireplace and lounge area. The property sleeps 10 people and also includes the services of a chef, resort manager, host and driver. Rates range from EUR 16,200 - EUR 28,000 a week. To speak to your Personal Travel Consultant please call 01993 899 420 or email inspire@oxfordski. com. For further information visit www.oxfordski.com
THE
OXFORD SKI COMPANY
THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION OF LUXURY CHALETS AND HOTELS A collection of only the best, personally inspected luxury ski chalets and hotels in Europe and North America. An unrivalled concierge service and holiday experience awaits.
Talk to us now on 01993 899 420 or email us on inspire@oxfordski.com www.oxfordski.com
Right: When Bicycles queuing gets out of hand (in this case in Phnom Penh) PHOTO ©IWAN GABOVITCH, CC
Miss Patricia
On Yer Bikes I
t’s finally time to take our old bicycles in for tune-ups. We tried it before, back in that Fall Spring we had after the summer (? yeah, weird). And as is usually the fate of Americans offering money to someone in England, we were chastised and sent on our way. ‘We’d like to have these bikes repaired, please’, Mr Patricia began, he thought reasonably enough. We were in a bike shop, where repairs were advertised in the window, and some new, shinier models formed a congregation around us. A pale young salesclerk…sorry, salesCLARK…regarded us with doubtful, dubious gloom. ‘Hmmm. Are these pakted?’ The look on his face was that of a courtroom solicitor who already knew the answer to the question he asked. He was plainly a practitioner of the sport himself. He had a ponytail and bruises all up and down one shin, which made me reconsider the wisdom of purchas-
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ing a modern version of the vehicles he supposedly sold, although the thought of suggesting a sale wasn’t in his universe. My husband looked confused. The clerk was asked to repeat himself, but a second try at conversation didn’t get us further in understanding. Suddenly I twigged, (Is there any American equivalent to that word?) because the funereal expression on the clerk’s face helped me translate. ‘No, they were not expected,’ I helped. I am bwilliant! By now some colleagues had scented tragedy and were starting to gather round our mournful little scene. The three fit young men formed a circle of sorrow, gazing down at my sprawled out bike as if it were a dead puppy. By ‘fit’ I mean American Fit: athletic; as opposed to British Fit: hotties. Although one of them could well have qualified in either category. Ponytail sighed and began a wellworn speech about how bike season was a poor time to request bike
repair, and his mates repeated each of his statements like backup singers adding some soul, shaking their heads as they repeated his eulogy. They were like Macbeth’s three weird sisters in male form, echoing after their leader: ‘THE WEATHER The Weather the weather…IF YOU’D BOOKED If You’d Booked if you’d booked…’ My husband said that we didn’t expect immediate service, but that olive branch pushed Ponytail even deeper into depression. ‘It’s just that the sun has come out now’, he grieved. ‘Everybody sees the sunshine, and they want to take their bikes out, but then they sees that they need a little work and they wants to bring ‘em in.’ Ah! Even Americans can understand that! We once lived on the west coast of the US, so we knew what sunshine was. He was telling us that there was a DEMAND for his service! And not only was there a demand, but it was PREDICTABLE each year.
Great! That means, to a simpleminded American, a chance to do some business and make a shitload of money. But ‘demand’ in the UK means something different. It is something made by spoiled children who need proper discipline. ‘Well, I’m sorry, but you can’t leave ‘em ‘ere’, said Ponytail. ‘Everybody wants their bikes worked on now. We wooden have room for ‘em aw.’ This too, is understood by Americans. There really isn’t any room. Not anywhere in England. We turn our feet sideways to get down the dollhouse steps in our flat, and we take our jeans out of the mini washer/ dryer permanently compressed into tiny crinkle balls. And the reason there isn’t any room is that there are so many newcomers around just like us, except that since we originally came from England in the first place, it’s more like being an overgrown adult child
who keeps returning home, to sprawl in dad’s favorite chair after getting a second divorce and selling the motorcycle on ebay. My mother’s American ancestors gathered in my brain to argue that meeting demand is a darned good way to make a profit and keep bike repairmen off the dole. But my father’s English ancestors argued back (politely) that patient queueing is the foundation of civilised society, and every experience of it is splendid for self discipline. In this instance, the queue began back in our own garage. In his closing statement, Ponytail explained that if we had only brought our bikes in the winter, when bikes are not needed, all would have been well. So we trundled them dejectedly back home and decided to spend our last summer weekend selecting a Christmas tree, when we might increase our chances of getting one. It’s all about Following the
Rules! Not Jumping the Queue! The redcoats are still marching in straight lines, while we naughty colonists break the rules by hiding behind trees like wild Indians (as they were called in history books) because that way we win! We understood what he meant about social order, though. Imagine what would happen if tickets in cinemas were not sold by seat number! It would be anarchy, with viewers seated just anywhere they liked in movie theaters and shifting away from the tall person in front! Yes, my friend mentioned the other day that he lost his cinema ticket money, because by the time the evening finally arrived, he forgot to go. But on the other hand, in this country, crazed gunmen would have to book their nervous breakdowns in advance. We laugh when our British friends nurture their petty little rules. But they have stood the test of time pretty well.
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PROMOTION
Nine Elms Comes Alive: Alive:
The new US Embassy sits at the heart of London’s most ambitious rejuvenation project
E
mbassy Gardens is the centre piece of one of the most ambitious urban rejuvenation plans in London’s history. Nine Elms, nestled below the Thames and between Battersea and Vauxhall, was once largely overlooked by both Londoners and international investors alike but the expansive regeneration has breathed new life into the area bringing with it a host of new property buyers. The new London district will provide 18,000 new homes, millions of square feet of office space, a new retail zone, as well as a “linear” park inspired by New York’s High Line. The area now represents a new way of life in central London, waking people up to areas south of the river they wouldn’t previously have contemplated and helping dispel the north south divide that currently exists in the capital. The monumental relocation of both the American and the Dutch embassies is a driving factor in the area’s new identity and has served to reaffirm
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confidence in the property market here. Since the 1960s, the American Embassy has made a home for itself on Grosvenor Square, which rests in the heart of Mayfair, long considered one of the golden postal codes of London. The arrival of these ambassadors south of the river has helped to anchor Nine Elms as a true geopolitical district in its own right, redefining the ambassadorial home, and drawing global attention to the regeneration. The ‘Legacy Buildings’ are the latest wave of apartments to launch at Embassy Gardens, an extensive phase of over 870 homes adjacent to the American Embassy. The world’s first ever ‘Sky Pool’ is a key design component where a glass bottom pool suspends 35 meters above ground connecting two buildings. Additional features include a cinema, 24 hour concierge, valet parking and leisure complex as well as membership to the exclusive Eg:le club where residents can use the onsite Eg:le
apartment for private functions, dinners and diplomatic receptions. JOHNS&CO Nine Elms is the preferred letting and re-sales agent at Embassy Gardens and is the only agent with an office onsite. Here, the company’s experts are on hand to impart local knowledge and advice, a service that mirrors the outstanding quality of the development itself. The agents have seen an enthusiastic response from both London and international buyers looking to buy and rent, offering superbly appointed new homes in London’s new geopolitical heartland, all located within the capital’s zone one. Properties are available to buy and to rent through JOHNS&CO Nine Elms with prices starting at £950,000 or £600 per week for a two bedroom apartment. JOHNS&CO 8 Ponton Road, Embassy Gardens, Nine Elms, London SW8 5BA , +44 (0)20 7481 0600, www.johnsand.co/properties/ embassy-gardens-sw8/
PREMIUM LONDON HOMES IN NINE ELMS, THE CITY, DOCKLANDS & CANARY WHARF SALES, LETTINGS & PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
Contact JOHNS&CO to find out more about our large collection of contemporary apartments and houses to buy or rent in the most popular London developments including Embassy Gardens SW8, 21 Wapping Lane E1W, New Providence Wharf E14, London City Island E14 and Royal Wharf E16. T 0207 118 0200 | E info@johnsand.co | Level 33, 25 Canada Square, London E14 5LQ CANARY WHARF T 0207 118 0200 E canarywharf@johnsand.co
NEW PROVIDENCE WHARF T 0207 118 0343 E newprovidencewharf@johnsand.co
WAPPING LANE T 0207 118 0300 E wapping@johnsand.co
NINE ELMS T 0207 481 0600 E embassygardens@johnsand.co
www.johnsand.co
The American Way is Essex by Daniel M Byway
I
n 1636, a small town in Massachusetts – which had until then been known by the locals as ‘Contentment’ – was officially named Dedham, as many of the town’s citizens had emigrated from the village of Dedham in Essex, England. This is but one of numerous connections that make the County of Essex, England, an ancestral homeland for many Americans, and a fascinating place to explore. A wooden carving sits in Dedham’s Church which notes that in 1967, the people of Dedham, Mass donated £1000 to the restoration of the church. William Tecumseh Sherman, a major figure in the Union Army during the American Civil War, also has ancestral links with the Essex village. His ancestral home, Sherman’s House - a beautiful Georgian fronted townhouse, is now a private National Trust property but occasionally opened to the public on heritage days. This made Dedham a perfect place to begin a personal voyage of discovery around the County. In many ways Dedham is a quintessential English village. We began our exploration by looking around the Munnings Art Museum, a thoughtful tribute to the late, great English artist Alfred Munnings, RA (1878 - 1959). The Museum is located in Munnings' own Dedham home, and is a special experience. A master of equine art, his work took him to the front lines of World War One in France, where he depicted
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soldiers and horses of the Canadian Army, including the famous Charge of Flowerdew’s Squadron, an important turning point in the war. Munnings became both President of the Royal Academy and a friend of Winston Churchill. His home is now a living experience of his artistic skill, with events, a cafe and plenty of other activities during the year, and a brilliant selection of experts on hand to fill you in on this great artist, one of the Newlyn School, famed for his horse paintings. A history of food is ultimately a history of human kind, and the Essex Rose, a 16th Century Building sat on the Royal Way in the heart of Dedham and run by the Tiptree company, is a great example of this. The Essex Rose serves a lovely selection of traditional tea room fare, and Tiptree’s knowledge of Jams – which extends back to 1885 – means that the proof is literally in the pudding! I bought a jar of Tiptree’s “Little Scarlet” Jam, the Jam of choice for a certain James Bond in the original Ian Fleming books (Yep, I’m a big fan). Tiptree hosts a range of individual tea rooms located around Essex, which serve as perfect stop-off points for busy travelers exploring the County. The village of Tiptree itself has a tea room and visitor center which in recent years was visited by Her Majesty the Queen herself! What’s ideal about Essex is that amongst signposted stop off points are plenty of hidden plaques, dedi-
cations, stories and tales to discover off the beaten track. Many families emigrated from this area of Essex to the New World, so a simple trip to see a local church can reveal all sorts of Transatlantic links. I suspect most of the village and town names in Essex feature heavily in the early American settlements. For those of you who might have Essex ancestry, the Essex Society for Family History (www.esfh.org.uk) has a great resource and can assist in locating ancestors and other fascinating facts. A short walk from Dedham through the charming countryside takes you to nearby Flatford, made famous by the artist, John Constable. Many of his works are of the countryside around Flatford, including The Hay-Wain (1820). This was based on the local house of Willy Lott which still stands today, and the surrounding buildings, including Flatford Mill, are now protected by the National Trust. It’s thrilling to know that you are standing on the same land where the great artist once stood, and courtesy of the internet, compare the local surroundings to those famous scenes in Constable’s work. Braintree has ancestral links to the likes of John Adams and John Quincy Adams, whilst in Purleigh, Lawrence Washington (Great-Great Grandfather of George Washington) was once Minister. Lawrence was later buried in Maldon, where the local Church includes a com-
Top right: Dedham village High Street Middle: Dedham Vale Lower right: Willy Lott’s cottage, Flatford (Inset: Constable, The Hay-Wain, 1821 ©THE NATIONAL GALLERY)
memorative Washington Window, presented by the people of Malden, Massachusetts. The Founder of Pennsylvania, William Penn, studied at school in Chigwell. Billericay has links with Billerica in Massachusetts, and I haven’t even told you about the many World War II connections – many US forces were based in Essex during the conflict. Our next port of call was the American-linked town (and port sorry!) of Harwich, the home of the Mayflower. Although often associated with Rotherhithe in London and Plymouth, Port Books from 1609 suggest the Mayflower was originally ‘Of Harwich’. The Captain of the Mayflower’s famous 1620 voyage to the New World, Christopher Jones, is thought to have been born in Harwich, and was certainly a key figure in the town for much of his life. To commemorate the town’s Mayflower links, the Harwich Mayflower Project – chaired by our very own correspondent Sir Robert Worcester – is creating a replica of the ship which it hopes to set sail to America in 2020, whilst also creating a permanent visitor centre in Harwich itself. You can visit them in Harwich to see their progress now. There’s a great little exhibition at another nearby landmark, the Ha’Penny Pier, on the New World, Captain Jones, and another famous sea Captain of the era, Christopher Newport, who plied the Pond transporting emigrants and pilgrims to Jamestown and beyond.
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Images: 1:The Munnings Museum, Dedham; 2: The swimming pool at Maison Talbooth, Dedham; 3: Sherri’s fresh Mistley Thorn Mussels, Mistley; 4: Harwich’s Redoubt (Napoleonic- era fortifications); 5: The Edwardian Electric Palace façade, near Harwich harbor; 6: Harwich Pier at sunset, the dome of the Ha’Penny Pier in the foreground
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Much of the local area around Harwich can be explored by train, and the appropriately named ‘Mayflower Line’ railway is a great way to travel further inland along the side of the River Stour (there’s a heap of River Stours in England - 'Stour' meant 'mighty river’', just like there’s a bunch of 'River Avon’s', which means 'River River’!) The Mayflower Line goes between Harwich and Manningtree, and on the way, do stop in Mistley. Having recently watched Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, we were intrigued to find that Mistley was where Matthew Hopkins, the ‘Witchfinder General’ of the UK, is thought to have lived. Mistley has another American angle, the sensational Californian-born chef Sherri Singleton, who developed the fabulous Mistley Thorn restaurant, where we stopped for lunch. Sherri’s love of cooking combines with Essex’s unique local produce to great effect, with each day’s menu hosting a delectable range of meats and locally-landed seafood. The Thorn proves that Essex can mix it with the best of London’s high end restaurants. I’ve never tasted such a well put together terrine, and my companion was delighted with his large bowl of Steamed Mussels. I stuck with the traditional English classic of Fish and Chips (or as Sherri’s menu calls them, Fries) which was delicious, followed by the most sumptuous cheesecake I’ve ever had, Sherri’s Mom’s recipe, so a real American cheesecake! Sherri also has a number of rooms, which is a good idea if you fancy exploring the area further by bike – much recommended - or taking part in one of Sherri’s cooking workshops at the nearby Mistley
Kitchen. During our time in Essex we opted to stay in two venues run by Milsom Hotels: the Maison Talbooth near Dedham, a luxury country house with all the amenities you could ask for (including a day spa and hot tub), some truly impressive rooms and a really friendly service. We chose to dine at the hotel’s Le Talbooth restaurant, and were surprised to be whisked down by a courtesy Range Rover to the picturesque riverside location for some exceptional cuisine. I absolutely can’t speak highly enough of the feast that was laid on for us at Le Talbooth. Our second venue was The Pier Hotel in Harwich, another Milsom hotel. It’s a lovely English seaside hotel that sits right on the harbourside, with spectacular views over the Stour and to Felixstowe, a spectacular sight when lit up at night, and very near to the town. The Pier Hotel’s in-house restaurant, The Harbourside, is a great foodie stop for the Cruise passengers apparently. We dined at there after all that walking through Essex’s famed countryside! As you’d expect, it specialises in great fresh seafood, but also serves exceptional local meats Essex really won us over. We had no idea it was so green and rural. It’s easily accessible from London, has fine dining and luxury accommodation to rival any European capital, and is steeped in American and British history. I wonder if we should now be re-naming Essex as the UK’s County of Contentment. I’d certainly be content to return.
For more details call +44(0)3330 130636 go to the website, or go to Twitter @VisitEssex or facebook.com/VisitEssex
Mango Mint and tomato chutneys and poppadoms
The American
www.lotus.london Left: Red Snapper Kebab Right: Corn Chaat Golgappa
17 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0EP
LOTUS T
he stretch between Leicester Square and Charing Cross stations has always been a bit of a culinary wasteland. Now there is a flower in the desert. The food, wine and service are all top. Five star territory. London has always been known for Indian food and every hood has a curry take-away. Lotus is another world entirely. Chef Bhaskar Banerjee is a first rate spiceologist. Yes, that is newspeak and you read it first here! Throughout our meal, we were constantly dazzled by Banerjee’s spicing, from delicately sublime to boldly sensational. His range is very impressive. Our waitress/sommelier was brilliant. She offered to pair our wines for us and her choices were surprising, spot on and absolutely delicious. If you don’t normally think of drinking fine wine with Indian food, think again. The wine list here is not long, but good quality and quite diverse. Prices range from £20 – 100. Most of the wines we sampled are normally not offered by the glass. I would however be happy to drink a full bottle of any one of them!
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Reviewed by Michael M Sandwick A spicy tomato soup from southern India was the evening’s amuse bouche. Like an exotic, hot Bloody Mary without the vodka. Bloody Meera? My bouche was wowed. Poppadums of rice, potato and millet (£2.75) were much lighter and less flavorful than their chickpea counterparts. The mango, mint and tomato chutneys were excellent. Corn Chaat Golgappa (£3.75) was one of the evening’s many highlights. Also called panipuri (water bread) these crispy shells, filled with spiced corn and tamarind chutney just explode in your mouth. Absolute musthaves (more newspeak), washed down with a fab Vatua Cava, distinguished by a mix of Muscatel, Parellada and Gewürztraminer grapes. Masala prawn, duck eggs and green lentil wraps (£8.75) and pigeon masala dosa with coconut chutney (£7.75) showed Banerjee’s and our sommelier’s skill. Both presented beautifully, the game was dark, rich and spicy, served with a Crozes Hermitage. The shellfish was enhanced with delicate flavors and
served, surprisingly, with a Garnacha. I would never have chosen a Grenache with prawns, but this was soft and smooth. A middle course of red snapper kebab (£12.75) was the fav of the night. Juicy, hot with mustard essence, perfumed with cardamom and served with a South African Chenin Blanc. It doesn’t get better. For mains, a delicate lobster in a ginger, curry leaf and coconut curry (£22.75) was absolute heaven with a Saint Hilaire Chardonnay. Venison Roganjosh (£18.75) was richly spiced with clove and cumin and paired with Mendoza Malbec. Another winwin. Slow cooked dahl was packed with flavor. Best ever. Portions are smallish, so rice and the fabulous bread basket are a must. For dessert, Mango Shrikhand (£5.75) with a Botrytis Semillon was another fantastic combination. The Orange Rasgulla (£5.75), like a cake in nectar with a sweet and savory pineapple chutney and a glass of Chateau Delmond Sauternes was a paradisiac! Lotus is a hafta. You just hafta go there!
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THE MOST SENSATIONAL CELEBRATION IN THE CAPITAL Battersea Evolution • Thursday 31st December, 2015 Your ticket includes all of this: · Sparkling wine & canapé reception on arrival · Delicious four course banquet · Explosive countdown to 2016 with live streaming of London’s firework display from the River Thames · Unlimited house beer, wine and so drinks all night · Spectacular New York, New York theming · Entertainment from live band and DJ · Casino tables · Adrenaline-pumping dodgems · Spine-tingling aerialist, acrobatic & dance acts · Bars open until 2.30am · Free car parking, black cab rank and free shu le bus to London Victoria a er midnight
- londonnewyearseveball.co.uk • 0207 836 1033 -
Strawberry Doughnuts
skygarden.london/fenchurch-restaurant
FENCHURCH RESTAURANT
Goodwood Estate Lamb
20 Fenchurch Street, London EC3M 3BY
Reviewed by Michael M Sandwick
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Fenchurch Street, aka The Walkie Talkie, has had so much bad press, referred to as “brutally dominant” and blamed for melting cars on the street below. Regardless, the top 3 floors, Sky Garden, is absolutely amazing. Filled with greenery, two restaurants and an enormous bar, it boasts 360 degrees of spectacular views. Run by Rhubarb, Fenchurch Restaurant is at the very top. In more ways than one. I was invited to try the new 6 course tasting menu with paired wines at £109 (£70 without wine). Well, I had nothing better to do! Arrive in good time (there is a security check). Once in, it’s a quick, smooth ride up to the 35th floor and what has to be one of the best ways to see London. The din and energy of Skypod Bar is electric. A further two flights up is Fenchurch. Swank. The feel of exclusivity. The top. The staff are young, beautiful, confident and pro. They know what they're doing and who they are serving. Moi!
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Our menu was pre-ordained, so we got right to business with a glass of R De Ruinart and some of the best focaccia I have ever had, served with homemade butter. There is also an à la carte and a vegetarian tasting menu. The 6 courses were all top quality. The wines were well paired, good rather than spectacular. The sommelier was super. Taramasalata with crispy eel and a purple potato chip with creamy cheddar delighted my taste buds. And they were just teasers! The first ‘real’ course was chopped mackerel with pickled cockles, sea herbs and oyster cream. This won the presentation prize. Gorgeous in a scallop shell on a bed of ice. The sweet-ish Riesling was a good pairing, offering contrast, though I prefer my Riesling dry. Venison and grouse ragout, like a game bolognaise with cheese and tiny pasta, was delicious. A Pierre Sourdais Chinon had a great nose but didn’t quite deliver on the finish. Cornish turbot was the evening’s
highlight. Mussels, seaweed, lemon, fennel, and the most divine broth. Paired with a Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc, a super wine with hints of apple and citrus. Goodwood Estate Lamb was another stunner with a glass of Camins del Priorat, a robust blend of Grenache, Carignan and Cabernet Sauvignon. Equally complex, the dark fruit, chocolate and tobacco of the wine and the garlic, artichoke, basil and olive jus made this a flavor bombshell. Pre-dessert (don’t you just love that?) was a coconut cream with fab lime granita and a Vidal Ice Wine. This Canadian wine is made after the grapes have naturally frozen, giving them incredible intensity. Finally, a chocolate & honeycomb ganache, banana yoghurt ice cream and a dessert wine from the same region as Amarone followed by a lemon pâte de fruit and a sensational salty caramel chocolate truffle was definitely gilding the lily. Or should I say, over the top!
Brisket
17 The Green, Ealing, London W5 5DA
meatandshake.com
Far Right: T-Bone Steak Right: The Smoking Bandit
MEAT & SHAKE I
f this were 1975 and I had a huge case of the munchies (don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about) this would be heaven. When you want to chow down without a thought for calories or cholesterol, Meat and Shake is a good spot. Southern barbecue, with all the trimmings and desserts you wish had been invented in the ‘70s when you really needed them! This is the third Meat and Shake with, so I’m told, quite a few more in the offing. I guess I’m not the only one having flashbacks! There is one veggie option on the menu, a sweet potato burger. Otherwise, we are in serious meat territory with sides of fries, mac ‘n cheese, slaw, onion rings…all the things I usually want instead of what I make myself eat at home: sautéed kale with miso! Mixed olives (£2.90) and hot link sausages (£3.90) showed a bit of restraint on our part. The beef and lamb sausages were very tasty,
charred just right and served with good bread and butter pickles. Along with the olives, that was 2 of our 5-aday right there! Sadly, the much publicized smoker was out of order, which meant no smoked ribs or 18 hour smoked brisket. I will have to have another flashback for that brisket. Ribs braised in cola-BBQ sauce (£19.50) were a pretty good substitute. Heavily charred on the outside and tender as can be on the inside with a good tangy sauce. The portion was obscene. I gave a huge chunk to my friend, ate for all I was worth, and still left half on the plate. Said friend’s 10 oz. rump steak seemed miniscule by comparison. It was a decent steak though, tender and cooked medium as he had ordered. His skin on fries (£2.90) were nothing special but my sweet potato fries were very good as were the pit beans (the house version of baked beans) both at £3.20. Cajon corn on the cob (£3.20) was the best
Reviewed by Michael M Sandwick of the sides. Poached, chargrilled and nicely spiced, it won the prize for presentation. Still wrapped in the husks but with the silk removed, this was down home cookin’ with a bit of sophistication. Feeling virtuous, I ordered the coconut and mango shake (£5.80) adding two more to my 5-a-day. With the sweet potato and corn and I was now up to 6, meaning I could make do with only 4 the following day! My friend slid headlong down the slippery slope and had the peanut butter, brownie and banana shake (£6.50). We both loved it of course, but my enthusiasm was dampened by thoughts of kale for a week. By now we were both ready to keel over, so we could only share one dessert. Deep fried Oreo doughnuts with salted caramel and ice cream (£5.80). If reading that doesn’t give you munchie flashback, then you really don’t know what I am talking about!
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Pork Gyoza
http://murakami.london/
murakami I
f I had to choose one cuisine, it would be Japanese. Lucky for me, it’s totally trending, and the choice is off the charts, from high end sushi to ramen for a tenner. Murakami, the latest incarnation, is contemporary Japanese food at affordable prices. Affordable that is, unless you order everything in sight like SOME people! I’m not mentioning any names. The cool interior has both edge and aesthetic. Bleached wood and green turf decorate the vast room and an open kitchen/bar spans its impressive length. The food is a mix of classic and modern. Masterminded by Head Chef Rey Sabinosa, the menu includes hot and cold tapas, meat and fish grilled on the robata (Japan’s answer to the Weber) and Sabinosa’s specialty, sushi and sashimi. Salted edamame with a hot pepper dip (£3.50) was a great ice breaker. Definitely got my taste buds ready to tuck into some sushi. Inventive, tasty and beautiful, this is where Sabinosa shines. Spicy scallop roll
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with tobiko, cucumber and avocado (£10) was a little work of art where the piquant augmented rather than overpowered the delicate scallops. Yellowtail jalapeño roll with cucumber and jalapeño sauce (£12) had even more zing but still kept a good balance. New style sashimi was salmon that had been seared in hot oil and served with yuzu soy (£7.90). The taste of cooked salmon gives the sashimi much more depth of flavor. This allows for the addition of tart yuzu which would otherwise be too much for raw fish alone. Classic Ebi tempura wasn’t the most delicate I have ever had, but a good portion. 5 large prawns for £8.50. Ice cold batter is what gives tempura its unique, lacy texture. These were tasty, deep fried shrimp. Another more successful classic was Pork gyoza or dumplings (£5.90). Thin and delicate wrappers with a flavorful filling and soy and vinegar for dipping. Grilled mackerel was served with daikon oroshi (grated radish), a clas-
New style sashimi
63-66 St Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4JS
Reviewed by Michael M Sandwick sic accompaniment for fatty fish. Perfectly grilled and I was beaming after all that Omega 3! We were however under the mistaken impression that this would be more of a “main” course. It wasn’t. One small fillet for £11.50. As much as I enjoyed it, not good value for money. Also from the robata, asparagus with spicy miso (£6.90). Grilling is perhaps the best method of cooking asparagus, keeping it both crunchy and juicy and miso is a great alternative to salt. I washed everything down with 150 ml of Hakurakusei Junmai Ginjo Sake (£19) which I enjoyed very much. Very full with hints of liquorice. A glass of Gavi, Tuffolo (£8) was also a great accompaniment. Light and slightly effervescent with a good balance of citrus and mineral. We finished with spring rolls which work surprisingly well as dessert. A very satisfying crunch, filled with strawberry and banana, drizzled with honey and served with ice cream. Service was fast, informative and friendly. Thumbs up!
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ALADINO’S G
oing out for a Chinese or an Italian has been a way of life since forever. But popping out for an Egyptian? Not once in all my years. All 29 of them! This oversight has been happily corrected by Alexandrian restaurateur, Aladin Barakat. Mr. B. combines simple elegance with the charm of a family-owned restaurant. It is a winning combination. Located on the street of chandelier dreams, the lighting was the first thing that grabbed me. Golden bird’s nests studded with fairy lights. Stunning in the intimate dining room. Perhaps even more so in MY dining room! The service was exceptional all through the meal. Again, the feeling of family coupled with formality made for a relaxed evening of fine dining. Barakat himself created much of the menu, but Head Chef, Ed Sargent, formerly of J. Sheekey and Moro has brought a wealth of experience to the kitchen. The food is excellent. The presentation even better. Whole wheat flat bread with baba
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ganoush and a very refined hummus appeared on the table. Delicate and creamy, we had to stop ourselves from spoiling our appetites. The wine list, mostly classic French, is pricey, but good. With little choice by the glass, we opted for a half bottle each of Chablis Domaine Vincent Dampt, 2012 (£21.50) and Villa des Quatre Soeurs Margaux, 2011 (£38). King prawns in a light crisp batter (£10) with compressed fennel, radish and muhammara (hot pepper dip) sounds like a fireworks of flavor but was, in fact, quite subtle, leaving room for the sweet taste of prawn. The batter was perfect. Goat cheese and beetroot ravioli with pine nuts and raisins (£8) was a taste explosion. The addition of ‘secret ingredient’ raspberry was pure happiness. The ravioli could be more substantial, balancing, rather than losing out to the other, stronger elements of the dish.The Chablis was lovely with both dishes. Mineral and citrus in good proportion. 16 hour Baharat spiced pork belly (£18) with pickled cucumber, pork
Goats Cheese & Beetroot Ravioli
38C Kensington Church Street, London W8 4BX
Reviewed by Michael M Sandwick crisp and almond purée was a gorgeous plate of food. Beautifully caramelized and very tender. The Baharat spicing (Middle Eastern curry) gave the dish a good zing. The highlight of the evening was the slow roasted tender shank of lamb (£20). Here the spicing was exceptional. Round, complex and melded perfectly with a huge portion of melt in your mouth lamb. And the creamy mash was like butter. Again, the Margaux, velvet plum and oak, was a good choice with both meats. Om Ali (£9) was described as crisp filo pastry, baked in a rich cream with vanilla, topped with almond flakes. Crisp it was not. Delicious, it was. This is a custard of soggy filo which doesn’t sound good, but I imagine, is every Egyptian child’s dream. It made me think of dulce de leche with gorgeous roasted almonds. 70% Valrhona chocolate delice (£9) was heaven. Summer berry compote gave balance and a pistachio tuile a touch of Middle East. So …fancy an Egyptian?
Cellar Talk Guilt By Virginia E Schultz
A
number of years ago, I was traveling in the southern part of the States with my family to visit an old friend. Getting three children there who were then under ten years can be hectic to put it mildly and it wasn’t until we were almost there that I remembered I had forgotten the wine we planned to give him. Spotting a country store that sold beer, I figured that they might possibly sell wine and we stopped there. The proprietor frowned when I told him I liked to buy a bottle of wine until he suddenly recalled he might have a case or two in the cellar that had been left there by the former owner when he bought the store. “But, it’s really old,” he told me as we made our way down some rickety steps. “At least 20 years old.” I followed him through several aisles filled with all kinds of pots and pans and I’m not sure what else until we reached a small room with piles of boxes and barrels. “I was about to toss them out, but haven’t gotten around it,” he said, pointing to a case of 20 year old Chateau Latour and another
case of Richebourg, my husband’s favorite burgundy. “Those were here when I bought the store five years ago so I could sell them for say, two dollars a bottle.” “Two dollars is fine,” I agreed, almost feeling guilty. “Do you have anything else?” Again, he frowned, then nodded.”Got six bottles of something else with a funny French name which you could have for a dollar fifty each.” Nodding, I followed him deeper into the cellar until we came to what appeared to be a pile of boxes and cartons.
Underneath them was a case of thirty year old Romanée-Conti. I bought everything, although I did feel slightly guilty. When my husband saw the three cases of wine, he almost passed out until I told him what they cost. To be honest, that guilt disappeared the first time we opened a bottle and I had a glass. I’ve had the good fortune of having both wines since them, but not often. When I visited this same friend for the weekend a few months ago, I made him Bourbon balls.
BOURBON BALLS 2½ cups of vanilla type cookies/wafers 1 cup of toasted pecans ½ cup of confectioners sugar (2 oz) 6 tablespoons of Bourbon 3 tablespoons light corn syrup 1 ½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa 1/3 cup granulated sugar & grated coconut combined. (3½ oz)
Makes about 24 balls
Process wafers and pecans in food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in sugar, bourbon, corn syrup and cocoa. With fingers, shape into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar/coconut mixture. Put on a large plate and then refrigerate for at least an hour. The American
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Vogue 100: A Century of Style
National Portrait Gallery, St. Martin’s Pl, London WC2H 0HE February 11 to May 22
Annie Leibovitz, Annie Leibovitz with her children, Sarah, Susan and Samuelle Rhinebeck, New York, 2015 © ANNIE LEIBOVITZ
WOMEN: New Portraits by Annie Leibovitz Wapping Hydraulic Power Station, Wapping Wall, London E1W 3SL January 16 to February 7
Opening in London before a 10-city global tour, this exhibition focuses on the changing role of women in today’s society, based on Leibovitz’s most popular 1999 published work, Women, which included photographs of extraordinary women, from celebrities including Yoko Ono, Patti Smith and Cindy Sherman, to professional women such as an
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astronaut, a surgeon, a maid, coal miners, socialites and more. This UBS commissioned exhibition is an extension of that project. Among the subjects of her new portraits are Venus and Serena Williams, Amy Schumer, Misty Copeland and Caitlyn Jenner, and the above image of the artist herself with her daughters. After London, the exhibition can be seen in Tokyo, San Francisco, Singapore, Hong Kong, Mexico City, Istanbul, Frankfurt, New York, and Zurich. Patrick Demarchelier, Linda Evangelista at the International Collections, October 1991 © PATRICK DEMARCHELIER/CONDÉ NAST
Celebrating the centenary of the British version of Vogue magazine, the National Portrait Gallery is hosting a celebration display with some of the publication’s most iconic images. With over 280 prints from the archives, it tells the story behind the fashion magazine and its role in British society. Featuring work by some of the most influential photographers of the 20th century, including Cecil Beaton, Lee Miller and Irving Penn, as well as more recent photographs by the likes of David Bailey, Corinne Day and Patrick Demarchelier. It also examines the cultural landscape of Britain over that time, from Henri Matisse to Francis Bacon, Marleine Dietrich to Gwyneth Paltrow, Lady Diana Cooper to Lady Diana Spencer, and Fred Astaire to David Beckham. There are also images from Vogue’s official (WWII) war correspondent, Lee Miller, and vintage prints by the first professional fashion photographer, Baron de Meyer (1868 - 1946).
Saul Leiter: Retrospective
The Photographers’ Gallery, 16-18 Ramillies St, London W1F 7LW January 22 to April 3
Sophie Gerrard, Blackfaced ewes with wind turbines, The Scottish Borders, 2013 ©SOPHIE GERRARD
Document Scotland: The Ties That Bind
Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen St, Edinburgh EH2 1JD to April 24 ‘The Ties That Bind’ is a phrase you’ll often find in discussions about Scottish culture and identity, especially in recent years when the debate over independence for Scotland as a nation has paved the way for a great deal of self-examination. For four Scot-born photographers; Colin McPherson, Jeremy SuttonHibbert, Sophie Gerrard and Stephen McLaren, this exhibition represents an opportunity to display photographs which consider these
The pioneering American artist and photographer, Saul Leiter, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1923. Originally expected to follow in the footsteps of his father, a renowned Talmudic rabbi and scholar, at 23 Leiter moved to New York when he chose to immerse himself in a prospective career in creative arts. Introduced to photography by American artist Richard PousetteDart, Leiter began by taking fashion photographs, before expanding his repetoire to include street images where fashion, architecture, still life and portraiture fuse together. The blurring of movement and the lack of detail creates a photographic language of color and abstraction, and during a prolific career, Leiter is also widely credited for his pioneering role in the emergence of color photography.
ties from four angles. ‘Legacy’ looks at Scotland’s role in the slave trade and sugar plantations of Jamaica in the 18th century, whilst ‘Tradition’ explores the centuries-old celebration of Border towns in the Common Ridings festivals. ‘Engagement’ considers the devotion of soccer supporters in the small towns and communities across Scotland, whilst ‘The Land’ focuses on contemporary farming through the experiences of six women. Featuring about 75 photographs, ‘The Ties That Bind’ reveals the story of a country and the shaping and development of its sense of national identity. Saul Leiter Snow, 1960 © Saul Leiter Courtesy: Saul Leiter, Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York. Photo Kira Perov
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Claude Monet, Lady in the Garden, 1867 Oil on canvas, 80 x 99 cm Painting and Photo ©The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg Photography: Vladimir Terebenin
Betty Woodman: Theatre of the Domestics Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse
Royal Academy of Art, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD January 30 to April 20 The garden has been an influential subject for many artists. This exhibition at the Royal Academy of Art considers the role of the garden, and its significance in the works of Claude Monet and his contemporaries. With Monet as its starting point, works on display range in date from the 1860s to the 1920s, taking in paintings by artists including Monet, Paul Klee, Emil Nolde, Gustav Klimt, and Wassily Kandinsky among others. Bringing together over 120 works from public institutions and private collections across Europe and the USA, this exhibition also highlights the shifting artistic movements of the era, with pieces by Impressionists, Post Impressionists and the Avant-
Garde artists of the early twentieth century. One of the highlights of this particular exhibition is a focus on Monet’s Grandes Decorations with a magnificent selection of Monet’s water lily paintings including the great Agapanthus Triptych of 1916 –1919, (The Nelson - Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland; Saint Louis Art Museum, St Louis), works that are closely related to the great panoramas that he donated to the French State towards the end of his life and that are now permanently housed in the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris. It will be the first time this monumental triptych has been seen in the UK.
Betty Woodman, Posing with Vases at the Beach, 2008, 84 x 206 x 17 cm Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, acrylic paint Photo: Bruno Bruchi ©BETTY WOODMAN
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Institute of Contemporary Arts, The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH February 3 to April 10 Connecticut-born Betty Woodman is one of the most important contemporary artists working in ceramics today, and this is her first UK solo show. Focusing on works from the past 10 years, it also includes some major new mixed media pieces. Woodman lives and works in New York and Italy, and her art has a noticeable Mediterranean influence, including Minoan and Egyptian art, Greek and Etruscan sculpture, majolica and Sèvres porcelain, Italian Baroque architecture, and the paintings of Bonnard, Picasso and Matisse, as well as Tang Dynasty works.
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Michael Fabiano A Traditional Tenor for the Modern Age
H
e’s been called ‘the hardestworking opera singer in show business.’ Opera’s answer to James Brown spoke to The American’s Michael Burland as he prepared for his Royal Opera House début. First things first, Michael, our expat readers would love to know, where do you hail from originally? We lived all over the north part of North Jersey until I was 11, then my father was transferred to Minnesota – he was a turnaround specialist, bringing companies back from the brink of going out of business. We lived in Minneapolis from when I was 11 to 18. It was a real culture shock, diametrically different to the New York/New Jersey/Pennsylvania area. I had some wonderful times growing up there, but the kids would always make horrific fun of my accent – they talked ‘like this, you bet, goshdarn it’ and I never assimilated the accent. Then I went to the University of Michigan which was square between the two. Unlike Minnesota, in Michigan there was an immigration of Italians, so we could always find really good pizza – New Jersey people always look out for real New York style goombah pizza, you gotta have it! We have strong ties to the south of Italy, still. My aunt, Laurie Fabiano, wrote a book called Elizabeth Street, about the migration of my family to the States in the early part of last century. It’s fictional but it tracks every person in my family through the ‘60s. My father is from the south of Italy, my
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mother is from different countries all over Europe – Irish, German, English, Dutch… I’m a real mutt – that’s the American way! Most people I know are from multiple places. I have lots of Irish-Italian mixed friends – can you imagine? – but they’re both Catholic, so perhaps not very different. And both highly strung? Just like my father and mother! Both very musical peoples too. It stretches right back. My grandmother on my father’s side was a concert pianist and my father sang. My mother’s parents were singers. No-one pursued it professionally until my aunt, but a very strong creative vein has always been there. One of my aunts is a wonderful sculptor and became the creative director of multiple foundations. That explains your attraction to music, but why opera? I’ve always loved classical music. I can’t explain it. It was just one of those ‘a-ha’ moments when I realized I could make a career in music rather than being a businessman, although I would have been happy to do that. We may be the only magazine in the UK where this is an important question – you’re also passionate about baseball, a certified baseball umpire. Why umpire, not player? When I was young I was a very heavy kid. I loved playing baseball but I was never that good. Other kids used to massacre me when I would strike out, or not be able to run around the bases, and I hated that. When I was around 14 I figured
that I could be a part of the game by umpiring it – and by the way, those kids who treated me like dirt, they better watch out! Payback time?! Yeah – in a light way! [laughs] It’s more that I didn’t want to lose the game from my life, I loved it so much. I’m also a rules kinda guy. Statistics, data… I love it about music, politics, history, anything where there’s information, rules that must be followed, rules that can be broken, how, when and why. I learned the rulebook extremely quickly and progressed as a very young umpire – I made some errors early on – who doesn’t? – but I ended up umpiring kids older than me. Because I was heavy and had a strong voice at a young age no-one ever flinched. I looked imposing, and knew the rules cold. I did it well into when I began my career as an opera singer. I’d love to do it again, but I’m rusty, I’d have to sit with the book again, take a refresh course with one of the leagues… You don’t look like that ‘heavy kid’ now – you look pretty fit. [See photos for proof, readers! – ed] My second a-ha moment came when I was going into my third year in university. I was walking up the stairs in my parents’ house and when I got to the top I was out of breath. I walked into the bathroom and stepped on the scale and I was 275 pounds. I thought I was 220, 230, but I was really large, I’d gained weight at college. I took the decision to lose weight, not just for my health but to
PHOTO: DARIO ACOSTA
be credible as a performer. Being a large person doesn’t sell. There are a few instances when a great talent rises above the weight, but the chances are low. How did you achieve it? It was fast, not a slow burn. I went on an intense diet, just eating very well, with almost no carbohydrates – I didn’t go completely Atkins – and I stopped drinking. I started walking every day, four or five miles, and I became a runner. Nine months later it was completely gone. Do you use the same skills when you’re learning a big role in opera? Yeah, I think they’re interdisciplinary skills. I debated at school too. For an opera singer it’s not just learning a tune. There are rules on every measure of music that we sing – go faster, go slower, sing louder, sing quieter, then often there are things in parentheses that give alternatives. My mission is to know the entire blueprint of what we’re performing. Then I can refer first to the blueprint and second to what I feel. If I haven’t studied the music, well enough, I can’t bring enough to the table. When someone suggests something to me that’s counter to the music – a gesture or a movement, something that goes squarely against what’s written – I can say, this is what’s in the score, here’s what I believe I’m saying and thinking, so compel me why I should do something that’s against in the score. If I didn’t have that knowledge I’d just be another pawn on the chessboard – and I’m never going to be a pawn! Sometimes theater directors set Shakespeare in unlikely time periods or delete chunks of text. Is opera sometimes like that? You’re hitting the nail on the head. My philosophy is, if you have a Monet, you don’t throw green paint on it just
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because you’re trying to be creative, it’s no longer a Monet. You love the Monet and that’s it. Opera is a growing artform, it’s continually evolving, we have new composers, but you don’t take the masterpieces of the past and rip them apart. Let’s stick to what the music tells us, because it’s the reason it’s lasted for 150 years. Are you part of a long tradition? Yes. But it’s good to be a traditionalist that’s open to change. As long as there’s good reason? Bingo! And that’s a comment for everything, not just singing. In our politics, the way we perceive other cultures, we should acknowledge that we have traditions, a history that explains why we’re here, but we live in modern times. Change is OK, but we don’t want to lose our roots – in policy-making as well as opera. Sometimes people are either ‘we have to do it exactly this way because that’s the way it was in 1855’, or ‘no, the world is melting pot and everything is changing’. It’s not that simple. In any form of culture you can boil it down to one thing: adhere to tradi-
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tion, be receptive to change. I don’t ever want the tradition of good, full-throated opera singing to leave. It’s different to most other forms of music – we sing without amplification in the theater. I’ve trained myself to project over an orchestra of 100 instruments into a theater of 4,000 seats, with ease and without complaint. I never want to get to a place where we say, yeah, that happened one time but we don’t do that any more. I don’t want my industry to adopt a different form of production of sound. There are developments in opera where we’re trying to get more visual, more on TV, and some singers are adapting their voices to work with microphones to sound good on television, compressing their voice in a certain way. But that means we’re destroying the musical form in the process of creating a visual production. The greatest producers emerging over the next ten years are the ones able to create a great visual product with the quality of the voices just as they are on the stage. We don’t
have the best answer to that yet. It’s a fight I have all the time – I have questions about how my voice is transmitted via microphone to TV and radio versus how I sound live. If there’s a difference, people are getting a different experience. I never want to get rid of the grand style of opera to adapt to a modern sensibility, but we need to access more people through this great, grand sense of music using modern technology, getting children ‘through the door’ in a different way. Opera is artist-based: without an artist, and the music, you don’t have an artform. There seems to be a current belief that opera’s a visual artform. I don’t really see that. Without great music, you may have a great show (which is extremely important) but you don’t have opera. At Michigan you were taught by George Shirley, the first AfricanAmerican tenor to perform a leading role at the Metropolitan Opera. What did he bring to your singing? Actually, it’s not just about the singing, he’s given me a lot of my
Michael Fabiano (left) with Renée Fleming in Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia and (right) as Rodolfo in La Bohème PHOTOS BY CORY WEAVER COURTESY SAN FRANCISCO OPERA
belief system, what we’ve been talking about. He’s a traditionalist, but as an African-American man he says ‘Times change, we have to modernize’ …hello! And he taught me a lot about being a gentleman on stage, having compassion for people, how to handle situations and be diplomatic. He’s not my teacher today, but I still call him my Professor. I treat my business as a singer as if I was a company, and George is on the board – I have five or six advisers and if I have a big decision I call them all and get a temperature gauge from them. If they all agree, or disagree, that’s great. If not I pick my own way. It’s important to have key figures with different views around you who can support your vision. It takes a little of the emotional weight off my shoulders, and adds a extra little color to my vision of what I’m trying to build for the next ten, twenty, thirty, years. Their advice must be good: after graduating in 2005 you made your concert début at Carnegie Hall in 2006, your stage début at Klagenfurt Stadttheater in 2007, then La Scala, Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, English National Opera, Dresden, Vancouver, Berlin, Limoges, Paris, Glyndebourne... Do you have a favorite opera house or city? It’s tough. I have four cities that are dear to my heart. I love singing at the Met in New York, because I have family that lives in New York City and New Jersey. San Francisco gave me one of my two great career breaks, in which Renée Fleming was instrumental, which I’m eternally grateful for. There’s Paris, professionally and personally, I have great friends there. Then London is my home away from home – if I ever live somewhere abroad it would have to
be in London. I’m making my Royal Opera House début soon but I’ve worked quite a while in England already. I love being in the UK, there’s something about the tradition of the country – hah!, I’m going back to that word. I love the people, they believe in it and honor it. Do you take anything with you on the road to remind you of home? Yes, I take my pillow. In Europe, especially Germany and Switzerland, they have those big square unsupportive pillows. I bring my own, it’s important to sleep well – as long as my neck is supported I’m OK. You sing in many languages – did you speak any before your career? Only Spanish. Again, rules! I loved Spanish because there are rules for everything – how to conjugate verbs, adjectives and adverbs, rules, rules, rules. The trouble is I never lived in a Spanish-speaking place, so I got the format but never learned the language in my soul. It’s frustrating. When I got to college it was all French and Italian, for my style of singing, and some Russian. I feel like I
jumped track from Spanish to Italian. I speak Italian with good fluidity, ease and comprehension but sometimes imperfect grammar and French moderately well. I haven’t lived in a country that’s not my own language for a long period. Back to Russian, you’re coming to London to perform in Eugene Onegin. What is special about it? It’s Tchaikovsky’s great work for vocal music, the one most often performed around the world, it has huge cachet in Russia and all over. It was written for younger singers, and has young characters, even though it’s big music. It’s a playground for young singers to use their voices. I used to think it was this huge mountain, but doing it now I can kinda see why he did what he did in it. Will you get the chance to get out and see London? Oh yeah, I’ve spent so much time there. Being in London for me is paradise, truly. I love London, I can’t say it more strongly. It’s my favorite city outside of America. Finally, what’s the best thing about being Michael Fabiano? I get to explore my own individualism. I have the opportunity to go my own way, and to figure out life by working with and learning from others. Were I to work behind a desk or in a factory I don’t know if I’d have that opportunity, and I’ve very, very grateful for that.
Michael Fabiano makes his Royal Opera début as Lenski in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin on December 19, 22, 30, 2015 and January 2, 4, 7, 2016. Read Michael’s blog at michaelfabianotenor.com
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The Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare.
Harlequinade and All On Her Own by Terence Rattigan
Garrick Theatre, London Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell Tickets are sold out, but some for The Winter’s Tale are available as part of a dinner package at www.garricktheatre.org
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easons are in vogue. If it isn’t Michael Grandage or Jamie Lloyd it is Matthew Warchus putting a post-Spacey stamp on the Old Vic. Seasons are when directors finally get enough clout and have enough star friends to do it their way. If they fail it’s back to being a jobbing director for them. Kenneth Branagh has been here before with his fringe-like Renaissance Theatre Company back in 1988. Now a successful Hollywood director, he’s back in Olivier’s Actor/ Manager mode at the Garrick, where he’s landed with an odd selection of works. It begins with Shakespeare’s dark problem play The Winter’s Tale, from which West End producers normally run a mile. However with himself and Dame Judi Dench in the leads, it has of course sold out before it has opened. For the first half of the six play season he’s paired it with some dusty Rattigans – Harlequinade, a one-act farce last seen in 1948 and a short
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monologue, All On Her Own, for Zoe Wanamaker. The Winter’s Tale unfolds like an Edwardian Christmas card scene, baubles on the tree and a cozy family fireside in Act 1 and a Winter Wonderland makeover for Act 3 when we return to Sicily. In between we get Bohemia as a summer glade with romping shepherds and their lasses. Christopher Oram’s designs, Neil Austin’s lighting, Christopher Shutt’s sound and Jon Driscoll’s video projections are top class throughout. A trim and confident Branagh looks in his element back on the boards and delivering the Bard with his customary clarity and ease. But it’s a hard sell as Leontes (King of Sicily) is such an unsympathetic part. Leontes’ unfounded jealousy at his wife, Hermione’s, friendship with his childhood friend Polixenes (King of Bohemia) causes him to plot his friend’s death, to have his wife imprisoned and her newborn child, which he suspects isn’t his, to be left to perish on a
remote wasteland. Among the courtiers only his wife’s loyal, disbelieving, friend Paulina (Judi Dench), has the courage to challenge him. Dench plays her not typically as a scold but rather as the spirited voice of his conscience and her grounded performance is a useful counterbalance to Branagh’s rather old-school take on the brooding King. Her curse “Partake thee to nothing but despair” is perfectly chilling. Miranda Raison too is a dignified Hermione and as beautiful as a Millais painting when, as a statue, she comes alive. Branagh has also cleverly surrounded himself with vastly experienced Shakespeareans such as Michael Pennington (Antigonus) and John Shrapnel (Camillo) who bring a gravitas to the supporting parts. There are also great musical theater talent on display, useful for the musical excerpts, including Hadley Fraser (Polixenes), John ‘Sunny Afternoon’ Dagleish (Autolycus) and a luminous Jessie Buckley (Perdita), a star in the
Left: Judi Dench and Kenneth Branagh in The Winter’s Tale Top right: Miranda Raison in The Winter’s Tale Middle: Branagh and Raison in Harlequinade Zoë Wanamaker in All On Her Own ALL PHOTOS ©JOHAN PERSSON
making who has a great chemistry here with Tom Bateman’s rugged Florizel. Adam Garcia even turns up but in a non-singing role. The Bohemia scenes, which too often can descend into hey nonny nonny awfulness are enlivened here by some expert musical staging thanks to Branagh’s co-director/choreographer, the great Rob Ashford. Harlequinade is a curious counter balance, a flimsy but amiable backstage farce, rather like Kiss Me Kate without the songs. It follows the troubles of a two-bit provincial touring company taking Shakespeare to the masses and giving Rattigan an opportunity to have a pop at the newly created Arts Council with its ideas that theater might have a social purpose. The link is that the touring company here is rehearsing both The Winter’s Tale and Romeo and Juliet, which is next up for Branagh to direct. As a farce it is well plotted and expertly directed. The cheap sets, the actors in tights, the dodgy light cues, the desperate bit part players fretting over their one line are all well observed and Tom Bateman comes into his own here as Jack, the harried stage manager, trying to keep the show on the road. Branagh and Miranda Raison too have great fun as Arthur and Enda, the star couple who redefine narcissism and egomania. There are wonderful touches such as Arthur’s inability to recall major historical events (the General Strike) and how it impacted on his touring, or his fussing over the placing of a plant pot on the set whilst blithely ignoring his new found daughter: “You mentioned a character called Mum”. Their troubles are added to by the walk-out of
a company old ham (Shrapnel) and having a Dame of the British Theatre (Zoë Wanamaker) on board, who is too forthcoming with her acting tips. On tour in the Midlands their world is rocked with the arrival of the sweet and homely Muriel (Jessie Buckley) who claims to be Arthur’s daughter and who has a husband, and worse, a small baby, in tow. Naturally news that he’s a grandfather is not welcome to Arthur, who has just been adding little jumps to his portrayal of Romeo, so as to appear more youthful. “Why couldn’t it have turned up when I was playing King Lear” he gasps. Turns out he and Enda are therefore bigamously married which becomes a job for their London agent to sort out. After Winter’s Tale, Harlequinade is a chance for the cast to let their hair down, which they relish for example in a gloriously silly fight scene, but if seen on its own one wonders if its charms will be sufficient for an audience. It is prefaced by a short intense monologue, All On Her Own where Zoë Wanamaker plays a recently widowed, comfortable Hampstead matron, who sits alone at night guzzling whisky and having an imaginary conversation with her late husband. He was a Yorkshire builder and self-made man, who struggled with her social aspirations. So, perfect Rattigan territory then. Wanamaker slowly builds the tension as we learn more about the circumstances of his death and wonder if it was suicide or an accident. Written for television in 1968, this is its first theatrical outing and it serves to pad out this curious evening.
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Kristen Sieh (Teddy) and Libby King (Elvis) PHOTO © TRISTRAM KENTON
Written by the TEAM Royal Court Theatre, London Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell
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magine Thelma and Louise crossed with lesbian avant-garde New York theater. You’re at the starting point for this spirited and insightful two hander which comes from the Brooklyn based ensemble company TEAM. The company, which is a regular and popular visitor to the Edinburgh Festival, has also had work shown at the National Theatre and the Almeida and is dedicated to making new work about the experience of living in America today. They’ve been perfectly summed up as ‘Gertrude Stein meets MTV’. The ensemble comprises Rachel Chavkin, Libby King, Jake Margolin, Kristen Sieh with Matt Hubbs, Nick Vaughan and Andrew Schneider. Here Chavkin directs and King and Sieh star. RoosevElvis concerns itself with an odd hallucinatory road trip from the Badlands of the Dakotas to Graceland where the spirits of Theodore Roosevelt and Elvis Presley battle over the soul of Ann (King), a painfully shy meat-processing plant worker. A lonely soul, she is obsessed with Elvis and is often found slouched on the sofa getting stoned in front of Blue
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RoosevElvis Hawaii. The object of her affection meanwhile, the lively taxidermist Brenda (Sieh), is hooked on Theodore Roosevelt, whom she hilariously personifies as a sort of cross between Kate Hepburn and a boy scout. As in Thelma and Louise we hit the road with them. It sounds more complex than it is and its theatricality and wry wit redeem it from self-indulgence and delivers a wholly entertaining and illuminating 90 minutes. It has many echoes of Pina Bausch but crucially lacks her all-encompassing singular vision. One might chastise them therefore for having “too many cooks” but that’s the deal, I guess, with TEAM. The performances, polished in great detail, are sublime, especially the voices. King transmogrifies from the awkward Ann to the curl-lipped, snake-hipped Elvis. One is deeply touching, the other deliciously sultry. She captures his androgyny and demonstrates that it was his status as an outsider that attracted her. We forget that the shock of Elvis was as much about his blurring of racial and gender binaries as it was the pure
earthly howl of his music. As for Teddy, his narcissism is so exhausting you want to say hush. We are reminded that even after taking an attempted assassin’s bullet he kept on speechifying for an hour. Sieh has such fun blending his effete, aristocratic and oddly grandmotherly airs with his brash love of action, guns and manly outdoor pursuits. A typical wide-eyed exclamation: “Look at all the stars John…..I’m going to memorise them”! The play opens up a wonderful Pandora’s Box of gender discombobulation. Teddy and Elvis are icons but they illuminate a lot about where America has got to now in terms of gender roles and how we navigate the multitudes we all contain. The King karate chops pizza boxes - “I’m gonna need some space baby”, he quips to a nonplussed ASM, whilst Teddy boxes with onscreen bison. Andrew Schneider’s many video creations for the piece are deftly blended with the live action here and enhance rather than drown it out. Selecting these two characters for joint exploration was a mad proposition but the Team pulls it off.
A concert at The Palace Theatre, London. Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell
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n the not too distant past Sunday night gala concerts at the big West End theaters were a fairly regular occurrence over the winter months. Some were star studded, some not, but they gave us a chance to see emerging talent set next to the pros. For reasons of economics and/ or changing tastes these events are now very rare, so the efforts of Alex Parker Theatre Company and director Alastair Knights to resurrect them must be applauded. For this show they delivered a potpourri of three Broadway giants: Herman, Sondheim and Styne. Parker is a supremely talented MD and what makes these shows special is that he engages a full orchestra as opposed to the more meagre pit bands we’re used to in the West End. It’s a treat for both performers and audiences alike and Parker’s joy in this material is palpable. The line-up was a mix of established stars such as Janie Dee (luminous in gold lamé), Anne Reid and Caroline O’Connor who bring both presence and experience, newer acclaimed talents such as Richard Fleeshman, Jamie Parker and Laura Pitt-Pulford and a sampling of the current crop of up and coming West End talent. Watching the newer performers
PHOTO © DARREN BELL
Kings of Broadway: Herman, Sondheim & Styne
Caroline Sheen, Zoë Doano & Celinde Schoenmaker
shine makes these evenings and highlights included Bradley Jaden’s powerful ‘Maria’. This requires both great range and interpretative ability and he has it all. On the evidence of this someone needs to cast him in the next West Side Story. Likewise Fra Fee, who has already been a perfect Candide at the Menier, here singing a tender ‘Move On’ from Sunday in the Park with George with Laura Tebbutt. Fee combines great vocal technique with heartfelt emotion and turned this into another calling card for him. Anna O’Byrne’s beautiful soprano voice also impressed in ‘Let’s See What Happens’ from Styne’s rare flop Darling of the Day as well as in an excerpt from Into the Woods where Jamie Parker also shone. Parker, who is about to star in Guys and Dolls at the Savoy, then opened Act Two as the center of a deftly staged title number from Company. Again, somebody, please cast him in it. The simple concept, a celebration of three musical giants, was welcome but it did at times create the odd jolt. Swerving suddenly from the subtle nuances of Into the Woods straight into La Cage Aux Folles does require some adjustment. Curiously La Cage is the one
show which appeared most dated. None of the songs fare well in a concert setting and perhaps it’s time for a moratorium. Alex Parker also used the concert to remind us of some of the less familiar works by Styne with forays into Darling of the Day or Hallelujah Baby. Celinde Schoenmaker, with the orchestra helping out as a chorus, even gave us a spirited ‘10,432 Sheep’, which Doris Day first sung in the now forgotten movie The West Point Story. These old numbers tested the vocal versatility of this young cast who earn their bread and butter no doubt on more modern jukebox shows, Wicked or Disney. Parker and Knights are to be commended for the breadth of the programme. In terms of all round impact though Richard Fleeshman of Ghost and Urinetown fame gets the prize for both aiming high and delivering. He bounced around the stage like a gazelle doing vaudeville whilst not missing a word of Sondheim’s great tongue twister ‘Buddy’s Blues’ from Follies. The phrasing owed more than a little to Mandy Patinkin’s classic version but it was no less brilliant for that. He pulled it off which is what nights like this are all about.
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The Millenials A
s 2015 screams its way to a close with attacks across the globe and as thousands of Syrians continue to flee from conflict only to arrive in chaos, there is one fact that could be easily overlooked in the midst of such uncertainty and tragedy: 2015 was also the year that the “Millennial” generation grew even larger than the supersized Baby Boomers to become the largest living generation. This is broadly true of many places, but focusing on the United States for the moment, millennials (born 1982-2000, aged 15-33) now number 83.1 million and represent more than one quarter of the population. As was widely predicted, they have surpassed the 75.4 million Boomers (born 1946-1964, aged 51-69) and they aren’t done yet, as this group is expected to continue to grow due to a steady and youthful immigration that is outpacing the death rate of the Boomers and will ultimately make the millennials more diverse than any generation that preceded them. Clearly there is scope for a new ‘generation gap’ - but what does it mean and what does it matter in the face of the currently grim backdrop of world events? The answer: potentially everything. The basic idea of a ‘generation’ is an analytical construct that has been used to establish a consensus as to the boundaries in terms of the attitudes and ideas that separate one ‘generation’ from another. The Pew Research Center, one of the most respected research bodies in this area, has established that the oldest ‘Millennial’ was born in 1981, even as they continue to do research and
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pursue evidence as to precise birth date of the youngest ‘Millennial’ (at the moment deemed to be 1997) and identify the appearance of any new generation on the horizon. However, the terms ‘millennial’ and ‘baby boomer’, ‘gen Xer’ or even the ‘silent generation’ are too often used in the profit-seeking context of marketing strategies and consumer trends. Yet, if we turned our attention away from whether or not millennials are tweeting or instagraming, buying Apple or Droids, and used these ideas to think about other, much more important, issues instead, we may learn about some of the more serious challenges that lie ahead. For example, last summer, the INSEAD Emerging Markets Institute (EMI), the HEAD Foundation, and employer branding firm Universum conducted what was called “the largest independent study ever conducted on millennials” and surveyed more than 16,000 people from across the globe to investigate their fears, hopes, beliefs, and desires. Interestingly, most did not fear that their standard of living would be low – though a closer examination does reveal a strong geographic correlation. 71 percent of millennials worldwide believe they will enjoy a higher standard of living than their parents, but when broken out – that includes 85 percent of millennials in Nigeria who strongly felt they would have higher standards of living than their parents, compared to only 20 percent of millennials in Western Europe who felt the same way. The conclusion was that the millennial ‘take’ on this fear is actually
By Alison Holmes
one of stagnation in terms of their advancement and development, with 40 percent saying they feared getting stuck with no development opportunities, and 32 percent saying they feared they wouldn’t meet their career goals and an equal number fearing they wouldn’t find careers that “matched their personalities”. Perhaps more interesting – and certainly more fundamental – is the generation gap in terms of basic language. Terms such as ‘liberal’, ‘socialist’, or ‘economic fairness’ are used, but it is crucial that older generations (Gen Xers and Boomers in particular) not mistake the millennial view of such concepts as parallel to their own. This was the conclusion of the study conducted by the Reason Foundation and the Rupe Foundation that engaged 2,400 18-to29-year-olds earlier this year. From their report, 62% of millennials call themselves ‘liberal’ – which means they may favor gay marriage and pot legalization and has little or no implication as to their views on government spending. Being socially liberal is, apparently, being liberal. End of story. Indeed, 53% even say they would support a candidate who was socially liberal and fiscally conservative. Similarly, as millennials have no firsthand knowledge or even memory of the Soviet Union or the Cold War the fact that 42% say they prefer ‘socialism’ may not be surprising, but then again, only 16% can define the term as government ownership of the means of production. In fact, when asked whether they want an economy managed by the ‘free market’ or by ‘government’, 64% want the
Background: FDR Memorial , Washington, D.C.: The Four Freedoms, derived from his State of the Union Address, January 6, 1941, 75 years ago. They became part of the United Nations charter. PHOTO ©DBKING
former and just 32% the latter while inside most millennial ‘socialists’ there is likely to be a budding entrepreneur (55% say they want to start their own business one day). Millennials do support a government-provided social safety net, but two-thirds agree that “government is usually inefficient and wasteful,” and they are highly skeptical of government policies in terms of privacy and nanny-state regulations about e-cigarettes, soda sizes etc. They support the Occupy movement and hate the term capitalism on one hand, but retain positive ideas about free markets on the other. They believe that ‘economic fairness’ is less about income disparity and more about getting what one is ‘due’ – with little definition. Almost 6 in 10 believe you can get ahead with hard work, and a similar number want a society in which wealth is parceled out according to your achievement, not via the tax code or government redistribution. Even though 70% favor guaranteed health care, housing and income, millennials have no problem with unequal outcomes. Looking forward to 2016, this definitional impasse may help the candidates understand the fact that millennials are far less partisan even than those in the next cohort of 30 and older. Only 22% of millennials identify as Republican or Republican-leaning, compared with 40% of older voters. Millennials voted overwhelmingly for Democratic candidates in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 elections and 43 percent call themselves Democrats or have that tendency. Yet that’s still a smaller percentage than it is for older Americans, 49% of whom are Democrats or lean Democrat. Most strikingly, 34%
of millennials call themselves true independents, meaning they don’t lean toward either party. For older Americans, it’s just 10%. Millennials are different from boomers or Gen X-ers: culture comes first and politics second. They are less partisan and want to know that you care before they care what you know. They are less hung up about things such as pot use, gay marriage and immigration, but somehow still want to agree with the older generations about the value and legitimacy of work, the role of government in helping the poor and the inefficiency of government to do that. They are entitled and confident, but at the same time fearful and tired of managing both their real world and their virtual lives. They have no institutions or authority they can count on as our metanarrative of modernity has inexorably undermined politics, police, the judiciary, education and even the media they use as support, filter and lens of the world. They are unanchored in a sea that offers no guarantees or even ballast as our boomer/Xer pride in our clever critical approaches has allowed us to hack away at should have been a frame they could trust. 2015 has been a long year in many ways and at very different levels. Yet, at the close of the year and as the United States, still arguably the most powerful country in the world, heads into the often painful process of choosing the person who will guide that power, the way the largest generation frames their world is worth serious consideration, especially as it is this generation of young people who seem increasingly drawn to violent and cataclysmic approaches.
The Generations Defined The Millenial Generation Born: 1981 - 1997 Age of adults in 2015: 18 to 34* Generation X Born 1965 to 1980 Age in 2015: 35 to 50 The Baby Boom Generation Born 1946 to 1964 Age in 2015: 51 to 69 The Silent Generation Born 1928 to 1945 Age in 2015: 70 to 87 The Greatest Generation Born Before 1928 Age in 2015: 88 to 100 * No chronological endpoint has been set for this group. For the purpose of following a cleanly defined group, Millenials are defined as those aged 18 to 35 in 2015. SOURCE: PEW Research Center
Dr. Alison Holmes is Asst. Professor of International Studies and Politics at Humboldt State University, CA. She lived in the UK for over 20 years and worked at the BBC, ran BritishAmerican Business in London and was speechwriter to the US Ambassador. A PhD in International Relations from the LSE, she has been an Associate Fellow at the Rothermere American Institute at Oxford, a Churchill Memorial Trust History Fellow and the Transatlantic Studies Fellow at Yale.
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DRIVE TIME
An International Car Classic in London
by Daniel M Byway London Classic Car Show 18 to 21 Feb 2016 ExCel London Royal Victoria Dock 1 Western Gateway London E16 1XL www.thelondonclassiccarshow.co.uk February 18 to 21
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016’s London Classic Car Show at the Excel Centre has a distinctly international feel, as the event celebrates six of the biggest motoring manufacturing nations, showcasing cars from America, the UK, Italy, Germany, France and Japan. I attended last year’s show and it’s a really great atmosphere for fans of classic cars; as well as retro entertainment and food, the show foregrounds the vehicles with the impressive Grand Avenue, a highway through the heart of the event hall where you can see the cars driven, hear the sounds and smell the scents of some of the world’s finest machines. This year’s Car Show promises to be 50% larger too, with a new Car Club Square highlighting popular and affordable classics, so it’s also a great show to attend if you’re looking to invest in a classic, or if you’re simply desperate to own one. The six nations concept is a
great way to celebrate international variety in manufacturing, and, as event director Bas Bungish says, allows show-goers ‘to decide for themselves what’s their favorite car making country’. Each of the nations will be represented by ten handpicked classics, and among the marques already confirmed are Ferrari and Lamborghini for Italy, Ford and Chevrolet from the US, Bentley and Jaguar for the UK, Bugatti and Citroen for France, Mercedes and BMW for Germany, and Datsun and Toyota from Japan. Keep your eye on http://www. thelondonclassiccarshow.co.uk for more details and to buy tickets. Premium Lounge tickets offer extras including a glass of Champagne, access to a viewing platform over the Grand Avenue and to the Premium Lounge, a free copy of the show handbook and fast track entry.
SPORTS NEWS Serena Williams in victorious mood
NFL plans its London Return
IMAGE © MARIANNE BEVIS
NFL have announced 2016’s London International Series Games. On October 2nd, the Jacksonville Jaguars will face AFC South rivals the Indianapolis Colts at Wembley, whilst the famous stadium will also host the October 30th bout between Cincinatti Bengals and the Washington Redskins. For 2016, NFL also debuts at Twickenham Stadium – the home of England’s Rugby Squad. The St Louis Rams and an as yet unnamed NFC East team will go head to head on Twickenham’s fabled turf on October 23rd.
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas The BBC’s annual Sports Personality of the Year Overseas award saw three Americans nominated for 2015. After an explosive rise including winning the US Open and Masters, golfer Jordan Spieth earnt his way onto the ballot, whilst Serena Williams became America’s most decorated female tennis player having won the Australian and French Opens, as well as Wimbledon in 2015. 18 year old swimming sensation Katie Ledecky also gained a nomination after winning 5 gold medals and achieving 2 world records at the 2015 World Championships in Russia.
Beckham’s Miami Soccer
David Beckham’s proposed MLS team in Miami has taken a step closer to fruition after Major League Soccer approved plans for the franchise’s 25,000 to 30,000 stadium, to be located in the Overtown area of the city.
More Americans Invest in Premier League As well as US viewing figures increasing, American investment in the English Premier League is also growing. Teams including Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United are already American owned, US investment is also close to being secured for Crystal Palace, and AFC Bournemouth have recently confirmed that Chicago-based investment firm Peak6 have bought a 25% stake in the club. US investment isn’t clear cut however, as Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner’s stake in the club continues to be in doubt.
Gutierrez is Second Seat at Haas
American Formula One Team, Haas F1, has announced that Mexican Esteban Gutierrez will be their second driver for their debut campaign in 2016. Gutierrez, a protégé of the Ferrari Driver Programme, previously raced at Sauber(2011 -2014), and will return to the grid alongside Romain Grosjean when they take to the track in Australia next March.
Premier League viewing leaps in the US
On the back of NBC renewing its rights to broadcast English Premier League (EPL) soccer matches in the States until 2022, new figures show the growing popularity of the sport in the US. The statistics show viewing numbers for EPL matches in the States grew 150% in three years, sparking a return to discussions of a lucrative ‘39th’ Premier League season game which could be played on American soil. Major League Soccer chief, Don Garber, put cold water on the idea, however, arguing that the idea would threaten the growth of MLS in the US. Talking of MLS, Los Angeles FC is gearing up to become the 22nd MLS team in 2018, headed by Henry Nguyen, a VietnameseAmerican venture capitalist, Tom Penn, a former NBA exec, movie mogul Peter Guber, a star-studded group of owners and Vincent Tan, majority owner of Cardiff City FC and Ruben Gnanalingam, a coowner of Queens Park Rangers.
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PREVIEW A
nd then there were four... without much controversy, either. Clemson and Alabama didn’t trip up late, Michigan State edged Iowa in a play-in Big Ten Championship, and Oklahoma had already booked their place with a Big 12 title. But while the Orange and Cotton Bowls found their National title contenders, 38 other bowls scrabbled for 76 non-losers... coming up three teams short. Hence the first year when Academic Progress Rates booked teams to bowl games, Nebraska, Minnesota and San Jose with the tie-breaker over the other 5-7 teams. From the Bahamas to Hawai’i, from the Cure Bowl December 19 to the National Championship game on January 11, its the final extravaganza of the college football season.
College Football Playoffs Capital One Orange Bowl • Dec. 31 • Florida • 4pm
No. 4 Oklahoma v No. 1 Clemson
Last year, Ohio State used the No.4 seed to win it all, and nobody will be underestimating 11-1 Oklahoma. Sooners QB Baker Mayfield has thrown for 35 scores and just 5 picks, and since their shocking loss to Texas, Oct 19, Oklahoma has averaged 52 points per game. Clemson’s QB DeShaun Watson threw for 30 TDs and ran for 11 more this season. Expect fireworks in this one – Mayfield’s supporting cast of RBs Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon, plus WR Sterling Shepard means they have the talent to upend the unbeaten Tigers.
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic • Dec. 31 • Texas • 8pm
No. 3 Michigan State v No. 2 Alabama From walk-on to championship contender: Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield helped the Sooners to the No.4 seed in his first season there. PHOTO COURTESY OKLAHOMA UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
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The other semifinal may be a defensive struggle for the purists, a stern-faced coaching clash between Alabama’s Nick Saban and Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio. Both bursting with defensive energy, the Spartans knows how to grind out wins, but Alabama knows even better, and they have RB Derrick Henry – 23 TDs, 1,986 yards – to finally overpower most teams. The Spartans live by their defensive line, however. Could seasoned QB Connor Cook prove to be Sparty’s ace?
2015-2016 Bowl Calendar So many (perhaps too many) bowls, so little time? Highlights: still-hungry teams Toledo v Temple, Dec. 22; Frank Beamer’s final bow as VTech play Tulsa, Dec. 26; The NCAA’s all-time TD king Keenan Reynolds’ last game has Navy against Pitt, Dec. 28; and could it be QB Paxton Lynch’s last gig for Memphis Dec. 30? The NFL is watching. Before the playoff semifinals, Dec. 31, Houston will represent the Group of Five against FSU in the Peach Bowl, and New Year’s Day is loaded with must-sees including the Buckeyes vs the Irish, and Christian McCaffrey and Stanford vs crestfallen Iowa. Jan 2 will witness the college swansongs of two major QBs: Trevone Boykin of TCU (vs Oregon) and Christian Hackenberg of Penn State (vs Georgia).
DECEMBER 19th
ALL KICKOFF TIMES EASTERN
DECEMBER 23th Poinsettia Bowl • San Diego • 4:30pm
Boise State v Northern Illinois GoDaddy Bowl • Mobile • 8pm
Georgia Southern v Bowling Green DECEMBER 24th Bahamas Bowl • Nassau, Bahamas • Noon
Middle Tenn. v Western Michigan Hawai’i Bowl • Honolulu • 8pm
NC State v Mississippi State Music City Bowl • Nashville • 7pm
Texas A&M v Louisville
Holiday Bowl • San Diego • 10:30pm
USC v Wisconsin
DECEMBER 31th Peach Bowl • Georgia Dome • Noon
Houston v Florida State
Cotton Bowl • Arlington • 8pm
St. Petersburg Bowl • St. Petersburg • 11am
Connecticut v Marshall Sun Bowl • El Paso • 2pm
Miami v Washington State Heart of Dallas Bowl • Dallas • 2:20pm
Washington v Southern Miss
Independence Bowl • Shreveport • 5:45pm
New Mexico Bowl • Albuquerque • 2pm
Foster Farms Bowl • Santa Clara • 9:15pm
Las Vegas Bowl • Las Vegas • 3:30pm
Belk Bowl • Charlotte • 3:30pm
DECEMBER 26th
Cure Bowl • Orlando • Noon
Arizona v New Mexico
Auburn v Memphis
Orange Bowl • Miami • 4pm
Pinstripe Bowl • New York • 3:30pm
San Jose State v Georgia State
Birmingham Bowl • Birmingham • Noon
San Diego State v Cincinnati
Celebration Bowl • Atlanta • Noon
Alcorn State v North Carolina A&T
DECEMBER 30th
Indiana v Duke
Tulsa v Virginia Tech UCLA v Nebraska
No. 4 Oklahoma v No. 1 Clemson No. 3 Michigan State v No. 2 Alabama JANUARY 1st Outback Bowl • Tampa • Noon
Northwestern v Tennessee Citrus Bowl • Orlando • 1pm
Michigan v Florida
Fiesta Bowl • Glendale • 1pm
Notre Dame v Ohio State Rose Bowl • Pasadena • 5pm
Stanford v Iowa
Sugar Bowl • New Orleans • 8:30pm
Oklahoma State v Ole Miss
BYU v Utah
DECEMBER 28th
Camellia Bowl • Montgomery • 5:30pm
Military Bowl • Annapolis • 2:30pm
Ohio v Appalachian State
Pittsburgh v Navy
New Orleans Bowl • New Orleans • 9pm
Quick Lane Bowl • Detroit • 5pm
Arkansas State v Louisiana Tech
Central Michigan v Minnesota
Liberty Bowl • Memphis • 3:20pm
DECEMBER 21th
DECEMBER 29th
Alamo Bowl • San Antonio • 6:45pm
Miami Beach Bowl • Miami • 2:30pm
Armed Forces Bowl • Fort Worth • 2pm
Western Kentucky v South Florida DECEMBER 22th
California v Air Force
Russell Athletic Bowl • Orlando • 5:30pm
North Carolina v Baylor
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl • Boise • 3:30pm
Arizona Bowl • Tucson • 7:30pm
Boca Raton Bowl • Boca Raton, Florida • 7pm
Texas Bowl • Houston • 9pm
Akron v Utah State Toledo v Temple
Nevada v Colorado State LSU v Texas Tech
JANUARY 2nd TaxSlayer Bowl • Jacksonville • Noon
Penn State v Georgia
Kansas State v Arkansas Oregon v TCU
Cactus Bowl • Phoenix • 10:15pm
West Virginia v Arizona State
JANUARY 11th College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T • Glendale, Arizona • 8:30pm
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Time for Harsh Realities
After ten seasons, is time on Commissioner Goodell’s side? Then again, is it on anybody’s, wonders Richard L Gale
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hile former NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle held the position for 29 years, and Paul Tagliabue 17 years, pre-Super Bowl NFL supremos enjoyed shorter tenures. It isn’t a stretch to say that, as he completes his tenth season as president of pro football, Roger Goodell is enduring some mid-term difficulties. Criticized for his handling of the suspension of Ray Rice a year ago (two games for domestic violence, increased to an indefinite suspension only after the world saw video evidence, then overturned by a judge), disciplinarian Goodell then came down harder (four games) on Tom Brady’s questionable involvement in New England’s ‘Deflategate’ ball-tampering saga... which was
also overturned before a judge. Rather than being suspended, Brady’s Patriots started the season 10-0. Whereas Bountygate may have been the beginning of the slide for the New Orleans Saints, Spygate and Deflategate haven’t diminished the Patriots. Teflon Tom Brady is scowling his way towards the league MVP, as popular and untouchable as Jonathan E. in Rollerball. And then there’s Concussions – an issue that for all of the new directives on tackling, is not going away. Goodell doesn’t want the image of footballers to be brain-damaged veterans, he wants it to be cerebral quarterbacks. It doesn’t help that with Peyton Manning suddenly looking 39 and Stanford grad Andrew Luck refusing to fulfil the narrative as league poster boy in waiting (through injury and poor play), the guy who’s surviving and thriving is Tom Brady. In fact, at press time, the unsuspendable Brady leads the league in pass yards while Vikings runner Adrian Peterson leads the league in rushing – Peterson also had a league suspension overturned on appeal this past year. Goodell’s win-loss is looking Browns-like.
The NFL is a lot more careful in the way players are checked out following hits. © GARY BAKER
But back to those concussions. Early this season, the VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank reported data that made, at best, bleak reading for football. The stark headlines: 95 percent of deceased NFL players tested showed positive for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative disease associated with repetitive brain trauma and which can cause depression, dementia, and a decrease in motor skills. It was detected in the brains of Junior Seau (suicide), Dave Duerson (suicide), Justin Strzelczyk (police chase/car crash) and others. It can’t all be laid at the door of Commissioner Goodell – these numbers include occurrence of CTE in players whose careers date back decades, and the NFL now promotes a heads-up style of tackling, and has legislated heavily against blows to the head. However, current Will Smith film Concussion portrays pathologist Bennet Omalu’s fight to make the NFL accept his conclusions on CTE. I don’t know if it gives Goodell sleepless nights (Luke Wilson portrays him in the film), but GQ’s 2009 article upon which the film is based didn’t make easy reading for any football fan. So is somebody going to ban contact sports on Goodell’s watch? Unlikely. If they can’t ban firearms, there’s not much chance of banning football. Boxing, MMA, wrestling, hockey are doing fine. They’ll ban football just after they ban smoking. But the NFL will continue to feel the pressure to prove that its game, if not safe (it could never be safe) is getting safer. It is good that the NFL has spotters in place to watch for concussions. However, the Case Keenum concussion shows how variable this provision can be.
It doesn’t feel like injuries are decreasing any. If the NFL were to follow every marquee player injury with added rules about hitting, it would be field basketball within 10 years. Some defensive players might shake their heads and tell you it’s half way there already.
Barely Time for Anything
Football is a hitting sport. If nobody’s hitting, it isn’t football. The surest way to reduce hits is to shorten the game. So let’s try that: no overtime, more ties. Same goes for college football, which is playing more and longer games with more bowls and now a playoff. However, injuries and concussions may not be the only incentive to play shorter games. Longtime Sideline readers may recall that for all my football fervor, I’m an unrepentant geek too (and most recently, professionally so). At this year’s GenCon, Indianapolis’ massive annual convention for the tabletop games industry, board games were resurgent, while wargames increasingly boast their quick-play credentials. Roleplaying games? Dungeons & Dragons didn’t even take a stand. What’s this got to do with sports? Another symptom of the increasing demands on people’s spare time. In the ’80s and ’90s, people had time for sprawling RPGs; now it’s roll the dice and get off the table. It isn’t just indoor pastimes. Reacting to criticism, the MLB has been working hard to get its product back under three hours, and I believe football will eventually follow suit. The NBA has talked about and experimented with 11-minute quarters. Not that people will make less time for football, but the way in which it is packaged may change. While NFL
Red Zone satisfies those whose NFL devotion is either interwoven with fantasy football (more geekery) or who simply can’t settle for a whole game, the root question is this: how many people have more than three hours to devote to anything on a regular basis? (Well, Minecraft players, maybe, but apart from them?) The NFL needs to find a way to offer more football, but in smaller units.
Increased Airtime
During this Commissioner’s tenure, Thursday NFL football became a weekly event as well as a Thanksgiving treat, and over the past two years, we’ve seen the three-game Sunday haul start to become a four-game stretch, with London offering the opportunity for morning viewing Stateside. Putting a team in Europe gives the NFL four Sunday games, eight weeks a year. A second Euro-team (hello, Frankfurt?) offers a morning game all but one week of the season. The NFL (and its players) can survive shorter games if the league can claim more TV time slots.
Adrian Peterson has shrugged off last year’s suspension to lead NFL rushers, spearheading the Minnesota Vikings’ drive towards the playoffs. PICTURE COURTESY OF THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS
The restoration of teams in Los Angeles (a decision is hoped for in January, with the Chargers, Rams and Raiders all reportedly eager), and the establishment of morning football from Europe would give the NFL a sportscasting domain from beyond the Atlantic to the Eastern edge of the Pacific. Roger Goodell called NFL expansion beyond the United States a ‘possibility’ during his first season in the job. Rather than concussion realities, miscellaneous ‘-gates’, and a sometimes perplexingly-calibrated suspension policy, Goodell may hope that this emerges as his legacy. After all, It can’t be assumed that his time as Commissioner is unlimited.
Follow Richard on twitter @1STandGEEK
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Statue of the father of the Super Bowl, Vince Lombardi, outside the Packers’ Lambeau Field PHOTO ©JL1ROW
sk anyone across the world to name something iconic that represents the United States. You will get answers like the Statue of Liberty, the Golden Gate Bridge, the White House, the bright lights of Las Vegas. There is however one day that typifies the glitz and glamor that represents all of the above and more: The Super Bowl. This year the big game celebrates its 50th birthday, with this in mind we can take a look at how this day has become one of the first that is circled on the calendar each year. When the Seattle Seahawks opted to go for a pass play near the New England Patriots goal line last February in Arizona, instead of what should have been a routine run for the game winning score, the billions across the world watching were witnessing another slice of Super Bowl history. The intercepted pass elevated the Patriots sideline into a state of delirium and no doubt the play will be rerun many times in the build up to this year’s Super Sunday, as well as the other highlight reel plays, and significant moments in the game’s 49 year history. Legendary Head Coach Vince Lombardi won the first two Super Bowls with his Green Bay Packers, and after the turgid affair of the AFL-NFL merger it was only apt that the trophy was named after him.
NFL remembers at Soldier Field: Chicago Bears v. Minnesota Vikings, (Remembrance Day, November 14) PHOTO ©JIM LARRISON
In Super Bowl III the New York Jets then stunned the football masses by beating the fabled Baltimore Colts in the first victory for the old AFL teams - little did the Jets fans know that this was to be the only time their team to date would grace the field in the NFL showpiece. Dynasties have been created long before the Patriots recent dominance across the last decade or so. In the 1970s it was the Pittsburgh Steelers who were top of the mountain winning 4 titles, but this was after the Miami Dolphins left their mark in NFL folklore as they recorded the only “perfect” season, going 17-0 back in the days of a 14 game regular season. They won Super Bowl VII against the Washington Redskins 14-7 to cap of their incredible campaign that may not ever be repeated in these days of parity. Kings of the ‘80s were the San Francisco 49ers. Led by the seemingly never troubled quarterback play of Joe Montana they set a new standard and broke all manner of records, receiver Jerry Rice still has the record for most touchdowns scored in all Super Bowls with 8. The Niners were a well-oiled and methodical machine, but they were soon to be upstaged by a new brash, cocky player in the game as the early ‘90s saw a significant change of the guard. The media created the moniker Americas Team for the Dallas Cowboys, they were the darlings of the NFL with many larger than life characters off the field as well as on it. Through the ‘70s they were constant contenders winning 2 titles, but the ‘80s were painful as their fall was far from gracious. It was only when the team was sold to oil rich Jerry Jones that the good times
started to roll back into Texas. Within 4 years they were back on top and won 3 more Lombardis in a 4 year span. This brings us to the New England period of superior play, they themselves winning 3 in 4 years. They did come close to achieving the near impossible of a perfect season in 2007 only to be upended by the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII, 17-14, the Giants scoring late in the game to cause one of the biggest upsets of the modern era. As mentioned before the Super Bowl is more than the game itself, it has grown into a behemoth that now takes up the whole of the week prior to the game. From the infamous Media Day that enables journalists and television crews to get up close and personal to the players and staff of the competing teams, through to music concerts. It really has become a festival of everything about the game. Some of the facts and trivia that are born from Super Bowl Sunday are not to be sniffed at. For example last year it was said that 44% of people who eat Chicken Wings during the game prefer bleu cheese dressing to ranch. Add the 9 million estimated pounds of guacamole that was to be consumed by the viewing public - only Thanksgiving has a larger amount of food eaten in one day - you can see that it’s good for the economy too. Sales of the latest state-of-theart TVs go up, and with all the gadgetry and tech available it was noted
that 15% of viewers last year tuned in via their smartphone or other mobile device. With an estimated global audience of 170m in over 180 countries, it’s easy to see why $360m will be spent on advertising during breaks. This year’s attendance will not be close to that of the all-time record of 103,985 that were in the Rose Bowl, Pasadena to see Super Bowl XIV. The cheapest face value ticket last year was $800, with the average ticket price being a record high of $6459.21, a far cry from the $6 to see Super Bowl I in person. As this season winds down the usual suspects are there in the mix with the Patriots favored to repeat. Teams that will be hoping for a first Super Bowl title will be the Bengals, Vikings and Cardinals. The Packers and Broncos, Steelers and Panthers will all have a more than fair chance of being crowned new champions in San Francisco on the first Sunday in February. One thing for sure it will be a vibrant week, ending in a dramatic day, for which the saying “On Any Given Sunday” seems perfectly suitable. Book your place on the couch nice and early as you won’t want to miss the history unfold.
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The Confidential Guide to My Golfing Life by Darren Kilfara
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ithout question, the most important golf book of my adult life (excluding my own!) has been Tom Doak’s The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses. I recently learned that Doak’s groundbreaking one-volume work – long out of print and now a valuable collector’s item – is now being updated, expanded and republished as a five-volume series, a revelation which makes me at once giddy, scared and wistful. The concept behind Doak’s Guide, first published to a general audience in 1996, is as simple as it was revolutionary: take one of the world’s best golf course architects and let him talk freely and pointedly about the best – and worst – designs in the world. Doak is ridiculously well-traveled, and the original Guide rates more than 1,000 courses on five continents on a 1-10 scale with two quirks: the average golf course in the world merits a “3” instead of a “5”, giving him more scope to differentiate between superlative courses; and a special rating of “0” is reserved for courses “so contrived and unnatural, wasting ridiculous sums of money in their construction, that they may poison your mind and probably shouldn’t have been built in the first place.” That quotation reflects the Guide’s origins as an unvarnished dossier for 40 of his friends who
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were always asking him where to play golf. Doak isn’t impressed by fancy clubhouses, manicured greens, historical tradition or big-name reputations: he simply assesses the quality of each design and how one might go about engaging the architecture. Doak’s reasons for liking golf courses – foremost among them being memorable natural terrain and holes built to use it productively, not artificially – almost perfectly match mine. (No wonder he’s probably my favorite architect working today.) And his informal and utterly readable tone turned a potential coffee table snoozer into a font of knowledge worth perusing and poring over again and again. Other golf books from my youth perhaps shaped my life more than the Guide; anthologies by Dan Jenkins and Herbert Warren Wind inspired me to write about golf, while Wind and Michael Bamberger’s To the Linksland first prompted me to consider living in Scotland. But ever since my first adolescent trip to the Monterey Peninsula, I’ve always craved exposure to great golf course architecture. I mean, I chose which university I’d attend largely because in trying out for the Harvard golf team I’d probably get to play the team’s home course – a certain Ryder Cup and US Open venue in Brookline, Massachusetts
– at least once or twice. And here, in the Guide, I now discovered the intimate secrets of golf’s most wondrous treasures. Consumption of the Guide went hand in hand with the discussion forum at GolfClubAtlas.com, a website teeming with architectural savants and strong opinions in copious measure. I used GolfClubAtlas to scratch the itches with which the Guide covered me, learning more about what made architecture good and discovering more and more places I wanted to play. When I moved to London, I befriended several fellow connoisseurs and crisscrossed the country in their company, each new trip more memorable than the last: Pennard (Guide rating: 6) and Royal Porthcawl (7) in Wales; Burnham and Berrow (5) and Saunton East (6) in the west of England; Ganton (8) and Woodhall Spa (8) in the north; Swinley Forest (8) and many others southwest of London. In 2001 I traveled to a GolfClubAtlas rendezvous at the Bandon Dunes resort in Oregon and played my first Tom Doak course, Pacific Dunes (a perfect 10 in my book). Doak himself joined me and more than a dozen GCAers on a pilgrimage to Painswick in Gloucestershire, a bastion of quirky architecture which instantly became legendary on GolfClubAtlas after another member posted
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photos of it. An Australian GCAer even helped arrange my golfing tour of the Melbourne Sand Belt in 2003: Royal Melbourne West (10), Kingston Heath (8), Commonwealth (8), Victoria (7)…. A turning point arrived in 2004. Another GCAer organized a game for me at Pine Valley, widely considered the best course in the world, during a forthcoming workrelated training trip to New York. But two nights before my flight, another company made me a job offer I couldn’t really refuse. Should I immediately tell my employer the truth, and possibly forfeit the ultimate golf course experience? I did, and I did: integrity cost me a date with architectural destiny. Possibly for the first time, I chose not to be ruled by my strongest golfing passion. The scales before my eyes began to fall. I now lived on Scotland’s “Golf Coast”, belonged to two golf clubs – nearby Dunbar and distant Machrihanish – with wonderful links courses, and played competitive golf everywhere from Royal Dornoch to Silloth-on-Solway. The Guide and GolfClubAtlas
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now instilled jealousy of faraway fantasies, spoiling my contentment with the abundant riches on my doorstep. Was I really a student of golf course architecture, or merely a bedpost notcher addicted to the thrill of new conquests? My answer to that question – probably a bit of both – didn’t feel right enough. So I drifted away from GolfClubAtlas, and I stopped studying the Guide, and ultimately I’m probably happier for it. I’m already blessed beyond belief at the golfing life I’ve managed to live, far beyond what I ever dreamed growing up in suburban Atlanta. I’ll probably never play Pine Valley or Sand Hills or Barnbougle Dunes or Cape Kidnappers…but that’s OK. The publication of a new five-volume Guide – now featuring ratings from three new contributors, including GolfClubAtlas founder Ran Morrissett, in addition to Doak himself – frightens me, much as a recovering alcoholic might fear a new pub opening next door to his flat. But as with most of life, I’ve found that the secret to golfing happiness involves moderation in all things, including moderation. Now, I wonder: has
Doak properly revised his overly hasty rating of Dunaverty Golf Club in Argyll from a “2” to at least a “4” or “5”? I jolly well hope so. The first two volumes of the updated Confidential Guide to Golf Courses can be purchased via www.renaissancegolf.com/books/ US expat Darren Kilfara formerly worked for Golf Digest magazine and is the author of A Golfer’s Education (below), a memoir of his junior year abroad as a student-golfer at the University of St. Andrews. His latest book, a novel called Do You Want Total War?, is also now available online at Amazon and elsewhere.
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The Association of Americans Resident Overseas 34 avenue de New York, 75116 Paris, France + 33 1 47 20 24 15 www.aaro.org Association for Rescue at Sea To make a tax efficient gift to the Royal National Lifeboat Association contact AFRAS. Mrs. Anne C. Kifer, P.O. Box 565 Fish Creek, WI 54212, USA, 00-1-920-7435434 ackafras@aol.com Atlantic Council UK 185 Tower Bridge Road, London SE1 2UF 0207 403 0640 info@atlanticcounciluk.org Bentwaters Cold War Museum c/o Bentwaters Aviation Society, Building 134 Bentwaters Parks, Rendlesham, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 2TW 07588 877020 info@bcwm.org.uk Bethesda Baptist Church Kensington Place, London W8. 020 7221 7039 office@bethesdabaptist.org.uk bethesdabaptist.org.uk Boy Scouts of America in the UK Mayflower District 075 9210 1013 crpriddy@bsamail.org Find your local Troop at the website www.tac-bsa.org/Districts/Mayflower/Unit List
Republicans Overseas UK Chair Jan Halper www.republicansoverseas-uk.com chair@republicansoverseas-uk.com wlowery@republicansoverseas-uk.com www.republicansabroad-uk.org
Friends of Chicksands Priory (12th Century) Julie Benson 01525 860497 friendsofchicksands@gmail.com www.chicksandspriory.co.uk
Rotaract in Great Britain & Ireland For 18-30 year olds, international membership www.rotaract.org.uk
Friends of St Jude London Debbie Berger debbie.berger@stjude.org 07738 628126 www.friendsofstjude.org/london Grampian Houston Association Secretary: Bill Neish, 01224 484720, wineish@sky.com 5 Cairncry Avenue, Aberdeen, AB16 5DS International Community Church (Interdenom.) Pastor: Rick Andrew 01932 571820 Chertsey Hall, Heriot Road, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 9DR Office: 13 London Street, Chertsey, Surrey, KT16 8AP churchoffice@icc-uk.org www.icc-uk.org Junior League of London President: Suzy Bibko; Office Admin: Ruth Linton CAN Mezzanine , 49-51 East Road , London N1 6AH Tel: 020 7499 8159 jrleague@jll.org.uk www.jll.org.uk
British American Business Inc. 75 Brook Street, London, W1K 4AD. 020 7290 9888 www.babinc.org ukinfo@babinc.org
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation 19 Angel Gate, City Road, London EC1V 2PT. Tel: 020 7713 2030 info@jdrf.org.uk www.jdrf.org.uk
British American-Canadian Associates Contact via The English Speaking Union – esu@esu.org
Liberal Jewish Synagogue 28 St John’s Wood Road, London NW8 7HA Services 6.45pm Fri., 11am Sat. First Friday each month service is 7pm with a Chavurah Supper. Please bring non-meat food dish to share. 020 7286 5181 ljs@ljs.org
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 66-68 Exhibition Rd, South Kensington, London SW7 2PA 020 7584 7553 adcockmp@ldschurch.org https://lds.org.uk, http://mormon.org Church of St. John the Evangelist Vicar: Reverend Stephen Mason. Hyde Park Crescent, London W2 2QD 020 7262 1732, parishadmin@stjohns-hydepark.com www.stjohns-hydepark.com Commonwealth Church Rev. Rod Anderson, PO Box 15027, London SE5 0YS commonwealthchurch.com Democrats Abroad (UK) Box 65, 22 Notting Hill Gate, London W11 3JE www.democratsabroad.org.uk 020 7724 9796 www.democratsabroad.org/group/united-kingdom Register to vote: www.votefromabroad.org
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Friends of Benjamin Franklin House Director: Dr. Márcia Balisciano 36 Craven St,London WC2N 5NF 0207 839 2006 www.benjaminfranklinhouse.org info@benjaminfranklinhouse.org
Lions Club International Lakenheath & District 105EA, 15 Highfields Drive, Lakenheath, Suffolk IP27 9EH. Tel 01842 860752 www.lionsclubs.org St Anne’s Lutheran Church stannes.stagnes@gmail.com www.stanneslutheranchurch.org.uk Methodist Central Hall Westminster, London SW1H 9NH 020 7654 3809, church@mchw.org.uk www.methodist-central-hall.org.uk
Farm Street Church 114 Mount Street, Mayfair, London W1K 3AH Tel: 020 7493 7811 www.farmstreet.org.uk
North Am. Friends of Chawton House Library US Office: 824 Roosevelt Trail, #130, Windham, ME 04062 +1.207 892 4358 UK Office: Chawton House Library, Chawton, Alton, Hampshire GU34 1SJ 01420 541010 www.chawtonhouse.org
Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) Department of Defense, 1155 Defense Pentagon, Washington DC 20301-1155. UK 0800 028 8056, US:1-800-438- VOTE (8683). www.fvap.gov vote@fvap.ncr.gov
Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner 5th Floor, Counting House, 53 Tooley Street, London SE1 2QN 0207 211 1500 info@oisc.gov.uk www.oisc.gov.uk
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Rotary Club of London 6 York Gate, London NW1 4QG. Tel. 020 7487 5429 Rotary Great Britain and Ireland www.ribi.org, membership.rcol@gmail.com Royal National Lifeboat Institution Head Office, West Quay Road, Poole BH15 1HZ 0845 045 6999 www.rnli.org.uk The Royal Oak Foundation Sean Sawyer, 35 West 35th Street #1200, New York NY 10001-2205, USA 212- 480-2889 or (800) 913-6565 ssawyer@royal-oak.org www.royal-oak.org St Andrew’s Lutheran Church Serving Americans since 1960. Whitby Road & Queens Walk, Ruislip, West London. Services: 11 am. 020 8845 4242 pastorvan43@hotmail.com www.standrewslutheran.co.uk, www.lutheran.co.uk T.R.A.C.E. P.W. Reuniting children with GI fathers and their families. Norma Jean Clarke-McCloud 29 Connaught Avenue, Enfield EN1 3BE normajean78@hotmail.com www.tracepw.org United Nations Association, Westminster Chairman: David Wardrop 61 Sedlescombe Road, London SW6 1RE 0207 385 6738 info@unawestminster.org.uk www.unawestminster.org.uk www.wethepeoples.org.uk USA Girl Scouts Overseas – North Atlantic gsmembership@usagso-na.org www.usagso-na.org
SOCIAL American Club of Hertfordshire President: Lauryn Awbrey 63-65 New Road, Welwyn, Herts AL6 0AL 01582 624823 amclubherts@aol.com American Expats of the Northwest of England The Ruskin Rooms, Drury Lane, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 6HA. expatsnw@gmail.com American Professional Women in London abwinlondon@gmail.com www.meetup.com/American-Business-Women-inLondon
American Society in London Chairman Raymond A Colledge c/o The English Speaking Union 37 Charles Street, London W1J 5ED info@americansocietyuk.com 020 7539 3400 American Stamp Club of Great Britain Chapter 67 of the American Philatelic Society. Hon. Publicity Secretary: Stephen T. Taylor 5 Glenbuck Road, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 6BS. 020 8390 9357 AWBS International Women’s Club [formerly American Women of Berkshire & Surrey] PO Box 10, Virginia Water, Surrey GU25 4YP. www.awbs.org.uk info@awbs.org.uk American Women of Surrey PO Box 185, Cobham, Surrey KT11 3YJ. www.awsurrey.org American Women’s Club of Central Scotland P.O. Box 231, 44-46 Morningside Road, Edinburgh, EH10 4BF info@awccs.org www.awccs.org American Women’s Club of Dublin P.O. Box 2545, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 IRELAND www.awcd.net awcdmembers@gmail.com American Women’s Club of London 68 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3LQ. 020 7589 8292 awc@awclondon.org www.awclondon.org Americans in Bristol Tim Ellis 07572 342483 Twitter @americansinbris americansinbristol@yahoo.com www.facebook.com/groups/USEXPATSINBRISTOL Anglian Shrine Club Recorder/Secretary: Allan David Warnes “Koloma House”, Warren Avenue, Fakenham, Norfolk NR21 8NP 01328 862001, 07860187333, VOIP 08714084364 Skype batman4499adw allan@allandavidwarnes.co.uk www.anglianshrineclub.co.uk
Chilterns American Women’s Club PO Box 445, Gerrards Cross, Bucks, SL9 8YU membership@cawc.co.uk www.cawc.co.uk Colonial Dames of America Chapter XI London. President Anne K Brewster: AnneBrewster@hotmail.com Daughters of the American Revolution St James’s Chapter (London) stjameschapter-nsdar.org regent@stjamesnsdar.org, UKDARStJames@aol.com Daughters of the American Revolution Walter Hines Page Chapter Diana Frances Diggines, Regent dardiana@hotmail.co.uk www.dar.org/national-society Daughters of the American Revolution Washington Old Hall Chapter www.dar.org/national-society www.lchr.org/a/32/cd/regentsquill.html woh.dar.uk@gmail.com East Anglia American Club 49 Horsham Close, Haverhill, Suffolk CB9 7HN 01440 766 967 eaacexpats@karej.co.uk English-Speaking Union Director-General: Jane Easton Dartmouth House, 37 Charles Street, London W1J 5ED. Tel: 020 7529 1550 esu@esu.org Hampstead Women’s Club President - Betsy Lynch. Tel: 020 7435 2226 email president@hwcinlondon.co.uk www.hwcinlondon.co.uk High Twelve International, Inc. Arnold Page High Twelve Club 298 Secretary, Darrell C. Russell 01638 715764 russelld130@btinternet.com
Association of American Women of Aberdeen PO Box 11952, Westhill, Aberdeen, AB13 0BW email via website www.awaaberdeen.org
Inter-Cultural Society of London Contact: Dr Kenneth Reed, 01753 892698, kjreed37@yahoo.co.uk ticsl.org
British Association of American Square Dance Clubs Patricia Connett-Woodcock, 87 Brabazon Road, Heston, Middlesex TW5 9LL, 020 8897 0723 tricia_baasdc@btinternet.com www.squaredancing.co.uk
Kensington & Chelsea Men’s Club John Rickus, 70 Flood St., Chelsea, London SW3 5TE. (home): 020 7349 0680 (office): 020 7753 2253 johnrickus@aol.com
Canadians & Americans in Southern England 023 9241 3881 contactcase@casecommunity.com Canadian Women’s Club 1 Grosvenor Square, London W1K 4AB Tues–Thurs 10.30-3.30 0207 258 6344 info@canadianwomenlondon.org www.canadianwomenlondon.org
kcwc (was Kensington & Chelsea Women’s Club) President: Anna Groot, president@kcwc.org.uk Membership: potential@kcwc.org.uk www.kcwc.org.uk Facebook /kcwc.kcwc Twitter @kcwc_womensclub
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Knightsbridge Village info@knightsbridge-village.com www.knightsbridge-village.com Limerick International Women’s Organisation www.limerickiwo.com limerickiwo@live.ie New Neighbours Diana Parker, Rosemary Cottage, Rookshill, Rickmansworth, Herts WD3 4HZ, 01923 772185 welcomeservicesinternational.com/index.php/finda-welcome-service-in-your-area/106-england/133new-neighbours-limited.html North American Connection (West Midlands) PO Box 10543, Knowle, Solihull, West Midlands. B93 8ZY 0870 720 0663 info@naconnect.com www.naconnect.com Northwood Area Women’s Club c/o St John’s UR Church, Hallowell Road, Northwood, Middlesex HA6 1DN 01932-830295 info@northwoodareawomensclub.co.uk www.northwoodareawomensclub.co.uk Petroleum Women’s Club of London www.pwc-london.co.uk Petroleum Women’s Club of Scotland pwcscotland@yahoo.co.uk www.pwcos.com Pilgrims of Great Britain Allington Castle, Maidstone, Kent M16 0NB. 01622 606404 sec@pilgrimsociety.org Propeller Club of the United States, London propellerclubhq.com +1 703-691-2777 [USA] Royal Society of St George Enterprise House, 10 Church Hill, Loughton, Essex IG10 1LA. +44 (0) 20 3225 5011 info@royalsocietyofstgeorge.com www.royalsocietyofstgeorge.com Order of the Eastern Star #45 Washington Jurisdiction District #9, RAF Lakenheath sogb45@yahoo.com elizabeth.jackson.tripod.com/sogb St John’s Wood Women’s Club membership@sjwwc.org www.sjwwc.org Thames Valley American Women’s Club PO Box 1687, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 8XT. 01628 632683 membership@tvawc.com www.tvawc.com UK Panhellenic Association Contact Susan Woolf, 10 Coniston Court, High St. Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex HA1 3LP. 020 8864 0294 susanrwoolf@hotmail.com W.E.B. DuBois Consistory #116 Northern Jurisdiction, Valley of London, England, Orient of Europe, Cell: 0776-873-8030 mjack36480@aol.com
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MILITARY 290 Foundation (UK Confederate Navy memorial) Ian Dewar, President, 2 Thompson Drive, Middleton on the Wolds, East Riding, Yorkshire YO25 9TX 01377 217 442 290admin@onetel.com sites.google.com/site/290foundation
AFJROTC 073 Lakenheath High School. Tel: 01638 525603 Air Force Sergeants Association (AFSA) Chapters at RAFs Alconbury, Croughton, Lakenheath and Mildenhall. staff@hqafsa.org www.hqafsa.org American Legion London Post 1 Adjutant: Christopher Shea, 10 Ivel Bridge Road, Biggleswade, Befordshire SG18 0AB 07501-062-882 info@amlegionpost1london.org.uk www.amlegionpost1london.org.uk
Brookwood American Cemetery The American Battle Monuments Commission Superintendant: Craig Rahanian. 01483 473237 Brookwood, Woking, Surrey GU24 0BL www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/ brookwood-american-cemetery
Commander in Chief, US Naval Forces Europe US Naval Forces Europe-Africa - US Sixth Fleet www.c6f.navy.mil, CNE-C6FPAO@eu.navy.mil Eighth Air Force Historical Society Gordon Richards/Michelle Strefford UK Office, The Croft, 26 Chapelwent Road, Haverhill, Suffolk CB9 9SD, 01440 704014 www.8thafhs.org Friends of the Eighth Newsletter (FOTE News) Chairman: Ron Mackay, 90 Elton Road, Sandbach, Cheshire, CW11 3NF, 01270 767669
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Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Commander: Ernest Paolucci, 00 33 (0)1.42.50.96.34 24, rue Gerbert, 75015 Paris, France Western UK Retiree Association President: R. Jim Barber, MSgt (USAF), Ret 01280 708182
EDUCATIONAL
Navy League of the United States, United Kingdom Council Council President: Steven G. Franck steven.franck@googlemail.com www.navyleague.org
ACS International Schools ACS Cobham International School, Heywood, www.acs-england.co.uk AFJROTC 20021 Principal.AlconburyHS@eu.dodea.edu Alconbury Middle/High School RAF Alconbury, Huntingdon, Cambs, PE17 1PJ, UK. www.alco-hs.eu.dodea.edu AlconburyHS.Principal@eu.dodea.edu
Society of American Military Engineers (UK) UK address: Box 763, USAFE Construction Directorate: 86 Blenheim Crescent, West Ruislip, Middlesex HA4 7HL London Post. President: W. Allan Clarke. Secretary: Capt. Gary Chesley. Membership Chairman, Mr. Jim Bizier.
British Patton Historical Society Kenn Oultram 01606 891303
Joint RAF Alconbury/Molesworth Retiree Affairs Office 423, ABG/RAO, Unit 5623, RAF Alconbury, Huntingdon, Cambs., PE28 4DE, rao@alconbury.af.mil 01480 843364 (Tues only 10:30-14:30)
Marine Corps League London, UK Detachment. Founding Commandant Michael E Allen, Creek Cottage, 2 Pednormead End, Old Chesham, Buckinghamshire HP5 2JS mcllondon.1088@sky.com www.mcl-london-uk.org
Reserve Officers Association London Col. B.V. Balch, USAR, 72 Westmoreland Road, Barnes, London SW13 9RY memberservices@roa.org www.roa.org
Bentwaters/Woodbridge Retirees’ Association President: Wylie Moore. 2 Coldfair Close, Knodishall, Saxmundham, Suffolk, IP17 1UN. 01728 830281
USNA Alumni Association UK Chapter Pres: LCDR Tim Fox ’97, timfox97@hotmail.com Vice Pres: Miguel Sierra ’90, mrsierra@chevron.com M’ship: Bart O’Brien ’98, bartonobrien2@yahoo.com Secretary: Matt Horan ’87, matthoran@btinternet.com
Military Officers’ Association of America www.moaa.org msc@moaa.org
American Overseas Memorial Day Association To remember & honor the memory of those who gave their lives in World Wars I & II, whose final resting places are in Europe. info@aomda.com, aomda.com
Madingley American Cemetery Cambridge The American Battle Monuments Commission Madingley Road, Coton, Cambridge CB23 7PH 01954-210350 www.madingleyamericancemetery.info damian.lappin@madingleyamericancemetery.info
Joint RAF Mildenhall/Lakenheath Retiree Affairs Office Co-Directors Dick Good & Jack Kramer Unit 8965, Box 30, RAF Mildenhall, Bury St. Edmonds, Suffolk, IP28 8NF 01638 542039 rao1@us.af.mil
American Institute for Foreign Study 37 Queensgate, London SW7 5HR 020 7581 7300, www.aifs.co.uk info@aifs.co.uk
US Army Reserve 2nd Hospital Center 7 Lynton Close, Ely, Cambs, CB6 1DJ. Tel: 01353 2168 Commander: Major Glenda Day.
American School in London 1 Waverley Place, London NW8 0NP 020 7449 1200, www.asl.org admissions@asl.org
US Air Force Recruiting Office Bldg 239 Room 139, RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk IP28 8NF 01638-54-4942/1566 phillip.guffa@mildenhall.af.mil
American School of Aberdeen Craigton Road, Cults, Aberdeen. 01224 861068 / 868927.
Retired Affairs Office, RAF Alconbury Serving Central England POC: Rex Keegan Alt. POC: Mike Depasquale 423 SVS/RAO, Unit 5585, Box 100, RAF Alconbury, Huntingdon, Cambs PE28 4DA. 01480 84 3364/3557 Office Hours: Tuesday and Friday, 10:30am–2:30pm RAO@Alconbury.af.mil. Emergency no. 07986 887905
Benjamin Franklin House 36 Craven Street, London WC2N 5NF. 020 7839 2006 info@benjaminfranklinhouse.org
Boston University – London Graduate Programs Office 43 Harrington Gardens, London SW7 4JU. 020 7244 6255, www.bu.edu/london
2nd Air Division Memorial Library The Forum, Norwich, Norfolk, NR2 1AW 01603 774747 www.2ndair.org.uk 2admemorial.lib@norfolk.gov.uk
British American Educational Foundation Laurel Zimmermann, Executive Director BAEF, 520 Summit Avenue, Oradell, NJ 07649 USA (201) 2614438 www.baef.org
USAF Retiree Activities Office Director: Paul G Gumbert, CMSgt (USAF), Ret 422 ABG/CVR, Unit 5855, PSC 50, Box 3 RAF Croughton, Northants NN13 5XP 01280 708182 422abg.rao@croughton.af.mil
BUNAC Student Exchange Employment Program - Director: Callum Kennedy, 16 Bowling Green Lane, London EC1R 0QH. 020 7251 3472 www.bunac.org enquiries@bunac.org.uk
US Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point) UK Chapter President: Allison Bennett, bennett.ac@gmail.com Facebook: Kings Point Alumni - London/United Kingdom
Butler University, Institute for Study Abroad 21 Pembridge Gardens, London W2 4EB 020 7792 8751 www.ifsa-butler.org/england-overview.html
Centre Academy London 92 St John’s Hill, Battersea, London SW11 1SH Tel: 02077382344, info@centreacademy.net www.centreacademy.net Centre Academy East Anglia Church Rd, Brettenham, Ipswich, Suffolk IP7 7QR Tel: 01449736404 admin@centreacademy.net www.centreacademy.net Central Bureau for Educational Visits Director: Peter Upton, The British Council , 10 Spring Gardens, London SW1A 2BN, 020 7389 4004. Wales 029 2039 7346. Scotland 0131 447 8024. centralbureau@britishcouncil.org Council on International Educational Exchange Dr. Michael Woolf, 52 Portland Street, London WIV 1JQ Tel 020 7478 2000 www.ciee.org contact@ciee.org Ditchley Foundation Ditchley Park, Enstone, Chipping Norton, Oxon OX7 4ER Tel 01608 677346 www.ditchley.co.uk info@ditchley.co.uk Dwight School London Formerly North London International School 6 Friem Barnet Lane, London N11 3LX 020 8920 0600 vrose@dwightlondon.org www.dwightlondon.org European Council of International Schools Executive Director: Jean K Vahey Fourth Floor, 146 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 9TR 020 7824 7040 www.ecis.org ecis@ecis.org European-Atlantic Group PO Box 37431, London N3 2XP 020 8632 9253 justinglass@btinternet.com www.eag.org.uk Florida State University London Study Centre Administrative Director: Kathleen Paul 99 Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3LH. 020 7813 3233 intprog1@admin.fsu.edu www.international.fsu.edu/london Fordham University London Centre Academic Coordinator: Sabina Antal 23 Kensington Square, London W8 5HQ 020 7937 5023 londoncentre@fordham.edu www.fordham.edu Fulbright (US-UK Educational) Commission Dir. of Advisory Service: Lauren Welch Battersea Power Station, 188 Kirtling Street, London SW8 5BN 020 7498 4010 www.fulbright.co.uk Halcyon London International School Co-educational International Baccalaureate (IB). 33 Seymour Place, London W1H 5AU +44 (0)20 7258 1169 , hello@halcyonschool.com halcyonschool.com
Harlaxton College UK Campus, University of Evansville, Harlaxton Manor, Grantham, Lincs. NG32 1AG. 01476 403000 harlaxton.ac.uk. Huron University USA in London 46-47 Russell Square, Bloomsbury, London WC1B 4JP Tel +44 (0) 20 7636 5667 folu@huron.ac.uk www.huron.ac.uk Institute for the Study of the Americas Director: Professor James Dunkerley. Tel 020 7862 8879 americas@sas.ac.uk www.americas.sas.ac.uk International School of Aberdeen 296 North Deeside Rd, Milltimber, Aberdeen, AB13 0AB 01224 732267 admin@isa.aberdeen.sch.uk www.isa.aberdeen.sch.uk International School of London 139 Gunnersbury Avenue, London W3 8LG. 020 8992 5823, mail@ISLschools.org www.islschools.org International School of London in Surrey Old Woking Road, Woking GU22 8HY, 01483 750409, www.islsurrey.com mail@islsurrey.com Ithaca College London Centre 35 Harrington Gardens, London SW7. Tel. 020 7370 1166 www.ithaca.edu/london bsheasgreen@ithacalondon.co.uk Marymount International School, London Headmistress: Ms Sarah Gallagher George Road, Kingston upon Thames, KT2 7PE 020 8949 0571 info@marymountlondon.com www.marymountlondon.com Missouri London Study Abroad Program 32 Harrington Gardens, London SW7 4JU. 020 7373 7953. web_office@umsl.edu www.umsl.edu/services/cis/ Regent’s University London Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4NS. 020 7486 9605. www.regents.ac.uk exrel@regents.ac.uk Richmond, The American International University in London Queen’s Road, Richmond-upon Thames TW10 6JP Tel: +44 20 8332 9000, enroll@richmond.ac.uk www.richmond.ac.uk Schiller International University Royal Waterloo House, 51-55 Waterloo Road, London SE1 8TX. Tel. 020 7928 1372 www.schillerlondon.ac.uk admissions@schillerlondon.ac.uk Schiller International, Wickham Court School Layhams Road, West Wickham, Kent BR4 9HW. Tel 0208 777 2942, Wickham@schillerintschool.com www.wickhamcourt.org.uk
Sotheby’s Institute of Art Postgraduate Art studies, plus day /evening courses 30 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3EE Tel: 0207 462 3232, info@sothebysinstitute.com www.sothebysinstitute.com Southbank International Schools Kensington and Hampstead for 3-11 year olds; Westminster campuses for 11-18 year olds. 020 7243 3803, admissions@southbank.org www.southbank.org Syracuse University London Program Faraday House, 48-51 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AE, sulondon.syr.edu TASIS England, American School Coldharbour Lane, Thorpe, Nr. Egham, Surrey TW20 8TE. 01932 565252, england.tasis.com ukadmissions@tasisengland.org UKCISA - Council for International Education 9-17 St. Albans Place, London N1 0NX 020 7354 5210 www.ukcisa.org.uk University of Notre Dame London Program 1 Suffolk Street, London SW1Y 4HG 020 7484 7811, london@nd.edu http://international.nd.edu/about/notre-dameglobal-gateways/london-global-gateway Warnborough University International Office, Friars House, London SE1 8HB. Tel 020 7922 1200 www.warnborough.edu admin@warnborough.edu Webster Graduate Studies Center Regent’s College, Regent’s Park, Inner Circle, London NW1 4NS, UK. 020 7487 7505, webster@regents.ac.uk www.webster.ac.uk Wroxton College Study Abroad with Fairleigh Dickinson University, Wroxton, Nr. Banbury, Oxfordshire OX15 6PX 01295 730551, www.fdu.edu admin@wroxton-college.ac.uk
ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONS Regents American College & Alliant U Alumni (formerly United States International University) President: Eric CK Chan 020 7487 7599 chane@regents.ac.uk, alumni@regents.ac.uk c/o Regents College London, Inner Circle, Regents Park, London, UK. www.alliant.edu Amherst College Bob Reichert RAreichert26b@aol.com, alumni@amherst.edu www.amherst.edu/alumni Andover/Abbot Association of London Jeffrey Hedges ‘71, President 07968 513 631, hedgeslon@hotmail.com www.andover.edu/alumni
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Association of MBAs info@mbaworld.com, www.mbaworld.com
t.vifor@mbaworld.com
Babson College Nico von Stackelberg ‘12 vonstack@gmail.com Ben McLeod M’97 bernard.mcleod@gmail.com babson.alumni@btinternet.com Barnard College Club Hiromi Stone, President. 0207 935 3981, barnardclubgb@yahoo.co.uk Berkeley Club of London Geoff Kertesz berkeleyclublondon@gmail.com http://international.berkeley.edu/LondonClub www.facebook.com groups/223876564344656/ www.linkedin.com/groups/Berkeley-ClubLondon-4186104 Boston College Alumni Club UK Craig Zematis, President +44 7717 878968 BCalumniclub@gmail.com www.alumniconnections.com/olc/pub/BTN/cpages/ chapters/home.jsp?chapter=41&org=BTN Boston University Alumni Association of the UK Will Straughn, Snr International Development Officer, University Development and Alumni Relations, 43 Harrington Gardens, Kensington, London SW7 4JU 020 7244 2908 020 7373 7411 bstraugh@bu.edu Brandeis Alumni Club of Great Britain Joan Bovarnick, President http://alumni.brandeis.edu office@alumni.brandeis.edu Brown University Club of the United Kingdom President: Tugba Erem. Communication: Patrick Attie Alumni Club & Liaison: Vanessa Van Hoof Brown Club UK, Box 57100, London, EC1P 1RB contact@brownuk.org www.brownuk.org Bryn Mawr Club Lady Quinton, President. Wendy Tiffin, Secretary/Treasurer, 52 Lansdowne Gardens, London SW8 2EF wendytif@ukgateway.net Claremont Colleges Alumni in London Hadley Beeman, hadley_beeman@alumni.cmc.edu Colgate Club of London Stephen W Solomon ‘76, President 0207 349 0738 swsolomon@hotmail.com Columbia Business School Alumni Club of London 6 Petersham Mews, London SW7 5NR www.cbsclublondon.org londonadmin@gsb.columbia.edu Columbia University Club of London london@alumniclubs.columbia.edu www.alumniclubs.columbia.edu/london
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Cornell Club of London nmt4@cornell.edu www.alumni.cornell.edu/orgs/int/London
Mount Holyoke Club of Britain mhcbritain@gmail.com sites.alumnae.mtholyoke.edu/wp/ukclub
Dartmouth College Club of London alumni.dartmouth.edu www.dartmouth.org
Notre Dame Club of London ndlondon@alumni.nd.edu http://london.undclub.org/
Delta Kappa Gamma Society International sandra.blacker@outlook.com,www.dkggb.org.uk
NYU Alumni Club in London Jodi Ekelchik, President alumni.london@nyu.edu alumni.nyu.edu
Delta Sigma Pi Business Fraternity London Alumni Chapter. Ashok Arora, P O Box 1110, London W3 7ZB 020 8423 8231, bertela@yahoo.com www.dspnet.org
NYU STERN UK Alumni Club www.stern.nyu.edu/portal-partners/alumni sternukalumniclub@hotmail.com fjrodrgo@yahoo.com
Delta Zeta International Sorority Alumna Club Sunny Eades 01543 490 312 SunnyEades@aol.com www.deltazeta.org
Ohio University Alumni UK & Ireland Frank Madden, 01753 855 360 frank@madant.demon.co.uk www.ohioalumni.org
Duke University Club of England rpalany@gmail.com, a.sagar@promemoriauk.com www.dukealumni.com/alumni-communities/ regional-programs/groups/london
Penn Alumni Club of the UK w ww.alumniconnections.com/olc/pub/UPN/cpages/ home.jsp?chapter=4&org=UPN pennalumniuk@gmail.com
Emory University Alumni Chapter of the UK Matthew Williams, Chapter Leader 079 8451 4119, matthew.eric.williams@gmail.com www.alumni.emory.edu
Penn State Alumni Association pennstatelondon@gmail.com www.alumni.psu.edu
Georgetown Alumni Club Alexa Fernandez, GeorgetownLondon@Yahoo.com UKHoyas@gmail.com , alumni.georgetown.edu
The London Association of Phi Beta Kappa phibetakappalondon@gmail.com www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=5117368 www.pbkldn.org Twitter: @phibetakappaldn
Gettysburg College Alumni London Britt-Karin Oliver, brittkarin@aol.com alumni@gettysburg.edu www.gettysburg.edu/alumni2
Princeton Association (UK) membership@princeton.org.uk princeton.org.uk
Harvard Business School Club of London admin@hbsa.org.uk www.hbsa.org.uk
Rice Alumni of London Kathy Wang 07912 560 177 a lumni.rice.edu kathyw@alumni.rice.edu, suzanne.boue@rice.edu
Harvard Club of the United Kingdom president@hcuk.org, membership@hcuk.org www.hcuk.org
Skidmore College Alumni Club, London alumni.affairs@skidmore.edu w ww.skidmore.edu/alumni www.facebook.com/SkidmoreCollegeAlumni
Indiana University Alumni club of England ukhoosiers@gmail.com www.alumni.indiana.edu/clubs/england
Smith College Club of London smithclubgb@gmail.com www.smithclubgb.org
KKG London Alumnae Association londonalumni.kkg@gmail.com w ww.kappakappagamma.org
Stanford Business School Alumni Assn. UK alumni@gsb.stanford.edu alumni-gsb.stanford.edu/get/page/groups/ overview/?group_id=0038990048
LMU Loyola Marymount Alumni Club London Alumni Relations: heather.wells@lmu.edu 310.338.4574 http://alumni.lmu.edu Marymount University Alumni UK Chapter President: Mrs Suzanne Tapley, 35 Park Mansions, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7QT. 020 7581 3742 www.marymount.edu/alumni MIT Club of Great Britain reenan@alum.mit.edu greatbritain.alumclub.mit.edu
Syracuse University Alumni UK SUalumniUK@syr.edu sulondon.syr.edu/about/sualumniuk.html www.facebook.com/SUajlumniUK Texas Tech Alumni Association - London Chapter Scott Dewar 077754 35877 sdewar2@gmail.com www.texastechalumni.org/chapters
Texas Exes UK (UKTE) England: Carra Kane 0778 660 7534 carrakane@alumni.utexas.net Scotland: Corey Cripe coreycripe@gmail.com www.fornogoodreason.com/UKTEMain.htm
University of Southern California, USC Alumni Club of London Walter Ladwig, President usclondon@gmail.com uscalumnigroups.usc.edu/london/
Texas A&M Club London london@aggienetwork.com www.aggienetwork.com/club-page/londn
University of Virginia Alumni Club of London uvaclubs.virginia.edu/group/uvaclub-of-london 020 7368 8473 , uvacluboflondon@gmail.com
The John Adams Society johnadamssociety@gmail.com www.johnadamssociety.co.uk
US Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point) Alumni UK Chapter www.usmma.edu/alumni bennett.ac@gmail.com Facebook: Kings Point Alumni - London/United Kingdom
Tufts - London Tufts Alliance tuftsalumni.org Londontuftsalliance@yahoo.com UConn Alumni Association uconnalumni.com UnitedKingdom@UConnAlumni.com UMass Alumni Club UK President, Renu Singh, renu.singh@alumni.lse.ac.uk umassalumni.com University of California 020 7079 0567 london.universityofcalifornia.edu alumni@californiahouse.org.uk University of Chicago Alumni Association rupalyp@gmail.com, www.uchicagouk.org University of Chicago Booth Alumni Association President: hbunuan@chicagobooth.edu www.chicagobooth.edu/alumni/clubs/uk University of Colorado Alumni www.colorado.edu/alumni/connect/chapters-clubs/ london-forever-buffs-alumni-chapter Facebook: LondonForeverBuffs Email: contact via website University of Georgia Alumni Association Lee Hutchins lee67@uga.edu www.alumni.uga.edu/alumni/index.php/site/ chapters/london_chapter University of Illinois Alumni Club of the UK Amy Barklam BUS 1994, President, 07796 193 466 amybarklam@msn.com, alumni@uillinois.edu, illinoisalumni@uillinois.edu, uisalumni@uillinois.edu, uicalumni@uillinois.edu www.uialumninetwork.org University of Michigan Alumni Association 0788-784-0941, jesscobb@yahoo.com alumni.umich.edu University of North Carolina Alumni Club unclondoncochairs@googlegroups.com london.unc.alumnispaces.com, alumni.unc.edu University of Rochester/Simon School UK Alumni Association Julie Bonne, 0118-956-5052, julie_bonne@yahoo.com, alumni@rochester.edu www.rochester.edu/alumni
USNA Alumni Association, UK Chapter President: Cdr Timothy W. (Tim) Fox ‘97, USNR timfox97@hotmail.com www.usna.com www.facebook.com/groups/USNAAlumniUK/ Vassar Club UK President: Andrew Solum ‘89 Treasurer Tris Barker’64 treasurer@vassarclubuk.org, 020 8467 0890 www.vassarclubuk.org Warnborough Worldwide Alumni Association 01227 762 107 www.wwaa.info/wwaa.htm admissions@warnborough.edu Washington University UK Alumni Club Steven Leof, steven@leof.co.uk alumni.wustl.edu/Community/Pages/London.aspx www.facebook.com/groups/WUSTLLondon www.linkedin.com/groups/Washington-Universityin-St-Louis-6966904 Wellesley College Club www.wellesley.edu/alumnae/groups/clubs/intlclubs/ wellesley_uk_club WCLondon@alum.wellesley.edu Wharton Alumni Club of the UK 020-7447-8800 www.whartonclubuk.net Williams Club of Great Britain Ethan Kline: ethankline@gmail.com, alumni. relations@williams.edu, alumni.williams.edu Yale Club of London President, president@yale.org.uk Secretary secretary@yale.org.uk www.yale.org.uk Zeta Tau Alpha Alumnae Kristin Morgan 07812 580949 kristinamorgan@gmail.com www.zetataualpha.org
CIVIL WAR SOCIETIES American Civil War Round Table (UK) American Civil War historical society Derek Young rebeldel55@icloud.com www.acwrt.org.uk
Southern Skirmish Association (SoSkan) The oldest American Civil War Re-enacting Society outside the USA. www.soskan.co.uk membership@soskan.co.uk
ARTS American Actors UK 07873 371 891 admin@americanactorsuk.com www.americanactorsuk.com Savio(u)r Theatre Company Britain’s American theatre company www.saviourtheatrecompany.com
SPORTS English Lacrosse Wenlock Way, Manchester M12 5DH 0843 658 5006 info@englishlacrosse.co.uk www.englishlacrosse.co.uk British Baseball Federation / SoftballUK 5th Floor, Ariel House, 74a Charlotte Street, London W1T 4QJ 020 7453 7055 www.britishbaseball.org British Morgan Horse Society 01981 500488 admin@morganhorse.org.uk www.morganhorse.org.uk Ice Hockey UK 02920 263 441 ihukoffice@yahoo.co.uk www.icehockeyuk.co.uk Infinity Elite Cheerleading (founded by CAC) 077 9132 0115 infinityelite@yahoo.co.uk www.facebook.com/InfinityAllstars Herts Baseball Club Adult & Little League Baseball www.hertsbaseball.com Lakenheath Barracudas Swim Club Open to all military affiliated families. laken.barracudas@yahoo.com lakenheathbarracudas.com LondonSports American flag football, baseball, basketball and soccer, boys/girls, 4-15 all nationalities, new or experienced players. www.londonsports.com vll@me.com London Warriors American Football Club info@londonwarriorsafc.co.uk www.londonwarriorsafc.co.uk
Details changed? Let us know email sabrina@theamerican.co.uk
Send profiles, news or articles about your organization for possible publication in The American. email sabrina@theamerican.co.uk, tel +44(0)1747 830520 Twitter @TheAmericanMag
The American
79
Coffee Break QUIZ ➊
In In which country is the US Dollar also Legal Tender? a) Ecuador b) Cuba c) Costa Rica
➋ ➌
The Mark Twain National Forest is in which US State?
Which UK city is an official ‘Sister City’ to Washington, DC? a) Sunderland b) London c) Edinburgh
➎
In 1956, Bedloe’s Island in New York was renamed for one of its famous attractions – what did the island become known as?
➏
Which London hotel asks traffic to drive on the right hand side of the road?
It happened 50 years ago...
➐
January 18, 1966: Robert C. Weaver was the first African American appointed to a cabinet role in US history. Under which President did he serve?
➑
January 24, 1966: Who became the first female Prime Minister of India? Quiz answers and Sudoku solution on page 81
The American
7 5
3
3 7 4 8 3
The son of Jules Verne, Michel, wrote Un Express de L’avenir (An Express of the Future), a story about a tunnel under which ocean?
➍
80
6
1
7 5 2 5 ➒
1 8
8 6
9
5 9 2 4 6
It happened 125 years ago...
February 14, 1891: General William Tecumseh Sherman, who served in the Union Army during the Civil War, died. With which Essex village does he have ancestral connections? a) Harwich b) Dedham c) Flatford
It happened 175 years ago...
➓
January 28, 1841: The Welsh journalist Henry Stanley was born. Famous for his pursuit of David Livingstone in Africa whilst working for the New York Herald, what were Stanley’s purported first words to Livingstone?
Coffee Break Answers 4
5
6
2
9
7
1
3
7
6
8
4
3
8
2
9
5
1
8 1 3 2 5 9 7 4 6
1 4 5 8 9 3 6 7 2
7 9 8 6 1 2 5 3 4
2 3 6 7 4 5 1 8 9
6 8 2 4 3 1 9 5 7
9 7 4 5 8 6 2 1 3
3 5 1 9 2 7 4 6 8
SOLUTION
QUIZ: 1. a) Ecuador, since 2000; 2. Missouri; - established on September 11, 1939; 3. The Atlantic Ocean – the Tunnel would have gone between North America and Europe; 4. Sunderland; 5. Liberty Island, where it is home to the Statue of Liberty; 6. The Savoy Hotel, London; 7. Lyndon B Johnson; 8. Mrs Indira Ghandi (née Nehru); 9. b) Dedham; 10. “Dr Livingstone, I Presume?”.
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