The American Issue 715 November 2012

November 2012

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America Decides

ARTS CHOICE MUSIC • REVIEWS WHAT’S ON • POLITICS EATING OUT • SPORT

2012 Election coverage inside

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Issue 715 – November 2012 PUBLISHED BY SP MEDIA FOR

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Old Byre House, East Knoyle, Salisbury SP3 6AW, UK Telephone all departments: +44 (0)1747 830520 Publisher: Michael Burland michael@theamerican.co.uk Editor: Richard L Gale editor@theamerican.co.uk Please contact us with your news or article ideas Advertising & Promotions: Sabrina Sully, Commercial Director advertising@theamerican.co.uk Subscriptions: theamerican@blueedge.co.uk Section Editors Virginia E Schultz, Food & Drink virginia@theamerican.co.uk Mary Bailey, Social mary@theamerican.co.uk Richard L Gale, Arts richard@theamerican.co.uk Alison Holmes, Politics alison@theamerican.co.uk Jarlath O’Connell, Theater jarlath@theamerican.co.uk Richard L Gale, Sports richard@theamerican.co.uk

©2012 Blue Edge Publishing Ltd. Printed by Advent Colour Ltd., 19 East Portway Industrial Estate, Andover, SP10 3LU www.advent-colour.co.uk ISSN 2045-5968 Cover Main Image: President Obama and Governor Romney (photo by Scout Tufankjian for Obama for America); Circular Inset: Ashley Jensen

@TheAmericanMag

Welcome

The American

I

f you’re reading this issue after November 6th, you’ll know what the result was. The year-long process of deciding the leader of the free world is over. I hope you’ve been following Sir Robert Worcester’s magisterial series of articles over the last 12 months (you can see all of them at the website). This time he sums up the whole complicated procedure and gives his round-up of the last year, along with the latest poll results as we go to press.

However, life goes on outside politics too, and we have a whole heap of features that we hope you’ll enjoy, on tracking down your British ancestors, the British obsession with the weather, choosing a boarding school, American sports and a whole lot more. We also have an interview with the lovely Ashley Jensen, back from the States and gracing the West End stage. So grab a drink, flip the page and...

Enjoy your magazine,

Michael Burland, Publisher michael@theamerican.co.uk

Among this month’s contributors

Natimi Black-Heaven is basketball writer and erstwhile ESPN staff member who has lived both in the UK and US. He was selected as an Olympic Torch bearer for his work in basketball development.

Sir Robert Worcester is one of the most knowledgeable and influential psephologists in the world. A Kansas City native, he is the founder of the MORI polling and research organisation.

Carol Madison Graham is a former American diplomat and director of the US-UK Fulbright Commission who now lives in Britain and writes for us on enriching study and living abroad.

Don’t forget The American online: 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.

November 2012 1

The American • Issue 715 • November 2012

Regular Sections 4 News 8 Politics 26 Wining & Dining 32 Arts Choice 36 Music 39 Theater Reviews

46 47 52 56 57 65

DriveTime Sports Diary Dates Coffee Break American Organizations The A-List

8 US Election: State of Play The debates have narrowed the gap, but Barack Obama is still in the lead going into the last presidential debate.

Sir Robert Worcester analyses the data

11 Religion, Tolerance & Respect What has 2008’s sense of “hope,”“change” and possibility been replaced with? asks Alan Miller

13 My Word Jeannine Wheeler looks at the linguistic vagaries of the English Weather

21 Exploring your British and Irish Family History A stay in the UK is a fine time for indulging in the rewarding hobby of genealogy

©CATHERINE ASHMORE

In This Issue...

16 Ashley Jensen

“When I first went to LA, I felt isolated ...when I got a bit more competent, it was easier to drive everywhere than it is here, dragging a pushchair up 36 steps to the Underground” 24 Rites of Passage Has the swashbuckling James Carroll Jordan met his match?

25 Is Honesty the Best Policy?

Mary Bailey ponders lies and dishonesty

45 The Casual Vacancy JK Rowling’s latest tome gets not one but two reviews in our books section

We catch up with the Scottish-born Ugly Betty and Extras star as she returns to the London stage in A Chorus of Disapproval

47 Opening the Debate Before the Texas Tech game, WVU’s Geno Smith was the run away Heisman favorite. Now he has to make the case, writes Richard L Gale

48 NCAA Hoops Preview November brings the start of the college basketball season. Natimi Black-Heaven breaks down our Preseason Top 25

IMAGE: THE ROYAL HIGH SCHOOL BATH (UK)

50 Summary of a Season Jay B Webster looks back at Major League Baseball’s 2012 Pennant Chase

53 Competition

18 Boarding School Carol Madison Graham offers tips for ensuring your children discover a home from home

Win a pair of tickets to the Statoil Masters Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall this December

34 Susan Swartz 39 Theater Reviews

The abstract artist and environmental campaigner interviewed

PHOTO ABOVE © SIMON KANE 2012 PHOTO BELOW BY SCOUT TUFANKJIAN FOR OBAMA FOR AMERICA

48 NCAA Hoops

© OHIO STATE ATHLETICS

“Obama didn’t do well in the first debate.

That exception to his usual mastery of the political speech moved the swing voters against him”

8 US Election 2012

21 Family History IMAGE COURTESY OF S&N GENEALOGY

– Sir Robert Worcester

28 Chocolate

The American

Frequent flyer: New York’s Tyson Chandler will visit the UK for the third time in a year after Olympic success this summer PHOTO: GARY BAKER

Two NFL games and Knicks v Pistons for London in 2013 Big news for UK fans of US sports: The NBA will return to London in January, with a regular season game between the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons, January 17 at the O2. Plus the NFL has announced two Wembley dates for 2013, with the Minnesota Vikings to play the Pittsburgh Steelers, September 29, and the San Francisco 49ers to face the Jacksonville Jaguars, October 27.

Education USA: International Virtual College Fair The Education USA: International Virtual College Fair will be held on November 13, 2012. 150 US accredited institutions of higher learning will take part in the 24 hour program. For more information visit the US Embassy Blog (www.usembassy.org.uk/irc).

Erratum In the October article ‘Veterans of the American Civil War Buried in England’, we incorrectly gave the name of the author as Michael Hammerstein. This should have been MIchael Hammerson. Our apologies to Michael.

4 November 2012

NEWS Princess Anne unveils UK Memorial to US Airmen of the Second World War

P

rincess Anne, the Princess Royal, has dedicated three memorial stones for US forces at Greenham Common, Berkshire. The stones are dedicated to the memory of sixteen airmen killed during a 1944 collision between two B-17 Flying Fortresses, 33 service members who died the same week when a Horsa glider crashed at takeoff, as well as all American servicemen based nearby who gave their lives during the Second World War. Princess Anne and Colonel Brian Kelly standing at memorial with crowd PHOTOS: DOD / MASTER SERGEANT JOHN BARTON

“We can look back at the sacrifice and struggles that united our two great nations. For the last 70 years our nations have stood shoulderto-shoulder protecting the world, and our relationship is stronger than ever, as these memorials show.” said Colonel Brian Kelly, 501st Combat Support Wing commander.

Greenham Common hosted US troops and Air Force units from before D-Day up until 1992, and is also famous in Britain as a site for anti-nuclear demonstrations in the 1980s. It is now a nature reserve and business park.

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Letters The American

Andy Sundberg remembered

The passing of Andy Sundberg leaves an important gap in the American community abroad that must not remain long unfilled. As a former editor of The American, I watched Andy campaign for the recognition of US citizenship rights for children born overseas of American parents, and lobby for amendments to the US tax code to compensate for the double taxation burden. He wrote me about the contribution expat citizens make to American commercial activities abroad and the right of overseas US citizens to vote and have representation in the national legislature.

At one point he declared himself a candidate for president.

Many called it a stunt to raise his profile. Others were amused by its futility. A few thought maybe he was doing something worthwhile.

I don’t doubt Andy enjoyed the publicity it generated, but I was never convinced it was purely self-serving. The outrageousness of his campaign created a greater awareness of the US expat community and the many civil inequities we had to endure.

No one could deny Andy’s effectiveness in publicizing the issues that weigh unfairly on overseas Americans. The need for non-partisan advocacy for Americans abroad is no less important now. I hope Andy’s legacy won’t be stuffed away in history’s attic.

I hope someone, very soon, will step forward as our champion.

– Bob Pickens

6 November September2012 2012

ACS Egham opens new sports center

I

nternational school ACS Egham recently opened its ‘state of the art’ Woodlee Sports Centre.

British ‘wing suit’ extreme sports athlete Tim Emmett, Bonita Norris, the youngest British woman to climb Mount Everest, and British Judo Champions Jonathan and Matthew Pursey were among the guests present, and the athletes even took time to try out the schools new ‘adaptive’ climbing wall, capable of changing to suit the proficiency and age of users.

Additions at the center include ‘Game Breaker’ real time video analysis, wireless network, and ‘Fitlinks’, an online fitness programme, while extra-curricular activities on offer will include span wall climbing, fitness training, badminton, street hockey, indoor football, yoga, pilates, volleyball, basketball, and dance. The new center increases the activities on offer for a curriculum now supporting the new International Baccalaureate in Diploma Sports, Exercise and Health Science.

US Protestants no longer the majority?

A

new study from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life suggests that Protestant Christians no longer hold a majority in the American population for the first time in the country’s history. With only 48 per cent of respondents identifying themselves as Protestants, this is the first time the figure has dropped below 50%.

The news wasn’t unexpected, with a major increase in the number of Americans declaring no religious affiliations now at around 20 per cent, according to the research.

However, the definitions of religious affiliation used in the research is open to interpretation. The ‘no affili-

ation’ figures include both atheists and those who consider themselves “spiritual” rather than “religious” in the organized sense.

The Pew analysis was conducted with PBS’ Religion & Ethics Newsweekly. The finding on the Protestant majority is based on responses from a larger group of more than 17,000 people.

Diary Dates... has moved!

Your events guide to the month ahead can now be found on page 52. And, of course, online at www.theamerican.co.uk/pr/ diary_dates.php

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The American

US ELECTION 2012 The Four-Week American Election

Romney ‘won’ the first debate, but the election is another matter, writes Sir Robert Worcester

I

n Britain, a four-week election would be considered ‘average’. It is possible to have the election called, fought and decided in only three weeks. Britain’s ‘long election’, the ‘run up’, is a subdued affair compared to the Americans’ long, medium and short elections. In the USA, there’s an election for all 435 seats of the House of Representatives fixed every two years on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, and at

Obama’s campaign may have been glad to see the back of Romney after the first debate PHOTO: SCOUT TUFANKJIAN FOR OBAMA FOR AMERICA

8 November October 2012 2012

the same time, a third of the Senate.

Of course, the presidential election is held every four years, fixed. Even then, the handover of the presidential responsibilities and authority doesn’t take place for some four months after a candidate is elected.

In Britain? Overnight.

American elections start shortly after the previous election as candidates throw their hats into the ring and start their visits to Iowa, in

the corn belt, to press the flesh and make their love of Middle America plain to the good folks who wouldn’t live anywhere else. Iowa? Because that’s where the first ‘caucus’ is held, gatherings of party faithful and interested voters who, at the start of the election year (on January 2nd this year) arrive at the schools, family living rooms and community halls to discuss and vote for their favourite candidate. It’s not so much an election as a test of public opinion, ‘real people’ voting, as if the thousands of people being canvassed by pollsters month after month aren’t ‘real people’. After a recount of the Republican ‘caucus’ votes, Mitt Romney won by just 8 votes, with Rick Santorum (remember him?) coming a close second.

The Iowa result is important as it gets huge publicity and sets out who’s popular, and who’s a no-hoper.

This not only brings publicity and name recognition, but money as well and also attracts volunteers to decide who they’ll be following and working for during the next three or four years. In 2008 it put Barack Obama in the frame big time. To put Iowa into perspective, there were more people voting last time in the Kent County Council election in England than voted in the Iowa caucus.

The American Right: Michelle Obama in Cedar Falls, September 28 – Michelle Obama’s campaigning skills remain one of her husband’s campaign strengths PHOTO: SARA MAYS FOR OBAMA FOR AMERICA

There were no fewer than 52 candidates for President of the United States in this election, some filing in only one state, and only a score really serious. A good indication of this is that the ‘just in it for fun’ runners do not show up in Iowa, or for that matter in New Hampshire, where the first ‘real’ primary is held: formally conducted, no debate in the area of the polling booths, and a proper count.

The New Hampshire primary, held a week after Iowa, sorts out the front runners to some extent. Then begins the procession of primaries and caucuses around the country, with the so-called ‘Super Tuesday’ in early March which usually ‘seals the deal’.

The election for who would be the Republican candidate to face Obama on November 6 was somewhat more protracted because of the seeming reluctance of the Republican Party to agree that Mitt Romney had the best chance of beating Obama. In all, 11 different people led in the polls taken during their long campaign.

Remember Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann, Jon Huntsman, Ron Paul and Herman Cain? Most folks don’t.

For six months after it was clear that the ABR (Anybody But Romney) campaign wasn’t likely to find an alternative candidate, media attention was focused on the ‘horse race’.

The national polls were locked into a 46%/46% statistical tie, within the usual plus or minus three percent confidence interval. Why the media focus on this, when the election is decided in the few key states with whopping numbers of electoral

Congress in 2010

The improving 2011/12 economy The Republicans are a divided

party

There will be right-wing RepubliBarack Obama is a formidable

Q. ”Regardless of which candidate you happen to support, who do you think did the better job in the debate?”

Barack Obama Democrat 28%

Mitt Romney Republican 50%

BASE: 1,323 AMERICAN REGISTERED VOTERS, OCT. 3 2012, ONLINE

The election of the Republican

cans who’ll stay home

Which candidate won the first debate?

Don’t know 22%

votes, I don’t know. This is why in several of my columns in earlier months I urged readers to ‘forget the horse race’, but watch the electoral college.

It is also why as long ago as last January 11 at an open lecture at Warwick University, I gave six reasons why I thought even then that Obama would win.

SOURCE: REUTERS/IPSOS

campaigner

Michelle is as well

It was clear then that the election of a Republican Congress and the lack of cooperation between the White House and the Leadership in Congress meant that important legislation wasn’t going through easily. No matter what the President proposed, the Congress disposed.

Deadlock, and especially on the Obama Medicare scheme, which the Administration was determined was not going to fail again to be passed.

November October 2012 9

The American Obama’s 1 point lead on healthcare, was 16!

Q. ”In your opinion, which candidate for President has a better policy or approach to ... Healthcare?” ... the US Economy?”

Healthcare

US Economy

12%

12% 13%

DK

12%

38%

None

+1%*

DK

37%

Obama

None

Obama

-1%*

37%

39%

Romney

Romney

*+18% fortnight ago, +13% last week, +8% weekend

*+1% fortnight ago, +5% last week, -4% weekend

BASE: 1,027 AMERICAN REGISTERED VOTERS, OCT. 6-10 2012, ONLINE

SOURCE: REUTERS/IPSOS

Obama has 6 point lead: Registered Voters Registered Voters

Don’t Know 1% None 3%

Strong Democrat 18%

Independent 14% Strong Republican 12%

38%

+6

Moderate Republican 19%

Moderate Democrat 18% Lean to Democrat Lean to 8% Republican 7%

BASE: 1,199 AMERICAN REGISTERED VOTERS, OCT. 6-10 2012, ONLINE

Even if Britain’s hasn’t, the economy in the US has improved, and the unemployed figure dropping below 8% for the first time during this Administration will be a boost for the President’s re-election chances.

The concerted ABR failure, as they would see it, means it’s worse now than in January.

The turnout is the dog that so far has not barked very loudly in the night, if at all. Over the years, around one in five Americans have avowed they would never vote for a Mormon. These folks tend to be the

10 November 2012

44%

SOURCE: REUTERS/IPSOS

Tea Party types, who would normally be staunch Republicans. At the same time, though they would never admit it, they tend towards racial prejudice. How to solve this conflict?

Stay home.

Obama didn’t do well in the first debate; he knows it. He’ll be involved, determined, focused, all the things the public seem not to have been convinced of in that debate. That exception to his usual mastery of the political speech moved the swing voters against him. By about three points. There’s no question that Rom-

ney won the first debate, in our Ipsos poll by a near two to one margin – see graph, page 9. (Biden won the Veeps’ debate, by ten points).

Even worse for Obama, it affected both confidences on the issues and on the candidates’ images. Two weeks before the first debate Obama had a 16 point lead over Romney on his approach to healthcare, 13 points last week, then down to 1, a swing of 7.5%. On the other key issue in voters’ minds, the state of the American economy, Obama took over the lead from Romney: a week before he had a five point lead, and post debate, lost it on a swing of 4.5%. There’s a similar picture on most other issues tested

by Ipsos, with a swing against Obama on the war on terror, 2.5%; Iran, 3.5%; immigration, 5%; social security 4%; taxes 4.5%; jobs and employment, 5%; and of the Federal Government deficit, 3%, all from the week before the debate to the week after. Since then things have gone even better for Romney. There’s been a post debate boost for Mitt in the swing states too, Florida 1.4%, Ohio 1.7% and Virginia 2.9%, from the 2008 result to now.

Still, perhaps the Obama campaign can take some comfort from the British election in 2010 when Nick Clegg won the first debate. He soared in the polls for a week or two, but when the election took place his Liberal Democrats ended with five fewer MPs than they had won in the previous election.

One advantage Obama carries into the election is an edge in the party ID that his supporters avow. By a six point margin, more registered voters say they support the Democrats than the Republicans. H Sir Robert Worcester is the founder of MORI. Follow him for updates on Twitter: @RobertWorcester

The American

US Election 2012:

Religion, Tolerance & Respect I

1

www.pewforum.org/unaffiliated/nones-on-the-rise.aspx

What has 2008’s sense of “hope,”“change” and possibility been replaced with? asks Alan Miller weekly, very few are deeply familiar with scripture: most Americans cannot name more than four Commandments. Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, and others within the so-called New Atheist camp, would make the point that they are all the more stupid for following such “hocus pocus”. These ‘New Atheists’ seem to be outraged that people have the audacity to believe in something beyond themselves, in an age where that has become unacceptable. It is striking too that in the recent historical past, Atheism would generally not have been argued so vociferously in itself but would have been part of a wider perspective on life – often part of a social movement, such as Liberalism and Socialism.

With the broader political projects in tatters, the New Atheists mount their campaign on negatives – that they are not religious. Hardly inspiring stuff. Further though, Sam Harris in The End of Faith provides a fascinating insight into an increasingly common intolerant view when he tells us that he hopes to “show that the very ideal of religious tolerance – born of the notion that every human being should be free to believe whatever he wants about God – is one of the principal forces driving us towards the abyss.”

The values of the Enlightenment, particularly tolerance, get jettisoned and replaced with an intolerant outlook. Tolerance, I should point out is not the same as respect, which, we

PHOTO: DAVID SHANKBONE

n the UK I often hear sneering jibes about Americans, mocking them for being “geographically challenged” (stupid), junk-food eating (obese... and stupid) and junk TV-watching, Bible-reading gun freaks. This pernicious view seldom accounts for the world’s foremost creative culture, or the US’s scientific research, innovation and engineering. It is just snotty shorthand for the notion that humans, in general, are a silly species, greedy, lazy and untrustworthy with the planet.

This view is not restricted to Europe. It is popular on the US coasts and has often been invoked to explain “why so many stupid people voted for GW Bush”, and why someone they despised (and kept calling “stupid”) could possibly win a second presidential term.

Mockery has its place, but today we have a culture that retreats from real discussions and hard arguments, into the apparently safer, more comfortable arena of lifestyle vindication. ‘Lifestyles’ are now the defining aspects of our identities. Subscribing to the principles of a mass political party has been replaced by “personal choices” – whether you eat organic food, recycle, drive a Prius or an SUV, own a gun or go to church. The legacy of the ‘Culture Wars’ remains with us, but in an emptied-out superficial version, like a teenager who tries to define themself by their fashion statements.

Ironically, those that admonish those of faith haven’t realized what Professor Steven Prothero spells out in his book Religious Illiteracy: in spite of the 58% of Americans who pray regularly and 40% who attend church

Author Richard Dawkins, face of the New Atheist camp

are increasingly badgered by authorities, we must have for other cultures.

Those who are serious about freedom and autonomy would do far better to continue the Enlightenment and the Founding Fathers’ ideal of tolerance – but that is not the same as having to respect ideas or customs that we think are backward or superstitious.

A recent report from The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life1 demonstrated that one-fifth of the US public – and a third of adults under 30 – are religiously unaffiliated. This decline in religious affiliation reflects a consolidation of what Robert Putnam wrote about in Bowling Alone, where he explained how Americans are increasingly disconnected and isolated. Robert Fuller argued in his

November 2012 11

The American

12 November 2012

Did many project onto Barack Obama views that they hoped (or prayed) that he had?

PENN STATE

book Spiritual But Not Religious that the spiritual category has a long history dating back to the colonies, but it fails to consider what is new and changing within the post-Cold War world and how authority, large institutions and organizations and big projects are increasingly viewed with suspicion. Further, the retreat from mainstream political parties has underlined this trend with little alternative being put forward. This news has been much discussed, especially as the ‘New Millennials’ are a key demographic for the upcoming presidential election and the ‘nones,’ those of no religious affiliation, are now so significant.

The run up to the US presidential election has been so very different from 2008. All of the sense of “hope” and “change” and “possibility” has been replaced by, well, not much. As I pointed out at the time in The American, generalities like “hope” did little to explain a clear set of objectives, principles and goals. Many projected onto Barack Obama views that they hoped (or prayed) that he had.

There was a sense, especially among young people, that something could change. Unfortunately the “yes we can” quickly became “yes I can” and the potential that was engaged was as speedily turned off.

In the first round of presidential debates we saw the increasing inability of politicians to even engage one another with ideas. It is one thing to make sermon-like speeches, quite another to be in the cut and thrust of arguing out ideas. As we progress down the road of No Big Ideas (or NoBI for short), it was glaringly obvious that President Obama found it galling that he should be accountable and responsible to some set of principles or ideas. Many have asked why the President did not simply

call Governor Romney a liar2. While confusing3, what seems to be the far larger problem is a sense of possibility that ordinary Americans can do something positive to change the circumstances they find themselves in.

What we have in store for us is platitudes and a back and forth bean-counting exercise, particularly as the President came off badly in the first debate. However, the central problem we all face in the US and internationally is why we think that humans are the big problem. Every debate is informed by an overwhelming anxiety about human action.

Even in America, where ambition is wedded to the national consciousness, we continually remind ourselves about how untrustworthy, greedy, avaricious and destructive we are.

This needs to change.

At the heart of problems in America and the ‘West’ is wealth creation.

As soon as we get on to that subject, an array of concerns arise about development, investment, innovation and infrastructure. The idea of unfettered development is seen as a recipe for environmental and existential doom. Everyone recognizes that we need rigorous changes, yet there’s a reticence when it comes to ambitious plans – and disbelief that we can rely on ordinary people to make that

change a reality.

So we are back to where we started – an underlying view that humans are untrustworthy and even dangerous. The view of human agency needs to be addressed and discussed and intellectually fought over if we are really to solve the complex problems we face today.

In the run up to the election, I have been speaking at a number of events, as part of the Battle of Ideas International Satellite Festival, which continues in November with debates in New York, across Europe and India (www.battleofideas.org.uk) to thrash out a range of tricky issues – without name calling and relying on branding people “stupid” for want of having any compelling arguments. H Alan Miller is Director of The New York Salon, whose next event, Can we still have faith in the Academy?, is at The New School, NYC. on November 13 (www.nysalong.org). Alan is also co-founder of London’s Old Truman Brewery media center and was on London’s Art Board, and a Partner at The Vibe Bar (www.vibebar.com).

www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/08/mitt-romney-liarobama-campaign_n_1949732.html 3 www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57515033503544/fact-checking-romneys-47-percent-comment/ 2

The American

The vagaries of English weather Some sunny spells developing...

There is some heavy rain around...

It’s a chilly start for some of us...

There is an element of uncertainty...

Dry and cool with a fair bit of cloud...

Really, it’s mixed fortunes...

A rather dry start with sunny spells...

A bit of patchy mist and fog...

f you want to get in with the Brits, you’ve got to get in with the weather because here, a good-morning salutation is not a big cheery American ‘How are ya?’, but more of a ‘It’s raining again.’

Why are the Brits so obsessed with the weather? If you’re living here, you already know the answer to that. Caught in a maelstrom of changing weather patterns – from the warm but volatile Atlantic Gulf Stream to the polar winds of the Russian steppes to the influence of Saharan heat – the English are buffeted all day long by one weather pattern or another. This can mean five to six weather patterns in a day.

It’s no wonder that they share a keen obsession about the weather.

Cold, damp and, of course, rainy, English weather can be a deeply chilling force, one that will set you yearning for a warming cup of tea and a sweet dipping biscuit. To be sure, it gets cold in the States too; but there is something particularly bone-chilling about English weather.

While we all suffer when we’re here, there is no nation better at complaining about or reporting on the English weather than – the English. They have elevated complaining about the weather to greeting card

I

proportions. If they haven’t seen you for three months, first thing they might say is: ‘What happened to our summer? I went abroad for the sun.’

Funny, I didn’t even ask what they did this summer…

The type of rain you get in the UK – all year round – is not the kind an umbrella can stand up to. It usually comes in ‘spits and spots’, ‘dribs and drabs’, and – worst of all – ‘sideways’.

No image sticks in my mind more than Ladies’ Day at Royal Ascot one cold June, when driving rain came ‘chucking down’ on our group of American women. We quickly threw off our high-heeled shoes, pulled on our wellies, slung on our coats and beat it to our heated cars. As we pulled out of the racing grounds, I will never forget the four British revelers on the bare wet grass dressed in their finery, clutching glasses of champagne and eating strawberries – all in the pouring rain as if it were another sunny day in Portugal.

Not even a bother. I was never more impressed with the British stiff upper lip than that day.

But the one thing we do have in common with our British brethren is our penchant for receiving our weather forecasts from the most scrubbed-up, relentlessly chipper and annoyingly optimistic people on earth: the TV weather presenter.

No tornado, no snowstorm, no flood warning and no amount of rain will

ever dent the spirit of the TV meteorologist. They persevere in the face of the relentlessly soggy news they must deliver because – let’s face it: would you want Eeyore delivering your bad weather? Of course not! We simply must hear it from the bright shiny pennies. It is a particular skill.

How many of us can tell someone that their football match or wedding day will be marred by ‘heavy rainfall’ or that their summer ‘will never materialize?’ Only that certain gene pool of TV weather forecaster!

Whether it’s ‘chucking down’, ‘spits and spots’, ‘tipping down’, or ‘a bit of patchy mist and fog,’ it’s all done with a smile and a wink as if to say, ‘Dreary, isn’t it? But I’m only delivering the bad news and hey, if you wait a minute or two, there are some sunny spells developing.’

And as someone once said: ‘If it weren’t for the weather, the English wouldn’t have anything to talk about or know how to start a conversation.’ H

October 2012 13

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The American

Ashley Jensen

She’s smart, funny, pretty, and she’s returned from six years in the States to the West End stage... and after a technological meltdown, The American is late for our interview with Ashley Jensen...

“O

h Michael,” she says, a mock tear in her eyes, “Did you forget all about me?” Luckily that tear is really a twinkle. She sympathises – “I can’t get to grips with technology.

I’ve used my iPhone to remind me to do things and it’s done it a day later! You can’t beat writing on a scrappy bit of paper, or your hand,” she laughs.

Ashley’s stint in the States (in Ugly Betty, Accidentally on Purpose, and movies) has not robbed her of her delightful Dumfriesshire accent, from the south west of Scotland. Where does she call home now? Back in Britain, she explains, and not just to star in A Chorus Of Disapproval.

“When I went to America it wasn’t forever, and I thought I’d know when it was time to come back. We’ve sold the house in LA and come back.”

‘We’ are Ashley, her husband, the English actor Terence Beesley, their

PHOTO © CATHERINE ASHMORE

Ashley in rehearsal for A Chorus of Disapproval with Nigel Harman and Rob Brydon

16 November 2012

son Francis and Barney the dog (of whom more later). “I loved my time in LA,” she says, “and it would have been a wonderful place to bring up children. Easier too. When I first went to LA, I felt a bit isolated because I wasn’t a very confident driver, but when I got a bit more competent, it was easier to drive everywhere than it is here, dragging a pushchair up 36 steps to the Underground. I think I’m fitter here, though, with all this walking and climbing!

“Another thing I’ve noticed since coming back from America is the culture, the depth of the stonework and the ornate architecture... the sheer history of the place is quite overwhelming when you’ve not been around it for a while. It’s like going back to Edinburgh – ‘ooh, there’s a great big castle in the high street – that’s amazing!’”

So how did a small-town girl from rural Scotland get to be a Hollywood A-lister and West End star? Was there acting in the family? “No, I come from a small market town surrounded by earthiness and farmers and grey skies and cold weather, but I always knew I was going to be an actress. My mum was like, ‘I don’t know where this has come from, but OK.’ I stayed on at school and did the National Youth Theatre in my summer holidays, then drama school in Edinburgh. After that I started straight away, at the bottom,

doing theatre that involved putting up the set, acting in the play, getting abuse from the audience in random community centres – places that didn’t often have theatre and weren’t used to the etiquette – then taking the set down and driving to dubious guest houses with stained carpets and nylon bedding. But I wouldn’t change it for the world. I love the journey I’ve been on. If I’d got the notoriety that I’ve had being in Extras and then Ugly Betty when I was any younger, I wouldn’t have been ready for it. It certainly wasn’t overnight success. Before Extras I had been working for about 15 years. I remember reading that ‘Ashley Jensen was actually an extra’ and ‘she was just Ricky Gervais’ mate’ which made me feel rather disgruntled. I’d been working all that time, and I thought I was doing rather well!” she laughs. “I never went into acting to be famous, or a celebrity, which we’re all obsessed with at the moment. I just wanted to support myself as an actress. I didn’t have a Hollywood dream so when all that came along post-Extras it was a little bonus bag really.”

The ‘15 year overnight sensation’ has worked with some of the great names in comedy – Ricky Gervais and Billy Connolly among them, as well as the cast of Ugly Betty and now Rob Brydon in A Chorus Of Disapproval – and she’s won or been

The American

“ I didn’t have a Hollywood dream so when all that came along post-Extras it was a little bonus bag really”

nominated for two British Comedy Awards, a BAFTA and an Emmy. I wondered if she liked comedy best, or if it was something that casting directors have picked up on?

“Oh, the latter. In fact I’ve played a lot of serious policewomen on television and Regan in King Lear, and done a lot of new plays at the Royal Court and Hampstead. My family and friends thought I was amusing, but I always wanted to marry the two together. In America I was always pigeon-holed into comedy.

That’s one of the reasons I came back – to do more variety of work.

There’s not much scope for theatre in LA, and I didn’t want to uproot my

family and move to New York – we also have a massive dog to consider.

Barney is an Utonagan – go on, Google that! – and there’s nothing sadder than a large dog crapping on the sidewalk in Manhattan” Will there be another series of Ugly Betty? “No, I don’t think so. There were mumblings of a film a few years ago. I don’t think that’ll happen now. It would be fun if it did, I’d take the call! But it’s good to move on and try other things. Since my son was born I’ve done a few children’s animated films and I’ve just finished All Stars – basically Street Dance for kids. I do not dance in it, I hasten to add – unlike the dancing in A Chorus

Of Disapproval, which has been an interesting process!

“It’s been eleven years since I’ve been on stage. It’s good to shake yourself up by trying something new. It’s a bit nerve-wracking, but it’s a very relaxed atmosphere in rehearsals – almost like summer camp. Maybe that’s Trevor’s relaxed approach [Sir Trevor Nunn, director] but it’s also like riding a bicycle; I started on the stage. And it’s a luxury to have five weeks rehearsal – in film and television you learn your lines on your own, and it’s much more immediate. Rob Brydon is very funny, with wonderful comic timing, but he’s a proper actor too. I knew that from when I saw him doing Marion and Geoff years ago. He’s got a real pathos and honesty and he’s incredibly focused but part of the team; I have so much respect for him, I think he’s wonderful... do you think I’ve fallen in love with Rob Brydon a little bit? In some ways his part in A Chorus Of Disapproval is tragic – it’s about someone whose wife is having an affair. But it’s wonderful and very funny – come and see it!” H A Chorus Of Disapproval is on at the Harold Pinter Theatre (formerly The Comedy Theatre), Panton Street, London SW1Y 4DN until January 5.

A Chorus Of Disapproval is reviewed on page 42 of this issue.

November 2012 17

The American

EDUCATION

How to Judge a

BOARDING SCHOOL Carol Madison Graham has tips for ensuring your children discover a home from home

W

hether a boarding school is your first choice or last resort, finding the right place requires time and focus. The golden era of boarding schools (in terms of numbers, not educational experience) was at the height of Empire, when the children of diplomats, merchants and military officers sent their children back to Britain to be educated alongside the stay-at-home elite. Today they are holding their own because they have adapted.

What Kind of Boarding School?

One of the reasons boarding schools remained strong is that for many years they were often better academically than independent day schools. As day schools pulled even, parents switched. Therefore, many

previously all-boarding schools opened themselves to day pupils to compete. This trend embraced both prep schools (primary schools) and boarding schools at the secondary level.

If your child must board, or wants to board, look into the proportion of boarders to day students and the weekly boarding options. In this context, be aware that prep and secondary boarding schools, like universities, hunt for foreign students in Asia and elsewhere. In which case, another question is where are the boarders from and do they disappear on weekends with host families?

Does the school become a ghost town from Friday to Sunday because almost everyone is gone? How do you find out the proportion of day pupils? The school website should tell you, or ask at Open Days.

Even if most of the students are day pupils, a good boarding school will organize activities so your child is never lonely or bored on the weekend.

At a good boarding school your child will make friends for life

18 November 2012

All those lovely grounds can seem like a desert if no one is around and there is nothing to do but walk about and study. Good prep schools will have interesting outings or in-school activities like Scottish dancing, or watching films. The secondary schools will depend mainly on sports for weekend activities, but they should also feature occasional special events. If they do have frequent home weekends, ask if the school has public transport options.

A prep school in Sussex sends a staff member to escort the children to and from London on Friday and Sunday so London-based parents do not need to make weekend trips to the school. A secondary in the deep countryside arranges shuttle buses to stations with trains to Scotland as well as London.

What’s Underneath the Hood?

Having looked at the website, you may think your next step is attending the Open Day. I would strongly advise reading the school inspection report first. All schools in the UK are inspected every few years. The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) was set up by the Government to inspect members of the Independent Schools Council (which is to say most if not all private schools). The reports are available online at www.isi.net and will tell you three things you need to know right away: quality of pastoral care, teaching and any issues for the school.

The American

October 2012 19

Students can be an important source of covert information IMAGES: THE ROYAL HIGH SCHOOL BATH (UK)

1. Pastoral care is boarding speak for home life, health, happiness and safety. In a boarding school this is paramount. What is the point of outstanding teaching if the children are being bullied or are not safe?

2. As far as teaching, the inspectors are all current or former heads or deputy heads of private schools. The report will reveal their assessment of the standard of teaching.

3. My favourite section is where the report summarizes any issues flagged up in the previous inspection and whether the school has attended to them. Note if problems arose on the watch of the current head or were resolved by her. Perhaps the board of trustees decided to change leadership for that very reason. Either way, armed with this background information you are prepared to take on the Open Day.

The Open Day

Open Days at private boarding schools can be very elegant affairs.

Delicious food and beautiful or even spectacular buildings and grounds.

When you find yourself admiring the surroundings, remember that trees and edifices do not educate children - teachers do. And that bullies can also wear smart uniforms.

There are many things to assess on Open Day, but the most important is leadership provided

20 November 2012

by the head. In a boarding school, an excellent head is even more important than in a day school.

Boarding schools are intense and difficult places to run. It’s 24/7 for the staff and children. Energetic, capable leadership is crucial. When you meet an impressive head you will know it.

Their talk will leave you excited and informed rather than feeling that you have heard an excellent sales pitch. Even the busiest heads are accessible, giving you the opportunity to assess them further - and ask questions about the ISI report. I met one head in his office on the Open Day while another made room when we came for a follow up meeting with a housemaster.

What must you ask about in addition to the academics? The anti-bullying policy, pastoral and child protection, and how/when they communicate with parents.

Find a housemaster/housemistress you like, but remember they move on like people in other professions.

Also if the house is full you may be assigned one. However, excellent heads likely choose excellent housemasters so it is not disastrous. Also meet the house matrons who are a mine of information and may have slightly different roles depending on the school.

Ask how the money is spent, if that information is not in the prospectus, and notice the state of buildings, especially bedrooms and showers. Are they bright and freshly painted? How often are they refurbished? Take a look at the medical facility and meet the nurse in charge. Would you mind feeling ill there? Usually Open Days

include student guides and they are your most important source of covert information! Students are wonderfully honest about their school with strangers. After asking questions about our son’s interests, one student told us bluntly that he was probably too bright to go there.

We remain grateful to that child. At another school our guides gave us a list of the best houses (which did not include their own).

Observing and listening to student guides is a reminder of the importance of seeing each school through the lens of a child’s interests and personality. If your child loves libraries, do not assume each school has a good one - have a look and speak to the librarian. In the same way, a school with a lot of teams may be able to offer a child who loves sports, but is not a top jock, a chance to play for the school.

Whether you have never visited a boarding school or attended one in the distant past you will be impressed with what the best have to offer – first class educators with modern equipment and well organized and vigilant pastoral care. If you focus on that when you think about a school, rather than the grounds and historic architecture, you have done your homework. H Carol Madison Graham has worked for the US Diplomatic Service, and after moving to Britain was appointed executive director of the US-UK Fulbright Commission.

She is mother to two sons, both of whom attended boarding schools.

Currently, she works with the Marshall Scholarships and writes a blog with ideas for enriching study and living abroad at www.engageabroad.com and her book Coping with Anti-Americanism is out now.

The American

Exploring your British and Irish Family History W

In our continuing series on pastimes for the colder months, David Osborne introduces the rewarding hobby of Genealogy far, using the internet can help you get your research efforts moving.

There are a number of family history research websites that can help you.

They can provide you with birth, marriages and death records, census information and much more. Free search sites such as www.ukcensusonline.com and www.familysearch. org can help start things off.

The UK census records available on the online sites mentioned above provide a great starting point for tracing details of relatives alive between 1841 to 1911. Births, marriages and death records also available online provide details of those alive afterwards.

For records prior to 1837, sites such as www.TheGenealogist.co.uk can offer access to both Parish and Non Conformist records. With records dating back to the early 1500s, there is now online access to both Parish records and records from Quakers, Methodists, Wesleyans, Baptists, independents, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics and Huguenots.

Local Help

Using these websites and other internet resources including Google will help you find a decent amount of information on your ancestors.

However, the next stage is to get out and about and explore, and

Tracing your British ancestors can be a fascinating subject – once you’ve tracked down the family with an online service (right), family history research can provide you with a great reason for visiting Britain’s beautiful parish churches

PHOTO: ART HISTORY IMAGES/HOLLY HAYES

hether you’ve arrived in the UK for a holiday, a working assignment, or for the forseeable future, why not spend some time exploring the country to find out more about your family history?

The Census of 1790 (the first conducted in the United States), showed that 62% of the population had British origins. In the 1980 US Census, 61.3 million Americans reported they had British ancestry. In 2000, 36.4 million reported British ancestry, still a sizeable amount. Also in 2000, the Irish population, along with the Germans, were the largest self-reported ethnic groups in the nation.

You may have already found that your ancestors originated from Great Britain and Ireland, so why not try and find out more about where they lived and how they lived their lives?

If you only have the basic data from your family history search so

November 2012 21

The American

Taking the next steps Online Research: UK-based family history research website TheGenealogist.co.uk provides impressive content and powerful search tools, with over 132 million birth transcripts, nearly 40 million 1911 census entries, over 12 million parish records, nearly 1 million wills and much more, including 2.6 million Irish Griffith’s Valuation records.

Materials: S&N Genealogy Supplies (www.genealogysupplies.com) stocks data CDs, charts and family history kits as well as all the big-name software.

Start your family tree for free: Laying out your family tree need not require costly software from the start. TreeView (www.treeview.co.uk) lets you create your family tree online, or import data you already have, then access it from any PC with an internet connection.

While www.myheritage.com www.ancestry.co.uk and www. genesreunited.co.uk offer trial use of their services.

Go to the show! There are several big family history shows and numerous regional ones each year. The next major one is the star-studded Who Do You Think You Are? LIVE at Olympia, London, 22-24 February 2013.

Magazines: There are several family history magazines to be found on newsstands, including Who Do You Think You Are?, Family Tree magazine and Your Family Tree magazine.

22 November 2012

find out where your ancestors lived and worked. Finding local parish records, for example, can answer those questions not available from internet searches. In the UK and Ireland, there are a wealth of locally based resources, from family history societies with local expertise to local archives or record offices where you can find out more.

It is well worth joining a local society in the area that your ancestors lived to really get some quality help and advice.

Local help is invaluable for those researching their family tree. Changes to boundaries and other administrative areas mean that some local advice can save you a lot of time and frustration.

The South West of England, as an example, has gone through a number of administrative changes over the years, such as the abolishment of the county of Avon in 1996.

For those with relatives in Ireland, the task is slightly more complex with the loss of the census records for 1821-1891. However, there are other options available. The government operate an Irish Genealogy website – www.irishgenealogy.ie – and the National Archives Office in Dublin can assist. Other official sources including Presbyterian, Methodist and Quaker

Family trees can build into an attractive conversation piece – as this family tree of the British Royal Family illustrates

records can also be accessed. Other Irish records that are available include Land Owner records, Irish Wills, Kelly’s Directories and other trade/residential directories. A visit to the Ulster American Folk Park in County Tyrone allows a glimpse of Irish life and the large scale emigration that took place.

Also the Dunbrody Famine Ship and Irish Emigrant Experience in New Ross, County Wexford, is a must-see for all US visitors.

Walking the Ground

As well as getting in touch with your local family history society, there are also specialist history and heritage centres that provide you with a real picture of what life was like many years ago. This is a good starting point to get local information on where your ancestors lived.

Visiting the streets where your ancestors settled and churches where they married all adds to the experience of feeling closer to them.

Visiting local churches and looking at gravestones may help you find other branches of the family adding more to discovering your past.H

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23

Ref.715

The American

Rites of Passage Has the swashbuckling James Carroll Jordan met his match?

M

y stretching was done, my muscles warm and loose as I saluted my opponent and put on my mask.

I assumed the on guard position, tucked my elbow in and pointed my épée at the center of his chest and took a deep breath. I was hit before I knew what happened. Jeez was this guy fast. In nanoseconds it seems I was down four zip and sweating like a water buffalo pulling a plow on a terraced rice paddy. I managed to score twice with desperate flèche attacks but the quick run-ins sapped my 62 year old body even more. I’d hardly settled back into position before he feinted to my head, making me flinch, and then drove his blade down and hit me just below the knee.

The knee?! No one aims for the knee!

It’s the hardest target there is in épée fighting.

“That was fun, Dad… Want to go again?”

“Go again? Was he nuts?” I said to myself! I can hardly draw breath! I could only shake my head and totter to a chair and plop down trying to suck in as much air as I could. After a few deep draughts I said: “Give me a minute Charlie; I have to tie my shoe lace.”

I needed time to recover my wind and self-respect. Heck, I’ve been fencing for over 40 years and just got flayed by my sixteen year old son.

Quincy and I had been instructing him between us for the past three years and it seems we have done a very good job of it. Man, he’s fast! He just comes in, salutes jauntily and proceeds to kick my sorry old man ass. Very demoralizing.

24 November 2012

My buddy Quincy strolls over trying to hide the smirk on his face and asks if I am all right. I have my wind back now and give him an ear full: “Maybe you’d like to have a go with him?”

He has to go to the bathroom.

Ian, another fellow fencer, seems extraordinarily interested in the tip of his épée. I look at Charlie, who would be wagging his tail if he had one, in anticipation of another go. I sighed, nodded to him and said “How about we change to sabers? I’m not much good at épée today, it seems.”

To my horror he bounded to our kit bags and whipped out his saber with even more enthusiasm than when he plugged in his épée. I’m better at the saber and Charlie really hadn’t had much practice at it.

We went en garde and off we went. I began with my patented feint to the head and swooped quickly to his quart side only to find his parry there and waiting. I barely had time to leap back before his riposte whistled by my head. (Did I mention the kid is fast?) Our attacks and parries were blindingly fast and for a while neither of us could score. I found myself getting into the “zone”. 4-1!

Yeah, baby! I forgot the one rule in sport: never celebrate too soon. The little so and so nailed me on the wrist with a quick stop hit that I didn’t see coming or even think would be coming. I never taught him that! Where did he think that up?!

I could hear murmurs of appreciation coming from Quincy and Ian. 4-2 now, and I was blowing. Where was the oxygen when I needed it?

Not as young as he was: A 1980s JCJ flaunts a working pair of knees on the set of Voyagers! PHOTO: PETER CRANE

Two more hits came with blinding speed from Charlie and before I knew it, I found we were pausing to do fencing’s traditional salute with one point to go. I pretended to straighten my blade to gain time, thinking frantically what attack to try next.

Then it came to me. I smiled slightly to myself and gave a prayer to God to help me pull it off. Would my old body take the stress and could I do it fast enough? I felt there was life in the old Lion yet. En garde!

I could see by the way he moved that he really thought he had me on the ropes. Perhaps so. We opened with a clash of steel and whirling blades. Parry thrust, feint, parry, riposte... we fell back for a beat to regroup. The look of cockiness was fading from my son’s face just a bit; I don’t really know how I saw this with sweat pouring into my eyes. We came on guard again. I had found my wind. I felt balanced, ready. Charlie advanced with a flourish and a very clever compound attack which I only just managed to defend. I beat him back up the piste with a concerted attack of my own. This wasn’t meant to actually get a strike, but to set him up for my cunning plan. I then stopped my attack and backed away slightly. I pretended to breathe hard (I didn’t have to pretend much).

Not as young as he was: Charlie Jordan is now six feet two inches and pretty swift with an épée

At election time, Mary Bailey ponders

Is honesty the best policy?

(We’re not, y’know, implying anything)

Y

ears ago, when my sons were little, I remember saying to the youngest “you must always be honest, people will understand”.

“But mum”, cried his older brother, “you tell lies all the time – you told Mavis (our help) she looked lovely in her new pink dress but talking to Daddy you asked him if he thought she looked enormous.”

I took the coward’s way out, suggesting we talk again when they were bigger. But after all, I thought, how many of us would reply to a guest who comments “I mustn’t overstay my welcome” with the honest “I can just get you on the five o’clock train, you’ve overstayed your welcome by a week already”. No, we simper something about always being welcome. An American friend once said to me, “I never lie, I just turn off the heating in their bedroom”. Americans! ...so practical.

Then we have ‘lies by promise’, such as the bridegroom, known locally as a womaniser, promising to ‘forsake all others’ or the tired young mum making extravagant promises to her gorgeous toddlers as they scream their way round the supermarket. Promises taken under stress are meant at the time and cannot be considered ‘lies’.

I must say, though, the smug ones are a bit much. A young couple came round for a drink to celebrate their engagement. “Sara and I will have a completely honest relationship,” announced Paul on his third Scotch, “I will respect Sara’s rights as a woman. We will share bank accounts, sit down and discuss our

credit cards, holiday plans and so on. No silly secrets.” I gave them six months. My brother, also present, suggested some kind of asylum.

Then we come to the real thing: The Oath, taken seriously on both sides of the Atlantic whether it is given in a court of law or by a serviceman swearing allegiance to his country or The Queen. It is on the battlefield, in court, in hospitals and the like that we see truth clearly, as young men and women do what they have promised to do.

Politicians are not renowned as the most honest members of society. One of my most thoughtful friends suggests that mostly they don’t lie, certainly not deliberately, but maybe they do not always know what they are talking about.

We have, of course, George Washington as an icon for honesty.

Even the Brits are taught the cherry tree story and about his refusal to tell a lie (I still wonder whether he would have got caught anyway – who else could have done it?) But it’s a good story and it stays with us.

Which brings us to one of the greatest of politicians, Winston Churchill. He recognised at the beginning of WW2, with Europe in flames and the Nazis planning to invade, that he could not get away with a ’have a nice day’ kind of speech. In 1940, in his first speech as Prime Minister, he bellowed the truth: “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.”

Maybe honesty is the best policy... if you are Churchillian enough and it works for you. H

November 2012 25

PHOTO: JACINTA LLUCH VALERO

Charlie saw his chance and leapt to the attack. How he refrained from shouting some Viking war cry, I don’t know. On he came slashing and bashing away at my crumbling defenses.

As he drew back his arm to deliver his knock-out blow I made my move.

He came quickly forward, I dropped to the floor in a crouch (ignoring my protesting knees and aching thighs), deflected his thrust with a parry in quinte, straightened my arm and saber to point and lunged, still just inches from the floor. I hit! My point hit his belly and the blade bent upwards in a beautiful arc. A strike! A beautiful, wonderful, unexpected hit.

My point and the bout was mine!

The look of surprise and shock on Charlie’s face was worth all the tea in China to me at that moment. Quincy and Ian even clapped a little. They had to help me up out of my crouch of course, as my old legs had locked up on me, and I couldn’t get up unaided, but I didn’t care. I had held back time. Youth was kept at bay!

The rites of passage would have to wait for another day. We took off our masks, shook hands left handed, and I tottered to my chair.

I took off my gauntlet and was inspecting my little finger that had been wacked hard in the bout when Charlie said: “Ready to go again, Dad?” H

The American

WINING & DINING Reviews by Virginia E Schultz

A

Carluccio’s

fter fourteen books on Italian cuisine and numerous appearances on TV, including having his own series, Antonio Carluccio, with his thick white hair and stocky build, is a well known personality to English television viewers. Although originally coming to the UK as a wine merchant, he and his then wife, Priscilla, opened an Italian food shop, Carluccio’s. Today, Carluccio’s operates all over the UK as well as Dublin and the Middle East.

Like most Americans, Maxine Howe and I grew up eating spaghetti and meat balls. The pasta pantry in our parent’s homes consisted of two sizes of what we called pasta, thick and thin. Polenta, dried beans and mushrooms weren’t found in most homes except those of our Italian neighbours. Olive oil was strong in scent and flavour and except when dining in an Italian restaurant, we never used it on salads. Today, in supermarkets across England and the States, one can find exceptional olive oils from all over Italy as well as dozens of other foods from lentils to fig jam. The first time I visited Carluccio’s wasn’t to eat, but to buy buffalo mozzarella and balsamic vinegar.

When Maxine and I entered Antonio’s St. Christopher’s Place restaurant, a little before seven, it

26 November 2012

St. Christopher’s Place, London, W1U 1AY. Tel: 020 7935 5927, www.carluccios.com

was already half full. The weather was warm, the tables outside filled with customers. While we studied the menu, Maxine had the Aperol Spritz (£5.95), the classic Venetian aperitif topped with Prosecco and soda, and I a Bellini (£5.95) which consists of peach puree and Prosecco. To nibble on, we ordered the savoury bread tin (£3.95), consisting of freshly baked sliced focaccia, Ligurian crisp bread, Tuscan breads, and tiny bowls of olive oil and butter, along with marinated green and black pitted olives (£2.75) and Parma ham wrapped onto bread sticks and chunks of Parmesan (£4.95) the kind of easy starters I reminded myself to serve guests at home.

There are thirteen pasta dishes on the menu and we decided to have the Tasting Trio to Share (£19.95). The Pasta con Funghi, egg pappardelle with a mix of shiitake, oyster, porcini and button mushrooms was to return for, as was the Tortelloni di Cervo filled with wine braised venison.

The Funghi alone was £8.75 and the Tortelloni £9.35. The Penne Giardiniera which we chose third (as 50p went to Action Against Hunger) was, sadly, disappointing. The courgette and spinach balls were barely there,

and next to no garlic that either of us could taste. Definitely not a dish we’d order again.

What we did appreciate was the wine. Unlike too many restaurants, Carluccio’s has a small but excellent selection of wines at reasonable prices, by the glass or bottle.

I enjoyed immensely my glass of Pinot Grigio ‘Ramato’ Puiattino, Friuli Venezia Giulia (glass £5.75/£8.00 or £21.50 a bottle) as did Maxine her Gavi di Gavi ‘La Minaia’ Piemonte (glass £5.95/£8.50 or £22.00 a bottle).

On the wine list was Amarone, Le Vigne 2000 (£36.00) made of semidried grapes, which I can highly recommend; if I hadn’t been driving, I’d have ordered what is often described as the “king” of Italian wines. In fact, next time I’m at their food shop on Neal Street I’m going to look for it.

Dessert for me was vanilla and possibly the best chocolate ice cream I’ve had in ages, while Max enjoyed tiramisu. I ended with an espresso (£1.80), and Maxine with a cappuccino (£2.25). As much as I adore cappuccino, thanks to a former Italian American boyfriend, I can’t drink it after 11 am in fear he’ll come back and haunt me.

The American

BENTLEY’S SEA GRILL At Harrods

87-135 Brompton Road London SW1X 7XL 020 7730 1234 # 4262

R

ichard Corrigan is one of those larger-than-life chefs you notice as soon as you enter a room. It’s not only his Irish accent, but the way the big man himself moves through the restaurant, a glass of champagne in his large hand, talking and greeting friends, acquaintances and strangers, that reminded me of an old fashioned Irish politician in a 1940s film.

Fortunately, the room was not smoke filled, and the men did not have guns bulging from their designer suit jackets. It was press night the first time I was at Bentley’s, but I’ve been back twice with friends visiting London to enjoy the hot rock oysters and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. With the oysters, one can have a dish of Vietnamese sauce and shallots, although I prefer to stick with a slice of lemon. They are about the best oysters I’ve had in London this year, which was the reason I returned.

Now, let’s get the negative part over with. The seating! On press night, both Jennifer Atterbury and I had difficulty getting seated on

the stools, as did my friend Louise the day we were there. There is nothing to put one’s foot on to push yourself into a comfortable position, especially when wearing a skirt, as I noticed watching a young woman in her early twenties wiggle and worm herself onto the stool. Long legs like mine are helpful in getting down, as my five foot two friend said, after a handsome young man seeing her having a problem lifted her from the seat and onto the floor.

The original Bentley’s was founded in 1916 and is still located in the same Victorian building off Piccadilly. When the restaurant came up for sale in 2005, Richard, who worked in the restaurant’s kitchen in the 1990s, bought it and restored it to its original Arts and Crafts-inspired interior. A similar design with a more modern touch has been recreated in Harrods, including the oyster shell lamps and the classic English silver plate tableware and cutlery.

There are other dishes besides oysters. Salt cod ‘Scotch eggs’ are

served in egg cartons, and plaice goujons are beautifully fried and come in paper cones. And smoked salmon, smoked in Bentley’s own smoker, is not thinly sliced but comes in small chunks, which I prefer. There’s a seafood selection of lobster, dressed crab, and beautifully fried squid and prawns grilled to perfection. Also from the grill are wild salmon, wild sea bass, John Dory and Dover sole. I haven’t tasted Bentley’s fish pie - first served at the Queen’s 80th birthday as part of the BBC series Great British Menu - yet, but after what I heard from friends, it’s definitely something I plan to have next time I’m there. There is also a choice of desserts including chocolate mousse and crème brûlée.

The wine list mainly focuses on Old World wines.

The restaurant is not cheap, but you won’t find better seafood anywhere in London. Now, if only I could manage to sit on those stools without going through gymnastic contortions.

November 2012 27

The American

CHOCOLATE

WITH PAUL YOUNG

C

hocolate has always been my weakness. However, it wasn’t until recently, when a friend served me Port and Stilton chocolate truffles, that I learned how versatile it can be. She got the recipe from Paul A. Young who is considered one of the leading chocolatiers in the world, and has appeared on television in the UK as well as The Today Show in the USA. I bought his book Adventures with Chocolate after I met him at the opening of his store in Soho which was later “borrowed” by my youngest daughter, the best cook in the family.

It’s believed the word chocolate is derived from the Yucatec Maya word “chokol” meaning hot and the Nahuatl “atl” meaning water in the Aztec language. There are longer explanations, but one thing for certain is Europeans were not familiar with chocolate until after the Spanish Conquest. As I’m at a freelance writer’s meeting in Soho almost every month, I often stop at Young’s store on Wardour Street to buy chocolate as a special treat for myself or to offer with coffee at the end of a lunch or dinner party.

It wasn’t until my friend’s dinner party that I took out my notes from

28 November 2012

Adventures with Chocolate (Hardback) £17.99 SHOPS 143 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 8WA 33 Camden Passage, Islington, London N1 8EA 20 The Royal Exchange, Threadneedle Street, London EC3V 3LP

that flagship shop opening in Soho, and re-read what he told us that afternoon. Most of his customers are people like myself who regularly stop to buy chocolate. Often, it is a single chocolate to enjoy with their afternoon coffee, which, from the tone of his voice, pleased him. He didn’t use many cookbooks, but there was one by Charlie Trotter, perhaps the best chef in the States, that he’s read numerous times (Trotter unhappily closed his restaurant in Chicago this past August).

After studying hotel catering and management, Paul worked his way up through several restaurants until he became head pastry chef for Marco Pierre White at Quo Vadis and Criterion. Not long after this, Paul, with his business partner James Cronin, opened their first shop in Camden Passage, Islington which was where I first tasted his chocolates.

Before that tasting, I was convinced most chocolate in the UK was as bad as in the States and usually bought only imported Swiss or French chocolate when I indulged my weakness.

Most people prefer solid chocolate or truffles, although much of it is age driven, according to Paul. The

late 20s to early 40s are usually the foodies willing to experiment, and then there is the older age group who prefer the classics such as cream or caramel. As for myself, a woman of a certain age, I’m with the experimental group and love when I find a chocolate at Paul’s that I haven’t tasted before. From Paul I learned (yes, I did listen despite savouring his chocolates) that Ecuadorian chocolate blends beautifully with pink peppercorns and saffron, while Venezuelan chocolate goes deliciously with cinnamon or chili. It was after this I began adding a touch of Venezuelan chocolate to my Chili Con Carne and it really made a difference.

Paul has not stopped experimenting with chocolate. His brownies, I might add, are about the best I’ve tasted. One last, hopefully helpful note: according to Paul, a honeycured bacon, Stilton and chocolate sandwich is the perfect cure for a hangover. Perhaps I should recommend that to my friends the next time they have one too many of my Chocolate Martinis. For information on his master classes in chocolate call: 020 7424 5750 or check paulayoung.co.uk. H

The Best Fine Dining Italian Restaurant in Surrey We are pleased to announce that Francesco Mazzei, the rising star of Italian cooking in London, has been appointed as Consultant Chef at La Capanna Restaurant.

His Head Chef is Claudio Milani and Davide Alberti is appointed as Sous Chef; both of whom have been working for him for a number of years.

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Special Offer La Capanna is offering great value for the new set lunch menu.

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Forthcoming Event La Capanna presents TENORS Unlimited The rat pack of Opera

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The American

Cellar Talk

By Virginia E Schultz

Thanksgiving Wines

W

ith Thanksgiving almost upon us, I look for an American wine that will match up to the various tastes and smells that go with the turkey being served to friends and guests on the fourth Thursday of this month. Not only will there be turkey, but mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, string beans etc., as well as a spicy tart cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, corn bread... I could go on and on. As it is Thanksgiving, in my mind our greatest holiday, it needs to be an American wine.

Finding an American wine can be difficult in London, especially if you want to try one before you buy. I must be honest, as much as I love American wines, they ain’t cheap and just to taste for the sake of tasting is not always possible. That’s one of the reasons I look for American wine tastings and dinners offered by various restaurants.

Recently I attended a Ridge tasting and dinner at The Palm Restaurant in London. The Palm offers a series of monthly dinners from September to July featuring mainly American wines. Although most of the guests are American, there are always Brits and other nationalities who have either lived in the States or appreciate American wines. In fact, it is a great place to meet people, especially if you’re interested in wine and food. The dinners are not cheap, running around £100 a head, but for anyone who wants to know more about American wines this

30 November 2012

is the perfect opportunity to try everything from Cakebread to Silver Oaks to Frog’s Leap to Silverado to Jordan wines.

Ridge Vineyards is a California winery specializing in premium Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Chardonnay wines. In 1971 their Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon became famous in a wine tasting when it beat out the top premier cru wines of France, not once but several times, and it has continued this winning streak ever since. A number of years ago, I splurged on a case of six of Monte Bello, and along with Opus it is the wine I serve to connoisseur European friends. Both wines never fail to impress. However, as much as I love Monte Bello, I would never serve it at a Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving is not the time to serve a top wine of any kind. With all the various dishes, and all the flavors from spicy to sweet, a Monte Bello or a Château Lafite cannot be appreciated. Save them for a dinner with friends who know and appreciate fine wines, or that acquaintance who wants to know more.

And that includes the young.

Years ago, my youngest daughter and her friend Sara were having a dinner party at my home in Belgravia. At the time I had a real wine cellar and I told the two girls they could choose the wine. Now, I had my best wines hidden, but I should have known that two eighteen year olds would find them. Afterwards,

WINE OF THE MONTH GRADONI Curtefranca Rosso D.O.C. 2005 (Medium priced) Recently, I was served this Italian wine with grouse. It would go with beef or pork as well, but with the game shot by my hostess on a trip to Scotland, it was the perfect accompaniment. Afterwards, we also enjoyed it with an aged cheddar, and again, perfection.

THANKSGIVING SELECTIONS Definitely Zinfandel. It’s origin may not be American, but it’s been improved by us for over 100 years. I adore Turley’s Zinfindel Old Vines 2009 with its smoky flavours that finish almost cinnamon at the finish. Around £25.00.

For those who don’t want a red, Bump: Sauvignon Blanc Sonoma Coast Adobe Vineyard 2009, around £20.00.

Sara, whose family had been in the wine business for several generations, informed me that everyone thought the two bottles of Château Rothschild were the best wine they ever tasted.

Each of the wine dinners held in a private room at The Palm will feature dishes from the restaurant’s 86 year history, and the food will fully complement the wine. For more information: call: 020 7201 0710 or email Marc Whitley, the restaurant manager, at mwhitley@thepalm. com. Their address is 1 Pont Street, SW1X 9EJ in Belgravia. H

The american women’s healTh cenTre london www.awhc.co.uk OB GYN

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The Best Fine Dining Italian Restaurant in Surrey

Christmas at La Capanna Seasonal Celebration 2012 Christmas at La Capanna is an ideal way to reward employees, impress clients or celebrate the festive season with family and friends. Our exceptional food and service will delight your guests.

Set Lunch Menu – Three-course Menu at £25.00 Party Menu – Three-course Menu at £32.00 or Four-Course Menu at £45.00 Chrismas Day Menu £85.00 Boxing Day Menu £25.00 New Years Eve Gala Dinner & Dance 4 Course Menu £90.00 La Capanna Restaurant – Address: 48 High Street, Cobham, Surrey KT11 3EF. Tel: 01932 862121. www.lacapanna.co.uk Private Parking Available

The American

CHOICE RS Mitchell: Horizon Celia Lendis Contemporary, High Street, Moreton-in-Marsh Gloucestershire GL56 0AF www.celialendis.com To November 7

Peter Lely (1618-80), Nymphs by a Fountain, c. 1654, Oil on canvas, 128.9 x 144.8 cm Dulwich Picture Gallery, London

Peter Lely: A Lyrical Vision The Courtauld Gallery, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 0RN www.courtauld.ac.uk To January 2013 With a career that spanned the English Civil War, Dutch born Sir Peter Lely’s skill allowed him to shrewdly navigate a path that included being in favor with King Charles I, famously painting Oliver Cromwell ‘warts and all’, and still being the pre-eminent portrait painter once Charles II had been restored to the throne. Famous for his portraits of court beauties, he defied the atmosphere of the Civil War to produce extraordinary pastoral landscapes and mythological paintings such as those gathered together for this exhibition, including arguably his most famous nonportrait, Nymphs by a Fountain.

32 November 2012

The story goes that Steve Mitchell’s first Self-Portrait was so photorealistic that it was ignored by evaluators at art school, as they believed parts of it to be cut-outs from photos in magazines. Mitchell nearly quit.

Instead he became a scenic painter, first for the BBC, and then for numerous Hollywood and British movies – Harry Potter, Batman, Pirates of the Caribbean – in which he sometimes worked on canvases the length of football fields. The paintings in this exhibition reflect his on-set experiences, placing the paraphernalia of the movie-making process and usually unseen movie-making assistants into the foreground, so that Mitchell’s landscapes become scenic backdrops within his own work.

Thomas Hollis by Sir Joseph Wilton, c.1760 © NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, LONDON

Marilyn Monroe: A British Love Affair and The Lost Prince: The Life & Death of Henry Stuart National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place, London WC2H 0HE www.npg.org.uk Monroe to March 24, Lost Prince to January 13 British photographic obsession with Marilyn Monroe is examined in Marilyn Monroe: A British Love Affair, in which Antony Beauchamp, Cecil Beaton and Jack Cardiff are just some of the photographers whose work is featured. Monroe’s four month British visit, when she mixed with the likes of Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier and poet Edith Sitwell, is reproduced alongside photos of the actress at a Royal Command film performance, meeting Queen Elizabeth II. Also at the National Portrait Gallery is The

R.S Mitchell, Glass Matte (2012), oil on linen, 135cm x 270cm

©THE ARTIST

The American

A Bigger Splash: Painting after Performance Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG www.tate.org.uk November 14 to April 1

Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite National Park, California, about 1937.

Photograph by Ansel Adams. Image courtesy of David H. Arrington ©THE ANSEL ADAMS PUBLISHING RIGHTS TRUST

Lost Prince: The Life & Death of Henry Stuart, which brings together a collection of works to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the death of the man who would have been King Henry IX of England (his brother Charles I ultimately ascended the throne). The exhibit includes portraits

by Holbein, Nicholas Hilliard and Isaac Oliver, designs by Inigo Jones, poetry by Ben Jonson, together with drawings, books, armor and more.

The National Portrait Gallery also recently secured the UK’s last portrait of Londoner Thomas Hollis, not a widely-known name, but a key figure in American independence.

A champion of American colonial rights, associate of Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, he opposed the Stamp Act of 1765 which proposed taxation without representation, lobbied parliament, published the works of American radicals, and was a generous donor to Harvard (whose electronic library catalogue system is named after him). The marble bust

by Sir Joseph Wilton RA, a celebrated sculptor of the time, somewhat

playfully depicts Hollis in the style of Roman senator Brutus who, of course, stopped at nothing to ensure democracy prevailed in Rome.

Using David Hockney’s 1967 painting A Bigger Splash as a jumping off point (there’s a joke in there somewhere), Tate Modern this month opens an exhibition looking at the relationship between performance and painting since 1950, bringing together works

by Hockney and Jackson Pollock, Niki de St Phalle’s Shooting Pictures and paintings by the Vienna Actionists.

Expanding the brief, the use of the body and face as canvases is also investigated, including the work of American photographer Cindy Sherman. Whether this exhibition’s approach is successful in drawing a connection between artists as diverse as Pollock and Sherman

Ansel Adams: Photography from the Mountains to the Sea National Maritime Museum, Romney Road, Greenwich SE10 9NF www.rmg.co.uk November 9 to April 28 The Royal Museums Greenwich – a fabulous collection of destinations in their own right – begin a display of over 100 of Ansel Adams’ breathtaking landscape photographs this month. Adams’ stunning and highly influential depictions of the American continent capture the land in its unspoilt, near-fantastical glory.

His jaw-dropping images of rapids, lakes, rivers and seascapes take up poignant residency at the National Maritime Museum, the purity of Adams’ natural world in stark contrast to the exploitative human endeavour recalled in The Atlantic: Slavery, Trade, Empire, also on at the Museum.

Niki de Saint Phalle, Shooting Picture, 1961 © THE ESTATE OF NIKI DE SAINT PHALLE, PHOTO: TATE

November 2012 33

The American

will be interesting to see, but it’s certainly a fresh framework for a display of Tate Modern’s resident favorites.

LAST CHANCE TO SEE...

Gillian Ayres Jerwood Gallery, Rock-a-Nore Road, Hastings, East Sussex TN34 3DW www.jerwoodgallery.org To November 25 On the subject of an artist’s approach to the canvas, Hastings’ Jerwood Gallery finds itself in harmony with Tate Modern this month, with an exhibit of the early (1957-60) work of British abstract artist Gillian Ayres CBE, marking 30 years since Ayres was elected as an Associate Royal Academician. This collection of paintings, often employing a more limited palette than her celebrated later oil paintings such as Antony and Cleopatra (1982) illustrates a more fluid, less spatially specific application of vinyl colour, but is no less dramatic or identifiable as Ayres’.

Gillan Ayres in her studio in Chiswick Mall, 1958. Courtesy of Alan Cristea and Jerwood gallery.

34 November 2012

ARTIST PROFILE

SUSAN

Swartz Abstract Artist and ...Environmental Crusader?

Catch our full length interview with Susan online at www.theamerican.co.uk Does your astonishing use of color arise from the shift to acrylic, or did you feel constrained, chromatically, by watercolor?

When I first moved to Utah, it was difficult for me to find watercolor paper so I started to really explore acrylics. Acrylics lent themselves to the boldness and drama of the American West. Autumn is of course our most dramatic season. As the

Susan Swartz, Winter Hush II, acrylic on linen, 48 x72”

peak of the aspen glory is upon us in Utah, I am reminded that beyond the biological explanation of foliage – only God could have invented such a preposterous idea. I imagine him up there saying “hmmmm – now let’s really blow their minds!” That’s how I often feel in front of a blank canvas – playing with color and brushstrokes. Autumn somehow gives me permission to break all the rules – chartreuse, eggplant, cobalt blue and tangerine oranges – they swirl in my mind like autumn leaves.

Is the wide spectrum used in your paintings of trees in part to convey the active, living nature of the forest?

Forests are the great subject of my career – the spectrum of colors created as light from different times of the day and year pass through the branches and leaves; the shadows they create; the look, feel and sound of wind passing through them; the architecture of their roots and branches. In Utah we have aspens we call “Quakies”. They stand firm and tall and have an interconnected root system – we as humans have interconnected root systems ... we need to preserve our natural habitat to preserve ourselves.

The American

Breath of Nature

Belgravia Gallery, 45 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4JL www.belgraviagallery.com October 22 to November 24 Why not remind viewers of the spiritual world we all share and that nature so perfectly connects each of us? Hope and faith are powerful.

Above: Susan Swartz, Moonlit Moment, acrylic on linen, 60x60” Right: Susan Swartz, Rhapsody Of Colors, acrylic on linen, 36x60” at Michael James Fine Art

Can you remember ever seeing nature as merely ‘subject matter’, or was it a passion for the natural world that inspired you to concentrate on landscape painting, or even to become an artist in the first place?

I have always been an artist. As a child I was always interested in composition – creating still life vignettes in my house or piecing together outfits that brought together harmony to my eye. Over the course of my life I found landscapes and painting the natural world is where I felt most connected and inspired. Perhaps I approached landscapes first as ‘subject matter’, but through illness the natural world became a refuge and simultaneously a cause.

Your art seems to go beyond the physical or purely aesthetic. Could you paint the way you do, without some dimension of faith?

No, my faith is the basic inspiration for me – I start every painting with faith and I end every painting with faith – and I employ a lot of faith in between! I sign every painting with GTG, Glory to God. Incredibly, this is your first exhibition in London. How important is it to you to have Louie Psihoyos and Robert

Kennedy Jr (right) join you here to spread an environmental message?

Louie, Bobby and I have been friends for many years and have been working together since producing the documentary film Mercury Rising which is distributed with The Cove.

You can view it on my website (www. susanswartz.com).

How do you react to the phrase ‘environmental crusader’?

Proud for anyone to call me that!

If my personal experiences enlighten any one to eat differently, to support the protection of our clean air and water, and to consider their personal responsibility for the future they leave to their children and grandchildren… then call me what you wish!

There is nothing of the oil-blackened guillemot or harpooned mammal about your environmental message.

Do you believe that it’s better to accentuate the divine gift than man’s failings when it comes to nature?

Absolutely! Why dwell on the negative – so many others do that – why not focus on the natural beauty gifted to and surrounding all of us?

Would you say that the relationship between mankind and nature is one of failed stewardship, misplaced priorities, or simple ignorance?

Really a combination of all three.

Often we don’t understand the consequences of our actions. Mankind has the power of our minds. We are creative and can resolve problems.

Any process forward requires honesty, good faith and openness, and a willingness to learn not only new things, but from our mistakes and from each other.

Will you be taking in the British countryside while you are over here?

Last January, my husband and I visited Kent. We spent a very snowy day at Knole, and the park surrounding this amazing stately home inspired my Winter Hush series. We look forward to several long country walks – the place for me to find inspiration for my next paintings! H

The American

Squeeze: Pop Up Shop 2012 UK Winter Tour Much loved British songsmiths and good-time live performers Squeeze hit the road again, something that many thought would never happen after various band bust-ups. Their Spot The Difference Tour in 2010 and an appearance at this year’s seminal US Festival Coachella proved so successful that front men and co-founders Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook have let waters run under the bridge and now, with special guest Paul Heaton (ex-Housemartins and Beautiful South), they’re playing over 20 dates across Britain. November 16th Guildford, G Live; 17th Cambridge, Corn Exchange; 19th Bristol, Colston Hall; 20th Plymouth Pavilions; 21st Brighton, Dome; 23rd Bournemouth, Academy; 24th Reading, Hexagon; 26th Cardiff, St David’s Hall; 27th Folkestone, Leas Cliff Hall; 28th Southend, Cliffs Pavilion; 30th Birmingham, Symphony Hall; December 1st Manchester, Apollo; 2nd Sheffield, Academy; 4th Leeds, Academy; 5th Nottingham, Royal Concert Hall; 6th Norwich, UEA; 8th Newcastle, City Hall; 9th Glasgow, Academy; 10th Liverpool, Philharmonic Hall; 12th London, HMV Forum; 13 London, Shepherds Bush Empire; 14th London, IndigO2.

MUSIC Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon PHOTO TOM ØVERLIE

LIVE AND KICKING Ben Folds Five

More band reunions... This winter, original BFF members Ben Folds, Darren Jessee and Robert Sledge return to the UK for the first time since Christmas 1999. They initially got together in the summer of 2011 to record three new songs for the career retrospective 3-CD set The Best Imitation Of Myself: A Retrospective and had such a good time that they recorded a full new album, The Sound of the Life of the Mind. See them having fun in the run up to Christmas: November 23rd Bristol, Academy; 24th Nottingham, Rock City; 26th Dublin, Vicar Street; 29th Manchester, Apollo; 30th Glasgow, Academy; December 1st Leeds, Academy; 3rd Birmingham, Academy; 4th & 5th Brixton, Academy.

Bon Iver

Bon Iver, the alt-folk band (please note, the name very much refers to the band rather than the main man, Justin Vernon himself, as all the official releases make plain) are playing four arena shows in the UK this month, part of a full European tour.

The dates follow the release of an EP snappily entitled iTunes Session,

36 October 2012

with seven tracks, all recorded live, including a cover of Bjork’s Who Is It? and a live version of the band’s recent single Holocene. Not enough to keep Bon Iver fans satiated? Try the sneaker designed by the band for LA-based ‘cruelty free’ footwear brand Keep – a ‘salmon’ pink canvas shoe featuring ‘herringbone accents and a black fishbone detail across the toe’. Nice! See if you can spot Justin wearing the animal-friendly shoes at London, Wembley Arena on November 8th, then on the 9th at Manchester Arena; 10th Glasgow, SECC; 12th Dublin, Arena.

Jack White

More live recordings: Jack White has released a double LP album consisting of his live show and live versions of his solo debut album Blunderbuss, recorded at Third Man Records’ 3 Year Anniversary Party in March this year. He’s backed by his two live bands, the all-female Peacocks and their male counterparts The Buzzards.

The LPs are packaged in a ‘Lenticular’ gatefold cover – two separate images depending on which angle you view it at – and pressed on split color black & blue vinyl. Coool! See Jack live on

The American

November 2nd (Willy Moon as support) & 3rd London, Alexandra Palace (support, The Kills); 4th Bridlington, Spa Theatre and Royal Hall (support at remaining dates, Willy Moon); 6th Blackpool, Empress Ballroom Arena; 7th Birmingham, Academy; 8th Edinburgh, Usher Hall.

Alanis Morissette

Flirting, as ever, with the unusual, Alanis Morissette has launched a series of ‘Webisodes’ so you can keep in touch with her between live appearances and recordings. The first Webisode Morissette went live in October and discussed the return of social commentary in music. The second looked at the how her spiritual practices helped while she was working on her latest album. “Being with [my son] really inspired me,” she said. “One of the sweet parts of writing at home was that I was able to be metres away from our garden.

It was sort of the antithesis of my past experiences of having been semi-claustrophobic in dark studios.”

Has this sweetness and light affected her sometimes angst-ridden live performances? Find out on November 28th at London, O2 Arena; 29th Nottingham, Arena; and 30th Liverpool, Echo Arena.

The Beach Boys 50th Anniversary Tour Royal Albert Hall

Heroes... and Villain?

D

id Mike Love ‘fire’ Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and David Marks, the other original members of The Beach Boys? He’s denied it in a statement in the LA Times, saying that he couldn’t fire them as he is not their employer and that they had only an agreement to play “50 dates in 50 major markets”. 25 more were added. “As the year went on, Brian and Al wanted to keep the 50th anniversary tour going beyond the 75 dates” but some smaller gigs had been arranged and “It is not feasible, both logistically and economically, for the 50th anniversary tour to play these markets” Bye bye Brian, Al and David.

Brian Wilson responded, “As far as I know I can’t be fired - that wouldn’t be cool... What’s confusing is that by Mike not wanting or letting Al, David and me tour with the band, it sort of feels like we’re being fired... In any case happy anniversary, I loved it and I think we knocked it out of the park for what it’s worth.”

It comes down to what you think The Beach Boys is. Love’s version, a perennial summer of ‘63, Surfin’ USA and Little Deuce Coupe on the radio.

Or Brian’s – all that, plus the later, deeper, complex works that many believe to be some of the greatest popular music ever to come out of America. So, to the concert...

The Beach Boys

PHOTO © MATT KENT

That’s why God made the radio The last time The Beach Boys played London was 40 years ago.

And there they were. So close we could see every gesture as they slipped easily into another classic song. It could only have been more surreal if it was The Beatles on stage. The voices? Al’s was strongest and most evocative of the records. Mike’s thinner but driving. Brian’s frail but beautiful – they were his tunes, don’t forget.

The band? Brilliantly recreating every surf tune and nuanced Pet Sounds-on piece. The songs? No point in listing them, pretty much every hit plus a whole lot of their own favorites, 61 over the evening.

The two sung on video by Brian’s departed brothers Carl and Dennis, accompanied by the live band, were stunningly moving.

As the audience started filing out after the last scheduled encore, Brian quietly returned to the piano and started playing Summer’s Gone from the new album, That’s Why God Made The Radio. Bemused, the band came back to join him as he sang “Old friends have gone / They’ve gone their separate ways / Our dreams hold on / For those who still have more to say.” The best concert The American has ever been to? Oh yes. And Brian Wilson made it so.

November 2012 37

The American

ALBUMS THEOF MONTH Walking Papers

Walking Papers Boredom Killing Business/Sunyata Records It’s a new name, but these grizzled grunge veterans ain’t newbies.

Drummer and multi-instrumentalist Barrett Martin says, “Walking Papers is excited to play our first international dates in the UK. Two of us have debuted our first bands in London: Duff [McKagan, bass] with Guns & Roses, myself with both Skin Yard and Screaming Trees.

The British people understand rock & roll like no other country in the world, which is why fellow Seattleites Jimi Hendrix and Mudhoney went there, and why Walking Papers is going there as well. Jeff Angell, our singer and guitarist, is a natural storyteller, and Ben Anderson plays keyboards like a classic soul man session player. With Duff and I as the rhythm section, let’s just say we are the seasoned veterans. We play old school, gritty, bluesy American rock & roll, and as a quartet, that’s as real as it gets.”

38 November 2012

He’s right, it’s old school, bluesrock, but with a few twists. Opener Already Dead surprises with its pace – slow and languid – and instrumentation. Throughout the album existing fans will be startled by marimbas, vibraphone and solo trumpet (The Butcher has echoes of Tom Waits’ Rain Dogs). But fear not, The Whole World’s Watching turns the volume up with swaggering guitar and Red Envelopes swings with sassy horns and a 70s-gritty riff. In the engine room, Martin and McKagan sound like they have played together forever, Angell is tough and assured and Anderson adds flourishes of color. Is Walking Papers a permanent arrangement or a side project? Either way, get the album and see them live. You’ll either catch a big band in its early stages, or an exciting one-off shooting star.

Tour dates: The UK and European shows in November, supported by Gun and Buffalo Summer, are: 5th Manchester, Ruby Lounge; 6th Rugby, The Vault; 7th Grimsby, Yardbirds; 8th Brighton, The Haunt; 10th Paris, Noveau Casino; 11th London 100 Club.

Walking Papers (with Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, right) PHOTO: CHARLES PETERSON

Little Big Town

Tornado Humphead (UK), Capitol Nashville (USA) Little Big Town are Karen Fairchild, Jimi Westbrook, Kimberly Schlapman and Phillip Sweet.

The quartet have taken close harmonies in country music from the porch to the arena.

A distinctly modern take on country, crossing over into straight pop or rock, is given a unique gloss by their melded harmonies. Individually good, their voices work best together, particularly here on the heavenly Can’t Go Back .

Overall Tornado is a grittier affair than some of their earlier albums, with swampy guitars and (low in the mix) fiddles offsetting the sweet vocals, possibly because the singers used their touring band rather than Nashville session players. Standout tracks, Pavement Ends, Can’t Go Back and the Little Feat-esque Front Porch Thing.

The American IMAGES © SIMON KANE 2012

THEATER REVIEWS

Choir Boy A

fter the unmentionable American Trade for the RSC, it is great to see Tarell Alvin McCraney return to form.

One of the rising stars of American theater, he’s a young black male voice with great sense of assurance and an ear for poetry. His Brother/Sister trilogy is a landmark of new theatre writing of the past 20 years.

As usual with McCraney, he aims high, and this one is set in an all male, all black American prep school where he uses gospel refrains to explore the politics of minority and masculinity.

Determined to make his mark, young Pharus (Dominic Smith) is hell bent on being the best choir leader in the school’s fifty-year history. But there are obstacles: first of all, he is gay, which is just about tolerable in this milieu, but more troublingly, he is also rather effeminate, which isn’t. For Headmaster Morrow (Gary McDonald) there’s a lot riding on this showcase concert in terms of attracting wealthy funders, and a camp soloist will not “set the right tone”.

Pharus’s articulacy and intelligence make it easier for the author to tease out the contradictions in everyone’s position than if he were just shy or dim, and it makes one ponder how minorities always have to be brilliant

By Tarell Alvin McCraney Royal Court Theatre, London SW1 Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell

in these circumstances and can’t be just ordinary. An interesting dimension is added in that Smith’s portrayal of the central protagonist didn’t really render him that likeable. Despite being up against smug bully Bobby (Eric Kofi Abrefa), who is secure in his attitudes as he’s the nephew of the headmaster, Pharus’s abrasiveness challenges our expectations for a hero. McCraney lands on some really fertile ground here, namely how some people’s protestations that they’re not homophobic rubs up against their obvious aversion to effeminacy. As Pharus puts it “I can’t ever make them respect me”.

A rare weak point was the portrayal of the headmaster’s clumsy reaction to homophobic bullying, which surely can’t ring true in a modern boarding school. A crafty headmaster must have better strategies.

Race issues are also key as, unusually, are class, as the students are mostly poor scholarship boys burdened with a responsibility to deliver for their communities. McCraney introduces one white character, a wise old professor Mr Pendleton (David Burke in twinkling form) “who marched with Dr King” and is brought in to instruct the boys in creative

thinking. There is even a neat history lesson when an argument rages over whether traditional black spirituals had been clandestine instructions designed to help slaves escape.

Pharus’s eloquent and learned debunking of that theory, espoused

by Bobby, sets him further apart.

McCraney’s masterstroke, however, is to tell the story through the prism of gospel music. Under the musical direction of Colin Vassell, the young actors transformed into a convincing vocal quartet, whose a capella harmonies were beautifully woven into the action. It almost made the piece a musical and certainly blurred the barriers, something McCraney is a master at.

Designer Ultz cleverly turned the tiny studio at the Royal Court into a convincing school with the audience ranked in four small sections like parents at a graduation ceremony, and the piece has the potential to be staged on a much larger scale. Director Dominic Cooke gave it a clear focus and this really helped a work of such great ambition.

The Royal Court production is now over. The play transfers to the Manhattan Theatre Club in the spring.

November 2012 39

The American

Hedda Gabler A

nna Mackmin’s production of Hedda Gabler is in a new translation by Brian Friel (Mackmin staged Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa here to great acclaim) and it is notable for the casting in the lead of Sheridan Smith, whose star is rising like a rocket.

She deservedly won Olivier Awards and huge praise for her last two contrasting roles, in the musical Legally Blonde and the sombre Rattigan play Flare Path. The next step, she or her agent has dictated, is to take on the role which has assumed the status of a female Hamlet, a necessary hurdle for every actress aspiring to greatness. Alas, while she brings her characteristic intelligence and natural ease to the part, it’s a reading of the role that in the end misfires. Perhaps it is too soon.

Hedda, a fiercely intelligent woman, is being choked by the chains of domesticity, and while Ibsen was no feminist, it’s a landmark

part that had a profound influence on the women’s movement and on the representation of female characters on stage. A big burden therefore.

Smith approaches Hedda by playing her essentially as a bitch. There is much evidence for this, particularly in her petty cruelties to the servants and her wily manipulation of her hapless husband, George, but it leaves a hollowness at the core to the piece.

In the end, if we don’t care for her at a human level, then it’s far more difficult to get an audience to sympathise with the plight of her kind.

The counter balance for Hedda is her twittery academic friend Thea Elvsted, whose hopeless and slavish devotion to Eilert Loevborg gives her a reason for living, being trapped, as she too is, in a loveless marriage of convenience to an elderly magistrate. Often presented as skittish and deluded, here the great Fenella Woolgar steals the play by present-

© JOHAN PERSSON

40 November 2012

By Henrik Ibsen Old Vic Theatre, London SE1 Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell ing the first Thea I’ve seen who is a believable, fully rounded character and one ultimately more sympathetic than Hedda. While it’s a great performance, it knocks the piece off-kilter.

Friel’s contribution has been to draw out the human comedy element. Again, this may not suit everyone, but it does bring a welcome lightness to a piece that can often seem like a night of doing homework.

Lez Brotherston’s designs lift the piece out of its Nordic gloom and his set is the most beautiful seen in the West End in a long time. He combines a realistic setting, full of clean, white, Swedish woods with a stunning glass atrium, centre stage, which manages to cleverly conceal and reveal at the same time the normally off-stage action. It’s a glorious design solution.

Darrell D’Silva, with a badger-like demeanour, is powerful and slippery as Judge Brack, who enjoys animating the ménage à trois he’s encouraged with a cold detachment. Anne Reid (this woman is wasted in granny parts) is suitably warm-hearted as George’s Aunt Juliana and Adrian Scarborough commits his typical felony, stealing every scene he is in.

His George is perhaps a trifle too comical, although it is a joy to watch him continually pose next to Hedda, as if they’re standing for a portrait, or getting into spasms of ecstasy about his favourite slippers, which have been lovingly embroidered by his adored aunt. Ibsen’s handle on the professional jealousies of academia and the cruel workings of the class system at that time are beautifully drawn out here by Mackmin, in what is a production of great style.

The American

© CATHERINE ASHMORE

CHARLEY’S AUNT

By Brandon Thomas • Menier Chocolate Factory Theatre, London • Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell

T

o describe Charley’s Aunt as creaky is akin to describing the Himalayas as hilly. Premiered in 1892, it was a phenomenal smash hit internationally and from the outset became a staple part of the repertoire of rep companies and amateur dramatic societies. The Chocolate Factory pulls out all the stops here and gives it a supremely lavish production, which perhaps pays it more attention than it deserves.

Created as a star vehicle for famous comedian of the day, WS Penley, the part has since been hogged by everyone from Rex Harrison to Jack Benny, and Arthur Askey, star of the English music hall, made it his own, mugging to high heaven.

The plot revolves around an amorous Oxford undergraduate, Lord Fancourt Babberley, who is forced to impersonate his fellow student’s widowed Brazilian aunt when a chaperone is required so that they can entertain some lovely young ladies at luncheon. The cause of all the hilarity, therefore, is a

reluctant cross-dressing protagonist, gussied up in drab drag resembling Whistler’s Momma.

Mathew Horne, star of TV’s Gavin and Stacey, is suitably cheeky as Fancourt, and handles the physical demands with panache, though when dragged up he is also curiously un-camp, which of course is true to the original style. Then, a man in a dress was considered hilarious, but the audience had to be reminded constantly that it was a dashed uncomfortable thing for a chap to do. He’s not the only one forced to pull faces though.

All the leads here have to mug every line, drop loud asides, come out of character and engage in walloping that would do justice to The Three Stooges. This means that any line of humour coming out of the situation is lost, and very soon this broad approach gets wearisome.

Later on in the development of the genre, farces were to be played straight because that’s what makes them funny.

Nevertheless, Ian Talbot directs his starry cast with great aplomb and gives the piece a necessary dynamism. As well as Horne, Norman Pace is wonderfully gruff as the amorous Mr Spettigue and our national English Rose and all round “class act” Jane Asher is a vision of loveliness as the genuine Aunt, Donna Lucia.

The great pleasure of this production, however, is Paul Farnsworth’s designs. The costuming is perfect, and the large and lavish sets, for this tiny theatre, provide a wondrous Belle Époque diversion from the more ponderous moments of the play while the plot is cranking up.

In the supporting roles, Dominic Tighe cuts a dash as the cheeky scamp, and Steven Pacery, too, is wonderfully suave as his father, a frisky old Colonel, and Charles Kay, a veteran of this sort of thing, displays exquisite timing as usual as a crumbling old retainer.

In all, it’s a wonderfully daft romp but nowadays its style is more funny peculiar than funny ha-ha.

November 2012 41

A Chorus of Disapproval

By Alan Ayckbourn • Harold Pinter Theatre, London • Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell IMAGES © CATHERINE ASHMORE

A

ll round comedy mega-star Rob Brydon makes an exceptional West End acting debut in this long overdue revival of one of Ayckbourn’s best plays, perfectly cast as Dafydd, a cocky, self-absorbed, am-dram director in small town Wales.

Nigel Harman, also perfectly cast as the dashing cuckoo-in-the-nest, Guy, has journeyed from the hit soap EastEnders to an Olivier Award winning turn in Shrek: The Musical, and is here the hapless centre around which the action revolves. Accused by all of being calculating, he is nothing of the sort. The star wattage is further enhanced by Ashley Jensen, from TV’s Extras and Ugly Betty, who brings real warmth and deft comic timing to the part of Hannah, Dafydd’s taken-forgranted “swiss army knife” wife.

It is curious that the piece hasn’t been revived in the West End since its huge 1985 success at the National Theatre, as it appears as fresh as ever.

The subject matter of the trials of a small town amateur musical society is fertile ground – Ayckbourn relishes the opportunity to present this world: the seemingly endless rehearsals, the awful make-do casting and the petty

42 November 2012

jealousies and romances, which inevitably emerge and which often fuel more drama off-stage than on.

Here the Pendon Amateur Light Operatic Society’s production of The Beggar’s Opera is going off the rails, as per usual. The arrival of a handsome but shy widower, Guy, provides a catalyst for a torrent of sexual and professional jealousies. Harman, in a range of hideous knitwear and badly fitting trousers, expertly calibrates the development of Guy from gauche new kid on the block to the centre of attention. He keeps being promoted to more senior parts as various cast members fall away. Ayckbourn expertly maps the course of his relations with fellow cast members, his growing friendship with the director, his affairs with both Dafydd’s wife and Fay (the great Daisy Beaumont), the sexually voracious blonde-bombshell, who entraps him into the joys of swinging when he thinks he’s just been invited for dinner.

Ayckbourn’s gift for creating unique comic set ups is also sublime and here he poignantly stages Guy’s tortuous break up scene with Hannah as they are both being put through

their paces by Dafydd during a technical rehearsal. The bumbling Dafydd blunders on, rushing about the theatre completely oblivious to the real drama involving his wife, which is happening in front of him, as he tries to focus the lights, all the time berating a hapless operator.

Brydon’s Dafydd is wonderfully beige in his cardigans, resembling a pompous woodwork teacher. Revelling in his Welsh identity, he offers tutorials on how to pronounce his name. Brydon never sinks into caricature however, and is touching in the scenes when he does let his guard down. He and the rest of his cast are using am-dram as a chance to escape the disappointments and shortcomings of their so called real lives.

Robert Jones’ designs re-create the 1980s domestically and sartorially in all its hideousness, and he beautifully differentiates what the artist Grayson Perry so aptly called (on his tapestries of life in Britain) “The Vanity of Small Differences”.

Trevor Nunn’s direction needs tighter pacing quite often but this is an old fashioned West End showcase for stars and it delivers on that. H

The American

Richard III / Twelfth Night

Helen Mirren will portray Queen Elizabeth II in The Audience, at the Gielgud Theatre in 2013

Apollo Theatre, London W1D 7EZ shakespearewestend.com November 2 to February 3

PHOTO: GILES KEYTE

Using original Shakespearean practices, including an all-male cast, these sell-out productions at the Globe transfer to the West End for a 14-week run. Award-winning Mark Rylance plays the title role in Richard III as well as Olivia in Twelfth Night, with TV favorites Stephen Fry as Malvolio and Roger Lloyd Pack as the Duke of Buckingham.

THEATER PREVIEWS

Red Velvet Tricycle Theatre, London NW6 7JR www.tricycle.co.uk To November 24

The Audience Gielgud Theatre, London W1D 6AR theaudienceplay.com From February 15, booking to June 15, 2013

Covent Garden, 1833. Superstar actor Edmund Kean collapses on stage while playing Othello, and is replaced by ‘The African Tragedian’, American actor Ira Aldridge. The critical ascension of a pioneer for black acting is captured by writer Lolita Chakrabarti and award-winning actor Adrian Lester (who will himself play Othello at the National Theatre next year) as Aldridge.

Dame Helen Mirren again takes up the role of Elizabeth II as she did in The Queen (for which she and screenwriter Peter Morgan were buried in awards) in a world premiere set to take up residency at the Gielgud Theatre in 2013.

Rather than portraying a snapshot of Elizabeth’s reign, however, Peter Morgan’s new play portrays crucial meetings between the Queen and 60 years of Prime Ministers, from Winston Churchill to David Cameron, highlighting the New Elizabethan age as the Queen moves from young mother to grandmother. Directed by Stephen Daldry, tickets are now on sale.

Steel Pier

Adelphi Theatre, London WC2R 0NS www.thebodyguardmusical.com Previews from November 6

Union Theatre, London SE1 0LX www.uniontheatre.biz October 31 to November 24

Based on the smash hit film, and surely destined to be a smash itself, Tony and Grammy awardwinning American singer/actress Heather Headley (interviewed in The American last month) plays Rachel Marron to Lloyd Owen’s former Secret Service agent Frank Farmer.

Thea Sharrock (Sunshine Boys, Equus) directs this combined love story/ thriller/musical.

Fifteen years after first appearing on Broadway, London hosts the European premiere of this romantic dance extravaganza set in 1930s Atlantic City, based loosely on the film They Shoot Horses Don’t They?

Composed by Kander and Ebb (Cabaret, Chicago), Steel Pier stars American Sarah Galbraith, and reunites Rent director Paul Taylor-Mills and choreographer Richard Jones.

Adrian Lester as Ira Aldridge in Red Velvet

PHOTO: HUGO GLENDINNING

The Bodyguard

November 2012 43

The American

Seussical

BOOKS & DVDS

Arts Theatre, London WC2H 7JB www.seussical-london.com December 4 to January 6

Cross (TaschenPurpose Books, £44.99)

King’s Head Theatre, London N1 1QN Even before she met Paul McCartwww.kingsheadtheatre.com ney, Linda was capturing To November Eastman 11

the world on film. Her shots in this book A manrange returns from home spontaneous to bring good family portraits tomother studio sessions with fortune to his and sister, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson deciding to remain anonymous as well as artists Koonwith fatal results.Willem Nobel de Laureate ing andCamus’ Gilberttale andofGeorge.

One Albert guesthouse feels herissensitivity whether she’s murder now underway. photographing children, celebrities, animals or moments Quartermaine’s Terms in everyday life.

This volume, from Wyndham’s Theatre, selected London WC2H 0DAan archive of over 200,000 pictures, Also in Bath and Brighton (see below) was produced in collaboration with Paul www.quartermainesterms.com and their children and is a moving From January 8 testament to a warm and talented woman who Comedy legend diedRowan far tooAtkinson young. – VS (right), hot from Bean-ing the OlymMessages from the Lorax pic opening ceremony, is to appear in first role By his Shannon Guestin a play in 25 years, tackling theServices gentleLtd, wit£29.99) of this quin(Gazelle Book tessentially English drama set in a Subtitled Photographs Expres1960s language schoolof forthe foreigners. sion of Nature, thisGray bookand is perfect for Written

by Simon directed theRichard sort of person who sees shapes by Eyre, Quartermaine’s Terms in clouds, like myRoyal smallBrighton daughter, runs at theor, Theatre perceives animals the artexing.

(8-12 January) andin Theatre Royal This collection of photographs Bath (14-19 January) before a12 revealrun elemental faces and shapes week at the Wyndham.

44 November 2012

Military History £19.99, 3 DVD set

Blue/Orange www.atgtickets.com/blueorange Bromley, Oct 30 - Nov 3; Glasgow, Nov 6-10; Richmond, Nov 13-17; Manchester, Nov 20-24; Stoke-On-Trent, Nov 27 - Dec 1.

Joe Penhall’s award-winning play starring Robert Bathurst (Downton Abbey) continues to tour in preparation for a West End Transfer. H PHOTO: MATT CROCKETT

Linda McCartney: Life In Photographs

The Pearl Harbor Collection

“You’re not the Messiah, you’re a cartoon elephant” ...probably not enviable news for David Hunter’s agent to break to him after missing out on a TV search for the new Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar, but he may have landed on his four grey feet here in the part of the beloved Horton, who joins the Cat in the Hat in what promises to be a spirited medley of several of Dr Seuss books. The West End premiere of this family-friendly musical, co-conceived by ex-Python Eric Idle (Spamalot) and Flaherty and Ahrens (Ragtime), should prove an antidote to anyone still shuddering at the memory of Mike Myers’ 2003 film (with which it shares mercifully little beyond the title character).

“We are the free and unconquerable people of the Unites States of America” – Eleanor Roosevelt.

From Military History (part of the History Channel), comes this thorough and surprisingly fresh 3 DVD set. Disk 1 contains Tora! Tora! Tora! The Real Story of Pearl Harbor (1h30m), which jumps in with plenty of footage before backing up to 1939, providing context and covering the isolationist position taken by many before 1941. Disk 2 (The Pacific: Hell on Earth) contains two 45-minute documentaries illustrating the Pacific theater, Pearl Harbor (of course), and Guadalcanal, detailing the six-month war of attrition. The most fascinating documentary on offer, however, is Disk 3’s Pearl Harbor: 24 Hours Later (1h22m), a chronology of the aftermath of the attack: how the US Government decided on their response (with cut-aways to reconstructions of key government meetings), Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler’s reactions, the authorisation to incarcerate Japanese living in America, the plight of survivors inside the capsized USS Oklahoma back at Pearl Harbor, further Japanese attacks on the Philippines and on British bases in Malaya and Singapore.

It’s a well-constructed partner piece to the contemporary footage of the first disk, providing an impressive sense of ‘events unfolding’ and the urgency of the situation. – Richard L Gale

The American

The Casual Vacancy

By JK Rowling Published by Little, Brown Hardback, £15 Just one book reviewed this month? Well it’s a big one, with 2.5 million presales. As JK Rowling shrugs off Potter and grabs the grown ups, we task both an American and a Brit with paging through her new tome...

I

f Queen Elizabeth had written her life story it couldn’t have received more attention than the arrival of JK Rowling’s first non-children’s book.

There is nothing fantastical about this book. Instead, there’s sex, rape, self-harming, domestic violence, and death. None of the characters expect justice and their disillusionment and despair is at times almost overwhelming. This book shares with Harry Potter a dislike of smallminded and ungenerous people who care for no one but themselves.

The novel is set in the lovely, fictional Pagford, a typical English village, but not one Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple would have been familiar with. After Parish Council member Barry Fairbrother drops dead, the mean spirited muggles now have the power to reassign “the Fields”, a run down council estate, to the nearby city of Yarvil, washing their hands of any responsibility for these social down and outs. But as the election comes closer, slanderous annotations by “the ghost of Barry Fairbrother” appear on the council website.

Like the Potter books, it is at times over-descriptive and this fast reader had to slow down and re-read. Then too, as an American, I was somewhat confused by the

language of some of the characters.

One has the feeling that Rowling, after being restricted to what she could and couldn’t write, suddenly has the freedom to ride naked across the pages like some modern day Lady Godiva with a ball point pen.

There is as much swearing and sex as one expects from a Norman Mailer novel, yet there is an obvious social message. At times the book is funny, but other times Rowling seems to be recalling those years she was a single mother fighting the world alone.

Rowling creates characters that are complex and believable if not always likeable. To be honest, if the book had been written by someone else, it would not have received the media attention it has and it wouldn’t have flown off the bookshelves as furiously as it did. Still, even without Rowling’s name on the front cover, it’s the kind of book that would have made the Richard and Judy Book Club and I strongly suspect it will eventually become a TV mini-series. – Virginia E Schultz

I

didn’t read any of JK Rowling’s fantastically successful children’s books, so came to her first ‘grown

up’ novel as fresh as if it were her first. The story is set in a small town or village populated by a rich variety of people – wealthy, poor, stupid, clever, young and old. I was torn about these people and thought them a little too harshly drawn.

Children hate their parents, married couples are at war, school teachers incompetent, and so on. Part of me recognised these people immediately because I was brought up in such a place, but the more generous side of me wanted to say ‘hang on, our old Mrs B wasn’t that bad, and the pharmacist was quite dishy’. However, her portrayal of children seemed perfect to me; she never underrates them.

The story starts with a death (always a good idea) when Barry, fortyish, and a prominent member of the town, dies of an aneurysm while taking his wife to the golf club for dinner. His death leaves a gap in the Parish Council membership which, in Council terms, should be correctly called ‘a casual vacancy’. The position is disputed and the story unfolds with revelations, deceits and all the pettiness such small-scale elections can bring... and some of the fun too. If people think that JKR is being particularly unpleasant about small town folk, I’d say probably not. I have found people much the same all over the world and I think she sees it that way too. There’s certainly no magic about them!

Her descriptions are wonderful (‘...dark clothed mourners, like iron filings drawn to the church...’) and are worth reading, but such descriptions inevitably prolong this 500 page book. I would have enjoyed it 50 pages shorter. – Mary Bailey H

November October 2012 45

At last... Jaguar F-TYPE Paris’ Musée Rodin was the suitably stunning setting for the launch of the Jaguar F-TYPE. Finally! The F-Type project has been bubbling around for decades, since, well, virtually since the demise of the E-Type. There have been various designs, some more likely than others, some released more ‘officially’ than the rest, but finally Jaguar is back in the business of selling sports cars to the discerning motorist. Proper sports cars for drivers, not Grand Tourers for the well heeled. The XK range is far from soft, but it looks like the F-TYPE will be more hardcore. Signature features include all-aluminium construction, a ‘one plus one’ layout with asymmetric cabin design, two new 3-liter V6 supercharged petrol engines in 340PS and 380PS guises and a 5-liter 495PS supercharged V8, active exhaust system, eightspeed Quickshift transmission, ergonomically grouped controls inspired by fighter airplane cockpits. It is, of course, front-engined and rear-wheel drive. The design is inspired by the well received C-X16 concept unveiled in 2011, and one major difference between previous F-Type concepts is an angular grille rather than an E-esque oval. The ‘entry level’ F-TYPE will cost £58,500 in the UK, the 380PS F-TYPE S £67,500 and the F-TYPE V8 S £79,950. One question: after it’s been around for a while, can we drop the annoying CAPS LOCK?

46 November 2012

DRIVETIME

Golf BlueMotion

I love Paris in the Fall T

he American’s pick of the new models debuting at the 2012 Paris Motor Show include one super-efficient car that says ‘look at me, family motoring can be frugal as well as fun’, and a proper sports car that says ‘look at me – and drive me’!

Mega-efficient Golf BlueMotion When is a concept not a concept?

That’s not an existential, philosophical poser, just a conjecture as to how close this new Golf will be to the eventual production model.

Pretty close, I think. The concept for the new Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion made its motor show debut alongside its seventh-generation Golf siblings at the Paris Motor Show. It looks set to be one of the world’s most fuel-efficient, realistic cars. I stress realistic, because a two-seater box with a lid and a 50 mile range still ain’t going to cut it with the majority of motorists. In the real world what we we need is a car that runs on regular fuel, for long distances, that’s able to carry kids, bags, shopping, pets and the general gubbins of everyday life.

What we want is for it to be efficient

and cheap to run as well. That’s where the Golf BlueMotion comes in, and why it’s more important. It’s a genuine family car with five seats and all the Golf’s traditional attributes of comfort and safety, but it’s also predicted to return 88.3 mpg (combined cycle) and emit just 85 g/km of carbon dioxide from its 1.6litre 110 horsepower turbo-diesel engine when it goes on sale in the UK next summer. With its 50-litre fuel tank the new model has a theoretical range of 970 miles. Extraordinarily, the average motorist who drives around 9,300 miles a year will only have to refuel ten times. What magic has created such frugality?

Not magic, just clever engineering: they’ve added lightness (57lb less weight in the running gear, 81lb in the body), engine mods that reduce internal friction, super-low rolling resistance tyres with higher air pressure, higher gear ratios, the Stop/Start and battery regeneration systems that are standard in all new Golfs, and aerodynamic modifications. We can’t wait to see if we can get nearly 90mpg from a Golf when it’s released into the wild. H

The American

COLLEGE SPORTS

Opening the Debate t was supposed to be easy. The pundits told us it was in the bag.

Now, it turns out, there might actually be some voting and counting required. And yes, as you may have guessed from the fellas in the hats down there at the bottom of the page, I’m not talking about the presidential election. November is also the time when Heisman ballot papers get mailed out.

Yet as with the presidential campaigns, the confident predictions of early October are looking just a little shakier as ballot papers near.

Just as President Obama looked to be out of reach of Governor Romney, so the chasing pack of Heisman

PHOTO: PETE EMERSON, COURTESY OF WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY

Before Texas Tech, Geno Smith was the run away Heisman favorite. Now he has to make the case, writes Richard L Gale hopefuls were eating West Virginia QB Geno Smith’s dust. And then, an unexpected, though not inconceivable stumble: West Virginia routed by Texas Tech 49-14. As with Obama’s lackluster showing in the first presidential debate, there was no hint of fiasco, no hitting the wall, merely an anticlimactic ‘ho-hum’ performance.

The campaign remains solid – Geno Smith has (at press time) thrown 25 touchdowns and been intercepted precisely zero times – there was a wobble, a loss of momentum, but no gaffe. It’s just that the man who everybody thought had the job now needs to make his case.

For Smith, the October 20 matchup with Kansas State’s dualthreat QB Collin Klein is an opportunity to stretch the lead or open up debate for floating voters. And as with Romney taking to the same stage as Obama, just being in the same game opens direct comparison. It may be to Klein’s Heisman advantage that he’s going ‘head to head’ with Geno Smith (although, in fact head to head with WVU’s porous defense). By the time you read these words you’ll know how that turned out.

The Heisman chase is not a two-horse race, however. If Klein upstages Smith, Ohio State passer Braxton Miller may be next in line for hype, with the Buckeyes still on an unbeaten run – something Smith can’t claim even if WVU

downs K-State. And WVU doesn’t have an easy schedule for November, with TCU, Oklahoma, and troublesome Iowa State on the horizon.

The Heisman isn’t only about quarterbacks, of course, but that’s the way it’s looking this year.

Alabama are loaded with talent but who to back? Ducks running back De’Anthony Thomas, an expected Heisman contender, is having to share the spotlight with Kenjon Barner, and at press time, they have 9 combined TDs each. Smith has 25 TDs, Klein and Miller 17 each. The wildcards in all this are South Carolina DE Jadeveon Clowney and linebacker Manti Te’o, poster boy for the resurgent Fighting Irish. But anybody who thinks a defensive player could win this Heisman campaign probably thinks Jill Stein can win the Presidency. H

PHOTO: NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS PUBLIC RELATIONS

I

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NCAA Hoops Preview November brings the start of college basketball season.

Natimi Black-Heaven breaks down our Preseason Top 25

T

he college hoops season begins November 9 (at a military base in Germany) with the NIT Season Tip-off November 12. It all leads to the National Final, April 4, 2013 (check www.espnamerica.co.uk for TV coverage in the UK). #1 UCLA The Bruins will certainly celebrate the arrival of small forward duo Kyle Anderson and Shabazz Muhammad. They just made a great team incredible. The recruiting job done by this school is the reason why the Bruins will be near the top all season long. Shabazz Muhammad was ranked by ESPN as the number 2 freshman while Anderson was at number 5.

Expect this team to just run and gun against opponents, day in day out.

Ryan Kelly and Duke should again go deep into next March’s tournament © DUKE PHOTOGRAPHY

#2 Indiana Cody Zeller was outstanding last year. The 7’0” giant was definitely the top big man in the game and yes, the Big 10 Freshman of the year will be back. Not only that, but the Hoosiers have a great supporting cast and signed two of the top 50 recruits in Yogi Ferrell and Jeremy Hollowell. Trust me, they’re not scrubs! #3 Kentucky Recruiting master John Calipari has done it again. The Wildcats have the top recruit in Nerlens Noel, a 6’10 Anthony Davis-esque star (though Calipari is trying to dampen media comparisons), and two other top 15 recruits. #4 Louisville Big East standout Louisville represented this stacked conference in the Final Four last year.

Peyton Siva, Chane Behanan and Gorgui Dieng all made noise and are back this season, hungrier than ever. No top 50 recruits but another Final Four appearance? #5 Ohio State How do you stay in the top 10 with no top 100 recruits? You bring back two of the best college players in the country! Deshaun Thomas is an offensive powerhouse and point guard Aaron Craft is ‘big time’, plain and simple. Experience is vital in this league and this team has it. #6 Michigan Trey Burke’s season-long performance could have made him an NBA prospect last year but his decision to stay put will continue to make the Wolverines strong. Not only that, but this school’s ability to recruit talent is second to none. Michigan brings in the backboard breaking sensation Mitch McGary (ranked 3 in ESPNU’s top 100 recruits), and along with 6’6” versatile forward Glenn Robinson Jr, this team is a Final Four contender. #7 North Carolina State One of the ACC top dogs, NC State has all the pieces in place to make a long run this year.

They have a good set of incoming freshmen to help advance the team in the right direction.

Their good mixture of quality experienced returnees and newcomers is what they need to help them stand out. #8 Duke Duke has two formidable new faces this year.

After losing best player Austin Rivers oneand-done to the NBA, the Blue Devils picked up two of the top 25 recruits, most notably Rasheed Sulaimon, a scorer that will give back that offensive edge missing from Rivers.

Something they will surely need in the ACC.

48 October 2012

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Above: Point guard Aaron Craft will be a big part of Ohio State’s run towards a Big Ten championship... and maybe more... © OHIO STATE ATHLETICS

#9 Syracuse Although Syracuse lost a lot, they’re still scarily good. DaJaun Coleman will be the name to look out for as he’ll dominate in the paint. The 6’9”, 275lb recruit is a sheer force. He’ll allow the perimeter games of combo guards Brandon Triche and Michael Carter-Williams to flourish.

#13 Missouri The Tigers were upset at the very beginning of the postseason tournament, but they’re back and ready to rectify that mistake. They are a team with talent… a lot of talent. From tenacious point guard Phil Pressey to every other guy on the roster, Missouri has what it takes.

#10 North Carolina With four top 100 recruits, this team will aim for another Midwest 1 seed going into the postseason. The Tarheels are always coached tremendously and have toughness and physicality inside. They never go down without a fight and will look to lead the ACC again.

#14 Kansas The Final Four runners-up, Kansas Jayhawks won’t be as good as last year. The same team that reached the title game no longer exists and Coach Bill Self’s new recruits have some serious heavy lifting to do. Kansas always has what it takes to be elite, but this season it may prove to be a little more difficult.

#11 Arizona With a trio of big men recruits from the top 20, this team will be banging and bruising inside.

It will be hard for opponents to defend when the Wildcats get the ball inside. These boys will be tough. #12 Memphis With good players all round and the addition of power forward freshmen Shaq Goodwin, the Tigers should be ready to carve up opposition defenses with ease.

#15 Cincinnati With talent all round, the Bearcats will be in the thick of things throughout the season.

They’re not a top 10 team… yet. But with such a great coaching system and one of the league’s best guards in Sean Kilpatrick, the Bearcats will be one to watch. #16 Creighton Doug McDermott helped Creighton tremendously last year. The Junior is without a doubt

...unless the Michigan Wolverines have something to say about it © U-M PUBLIC AND MEDIA RELATIONS

the Bluejays’ best player. With his experience in this league, expect the 22.8ppg scoring machine to improve further and maybe we’ll see the wins column improve. #17 Wisconsin With a heartbreak end to their season, the Badgers will want to dig their way right through the competition. This solid team knows how to play ball. Head coach Bo Ryan enters his 29th season and owns a resume of 650+ wins. They’re in great hands. #18 Florida The Gators bring in big man Patric Young for that much needed brute force around the rim.

With the help of newly acquired guard Braxton Ogbueze, this team has a legitimate 1-2 punch that will keep opponents on their heels. #19 San Diego State Winston Shepard will help this team improve.

Don’t sleep on Jamaal Franklin either. His solid performance last season had Aztec fans on their feet!

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MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

#20 UNLV Coming in at no 7 on ESPN’s top 100 recruits, PF Anthony Bennett propelled UNLV to new heights… literally. The 6’8” powerhouse is what you call a beast. He can shoot and is dynamite inside the paint. #21 Murray State This team is no joke. 3-point specialist and prolific scorer Isaiah Canaan went bonkers last year and his game is set to go berserk this season. But he can’t do it all by himself. Murray State is one of another host of ranked teams that failed to get any top recruits to commit to their programme. A postseason appearance will be inevitable, but are they good enough to be elite? #22 Baylor In anticipation of going into the season with a depleted front court, the Bears’ management team secured Isaiah Austin.

A freak – an animal – a nightmare. This dude is one of the best centers in the game. Baylor may have what it takes to push their ranking into higher territory. #23 Michigan State Gary Harris is ranked as the 2nd best shooting guard in his class. With Harris’ intimidating mentality and a host of other top 100 recruits, the Spartans will welcome a battle with any and all opponents. #24 Marquette The Golden Eagles may be losing their shine a little. Going into the season, the team will have no stand-outs. Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder are gone but this team’s gritty toughness may help propel them back to the gold standard. #25 Texas Not a great set of returning players but this team makes the list due to the younger talent. The Longhorns attracted four top 100 recruits, the best of which is center Cameron Ridley, a top ten prospect. They have potential – can they rise to the challenge? H

50 November 2012

Summary of a W

SEASON

ith another Major League Baseball season behind us, it’s time to take a look at some of the highs and lows of what was a thoroughly enjoyable campaign.

The addition of the second wild card had its intended effect of putting an emphasis on winning the division. The AL East and AL West came down to the final day with the added drama of knowing that the teams finishing second would be subjected to an unforgiving one-game playoff to reach the Division Series. And appropriately enough, the two most surprising teams in baseball were right in the thick of things.

In the AL East, it was the Baltimore Orioles who punched above their weight all season long, pushing the star-studded, but aging, Yankees all the way to the finish line. In the end, the O’s came up short to A-Rod and the Bronx Bombers for the division crown, but bounced Texas in the AL Wild Card game to earn themselves a meeting with none other than the Yankees in the ALDS. It marks the first time since 1997 that Baltimore has experienced postseason baseball. The series is a rematch of the 1996 ALCS, memorable for a kid named Jeffrey Maier, who reached over the fence at Yankee Stadium at a pivotal moment in Game 1 to snare a deep drive by Derek Jeter. Being long before the days of instant replay, the play was ruled a home run by the umpires, and

Jay B Webster looks back at the 2012 Pennant Chase

the Yanks went on to win the game and the series.

This year it was a 20-year-old youngster named Manny Machado who played a key role in getting the Orioles to the post season. Machado was called up from Double-A in August, then proceeded to show he belonged, playing beyond his years while making big plays and getting key hits down the stretch.

Speaking of Jeter, he turned in one the finest of his 17 seasons, batting .316 and leading the league with 216 hits, an amazing feat for a 38-year-old shortstop. His performance went a long way towards justifying the controversial three-year, $51 million contract he signed the season before last.

The AL West provided perhaps the biggest surprise team in baseball in the Oakland A’s, who were as many as 13 games behind the Rangers, and five back with nine games to play.

They entered the final series of the season needing to sweep the defending AL Champion Rangers to win the division, and they did just that. Their 14 walk-off victories led all of baseball and epitomized their never-say-die attitude. They did it with an all-rookie starting rotation and without a single

The American

player hitting above .300 or driving in 100 runs. There is simply no way that the Oakland A’s should have won a division that included the Rangers and Angels, but somehow they did.

The Athletics opened the playoffs against the Detroit Tigers, whose third baseman Miguel Cabrera made history by becoming the first player since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967 to win the Triple Crown. Cabrera finished the season with a .330 average, 44 home runs and 139 RBI. Though they had to rally down the stretch to catch the White Sox and had only the 7th-best record in the American League, with a 1-2 punch of Cabrera and Prince Fielder in the middle of the lineup, and fireballer Justin Verlander to rely on, the Tigers are not a team to be taken lightly in the postseason.

In the National League, the Nationals, Reds and Giants took much of the suspense out of things by cruising to their division titles, while the Braves were a lock for the first wild card. As for the defending-champion

PHOTO © NEW YORK YANKEES

St. Louis Cardinals, it was no Tony LaRussa, no Dave Duncan, no Albert Pujols, no problem. Even after losing their iconic manager and pitching coach, as well as the most feared slugger in baseball, the Cards kept doing what they do best, playing good fundamental baseball, getting just enough pitching and winning big games when they absolutely needed to. It seems that taking those pesky Redbirds for granted is never a good idea.

Disappointments for the season included Pujols and the Angels who never managed to gel enough to stay in contention, and the Pittsburgh Pirates, who led the NL Central at the All-Star break, but couldn’t end their 20-year playoff drought. They even managed to finish below .500 for the 20th straight season, the longest such streak in North American professional sports history.

Well, as they say in baseball, there’s always next year. H

Sports on TV: November If we’re lucky, and it’s a thriller, we might be watching the final game of The World Series come November 1. The Fall Classic gets underway October 24, and is live in the UK on ESPN America.

Also concluding in November, the NASCAR season closes with the Ford EcoBoost 400 from Homestead, November 18 (carried on Premier Sports). Petrolheads can also enjoy the conclusion of the Formula 1 season with the US Grand Prix from Austin TX, November 18 (live on Sky Sports with highlights on the BBC) and the Brazilian Grand Prix November 25 (live on BBC and Sky).

Plenty for basketball fans in November. In addition to NCAA hoops on ESPN America, and BBL on Sky Sports, the NBA returns on October 30, though Broadcast rights were unclear at press time.

ATP World Tour Finals The O2 Arena, London SE10 0BB November 5-12 8 days of unmissable tennis as the top 8 in the ATP singles and doubles spar it out at the season final. BBC coverage. More info: www.atpworldtour.com 30 for 30 Series 2 ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentaries return on ESPN America in November. Amongst them: Broke, exploring how athletes can lose fortunes through freeloaders, bad investments, and medical problems; Ghosts of Ole Miss, the tale of integration and an unbeaten football season in the 1962; and Benji, the story of the potential superstar basketball prospect whose murder shook Chicago and the Nation.

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Your Guide To The Month Ahead

See our full events listing online at www.theamerican.co.uk Get your event listed in The American – call us on +44 (0)1747 830520 or email details to editor@theamerican.co.uk On The Road: Jack Kerouac’s manuscript scroll British Library, London NW1 2DB www.bl.uk/whatson/exhibitions/kerouac to December 27 In 1951, over a three week period, Jack Kerouac typed a manuscript on leafs of tracing paper which he taped together to avoid gaps in his creative flow. His scroll is on show for the first time in London alongside other materials from the Library’s collection.

Can you experience the Florida swamps, the Missouri prairie and the forests of New England without setting a foot outside of London?

The British Museum and Kew Botanical Gardens have made it possible with their freshly opened North American Landscape on the West Lawn of the British Museum.

With special events taking place, and an array of plants of the North American continent, this is an opportunity to celebrate North American nature in the UK.

North American Landscape at the British Museum West Lawn, British Museum, London www.britishmuseum.org to November 25

Happy Birthday Edward Lear: 200 Years of Nature and Nonsense Ashmolean, Beaumont St, Oxford OX1 2PH www.ashmolean.org to January 6, 2013

The bicentenary of Edward Lear is being celebrated with a wide ranging exhibition of his works, from natural history illustrations and landscape sketches to the more nonsensical pieces of Lear’s portfolio.

Warriors of the Plains: 200 years of Native North American Honour and Ritual Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3RX www.rammuseum.org.uk to January 13, 2013 An exhibition looking at the journey of Native American Indians of the Plains, from the 1800s through to the present.

Bompas & Parr: The Waft That Woos Royal Shakespeare Theatre, StratfordUpon-Avon, Warwickshire CV37 6BB www.rsc.org.uk to April 7, 2013 A different take on a mirror labyrinth, renowned artists Bompas & Parr invite you to navigate their maze with your sense of smell by following the scent of an aromatic ‘love potion’.

The V&A’s autumn exhibition, Hollywood Costume, explores the central role costume design plays in cinema storytelling. Bringing together over 100 of the most iconic movie costumes from across a century of film-making, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the clothes worn by unforgettable and beloved characters such as Dorothy Gale, Indiana Jones, Scarlett O’Hara, Jack Sparrow, Holly Golightly and Darth Vader. From October 20 to November 18, you can also see the original ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz reunited with Dorothy’s Dress and on display in Europe for the first time in history.

52 November 2012

MGM/THE KOBAL COLLECTION

Hollywood Costume Exhibition Victoria and Albert Museum,Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL www.vam.ac.uk to January 27, 2013

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Scooby-Doo Extravaganza National Media Museum, Bradford BD1 1NQ www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk to November 4 Solve spooky mysteries this Halloween with Scooby-Doo and the gang, then go backstage and try your hand at making your own Scooby animations and sound effects!

The Great Pumpkin Hunt Waterperry Gardens, Nr. Wheatley, Oxfordshire OX33 1JZ www.waterperrygardens.co.uk October 27 to November 4 This October Half Term, Waterperry Gardens puts on a Pumpkin Hunt amongst the ornamental gardens, with a seasonal prize on offer.

Ice Rink at the Natural History Museum Natural History Museum, London www.nhmskating.com November 2 to January 6, 2013 One of the first opportunities to ice skate in London during the Holiday season comes courtesy of the Natural History Museum, with the Café Bar also on hand with festive treats.

Last Night of the Autumn Proms www.raymondgubbay.co.uk November 4-25 After a summer of national festivities and once in a lifetime spectacular events, carry on celebrating with this rousing concert of Last Night of The Autumn Proms. Playing five exclusive dates around the country, the performance promises a feast of hand-picked popular classics crowned with a jubilant Proms finale. Appearing at: The Cliffs

COMPETITION

WIN TICKETS to

STATOIL MASTERS TENNIS at the Royal Albert Hall

We have a pair of tickets for the evening session of the Statoil Masters Tennis, on Wednesday December 5th at the Royal Albert Hall, reserved for the winner of this month’s competition.

The annual, pre-Christmas extravaganza is one of the jewels in the crown of the ATP Champions Tour and attracts the biggest names and personalities on the Tour playing competitively in both singles and doubles. Enjoy high-quality tennis in the breathtaking setting of the Royal Albert Hall.

To win a pair of tickets just answer the following question: Who has won the Masters Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall the most times since it started in 1997?

ANSWER

A) Tim Henman B) Pat Cash C) John McEnroe

HOW TO ENTER: Email your answer and your contact details (name, address, email and daytime telephone number) to theamerican@blueedge.co.uk with TENNIS COMPETITION in the subject line; or send a postcard to: TENNIS COMPETITION, The American, Old Byre House, Millbrook Lane, East Knoyle, Salisbury SP3 6AW, UK; to arrive by mid-day November 30, 2012.

You must be 18 years old or over to enter this competition. Only one entry per person per draw. The editor’s decision is final. No cash alternative. Tickets are for the December 5 session and are not transferable. You are responsible for any travel, accommodation and other expenses.

November 2012 53

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AWS Gift Fayre Hilton Hotel, Seven Hills Road South, Cobham KT11 1EW www.awsurrey.org November 4

Pavillion, Southend; Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool; The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester; De Montfort Hall, Leicester; Assembly Rooms, Derby.

The American Women of Surrey host their 22nd annual Gift Fayre, the AWS’ largest fundraiser of the year, with all proceeds benefiting charities.

PHOTO: SJR60

Firework/Bonfire/Guy Fawkes Night November 5

Brighton to London Future Car Challenge www.futurecarchallenge.com November 3 Electric, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Low-Emission and ICE cars are challenged to use the lowest amount of energy over 63 miles from Brighton to London. See website for spectator details.

London to Brighton Veteran Car Run www.veterancarrun.com November 4 The Royal Automobile Club’s annual Veteran Car Run is the world’s longest running motoring celebration. The annual event attracts entrants from all over the globe and for the owners of these highly valuable veteran cars it represents a rare opportunity to take their extraordinary automobiles on the historic 60-mile run from Hyde Park in central London to the seafront on the Sussex resort of Brighton.

54 November 2012

Whether you know it as Firework, Bonfire or Guy Fawkes night, November 5 sees the night sky of Britain filled with fireworks and bonfires, commemorating the 1605 ‘Gunpowder Plot’ in which Guy Fawkes and accomplices attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament.

Collars & Coats Gala Ball for Battersea Dogs & Cats Home Battersea Evolution, Chelsea Bridge Entrance, Battersea Pk, London SW11 4NJ www.collarsandcoats.org.uk November 8 Now in its 4th year, Battersea Dogs & Cats Homes will put on another spectacular gala. Hosted by Amanda Holden and Paul O’Grady MBE, this star (or collar) studded evening celebrates the organisation’s work in the field of animal welfare.

Come Draw With Me! National Museum Cardiff, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NP www.bigdrawshop.co.uk November 8 Join Brendan Stuart Burns, Laura Ford, Marega Palser, Stephen West and Sue Williams for this unique evening of drawing at the National Museum Cardiff, from 6-8.30pm.

Christmas Markets www.christmasmarkets.com November 9 to December 24 Christmas markets are a fun way to get your festive needs and presents.

The best in Britain include Bath, Bournemouth, Canterbury, Hyde Park in London, Leeds, Portsmouth and Waterperry, Oxfordshire.

Threads of Silk and Gold: Ornamental Textiles from Meiji Japan Ashmolean, Beaumont St, Oxford, OX1 2PH www.ashmolean.org November 9 to January 27, 2013 This exhibition reveals some of the spectacular ornamental textiles created in Japan for foreign markets in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The intricacy of these textiles, dyed silks and velvets mesmerized Western audiences, and are now available to view in Oxford.

American-Scottish Foundation Wallace Award Gala Dinner The University Club, New York City www.americanscottishfoundation.com/ events/wallace_12.html November 9 We don’t cover many events in the USA, but this is as Transatlantic as it gets, and for charity: The event honors American-Scottish luminaries and benefits the ongoing work of the American-Scottish Foundation and its partner organizations and initiatives.

International Wimbledon Music Festival www.wimbledonmusicfestival.co.uk November 10-25 The fourth annual Wimbledon Music Festival features big names from the world of classical music, including

Hartnell, Hardy Amies and Frederick Fox are displayed, showcasing the post-Second World War era and London’s place on the fashion map.

Armistice Day / Remembrance Day Across the UK www.britishlegion.org.uk November 11

Thanksgiving Dinner in aid of Benjamin Franklin House The Butcher’s Hall, 87 Bartholomew Close, London EC1A 7EB www.benjaminfranklinhouse.org November 22

Every year at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month the UK remembers the end of the First World War and all who gave their lives then and since. The poppy is the symbol of Remembrance and of the Poppy Appeal. Collectors appear in late October, so everyone can make a donation and wear their poppy for Remembrance.

Boutique de Noel Kensington Town Hall, London W8 7NX www.jll.org.uk/bdn November 14-15 Shop for a good cause this season at the Junior League of London’s annual charity fundraiser. It begins with a Gala Shopping Evening on the 14th, which includes an exclusive Patron Room, a Silent and Live Auction, and shopping. The Christmas Market is open all day on the 15th, featuring art and antiques, fashion and jewellery, toys and baby gifts, stationery and gourmet food.

Hartnell to Amies: Couture by Royal Appointment Fashion & Textile Museum, 83 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XF www.ftmlondon.org November 16 to February 23 Celebrating the elegance of London couture, three of The Queen’s designers are featured in this exhibition. Works by Norman

For a Thanksgiving with all the trimmings, The Butcher’s Hall is the location for a feast, with all profits raised supporting Benjamin Franklin’s House in London.

Hyde Park Winter Wonderland Hyde Park, London W2 2UH www.hydeparkwinterwonderland.com November 23 to January 6, 2013 Fairground rides, circus, Christmas market, Santa’s grotto, ice rink – a Winter favorite in London.

Philharmonia Orchestra: Bond concert Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX November 23 American conductor Carl Davis, now living in the UK, joins with the Philharmonia Orchestra for an evening dedicated to 50 years of James Bond music.

PHOTO: RCJ

American celloist, Zuill Bailey, who is the director of Pro Musica Festival in El Paso, TX and the Sitka Summer Music Festival in Alaska.

The Lord Mayor’s Show 2012 London, UK www.lordmayorsshow.org November 10 The Lord Mayor’s Show has floated, rolled, trotted, marched and occasionally fought its way through almost 800 years of London history, survived the black death and the blitz and arrived in the 21st century as one of the world’s bestloved pageants. The 685th Lord Mayor of London takes office on November 9, then on the morning of November 10 he will set off from Mansion House in the State Coach, leave the City of London and travel to the Royal Courts of Justice to swear loyalty to the Crown. Before him goes the ancient, magnificent procession that has come to be known as the Lord Mayor’s Show.

This year’s procession is over three and a half miles long and among its various and remarkable floats you will find over 6000 people, 25 marching bands, 300 horses, 18 vintage cars, 21 carriages, an original American stagecoach, a Japanese Taiko drum band and more. From 11am until 2.30pm.

A Victorian Festival of Christmas Portsmouth Historic Dockyard November 30 to December 2

St Andrew’s Day www.scotland.org November 30

The bicentenary of Charles Dickens’ birth in Portsmouth sees the Historic Dockyard put on a Victorian Christmas experience, with traditional characters, Reindeer, a market and, of course, Father Christmas.

The world celebrates St Andrew’s Day, Scotland’s national day. There will be parties galore in Scotland, events around the world, and you could even host your own party.

Join the celebration! H

November 2012 55

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Coffee Break QUIZ 1 On which day of the year

6 Which star sign are

does All Souls Day fall?

2 Which was the first Amer-

ican city to host a modern Summer Olympics?

3 The town of Boring in

7 What is the capital

city of Turkey?

8 Name the US Presidents

Oregon is twinned with which Scottish village?

4 True or false, Franklin D.

Roosevelt was born in Hyde Park?

5 What was the first char-

acter balloon at a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?

9

you if you are born on November 1st?

who were elected in the following years: (a) 200 years ago (1812) (b) 140 years ago (1872) (c) 100 years ago (1912) (d) 80 years ago (1932) (e) 60 years ago (1952) (f) 40 years ago (1972) (g) 20 years ago (1992)

8

50 years ago this month...

5

9 Who was the leader of the

1 4 2 7

2 3 4

3

1 8

9 1

8 1 5

56 November 2012

10

11

2 6

9

12

3 5

7

Above: May you live in interesting times... the world got a little excitable during the Cuban Missile Crisis. But who was that Russian premier?

And welcome to Boring, Oregon... twinned with which village in Scotland?

4

2

13

USSR during the Cuban Missile Crisis?

The Beatles recorded what was to be their first UK top ten hit. What was it called?

The ZIP code was first announced. But what does ZIP stand for?

Born this month: Kirk Hammett of Metallica, actress Jodie Foster, and TV host Jon Stewart. But which one later went to Yale University?

Yoko Ono married her second husband. Who was he?

Answers to Coffee Break Quiz & Sudoku on page 65

The American

American ORGANIZATIONS

American Friends of the British Museum Mollie Norwich. The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. 020 7323 8590 www.britishmuseum.org

An index of useful resources in the UK

ESSENTIAL CONTACTS EMERGENCIES Fire, Police, Ambulance

TRANSPORTATION London Underground 020 7222 1234 www.tfl.gov.uk National Rail Enquiries 08457 4849 50

www.nationalrail.co.uk National Bus Service 0990 808080 www.nationalexpress.com

American Friends of the National Portrait Gallery Stacey Ogg and Charlotte Savery, Individual Giving Managers 020 7312 2444 individualgiving@npg.org.uk www.npg.org.uk/support/individual/ americanfriends.php

American Friends of the Almeida Theatre, Inc. Kenneth David Burrows, 950 Third Avenue, 32nd Floor, New York, NY 10022, USA or Lizzie Stallybrass, Almeida Theatre, Almeida Street, London N1 1TA, UK www.almeida.co.uk/supportus/americansupport.aspx

001 100 155 153 151

American Friends of Chickenshed Theatre U.S. Office: c/o Chapel & York PMB293, 601 Penn Ave NW, Suite 900 S Bldg, Washington, DC 20004 UK Office: Chickenshed, Chase Side, Southgate, London N14 4PE 0208 351 6161 ext 240 AdamG@Chickenshed.org.uk http://www.chickenshed.org.uk/659/individual/ american-friends.html

For more details go to

www.theamerican.co.uk and click on Life In The UK

American Church in London Senior Pastor: Rev. John D’Elia.

Music Director: Anthony Baldwin.

Sunday School 9.45am Sunday Worship 11am, child care provided.

79a Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4TD (Goodge St. tube station) Tel: 020 7580 2791/07771 642875 churchsecretary@amchurch.co.uk www.amchurch.co.uk

American Friends of the Lyric Theatre Ireland Crannóg House, 44 Stranmillis Embankment, Belfast, BT9 5FL, Northern Ireland Angela McCloskey info@americanfriendsofthelyric.com www.americanfriendsofthelyric.com/ americanfriends.html

American Red Cross RAF Mildenhall Tel: 01638 542107, After Hours 07031 15 2334 red.crossv3@mildenhall.af.mil

MEDICAL ADVICE LINE NHS Direct delivers 24-hour telephone and e-health information services, direct to the public. www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk 0845 4647

CIVIC & SERVICES

American Friends of the Jewish Museum London Stephen Goldman Tel. 020 7284 7363 stephen.goldman@jewishmuseum.org.uk www.jewishmuseum.org.uk/american-friends

American Citizens Abroad (ACA) The Voice of Americans Overseas, 5 Rue Liotard, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland +41.22.340.02.33 info.aca@gmail.com www.americansabroad.org

999 or 112 (NOT 911)

TELEPHONES Direct Dial Code, US & Canada Operator Assistance, UK Operator Assistance, Int. International Directory Assistance Telephone Repair

American Friends of the Donmar Inc. Stephanie Dittmer, Deputy Director of Development 020 7845 5810 sdittmer@donmarwarehouse.com www.donmarwarehouse.com/p46.html

American Institute of Architects Benjamin Franklin House, 36 Craven Street, London WC2N 5NF. Tel: 020 7930 9124 chapterexecutive@aiauk.org www.aiauk.org

Here are some crucial telephone numbers to know while you are in the UK.

American Friends of Contemporary Dance & Sadler’s Wells U.S. Office: Celia Rodrigues, Chair 222 Park Avenue South, 10A, New York, NY 10003 +1.917.539.9021 americanfriends@sadlerswells.com UK Office: 020 7863 8134 development@sadlerswells.com.

American Friends of Dulwich Picture Gallery Kathleen Bice, Development Officer, Members and Patrons 020 8299 8726 www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/support_us/ american_friends.aspx

American Friends of ENO – English National Opera Denise Kaplan, American Friends Coordinator London Coliseum, St. Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4ES 0207 845 9331 Americanfriends@eno.org www.eno.org/support-us/individual-giving/ american-friends/american-friends.php

American Friends of the Philharmonia Orchestra, Inc. Jennifer Davies, Development Director jennifer.davies@philharmonia.co.uk www.philharmonia.co.uk/support/friends/afpo/ American Friends of the Royal Court Theatre U.S.: Laurie Beckelman, Beckelman and Capalino +1.212.616.5822 laurie@beckcap.com UK: Gaby Styles, Head of Development, Royal Court Theatre 020 7565 5060 gabystyles@royalcourttheatre.com or info@afrct.org

American Friends of the Royal Institution of Great Britain U.S.: c/o Chapel & York Limited, PMB #293, South Building Washington, DC 20004 UK: The Development Office, Royal Institution of Great Britain, 21 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4BS 020 7670 2991 kdodd@ri.ac.uk www.rigb.org American Friends of the Royal Society http://royalsociety.org/Overseas-Donations

November 2012 57

The American

American Friends of St. Bartholomew the Great U.S.: John Eagleson 2925 Briarpark, Suite 600, Houston, TX 77042 UK: 20 7606 5171 admin@greatstbarts.com

American Friends of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust U.S.: John Chwat, President 625 Slaters Lane, Suite 103, Alexandria, VA 22314 +1. 703.684.7703 info@americanfriendsofsbt.org www.americanfriendsofsbt.org American Friends of the Victoria and Albert Museum, Inc. U.S.: Diana Seaton, Executive Director 61 Londonderry Drive, Greenwich, CT 06830 +1.203.536.4328 diana.seaton@afvam.org www.afvam.org UK: 020 7942 2149 American Friends of Wigmore Hall U.S.: c/o Chapel and York, 1000 N West Street Suite 1200, Wilmington DE 19801 UK: 020 7258 8220 mhosterweil@wigmore-hall.org.uk American Museum in Britain Director: Dr Richard Wendorf Claverton Manor, Bath BA2 7BD. 01225 460503. Fax 01225 469160 info@americanmuseum.org www.americanmuseum.org American Women Lawyers in London www.awll.org.uk info@awll.org.uk American Women’s Health Centre 214 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5QN. Obstetric, gynecological & infertility service. 020 7390 8433 www.awhc.co.uk Anglo American Medical Society Hon. Sec.: Dr. Edward Henderson, The Mill House, Whatlington, E. Sussex, TN33 0ND. 01424 775130. ed@themillhouse.eclipse.co.uk Association for Rescue at Sea The UK’s Royal National Lifeboat Association does not have an American Branch but if you wish to make a tax-efficient gift to the RNLI, contact AFRAS. Secretary: Mrs. Anne C. Kifer P.O. Box 565 Fish Creek, WI 54212, U.S.A. 00-1-920-743-5434 fax 00-1-920-743-5434 email: ackafras@aol.com Atlantic Council Director: Alan Lee Williams.

185 Tower Bridge Road, London SE1 2UF 0207 403 0640 or 0207 403 0740.

Fax: 0207 403 0901 acuk@atlantic-council.org.uk

58 November 2012

Bethesda Baptist Church Kensington Place, London W8.

020 7221 7039 office@bethesdabaptist.org.uk Boy Scouts of America Mayflower District Field Executive: Wayne Wilcox 26 Shortlands Road, Kingston, Surrey KT2 6HD 020 8274 1429, 07788 702328 wpwilcox@gmail.com BritishAmerican Business Inc. 75 Brook Street, London, W1K 4AD. 020 7290 9888 www.babinc.org ukinfo@babinc.org British American-Canadian Associates Contact via The English Speaking Union esu@esu.org CARE International UK 10-13 Rushworth Street, London, SE1 0RB 020 7934 9334 www.careinternational.org info@careinternational.org Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 66-68 Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2PA 020 7584 7553 adcockmp@ldschurch.org https://lds.org.uk http://mormon.org Church of John the Evangelist Vicar: Reverend Stephen Mason.

Assistant Priest: Reverend Mark Pudge.

Assistant Curate: Reverend Deiniol Heywood.

Hyde Park Crescent, London W2.

Tel: 020 7262 1732 parishadmin@stjohns-hydepark.com Commonwealth Church Rev. Rod Anderson, PO Box 15027, London SE5 0YS www.savestmarks.com Democrats Abroad (UK) Marylebone Room, 229 Great Portland Street, International Student House, London W1W 5PN. Regular updates on events, chapters throughout the UK (and specific email addresses), and DAUK newsletters: www.democratsabroad.org.uk Register to vote and request an Absentee Ballot: www.votefromabroad.org Tel: 020 7724 9796 www.democratsabroad.org/group/united-kingdom Farm Street Church 114 Mount Street, Mayfair, London W1K 3AH Tel: 020 7493 7811 www.farmstreet.org.uk Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) Department of Defense, 1155 Defense Pentagon, Washington DC 20301-1155.

Director: Ms. Polli K. Brunelli UK Toll Free Tel: 0800 028 8056

US Toll Free Tel:1-800-438- VOTE (8683). www.fvap.gov vote@fvap.ncr.gov

Friends of St Jude London Debbie Berger 07738 628126 debbie.berger@stjude.org www.friendsofstjude.org/london Grampian Houston Association Secretary: Bill Neish 5 Cairncry Avenue, Aberdeen, AB16 5DS Tel: 01224-484720 wineish@sky.com International Community Church (Interdenominational) Our Vision: “Everyone Mature in Christ” (Col. 1:28) Pastor: Rev. Dr. Barry K. Gaeddert Worship on Sundays: 10.30 am at Chertsey Hall, Heriot Road, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 9DR Active Youth programme.

Church Office: 1st floor, Devonshire House, 60 Station Road, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 2AF. 01932 830295. churchoffice@icc-uk.org www.icc-uk.org Junior League of London President: Meredith Niles 9 Fitzmaurice Place, London W1J 5JD. President 020 7499 8159 Fax: 020 7629 1996 jrleague@jll.org.uk www.jll.org.uk Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation 19 Angel Gate, City Road, London EC1V 2PT. Tel: 020 7713 2030. Fax: 020 7713 2031 info@jdrf.org.uk www.jdrf.org.uk Liberal Jewish Synagogue 28 St John’s Wood Road, London NW8 7HA Services 6.45pm Fridays and 11am on Saturdays except for first Friday each month when service is held at 7pm with a Chavurah Supper.

Please bring non-meat food dish to share.

020 7286 5181 ljs@ljs.org Lions Club International Lakenheath & District 105EA, 15 Highfields Drive, Lakenheath, Suffolk IP27 9EH. Tel 01842 860752 www.lionsclubs.org Lutheran Services, St Anne’s Rev. Timothy Dearhamer.

Lutheran Church, Gresham St, London EC2.

Sun 11am-7pm.

Tel. 020 7606 4986 Fax. 020 7600 8984 info@StAnnesLutheranChurch.org www.StAnnesLutheranChurch.org Methodist Central Hall Westminster, London SW1H 9NH Services every Sunday at 11am and 6.30pm.

The American

Bible study groups & Monday guilds also held.

Tel: 020 7222 8010 www.methodist-central-hall.org.uk church@mchw.org.uk

North American Friends of Chawton House Library U.S. 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.chawton.org/support/nafchl5.html Republicans Abroad (UK) Chairman Dr. Thomas Grant chairman@republicansabroad-uk.org www.republicansabroad-uk.org Rotary Club of London 6 York Gate, London NW1 4QG. Tel. 020 7487 5429 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 Tel 212- 480-2889 or (800) 913-6565 Fax (212)785-7234 ssawyer@royal-oak.org www.royal-oak.org St Andrew’s Lutheran Church Serving Americans since 1960. Whitby Road & Queens Walk, Ruislip, West London.

(South Ruislip Tube Station). Services: 11 am 020 8845 4242 pastorvan43@hotmail.com www.standrewslutheran.co.uk Other Lutheran Churches in the UK www.lutheran.co.uk T.R.A.C.E. P.W. (The ‘original’ Transatlantic Children’s’ Enterprise reuniting children with G.I. father’s and their families) Membership Secretary: Norma Jean Clarke-McCloud 29 Connaught Avenue, Enfield EN1 3BE www.tracepw.org normajean78@hotmail.com United Nations Association, Westminster branch 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 Stem Kaserne Bldg 1002, Postfach 610212 D-68232, Mannheim, Germany. +49 621 487 7025.

girlscouts@cmtymail.26asg.army.mil www.norags.com

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 Friends of English Heritage 1307 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W. Washington DC 20036.

202-452-0928. c/o English Heritage, Attn: Simon Bergin, Keysign House, 429 Oxford Street, London W1R 2HD. 020 7973 3423 www.english-heritage.org.uk American Professional Women in London Rebecca Lammers 58 Shacklewell Road, London, N16 7TU 075 3393 5064 abwinlondon@gmail.com www.meetup.com/American-Business-Womenin-London www.facebook.com/groups/293890040710041 Twitter: @USAProWomenLDN American Society in London 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 American Womens Association of Bristol awabristol_membership@fawco.org American Women of Berkshire & Surrey P. O. Box 10, Virginia Water, Surrey GU25 4YP. www.awbs.org.uk awbscommonground@yahoo.co.uk American Women of Surrey PO Box 185, Cobham, Surrey KT11 3YJ. www.awsurrey.org American Women’s Association of Yorkshire The Chalet, Scarcroft Grange, Wetherby Road, Scarcroft, Leeds LS14 3HJ. 01224 744 224 Contact: Carol Di Peri The American Women’s Club of Dublin P.O. Box 2545, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 IRELAND www.awcd.net info@awcd.net

American Women’s Club of London 68 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3LQ. 020 7589 8292 awc@awclondon.org www.awclondon.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 of South Wales 07866 190838 awsouthwales@fawco.org The Anglo-American Charity Limited Jeffrey Hedges, Director.

07968 513 631 info@anglo-americancharity.org Association of American Women in Ireland aawireland@fawco.org Association of American Women of Aberdeen PO Box 11952, Westhill, Aberdeen, AB13 0BW email via website www.awaaberdeen.org British Association of American Square Dance Zoe Bremer, 1 Burnwood Drive, Wollaton, Nottingham NG8 2DJ 0115 928 2896 rpmsquaredancing@aol.com www.uksquaredancing.com Canadians & Americans in Southern England 023 9241 3881 contactcase@casecommunity.com Canadian Womens Club 1 Grosvenor Square, London W1K 4AB Tues – Thurs 10.30-3.30 0207 258 6344 info@canadianwomenlondon.org www.canadianwomenlondon.org 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 Mrs Natalie Ward, 01379 871422 nattyward@aol.com or UKDARStJames@aol.com http://mysite.verizon.net/jean.sutton/main.htm Daughters of the American Revolution – Walter Hines Page Chapter Diana Frances Diggines, Regent dardiana@hotmail.co.uk www.dar.org Daughters of the American Revolution – Washington Old Hall Chapter, North Yorkshire Mrs. Gloria Hassall, 01845 523-830

November 2012 59

The American

Delta Kappa Gamma Society International Great Britain President: Mrs Sandra Blacker, 22 Manor Park, Tunbridge Wells www.deltakappagamma.net

North American Connection (West Midlands) PO Box 10543, Knowle, Solihull, West Midlands. B93 8ZY T: 0870 720 0663 info@naconnect.com www.naconnect.com

Delta Zeta International Sorority Alumna Club Mrs Sunny Eades, The Old Hall, Mavesyn Ridware, Nr. Rugeley, Staffordshire, WSI5 3QE. 01543 490 312 SunnyEades@aol.com

Kensington & Chelsea Men’s Club Contact: John Rickus 70 Flood Street, Chelsea, London SW3 5TE. (home): 020 7349 0680 (office): 020 7753 2253 johnrickus@aol.com Kensington & Chelsea Women’s Club President: Mary Narvell. Tel. 0142 693 3348 president@kcwc.org.uk Membership: 0207 863 7562 (ans service). membership@kcwc.org.uk New Neighbors Diana Parker, Rosemary Cottage, Rookshill, Rickmansworth, Herts WD3 4HZ. 01923 772185

60 November 2012

Air Force Sergeants Association European Division Timothy W. Litherland CMSgt, USAF (ret).

Chapters at RAFs Alconbury, Croughton, Lakenheath, Menwith Hill and Mildenhall. tim_lith@msn.com www.afsadiv16.org

Petroleum Women’s Club Contact: Nancy Ayres.

Tel: 01923 711720 nanayrs@btopenworld.com Petroleum Women’s Club of Scotland pwcscotland@yahoo.co.uk www.pwcos.com

Friends of Benjamin Franklin House Director: Dr. Márcia Balisciano Benjamin Franklin House, 36 Craven St, London WC2N 5NF 0207 839 2006 www.benjaminfranklinhouse.org info@benjaminfranklinhouse.org

International American Duplicate Bridge Club Contact: Mary Marshall, 18 Palace Gardens Terrace, London W8 4RP. 020 7221 3708 www.ycbc.co.uk/american.htm

AFJROTC 073 Lakenheath High School. Tel: 01638 525603

Stars of Great Britain Chapter #45 Washington Jurisdiction Lakenheath, England sogb45@yahoo.com http://starsofgreatbritainchapter45.com

English-Speaking Union Director-General Peter Kyle Dartmouth House, 37 Charles Street, London W1J 5ED. Tel: 020 7529 1550 Fax: 0207 495 6108 esu@esu.org

High Twelve International, Inc. Local Contact – Arnold Page High Twelve Club 298, Secretary, Darrell C. Russell; 1, Wellington Close, West Row, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, IP28 8PH Telephone: 01638 715764 email: russelld130@btinternet.com.

MILITARY

Northwood Area Women’s Club P.O. Box 46, Northwood, HA6 1XN 01932-830295 info@northwoodareawomensclub.co.uk www.northwoodareawomensclub.co.uk

The East Anglia American Club 49 Horsham Close Haverhill, Suffolk CB9 7HN Tel: 01440 766 967 Email: eaacexpats@karej.co.uk

Hampstead Women’s Club President - Betsy Lynch. Tel: 020 7435 2226 email president@hwcinlondon.co.uk www.hwcinlondon.co.uk

Women’s Writers Network Cathy Smith, 23 Prospect Rd, London, NW2 2JU. 020 7794 5861 www.womenwriters.org.uk info@womenwriters.org.uk

Pilgrims of Great Britain Allington Castle, Maidstone, Kent M16 0NB. Tel. 01622 606404 Fax. 01622 606402 sec@pilgrimsociety.org

Propeller Club of the United States – London, England propellerclubhq.com St John’s Wood Women’s Club Box 185, 176 Finchley Road, London NW3 6BT membership@sjwwc.org www.sjwwc.org Thames Valley American Women’s Club Contact: Miriam Brewster PO Box 1687, Maidenhead, Berks SL6 8XT. 0208 751 8941 www.tvawc.com membership@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 United Kingdom Shrine OASIS Anglian Shrine Club Secretary: Charles A. Aldrich, 11 Burrow Drive, Lakenheath, Suffolk IP27 9EY 01842 860 650 mailto:caaldrich@btinterner.com W.E.B. DuBois Consistory #116 Northern Jurisdiction Valley of London, England, Orient of Europe Cell: 0776-873-8030 mjack36480@aol.com

American Legion London Post 1 Adjutant J.H. Spiller, III PO Box 5017, BATH, BA1 OPP Tel: 01225-426245 www.amlegionpost1london.org.uk info@amlegionpost1london.org.uk

Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association London Chapter Secretary: CW04, A.H. Cox, USN, Navcommunit Box 44, 7 North Audley Street, London W1Y 1WJ. 020 7409 4519/4184 www.afcea.org.uk london.sec@afcea.org.uk Bentwaters/Woodbridge Retirees’ Association President: Wylie Moore. 2 Coldfair Close, Knodishall, Saxmundham, Suffolk, IP17 1UN. 01728 830281 British Patton Historical Society Kenn Oultram 01606 891303 Brookwood American Cemetery (WW1) Superintendent: Mr Frank Kaufmann.

Brookwood, Woking, Surrey GU24 0BL 01483 473237 brookwood.ac@abmc-er.org Cambridge American Cemetery (WWII Cemetary) Superintendent: Mr. Bobby Bell.

Asst. Superintendent: Mr. Tony Barclay.

Coton, Cambridge CB23 7PH. 01954 210350 Commander in Chief, US Naval Forces Europe Naval Reserve Detachment 130, Recruiting Officer: LCDR Thomas D. Hardin, USNR-R. 020 7409 4259 (days), 020 8960 7395 (evenings).

Eighth Air Force Historical Society UK Representative: Mr. Gordon Richards and Mrs Connie Richards 14 Pavenham Road, Oakley, Bedford MK43 7SY. 01234 823357.

Friends of the Eighth Newsletter (FOTE News) Chairman: Mr. Ron Mackay.

The American

2nd Air Division Memorial Library The Forum, Norwich, Norfolk, NR2 1AW 01603 774747 www.2ndair.org.uk 2admemorial.lib@norfolk.gov.uk

39b Thorley Hill, Bishops Stortford, Herts CM23 3NE. 01279 658619.

Joint RAF Mildenhall/Lakenheath Retiree Affairs Office Director: Col. John J. Valentine, USAF (Ret) Unit 8965, Box 30 RAF Mildenhall, Bury St. Edmonds, Suffolk, IP28 8NF Tel. (01638) 542039 rao@mildenhall.af.mil

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 Phone: 01280 708182 e-mail: 422abg.rao@croughton.af.mil

Marine Corps League Detachment 1088, London, England Commandant Mike Allen Creek Cottage, 2 Pednormead End, Old Chesham, Buckinghamshire HP5 2JS detachment1088@mcl-london-uk.org www.mcl-london-uk.org

USNA Alumni Association UK Chapter Pres: LCDR Tim Fox ’97, timfox97@hotmail.com Vice Pres: Miguel Sierra ’90, mrsierra@chevron.com Treas/Membership Coord: Bart O’Brien ’98, bartonobrien2@yahoo.com Secretary: Matt Horan ’87, matthoran@btinternet.com

Mildenhall Retirees Association President: Jack Kramer 6 Nunsgate, Thetford, Norfolk 1P24 3EL

Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Commander: Ernest Paolucci 24, rue Gerbert, 75015 Paris, France 00 33 (0)1.42.50.96.34

Navy League of the United States, United Kingdom Council Council President: Steven G. Franck steven.franck@googlemail.com www.navyleague.org

Western UK Retiree Association President: R. Jim Barber, MSgt (USAF), Ret Phone: 01280 708182

Non-Commissioned Officers’ Association (NCOA) – The Heart of England Chapter Chairman: Ronald D.Welper.

Pine Farm, Sharpe’s Corner, Lakenheath, Brandon, Suffolk 1P27 9LB. Thetford 861643.

The Chapter Address: 513 MSSQ/SS, RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk.

EDUCATIONAL ACS International Schools ACS Cobham International School, Heywood, Portsmouth Road, Cobham, Surrey KT11 1BL 01932 867251

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.

US Army Reserve 2nd Hospital Center 7 Lynton Close, Ely, Cambs, CB6 1DJ. Tel: 01353 2168 Commander: Major Glenda Day. US Air Force Recruiting Office RAF Mildenhall, 100 MSS/MSPRS, RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, 1P28 8NF. 01638 542290

Retired Affairs Office, RAF Alconbury Serving Central England POC: Rex Keegan Alt. POC: Mike Depasquale UK Postal Address: 423 SVS/RAO, Unit 5585, Box 100, RAF Alconbury, Huntingdon, Cambs PE28 4DA Office Hours: Tuesday and Friday, 10:30am–2:30pm 01480 84 3364/3557 Emergency Contact: 07986 887 905 RAO@Alconbury.af.mil

ACS Egham International School, Woodlee, London Road (A30), Egham, Surrey TW20 0HS. 01784 430800 ACS Hillingdon International School Hillingdon Court, 108 Vine Line, Hillingdon, Middlesex UB10 0BE. 01895 259771 www.acs-england.co.uk

AIU/London (formerly American College in London) 110 Marylebone High Street, London W1U 4RY. Tel 020 7467 5640 Fax 020 7935 8144 www.aiulondon.ac.ukadmissions@aiulondon.ac.uk Alconbury Middle/High School RAF Alconbury, Huntingdon, Cambs, PE17 1PJ, UK. www.alco-hs.eu.dodea.edu AlconburyHS.Principal@eu.dodea.edu American Institute for Foreign Study 37 Queensgate, London SW7 5HR 020 7581 7300 www.aifs.co.uk info@aifs.co.uk American School in London 1 Waverley Place, London NW8 0NP

Tel: 020 7449 1200 Fax: 020 7449 1350 www.asl.org admissions@asl.org

American School of Aberdeen Craigton Road, Cults, Aberdeen.

01224 861068 / 868927.

Benjamin Franklin House 36 Craven Street, London WC2N 5NF. Tel 020 7839 2006 Fax 020 7930 9124 info@benjaminfranklinhouse.org

Boston University – London Graduate Programs Office 43 Harrington Gardens, London SW7 4JU. 020 7244 6255 www.bu.edu/london British American Educational Foundation Mrs. Carlton Colcord, 1 More’s Garden, 90 Cheyne Walk, London SW3.

020 7352 8288 www.baef.org anncolcord@compuserve.com 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 Center Academy School Development Centre 92 St. John’s Hill, Battersea, London SW11 1SH. Tel 020 7738 2344 Fax 020 7738 9862 ukadmin@centeracademy.com Central Bureau for Educational Visits The British Council Director: Peter Upton 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 Fax 020 7734 7322 www.ciee.org contact@ciee.org Ditchley Foundation Ditchley Park, Enstone, Chipping Norton, Oxon OX7 4ER. Tel 01608 677346 Fax 1608 677399 www.ditchley.co.uk info@ditchley.co.uk European Council of International Schools Jean K Vahey, Executive Director, 21b Lavant Street, Petersfield GU32 3EL. Tel 01730 268244 Fax 01730 267914 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

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Florida State University London Study Centre Administrative Director: Kathleen Paul 99 Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3LH. Tel 020 7813 3233 Fax 020 7813 3270 www.international.fsu.edu/london/ intprog1@admin.fsu.edu

info@marymountlondon.com www.marymountlondon.com

Missouri London Study Abroad Program 32 Harrington Gardens, London SW7 4JU. 020 7373 7953. www.umsl.edu/services/abroad/universities/ molondon.html web_office@umsl.edu

Fordham University London Centre Academic Coordinator: Sabina Antal 23 Kensington Square, London W8 5HQ 020 7937 5023 londoncentre@fordham.edu www.fordham.edu Harlaxton College UK Campus, University of Evansville Harlaxton Manor, Grantham, Lincolnshire NG32 1AG. Grantham 4541 4761.

Tel 01476 403000 Fax 01476 403030 harlaxton.ac.uk.

Huron University USA in London 46-47 Russell Square, Bloomsbury, London WC1B 4JP Tel +44 (0) 20 7636 5667 Fax+44 (0) 20 7299 3297 folu@huron.ac.uk www.huron.ac.uk Institute for Study Abroad Butler University, 21 Pembridge Gardens, London W2 4EB 020 7792 8751 http://www.ifsa-butler.org/england-overview.html Institute for the Study of the Americas Director: Professor James Dunkerley.

Tel 020 7862 8879 Fax 020 7862 8886 americas@sas.ac.uk www.americas.sas.ac.uk International School of Aberdeen 296 North Deeside Road, Milltimber, Aberdeen, AB13 0AB 01224 732267 www.isa.aberdeen.sch.uk admin@isa.aberdeen.sch.uk International School of London 139 Gunnersbury Avenue, London W3 8LG. 020 8992 5823. www.islondon.com mail@ISLondon.com International School of London in Surrey Old Woking Road, Woking GU22 8HY Tel +44 (0)1483 750409 Fax +44 (0)1483 730962 www.islsurrey.com mail@islsurrey.com

Regents American College 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 Richmond Hill Campus,Queen’s Road Richmond-upon Thames TW10 6JP Tel: +44 20 8332 9000 Fax: +44 20 8332 1596 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 Sotheby’s Institute of Art Postgraduate Art studies, plus day /evening courses 30 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3EE Tel: 0207 462 3232 www.sothebysinstitute.com info@sothebysinstitute.com Southbank International Schools Kensington and Hampstead campuses for 3-11 year olds; Westminster campuses for 11-18 year olds.

Director of Admissions: MargaretAnne Khoury Tel: 020 7243 3803 Fax: 020 7727 3290 admissions@southbank.org www.southbank.org TASIS England, American School Coldharbour Lane, Thorpe, Nr. Egham, Surrey TW20 8TE. Tel: 01932 565252 Fax: 01932 564644 http://england.tasis.com ukadmissions@tasisengland.org University of Notre Dame London Program 1 Suffolk Street, London SW1Y 4HG 020 7484 7811 london@nd.edu http://www.nd.edu/~ndlondon/lup/future/ introduction.htm

Webster Graduate Studies Center Regent’s College, Regent’s Park, Inner Circle, London NW1 4NS, UK. Tel: 020 7487 7505 Fax: 020 7487 7425 www.webster.ac.uk webster@regents.ac.uk Wickham Court School, Schiller International Layhams Road, West Wickham, Kent BR4 9HW. Tel 0208 777 2942 Fax 0208 777 4276 Wickham@schillerintschool.com www.wickhamcourt.org.uk Wroxton College Fairleigh Dickinson Univ.,Wroxton, Nr. Banbury, Oxfordshire OX15 6PX. Tel. 01295 730551 http://view.fdu.edu/default.aspx?id=326 admin@wroxton-college.ac.uk

ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONS Alliant International University (formerly United States International University) England Chapter Alumni Association Chapter President: Eric CK Chan c/o Regents College London, Inner Circle, Regents Park, London, UK University: www.alliant.edu chane@regents.ac.uk Amherst College Bob Reichert RAreichert26b@aol.com Andover/Abbot Association of London Jeffrey Hedges ‘71, President 07968 513 631 hedgeslon@hotmail.com Association of MBAs Leo Stemp, Events Administrator Tel 020 7837 3375 (ext. 223) Fax 020-7278-3634 l.stemp@mba.org.uk Babson College Frank de Jongh Swemer, Correspondence W 020 7932 7514 babson.alumni@btinternet.com Barnard College Club Hiromi Stone, President.

Tel. 0207 935 3981 barnardclubgb@yahoo.co.uk

Ithaca College London Centre 35 Harrington Gardens, London SW7.

Tel. 020 7370 1166 www.ithaca.edu/london bsheasgreen@ithacalondon.co.uk

US-UK Fulbright Commission Dir. of Advisory Service: Lauren Welch 020 7498 4010 Dir. of Awards: Michael Scott-Kline, 020 7498 4014 Battersea Power Station, 188 Kirtling Street, London SW8 5BN www.fulbright.co.uk

Berkeley Club of London Geoff Kertesz Email: berkeleyclublondon@gmail.com http://international.berkeley.edu/LondonClub Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ groups/223876564344656/ Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/ Berkeley-Club-London-4186104

Marymount International School, London Headmistress: Ms Sarah Gallagher George Road, Kingston upon Thames, KT2 7PE Tel: 020 8949 0571

Warnborough University International Office, Friars House, London SE1 8HB. Tel 020 7922 1200 Fax: 020 7922 1201 www.warnborough.edu admin@warnborough.edu

Boston College Alumni Club UK Craig Zematis, President +44 7717 878968 BCalumniclub@gmail.com

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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 Vice President: Caroline Cook Secretary: Pinar Emirdag Treasurer: Mikus Kins Events: Ramya Moothathu Communication: Patrick Attie Alumni Club & Liaison: Vanessa Van Hoof Former President: Ed Giberti edgibertiwgcuk@aol.com.

Brown Club UK, Box 57100, London, EC1P 1RB contact@brownuk.org www.brownuk.org Bryn Mawr Club President: Lady Quinton. c/o Wendy Tiffin, 52 Lansdowne Gardens, London SW8 2EF. Wendy Tiffin, Secretary/Treasurer 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

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

Notre Dame Club of London Hannah Gornik , Secretary ND_Club_London@yahoo.co.uk NYU STERN UK Alumni Club Matthieu Gervis, President sternukalumniclub@hotmail.com

Duke University Club of England Ms Robin Buck buckrobin@yahoo.com Tim Warmath timwarmath@yahoo.com Kate Bennett jkbennett@btinternet.com www.dukealumni.com/england

Ohio University UK & Ireland Frank Madden, 1 Riverway, Barry Avenue, Windsor, Berks. SL4 5JA. Tel 01753 855 360 Fax 01753 868 855 frank@madant.demon.co.uk

Emory University Alumni Chapter of the UK Matthew Williams, Chapter Leader 079 8451 4119 matthew.eric.williams@gmail.com www.alumni.emory.edu/chapters-and-groups/ chapters/international.html

Penn Alumni Club of the UK David Lapter Tel. 07957 146 470 david.lapter@alumni.upenn.edu Penn State Alumni Association Penn State Alumni Association Ron Nowicki 0207 226 7681 pennstatelondon@yahoo.co.uk www.alumni.psu.edu

Georgetown Alumni Club Alexa Fernandez, President GeorgetownLondon@Yahoo.com Gettysburg College Britt-Karin Oliver brittkarin@aol.com

Princeton Association (UK) Carol Rahn, President Jon Reades, Young Alumni carol.rahn@orange-ftgroup.com jon@reades.com www.alumni.princeton.edu

Harvard Business School Club of London www.hbsa.org.uk Harvard Club of Great Britain Brandon Bradkin, President president@hcuk.org www.hcuk.org

Rice Alumni of London Kathy Wang Tel. 07912 560 177 kathyw@alumni.rice.edu

Indiana University Alumni club of England Anastasia Tonello, President 020 7253 4855 iuinlondon@yahoo.com www.alumni.indiana.edu/clubs/england

Skidmore College Alumni Club, London Peggy Holden Briggs ‘84, co-ordinator peggyhbriggs@gmail.com 07817 203611

KKG London Alumnae Association emilymerrell@gmail.com

Columbia University Club of London Stephen Jansen, President london@alumniclubs.columbia.edu www.alumniclubs.columbia.edu/london

LMU Alumni Club London (Loyola Marymount University) Kent Jancarik 07795 358 681 kent@jancarik.com

Cornell Club of London Natalie Teich, President nmt4@cornell.edu www.alumni.cornell.edu/orgs/int/London

Marymount University Alumni UK Chapter President: Mrs Suzanne Tapley, 35 Park Mansions, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7QT. Tel 020 7581 3742

Dartmouth College Club of London Sanjay Gupta, Officer Andrew Rotenberg, Officer sanjay.gupta.96@ alum.dartmouth.org andrew.l.rotenberg.92@alum.dartmouth.org www.dartmouth.org

MIT Club of Great Britain Yiting Shen Flat 8a, 36 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6PB Tel: 0789 179 3823 yshen@alum.mit.edu http://alumweb.mit.edu/clubs/uk/

Delta Kappa Gamma Society International For information about the Society in Great Britain go to our website www.deltakappagamma.org/GB. There are links to all the USA and other international members’ sites.

Mount Holyoke Club of Britain Rachel L. Elwes, President rlelwes@yahoo.com Karen K. Bullivant Vice-President kkbullivant@alumnae.mtholyoke.edu www.mtholyoke.co.uk

Smith College Club of London Kathleen Merrill, President smithclubgb@googlemail.com http://alumnae.smith.edu

Stanford Business School Alumni Association (UK Chapter) Robby Arnold, President Lesley Anne Hunt, Events robby@blueyonder.co.uk lesley.hunt@blueyonder.co.uk www.stanfordalumni.org.uk Texas Tech Alumni Association – London Chapter David Mirmelli, Ferhat Guven, Bobby Brents president@texastechalumni.org.uk www.TexasTechAlumni.org.uk Texas Exes UK (UKTE) President: Carra Kane 7 Edith Road, Wimbledon, London SW19 8TW 0778 660 7534 carrakane@alumni.utexas.net www.fornogoodreason.com/UKTEMain.htm

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Texas A&M Club London Ashley Lilly, Co-President Devin Howard, Co-President london@aggienetwork.com http://clubs.aggienetwork.com/londonamc/ The John Adams Society Contact: Muddassar Ahmed c/o Unitas Communications, Palmerston House, 80-86 Old Street, London EC1V 9AZ 0203 308 2358 johnadamssociety@unitascommunications.com www.johnadamssociety.co.uk Tufts - London Tufts Alliance Vikki Garth Londontuftsalliance@yahoo.com UK Dawgs of the University of Georgia Rangana Abdulla ukdawgs@hotmail.com UMass Alumni Club UK Julie Encarnacao, President (0)20 7007 3869 julesje32@gmail.com University of California Matthew Daines (Program Director) 17 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3JA 020 7079 0567 matthewdaines@californiahouse.org.uk University of Chicago UK Alumni Association President c/o Alumni Affairs and Development – Europe University of Chicago Booth School of Business Woolgate Exchange, 25 Basinghall Street, London EC2V 5HA Tel +44(0)20 7070 2245 Fax +44(0)20 7070 2250 www.ChicagoBooth.edu University of Illinois Alumni Club of the UK Amy Barklam, President 07796 193 466 amybarklam@msn.com University of North Carolina Alumni Club Brad Matthews, Club Leader 2 The Orchards, Hill View Road, Woking GU22 7LS brad.matthews@alumni.unc.edu http://alumni.unc.edu University of Michigan Alumni Association Regional Contact: Jessica Cobb, BA ’97 +44 (0) 788-784-0941 jesscobb@yahoo.com http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/umich_uk_alumni/

University of Rochester/Simon School UK Alumni Association Ms. Julie Bonne, Co-President 0118-956-5052 julie_bonne@yahoo.com University of Southern California, Alumni Club of London Jennifer Ladwig, President Chuck Cramer, Treasurer

64 November 2012

usclondon@gmail.com www.usclondonalumni.org

University of Virginia Alumni Club of London Kirsten Jellard, 020 7368 8473 londonuvaclub@yahoo.com http://members.aol.com/UKUVACLUB/UVA-london.htm USNA Alumni Association, UK Chapter President: LCDR Greta Densham ‘00 (gretaj@mac.com) Vice President/Treasurer: Tim Fox ‘97 (timfox97@ hotmail.com) Secretary: Mike Smith ‘84 (Mike.Smith@polycom.com) Facebook Group - USNA Alumni Association, UK Chapter Vassar College Club Sara Hebblethwaite, President 18 Redgrave Road, London, SW15 1PX +44 020 8788 6910 sara.hebblethwaite@virgin.net Warnborough Worldwide Alumni Association c/o International Office, Friars House, London SE1 8HB. Tel. 020 7922 1200 Fax. 020 7922 1201 http://www.wwaa.info/ admin@warnborough.edu Wellesley College Club Ana Ericksen, President. ana@ericksenuk.com Wharton Business School Club of the UK Yoav Kurtzbard, President Claire Watkins, Administrator 020-7447-8800 ykurtzbard@youngassoc.com cwatkins@youngassoc.com Williams Club of Great Britain Ethan Kline: ethankline@gmail.com Yale Club of London Joe Vittoria, President president@yale.org.uk Scott Fletcher, Events events@yale.org.uk Nick Baskey, Secretary secretary@yale.org.uk www.yale.org.uk Zeta Tau Alpha Alumnae Kristin Morgan. Tel: 07812 580949 kristinamorgan@gmail.com www.zetataualpha.org

ARTS North American Actors Association Chief Executive: Ms. Laurence Bouvard Americanactors@aol.com 07873 371 891

CIVIL WAR SOCIETIES American Civil War Round Table (UK) Sandra Bishop 5 Southdale, Chigwell, Essex IG7 5NN sandra-bishop@hotmail.com www.americancivilwar.org.uk

Southern Skirmish Association (SoSkan) Membership Secretary, Bob Isaac, 3 Hilliards Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 3TA email membership@soskan.co.uk

SPORTS Eagles Golf Society Sharon Croley c/o Eventful Services, 49 Hastings Road, Croydon, Surrey CRO 6PH sharoncroley@blueyonder.co.uk English Lacrosse The Belle Vue Centre, Pink Bank Lane, Longsight, Manchester M12 5GL 0161.227.3626 www.englishlacrosse.co.uk info@englishlacrosse.co.uk British Baseball Federation/ BaseballSoftballUK 5th Floor, Ariel House, 74a Charlotte Street, London W1T 4QJ. 020 7453 7055 British Morgan Horse Society 01942 886141 www.morganhorse.org.uk admin@morganhorse.org.uk Ice Hockey UK 19 Heather Avenue, Rise Park, Romford RM1 4SL Tel. 07917 194 264 Fax. 1708 725241 www.icehockeyuk.co.uk ihukoffice@yahoo.co.uk Herts Baseball Club Adult & Little League Baseball www.hertsbaseball.com LondonSports Instruction and competitive play in baseball, basketball and football (soccer), for boys and girls aged 4-15, newcomers or experienced players.

Learn about and play sports in a safe, fun environment.

We welcome children of all nationalities. www.londonsports.com vll@me.com London Warriors American Football Club Contact: Kevin LoPrimo info@londonwarriorsafc.co.uk www.londonwarriorsafc.co.uk Mildenhall EELS Swim Team International and local competitions for ages 6-19.

Contact Coach Robin flv4@hotmail.com

Every effort is made to ensure that listings in the information guide are correct and current. If your entry requires amendments please notify us immediately.

We rely on you to keep us informed. Telephone 01747 830520, Fax 01747 830691 or email us at theamerican@blueedge.co.uk. We would be pleased to receive news or short articles about your organisation for possible publication in The American.

The American RESTAURANTS

Suppliers of quality products and services hand-picked for you ACCOUNTANCY & TAX BDO LLP The UK member firm of the world’s fifth largest accountancy organisation.

55 Baker Street, London W1U 7EU 020 7486 5888 info@bdo.co.uk www.bdo.uk.com Jaffe & Co., incorp. American Tax International Comprehensive tax preparation and compliance service for US expatriates in the UK and Europe.

America House, 54 Hendon Lane, London N3 1TT 0800 085 1537 or 020 8346 5237 www.americantaxonline.com Xerxes Associates LLP Fixed Fee US & UK Individual Tax Compliance, Consulting & Planning.

Tel: +44(0)207 411 9026 Fax: +44(0)207 411 9051 www.xerxesllp.com

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

La Capanna The Finest Italian Food served in the loveliest of Surrey’s settings.

48 High Street, Cobham, Surrey KT11 3EF 01932 862 121 www.lacapanna.co.uk

GROCERY Lidgate Butchers Organic meats from a 150 year old business now run by the the fifth generation of the same family.

110 Holland Park Avenue, London W11 4UA Tel. 0207 727 8243 www.lidgates.com

LEGAL Kingsley Napley LLP Family lawyers with particular experience in dealing with cases involving Americans living here and abroad.

020 7814 1200 www.kingsleynapley.co.uk

MEDICAL & DENTAL The American Women’s Health Centre (AWHC) OB GYN Based in the West End of London, at the heart of medical excellence in Britain.

Third Floor, 214 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5QN 020 7390 8433 info@AWHC.co.uk www.awhc.co.uk

VIDEO / TELEVISION Jim Garnett - Cameraman 27 years’ experience in television, magazines and newspapers – Full professional gear in both NTSC [USA/Canada] and PAL formats. Used by ‘Entertainment Tonight’, CBC, CTV National, CTV Toronto, CTV Sports, Global TV and Channel Zero.

Tel. 07930-100909 http://jimgarnettphotography.blogspot.co.uk

COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY Transitions Therapy Psychotherapy & Counselling for Expatriate Individuals, Couples, Families & Adolescents in the West End. London, England, United Kingdom 07557 261432 in the UK or 0044 7557 261432 from another country.

Skype sessions available around the world. transitions_therapy@hotmail.com www.transitionstherapy.co.uk

To find out whether you’re eligible to advertise your products and services here, and for rates, call Sabrina Sully on +44 (0)1747 830520. You’ll reach Americans living in and visiting the UK as well as Britons who like American culture and products.

CLEANING SERVICES Shine Cleaning Inc. Ltd Successful for over 20 years in the US – now over here in Britain. All kinds of cleaning: Residential, Commercial, Medical, One-off or Contract.

0800 206 2212 or 078 2753 7215 www.shinecleaninginc.co.uk

EDUCATION Florida State University in UK Over 50 years of experience in international education.

99 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LA 020 7813 3223 www.international.fsu.edu

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1. November 2nd; 2. St. Louis, 1904; 3. Dull, Perth & Kinross; 4. True, he was born in Hyde Park town, New York; 5. Felix the Cat, 1927; 6. Scorpio; 7. Ankara; 8. (a) James Madison, (b) Ulysses S. Grant, (c) Woodrow Wilson, (d) Franklin D. Roosevelt, (e) Dwight D. Eisenhower, (f) Richard Nixon, (g) Bill Clinton; 9. Nikita Khrushchev; 10. Please Please Me; 11. Zoning Improvement Plan; 12. Jodie Foster, who graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Literature; 13. Film producer/art promoter Anthony Cox.

November 2012 65

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