The American September-October 2016 Issue 753

September - October 2016

THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE

Est. 1976

®

read more at ... www.theamerican.co.uk

US Election Registered?

If not you can’t vote!

Find out how - inside

US ELECTION EXPAT FINANCE IMMIGRATION DEPORTATION EDUCATION ARTS & REVIEWS AMERICAN SPORTS

Bob Harris: Brit DJ - American Roots Football previews: NFL, College and London PLUS: OUR EXCLUSIVE US/UK SOCIAL GROUPS GUIDE

in this issue...

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ElectionFest:  Register to Vote, have Fun NEWS: Every Expat Vote Counts

EXPAT ADVICE:  Brexit and Immigration UK Visas for Americans

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IDENTITY:  Get your Vital Records

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EDUCATION:  International Schools in UK  Different Admissions to US Colleges

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MY EXPAT LIFE:  American School Student at Winchester College

FINANCE:  Post-Brexit Exchange Rates  US vs UK Inheritance Tax

4 Welcome 6 A-List: Products & Services 9 News

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HUMOR:  Wanna write a hit TV show? ...get yourself deported  Miss Patricia has a Padding Problem

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MY EXPAT LIFE: Kansas City’s BBQ Guru

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MUSIC: Bob Harris’ American Roots

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POLITICS:  Tony Blair and Chilcot  US Election Poll Analysis  Sovereignty  Trump, Clinton ...and Chickpeas!

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AMERICAN SPORTS:  NFL London Series  NFL & NCAA previews  Golf: Summer’s Major Losers

12 Diary Dates 44 Food & Drink 60 Arts Choice

62 Theater Reviews 89 US Social Groups 96 Coffee Break Fun The American

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’s party September 27, 2016 6pm to 10pm at the Big Easy, Canary Wharf, London Early Bird Tickets only £10 for details and to buy tickets go to www.theamerican.co.uk

Join Rich Hall Register to Vote with expert help

from the Federal Voting Assistance Program

Comedy from Rich Hall and Erich McElroy

The Latest Polls with MORI’s Sir Robert Worcester

THE PRE-ELECTION EVENT FOR AMERICANS

Pre-booked tickets essential

and Harry Shearer Live Music curated by the BBC’s Bob Harris

Panel Debate with Harry Shearer Audience Q&A

The party where the Parties mix

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Issue 753 September - October 2016 Single copy £3.80 inc. P&P Annual subscription £20 (UK) For free digital sub or free print copy pickup visit www.theamerican.co.uk and click on Magazine

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f The American feels a little different in your hand this issue, it’s because it’s a record-breaking (forgive us, we’re still high on the Olympics) 100-pager, with bumper-sized Politics and Sports sections, and more articles packed with expert advice than ever before.

If you’re concerned about [...deep breath] Brexit, currency exchange rates, immigration laws, potential deportation, US vs UK inheritance tax, school education in the UK, college education in the US, and how to register to vote, then you’ve come to the right place. [...and breathe again] We have hilarious looks at the UK Border Force and the American election, a look at Jesus Christ Superstar and the post-Chilcot Report Tony Blair (not the same person, apparently) and in-depth previews of the upcoming NFL and NCAA football seasons.

And there’s a unique chance to get together with actor Harry Shearer and comic Rich Hall as well as our own polling guru Sir Robert Worcester at The American’s pre-ballot party, ElectionFest. If you haven’t registered to vote yet: a) it’s complicated but b) it’s easy at ElectionFest, with expert help and advice.

Enjoy your magazine, M ichael Burland, Content Director michael@theamerican.co.uk

Among this issue’s contributors

Mike Orton-Toliver An expat US comedian who lives in Holland and has a fiancée in Britain. Doesn’t sound like a recipe for deportation, but read on...

Erich McElroy Erich has been in Edinburgh with Electile Dysfunction (that’s the name of his show!).

Now he’s back with his expat view of the US Election

Richard L Gale We’ve gone football preview crazy this edition with Richard’s detailed look at the upcoming NFL pro and NCAA college seasons

Read The American online at www.theamerican.co.uk The entire contents of The American and www.theamerican.co.uk are protected by copyright and no part of it may be reproduced without written permission of the publishers. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information in The American is accurate, the editor and publishers cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions or any loss arising from reliance on it. The views and comments of contributors are not necessarily those of the publishers.

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The American

PUBLISHED BY SP MEDIA FOR

Blue Edge Publishing Ltd. Old Byre House, East Knoyle, Salisbury SP3 6AW, UK Tel: +44 (0)1747 830520

Departments: News, Article ideas, Press releases: editor@theamerican.co.uk Advertising & Promotions: advertising@theamerican.co.uk Subscriptions: theamerican@blueedge.co.uk The Team: Michael Burland, Content Director michael@theamerican.co.uk Sabrina Sully, Content Director & Community Contact sabrina@theamerican.co.uk Daniel Byway, Content Executive dan@theamerican.co.uk Virginia E Schultz, Food & Drink virginia@theamerican.co.uk Michael M Sandwick, Food & Drink mms@theamerican.co.uk Alison Holmes, Politics alison@theamerican.co.uk Jarlath O’Connell, Theater jarlath@theamerican.co.uk

©2016 Blue Edge Publishing Ltd. Printed in the UK www.ostrich-print.co.uk ISSN 2045-5968 Main Cover: ©WBeem; Square Inset: ©David Elkinson/ Stanfordphoto; Circular Inset: ©Bob Harris

@TheAmericanMag

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ACCOUNTANCY & TAX Blick Rothenberg LLP

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Expats have special and complex tax considerations at home and abroad. Constant changes to the tax laws and regulations mean it’s important to work with a CPA knowledgeable of your unique reporting requirements. The penalties are too significant to risk. We are experienced in working with US citizens abroad, navigating the complex reporting requirements, including Streamlined and OVDP filings.

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H&R Block Expat Tax Services

Bright ! Tax LLC

Bright!Tax is a leading US expat tax services provider for Americans living in the UK. Visit brighttax.com to learn more. +1.212.465.2528 http://brighttax.com inquiries@brighttax.com

Professional service at affordable prices. Fixed fee U.S. Expatriate tax preparation service in London. Federal/ State, Foreign bank account/IRS audits response 152 Burford Wharf, 3 Cam Road, London, E15 2SS +44 (0)20 3286 6445. M: +44 (0)79 1439 3183 kader@taxandaccountinghub.com www.taxandaccountinghub.com

Tax Advisory Partnership One H&R Block Way, Kansas City, MO 64105 USA 1-816-504-1665 expattax@hrblock.com http://hrblock.com/expats Our secure, remote service has a dedicated team which includes CPAs, enrolled agents, and tax attorneys, who focus on expat taxes and can handle all types of U.S. tax returns, including FATCA and FBAR.

Humphrey & Co.

Burton Sweet

Tax Advisory Partnership provides a broad range of UK and US tax advice and compliances services to private clients both in the UK and abroad. Our highly experienced team are ready to help you. Please contact us for further information.

Tel: +44 207 655 6959 info@tap-london.com www.taxadvisorypartnership.com

Warrener Stewart Tax Return Preparation and compliance service for US Expatriates. Specialist in providing advice on UK/US Tax interaction. Affordable Fixed Fees.

Spencer House, Morston Court, Aisecome Way, Weston-Super-Mare, North Somerset BS22 8NG 01934 620011 Contact Rachel Finch rachel@burton-sweet.co.uk www.burton-sweet.co.uk Twitter @burtonsweet www.linkedin.com/company/burton-sweet

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The American

Based in Eastbourne and Brighton & Hove, we have been providing tax and business advice since 1928. Within our general practice, we also specialise in Expatriate Tax and US Taxation, providing comprehensive advice and quality service to US citizens living in the UK. For more information contact our Tax Director, Kevin Hancock: 7-9 The Avenue, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN21 3YA 01323 730631 khancock@humph.co.uk www.humph.co.uk

Based in Fulham, we are Chartered Accountants and Chartered Tax Advisors providing a cost effective, bespoke service for US citizens with UK or US tax affairs. To arrange an initial free consultation contact : Ashleigh Molton on 020 7731 6163 or email amolton@warrenerstewart.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

COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY Anji Holland Hypnotherapy

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Expat Therapy London

Professional experienced psychotherapy in North and Central London.Trained in the U.S., registered in the U.K., and for the last 14 years I’ve worked in the U.S., Argentina, Cambodia and now London. In that time I’ve worked with many different types of issues ranging from: an unsure sense of what is really wrong, to depression/anxiety, to serious life crises, to sudden traumatic events as well as constant more pervasive traumas.

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EDUCATION A-List Education

A-List offers specialist and highly customised US test preparation and admissions services for students and secondary schools all over the world via its offices in London, New York and Dubai. We can guide private clients through the entire process or just specific parts, including: tutoring for entrance exams (SAT, ACT, SAT Subject Tests, APs), selecting and visiting best-fit colleges, and crafting outstanding applications and college essays. A-List works with a number of leading UK schools providing US admissions support, SAT/ACT courses and teacher training. +44 (0)20 3004 8101 info.uk@alisteducation.com www.alisteducation.co.uk

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Personalised SAT and ACT tutoring, bespoke online courses, expert advice on both the college application process and interviews.

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Integrated financial and investment advice for US expats living in the UK provided by US expats. Global account consolidation, UK/US savings and retirement planning together with investment advice.

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USA/UK Financial Concierge Ltd.

Aisa Professional

Independent US/UK compliant Financial and Investment Planning uniquely placed to assist US clients in navigating through the maze of investment options available in the UK. Contact Andrea Karpinski on 07905 828052 or email her andrea@usaukfinancialconcierge.co.uk

A joint UK and US regulated company who specialise in pensions and offer cross border investment and financial advice using UK and US custodians.

Unit 4, Fordbrook Business Centre, PEWSEY, Wiltshire, SN9 5NU + 44 (0) 1672 569111 info@aisagroup.org www.aisagroup.org

LETTINGS Barton Wyatt

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A specialist subsidiary of wealth management firm LGT Vestra LLP, set up specifically to help clients with financial interests in both the US and UK. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK and a Registered Investment Adviser with the Securities & Exchange Commission in the US. 14 Cornhill, London EC3V 3NR Contact Paul Nixon on +44(0)20 3207 8364 or email paul.nixon@lgtvestra-us.com www.lgtvestra-us.com

Award winning agents offering quality managed properties and house sales in Surrey & Berkshire.

Comprehensive stress free service. NAEA, ARLA & NAR qualified staff.

01344 843000 homes@bartonwyatt.co.uk www.bartonwyatt.co.uk

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Maseco Private Wealth

Expert wealth management advice, exceptional client service and a phenomenal client experience for Americans in the US and abroad, UK residents, as well as financial advisors, trustees and foundations.

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London’s leading rental agency for visiting academics and professionals, specialising in fully furnished properties mainly in zones 1 & 2. Members of NAEA, TDS and TPO, visit our website for more details.

Please contact Elaine or David: elaine@sabbaticalhomes.co.uk david@sabbaticalhomes.co.uk M: (0) 7785 501 042 Office: +44 (0) 208 906 4747 Skype : david.godfreyoffice www.sabbaticalhomes.co.uk

The American

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To find out whether you’re eligible to advertise your products and services here, and for rates, call Dan +44 (0)1747 830520, or email dan@theamerican.co.uk. You’ll reach Americans living in and visiting the UK as well as Britons who like American culture and products.

OFFICIAL VITAL RECORDS

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VitalChek

VitalChek, a LexisNexis® company, is America’s #1 authorized online service for ordering official vital records including birth and death certificates, marriage records and divorce records.

Order through our website: www.vitalchek.com www.vitalcheknetwork.com

US Global Mail

Mail & Parcel forwarding service for expats, international shoppers, businesses and travelers. US street address. Virtual Mailbox with mail scanning, bundling and up to 70% savings on international shipping rates. +1 281 596 8965 www.usglobalmail.com support@usglobalmail.com

VISAS & IMMIGRATION

OTS Solicitors

MEDICAL

Cigna Healthcare

Cigna Global specialise in health insurance policies for expats. Choose from three distinct levels of cover, with five optional additional benefits, including outpatient care, medical evacuation, and vision & dental care.

Get a quote now!

The Grosvenor Building, 72 Gordon Street, Glasgow, Scotland G13RS www.cignaglobal.com +44(0)1475 779161 From the US: 877.539.6295

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OTS Solicitors is one of the UK’s leading immigration law firms, with over 60 years of combined experience and knowledge in immigration law. Our solicitors are ultimately here to ensure the best representation and outcome for individuals and companies at every stage of the immigration process.

107-111 Fleet Street, London, EC4A 2AB t +44 (0)20 7936 9960 f +44 (0)20 7936 9100 info@otssolicitors.co.uk www.otssolicitors.co.uk TWITTER: twitter.com/OTSSolicitors FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/otssolicitors LINKEDIN: www.linkedin.com/company/ots-solicitors/ GOOGLE: plus.google.com/+OtssolicitorsCoUk

US Visa Solutions - Law Office of Janice A. Flynn

108 Medical Chambers 108 Medical Chambers is a leading Consultant led and delivered independent out-patient and diagnostic centre with clinical teams specialising in breast disease, dermatology, groins and hernia surgery, colo-rectal problems, sports injuries and thyroid and ENT problems.

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The American

Where else can you find a FREE glossy lifestyle magazine for Americans in the UK packed with features written just for you?

The answer – right here!

MAIL & PARCELS

NOT TO BLOW OUR OWN TRUMPET, BUT

US-licensed immigration lawyers advising on US citizenship, green cards, visa and US entry issues.

Honest, straightforward advice and a high level of bespoke service.

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Read The American on your mobile device or computer at www.theamerican.co.uk or get your very own copy delivered to your home or workplace – the only thing we’ll ask you to pay for is post and packing.

Just some of our interviewees: Actors John Lithgow, Danny DeVito, Cuba Gooding Jr, Leigh Zimmerman, Robert Sean Leonard, Donny Osmond, Harry Shearer, Betty Buckley, Heather Headley; artists Helaine Blumenfeld, Kaffe Fassett; NFL stars Steven Jackson, Nate Solder, authors Amanda Foreman, Sara Wheeler, Ken Rijock, musicians Curtis Stigers, Scott Gorham, Eric Church, Adam Duritz...

A real magazine for the expat community The American isn’t a mail-out or a web-only download. It’s a real magazine available from H The US Embassy, London & US Consulates H The American Museum in Britain H United/Continental & Virgin clubhouses, Heathrow H Autovillage, Suffolk H USAF bases H All the organizations listed in back of this magazine H And more! For other places see: www.theamerican.co.uk/pr/ TheAmericanMagazineOnline.php Call us now: +44 (0)1747 830520.

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Every Vote Counts

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The American

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How do I submit my registration, ballot request, and absentee ballot?

All states will accept these documents by mail; Royal Mail offers convenient, affordable mailing options to the United

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If I request an absentee ballot for my state primary, will I automatically receive one for the general election?

That is sometimes the case, but to be safe you may wish to contact your local election authority to confirm their policy.

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When should I request and submit my absentee ballot?

Each state has its own deadlines for registering to vote, requesting absentee ballots, and sending completed absentee ballots, both for the primary and general election. Using the FVAP state-bystate guidance, you can find your state’s deadlines and the necessary forms for registering to vote and

Will there be a polling station at the US Embassy in London on Election Day? No. The only way to vote from overseas is by absentee ballot.

Staff at the Embassy are there to answer your questions about voting from abroad, but it is not possible to vote in-person at the Embassy.

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Frequently Asked Questions

requesting an absentee ballot.

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It’s a complicated procedure but help is available from the US Embassy and the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) – potentially in person. (* see below) All US citizens can receive their blank ballots electronically.

Depending on the state in which you are eligible to vote, you may get your ballot by email, fax, or internet download. Go to www.

FVAP.gov to complete a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), print and sign the form then return it to your local election office in the United States. (FVAP recommends overseas US citizens get in the habit of completing FPCAs each January as states are no longer required to automatically send ballots to voters for an entire election cycle.)

Include your email address on the

form so it’s easier for your election officials to reach you if there is a problem. If your state delivers ballots electronically by fax only, be sure to include your fax number. If you request electronic delivery and include your email address or fax number, you’ll receive your blank ballot 45 days before general and mid-term elections and generally 30 days before special, primary, and run-off elections for federal offices. Most states now have voter registration verification websites, and many offer a means of tracking the status of your registration and ballot.

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id you know that, as an overseas American, you have the right to vote in the presidential election? If so, have you registered to vote? Did you look at the procedure then go do something less brain-frying? You’re not alone!

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Overseas ballots have decided elections before and could do so again.

Here’s our guide on how to get - and use - your ballot.

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... Every Vote Counts States with 5-7 day delivery times.

You may also drop off any of these items at the US Embassy in London in a completed, postagepaid envelope (available under “Downloadable Election Materials” on the FVAP homepage). Some states will also accept documents by email or fax.

In which state should I register to vote?

For Americans who have lived in the United States at some point, you should register in your last state of residence. For Americans who have never lived in the USA but have a parent, legal guardian, or spouse who did, your relative’s last state of domicile may allow you to register there.

Answers to more detailed questions can be found at www.fvap.gov/vao/vag/appendix/faq

* Expert assistance

Still sounds complicated? For personal expert help, come and meet David Beirne, the FVAP’s Director of Assistance. David will be flying in from Washington DC to join us at The American’s pre-election event, ElectionFest. (See page 2 for more information.) He and a colleague will be able to answer any of your questions, but there’s more.

They can help you register correctly, then take your registration papers back to the USA to arrive at your home state’s officials in good time.

Job done!

It’ll be a fun evening with comedy and music too.

For tickets go to: w w w. t h e a m e r i c a n . c o . u k / p r / ElectionFest-2016.php

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Alternative Candidates

N

ot a Trump fan? Can’t vote for Hillary? There are other names on the ticket, although you might not guess it from most coverage.

One less-discussed alternative is the Libertarian Party, whose candidate Gary Johnson (pictured) is on track to be on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. He has achieved access in Ohio and New York, subject to verification of signatures in Ohio. (All details are correct at press time.) The party’s latest news release rebuked the Obama Administration and the DEA for “the decision not to reclassify marijuana as a schedule 2 substance in spite of overwhelming pressure and widespread requests to do so.” Libertarian National Committee Chair Nicholas Sarwark said that Americans supported this as the substance was “Proven effective in combating multiple medical disorders as well as being safer than alcohol, tobacco, and most prescription painkillers.”

Another candidate is Jill Stein, the nominee of the self-proclaimed ‘eco-socialist” Green Party. The latest news from the Greens was that Dr Jill Stein will not appear on the ballot in Georgia: Federal District Court Judge Richard Story ruled that Georgia’s ballot access regime was unconstitutional and set a threshold of 7,500 signatures for Presidential ballot access.

The total number of valid signatures submitted was 5,925, so did not meet the requirement. Party officers are exploring legal options with their attorneys.

Additionally there is a roster of more- or less-serious Independent candidates who may appear on a ballot near you. You can find their platforms online. They range from a right winger who thinks the the “inter-

national Christian Crusade” should launch “immediate, full force military strikes against Iran’s nuclear capabilities”, to a DJ who’s an advocate of the rights of women, workers and illegal immigrants.

These Independents include (listed alphabetically) Ed Baker, David Boarman, Brian Briggs, Paul Chehade, Robert Dionisio, Art Drew, David Holcomb, John Fitzgerald Johnson (aka “The Real Grandmaster Jay”), Lynn Sandra Kahn, Bishop Julian Lewis, Jr., Evan McMullin, James C Mitchell, Jr., Perry Morcom, Mark Pendleton, Jeremiah Pent, Scott Smith, Samm Tittle, Benjamin Weigel and Terry W Wheelock.

Of these the one with the hightest profile, and chance of garnering any significant number of votes, is Evan McMullin, who has positoined himself as the choice for anti-Trump conservatives. The former CIA field operative says that Donald Trump is “wholly unfit to be President of the United States” and that the decision to give Donald Trump classified intelligence briefings “poses an immediate threat to national security”: This from the former chief policy director for the House Republican Conference in the House of Representatives. McMullin is on the ballot in Utah, his home state, Iowa, Colorado and Minnesota.

More may follow. 

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Selected for you

Find many more events at www.theamerican.co.uk Eccles Centre for American Studies Eccles Centre for American Studies, British Library, 96 Euston Road London NW1 2DB www.bl.uk/eccles Regular events on North American and Transatlantic themes. Highlights include: Fulbright Lecture, Jaw Jaw is Better than War War: Jonathan Powell (former Chief of Staff to Tony Blair; founder of Inter/Mediate, an organisation dedicated to conflict resolution around the world)

Under the Apple Tree Roots Festival Cadogan Hall, 5 Sloane Terrace, Belgravia, London SW1X 9DQ www.undertheappletreefestival.com September 10 Patty Griffin, alt-country superstar, and British country stars Ward Thomas headlines‘Whispering’ Bob Harris’s new festival. Music broadcasting royalty, Bob hosts the BBC’s Country Music radio show and the C2C festival. Now he has launched his own Country, Americana & Roots music festival. Line-up also includes Andrew Combs, Dan Bettridge, Lewis & Leigh, The Lake Poets, Judith Owen, Chris Difford, Scott Matthews, Dexeter, Balsamo Deighton, Blair Dunlop, Small Town Jones & Catherine McGrath.

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The American

discusses with Gabrielle Rifkind whether an army of mediators would be better than an airforce of bombers (Sep 8).

The Winchester: Legend of the West: BBC journalist Laura Trevelyan explores the history of, and family behind the Winchester Rifle, the iconic gun made in New Haven, Connecticut. Sold in its hundreds of thousands around the world, it mirrors American expansion at a key period in the young country’s history. The lethal repeating rifle, known by Native Americans as “the spirit gun”, represented both the pioneering vigour and the brutal force which conquered the West (Sep 29).

Hillsborough Oyster Festival Hillsborough, Lisburn, Northern Ireland www.hillsboroughoysterfestival.com August 30 to September 4 The World Oyster Eating Championships, Golf tournament, Galway to Hillsborough cycle ride, and a Soapbox Derby!

The Great River Race River Thames: Docklands to Ham, Surrey www.greatriverrace.co.uk September 3 Over 300 crews from around the globe compete in a colorful 21.6 mile race through the city.

International Bognor Birdman Bognor Regis Pier, West Sussex www.birdman.org.uk September 3 & 4 Entrants from around the world jump from the pier in the hope that their costume or contraption will see them fly the furthest.

Rich Hall UK Tour: offthekerb.co.uk /on-tour/ September 6 to December 15 The grouchy, deadpan, comic genius quit his job as a hurricane namer for the US Meteorological Service two decades ago and hasn’t looked back. The Perrier Award & Emmy winner and BBC Four documentarymaker is also a great musician (as is his alter ego, redneck jailbird Otis Lee Crenshaw).

Also at The American’s ElectionFest - see elsewhere in this issue. kcwc: HRH Princess Michael of Kent The Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR www.kcwc.org.uk September 15 Stylish, elegant, supporter of the arts, patron to many, Princess Michael of Kent is keynote speaker at Kensington & Chelsea Women’s Club’s General Meeting. Her Royal Highness is a familiar, respected and long-standing member of the Royal household. £10 non-member fee, redeemable if joining on the day.

Agatha Christie Festival Torquay www.agathachristiefestival.com September 3 Torbay and ‘The English Riviera’ holds its annual festival dedicated to the work of its own Queen of Crime, with a mixture of talks, performances, film screenings and a multitude of other literary joys!

USA College Day ILEC Conference Centre (47 Lillie Road, London, SW6 1UD) www.fulbright.org.uk/news-events/ usa-study-events/usa-college-day September 23 & 24 Free (in advance) event providing students, parents and advisors with the unique opportunity to meet representatives from over 150 American universities and educational service providers in London. It is the largest US university fair in the UK.

“The World’s Greatest Entertainer” TONY BENNETT

LIVE IN CONCERT The Palladium - 50th Anniversary celebration with Full live Orchestra

Plus view a brand new and exclusive exhibition of Judy’s costumes, dresses and memorabilia from her career in the venue’s foyer.

Saturday 15 October

LONDON PALLADIUM RUTLIVE.CO.UK | 0844 412 4657

Hosted by

LEO GREEN

(as heard on Radio 2)

Calls are charged at 7p per minute

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Sulgrave Manor Harvest Fayre Manor Road, Sulgrave, Banbury OX17 2SD www.sulgravemanor.org.uk September 23 The ancestral home of President George Washington celebrates the harvest with a special day, including fresh food stalls, live music and lots of activities.

ElectionFest: Harry Shearer, Rich Hall, Register to Vote Big Easy, Canary Wharf, London E14 www.theamerican.co.uk/pr/ The Color

American Museum in Britain Claverton Manor, Bath BA2 7BD www.americanmuseum.org The only museum outside the USA to showcase America’s arts. Exhibition: An American Toy Story explores the impact that movie-licensing had on toy production and the way we play, with vintage treasures and modern classics spanning 100 years.

Music Concert from Sarah McQuaid (Sep 4).

Play: ‘Include Me Out!: the Life and Loves of a Hollywood Mogul’ Eavesdrop as largerthan-life film producer Samuel Goldwyn reveals all to his psychoanalyst (Oct 13).

Churchill Lecture: Jacob Rees-Mogg. The MP for North East Somerset delivers the annual Sir Winston Churchill lecture on the subject of the Britain and the world post-Brexit (Oct 20). American Ghost Tours, a chilling journey through some of the darkest chapters of American history (Oct 26). Day of the Dead Fiesta, celebrate the Mexican Day of the Dead festival, inc love music from Mariachi Tequila (Oct 30). Plus regular Yarn Bomb trails, Quilting Bees, Toddler groups, Art Talks, Craft Courses, Classic American Dance classes.

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The TheAmerican American

ElectionFest Big Easy, Canary Wharf, London E14 * www.theamerican.co.uk/pr/ ElectionFest-2016.php September 27 THE event for American expats prior to the most exciting and important presidential election in living memory.

Fun - Informative - Impartial. Register to vote with expert help. Join Harry Shearer (The Simpsons, Spinal Tap), comedian Rich Hall, Bloomberg’s Stryker McGuire, respected broadcaster Charlie Wolf, Sir Robert Worcester (pollsters MORI founder) and the Director of the US Government’s Federal Voting Assistance Program. Plus American music artists curated by Bob Harris. Tickets limited, only £10. * Venue may change if event gets larger.

Bloomsbury Festival Various, Bloomsbury, London bloomsburyfestival.org.uk October 19 to 23 Explore art and culture, knowledge and imagination, in a thought-provoking programme of events across 4 days.

The Color Line musée du quai Branly, Paris, France www.quaibranly.fr October 4 to January 15, 2017 Exhibition of African-American art of the times of segregation, in Paris.

Royal Parks Half Marathon

Halloween www.benjaminfranklinhouse.org October 31 Don’t be surprised to see ghouls, goblins and ghosts roaming the street as Britain embraces the annual holiday of Halloween - but don’t worry, they’re just costumes.

Events take place around the country many aimed at families and children, although watch out for those designed to spook even the most staunch of adults.

For an American take, brave the dimly lit corridors and creaking floorboards of Benjamin Franklin’s 18th century Georgian house for ghost stories told by the Founding Father’s friend Polly Hewson, and other haunting happenings…

Falmouth Oyster Festival falmouthoysterfestival.co.uk October 13 to 16 The seaside town celebrates the start of the oyster dredging season with events, music, cooking demonstrations and food stalls.

UK Texas Exes Halloween Bash Prince of Wales Pub, 150-151 Drury Lane, London WC28 5TB www.facebook.com/ events/110118506102016/ October 29 Does an evening of fright sound alright?

Then join the UKTE for an evening of scares on Halloween Night. Enjoy costumes, special potion and dancing to the Monster Mash. 8pm - 2am. Proceeds benefit the UKTE scholarship fund.

World Conker Championships Shuckburgh Arms Public House, Southwick, Peterborough PE8, UK www.worldconkerchampionships.com October 9 Each year, competitors meet to find out whose Conkers are stronger at the World Conker Championships.

London royalparkshalf.com October 9 16,000 runners get into gear and embark on a 13.1 mile run through four of London’s Royal Parks raising money for charity.

Battle of Ideas Barbican, London EC2Y www.battleofideas.org.uk October 22 to 23 Annual forum for thought-provoking ideas and debates, asking challenging questions on subjects and issues as varied as the Labour Party’s electoral wipeout in Scotland, the modern meaning of Shakespeare and the Rise of Hillary Clinton with academic James D Boys.

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Brexit and immigration

– will you be able to stay in the UK? By immigration lawyer Alison Hunter

F

ollowing the dramatic result of the Brexit referendum the United Kingdom must turn to dealing with the reality of a ‘leave’ vote.

Many commentators have suggested that it was the single issue of immigration which led to the decision by the British electorate to back Brexit and it is inevitable that non British citizens living in the United Kingdom are feeling less welcome than before. Many of these foreign nationals though will want to continue to call the United Kingdom their home.

Here is a summary of what we know so far and how it may affect you and your families living and working in the United Kingdom:

First things first – timing

The first thing to note is that nothing is going to change quickly. The United Kingdom is very likely to remain a member of the European Union for at least another two years.

Article 50 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) sets out the requirements for leaving the EU and, the UK must formally give notice of its intention to leave, triggering a two year period (which may be extended by unanimous agreement) after which its membership of the EU will cease. Once notice has been given, the UK will begin negotiations with the EU for the terms of exit.

People here on the basis of UK immigration law – no need for concern

If you are an American national and you are here in the United Kingdom on the basis of your work, for exam-

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ple on a Tier 2 visa, then Brexit will not affect your status or that of your dependants. This is because the rules about your immigration status are contained in laws passed by the United Kingdom parliament and remain completely unaffected

by Brexit.

In the longer term though we would urge individuals and employers to keep a keen eye on developments. The current rules in respect of business immigration take into account the need for UK businesses to be able to hire skilled migrants but of course much of the demand is fulfilled currently by European migration. European migrants not only carry out skilled jobs but also fill many lower skilled jobs. If a future government recognises the demand from business and the need for immigration, it is just possible in the longer term that a wider category of immigration options may be available to non-EU nationals. This though needs to be considered in the context of very loud calls for an overall reduction of the number of migrants coming to the United Kingdom.

A European connection – what to do?

So what happens now if you are in the United Kingdom on the basis of being a European national because you hold dual nationality? Say for example you hold a German passport and a US passport and you are working in the United Kingdom on the basis that you are a European national. Or you are possibly the spouse or partner of a European national and have the right to live

and work here because of your relationship.

Until the final exit of the United Kingdom the rules governing how European nationals and their family members can study, work or reside in the United Kingdom should remain as they are. In other words, EU citizens will continue to have rights to reside and work here at least until the United Kingdom formally leaves the EU. After a formal Brexit, it is expected that there will be transitional arrangements which will grant those EU citizens who are already here legally, permission to remain under UK immigration rules.

What is not clear, is on what basis they will be allowed to remain – will their stay be indefinite or temporary? Will EU citizens and their families who have acquired permanent residence after working in the UK for five years automatically obtain the right to remain indefinitely? Will the transitional arrangements apply to those resident in the UK on the date of the referendum or on the final date of a full Brexit? What application procedures will EU citizens have to go through to document their right to remain in the UK? All these questions remain unanswered as yet. However, we are advising all our European clients and their family members to ensure they have documentation showing their current right to be here if they are in the United Kingdom on the basis of European law. Most European nationals will not have obtained a registration certificate as proof of

IMAGE ŠSAM, FLICKR

their right to reside here, nor are they likely to have obtained permanent residence cards to which they are entitled if they have been exercising their European rights for five years. We are urging people to now do so, to ensure first and foremost, if or when transitional provisions are in place, that they can prove their right to be here, for example to employers.

Equally, if you are a European national or family member with permanent residence, this would be a sensible time to consider whether you want to naturalise as a British

national. There may of course be significant reasons against naturalising but it may also be the most secure way of ensuring you and your family can remain long term in the UK.

What next?

It is impossible to know at the moment what exactly is going to happen. There is currently not a country in Europe that benefits from the Single Market which has not had to sign up to the free movement of persons. Some are urging that to ensure some access to the Single Market, Britain may concede some

t 7pm c O 2 Sun Hall n a g o d Ca London

free movement of persons. In this wave of uncertainty, our best advice is to document yourself if you are here on the basis of European law and stay abreast of developments in the field of immigration.

Alison Hunter is an immigration lawyer at Wesley Gryk Solicitors LLP specialising in European free movement law. If you would like further advice please contact them on 020 7401 6887 or contact@ gryklaw.com

PHOTO ©WWW.FLICKR.COM/ DANNYMAN

Making the Move - A Guide to UK Visas

By Teni Shahiean

M

oving to the UK can leave American expats grappling with a sea of paperwork and conflicting rules and regulations.

From the type of UK entry visa to apply for, to tax considerations; many applicants find themselves bamboozled before they even leave their home town.

The trick to understanding UK Immigration law as it applies to American citizens is to deal with it in bite size chunks, by working out what type of visa to apply for and what your tax obligations will be.

Types of UK Entry Visas

American citizens usually enter the UK on work, student, entrepreneur or family visas. Britain operates a points-based visa system.

Applicants earn a certain number of points towards obtaining their visa depending on factors such as their: • Amount of financial investment • Job role • Expected salary • English language skills • Ability to support themselves financially • UK Work Visa For skilled workers offered a job in

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the UK, the Tier 2 visa is the most common entry route for American citizens. The Tier 2 visa has four sub-categories: 1. General – for skilled workers who are offered a job by a UK employer 2. Minister of Religion — for those to be employed in a faith community 3. Sportsperson - for those employed at a high level in sports 4. Intra Company Transfer — for those being transferred to their employer’s UK branch of operations The most popular of these is the Tier 2 (General) visa. To successfully apply you will need to show you have a job offer from an employer who has a license to sponsor employees from abroad, an appropriate salary for an appropriate position and at least £945 in savings.

Students

Britain boasts some of the world’s most famous universities and exemplary state-of-the-art academic programmes. Eligibility for a UK Student Visa rests on proving you have a good knowledge

of English; providing a Conformation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from your approved course provider and showing that you can support yourself during your course of study.

Entrepreneur Visa

London is one of the biggest financial and IT hubs in the world and given its access to the EU market, Britain provides a wealth of opportunities for entrepreneurs who wish to launch their venture and/or grow their business.

Requirements for qualifying for a Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) Visa are stiff and include: • Have access to funds of £50,000 or £200,000 to invest (different criteria apply for each amount) • Ensuring funds originate from an approved source (such as a venture capital company recognised by the Financial Services Authority) • Applicants having a good knowledge of English • Entrepreneurs must work full time on their venture • Presentation of a viable business plan

Bringing your Family to the UK

You can bring dependent family members with you to the UK if you enter on one of the above visas.

You must show you can support your spouse and any children without having to use public funds. For example, American citizens entering the UK on a Tier 2 (General) visa will need to show UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI is responsible for the UK Visa System) that they have £630 for each family member in addition to the £945 required to support themselves.

Family members of students will need to show they have access to funds required to support themselves while you study. The

amount required will depend on the length of your course and the location of the educational institution you are attending (this is because London is far costlier to live in than for example, Durham).

will need to seek professional advice on the complex nature of American tax laws as it applies to expats and how to plan to reduce tax liability.

Tax Issues

America and Britain have always enjoyed close business relations.

Shifting to the UK can be simple, as long as applicants have a clear understanding of the administrative and tax requirements relating to making the leap across the pond.

The IRS has long arms which can reach American citizens anywhere in the world. The starting point for expat Americans as far as the IRS is concerned is – if you are an American Citizen then you pay tax to the IRS on your income, no matter where in the world it is earned.

There may be advantages for US citizens who move to the UK due to US/UK agreements. Entrepreneurs

A Land of Opportunities

Teni Shahiean is the Principal solicitor at OTS Solicitors, specialists in immigration, employment and civil litigation law www.otssolicitors.co.uk

Specialists in UK Immigration Law Advice OTS Solicitors are recognised as one of the UK’s leading immigration law firms, with over 60 years of combined experience and knowledge in UK immigration law for US citizens.

Whether you are an Individual, Family, Start-up, Small or Medium-sized Enterprise, or Multi-national Corporation our solicitors are ultimately here to ensure that you get the best service at every stage of the UK immigration process.

www.otssolicitors.co.uk

info@otssolicitors.co.uk

t. +44 (0)20 7936 9960 | f. +44 (0)20 7936 9100 | 107 – 111 Fleet Street, London, EC4A 2AB

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How to Get Important Vital Records as a US Citizen Living Abroad

B

eing a US citizen living abroad can be exciting and thrilling, but it can also bring certain challenges – like knowing the best place to get that classic American burger when you just have to have one, or how to navigate the process of getting enrolled in school if necessary. Especially challenging can be knowing how to obtain copies of important family documents, like birth certificates or other vital records, when you’re living outside the US. While simply driving to the state or county where you were born and picking up a copy of your birth certificate that day is not a viable option, there are other methods to obtaining important family records.

In many cases, the State or County Vital Record Agency will also accept requests for certificate copies by mail, by telephone, or even online.

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The best place to begin is to go to the appropriate Vital Record Agency’s website, which will show the various authorized ordering methods available, as well as what information will be required to request the certificate desired. You can usually even request international express shipping, to ensure your requested certificate can be securely shipped and tracked from the time it leaves the Agency until you receive it in the country where you now live.

For American citizens who were born abroad, the process can be slightly different, as there isn’t a specific State Vital Record Agency involved. For these citizens, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA, or Form FS-240) will act as their official document of United States citizenship and will serve in the same capacities as a regular US

birth certificate. A CRBA is issued by the US Department of State, once notified of the birth by the United States Consulate or Embassy in the country in which the individual was born. If a replacement CRBA is needed, it can be requested at any time through the US Department of State. If a copy of the actual birth document is needed, it should be requested from the appropriate vital records office responsible for the location where the individual was born.

Simply knowing how to order your family’s important documents when you live abroad can definitely help ease any anxiety about the process. As America’s #1 authorized online service for ordering official vital records, VitalChek.com, a LexisNexis® company, can assist you to quickly and conveniently obtain certified copies of your family’s vital records.

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LGT Vestra US Limited is a limited company registered in England & Wales under company number 06455240 and has its registered office at 14 Cornhill, London EC3V 3NR. LGT Vestra US Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of LGT Vestra LLP and is authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority and is a Registered Investment Adviser with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. It is important to note that the value of investments can go down as well as up, and the amount returned may be less or more than the amount originally invested. Past performance should not be used as a guide to future performance.

Exchange rate fluctuations for US Persons following Brexit

by Carmen Lee

A

s we all know, on June 24 2016 it was decided that the United Kingdom would leave the EU. What will happen over the longer term and indeed these next couple of years as we separate ourselves from the EU is difficult to predict. Nevertheless, the one thing we do know is that Sterling (GBP) immediately dropped in value compared to the Euro and US dollar (USD) and there is some element of uncertainty as to how these exchange rates might continue to fluctuate in the short term.

So what does this mean for US citizens based here in the UK? Well, it’s not particularly helpful for those that were planning to travel this summer and need a bit of spending money in Euros or US dollars. However, it’s potentially not all doom and gloom and here’s why.

are subject to an “exit tax” should their net worth have a value of USD $2million or above. Taking last year’s USD - GBP average exchange rate of 0.681 (for an example), this would mean that your net worth would have to be £1,361,999 or less in order to fall below the USD $2million threshold and remain outside the exit tax rules.

Note that in order to determine your net worth, the exchange rate to be used should be the spot rate on the day of expatriation. Post Brexit, we have seen the USD – GBP exchange rate drop to 0.719. This means that your net worth would have to have been below £1,438,000 to remain under the USD $2million threshold or put another way, this movement in exchange rates could have allowed a further £76,000 to remain outside the potential charge to exit tax.

Renouncing US Citizenship

PFIC’s

For US Persons that may have been contemplating renouncing their US citizenship, now could be a good time to take that decision.

As you may be aware, US citizens that are not a dual national at birth

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Now may also be a perfect time to think about selling those investments that are deemed to be a Passive Foreign Investment Company (PFIC’s) which suffer punitive tax consequences in the US, despite often being viewed as

attractive investments in the UK. PFIC’s are generally created by owning shares registered outside the US, through products such as mutual funds, insurance products and many stocks and shares ISAs. The income and gains from these funds are treated as ordinary income and subject to tax at the highest rate for that year. More often than not, tax is not withheld at source on the income generated and therefore gives rise to a US tax liability.

Selling these funds at a time when the US dollar exchange rate is low may be beneficial as the gain is likely to be lower and therefore with less US tax to pay, although it is important to also consider the UK tax consequences of any disposal, of course.

Some of these investments may even be standing at a loss in USD even if there is a gain in GBP. Those losses are capital losses and can then be used to offset other gains during the tax year or even carried forward to use against future gains.

Foreign Mortgage Exchange Rate Gain Most individuals who have cross

border tax affairs that span both the United Kingdom and the United States may feel relatively at ease with the tax consequences of selling their main home in the UK. The combined effect of the Principal Private Residence rules in the UK together with the Section 121 rules in the US, mean that those individuals who meet the requirements can receive a capital gain (limited to between $250,000 and $500,000 for US purposes, depending on your filing status) free of tax in either jurisdiction.

However, as we have covered in previous articles, as a US person your functional currency is US dollars and as a result, the repayment of your UK Sterling mortgage following a disposal of your main home, can give rise to an exchange rate gain in addition to any real gain on the value of the property.

Section 988 foreign currency transactions include borrowing funds outside of the US. Under the US law predating section 988, the borrowing and repayment of the mortgage loan is a separate transaction from the purchase and sale of the personal residence.

For example, if the original loan was

borrowed in 2007 at an exchange rate of GBP £1 - USD $2, a £100,000 loan would obviously cost USD $200,000.

Upon repayment of the loan at an exchange rate of say GBP £1 – USD $1.5 the IRS would view the cost of repayment as a USD $150,000, which shows a US dollar gain of $50,000. This is of course, quite unfair to a US taxpayer as in all likelihood no real gain was ever made. Nevertheless, such a gain arising as described above would be taxed as ordinary income.

Whilst current exchange rates are more likely to give rise to a gain, any exchange rate loss that did arise would not be recognised for the purposes of Section 988. Such a loss cannot be taken against any other gains arising during the year nor can it be carried forward to use against future gains.

We are not able to predict how exchange rates will move in future, although we would suggest that it may be some time, if ever, until they reach the 2007 levels used in our example. Our role is to ensure that our clients are made aware of these often forgotten risks and opportunities, so that decisions can be taken to help

manage the position.

Based on the above and the doubt as to how the exchange rate will move in future, as a US citizen here in the UK, making smart decisions now can be beneficial with regards to minimising your potential tax liability in the forthcoming year, although it can equally introduce significant additional cost for the unwary.

If you have a Sterling denominated mortgage or believe you may be affected by any of the above topics or if you are considering renouncing your US citizenship, Tax Advisory Partnership would be happy to discuss risks and opportunities with you on a free initial consultation basis.

Carmen Lee is Assistant Tax Manager, at Tax Advisory Partnership. Tax Advisory Partnership provides a broad range of UK and US tax services to private clients both in the UK and abroad. Please contact us for an initial consultation and we will contact you at the earliest opportunity.

14 Devonshire Sq, London, EC2M 4TY 020 7655 6959 info@tap-london.com www.taxadvisorypartnership.com The American

23

What is Inheritance Tax ?

– and how does it differ between the US and the UK?

W

ealth management is the art of managing risk in an effort to optimise reward. For US citizens living in the UK, risk management needs to go beyond the classic issues of retirement planning involving how much money will be needed to retire, or at what age is retirement feasible. Expats need to also understand whether any foreign exchange risk lurks in their underlying portfolios.

As an American living in the UK, almost nothing related to your financial affairs is easy. The consequences of seemingly simple decisions – such as how to pay for a new home or purchase a mutual fund - may create unnecessary tax charges and complexities. There are a number of key milestones that occur, from the time you arrive in the UK to the time you potentially approach and eventually reach retirement. Many of these changes will impact the appropriate wealth management strategies for American expats. Understanding how rules will change for you over time will allow you to plan ahead and make prudent financial decisions. In this edition we will explore the differences between US and UK inheritance tax and how it generally applies to Americans living the UK. For US persons living in the UK, the subject of inheritance tax is one that can be very important due to the large differential in the nil rate inheritance tax bands available in the UK as compared to the US. A lack of understanding about how inheritance tax works can end up costing loved ones hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars. Proper strategies can help minimise the amount of inheritance

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tax payable and will largely depend on whether an individual is deemed to be UK domicile or non-UK domicile at the time of death.

What is inheritance tax?

Inheritance tax is a levy that is assessed by the government based on the net value of an estate. In its simplest definition, the net value of an estate is based on the fair market value of all assets on the date of death less any debts. Includable assets are most often, among others: • Cash in the bank • Investments • Any personal property • Any real property or businesses • Cars • Life insurance policy pay-outs In the UK everyone is currently allowed a net estate valued up to £325,000 before any inheritance tax is assessed.

This is called the nil-rate band. Any estate valued above this threshold is subject to tax at 40% (or 36% if at least 10% of the residual assets are left to a HMRC qualified charity).

Generally, at death, any assets left to a spouse or civil partner, are exempt from inheritance tax as long as they are considered to be UK-domicile (it is possible to make an election to be treated as UK-domicile, if appropriate). This means that together a couple can currently pass on up to £650,000 before being subject to UK inheritance tax.

Increased UK Inheritance Tax Thresholds Beginning in April 2017 an additional nil rate band of £175,000 will be phased in over four years when a main residence is passed on to an immediate family member (defined as children, step-children and grand-

children). So, in 2020, the nil rate band will total £1 million for couples with a main residence that will be passed on to children or grandchildren before UK inheritance tax will be payable.

This additional allowance will be phased out on estates worth £2 million or more. Individuals will lose £1 of the allowance for every £2 that the estate value exceeds £2 million. So, the allowance would be fully phased out when an estate is worth in excess of £2,350,000.

During an individual’s lifetime, the UK allows gifts to be made to individuals free of tax, if it meets certain conditions. This is known as a potentially exempt transfer, or PET. A gift will be free of inheritance tax as long as the individual giving the gift does not die within seven years of giving. If the individual who makes the gift does die within seven years then part or all of the gift will be added back to the taxable estate. There are some exceptions to the potentially exempt transfer. Individuals are allowed to gift up to £3,000 each tax year. Contributions to charities and political parties are also excluded as are gifts in consideration of marriage up to a certain amount.

Additionally, if regular gifts are made out of income (as opposed to capital) and this does not affect the lifestyle of the individual who is making a gift, this may also be exempt.

Domiciled versus non-domiciled for UK inheritance tax purposes Many Americans living in the UK are considered to be non-domiciled for UK inheritance tax purposes. Currently, a non-domiciled individual becomes deemed domicile for inheritance tax purposes when they have been resident in the UK for 17 out of

the last 20 years. It is important to note that this threshold is set to change to 15 out of the last 20 years in April 2017.

When an individual is deemed domiciled for UK inheritance tax purposes, the UK will generally apply its inheritance tax rules on an individual’s worldwide assets.

Until an American meets the UK deemed domicile rules, it is likely that they will be considered non-domiciled in the UK and will remain domiciled in the US for inheritance tax purposes.

There are a number of important considerations when this is the case. First, while an American remains non-domiciled the UK inheritance tax threshold and associated rules remain relevant for any assets that are held inside the UK. Assets held outside of the UK generally remain outside of the UK inheritance tax net.

A US person typically remains domiciled in the US and subject to the US inheritance tax rules on their worldwide assets. A US domiciliary resident for gift and estate tax purposes enjoys a lifetime allowance of $5.45 million (2016, adjusted annually). During an individual’s lifetime, money can generally pass freely between two US citizen spouses without any limitations applying (if one spouse is not a US citizen, lifetime transfers to the non-citizen spouse is currently limited to $148,000 per year before reducing the US citizen’s lifetime allowance). Any gifts to individuals other than a spouse in excess of the annual gifting allowance ($14,000 in 2016) will reduce the individual’s lifetime allowance that will be applied to their residual estate value at death.

Given the modest thresholds pre-

sent in the UK for inheritance tax, in the lead up to becoming deemed domicile, it becomes especially important to review the planning opportunities available. What will remain of utmost importance, is understanding precisely when the rules will begin to apply and take any relevant action appropriately.

If you would like a full copy of MASECO’s 39 Steps to Smart Living in the UK please visit http://www.masecoprivatewealth. com/the39steps or contact us at enquiries@ masecopw.com.

MASECO Private Wealth is not a qualified tax adviser and you should seek separate advice on your tax position with a suitably qualified tax adviser. MASECO LLP trading as MASECO Private Wealth is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate tax advice.

Your Dollars Haven’t Gone This Far For Over Thirty Years Edd Hardy, an Economist and Market Analyst at World First, looks ahead after Brexit “The last time the US dollar traded this strongly against Sterling, Ronald Reagan was in the Oval Office and Duran Duran’s ‘A View to a Kill’ had just topped the Billboard Hot 100. The fallout from the UK’s decision to vote for a Brexit in the EU referendum has wiped over 13% off the value of the pound as markets have rushed to price in the risk of poorer trading relationships, lower interest rates and an uncertain future for the UK economy” Source: Bank of England

S

terling’s not only fallen against the dollar, but also against every other developed market currency from Japan to Mexico.

The complex effects of sterling weakness will take a while to unfold and it’s too soon to tell what the economic costs and benefits will be in the coming months, years and decades.

For now though, the UK appears happy to remain in limbo. Recent reports suggest the UK government could stall until as late as 2019 to formally depart from the European Union. In that three year gap, the government will be forced to fight tooth and nail to secure the strongest possible relationships and

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trade agreements with the EU and beyond. Currency markets will be quick to judge the relative merits (or lack thereof) of the negotiations and as such, FX volatility is far from over.

Between now and then, there are a number of threats – both anticipated and unforeseen – that will prompt further uncertainty in markets here and abroad.

First and foremost, the US election, which promises to deliver Clinton’s progressive agenda or something truly different: a Trump presidency in which no policies are safe from Trump’s scorched earth rhetoric.

A Trump presidency would

certainly come as a surprise to currency markets and would likely send the dollar spiralling lower as investors look for safe havens to protect themselves against the uncertainty that would follow Trump’s entry into the White House.

Beyond the US, other threats to global economic stability keep bubbling away in China, as the country’s transition from being a manufacturing and industrial powerhouse to a cleaner, services driven economy stutters.

Fixed asset investment (a proxy for stable growth) is growing at half the rate it was a few years ago, suggesting economic rebalancing still has a long way to go. A protracted

slowdown in China would have a substantial effect on other economies, as import prices for Chinese goods could fall sharply, introducing a wave of deflation to countries already trapped in a disinflationary downturn.

Whether the exchange rate goes up or down will always be out of your control, but choosing who moves your money isn’t.

Going with your bank can often result in poorer exchange rates, payment fees and hidden charges

that mean you’re not making the most of the money you’re sending.

Selecting a specialist currency provider is a simple way for individuals and businesses to cut the prices you pay to move money overseas.

The American

27

PROMOTION

Nine Elms – London’s fashionable new destination

T

he new US embassy is situated at the heart of one of London’s most exciting new districts at Nine Elms – home to the luxurious new residential development, Embassy Gardens.

The construction of the US Embassy building and the planned Dutch Embassy building, both just a stone’s throw from Embassy Gardens, have helped anchor the development as a true geopolitical district. Drawing inspiration from the attractive residential and commercial estates which evolved over time in cities like New York and Boston, there will be 3.3 acres of linear gardens linking Vauxhall with Battersea, designed to replicate the Manhattan High Line, as well as a stunning suspended swimming pool. The development itself also includes a variety of rooftop spaces, with views stretching across the whole city and the Embassy building.

Featuring a range of stunning one, two and three bed properties avail-

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The American

able to buy or rent, Embassy Gardens offers spacious and modern apartments with unrivalled amenities including a state-of-the-art residents only health club and leisure complex, a private cinema and indoor pool, as well as a 24 hour hotel-style concierge and valet service.

These prime, central London apartments close to the Thames have already proven extremely appealing to those looking to find a new home in a well-connected and attractive area, contributing to the billions of pounds of private sector investment that the area has seen in the early stages of its extraordinary expansion. The planned northern line extension, which will see the creation of two new stations, Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms, is expected to boost the appeal of the area even further, as Nine Elms will become one of the most accessible parts of London.

The vision is for Nine Elms to become an ultra-modern, fashion-

able destination in central London offering 20,000 new homes, 25,000 new jobs, new schools, parks, culture and arts. Bringing a buzz to the area, the redevelopment of the New Covent Garden Flower Market with its Food Quarter and vibrant stalls, specialist food and flower shops, charming cafes and fantastic restaurants, along with the retail and leisure plans for Battersea Power Station, will redefine South-west London.

JOHNS&CO is the sole property lettings, management and resale agent listed on the development and the only agency with offices on-site, in the heart of Embassy Gardens.

Properties are available to buy and to rent, with prices starting at £720,000 or £425 per week for a one bed apartment. A stunning three bedroom Penthouse is also on the market, at a guide price of £4,500,000. JOHNS&CO, 8 Ponton Road, Embassy Gardens, Nine Elms, London SW8 5BA +44 (0)20 7481 0600 http:// johnsand.co/properties/embassy-gardenssw8/ gardens-sw8/

JOHNS&CO present Embassy Gardens, SW8.

Luxury new build homes next to the US Embassy, available to rent and buy now.

Suites, 1, 2 & 3 bedroom apartments T +44 (0) 20 7481 0600 E nineelms@johnsand.co

The distinctive architecture of Embassy Gardens is strongly influenced by the 1920s commercial neighbourhoods of New York. Perfectly positioned within Zone 1 along the south bank of the Thames and just a short walk from Westminster, Embassy Gardens is recognised as one of the most desirable and prestigious new addresses in London.

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International Education in a British Setting Stephanie Parkes, a parent at The International School of London (ISL) Surrey gives her perspective on the International Baccalaureate

I

am a mother of four; I have little time to think, or reflect. However, in a moment of clarity and rare thoughtfulness a few years ago, we made a choice to step out of the British school system and place our children into an International school in Woking. In contrast to many English families, this was not a leap into the unknown for us. Years previously spent living abroad meant we were familiar with the International Baccalaureate, and how well IB graduates fared after school, but we have had a lot of explaining to do to our friends and families!

Woking, and Surrey in general, has wonderful schools, stocked with dedicated teachers and often impressive facilities, but we were disappointed to discover that such

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rich resources were not always fully utilised. We met parents at our local primary school who were refused permission for a morning off to take music exams. Incredibly, the school was under such pressure to maintain its impressive test scores that children in this primary school were unable to partake in wild and frivolous activities such as playing the violin. Children of friends in a local independent school were not allowed to take a national times table quiz until it was sure they could pass first time. Giving it a shot?

Unacceptable. Meanwhile, teacher friends lament over the pointless requirements of Ofsted inspections and SATs tests, and the unavoidable impact of excessive paperwork on the time they spend on the important work of educating our children.

We know that maths and literacy in primary education are important, it goes without saying. But we also know that success in life requires much more than the 3 Rs. Confidence, risk-taking, independence and resilience are all key to succeeding in this modern world, and young children learn these skills best through play and experimentation. Interestingly, recent studies have also suggested that a playbased, “easy-going� start to primary schooling, results in better maths and literacy scores at age 11. In our rush to get those great scores, we are missing the building blocks for genuine success.

Parents here in the UK have justifiably started to react against this culture of performance. Recently, thousands of children were kept

out of school in protest against irrelevant and unnecessarily stressful SATS tests. Teachers associations have expressed concern about the harmful effects on children’s mental health, and social media is flooded with articles about Finland - a country where teachers work autonomously, students don’t begin formal education until the age of 7, and homework is abandoned in place of outdoor play and child-led activities, all the while remaining at the top of international league tables.

Senior schooling offers little respite. Many senior schools now start the GCSE curriculum in Year 9.

This means that our children lose three years of education in rigorous preparation for meaningless exams.

GCSEs, originally intended to take students into vocations, careers or further study, no longer fulfil this purpose. CBI Director-General, John Cridland, has led the call for the scrapping of GCSEs, and the complete reinvention of education for British 14-18 year olds. The IB answers this call. The enquiry-based curriculum means that teenagers learn to be active and authentically curious participants in their own education, and cross-curricular work allows them to make connections across subjects, while the service and research requirements mean IB students must take charge of their own learning, as well as their place in the community. Instead of spending their formative years on GCSEs, my ‘kidults’ will be laying the groundwork for success in the world beyond the school walls.

Rather than token “empowerment” initiatives and tick-box opportunities for the UCAS form, schools like The International School of London (ISL) Surrey, which my children attend, offer genuine opportunities

for autonomy and self-determination. This can be an intimidating thing to witness, as a parent! To give an example, the ISL student body recently created the school’s official mobile phone usage policy. The Student Government led a town hall style debate, without adult intervention, and the students themselves defined the policy. In a stunning leap from how I run my home (“yes, you have to get off the iPad - this, darlings, is not a democracy”) these children debated the pros and cons of how mobile phones are used by students and teachers, decided upon what was reasonable, and created their own contract.

The importance of this cannot be overstated. Drinking coffee with a friend recently, we discussed his role in charge of the finance internship programme at a large multinational company, based here in Surrey. “Thousands. We have had thousands of applicants over the last three years. On average, perhaps six a year impress us enough to get an internship and less than half of those impress us enough to get offered a job. The applicants need to show us they can take initiative and have done something beyond the list given to them by their Careers Advisors. The interns need genuine curiosity; they must be able to connectthe-dots and form new insights; and they need to be able to collaborate. We struggle to find this, even amongst apparently highly qualified applicants.”

In the middle of our busy days, we owe our children a moment of reflection. Does our education system, as it stands, best prepare them for the world in which they will work and live? And if you are curious, come and have a look at our school, ISL Surrey. But be warned - there is

no uniform and students address their teachers, respectfully, by their first names. You might overhear four year olds in a foreign language or mother tongue class, or 15 year olds calling out the names of their primary school buddies as they pass in the hall. You will certainly hear them question their teachers, and should you be foolish enough to ask, the students will talk your ear off about their latest personal project in maths. They look suspiciously happy, and are treating each other kindly and with respect.

It is disconcerting, but it works.

A 2-day Festival of Learning celebrated the past, present and future of ISL Schools and recognised 50 years in education of the chairman and founder Nadim Makarem, and his 80th birthday.

Pictured: a time capsule with samples of work from each of the schools’ mileposts which will be reopened in 30 years’ time on the 75th anniversary of the founding of ISL Schools.

The American

31

Early, Early or Regular?

Elizabeth von Nardroff explains about the different types of admission to US Colleges

W

ith autumn now upon us, students applying to US Colleges need to get cracking! There is a lot to get done: final SAT or ACT tests to take, applications to fill out, teacher recommendations to request, and essays to write. But did you know about the different types of admission -- Early Decision, Early Action or Regular Admission? It’s important to note the differences and consider the reasons which might be the best option for you.

Let’s first look at Early Decision.

With this option, you apply to only one school, with the deadline much earlier than the rest -- typically in October. Early Decision applications are the ideal choice if you have thoroughly researched schools and found your ‘dream school,’ one that you would have no qualms about attending. If accepted, you find out in December (before Regular Decision applications are even due) and the offer is binding – i.e., you must accept it. The upshot is you have the freedom to relax, knowing that the application process is complete and your school place is secured. Another benefit of apply-

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The American

ing Early Decision is it enhances your chances of being accepted at your school of choice. The downside is the need to have all testing, essay writing and teacher recommendations requested done by October.

Also, there is no guarantee you will be accepted and may need to apply to other schools as well.

Early Action is similar to Early Decision in that you can only apply to one school. Similarly, you find out if you’re accepted earlier than Regular Decision, but not as early as Early Decision – more typically in January or February. The difference is then if you are accepted, you need not decide straight away whether or not to accept the offer. In fact, you can still apply to other schools using Regular Admissions and await their acceptance or rejections before committing to the Early Action school. Again, the earlier deadline for applications can be off-putting if you aren’t ready or are unsure of which school you might like.

Then, of course, there is Regular Decision. If you are either uncertain of which school you’d like to attend, or are deferred or rejected

by your Early Decision/Early Action school, you can still apply, usually by January, to any number of schools.

The benefit of this is the added time for retaking tests and working on essays, as well as determining potential schools. The downside is the applicant pool against which you are competing will be that much greater, making it more difficult at some schools to gain a place.

Offers are typically made late March/ early April.

Please note that these are guidelines only – do check with individual schools for precise dates!

US-born and educated Elizabeth von Nardroff is Head of American SAT & ACT Tuition, a London-based company specialising in US College Entrance Exams and application services. With over 20 years of US and International tutoring she is well-versed in the US, UK and International schooling systems and has helped past students gain entrance to top US universities including Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown, UPenn and UC Berkeley.

THE AMERICAN SCHOOL IN ENGLAND Welcoming Community • Boarding 14-18 years • Day 3-18 years

IB Diploma Programme Advanced Placement courses American high school diploma 4-year university guidance program Excellent university placement worldwide Comprehensive sports and arts programs Travel opportunities in the UK & Europe Close to London and airports

For information contact: ukadmissions@tasisengland.org or +44 1932 582 316 www.tasisengland.org

At ISL, I acquired the skills and attitudes for university success: essay writing, critical thinking, open mindedness, problem-solving and thinking outside the box.

Anna

Anna joined the International School of London (ISL) from Finland for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes. She achieved the top mark of 45 points in her IB Diploma exams and currently studies Art at Edinburgh University.

The ISL Schools in London, Surrey and Qatar integrate mother tongue and other languages into the IB curriculum from a young age, nurturing the global competencies critical for success at universities worldwide. ISL is helping its students turn dreams into reality.

ISL London Alumna

London +44 (0) 20 8992 5823 Surrey +44 (0)1483 750409 Qatar +974 4433 8600 www.islschools.org

MY EXPAT LIFE

Daniel Torado O

ur My Expat Life and Profiles pieces are articles about interesting Americans who have chosen to live in the UK. They have featured businesspeople, musicians, actors ...a variety of occupations, but all with one thing in common.

They’ve all been adults. Until now...

Daniel A. Tirado is an American 12 year old who has been awarded a scholarship to the prestigious English school Winchester College.

Danny was born in Miami Beach on July 12, 2003 and attended L’Atelier, a preschool based on the Reggio Emilia learning method. He came to the UK at the age of 5, joining TASIS England, the American School in England in Thorpe, Surrey and at 10 he passed a rigorous IQ/aptitude test and transferred to Sunningdale School where he was placed in their elite/gifted program called the “scholars’ form”.

Danny’s Winchester College scholarship is one of only 14 competitive academic awards made in 2016 from hundreds of applicants.

The school was founded in the late 14th century by William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester and Chancellor to Edward III and Richard II. (William also founded New College, Oxford and his schools became the model for Eton and King’s College, Cambridge later in the 15th

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Main photo: Danny enjoys the Scotland vs USA game at the Rugby Union World Championships PHOTOS COURTESY THE TIRADO FAMILY Inset: the successful candidate at his new school

century.) All pupils were Scholars, living together in College. They had to go through a process of Election in which examiners would assess whether they were of “good character and sound learning”. It was not until the middle of the 19th century that written papers became the means of Election.

Proud parents Virginia and Armando Tirado told The American that Danny’s favorite subject was “Science by far, but at the same time he excels in the humanities side (languages, geography, English, history), he is a skilled debater (his last assignment was to argue the case for leaving the UK, while supporting the stay position). While he enjoys team sports played in England like soccer, rugby and cricket, he is also a Taekwondo black belt, trained by Master Lawrence Lindsey at the LLTKD school, and an accomplished singer.

Danny was a member of the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 301, Transatlantic Council, Thorpe, England and participated in numerous activities leading to his Arrow of Light ceremony, or graduation into Boy Scout.

One of his favorite activities was the BSA 2014 Camporee in Normandy to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings and we attended, as a family, the new bell ceremony.”

D

anny gave us his take on the expat life and school in Britain.

Danny, what do you like about living in Britain?

“Three things come to mind: I experienced the seasons for the first time in Britain – the weather in Miami was significantly different, I came here when I was 5, and in Britain I had my first contact with snow and real winter! In addition, I enjoy being so close to the European continent and experiencing so many different cultures, and I feel that Britain is closer to Europe and also to the rest of the world in terms of proximity and links of all kinds. But the most important aspect that I enjoy living in Britain is the country itself and all it has to offer – to paraphrase Samuel Johnson – to be tired of Britain is to be tired of life! I love London, and the British countryside is truly like no other – it makes me feel proud to be here.

I am an American but this is home to me”.

Do you miss anything from the USA? “From time to time I go back to the US and I get that feeling that is hard to describe – it’s like a pull, an attraction that makes me want to stay a little longer there, anytime I visit. It’s everything my country of

birth stands for. That, and American candy”.

Outside school what do you enjoy?

“I’m a rabid follower of the US soccer MNT and also a big fan of the WNT and its successes in World Cups.”

Will you board at school?

“Yes, Scholars are expected to board at College during their 5 years at Winchester. I switched from being a day student at TASIS to being a boarder at Sunningdale as I thought it would help me focus on my work and benefit from the discipline and structure at the school.

It was my own choice much to my parents’ perplexity!”

What are your hopes and aspirations for later in life?

“For as long as I can remember I have been captivated by science, and I always thought I could grow to become a scientist or engineer and work for NASA. However, the same is true for my ongoing passion for History and the humanities, so maybe later in life I want to expand and develop this passion.

“I want to be remembered not just having success, but for helping people either directly or through my inventions, creations and work that I may have produced during my life.”

The American

35

Borderline Crazy The story about how I got kicked out of the UK and then made a television show about it, by American expat Mike Orton-Toliver

I

’m a television writer. What does that mean? Well, besides never having reliable work and, often, no money, I sometimes sell an idea to a producer, who changes everything and then tells me ‘it’s not good enough’ for television.

I also get this question a lot: “Where do you get all your ideas?”

“Oh, you know. Hard work. Definitely hard work. I make sure to write every day, rain or shine. You’ve got to stay disciplined. In today’s market, discipline is important. I’m very disciplined.”

It’s a lie, of course, but what am I supposed to say?

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The American

For my latest show, Borderline – which I co-created and wrote with my writing partner, English improviser and comedian, Chris Gau – coming up with the idea was no problem. I can tell you exactly where I was when I first thought of it…

Behind bars, somewhere in, I think, the middle of Essex.

Let me explain.

Like many of us, I’m an American Expat, which means I spend most of my time apologizing, and explaining things.

“Sorry about Trump.”

“No, I am not voting for Trump” “Sorry about guns”

Above: the cast of Mike’s hilarious Channel 5 comedy, Borderline.

‘Craig’ not shown.

“No, I don’t like guns” But, besides Donald Trump, Police Shootings, Fox News, and hundreds of years of racism, I like being an American. We elected Obama. We have the Super Bowl.

We have the Williams sisters. We’re nice to be around. We hug. Mostly us Americans are a bunch of nice things.

My favorite time to be an American was while at international airports.

Something came over me while walking through them. I think it’s the passport. Suddenly I was aware of my citizenship and it draped over

me this sense of entitlement. That dark-blue book felt more like a VIP card than anything else: “Of course I’m welcome here. Haven’t you seen my US Passport?”

Maybe you’ve felt this, maybe you haven’t (If not, it’s likely because you’re a good person), but I felt it and I felt it hard. I was an American begging to be taken down a peg and Craig, a UK Border Agent stationed at Stansted Airport, was more than happy to help.

For a short time in 2013, my soonto-be wife lived in Cambridge while I lived in Amsterdam. I would visit her once or twice a month thanks to a small pink plastic card called a Verblijfsvergunning – an unpronounceable Residency permit that allows you to leave your passport at home and travel freely through Europe.

If you’re an expat living in Europe, you’re required to carry one at all times. And one day, in July of 2013, I should have been carrying mine.

But I wasn’t. Instead, I left my card in Amsterdam, like an idiot. Not that that matters, of course – not when you’re a VIP. It all happened very quickly. I walked up to the booth with smirk on the face. There were a few questions, all of them different versions of “Why have you visited the UK twelve times this year?”

What followed was an exchange that went something like this: “… I live in Holland. It’s easy to get here.”

“Do you have a Residency Card with you?”

“No.” “Aren’t you required to have it with you at all times?”

“Don’t think so.”

“Are you here to work?”

“I’m here to visit my fiancée.”

“Why do you ‘live’ in Holland if your fiancée lives here?”

“I work in Amsterdam.”

“What do you do in Amsterdam?”

“I’m a comedian.”

“You’re an American comedian in Amsterdam?”

“Yep!” “Do you speak Dutch?”

“Nope!”

Long stare. “…So, you live in Amsterdam, where you work as an American comedian who doesn’t speak Dutch, you don’t have a residency card and you’ve visited the UK 12 times in the last year to see your ‘fiancée’?”

“Is there a problem?...”

“You are over-reacting, Craig!”

It’s a little foggy after that. But what I do remember is Craig got mad. Real mad. He pointed at my face and repeated “You’re messin’ me about!” about three times. I took a step back and said something you probably should never say to an officer who has control over your immediate future.

“Hey, Craig! Calm down, buddy!”

That reminds me. For my fellow American expats, here’s a list of a few phrases I said that afternoon that I recommend you never use at the UK border (or any other, for that matter): “You are over-reacting, Craig!”

“Do you think the US treats people like this when you come to our country, Craig!?”

“This is why I’m happy we won, Craig!”

Several hours later, I found myself in detention. Not a bad room, to be honest. The hard cement bench had been shaped to look like a couch. BBC One was on the television, Walkers Crisps sat on a cement coffee table.

It’s almost as if the UK border was reminding me of what I was missing: A nice night, sat-in, watching The One Show and eating potatoes flavored like prawns (that’s shrimp, for those expats new to the UK).

I wasn’t alone. Two Jamaican rappers who had flown in from the Seychelles were detained too. They were scheduled to play a concert in Birmingham. They were really mad.

But I wasn’t listening. “What the hell is a Seychelles?” I kept thinking.

Another young man was Italian and drunk. Apparently he hid drugs up his butt. That’s what the Jamaicans said anyways. But if you asked me, he didn’t look like the kind of guy who would put drugs up his butt. And I didn’t want to ask him – would have ruined the nice mood in the room.

We chatted about all kinds of things: Music, food, The One Show’s Alex Jones. Whatever was said, I always made sure to bring the conversation back to the main topic of the evening. The thing everyone was really interested in: my case.

“This is all just a misunderstanding” I told them. “Technical thing.

Probably calling the embassy” The Jamaicans listened. But after a while, I felt like I was losing them.

“Don’t you have your residency card?” one of them asked.

Sigh.

Six or seven hours later, I was escorted down a long hallway and

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37

shuffled into a white room. It sort of looked like the one from The Matrix. The one where Agent Smith puts that robot worm in Keanu Reeves’ belly. You know, bright and cheerful. But The One Show wasn’t on.

I sat in that room for about another hour before the next agent came in. I don’t remember her name, but she also seemed to think I had a thing for “messing about.”

It was starting to dawn on me.

Not only was I in the wrong, but I got this feeling that I was doing a poor job of explaining the truth.

I remember, because the agent looked up and gave me this real subtle glance before saying “I think you’re lying.”

She told me she thought I was in the UK to work. That maybe I had a fiancée, maybe I didn’t, but that the real reason I had come to the UK 12 times in the last year was because I was American and I could work easily.

“Because I’m American?” I said, my optimism beginning to fade.

“You stopped me because I’m American?”

It’s true, apparently. Americans are big offenders of international labor laws. We don’t just feel big and cocky in airports.

We feel big and cocky when we leave them, too. So cocky that we travel into English speaking towns and get jobs. Bar jobs.

Waiter jobs. Promoter jobs. Jobs we get paid under the table for.

Jobs with income we don’t pay taxes on.

All those Brexit-ers were blaming the Polish. Turns out, it’s the Americans. Who knew?

That’s when I was kicked out of the country. They bought me a

38

The American

Above: the ‘Before’ pic Mike Orton-Toliver, American comedian Below: the ‘After’ pic Mike Orton-Toliver, American deportee

ticket on easyJet (thanks Stansted!) and put my passport in a brown folder that read ‘Removed from the UK’ I opened it up and read the ‘Removal Document.’ It said they were sending me to my last port of call ‘Amsterdam, Germany.’

I could have corrected the agent, but I thought “No. Better not. Worse comes to worse, you’ll get a free trip to Germany.”

They made me wait for the entire

plane to board and then sat me in the front row (it’s a better show if you have an audience). One of the officers knocked on the cockpit door and handed the pilot the folder with my passport and strict instructions to hand me over to the police when we landed. First class treatment all the way.

I sighed an hour later when we landed in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. No Germany trip after all.

I got off the plane. There were no cops. No lights. No cuffs. No men with dogs. I walked up to the border and nervously handed my envelope over to the agent. He took out my passport, read the document attached then scoffed “Germany?”

He punched my passport and said “Welcome to the Netherlands. We hope you enjoy our country.”

That’s when I thought to myself: “This would make a good Television show.”

So there. Want to come up with a TV show? It’s easy.

Just get kicked out of the country.

Mike Orton-Toliver and his writing partner Chris Gau’s new sitcom Borderline aired in August and is available online at www.Channel5.com/ show/Borderline

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Miss Patricia

A

Miss Pat Goes to Paddingtonne

merican ex-pats all know the routine: leave the parcel untaped until the final weigh-in at the post office, because there is little that can be shipped affordably to the US other than an origami greeting card. (Allow me to recommend those extra nice laser cuts of London landmarks in the gift shops of St Paul’s and the Houses of Parliament.) During the summer holidays, gifts might hitch a ride in luggage for the Big Trip Home.

Then there’s figuring out the cost of postage in our small village, where the postage quotes are so varied that we began to question them, a bit hesitantly.

We have something called a ‘sub post office’, which seems to sometimes lead to third world haggling over postage, although no one seems to want to admit it. It turns out that a sub post office is a franchise, so in the UK you can buy a post office instead of a Taco Bell, and the ones we’ve used have all

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The American

been owned and staffed by families...sometimes with some laundry on the line visible out back.

However casual the price of stamps might be, at least they don’t seem to know the meaning of ‘going postal’.

To prepare for packing in the US, I would have trekked to The Empire of Foam, with bottled water in each of our pickup’s 12 cup holders, hiking across an acre of broiling asphalt to reach glass doors wider than a bus is long. I would have been sold foam pads for my eyeglasses; fitted foam for the back of our truck (to keep the rifles from rattling); a roll of foam ‘magic fingers’ to ensure better sleep; foam noodles as an amusing gift because they’re used in therapy; and a new store credit card because the discount on my first purchase would make everything virtually FREE, unlike the giant garage we would need to store them all in. I would agree to all of this, because

anything would be better than returning to The Nightmare Empire of Foam.

But now we live in a new world!

Or rather, the old one. So instead, I toddled into a likely looking English village shop. Half-timbered. Probably, Anne and Will Shakespeare had had a mild dispute about their rug colors there, and the remnants were still rolled in the back.

‘Do you sell foam?’ I began innocently, squeezing through a forest of upended carpet rolls. I felt like a fairy amongst giant toadstools.

‘No. Sorry,’ said one of the shopkeepers that Hitler disdainfully claimed made up the nation.

I slid a suspicious glance at rolls of foam padding displayed in his window. So we both knew he HAD foam. But we also both knew there was some reason he would not sell it to me. This is England where rules are rules. Marching is done in straight lines and driving done in squiggles, so there might be an

IMAGE © ALLISPOSSIBLE.ORG.UK.

NVQ Level 2 Certificate required for the possession of foam. It could be that he hadn’t heard the war was over and was expecting to see my foam rationing book.

‘But...isn’t…that?…foam?’ I timidly suggested, poking toward the window. ‘That’s been made for…padding?’ I struggled to figure out how to make my point without actually calling him wrong, and in his own forest too.

Shop Man reluctantly allowed that it might be.

‘Well, couldn’t you sell me that?

And I could use it to wrap things in my luggage?’

He kept his desk between us as if I were Crazy Bertha from Thornfield Hall. I stood in my queue of one person for a few years until he gave up hope that I would leave quietly.

‘I suppoooose you could,’ he finally sighed, hesitantly.

‘Yes! I could cut this up, and use it for padding.’ I persisted. ‘Because it’s a pad.’

Something dimly glittered in Shop Man’s eyes. You could see the first vague concept of trading for money beginning to take shape.

You know: THE PURPOSE OF BEING IN BUSINESS? ‘I suppose…I could cut off a strip…like this,’ he murmured, reluctantly. Perhaps Mrs Shop Wife had special plans for the foam? Perhaps it was heirloom foam? Perhaps toxic? Potential pitfalls abounded.

He raised the objection that it would cost money. Overruled! I told him I already understood that shops frequently took money for things.

He went in the back to go through the excuse cupboards, but eventually was persuaded to relinquish some of The Precious Things of the Shop, despite my failure to present a letter of introduction from The Worshipful Company of the Foam Rolls. I bounced out with my foam, triumphant in lowering my bank balance.

The whole episode reminded me of ebay, where you are congratulated for ‘winning’ an auction, and your ‘reward’ is an opportunity to get rid of your money. This is also very like what happened when the second Mr Patricia ‘won me’ as his bride: he might have found that the trophy tarnished a bit over the years, but…too late! The ink on the contract has dried, and he is stuck with both me, and England too.

The American

41

MY EXPAT LIFE We talk to US expat and ‘trailing spouse’ Michael about what he’s doing here

Michael Gratz W

hat inspired you to create Prairie Fire BBQ, and why in the UK? My wife and I always wanted to live and work abroad so when she was offered a role in London just before the 2012 Olympics we jumped at the opportunity. I hesitantly left a secure career for the adventure. Growing up in a household of foodies, I loved cooking. In the back of my mind I always wanted to start a food business in the US, but the timing was never right. Once in London, I saw an opportunity to start Prairie Fire BBQ [www.prairiefirebbq.com] when I struggled to find authentic Kansas City style barbecue. As a Midwesterner, this was the type of food I was raised eating and I missed terribly. In 2013 there were a handful of restaurants serving BBQ, but I knew there was plenty of room in the market for the real thing.

How is it being an American running a business in Britain?

It was very difficult at the start. Not so much that I’m an American, but the fact that I didn’t know anyone, any suppliers, the rules and regulations or the UK food industry vocabulary. Now it’s wonderful, we have great suppliers and incredibly helpful colleagues in the industry.

How do you source ingredients

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and find the right cuts of meat here?

Sourcing ingredients and the right cuts of meat was very difficult in the beginning. Most of the cuts of meat have different names and are not butchered the same as in the US. It took me 6 months to source whole USDA Briskets which we call packer cuts, there was no such thing here, and we were the first to get packer cut briskets from the US. This paved the way for all the new BBQ joints in London. In BBQ, we need corn and grain fed beef which has more fat and better marbling – essential when smoking it for 16+ hours. Grass fed British beef is fantastic, but not for low and slow cooking. The pork shoulders weren’t as hard to source because the pork here is great. The trick was getting it butchered to our specification. Once that happened we were off and running.

What’s important for true Kansas City-style BBQ? Authentic Kansas City BBQ is determined by a couple things: the Sauce, and the fact that we smoke all types of meats. Texas does beef, North Carolina does pork, Memphis does ribs, in KC we do it all. The holy grail of Kansas City BBQ is our burnt ends – the decadent point end of the brisket, which is cubed and smoked a bit longer giving it a caramelised crust I like to call meat candy.

The sauce is rich, sweet & smokey with a tomato and molasses base. Our Great Taste award winning Original BBQ sauce is Kansas City in a bottle, inspired

by Gates, Jack’s Stack and Joe’s Kansas City.

What do you miss about the US when you’re in Britain?

We miss our families and friends.

We get back to The States a couple times a year, but it’s never enough family time. After that it would be great Mexican food. Perhaps there’s a Prairie Fuego Mexican in the future…

What would you change about the UK if you could?

Sunday trading laws. As a small hospitality business owner we often need supplies on Sundays and stores over 10,000 square feet can only be open for a few hours on Sundays. This can be frustrating when we need last minute supplies for events we cater on Sundays.

What’s the best thing about being Michael Gratz?

Being a husband to an amazing woman that brought me to London who also made our amazing little man born here 3½ years ago, the same time I founded Prairie Fire BBQ (www.prairiefirebbq.com or call me on 074 0883 5847 for all your events!). Good things to come.

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TheStaffordLondon

thestaffordlondon

16-18 St James’s Place London SW1A 1NJ United Kingdom T +44 (0)20 7493 0111 F +44 (0)20 7493 7121 E reservations@

The Stafford London is the place to meet and celebrate. Luxuriate in the stunning individually designed rooms and suites, dine in elegant surroundings and relax with a signature cocktail in the renowned American Bar or private cobbled courtyard.

................

224 Piccadilly, London W1J 9HP

www.saviniatcriterion.co.uk

SAV I N I at Criterion

Reviewed by Michael M Sandwick

T

he Criterion first opened in 1873 and has been a restaurant of renown ever since. Grade II listed, it is a fine of example of a Neo-Byzantine style dining room. Neo-posh, more like! The gold mosaic ceiling, marble, inlaid with mother of pearl, jade and turquoise and enormous crystal chandeliers are all stunning. If you like opulence, this is the place. The lap of luxury in the heart of London.

The restaurant has changed hands many times, including those of Marco Pierre White. In recent years however, it has gone downhill and very nearly hit bottom. The new owners, the Gatto family of the equally swish Savini in Milan, have given the room a makeover and put high-end, regional Italian on the menu. With mixed results. The huge photos of modern cities and pop music in the background seem incongruous to the lavish setting whereas the lounge and retail section manage to harmonize old and new. The food, by Chef Giovanni Bon, is a good blend of classic and modern. It is however, very

expensive. Luxury has a price.

A wonderful selection of bread appeared unbidden. Fennel, multiseed, ciabatta…served with Savini’s own, top notch olive oil. It is tempting to buy a bottle on the way out.

Mille-feuille of foie gras with plum compote, shallot chutney, pan brioches and balsamic vinegar drops (£18) stopped the show in the first scene! The multi-layered terrine was topped with a brûlée sugar glaze and a touch of sea salt. The range of flavors were beautifully balanced. Opulence on a plate!

Burrata with plum tomatoes, rocket, basil sauce and crunchy bread (£11.50) was the opposite end of the spectrum. Simple with absolutely no fuss. The burrata was very good quality which the tomatoes didn’t quite match.

We then shared a grilled turbot for 2 with seasonal vegetables and lemon sauce (£57!!). An excellent fish, it has to be said, filleted at the table and served with a very light velvety sauce. With this, a side of potatoes

gratin with milk, parmesan and smoked bacon (£6.50). Very tasty, but an unnecessary addition. It was a big fish!

A bottle of Falanghina, Terredora, 2014 (£38) was a good and comparatively reasonable choice with the entire meal. Not complex, but crisp, with lots of citrus, a hint of apple and no oak. A good wine with fish.

Dessert was hit and miss. Black cherry and chocolate mousse with mint glacé (£8) was a beautiful sight.

I was dubious however, at the sight of 2 maraschino cherries. Justifiably it turned out. There was no hint of black cherry or the black forest cake this combination calls to mind. Instead, a sugar sweet mousse with neither depth nor contrast, garnished with cocktail cherries from a jar. Much better was a Dulcey (blonde) chocolate mousse with almond and caramel biscuit (£8.50). Well-constructed with a caramel centre and a touch of salt for balance.

Service is excellent. As rich as the room.

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smoked salmon, heritage potato salad & horseradish

www.gordonramsayrestaurants.com/london-house

London House A

recent refurb was meant to give London House a less formal, neighborhood pub vibe. The intimate rooms are cool and sleek; the art on the walls, contemporary and edgy. A new terrace is hidden away, giving it a VIP feel. Quality decking, rattan furniture and barbecue promise fabulous al fresco dining.

Service is excellent and every member of staff has apparently graduated summa cum laude from charm school. In short, NOTHING like the pub in my hood!

The new Head Chef, George Lyon is no more successful at serving up pub grub. His food is sensational. The menu reads a bit like pub food, but the similarity stops there. George is a star and his lessformal-pub-vibe food knocked me out. I can’t imagine what he would do if he decided to go upmarket!

The menu is small and in perfectly understandable English. I didn’t have to Google anything! All seemingly simple. It’s not. Each dish is well executed and the attention to detail is very fine.

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Heritage tomato and burrata (£9) were high quality ingredients, beautifully presented. Crispy pigs head croquette with sauce grabiche (£8) was a treat. Crispy outside with a soft, moist and flavorful filling.

The grabiche, similar to tartar sauce but made with hardboiled egg yolks was rich and delicious. With these, a glass of 2014 Sancerre, Dom. Du Nozay (£10) was a delight. Great balance of acid and fruit with a hint of butter.

We were surprised with a second course of roasted skate wing with courgette and basil puree (£22.50).

Lucky us! Perfectly seasoned, the skate was firm, but still came right off the bone. With lightly dressed ribbons of squash and a sweet/ savory puree, this was heaven on a plate! A 2014 Gavi di Gavi (£9) was a good match. Very light with a mineral finish.

In the spirit of pub, we went for meaty mains. Roast lamb, with scrumptious, creamy, jersey royal potatoes and fennel salad (£23) was very good, but red wine braised

roast monkfish, charred purple sprouting & curried mussels

9 Battersea Square, London SW11 3RA

Reviewed by Michael M Sandwick beef with wild mushrooms (£19) was extraordinary. The caramelization on the meat gave such flavor and the sauce was a taste explosion.

Great mash and mushrooms made this the dish of the night. With a 2013 Priorat, Ritme, Acustic Cellars, it could hardly be better. A Spanish Grenache with berry, spice and oak.

Doughnuts, lemon curd and white chocolate (£8.50) were really fun. I don’t allow myself doughnuts unless they’re posh! The white chocolate hits your tongue first, then the lemon explodes in your mouth. Sweet and sour surprise!

This was yummy. Chocolate délice with passion fruit sorbet (£8) was sublime. An inspired combination of flavors, textures and temperatures. A Grahams 30 year old tawny port sent me over the moon. Alcoholic liquid caramel nectar. This is not on the wine list, but you might get lucky on Wine Wednesday when wines are on offer at retail prices and there are specials to be had.

Neighborhood pub? No. Destination? Yes!

Polpo Brunch

6 Maiden Lane, London WC2E 7NA

www.polpo.co.uk

Right (top & bottom): shabby chic, Venetian style

P OL PO Brunch – Venetian style A

bàcaro is a wine bar found typically in the back alleys of Venice.

A local pub, if you like, serving wine by the glass and cicheti: Venetian for small plates. Cichetti or cicchetti as most of us know it, has really caught on here in the UK. Many restaurants serving these Italian tapas however, have departed from the original, humble concept, like our gastro pubs. Polpo hasn’t. It is great value for money – the food is so reasonable, I could hardly believe I was in Covent Garden! The exclusively Italian wine list though, will remind you that you are in London.

The first Polpo opened in 2009.

Now there are seven in London and one each in Brighton and Leeds with a new one in Bristol. What’s new is brunch, now served in all locations on Saturday and Sunday from 10 to 12:30. The brunch menu is very limited, but the all-day menu is also available, offering much more choice.

The interior is shabby chic, Venetian style. So well done, I really felt

like I was in some hidden corner of Venice. I could almost smell a canal!

There are a number of bar-like sharing tables, in true bàcaro fashion.

Happily, there are also the regular, feet on the floor type for oldies like me who prefer them.

Service with a smile could have been coined for our waitress! And it wasn’t just MY charm that elicited such friendliness. She was like that with everyone, in spite of running around in a whirlwind of efficiency.

Delightful. No longer able to manage a Bloody Mary at such an hour (sulk) we ordered virgins and pretended there was vodka in them. £3! A spicy bargain.

From the main menu we had asparagus with lemon dressing and grana Padano (£7) and Zucchini with parmesan and basil (£5). Both were fresh and tasty though the courgette had more rocket than basil.

From the brunch menu, wild garlic, mushrooms and ricotta on toasted sour dough (£6) was a

Reviewed by Michael M Sandwick

lovely snack, but the portion took the humble concept a bit too far.

Pizzetta with Italian salsiccia (gorgeous Italian sausage), wild mushroom, parmesan and a soft egg (£8) was super. Perfect crust, perfect egg and a great combination of flavors. The only problem was that it was hanging off the plate, making it difficult to eat. Might I suggest a larger plate?

Desserts at £5 were both excellent. Panna cotta with Campari and rhubarb had a wonderful consistency and the balance of sweet, sour and bitter was flawless. Tiramisu pot was also a taste bud treat. The word tiramisu means either “pick me up” or “cheer me up”. This one cheered me up immensely. I wanted two more. One for each love handle!

We finished up with one of the best cappuccinos I have ever had.

A truly delicious brew. That and a tiramisu will have you picked up and cheered up in an instant for £8!

And you’ll be 2 minutes from the Opera!

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47

The Shangri-La at The Shard

View of London at dusk from The Shangri La, 32 London Bridge St, London, SE1 9SG www.shangri-la.com/London

I

f you want to make a statement with your choice of London Hotel, the 5* Shangri-La at The Shard ought to be near the top of your list. Located between the 34th and 52nd floors of Renzo Piano’s iconic building, the views of London are astonishing. It’s the View that many will book for, (and I’ll keep mentioning it until you believe me!) but equally the quality of the stay makes it a very special venue.

I’m used to the London hotel check-in routine. After a long journey via car/rail, a quick check-in often consists of dropping the baggage before hurriedly leaving for whatever meeting, event or attraction I came to London for in the first place. But this hotel is very different.

Once you check in here, many of you will find you’re already where you want to spend your afternoon, evening, night and morning. Everything is catered for, and centered on those wonderful London views.

Having spent a few minutes acquainting ourselves with our hitech room (a television in the bath-

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room mirror!), and admiring that view, we were delivered a lovely, calming Oriental tea – a pleasant start to an easy stay. The room service was actually a little much for my taste – there is a ‘Do Not Disturb’ button, although by the time we left for dinner at 7pm, there were a further two notes outside our door advising of attempted visits. That said, at least the choice is there if you really want to be pampered, although I was more than happy marvelling at the View!

Of course, there is always the infinity pool and gym for the hyperactive, although I can’t vouch for the View from there, although I expect they’re excellent from the Champagne and Cocktail Bars on level 52.

The room itself was very comfortable, and kitted out for a relaxing sleep. Although there is some slight wind-related noise, it’s not enough to cause disruption. With full length electronic blinds, you can also block out the London lights at night.

Dinner in the hotel’s Ting restaurant (they have two, and a patis-

Review by Daniel M Byway serie/deli/cafe on the ground floor) was superb, again with those amazing Views as night fell on one of the world’s most iconic cities. My guest enjoyed a delicious steak, whilst I went with the Organic Chicken with black garlic, asparagus and smoked potato. The smoked potato was an amazing concept and worked really well with the dish – perfectly executed by the staff of Executive Chef Keith Bowen (ex County Hall and London Marriott) - a reminder that Shangri-La isn’t just about the View, they’ve created a paradise in the sky for foodies too! The walls of the Ting restaurant are lined with wine cabinets, and the selection is good.

With a courteous staff, good food and luxury accommodation, the hotel is perfect for romantic nights, special occasions and just to treat yourself and your loved ones. It literally takes the concept of a London hotel to new heights, and as it costs £60pp to tourist the view, I’d prefer to put that towards a room and do it all again. Did I tell you I didn’t tire of looking at the View?

The Adelphi Building 1-11 John Adam Street WC2N 6HT London

Bookings: 020 7321 6007 www.smithandwollensky.co.uk

Carpaccio of Sea Bream

The American

www.osterialondon.co.uk

OSTERIA S

umming up the Barbican Centre is like condensing War and Peace into a paragraph. The largest art and conference complex in Europe, it’s one of London’s best examples of Brutalist architecture. A concrete wonder/monster, Grade II listed AND voted the ugliest building in London.

Love it or hate it, it is vast, and home to some of the greatest beauties in the capital. Theater, art, dance, film, music and now, with the opening of Osteria, culinary art.

The restaurant baron, Searcy’s has teamed up with Michelin starred Chef Anthony Demetre and created a gem in the middle of the Barbican’s raw concrete. Bold, square and grey, but the view of the lake and gardens is exquisite, the food and wine even better.

Head Chef Patrick Leano runs a tight kitchen, preparing Italian cuisine of a very high standard. The floor staff are equally good and serve it with style. You may want to bring your Italian lexicon however unless

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you are familiar with such delicacies as gnudi and Cime di rapa!

I started very happily with a glass of Verdicchio Classico Arbinus 2014 (£8.85). Nice balance of acid and butter with a hint of peach. Carpaccio of Sea Bream with clementine, chilli and fennel (£9) would have paired perfectly, were it not for an abundance of chilli. Luckily, I like food with fire but my companion couldn’t eat it.

The dish would be superb with a better balance. Grilled Octopus, potatoes and smoked peppers (£9) was super, perfectly tender and the combination delightful.

In a moment of concern for our waistlines we decided to share one primo piatto. What a mistake. It was divine. Tagliatelle with veal and n’duja (£11) was al dente perfection with a gorgeous ragout, spiced flawlessly with sausage. The larger portion for £16 would make a great meal on its own. A glass of full-bodied Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2010 (£13.80) bursting with vanilla, made

Slow cooked Beef in red wine

Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS

Reviewed by Michael M Sandwick me swoon.

For seconds we had slow cooked beef in red wine with polenta and roast onions (£17) and saddle of rabbit ‘Saltimbocca’ with farro and endive (£19). Both were excellent. The beef was reduced to tender essence and the rabbit, served as a roulade, had liver, wonderful explosions of sage and far too little of a delicious demi-glace. Farro was new to me.

Odd, as it’s the oldest cultivated grain in the world! Plump like barley, similar to spelt and superior to both. A Pinot Nero, Nino 2013 (£14.75) was another wonderful glass of wine but no match for the Montepulciano.

Slightly tart with lots of fruit, it was lovely with the rabbit but too light for the beef and the wonderful formaggi assortiti that followed.

Vanilla panna cotta with Champagne rhubarb (£6.50) made a great sweet, sour, cream and crunch finish.

The Barbican: iconic Brutalist behemoth AND foodie destination. I guess that about sums it up!

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CELEBRATE THANKSGIVING IN OUR MAYFAIR TOWNHOUSE Join us at the English-Speaking Union’s headquarters as we celebrate our Anglo-American roots with a special Thanksgiving Dinner. Enjoy roast turkey with all the trimmings, and welcome our young American exchange scholars who are currently studying in Britain. After dinner we will host a lively debate on the future of the US under the new President.

6.30pm, Friday 25th November, ESU, Dartmouth House, 37 Charles Street, London W1J 5ED. To purchase tickets: email alex.orpin@esu.org or call 0207 529 1596. esu.org

7-9 The Avenue Eastbourne East Sussex BN21 3YA e khancock@humph.co.uk w humph.co.uk @humph_co

Want authentic Kansas CityBBQ at your next gathering?

look no further.

Kansas City native, Michael Gratz, missed that succulent goodness so much that when he found himself living in London, he created Prairie Fire BBQ so you could enjoy the taste of “HOME” in your home.

Visit prairiefirebbq.com to cater your next event.

Rock House Ln, Maidencombe, Torquay TQ1 4SX

01803 897 511

ORESTONE MANOR

N

estled above the pretty coastal village of Maidencombe, and run by two chefs, Neil and Catherine D’Allen, this family-run hotel, overlooking the pretty South Devon coastal town of Maidencombe, proves that sometimes the ‘less traveled’ road makes all the difference. So on a sunny summer afternoon a friend and I visited Devon, but instead of the traditional seaside resorts of Torquay and the English Riviera, took a different turn and found our way to this nearby gem between Babbacombe and Teignmouth.

Orestone Manor is a red brick Georgian country house with character and charm, and fantastic views through the trees to the sea in Lyme Bay. Think English countryside meets coastal retreat, a wonderful combination. The Manor was the former home of the designer of the first Christmas card, Sir John Callcott Horsley who in this house painted a portrait of his brother-in-law, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the famous

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British engineer and industrialist (Chief Engineer for the Great British Railway) which now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery.

The Manor has 14 unique rooms, including several speciality suites which really play to the hotel’s strengths, particularly its location.

We stayed in one of the brand new Coach House Suites, a delightful two floor cottage close to the main hotel.

These new suites are very luxurious, each with separate lounge, balcony, and a private parking space outside each front door. You can tell when a lot of thought has gone into a room, our suite had all the luxury fittings needed for a comfortable stay, and amazing views from the balcony.

The added privacy afforded by the slight separation from the main hotel helped to cement that sense of relaxation and peace. They’d also be perfect for families (this summer the Manor offered a ‘kids go free’ for the summer holidays, when booked direct with them). We were spoiled for space.

www.orestonemanor.com

Reviewed by Daniel M Byway The hotel is still close by, which is perfect because you wouldn’t want to be too far from their restaurant!

Serving the whole day, from Breakfast and Afternoon Tea to a fine evening meal, Orestone Manor’s two AA rosettes for fine dining really tell. After sipping our aperitifs on the Manor’s sun terrace, surrounded by palm trees and lush gardens, we found dinner a well selected combination of local produce (including freshly caught fish from nearby Brixham) coupled with innovative concoctions and great service, – a great (and lazy) option when staying at the Manor.

This stay was easy, almost totally stress free, the thoughtful touches complementing the picturesque tranquillity of the hotel and its surroundings. Parking is a little tight during busy times, if you’re not in the Coach House Suites. On this occasion, the road less traveled did make all the difference, and I’d highly recommend taking the scenic route to Orestone Manor.

Left: The Crockery Right: Love Potion

21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London SE1 9DT

www.swanlondon.co.uk

Left: the tea Right: the view

Reviewed by Michael M Sandwick

THE SWAN at SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE T

he Swan underwent a big refurbishment, in connection with the 400th anniversary of The Bard’s death. And what a refurb it is! The dining room upstairs is a lesson in air and light... breaking on yonder windows! Overlooking the Thames with a glorious view of St. Pauls, The Globe Theatre on one side and the Tate Modern on the other, it seems the very essence of iconic London.

Add afternoon tea and you’re in anglophile heaven.

Of course, this wasn’t just any old tea. It was A Midsummer Night’s Dream afternoon tea. Sadly that didn’t include an appearance by Meow Meow, divine cabaret star cum Titania of the moment. It did however, incorporate a number of culinary references from the play. If you are a Shakespeare aficionado, you will appreciate the use of pea flower, apricots and mulberries in the menu. If not, you will simply eat like a pig! As did I. We started with a love potion cocktail (even a literary barbar-

ian like myself didn’t miss that reference!). Prosecco and fresh blackberry in a stemmed cocktail glass with Earl Grey infused gin and blackberry puree in a small corked vial. I poured the one into the other and voilà! Well…I didn’t find love, but the gin kept me from caring.

There is both a classic and a gentleman’s afternoon tea on offer for £24.50. Add booze or bubbles for another £5 – £10. The gents sounded more interesting but had no sweets, whereas the classic had everything. Solution: one of each.

A beef slider, scotch egg, fish finger sandwich and potted smoked salmon were all delightful, well composed savories. A croque monsieur was more of a ham and cheese on toast. Wherefore art thou croque monsieur? What’s in a name? It tasted good! A blue cheese and cider scone was the only miss. To beat, or not to beat, that is the question. When it comes to scones, the answer is NOT! Somebody beat my scone.

The classic tea also had a lovely selection of savories. Smoked salmon wrapped in a delicate dill pancake and served as a pinwheel was my fav. Lemon chicken, duck egg and asparagus sandwiches and a wild mushroom, whipped truffle cheese tart were all tasty treats.

Pastry Chef Jean-Claude’s sweets are full of surprises. Such stuff as dreams are made on. Plentiful and with a good range of flavors: chocolate, lemon, hibiscus and apricot. A strawberry delice, elderflower meringue was coated in a gorgeous strawberry powder. Here the mulberry scones were spot on and served with good portions of clotted cream and raspberry jam.

As usual, I was one who ate not wisely but too well!

Of course such a meal is not complete without the tea itself. I had a lovely spiced chai and my companion a classic English breakfast. When we were done, my guest asked the waiter for a refill. I just said, “Out, damned pot! Out, I say!”

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PHOTO NUTBOURNE VINEYARDS, WEST SUSSEX

Cellar Talk

By Virginia E Schultz

Indian Summer By Virginia E Schultz S

ummer is almost over, but this being England we could suddenly enjoy warmer afternoons and evenings than we had in June or July. On an outing to the beach, I always take a tea towel. This I dip into the sea and then wrap it around the bottle before sticking it upside down in the sand in full sun unless I brought an umbrella. When the towel is dry, the wrapped wine will be cool enough to drink. Suspended in a stream it’s better yet.

Just don’t place it in a spot where it can be dragged away after constant pressure from running water which happened to me a few years ago.

One thing I’ve learned there is no perfect place to grow wine. An ideal climate would consist of water and moderate changes in temperature. Indian summers reduce

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surface moisture drying out the soil making the grapes ready for harvest. But global warming is becoming a problem in many wine growing regions. Harvest time is being pushed further and further back as hot spells last longer and longer. This means crops are more likely to die or be damaged. A study by scientists at Columbia University’s LamontDoherty Earth Observatory and the Nasa Goddard Institute for Space Studies found that since 1980 the harvest has, on average, been two weeks later in France compared to 400-year records. In fact, a meteorologist friend has predicted that in another 20 years, the UK will be a more important growing region for wine than either France of California.

DRINKS of the MONTH I just enjoyed a Cremant D’Alsace Blanc de Blanc Riesling brut recently that was a very enjoyable fizz. It was even more enjoyable when I was told it cost only £8.

Craft beer is more and more popular here and in the States. I’m not a beer drinker, but I must admit Hatherwood Craft Beer Company delighted me with their copper malt colored ‘The Purple Panther’ with its notes of coffee and caramel.

And if you like cider which more and more people seem to do now, I enjoyed Woodgate Pear cider.

What with? Fish fingers, of course… my only excuse is I was with my eight year old twin grandchildren!

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Bob Harris Transatlantic Roots O

ur music interviews usually feature American musicians.

Thsi time we’re featuring a British DJ. How come? Over a lifetime of broadcasting, from championing EmmyLou Harris and Gram Parsons to his Country show on Radio 2, Bob has made good Country music popular in the UK mainstream. He’s won an Americana Music Association Trailblazer Award, two Country Music Association International Media Achievement Awards, a UK Heritage Award, Sony Awards (and an OBE for services to broadcasting). As far as we’re concerned, Bob Harris is an ‘Honorary American’!

Bob, was American music important to you when you were a kid?

American music was almost totally what I grew up with. I bought my first single in 1957, ‘Diana’ by Paul Anka (admittedly he’s Canadian!). It was my pathway into discovering rock & roll.

Elvis, Buddy Holly, the Everley Brothers [background image], Duane Eddy, Ricky Nelson. Then Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino. But almost all of those white artists that I liked had country roots. Unwittingly it was my first exposure to the ‘twang’ of Country music. There were very few equivalent UK records at that time - ‘Move It’ by Cliff Richard in ‘58 perhaps, and Billy Fury, but until The Beatles my records collection almost entirely consisted of American records.

Rock & roll disappeared in the charts, replaced by lightweight pop.

What happened?

The force of rock & roll had happened two or three years before it burst into the charts. From ‘55 to ‘58

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it still retained its power. In ‘59 you still had Jerry Lee doing ‘Lovin’ Up A Storm’ and Eddie Cochrane doing ‘Somethin’ Else’. But one of the things that happened in America was Dick Clark’s American Bandstand TV show.

Unlike Alan Freed and rock & roll DJs before him, Dick Clark was all about commerciality and creating an acceptable sound that didn’t offend anybody. It got very limp-wristed as you moved into 1960 through ‘61, there were very few new artists that had any dynamic power to them. I always thought Del Shannon was great, and Roy Orbison obviously, maybe Dion, but as for the rest it was people like Bobby Vinton, Bobby Vee, Bobby Rydell, Frankie Avalon.

It wasn’t until ‘62 that The Beatles arrived with this massive new energy and swept a lot of those artists away.

It’s that transatlantic thing again – The Beatles got their power from early rock & roll and bounced it back to the States.

If you excavate the roots of how they got started, the key record was ‘Rock Island Line’ by Lonnie Donegan, early ‘56. Young kids in Liverpool and London realized it was very ‘DIY’.

American rock & roll records were relatively hi-fi and sophisticated, whereas skiffle was something you could create in your kitchen with a washboard and a tea-chest bass, it didn’t need a huge investment in expensive equipment.

Do Americans ‘get’ skiffle, a home-grown British rock & roll?

Some do. Our friend Kimmie Rhodes, who lives in Texas, gets skiffle in a big way, she sees a connection between it and the blues

that preceded it. ‘Rock Island Line’ was a Leadbelly song. Lonnie Donegan discovered it somewhere and his version was a first connection back into early blues for us in Britain. People like John Lennon heard that record and couldn’t believe the sound of it. British pop music was people like David Whitfield, Frankie Vaughan, Ronnie Hilton - people of my parents’ generation. When this new sound arrived, teenagers like Lennon wanted to emulate it. He formed a band called The Quarrymen, Paul McCartney went to see them play at a church fete, and the rest is history. The first recording they did was a cover of ‘That’ll be the Day’, and Buddy Holly was a massive influence on the sound of The Beatles – the Everley Brother’s harmonies too.

There’s a country thread that runs into The Beatles’ music - Ringo did a cover of ‘Act Naturally’ which was a huge hit for Buck Owens in ‘63.

Other British bands were more blues - The Stones, The Kinks, The Who, Fleetwood Mac, Ten Years After.

In the early ‘70s they introduced the blues back into the white audience in the States and reminded them of the John Lee Hookers of this world, who had been rather discarded with the arrival of Motown, Phil Spector and the haze and the colors of psychedilia. They’d amost forgotten their blues heritage and Britain brought it back to them.

You’ve always called youself “a journalist who can broadcast” what got you into radio?

John Peel! From the moment I started hearing radio in the ‘50s I loved it – I was one of those children

Bob Harris today and (inset) in the mid-’70s, helming The Old Grey Whistle Test, © BBC

who listened to Listen With Mother with his mother! David Jacobs, who hosted Pick of the Pops, became a bit of a hero, and Jack Jackson was so creative. Then I moved to London and to my absolute joy discovered this wonderful show that John was doing on the pirate radio station, Radio London, called The Perfumed Garden.

I’d built up a big record collection and I had a Dansette record player and an old Grundig tape machine.

When I was 13 and 14 I was making ‘radio programmes’ on reel-to-reel tapes - my mum kept them for years!

I really wanted to be on radio but you don’t think you can, I mean, how do you start? Moving to London and hearing John made me realize he was doing exactly what I’d love to do. I got introduced to Tony Elliott, who later had the idea for Time Out magazine [he’s still the publisher Bob was co-founder]. Tony was editing a student magazine called Unit in Stoke-on-Trent, and he was looking for a journalist in London. He asked me what I’d really like to do and I said, meet and interview John Peel. Tony

organised it, and I went over to John’s in Fulham – this is late ‘67. Marc Bolan was with him so I met both of them on the same afternoon and became good friends with both of them. John took me under his wing, and crucially introduced me to Jeff Griffin, a producer at Radio 1. Jeff did a pilot with me and when John took a holiday break I sat in for him for four weeks in August 1970.

John Peel had his own transatlantic music connections too.

Yes, he had a Liverpool background and he’d been to the States – he used to say Ringo was his second cousin! America was so much to do with the sound of The Perfumed Garden. He’d brought back loads of vinyl like the Steve Miller Band, Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Doors, Love, it was such a heady mix. I joined The Old Grey Whistle Test [the classic BBC TV music series] in September ‘72 and in February ‘74 I went over to the States for the first time, with Jeff, to record material for The Beach Boys Story, a series of six programmes for Radio 1. We were in LA for four weeks interviewing everybody connected

with The Beach Boys. Hanging out in that rock & roll environment I began to bump into people – the first night we were there, we were invited out on a crazy night with Alice Cooper at the Rainbow Bar & Grill. I called Mike Appleton [Whistle Test producer] and said, come over with a film crew, we can capture some of this. He did, and we recorded an interview with Carl Wilson in The Beach Boys’ studio in Santa Monica, then flew to Point Reyes, just north of San Francisco, to do a lovely film piece with Jesse Colin Young. That set the precedent for us going out to America on a regular basis. Within days of Whistle Test taking its summer break each year, we’d fly out and film material for five or six weeks, for the following series. It was one of the most enjoyable parts of the show. We were just about the first people to discover Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, we filmed them at the Whisky a Go Go, the following year it was The Cars at the Roxy. We’d use LA as a base and fly up to San Francisco or over to Miami, then on the way home we’d stop off in New York.

I still think about how wonderful that

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American summer experience was.

The last time I went to the States with Whistle Test was in the summer of ‘79. The first time I went back to the States with the Country show was summer ‘99. After Whistle Test I wanted a change and I worked on a lot of other BBC radio stations. I hadn’t been over for 20 years, and now I’m there so much.

I got another big break when the BBC wanted to cover Americana and alt-country on Radio 2. They knew I’ve always played that kind of music, so they invited me to take over the Country show. I asked if I’d have to play any of “that ‘hat’ music”? They said no, the idea was to bring in the kind of country that I like.

They sent me to Nashville to soak up the atmosphere. I’d missed America so much, and once I touched down I realized what a beautiful music town Nashville is. I came back after my first trip there and told my wife Trudie we should move there straight away! Trudie started coming over with me - she thought Nashville was almost too American, it wasn’t cosmopolitan like it is now.

Then we went to Texas and got a different aspect of America, then New Orleans, very different again, but it was all America. I love it that you can travel from state to state and when you go across that borderline it’s like going from France to Germany or Italy. It’s a different culture, a different set of rules.

Many Brits don’t get that. Texas is big enough to be a European country and artists can make a living their entire life in Texas, they almost don’t need to go outside.

When you meet musicians you seem to get to know them and you’ve filmed many

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of them in an informal way.

It’s a joy. We filmed Bob Harris My Nashville for BBC4 which led to Back to Beth’s, a house concert hosted by Beth Nielsen Chapman - we’ve done another one with Kimmie in Texas, The Flatlanders played there with many other Texan musicians. In Nashville they call them guitar pools. One of my big friends in Nashville is Mary Gaithier, one of the great writers of our time. She invited me over to supper at the end of a busy week during which I’d been trying to meet up with Duane Eddy and his wife Dee. I called Mary and asked if it would be OK to bring them over to her house. We ended up with Beth, her son Ernest and his wife who’s also an artist, Duane, Dee and me. Mary was talking and just strumming a guitar, Beth set up a keyboard of Mary’s, they started playing. Duane leant over and whispered, “Do you think I oughta get my guitar from the trunk?” I said “Yes!” It was a magic moment – among many sponanteous magic moments. The music community is so warm spirited and open hearted and welcoming,

that’s my experience of Nashville.

There’s a thread going through your broadcasting career, of discovering new artists and bringing them to the audience’s notice – and not just in Britain. That includes the new country superstar Kasey Musgraves whose first ever radio performance was on your show in Nashville.

Who’s been your favorite ‘find’?

Kacey is pretty much at the top of the list. We just connect. There was a wonderful moment at the C2C festival last year when I was interviewing her backstage. I’d been asked to present her with a CMA International Award live on air – she knew nothing about it. I was thrilled. I hid the award by my feet, she came in and we started talking but it was a bit stilted on both sides. Kacey looked across at the producer, then said “Bob, I have something for you” - I said “No wait, I have something for you”, then we both presented each other with these wonderful CMA Awards.

[See photographic evidence, left.]

You have a new ‘brand’, Under The Apple Tree, bringing new Country to the audience over here.

We’ve recorded sessions with some great musicans [at WBBCOfficial on YouTube], there are some great British country artists now too. And we have a series of festivals, the first one’s at the beautiful Cadogan Hall with some great artists like Chris Difford from Squeeze, Scott Mathews, Robert Vincent. (For the full lineup go to www.undertheappletreefestival.com). There are two stages, an acoustic area and the main hall, food, stalls, you can go between them… the idea is that it’s a one day festival. I hope everyone will come along and enjoy it.

Abstract Expressionism

Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD September 24 to January 2, 2017

The Great Animal Orchestra

Fondation Cartier, 261 Boulevard Raspail, 75014 Paris, France to January 8, 2017 If you’re going to Paris, do catch this exhibition inspired by American musician, bio-acoustician and scientist Bernie Krause, who has, over 40 years, collected almost 5,000 hours of sound recordings of natural habitats, terrestrial and marine, inhabited by almost 15,000 animal species. The main room features work by the British United Visual Artists (UVA) who create a visual translation of Krause’s soundscapes by transforming his recordings into a three-dimensional electronic installation of aesthetic creations of nature. Brazilian artist Adriana Varejão has created a ceramic wall painted with Amazonian birds, which connects the garden to the building and exhibition spaces.

Iconic and ostentatious, the paint-

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Hiroshi Sugimoto, Alaskan Wolves, 1994 GELATIN SILVER PRINT, 120 × 210 CM COLLECTION OF THE ARTIST © HIROSHI SUGIMOTO

ings of Beninese artist Cyprien Tokoudagba and the animal-musicians created by Congolese painters Pierre Bodo, JP Mika and Moke are paired with the extravagant New Guinea birds of paradise filmed by researchers from Cornell Lab of Ornithology (Ithaca, USA). This “aviary video” of multicolored images is under the solemn and contemplative eyes of the dioramas of animals photographed in black and white

by Japanese artist, Hiroshi Sugimoto. The second part of the exhibition reveals, through advanced technologies, the aesthetics of the living, hidden, non-human world.

Clyfford Still, PH-950, 1950 Oil on canvas, 233.7 x 177.8 cm ©CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER / DACS 2016 PHOTO COURTESY CLYFFORD STILL MUSEUM

With over 150 paintings, sculptures and photographs from public and private collections across the world, this ambitious exhibition in conjunction with the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, encompasses masterpieces by the most acclaimed US artists associated with the movement, among them Willem de Kooning, Arshile Gorky, Phillip Guston, Franz Kline, Joan Mitchell, Robert Motherwell, Barnett Newman, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Aaron Siskind, David Smith and Clyfford Still, as well as lesser-known but no less vital artists. This is the first UK major retrospective in nearly 60 years, and perhaps it’s time to do as they do here: re-examine the two main simplistic strands into which these artists have often been grouped, the so-called ‘color-field’ painters like Rothko and Newman, versus the ‘gesture’ or ‘action painters’, epitomised by de Kooning and Pollock.

Pablo Picasso, Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, autumn 1910, 1910 LOANED BY THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO ©COPYRIGHT: SUCCESSION PICASSO/DACS LONDON, 2016; 2015 ESTATE OF PABLO PICASSO/ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS) NEW YORK

164 Annual Open Exhibition

RWA, Queens Road, Bristol, BS8 1PX October 9 to November 27

Picasso Portraits

National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place London WC2H 0HE October 6 to February 5, 2017 A major exhibition, in association with the Museu Picasso, Barcelona, of 75 works by the artist in all media, ranging from well-known masterpieces to works that have never been shown in Britain before.

Because Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1903) didn’t work to commission, he depicted people in his intimate circle and enjoyed exceptional freedom as a portraitist, working in different modes and many different styles. Formal posed portraits coexist with witty caricatures, classic drawings from life with expressive paintings created from memory, reflecting his understanding of the sitter’s identity and character. It includes the 1910 cubist portrait of Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, German art dealer and early champion of Picasso’s work, loaned by the Art Institute of Chicago.

Put October 9 in your calendar, and pencil “Bristol”. Now in its 164th year, the Royal West of England Academy’s selling exhibition (prices start at just £25) includes painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture, illustration and architecture from UK and international artists, all competing for the Annual Open Exhibition Prize. Last year 593 works by 387 artists were selected from over 2,500 works by more than 1,000 artists, and the 2016 display is expected to be even larger. The invited artists are the internationally respected British artists Susan Derges (b 1955), whose stunning photographic works are achieved without a camera, and Royal Academician sculptor Tim Shaw (b 1964), whose work is often monumental, and politically motivated.

The RWA 162 Annual Open Exhibition, 2014 PHOTO ©ALICE HENDY

Dalton M Ghetti, Giraffe PHOTO SLOAN HOWARD

Radical Crafts: Alternative Ways of Making Beecroft Art Gallery, Southend* September 10 to November 5

This touring* exhibition by 37 artists includes pieces by historically renowned artists associated with the ‘Outsider Art’ genre and contemporary artists, many of whom are self-taught, who see themselves as facing barriers to the art world for reasons including health, disability, social circumstance or isolation; 21 of whom have been selected from open submissions. It includes Brazilian born American artist Dalton M Ghetti’s extreme miniature forms sculpted into discarded pencil leads, Finnish Erkki Pekkarinen’s folkloric life size woven birch bark figures and German artist Julia Krause-Harder’s large mixed media dinosaurs. * 20-21 Visual Arts Centre, Scunthorpe (Nov 19-Jan 28, 2017); Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery, Carlisle (Feb 11, 2017 to Mar 26); The Barony Centre, West Kilbride(Apr 8, 2017 to Jun 10);Aberystwyth Arts Centre (Jun 24, 2017 to Sep 2); Walford Mill, Dorset (Sep 16, 2017 to Nov 12).

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S

Palace Theatre, Shaftesbury Ave, London W1D 5AY www.harrypottertheplay.com 62

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o, the 8th story in the Harry Potter series won’t see fans sleeping overnight outside Waterstones... instead it is being presented in the West End. With many weeks of previews (an unfortunate Broadway trend), the fans are all fired up and social media is buzzing.

Notwithstanding the fact that it is utterly critic proof, was it worth the hoopla, you might ask?

The short answer is a definite ‘yes’. What is most admirable about this epic two-parter (both run 5 hours 15 minutes in total) is that it is no lazy re-tread designed to squeeze more cash from this record breaking global franchise. It’s instead a new story and the devo-

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: P 1 2 arts and

Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell

tion which has been lavished on it is obvious for all to see. The budget is all up there on the stage.

J.K. Rowling created it with Jack Thorne and John Tiffany (Black Watch and Once) and hiring Tiffany was the masterstroke. A director at the top of his game, his kinetic productions incorporate movement, dance and design like no other. The result is an epic spectacle, with a cast of 42, which retains the dynamism of a blockbuster movie but at the same time is totally theatrical.

Jeremy Chernick’s special effects are obviously key and Jamie Harrison’s illusions manage to fuse state of the art technique but with a rather old fashioned theatrical flourish.

Christine Jones’ designs and Katrina Lindsay’s costumes too are first class.

Whether it is Moaning Myrtle spilling out of a bathroom sink, or the flying wraiths (called Dementors), let loose in the auditorium or a majestic Centaur (half man-half horse) these images will stay with you. Neal Austin’s lighting and Finn Ross’s video design are of course intrinsic to it all but never draw attention away from the whole.

Gareth Fry’s soundscape too manages to strike the right balance between the Dolby deafness you endure in a multiplex and a more nuanced yet constant underscoring which is eerily effective. The whole thing is an exemplar of state of the art theater making. Some might argue why try and be a facsimile of the multiplex, but today’s audiences expect more and on my visit

PHOTO @ MANUEL HARLAN

the audience was predominantly twenty/thirtysomethings. If theater is the art of stopping people coughing, as Sir Ralph Richardson once put it, here this team held an audience so rapt they refrained from texting, photographing, chatting, drinking or eating takeaways. For this they deserve a medal.

The key to Rowling’s success is of course her sheer mastery of narrative and here she doesn’t disappoint. If anything there is too much to pack in and to Tiffany’s credit, he slows it down at times to lend it some texture. His use of movement is enchanting and makes one realise this would make a great musical, if only you could prune the plot.

There are audible sighs of recognition as various plot points from the books get resolved, but don’t expect me to fill you in as I too have sworn to “Keep the Secrets”. I was even handed the badge as I left.

If the story of Harry Potter so far was defined by his orphaned state, here we’ve moved on to the territory of fathers and sons. Harry, now 37, is a civil servant at the Ministry of Magic (where “he is not reading his piles”) and is married to Ginny.

Things have come full circle as they, together with Ron and Hermione, watch their own offspring board that Hogwarts Express. Harry’s eldest, Albus (Sam Clemmett), with whom he has a prickly relationship, is a troubled and nervous soul, who hates being in his famous father’s shadow. He is dreading the new school but soon strikes up a bond

with a fellow outsider, Scorpius Malfoy (Anthony Boyle), who it turns out is the son of Draco, Harry’s old nemesis. Their adventures make up the central spine of the story.

When they finally return to Hogwarts Sandy McDade’s Prof Minerva McGonagall, in full Jean Brodie mode, proclaims “You two have a lot of explaining to do”. Very Famous Five and a real understatement, because while gone they’ve jumped the Hogwarts Express, stolen a Time Turner, traveled back in time and nearly unleashing a wizard Armageddon. It all needs sorting out by the parent wizards.

Amidst all this sound and fury, the actors could of course get lost, but here the leads are remarkable.

Jamie Parker, now an established musicals star, gives us a very sensitive portrayal of the adult Harry, that most human of heroes. He also displays a gymnastic grace in handling the physical demands of the role. Noma Dumezweni, one of our most underrated actors, lends her commanding presence and great voice to the grown up Hermione, a rather undercooked role here, sadly.

Paul Thornley completes the trio with a perfectly judged comic turn as the warm-hearted Ron, now running a joke shop.

Fans will be enthralled and newbies will understand what all the fuss was about.  The script of the play has been published by Little Brown and as an eBook by Pottermore.

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The Plough and the Stars

PHOTO JOHAN PERSSON

By Sean O’Casey National Theatre Lyttleton, London Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell

O

ne hundred years on from Ireland’s Easter Rising the National Theatre has marked the occasion with a pitch perfect revival of O’Casey’s poignant anti-war masterpiece.

O’Casey’s satirical play expressed his longstanding exasperation with that Rebellion and its participants, but it was his mockery of the sainted hero Patrick Pearse that prompted a full scale riot during its premiere at the Abbey Theatre in 1926. O’Casey put Pearse’s words in the mouth of a demagogic orator, seen outside a pub, whilst inside a prostitute complained about her thin pickings on nights when the men are distracted by revolutionary fervour. Just 10 years on from the actual events this was all too raw. The aftermath upset O’Casey deeply and drove him into exile – in Devon, England – where he lived out the rest of his life.

Jointly directed by Howard Davies and Jeremy Herrin this production manages to succeed where so many before have failed by ensuring that O’Casey’s great flowery dialogue doesn’t stifle the dramatic momen-

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tum of the piece. There are moments, such as when characters about to expire declaim an aria-like speech, which could be opera. This flies in the face of naturalism and has tripped up many a director.

What redeems the play and makes it universal, is its warts-andall portrait of flawed humanity. The poor, always at the frontline in any war, are literally ducking and diving the bullets. Some fuelled by patriotic fervour, some by delusions, some by just drink.

O’Casey’s sympathies, too, were always with the women. Men were either vainglorious, deluded or foolhardy. The challenge therefore for his female leads is how to fashion a real human being and not some Greek tragedienne. Here these women manage to pull it off.

Justine Mitchell’s Bessie Burgess is a horror: a drunken, spiteful and pious Orange woman, but when tested by events, and in spite of herself, she out-heroes them all. Nora, the heroine, is given real gumption too (and a great rasping voice) by Judith Roddy, a woman driven mad by her husband’s desire to leave her and fight. She’s no wallflower though.

Stuck in a grim tenement she is aspi-

rational but her “notions of upperosity”, as a neighbor memorably puts it, come to nought in a world shattered by war.

Then there is Mrs Gogan, normally a vituperative busybody who Josie Walker, in a revelatory performance here, manages to make a lynchpin of the play. We witness the gnawing desperation of her poverty as she nurses a consumptive daughter. She is a pragmatist and a fighter and we want to egg her on as she quickly grabs a pram off Bessie (having a periodic fit of morality) to rush off and make the best of the looting in Clery’s department store. The comic moments too, usually involving her morbid fascination with dying, are beautifully rendered.

Among the men Lloyd Hutchinson delights as the comical Uncle Peter. In his dress uniform he’s a popinjay in ostrich plumes. Irish TV star Tom Vaughan-Lawlor gives the firebrand young communist, the Young Covey, a pulsing physical energy and Stephen Kennedy succeeds in not tripping over his own verbosity as the wastrel, Fluther Good.

All the cast are younger than normal here, but look older, as they would be, worn down by hardship.

Kudos to all the design team. Vicki Mortimer’s massive set is an exemplar for O’Casey, where too often the poverty is overpolished. This Georgian tenement hasn’t an ounce of past grandeur left, the paint peels from every wall and the mending can’t keep up with the dereliction. The whole house is encased in rubble.

Davies and Herrin bring this great play alive for a new audience and reveals that it has lost none of its urgency or anger ninety years on. 

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

6 - 17 Sep

“Sheer joy” Sadler’s Wells Theatre sadlerswells.com 020 7863 8000 Angel

Time Out

PHOTO ©SCOTT RYLANDER

Music by Richard Rodgers Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II Southwark Playhouse, 77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD southwarkplayhouse.co.uk Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell

Allegro R

odgers and Hammerstein’s musical Allegro had the misfortune to follow in the footsteps of Oklahoma! and Carousel and being a slightly different beast, it inevitably failed to live up to expectations.

Although it ran for 9 months on Broadway in 1947 (then a decent run), it has been classified as a flop, critically if not commercially. Nearly 70 years later it gets its first professional London production under the expert handling of Tom Southerland at the Southwark Playhouse and is a must see.

Southerland has made a career out of revelatory musical revivals in fringe venues with recent hits including Titanic, Grand Hotel and Grey Gardens. He is a singular talent and after this moves on to run the Charing Cross Theatre.

This show, based on an original story by Oscar Hammerstein himself, broadly tells the story of an ordinary Joe, a country doctor from a small midwestern town, from his birth to his worried middle age and a marriage that has flatlined. It represented a step away from the naturalism of their first two smash hits.

It was the first outing as director for the legendary choreographer Agnes de Mille and it embraced such radical theatrical techniques,

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for the time, of having a Greek Chorus egg-on the characters, to integrating more experimental balletic elements into its minimalist staging.

The latter suits the tight budget here and Anthony Lamble’s design on a traverse stage comprises merely two mobile step-ladders and a high mobile platform. Lee Proud’s exuberant choreography is full-on, sometimes too busy, but always eye-catching and is amazing considering the large cast and the small space he had to work with.

It gives what at first appears a very conventional piece a real rousing energy. Putting actors on wobbly and vertiginous platforms doesn’t always work though and one felt for the bride having to cling to her dignity while climbing down a high ladder backwards.

The story has a beautiful simplicity, rather like Our Town, but if audiences feel by the close of Act One that they’re stuck in The Waltons, the second Act redeems it when the real drama kicks in. Here Hammerstein was daring to question the American Dream and the pursuit of fame and fortune as in end in itself.

Gary Tushaw as Joe manages to make goodness appealing and he very movingly conveys a young man struggling with The Road Not

Taken. Under the influence of his restless, ambitious, wife Jennie (Emily Bull) he reluctantly swaps the vocation of being a simple country doctor, helping out his doctor father, for the allure, money and prestige of the big city. There Jennie blossoms amongst the grasping, venal, hospital benefactors, while he despairs at their selfishness and interfering. He finds a soul mate in his nurse assistant Emily (Katie Bernstein) and, lovelorn, she delivers the show’s most familiar song ‘The Gentleman Is a Dope’ with effortless finesse. Giving one of the best numbers to a minor character was one of the many ways in which this show pushed the boundaries.

The other vocal standout is Julia J Nagle, as the mother, whose rendition of ‘Come Home’ stops the show and reminds you of the sheer melodic brilliance of Rodgers.

Southerland, with typical skill, wrings all the poignancy out of this deceptively simple drama but it is Rodgers’ glorious music which delivers the emotional punch and it is the memory of the sublime ensemble vocal work here which you will take away. Orchestrator Mark Cumberland, MD Dean Austin, and a great 8-piece do sterling work. 

Jesus Christ Superstar Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Lyrics by Tim Rice Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park, London, openairtheatre.com Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell PHOTOS JOHAN PERSSON

A

mazing it took them this long.

This stripped down ensemble show with key outdoor scenes and the energy of a rock gig is of course a perfect match for the Open Air Theatre, famous for its al-fresco performances under a darkening sky.

This revival reminds us what a classic this show has become and director Timothy Sheader and a top class creative team have reinvented it for a new generation, giving it a modern sensibility without losing its essence.

At its inception in 1971 it broke new ground. It was initially a chart topping double album, featuring some great rock musicians, and then one of the first great rock musicals, with a score which blended grinding guitar sections, rousing chorales and lilting melodies. Rice’s intention was to tell the story of Christ’s betrayal and death using a modern vernacular and accompanied by pop music.

It captured the zeitgeist in the era of flower power and revolution. It was also sung-through and its concision as a musical should be a model for others to follow.

Central to Sheader’s re-invention of the piece was to hire designer Tom Scutt and choreographer Drew McOnie, both rising stars. McOnie’s moves steal from hip-hop and everywhere else but always draw the eye.

Scutt’s set is a rusty two storey scaffold evoking both industrial grime and rock gig and it is dominated by a giant catwalk in the shape of a crucifix which at one stage perfectly doubles as the table for a witty tableau vivant of The Last Supper. Sceptres

are upended as mics and the many inventive uses of glitter will delight any party animal. The costumes and the ‘look’ of this handsome cast is also achingly trendy. The beards are very Shoreditch and the chic street clothes in various hues of grey and brown are like hip hop Armani. It will also give a younger audience major trainer envy.

A greatly experienced cast, all at the top of their game, are molded into a perfect ensemble by Sheader.

Olivier winner David Thaxton, in fine voice, is a standout as Pilate, in black eye makeup and biker gear. Tyrone Huntley, channeling Michael Jackson at times with a great falsetto, brings a depth of soulfulness to Judas which is utterly compelling, a performance of great range and subtlety. Cavin Cornwall as Caiaphas slithers like a male Grace Jones and Peter Caulfield commits acting grand larceny with his stunning entrance as Herod. His great number, where he taunts Jesus, is written in the style of a jaunty rag and then it degenerates into a tantrum – for this he is resplendent in gold lamé hot pants.

The standout ballads in the show belong to Mary Magdalene (the love interest, in case you don’t know your Bible). Here, Anoushka Lucas melts the audience to tears with the unaffected simplicity of her rendition of ‘I Don’t Know How to Love Him’. It’s a small part and a stunning song (did ALW ever write better?) and she mines it fully. She is a great talent and one to watch.

Declan Bennett has charisma in spades and the dramatic intensity

Above: Tyrone Huntley as Jesus, Declan Bennett as Judas Below: David Thaxton as Pilate

needed to play Jesus but, in a cast this vocally brilliant, his singing does get outshone. Nevertheless, as he proved in Once, he can play a mean guitar and he does so again here in ‘Gethsemane’.

Sheader’s great work here reinvents this piece for a young audience and this must have life after autumn sets in. 

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Tony Blair Chilcot Report & the Post-Iraq Middle East

By Francis Beckett PHOTO ©CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS

T

he British have a complicated relationship with the USA. The old wartime joke that Americans are “overpaid, oversexed and over here” reflects a sense that we need America, but we resent the fact.

So a British Prime Minister has to perform a delicate juggling act.

On the one hand, ignoring the US government is dangerous, as Prime Minister Anthony Eden found out in 1956. His very foolish project to invade Egypt and take over the Suez Canal was brought to an abrupt halt

by President Eisenhower, putting an end to the idea that Britain was a great power, or that she was in any way an equal partner with the USA. But on the other hand, the British will not forgive a Prime Minister who seems slavishly to toe the American president’s line.

When Harold Wilson was Prime Minister, some on the left thought he was in President Lyndon John-

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son’s pocket because he refused to condemn the Vietnam war. They were wrong, as we now know: Wilson held firm against Johnson’s increasingly angry demands that he should commit troops in Vietnam.

But the perception was enough to damage Wilson.

That’s one of the reasons why Iraq was so devastating for Blair’s reputation. In his case, the perception turns out to be correct: Blair did not feel he could diverge at all from President Bush’s line. The recently released and long awaited Chilcot Report into the Iraq war shows that he wrote to the President very early on: “I will be with you, whatever.”

That was a pledge, which neither the people, nor Parliament, nor even his cabinet, were told about.

The rest of the letter contained Blair’s own very sensible doubts about the proposed invasion, but these were ignored and brushed

aside, and still he followed slavishly.

And that is one reason why Blair’s reputation is still high in the US, but at rock bottom in Britain. Sir John Chilcot’s enquiry put it diplomatically in his recently released report on the events leading up to the Iraq war: “The UK’s relationship with the US has proved strong enough over time to bear the weight of honest disagreement. It does not require unconditional support where our interest or judgments differ.”

George W Bush: “Blair sacrificed his career for me.”

Another reason for Blair’s low standing in his own country is what he has done since he gave up the

premiership. The day he resigned as Prime Minister in 2007, he accepted an appointment as Middle East representative for the Quartet – which means the US, the UN, the European Union and Russia. President Bush insisted on giving him the job: he was accepted very reluctantly by the other three members of the Quartet.

Bush explained to an aide: “Blair sacrificed his career for me.”

Most people never get the chance to make a contribution to Middle East peace. Blair got that chance, and it is hard to understand or forgive the fact that Blair seems not even to have tried. He used the job as a calling card around the Middle East. One of his first visits was to the Emir of Kuwait, and he came away, not with a contribution towards Middle East peace, but with a £27 million contract for his consultancy firm, Tony Blair Associates.

His predecessor in the job, former World Bank president James Wolfensohn, put it to me succinctly: “For Tony Blair to say ‘I would like to talk to you about the peace process’ is a very different entry point from saying ‘I would like to get an oil concession in the east of your country for a client or I would like to become an adviser to your country.’”

Wolfensohn, in the eleven months he held the peace envoy’s job, worked at it pretty well full time, and exerted himself to make friends on both sides of the divide. He had the trust of the Israelis, who considered him a man of honor but not a pushover; and he so effectively overcame the instinctive distrust of the Palestinians for an American Jewish

millionaire that their key negotiator Hanan Ashrawi told me: “Jim Wolfensohn resigned because he is a man of great principle and courage who did not want to be used.”

She added: “They had to find someone who would play the game, and Tony Blair accepted the role.” Palestinian negotiators never thought of Blair as anything other than an Israeli mouthpiece. He spent far less time in the region than Wolfensohn had. He claimed to be there for a week a month, but according to a diplomat in a position to know, “He’ll arrive on a Monday evening and leave Thursday morning.”

He has now been relieved of the role after US Secretary of State John

‘US Secretary of State John Kerry finally lost patience with him’ Kerry finally lost patience with him.

He had been a passenger at best, a liability at worst.

In the Middle East, even when he turned up there, no one ever knew which Tony Blair they were meeting: the Middle East peace envoy, the businessman who ran a government consultancy firm, or the founder of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation. Outside the Middle East, he was not at all choosy about his clients – he was happy to take the money of some

of the most bloodthirsty of Eastern European tyrants, and sing their praises in return.

Iraq was always going to be a stain on Blair’s reputation in Britain, and in Europe. But he could have gone some way towards rescuing it if he had put his heart and soul into the job of Middle East envoy. No one expected him to bring about peace in the Middle East, but if he had been seen to be trying, it would have earned him some sort of rehabilitation.

But his focus was on making money. And he has made money – about £65 million on our estimate.

That’s why the British have lost patience with him, and the Europeans too.

That’s why, when he was a candidate for the post of President of the European Council, and was at first thought to be certain to get the job, he was in the end turned down for a man few people had heard of.

Europe had still not quite forgiven him for Iraq – but if he had made a decent job of being Middle East Peace Envoy, they would probably have given him a chance.

Francis Beckett is an English author, journalist, biographer, and contemporary historian. He has also written on education for the New Statesman, The Guardian and The Independent and is the editor of Third Age Matters, the national magazine for the University of the Third Age. He is co-author of Blair Inc.: The Man Behind the Mask (John Blake Publishing).

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The Calm BeforeThe Storm?

Sir Robert Worcester, the man who got the vote for US expats, looks at the latest polls

W

e’re now supposed to be in the fallow period of American presidential elections, between the party conferences, which determined who would be the candidates on the ballot and Labor Day - the first week in September when the ‘real’ campaign is supposed to begin. Has it been fallow? Like hell it has. When was there ever an election like this one? Not in my (long) lifetime, and not in the history of the Republic, either.

My first election, in 1948, was as a Boy Scout when we were recruited to be (unofficial) poll watchers, a legacy of Kansas City politics. There were a bunch of us in our Boy Scout’s uniforms, uncorrupted and incor-

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ruptible, on the lookout for anything that might be suspect going on. It was an interesting beginning to my interest in politics.

By all accounts, the Republicans had a dodgy conference in 2016, the Democrats a love fest. The two parties selected their candidates for the presidency, and by now who doesn’t know Donald J Trump is the elephant in the room? The elephant, of course, is the symbol of the Republican Party. The Democrats’ is the donkey, and no surprise, the Democratic Party’s candidate is Hillary Clinton. By tradition, each party’s chosen candidate for Vice President is the personal choice of the parties’ candidates for President.

Many factors are taken into account, age, health, gender, geography, political ‘nous’ (to adopt a wonderfully descriptive word used in British English, unknown in America, which is the Brit’s way of saying what Yanks might call ‘political savvy’). And most of all, can they carry their state?

There are websites galore covering the contest, following the media coverage at the click of a key on a computer keyboard, the polls coming out daily, the commentators and pundits, forecasters’ and psephologists’ models. The best one is probably the site (owned by the New York Times) of Nate Silver.

Their principal model on the day of writing (August 18) gives a nine

Left: A thunderstorm moves over the high plains of Western Kansas IMAGE ©LANE PEARMAN

to one probability of a Hillary win.

Actually they give 88.3% for Hillary and 11.6% for Trump - remarkably precise - and if you don’t like those odds, they give you two other models, and break them down state by state. See projects.fivethirtyeight. com/2016-election-forecast for the up to date numbers.

At the same time, they produce a ‘health warning’ with text, which mainly says ‘it ain’t over yet’. I quote: “Hillary Clinton’s chances of winning the presidency have held fairly steady in the FiveThirtyEight models over the past 10 days. The polls-only forecast currently gives her an 88 percent chance of winning; since Aug. 7, her chances according to that model have been between 83 percent and 89 percent. The pollsplus forecast puts Clinton’s chance of winning at 78 percent; over the past 10 days, her chances according to that model have been between 76 percent and 80 percent. Indeed, Clinton’s post-convention bounce has stuck around so long that Donald Trump has been reduced to tweeting out a poll that showed him close but still losing.”

“A lot of Democrats I know have started to talk as though this election is over. They point to the fact that no candidate since 1952 who was leading at this point in the election cycle, a few weeks after the conventions, has lost the popular vote. So if Clinton’s lead in the polls is clear and the polling leader at this point in the campaign has never lost, why aren’t Clinton’s chances of winning according to our models even higher? There are a couple of answers.

“Our polls-plus forecast looks at economic indicators, in addition to polls. The state of the economy has historically influenced the election,

You can see this margin of error with a better economy helping the in the table below, which shows party holding the White House. The how election results in past years indicators we use - jobs (nonfarm compared with the polling averages payrolls), manufacturing (industrial production), income (real personal two to three weeks after both major income) and others - currently show parties held their convention.” a decent but not great economy.

My own favourite toy on the The polls-plus model sees Clinton’s 538 website is the interactive state healthy lead in the polls, but also by state projection of odds of outan economy that historically would come, updated daily, which shows presage a close election, and so it just how divided the nation is. That’s expects the race to tighten. unlike the usual situation where “Our polls-only model looks only election ‘marginals’ are regarded as at the polls. And although no can- the four or five win or lose states in didate since World War II has come their votes in the electoral college back to win the popular vote after usually these key states are Virginia, trailing at this point in the campaign, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida (rememthere have been races in which the ber the ‘chads’?), sometimes a few polls bounced around a lot between others from election to election now and Election Day (November 8, 2016). Can- Table 1: still plenty of time for the race to shift didates have made up 6 DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE LEAD to 8 percentage points Absolute - roughly the size of Clin- Campaign Post-Convention Popular Polling Avg Vote Difference ton’s lead right now in the national polls - before. So 1952 -17.0 -10.9 6.2 there is precedent for a big 1956 -7.0 -15.4 8.4 enough share of the elec0.0 +0.2 0.2 torate to change its mind 1960 that Trump could come 1968 -8.0 -0.7 7.3 back. It certainly wouldn’t 1976 +15.0 +2.1 12.9 be easy for Trump - he’s 1980 0.0 -9.7 9.7 the overwhelming underdog - but it’s not impossi- 1984 -19.0 -18.2 0.8 ble for him to win.

1988 -7.0 -7.7 0.7 “Simply put, the polls 1992 +8.4 +5.6 2.8 aren’t perfect at this point in the cycle - there’s still 1996 +14.7 +8.5 6.2 a good deal of uncer2000 +5.5 +0.5 5.0 tainty inherent in trying to predict who will win 2004 -3.9 -2.5 1.4 the election and by how 2008 +3.1 +7.3 4.2 much based on the polls.

2012 +3.6 +3.9 0.2 “We have more than two months until the Average 4.7 election, and polls have coverage error, measure- There were no polls taken two to three weeks after the conventions in 1964 or 1972 ment error and nonSOURCES: FIVETHIRTYEIGHT, DAVE LEIP’S ATLAS OF U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS response error.

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Table 3: Advertising Spend Election State

$5,615,141

$228,925

Florida

$23,713,340

$3,345,057

Iowa

$5,980,124

Nevada

$8,084,526

New Hampshire

$3,445,212 $8,993,814

$975,650 $3,270,266

Pennsylvania

$6,189,575

£764,247

Virginia

$5,779,902

$260,775

$85,498,596

$9,098,720

Grand Total

to vote, including 680 professed Democrats, 578 professed Republicans and 187 who declared themselves as Independent. The maths therefore tell us that one in ten of those who agreed to take part weren’t ‘playing the game’, either refusing to answer which party, if any, they supported or saying they just didn’t know. Among the entire group interviewed 42% said they were Democrats and 36% Republicans, while among registered voters the result split 41% for Clinton, 33% for Trump and another 10% said they would vote for another party, leaving 13% who said they wouldn’t vote (4%) or were among the don’t

Table 2: Presidential Voting Q. “If the 2016 presidential election were being held today and the candidates were as below, for whom would you vote?” (asked of registered voters, n=1,354 and likely voters, n=1,049)

Likely Voters (LV)

Democrats (LV)

Republicans (LV)

Independents (LV)

Hillary Clinton (Democrat)

39%

79%

4%

19%

Donald Trump (Republican)

35%

6%

71%

37%

Gary Johnson (Libertarian)

7%

4%

8%

10%

Jill Stern (Green)

2%

2%

2%

5%

Other

4%

2%

3%

11%

Wouldn’t Vote

4%

2%

2%

9%

Don’t Know/Refused

9%

4%

10%

8%

SOURCE: IPSOS AMERICA

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$253,800

$17,696,962

Ohio

depending on the candidates.

It’s a race to the finish line on November 8th, with postal ballots allowed in most states, and ballots sent out in most states a few weeks before the day. But the way things are going, it does look a clear win for Mrs. Clinton if advertising works in politics, and I think it does to some degree on the margin.

Remember though, elections are won or lost on the margin.

My colleagues at Ipsos America have recently released the results of their mid-August national survey, interviewing online August 13-17 some 1,607 Americans, 18+ professed registered voters eligible

Pro-Trump

Colorado

North Carolina

©GAGE SKIDMORE

Pro-Clinton

SOURCE: NBC NEWS

knows and ‘refused to say’ (9%).

Cross party voting pretty well split between the two major parties, with 6% of Democrats saying they’d vote for Trump and 5% of Republicans saying they’d support Clinton. The real news in the table is that there’s nearly a 2:1 split of the Independents for Trump (37%) rather than Clinton (19%). (See Table 2 below).

Bloomberg Politics reports that political advertising for the 2016 US presidential election is off 60 percent from the 2012 campaign. So far, there’s a huge imbalance on advertising spend for the two main candidates, precious little by the also-rans.

(See Table 3 above). If it does matter, the Trump campaign’s even in a worse place than they know.

With the latest announcements of changes in the Trump team, it does seem that they’ve forgot the Healy maxim of politics, “When you’re in a hole, stop digging”.

Polling guru Bob Worcester was born in Kansas City and founded leading political research company Mori (now part of the Ipsos Group) in the UK. Look out for his updates at www.theamerican.co.uk and in the next issue of The American.

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Sovereignty

By Alison Holmes

S

overeignty is a word that has been thrown around a lot lately. Often by people who have little idea or at least wildly different ideas as to what it means. An excellent case in point would be Donald Trump’s comments after the referendum when he congratulated Brexit campaigners and British voters for ‘taking back control’ and hoped that the ‘refreshed spirit of sovereignty’ would ‘spread over the pond to America’s shores!’

Yet he is far from alone in calling down the perceived power of the term. Just in the past few weeks alone there have been three interesting examples. The first is a new book by Daniel Horowitz entitled, Stolen Sovereignty: How to Stop Unelected Judges from Transforming America. The second is that the attorney general of South Dakota has brought criminal charges against the Flandreau Santee Sioux for growing marijuana on their reservation – despite this being in accordance with the December 2014 ruling by the US Department of Justice – and defending himself by saying ‘Anybody with a law degree should know what the law says in relation to Indian Country and the sovereignty issue’ - (clearly not). Third, further afield and proving the point that the newest states are often the most sensitive to sovereignty issues, there is the storm around President Salva Kiir of South Sudan. Just last week he was forced to vehemently deny that he was ‘surrendering the country’s sovereignty’ by accepting the agreement

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of the East African regional bloc (IGAD) - which mediated a peace deal between the president and the opposition leader in a bid to stop months of fighting - to deploy an unspecified number of foreign troops to Juba to protect civilians.

Perhaps, once upon a time, when the good burghers of Germany were trying to settle the 30 years’ war in circumstances that would not be unfamiliar to President Kiir, there was a moment when sovereignty served as a means to peace and prosperity. The affected parties and those directly involved in the fighting scratched their heads for some time until they came upon the idea that there should be some kind of fundamental connection between a defined territory and the form of power (in this case still linked to religion). This new idea was given form in the Treaties of Westphalia of 1648 and, to be fair, the idea that ‘what happens in X stays in X’ has been an enduring theme of national and international politics to the present day – though heavily modified over time.

Like many foundational ideas, the concept of sovereignty is largely a product of self-fulfilling myth or at the very least a kind of global groupthink. In the case of sovereignty, wars have been fought and lost; empires built and dismantled; and international institutions created and abandoned all in the name of protecting the right of any given state to have ‘full right and power…to govern itself without any interference from

outside sources or bodies’ and in defense of what it perceives to be its ‘national interests’. Like the cloak of invisibility or perhaps invincibility, the concept of sovereignty makes all states, large and small, equal in the eyes of the international community and creates an almost mystical divide between the internal workings of ‘states’ and the external world of ‘international’ relations beyond which others cannot see and certainly cannot tread.

Granted, if we all agree to stay out of the internal affairs of other places, at all times, and in all circumstances, then it could be so, but however powerful a mantra that may be de jure, that kind of isolation is de facto a total fiction. If globalization has taught us anything, anything at all, it is that there is no such thing as ‘independence’ from economic, political and cultural forces that sweep across and through the social fabric of both countries and continents like fire through dry grass, setting alight revolution after revolution as the people define and redefine the relationship between the state and the polity through time. If the global problems of the world have taught us anything it is that there is no solution for climate change, human trafficking or terrorism that does not involve us in the business of other peoples and places.

Brexit campaigners were correct in their accusation that Brussels was involved in the ‘domestic’ affairs of the United Kingdom, but the UK is equally involved in the domestic

PHOTO ©DICK BACH, WIKICOMMONS

politics of France and Germany and even tiny Luxembourg precisely because the problems of Europe are better dealt with by communities of states than single states fighting alone. The neglected twin sister of sovereignty is subsidiarity. Another term often misused or misunderstood, subsidiarity simply means that governance should reside at the level closest and most engaged with the problem. Thus, it becomes possible to render unto Europe the problems best dealt with as a continent while granting to nations and municipalities the powers to deal with issues that are best dealt with at the local level while the state acts as mediator and guardian.

There is nothing in the Treaties of Westphalia to preclude states from working together, indeed a more mature understanding of sovereignty implies an ability to determine where and when different levels of authority should be allocated because that sharing

The Houses of Parliament, London

or ‘pooling’ of sovereignty is in the long-term national interest. If however, as it would now seem, the baby has been thrown out with the bath water, out with the ‘meddling European Union’ also go human rights legislation – including workers’ rights and protections, environmental protection and legal/ military and intelligence sharing that helps keep citizens safe from human trafficking, drug trafficking and terrorism. Lifetimes of work by campaigners and legislators who made gains in these areas through hard work and sheer determination at the European level (and then brought wholesale into the UK system) have been lost as acres of legislation will have to be renegotiated and re-argued. Those who wanted to ‘send a message’ about ‘sovereignty’ have indeed sent a message, but their message has nothing to do with sovereignty. The message they sent loud and clear is that they do not value democratic dialogue

or productive compromise; are economically ignorant enough to make claims about rescinding austerity budgets and apparently unaware of the new dangers to investment and prosperity; and that they prefer isolation to collaboration in a global world. What they will now find is that choices have consequences.

Dr. Alison Holmes is Asst. Professor of International Studies and Politics at Humboldt State University, CA. She lived in the UK for over 20 years and worked at the BBC, ran BritishAmerican Business in London and was speechwriter to the US Ambassador. A PhD in International Relations from the LSE, she has been an Associate Fellow at the Rothermere American Institute at Oxford, a Churchill Memorial Trust History Fellow and the Transatlantic Studies Fellow at Yale.

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Trump, Clinton ...and Chickpeas Expat comic Erich McElroy watches the US Presidential Election from afar

A

s an American who’s lived abroad for almost 20 years, in addition to missing Cheetos, cheese-filled-hot dogs and drivethru banking, every four years I miss not being in the US for the Presidential election season. Luckily, with social media and live streaming of nearly every moment of any campaign, we expats don’t miss as much anymore. Everything is online now; not long ago most of the major news networks cut to an empty podium for about ten minutes hoping Donald Trump might say something. The podium ended up saying more of substance than he did that day.

I’m sure my fellow Americans overseas have shared my experience living here – where we become the de facto representatives of everything that people don’t like about the US. I lived here during the George W Bush years, and was held responsible for his reelection. I was also responsible for the Iraq War. Thankfully, the Chilcot Report finally came out and it was a massive relief as it really took the pressure off me. Before that people would come up to me and saying, “Why did you invade Iraq?”

I would always tell them, “It was a difficult personal decision, I just don’t understand hummus.” I mean if you have hummus you know it’s delicious. But do you know what it’s

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made from? Chickpeas. Have you ever looked inside a can of chickpeas? They are disgusting. I wanted to invade Iraq just to get the recipe.

And this election season there has been plenty to be asked about.

Especially about Trump. It always happens the same way. First the person finds out I am an American and asks, “What do you make of Donald Trump?” Then just as I start to say what I think, they cut me off and say, “Here’s what I think…”

Basically, they don’t want to ask me anything, they just want a willing target to hear their theory on my country of origin.

We used to be the wackiest

It’s not surprising people are interested, American politics is the weirdest and wackiest in the Western world – well we used to be the wackiest until the UK did Brexit.

That has taken some of the pressure off of us.

And Brexit does have lessons for us watching what is happening back home. Michael Gove said it best in the run up to the EU referendum. People “have had enough of experts.” And for those people Donald J. Trump is the perfect candidate. Nearly every fact checker service rates more than half of what he claims to be false. Experts weren’t going to sway the majority of British people that it was risky to

leave the EU. In America there are plenty of people who don’t believe in their local weather forecast, much less in climate change.

In lieu of flowers

I often get asked why Hillary isn’t doing better. Brits don’t realise the level of loathing she generates.

It’s a level of hatred that makes the way people in parts of the UK feel about Margaret Thatcher seem like a playground crush.

Some people hate Hillary Clinton so much, they don’t even stop hating her after they are dead. You can tell you don’t like someone when death doesn’t get in the way of how you feel about them. National Public Radio ran a brilliant piece on people including political messages in their obituaries. NPR is a national American treasure. It is like the BBC but simultaneously more interesting and more boring.

When Elaine Fydrych of New Jersey died she asked, “in lieu of flowers, please do not vote for Hillary Clinton.” Ouch. It goes both ways though. Some see death as the only way to stop Donald becoming President. In the obituary of Joseph Vogt, his family stated, “Joe also loved the Republican Party. God bless him, as this will thankfully be one less vote for Donald Trump in the presidential election.” Let’s hope he died of natural causes, since that’s a pretty nasty

PHOTO STEVE ULLATHORNE

“Chickpeas? I wanted to invade Iraq just to get the recipe”

way to stop Trump from winning.

I will admit I’m supporting Hillary this year. Although her slogan, “I’m with Her” is terrible. It makes it sound like she’s saying, “I’m with her, she might as well be President, since she’s already got a set of Presidential China.”

I’m voting for Hillary partly so I can tell my daughter that I helped elect the first female President of the United States. As she and my young son grow up they will come of age remembering an African American and a female President.

I know some day my son will

probably ask me, “When does a white kid like me get a chance to be President?”

And while every Presidential race looks like it could be the most important in history, this one does look like one for the books. For many it won’t be an easy decision.

But maybe the best thing to do is to follow in the footsteps of one woman, who according to the Richmond Times Dispatch, “Faced with the prospect of voting for either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, Mary Anne Noland of Richmond chose, instead, to pass into the

eternal love of God on Sunday.”

Save us a seat Mary Ann, we might not be that far behind you.

Erich McElroy is an American born, British based stand-up comedian.

This August he was at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe performing his latest show, Erich McElroy’s (US) Electile Dysfunction Check out where you can catch him next at www.erichmcelroy.com and you can follow him on twitter @erichmcelroy

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Richard L Gale looks downfield at the 2016 NFL season, taking five repeat divisional champs and three new ones

O

nly one team finishes an NFL season fully satisfied, and only rarely does a player conclude his football career at the pinnacle. So it was for the Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning last year. By contrast, the Panthers got schooled by veteran savvy in Super Bowl 50, the Cardinals season ended in a flurry of Carson Palmer turnovers, the Patriots were just a two-point conversion shy of an AFC Championship comeback, and the Bengals blew it against a hated division rival. All will use a season that fell short of its potential as fuel for the season to come, and all will expect a division title to be the least of their accomplishments this time. The offseason is over. The road towards the postseason begins...

AFC EAST NEW ENGLAND: The Patriots are good for 14 wins a year with Tom Brady. Without him for the first 4 games, and with sack leader Chandler Jones gone (DE Chris Long arrives), they go maybe 10-2 the rest of the way even if they start 0-4. So unless injury bites Brady as well, is there a team in the East that can post 11 wins and down the Patriots before they mount their annual playoff run...?

NY JETS: Having barely ducked the playoffs with Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm, a contract dispute kept Fitz out of the offseason mix until presstime, when he walked into town looking like a coiffured Grizzly Adams. They signed RB Matt Forte, but he’s nursing a sore hamstring already. With WRs Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker, DB Darrelle Revis, this is a team with not-getting-any-younger star power.

They need to break through the 10-6 ceiling now.

BUFFALO: Theory: The Ryan brand of hard-nosed football makes them the most likely to unseat the Patriots. Reality: Rex Ryan’s team was 19th in total defense last year; assistant head coach Rob Ryan arrives from New Orleans (31st-ranked defense).

Although they drafted for D, the key is QB Tyrod Taylor, super-tidy with the ball last year, and fleet of foot. If he goes down, it’s all over.

MIAMI: The Dolphin’s ceiling is even lower; and new Head Coach Adam Gase set about smashing it with O-Line help and adding twitchy Bama back

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Kenyan Drake and ex-Texan Arian Foster to British back Jay Ajayi. QB Ryan Tannehill lobbed for 4,200 yards, 24 TDs, 12 ints last season, but needs to complement the ground game. He’ll be blamed if Miami miss the playoffs, but the defense is holding them back from being alongside the Pats and Jets.

AFC NORTH CINCINNATI: If the playoff choke seemed like every DNA strand of Bengals boneheadedness showing up at once, bear in mind Vontaze Burfict et al also provide the bad-guy growl that makes Cincy worth 10 wins a season over the past 5 years.

Although they added LB Karlos Dansby, safety Reggie Nelson’s exit could impact the team chemistry. Flashy RB Gio Bernard needs to feature over fumbling Jeremy Hill. Expect the Bengals to keep winning (although all bets are off in January).

PITTSBURGH: Big Ben-to-Antonio Brown was worth 1,834 yards last year, and though they lose TE Heath Miller, they’ve replaced him with Ladarius Green. So why not the Steelers? WR Martavis Bryant suspended a year, RB Le’Veon Bell appealing a 4-game ban, and a defense that can’t stop the pass (though they drafted to improve that). Still, the schedule sees them host the worst foes. Outgunning to another last-minute wildcard is possible.

BALTIMORE: This year’s Ravens shouldn’t look too much like last year’s. For one thing, the roster was carnage by season’s end, every position except DL with someone on injured reserve, including QB Joe Flacco, RB Justin Forsett. For another, watch the rookies: OL Ronnie Stanley, RB Kenneth Dixon, OLB Kamelei Correa, WR Chris Moore and others could all weave into a bounce-back script that tightens the top three in the AFC North considerably.

CLEVELAND: LeBron’s still with the Cavs, and that’s all the local cover new Head Coach Hue Jackson needs to get through a write-off season. OT Mitchell Schwartz, C Alex Mack, WR Travis Benjamin, LB Karlos Dansby, FS Tashaun Gipson are just some Browns escapees. RGIII is the retread QB, and if they even double their wins to 6, that’s impressive.

AFC SOUTH HOUSTON: Last year, the Texans snuck the South with JJ Watt and a dominant defence, despite negligible offence. Even if QB Brock Osweiler is 6’7” of semi-tested potential – to this point he’s still not a full-season veteran – he’s a huge upgrade on last year. Speed was added through ex-Dolphin RB Lamar Miller, 1st Round WR Will Fuller, and more: an offensive makeover that surely hints at an increase over the 9-7 finishes of the past two years.

JACKSONVILLE: The Jags haven’t managed 6+ wins in any of the past 5 seasons, but sound drafting and flashy free agency have the roster bursting for a breakout. If last year’s injury-hit 1st-rounder, DE Dante Fowler, plus rookies DB Jalen Ramsey and LB Myles Jack all show up, 2015’s offensive jump (Blake Bortles: 4,400 yards) could be matched by a defensive surge. An extra five wins and a wildcard are entirely feasible.

INDIANAPOLIS: Business as usual after the Andrew Luck injury? If it’s that simple, expect 11 wins and a division title. Luck looked out of sorts from the start, however, and the Colts made several changes on the coaching staff and culled the QBs beyond Luck. He loses TE Coby Fleener, but retains TY Hilton, who still logged 1,124 yards. The O-line still isn’t what it needs to be, and perhaps too much still rests on Luck being comfortable.

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TENNESSEE: Coach Mike Mularkey (18-39) kept the job beyond his interim stint, and the Titans won’t be expecting a division title in a dogfight division. Yet as QB Marcus Mariota enters year two, and with DeMarco Murray and Heisman-winning Derrick Henry added to the backfield, the Titans need to take the occasional bite out of the opposition for Mularkey’s gig to last. The line and receiving corps are still a work in progress, however.

AFC WEST OAKLAND: QB Derek Carr threw for almost 4,000 yards, 32 TDs, just 13 picks; Latavius Murray rushed for over 1,000 yards; DE Khalil Mack posted 15 sacks... Yet they were lower-third in total offense and defense –as ever with the Raiders, the devil’s in the detail. The secondary loses Charles Woodson, but gains rookie S Karl Joseph, and stole CB Sean Smith from KC and Reggie Nelson from the Bengals, causing some fine roster damage to potential postseason rivals. OL Kelechi Osemele was another huge signing. They should start fast.

KANSAS CITY: The Chiefs were due a good season last year, and they landed it, though Denver’s Super Bowl success left KC’s 12-win season in the shade.

They won 10 of those without RB Jamaal Charles, who returns from ACL surgery. While the loss of Sean Smith and the holdout of S Eric Berry is cause for some concern, and 2015 offensive coordinator Doug Pederson is now coaching the Eagles, another playoff push is expected.

DENVER: ‘Goodbye, Peyton’ was no surprise, but ‘Goodbye, Brock’ left a scramble for a QB. If rookie slinger Paxton Lynch sits for now, interceptionprone vet Mark Sanchez is no ‘safe pair of hands’.

With 10 games before the break, expect a clumsy start; while the Broncos weren’t offensively elegant last season, merciless defense got them through.

Enough of the D is back, but margin for error could be paper-thin for giveaway-takeaways early on.

SAN DIEGO: Last year’s top pick, RB Melvin Gordon didn’t really get it going, and this year’s – DE Joey Bosa –is on holdout as preseason opens. Somehow San Diego’s always on half-charge. Then there’s the will-they, won’t-they distraction of maybe moving city. However, they lost 9 one-possession games last year and Rivers could lead the league with 5,000+ passing yards. My gut says 9 wins is the ceiling after 4-12, but take any long playoff odds.

AFC Picks: New England, Cincinnati, Houston, and Oakland. KC and Pittsburgh edge out the Jaguars.

Could Carson Palmer’s Cardinals go all the way?

PICTURE © ARIZONA CARDINALS

NFC WEST ARIZONA: Don’t let Palmer’s playoff meltdown overshadow his outstanding regular season play or the Cardinals’ 13-3 record. They acquired ex-Patriots sackmaster DE Chandler Jones by trade, and if Palmer can stay steady in the playoffs, the Cards are within touching distance of Super Bowl 51 (are we done with the roman numerals now?).

With Tyrann Mathieu back from injury, the league’s No.1 offense may field a top-3 defense too.

SEATTLE: No Marshawn Lynch? No problem.

Thomas Rawls looked the part until a broken ankle, and the Seahawks drafted a clutch of intriguing runners. Also, despite 4,000 yards and 34 scores last season, one suspects there’s even more in Russell Wilson’s arm, if necessary. The only concern: an imperfect line must keep him healthy.

Their defense is one of the best, but Wilson’s as essential to the ’Hawks as Brady is to the Patriots.

LOS ANGELES: Key headlines: California team, California QB Jared Goff. But don’t get distracted: the win-loss is all about RB Todd Gurley pounding the rock as the Rams try to rise above a league-worst offensive effort in 2015. Statistically, the defense was poor last year too, but this is a team already far along the road on both sides of the trenches.

The Rams remain only a healthy, experienced passing game away from a positive record.

SAN FRANCISCO: The 49ers’ QB position is a battle of yesterday’s tomorrows: Blaine Gabbert vs Colin Kaepernick. The latter has been there, but there’s no evidence he knows how to lead this motley roster back.

This is clearly year one of a rebuild, but this franchise fell out with Mike Singletary and Jim Harbaugh, so it’s hard to imagine it having a long, meaningful relationship with former Eagles coach Chip Kelly.

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4,000 yards may be the new 3,000, but Cousins chucked 29 scores to just 11 picks. There’s probably little upside, but the passing game hums. It’s more like ‘ho-hum’ on the defense; the addition of CB Josh Norman raises the secondary, but they lost NT Terrance Knighton in free agency, and LB Junior Galette is out for the season (again) already. Last year’s 9-7 record included no marquee wins.

PHILADELPHIA: Do-over. Goodbye, Chip, and goodbye everybody you brought in. The Eagles rewind history with Andy Reid-schooled Doug Pederson as the new Head Coach. The defense was one of the league’s worst, but may log significantly more sacks with Jim Schwartz as coordinator. QB Carson Wentz is the eventual face of the franchise, Ryan Mathews will get top billing in the backfield, and should hit 1,000, but the offense will take longer than the defense to retool.

NFC NORTH

NFC EAST

GREEN BAY: As with Brady and the Patriots, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are installed as default division-toppers. A quiet 11-5 last season, the Pack hope that a healthy Jordy Nelson and an in-shape Eddie Lacy make the offense sing. On defense, however, nose tackle BJ Raji surprisingly retired, and LB Julius Peppers is defying father time; the front seven is in transition, but the secondary is solid. Anything less than the division crown would be disappointing in Titletown.

DALLAS: Expect early shootouts with 4-game suspensions to DEs Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence (LB Rolando McClain is also out for 10 games). However, the Cowboys regain QB Tony Romo, WR Dez Bryant, CB Orlando Scandrick from injury. Rookie RB stud Ezekiel Elliott joins Darren McFadden (1,089 yards) and Alfred Morris behind perhaps the league’s best line, but those are the only areas of significant depth. Once again, there’s little margin for losing starters.

MINNESOTA: ...and yet it was the Vikings who won the division last year. All the same, with RB Adrian Peterson in his 30s, all eyes are on QB Teddy Bridgewater. After 28 TDs in two years, Bridgewater will need to unleash that many in one season to belong in the same sentence as Rodgers or Matthew Stafford. Rookie WR Laquon Treadwell and second-year receiver Stefon Diggs will be key.

The defense logged 43 sacks last season – good, but two less than the offense surrendered.

NY GIANTS: Ben McAdoo succeeds Tom Coughlin as coach, Eli Manning will lob for OBJ, Cruz, and rookie Sterling Shepard. Also keep an eye on rookie RB Paul Perkins. The 32nd-ranked defense has been radically overhauled with veterans and rookies alike (see last issue). The schedule’s no cake-walk with visits to Minnesota, Green Bay and London (LA Rams) early, and two road trips to finish out.

DETROIT: The Lions without Calvin Johnson?

Golden Tate was actually their leading receiver, TE Eric Ebron provides size, and Marvin Jones and Anquan Boldin provide more veteran targets for Matthew Stafford. Ziggy Ansah, Haloti Ngata, and A’Shawn Robinson form the heart of the new generation of Lions D-line. The Lions’ weaknesses are a feeble running game and a lack of takeaways.

WASHINGTON: He may only be there to feed WRs DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garçon, Josh Doctson, and TE Jordan Reed, but Washington has hoisted a Lombardi with less under center than Kirk Cousins.

CHICAGO: Jay Cutler is the Bears’ most important asset right now. Yeah, just let that sink in. Matt Forte is gone (they’d had his best), but if all their WRs – Alshon Jeffery, Kevin White, Eddie Royal,

The Giants will be hoping that rookie Eli Apple is part of a much-improved defense COURTESY OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

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Marquess Wilson – are active on the same weekend, the passing attack could give opponents fits.

The defense, recently awful, played well against the pass, and added ex-Bronco LB Danny Trevathan and safety Omar Bolden to aid tackling.

NFC SOUTH PANTHERS: Cam Newton has the talent and crew to win a Super Bowl. Last year, swagger swooned before experience but, bitter taste in mouth, Newton has WR Kelvin Benjamin to go with 1,100-yard TE Greg Olson, while the LB corps of Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis and Shaq Thompson dominate centerfield. The departure of CB Josh Norman looked avoidable, and it isn’t an easy schedule, but after opening against QB-iffy Denver, they get to host Arizona, KC, Minnesota. They won’t go 15-1, but they might go straight back to the big game.

TAMPA BAY: I’m not buying the Buccaneers for another sub .500 season. Jameis Winston is breakout ready, and Dirk Koetter steps up from Offensive Coordinator to Head Coach to facilitate that. RB Doug Martin topped 1,400 yards behind a line that sported two rookies, and again LB Kwon Alexander started well in 2015. Expect corner Vernon Hargreaves III to debut well this year too. The Bucs may have an unstoppable youth movement.

ATLANTA: It feels like the wind has gone from under QB Matt Ryan’s wings – he threw for over 4,500 yards, but for just 21 scores and became a turnover machine; while Julio Jones’ 1,871 yards receiving panicked defenses, it was Devonta Freeman’s combined 1,600 yards that paced the team.

Veteran addition center Alex Mack could make a massive impact, recalibrating the offense.

NEW ORLEANS: Brees can still throw – a lot. The line is okay, and if Mark Ingram and CJ Spiller can have a healthy stretch, there’s a running game.

However. the defense was a huge problem that the Saints hope to improve with veterans LB James Laurinaitis and DT Nick Fairley. Sean Payton’s fiveyear contract extension suggests there’s time to rebuild, but at age 37, maybe not around Brees.

NFC Picks: Panthers, Cards, Packers and Cowboys.

Wildcards: Seahawks, upstart Bucs edge the Vikes.

SUPERBOWL 51 PREDICTION: The Cardinals and Panthers produce an NFC Championship game for the ages, while the Chiefs surprise Cincy in the AFC. But nothing’s stopping Carolina this year.

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Talent-rich programs such as Alabama shrug off draft-day departures and prepare for annual contention. Other schools maximize generational blue chippers... and tap into some sporting bloodlines. Richard L Gale previews the 2016 NCAA football season.

PAC-12 © STANFORDPHOTO.COM

Ex-Denver Bronco Ed McCaffrey was a real good football player. His son Christian (pictured left) is something more, putting up 3,864 all-purpose yards for Stanford last year. His new QB could be Keller Chryst, part of a football coaching family. The Cardinals themselves seem to breed NFL quality linemen and tight ends. This DNA sets them up as a preseason pick in the Pac-12. September 30, they visit a Washington team with emerging stars at QB and RB, and a defense that leaped into the top 20 last season – especially against the run.

Chris Petersen’s rejuvinated program has enough to slip past Oregon (again powered by RB Royce Freeman, but hopefully a less leaky D). Washington State QB Luke Falk will put up big numbers. In the South, it may only be a matter of time before QB Josh Rosen takes UCLA past USC; the Bruins will miss departed RB Paul Perkins, and USC CBs Adoree’ Jackson and Iman Marshall will count against Rosen; by the time UCLA host USC in November, the Trojans will have broken in a lot of defensive starters. Utah began last season 6-0 en route to a share of the division off the back of a +13 turnover margin; much of that defense is back. However, they topped neither USC nor UCLA last season, and have a troublesome in-conference stretch a shade early for some skill position work-ins.

Atlantic Coast Conference Clemson QB Deshaun Watson joins Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey and University of Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield as the Heisman favorites out of the gate. Watson ran for over 1,000 and threw for over 4,000 last year, and the Tigers put 40 points on Alabama in the National Championship Game.

The backfield and line are loaded. However, they gave up 45 points in that championship game, their lone loss, and the D will see a lot of sophomore starters – you don’t lose the like of DLs Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd and not feel it. All eyes will be on their October 29 date at Florida

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State, who return a snarly defensive front, and have their own Heisman contender in RB Dalvin Cook. Dual-threat freshman QB Deondre Francois (and after surgery, perhaps Sean Maguire) will find proven left side protection and some seasoned receivers. However, the schedule’s relentless. Despite hype about the Tigers and Noles both making the playoffs, a let-down seems feasible. Louisville may play spoiler. Cardinals QB Lamar Jackson flashed freshman potential, his receivers and line will be in step, and the defense is rich in experience: they were 14th in the nation

against the run, and the entire secondary returns.

In the Coastal Division, new Miami coach Mark Richt has an experienced (not great) OL to protect QB Brad Kaaya, who should break hugely. OLB AlQuadin Muhammad should lead a defense that will step up the aggression. North Carolina’s tight defense loosened late in the season; if Mitch Trubisky is everything promised at QB, and RB Elijah Hood continues to beat down defenses, rush-happy Georgia Tech (bounce-back year) and Pitt (star comeback from RB James Conner) will be more distant mentions.

Big Ten You can make the case that Ohio State, like Alabama, can simply reload, but 3 returning starters on each side of the ball is stretching it, even if QB J.T Barrett is one of them. However, the Buckeyes LB corps of Dante Booker, Raekwon McMillan and Chris Worley looks fierce, and they play Michigan State and Michigan at the end of the schedule, by which time they will be battletested and any early season loss (such as to Oklahoma) will be an out-of conference asterisk.

Jim Harbaugh’s power-of-personality launched Michigan back into the conversation, but it wasn’t close against Ohio State in 2015. Don’t worry about departures from their top-5 ranked defense: a host of seniors are joined by two classes of Harbaugh recruiting magic. Unfortunately, they face Michigan State, Iowa and Ohio State all on the road. Michigan State QB Connor Cook is gone, but Tyler O’Connor should

Southeastern Conference

Not possessing a marquee passer has rarely proven an Alabama flaw; the receiving corps is loaded, and the next layer of everybody from the backfield to the D-line is as talented as what went before, so let’s name-check DL Jonathan Allen, CB Eddie Jackson, WR Calvin Ridley and accept that, until somebody knocks them off, the Crimson Tide is no.1. However, they face USC to open, two weeks later take a road trip to Ole Miss (who beat them last season), and also visit Tennessee. The Vols’ victory over the Tide last season has them flying as high in preseason estimations as they’ve been since the days of Peyton Manning and Tee Martin. That’s because Joshua Dobbs heads the best offense they’ve boasted since then, while the defense looks to tear down any opposing passer. We’ve been saying ‘soon’ for a while with Tennessee; it’s time for them to win the East and meet Alabama in the SEC title game. Or should that be LSU? RB Leonard Fournette is a steamroller,

run the O just fine, that D-line never runs out of blue chip talent, and the Spartans stay home for the most dangerous games. Last year, until meeting Alabama in the Cotton Bowl, they lost one game... by one point. Watch Iowa this year.

Last year they missed the playoffs by a fieldgoal after starting 12-0, and return underhyped QB CJ Beathard, most of their run-springing line, Jim Thorpe Award-winning CB Desmond King and a staunch defense. The Big Ten could well send Iowa to the playoffs. Northwestern (10 wins last year) is another team with a killer road schedule, yet a mean defense. QB Clayton Thorson’s development and workhorse RB Justin Jackson mean more week-in week out competitiveness. After playing the Hawkeyes and Wildcats close last year, Wisconsin will be a distant third as Corey Clement runs behind a lighter-than-traditional Badger line.

drawing comparison to the greats, and the Tigers return almost the whole starting roster from last season. Still, a late-season schedule of Bama, Arkansas and Ole Miss – all convincing losses last year – is remixed and repeated this time.

QB Brandon Harris can’t let this be a Fournette-only offense.

Ole Miss beat Alabama and LSU last year, but lost some huge talents to the NFL, but retains another future pro in Chad Kelly (pictured, nephew of Hall of Famer Jim).

He began his account with 4,000 yards and 41 total TDs last year. Their biggest danger is NCAA sanctions. Georgia may start true freshman QB Jacob Eason (son of former NFLer Tony), but RBs Nick Chubb (if fit) and Sony Michel will provide the Bulldogs’ offensive beat. Florida will be relying on QB Luke (son of Jack) Del Rio to awaken their offense, while the perennially talented defense is highlighted by DE Bryan Cox Jr. PHOTO: OLE MISS ATHLETICS/ JOSHUA MCCOY

As The American went to press, we learned of the sudden passing of ESPN broadcaster John Saunders, known to millions worldwide as host of ABC’s college football coverage, and more recently as host of ESPN’s The Sports Reporters. He was 61.

This summer, sports has said goodbye both to storied coaches and to those whose legend had barely begun. From NFL coaching ranks, we lost former Minnesota, Arizona and Stanford University coach Dennis Green, 67, following a heart attack. The Vikings noted ‘His tenure as Pat Summitt one of the first African American head coaches [was] transformative’.

Also: former Eagles and Falcons head coach Marion Campbell, 87; and defensive guru Buddy Ryan, 85, forever associated with the dominant ’85 Bears. Chicago also lost former defensive tackle Bryan Robinson, 41, found dead in his hotel room.

College football also witnessed the tragically early passing of University of Arizona lineman Zach Hemmila, 22, who died unexpectedly in his sleep, and the tragedy of the vehicular deaths of punters Sam Foltz, 22, and Mike Sadler, 24, of Nebraska and Michigan State respectively.

College Basketball also bade farewell to perhaps the greatest NCAA coach of all time, Pat Summitt, 64. Coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team for 38 years, she coached 8 national champions and the gold medalwinning 1984 womens Olympic basketball team. Summitt retired in 2012 with a record of 1,098–208 after being diagnosed with Early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease in 2011.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all their families, friends and colleagues as we remember their contributions to sport, education and community.

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Big 12

A belated transfer ruling means that University of Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield (fourth in Heisman voting a year ago) could play two more years in Norman, but don’t expect RB Samaje Perine to hang around past this season after logging 37 scores during his first two years. With former 5-star recruit Joe Mixon another backfield option, the Sooners won’t let the season ride on Mayfield’s passing alone.

National playoff credentials must be earned when they host The Ohio State University, September 27, but they’re a popular pick in the Big 12. Based on the talent – including the powerful arm of Seth Russell and the rushing of Shock Linwood – Baylor may seem to have a match for Oklahoma, but are high expectations reasonable with a massive loss of experience on both lines, scandalous offseason headlines, and the sudden replacement of coach Art Briles with Jim Grobe (on an interim basis, meaning more uncertainty ahead). At Oklahoma State, QB Mason Rudolph is surrounded by returning starters on offense, but the jury’s out on the defense, which vanished late last season. TCU need one-time Texas A&M QB Kenny Hill (son of former Cleveland Indians pitcher Ken) to step into Trevone Boykin’s shoes, and for JuCo WR Taj Williams to assume some of the catches of departed Josh Doctson and Kolby Listenbee.

Not easy, but TCU host Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, so don’t sleep on them. West Virginia is loaded with experience in the passing game and on the line but, retooling on defense, will fulfil the modern Big 12 trope as a team outgunning opponents. Texas Tech will ride QB Patrick Mahomes (over 5,000 combined yards last season), and could be something of a dark horse. coach Charlie Strong still seeks a breakthrough at Texas.

Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield: 36 TDs to just 11 picks in 2015 IMAGE COURTESY OU ATHLETICS

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American Athletic Conference A fieldgoal loss to UConn was all that separated Houston from perfection last season. They even downed Florida State 38-24 in the Peach Bowl, so if they were to surprise Oklahoma in the season opener, a win over Louisville in November may just crack open the door to a playoff bid. Dual-threat QB Greg Ward headlines an offense that averaged over 40 points a game last year, and the defense is more than aggressive front seven, led by LB Steven Taylor. But not so fast... While Navy loses QB Keenan Reynolds

Mid-American Conference

The MAC is never short of contenders with quarterbacks. Western Michigan has QB Zach Terrell and most of its offense back, Northern Illinois counter with their own senior QB Drew Hare, and Toledo returns 2014 starter Logan Woodside, again with an experienced supporting cast. Central Michigan’s Cooper Rush, perhaps the best of them, has the most experienced defense, however, so watch for a potential upset from the West. In the East, the established offensive starters of Ohio take on Akron’s cast of transfers (note Ohio State transfer RB Warren Ball); coach Terry Bowden may have his Zips at full speed by the November 22 showdown at Frank Solich’s Bobcats.

Independents

Whoever Notre Dame starts at QB, the biggest challenge is the learning curve: drained of 2015 starters, they meet Michigan State in September, Stanford and Miami in October; at least all three are at home. Bronco Mendenhall has had a 9-4 swan-song season with BYU. Kalani Sitake takes over with an alum-rich staff including Ty Detmer. They will install a pro-style offense, have a rich defense, but a tough slate. It’ll be another positive year. Army are stacked at LB and could be one of the best nonPower-5 defenses in the country. Coach Jeff Monken still has to prove a run game to go with

(now a Baltimore Raven) and nearly all of its starting offense, and Dane Evans (4,330 yards) is breaking out as a major star in Tulsa, Houston must be careful with whoever comes out of the East Division: Temple will score plenty with QB PJ Walker and RB Jahad Thomas, and South Florida’s offense was also hot down the stretch, averaging 47 points a game, and with key stars returning. Ultimately, Houston will be looking for more than a Division or Conference title with the Big 12 eyeing them as an expansion option.

a semi-capable pass threat, and the undersized O-line may be much-improved. 2-10 last year, they lost 7 close ones. Road woes likely cause them to miss a bowl, but 6 wins isn’t out of the question.

Other Conferences

Mountain West: With QB Nate Romine fit, RBs Timothy McVey and Jacobi Owens working together, and a senior-laden defense headed by safety Weston Steelhammer, Air Force have a chance to upend QB Brett Rypien’s Boise State, but they’d likely fall to San Diego State’s rushing attack, powered by star back Donnel Pumphrey, presently carrying on a 10-game winning streak.

In Conference USA, expect a championship game repeat: Western Kentucky in the East despite the graduation of QB Brandon Doughty, Southern Mississippi with QB Nick Mullens and a defense that will take no prisoners from the West (and for the title). Irrelevant as the Sun Belt may be to many, it could produce a scrap to enjoy. Defending champs Arkansas State return their O-line and most of the D, but run-happy Appalachian State may edge it.

September’s Opening Salvo

Preseason rankings could undergo an early modification, with a host of significant week one battles including: Sept. 1: Tennessee vs. Appalachian State Sept. 3: Oklahoma at Houston

LSU vs. Wisconsin (in Green Bay)

Georgia vs. North Carolina (in Atlanta)

Alabama vs. USC (in Arlington) Sept. 4: Notre Dame at Texas Sept. 5: FSU vs. Ole Miss (in Orlando).

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Brit Kids and Fans Meet NFL Stars

Report by Gary Jordan ALL IMAGES © ANDY NEALE, WHIZZYFINGERS PHOTOGRAPHY

J

ust a few short weeks from now our lives will once again be trans formed. We all become the armchair quarterback, the leaping wide receiver, a running back juking his way through a densely packed line of scrimmage, or even a head coach, yelling in despair as your team commits another turnover.

Yes, it’s time for the National Football League to make its return to our already full diaries. Of course we’ve had the Combine and Draft to keep us occupied in the short months after the season curtain call of Denver’s Super Bowl 50 win.

Recently the mini-camps and team activities, alongside another bout of free agency have kept the news wires busy.

Training camps are about to open and that’s when you really get the buzz, the anticipation of how your team will fare in the coming months. Every fan will harbour some hope that their team can make a run, or at least improve on the previous year. It’s also the time when the NFL starts to ramp up its media and

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marketing here in the UK. As you know there are three games to be played this year in London, including a first ever trip to the home of rugby, Twickenham Stadium.

Fan Forums

In the week starting Monday July 13, several big names were pulled from the teams that will participate in the International Series games to give fans a glimpse into their world.

What it takes to be a professional football player in the always evolving NFL. Monday saw the visit of the now highest paid player in the league, Andrew Luck (Indianapolis Colts). The QB has just signed a 5 year, $140m contract extension, and was more than willing to answer questions from a very well attended Fan Forum in Central London. He was ably assisted by teammate Dwayne Allen, and also Frenchman Anthony Dable (New York Giants), and Moritz Boehringer the German Minnesota Vikings rookie. It was Luck who stole the show though, as expected, with his knowledge-

able insight into the game which had those in attendance lapping up every word.

Tuesday saw another Fan Forum, with no less than eight players on parade. Victor Cruz (Giants), Carlos Dunlap and Domata Peko (Bengals), Dwayne Allen (Colts), Lance Kendricks (Rams), Chris Baker and DeAngelo Hall (Redskins), and Denard Robinson (Jaguars) were those charged with keeping the UK fan faithful entertained. Each were all thoroughly impressed with just how much the UK fans knew about the game, even addressing issues about technique. The mix of competitions and fun always goes down well and it’s good to see the players at ease in such surroundings.

NFL Summer Bowl

The big event of the week was the NFL Summer Bowl on Wednesday.

An all day football feast for local schools to get involved in the game and get up close and personal with the some of the stars, as well as the official launch pad for the London

Left: Carlos Dunlap with his Bengal Summer Bowl teammates in London, July 2016 Below Right: Domata Peko gets into the mood

games this year, with a large media contingent given their chance to question the players involved. This is perhaps the best part of the week for the players as it sees them in their more natural light, playing the game. Over 1,000 children from 47 schools were present during the day, all given a team to pair up with in a mini flag (non-contact) tournament. The schools chosen have been studying team ethic at school and behaviour that encourages good character. The Play60 format from the United States is something that everyone can learn from but built in at early age, the children here were between 8-11, can only help as they grow older.

“It’s good to see these kids excited about playing football.

I’m excited just to be here and to watch them”, said an enthused Cruz, although not immediately recognised by the youngsters until they were told he was an actual player in the NFL he was still happy to be involved.

“They were actually great athletes” beamed Redskins veteran Hall, “we had a couple of kids making breaks and tight roping down the side lines, I was very impressed.”

“It’s been amazing. To see the kids’ faces light up when I draw plays, or they make a play, I’m glad they’re excited and enjoying the same experience I enjoyed when I was growing up.”, was Allen’s reaction.

“I’m super excited to be playing at Wembley Stadium this year, a super atmosphere, home of the FA Cup Final, England international team, I’m a big soccer fan so I know how much Wembley means, I’m excited to step on the pitch and do my thing” was the Bengals’ Peko’s response to the upcoming game.

“We’ve been talking about it since

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we saw it on our schedule so we‘ll see how it goes, but we’re definitely excited to bring our game to the UK, excited to bring our football to the London fans, and the fan base is really big here. They’re not just fans of individual teams but the game, which is amazing.” Cruz added as he looked ahead to the Giants’ visit to Twickenham. “I’m sure the seats will be packed, and the atmosphere will be just electric so I can’t wait to be out here.” was Kendricks take on the Rams’ game against the Giants.

NFL at Tottenham Hotspurs

Lastly on Thursday, the Redskins duo Baker and Hall, visited the ongoing development of Tottenham Hotspurs’ new stadium project which

will see NFL games being staged from 2018. The stadium is being purpose built so it can accommodate NFL with very little impact. At a school in the shadow of the towering cranes working on the structure the children showed off their soccer skills that had the pair dazzled.

Maybe, just maybe kids in the future will be suiting up in pads and playing at their local NFL stadium.

With the NFL showcasing all that is good about its media wing, assisted by the people at NFLUK and the local communities, it’s now back to the business of honing their more natural skills of football. Their hard work is just beginning so the rest of us can sit back and enjoy the spectacle they provide.

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Summer Majors At the end of six hectic weeks in the most compressed summer of major championship golf ever, who are the biggest losers?

Darren Kilfara writes the Report Card

T

he USGA. Nobody does video replay worse – not even the NFL or Major League Baseball. Dustin Johnson looked truly snakebitten when informed, against his protestations, he was probably at fault when his ball rotated a dimplewidth on the 5th green in the final round. At least he overcame his penalty to win, very much against type; Anna Nordqvist lost her US Women’s Open playoff to Brittany Lang because an HD camera spotted a grain of sand shifted by a grounded club. Players both guilty and bystanding were notified long after the fact in both cases, Johnson himself already having been cleared of wrongdoing by the rules official following him. Is golf now the only sport where the players can’t be sure of the score?

The PGA of America. Squeezed between the Open Championship and the Olympics in a crowded calendar, the PGA felt even more afterthought-ful than normal. But it deserved even worse; not starting early to beat the Saturday thunderstorms was a TV-driven decision which should have backfired. Only Mother Nature saved the organizers from themselves; had the Sunday

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weather been as forecast, more lightning could have caused a Monday or even Tuesday finish.

The “Big Four”. 2016 was supposed to feature major duels between Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Rory McIlroy. But Spieth failed to contend after his Augusta collapse, Fowler barely registered, and McIlroy missed the US Open and PGA cuts shortly before Nike – his main sponsor – exited the golf business. Only Day, who ran Jimmy Walker close at the PGA and tied for eighth at Oakmont, can hold his head high.

Danny Willett. Willett’s results since the Masters: MC, T23, 3rd, T37, T72, T80, T53, T79. That’s one podium finish at Wentworth, one missed cut at the Players, and a whole lot of nothing; at Hazeltine next month, Willett could be the sort of sleeper agent the USA too often sends to Ryder Cups, an early-season major winner well out of form by the sharp end of September.

Phil Mickelson. Arguably the best major loser ever: now second only to Jack Nicklaus in runner-up major finishes, at the Open Championship he came closer to shooting

62 in a major than anyone since Nick Price at the 1986 Masters, and his final round 65 was the secondbest final round in any major this year. Unlucky for him, Henrik Stenson’s 63 at Troon was the best.

Worse still, he saved his major push until after he’d missed the Olympic qualifying cut, so the only American golfer who actively craved a place at Rio didn’t get to travel there.

Lovers of dramatic finishes.

The brilliance of Johnson, Stenson and Walker deprived us of 72nd hole excitement, Day’s late eagle at Baltusrol notwithstanding. In fact, only two of the last 14 men’s majors have gone to proper photo finishes.

I think that makes me the biggest loser, actually.

US expat Darren Kilfara formerly worked for Golf Digest magazine and is the author of A Golfer’s Education (below), a memoir of his junior year abroad as a studentgolfer at the University of St. Andrews. His latest book, a novel called Do You Want Total War?, is also now available online at Amazon and elsewhere.

American SOCIAL GROUPS

American Friends of the Royal Institution 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 development@royalsociety.org 020 7451 2211

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999 (NOT 911) 101

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The Association of Americans Resident Overseas 34 avenue de New York, 75116 Paris, France + 33 1 47 20 24 15 www.aaro.org Association for Rescue at Sea To make a tax efficient gift to the Royal National Lifeboat Association contact AFRAS. Mrs. Anne C. Kifer, P.O. Box 565 Fish Creek, WI 54212, USA, 00-1-920-7435434 ackafras@aol.com Atlantic Council UK 185 Tower Bridge Road, London SE1 2UF 0207 403 0640 info@atlanticcounciluk.org Bentwaters Cold War Museum c/o Bentwaters Aviation Society, Building 134 Bentwaters Parks, Rendlesham, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 2TW 07588 877020 info@bcwm.org.uk Bethesda Baptist Church Kensington Place, London W8.

020 7221 7039 office@bethesdabaptist.org.uk bethesdabaptist.org.uk Boy Scouts of America in the UK Mayflower District 075 9210 1013 crpriddy@bsamail.org Find your local Troop at the website www.tac-bsa.org/Districts/Mayflower/Unit List

Republicans Overseas UK Chair Jan Halper www.republicansoverseas-uk.com chair@republicansoverseas-uk.com wlowery@republicansoverseas-uk.com www.republicansabroad-uk.org

Friends of Chicksands Priory (12th Century) Julie Benson 01525 860497 friendsofchicksands@gmail.com www.chicksandspriory.co.uk

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Friends of St Jude London Debbie Berger debbie.berger@stjude.org 07738 628126 www.friendsofstjude.org/london Grampian Houston Association Secretary: Bill Neish, 01224 484720, wineish@sky.com 5 Cairncry Avenue, Aberdeen, AB16 5DS International Community Church (Interdenom.)

Pastor: Rick Andrew 01932 571820 Chertsey Hall, Heriot Road, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 9DR Office: 13 London Street, Chertsey, Surrey, KT16 8AP churchoffice@icc-uk.org www.icc-uk.org Junior League of London President: Suzy Bibko; Office Admin: Ruth Linton CAN Mezzanine , 49-51 East Road , London N1 6AH Tel: 020 7499 8159 jrleague@jll.org.uk www.jll.org.uk

British American Business Inc. 75 Brook Street, London, W1K 4AD. 020 7290 9888 www.babinc.org ukinfo@babinc.org

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation 19 Angel Gate, City Road, London EC1V 2PT. Tel: 020 7713 2030 info@jdrf.org.uk www.jdrf.org.uk

British American-Canadian Associates Contact via The English Speaking Union – esu@esu.org

Liberal Jewish Synagogue 28 St John’s Wood Road, London NW8 7HA Services 6.45pm Fri., 11am Sat. First Friday each month service is 7pm with a Chavurah Supper.

Please bring non-meat food dish to share.

020 7286 5181 ljs@ljs.org

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

Rotary Great Britain and Ireland www.ribi.org, membership.rcol@gmail.com Royal National Lifeboat Institution Head Office, West Quay Road, Poole BH15 1HZ 0845 045 6999 www.rnli.org.uk The Royal Oak Foundation Sean Sawyer, 35 West 35th Street #1200, New York NY 10001-2205, USA 212- 480-2889 or (800) 913-6565 ssawyer@royal-oak.org www.royal-oak.org St Andrew’s Lutheran Church Serving Americans since 1960.

Whitby Road & Queens Walk, Ruislip, West London.

Services: 11 am. 020 8845 4242 pastorvan43@hotmail.com www.standrewslutheran.co.uk, www.lutheran.co.uk T.R.A.C.E. P.W. Reuniting children with GI fathers and their families.

Norma Jean Clarke-McCloud 29 Connaught Avenue, Enfield EN1 3BE normajean78@hotmail.com www.tracepw.org

Lions Club International Lakenheath & District 105EA, 15 Highfields Drive, Lakenheath, Suffolk IP27 9EH. Tel 01842 860752 www.lionsclubs.org

United Nations Association, Westminster Chairman: David Wardrop 61 Sedlescombe Road, London SW6 1RE 0207 385 6738 info@unawestminster.org.uk www.unawestminster.org.uk www.wethepeoples.org.uk

St Anne’s Lutheran Church stannes.stagnes@gmail.com www.stanneslutheranchurch.org.uk

USA Girl Scouts Overseas – North Atlantic gsmembership@usagso-na.org www.usagso-na.org

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Farm Street Church 114 Mount Street, Mayfair, London W1K 3AH Tel: 020 7493 7811 www.farmstreet.org.uk

North Am. Friends of Chawton House Library US Office: 824 Roosevelt Trail, #130, Windham, ME 04062 +1.207 892 4358 UK Office: Chawton House Library, Chawton, Alton, Hampshire GU34 1SJ 01420 541010 www.chawtonhouse.org

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UK 0800 028 8056, US:1-800-438- VOTE (8683). www.fvap.gov vote@fvap.ncr.gov

Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner 5th Floor, Counting House, 53 Tooley Street, London SE1 2QN 0207 211 1500 info@oisc.gov.uk www.oisc.gov.uk

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Rotary Club of London 6 York Gate, London NW1 4QG. Tel. 020 7487 5429

SOCIAL American Club of Hertfordshire President: Kathy Morris Wood End, 29 Orchard Road, Tewin, Herts AL6 0HL 01438 798 389 hertsamerica@outlook.com American Expats of the Northwest of England The Ruskin Rooms, Drury Lane, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 6HA. expatsnw@gmail.com American Society in London Chairman Raymond A Colledge c/o The English Speaking Union 37 Charles Street, London W1J 5ED info@americansocietyuk.com 020 7539 3400

American Stamp Club of Great Britain Chapter 67 of the American Philatelic Society.

Hon. Publicity Secretary: Stephen T. Taylor 5 Glenbuck Road, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 6BS. 020 8390 9357 AWBS International Women’s Club [formerly American Women of Berkshire & Surrey] PO Box 10, Virginia Water, Surrey GU25 4YP. www.awbs.org.uk info@awbs.org.uk American Women of Surrey PO Box 185, Cobham, Surrey KT11 3YJ. www.awsurrey.org American Women’s Club of Central Scotland P.O. Box 231, 44-46 Morningside Road, Edinburgh, EH10 4BF info@awccs.org www.awccs.org American Women’s Club of Dublin P.O. Box 2545, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 IRELAND www.awcd.net awcdmembers@gmail.com American Women’s Club of London 68 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3LQ. 020 7589 8292 awc@awclondon.org www.awclondon.org Americans in Bristol Tim Ellis 07572 342483 Twitter @americansinbris americansinbristol@yahoo.com www.facebook.com/groups/USEXPATSINBRISTOL Anglian Shrine Club Recorder: Allan David Warnes “Koloma House”, Warren Avenue, Fakenham, Norfolk NR21 8NP 01328 862001, 07860187333, VOIP 08714084364 Skype batman4499adw allan@allandavidwarnes.co.uk www.anglianshrineclub.co.uk 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 Clubs Patricia Connett-Woodcock, 87 Brabazon Road, Heston, Middlesex TW5 9LL, 020 8897 0723 tricia_baasdc@btinternet.com www.squaredancing.co.uk Canadians & Americans in Southern England 023 9241 3881 contactcase@casecommunity.com

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President Anne K Brewster: AnneBrewster@hotmail.com Daughters of the American Revolution St James’s Chapter (London) stjameschapter-nsdar.org regent@stjamesnsdar.org, UKDARStJames@aol.com Daughters of the American Revolution Walter Hines Page Chapter (London and UK) Adrienne Pitman, Regent daradrienne@gmail.com http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~engwhdar/ walterhinesdar/membership.html East Anglia American Club 49 Horsham Close, Haverhill, Suffolk CB9 7HN 01440 766 967 eaacexpats@karej.co.uk English-Speaking Union Director-General: Jane Easton Dartmouth House, 37 Charles Street, London W1J 5ED. Tel: 020 7529 1550 esu@esu.org Hampstead Women’s Club President - Stacy Popovici president@hwcinlondon.co.uk www.hwcinlondon.co.uk High Twelve International, Inc. Arnold Page High Twelve Club 298 Secretary, Darrell C. Russell 01638 715764 russelld130@btinternet.com Inter-Cultural Society of London Contact: Dr Kenneth Reed, 01753 892698, kjreed37@yahoo.co.uk ticsl.org kcwc (was Kensington & Chelsea Women’s Club) President: Catia Dal Poz, president@kcwc.org.uk Membership: potential@kcwc.org.uk www.kcwc.org.uk Facebook /kcwc.kcwc Twitter @kcwc_womensclub Knightsbridge Village info@knightsbridge-village.com www.knightsbridge-village.com Limerick International Women’s Organisation www.limerickiwo.com limerickiwo@live.ie

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Northwood Area Women’s Club c/o St John’s UR Church, Hallowell Road, Northwood, Middlesex HA6 1DN 01932-830295 info@northwoodareawomensclub.co.uk www.northwoodareawomensclub.co.uk Petroleum Women’s Club of London www.pwc-london.co.uk Petroleum Women’s Club of Scotland pwcscotland@yahoo.co.uk www.pwcos.com Pilgrims of Great Britain Allington Castle, Maidstone, Kent M16 0NB. 01622 606404 sec@pilgrimsociety.org Propeller Club of the United States, London propellerclubhq.com +1 703-691-2777 [USA] Royal Society of St George Enterprise House, 10 Church Hill, Loughton, Essex IG10 1LA. +44 (0) 20 3225 5011 info@royalsocietyofstgeorge.com www.royalsocietyofstgeorge.com Order of the Eastern Star #45 Washington Jurisdiction District #9, RAF Lakenheath sogb45@yahoo.com elizabeth.jackson.tripod.com/sogb St John’s Wood Women’s Club membership@sjwwc.org www.sjwwc.org Thames Valley American Women’s Club PO Box 1687, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 8XT. 01628 632683 membership@tvawc.com www.tvawc.com UK Panhellenic Association Contact Susan Woolf, 10 Coniston Court, High St. Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex HA1 3LP. 020 8864 0294 susanrwoolf@hotmail.com Wandsworth Women’s Institute Secretary: Laura wandsworthwi@hotmail.com www.wandsworthwi.org.uk W.E.B. DuBois Consistory #116 Northern Jurisdiction, Valley of London, England, Orient of Europe, Cell: 0776-873-8030 mjack36480@aol.com

MILITARY 290 Foundation (UK Confederate Navy memorial) Ian Dewar, President, 2 Thompson Drive, Middleton on the Wolds, East Riding, Yorkshire YO25 9TX 01377 217 442 290admin@onetel.com sites.google.com/site/290foundation

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AFJROTC 073 Lakenheath High School. Tel: 01638 525603 Air Force Sergeants Association (AFSA) Chapters at RAFs Alconbury, Croughton, Lakenheath and Mildenhall. staff@hqafsa.org www.hqafsa.org American Legion London Post 1 Adjutant: Christopher Shea, 10 Ivel Bridge Road, Biggleswade, Befordshire SG18 0AB 07501-062-882 info@amlegionpost1london.org.uk www.amlegionpost1london.org.uk

Military Officers’ Association of America www.moaa.org msc@moaa.org

ACS International Schools ACS Cobham International School, Heywood, www.acs-england.co.uk

Bentwaters/Woodbridge Retirees’ Association President: Wylie Moore. 2 Coldfair Close, Knodishall, Saxmundham, Suffolk, IP17 1UN. 01728 830281

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.

Madingley American Cemetery Cambridge The American Battle Monuments Commission Madingley Road, Coton, Cambridge CB23 7PH 01954-210350 www.madingleyamericancemetery.info damian.lappin@madingleyamericancemetery.info

Eighth Air Force Historical Society Gordon Richards/Michelle Strefford UK Office, The Croft, 26 Chapelwent Road, Haverhill, Suffolk CB9 9SD, 01440 704014 www.8thafhs.org

Joint RAF Alconbury/Molesworth Retiree Affairs Office 423, ABG/RAO, Unit 5623, RAF Alconbury, Huntingdon, Cambs., PE28 4DE, rao@alconbury.af.mil 01480 843364 (Tues only 10:30-14:30) Joint RAF Mildenhall/Lakenheath Retiree Affairs Office Co-Directors Dick Good & Jack Kramer Unit 8965, Box 30, RAF Mildenhall, Bury St. Edmonds, Suffolk, IP28 8NF 01638 542039 rao1@us.af.mil

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AFJROTC 20021 Principal.AlconburyHS@eu.dodea.edu Alconbury Middle/High School RAF Alconbury, Huntingdon, Cambs, PE17 1PJ, UK. www.alco-hs.eu.dodea.edu AlconburyHS.Principal@eu.dodea.edu 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 020 7449 1200, www.asl.org admissions@asl.org American School of Aberdeen Craigton Road, Cults, Aberdeen.

01224 861068 / 868927.

US Air Force Recruiting Office Bldg 239 Room 139, RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk IP28 8NF 01638-54-4942/1566 phillip.guffa@mildenhall.af.mil

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Friends of the Eighth Newsletter (FOTE News) Chairman: Ron Mackay, 90 Elton Road, Sandbach, Cheshire, CW11 3NF, 01270 767669

EDUCATIONAL

Navy League of the United States, United Kingdom Council Council President: Steven G. Franck steven.franck@googlemail.com www.navyleague.org Reserve Officers Association London Col. B.V. Balch, USAR, 72 Westmoreland Road, Barnes, London SW13 9RY memberservices@roa.org www.roa.org

Brookwood American Cemetery The American Battle Monuments Commission Superintendant: Craig Rahanian. 01483 473237 Brookwood, Woking, Surrey GU24 0BL www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/ brookwood-american-cemetery

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

American Overseas Memorial Day Association To remember & honor the memory of those who gave their lives in World Wars I & II, whose final resting places are in Europe. info@aomda.com, aomda.com

British Patton Historical Society Kenn Oultram 01606 891303

Marine Corps League London, UK Detachment. Founding Commandant Michael E Allen, Creek Cottage, 2 Pednormead End, Old Chesham, Buckinghamshire HP5 2JS mcllondon.1088@sky.com www.mcl-london-uk.org

Retired Affairs Office, RAF Alconbury Serving Central England POC: Rex Keegan Alt. POC: Mike Depasquale 423 SVS/RAO, Unit 5585, Box 100, RAF Alconbury, Huntingdon, Cambs PE28 4DA. 01480 84 3364/3557 Office Hours: Tuesday and Friday, 10:30am–2:30pm RAO@Alconbury.af.mil. Emergency no. 07986 887905

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

Boston University – London Graduate Programs Office 43 Harrington Gardens, London SW7 4JU. 020 7244 6255, www.bu.edu/london

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

British American Educational Foundation Laurel Zimmermann, Executive Director BAEF, 520 Summit Avenue, Oradell, NJ 07649 USA (201) 2614438 www.baef.org

USAF Retiree Activities Office Director: Paul G Gumbert, CMSgt (USAF), Ret 422 ABG/CVR, Unit 5855, PSC 50, Box 3 RAF Croughton, Northants NN13 5XP 01280 708182 422abg.rao@croughton.af.mil

BUNAC Student Exchange Intern in Britain Program - Asst. Director: Jill Tabuteau, Priory House, Wrights Lane, London W8 6TA 020 7251 3472 www.bunac.org iib@bunac.org.uk

US Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point) UK Chapter President: Allison Bennett, bennett.ac@gmail.com Facebook: Kings Point Alumni - London/United Kingdom

Butler University, Institute for Study Abroad 21 Pembridge Gardens, London W2 4EB 020 7792 8751 www.ifsa-butler.org/england-overview.html

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

Centre Academy London 92 St John’s Hill, Battersea, London SW11 1SH Tel: 02077382344, info@centreacademy.net www.centreacademy.net

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

Centre Academy East Anglia Church Rd, Brettenham, Ipswich, Suffolk IP7 7QR Tel: 01449736404 admin@centreacademy.net www.centreacademy.net

Central Bureau for Educational Visits Director: Peter Upton, The British Council , 10 Spring Gardens, London SW1A 2BN, 020 7389 4004.

Wales 029 2039 7346. Scotland 0131 447 8024. centralbureau@britishcouncil.org

Institute for the Study of the Americas Director: Professor James Dunkerley.

Tel 020 7862 8879 americas@sas.ac.uk www.americas.sas.ac.uk International School of Aberdeen 296 North Deeside Rd, Milltimber, Aberdeen, AB13 0AB 01224 732267 admin@isa.aberdeen.sch.uk www.isa.aberdeen.sch.uk

Council on International Educational Exchange Dr. Michael Woolf, 52 Portland Street, London WIV 1JQ Tel 020 7478 2000 www.ciee.org contact@ciee.org Ditchley Foundation Ditchley Park, Enstone, Chipping Norton, Oxon OX7 4ER Tel 01608 677346 www.ditchley.co.uk info@ditchley.co.uk

International School of London 139 Gunnersbury Avenue, London W3 8LG. 020 8992 5823 mail@ISLschools.org www.islschools.org

Dwight School London Formerly North London International School 6 Friem Barnet Lane, London N11 3LX 020 8920 0600 vrose@dwightlondon.org www.dwightlondon.org European Council of International Schools Executive Director: Jean K Vahey Fourth Floor, 146 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 9TR 020 7824 7040 www.ecis.org ecis@ecis.org

Florida State University London Study Centre Administrative Director: Kathleen Paul 99 Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3LH. 020 7813 3233 intprog1@admin.fsu.edu www.international.fsu.edu/london Fordham University London Centre Academic Coordinator: Sabina Antal 23 Kensington Square, London W8 5HQ 020 7937 5023 londoncentre@fordham.edu www.fordham.edu

Ithaca College London Centre 35 Harrington Gardens, London SW7.

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

University of Notre Dame London Program 1 Suffolk Street, London SW1Y 4HG 020 7484 7811, london@nd.edu http://international.nd.edu/about/notre-dameglobal-gateways/london-global-gateway Warnborough University International Office, Friars House, London SE1 8HB. Tel 020 7922 1200 www.warnborough.edu admin@warnborough.edu

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

Webster Graduate Studies Center Regent’s College, Regent’s Park, Inner Circle, London NW1 4NS, UK. 020 7487 7505, webster@regents.ac.uk www.webster.ac.uk

Regent’s University London Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4NS. 020 7486 9605. www.regents.ac.uk exrel@regents.ac.uk

Wroxton College Study Abroad with Fairleigh Dickinson University, Wroxton, Nr. Banbury, Oxfordshire OX15 6PX 01295 730551, www.fdu.edu admin@wroxton-college.ac.uk

Fulbright (US-UK Educational) Commission Dir. of Advisory Service: Lauren Welch Battersea Power Station, 188 Kirtling Street, London SW8 5BN 020 7498 4010 www.fulbright.co.uk Halcyon London International School Co-educational International Baccalaureate (IB).

33 Seymour Place, London W1H 5AU +44 (0)20 7258 1169 hello@halcyonschool.com halcyonschool.com

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

Harlaxton College UK Campus, University of Evansville, Harlaxton Manor, Grantham, Lincs. NG32 1AG. 01476 403000 harlaxton.ac.uk.

Schiller International, Wickham Court School Layhams Road, West Wickham, Kent BR4 9HW. Tel 0208 777 2942 Wickham@schillerintschool.com www.wickhamcourt.org.uk

Hult International Business School Undergraduate: Hult House East, 35 Commercial Road London E1 1LD +44 (0)20 7636 5667 Graduate: Hult House, 37-38 John Street, London WC1N 2AT +44 (0) 20 7636 5667 Enrolment: 22 Chelsea Manor Street, London SW3 5RL +44 (0)207 341 8555 www.hult.edu/en/contact-us/

TASIS England, American School Coldharbour Lane, Thorpe, Nr. Egham, Surrey TW20 8TE. 01932 565252, england.tasis.com ukadmissions@tasisengland.org UKCISA - Council for International Education 9-17 St. Albans Place, London N1 0NX 020 7354 5210 www.ukcisa.org.uk

Richmond, The American International University in London Queen’s Road, Richmond-upon Thames TW10 6JP Tel: +44 20 8332 9000 enroll@richmond.ac.uk www.richmond.ac.uk

Syracuse University London Program Faraday House, 48-51 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AE, sulondon.syr.edu

International School of London in Surrey Old Woking Road, Woking GU22 8HY, 01483 750409, www.islsurrey.com mail@islsurrey.com

Marymount International School, London Headmistress: Ms Sarah Gallagher George Road, Kingston upon Thames, KT2 7PE 020 8949 0571 info@marymountlondon.com www.marymountlondon.com

European-Atlantic Group PO Box 37431, London N3 2XP 020 8632 9253 justinglass@btinternet.com www.eag.org.uk

Southbank International Schools Kensington and Hampstead for 3-11 year olds; Westminster campuses for 11-18 year olds.

020 7243 3803 admissions@southbank.org www.southbank.org

Sotheby’s Institute of Art Postgraduate Art studies, plus day /evening courses 30 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3EE Tel: 0207 462 3232, info@sothebysinstitute.com www.sothebysinstitute.com

ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONS Regent’s American College & Alliant U Alumni (formerly United States International University) President: Eric CK Chan 020 7487 7599 chane@regents.ac.uk, alumni@regents.ac.uk c/o Regent’s University London, Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, London, UK. www.alliant.edu Amherst College Bob Reichert RAreichert26b@aol.com, alumni@amherst.edu www.amherst.edu/alumni Andover/Abbot Association of London Jeffrey Hedges ‘71, President 07968 513 631, hedgeslon@hotmail.com www.andover.edu/alumni Association of MBAs info@mbaworld.com, www.mbaworld.com

t.vifor@mbaworld.com

The American

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Babson College Nico von Stackelberg ‘12 vonstack@gmail.com​ Ben McLeod M’97 bernard.mcleod@gmail.com babson.alumni@btinternet.com Barnard College Club Hiromi Stone, President.

0207 935 3981, barnardclubgb@yahoo.co.uk Berkeley Club of London Geoff Kertesz berkeleyclublondon@gmail.com http://international.berkeley.edu/LondonClub www.facebook.com groups/223876564344656/ www.linkedin.com/groups/Berkeley-ClubLondon-4186104 Boston College Alumni Club UK Craig Zematis, President +44 7717 878968 BCalumniclub@gmail.com www.alumniconnections.com/olc/pub/BTN/cpages/ chapters/home.jsp?chapter=41&org=BTN Boston University Alumni Association of the UK Will Straughn, Snr International Development Officer, University Development and Alumni Relations, 43 Harrington Gardens, Kensington, London SW7 4JU 020 7244 2908 020 7373 7411 bstraugh@bu.edu Brandeis Alumni Club of Great Britain Joan Bovarnick, President http://alumni.brandeis.edu office@alumni.brandeis.edu

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Dartmouth College Club of London alumni.dartmouth.edu www.dartmouth.org Delta Kappa Gamma Society International Sheila Roberts, Membership Chair 01580 761165, worsleyroberts@btinternet.com www.dkggb.org.uk

NYU Alumni Club in London Jodi Ekelchik, President alumni.london@nyu.edu alumni.nyu.edu

Delta Sigma Pi Business Fraternity London Alumni Chapter. Ashok Arora, P O Box 1110, London W3 7ZB 020 8423 8231, bertela@yahoo.com www.dspnet.org

NYU STERN UK Alumni Club www.stern.nyu.edu/portal-partners/alumni sternukalumniclub@hotmail.com fjrodrgo@yahoo.com

Delta Zeta International Sorority Alumna Club Sunny Eades 01543 490 312 SunnyEades@aol.com www.deltazeta.org

Ohio University Alumni UK & Ireland Frank Madden, 01753 855 360 frank@madant.demon.co.uk www.ohioalumni.org

Duke University Club of England rpalany@gmail.com, a.sagar@promemoriauk.com www.dukealumni.com/alumni-communities/ regional-programs/groups/london

Penn Alumni Club of the UK w ww.alumniconnections.com/olc/pub/UPN/cpages/ home.jsp?chapter=4&org=UPN pennalumniuk@gmail.com

Emory University Alumni Chapter of the UK Matthew Williams, Chapter Leader 079 8451 4119, matthew.eric.williams@gmail.com www.alumni.emory.edu

Penn State Alumni Association pennstatelondon@gmail.com www.alumni.psu.edu

Georgetown Alumni Club Alexa Fernandez, GeorgetownLondon@Yahoo.com UKHoyas@gmail.com , alumni.georgetown.edu

The London Association of Phi Beta Kappa phibetakappalondon@gmail.com www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=5117368 www.pbkldn.org Twitter: @phibetakappaldn

Gettysburg College Alumni London Britt-Karin Oliver, brittkarin@aol.com alumni@gettysburg.edu www.gettysburg.edu/alumni2

Brown University Club of the United Kingdom President: Tugba Erem.

Communication: Patrick Attie Alumni Club & Liaison: Vanessa Van Hoof Brown Club UK, Box 57100, London, EC1P 1RB contact@brownuk.org www.brownuk.org

Harvard Business School Club of London admin@hbsa.org.ukwww.hbsa.org.uk

Bryn Mawr Club Lady Quinton, President.

Wendy Tiffin, Secretary/Treasurer, 52 Lansdowne Gardens, London SW8 2EF wendytif@ukgateway.net

Indiana University Alumni club of England ukhoosiers@gmail.com www.alumni.indiana.edu/clubs/england

Claremont Colleges Alumni in London Hadley Beeman, hadley_beeman@alumni.cmc.edu

KKG London Alumnae Association londonalumni.kkg@gmail.com w ww.kappakappagamma.org

Colgate Club of London Stephen W Solomon ‘76, President 0207 349 0738 swsolomon@hotmail.com

LMU Loyola Marymount Alumni Club London Alumni Relations: heather.wells@lmu.edu 310.338.4574 http://alumni.lmu.edu

Columbia Business School Alumni Club of London 6 Petersham Mews, London SW7 5NR www.cbsclublondon.org londonadmin@gsb.columbia.edu

Marymount University Alumni UK Chapter President: Mrs Suzanne Tapley, 35 Park Mansions, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7QT. 020 7581 3742 www.marymount.edu/alumni

Columbia University Club of London london@alumniclubs.columbia.edu www.alumniclubs.columbia.edu/london

MIT Club of Great Britain reenan@alum.mit.edu greatbritain.alumclub.mit.edu

Cornell Club of London nmt4@cornell.edu www.alumni.cornell.edu/orgs/int/London

Mount Holyoke Club of Britain mhcbritain@gmail.com sites.alumnae.mtholyoke.edu/wp/ukclub

The American

Notre Dame Club of London ndlondon@alumni.nd.edu http://london.undclub.org/

Princeton Association (UK) membership@princeton.org.uk princeton.org.uk Rice Alumni of London Kathy Wang 07912 560 177 a lumni.rice.edu kathyw@alumni.rice.edu, suzanne.boue@rice.edu

Harvard Club of the United Kingdom president@hcuk.org, membership@hcuk.org www.hcuk.org

Skidmore College Alumni Club, London alumni.affairs@skidmore.edu w ww.skidmore.edu/alumni www.facebook.com/SkidmoreCollegeAlumni Smith College Club of London smithclubgb@gmail.com www.smithclubgb.org Stanford Business School Alumni Assn. UK alumni@gsb.stanford.edu alumni-gsb.stanford.edu/get/page/groups/ overview/?group_id=0038990048

Syracuse University Alumni UK SUalumniUK@syr.edu sulondon.syr.edu/about/sualumniuk.html www.facebook.com/SUajlumniUK Texas Tech Alumni Association - London Chapter Scott Dewar 077754 35877 sdewar2@gmail.com www.texastechalumni.org/chapters Texas Exes UK (UKTE) England: Carra Kane 0778 660 7534 carrakane@alumni.utexas.net Scotland: Corey Cripe coreycripe@gmail.com www.fornogoodreason.com/UKTEMain.htm

Texas A&M Club London london@aggienetwork.com www.aggienetwork.com/club-page/londn The John Adams Society johnadamssociety@gmail.com www.johnadamssociety.co.uk Tufts - London Tufts Alliance tuftsalumni.org Londontuftsalliance@yahoo.com UConn Alumni Association uconnalumni.com UnitedKingdom@UConnAlumni.com UMass Alumni Club UK President, Renu Singh, renu.singh@alumni.lse.ac.uk umassalumni.com University of California 020 7079 0567 london.universityofcalifornia.edu alumni@californiahouse.org.uk University of Chicago Alumni Association rupalyp@gmail.com, www.uchicagouk.org University of Chicago Booth Alumni Association President: hbunuan@chicagobooth.edu www.chicagobooth.edu/alumni/clubs/uk University of Colorado Alumni www.colorado.edu/alumni/connect/chapters-clubs/ london-forever-buffs-alumni-chapter Facebook: LondonForeverBuffs Email: contact via website University of Georgia Alumni Association Lee Hutchins lee67@uga.edu www.alumni.uga.edu/alumni/index.php/site/ chapters/london_chapter University of Illinois Alumni Club of the UK Amy Barklam BUS 1994, President, 07796 193 466 amybarklam@msn.com, alumni@uillinois.edu, illinoisalumni@uillinois.edu, uisalumni@uillinois.edu, uicalumni@uillinois.edu www.uialumninetwork.org University of Michigan Alumni Association 0788-784-0941, jesscobb@yahoo.com alumni.umich.edu University of North Carolina Alumni Club unclondoncochairs@googlegroups.com london.unc.alumnispaces.com, alumni.unc.edu University of Rochester/Simon School UK Alumni Association Julie Bonne, 0118-956-5052, julie_bonne@yahoo.com, alumni@rochester.edu www.rochester.edu/alumni

University of Southern California, USC Alumni Club of London Walter Ladwig, President usclondon@gmail.com uscalumnigroups.usc.edu/london/

University of Virginia Alumni Club of London uvaclubs.virginia.edu/group/uvaclub-of-london 020 7368 8473 , uvacluboflondon@gmail.com

US Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point) Alumni UK Chapter www.usmma.edu/alumni bennett.ac@gmail.com Facebook: Kings Point Alumni - London/United Kingdom USNA Alumni Association, UK Chapter President: Cdr Timothy W. (Tim) Fox ‘97, USNR timfox97@hotmail.com www.usna.com www.facebook.com/groups/USNAAlumniUK/ Vassar Club UK President: Andrew Solum ‘89 Treasurer Tris Barker’64 treasurer@vassarclubuk.org, 020 8467 0890 www.vassarclubuk.org Warnborough Worldwide Alumni Association 01227 762 107 www.wwaa.info/wwaa.htm admissions@warnborough.edu Washington University UK Alumni Club Steven Leof, steven@leof.co.uk alumni.wustl.edu/Community/Pages/London.aspx www.facebook.com/groups/WUSTLLondon www.linkedin.com/groups/Washington-Universityin-St-Louis-6966904 Wellesley College Club www.wellesley.edu/alumnae/groups/clubs/intlclubs/ wellesley_uk_club WCLondon@alum.wellesley.edu Wharton Alumni Club of the UK 020-7447-8800 www.whartonclubuk.net Williams Club of Great Britain Ethan Kline: ethankline@gmail.com, alumni. relations@williams.edu, alumni.williams.edu Yale Club of London President, president@yale.org.uk Secretary secretary@yale.org.uk www.yale.org.uk Zeta Tau Alpha Alumnae Kristin Morgan 07812 580949 kristinamorgan@gmail.com www.zetataualpha.org

CIVIL WAR SOCIETIES American Civil War Round Table (UK) American Civil War historical society Derek Young rebeldel55@icloud.com www.acwrt.org.uk Southern Skirmish Association (SoSkan) The oldest American Civil War Re-enacting Society outside the USA. www.soskan.co.uk membership@soskan.co.uk

ARTS American Actors UK 07873 371 891 admin@americanactorsuk.com www.americanactorsuk.com Savio(u)r Theatre Company Britain’s American theatre company www.saviourtheatrecompany.com

SPORTS English Lacrosse Wenlock Way, Manchester M12 5DH 0843 658 5006 info@englishlacrosse.co.uk www.englishlacrosse.co.uk British Baseball Federation / SoftballUK 5th Floor, Ariel House, 74a Charlotte Street, London W1T 4QJ 020 7453 7055 www.britishbaseball.org British Morgan Horse Society 01981 500488 admin@morganhorse.org.uk www.morganhorse.org.uk Ice Hockey UK 02920 263 441 ihukoffice@yahoo.co.uk www.icehockeyuk.co.uk Infinity Elite Cheerleading (founded by CAC) 077 9132 0115 infinityelite@yahoo.co.uk www.facebook.com/InfinityAllstars Herts Baseball Club Adult & Little League Baseball www.hertsbaseball.com Lakenheath Barracudas Swim Club Open to all military affiliated families. laken.barracudas@yahoo.com lakenheathbarracudas.com LondonSports American flag football, baseball, basketball and soccer, boys/girls, 4-15 all nationalities, new or experienced players. www.londonsports.com vll@me.com London Warriors American Football Club info@londonwarriorsafc.co.uk www.londonwarriorsafc.co.uk

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email sabrina@theamerican.co.uk

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Send profiles, news or articles about your organization for possible publication in The American. email sabrina@theamerican.co.uk, tel +44(0)1747 830520 Twitter @TheAmericanMag

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Coffee Break

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QUIZ

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➊ What does the 22nd Amendment codify? ➋ Who was the first US President to be born on US Soil? ➌ Which President could have been known as

7 2 6 5

President Blythe?

Andrew Johnson and Chester A. Arthur lack?

➎ Which US President notably used the election slogan:

“Don’t Swap Horses in the Middle of the Stream”? a) Abraham Lincoln b) Woodrow Wilson c) Dwight Eisenhower

➏ Ross Perot, an Independent candidate in the ‘92

Presidential Election, had what slogan: “Ross the ..” what? a) Cross b) Boss c) Hoss

How old must a candidate be to stand for US President? ➐

6

1 3 9

5 6 4

8 2 3 4 2

3

7 8

It happened 75 years ago...

➓ October 23, 1941: For those with long memories,

➑ Who is the youngest US President so far?

which Walt Disney animated film had its first release?

It happened 75 years ago...

It happened 50 years ago...

3

6

8

➍ What US Presidents John Tyler, Millard Fillmore,

9

➒ September 19, 1966: At a New York Press Conference, US ⓫ September 4, 1941: The USS Greer is the first US psychologist Timothy Leary, proponent of LSD,

ship fired upon by a German submarine in the announced the formation of The League for Spiritual war. Why did this increase tension?

Discovery. What was its very ‘60s six-word motto?

It happened 225 years ago...

Quiz answers and Sudoku solution on page 97 ⓬ September 9, 1791: which important US city was officially named (after the serving President)?

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Personal service

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