June 2014
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Heroes Remembered MLB & World Cup previews NFL Draft Analysis WIN Latitude & Battle Proms tickets, Buffalo Trace bourbon
PLUS: OUR EXCLUSIVE US/UK ORGANIZATIONS GUIDE
The American ®
Issue 733 June 2014 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 + Motors & Music michael@theamerican.co.uk Sabrina Sully, Content Director & Community Contact sabrina@theamerican.co.uk Daniel Byway, Content Executive dan@theamerican.co.uk Virginia E Schultz, Food & Drink (USA) virginia@theamerican.co.uk Michael M Sandwick, Food & Drink (UK) mms@theamerican.co.uk Mary Bailey, Social mary@theamerican.co.uk Alison Holmes, Politics alison@theamerican.co.uk Jarlath O’Connell, Theater jarlath@theamerican.co.uk Richard L Gale, Sports richard@theamerican.co.uk
©2014 Blue Edge Publishing Ltd. Printed by Advent Colour Ltd., www.advent-colour.co.uk ISSN 2045-5968 Main Cover: Final Tribute Photo ©National Memorial, VA; Circular Inset: Latitude Festival ©Marc Sethi; Square Inset: Miguel Cabrera ©Keith Allison
@TheAmericanMag
D
-Day. Four letters, but representing one of the biggest events in the history of Europe and the United States when Britain and America combined with our allies to create a massive force for good and rid the Continent of its Nazi occupiers. This month is the 70th anniversary of that fateful day and we mark it with a series of articles that I hope you will find illuminating and inspiring. We also remember the journalists who put themselves on the line day after day, sometimes paying the ultimate price, to bring us the news from the front line in the present day. Don’t forget that June is the deadline for US Federal Income Tax Returns, making estimated tax payments to the IRS, and submitting your FBAR - get the details on page 12. For your sports fix we’ve got a preview of the MLB summer, an NFL Draft review, a Soccer World Cup preview and our regular golf column. And we also have plenty of fun pieces suggesting great places to go during June, the start of the British summer... maybe take an umbrella just in case. Enjoy your magazine, Michael Burland, Content Director michael@theamerican.co.uk
Among this month’s contributors
Alex Morgan A warm welcome to a new theater reviewer, a Londonbased actor who studied psychology, which gives his reviews an interesting edge.
Carol Gould is an American journalist, author, filmmaker and broadcaster who has lived in the UK for years working and fighting anti-Americanism.
Richard L Gale The American’s Sports Editor goes all a-quiver: yes, it’s the NFL Draft 2014 and he’s sorted the Vitamin C from the Grade D .
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.
June 2014 1
The American • Issue 733• June 2014
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In This Issue... Regulars 4 6 10 27 32 34 36 39 46 56 57 65
News Diary Dates Features Wining & Dining Arts Choice Coffee Break Interview Reviews Sports Organization Profile American Organizations The A-List
Features 3 COMPETITION
Join the beautiful people at Latitude for music, comedy, theater and ballet on a floating platform
8 Peggy Lee Loves London
O ur elegant canine takes the air at the Serpentine in Hyde Park
10 Benjamin Franklin’s London
e track some of the places the early W American expat knew and lived in
12 Expat Tax Why June is an important month for PHOTO ©TIM HIPPS-FMWRC PUBLIC AFFAIRS
expats, and what you should do now
14 D-Day
The day that saw the beginning of the end of World War II. Read our special features on the Americans who gave their lives for our future
19 COMPETITION
Win tickets to Battle Proms: classical picnic prom concerts with an RAF Spitfire, cannons, cavalry and fireworks
22 English Gardens
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What is the British fascination with gardens and gardening?
27 Wining & Dining Good eating and drinking, plus a luscious
lobster club sandwich recipe
31 COMPETITION
Buffalo Trace bourbon is taking over Britain - enter our competition to win a bottle and some goodies
32 Arts Choice
Choice cuts from the art scene, including a fabulous selection of Dennis Hopper photos and modern arts in cathedrals
34 Coffee Break
Bob from High School visits The Johnsons
36 Helen Kirwan-Taylor
The half-American, half-Russian writer and artist chats about her life
39 Reviews
Something for everyone: Miss Saigon, Stevie, Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies, Meow Meow, All My Sons and Scooby Doo!
46 Sports The NFL Draft, NBL Preview, World Cup Preview and planning for a golfing world without Tiger
Latitude returns from 17th-20th July, for its ninth edition. Set in the stunning grounds of Henham Park, Suffolk, Latitude is unrivalled for the breadth, depth and quality of its arts programming, boasting the biggest names in music, comedy, theatre, dance, film, cabaret, literature, art and fashion, including ballet performances from Sadler’s Wells and theatre from the RSC, Royal Exchange and Forced Entertainment. Music headliners will be Two Door Cinema Club and Damon Albarn, with The Black Keys closing the festival in style on Sunday night with their first ever UK festival headline performance. Other top music acts include Kelis, Crystal Fighters, Mogwai, Lykke Li, Haim and Booker T. Jones. Away from the music stages, you can enjoy late night voodoo revelry in the mysterious wooded realm of Scoundrel’s Hollow, a run around the festival with Running Like A Girl author Alexandra Heminsley, wine tasting with Malcolm Gluck or a gondola ride around the central lake. And that’s not all: there’s plenty of activities for children and teenagers to enjoy in the dedicated Kids’ and Inbetweeners’ areas, from arts and music workshops to survival skills masterclasses and children’s theatre performances. For more details see www.latitudefestival.co.uk
WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS! Simply answer this question for a chance to win a pair of tickets to Latitude 2014.
Latitude 2013 won the accolade of ‘Best Line-Up’ in which prestigious awards? ANSWER A) The Grammys B) The UK Festival Awards C) The World Music Awards
PHOTO © MARC SETHI
PHOTO ©DANNY NORTH
HOW TO ENTER: Email your answer and your contact details (name, address and daytime telephone
number) to theamerican@blueedge.co.uk with LATITUDE COMPETITION in the subject line; or send a postcard to: LATITUDE COMPETITION, The American, Old Byre House, Millbrook Lane, East Knoyle, Salisbury SP3 6AW, UK; to arrive by mid-day June 30, 2014. You must be 18 years old or over to enter this competition. Only one entry per person per draw. The editor’s decision is final. No cash alternative. Tickets are not transferable. You are responsible for any travel, accommodation or other expenses.
The American
NEWS US Civilian’s Epic Channel Challenge with British Marines
K
eith Breslauer has completed a gruelling 90-nautical mile, (over 100 regular miles) 28-hour, cross-Channel kayaking trek. The American managing director of European property investment company Patron Capital took part in the event, part of the Royal Marines 1664 Challenge (www.1664challenge. co.uk) which also involves skiing, sailing, cycling, and running, and celebrates the 350th anniversary of the Royal Marines. They have so far raised over £215,000 to support disabled war veterans. Mr Breslauer said, “I’m immensely proud to have kayaked with the Marines from Normandy to Portsmouth, almost the reverse of the route their ship-borne comrades took on D-Day in 1944. The work that the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund does in helping active and retired Royal Marines to overcome the mental and physical scars of active service is exceptional and we were delighted to get involved as lead Royal Marines 1664 Challenge sponsor.”
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The core of the new US Embassy in Battersea, South London, takes shape PHOTO: US EMBASSY
New Embassy Construction On Track Ambassador Praises “Foundations”
I
n one of the biggest changes for the American community in Britain for years, the United States is building a new Embassy in London. It will be located in the Nine Elms area of Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth. Nine Elms may not be a well-known name but think of it as just down the road from the famous Battersea Power Station (four large chimneys, Pink Floyd’s Animals album cover). The site was purchased in 2008 and construction is scheduled to be completed in 2017 - and is on track, as can be seen in the photograph above. At a speech at the site in April, Ambassador Matthew Barzun poked gentle fun at some of the people who have criticized the new Embassy, who fall into three ‘small but loud’ categories, he said. First, the “Bronze statue brigade, who are horrified that we could be leaving Grosvenor Square after more than 200 years of ‘Little America’ there. We have Ronald Reagan, we’ve got Ike, we’ve got FDR, Churchill... how could you? That’s basically their argument.” Amid much laughter he continued, “The next group are the political junkies... who are obsessed
with the daily ups and downs of this Special Relationship between our two countries. They are convinced that the only reason we are moving here is to get out of a certain Congestion Tax Zone. Nothing will dissuade them, no talk of regeneration will convince them. The third and final group I would classify as the Special Relationship cynics. These folks think that it is a G2 world - the US and China - so what are you doing building this massive thing here? Why don’t you just go rent a floor, or better yet just an office, on Canary Wharf? Needless to say I think this small group is wrong.” The Ambassador praised the infectious enthusiasm for the scheme of Mayor Boris Johnson, and reflected on the foundations: “British workers laying American foundations on British land that will technically become American soil. I love that back and forth. and it is a great symbol of our Special Relationship. This building is a faith in that friendship. Our move south is not only the literal foundations here but the new foundations of trust and respect and understanding between the citizens of our two great democracies.”
The American
Reaching for the stars? PHOTO: ANDREW PARSONS, I-IMAGES
Boris for PM... then President?
Sir Robert Rogers
B
T
oris Johnson, Mayor of London, has renewed his US passport. This may come as a surprise to Americans and Britons who did not know of his dual nationality, but he was born in New York City. It may also surprise those who did know, as eight years ago he announced that he would give up his US citizenship after security officials barred him from using his British passport to change planes while in Texas. But could this most ambitious politician (ignore the wayward hair and jokey, scatty image), who many believe is aiming for the top political job in Britain, also gun for the highest role in the US? On the BBC’s website, Tom de Castella details the rules. Boris could become Prime Minister. A dual passport is no impediment. One only has to be a citizen of the UK, the Republic of Ireland or the Commonwealth, and over 18, to
stand as an MP, then “command the confidence of the House of Commons and be invited by the Crown to form a government”, according to Prof. John Curtice of Strathclyde University. In the USA, anyone born in the US, aged over 35 and resident for 14 years is eligible to be President. In 2006, Boris wrote in the Spectator magazine, “...it has sometimes crossed my mind that I could yet activate the Schwarzenegger option and flee to the land of opportunity, perhaps beginning as a short-order chef in Miami before winding up as Colorado senator and, inevitably, president.” Boris was born in 1964. We’ve done the math: if he replaced David Cameron and won the next UK general election he could serve a term as Prime Minster, move to the States and 14 years later run for President at the age of 69. Watch this space!
he Clerk of the House & Chief Executive of the House of Commons retires at the end of August after 42 years of service. Sir Robert Rogers wrote a fascinating, witty article in our March 2014 issue explaining his role in the Mother of Parliaments and “the dignified framework of dress and ceremony which creates the space for the rough and tumble of definitely unceremonious politics!” We wish him a long and happy retirement. IMAGE © UK PARLIAMENT
The American
Your Guide To The Month Ahead
See our full events listings online at www.theamerican.co.uk List your event in The American – email editor@theamerican.co.uk or call us on +44 (0)1747 830520
American Museum in Britain Claverton Manor, Bath BA2 7BD www.americanmuseum.org 01225 460503 The only museum outside the US to showcase the nation’s decorative arts. Permanent: The Colourful World of Kaffe Fassett; New World, Old Maps, historic maps of America; Quilting Bees every Tuesday; kids’ & craft activities. This month: June 5th Self-Taught Genius: A History of Black Portraiture in America; 14th Herbal Medicine in Colonial America Workshop; 15th Music with guitarist and banjo player Paul Hill; 26th Planting the Roots - The Invention of Jazz, Blues, and American Folksong.
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Here’s just a short selection of mad events for June. For more, see www.theamerican.co.uk and click on Diary Dates Lords vs Commons Tug of War Westminster Abbey College Gardens, London SW1P 3PA www.macmillan.org.uk/tugofwar June 3 The Houses of Parliament have been synonymous with power struggles for centuries. The annual Tug of War in Westminster College Gardens is a thrilling competition for members of the House of Commons to compete with members of the House of Lords to decide which Chamber is crowned Tug Champion. Nettle Fest The Bottle Inn, Marshwood, Bridport, Dorset DT6 5QJ www.bottle-inn.net June 7 Widely known as the World Nettle Eating Championships, the event stems from a contest between two farmers as to who had the longest stinging nettles. One brought in a nettle over 15 foot long and said if anyone had a longer one, he would eat his. They had. He did. Now each year Nettle Fest challenges others to take part.
Man v Horse Race Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys, Wales www.green-events.co.uk
June 14 Riders compete against runners over a 22 mile course over farm tracks, footpaths, forestry roads and moorland. In 2004 – for the first time in the history of the race — a man crossed the finish line before the first horse and claimed the £25,000 prize. The last 5 years have been dominated by the horse – who will win in 2014?
Swamp Soccer World Championships Blairmore, Argyll, Scotland June 28 to 29 For those who’d like an alternative to the 2014 World Cup, the rules of swamp soccer are similar to the regular game, with a few exceptions. Each team has just six players (a goalkeeper & five outfield players) with unlimited substitutions, and of course it all takes place on a swampy surface. Games last for 24 minutes in total (12 minutes each way) and fancy dress is allowed! World Egg Throwing Competition On the B1394 between Helpringham and Swaton, Lincolnshire NG34 0RF www.swatonvintageday.com June 29 Contestants construct gravity-powered egg-hurling devices which team members must catch unbroken or be struck by – eggs can travel at up to 120 mph! Also Russian Egg Roulette in which participants select from five hard boiled eggs and one raw egg – and smash them on their foreheads. What else? Held at the Swaton Vintage Day. SOSKAN American Civil War Events Various, UK www.soskan.co.uk The Southern Skirmish Association aim to educate and entertain with re-enactments of battles from the American Civil War. Among June’s events, SOSKAN will be appearing at Hoburne Bashley (7th – 14th June) and Scrubbs Farm (28th & 29th June). See website for further details.
THE AMERICAN MUSEUM IN BRITAIN Housed in Georgian splendor, co-founded by an American, the museum showcases America’s decorative arts. Exhibitions, workshps, Quilt collection. 01225 460503 www.americanmuseum.org
GARY POWELL’S LONDON WALKS American Walk - London’s US connections new for 2014 John Wesley’s London - Methodist Movement Founder www.garypowellauthor.co.uk +44 (0)7738 426017 powellgary_54@yahoo.co.uk
UNIQUE BRITISH TOURS Specialises in 17 Unusual Theme Tours such as The American Connection, Crimes, Curiosities & Eccentrics and Ghosts, Witches and Legends. +44 (0)1293 823566 enquiries@uniquebritishtours.co.uk www.uniquebritishtours.co.uk
GREENWICH ROYAL TOURS Fun and informative walking tours of historic Greenwich, London’s secret gardens, Law in London, and new for 2014, Shakespeare tours. www.greenwichroyaltours.com UK: 0800 542 1200 bookings@greenwichroyaltours.com
BERKELEY CASTLE (Gloucestershire) Visit the oldest castle lived in by the original family. American, Royalty and Shakespeare connections. Special events throughout the year. www.berkeley-castle.com +44 (0)1453 810 303 david.exworth@berkeley-castle.com
OLD COUNTRY MILITARY & HISTORY TOURS INC. UK, Europe, USA : Military, Kings & Queens, homes & gardens, art & architecture, genealogy. Relaxing, informative personalised tours.
THE MAYFLOWER (Rotherhithe) The co-owner of this stunning ancient pub captained The Mayflower, which set off from here in 1620. Decked jetty & upstairs candle-lit restaurant. Open 11am - 11pm Mon-Sun. Booking advisable.
SOUTHWARK CATHEDRAL A priory established in 1106, parish church from 1540, now a South London cathedral, with strong American connections. +44 (0) 20 7367 6734 cathedraltours@southwark.anglican.org
0207 237 4088 info@mayflowerrotherhithe.com
+44 (0) 1747 828719 www.oldcountrytours.com
The American
The American’s expatriate canine UK correspondent gets out in the sun
You don’t have to be German to get the deckchairs first. But I am a Pudelhund.
PHOTO © KATRINA LESKANICH
The Serpentine Bar & Kitchen Hyde Park, London W2 2UH 020 7706 8114 O Hyde Park Corner, Marble Arch, Knightsbridge Buses: 10, 452, 9, 52, 73, 74, 16, 36 www.serpentinebarandkitchen.com
T
he world’s first international fair, the Great Exhibition in 1851, was held in Hyde Park – now London’s biggest central venue for classical concerts and pop festivals. To the north of the park is Speakers’ Corner,
8 June 2014
where open-air public speaking and discussion or heckling is a popular Sunday activity. The Serpentine Gallery is a small but very popular gallery for modern and contemporary art and each year commissions an international architect to design its summer pavilion. The Serpentine bar & kitchen, a distinctive ‘60s modernist building designed by Patrick Gwynne, serves English country cooking and overlooks the Serpentine Lake, which hosted some of the swimming events in the London 2012 Olympics.
BUY THE BOOK: Extract from the book Peggy Lee Loves London, available on Amazon. Signed copies can be ordered from Katrina’s website www.katrinasweb.com/shop
PHOTO © GARY POWELL
The American
Americans in Britain:
Benjamin Franklin Gary Powell discovers the London haunts of a Transatlantic hero
It is the working man who is the happy man It is the idle man who is the miserable man Benjamin Franklin (1706 to 1790)
T
his greatest of Americans, Benjamin Franklin, born in Boston, Massachusetts, crossed the Atlantic to London, England aged 19 years in order to expand his knowledge of the printing trade. He was apprenticed as a typesetter to a printing firm in Smithfield, City of London; an area synonymous with the printing and stationary industry. Franklin returned to America and set up his own printing firm, becoming such a successful businessman he was able to retire at the age of 43 years. Now financially secure, Franklin concentrated his formidable creative intelligence to the world of invention and experimentation. Many people, both sides of the Atlantic, wrongly believe Franklin to be a former American president; let’s be honest, as the founder of the American library system, an author, an inventor (Franklin stove, swimming fins, bifocal glasses, the glass armonica), civic activist, economist, diplomat, first United States Postmaster General and a scientist (a pioneer in the field of electricity), where would he have found the time!
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Franklin returned to London in 1757 where his interest in politics grew; he became a political mediator between the British and American governments at a time when the ‘special relationship’ was non-existent, often addressing the British parliament on political and social issues of the day. He lodged at No.36 Craven Street, Westminster, between 1757 and 1775, a house that is now dedicated to the life of Franklin and the only remaining Franklin residence to survive either side of the Atlantic. Shocking discoveries of human remains – all showing signs of mutilation – were discovered in the basement of No.36 in 1998. The culprit was probably a fellow tenant of Franklin’s; surgeon and anatomist William Hewson (1739-74) who opened a school of anatomy in the basement, the wretched corpses he dissected would have originated from the filthy River Thames only yards away. At the commencement of the American War of Independence (1775-83) Franklin returned to America and assisted in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence
before being appointed the first American ambassador to France at the Court of Louis XVI. However, this was not the end of his influence in British/American politics as he was a prominent figure in the drafting and ratification of the Treaty of Paris 1783, in which the United Kingdom recognised the independence of the United States. A plaque, that reflects Franklin’s contribution to this piece of political history, can be viewed at former American president John Adams’ house at No. 9, Grosvenor Square. Franklin’s impact on the creation of modern America is well documented, but one should not forget his significant contribution to British politics, social history and the world of science. Gary Powell is a retired London detective; he is the author of Square London, a social history of the London square. His latest book Death in Disguise is published in October 2014 (History Press). He also conducts several walks around the darker side of London. garypowellauthor.co.uk
The American
Benjamin Franklin (circa 1785) Portrait by Joseph Siffrein Duplessis
June 2014 11
The American
Expat Tax Why June is an important month for US Expats. Sam Ashley from Montage Services explains
F
or many Americans April 15 is “Tax Day” when their individual income tax returns are due to the IRS. However, when you are a US Citizen and you are resident overseas you also need to consider some important dates in June each year. Here we have explained the key filings in June and what you, as a US citizen, need to consider this month: 1) US Federal Income Tax Return - due June 15th 2) 2014 Estimated Income tax payments – 2nd payment due June 15th 3) Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) – due June 30th
to file, however, each state has their own regulations which would need to be reviewed.
Income Tax Returns in June
If you did not pay enough tax throughout the year, either through withholding or by making estimated tax payments, you may have to pay a penalty for underpayment of estimated tax. Generally, most taxpayers will avoid this penalty if they owe less than $1,000 in tax after subtracting their withholdings and credits, or if they paid at least 90% of the tax for the current year, or 100% of the tax shown on the return for the prior year, whichever is smaller.
As a US citizen overseas on April 15 you may qualify for an automatic extension of time to file your tax return through to June 15. So if you have not already filed your tax returns you still have time to file the return or an extension of time to file and not be subject to IRS late filing penalties. You should note that the automatic extension only extends the time you have to file the tax return, not pay the tax due. If you do have a liability, you will be charged interest on that liability from April 15. The same may also apply to any state returns that you are required
12 June 2014
Estimated Income Tax Payments
Generally you are required to make estimated income tax payments if you expect your liability, after subtracting US taxes paid and any credits, to exceed $1,000. The estimated payments, usually of 4 equal amounts to total your estimated liability, are due on the following dates each year April 15 June 15 September 15 January 15
What is an FBAR?
The FBAR is an annual report which is filed with the United States
Treasury (not the IRS) showing your foreign bank accounts and foreign financial accounts. The report includes details of the maximum value of the account, the type of account, the account number, the name and address of the financial institution that the account is held with. The report is an informational form and there is no tax calculated on this form. The report is filed in addition to the form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets, which is included with your income tax return if required. If you have filed your Report of Foreign Bank Account in previous years you will be familiar with Form TDF90-22.1 which is completed and mailed to the IRS each year. From September 1, 2013 this filing has changed and is now FinCEN Form 114 which must be electronically filed. The Department of Treasury no longer accepts paper filings of Form TDF90-22.1.
Who Needs to File an FBAR
If you are a United States Person with a financial interest in or signature authority over foreign financial accounts with aggregate balances exceeding $10,000 at any point during the tax year you are required to file an FBAR using form FinCEN form 114. A United States Person is not only a US Citizen or Resident, but also can include:
PHOTO ©JAMES STEIDL, FOTOLIA
The American
• An entity created or organized in the United States or under the laws of the United States. The term “entity” includes but is not limited to, a corporation, partnership, and limited liability company; • A trust formed under the laws of the United States; or • An estate formed under the laws of the United States. A financial account for this purpose does not only include your savings and checking accounts, but also any securities accounts, insurance policies that have a cash value and mutual funds. You should note that it is the aggregate balance of all accounts that is counted towards meeting the $10,000 filing threshold. For example, if you have four foreign accounts with balances as shown below, you are required to file an FBAR reporting all four accounts: Account 1 Balance $5,000 Account 2 Balance $1,000 Account 3 Balance $0 Account 4 Balance $4,000 Total Balance $10,000 As explained later, the penalties for non-filing can be harsh so care
FINANCIAL
should be taken when preparing these forms.
How and when to file an FBAR
As we have mentioned, the FBAR is now filed online using FinCEN 114, no paper filings will be accepted. You must have the forms filed by June 30, 2014. Unlike the income tax returns, there are no extensions for filing an FBAR. As this is a new on-line procedure this year, you should expect that the system will suffer some difficulties towards the filing deadline date. The reports are filed directly with the United States Treasury via their website (bsaefiling.fincen.treas. gov). Montage Services can assist you to prepare and submit the FBAR filings prior to the deadline, and can also assist you with your individual income tax returns
What are the penalties?
The penalties that can be assessed on the FBAR filing differ based on if the IRS believe that the non-reporting of your account was a non-willful or willful violation. A willful failure to file an FBAR could result in a financial penalty that would be the greater of
$100,000 or 50% of the amount in the account at the time of the violation A non willful failure to file could result in a penalty of $10,000 for each violation. It is important to note that the penalties are charged both per account and per year. Therefore a taxpayer with several accounts could very quickly be subject to very large penalties.
Montage Services www.montageservices.com provides both individual and corporate international and domestic tax services. The firm has offices in San Francisco, Houston, London, Toronto and Berlin. For all of your US tax needs in Europe please contact Sam Ashley at Montage Services. Tel +44 (0) 20 300 46353 or Email sam@montage-services.com. Any U.S. tax advice contained in the body of this article was not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed under the Internal Revenue Code or applicable state or local tax law provisions.
June 2014 13
The American
The Bedford Boys: D–Day Heroes
Derek Young tells the story of the small–town Americans who led the way and paid the price on June 6th, 1944.
O
n June 5th 1944, America had been at war against the forces of Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany for two days short of three and a half years. Their sons, brothers, fathers, nephews, uncles, friends and neighbors who were fighting, were two oceans away from home and they fought on the sea, in the air and on land for the freedoms that were precious to so many people who were living under enemy occupation. What the folks at home did not know, as they went to sleep that night, was that the invasion to free Europe had already begun! In the ports and harbors all around the South of England there are gathered over 6,200 vessels to lead the land invasion of France, there are 4,125 landing craft, or ‘Higgins boats’ named after their inventor based in New Orleans, these are protected by more than 1,210 warships and this mighty armada and army will be supplied by 864 merchant vessels carrying men and supplies. The first Americans to land in France were the men of the two parachute divisions, the 82nd ‘Screaming Eagles’ and the 101st ‘All American’ who had taken off from airbases carrying over 13,400 men
14 June 2014
towards the objectives in France. The main objective for the 101st is the town of Saint Mère Eglise, the 82nd’s is to capture the causeways that cross the flooded land behind the beach soon to become famous as ‘Utah,’ where the 4th Infantry division is due to land. There are units of three American infantry divisions heading towards their designated beaches in Normandy. The 4th will land more than a mile from its designated target but, facing only light resistance, 57 year old Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr., the oldest man to land that day, will make the decision and announce ‘We’ll start the war from here’. Troops landing at Utah Beach will suffer the lowest casualties of all on D–Day. The other two American Infantry divisions – the 1st, Big Red One, so named after their distinctive divisional badge, and the 29th, the Blue and the Grey, a reference to the unit’s Civil War National Guard origins – will not fare as well. They will hit ‘Omaha’ beach. The beach is more than five miles long with steep bluffs to the rear. These bluffs are almost 150 feet high in some places and there are only five natural gullies, or draws, leading up
from the beach. These exits are protected by fifteen German strongpoints, consisting of light artillery pieces, machine guns and concrete emplacements protected by mines and barbed wire. The Allied plan called for these defences to be flattened by a bombing raid as the troops approached the beach. Naval gunfire has been directed to destroy bunkers and gun emplacements but this will be ineffective also. Specially designed amphibious tanks of the 743rd Tank Battalion which were supposed to accompany the infantry onto the beach have been launched too far out to sea and most have sunk in the six foot waves; only three will make it onto the beach – the infantry will be going in alone. One unit will epitomise the sacrifice of America on 6th June 1944 – the men of A Company, First Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment from the 29th Infantry division, also known as the ‘Bedford Boys’. The majority of the 200 men in A Company came from Bedford, a small town in West Virginia, a town that before the war had a population around 3,000 people. This was a close knit community where everyone knew everybody, they went
The American
Into the Jaws of Death BY ROBERT F. SARGENT. Men of Company E, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division land from an assault craft in one of the first waves onto Omaha Beach
to school together, they worked together and socialised together. They also joined the National Guard together, the dollar they were paid for attending drill and their smart uniforms were welcome in a community that suffered from the Depression throughout the 1930s. The Company was almost more of a social gathering than a military unit, but when the call came after Pearl Harbour, the Boys were in for the duration. There were five sets of brothers in the company, Ray and Bedford Hoback, Harold and John Wilkes, Henry and Jack Powers, Roy and Ray Stevens and Earl and Joseph Parker. Joseph was transferred to Company ‘F’ prior to the D–Day landings. The Stevens brothers were twins and Earl Parker was the only one of the Bedford Boys to have children prior to the landings in France. These
boys from this small community were to lead America’s assault on the beaches of Northern France. For that privilege they would pay a terrible price. Company A was deployed in six boats and headed for the beach at 04:30. It was still dark but the first rays of sunshine were appearing on the eastern horizon as the boats made ten knots heading for the shore. Their landing time was 06:36 and the Royal Navy’s Lt. Jimmy Green felt sure he would deliver the Boys on time as they ploughed through the choppy waters. On the way in they passed a group of LCTs (landing craft tank) heading slowly, too slowly, toward the beach. A Company would arrive ahead of the tanks, which were vital in the plan for destroying German resistance on the beach. This was not a good omen as the landing
craft continued in towards the landing zone. By the time the landing craft began the final approach, most of the occupants were seasick, badly seasick. The rockets that were supposed to blast the German defences flew over the heads of A Company only to land harmlessly in the water, no danger to the defenders who now opened up on the approaching assault landing craft with mortars and artillery. To add to the mayhem, LCT No. 911 began to take on water and started to sink. The five remaining craft continued towards the shore – the men in 911 would have to fend for themselves for now. An eerie quiet descended on the five remaining craft as they headed for the shore. The ramps of the craft were lowered and the men moved forward into the cold water and headed for the beach. The Ger-
June 2014 15
The American The author’s collection includes an invasion map and photographs of the Bedford Boys and US troops taking cover behind German defenses on D-Day PHOTO © DEREK YOUNG
man guns remained silent, as the Bedford Boys, led by Captain Fellers, closed up to within 200 yards of their target, Vierville Draw, and waited. It was open beach between them and their goal, Fellers gave the order to advance and as they did the Germans opened up with rifle, machine gun and mortar fire. It was not a battle, it was a massacre. Within a minute, quicker than it takes to tell, Fellers was dead along with 28 others from his landing craft, and the fight had only just begun. A second craft hit the beach. Down went the ramp and in came the German fire, fast, furious and deadly accurate. Only a few of these men made it across the sand to the shelter of the sea wall. It took less than ten minutes to land A company on the beach and, as a fighting unit, it was destroyed in about the same time, but the 29th Boys kept coming – there would be no going back from this beach. The wounded laying on the beach came in with the tide, trying to stay low to avoid the enemy snipers and machine gunners. Everyone on that beach, dead and alive, were targets. Many of the wounded, unable to swim or move, drowned as the incoming tide swept over them, ending their suffering on that bloody beach. At 07:00, Company B arrived and the whole macabre scene began again, but this time there were fewer Germans and more of the Boys made it onto the beach and the relative safety of the sea wall. By the end of the day Omaha beach was in American hands. A long narrow strip of France had been won but at a terrible cost. By the close of the day, 19 boys and
16 June 2014
men from Bedford were dead. Many others were wounded and more would fall in the coming days in France. The news of the invasion was the talk of America and news of the cost was yet to arrive. It was not until July 6th that the people of Bedford had confirmation that their boys had been in the first wave. Some realised that the casualties would be high, all hoped that their kin would be safe. The first news arrived by telegram on Sunday July 6th. Soon after, 20 homes had the Gold Star Decoration adorning their windows, for a ‘Gold Star Mother’ who had given her son. The number would continue to climb throughout the summer. It would be the end of July before Bedford would know that 19 of its sons had been killed on 6th June. Nearby Lynchburg suffered heavily too but no town gave more than Bedford – some families gave twice as neither of the Parker or Hoback brothers would see home again. By the end of D–Day, the US army was ashore, but it would take 10 more months to defeat the Germans. Many more would fall but no small town would suffer the losses of Bedford. In time the town would recover to be reckoned by some as ‘The best little town in America.’ It’s difficult to argue with that.
D-Day Events in Normandy
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ormandy, the site of the Allied invasion and liberation of Europe is holding many events to commemorate and celebrate the 70th anniversary, starting this month and continuing through the summer. Find full details and dates at www.the70th-normandy.com, but highlights include: Exhibitions at Fermanville, Divessur-Mer; Cresserons and SaintCôme-du-Mont; The Freedom Tattoo procession and parade, Saint-Lô; In the Footsteps of the Commandos, Sword Beach; They Were the First, documentary, Pegasus Memorial; Concert for Peace, Sainte-Mère-Église; D-Day Normandy 1944, 3D Imax film, Caen Zénith; Parachute show, La Fière near Sainte-Mère-Église; Liberation Ball, Fermanville; Giant picnic on Omaha beach, SaintLaurent-sur-Mer; Ceremony of Peace, Sainte-Mère-Église; 39-45 conference, Fécamp; Concert for Freedom, Lisieux; Service for Peace, Merville gun battery; The Atlantic Wall conference at Azeville gun battery, Utah Beach; Lights of Liberty sound and light show, Bayeux cathedral; Franco-German Encounters concert, Lisieux; Tour of Cherbourg in vintage cars.
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Left to right; ‘Final Tribute’ sculpture; Victory Arch; detail of the Assault Tableau
The National D-Day Memorial
The US remembers its D-Day heroes at a poignant memorial in Virginia
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n sleepy little Bedford, Virginia, stands The National D-Day Memorial, commemorating ‘the valor, fidelity, and sacrifice of the Allied Armed Forces who landed in Normandy, France on June 6, 1944.’ Bedford, population 3,200 in 1944, was the home of the Bedford Boys: Company A of the 116th Infantry Regiment, the only National Guard contingent to land in the first wave of D-Day. Of its 170 men, 91 men died, 64 were wounded, and only 15 were able to continue fighting by the end of the day. Of the 35 Bedford soldiers in the company, 19 died on D-Day, thus accounting for the highest per capita loss from any single community in the United States. In the largest military operation ever undertaken, 2,499 Americans and 1,914 allies lost their lives, 4,413 in all, on June 6 alone. Placed outside of Washington, D.C., the Memorial represents all communities, large and small, whose citizen-soldiers answered the nation’s call to arms. At the dedicatory ceremony on June 6, 2001 President George W. Bush, Jr. said,
18 June 2014
“You have raised a fitting memorial to D-Day, and you have put it in just the right place - not on a battlefield of war, but in a small Virginia town, a place like so many others that was home to the men and women who helped liberate a continent.” The Monument’s three plazas each commemorates a specific stage in the invasion. The English Garden connects the site with England, in particular Southwick House, site of the Allied headquarters and for the invasion. Here the patch worn by the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Force is depicted in a large floral display. Cast in bronze nearby is Eisenhower’s Order of the Day, issued to every D-Day participant. An English Folly houses a larger-than-life-size statue of Gen. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the invasion forces. The Invasion Tableau, a bluegray expanse, symbolizes the channel crossing from England to France. In a landing scene, a granite representation of a landing craft sits at the edge of a large pool by a sandy beach. Three life-size bronze sculptures, ‘Through the Surf,’ ‘Across
the Beach,’ and ‘Death on Shore’ capture scenes of the landing. Airjets beneath the water create the illusion of enemy fire in the water around the soldiers who appear to be moving toward a heavy concrete German bunker. Nearby tributes honor the Navy, Coast Guard, and Air Corps who participated in the invasion. The names of those Americans killed on June 6, 1944 are inscribed on bronze plaques along the Necrology Wall. Victory Plaza features a 44-foot, 6-inch tall Victory Arch inscribed with the word “OVERLORD,” the operational name for the invasion of Normandy. Centered beneath the arch is ‘Final Tribute,’ a bronze rendering of a soldier’s battlefield grave marker. The code names of the five D-Day landing beaches are inscribed in a semicircle around the arch base and the flags of the 12 Allied nations that participated in the invasion - the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, and the United Kingdom fly proudly above. www.dday.org
The American
The Battle Proms
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Open Air Picnic Concerts
The Battle Proms Open Air Picnic Concerts make the Perfect Summer Celebration for 2014, and The American has 3 pairs of tickets to give away and an exclusive discount for you!
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he Battle Proms are back for another explosive season at stunning locations around the country, including Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill and Highclere Castle, setting of hit ITV series Downton Abbey. These stately settings provide the perfect backdrop for a summer celebration with sublime classical music complemented by fireworks, Spitfire, cannons and cavalry! This year the thrilling mounted skill-at-arms display by an expert cavalry troop will be carried out in WW1 regalia to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, just one of many elements in the 2014 programme which will be paying homage to this important historical anniversary. And of course there will be a rousing rendition of the Battle Proms signature piece – Beethoven’s Battle Symphony – performed as he intended with the full complement of 193 live firing cannon providing a thunderous percussion! The Battle Proms Picnic Concerts are probably the only place in the world where you will be able to enjoy such a spectacular musical experience this summer.
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Widely regarded as one of the most exciting summer proms concerts in the country, this is an event that fans return to year after year, to enjoy a romantic evening as a couple, a memorable night out with friends or for a significant celebration.
Burghley House, Lincolnshire July 5 Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire July 12 Hatfield House, Hertfordshire July 19 Highclere Castle, Berkshire
August 2
Ragley Hall, Warwickshire
August 16
EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT: Tickets cost £35 in advance, £40 on the day, but readers of The American can get a £2 per ticket discount by quoting AMPROMS14 at checkout. For more information, or to book tickets, visit www.battleproms.com
For a chance of winning a pair of tickets for the Battle Prom of your choice, email your name, address and daytime telephone number to theamerican@blueedge.co.uk with BATTLE PROMS in the subject line; or send a postcard to BATTLE PROMS, The American, Old Byre House, Millbrook Lane, East Knoyle, Salisbury SP3 6AW, UK, to arrive by mid-day June 30, 2014. You must be 18 years old or over to enter this competition. Only one entry per person per draw. The editor’s decision is final. No cash alternative. Tickets are for The Battle Proms performances and are not transferable. You are responsible for any travel, accommodation or other expenses.
The American
D–Day 70th: Lest We Forget
Carol Gould remembers those who gave their lives to liberate Europe
The threat they faced : Field Marshal Rommel with soldiers of the 21st Panzer Division, part of Germany’s ‘Fortress Europe’ defenses
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-Day, June 6th 1944, which we commemorate every year, celebrates the ‘beginning of the end,’ in Churchill’s words, of the tyranny of fascism and Nazism in World War II. Sadly, in 2014 we are compelled to reflect upon the hideous issues that continue to crop up across the globe. Syria is a massive ruin after three years of civil war. Since the Second World War country after country and region after region has found itself engulfed in internecine conflict or war. As this goes to press Boko Haram, an Islamist extremist sect, is wreaking death and destruction in Nigeria. D-Day, June 6th, 1944, and the weeks that followed saw staggering carnage in Nazi-occupied France. They were as important in world history as the events of 1066. Indeed, the Overlord Embroidery, which adorns the walls of the D-Day Museum in Portsmouth, is modelled after the Bayeaux Tapestry and represents the free world’s salvation in the face of the horrors of a Hitlerian empire. The Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944 was the largest deployment of an expeditionary
20 June 2014
force in human history and meant the future of mankind was in the balance. Dwight Eisenhower, the Allied Supreme Commander, had a chilling speech in his pocket prepared for the eventuality of defeat. Had he and Bernard Montgomery, the commander of the invasion’s ground forces, failed we would not be fretting over the future life of Strictly Come Dancing or spending endless media hours discussing who would succeed David Moyes at Manchester United. We would not be lionising celebrity chefs or waiting anxiously for news of the Beckhams’ latest house move. Had the men of Normandy 1944 failed we could have been plunged into a Thousand Year Reich. Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin and their military commanders did not allow this to happen. In recent years friends raging at me at dinner parties have roundly condemned FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt for being ‘antiSemitic’ and ‘card carrying Communists’ but I will never shrink from defending them as guardians of freedom in the darkest age modern man has ever known. Interestingly on a pilgrimage to Portsmouth - a city from which thousands of Americans departed for their ultimate sacrifice - in 2013, the young English cab driver did
not know it was 69 years since the invasion of Normandy, the largest armada in 835 years, had unfolded. It should be taught in schools so that its significance to free nations will never be forgotten. On these trips I often meet the dwindling contingent of British D-Day veterans who gather on June 6th to remember the thousands of their fallen comrades-in-arms. In 2009 I met a British D-Day veteran who was still furious with the United States even after sixtyfive years. Having detected my American accent, he fulminated about Roosevelt not entering the war early enough and imposing a huge debt upon Britain that it only finished repaying in 2008. What I found interesting was his observation that America wasted no time in going to war in Afghanistan but that in 1940 it left Britain to stand up to Hitler alone for two terrible years. He was not willing to talk about this to my video camera, but said he needed to get it off his chest, sixty-five years of rage. He was not moved by the fact that over 9,000 young Americans lie under crosses and stars at Omaha Beach. Reasoning with him that the United States invaded Afghanistan because it had been attacked on September 11th, 2001 made no difference. He
The dangerous dash to the beach on D-Day
PHOTO ROBERT CAPA
was determined to paint America as almost criminally negligent in its refusal to come to Britain’s aid as soon as war was declared in 1939. This is an accusation I have heard for the thirty-eight years in which I have lived in Britain. Watching the film The Gathering Storm, one is acutely aware of the total lack of preparedness in Britain and Europe in the Wilderness Years as Hitler marched across the Continent and the Channel Islands. (When I was researching my book, Spitfire Girls, I discovered that Germany was training future Luftwaffe aces at flying clubs for many years before the outbreak of World War II because the Treaty of Versailles had forbidden German militarisation.) The only individuals other than Winston Churchill who had a clear understanding of the Hell the Führer was about to perpetrate on humanity were the Jehovah‘s Witnesses. Noone listened. I always attend the annual service held in Portsmouth Cathedral to commemorate the anniversary of D-Day. On one of these occasions the Chaplain of the British Army gave the address and recounted a trip he had taken with his young children to Sachsenhausen concentration camp. He said he had in recent years been asked if the
huge loss of life on D-Day had made sense. He said the unspeakable atrocities in the camp, in which Jehovah’s Witnesses and political dissidents among others had been incarcerated alongside Jews, would have become our daily life had the Allies not triumphed on D-Day and in the subsequent battles. Another veteran was moved to tears as I tried to film him telling his story. He began to sob talking about the death of his Commanding Officer and I ended up gripping his hand with one of mine whilst holding my video camera with the other. All of the octogenarian veterans I met live the Normandy Invasion as if it were yesterday. Their grief is real and searing. The grim tally of deaths was staggering: 435,000 killed, wounded or missing in action on both sides in just the Battle of Normandy alone. As I walked around Portsmouth I could sense the presence of the tens of thousands of young men who never came back to this coastal city. An RAF fly-past had dropped one million poppies and they kept appearing for days - on the windowsill of my guest house, on the beach, on the ledge of the ATM machine, on the tracks of Southsea railway station. As I watched them blow in the wind
I realised each one represented a dead serviceman or woman. I bent down to pick one up but it seemed to get its own life and pull away from me. I then tried another but it pulled away: as if to say, ‘I don’t want to be separated from my buddy.’ In 2004 I went to Omaha Beach and looked out at those seemingly endless fields of crosses. Somehow these poppies were even more poignant. The ghosts of those brave and painfully young men of June hover over Britain, Europe and the free world as we go about our easy lives. In the wake of the raging conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East and Africa we are reminded that extremism is still in our midst and that tyranny can come to our shores. May we never forget the sacrifice of the men of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. May we always be proud of the dynamic and free society in which we live and be ready to defend it.
Carol Gould has written for The Guardian, The Jewish Chronicle and The Daily Telegraph; she is the author of Spitfire Girls and Don’t Tread on Me - Anti-Americanism Abroad and has appeared on BBC Any Questions? and many other UK broadcasts. Carbeth@go53.freeserve.co.uk June 2014 21
Britain’s in Bloom The American
Mary Bailey discusses the British obsession with gardening
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ne of the few things to take seriously during your time over here in Britain, apart of course from the weather, is gardening. Many a supper party has had its conversation switched from politics or war towards the more immediately important question of the flowering of late dahlias. Of course if your hostess thinks this will calm everyone down so that they appreciate her salmon mousse, she may be wrong. The British interest in growing things is partly due to the gentle climate and fertile soil. It is historic, and started with thorned hedges round prehistoric residential sites. The Garden History Society (GHS) is the oldest society in the world dedicated to the conservation and study of historic gardens and designed landscapes, and the radio programme Gardeners’ Question Time (BBC Radio 4) has been broadcast since 1947. For a relatively small country, the UK has many and varied conditions and therefore types of garden. Here are a few ideas for a horticultural visit. A few miles off the south west coast of the county of Cornwall (that long peninsula on the ‘bottom left’ of England, pointing toward the New World) lie the Isles of Scilly, aka the Scilly Isles. Situated on the 49th Parallel, there is no frost or snow here. The islands are rocky but with soil that welcomes spring from Christmas onwards with field after
22 June 2014
field of daffodils and narcissi farmed to be dispatched all over the world to brighten and reassure. None of their flowers are grown under glass or plastic. Flower farms trade with large commercial organisations and there are also those who just look after private customers. I spoke to one, Zoe Benjamin, who runs Scilly Flowers (www.scillyflowers.co.uk, 01720 422 169) with her husband Ben. Zoe told me the season is October to Easter and in the summer they now grow pinks (like baby carnations). You can just phone for your bouquet and prices start from £10. Business is good and although it is unlikely that anyone will get mega rich on selling flowers, farmers like Zoe are surrounded with beauty and glorious perfume all year, which is something. The Scillies are great for a few days holiday (www.simplyscilly.co.uk), with walking, fishing, horse riding, and sailing readily available, and they’re an excellent place for children and dogs - no motor vehicles are allowed on most of the islands. On one of them, Tresco, there is a world famous garden, The Abbey, a sub-tropical paradise which defies its position in the North Atlantic. You can get to the Scilly Isles by ferry, and many visitors opt to fly the short distance from Lands End, Newquay or Exeter. Something worth knowing about is the National Garden Scheme (ngs.org.uk). Since 1927 many private plots, from manor
houses to cottages, open their gates for a few days a year for people to see their outstanding gardens. It’s all in aid of charity, particularly raising funds for nursing and caring and you can leave a donation or often buy home-made teas or plants. These places are of real interest, the larger ones are well organised, and you may be shown around by the owner or gardener. Do not scorn the small ones, this is the real England. Over 3,000 properties open each year so you should find one on the list to visit wherever you are. One of the most famous private gardens is Highgrove, Gloucestershire, the country home of the Prince of Wales who is a passionate gardener. This is one you need to look up. North and South there are gardens to visit: Bodnant in North Wales, Sissinghurst in Kent. Some are massive and landscaped with lakes and rare trees, such as Stourhead in Wiltshire. Others are more for flowers, such as Wisley, on the A3 south of London. Look them up to see what interests you. Then we have the wild stuff. Snowdrops in January and wild roses and carpets of bluebells in May - an American equivalent of the British Bluebell is the blue bonnet, the State flower of Texas. Wild garlic grows in the hedges (we have, of course, the global message that from the wild come useful cures - think foxglove and digitalis). Walk the footpaths signposted in
From Top:
The American
Stourhead Gardens, Wiltshire PHOTO ©DAVID COOMBES
Tresco Abbey Gardens PHOTO: ©UKGARDENPHOTOS
A Typical English Bluebell Wood PHOTO ©MARY BAILEY
the countryside and you will see many wonderful plants, and more besides. British snakes are pretty harmless, there is only one that is poisonous, the Adder, and unless you startle it, it will disappear into the foliage rather than attack. Stinging nettles do not grow everywhere in the United States but any Brit will tell you what they look like. Near them will grow the dock plant; if you are stung, squeeze a dock leaf and put the juice on the sting. It’s as good as anything from the pharmacist and it’s available right there. I mention this because I once took a delightful young American boy on a country walk not knowing he had not seen nettles before, I felt awful looking at his stings, which lasted a couple of hours. Lastly we have the big shows. The most prestigious is Chelsea Flower Show in May - plan ahead for next year. You can catch the even bigger Hampton Court Flower Show, July 8th-13th, with its backdrop of the Tudor palace. Its very easy to get to from Surrey, and from Central London on the train from Waterloo Station. And of course grass grows everywhere in Britain. It’s green all winter, bright against the leaden skies, but at its best if you cut it and roll it for a few hundred years, the professional gardeners say. A perfect garden is obviously not something to hurry.
June 2014 23
The Journalists Who Risk All PH
By American ex-pat journalist, author and broadcaster, Carol Gould OT
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n the sunny afternoon of April 16 I was sitting in the tranquil surroundings of Clifton Nurseries in Little Venice, London. I was thinking of the peaceful life I lead and how lucky I am – despite many personal heartaches – to avoid the horror and strife that seemed to be overtaking much of the world. Because I often get called in to news networks to discuss breaking stories I decided to look at my smartphone to see what was happening in the world. I found a tweet to followers from the BBC’s Canadian–born correspondent Lyse Doucet in Syria that a mortar had exploded near the BBC car. Her cameraman Phil Goodwin had been hit by shrapnel and at the time of this writing (mid May) is still recovering. Already in the weeks preceding the mortar strike British–Swedish journalist Nils Horner, 52, had been shot dead in broad daylight on March 11th in a Kabul street in the supposedly secure diplomatic district. Sardar Ahmad, a leading AFP reporter in Afghanistan and head of Pressistan, which he had founded to support visiting foreign correspondents, had been killed on March 21st along with his wife and two daughters in an attack by young Taliban gunmen at the Serena Hotel in Kabul. (His little boy survived and
24 June 2014
has started a new life in Toronto with Uncle Bashir.) Anja Niedringhaus, the Pulitzer– prize winning Associated Press photographer, had been killed on April 4th near Khost, Afghanistan; her AP colleague, Canadian Kathy Gannon, was seriously injured in the same gun attack by an Afghan policeman. In addition Father Frans, a Dutch Jesuit priest who had for decades looked after the people of the Damascus Christian community and beyond, was murdered on April 7th in the lead–up to Holy Week. When all of this unfolded I wondered how anyone could continue reporting from the region with the aplomb and dignity shown by Doucet. (I remember trying to make a feature documentary in Israel after the Rabin assassination, when people, including several I had known and loved, were being killed every week by suicide bombers. I could not stop crying and at times simply could not work.) After the deaths of people she had known, including Sardar Ahmad, Anja Niedringhaus and Father Frans, it was impressive that Doucet could put together a report on the school that had evidently been the target of the mortar, on the church’s tribute to Father Frans and on the various aspects of survival being pursued by the
Christian community of Damascus and beyond. The contribution made by American and Canadian journalists and photographers – mostly women – to coverage of conflict most recently in the Middle East is notable. In 2013 alone seventy journalists were killed around the world including twenty– nine in Syria, the huge majority having been local citizen journalists. But the protracted conflict in Afghanistan has seen the death of Michelle Lang of the Calgary Herald/Postmedia News alongside four Canadian soldiers in 2009 when a landmine exploded under their armored van. In 2002 Kathleen Keene of the Toronto Star was seriously injured by a grenade whilst traveling between Kabul and Gardez. For me the most tragic moment of the past three years of the ‘Arab Spring’ came when I received news of the death in Syria of legendary American–born Sunday Times journalist and broadcaster Marie Colvin who had covered conflicts in Chechnya, Kosovo, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe. I had met her only once on one of her rare visits to London and was struck by her intensity, brilliant mind and inability to suffer fools gladly. Described by Lyse Doucet in an interview for Australian TV after Colvin’s death as ‘the bravest of the brave,’ she lost an eye
The American
Lyse Doucet interviewing Stanley McChrystal
fine new book, The Wrong Enemy: America in Afghanistan, points the finger at Pakistan.’ Fisher reminds us of the spectrum of North American women who have ventured into conflict zones to bring the story to the world’s citizens; these include Laura King of the Los Angeles Times who in recent years has been based in Cairo. Canadian Christie Blatchford of the Calgary Herald is the author of Fifteen Days: Stories of Bravery, Friendship, Life and Death from Inside the New Canadian Army, recounting the impact the Afghanistan conflict had on her compatriots in Kandahar. Kimberly Dozier of CBS News covered the fall of the Taliban in 2001, nearly losing her life in 2006 when a car bomb tore through a nearby foot patrol. Now as 2014 moves on there are fewer and fewer western correspondents in the region and likely only one or two – Britons Ian Pannell and David Loyn of the BBC come to mind – who remain in Afghanistan. I keep thinking of the ebullient Canadian woman I encountered on a bus in Edgware Road in March who had only praise
and affection for these countries but who in the next month would lose many colleagues in Syria and Afghanistan. As I put this article to bed in mid–May the aforementioned Lyse Doucet, the woman on the bus, continues to bring into our living rooms the searing images and tragic scenes of deprivation at great danger to herself. The first journalist back into Homs after the two and a half year siege, she is one of the survivors. One can only hope she does not become another in the list of great talent lost in a region of unending conflict. Post script: I have just heard about the murder in Central African Republic of 26–year–old Camille Lepage, the brilliant photojournalist who had already made an impact in worldwide newspapers. Whether American, Canadian, British or of any nationality, the much maligned ‘media’ also include people of courage willing to sacrifice their lives to bring us stories to stir our conscience and to jolt complacent leaders into action. And may the endless killing and suffering of innocent people across the region come to an end.
MARK O’DONALD, US NAVY
covering the Sri Lankan civil war in 2001 but still managed to file her 3,000–word report. Her luck ran out in Homs, Syria in February 2012 when she and French photographer Remi Ochlik went back for their shoes amidst bombardment of a building in which they had been. They were hit by an IED full of nails. It was reported that the people of Homs, then under siege, came out in spite of danger to pay tribute to Colvin and Ochlik. Her mother Rosemarie told the press Marie was to have left Syria that day but that her daughter’s legacy was to be passionate and ‘involved in what you believed in,’ indeed writing in her final despatch that she ‘had watched a baby die.’ Lest we forget the men: James Hunter was the first American military journalist to be killed in Afghanistan; he died in June 2010 whilst on a foot patrol. Richard Engel of NBC News and his five crew were held captive for five days in Syria in December 2012 but there is dispute to this day as to the identity of their captors. CBS Newsmen James Brolan and Paul Douglas were lost in 2006 in Afghanistan. Daniel Pearl of the Wall Street Journal was abducted and murdered in Pakistan in 2002. Matthew Fisher in the Calgary Herald/Postmedia News paid glowing tribute to female American and Canadian journalists after the injury to Kathy Gannon in Afghanistan in April. He pointed out that women have provided some of the most outstanding reporting from the region. He wrote ‘The most experienced of these intrepid women have been Gannon, Lyse Doucet, her brilliant Canadian colleague from the BBC and Carlotta Gall of The New York Times, whose
June 2014 25
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HUNTER 486 W
hen we entered the small, minimalist, open kitchen dining room, our attention was immediately drawn to a boisterous party of 12. It was soon clear that they also took the attention of both the kitchen and floor staff. This marred an otherwise enjoyable evening. We waited a bit too long for everything and several items on the menu became unavailable. This really shouldn’t happen in a restaurant of this calibre. There was no mâitre d’ overseeing operations. Perhaps it would be a good idea. I started with an excellent glass of Chablis (£10). Dry, full-bodied and very smooth. My friend’s rosé (£8) wasn’t as successful. Very tart and a bit one dimensional. After some time, we were given some rye bread. The best I have ever had! Sweet and malty and moist. Truly delicious. I did ask and they do make it themselves. Bravo. I was enjoying it so much that I didn’t want to put it down when our starters arrived immediately after. I had terrine of duck foie gras
with duck leg and pistachio nuts with fig chutney, toasted nut and sultana bread (£8.50). The terrine was charcuterie at its best. Lovely textures and lots of taste without so much fat. I never found any nuts or sultanas in my bread though. I think the party of 12 ate them. It was in fact, plain toast, and no match for that rye bread that I am still dreaming of. My friend had seared south coast scallops, cauliflower purée and caper and raisin vinaigrette (£15). For that price, I found the 3 medium sized scallops a bit meagre. As well, the cauliflower purée didn’t offer much counterpoint to the beautifully presented dish. The next round was fillet of seared south coast sea bass with grilled Jerusalem artichokes and saffron flavored cream sauce with clams (£17). With the dish, the chef sent his apologies for the wait. I wouldn’t have minded the wait if he hadn’t overcooked my fish! This could have been, should have been and I suspect usually is, a beauti-
At The Arch Hotel, 50 Great Cumberland Place, London W1H 7FD www.thearchlondon.com Reviewed by Michael M Sandwick ful plate of food. My fish however was dry and there was not enough sauce to compensate. Somehow, I managed to eat every bite anyway. On the other side of the table was roasted Chart Farm venison with braised red cabbage, almond potatoes and redcurrant jus (£16). The meat was tender and delicate and roasted perfectly, but it was the cabbage that knocked me off my seat. Beautifully spiced. Christmas! Brilliant. For dessert I asked for a pecan pie and was informed that the party of 12 had eaten all of it along with the crème brulée. So I grumbled a bit and settled for the pear crumble. What luck! It was wonderful. Lovely presentation, not too sweet and the crumble was spicy and crunchy. On top was an amazing, wafer thin slice of dried pear. 5 star crumble. Obviously, we had an off night. Still, I want to go back and order a bottle of Chablis, a big bowl of cabbage and a huge basket of rye bread!
OctoberJune 2013 201427 27
RECIPE from Vincent Ménager, The Balcon
Lobster Club Sandwich INGREDIENTS: 3 slices of French Brioche 3 slices of cooked smoked bacon, crispy ½ lobster cooked and cleaned 2 leaves of round lettuce 2 slices of beef tomato 1 pickled egg, sliced Cocktail sauce METHOD: Toast the brioche on both sides. Trim the crust edges. On the first piece of toast layer the lettuce, cocktail sauce, tomatoes and bacon. Cover with the next slice of brioche, then a layer of lettuce and sauce. Put the chopped lobster and sliced egg on this, top it with bacon, then the last slice of Brioche. Cut in half after securing with tooth picks. Serve with salad and sweet potato fries.
28 June 2014
T
he Gallic force behind The Balcon’s kitchen, Vincent Ménager, worked in a bakery shop as a youngster. “I loved the experience so I decided to go to hotel school to train as a pastry chef, but I always stayed close to the kitchen stove, it was more appealing to me.” He honed his culinary skills in some of Paris’ top restaurants with top chefs Alain Ducasse, Alain Dutournier and Frédéric Anton and in 2003 traveled to the Sofitel New York, working under Marshall Orton and becoming Executive Chef in 2006. After stints in Thailand, China and Australia Vincent arrived in London in 2010 to take over Albert Roux’s Brasserie Roux. He oversaw the restaurant’s transformation into The Balcon in October 2011 (reviewed in The American, June 2012 and April 2014) and developed its Anglo-French menu. Vincent says that consistency and quality matter most, and he often sources a specific ingredient from a particular farm all season. For example, his chicken comes from Rhug Farm, North Wales, while beef comes from Aberdeen, Scotland for ribs and burger and from Cumberland for fillet. His last meal, he says, would be sweet: “the Chocolate mousse that my grandmother was making when I was growing up. I have great memories of making it with her and the feeling of eating it. But I hope it will not come any time soon!”
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The American Below: Château Lafite Rothschild, Vintage 1982
By Virginia E Schultz
PHOTO COURTESY CHRISTIES
Cellar Talk When is a wine like a book?
S
omeone once told me a wonderful wine is like a wonderful book. Once you start, you can’t stop. I’ve come across several wines like that in my lifetime, although too often they were served by or given to me rather than coming from my cellar or closet. Not all of them were high priced wines and to this day I still recall a delicious
WINE OF THE MONTH PONZI Pinot Gris Willamette Valley 2012
I bought two bottles RValleyecently, of Ponzi Pinot Gris Willamette 2012 at $16 and wish I‘d bought more. I served it with cold cuts and several cheeses and my guests finished the bottles to the last drop. It’s not a wine to keep, but the perfect wine for chicken barbecue this summer. 30 June 2014
Chilean Syrah I bought on a skiing holiday in Switzerland which my friends Nigel, Meese and Meese’s husband enjoyed in their small rented flat after a long day of skiing. It was so delightful, the two men ran to the local shop and bought the last two bottles. For years, I kept the name of the wine, but never found or saw it since. Of course, the question comes down to this: Was it the wine or being with wonderful friends? At a birthday dinner party given by a friend in Houston whose cellar held nothing but the finest of wines, we were drinking a Château Lafite 1982 and a vintage Champagne when our host and hostess got into a vicious verbal argument. Words were exchanged I cannot repeat and I wasn’t surprised when two months later they separated. Do I recall the wine or food prepared by the chef they hired from one of the best restaurants in Houston? No.
I vaguely recall we had Beef Wellington but that’s all. The chocolate birthday cake was more memorable but then it was thrown against their recently decorated dining room wall with the very expensive painted mural. Of course, a bad or spoiled wine is something no-one wants. The worst wine I had was at a dinner party given by newly married friends, neither who drank, who informed us they purchased the wine just for their guests. The wine was corked and one sip and the other five guests and myself looked at each other as we tried to decide how to tell them the wine was not drinkable. Although it wasn’t their fault, they took it as a personal insult as they bought the wine in one of the best wine stores in London. Later, when I talked to the manager, he knew the wine and was most apologetic as other customers had a similar problem.
Discover the legacy that is BUFFALO TRACE – more than just a spirit, more than just a whiskey Ancient buffalo carved paths through the wilderness that led America’s first pioneers and explorers westward. One such trail led to the banks of the Kentucky River where Buffalo Trace Distillery has been making bourbon whiskey the same way for more than 200 years. In tribute to the mighty buffalo and the rugged, independent spirit of the pioneers who followed them westward, the signature Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey was created. Handcrafted by the world’s most decorated distillery, this uncompromising and perfectly rounded bourbon is the ultimate combination of sweet, spicy, smoky smoothness. Whether you sip it on the rocks, chase it with an ice cold beer or mix it in a classic cocktail, you can be sure that Buffalo Trace is bourbon at its best. And you don’t have to take our word for it; amongst numerous other accolades, Buffalo Trace earned coveted double gold medals at the 2012 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
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A Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Goody Bag We are giving away a Buffalo Trace messenger bag full of Buffalo Trace goodies including a cap, wallet, key ring, mini American football, julep cup... and a bottle of the good stuff itself! Runners up will get a bottle of Buffalo Trace or goodies. For your chance to win just answer the following question correctly: The Buffalo Trace Distillery is located on the banks of which river? A Kentucky River B Colorado River C Potomac River HOW TO ENTER:
Email your answer with your name, mailing address and daytime telephone number to theamerican@blueedge.co.uk with BUFFALO TRACE COMPETITION in the subject line; or send a postcard to: BUFFALO TRACE COMPETITION, The American, Old Byre House, Millbrook Lane, East Knoyle, Salisbury SP3 6AW, UK; to arrive by mid-day June 30, 2014. You must be 18 years old or over to enter this competition. Only one entry per person per draw. The editor’s decision is final. No cash alternative.
The American
and earth. The piece, which has no sound and lasts for seven minutes, depicts the martyrs’ resolve in the face of the violence of the elemental forces. The contemporary and highly evocative installation will be accompanied by a second Viola work in 2015, titled Mary, conceived as a companion piece. Both projects have been gifted to Tate Modern, and are on a long-term loan to St Paul’s. A special display of Viola’s video/sound installation Tiny Deaths is also on show at Tate Modern until Spring 2015. For various options to visit St Paul’s and experience Viola’s work see www.stpauls.co.uk.
Nicholas Pope: The Apostles Bill Viola, Martyrs (Earth, Air, Fire, Water), 2014. PHOTO ©PETER MALLET, ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL
Bill Viola at St Paul’s Cathedral St Paul’s Cathedral, London EC4M 8AD Permanent installation
Renowned American artist Bill Viola has created the first moving-image artwork to ever be installed in St
Paul’s Cathedral. Martyrs (Earth, Air, Fire, Water) begins in stillness, with four individuals, martyrs, suspended in motion. As time elapses, movement develops, with each of the individuals being subjected to the elements of fire, wind, water
Nicholas Pope, The Apostles. COURTESY SALISBURY CATHEDRAL
Salisbury Cathedral, 6 The Close, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 2EJ June 8 to August 3 Another historic place of worship unveiling a stunning piece of modern art is Salisbury Cathedral. First shown at Tate Britain in the late ‘90s, The Apostles Speaking in Tongues Lit By Their Own Lamps, by British artist Nicholas Pope, will be lighting up the Wiltshire cathedral from June 8th. The installation features 33 terracotta figures representing a dramatic re-enactment of the events narrated in the New Testament when the Holy Spirit came amongst the Apostles in the ‘form of cloven fire’. The installation coincides with the Pentecost, the Christian festival celebrating the gift of the Holy Spirit.
BP Portrait Award 2014
National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place, London WC2H 0HE June 26 to September 21 Among the 55 works showcasing outstanding portraiture from around the world, you can view the three
32 June 2014
The American
Dennis Hopper: The Lost Album
Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD June 26 to October 19
David Jon Kassan, Letter to my Mom
entries shortlisted for this year’s Award: a thought-provoking image of a homeless man by German artist Thomas Ganter, Man with a Plaid Blanket, a striking portrait of Jean Woods by Bath-based Richard Twose, and a moving painting by Brooklynbased American artist David Jon Kassan. Letter to my Mom is a heartfelt depiction of his mother, who Kassan says was reluctant to sit for a portrait. ‘[She] hates it when I paint her.’ he explains, ‘But I tell her in the painting that by painting her, it is my way of spending time with her’. Kassan’s thoughtful interpretation sees his mother stood beneath Hebrew text, which reads ‘Dear Mom,/ This painting is my way to spend more time with you./ My way to meditate on our life together./ And all of the earliest memories I have/ All of my earliest memories from you’. A series of workshops and online resources will also be accessible as part of BP Portrait Award: The Next Generation, a project aiming to inspire teenagers through portraiture.
Widely known for his movie career (Apocalypse Now, Blue Velvet, Easy Rider), Dennis Hopper also had creative flair in front of the camera, a skill demonstrated by the 400 pictures on display at the RA, which were selected by Hopper for his first major exhibition in 1970. They were taken during the ‘60s, an era in which major political and social change ensured Hopper’s camera lens was never far from a prescient image. He captured the Hells Angels and hippies, Harlem street life and the Civil Rights movement. The exhibition is a time capsule, preserving dramatic shifts in the makeup of a nation. As well as a portrait of 1960s America, the collection stands as a timeline of Hopper’s own life, the events he experienced and the people he met, from Andy Warhol and Paul Newman to Irving Blum and Peggy Moffitt.
Beaulieu Sculpture Exhibition
Brockenhurst, Hampshire SO42 7ZN to August 20
One of the largest sculpture trails in the UK features figurative, abstract, floral and animal pieces, both traditional and contemporary, created by the professional and amateur members of the Surrey Sculpture Society. Set within the grounds of Beaulieu, also the home of the National Motor Museum, it draws visitors through the Victorian Ornamental Kitchen and Flower Gardens and Abbey ruins to Palace House and a tranquil waterside setting. Smaller sculptures will be displayed within Palace House, one of just ten designated Treasure Houses of England. You could even walk away having bought one of the sculptures.
Above: Gilbert Wyman, Baby Elephant COURTESY BEAULIEU
Left: Dennis Hopper, Paul Newman, 1964, Photograph, 16.64 x 25.02cm © DENNIS HOPPER, COURTESY THE HOPPER ART TRUST
June 2014 33
The American
Coffee Break ➊ What element in the periodic table has the atomic number ‘2’?
➋ The ‘Double Eagle II’ was the first balloon to cross which ocean in 1974?
➌ Which international organization is referred to in French as OTAN?
➍ By what other name is the North Star known? ➎ Which band was formed from former members of Jefferson Airplane? ➏ Before becoming President of the Confederate States of America, which State did Jefferson Davis represent as Senator?
➐ What was the last year an American won the Miss Universe competition? a) 2012 b) 1992 c) 1962
➑ Olivia Newton-John played which character in the musical Grease?
GENERAL QUIZ
Quiz answers and Sudoku solution on page 65.
⓫ Sir Alexander Fleming discovered which antibiotic? ⓬ What is the surname of Penn, from Penn & Teller? ⓭ Gillette in Teller County, Colorado was the only site of which controversial sporting event in US history?
⓮ Which Hollywood star played Tyler Durden in the 1999 film Fight Club?
⓯ The Pittsburgh Pirates play in which Major League Baseball division?
⓰ The Central Line of the London Underground starts at West Ruislip and ends where?
⓱ Charlie Eppes is the main character of which US crime show?
⓲ What type of number is 2002?
➒ What is the name of the popular beach near Sydney, ⓳ Sarah Palin was the first female State Governor of Australia?
➓ Which author created the James Bond character?
34 June 2014
Alaska, but how many Governors preceded her?
⓴ What color is the ‘8’ ball in pool?
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ANNIVERSARIES QUIZ It happened 20 years ago...
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J une 17, 1994: OJ Simpson was arrested and charged with murder after a low-speed car chase on Interstate 405 – but what type of car were Simpson and his friend Al Cowlings using? US expats have unique financial challenges that require specialist advice.
It happened 50 years ago...
➋ June 24, 1964: The Organization of Afro-American
Unity (OAAU) was founded in New York City, but which of its members was assassinated in a Harlem ballroom in February 1965?
It happened 75 years ago...
➌ J une 24, 1939: The first scheduled ‘heavier than air’ transatlantic passenger service is launched using Boeing aircraft, but which airline developed it?
It happened 100 years ago...
➍ June 28, 1914: Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria’s
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The American
Letters from Helen How did an American-Russian expat journalist become an artist? Very quickly, as she explains to The American
H
elen Kirwan-Taylor creates word sculptures from all manner of materials. You can see some of them at London’s Themes and Variations Design Gallery until June 23rd (featured in our Arts pages last month). But how did she move from using words to creating them? I’ve been making things for ages, and I have clients who commission things, but this is the first time I’ve displayed them in front of people in galleries, it’s a whole different thing. I’m like a speed artist, doing what art students do over ten years in three months. Even photography, because this started out as a photographic project. I was just making these fun prints, that were just wacky and big and mad. I made one word sculpture, Xmas and used it as my Christmas card. It was my first three-dimensional word, but I
photographed it properly using an art photographer that I’d worked with. A retailer from the huge American company Fab loved it and said he wanted eight. I thought I’d make a pop-up show, before they went on sale. I write about design and art, so I know lots of people, so I went to my favorite gallery where I had bought things with the idea that we would just do a pop-up show. The gallery owner said she wouldn’t show anything that she doesn’t sell, but she loved them and wanted to sell them. I came out of there spinning! One of the words I want to work on is ‘Synchronicity’ because every time I do one thing, something happens on my journey that sends me into a completely different direction. I write about psychology and do creative consultancy, and I’ve looked at how creativity works
from an academic point of view. The point is, it’s random. If you ask someone ‘how did you do that?,’ often they don’t know. Woody Allen goes into his shower seven times a day apparently, he gets another idea and he comes out. They call it The Bathtub Effect. This whole thing has been my Bathtub Effect. We went to the builders merchants today to get a table, and I had an idea. I said ‘I know, we’re going to have a light bulb hanging in a frame!’ Of course there was an electrician right there who said ‘You’re putting a light bulb on a letter?’, I explained, and told me how I should do it. Nothing is random, even the dog keeps inspiring me.
Art Inspirations
I trained in art before becoming a journalist, then got back into art whilst recovering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME. It was a very long-winded process. I went to Sarah Lawrence College, which is virtually like going to art school, and I was always interested in Art History. When I got sick with ME it dragged on. Finally I met a psychiatrist who said I had to be hospitalised. They put me in the Charter Nightingale (now the Capio Nightingale, in Marylebone, London). All the others there were really famous people who’d had nervous breakdowns - these massive celebri-
Right: LABEL LOVE 3 Below Left: POP5 Pop Corn ©HELEN KIRWAN-TAYLOR
ties were crying and screaming all day. I was in a perfectly good mood, but I was just really, really tired. An American writer friend of mine, Kate Bucknell, said about my art you have to turn 50 to do this sort of thing, because it’s extremely mad and childish. I’m old enough that I’ve done all the serious stuff, and this is kind of a hobby. I wrote an article two years ago on A Year of Self-Improvement, which is how this thing started: every month I took something up. Very American, it was a piss-take of the selfimprovement thing. I did piano for a month, I did Greek philosophers for a month, I did sex for a month, and I did graffiti for a month, and guess which one stuck – the graffiti! It all morphed out of a graffiti project of my initials, HKT. I did a huge thing on a wall, but it was so boring, it just sat there. I redid it on cardboard, cut the cardboard letters out and took them with me. So HKT started traveling, and then she morphed into fabric, then changed into neon, then into enamel and balloons. In the end, talk about synchronicity, my husband went to a Sotheby’s auction and they had an HKT in marble. I have it downstairs. I’d done HKT, but there were lots of other words out there that I hadn’t done. I’m doing seven LOVEs now, because it means different things. To some people it’s a horrible word, to others it’s a stupid word, so I’ve done everything from pretty LOVE to S&M LOVE. Once you go down that road you can’t stop, because there’s Eros LOVE, and there’s Oxytocin LOVE, a chemical love that makes you bond. These are my children, every letter is a story, and I take them
everywhere. I took my Vivienne Westwood V to Scotland so that she could meet the tartan, and I took a LOVE to Milan, because I love design. I’m doing a ‘label’ LOVE which is Hermes and Dolce & Gabbana and my Prada shoes and handbag – in fact I photographed her coming out of a shoe. They go with me, they’re my little friends. Putting three dimensional things in perspex boxes in a gallery is great fun, but I’m also building a whole alphabet, because any combination of words is possible. I’m doing a scrap book of the story of my words for the show. HOPE is based on Man’s Search For Meaning, which is the most extraordinary book about what makes the people in Gulags survive. A friend of mine dropped me an Emily Dickinson poem which says that hope is ‘something with feathers’, and I thought ‘that’s lovely, I’m going to make that’. HAPPY is about NLP (neuro linguistic programming) and all the things that we think make us happy: chocolate, art, babies, money, travel, adventure - NLP asks ‘what are our drivers?’ I’d put songs to them if I could, but the music would always hijack you. I thought about putting smells in too, but that’s not the easiest thing to do. Some of my letters are made out of bath salts, so they do smell a little. In NICE the ‘I’ is all about smell, because I’ve taken apart all my perfume bottles. Every
time my art evolves it gets complicated! They call it Gesamtkunstwerk in German, the combined artwork. My perfect would be everything: the visual, the intellectual power of what the word means to you, what it smells like, sounds like, feels like... then you’d have to be able to eat it. I’m doing an interactive one which is D for DOGGING, which is mad. It’s going to have an arrow that points down and says ‘your dog goes here’ - you put your dog’s picture in it and then take it home.
Keep The Day Job
My husband tells me to keep the day job. I’m still doing journalism, and I cannot tell you how easy it is for me now, all I have to do is sit at my computer and occasionally talk to someone. There’s only so many ways you can write an article, unless you write it backwards, or upside down - then I start thinking ‘what if I wrote half my article upside down?...’ I only write for The Wall Street Journal and Harpers, which are grown up. In fact I’m on my way to Milan tomorrow to cover the Furniture Fair, but guess what, four of my favorite people in Italy have all made me ‘letters’ so there’s no wastage. The funny thing is that nothing has ever improved my design writing more than this project because when I talk about aluminum, I now go ‘does it fold?’ I understand the
June 2014 37
Helen surrounded by her intact perfume bottles
The American
PHOTO ©HELEN KIRWAN-TAYLOR
materials, like ‘Oh, that’s fiberglass, it melts’. I have a letter made out of fabric from my favorite Italian fabric designer, C&C Milano. They’re the nicest people. I profiled them years ago and we became good friends, and they made me an ‘L’ and a black leather letter which I’ve used for ‘S&M’. Studio Berengo made me the most beautiful glass ‘L’ because I was doing a story and saw all this broken glass - they said they threw it out, and I said ‘that’s ridiculous!’, so we made the letter in five minutes! There’s stainless steel, metal,
38 June 2014
pom poms, I’ve made one letter out of toothpaste. I get inspired by all sorts of things. At the moment we’re spraying popcorn with all kinds of toxic substances, because the last thing I want is my popcorn to ‘unpop’. I find writing is my relaxation time, it’s just me and my computer and left brain activity, whereas art is right brain.
The Expat Life
I’m half American and half Russian, I’m a diplomat’s daughter, we did embassy life and lived all over the place. My father’s retired now
and I moved to the UK about 25 years ago. My dog is Scottish, a Cairn terrier and my son is at school in Scotland, so I have embraced Scotland. 25 years in I now ‘get’ Scotland, because my Christmas present from my husband was the most thermal coat on the planet, built for Swiss expeditions and Antarctica, so I’m not going to be scared of the cold any more. The dog has made me more rugged, because I have to go outside. But I’m very British with the dog - who also appears in many aspects of my projects - none of that American pampering. It sounds weird, but only an American could do the art that I’m doing. Americans love kitsch, I’ve collected it all my life, much to the dismay of my husband. I probably have a fairly Russian temperament, in that I’m not always happy. That’s why my HAPPY is so full of Prozac: Americans are happy but they’re the highest consumers of Prozac in the world. My moodiness is Russian, but Americans have a childlike sense of life. I’ve always felt an imposter in England, like I’m pretending to be an adult. You have to be an adult here really, except for the humor here is fantastic. It’s fun writing for the Brits because they allow you to be funny. And I would say that the single thing that carries through both my art and my journalism, is humor, I cannot take it all too seriously. I’m now a super-imposter, because I’m now a journalist pretending to be an artist, pretending to be a parent, pretending to be an adult. I went to a party not long ago and I was saying ‘The thing about you English...’ and they said ‘Helen, just drop it, you are English, you’ve been here for 25 years, so just get over it!’
The American
Stevie By Hugh Whitemore Minerva Theatre, Chichester www.cft.org.uk Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell
PHOTO MANUEL HARLAN
T
he Chichester Theatre season starts with a gem in the first major revival of Glenda Jackson’s 1977 triumph in Stevie - from the life and work of Stevie Smith. The description is apt because Whitemore uses Smith’s poems and prose to recount the story of her life, rather than fashioning a conventional play. Smith, who died in 1971 at the age of 69, was one of life’s watchers, with a quintessentially English take on life. Her confessional poetry was honest, unsentimental, focused on our essential loneliness and illustrating absurd vignettes, drawn mostly from middle-class suburban life. Her poems were often very dark but had an eerie levity to them, her signature piece being ‘Not waving but drowning’. She was the poet of the ordinary and when success brought her in touch with the literati she played up to them (Orwell, Day-Lewis etc), yet she did everything on her own terms and lived her own life. She kept her job as a secretary and commuted each day from the sleepy North London suburb of Palmers
Green where she lived for half a century with her maiden aunt. Dramatising the undramatic is nigh impossible, so Whitemore sensibly avoids it by giving us instead a series of ventriloquised monologues inspired by individual poems with the occasional interjection, to give an alternative perspective, from the figure of her ‘Lion Aunt’ (Lynda Baron, wonderfully leonine with a grey mane of hair) and ‘Man’ (Chris Larkin), who fills in as sometime narrator or portrays an old suitor or a friend from the literary set. In a play about textures Simon Higlett’s designs couldn’t be more perfect, with its frayed carpet, chintz, sherry decanters and potted geraniums – the apotheosis of suburban un-chic. The costumes are also spot-on, Stevie’s shapeless corduroy pinafore dress speaks volumes, as does Auntie’s voluminous floral frock, which Stevie quips could have been an image on a flower seed packet entitled “Everyone came up”. Wanamaker makes us forget Glenda, which is quite an achieve-
ment. Slightly stooped, flatfooted in her plain-doll shoes, she holds us rapt not just with the poetry but in wondering what she is holding back as she gives her account of things. It‘s a totally full-blooded performance and utterly compelling. Lynda Baron couldn’t be better in no-nonsense Yorkshire mode and the affection between the two is touching. Chris Larkin too is solid, and when playing the slightly camp literary hanger-on who drove her to poetry readings, he truly reveals himself to be the reincarnation of his mother, Maggie Smith. So much of Stevie’s observations still ring true today and here director Christopher Morahan (of The Jewel in the Crown fame) has sensitively crafted a wonderful piece of literate theater, which will be a joy for those who know Smith’s work and a revelation for those who don’t. Chichester’s main house is still being refurbished and will open mid-July with Rupert Everett in Amadaeus. A very promising season is lined up and this is a perfect start.
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Top: Ben Miles as Thomas Cromwell, Lydia Leonard as Anne Boleyn in BRING UP THE BODIES Bottom: Nathaniel Parker as Henry VIII in WOLF HALL PHOTOS KEITH PATTISON
Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies
Adapted by Mike Poulton from the novels of Hilary Mantel Royal Shakespeare Company Aldwych Theatre, 49 Aldwych, London WC2B 4DF Box office: 0844 453 9025 www.wolfhall.co.uk Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell
H
ilary Mantel adores her central protagonist Thomas Cromwell as much as a romantic novelist would her dashing hero and she makes him the prism through which we view the turbulent events at Henry VIII’s court. This gives this drama about Cromwell’s rapid rise to power a tremendous edge but you have to admit, it is taking sides. Mantel’s fictionalised biographies of Cromwell (the third is being written) have been a publishing phenomenon, selling 3 million copies in the UK and the US alone, translated into 36 languages and winning every award going including two Man Booker Prizes. They broke down (if only temporarily) the barriers between literary and popular fiction. Adapter Mike Poulton and director Jeremy Herrin’s remarkable achievement here is to translate them into a vibrant and utterly compelling theatrical experience. While being true to the period they have the edginess of an HBO drama and a modern sensibility which is a godsend for those put off by “hey nonny nonny” costume dramas or those who don’t share this country’s insatiable mania for all things Tudor. The son of a blacksmith (of which he is constantly reminded), Cromwell rose to become the right hand man of Cardinal Wolsey, adviser to the King. He survives Wolsey’s fall from grace (and later gets even with those who ousted
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him) eventually becoming the King’s most powerful minister, in which role he oversees Catherine of Aragon’s divorce, the subsequent car crash of a marriage to Anne Boleyn and the break with Rome. Ben Miles with his ‘estuary’ tones gives us a Cromwell who could be a BMW dealer on the Mile End Rd but also shows us that he survived precisely because he was brighter and more cunning than any of those around him. With his movie star looks Miles, who is rarely off stage, is mesmerising as he charms, bullies and manipulates to serve his King while making sure he saves his own neck too. Mantel has noted how Cromwell’s father had a violent temper and if he noticed him he hit him, so Thomas “learned to be still”. This stillness allowed him to win over the often hysterical and egomaniacal courtiers. The play has none of the reverential history play pageantry that made A Man for All Seasons or Anne of the Thousand Days so dull. Thomas More here is a tedious zealot and Boleyn a paranoid and conniving minx. Her uncle the Duke of Norfolk resembles a dim, cantankerous old colonel. The plays imagine too Cromwell’s private world and Herrin deftly uses these scenes to lighten the tone with some clever moments of slapstick. Typical for the RSC there isn’t a weak performance amongst this company and Herrin is ingenious
at clarifying the potentially baffling number of characters. All the supporting cast plays multiple roles. Nathaniel Parker does wonders with the difficult role of Henry. Boyishly romantic, often idealistic but ultimately quixotic, we marvel at Cromwell’s ability to navigate round his dark moods. Paul Jesson as Wolsey dominates the first play, managing to make Popish corruption fun. He is triumphant in this gem of a role. The themes of political chicanery and low morals in high places are, of course, bang up to date. They show us how nothing much changes, although these days, people would get sent on “gardening leave” rather than having their heads chopped off. More’s the pity. Christopher Oram’s beautifully simple set facilitates the breakneck pace and he wisely opts instead to invest luxury into the costumes, which are simply ravishing. David Plater’s lighting designs have a film editor’s sharpness and are an object lesson in how to use darkness whilst ensuring we see what is going on. It is a stunning piece of theater that will go down among the landmark productions of the RSC such as Nicholas Nickleby and Matilda. It must be destined for Broadway but meanwhile in London there is still good availability towards the end of the run which finishes on September 6. The plays do need to be seen in order.
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PHOTO ©LOT
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Scooby Doo! Y
ou’ve got to love the theatrical ingenuity of the good people at CTI Productions. They’ve managed to quite unexpectedly combine an American national treasure, Scooby Doo, with a quintessentially British form of dramatic art, that great and gaudy product of AngloSaxon genius: the pantomime. That’s right, Fred, Wilma, Daphne, Shaggy and of course Scoob are all on the case of The Mystery of The Pyramid. Not for the fainthearted or the childless, this is quite the audiovisual extravaganza, combining light, sound, dance and interactivity. You get the signature theme song, which of course you’ve already sung 107 times in the car with your seven year old and his friend on the way to the performance, but no matter, this and Scooby snacks is what you came for. You get the creepy villains, in this case mummies who boogie as good as any of the zombies from
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the ‘Thriller’ video and, without spoiling anything, have their own nefarious designs and machinations on our plucky heroes. And you even get a special appearance late in the show from The Mystery Machine! Needless to say, this show’s got everything to get another generation hooked on the derring-do of Mystery Inc, including the cartoonish sound effects, slapstick physical comedy and characters running to and fro through the audience at many different points throughout. And of course, in good pantomime tradition, there are even a good few ‘HE’S BEHIND YOU!’ moments to whip the young crowd into a frenzy of excitement and mirth. It’s not startlingly original. The music is catchy and feels freshened with the flavor of contemporary rock, but also slightly forgettable. The dance routines demonstrate a modicum of a sense of timing on the part of the performers, but
UK Tour to August 31 www.scoobydoo-live.com Reviewed by Peter Lawler nothing breathtakingly daring. Somewhat surprisingly, Chas Elliot also doesn’t seize on the ample opportunities for multiple levels of humor to pitch the jokes both as low as the pintsized guests as well as high enough for their adult companions to ‘get it.’ But it is engaging, it does reach out to its guests and it is inviting. There are no pretensions of being worthy, just pleasant popular theater, a blast of a day out. It has the ingredients you’re hoping for and expecting from it, from Velma losing her glasses and later presenting us with the big reveal, to using Scoobs and Shaggy for bait for the mummies, to the gleefully farcical chase in the end. The only thing missing is an amusement park director, but maybe that will keep you guessing. So, like zoinks! It’s on tour until late August. Check it out, old buddy, old pal.
PHOTO: TRISTRAM KENTON
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Miss Saigon M
iss Saigon transports Puccini’s story of Madame Butterfly from Japan in 1904 to Saigon during the Vietnam War, 1975, and follows the love between orphaned Vietnamese girl Kim and Chris, an American sergeant. Throughout the next three years of war, reunification of Vietnam, and American redemption, the events in both countries divide and reunite the two lovers. This musical is sung-through, like the writers Claude-Michel Schönberg’s and Alain Boublil’s Les Misérables. Cameron Mackintosh’s brand new production does this story enormous justice. The spirit of a war-torn country wracked by poverty has been captured by Matt Kinley’s set using dark, sharp wooden structures, like a game of Pickup Sticks to which someone has set fire; just one wrong move and the whole city of Saigon could collapse in a heap of burnt timber. ‘How on Earth did they do that with the set?,’ I asked at one particularly extraordinary moment... I shall give away no more. From start to finish, Eva Noblezada’s Kim delivers flawless vocals, engaging us with wonderful expression and commitment to
her character. As she is thrown into a job at a seedy Saigon night club she is stoic, but her fear is allowed to seep through at well-chosen moments. She evolves and grows throughout the production, from naïve country-girl to a mother defending her ‘half-breed’ son, and it’s in this moment of maternal fury that we see Kim’s true heroic nature, acted beautifully by Noblezada. Director Laurence Connor has made sure that the more emotionally charged the musical number, the less physical movement is employed by the actor, ensuring the emotion and lyrics are concentrated on fully. Most of the cast use this directorial gift to its full potential, but although physically well-suited to the role of Kim’s American lover Chris, Alistair Brammer has a harder time communicating the emotion. Nightclub owner ‘The Engineer’, played by Jon Jon Briones, is appropriately seedy, and provides well-earned entertainment - a break from the heartbreak and loss in the rest of the story. He commits to his role with aplomb and a twinkle in his eye, always dreaming of reaching the shores of the USA to live the ‘American Dream’. Together with
Prince Edward Theatre Old Compton Street, London W1D 4HS Reviewed by Alex Morgan Noblezada’s Kim, he is one of the most watchable characters. The supporting cast does a sterling job, with special mention to Tamsin Carroll, shining in her first encounter with Kim, and Hugh Maynard. Thuy, a man enraged by Kim’s rejection of him in favor of Chris, although originally promised to her, is a composite character combining Madame Butterfly’s ‘The Bonze’ and ‘Prince Yamadori’. Kwang-Ho Hong is defiant in this role, but a little awkward at times, employing an almost ‘Richard III’ physicality. The second half’s opening number of ‘Bui Doi’, which depicts the lost children of Vietmanese women and American marines, rejected by both cultures, is particularly moving with chilling harmonies. This new production is a beautiful telling of a classic tale set in an important part of American and Vietnamese history. You may find the story takes twenty minutes to really begin, and the falling in love of Kim and Chris as quick as in a Disney plot, but the pay-off is stunning. Days later, and I still have the picture of Eva Noblezada’s Kim cradling her ‘Bui Doi’ boy in her arms etched into my mind.
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ALL MY
SONS A
promising new season at the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park begins with a commendable and unusual choice, Arthur Miller’s first great hit. It’s given a solid production here although it fails to really catch fire. You might think that Miller’s 1947 play, with its resounding echoes of Ibsen, is a bit heavy for this bucolic setting with its Pimms and strawberries and cream but as the play is set outdoors on a family porch, designer Lizzie Clachan decided to run with the arboreal theme. She gives us tree roots ominously pushing up beneath the floorboards of the elevated platform and this façade is complemented by a huge advertising billboard which depicts a grinningly wholesome Norman Rockwell style family. What Miller mined so well in this play is that every family is in a sense a façade. All have their skeletons and as with Ibsen the key point is that beyond the family we are all responsible for each other. We are connected. Though at times overly schematic and a touch didactic the play is redeemed by its wonderfully well rounded characters, all of whom
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By Arthur Miller Open Air Theatre, Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4NU PHOTOS ©TOMMY GA-KEN WAN 0844 826 4242 openairtheatre.com Left: Tom Mannion and Brid Brennan Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell Above: The open air theater “have their reasons”, and who elicit our sympathy. By putting his family fortunes before the collective good, a few years previously, successful factory owner Joe Keller (Tom Mannion) pressurised his deputy Steve to ship out defective cylinder heads to the US Air Force during WWII, thus sending 21 young pilots to their deaths. By not going in that day and giving the order on the phone he allowed Steve, also the family’s close friend and neighbor, to take the rap for it and go to jail. To complicate matters Steve’s daughter Ann (Amy Nuttall) was the sweetheart of their eldest son Larry a pilot now, ironically, missing in action in the war. She is now in love with the remaining son Chris, who on this fateful day wants to bring matters to a head and announce their engagement. Mother Kate (Tony winner Brid Brennan), won’t hear any of this because for her, Larry surviving is an article of faith. When Ann’s embittered brother George (Andy McKeane) turns up, having just witnessed his father, now a shell of a man, released from jail, he demands that Ann leave with him.
Brennan, an actress we’re more used to seeing being intense rather than maternal, perfectly captures Kate’s lioness quality. She sweeps in and completely disarms the fuming George and we wonder at her sincerity. When son Joe, the moral conscience of the piece, later accuses his father of being “practical”, like animals, this is what he means. Miller confronts us in our pragmatism and weakness. Director Timothy Sheader lets the pace slacken too much in Act One but in Act Two the venue conspires with him and as darkness closes in on the Park, we are inexorably drawn towards the shattering climax, when all of this family’s illusions get laid bare. Mannion as the father, sadly, never really convinces as this wily patriarch, however Charles Aitken is perfect as the blond, youthful and righteous Chris. Tilly Blackwood is perfectly his opposite. She’s the neighbor’s wife, Sue, who thinks the Kellers were always a bit above themselves. She has a point. The season continues with Hobson’s Choice, Porgy and Bess and To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s a London treasure.
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Meow Meow Feline Intimate W
ords escape me trying to encapsulate the wonder that is Meow Meow. [Regular Jarlath readers will know that is saying something! - ed.] ‘Cabaret performer’ isn’t the half of it, ‘burlesque artiste’ merely refers to the garments, ‘performance artist’ is too po-faced. She is all of the above and creates more genuine theatrical magic within five minutes than you’ll find in all of the West End on any one evening. She comfortably straddles high art and low-down like no other. She is the essence of Weimar cabaret, only with better jokes. The key to her talent is a supreme confidence and a total control of her audience, but not in a pushy drag queen way - she is too smart for that. Her initial angle is a familiar one, that of an Artiste trying to excel but being constantly let down by cheap theaters (a tent next to the Festival Hall), and a bolshie stage crew. The attempts at
lighting are hilarious. As a way out of this dilemma she improvises and creates grand theatrical moments with what crumbs she can find. Her genius is that she succeeds. This is probably her best London show so far as she’s not as hidebound by a concept as she was in The Little Matchstick Girl. The wonderful Spiegeltent is a boozy piece of Edinburgh Festival dropped on the South Bank and it has tons more atmosphere than the QEH. The talented composer Lance Horne accompanies her on piano, together with a fantastic drummer, and both deserve Nobel Prizes for their playing, their arrangements and for generally keeping up. Musically she is so good she could go legit and her rendition of Patty Griffin’s ‘Be Careful’ didn’t leave a dry eye in the tent, but she knows there are lots of other people who can sing. Nobody can disembowel ‘Ne Me Quitte Pas’ like
London Wonderground 2014, South Bank Centre, London SE1 Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell her though, a construction (is the best word to use) aided by two men from the audience. Like Pink Martini, her perfect collaborators, she’s a musical magpie. We get everything from ‘Un Ano de Amor’ (you’ll recall from Almodóvar) to Radiohead and you will be joining in on ‘Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini’ in Polish. Like her fellow Aussie, Dame Edna, she is the master of audience participation and as she puts it “you might not be moved but you’ll be touched”. She manages to send up the narcissism of theatrical performers while at the same time deploying the same weapons. What makes her special though is that there is no cold irony here. She has heart and she is always totally connected to her material and to her audience. She ends with a coup de théâtre that can’t be spoiled but you must spoil yourselves and go see her.
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Joys of June With a quarter of the baseball season behind us, Jay B Webster looks at which teams are heating up as summer approaches
A
baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint, and with the passing of Memorial Day we turn the page on a quarter of the 164-game campaign. With the cool spring rains behind us and the prospect of the dog days and muggy nights of summer beckoning, it’s time to survey the baseball scene and see where we stand.
Only 10 of 30 teams are more than three games under .500, meaning a host of teams have been neither very good nor very bad, but still harbor glimmers of hope for the days ahead. A few, however, are starting to rise to the top of the baseball sundae. In the National League, it was the Giants who sported the best
PHOTO ©PAUL HADSALL
Giancarlo Stanton of the Marlins in action
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record in baseball on Memorial Day. Everyone knew San Fran could pitch, but they’ve been able to score as well, with left fielder Michael Morse leading the way. They have had to overcome a slew of injuries, but have still managed to rack up the best run differential in the National League as they chase their third World Series title in five seasons. The Dodgers are still lurking in the NL West with their high-priced lineup. After the way the Boys in Blue heated up over the last half of the season a year ago, there’s no way they can be counted out yet. In the NL Central the Milwaukee Brewers went on a tear in the opening weeks of the season, but have started to come back down to earth, losing 7 of 10 after a Memorial Day loss to the Orioles. The Brewers may well have already played their best baseball of the season, but the Cardinals probably have not. After struggling early, they are hot on the Brew Crew’s tail with June approaching, and it’s hard not to see them in the mix come late September. While it’s no surprise to see the Braves on top of the NL East, it is a bit of a shock to look at the standings and see Miami only a few games behind. The Marlins were widely considered to be door mats, but they have scraped and clawed their way to relevance so far. Tommy John surgery to star pitcher
Jose Fernandez won’t do anything to help them keep punching above their weight, but if you haven’t seen Giancarlo Stanton play yet, get yourself a subscription to mlb.com and start now. He is worth the price of admission. While no one wants to see cheapskate Marlins’ owner Jeffrey Loria vindicated after doing his level best to run the team into the ground (again), it’s always fun to watch a team of young upstarts turn the baseball world on its head. Over in the Junior Circuit, the Oakland A’s have been shining across the bay from San Francisco. Pitching, defense, hitting, power, runs, on-base percentage, you name it, the Athletics can bring it. Josh Donaldson has played MVP calibre baseball manning the hot corner, while right-hander Sonny Gray has burst on the scene with a sub-2.00 ERA and five wins in his first six decisions. The A’s will be looking to get the October monkey off their backs come playoff time, but they may have to scramble to stay ahead of the Angels. A starting rotation that looked to be a weakness coming into the season has turned into a strength for the Halos. With Josh Hamilton injured (no surprise there) and Mike Trout swinging and missing much more than we’ve become accustomed to, there is room for improvement offensively in Anaheim, meaning this race could heat up as the season goes on. The Tigers sit comfortably atop the AL Central, and there are few indications that will change. Max Scherzer has been lights out once again as he looks to fashion backto-back Cy Young campaigns heading into free agency next year (and yes, he is a Scott Boras client. Expect
PHOTO ©KEITHALLISONPHOTO.COM
The Tiger’s Miguel Cabrera being Miguel Cabrera
dollar signs to fly about the place), and Miguel Cabrera has been, well, Miguel Cabrera. There was a time when discussions of the best in baseball would start with the American League East. That time seems to be well and truly past. The defending-champion Red Sox recently suffered through a 10-game slide that dropped their record down to Houston Astro territory. The Rays are well under .500 while the Orioles and Yankees have looked merely ordinary.
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Is this the year the Blue Jays finally, finally take flight after years of languishing in the shadows of what once was the most feared division in baseball? Jose Reyes and Melky Cabrera have been able table setters, while Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion have been toting the heavy lumber. The pitching staff has been solid, with Mark Buehrle winning eight of his first nine decisions, meaning fans in Toronto are hoping it will be a sizzling summer north of the border.
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COMPAR
ING
Apples&
Richard L Gale sorts the Vitamin C from the Grade D, watches for potential banana skins, and lobs the occasional tomato in his overview of the 2014 NFL Draft
G
rading a draft is an inexact science, and for short-term relevance, check out the Seahawks: we hated their 2013 draft, but loved Seattle going into the season. We were right on both counts: several from their draft are on other rosters, a host on IR, their Super Bowl success largely built from previous drafts and fine veteran free agency. It’s rarely the case that a single draft puts a team ‘over the top’, while the right veteran or two can do wonders. A good draft can change a team’s direction (even make it a more attractive destination for free agents), or shore up a weakness. And in taking the right bellcow runner or field-general quarterback, a team can shift from 6-10 coach-killer to 10-6 contender in a heartbeat. So when we make a fuss over Johnny Manziel booking his ticket to Cleveland, it’s the promise that some ‘Johnny
Pure Juice SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
A+
Needing WR, CB and LB, the 49ers made it easier by trading a fourth for Bills WR Stevie Johnson. They then went to town on the rest of the league, consistently hitting. R1 Jimmie Ward was a safety at Northern Illinois, but 7 ints to go with 90 tackles made him a valuable CB prospect. R2 RB Carlos Hyde’s powerful 6-0 230lb frame casts him as the heir apparent to Frank Gore between the tackles, following the able blocks of R3 center Marcus Martin. R3 ILB Chris Borland is short (5-11, 248) but plays with throwback aggression. And so it continued – a quick WR, three more rosterworthy CBs, a couple of sudden DEs – and it didn’t stop there: with UDFAs LB Shayne Skov and OT Fou Fonoti in camp, the 49ers again aced this process.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
A
Hiding in plain sight, the Jags somehow bluffed everyone that they weren’t taking prototypicallybuilt UCF QB Blake Bortles with pick no.3, and for that poker face alone deserve credit. They then
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Football’ magic heralds a new era. It may; the proof of that pie is in the eating. It would be madness to grade Manziel, but we can still grade Cleveland’s weekend: value, trades, suitability to their philosophical needs. Not every team was starting afresh, as the Texans and Jaguars clearly were (it’s tough to foul up a draft with picks that high and expectations that low). Others just filled in the gaps. Comparing the draft of a team commited to ‘best available player’ (Ravens) to a draft hamstrung with a debilitating need at QB, corner, or its whole line (Miami) is like comparing apples and oranges. Same for matching five year plans (Browns) to a windowof-opportunity situation (Broncos). Still, if you came for apples, pick apples. If you came for oranges, pick the sweetest ones.
drafted two targets for him: USC’s Marqise Lee and Penn State’s Allen Robinson, both massively productive, Lee the faster, Robinson the more physical. They also drafted two OLs incl. Miami OG Brandon Linder, and Bortle’s backfield buddy RB Storm Johnson. DE Chris Smith (Arkansas) and LB Telvin Smith (FSU) have tweener measurables, but again are proven players, underpriced depth.
CLEVELAND BROWNS
A
After the Browns passed on Clemson WR Sammy Watkins in round one, news trickled down that veteran WR Josh Gordon may be suspended for 2014 under substance abuse rules ...and later that Nate Burleson will miss the offseason with a broken arm. That was the negative. There were so many positives, though. Johnny Manziel was drafted as QB apparent, franchise savior, and ticket sales bonanza for a mid-R1 pick. By that point, the Browns had already taken shutdown corner Justin Gilbert, performed some graceful trade shuffles, and added edge-protecting OT Joel Bitonio and inside-outside LB Christian Kirksey in R3. With nice late picks, plus San Jose State’s WR Chandler Jones and South Carolina QB Connor Shaw among the
UDFAs, the Browns couldn’t have landed a louder makeover if they’d bought themselves a logo.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
A
Three months ago, when draftville was still hot on Teddy Bridgewater, nobody would have blinked if the Vikings had taken the Louisville QB with a no.8 pick. Instead, the Vikes shuffled some picks, took terrifyingly quick UCLA OLB (and former RB) Anthony Barr, then nabbed Bridgewater at the end of R1, blowing apart the Chris Ponder/Matt Cassel/ Who Cares controversy. Bridgewater is no guarantee of heightened play, but at least they’re moving on. OL David Yankey had no business being there in R5. If VTech DB Antone Exum (6-0 213) returns to 2012 pre-ACL form, that’s two more steals.
BUFFALO BILLS
A-
Ballsy Buffalo. Eyeing a No.1 target for EJ Manuel, the Bills paid a Julio Jones-sized price for Clemson WR Sammy Watkins – a 2014 R1, 2015 R1 and R4 ...costly, but committed. So committed, they traded 1000-yard vet Stevie Johnson to the 49ers. They also gave their young QB some linemen: 6-7, 322lb Alabama OT Cyrus Kouandjio; 6-5 329lb Baylor OG
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Cyril Richardson; 6-7 331lb Miami OT Seantrel Henderson. There’s red flags on Henderson, but from rounds 2, 5 and 7 respectively, that’s a lot of prime discount beef. A couple of LBs matched need.
A-
OAKLAND RAIDERS
If the Raiders’ moves in free agency suggested the usual circus (Rodger Saffold was offered an outsized contract, then failed his physical and returned to the Rams), their draft was masterful. 5th overall pick OLB Khalil Mack is can’t-miss. Fresno State QB Derek Carr, were it not for brother David’s ‘bust’ legacy, might have been a top 10 pick – he has the arm, accuracy and game savvy to be the guy (which would be the first time the Raiders drafted their own franchise QB since Ken Stabler in 1968). They found a stout OG in Mississippi State’s Gabe Jackson. They added a gang of other defenders. R4 CB Keith McGill and R7 SS Jonathan Dowling were undervalued for their height (6-3) and speed.
Satisfying Crunch NEW YORK JETS
B+
Ignoring WR early in a receiver-rich draft (they signed Eric Decker in the offseason), the Jets took Louisville safety Calvin Pryor, a Seahawks-mentality cover-hitter, and deep-speed CB Dexter McDougle of Maryland. They gifted new QB Michael Vick Texas Tech TE Jace Amaro, who caught 1350 yards last season, tiny terrier (5-9 164) WR Jalen Saunders, who proved himself a go-to guy at both Fresno St. and Oklahoma, and UCLA WR Shaq Evans. They chose some more defenders late, plus (intriguingly in the shadow of Vick), the arm and athleticsm of Clemson QB Tajh Boyd. This draft grew on me.
PHOTO: CLEMSON ATHLETICS
A-
ST LOUIS RAMS
The NFC West also-ran almost lost FA OL Rodger Saffold, and Jake Long’s coming off injury, so taking Auburn’s generationally-outstanding OT Greg Robinson was a no-brainer. Busy DT Aaron Donald (Pitt), adaptable DB Lamarcus Joyner (FSU) and block-following RB Tre Mason (Auburn) were big school, small height selections thereafter. Taking Missouri DE Michael Sam means this franchise was both the first to break the color barrier (1946) and to draft an openly gay player. Sam has people wondering whether the SEC Defensive Player of the Year is a bit of a DE/LB tweener (6-2 261 lbs) who may not be a pro fit. Well, 6-1 250 lb college DE Tedy Bruschi (R3, 1996) did just fine in the NFL.
Costliest player? The trade of the day saw Buffalo send their 2015 first and fourth round picks to the Cleveland Browns to move up five spots and take WR Sammy Watkins of Clemson. A good result for both teams?
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Tuitt of Notre Dame; even finding depth with intense UCLA LB Jordan Zumwalt and massive (6-7 352) DT Daniel McCullers in R6. Tiny Kent St RB Dri Archer has video game moves, though R3 was a little rich. Consider him a 2nd WR, and they did a lot to help the roster without making a splash.
PHOTO: JIM SHORIN/STANFORD ATHLETICS
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
A good draft grade means getting value beyond Rounds 1-3. The Vikings found OL David Yankey still sitting in Round 5. He brings the size (6-6, 315), intelligence, pro-style experience and coachability you would expect of a Stanford lineman.
HOUSTON TEXANS
B+
South Carolina DE/OLB Jadeveon Clowney was the best player, on paper, with the no.1 pick. He may have cruised last season knowing a big pay day was assured, so the challenge for this dominant pass rusher is relighting the fire to be the best. After drafting Mario Williams and JJ Watt, you have to figure this franchise has the blueprint on edge rushers. The OL was equally boosted by UCLA’s ready-to-go OG Xavier Su’a-Filo. Along with Iowa’s 6-5 265lb block-and-catch TE CJ Fiedorowicz, the Texans drafted well for a quick turnaround. The hole in that conclusion is at QB, where Matt Schaub departed, leaving R4 Tom Savage (6-4 225) to be super-scrutinized as the future. He has NFL arm strength, but transferred twice in college, delivering more red tape than game tape.
DALLAS COWBOYS
B+
Pity Jerry Jones’ inner turmoil, passing on Johnny Manziel. However, it was the Dallas D, not Romo who stank the place out last year. After cast-iron Notre Dame OT Zack Martin in R1, they used 6 of 7 picks on defense incl. QB-panicking Boise St DE Demarcus Lawrence, Iowa OLB Anthony Hitchens, Stanford DE Ben Gardner, Texas Tech OLB Will Smith (seeing a pattern here?) plus DBs Ahmad Dixon of Baylor and Terrance Mitchell of Oregon. The Cowboys don’t need Johnny Football to sell tickets, they just need to win better than .500. This helps.
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Ripening Nicely WASHINGTON REDSKINS
B
Still paying for RGIII, they used two R3s to better protect that investment: long (6-6 314) Virginia OT Morgan Moses, and Nebraska OG Spencer Long. Their R2 was Stanford OLB Trent Murphy (15 sacks in 2013), more of a worker than a phenom. Lateround draft prowess included start-upside Clemson CB Bashaud Breeland in R4, sticky-handed Tulane WR Ryan Grant in R5, and snakebit former RGIII teammate RB Lache Seastrunk in R6.
CINCINNATI BENGALS
B
Everything was obvious: that the Bengals took CB Darqueze Dennard to answer a burning need for a reliable corner ... that they needed R3 DE Will Clarke after losing Michael Johnson ... that red flag runner Jeremy Hill (see April issue) would end up a Bengal. However, with Alabama QB AJ McCarron and players such as Arizona LB Marquis Flowers and Georgia Southern CB Lavelle Westbrooks down the list, it adds up to a nice talent haul.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
B
Needing receivers, they added R4 Clemson WR Martavis Bryant, whose cocky ability and homerun speed could have gone higher. But this draft was defense-first: Quick R1 OLB Ryan Shazier of Ohio State; across-the-line scrapper R2 DE Stephon
B
The annual bunch of second-tiers we immediately rate up when Bill Belichick eyes them: Florida DT Dominque Easley at his pre-ACL R1 value; technically sound R2 Eastern Illinois QB Jimmy Garoppolo (making everybody aware of Tom Brady’s age suddenly); game-smart FSU center Bryan Stork and a couple more big-school OLs. Badger RB James White may be where we all kick ourselves later – nimble feet, nice predictive vision, and can catch.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
B
R1 WR Brandin Cooks is smallish with blazing speed, great YAC, over 2,800 yards the past two years. R2 CB Stanley Jean-Baptiste has impressive size (6-3 215, but needs to play to it), is a former WR, and still a little raw. R5 Alabama SS Vinnie Sunseri is recovering from ACL injury, but is start material. As an investment draft, this grades well.
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
B
Instinctive and game-smart R1 TCU corner Jason Verrett would have been a top 10 pick were he taller than 5-9. R2 OLB Jeremiah Attaochu is 6-3 252 lbs of all-over-the-place. Along with R3 OG Chris Watt of Notre Dame, Arizona State RB Marion Grice, and Baylor WR Tevin Reese, it was a tidy crop.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
B
Needs: defense and a WR to replace shock release DeSean Jackson. Thus R1 Louisville edge rusher Marcus Smith was followed by Vanderbilt WR Jordan Matthews and Oregon WR Josh Huff, then defense thereafter, incl. Florida CB Jaylen Watkins (Sammy’s bro), long-proved Oregon (again) DE Taylor Hart, and Stanford FS Ed Reynolds. These guys are more familiar than great, known qualities for consolidation of the bounce-back Philly.
GREEN BAY PACKERS
B
Needing a safety, the Packers lucked into ‘Bama’s tackle-strong Ha Ha Clinton-Dix at pick 21, then replaced James Jones with WR Davante Adams (6-1 212, Fresno St) in R2. Southern Miss’ Khyri Thornton gives them DT/DE flexibility on the line. Later picks such as Cal TE Richard Rodgers (no relation) and ASU LB Carl Bradford won’t be so impactful, but there’s plenty of keepers.
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B-
CHICAGO BEARS
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
B
ATLANTA FALCONS
The Falcons’ first three selections matched urgent needs: sure-thing Texas A&M OT Jake Matthews; Minnesota DT Ra’Shede Hageman; and fast (4.38) Wisconsin DB Dezmen Southward. Later picks brought a slew of special-teams quality LBs to sift, and under-the-radar FSU RB Devonta Freeman.
B-
TENNESSEE TITANS
With CJ2K gone, the Titans had needs at marquee positions: RB, QB, CB. After signing Michael Oher they could have foregone OT early, but with pick 11 they chose 6-7 Michigan LT Taylor Lewan. He could be the catalyst for all these line pieces, though. They took the first RB, Washington’s Bishop Sankey. More of a metronomic carrier than Johnson without lacking pep in his step, he scored 20 TDs last season, and behind this line could have a massive rookie campaign. DT DaQuan Jones was a R4 steal. QB Jake Locker now has LSU’s Zach Mettenberger looking over his shoulder – a decent gamble in R6. R4 Wyoming DB Marqueston Huff may be viewed as a CB to round out the needs although they signed Alterraun Verner as a veteran free agent.
B-
ARIZONA CARDINALS
The Cards loved Wash St safety Deone Bucannon and didn’t wait for R2 to draft the 6-1 hitter and proven commodity. 6-6 was the measurable of choice, Arizona adding lanky R2 blockmeister TE Troy Niklas, R3 DE Kareem Martin, and ex-VT QB Logan Thomas. If somebody finds Thomas’ ON switch, a bunch of solids becomes a good draft.
Edible Ingredients NEW YORK GIANTS
C+
Priority: calm down Eli Manning. Solution: fast route-running supremo Odell Beckham of LSU, highly productive pure carrier Andre Williams of Boston College, and staunch interior blocker Weston Richburg of Colorado State. They may not be headline makers, nor be multi-faceted, and there were no steals, but they’ll answer the call early.
C
After sudden improvement last season, KC are looking to stay stocked. Tall R3 CB Phillip Gaines, Dexter McCluster replacement DeAnthony Thomas of Oregon, game-tested R5 Georgia QB Aaron Murray, down to their R6 OLs, it was all developmental stuff. But with only one pick in the first 87, there were several things they needed more than Auburn DE Dee Ford in R1. This draft lacked urgency.
The Bears lost their defensive mojo in 2013, so took R1 CB Kyle Fuller (brother of Corey) and R4 FS Brock Vereen (brother of Shane). Both could be a plugand-play. Will Sutton and Ego Ferguson (brother of Id?) will join the DT rotation. R4 RB Ka’Deem Carey will take major carries from Matt Forté. I favor UDFA QB Jordan Lynch over R6 pick David Fales. Sure thing: Greg Robinson was an easy decision for the St Louis Rams, and could be key for a move out of the NFC West basement PHOTO: AUBURN ATHLETICS
DENVER BRONCOS
C+
The Super Bowl exposed their leaky D: enter R1 Ohio St CB Bradley Roby. They needed a replacement for Eric Decker: enter physical R2 Indiana WR Cody Latimer. Needing OL depth, they took Michigan OL Michael Schofield. But there wasn’t much beyond that. For a team splurging expensively on veteran free agents, this was treading water rather than blowing the opposition out of it.
CAROLINA PANTHERS
C+
The Panthers had so many needs, it would have taken a special effort to grade badly. WR was a screaming hole, and just one selection – FSU’s one-year proven Kelvin Benjamin – isn’t answering the call, even if he is Calvin Johnson sized. However, Mizzou DE Kony Ealy, LSU OG Trai Turner, and Tarheel SS Tre Boston are all guys who will stick. UDFA Buckeye WR Corey Brown may get a look as a speedster replacement for Ted Ginn.
DETROIT LIONS
C+
Detroit looks like another team with multiple-TE aspirations as R1 Eric Ebron joins Brandon Pettigrew and Joe Fauria. R2-3 brought jack-o-trades BYU OLB Kyle Van Noy and Arkansas quick-footed C/OG Travis Swanson. The later rounds had too many look-see projects for a team on the cusp.
BALTIMORE RAVENS
C
The passing game went into post-Super Bowl hibernation last year. Expectations that protecting Joe Flacco would be priority (OT Michael Oher left, C Matt Elam retired) were ignored as the Ravens chose NFL-ready ‘Bama LB CJ Mosley, NT Timmy Jernigan, and fellow Seminole Terrence Brooks, a canny safety. It was a compensatory R5 before Baltimore took a lineman. There’s sticking to the board, and then there’s defiantly eschewing need.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
C-
Needs: a passing game - QB, WRs, line. R1’s 6-5 231lb WR Mike Evans and R2’s 6-5 262lb TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins, R3 catch-capable RB Charles Sims of WVU, and R6 WR Robert Herron of Wyoming are all targets for new QB... oh, they didn’t get one. Wow, they really are going with Glennon/McCown. No selections for the defense. Half a draft.
Can I have Ice Cream Instead? INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
D
Traded their R1 last year for Trent Richardson (oops). R2 ex-Buckeye OL Jack Mewhort and R7 OT Ulrick John match needs (...ish), and any WR selection (in this case Mississippi’s Donte Moncrief) is likely to be overpraised at the prospect of having Andrew Luck flinging the ball at him. A mere handful of picks changed little.
MIAMI DOLPHINS
D
The Dolphins line blew up spectacularly in 2014 so they start again: Tennessee RT Ja’Wuan James in R1 (a bit of a stretch), North Dakota St LT Billy Turner in R3. Between them, soft-mitted LSU WR Landry Jones (were they secretly after RB Bishop Sankey to settle their rushing woes?) and then toured the small schools with selections from Liberty, Montana, Coastal Carolina, Marist. That’s a lot of level adjustment. Does Dolphins management just like going the long way round?
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
D
Another year of late drafting by the Seahawks, with deep-speedy Colorado WR Paul Richardson their top selection in R2 and Alabama’s Kevin Norwood later on (Sidney Rice and Golden Tate have left Seattle). Missouri OT Justin Britt was a curious R2 selection, graded on many people’s boards no better than Seattle’s glut of Day 3 selections. Again, its just a bunch o’ stuff from Seattle.
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The American
Eagle Eyed
Tiger’s Back
Will Tiger Woods’ bad back force golf’s decline? Darren Kilfara investigates
A
n average of 7.9 million viewers watched the final two rounds of the 2014 Masters Tournament on television in America. That’s the lowest viewing figure for a Masters weekend since 1993, the year Bernhard Langer and Chip Beck first taught me that a Sunday afternoon at Augusta could actually kinda suck. Mind you, this year’s Masters didn’t suck, unless of course your only reason for tuning in was to watch Tiger Woods. Personally, I’m enjoying Tim Finchem’s personal post-apocalyptic wasteland, aka the Tiger-free 2014 PGA Tour season. Each week throws up new storylines and a fresh cast of characters including Matt Kuchar’s redemption at Harbour Town, J.B. Holmes averaging 333.9 yards off the tee in winning at Quail Hollow (where Phil Mickelson posted weekend scores of 63-76), and Martin Kaymer’s near-collapse but ultimate salvation at the 71st hole of The Players Championship. Each tournament is mostly covered by CBS, NBC and Sky on its merits, not its personalities. And when I watch the back nine on Sunday, I generally have no idea who is going to win. This is why I like professional sports. But drama without superstardom apparently doesn’t pay the bills. NBC’s Dan Hicks, analyzing
52 June 2014
the future of golf in a post-Tiger world, says “I believe we’re in for a correction,” and I’m sure he’s right: to borrow more terminology from capitalism, we’re living in a Tiger Bubble, and when he retires or permanently fades into obsolescence, that bubble will pop unless a new Tiger comes along. And with all due respect to Nicklaus’ skills and Palmer’s persona, there has only ever been one Tiger Woods. So in the near future, might the PGA Tour’s current financial model look unsustainable? Can there be a FedEx Cup without a FedEx? Will purses and TV contracts start shrinking instead of continually expanding? As a consumer of the Tour’s weekly product, I’m not saying these would be bad things, quite the opposite. However, if you’re the PGA Tour commissioner, Tiger’s backache is giving you headaches. The NBA succeeded in building a personality-driven sports league: Magic, Michael, Shaq, Kobe and LeBron are all household first names. But although you and I may know who Phil, Rory and Bubba are, most sports fans apparently do not - or if they do, they don’t care. Plus, golf as a whole seems to have been broadly in a state of slow decline for several years. Are falling participation rates directly linked to the
state of the economy, or are more fundamental forces, possibly including Tiger’s inability to sustain his dominance by winning any majors in the last five years, at work? Tiger will return to the Tour at some point this year. Before he retires he’ll win more tournaments, probably win more majors, maybe make a Nicklaus-in-’86-like run at the Masters in his dotage, and continue to suck every last drop of oxygen out of the press tent wherever and whenever he plays. But soon enough - and very possibly sooner than you think, given the essential incompatibility of bad backs and good golf - the Tiger Era will end, and professional golf will revert to its unevolved, pre-1997 state. What might that look like? Turn on Sky Sports 4 any Saturday or Sunday evening before Tiger feels better and find out. Darren Kilfara formerly worked for Golf Digest magazine and is the author of A Golfer’s Education, a memoir of his junior year abroad as a student-golfer at the University of St. Andrews. His new book, a novel called Do You Want Total War?, is also now available online at Amazon and elsewhere.
The American
World Cup Preview Gary Jordan looks at how the soccer teams shape up
E
very four years the soccer community comes together for a month long festival as the world’s top nations play for the right to be crowned as the best of the best. The World Cup is such a global event that is was estimated that 700 million people tuned in to watch Spain beat the Netherlands 1–0 in the final of the last tournament in 2010. This time around, and with technology as it is, that number could swell even more. Given that this year’s finals are being held in one of the game’s spiritual homes, it is fair to say the appeal is certainly there. Brazil are five time World Cup winners and are always cast as one of the pre–tournament favorites whenever the finals come around. This time it is no different, but maybe with the home fans expecting nothing short of a Samba–style victory, the added weight of expectancy could prove too much.
Group A
Even though they are the most decorated nation in the World Cup, Brazil have also under–achieved a considerable amount. They have many players reaching their peak at the right time, Neymar, Fred, Oscar and Hulk to name a few, and they are the host nation, so the odds makers have them down as heavy favorites. They have a relatively easy group to escape from, but the latter stages of the competition sometimes see the Samba men slip up. They could be tested as early as the
second round where Spain or the Netherlands could await. Mexico should also come out of this group, they are also young and strong and with favorable South American support will have enough goals in them to outlast the challenge of Croatia and Cameroon.
Group B
Spain have been riding a euphoric wave of soccer excellence for the last decade, and take a very strong squad into this year’s finals. Once a country that always failed to deliver despite the wealth of individual talent, they now are the team that the rest aspire to be. Players such as Sergio Ramos, Iniesta, Fabregas, Mata and Silva are now superstars across the globe. They are a serious threat once again and it will be a surprise if they didn’t get to at least the last four. They are in a group with the
team they beat in the final last time. The Netherlands will be looking to redeem themselves from that final defeat when they tried to literally kick the Spaniards off the pitch in an ugly final that went against their normal way of forward thinking. Throw Chile and Australia into the mix and this could be a tricky group to qualify from, but if the two European nations play as we expect them to we should see them both in the last fortnight of the competition.
Group C
With all due respect to the teams in this group, it is arguably the weakest in the opening stage. Having said that, it could prove to be very competitive, but whoever gets out of the group won’t progress too much further. If you were to pick a favorite it would probably be Colombia, followed closely by the Will head coach Jürgen Klinsmann take the US team to victory over Germany?
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Ivory Coast. The Colombians had a strong qualification, only conceding 13 goals in 16 games, and again have the added advantage of playing in the home continent. Greece and Japan make up the numbers in the group and if one of these two are to spring a surprise it could come from the team from Asia. The Japanese are tried and tested at this level and experience could help.
Group D
Where the above lets us down a little, this group raises the bar somewhat. Three teams that on their day could beat each other, and another that could spring a surprise. Italy, Uruguay and England have won almost a third of all previous World Cups between them. The most recent was Italy’s success in 2006 and they start this group as slight favorites, but a lot will hinge on their first game with England. Traditionally the English are slow starters in finals play and if that is the case here they may find themselves flying home early as they play Uruguay after their opening date with the Italians. England head into this World
June 2014 54 October 2013
Cup with no real expectancy. This may help them and they could play with a somewhat free spirit. They have a wily man in charge, the veteran coach Roy Hodgson has seen it all before with club sides across Europe. Look for Uruguay to be very strong again, and with top striker Luis Suarez in the form of his life they could well be a dark horse to go all the way. [A recent knee-op could leave Suarez with little preparation for the big event - Ed.] The spoilers in the group are Costa Rica and if any of the big three have an off day they could spoil the party.
Group E
France is a team that either blow very hot, or extremely cold. They have some great talent in their squad but sometimes the team harmony is amiss. In their favor this time around is a group that shouldn’t offer too much resistance. Switzerland shocked everyone four years ago by beating Spain in their opening group game, so they are not to be underestimated. Interestingly their opening match this time could set the tone for the group as they face another home continent
nation, Ecuador. Ecuador had a very good qualification with wins against Uruguay and Colombia. Should they beat the Swiss in the first game the group will be wide open, even more so if Honduras could somehow spring a surprise somewhere in their games.
Group F
If there is to be a real challenge to the Brazilians winning in their backyard it has to come from their historical rivals Argentina. Like their neighbors they have a recent history of disappointing on the big stage, you have to go back to 1986 for the last time they lifted the trophy. Once again the hopes of the nation will ride with how far Lionel Messi will take them. They have many more strings to their bow though. Di Maria, Mascherano, Zabaletta and Aguero are some support act to the best player in the world. Once into the knockout phase the draw has been quite favorable and the path to the last four should be easily negotiated. This could well be their year. Matched in a group with Bosnia–Herzegovina, Iran and
The American
Nigeria they should qualify as top scorers in the group stages. The other three will fight out for the second place in the group with Bosnia favored to go through.
Group G
When the draw is made for the finals everyone looks out for the fabled “Group of Death.” It’s named simply because every team in it has a more than fighting chance of getting out of the group, therefore an equal chance of being a shock early exit. This time around Germany, Portugal, Ghana and the USA make up this year’s deadly foursome. Everyone will look and think that the Germans will go through, such is their history in the competition, and that the Portuguese will also qualify, but the Group of Death has no respect for the past. Current form goes out the window, and Ghana are a more than formidable foe for either of these two. So what are the chances of the USA this time around? Jürgen Klinsmann is the man in charge, and he has taken time to impress his critics. However, his record breaking run with twelve consecutive
victories including a Gold Cup win in 2013 won many over and they are tolerating him – for now. He will relish the chance of getting one over his motherland. The German takes his decent coaching record into this tournament with a good group of veteran players and youth. For some it could well be their last major tournament. Tim Howard and Clint Dempsey will be wanting to go out on a high. Soccer legend and icon Landon Donovan won’t have that honor, having not be selected. Omar Gonzalez will want to enhance his growing reputation as a solid center-back. Others will be playing despite their form not being the brightest: Jozy Altidore will be hoping he regains the scoring touch that has deserted him for the majority of this season in the English Premiership. Realistically this may be the weakest squad the States has taken to a World Cup in a while, but there will be no doubting the commitment from the team once the games begin.
Group H
Another group that on paper doesn’t seem appealing. Look
Brazil v England at Maracanã stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2013 PHOTO ©RODRIGO SOLDON
deeper though and you will find some intriguing matchups. Belgium have the most talented set of players, but you can never underestimate Russia. South Korea are now veterans on the world stage and will be snapping at the heels of the two Europeans. Lastly, Algeria seem to be relying on youth this time around but will also be looking to exorcise the ghost of four years ago when they were one of two teams to not score a goal. When you consider the two that do get through will have to face the qualifiers from the “Death” group they may have an early exit soon after the first round.
Soccer will be the winner
Overall the perception is that even though the South American teams will fare best due to the climate, there will be some surprises along the way. The stage is set for an attacking tournament, lots of flair and open play influenced by the style of the host nation. It will be one long colorful party with soccer the ultimate winner.
October June 2014 2013 55
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ORGANIZATION FOCUS
Knightsbridge Village
Discover the private Ladies Network created exclusively for discerning mothers living in Knightsbridge, Kensington and surrounding areas
L
adies living in and around London’s affluent borough of Kensington and Chelsea (Knightsbridge, Kensington, Chelsea and surrounding areas) will be interested to hear of Knightsbridge Village. A collaborative community of like-minded mothers created to foster knowledge sharing, friendship and peer support. Membership is by invitation only, which, they say, creates a sense of trust and authenticity which differentiates Knightsbridge Village from “free to join” parent clubs.
56 June 2014
Members, known as “residents” network and share insider knowledge through a private portal, read insightful blogs delivered by an expert team, enjoy exclusive events and more. A great resource whether you are new to the neighborhood or already well settled. The club partners with elite local shops and restaurants, and members enjoy preferential pricing from the likes of Beaufort House, Matt Roberts Personal Training, Equinox Fitness Club, Le Caprice, Tatler Magazine and Michaeljohn Hair & Beauty.
“Our members are busy women at the helm of successful families who enjoy exclusive benefit and so much more,” says founder & director, Nana Coles. For a limited period The American’s readers are invited to join online with this key: american2014. Membership is £10 per month. Visit knightsbridge-village.com CONTACT info@knightsbridge-village.com www.knightsbridge-village.com Joining code: american2014
American ORGANIZATIONS
American Friends of the Jewish Museum London Stephen Goldman Tel. 020 7284 7363 stephen.goldman@jewishmuseum.org.uk www.jewishmuseum.org.uk/american-friends American Friends of the Lyric Theatre Ireland Crannóg House, 44 Stranmillis Embankment, Belfast, BT9 5FL, Northern Ireland Angela McCloskey info@americanfriendsofthelyric.com www.americanfriendsofthelyric.com/
An index of useful resources in the UK
American Friends of the National Portrait Gallery Stacey Ogg and Charlotte Savery, Individual Giving Managers 020 7312 2444 individualgiving@npg.org.uk www.npg.org.uk/support.php
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CIVIC & SERVICES American Church in London Senior Pastor: Rev. John D’Elia. Sunday School 9.45am, Sunday Worship 11am, child care provided. 79a Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4TD Tel: 020 7580 2791/07771 642875 www.amchurch.co.uk churchsecretary@amchurch.co.uk American Institute of Architects 27 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AX 020 3318 5722 membership@aiauk.org, www.aiauk.org American Citizens Abroad (ACA) 5 Rue Liotard, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland +41.22.340.02.33 info.aca@gmail.com www.americansabroad.org American Red Cross RAF Mildenhall
American Friends of the Philharmonia Orchestra Jennifer Davies, Development Director jennifer.davies@philharmonia.co.uk www.philharmonia.co.uk/support/friends/afpo/
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American Friends of Historic Royal Palaces Chris Martin and Harriet James 020 3166 6321, harriet.james@hrp.org.uk www.hrp.org.uk/supportus/donatingfromtheusa American Friends of the Almeida Theatre, Inc. USA: 950 Third Ave., 32nd Floor, New York, NY 10022 UK: Almeida Theatre, Almeida Street, London N1 1TA www.almeida.co.uk/supportus/individual-support/ american-friends
American Friends of the Royal Court Theatre U.S.: Laurie Beckelman, Beckelman and Capalino +1.212.616.5822 laurie@beckcap.com UK: Gaby Styles, Head of Development 020 7565 5060 gabystyles@royalcourttheatre.com or info@afrct.org
American Friends of Chickenshed Theatre USA: c/o Chapel & York PMB293, 601 Penn Ave NW, Suite 900 S Bldg, Washington, DC 20004 UK: Chickenshed, Chase Side, Southgate, London N14 4PE www.chickenshed.org.uk
American Friends of the Royal Society http://royalsociety.org/Overseas-Donations
American Friends of Sadler’s Wells USA: 222 Park Avenue South, 10A, New York, NY 10003 +1.917.539.9021 americanfriends@sadlerswells.com www.sadlerswells.com/page/american-friends UK: 020 7863 8134 development@sadlerswells.com
American Friends of St. Bartholomew the Great U.S.: John Eagleson 2925 Briarpark, Suite 600, Houston, TX 77042 UK: 20 7606 5171 admin@greatstbarts.com
American Friends of Dulwich Picture Gallery 020 8299 8726, www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk American Friends of English National Opera (ENO) American Friends Coordinator London Coliseum, St. Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4ES 0207 845 9331 Americanfriends@eno.org www.eno.org/support/individual/memberships American Friends of the British Museum The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. 020 7323 8590, www.britishmuseum.org American Friends of the Donmar Inc. 020 7845 5810, sdittmer@donmarwarehouse.com www.donmarwarehouse.com/p46.html American Friends of Gladstone Library Britain’s only Prime Ministerial library. www.gladstoneslibrary-us.com annette.lewis@gladlib.org
American Friends of the Royal Institution of Great Britain U.S.: c/o Chapel & York Limited, PMB #293, South Building Washington, DC 20004 UK: The Development Office, Royal Institution of Great Britain, 21 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4BS 020 7670 2991 kdodd@ri.ac.uk www.rigb.org
American Friends of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust U.S.: John Chwat, President 625 Slaters Lane, Suite 103, Alexandria, VA 22314 +1. 703.684.7703, info@americanfriendsofsbt.org www.americanfriendsofsbt.org American Friends of the Victoria and Albert Museum, Inc. U.S.: Diana Seaton, Executive Director 61 Londonderry Drive, Greenwich, CT 06830 +1.203.536.4328 diana.seaton@afvam.org www.afvam.org UK: 020 7942 2149 American Friends of Wigmore Hall U.S.: c/o Chapel and York, 1000 N West Street Suite 1200, Wilmington DE 19801 UK: 020 7258 8220 mhosterweil@wigmore-hall.org.uk
June 2014 57
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American Museum in Britain Director: Dr Richard Wendorf Claverton Manor, Bath BA2 7BD. 01225 460503. Fax 01225 469160 info@americanmuseum.org www.americanmuseum.org American Women Lawyers in London www.awll.org.uk info@awll.org.uk The Anglo-American Charity Limited Jeffrey Hedges, Director. 07968 513 631 info@anglo-americancharity.org www.anglo-americancharity.org The Association of Americans Resident Overseas 34 avenue de New York, 75116 Paris, France + 33 1 47 20 24 15 www.aaro.org Anglo American Medical Society Hon. Sec.: Dr. Edward Henderson, The Mill House, Whatlington, E. Sussex, TN33 0ND. 01424 775130 ed@themillhouse.eclipse.co.uk Association for Rescue at Sea The UK’s Royal National Lifeboat Association does not have an American Branch but to make a tax efficient gift to the RNLI, contact AFRAS. Mrs. Anne C. Kifer P.O. Box 565 Fish Creek, WI 54212, U.S.A. 00-1-920-743-5434 ackafras@aol.com Atlantic Council Director: Alan Lee Williams. 185 Tower Bridge Road, London SE1 2UF 0207 403 0640 or 0207 403 0740 acuk@atlantic-council.org.uk Bentwaters Cold War Museum Erroll Frost 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 Boy Scouts of America Mayflower District Executive: Cristina Priddy The Old Coach House, 81A London Rd, Brandon, Suffolk IP270EL 075 9210 1013 crpriddy@bsamail.org British American Business Inc. 75 Brook Street, London, W1K 4AD. Tel. 020 7290 9888 www.babinc.org ukinfo@babinc.org British American-Canadian Associates Contact via The English Speaking Union – esu@esu.org Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 66-68 Exhibition Rd, South Kensington, London SW7 2PA 020 7584 7553 adcockmp@ldschurch.org https://lds.org.uk http://mormon.org
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Church of St. John the Evangelist Vicar: Reverend Stephen Mason. Hyde Park Crescent, London W2 2QD 020 7262 1732 www.stjohns-hydepark.com parishadmin@stjohns-hydepark.com Circumcision Matters Problems arranging circumcision for your new-born? Call 020 7390 8433. www.circumcisionmatters.com Commonwealth Church Rev. Rod Anderson, PO Box 15027, London SE5 0YS www.savestmarks.com
Has your group done something you’re proud of? Tell us email sabrina@theamerican.co.uk
Democrats Abroad (UK) Box 65, 22 Notting Hill Gate, London W11 3JE Regular updates on events, chapters throughout the UK, DAUK newsletters: www.democratsabroad.org.uk 020 7724 9796 www.democratsabroad.org/group/united-kingdom Register to vote and request an Absentee Ballot: www.votefromabroad.org Farm Street Church 114 Mount Street, Mayfair, London W1K 3AH Tel: 020 7493 7811 www.farmstreet.org.uk Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) Department of Defense, 1155 Defense Pentagon, Washington DC 20301-1155. Director: Ms. Polli K. Brunelli UK Toll Free Tel: 0800 028 8056 US Toll Free Tel:1-800-438- VOTE (8683). www.fvap.gov vote@fvap.ncr.gov Friends of Chicksands Priory (12th Century) Founded in 1975 by USAF personnel and British employees at RAF Chicksands Julie Benson 01525 860497 friendsofchicksands@gmail.com www.chicksandspriory.co.uk Friends of St Jude London Debbie Berger Tel. 07738 628126 debbie.berger@stjude.org www.friendsofstjude.org/london Grampian Houston Association Secretary: Bill Neish 5 Cairncry Avenue, Aberdeen, AB16 5DS 01224-484720 wineish@sky.com International Community Church (Interdenominational) Pastor: Rev. Dr. Barry K. Gaeddert Sunday Worship: 10.30 am, Chertsey Hall, Heriot Road, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 9DR Active Youth programme. Church Office: 1st floor, Devonshire House, 60 Station Road, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 2AF.
01932 830295. churchoffice@icc-uk.org www.icc-uk.org
Junior League of London President: Jennifer Crowl 9 Fitzmaurice Place, London W1J 5JD. Tel: 020 7499 8159 Fax: 020 7629 1996 jrleague@jll.org.uk www.jll.org.uk Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation 19 Angel Gate, City Road, London EC1V 2PT. Tel: 020 7713 2030 Fax: 020 7713 2031 info@jdrf.org.uk www.jdrf.org.uk Liberal Jewish Synagogue 28 St John’s Wood Road, London NW8 7HA Services 6.45pm Fridays and 11am on Saturdays except for first Friday each month when service is held at 7pm with a Chavurah Supper. Please bring non-meat food dish to share. 020 7286 5181 ljs@ljs.org Lions Club International Lakenheath & District 105EA, 15 Highfields Drive, Lakenheath, Suffolk IP27 9EH. Tel 01842 860752 www.lionsclubs.org Lutheran Services, St Anne’s Rev. Timothy Dearhamer. Lutheran Church, Gresham St, London EC2. Sun 11am-7pm. 020 7606 4986 info@StAnnesLutheranChurch.org www.StAnnesLutheranChurch.org Methodist Central Hall Westminster, London SW1H 9NH Services every Sunday at 11am and 6.30pm. Bible study groups & Monday guilds also held. 020 7222 8010, church@mchw.org.uk www.methodist-central-hall.org.uk North American 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.chawton.org/support/nafchl5.html 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 Republicans Abroad (UK) Chairman Dr. Thomas Grant chairman@republicansabroad-uk.org www.republicansabroad-uk.org Rotaract in Great Britain & Ireland For 18-30 year olds, an international membership www.rotaract.org.uk Rotary Club of London
The American
Royal National Lifeboat Institution Head Office, West Quay Road, Poole BH15 1HZ 0845 045 6999 www.rnli.org.uk
American Professional Women in London Rebecca Lammers, Flat 9 Hanover Court, 5 Stean Street, London, E8 4ED 075 3393 5064 abwinlondon@gmail.com Twitter: @USAProWomenLDN www.facebook.com/groups/293890040710041 www.meetup.com/American-Business-Women-inLondon
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
American Society in London c/o The English Speaking Union 37 Charles Street, London W1J 5ED info@americansocietyuk.com 020 7539 3400
St Andrew’s Lutheran Church Serving Americans since 1960. Whitby Road & Queens Walk, Ruislip, West London. (South Ruislip Tube Station). Services: 11 am. 020 8845 4242 pastorvan43@hotmail.com www.standrewslutheran.co.uk Other Lutheran Churches in the UK: www.lutheran.co.uk
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
6 York Gate, London NW1 4QG. Tel. 020 7487 5429
Rotary Great Britain and Ireland www.ribi.org
T.R.A.C.E. P.W. (The ‘original’ Transatlantic Children’s’ Enterprise reuniting children with G.I. father’s and their families) Membership Secretary: Norma Jean Clarke-McCloud 29 Connaught Avenue, Enfield EN1 3BE normajean78@hotmail.com www.tracepw.org United Nations Association, Westminster branch Chairman: David Wardrop 61 Sedlescombe Road, London SW6 1RE 0207 385 6738 info@unawestminster.org.uk www.unawestminster.org.uk www.wethepeoples.org.uk USA Girl Scouts Overseas – North Atlantic Stem Kaserne Bldg 1002, Postfach 610212 D-68232, Mannheim, Germany. +49 621 487 7025. girlscouts@cmtymail.26asg.army.mil www.norags.com
SOCIAL American Club of Hertfordshire President: Lauryn Awbrey 63-65 New Road, Welwyn, Herts AL6 0AL 01582 624823 amclubherts@aol.com American Expats of the Northwest of England The Ruskin Rooms, Drury Lane, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 6HA. expatsnw@gmail.com American Friends of English Heritage US: 1307 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W. Washington DC 20036. 202-452-0928. UK: c/o English Heritage, Attn: Simon Bergin, Keysign House, 429 Oxford Street, London W1R 2HD. 020 7973 3423 www.english-heritage.org.uk
American Womens Association of Bristol 0800 0834804 awabristol_membership@fawco.org 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 Association of Yorkshire The Chalet, Scarcroft Grange, Wetherby Road, Scarcroft, Leeds LS14 3HJ. 01224 744 224 Contact: Carol Di Peri The American Women’s Club of Dublin P.O. Box 2545, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 IRELAND www.awcd.net info@awcd.net American Women’s Club of London 68 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3LQ. 020 7589 8292 awc@awclondon.org www.awclondon.org American Women’s Club of Central Scotland P.O. Box 231, 44-46 Morningside Road, Edinburgh, EH10 4BF info@awccs.org www.awccs.org American Women of South Wales 07866 190838 awsouthwales@fawco.org Association of American Women in Ireland aawireland@fawco.org Association of American Women of Aberdeen PO Box 11952, Westhill, Aberdeen, AB13 0BW email via website www.awaaberdeen.org British Association of American Square Dance 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 Canadian Womens Club 1 Grosvenor Square, London W1K 4AB Tues – Thurs 10.30-3.30 0207 258 6344 info@canadianwomenlondon.org www.canadianwomenlondon.org Chilterns American Women’s Club PO Box 445, Gerrards Cross, Bucks, SL9 8YU membership@cawc.co.uk www.cawc.co.uk Colonial Dames of America Chapter XI London. President Anne K Brewster: AnneBrewster@hotmail.com Daughters of the American Revolution – St James’s Chapter Mrs Natalie Ward, 01379 871422 nattyward@aol.com or UKDARStJames@aol.com http://mysite.verizon.net/jean.sutton/main.htm Daughters of the American Revolution – Walter Hines Page Chapter Diana Frances Diggines, Regent dardiana@hotmail.co.uk www.dar.org Daughters of the American Revolution – Washington Old Hall Chapter, North Yorkshire Mrs. Gloria Hassall, 01845 523-830 Delta Kappa Gamma Society International Great Britain President: Mrs. Sheila Roberts, Morvan House, Shoreham Lane, St. Michaels, Tenterden, Kent TN30 6EG email: saroberts123@aol.com www.deltakappagamma.net Delta Zeta International Sorority Alumna Club Mrs Sunny Eades, The Old Hall, Mavesyn Ridware, Nr. Rugeley, Staffordshire, WSI5 3QE. 01543 490 312 SunnyEades@aol.com The East Anglia American Club 49 Horsham Close, Haverhill, Suffolk CB9 7HN 01440 766 967 eaacexpats@karej.co.uk English-Speaking Union Director-General Peter Kyle Dartmouth House, 37 Charles Street, London W1J 5ED. Tel: 020 7529 1550 esu@esu.org Friends of Benjamin Franklin House Director: Dr. Márcia Balisciano Benjamin Franklin House, 36 Craven St, London WC2N 5NF 0207 839 2006 www.benjaminfranklinhouse.org info@benjaminfranklinhouse.org
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Hampstead Women’s Club President - Betsy Lynch. Tel: 020 7435 2226 email president@hwcinlondon.co.uk www.hwcinlondon.co.uk High Twelve International, Inc. Local Club Contact – Arnold Page High Twelve Club 298 Secretary, Darrell C. Russell, 1 Wellington Close, West Row, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, IP28 8PJ 01638 715764 russelld130@btinternet.com. International American Duplicate Bridge Club Contact: Mary Marshall, 18 Palace Gardens Terrace, London W8 4RP. 020 7221 3708 www.ycbc.co.uk/american.htm Kensington & Chelsea Men’s Club Contact: John Rickus 70 Flood Street, Chelsea, London SW3 5TE. (home): 020 7349 0680 (office): 020 7753 2253 johnrickus@aol.com Kensington & Chelsea Women’s Club President: Susan Lenora. Tel. 0207 581 8261 president@kcwc.org.uk Membership: 0207 863 7562 (ans service). membership@kcwc.org.uk Knightsbridge Village Private invitation-only network for discerning mothers in Knightsbridge, Kensington and surrounding areas. For a limited period The American’s readers are invited to join online with this key: american2014. Membership is £10 per month. info@knightsbridge-village.com www.knightsbridge-village.com New Neighbors Diana Parker, Rosemary Cottage, Rookshill, Rickmansworth, Herts WD3 4HZ. 01923 772185 North American Connection (West Midlands) PO Box 10543, Knowle, Solihull, West Midlands. B93 8ZY 0870 720 0663 info@naconnect.com www.naconnect.com Northwood Area Women’s Club c/o St John’s UR Church, Hallowell Road, Northwood, Middlesex HA6 1DN 01932-830295 info@northwoodareawomensclub.co.uk www.northwoodareawomensclub.co.uk Petroleum Women’s Club Contact: Nancy Ayres, 01923 711720 nanayrs@btopenworld.com 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
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Propeller Club of the United States – London, England propellerclubhq.com
American Legion London Post 1 Adjutant: Jim Pickett PO Box 5017, BATH, BA1 OPP 01225-426245 info@amlegionpost1london.org.uk www.amlegionpost1london.org.uk
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
American Overseas Memorial Day Association Dedicated to remember and honor the memory of those who gave their lives in World War I and II, whose final resting places are in American Military Cemeteries or in isolated graves in Europe. info@aomda.com, aomda.com
Stars of Great Britain Chapter #45 Washington Jurisdiction. Lakenheath, England sogb45@yahoo.com http://starsofgreatbritainchapter45.com
Bentwaters/Woodbridge Retirees’ Association President: Wylie Moore. 2 Coldfair Close, Knodishall, Saxmundham, Suffolk, IP17 1UN. 01728 830281
St John’s Wood Women’s Club Box 185, 176 Finchley Road, London NW3 6BT membership@sjwwc.org www.sjwwc.org
British Patton Historical Society Kenn Oultram 01606 891303
Thames Valley American Women’s Club Membership: Claire Mangers-Page PO Box 1687, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 8XT. 01628 632683, membership@tvawc.com www.tvawc.com
Brookwood American Cemetery The American Battle Monuments Commission Superintendant: Craig Rahanian Brookwood, Woking, Surrey GU24 0BL 01483 473237 www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/bk.php
UK Panhellenic Association Contact Susan Woolf, 10 Coniston Court, High St. Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex HA1 3LP. 020 8864 0294 susanrwoolf@hotmail.com
Cambridge American Cemetery (WWII Cemetery) The American Battle Monuments Commission Superintendent: Bruce D Phelps Madingley Road, Coton, Cambridge CB23 7PH 01954-210-350 cambridge@abmc.gov www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/ca.php
UK Anglian Shrine Club (Master Masons) Secretary: David A. Mostyn Long Furlong House, Holt, Norfolk NR25 7DD 01263 740223 davidmostyn@longfurlong.plus.com
Commander in Chief, US Naval Forces Europe US Naval Forces Europe-Africa - US Sixth Fleet www.c6f.navy.mil, CNE-C6FPAO@eu.navy.mil
W.E.B. DuBois Consistory #116 Northern Jurisdiction Valley of London, England, Orient of Europe Cell: 0776-873-8030 mjack36480@aol.com
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
Women’s Writers Network Cathy Smith, 23 Prospect Rd, London, NW2 2JU. 020 7794 5861 info@womenwriters.org.uk www.womenwriters.org.uk
Friends of the Eighth Newsletter (FOTE News) Chairman: Mr. Ron Mackay. 39b Thorley Hill, Bishops Stortford, Herts CM23 3NE. 01279 658619
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 sites.google.com/site/290foundation 290admin@ onetel.com AFJROTC 073 Lakenheath High School. Tel: 01638 525603 Air Force Sergeants Association UK POC Timothy W. Litherland CMSgt, USAF (ret). Chapters at RAFs Alconbury, Croughton, Lakenheath, Menwith Hill and Mildenhall. timothy.litherland@outlook.com www.hqafsa.org
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 Marine Corps League Detachment 1088, London, England Commandant Mike Allen Creek Cottage, 2 Pednormead End, Old Chesham, Buckinghamshire HP5 2JS detachment1088@mcl-london-uk.org www.mcl-london-uk.org Military Officers’ Association of America www.moaa.org msc@moaa.org
The American
Navy League of the United States, United Kingdom Council Council President: Steven G. Franck steven.franck@googlemail.com www.navyleague.org
USNA Alumni Association UK Chapter Pres: LCDR Tim Fox ’97, timfox97@hotmail.com Vice Pres: Miguel Sierra ’90, mrsierra@chevron.com Treas/Membership Coord: Bart O’Brien ’98, bartonobrien2@yahoo.com Secretary: Matt Horan ’87, matthoran@btinternet.com
Non-Commissioned Officers’ Association (NCOA) – The Heart of England Chapter Chairman: Ronald D.Welper, Pine Farm, Sharpe’s Corner, Lakenheath, Brandon, Suffolk 1P27 9LB. Thetford 861643. Chapter Address: 513 MSSQ/SS, RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk.
Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Commander: Ernest Paolucci 24, rue Gerbert, 75015 Paris, France 00 33 (0)1.42.50.96.34 Western UK Retiree Association President: R. Jim Barber, MSgt (USAF), Ret 01280 708182
Society of American Military Engineers (UK) UK address: Box 763, USAFE Construction Directorate. 86 Blenheim Crescent, West Ruislip, Middlesex HA4 7HL
EDUCATIONAL
Reserve Officers Association London Col. B.V. Balch, USAR, 72 Westmoreland Road, Barnes, London SW13 9RY memberservices@roa.org www.roa.org
ACS International Schools ACS Cobham International School, Heywood, www.acs-england.co.uk Alconbury Middle/High School RAF Alconbury, Huntingdon, Cambs, PE17 1PJ, UK. www.alco-hs.eu.dodea.edu AlconburyHS.Principal@eu.dodea.edu
Society of American Military Engineers (UK) UK address: Box 763, USAFE Construction Directorate: 86 Blenheim Crescent, West Ruislip, Middlesex HA4 7HL London Post. President: W. Allan Clarke. Secretary: Capt. Gary Chesley. Membership Chairman, Mr. Jim Bizier.
American Institute for Foreign Study 37 Queensgate, London SW7 5HR 020 7581 7300 www.aifs.co.uk info@aifs.co.uk
US Army Reserve 2nd Hospital Center 7 Lynton Close, Ely, Cambs, CB6 1DJ. Tel: 01353 2168 Commander: Major Glenda Day.
American School in London 1 Waverley Place, London NW8 0NP 020 7449 1200, www.asl.org admissions@asl.org
US Air Force Recruiting Office Bldg 239 Room 139 RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk IP28 8NF +44-1638-54-4942/1566 phillip.guffa@mildenhall.af.mil
Retired Affairs Office, RAF Alconbury Serving Central England POC: Rex Keegan Alt. POC: Mike Depasquale UK Postal Address: 423 SVS/RAO, Unit 5585, Box 100, RAF Alconbury, Huntingdon, Cambs PE28 4DA Office Hours: Tuesday and Friday, 10:30am–2:30pm 01480 84 3364/3557 RAO@Alconbury.af.mil Emergency Contact: 07986 887 905
American School of Aberdeen Craigton Road, Cults, Aberdeen. 01224 861068 / 868927. Benjamin Franklin House 36 Craven Street, London WC2N 5NF. Tel 020 7839 2006 Fax 020 7930 9124 info@benjaminfranklinhouse.org
Boston University – London Graduate Programs Office 43 Harrington Gardens, London SW7 4JU. 020 7244 6255 www.bu.edu/london
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 Mrs. Carlton Colcord, 1 More’s Garden, 90 Cheyne Walk, London SW3. 020 7352 8288 www.baef.org anncolcord@compuserve.com
USAF Retiree Activities Office Director: Paul G Gumbert, CMSgt (USAF), Ret 422 ABG/CVR, Unit 5855, PSC 50, Box 3 RAF Croughton, Northants NN13 5XP 01280 708182 422abg.rao@croughton.af.mil
BUNAC Student Exchange Employment Program - Director: Callum Kennedy, 16 Bowling Green Lane, London EC1R 0QH. 020 7251 3472 www.bunac.org enquiries@bunac.org.uk
US Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point) UK Chapter President: Allison Bennett, bennett.ac@gmail.com Facebook: Kings Point Alumni - London/United Kingdom
Butler University, Institute for Study Abroad 21 Pembridge Gardens, London W2 4EB 020 7792 8751 www.ifsa-butler.org/england-overview.html
Centre Academy London 92 St John’s Hill, Battersea, London SW11 1SH Tel: 02077382344 , info@centreacademy.net www.centreacademy.net Centre Academy East Anglia Church Rd, Brettenham, Ipswich, Suffolk IP7 7QR Tel: 01449736404 admin@centreacademy.net www.centreacademy.net Central Bureau for Educational Visits Director: Peter Upton, The British Council , 10 Spring Gardens, London SW1A 2BN 020 7389 4004 Wales 029 2039 7346 Scotland 0131 447 8024 centralbureau@britishcouncil.org Council on International Educational Exchange Dr. Michael Woolf, 52 Portland Street, London WIV 1JQ Tel 020 7478 2000 Fax 020 7734 7322 www.ciee.org contact@ciee.org Ditchley Foundation Ditchley Park, Enstone, Chipping Norton, Oxon OX7 4ER Tel 01608 677346 www.ditchley.co.uk info@ditchley.co.uk Dwight School London Formerly North London International School Viviene Rose, Admissions Director 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 Tel 020 7824 7040 www.ecis.org ecis@ecis.org European-Atlantic Group PO Box 37431, London N3 2XP 020 8632 9253 justinglass@btinternet.com www.eag.org.uk Florida State University London Study Centre Administrative Director: Kathleen Paul 99 Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3LH. Tel 020 7813 3233 www.international.fsu.edu/london/ intprog1@admin.fsu.edu Fordham University London Centre Academic Coordinator: Sabina Antal 23 Kensington Square, London W8 5HQ 020 7937 5023 londoncentre@fordham.edu www.fordham.edu Fulbright Commission (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
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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, Lincolnshire NG32 1AG. Grantham 4541 4761 01476 403000 harlaxton.ac.uk.
Schiller International, Wickham Court School Layhams Road, West Wickham, Kent BR4 9HW. Tel 0208 777 2942 Fax 0208 777 4276 Wickham@schillerintschool.com www.wickhamcourt.org.uk
Huron University USA in London 46-47 Russell Square, Bloomsbury, London WC1B 4JP Tel +44 (0) 20 7636 5667 Fax+44 (0) 20 7299 3297 folu@huron.ac.uk www.huron.ac.uk
Sotheby’s Institute of Art Postgraduate Art studies, plus day /evening courses 30 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3EE Tel: 0207 462 3232 www.sothebysinstitute.com info@sothebysinstitute.com
Institute for the Study of the Americas Director: Professor James Dunkerley. Tel 020 7862 8879 Fax 020 7862 8886 americas@sas.ac.uk www.americas.sas.ac.uk International School of Aberdeen 296 North Deeside Rd, Milltimber, Aberdeen, AB13 0AB 01224 732267 admin@isa.aberdeen.sch.uk www.isa.aberdeen.sch.uk International School of London 139 Gunnersbury Avenue, London W3 8LG. 020 8992 5823 www.islschools.org mail@ISLschools.org International School of London in Surrey Old Woking Road, Woking GU22 8HY Tel +44 (0)1483 750409 www.islsurrey.com mail@islsurrey.com
Southbank International Schools Kensington and Hampstead campuses for 3-11 year olds; Westminster campuses for 11-18 year olds. Director of Admissions: MargaretAnne Khoury Tel: 020 7243 3803 admissions@southbank.org www.southbank.org Syracuse University London Program Faraday House, 48-51 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AE http://sulondon.syr.edu TASIS England, American School Coldharbour Lane, Thorpe, Nr. Egham, Surrey TW20 8TE. Tel: 01932 565252 Fax: 01932 564644 http://england.tasis.com ukadmissions@tasisengland.org
Ithaca College London Centre 35 Harrington Gardens, London SW7. Tel. 020 7370 1166 www.ithaca.edu/london bsheasgreen@ithacalondon.co.uk
UKCISA - Council for International Education 9-17 St. Albans Place, London N1 0NX 020 7354 5210 www.ukcisa.org.uk
Marymount International School, London Headmistress: Ms Sarah Gallagher George Road, Kingston upon Thames, KT2 7PE 020 8949 0571 info@marymountlondon.com www.marymountlondon.com
University of Notre Dame London Program 1 Suffolk Street, London SW1Y 4HG 020 7484 7811 london@nd.edu www.nd.edu/~ndlondon/lup/future/ introduction.htm
Missouri London Study Abroad Program 32 Harrington Gardens, London SW7 4JU. 020 7373 7953. www.umsl.edu/services/abroad/universities/ molondon.html web_office@umsl.edu
Warnborough University International Office, Friars House, London SE1 8HB. Tel 020 7922 1200 www.warnborough.edu admin@warnborough.edu
Regent’s University London Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4NS. 020 7486 9605. www.regents.ac.uk exrel@regents.ac.uk
Webster Graduate Studies Center Regent’s College, Regent’s Park, Inner Circle, London NW1 4NS, UK. Tel: 020 7487 7505 www.webster.ac.uk webster@regents.ac.uk
Richmond, The American International University in London Richmond Hill Campus,Queen’s Road Richmond-upon Thames TW10 6JP Tel: +44 20 8332 9000 Fax: +44 20 8332 1596 enroll@richmond.ac.uk www.richmond.ac.uk
Wroxton College Study Abroad with Fairleigh Dickinson University, Wroxton, Nr. Banbury, Oxfordshire OX15 6PX 01295 730551, www.fdu.edu admin@wroxton-college.ac.uk
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ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONS Alliant International University (formerly United States International University) England Chapter Alumni Association Chapter President: Eric CK Chan c/o Regents College London, Inner Circle, Regents Park, London, UK chane@regents.ac.uk, www.alliant.edu Amherst College Bob Reichert RAreichert26b@aol.com Andover/Abbot Association of London Jeffrey Hedges ‘71, President 07968 513 631 hedgeslon@hotmail.com Association of MBAs Leo Stemp, Events Administrator Tel 020 7837 3375 (ext. 223), l.stemp@mba.org.uk Babson College Frank de Jongh Swemer, Correspondence W 020 7932 7514 babson.alumni@btinternet.com Barnard College Club Hiromi Stone, President. Tel. 0207 935 3981 barnardclubgb@yahoo.co.uk Berkeley Club of London Geoff Kertesz berkeleyclublondon@gmail.com http://international.berkeley.edu/LondonClub Facebook: www.facebook.com groups/223876564344656/ Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/groups/Berkeley-ClubLondon-4186104 Boston College Alumni Club UK Craig Zematis, President +44 7717 878968 BCalumniclub@gmail.com www.alumniconnections.com/olc/pub/BTN/cpages/ chapters/home.jsp?chapter=41&org=BTN Boston University Alumni Association of the UK Will Straughn, Snr International Development Officer, University Development and Alumni Relations, 43 Harrington Gardens, Kensington, London SW7 4JU 020 7244 2908 020 7373 7411 bstraugh@bu.edu Brandeis Alumni Club of Great Britain Joan Bovarnick, President http://alumni.brandeis.edu office@alumni.brandeis.edu Brown University Club of the United Kingdom President: Tugba Erem. Communication: Patrick Attie Alumni Club & Liaison: Vanessa Van Hoof Brown Club UK, Box 57100, London, EC1P 1RB contact@brownuk.org www.brownuk.org
The American
Bryn Mawr Club Lady Quinton, President. Wendy Tiffin, Secretary/Treasurer, 52 Lansdowne Gardens, London SW8 2EF wendytif@ukgateway.net
Harvard Club of the United Kingdom Brandon Bradkin, President president@hcuk.org Verity Langley, Membership vll@me.com www.hcuk.org
Claremont Colleges Alumni in London Hadley Beeman hadley_beeman@alumni.cmc.edu
Indiana University Alumni club of England Anastasia Tonello, President 020 7253 4855 iuinlondon@yahoo.com www.alumni.indiana.edu/clubs/england
Colgate Club of London Stephen W Solomon ‘76, President 0207 349 0738 swsolomon@hotmail.com Columbia Business School Alumni Club of London 6 Petersham Mews, London SW7 5NR www.cbsclublondon.org londonadmin@gsb.columbia.edu Columbia University Club of London Stephen Jansen, President london@alumniclubs.columbia.edu www.alumniclubs.columbia.edu/london Cornell Club of London Natalie Teich, President nmt4@cornell.edu www.alumni.cornell.edu/orgs/int/London Dartmouth College Club of London Sanjay Gupta, Andrew Rotenberg sanjay.gupta.96@ alum.dartmouth.org andrew.l.rotenberg.92@alum.dartmouth.org www.dartmouth.org Delta Kappa Gamma Society International www.deltakappagamma.org/GB (Links to all the USA and international members’ sites) Delta Sigma Pi Business Fraternity London Alumni Chapter. Ashok Arora, P O Box 1110, London W3 7ZB. Tel: 020 8423 8231 bertela@yahoo.com www.dspnet.org Duke University Club of England Ms Robin Buck buckrobin@yahoo.com Tim Warmath timwarmath@yahoo.com Kate Bennett jkbennett@btinternet.com www.dukealumni.com/england
KKG London Alumnae Association emilymerrell@gmail.com LMU Alumni Club London (Loyola Marymount University) Kent Jancarik 07795 358 681 kent@jancarik.com Marymount University Alumni UK Chapter President: Mrs Suzanne Tapley, 35 Park Mansions, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7QT. 020 7581 3742
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email sabrina@theamerican.co.uk MIT Club of Great Britain Yiting Shen, Flat 8a, 36 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6PB 0789 179 3823 yshen@alum.mit.edu http://alumweb.mit.edu/clubs/uk/ Mount Holyoke Club of Britain Rachel L. Elwes, President rlelwes@yahoo.com Karen K. Bullivant Vice-President kkbullivant@alumnae.mtholyoke.edu www.mtholyoke.co.uk Notre Dame Club of London Hannah Gornik, Secretary: ND_Club_London@yahoo.co.uk
Emory University Alumni Chapter of the UK Matthew Williams, Chapter Leader 079 8451 4119 matthew.eric.williams@gmail.com www.alumni.emory.edu/chapters-and-groups/ chapters/international.html
NYU Alumni Club in London Jodi Ekelchik, President alumni.london@nyu.edu
Georgetown Alumni Club Alexa Fernandez, President GeorgetownLondon@Yahoo.com
Ohio University UK & Ireland Frank Madden, 1 Riverway, Barry Avenue, Windsor, Berks. SL4 5JA. Tel 01753 855 360 frank@madant.demon.co.uk
Gettysburg College Britt-Karin Oliver brittkarin@aol.com Harvard Business School Club of London www.hbsa.org.uk
NYU STERN UK Alumni Club Matthieu Gervis, President sternukalumniclub@hotmail.com
Penn Alumni Club of the UK David Lapter Tel. 07957 146 470 david.lapter@alumni.upenn.edu
Penn State Alumni Association Penn State Alumni Association Ron Nowicki - 0207 226 7681 pennstatelondon@yahoo.co.uk www.alumni.psu.edu Princeton Association (UK) Carol Rahn, President Jon Reades, Young Alumni carol.rahn@orange-ftgroup.com jon@reades.com www.alumni.princeton.edu Rice Alumni of London Kathy Wang 07912 560 177 kathyw@alumni.rice.edu Skidmore College Alumni Club, London Peggy Holden Briggs ‘84, co-ordinator 07817 203611 peggyhbriggs@gmail.com Smith College Club of London Kathleen Merrill, President smithclubgb@googlemail.com http://alumnae.smith.edu Stanford Business School Alumni Association (UK Chapter) Robby Arnold, President, robby@blueyonder.co.uk Lesley Anne Hunt, Events, lesley.hunt@blueyonder.co.uk www.stanfordalumni.org.uk Syracuse University Alumni UK Faraday House, 48-51 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AE SUalumniUK@syr.edu www.facebook.com/SUalumniUK Texas Tech Alumni Association - London Chapter David Mirmelli, Ferhat Guven, Bobby Brents president@texastechalumni.org.uk www.TexasTechAlumni.org.uk Texas Exes UK (UKTE) President: Carra Kane 7 Edith Road, Wimbledon, London SW19 8TW 0778 660 7534 carrakane@alumni.utexas.net www.fornogoodreason.com/UKTEMain.htm Texas A&M Club London Co-Presidents Ashley Lilly, Devin Howard london@aggienetwork.com http://clubs.aggienetwork.com/londonamc/ The John Adams Society Contact: Muddassar Ahmed c/o Unitas Communications, Palmerston House, 80-86 Old Street, London EC1V 9AZ 0203 308 2358 johnadamssociety@unitascommunications.com www.johnadamssociety.co.uk Tufts - London Tufts Alliance Vikki Garth Londontuftsalliance@yahoo.com
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The American
UK Dawgs of the University of Georgia Rangana Abdulla ukdawgs@hotmail.com UConn Alumni Association ucaa@uconnalumni.com UMass Alumni Club UK Julie Encarnacao, President (0)20 7007 3869 julesje32@gmail.com University of California Matthew Daines (Program Director) 17 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3JA 020 7079 0567 matthewdaines@californiahouse.org.uk University of Chicago UK Alumni Association c/o Alumni Affairs and Development – Europe, University of Chicago Booth School of Business Woolgate Exchange, 25 Basinghall Street, London EC2V 5HA +44(0)20 7070 2245 www.ChicagoBooth.edu University of Illinois Alumni Club of the UK Amy Barklam, President 07796 193 466 amybarklam@msn.com University of North Carolina Alumni Club Brad Matthews, Club Leader 2 The Orchards, Hill View Road, Woking GU22 7LS brad.matthews@alumni.unc.edu http://alumni.unc.edu University of Michigan Alumni Association Regional Contact: Jessica Cobb, BA ’97 +44 (0) 788-784-0941 jesscobb@yahoo.com
Details changed? Let us know email sabrina@theamerican.co.uk
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/umich_uk_alumni/
University of Rochester/Simon School UK Alumni Association Ms. Julie Bonne, Co-President 0118-956-5052 julie_bonne@yahoo.com University of Southern California, Alumni Club of London Jennifer Ladwig, President, Chuck Cramer, Treasurer usclondon@gmail.com www.usclondonalumni.org University of Virginia Alumni Club of London Kirsten Jellard 020 7368 8473 londonuvaclub@yahoo.com http://members.aol.com/UKUVACLUB/UVA-london.htm US Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point) UK Chapter President: Allison Bennett bennett.ac@gmail.com Facebook: Kings Point Alumni - London/United Kingdom
64 June 2014
USNA Alumni Association, UK Chapter President: LCDR Greta Densham ‘00 (gretaj@mac.com) Vice President: Tim Fox ‘97 (timfox97@hotmail.com) Secretary: Mike Smith ‘84 (Mike.Smith@polycom.com) Facebook Group - USNA Alumni Association, UK Chapter Vassar College Club Sara Hebblethwaite, President 18 Redgrave Road, London, SW15 1PX +44 020 8788 6910, sara.hebblethwaite@virgin.net Warnborough Worldwide Alumni Association c/o International Office, Friars House, London SE1 8HB Tel. 020 7922 1200 Fax. 020 7922 1201 www.wwaa.info admin@warnborough.edu Wellesley College Club Farida El-Gammal ‘98, President www.wellesley.edu/alumnae/groups/clubs/intlclubs/ wellesley_uk_club WCLondon@alum.wellesley.edu
British Baseball Federation/ BaseballSoftballUK 5th Floor, Ariel House, 74a Charlotte Street, London W1T 4QJ. 020 7453 7055 British Morgan Horse Society 01942 886141 www.morganhorse.org.uk admin@morganhorse.org.uk Eagles Golf Society Sharon Croley c/o Eventful Services, 49 Hastings Road, Croydon, Surrey CRO 6PH sharoncroley@blueyonder.co.uk Ice Hockey UK 19 Heather Avenue, Rise Park, Romford RM1 4SL Tel. 07917 194 264 Fax. 01708 725241 www.icehockeyuk.co.uk ihukoffice@yahoo.co.uk
Wharton Alumni Club of the UK Gina Mok, Pres., yi.mok.wh00@wharton.upenn.edu Yoav Kurtzbard, ykurtzbard@youngassoc.com 020-7447-8800 www.whartonclubuk.net
Infinity Elite Cheerleading (founded by C.A.C) Mondays 4.30-8.30 – Maiden Lane Comm. Centre, 156 St. Paul’s Crescent, London NW1 9XZ. Tumble: Thursdays 6-8 – Paget Centre,18-28 Randells Rd, Islington, London N1 0DH. Tel. 077 9132 0115 http://londoninfinityelite.clubbz.com www.facebook.com/InfinityAllstars
Williams Club of Great Britain Ethan Kline: ethankline@gmail.com
Herts Baseball Club Adult & Little League Baseball www.hertsbaseball.com
Yale Club of London Joe Vittoria, President, president@yale.org.uk Scott Fletcher, Events, events@yale.org.uk Nick Baskey, Secretary secretary@yale.org.uk www.yale.org.uk
Lakenheath Barracudas Swim Club Open to all military affiliated families. Charlie Midthun, Pres., laken.barracudas@yahoo.com; Head Coach, Dean Reed, smurfathome@earthlink.net www.barracudas.moonfruit.com
Zeta Tau Alpha Alumnae Kristin Morgan. Tel: 07812 580949 kristinamorgan@gmail.com www.zetataualpha.org
LondonSports Instruction & competitive play in American flag football, baseball, basketball and soccer, boys/girls aged 4-15, newcomers or experienced players. Sports in a safe, fun environment for children of all nationalities. www.londonsports.com vll@me.com
CIVIL WAR SOCIETIES American Civil War Round Table (UK) Sandra Bishop, 5 Southdale, Chigwell, Essex IG7 5NN sandra-bishop@hotmail.com www.americancivilwar.org.uk Southern Skirmish Association (SoSkan) Membership Secretary, Bob Isaac, 3 Hilliards Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 3TA membership@soskan.co.uk www.soskan.co.uk
ARTS
London Warriors American Football Club Kevin LoPrimo info@londonwarriorsafc.co.uk www.londonwarriorsafc.co.uk
Has your group done something you’re proud of? Tell us email sabrina@theamerican.co.uk
American Actors UK Administrator: Kelly Harris, 07873 371 891 www.americanactorsuk.com
SPORTS English Lacrosse PO Box 116, Manchester M11 0AX 0843 658 5006 info@englishlacrosse.co.uk www.englishlacrosse.co.uk
We rely on you to keep us informed. Every effort is made to ensure that these listings are correct but if your entry requires amendments please tell us. Send profiles, news or articles about your organization for possible publication in The American. email sabrina@theamerican.co.uk, tel +44(0)1747 830520, fax +44(0)1747 830691
The American To find out whether you’re eligible to advertise your products and services here, and for rates, call Sabrina Sully on +44 (0)1747 830520. You’ll reach Americans living in and visiting the UK as well as Britons who like American culture and products.
Suppliers of quality products and services hand-picked for you EDUCATION
ACCOUNTANCY & TAX BDO LLP The UK member firm of the world’s fifth largest accountancy organisation. 55 Baker Street, London W1U 7EU 020 7486 5888 info@bdo.co.uk www.bdo.uk.com Jaffe & Co., incorp. American Tax International Comprehensive tax preparation and compliance service for US expatriates in the UK and Europe. America House, 54 Hendon Lane, London N3 1TT 020 8346 5237 www.jaffeandco.com Tax & Accounting Hub Professional service at affordable prices. Fixed fee U.S. Expatriate tax preparation service in London. Federal/ State, Foreign bank account/IRS audits response +44 (0)20 3286 6445. M: +44 (0)79 1439 3183 152 Burford Wharf, 3 Cam Road, London, E15 2SS www.taxandaccountinghub.com Montage Services, Inc. For all your US tax needs in Europe: individual & corporate, international & domestic. Offices in San Francisco, Houston, London, Toronto and Berlin. 020 3004 6353 sam@montage-services.com www.montage-services.com
LEGAL
Florida State University in UK 50+ years experience in international education. 99 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LA 020 7813 3223 www.international.fsu.edu
FINANCIAL ADVICE Tanager Wealth Management LLP Integrated financial and investment advice for US expats living in the UK provided by US expats. Global account consolidation, UK/US savings and retirement planning together with investment advice. Contact us for a no obligation meeting or telephone conversation. 020 7871 8440 www.tanagerwealth.com contact@tanagerwealth.com @tanagerwealth
INTERIOR DESIGN Rolando Luci Luxury lighting, including American brands, some unique to the UK. 01778 218121 www.rolandoluci.co.uk
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 Transitions Therapy Psychotherapy & Counselling for Expatriate Individuals, Couples, Families & Adolescents. London, or via Skype. 07557 261432 transitions_therapy@hotmail.com www.transitionstherapy.co.uk
Chambers of Miss Kristin Heimark Legal services direct to my neighbors, fellow American ex-pats and US Forces personnel stationed in England. 143 Stoke Newington Church Street, London N16 OU +44(0)781 126 4290 www.stokenewingtonchambers.co.uk @stokenewington LinkedIn KristinHeimark Setfords Solicitors Family lawyers and mediators with particular experience in expatriate cases. 01483 408780 www.setfords.co.uk lthomas@setfords.co.uk
REAL ESTATE RE/MAX Property Group Notting Hill Gate Branch: 49 Cottesmore Court, Stanford Road, London W8 5QW 07511-895090 www.remax.co.uk
WEDDING PLANNING Extraordinary Days Events An American wedding planner in London creating elegant, sophisticated, and unique weddings in England. Bespoke services ranging from full service planning to day-of coordination. 020 7433 0300 www.extraordinarydaysevents.com
Coffee Break Answers
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1. Helium; 2. Atlantic Ocean; 3. NATO - La Organización del Tratado del Atlántico Norte; 4. The Pole Star, or Polaris (a point for either); 5. Jefferson Starship; 6. Mississippi; 7. a) 2012 – won by Miss USA Olivia Culpo; 8. Sandy; 9. Bondi Beach; 10. Ian Fleming; 11. Penicillin; 12. Penn Jillette; 13. Bullfighting; 14. Brad Pitt; 15. National League Central; 16. Epping; 17. Numbers; 18. A Palindrome; 19. 8, Palin was the 9th Governor; 20. Black. A1. Ford Bronco; A2. Its founder, Malcolm X; A3. Pan American Airways; A4. Serbia.
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In support of
Time for life—with two limited edition timepieces in support of Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières. Each watch raises 100 US Dollars for the Nobel Peace Prize winning humanitarian organization. And still these handcrafted mechanical watches with the red 12 cost the same as the classic Tangente models from NOMOS Glashütte. Help now, wear forever. NOMOS retailers in the US include BluePointe, Brinker's, Fox’s, Jack Ryan, Meierotto’s, Timeless, Tourneau, and Wempe. Find these and other NOMOS retailers at nomos-watches.com, or order online at nomos-store.com