November - December 2015 THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
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The American ®
Issue 748 November - December 2015 PUBLISHED BY SP MEDIA FOR
Blue Edge Publishing Ltd. Old Byre House, East Knoyle, Salisbury SP3 6AW, UK Tel: +44 (0)1747 830520
Departments: News, Article ideas, Press releases: editor@theamerican.co.uk Advertising & Promotions: advertising@theamerican.co.uk Subscriptions: theamerican@blueedge.co.uk The Team: Michael Burland, Content Director michael@theamerican.co.uk Sabrina Sully, Content Director & Community Contact sabrina@theamerican.co.uk Daniel Byway, Content Executive dan@theamerican.co.uk Virginia E Schultz, Food & Drink (USA) virginia@theamerican.co.uk Michael M Sandwick, Food & Drink (UK) mms@theamerican.co.uk Mary Bailey, Social mary@theamerican.co.uk Alison Holmes, Politics alison@theamerican.co.uk Jarlath O’Connell, Theater jarlath@theamerican.co.uk
©2015 Blue Edge Publishing Ltd. Printed by Thames Print Ltd., www.thames-print.co.uk ISSN 2045-5968 Main Cover: Thanksgiving Cornucopia © LawrenceOP; Circular Inset: Ryan Getzlaf © Debora Robinson For The Anaheim Ducks, NHLI via Getty Images; Square Inset: London to Brighton VCR
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T
he Holidays mean many things to Americans. For some it’s about the food; whether it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas, we’ve got your options covered with information on the top restaurants serving you this season, and even a horrifyingly fantastic Turkey recipe from the late great Vincent Price! For others, the Holidays mean celebrating with family and friends; check out our guide on events to attend, theater shows to see and artistic exhibits to enjoy. For some, it’s all about the end of tax year - we’re not lacking here, with 3 must-read articles for US citizens in need of financial assistance. We haven’t forgotten the sport either; NFL, NHL, Golf and Formula One are all here. That’s just for starters - sit back, knives and forks at the ready, and enjoy your bumper festive American feast! Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas from all of us at The American. Enjoy your magazine,
Michael Burland, Content Director michael@theamerican.co.uk
Among this issue’s contributors
Melanie Unwin As Suffragette hits the silver screen, the Deputy Curator of Works of Art at the Houses of Parliament looks at how women fought for the vote
Dr Alison Holmes The California-based International Studies and Politics Prof finds intriguing links between China, the Pope and ‘Red’ Politics
Jeremy Lanaway Our hockey guru brings his steely glare to bear on the NHL season - the storylines to follow over the next 1,230 games
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.
November - December 2015 1
Suppliers of quality products and services - hand-picked for you To find out whether you’re eligible to advertise your products and services here, and for rates, call Dan +44 (0)1747 830520, or email dan@theamerican. co.uk. You’ll reach Americans living in and visiting the UK as well as Britons who like American culture and products.
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Leading practice of accounting, international tax, and corporate service specialists. With offices in the UK and USA, we are the American expats’ trusted choice. UK: 5th Floor, 52-54 Gracechurch Street, London EC3V 0EH +44 (0)20 7648 8950 e: mail@moregroup.com
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Comprehensive tax compliance and advisory service for US citizens living in the UK, particularly specialising in the interaction between UK and US taxes. Eighth Floor, 6 New Street Square, New Fetter Lane, London EC4A 3AQ +44 (0)20 7842 2000 graeme.privett@rawlinson-hunter.com www.rawlinson-hunter.com
Tax & Accounting Hub
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Based in Eastbourne and Brighton & Hove, we have been providing tax and business advice since 1928. Within our general practice, we also specialise in Expatriate Tax and US Taxation, providing comprehensive advice and quality service to US citizens living in the UK. For more information contact our Tax Director, Kevin Hancock: 7-9 The Avenue, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN21 3YA 01323 730631 khancock@humph.co.uk www.humph.co.uk
BDO LLP
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The American
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
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TRAVEL Peter Sommer Travel
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DENTAL We are a registered investment adviser specializing in UK pension transfer (QROPS) and investment solutions for US Nationals living abroad and British Nationals looking to relocate to the USA. 605 S Country Club Road, Lake Mary Florida, USA Tel: +1 (321) 363-1526 Sandy.King@AlconburyTrust.com www.AlconburyTrust.com
Bow Lane Dental Group
For all you and your families dental needs visit the award winning Bow Lane Dental Group in the City of London. We have been making the City smile since 2001. www.bowlanedental.com 020 7236 3600 reception@bowlanedental.com
Personalised SAT and ACT tutoring, bespoke online courses, expert advice on both the college application process and interviews. 207 Regent Street, 3rd Floor London W1B 3HH +44 (0)20 7692 0766 www.AmericanSATACTtuition.com Elizabeth@AmericanSATtuition.com Twitter: @elivonna Facebook: www.facebook.com/AmericanSAT
Flight Centre
For over 20 years Flight Centre in the UK has been helping customers find the airfare they want at the best possible price – their Lowest Airfare Guarantee proves it. Put them to the test today. Tel: 0808 278 1722 www.flightcentre.co.uk
(Alconbury Trust LLC is a Registered Investment Adviser in the State of Florida and Texas. Alconbury Trust is not a tax advisor or a Lawyer firm. The above is for education purposes only and not intended as a solicitation of sale. Securities offered through SEI and Vestra US Wealth)
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November - December 2015 3
The American
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New Migration Rules To Affect Americans ACA Town Hall Meeting Parliament’s Suffragette Story Travel: Celebrate the Stopover London to Brighton Veteran Car Run Finance: Living in Britain Long Term Finance: Year End Tax Planning Finance: Wine Investments Returning Home from Abroad
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Welcome A-List: Products & Services News
4 November - December 2015
38 46 66 70 72 75 78 86
Miss Patricia Muses on ... The NHS Food: Vincent Price’s Thanksgiving Turkey Politics: The Rehabilitation of Red Does Golf have a Football problem?
NFL International Games at Wembley NHL Season Preview Profile: Spinal Injuries Association FESTIVE COMPETITIONS!
12 Diary Dates 40 Food & Drink Reviews 50 Arts Choice
54 Theater Reviews 79 US Social Groups 88 Coffee Break
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The American
NEWS
PHOTO: US EMBASSY LONDON
Embassy Update Great British Beach Clean
V
olunteers from the US Embassy London participated in the Great British Beach Clean in September, a series of events organized by the Marine Conservation Society. At Rye Harbour Nature Reserve in Sussex they surveyed and collected beach rubbish that included wet wipes and plastic debris, fishing nets and line, and pieces of metal and glass. Six tonnes of rubbish was collected at 107 beaches. The Great British Beach Clean raises awareness about the effect pollution can have on beaches and marine wildlife. Litter on beaches is a global problem that can be dangerous for local wildlife and can negatively impact fishing and tourism. Secretary Kerry hosted the first Our Ocean conference in 2014, and the second took place October 5-6, 2015 in Chile. It will return to Washington DC in 2016. If you are interested in joining an existing beach clean event or creating your own, go to www.mcsuk.org/beachwatch/
US General Joins Brit Division
B
rig. Gen. Michael Tarsa is the first American general to serve in the British Army. The former deputy commander for support for the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado, is now the deputy commander of the British Army’s 3rd (United Kingdom) Division, known as the ‘Iron Division’, which is headquartered at Bulford Camp in Wiltshire. To his new colleagues he said, “I wear my nation’s uniform as a member of the US Army, but I now have the privilege to be part of the British Army and 3rd United King-
6 November - December 2015
Ambassador Matthew Barzun talking about the Special Relationship with the children of St George’s Primary School, Wandsworth on the 2015 9/11 Day of Service
dom Division.” Gen. Tarsa is a West Point graduate who has completed several tours in Iraq during Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. General Tarsa’s new boss, Maj. Gen. Patrick Sanders, welcomed him with some words of advice: “We may use cricket analogies to explain ourselves, one hundred miles is a long way to us, banter is a sign of affection not disrespect, and don’t worry if you can’t always understand our regional accents.”
travel could be halted in some places with little to no advance warning. Please monitor local media reports and check the State Department’s travel website regularly for specific travel guidance for each country, the Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, and Travel Alerts. We also recommend enrolling in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security messages and country-specific alerts.”
The Refugee Crisis in Europe: What it Means for You
D
T
he Embassy’s Consular Unit writes: “We have all seen the troubling images of thousands of refugees and migrants seeking entry to countries across Europe over the past weeks and months. Several European countries have issued temporary changes to their entry and travel policies in response to the ongoing crisis and continuing policy changes are likely. Some of these developments have impacted border crossing practices within Europe. As a result, we urge US citizen travelers to carry a valid passport and visa or residency card, if applicable, whenever traveling between EU countries as border checks may now occur in new places. Travel disruptions and delays may occur as a result of ongoing policy changes, and both road and rail
New Consul General in Belfast
aniel James Lawton became Consul General in Belfast in July. He was previously Deputy Director of the Office of Southern European Affairs in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs at the State Department. Prior to returning to Washington in summer 2013, he served as the Political Counselor at the American Embassy in Athens (2010-2013), the Deputy Political Counselor in Caracas (2006-2009), and the Political-Military Officer in Copenhagen (2002-2006). He has also served in Lima, Karachi, and Mexico City and completed separate State Department assignments in Cyprus and Sri Lanka. Dan Lawton received a Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in International Relations from Brown University and Syracuse University, respectively. He and his wife hail from New York State and have two children.
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The American PHOTO © PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE
Migration Cuts To Impact Americans
H
as the UK government painted itself into a corner? Prime Minister David Cameron promised to reduce net migration into the UK but is unable to restrict immigration from EU member states. To achieve the cuts, the government is planning to reduce the number of migrants from non-EU countries - like the USA. The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), non-departmental public body, independent but sponsored by the Home Office, is currently looking at ways of slashing the number of Tier 2 work visas. This category of skilled workers has four subgroups: Tier 2 (General), for jobs with a particular skills and a minimum wage level of £20,800. One plan to cut migration is to raise the thresholds. Intra-company transfers (ICTs), for employees of multi-national companies with a UK branch Sportspersons Ministers of Religion. The main groups affected will be Tier 2 (General) and ICTs. The effect will be to reduce the number of Americans granted a visa. The good news is that there is something you can about it. The Migration Advisory Committee put out a ‘call for evidence’ with a deadline of September 25th, short for a government initiative, and their recommendations will be implemented from April 2016. However, if restricting the Tier 2 route will affect your business, your organization or your life, you can still tell them,
8 November-December 2015
directly or via the Embassy or BAB, about the (possibly unintended) consequences of the plan. See below for contact details. A spokesperson from BritishAmerican Business (BAB), which incorporates the American Chamber of Commerce to the UK and the British American Chamber in New York, told The American: “We are deeply concerned that Tier 2 restriction will have an impact on US companies, US businesses, US organizations and US citizens here in the UK, and also any UK businesses and organizations linked to US trade and investment, especially given the importance of the relationship between the UK and the US – it is the largest within the transatlantic economy. There are many jobs, businesses and people who could all be affected in some way or another by Tier 2 restriction. This includes not only businesses but also schools and other stakeholders that are part of the transatlantic and American community here in the UK.” Might American companies move from the UK if Tier 2 migration is slashed? An Embassy spokesperson said “Yes, if they couldn’t get a particular Intra-company Transfer visa, they would take that part of their business and move it elsewhere, where the individual could work. Many of the Americans coming over are vital to their companies’ activities. They come over on Intra-company Transfer visas, set up an operation or part of a business, then hire many oth-
ers here – they generate prosperity wherever they go, creating jobs, not taking them from UK citizens. There are many European capitals that would embrace them, clearly. We are also working with the Japanese embassy and the Commonwealth High Commissions, because all our citizens are subject to this. When we go in united as a five mission group it’s a powerful voice” She added: “One company absolutely needed to bring over Americans with security clearance to do a particular job. You can’t just hire someone like that on the local economy. And there are the international and American schools that offer an American education, they need people with American skills and experience. We need to hear from the American organizations that have been here and had an impact on the culture and the success of the UK for decades, and from individuals. This is a really important time, and I do hope your readers will take part.” The data that the MAC collects is not generally accessible, however if you are worried about disclosing sensitive information you can contact the MAC, Embassy or BAB separately and give an oral briefing or find other ways to anonymize your data.
To tell your story, give evidence or voice concerns, contact the Embassy at AdamsSmithKE@state.gov or BritishAmerican Business at eadam@babinc.org
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The American
AWBS
T
he American Women of Berkshire and Surrey held their General meeting October 13. It was well attended, and the members enjoyed a travel-themed fair as they entered the impressive meeting rooms at Wentworth Golf Club. Kristi Thompson, the club’s President, told The American: “Our overall philosophy for the club is to help American and other expat women in the Berkshire and Surrey areas to feel like they are not alone. It’s never easy to move away from your family and friends, no matter how exciting your move is, and London is one of the most exciting places in the world. “Most of our members have had to be the relocation department for everyone else in their family, but forget to reach out for themselves, or maybe their closest friends in the expat community have just moved away so it is like starting all over. “AWBS is an engaging and supportive network, whether it’s helping find a dentist or sharing activities such as hill walking or taking side trips to St. Petersburg ...really anything anyone would like to plan.” AWBS’s Craft and Gift Fayre will be held Saturday, December 5th at the Founders Building, Royal Holloway University, Egham TW20 0EX. It’s a new location and date for their annual Christmas event. In its 34th year, the AWBS fayre is always a festive day out full of great shopping with select vendors who offer a lovely selection of unique craft and gift items, food, raffles and good fun. All proceeds raised are given to local Berkshire and Surrey charities. There will be a children’s corner with a visit from Father Christmas as well as Anna from Frozen.
10 November - December 2015
Attention All US Citizens and Interested Parties
Town Hall Evening, London Tuesday, 3 November 2015 18:30 to 21:30
To be held at: Royal Overseas League, Park Place, St James’s Street, London SW1A 1LR, UK Topics to be covered at our roundtable discussions: • Update on US and UK tax rules, reporting and compliance. • US and UK pension & estate planning: Key Points for Americans in the UK. • Latest on our list of Friendly Financial Institution (FFIs): Banks, investment advisers, brokers, custodians, and others that welcome American clients. • Obtaining a US bank account even if you reside outside the USA. Introducing a revolutionary new service for ACA members. Moderator: Michael Larsen, Chairman, ACA UK Chapter Confirmed speakers include: Senior representatives from leading Londonbased firms including Westleton Drake Tax Advisors, MASECO Private Wealth, Frank Hirth, London & Capital, Ingenious Asset Management, and Tanager Wealth Management. Keynote Speaker: Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfels, PhD A native of Western Massachusetts and Senior Lecturer in Migration and Politics at the University of Kent at Brussels/Brussels School of International Studies, she received her PhD in Government and MA in Germany and European Studies from Georgetown University and her AB from Harvard University. Her most recent publications include Migrants or Expatriates? Americans in Europe (Palgrave-Macmillan, 2014). Amanda will speak on the changing face of overseas Americans, integration patterns and impact of recent migration flows. The evening will conclude with a Q&A session. Attendance is free of charge to all ACA members. All others: • In advance £35 via Eventbrite (www.eventbrite.co.uk) • Join ACA: $70 per annum, $55 for seniors. For further information on terms and how to join please see: https://americansabroad.org/support/membership/ • At the door £40 per person Please note seating is limited. Disclaimer: AACA GF nor ACA Inc is not responsible for advice given by the speakers or sponsors of this event. Official Media Partner: The American
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The American
Thanksgiving and Xmas
Babylon, The Roof Gardens 99 Kensington High St, London W8 5SA www.roofgardens.virgin.com/babylon 0207 368 3993 Nov 26 London’s award-winning Babylon restaurant hosts an American themed evening to celebrate Thanksgiving. Guests can select from the usual menu or specially created American dishes. Babylon’s Thanksgiving menu offers clam chowder in a rich creamy broth, followed by turkey and a tasty pumpkin pie. Before dinner guests can relax on the heated terrace with a hot cocktail in hand and spectacular views over London’s skyline!
GOAT Chelsea 333 Fulham Road, London SW10 9QL www.goatchelsea.com 0207 352 1384 reservations@goatchelsea.com @goatchelsea Nov 26 / Dec 25 GOAT Chelsea’s yearly sell out Thanksgiving extravaganza is back! With traditional comforts to warm those homesick bellies such as our delicious Maple Roast Turkey and Chilli Corn Bread, GOAT is the perfect place to bring your family and friends for this unique evening. Don’t forget GOAT’s mouthwatering Christmas menu featuring Italian inspired dishes and festive favorites!
Brasserie Max, Covent Garden Hotel 10 Monmouth Street, London WC2H 9HB www.firmdalehotels.com Twitter @firmdale_hotels reservations@coventgardenhotel.co.uk 020 7806 1000 Nov 26 / Dec 25 Celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas in style in the vibrant Brasserie Max. The special Thanksgiving menu offers three courses for £45 pp and includes dishes such as Sherry roasted beetroot with bell pepper and sun blushed tomato jambalaya, Maple roasted turkey and pumpkin pie with pecan ice-cream. The Christmas menu brings a five course feast for £110 pp with all the trimmings.
The Fat Bear Above the Rising Sun Pub, 61 Carter Lane, London EC4V 5DY www.thefatbear.co.uk info@thefatbear.co.uk 0207 236 2498 Nov 26 to Dec 31 The Fat Bear serves a rotating menu of US regional dishes accompanied by fine American wine, exceptional cocktails and an expansive spirit list. Their Thanksgiving & Christmas menu will include Turducken, Glazed Gammon, Pimento Cheese, Hot Wings, Chicken & Waffles, Seafood Gumbo, Chicken Fried Steak, Shrimp & Grits, Slow-Braised Beef Short-rib, Baked Alaska, Pumpkin Pie, Oreo Cheesecake, and Churro Ice Cream Sandwiches!
Thankgsiving at Planet Hollywood 57-60 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4QX www.planethollywoodlondon.com 020 7287 1000 Nov 26 For a genuine taste of America here in the UK head to Planet Hollywood. Its authentic Thanksgiving menu tastes just like home, featuring pumpkin soup, the juiciest turkey and trimmings including honey glazed parsnips and pudding for just £17.50 for two courses and £22.50 for three. Dessert is Pumpkin pie or apple crumble. Honor America’s favorite holiday in a place that celebrates America’s favorite exports; at Planet Hollywood the beers are cold, the soda is buzzing and so is the all-American atmosphere.
The Breakfast Club Angel / Canary Wharf / Battersea Rise / Hoxton / London Bridge / Soho / Spitalfields (London) & Brighton www.thebreakfastclubcafes.com @TheBrekkyClub Nov 26 The Breakfast Club are hosting their annual Thanksgiving celebration across their eight quirky cafes in London and Brighton. For £28 there’s a lot to be thankful for on the three course menu, from spicy pumpkin soup served with maple and pecan cornbread, to buttery turkey with all the trimmings and ritz cracker topped mac and cheese for the veggies. Finish up with a big slice of pumpkin pie, of course.
12 November - December 2015
Thanksgiving at Trader Vic’s 22 Park Lane, London W1K 1BE www.tradervicslondon.com tradervics.parklane@hilton.com 0207 208 4113 Nov 26 Trader Vic’s offer an experience in London like no other and has a rich history, with founder Victor Bergeron having travelled the world before falling in love with Hawaii. Our Thanksgiving menu includes favourite dishes such as the famous Trader Vic’s cheese balls and delicious meat dishes smoked in the Chinese wood fire oven which can be traced back over two thousand years to the Han Dynasty. And then there’s the cocktails – home of the original and best Mai Tai you’ll find in town, Trader Vic’s has a thirst-quenching menu of drinks to complement your chosen meal.
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3 festive set menu choices to celebrate Christmas with family, friends or work colleagues. Also ideal for office and team parties. Private or semi private dining options available for parties of 30 or more. To book call 020 7024 8455 or email salesuk@planethollywoodintl.com PLANETHOLLYWOODLONDON.COM 57-60 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4QX
planethollywoodlondon.com Terms & conditions apply
The American
Selected for you
More events in more detail online at www.theamerican.co.uk
American Museum in Britain Claverton Manor, Bath BA2 7BD www.americanmuseum.org
The only museum outside the USA to showcase America’s arts. This year’s exhibitions are Spirit Hawk Eye (portraits of present-day Native Americans) and Hatched, Matched, Dispatched & Patched!, objects commemorating family milestones inc. quilts and costumes. Event Highlights: the American Museum’s annual Christmas craft fair with unique and hand made gifts (November 28); A Christmas quilling workshop (December 5); A Christmas Concert production by Spectra Musica of American Music (December 5); the Selvedge Winter Fair, featuring 30 makers offering antique textiles (December 12); and the finale to the Museum’s festive programme, Holiday Homecoming, where families can meet Santa, join in with festive carols, and create a frosty Christmas pop-up scene (December 20). Volunteers are always welcome!
14 November - December 2015
British Library Eccles Centre Events 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB www.bl.uk/eccles Regular talks and events with a Transatlantic flavor. Highlights include: Shoulder to Shoulder: Americans in Britain during WW2, former Whitehouse Correspondent Lynne Olson explores how the US forged its alliance with the UK, and the US servicemen who came to Britain during the war effort (Nov 4). Carmen at the Royal Opera House Bow St, London WC2E 9DD www.roh.org.uk to November 30 ROH’s presentation of Carmen features an international cast, including American operatic tenor Bryan Hymel. London to Brighton Veteran Car Run Between London and Brighton www.veterancarrun.com November 1 The annual Veteran Car Run offers a rare chance to see pre-1905 vehicles travel the 60-mile route from Hyde Park to Brighton. This year’s theme celebrates all things American, a nod to the number of US Automobiles which appear at the Run. Pantomime Season November 1 to January 31, 2016 Stages across the UK are taken over by festive productions of a British tradition. A traditional winter family favorite, a theatrical extravaganza often starring TV soap actors and comedians, based on fairy stories and folk tales!
Guy Fawkes / Bonfire Night Various, UK November 5 Events, bonfires and fireworks to commemorate the ‘Gunpowder Plot’ of 1605. Flaming Tar Barrels Ottery St Mary, Devon EX11 www.otterytarbarrels.co.uk November 5 The tradition of carrying lit ‘Tar Barrels’ through the streets stretches back to the early 1600s. 200 Years of Peace and Friendship: a British-American Friendship Concert Central Hall Westminster, London www.medicalmusical.org November 7 The Medical Musical Group, a chorale and symphony orchestra of American medical people perform a concert commemorating the 200th anniversary of the end of the War of 1812, and 2 centuries of close friendship between Great Britain and the USA. Remembrance Sunday www.britishlegion.org.uk/remembrance November 8 A day to commemorate those who lost their lives in the pursuit of peace and freedom. Veterans Day in the UK www.abmc.gov November 8 Veterans Day is commemorated with ceremonies in the UK, including at Brookwood Cemetery near Woking, Surrey. Annual US Politics Colloquium US Embassy, London W1A 2LQ www.american-politics-group-uk.net November 13 This year’s Colloquium, hosted by the APG, looks at big issues in US politics, including the 2016 Presidential elections.
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Lord Mayor’s Show 2015 City of London www.lordmayorsshow.org November 14 One of the best-loved pageants, the new Lord Mayor swears allegiance to the crown. US Thanksgiving Day Service St Paul’s Cathedral, London EC4M 8AD www.stpauls.co.uk November 26 The traditional Thanksgiving Day service at St Paul’s Cathedral in London brings
the American community together to celebrate the special day. The service takes place 11am to 12pm. Entry is free, but arrive early
SIA Thanksgiving Ball The Dorchester Hotel, London W1K 1QA www.spinal.co.uk November 26 An evening of games, dinner and dancing as the Spinal Injuries Association celebrates Thanksgiving in the opulent surroundings of The Dorchester. See you there! Christmas at Waddesdon Manor Aylesbury, Bucks HP18 0JH www.waddesdon.org.uk Thru December Family-friendly, festive events including a Christmas fair, craft workshops and lots of fun activities for the whole family. Christmas Pudding Race 2015 Covent Garden, London WC2E www.xmaspuddingrace.org.uk December 5 The 35th annual race, organised on behalf of Cancer Research UK, takes the egg and spoon race and turns it into a fantastic Christmas Pudding race!
A New Ice-Skating Experience at Wembley Wembley Park, London www.iceskatingatwembleypark.co.uk info@iceskatingatwembleypark.co.uk
November 20 to January 3, 2016 Come to Wembley Park for the ultimate ice-skating experience and a family day out you will not forget. Ice Skate Wembley Park has it all – skating, shopping, entertainment for young and old, and pretty much every type of food you can think of. The 600sqm ice rink sits next to the iconic arch of Wembley Stadium connected by EE and adjacent to London Designer Outlet. The outdoor rink is open to everyone from beginners to experts from Friday 20th November until 3rd January 2016.
16 November - December 2015
London Santa Run Battersea Park, London SW11 www.209events.com December 5 Raising funds for Disability Snowsport UK, the annual Santa Run sees over 2,000 runners don their festive suits for the 6k festive fun run through Battersea Park. GOSH Christmas Concert St Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge, London www.gosh.org December 8 A special festive concert in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital. Amercian Music Concert, Essex Chelmsford County High School for Girls amcgee@cchs.essex.sch.uk December 9 to 10 Chelmsford County High School for Girls
stage their annual Christmas Concerts. This year the theme is ‘Music from America’.
Burning the Clocks Madeira Drive, Brighton BN2 1PS www.visitbrighton.com December 21 Locals of Brighton and Hove make paper and willow lanterns and take them to Brighton beach to burn in an impressive fire and fireworks display. Stonehenge Winter Solstice Stonehenge, Wiltshire SP4 7DE www.english-heritage.org.uk December 22 The world famous Stonehenge marks the Winter Solstice; witness the sunrise after the longest night, on the morning of December 22nd. Porthcawl Christmas Morning Swim Sandy Bay, Porthcawl, Wales CF36 www.christmasswim.org December 25 The annual Christmas Day swim at Porthcawl began over 40 years ago, and now sees hundreds of swimmers braving the cold conditions each Christmas morning. Boxing Day Run Hindhead, Surrey GU26 www.boxingdayrun.org December 26 A 3.5 mile fun run on Boxing Day: Men’s and Ladies’ runs, and the special ‘Drinking Run’, where runners receive a special pint of Winter Ale at the 2 mile mark! Stonehaven Fireballs Stonehaven, Scotland AB www.stonehavenfireballs.co.uk December 31 Dating back to the 8th century, Stonehaven welcomes the New Year with a spectacular show where up to forty five participants parade the high street swinging fireballs around their heads.
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USA musicians mark Magical New Year No it’s not an illusion – the Americans are coming There’s a magical New Year celebration awaiting all those that just LOVE Americana – Marching Bands, floats and cheerleaders – and all. London’s New Year’s Day Parade & Festival – the Capital’s festive turn of year tradition – is celebrating ’30 Magical Years’. For those that haven’t been to the previous twenty-nine parades – You don’t know what you are missing! A mammoth cultural kaleidoscope of a parade – with the very best of British -pomp, circumstance and ceremonials – blended with some real home from home delights. London’s New Year’s Day Parade & Festival – or LNYDP as it likes to be called – is a living breathing incarnation of the ‘special relationship’. More than 8,500 performers, from numerous nations, gather on January 1st to give the World a spring in its step and hopefully, blow away the Christmas cobwebs. A dozen or so London boroughs, the Lord Mayor of Westminster and her party, the Lord Lieutenancy of Greater London, the London Mayors’ Association, dance troupes and groups, horses galore, vintage vehicles, clowns acrobats form up with all kinds of wonders. And according to the whispers - the ‘magical’ 30th Anniversary event promises to feature a gob-smacking heart-stopping illusion – from one of the World’s leading magicians. And the Americans are represented in their droves from the length and breadth of the great nation.
Strike Up The Band! The American Bands and choirs are: Beverly Hills High School Norman Marching Band – California Blue Valley North Mustang Band– Kansas City China Spring High School Marching Band – Texas Edna Karr High School Marching Band – New Orleans Fallbrook High School Marching Warriors – Southern California Hickory Ridge Blue Regiment – Harrison, North Carolina Hinsdale Central High School Red Devil Marching Band – Chicago, Illinois Legend Titan Marching Band – Denver, Colorado Lincoln Northeast “Rocket” Marching Band – Nebraska McMurry University Marching War Hawks – Abilene, Texas Menomonee Falls High School Band and Orchestra – Wisconsin Mountain View High School Toro Marching Band – Mesa, Arizona Olivet Nazarene University Tiger Marching Band – Bourbonnais, Illinois Pride of Prescott Marching Band – Arizona Ramona Bowl All-Star Marching Band – California River Ridge Marching Knights – Georgia Ronald Wilson Reagan High School Band of Raiders – North Carolina Southmoore High School Marching Band – Oklahoma Stayton High Choir – Willamette Valley, Oregon Stillwater High School Philharmonic String Orchestra & Choir – Oklahoma Tri-City Band Corps – Fremont, California Walker Valley Mustang Band & Choir – Tennessee West Boca High School Vanguard – Florida
Reasons To Be Cheerful And the reasons to be cheerful just keep coming – in the form of The Universal Cheerleader Association, Varsity All-American Cheerleaders and The Universal Dance Association – that will bring more than a thousand of their charges to light up London. LNYDP runs along a 2.2-mile route from Piccadilly to Parliament Square via Lower Regent St, Pall Mall, Trafalgar Sq and Whitehall – passing some of London’s most iconic landmarks. The event now enjoys global mainstream media coverage – with as many as 500 TV stations taking coverage. More than 120 stations in the USA covered the 2015 parade. The parade is supported by: The Corinthia Hotel, Transport For London, The City of Westminster and the London Mayors’ Association. BBC London is the event’s Media Partner. LNYDP is free for spectators – but hundreds of premium grandstand tickets can be secured at www.lnydp.com.
Concert Series: There is a sumptuous series of concerts featuring our talented young performers - for your delectation and delight. Orchestras, string ensembles, jazz bands and choirs provide a myriad of musical genres at some of London’s most iconic concert venues. There are a total of six superb soirees – starting on December 29th at Cadogan Hall and St. John’s Smith Square – culminating with a Gala Grand Finale at Westminster Central Hall on January 2nd.
Tickets are available at www.lnydp.com/lnydp-2016/the-concerts Join us in Trafalgar Square for a free LNYDP Preview Concert on Wednesday December 30th at 1pm. Keep up to date with all the action at www.lnydp.com
L N Y D P
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LONDON’S NEW YEAR’S DAY PARADE FRIDAY JANUARY 1ST 2016 12PM - 3.30PM PICCADILLY, LOWER REGENT STREET TO TRAFALGAR SQUARE WHITEHALL Cadogan Hall 29 & 30 December 2015
St JoHn’S, SmItH Square 29 & 30 December 2015
WeStmInSter Central Hall 2 January 2016
the
Featuring musicians from london’s new Year’s day Parade & the london International Choral Festival
ConCert SerIeS 29.12.15 – 02.01.16
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The American
How Parliament remembers Women’s Suffrage By Melanie Unwin, Deputy Curator of Works of Art, Houses of Parliament
M
y colleague Mari Takayanagi and I have been researching and promoting the history of women’s suffrage in Parliament for over eight years now. Mari is a Senior Archivist in the Parliamentary Archives and her interest stems from an amazing collection of reports of suffrage protests which the Parliamentary Archives hold. Women who campaigned for the vote were in Parliament regularly, initially to lobby MPs, present petitions and to watch debates from the Ladies' Gallery. The first mass petition asking for votes for women was presented in the House of Commons in 1866. It was signed by 1,500 women and it marks the formal start of the campaign for women’s suffrage. But by the early 20th century, despite much campaigning and over 15,500 petitions being presented
20 November - December 2015
to the House of Commons, some women, understandably, were frustrated by the lack of progress. These women decided that their campaigning needed to include more direct, radical and militant forms of protest. Today we know these women as ‘suffragettes’. In Parliament the suffragettes’ protests ranged from disrupting and rioting in Central Lobby, (the huge hall where MPs, Peers and visitors meet), to chaining themselves to statues and grilles. All these activities required a police report to be written by the Serjeant at Arms, who is responsible for the security of the House of Commons, and these reports are in the Parliamentary Archives together with other documents which relate to how Parliament dealt with the disruptive activities of women campaigning for the vote.
Mari’s favourite object in the Parliamentary Archives is a banner which is a lucky survivor of a very famous protest in the Ladies Gallery. Women were not allowed to sit in the Public Gallery in the House of Commons to watch the debates and speeches. It was considered inappropriate, by the standards of the day, for them to share the space with men, so when the Palace of Westminster was rebuilt following the great fire of 1834 a special Ladies' Gallery was built. The Ladies' Gallery was situated very high up, above the Speaker’s Chair and press gallery, and subsequently had a worse view than the Public Gallery. This handicap was exacerbated as the Gallery was not open to the Chamber but was divided from it by brass grilles which were so heavy and ornate it made looking
Left: WFL Suffragette banner, Parliamentary Archives, HC/SA/ SJ/3/1 IMAGE ©PARLIAMENTARY ARCHIVES
Far right: Illustrated London News, 2 November 1908, House of Commons Library IMAGE ©UKPARLIAMENT
Near right: WSPU medal awarded to Emmeline Pankhurst, WOA M0564 The bar at the top gives the name of the prison where Mrs Pankhurst was held, at the bottom is the date of the offence and ‘H.2 4’ identifies where her cell was (Hospital block, 2nd floor, cell 4). There is also a silver mark (London 1908). On the reverse ‘Mrs Pankhurst’ is inscribed. The medal ribbon is only 7.5cm long. IMAGE ©PARLIAMENTARY ART COLLECTION
through them very difficult. The grilles were not there to protect the women but to make them invisible to the male MPs on the floor of the House as it was thought they would be a distraction if the men could see them! The Ladies' Gallery grilles were a bone of contention for the women who regularly used the Gallery and they often wrote to the Serjeant at Arms complaining about them. It is perhaps not surprising that suffragettes targeted the grilles in one of their protests. On 28 October 1908 members of the Women’s Freedom League (WFL) undertook a daring protest. Muriel Matters and Helen Fox entered the Gallery with chains and padlocks hidden under their coats and Violet Tillard had a banner hidden under hers. At 8.30pm Matters and Fox leaped up and
chained themselves to the grilles, while Tillard lowered the banner into the Chamber. The attendants who were in the Gallery found they were unable to free the chains so were forced to remove the grilles with the protesters attached. They were taken to a Committee Room, accompanied by police officers, where the chains were filed off. At the same time male WFL supporters threw leaflets into the Chamber from the Public Gallery. As a result of this incident both galleries were closed for six months. Causing disruption in Parliament was the main tactic of the Women’s’ Social and Political Union (WSPU), led by Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst. They regularly devised ways of causing disruption in Parliament. In October 1908 Mrs Pankhurst, her daughter
Christobel and senior WSPU member Flora Drummond incited the public to rush the House of Commons Chamber. They advertised the ‘rush’ widely and their intent was to get a women onto the floor of the House of Commons. On the day of the ‘rush’ over 60,000 people gathered to join in however the police cordon held fast. There were 37 arrests and 10 people hospitalised which gives an idea of the bravery of the women who took part in these large protests. Mrs Pankhurst, Miss Pankhurst and Mrs Drummond were all arrested and after a high profile court case found guilty of inciting a breach of the peace. They all refused to pay their fines so were sent to prison. On her release some weeks later, Mrs Pankhurst was awarded a medal by the WSPU. The recently released feature
November - December 2015 21
‘The Disgraceful Scene in the House’ (Central Lobby) Daily Graphic, 25 October 1906
film Suffragette captures the story of one woman who joins WSPU. It was filmed in part in Parliament and reflects both the conditions for women of the period and their dedication to winning the vote. I first became particularly interested in women’s suffrage when researching the story of Emmeline Pankhurst’s WSPU medal which was acquired by the Works of Art Committee in 2007. The Works of Art Committee has continued to collect suffrage memorabilia and in 2014 commissioned artist
22 November - December 2015
Mary Branson to make an artwork for Parliament to permanently commemorate all the women who campaigned for the votes for women. This artwork, which will be a large abstract work made of lit glass and metal, will be installed next year and will, we hope, remind everyone who walks under it into Parliament of the courage and tenacity of all those who campaigned for women’s votes from 1866 to the first women voters in 1918 and the equal franchise in 1928.
IMAGE ©PARLIAMENTARY ART COLLECTION
Melanie Unwin and Mari Takayanagi are the joint project managers of Parliament’s Vote100 project which is researching suffrage and women’s history in Parliament in the lead up to the centenary of the first women voters and MPs in 2018 www.parliament.uk/vote100
To find out about tours and other ways of visiting the Houses of Parliament go to www.parliament.uk/visiting
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The American
Celebration Stopovers
A mountain chalet in Whistler could be the answer for a White Christmas
Alison Zacher gives us the low down on getting the best from flights home for the holidays
W
hen you’ve been living away as an expat for a few years you can start to feel guilty that the trip home for the holidays increasingly feels like an unwelcome obligation. But, if you’re clever about the way you travel, there are plenty of ways to make that burden easier to bear. Firstly, console yourself, because, being based in the UK, you’re likely to have far more holiday days than the folks back home. So why not make use of them? Combining a few days of R&R – if not your actual yearly vacation destination – with your regular return visit to friends and family has never been easier. And, sometimes, breaking up your flights with a stopover can also have the advantage of making the trek home a little bit cheaper.
However, these airfares can be tricky to find online. Even on the rare occasion when there’s a multistop flight option on a website, submitting anything more than a simple itinerary tends to break the internet faster than Kim Kardashian. “It’s totally worth talking to a travel consultant about your holiday plans, because they will be aware of what’s possible within the rules of any ticket,” according to Flight Centre’s Retail Managing Director Alison Zacher. “Adding a stop, or even choosing a different carrier with an alternative routing, can lower the price of your ticket,” she says. What’s more, it gives you the opportunity to turn your routine ‘commute’ back home into an exciting opportunity to explore somewhere new.
“There are plenty of stopovers on the cards for anyone returning to the US,” Alison says. “It’s the right time of year to catch the Northern Lights in Iceland – and you don’t really extend your total time in the air.” Other destinations in Europe that barely take you out of your way include Spain. The BA and Iberia tieup, not to mention the relationship with American Airlines, means you can fly to pretty much any destination in the US from Madrid. “Alternatively, if you have winter sun in mind, there are tickets that allow a stopover in Key West or the Caribbean at no extra cost,” explains Alison. “So, once you’re all caught up with the cousins, you can recharge your batteries on the beach before heading home.” Or it’s just as easy to hit the
November - December 2015 25
The American
Hawaii Beach Front for when you’re feeling blue
slopes. “Flying via Canada can also bring the cost of your ticket down, so it’s a great chance to add a weekend skiing in New Brunswick if you’re heading to the east coast,” Alison suggests. “If you’re on your way out west, how about Whistler via Or see The Northern Lights in Iceland
Vancouver?” “You can also ask one of our Flight Centre consultants about accessing the US domestic air network with our ‘coast to coast’ ticket and see what other North American ski destinations are available.” Should you have more time on
your hands and you’re thinking of swapping the regular family visit for a longer holiday outside the States, there’s no reason to risk disappointing your loved ones. “If you hail from the west coast, you could easily stopover in LA or San Francisco on your way to Hawaii or New Zealand,” Alison says. “And with a round the world ticket, you can include more than one destination in the States, before heading to Asia or South America.” A cosmopolitan city break, cocktails on the beach or indulging in some serious après ski. It certainly beats the Boxing Day movie as a means to escape the family reunion for a little bit of ‘me time’. To speak to an airfare expert about your trip home this holiday season call 0808 278 1722, come in-store or visit flightcentre.co.uk for more information.
26 November - December 2015
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The American
Support the Veterans Be a Supporter - and a Spectator - of this year’s Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run
O
ver 400 pre-1905 cars will take to the road on November 1, 2015 to make the annual pilgrimage from Hyde Park in London to Madeira Drive in Brighton as part of the world’s longest-running motoring event. The first cars taking part in the annual Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run will set off from Serpentine Road in Hyde Park at first light (6:54am) on the first Sunday of November. If you’re an early riser, why not mark your spot in London to cheer on these earliest pioneers of motoring?
The best vantage spots
The route takes the cars through Wellington Arch and down Constitution Hill to pass Buckingham Palace before heading down The Mall.
28 November - December 2015
From here, the cars will turn right onto Horse Guards Road before turning left onto Birdcage Walk, heading towards the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Bridge; there are plenty of spots from which to capture some truly iconic images in the Capital so if venturing out, don’t forget your camera! Once south of the river, the cars will turn right onto Lambeth Palace Road before turning left by the Palace towards the Imperial War Museum where they join the A23 to head south towards Croydon, Purley, Redhill, Crawley and on to Brighton. One popular viewing point just south of Redhill is at the A23 Brighton Road crossroads with Hooley Lane. This is a long incline that really tests the cars’ stamina:
the first cars are expected here from 7.50am until around 11.30am. In Crawley, the time control checkpoint at Crawley High Street will allow fans to get up close to the cars for more great photo opportunities. A knowledgeable commentary team will be on-hand in the High Street to give spectators some background on each car as it passes through and the first cars are expected to head off from 8.15am with the last leaving at about 1.45pm. As the journey continues, the next popular vantage point is the village of Cuckfield where the pubs open early for teas, coffees and soft drinks. Cars will be passing through here between 8.45am and 2.30pm before heading through Burgess
Hill between 8.55am and 3pm and reaching their destination at Brighton. The first cars are expected to arrive in Brighton from around 9.54am, so if you’re on the South Coast, head to Madeira Drive at this popular seaside town to cheer the cars as they finish their epic adventure and cross the finish line. See the Official Spectator Routemap online at: www.theamerican.co.uk/pr/ London-to-Brighton-VCR2015Spectator-Map_original.pdf
The history
For anyone interested in the history of motoring and how the invention of the horseless carriage has shaped our lives, this is the greatest show on earth. Read more at www.veterancarrun.com. This year spectators have the chance to get involved with a social media campaign on the day by voting for the crew dressed in the best period costume - the crew with the most nominations will win the Best Period Dress award. Follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ VeteranCarRun) and Twitter (twitter.com/VeteranCarRun) for more details. There is also the chance to see a selection of the veteran cars close-up the day before the Run takes place at the Regent Street Motor Show. Over one hundred of these stunning cars will take pride of place at the EFG International Concours d’Elegance within the Bonhams Veteran Car Zone on Regent Street between 10.30am and 4pm on Saturday October 31st. Find out more about the Show at www.regentstreetmotorshowcom
Clockwise from top left: The veterans (and their cars) set off from London on their marathon 60 mile trek to Brighton on the south coast. En route: the November weather can be testing so wear something sensible whether you’re spectating or taking part. The finishing line: Madeira Drive in Brighton, and the sun comes out. The Official Spectator Routemap shows allthe best places to see the run. Find it online at: www.theamerican.co.uk/pr/ London-to-Brighton-VCR2015-SpectatorMap_original.pdf
The American
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Year Expat US expat goalkeeper Tim Howard is a long -term expat IMAGE © UMBRO
A
s an American living in the UK, almost nothing related to your financial affairs is easy. The consequences of seemingly simple decisions – such as how to pay for a new home or purchase a mutual fund – may create unnecessary tax charges and complexities. There are a number of key milestones that occur, from the time you arrive in the UK to the time you potentially approach and eventually reach retirement. Many of these changes will impact the appropriate wealth management strategies for American expats. Understanding how rules will change for you over time will allow you to plan ahead and make prudent financial decisions. In this edition we will address some of the important financial considerations that a US person should be aware of once they are tax resident in the UK for more than 7 out of the last 9 years. Upon arriving in the UK, most Americans are non-domicile for income tax purposes. Usually you can elect to pay tax on the remittance basis so that UK tax is only paid on foreign income or gains
30 November - December 2015
You’ve been in the UK for 5 years – here are the key financial considerations you should begin thinking about. By Andrea Solana
when they are brought into the UK. Once you have been resident in the UK for more than 7 out of the last 9 tax years you are taxed on the arising, or worldwide, basis unless an election is made to pay an annual remittance basis charge. For a majority of Americans, paying the annual charge does not make financial sense and it is at this point that you often find yourself dealing with worldwide taxation in two jurisdictions. Knowing what is tax efficient from both a US and UK perspective becomes of utmost importance. It is essential for anyone with an investment portfolio to review their holdings ahead of crossing the threshold to be subject to the arising basis of taxation. Most people are aware of the punitive tax treatment in the US on many non-US regulated investments. Anyone looking to invest money overseas should understand that it is almost always ultimately best to avoid investing in non-US regulated investments (otherwise known as Passive Foreign Investment Companies or PFICs) as these are taxed unfavourably in the US.
Additionally, in general many different tax advantaged accounts in the UK do not enjoy the same treatment from a US tax perspective. For instance, ISAs and offshore bonds are ‘looked through’ from a US perspective and taxed on the underlying investments. Understanding how Self Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs) are treated and reported from a US perspective is also beneficial as some tax professionals view this area differently. What most people may not know is that owning US collective investments such as mutual funds or exchange traded funds (without UK reporting status) can bring about similar treatment in the UK to the PFIC regime in the US. Any offshore collective investments that do not have UK reporting status will attract offshore income gains (OIG) taxation as opposed to capital gain treatment. A higher or additional rate taxpayer will find themselves paying 40% or 45% income tax on gains as opposed to 28%. Additionally, OIG assets can potentially bring about two layers of taxation at death. OIG assets are
The American
deemed to be sold at death with income tax being assessed. Then, to the extent that you are also deemed domicile for UK inheritance tax purposes, the assets (less an income tax paid) are also includable in your UK estate. The exact date that you cross over the Arising Basis threshold can sometimes be tricky depending on when you arrived in the UK. It can often be beneficial to seek advice from a US-UK qualified tax adviser to make sure that you understand properly. Year 5 or 6 can often be a good time to review your assets and understand what structural changes might be beneficial. This will allow
you to take your time and avoid having to rush into making any decisions. Reviewing your portfolio and making any needed changes before being taxed in the UK on a worldwide basis can potentially save a lot of unnecessary tax from being paid! Andrea Solana is Head of Advanced Planning at MASECO Private Wealth. Andrea graduated from University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce with a degree in Finance and Management, completed her MBA at Imperial College London and holds her US Series 65 license.
If you would like a full copy of MASECO’s 39 Steps to Smart Living in the UK please visit www.masecopw.com. MASECO Private Wealth is not a qualified tax adviser and you should seek separate advice on your tax position with a suitably qualified tax adviser. MASECO LLP trading as MASECO Private Wealth is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate tax advice.
The American
Year End Tax Planning for Individuals by Sam Ashley A
s the end of the year quickly approaches and we all start thinking about holidays, it is also worth giving some thought to your US taxes. In this article you will find a number of simple and potentially tax saving options that you may want to consider ahead of the close of the tax year. You should of course review your own tax situation with a professional advisor before implementing any of these ideas for yourself.
Charitable Contributions
Taxpayers who itemize their deductions on Schedule A can claim deductions for cash and property donated to charity. Contributions to charity are deductible in the year they are made. This includes cheques mailed before December 31 and also credit card payments, even if the credit card bill isn’t paid until the following January. When making any contribution for which you would like a US tax deduction, you should firstly ensure that the donations are made to an eligible charity. Generally contributions made to non US registered charities are not deductible on your US income tax return. The IRS lists organizations eligible to receive tax deductible contributions at www. irs.gov/Charities-&-Non-Profits/ Exempt-Organizations-Select-Check You should also ensure you keep records of all donations made. The documentation required varies
32 November - December 2015
PHOTO ŠTAXREBATE.ORG.UK
depending on the type and value of the donation so please ask us for guidance if there is any doubt.
Advancing Payments
There are a few payments which can assist with your US liability if paid at the correct time: Foreign Tax Liabilities: If you have a liability in a foreign country which relates to income that will be taxed on your 2015 US tax return you should ensure that tax liability is paid before December 31, 2015. You should do this even if the liability is not due to be paid until the following year (for example, by 31 January 2016 for UK tax returns). This will ensure that when the income is taxed in the US you also have the foreign tax credit to offset the US tax liability. State Tax Payments: If you are paying estimated US State taxes you should consider accelerating your fourth quarter estimated payment due on January 15, 2016 and pay this before December 31, 2015. Again by doing this you may be able to claim an itemized deduction on Schedule A for the additional tax paid in December rather than having this deduction in the following year, so credit is given a full 12 months earlier by accelerating the tax payment by just 2 weeks US Real Estate Taxes: If you have a property in the US and have real estate tax due to be paid next year, once again you might consider
making that payment in 2015 to maximize your itemized deductions along with the charitable contributions and state tax payments on Schedule A of your income tax return.
Pensions & Retirement Savings
For US taxpayers with excess foreign tax credits making contributions to a pension may be a useful way to soak up some of those excess credits. This is particularly true for US citizens who have been overseas for 10 years or more. After 10 years your excess foreign tax credits will start to expire. If you are already a member of a UK pension plan you will potentially be allowed to use any unused annual personal allowances from the previous 3 years to maximise your contribution to the pension. Tax Advisory Partnership published a more detailed article regarding these arrangements with Tanager Wealth Management in the August issue of The American. You should also not forget your US based retirement savings plans (also known as IRAs). You are able to contribute up to $5,500 ($6,500 if you are age 50 or older) each year. The good news is that these contributions do not need to be made by December 31, 2015 and instead you have until April 15, 2016 to make contributions which may still be deductible on your 2015 US income tax return.
The American
Use Your Gift Tax Exemption
Good estate tax planning can often start with ensuring you are utilising your annual gift exemptions. By ensuring you utilize your annual gift tax exemptions you are able to retain your full lifetime estate tax exemption which is currently $5.34 million. A US person can gift up to $14,000 per donee and a husband and wife can gift up to $28,000 to a single donee without needing to report those gifts to the IRS. Gift tax reporting usually falls to the donor rather than the donee. If you are a US person who is married to a non US person you
are also limited in the amount that you are able to gift to your spouse. The maximum annual exemption for gifts to a non resident spouse is $145,000. Gifts exceeding this amount would need to be reported via a gift tax return and would reduce your estate tax exemption. These are just a few of the year end tax planning options that may be worth considering in good time to ensure you maximise the benefit to reduce your US tax liabilities. The team at Tax Advisory Partnership are happy to assist you in reviewing your tax affairs and with any of the ideas discussed here or any other US and/or UK tax issue.
Sam Ashley is Senior Tax Manager at Tax Advisory Partnership 14 Devonshire Square, London, EC2M 4TY. T. 020 7655 6959 sam.ashley@taxadvisorypartnership.com www.taxadvisorypartnership.com Tax Advisory Partnership provides a broad range of UK and US tax services to private clients both in the UK and abroad. Please contact us at +44 207 655 6959 for an initial consultation or email info@tap-london.com and we will contact you at the earliest opportunity.
Happy Thanksgiving to all The American Magazine readers from your friends at tap London t: +44 (0)20 7655 6959 e: info@tap-london.com
Leeds t: +44 (0)113 8272 410 e: info@tap-leeds.com
www.taxadvisorypartnership.com
The American
From Vine to Vintage Top Tips for Collecting Fine Wine
I
IMAGE ©ALEXI HOBBS
n this Tanager Talk Renee Kuo talks about her journey from banking to working in the wine trade. Having grown up in California, a career in technology seemed logical but first banking and then wine took her down a different path. I always like to say that finance drove me to drink. During my time at Banc of America Securities, I was encouraged to “learn something about wine” so that I would order the right bottle when entertaining clients. Little did I know this would one-day lead me to give up a successful and lucrative career in finance to pick grapes and drag hoses as one of Napa Valley’s oldest interns. As I got used to saying, “life is not only too short, it’s too long not to do something you love.” Before too long my business experience, plus an MBA from MIT
34 November - December 2015
and a Winemaking Certificate from UC Davis, helped me to cross over to the business side of wine, first with a wine retailer and then as the General Manager of a winery. When I was asked by Tanager Talks to outline what is involved in collecting fine wines, my first piece of advice, especially for those who find the world of wine elitist and difficult to penetrate, is “just go out there and drink”. Don’t let the terminology throw you off and trust your palate. You should go to tastings and become familiar with the regions, producers and vintages. Watch out for names that can be confusingly similar such as Chateau Lafite and Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte. It’s also important to become familiar with the wine critic, Robert Parker, and his scoring system. Read up on wine in such publications as Decanter magazine and Jancis Robinson’s column in the Financial Times. And try some wine apps such as Delectable and Vivino where you can scan the wine label of what you are drinking to see the recent ratings and reviews. If you are thinking about investing in fine wine, I would recommend a cautious approach to a volatile market. Although wine has been a well performing alternative asset in the past, with low correlations to stocks and bonds, recent speculation has increased the correlation as we saw in China when the fall in the stock market there saw a similar fall in the price of wine. Similarly, while the Liv-Ex 100 – the
index that tracks the price movements of the top 100 traded wines - shows a 139% return over the past 10 years compared to 41% for the FTSE 100 according to the FT, over the past 5 years, it has seen a -20.4% return. And if we track a vintage such as Lafite 2008, we also see the volatility. Released in London for £1,850/case, it reached its peak at £14,000/case and is now trading at just under £5,000/case. Anyone interested in building a private cellar for consumption, investment or both will need to be concerned about such issues as storage and insurance, whether at home or in a bonded warehouse. The benefit of holding wine in bond is that you defer paying duty and VAT until you take delivery from the warehouse and the environment is controlled. If you take the wine home, I advise keeping the collection away from heat, extreme cold and wet. My favorite wines? Burgundy. Production, compared to Bordeaux, is tiny while the global cachet is high. Finally, always remember that the greatest pleasure in collecting fine wines is in the drinking and the sharing! Tanager Wealth Management LLP is is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK and is an SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Tanager Wealth Management LLP does not provide tax advice. You should seek specialist tax advice from a suitably qualified tax professional. www.tanagerwealth.com
Happy Thanksgiving to all our American friends 020 7871 8440 | @tanagerwealth contact@tanagerwealth.com | www.tanagerwealth.com Tanager Wealth Management LLP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK and is a Registered Investment Adviser regulated by the Securities & Exchange Commission in the USA. Registered in England and Wales at The White Mill House, Mill Road, Goring on Thames, RG8.
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Stranger in a Strange Land - Returning Home P
atricia Cassiday and Donna Stringer explore the issues and answers for Americans facing international relocation. Part 3: Returning ‘home’ after completing an overseas assignment can be a time full of both joy and surprises. After initially reuniting with family and friends, returning to favorite restaurants and book stores (if they still exist) and settling back into everything you missed while living overseas, you may find the ‘honeymoon’ is over. While living abroad you have changed in many ways, many of which you might not yet be aware of. While your overseas ‘adventure’ has resulted in tremendous growth and learning, it may be difficult to find others who can really relate to the scope of what you have experienced. If you climb a mountain, run a marathon, or visit Disneyland, you are likely to find someone who has shared a similar experience. It can be harder to find someone who has actually lived outside of your home culture and understands what all that entails. It is important to remember that while you were gone, things
36 November - December 2015
were happening back at home and so many of your family members, friends and work colleagues may seem different than you remember. You may find you have some challenges in communicating with family and friends that were once so easy to share with. Even your style in approaching problems and work, including your leadership style may come into question. While living abroad you have had a degree of autonomy that you may no longer experience. You may need to ‘prove’ yourself all over again within your organizational structure and even within some relationships. Expecting to experience some challenges with ‘reentry’ puts you at an advantage. You can decide if the differences you encounter make a real difference and if they do, you will have a choice of how best to proceed. While living overseas you have been observing, asking questions, and adapting. You now have a whole new understanding of the importance of being ‘culturally agile’. Applying your cultural agility at home may not be something you had given any thought to but something that can serve you well. Applying this ben-
IMAGE ©USNAVY
The American
efit of your new growth can help you transition more smoothly to home. Personally you may need to learn more about the experiences of friends and family while you were gone. Professionally you may need a plan for how best to find your voice and effect organizational change based on what you have learned. Remember to feed your expat spirit! Connecting with other expats can be rewarding. Even if you were located in totally different countries, you may find you have the shared experience of living in a foreign land. Think of what you have learned and how that might help your organization, including those who are preparing for an overseas assignment etc. How can you continue to feed your sense of adventure? Favorite new sports? Cooking classes? Foreign films? Advanced language studies etc. Take time to reflect on and celebrate all you have accomplished! Patricia and Donna’s book 52 Activities for Successful International Relocation contains advice on reducing the “culture shock” for families and executives relocating abroad. See nicholasbrealey.com
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Join us at The Waterway & The Summerhouse
to Celebrate Thanksgiving...
This Thanksgiving we’re serving up traditional feasts with all the trimmings so whether you are American, Canadian or just like a good excuse for a hearty meal, book your table now and join in the celebrations! THURSDAY NOVEMBER 26th - 3 course menu £30 per person
The Waterway: 54 Formosa Street, London W9 2JU Tel: 020 7266 3557 The Summerhouse: Opposite 60 Blomfield Road, London W9 2PA Tel: 020 7286 3520
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The American
Miss Patricia
Doesn’t Have a Heart Attack R
ecent prolonged chest pains led to my first emergency with the NHS, and a chance to compare health systems first hand. As it was a beautiful Sunday, it was a perfect day to spend in hospital: no deadlines. ‘NHS Direct’ has gone, so now one calls 111 for screening, and afterward your call is directed further, perhaps to 999. What of the other triplets? Does one press 222 for Too, Too Much Information? 666 for the devil’s direct line? You can get that just by missing a payment. A nice ginger-haired lad drove up quick-smart, for a preliminary review behind the blackened windows of a spiffy new van ideally suited to stag dos, before fascinated neighbors who watched me shakily disappear inside. Prince Harry’s cousin looked reassuringly alert, compared to a US colleague who had been an alcoholic ambulance driver, so I left content, to be digested in the intestines of the NHS and later shat out onto the street in a tidy package. Hospital workers purposefully arrowed around in all directions, gazing down at paperwork. Things looked Darwinian. At the bottom of the evolutionary scale were shuffling cleaners, stooping over germs that could exterminate a country. Above their level, nurses strolled tentatively, ‘knowing their places’. And at the top of the heap were boldly striding, mas-
38 November-December 2015
terful doctors, confident in superiority. Just wait, my pretties! You’ll choke on self-doubt too in midlife, just when you actually know the most. I was plopped into a stall with ‘privacy curtains’ made of paper, so that none of us could see each other while plainly hearing every intimate detail. When intriguing consults were finished, the mystery guest would be revealed in Hollywood premiere style, curtains swept aside to spotlight Mr Prostate. In the US, I would have been stripped off and left quivering like a custard, reduced to raw dough buttocks squished onto an icy steel exam table. No such loss of dignity in the UK! In one ward all my companions were cozily tucked into bedding, but fully dressed underneath in their street clothes. NHS doctors always act as if I might bite. It’s like being Tudor royalty, with everyone describing symptoms because no one should touch the royal flesh. Doctors always politely ask permission to touch my shriveling self, as if I might imagine them overcome by sexual desire…if only! Darling, anything voluptuous on me now would just be a tumor. There was a nice, reassuring visit from a doctor who plainly knew what he was doing. I could tell because he was tall, with big dark eyes and a deep voice. While he rumbled on, I searched
for subtle body language clues that would reveal the truth behind his words…like, was he married? My daughter’s not. If I wasn’t going to make it, we needed to deal fast. My new neighbors became like baking trays slid in and out of an oven depending on how well done they were. In fact, I heard a lot of ‘well dones’, as elderly patients were rolled over. Next they would be rolling in their graves when their grandchildren go out in public wearing THAT. Two grown women came in, apparently sisters, with their frail little mum wheeled in before them. They seemed to be still competing, but now over one big broken doll. The ‘pretty sister’ (fashionable haircut, heels even in hospital) found perky things to say while the ‘good sister’ (practical hair; sensible shoes) did all the actual dabbing and spoonfeeding. I peeked at the menu totals for our group. Broccoli soup was more popular than the sausage; all the puddings were revolting wobblers, and there was NO damn chocolate! The chest pains began to look like my ticket out of a life not worth living anyway. The sisters tried to tempt mum, as she had once done for them: ‘Look, Mum! Nice juicy, warm, buttery oozy onion gravy! Want the pickle?’ This prompted a different neighbor to be noisily sick, and his doctor to ask: ‘Is this the color vomit you’ve been hav-
The American
ing all day?’ My lumpy gravy plate got a little push away. An Oriental orderly came in to change bedding, with spiky tall hair that leaned to one side. Who would have thought that the executioner blowing the prisoner’s brains out in Life Magazine would start a fashion trend? Behind him, a great white whale was beached on her cot, belying the theory that women need to ‘take care of themselves’ to keep a man: her husband was fitter than George Clooney and attentive as a sheepdog. Several times I overheard little
pub quizzes - tests for confusion - that Stephen Fry would have failed. Thank God they didn’t quiz me! The happiest days of my life had no numbers on them, and to judge from the weather here, October is followed by July. For ten hours I sat convinced of my impending doom, with an elephant (OK, just a baby one) sitting on my chest. But then a young girl came in and offered to make me a cup of tea, and I swear this is true: I drank it and my chest pains instantly went away. I was soon shown the door. I looked everywhere for the mountain of paperwork that in the US would
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have caused the heart attack I wasn’t having yet, but there was not a single piece of paper. Relieved and embarrassed, I’d had a good rehearsal for the day that gravity finally wins. I related my experience to my Indian doctor (with a nickname, because his British patients refuse to learn to pronounce his real one), and after looking at my neatly penciled list of some other symptoms, he hesitantly suggested: ‘Those might be due, you know, to age’. I mean, what am I paying him for? Well, nothing, but as all Americans know, death is optional.
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November-December 2015 39
The American
22-24 Basil Street, London SW3 1AT
www.capitalhotel.co.uk
AFTERNOON TEA C
lotted cream played a huge part in my decision to immigrate to the UK. OK, it was the main reason I moved here! With scones, strawberry jam and a cuppa, it is simply perfect. What a shame my arteries only allow it as a special treat. But treat it was. Created by the Michelin starred duo behind Outlaw’s at The Capital, Nathan Outlaw and Pete Biggs, this is afternoon tea in all its glory. The Capital is a 5 star hotel just around the corner from Harrods. May I suggest however, that if you wish to do a bit of power shopping, do it before tea. Afterwards, you won’t be able to budge! How anyone ever manages to have afternoon tea and supper as well, I will never know. On Sundays tea is served in the formal dining room, during the week, in the cosy sitting room, with settees, low tables and linen. There are three options. Finger sandwiches, sweets, scones and tea for £29.50, with a house cocktail for £35 or a glass of Champagne for £39.50.
40 November - December 2015
AT THE CAPITAL
We couldn’t resist the cocktail option. The Basil Street Spritz is a concoction of Gin, blackcurrant and hibiscus infused tea and Champagne. The cocktail itself is a sweet mix of flavors, but the best bit lies at the bottom of the glass. An edible hibiscus flower, imported from Australia that has soaked up all that lovely liquid. Gorgeous. Finger sandwiches on crustless bread are a quintessential part of English tea. Egg & cress, ham & mustard and smoked mackerel paté fit the bill nicely. Bacon and mushroom quiche was out of this world. Excellent crust and savory creamy custard. Smoked salmon crumpets were the only item under par. The crumpets weren’t toasted and with salmon on one side, crème fraiche on the other, it was impossible to get everything in one bite. Sometimes life is hard! In a slight divergence from tradition, the sweets were served with the sandwiches before the scones.
Reviewed by Michael M Sandwick In defence, the scones deserved to be served on their own as the pièce de résistance. On the down side, by the time they arrived, I only had room for one! Quel dommage! They were perfect scones. Victoria sponge, blackberry Bakewell tart and lemon drizzle cake were top quality versions of traditional teatime treats. Dark chocolate & orange trifle was a flavor packed surprise. Fruit and chocolate can be difficult, but this was a great pairing. The jelly was sensational. A Neapolitan ice cream sandwich was a tasty folly but, to avoid melting, had to be eaten first. Before the savories! I’m not sure what William Hanson would have to say on the matter. Jing Capital house blend was a nice round cuppa and flowering dragon eye was an excellent jasmine green tea, wrapped around a marigold. Outlaw and Biggs sure know their flowers. Still, it’s the clotted cream and scones that take the cake!
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The American
Morden & Lea Smoked Trout Salad
PHOTOS ©MARK CHIVERS
17 Wardour Street, London W1D 6PJ
www.mordenandlea.com
M
friends while munching on fab gastro snacks for £4-7! Upstairs, in plush leather banquettes, surrounded by a great collection of art, is more formal dining. Here too the prices are amazing. £29 for 2 courses and £35 for 3. For this quality food, you can’t beat it. Miso glazed Cornish mackerel, oyster dressing and crispy king prawns was divine. Beautifully balanced with mango, adding sweetness and acid to counter the salty miso. Prawns, wrapped in shredded phyllo, were a bonus. Warm salad of smoked and fresh trout, duck fat potatoes and heritage beets was a fish of a different color. Salmons’ refined cousin, this was delicate, smooth and almost buttery in texture. It melted in my mouth. A glass of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (£8.25) was sensational. In fact, I could barely wrench it from my companion to get a taste of it, and he refused to switch to red wine for the meat course! Rich and full with a great nose, it was particularly good with the mackerel. An Australian Riesling (£7.50) was also a fine wine, though so light it was more like a Rieslingette! By the bottle, no wine is over £48. Stuffed suckling pork belly was
orden & Lea is Mark Sargeant’s first central London restaurant. As head chef, he has chosen Daniel Mertl, giving us sensational food and another link in London’s culinary lineage. It all started at Le Gavroche. Opened in 1967 by Michel and Albert Roux, this was the first restaurant in Britain to achieve 3 Michelin stars. It was here that Marco Pierre White began his career. Marco then launched Gordon Ramsay, eventually sending him back to Le Gavroche to further his training. Mark Sargeant worked with Ramsay for 13 years, working his way up to Head Chef at Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s and gaining his own Michelin star. The choice of Daniel Mertl seems perfect. He cut his chops back where it all started. Le Gavroche. 10 years from now, it will be fascinating to see who Morden & Lea has spawned. Sadly, I will have eaten myself to death by then. The location couldn’t be better; smack in the middle of China Town. In fact, it had been a Chinese restaurant. The refurb is remarkable, both inside and out. Very modern inside, with an upstairs/downstairs concept. Down is the place to hang and drink with
Reviewed by Michael M Sandwick
only just overcooked, but the accompaniment of gooseberries and olive oil mash was inspired. I am a butter man through and through so it was a surprise how much I liked the olive oil mash. Loin of Romney Marsh lamb, crispy breast, glazed potatoes and field mushrooms was perfect. Beautifully cooked lamb, the tastiest mushrooms and the kind of reduction sauce that makes you want to lick your plate. For this I chose a glass of South African Pinotage (£9). Dark, dry and spicy; great with the red meat. Dessert was the crowning glory though we differed on our favorites. My friend liked the gypsy tart with clotted cream. Made with condensed milk, the custard had the sweet taste of dulce de leche. To cut the sweetness, a large dollop of clotted cream. Be still my beating heart. At least I hope it’s still beating! My fav was the white chocolate and buttermilk pudding. 2 ingredients that offset each other in perfect harmony. Served with a gorgeous blueberry compote and the best brandy snaps. So far, my dessert of the year. Welcome to central London Mr. Sargeant!
November - December 2015 43
The American
The Adelphi Building, 1-11 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6HT
www.smithandwollensky.co.uk
SMITH & WOLLENSKY W
hatever happened to class? It moved to The Adelphi Building! USDA prime steaks, first class service and some of the most elegant rooms in London. A taste of America at its best.The Adelphi is a Grade II listed landmark from 1938 ’twixt the Strand and the Thames. Smith & Wollensky looks like a fine restoration of an original art deco restaurant. It isn’t. It’s all brand spanking new, designed by the remarkable Martin Brudnizki. Mr B has not only achieved the look, but the patina of the 1930s, with green leather, copper leaf ceilings, intricate tiling and etched glass. It simply shouts for Champagne! We obliged with two glasses of CanardDuchêne Cuvée Leonie (£11.50). Service is excellent with not an ounce of stuffiness. I don’t believe there were any Americans serving us, but I felt sure they had all been trained in Yankee hospitality. Our waiter from Ecuador was warm and friendly and made sure we had everything we wanted. And more.
44 November - December 2015
Reviewed by Michael M Sandwick
The menu has a good range of choice but the highlights are unquestionably steak and seafood. We started with a shellfish platter for two-three (£75). We were two. There was enough for four. Oddly, there were no leftovers! Three lobster tails and four claws, copious amounts of clams, lump crabmeat, oysters and the biggest, most succulent prawns ever, all served with a choice of sauces. Absolutely fresh, cooked perfectly and brilliant with the full, fruity Champagne. We could easily have stopped there and been totally satisfied. Of course we didn’t! USDA bone-in rib-eye is about as good as it gets. 24 oz. is £65 but again, could feed a family of four. Somehow, we managed on our own. The beef at S & W is butchered and aged on site, making it unique. Ours was cooked perfectly, medium rare as we ordered. A side of sautéed spinach (£4) and whipped potatoes (£5) would have been more than enough but our waiter
forced us to have buttermilk onion rings (£9) as well. We must have looked malnourished! The wine list, mind blowing in quality and price, has surely the best selection of California wines in London. I know so many people who have little or no knowledge of California wine, simply because it is so hard to come by. At last we have a restaurant that can change that, but it costs. The manager recommended Decoy, a 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma. At £75, one of the least expensive. Smooth but very light for a Cabernet, without the dark berry and oak I had hoped for. I wonder why he didn’t choose the 1991 Caymus Special Selection for £470. Coconut cake (£10) was not the lightest sponge I’ve ever had, but rich and tasty. The coconut tuile was exceptional. Gigantic chocolate cake (£15) was… uh…gigantic! When they say, “everything is bigger in America”, this is what they mean! I was speechless. A rare occurrence.
The American
Vincent Price does Thanksgiving T
hat well-known master of horror, the late Vincent Price, together with his wife Mary, produced several cookbooks, including, in 1965, A Treasury of Great Recipes. a charming cookbook full of anecdotes.Who knew? It’s a collection of mouthwatering recipes collected by Vincent and Mary at restaurants around the world, including original menus from classic restaurants and wonderful photographs by the great William
46 November - December 2015
Claxton. The book captures the beginnings of the foodie movement in the United States, and also affords a glimpse into the celebrity lifestyle of the Prices. If you missed it the first time, it’s just being reprinted to celebrate its 50th anniversary, and we persuaded the publishers to let us borrow Meinheer Price’s favorite Thanksgiving Turkey recipe for you. We didn’t think you’d want to go to the trouble
of making your own sausagemeat for the stuffing, so where it says ‘Wayside country sausage’ just use a good quality version and add some seasoning. The recipe for the sausagemeat is on another page in the book, as is his detail about the Wayside Inn and the Price’s Thanksgiving preparations. So you’ll just have to go buy it to find out more! Go to www.vincentprice. com and follow the links ($50), or available in Harrods, London.
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Cellar Talk
King Scorpion Tomb Wine
Thanks(giving) for Wine T
he first evidence of wine being drunk was in China when a beverage made from rice was served. Around 3000 BC wine labels appeared on wines from the Delta which included the name of the reigning Pharaoh. Around 5000 BC there is evidence of wine fermented grape juice stored in a pottery in a small village in northern Iran and by 3150 BC wine was being exported from Jordan Valley in Egypt. King Scorpion I of Egypt was buried with 700 jugs containing about 4,500 liters of wine which, I suppose, was for him to enjoy in eternity. Not until 600 BC did wine arrive in France via the Marseille region.
48 November - December 2015
We don’t know what wine was served at the Last Supper, but considering the warm climate, grape juice would have fermented quickly in the heat without refrigeration. Romans loved Falernian wine grown on Mt. Massico, about 30 miles from Naples. Wine historians suspect this wine was made from a grape known as Aminea Gemina, but whether it was white or red is unknown. It is suspected it tasted like Vin Santo or Amarone. With Thanksgiving coming up, I am trying to decide what wine to serve. As my son-in-law and I will be doing the cooking, I know the possible menu. As I wrote before, with the various foods from turkey to
By Virginia E Schultz sweet potatoes being offered, I will not be choosy. Thanksgiving and Christmas are not the time to serve that special and expensive wine. I usually set out a bottle of Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc and let my guests decide for themselves. Depending on who my guests are, I might add a bottle of bourbon and make certain there is cold beer in the refrigerator. One year, my late husband invited a Russian engineer he was working with and I made certain there was vodka as well. He finished the bottle, plus half of a second one and when he left that evening, was as sober as if he drank only Coca Cola.
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The American
Modern Scottish Women: Painters and Sculptors 1885-1965 Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art 75 Belford Rd, Edinburgh EH4 3DR November 7 to June 26
DRAWN at Sculpture by the Lakes
Andrew Denman, Icarus Fallen, 2015 Graphite & Nero Pencil, 51 x 71cm ©ANDREW DENMAN
Pallington Lakes, Dorchester, Dorset DT2 8QU November 7 to December 6 Following on from the Gallery at Sculpture by the Lakes’s succesful hosting of DRAWN in 2014, the theme returned this Fall with new and exciting works by artists from around the world. Among the artists participating, Americans Andrew Denman, Dale Marie Muller, Dennis Boyd, Elizabeth Zanzinger, Julie Chapman, Rick Young, Terry Miller and Zoey Frank are accompanied by artists from the UK, Zimbabwe, Italy and the Netherlands. The exhibition, curated by British artist Simon Gudgeon, focuses on the experience of art, and its importance as a medium. Among the pieces on display will be Denman’s ambitious Icarus project.
50 November - December 2015
Jean-Etienne Liotard
Royal Academy, Sackler Wing, Burlington House, London W1J 0BD to January 31
The Amazing world of MC Escher Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery Rd, Southwark, London SE21 7AD to January 17
For those who missed out on these exhibitions in Edinburgh (reviewed in the June and August 2015 issues of The American respectively - read them online on our website), they’ve now moved to London, and are both incredible. Norah Neilson GRAY (1882-1931) Mother and Child, 1920s Oil on canvas, 77.5 x 57 ©SCOTTISH NATIONAL GALLERY OF MODERN ART
This major exhibition of work by Scottish women artists reveals the wealth of art created by women in Scotland between 1885, when Fra Newbery became Director of Glasgow School of Art, until the year of Anne Redpath’s death in 1965. The eighty years which provide the backbone for this exhibition witnessed a multitude of influential women artists come to the fore, and a few of those who will have work displayed as part of this exhibition include Bessie Mac Nicol, Dorothy Johnstone and Bet Low. The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art have also announced their acquisition of Norah Neilson Gray’s painting, Mother and Child – the first of her works to enter the Gallery’s collection.
The American
Theaster Gates: Sanctum
Temple Church, Temple St, Bristol, BS1 6HY October 29 to November 21
Don McCullin, Early morning at the Kumbh Mela, Allahabad, India, 1989 © DON MCCULLIN/CONTACT PRESS IMAGES
Don McCullin: Conflict – People – Landscape
Bill Viola at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Probably Britain’s most respected photojournalist, Don McCullin’s career has taken him from North London to the Industrial North, Northern Ireland to North Africa, documenting a range of social issues from domestic poverty in urban Britain to wars and their effect on communities and people in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. McCullin has witnessed some of the most harrowing humanitarian disasters of the last half century, and brought them to UK newspapers and international magazines to be our eyes on the world. The exhibition is a chronological selection of his most poignant and best known reportage, and more recent images, including haunting vistas of Somerset, and a collection of personal memorabilia acquired throughout his lifetime, featuring the Nikon camera that notoriously saved him from a sniper bullet in ‘Nam.
American artist Bill Viola has been a sensation in the UK during recent years, with projects including Martyrs (2014) at St Paul’s Cathedral and in London at The Vinyl Factory, London, (to Nov 7) and at Blain|Southern Gallery (to Nov 21). Yorkshire Sculpture Park hosts its own significant exhibition of Viola’s works this Fall, in his most extensive exhibition in the UK in over 10 years. The exhibition displays installations from the last 20 years of Viola’s career, including works which consider the topics of life, death, love and spirituality, universal themes which have been part of some of Viola’s most acclaimed works. Three works from his Transfiguration series will accompany a host of other imposing and thought provoking pieces.
Hauser and Wirth Somerset, Durslade Farm, Dropping Ln, Bruton, Somerset BA10 0NL November 15 to January 31
Chapel and Underground Gallery, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield WF4 4LG to April 10
Chicago-based artist, Theaster Gates, has been invited to contribute to ‘Art Weekender’, a series of events celebrating visual arts over 3 days across the cities of Bristol and Bath, involving over 35 arts venues, artist-led projects and activities.. Taking place in the bombed out shell of the 14th century Temple Church in Bristol, Gates has built a temporary structure from discarded and dormant materials from former places of labor and religious devotion across the city. The intimate chamber formed from these materials plays host to hundreds of performers from Bristol across 576 hours, providing visitors with opportunities to experience Sanctum day and night. Visitors won’t know what they will hear during their experience beforehand.
Bill Viola, Fire Woman, 2005
PHOTO: KIRA PEROV COURTESY BILL VIOLA STUDIO
November - December 2015 51
The American
DON’T MISS ... Periodic Tales: The Art of the Elements
Compton Verney Art Gallery, Compton Verney, Warwickshire CV35 9HZ to December 13
One of John Donald’s simpler iconic pieces IMAGE COURTESY JOHN DONALD
Rock Against Racism
Autograph ABP, Rivington Place, London EC2A 3BA to December 5 John Donald with Princess Margaret, a great collector of his work,1960s Cornelia Parker, Thirty Pieces of Silver (Exhaled) cake stand, 2003 30 silver plated items crushed by 250 ton industrial press, metal wire
IMAGE COURTESY JOHN DONALD
John Donald: Precious Statements
© IMAGE COURTESY THE ARTIST & FRITH STREET GALLERY, LONDON
Goldsmith’s Hall, www.hawkinsandblue.com on sale now
Based on Hugh AlderseyWilliams’ book, Periodic Tales: The Curious Lives of the Elements, this exhibition explores the way in which Periodic Table elements have inspired artists over the centuries and the rich cultural legacy and associated meanings to which artists continue to respond. With work by well-known contemporary artists including Joseph Beuys, Tim Etchells, Antony Gormley, Thomas Heatherwick, Roger Hiorns, Maria Lalic, John Newling, David Nash RA, Eduardo Paolozzi, Cornelia Parker RA, Simon Patterson, Fiona Banner, Tania Kovats, Marc Quinn, Lucy Skaer, Danny Lane, Kate Williams, Bill Woodrow RA, Annie Cattrell, Lucia Nogueira and Julia+Ken Yonetani. Compton Verney is an award-winning art gallery, housed in a Grade I listed mansion set in 120 acres.
John Donald, goldsmith, revolutionary 1960s jeweler and founder of contemporary jewelery design, launched his autobiography, Precious Statements this Fall. His retrospective showcase of 24 pieces from 1958 –2002 is on display until late December at Goldsmith’s. Experimenting with molten gold in water, he created fascinating baroque organic shapes, including his famous ‘crown’ design, which marked a complete departure from any previous jewelery concept. The stones were set on very fine wires, all at different levels within the textured goldwork of the crown, creating a three-dimensional effect. Collected by Royalty, and with work in many museums worldwide, John traveled regularly to the US, his pieces have been displayed at Tiffany’s New York, and is a favorite with many American collectors. His richly illustrated book (£65) can be bought from the publishers www. McNidderandgrace.co.uk or Amazon.
52 November - December 2015
Between 1976 and 1981, the Rock Against Racism (RAR) movement sought to confront racist ideologies in the streets, parks and town halls of Britain. RAR was formed by a collective of musicians and political activists to fight fascism and racism through music, by showcasing reggae and punk bands on the stage, attracting large multicultural audiences. Syd Shelton was one of the photographers whose images captured the volatility of these times, documenting a country divided across race, class and gender. RAR didn’t have its own official photographer, but with Shelton’s collection proving to be the largest photographic representation of the movement, this exhibition at Autograph ABP revisits the energy of RAR and its effect on culture and society in Britain. Syd Shelton, RAR Carnival Against the Nazis, Leeds, 1981 IMAGE ©SYD SHELTON
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BOOKS The American
KIDS’ BOOKS FORTHE HOLIDAYS
The Elf on The Shelf: A Christmas Tradition
Carol Aebersold and Chanda Bell
Available on Amazon
WiKIDly Awesome Travels
Miranda McPhee & Suzanne Lifson Softback, 40 pages
Far and Beyond Books ISBN: 9780986237507 You have kids. You bring them over the sea to Europe and drag them round all that history, all that geography, all that architecure ...they love it as much as you do, right? Well maybe not all of them, all of the time. McPhee and Lifson have lived the problem - between them they have globetrotted to 35 countries - and come up with a solution. Fun activity books for kids visiting London and Paris (more to follow?) that include all the major tourist destinations, ‘I-Spy’ questions, cleverly hidden advice (“Memorize the name of the hotel and street where you are staying”) and Funky Facts. The Paris book has placenames and phrases in French and simple phonetics to help find their way around and maybe pick up some of the language. It’s just won a Family Choice Award in the States, and there’s a new London edition out too.
54 November-December 2015
Written by a mother & daughter duo, this self-publishing phenomenon has sold over 8 million copies and won all sorts of awards in the States over the past 10 years. It’s now in the UK. It’s a charming tale about Santa’s little helpers and how his ‘scout elves’ help him manage his ‘Naughty or Nice’ lists. The traditionally illustrated hardback book comes in a box with a scout elf doll. When your family adopts and names it, the scout elf receives its Christmas magic and comes to life, keeping an eye on the kids during the day and flying to the North Pole each night to tell Santa Claus about their day’s adventures. Every morning the scout elf returns and (maybe with your help) perches in a different place around your home so the kids can race around and find it. It’s available ‘from official scout elf adoption centres, including elfontheshelf.co.uk, John Lewis and select retailers’. It could help re-create an American family Christmas for homesick little (and larger) ones.
The Secret Fire
CJ Daugherty and Carina Rozenfeld
Paperback, 32 pages, Atom/Little Brown Reviewed by Fleur Burland Sully Blossoming romance, special powers, betrayal, action, mystery, murder, and all in a race against time. A two-part series, The Secret Fire is packed full of adventure starring two strangers in a fight for their lives. Taylor, is an English school girl trying to get into Oxford University, Sacha a boy in France trying to deal with a family secret. The supposed strangers are brought together seemingly at random but it turns out to be the result of an ancient curse which puts both their lives at risk. Taylor has to learn how to control her sudden new powers as an alchemist and save Sacha before he dies on his 18th birthday. Destiny has doomed them but will they succeed? The vivid descriptions of characters and settings are a portal to another world as you grow with the characters and get involved in the action. The authors worked together via email, CJ writing the chapters from Taylor’s point of view and Carina from Sacha’s. I hope their partnership doesn’t end with this series. Recommended for teenagers who like paranormal drama.
A Christmas Treat from Crane & Co.!
21 Oct – 14 Nov Created by the TEAM
Come and discover the new ranges of Holiday and Photo cards at Stokes and we’ll ease the cost of Christmas with a 10% discount on Crane personalised orders for all The American Magazine readers.
For more information visit our website: www.hrstokes.com
A new piece of theatre by Brooklyn based ensemble the TEAM, who create work about the experience of living in America today.
royalcourttheatre.com
The American
By Austin Pendleton Southwark Playhouse, London Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell
Pure Imagination:
St James Theatre, 12 Palace St, London SW1E 5JA 0844 264 2140 www.stjamestheatre.co.uk Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell
The Songs of Leslie Bricusse
A
t his induction into the American Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, Leslie Bricusse was only the fourth Briton to achieve such an accolade. The others being Noël Coward, John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Unless you’re a movie or musical devotee you might not realise the scale of his achievements and so this finely polished celebration of his work, packing in no less than 50 songs, is a useful reminder. It’s devised by top director Christopher Renshaw, Bricusse himself and Danielle Tarento of Southwark Playhouse fame. Bricusse is rare in that he often contributed all 3 roles (book, music, lyrics) but was also content to help with any one of the three if the collaborator was right. He worked with the best – Mancini, Williams, Barry, Styne etc. and at the start of his career it was his work with Anthony Newley which made his name. Their show Stop the World I Want to Get Off and the ‘Best Song’ Grammy winner from it, ‘What Kind of Fool Am I’, launched both of them in Hollywood where they took up residence in the early '60s. The then Mrs Newley aka Dame Joan Collins had pride of place next to him at this starry opening night. Bricusse went on to pen Bond
56 November - December 2015
themes and many film musicals such as Dr Doolittle, Goodbye Mr Chips and Victor/Victoria and his songs were covered by every great popular singer of the 20th century. The tight stage of the St James is dominated by Tim Goodchild’s glorious design - a vortex of sheet music rising up from a grand piano. This theatricality is curiously at odds though with the costuming, which has an attractive cast in frumpy casuals. Is this about “relating”? Renshaw, thankfully doesn’t force the songs into a narrative but rather distributes them among four broadly outlined characters – Man (Dave Willetts), Woman (Siobhan McCarthy), Boy (Niall Sheehy), Girl (Julie Atherton) and Joker (Giles Terera) and the songs are effectively grouped by emotional theme. It doesn’t really matter though with songs this good. The two West End veterans and three promising newcomers here are all great talents and so lots of superfluous “business” doesn’t really add much. While the songs are just as good today the tone of this piece is on occasion curiously dated. The use of the only black character as a ‘Joker’ is dangerously close to ‘Black and White Minstrel’ territory and the corniness
of some of the dance numbers is straight out of ‘60s light entertainment TV. Like The Mousetrap, they updated the clothes but not the sensibility. The Act One finale is devoted to Cockney knees-up numbers, mostly from Sherlock Holmes, about which the less said the better and Act Two opens with the Bond themes, for he penned three. However it is in the up-tempo happy songs or the great love ballads where Bricusse comes into his own and you’ll hear yourself muttering again and again “Ah, he wrote that!” Sheehy is given “This Is the Moment” from Jekyll and Hyde, which is probably the best anthemic bringthe-house-down number written in the past 50 years. Sadly, they fade it into “When I Look into Your Eyes”, which is the worst case of ‘songus interruptus’ (my term) I’ve witnessed in a long time. Anyway, it’s a song that should be aired more often. Adding to the finesse of the evening is the glorious orchestrations of MD Michael England whose six piece band could be a Hollywood orchestra. They finish with a rousing ‘Feeling Good’, a huge hit for Nina Simone, and everyone leaves humming. What more can you ask for?
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The American
by Anthony Horowitz Menier Chocolate Factory, 53 Southwark St, London SE1 1RU 020 7378 1713 www.menierchocolatefactory.com
Dinner with Saddam F
arts and history lessons have probably never featured in the same play before so in that respect Anthony Horowitz’s new comedy is probably ground-breaking. It’s a curious blend. One minute it has all the subtlety of the most labored TV sitcom from the '70s and the next it’s trying to remind us how the West was complicit, over decades, in the tragedy of Iraq. However, this is a romp with gags aplenty and not David Hare. Sanjeev Bhaskar (of The Kumars at No 42 fame) is at his comic best here playing an ordinary Joe in Baghdad, trying to keep his nose clean, when Saddam arrives at the family home one night, with no warning, requiring dinner and B&B. This was a common occurrence apparently as Saddam tried to keep one step ahead of either the assassin’s bullet or an American laser-guided missile. He made use of these occasions ‘to get closer to my people’. Needless to say the hosts didn’t have any choice. Saddam is played here by the great Steven Berkoff, who tones it
58 November - December 2015
all down and is less Bond villain and more Oliver Hardy. He sports a large hat, a civilian suit and a comedy moustache. This is probably wise considering the farcical contortions of all around him. Berkoff’s casting though is inspired because there is really nobody to match him in portraying menace – the casual despatching of underlings for minor slights, the uneasy jokes, the deluded folksiness and that combination of being sinister and ludicrous, where all tyrants end up. The plot is classic French farce, but sadly the comic set pieces are all wearily telegraphed. There’s the stew accidentally spiked with rat poison, there’s a huge turd liberated from the dodgy plumbing, there’s an incriminating letter being passed round (mostly unread), there’s forbidden lovers (one in a double disguise) and there’s a comedy brawl and a suit that’s too tight for its wearer. The gags are top rate but too often they get totally undermined by the rest of the dialogue, which resorts to plodding exposi-
PHOTO ©CATHERINE ASHMORE
Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell
tion to fill us in on Iraqi society “Oh, we hate the Shias”. Ouch. Bhaskar’s fans won’t be disappointed. His charm and comic brio are to the fore and he’s ably supported by Shobu Kapoor as his quick-witted wife, Rebecca Grant as the feisty daughter and Nathan Amzi as Jammal, the comic foil, who provides the farts. Bhaskar’s character is the comic archetype of the Little Man, powerless against vain and stupid leaders and so having nothing to do with politics, except for toadying up to whoever is currently in charge. It’s a sympathetic plea for ordinary people just trying to get by. Horowitz’s anger at the brutality of the tyrant is well felt here, as is his understanding of the supine nature of the unfortunate Iraqi people. His presentation of wily old Saddam’s take on the real impact of the sanctions and the hypocrisy of the West is also well observed, but within the context of a knockabout farce, trying to enlighten us about why and how this war was conducted, is a misjudgement.
The American PHOTO ©NOBBY CLARK
Book by Terry Johnson Lyrics by Don Black Music by George Fenton & Simon Chamberlain Reviewed at Theatre Royal, Bath. Noël Coward Theatre. (from February 9) St Martins Lane, London WC2N 4AU Reviewed by Michael Burland
Mrs Henderson Presents “W
hoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball” said Jacques Barzun, his quote inscribed on the entrance to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The British version of this could well be “Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of Britain had better study the Blitz”. The period in which Britain stood alone against the might of Nazi Germany and suffered daily – and nightly – bombing raids lives on in the UK’s national consciousness and exemplifies a doughty resilience powered by humor and a refusal to bow down to oppression. Nothing summed up the Blitz spirit better than the true story of the Windmill Theatre. This new musical, based on the Judi Dench-led movie and set in that period, could have been concocted at any time since the War. The move from silver screen to the boards works, in fact the story is arguably better told live and with songs, complete with live band. Tim Shortall’s clever set helps, our point of view switching from the performers’ to the Windmill’s audience’s in a trice. It’s 1937 and the eponymous Mrs H (a feisty Tracie Bennett who can belt out a song while telling
a story) has been left a bunch of money by her late husband. She rejects the idea of giving it all to a donkey sanctuary, opting instead to buy an ailing Soho cinema and turn it into a review (Vaudeville) theater. She obviously hadn’t heard that the way to make a small fortune in theater is to start with a large one. Keen, but knowing nothing about showbiz she hires Vivian Van Damm, a Dutch-Jewish low-rent impresario currently selling socks on the street, to run the joint. A stormy relationship predictably ensues. Equally predictably, the show is a bust, losing Mrs H’s cash at a ferocious rate, especially all those expensive costumes. Until she has a bright idea - look out for her lightbulb moment! It’s no spoiler moment to say that costumes are no longer a worry. Nude review is born. Surprisingly, just as in 1930s and ‘40s Britain, full nudity onstage still has the power to cause an intake of breath. Emma Williams’s Maureen, the teagirl-turned-starturn is at once brave and totally believable here. Her would-be suitor Eddie, who goes off to war, is played by a slightly static yet appealingly naive Matthew Malthouse George Fenton & Simon Chamberlain’s tunes are classic –
no ‘disco’ reinventing of the past here. ‘Whatever Time I Have’ is a potential modern standard, and the ‘Lord Chamberlain’s Song’ could be Gilbert & Sullivan complete with hilarious dance moves. Ian Bartholomew’s Van Damm drives the overall plot arc, convincing the girls to strip off tastefully in tableaux, no movement allowed (it’s art, donchaknow?) to placate a skeptical Lord Chamberlain (Graham Hoadly), the censor who could and did ban theatricals on a prudish whim. Van Damm’s Jewishness becomes a window through which we see the horrors of wartime Europe, and his and Mrs Henderson’s ages contrast with the effervescent youngsters in The Windmill’s cast – the passing of time is a recurring subtheme. With that, and the war hitting harder, the start of Act 2 cannot be as perky and upbeat as the first half despite Terry Johnson’s assured direction, but all is resolved and the big numbers tail the show satisfactorily. It’s a real feel-good show, with no apologies. A musical that is ultra-British yet attractive to anyone? Classic songs that you can whistle? I can’t see this not being a West End and – who knows? - even Broadway hit.
November - December 2015 59
The American
by Florian Zeller, translated by Christopher Hampton Wyndham’s Theatre,Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 0DA 0844 482 5120 Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell PHOTO ©SIMON ANNAND
T
his isn’t the Strindberg but rather a new French play which got its UK premiere at the Theatre Royal Bath and after a stint at the Tricycle has arrived in the West End to deserved acclaim. Zeller is a wünderkind novelist/ playwright who had his first success at 22, subsequently won the Prix Goncourt (the French Booker) and this won him the Molière (the French Tony) for best play. Apart from the odd Yasmina Reza work, contemporary French theater in London is as rare as hens’ teeth, so hopefully this might break that log jam. It is a carefully crafted exploration of the early onset of Alzheimer’s on André (Kenneth Cranham), a retired engineer, and is totally set in his chic and spacious Parisian apartment. Or is it? For the central conceit of the play is how it cleverly marries its subject matter - the synaptic disintegration of this 70 year old - to a fragmented style which challenges the audience’s own certainties about what they have just seen. In the beginning André, a wily old roué, seems fully in control. He bickers with his daughter Anne (Claire Skinner) after having sent his latest carer packing, this time
60 November - December 2015
The Father
in tears. Anne is moving to London with a new amour and needs to make arrangements, he resists and of course fears an underhand plot to dispense him to a nursing home. Zeller gradually makes us inhabit André’s bewildering world. Is Anne the blonde woman we initially meet or the dark lady in the subsequent scene and how can the man seated reading the paper be Anne’s partner of many years, if we don’t recognise him. And did he really threaten and slap me? By using two sets of actors we too acutely feel his moments of sheer panic. They tell him it’s not his apartment it is Anne’s, where he has had to be brought and furniture appears and disappears. Miriam Buether’s designs are coolly perfect. André constantly searches for his watch and suspects carers of pilfering it. Finding it gives him a rare landmark to cling to in his encroaching fog. This cool, Kafkaesque tone is perfectly rendered by director James Macdonald and the ordinariness of the domestic setting, possibly concealing something sinister, is pure Pinter. The stage is framed with lights and the crisp scenes are linked by white flash-outs where fractured segments of Bach partitas
are played, each one becoming more dissonant. The total effect is powerful but at times perhaps too distancing and this is one occasion when you feel that 90 minutes is not enough time to let material this good fully breathe. Cranham dominates the stage and beautifully calibrates his performance from his initial selfish bluster, to his cad-like flirting with the pretty new carer, to odd moments of lucidity, to ending up cradled by a nurse, like a sobbing child in its mother’s arms. It is a shattering portrayal of the slow but relentless drowning of identity which typifies this horrific condition. Skinner too is perfect casting, presenting the stoic anguish of those left to care and those left with the guilt, while their own lives and relationships are put on hold. In an age when medicine can prolong our physical being whilst blithely ignoring the fact that it, so far, cannot really stem the parallel mental disintegration destined for most of us, this is a wonderfully sobering, yet urgent play which cleverly puts us inside the confusion. It makes a difficult subject theatrically compelling and makes us ponder on how we all need to stop and re-think all of this.
PHOTO © JAN VERSWEYVELD
The American
By Simon Stephens and Mark Eitzel Young Vic Theatre 66 The Cut, London SE1 8LZ 020 7922 2922 www.youngvic.org Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell
Song from Far Away
Willem is a young Dutch expat banker in New York, driven and self-absorbed. His life is interrupted by a call from his mother back in Amsterdam to tell him that his young brother Pauli has just died suddenly. He flies back and in the lead up to and after the funeral he composes a series of daily letters to Pauli, alternately melancholic, rebellious or calm in tone, in an attempt to find a connection again with the brother he never really made any effort to know. This is monologue as a mourning process and is grounded in an utterly mesmeric solo performance from Eelco Smits, for whom it was written. Smits is a member of the brilliant Dutch ensemble Toneelgroep Amsterdam and this is directed by its head, Ivo van Hove. He made a huge splash in London last year with his stunning reinvention of A View from the Bridge. Van Hove successfully spans that unfortunate chasm between ‘European’ and British theater and he commissioned the play from Simon Stephens, a British playwright, who like him
favors a combination of theatrical lyricism crossed with an acute social realism. Stephens too is currently riding the wave of his Tony winning hit A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time so this arrives at the Young Vic with huge expectations. It was premiered at a festival in Sao Paulo and has just played Amsterdam. The 80 minute piece is a real slow burner which builds to a powerful yet ambiguous crescendo and van Hove is as daringly refreshing as ever in his directorial choices. Jan Versweyveld’s set, a sterile white box with square windows, evokes anonymous hotel rooms or ghostly departure lounges and is the perfect canvas on which his constantly changing, painterly lighting slowly sweeps across both us and Willem, altering our moods. It’s the perfect blend of design and text. Smits is a totally compelling actor. His resonant bass voice makes his Dutch inflected English even more jagged and he perfectly captures how Willem is lost to him-
self. Forced to ‘deal with’ his grieving but stoic parents he fails and is chided by his sister for not being more giving. An encounter with an old boyfriend makes him weep and the simple joie de vivre of his little niece affects him deeply. Choosing a hotel instead of staying with his parents he has an unsettling one night stand with a curious Brazilian, which provides more diversion than comfort. The piece builds to a tender ballad ‘Go where the love is’, composed by Mark Eitzel, a frequent collaborator of Stephens. Willem sings: It’s not where you are It’s where you disappear Is there someone near To wish you goodbye which gets to the nub of this quietly eloquent portrait of grief. It explores the sheer messiness of family bereavement and how we are to survive it without some sort of anchor. “We exist in the gaps between the sounds that we make and we all die interrupted” says Willem at one stage. By the end this packs quite an emotional punch.
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The American
2
015 marks 100 years since the birth of the great American playwright, Arthur Miller. As part of the celebrations, one of his most accomplished and acclaimed works, The Crucible, has fittingly been returned to the stage which delivered its British premiere back in 1954, at Bristol’s Old Vic. The Bristol Old Vic is also celebrating its 250th anniversary in 2016, and the theater’s blend of the historic and the contemporary really shines through with this play, which famously employed the Salem Witch Trials of the 1690s as a metaphorical representation of the McCarthyist Communist witch-hunts of 1950s America, and a lie that can get so big it has to be perpetuated. The play’s message remains a prescient one today. Whilst the 1690s may have been trial by the masses, today it’s trial by mass media, and even mass social media.
Bristol Old Vic Theatre King St, Bristol BS1 4ED 0117 949 3993 www.bristololdvic.org.uk These pervading issues are brought to the stage by a wonderful cast, who begin the play sat in a circle around the opening scene. As the performance proceeds, their circle is gradually disseminated, relegating figures to the shadows of the stage in an elegant reflection of the breakdown of the community caused by the trials. Dean Lennox Kelly (Oh! What a Lovely War) performs the role of John Proctor superbly – the man who dares to defend the local women, including his wife, falsely accused of witchcraft. His Proctor is full of emotion and power, and speaks to the heart of what it is to be engulfed by the pressures of mass hysteria. Neve McIntosh and Daniel Weyman bring depth to Proctor’s loyal wife Elizabeth, and the increasingly troubled Rev.Hale. Direction by the Bristol Old Vic’s own Tom Morris (Juliet and Her Romeo, A Midsummer Night’s
Reviewed by Daniel M Byway Dream, War Horse) packs a powerful punch, with on-stage surround seating lending an intimacy to the action, which he has built in waves to the final crescendo, leaving you overwhelmed and yet strangely cathartic. Designer Robert Innes Hopkins’s deceptively simple set and costumes, and powerful lighting by Richard Howell, combine to provide a strong impact. My lasting impression of the play, however, is the engaging performance of Rona Morison, who delivers an unforgettably chilling Abigail – the leader of the girls who make accusations of witchcraft. Morison’s Abigail elicits both empathy and fear, underlining the moral complexities of the issues which are raised by the play. These issues are part of a constant flow of personal and public debate – but what is for certain, is that this production is a magnificient contribution to Miller’s vision.
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PHOTO ©MATT CROCKETT
The American
Kinky Boots
K
inky Boots is pop icon Cyndi Lauper’s first foray into musical theater and has been a phenomenal success. Based on the 2005 Brit flick starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, and before that a BBC documentary, it stormed Broadway two seasons ago and deprived Matilda of the Best Musical Tony, winning six in all. It’s a total crowd pleaser, delivering transgression-lite and less likely to shock your Aunt Agatha than a typical Rattigan. It tells the true story of an ailing Northampton shoe factory which was saved from bankruptcy by switching from sober hand-stitched brogues for men to lurid knee-high boots with gravity defying stiletto heels, targeted at the more niche market for ‘erotic footwear’. The film invented the idea that it was a London drag queen, Lola, who inspired the young owner of the factory on this path after she rescued him from a mugging, soon after he’d inherited the failing factory from his late father. Indeed ‘daddy issues’ unite this pair and the emotional highlight of the piece is a well hewn power duet ‘Not My Father’s Son’. Killian Donnelly, one of the West End’s rising stars (late of Memphis), pulls off the difficult trick of making ordinariness interesting. His Charlie
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has more gumption than the one in the film but here we are in the realm of “feel-good” and everyone needs to be Extraordinary. Donnelly is and he possesses an astonishingly powerful soul voice, commanding the stage. Likewise, the feisty Lola is also given more sass here than in the movie. The relentless self-confidence and the sage-like self-awareness though is all a bit much to expect from a troubled drag queen, but it all adds to the same “feelgood” vibe. Sometimes the sexual politics also tries too hard – does he really need to have been a boxer? The statuesque Matt Henry though is as good with a left hook as he is with a lipstick and he makes for a gloriously flamboyant Lola, blessed with another stunning voice. He lands killer one-liners with great finesse. “Tell me I haven’t inspired something burgundy. Burgundy is the color of hot water bottles” he exclaims when confronted with Charlie’s first dreary boot sample. Lauper’s music is an engaging blend of hi-NRG party songs (one is staged on a conveyor belt) and '80s AOR but listening to folk in Northampton going “Everybody Say Yeah” does slightly jar. Like most pop/rock musicals it fares best when being
Book by Harvey Fierstein Music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper Adelphi Theatre, 409-412 Strand, London WC2R 0NS 0844 412 4651 Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell anthemic, but Lauper can also nail the character song. “The History of Wrong Guys” is Lauren’s tale of falling for her boss (Charlie) and the talented Amy Lennox brings the house down with it. She’s one to watch. The athletic, gender bending chorus too are another particular highlight. Their gymnastic gyrations and cartwheel turns, all in fearsome stilettos, are utterly astonishing. All this in-your-face self-affirmation echoes both La Cage aux Folles and Torch Song Trilogy both of which of course made Harvey Fierstein’s name. He has since forged a hugely successful career on Broadway and this show really benefits from that expertise. His book is an object lesson in how to fashion the perfect book for a musical: it keeps the action flowing and the audience gripped throughout. Likewise, Jerry Mitchell’s direction and choreography, David Rockwell’s clever set (an eloquent recreation of the Victorian factory) and Gregg Barnes' outrageous costumes cannot be faulted. Sometimes though the sheer slickness of the whole enterprise gets too much and one leaves feeling slightly that it all doesn’t add up to the sum of its perfectly polished parts.
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China, the Pope and ‘Red’ Politics By Alison Holmes
“P
olitics is…an expression of our compelling need to live as one”. Nineteen year olds squealed. 90 year olds nodded sagely and people travelled from literally all over the world just to be somewhere near Pope Francis during his recent trip to the United States and, while he may not have red slippers to click the heels of three times to get back to Rome, they were far from the only topics of ‘red politics’ in recent days. Arguably, one could interpret events as a ‘rehabilitation of red’ as Americans seemed even more willing than usual to forget history for the man who represents a Church whose sins of both commission and omission should weigh heavily on both its papal and collective conscience and, at the same time, to welcome President Xi Jinping of China and his wife, Peng, with comrade-ly handshakes and mutual promises of playing nice in cyber space (though one does wonder if those 21 guns were by way of salute or back up?) Who knows how these things are organized in the deep space of protocol – and perhaps it was even intentional – but certainly the overshadowed Chinese Presidential visit was significant in both the short and long term. In what must be the relatively final phase of state visits under the Obama presidency, Xi brought China’s rising confidence in wielding its considerable economic might right down that red
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carpet and through the front door of American government. Yet, for those who were taking notes, it was obvious that American influence is diminishing, not only in many African countries (where China has been throwing money down like a drunk sailor on shore leave for decades now) but now in the American back yard of Latin America - and no one even seemed to care. Xi used the opportunity of standing in the American capital of capitalism, New York, to announce millions upon millions of dollars of investment in developing countries around the world, funds that are following hard on the heels of the $10 billion (yes that’s billion) of bailout for Venezuela. President Monroe must surely be screaming a warning from his grave that the American ‘sphere’ is under economic attack from the East, but it falls on deaf ears. China is once again deploying its relational style of influence politics which, by design, spreads influence and power throughout a region. Xi and his wife played the visit with elegance and grace and the Chinese media couldn’t get enough of their leader finally getting a little of the kowtow they feel he deserves. As he left for Beijing, it was obvious that the sun isn’t setting on the power of red any time soon. America was, instead, laser focused on the kissing of babies by Pope Francis whose celebrity status is now total. Despite the recent troubles of the Catholic Church, the
difficulties around the canonization of an imperial Spanish monk and the endorsement of the serially married, born again Christian for her anti-gay position, he seemed unable to do wrong. Francis’ obvious rejection of the traditional papal red cape and cute little shoes was so indomitable that, like Xi but in a totally different way, he was able to bring his almost scolding lecture on American excess, lack of generosity and generally bad global behavior to the floor of Congress at the invitation of the Speaker himself. The most sought after ticket in DC, his audience sat rapt as his interpretation of service to the dialogue of peace, offered in any other location, would surely raise the eyebrows if not the scalps of some in that august body. Yet, it turns out that the real rehabilitation of red was not in the American relationship with its simultaneous guests, but in the red of the Republican Party. Former altar boy turned Speaker of the House, John Boehner, was perhaps the most engrossed audience member in the Chamber (certainly the most visible on every channel) and not only because it was at his invitation that the Pope was there at all. The two prestigious guests were hardly ‘wheels up’ on their way home before the Speaker announced his resignation, ensuring, in the same breath, two things: there would be no government shut down and there would be blood spilled in the Republican Party in this move that
PHOTO © US GOVERNMENT
The American
Secretary Kerry and Pope Francis at Andrews Air Force Base
declared open season in the struggle for his post (and perhaps even the soul of his party). Most of the attention as to his ‘motive’ for what might be ‘party-cide’ has focused on the brinkmanship surrounding the issue of Planned Parenthood defunding and it is entirely possible that this issue may have proved to be the breaking point in terms of this deepening crisis of leadership. However, there is a strong argument that this ‘red’ politician was not so restored to sense by the Pope’s touch, but a rediscovery of his own core values and beliefs. If one goes back two years to examine Boehner’s address to the Opening of Congress in January of 2013, there was a sense of duty, public service and, perhaps most relevant here, a belief in the power of an oath sworn to God that may have more to do with his recent decision. In that moment, Boehner called his colleagues’ attention not only to its solemnity, but specifically to the members’ oath, and exhorted them to feel the awe of being in ‘democracy’s great port of call’.
Perhaps, as he considered his decision to resign, he recalled his own words that this ‘covenant makes us the servants of posterity. It calls us to refuse the pull of passing interests and follow the fixed star of a more perfect union. Put simply, we are sent here not to be something but to do something – to do the right thing’. It is not meant to be ‘easy’, he went on, but a calling that demands ‘extraordinary leadership’, and to those who might wish to ‘pass off political victory as accomplishment’ he pointed them to the door. The Pope’s celebrity status did cause some to wonder if those under his spell might not end up doing ‘good’ things ‘for the wrong reasons’ and we may never know the exact words that passed between the Speaker and the Pope – at least not until Boehner’s inevitable autobiography comes out. So we must consider that it is entirely possible the Pope told him to shut the place down over the defunding issue or equally, that the whole series of events had no effect at all at
least in terms of Boehner’s thinking about the Party he governed. Yet, deep down, one likes to believe that politicians do, from time to time, get the opportunity to rehabilitate themselves and that this might have been Boehner’s moment. Now, if we could only get the Pope to recognize China (which the Vatican has not done since 1949) we might really get somewhere on the ‘rehabilitation of red’. Dr. Alison Holmes is Asst. Professor of International Studies and Politics at Humboldt State University, CA. She lived in the UK for over 20 years and worked at the BBC, ran BritishAmerican Business in London and was speechwriter to the US Ambassador. A PhD in International Relations from the LSE, she has been an Associate Fellow at the Rothermere American Institute at Oxford, a Churchill Memorial Trust History Fellow and the Transatlantic Studies Fellow at Yale.
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The American
KANNAPOLIS, NC SEPTEMBER 29: Romain Grosjean of France speaks as Gene Haas looks on
SPORTS NEWS The Yanks are Coming to Formula One Haas F1 Announce First 2016 Driver
American based Haas F1, which will become the newest Formula One team in 2016, have announced that the experienced Frenchman, 29 year old Romain Grosjean, will be one of the team’s two drivers for the 2016 season. The announcement, made at Haas’ US base of Kannapolis, North Carolina, came as a statement of intent that the squad isn’t resting on its laurels ahead of its debut in the sport next year. Team Owner Gene Haas, commenting on the
IMAGE ©JARED C. TILTON,//STEWART-HAAS RACING VIA GETTY IMAGES
pressure to hire an American driver, pointed out that the team’s “primary purpose here is to show that, as an American manufacturer ... we can compete in the most difficult, competitive series in the world of car racing”, and that Grosjean, of French/Swiss nationality, would provide a “maturity” which “will lend itself towards us being able to progress as a team”. Grosjean decribed the Haas F1 project as a “new approach” to starting a Formula One team, one that he believes is “going to work”. Haas F1 will be primarily based in North
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PHOTO ©MANOR MARUSSIA F1 TEAM
SINGAPORE, SEPTEMBER 20: Rossi takes a pitstop
Carolina, but with technical collaborations with Chassis Manufactuer Dallara in Italy, with Engine provider Ferrari, and a UK operating base in Banbury, Oxfordshire. Among the reasons for joining the team, Grosjean explained that the Ferrari link was a good idea, and that he was “very, very happy” that he made the decision to join the team for 2016.
Alexander Rossi makes the 2015 Grid American driver Alexander Rossi recently made his Formula One race debut for the Manor F1 team, at the Singapore Grand Prix in September. The Californian also raced in Japan, and is scheduled to take to the track for the Mexican, Brazilian and US Grand Prix, making him the first American to contest a US Formula One race since Scott Speed took part in the Indianapolis based US GP in 2007. This year sees F1 return to the successful Circuit of the Americas track on October 25th in Texas, which has hosted the US race since 2012.
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Golf’s Football Problem by Darren Kilfara
L
et’s play a quick game: I’ll write a factually accurate sentence, and your job is to determine how many things ought to be wrong with it. Got that? Right – I’ll be back after you take 60 seconds to pore over this: “The 2014-2015 PGA Tour season ended on Sunday, September 27 when Jordan Spieth surely clinched Player of the Year honors by winning the FedEx Cup – and its $10 million bonus prize – with a four-shot victory in the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.” [FX: Jeopardy! and/or Countdown themes] OK, time’s up. Here are five flaws I’ve identified myself: 1) “2014-15” – a single PGA Tour season should not wrap around two years. This isn’t basketball, ice hockey or European soccer: the golf season has a natural rhythm to it, and that rhythm naturally starts
when new grass starts to grow toward the beginning of a new year. 2) “clinched Player of the Year honors by winning the FedEx Cup” – this seems to have become the accepted narrative, but really, even if you think Spieth hadn’t yet clinched Player of the Year honors simply by turning in one of the three or four best single-season major championship CVs in golfing history, can we at least agree Spieth clinched the award by winning his fifth tournament of the year, not by winning some farcical, actuary’s delight of a playoff system? 3) “$10 million bonus prize” – which ad wizard thought it was a good idea to make this garish, sponsor-driven excess the centerpiece of how the PGA Tour ends its season? I mean, the huge end-of-season cash prize of the old Sun City Million Dollar Challenge originally existed to lure
big-name golfers to apartheid-era South Africa; is this really the sort of company Tim Finchem wants to keep? The tone-deafness of forcing, or even encouraging, your stars to answer questions about what that much money means to them – or doesn’t mean, in Rory McIlroy’s case – is alarming. 4) “Sunday, September 27” – this was the third Sunday of the NFL season. I’m obviously a huge fan of televised golf, and my high school golf team occasionally practised at East Lake, so I should absolutely be in the target demographic for this event…but sorry, I was watching the Red Zone Channel. I wasn’t alone, either: the 1.9 overnight television rating for NBC’s Sunday telecast was the sixth-lowest final-round rating of any PGA Tour event in 2015. (1.9 was actually 12% better than the equivalent Sunday rating in 2014.)
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IMAGE © 2012 STAN BADZ/PGA TOUR
The FedEx Cup at The East Lakes Golf Club, 2012
The American
5) “Atlanta” – and if you think the host city was paying more attention to the best golfers in the world than it was to the Falcons’ quest to go 3-0 against the Cowboys on Sunday, or even the Bulldogs’ warm-up game on Saturday ahead of their big SEC clash with the Crimson Tide, you’re out of your mind. Each of these issues with the current conclusion of the PGA Tour season is problematic, but they are all consequences of the large shadow cast by American football. Ever since the Skins Game faded into irrelevance, there has been only one golf event – the Ryder Cup – capable of attracting any casual fans in America during NFL season. The President’s Cup currently teeters between irrelevance and collapse, and particularly with Tiger Woods back in the treatment room, the start of the 2015-16 season in mid-October was greeted with utter indifference. The FedEx Cup and wraparound schedule were the Tour’s attempt to mitigate these issues, but they seem to have created more problems than they solved. When the Tour Championship was created in 1987, the end-ofyear PGA Tour schedule made much more sense to me. After the PGA Championship ended on August 9, several other high-profile tournaments – The International (modified stableford at Castle Pines), the Western Open (at Butler National) and the World Series of Golf (at Firestone) – immediately followed. September and October were
filled with the usual undercard of minor events, but then the Tour Championship from October 28 to November 1 served as a decisive punctuation mark with which to end a gentle run-on sentence. The NFL wasn’t the same behemoth in 1987 it has since become, but the logic of that year’s Tour calendar ought to make even more sense now. Even if the FedEx Cup format were intelligible to normal, sentient beings, it would still pose a massive scheduling problem: this year it forced the Tour’s best 30 golfers to play four times in five weeks, and at least six times in eight weeks if you include the PGA Championship and WGC-Bridgestone before the “playoffs” begin. That fixture congestion will only get worse in 2016: in addition to the Ryder Cup, three major prizes on three different continents (Claret Jug, Wannamaker Trophy and Olympic gold medal) will all be awarded in a 28-day span, and one playoff event (the BMW at Crooked Stick) will start only three days after another (the Deutsche Bank at TPC Boston) ends on Labor Day. This is not a recipe for quality golf; why else do you think Spieth missed consecutive cuts and looked generally lost at this year’s first two playoff events? The way forward ought to involve going backward and recognizing how absence makes the heart grow fonder. I rather liked how the early Tour Championships seemed to pop up out of nowhere, offering meaningful golf played by real stars at a time when you didn’t
really expect it. So if we must have a season-ending playoff system, why not space the events out every three or four weeks before culminating in November? That would give more room for the Ryder Cup to breathe, more rest to the top-tier players being burned out by the current system, and more relevance to second-tier tournaments which could now be used for playoffs preparation. Autumn golf will always play second fiddle to the NFL’s Jascha Heifetz, but the Tour can certainly do a better job of sounding less off-key.
US expat Darren Kilfara formerly worked for Golf Digest magazine and is the author of A Golfer’s Education (below), a memoir of his junior year abroad as a student-golfer at the University of St. Andrews. His latest book, a novel called Do You Want Total War?, is also now available online at Amazon and elsewhere.
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The American
Gary Jordan soaks up the atmosphere of the Dolphins v. the Jets at Wembley. Pictures by Gary Baker
T
he National Football League season is well under way and already has had its fair share of drama and controversy. Of course this also means the annual fare of the International Series is upon us and we are now on a small hiatus between the three games that the NFL have offered us again. Before we get to the first ever back-to-back weekends of football at Wembley Stadium, either side of the end of October and the start of November, we had the seemingly intriguing divisional game (another first ever for London) between the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins. Both teams opted to travel late in the week, to have as little disruption to their weekly routines as possible, this meant an overnight flight during the early hours of Friday morning. After a lunchtime training session and media duties in the afternoon, the sets of players and coaching staff had the customary chance to do some sightseeing. A select few from each were then in attendance on the Saturday NFL Fan Rally in Trafalgar Square, this popular event is always well attended and this time was no different as the players and fans alike soaked up some unusually warm weather for the UK at this time of year. Sunday arrived and the months of planning for the fans of either side, and those of all 30 other teams
– yes I did see at least one jersey of all the teams and even some of those that no longer exist: raise your hand the Houston Oilers fan in the Earl Campbell throwback. After the success of the early afternoon kick-off for one of the games last season, all three this year are to follow suit. This, as before, didn’t dampen any spirits, and the approach to the stadium was busy a full four hours before the 2.30pm start. Due to some building work in one of the large car parks some of the Fan Plaza had to be altered this year, this led to some extra queuing, but isn’t standing in line what the British are famous for? When the London games were announced last November, for many this was the pick of the three. A divisional game between two teams that have no love for each other, and given that is was early in the season it was a chance to potentially see a closely fought game. Something that the Wembley faithful have only seen on 2or 3 occasions. Unfortunately this wasn’t the case and the final score of 27-14 to the Jets didn’t really justify how well they dominated the game. In the early stages the tone was set for the day when Ryan Fitzpatrick sent a long pass down the left side which was hauled in by Brandon Marshall who went on to have his best day as a Jet, 7 catches for 128
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yards. Aided by the strong running all day from Chris Ivory, 166 yards from 29 carries, New York were firmly in control by the end of the first quarter, and by halftime they held a comfortable 20-7 lead. For long periods of the game the Dolphins leading yards maker were the penalties that the Jets gave up, and it was these that kept Miami in the game. Halfway through the fourth period with the score reading as it would at the end, Dolphins had the ball inside the Jets 10 yard line. With the help of some dubious officiating Miami had 9 attempts to score from this short yardage situation but couldn’t punch it in. The lack of creativity and no Plan B was ultimately the Dolphins' downfall. This also led to them firing Head Coach Joe Philbin when the team arrived back Stateside. Another sellout crowd went home happy with the day’s experiences, if not by the lack of competition on the field, but you can’t guarantee a close game when you plan almost a year ahead. It was announced in the days after that the NFL had made an agreement to extend the International Series games to 2025, and will include other venues outside of the UK. This throws the question open as to the future of the Wembley games. We know that there will be 2 games a season at the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium from 2018 for 10 years, but the new deal suggests that games will be held in other well supported countries such as Mexico, and possibly Germany. It doesn’t spell the end of games at Wembley, and indeed the early suggestion is that three more games will be announced for the National Stadium later this year. For now it’s very much a case of business as usual, with a new exciting twist ahead, and the immediate future of two more games in the coming weeks.
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The American
HOCKEY YARNS:
Fans Settle In For Another Season Of Storytelling With The NHL by Jeremy Lanaway
G
et ready, hockey fans! The NHL’s annual pre-season, a necessary but mostly irrelevant teaser of things to come, is winding down, and the games are about to mean something again. The 7th October start date for the NHL’s 2015-16 season will set in motion a number of narratives that are sure to enthral fans throughout the league’s latest campaign. Here are just a few storylines to follow over the next 1,230 games.
Juggernaut or not?
Despite the parity in today’s NHL, a handful of teams have succeeded in defying the odds to establish themselves as veritable juggernauts. Last season’s champions, the Chicago Blackhawks, have won the Stanley Cup three times in the past half-decade (2010, 2013 and 2015); the Los Angeles Kings have taken home the Cup twice (2012 and 2014); and although the Pittsburgh Penguins have only managed to lift the mug once in recent memory, in 2009, they always seem to find a way to stay abreast of the frontrunners. Will these teams justify their juggernaut title, or turn it into a misnomer? Let’s start with the champs. If the
Blackhawks are to have any hope of becoming the first team to win back-to-back Stanley Cups since the Detroit Red Wings realised the feat back in the previous century, in 1997 and 1998, to be precise, coach Joel Quenneville will have to find a way to fill significant holes in his roster resulting from the departures of key forwards Patrick Sharp, Kris Versteeg, Brad Richards and Brandon Saad. He certainly has the veteran presence to maintain his team’s system of success- forwards Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa; defencemen Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson; and goalie Corey Crawford- but will the veterans be able to overcome the dreaded Cup hangover, which has prevented the league’s most elite teams from usurping the Red Wings as the last back-to-back champ? Speaking of Cup hangovers, the Kings certainly succumbed to the ill effects of the syndrome last season, missing the playoffs after winning it all not even ten months earlier, the first defending champions to fall short of the post-season since the Carolina Hurricanes flopped from their victory perch in 2007. No doubt veteran forwards Dustin
Brown, Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik, blue-liners Drew Doughty and Matt Greene, and goaltender Jonathan Quick will be hungry to prove that they still have what it takes to be a premier team, and they’re certainly rested and healthy enough to meet the physical demands of the task. Oh, and let’s not forget the two high-profile acquisitions that the club made during the off-season: snarly forward Milan Lucic from the Boston Bruins and sniping defenceman Christian Ehrhoff from the Penguins. And that brings us to the flightless birds. After limping into the playoffs last season and then losing in five lacklustre games to the New York Rangers, the Penguins elected to shake up their roster by acquiring star forward Phil Kessel, a five-time thirty-goal scorer, from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Coach Mike Johnston plans to start Kessel alongside superstar centreman Sidney Crosby, although he also spent time on Evgeni Malkin’s wing throughout the pre-season. The Penguins further bolstered their attack by adding offensive centreman Nick Bonino. If their youthful defenceman can find his footing sooner rather than later, and goaltender
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The American Ryan-Getzlaf in action during the Montreal Canadiens v Anaheim Ducks game, April-13-2015 PHOTO © DEBORA ROBINSON FOR THE ANAHEIM DUCKS, NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES
Marc-Andre Fleury can return to mid-career form, the Penguins will be poised to make another long run in the spring. The 2015-16 season will see the implementation of the 3-on-3 overtime format. The NHL hopes that having only three players per side will lend the extra period a ‘shinny hockey’ feel, opening up more ice for stretch passes, endto-end rushes and game-ending, highlight-reel-worthy goals. In addition to adding excitement, the new format will also reduce the number of matchups that get decided by a shootout, a feature of the game whose popularity has waned considerably in recent seasons. The league designated forty-five preseason games to end with a 3-on-3 overtime frame, regardless of the score, giving teams an opportunity to sample the format before the outcome actually matters. The Anaheim Ducks' super-star duo of Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry showcased the possibilities of the format against the Colorado Avalanche in an early pre-season game, dazzling the crowd with prolonged puck possession.
pick, Connor McDavid, a player who’s expected to reach Crosby-like heights within the sport. When adding McDavid to the team’s previous first-overall picks, Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov, and then sprinkling in Jordan Eberle and Benoit Pouliot for added measure, it immediately becomes clear why the Oilers are facing such lofty expectations. So is this year going to be different from seasons past? Are the Oilers finally going to realize their re-emergence into relevancy? The answer, at long last, is yes. How can we be so sure? Well, in addition to picking up the top prospect in hockey’s recent past, the Oilers also made several long-overdue changes to their front office after last season’s debacle, bringing in Peter Chiarelli to replace Craig McTavish as general manager, and hiring Todd McLellan as benchboss. However, to offset the Oilers’ cream-of-the-crop offence is a defensive corps that remains patchy at best. To complete the team’s long-awaited resurrection, rookie defencemen Griffin Reinhart and Darnell Nurse will have to shoulder a hefty portion of the load for goaltender Ben Scrivens.
Overdue Oil change
Kane Controversy
3-on-3 OT
Predicting the rebirth of the Edmonton Oilers has become common practice over the past few seasons, but the rosy outlook has yet to materialize into on-ice success. The team’s decade-long downturn has produced arguably the best forward roster in the league, accentuated by their latest first-overall draft
Unfortunately, not all of the NHL’s new narratives are positive, evidenced by the latest charges against Blackhawks superstar / bad boy Pat Kane. In fact, Kane is no stranger to negativity. In 2009, he was charged with robbery and assault for roughing up a taxi driver after the man was unable to give
him the proper change. He was ultimately cleared of felony charges, but ended up pleading guilty to disorderly conduct and receiving a conditional discharge stipulating that he stay out of trouble for one full year and apologize to the taxi driver. Fast forward to this past summer when Kane was accused of sexual assault against a young woman in Hamburg, New York. The investigation has cast a dark cloud over Kane and the Blackhawks organization, although Kane maintains his innocence, and the team supports his position. The NHL, seemingly confused about how to handle the situation, has taken the wait-and-see approach. At one point, it seemed like Kane was going to be able to buy his way out of the mess, but then the attorney for the young woman made it clear that a settlement was out of the question. Then the case entered into the realm of the bizarre after it came to light that the young woman’s mother attempted to create a hoax involving an evidence bag. The accuser’s attorney abruptly withdrew his services, raising questions about whether or not the case will even make it into a court of law. Hopefully the Kane controversy is the only negative storyline that will emerge from the NHL in the coming months. Fans want on-ice entertainment, not courtroom spectacle, and judging from the narratives that have already begun to take shape around the league, they’re sure to get it. Now it’s just a matter of settling in and savoring the yarns.
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ORGANIZATION FOCUS
Help rebuild lives this Thanksgiving U
K charity, the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA), is holding a Thanksgiving Ball at The Dorchester London to celebrate the holiday season and raise money to support everyone affected by spinal cord injury. As a user-led charity, SIA understands that spinal cord injury is life changing. No matter how the damage is caused, the impact is monumental and affects every aspect of your life, as well as the lives of those closest to you. Much of SIA’s support is provided by people who have experienced first-hand the many challenges faced post-injury, such as returning to work, starting a family or going on holiday. All of their Peer Support Officers are spinal cord injured and they use their knowledge and experience of living with this impairment to support
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The Spinal Injuries Association other spinal cord injured people and their families as they come to terms with their injury, rebuild their lives and take on new challenges. Last year SIA’s Peer Support Service helped over 1,600 spinal cord injured people, 487 of which were newly injured, and also supported over 500 family members and friends. This support included Ben, an American gentleman who recently moved to London and was shopping on Oxford Street at the time of his accident in February this year. Initially after Ben’s accident he was advised that it was likely he’d never walk again, a diagnosis which took its toll and left Ben understandably depressed. This changed after a meeting with one of SIA’s Peer Support Officers, who gave him motivation he didn’t think possible. Ben says “I remember when they
handed me one of their magazines and on the front cover were images of spinal cord injured people travelling. I was fascinated by this as I have a love of travelling and it has definitely motivated me. I still have the issue of the magazine as a memory of that meeting”. Ben has maintained contact with SIA, receiving information and advice surrounding many subjects related to living with an injury including; transport, housing and equipment. After two spinal operations and practising exercises in his flat, Ben can now stand with the aid of a frame or sticks and his confidence has grown. Help SIA support more people like Ben by joining them at their Thanksgiving celebrations on the November 26. For more information please contact Anna at a.saunders@spinal.co.uk
American SOCIAL GROUPS
American Friends of the Royal Institution U.S.: c/o Chapel & York Limited, PMB #293, South Building Washington, DC 20004 UK: The Development Office, Royal Institution of Great Britain, 21 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4BS 020 7670 2991 kdodd@ri.ac.uk www.rigb.org American Friends of the Royal Society http://royalsociety.org/Overseas-Donations development@royalsociety.org 020 7451 2211
Is your organization fundraising or running an event you’d like people to know about? Would you like a profile article about your group? Does your free entry need amendments? Let us know – we rely on you to keep us up to date! Telephone 01747 830520 or email sabrina@theamerican.co.uk
ESSENTIAL CONTACTS EMERGENCIES Fire, Police, Ambulance Police – non-emergency NON-EMERGENCY MEDICAL ADVICE NHS Choices Non-emergency medical advice Wales only:
American Friends of the Donmar Inc. 020 7845 5815, sdittmer@donmarwarehouse.com www.donmarwarehouse.com/support-us/friends
999 (NOT 911) 101
American Friends of Dulwich Picture Gallery 020 8299 8726, www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk
nhs.uk 111 0845 4647
American Friends of English Heritage US: 1307 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W. Washington DC 20036 202-452-0928 UK: c/o English Heritage, Keysign House, 429 Oxford Street, London W1R 2HD 020 7973 3423 www.english-heritage.org.uk
TRANSPORTATION London Underground 020 7222 1234 National Rail Enquiries 08457 4849 50 www.nationalrail.co.uk National Bus Service 0990 808080 www.nationalexpress.com TELEPHONES Direct Dial Code, US & Canada Operator Assistance, UK Operator Assistance, Intermational International Directory Assistance Telephone Repair
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For more details go to www.theamerican.co.uk and click on Life In The UK
CIVIC & SERVICES American Citizens Abroad (ACA) +41.22.340.02.33, info@americansabroad.org, www.americansabroad.org 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 British Museum British Museum, Gt Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG 020 7323 8590 egrand@ghspm.com www.afbm.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 AdamG@chickenshed.org.uk www.chickenshed.org.uk
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 English National Opera (ENO) London Coliseum, St. Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4ES 0207 845 9331 Americanfriends@eno.org www.eno.org/memberships American Friends of Gladstone Library www.gladstoneslibrary-us.com annette.lewis@gladlib.org American Friends of Historic Royal Palaces 020 3166 6321, harriet.james@hrp.org.uk www.hrp.org.uk/supportus/donatingfromtheusa American Friends of the Jewish Museum London Stephen Goldman 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 info@americanfriendsofthelyric.com www.americanfriendsofthelyric.com/ American Friends of the National Portrait Gallery 020 7312 2444 individualgiving@npg.org.uk www.npg.org.uk/support.php American Friends of the Philharmonia Orchestra jennifer.davies@philharmonia.co.uk www.philharmonia.co.uk/support/friends/afpo/ American Friends of the Royal Court Theatre U.S.: Laurie Beckelman, Beckelman and Capalino +1.212.616.5822, laurie@beckcap.com UK: Gaby Styles, Head of Development 020 7565 5060 gabystyles@royalcourttheatre.com or info@afrct.org
American Friends of St Bartholomew the Great 2925 Briarpark, Suite 600, Houston, TX 77042, USA. UK: 020 7606 5171, administrator@greatstbarts.com
American Friends of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust 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 Mus. U.S.: Diana Seaton, Executive Director 61 Londonderry Drive, Greenwich, CT 06830 +1.203.536.4328 diana.seaton@afvam.org www.afvam.org UK: 020 7942 2149 American Friends of Wigmore Hall U.S.: c/o Chapel and York, 1000 N West Street Suite 1200, Wilmington DE 19801. UK: 020 7258 8220, mhosterweil@wigmore-hall.org.uk American Institute of Architects 27 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AX 020 3318 5722 membership@aiauk.org, www.aiauk.org American International Church Senior Pastor: Rev. John D’Elia. 79a Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4TD Tel: 020 7580 2791/07771 642875 www.amchurch.co.uk churchsecretary@amchurch.co.uk American Museum in Britain Claverton Manor, Bath BA2 7BD. 01225 460503. info@americanmuseum.org www.americanmuseum.org American Red Cross RAF Mildenhall 01638 543742 After Hours (Toll free) +001 877 272 7337 red.crossv3@mildenhall.af.mil 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
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Anglo American Medical Society Hon. Sec.: Dr Edward Henderson, The Mill House, Whatlington, E. Sussex, TN33 0ND. 01424 775130 ed@themillhouse.eclipse.co.uk The Association of Americans Resident Overseas 34 avenue de New York, 75116 Paris, France + 33 1 47 20 24 15 www.aaro.org Association for Rescue at Sea To make a tax efficient gift to the Royal National Lifeboat Association contact AFRAS. Mrs. Anne C. Kifer, P.O. Box 565 Fish Creek, WI 54212, USA, 00-1-920-7435434 ackafras@aol.com Atlantic Council UK 185 Tower Bridge Road, London SE1 2UF 0207 403 0640 info@atlanticcounciluk.org Bentwaters Cold War Museum c/o Bentwaters Aviation Society, Building 134 Bentwaters Parks, Rendlesham, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 2TW 07588 877020 info@bcwm.org.uk Bethesda Baptist Church Kensington Place, London W8. 020 7221 7039 office@bethesdabaptist.org.uk bethesdabaptist.org.uk Boy Scouts of America 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. T el. 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 Church of St. John the Evangelist Vicar: Reverend Stephen Mason. Hyde Park Crescent, London W2 2QD 020 7262 1732, parishadmin@stjohns-hydepark.com www.stjohns-hydepark.com Commonwealth Church Rev. Rod Anderson, PO Box 15027, London SE5 0YS commonwealthchurch.com Democrats Abroad (UK) Box 65, 22 Notting Hill Gate, London W11 3JE www.democratsabroad.org.uk 020 7724 9796 www.democratsabroad.org/group/united-kingdom Register to vote/ request Absentee Ballot: www.votefromabroad.org Farm Street Church 114 Mount Street, Mayfair, London W1K 3AH Tel: 020 7493 7811 www.farmstreet.org.uk
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Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) Department of Defense, 1155 Defense Pentagon, Washington DC 20301-1155. UK 0800 028 8056, US:1-800-438- VOTE (8683). www.fvap.gov vote@fvap.ncr.gov
Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner 5th Floor, Counting House, 53 Tooley Street, London SE1 2QN 0207 211 1500 info@oisc.gov.uk www.oisc.gov.uk
Friends of Benjamin Franklin House Director: Dr. Márcia Balisciano 36 Craven St,London WC2N 5NF 0207 839 2006 www.benjaminfranklinhouse.org info@benjaminfranklinhouse.org
Republicans Abroad (UK) Chairman Dr. Thomas Grant chairman@republicansabroad-uk.org www.republicansabroad-uk.org
Friends of Chicksands Priory (12th Century) Julie Benson 01525 860497 friendsofchicksands@gmail.com www.chicksandspriory.co.uk Friends of St Jude London Debbie Berger debbie.berger@stjude.org 07738 628126 www.friendsofstjude.org/london
Rotaract in Great Britain & Ireland For 18-30 year olds, international membership www.rotaract.org.uk Rotary Club of London 6 York Gate, London NW1 4QG. Tel. 020 7487 5429 Rotary Great Britain and Ireland www.ribi.org, membership.rcol@gmail.com
Grampian Houston Association Secretary: Bill Neish, 01224 484720, wineish@sky.com 5 Cairncry Avenue, Aberdeen, AB16 5DS
Royal National Lifeboat Institution Head Office, West Quay Road, Poole BH15 1HZ 0845 045 6999 www.rnli.org.uk
International Community Church (Interdenom.) Pastor: Rick Andrew 01932 571820 Chertsey Hall, Heriot Road, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 9DR Office: 13 London Street, Chertsey, Surrey, KT16 8AP churchoffice@icc-uk.org www.icc-uk.org
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
Junior League of London President: Suzy Bibko; Office Admin: Ruth Linton CAN Mezzanine , 49-51 East Road , London N1 6AH Tel: 020 7499 8159 jrleague@jll.org.uk www.jll.org.uk Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation 19 Angel Gate, City Road, London EC1V 2PT. Tel: 020 7713 2030 info@jdrf.org.uk www.jdrf.org.uk Liberal Jewish Synagogue 28 St John’s Wood Road, London NW8 7HA Services 6.45pm Fri., 11am Sat. First Friday each month service is 7pm with a Chavurah Supper. Please bring non-meat food dish to share. 020 7286 5181 ljs@ljs.org
St Andrew’s Lutheran Church Serving Americans since 1960. Whitby Road & Queens Walk, Ruislip, West London. Services: 11 am. 020 8845 4242 pastorvan43@hotmail.com www.standrewslutheran.co.uk, www.lutheran.co.uk T.R.A.C.E. P.W. Reuniting children with GI fathers and their families. Norma Jean Clarke-McCloud 29 Connaught Avenue, Enfield EN1 3BE normajean78@hotmail.com www.tracepw.org
Lions Club International Lakenheath & District 105EA, 15 Highfields Drive, Lakenheath, Suffolk IP27 9EH. Tel 01842 860752 www.lionsclubs.org
United Nations Association, Westminster Chairman: David Wardrop 61 Sedlescombe Road, London SW6 1RE 0207 385 6738 info@unawestminster.org.uk www.unawestminster.org.uk www.wethepeoples.org.uk
St Anne’s Lutheran Church stannes.stagnes@gmail.com www.stanneslutheranchurch.org.uk
USA Girl Scouts Overseas – North Atlantic gsmembership@usagso-na.org www.usagso-na.org
Methodist Central Hall Westminster, London SW1H 9NH 020 7654 3809, church@mchw.org.uk www.methodist-central-hall.org.uk North Am. Friends of Chawton House Library US Office: 824 Roosevelt Trail, #130, Windham, ME 04062 +1.207 892 4358 UK Office: Chawton House Library, Chawton, Alton, Hampshire GU34 1SJ 01420 541010 www.chawtonhouse.org
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
The American
American Professional Women in London Rebecca Lammers, Flat 9 Hanover Court, 5 Stean Street, London, E8 4ED 075 3393 5064 abwinlondon@gmail.com www.meetup.com/American-Business-Women-inLondon American Society in London c/o The English Speaking Union 37 Charles Street, London W1J 5ED info@americansocietyuk.com 020 7539 3400 American Stamp Club of Great Britain Chapter 67 of the American Philatelic Society. Hon. Publicity Secretary: Stephen T. Taylor 5 Glenbuck Road, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 6BS. 020 8390 9357 AWBS International Women’s Club [formerly American Women of Berkshire & Surrey] PO Box 10, Virginia Water, Surrey GU25 4YP. www.awbs.org.uk info@awbs.org.uk American Women of Surrey PO Box 185, Cobham, Surrey KT11 3YJ. www.awsurrey.org The American Women’s Club of Dublin P.O. Box 2545, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 IRELAND www.awcd.net awcdmembers@gmail.com American Women’s Club of London 68 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3LQ. 020 7589 8292 awc@awclondon.org www.awclondon.org American Women’s Club of Central Scotland P.O. Box 231, 44-46 Morningside Road, Edinburgh, EH10 4BF info@awccs.org www.awccs.org Limerick International Women’s Organisation www.limerickiwo.com limerickiwo@live.ie Americans in Bristol Tim Ellis 07572 342483 Twitter @americansinbris americansinbristol@yahoo.com www.facebook.com/groups/USEXPATSINBRISTOL Anglian Shrine Club Recorder/Secretary: Allan David Warnes “Koloma House”, Warren Avenue, Fakenham, Norfolk NR21 8NP 01328 862001, 07860187333, VOIP 08714084364 Skype batman4499adw allan@allandavidwarnes.co.uk www.anglianshrineclub.co.uk 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
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
Canadian Women’s Club 1 Grosvenor Square, London W1K 4AB Tues–Thurs 10.30-3.30 0207 258 6344 info@canadianwomenlondon.org www.canadianwomenlondon.org
New Neighbours Diana Parker, Rosemary Cottage, Rookshill, Rickmansworth, Herts WD3 4HZ. 01923 772185
Chilterns American Women’s Club PO Box 445, Gerrards Cross, Bucks, SL9 8YU membership@cawc.co.uk www.cawc.co.uk
North American Connection (West Midlands) PO Box 10543, Knowle, Solihull, West Midlands. B93 8ZY 0870 720 0663 info@naconnect.com www.naconnect.com
Colonial Dames of America Chapter XI London. President Anne K Brewster: AnneBrewster@hotmail.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
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
Petroleum Women’s Club of London www.pwc-london.co.uk
Daughters of the American Revolution Walter Hines Page Chapter Diana Frances Diggines, Regent dardiana@hotmail.co.uk www.dar.org
Petroleum Women’s Club of Scotland pwcscotland@yahoo.co.uk www.pwcos.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: Jane Easton Dartmouth House, 37 Charles Street, London W1J 5ED. Tel: 020 7529 1550 esu@esu.org Hampstead Women’s Club President - Betsy Lynch. Tel: 020 7435 2226 email president@hwcinlondon.co.uk www.hwcinlondon.co.uk High Twelve International, Inc. Arnold Page High Twelve Club 298 Secretary, Darrell C. Russell 01638 715764 russelld130@btinternet.com The Inter-Cultural Society of London Contact: Dr Kenneth Reed, 01753 892698, kjreed37@yahoo.co.uk ticsl.org Kensington & Chelsea Men’s Club John Rickus, 70 Flood St., Chelsea, London SW3 5TE. (home): 020 7349 0680 (office): 020 7753 2253 johnrickus@aol.com kcwc (was Kensington & Chelsea Women’s Club) President: Anna Groot, president@kcwc.org.uk Membership: potential@kcwc.org.uk www.kcwc.org.uk Facebook /kcwc.kcwc Twitter @kcwc_womensclub
Pilgrims of Great Britain Allington Castle, Maidstone, Kent M16 0NB. 01622 606404 sec@pilgrimsociety.org
Propeller Club of the United States – London, England propellerclubhq.com Royal Society of St George Enterprise House, 10 Church Hill, Loughton, Essex IG10 1LA. +44 (0) 20 3225 5011 info@royalsocietyofstgeorge.com www.royalsocietyofstgeorge.com Order of the Eastern Star #45 Washington Jurisdiction District #9, RAF Lakenheath sogb45@yahoo.com elizabeth.jackson.tripod.com/sogb St John’s Wood Women’s Club membership@sjwwc.org www.sjwwc.org Thames Valley American Women’s Club PO Box 1687, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 8XT. 01628 632683 membership@tvawc.com www.tvawc.com UK Panhellenic Association Contact Susan Woolf, 10 Coniston Court, High St. Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex HA1 3LP. 020 8864 0294 susanrwoolf@hotmail.com W.E.B. DuBois Consistory #116 Northern Jurisdiction, Valley of London, England, Orient of Europe, Cell: 0776-873-8030 mjack36480@aol.com
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MILITARY 290 Foundation (UK Confederate Navy memorial) Ian Dewar, President, 2 Thompson Drive, Middleton on the Wolds, East Riding, Yorkshire YO25 9TX 01377 217 442 290admin@onetel.com sites.google.com/site/290foundation
AFJROTC 073 Lakenheath High School. Tel: 01638 525603 Air Force Sergeants Association 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 American Legion London Post 1 Adjutant: Christopher Shea, 10 Ivel Bridge Road, Biggleswade, Befordshire SG18 0AB 07501-062-882 info@amlegionpost1london.org.uk www.amlegionpost1london.org.uk
Brookwood American Cemetery The American Battle Monuments Commission Superintendant: Craig Rahanian. 01483 473237 Brookwood, Woking, Surrey GU24 0BL www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/ brookwood-american-cemetery
Commander in Chief, US Naval Forces Europe US Naval Forces Europe-Africa - US Sixth Fleet www.c6f.navy.mil, CNE-C6FPAO@eu.navy.mil Eighth Air Force Historical Society Gordon Richards/Michelle Strefford UK Office, The Croft, 26 Chapelwent Road, Haverhill, Suffolk CB9 9SD, 01440 704014 www.8thafhs.org Friends of the Eighth Newsletter (FOTE News) Chairman: Ron Mackay, 90 Elton Road, Sandbach, Cheshire, CW11 3NF, 01270 767669
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Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Commander: Ernest Paolucci, 00 33 (0)1.42.50.96.34 24, rue Gerbert, 75015 Paris, France Western UK Retiree Association President: R. Jim Barber, MSgt (USAF), Ret 01280 708182
EDUCATIONAL
Navy League of the United States, United Kingdom Council Council President: Steven G. Franck steven.franck@googlemail.com www.navyleague.org
ACS International Schools ACS Cobham International School, Heywood, www.acs-england.co.uk AFJROTC 20021 Principal.AlconburyHS@eu.dodea.edu Alconbury Middle/High School RAF Alconbury, Huntingdon, Cambs, PE17 1PJ, UK. www.alco-hs.eu.dodea.edu AlconburyHS.Principal@eu.dodea.edu
Society of American Military Engineers (UK) UK address: Box 763, USAFE Construction Directorate: 86 Blenheim Crescent, West Ruislip, Middlesex HA4 7HL London Post. President: W. Allan Clarke. Secretary: Capt. Gary Chesley. Membership Chairman, Mr. Jim Bizier.
British Patton Historical Society Kenn Oultram 01606 891303
Joint RAF Alconbury/Molesworth Retiree Affairs Office 423, ABG/RAO, Unit 5623, RAF Alconbury, Huntingdon, Cambs., PE28 4DE, rao@alconbury.af.mil 01480 843364 (Tues only 10:30-14:30)
Marine Corps League London, UK Detachment. Founding Commandant Michael E Allen, Creek Cottage, 2 Pednormead End, Old Chesham, Buckinghamshire HP5 2JS mcllondon.1088@sky.com www.mcl-london-uk.org
Reserve Officers Association London Col. B.V. Balch, USAR, 72 Westmoreland Road, Barnes, London SW13 9RY memberservices@roa.org www.roa.org
Bentwaters/Woodbridge Retirees’ Association President: Wylie Moore. 2 Coldfair Close, Knodishall, Saxmundham, Suffolk, IP17 1UN. 01728 830281
USNA Alumni Association UK Chapter Pres: LCDR Tim Fox ’97, timfox97@hotmail.com Vice Pres: Miguel Sierra ’90, mrsierra@chevron.com M’ship: Bart O’Brien ’98, bartonobrien2@yahoo.com Secretary: Matt Horan ’87, matthoran@btinternet.com
Military Officers’ Association of America www.moaa.org msc@moaa.org
American Overseas Memorial Day Association To remember & honor the memory of those who gave their lives in World Wars I & II, whose final resting places are in Europe. info@aomda.com, aomda.com
Madingley American Cemetery Cambridge The American Battle Monuments Commission Madingley Road, Coton, Cambridge CB23 7PH 01954-210350 www.madingleyamericancemetery.info damian.lappin@madingleyamericancemetery.info
Joint RAF Mildenhall/Lakenheath Retiree Affairs Office Co-Directors Dick Good & Jack Kramer Unit 8965, Box 30, RAF Mildenhall, Bury St. Edmonds, Suffolk, IP28 8NF 01638 542039 rao1@us.af.mil
American Institute for Foreign Study 37 Queensgate, London SW7 5HR 020 7581 7300, www.aifs.co.uk info@aifs.co.uk
US Army Reserve 2nd Hospital Center 7 Lynton Close, Ely, Cambs, CB6 1DJ. Tel: 01353 2168 Commander: Major Glenda Day.
American School in London 1 Waverley Place, London NW8 0NP 020 7449 1200, www.asl.org admissions@asl.org
US Air Force Recruiting Office Bldg 239 Room 139, RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk IP28 8NF 01638-54-4942/1566 phillip.guffa@mildenhall.af.mil
American School of Aberdeen Craigton Road, Cults, Aberdeen. 01224 861068 / 868927.
Retired Affairs Office, RAF Alconbury Serving Central England POC: Rex Keegan Alt. POC: Mike Depasquale 423 SVS/RAO, Unit 5585, Box 100, RAF Alconbury, Huntingdon, Cambs PE28 4DA. 01480 84 3364/3557 Office Hours: Tuesday and Friday, 10:30am–2:30pm RAO@Alconbury.af.mil. Emergency no. 07986 887905
Benjamin Franklin House 36 Craven Street, London WC2N 5NF. 020 7839 2006 info@benjaminfranklinhouse.org
Boston University – London Graduate Programs Office 43 Harrington Gardens, London SW7 4JU. 020 7244 6255, www.bu.edu/london
2nd Air Division Memorial Library The Forum, Norwich, Norfolk, NR2 1AW 01603 774747 www.2ndair.org.uk 2admemorial.lib@norfolk.gov.uk
British American Educational Foundation Laurel Zimmermann, Executive Director BAEF, 520 Summit Avenue, Oradell, NJ 07649 USA (201) 2614438 www.baef.org
USAF Retiree Activities Office Director: Paul G Gumbert, CMSgt (USAF), Ret 422 ABG/CVR, Unit 5855, PSC 50, Box 3 RAF Croughton, Northants NN13 5XP 01280 708182 422abg.rao@croughton.af.mil
BUNAC Student Exchange Employment Program - Director: Callum Kennedy, 16 Bowling Green Lane, London EC1R 0QH. 020 7251 3472 www.bunac.org enquiries@bunac.org.uk
US Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point) UK Chapter President: Allison Bennett, bennett.ac@gmail.com Facebook: Kings Point Alumni - London/United Kingdom
Butler University, Institute for Study Abroad 21 Pembridge Gardens, London W2 4EB 020 7792 8751 www.ifsa-butler.org/england-overview.html
The American
Centre Academy London 92 St John’s Hill, Battersea, London SW11 1SH Tel: 02077382344, info@centreacademy.net www.centreacademy.net
Harlaxton College UK Campus, University of Evansville, Harlaxton Manor, Grantham, Lincs. NG32 1AG. 01476 403000 harlaxton.ac.uk. Huron University USA in London 46-47 Russell Square, Bloomsbury, London WC1B 4JP Tel +44 (0) 20 7636 5667 folu@huron.ac.uk www.huron.ac.uk
Centre Academy East Anglia Church Rd, Brettenham, Ipswich, Suffolk IP7 7QR Tel: 01449736404 admin@centreacademy.net www.centreacademy.net
Institute for the Study of the Americas Director: Professor James Dunkerley. Tel 020 7862 8879 americas@sas.ac.uk www.americas.sas.ac.uk
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
International School of Aberdeen 296 North Deeside Rd, Milltimber, Aberdeen, AB13 0AB 01224 732267 admin@isa.aberdeen.sch.uk www.isa.aberdeen.sch.uk
Council on International Educational Exchange Dr. Michael Woolf, 52 Portland Street, London WIV 1JQ Tel 020 7478 2000 www.ciee.org contact@ciee.org
International School of London 139 Gunnersbury Avenue, London W3 8LG. 020 8992 5823, mail@ISLschools.org www.islschools.org
Ditchley Foundation Ditchley Park, Enstone, Chipping Norton, Oxon OX7 4ER Tel 01608 677346 www.ditchley.co.uk info@ditchley.co.uk
International School of London in Surrey Old Woking Road, Woking GU22 8HY, 01483 750409, www.islsurrey.com mail@islsurrey.com
Dwight School London Formerly North London International School 6 Friem Barnet Lane, London N11 3LX 020 8920 0600 vrose@dwightlondon.org www.dwightlondon.org
Ithaca College London Centre 35 Harrington Gardens, London SW7. Tel. 020 7370 1166 www.ithaca.edu/london bsheasgreen@ithacalondon.co.uk
European Council of International Schools Executive Director: Jean K Vahey Fourth Floor, 146 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 9TR 020 7824 7040 www.ecis.org ecis@ecis.org
Marymount International School, London Headmistress: Ms Sarah Gallagher George Road, Kingston upon Thames, KT2 7PE 020 8949 0571 info@marymountlondon.com www.marymountlondon.com
European-Atlantic Group PO Box 37431, London N3 2XP 020 8632 9253 justinglass@btinternet.com www.eag.org.uk
Missouri London Study Abroad Program 32 Harrington Gardens, London SW7 4JU. 020 7373 7953. web_office@umsl.edu www.umsl.edu/services/cis/
Florida State University London Study Centre Administrative Director: Kathleen Paul 99 Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3LH. 020 7813 3233 intprog1@admin.fsu.edu www.international.fsu.edu/london Fordham University London Centre Academic Coordinator: Sabina Antal 23 Kensington Square, London W8 5HQ 020 7937 5023 londoncentre@fordham.edu www.fordham.edu Fulbright (US-UK Educational) Commission Dir. of Advisory Service: Lauren Welch Battersea Power Station, 188 Kirtling Street, London SW8 5BN 020 7498 4010 www.fulbright.co.uk Halcyon London International School Co-educational International Baccalaureate (IB). 33 Seymour Place, London W1H 5AU +44 (0)20 7258 1169 , hello@halcyonschool.com halcyonschool.com
Regent’s University London Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4NS. 020 7486 9605. www.regents.ac.uk exrel@regents.ac.uk
Sotheby’s Institute of Art Postgraduate Art studies, plus day /evening courses 30 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3EE Tel: 0207 462 3232, info@sothebysinstitute.com www.sothebysinstitute.com Southbank International Schools Kensington and Hampstead for 3-11 year olds; Westminster campuses for 11-18 year olds. 020 7243 3803, admissions@southbank.org www.southbank.org Syracuse University London Program Faraday House, 48-51 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AE, sulondon.syr.edu TASIS England, American School Coldharbour Lane, Thorpe, Nr. Egham, Surrey TW20 8TE. 01932 565252, england.tasis.com ukadmissions@tasisengland.org UKCISA - Council for International Education 9-17 St. Albans Place, London N1 0NX 020 7354 5210 www.ukcisa.org.uk University of Notre Dame London Program 1 Suffolk Street, London SW1Y 4HG 020 7484 7811, london@nd.edu http://international.nd.edu/about/notre-dameglobal-gateways/london-global-gateway Warnborough University International Office, Friars House, London SE1 8HB. Tel 020 7922 1200 www.warnborough.edu admin@warnborough.edu Webster Graduate Studies Center Regent’s College, Regent’s Park, Inner Circle, London NW1 4NS, UK. 020 7487 7505, webster@regents.ac.uk www.webster.ac.uk Wroxton College Study Abroad with Fairleigh Dickinson University, Wroxton, Nr. Banbury, Oxfordshire OX15 6PX 01295 730551, www.fdu.edu admin@wroxton-college.ac.uk
ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONS
Richmond, The American International University in London Queen’s Road, Richmond-upon Thames TW10 6JP Tel: +44 20 8332 9000, enroll@richmond.ac.uk www.richmond.ac.uk
Alliant International University UK Chapter (formerly United States International University) President: Eric CK Chan chane@regents.ac.uk c/o Regents College London, Inner Circle, Regents Park, London, UK. www.alliant.edu
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
Amherst College Bob Reichert, RAreichert26b@aol.com
Schiller International, Wickham Court School Layhams Road, West Wickham, Kent BR4 9HW. Tel 0208 777 2942, Wickham@schillerintschool.com www.wickhamcourt.org.uk
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
November-December 2015 83
The American
Babson College Frank de Jongh Swemer, 020 7932 7514 babson.alumni@btinternet.com Barnard College Club Hiromi Stone, President. 0207 935 3981, barnardclubgb@yahoo.co.uk Berkeley Club of London Geoff Kertesz berkeleyclublondon@gmail.com http://international.berkeley.edu/LondonClub www.facebook.com groups/223876564344656/ www.linkedin.com/groups/Berkeley-ClubLondon-4186104 Boston College Alumni Club UK Craig Zematis, President +44 7717 878968 BCalumniclub@gmail.com www.alumniconnections.com/olc/pub/BTN/cpages/ chapters/home.jsp?chapter=41&org=BTN Boston University Alumni Association of the UK Will Straughn, Snr International Development Officer, University Development and Alumni Relations, 43 Harrington Gardens, Kensington, London SW7 4JU 020 7244 2908 020 7373 7411 bstraugh@bu.edu Brandeis Alumni Club of Great Britain Joan Bovarnick, President http://alumni.brandeis.edu office@alumni.brandeis.edu Brown University Club of the United Kingdom President: Tugba Erem. Communication: Patrick Attie Alumni Club & Liaison: Vanessa Van Hoof Brown Club UK, Box 57100, London, EC1P 1RB contact@brownuk.org www.brownuk.org Bryn Mawr Club Lady Quinton, President. Wendy Tiffin, Secretary/Treasurer, 52 Lansdowne Gardens, London SW8 2EF wendytif@ukgateway.net Claremont Colleges Alumni in London Hadley Beeman, hadley_beeman@alumni.cmc.edu Colgate Club of London Stephen W Solomon ‘76, President 0207 349 0738 swsolomon@hotmail.com Columbia Business School Alumni Club of London 6 Petersham Mews, London SW7 5NR www.cbsclublondon.org londonadmin@gsb.columbia.edu Columbia University Club of London london@alumniclubs.columbia.edu www.alumniclubs.columbia.edu/london Cornell Club of London nmt4@cornell.edu www.alumni.cornell.edu/orgs/int/London Dartmouth College Club of London alumni.dartmouth.edu www.dartmouth.org
84 November-December 2015
Delta Kappa Gamma Society International sandra.blacker@outlook.com,www.dkggb.org.uk
NYU Alumni Club in London Jodi Ekelchik, President alumni.london@nyu.edu alumni.nyu.edu
Delta Sigma Pi Business Fraternity London Alumni Chapter. Ashok Arora, P O Box 1110, London W3 7ZB 020 8423 8231, bertela@yahoo.com www.dspnet.org
NYU STERN UK Alumni Club www.stern.nyu.edu/portal-partners/alumni sternukalumniclub@hotmail.com fjrodrgo@yahoo.com
Delta Zeta International Sorority Alumna Club Sunny Eades 01543 490 312 SunnyEades@aol.com www.deltazeta.org
Ohio University Alumni UK & Ireland Frank Madden, 01753 855 360 frank@madant.demon.co.uk www.ohioalumni.org
Duke University Club of England rpalany@gmail.com, a.sagar@promemoriauk.com www.dukealumni.com/alumni-communities/ regional-programs/groups/london
Penn Alumni Club of the UK w ww.alumniconnections.com/olc/pub/UPN/cpages/ home.jsp?chapter=4&org=UPN pennalumniuk@gmail.com
Emory University Alumni Chapter of the UK Matthew Williams, Chapter Leader 079 8451 4119, matthew.eric.williams@gmail.com www.alumni.emory.edu
Penn State Alumni Association pennstatelondon@gmail.com www.alumni.psu.edu
Georgetown Alumni Club Alexa Fernandez, GeorgetownLondon@Yahoo.com UKHoyas@gmail.com , alumni.georgetown.edu
The London Association of Phi Beta Kappa phibetakappalondon@gmail.com www.pbkldn.org www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=5117368 @phibetakappaldn
Gettysburg College Alumni London Britt-Karin Oliver, brittkarin@aol.com alumni@gettysburg.edu www.gettysburg.edu/alumni2
Princeton Association (UK) membership@princeton.org.uk princeton.org.uk
Harvard Business School Club of London admin@hbsa.org.uk www.hbsa.org.uk
Rice Alumni of London Kathy Wang 07912 560 177 a lumni.rice.edu kathyw@alumni.rice.edu, suzanne.boue@rice.edu
Harvard Club of the United Kingdom president@hcuk.org, membership@hcuk.org www.hcuk.org Indiana University Alumni club of England ukhoosiers@gmail.com www.alumni.indiana.edu/clubs/england
Skidmore College Alumni Club, London alumni.affairs@skidmore.edu w ww.skidmore.edu/alumni www.facebook.com/SkidmoreCollegeAlumni
KKG London Alumnae Association londonalumni.kkg@gmail.com w ww.kappakappagamma.org
Smith College Club of London smithclubgb@gmail.com www.smithclubgb.org
LMU Loyola Marymount Alumni Club London Alumni Relations: heather.wells@lmu.edu 310.338.4574 http://alumni.lmu.edu
Stanford Business School Alumni Assn. UK alumni@gsb.stanford.edu alumni-gsb.stanford.edu/get/page/groups/ overview/?group_id=0038990048
Marymount University Alumni UK Chapter President: Mrs Suzanne Tapley, 35 Park Mansions, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7QT. 020 7581 3742 www.marymount.edu/alumni MIT Club of Great Britain reenan@alum.mit.edu greatbritain.alumclub.mit.edu Mount Holyoke Club of Britain mhcbritain@gmail.com sites.alumnae.mtholyoke.edu/wp/ukclub Notre Dame Club of London ndlondon@alumni.nd.edu http://london.undclub.org/
Syracuse University Alumni UK SUalumniUK@syr.edu sulondon.syr.edu/about/sualumniuk.html www.facebook.com/SUajlumniUK Texas Tech Alumni Association - London Chapter Scott Dewar 077754 35877 sdewar2@gmail.com www.texastechalumni.org/chapters Texas Exes UK (UKTE) England: Carra Kane 0778 660 7534 carrakane@alumni.utexas.net Scotland: Corey Cripe coreycripe@gmail.com www.fornogoodreason.com/UKTEMain.htm
The American
Texas A&M Club London london@aggienetwork.com www.aggienetwork.com/club-page/londn The John Adams Society johnadamssociety@gmail.com www.johnadamssociety.co.uk Tufts - London Tufts Alliance tuftsalumni.org Londontuftsalliance@yahoo.com UConn Alumni Association uconnalumni.com UnitedKingdom@UConnAlumni.com UMass Alumni Club UK President, Renu Singh, renu.singh@alumni.lse.ac.uk umassalumni.com University of California 020 7079 0567 london.universityofcalifornia.edu alumni@californiahouse.org.uk University of Chicago Alumni Association rupalyp@gmail.com, w ww.uchicagouk.org University of Chicago Booth Alumni Association President: hbunuan@chicagobooth.edu www.chicagobooth.edu/alumni/clubs/uk University of Colorado Alumni alumni.colorado.edu/cu-in-london allyson.frusciano@colorado.edu University of Georgia Alumni Association 07919 057 538 nealjohnsonuk@yahoo.com www.alumni.uga.edu/alumni/index.php/site/ chapters/london_chapter University of Illinois Alumni Club of the UK Amy Barklam BUS 1994, President, 07796 193 466 amybarklam@msn.com www.uialumninetwork.org University of North Carolina Alumni Club unclondoncochairs@googlegroups.com alumni.unc.edu University of Michigan Alumni Association 0788-784-0941, jesscobb@yahoo.com alumni.umich.edu University of Rochester/Simon School UK Alumni Association Julie Bonne, 0118-956-5052, alumni@rochester.edu julie_bonne@yahoo.com, www.rochester.edu/alumni
US Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point) Alumni UK Chapter www.usmma.edu/alumni bennett.ac@gmail.com Facebook: Kings Point Alumni - London/United Kingdom USNA Alumni Association, UK Chapter President: Tim Fox ‘97 timfox97@hotmail.com Facebook - USNA Alumni Association, UK Chapter Vassar College Club Sara Hebblethwaite, President 020 8788 6910 contact@vassarclubuk.org www.vassarclubuk.org Warnborough Worldwide Alumni Association 01227 762 107 www.wwaa.info/wwaa.htm admissions@warnborough.edu Washington University UK Alumni Club Steven Leof, steven@leof.co.uk alumni.wustl.edu/Community/Pages/London.aspx www.facebook.com/groups/WUSTLLondon www.linkedin.com/groups/Washington-Universityin-St-Louis-6966904 Wellesley College Club www.wellesley.edu/alumnae/groups/clubs/intlclubs/ wellesley_uk_club WCLondon@alum.wellesley.edu Wharton Alumni Club of the UK 020-7447-8800 www.whartonclubuk.net Williams Club of Great Britain Ethan Kline: ethankline@gmail.com, alumni. relations@williams.edu, alumni.williams.edu Yale Club of London President, president@yale.org.uk Secretary secretary@yale.org.uk www.yale.org.uk Zeta Tau Alpha Alumnae Kristin Morgan 07812 580949 kristinamorgan@gmail.com www.zetataualpha.org
CIVIL WAR SOCIETIES American Civil War Round Table (UK) Civil War historical soc., sandra-bishop@hotmail.com www.americancivilwar.org.uk Southern Skirmish Association (SoSkan) The oldest American Civil War Re-enacting Society outside the USA. membership@soskan.co.uk www.soskan.co.uk
ARTS
University of Southern California, USC Alumni Club of London Walter Ladwig, President usclondon@gmail.com www.usclondonalumni.org
American Actors UK 07873 371 891 admin@americanactorsuk.com www.americanactorsuk.com
University of Virginia Alumni Club of London uvaclubs.virginia.edu/group/uvaclub-of-london londonuvaclub@yahoo.com 020 7368 8473
Savio(u)r Theatre Company Britain’s American theatre company www.saviourtheatrecompany.com
SPORTS English Lacrosse Wenlock Way, Manchester M12 5DH 0843 658 5006 info@englishlacrosse.co.uk www.englishlacrosse.co.uk British Baseball Federation / SoftballUK 5th Floor, Ariel House, 74a Charlotte Street, London W1T 4QJ 020 7453 7055 www.britishbaseball.org British Morgan Horse Society 01981 500488 admin@morganhorse.org.uk www.morganhorse.org.uk Ice Hockey UK 02920 263 441 ihukoffice@yahoo.co.uk www.icehockeyuk.co.uk Infinity Elite Cheerleading (founded by CAC) 077 9132 0115 infinityelite@yahoo.co.uk www.facebook.com/InfinityAllstars Herts Baseball Club Adult & Little League Baseball www.hertsbaseball.com Lakenheath Barracudas Swim Club Open to all military affiliated families. laken.barracudas@yahoo.com www.barracudas.moonfruit.com LondonSports American flag football, baseball, basketball and soccer, boys/girls, 4-15 all nationalities, new or experienced players. www.londonsports.com vll@me.com London Warriors American Football Club info@londonwarriorsafc.co.uk www.londonwarriorsafc.co.uk
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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 Twitter @TheAmericanMag
November-December 2015 85
COMPETITIONS
Four festive competitions to help your holidays go with a swing Choose which prizes you’d like to win, send your answer(s) to us with your contact details (name, address and daytime phone number). Email to theamerican@blueedge.co.uk with Ice Skating, Pure Imagination, Christmas Forest or Trader Vic’s in the subject line; or send them by postcard to: The American, Old Byre House, Millbrook Lane, East Knoyle, Salisbury SP3 6AW, UK. You must be 18 years old or over to enter. There’s only one entry per person per draw, but you can enter all three competitions if you wish. The editor’s decision is final. No cash alternative. Tickets are not transferable and you are responsible for any travel, accommodation or other expenses.
Ice Skating at Wembley
Pure Imagination
‘Christmas Forest’ Tree
The American magazine has teamed up with Ice Skating at Wembley Park to offer 10 FREE pairs of tickets to go Ice Skating this Holiday season at London Designer Outlet, right next to Wembley Stadium where the NFL International Games have been played this year. Along with a special Christmas market, Wembley will be a blaze of all things festive from November 20th to January 3rd. Perfect for novices and experts, and great fun for all the family, find out more on how to slide into Christmas at www.iceskatingatwembleypark.co.uk
If you’ve ever hummed a popular film or stage song from the mid-1950s on, the chances are it was one of Leslie Bricusse’s. Songs like Talk to the Animals, Goldfinger, Feeling Good and Pure Imagination. His awards include a Grammy, a couple of Oscars (and ten nominations) and eight Novellos. Leslie’s story of talent, determination and a little bit of luck is a journey from humble beginnings through this hardest of businesses to dizzying heights, including sensational songwriting partnerships with Anthony Newley, Henry Mancini, John Williams and John Barry.
What better way to get your Holiday season started than with the perfect Christmas Tree? Christmas Forest have been a favorite retailer (or should that be treetailer?) of real Christmas Trees in London since 1998, and work with Tree Aid to ensure that for every tree brought from them, another will be planted in the drylands of Africa. Find out more about sustainable Christmas Trees at www.christmasforest.co.uk. In the mean time, answer this simple question for a chance to win a Christmas Tree of your own ahead of the Holiday season:
QUESTION: WHICH US SPORT WAS PLAYED AT WEMBLEY STADIUM EARLIER THIS YEAR? A) ICE HOCKEY B) AMERICAN FOOTBALL C) BASEBALL
QUESTION: WHICH OF THESE JAMES BOND THEME SONGS WAS COMPOSED BY LESLIE BRICUSSE? A) GOLDENEYE B) MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN C) GOLDFINGER
QUESTION: WHICH COUNTRY DONATES A CHRISTMAS TREE FOR LONDON’S TRAFALGAR SQUARE EACH YEAR? A) NORWAY B) GREENLAND C) MEXICO
Deadline: November 20th
Deadline: December 10th
Deadline: December 10th
86 November-December 2015
Thanksgiving Dinner at Trader Vic’s London’s first tiki restaurant and bar, Trader Vic’s, located at London Hilton on Park Lane, is offering the chance for one lucky reader to win a dinner for 4 to celebrate Thanksgiving the Trader Vic’s style! The winner and guests will enjoy 3 courses and a cocktail each for a Thanksgiving celebration with a difference. The menu includes favourite dishes such as the famous Trader Vic’s cheese balls and delicious meat dishes smoked in the Chinese wood fire oven which can be traced back over two thousand years to the Han Dynasty. And then there’s the cocktails – home of the original and best Mai Tai you’ll find in town, Trader Vic’s has a thirst-quenching menu of drinks to complement your chosen meal. Trader Vic’s offer an experience in London like no other and has a rich history, with founder Victor Bergeron having travelled the world before falling in love with Hawaii. Here is where he settled and decided to create a fusion of foods from around the world with inspiration gathered on his travels. Each dish has a unique French influence, with an added twist from all the countries in the world. QUESTION: IT IS SAID THAT THE FOUNDER OF TRADER VIC’S, VICTOR ‘THE TRADER’ BERGERON, INVENTED WHICH ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE? A) MAI TAI B) THE MANHATTEN C) THE LONG ISLAND ICED TEA Deadline: November 20th
November-December 2015 87
The American
Coffee Break QUIZ ➊
In 1676 the governing council of Charlestown, Massachusetts proclaimed the first official Thanksgiving Day, what date was it held? a) June 29 b) September 29 c) November 29
➋
Which US President was against the idea of an official Thanksgiving Day? a) John Adams b) Thomas Jefferson c) George Washington
➌
Who is credited with the crusade to establish a national Thanksgiving Day? a) Sarah Boone b) Sarah Hale c) Sarah Palin
➍ Which Department store was the first to hold a Thanksgiving Parade?
➎
Which other country celebrates Thanksgiving Day? And in which month?
➏
Which US state has the largest living Christmas tree? a) California b) Maine c) New Hampshire
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It happened 25 years ago...
➓ December 9, 1965: What TV Special from a comic strip first aired on CBS, and became a Christmas tradition?
➐ Which country created eggnog? It happened 200 years ago... ➑ In It’s a Wonderful Life, what reward did Clarence get for ⓫ N ovember 1, 1765: The British introduce The Stamp accomplishing his mission? ➒ Maths now: there are usually 365 days in a year. What
day of the year is Christmas Day?
Act into the thirteen colonies of America. What famous slogan did this give rise to in America, which is still current today among US expats?
Quiz answers and Sudoku solution on page 89.
88 November-December 2015
Coffee Break Answers 2
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4 5 9 8
7 3 8 1
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QUIZ: 1. a) June 29, 1676 – they’d met to decide how best to express thanks for the good fortune that had seen their community securely established and voted unanimously; 2. b) Thomas Jefferson – as it was originally a day of fasting and prayer, he was against the state “intermeddling with religious … doctrines”; 3. b) Sarah Hale (17881879) – editor, poet and journalist, who also wrote ‘Mary Had A Little Lamb’. African-American Sarah Boone (c. 1870-1900) from Mississippi, patented the ironing board.; 4. Gimbels (1887 – 1987) once the largest department chain in the US, held the first one in 1920 in Philadelphia; 5. Canada, the second Monday in October; 6. a) California; SOLUTION 7. England; 8. His wings; 9. Day 359; 4 5 7 2 6 8 9 3 1 10. A Charlie Brown 3 8 9 1 5 4 6 2 7 Christmas; 1 6 2 7 9 3 4 8 5 11. “No taxation without representation”. 7
9
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