Actress Anne Heche is in a "stable" condition following a crash in Los Angeles that saw her car burst into flames, her spokesperson has said. Reports surfaced on Saturday that suggested she had been driving at speed down an LA street before crashing her car into a building and suffering severe burns. According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the crash in the Mar Vista area of the city sparked a "heavy fire", which was later put out after an hour. Crews took the driver to hospital with "critical injuries. Heche's spokesperson appears to have confirmed it was her in the incident, saying: "Anne is currently in a stable condition. "Her family and friends ask for your thoughts and prayers and to respect her privacy during this difficult time." Advertisement Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:33 Anne Heche was reportedly 'critically injured' after her car crashed into a house and burst into flames. … [Read more...] about Anne Heche ‘stable’ and ‘expected to pull through’ after car crash in LA
Ents arts
Art history can’t just be the preserve of the middle class in a nation of art-lovers
A furore erupted this week over the news that art history will no longer be taught at A-level . AQA confirmed the decision on Thursday, sending the world of academe to the ramparts in outrage. Rembrandt weeps. Can you believe that art history is no longer being offered at A level? Philistines must not prevail #arthistory#alevels — Sir Anthony Seldon (@AnthonySeldon) October 13, 2016 "Rembrandt weeps", blubbed Anthony Seldon. "Philistines must not prevail." "It’s the new class war’" exclaims Simon Schama. "Classics and art history OK for private school students but state school kids, hey why bother?". The director of the Courtauld Institute is no less indignant : "The demise of its existence as an A-Level seriously misunderstands a subject which is enormously important to the economy, culture and well-being of this country." It's the new class war, as in classroom war: classics and art history OK for private school students but state school kids, hey why … [Read more...] about Art history can’t just be the preserve of the middle class in a nation of art-lovers
Decision to scrap A-level art history labelled a ‘disgrace’ by critics
Critics of the decision to scrap A-level art history hav e spoken of their dismay over the move. In a letter to teachers, exam board AQA said it had been struggling to recruit enough specialist examiners for the subject and had taken the "difficult decision" to end the A-level. According to the exam board, students currently taking the course would be unaffected by the plans, and would be able to take their AS-level exams in 2017 and A-level exams in 2018. However, new students will not be able to take up the A-level, with no further exams from 2019. Critics have said they are "appalled" and "shocked" at the decision. Rembrandt weeps. Can you believe that art history is no longer being offered at A level? Philistines must not prevail #arthistory#alevels — Sir Anthony Seldon (@AnthonySeldon) 13 October 2016 Simon Schama, presenter of BBC's Face of Britain, said the axing of the subject could create a "classroom war" between private and state school students. … [Read more...] about Decision to scrap A-level art history labelled a ‘disgrace’ by critics
What links Peter Stringfellow and Stephen Hawking? They ‘shaped British history’
Peter Stringfellow helped “shape British history”, the Oxford University Press has said, as the self-styled “King of Clubs” is inducted into the nation’s biographical bible. The Oxford Dictionary of Biography (ODB) details the lives of those who made significant contributions to British life, from William Shakespeare to Sir Winston Churchill, and it has now been updated with entries on luminaries such as Prof Stephen Hawking. The ODB’s latest iteration also includes an entry on Stringfellow , best known for his nightlife empire and for opening the first topless table-dancing venue in the UK. Stringfellow, who died in 2018 , takes his place in the ODB alongside genuine royalty, together with a host of actors, artists, scientists and politicians. His entry states that the entrepreneur from Sheffield was “the first club owner to be granted a fully nude licence”. His more conventional nightclubs played host to The Beatles, City bankers and Conservative Party … [Read more...] about What links Peter Stringfellow and Stephen Hawking? They ‘shaped British history’
Screen time more dangerous for children than activities in Swallows and Amazons, warn academics
Spending hours staring at screens is a more dangerous pastime than the perilous activities carried out by the children in Swallows and Amazons , academics have said. The author of the first ever full-length study of Arthur Ransome’s classic adventure novel claims too much time surfing the net is far more deadly than sailing at night without a life jacket, because it fails to teach children how to fend for themselves or take risks. Julian Lovelock, the former dean of arts and pro vice-chancellor of the University of Buckingham , where he lectured on Ransome, said children were spending increasing amounts of time using "gadgets and gizmos" and were not living in the real world. “Sailing at night without life-jackets, wrecking their dinghy through a foolhardy misjudgement, crossing the stormy North Sea in a small boat, confronting the urban Hullaballoos: today’s health and safety police would have had apoplexy," he said. "But it’s worth pondering whether the challenges … [Read more...] about Screen time more dangerous for children than activities in Swallows and Amazons, warn academics
THE £60 MILLION BRAND THAT TOOK (CACAO) BALLS TO BUILD! Ella Mills opens up about family, fame and facing down her haters
When Ella Mills, 31, says that her life is ‘on fast-forward’ it’s hard to disagree. Just ten years ago, as a student, she started the blog Deliciously Ella, detailing her recovery from debilitating illness through meditation and plant-based recipes. Today, Deliciously Ella is a multifaceted lifestyle brand with projected revenues for 2022 of £20 million (putting the company’s value at around £60 million) and over two million Instagram followers. In 2012, plant-based eating was a niche concern. ‘But now 50 per cent of the UK population are into it,’ she says. Clearly there is a lot of money to be made from cacao nibs. Ella and her family (husband and Deliciously Ella’s CEO Matthew Mills, 38, and their daughters Skye, three, and May, nearly two) live just off London ’s Kensington Church Street, where houses sell for north of £5 million, but Ella insists their lifestyle is not lavish. She can’t drive and her husband Matthew’s car is a secondhand BMW. Their last holiday was four days … [Read more...] about THE £60 MILLION BRAND THAT TOOK (CACAO) BALLS TO BUILD! Ella Mills opens up about family, fame and facing down her haters
The American Faith I Was Raised In
I was raised in a very specific American faith. This American faith is not patriotism, not a love of this country—though it contains some of that. Nor is it Christianity—though it contains some of that too. It is the belief that Church and state should never have been separate in American life, despite all the un-Christian aspects of the Founders, such as their distinctly secular philosophies and their explicit, repeated commitment to that separation. Today’s Christian nationalists have fought for this particular faith over decades. And that fight paid off when, at the end of June, the Supreme Court released its long-awaited decision in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District . Joseph Kennedy, a high-school coach, had sued the Bremerton School District for firing him for praying on the field at the conclusion of football games. Prayer in schools, a practice that had been considered illegal since Engel v. Vitale was decided in 1962, was instantly legal again. Conservative-Christian … [Read more...] about The American Faith I Was Raised In
Paris Jackson turns heads with her stylish appearance in Santa Monica, rides Vespa
Paris Jackson looked nothing short of a vision in the latest photos as she was spotted taking a quick ride on her light blue Vespa to meet up with a friend for a yummy meal in Santa Monica on Friday. The 25-year-old singer was out in the city while setting up fashion goals as the singer opted for a fashionable outfit for her outing, featuring ripped jeans and an oversize jacket. The talented star has been following in her father Michael Jackson's footsteps and has delved into the music industry. Paris completed her look by slipping into a pair of brown boots to stay comfortable throughout the day and while riding her Vespa scooter. During an interview on the Tuna On Toast With Stryker podcast, the American Horror Story actress discussed how singing was something she always had a passion for. Thinking about her childhood, the star stated, 'There's a home video of me fully like saying as a kid that I want to sing and dance.' She added how she was interested in another … [Read more...] about Paris Jackson turns heads with her stylish appearance in Santa Monica, rides Vespa
Ukrainians join Czech company to perform at Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Despite the turmoil at home, for these Ukrainian circus performers, the show must go on. After months of uncertainty, they're back on stage, getting one last practice in before the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which opens this week in Scotland. The troupe is joining Czech performers for a new show called Boom by the Prague-based circus group, Cirk La Putyka. Its director, Rosta Novak, said it had been a tough time for Ukrainian artists. "They are alone, without their parents, in Prague for almost half a year. The second day after the war started, the offer of help was made to the Kyiv Circus Academy by a Czech circus, and we spread the 240 students around Europe." Ukraine: Air raid sirens interrupt performance of George Orwell’s '1984' on stage in Kyiv In pictures: Ukrainian circus troupe stuck in Italy vows to keep performing Ukrainian students find refuge in Hungarian circus after fleeing Russian invasion Ukraine war: Outrage in Kyiv after … [Read more...] about Ukrainians join Czech company to perform at Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Nach 2 Jahren: Hunderttausende feiern Pride-Paraden in ganz Europa
In zahlreichen Städten Europas haben Hunderttausende den Christopher Street Day gefeiert. In Hamburg nahmen nach zwei Jahren pandemiebedingter Pause nahmen soviele Gruppen an der Veranstaltung teil wie nie zuvor - der Veranstalter Hamburg Pride sprach von 250.000 Menschen, die mehr Akzeptanz und Gleichberechtigung für die queere Community forderten. In der englischen Küstenstadt Brighton wurde unter dem Motto "Liebe, Protest und Einheit" der 50. Jahrestag der ersten Pride Parade gefeiert - die Veranstaltung dauert ein gesamtes Wochenende. Die Parade gilt als eine der größten und schillerndsten Veranstaltungen ihrer Art in Großbritannien. Ein Sprecher des Festumzugs erklärte gegenüber der BBC: "2022 wird eine fröhliche Erinnerung an die mutigen Wegbereiter:innen, Aktivist:innen und Unterstützer:innen sein, die die Pride-Bewegung in der Stadt geprägt und die uns geholfen haben, die LGBT+-Gleichstellung zu erreichen, die wir heute alle genießen." Der erste Marsch war 1972 von der … [Read more...] about Nach 2 Jahren: Hunderttausende feiern Pride-Paraden in ganz Europa