UK politics – stirring up the pot

UK politics – stirring up the pot

Once the dust and hysterical predictions of political earthquakes dies down, it is worth noting that Reform’s projected vote in a General Election based on this result would be 26%, way short of a Commons majority. A win usually needs close to 40% (Keir Starmer got in with 33.7%). And local elections are often an…

Read Full News
David Attenborough – one of a kind

David Attenborough – one of a kind

 The extraordinary life and talents of naturalist and global icon David Attenborough has reached the 100 mark. From an early age he was interested in wildlife and fossils, going on to do a degree in zoology and geology. A foray into the BBC saw him make programmes on his chosen obsession and although he reached…

Read Full News
Ted Turner – changing the world

Ted Turner – changing the world

Ted Turner, the media mogul who changed the face of news broadcasting with 24-hour rolling news on his cable channel CNN has died. A flamboyant character he was variously described  as “the Mouth from the South”; “a bulldog that won’t let go”; “a mixture of genius and jackass”; and “probably the most competitive guy you…

Read Full News
Blake Lively – a legal car crash

Blake Lively – a legal car crash

The “epic-level stupid” lawsuit brought by Blake Lively against Justin Baldoni, as described by a Hollywood studio executive, has ended out of court without damages or even an apology. The co-stars reportedly spent $60 million combined to sue and countersue one another, according to Page Six after the filming of It Ends With Us.  …

Read Full News
Met Gala – money can’t buy good taste

Met Gala – money can’t buy good taste

  The Met Gala where haute couture meets high society used to be the unmissable event of the New York social calendar. No more, as scantily and bizarrely dressed trash celebrities and z-listers turned it into a giant flop with new sponsors and co-chairs Jeff Bezos and wife Lauren Sanchez getting most of the heat….

Read Full News
Eddie Murphy – an enduring Sun Venus in Aries

Eddie Murphy – an enduring Sun Venus in Aries

Eddie Murphy has been graced with a biopic covering his extraordinary career from unlikely beginnings to become a teenage comedian through to a blockbuster movie star. Acting, stand-up and singing are all in his repertoire.   He was born 3 April 1961 1.30pm (unverified) New York, with his parents splitting when he was three, his…

Read Full News
Sylvia Plath – lives on as a cultural icon

Sylvia Plath – lives on as a cultural icon

Sylvia Plath, the poet, has become embedded in the culture as a mythic figure of tragedy and talent, using her words as a confessional to speak directly to the reader.  A new mammoth edition of 542 of her poems has the editors waxing eloquent about her ability to “combine raw emotional depth with humour and…

Read Full News
Goya and Raphael – two very different Aries

Goya and Raphael – two very different Aries

Francisco Goya, the Spanish artist, started life painting  religious scenes, court portraits and rural idylls before descending into darker subjects as his pessimism about human behaviour and a repressive political situation clouded his optimism.   His etchings, the Caprichos, depicted what he described as “the innumerable foibles and follies to be found in any civilized…

Read Full News
Saturn – bringer of plenty and grief

Saturn – bringer of plenty and grief

 Francisco Goya’s horrific paintings of Saturn (Kronos), the Greek god, eating his children get to the heart of his astrological meaning, highlighting his obsession with time and mortality. Scared of dying he knew his children represented a future he can never possess, since his was limited by his mortal span. He tries and fails to…

Read Full News