For fans of rosé who don't have Rihanna budgets (Bad Gal Riri has a fridge fully stocked with Miraval Côtes de Provence, the £19 rosé from Brad and Angelina's vineyards), there's a bottle out there that won't drain your summer vacation budget and still gets high marks. And believe it or not, the clutch rosé comes from Aldi. Delish reports that the discount supermarket chain's £5.99 in-house rosé, Exquisite Collection Côtes de Provence Rosé, earned a silver medal at the International Wine Challenge.
Considered the Oscars of winemaking, the International Wine Challenge pits wines against each other — whether they're super-expensive wines or more affordable — to find the best of the best. This year, Aldi's pink vino topped the list. The rosé earned that silver medal thanks to its "strawberry, white fruit and subtle spice" flavours, according to The Sun.
"It has been a huge year for innovation at Aldi. We've not only expanded our sparkling range, but also introduced a brand new French initiative," Tony Baines, Aldi's joint managing director of corporate buying, told The Sun. "We have been working closely with renowned winemaker Jean Claude Mas to change perceptions around French wine, which is often perceived as expensive and intimidating, so it is fantastic to see some of these products acknowledged as some of the best in the world."
Not a fan of the pink stuff? Aldi's other options also ranked pretty high. Fans of bubbles have a few options to try out: Aldi's Lot 25 Prosecco (£9.99) and limited-edition Organic Prosecco (£7.99) also picked up medals at the international event. It's been a good year for wine at Aldi. The store reports that sales have jumped 15% now that its expanded its options. With award-winning choices at rock-bottom prices, what's not to love?
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When a collection is showcased against a backdrop of some of the most famous paintings in the world, from Rubens, Titian and Velázquez to Raphael, Botticelli and Caravaggio, it takes the boldest, richest clothes to distract from those Renaissance masterpieces. But Alessandro Michele, Gucci's creative director, lauded for his flamboyant, maximalist, eccentric designs, was easily able to retain the attention of the international editors flown into Florence – more specifically, the gilded, sumptuous rooms of the Palatine Gallery in the Palazzo Pitti – for the 2018 Cruise show.
Photo: Dan Lecca Courtesy of Gucci Photo: Dan Lecca Courtesy of Gucci
Cruise collections are undoubtedly the most lavish and spectacular shows in the fashion calendar (remember Dior's, held earlier this month in the middle of the Californian wilderness?), inviting the leading fashion press to far-flung destinations for unforgettable presentations. So why did Michele choose Florence, following last year's Cruise show held in the magnificent Westminster Abbey? "Florence is still one of the most fascinating metropolises of the past. I adore the classical pieces of our culture, the Greek and Roman are still inside and everywhere, it’s impossible to disconnect. I feel very comfortable here," Michele explained to WWD backstage. "The very beginning of European aesthetics started from Florence. Everything here was beauty, money and creativity, the power of the good money."
Photo: Dan Lecca Courtesy of GucciPhoto: Dan Lecca Courtesy of Gucci
Heavily inspired by the historical Florentine setting, Michele's collection was an ode to the Renaissance but with a contemporary rock 'n' roll twist. With 115 looks shown in quick succession, drawing on disparate trends from the 16th century right up to the present day, there really was something for everyone. The opening look – a vivid green qipao-esque dress worn over blue patterned trousers, finished off with a pink bow – was followed by quilted coats, mink furs, cricket jumpers, colourful lace, sporty zip-ups, rugby-striped tops, puffer jackets, silk bombers, rich embroidery, paisley print, embellished lumberjack shirts, brocade and even a metallic purple flared-leg suit, worn by musician (and former Klaxon) James Righton. Numerous looks were completed with gold laurel crowns as a nod to the ancient world, and the fauna and flora prints with which we've grown so familiar since Michele took the creative helm in 2015, were as prevalent as the Gucci logo.
Photo: Dan Lecca Courtesy of GucciPhoto: Dan Lecca Courtesy of Gucci
This season, the words 'Guccy', 'Guccification', and 'Guccify Yourself' were emblazoned across garments, perfect for the droves of loyal fans eagerly waiting to clothe themselves in the latest Gucci wares and accessories as soon as they drop. Celebrity fans Jared Leto, Elton John, Beth Ditto (who performed at the afterparty), Dakota Johnson, Saoirse Ronan and Dev Hynes sat keenly in the front row – all in full-look Gucci, of course.
As Michele's Gucci empire only continues to grow and he keeps hold of his title as the current king of fashion, this collection – similar in style to all those that preceded it (though perhaps with even more print, pattern and layered references) – ought to have been as well received as ever. However, as the show concluded last night, eagle-eyed fashion enthusiasts noticed that one particular look, a fur zip-up jacket with balloon monogrammed sleeves, was remarkably similar to a creation by '80s Harlem designer, Dapper Dan, made for Olympic medallist Diane Dixon. Whether this was meant as a tribute to the shop-owner who outfitted countless hip hop stars in the '80s and '90s is unclear. But this is not the first time Michele has been criticised for apparently copying someone else's ideas. Last month the designer came under fire for the alien characters in the Gucci AW17 campaign, which were noticeably similar to the work of Central Saint Martins womenswear student Pierre-Louis Auvray. Michele swiftly refuted all claims of plagiarism so we'll have to wait and see if he responds regarding Dapper Dan.
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Prime Minister Theresa May and opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn faced a grilling on Channel 4/Sky News last night ahead of the general election, which is now just over a week away (yes, really). But Tory HQ might be regretting letting the PM loose on live TV, as her performance is being widely mocked on social media.
Yes, we've learned to take the prevailing "consensus" on social media with a grain of salt, thanks to the 2015 general election and EU referendum results. Our Twitter accounts tend to be echo chambers of our own beliefs, and it's tricky to know what impact (if any) the grilling will have on the election result.
But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy the GIFs people are sharing to mock May's performance. #TheresaMayGIFs began trending last night and people are still using it to characterise her appearance as shoddy and counterproductive to the Tory cause.
And while Theresa May GIFs continue to entertain, there's also a song calling her a "liar" sitting at number three in the UK iTunes download chart. The song, "Liar Liar GE2017", produced and performed by Captain Ska, lambasts the PM's impact on the NHS, poverty and education, and criticises the Tories' recent U-turns, including on calling the snap election.
"When there’s nurses going hungry and schools in decline I don’t recognise this broken country of mine," the lyrics read. All profits from downloads between 26th May and the 8th June election with be split between food banks and the People’s Assembly Against Austerity.
Radio stations, including Capital FM and Heart, have so far refused to play the catchy track but a petition against this "censorship" has garnered more than 1,400 signatures at the time of writing.
The TV and radio regulator, Ofcom, says broadcasters must be impartial, but Captain Ska said they wouldn't necessarily be breaking the rules by playing a short section of the song or describing it on air.
I love weddings. I love getting dressed up and watching friends celebrate their happily-ever-after, catching up with people I haven’t seen in years and drunkenly eating cake and cheese at midnight. Love it. But as I’ve gotten older, what was once an exercise in tequila tolerance and dance-floor stamina has given way to a new kind of challenge: adulthood one-upmanship.
Nobody’s walking around shouting about their achievements or besmirching those of others, of course (because that makes you a jerk), but during the reception’s inevitable cavalcade of interactions, the same things come up: careers, marriage, kids. "Are you going for a promotion?" "When are you two tying the knot then?" "Can we expect the pitter-patter of tiny feet soon?" Loaded questions, all of them, and as I discovered at a pal’s recent nuptials, a new contender has entered the ring: "Have you bought?"
"Bought what?" I thought, the first out of the four times I was asked. And then my brain kicked into gear. “Oh! You mean a house! Haha, hell no.” And then my conversational partner smiled politely and muttered something about the economy before heading to the bar, seemingly embarrassed that he’d put me in the position of admitting my financial shortcomings.
But why? It’s no secret that it’s harder than ever to get on the property ladder – the average deposit now stands at £33,000 and that’s not the sort of cash most people have lying around. You can’t so much as skim the headlines without seeing yet another depressing piece of research telling us that many millennials won’t ever be able to afford to own a home by themselves – and god help you if you’re in London, where the situation is, frankly, dire.
And yet as a nation we’re absolutely fixated on the idea of property ownership. On the continent, renting is the norm and, once upon a time – before Thatcher’s Britain, before the post-war flurry of rebuilding and development – it was the norm here, too (in 1918, 77% of UK families rented their homes). But now it seems we’re all expected to make the long pilgrimage towards owning a house – the holy grail of today's economic climate – whatever the cost.
I’ve seen friends mortgage themselves to the hilt to buy dilapidated sheds, marriages nearly destroyed by the stress involved in the knackering climb onto that first rung, and families face emotional and financial chaos as they try to get their fully-grown offspring into a nest of their own. Meanwhile, nights out, holidays, experiences – living – is put on the back burner for months and years in a bid to grow modest monthly savings into a monster deposit. And seldom does signing on the dotted line bring relief. Of my friends that do own, few actually love their homes – some don’t even like their homes – but it’s a hard-won first step so "it’ll do".
I get it. I’ve lived in enough rented crapshacks and forked out enough money on mysterious letting agency fees to understand the appeal of a pile of bricks and mortar that is truly yours. I’d like, one day, to experience the giddy thrill of waking up in a bedroom that isn’t painted magnolia. But the reality is, that probably won’t be the case until my parents pass away (so obviously I’m not in any rush for that), or I move into a place similar to my post-uni digs where everything is inexplicably painted a blinding shade of aquamarine.
And I’ve made peace with this, because as much as I begrudge lining my landlord’s pockets with my hard-earned cash, the alternative – the scrimping, the saving, the arguments with friends and family, the sleepless nights and unending paperwork all in aid of a place "that’ll do" – holds no appeal for me.
I like knowing that I could up sticks at any point – for work, for love, for adventure – without a monumental bureaucratic headache. I like knowing that when the washing machine breaks down or the guttering goes, there’s someone who’ll sort it out for me, and that while my rent might go up, I never have to worry about fluctuating markets or the risk of losing thousands of pounds in investment. I like the fact that I can live where I want, not just where I can afford, and I like that I’m doing it on my own two feet, instead of relying on help from Mum and Dad. In a world where the simple business of existing is fraught with challenges, I like being able to choose.
And I’m not alone. Tamara Leckworth is 52 years old. She owns a successful business, has two grown-up children and has been renting her entire adult life. “It makes me really sad to see the pressure younger people are under to get on the housing ladder,” she tells me. “My eldest is 29 and feels like a failure because she’s unable to buy. But why, I ask her? I’ve always rented. I probably could have bought if I wanted to, but I hated the idea of being tied down, or having to stay in an unhappy relationship or career because of financial commitments. Renters get a raw deal, sure, but the payoff is major freedom.”
Indeed, we are a generation seeking freedom. We’ve replaced stuffy offices with remote working. We take cheap and cheerful mini-breaks throughout the year instead of committing to an annual fortnight in the sun. We don’t own cars, we order rides, and the weekly "big shop" is a thing of the past. We’ve been shafted by politicians and the economy in many restricting ways, so we take choice and convenience where we can. Renting is no different and there’s no shame in being part of – and even revelling – in that.
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Holidays are supposed to be about relaxing, but even experienced travellers know that planning a trip also comes with its own set of stresses. From figuring out how you're going to pay for it (so many costs!), to fitting everything into your carry-on (because, checked-bag fees…), to simply trying to get your bearings a new place, it’s easy to get overwhelmed.
But, luckily, it doesn't have to be so hard. We talked with four professional travellers who shared their insider tricks for making travel easier. Ahead, pick up tips for getting perks like free Champagne and learn how to make your trip a lot more comfortable, from beginning to end. Bon voyage!
Pick The Best Time To Leave Town We all know that booking your vacation as early as possible is the smart thing to do, but exactly how far ahead do you need to be to get the best prices? According to a 2017 travel trends report released by Adobe Digital Insights, that sweet spot for booking domestic flights falls between 76 to 112 days ahead of the trip, and 125 days in advance for international travel. Flying on a Saturday will save you an average of 11% compared to taking off on Monday, so it's best to be strategic with your annual leave days.
There's a bit more leeway when it comes to reserving accommodation: You'll get the best hotel pricing approximately 33 days before your stay.
Illustrated by Elliot Salazar.
Set Up Flight Alerts Another good trick for saving money is to set up flight alerts a few months before your departure date, suggests Clint Johnston, owner of the travel tips blog TripHackr. "They're free to set up on sites like Kayak, and they'll notify you by email when the fare drops to the price you set," he explains. "If you're flying internationally, plan to book your flight six to eight weeks before the departure date." Clint also says that being flexible with your dates and destination (if you can be) is the number one way to get a good deal. "Flying into nearby airports may save you a lot of money," he says. "For example, if you need to fly to LAX, also try Orange County, Long Beach, and Burbank."
Illustrated by Elliot Salazar.
Book Connecting Flights Separately To Save Money Sometimes it takes just a little extra time to save hundreds of dollars, says Johnston. "For example, flights to Rome may be expensive, but flights to Paris are cheap. Book a roundtrip to Paris and a second roundtrip on a budget airline [from Paris] to Rome," he suggests. "Budget carriers are common in Europe and Southeast Asia and often offer incredibly low fares." It may sound like a hassle, but when you have a few hundred more bucks to spend once you arrive in your destination, you'll be glad you took the time to do the research.
Illustrated by Elliot Salazar.
Find The Perfect Seat Turns out, there's an art to nabbing a good spot on an airplane, and Johnston has the secret to making it yours. "Check-in online and find the perfect seat before you get to the airport," he says. "Not all economy seats are the same, which is why I use sites like SeatGuru to find the best available seat. It will show you the perks or drawbacks from every seat and every plane, which helps you stay comfortable onboard." Extra legroom, anyone?
Illustrated by Elliot Salazar.
Learn To Love The Layover "I may be weird, but I personally like airports," says Guillebeau. And, that's because he figured out that they can be an awesome place to spend a few hours — if you know what you're doing. He explains that it wasn't until he started travel hacking overseas that he discovered the truly noteworthy airport lounges. "Some of these lounges are destinations," he writes on his blog. His favourites include Lufthansa First Class Terminal in Frankfurt, the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse in Heathrow, and the AmEx Centurion Lounge. Even if you don't have the exact, proper credentials, you may still be able to work your way in. For example, if you have any American Express credit card, you can pay £40 per visit to hang in the AmEx Centurion Lounge (it's free if you have the Platinum or Centurion Card). For long layovers, it's worth investigating the pay-per-visit airport lounges, since many offer free gourmet food and alcoholic beverages, high-speed Wi-Fi, and even complimentary massages. "If you can gain access to the right lounges, then you won't have a problem setting up shop for hours if necessary," Guillebeau says.
Illustrated by Elliot Salazar.
Embrace The Space Bag The old-school way of saving space in your suitcase: rolling your clothes. The new-school way: Space Bags! "I cannot live without Space Bags," confesses Jessica Dante, travel blogger and editor-in-chief of The Abroad Guide. "The ones that are made for travel can be used without a vacuum and are super useful when packing thick sweaters and outerwear for cold weather destinations," she says. "They suck the air out of those thick pieces so that you can fit more in your bag."
Illustrated by Elliot Salazar.
Access Country-Restricted Content No Matter Where You Are Sometimes the worst part about traveling internationally is having certain websites and videos blocked. But, there is a way to access them no matter where you are. Enter: the VPN — the virtual private network. "I use a VPN to access Pandora, Netflix, and other country-restricted content abroad," Johnston says. "Many services you pay for at home are blocked abroad, but VPNs will help you work around that. There are many free options, but paid options are often faster and more reliable." Looking for a good one? Try Private Internet Access. (And, no, it's not as sketchy as it sounds.)
Illustrated by Elliot Salazar.
Stream Media To Your Hotel TV If you're in the mood to watch a movie but don't want to pay the hotel’s exorbitant rental fee, you can save money by streaming from your phone or laptop but still get the larger-screen experience. "Instead of watching Netflix on my tiny phone, I can watch it on TV," says Jill Dressel, a corporate flight attendant. Her trick is making sure she always packs her HDMI cord. "You plug one end into your phone and one into the TV, then turn the TV to HDMI," she says. "It's that easy." You may need a special cable depending on your device, so be sure to confirm that you've got the right one before you depart.
Illustrated by Elliot Salazar.
Get A SIM Card When You Land If you know that you'll need to use your phone (either for calls or data) while travelling abroad, consider picking up a new SIM card at your destination and using a pay-as-you-go plan, says Dante. "If you have an unlocked smartphone, it will be much cheaper than roaming," she says. "And, you can use data for Google Maps, Instagram, and more without worrying how high your phone bill will be once you get home."
Illustrated by Elliot Salazar.
Be Social To Earn Perks You don't have to be a famous travel blogger to get all the perks. Dante says all you need is a social media account. "Before a trip, use Twitter to start a conversation with the hotel you'll be staying at, the operator of any tours that you plan on doing, and even the tourist board of your destination," she says. "Ask a question, talk about how excited you are for your trip, or just say hi — you'd be surprised what a little tweet could do." Upgrade or free Champagne, anyone?
Illustrated by Elliot Salazar.
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If you head into a Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop in Australia to order a two-scoop serving of the same ice cream flavour, be prepared for the response, "no ice cream for you!"
“Imagine heading down to your local Scoop Shop to order your favourite two scoops of Cookie Dough in a waffle cone. But you find out you are not allowed…You’d be furious!” Ben & Jerry’s wrote in an official statement. “But this doesn’t even begin to compare to how furious you would be if you were told you were not allowed to marry the person you love. So we are banning two scoops of the same flavour and encouraging our fans to contact their MPs to tell them that the time has come — make marriage equality legal!”
The brand's goal is to encourage its customers to join in the fight for LGBTQ rights and contact Australian MPs to express their support for the legalisation of gay marriage. Ben & Jerry’s will also host post boxes in the country’s 26 stores, giving their patrons the opportunity to write postcards to their MPs. The messages will be delivered to Australian Parliament in mid-June.
Your summer wardrobe needn’t be all about florals and sandals. Instead, mix things up this year and try a different approach to dressing for the warmer weather – the SS17 catwalks were doing it with softer fabrics paired with tougher accessories.
To show us how it’s done, we’ve looked to Refinery29’s Chemmie Squier for her unique take on how to style yourself this summer. Chemmie’s relaxed, tomboy vibe is all about being comfortable as well as stylish – the perfect combo when the sun shines – which is exactly why gingham paired with brogues is her favourite trend of the season.
So get ready for some summer style inspiration that will get you in the mood for the long days and the light evenings.
And if you’re after smooth legs to go with your summer outfit, try the Gillette Venus Swirl and Venus SatinCare shave gel – the razor uses FlexiBall technology to get to hard-to-reach areas.
Branded - Summer Style Just Got Hotter
Chemmie's Top Styling Tips:
1. “Gingham gives a summery vibe without being too over the top and it comes in so many different colours.”
2. “Just because it’s warmer outside doesn’t mean you always have to live in sandals – fun brogues and bright socks totally work for this time of year.”
3. “Wearing a choker adds a little something to any outfit.”
Chemmie Wears: Look 1: USA Pro Grey and Pink Shorts, £12.99, available at USA Pro New Balance Trainers, available at New Balance GAP White Vest Top, available at GAP
Look 2: Cheap Monday Black Denim Skirt, available at Cheap Monday Boohoo Gingham Top, available at Boohoo Rogues Spangles Shoes, £179, available at Rogues Kurt Geiger Bag, available at Kurt Geiger ASOS Black Metal Ring Choker, available at ASOS ASOS Glitter Socks, available at ASOS Jeepers Peepers Red Sunglasses, available at Jeepers Peepers Ekria Rings (middle fingers), £405 each, available Ekria Freedom Geo Shape Ring Pack (other fingers), £8, available at Topshop
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Social networks are branching out from careful curation and are embracing ephemerality – big time. Snapchat led the way, of course, with its Stories that disappear after 24 hours and kooky filters. Then came the wildly popular Instagram Stories (how did we ever manage without it?), and now even Facebook Stories is a thing (nah, we’ve not tried it either).
But, did you know, WhatsApp also has a similar feature? WhatsApp Status launched in February and already has 175 million daily users, according to Mark Zuckerberg, who owns the messaging app. That means it’s already bigger than Snapchat itself – so it’s about time you gave it a try if you haven’t already.
What is WhatsApp Status? WhatsApp Status lets you post photos, videos and those all-important GIFs, which disappear after 24 hours, with people whose phone numbers you have saved in your phone contacts.
How do I access it and post a Status? Make sure you’ve got the latest version of WhatsApp. In the bottom left-hand corner it should say Status. Then, tap the icon in the top right-hand corner to take a new photo or video, or choose an existing one (crucially, you can add captions, emoji, text or drawings on top). Once you’re happy, simply hit the send button.
How do I view someone else’s status? Your contacts’ statuses will automatically show up on the Status screen. You can give them feedback by tapping Reply at the bottom of the screen.
Is my Status private? Only people who are saved in your phone’s address book can see your Statuses and you can even pick and choose which of your contacts can and can’t see them. On the Status screen, tap Privacy and choose who you can see your updates.
How do I delete a Status? Having second thoughts about posting that vid of you grinding up against nightclub security? Want it gone before your mum stumbles on it? Luckily, you can get rid of Statuses before the 24 hour period is up. Simply tap the three dots next to the My Status button, select the Status you want to delete and hit the dustbin icon.
Can I mute someone's Status? To hide updates from that annoying "friend" you haven't seen for five years, simply go to the Status screen, tap and hold their status update and tap Mute. If you want to start hearing from them again, just go to the Status screen, scroll down to see your Muted statuses, top and hold their update and tap Unmute.
Granted, it may be no Insta Stories, but WhatsApp Status might just be the easiest way to stop those meme screenshots from clogging up your phone and finally put them to good use.
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Ariana Grande will be returning to Manchester for a benefit concert on Sunday, 4th June. Grande confirmed the event, titled One Love Manchester, on Twitter Tuesday afternoon. Meanwhile, the BBC has revealed the star-studded lineup for the show, which will take place two weeks after the May 22 terrorist attack that killed 22 and injured 59. Joining headliner Grande are Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Coldplay, Pharrell, Usher, One Direction's Niall Horan, and Take That.
The BBC reports that net ticket proceeds will go directly to the the We Love Manchester Emergency fund, which was organised by the city of Manchester and the British Red Cross to support victims and their families in the wake of the tragedy. Everybody who attended the 22nd May show will be allowed to attend for free. (They have to register on Ticketmaster by Wednesday.) Then, on Thursday morning, tickets will become available to the general public. For those who can't make the event, it will also be broadcast live on the BBC's TV and radio stations.
Grande suspended her tour and announced her plans to return to the city for a fundraising show in a somber statement expressing her condolences last week. "Our response to this violence must be to come closer together, to help each other, to love more, to sing louder and to live more kindly and generously than we did before," she wrote. "I’ll be returning to the incredibly brave city of Manchester to spend time with my fans and to have a benefit concert in honour of and to raise money for the victims and their families. I want to thank my fellow musicians and friends for reaching out to be a part of our expression of love for Manchester."
As a child of the '90s, my favourite magazine ads featured anything and everything scratch-and-sniff. Sure, it was usually a total gimmick, but it’s hard to resist the urge to bring the page to life — if only for your olfactory. Suffice it to say, I'm not surprised that the latest tattoo trend sweeping the internet has borrowed this clever feature many of us grew up with. Except this time, it’s no gimmick. Enter: scented tattoos.
According PopSugar, the scented tattoo fad is raging on Pinterest, just in time for festival season, and we're hopping on the bandwagon fast. The style is somewhere between a watercolour design and plant stamping, making the ink Instagram gold.
Some of the coolest scented tats come from Tattly, a site you may know thanks to its treasure trove of temporary body art designs. The company sells tons of non-toxic tattoos that last up to four days on your skin. Plus, they're created with vegetable-based ink that’s FDA-compliant, so they're safe for all ages. But here's the best part: The tattoos are pretty cheap (around £14 for a set of 8) and come in a multitude of scents like rosemary, sage, peony, hydrangea, and even Ring Pop.
Photo: Courtesy of Tattly.
But these are more than just your standard heart or star designs. The plant designs were crafted by Vincent Jeannerot, a French watercolour painter who primarily creates botanical pieces, while Julia Rothman is the mastermind behind the candy-inspired illustrations.
The scents are subtle, but just as complex as your favourite perfume. Formulated by Agilex Fragrances, each tattoo is made with a set of unique notes that last all day long. So we're calling it: Scented tattoos are the new adult version of flash tattoos — and we're so into it.
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Apparently frustrated by the U.S. Senate's slow action, President Trump wants to change the Senate's voting rules. On Tuesday, the commander-in-chief tweeted that the upper chamber of Congress should use a simple majority voting system, meaning a bill would pass if 51 of the total 100 representatives support a bill. That's how the Senate usually works, but Trump's comments suggest eliminating the possibility of a filibuster.
Trump tweeted, "The U.S. Senate should switch to 51 votes, immediately, and get healthcare and tax cuts approved, fast and easy. Dems would do it, no doubt!"
Filibusters are extended debates sometimes carried out by senators to defeat a bill. In order to end a filibuster, the Senate must invoke cloture, limiting further debate to 30 hours and requiring a three-fifths majority (or 60 votes) for the bill to pass.
The U.S. Senate should switch to 51 votes, immediately, and get Healthcare and TAX CUTS approved, fast and easy. Dems would do it, no doubt!
One of the most notable filibusters in recent history was on the state level, when Texas Sen. Wendy Davis held the floor for 11 hours in an attempt to kill a bill that would have banned abortion at 20 weeks and imposed medically unnecessary requirements on abortion providers. The provision was later passed and signed by former Gov. Rick Perry, but Davis' lengthy filibuster caught the nation's attention.
Based on his tweet, the president seems to believe forbidding filibusters would help the Republican healthcare bill and his proposed tax plan pass quickly, but Senate Republicans already found a way to bypass a filibuster when it comes to health care. Because GOP leadership is attempting to reform health care through a budget reconciliation process, a filibuster isn't possible.
Still, conservative lawmakers (who currently hold 52 Senate seats) are having a hard time agreeing on what exactly the healthcare bill should look like, especially after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office's analysis of the House version found that 23 million Americans will lose insurance by 2026 under the proposed law.
Changing the Senate rules could help move Trump's tax plan along, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters in April his party isn't looking to eliminate filibusters, though the party could use a reconciliation process for taxes as well.
Earlier this May, Robin Wright got incredibly candid in a feature with The Edit. The House of Cards star didn’t hold back when she explained to the magazine that her male co-star, Kevin Spacey, has a much higher salary than she does.
“I was told that I was getting equal pay and I believed them, and I found out recently that it’s not true...so that’s something to investigate,” she told the publication. It’s unclear how long ago the interview was given, but it’s safe to say that just as the hit Netflix series dropped today, many of us wondered if Wright was able to work out that whole “equal pay” situation..
It turns out, no, she didn’t. As noted by Vulture, the 51-year-old actress spoke more about what happened in United Airlines’ in-flight publication, Rhapsody. When asked about the comments she madelast yearregarding the pay disparity between she and her male counterpart Wright said, “I don’t want to be a spokesperson. That was one of 20 questions they asked me, and it went viral.”
She continued, “I don’t think I’m getting paid the same amount [as co-star, Kevin Spacey]. They told me I was getting a raise. But…I don’t think so.”
It turns out Spacey is a founding producer of the series, which lends him certain privileges, including a heftier salary. What does this mean for Wright? It’s unlikely she’ll ever receive the same amount. Though it seems the company that signs her paycheques, Media Rights Capital, and Wright have reached an agreement that lends her some incentives. “They’ve offered Wright an incremental form of amends,” said Rhapsody. This gives the actress an executive producer credit as well as several directing opportunities. “According to one source close to the company, MRC has promised Wright a future production deal that could eclipse Spacey’s,” the publication noted.
While it seems like Wright has done some light back-pedalling after saying, “I was like, ‘You better pay me or I’m going to go public.’ And they did,” to the audience at the Rockefeller Foundation last year, what she said wasn’t entirely false. She did go public and she was promised a future production deal, one that could even upstage Spacey’s.
Though considering that at one point she was told she was given equal pay (but wasn’t) and future promises are no tangible commodity — you have to wonder: What would Claire Underwood do?
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After months and months of anticipation, last night Alexa Chung unveiled her debut eponymous collection, Alexachung, to an intimate audience of family, friends and fashion press, packed tightly together on pews in the beautiful Danish Church of Saint Katharine in London's Regents Park.
After a merry drinks reception in the church's flower-strewn back garden, evoking the quintessential English summer wedding, the crowd made its way into the church for the big reveal. "I wanted to hold the presentation somewhere that felt uplifting and celebratory and ultimately had a good vibe about it. I had been joking about marrying myself to this brand, which is where the wedding concept came from. I wanted it to feel ceremonial, to bring a sense of occasion to the unveiling of the collection. It’s been a long journey to get to this day and I was so happy to be able to share it with all my close friends and family along with my peers from the fashion industry who I have admired along the way,” Chung explained in a press statement. And though this may not have been a typical fashion show (taking place separately from the traditional fashion week schedule), Chung still pulled in fashion's heavyweights, with Natalie Massenet, Business of Fashion's Imran Amed and fellow designers Henry Holland, Molly Goddard and Shrimps' Hannah Weiland all jostling for space on the crowded church seats.
Photo: Mitchel SamsPhoto: Mitchel Sams
Capital Children’s Choir, just visible in the gallery (boy, were they cute!), sang "Good Vibrations" as the first model confidently strode down the aisle in a jumper emblazoned with the words 'Screw You'. Inspired by a kaleidoscope of Chung’s personal style influencers, from Jane Birkin to David Bowie, there were crochet twinsets and denim dungarees, leather pinafores and printed tees, covetable corduroy, floral tiered dresses and plenty of ruffles. A Brian Jones-inspired candy stripe suit followed a Charles Jeffrey-illustrated jacquard silk cheongsam, and pinafore dress in lilac PVC, offering an expressive combination of racy and rock ‘n’ roll with elegant tailoring, and classic silhouettes.
Photo: Mitchel SamsPhoto: Mitchel Sams
"I had this idea to make a miniskirt suit that would be our own classic, sort of like a Chanel suit, in trench fabric that would become an Alexachung staple. It’s more of a trend thing now, and probably won’t carry on to the next season. Though who knows; maybe we’ll carry it in another fabric down the line. We’re allowing ourselves the time to see what emerges as our cornerstone pieces. The whole line is pretty wardrobe-y anyway, and very wearable. We worked on the summer dresses and the hooded tee dress a fair bit,” Chung explained to Refinery29.
With over 150 pieces, priced from £85-£1,500, Chung will create four in-season collections a year, available from select retailers including Selfridges, Net-A-Porter, Matches and Mytheresa. "The first season is a sort of ‘getting to know you’ collection, and it gets more directional as we move along and I really took the reins more. For a while I was like, ‘I’m still floating between New York and London, It girl-ing around,’ and by season three I was locked in, just saying, ‘Oh shit, I’m here, working from 8 ’till 8, baby.’”
Photo: Mitchel SamsPhoto: Mitchel Sams
It was evident from the attention to detail throughout the collection, from cut to the quality of the fabric, that this was far more than just another celebrity-endorsed line. And judging from the reaction of the audience as the show drew to a close (pink confetti fell from the ceiling as the children's choir sang Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit"), the rapturous applause which filled the church and the excitable hubbub of people already discussing what they wanted to buy, you'd better place your orders quickly.
The collection is available from today, 31st May, fromAlexachung.comand select retailers.
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If you're staring at your computer screen trying to remember why you ever applied for this job then take a time out and do a travelling daydream.
Each month, we bring you the best of the best that Airbnb has to offer in order to give you two things. One: the chance to nosy inside other people's houses (who doesn't love to do that) and two: the opportunity to fantasise for five minutes about just what you're going to do next time you book yourself a much-needed holiday.
Here we go.
The Balian Treehouse in Pantai Balian, Bali
How adorable is this place? Located just three minutes from the beach (as if you're going to want to leave), this treehouse on stilts looks more like the Balinese version of a Hobbit house than a holiday home.
In the garden at the bottom of the rocky stairs there's a pool which lights up at night (handy if you've had a few cocktails) and the treehouse itself has a rustic, fun interior which Laurence Llewellyn Bowen circa Changing Rooms would be proud to claim as his own.
There's a terrace with a hammock, and another terrace downstairs if you feel the need to mix up your sunbathing. There's also a rain shower, fruit you can pick in the garden, surfboards and daily cleaning from owner Made and his wife Lluh.
Reviews are top notch. Brandilynn from Virginia in the US said, "This place is awesome!!!! Made is phenomenal! He made sure we had everything we needed."
This iconic apartment just to the southeast of Berlin is half about the views across the river, and half about the fun interior design.
There's a revolving couch (really), an indoor swing, circular Hobbit-like doors, a crane on the roof (hence 'kranhaus" or "crane house"), gorgeous floor-to-ceiling windows and fun, quirky furniture. Even better, Kranhaus sleeps 10 people so it actually works out at pretty reasonably priced (just over £50 each) when it comes to things like (well-behaved) hen dos or group holidays.
Reviews are across-the-board positive. Caroline from London says, "This apartment is amazing. Great for big groups. The revolving sofa was quite the talking point. Beautiful views."
THE place to do your digital detox if you've been thinking about ditching your phone for a week. Located in the desert to the east of Los Angeles, this "IT House" is powered by solar panels, strives not to disturb the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape and, most importantly, comes without a TV or wi-fi.
Fear not, though, fellow millennials; the off-grid house might be devoid of internet but it does offer other hipster essentials like fresh daily juice deliveries from Joshua Tree and is kitted out with Casper mattresses and pillows.
Phoebe from London fell in love with the place. "If you take the time to watch the landscape around you, it starts to come to life with desert animals; we even saw a coyote walk past the house at dawn. Watching the morning sun come round the rocks from bed was an experience we'll never forget."
To book Off-Grid itHouse from £312 a night, click here.
Private Island next to Key West, USA
You can get yourself a whole damn island. No, really, a whole island for £160 a night – providing you split the cost with your seven nearest and dearest friends.
The island, located on the Summerland Key, one of the stretches of land that reach out from Florida's southernmost tip, fits eight people, has a pool (in case the surrounding balmy waters of the Gulf of Mexico aren't enough for you), two treehouse-esque houses with decks and terraces for all your sunbathing needs, a garden, rainforest and private jetty for you to launch your boat from. You've got a boat... right?
The island is a new addition to Airbnb so there's only one review, which comes from Anna in Finland, who says that "We loved the privacy of Melody Key and its lizards, crabs and other animals." She also points out that the owner "makes sure you don't get trapped on the island," which is always a plus.
To book the private island from £1,281 a night, click here.
The Enchanted Cave in the Blue Mountains in Australia
Oooh, it's not cheap but by gum, look at that view. Just outside Sydney, the Blue Mountains are famous for being spectacularly picturesque and staying in this cave is no doubt the best way to experience them.
Owner Lionel is a man of few words but what he does say is poignant. "Close the door. The view. The spa. I am caveman." Sure thing, Lionel.
The cave sleeps two people and there's a river to swim in nearby. Even better, it's a bloody long way from civilisation – there's a bus that goes from nearby Richmond once a day.
Reviews show a bunch of very impressed travellers: Samuel from Hong Kong said, "All I can say is do this!!! Save up for that special event with your partner in crime and make a memory that will both remember forever."
This seemingly remote modernist house in northern Iceland is blessed with a view to lose your mind over.
Despite feeling completely isolated, though, the nearest big town is only 10 minutes away, which is somewhat reassuring when the sun goes down and things get very dark indeed. Although, if you're there in winter, host Petur reckons you can see the Aurora Borealis at night!
Inside, the flat is minimalist and outside there's all sorts of excellent nature activities to take advantage of.
Reviews are super positive. Taylor from Connecticut says, "Try and visualise the loveliest place to spend a week: you want a place with views of the fjord and access to the wilds of Iceland, but close enough to the city that you don't feel shut out and completely secluded... yet you don't want a lot of noise and you want to feel completely safe. That is exactly what you'll get from this lovely studio."
You know when you’re just going through life, bossing the hell out of it and thinking to yourself, 'Damn, I got this down'? Yeah, that was me for the last month. I’d been living in Sicily, eating gelato and arancini daily, drinking spritz in the sun and swimming in the crystal-clear coves. Life was good; life was very, very good. Chemo, cancer and hospital visits were a distant memory. I was looking great; my hair was growing back and my skin was glowing thanks to a bit of sunshine – why is it that everyone looks great with a tan?! Even my period, as if by some lunar magic, had returned. Equilibrium had finally been restored.
I flew back to the UK on Sunday 23rd April in time for my three-month CT scan, to check things were still going swimmingly and to confirm that my last PET scan had just been a red herring, an anomaly. My consultant’s words rang in my ears – “If you feel well then you are well” – and I felt fucking great. The day before results day I’d left random WhatsApp messages on friends' phones. “Hey! Only me, getting my results tomorrow but not even worried about it in the slightest, going to boss it! Come visit me in Italy soon please! Okay, Looooooooove Yoooooooouu. Ciao Ciao!!”
Results day and I strutted into the hospital, the confident, healthy person I now was. Rested, relaxed, glowing with vitality and life. I visited my chemo nurses to deliver them some Sicilian treats. They hugged me tightly, beaming from ear to ear. “You look great!” they exclaimed, all smiles and elation. “Doesn’t that hair suit you?” “You’re rocking it girl!” Yep, yep I was, I was fucking rocking it. What a smug bastard. Within 20 minutes I’d be out of this hospital and on the next flight back to Palermo, back to my four-month-long holiday and the sun, Barry and the good life.
I waltzed down the corridor for my weigh-in, bantering with the nurse about my new palazzo-style trousers and how goddamn glamorous I was looking now I was back to my normal, healthy weight. I sauntered into my consultant's office, not a care in the world.
“Now unfortunately, Ariane, it’s not good news” and just like that the smile is wiped from my face. Everything stops. The world, as I now know it, stops. Time stops. All I can hear is my mum’s breath, next to me. That horrible raspy, long, sighing-out breath of someone who can’t quite believe what they’re hearing, exhaling loudly as a means of stopping themselves from crumbling and crying, from ending up a heap of emotion and soggy tears on the floor. I do not cry, I will not let myself. I swallow back the tears. My pragmatic head kicks into action.
Turns out there’s a 19mm tumour in my chest, still, right behind my breast bone. 19 fucking mm, that is all. The minuteness of it making it even more painful to grasp. It’s a tough pill to swallow. Tougher than all those nasty steroids and cancer drugs I’ve swallowed over the last year, that’s for certain. I’ve been so positive, so brave, shown the utmost strength and courage. The support network that has surrounded me has been more than I ever could have imagined. I have literally been shitting positive vibes and PMA. But sometimes nature and science has the final say.
I spend the next few hours in a state of numbness, wandering around Bath with a bewildered look on my face. Really and truly, I feel like giving up. What is the point, I ask myself? What has been the point of this whole year? I am not sure, I am confused. I feel like I have failed at fighting cancer. Why hasn’t the treatment worked fully? Why have I not gone into remission? Why the fuck is this happening? Why me? The evening is spent in bed, buried under my duvet, tears of bitterness and resentment trickling down my face. Anger seeps out of me, it soaks my bedsheets and coats my dreams. Unfairness, frustration and despair trample over my soul.
Thankfully, my old trusty friend, bravery, comes along to save me and kick my arse back into reality and rational thinking. What is a few more months of crap for a lifetime of fun? It tells me. Accept and be brave, accept and be brave. The mantra of my life plays over and over.
It’s not all bad. If I have to have more chemo then I’ll rent a Georgian flat in Bath, pretend I’m Jane Austen (the chemo chic version) for a bit, writing to keep sane. I will keep on with the humour and the positive thinking.
I even managed to slip back to beautiful Sicily for one last week of sunshine, eating as much seafood pasta and ice cream as my gob and belly would allow, feigning that I was a happy twenty-something once again.
For now, though, it’s back to Blighty for more scans, more biopsies, more waiting for results, more anxiety and more struggle. I’m hoping, so fucking badly, that there has been a mistake. That when I have my follow-up PET scan it will show zero cancer cells and that the lump is in fact just leftover scar tissue, a benign tumour that has been left there to taunt me. This is wishful thinking, I know. If I don’t get the results I want then it will likely be more gruelling chemo and a stem cell transplant – the cherry on the top of what has been the coldest, cruellest ice cream of my life.
Cancer, you bastard, I’m not finished with you yet.
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Welcome to Money Diaries, where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We're asking a cross-section of women how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period – and we're tracking every last penny.
This week we're with a 29-year-old who moved to the UK from New Zealand in chase of change and easier access to travel. She and her husband live in Edinburgh and are saving for more European travel. This is going well as her very generous mother-in-law is currently visiting from New Zealand and they're pretty good at being prepared with their groceries. They're also both vegetarian, which brings down the cost a bit!
Industry: Marketing Age: 29 Location: Edinburgh Salary: £28,000 Paycheque amount per month: £1,841 Number of housemates: Just my husband and me
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: £650 rent Loan payments: £0 – we left NZ with all our debts paid off, which feels like a small miracle. Utilities: £194 Transportation: £54 for a bus card, although this month I’m not topping it up since we’re about to go away for two weeks and we are walking so frequently, so I’ll just get some mobile tickets. Phone bill: £54 Savings: I pay our rent and bills as I got a job first when we moved here, so my husband pays for our gym memberships, charity donations, our savings (roughly £500-600) and a bit more of our social life.
Amount left over: £943
Day One
7am: Our weekly grocery shop arrived last night so the house is full of food. I’m a little obsessed with ordering online from ASDA and get it delivered every Sunday night like clockwork. Breakfast is plunger coffee with soy milk and tomatoes on toast.
8.30am: I ride to work on the bus using my prepaid bus card. Today is the last day I can use it this month.
10am: Snack time at my desk. Free coffee from the work canteen and a handful of cashews. I load my Caxton travel card for our upcoming trip and add the minimum amount of £10; I’ll wait to add the rest of our travel savings after the card has actually arrived.
1pm: I’m having lunch I made the night before – a salad with spinach, cherry tomatoes, nuts, seeds, cucumber, olives, radishes and lots of balsamic dressing and caramelised onion hummus.
1.30pm: I need a bit of an afternoon pick-me-up so a colleague and I go for a walk to get a drink and some vegan chocolate – he pays. I eat too much of the chocolate at my desk and feel a little sick for the rest of the afternoon.
5pm: I meet my husband after work and we walk home together, which takes about 45 mins at a fast pace and serves as our exercise for the day.
7pm: My mother-in-law is visiting from NZ and has cooked us dinner and bought wine. Baked sweet potatoes with a spicy lentil topping and a spinach side salad. She’s the best.
Total:£10
Day Two
7am: Breakfast is at home again today. I make oats with blueberries, coconut yoghurt and cinnamon and have plunger coffee with soy milk while I watch the news.
9am: I take the later bus to work this morning since I’ll be working late tonight. My bus card has expired but my husband sends me a mobile ticket.
1pm: Lunch is a salad I quickly made last night. Similar to yesterday but with walnuts and half a can of chickpeas added and a few hemp seeds sprinkled over top, all from my well-stocked cupboards. Afterwards I go for a walk around the block with a colleague and I don’t take my wallet so I can avoid any temptations.
5pm: I didn’t have to work late tonight after all. I meet up with my husband and mother-in-law after work and we walk down to the pub (in the rain, because Scotland) to meet a few friends for a couple of drinks. I have two IPAs and my husband pays for one and my friend’s dad, who is also visiting from New Zealand, pays for the other. My friend buys a hummus platter and some chips for everyone to share and I snack on it a little while we drink and catch up.
8pm: It’s only Tuesday so we call it a night pretty early. We catch a taxi home and I use my Gett app which has £15 of vouchers on it. The ride comes to £11 so it’s a free ride.
9pm: The snacks at the bar weren’t quite enough to suffice as a meal so I make a quick dinner from what we have in the house – roasted sweet potato, veggie sausages and a side salad, with enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow (I really hate buying my lunches during the work week as it always feels like such an expensive way to do it).
Total: £0
Day Three
7am: My avocado is finally ripe but there’s only one slice of bread left and it’s looking a little miserable so I have the avo on salt & vinegar rice cakes while I get ready – and, of course, my usual plunger coffee with soy milk while I watch the news.
8.30am: Luckily my husband has one more spare mobile ticket which he sends me for my bus ride.
1pm: Short lunch break today as I have a lot to get through since I’m on leave the next two days. I have leftovers from last night – salad with roasted sweet potato, chickpeas and some hummus to top it off and I eat them at my desk.
5pm: I meet my husband after work and we walk home again – 45 mins at a brisk pace. We stop at Morrisons on the way to get a couple of extra supplies for dinner (peanuts, bean sprouts, spring onions and limes) and some potatoes, just because they’re on special. £4.10
7pm: I make dinner with the ingredients we picked up and some stuff I already had in the house. Noodle salad with satay tofu and red peppers, carrots, bean sprouts and lots of chilli and lime. My mother-in-law has treated us to a bottle of our favourite gin (Pickerings) so we have G&T’s with pink grapefruit and mint as well.
Total:£4.10
Day Four
8am: I have a bit of a sleep-in this morning because I’m on leave for a few days to show the mother-in-law around a bit more. It’s her first time visiting us in Scotland so we made sure to book time off to spend together. We have breakfast at home, made from the groceries already in the house – oats with blueberries, kiwis and coconut yoghurt and topped with cinnamon and chia seeds.
10am: We all catch the bus to town together. Still haven’t topped up my bus card (I’ll be honest, I’m not planning to until I get back from our summer trip) but my mother-in-law gives me a few coins to cover the cost, bless her.
10.30am: We stop in at Pret to get a few snacks for our day trip to Glasgow. I get a veggie box and some crisps and my husband pays.
11.20am: We catch the bus to Glasgow. The train is nicer but the bus is much cheaper. I pre-booked this for the three of us weeks ago when I saw a good deal, so this didn’t come out of this week’s budget. It takes a bit longer but it’s a good chance to zone out with some music and podcasts.
12.45pm: We’ve arrived in Glasgow and are here to do a little shopping for our summer trip (we don’t own many summer clothes since moving here so this is a necessity). I’m armed with a specific list and manage to find everything I had in mind – I get New Balance sneakers (£52) and a skirt, top and dungarees from Topshop (£105).
3pm: It’s 26 degrees in Glasgow which is nothing short of a Scottish miracle. I buy a round of prosecco in the sun, which we drink a little too quickly and it goes straight to our heads. £12
3.30pm: Mother-in-law and I get our nails done. Despite my best efforts she won’t let me pay a penny and it’s a fun bonding experience for us while my husband is off finding new trainers.
5pm: We have a pre-dinner drink down a random lane we stumble upon – a round of IPAs and my husband pays (once we manage to actually find the bartender – he was outside sunning himself and having a chat! Extremely forgivable as this kind of weather in Scotland should be enjoyed by all).
6pm: Dinner at one of our favourite vegan restaurants in Glasgow. We get a veggie haggis pizza, a pesto and artichoke pizza and a range of nibbles – chips, onion rings and some veggies with dips. One more IPA each and we somehow manage to have space for dessert as well (we share a brownie and a pistachio slice with vanilla soy ice cream). My husband and mother-in-law split the bill.
8.30pm: Back to Edinburgh on the pre-booked bus.
9.40pm: We get off in town and I call us a taxi to get home rather than catching the bus as we’re all exhausted from the heat. I still have a small voucher left on the Gett app which comes off the total so the ride is reasonably cheap. £8.70
Total:£177.70
Day Five
10am: We’re having a quiet morning drinking coffee and catching up on some life admin. I do our weekly online ASDA grocery shop which I always get delivered on a Sunday night. I buy mostly fresh fruit, veggies, nuts, seeds and a few veggie sausages because they’re on special and some premade falafel because I’m feeling lazy. I have a lot of vouchers available from the ASDA price guarantee website which reduces the cost drastically so it only comes to £11.24 and I also buy some mobile bus tickets to get me through until we go on our holiday. £29.60
12pm: My husband pops out to the local Morrisons for some food for us and comes back with juice, avocado, limes and fresh bread for an easy lunch before we head off for the day.
2pm: We bus to town and I use one of my mobile tickets. We have a browse around the shops and I stop in at Superdrug to get some dry shampoo. I get two bottles on a buy one, get one half price special and give one to my mother-in-law. £4.48
4pm: We’re all shopped out and desperate to enjoy the sunshine (the temperature has miraculously risen to 28 degrees). We go to Sainsbury’s to get some picnic supplies – hummus, carrot sticks, crisps, olives, a fruit platter and a few drinks for a picnic in the Princes Street gardens. My mother-in-law pays and we lie in the sun on the grass for a couple of hours.
6pm: To make the most of being in town we show the mother-in-law a few more sites around Edinburgh (Voldemort’s grave!) and then make our way home on the bus and I use another one of my mobile tickets.
7pm: A quiet night in drinking the gin from earlier in the week and watching some Netflix. We don’t need a proper dinner because we’re so full from our picnic but we do snack on some of the amazing NZ chocolate the MIL brought over for us and a few ice creams from the freezer.
Total: £45.32
Day Six
8am: An easy breakfast at home while I get ready for the day. Toast with NZ marmite and surprise, surprise – plunger coffee with soy milk.
9.30am: I catch the bus using one of my mobile bus tickets and meet up with a friend. I’m getting a tattoo and she’s getting a consultation.
10am: Tattoo time! I booked and paid for this weeks ago so it kinda feels like it’s free (I can tell myself that, right?) and my friend stays and chats with me while I get it done – always happy for the distraction while I’ve got needles digging into my arm!
12pm: With my tattoo done we walk into town and I say goodbye to my friend and meet up with my husband who has been taking his mum around the last few iconic spots in the city she needs to see before she leaves on Monday.
2pm: We walk down to a place for lunch that’s half cafe, half organic shop. We get a sharing platter that has a variety of salads, breads and dips with a side of chips. My mother-in-law pays for the lunch and I get a few supplies for dinner from the shop. £7.25
3pm: I head home on the bus using a mobile ticket and spend the afternoon relaxing – the sun has disappeared and thunder has arrived so Netflix, books and naps are guilt-free.
7pm: I make an easy dinner of roasted butternut squash and chickpeas in a salad with miso & sesame dressing and we watch Brad Pitt’s new movie on Netflix – War Machine (it’s average).
Total: £7.25
Day Seven
9.30am: Very pleased to have managed a sleep-in for my last day of holiday. Normally I spend a few hours at the gym on a Sunday but with a fresh tattoo I have the perfect excuse to lie in with coffee and my book.
11.30am: Brunch time! I rustle something together from what we have in the house. Roasted potato cubes, garlicky sauteed mushrooms and kale, veggie sausages and avocado on toast. The weather remains average so we relax with a documentary on the Scottish highlands and start thinking about the housework we should probably catch up on.
3pm: Today has been so quiet it’s really not worth documenting. I do a few rounds of laundry, put on a face mask, read my book and snack on strawberries, blueberries, oat cakes with hummus and green tea.
7pm: Our weekly ASDA order is due to arrive in about an hour but I’m ready for something light for dinner now. I’ve snacked a lot today so don’t need anything too substantial and end up just having avocado and marmite on toast.
8pm: We have a whisky to toast to the end of my MIL's trip to Scotland.
Reni Eddo-Lodge is that rarest of delights – a young, working-class black woman from Tottenham with a voice in public life. She’s written everywhere from TheTelegraph to The New York Times and won various awards for her work to open up the conversation about systemic racism in Britain. Her debut book – Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race – is an important collection of essays on the topic.
It started as a blog post in 2014 when, frustrated at walking on eggshells when discussing race with white people, Reni wrote: “I just can’t engage with the bewilderment and the defensiveness as they try to grapple with the fact that not everyone experiences the world in the way that they do. They’ve never had to think about what it means, in power terms, to be white – so any time they’re vaguely reminded of this fact they interpret it as an affront…”
Exploring everything from class to feminism to the racial bias that is usually swept under the carpet in this country, the book is a real eye-opener when it comes to Britain’s hidden history of discrimination. And Reni doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to naming and shaming the unsisterly white feminists she’s come across along the way. She's someone I greatly admire for going against the grain and speaking up for what's right. Below, we had a conversation about her process, and about why a book like this matters now.
Paris Lees: So I guess you’re talking to a lot of white people about race now?
Reni Eddo-Lodge: I think I’ve been talking to white people about race ever since I published the post that said I don’t want to talk to white people about race anymore – it had the opposite effect! But one thing that it did change was the quality of the conversations I was having about race with white people. They got a lot better.
Do you think there’s an entitlement to that – like no one wants to hear what you’ve got to say until you don’t want to say it?
Definitely. Sometimes I think of it in the context of a strike. The withdrawal of labour. Then everyone is like "Noooo!" But what I found in the comments under the original post was people saying things like, "But you’re taking something really important away from us if you do that" and I was thinking, if it’s so important, why was I just constantly being shut down? So I think in that initial post and the title of the book, it was me really saying that there needs to be a new way to discuss these issues because the way that we’re all so used to is really unhelpful and destructive.
The book challenged my understanding of racism – and maybe it’s a very simplistic interpretation – as having ideas about people based upon their race. Usually bad ideas. I feel like what you’re talking about in the book, though, is white supremacism and white privilege?
To me, racism is about structural disadvantage. It’s about the fact that a black boy is three times as likely as the rest of the school population to be excluded from school, it’s about the fact that black people in the criminal justice system receive harsher sentences for possession of drugs, even though white people are much more likely to use drugs, it’s about the fact that if you have an African- or Asian-sounding name you’re much less likely to be called to interview when you’re applying for jobs than a white person with an English-sounding name with identical qualifications and experience. It’s about the fact that black people are much more likely to be sectioned in mental health services because of stereotypes that we’re aggressive and uncontrollable. We can’t avoid education, we all need a job, and it’s likely that we’re going to come into contact with the NHS or policing or the criminal justice system at some point in our lives. So I’m really talking about structural bias, which means that if you’re not white, you’re more likely to lose out in those systems. I think lots of people also have personal prejudice and I tell that anecdote in the book about finding myself in a café with the black man telling me, "I save the best cuts of meat for us and not white people". The fact of the matter is he was prejudiced.
But would you call that racism?
In its literal terms, it’s prejudging on racial prejudice. But he’s not in a position of power to negatively affect those white people’s life chances, if you know what I mean? I think lots of people have racial prejudice, but white people are more likely to be landlords, more likely to be CEOs, more likely to be in positions of power. So if you need a job or you need a home or you need an education, they’re the gatekeepers. I think racism is prejudice plus power, that’s where it really takes hold. Racism is a byword for prejudice and interpersonal nastiness, but I want to look at the bigger picture of institutional bias.
That section on bias in the education system made me really angry because my brother’s in his final year at uni, and mixed race. He’s smart, he’s funny, he’s 21 – he’s got his whole life ahead of him and it’s just so wrong that, the evidence shows, the odds are stacked against him due to the colour of his skin...
I talk in the book about the fact that young black people are more likely to go to university but much less likely to get into the best, and when they do graduate they’re much more likely to graduate with lower grades, and earn less. You could interpret these stats and say, "Well it’s just because they’re not very good" or you could say, "The system is fucked, the system is biased". And there’s also evidence to show that if you come from poverty, regardless of your colour, that’s the case. Some people like to go on about meritocracy but the reality is that there’s a really homogenous group of people – basically middle-aged white men – who are hogging the positions we equate with talent.
Right, and do we really believe that those people are inherently more talented than the rest of the population?
I’m really glad that you also break down the idea that people of colour are coming over to Britain to grab all the resources. It’s like, "Hello! We’ve always had a class system in this country and the people who’ve got resources have never given a shit about the people at the bottom. If you take away all the people with brown skin, that system’s not just going to suddenly disappear!"
Well I wanted to talk about this idea of the "white working class". And I’m not saying that white people aren’t working class, but I am saying that not all working-class people are white, so can we ditch this phrase? Because it’s not accurate and I feel like it’s there to further anti-immigrant sentiment.
On that point, your interview with [former BNP leader] Nick Griffin is insane. He basically tells you to get out of the country and "go have kids" somewhere else. I didn’t know whether to be outraged or just laugh at how ridiculous he is?
Well I’m not about to go anywhere – I’m a British citizen mate!
Can you believe that he said that?
Well yeah, I can believe that based on what he’s been putting out into the public sphere for the past 15 years. I just look at it from the perspective of a jobbing journalist, sometimes you’ve just got to take the interview, you might not like the person, you might find them repulsive but you want your quote. Thank you and goodbye Nick Griffin. I wasn’t particularly cut up about it, I didn’t even take it seriously, even though I think he probably was being serious.
He comes across as paranoid and just generally confused.
I thought it was important to have that interview with him because we can see the legacy of his [anti-immigration] rhetoric that he was pushing in the mid-2000s. And now it’s taking place in a much more watered-down manner but a lot more commentators are now saying, "Well that’s a legitimate concern" whereas maybe 15 years ago they were saying, "This is terrible, this is abhorrent". But now there seems to be a new brand of Conservatism tinged with this brand of white supremacist theory, basically. And we’re supposed to say that this is a normal political position, when actually it’s based on genocide. We have clear evidence in the last 200 years that white supremacy basically leads to mass graves. Let’s not joke about it. It’s very serious. And I thought it was important that we talked about at least the recent origin of how we got to where we are today. There are certain political leaders in this country who are on good terms with Marine Le Pen. And we’re supposed to just nod our heads and be like, "Oh yeah, legitimate concerns".
Who? Farage?
Yeah. The day Marine Le Pen lost the French election, LeaveEUOfficial’s Twitter account tweeted "RIP France". Now, I just thought LeaveEU stood for leaving the EU? Not the National Front! What? That’s very disturbing to me.
What was the most shocking thing you discovered in writing the book?
Not much surprised me, because I’ve had access to anecdotal evidence of racism while growing up. I’m from Tottenham and I’d hear a lot about "sus" laws and how that was being used to target black people. Sus laws were basically a clause in the 1824 Vagrancy Act that were used quite a lot in the '70s and '80s, and sort of gave the police the power to arrest and detain some people who look suspicious. And I’d heard quite a lot of people saying they’d been stopped using that. I also heard a lot about housing discrimination. I think if you grow up black in Britain, you know that something is up – and when people didn’t have access to the census data or the Office for National Statistics or Department for Education, they knew. I was in a position to go out and find that information, and it confirmed what people had been telling me basically all my life.
I think most white people don’t understand what it’s like to grow up knowing that the system is rigged against you, knowing that no matter what situation you find yourself in, the colour of your skin could disadvantage you. The only thing I could do reading your words was compare it to the people in my family who’ve had those experiences, and to my own experience of being trans, but I think if I didn’t have those two things, I’d be even more clueless than I am now. How can we increase people’s empathy?
I think that more broadly, the system is not set up to elicit sympathy for the people who are not winning out of the system. I talk about fiction in the book and fictional representation. It’s one of the most effective vehicles for empathy that we’ve got in the modern world. As somebody who’s always been a fiction lover, I learned very quickly to empathise with white stories, because they were everywhere, and white people were at the centre of every narrative I read. But I think very few white people have learned to empathise with non-white stories. And that’s evidenced in the extreme backlash each time that a casting director or a novelist or someone like that attempts to blackify a beloved white character. People start saying it’s political correctness or it's multiculturalism. And it’s like I do believe that there’s lots of elements of the human experience that all of us can relate to, but they have thus far been communicated through white eyes.
There’s a great line in the book where you talk about people getting upset about Hermione being cast as a black girl in a stage production of Harry Potter and you say, "The imagination of black Hermione’s detractors can stretch to the possibility of there being a secret platform at King’s Cross station that can only be accessed by running through a brick wall, but they can’t stretch to a central black character." It just shows how blind people can be to their own inconsistencies.
As a final question, I wanted to ask you: what would your advice be to anyone reading this who wants to wake up?
First off, don’t look at the bigger picture and then feel demoralised. In fact, feel defiant. I think that’s really important. Find a support network. Find ways to switch off when you need to. And get stuck in, in whatever way you feel you can best bring change, whether that is literally by giving financial support to a chronically underfunded organisation that is working on these issues, or whether that’s admin support, volunteering, or having difficult conversations with people who are much more likely to listen to you than others. Just do what you can, when you can!
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Donald Trump isn’t exactly known for his impeccable spelling and grammar on Twitter. Most memorably, he condemned China’s “unpresidented” seizure of a US Navy drone and announced that he was “honered to serve" the American people – the day after his inauguration, no less.
But the President’s latest error has caused an even bigger stir, spawning an unpresidented (heh) avalanche of memes. Just after midnight, Washington time, he tweeted: "Despite the constant negative press covfefe." The word he was most likely looking for was “coverage”, but none of his aides alerted him to the blunder.
The tweet has since been deleted but it remained active on his account for hours without comment or clarification – enough time for his Twitter followers to engage in some relentless mocking. There are already T-shirts, covfefe mugs and other memorabilia for sale on eBay, and an entrepreneurial soul has purchased the domain name, covfefe.us.
#covfefe is currently trending on Twitter across the world and the memes and witty retorts are far funnier than the original typo.
Some pointed out that it had helped to take attention away from US comedian Kathy Griffin, who had caused controversy earlier by posting a photo of a beheaded Trump.
Kathy Griffin: Tonight, I have all of Twitter paying attention to me!@realDonaldTrump: Hold my #covfefe.
Many couples don’t realise how tricky it can be to conceive until they start trying. Not only do hormones and the menstrual cycle play a crucial role, but myriad other factors also make a huge difference: from your age and lifestyle, to your sexual health and whether or not you drink from plastic bottles (!). And of course, many couples only realise they’re infertile after years of trying. So, yeah, fertility is pretty complicated. But a new survey has shed some light on just how much effort is required to conceive a child.
The average couple trying for a baby has sex 78 times before they finally conceive, according to research by parenting website Channel Mum, which asked 1,194 British parents about their experience of conceiving.
This means it takes aspiring parents an average of six months and three days to get pregnant (185 days in total) after deciding to start a family, reported the Mirror. Nevertheless, luck also plays its part – just under a third of couples got pregnant in the first month, while a fifth took between a year and three years.
Half of those surveyed said they had sex more often than normal in a bid to increase their chances, with couples typically having sex 13 times per month.
An eager 10% said they had sex 15-20 times per month, while 5% were even more energetic, claiming to have sex nearly every day (21-25 times per month). Another 5% said they managed to get pregnant despite getting between the sheets just once each month.
For some respondents (18%), all this sex became a chore rather than a pleasure, but half of men and over a third of women said they "loved" having sex more often.
Women were more likely to say they initiated regular sex to conceive, with around 40% saying so, and 13% buying sexy lingerie for the purpose. One in 16 women even booked a holiday or weekend break specifically for sex.
Aside from more frequent sex, half of women also tried to sync sex with their fertile days and 39% altered their diet and took extra vitamins. Others (5%) opted for unusual, unscientific methods, including fertility spells and gender prediction calendars.
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After Alexa Chung revealed her much-anticipated eponymous clothing line at a fashion show inside a north London church (read our review here), it was time to celebrate.
And because after the show it's the... well, you know the rest, so guests piled into rickshaws and were whisked over to Soho for cocktails and dancing, with the music provided by Alexa's brother Dom. Click through to see what went down...
The collection is available from today, 31st May, fromAlexachung.comand select retailers.
Pixie Geldof was already sporting one of Alexa's designs
Photo: Bella Howard/Kintzing.com
Henry Holland was in high spirits
Double trouble: Amber Anderson and Daisy Lowe
Alexa!
Alexa chats with Yak's Oli Burslem
Shrimps' Hannah Weiland let down her waist-length hair
Our host
Cavan McCarthy and Justin Hayward-Young
Jack Guinness and his famous beard were in attendance
Wolf Alice's Ellie Rowsell stopped by
Theo Hutchcraft and Jack Guinness
Ellie and legendary indie frontman Fred Macpherson
Lili Sumner had walked in the show earlier
Model Stephanie Omorojor
Klaxon! It's Jamie Reynolds
Jack and Henry
Hit it, DJs: Lou Hayter and Dom Chung
Getting their kicks: Amber Anderson and Jordan Stephens
Straw pole: Cav
Bunny Kinney and Lili Sumner
Monkeying around: Jamie and Katie Cook
Super producer and Rolex-wearer Rodaidh McDonald and Chung
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