Iconic photos of Amal & George

Entrepreneur Rande Gerber should know better than most on why the 36-year-old is the perfect woman for the Oscar-winning star. 

'She's really perfect for him, She's smart and she's beautiful, engaging. She is, again... smart, but she doesn't make you feel stupid.' 

Rande, 52, was accompanied to the event by his wife of 16 years, Cindy Crawford, 48, and the pair couldn't hide their affection on the red carpet, at one point stealing a smooch in front of the waiting photographers. 

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Do Venetian style in stripes like Amal

When in Italy: Rande and Cindy, pictured with George and Amal Clooney in Venice, Italy ahead of their nuptials last month 

'I would say that is a "public date night," Cindy laughed when asked about the event. 

However the pair were without their two children son Presley, 15, and daughter Kaia, 13, who often accompany them on low key evenings out.

'We live in Malibu, Rande has a restaurant there, so I would say, normally, we'll just go grab a bite to eat and just have time to connect,'  Cindy added. "We're lucky because we have time, but our best date night is with the kids.'

Cindy and Rande spent several days in Venice, Italy at George and Amal's extravagant nuptials which saw the couple tie the knot at the historic Aman Canal Grande hotel in front of a star-studded audience including Matt Damon, Emily Blunt and John Krasinski. 

Meanwhile, George and Amal are set to celebrate their wedding yet again this weekend, with the bride's parents reportedly booking Danesfield House in Marlow, Buckinghamshire as the couple were holding the huge bash at the end of October for family and friends, including those who were not at the London civil ceremony or the lavish Italian bash.

Danesfield House boasts an exclusive Hotel hire package which gives entire access to the luxury guest rooms, ideal for social celebrations of up to 200 guests.  

A big white marquee has been erected near the house set in 65 acres of private land, just six miles away from the Grade II listed building George and his lawyer wife have allegedly bought as their new home. 

亦舒 - 香港文坛闻名遐迩的言情小说女作家

香港写言情小说的大都是女作家，她们的学历层次一般都较高，文字功底也不错。她们擅长长篇小说，作品相当生活化，内容通常是描写男女间的爱情纠葛，表现都市人在感情生活中遇到的困扰、烦恼与命运的跌宕，像亦舒的《曾经深爱过》、尹沁的《绿色山庄》、《古屋》、李碧华的《胭脂扣》、《秦俑》、林燕妮的《缘》、《九个人一个宝藏》、岑凯伦的《彩虹公主》、西茜凰的《大学女生日记》、《第八夜》、《末世之恋》等，都颇有代表性。这些小说的时代和社会背景被淡化，情调则各异，或亲切柔和，花好月圆；或痛苦感伤，惆怅困扰；或疯狂宣泄，万念俱灰。香港女作家的言情小说一般都带有很强的商业性，给人们在紧张的工作之余提供娱乐，消除劳顿疲乏，追求畅销。这类小说的局限性也是显而易见的，模式化可谓最突出的毛病，作者写得飞快，笔走龙蛇，无暇推敲琢磨，出现这样的问题在所难免。

亦舒是香港文坛闻名遐迩的言情小说女作家。

亦舒，原名倪亦舒，1949年生于上海。1955年，随父母由上海迁居香港，读书期间即养成良好的阅读习惯。广览群书培育了亦舒良好的艺术修养，为她以后的文学创作做了极好的铺垫。中学毕业后，亦舒直接到《明报》当了一名年仅十七岁的小记者，并用玫瑰、槐阡、络绛、陆国、叽里呱啦等笔名撰写新闻、专访及杂文、小说。二十七岁那年，在经历过情海风波和婚姻挫折后，负笈英伦，考入英国曼彻斯特大学，攻读酒店管理专业。回港后曾在电视台、政治新闻处任职，现定居加拿大。三十多年来亦舒笔耕极勤，收获丰饶，已写出《家明与玫瑰》、《独身女人》、《我的前半生》、《香雪海》、《喜宝》、《宝贝》、《风信子》等八十多部小说和《豆芽集》、《自白书》、《舒云集》等多部散文、杂文集。

亦舒对世间的爱情是持怀疑态度的，永恒、纯真的爱情在亦舒的眼中不过是美丽的童话而已，在她笔下呈现更多的是丈夫偷情、妻子别恋、情人离异。如《曾经深爱过》中的工程博士周玉美，深爱着妻子利壁迦，其妻却突然不告而别，投入他人的怀抱。同时美籍流体力学专家邓女士抛夫别子，只身来到周玉美身边。在《胭脂》中，父母早已离异的杨之浚生下女儿杨陶，连孩子的父亲都不知道是谁。后来杨之浚与装修设计师叶世球发生了若即若离的恋情，早有女友的叶世球却转而追求杨陶。杨陶亦用情不专，先与一个模特两心相悦，旋又与许姓导演两情缱绻。在这里，亦舒驱使神圣的爱情告别古老的海誓山盟，而遁入游戏嬉闹的怪圈，这一方面如实反映了香港人的文化观念和价值观念的逆转，另一方面与亦舒的灰调爱情观不无关系。

对拜金主义的爱情观，亦舒在小说中也有相当充分的反映，其代表作包括《喜宝》、《婚外之恋》等。中篇小说《喜宝》中的喜宝本是英国剑桥大学的留学生，年青有为，前程似锦。

在爱情与金钱之间，喜宝更看重金钱的作用，物质是实实在在的，爱情却显得飘忽、不可靠。所以她心甘情愿地当了年近七旬的大资本家勖存姿的情妇，后来又曾爱过勖存姿的未来女婿宋家明。但当宋家明决定与她双双远走高飞时，喜宝却因抵御不住高级物质享受的诱惑而临阵退却，再次情愿牺牲自己的青春与爱情而成为金丝笼中的鸟。这种拜金主义的爱情观，反映了香港部分女性在自我价值认识上的迷失，然而更多的却是由香港社会的性质决定的，在竞争激烈、金钱主宰一切的香港社会，人的生存受到极度的挤压，弱小的女子感觉尤甚，她们要想生存或生存得更好一些，就只好出卖自己的青春和爱情。

作者在充满感情的描绘中以理性的笔触控诉了畸形繁荣的香港社会对美好人性的扭曲和摧残。亦舒的言情小说把笔触伸进知识女性的内心深处，在反映她们的婚姻爱情生活同时，努力发掘香港中上层知识女性的孤独感和寂寞感。《她比烟花寂寞》中的女主人公姚晶，曾是一位如烟花般耀眼的电影明星，后赴美结婚，两年后又返港，不久在寂寞中死去。尽管姚晶有丈夫，有家人，但都令她失望，她的心深陷于死水般的寂寞中。香港社会向来存在着物质富裕精神空虚的矛盾，在知识女性身上表现得更为突出，亦舒以敏锐的洞察力，捕捉住这种现象，加以挖掘表现，是香港言情小说领域的突破。

亦舒的女权主义观念十分浓烈，以她的妇女观看来，女人要独立，必须自力更生，奋发图强。亦舒这种妇女观在《我的前半生》中得以充分的展现，小说中的涓生与子君是大学同学，恋爱、结婚，婚后子君成了家庭主妇，整日无所事事，靠喝茶打麻将消磨时光。有一天，涓生宣布与子君离婚。离婚后的子君重新振作起来，自寻职业，自食其力，终于成为一个在人格上经济上独立的女性，并赢得了人们的尊敬，也赢得了爱情。亦舒对前半生的子君不以为然，而对其后半生所走的自尊自强自立的人生道路，则给予热烈的颂扬。

亦舒小说独具艺术魅力，首先其作品文字简洁、凝炼、句短、段短，节奏快，具有跳跃感。其次其行文笔调辛辣犀利，揭示人物灵魂，亦庄亦谐，鞭辟入里，对社会的抨击直率无忌，一针见血。另外，亦舒的作品极少刻画、描写，多为棱角分明、个性化的对话，读来脍炙人口。亦舒的创作题材偏狭窄，尽管她具有丰富的人生经验，但她未能化人生的经验为内心的体悟，未能进行高度的浓缩、提炼，故其作品缺乏深度，令读者有浅显直白的感觉。

回归前后的香港文学

2009年08月26日

Churchill's cousin the Duke of Marlborough dies aged 88 .

John George Vanderbilt Henry Spencer-Churchill was the 11th Duke

His family seat was Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, birthplace of Churchill

Was Churchill's godson, and distantly related to Diana, Princess of Wales 

His title will pass to his son, the 57-year-old Marquess of Blandford

Jamie Blandford is now clean after years spent battling addictions to drugs 

The Prime Minister David Cameron pays tribute to 'a good man and friend' 

The 11th Duke of Marlborough died this morning at the age of 88, Blenheim Palace has said.

The Duke, whose full name was John George Vanderbilt Henry Spencer-Churchill, was a cousin of wartime prime minister Winston Churchill and lived at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. 

His title will now pass to his son, former drug addict and ex-convict, the Marquess of Blandford, 58. 

A spokesman for the palace said: 'With great sadness, we announce that the 11th Duke of Marlborough passed away peacefully this morning.

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The 11th Duke of Marlborough, pictured at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, with fourth wife Lily Mahtani, has died

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Two generations: The Marquess of Blandford, pictured left, will now become the 12th Duke of Marlborough

'Further announcements will be made in due course. As per his wishes, the palace will be open as normal today.'

The Duke is survived by his fourth wife, Persian-born Lily Mahtani, and his four children: the Marquess of Blandford, Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, 56, Lord Edward Spencer-Churchill, 40, and Lady Alexandra Spencer-Churchill, 38.

The marquess, his eldest surviving child, battled addictions to heroin and cocaine and three spells in prison, which resulted in his father taking legal action to prevent him from inheriting the 11,500-acre estate, where Churchill was born.

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The 11th duke, pictured left at a countryside event last month, and right with his fourth wife, Lily Mahtani

Blenheim Palace was a reward from Queen Anne to the first Duke of Marlborough for victory over the French

Today the Prime Minister paid tribute to the Duke, saying: 'I am greatly saddened to hear of the death of the Duke of Marlborough. To me, he was not only the Vice-President of my Association but also a good man and friend.

'His Grace will be deeply missed by all those he worked alongside at Blenheim and by the town of Woodstock where he played such a positive and active role in the community he loved.

'My thoughts and prayers are with all his family and friends at this sad time.'

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The 11th Duke married WHSmith heiress Susan Hornby, mother of the Marquess of Blandord, in 1951 

Blenheim Palace was a gift from Queen Anne to John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, in 1704.

It was a reward for his victory over the army of Louis XIV of France in the Spanish War of Succession.

Winston Churchill was born at Blenheim, which became a world heritage site under the stewardship of the 12th Duke.  The 200sq ft estate has 187 rooms, dwarfing Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle,and attracts about 500,000 visitors every year.

\Source: UK Mail

Simon Rustage bought the winning scratchcard at a shop in Warrington, won £250,00 on the Mega Rich Scratchcard

Simon Rustage bought the winning scratchcard at a shop in Warrington

He was thrilled to find he had won £250,00 on the Mega Rich Scratchcard

Father-of-four then learned he would receive the sum annually for 15 years

Plans to spend some of his cash on a Warrington Wolves season ticket

His ex-wife says she's not bitter about his good luck, as he's a 'good dad'

Simon Rustage, 47, won the top prize on a £10 ‘Mega Rich’ scratchcard he bought at his local shop in Warrington, Cheshire.

Melanie Turner, who split from Mr Rustage 15 years ago after the couple had two children together, has revealed she's not bitter about her ex's good fortune, but is slightly jealous of his winnings.

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Big win: Simon Rustage won £250,000 every year for 15 years on a lottery scratchcard this week

Mr Rustage told yesterday how he celebrated his life-changing win with his partner of 14 years, Jacqui Webb, 38.

‘She came home and we cracked open a bottle of champagne,’ he said. ‘The money was in my account the same day. I keep having to pinch myself, it still hasn’t really sunk in.’

Mr Rustage, who lives with Miss Webb and their two children, Megan, eight, and Nathan, 14, said he has no plans to move from their £200,000 three-bed semi, in Appleton, Warrington, because ‘it’s a nice area’. 

Super fan: The warehouse stock handler says he is not planning to go on a wild spending spree although he might treat himself to is a season ticket for his beloved Warrington Wolves rugby team

 it wasn’t until the following morning, when Mr Rustage rang Camelot to confirm his win that he realised the cash was not a one off, but will eventually amount to £3.75million - or £250,000 every year for 15 years.

Mr Rustage said he will also be putting some cash away for his granddaughter, Myla-Rose, 20 months, and two older children – soldier son George, 17, and daughter Hannah, 19 - from his marriage to first wife, Mrs Turner. 

His older children, Baqar Hussain, 50, manager of Bridge Lane Stores, was on duty when Mr Rustage bought his lucky ticket.

‘Simon buys scratch cards in here nearly every day,’ Mr Hussain said. ‘He’s a great guy - everyone is very happy for him.

‘He scratched the card here in the shop and he had to ask me if the ticket was genuine because he was so stunned that he’d won.'

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Winners: Mr Rustage meets one of his Warrington Wolves heroes, Gareth O'Brien as he celebrates his win

Mr Hussain added: ‘He’s been in here after the win - he hasn’t let the money go to his head. I hope he enjoys spending his winnings.’

Next-door neighbour George Dean said: ‘He came round to tell us that he had some big news.

‘We had no idea what it was and then he told us he’d won a quarter of a million pounds every year for the next 15 years. None of us could believe it - we’re really happy for him.

Source: the DailyMail

Her Majesty paying tribute to WWI's fallen at the Tower of London in a sea of poppies

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh inspected Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red at the Tower of London

Her Majesty looked sombre as she and Prince Philip, himself a former military man, toured the installation

Afterwards, the royal couple took part in a thanksgiving service at the Tower chapel, St Peter-ad-Vincula 

The Chapel Royal is the burial place of queens Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard as well as St Thomas More

Royal salute: As the royal couple arrived, they were given a respectful salute by one of the Tower's traditional Beefeater guards

When the Queen and Duke first arrived at the imposing Tower of London they were met by its Constable, General the Lord Dannatt, the former head of the British Army, and Colonel Richard Harrold, Governor of the medieval fortress.

In an ancient ceremony they surrendered their ceremonial keys of office to the Queen and she symbolically touched the objects. Wearing a jade coat and dress with a mint trim by Stewart Parvin and a matching hat by Rachel Trevor-Morgan, the queen and the duke then walked carefully through the poppies before she touched a wreath laid on her behalf by Yeoman Warder Jim Duncan.

After viewing the poppies the Queen and her husband were driven in their official Bentley along the cobbles of Water Lane - past the famous Traitors' Gate - escorted by the resplendent Yeoman Body.

She arrived in The Broad Walk which was thronged by visitors - most of whom had no idea the Queen was due to visit. The royals were greeted by the Lieutenant of the Tower, the Bishop of London and Chaplain of the Tower before being escorted into the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula.

The chapel, which has recently been renovated, is the burial place of three English queens - Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard and Jane Grey - as well as Catholic saints Thomas More and Bishop John Fisher.

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Busy: The visit is the Queen's first public appearance since returning from Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire last month

Beautiful: Following their tour of the poppy field, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh visited St Peter-ad-Vincula

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Burial place: The Tower chapel is the burial place of Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard and Jane Grey as well as Sir Thomas More

As a result, the chapel has become a place of pilgrimage for Catholics, with many visiting the grave of St Thomas More - Henry VIII's Catholic chancellor who was beheaded for refusing to recognise the fledgling Church of England which had Henry, rather than the Pope, as its head.

Although the Queen is the head of the modern version of Henry VIII's Church of England, she and the Duke of Edinburgh took part in a service to remember More and Bishop Fisher - another clergyman executed by Henry VIII for refusing to recognise the new church.

In addition to a renovation of the main crypt, which is used as an administrative space by the chapel choir, the Crypt of St Thomas More has been redecorated and re-ordered to render it more welcoming to visitors.

Next week will see the Queen welcome the President of Singapore and his wife to London, alongside the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who are expected to accompany Tony Tan and his wife for the traditional state procession. 

Once at Horse Guard's Parade, Mr Tan and his wife will be formally welcomed to the UK by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh before a second procession returns them to Buckingham Palace ahead of a state dinner. 

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Fascinating: The Queen, who also led the D-Day 70th anniversary celebrations, has long been a supporter of British military charities

Magnificent: The Beefeater stood to attention as the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh wandered through the poppy field

THE ROYAL FORTRESS THAT LOOMS LARGE IN BRITISH HISTORY: INSIDE THE MIGHTY TOWER OF LONDON 

A prison, a palace and a place of safety, the Tower has long loomed large over London, playing a crucial role in nearly every major upheaval to afflict the capital since it was begun by William the Conqueror in 1066 - months after his Normans defeated King Harold and the Anglo-Saxons.

The castle he built, the White Tower, was designed for defence but also functioned as a royal palace, with every subsequent Norman king processing from the Tower to their coronation.

That tradition persisted well into the 17th century, with Henry VIII, Edward I and Elizabeth I among the monarchs to spend a night there ahead of their coronations.

But it is as a place of execution and imprisonment that the Tower is more famous, with the very name of its Chapel - St Peter in Chains - offering a clue as to its use.

Although used as a prison from 1100 onwards, the first notable execution to take place at the Tower was that of William Wallace, a Scottish rebel whose death warrant was signed by Edward I 'The Hammer of the Scots'.

Wallace was by no means the only one. He was followed into death at the Tower by England's 'nine day queen' Jane Grey, Henry VIII's wives Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard and Queen Elizabeth I's former favourite, Robert Devereaux, among many others.

The Bloody Tower is also the scene of one of the most enduring mysteries in British history, with the Princes in the Tower confined to rooms in the building before disappearing - never to be seen again. 

Precisely what happened to the two young boys has never been established, although many suspect that the children were murdered - either by their uncle Richard III or the incoming Tudor king, Henry VII.

But while the deaths that took place during the Tudor and mediaeval periods are the most famous, the tradition of executing criminals at the Tower continued into the 20th century with the last prisoners to die executed by firing squad on Tower Green during the First World War.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Tower is also thought to be haunted with the tragic ghost of Anne Boleyn said to appear each year, wandering around the White Tower and carrying her head under her arm, on the anniversary of her execution on the 19th May 1536. 

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Contemplation: Beautiful though the installation is, each represents the loss of a British or Commonwealth soldier's life during WW1

Source: the dailymail

Cameron reveals pain of seeing Thatcher 'slip away' as she succumbed to dementia

PM says he saw the ex Tory leader deteriorate from 'height of her powers'

Lady Thatcher's struggle with dementia portrayed in 'The Iron Lady'

Cameron said all Cabinet ministers now signed up as 'dementia friends'

David Cameron has spoken about the pain of seeing Baroness Thatcher ‘slip away’ as she succumbed to dementia.

The Prime Minister said it had been hard for him to see her deteriorate from being at the ‘height of her powers’ to falling victim to the disease.

He revealed that every member of the Cabinet signed up yesterday morning to become ‘dementia friends’ – meaning they will receive training in how to deal with patients with the condition.

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David Cameron posed with the former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street in London in 2010

Mr Cameron said the poor standards of care for thousands of sufferers – uncovered by the Care Quality Commission earlier this week – was ‘unacceptable’.

And he revealed he was worried he might develop dementia in later life.

Lady Thatcher died last year after long battle against dementia; a fight which was vividly brought to the screen by Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady.

Speaking to BBC Radio Oxford, Mr Cameron said: ‘It was very noticeable and obviously having seen her at the height of her powers when I started working for the Conservative Party back in 1988, you see what an effect this has on someone.

‘I'm actually sitting in Number 10 Downing street in what's called the Thatcher Room, named by Gordon Brown, there's a picture of her staring at me from the wall as we speak which is slightly disconcerting.

‘I've seen that with the parents of friends as well - one minute at the height of their powers, brilliant intellect and brains - then suddenly they start to slip away.’

Source: the UK Mail

Paris Hilton looks flawless in Chanel as she hits the shops with sister Nicky and her $13,000 Pomeranian puppy

The 33-year-old just can't get enough of her adorable teacup Pomeranian puppy Prince Hilton.

So much so that the hotel heiress has been taking the pint sized pooch everywhere with her.

The Big Apple: Paris was spotted out and about in New York with her new puppy Prince Hilton on Wednesday

Paris was spotted out and about in New York on Wednesday with her younger sister Nicky, 31.

And of course, Prince Hilton joined them in the Big Apple after flying out on his mum's private jet.

Paris was seen cradling the five-month-old puppy in her arms as she and her sister treated themselves to a shopping spree. 

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Doting auntie: The hotel heiress and her fluffy 'baby' were accompanied by her sister Nicky as they hit the shops

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Hefty price tag: Paris reportedly paid a whooping $13,000 for snow white pooch 

 Paris has rarely been seen without Prince Hilton - who now has his own Instagram account

Clearly wanting to look her best for the teeny pooch, she dressed up in a chic Chanel number for their day out together.

The heiress looked incredibly glamorous in a black shirt which she teamed with a pair of leather leggings, showing off her famous slim physique.

She then completed her outfit with a Chanel bag, leather gloves and a pair of oversized sunglasses.

Meanwhile, Nicky opted for a more casual look, sporting a boho-inspired brown shirt, ripped jeans and ankle boots.

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So chic: Paris was sporting a Chanel bag and Chanel gloves, which she teamed with leather leggings, a black shirt and ankle boots