businessinsider--2019-02-08--John Dingell became a Twitter celebrity in the last years of his life with witty remarks political

John Dingell became a Twitter celebrity in the last years of his life with witty remarks, political commentary and humor until the end

Former Rep. John Dingell was a changemaker in his 59 years in Congress, but in the last years of his life, he also became a Twitter celebrity.  Dingell, who died on Thursday, at 92, often used his Twitter feed to comment on politics, weigh in on Michigan sports teams, joke about his age, and take digs at celebrities.  His openness on the social media platform came after he announced plans to retire from Congress at the end of 2014.  Earlier that year, Dingell had made headlines after a somewhat viral exchange with the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water about Kim Kardashian. In retirement, the Congressman embraced his dry humor.  As of Friday morning, his Twitter account had 264,000 followers.  Read more: Former Rep. John Dingell, the longest-serving member of Congress, dies at 92  In recent years, he expressed outrage over the Trump administration and the Republican Party.  He also voiced his joy and frustrations over the Detroit Lions and Michigan Wolverines, his favorite sports teams.  Often he would joke about his old age.  He also showed his deep knowledge of pop culture.  Sometimes he would send his followers words of wisdom.  Last August, Dingell told Detroit station WDIV that it was in fact him tweeting on the account.  His wife, Rep. Debbie Dingell, who was elected into his seat when he retired, confirmed the claim.  "John Dingell can say, 'When you're 92 you can get away with saying a lot of things that the rest of us can't,'" she said.  On Wednesday, Dingell posted a final tweet before dying from complications from prostate cancer.  "The Lovely Deborah is insisting I rest and stay off here, but after long negotiations we've worked out a deal where she'll keep up with Twitter for me as I dictate the messages," he wrote, referencing his wife. "I want to thank you all for your incredibly kind words and prayers. You're not done with me just yet."


rt--2019-03-06--Forbes names Kylie Jenner youngest-ever self-made billionaire Twitter laughs

Forbes names Kylie Jenner youngest-ever ‘self-made’ billionaire, Twitter laughs

Forbes magazine has named Kylie Jenner as the youngest ever “self-made” billionaire – and Twitter has some strong feelings about the title, given her wealthy background.  As with everything Kardashian-Jenner related, it appears the world (or at least, Twitter) has nothing better to do than discuss the latest development. The news that 21-year-old makeup mogul and reality TV star Kylie Jenner has officially entered the exclusive billionaires club is big news in the celebrity-loving circle.  The claim by Forbes that Jenner has taken the reign from Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg to become the youngest ever self-made billionaire, has proved such a controversial topic that everyone, the Dictionary included, appears to have weighed in. Critics argue that Jenner, who launched ‘Kylie Cosmetics’ at 18 off the back of her fame garnered from the reality show that she appeared in from age nine thanks to her sister Kim, cannot be deemed “self-made.”  The definition of “self-made” is a broad one according to Forbes, while Dictonary.com claims it’s actually rather straightforward – someone who has succeeded in life unaided.  READ MORE: Former teacher & mother of 4 becomes Russia’s 2nd female billionaire  Dictionaries aside, Forbes argues that they choose to define “self-made” as someone who didn't inherit their wealth. Jenner says she has no trust fund and was “cut-off” from her parents at the age of 15 – though it’s worth noting that she was still living in their mansion and surviving off the royalties of the family reality show at the time.  Forbes says their “scoring system,” developed in 2014, aims to determine just how self-made members are. It ranks wealthy Americans on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being “someone who not only grew up poor but also experienced substantial hardships – like Oprah Winfrey,” Jenner ranks as a 7.  Like this story? Share it with a friend!


sputnik--2019-12-13--Ivanka Trumps Melania: First Daughter Makes it to Forbes’ ‘World’s Most Powerful Women’ List

Ivanka Trump, a senior adviser to her father US President Donald Trump, has made it into Forbes' World's 100 Most Powerful Women 2019 list at number 42, two below Queen Elizabeth II, thus beating stepmother Melania Trump.  The First Lady was conspicuously absent from the list.  For the 2019 roster, Forbes cited Ivanka Trump’s role in the White House when explaining her standing in the list, referencing the administration’s statements that she “helped push for the childcare tax credit passed in 2017 and the creation of a workforce apprentice program.”  As netizens weighed in on the news, many commented that the ranking had less to do with Ivanka Trump’s achievement and more with her father’s role.  Ivanka Trump debuted on the Forbes list in 2017 at number 19.  Forbes wrote at the time that only one Trump had made the cut, and it was not the First Lady.  Since its inception in 2004, it was the first time the annual directory of the women who “matter most on the global stage” failed to include the wife of the US president, while also the only time a First Daughter had made the ranking.  As opposed to Ivanka Trump, the First Lady had appeared to have assumed a far quieter role.  In 2018 the former real estate executive dropped five spots from #19 to #24, but still ranked near women such as Queen Elizabeth II, Lauren Powell Jobs, and Oprah Winfrey.  The news comes as Melania Trump and Ivanka Trump’s relationship has been described as “cordial” but “not close” by CNN reporter Kate Bennett in her explosive new book, "Free, Melania: The Unauthorized Biography".  The White House press corps journalist claims in her book that Melania Trump, 49, wields a lot more personal power than people assume, painting FLOTUS as “powerful and influential” in the White House, often weighing in on her husband’s decisions “both politically and in the way he manages his staff”.  The new book also claims to shed light on the First Lady’s tense relationship with Trump’s 38-year-old daughter Ivanka, who works in the White House as a senior adviser to her father.  According to New York Times, Bennett wrote:  She added the infamous “I really don’t care, do you” jacket was a jab at Ivanka in Texas.  There have been other reports of the two women tussling for power.  Vicky Ward, author of “Kushner, Inc.: Greed. Ambition. Corruption”, opened up on the tensions between the two on “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert.  The former White House employee and author said the women argued over office space in the East Wing.  Ward claimed Ivanka had a “Trump family office" drawn up for the East Wing.


sputnik--2019-12-16--'Where’s Melania?' Netizens Angry at Forbes For Not Including FLOTUS in Most Powerful Women List

Social media users were left incensed after Forbes magazine did not include the first lady of the United States, Melania Trump, in its list of the 100 Most Powerful Women. This year’s list featured women from six categories – business, technology, finance, philanthropy, media and entertainment, politics and policy – and according to Forbes’ Executive Vice President Moira Forbes, it is a “collection of innovators and instigators who are leading on the world stage to redefine traditional power structures and forge lasting impact in every industry and sphere of influence”.  For some reason, Melania Trump, who is promoting her “Be Best” public awareness campaign that focuses on the well-being of young people and advocates against cyber-bullying and drug use among youths, was left out. Forbes has not commented on its decision. Netizens were furious at Forbes’ choice and accused the magazine of bias.  Other netizens supported Forbes’ decision and noted that the first lady had not accomplished anything during her time in the White House.  Others users blamed society’s false obsession with celebrities and socialites, who are unduly praised.  However one member of the Trump family got into the list – Ivanka Trump, who works as a senior adviser to the president, was ranked 42nd. First place went to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has made 14 appearances on the list in its 16 year history. Former head of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde climbed one position and ranked second, while speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi came in third.


tass--2019-02-21--Wildberries owner becomes second female dollar billionaire in Russia says Forbes Magazine

Wildberries owner becomes second female dollar billionaire in Russia, says Forbes Magazine

### Tatyana Bakalchuk  © Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS  MOSCOW, February 21. / TASS / The owner of online retail store Wildberries, Tatyana Bakalchuk, has become the second woman dollar billionaire in Russia, according to Forbes, the magazine wrote on Thursday.  The value of her retail giant is estimated at $1.2 bln.  "The new company value allows us to calculate Bakalchuk's estate at over $1 billion. She is the second woman billionaire in Russia, after Elena Baturina," the publication notes.   Since Wildberries is not a public company, its cost was estimated according to data on sales and profits, as well as on multipliers of similar projects and estimates of venture capitalists, Forbes explained.  The Wildberries online store sells various product categories, including toys, cleaning products, baby food, electronics, books, and clothing. In 2018, the company's revenue amounted to $1.7 billion. According to the SPARK portal, Tatyana Bakalchuk is the sole owner of Wildberries  ## Most Expensive Internet companies in Russia rating  Wildberries took fourth place in the Forbes ranking of the most expensive Internet companies in Russia, published on February 21. A year earlier, the company was in the same position in the rating, but then its value was estimated at only $ 602 million.  The first three leaders of the Runet company ranking compared to 2018 also did not change. IT giant Yandex remains in first place, its value is estimated at $10.72 billion, while Mail.ru Group is in second place ($5.36 billion), and Avito, the online reseller ($3.85 billion) is in third.  In other media


tass--2019-03-12--Forbes calls Mikhail Fridman richest London resident

### Mikhail Friedman  © Mikhail Japaridze/TASS  MOSCOW, March 12. / TASS /. The founder of Alfa Group and the largest shareholder of the Luxembourg LetterOne holding, Mikhail Friedman is the richest resident of London, Forbes American edition reports.  Magazine's experts calculated based on the new global ranking of the richest people in the world, where the most number of billionaires resides, and named the richest residents of these cities.  In London, there are 55 billionaires, with the total fortune of $226 bln, Russian Mikhail Friedman, the co-owner of Alfa Group is the richest of them all - his fortune is estimated at $15 bln. This is the first time that Fridman has been named the richest Londoner. Previously, that top spot was held by the owner of Access Industries Leonard Blavatnik, who was born in the Soviet Union. He now resides in New York City.  Forbes Magazine also noted that Moscow is consistently among the top three cities in which live the largest number of billionaires. In 2019, Forbes located 71 billionaires in the Russian capital, the richest of whom is the chairperson of the board of Novatek, Leonid Mikhelson. In the 2019 ranking on this indicator, Moscow was ahead of only New York and Hong Kong.  In an interview with Forbes in 2017, Fridman said that he predominantly works in London. "I am a UK tax resident. I also have Israeli citizenship, but I don't live there. I live in London," said he.  In other media


theindependent--2019-08-22--Dwayne Johnson tops Forbes list of highest-paid actors in 2019

Forbes's ranking of the world's highest-paid actors for 2019 is out, with Dwayne Johnson, Chris Hemsworth and Robert Downey Jr at the top of the ranking.  According to the publication, Johnson, whose 2019 film credits include Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw as well as the WWE-themed comedy-drama Fighting with My Family, made $89.4m (£73.7m) between 1 June, 2018 and 1 June, 2019.  Hemsworth and Downey Jr are two of several actors who landed on the list thanks to their earnings from Avengers: Endgame and its  $2.796bn (£2,305bn) at the world box office.  Per Forbes, Hemsworth (who plays Thor in the MCU) earned $76.4 m (£63m) over the past year, while Downey Jr made $66m (£54m).  Those earnings come from both the original deal established by each actor and the additional money they might receive from the "pool", an amount of money contingent on how well the film performs.  Click through the gallery below to browse the 2019 ranking of the world's highest-paid actors:


theindependent--2019-12-12--Angela Merkel tops Forbes' list of the most powerful women in the world for 2019

German chancellor Angela Merkel has topped Forbes' annual ranking of the world's most powerful women for 2019.  Every year, Forbes compiles a list of the most influential female leaders from across the globe, in sectors including politics, business and entertainment.  Merkel has received top billing on the list for the ninth year running, with the publication praising her "steely reserve, from standing up to Donald Trump to allowing more than a million Syrian refugees into Germany".  Coming in second place is Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, who previously served as managing director of the International Monetary Fund and placed 22nd on the most powerful people in the world list last year.  Following Lagarde is Nancy Pelosi, who became the first woman to serve as speaker of the House in the US in 2007.  In September, Pelosi announced a formal impeachment inquiry against US President Donald Trump, after a whistleblower alleged that Trump may have abused his power as president.  Environmental activist Greta Thunberg, who was recently named Time magazine's person of the year, has been placed 100th on Forbes' list.  Click through the gallery above to see the top 25 individuals from the publication's 100 most powerful women in the world list.  Last year, following the announcement of Merkel as the most powerful woman of the year, Forbes outlined how the impact she has had as leader of the Christian Democratic Union and as chancellor of Germany was undeniable.  Coming in second place in 2018 was then-Prime Minister Theresa May, with Melinda Gates coming in sixth, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki placing seventh and IBM CEO Ginni Rometty being named 10th.


thesun--2019-12-26--Floyd Mayweather tops Forbes rich list of decade with £706MILLION fortune ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo

Floyd Mayweather tops Forbes rich list of decade with £706MILLION fortune ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

FLOYD MAYWEATHER has congratulated Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi after it was revealed they were the highest-paid athletes of the decade.  American lifestyle magazine Forbes counted down the top ten richest athletes of the 2010s and the Money Man came WAY out on top.  The boxing icon, 42, earned an eye-watering £706MILLION ($915m) from his boxing career in the last ten years.  But Mayweather was also arguably the least active athlete on the list, fighting just ten times in the decade - the last of those coming more than two years ago.  The American retired in August 2017 after his blockbuster match with MMA superstar Conor McGregor.  That highly-anticipated match was the richest in boxing history, earning Mayweather an estimated $300million.  His fight with Manny Pacquiao, which came in May 2015 after years of posturing, also netted Mayeweather close to $200m.  Mayweather ended his career with a perfect 50-0 record, and in the 2010s also had memorable fights with 'Sugar' Shane Mosley, Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Miguel Cotto.  On social media, Mayweather wrote: "Congratulations to every athlete on this list!"  Two of football's greatest ever players were second and third on the Forbes list.  It was Ronaldo who edged in front of his great rival, Messi, earning an estimated £617m ($800m) over the decade, compared to £578.5m ($750m) for the Argentinian.  Ronaldo's profile off the pitch is second to none, with the Portuguese commanding huge endorsement deals and gaining massive followings on social media.  Indeed, he has the highest number of followers on Instagram and Facebook.  Messi, meanwhile, is content to earn a huge wage for his stellar performance on the pitch - no salary is higher that what the Barcelona No10 picks up every week at the Nou Camp.  In fourth place is basketball legend LeBron James with a salary over the decade of £524.5m ($680m).  The Los Angeles Lakers star is another who earns more from endorsements than salary.  Tennis legend Roger Federer is fifth, ahead of golfers Tiger Woods and Phil Mickleson.  Lewis Hamilton, in tenth with earnings of £308.5m ($400m), is the only racing driver and the only Brit in the top ten.  Further down the list, Serena Williams is the only female athlete to break into the top 40.  The 23-time Grand Slam winner earned £165.8m ($215m) over the decade.


vdare--2019-10-04--Brimelow In FORBES, 1993: Are Universities Necessary?

See also College Bubble Bursting—Left Hardest Hit. Too Bad. by Lance Welton    Peter Brimelow writes: From pre-internet darkness, we’ve retrieved my Forbes article (published April 26, 1993 under the headline “Are Universities Necessary") on Douglas Hague’s brilliant pamphlet, cited by Lance Welton here. It’s taken longer for the Higher Ed bubble to burst than he (and I) thought—rather like patriotic immigration reform. But it’s happening.  Well, are they? It may seem an odd question to ask Professor Sir Douglas Hague [1926-2015] in the sleek contemporary surroundings of Templeton College, Oxford University's recent belated answer to American graduate business education, where he is now an associate fellow. But in fact Hague voiced grave doubts in his 1991 pamphlet "Beyond Universities: A New Republic of the Intellect," [PDF] published by London's Institute of Economic Affairs. However, he made clear he hoped to rescue them.  "Now I'm sure universities are unrescuable," he says wry, describing the complacent reception his ideas received. "Eventually, businessmen will get fed up and organize their own [training centers]."  This may sound strange to Americans brought up with the idea that a college education should be ever)' child's birthright. Nevertheless, Hague is serious. He even expects to hasten universities' demise: He's a director of CRT Group, a U.K. public company that has just entered the training business by purchasing Pitman, once a famous chain of shorthand schools.  Winkled out from behind his efficient women assistants, Hague is a pink., gentle 66-year-old with a self-deprecating grin. World War II diverted him from the usual Oxford or Cambridge Ivy league-type route followed by most top British academics. Instead, he graduated from his hometown University of Birmingham with a bachelor of commerce degree—impossible at "Oxbridge" and, ironically, first developed for Japanese sent to study in the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.  Later, Hague was involved in the founding of the Manchester Business School, which, along with the London Business School, was the first set up in the U.K. In the 1970s and 1980s he was an adviser to Margaret Thatcher, leading to a knighthood and the chairmanship of the Economic & Social Research Council, Britain's centralized government research funding agency. • Universities have lost their intellectual monopoly. The service sector "knowledge industries"—information technology, financial advice, design, research and development—have grown to the point where they now exceed the manufacturing sector in economic importance.  "Increasingly," Hague argues, "people outside the universities will be working in similar ways and with similar talents to those within. And they will often do so more innovatively and with greater vigor, because they will come to what they do untrammeled by academic traditions, preconceptions and institutions."  Or, as he rephrased it for FORBES: "For the first time in history, there are more clever people outside universities than inside. And they're doers."  One symptom: Already the investment industry has driven academic economists out of the economic prognostication business. Many City of London research reports, Hague says, are up to any university standard.  "More important," he adds with a grimness that reflects his experience as a former research-funder, "they are written on time." • Technology will revolutionize teaching. Crucially, it offers increasing economies of scale. But universities are institutionally committed to extensive, expensive "chalk and talk" classroom methods.  "A cult literature now prized in Cambridge, England," Hague says, "is scribbled notes from Keynes' lectures and discussions. What would we give now (what would we have given then) to be able to look in on discussions between Keynes, Dennis Robertson, Richard Kahn, and Joan and Austin Robertson?" Or, he adds with transatlantic tolerance, "Milton Friedman and his associates."  Videotaping makes this possible. A few academics should emerge as superstars. Many more will be what Hague calls "educational consultants," with the specialized support function of directing students to information sources . . . if required. Underlying Hague's analysis is a theory about education in a modern society derived from the Cambridge [England] anthropologist Ernest Gellner.  Because of the economy's constant innovation, Gellner argues, the work force must constantly adapt and be retrained in new special skills. But the basic "generic" education that precedes that special training will be, Gellner suggests, "the least specialized, the most universally standardized."  This "generic" education will be the function of high schools. "Three- or four-year bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, may be obsolete as we know them," Hague says.  (The Ph.D. he regards as "one of the worst American inventions," partly because of its use to restrict entry into university-level teaching.) Hague envisages a dramatic unbundling of higher education, with individuals studying a range of subjects in varying amounts ("modules") as needed over their careers: "We may need less time devoted to higher education, but spread over a lifetime."  Degree-course students should ultimately constitute only a part of a university's clientele, Hague expects. The rest will be just stopping by for pit stops to refuel and change their intellectual oil. Significantly, the bulk of Templeton College's revenues come from "executive courses." To talk to FORBES, a slightly stressed Hague snatched some time from a week-long breakfast-to-bedtime brainstorming seminar with key managers of a major British transport company.  But most universities, Hague thinks, won't be able to make the transition. They are fatally in thrall to their historic origins—as trainers of clergymen, finishing schools for the elite and islands of gracious living.  But aren't universities also about pure scholarship? Hague is not doctrinaire: He sees a role for public money to support subjects, like history, that can't meet a market test. ("Although I'm not sure about that," he adds, "look at Paul Kennedy"—the Yale historian and author of the bestselling Rise and Fall of the Great Powers.) Fundamentally, however, Hague is profoundly skeptical about the worth of much government-funded research in his own social sciences. And even in the hard sciences, where he suspects it has resulted in overspecialization and irrelevance. However, Hague is touchingly less skeptical about U.S. higher education. He praises its pluralism and greater flexibility in subject matter and in accommodating part-time and long-term students. And he likes the fact that colleges here occasionally go bankrupt. He thinks it encourages the others.  "The change I'm talking about could happen in 10 years in the U.S.," he says. "It will take 25 years here—40 on the Continent."  But the U.S. system may just look better to Hague because of its contrast with what he describes as the "neo-Stalinist" structure of higher education in Britain, centrally financed and managed by Westminster.  Actually, U.S. higher education is a form of the "market socialism" briefly tried in Eastern Europe. It has both a neo-Stalinist, government-dominated sector and a more flexible, entrepreneurial sector. Working together, they extract from Americans nearly 3% of GNP for spending on colleges and universities, versus less than 1% in Britain, Germany or Japan.  Hague acknowledges this. But as long as governments control higher education, he says, its share of GNP will be arbitrary. In his market-driven system, the share might well rise—"if people spent 5% of their careers on training, that's 5% of GNP." But it would be productively allocated. "All I want is people to have a choice," he says.


abcnews--2019-12-07--Tuskegee Airman celebrates 100th birthday with flight

A member of the Tuskegee Airmen celebrated his 100th birthday by taking a flight.  Retired Army Air Forces Col. Charles McGee flew a private jet Friday between Frederick, Maryland, and Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, news outlets reported.  The Tuskegee Airmen is the nickname of the first African American unit to fly combat airplanes in World War II. The Air Force recently honored the famed group of airmen with the naming of its new trainer jet.  McGee is one of the Air Force's most celebrated pilots. He flew 409 fighter combat missions over three wars.  McGee, who turned 100 on Saturday, attributes positive thinking to his longevity.


ageofautism--2019-07-11--Happy 23rd Birthday to my Beautiful Daughter Vaccine Injured 8393 Days Ago

Happy 23rd Birthday to my Beautiful Daughter Vaccine Injured 8,393 Days Ago

Born: July 11, 1996  Vaccinated: July 13, 1996  Diagnosed with autism: November 18, 1999    I adore this young woman, Miss G. She is bright, funny, bouncy, kind, curious, thoughtful, energetic. She is her mother - if her mother had autism.   She was born in the blink of an eye. No drugs. None. I didn't want to put anything harmful into my precious child. Then I authorized a Hepatitis B vaccine, with 12.5 mcg of mercury. It radically changed her within days. At birth, she nursed like champ. Latched on. Suckled. Slept. Cooed. When I returned home 48 hours later, she had a keening, high pitched cry that shocked her father, my mother and me. It was jarring. "She's a noisy one!" We didn't know we were hearing the sound of vaccine injury. WE DID NOT KNOW.  By day four at home, she could no longer nurse properly. Instead of latching on, she thrust her lower jaw forward and gnawed at the breast to produce milk. I had sores and scabs and pain for 6 months. I called the nursing specialists. Nothing. I called La Leche. Zero. No one could tell me why my infant, who nursed with ease at birth was suddenly struggling to eat.     Three words:  INFANT PRIMATE STUDY    A research team led by scientists from the University of Pittsburgh and Thoughtful House  reported today that exposure to a birth dose of a hepatitis B vaccine that included an ethyl mercury preservative caused significant delays in the development of several survival reflexes in male rhesus macaque monkeys.    Three of nine reflexes showed significant delays in vaccinated macaques while two other reflexes were delayed and “approached significance.” As for the three significant reflexes, vaccinated macaques learned more slowly to: 1) turn their head in response to a brush on the cheek (the root reflex); 2) open their mouth in response to a brush on the forehead (the snout reflex); and 3) suck on a nipple placed in their mouth (the suck reflex).    I've made my peace with what happened to Miss G. I can't change it. It does not affect my love for her. It deepens it. I am her mother.  Today, I celebrate Miss G and all her quirky, kooky, wake up at 4:00am every single day self.


breitbart--2019-10-30--Firefighters Visit Girl on Her Birthday as Father Fights California Wildfires

A group of firefighters went above and beyond their call of duty when they visited a little girl on her birthday while her father was battling the Getty Fire in southern California.  The Ventura County Fire Department posted on Facebook Tuesday that their firefighters were “working extra shifts” to keep communities safe and that when they were not working, several firefighters visited a little girl on her birthday while her father was working to contain the Getty Fire:  “The fire family is so amazing how we come together to support each other,” the department said in the post.  Fire officials report the Getty Fire is 27 percent contained as of Wednesday and is one out of ten different wildfires burning throughout thousands of acres of land in California.  The Getty Fire began when a falling tree branch struck power lines and ignited nearby brush, fire officials said.  “The fire was likely caused by a tree branch that broke off during the high wind conditions and subsequently landed on nearby power lines, which resulted in sparking and arcing that ignited nearby brush,” the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a statement.  In northern California, residents are dealing with wildfires coupled with power outages as Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), the state’s largest utility, shut off power to many areas to prevent wildfires.  PG&E expected 1.5 million customers in 30 counties to be affected by the blackouts.  More than 150,000 people still remain under evacuation orders.


breitbart--2019-12-07--Tuskegee Airman Celebrates 100th Birthday with a Return to the Skies

A Tuskegee Airman celebrated his 100th birthday by flying a plane out of Frederick Municipal Airport in Frederick, Maryland, as a copilot.  The airman, Col. Charles McGee, survived three wars, including World War II, and completed 409 combat missions in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. He earned his pilot wings on June 30, 1943.  But as McGee reported for duty inside the airport’s Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) hangar, all eyes were on him as he celebrated his 100th birthday with a trip into the skies.  “To get in air again, it’s a real thrill,” McGee said.  AOPA and Vincent Mickens of Private Air Media Group, LLC teamed up to recognize the pilot with a series of events for his birthday weekend, including a flight to Dover Air Force Base.  McGee and pilot Boni Caldeira performed their pre-flight check of a more modern version of the planes McGee flew back in World War II.  “It’s an opportunity to share in where technology has taken us in the aviation realm and just to be a part of it,” McGee said of the flight.  McGee, who is from Bethesda, Maryland, was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal from former President George W. Bush. He also has another honor waiting for him in the wings. In July, the Senate passed a bill that would give him an honorary promotion to brigadier general. The motion awaits a vote in the House and the president’s signature.  McGee is the eldest of nine remaining Tuskegee Airmen and spends most of his time passing the legacy of the airmen on to future generations.


breitbart--2019-12-20--Jane Fonda Celebrates 82nd Birthday by Protesting Climate Change with Gloria Steinem

Actress Jane Fonda celebrated her 82nd birthday by protesting climate change with fellow feminist activist Gloria Steinem.  While Fonda stuck mostly to environmental talking points, Steinem used the occasion to attack President Donald Trump, calling him the “accidental occupant” of the White House and “orange man.”  Speaking to a crowd gathered Friday morning outside the U.S. Capitol building, Fonda equated climate change to a burgeoning health crisis.  “Climate change is a public health emergency,” she said. “But not enough people make the connection. We’re seeing increases in many old diseases… due to air and water pollution.”  She added: “There’s the increases in mental health problems as people try to cope with loss of homes and crops and livestock, jobs and family. Health care systems the world over including in this country are increasingly unable to meet the challenges.”  Fonda, who turns 82 on Saturday, was joined by feminist icon Gloria Steinem, who gave a speech in which she repeatedly attacked President Trump.  “You may think I’m here to talk about all the women the accidental occupant of the White House has harassed and assaulted,” Steinem said. “However, I am here to talk about only one of the women this Orange Man is disrespecting, assaulting, and endangering… her name is Mother Nature.”  Steinem, 85, continued: “The truth is that environmental protection has huge majority support in this country and Trump does not have majority support. Far from it.”  Fonda’s climate protest on Friday marked her 11th consecutive “Fire Drill Friday” event. Past participants include Rosanna Arquette, Diane Lane, Piper Perabo, Sam Waterston, and Ted Danson.  On Tuesday, Fonda delivered a speech at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., slamming Republicans, praising the Green New Deal, and denouncing the energy industry for destroying the earth.  “You know, I lie in bed at night searching for the right words that will galvanize people to action around the climate emergency and show them why it’s too late for moderation,” Fonda said on Tuesday.  “This is going to take an all-out war on drilling, and fracking, and de-regulation, and racism, and misogyny, and colonialism, and despair, all at the same time.”  Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at dng@breitbart.com


cnn--2019-02-07--McCain family matriarch Roberta McCain celebrates 107th birthday

"Happy 107th Birthday to my grandmother Roberta McCain - you are the epitome of strength and grace, an American treasure and one of my life role models," Meghan McCain, a co-host of ABC's "The View" and daughter of Sen. McCain, wrote on Twitter.  "Thank you for showing me and so many others how to truly live life on your own terms. I love you."  Roberta mostly stayed away from her son's 2000 presidential bid, but was a frequent presence on the campaign trail when he ran for president in 2008.  A spirited woman, she has traveled the world even in her advanced age, including taking a trip to Europe in her 90s.


dailykos--2019-03-15--Happy Birthday Albert Einstein the Socialist

Happy Birthday Albert Einstein, the Socialist

Today we celebrate the 140th birthday of Albert Einstein, born on March 14, 1879, perhaps the greatest Physicist to grace this planet.  Much has been written about his contribution to Science and Physics, his demeanor, his personal life, his love of music, his views on politics, war, Zionism and socialism. Here we take a brief look at his writings on socialism, as expounded in his essay Why Socialism, written for the Monthly Review in 1949. We follow it up from some tributes from renowned organizations and individuals from the twitter world.  Much of what Einstein wrote is as relevant today as it was 70 years ago. His dissection of capitalism, capitalists, politicians and individuals is as insightful as one modern thinker on the subject. His prescriptions were philosophical and he called upon others to craft specific solution to steer the world towards socialism.  Here is a summary of the essay — the emphasis on certain quoted phrases is mine.  According to Einstein, the essence of the crisis of his time concerns the relationship of the individual to society. He spends a few paragraphs explaining the evolution of humans from individuals to ones deeply connected with society. And then he writes -  The individual has become more conscious than ever of his dependence upon society. But he does not experience this dependence as a positive asset, as an organic tie, as a protective force, but rather as a threat to his natural rights, or even to his economic existence. Moreover, his position in society is such that the egotistical drives of his make-up are constantly being accentuated, while his social drives, which are by nature weaker, progressively deteriorate. All human beings, whatever their position in society, are suffering from this process of deterioration.  Einstein squarely lays the blame at the feet of Capitalism.  The economic anarchy of capitalist society as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of the evil. We see before us a huge community of producers the members of which are unceasingly striving to deprive each other of the fruits of their collective labor—not by force, but on the whole in faithful compliance with legally established rules. What the worker receives is determined not by the real value of the goods he produces, but by his minimum needs and by the capitalists’ requirements for labor power in relation to the number of workers competing for jobs.  He next discusses the nexus between capitalists and politics — which rings so true today, esp. with the republican party -  Private capital tends to become concentrated in few hands, partly because of competition among the capitalists, and partly because technological development and the increasing division of labor encourage the formation of larger units of production at the expense of smaller ones. The result of these developments is an oligarchy of private capital the enormous power of which cannot be effectively checked even by a democratically organized political society. This is true since the members of legislative bodies are selected by political parties, largely financed or otherwise influenced by private capitalists who, for all practical purposes, separate the electorate from the legislature. The consequence is that the representatives of the people do not in fact sufficiently protect the interests of the underprivileged sections of the population. Moreover, under existing conditions, private capitalists inevitably control, directly or indirectly, the main sources of information (press, radio, education). It is thus extremely difficult, and indeed in most cases quite impossible, for the individual citizen to come to objective conclusions and to make intelligent use of his political rights.  He dissects the plight of the dispensable worker -  Production is carried on for profit, not for use. There is no provision that all those able and willing to work will always be in a position to find employment; an “army of unemployed” almost always exists. The worker is constantly in fear of losing his job. Since unemployed and poorly paid workers do not provide a profitable market, the production of consumers’ goods is restricted, and great hardship is the consequence. Technological progress frequently results in more unemployment rather than in an easing of the burden of work for all. Unlimited competition leads to a huge waste of labor, and to that crippling of the social consciousness of individuals which I mentioned before.  Einstein has some keen insights on the education system and its effect on society’s members -  I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals. In such an economy, the means of production are owned by society itself and are utilized in a planned fashion. A planned economy, which adjusts production to the needs of the community, would distribute the work to be done among all those able to work and would guarantee a livelihood to every man, woman, and child. The education of the individual, in addition to promoting his own innate abilities, would attempt to develop in him a sense of responsibility for his fellow men in place of the glorification of power and success in our present society.  Was Einstein being too idealistic? Was his vision too close to Marxism?  Are human beings doomed to compete and destroy rather than live in harmony with and for the benefit of their fellow beings? Or are these destructive attitudes inculcated by society’s power holders and can be reversed (Einstein thought so)?  Einstein is very well aware of how a planned economy can lead to totalitarianism not socialism.  He concludes with the words — “Clarity about the aims and problems of socialism is of greatest significance in our age of transition”, hoping to inspire others to debate and craft solutions to the crisis of individual and humanity, which he laid out in the essay.  Do take a look at the full essay. It is very-well written, easy to read and sounds eerily familiar.  A Few Notable Tributes and Some Wonderful Pictures  A few Tweets that will make you smile  What are your memories of Einstein, from your school and college days? What do you remember his most by? Do his views on socialism line up with yours? How much progress have we made towards the goal of socialism, as we define it now? Can capitalism be tamed to be more socially responsible? Can capitalism and socialism co-exist? Is there something like Democratic capitalism or Capitalistic socialism or Socialist Capitalism?


eveningstandard--2019-01-07--Blue Ivyaposs birthday Best moments of Beyonce and Jay-Zaposs daughter as she turns 7

Blue Ivy's birthday: Best moments of Beyonce and Jay-Z's daughter as she turns 7

Happy birthday to Blue Ivy Carter, who turns seven today. Beyonce and Jay-Z's eldest daughter has had a pretty eventful life so far. Famous even before she was born, Blue's arrival was announced at the MTV Music Awards when Beyonce rubbed her baby bump mid-performance.  Blue Ivy was then welcomed into the world on January 7, 2012, at Manhattan’s Lennox Hill Hospital. Beyoncé described the birth in an interview with Vogue the following year. "I imagined this tiny infant doing all the work, so I couldn’t think about my own pain" she said, "we were talking. I know it sounds crazy, but I felt a communication."  Over the years, Blue Ivy has become a mini celebrity in her own right, frequently stealing the spotlight from her famous parents.  Here's a few of her best moments.  When Beyoncé and Blue Ivy are photographed together there's often some outfit coordination involved, like in 2016 when the two posed in front of the Eiffel Tower in matching mint floral dresses.  The two wore matching dresses again for a sweet Mother’s Day photo shoot in 2017.  Blue Ivy has joined her parents several times at the awards ceremony. During the 2018 Grammys, she showed Beyoncé and Jay-Z who’s boss when she appeared to shush their applause during Camila Cabello’s speech.  She also gave us one of the best mom memes when she was pictured chowing down on snacks while Beyoncé held on to her cartoon of juice.  And at the 2017 Grammys, Blue Ivy crashed James Corden’s live version of Carpool Karaoke in her pink ruffled Prince-inspired outfit. The performance featured Jennifer Lopez and John Legend. But, as one of Corden’s biggest fans, Blue Ivy outshone them all.  As the daughter of two of the biggest music stars on the planet, there’s no telling what kind of natural talent Blue Ivy has inherited from her parents.  She's already contributed vocals to Jay-Z’s 4:44 track “Legacy” and for the album’s bonus track “Blue’s Freestyle.” For Blue Ivy’s sixth birthday, Jay-Z released a music video for “Blue’s Freestyle” that features an animated version of Blue rapping and performing ballet at a talent show.  She made music video cameos in Beyoncé’s “Formation” and sentimental tribute “Blue,” along with joining a star-studded cast for Jay-Z’s “Family Feud” video that envisions Blue Ivy as the future United States president.  Blue Ivy delivered some serious summer goals when the Carters took a casual family trip to Italy, where Blue appeared completely nonplussed in a pair of cat-eyed sunglasses with a tropical drink. Just your typical bucket and spade family holiday then...  From attending concerts as a toddler to watching Beyoncé at Coachella, Blue Ivy might be her parents’ most loyal fan. This was also evident when she taught a friend how to throw up “The Roc” (Jay-Z’s signature diamond-shape symbol) during her father’s performance of “On To The Next One” at a London show this past June.  If there’s anyone who could outdo Beyoncé on the red carpet, it would be Blue Ivy herself. The young Carter turned heads at the 2016 VMAs with her glittering metallic dress designed by luxury children’s brand Mischka Aoki. It was reportedly priced at around $11,000.  Blue Ivy clearly doesn't suffer fools gladly -  she even apparently called out Jay-Z  for an unfriendly tone he used with her in the car. She’s appears to be keeping her grandmother, Tina Knowles, in check too.  During a trip to Paris this past May, Knowles attempted to sneak an Instagram video of a ballet theatre. Just as she was filming, Blue Ivy can be heard off-camera telling her video is not allowed. Don't even attempt to bend the rules on Blue's watch.


eveningstandard--2019-01-16--Happy birthday Kate Moss The iconic supermodelaposs best party looks of all time

Happy birthday, Kate Moss! The iconic supermodel's best party looks of all time

Kate Moss is undeniably one of the most photographed women on the planet.  Rising to fame at the tender age of 14 after being discovered at JFK airport - Kate quickly soared to supermodel status in the '90s, working for brands such as Calvin Klein, Versace and Saint Laurent.  Over the years, Kate has not only become a pro at campaigns and catwalks - but also, quite practised at partying.  Whether it's simply a night out on the town with her fellow supermodel friends or attending a swanky gala, Kate's glamorous outfits have never faltered.  So, to celebrate her 45th birthday, we are taking a trip down memory lane and looking back at her best (and most inspiring) party ensembles.  From that '90s chainmail slip dress to androgynous tailored suits and more glitzy gowns that we can count - here are the looks that have become nearly as iconic as Kate's cheekbones.  Click through our gallery above for the ultimate party dressing inspiration.


eveningstandard--2019-01-08--David Bowie art in London Best paintings portraits murals and street art of the star for his birt

David Bowie art in London: Best paintings, portraits, murals and street art of the star for his birthday

Not only is it the star’s birthday on January 8, but it's also the month of his death, which occurred just days after on January 10. This year marks the three-year anniversary of his passing.  This icon would have turned 72 in 2019 and to commemorate his birth and death, we’ve rounded up some of the best David Bowie art in London.  From moving murals and street art to striking portraits, over the years many artists have captured the very essence of the legendary singer in their works.  The National Portrait Gallery currently has one abstract oil painting on display by Stephen Finer, which depicts a mostly grey and white canvas with flashes of colour defining the icon's features. The gallery also has portraits by David Wedgbury and David Bebbington in its photographs collection. While these are not currently on display, they can be found online.  Brixton's famous Ziggy Stardust mural became a shrine to the star after his death with many fans signing the wall and leaving flowers by it.  Bowie street art can be found elsewhere in the capital, most notably the black and white piece by Artful Dodger in Elephant and Castle.  A more recent addition lies on Ada Street in Hackney and is claimed by @Zabouartist on Instagram.  Bowie released his final studio album Blackstar on January 8 2016, his 69th birthday. He died two days later having suffered with liver cancer for 18 months.


eveningstandard--2019-01-09--Kate Middleton style file as she celebrates her 37th birthday we chart the Duchess of Cambridgeap

Kate Middleton style file: as she celebrates her 37th birthday, we chart the Duchess of Cambridge's fashion history

Since first appearing on the arm of Prince William over a decade ago, Kate Middleton has found her sartorial decisions under close scrutiny.  Having moved on from the preppy, country-girl sense of style that she favoured during her university years at St Andrews, the Duchess of Cambridge has stepped seamlessly into the position of a modern day fashion icon.  From state banquets to official engagements, Kate always looks timeless and elegant. She continues to strike the balance between giving a nod to established, well-regarded global fashion brands - including Alexander McQueen, Jenny Packham and Temperley - and supporting slightly lesser-known British talents such as Matthew Williamson, Catherine Walker and Preen by Thornton Bregazzi.  Kate, is also known for working high-street items into her wardrobe, however the majority of 2018 saw the Reiss coats and Zara dresses give way to more luxury brands and couture creations.  In a year that saw Kate navigate a maternity wardrobe, juggle being a busy mum-of-three and carry out her royal duties, it's fair to say that she managed to pull it off with effortless grace and style.  Undeniably the duchess's favourite designer continues to be the brand responsible for her wedding dress in 2011, Alexander McQueen. From creating a princess-perfect maternity gown for a royal tour of Oslo, to a chic cream coat for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's royal wedding and a trendy puff sleeve dress for Prince Louis' christening, the British designer has been responsible for many of Kate's most memorable ensembles over the past year.  Nearly eight years since Kate was welcomed into the royal family, the latter half of 2018 also saw the then 36-year-old in the throes of a style revolution, from on-trend hair accessories to a masterclass in autumn/winter 2018 dressing and the addition of trousers to her royal wardrobe, we are sure the duchess's 37th year is going to be her most stylish to date.


eveningstandard--2019-01-14--Miley Cyrus shares heart-warming open letter to aposfavourite dudeapos Liam Hemsworth on his bir

Miley Cyrus shares heart-warming open letter to 'favourite dude' Liam Hemsworth on his birthday

Miley Cyrus has shared a heart-warming tribute to new husband Liam Hemsworth to celebrate his 29th birthday.  The 26-year-old singer marked the happy occasion with an open letter to Hemsworth, who she married in December, in which she listed all her “favourite things” about the actor.  “HBD to my  #1… When we met you were 19, today you are 29,” she wrote on Instagram and Twitter.  “I thought I could share some of my favourite things about my favourite dude in honour of this very special day,” she said.  “The way you look at me, the way you look at our dogs… our pigs, our horses, our cats, our fish.  “The way you look at your family… your friends… at strangers… at life.  “The look on your face when you receive good news and how you look at the bad news.  “I love how you always try things your way, but are never to [sic] proud to ask for help. (Yes, I’ve noticed and taken note, I’m a work in progress).”  After listening all these positives, Cyrus jokingly shared some of Hemsworth’s less than favourable habits, including his fondness for leaving “dirty socks on the floor,” and turned them on their head.  “I even love when you shrink my favourite t-shirt in the dryer – because having a boyfriend (oh em gee I almost forgot you’re my friggen husband now) that does laundry is pretty much the best thing ever,” she wrote, before thanking the actor “for giving me the happiest days of my life.”  Cyrus and Hemsworth tied the knot in front of friends and family in a low-key ceremony held in Tennessee on December 23.  The singer confirmed the happy news with a series of black and white images shared on her Instagram account.  The couple first met on the set of Nicholas Sparks adaptation The Last Song, and dated from 2010 to 2012 before calling it quits. However, after a three-year-hiatus, they rekindled the romance in 2015.


eveningstandard--2019-01-15--Kim Kardashian shares adorable tribute to apospretty girlapos Chicago on her first birthday afte

Kim Kardashian shares adorable tribute to 'pretty girl' Chicago on her first birthday after confirming fourth baby plans

Kim Kardashian has shared a tribute to her "sweetest" daughter Chicago on her first birthday.  The reality star posted an adorable black and white image of the famous tot laying in bed.  She captioned the post: “Happy Birthday to my pretty girl Chi!!!! The sweetest baby in the whole world! Mommy and Daddy love you so much!”  Fans of the star were quick to hail Chicago the “most gorgeous baby”, whilst others inundated the comments with birthday wishes.  One user wrote: “She is so beautiful Kim.”  A third added: “Omg stop it. How freaking cute!”  The post comes after Kardashian confirmed she is expecting to welcome her fourth child with husband Kanye West.  Kardashian broke the news during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, in which she revealed her fourth child will be a boy.  Cohen asked: "Are you working on another child?" The reality TV star replied: "We are."  The tot will be the couple’s second child via surrogate, Chicago being the first, after Kardashian “nearly died” during her second pregnancy after she struggled with a “stuck” placenta during childbirth.  The couple are also parents to daughter North, five, and three-year-old son Saint.


eveningstandard--2019-01-16--Kate Moss celebrates 45th birthday with celeb pals - and a cake covered in pictures of herself

Kate Moss celebrated her 45th birthday in style with a dinner at one of London’s most exclusive restaurants, which was attended by her coterie of celebrity pals.  The model hosted the celebratory meal at Mayfair restaurant China Tang, part of The Dorchester hotel, which offers private dining rooms for a £2,000 minimum spend.  Her close friends Stella McCartney, Sadie Frost, Meg Mathews Liv Tyler and make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury were all in attendance, along with Vogue editor Edward Enninful.  Instagram snaps shared by interior designer Mathews on the night showed the lavish dining room decked out with gold balloons that spelled out ‘Happy Birthday.’  The highlight of the night was perhaps the Moss-themed cake, which featured a rainbow-coloured sponge base, a meringue top and miniature replicas of the model’s many Vogue covers, held in place with cocktail sticks.  The phrase ‘No fee no me’ was written in icing on the plate.  In a video clip shared by Mathews, the model looked overjoyed as the cake was wheeled into the room, complete with two huge sparklers.  Frost also gave Instagram followers a closer look at the birthday treat, writing: “Happy birthday Kate… what a lovely evening filled with so much love. It all just gets better.”  Fashion designer McCartney posted a special birthday tribute to the model on Instagram as they posed in front of the balloon display, wishing a “happy happy birthday” to “one of my oldest finest funniest friends.”  The model has become notorious for going all out to celebrate her birthday.  She memorably invited friends to party for 34 hours straight to mark her 34th (thought it’s thought that guests only managed to stay out for 18 hours) and hosting a medieval banquet the following year.


eveningstandard--2019-01-16--Kate Moss quotes to celebrate the supermodelaposs 45th birthday

Kate Moss quotes to celebrate the supermodel's 45th birthday

When you think of supermodels, there's a few names which reign supreme - and Kate Moss is always on the shortlist.  The British model, who rose to prominence in the 90s - starting with her now iconic 1990 shoot for The Face - continues to influence the fashion world to this day, most recently becoming an agency boss and signing her own daughter Lila Moss.  Moss borrowed the phrase "never complain, never explain" from her former boyfriend Johnny Depp, and in her three-decade career she's stuck pretty well to that rule, rarely giving in-depth interviews and preferring to let her work do the talking.  But occasionally, she lets a few things slip. Here's a few of Kate Moss's funniest and best soundbites.  “Going to the gym wouldn’t be on my list of favourite things to do.” - speaking to Interview Magazine, 2008  "I was lucky to be with Johnny. He taught me a lot about fame. He told me 'never complain, never explain'. That's why I don't use Twitter and things like that. I don't want people to know what is true all the time and that's what keeps the mystery." - writing in Vanity Fair in 2012.  “It’s a sin to be tired.” - speaking to Time Out London, 2001  “When you’re shooting you go to references in your mind. You think about how you should stand in these particular clothes, or how you should move. You think about the different characters you’re playing, really.” - speaking to Interview Magazine, 2008  “It sounds really corny but I think that if you’re beautiful inside it shows on the outside, for sure. You can be a pretty face, but if you're not a nice person, it just doesn't work. I'm not traditionally a beauty, but apparently people think I'm all right. If you're a nice person, it definitely helps.” - speaking to WWD, 2009  Kate Moss, speaking to Vanity Fair in 2012 of her church marriage to ex-husband Jamie Hince: “I thought we might all burst into flames, all the crap we’ve done.”  “I’m not really a fashion designer. I just love clothes. I’ve never been to design school. I can’t sketch. I can’t cut patterns and things. I can shorten things. I can make a dress out of a scarf.” - speaking to Harper's Bazaar, 2010  "I have met almost everyone I’ve wanted to meet." - speaking to Interview Magazine, 2008  “In my next life, I'm going to be a rock star. I was a ballerina in my last life. No, a stripper in my last life and in my next life, I’ll be a ballerina or a rock star, depending on how this one goes.” - speaking to Hello!, 2005  "In fashion, excess is not for creative purposes, whatever people may say. It is about escapism. You just have to get out of it to deal with it." - speaking to Time Out London, 2001  "I don't like selfies – my favourite picture of myself is the portrait that Mario Testino took of Lila and me for American Vogue. It's timeless. I have it hanging in my bathroom so I look at it every day." - speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, 2017  “I'm happier on the runway than I am on the red carpet. Because then I am not being myself. I think, on the red carpet, it's a weird, like, 'Who am I? Am I me? Am I them?’” - speaking to Image, 2001  “I am a woman now! It’s true. No, honestly, I’ve never worn a bra in my life. Ever!” - speaking to New York Magazine  “With confidence, I think anyone can get a dress and make it their own. I don't think you should have it off the runway and wear it like they want you to wear it. You know, with their hair and makeup - their woman. I just think it's boring. You have to make it your own. That's what fashion is all about.” - speaking to Allure, 2013  “What people say isn't going to stop me. I have to do things for myself.” - speaking to Interview Magazine, 2014  “There are lots of women I look up to, but mentors are someone you talk to and not just admire. A lot of my friends that I trust are my mentors.” - speaking to WWD, 2009  ‘So, I’ve got a dog, and the dog’s making me (dress) more day. It’s a nightmare. You can’t do a dog in a heel.’ - speaking to Grazia, 2012  “I think because I still turn up for work wanting to get a picture that hasn’t been done. I still get excited, and I like being part of the process of creating an image. I mean, I’m still shocked when I get a campaign!” - speaking to The Guardian, 2018  “I never did a dirty armpit. You can look dirty, but you can't be dirty.” - speaking to Vogue, 2011  “I'm not going to be horrible just for the sake of having attitude or make other people feel small just to make me feel bigger.” - via TheTelegraph


eveningstandard--2019-01-16--Rita Ora marks Kate Mossapos 45th birthday with saucy bed snap on Instagram

Rita Ora marks Kate Moss' 45th birthday with saucy bed snap on Instagram

Rita Ora posted a saucy birthday tribute to Kate Moss as she shared a snap of the pair cosied up in bed.  Ora, who signed to Moss’ modelling agency last year, paid homage to her pal on her 45th birthday with the ultimate throwback snap of Moss fast asleep.  Alongside the posts, Ora wrote: “There’s only one KM. Happy birthday!! You do so much for so many here’s to your day! you deserve the world!  “I love you always and forever and I’m so happy to call you my friend. Here’s to many more memories and laughs! #major @katemossagency.”  Moss marked her landmark birthday on Wednesday, having enjoyed a night out at China Tang at The Dorchester on Tuesday night.  Moss was joined by her boyfriend Count Nikolai Von Bismarck and pal Stella McCartney at the lavish venue.  McCartney celebrated in style with her supermodel friend, uploading a video of the two at midnight wishing her “shlag wag” a happy birthday before giving her a kiss.  She later posted a photo of the pair, writing: “To one of my oldest finest funniest friends... happy happy birthday. I love you xxx Shlag!!”  Ora announced that she was officially making her first foray into modelling last summer when she signed to Moss’ star-studded agency.  At the time, the Anywhere singer told The Sun: “Kate has always been a mentor and life-long friend. It's a real honour to be working with her.  “I have watched her career and business grow, and establish itself as one of the most important and recognisable brands. She is a real inspiration, and when we discussed going in to business together, it seemed natural.”


eveningstandard--2019-01-19--Ariana Grande pays sweet tribute to late ex-boyfriend Mac Miller on his 27th birthday

Ariana Grande has paid a sweet tribute to her late ex-boyfriend Mac Miller on what would have been his 27th birthday.  The singer simply wrote “miss u” on Twitter on Saturday and later paid her respects by posting an image of herself with Miller.  Although the message was not directed specifically at Miller, fans of the Thank U, Next signer were quick to offer their support to her.  Miller died five months ago, in September, and Grande has shared numerous tributes to him since his death.  The pair had dated for two years prior to his death.  As well as Grande, many friends and artists from the music world paid tribute to the rapper on his birthday, on Saturday.  Rapper Juicy J tweeted: “Happy bday to my brother Mac Miller, I miss my bro every day.”  In honour of his birthday, MTV shared a video on Twitter from 2011, where Miller said: “the reason I am a musician is because I have a passion for making music.”


eveningstandard--2019-01-28--Olivia Colman reveals Wikipedia battle to change birthday after she was aged by eight years

Olivia Colman has revealed she has been locked in a battle with Wikipedia over her birthday after the website listed her as eight years older than she is.  The Oscar-nominated star took on the online encyclopedia after googling herself and finding out that it had her down as 52.  Not wanting to seem “vain”, Colman contacted the site and posed as a “friend” who just wanted to correct the honest mistake.  “Once, on Wikipedia, they had my birthday as the wrong day, the wrong month, and eight years before I was born,” the actress explained on David Tennant’s podcast.  She told her Broadchurch co-star: “I emailed them, pretending it wasn’t me. [I wrote,] ‘I was at school with her and that’s not her birthday.’ I didn’t want them to think I was being so vain.  “I didn’t get a reply, and wrote again going, ‘Sorry guys, but I know it’s wrong.’ And they didn’t reply.”  Exasperated at the lack of cooperation, Colman admitted that she was forced to come clean and tell the site that it was “really upsetting” that they had aged her almost a decade.  The 44-year-old continued: “And they said, ‘We’d have to see a birth certificate to prove it,’ and I went, ‘Whose f****** birth certificate have you looked at in the first place to make me eight years older?”  Wikipedia did eventually change Colman’s date of birth to the correct date, January 30, 1974, although the actress joked that she should have made herself younger.  Despite roles in Broadchurch, Les Miserables and soon-to-be The Crown, Colman also revealed that her career is haunted by an advert she starred in for the AA back in 2004.  The Norwich-born star admitted that she “lost some jobs” after playing the role of Bev in the iconic Kev and Bev adverts.  Colman said: “AA! That has become the bane of my life. I thought they were going to run that for about a week but they ran it for what felt like four times a day for a year.  “They ran it for a year having just given me a buy-out. It was really annoying. I lost some jobs.”  Colman was last week nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her role as Queen Anne in The Favourite.  The full podcast David Tennant Does A Podcast With is available to stream now.


eveningstandard--2019-01-31--Happy Birthday Stormi Webster Kylie Jenneraposs daughteraposs best moments as she turns one

Happy Birthday Stormi Webster! Kylie Jenner's daughter's best moments as she turns one

Happy birthday to Stormi Webster - the smallest addition to the Kardashian clan who turns one today. As the daughter of Kylie Jenner and rapper Travis Scott, Stormi has spent the first twelve months of her life like any baby - decked out designer threads, jetting off on island holidays...  Born into a family who share pretty much everything (even childbirth) with the world, Stormi's arrival was announced on Kylie's YouTube channel in a 'To Our Daughter' video that clocked up 80 million views. Shot like a mini documentary, the video included flashbacks to Kylie's mother Kris Jenner's own pregnancy and labour.  Stormi joins an army of Kardashian children, including Khloe's daughter True Thompson and Kim's daughter Chicago. From cruising around in a Fendi-print ride to scoring her first LV bag, here's a highligh reel of Stormi's first year of life.  Though Kylie Jenner was unsually private about her pregnancy, on 4th February she celebrated her daughter's arrival in a viral YouTube video.  Stormi's aunt Kim Karadashian revealed on Instagram earlier this year that she had bought the smallest members of the Kardashian clan a designer purchase. Stormi Webster's designer bag is actually a vintage black and rainbow monogrammed LV purse valued at over £2k. The luxury purchases didn't stop there - the chair she's sitting on is actually a limited edition piece by Brazilian designer Campana and American artist KAWS, a gift from her father.  Some people have limited edition Lamborghinis, others like Stormi have Fendi prams. Kylie naturally had a matching Fendi-print dress...  Matty's smooth vocals struck the right note with Stormi, who bopped along to his track Butter.  Note the tiny little butterfly clip - attention to detail  Stormi joined her mum and honorary aunt Jordyn Woods, one of Kylie Jenner's best friends, for a beachy getaway. The three all arrived in lime green matching suits.  According to Footwear News, she's wearing the Off-White x Air Jordan 1s.  Not a single ugly Christmas jumper to be seen here. At Christmas she and her mum wore the sparkliest co-ord look - her mother went one up with a sparkly gown.  While watching a video of her dad Travis Scott's concert, Stormi got into the spirit, dancing along to his music. Fan #1.  She still needs a little help pronouncing 'Kylie Cosmetics'.  Kylie regularly posts makeup tutorials to her YouTube channel. As Jenner walked her audience through a bold eyeshadow look, Stormi popped up for a cameo.  Travis posted a picture of his daughter (a.k.a. his "little rager") to Instagram.  Travis Scott's third album is called Astroworld - Stormi gave him some free advertising with this piece of merch.  She also posed in front of her dad's poster.  Initial necklaces might be a thing at the moment, but Stormi's doing her own thing with this gold bracelet.  It's all about the colour palette...  No Baby Bjorn for Stormi - Jenner's carrier of choice is by Gucci.  Luckily for Stormi, she has a ton of cousins to have slumber parties with. She and her cousin Chicago 'Chi' West, Kim Kardashian's daughter, proved themselves diehard pink ladies at this cute sleepover.  Attending her friend Jordyn Wood's birthday, Jenner posed with Stormi, who wore a metallic get-up and looked a little non-plussed about the room stuffed with heart balloons.  The day after Halloween, Kylie Jenner revealed her and Stormi's matching costumes. Dressed in an all-gold get up, she was the lightning to her mother's storm cloud. Kylie captioned the post, "Stormi Weather". Get it?


eveningstandard--2019-02-07--Holly Willoughby in TEARS as Phillip Schofield surprises her with puppies for her birthday

Holly Willoughby was reduced to tears when her This Morning presenting partner Phillip Schofield presented her with a basket of puppies as an early birthday gift.  The ITV star was ready to give viewers the usual rundown of what was in store for today’s show, until Schofield told her that he was planning to mark her birthday celebrations in style.  “What’s Sunday?” he asked, before adding: “Shall we start the presents already?”  As the This Morning team played a Happy Birthday fanfare, the 37-year-old admitted that they were “actually making [her] quite emotional, weirdly,” before Schofield surprised her with the Pomeranian puppies.  “This is my present to you,” he declared, as the adorable bundles of fluff were wheeled into the studio on a trolley decked out in balloons, as Puppy Love played in the background.  “They’re so cute! Can I pick one up?” Willoughby asked, before saying that the eight-week-old pups were “just the cutest thing [she’d] ever seen.”  “Oh my god, you are just so sweet!” she added, wiping away tears of joy.  Schofield even joked that he had asked Willoughby’s husband Dan Baldwin if she could take them home after the show had finished.  “I can’t believe you made me cry over a puppy,” she said, adding: “This is the best thing ever… But then I have to give it back!”  The presenter then wiped away yet more tears (with the help of her co-star) before beseeching her husband to let her keep one, telling the camera: “If my husband is watching, please, darling please! He just makes me cry, this dog.”  The daytime presenter was also moved to tears last week when she met a sheepdog puppy named Missy, who was in need of a new home.  Willoughby will celebrate her 38th birthday on Sunday February 10.


eveningstandard--2019-02-08--Gemma Atkinson claps back at pregnancy aposweight gainapos questions as she indulges in birthday

Gemma Atkinson claps back at pregnancy 'weight gain' questions as she indulges in birthday cake

Gemma Atkinson has hit back at questions about pregnancy weight gain in an empowering Instagram post.  The former soap star, who is expecting her first child with Strictly Come Dancing professional Gorka Marquez, said that putting on weight is the “last thing” she will be worrying about during her pregnancy.  The 34-year-old shared a throwback bikini picture on her Instagram account from a holiday to the Dominican Republic, when she was “in [her] best shape and at [her] healthiest.”  “I’m posting this because all I’ve been asked since people know I’m pregnant is ‘are you worried about putting on weight?’” she wrote, before adding: “Well, in a word, NO.”  “I don’t see pregnancy as just someone gaining weight. I see it as my body shape & size changing because I’m lucky enough to be going through this incredible miracle which nature intended.  “A miracle sadly denied to many women, so the last thing I’m going to be worrying about is that one of the side effects of my pregnancy is the fact that I WILL GAIN WEIGHT. I’m extremely lucky to be in this situation.”  She went on to explain that changes such as increased cellulite, bloating and water retention are all “signs that [her] body is working correctly to house [a] baby.”  “I can’t train to the extent I usually do right now because it’s not safe for my baby and that’s my only priority right now,” she wrote, adding that her boyfriend is “THE most supportive person.”  To emphasise her point, she later re-shared an Instagram Story posted by her Hits Radio colleague Gethin Jones, in which she could be seen enjoying a slice of unicorn birthday cake.  Atkinson shared a string of clips from a workout session on Instagram earlier this week, telling followers that she had switched up her usual routine following news of her pregnancy.  The couple announced the happy news in an Instagram post, with the help of their pet dogs Norman and Ollie.  Sharing an image of the pets posing with signs which read “Guess what… mum’s pregnant,” the actress told fans that she and Marquez were “beyond excited” at the news.


eveningstandard--2019-02-10--Jennifer Aniston birthday Best quotes from Friends one-liners to life wisdom as the Hollywood sta

Jennifer Aniston birthday: Best quotes, from Friends one-liners to life wisdom, as the Hollywood star turns 50

In 1994, when she was 25 years old, Jennifer Aniston walked into a coffee shop in a wedding dress and made TV history.  Her role as Rachel Green on Friends would catapult Aniston from jobbing LA actress to international superstar, and the character's witty one-liners, style, work ethic – the spoiled rich kid who started as a waitress and grafted her way up to buyer at Ralph Lauren – and a hairdo that made women go into salons asking for "The Rachel" would also influence a generation.  Rachel won Aniston a Golden Globe, a Primetime Emmy and a Screen Actors Guild award. By the final season, Aniston and her co-stars Courtney Cox and Lisa Kudrow, had become the highest paid TV actress of all time.  Then came movie success: The Break-Up, Marley and Me, Horrible Bosses. Her turn as the bereaved Claire Bennett in Cake earned her a Golden Globe nomination, and most recently, she has received critical acclaim for her role as a former beauty queen in Dumplin.  Aniston's private life – so closely scrutinised by the media – has had its fair share of ups, but downs too. There was the highly-publicised estrangement from her mother, Nancy Dow. Her marriage to Brad Pitt, and their subsequent divorce. Her relationships with Vince Vaughn and John Mayer. Her second marriage, to Justin Theroux, and its break down last year.  She might have experienced phenomenal success, but she's also proved she can handle the bumps in the road that have come her way too.  As she turns 50 (her birthday party at the weekend looked like a blast) who better to look to for some solid life advice?  Here, we look back at her best quotes, on life, love, womanhood... and some epic one-liners from Friends.  “Most of us fall in love with someone's persona and spend the next three to five years discovering who that person really is. If you can stay connected through that process of raw vulnerability, I think you have a shot at the prize of knowing and accepting another human being for who and what they really are after years of highs and lows. I've been a real student of this theme for the last 20 years.”  "Here’s where I come out on this topic: we are complete with or without a mate, with or without a child. We get to decide for ourselves what is beautiful when it comes to our bodies. That decision is ours and ours alone. Let’s make that decision for ourselves and for the young women in this world who look to us as examples. Let’s make that decision consciously, outside of the tabloid noise. We don’t need to be married or mothers to be complete. We get to determine our own “happily ever after” for ourselves."  Addressing speculation over her pregnancy in an essay written for The Huffington Post, 2016  “You know, a swimsuit body is a body in a swimsuit, no matter what that body is. It’s time to just stop thinking beauty is in the shape of a size 4 and the right butt size and the right waist size and the right measurements. It’s just old. We’ve done it. We’ve been there. Let’s move on.”  “I fantasise about it. It really was the greatest job I ever had.”  “Honestly that [haircut] was [on for] about a year, first season. Second season it was gone. So that baby had some legs!”  “There was stuff printed there that was definitely from a time when I was unaware that it was happening. I felt those details were a little inappropriate to discuss. That stuff about how she couldn't wait to get to work every day? That was really uncool.”  “This whole 'Poor lonely Jen' thing, this idea that I'm so unlucky in love? I actually feel I've been unbelievably lucky in love. Just because at this stage my life doesn't have the traditional framework to it—the husband and the two kids and the house in Connecticut—it's mine. It's my experience. And if you don't like the way it looks, then stop looking at it! Because I feel good. I don't feel like I'm supposed to be any further along or somewhere that I'm not. I'm right where I'm supposed to be.”  “Women are picked apart and pitted against one another based on looks and clothing and superficial stuff. When a couple breaks up in Hollywood, it’s the woman who is scorned. The woman is left sad and alone. She’s the failure. F that. When was the last time you read about a divorced, childless man referred to as a spinster?”  “People forget who actors are. They say, 'You're too known to play that part. You can't disappear.' And we're like, 'Give us a chance. We'll disappear.'”  “I never liked Sex and the City, the kind of thing where women only feel empowered once they find the man. It is just not up my alley. I don't believe in it. There is nothing you can control about love. Somebody once said, 'Everything you want in the world is just right outside your comfort zone. Everythingyoucouldpossiblywant!'”  “People who avoid the brick walls — all power to ya, but we all have to hit them sometimes in order to push through to the next level, to evolve.”  “I mean, isn't that just kick-you-in-the-crotch, spit-on-your-neck fantastic?”  “Oh, I'm sorry. Did my back hurt your knife?”  “I am – over – you. And that, my friend, is what they call 'closure'”  “I know, the odds are against us, but somebody has to win, and it could be us! And then how you gonna feel? You know, we’re gonna be all like 'Oh everybody, let’s take our helicopters up to the cape' and you’re gonna be all like 'oh, I can’t guys, I’ll meet you guys up there, I gotta gas up the Hyundai'”  “It's not that common, it doesn't happen to every guy, and it is a big deal.”  “Oh that's ok, girls tend not to like me”  “I got off the plane”


eveningstandard--2019-02-11--Jennifer Anistonaposs 50th birthday Kate Hudson and Gwyneth Paltrow gush over aposray of sunshi

Jennifer Aniston's 50th birthday: Kate Hudson and Gwyneth Paltrow gush over 'ray of sunshine'

Jennifer Aniston appeared to be in good spirits as she celebrated turning 50 surrounded by her famous friends.  The Friends star, who actively avoids social media, cropped up online in full party mode, thanks to her Instagram-loving pals Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Hudson.  In the first set of snaps, shared on the Almost Famous star's Instagram, Aniston beamed as she cuddled up to Hudson and Paltrow.  She captioned the post: "Love these ladies. Celebrated this beauty last night. Happy Bday JA! We all love you sooo!”  The second photobooth clip, shared by Paltrow showed the star letting her hair down as she pulled silly faces alongside Derek Blasberg.  Paltrow hailed Aniston an example of “perpetual goodness” adding that she made 50 look hot.  She wrote: “Happy birthday (last night and tomorrow) to #jenniferaniston our ray of sunshine, example of perpetual goodness. We love you so much and you make 50 LOOK [flames].”  Fans joined in on the praise with many claiming she makes ageing look “beautiful”.  One user wrote: “50?? Omg she looks amazing happy birthday Jennifer Aniston.”  Another commented: “How is she 50???”  A third added: “You make ageing look beautiful and easy.”  Fellow partygoer Katy Perry couldn’t help but mock Aniston’s social media-free rule as she commented on Hudson’s post with, “NO SOCIAL MEDIA.”  Aniston's Friends co-star Courteney Cox and Perry's boyfriend Orlando Bloom were also in attendance.  The comments come as reality star Gemma Collins gushed over Aniston, admitting she has given her the “courage” to embrace not having children by the age she had initially planned.  Speaking on Loose Women, Collins said: “Jennifer Aniston has given me the courage to go, ‘Do you know what, if I don’t have a child until I’m 40-years-old, that’s OK’. If I look that good at 50 I’m not worried about a thing.”


eveningstandard--2019-02-12--Courteney Cox proves her and Jennifer Aniston are aposfriendship goalsapos as she marks 50th bir

Courteney Cox proves her and Jennifer Aniston are 'friendship goals' as she marks 50th birthday

Courteney Cox proved her and Jennifer Aniston are friendship goals as they celebrated Aniston's 50th birthday.  Cox paid tribute to her close friend as she marked her big birthday with a snap of the two actresses, who played Monica Geller and Rachel Green in the hit sitcom.  Cox wrote: “The world definitely got brighter the day this girl was born. Happy birthday sweetheart! I Love you.”  Fans rushed to comment on the snap, branding the pair “friendship goals” and declaring “Rachel and Monica forever”.  One wrote: “This friendship is everything!” accompanied by a series of heart and smiley emojis.  Another said: “2 inspiring beauties. Happy Birthday Jen. You both are wonderful.”  “The one where Rachel turns 50. Happy birthday,” posted somebody else making reference to the comedy’s episode naming format.  Others described the post as “too much” as they had the ultimate fangirl moment of the mini Friends reunion.  Aniston’s ex-husband Justin Theroux was also among those to wish her a happy birthday, with the post coming more than a year after they split up .  The 47-year-old actor posted a black and white photo of the Friends star carrying an animal horn above her head, and wrote: “Happy Birthday to this fierce woman.”  “Fiercely loving, fiercely kind… and fiercely funny,” he continued, before concluding the post with: “[Love] you B.”  Theroux’s Instagram followers went wild for the heartfelt post, describing it as “sweet” and “classy” and praising the stars for their “maturity” and “respect.”  Aniston and Cox starred opposite Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer in the popular American comedy which spanned 10 seasons over its decade-long run.


eveningstandard--2019-02-14--Robbie Williams fights back tears as daughter Teddy melts his heart with adorable birthday speech

Robbie Williams' emotions got the better of him as daughter Teddy marked his 45th birthday with an adorable speech.  Williams’ other half Ayda Field shared a clip of the six-year-old tot pouring her heart out on Wednesday in honour of the special occasion.  Standing up at the table, Teddy announced: “Ladies and gentlemen, I like how you are dressed tonight and how you are dressed in a T-shirt. I hope you have a good day. I hope you are over there ordering lots of chocolates for Valentine's day or a handbag.  “I really love daddy and mommy and nanny Gwen and everybody in this house. I love everyone.  “Even Jojo Siwa and Hugh Jackman and the Spice Girls and I know your favourites, too. I love you everyone.” [sic]  The sweet speech left the former Take That star near tears as he wiped his eyes.  Field captioned the post: “Teddy's Birthday Speech to @robbiewilliams at dinner tonight Even @thehughjackman and @itsjojosiwa got an honorable mention:) Happy to birthday to my favorite first husband.  “I love you so much and love growing older with you every day. You are my [love] #birthdayboy #happybirthday #birthdaylove AWxx”  [sic]  Fans were left in awe of the speech, with many hailing Teddy a “star in her own right."  One user wrote: “Such a beautiful post Ayda. I don't think one could wish for more than that from their child on their birthday. Happy birthday Mr Williams!”  Another commented: “She is sooooo cute! A star in her own right now x”  A third added: “Oh my goodness my heart just melted .... what a little darling.”  The post comes after Teddy bowled fans over with her rap skills after she was seen spitting bars whilst her famous father gave her a beat.  Teddy first won over a legion of fans as bridesmaid at Princess Eugenie’s Windsor Castle wedding where she was seen waving to the crowds as she helped the young royal celebrate her big day.  Field and Williams are also parents to son Charlton, four and five-month-old daughter Coco, who they welcomed five months ago via surrogate.


eveningstandard--2019-02-15--Vogue Brazil fashion director resigns after aposslave colonyapos themed birthday party

Vogue Brazil fashion director resigns after 'slave colony' themed birthday party

The fashion director of Vogue Brazil has resigned after she was accused of racism because her birthday party appeared to resemble depictions of colonial slavery.  Pictures taken at Donata Meirelles’ 50th birthday show her sat on a throne, surrounded by black women in white dresses, at a party in Bahia, the state with the biggest black population.  Ms Meirelles later posted a now-deleted apology before reposting Vogue Brazil’s statement and saying she wanted to learn from her mistakes.  Critics claimed the party was inspired by Brazilian slave colonies, and used the black women as “photo props.”  Author Ale Santos tweeted: “Donata Meirelles is a perverse woman who wished to revive one of the biggest torments of Black people to satisfy her sordid fantasy of white hegemony.  “A despicable supremacist who is director of @VogueBRoficial.”  Shelby Ivey Christie said: “Vogue Brazil’s Style Director Donata Meirelles had a very disgusting 50th birthday party theme last night  “There appears to be a Brazilian slave + master theme. Mucamas (house slaves), who were very clearly darker complexioned, were posed as props alongside guests #DoShow50  “The uniform of the Mucamas, house slaves, was usually a white linen or cotton dress.  “Sinhá” is a remnant from Brazilian slave language. Slaves couldn’t properly pronounce senorita so they shorted into “Sinhá” when addressing their female master.  “The white dresses & headwraps are not coincidental. Here are images of female Brazilian slaves smh.  “Brazil did not outlaw slavery until 1888, almost the 20th century.  “Brazil, not America, has the largest population of people of African decent living outside of Africa - By 1888 Brazil had 40% of the total slave population in the Americas.”  Julia Segarra added: “Donata Meirelles, director of @VogueBRoficial had a luxurious party with the theme Brazil Slave Colony. I have no words, I just want to vomit.”  In a comment on Instagram, Ms Meirelles said: “At age 50, the hour is action. I've heard a lot, I need to hear more.  “I want to act together with the women who have to teach me and with whom else is willing to be a link in a transformation that is necessary.  “My commitment is to put me in (re)construction! In action!”  A statement by Vogue Brazil added: “Vogue Brasil deeply regrets what happened and hopes that the debate generated will serve as a learning experience.  “We believe in affirmative and purposeful actions and also that empathy is the best alternative for the construction of a more just society, in which the historical inequalities of the Country are debated and faced.  “In pursuit of the constant evolution that has always guided us, we take the reflection generated to broaden the voices within the team and create, on a permanent basis, a forum formed by activists and scholars who will help define contents and images that combat these inequalities.”


eveningstandard--2019-02-21--Victoria Beckham and family celebrate Cruzaposs 14th birthday with guitar-shaped cake and sweet so

Victoria Beckham and family celebrate Cruz's 14th birthday with guitar-shaped cake and sweet social media tributes

Victoria Beckham has shared a sweet video of Harper wishing her big brother Cruz a happy birthday as they celebrated his special day.  The fashion designer showed off Cruz’s guitar-shaped cake for his 14th birthday while Harper, seven, read out the accompanying message.  Victoria also wished her teenage son a happy birthday, telling fans she “couldn’t believe” he was growing up.  The former Spice Girl posted a selfie with Cruz alongside the caption: “I can’t believe you are 14 today!!! I love you so so much xxx Happy Birthday Cruz xx.”  David, who married Victoria in 1999, also paid tribute to his “amazing” youngest son, sharing a photo of the two on the water.  The footballer wrote: “Happy birthday to my big boy... The most amazing character and smile.. I love you little man @cruzbeckham.”  But it was Cruz’s eldest sibling Brooklyn, 19, who had the best birthday tribute as he dug out a throwback snap to share with fans.  “Happy 14th birthday to my awesome brother Cruz. Love you very much,” Brooklyn wrote alongside a picture of Cruz in a Manchester United shirt and holding a football.  Earlier in February, the superstar family – which also includes 16-year-old Romeo - celebrated Cruz’s then-upcoming birthday with an ice-skating themed bash.  Harper surprised her brother with a giant cookie, iced with a birthday wish, before the family went skating in Queens to celebrate.  The Beckham couple are celebrating 20 years of marriage this year, with Victoria recently opening up about their plans to keep it “low key” .  “David is such a great husband, such a great dad and the most incredible business partner that anybody could ever want,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “He really supports me in what I do.  “I don’t think [we’ll do anything big]. We’ll probably just celebrate with the kids.”


eveningstandard--2019-02-27--Ian McKellen adds an extra London performance to his huge 80th birthday tour

Ian McKellen had added an extra performance in London to his huge UK tour.  Already due to appear at the Theatre Royal Stratford East on the evening of March 10, the Lord of the Rings actor will also perform a matinee on the same day at 2pm.  The tour, which currently sees him playing a solo show to audiences across the country, runs until September 15 and honours McKellen’s 80th birthday.  Of the show, the actor told the Standard: “It’s not a farewell tour. It’s more like ‘Oh, hello again!’”  The performance will incorporate anecdotes and brief performances of some of his best known roles, including Gandalf and characters from Shakespeare’s plays. He has also hinted that he could be joined on the stage by acting fellows, should they turn up on the night.  McKellen has said his entire fee and all the profits will be donated to each theatre’s charitable projects or restoration funds.  Tickets for the next Theatre Royal Stratford East performance are on sale now for friends of Stratford East, while the general public can book from noon on Thursday February 28.  Find out everything you need to know about the show here.  Click here to buy London theatre tickets with GO London Tickets


eveningstandard--2019-02-27--Katie Price reaches out to ex-husband Peter Andre with birthday message

Katie Price had reached out to her ex-husband Peter Andre on his 45th birthday, praising the singer and presenter as a “great dad.”  The former glamour model, 40, shared a photo of Andre with their two children, Princess, 11, and Junior, 13, on her Instagram Story to mark the occasion.  “Happy birthday to @peterandre. Thank you for always being a great dad to Princess and Junior,” she wrote.  Andre and Price married in 2005 after meeting on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2004, but announced their separation in 2009.  The model and reality star went on to tie the knot with MMA fighter Alex Reid in 2010 before splitting the following year; she then married Keiran Hayler in 2013, but the pair parted ways in 2018.  Last month, Hayler claimed that Andre was “the love of [Price’s] live,” and said that he could never “compete” with the singer.  “She always said if it wasn’t for her celeb lifestyle, the reality shows and stuff, her and Peter probably would’ve lasted,” he told New! magazine.  “He was the love of her life and no one can compete with that.”  In December, Price claimed that she thought that she “would’ve been with [Andre] forever” in the Christmas special of her reality show My Crazy Life, and claimed that the “magazine and TV-based” nature of their relationship made things difficult.  “Mine and Pete’s relationship was very magazine and TV-based,” she said. “We weren’t really left alone to enjoy our relationship. Everything was documented.  “But the best thing that come [sic] out of it was Junior and Princess.  “I would say, in a nutshell, Pete was the perfect one, then. I actually thought I would’ve been with him forever.”  The couple appeared in several ITV2 series throughout their marriage, including When Jordan Met Peter and Katie & Peter.


eveningstandard--2019-03-15--Kardashian kid photos The cutest throwbacks of Rob Kardashian and his sisters for his birthday

Kardashian kid photos: The cutest throwbacks of Rob Kardashian and his sisters for his birthday

Rob Kardashian has long been the most mysterious member of the Kardashian family.  Today, Rob turns 32, so here at Insider we’re celebrating with the most memorable Kardashian moments from over the years - including peak throwback pictures.  Rob, who’s named after his father, graduated from the University of Southern California’s business school back in 2009. Since then, he appeared on Keeping Up With the Kardashians with his siblings, partnered with Cheryl Burke on Dancing With the Stars, and launched sock brand Arthur George, which created saucy socks. Unfortunately, he ended up selling half of said company to his mother, momager Kris Jenner.  The reality star has had a difficult past few years but he’s recently said to have turned his life around with a more active lifestyle and better relationship with his one-year-old daughter Dream’s mother, Instagram sensation Blac Chyna.  Previously, he had a contentious relationship with Chyna. They memorably appeared on the short-lived show Rob & Chyna on E! where they were shown arguing constantly. They’ve since moved on from the reality show and real life drama and are working together to raise their daughter after a number of successful mediation sessions.  Chyna confirmed the news, tweeting “Robert is a wonderful father to our Dreamy!”  His sisters agree. "My brother Rob is like my father in so many ways—his sense of humor, silly nature, the way he loves and respects family. But, seeing him as a father has been beautiful!” Khloe Kardashian said on her app.  In recent months, he’s been spending time with his daughter and his sisters. But before he was a dad to Dream, he was a cute kid himself.  Celebrate Rob Kardashian’s 31st birthday with some of the best throwback photos from the Kardashian/Jenner family, in the days before the rest of the world was always keeping up with the Kardashians.


eveningstandard--2019-03-18--Happy Birthday Lily Collins The Tolkien staraposs best outfits and upcoming films for the year

Happy Birthday Lily Collins! The Tolkien star's best outfits and upcoming films for the year

Lily Collins looked positively ethereal as she hit the green carpet for the UK premiere of her new film, Tolkien.  The actress, who turned 30 this year, stunned in a white floral gown, designed by Giambattista Valli, as she joined co-star Nicholas Hoult at Curzon Mayfair in London on Monday.  At the premiere, Lily revealed that Tolkien’s work was what inspired her embark on an acting career.  “I’ve always loved storytelling, I love fantasy and magic and ironically Tolkien’s work was kind of part of the reason I wanted to become an actress,” she said.  “The world that I was taken into inside my own head from his writing was what I wanted to be able to take to more people by being on the screen and so to be a part of this storytelling of sorts about his life is really special.”  The superstar daughter of Phil Collins has had a very busy year so far, starting with her hit BBC mini-series Les Miserables. Collins has had three additional films slated for release this year, the most talked-about being her upcoming picture Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile alongside Zac Efron.  The film, which is due for release in May, has already sparked controversy due to Efron’s portrayal of serial killer Ted Bundy.  In an interview with Variety, Collins admitted preparing for the role of the notorious serial killer’s life took its toll.  “I woke up every single night at 3 or 4am for a month,” she said.  “I was woken with visions of destruction around rooms. There was never anyone in the dreams, but every night at the exact same time I would have these flashes of visions.”  Most recently, Lily starred in a music video for ARTY’s Save Me Tonight alongside To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before star Noah Centineo. In it, they play a couple who were friends that became lovers and the video was directed by Centineo. Also in post-production is Halo of Stars, set for release later this year.  As well as showcasing her acting prowess, Lily is known for dressing impeccably. Like, all the time. From her Givenchy Haute Couture gown at the BAFTAs earlier this year to her gothic take on the Met Gala’s Catholic theme, Collins never gets it wrong. Scroll through our gallery above to see pictures of her best looks.