theindependent--2019-06-07--How to throw the ultimate summer picnic From food to outdoor games

How to throw the ultimate summer picnic: From food to outdoor games

As balmy nights become the norm and long weekends of sunshine stretch out before us, it’s time to make the most of alfresco dining while we can.  However, throwing a quintessential British picnic without a hitch is no mean-feat.  After all, rising temperatures don't bode well for a picnic box full of ice-cream, fruit, and white wine that requires chilling at the best of times, let alone when you want to impress your nearest and dearest with your culinary skills.  In order to host a fun and stress-free picnic, the key is in the planning.  From the best kit to invest in to the perfect food to pack, here’s our ultimate guide to throwing a summer picnic:  Crisps and dip are always well received, but to balance out the excess, something more substantial and nutritious is needed. After all, a day of lounging around in the sun calls for some balance.  A good picnic should contain a centrepiece main, perhaps a quiche, a pie or something that can be easily sliced and dished out. Think about the time of year - in spring, wild garlic and asparagus will be abundant, whilst August is perfect for picking runner beans, courgettes, strawberries and raspberries. Try and incorporate at least one seasonal element into your feast.  You’ll want a side salad but try to avoid anything too leafy which will wilt at the first sign of sun. Instead opt for a pasta or grain-based dish, such as quinoa or couscous, and add veg with a bit of bite – think crispy red peppers, chickpeas and feta. Take any dressings along in a separate pot and add just before serving.  Of course, a picnic wouldn’t be complete without the finger food – scotch eggs, sausage rolls and mini frittatas are a picnic staple for good reason. Little hands find this "grab and go" food easy to eat – just don’t forget to pack the wet wipes. And just because traditionally these were often made with meat, don’t be afraid to mix things up and create a selection of modern veggie options alongside the classics.  No one wants a soggy bottom so for your sandwiches you’ll want to choose a substantial bread, such as sourdough or a French stick, which will hold all the fillings in place until you’re ready for them.  Again, the best picnic desserts will be eaten with your hands. Soothe that sweet tooth with bite size brownies, fresh strawberries and cupcakes. If dining in a group, why not each take responsibility for a course and help spread the picnic prep?  Finally, don’t forget a good selection of drinks! There’s simply nothing worse than lukewarm drinks on a hot summer’s day.  White wine and rosé should be chilled thoroughly before packing in a cool jacket. And although often saved for the colder months, a thermos flask is a very useful bit of picnic kit. Fill one with ice cubes which can be added to soft drinks and freeze larger water bottles which will melt slowly throughout the day when left in a shady spot.  Whether you choose to stow your kit in a traditional wicker basket or a cool bag, you’ll need to ensure everything has been packed in sturdy (read: leak-proof) boxes. With a couple of well thought out pieces, everything will stay fresh, cool and appetising all day.  Here’s our guide to the ultimate picnic kit:  Look out for "lock and lock" designs to ensure there are no leaks, even if your bag gets bashed about a bit. See-through plastic is also helpful so you can see what each box is containing without the need to open.  You'll ideally want containers that come in a variety of sizes and can be stacked in your basket when full and nestled in the cupboard once empty.  Freeze ice packs the night before and pack around food to keep everything cool.  For wine, a cooling jacket is a must, as they're reusable and work in the same way as the ice packs but are perfectly shaped to the bottle.  However, they’d also work with soft drinks too! Check out the Thermos Ice Packs and Vacu Vin The Wine Show Active Wine Cooler for some much-needed inspiration.  Say no to single-use plastics with a set of reusable or eco plates and cutlery. Biodegradable bamboo or sustainable wood is a good option if you’d rather bin everything at the end of the day, otherwise reusable sets are more sturdy and will come in handy if you think you’ll be a frequent picnicker. Look out for enamel or melamine plates if you’re willing to invest. Weak paper plates are not your friend – they may be cheap but they will feel like a false economy when you’re doubling up to avoid seepage.  This reactive picnic range from M&S is pretty enough to use in the garden at home and has a whole range of shapes and sizes to mix and match.  A bumper pack of sustainable cutlery should keep you going a while or mix and match.  For the most joyful napkins in town, head to Meri Meri – we’ll let you make the tough decision between toucans, unicorns or rainbows.  There’s no need to forgo proper cups, choose from a selection of sturdy and reusable champagne flutes, wine glasses and tumblers, such as this one from John Lewis.  As nice as it is to feel the grass between your toes, a sturdy picnic blanket is a must for laying out your feast. We like one with a wipe clean backing which will stop any dew seeping through. This one from John Lewis packs up easily and is jazzy enough for your kids to be able to see you across a crowded park.  Work off some of that picnic food with a rousing game of football, frisbee or with a bat & ball set for hours of fun, whatever the age.  So, you’ve packed your picnic and are ready to go! If you’re looking for location inspiration, The National Trust provides a great resource.  Simply type in your postcode and it will tell you your nearest green space to park your picnic. Wherever you are in the UK, you’ll have a local park to get lost in.  As long as you’ve packed the following, your picnic is sure to be a success:  If that all sounds like too much effort but you still want to luxuriate in the sun with a feast fit for a king, why not pick up one of these pre-prepared options and head to the nearest park?  This Italian feast comes in a reusable cool bag with plenty for two to share. Tuck into freshly baked focaccia and a selection of antipasti alongside filling chicken and black rice salads. Mini apricot tarts and pretty almond macaroons are provided for dessert, leaving you to just grab a bottle of wine. Order in advance and pick up on the day for fuss-free al fresco dining. There’s also a totally plant-based option available as well as individual kids picnics for your little ones.  Fortnum & Mason The Victoria Picnic: £95, for two people  Containing everything you need for a romantic feast for two, Fortnum & Mason have stuffed their iconic eau de nil cool bag with smoked almonds and olives, Scottish smoked salmon to smother on rye bread and butter, classic scotch eggs and sausage rolls, as well as luxury side salads. For dessert, chocolate brownies won’t disappoint and they’ve even packed a bottle of plonk too. Water, glasses, disposable cutlery and a mini salt & pepper shaker complete the kit. Available to collect from store or deliver within the M25  Pique Food: from £40, for two people  Plastic-free picnics, pre-prepared and delivered throughout Greater London. Fresh food comes packed in recyclable packaging as standard, but if you want a proper wicker basket and blanket, you can add that as an extra. Cutlery, plates, cups, napkins and condiments are included with a selection of classic picnic dishes on the menu. Think caramelised onion & thyme sausage rolls, mini salt beef bagels, hummus & crudités and brownies for dessert. Particularly useful if you’re going to an event such as Ascot and they can even arrange a full picnic party set-up for you.  While spring brings warmer weather it also marks the start of the hay fever season. If you’re one of the 18 million people affected in the UK, it makes sense to try to help prevent the symptoms of hay fever.  A single dose of Pirinase Hayfever Relief For Adults 0.05% Nasal Spray in each nostril once a day could help relieve sneezing, a runny nose, nasal congestion, and itchy and watery eyes. Find out more  or click   to buy online  For the relief of allergy symptoms. Pirinase Allergy 0.05% Nasal Spray contains fluticasone. Always read the label.  Trademarks are owned by or licensed to the GSK group of companies.


theindependent--2019-07-03--10 best outdoor games that get the whole family playing together in the sun

There’s nothing quite like an early summer heatwave to get you in the mood for some family fun in the sun. But while the sun’s welcome appearance might be enough to coax the kids outside, working out how to keep them occupied outdoors can be tricky.  Cries of “I’m bored” are no fun at the best of times, but that’s the last thing you want to hear when you’re encouraging your little darlings to top up their Vitamin D levels – and trying to keep them away from digital distractions. Which is where decent outdoor games come in.  Playing outdoors shouldn’t necessarily mean spending lots of money, but climbing trees and making daisy chains can only hold a modern child’s attention for so long.  At some stage, if you want to ensure hours of outdoor play, you’ll need to invest in some carefully-chosen games.  Carefully-chosen, because there are lots of outdoor games that top various must-buy lists at the start of summer, only to end up forgotten in a corner of the garden before long.  Thankfully, there are also lots of brilliant outdoor games that will keep everyone entertained beyond the first flush of summer enthusiasm – and actually stand the test of time.  Our tip? Avoid gimmicky games unless they come well recommended – we tried out several in the course of writing this, and anything that the kids quickly lost interest was consigned to the “no chance” pile.  If you’re looking for an outdoor game that will be enjoyed by young and old alike, stick to the classic garden games. Modern twists on old-fashioned games tend to enthral the grandparents but also hold the attention of youngsters who like to think they’ve seen it all.  Finally, factor in how much space you have and where you’ll be using your outdoor games. A long-distance frisbee is frustrating unless you’ve got a park or a beach nearby, and even then you’ll want to minimise the chances of it colliding with an unsuspecting passerby.  Above all, remember that game play isn’t all about harmony and winning. Even the least competitive family members can quickly find themselves drawn into a cheating scandal when outdoor games are involved. It’s to be expected. Appoint an independent adjudicator where possible and above all, remember to have fun.  We tested these outdoor games over a period of three weeks with three children aged five, 12 and 14 years old. We set them up in the garden and took into account how easy they were to set up and which games the children returned to play with repeatedly, as well as how long each item held their attention for. We also took each item to the beach or to the park to test for portability and travel use.  You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.  It’s an old-skool classic but this is about as much fun as it’s possible to have in the garden with kids of all ages. Our teen tester is so hooked that he appears in the kitchen late in the evening with a bat in his hand and a hopeful expression on his face, and our youngest tester has been outdoors perfecting her swing every single day since this arrived. We love that it works on any surface – fill the base with sand or water and it converts to a carry case that holds all the parts when you’re travelling.  This exceeded all our expectations: it’s so much sturdier and more robust than we imagined and was a complete hit with absolutely everyone – including Grandpa. But be warned, the arrow hits the target with an almighty thwack. The set comes with a bow, two suction cup arrows and a target, and our only complaint is that one bow isn’t really enough. A spare would have meant twice the fun and fewer squabbles over turn-taking.  Billed as the furthest thrown flying object in the world – apparently it was used to set a Guinness World Record for the farthest throw at 406m – this flying ring has rubber edges so it’s soft to catch. The aerodynamic design makes it easy to throw – even for our five year old tester. Thei claims are true; you can actually play catch with a friend 100m away.  A lovely outdoor toy for younger kids and one you won’t mind looking at even when it’s cluttering up your house, this wooden hoopla game comes with five rope hoops for throwing over the five cute woodland characters. It’s a good choice of game for helping little ones develop their hand-eye coordination.  This is a brilliant idea and very well executed. You get five classic garden games – snakes and ladders, noughts and crosses, and draughts plus quoits and inflatable dice – and the weatherproof foam pieces slot together easily. Our five-year-old tester enjoyed the set so much that she’s taken to keeping it as a permanent playmat in her bedroom.  We had no idea there was an outdoor variation on this classic family game but this has literally provided hours of fun for all ages. We even took it camping! It comes with a rulebook, scorecards, two pencils and two inflatable pigs, all of which fit neatly into a handy string bag. Our five-year-old loved the opportunity to practice counting by keeping score, and our teen testers just enjoyed the hilarity of chucking inflatable pigs around the garden.  Think Jenga, only if you’d been shrunk like Alice in Wonderland. This larger-than-life tumble tower game is big enough to cause a stir at your garden party but not so huge that you need to be worried if it falls over near you. It’s made of FSC-certified fir wood, too.  We don’t know about you, but the thing about garden games is that it’s easy to lose bits when you finally put them away at the end of the summer. So we love that this rounders set – complete with four wooden posts, a bat and a soft tennis ball – comes in a handy printed cotton bag. The pieces won’t get lost and it’s easy to cart to the park or the beach.  This is a real bargain if you’re looking for a cheap and cheerful outdoor game to perk the kids up when their summer spirits are flagging. You get two double-sided bats, each with velcro on one side, plus a rubber ball and a velcro ball. For such an affordable game, we like that it offers enough versatility to keep kids of different ages interested. Our five-year-old tester loved the velcro option, while her older brothers preferred battling it out without the velcro assistance.  You need a still day to get the most fun out of this outsized chess set – we found a sea breeze quickly blew things off course – but when the weather is in your favour, it’s heaps of fun. The pieces are 30cm high and it comes with a 1.2m square playing mat.  The Mookie pro all surface swingball is by far our favourite outdoor family game. It has engaged everyone from ages five to 75 and we love that it’s so portable – we’re even taking ours on holiday! The Decathlon geologic soft archery set also scores top marks with us all – hours of fun guaranteed.  IndyBest product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing.


birminghammail--2019-06-29--Why the streets of Wolverhampton are turning into a massive board game

Time to channel your inner big kid as the streets of Wolverhampton are set to become a life-sized board game for a day.  If you've always fancied yourself as a Miss Marple or thought you could solve murder mysteries better than Poirot, now is your chance as a giant detective game is taking over the city.  CluedUpp is just like a giant, outdoor version of the board game Cluedo and is taking place on September 7.  A clever play on words of one of the region's most popular shows, the Wolverhampton version of the game is called "Sneaky Finders".  If you sign up, you and your mates will become a team of detectives tasked with solving a case as you stalk the streets, tracking down virtual witnesses and eliminating suspects.  The game is set in the fictitious town of Millingham and kicks off from 10am and runs up into until 5pm.  To get involved you'll need a group of at least two people, a smartphone, a creative team name and 1920's attire (optional).      Depending on how good a detective team you are, the event will last anywhere between one and four hours - but the average squad of detectives take around 2 hours 20 minutes to solve the crime.  Tickets cost £36 per team of up to six adults. You only need to purchase one ticket per team of six adults. Children under 16 years old can play as extra for FREE.  While youngsters can take part, the game is not designed to be played or solved by children on their own.  At the end, prizes will be awarded to:       - Fastest team    - Best fancy dress (Sneaky Finders / 1920’s inspired)    - Best team picture    - Best team name    - Best little detective (kids prize)    - Best K-9 detective (dogs prize)


birminghammail--2019-11-14--Smyths Toys announce top board games for Christmas 2019 - including Monopoly and Pictionary

Picture the scene - Christmas lunch is over and the whole family are in the living room waiting for the annual board game to begin.  If you're tired of the usual options in your cupboard and want something new to play then Smyths Toys is here to help.  The toy shop has announced its top board games for Christmas 2019 and there's plenty to keep the whole family entertained.  Take on a challenge with hilarious board games like Pictionary Air and Buckaroo, or challenge your skills of time and take your place in the hot seat with 5 Second Rule!  For those of who enjoy a a never-ending game of Monopoly, try out the new Monopoly Voice Banking or Monopoly Fortnite!  The great news is some of the board games on the top 10 are also in the sale, so you won't have to break the bank to have some fun.  Below are this year's must haves for the season ahead, according to Smyths Toys .  You can shop for your chosen board game on the Smyths Toys website or in your nearest store .


chicagotribune--2019-11-04--Construction, sick passengers, pigeons and landmarks: New board game re-creates the mess and fun of

Construction, sick passengers, pigeons and landmarks: New board game re-creates the mess and fun of riding the CTA 'L'

It might be raining, so all the trains are packed, cutting the value of your dice roll. Or you might fall asleep on the train and have to move all the way to the end of whatever line you’re on. Players can use tokens to transfer to bus lines. Winning is a mix of luck and strategy, like getting around in real life.


eveningstandard--2019-08-13--Best party games for adults: The super fun board games, cards and quizzes to entertain your friends

Best party games for adults: The super fun board games, cards and quizzes to entertain your friends with in 2019

In the digital era, the simple pleasures of a board game have been almost forgotten.  But there’s something about gathering your nearest together for a few hours of screen-free fun.  Where once board games were part of the Christmas schedule or trundled out for once-a-year get-togethers, game nights are now the star of the show.  You don’t have to leave the comfort of your sofa nor the convenience of your stocked fridge to have an epic game night in of your own.  Not when we’ve rounded up the best games to play with friends and family, all of which you can shop online and have delivered straight to your door.  From family favourites to games you probably shouldn’t play with your gran, here are the best games for adults.  Best for: judging friends for their inexplicable crushes  If you’ve ever harboured a soft spot on an unexpected celebrity (that'd be Ian Hislop for us) this is the game for you.  The pack brings together 55 famous and eccentric British men, rating them for sex appeal, charisma, style, likeability and fame (Albert Square’s very own Romeo Ian Beale is among the worst cards, scoring a measly 1 out of 10 in each category). Think less footballers with six-packs, more comedians with dad-bods.  The player holding the worst card at the end loses. With a five-star rating, Weird Crushes is a game that will trigger endless debates and help you see your friends in a whole new light. We can't wait to play.  See more adult party games from Firebox  Now That's What I Call Music Board Game  Best for: combining karaoke with quiz... quizzaoke?  This trivia game will really test your knowledge of hits from the 80s (arguably the greatest musical era) right up to 21st century bangers.  Tasks will see you sing covers or mime song titles to be crowned the winner. Extra bonus points for an impassioned air guitar solo? Well, we'll leave that to your discretion.  £15.53 | Amazon | But it now  A much loved game that’s been around since 1903, there are hundreds of versions of Monopoly available - including a Stranger Things one.  The latest iteration looks to thwart cheaters, as it is voice activated and Mr Monopoly manages all the cash from the depths of this top hat.  Best for: finding out who’s top dog, once and for all  You only have to look at news headlines to feel like you're living in an episode of Black Mirror these days, but if you really want to feel as if you've entered a dystopian Charlie Brooker universe, try a game of Nosedive.  Inspired by the Black Mirror episode of the same name (series three, episode one), this devilish board game sees players rate each other and compete to live the 'perfect life'.  It's been released in the US but we're still waiting for it to arrive on our shores. However you can pre-order the game on the link below.  Best for: never looking your mates in the eye again  A spin-off from the hit Channel 4 show, this official game promises to dish up the most awkward meal of your life.  Split your group into pairs and get ready to answer uncomfortable questions that go up the scale of awkwardness, from Starters, Mains to finally, the excruciatingly Dessert round (think questions like "who would have more people at their funeral?" and "Who would give a better lap dance?").  It's awkward but fun in a very British way.  Best for: trying out your poker face  There's just no beating a classic game of cards, whether you're into Texas Hold 'Em, rummy or the simple joys of snap.  Give your deck an upgrade with this cool pack complete with colourful Day of the Dead illustrations by artist Ricardo Cavolo.  As well as this, there's a huge variety of other illustrated games to be found at Laurence King, including Dog Bingo and Cat Bingo!  A smart card game to roll out after your next dinner party, this is the F.A.O version of the classic game, charades.  There are 100 cards to provide inspiration for your mime, featuring famous books, films, songs, plays and TV shows that everyone will have heard of.  Perfect for playing with friends old and new, this is sure to keep the party going for as long as you do.  Scrabble may have just celebrated its 70th birthday, but the ultimate rainy-day board game remains in a continual state of flux as language evolves and new words become officially accepted in the game. Recent entrants include the likes of fatberg, upskirting and manspreading.  To celebrate seven decades of sparking small family feuds, Mattel has released this slick black and gold Scrabble board, complete with matching letter tiles.  Keep things fair with Collins Official Scrabble Words, the official, comprehensive word list by Collins Dictionaries, £19.99 from Amazon.  Best for: keeping your favourite fantasy show alive  The show may be over but if your passion for Game of Thrones is still going strong, channel it at a game night with your friends with this GoT-edition of Risk.  A game of strategic conquest across Westeros, the pack includes a beautiful bespoke board complete with famous locations from the series, along with crafted game pieces and key characters such as the Mother of Dragons, Tyrion Lannister and Sansa Stark.  Best for: stopping dinner guests from falling into a food coma  Treat your loved ones to an after-dinner quiz with Ridley's Games. Topics span everything from literature and wine, to philosophy and retro cars.  Split your group into teams and watch them do battle for quiz supremacy.  Hot Seat Card Game: The Party Game About Your Friends  Best for: seeing yourself from your friends' perspective  The next time you have a party that needs livening up, pull out this pack of cards. Hot Seat helps you discover who knows you best by guessing your answers to awkward questions written on the game cards.  There are 200 questions to get through, giving everyone a chance to sit in the Hot Seat.  Ideal for your next BBQ or house party, the more people in play, the better.  This beautiful white marble and copper set of Solitaire will look stunning as a piece of home décor as well as a quiet game for two.  Best for: pretending to be big screen stars  This two-player game recreates the corny, cheesy, cliche moments of a classic rom-com. Every run through offers different scenarios and results, so it's a game you can play over and over. Each round can last up to two hours, so crack this open the next time you need a rainy day distraction.  If you're throwing a party or need a fun drinking game, Weird Crushes: British Hunks is our top pick for getting everyone involved. Our top rainy day pick goes to Now That's What I Call Music - because who doesn't love a singalong? Meanwhile Monopoly's latest voice-operated iteration is our best pick for wholesome family-friendly fun.  ESBest product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing.  Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter


france24--2019-12-25--French board game about class struggle and politics sells out in three weeks

The board game Kapital! shows how the mechanisms of class conflict work in French society.  In less than three weeks, board game lovers in France bought all 10,000 copies of Kapital!, a new game about class struggle, injustice and French politics created by a married couple of French sociologists.  Monique Pinçon-Charlot, who created the game with her husband Michel, reads from a Kapital! playing card that says, “You are entering the exclusive club of individuals who own the world’s most luxurious cruise ships…”  But, not everyone can join this club. One player will draw the good lot and fall among the rich; others will be the struggling poor and middle class. All players have to fight their way to the “tax haven” at the conclusion of the board.  “Not only [do] you have to arrive first, but also you should have money, as well as social, cultural and symbolic capital. But just like in real life, the dominant player has the biggest chance to win,” Pinçon-Charlot said.  The sociologists created the game to raise awareness about social injustice, and the gap between the rich and poor.  “The subtitle of the game is ‘Who will win the class war?’ because the extreme extent of social dominance and exploitation in Emmanuel Macron’s France has reached such a point that it is no longer a class struggle, but rather a war,” Pinçon-Charlot said.  The game was an instant success, selling out in less than three weeks.  Hugo Munler, a salesperson at a board game store in Paris, said, “People look for creative ideas – and this one is creative. That’s why it’s sold out. We receive about ten calls a day.”  Kapital! tackles society and politics against a French background. But its creators believe it could be easily adjusted to suit other countries.  France 24 reporters Thameen Al-Kheetan and Lilia Khelfaoui tell us the story.


newsweek--2019-01-24--Russia Chemical Attacks Board Game Released A Bridge of Friendship

Russia Chemical Attacks Board Game Released: ‘A Bridge of Friendship’

A board game is on sale in Russia seemingly celebrating the alleged Kremlin-ordered chemical attack that killed one and wounded several in the British city of Salisbury.  The game, called “Our Guys in Salisbury,” allows players to follow the route of the Russian intelligence agents accused of carrying out the attack. According to The Guardian, players travel from Moscow through various European cities on the way to their final destination in the U.K.  The finish line is Salisbury, marked by images of the city’s cathedral—which Russian agents Anatoliy Chepiga and Alexander Mishkin famously gave as the reason for their trip to the city—and figures in hazmat suits, poking fun at the bulky protective gear worn by emergency responders in the aftermath of the attack.  The board also sports images of a spray bottle covered in a green skull and crossbones—a reference to the perfume bottle that police said was used to transport and deliver the deadly toxin—and two figures resembling Chepiga and Mishkin.  Supposed images of the game were shared online several weeks ago, though it was initially unclear whether the board had been photoshopped. But earlier this week, a Reuters correspondent in Russia posted new images of the game’s packaging, sparking new speculation that it was in fact real.  Later reports established the game’s veracity, and explained it was developed in November by the Igroland toymaker based in Moscow. The Telegraph reported that its creator, Mikhail Bober, was interviewed by Russian state media on Tuesday and said 5,000 copies had already been made. According to the BBC, the game is selling for around $1.31 online.  Bober explained he came up with the idea after witnessing the intense—and in his mind excessive—coverage of the Novichok attack. “In some way, this was an idea of our answer to western media: enough already,” he said. “To us it’s not funny anymore. It’s sad. This needs to stop.”  “We didn’t want to offend anyone,” Bober explained. “On the contrary, we wanted to support our countrymen who might be offended by this situation … a lot of things are said and a lot of it without any proof.”  British investigators have charged the two GRB agents in absentia for their role in the poisonings. The initial target was former Soviet agent Sergei Skripal, who fell ill alongside his daughter Yulia. Both survived, as did a police officer who was hospitalized after discovering the pair collapsed on a park bench.  Almost four months later, two more people in Salisbury— Charlie Rowley and Dawn Sturgess—were affected. It is believed Rowley and Sturgess discovered the discarded perfume bottle in which the Novichok was stored and sprayed themselves with it. Though Rowley survived after treatment, Sturgess died in hospital.  The British government has alleged that the plot was approved at the very highest levels of the Russian government, making President Vladimir Putin ultimately responsible.  According to The Guardian, Bober said, “The idea of the game is a kind of joke, and a bridge of friendship. We aren’t playing around with the ideas of security forces or with poisoning.”  “I think if we wanted to seriously troll and offend anyone, we would have done it differently … The idea was kind, to connect Russia with Europe,” he added.  Other Russian organizations have previously been criticized for making light of the Novichok incident. State-backed broadcaster Russia Today, for example, sent out scaled-down chocolate models of Salisbury Cathedral as an end-of-year gift to fellow news organizations earlier this year.  Bober said the company would consider a reprint of the game given the attention it has received. “If we rely on the PR that we’ve just gotten, we’ll make a much larger printing. We are businessmen. We’re thinking in terms of quantities and money,” he said.  But some topics are off limits for the developer. When asked if he would make another game about Russia’s involvement in Crimea and Ukraine, he said, “Definitely not about Ukraine, a fair number of people have died there, there are a lot of opinions and everyone has their own truth.”  “There are victims there, it would be stupid to use it in a commercial project,” he explained.


21stcenturywire--2019-01-24--LAVROV You Dont Need Mueller to Know Whos Interfering in Venezuelan Elections

LAVROV: ‘You Don’t Need Mueller to Know Who’s Interfering in Venezuelan Elections’

IMAGE: US Neocons, led this week by VP Mike Pence, are trying to flex their regime change muscles in Venezuela, while being mocked by Russian foreign minister Sergie Lavrov.  Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov mocked the United States today in a statement which pointed out what election meddling really looks like.  Of course, Lavrov was referring to Washington’s regime change exploits in Venezuela – and a level of direct interference by the U.S. expressly designed to disrupt and destabilize the South American country. He went on the expose the complete farce of Robert Mueller’s ‘Special Counsel’ and investigation into the illusive ‘Trump-Russia collusion,’ now into its third year. He states:  The US, which is paranoid about somebody interfering in their elections, even though they have no proof of that, themselves are trying to rule the fates of other peoples. What they actually do is interfere in their internal affairs. There is no need for [US special counsel Robert] Mueller to determine that.  Earlier this week, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence delivered a bizarre bilingual TV address targeting Latin American audiences in the hopes of drumming-up political support for Washington’s choice to lead Venezuela, ‘opposition’ leader Juan Guaido, the president of the self-styled parallel government-in-opposition known as the “National Assembly.” Pence issued his message of support for Guadio and urged Venezuelans to ‘take to the streets,’ assuring them that they will have the “unwavering support of the United States.”  Soon after, President Donald Trump also announced he is formally recognizing the unelected Guaido as the ‘legitimate president of Venezuela.’  The aggressive U.S. move comes just three weeks after Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro (image, left) was inaugurated for his second term. US-backed Guaido chose not to run in the election, claiming instead that he and other opposition candidates were “boycotting” the election. Oddly, Washington is using this opposition boycott as ‘proof’ that Maduro’s election was somehow illegitimate.  Maduro has retaliated against Washington’s open affront by announcing he will now break-off of diplomatic relations with Washington, and has already ordered that all U.S. diplomats and mission personnel leave Venezuela within 72 hours.


21stcenturywire--2019-02-21--Bernie Looked the Other Way on Wasserman Schultz Florida Election Rigging

Bernie ‘Looked the Other Way’ on Wasserman Schultz, Florida Election Rigging

Why did Bernie abandon challenger Tim Canova and ‘Election Integrity’ in Florida?  This is abundant evidence that election rigging has been rife in South Florida’s notoriously corrupt Broward County. Former Florida congressional candidate Tim Canova exposed the DNC election fiddling through a series of independent investigations, following his challenge to former disgraced Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz.  Talk Show host Jimmy Dore interviews Canova about the controversy, and also explains how Bernie Sanders remained quiet on the matter in order to placate the Democratic Party elite. Watch:


21stcenturywire--2019-03-26--Extra Time Christopher Steele British Meddling in US Election

Extra Time: Christopher Steele & British Meddling in US Election

Welcome to Extra Time, a special segment available each week to 21WIRE.TV Members.  It was never “Russian Meddling” in the 2016 Election, but rather, meddling from within the ‘special relationship’. One of the key actors in the #Russiagate hoax is ‘former’ British intelligence officer Christopher Steele who helped to compile the notorious Trump Dossier which was meant to discredit the new American president by portraying him as ‘compromised’ by the Russians. Now that the Mueller Investigation has hit the rocks, we take a closer look at Steele and discover he has been the Establishment’s key man used to implicate Russia for a series of high profile international crimes. Clues reveal the real meaning behind Russiagate, which may surprise come people.  21WIRE.TV MEMBERS CAN WATCH OUR SPECIAL EXTRA SESSION HERE:   UKC Extra Time: Off-Air Discussion with Patrick & Mike


21stcenturywire--2019-03-26--Ukraine Presidential Election Two Oligarchs and a Comedian

Ukraine Presidential Election: ‘Two Oligarchs and a Comedian’

On March 31, the first round of the 2019 presidential election will take place in Ukraine. A record number of candidates – 39 – is campaigning for the presidential post in the biggest country in Europe. Most of them have no real chance of victory. According to polls, there are three main candidates – comedian Vladimir Zelenskiy, the ruling oligarch Petro Poroshenko and the contesting oligarch Yuliya Timoshenko.  .   Despite the high number of presidential candidates, their election programmes are mostly focused on four topics: the military conflict in the eastern part of the country, the Crimea issue, political reforms and the economic situation. Presidential candidates employ populist rhetoric and make fantastic promises of various sorts. Since the “Revolution of Dignity” in 2014, the real opposition in the country has been fully suppressed by repressive measures. Nationalistic propaganda and war hysteria are the dominating and main attribute of public politics and media coverage. In this kind of political situation it’s unlikely that potential presidents of Ukraine are going to turn their promises into reality. As has been repeatedly demonstrated, it’s always possible to call critics of the ruling government “Kremlin agents”, to accidentally find in their flats maps showing Crimea as a part of Russia or use another contrived pretext to detain them over treason. However, leaders of the presidential race and marginal candidates do have some differences in their public rhetoric.  The election programme of Petro Poroshenko is called “A major country with free and happy people.” He promises that Ukraine will join the EU and NATO as a regional leader: the leader of the agrarian sector in Europe; one of five new global leaders in the IT sector; regional leader of industrial development; the transport hub of Eastern Europe; one of the ten most visited European countries under the slogan “A fashionable country, which the world is discovering.”  The basic principle of the program is: “Money follows people.”  This all sounds nice, but it is not very clear, just as it is not clear when exactly the country will join the EU. In 2014, the leaders of the coup used more unambiguous phrases promising their adherents almost immediate accession to the EU, a victory over corruption, and a living standard supported by Europe.  Poroshenko is going to return Donbass and Crimea through “political means”, which in fact does not seem to exclude artillery strikes and diversions with civilian casualties reported from the conflict zone on a regular basis.  Yulia Tymoshenko assures that she has an “alternative”strategy for Crimea and Donbass, but what this might be is still a secret. She promises to reduce the Parliament by 100 deputies (there are currently 450), and halve the price of gas, hot water and heating.  Volodymyr Zelensky was nominated by the Servant of the People Party, named after the comedy series of the same name on Ukrainian television. He says that he will attend the cabinet for only one term. He asked his fans on the Internet to write his political programme. The same approach was declared as the tool to form his future Cabinet. Promises – obvious populism: the removal of immunity from the president, deputies and judges; the introduction of a law on impeachment, the fight against rising tariffs, voting in elections and referenda via the Internet among others. Zelensky promises to put an end to the war in the Donbass region and return the lost territories. Additionally, the comedian intends to receive compensation for damages from Russia. Zelensky’s high rating is a result of a strong mood of protest in the country and fatigue with the empty promises of professional politicians.  The rating of the other candidates is not really high enough to allow them to claim victory in the upcoming election. Nonetheless, some of them have some very original promises. For example, Ilya Kiva promises to increase the military budget to 10% of GDP, stop cooperation with the IMF and introduce a visa regime with Russia. Ruslan Koshulinsky wants to use a polygraph to test candidates for officials and deputies for separatism. He also intends to suspend diplomatic relations and all bilateral treaties with Russia.  Vladimir Petrov says that he will provide every Ukrainian with free internet, apparently with the help of coupons, though, it must be added “in specific daily and monthly limits.”  He also promises free daily bread.  The political system of Ukraine was completely destroyed by propaganda, censorship, false promises, widespread corruption, nepotism and dependency. On the one hand, the political elite is not interested in the real opinion of the people, and the populist “pro-Western” and “anti-Russian” rhetoric is a convenient tool for knocking out aid from the EU and the US. On the other hand, the more depressed the population, the less it trusts the populist promises already made, and in order to get a reaction the authorities will need to whip tensions up further…


21stcenturywire--2019-04-02--Extra Time Ukraine Election Comedy Populism or Something Else

Extra Time: Ukraine Election Comedy – Populism or Something Else?

Welcome to Extra Time, a special segment available each week to 21WIRE.TV Members.  This week saw the unthinkable: Ukrainian comedian and actor Volodymyr Zelensky won round one of the presidential election, beating the US-installed puppet leader Petro Poroshenko. But this actually follows a trend of similarly profiled political parties and figures coming into power in Italy (5 Star), Spain (Podemos), with Trump in the US. Are we seeing a genuine political watershed event? What will this mean for the Ukraine, NATO, EU and the US going forward.  21WIRE.TV MEMBERS CAN WATCH OUR SPECIAL EXTRA SESSION HERE:   UKC Extra Time: Off-Air Discussion with Patrick & Mike


21stcenturywire--2019-04-08--Have Israels Election Campaigns Exposed It as a Fascist State

Have Israel’s Election Campaigns Exposed It as a Fascist State?

Tomorrow, Israelis will head to the voting booths to elect their next government.  Whether Israel re-elects Benjamin Netanyahu, an even further to the right politician or the number one competitor, former chief of staff of Israel’s military, Benny Gantz, one thing has already been concluded for Israel. Israel will continue its descent into an even more openly militaristic and ultimately fascist state.  One positive thing that has came out of this Israeli election, regardless of its outcome, is what has been exposed about Israel to the world.  If we take for example, the two most likely candidates to become the next Israeli Prime Minister, Benny Gantz and Benjamin Netanyahu, we will see a clear picture of what they understand of the Israeli population. I say this, because politicians will run their campaigns with the specific aim of enticing their potential voters with what is seen to represent them.  So what are the problematic key issues that both Gantz and Netanyahu have ran on?  Back in March, current Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu decided to make two controversial moves in order to attract support for his campaign. The first was attempting to align himself with the Kahanist mentality baring Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) Party, a far-right racist party whose ideology aligns with the Kach movement, a group so extreme that even Israel has outlawed it. The second was to unnecessarily hitting the headlines replying to the instagram comments of Israeli TV star, Rotem Sela, who questioned the language used by Israeli Culture Minister, Miri Regev, when referring to Arab parties in Israel. Netanyahu lashed out, claiming that Israel “is not a country of all its citizens” and is for “Jews alone”.  Roughly 25% of Israeli citizenship owners are Palestinians – or as Israel describes them “Arab Israelis” – and are essentially second class citizens. Another interesting move taken in Israel, was to prohibit the ‘Arab Israeli’ Party called Balad from being elected to Knesset, Netanyahu even accused the party leader of being a terrorist.  Netanyahu then went ahead and traveled to the United States, where he was received by US president Donald Trump, who signed for him an official decree recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the illegally annexed – as of 1981- Golan from Syria.  Benjamin Netanyahu also has consistently reminded his population that under his rule the ‘Nation State Bill’ was passed, which downgraded Arabic from a national language and isolated all non-Jewish minority populations by stating that Israel is the a state in which only Jews are to have self determination. Netanyahu also reminds his people that he was the PM under which Donald Trump recognized, on behalf of the US, that Jerusalem is the Capital of Israel.  Other than running on a platform of far-right rhetoric and illegal expansion into a foreign country, Netanyahu also ran on militarism.  Russia’s Putin also handed Netanyahu yet another gift, adding to the military pride side of his campaign, giving the remains of an Israeli Staff Sergeant whose body was lost during Israel’s murderous war upon Lebanon in 1982, which resulted in the murder of roughly 15,000 people in Lebanon. This was extremely significant because well over 1.2 million Russian Jews – most of which value a close Israeli-Russian alliance – live in Israel (not including those living amongst the approximately 750,000 illegal settler in the West Bank). The move from Russia undoubtedly will win over votes to Netanyahu in the coming election. We talk about Russia’s involvement in US elections, but this seems to have been largely missed by western media, Putin has even been accused of betraying its ally Syria over this timely campaign gift to Likud’s Netanyahu.  Many other things have been said and done by Benjamin Netanyahu, that have been called out as racist, but perhaps the most significant thing that he has stated, is that he will officially annex Illegal West Bank settlements into Israel. If this is the case and the United States, which earlier this year removed the term occupied from its description of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, we could see another attempt by Israel to commit yet another mass ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.  And then we have the “Centrist” opposition, in Benny Gantz’s ‘Blue and White’, which has ran a campaign along very similar lines.  Benny Gantz was Chief of Staff of Israel’s Military during the 2014 war upon the besieged Gaza Strip, a war in which over 2000 Gazan civilians were massacred, and Gantz has made it his mission to bolster of his performance as a mass murderer in Gaza. A former paratrooper, Mr. Gantz also believes that the Israeli population will vote for him if he talks about his ability to kill Arabs.  As Gaza is the weak-spot of Netanyahu, due to Israelis overwhelmingly disapproving of his “weak stance” on the issue, Gantz has began to capitalize. Benny Gantz, the centrist opposition, has ran his campaign, promising to finish Hamas in Gaza and wipe out all the militant factions in the Gaza Strip, his solution is more bombs than Netanyahu, more aggression than Netanyahu and to deal with the Gaza Strip in a much harsher way.  Ultimately, no matter who wins tomorrow, the Palestinians and surrounding countries in the region, lose. The only other options, that will likely gain significant power, to Netanyahu’s Likud and Gantz’s Kahol Lavan, are far-right groups with Israeli Labour weaker than it has ever been.  The days of left wing tyrants are over and the time for right wing war mongers is now and with it comes the Israeli population, as the society continues to drift further towards the far-right.  ***   Author Robert Inlakesh is a special contributor to 21WIRE and European correspondent for Press TV. He has reported from on the ground in occupied Palestine. See more of his work here.


21stcenturywire--2019-05-30--Israel to Hold New Election After Netanyahu Fails to Form Coalition Government

It was a rough day for Israel’s “Prime Minister for life” Benjamin Netanyahu, after Israeli parliament voted 74-45 to dissolve itself when for the first time in the country’s history, the PM elect failed to form a new coalition government.  New elections  are scheduled to be held on September 17th.  Hoping to stitch together a motley alliance of Far Right nationalists and ultra-Orthodox blocs, Netanyahu was unable to reach a coalition deal following last month’s tight election which saw the sitting PM win by a narrow margin against former military chief of staff Benny Gantz.  Critics say this latest debacle underscores an increasingly unpopular Netanyuhu and his Likud party’s lack of a mandate after winning a mere 35 of the Knesset’s 120 seats in April’s election.  According to Haaretz, Coalition negotiations had been in a deadlock due to infighting between Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman and the Hassidic faction of ultra-Orthodox party United Torah Judaism over Lieberman’s draft bill which would require orthodox yeshiva students, who are currently exempt from mandatory IDF conscription, to be drafted to the Israeli military.  Following today’s decision, an angry Netanyahu launched into a tirade against fellow cohort and Zionist extremist Lieberman. Watch:


21stcenturywire--2019-06-29--Istanbul Election Re-Run The Culmination of an AKP Policy of Sunnification

İstanbul Election Re-Run: The Culmination of an AKP Policy of ‘Sunnification’

The Justice and Development Party (or AKP, represented by the colour yellow) has been ruling Turkey throughout most of  the 21st century, a fact that might have led some to forget that other political parties do exist as well in today’s Turkey: even Atatürk’s Republican People’s Party (or CHP, represented by the colour red), the main opposition, but also the National Movement Party (or MHP, represented by the colour blue), the AKP’s recent Islamofascist friend and ally. These three parties, in conjunction with the Kurds, represented by the proscribed terror group PKK (or Partiya Karkerên Kurdistanê meaning Kurdistan Workers’ Party) and the political party HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party, represented by the colour purple), dominate the country’s political discourse.  On 31 March 2019, Turkey held nationwide local elections . . . elections that once again saw the ruling AKP carry the day – with two notable exceptions, however: the metropolitan municipalities of Ankara and İstanbul were won by candidates running for the opposition CHP. And particularly, the loss of the latter was a severe blow for Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the AKP’s party leader and the nation’s first popularly elected Absolute President (or Prez). As a result, though quite momentous, it did not come as a surprise that the İstanbul outcome was eventually challenged and a re-run ordered. In spite of this tried and tested AKP strategy, on 23 June, the CHP candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu once again emerged victorious, even gathering a grand total of 54.21% of the vote, leaving his AKP rival Binali Yıldırm trailing with a mere 44.99%.  During the original election run on 31 March, nationwide, more than 57 million Turks (or Turkish citizens) were registered to vote, and, on the day itself, voter turnout stood at just under 85%. And subsequently, Turkey’s electoral map looks overwhelmingly yellow (with a few blue allied dots) and a number of red and purple spots in the fringes. The Prez and his henchmen tried hard to portray these local elections as a kind of referendum on whether or not the Turkish public-at-large was still in favour of rigid AKP rule and its surreptitious slide into a what I have termed a “post-Kemalist reality” in 2016. And, by and large, the outcome seemed to all but vindicate Tayyip Erdoğan’s drive towards re-imagining the Republic of Turkey as a pseudo-Ottoman Sunni superpower in the region and beyond. Were it not that two major exceptions bucked the trend – Ankara and İstanbul. And particularly the latter defeat was hard to swallow for the Prez – after all, that’s where he made his own debut on Turkey’s political stage in 1994, and the city’s patronage network is an important source of monetary income for his many hangers-on, whether individual or institutional (in the shape of pious and less pious foundations or vakıfs and the like). This loss of İstanbul (and to a minor extent, Ankara) led the political scientist Dr Burcu Değirmen-Dysart to argue somewhat hyperbolically that “Turkey’s March 31 local elections revealed that more and more people grew discontent with Erdogan’s and his party’s tightening authoritarian grip,” commenting about a month later (30 April 2019). And two weeks following the AKP’s lackluster performance in İstanbul, the news agency Reuters matter-of-factly reported that the outcome “was annulled last week [6 May 2019] in Istanbul and will be re-run on June 23.” Pundits and other know-it-alls (myself included) immediately began pontificating that this re-run could only mean that the Prez had a plan and that the AKP contender Binali Yıldırım (whom I have christened Hapless during his tenure as Turkey’s final PM, 24 May 2016-16 April 2017) was sure to assume residency in Saraçhane (where the offices of the İBB or İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality are housed) at the end of this month.  The Persistence of Memory: İstanbul as a City of Faith  Though in the immediate aftermath of the İstanbul elections, nobody really knew much about the CHP candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu, other than the fact that he had led the İstanbul municipality of Beylikdüzü (2014-19) or even beyond that he originally hailed from the Black Sea region’s city of Trabzon. In the intervening period (6 May-23 June), he made sure that there’d be no one left in Turkey (or abroad, for that matter) who didn’t know the name İmamoğlu. His re-election campaign adopted the slogan #HerŞeyÇokGüzelOlacak (or ‘Everything will be very beautiful’ (or good), and in the days before the re-run, his innumerable trips all over the place, his speeches and television appearances turned the softly-spoken man into a veritable anti-AKP icon, appealing not just to Erdoğan’s traditional enemy base but also to Turks whom one might normally assume to be AKP supporters, if not Erdoğan voters. İmamoğlu and his team used 47 days to craft a skillful operation that knew a couple of highlights sure to make a wider audience enamoured with the CHP candidate, and not just in İstanbul. The campaign period coincided with the month of Ramazan (the month-long period of fast observed by pious Muslims throughout the world, 5 May-3 June 2019) – which is normally a time in Turkey when hungry taxi drivers become irate and nothing much happens otherwise, but AKP supporters (or obviously ‘pious’ fasting Turks) become highly visible at night, strolling through specially erected Ramazan markets, as the one on the Hippodrome in Sultanahmet, as well as on Turkey’s national television channels hosting requisite pious fasting programmes for the duration. But not this year, this year a lively and colourful election campaign was fought, with İmamoğlu as a pious man from a solidly conservative background (in the period 1984-87, his father was a member of Turgut Özal [1927-93]’s ANAP [or Motherland Part], a right-wing political party that enacted many pro-Islamic policies and was nebulously linked to the Naqshbandi brotherhood), able to charm people all around while abstaining from food or drink from sunrise to sunset.  In my opinion, a well-played stratagem of İmamoğlu’s was his appearance on CNN Türk, effectively just another AKP propaganda channel (20 May 2019). The well-known journalist Ahmet Hakan conducted the interview, which he conspicuously cut short right before the CHP candidate was about to talk about his plans for İstanbul and his determination to root out waste and corruption in the city’s municipal offices. İmamoğlu’s team had clearly given a number of advertising clips to the channel beforehand, clips which were aired during the intervals. One of these clips told the backstory of İmamoğlu’s by-now famous slogan #HerŞeyÇokGüzelOlacak. The footage shown appeared to consist of recordings made by  İmamoğlu’s team during the ongoing campaign. One clip focused on a boy who kept chasing İmamoğlu’s convoy and at one stage, the candidate talks directly to the boy who addresses the candidate with the colloquial phrase Abi, reserved for men advanced of one’s own age. The boy literally said, ‘Ekrem Abi, everything will be very beautiful’ (or, “her şey çok güzel olacak”). CNN Türk aired this clip (and many others) during the intermissions in the broadcast, and its effect on the viewers must have been far from insignificant. But, in spite of the generally positive mood engendered, at one stage during the interview, İmamoğlu countered claims that, were he to become Mayor of İstanbul, alcoholic beverages would be served in social facilities pertaining to the Metropolitan Municipality (Belediye Sosyal Tesisleri). In response, he related how he had established six social facilities in Beylikdüzü, and that alcohol is definitely not being served there. Though this was but a passing segment in the interview, this affirmation that as Mayor of İstanbul, İmamoğlu would all but continue Erdoğan’s strict restriction policy on the free  distribution of alcoholic beverages surely shocked some viewers, albeit many shrugged it off. Still, as I explained as long as ago as 2011, a “strict interpretation of Islam explicitly prohibits the drinking of intoxicants in this world.” But not in Kemalist Turkey, which was very different from its Muslim neighbours in this respect, as “Turkey’s Muslim citizens have had legal access to alcohol since 1926.” This free availability of alcoholic beverages has become problematic in AKP-led Turkey. In 2016, the Prez famously praised the Turkish yoghurt beverage of Ayran as the country’s “national drink” in favour of the aniseed liquor Rakı, normally cited in this context. But apart from this brief episode, Hakan and İmamoğlu successfully skirted dealing with the issue of Islam during the interview, arguably taking it as a given that, in AKP-led Turkey, adherence to the Prophet’s tenets is universal and not to be questioned. Still many secularist opponents of the AKP regime must have felt somewhat disappointed by the CHP candidate’s assurances.  Another well-played strategem came at the end of the fast, in Turkey marked by a three-day public holiday (traditionally known as Şeker Bayramı, but now as Ramazan Bayramı, under AKP directives) when joyful celebrations occasion family and other visits (known in Turkish as Bayramlaşma). İmamoğlu flew home to the Black Sea region (his home turf which is known in Turkish as his memleket, 5 June 2019). İmamoğlu planned to alight in the cities of Trabzon, Giresun and Ordu, using social media accounts to promulgate the news. His get-together with the people of Trabzon morphed into a giant meeting, exceeding all expectations and surprising everyone. The rally counted many hundreds, many thousands of participants and İmamoğlu addressed the crowd in a most persuasive way: “I would like to remind you, as your brother who knows he will be chosen anew during the [upcoming] elections for the Metropolitan Municipality of İstanbul, that I will also engage in [this] fight for democracy. For that reason I am in need of the support of all of my fellow-occupants [of my memleket] who are here. Pray for me and it is therefore absolutely necessary that you talk to your relatives in İstanbul.” In this cunning way, the CHP candidate employed his visit to his memleket to boost his national visibility, while simultaneously placating İstanbul voters with a Black Sea background to cast their ballots in his favuor rather than for his AKP rival, which would have been their natural course given that the Prez’s own memleket is adjacent home city of Rize. Moreover, the Black Sea area’s inhabitants are notoriously pious as well as “ingenious, witty, and kind,” if we are to believe the İstanbul-based journalist Jennifer Hattam. And the CHP candidate’s words really seem to contain hints of possible long-term strategies to be pursued in years to come, as İmamoğlu rather emphatically stressed  that he will “fight for democracy.”  Whereas the opposition capitalised on the themes of hope and faith, the AKP camp opted to rehash its well-worn themes of fear and unrest, falling short of doing a complete re-run of the 2015 narrative. At the very outset of June, with 22 days to go, for instance, the Prez himself addressed a crowd of believers, admonishing them with the words, “[t]his is İstanbul, otherwise known as İslambol [meaning replete or adorned with Islam]. This is not Constantinople, but there are those who would like to see [the city] as such.” Harking back to an Ottoman tradition, clearly attested in the reigns of Ahmed III (1703-30) and his son Abdülhamid I (1774-89) (but according to some, even present in Mehmed II (1451-81)’s day, though the latter seems dubious at best), Tayyip Erdoğan attempted to frighten his Muslim audience that a CHP victory would usher in a return of repressive anti-Islamic policies commonly associated with the figure of Atatürk and his party in the minds of Turkey’s pious Islamists. Arguably, Erdoğan based his allegations on a spurious article that appeared in the Greek press following İmamoğlu’s 31 March victory, an article that received a lot of coverage in Turkey’s AKP-dominated media landscape. The piece carries the provocative headline “Ekrem Imamoglu: The ‘Greek’ who ‘conquered’ Istanbul’.” This slanderous sample of printed libel declares summarily that “Ekrem Imamoglu is according to some reports of Pontian origin and a Greek-speaker.” Going back to Ottoman days, the north-eastern corner of the Black Sea littoral was home to a sizeable Greek-speaking population group, usually referred to as ‘Pontian Greeks.’ This Orthodox population group was ethnically cleansed in the period running up to the establishment of the Turkish Republic (1923).  But with four days to go before election day, the Prez played the Kurdish card. In 2015, he had used that card to awaken fears of renewed war and conflict with the Kurdish terror group PKK, to coax citizens into voting for the AKP in the then-electoral re-run (1 November 2015). But now the AKP decided to use another hand. The propaganda rag Daily Sabah put it like this: “Abdullah Öcalan [popularly known as Apo], the jailed leader of the PKK terrorist group, called on pro-PKK People’s Democratic Party (HDP) not to side with any other party in the Istanbul mayoral election rerun on Sunday. Öcalan made the statement in a letter that was shared with members of the press Thursday [, 20 June 2019] by academic Ali Kemal Özcan.” In other words, Apo all but tacitly supported the Prez asking Kurds not to vote rather than vote for the CHP candidate. An intervention that, in the aftermath of İmamoğlu’s unexpectedly large 23 June victory, led Ahmet Hakan to proclaim that “[t]his election’s biggest loser is  Abdullah Öcalan,” a statement that must have left many baffled and flabbergasted. If anything though, this weird episode, which even saw Apo’s brother Osman Öcalan appear on the state-run television channel TRT Kurdî, all but discloses the apparently close and even organic links between Öcalan and Erdoğan, between the PKK and the AKP. With regard to the actual İstanbul re-run, though, appearing before a crowd of businessmen a week prior to the vote, the Prez appeared sanguine (even somewhat resigned or even reconciled), saying that this “election only aims to appoint a mayor,” even calling the whole thing but a “simple change in the shopfront.” Explaining himself somewhat, Erdoğan added that the AKP holds 25 out of a total 39 municipalities in the metropolitan area of İstanbul (16 June 2019). And, following his massive victory, İmamoğlu again descends upon his offices in Saraçhane, only to find that “his powers and those of fellow mayors across the country are being whittled down, [as] part of a broader strategy to hobble opposition-run municipalities’ ability to govern effectively,” as expressed by the always well-informed journalist Amberin Zaman.  Mustafa Kemal’s Party Embraces Islam: The Culmination of the AKP Policy of Sunnification  In spite of this seeming entente between an erstwhile Marxist-Leninist outfit-now-espousing Libertarian Municipalism (PKK) and a political party grounded in political Islam and arguably embracing Pan-Islamism (AKP), the reality on the ground appears very different. The reality on the ground in the New Turkey (as coined by the AKP) is such that its policy of Sunnification (my coinage) has led to a near-universal acceptance that Turkey’s future lies within bounds established in the 7th century CE, albeit employing the full technological and scientific benefits of the 21st century (in a Turkish version of what the left-liberal Pakistani journalist Nadeem Paracha has termed ‘Maududi-ism’). And the vast majority of Turks have now voluntarily adopted a lifestyle supposedly more in line with the Prophet’s example. Still, the press seems happy to report every now and then that younger generations are turning away from religion and that even İman-Hatip (secondary education institution intended to train government employed imams or prayer leaders) graduates are turning towards deism in favour theism (meaning that they seem to be all but abandoning Allah). These arguably diversionary if not downright ‘fake’ reports notwithstanding, the concept of Islam has well and truly taken its place at the heart of Turkish society again, in rural as well as urban settings. The world of politics has also been deeply affected by this trend. The CHP, as the party founded by Mustafa Kemal-who-became-Atatürk, has quite naturally also been subject to this encroachment. In the course of the year 2008, the then-party leader Deniz Baykal initiated accepting headscarfed women into the ranks of the Republican People’s Party. In February 2009, Baykal was quoted as saying that he can see “signs [that] a new political wind has started blowing swiftly” throughout Turkey. In a similar ceremony held in the same year’s November, he made the following programmatic announcement: “[w]e are all on our way, together with [women wearing] headscarfs, [women wearing] turbans [which in today’s Turkey refers to more elaborate forms of head-covering], bare-headed [women], young, old, women, men.” In Kemalist Turkey, the “thorny headscarf issue” signified opposition to a greater visibility of Islam in Turkey’s public and political life. The Quran seems quite adamant that women should dress modestly, particularly avoiding gratuitous displays of cleavage, which should be covered or veiled (‘hijab’, Quran 24:31). But the usage of the term “hijab” has led to the universal assumption that women should cover their hair as well as their cleavage. For that reason, in Kemalist Turkey, headscarfed women were a focal point in the debate surrounding Islam and fundamentalism (irtica). Baykal’s move to accept headscarfed women into the CHP ranks thus denoted a sharp reversal in attitude and appreciation on the part of the party leadership. As leader of the CHP, Baykal (1992-2010) was at the time fighting the PM Tayyip Erdoğan, and in that capacity he oftentimes attacked his opponent using the most vitriolic of words. In his long political career though he never really tasted any tangible success or victory. And the same is true for his successor Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu who took up his job on 22 May 2010. Prior to taking over Baykal’s job, when he was the Vice Chairman of the CHP faction, Kılıçdaroğlu declared publicy that “[w]e need to open our arms to” headscarfed ladies, indicating that this “overture” would not lead to losses but instead to “profitable” outcomes in the long run. A strategy that led the rather prominent CHP member Canan Kaftancıoğlu to admit during a live television broadcast on 11 May 2017 that her party is committing “taqiyya in order to gain votes from the right,” adding that she was “concerned” about that. The concept of ‘Taqiyya’ is an Islamic concept usually associated with the Shi’a faction but really an “integral part of Islam,” as can be read on a dedicated webpage provided by the Non Profit Organisation, the Ahlul Bayt Digital Islamic Library Project (DILP). The same source defines the concept as a “precautionary dissimulation or denial of religious [or ideological] belief and practice in the face of persecution.” As a result, Kaftancıoğlu all but admitted that her party had been sliding towards accepting the new Islamic status quo in Turkey, albeit that she personally interprets this development as a conscious tactic or ruse rather than a straightforward political development – a political development that sees the nominally social-democratic Republican People’s Party adopting right-wing and/or outright Islamic or Islamist attitudes and policies.  But whether merely taqiyya or not, it is only now that the openly pious and devout Ekrem İmamoğlu has twice won the mayor’s seat of metropolitan İstanbul, that Kılıçdaroğlu’s party been successful, even allowing the latter to climb on top of an election bus to give a ‘balcony speech’ – something that has been turned into a political tradition by Tayyip Erdoğan in this century. Despite the fact that the actual winner of the contest was İmamoğlu, Kılıçdaroğlu gave his speech as the “architect of the 31 March victory.” For the party leader had appointed the candidate who was to win the city of İstanbul in a landslide – a choice reminiscent of his pick of Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu to compete for the presidency in 2014. Back then, Tayyip Erdoğan easily defeated his rivals in the first round with a handsome landslide. Kılıçdaroğlu’s pick was greeted with shock and amazement at the time, as the CHP candidate was the “former head of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC),” and ideologically very much in line with Erdoğan and his AKP as a self-professed academic with Islamist leanings. In the same way, this year’s victorious pick also seems at odds with the self-described ‘secularist’ CHP. In the aftermath of the 31 March elections, the academic theologian and writer Prof. Dr Hilmi Demir tweeted the insightful query: “[t]he elections were not won by the CHP but by İmamoğlu and Mansur [the now-mayor of Ankara]. Why did they win, because they are not [really] part of the CHP.” In a crafty manner, Dr Demir utilised the 140 characters at his disposal to pierce any kind of delusional bubble that might have engulfed CHP voters in İstanbul, Ankara and beyond. The successful Ankara contender Mansur Yavaş is a politician hailing from the  Islamofascist tradition of the MHP who had in 2009 tried to become mayor of Turkey’s capital running on an MHP ticket. When he was not put forward as an MHP candidate in 2013, Yavaş joined the CHP instead, finally reaching his goal this year.  As for Kılıçdaroğlu’s İstanbul pick, beyond the right-wing atmosphere in his family and personal life, his character as a pious Muslim led many to assume that İmamoğlu would join the AKP to become another henchman. A little book that appeared in April 2016, carrying the unlikely title Ekrem İmamoğlu Benim Sevgili Başkanım (or, ‘Ekrem İmamoğlu My Beloved Leader’), written by the journalist Şirin Mine Kılıç, paints a sympathetic portrait of the man and his vision. Kılıç describes the politician as an individual endowed with a strong sense of “responsibility” from a young age, starting in his primary school days, also inserting the adjectives “honest” and “sincere” into the descriptive assessment of her ‘Beloved Leader’. Kılıç writes that “his political preference became clear from 2000 onward. He became a convinced CHP voter.” The reason was his personal discovery of the figure of Atatürk and his role in the foundation of the country, Mine Kılıç argues.  İmamoğlu joined the CHP in 2008, and was elected as the head of the party’s youth wing the following year. The local CHP chapter in the Istanbul district of Beylikdüzü selected him as its president on 16 September 2009 – being re-elected on 8 March 2012, only to resign on 15 July 2013 to run for mayor of Beylikdüzü. On 30 March 2014 he was elected as mayor, easily defeating the AKP incumbent Yusuf Uzun. Proving his pious credentials as mayor, İmamoğlu marked the 77th anniversary of Atatürk’s death by organising a reading of the Mevlid in the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Mosque in Beylikdüzü on 10 November 2015. The construction of this huge mosque, able to accommodate up to 4,000 worshippers, begun in the 1990s, and was but completed in the first decade of this century. And İmamoğlu also had the building and its adjacent area refurbished in the same year (2015), even incorporating a dedicated compound for the celebration of weddings (known as Nikah Salonu, in Turkish). Combining his dedication ot the Prophet and his love for Atatürk, İmamoğlu employed the mosque for a public recital of a poem (Mathnawi, or Mesnevi in Tiurkish) celebrating the birth of Muhammad on 12 Rabi’ul-Awwal. In the Ottoman tradition, the Mathnawi Vesîletü’n-necât, written by Süleyman Çelebi in the year 1409/812, stands out as the prime example in this context. The first documented public recitation of the Mevlid occurred in the reign of Sultan Murad III (1574-95), in the year 1588/996. In fact, it is all but customary in pious (or Islamist) circles in Turkey to have the Mevlid recited on important occasions, such as university graduations and funerals, or the anniversary of Atatürk’s death in this case.  What I have termed the AKP policy of Sunnification has now come full circle in Turkey, I would argue. The reins of government are still firmly held by the Prez and his AKP henchmen. Beyond purely party political contests and rivalries, however, it seems beyond doubt that the state founded by Mustafa Kemal in 1923 no longer exists. Instead, the New Turkey is a place rejoicing in manifold manfestations of pseudo-Ottoman kitsch and an increasing encroachment of Muslim mores into public and private life. Even the CHP, a one-time bastion of so-called ‘Turkish Secularism,’ has now completely succumbed to the seductive lure of Quranic and other pious recitations, as evidenced in the recent reversals in Ankara and İstanbul. Already in early March, the academic and political commentator Erol Mütercimler, whom the journalist and HaberTürk columnist Oray Eğin has somewhat flippantly called “[t]he man who knows everything,” predicted that the CHP candidate would be victorious in İstanbul, if able to capture “at least 9% of those who [normally] vote AKP,” as well as 4% of MHP voters. In the same breath, he also remarked that İmamoğlu hails from “rightwing, conservative roots.” And now, the previously little know mayor of Beylikdüzü district of Istanbul has stepped on the national (as well as international) stage with a bang, with a big bang even. In Trabzon, he told a quasi-hysterical crowd that his intention is to “fight for democracy,” and, if anything, I would argue that İmamoğlu is positioning himself for a future confrontation with none other than  Tayyip Erdoğan himself.  The local press and population seem to support such a development, and on an international level, it looks as if the now-newly installed Mayor of Metropolitan of İstanbul is being appropriated wholesale in order to be groomed for a future role. In the wake of election day, the New York Times carried the headline “A New Dawn in Turkey After Erdogan Loses Istanbul” (24 June 2019). İmamoğlu appeared on CNN International via video-link from Taksim to chat with Christiane Amapour (26 June 2019). Speaking in Turkish, Ekrem İmamoğlu told Amanpour and the rest of the world that his victory on “June 23rd showed us that no one, no individual or power, can stand in the way of the will of the people, no politician has the luxury to ignore that fact.” Arguably, he was talking about the Prez or, at the very least, that is how Amapour took his words, presumably in conjunction with the majority of her global audience. In today’s polarised world, the figure of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has become somewhat of a universal bogeyman – oftentimes appearing in a phrase also including Trump and Putin, as if constituting a veritable ‘unholy trinity of evil-doers.’ As a result, there are those who are now thinking that, come 2023, a CHP President could very well be taking up residency in the Beştepe Palace, Erdoğan’s White (or Ak, as in his preferred moniker for his party, the Ak Parti rather than AKP) Palace.  In fact, there appear to be some striking parallels between İmamoğlu and Erdoğan. Hinting at the distinct possibility that the first is being groomed to be Turkey’s new saviour, there is the fact that the latter’s rise to power was at the very least approved (if not, encouraged or even engineered) by Washington. Following the AKP’s victory in 2002, Tayyip Erdoğan became the country’s Prime Minister on 14 March 2003. But his ties to America stretch back to his days as Mayor of Istanbul (1994-98): “Erdogan had been in the U.S. on 17-25 April 1995; on 17-22 November 1996; on 20-23 December 1996; on 26 March 1998; on 26 July 2000; and on 4 July 2001 . . . and one last time, in February 2002,” as I wrote in 2014. In the same piece, I next posed the following query:  “Did the Clinton White House try to influence the course of Turkish politics by means of entertaining the self-professed proponent of the Sharia and was the Bush White House merely following the precedent set by its predecessor in grooming its champion of moderate Islam?”  Given the fact that Turkey’s current Absolute President no longer enjoys the West’s support as a member of the ‘unholy trinity of evil-doers,’ one could argue that İmamoğlu’s sudden arrival on the scene is all but fortuitous. Though the latter makes a big show of his love for Atatürk, his personal life and habits more than indicate that he could very easily function as a new champion of moderate Islam to replace the old but no longer ‘useful’ or even desired champion. And for that reason, the Prez’s words that “whoever wins Istanbul, wins Turkey” might prove very true in the long run. His initial stint as mayor of the city ushered in a 25-year period of AKP rule in Turkey’s biggest and most important city. The news agency Reuters‘ Orhan Çoşkun now even reports that some of Erdoğan’s stalwart allies have started abandoning ship: “Former allies of Turkey’s Erdogan plan rival party after Istanbul defeat.”  But for now, people are happy and opponents of the AKP regime rejoice, and nobody really knows what will happen next. Is this now really the beginning of the end or will the Prez bounce back and once again resume his place in the hearts and minds of the Turkish population?!??  Or, will İmamoğlu ever so gently replace him as the new face of an Islamic Turkey where the figure of Atatürk is once again revered, albeit re-reinterpreted?!??  As the first popularly elected President of the Republic, Tayyip Erdoğan set out to complete Mustafa Kemal’s accomplishments “by means of reviving the Turks’ ties to their Muslim creed and uniting all the ethnic groups and sub-groups living on Anatolian soil under the banner of Islam.” As illustrated at the outset, already as mayor of Beylikdüzü, İmamoğlu has undertaken steps to integrate the figure of Atatürk into the Turkish version of Islam. Perhaps this new approach to Republican history will lead the way to the future, as a time when a smiling and sympathetic yet pious and devout political leader that is no one else but Ekrem İmamoğlu will reintegrate Turkey into the world, as an indispensable part and parcel of the West and gateway to the East.  ***   21WIRE special contributor Dr. Can Erimtan is an independent historian and geo-political analyst who used to live in Istanbul. At present, he is in self-imposed exile from Turkey. He has  a wide interest in the politics, history and culture of the Balkans, the greater Middle East, and the world beyond. He attended the VUB in Brussels and did his graduate work at the universities of Essex and Oxford. In Oxford, Erimtan was a member of Lady Margaret Hall and he obtained his doctorate in Modern History in 2002. His publications include the revisionist monograph “Ottomans Looking West?” as well as numerous scholarly articles. In Istanbul, Erimtan started publishing in Today’s Zaman and in Hürriyet Daily News. In the next instance, he became the Turkey Editor of the İstanbul Gazette. Subsequently, he commenced writing for RT Op-Edge, NEO, and finally, the 21st Century Wire. You can find him on Twitter at @theerimtanangle


21stcenturywire--2019-08-19--Maduro Government Showed Willingness for New Elections During Secret Talks

Maduro Government Showed ‘Willingness’ for New Elections During Secret Talks

Earlier this year, Norway was hosting multiple rounds of talks between Venezuela’s actual government, and the US-backed opposition, which posits a future situation in which they will end up being the government.  The demands from the opposition and the US are to hold new elections, and according to those familiar with the May talks, they say the Maduro government signaled a willingness to hold an election in 9-12 months, assuming it would end the persistent US regime change attempts.  That Maduro was willing for a new vote is surprising, and he might see it as a way out, since the US-backed opposition didn’t run in the 2018 election at all, which led them and the US to declare the vote illegitimate.  It’s also interesting that the US was involved at all, as the US expressed anger at the very idea of the Norway talks at the time, and chided Norway for having them. Now, officials say the US has opened up secret lines of communications with a number of members of Maduro’s inner circle.  The secret US talks don’t seem directly related to the secret Norway election proposal, but rather to the already failed US coup attempt, as the US is still trying to convince Venezuela’s leadership they won’t face further retribution if they betray Maduro and allow regime change.  The US inclination to have regime change just happen unilaterally based on a demand seems intact, related to Trump’s talk of a naval blockade of the entire, large country. It’s not clear where that leaves the election as of right now, though the US may ultimately view a proper election as a very last resort kind of idea.


21stcenturywire--2019-08-24--The Irony US-Appointed Democratic President of Venezuela Threatens to Boycott Early Elections

The Irony: US-Appointed ‘Democratic President’ of Venezuela Threatens to Boycott Early Elections

As with most things about US foreign policy today, the irony of this situation is just too much to bear.  After Juan Guaidó, the self-styled ‘democratic president’ of Venezuela, declared himself to be Venezuela’s rightful ruler on January 23, 2019, he was quickly recognised by Washington DC and then dutifully by those nations subservient to US foreign policy dictates. For weeks, opposition ringleaders and pro-US mobs celebrated, believing that by some miraculous sequence of events – that the Maduro “regime” would fall within days.  Seven months later, Nicholas Maduro is still in power, and the Guaidó mobs have dissipated.  What’s worse, Washington’s “interim leader” Guaidó is now instructing his opposition followers not to participate in the upcoming legislative elections. In other words, he and Washington are shunning democracy altogether in Venezuela.     In an interview on Friday, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido announced that he and the rest of the opposition would refuse to participate in any early legislative elections called by the Maduro government.  Maduro allies have suggested they’d like to hold an election for the National Assembly in January or earlier. The parliament’s term is officially set to end in December of 2020, and elections would normally be held a few months before that.  Guaido is the majority leader in the National Assembly, and has used that position to declare himself the rightful ruler of Venezuela. Guaido says the assembly will remain in place until Maduro is removed from power, arguing no free elections are possible until then.  It’s clear Maduro would like to replace Guaido with a parliament leader more friendly to his continued rule, and it was also raised as a possibility that fresh elections might resolve complaints about the manner in which Maduro won. So far its not clear either side is willing to move forward with that unless they are confident the outcome benefits them.


eveningstandard--2019-04-23--The four-day paint challenge for redecorating your home

Spring is the ideal time to decorate. Fittingly, it’s also National Home Improvement Month. Its “ambassador”, TV’s Georgina Burnett, has created a painting plan below.  But first choose your brand and colours. One of the most informed experts on “historic” shades is Patrick Baty, who is celebrating more than 50 years at his family store at Papers and Paints, 4 Park Walk, SW10.  Full of advice for a larger market is the established Brewers, which has 25 stores within the M25 stocking the designer brands as well as Albany, its good-value own label.  Alternatively, order an all-brands box of colour cards for £5.95 from designerpaint.com, which also offers helpful “live chat”. Spend the weekend working out a scheme — and give the work to someone else.  Paint prices vary hugely. B&Q has a GoodHome edit in “curated”colours, including speciality paints for tiles, kitchen cupboards and stairs.  It costs from £12 for 2.5 litres of emulsion. More upmarket brands charge upwards of £45 for the same quantity.  Check out the deals on realhomes.com and hotukdeals.com.  Marianne Shillingford of Dulux warns against the cheapest paint, however. “Built-in toughness and superior coverage means less time decorating,” she says.  She loves a “mid-century modern colour palette. Try Mustard Blanket with Polished Pebble, Dipped Chocolate and Timeless”.  More than 1.3 million people have downloaded the helpful Dulux Visualiser App. You can also phone 0333 222 7171 for technical advice.  At Crown, colour consultant Judy Smith loves Powdered Clay, “a warm neutral”, adding pops of orange and red.  “Stick to only a few colours throughout your home,” she says. Homebase has a “three for two” deal on Crown coloured emulsion.  Designers Guild offers 156 high-pigment colours in five qualities made by Mylands, Britain’s oldest family paint maker (265-277 King’s Road, SW3).  Over the road — as well as in W1 — is a new showroom for Little Greene, currently collaborating with the National Trust.  Londoners love Farrow & Ball, which has 132 colours in 11 finishes at 14 showrooms within the M25. Its Estate Emulsion is £46.50 for 2.5 litres and the wallpapers are handcrafted using Farrow & Ball paints for a perfect match. Its flagship store is at 249 Fulham Road, SW3.  Craig & Rose (“paints of quality since 1829”) has showrooms in Notting Hill and Chiswick. Look out for its metallic.  Sandersons blends pattern and paint and issued its first small palette in 1900. Now it has 154 hues in three finishes, with emulsion costing £45 for 2.5 litres.  For advice and samples, go to the Style Library store in Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, SW10. You can also explore Zoffany paints, famous for its rich jewel tones that complement its sophisticated wall coverings and fabrics.  Pull the carpet away from the walls. Put quick-dry filler into holes and level off with an old credit card. Scrape flaking paint from the woodwork, and lightly sand. Edge the woodwork with masking tape.  Now it gets exciting. Prime the walls, mixing in a little of your top coat. Allow to dry completely. “Cut in” with an angled brush the areas that are too tight for rollers (but not too thickly): skirtings, ceiling and corners.  Use a roller and emulsion to fill in each area before it’s completely dry. To avoid tide marks, roller a large W on the wall in one go. Then fill in the gaps, and repeat. Go over with vertical lines.  Wipe splashes off the woodwork while they are still damp. Keep the roller well loaded, and wash it out at the end of the day.  Apply extra coat(s) to walls as needed. Touch up the paintwork.  Decant the paint into a “kettle” (tub), apply quick-drying all-in-one primer/undercoat with a medium-angled brush for a clean edge. You may need two coats.  During breaks wrap the brushes in cling film or an old plastic bag. Once dry, lightly sand. Apply the top coat, a hard-wearing acrylic paint. Leave to dry and wash brushes.  Remove masking tape before completely dry. Remove the dust sheets, put the room back together and go to the pub.


drudgereport--2019-11-05--Woman goes blind tattooing eyeballs...

Woman goes blind tattooing eyeballs...

A 24-year-old NSW woman who spent over $37,000 in body modifications went blind for three weeks after tattooing her eyeballs blue.  A woman who has spent over $37,000 modifying her body reveals she went blind for three weeks after getting her eyeballs tattooed with blue ink.  Amber Luke, 24, from NSW underwent an excruciating and dangerous 40-minute procedure to transform her eyes.  It was the latest in a string of body modifications the body piercer has done, included getting 200 tattoos on her body, having her tongue split and her earlobes stretched.  Blue-haired Amber has also had a boob job, cheek and lip fillers and pointed implants placed in her ears.  Amber, who calls herself the Blue Eyed White Dragon and first developed her bizarre fascination with extreme modifications at 16, said the eyeball job was the most dangerous procedure she has done to date.  Speaking to Barcroft Media, she said: “I can’t even begin to describe to you what the feeling was like, the best thing I can give you is once the eyeball was penetrated with the ink, it felt like [the tattoo artist] grabbed 10 shards of glass and rubbed it in my eye.  “That happened four times per eye, that was pretty brutal. Unfortunately, my artist went too deep into my eyeball.  “If your eyeball procedure’s done correctly, you’re not supposed to go blind at all.  “I was blind for three weeks. That was pretty brutal.”  Amber said she hopes to fully cover her body with tattoos by March 2020 – but she won’t get any more extreme modifications done.  She said: “I don’t plan on getting any more body modifications that are extreme in that manner. So no more tongue splitting, no more eyeball tattooing.”  Amber’s mum Vikki said she broke down in tears when her daughter got the blue ink tattooed on her eyeballs.  Vikki added: “’Where do I start? I cried. I said a few choice words as anyone would. ‘Why would you do that to yourself, knowing that there is a danger to it?’  “As we know as the parents, some kids will just do what they want to do, regardless of what we say.  “But I brought her into the world with the best skills that I could give, the best that I could give her it’s just for me to be there and go along the journey with her. And prop her up, and love her.  “She never saw herself as being beautiful. She didn’t see herself through my eyes.  “But I’ve supported her because I could actually see the transition, the growth and how it’s made her come to who she is today.  “I think over time, I’ve learned to actually understand that it doesn’t change you. It’s the society’s perception on it.”  The self-professed “blue-eyed dragon” went all the way to America to add to her frightening look by getting a set of specially created fangs made to go inside her mouth.  And they’re not just for aesthetics, as the tattoo lover admits they’re sharp enough to pierce through skin - something she finds incredibly “pleasing”.  Amber first started having issues with her body when she was 14, after being diagnosed with depression - and it was this news that made her determined to change her appearance.  She explained: “I didn’t know who I was or what I wanted from life, but now I have the confidence to look however I want to. And I don’t worry what I’m going to look like when I’m older.”  And while she’s often met with mixed reactions from strangers, with many often trolling her and leaving horrible comments, Amber isn’t phased by what other people think.  She concluded: “I’m not harming anyone, I’m doing what I want to do and if it makes me get up in the morning and be a happy person, then so be it.”  This story first appeared in The Sun and is reproduced here with permission


freedombunker--2019-05-02--Kentuckys Proposed Ban on Tattooing Over Scars Would Hurt Those Seeking Second Chances

Kentucky’s Proposed Ban on Tattooing Over Scars Would Hurt Those Seeking Second Chances

Paige Spear is a paramedical tattooist in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where she helps her customers use tattoo art to camouflage scars and vitiligo, and recreate areolas and nipples for customers who have undergone mastectomies. Spear isn't performing medicine and she and her clients both understand the risks of tattooing on sensitive types of skin. Nevertheless, Spear says a new regulation from the Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) would be "devastating" both for her shop, THE STUDIO Tattoo Co., and for her clients.  WLKY reports that the DPH has recently proposed new regulations that would ban tattooing over scars. Several tattoo artists in the state have already spoken out against the proposed regulation. Not only is the practice common in their line of work, but the new rules do not appear to stem from medical concerns.  In fact, the DPH has yet to give its reasoning for wanting to ban the practice. A statement from the Cabinet of Health and Family Services simply says, "Regulations in this area have not been updated for about 15 years."  Spear tells Reason that there are two "major concerns" associated with tattooing over scars.  Some clients are prone to keloidal scarring, in which the skin overreacts to an injury and produces a raised mass of scar tissue. The American Academy of Dermatology explains that keloids are not cancerous and that not everybody gets them. Simply put, not every scar is in danger of overgrowth.  Spear says the second concern is tattooing a scar that is too fresh. A scar should be older than 12 months before going through the tattooing process.  "Other than those two major things, there isn't really a reason someone couldn't tattoo over a scar," she says.  Spear believes that the regulation is too vague and she would rather see it reworded to include the two specific concerns. Prohibiting the practice altogether would leave artists and their customers in the lurch. "Imagine if you were someone who wanted a sleeve tattooed on your arm and had a carpet burn near your elbow when you were [five] and had a scar so you couldn't get tattooed in that one specific spot—that would make for an awkward tattoo."  Spear also tells Reason that the ban would impact those trying "to feel better about themselves." She's helped women with mastectomies "feel a sense of normalcy," covered up scars on veterans that evoke traumatic memories, and empowered people who have engaged in self-harm to move forward with skin art. A blanket ban on those services would likely hurt more people than it helps.  A public hearing regarding the changes is scheduled for May 28.


sputnik--2019-11-04--‘That Was Brutal’: Australian Ink Addict Went Blind After Tattooing Eyes Blue — Video

Amber Luke, a body-modifier from Australia, lost her vision for several weeks after changing the colour of her eyeballs.  “If your eyeball procedure’s done correctly, you’re not supposed to go blind at all. I was blind for three weeks.”  The procedure, known as scleral tattooing, is performed on the sclera (white part of the eye). The ink is injected under the surface of the conjunctiva, the incredibly thin layer of skin covering the sclera, and then spreads under the surface of the eye. An improper scleral tattoo may cause bad eye swelling and permanent loss of vision, so things appear to have worked out quite well for Luke, all things considered.  According to her Instagram, where she has built a 138,000-strong audience, the woman had her eyeballs tattooed at some point in 2017.  The Brisbane-based ink devotee told Barcroft TV that she got her first tattoo at 16, a year after she was diagnosed with severe clinical depression, as a way to deal with the negative energy inside her.  She has since got over 200 tattoos on her body, head to toe, had her tongue split, earlobes stretched, breasts augmented, and cheeks and lips filled with botox. She also plans to get herself a Brazilian Butt Lift – an increasingly popular but also dangerous procedure that transfers unwanted body fat from the stomach and/or flanks to the buttocks.  Her mother said she cried when she first saw the eye tattoo, but eventually put up with it.  “She never saw herself as being beautiful. She didn’t see herself through my eyes,” the mum said.  “But I’ve supported her because I could actually see the transition, the growth, and how it’s made her come to who she is today.”  Amber, who calls herself the Blue Eyed White Dragon, has reportedly spent over $37,000 on body modifications and wants to have her body fully covered by tattoos by next March.