Rioja: It’s Time To Start Exploring Outside Red
Is White Rioja an underrated classic? That’s the question Quentin Sadler posted on his wine pages recently, and one I set out to explore on a warm mid-week evening drinking al fresco in central London. Bold red wines are as synonymous with the Rioja region as light clarets are to Beaujolais. But there is a notion that we risk seriously underestimating the region by narrowing our focus on just red. Brits have traditionally eschewed Spanish white wines because they have...
£9.3bn! Private landlords have doubled housing benefit income in a decade
A shocking new report has found that private landlords hauled in £9.3bn in 2015. It is huge figure and double what the level was a decade ago. The study was undertaken by the National Housing Federation (NHF) and they said the figure was due to a huge increase in private tenants who are receiving housing benefit. A decade ago the there was £4.6bn handed out to private landlords by the state. These figures will anger many, who will see taxpayers’...
Sadiq Khan turns on Corbyn & backs Owen Smith
The newly installed mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who nominated Jeremy Corbyn for leader last year, has backed Owen Smith to be the next Labour leader. Many Corbyn supporters will see this as stabbing him in the back. However, Khan claims he didn’t actually vote for Jeremy for leader. Khan said he had only backed Corbyn so members had a chance to have a choice of a left-wing candidate. As we have seen the support for Corbyn has swelled the...
10 Ways to Unwind and Reduce Stress at Home
Stressed at home? Your boss doing your head in? Or just fed up AF? Here are some quick and easy ways to make you more laid back than a hammock... 1. Tidy up - I know it may sound obvious but having an organised room really does lead to a clear mind, so de-clutter your room and you’ll de-clutter your mind. 2. Light a candle - I adore Christophe’s Coconut Island Soy Wax Candle - it’s homemade, smells edible and...
Team GB to Wear Illuminated Shoes in Closing Ceremony
Team GB's 366 athletes will wear illuminated shoes in the closing ceremony on Sunday night. With 56 medals so far and a fighting chance of coming in second place in the medals table, the Brits have certainly lit up the Games so far. Using Rio’s reputation for being the home of the carnival as its inspiration, Accrington-based Simon Jersey has created the sports stars’ Closing Ceremony outfits to help them draw their most successful ever away Games to a close. Athletes will be...
Review: Lights Out
Review by Ben Holliday/@bholliday Lights Out is certainly one of the pleasant surprises of an otherwise dreary summer. Director David F. Sandberg makes his feature film debut after submitting a short film of the same name and premise at a film festival in 2014. Despite not winning the competition, Sandberg was contacted by many big Hollywood names hence why you’ll see James Wan’s name plastered across the marketing. Despite doubts from Wan that Sandberg could extend the short into a...
Happiness: It’s Not About the Money
When singer-songwriter Jessie J - worth an estimated $8 million - preached about the value of money in her hit record Price Tag people around the World chimed in harmony, "what the f**k does she know?" But according to new research, she may know more than we gave her credit for. A list of the top 50 elements needed to have a feel good day have ranked "sitting in the garden sun", "laughing" and "getting a good night's sleep" in the top...
The Night Tube: What You Need to Know
After months of delays, strikes and negotiations, the London night tube is finally set to run from midnight tonight. Trains will initially run on the Victoria and Central lines on Fridays and Saturdays, before moving to a 24/7 model across Central, Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria lines. According to the BBC, there are also plans to expand the service to parts of the Metropolitan, Circle, District, and Hammersmith & City lines after modernisation and on parts of the London Overground...
Think Jeremy Corbyn is a loser? Oh dear, you’ve been brainwashed…
If you think Jeremy Corbyn is a clown or a total waste of skin, it could be too late for you - you’ve already been brainwashed by a handful of foreign billionaires. We all agree that newspapers play a crucial role in British democracy, but what is troubling is that the majority of the UK press is owned by a handful of right-wing billionaires, most of whom don’t live here. In fact, almost 80 per cent of our press is...