Filming starts for the LONG AWAITING Fab Ab movie in two weeks time. It’s been announced that Jennifer Saunders has roped in Dragons’ Den star Kelly Hoppen for a role in the film.
In a convo with Digital Spy Hoppen wasn’t giving anything away
“My lips are zipped for a while. So you’ll have to wait and see!”
The film will also star heartthob and professional M&S pant wearer David Gandy.
Anti-gay marriage Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis had a private 15-minute audience with the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, during his recent visit to the United States at the Vatican Embassy in Washington.
The clerk has spent six days in jail for contempt of court, after refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in Kentucky. Ms. Davis who has been married 4 times has argued that her religious beliefs should make her exempt from issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples.
Lesbian, Bi and Gay couples have had the right to marriage licenses in the US since SCOTUS legalised same-sex marriage in June, earlier this year.
According to Ms. Davis’s lawyer Mat Stavers, the Pope “thanked her for her courage” and to “stay strong”.
When asked about his views on government officials seeking exemption because of their religious beliefs he told reporters that
“It is a right. And if a person does not allow others to be a conscientious objector, he denies a right.”
The trendy beards were amongst 20 things Britain’s workforce considered as “inappropriate” for the work environment along with novelty ties and flip flops.
Britain’s be-whiskered are bristling with anger after beards were voted among the most unsuitable items of work attire.
Full beards featured in a list of 20 ‘items’ or looks considered inappropriate for the workplace.
Other no-no’s included too much cleavage, crop-tops and novelty ties, according to a survey of 2,000 workers by workplace uniform provider Simon Jersey.
But David Dade, the President of TBBC – The British Beard Club – took the criticism on the chin, claiming beards “allow men to show their masculinity rather than stifle it by shaving”.
And he said the inclusion of facial hair in the list may have been a “broadside” at hipsters who have adopted the beard in recent years.
Dade, 69, a former radio sound engineer with the other BBC, said: “Unfortunately this seems to be another example of pogonophobia – an extreme dislike of beards.
“But these days the vast majority of beards are tidy and well-maintained.”
The study found that many people also consider anything which bares too much skin to be out of place in the office, including low cut, strapless or backless tops and short skirts.
More than six in 10 people believe the way they dress or look may have had an effect on their chances of getting a pay rise or promotion.
Their fears may be well-founded as 37 per cent of managers admitted they have overlooked someone for consistently dressing inappropriately.
Two-thirds of managers said they would be less likely to give someone a job if there was something they didn’t like about their appearance during the interview.
The poll, by workplace uniform provider Simon Jersey, found one in five workers has been reprimanded over “inappropriate” work wear.
One female employee was hauled up in front of her boss because her dress was “too pink”.
Other unusual or bizarre requests include one boss telling a woman to wear more make-up, another to dress “less young” and wearing hair up instead of down.
Simon Jersey, which provides uniforms to more than half a million UK workers, said: “What to wear to work can be a controversial and confusing subject – the type of job you do, and the industry you work in, can make a massive difference to what is and isn’t deemed appropriate.
“As if what to wear isn’t confusing enough, while tattoos, bright hair colours and even flashing your skin might be fine in one job, you could wear the same look to another role and get a completely different reaction.
“Worryingly, it seems some are even picked up because of the colour of their clothes or the amount of make-up they have one.
“Your appearance can be especially important if you deal with clients, customers or members of the public – your boss will want you to be representing the company in what they consider to be the right way.
“But this can make it a minefield when choosing what to wear. Each morning, there are probably thousands of people looking in the mirror trying to decide if what they look like is ‘acceptable’ for the day ahead.”
The study found crop tops are deemed the most unacceptable item to wear to work, followed by cleavage-flashing clothes, mini-skirts and baseball caps.
Flip flops completed the top five, with beanie hats, underwear on show, t-shirts with inappropriate logos, backless tops and ripped jeans also a no-no.
Other things considered to be beyond the pale include high heels, long or unkempt beards and excessive make-up.
And while some still brand visible tattoos a no-no, six in 10 think body ink is more acceptable than ever before, with 42 per cent believing the same is true for piercings.
The survey revealed that while 42 per cent of bosses simply have a quiet word with someone they think needs to improve their appearance, one in five has had a formal conversation or warned them about it.
One in 50 has even fired someone over the way they dress.
The Simon Jersey spokesman added: ‘’There has been a definite shift towards a more casual working wardrobe over the last decade and we’ve reflected that trend in our range with new garments that create a more relaxed working wardrobe.
“There’s more than 900 garments in our catalogue, so no matter what your role or what industry you work in, we can create a uniform for you and your team.”
Top 20 things unsuitable for the workplace:
1. Crop tops
2. Tops which show cleavage
3. Mini-skirts
4. Baseball caps
5. Flip flops
6. Beanie hats
7. Visible underwear
8. T-shirts or tops with large logos or images
9. Backless tops
10. Ripped jeans
11. Strapless tops
12. Shorts
13. Anything which shows too much skin
14. High heels
15. Unkempt, long or full beards
16. Visible body piercings
17. Tattoos on show
18. Excessive make-up
19. Trainers
20. Novelty ties
Tom Courtenay is Geoff, while Charlotte Rampling is Kate, both giving superb performances. ★★★★★
A man once told me a story about money, it went like this: The board of a FTSE 100 company is meeting at lunchtime. As they start to debate the next item, an investment of £10bn, there is a knock at the door, and Liz, the sandwich lady comes in. Picking out a sandwich, drink and crisps, the FD hands over a £5 note. “It’s £5.50, John”, says Liz. “Eh?!” John looks up, “It was £5 yesterday and has been since I’ve been here.” “Well”, says Liz, “prices have gone up and it’s now £5.50.” There then ensues a long debate over the price of sandwiches and subsidising the canteen. The debate ends; John looks up and says “Let’s vote, whose in favour of the investment?” All raise their hands and the business agrees to spend £10bn. The point is that it’s very easy to pay for something, when you don’t appreciate the amounts of money involved. But, when we are asked to pay for something which, we can relate back to time spent in our day job, it really brings home how much something costs.
Paying for surrogacy is a bit like the £10bn investment. It involves cutting edge science, which we have only heard about on TV and is paid for by sums of money we will only deal with a few times in our lives, let alone actually see laid out before us on a pallet. Add to this the emotional time and personal investment and it goes from being a risk to something we can’t fully get our heads around.
At the parenting conference we attended in August 2012 there was a presentation by an agency; let’s call it ‘Agency A’. At the end of the presentation, there were questions. One of the questions was, ‘how much is it’? To which the reply was, ‘about 100,000 dollars’. Clearly the speaker didn’t want to alienate his audience. A quick calculation of 1.5 dollars to the pound and it works out around £66,000. Hmm, I thought, £66,000 doesn’t seem so bad. That’s a quantifiable figure.
At the time I was also attending counselling. I asked my counsellor, how could I get £60,000? His response was quite clever. He told me to take a white sheet of A4, and half way up draw a line from left to right. Next he told me to mark a start point at the left edge of the line. Then he asked me, what I could afford to save a month? “About £1,000”, I said. “Okay,” he said, “£60,000 divided by £1,000 is 60. So that’s 60 months. At the right edge of the line mark your end point: month 60.” And there laid out before me was a five year timeline to pay for surrogacy. This way I was able to start to quantify what it might cost me to have a child. For £1000 a month I could: lunch every working day for £50 or go out each weekend and spend £200. What does £1000 mean to you? £60,000 is a lot of money.
Two years later, I started to investigate it further and in July of 2014 I agreed to meet Agency A. When I got to their offices, you could tell that there was money, but decorative taste was clearly harder to come by. I met a very nice lady who during the course of our conversation confirmed it was ‘about $100,000.’ She said to contact them once I had the money ready.
66 months is a very long time and I wanted to have children while I was in mid-life, so, I sold my house and moved in with friends. Three months later, following completion, I had £66,000 in the bank. I put £16,000 to one side for a new deposit and prepared to transfer £50,000 into dollars. It took a lot of thought. Was I really going to make this commitment? At this sort of price, even a slight fluctuation in the exchange rate could mean losing thousands of pounds. The pound had been at 1.7 dollars, now it was 1.64 dollars. Should I wait for it to go back up? I decided to take the plunge and get on with it. Today I am very thankful. The dollar got stronger a few weeks after and still today is trading around $1.50 to the pound. I could have lost out on a lot of dollars. For weeks after my father said to me “transfer it back, you will make two or three thousand pounds” –yes, but then I won’t have any dollars!
I contacted Agency A again and spoke with my proposed project manager. My ‘professional head’ kicked in, “I need to pin down the costs before I sign contracts,” I said. “Well,” he said, “we tell our couples to budget up to $150,000 just in case, but hopefully it’s less.” “Hang on a minute”, I replied, “that’s not $100,000”. Suddenly I had gone from $100,000, ‘up to $150,000.’ I now needed £100,000, not $100,000. However, I decided to push on and see what the details looked like. I asked to visit their offices once again to work through the different costs. “We still wouldn’t be able to give you firm costs” came back the reply.
READ THE ENTIRE Journey To Fatherhood series
I went through the outline costings, budgeting $119,000 and $130,000 for worst case. New costs were added, and the budget became $150,000 and worst case $170,000. Since selling the house I had gone from $100,000 to a worst case of $170,000 which couldn’t be guaranteed. It was all too much of a gamble for me. So I left it.
This gives you some idea of what I am up against. Transparency is available if you ask the right questions. But as this is such an emotional and new process, knowing the right questions is often not possible. In February this year I was offered a fixed price deal at $120,000. This gave me some surety and peace of mind. It is roughly £80,000 of which I already had £66,000, meaning I only had to find £15,000. The package included project management, surrogacy and fertility agency fees, egg donor fee, surrogate fee and US legals. All that remained were deductibles such as maternity clothing, three month maternity leave salary compensation (if applicable) and UK legals. Interestingly without the fixed fee deal I calculated these costs were about $153,000, not far from Agency A’s pricing. So I signed on the dotted line.
Today my costs are now closer to $138,000 (about £90,000). What’s changed is small additions to the fixed package, such as: add $2,000 for ‘unlimited’ US legals, $1,500 for a contract enabling your children to legally contact their egg donor, $5,000 for the surrogate salary compensation, deductibles increasing by $2,250, counselling $299, surrogate’s lawyer and travel $3,358. And still, I’m confused, e.g. is surrogate travel part of deductibles? No one seems to be able to tell me, least of all my project manager! So I rely on my own spreadsheet, which I regularly review. And now this means I will dip into the house deposit money.
As a result I now have a GoFundMe page. If you like my story please do contribute to my fundraising campaign, so that I don’t finish with too much debt to the detriment of raising my children. Any contribution is valuable to me, so please contribute what you can at: gofundme.com/simonhill.
Next time I want to cover off family and friends. We live inside very complex social networks and mine isn’t an exception to this, how do you tell friends and family? If you have any questions, please contact me on twitter.
It’s nothing but revelation after revelation when it comes to what the stars are calling their penises. Firstly Channing Tatum revealed that he calls his Little Tatum, Gilbert. Then Made In Chelsea Jamie Laing exposed his penises’ name as Mercutio. Now Gaffney’s dong has been named, as Wellard.
The news came to light after Gaffney returned to EastEnders as Robbie, after a long break and according to the actor’s brother, Gary, he calls his willy Wellard after the dog which was Robbie’s pet.
His brother regaled a story about how Dean would answer fans who asked how Wellard was, to which Gaffney apparently would look in the direction of his crotch and say: “Yeah, he’s alright!”
Dean Gaffney returns to Walford / EastEnders with Wellard 2 for an 8 episode stint.
Forget Bohemian heritage. Those stinky, if beloved, Soho streets – strip-mined of any meaning but money – are being massacred by real-estate morons. It’s systematic, social abortion, a vicious kick in the pregnant belly of deviant culture. Forget dissent – the future is Yummy Dummy Yakuzas en mass, brutal corporate clones sipping lobotomised lattes, Orwell’s perpetual boot in the face with added, f**k-you froth.
More vicious still, it’s deliberate, a long-term, strategic pacification sicker than stowaways falling from 747s. In common with deleting council tenants in desirable postcodes for lucrative redevelopment, any breeding grounds for debate also vanish. Notice a pattern? Not just gay bars and venues, but any establishment encouraging behaviour beyond ticked boxes.
And the first casualty? Arguably, the Colony Room, Dean Street’s lusciously depraved den of artists, whores and lost souls, closed in August 2008. Commandeered (no other phrase fits) by the dulcetly vulgar dyke of distinction, Muriel Belcher – a typical greeting was ‘Alright, c**ty?’, despite actual gender – the club festered, Addams-family style, one taut, confining, sludge-green upstairs room with attached bar and drug-dusted lavatory. Part confessional, part pick-up joint and liquid muse Mecca for regulars Francis Bacon and his ilk, a utopia of free expression regardless of gender, desire or class, the Colony was Soho personified, the rank piss on a Duke’s pantyhose.
Which meant what, precisely? Oh, everything that bigoted, reactionary wage-slaves hate – blanket irreverence and relishing life’s quality, not quantity. Puking, farting, publicly squirting spunk, Soho, at best, was life raw, erudite, and flawlessly finessed at level ten on Viagra.
No longer. There’s a creeping disease – scorched-earth stupidity – alive and necrotising Soho daily. It’s called greed and property profiteering in the wake of London Transport’s Crossrail project gutting the area. A prime example? One neighbouring club – and here discretion demands anonymity– which as an amiable, if less intense, but enjoyably polysexual version of the Colony – which suffered appallingly.
Acquired by interests blatantly misunderstanding the letter B in Bohemianism to mean business, it became a pressurised, bums-on-seats cash-cow overnight. Previous founder memberships were revoked en mass, the boozy Dylan Thomas ambience severely discouraged, and every expansive inch of unprofitable eccentricity press-ganged into table-service. Result? A win-win for mediocrity par excellence; Hello to the least welcoming, fleecingly expensive, stunningly intolerant faux-Starbucks in town.
If only the scummification – the Battery Farm Bohemianism beloved by non-entities – had died there. No such luck – Jojo’s, the Black Cap, Soho’s 12 Bar Club and more have been shot faster than US police suspects. And that’s despite non-stop, impassioned celebrity pleas. ‘Stop the destruction!’ Vivienne Westwood recently demanded. ‘London is a disaster! People hate it! Clubs and dives are going, going, gone’.
Exactly. It’s Artistic Abbatoir time ASAP, the ruthless culling of any possible activity not devoted to coining cash for city coffers. Who needs ISIS demolishing irreplaceable icons with Westminster Council in town? Insanely, Ruling Baron Bojo’s forgotten – or never knew – a society’s quality of life and civility is embodied by the amenities available. Not here; Tories despise the ‘useless embellishments’- like Culture and public toilets – encouraged by an inexplicably contrary Europe.
In any form, philistine bigotry is ugly, especially posing as benign gentrification. Given free rein – like right now- Cameron and pals prefer a dead-by-night London choked with brain-dead worker ants by day. Their ideal city? A walk-away, stay-away, w*nker’s wonderland with all the cachet of a mass urinal. It’s divide and rule, a classic dictator strategy; people terrified by job insecurity simply ignore minority plights and issues.
Well, so sorry, boys- we’re human beings demanding Humanity. Ever heard the phrase, while furiously deleting Human Rights from the statute books? If an ideal city – Paris or Rome – embodies all the poise, compassion and nurture vital to sexual, social and artistic diversity, then London 2015 is a psychopathic, brain-dead glutton, eating itself alive with greed. Do you – do we – truly want to barely exist, not live, in the rancid puke it’ll toss back as a bland, back-door Bohemia? No way, José. Stick it right back up where Bojo’s brain don’t shine. Just as Westminster’s done to Soho’s Rainbow wilting in the gutter. Poor Oscar Wilde; he’d be sobbing his heart out crying to the indifferent stars.
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Held once every two years, the Frankfurt motor show is one of the biggest events in the motoring calendar. This year was no exception with important new cars announced by a number of major manufacturers not to mention a selection of crazy concepts. Here’s my top ten show stars.
Bentley Bentayga
As luxurious as the Range Rover is, Bentley seems to think that people want even more opulence from their SUV. Not only do you get, according to Bentley, “the world’s finest automotive cabin” but some serious speed as well. A new 6.0 litre turbocharged W12 engine pumps out 600bhp to give a top speed of 186mph. The looks may not be everyone’s cup of tea but it’s certainly imposing. Even with prices starting at £160k, Bentley seem to be on to something as the first year’s worth of production has sold out already.
Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo Concept
The makers of the world’s most expensive production car have at last made something we all have a chance of owning and driving. Sadly it’s only in the virtual world if you have a Playstation and a copy of Gran Turismo 6. Likely to represent the Veyron’s replacement (to be called the Chiron) on a heavy course of steroids, the Vision GT previews the next chapter of Bugatti’s design language and ramps up the aggression severely. Like the Veyron, it’s powered by a turbocharged W16 engine except power is now well over 1000bhp, good for a top speed over over 250mph.
Infiniti Q30
If you’ve not heard of Infiniti then you might be surprised to hear they’ve been around since 1989. Like Lexus is Toyota’s luxury arm, Infiniti does the same job for Nissan although not quite as successfully it has to be said. The Q30 hatchback/crossover looks to change that by offering striking looks, an upmarket interior and affordable running costs. As it shares much with the Mercedes A-Class, this could be the car that sees Infiniti break into the mainstream. Any patriots out there might be interested to know it’ll be built in Sunderland too.
Ferrari 488 Spider
Frankfurt saw a bit of Italian rivalry between the prancing horse and raging bull as both released rival roadsters. Lamorghini’s Huracan may have looked dramatic but for me the Ferrari 488 Spider was the winner here. Not only does it boast more power but its significantly lighter too. Factor in sexier looks and a hard roof for when the heavens open and it’s a no brainer in my book. 0-62mph takes a scant 3.0 seconds flat while 124mph takes only 8.7 seconds. Keep your foot down and you’ll top 200mph, yes please!
Nissan Gripz Concept
Nissan have been producing ‘Z’ badged coupes for over forty years now, a lineage that’s currently represented by the 370Z. Unfortunately for sports car fans, Nissan’s penchant for crossovers seems to know no bounds with the Gripz concept previewing a revolution for ‘Z’ cars. Said to be inspired by 240Z rally cars of the 70’s, it’s not just the jacked up stance that’s new. While there is an (undisclosed) petrol engine under the bonnet, this acts as a generator to power electric motors that drive the wheels. It may upset a few purists but it looks good and is likely to appeal to a much wider audience than the 370Z.
Considering they haven’t produced a truly great car for quite some time now, there’s always plenty of love for Alfa Romeo. Petrolheads (me included) always want to love the Italian brand but have been disappointed by previous ‘comebacks’. The Giulia – fingers crossed – should be the car we’ve yearned to own for decades. Rear wheel drive is back and the 3 Series sized saloon packs 510hp in top QV trim, enough to make it quicker than an M3 or Merc C63 AMG. It’s also far more attractive and even comparatively kind to the environment. Fingers crossed it lives up to expectations.
Mercedes Concept IAA
Standing for Intelligent Aerodynamic Automobile, this Mercedes concept is the closest you’ll get to a Transformer for the road. Below 80km/h the IAA’s main focus is style, offering a glimpse as to what a future CLS might look like. Above this speed, the tail extends by 390mm, the front bumper changes shape and the wheels become flat to help the IAA cleave through the air more efficiently. The interior may seem space age but is said to preview the next E-Class executive saloon while the hybrid drivetrain is fairly conventional too. If this is Mercedes’ future, BMW and Audi had best up their game.
Honda Project 2&4 Concept
Did anyone ever think the Ariel Atom was a little tame? Probably not but that didn’t stop Honda trying to top it with the certifiable Project 2&4. Powered by a 1.0 litre V4 engine lifted from their MotoGP racing bike, it weighs just 405kg, even less than the Atom. It isn’t short of power either, the engine may be dinky but it’ll rev to a staggering 14,000rpm and produces 215hp without a turbo. Uniquely, the driver sits on a floating seat that is designed to leave you as exposed as possible just like a motorbike. Bonkers.
Jaguar F-Pace
Bentley aren’t the only manufacturer launching their first ever SUV, Jaguar are muscling in on the action too with the F-Pace. Available withworthy (but dull) four cylinder diesels, a 300hp V6 diesel (warmer) or a 380hp supercharged V6 (juuust riiiight), it manages to combine familiar brand aesthetics with chunky 4×4 looks much more successfully than the Bentayga. Jaguars also have a habit of being fantastic to drive and I can’t see the F-Pace bucking the trend. With prices starting at around £35k, it should put a big cat amongst the German pigeons.
Porsche Mission E
Arguably the star of the show, the Mission E suggests what would happen if – or more likely when – Porsche decides to produce a rival for the Tesla Model S. With an electric motor for the front wheels and another for the rears, the Mission E develops over 600hp in total to give 0-62mph in less than 3.5 seconds. Not only is it fast, but it’s also capable of over 300 miles on a single charge. With only fifteen minutes needed to get the batteries from flat to 80% full, you could happily travel much further than that in a day too. Welcome to the future.
Dark nights getting you down? Well, it’s still not too late for you to sign up and join some Autumnal sporting fun in the sun.
This October the outdoor clay courts of the Open Gran Canaria Tennis Club, Las Palmas will host the first ever LGBT Tennis Open seen on the Island.
This year’s exciting launch tournament is a pre-event for Gran Canaria to host annual GLTA (Gay and Lesbian Tennis Alliance) Tournaments with all of the associated backing and glitz. GLTA is a global organisation, with some 8 million players and Martina Navratilova as the front figure.
A maximum of 70 men and women of all nationalities will compete in five different categories over the course of three days. The opening ceremony and first rounds take place Friday, 9th October, culminating in the Grand Finals, awarding of trophies and evening dinner event Sunday 11th October.
The event is set to be friendly and welcoming. Places are still available but limited and cost:
1 event: 25 euros
2 events: 35 euros
Dinner party event (open to players and non-players): 20 euros
Event co-organiser Magnus Welin says,
“We know that there is a demand for LGTB tourists visiting the Island to meet and play with other LGTB players. May it be tourists or local residents of Gran Canaria and neighbouring Islands. Therefore not only are we staging this exiting first tournament but we are also founding a LGBT tennis club where tourists and locals can hook up and play at weekends.”
As this is the first LGTB tournament and a new concept that includes both the local LGTB community and tourists of all nationalities our work is receiving good interest. However we’d like to spread the word wider and particularly encourage more Transgender players to take part both in this October’s event and going forward. We are already planning for the 2016 tournament. This will be held at the Maspalomas Tennis Centre Club.’
As part of the launch players will also enjoy a complimentary tour of Gran Canaria to allow them to enjoy the beauty of the Island’s green valleys, mountainous ranges and azure coasts. In addition several gay resorts in Playa del Ingles and Maspalomas are also offering some players four night’s accommodation free of charge, prior to the tournament. With a possibility to meet new friends and relax before the competition starts the LGBT Tennis Open Gran Canaria is the perfect antidote to the Winter Blues.
To find out more and book your place to play visit the LGBT Tennis Open website:http://www.lgtbopengrancanaria.com/
Key Facts:
Venue: Open Gran Canaria Tennis Club, Street Ventura Doreste s / n corner, Jamat, Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain (928 91 75 35) www.opengrancanaria.com
When: The LGBT Open Gran Canaria will be played on 9th, 10th and 11th October. Matches start Friday 9th October. Awards and trophy ceremony scheduled approx. 16.00hrs Sunday 11th October.
Entry deadline: Tuesday, September 30, 2015 11:59 PM (GMT +00: 00). The LGBT Open will consist of five GLTA categories: OPEN, A, B, C and D both in Singles and Doubles, male and female format.
Registration Fees:
1 event: 25 euros
2 events: 35 euros
Dinner party event (open to players and non-players): 20 euros
Court Type: 6 clay courts for OPEN, A, B, C and D categories
Accommodation:
The organisers of the LGBT Tennis Open Gran Canaria have agreed special rates with Hotel Bed & Chic. The hotel is approximately 30 minutes from the Gran Canaria Open Club and is close to the fabulous city beach of Las Canteras:
Hotel Bed & Chic: standard room € 49.00, double standard € 45.50; superior room € 52.50, double superior room € 49.00; € 67.90 Junior Suite, Double Junior Suite € 60.90. Breakfast 10 € / person. www.bedandchic.com
Transport
Public bus line number 47 takes just 30 minutes from the Hotel Bed & Chic to the Gran Canaria Open Club.
by Mark Stanley | @GranCanMan76