May 2019 – Page 4 – GETAWAYTHEBERKSHIRES

Robert Mueller Says It’s Up to Congress to Indict a President

May 30, 2019 | News | No Comments

After two years of studiously avoiding the spotlight, the special counsel, Robert Mueller, was finally ready to speak to the public. Standing at a lectern with a sign behind him that said “Department of Justice Washington,” he looked every inch the part: dark chalk-stripe suit, white button-down shirt, navy-blue tie, hair parted at the side, posture erect. His voice was firm, and his words were carefully chosen to put the onus firmly on Congress to decide whether to impeach Donald Trump on charges of obstruction of justice.

Volume II of the Mueller report, which the special counsel delivered to the Attorney General, William Barr, at the end of March, contained a section purporting to explain why Mueller decided not to reach a prosecutorial decision on whether Trump obstructed justice, but it was prolix and a bit difficult to decipher. This time around, Mueller made an effort to be shorter and clearer. He succeeded.

“The order appointing me special counsel authorized us to investigate actions that could obstruct the investigation,” Mueller said. “We conducted that investigation, and we kept the office of the Acting Attorney General apprised of the progress of our work. As set forth in our report, after that investigation, if we had confidence that the President clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said that.” (What it does say is “while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”)

After stating that he and his colleagues couldn’t clear Trump, Mueller reiterated that they also didn’t make any determination “as to whether the President did commit a crime.” Then he explained the reasoning behind this omission. Under a long-standing Department of Justice policy, “a President cannot be charged with a federal crime while he is in office,” he said. “That is unconstitutional. Even if the charge is kept under seal and hidden from public view—that, too, is prohibited. The special counsel’s office is part of the Department of Justice, and, by regulation, it was bound by that department policy. Charging the President with a crime was therefore not an option we could consider.”

The Mueller report made extensive references to the Department of Justice guidelines about indicting a sitting President. Here, Mueller was being far more direct. Indicting a President while he is still in office was never an option that Mueller could even contemplate. Nor was the possibility of filing an indictment under seal, which could be unveiled after Trump left office. Why, then, bother to carry out the investigation at all?

Mueller provided two reasons, which he said were both contained in the department’s legal opinion explaining the policy that rules out charging a sitting President. “First . . . because it is important to preserve evidence while memories are fresh and documents are available . . . and second, the opinion says that the Constitution requires a process other than the criminal-justice system to formally accuse a sitting President of wrongdoing.”

What “process” would that be? Impeachment, of course. Without even uttering the I-word, Mueller appeared to be extending an invitation to Congress to carry out the task he was barred from doing: to weigh the evidence his investigators had gathered and reach a decision on whether it justified an indictment. In appealing directly to the Constitution, Mueller could hardly have been more transparent.

To be sure, Mueller also said that, “beyond department policy,” he and his colleagues were also motivated by fairness. “It would be unfair to potentially accuse somebody of a crime when there can be no court resolution of an actual charge,” he noted. But that, too, seemed like a pointer to an impeachment procedure, in which the President could and would launch a vigorous defense, and the ten instances of possible obstruction detailed in the Mueller report would be the primary focus of attention.

In closing, Mueller thanked his staff, some of whom Trump had repeatedly portrayed as “angry Democrats,” and said that they were “of the highest integrity.” He also expressed the (probably vain) hope that this would be his last public statement about the investigation, and again touted its findings, saying, “My report is my testimony. I would not provide information beyond that which is already public in any appearance before Congress.”

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A couple of hours after Mueller’s appearance, Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Speaker of the House, issued a statement in which she said, “Congress will continue to investigate and legislate to protect our elections and secure our democracy.” Pelosi didn’t mention impeachment. Jerry Nadler, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, merely said the option was “on the table.” Evidently, the Democratic leadership is still intent on pursuing a go-slow strategy for political reasons. Mueller’s statement has made that strategy harder to sustain.

By GETAWAYTHEBERKSHIRES

A Scandal in Austria and the Far Right’s Fortunes in Europe

May 30, 2019 | News | No Comments

Earlier this month, a video circulated online of the chairman of the far-right populist Freedom Party of Austria (F.P.O.), Heinz-Christian Strache, drinking and talking at a holiday villa in Ibiza with a young woman whom he believed to be the niece of the Russian oligarch Igor Makarov. Strache, in a tight-fitting low-necked gray T-shirt, slouches against the back of a sofa, an array of vodka bottles before him, as the woman tells him that she would like to invest a quarter of a billion euros in Austria as capital “that can’t be deposited at a bank.” After insisting that any transactions must be “in conformance with the law”—and, at one point, remarking on the woman’s dirty toenails and wondering if she’s really as rich as she says she is—Strache appears to agree to a proposition. The woman would buy a fifty-per-cent stake in Kronen Zeitung, an influential Austrian newspaper read by upwards of forty per cent of the country, which Strache thought would help the F.P.O. in the upcoming election. He also envisioned adding a public TV broadcaster to her portfolio—a state capture of the media landscape that makes so many leaders these days, including, reportedly, Donald Trump, salivate. In return, Strache suggests, the woman could set up a construction company in Austria that would be rewarded with public contracts.

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The publication of the video—which was shot in 2017 and published, on May 17th, by the German weekly Der Spiegel and the daily Suddeutsche Zeitung—resulted in Strache’s resignation as Vice-Chancellor and the swift collapse of the Austrian government, a coalition of the F.P.O., and the center-right Austrian People’s Party, led by Sebastian Kurz. Two years ago, at the age of thirty-one, Kurz became the youngest head of state in the world. New elections are now scheduled for September, and investigations into who staged the sting operation are ongoing. There was also speculation that the release of the video was timed to discredit far-right nationalist and populist parties that announced that they were expecting a “historic” sweep in the European parliamentary elections. Voters in all twenty-eight E.U. member states turned out last week and over the weekend. But if the election was framed as a test of these parties’ strength, the results may be somewhat illusory.

In France, for example, President Emmanuel Macron called the potential victory of his main opponent, Marine Le Pen, and her National Rally (formerly National Front), an “existential threat” to the E.U. Le Pen, in return, predicted that her victory and those of her kindred parties—in Italy, Poland, the U.K., and Hungary, among other places—would be a “historic feat.” Such either-or narratives, as might have been anticipated, proved cheap. Le Pen came in first on Sunday, and she picked up half a million more votes than she received in the 2014 European election. But she earned a slightly smaller proportion of the over-all vote, and her party will actually lose two seats in the Parliament. In his young party’s second-ever election, Macron, facing exceptionally low approval ratings at home and besieged by a popular uprising that has changed the course of his Presidency, came in behind Le Pen by less than a point. His La République En Marche! party will now enter the European Parliament for the first time, with a mandate to further his “European Renaissance” agenda. Because the Party will be centrally positioned, and therefore able to make alliances with the left and the right, it may end up having more power than anyone anticipated.

The Brexit Party won in the United Kingdom, but it did so in an election that wasn’t supposed to happen, and for a governmental body that the country was no longer supposed to be a part of. Right-wing parties also won in Poland and Hungary, but these were hardly insurgent campaigns—nationalists are a part of the political establishment in both countries. But the continued erosion of the stronghold of traditional parties was evident on the left as well. In France, the Green Party doubled its number of seats, thanks, in part, to young voters. In Germany, the Green Party, which entered the national Parliament for the first time in the nineteen-eighties, came in second and doubled its results from five years ago; one in three first-time voters in Germany chose the Greens. Over all, the nationalist block in the European Parliament fell short of winning a third of the seats, as many leaders (and Steve Bannon) claimed it might. Instead, it will hold about fifty-eight seats out of seven hundred and fifty-one. Across Europe, liberals and greens gained more seats than the right-wing populists and nationalists did; pro-European parties won two-thirds of them.

In a survey taken ahead of the vote, more than half of the polled citizens of member countries thought that the European Union will fall apart in the next twenty years. Two-thirds of the respondents also said that they have positive feelings toward the E.U.—the highest percentage since 1983. That discrepancy represents the gap between an emotional idea of Europe and its current incarnation, in far-off agencies that issue regulations; in my reporting, in many countries in Europe, the most frequent remark I’ve heard is some version of the idea that Europeans want an E.U., just not as it exists now. French voters want protections from lower-wage Eastern European laborers and price competition on agricultural exports; Germans want a fairer debt-repayment scheme; Poland’s Law and Justice Party likes the symbolism of being part of Europe but otherwise wants to be left alone, while leftists there want the E.U. to reinforce liberal principles; Italy’s xenophobic far-right Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini, of the League, wants to change the deficit rules. But there are matters on which there is more of a consensus: in the face of a rising China and a receding America, Europeans want defense and security, and also substantive plans for addressing climate change; in fact, nearly half of the voters in Germany said that environmental protection was their top concern. If European leaders could at last offer coherent responses to these concerns, it would go a long way in boosting their legitimacy.

For the past two years in Austria, Kurz, youthful and brash, was held up by conservatives as someone to emulate. “Up until last week, many people on the center right in Europe saw Kurz as a kind of hero,” Jan-Werner Müller, a professor of politics at Princeton, told me. This idea extended beyond Europe: Trump’s Ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, made clear, after arriving in Berlin last spring, that he was more interested in meeting the “rock star” leader of the small country next door than the vastly more powerful Chancellor of the country in which he was being paid to behave diplomatically. Kurz brought the F.P.O., a party founded in 1956, and whose first chairmen were former S.S. officers, into his government promising to tame them. “If you ask people today, what does the center right stand for, I think most people could not really give you an answer,” Müller told me. “And this vacuum of ideas has made it easier for the center right, in a very opportunistic way, to mainstream the far right as a kind of desperate measure.”

On Sunday, Kurz was one of few center-right leaders in Western Europe to claim success for his party in the chaotic scramble of the European elections—at 34.6 per cent, Kurz presided over a nearly eight-point increase from five years ago, the kind of results that mainstream conservative parties in Germany and France are desperate for. Then, on Monday, the Austrian Parliament declared no confidence in Kurz’s leadership and voted to oust him, making him the first Austrian Chancellor since the Second World War to be removed by his peers. His opponents on the left claimed, perhaps opportunistically, that he had shown an unwillingness to engage in dialogue and “contempt for parliament and Austrian democracy.”

With his government’s downfall, the prevailing sentiment in the liberal European press is that Kurz got what was coming to him. But gauging the public reaction will be more complex. Müller pointed out that a similar thing happened the last time that the F.P.O. entered a governing coalition, in 2000—it collapsed two years later due to infighting. The maneuverings of the Chancellor at the time, Wolfgang Schüssel, who allowed the F.P.O. to split and seemingly self-destruct, were considered a feat. But bringing the F.P.O. into the government, Müller argued, had legitimized its far-right positions. The Party was eventually able to rebuild its image and recruit new leadership, before it won twenty-six per cent of the vote, in 2017. “The fact remains that no right-wing populist has yet come to power anywhere in Western Europe or North America without the collaboration of established conservative elites,” Müller wrote, last week, in the London Review of Books. Indeed, over the weekend, Heinz-Christian Strache won a seat in the European Parliament.

By GETAWAYTHEBERKSHIRES

A Comprehensive Guide to Your Extremely Evil Fitness Mirror

May 30, 2019 | News | No Comments

Congratulations! You are now the proud new owner of the world’s premier at-home interactive workout mirror. Each FITNESS MIRROR reflects our company’s high standards, as well as the high fitness standards you’ve chosen to set for yourself. When you look in a FITNESS MIRROR, you’re guaranteed to like what you see, and be totally unaware of what you can’t see through our thin, pulsating veil of necromancy.

How It Works

FITNESS MIRROR is a full-length mirror when it’s turned off. When it’s turned on, it’s an interactive display that allows you to see your classmates, your instructor, and brief glimpses into the digital hellscape where they’ve been imprisoned for your benefit. You’ll also be able to see yourself, so that you can monitor and adjust your form throughout the workout. The harder you focus on your reflection, the more the mirror’s dark forces will be able to feed off your insatiable desire for physical perfection.

Installation

With its sleek, stand-alone design, FITNESS MIRROR makes wall-mounting unnecessary. All you need is a room with enough space for a high-energy workout and the magnetic energy field that will transfer your life force from your body into the mirror. Charging is now completely wireless and bloodless! To activate your mirror, simply spin around three times and chant, “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the fittest of them all?” Disregard the spectre of an old hag who will materialize before your eyes. We’ll be getting rid of her and her flock of red-eyed ravens in the next software update.

The Programs

From weight-lifting and cardio to yoga and ritualistic chanting and self-flagellation, stream unlimited classes from our studio in the center of the Earth directly to your home. With more than two hundred live classes a month and an extensive library of on-demand workouts and satanic rites available in over ten different accursed tongues, you’ll want to keep the portal open twenty-four hours a day. Give in to this compulsion. Give in to the mirror.

The Experience

Through a series of blatantly sinister embedded cameras and speakers, FITNESS MIRROR is able to gather biometric data to optimize your sessions. The system measures your height, weight, heart rate, body-mass index, and susceptibility to psychic suggestion and demonic possession, so it can tailor all workouts and systematic subconscious brainwashing to your specific needs. Your resulting personal profile will include a variety of customized incantations, maledictions, and anathema crafted just for you.

Train with Experts

During classes, your instructors will give you real-time instruction and personalized words of encouragement to keep you motivated. They might also emit occasional sounds of pure agony and cries for help. If you hear an instructor plead with you to look away from your interactive FITNESS MIRROR before it finishes slowly absorbing you into its energy web, entrapping you forever in a glass prison from which no one has ever returned, rest assured that this is just a glitch. A glitch we will punish.

Exercise with Friends

Exercise with members of the FITNESS MIRROR community who will support you and one day languish next to you in an interdimensional inferno populated by horrors the likes of which Dante could never have imagined.

Synch Up Your Tunes

Curate your own FITNESS MIRROR playlists, which you will experience in surround sound during your workout. Whatever you choose will be imperceptibly layered with foul incantations, drawing you farther and farther into the netherworld of the mirror.

Challenge Yourself

Synch your complimentary Bluetooth heart-rate monitor to enable competition mode. Our proprietary algorithm will track your progress, creating increasingly unattainable personal goals and entangling you in an unbreakable feedback loop of masochistic suffering. Beat your personal best to win back your autonomy!

Be One of the First to Experience FITNESS MIRROR

It’s the perfect solution for those who just aren’t ready to commit to the innermost ring of Hell: THE GYM.

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By GETAWAYTHEBERKSHIRES

This is everything happening at Vogue Codes Live 2019

May 29, 2019 | News | No Comments

Image credits: Getty Images.

Following the 2018 sell-out event, Vogue Codes 2019 is back. The tech series officially kicks off this week, and will tour a mix of Australian capital cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Brisbane), bringing about the finest digital innovators making waves in the tech industry, both locally and overseas, to the stage.

The Vogue Codes series will host a number of special events, one of which is Vogue Codes Live: an interactive seminar to be held on June 15 in Sydney. An incredibly engaging and hands-on event, Live 2019 will include a keynote talk from PepTalk Her founder and CEO Meggie Palmer, and a panel made up of designer Karen Walker, Mode Sportif founder Deborah Symond O’Neil, MCMPR founder and director Marie-Claude Mallat, Spell and the Gypsy co-founder Elizabeth Abegg and Vogue Senior Fashion Editor Kate Darvill.

As well as the post-event goodie bag, there will also be a selection of interesting activations on the day, including crystal stations, monogramming, and food (naturally). Scroll on for everything happening at Vogue Codes Live 2019, presented by Westpac.

Crumpets by Merna

Merna Taouk is a self-confessed ‘dessert queen’ who has been supplying Sydney with her locally-made crumpets for years. Produced in small batches using fresh ingredients, Taouk’s crumpets are a snack of choice for a stack of Sydney hotels, restaurants, and Qantas airlines. Crumpets by Merna will be set up at Vogue Codes 2019, so be sure to try one with a side of honey.

The Healthy Chef

Post-crumpet, The Healthy Chef will be blending delicious smoothies using its signature Body Shaping Protein Sachets. The clean, vegan powder is a mix of brown rice and pea proteins, with added probiotics, cinnamon, and turmeric.

Stoned Crystals

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Take your tech and career advice with a side of crystal healing energy, courtesy of Stoned Crystals. You can opt for clear quartz if it’s focus you’re after, or try working with amethyst to reduce stress levels.

Estée Lauder

Estée Lauder will be hosting an Advanced Night Repair pop up on the day, where you can learn to elevate your morning and night skincare routine, and experience tips and tricks on how to refresh your makeup. Guests will receive a deluxe sample of Advanced Night Repair Serum, and an invitation to your nearest Estée Lauder counter to receive a complimentary Power Nap Facial.

Frank Green

Be sure to stop at sustainability-focused Frank Green for your Vogue-branded reusable coffee cup. It’ll even be talking guests through some of its latest innovations, including cups with pay wave installed on the underside. Genius.

The Daily Edited

Everyone’s favourite leather monogram accessories label, The Daily Edited, will be hosting a skill tester game that guests can try their hand at in exchange for monogrammed goodies. You won’t want to miss this!

Westpac

Presenting partner Westpac will be allowing guests a sneak peek at some of its latest business-driving technology, as well as an interactive gaming experience detailing how Westpac Group supports women in tech through the Business of Tomorrow program, Westpac Girls Work-Experience Program, and Young Technologist Scholarships.

For tickets to Vogue Codes 2019, head to vogue.com.au/vogue-codes.

By GETAWAYTHEBERKSHIRES

What Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and Prince George’s star signs reveal about them

May 29, 2019 | News | No Comments

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George: Prince Patriotic

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s first child, Prince George, was born on July 22 2013, which makes his birth sign Cancer, just like his father Prince William and his late grandmother, Princess Diana. Typical traits of those born under this sign are that they’re emotional, intuitive and highly family-oriented. In royal birth charts, Cancer reveals a particular pride in tradition, roots, heritage and the welfare of the country and its population, so young George has the potential to be a very kindly and caring future monarch, a true ‘Prince of the People’ much as Cancerian Princess Diana was dubbed, in her day, ‘The Queen of Hearts’.

With his privacy-loving Scorpio ascendant, however, George may struggle with constantly being under public scrutiny. His Moon in Capricorn shows the necessary strength to rein in his true feelings, but underneath the outwardly perfect princely poker-face there may be grudges or jealousies over the freedom others around him seem to have, that he won’t be able to have due to the pressure on him as third in line to the throne. This may reveal itself more clearly in later years, with comparisons or competitiveness with his more flamboyant and outgoing younger brother Louis.

George has had future greatness and huge responsibilities thrust upon him, rather than having chosen it for himself and, with his Cancer Sun opposing a Capricorn Moon, it’s likely that he’ll always be pulled between his head and his heart. He’ll be creative and kind to others, but not always kind to himself, and may be more a thinker rather than a doer. With Mars, Jupiter and Mercury connected in his chart outspoken George won’t shy away from speaking his truth, but it’s a bonus that he’s surrounded by a family who will give him not just the strong support he needs but the direction and guidance he will need to nail his future role.

Charlotte: Princess Perky

Next in line to the throne after her brother George is William and Kate’s daughter, Princess Charlotte, who was born on May 2 2015 which makes her a Taurus. She shares this Earth sign with her great grandmother, the currently reigning Queen Elizabeth II. Like great grandmama, little Charlotte has the potential to be one of the hardest-working of the royals, as Taurus types are usually blessed not just with charm, but with tenacity and the stamina to keep going when those around them flounder. Look at the evidence: Her Maj’s reign at over 67 years on the throne makes her the UK’s longest ever reigning monarch.

Young Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, now fast approaching her 4th birthday, is likely to be a classy young lady with sophisticated tastes. There may be a tendency towards the odd temper tantrum especially if she doesn’t get her own way – which could be an ongoing trial for her mother Kate! – but as a Fixed Earth Sign Taurus she will more than likely be the voice of reason within the trio of Cambridge siblings, Her role will be to make firm decisions and make things happen, in contrast to older brother George who may be more swayed by his Cardinal Water Sign, Cancer, a sign that emphasises emotions rather than logic or practicalities.

That’s not to say that Charlotte lacks sensitivity. She shares a Cancer Rising Sign with her little brother Louis, and with her mother Kate too, so softness and empathy are definitely in her astrological make-up. Chatty and charming, Charlotte will attract (and most likely be the ringleader of) a large circle of friends thanks to dynamic Mars and the Sun in her very sociable 11th house. There’s a streak of rebelliousness too with her Libra Moon opposite quirky Uranus, with the potential for secret or ‘unsuitable’ love affairs when she’s older thanks to Venus in her 12th house. While Taurus types tend to adore and observe tradition, watch out for Charlotte to rock the royal boat in later years as Uranus in the most public sector of her chart may cause her to rebel and follow the path of her own choosing.

Louis: Prince Charming

Little Louis Arthur Charles, born on April 23 2018, celebrates his first birthday this year and shares the same zodiac sign with his grandmother Queen Elizabeth and with his big sister Charlotte. Although like them he’s a Taurus, the different time, date and place of his birth reveals a different astrological set up and personality to those of his Taurean royal relatives. He’s further down the princely pecking order as he’s ‘only’ fifth in line to the throne, so he might initially feel overshadowed by his older brother George but in the long run young Louis could turn out to be the charismatic character of the Cambridge clan. On the day Louis was born, the north node of destiny was ‘up close and personal’ to the Moon in Leo in his chart. Leo is the natural sign of both royalty and ‘the showman’, so a need to be seen to succeed in his own right – and in his own way – will be a strong and recurring theme for Louis as he grows older. There could be some future sibling rivalry over this, as Louis may appear to grab all the attention and kudos while George has to hold back from personal pleasure and be seen to do all the hard grafting. That said, there may be a special bond with Louis and his sister Charlotte thanks to their shared Taurus Sun sign along with a link to fun-loving, playful and media-friendly planet Jupiter in Leo (Louis’ rising sign) in Charlotte’s birth chart.

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Louis looks set to be an action man and a magnificent controller of money, which may include his own and the monarchy’s moola too as financial affairs are likely to be under extreme scrutiny and change in the years ahead. It might well be significant that Louis was born on St George’s Day, the date of the patron Saint of the UK. Perhaps he, rather than his brother will come to the Kingdom’s rescue in a future hour of need? Only time and the planets will tell.

The power behind the throne?

All three of the Cambridge children are blessed by having Kate Middleton, a canny Capricorn born on January 9 1982, keeping them on track. As a practical Earth sign she’s also a dynasty builder, and her no-nonsense approach to life and motherhood will ensure that ‘go your own way’ Charlotte and Louis will (mostly) toe the family line because, as much as she truly adores her brood, she won’t stand for shenanigans at home nor for being shown up in public. The Duchess of Cambridge is also a rock especially for husband William and son George, both of whom may need a spousal or parental push now and again, as fluctuating emotions and indecision may tend to get the better of these two sensitive Cancerians.

With the sign of Cancer prominent throughout the Cambridges’ charts, there’s a tendency for them to be perceived by the public as well as those close to them as being caring and extremely family-oriented. This Water Sign influence is a big theme, with both Kate and Charlotte having a Cancerian Rising Sign, and with William’s and George’s Cancer Sun signs also in the mix there’s an almost psychic connection amongst this royal clan. There’s a sense that they can communicate with a look or a gesture rather than needing to talk things through, like a sort of family shorthand or unwritten code. It’s a delightfully protective and nurturing astrological aspect too, so they will all look out for each other, although headstrong Charlotte may still be rather a handful for protocol-led mum Kate to handle at times!

How Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor will fit into the scheme of things remains to be seen, but life with his cousins certainly won’t be dull!

By GETAWAYTHEBERKSHIRES

Stay with Kate Middleton’s brother in the Scottish Highlands

May 29, 2019 | News | No Comments

Exterior of the Victorian-era Glen Affric lodge in the Scottish Highlands.

If you’ve ever felt eclipsed by the achievements of an older sibling, consider James Middleton. The 32-year-old little brother of Kate Middleton, future Queen of England, has said it can be ‘frustrating’ always being overshadowed by his big sister. “Aside from the fact of — yes, I am the brother of someone very important — I am, at the end of the day, just James,” he told TYD magazine.

After winding up his marshmallow-customising company in 2017, James moved north for a job at Glen Affric – a luxury estate in Scotland owned by Pippa Middleton’s father-in-law, David Matthews. He’s in good company, as Prince Charles just opened a B&B in the area as well.

James Middleton and his four dogs at Glen Affric estate.

Not far from Loch Ness, Glen Affric is not the only luxury property in the Matthews family’s portfolio – they also own the iconic Eden-Rock St Barths resort in the Caribbean, which charges around $45,000 per night and has hosted celebrities like Beyonce, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt.

Horse riding is one of the activities offered at Glen Affric.

Like Eden-Rock St Barths, Glen Affric is managed by Oetker Collection, a German company known for it’s elite five-star hotels. The company has a new luxury concept in the UK called Masterpiece Estates; it’s a collection of unique and historic properties around the British Isles that come with attentive hosts (like James Middleton), fine dining, a range of activities and privacy. Lots of privacy. In case you need to flee the press after a failed marshmallow venture.

Glen Affric is waterfront, yet private.

Hosts at Masterpiece Estate properties can be as involved or as absent as you like. They can arrange activities and oversee special celebrations, or take a back seat and leave you to it. At Glen Affric, James can take you hiking, biking, fishing or hill stalking (a British term for hunting). He can also help you knock back some traditional Scottish whiskey, arrange babysitting and make sure your kid’s party goes off without a hitch. Quite the multitasker.

The Hound Lodge in Goodwood.

But seeing the Scottish Highlands with the youngest Middleton is not the only unique experience offered by Masterpiece Estates. Formerly known as The Kennels, the Hound Lodge in Goodwood was once the most deluxe set of dog houses in the world. Quite literally. The pampered pooches had central heating installed in their kennels 100 years before the neighbouring guesthouse for people.

A lavishly decorated bedroom at the Hound Lodge.

In homage to its history, Hound Lodge still warmly welcomes the furry friends of patrons – though the kennels have been extensively renovated with human comfort in mind. The décor reflects the property’s sporting history and there are plenty of pet-friendly leisure activities on offer.

The pool at Farleigh Wallop. Photography by Marianne Majerus.

Just over an hour from London you’ll find another Masterpiece Estate, Farleigh Wallop, which has been owned and tended to by the same family since the 15th century. Despite the Fawlty Towers-esque name, Farleigh Wallop offers premium service in the heart of a picturesque 4,0000-acre estate. The gardens are beautiful, the chef has a Michelin star, and the Jane Austen-themed tour of the area is a must-do.

The Farleigh Wallop dining room.

Classical English gardens at Farleigh Wallop. Photography by Marianne Majerus.

Four-poster beds feature in Farleigh Wallop’s bedrooms.

Bathrooms at Farleigh Wallop have large free-standing bathtubs.

Visit: oetkercollection.com/estates-villas/masterpiece-estates

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By GETAWAYTHEBERKSHIRES

Lifetime is releasing another Prince Harry and Meghan Markle movie

May 29, 2019 | News | No Comments

28th May 2019

Lifetime announced in February it was releasing another made-for-TV film about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The first film, Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance, released just before the couple’s royal wedding last May, detailed the duo’s first blind date and following courtship—up until the sweet roast chicken proposal.

But the new film, Harry & Meghan: Becoming Royal, will pull “back the curtain to reveal the untold joys and challenges of life inside the royal family during their pivotal first years of marriage,” according to a press release obtained by People.

And according to The Cut, the film will also show how Meghan and Harry work to “blend their families and cultures,” and how their “core values are put to the test as they try to find the balance between honoring royal tradition and staying true to their beliefs.”

We can only imagine those pivotal moments will include the iconic royal wedding, Meghan’s induction into the Fab 4, several official royal engagements (and protocol-breaking A+ outfits), and a baby announcement. And considering this is Lifetime, it will likely also include highly-dramatised recreations of Meghan’s supposed “feud” with sister-in-law Kate Middleton, accusations that she “works too hard,” and her problems with immediate family members.

Unfortunately, though, the actors who portrayed the duke and duchess in the first iteration of the film, Murray Fraser and Parisa Fitz-Henley, were not available to reprise their roles, according to The Wrap. Instead, Charlie Field and Tiffany Marie Smith will take on their crowns.

The film will premiere in the US on May 27 and Channel 7 is set to announce an Australian air date ASAP. Watch the full trailer below.

Seems ripe for a third feature installment…

The story was first published by Brides.com.

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By GETAWAYTHEBERKSHIRES

The best acting comebacks in recent Hollywood history

May 29, 2019 | News | No Comments

Hollywood loves a comeback story and not just in a film or TV script. In real life, Tinseltown is always willing to forgive past movie mistakes; Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez starring in 2003’s box office bomb Gigli is a prime example of Hollywood forgiveness.

Since was released, Affleck has gone on to win a second Oscar (he won his first alongside best buddy Matt Damon for Best Original Screenplay for 1998’s ) for his 2013 film and his co-star/ex-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez, has had roles in award-winning TV shows like and huge blockbuster hits like . She was also a judge on reality TV ratings juggernaut for five seasons.

Lopez and Affleck aren’t alone in having an acting misstep and returning to the A-list better, more bankable and in higher demand. Christina Applegate (above), Hilary Duff, Robert Downey Jr., Jason Bateman, Jane Fonda and Winona Ryder are just a few of the big names whose star stocks fell hard only to recently rise, phoenix-like, from the acting wasteland of retirement housing commercials and paid birthday party appearances to star in hot TV shows like Netflix’s and the franchise.

The current hunger in Hollywood for rebooting past favourites has also given a number of forgotten names a second career chance. Take the upcoming reboot of reality/drama show — the entire cast is getting a second chance and along for the ride is new cast member, Mischa Barton. After Barton left teen drama Hollywood scarcely said the actress’s name, but now, she’s back.

Scroll on for the best acting comebacks in recent Hollywood history.

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Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini star in the show everyone is talking about and binge-watching, Netflix’s Dead to Me, but both actresses disappeared from the Hollywood agenda for years. Applegate’s career started out strong with her role on late ‘80s, early ‘90s sitcom Married… with Children but stumbled into crickets territory following that. In the last couple of years she’s staged a comeback with roles in Bad Moms and now Dead to Me.

Cardellini had similar early fame with a role as Velma in the Scooby-Doo live-action franchise, but then things got quiet. Fast forward to last year and she’s one of the most in-demand actresses in Hollywood. In 2018 she starred in Oscar-winning film Green Book as Tony Lip’s (Viggo Mortensen) wife Dolores and this year, she played Laura Barton in the year’s biggest blockbuster, Avengers: Endgame. The actress is now starring alongside Applegate in the breakout hit TV show of the year, .

Mischa Barton was everyone’s favourite teen-with-issues, Marissa Cooper, on but after her departure from the show in 2006, it was a long lean few years of no Barton. Now, she’s back in a big way. The actress has confirmed she will be joining the cast of the rebooted reality drama The Hills, aptly titled, The Hills: New Beginnings.

As a singer, dancer and actress, Jennifer Lopez didn’t ever really depart from the spotlight because there’s always something this multi-talent is doing, but she wasn’t booking a bunch of movie roles following 2003’s Gigli. However, all that changed when she booked the role of Ramona in one of the year’s most highly-anticipated movies, Hustlers. Lopez stars alongside Cardi B, Constance Wu, Julia Stiles, Keke Palmer and Lili Reinhart in the film, which is about vengeful ex-strippers who set out to con their rich clientele. Jenny from the Block has officially returned.

Disney darling Hilary Duff was everyone’s favourite star in the early ‘00s, starring as Lizzie McGuire in the TV series and movie as well as having roles in Cheaper by the Dozen and A Cinderella Story, but then she kind of vanished from our screens, with only a couple of cameo credits to her name. Along came 2016’s Younger and with it Duff, reminding fans exactly why we were all big fans of hers in her Disney days.

Remember 1999 teen comedy American Pie? It put many of the cast on the map including Natasha Lyonne, who played Jessica. But like many teen stars, transitioning a role in a teen film franchise into a long-term acting career can be tough (where is Michael Welch who played Mike in Twilight now?). But Lyonne has done it, 20 years after American Pie was released, Lyonne is currently starring in Netflix’s hit Russian Doll — a dark take on the classic Groundhog Day time loop. The actress made her initial comeback on Orange Is the New Black in 2013.

Welcome back Winona Ryder! Ryder was the darling of the ‘90s starring in Edward Scissorhands alongside a young Johnny Depp, Mermaids with Cher, Reality Bites and Little Women, but then there was the arrest for shoplifting in 2001 and Hollywood stopped calling. But, thanks to Netflix’s Stranger Things Ryder has made a triumphant return. The actress plays Joyce Byers in the hit supernatural show and has been welcomed back into the Hollywood fold like no time has passed at all.

Teen Wolf Too’s Jason Bateman has had a major career comeback in both film and TV starring in so many recent Hollywood hot properties including Arrested Development, Ozark and Game Night.

After era-defining TV show Beverly Hills, 90210 ended in 2000, almost the entire cast drifted into quiet obscurity. From being the decade’s pin-ups to being barely recognised, the cast turned to other pursuits — Ian Ziering, who played Steve Sanders, even joined male dance group, the Chippendales. Luke Perry, who played Dylan McKay, was the first to return to our screens as Archie’s dad on Riverdale, only to tragically pass away in March this year. And now the remaining main cast members, Jason Priestly (Brandon), Jennie Garth (Kelly), Ian Ziering (Steve), Gabrielle Carteris (Andrea), Brian Austin Green (David), Tori Spelling (Donna), Shannen Doherty (Brenda) are coming back by way of a 90210 reboot slated to air in August this year.

Jane Fonda was an actress well before she became the queen of ‘80s fitness and then she came back to acting, staging a renaissance with her TV show , which has been renewed for a sixth season.

No comeback story would be complete without a mention of Robert Downey Jr., who is the classic Hollywood comeback kid. From his early days as a child and teen actor to his well-documented struggles with substance abuse leading to his reported firing from ‘90s TV show Ally McBeal, Downey Jr. has had such a noteworthy return to form he is now one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood, reportedly earning US$75 million from 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War alone.

By GETAWAYTHEBERKSHIRES

Watch the Gucci resort 2020 show live from Rome

May 29, 2019 | News | No Comments

28th May 2019

A little over two months after Gucci announced it would be staging its upcoming resort 2020 show in Rome, the Italian fashion house has revealed its inviting you to sit front row via a live stream from inside the Capitoline Museums.

Take your seat and be the first to see what is sure to be a stellar collection by tuning in below on Wednesday, May 29 at 4am sharp, as we can guarantee that Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele will put on nothing short of an extraordinary show.

From the Dia-Art Foundation in New York, and The Cloisters of Westminster Abbey in London, to the Palatine Gallery at Pitti Palace in Florence and the Promenade Des Alyscamps in Arles, Michele has become famous for his ability to transform each and every location he sets his resort shows at into absolute spectacles.

As such, we have no doubt that his latest, slated to take Rome’s Capitoline Museums by storm, will be no exception. According to the brand, the creative director selected this particular location for its old-world charm, together with the memories of his childhood the oldest museum complex in the world elicits.

Filled with ancient works, a rich antiquities collection and some of Rome’s most historically significant relics, the Museums located on the Capitoline Hill is sure to provide the perfect backdrop for a collection we’re guessing will be filled with designs that channel the beauty of the city’s artistic heritage.

To see what Michele has to offer for yourself, sit front row at Gucci’s resort 2020 show when you tune into the live stream below on Wednesday, May 29 at 4:00am AEST.

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By GETAWAYTHEBERKSHIRES

4 models on how we can create a more inclusive fashion industry

May 29, 2019 | News | No Comments

Halima Aden presents a creation for fashion house Max Mara during the Women’s fall/winter 2017/2018 fashion week in Milan. Image credit: Getty Images.

Fashion has long had a problem with inclusivity. While the industry is becoming more global, with a greater focus on international markets, models of colour continue to represent a small percentage of those in campaigns, editorials and on the runway. ’s most recent runway diversity report found that just 38.8 per cent of models cast in New York, London, Milan and Paris were non-white. Meanwhile, diversity in all its other forms – including the participation of older, plus-size, transgender and non-binary models, as well as those with disabilities – is still rare. Plus-size models accounted for just 0.69 per cent of those who walked the runways last season, while only 0.77 per cent were openly transgender women and non-binary models.

Although there have been moves towards inclusivity over the last few years (the autumn winter 2015 runways, for instance, were 80 per cent white), much more remains to be done. Below, asks four runway regulars how the industry can become truly inclusive.

Model Halima Aden. Image credit: IMG.

Halima Aden

“I started modelling two and a half years ago, and it was a learning experience for everybody involved. Most people had never worked with a hijab-wearing model, who dresses more modestly and has wardrobe restrictions. Early on, I used to bring an entire suitcase full of hijabs, scarves, turbans and turtlenecks to shoots so that stylists would have more options. I did whatever I could to help and it’s always been very collaborative. It’s funny because there are always hairstylists on set and they don’t have much to do – they love me because they can just have fun, enjoy the shoot and not worry about doing my hair.

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“I have to give the industry a lot of credit because I’ve seen so much growth in a short time. It’s been amazing to see more models in campaigns and on the runway proudly wearing hijabs, and I think my agency IMG really paved the way by signing me and taking that risk. The people I work with are also really considerate. They make sure I have my own private dressing space and they let me go and pray, and then come back to set and shoot. While I’m fasting during Ramadan, they make sure my nails don’t get painted and use fake nails instead [because nail polish must be removed before ablution as it doesn’t allow water to touch the nails which makes the ablution invalid]. When it comes to inclusivity more broadly, the most important thing is that we continue having this conversation and invite models to contribute to the industry in other ways too. I started out as a model, but now I have Halima x Modanisa, my own 47-piece hijab line that includes pre-tied turbans. It’s so great when models can do more, have a voice and talk about important things. I think that’s the next step for fashion.”

Model Luc Bruyere. Image credit: Jonathan Daniel Pryce.

Luc Bruyère

“After graduating from art school in Brussels, I arrived in Paris at the age of 18. At the time, I was studying theatre and acting, and I couldn’t even imagine being a model – especially without my left arm. But then I met Humberto Leon and he cast me in a show for Kenzo. In the presentation, I stood completely naked on a pedestal like a piece of art, my body painted with a marble effect. It was then that I understood that I could become an example for others, the sort of example I never had growing up. After that, magazine offered me my first cover. Since then, I have danced with Marie-Agnès Gillot and soon I’ll be directing my first film.

“It can be difficult to find your place within the fashion industry. There were many agencies who didn’t want to represent me because they thought I was too different. The mission for fashion now should be to promote self-acceptance and embrace our differences. The role of casting directors is important because they can give us access to designers and CEOs. There are also lots of young designers bringing diversity to their shows, but I want to see more of that from bigger brands. At the moment, I see diversity in editorials and campaigns, not so much on the runway, but some brands are doing it right – I love the casting at Vivienne Westwood and Gucci, for instance. Going forward, I think fashion needs to look back at the 1980s and 1990s. That was a time when being a model meant breaking the rules and having a personality – just think of Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss. I think we need to get audacious again. The industry needs to create new icons and celebrate diversity. I’m still considered an exception and I don’t want to be an exception anymore.”

Model Robyn Lawley. Image credit: Milk Management.

Robyn Lawley

“When I started out in the industry over ten years ago, you didn’t really see curvy girls on the catwalk. For me back then, it was all about editorial and trying to snag one shot in one magazine. Otherwise, curvier models were mainly doing catalogue. When you’re 18 or 19 and seeing other girls do cool stuff that you can’t do because of your size, it’s very strange. It took years, but slowly photographers wanted to shoot us. They didn’t see why the industry should be so segregated, but often they wouldn’t actually have the right clothes for us. Half the time you’d wear what you could fit into or it would be open from the back or you had to be in lingerie. was huge for me. MJ Day, the editor of , has been trying to push for more representation for years. She’s curvy herself! And look at what they’re doing now with Tyra Banks back on the cover at 45 and Halima Aden wearing a hijab and burkini.

“To this day, there seems to be a ridiculous ideal and I don’t know who’s dictating it. With Victoria’s Secret, I spoke out because I was tired of seeing the same body type over and over again. I knew [Victoria’s Secret executive] Ed Razek was notorious for commenting on women’s bodies. He said no one wants to see plus-size or trans models, and he’s wrong. He’s eating his words now because the show isn’t returning to network TV. Going forward, it’ll have to get with the times otherwise it’ll be obsolete. It’s so funny when we say ‘curvy’ because we just mean normal compared to the very slim and young bodies we’re used to seeing in fashion. It’s empowering to see curvier girls walk in shows, and if it doesn’t happen it’s just because people are scared – scared their decisions won’t be well received, that people won’t buy their clothes or that they’ll be judged somehow. Designers are our last hope and they need to be the ones to change the game. Some designers see us as mannequins and they just want to get their designs on the runway, but at fittings there are seamstresses. After designing my own swimwear line, I realised that you can make samples in any size very easily. To me, that part of the argument is null and void.”

Model Stav Strashko. Image credit: One Management.

Stav Strashko

“When I first started modelling, the Israeli fashion industry had a hard time casting androgynous models. As a result, most of my early career was spent working for European and Asian markets, even though it wasn’t much easier there either. I’ve been modelling for ten years now and I walk for many top designers, but the thing that is closest to my heart is my leading role in the Israeli film I was nominated for the Best Actress prize in the Israeli equivalent of the Academy Awards, and I was the first transgender woman ever to be nominated in that category. That made me very proud and I felt closer to my country.

“Fashion is changing the way it looks at gender. It’s already come a long way in the past few years, and that has made a huge community of people feel less isolated. We need to understand that the industry can have an impact on the way our society views certain things. When it comes to casting, we need to seek out as many people as possible from diverse social backgrounds and different cultures, and make sure their voices are being heard. I think this benefits brands and consumers. It allows companies to reach out to more people and means that customers can identify with the brands they are buying into. Street casting is also becoming more and more popular, and I think it makes fashion more accessible. Perfection is boring – people just want to see what’s real.”

By GETAWAYTHEBERKSHIRES

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Month: May 2019