I have a confession to make. I find the whole snobbish going to university thing stupid. If you want to actually study something or be a doctor, then obviously go and reach your potential, but one of the things I find most stupid about social pressure is that everyone should go to university. At least if they want to be middle class.
Tuition fees are now appallingly expensive, and the most annoying thing I found about the recent BBC class calculator is that they still put going to university and owning a home as an indicator of class. Even though people buying homes they could not afford was one of the factors in the recession, and a recent study said that most students would never be able to pay of the debts they had incurred.
I recently saw an interesting meme on Facebook. It said, “Modern education: creating people who are smart enough to accurately repeat what they are told and follow orders.”
You don’t have to agree with me. I know it is a controversial thing to think. However, have a look at just a few of the famous people who did not go to university.
Apple founder Steve Jobs dropped out of Reed College.
TV host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres dropped out of the University of New Orleans after one semester.
The creator of Tumblr David Karp never even graduated from high school.
Walt Disney left school at 16 to join the Army. He couldn’t get in because of his age so he joined the Red Cross and left for Europe.
Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard but later got an honorary degree.
Paul Thomas Anderson dropped out of NYU film school.
Zac Goldsmith MP for Richmond Park and North Kingston did not go to university, instead deciding to travel the world. He told the Financial Times: “I think university is hugely overrated for most people,” he says, insisting that a wide range of good apprenticeships is more useful than three years of light work and heavy drinking. “I would not encourage my children to go to university.”
Mark Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard to work full time on Facebook.
Yoko Ono dropped out of Sarah Lawrence College
Woody Allen was thrown out of New York University after one semester and later dropped out of the City College of New York.
James Cameron studied physics at Fullerton College. He dropped out to become a truck driver.
Thomas Edison left school to work on the railroad at the age of 12.
F. Scott Fitzgerald dropped out of Princeton.
Coco Chanel dropped out of school to become a cabaret singer when she was 18.
Whole Foods founder John Mackey dropped out of the University of Texas.
Pablo Picasso dropped out of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.
The founder of WordPress Matt Mullenweg dropped out of the University of Houston in 2004.
What do you think? Is going to university important?
Some books are just beautiful and deserve to be endlessly browsed. The Set Table is such a book. It is a beautifully designed and full of endless domestic pleasures.
For those of us who are not domestic (me!) a guide on linen, cutlery and the art of small gatherings is a much needed and much appreciated thing. If you ever wanted to know how to buy or make linen this book tells you how. It also tells you how to get stains out and the different types of linen. Buying second hand crockery and types of crockery are also covered. Along with shapes and sizes. It also goes through different materials and tells you how to clean silver.
Hannah Shuckburgh is features editor of Conde Nast’s Easy Living magazine and you can tell. This is a classy book which will surely turn it’s readers into dinner party gods and goddesses. I loved the illustrations. The one on cutlery shapes will never have you confused about the difference between your bouillon and salt spoon again.
I also love the chapter on food. You can add lots to a meal with bread, water and sauces and this book really lets you know how.
An adorable, educational book. Brilliant illustrations and lots of useful information.
Simple and beautiful ideas for laying the table is the subject of The Set Table. From supper for two on a candlelit urban roof terrace to a picnic lunch for friends on the sitting-room carpet, the look is effortlessly artistic and uncomplicated, celebrating the intimate and unique experience of eating well. With ideas for every aspect of a well-set
table – from napkins to glassware, cutlery to lighting – Hannah Shuckburgh inspires you to make even the smallest of gatherings very special with modest resources.
Genius tips on how to unearth good crockery in junk shops; easy guides for simple but special things to make at home; ideas for styling supermarket flowers and recipes for delicious homemade condiments are accompanied by soulful photography by Charlotte Bland and illustrations by Lydia Starkey. The Set Table is about clearing away the clutter and complications of daily life creating a warm, welcoming setting for unforgettable meals with the people you love.
Hannah Shuckburgh is features editor of Conde Nast’s Easy Living magazine. She also has written for Vogue, The Times, The Independent and The Huffington Post.
It never surprises me how inhumane one person can be to another. I wish it did. This book by Maureen Lindsay is the most perfect piece of fiction, which comes wrapped up in a history lesson. Albeit one in a very horrendous and scary time. Don’t let the word lesson put you off. The book is unputdownable. I just wanted to drop everything and read it cover to cover.
Ghandi has an amazing quote, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”. This book is also a moral tale on what happens when an entire race pays for the sins of a select group, or in this case, their birth country.
The story starts in early 1940s California. Satomi and her parents own a farm and work hard. She is half Japanese, half white, and she doesn’t fit in anywhere before Pearl Harbour. After Pearl Harbour the Japanese are treated as the enemy. They are rounded up by the government and put in concentrations camps. They have their money and property taken away from them, and this all really happened. I have the quotes from the first page below.
These real quotes are shocking. What happened to the Japanese in America, most of whom were born there, is a piece of history that has been largely forgotten, if it was even known at all.
The character of Satomi is one of the greatest literary heroines in modern literature. Feisty, smart and proud. She stands up for herself and becomes a great human being, despite all that she and her mother suffer together. I reckon actresses in Hollywood will soon be fighting over the role.
I hope this book becomes a bestseller, and I also hopes it makes its way into schools. Five stars. A Girl Like You is now one of my favourite books of all time.
If you read this book and liked it also try Guests of the Emperor by Janice Young Brooks
Belvedere Vodka played host to one of Cannes biggest, most exclusive parties. Some of the celeb world’s biggest names came out to play, including a newly single Liam Hemsworth and a newly pink-haired Chloe Norgaard. Hip hop icon Reverend Run from RUN-D.M.C performed to the celebrity-filled crowd at the legendary VIP ROOM nightclub to celebrate the world’s first super-premium vodka’s return to Cannes (France) for the sixth year.
Here is the gossip!
Liam Hemsworth – This was a total guys night out for Liam with his agent and manger and he seemed to be LOVING the excess female attention – the girls went NUTS when security walked him in – clamouring for photos, even throwing ice at his table to get his attention.
Liam also JUST landed in Cannes at 12:30am that night, so literally, his first stop at the festival was the Belvedere party
Chloe Norgaard – She was pulled through the crowds of people, only to be noticed by her distinctive and newly-dyed pink ‘rainbow hair’.
Solange Knowles – Came with two friends and refused to do any interviews claiming she was ‘super jet-lagged’. She didn’t mind buying her own drinks and came across as extremely down to earth.
A pre-baby what? A pre-baby list. Not for women who are pregnant and the dad-to-be, but for people who haven’t had children. Kids might be great but you can’t say they don’t cramp your style. My nephew is now two-years-old and has expanded my brothers life, but also allowed him less freedom. So I am not only compiling a list of things to do in your pre-baby years, but I am also writing a book on it, and I would love you to contribute. Just comment below on the things you think everyone should do before they have children. I have a few of my own below to start things off. I will be adding to the list and also keep you updated on the book. Here goes!
1) Go to Paris on the Eurostar.
2) Go to a music festival.
3) Go to London Fashion Week
4) Go scuba diving.
5) Get your driving license and have a roadtrip around America.
6) Have a roadtrip around Europe.
7) Spend weekends sleeping in late and doing absolutely nothing.
8) Read books
9) Buy the Sunday papers and read them (almost) cover to cover.
10) Learn a new skill
What do you think should be added? Comment below.
It is not common for me to be upset when a moisturiser runs out. There is always something else to try. But when my Vichy Idealia Smoothing and Illuminating Cream ran out I felt forlorn. It is just that good.
It smells delicious, which is probably the Kombucha tea extract, the packaging is stylish and the texture of the pink cream is light and not too heavy, but, importantly, it really works. I used this religiously twice a day, except for once or twice when I went to bed late. When I did not use it I could see the difference in my skin. I just looked less fresh, less ‘illuminated’. The overall tone of my skin is greatly improved. It evens skin tone and smooths out wrinkles.
I have sensitive skin and this hypoallergenic cream was gentle with it. It did not irritate it at all. It is also paraben-free. I really love this moisturiser and so did my skin.
Vichy say,
– Enriched with Kombucha 3%, AHAs, Vitamins, Probiotics and Polyphenols
– Skin feels more even, smoother, supple and refined
– The complexion is more radiant
– Skin is replumped with moisture
– Skin looks more youthful, fresher and healthier
The ingredients
It is quite pricey at £22 but I think it is definitely worth the money and a little goes a long way. It is like youth in a pot.
Available from Superdrug or Selfridges.
*Spoiler Alert*
One of the best things about Deadfall is Eric Bana. His turn as Addison, a man on the run with his sister (Olivia Wilde) after a botched casino heist is outstanding: chilling and ruthless. He plays psychopath incredibly well. The wintry landscape and the pace of the film makes this a wonderfully entertaining thriller/western/noir.
However his stone-cold killer has a different side. Whilst on the run he sees a man abusing his wife and children, throwing them out into the snow, he helps the family but in the morning gets into a shoot out with the police. The small daughter, who thought he was there to save them, says ‘You’re no angel!’. “No, I’m not.’ he says and makes a run for it.
Addison is clearly loved by his sister Liza, but unlike him she actually has a conscious and morals. They separate as the police are looking for a man and a woman. Olivia Wilde is great as Liza but must have been freezing in her skimpy clothes. All of the characters are multi-layered and crash into each other before coming together in a tension filled finale.
Sissy Spacek is always brilliant, and here she is calm and collected as the woman who has unwelcome thanksgiving guests.
There is also an excellent snowmobile chase and the film starts with a well-shot car crash. An excellent crime drama. Go see.
