Gibson Super 400

A rare wartime guitar – played by a member of an award-winning dance band and used to accompany the Glenn Miller Orchestra – hit the right notes with bidders at an antiques auction in the Cotswolds recently.

GIbson 400 with Amp - Click to enlarge

American manufacturer Gibson ceased imports of the Super 400 and other models to the UK at the outbreak of the second world war in 1939, making UK models rare then and now.

However, professional musician Maurice Goodearl – who played with Eric Wakefield and his Blue Rhythm Band and once accompanied members of the Glenn Miller Orchestra at Wycombe Abbey – managed to find one at Francis Day & Hunter in Charing Cross Road in 1941, for which he paid £90.

And when it went under the hammer at Moore Allen & Innocent’s Selected Antiques Sale in Cirencester, it was plucked for £5,000 – at the top of the £3,000 to £5,000 estimate and the joint top price of the day.

Sept 11-10th Anniversary

Every year brings a new image.

Some are startling – some are disturbing.

A few, like the spotlights shining into the sky over New York remind us of the tragedies in our world and why we must never forget.

This selection is of the sadder images of 2011. The loss of Amy Winehouse and Steve Jobs, the death of an American Soldier with his dog.

We hope these images help you remember…and we promise to bring you some Happy and Funny  photos from 2011 before the year is over…

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Release December 26th London

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is sure to be a huge International success. The book itself has sold over 65 million copies and the Swedish version of the film (dubbed in English and released in 2009) – has been a major critical success already.

Now we’re invited to see Hollywoods take on it starring Daniel Craig as the publisher Mikael Blomkvist and Rooney Mara, who plays Lisbeth Salander, a surveillance agent.

The story is gripping from the start – set against a bleak Swedish winter and remote destinations where anything could happen. You can easily imagine a world of serial killers and rapists as depicted in the novels.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (original title in Swedish: Män som hatar kvinnor – “Men Who Hate Women”) was written  by Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson. It is the first book in the trilogy known as the “Millennium series”.

When he died in 2004, Larsson left three unpublished novels that make up the trilogy.

They became posthumous best-sellers worldwide.

At the age of 15, Larsson said that he witnessed the gang rape of a young girl. He never forgave himself for failing to help her.
Like the heroine in the books, the girls name was Lisbeth. Clearly, it was a memory he carried throughout his life.

The Plot – beginnings

In December 2002. Mikael Blomkvist, publisher of the Swedish political magazine Millennium, loses a libel case involving allegations about billionaire industrialist Hans-Erik Wennerström.

He is sentenced to three months in prison, and ordered to pay hefty damages and costs. Soon afterwards, he is invited to meet Henrik Vanger, the retired CEO of the Vanger Corporation, unaware that he had commissioned an investigation into Blomkvist’s personal and professional history. This investigation was carried out by Lisbeth Salander, a surveillance agent with Milton Security.

Blomkvist is promised considerable financial reward in exchange for writing the Vanger family history. Vanger believes that his great-niece, Harriet, was murdered by a member of the family 36 years earlier.

Blomkvist moves to the Vanger estate and begins his research into the history of the Vanger family and Harriet’s disappearance.

Meanwhile, Lisbeth Salander, who was ruled legally incompetent as a child, is under the care of Holger Palmgren, her legal guardian. When he has a stroke, her new guardian, Nils Bjurman takes her case. He is a sadist. He uses his position to sexually abuse her in return for access to her own money. After he rapes her, Salander takes her revenge, torturing him and threatening to ruin him unless he gives her full control of her life.

Blomkvist discovers Salander has hacked into his computer, and persuades her to assist him with researching Harriet’s disappearance. They begin to suspect that they are on the trail of a serial killer…and so on.

If this film is only a fraction as good as the Swedish version then it’s well worth the watch….

Superman First Edition

A first edition of the comic book in which Superman made his debut has become the world’s most expensive, selling for an eye-watering $2.16 million (£1.4m).

The Action Comics No.1 (graded nine out of 10 for quality) introduced the world’s most recognisable super hero to the world in 1938.

And having originally hit news stands priced at just 10 cents, it has now fetched the staggering sum after an online auction in New York.

The book, one of just 100 thought to be left in existence, had been stolen from the home of a California collector in 2000.

And despite an 11-year police hunt, the valuable and extremely rare comic mysteriously vanished off the face of the earth.

But in April, a Californian businessman who bought up the contents of an auctioned off storage unit, unearthed the pristine magazine inside.

Anna Kendrick in 50/50

Anna Kendrick certainly made a name for herself in the 2009 film ‘Up in the Air’ with George Clooney.

Anna Kendrick 50/50

For that role, she was nominated for an Oscar as ‘Best Supporting Actress’.

Her other film work includes Camp (2003), Rocket Science (2007), Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) and most recently 50/50 (2011)

The 26-year-old actress also plays Jessica Stanley, the good friend of Bella (Kristen Stewart) in the original (2008), “New Moon” (2009), “Eclipse” (2010) and the latest box-office smash, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1.”
She is set to recreate the character for the last time with the final installment “Breaking Dawn, Part 2,” which opens Nov. 16, 2012.

But her current performance on the set of 50/50 has also drawn huge acclaim. In this role she plays a student psychologist whose patient is Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a 27 year old male diagnosed with Cancer.

The story touches on a difficult subject and has its comic moments.

Kendrick plays the part well – ensuring we’re going to be seeing a lot more of her in ‘Adult’ films in the coming years.

Page 23 is 2011 winner of Best Film, Best Audience Award and Best Editing from the prestigious 48 Hour Film Project in Holland.

Story
Advertisements usually display unruffled domestic happiness. But, as we see in Page 23, this world looks too good to be true. Behind the beaming smile of fashion models loom adultery and the stifling daily routine.

PAGE 23 is the first shortfilm that the young creatives Jeroen Houben, Tim Arts and Stefan van den Boogaard made together. Their first effort immediately resulted in the jury prize and audience award at the 48 Hour Film Project in Utrecht (Netherlands), and nominations in other categories.

48 hour film project

48-hour-film-project

The 48 Hour Film Project has just celebrated its 10th Anniversary Tour.

3,500 films from 96 cities around the world entered this year.

The Tour lasted from March through November with approximately 45,000 participants and 400 screenings across the globe.

The 48 Hour Film Project is a wild and sleepless weekend in which teams make a movie—write, shoot, edit and score it—in just 48 hours.

These photographs offer us a snapshot into Russia before the revolution and the overthrow of Tsar Nicholas II.

It’s difficult to believe that these photographs are almost a hundred years old – such was the genius of photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii who lived between 1863 and1944.

We see Russia before and during World War I and the coming Russian revolution.

In fact, Gorskii’s work had the support of Tsar Nicholas II to work on this exhibition. Between 1909-1912, and again in 1915, he completed surveys of eleven regions of Russia, traveling in a railroad car provided by the Ministry of Transportation.

Following the revolution in 1918,  Gorsky left Russia, going first to Norway and England before settling in France.

The importance of his work did not go unnoticed. His unique images of Russia on the eve of revolution-recorded on glass plates and in colour-were purchased by the Library of Congress in the USA in 1948 from his heirs.

To this day, people buy prints of his work for it unique aesthetic values and history.

Always compliment a woman

When you compliment a woman, you should always try to make it as specific as possible.

If you give a woman a general compliment (“you are pretty”, you have nice eyes”) she’ll be pleased. But there are quite a few problems:

It looks like you’re not really paying attention to her
It looks like you have a generic compliment queued up that you use on every girl
She doesn’t feel that she’s earned the compliment
You come across as a guy who doesn’t bother to really see what is special about every person
She’ll wonder if you really do like her or if you are just using the compliment as an excuse to start a conversation with her.

Now the reason most guys end up using a generic compliment is actually none of the above! It’s simply that they don’t have a lot of experience giving genuine compliments. Giving a really nice compliment is a skill and it needs to be worked on.

Here’s a fun little game that will enable you to practise.

Every time you leave the house, notice the people walking towards you and silently give them a compliment. Don’t discriminate: it can be a guy, a girl, old or young, attractive or not. Just pick one thing about their looks, dress, manner or bearing that makes them attractive and/or unique.

It’s best to phrase it in the second person as that is how you’ll eventually be giving the compliment.

For example:

You have lovely clear fresh skin
You have a very intelligent face
Your clothes are beautifully-chosen and really suit you
You have fantastic salt-and-pepper hair; it makes you look very distinguished
You have a very sexy walk
I love your trainers- they look great with those jeans
You have great posture
That hat looks great on you- I would never think to wear something like that!

The great thing about this game is that you can do it when you’re really not feeling like talking to people. I always do it on the tube, for example. There’s not much else to look at, so I go around the carriage and notice something attractive about all of the other passengers.

From here it’s quite a small step to actually delivering the compliment (after all, you’ve already spent the mental effort noticing it!). And you’ll find that your actual compliments are much more charming and personalised.

Why not download the FREE book from the website – CLICK HERE

This article is brought to you by The London School of Attraction.

The LSA is a training company renowned for delivering the most sophisticated, effective attraction coaching to men across the capital.

Whether you’re looking for more confidence, a fantastic girlfriend or simply to attract beautiful women anywhere, our elite team can help you achieve your goals.

The LSA Mission Statement: Dedicated to getting men in London and beyond the love life of their dreams.

Mix your dates up!

Successful dating is difficult in the modern world where everyone is so busy.

Especially in London, it can be hard to find a connection and make an impact on someone’s life.

I am going to give you a valuable tip which will do a number of things for you:

• Save you time by not wasting a whole night on a date you’re not enjoying.
• Add variety to your dates, making them more fun. Take the girl on a journey and make her feel like she has known you for longer, improving your chances of becoming intimate with her.

The strategy involves you having three venues in mind for your evening; this is best explained by giving you an example of how I used to plan my dates.

Venue 1- Coffee shop / tea shop

A good example is a place on Wardour Street called Princi. Go here first for tea/coffee and have a chat standing up in a busy and bright location. This allows you to get a feel for if there is likely to be any connection in an informal and unpressurised environment. If you’re not having fun at this stage it is reasonable to end the date after an hour (or less).

These are both good venues for this:

http://www.princi.co.uk/
http://www.urbanpath.com/london/cafes/maison-bertaux.htm

Venue 2- Arcade

This is by no means right for every girl, but I often took the girl to an arcade after this to play some pool or arcade games. This can be fun for, say, thirty minutes and should get the two of you laughing together. As you’re walking past the arcade, raise it casually as though you have just considered the idea. Say something like, “We all spend so much time sitting in front of a desk. Wouldn’t it be fun to act like kids again for a bit?” If she seems ice cold to the idea don’t push it but, from my experience, most girls will be open to it.

http://www.yell.com/reviews/las+vegas+amusements-1p42y7q-r

Venue 3- A cosy bar

Find somewhere with comfortable and private seats (as far as possible). As you have already been to two other places, it will feel like you know each other better and, if you are getting on well, you can become more intimate at this stage.

These bars are all great for this:

http://www.redsoho.com/
http://www.22below.co.uk/
http://www.hush.co.uk/

Changing venues like this:

keeps the date fun
gives the impression of knowing each other longer
helps avoid the staleness of sitting in one bar for a couple of hours
makes the final location seem like a nice cosy conclusion to the date

So the next time you are planning a date don’t go for one bar- mix it up with interesting and different venues/activities.

Why not download the FREE book from the website – CLICK HERE

This article is brought to you by The London School of Attraction.

The LSA is a training company renowned for delivering the most sophisticated, effective attraction coaching to men across the capital.

Whether you’re looking for more confidence, a fantastic girlfriend or simply to attract beautiful women anywhere, our elite team can help you achieve your goals.

The LSA Mission Statement: Dedicated to getting men in London and beyond the love life of their dreams.

Ben Westwood designing mens suits

Ben Westwood, former photographer and son of British fashion legend Dame Vivienne Westwood, cuts quite a dash in the capital with his inimitable “wild west” style – a style he is now translating into a menswear range for leading London suit-makers, Cad & the Dandy.

“We specialise in bespoke tailored suits, shirts and overcoats – but that does not mean we are too staid to indulge in a touch of trend-setting,” said Ian Meiers, co-founder of Cad & the Dandy, whose salons in Savile Row, the City and Canary Wharf are the preferred ports of call for modish gentlemen everywhere.

Inviting Ben Westwood to share his creativity with Cad & the Dandy is not the first foray into unconventional fashion for Mr Meiers and his partner James Sleater. Last year the former bankers turned phenomenally successful suit-makers played host to former World Boxing Champion and renowned snappy dresser, Chris Eubank, who designed his own striking “off the peg” collection for the Cad & the Dandy salons.

Now it is the turn of Ben Westwood to follow suit, as it were. He has hit the headlines with some avant-garde designs like  two wacky jackets which were snapped up off of the catwalk by punk rocker, Adam Ant, whose ‘come-back’ has been taking London by storm.

Chris Eubank in Cad and the Dandy suit

Westwood – who says his design inspiration is “tribal culture, Red Indians and pirates” – wowed fashionistas with his de

but at London Fashion Week last year. Since then his “street fashion” has been stocked exclusively at the way-out Shoreditch boutique, A Child of the Jago, owned by Ben’s half-brother Joe Corre (son of Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren). Proving particularly popular are his Clint Eastwood-inspired wax coats.

This will be Westwood’s  first “showing” among the more traditional tailoring portals of Savile Row.

“We just love the exuberance of Ben’s work – it’s the perfect foil for the more formal wear we deal with in our bespoke tailoring service,” said Mr Meiers. He added that Westwood’s Cad & the Dandy range is more sober, classy and city-chic than the hard street fashion for which he has become known – “but it certainly has an edge”.

The ability to cut their cloth to suit city slickers of all persuasions – particularly those with attitude – is what has enabled Cad & the Dandy to measure up to the best in the realms of aristocratic attire since the company began just three years ago, earning them the MacWorld Bento Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2010.

79% of women claim to prefer men who are clean shaven.

Gentry Grooming - for the sharper gentleman

On top of that, shaving makes us feel cleaner, fresher and generally more business-like.

But it can be a daily ritual fraught with difficulties. Electric shavers might be convenient but they’re often expensive and harsh on the skin, which is why wet shaving is by far the best way to get smooth results.

By following these few easy steps it will be a more skin friendly experience and you’ll achieve better results in the process. Here’s how…

1. Give your skin time to wake up
Thanks to an accumulation of fluid, skin tends to be puffy first thing in the morning so give it time to settle down before you start shaving and you’ll get better results.

2. Try shaving after a shower
After just two minutes, the warm water and steam will have caused the hairs on your chin to expand – making them softer and much easier to shave. It’s thought that if you wet the hair adequately before shaving, the force required to slice them with the razor is reduced by up to 70%. What’s more all that steam and hot water will open your pores, releasing any dirt and grime.

3. Soften up
The key to a great shave is, indisputably, preparation. If the process is rushed it will give patchy results. So it is essential to spend a few minutes softening the beard beforehand. Start by washing the face thoroughly using plenty of warm water and a gentle face wash to cleanse the skin and ensure any grease or grime that may be coating the hairs is completely removed. The razor will then glide over the skin smoothly.

It is vital that you choose the right shaving product. Foams, gels, creams, oils and serums all have the same objective which is to create a cushion between your skin and razor; to prevent bristles from drying out and to ease the shaving process.

However, with so many products on offer the decision can be a bit overwhelming.

Visit the Essentials range on Toffsworld for more information on products that are suitable…….

‘Worlds Best’ English Vodka brand teams up with “the Heston of London bars”

William Chase, has teamed up with the Purl London bar – to create the ultimate British Royal cocktail to mark the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

The cocktail, named “Royal Jam”, uses quintessentially English ingredients.

The main ingredient, apple gin, is grown and distilled on William Chase’s farm in Herefordshire. The tribute to the Royal couple is especially fitting as William Chase will marry his partner, also named Kate, in May.

Top Mixologist and co-owner of Purl, Tristan Stephenson, has combined the unique Williams Chase apple gin with English strawberry conserve, lemon juice, lavender bitters and a splash of Nyetimber Brut (English sparkling wine) to create a theatrical cocktail experience.  The flavour profile of “Royal Jam” is based on an English Victoria sponge cake, strawberry being the key component.

“It’s a combination of many British traditions; gin, afternoon tea, strawberries, and sparkling wine, all thrown together,” said Tristan, who is also part of the ‘Fluid Movement’ collective of mixologists. William’s Gin fits perfectly into Fluid’s concept of delving into the provenance and heritage of drinks, because Chase make their gin from scratch from apples organically grown on their farm – rather than buying in raw grain spirit and re-distilling it as many larger mass produced distilleries do.

Tristan insists, “This complex cocktail can only be truly satisfactory if it is made with William’s apple gin which has a unique flavour and genuine quality. Chase has a great story behind it.”

Presentation is key! The cocktail is served in a gold-gilded bone china tea cup and saucer. A teapot of Earl Grey tea accompanies the cocktail – not for drinking. Instead, once the “Royal Jam” has been mixed and carefully poured into the teacup, dry ice is dropped into the teapot so that it billows aromatic steam around the drinker, adding to the experience.

William’s single estate gin is the world’s most complicated, as it is made from organic cider apples which are turned into cider, then vodka (which Chase has bottled up as ‘Naked Chase’) is added before further distilling into gin, with hops and elderflower, to create a connoisseurs’ gin.

Several other bars are concocting their own Royal cocktails using Chase gin, liqueurs and vodka – the Distillery’s website has a list of these at www.chasedistillery.co.uk.

Chase will be hosting tastings of their apple gin and Chase potato Vodka throughout April in Harvey Nichols stores nationwide as part of Harvey Nichols Best of British Drinks promotion.

http://www.chasedistillery.co.uk

Useful advice on how to get girls. Download the book

Turning a friend you fancy into a girlfriend who fancies you is tricky.

Girls tend to compartmentalise guys. Unlike guys (who simply look at girls and either find them attractive or not) girls ascribe you a category:

The friend
The provider
Boyfriend material
Sexy- worth a fling
A creep
And so on…

So, it’s not as much a case of getting her attracted to you, as it is getting her to shift your category in her mind.

To accomplish this you can come at it in one of two ways (or both):

Make her aware other girls are interested (jealousy)
Let her know that she couldn’t have you even if she wanted (intrigue)

Here are my top five tips. They are very powerful, but rather advanced, because it is possible to upset her if you do them wrong.

So, with that caveat:

Ask her for advice about an upcoming date. Girls love talking about this stuff anyway, and it’ll remind her that there are other girls on the scene.
Try to set her up with other guys- she’ll be intrigued as to why you don’t want her for yourself.
Joke about how she loves you but that you only like her as a friend. Any time she does anything that you can misinterpret as her fancying you (asks you if you want another drink; invites you to a party…) tell her that you’re tempted but don’t want to risk your friendship.

Convey your interest in a ridiculously exaggerated way. Tell her that you’re tired because you couldn’t sleep last night because you were dreaming of her.

Compare all your other girlfriends unfavourably to her (remember, you’re in demand!). Tell her that you were on a date last night with a gorgeous girl but you’d have much rather been chilling out with her watching a DVD. The key here is to keep a slight smile on your face and be playful- this could all sound rather weird if your tone is too serious.

BONUS: Don’t tell her how you feel. She probably knows anyway, and verbalising it will cost you any chance you might have with her. DO NOT believe the movies here: she won’t fall into your arms and kiss you while the credits roll. It’ll be awkward; she’ll mutter something about not spoiling your friendship and you might never see her again. In fact, you actually will end up spoiling your friendship!

Why not download the FREE book from the website – CLICK HERE

This article is brought to you by The London School of Attraction.

The LSA is a training company renowned for delivering the most sophisticated, effective attraction coaching to men across the capital.

Whether you’re looking for more confidence, a fantastic girlfriend or simply to attract beautiful women anywhere, our elite team can help you achieve your goals.

The LSA Mission Statement: Dedicated to getting men in London and beyond the love life of their dreams.

How to get girls. Download the FREE book

Too many guys are rigid and inflexible on a date.

They find a strategy or persona that has worked for them in the past (the strong, silent type; the cocky and funny charmer; the gentleman…) and they stick to it, even if the girl is clearly wondering how quickly she can call it a night.

The key to a successful date or interaction is to possess a set of tools; I call these “tools of engagement”.

Switch to a different tool any time you feel that the girl is not totally engaged in the conversation until you find something that hooks.

Here are some of my favourite tools:

Show vulnerability. I used to tell girls how, while in Africa, I traveled into the deepest jungle to meet child soldiers. I asked detailed questions about their actions and how it made them feel, knowing it could be disastrous for them psychologically- I just couldn’t resist as it was so intriguing. I tell my dates how this was a moment of deep regret. The story is true and so are the sentiments.

Build an emotional connection. Find out about her passions, fears and ambitions and try to get inside her head. Who is she and where is she going? Most people pay this lip service, but really listen to her and she will open up. A good way of doing this is trying to empathise with her motivations and reasons for what she does. For example if she is a shopping aficionado try to understand what it is about shopping she loves. It is remarkable the effect you can have on people if you really listen to them. Try it!

Play games and set posers. Do a card trick, teach her a memory game or have a competition. I love knowing whether someone would rather work a job they love for little money or do a job they hate for a fortune- so I ask.

Tell a story. Think of the three most interesting things that have ever happened to you and practice these stories so that they are polished and engaging. They can then be wheeled out at appropriate times. It is entirely appropriate to practice these. Watching great storytelling helps. Try and watch the scene in Pulp Fiction when Christopher Walken tells the young Bruce Willis character about the gold watch.

Be spontaneous. As a rule, whatever you were going to do, do the opposite. Going to kiss her at her front door at the end of the date? Kiss her as soon as you meet her at the station. Planning to take her out for a drink? Take her for breakfast. The date’s going well? Tell her you have to go home. Be different to every other boring date she has been on.

Women are very fickle creatures. Something that has them gazing into your eyes and stroking your hand can bore them to tears half an hour later.

So be flexible and mix it up. Trust us- she’ll thank you for it.

Why not download the FREE book from the website – CLICK HERE

This article is brought to you by The London School of Attraction.

The LSA is a training company renowned for delivering the most sophisticated, effective attraction coaching to men across the capital.

Whether you’re looking for more confidence, a fantastic girlfriend or simply to attract beautiful women anywhere, our elite team can help you achieve your goals.

The LSA Mission Statement: Dedicated to getting men in London and beyond the love life of their dreams.

Misunderstandings, talking to the wrong person, leaving a page open when you shouldn’t have. Here is another round-up of some of the latest we’ve found.