thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-11--‘Get Outta My Pub’: Barbara Windsor’s Most Memorable Peggy Mitchell Moments Following The EastEnders

‘Get Outta My Pub’: Barbara Windsor’s Most Memorable Peggy Mitchell Moments Following The EastEnders Legend’s Death

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EastEnders fans have said goodbye to an acting legend following the death of Dame Barbara Windsor, who played the iconic Peggy Mitchell in the BBC soap.
During her time in Albert Square, the original Walford matriarch was involved in many of the soap’s most memorable storylines along with the rest of her on-screen “faaaaaamily”.
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The landlady of her beloved Queen Vic was a fixture on our screens from 1991 – first played by Jo Warne, before Barbara took over the role in 1994 and truly made it her own – and despite leaving Albert Square in 2010, she continued to pop back for guest appearances.
Peggy beat breast cancer twice, enjoyed many scraps with the likes of Pat Butcher and Sharon Watts, and shouted “Get outta my pub!” more times than we’ve had pub lunches.
As we mourn the loss of one of TV’s greatest stars, we take a look back at Barbara’s most memorable moments as the formidable Peggy Mitchell.
The original Peggy Mitchell’s first appearance
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While it seems impossible to believe now, Barbara Winsdor wasn’t the first actress to play Peggy Mitchell. The character – who was very different to the one we know and love now – made her first appearance in 1991, played by Jo Warne.
Barbara Winsdor’s first episode as Peggy
It wasn’t until 1994 that Barbara took over the role, making her first appearance as Peggy when she paid a visit to son Phil (Steve McFadden) in hospital.
Peggy vs. Pauline
Viewers saw a different side to Peggy when she banned Mark Fowler (Todd Carty) from the Vic, wrongly believing he had AIDs. His mother Pauline (Wendy Richards) soon took matters into her own hands and told the landlady exactly what she thought of her, which ended up in a scrap, obviously.
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Peggy tells her family she has cancer
The Mitchell family was rocked by the news that Peggy had breast cancer in 1996. The emotional plot allowed Babs to get her teeth stuck into her her first big storyline since joining the soap, and her portrayal of Peggy’s battle with the disease won widespread praise from viewers and critics alike.
The disease then returned three years later, forcing Peggy to have a mastectomy.
YOU BITCH! YOU COW!
A piece of EastEnders history was created in 1998, when Peggy and Pat came to blows in one of the soap’s most iconic scenes ever. Glasses were thrown, tables were turned over, but 18 years on, we’re STILL living for the line “You bitch!”, “You cow!”.
Peggy discovers Pat and Frank’s affair
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After Peggy discovered that husband Frank had been having an affair with his ex-wife Pat, she announced the news to a packed pub on Bonfire Night 2000.
After reading out the letter Frank had written to explain he was leaving her, she dished out the best slaps soap has ever seen, before uttering the fabulous line, “I hope you all enjoyed the fireworks. Goodnight.”
Sharon Watts takes over the Vic
Still not having forgiven Sharon for all the troubled she’d caused between her sons Grant (Ross Kemp) and Phil years earlier, Peggy was horrified when Letitia Dean’s character was revealed to be the mystery buyer of the Vic in 2000.
Peggy finds out Frank’s not dead
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After Frank fled to Spain in the wake of his affair with Pat, Peggy was shocked to hear that he had died in 2002 and she and Pat headed out to Spain to pay their last respects.
However, it turned out Frank had faked his own death as part of a scam, with Peggy finding out he was still alive when he turned up to his own funeral, resulting in this comical scene.
Peggy proves Chrissie killed Den
With daughter Sam (Kim Medcalfe) in the frame for Den Watts’ murder, Peggy later discovered proof that it was his wife Chrissie (Tracy-Ann Oberman) who had bumped him off, and stormed his funeral. “Chrissie Watts - MURDERER!” she screeched, before pushing the killer into Den’s grave.
“Tell Den you’re sorry! Tell Den!” Peggy screamed.
Just flawless.
Archie steals the Vic
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Having discovered Archie’s (Larry Lamb) evil ways after her wedding day to her former brother-in-law, he sought ultimate revenge on Peggy by taking the Vic off her, along with the help of Frank’s daughter Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks).
Christmas 2009 saw the Mitchells spending the festive period homeless after being chucked out of the pub.
Peggy and Pat trash the Vic
Outraged at Roxy Mitchell’s determination to sell the Vic, after being left the pub following Archie’s death, Peggy and Pat set about ensuring that prospective buyers were put off purchasing the boozer.
Peggy and Pat booze it up
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While viewers loved it when Peggy and Pat were sparring, their mischief making together made for brilliant viewing too. This is perfectly demonstrated in the scenes which saw them get drunk in the back of an ice cream van together, after rushing Heather Trott (Cheryl Ferguson) to hospital in it, much to Phil’s disgust.
Peggy meets Boris Johnson
Despite vowing to give the then-London Mayor Boris Johnson a piece of her mind as she prepared to meet him in 2010, Peggy proved to be a complete charmer to the now-prime minister when he popped by the Vic for a pint, much to the amusement of Roxy (Rita Simons) and Sam (Danniella Westbrook).
Peggy watches the Vic burn
Having failed to stop a drunken Phil from setting fire to the Queen Vic, Peggy could only watch on in horror as the EastEnd boozer went up in flames.
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“Let it burn!” she wailed. “Let it BUUUURRRNN!”
Peggy leaves Walford
With her beloved pub now reduced to a burnt-out shell, Peggy decided it was time to leave Walford behind for good. Her last scene as a regular character saw her tearfully walking through Albert Square, stopping to look up at what remained of the Vic, before passing on by.
Soap bosses even asked original theme tune composer Simon May to come up with a special version of the track to air over her last scene, which was named ‘Peggy’s Theme’ in her honour.
Peggy says goodbye to Pat
With Peggy living in Spain when Pat died in 2012, when she paid a brief visit to Walford in 2013, there was one thing she needed to do before she left – say goodbye to her long-term frenemy.
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In a post-titles scene, Peggy turned up at Pat’s old house armed with a bottle of vodka to leave on her doorstep, before leaving the Square in the back of a cab.
Mick tells Peggy to ‘Get outta my pub’
Peggy then popped up again to celebrate EastEnders’ 30th anniversary in 2015, coming face-to-face with new landlord of the Queen Vic, Mick Carter (Danny Dyer). However, the tables soon turned on the former pub boss, as he wasted no time in throwing her out of HIS pub.
Peggy’s back with some devastating news
Peggy then made a shock return to the soap in January 2016, in scenes that had been kept under wraps ahead of transmission. But while viewers were delighted to see her again, their happiness was short lived as she shared some devastating news with son Phil – her cancer had returned, and this time is was terminal.
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The storyline followed Barbara’s decision to leave the character behind for good.
Peggy takes her own life
Peggy returned to Walford later that year after her condition worsened, and was reunited on screen with her other son Grant, after Ross Kemp reprised his role especially for Barbara’s last episodes.
Unbeknown to her family, Peggy had made the decision that she was going to take her own life rather than suffer the painful side effects of cancer further.
“I will go as I have lived – straight back, head high, like a queen,” she told her late friend Pat, who appeared as a vision in Peggy’s final moments.
GET OUTTA MY PUB!
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-11--Donald Trump Jr's 'Radicle' Typo Has Twitter Users In Stitches

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radical... bro. spelling really does count. I know its really snowflaky and lib tardy to use stuff like spelling and grammar but... once you get off the blow everything gets better, even spelling


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-11--8 Entertainment Stories That Made Our Week | Good Vibes Only

8 Entertainment Stories That Made Our Week | Good Vibes Only
Nigella Lawson gave us a new way to say “microwave” this week, Lifetime’s Colonel Sanders movie raised the bar on cinema, Jordan North gets used to life not inside the I’m A Celeb castle and The Vicar of Dibley returns for three mini Christmas specials.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-11--Christchurch Terror Attack: Muslims Claim Police ‘Were Watching Us, Not Watching Our Backs’

Earlier this week, the government of New Zealand released a comprehensive report on the 2019 Christchurch massacre, describing in chilling detail how a single white supremacist carried out the worst terror attack in the country’s modern history.
Although the nearly 800-page report, conducted by the Royal Commission, documents several major shortcomings by the country’s security agencies, it concludes that there were no signs that the attack was imminent and there was little that the state could have done to thwart the March 2019 killing of 51 Muslim worshippers at two mosques.
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Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday apologised for major government failings described in the report, including that agencies had neglected to look into white supremacists, focusing their resources almost exclusively on the perceived threat of extremist Islamist terrorism. She also apologised that police had failed to enforce proper checks on firearm licenses as the shooter was acquiring his arsenal.
“The commission made no findings that these issues would have stopped the attack. But these were both failings, and for that, I apologise,” Ardern said after the report was released.
The report, however, is much more than a dry recitation of government missteps. It’s one of the more thorough and terrifying investigations into how anti-Muslim terror has become a fixture of news headlines over the last decade.
The report ultimately amounts to a searing indictment of institutional Islamophobia — in New Zealand’s national security apparatus and in big tech companies like YouTube — that helped transform a place of worship into the setting for a livestreamed pogrom.
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It’s also a story of Muslim voices being ignored before 51 Muslim voices were silenced forever.
A royal commission report shown during a press conference in Wellington on December 8, 2020, where New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern apologized after a judicial review exposed failures by police and intelligence services ahead of last year's Christchurch mosques terror attack. NEIL SANDS via Getty Images
On March 15, 2019, white supremacist Brenton Tarrant opened fire on two mosques during Friday prayers — first at Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch and then at Linwood Islamic Centre in a nearby suburb. Inscribed on his guns were a slew of anti-Muslim memes and messages.
Upon entering the Al Noor mosque, a worshipper greeted Tarrant with “Hello, brother” before Tarrant killed him. Tarrant, an Australian native, livestreamed the massacre on Facebook as he made his way to the main prayer hall and shot worshippers indiscriminately from close range and opened fire again on people who were already injured and unable to escape.
His livestream ended as he drove towards the Linwood mosque. Once he arrived there, according to witnesses, he opened fire from the outside, shooting at the 100 worshippers through a window. He then continued to shoot as he made his way inside the mosque.
After a worshipper threw a heavy credit card reader and one of Tarrant’s discarded guns at him, Tarrant fled and was later apprehended by police after a car chase.
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The victims spanned generations and nationalities. Of the 51 Muslims, 47 were men and four were women. The youngest victim was just 3 years old and the eldest was 77.
‘They Didn’t Listen’
The attack brought rising Islamophobia across the globe into focus, offering proof of how the normalisation of anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies have deadly consequences.
The Christchurch report quotes many anonymous Muslim New Zealanders who criticised authorities for ignoring repeated warnings about the rise in anti-Muslim sentiment leading up to the attack.
“The events of the day were presaged by so many tell-tale signs of its coming, all of which were evident and all of which were ignored by those who had power to act,” one Muslim New Zealander said.
“We warned them of dangers, and they didn’t listen,” said another.
“It is inconceivable that New Zealand’s professional internet community was aware of the threat posed by alt-right radicals but [the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service] were not,” said yet another.
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Al Noor Mosque shooting survivor Osman Ahmed looks on following a press conference at Al Noor Mosque on December 8, 2020, in Christchurch, New Zealand. Kai Schwoerer via Getty Images
Muslims interviewed as part of the report expressed anger over the “catastrophic failure” of the country’s intelligence agencies, which they felt had downplayed the rise of Islamophobia and right-wing extremism while simultaneously being hyperfocused on the perceived threats of Muslim individuals.
“They were watching us, not watching our backs,” said one Muslim individual in the report.
The report concludes that the intelligence agencies had, in fact, spent an “inappropriate” and disproportionate amount of time and resources focused on the potential threat of Islamic terrorists in the months leading up to the attack, a problem that may be persisting in the country.
“Even now, we are still being engaged with like we are the threat,” was the conclusion of one Muslim focus group interviewed for the report, which observed that counterterror agencies appear to have a “limited competency when it comes to Muslim culture.”
Ultimately, the report documents both the trauma and resilience of Muslims in New Zealand.
“We stopped feeling safe in New Zealand after the 15 March attacks,” one of the Muslim focus groups told the report’s authors. “This event has shaken us, especially our women who tend to be the ‘flag bearers’ as their dress is a visual demonstration of their faith.”
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The Myth of the ‘Lone Wolf’
One of the big questions the report sought to answer with their research was: Did Tarrant act alone?
“Yes, he was a lone actor and no one else was involved in the planning, preparation or execution of the terrorist attack,” the report states. “There is no evidence that anyone else was aware of his plans or provided personalised encouragement.”
Still, the report is careful to note that “it is, however, likely that his thinking was affected by what was said in far-right online communities and other far-right material he was able to source from the internet.”
In recent years, many politicians and journalists have frequently used the term “lone wolf” to describe terrorists like Tarrant with no formal membership in organised extremist groups.
But this framing has received considerable pushback from those studying online radicalisation, like Jared Cohen, the chief executive of Jigsaw, the research arm of Google. Cohen wrote in a recent report that the “myth” of the lone wolf “obscures the vast, underlying infrastructure of white supremacist online communities around the world.”
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“Radicalisation is an inherently social process — one that thrives openly on the internet,” Cohen wrote, pointing to the ways in which extremists “move fluidly between mainstream and fringe platforms” — including those owned by Cohen’s employer.
The Christchurch report published this week offers alarming examples of this process. An entire section is devoted to documenting donations Tarrant made online to white supremacist websites and figures across the globe, many of them in America.
In the month after the deadly “Unite the Right” white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia — where a neo-Nazi drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters — Tarrant donated money to two of the biggest American neo-Nazi websites, The Daily Stormer and The Right Stuff. He also gave money to the National Policy Institute, the white supremacist group led by fascist American figurehead Richard Spencer.
Outside the US, Tarrant gave money to far-right, Islamophobic Canadian website Rebel News, and to European neo-fascist organisations including Generation Identitaire in France and the Identity Movement in Germany.
“Thank you that really gives me energy and motivation,” Austrian neo-fascist leader Martin Sellner wrote to Tarrant in a January 2018 email, thanking him for a $2,308.97 donation, according to the report.
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“If you ever come to Vienna,” Sellner added, “we need to go for a café or a beer.”
Brenton Tarrant, whose face is obscured here, is seen in the dock during his appearance in the Christchurch District Court, New Zealand March 16, 2019. Mark Mitchell/New Zealand Herald/Pool via REUTERS
The report also details the ways in which Tarrant was inspired by another so-called “lone wolf” terrorist — Anders Breivik, the Norwegian white supremacist who killed 77 people in 2011 to promote his manifesto against the “Islamisation of Europe.”
A chilling moment in the report describes how a copy of Breivik’s manifesto was on an SD card found inside a drone Tarrant used to surveil the mosques he’d later attack.
Breivik’s “manifesto and his actions provide considerable guidance for would-be extreme right-wing terrorists” like Tarrant, the report states.
Tarrant followed much of Breivik’s advice in preparing for his terror attack, including “joining a gym,” “bulking up with steroids” and “joining rifle clubs to gain firearms expertise.”
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As Tarrant prepared for his rampage, he inscribed his gun with the name of another modern “lone wolf” terrorist — Alexandre Bissonnette, who killed six people at a Quebec mosque in 2017.
Every step of the way, Tarrant was copying the tactics of, and paying tribute to, the white supremacist “lone wolves” who came before him, all radicalised by the same sprawling far-right ecosystem online.
“We acknowledge a view is held in the community that, while the individual may have acted alone on 15 March 2019, he formed part of a network of people holding similar views to him and therefore was not, in that sense, a ‘lone actor,’” the report states.
A ‘Completely Predictable’ Story Of YouTube Radicalisation
The report emphasises that although Tarrant may have sometimes visited extremist web forums, his radicalisation into a murderous neo-Nazi was fueled mostly via videos he watched on one of the world’s largest and most accessible online platforms: YouTube.
Tarrant, according to the report, explained in interviews that “YouTube was, for him, a far more significant source of information and inspiration” than fringe far-right sites.
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The report said this is consistent with a review of Tarrant’s internet use. “Although he did frequent extreme right-wing discussion boards such as those on 4chan and 8chan,” it reads, “the evidence we have seen is indicative of more substantial use of YouTube.”
Becca Lewis, an extremism researcher at Stanford University who authored a widely read 2018 report on the way YouTube enables far-right radicalisation, said she was “furious and heartbroken” while reading the Christchurch report this week, pointing to the ways in which the company has repeatedly failed to deal with extremists on its platform.
“What’s gut-wrenching about reading the report is just how completely predictable that story is,” Lewis told HuffPost. “Anyone who has been researching this space for a while could tell you that YouTube would have played a role, and that the figures who he would have been interested in would include someone like Stefan Molyneux.”
Molyneux is a Canadian white nationalist propagandist who had nearly 1 million subscribers on YouTube — one of whom may have been Tarrant.
The report notes that on January 15, 2017, the future mass shooter donated $138.89 via PayPal to Molyneux’s YouTube channel.
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In the years leading up to the Christchurch massacre, researchers like Lewis, along with civil rights groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center, repeatedly raised alarms about the proliferation of white nationalist channels like Molyneux’s on YouTube.
It was only after the massacre that YouTube agreed to change its algorithm so that it would recommend fewer extremist videos to users — a common way in which people have been radicalised on the platform.
But Molyneux himself — along with other infamous white supremacist figureheads on YouTube like Richard Spencer and David Duke — wasn’t kicked off YouTube until a year after the Christchurch shooting.
A video from the German neo-Nazi music band Lunikoff is seen on YouTube on August 27, 2007 in Berlin, Germany. German government officials have called for an investigation into YouTube for allowing right-wing groups to use the Internet platform for disseminating neo-Nazi material. Sean Gallup via Getty Images
This underscores the ways in which YouTube and other tech companies have played a game of whack-a-mole with extremists on their platforms, kicking off white nationalists and other bigots only after public outcry.
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YouTube and other Silicon Valley companies, explained Lewis, have historically been “deeply libertarian projects” opposed to regulating their platforms out of the “assumption that more speech is better.”
Ultimately, YouTube has a business interest in having as much content as it can possibly monetize on its platform, Lewis argued, including hate speech.
“And that, I think, is something that they haven’t grappled with, and they’re not going to grapple with it as long as they’re able to avoid it, because that’s more of an indictment of the overall project in the platform,” she added.
In the meantime, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Ardern specifically called out YouTube in a speech this week after the Christchurch report was released.
“What particularly stood out was the statement that the terrorist made that he was ‘not a frequent commentator on extreme right-wing sites and YouTube was a significant source of information and inspiration,’” Ardern said. “This is a point I plan to make directly to the leadership of YouTube.”
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Reached for comment, a YouTube spokesperson told HuffPost that the company has made “significant progress in our work to combat hate speech” since the Christchurch attack, pointing to changes in the video-recommendation algorithm, a “5x spike” in the number of hate videos removed, and the termination of channels mentioned in the report.
“We will continue our work together with the Prime Minister, as well as governments, industry partners, and communities around the world to combat the spread of violent extremism online,” the YouTube spokesperson said.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-11--Boris Johnson Warned Australian-Style Brexit ‘Will Be Pretty Disappointing’

Australian’s former prime minister has warned that an ‘Australian-style’ Brexit deal – essentially a ‘no-deal’ – will “be pretty disappointing” to the UK.
Malcolm Turnbull, who was the Liberal Party prime minister until 2018, also told Boris Johnson to “be careful what you wish for” as he explained the huge obstacles Australia faced due to its lack of a free trade deal with Europe.
The nation currently largely relies on World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules to trade with Europe, which is the no-deal arrangement the UK will fall back on if it fails to broker a trade deal by the end of the transition period on December 31.
While it has a limited number of trade agreements with the EU, Australia is currently trying to negotiate its own free trade agreement with the bloc.
Speaking to BBC Question Time on Thursday evening, Turnbull explained that Australia faces “very large barriers” to trading with the bloc and that ending the Brexit transition period on similar terms will be “pretty disappointing”.
His warning came after Johnson said there is a “strong possibility” that the UK will fail to broker a trade deal with Brussels, using the euphemism of exiting with an “Australian relationship”.
Turnbull continued: “We [Australia] obviously are dealing with WTO terms. And there are really some very large barriers to Australian trade with Europe which we’re seeking to address as we negotiate a free trade agreement with Europe.
“But Australians would not regard our trade relationship with Europe as being a satisfactory one.
“There are very big barriers to Australian exports of agricultural products in particular, there’s a lot of friction in the system in terms of services, there’s a lot to aim for.
“So, you know, be careful what you wish for. Australia’s relationship with the EU is not one from a trade point of view that I think Britain would want, frankly,” the former Rhodes Scholar added.
Australia trades 11% of its goods with the bloc. That figure stands at more than 50% for the UK.
While it does not have a comprehensive free trade agreement with Brussels, Australia does have a series of mini agreements on trade and other areas including the peaceful use of nuclear energy and scientific co-operation.
Earlier on Thursday evening Johnson had told his cabinet to “get on and make those preparations” for a departure without a trade deal, though he said negotiators would “go the extra mile” to get a treaty in time for the end of the transition period on December 31.
“I do think we need to be very, very clear, there is now a strong possibility – a strong possibility – that we will have a solution that is much more like an Australian relationship with the EU than a Canadian relationship with the EU,” he said in an interview.
Johnson insists that the UK can “prosper mightily” under a no-deal but the Office for Budget Responsibility financial watchdog has suggested that a no-deal outcome could wipe 2% off gross domestic product – a measure of the size of the economy – in 2021.
Experts have indicated that could be around £45bn.
WTO rules will mean UK firms will face tariffs on many goods traded with the EU and the addition of some quota restrictions and customs checks.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-11--EastEnders Stars Lead Tributes To ‘Unofficial Queen Of England’ Barbara Windsor Following Her Death,

EastEnders Stars Lead Tributes To ‘Unofficial Queen Of England’ Barbara Windsor Following Her Death, Aged 83

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The screen legend, best known for her roles in the Carry On films and as Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders, died on Thursday evening.
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Dame Barbara was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2014 and made the news public in 2018. She died in a London care home, her husband, Scott Mitchell said.
Barbara Windsor BBC
Letitia Dean, who plays Peggy’s daughter-in-law Sharon Watts, said in a statement: “I would like to say what utterly heart-breaking news I woke up to this morning. They broke the mould when they made Dame Barbara Windsor, there will never be another like that incredible woman, everyone who met her loved her and she will be deeply missed.
“I would like to send everything I have to her amazing husband Scott, what a beautiful soul he is. My heart goes out to him and I just wish I could give him the biggest cuddle he has ever had. RIP dearest Barbara . You will be missed beyond measure.”
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A representative for Steve McFadden, who plays Dame Barbara’s on-screen son Phil Mitchell, told PA he was “devastated” by her death.
He later shared a statement via the show’s Twitter account, writing: “I truly loved Barbara and, like everyone, I am going to miss her terribly.
“When anyone ever asked what she was like, I would always say she was everything you would hope she would be, and more.”
“I truly loved Barbara and, like everyone, I am going to miss her terribly. When anyone ever asked what she was like, I would always say she was everything you would hope she would be, and more.” Steve McFadden pic.twitter.com/Cxn5cR8Gbo — BBC EastEnders (@bbceastenders) December 11, 2020
Patsy Palmer, who played Bianca Jackson on the BBC soap, posted a moving tribute on Instagram.
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Alongside pictures of the pair together, as well as a photograph of a young Dame Barbara, Patsy said: “I’m extremely sad to hear that my friend ‘Dame’ Babara Windsor has passed away . I’m sitting here thinking of the 100’s of memories we shared .
“Too many to comprehend. We were like family for a long time, ups downs, ins and outs but you will never meet a more professional actress than Babs.”
The actress, also praised Dame Barbara’s husband and said: “You were the best husband she could’ve wished for . You deserve the highest accolade. We shared such magical times together and I’ll cherish every one. I can hear that laugh now as I sit and think about her . I hope it’ll ring in my ears forever.
“She always looked out for me and so did you . Love you both very much . I’m gutted ! I could say so much but I’m so sad . RIP BABS.”
Danniella Westbrook, who played Dame Barbara’s on-screen daughter Sam Mitchell, tweeted: “MY HEART IS BROKEN .Bar you will always be in my heart forever. Good bye , I LOVE YOU XXX RIP Barbara WINDSOR.”
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Tamzin Outhwaite, who played Mel Owen, tweeted: “Meant to be sleeping but can’t…. RIP Barbara Windsor… #legend #icon #nationaltreasure #friend #heroine”. She added: “All I can hear is “Ello darlin”#ripbarbara”
All I can hear is “Ello darlin”#ripbarbara — tamzin outhwaite (@mouthwaite) December 11, 2020
Max Branning actor Jake Wood said he was “heartbroken” by the news.
His former on-screen wife Jo Joyner said that Barbara had given her “one of the warmest welcomes” when she joined the soap as Tanya Branning.
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One of the warmest welcomes I had when first joining Enders was from You. My heart goes out to Scott&the family. So warm, so whitty, always a twinkle in your eye, so rightly adored. Sending love up to the stars for you Bar..... you’ve always been one of them xx — Jo Joyner (@dollyjoyner) December 11, 2020
Danny Dyer, who plays Mick Carter, said he was “so grateful” to have known Barbara, as he posted a picture of a scene they shared together in 2015.
Diane Parish, who plays Densie Fox, said in a statement issued via the EastEnders Instagram account: “Our dearest friend and colleague has passed and left a hole, not only on our screens, but in our nation that cannot be filled.
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“I will remember her kindness and of course laughter. She made the special effort to spend time and say something meaningful to each and every person the last time we saw her at work.
“So sorry for her loss for you Scott. Little lady, Big presence. Sleep in peace Bar.”
Tameka Empson, who plays Kim Fox, tweeted: “Dame Babs, may you Rest In Peace. Thank you for the entertainment! With Love and Respect, from one little lady to another.”
Dame Babs, may you Rest In Peace. Thank you for the entertainment! With Love and Respect, from one little lady to another ❤ pic.twitter.com/lECP3miB6U — Tameka Empson (@Tameka_Empson) December 11, 2020
Original EastEnders cast member Adam Woodyatt, who plays Ian Beale, also said via the show’s Instagram account: “I grew up watching Babs in the Carry on films and for me to then work with her was a privilege and honour. I have so many happy memories and moments that I will always cherish, even when Peggy floored Ian with a punch.”
Davood Ghadami, who plays Kush Kazemi, described Barbara as an “amazing woman”, adding “there’s nobody like Babs”.
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An amazing woman who lived an incredible life. Theres nobody like Babs. Thoughts are with her loved ones 💔 #BarbaraWindsor — Davood Ghadami (@DavoodGhadami) December 11, 2020
Laurie Brett, who played Jane Beale, described Barbara as a “true lady with a dirty mouth and a filthy laugh”.
Go well Bar, we’ll never see your likes again. A true star.. a true lady with a dirty mouth and a filthy laugh. You had it all.. 🌟💥💔#RIPBarbaraWindsor — Laurie Brett (@LauriebrettX) December 11, 2020
EastEnders’ former executive producer, Dominic Treadwell Collins also tweeted that “a little piece of his heart has gone”.
He wrote: “I was so lucky to have known you, my incredible, legendary, sparkling fierce friend. I know you’re watching down on us all now and giving us orders - you’ll always be the real guv’nor. You bitch, you cow, my friend. Love you Bar.”
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A little piece of my heart has gone. I was so lucky to have known you, my incredible, legendary, sparkling fierce friend. I know you’re watching down on us all now and giving us orders - you’ll always be the real guv’nor. You bitch, you cow, my friend. Love you Bar. pic.twitter.com/uNKjP12HNj — DomTreadwellCollins (@dominictc) December 11, 2020
The soap also issued a statement on Barbara’s death on Twitter.
“We are all deeply saddened that that we’ve lost our Dame,” it read. “Barbara created an icon in Peggy Mitchell, our formidable Landlady.
“To all of us at EastEnders, she was our dearest friend, truly loved and adored by everyone. Our thoughts go out to Scott and Barbara’s family.”
We are all deeply saddened that that we’ve lost our Dame. Barbara created an icon in Peggy Mitchell, our formidable Landlady. To all of us at EastEnders, she was our dearest friend, truly loved and adored by everyone. Our thoughts go out to Scott and Barbara’s family. pic.twitter.com/mPoCPqOX4j — BBC EastEnders (@bbceastenders) December 11, 2020
Other stars from the entertainment world also remembered the star on social media.
The Great British Bake Off and Little Britain star Matt Lucas paid tribute on Twitter, writing: “You don’t become a Dame by accident.”
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“Everyone knew Barbara Windsor and everyone loved her,” he tweeted.
“She delighted us on stage and sparkled on screen in a long and illustrious career. She also worked tirelessly for charity, and continued to do so, even when her own health was failing her.
“Her devoted husband Scott has been utterly selfless and heroic in caring for her and I am devastated for him.
“I will miss her warmth, her generosity, her laughter and the kindness she showed me. She was a remarkable woman and it’s not an overstatement to say I think the whole country is in mourning today.”
Matt’s Little Britain co-star David Walliams said Dame Barbara was his “first love as a child” in the Carry On films, adding “I will love you forever”.
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He said: “Working with you, spending time with you, and being your friend was the one of the greatest thrills of my life. You were the unofficial Queen of England, an icon for over half a century and treasured by the nation.”
TV presenter Jonathan Ross also paid tribute to the pint-sized star.
He tweeted: “Barbara Windsor in real life was everything you might have hoped for. So warm, so funny, so kind. Goodnight sweetheart x.”
Barbara Windsor in real life was everything you might have hoped for. So warm, so funny, so kind. Goodnight sweetheart x #BarbaraWindsor — Jonathan Ross (@wossy) December 11, 2020
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Farewell to gorgeous Barbara Windsor a real icon, showbiz lost a lot of sparkle today 😢 sending love to Scott and all her family xxxx — Phillip Schofield (@Schofe) December 11, 2020
i loved EastEnders and her in it...my condolences to her family
R.I.P. https://t.co/PAdfPwtJaL — Whoopi Goldberg (@WhoopiGoldberg) December 11, 2020
Such devastating news about Dame Barbra Windsor. She was one of my idols and I had the pleasure of meeting her through her dear friend @davidwalliams and she could not have been nicer. What a career and what a woman. Our national treasure. Rest in peace ❤ — Sheridan Smith (@Sheridansmith1) December 11, 2020
What bloody sad news to wake up to... Barbara Windsor was the funniest, warmest, naughtiest, kindest & most big-hearted of people. She was also a fabulous actress with the world’s most infectious giggle.
Absolutely loved her. RIP Babs, and thanks for all the laughs. pic.twitter.com/Cq2aPRZQbK — Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 11, 2020
What sad news about Dame Barbara Windsor. She always had that twinkling smile when you met her, she was kind and good-humoured. She was gorgeous. She will be missed. Love to Scott. https://t.co/nZuWZwoYiT — Susanna Reid (@susannareid100) December 11, 2020
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This is so sad. Barbara was a one off - a terrific actress. Kind, loyal and dearly loved. She lived with dementia with great dignity. Thoughts with her devoted husband Scott and everyone who loved her https://t.co/Pg2ZYu6Qis — Lorraine (@reallorraine) December 11, 2020
What a woman.....always big laughs, always big chats whenever we met.....she did so many things when it was so so much harder for women to be allowed to do them. Rest in peace Babs. You are loved ❤ #BarbaraWindsor — Carol Vorderman (@carolvorders) December 11, 2020
Love you Barbara 💔 ... hope you are up there enjoying a drink with Dale ... my thoughts are with Scott , and family .. I’m so sorry , she will be missed so much but also remembered forever... — Davina McCall (@ThisisDavina) December 11, 2020
💔 for Bar xx pic.twitter.com/5dbnthlaVW — Bonnie Langford (@bonnie_langford) December 11, 2020
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RIP Dame Barbara Windsor pic.twitter.com/nc29bIkRXM — John Barrowman MBE (@JohnBarrowman) December 11, 2020
We'll miss her Giggle .... and her Wiggle . Always a joy to be in her company. Huge condolences to her totally devoted husband Scott. Bye Babs 😔May you Rest in Peace 🙏 pic.twitter.com/lktSPHayut — Eamonn Holmes (@EamonnHolmes) December 11, 2020
RIP Dame Barbara Windsor a true national treasure! X #oneofakind — Aled Jones (@realaled) December 11, 2020
#RIPDameBarbaraWindsor Many many happy memories of times with her, here on the Kumars, feeding me jellied eels and doing the bhangra. She was always gracious, great fun and had a laugh that was legendary, even after her diagnosis. Thoughts and love to Scott and the family. pic.twitter.com/0si9Tqpa9M — Sanjeev Bhaskar (@TVSanjeev) December 11, 2020
RIP babs 😔 — Alison Hammond (@AlisonHammond) December 11, 2020
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Waking up to the sad news of the passing of Dame Barbara Windsor. Kind , generous with an infectious positive spirit. She was always so’s supportive of my charity and our work. May she rest in peace, my thoughts are with her family and friends
Image by @shutterstock pic.twitter.com/lN8UYGq490 — Katie Piper (@KatiePiper_) December 11, 2020
So sorry to hear the passing of Dame Barbara Windsor.
She really was a national treasure.
Barbara & Scott’s honesty & determination has done so much to help those living with dementia ♥
Sending all my love to Scott and all Barbara’s family and friends xxx — Vicky McClure (@Vicky_McClure) December 11, 2020
RIP the very lovely, very funny Barbara Windsor. What a genuine national treasure she was. — David Baddiel (@Baddiel) December 11, 2020
So sad to hear about the passing of Barbara Windsor. She was a wonderful woman and a friend to everyone. RIP #BarbaraWindsorhttps://t.co/10QHThBpdA pic.twitter.com/EWazTrqvai — Jane McDonald (@TheJaneMcDonald) December 11, 2020
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Phil & I once had the joy of meeting Barbara Windsor. She was tiny; charming & so elegant, head to toe in blonde wool which matched her hair. She said she’d seen our show, I’m not sure what we said, we weren’t used to super stars knowing our names. We were just dazzled by her. — Kirstie Allsopp (@KirstieMAllsopp) December 11, 2020
So sad to hear of Dame Barbara passing... she will also be a total legend and icon. RIP Babs ❤ — Gok Wan MBE 🌈 (@therealgokwan) December 11, 2020
Dame Barbara a true legend xxx — Rylan Clark-Neal (@Rylan) December 11, 2020
Very sorry to hear of the passing of Dame Barbara a real legend R.I.P. https://t.co/vwLrEDUa3H — Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) December 11, 2020
Rest in peace Barbara Windsor. @Reallisariley introduced me to her twenty odd years ago. She said “It’s at this time of year and in this kind of weather that I always think thank f*** I’m not in Emmerdale”. Anyway, she was always lovely and I was always starstruck. x pic.twitter.com/Cz9D0ZLx5e — Dominic Brunt (@dominicbrunt) December 11, 2020
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Dame Barbara my heart is broken I literally don’t know how to put into words. Scott my heart is with you. Babs you will always be my first love #BarbaraWindsor #CarryOn — Candice Brown (@CandiceBrown) December 11, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-11--Easy No-Bake Christmas Recipes

Easy No-Bake Christmas Recipes

You don’t need to hear the lecture again about how Christmas is different this year because of Covid-19 . But if Christmas baking is an important part of the way you celebrate this time of year, there’s a way to keep to do it without it taking too much time.
With the help of some sticky raw ingredients (you’ll notice most of these feature peanut butter or almond butter), these no-bake cookies can be thrown together and eaten totally raw. No oven is necessary, so there’s no risk of forgetting there are cookies in the oven and setting off all your smoke detectors. And better yet, there’s no need to wait for them to come out of the oven before you can eat them.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-11--14 Pop Culture Gift Ideas Entertainment Fanatics Will Love

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Pop culture saved us in 2020. Memes, crooked tiger-obsessives and iconic celebs helped us express ourselves throughout lockdown, at a time where being tied to our sofas binging the latest TV series replaced going out.
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Michaela Coel made us rethink what we value about good TV with I May Destroy You, Kylie dropped an album and sounded more relevant than she has in decades, and Gemma Collins served us with countless meme moments.
It’s been a year. And while we’re not sad to see the back of it, here are some of the entertainment moments are worth carrying forward (in present form).
Supplied Kylie tote bag
Kylie’s back and she’s riding the wave of the disco renaissance spurred on by Dua Lipa earlier this year. Her new album’s a banger, and if you love it as much as we do, you can celebrate with a rather fancy tote bag (or gift to a friend, of course).
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John Lewis What Do You Meme?
The ultimate pop culture present has to involve memes, and this game – naturally called What Do You Meme – sums up the most iconic. They’ve helped us express ourselves as we’ve fought through this incredibly tough year – so this game is a way to keep spirits up over Christmas.
Charlie Dyer, Red Bubble Michaela Coel print
We’re all about the healthy fandom, and we think this pastel-toned print of I May Destroy You Star Michaela Coel captures her style and sensibilities well. This was one of the most popular (and important) TV shows of the year. A second series seems unlikely, so fans may like to ride the show’s wave through to 2021 with some fresh wall art.
Marvin Samuel Tolentino Pineda via Getty Images Watch all your fave Disney classics
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Disney released Disney + this year – one day after lockdown was announced – offering exclusive first access to new films like Mulan – as well as all their classic movies. New documentaries also feature, including a nerdy yet addictive six-part deep-dive into the history of the Disney theme parks. Go on, your Disney-obsessed pal will love it.
Supplied Gemma Collins t-shirt
The GC is no stranger to merch, obvs. Her latest triumph – posted on Insta and now deleted – was a t-shirt which read ‘I don’t que’, which we assume was a typo and should’ve read ‘I don’t queue.’ It’s no longer available to buy, but there’s this iconic lockdown-themed tee that your GC-loving friend will enjoy.
Personalised Celebrity Message, Cameo, Various Prices
Andy Kropa/Invision/AP Fancy a recorded greeting from LiLo?
Services like Cameo offer the completely bonkers service of getting your favourite celebrity to pretty much say whatever you like: so long as you pay them, of course, (sometimes vast amounts of money, sometimes a tenner). Names that’ve signed up to the service are pretty A-list, like Lindsay Lohan and Caitlyn Jenner. Others, erm, less so. Prices start from as little as 90p, but you probably haven’t heard of those guys. Be prepared to pay the big bucks for a well-known star.
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Charles Sykes/Invision/AP Daniel Craig finally returns as Bond in 2021
The biggest film of the year has been delayed twice due to the virus, and now there are talks it may get sold to a distributor like Netflix. Even if it does, it’ll almost certainly still end up in the cinema. Cinemas have struggled during the pandemic, so buy tickets for you and a Bond-loving mate to watch the new film somewhere fancy – like the Picturehouse. You’ll be supporting the future of cinema, too (when the film eventually hits screens in April).
Amazon The Crown Official Companion
In this companion to Netflix’s ridiculously popular series The Crown, the show’s historical consultant, Robert Lacey, takes you through the real history that inspired the drama in this book. It’s full of a lot of research, as well as beautifully-reproduced photographs, so is a great gift for any lovers of the TV series.
craftdlondon It's the closest you'll get to actual Connell
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Sorry to ruin this, but you can’t actually buy Connell’s chain. His accessory spawned an entire culture movement this summer when fans rushed to replicate the simple silver chain look from BBC’s Normal People. Plenty of merchants are trying the old rip off treatment by selling chains for extortionate prices, but there are some simpler chains for reasonable prices which do the trick, like this one.
Amazon Tiger King t-shirt
This exotic-in-colour, Joe Exotic-in-theme tee marks the entertainment symbol of lockdown #1 – and Christmas will be a good time to revisit the series. If you know a fan, get them this (even if it’s for a joke).
My Sainted Aunt David Attenborough cushion
We’ve all got Netflix subscriptions, so there needs to be some fresh thinking when it comes to gifting Attenborough fans. His documentary this year – David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet – went down well. Of course, a donation to the World Land Trust he represents is a good way in, but another, altogether sillier way, is to gift your friend a big cushion with a mural of Attenborough standing in front of the sun, holding a small goat. You’re welcome.
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Etsy Selling Sunset t-shirt
Are you team Christine or Chrishnell? Whether you’re into it for the property porn or the cat fights, Selling Sunset has been the reality show to grip the nation in 2020. This clean, pastel T-shirt riffs on the names of all the Hollywood estate agents and, just a note of warning, will probably mean your friend is stopped in the street by fans and asked which team they’re on.
Invision/AP Make their living room into a catwalk with RuPaul
The pandemic slowed production on Drag Race UK Season 2 – so the air date is delayed until next year. Is your pal is tired of waiting? So are we. Which is why we insist you buy them a life size RuPaul cut-out to serve sass all-year-round from their living room. It’s all about posture and poise: and this fabulous pink cut out has both in droves.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-11--Happy Friday! 12 Unmissable Tweets To Bring You Joy Today

Klaus Vedfelt via Getty Images
This week began with the glorious news that people in the UK were among the first to receive the new Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.
It was a much-needed ray of light in a week otherwise dominated by ongoing Brexit discussions and concerns of a third wave occurring in the New Year.
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If you’re in need of some more happiness to book-end your week, we’ve found some of the funniest – and cutest – quips from the good people of Twitter to spread the joy. Scroll down to see the latest batch.
1. Mr Duckworth can’t keep his tiny peepers open
If you haven’t seen this already this is possibly the best tik tok of all time (sound on) pic.twitter.com/N2KsAEsHBg — Stevie Martin (@5tevieM) December 2, 2020
2. Nigella’s iconic pronunciation of microwave (sorry, mee-cro-wav-ay) becomes an Ikea meme
I know I said enough now, but couldn’t resist https://t.co/JSRZzEwpPU — Nigella Lawson (@Nigella_Lawson) December 9, 2020
3. People are making the same Christmas card mistake
Oh my god I ordered some nice Christmas cards on Papier to send to my family and I forgot to edit the message inside pic.twitter.com/uvAFHPvoj8 — Chris Mandle (@chris_mandle) November 20, 2020
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I’ve just done the same thing!!!! Why do they make it so difficult!! pic.twitter.com/03FYpNfSoS — Kat Matthews (@katstheone) December 9, 2020
4. The meaning of WAP shall not be disclosed
My friends sent me a birthday card that said 'Happy Birthday WAP' and my dad clocked it and said 'ooh what does WAP mean?' and I refused to tell him, so he kept chanting WAP WAP WAP and now I am officially deceased and my ghost is typing this. — Poorna Bell (@poornabell) December 9, 2020
5. Photographic evidence that kids do the funniest things
Aren't kids brilliant?
Exhibit A pic.twitter.com/upq821hQWs — Paul Waugh (@paulwaugh) December 8, 2020
6. Kid learns all of the James Blunt lyrics, much to man’s dismay
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7. Jack’s paddling pool entrance is the stuff of legends
Fun Fact: Jack only enters the pool like this pic.twitter.com/IhwrPyhb2M — M_Crouton (@m_crouton) December 3, 2020
8. Is there anything cuter than tiny fluffy puppy butts? Answer: no there isn’t
On the Fourth Day Of Christmas my True Love
sent to me ~
Four Fluffy Puppy Bums ~
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
pic.twitter.com/1jvBDea8Qp — Ann is still European 💙 Wear your mask 😷 (@56blackcat) December 9, 2020
9. Heavily relatable to anyone who’s tried (and failed) to tuck into the Christmas stash
“Can I eat anything in the fridge?”
“No it’s for Christmas”
“What can I eat then?”
“There’s a piece of bread in the bin”
“The bread bin?”
“No that’s for Christmas. The actual bin.” — VeryBritishProblems (@SoVeryBritish) December 9, 2020
10. Nobody can agree on what you call these four things
What do you call these?? pic.twitter.com/fwPQQkX4H2 — J O N N Y 🥵 (@Ida_Knowe) December 9, 2020
11. This pony’s reaction to conquering The Big Step is the best thing you’ll see today
Thinkin’ about this pony working up the courage to jump over a tiny step pic.twitter.com/CwtSzc46XT — Nerd Girl Says (@Rachael_Conrad) December 8, 2020
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12. And who could possibly forget, this iconic interview with one of the first recipients of the Covid-19 vaccine, his parking woes and that “nasty lunch”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-11--Self-Isolating Before Christmas? Good In Theory, Difficult In Practice

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The logistics of Christmas this year are unlike any other. Instead of the traditional “who’s cooking the turkey?” questions are almost all about Covid-19, with one main concern: how to stop your family gathering from turning into a Christmas cluster.
In the UK, three households can be together for five days between December 23 and 27. People will not have to self-isolate beforehand, even if someone within their bubble is among the “extremely clinically vulnerable” group deemed most at risk from serious illness.
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The government is, however, expected to issue guidance that urges people to reduce unnecessary contact in the run-up to the five-day period. This is also being encouraged by governments across Europe who have announced similar Christmas rule relaxations.
On paper, the principle of ‘preventive self-isolation’ makes sense, both to protect vulnerable loved ones and to provide peace of mind so you can enjoy your holidays. However, according to experts, it’s easier said than done.
Deagreez via Getty Images
One week of isolation, or two?
At two weeks before Christmas, is it too early or too late to self-isolate? In the UK, the quarantine period for infected people and close contacts is generally still 14 days, but countries including France have reduced the isolation period to one week based on updated guidance.
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The seven-day period is generally enough time for early symptoms — if any — to appear. It also corresponds to the period when an infected person is contagious, which is estimated to be between seven and 10 days after the onset of symptoms. If a person is therefore unaware that they are a carrier, a one-week isolation period is the minimum required to reduce the risk of transmission.
“Beyond five days, less than 10% of carriers of non-symptomatic viruses are contagious,” Antoine Flahault, director of the Institute for Global Health at the University of Geneva said in September.
While the effectiveness of self-isolation in slowing the spread of Covid-19 is unquestioned, epidemiologist Catherine Hill warns the isolation must be absolute, which can prove incredibly restrictive at a time of year when we are usually at our most active.
Ivan Pantic via Getty Images
“Every time you go out, you take a few risks, so the strictest possible isolation is the most effective,” Hill says. This means working from home, and having your groceries delivered — even if supermarkets with required mask-wearing are not considered very high-risk places. But it also means taking your children out of school before the holidays officially begin.
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As far as the youngest children are concerned, coronavirus is still largely a mystery. Until now, science has not yet decided on their real capacity to transmit the virus, plus there is the possibility of them being asymptomatic.
Preventive isolation is only truly effective if everyone has followed the same strict rules. “When several members of the same family are more or less cautious, the others should agree to align themselves with the one who is the most cautious,” says Claire Matthieu, a computer scientist at the France’s National Centre for Scientific Research.
If there is a Christmas miracle and families can all agree to respect these numerous constraints, will that be enough to enable them to celebrate ‘normally’ — doing away with social distancing and having hugs and meals for ten, regardless of official recommendations?


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-11--I Went To 'Orgasm School'. Here’s What I Learned

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You’re reading Sex Diaries, a HuffPost UK Personal series about how we are (or aren’t) having sex. To share your story, get in touch on ukpersonal@huffpost.com.
The big act happened when I was 16, on an unassuming night at my then-boyfriend’s. It was a perfectly safe situation – boring, even. I remember how it physically hurt the next morning in the bathroom. But while my body felt the milestone, my mind didn’t – quite frankly, I felt exactly the same as I did before the act.
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It wasn’t until my sophomore year in college that I had my first true orgasm. Again, it was a low-key situation – perhaps one of the only ‘friends with benefits’ situations where it actually worked. I remember the moment I had the orgasm: an equally empowering and shattering feeling of intense euphoria, followed by wonder at why it had taken so long.
In the ensuing years, I had great sex, bad sex, playful sex and intense sex. Some partners were a joy, others less so, some I’ve forgotten entirely. And in most cases, I was left with the same feeling I had that first night: I physically felt the act, and it felt good, but never nirvana.
In ten years of sex, I had less than ten orgasms.
“No matter what I tried, nothing worked. I was frustrated. Or at least I was, until this past summer.”
When I opened up about my inability with friends who said they had orgasms every time, they would always offer kind but unhelpful advice Try a different position! Try Kegel exercises! But no matter what I tried, nothing worked. I was frustrated.
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Or at least I was, until this past summer, when, with the help of a video series, I learned how to overcome my inability to orgasm through a simple act: trusting myself.
Feeling sorry for myself after a particularly painful ghosting – I spent a day in bed, committed to nothing but my pyjamas and YouTube. I don’t even remember how I came across Vanessa Marin’s ‘Finishing School’ video course. I do remember initially groaning at the first video’s punchy title promising an orgasm revolution for women, though.
But there was something about her that came across as positive and supportive. So I clicked. Moments into the video, Marin posed the questions I’d been asking myself for years: Have you ever wondered why you can’t orgasm? Have you ever told yourself that it’s just the way you are?
Well, yeah, I thought. That’s exactly what I think.
“I never thought prioritising my own pleasure was important. I could only find pleasure through someone else’s, and I thought that was enough.”
Marin went on to explain key arousal areas for women, talked about why women have trouble having orgasms, and offered what she called a ‘foolproof’ way to orgasm. It didn’t feel like a sales pitch, it felt more like a friend trying to help me with one of my deepest insecurities. So I watched. And I listened. And I started to masturbate.
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On the second try, I was able to orgasm – something I’d never done before by myself. The power and relief I felt after being able to orgasm by myself was overwhelming. Being able to offer the highest level of pleasure to myself – coached on by a supportive woman, nonetheless – made me feel like I could do anything.
Prior to the course, I’d always been confident in my ability to have sex and to please a partner. I considered myself someone who “enjoyed the act of sex” and “didn’t need to finish.” I never thought prioritising my own pleasure was important. I could only find pleasure through someone else’s, and I thought that was enough.
I realise now that I was wrong. Not only was I unable to finish, but I was unable to come to terms with not finishing.
Facing my inability to orgasm was uncomfortable because it also made me address other issues – trust, intimacy, self-image – I’d otherwise leave untouched. I’m not a sex therapist, nor would I ever try to act as one. But if there’s one lesson I’ve learned on my own fraught path to orgasm, it’s this simple one: trust in and create space for yourself.
“Intimacy is important with a partner, but I now know how important it is to be intimate with myself. And as a result, I feel a much deeper sense of self.”
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We women are culturally conditioned to shift their focus away from ourselves, especially when it comes to sex. We’re conditioned to be ashamed of our sexuality and our bodies and prioritise male pleasure. This shame sets so deep that many of us don’t even know what our intimate area looks like, let alone what orgasm feels like. But here’s the thing: orgasms are about much more than the end of pleasure. Orgasms reflect our self-image. Our orgasms are us at our most vulnerable state. To orgasm is to open up – and to trust.
When I first started masturbating after watching the video, I felt a little lonely. What if this is the only way I’ll feel pleasure for the rest of my life, I (melodramatically) thought. That hasn’t been the case, of course. When I’m having sex with a partner now, I know understand my body much more. In these moments, I know what I need to finish – not just what they need to finish.
But while being able to make myself orgasm has helped my sex life, that’s not the point. The real point is quite the opposite: I’ve learned that my most important partner is me. Intimacy is important with a partner, but I now know how important it is to be intimate with myself. And as a result, I feel a much deeper sense of self.
Looking back now, the few times I was able to orgasm with men before taking the video series wasn’t only because of them after all. It was because I trusted them and because I let myself orgasm. I saw it as trusting someone else, but deep down I was just trusting myself.
Orgasms result from trust in another person, certainly. But as I now more fully understand, they’re also the payoff of trusting – and loving – the self.
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A.W. Geiger is a freelance journalist


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-12--Revealed: The Cheapest Supermarket For Christmas Dinner 2020

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Shoppers looking for Christmas food at a bargain price should head to Asda this year, according to new research, because a trolley-load of turkey with all the trimmings is almost £10 cheaper than at the other big supermarkets.
Which? analysed the prices of 15 festive food staples at five major UK supermarkets – Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose - and found Asda has the cheapest Christmas offering, with the shop costing just under £40 (£39.26).
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The trolley of festive food included a medium turkey crown and sides such as sprouts, King Edward potatoes, parsnips, red cabbage, carrots and Ocean Spray cranberry sauce. It also included ingredients needed to make important elements of Christmas dinner, including 1kg of onions and a four pack of Knorr chicken stock pots.
As Aldi, Iceland and Lidl don’t stock the same range of items as other supermarkets, they weren’t included in the full analysis.
AlexRaths via Getty Images
While Asda came out cheapest for the third year in a row overall, Morrisons offered the next best value option at £48.35, followed by Tesco (£49.03) and Sainsbury’s (£51.61).
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Waitrose was the most expensive, with the equivalent items costing a hefty £22 more than Asda at £62.09.
Some products were the same price across most of the supermarkets, such as the cranberry sauce, which was £1 everywhere apart from Tesco (£1.50).
Asda offered the best value for a medium size crown at £12, 49p less than the same size bird in Lidl and significantly cheaper than Morrisons (£14.50), Tesco (£15), Iceland (£16), Sainsbury’s (£17.50) and Waitrose (£19).
Aldi did not stock this size but instead offered a large turkey crown for £13.69, slightly cheaper than Asda’s version (£14) and better value than Morrisons (£16.50), Tesco (£17), Sainsbury’s (£19.50) and Waitrose (£25).
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While not included in the trolley comparison, Which? also looked at supermarket premium Christmas puddings across 10 supermarkets. These weren’t comparable across the board as they differed in weight, so researchers instead looked at the price per 100g.
Asda emerged cheapest again at 77p per 100g, followed by Co-op, Iceland, Morrisons and Tesco (all £1 per 100g), Aldi (£1.10), Sainsbury’s (£1.13), Lidl (£1.38), Waitrose (£1.50) and M&S (£1.88).


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-11--Bubble Babble: Boris Johnson Urged To Avoid ‘Extravagant Covid Word Play’

England's deputy chief medical officer Jonathan van Tam and prime minister Boris Johnson at a Downing Street news conference. John Sibley / Reuters
Ministers have been urged to ditch “extravagant word play” and use clearer language when tackling the virus as the government’s top scientific advisers raised concern over the emerging language of the pandemic.
The Covid-19 outbreak has spawned a vocabulary – from social distancing to the R rate – that was little known outside epidemiologists at the start of the year. World leaders and scientists have also opted for imaginative ways to articulate a new way of living as they’ve introduced authoritarian measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.
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In the UK, Boris Johnson urged the public to help “squash the sombrero” and bring down the rise in infections, and England’s deputy chief medical officer professor Jonathan Van-Tam pleaded with people not to “tear the pants out of it” when lockdown restrictions were eased. Health secretary Matt Hancock is also prone to a rhetorical flourish, hailing the arrival of Covid-19 vaccines as a “candle of hope”.
On Friday, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) raised concern with the use of the new jargon. In its review of household transmission and ethnicity, Sage highlighted how describing a group of people allowed close physical contact as a “bubble” could be confusing for households where English isn’t the dominant language.
The consensus statement said: “Consideration should be given to ensuring that current social bubbles policy reflects the needs of minority ethnic groups living in larger multigenerational households; and also communicated in a meaningful way so that it is clear how it applies to their households (for example, the term ‘bubbles’ does not translate easily into non-English languages so alternative terms should be identified which will resonate).”
“Johnson and Hancock’s metaphors often come across as if they’re indulging in some extravagant word play just for the sake of it”
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So is the UK government failing to communicate clearly enough with its mix of scientific language, metaphor and contradictory messages? As well as his fondness for referring to a “sombrero”, the prime minister alluded to “the drumming hooves of the cavalry coming over the brow of the hill” when ground-breaking vaccines emerged. Johnson was also this week urged by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to “keep distance” when struggling to abide by safety guidelines during Brexit talks.
Dr Philip Seargeant, a linguist and senior lecturer at the Open University, told HuffPost UK that there is a “tricky balance” to be struck between “the technical and the transparent”, and suggests ministers and scientists have to act as if they’re doctors talking to patients.
He said: “Basically you want to inform but not confuse, so sometimes it might be appropriate to sparingly introduce technical jargon – ‘flatten the curve’ was an earlier example – but at the same time ensure that the overall message and advice is clear and unambiguous.”
“Bubble” is more difficult because it’s a new idea which has been introduced specifically during the pandemic, and was not a particularly common concept before the regulations were introduced, said Seargeant.
“So its meaning isn’t really transparent to anyone, so needed to be defined. But certainly, making sure that the term – and the definition – works in other languages and for other cultures is vital,” he added. “The communications consultant Frank Luntz says that it’s not what you say but what people hear that’s important. And this definitely applies for scenarios such as public health advice.”
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Some are better at the job than others. Van-Tam has won plaudits for his engaging metaphors – describing the progress of tackling the disease as if it was a football match, a plane landing and a train arriving at a station. Johnson, meanwhile, prefers the slightly more esoteric (“that toot of the bugle is louder, but it’s still some way off”.)
Seargeant, author of the book The Art of Political Storytelling, says: “Boris Johnson always seems to favour the exaggerated, over-the-top use of language, and while arguably it’s been quite successful in his political career as a whole, it’s not ideal for a situation like this. He’s often good at coming up with attention grabbing phrases, and vivid descriptions. And he often trades in a sort of mock-heroic hyperbole. But that’s not really what’s called for in a scenario like this.”
Van-Tam comes across as “more honest by not sugarcoating things” compared to Johnson’s “exaggerated optimism”. “There’s some striking and inventive imagery in the way Van-Tam speaks about the virus, but it all seems to be in the service of the overall message. Whereas Johnson and Hancock’s metaphors often come across as detached from the reality of things; as if they’re indulging in some extravagant word play just for the sake of it rather than to help convey the core message.”
So what should they be doing? Seargeant says “clarity, consistency, and honesty” are key. But another aim – cultivating trust – has been difficult to sustain throughout the pandemic. The academic points to Dominic Cummings’s notorious trip to Barnard Castle in April, which became a talking point again on Thursday night after justice secretary Robert Buckland admitted on Question Time that it was a “deeply unfortunate episode” that undermined the government’s coronavirus message.
Seargeant said: “The more the message changes, or comes across as incoherent, the less value people will place in it. Most people are aware that this is an unprecedented and constantly developing situation, and thus realise that advice will need to change and adapt – and so an honesty about these issues will add to the trustworthiness. And of course, any message is only as good as the effect it has.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-11--Simple Tips to Renew Your Home Without Spending A Lot

Simple Tips to Renew Your Home Without Spending A Lot
After spending so much time in your home in 2020, you might be in need of a refresh. Here’s some ways to improve your space without upsetting your bank account.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-11--Why The EU Might Have Just Hinted At A Brexit Compromise

What a difference a year-and-a-half makes.
During his campaign to become Tory leader, Boris Johnson declared there was only a “million to one chance” of a no-deal Brexit.
Fast forward to Friday, less than three weeks from the end of the Brexit transition, and the prime minister was now declaring the UK defaulting to economically damaging World Trade Organisation terms “very, very likely”.
And yet, negotiators are still talking.
Not only that, but Ursula von der Leyen may have hinted that an 11th hour compromise is possible on the so-called standards “ratchet” that is holding up a deal.
Johnson insisted again on Friday that Brussels was trying “to keep the UK locked in to whatever they want to do in terms of legislation”.
But von der Leyen made clear in her closing remarks to the European Council summit of EU leaders that what was actually being proposed would leave the UK “free” and “sovereign”.
The European Commission president outlined a system whereby if the EU raises its standards, and the UK does not follow, then Brussels would be able to “adapt the conditions” for access to the single market, e.g. by imposing tariffs.
Crucially, it would be for the UK to decide if it wanted to pay the price for undercutting the EU and take the tariffs or not.
Even more importantly, von der Leyen stressed that “this would apply vice versa”, opening up the possibility that the UK could also hit the EU with tariffs for unfair competition.
There are real world practical examples where the UK could benefit from this, for example by taking action against Germany’s use of state aid or Ireland’s very low corporation tax rate.
Von der Leyen’s comments also appeared to at least partially address Johnson’s belief that the EU was trying to apply “double standards” (as set out in James Forsyth’s Times column, seen as a barometer of the UK government’s thinking).
Some experts are suggesting the move from the EU might be helpful for Johnson, who could claim a victory while making the necessary concessions to get a deal.
Jill Rutter, senior fellow at UK In a Changing Europe, tells me: “If you wanted to put it into Brexiter language: this isn’t the EU laying down rules for a supplicant pathetic UK.
“This is two sovereign equals agreeing that they will do something, they want the right to move their standards higher without incurring a trade problem and the UK can use that provision if it wants and so can the EU.
“And you could point to the fact the UK leads on some areas like climate change and things like that, so the UK could invoke (the ratchet).”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-11--Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You Hits UK Number One For First Time Ever

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Mariah Carey’s festive classic All I Want For Christmas Is You has finally reached number one in the UK – 26 years after its release.
The song initially peaked at number two in 1994, missing out to East 17’s Stay Another Day, and the last three years have seen it return to match that original chart position.
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But it has now reached the top spot following a closely fought battle with fellow festive anthem Last Christmas by Wham!.
Mariah Carey launching her Christmas album in New York in 1994 Startraks/Shutterstock
The track notched up 10.8 million streams over the last seven days – the most in a week by any song in 2020 so far.
The uptempo R&B-tinged song has become a hallmark of the festive period and earned Carey the “Queen of Christmas” title.
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It has secured 1.24 million pure sales in its lifetime, making it the UK’s 84th best-selling song, according to Official Charts Company data.
All I Want For Christmas Is You also breaks another chart record – no other song has spent more weeks in the top 40 before eventually reaching number one.
Mariah said: “Happy Christmas UK. We finally made it. We are keeping the Christmas spirit alive together despite how dismal the year’s been. Love you always. Joy to the world.”
The news was announced by Scott Mills on BBC Radio 1’s The Official Chart show.
He said: “Truly one of the greatest songs never to be number one has finally reached the top spot and on the 11th of December. Hopefully it can hold on until Christmas Day.”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-11--This Morning Staged A Christmas Panto And Obviously Everything About It Was Completely Ridiculous

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With most pantomimes called off this year (thanks coronavirus), the This Morning gang took it upon themselves to deliver a bit of festive cheer to the nation’s living rooms on Friday.
The ITV daytime show was even more laden with innuendo than usual as it put on a star-studded mash up of classic pantos, including Cinderella, Aladdin, Dick Whittington, Jack and the Beanstalk and Snow White.
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Hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield were transformed into Cinderella and Buttons, while Alison Hammond took on the role of the Fairy Godmother.
They were joined in the studio by other members of the This Morning family, including Ruth Langsford, Eamonn Holmes, Alice Beer, Dr Ranj, Dr Zoe, Lisa Snowdon, Phil Vickery and Steve Wilson, while Josie Gibson, Sharon Marshall, Nick and Eva Speakman, Gyles Brandreth, Vanessa Feltz and Deidre Sanders joined in the fun remotely.
There were also some very special guests including, Joanna Lumley as the wicked stepmother, Sheridan Smith as Peter Pan and panto stalwart Christopher Biggins as Sarah the Cook.
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Holly was nearly in tears as she got to wear a huge Princess dress, saying: “I love it, I just love it. I genuinely don’t think I’ve been this happy.
“I’m holding it together not to cry. My glitter might run down my face.”
There was a particularly hilarious segment as Phil cooked up as sausage pie for Cinderella and Buttons as they hunted to find the glass slipper (no prizes for guessing what the jokes revolved around).
In the final act, Phil and Holly went to Prince Charming’s socially distanced ball in their carriage, where they were met by Sheridan in character as Peter Pandemic (see what they did there?).
However, the Cilla star was having some trouble with the false teeth she was made to wear for the role, much to everyone’s amusement.
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Prince Charming was then unveiled as none other than I’m A Celebrity’s Shane Richie who was “over the Alfie Moon to get the role!”.
After Sheridan then performed a rendition of Rocking Around The Christmas tree, Phillip said: “Hope that helped to brighten up your Christmas a little bit.”
Holly also thanked some of the panto world’s best cast and crew members who had helped them stage the production, before revealing it was their final show before the Christmas break.
Eamonn and Ruth will host This Morning over the Christmas break, although Holly and Phil will return to present a special episode on Christmas Day, marking the first time the show has aired on 25 December.
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This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-11--Sabrina's Original Aunt Hilda And Zelda Appear In Nostalgic Chilling Adventures Crossover

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Sabrina The Teenage Witch remains one of the greatest 90s shows ever made (don’t @ us), so we can imagine fans will be feeling pretty nostalgic after seeing a crossover with the Chilling Adventures version of the show.
The original Aunt Hilda and Zelda – aka Caroline Rhea and Beth Broderick – have popped up in a new promo for ‘part four’ of Netflix’s reimagined series.
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Sabrina, which initially began as an Archie comic, was updated with a new sinister twist for the streaming service in 2018, with Kiernan Shipka taking over from Melissa Joan Hart as the titular witch.
our teenage hearts have the chills. Part 4 is coming Dec 31st. pic.twitter.com/NqcR1NkIZA — Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (@sabrinanetflix) December 11, 2020
In the sketch, the 90s Aunt Hilda and Zelda meet Kiernan’s Sabrina, who is confused by their sudden change of appearance.
Lucy Davis and Miranda Otto usually appear as Aunt Hilda and Zelda in Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina.
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Caroline Rhea and Beth Broderick appeared alongside Melissa Joan Hart in Sabrina The Teenage Witch ABC
Beth (centre left) and Caroline with their Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina counterparts DIYAH PERA/NETFLIX
They will be reprising their roles in the upcoming second half of the second season – dubbed part four – when it debuts on Netflix on 31 December.
It will also serve as the last instalment, after Netflix announced it was cancelling Chilling Adventures earlier this year.
Sabrina The Teenage Witch previously ran for seven seasons between 1996 and 2003.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-11--Dolly Parton Saved Her 9-Year-Old Co-Star From An Oncoming Vehicle

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Thank heavens for Dolly Parton.
The 74-year-old country music icon pulled a young co-star out of the path of a moving vehicle on the set of her new Netflix holiday special, Christmas On The Square.
Talia Hill, the nine-year-old actor and dancer, recalled the incident in a recent interview with Inside Edition.
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“We were on set and I was at the hot chocolate station, and they said go back to your beginning positions,” Talia said. “So there was a vehicle moving and I was walking, and then somebody grabbed me and pulled me back. And I looked up and it was Dolly Parton.”
“‘Well, I am an angel, you know,’” Talia said Dolly told her after the moment. “’Cause she plays an angel in the movie. And I was in shock. She hugged me and shook me and said, ‘I saved your life!’ And my mom was crying, like, ‘Yes, you did, Dolly Parton. Yes, you did.’”
Dolly does indeed play an angel in the new musical, which dropped on Netflix last month. The holiday special takes its name from a song on her new Christmas album, A Holly Dolly Christmas, which is her first holiday album in 30 years.
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The movie follows the story of Regina Fuller (Christine Baranski), who returns to her hometown to evict residents after the death of her father.
Talia is the youngest of three siblings cast in the musical. Her brothers Tristan, 16, and Tyson, 13, also act and dance in it.
Last month, Dolly told Sunday Today that she hopes to bring some healing during tough times with her holiday projects.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-11--MPs' £3,000 Pay Rise Scrapped Following Backlash

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MPs have had their salaries frozen, following a backlash over a planned pay rise.
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa,) which sets MPs pay, had been due to recommend a £3,300 bump to the current £79,468 wage.
But it announced on Friday this would no longer be happening.
“The unprecedented impact of the Covid pandemic has had an unexpected, but different, effect on public and private sector earnings,” Ipsa’s chair, Richard Lloyd, said.
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“It is clear that applying the forthcoming official statistic for public sector earnings growth would result in a salary increase for MPs that would be inconsistent with the wider economic data and would not reflect the reality that many constituents are facing this year.”
It means MPs pay will remain unchanged for the financial year 2021-22. Ipsa was set up in the wake of the 2009 expenses scandal to stop MPs setting their own pay.
But it meant while MPs could no longer give themselves pay rises, they also had no formal power to stop one being handed out.
Boris Johnson was among those who had called for the expected increase to be scrapped.
Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, said the planned 4.1% increase for MPs would be wrong.
“This year of all years we shouldn’t have it,” he told LBC.
“That money, if it’s available, should be spent on key workers — those who have been on the frontline through this pandemic.”
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More than 50 Conservative MPs also recently wrote to Ipsa to demand the pay rise not go ahead.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-11--Scrap Bedroom Tax To Save Lives, Urge Government's Scientific Advisers

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The bedroom tax should be “urgently reviewed” to help people in larger households self-isolate from coronavirus, the government’s top scientific advisers have urged.
The controversial “no recourse to public funds” condition that stops migrants claiming benefits, and the benefit cap that limits the state help available to vulnerable people, should also be reviewed given the difficulties they create for poorer people told to self-isolate who may lose income as a result, the experts said.
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A review of household Covid transmission by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) published on Friday said the virus being passed around within people’s homes was a significant contributor to its overall spread in the UK.
The consensus statement dated November 24 analyses data from five population studies – ONS, REACT-Imperial, Biobank, QResearch and OpenSAFELY.
The studies find that the presence of multiple generations within single households is a key factor in the risk of Covid-19 infection and death, even taking into account deprivation and other factors those households also experience.
The risk is particularly significant within households in south Asian communities, the scientists found.
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“It is highly likely that the high levels of transmission seen in the quantitative studies in this paper are connected to cramped, low quality and crowded housing,” Sage said in the report.
“The spare room levy (the ‘bedroom tax’) has limited the amount of space available to families in social housing – space which can be crucial if, for example, members of the family return home (e.g. adult children returning, as happens in times of economic downturn), or there is a need for a carer to stay.
“The emphasis on within-household isolation during the pandemic is rendered much more of a challenge where there is no spare room.
“The bedroom tax should therefore be immediately revisited especially in deprived and over-crowded areas to ensure this does not pose an impediment to self-isolation for households at higher risk of infection and transmission.”
Compared with white ethnic groups, those from minority ethnic groups, particularly of south Asian origin, tend to live in larger or multigenerational households, the studies found.
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Additionally the document suggests other practical support should be offered to allow safe isolation of individuals living in crowded or multigenerational households.
The paper says minority ethnic groups face greater economic constraints, exacerbated by the economic impacts of the pandemic, and are more likely to live in housing in deprived communities.
Along with higher average household sizes, that means they would particularly benefit from housing strategies like the provision of emergency grants for repair and maintenance of social and private rental housing, and additional space.
In October Baroness Doreen Lawrence called for the government to suspend the NRPF rule that prevents some migrants accessing state assistance until their immigration status has been finalised, which she says is disproportionately affecting Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, and in turn is leading to a higher impact of the coronavirus pandemic upon them.
Sage said in the report: “The interaction of immigration and benefit systems, and ‘no recourse to public funds’, may exacerbate issues of overcrowding in cases where job loss arises and there is no potential to draw on state benefits or social housing – necessitating the use of informal arrangements.
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“Therefore, we support the call to make exemptions to this rule faster and easier to receive.”
The government must also give local authorities more cash and provide greater regulation to increase the supply and quality of social homes and affordable private rented accommodation, the scientists said.
Meanwhile, the government has made no change to the benefit cap policy, which limits the total amount of benefits low-earning or non-working households can receive, in light of the pandemic.
Charities said it is not right that struggling families are being penalised when they have little to no chance of finding extra work or new jobs, and are calling for the cap to be suspended.
The Child Action Poverty Group (CPAG) said most of the affected households were capped as a result of Covid-19 seeing their working hours being cut, being furloughed, or losing their job altogether.
A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said: “We are committed to supporting the lowest-paid families through the pandemic and beyond. That’s why we have provided billions in welfare support this year, and people are exempt from the benefit cap for the first nine months while they adjust to new circumstances.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-12--Trump Rants About Getting 'Screwed' By Supreme Court In Twitter Meltdown

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Donald Trump finally shared his reaction to the Supreme Court dumping the Texas lawsuit challenging the election – and it wasn’t pretty.
He ranted after midnight Friday about getting “screwed,” boasting he “got more votes than any other sitting president in history” – yet “purportedly lost” (because Joe Biden got 7 million more votes).
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So Trump “intervened” on behalf of the Texas lawsuit seeking to toss all the votes in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, which happened to vote for Biden. The suit was backed by 17 other red states (“wonderful states,” the president noted in his tweet).
But the court tossed the suit Friday because Texas “lacked standing” to challenge votes in other states, it said in a brief, unsigned order.
In “a flash” the suit was “thrown out and gone, without even looking at the many reasons it was brought,” Trump angrily tweeted. “A rigged election, fight on!” he added.
He complained bitterly that no court has yet judged his complaints about election fraud on their “merits” — even though there is absolutely no evidence of election fraud. “It’s a “legal disgrace, an embarrassment to the USA!!!” he tweeted.
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He grumbled that the Supreme Curt “really let us down,” and has “no wisdom, no courage!”
Twitter marked the tweets about a rigged election “disputed.”
The president didn’t detail how he might “fight on.” But the Trump’s attorney, Rudy Giuiliani, the mastermind behind Trump’s failed legal assault on election results, told Newsmax Friday that more suits will be filed.
The Supreme Court really let us down. No Wisdom, No Courage! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2020
So, you’re the President of the United States, and you just went through an election where you got more votes than any sitting President in history, by far - and purportedly lost. You can’t get “standing” before the Supreme Court, so you “intervene” with wonderful states..... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2020
....that, after careful study and consideration, think you got “screwed”, something which will hurt them also. Many others likewise join the suit but, within a flash, it is thrown out and gone, without even looking at the many reasons it was brought. A Rigged Election, fight on! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2020
“We’ve not gotten any court to judge this (the vote) on its merit.” @DanPatrick of Texas. It is a legal disgrace, an embarrassment to the USA!!! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2020
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The Supreme Court really let us down. No Wisdom, No Courage! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2020
The Supreme Court decision is widely viewed as a final, devastating blow to Trump’s battle to overturn election results. “From a legal perspective, the fat lady has sung,” said Steve Vladeck, a CNN Supreme Court analyst and University of Texas Law professor.
The Electoral College meets Monday to cast ballots reflecting the voters’ choice of President-elect Biden.
Critics responded to Trump’s complaints by telling him to get ready to hit the road. But a number of supporters ominously called on him to utilize his backers — and even the military — to get what he wants.
You have the tools!! Use them!! You are the only one that can and I think 80MM American have your back. Not to mention the greatest military in the world!! — Champion-of-the-Republic-Elect Preacher Trainer! (@PreacherTrainer) December 12, 2020
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"A rigged election, fight on!"
TRANSLATION (basically): "Don't stop giving me your cash!!" — MURRAY🧢🇺🇸 (@murray_nyc) December 12, 2020
Life comes at ya fast. pic.twitter.com/p03p8fBlRs — Luke Barnett (@LukeBarnett) December 12, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-12--Shirley Ballas Wants Strictly Pros Johannes, Giovanni And Gorka As Bridesmaids At Her Wedding And Wh

Shirley Ballas Wants Strictly Pros Johannes, Giovanni And Gorka As Bridesmaids At Her Wedding And Where’s Our Invite?

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Shirley Ballas has said she hopes to get engaged to boyfriend Daniel Taylor next year - and already has some very specific plans for her big day .
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The ballroom champ and choreographer started dating her actor boyfriend in 2019 after they worked together in a Jack And The Beanstalk pantomime in Liverpool.
Shirley Ballas and Daniel Taylor. SOPA Images via Getty Images
Now Shirl, who has been married twice previously, is hoping he’ll pop the question next year.
She told MailOnline: “Maybe next year is on the cards, possibly.
“For my bridesmaids it would be my gaggle of gays, (her friends) Alan and Nathan from America, I am already thinking about that.
“It wouldn’t be straightforward, it would have a twist in it. Johannes, Gorka and Giovanni could be bridesmaids too. That could be fun.”
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Will Gorka, Johannes, and Giovanni's bridesmaids dresses top their recent Strictly outfits? BBC
Speaking about their relationship, she added: “We’re very 50/50 so women have equality like men. So if I cook, he’ll wash up, he’ll vacuum and I’ll clean. He’s that type of person. He’s definitely a keeper for sure.”
The 60-year-old star also hasn’t ruled out proposing herself, adding: “I don’t know, we have mentioned it once or twice.”
The judge was married to Texan ballroom dancer Corky Ballas between 1985 and 2007 and the pair have a 34-year-old son, Mark.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-12--Shawn Mendes Apologises To Sam Smith For Using Wrong Pronouns: ‘It Slipped My Mind’

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Shawn Mendes has apologised to Sam Smith after using the wrong pronoun to address the pop star.
Sam identifies as non-binary and uses “they, them and theirs” but while introducing them at iHeartRadio’s Jingle Ball, Shawn referred to the singer as “he”.
The Canadian singer-songwriter later apologised to the British star on Instagram, admitting “it slipped my mind”.
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(L-R) Shawn Mendes and Sam Smith PA
“I’m so sorry for referring to you as a ‘he’ for your Jingle Ball introduction,” Shawn wrote.
“It absolutely slipped my mind. Won’t happen again… Sending you so much love! Also you are absolutely one of the funniest people I’ve ever met!”
Shawn Mendes Instagram Instagram
Oscar-winner Sam accepted the apology, saying: “We’re all learning together. Happy holidays, all my love xx.”
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Sam asked fans to refer to them using the pronouns they/them in September last year.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-12--Victoria Beckham Shows Off Her ‘Sex Pants’ (Her Words) Ahead Of Date Night With Husband David

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After 21 years of marriage, Victoria Beckham has given fans a glimpse into how she keeps the romance alive with husband David.
Two words: Sex Pants.
The Spice Girl shared a cheeky snap of herself in the skin tight PVC trousers on Instagram ahead of date night with the footballer.
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“Domestic goddesses wear plastic pants! Sorting the kid’s snacks before date night… can’t wait to see what you’re wearing @DavidBeckham,” she captioned the pic, before adding the hashtag #sexpants.
Let’s hope David made similar amounts of effort for his romantic night with Victoria and left those bizarre “Gaston” boots he was spotted in earlier in 2020 in the wardrobe.
Victoria Beckham Victoria Beckham/Instagram
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Victoria’s trousers are a sartorial nod to the catsuit she wore in the Spice Girls video for Say You’ll Be There, which made quite the impression on David when he first saw the clip 23 years ago.
The soccer star even referred to it in an Instagram message to his wife when they celebrated their 21st wedding anniversary in 2020.
David and Victoria Beckham arrive at the Brasserie of Light at Selfridges in London, for the London Fashion Week Men's AW19 closing dinner. PA
“Well about 23 years ago I was sat in a room with Gary Neville and the spice girls were on the TV and I turned around to him and said ‘ohhhh I like that one in the little black catsuit’,” he wrote.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-12--Supreme Court Rejects Trump’s Authoritarian Bid To Hijack The Presidency

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The US Supreme Court has rejected a bid by outgoing President Donald Trump to usurp a second term in office, an anti-democratic legal campaign that sought to disenfranchise millions of voters across four states he lost in the presidential election that would have sent the union spiralling into chaos.
Trump had asked on Wednesday to intervene in a Supreme Court lawsuit brought by Texas attorney general Ken Paxton that sought to invalidate votes cast in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin.
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The Supreme Court rejected the case wholesale. Two conservative justices — Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas — said they believed the Supreme Court was technically required to allow Texas to file a bill of complaint, but indicated that they would “not grant other relief,” meaning they would not agree to throw the country into chaos.
More than half of Republicans in the House of Representatives as well as 17 Republican state attorneys general joined in the desperate and unprecedented request to overthrow the will of the American people and give Trump another four years.
Millions of Americans will continue to believe conspiracy theories about mass voter fraud and refuse to believe the demonstrable fact that president-elect Joe Biden beat Trump, who has continued to push misinformation about nonexistent mass voter fraud to the American public.
Paxton’s now-rejected complaint alleged that entities other than the state legislatures, like the courts, in the four states in question changed election laws prior to the election. The complaint made the controversial argument that only state legislatures may change election laws (a position with no holding precedent) and therefore the elections in these states should not count. The lawsuit made no mention of the fact that Texas governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, and not the state legislature altered election rules unilaterally as well.
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Furthermore, the complaint was riddled with falsehoods and unproven conspiracy theories of voter fraud that centred around a bogus statistical analysis that claimed there was only a “1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000” chance of Biden winning the four states.
The lawsuit sought to nullify the election results in these four states and allow the Republican-controlled state legislatures to choose the winner. Trump lost these four states from a low of 0.24% in Georgia to a high of 2.8% in Michigan.
After losing more than 50 post-election lawsuits, Trump called Paxton’s complaint “the big one,” and filed a motion to join the suit. But it died like the rest.
This case, just like Trump’s other lawsuits, wasn’t really meant to succeed. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the four states fingered in Paxton’s complaint, nor is there any evidence in any other state. Just as Trump’s lawyers denied in court that they were alleging voter fraud, Paxton’s complaint contained no specific allegations of voter fraud. The specific, and false, allegations were reserved for arenas where lawyers could not be sanctioned for lying.
The futility of Paxton’s challenge made it more like a political protest rather than an actual legal challenge. This led Republican Party partisans to pile onto the complaint with briefs that read like press releases in order to show their support for Trump, and the party base that loves him, by rejecting the results of a democratic election.
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In addition to the 17 Republican attorneys general who filed to support the complaint, 126 Republican House members, or 64% of the party caucus, including minority leader Kevin McCarthy (California), joined in. As did more than three dozen Republican state elected officials in a brief alleging “cabal and oligarchy.” Senator Ted Cruz (Republican, Texas) agreed to argue the case if the court took it up. Conservative activist groups joined with briefs as well. As did right-wing cranks seeking attention, including disgraced former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore and the imaginary states of New California and New Nevada.
The states targeted for the nullification of their elections forcefully rejected such allegations in their own briefs. They all noted that prior lawsuits filed by Trump and his allies litigated these matters and state and federal judges found no evidence for the allegations of fraud.