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Britain's Royals Show Some Love For Riot Victims and Responders

Annie Scudder — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 10:10:27 PDT

Prince William and Kate Middleton became the latest UK royals to meet with citizens impacted by this month's riots across England. Dressed in an Alexander McQueen ensemble, Kate told responders from Birmingham that she and William watched in disbelief from home: "Looking at all the young people out and about on the streets, we couldn't believe it was happening in Britain."

Yesterday, a solo Prince Harry stopped by ambulance headquarters in Salford, England, and exchanged a few smiles and handshakes with emergency service crew members. The prince is set to bring his charm to California soon, where Harry will complete helicopter training courses. Good news for California girls: Harry is officially single.

On Wednesday, Britain's future king Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, met with Tottenham, London, residents who lost their homes or businesses during the riots. Looking like quite a modern royal, Charles wasn't afraid to get touchy feely with the people he met, accepting at least one tight, big hug. While the royal visits seemed to lift some spirits, others were not impressed. One local youth worker told the Guardian: "Everyone knows the royals have no power. They couldn't give a monkeys if royals were here." Even so, check out pictures of William, Kate, Harry, and more fulfilling their royal duty and spending time with those most impacted.

Should Governments Have the Ability to Block Usage of Social Networks?

Kristy Korcz — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 11:24:59 PDT

The London riots have caused more than physical damage to the city - it has also started the discussion on whether or not governments should have the ability to block usage of social networks if they believe those tools are being used to spark violence and unrest. Reports state that a large part of the London riots have been organized via social networks (like Twitter and Facebook) as well as BlackBerry BBM. RIM is already cooperating to hand over information relating to the riots while the British prime minister has issued a call to ban users from social networks who have used them to organize riots, and he's asked sites like Twitter and Facebook to remove posts relating to those actions.

Earlier this year, we saw the population of Egypt blocked from Twitter and Facebook to prevent videos, photos, and information from being shared about the country's protests. While the British government isn't asking to totally block social networks from the country as a whole, rather it wants to ban individuals using it to organize riots. The question can be asked - where do we draw the line? Obviously, sites like Twitter and Facebook have the right to shut users down for violating terms of service, but should that power also be handed off to the government?

What do you think - should governments have the ability to block social networks to prevent violence, or is any blockage considered censorship?

Picture It: London's Burning

Tara Sharp — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 10:35:00 PDT

A man and woman look on as the rioting in London continues for the third night. So far 450 people have been arrested, 44 police officers have been injured, and many districts in the area have succumbed to "mob rule." The riots began Saturday after a vigil for Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old father of four who was killed by armed police in an attempted arrest Thursday. See more frightening photos of the fires and looting aftermath in London now.

Cool Idea: A Rooftop Boating Lake

Elka Karl — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 10:40:05 PDT

I love rooftop gardens, but a rooftop lake? With boats and a bar? That's even more incredible. Londoners can see this green-tinted rooftop lake for themselves from July 21 – 24 on the roof of Selfridges London. Event designers Bompas & Parr have transformed over 4,300 square feet of the roof into an island and boating lake, in partnership with Truvia natural sweetener. Unfortunately, tickets are already sold out, but check here for more information. In the meantime, take a look at the truly magical photos!

London Calling: 5 Books to Transport Tots to the Royal City

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 05:45:32 PDT

Take the kids to London, without ever leaving home! If the royal wedding has your lil one dreaming of life on the other side of the pond, there are plenty of books to teach her a thing or two about the city where the nuptials took place. From a cartoon about the history of the royal city to an accordion-style 3D book featuring London's most famous sites, check out these five books that will transport your tot to the Windsor family's city.

Picture It: Fun in the Sun

Annie Scudder — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 10:40:36 PDT

Performers Richard Seymour and Kitten Von Mew dance in the Appearing Rooms fountain by artist Jeppe Hein at the Southbank Centre in London. With a roof-top garden, urban beach, several art installations, and a row of beach huts, the Southbank Centre is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain, which officially opens tomorrow and runs until Sept. 9. With this and the royal wedding, it sure seems like a fun time of year to be in London! Check out more photos from the festival kickoff.

Design Inspiration From Studio Xag

Elka Karl — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 05:00:00 PDT

London-based Studio Xag creates vibrant retail designs and props for clients, including Diesel, Bertie, Topshop, and Oasis. Xavier Sheriff and Gemma Ruse, the creative forces behind Studio Xag, are responsible for the bespoke installations, shop retrofits, and window installations that often leave passersby gaping with surprise. Of course, it would be a little too costly to hire these two to create a window installation for one's home (not to mention impractical), but that doesn't mean there's not plenty of inspiration to be found in Studio Xag's work. See how it can translate to your home.

Act Like Royalty and Go Green All Year Round

Elka Karl — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 11:08:20 PDT

The color green shouldn't be reserved just for St. Patrick's Day, as Prince Charles demonstrated today when he visited his "Prince's House" at the Ideal Home Show in London. The house beautifully marries tradition and sustainability - two concepts that are near and dear to Prince Charles's heart.

In a letter introducing this concept house Prince Charles wrote,

I hope people who visit the show will see that eco-homes do not have to be a kind of alien from outer space, but can be beautiful and comfortable places with a sense of identity and belonging. If the British people are to be persuaded that it’s worth living in low-carbon homes, it may be easier if the examples they see don’t necessarily look like spaceships or hermetically sealed boxes.

Designed by The Prince's Foundation For the Built Environment, of which Charles is president, this home re-creates the "natural house," a design developed by the educational charity at the Building Research Establishment in Watford, Hertfordshire. Head over to the foundation's website for a video explaining this concept house - it's brilliantly simple, relying on traditional insulation and heating and cooling concepts instead of hi-tech gadgets. For instance, sheep's wool is used as insulation in the roof and floor. In addition to the incredible eco structural features of the home, the interiors reflect a recycled, chic sensibility that continues the theme of traditional, green living. The house's cozy, Anthropologie-esque interiors were designed by Christina Moore, and are a perfect reflection of the prince's goals for the eco, traditional home.

Jamie Oliver: Chef, TV Host, Author, Cheesemonger?

Susannah Chen — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:21:23 PDT

Next time you're at the grocery store, would you consider picking up a wedge of Jamie Oliver-branded cheese? That's what the UK chef is banking on. At London's International Food & Drink Expo this coming weekend, the British chef will launch the Jamie Oliver Continental Cheese Range.

The cheese line includes the likes of parmigiano-reggiano wedges aged for two years in the hills of Parma, Italy; cave-aged gorgonzola and mascarpone layered cheese from the Italian Alps; barrel aged-feta; Fior di Latte mozzarella; and tubs of ricotta and mascarpone. The cheeses will be a continuation of Oliver's existing pasta, meat, sauce, snack, and spice lines, which are available worldwide in countries from Holland to Brazil.

Looks like the food revolutionary, restaurateur, TV host, cookbook author, and media personality can add "cheesemonger" to his growing list of titles. In fact, the Naked Chef has fallen under fire from fellow UK culinary personality Marco Pierre White, who criticized him for not being a "real chef." Where do you stand? Would you buy Jamie's line of cheese products if you saw it at your local grocery store?

Source and Source

House Tour: A Glittering London Pad

OnSugar Blog — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 05:00:00 PST

Here's a post from OnSugar blog House of Anais:

SHH, a London-based architectural practice and design consultancy decorated this amazing six-floor Kensington House in London with the lead of René Dekker, their head of residential interiors. What an interior - I can spot moonlights, Moooi Raimond lamp-styled starlights, transparent furniture, and a gold-and-white-themed pool. The main areas seem to reflect more white and neutral tones, whereas the bedrooms have plenty of colorful splashes using what looks likes Pantone's colors of the year for 2010 and 2011 (turquoise and honeysuckle) and very Missoni-looking rugs and cushions.

Keep reading to take the full house tour! Want to see more? Start following House of Anais or create your own OnSugar blog!