Survived.” These six words are synonymous with King Henry VIII’s six wives and how their marriage to ole’ Harry ended I have been obsessed with these women since I was a senior in high school I have given an unprompted 45-minute-long lecture on them while waiting to see the crown jewels at the Tower of London read as many books and seen as many movies and documentaries as I can about them and even wrote my master’s thesis on Queen Catherine Parr (wife six) I had a dream-come-true-moment when I got to spend the night in Hever Castle and Gardens: the childhood home of Queen Anne Boleyn (wife two) and divorce present to Queen Anne of Cleves (wife four) knowing that it was too early to check in to the bed-and-breakfast but we were simply hoping to drop off our luggage arriving early allowed us special access to the castle We got 30 minutes to tour the castle with only fellow patrons of the bed-and-breakfast This was advantageous for us because heavy rain brought the regular visitors swiftly past the gardens and straight into the shelter of the castle there are various re-creations of Tudor-era rooms The Aster family spent 10 million dollars in the early 20th century to make the rooms as accurate as possible modern amenities such as electricity have been put in the castle but you get a real sense of how it was back in the 1500s and 1600s The castle is filled with painted portraits tapestries and personal items of King Henry Queen Anne Boleyn and Queen Anne of Cleves My personal favorite was nerd-ing out over Anne Boleyn’s music book and Book of Hours There are several knowledge-filled employees scattered around the castle to provide basic information for newcomers and niche information for longtime Tudor-obsessed fans such as myself There are plenty of places to eat while visiting the castle and gardens The Moat Café offers an opportunity to sit down and enjoy a meal offering a variety of sandwiches and cakes If you want to eat and meander around the gardens several kiosks offer a variety of foods from BBQ to ice cream and macaroni and cheese (depending on the season) The deluxe hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows made walking the gardens in the cool air even more enjoyable If you are seeking a true English pub experience the King Henry VIII pub is just a five-minute walk away from the castle My spouse and I enjoyed it so much that we went for lunch and dinner Your admission ticket to Hever Castle and Gardens is good all day grab a bite to eat at King Henry’s and then return to walk the gardens and grounds we returned to the grounds where we walked around the Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry Military Museum It’s a small museum but included with our admission and worth checking out There is a large playground for children to enjoy onsite as well as the “space walk” where model planets hang from the trees I recommend doing the space walk at night for the best experience After spending all day at the Castle and the surrounding area We had initially booked a standard room but were surprised when upon our arrival Each room is named after a historical figure; I cannot remember which one our room was We opened the door which revealed an entry way with a table against the left wall featuring a folder with information about local things to do and restaurants Further down was the entrance to the bedroom featuring a spacious area and a large bed to rest our tired bodies Back in the entry hall you follow it to the end which leads to the bathroom with a giant shower and a bathtub to relax in no royal ghosts haunted us as we slept that night There is plenty going on at Hever Castle no matter what time of year you visit enjoy a castle lightshow and various hot chocolate vendors Note that the castle is closed for most of January Israel is turning to domestic weapons production “Resistance to Trump is unifying us,” political economist and Boycott Sanctions (BDS) activist Shir Hever recently told Truthout “And because BDS is global and intersectional the potential for a large tent campaign has never been better or stronger than it is now.” Hever’s scholarly interests and professional and political commitments have been bound up with the pursuit of justice for Palestinians in Palestine Hever — an Israeli-born Jew — has been working in Berlin entrusted by the Palestinian BDS movement with the role of worldwide coordinator of the military embargo a campaign that’s been thrust into a renewed and urgent relevance since October 7 Author of two books — The Political Economy of Israel’s Occupation: Repression Beyond Exploitation (Pluto Press 2010) and The Privatization of Israeli Security (Pluto Press primarily to present at the inaugural conference of the Center for Heterodox Economics in Tulsa he met with Palestine solidarity groups in multiple cities in part to remind them they are members of a global movement that transcends this moment of escalating repression from the Trump administration At the core of his message is an old movement slogan political history in the making with a new utility: “They oppress Hever sat down with Truthout to discuss developments on the military embargo front the significance of the upcoming Israeli budget and prospects for further BDS success Frances Madeson: Welcome to Missouri, where since August 2020, by law all agreements with contractors doing more than $100,000 worth of business with the state must contain an anti-BDS clause which declares: “the company is not currently engaged in and shall not engage in a boycott of goods or services from the State of Israel.” How do you analyze the impact of such laws Shir Hever: Strange laws like this one are unique to the United States There were a few attempts in Germany and France to legislate against BDS but they failed miserably because they’re unconstitutional and because the High Court for Human Rights of the European Union shot them down there are these strange laws where a foreign state gets privileged status and people have to swear loyalty to that foreign state in order to do business But the military embargo is moving forward with its own agenda regardless of these laws They’re relevant for BDS activists in the United States because it’s an attempt to silence BDS but every attempt to silence BDS makes the global movement stronger Every attempt to criminalize BDS always fails because BDS is anchored in the most basic tenets of the U.S political organizing and democratic values The origin of the word “boycott” is from Ireland when Irish land tenants [organized a campaign against] Charles Boycott it’s how the weak stand up against the strong we remind ourselves we’re not asking anybody to sacrifice their jobs Taking action to reduce the flow of arms to Israel feels more urgent after 16 months of live streamed genocide perhaps because more people are aware of the consequences of complacency is the movement gaining in popularity or strength One way of tracking it is to see how much BDS is mentioned and talked about in the news Often you hear the voice of some very racist pro-Israeli journalist or politician defaming BDS by accusing it of antisemitism then feel obligated to have an opposing point of view also presented which gives an opportunity to the BDS activists to speak for themselves How to track BDS is a very complicated question because we’ve never seen so many companies take action to sever ties with Israel as we have in the last year and a half we have to acknowledge that when the level of atrocities committed by Israel then even companies that were very pro-Israeli feel like they have to take a step back Most people don’t participate in the arms trade and they cannot really engage in embargo; it’s more about advocacy of governments and governments don’t want to listen to us when we talk about military embargo All this has changed in the last year and a half we found ourselves on the other side of the conversation because now the military embargo is no longer a demand by the progressive movements — it is the law ruled that the occupation is illegal and states are obligated to impose a military embargo to make sure that their weapons are not used to advance occupation This was adopted by the UN General Assembly on September 18 when there are weapon deals that are exposed of ships that are carrying weapons shipments to Israel — just the act of exposing them is enough to stop them and governments have to act to impose a partial or complete military embargo This is important because it’s a global issue Israel’s new budget was supposed to be passed last October but is still being thrashed out in the Knesset’s Finance Committee tell us about the feasibility of the state’s future war preparations We are in a moment in which the Israelis know there’s a military embargo There’s no such thing as a state without a budget but Israel is not really functioning as a state very much and this budget has tens of billions of dollars set aside to build supply lines in order to avoid importing weapons because of the military embargo the Israeli Ministry of Defense issued a tender for replacing the main combat rifle of the infantry The condition of the tender includes that at least 54 percent of the materials and production of the rifles must be sourced inside Israel — in order to avoid military embargoes There’s a reason that most countries around the world don’t produce TNT because producing it is extremely polluting and dangerous and nobody wants to have that in their backyard Israel is going to become a giant TNT factory according to their plans They’ll basically be destroying the land of Palestine in order to make weapons with which they want to destroy Palestine Israel is going to ruin its relationship with the U.S Northrop Grumman — they’re not going to accept it If Israel is going to bury tens of billions of dollars into establishing those factories There is a concept in economics called a debt trap A debt trap is when the interest payments are so high that you cannot meet them and then you borrow in order just to pay the interest The people who loan money to Israel will not accept to be paid in worthless shekels and Israel doesn’t have an unlimited supply of that That’s the difference between the empire and the outpost Those who think Israel is the empire and Israel pulls the strings of the United States Because Israel can fall within a week once it defaults on its debt but the United States has much more depth to its power Are there synergies between the various campaigns? For example, if you have a BDS success with McDonald’s does it somehow add to the success of the military embargo In order to understand how the synergy works you need to put yourself in the shoes of the business people Companies like McDonald’s responded to the boycott by trying to distance themselves and say we’ve lost so many billions of dollars so let’s sell our branches in Israel to another company But the company is still calling itself McDonald’s and using the McDonald’s brand But when they take this action of trying to cut their losses unsuccessfully which are profiting by selling to Israel for now Look what happens to a giant corporation like McDonald’s It’s better to cut our losses now and stop trade with Israel Just a couple of weeks ago, there was a worldwide survey of states as brands. Israel got the last place in favorability in the whole world; first in world instability overshooting North Korea for the first time The one thing that I haven’t said yet is that in this moment when the Trump presidency seems so dark and dangerous for all of us especially for people in the United States And because BDS is global and intersectional the potential for a large tent campaign has never been better or stronger than it is now We’ve borne witness to a chaotic first few months in Trump’s presidency each executive order has delivered shock and bewilderment — a core part of a strategy to make the right-wing turn feel inevitable and overwhelming as organizer Sandra Avalos implored us to remember in Truthout last November the Trump administration is pushing through executive orders but — as we’ve reported at Truthout — many are in legal limbo and face court challenges from unions and civil rights groups Efforts to quash anti-racist teaching and DEI programs are stalled by education faculty And communities across the country are coming together to raise the alarm on ICE raids and protect each other in moving shows of solidarity Truthout plans to be there documenting and uplifting resistance join our community of sustainers by making a monthly or one-time gift Frances Madeson has written about liberation struggles in the U.S American Theatre Magazine and Indian Country Today She is also the author of the comic novel Cooperative Village We fell short of our goals in our most recent fundraiser Help us meet our basic publishing costs by the end of April Make a tax-deductible one-time or monthly gift to Truthout today This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page History CorrespondentWednesday November 20 2024 Hever Castle in Kent looks ready for a very traditional Christmas Trees are everywhere in the childhood home of Anne Boleyn but as you turn into the family apartments things take an unfamiliar turn the wreaths intertwine and the yuletide feast is adorned by fish heads springing out of a pie this is a return to a lost tradition for the historic home which has spent much of this year restoring the family’s apartments to their​ true 16th-century appearance​ Now the​ curators are putting the icing on the Christmas cake by decorating them as they would have been for a Tudor yuletide for the first time in 500 years The show will run across the month of August Alex Wood The world premiere of Anne Boleyn the Musical has been announced The brand-new show is set to debut at Hever Castle The production will be performed in a specially constructed 1,800-seat outdoor auditorium in the castle’s grounds the musical will explore Anne Boleyn’s early life and rise to the English court in the 16th century It follows her departure from her family and her time at the royal courts of Flanders and France where she would eventually capture the attention of King Henry VIII founded by Eliane Astor-De Merode and Simon de Merode has a history of producing large-scale historical musicals in Belgium Astor-de Merode (who is also set to be the future Lady Astor of Hever) said: “Hever Castle is more than just Anne Boleyn’s childhood home; it’s a living monument to her life and the historical events that shaped her destiny The historic walls of the castle have witnessed the joys and sorrows of Anne’s life they will once again come alive with the story of this remarkable woman through our musical “This production will offer visitors a unique opportunity to step back in time and experience the world as Anne might have known it It is a privilege to play a part in bringing Anne Boleyn the Musical to life at this historic estate Hever has always been intertwined with Anne Boleyn’s story It is important to maintain the connection between our family and this place which meant so much to my children’s ancestors.” The show features set and costume design by Robert Innes-Hopkins Technical direction is managed by Gary Beestone Associates The production is overseen by producer Simon de Merode for Historalia Productions explained some of the practicalities: “This unique production offers a special opportunity for our regular visitors and those from afar to experience a West End-calibre show in the remarkable setting of Hever Castle It’s truly extraordinary to witness a story about a historical figure from 500 years ago performed against the backdrop of her very own childhood home “Although the staging and seating will occupy a large portion of the sloping lawn throughout August it’s worth noting that until just a few years ago this space served as our main overflow car park during peak times We’re fortunate to have ample alternate areas to host other events and for picnicking.” Get the best deals and latest updates on theatre and shows by signing up for WhatsOnStage newsletter today UVeye developer of an AI-driven automated vehicle-inspection technology bringing its total capital raised to $380.5 million This is a significant amount particularly in these economic times will fuel UVeye’s efforts to meet surging global demand for its innovative systems and solidify its position as the market leader in the industry as the company nears a million vehicles scanned every month,” the company announced UVeye’s so-called “MRI for vehicles” uses computer vision to deliver precise data-driven insights by scanning all visible vehicle components in a matter of seconds tire analyzers and 360-degree exterior detection systems has been installed at hundreds of dealerships including at key clients such as Amazon and General Motors In 2024, UVeye was named as one of TIME’s “Best Inventions” and Fast Company’s “World’s Most Innovative Companies.” “UVeye is redefining the standard for vehicle inspections, and this investment from Woven Capital, Toyota’s growth fund, underscores the global shift towards automated and AI-driven solutions,” said Amir Hever, CEO and cofounder of UVeye, based in Israel and New Jersey. “With hundreds of new installations planned for 2025, including for dealerships, major fleets and car manufacturers, as well as strategic applications in rental services, manufacturing lines, and seaport inspections, we’re scaling at a pace that reflects the market’s enormous hunger for our technology.” Will Fung, principal at Woven Capital, added, “UVeye has experienced remarkable growth across the mobility ecosystem, which speaks volumes about the exceptional leadership of Amir and his team, as well as the growing demand for advanced vehicle inspection technology. UVeye’s platform will help deepen the connection between automotive service providers and their customers by delivering transparency and actionable insights that modernize the service experience.” In 2025, the company plans to deploy hundreds of systems worldwide, enabling the scanning of millions of vehicles annually. The $150 million debt facility, structured by Trinity Capital, includes an initial $100 million commitment with an option for an additional $50 million, specifically allocated to support the production of these advanced systems. Earlier this year, the release of Wolf Hall saw the world losing its head. Its stars revealed all to Annabel Sampson why Gen Z can’t look away in the January 2025 issue A late 16th century portrait of Anne Boleyn on display at the National Portrait Gallery in London, England. Anne married the king in secret in 1533, shortly before Henry's marriage to Katherine of Aragon was annulled The ill-fated Empress Elisabeth ‘Sissi’ of Austria has had her story retold countless times on screen. Now, on the anniversary of her wedding to Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, what is the truth behind the drama? ‘Hever Castle is more than just Anne Boleyn’s childhood home,’ explains Eliane, wife of The Hon Charles Astor, ‘it’s a living monument to her life and the historical events that shaped her destiny ‘This production will offer visitors a unique opportunity to step back in time and experience the world as Anne might have known it within the very grounds where she grew up.’ She continues: ‘It’s a privilege to play a part in bringing Anne Boleyn the Musical to life at this historic estate which meant so much to my children's ancestors.’ Hever Castle was the seat of the Boleyn family before it was purchased in 1903 by house by American millionaire WW Astor And what a set Hever Castle will make. From walls adorned with floor-to-ceiling tapestries, and 16th-century furniture carved with menageries of exotic animals to hand-painted friezes and velvet swags tumbling from the corners of four-poster beds the the castle is a testament to the decadence that defined the upper echelons of Tudor society Nestled amid 125 acres in rural Kent, Hever first came into Boleyn ownership in 1462; the following century, Anne was born to Thomas Boleyn and his wife, Elizabeth Howard, and lived at Hever Castle at several points throughout her life. The royal family and the occult: The King of UFOs details the little known eerie experiences What better set for a musical about Anne Boleyn than her childhood home, Hever Castle? So accurately-recreated are the chambers that Anne herself would recognise the rooms today, Tudor historian Sir David Starkey previously told the BBC, adding that ‘she would even be able to find her way to the room where she slept’. And perhaps she does: the ghost of Anne Boleyn is said to stalk the gardens of Hever Castle every Christmas, appearing under the great oak tree where she and Henry first romanced each other – courting seduction and scandal in equal measure. The Queen of timeless fashion: Elizabeth II’s 100 most elegant looksBy Chandler TregaskesRead MoreHistoralia has a great track record when it comes to staging productions in Europe’s most stunning castles The Merode siblings – whose parents are Prince Léonel and Princess Régine de Merode of Westerlo Belgium – have been combining their passion for history At their own childhood home in Westerlo Castle they have put on shows like Jeanne d’Arc and 1830 and in 2023 they staged Marie-Antoinette at Wynendale Castle in Flanders Merle Oberon as Anne Boleyn in the film The Private Life of Henry VIII So when Princess Eliane married Charles Astor – son and heir of John and Elizabeth Astor, The 3rd Baron and Baroness Astor of Hever – it was only a matter of time before Historalia brought the West End to Hever Castle ‘When they later proposed creating a musical about Anne Boleyn it was an opportunity we couldn’t resist,’ explains Duncan Leslie where Anne once exchanged love letters with Henry VIII is an experience that will be as historically significant as it is magical.’ And when the curtain rises on opening night for Anne Boleyn The Musical the ghost of one of England’s most mysterious women joins the audience in their round of applause Book tickets at historalia.co.uk; Anne Boleyn The Musical runs 2 to 30 August 2025 in the Grounds of Hever Castle The Sunday TimesYou may find the idea of staying in a hotel with an executioner’s sword on display a bit unnerving The Kentish castle was the spectacular family home of Anne Boleyn and was later given to Anne of Cleves by King Henry VIII in their divorce settlement — not a bad payout for six months of marriage King Henry VIII’s home near Kingston upon Thames where Queen Elizabeth I learnt of her succession to the throne Hever Castle has long been a favourite destination for those with an interest in Tudor history But few know that it is possible to wake up within jousting distance of the place where the Boleyns plotted their courtly power moves is about as close as you can get to those hallowed halls without sleeping in the castle (where the decor may be nice but the insulation leaves a lot to be desired) And while that beheading sword is not strictly in the B&B — it’s a short hop away over the castle moat — it still feels a little too close for comfort when you lay your head on your pillow at night The castle was once owned by the family of Anne BoleynWhen I visited last week to stay in one of the newly revamped rooms there was palpable excitement over the new series of Wolf Hall adapted from Hilary Mantel’s bestselling trilogy that charts the rapid rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell as King Henry VIII’s right-hand man Series two starts on BBC1 at 9pm on November 10 almost ten years after the first was broadcast Hever’s in-house historians worked on the programme and a new portrait of Cromwell will be unveiled there to mark this To get in the spirit I checked in to Hever’s B&B to learn about the Tudors’ enduring allure The castle is a ten-minute walk across fields from Hever station though it’s much better to arrive by car so you can explore the surrounding countryside Guests staying in one of the 27 rooms enter via a separate gate It’s hard not to be awed by your first view of the castle With flame-red Virginia creeper climbing up its biscuity stone and a working drawbridge and portcullis (the oldest still in operation in England) it has as much drama as the private lives of its former owners It was built in 1270 and bought in the early 1460s by Anne Boleyn’s great-grandfather Geoffrey “That’s partly why the Boleyns purchased it,” the historian Owen Emmerson says during my tour of Hever included for all B&B guests (tickets to the castle and grounds are usually £23) “They were fairly new money and it was a symbol of status.” Hever Castle boasts one of the biggest collections of 16th-century portraitureLast year his colleague Kate McCaffrey identified Cromwell’s prayer book — as seen in the famed Holbein portrait of him —in the library atTrinity College “We think it’s the only known item from a Tudor painting to survive,” says Emmerson • Six castles to rent from only £15 a night “[Kosminsky] came and spent a weekend here We gave him the tour and he got very emotional; he got very close to Cromwell,” Emmerson says “When Hilary was writing the last book in the trilogy [The Mirror & The Light the source material for the new TV series] … she was constantly sending him drafts And when he was making the first series he was constantly in contact with her to check things.” Mantel died in September 2022 He had a lot of historical advisers for this series to fill that gap but my role chiefly was advising on what book covers and things like beheading axes looked like in that era Peter really cares about the details — he wants it right.” The castle was used in the TV adaptation of Wolf Hall starring Mark RylanceBBCOther high-profile films shot here include The Princess Bride and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace restored to look as it would have in the 16th century added by Anne of Cleves and holding one of the biggest collections of 16th-century portraiture outside the National Portrait Gallery where plans of Anne Boleyn’s ascendancy to the throne would have been discussed Another of Hever’s owners was William Waldorf Astor who bought the castle in 1903 and spent the equivalent of £1 billion in today’s money renovating it — including building the hundred-room wing called the Tudor Village that is now the B&B (his son In 1983 the castle was sold to the Guthrie family One of Hever’s castle’s bedroomsThe B&B has a guestbook to rival most high-end London hotels Astor hosted the Queen Mother in the 1920s is ten minutes’ drive north and is also open to visitors (£20; nationaltrust.org.uk) “Churchill was regularly here painting,” Emerson says pointing to a box of paints that belonged to the former prime minister “In fact we have one of Churchill’s paintings of Hever hanging in the hall.” • 15 of the best hotels in Kent It may have been tempting to allow the B&B wing to rest on the laurels and grandeur of its neighbour but Astor employed the best craftsmen to replicate 16th-century features The drawing and billiards rooms are in keeping with the interiors of the castle while a breakfast fit for the appetite of King Henry VIII is served in a grand vaulted mock-Tudor hall with a gargantuan fireplace While most of the rooms are on the traditional side my Willow suite is the most recently renovated — last year by Sarah Clark of Interiors at Nine to Eleven from Malton North Yorkshire — and combines antiques with bold clashing wallpapers and riotous patterns on upholstered armchairs and curtains A children’s bedroom doubles as a den with a canopy bed that mimics the castle furnishings I spend most of the evening in the slipper bathtub reading Mantel’s Bring up the Bodies (in for a penny and all that) The building and its grounds are steeped in historyJONATHAN SYERIf you want to escape the Tudors for a bit there are tennis courts on site and a golf course and driving range nearby there are Sunday roasts and a roaring fire at the Wheatsheaf pub at Bough Beech a five-minute drive away (mains from £16; wheatsheafboughbeech.co.uk) while a ten-minute yomp through the castle grounds will lead you to another roaring fire at the King Henry VIII pub (@thekinghenryviii) the biggest perk of staying here is having access to the gardens at times when there are no day visitors I spend an hour after breakfast roaming Astor’s Italian garden as ducks glide around the moat and robins jump between branches Before I leave I ask Emmerson for his opinion on why the Tudors are still so captivating and continue to inspire countless books “I think it’s because you couldn’t make it up,” he says • Seven of the UK’s most majestic stately homes to visit He adds that staying at Hever is so special because “we’re divided from history by time and space, but if you can occupy the spaces you can be so much closer to it. You don’t have to suspend your disbelief”. Katie Gatens was a guest of Hever Castle, which has B&B doubles from £165 (hevercastle.co.uk) Hampton Court Palace in southwest LondonALAMYOriginally created by Cardinal Wolsey Hampton Court was quickly commandeered by King Henry VIII who turned it into a pleasure palace for himself and his ill-fated wives a couple of whom are still reputed to come gliding down its staircases after dark was a great admirer — he copied Hampton’s tennis courts at his own home — but he won’t have experienced the glories of the contemporary winter ice rink in Hampton’s spectacular front courtyard from November 22 (£18pp; hrp.org.uk) Across the road is deer-filled Bushey Park Details B&B doubles from £162 (mitrehamptoncourt.com) Paul church in LavenhamALAMYCromwell’s father was in the wool trade so he very likely visited this Suffolk town whose 340 listed buildings are mostly wonky half-timbered homes of wealthy wool merchants There’s the Wool Hall from the 15th century into which prosperous merchants funnelled some of their profits On dry days there’s an excellent walk from here to Long Melford (another wool town) through Thomas Gainsborough country a spa hotel in a 15th-century building inebriated by the passage of time Details B&B doubles from £170 (theswanatlavenham.co.uk) The Sign of the Angel is a 15th-century inn in LacockMARC WILSON 2014Of all the postcard-pretty Cotswolds villages Lacock is where Hilary Mantel’s storytelling is made flesh Its 13th-century abbey doubles as Wolf Hall the remainder of the time-travelling village is unique in having architecture from every century onwards lime-washed houses alongside typical Cotswold cottages of honey-coloured stone Lacock Abbey hosts a museum of photography (£20; nationaltrust.org.uk) and the village offers period accommodation in a typically low-ceilinged 15th-century inn Get cosy by the stone fireplace in the two-AA-Rosette dining room that hosts a monthly supper club focusing on seafood or game (five-course tasting menu from £45pp).Details B&B doubles from £120 (signoftheangel.co.uk) Become a subscriber and along with unlimited digital access to The Times and The Sunday Times you can enjoy a collection of travel offers and competitions curated by our trusted travel partners Sign up for our Times Travel newsletter and follow us on Instagram and X Image Source: Hever Castle was the home of Anne Boleyn the second wife of King Henry VIII who was beheaded (Getty Images) Hever Castle is a double-moated 14th-century castle that was once the childhood home of Anne Boleyn Henry VIII’s second wife and the mother of Elizabeth I The Gen Z-inspired marketing clip they posted just a week ago has already racked up over 10 million views via GIPHY The next frame of the clip shows the ardent employee standing in front of Boleyn’s framed portrait hanging on a wooden wall queen,” he exclaims as a compliment to the queen's beauty in Gen Z lingo The clip transitions to the part of the castle housing the sculpture of a prominent Romanesque-style man “My guy’s rizz is fire,” the employee remarks using the Gen Z term for charisma or charm via GIPHY via GIPHY he continues to use “slay” at different spots around the castle After a quick-timed montage of “slays,” he stands in a grand corridor with an arched roof lined with crystalline chandeliers she left no crumbs when she made the Long Gallery,” he says trying to explain how Anne did a great job with the decor Image Source: Reddit | u/doesitevermatter Image Courtesy: Reddit| u/Appropriate-Sun-6881 Image Source: Reddit | u/luckybucketbastard7 Image Source: Reddit | u/turbulent_ease2149 A day after the video was posted and instantly went viral, the castle’s staff posted a short meme depicting the employee being welcomed as a hero by the rest of the staff TikTokers are revealing the actual cost of items from top brands Many of these videos are from Chinese manufacturers revealing something many already know: that many of their favorite luxury European brands are actually made in China these videos are showing the math and how much disparity there is between the actual cost of manufacturing versus the price tag at a branded store #sourcingtips #sourcingagent #yiwuagent #yiwuminigoods #yiwumarkets #Lunasourcingchina #chinasource #lululemon #lululemonaddict #alo #yoga #yogawear #activewear #fashion #leggings #factory#chinashipping #wholesale#shoefactory #leggingfactory #alibaba #directfactory “I thought this was common knowledge already,” wrote @PineappleCervix on X “Yeah it's been (to an extent) but this is the first time the Chinese are ACTUALLY CONFIRMING it,” wrote @thecreativexx in response This information has gotten traction not just from consumers, but small business owners in both the United States and China Some Chinese TikTokers are asking American consumers to skip the middleman and buy directly from their factory at a cheaper price Focus on high-quality leather and high-quality craftsmanship The comments regarding this influx of revealing videos are varied with people saying this isn’t really new information and others thinking this is a big deal “Now with social media (and TikTok especially), factory-level transparency is going viral. What was once niche supply chain knowledge is now mainstream content,” wrote @LoveleeBubblee on X #greenscreen you’ve been seeing all the Chinese #distributor coming across your #fyp that’s because of the #tariff war between the us and china Expect more #manufacturer to show up on your timeline #warehouse #hermes #lululemonhaul #middleman Small European and American businesses have also been kneecapped by the tariffs since many of them have their products manufactured in China then shipped to the U.S. or they order parts from Chinese factories While the focus of these Chinese TikTok videos has been to educate consumers there have been small business owners taking to the Internet to explain to their followers and customers why they have to now raise prices on their products Many of them feel that they have no choice with them arguing that they either cannot find quality made products that the cost of American or European-made products are too expensive or that there just aren't any factories in any other countries that can make what they’re looking for I wasn’t going to make this video but felt that in my heart I needed to @The Elevated Closet #smallbusiness #usbusiness #womanownedbusiness #tariff #manufacturing the governments of both China and the United States are figuring out a deal social media has become a platform for people in the manufacturing and general consumer camps to get honest about the actual cost of "luxury" items and unite in the hope that something gets figured out in a way that all three camps can benefit Tesco is reducing food waste by giving away expiring food to customers Tesco is trying a new policy of giving away expiring food at the end of each day "This trial will allow customers to take any remaining yellow-stickered items for free at the end of the day, after they have first been offered to charities and colleagues," said a Tesco spokesperson but Tesco is the first direct-to-customer policy being implemented in the nation so far This food waste in our landfills also generates up to 10% of greenhouse gas emissions and energy instead of letting it rot in landfills - YouTubeyoutu.be It will be interesting to see if Tesco’s policy works out in everyone’s favor Hopefully if it does it will become adopted as the standard by the government and the private sector in order to ensure that people are fed and a meaningful dent in climate change is achieved Gen Z is facing the same economic issues Millennials did at their age But that little bit of money is one car repair away from disappearing altogether The poster continued to share that their parents gave them six months until they had to move out but that even if they got their raise in four months it would only be a single dollar per hour more They also shared that the answer to their problems isn’t “work more hours.” Take home pay is becoming less and less as expenses rise year after year.Photo credit: Canva “I’m showing this to the older generations that say we're lazy and shit and I don't want to hear anything because I’m not allowed overtime and I work 6 days a week,” they wrote Other posters shared their thoughts and struggles “How do they expect anyone to live on $16/hr when prices have doubled on almost everything?” “Some states' minimum wage is still $7.25.” “Horrible people charging him $600 when he can't even afford to save.” “Cost of living is obnoxiously high and wages aren’t nearly high enough to balance out how much it costs to live.” Making bill payments gets harder each year.Photo credit: Canva While the poster got some advice regarding finding a place closer to his job the fact remains that Gen Z is falling into the same financial burden that Millennials have long fallen into To put things into perspective, the national minimum wage, currently standing at $7.25/hour, was last changed in 2009 back when the oldest Gen Zers were 12 years old While some states have raised their minimum wage the lion’s share haven’t raised wages or their raises still wouldn’t make enough difference to help their residents make a living It should be stressed that those are for folks that live alone without kids as the cost of living would be even greater should you and your partner have children even $16/hour doesn’t provide much for the modern worker solidarity will hopefully form and bring about change that will benefit both generations through collective action Michael Sheen generously paid off the debts of 900 people Sheen's debt acquisition company is like many others in that it purchased the debts of those people for pennies on the dollar Sheen didn't pursue the debtors to pay off their original debt for a profit Sheen’s documentary hopes to highlight how finance companies and banks take advantage of the most vulnerable and profit from them a growing issue in Wales and other countries Sheen also remarked about how difficult most financial institutions make it for regular people to pay off their debt once it has accrued “People are getting into spirals of debt,” he says “Once you’re underwater it’s very hard to get out again That’s why I wanted to do this — to draw attention to the fact that this is going on and we need to push to try and make a difference for people.” with a 5.6% boost occurring the same time as household debt increased by $94 billion Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that Michael Sheen will be able to personally pay off everyone’s debt, so we’ll have to explore other options. In terms of getting out of your own personal debt, there are many different theories, tactics, and services out there willing to lend you a hand (or allow you to help yourself). The Federal Trade Commission offers some viable solutions there are again several theories and proposals posited to the government to provide debt relief to everyday people whether it is through stimulus checks or regulations to our financial institutions investigate local activist groups or candidates that are pushing for the change you wish to see in debt relief or other whatever could solve this growing problem While it was very kind of Sheen to extend a hand to 900 people it will require much more of us to extend a hand to so many more to ensure a better life for everybody According to Investopedia, skrinkflation "is the practice of reducing the size of a product while maintaining its sticker price Raising the price per given amount is a strategy employed by companies mainly in the food and beverage industries We experience this every day when we look at products we've bought for years and become suspicious that they're getting smaller ("The Office," "Inglorious Basterds") noticed something fishy about the size of Cadbury Eggs and brought them to Conan O'Brien's attention back in 2007 in this hilarious clip This article originally appeared four years ago There’s always some level of generational bickering it’s been between Baby Boomers and Millennials which is ironic since Millennials were raised by Boomers Millennials argue that Boomer selfishness has contributed to a world where it's harder for younger generations to thrive No matter who's right, the reality is that Millennials are on far shakier financial ground than their parents. Robert Reich, an admitted Baby Boomer, and former Secretary of Labor in the Clinton Administration, does a great job at explaining the discrepancy in a new video/blogpost entitled "Four Reasons Why Millennials Don't Have Any Money." "Millennials aren't teenagers anymore," Reich writes. "They're working hard starting families and trying to build wealth They are only half as likely to own a home and more likely to live in poverty than their parents As many Millennials were starting their careers they entered an economy where paychecks stayed flat while living costs wage growth in the mid-'80s to mid-'90s was over three times higher the costs of essentials like housing and education have gone through the roof The most common way that Americans have built wealth in previous generations was by owning a home But the exorbitant cost of real estate across the country has priced Millenials out The median home price in 1980 was $147,000 in today's dollars and then $178,000 in 2000 the average cost of a college education in 2018 is nearly three times that of 1978 via PixaBay Due to the drastic increase in the price of education Millenials have an average of $28,000 in student loan debt the average young adult carries an average of $5,000 in credit card debt Fourth: Millennials are finding it harder than previous generations to save for the future That makes total sense given the fact that their expenses are higher and they are saddled with debt Millennials also aren't saving as much because very few companies offer pension plans like they did for the Baby Boomer generation they offer do-it-yourself retirement plans such as 401Ks "All of this means that fewer Millennials are entering the middle class than previous generations Many young people today won't be able to retire until 75 Reich believes there are steps we can take to improve the financial stability of Millennials and future generations This article originally appeared last year It is said that hospitality is not just about serving food to customers but also serving souls. However, if the customer starts displaying utterly rude behavior, they have to be put in their place. In August 2023, a Reddit user shared a story about their friend who encountered a customer like that in r/pettyrevenge The man presented the server with a $100 tip that they discovered later They were furious but they did something that left the customer dumb-mouthed They were lauded by people for how they handled the situation Representative Image Source: Pexels | Olly The server in question received an irate customer one day he visited the restaurant with his friends or by himself where he would sit in the bar and watch a sports game “I’ve never had a problem with him until he came in one time with a date,” the server wrote Representative Image Source: Pexels | Pixabay The server had never seen the woman before so they assumed the man was on a date the couple called the server and asked them for the check They went right around the corner from the table to get it Representative Image Source: Pexels | Cottonbro they noticed that the man was placing a $100 bill on the table 'Watch this' as he puts down a hundred dollar bill on the table you weren’t supposed to see that'," they wrote He was probably trying to impress the woman But they didn't care about it as they needed money at that time and their focus was on the $100 tip they discovered that the $100 note was fake “That means this freaking guy planned this out to impress this woman It was so frustrating because I needed the money but at the same time I thought it was because I did a great job,” the waiter said They narrated the entire incident to her manager who thought it was “ridiculous.” via GIPHY the obnoxious man visited the restaurant again with the same woman the server was working on different tables and was quite busy But when their manager asked if they wanted to take the order for the couple’s table and teach the man a lesson It was their chance to settle the score with the man “I get to their table and they instantly recognize me the woman seemed normal but the guy looked like he was nervous I pretended nothing happened all the way until I got their check,” the server described via GIPHY they placed it down on the table along with the fake $100 bill not sure if you remember me from last time but I believe you forgot this just returning it because I believed it was too much.” Apparently The woman on the table looked confused as if she had spotted the man’s deception they found a big $0.00 from the man as their tip on the signed copy the woman who was also sitting at the same table and saw the whole charade of her date Representative Image Source: Pexels | Karolina Grabowska “One can only assume that the guy didn’t want to tip on his card so he wrote obnoxiously big zeros on the tip and that $50 just happened to be where the woman was sitting so I’m hoping she had placed it there,” the server reflected adding that they hoped the woman eventually saw the red flags that the man showed Representative Image Source: Pexels | Jonathan Borba The server’s story was upvoted by 15,000 people and over 730 left comments on it. u/tricularia commented “My dad always told me that if you want to know how someone will act in a long-term relationship pay attention to how they treat servers in restaurants I am definitely noticing a pattern there.” Image Source: Reddit | u/eloagent u/Its_only__forever shared their own similar experience “As someone that has been in the industry for over 2 decades I had a party once that tipped me in pennies spread across the table when they left I scooped that s**t up so fast and chased them out and just dumped it at their feet with an 'I think you forgot something.' Yes Image Source: Reddit | u/spoomplesplz “As a woman who was raised by a single mother who was a server for many many years I ended a relationship with a guy because he didn't tip.” Image Source: Reddit | u/mulderitsme99 u/Careless_Candle6771 shared from her personal experience "The place I work at is a hot spot for 1st dates and any time I cash a couple out The dude usually says no as the merchant copy is being printed and then I can see the $0 tip and I go "ok!" And then just leave it face up on the table anyway do I love when the women run back with cash saying via GIPHY the 68-year-old Jimmie went through his closet after he heard an announcement on television that this particular lottery ticket hadn’t found its prize winner yet who had been an avid buyer and collector of lottery tickets gave it a thought to do a quick check inside his closet lying among stacks of booklets and piles of crisp tickets especially considering it was tucked away in his closet “I ended up with a stack - a pile of tickets including the one they were talking about on the news," he told lottery officials He also said that he's been buying tickets in New Jersey and New York since the 1960s but has never been in a rush to see if he’s the winner of some prize He wasn't sure he could believe it as he sat there gazing at the piece that had brought golden fortune to him ‘Do I see what I think I see?'” he told NJ.com “I had to stick my head out the window and breathe some fresh air I really had to convince myself this was real.” But it was real indeed Representative Image Source: Pexels | markus winkler won $24.1 million from the New York Lottery Jimmie had earlier bought the ticket at a grocery and tobacco shop at 158 Church Street in the Tribecca neighborhood in Lower Manhattan ‘I’ll check them when I have the time,'” he said post this prize-winning and claiming himself as the owner of the winning ticket He reappeared five months later only to complete the required paperwork and disappear again He chose to receive his $24 million in installments over 26 years 2 MAY 2025BookmarkEnjoy the stunning surroundings of Hever Castle (Image: Craft in Focus)The UK has a wealth of individual and talented professional designer makers and artists who produce wonderful original items that often can't be found amongst the mass-produced and imported goods on the high street Celebrating more brilliant handmade talent, Craft in Focus is returning to Hever Castle with its latest Contemporary Spring Craft Fair Grab your tickets today and save money by booking online in advance Exhibitors selected from the UK's finest professional contemporary craft makers and artists will show and sell their unique work across various disciplines Known as one of Southeast's most popular craft events the Contemporary Craft Fair provides an excellent opportunity to meet and purchase from talented UK designer makers Some exhibitors will also provide live demonstrations offering insights into the intricate skills involved in creating their work Craft in Focus is committed to showcasing the highest calibre of exhibitors often not seen at other craft fairs With a strict policy against bought-in or imported work exhibitors have been chosen for their individuality Held in semi-open-sided marquees within the enchanting gardens the event boasts a picturesque backdrop of the historic castle Live music and various food and drink options will keep even the smallest of family members entertained as the event also promises to be a unique day out for the whole family Experience exceptional craftsmanship in beautiful surroundings and family-friendly attractions The Contemporary Craft Fair will take place from Thursday in the captivating grounds of Hever Castle from 9.30am to 5.30pm Craft Fair entry is included in normal garden admission can save up to £9.50 on adult admission using discount code CRAFT25 RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) members can take advantage of free admission.* *Discount codes only applies to tickets purchased online in advance and may be entered until Friday, May 9, only and are only valid for the dates of the craft fair, and are not applicable to concession (senior/student), child, or family tickets. Free admission for RHS members apply to weekdays only. Conditions apply, see Hever Castle website a startup that uses AI-driven technology to inspect vehicles to avoid defects and target repairs said on Wednesday it has raised $191 million in debt and equity to scale up production in North America and Europe The company’s $41 million funding round was led by Woven Capital the investment arm of Toyota and its $150 million debt facility was structured by asset management firm Trinity Capital The latest funding brings UVeye’s total capital raised to $380.5 million runs what it calls an “MRI for vehicles,” using external scanners that inspect underneath and all around vehicles plus runs on-board diagnostics in seconds for automakers car auction houses and insurance companies The same manual inspections for defects or repairs take on average 20 to 30 minutes and do not deliver the same consistent results as the artificial intelligence-backed technology used by UVeye “When someone works a shift of eight to ten hours they can’t inspect every vehicle the same way I mean you just get tired,” Hever said “Our system simply doesn’t get tired.” Hever said UVeye’s solution detects 96% of vehicle issues compared with 24% in manual service checks Uveye’s AI technology learns to look for problems or defects that are specific to different car models and brands The company has been installing its scanners at Amazon distribution centers in the United States that check every vehicle when it returns from its delivery route we ground the vehicle until they fix it,” Hever said Most of UVeye’s business so far has been in the U.S but the company plans significant expansion in Europe and should also expand into Japan in 2026 Please tell us what we can do to improve this article Get the latest insurance newssent straight to your inbox Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" We have updated our privacy policy to be more clear and meet the new requirements of the GDPR. By continuing to use our site, you accept our revised Privacy Policy FER Edit Forbes Hever & Wallace has added Hannah Balle to its team as an outside sales representative in the Houston territory particularly in healthcare and K-12 foodservice solutions Balle recently relocated to Houston to join FH&W Her background includes time spent as a manufacturer’s representative in her home state where she developed her skills in the foodservice industry She also has served on the food broker side and has a culinary background “We are excited to have Hannah join FH&W in our Houston territory Her culinary background and time on the food broker side will no doubt give our customers and our team a unique perspective,” says Karey Clements vice president/sales and marketing at FH&W FH&W also says it now represents Ice-O-Matic in Texas and Oklahoma The individual brings experience in executing M&A strategies building teams and transforming financial operations ABOUT US ADVERTISE DIGITAL SOLUTIONS GROUP PRIVACY POLICY TERMS OF USE DO NOT SELL MY INFO An Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University researcher is using artificial intelligence to help model and predict in-flight loss-of-control incidents which could help reduce a main cause of fatalities in commercial aviation “Many accidents happen due to Pilot-Induced Oscillations (PIO),” said Dr. Hever Moncayo, professor and graduate program coordinator in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and co-director of the Advanced Dynamics and Control Lab PIOs are generally defined by human error — when a pilot takes control of an aircraft but overcorrects or takes actions that worsen a situation “The pilot is often not able to recover once the aircraft goes into PIO,” Moncayo added “This project looks at how we can monitor pilot behavior before getting into those conditions if there is a mechanism that can monitor pilot behavior then we can predict what the pilot should do to avoid PIOs,” said Moncayo He and his team of student researchers — which include doctorate student Rocío Jado Puente, and master’s students Gabriela Gavilánez Gallardo and Stephen Brutch — are collecting data from flight simulator trials, which will then use AI algorithms to predict and model pilot behavior to develop ways to mitigate accidents. Aerospace Engineering Ph.D student Nathan Schaff and Aerospace Engineering undergraduate student Malena Nealon are pilots supporting the flight tests The research is one of five safety-related projects benefitting from a $20,000 seed grant awarded by the Boeing Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety at Embry-Riddle and Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach College of Engineering which were awarded for the first time earlier this year with the College of Engineering contributing $80,000 and the Boeing Center funding $20,000 “Safety is so complex in aviation and aerospace that it takes these multi-disciplinary efforts,” said Dr associate director of the Boeing Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety The collaborative effort highlights how different areas can work together at the university to solve aerospace and aviation problems "Our intent with this program is to incentivize, support and catalyze groundbreaking work that will 'move the needle' and have a direct, positive impact on aviation safety,” said Dr. Jim Gregory, dean of the College of Engineering at the Daytona Beach Campus “Our expectation is that these funded projects will lead to follow-on proposals for extramural funding." Moncayo said the seed funding is helping him get preliminary research results for the project which he plans to submit for additional funding to agencies like NASA and the National Science Foundation It is also providing valuable experience for Embry-Riddle students like Gavilánez Gallardo whose research is focused on how AI models can be applied for Earth and space applications you are trying to contribute something novel to the field,” said Gavilánez Gallardo so you can find your passion and follow it.” Other projects that have received seed grants from the Boeing Center for Aviation & Aerospace Safety at Embry-Riddle and Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach College of Engineering are listed as follows: Posted In: Aviation | Computers and Technology | Research As Israel’s genocidal war casts a dark shadow over the region and world experts warn the billions spent to decimate Gaza and Palestinians could prove a cost too high for its own economy according to an Israeli economic researcher painting a bleak picture for Israel’s future “The economic crisis will only get worse and worse There is no prospective for recovery,” Israeli political economist Shir Hever warned in an interview with Anadolu His words echoed a recent assessment by Yoel Naveh a former chief economist at the Israeli Finance Ministry who said the government has to act “vigorously and with immediate action to … stave off the risk of a looming financial crisis.” could “drag its war-battered economy into a recession and endanger the country’s national security.” The economic cost of Israel’s deadly assault on Gaza where it has killed and injured nearly 140,000 Palestinians since Hamas’ cross-border attack last October is believed to be somewhere over $67 billion according to an August estimate by Israeli economists The Bank of Israel said in May that the war costs would spike to about 250 billion shekels ($66 billion) through the end of next year grew by just 0.7% in the second quarter of 2024 significantly below the 3% forecast of Tel Aviv Stock Exchange analysts the budget deficit to GDP ratio was at minus 8.3% the budget deficit was at 12.1 billion shekels ($3.22 billion) There is a decline in the value of the Israeli currency,” said Hever more than 85,000 people have dropped out from the workforce and there are “a quarter million people who have been displaced internally and lost both their jobs and their houses,” he added the very large number of people who are just leaving … The number of people who are leaving is unprecedented “You see people just buying a one-way ticket to see what will happen When you see so many people are doing this just to protect their families the result is that those who stay are feeling that the state is in a process of collapse.” Economic indicators are “not the full story,” he emphasized “The full story is what is the perspective of the population regarding the future People who don’t believe that there is a future People who don’t believe that the state of Israel will ever be able to recover from this crisis,” he said They don’t want to raise their children in Israel They don’t want to look for a job or study This means that the economic crisis will only get worse and worse There is no prospective for recovery.” Israelis are pulling out their savings to take them out of the country and the government has responded by threatening to take “your pension funds and investing them in the economy,” he said Regarding the domestic financial situation the economist said more than 46,000 businesses have gone bankrupt while even larger entities are also feeling the financial heat “The port of Eilat has gone bankrupt as well which is the only port that Israel has on the Red Sea,” said Hever international investment in Israel has gone almost to nothing.” which used to be “the most important part of the Israeli economy.” “These high-tech companies are using all of the resources to try to relocate They’re very much concerned that they cannot function in Israel under the current conditions,” he said “They don’t trust that the workers will not be sent to fight in a war They don’t trust that the areas are safe They don’t trust that the economy is stable They don’t trust the government not to intervene and confiscate their property.” These firms are now “trying to get themselves to be sold outside,” he said citing the example of Israeli cybersecurity company Wiz which was aiming for a $23 billion Google acquisition that drew major media attention in the country They don't want to make such an investment.” is working in a constant state of emergency which is the only thing preventing a complete collapse They want to have a process of investigating all of the corruption and the cases,” he said “But as long as the military and security situation are so difficult and so much in a moment of emergency Another hit to the Israeli economy has been due to the global Boycott which Hever views as never having been “so large is around the third and last stage of sanctions “When governments say they cannot continue to trade with a state that is committing crimes against humanity … then you really know that that it’s the last stage,” he said “The Israeli economy is very dependent on international trade and on international agreements Their biggest trading partner is the European Union.” center around dual-use items that are “on the one hand necessary sometimes for the civilian economy to function but they can also be made into weapons.” The July 19 ruling of the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories unlawful and “it is a war crime to assist occupation,” he said Israel cannot import any materials for infrastructure unless they prove that they will not be used to make weapons or for any purpose to do with illegal Israeli settlements “There is an obligation on third states not to trade those items at all .. If people think that it’s possible to have a functioning economic system in which dual-use items are banned … then this is an illusion,” said Hever “The Israeli economy will just collapse under the international sanctions until they recognize the demands of international law.” is one of the country’s best-known and most controversial queens The woman whose allure was great enough to tip the country into religious schism grew up in Hever Castle nestled amid 125 acres of grounds in rural Kent With the new Boleyn Apartment opening to visitors from June 26 the castle is giving visitors the chance to take a step back in time to the Tudor era and experience life like the future queen “This is an incredibly rare opportunity to faithfully redesign the world of Anne Boleyn and her family as they would have recognised it,” Kate McCaffrey The suite of rooms that make up the Boleyn Apartment at Hever are the only known set that were lived in by the Boleyn family to survive unmodified This gave historians at the castle the idea to recreate a physical environment that would have been familiar to Anne walls adorned with friezes or tapestries and rooms equipped with 16th-century furniture the suite of rooms also takes visitors on a journey through Anne’s changing status — from landowner’s daughter to future queen — each one more luxurious than the last Henry VIII’s ill-fated second wifeHever was Anne’s refuge at different periods of her life — first as a child before being sent to be educated on the Continent During her time at courts in the Netherlands and France Anne developed many of the interests befitting a young woman of her status and that would later entrance Henry: the French language; literature and philosophy; and Anne brought these interests back to Hever when she returned from Europe is equipped with replica books and musical instruments such as lutes an instrument Anne had learnt to play in France and on which she would have whiled away many hours at Hever no contemporary inventories of the Boleyn household at Hever survive so the curatorial team has been unable to ascertain if the artefacts and furniture featured in the Boleyn Apartment were actually used by the family we have furnished the apartment largely with original and so these are items that would have been very familiar to the family,” says McCaffrey who in 2021 discovered hidden words and names in a Book of Hours (a personal devotional text) that belonged to Anne These suggest how the book was preserved following her execution — passed among a network of trusted connections are now displayed in a separate room on the same floor as the new Boleyn Apartment “Visitors will get to experience the world of Anne Boleyn and then encounter her own personal books,” McCaffrey explains Anne Boleyn’s Book of Hours prayerbookOLIVER DIXONAmong the original furniture on display is an extraordinary oak cupboard with carved birds and French fleur-de-lys One of McCaffrey’s favourite elements is a frieze hand painted around the top of the same room featuring royal emblems like the Tudor Rose combined with Boleyn emblems such as a falcon “There are several surviving examples of friezes today which provided our inspiration for this popular Anne’s return to England also found her a new role at the English court To fuel this fondness during their times apart the couple wrote letters to each other Anne is believed to have written many of hers from the Best Bedchamber another room now part of the Boleyn Apartment this room gives an impression of the furnishings Anne might have enjoyed while waiting for Henry and Catherine’s annulment to be granted It was also likely in this room that Anne suffered the agonies of the sweating sickness in 1528 an epidemic with high fatality rates that had swept through the land Henry dispatched his own doctor to Hever to care for his future queen Registered in England No. 894646. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. The construction company Amana and its founder Ze'ev Hever responded to the sanctions imposed on the organization by the Biden administration's use of the outgoing US president's Executive Order 14115 "The Amana Movement has been working for decades to develop and establish communities in the land legally and in the spirit of the vision of the founders of the Zionist movement," he said "Last fall's harsh events demonstrated how intertwined settlement and Israel's security are and the national interest in continuing to settle the land." "The sanctions we were informed of today are a result of baseless slanders hurled at Amana by hostile and extreme elements Had the American administration bothered to examine them rather than rely on such malicious publications it would have discovered that they indeed lack factual basis and would have refrained from acting against us "The settlement enterprise has already faced difficult decrees in past years We are confident that with the change of administration in Washington and the right and necessary action by the Israeli government and the settlement enterprise will return to fulfilling the Zionist vision." five months after Canada imposed sanctions on Amana the Biden administration announced that it imposed sanctions on Amana's subsidiary Binyanei Bar Amana and on the Judean Mountains Company which are involved in construction throughout Judea and Samaria Shabtai Kushlevski was sanctioned for his activities in the organization Hashomer Yosh which itself has been sanctioned in the past Itamar Yehuda Levi was sanctioned for his activities in the construction company Eyal Judean Mountains Company as well as Zohar Sabah from the town of Mevo'ot Yericho who was also implicated in the attack on the Al-Ka’abneh elementary school near Jericho in September 2024 which injured several Palestinians at the school The head of the Binyamin Regional Council and chairman of the Yesha Council the outgoing American administration chooses to strengthen the axis of evil and weaken Israel Samaria Regional Council governor Yossi Dagan committed to working with the incoming government to cancel the sanctions and expressed disappointment over Prime Minister Netanyahu's silence in the face of the sanctions "The decision to impose sanctions on the Amana company - this is the swan song of the Biden administration It is an act hostile and cynical towards the only democracy in the Middle East a government that dares to extort its strategic partner now dares to attack the bodies and organizations of the State of Israel." "Both those who love Israel and those who hate Israel both understand well that there is not one ounce of substantive consideration here this is a transparent attempt by Biden and Harris to embarrass the elected president Trump," Dagan accused "We will work with all our might to throw these decisions to the trash can of history immediately after the inauguration of the new president and government "The silence of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu when the citizens of the country and Israeli organizations are harmed in this way The role of the Israeli Prime Minister in this situation is to stand firm against the intolerable attack on the sovereignty of the State of Israel and against this ruthless and indiscriminate harm to official bodies and organizations in the state The people expect to see the Prime Minister fight against the sanctions Amana was building before Harris and Biden and it will be and will build long after these two cynical politicians are forgotten by the world." The US Treasury Department's press release included the following unproven and untrue allegations of extremism and violence: "Amana is a key part of the Israeli extremist settlement movement and maintains ties to various persons previously sanctioned by the U.S government and its partners for perpetrating violence in the West Bank...The settlers and farms that Amana supports play a key role in developing settlements in the West Bank from which in turn settlers commit violence to expand settlements and seize land." It should be noted that Executive Order 14115 imposes sanctions without due process raising serious questions about justice and civil rights US citizens have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Biden’s sanctions which is still pending allowing the Biden Administration to take advantage of the delay Welcome to schooltravelorganiser.com. This site uses cookies. Read our policy Schools and academies can claim a free print subscription to School Travel Organiser magazine Or keep it digital and register to access our web content for free and receive the magazine’s digital edition to your inbox as well as the fortnightly email newsletter Hever Castle is inviting young history enthusiasts to embark on an exciting journey through time with Mission History a full-day immersive educational experience designed for Key Stage 2 students.  Pupils can explore a wealth of history at Hever Castle in Kent Mission History offers a series of interactive activities that bring history to life - the educational programme allows students to explore five distinct historical periods through hands-on activities Each group will rotate through missions focused on Ancient Greece and Rome To understand how people lived in different eras and track the progress made from century to century Mission 1: Cracking the Code of Ancient Greece & RomeBecome a time travelling tourist and decode ancient statues in a secret Italian garden to uncover clues about life in these mighty empires Mission 2: Norse Invasion: Artefact AdventureJoin John Conyard from Historical Interpretations to analyse Viking artefacts and become an archaeologist Learn more about Henry VIII and his wives during the Castle Secrets takeover Mission 3: Medieval Mystery: Masters of the SkyWitness an aerial display by Willow Birds of Prey and learn how these magnificent birds were used for hunting and sport during medieval times Mission 4: Tudor Takeover: Castle SecretsAct as Royal Investigators on a top-secret tour of the castle uncovering the fascinating stories of Anne Boleyn and Anne of Cleves Mission 5: WWII CodebreakersBecome a World War Two Code Cracker by mastering essential communication skills like semaphore Mission History is said to offer a blend of education and excitement Each mission has been created to provide a comprehensive and interactive learning experience ensuring students not only understand historical events but also enjoy the process of discovery Teachers can book in up to 25 Key Stage 2 pupils per group, with a minimum of one adult per ten students. More information is available by emailing groups@hevercastle.co.uk or at www.hevercastle.co.uk/visit/school-trips School visits to the Tower of London will now be able to learn about the kings and queens who shaped it and lived there with a new exhibition in the Medieval Palace covering areas of the Key Stage 3 history curriculum Adamsdown Primary School pupils became scientists for the day when they visited Techniquest the science discovery centre in Cardiff Bay A free exhibition at London’s Science Museum will examine the impact of unsustainable food systems and highlight the scientists producers and communities working on solutions for a healthier future Comedy legend Sir Lenny Henry’s book about an ordinary boy who becomes an extraordinary hero, The Boy With Wings A scheme offering pupils from targeted schools the chance to spend a week immersed in nature has been shown to have long-term benefits for young people Site powered by Webvision Cloud Anne says farewell to her family and embarks on a life-changing journey to the royal courts of Flanders and France Anne’s adventure will shape not only her future but the future of England itself… Anne Boleyn the Musical explores Anne’s transformation as she leaves England as a young girl and returns as a young woman The rise and fall of their love affair forever altered the course of history Celebrated as one of history’s most intriguing and influential women and her generosity will finally be revealed—within the very walls where her mind was shaped and her legacy forged Performances will be in a specially constructed auditorium in the Castle grounds Organizations in West BankCanada is the first government to sanction Amana a key West Bank settlements group which states that its goal is to settle one million settlers in the West Bank 2024Canada's government sanctioned the Amana movement the main settlements organization in the West Bank as part of a new round of sanctions on Israeli individuals and entities "for their role in facilitating supporting or financially contributing to acts of violence .. against Palestinian civilians and their property," according to Canada's statement For best viewing experience of this website Please enter a place name in the search bar After provisionally the warmest May Day on record in the UK higher than average temperatures will subside over the weekend Environment Agency Updated: 13:01 (UTC+1) on Mon 5 May 2025 Showery outbreaks of rain clearing from the northeast by the early afternoon especially along the coast and in association with any showers Variable cloud feeding into Kent through the night cloudier towards the coast with the best of any sunshine in western regions Fine and settled weather conditions are expected to continue with a good deal sunshine and light winds Patchy rain possible Wednesday and Thursday towards Kent Dry across the UK at the start of this period with clear or sunny spells for the majority of places Cloud will likely thicken across the far north and northwest during the weekend with some outbreaks of rain for a time There is also a small risk of some heavy showers in the far south or southwest high pressure will be dominant across the UK This will bring predominantly fine and dry weather for the majority of places Temperatures are likely to be slightly above normal for the time of year although there is a chance of some cold nights Fairly typical weather for the time of year is most likely through this period fine and dry weather is more likely to dominate although this will be interspersed with occasional spells of rain and showers with a risk of heavy rain and thunderstorms in places temperatures will most likely be near to or slightly above average There are three copies of the 1527 Book of Hours in existence two of which belonged to Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn A prayer book belonging to Thomas Cromwell believed to the only object from any 16th-century portrait to survive to this day The 1527 Book of Hours can, historians say, be seen in Hans Holbein the Younger’s famous portrait of Thomas Cromwell which was painted in 1532-33 and is in the Frick Collection where in 2021 assistant curator Kate McCaffrey made the link that Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn also had copies of the same prayer book McCaffrey then discovered a third copy of the 1527 Book of Hours, which was donated to the University of Cambridge in 1660. When Hever Castle’s team viewed the book, curator Alison Palmer believed it to be the book featured in Holbein’s painting as she recognised its bejewelled, silver gilt binding. have traced the provenance of Cromwell’s book from its donor whose books include Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I and The Private Lives of the Tudors was among a team of experts that reviewed the evidence from Hever Castle’s team She said the book was the “most exciting Cromwell discovery in a generation – if not more” The book is on loan to Hever Castle from Wren Library in Cambridge’s Trinity College and it is thought to be the first time the book has been lent by the library since it was donated Catherine of Aragon’s copy of the 1527 Book of Hours had been on display at Hever Castle on loan from the Morgan Library in New York but Cromwell’s copy of the book will be on display alongside the one belonging to Anne Boleyn Palmer said it was “thrilling to be a part of the solving of this 400-year-old mystery” Free weekly newsletterDiscover new books and learn more about your favourite authors with our expert reviews “Seeing the evolution of the curatorial team’s research from my kernel of an assumption just under a year ago to the final identification of this book’s original owner is the finding of a lifetime,” she added Cromwell’s prayer book will be on display until November 2023 as part of the Castle’s exhibition Catherine and Anne: Queens, Rivals, Mothers which showcases the similarities between the two women Israeli AI-driven vehicle inspection system developer UVeye today announced the completion of a $191 million financing round including $41 million equity and $150 million debt The equity financing was led by Woven Capital with participation from UMC Capital and MyBerg along with existing investors W.R Trinity Capital structured the $150 million debt facility This brings the total capital raised by the company to $380.5 million The latest funds will support UVeye’s efforts to meet global demand for its innovative systems and solidify its position as the market leader in the industry as the company nears a million vehicles scanned every month UVeye was founded in 2016 by CEO Amir Hever and his brother Ohad Hever The company has developed an "MRI for vehicles," which delivers precise these platforms transform vehicle safety and efficiency The company's inspection system includes three main products - a tire inspection scanner and an internal inspection system used primarily for vehicle sales "The system creates complete transparency with the customer," explains Amir Hever "Instead of a manual inspection that depends on the service person the customer receives an accurate picture of the vehicle's condition and can decide what to repair and when." He adds "Our system combines complex image processing with AI and a unique algorithm that we developed with millions of scans that have already been performed which allows for an extremely high level of accuracy." the system is installed in more than 400 car dealerships in the US and is also used by the e-commerce giant Amazon which uses it to inspect its fleet of delivery vehicles "This is the largest collaboration between an Israeli company and Amazon The announcement of the collaboration was supposed to be made in October 2023 but was postponed due to the outbreak of the war in Israel Even though we were featured on Amazon's website which announced that all Amazon vehicles would be scanned with Israeli technology The company currently has about 220 employees worldwide including 120 at the development center in Israel the funding will be used mainly to finance the production of additional systems as the company's revenue model is based on subscriptions UVeye also plans to expand its operations in Europe Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on January 29 © Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. Nearly 125,000 people have made their way through the maze stretching three quarters of a mile in length at Hever Castle and Gardens this summer. The estate’s gardening team of 10 got to work on Tuesday to keep the grounds near Edenbridge, in Kent, in shape. Head gardener Neil Miller said: “We wait for the schools to go back before we tackle the yew maze. “Birds typically nest between March and August so we wait until we know there are no nests before beginning the mammoth task of trimming the hedges.” According to a castle spokesperson, American billionaire William Waldorf Astor began the garden’s transformation by employing more than 1,000 men between 1904 and 1908. This included creating a maze out of 1,000 yew trees imported from the Netherlands. Hever Castle and Gardens also features a giant yew chess set after Mr Astor gained inspiration from one at the British Museum used during the reign of King Henry VIII. Facebook pageTwitter feedRSS feed@2025 The Irish News Ltd 1) 0ms,border-color 250ms cubic-bezier(0.4 1) 0ms;transition:background-color 250ms cubic-bezier(0.4 1) 0ms;color:#1976d2;padding:0px;min-width:0;}.css-1sgza6o:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;background-color:rgba(25 0.04);}@media (hover: none){.css-1sgza6o:hover{background-color:transparent;}}.css-1sgza6o.Mui-disabled{color:rgba(0 1) 0ms;color:#1976d2;padding:0px;min-width:0;}.css-w5p45x::-moz-focus-inner{border-style:none;}.css-w5p45x.Mui-disabled{pointer-events:none;cursor:default;}@media print{.css-w5p45x{-webkit-print-color-adjust:exact;color-adjust:exact;}}.css-w5p45x:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;background-color:rgba(25 0.04);}@media (hover: none){.css-w5p45x:hover{background-color:transparent;}}.css-w5p45x.Mui-disabled{color:rgba(0 0.26);}PrintShareSaveThe death has occurred of Beloved wife of the late Michael and much loved mother of Fiona Reposing at her home on Tuesday evening (11th March) from 5pm to 8pm Palmerstown on Wednesday morning (12th March) arriving for Requiem Mass at 10am followed by burial in Palmerstown Cemetery Christina’s Funeral Mass may be viewed online (live only) by following this LINK Family flowers only please. Donations, if desired, to St. James’ Hospital Foundation. Funeral Service.css-h76uj{display:inherit;margin-right:-4px;margin-left:8px;}Date Published: CondolencesDonate to CharityWould you like to mark a birthday memorial mass or anniversary for a Loved One?You can now create a family notice on RIP.ie to remember your loved one Andor season 2 is targeting an August 2024 debut on Disney Plus Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie Sign up to our daily newsletter for all the latest Kent stories and breaking news delivered straight to your inbox Thank you for subscribing!We have more newsletters and just by looking at the glorious towns and villages there really are no surprises as to why a monarch would be attracted to Kent And with the sheer quantity of places linked with King Henry VIII its no wonder why there's so much historical interest in our county from thousands of years ago to more modern history - but each and every one is special in its own right One major turning point in British history was of course the infamous King Henry VIII - and he has a number of links to Kent This castle is breathtakingly beautiful with some incredibly stunning additions too built in 1270 became the childhood home of Henry VIII's second wife Anne Boleyn It was later passed into the ownership of another of Henry's wives and from 1557 it was owned by a number of different families the castle still has one of Henry's private locks which was taken with him during visits and fitted to every door for added security Hever Castle is worthy of a visit in its own right of course but on the eastern end of the lake visitors will be delighted to discover an ornamental Hever Lake itself is one of the most peaceful parts of the whole castle experience and is positively bursting with wildlife including a large variety of ducks you have to check out the stunning Japanese Tea House on the edge of the lake too It’s off the B2026 and you can get to it from the M25 and the M23 Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right CANTON – Hever's Family Meats is approaching 50 years in business The locally-owned butcher shop has been selling meat and homemade specialities since November 1973 homemade stuffed peppers and stuffed cabbage rolls," customer James Seeton of Canton said Mark Hever's store is opened seven days a week — except certain holidays — and has been at the corner of Cleveland Avenue NW and Mount Vernon Boulevard in Canton since 1988 "It's a great environment," said Justin Waggoner said he learned to cut meat while studying science and history at the University of Akron he also was working in the meat department at the old Lemmon's Market on 12th Street in Canton So he opened his own butcher shop and never looked back "Never did use my college degree," Hever said Hever said he has overcome many challenges such as the pandemic and inflation and found success over the five decades by adjusting to the times and listening to his customers his store sells alligator meat and frog legs because they were requested If several customers keep asking for a certain item Hever's Family Meats specializes in homemade products Seeton said his family loves the homemade products Hever's also sells cellphones and lottery tickets and offers on-site bill payment services grab a little bit of lottery and grab some meat." 'Everything boils down to customer service.'For Hever the butcher shop is home — and his house is just the place where he sleeps He has employees but he enjoys the meat business "I've been fortunate I think with good health," he said His store has a social media presence on Facebook "Everything boils down to customer service Know the people and treat them with respect," Hever said Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com